Global prespective Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Global prespective - Essay Example The country observes a blend of common and Sharia laws, but the latter are only applied in family law and punishment of various grave crimes. The country has been described as one of the most stable Middle Eastern economies with a relatively good security situation. Since the Gulf War in which the country was involved, Qatar has been a peaceful haven for business activities in the area. The government plays a huge role in the determination of what businesses should or should not run. The government has in recent times executed heavy censorship in the liquor and food businesses to the point of being authoritarian where different liquor businesses have been closed and no explanation offered for the same. Other businesses have, however, been running independently. The country has good bilateral relationships with the United States and there are many US companies operating in the area, hence it will be easy to establish our operations. American workers and companies face a little discrim ination in the country as the country's leadership attempts to maintain a pious image elsewhere while projecting the West as corrupt. There are, however, no incidences of extreme fundamentalism. Economic Systems and Situation Qatar's economy is hugely oil-based. The country has huge oil reserves that are estimated to continue at least for another century. The country has attempted to diversify from petroleum although it still accounts for more than 50% of the country's Gross Domestic Product. The country embraces the ideals of free trade with limitation to business enterprises that have a connection with the Sharia law. The country has an effective tertiary industry with easily accessible banking and insurance services. The Qatar financial center affords financial institutions globally competitive services, capital support and interest free loans (â€Å"World's Richest Countries†). The country has a cheap and efficient road transport owing to the low prices of petroleum and a word-class road network. Communication is as well developed with good Internet and telephone coverage. The country has a good number of local and international media stations. Labor Laws The government prohibits labor unions and industrial strikes. There are also unfair working relations where migrant workers are paid less than citizens for the same job qualification. This has led to issues that affect companies in the region negatively as they follow payment schemes in the same way that the government does. Purchasing Power Qatar is the richest country in the world in terms of GDP per capita. The business magazine Forbes ranked Qatar 1st in 2010 GDP per Capita in 2010 and reported that the country recorded 19 per cent economical growth, which was the highest in the year in the world. Increase in exports of liquefied oil, natural gas, petrochemicals, and diversification of products in related industries are credited for this. In terms of human development, Qatar is the second-highe st in the Middle East and North Africa region, only second to the U.A.E. In 2009, United States made its fifth-largest export in the Middle East in Qatar, surpassing earlier more favorite export markets such as the U.A.E., Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Egypt (â€Å"World's Richest Countries†). Cocona Fabrics, established in the late 2005, has come up with fast-drying fabrics that effectively protect against ultraviolet rays and manage sweat and other

Tokyo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Tokyo - Essay Example It described the future of Tokyo by predicting that Tokyo will make further strides as a big city with a population of over 12 million, a lively city characterized by mutual contacts and support for transcending generations, a comfortable city with a combination of abundant greenery and charming waterfront, and a city which will maintain a balance between residence and work place while functioning both as a domestic and international information junction and as a major base for the international economy. This is the very image of Tokyo as an attractive international city-that is, a world city-which will lead the world both in name and reality (TMG, 1987, p. 50). When examining the nature of urban policy and planning, it is impossible to ignore the context of global economic change. Many of these policies are formulated as a response to global economic pressures. The priority of urban policy in many cities is to attract inward investment and increase economic competitiveness in relation to other world cities, or similar cities in their region (Short and Kim, 214-235)-although the manner in which this is pursued can vary according to local circumstances (Hall and Hubbard, 85-99). Often these entrepreneurial approaches are adopted to stimulate revitalization after the loss of earlier economic vitality. Thus, as a hypothesis, it is reasonable to ask whether such an entrepreneurial policy emphasis has developed in Tokyo in the context of the Japanese economic crisis. Although Tokyo is nearly always bracketed with London and New York as the top three world cities, there is considerable debate over the degree of similarity between them. One criticism of the global city debate is its Anglo-American ethnocentrism and its tendency to "exaggerate... Although Tokyo is widely regarded as one of the top three ‘world cities’, the argument is supported that it retained many national characteristics, partly based on its location in a ‘developmental state’. As national fortunes have changed, so has Tokyo’s relationship with its global environment. Twenty years ago Japan was experiencing economic boom and this was reflected in dramatic development projects in Tokyo. The concept of ‘world city’ was used at this time to legitimize such development. The 1990s were viewed in Japan as ‘the lost decade’ with great uncertainty over policy direction as the boom collapsed and urban policy in Tokyo entered a phase of inertia. It is argued that the city is now entering a third phase in which a new competitive attitude is emerging regarding the role of Tokyo and this is leading to changes in strategic urban policy. However, this new approach is still embedded in old structures and conceptio ns and hence there are tensions in developing future policy. Attitudes to the role of Tokyo have been changing in national government. After a period in which the concept of world city was unfashionable, the national administration of Hashimoto announced the Japanese version of the Big Bang policy in 2003. This proposed that Tokyo should be revived as one of the world’s economic centers and be made into a free, fair and global financial market. This was the context for the election for Governor of Tokyo in 1999, which was won by Ishihara. His election manifesto was based on the idea that national recovery should start in Tokyo. He presented himself as a strong political leader who could stop the decline of both Tokyo and Japan. His dynamic approach, in which he proposed to revitalize Tokyo again as Japan’s leading city and an important world player, contrasted with the sluggish approach under Hiroshima.