Essay on Compare Contrast - 844 Words

Compare Contrast Have you ever read a poem that cached your eye? Ever wondered how that poem is similar to others or different? Perhaps you read a poem about animals, the economy or someone’s feelings. The poems I, Too and The Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes, have many important similarities and differences. One could have been when he was young and the other when he was older. He describes what he’s seen and done in The Negro Speaks of Rivers. In the poem I, Too, he describes what he wants to do. In both of these poems they cross a point where it is noticeable what they have in common. Both have very strong views, along with the positive attitudes that he has towards inequality and discrimination. He attempts to get†¦show more content†¦He wants to see the things around him. Next, the poet describes the different things he has seen and the places where he has gone. He, therefore expresses how beautiful the world can be if one goes out an ex plores; this shows he is more free than before. Hughes, takes on a serious tone and the poem is more formal. Time has passed when he wrote this poem according too, the places and events he has seen with Abe Lincoln and slavery. Hughes, describes the things that have occurred during the time of his life and him seeing everything. There are some similarities between the two poems, I, Too and The Negro Speaks of Rivers. For example, they both talk about the abolishment of slavery. Everyone has the right to be treated equally. The world can be cruel to everyone but everyone has something to look forward to and live life happily. In both poems, he expresses how in both situations he had obstacles to over come and how the world can come to a change. He had both strong and positive words to express in both poems. According to his poem I, Too â€Å"My soul has grown deep like the rivers† he says his soul hasn’t stopped, he continues to fight for what he really wants and he is beautiful no matter what. He also states, â€Å"Besides, Theyll see how beautiful I am and be ashamed† he says he’s beautiful inside and out. He wants to show everyone who he really is and says he is both strong and confident. Hughes, is no longer the same man as he was before as heShow MoreRelatedCompare and Contrast1441 Words   |  6 PagesThe Compare/ Contrast Essay First, let’s explain compare and contrast: When we compare, we show our readers a subjects similarities. When we contrast, we show our readers a subjects differences. Compare and Contrast essays are learning-process essays. You learn about your subject as you gather and organize information. This type of essay takes a bit of organization, and its this organizational process, this gathering of facts, that helps you learn as you go. You will create lists of qualitiesRead MoreCompare and Contrast1427 Words   |  6 PagesThe Compare/ Contrast Essay First, let’s explain compare and contrast: When we compare, we show our readers a subjects similarities. When we contrast, we show our readers a subjects differences. Compare and Contrast essays are learning-process essays. You learn about your subject as you gather and organize information. This type of essay takes a bit of organization, and its this organizational process, this gathering of facts, that helps you learn as you go. You will create listsRead MoreCompare and Contrast1582 Words   |  7 PagesRunning Head: COMPARE AND CONTRAST Compare and Contrast Self Administered Test Mary Coleman May 12, 2008 PSYU 565 Jeffrey A. Stone, PhD. Chapman University Compare and Contrast Self Administered Test The assignment for this week is to compare and contrast the results from three self administered tests we took in class. The tests I will compare and contrast are the 16 Personality Factors (16PF), the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), and the Taylor-Johnson Temperament Analysis (T-JTA)Read MoreCompare-Contrast1087 Words   |  5 PagesCompare-Contrast This paper is on compare-contrast of two advertisements dealing with two beauty products. One will be targeted towards men, while the other will be targeted towards women. The two beauty products advertisements that will be compared and contrast are the Axe Body Spray advertisement (18-19) and the Victoria’s Secret fragrance mist advertisement (Bath and Body Works). Both advertisements use different marketing promotions technique to try to get the attention and win over theirRead Morecompare contrast1165 Words   |  5 Pageshe is more interested in men which leads readers to believe he has homosexual tendencies. After this Emily decides to kill Homer and thus resulting in her keeping his lifeless body in the room upstairs until the day she herself passes. When you compare the two stories they have a very similar tone. Though the locations are different they still connect through the same tone. Phoenix Jackson is on a trail walking to town to buy some medicine for her Grandson, while Miss Emily is locked up in her houseRead MoreCompare Contrast1072 Words   |  5 PagesCompare and Contrast Christopher Smith University of Phoenix COM-170 COMPOSITION AND COMMUNICATION I January 14, 2014 Regina Vega Compare and Contrast Growing up, there are countless young boys, who have the dream of someday being a professional football or baseball player. Going outside and letting the imagination of being on the big stage and making the final pitch to win the World Series or the final Hail Mary throw to win the SuperRead MoreCompare and Contrast778 Words   |  4 PagesCompare and contrast the way Seamus Heaney and at least one other poet describe their childhood experiences. The two poets I am writing about are Seamus Heaney and D H Laurence. The two poems by Seamus Heaney I will be writing about are death of a naturalist and blackberry picking. The poem by D H Laurence I will be writing about is discord in childhood. Death of a naturalist Death of a naturalist is about Seamus Heaney as a child going to this pond where every year he went to collect frogspawnRead MoreCompare and Contrast1122 Words   |  5 PagesCompare and Contrast Essay In today’s society the majority of the crimes are still being committed by people who have possessed a firearm that has been obtained illegally or without proper permits. That being said there has been a strong push for gun control because of the rise of shootings involving a large group of people such as the Columbine massacre, Virginia Tech shooting and latest Aurora movie theater shooting involving people who have purchased firearms legally. Gun control laws in theRead MoreCompare and Contrast2738 Words   |  11 PagesCompare and Contrast Economic Market Systems In differentiating between market structures one has to compare and contrast public goods, private goods, common resources, and natural monopolies. All of these are major factors that need to be considered. Public goods are those goods in which all of society benefit from and are equally shared among everyone within. These types of goods can be consumed simultaneously by several individuals without diminishing the value of consumption to any individualRead MoreCompare and Contrast2751 Words   |  12 PagesCompare and Contrast Economic Market Systems In differentiating between market structures one has to compare and contrast public goods, private goods, common resources, and natural monopolies. All of these are major factors that need to be considered. Public goods are those goods in which all of society benefit from and are equally shared among everyone within. These types of goods can be consumed simultaneously by several individuals without diminishing the value of consumption to any individual

Agency Report Kw Senior S Day Program - 1283 Words

Agency Report: KW Senior’s Day Program Pearl Book Manuel 7140148 NURS8955-16W-Sec1-Practical Foundations of Community Service Jill Mercier February 1, 2016 In my country, we think highly of our families particularly our elders. Our elderlies benefit and relish their remaining lives with their children and grandchildren providing them their daily essentials such as health, welfare, maintenance, and protection. A Filipino must conform to what is predominantly accepted and expected by the society. This distinguishing quality among Filipinos makes it an orthodox way of life. This has in some way shed a light on why grandparents customarily live with at least one family member generally the eldest child. Because of this significant difference in how we care for our older member of the family, our seniors mostly stay at home to occupy or entertain themselves but with my grandparents cooking and chatting all day, there’s just no time left for other things to do. In contrast to the way the Western approach aging is totally different – culturally and sociologically. They are provided with care from external providers or nursing hom es. AGENCY’S MANDATE/MISSION K-W Seniors Day Program is a community based, non-profit organization committed to support our seniors sustain their quality of life and morale by means of a variety of programs. Participants are transported from their residences to K-W Seniors Day Program facility to participate and take pleasure in differentShow MoreRelatedMILMA Organization study9009 Words   |  37 Pagesis functioning under the Trivandrum Region Co-operative Milk Producers Union Ltd (TRCMPU) .The administration of this unit is vested in Board of Directors and it is functioning under the co-operative principles. It was formed under operation flood program as a chilling plant and later it was developed into a processing plant .It has seven departments and has a dairy manager who is in charge of managing and assisting all the activities of the unit. In this dairy milk is collected from various co-operativeRead MoreSummary of Text Book: Essentials of Management Information Systems8717 Words   |  35 Pagesï » ¿ Course Related Virtual Expert Jack Brown (Business Analyst) JSB Inc. Car Accessory Dealership James S. Black (Company founder) An entrepreneur with a love for cars. Abigail Foley (Senior vice president of Business Development) Reported an increase in customers cancelling their accounts. Mark Thompson (Business Development Manager) Prepared proposal for implementing an information system. Major Business Functions (In JSB) Manufacturing Assembling the product, checking for qualityRead MoreDemand Side Management22653 Words   |  91 Pagesdependency of many countries on oil, which as a primary resource is concentrated in only a relatively few countries, is creating geo-political tensions. In a survey conducted by the International Energy Agency (IEA) between governments and utilities of 14 OECD countries1 (INDEEP Analysis Report, 2004), the top four reasons given for implementing DSM programme were: _ Wanting reductions in global warming-related emissions of GHGs (environmental); _ Public image (marketing); _ Quality of serviceRead MorePoultry Farm11976 Words   |  48 Pagesit will be very important if the information could be quickly retrieved with a lot of ease, data easily updated and capable of analysis and display. 1.2 Background. For most businesses, there are a variety of requirements for information. Senior managers need information to help their business planning. Middle management needs more detailed information to help them control and manage business activities. Employees with operational roles need information to help them carry out their dutiesRead MoreAdipic Acid43555 Words   |  175 Pages |Oral rat LD50: 11 gm/kg | Source: Polytrans S.A, 2005 3. USAGE OF ADIPIC ACID Adipic acid is a very important chemical that is used all over the world to produce various products that people use every day. Nylon 6/6, foams, paints and tires are just a few of the products that are formed by using adipic acid. Adipic acid is also used as a food ingredient in gelatins, desserts and other foods that require acidulation. Nylon 6/6 is the largest outlet forRead MoreAn Evaluation of an on-Farm Food Safety Program for Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Producers; a Global Blueprint for Fruit and Vegetable Producers51659 Words   |  207 PagesAn evaluation of an on-farm food safety program for Ontario greenhouse vegetable producers; a global blueprint for fruit and vegetable producers A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of Graduate Studies Of The University of Guelph by Benjamin J. Chapman In partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science February, 2005 ( Benjamin Chapman, 2005 Abstract An evaluation of an on-farm food safety program for Ontario greenhouse vegetable producers; a globalRead MoreManagement Information Systems22991 Words   |  92 Pagesinformation systems in their new stadium can be seen as an effort to achieve which of the primary business objectives? A) Operational excellence B) Survival C) Customer and supplier intimacy D) Improved decision making 2) Journalist Thomas Friedman s description of the world as flat referred to: A) the flattening of economic and cultural advantages of developed countries. B) the use of the Internet and technology for instantaneous communication. C) the reduction in travel times and the ubiquityRead MoreLeadership Development42674 Words   |  171 PagesSadie Williams Research Report RR560 Research Report No 560 The Development of Management and Leadership Capability and its Contribution to Performance: The evidence, the prospects and the research need John Burgoyne, Wendy Hirsh and Sadie Williams The views expressed in this report are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department for Education and Skills.  © Lancaster University 2004 ISBN 1 84478 286 7 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report has been written by JohnRead MoreOrganisation Study of Acc Cement14377 Words   |  58 PagesAN ORGANISATIONAL STUDY Conducted at â€Å"ASSOCIATED CEMENT COMPANY (ACC)† WADI (JN) Internship training report submitted In partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Bangalore University For the award of the degree of Master of Business Administration Submitted By, Mr. NAGARAJUNRead MorePower and Energy Crisis of Bangladesh13714 Words   |  55 Pagesis considered as the introduction of electricity in the then Dhaka city. Later, in and around 1930, M/S. DEVCO, a subsidiary of M/S. Octavians Steel Company, developed electricity distribution system at 400V level under complete private ownership and brought that for public use. Most probably in the year 1933 a power generating station named Dhanmondi Power House was established with two 1500 KW generators each and from there the electricity distribution system was started to sale to the public

Current Issues on Grey Wolves free essay sample

For quite a long time now an increased concern of wildlife has developed. This includes protection, conservation, global warming and the most important factor: our very own impact on the flora and fauna on this Earth. After some steady research in the extinction and diseases of wildlife I have discovered there are a lot of problems, some are man-made but a lot are unknown or natural. Which is interesting in itself, does this mean that all wildlife will soon die off no matter how hard we try to maintain it? Or does it mean we are not doing our part as protectors of the wild? What does that even mean to be a protector of wild? Isn’t that contradicting the very concept of being â€Å"wild? † The Grey/Gray American Wolf or common wolf is one of the largest members of the dog family. Surprisingly the Grey wolf is not actually grey; the coat can actually vary from shades of white to black. The Grey wolf looks similar to a domestic dog, with a strong body, a heavy head, wide temple and a very predominant jaw. The size of a wolf depends on the environment it resides in, Northern wolves are predominantly bigger. Wolves live in linked families which include the parents, their offspring and sometimes adoptee wolves. The way wolves communicate is by howling, whines, barks, growls, and even body posture. They only hunt things that are not considered food if it is seen as a major threat and prefer wild prey. Although the Grey wolf is one of the largest in the dog family, their numbers have greatly decreased. These decreasing numbers have been caused by generally by humans. These activities include destruction to its habitat, hunting, human intrusion, etc. The main problem with Grey wolves is the fact that they are being removed from the endangered species list. The Grey wolf was on the brink of extinction in 2011and was removed from the list earlier this year. This is because people are beginning to feel them as a threat to their communities and felt that the wolves groups were becoming more predominant. With the Grey wolf not on the endangered species list, people are now allowed to freely hunt them. This is called â€Å"wolf management†. The de-listing now allows for trapping and killing wolves to be legal and so many have died due to this one mistake. The endangered species list protects the Grey wolf from being hunted freely. Although they are not at risk widely for extinction, local populations of wolves are still threatened. A threat that is common among local populations is genetic bottlenecking which is caused by a population shattering. This is due to humans isolating the wolf’s habitats so they can only breed within that population. The reproduction rate then decreases especially when a new wolf from a different area tries to reproduce. Because the wolves are so isolated they are not used to being around different wolves and are greatly affected. The human intrusion is one of the largest threats to the wolf population. Wolves are one of the greatest persecuted wild animals. Wolves are killed without a pause or thought towards their life. The wolves are killed for their coats, just out of pure fun and for the protection of livestock and human lives. People are fearful of wolves and for no reason at all. Wolves seldom attack livestock and humans. The people who kill wolves are usually uneducated or greedy hunters without a care for the wild. The second problem not to be seen as smaller than the first is that now wolves have recently been displayed as harmful and ruthless. People believe that if they are stranded in the middle of nowhere the ultimate threat to your survival is not frostbite or starvation but the â€Å"killer wolf†. The Grey wolf is depicted as a violent monster that tears off limbs, ripping people apart and terrorizing humans with snarls and growls. These violent incidents are displayed on commercials, and even becoming the main foundation of a movie called â€Å"The Grey†, Little Red Riding Hood, and Twilight. These displays of violence are terribly wrong because most wolves are actually very calm and run away from humans, not towards them. A specialized trapper and book author stated that Grey wolves â€Å"are curious, they’re cautious, they’re aloof, and they really don’t want anything to do with you† (TheDailyBeast, 2012). Essentially Grey wolves are harmless animals unless provoked and people need to understand this. The people involved in harming the Grey wolf are hunters, uneducated people, ranchers, and even some Departments of Fish and Game and people who watch too many movies. The individuals involved in the protection of the Grey wolf are wildlife protection agencies, federal wildlife biologists, animal rights activists, educated people and people like me who believe that wolves are important to the animal kingdom. This issue is so significant in the line of wilderness protection and management. The issue of the Grey wolf removed from the endangered species list is critical. This is important because without the list the Grey wolf is no longer protected against human attacks. It is now legal to hunt and kill the Grey wolf without backlash from the government. The idea is that the Grey wolf is harmful to the human society, which is completely wrong. I believe this will impact other aspects of this area because without the protection of the Grey wolf they might try to take off other species if they become too widespread across the country, because humans feel it as a threat to themselves. The problem is that we as the greater species are not looking at the effect it will have on the lesser species. We need to see that wolves and any other kind are not harmful and are more likely to run at human contact than attack. My stance on this issue is to but the Grey wolf back on the endangered species list. It is backed by the fact that we need to include animals as a part of our community and not just humans. We need to understand the wolf more in depth before we can just kill it off, work with it not against it. Wolves should be allowed to be wolves. Guha said â€Å"it is an error to equate environmental protection with protection of wilderness† (Lecture, April 2012). What he is saying is that we need to protect the environment and wilderness separately. We cannot protect the wolves as we protect the people. The Grey wolf needs to be put back on the endangered species list because it is now being harmed. Wolf populations are no longer increasing, but decreasing. People are taking action themselves without any present danger and just shooting with a blind eye. I believe if the Grey wolf is put back on the endangered species list and managed they will be allowed to freely populate without fear of humans slaughtering them. If people are educated then they will understand that wolves are not as scary as they are made out to be. The notion that wolves attack humans is ridiculous,† says Wendy Keefover, carnivore-protection director for WildEarth Guardians, one of several groups that have called for a boycott of the film, claiming its â€Å"inciting terror† of wolves in the same way that Jaws did of sharks (TheDailyBeast, 2012). I think the Grey Wolf is a wondrous majestic animal that should be allowed the same survival that a bird has. To freely roam, to protect and feed it’s young. Because of our uneducated population the Grey wolf has been de-listed by some U. S. states. A detritus factor is the human population. In Yellowstone National Park there are no Grey wolves present, this is because humans perceive them as a threat to their livestock and family. This not only affects the human who want to experience this park but also the other animal populations in the park. Without the Grey wolf many animals in the park have increase in numbers because they do not have a predator anymore. There have only been two documented cases of death or injury from a Grey wolf attack on humans. This is unlike the human attacks caused by domestic dogs, which has risen greatly to around 600 cases per year. So what I don’t understand is why people live side by side with domestic dogs but cannot seem to let the Grey wolf even survive alone without harm. The end goal is beneficial to the â€Å"greater good†, because it will allow the animal kingdom to thrive and humans to become educated about wolves and live without fear. The end goal would be to allow the Grey wolf to remain on the endangered species list. This would allow wolves to not be hunted. The second part would be to start an education process where people could learn all about wolves and other species that are displayed as violent. With more well informed people we could live side by side with wolves without the emotions of fear. I think the end result of this debate will either be fantastic or terrible. If the goals are reached the end result could be considerably outstanding. The wolves would be allowed to roam free without terror because there would not be anything to fear. But if it goes the opposite way with the goal of not being on the endangered species list then ultimately the Grey wolf would slowly become extinct. I believe this is possible because people are so careless, they are not educated and would shoot a Grey wolf because it apparently seems harmless. In all reality the wolf would actually run away once it saw a human. This issue may never be resolved if people do not get involved and take a stand to help protect the lives of the Grey wolf. Even though people believe the Grey wolf is not endangered anymore it is. Human beings will always want to hunt it and torture it. This issue of killing might be because of the movies and their depictions of the wolf or because they do not know that wolves are not usually harmful to humans. This issue is very controversial it depends on what person you are talking about and how much they actually know about the Grey wolf. If they have watched the movie or commercials or even read the book they might be steered in the wrong direction. We have to prove them wrong; we have to show that the Grey wolf deserves to live. I hope people become inspired to learn and go against the â€Å"norm† of killing just because they can. Grey wolves are part of the wilderness that we all love so dearly, so loving just a small part can make a big difference.

Characteristics of Langston Hughes Poetry (SL) Flashcard

Characteristics of Langston Hughes Poetry (SL)

The Commonwealth and Malaysia free essay sample

The Commonwealth of Nations is a voluntary association of independent sovereign states, most of which were once governed by the United Kingdom and are its former colonies. It was formerly known as the British Commonwealth of Nations. The Commonwealth is an organisation where countries with diverse economic backgrounds have an opportunity for close and equal interaction. The primary activities of the Commonwealth are to create an atmosphere of economic cooperation between member nations, as well as the promotion of democracy and good governance in them. There are two terms that a country must fulfil for the country to become a part of the Commonwealth. The first term is that the country must have already achieved its independence. The second term is that the country has been part of Britain or a part of its colony. If any country fulfils these two requirements they can automatically be a part of the Commonwealth (WordIQ. We will write a custom essay sample on The Commonwealth and Malaysia or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page com 2011). The main objective of Commonwealth is to provide facilities and benefit to member countries and to have diplomatic relations between members and non member countries History Origins of Commonwealth The idea of the Commonwealth took root in the 19th century. In 1867 Canada became the first colony to be transformed into self -governing ‘Dominion’ and others followed. In 1884, the politician Lord Rosebery became the first to call this changing British Empire as the ‘Commonwealth of Nations’. In 1931, the United Kingdom parliament adopted the statue of Westminster, forming the legal foundation of what was to become of the Commonwealth. Under the Statute, the Dominions of Canada, Newfoundland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the Irish Free State became autonomous communities within the British Empire, equal in status and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations (Commonwealth Secretariat 2011) In 1930 the first Empire Games later to be known as the Commonwealth Games was held for the first time. Modern Commonwealth The modern Commonwealth that we recognize it today really began with the independence of India and Pakistan from Britain in 1947. In 1949, India’s desire to become a republic and to cut constitutional ties with the British monarchy while remaining within the Commonwealth, forced leaders to rethink the principals of the Commonwealth membership. The London Declaration of the same year dropped the word ‘British’ from the association’s title. Removing the requirement that member countries have the British monarch as their Head of State, the same declaration recognised King George IV as the symbol of their free association and as such the Head of the Commonwealth. India was thus welcomed as the first republican member in a modern and voluntary association. Committed to racial equality and national sovereignty, the Commonwealth became the natural association of choice of many new nations emerging out of decolonisation in the 1950s and 1960s. From this point on the Commonwealth expanded rapidly with new members from Africa, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and the Pacific. (The Commonwealth Conversation 2011) Commonwealth Countries -Anguilla -Antigua and Barbuda -Australia -Australian Antarctic Territory Bahamas -Bangladesh -Barbados -Belize -Bermuda -Botswana -British Antarctic Territory -British Indian Ocean Territory -British Virgin Islands -Brunei -Cameroon -Canada -Cayman Islands -Channel Islands -Cook Islands -Cyprus -Dominica -Namibia -Nauru -New Zealand -Nigeria -Niue -Norfolk Island -Pakistan -Papua New Guinea -Pitcairn Islands -Ross Dependency -Seychelles -Sierra Leone -Singapore -Solomon Islands -South Africa -Sri Lanka -St Christophe r-Nevis -St Helena -St Lucia -St Vincent and the Grenadines -Swaziland -Tanzania -Tokelau -Tonga Trinidad and Tobago -Falkland Islands -Falkland Islands Dependencies -Fiji -Gambia -Ghana -Gibraltar -Grenada -Guyana -India -Isle of Man -Jamaica -Kenya -Kiribati -Lesotho -Malawi -Malaysia -Maldives -Malta -Mauritius -Montserrat -Mozambique -Turks and Caicos Islands -Tuvalu -Uganda -Vanuatu -Western Samoa -Zambia -Zimbabwe How Malaysia became a member of the Commonwealth Malaya had been voted into the Commonwealth at the 1957 Prime Ministers conference. Then the Commonwealth countries helped Malaya to become a part of the United Nations. The entry of Malaya made it easier for the newly formed Malaysia which included Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore to become a member of the Commonwealth as well. Furthermore, the entry of Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore into the newly formed Malaysia was supported by the Commonwealth as Britain wanted to give all its colonies independence (Boyce . P. J). The Malayan emergency (between1940s-1960s) and the Indonesian Confrontation Another benefit of Malaysia being part of the Commonwealth is the help that the Commonwealth provided Malaysia with during the Malayan emergency and the Indonesian Confrontation. During the Malayan Emergency Malaya gained a lot of help from the Commonwealth. During that period of time Commonwealth countries Commonwealth countries like Australia cooperated with British forces, locally and raised units, and military personnel from other various British Commonwealth countries including New Zealand. Other benefits that Malaysia obtained from the Commonwealth was New Zealand helped in training members of the Malaysian Armed Forces at that time. During the Indonesian Confrontation, the Australian Regiment (Commonwealth Brigade) served in Sarawak between April and August 1966 to help during the confrontation. The Confrontation was a conflict between Indonesia and Malaysia that took place mainly on the island of Borneo. Malaysia British and Commonwealth forces including Australia helped and supported Malaysia. 1964 the Indonesians stunned the British and Malaysians by beginning a series of paratroops and seaborne raids into southern Malaysia leading to fears that the Malayan Emergency would be renewed. At that time, the Commonwealth troops in Malaysia, including Australia, were called into action to deal with the raiders, and the Australian Government agreed to the deployment of an Australian Army battalion in Borneo to help the Commonwealth forces on the island. The Commonwealth reinforcements began by setting up strong points along known infiltration routes. The British Government also gave its approval for Commonwealth forces to conduct patrols across the border into Indonesian territory. This forced the Indonesians onto the defensive and prevented Indonesian incursions into northern Borneo. The policy of Confrontation, which had been intended to prevent this outcome, had cost the lives of 590 Indonesians and 114 Commonwealth soldiers (Australian involvement in South-East Asian conflicts 2009). This shows that the entry of Malaysia into the Commonwealth had many benefits. Through the help of the Commonwealth countries Malaysia was able to maintain its peace during times of great needs. Benefits of Malaysia being a Commonwealth country Malaysia has become an independent country on the 31st of August 1957 and has become a member of the Commonwealth ever since. As Malaysia became a member of the Commonwealth, Malaysia gained many benefits. In the early days of the Commonwealth, the benefit of being part of the Commonwealth was all Commonwealth countries accorded each others’ goods privileged access to their markets and there was a free or preferred right of migration from one Commonwealth country to another. Besides these, Commonwealth consumers retain many preferences for goods from other members of the Commonwealth, so that even in the absences of tariff privileges, there continues to be more rade within the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth also provides benefits to the citizens of Commonwealth countries. For example, the Commonwealth places moral pressure on members who violate international laws, such as human rights, laws and abandon democratically elected government. So if anything like this would to happen to Malaysian citizens or other to Commonwealth citizens the Commonwealth would help. Besides that, the Commonwealth also tra ins experts in developing countries and assisting the by monitoring elections. Other benefits of Malaysia being part of the Commonwealth is we can learn many cultural and historical links between wealthy first class countries and poorer developing nations with diverse social and reglious backgrounds. The common inheritance of the English language and literature, the common law and British systems of administrations, is also another benefit of Malaysia being part of the Commonwealth. Malaysian citizens also have some distinctive rights, for example, Malaysian citizens are usually entitled to register to vote in the elections of other Commonwealth countries if they are residents in that specific country. Malaysian citizens (mainly citizens of Penang and Malacca) who were born on before 1st of January 1983 and have either a British born mother or father have the ‘right of abode’. This right entitles them to enter, live and work in the United Kingdom. Woman from Malaysia who has married to a British man before 1st January 1983 are also entitled to this right. Those who come to the United Kingdom in this scheme may claim state benefits if they intend to make United Kingdom their permanent home. (WordIQ. com 2011). Commonwealth countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Britain has also helped Malaysia maintain its peace after gaining its independence in 1957 by restricting the influence of the Malaya Communist party (Parti Komunis Malaya (PKM)) and defending Malaysia against the terrorism of the Communist party lead by Chin Peng. Besides that, a defence agreement between Malaysia, Britain, Australia and New Zealand was obtained when Indonesia declared a confrontation against Malaysia. Malaysia also uses the Commonwealth as a bridge for participating in various socioeconomic and political activities. Malaysia is also the Commonwealth Secretariat for drawing up technical cooperation programmes such as technology management, agricultural training, environment and remote sensing. The main benefit of being part of the Commonwealth is the opportunity for close and relatively frequent interaction, on an informal and equal basis, between members who share many ties of language, culture and history (WordIQ. com 2011). Another benefit that Malaysia gained from being part of the Commonwealth is all Malaysian products exported to other Commonwealth countries such are given a low tax rate. Another benefit of being part of the Commonwealth is the Commonwealth games. All countries that are members of the Commonwealth are allowed to compete in the Commonwealth games. Malaysia has been competing in the Commonwealth games since 1966 and has won a total of 128 medals over that period of time (Commonwealth Secretariat 2011). Furthermore, scholarships and fellowship are awarded by Commonwealth countries to citizens of other Commonwealth countries under the Commonwealth and Fellowship plan. Malaysia has also awarded citizens of other Commonwealth countries with scholarships and fellowships under the Commonwealth and Fellowship plan. Malaysia offers up to 10 Commonwealth scholarships each year for Master’s or PHD study. Besides that, other advantages of being a part of the Commonwealth is the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize award . Two Malaysians were awarded with that award. Tash Aw was a Commonwealth Writers’ Prize regional winner with the ‘Harmony Silk Factory’ in 2006 and so was Sri Lankan Rani Manicka who was born in Malaysia, with her novel ‘The Rice Mother’ (Commonwealth Secretariat 2011). Besides that, Malaysia has also been able to have diplomatic relations with many other Commonwealth countries and this has brought many benefits to Malaysia and its people. Boyce P. J) Malaysia in the Commonwealth Malaysia also plays a very active and prominent role in the Commonwealth. Its contributions to the Commonwealth are varied and wide-ranging. For example, Malaysia had once chaired the High Level Appraisal Group on the Commonwealth that reviewed the roles and structures of the Commonwealth in the 1990s and beyond. Malaysia also again chaired the first meeting of the Steering Committee of Senior Officials (SCOSO) in 1993 which was tasked to provide policy guidance and future strategic directions for the Commonwealth Secretariat in carrying out the mandates entrusted to it. Malaysia has also participated in several Commonwealth Observer Missions to member countries such as Bangladesh, Ghana, Malawi, Namibia, Pakistan, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Nigeria, to observe the conduct of elections in these countries. These observer missions were part of the Commonwealth’s contribution to the active promotion of the Commonwealth’s fundamental political values, in particular the strengthening of democracy. Malaysia was also able to criticise and show its dissatisfaction towards South Africa through the Commonwealth for its apartheid policies. Malaysia was also responsible for the withdrawal of South Africa from the Commonwealth. The withdrawal of South Africa from the Commonwealth is mainly because Tunku Abdul Rahman had campaigned for the expulsion of South Africa before and during the 1960s Prime Ministers conference (Commonwealth Secretariat 2011). Malaysian senior Commonwealth officers Being a part of the Commonwealth also allows Commonwealth citizens to be a part of the Commonwealth board of members. Some Malaysians were also given the opportunity to be part of the Commonwealth board members mainly as Commonwealth officers. Some examples of Malaysian senior Commonwealth members include: †¢Mohd Shafie Apdal, Chair of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association †¢Mohamed Sidek Hassan, member of the Board of Directors, Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management †¢Professor Gajaraj Dhanarajan, President and Chief Executive Officer, Commonwealth of Learning 1995-2004 †¢Dr Omar bin Abdul Rahman, Chair, Commonwealth Partnership for Technology Management †¢Professor Dato Abdullah Malim Baginda, Joint Honorary President, Common Wealth Network for People Centred Development International (Commonwealth Secretariat 2011) Commonwealth meetings that Malaysia hosted Being a part of the Commonwealth also allows Malaysia to host any Commonwealth meetings. In 1989, the Commonwealth Head of Governments Meeting was held in Malaysia for the first time. This meeting resulted in the Kuala Lumpur Statement and the Langkawi Declaration on environment. The Langkawi Declaration was the first Commonwealth statement that included environmental protection as a vital factor in development. In 1998, Malaysia hosted the Third Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting. Then in the same year the Commonwealth games was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the first time. In the year 2004, the first Commonwealth Tourisms Meeting was held in Malaysia. In 2009, The Seventeenth Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Commonwealth Secretariat 2011). Commonwealth Projects Another benefit of being a part of the Commonwealth is the Commonwealth projects. Malaysia has been able to join Commonwealth projects has benefited Malaysia. Export-Oriented CPB Institutional strengthening (2007/08) This Commonwealth Secretariat commissioned project provided assistance to the Government of Malaysia in improving the competitiveness of the Malaysian Professional Services Development Corporation (PSDC). Assistance was provided to develop systems and structures which strengthened professional capacity. The PSDC strategic orientation was redefined to take account of operational and human resources priorities. The project also focused on building the capacity of the PSDC to develop a marketing plan for the promotion of Malaysia professional services. ) Marketing Plan for Professional Services (2000) Assistance was provided (courtesy of the Commonwealth Secretariat) to the Government of Malaysia to formulate a strategic plan for the expansion and diversification of exports of professional services. 3) Expert in Tissue Culture, Malaysian Cocoa Board (2000) The Commonwealth Secretariat commissioned an expert to assist the Malaysian Cocoa Board develop suitable micro propagation techniques for multiplication of cocoa clonal materials. ) Export Market Plan for the Promotion of Professional Services (2000) The objective of this Commonwealth funded programme was to assist the Government of Malaysia in formulating policies and devising implementation strategies and a national plan for an export development programme, designed to assist the expansion and diversification of exports of professional services. 5) Workshop of Project Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation for Points of Contact (1997). The objective of this Commonwealth Secretariat commissioned project was to create awareness among participants of the expected role of POCs and PCPs in the management of technical assistance projects and to enhance their understanding of approaches and techniques used. (Commonwealth Secretariat 2011) Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme The Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP) was first initiated at the First Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) for Asia Pacific Region in Sydney in February 1978. It was officially launched on 7 September 1980 at the Commonwealth Heads of State Meeting in New Delhi to signify Malaysia’s commitment to South-South Cooperation, in particular Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (TCDC). In line with the spirit of South-South Cooperation, Malaysia through the MTCP shares its development experiences and expertise with other developing countries. The MTCP was first formulated based on the belief that the development of a country depends on the quality of its human resources. The programme forms part of the commitment of the Malaysian Government towards the promotion of technical cooperation among developing countries, strengthening bilateral regional cooperation, as well as nurturing collective self-reliance among developing countries. The MTCP emphasises the development of human resources through the provision of training in various areas which are essential for a country’s development such as public administration, good governance, health services, education, sustainable development, agriculture, poverty alleviation, investment promotion, ICT and banking. Various short-term specialised courses are offered by MTCP training institutions, many of which are centres of excellence for training. Since its launching, more than 20,000 participants from 138 countries have benefited from the various programmes offered under the MTCP (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme). Through this programme not only other countries benefit, but even Malaysia has some benefits. Through this programme Malaysia not only can show others that it has the ability to help other developing countries to develop but it also allows Malaysia to stand out as other developed countries in this world like the United States of America, Japan or even Britain (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia 2011). Young Malaysians and the Commonwealth Malaysia being a part of the Commonwealth has also benefits for young Malaysian citizens as they are allowed to participate in competitions organized by The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS). The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) has run a range of competitions that attract creative talents of young people around the Commonwealth. With writing, film and photography categories, the RCS Young Commonwealth Competitions are open to anybody under the age of 30 living in any Commonwealth countries. They encourage creative responses to global challenges and offer a unique international platform for new young talent. In 2011, all the competitions took the theme â€Å"Science, Technology and Society†. In the 2011 competition, With nearly 4000 entries in the Essay Competition, Zoe Lynn Chitty from Malaysia has been awarded the Special Award for Creative Writing with her story titled â€Å"The day the computer started misbehaving†. Zoe was invited to attend the Gala Awards Ceremony at the Commonwealth Club in London. After returning to Malaysia, Zoe has also written a poem about her trip to London. Her poem, â€Å"The London Rhyme† is about her experience in London when she was there for the high profile award ceremony. Besides that, in 2011, 19-year old Malaysian, Lee Sheng Wang has also been nominated for the Commonwealth Vision Awards in this year’s competition. The Commonwealth Vision Awards promotes excellence in film-making and they were designed to encourage creative filmmaking by young, actual and prospective filmmakers in Commonwealth countries (British High Commission Kuala Lumpur 2011). Conclusion In conclusion, Malaysia has gained many benefits since it became a part of the Commonwealth. The help and support that Malaysia gained from the Commonwealth during the Malayan emergency and the Indonesian Confrontation has been very important because without the help and support of the Commonwealth the Malaysia that we know of today might not exist. Furthermore, being a part of the Commonwealth has also given Malaysia the opportunity to become part of many Commonwealth projects that has helped Malaysia in so many ways. Being a part of the Commonwealth has also benefited Malaysian citizens through the competitions it has held, the Commonwealth games and also through the awards and the scholarships it gives.

Vietnam Economic Issues In the New Stage

Vietnam Economic Issues In the New Stage Free Online Research Papers During the past years, Vietnam economy has made a number of significant achievements. Since the beginning of the cause of renovation (Doi Moi) initiated by the Communist Party, the country’s state has changed substantially compared to the period of pre-renovation. The economy has recorded high growth rates for several years in a row. People’s living standards have been considerably improved. Since the market opening-up, the number of foreign investors rushing to Vietnam has risen surprisingly, resulting in a huge increase in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). In 2006, Vietnam has successfully fulfilled and exceeded almost all development targets set by the National Assembly. The economic growth rate is 8.17%; that of industry is 17%; the service sector has posted a high development rate, especially retail industry; high export value has been maintained, reaching $ 39.6 billion; there has been a reduction in trade deficit in terms of net value and proportion of import and export. FDI and ODA attraction remains strong. Vietnam’s accession to WTO and hosting of APEC demonstrate successful diplomatic and economic activities. The approval of the Permanent Normal Trade Relation by the US Congress is an evidence of Vietnam’s increasing importance in the world stage. The development of Vietnam’s Stock Exchange with its vibrant activities in recent months is also a positive sign to some extent. All of those accomplishments prove that the country is initially integrating into the world economy successfully. However, Vietnam’s continuous high growth rates for many years raise a question over the viability of the development. Could the economy maintain such a vigorous development in the coming years ? Or heating development will be followed by a severe collapse due to implicit problems ? This document is to be divided into three sections to discuss the economic issues of Vietnam economy in the stage of integration and globalization. Part 1: Vietnam economy at a glance. Part 2: Vietnam economic issues assessment. Part 3: Solutions to the issues. TABLE OF CONTENT A. OVERVIEW OF VIETNAM ECONOMY OVER THE PAST YEARS. 3 1. Domestic policy. 3 2. Foreign trade and international economic integration: 5 3. Foreign Direct Investment: 6 B. ASSESSMENT OF VIETNAM ECONOMIC ISSUES IN THE NEW STAGE. 7 1. Corruption and bureaucracy. 7 2. Economic structure. 10 a. By sectors. 10 b. By ownership ( Equitization process ). 11 3. Human resources 13 4. Environment. 14 a. Natural Environment. 14 b. Business Environment. 16 5. Income disparity. 18 C. SOLUTIONS 19 1. Corruption and business environment. 19 2. Economic structure. 20 a. By sectors. 20 b. By ownership 21 3. Human resources. 22 4. Natural Environment. 22 5. Income disparity. 23 CONTENT A. OVERVIEW OF VIETNAM ECONOMY OVER THE PAST YEARS. 1. Domestic policy. Viet Nam embarked on the Doi Moi policy in 1986. Since then, the country has seen dramatic changes, first and foremost in the economic thinking. The centrally-planned economy was replaced by the socialist-oriented market economy; national industrialization and modernization were initiated together with the policy of multilateralization and diversification of external economic relations, opening-up and international integration. The 1987 Foreign Investment Law was the first legal document that helped form the legal framework for the Vietnamese market economy. In 1991, the Private Enterprise Law and Corporate Law were introduced. The amended 1992 Constitution affirmed the existence and development of a multi-sector economy under a market mechanism, including the foreign-invested sector. This was followed by the promulgation of a number of laws essential for the formation of the market economy, including Land Law, Tax Law, Bankruptcy Law, Environment Law, and Labour Code etc. Hundreds of ordinances and decrees were enacted by the Government to guide the implementation of these laws, which help ensure national socio-economic development. Along with the law-making process, market economy institutions have also been established. Government policy advocates the elimination the central planning mechanism, the emphasis on monetary market relations, the focus on economic management measures and the establishment of a wide range of financial institutions, banks and basic markets for money, labour, goods and land, etc. The administrative reform was also promoted by the authorities. Overall, tremendous economic reforms taking place over nearly two decades of Doi Moi have yielded encouraging results. External economic relations have been expanded and the flow of foreign direct investment has increased. Export of goods and labour, tourism industry and remittances from overseas Vietnamese have been strongly promoted to generate increasing foreign earnings for Vietnam. During 20 years of Doi Moi, GDP of Vietnam saw a sustained growth, which stood at 8.2% in 1991-1995 as compared to 3.9% in 1986-1990. This rate dropped to 7.5% in 1996-2000 due to the impacts of the Asian financial crisis. Since 2001, GDP growth recovered on a year-on-year basis, reaching 6.9%, 7%, 7.3% and 7.7% for 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 respectively. The figure for 2005 was 8.4%. Vietnam has now succeeded in gradually replacing the centrally-planned economy, bureaucracy and a subsidy mechanism by a socialist-oriented market economy with growing dynamism. The GDP growth rate of 7 to 8% has been sustained, along with stronger industrialization and expanded integration with the world and regional economy. Vietnam has enjoyed a sharp rise in trade volume, especially exports, and an increase of foreign investment and income. The ratio of the industry and construction rose from 38.13% in 2001 to 41.03% in 2005; the service from 36.63% up to 38.08%; and only the agriculture, forestry and fishery from 23.24% to respectively. The economic structure has also witnessed significant changes. From 1990 to 2005, the contribution of agriculture sector dropped from 38.7% to 20.89% , while that of the industry and construction was up from 22.7% to 41.03% . The service sector relatively stabilized, 38.6% in 1990 and 38.08% in 2005. In each sector, the structure has also positively shifted. The agriculture sector has seen a decline in the role of agriculture and forestry from 84.4% to 77.7% during the period 1990-2003, while fishery gained a higher share. In the industrial sector, the proportion of the processing industry was up from 12.3% in 1990 to 20.8% in 2003 with improved product quality. In the service sector, the share of high-quality services such as finance, banking, insurance and tourism, etc. is increasing rapidly. Upon the amendment of the Enterprise Law in 2000, private businesses have enjoyed strong encouragement for development. This Law institutionalized the freedom of all individuals to do business in areas not prohibited by law. In the 2000-2004 period, 73,000 private enterprises were registered, up by 3.75 times against the period of 1991-1999. By 2004, the total number of private enterprises operating under the Enterprise Law amounted to 150,000 with the total capital of VND 182 billion. From 1991 to 2003, the private sector’s share in GDP was up from 3.1% to 4.1%; other non-state sectors increased from 4.4% to 4.5%; and foreign-invested sector from 6.4% to 14%; and the household sector was down from 35.9% to 31.2%. As the multi-sector economy has further developed, the proportion of SOEs (State Owned Enterprises) in GDP decreased from 40.1% in 1991 to 38.3% in 2003. The collective sector dropped from 10.2% to 7.9% during the same period. In 2002 and 2003, 1,655 SOEs were listed for reorganization and reform. The figure for 2004 and 2005 were 882 and 413 respectively. Economic growth is combined with the improvement of life quality and development of health care and education. The Human Development Index of Vietnam increased from 0.583 in 1994 with a rank of 120/174 to 108/177 in 2005. The average life expectancy was raised from around 50 in the 1960s to 70.5 at present. The poor household ratio dropped from 70% in 1980 to below 7% in 2005s. 2. Foreign trade and international economic integration: With the policy of openness and industrializtion, the country has been expoiting its inherent advatages such as abundant natural resources, low labour cost and so on, which generate an increasing flow of foreign income. Over the years of the Doi Moi process, Vietnams export growth has averaged 20%. From around US$ half a million before the introduction of the Doi Moi policy, the total export volume of Vietnam reached US$ 26 billion in 2004 and US$32.23 billion in 2005. The structure of exports has also seen a positive change. During the 1991-1995 period, major exports of Vietnam were crude oil, fishery products, rice, textiles, coffee, forestry products, rubber, peanut and cashew nuts. By 2005, apart from crude oil, textiles, rice and coffee, Vietnam was mainly exporting garment and textile, footwear, seafood, woodwork, electronics appliances, and rice. This structure reflects an increase in processing and manufactured products and a decline in unprocessed products, including agricultural, fishery, forestry products and minerals. The policy of multilateralization and diversification of international relations has helped Vietnam integrate more deeply into the world and regional economy. Before 1990, Vietnam had trade relations with only 40 partners. Now with the foreign policy of openness, which is to be friend and cooperate with all countries in the world on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, Vietnam has established diplomatic relations with 167 countries, and has signed multilateral and bilateral trade agreements with over 80 nations. The country has been granted MFN (Most Favored Nation) status by more than 70 countries and territories, including countries and regions with large capital resources, high technologies and vast markets, such as the United States, Japan, the EU and newly industrialized countries in East Asia. Following the introduction of Doi Moi, Vietnam signed an economic and trade cooperation agreement with the EU in 1992, joined ASEAN in 1995, AFTA in 1996 and APEC in 1998. Vietnam also signed the Bilateral Trade Agreement with the United States in 2000. Vietnam started negotiations for WTO accession in 1995 and has just got the full membership of this organization by the end of 2006. 3. Foreign Direct Investment: In December 1987, the Foreign Direct Investment Law of Vietnam was introduced to help form the basic legal framework for foreign investment activities in Vietnam. To better respond to business requirements and feedback from foreign investors, this Law was amended and supplemented several times, notably in 1996 and 2002, which created a more open and attractive environment to draw foreign investors into crucial industries such as export-oriented processing and manufacturing, and key economic zones of the country. In recent years and especially in 2005, the Vietnamese Government made a number of adjustments and conducted reforms to create more incentives for foreign investors. They are now supported in tackling business obstacles. The Law on Personal Income Tax has been amended in favour of the tax payers. The one-stop-shop policy has been promoted, telecommunication tariffs lowered to gain competitiveness over other countries in the region. Infrastructure has been improved. More areas, including those previously closed to foreign investors, such as telecommunication, insurance and supermarkets, etc. are now open to investment. As such, Vietnam has become an attractive destination for foreign investment. The above measures resulted in recovery and rapid increase of the FDI inflows in 2005. The sharp rise of FDI is also attributed to political, economic and security stability, high economic growth rate, continuation of economic reform in accordance with market economy principles, improved living standards leading to higher domestic demand, greater international integration and the emergence in the international market of Vietnamese trademarks and Vietnam’s growing reputation. Over the past years, Vietnam has drawn increasing inflows of FDI. From a negligible figure of 1986, FDI into Vietnam reached US$ 3.2 billion in 1997. Due to the negative impacts of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the FDI flow then saw a drop during 1998-2000 period, with only US$ 1.58 billion in 1999. In the past few years, Vietnam has enjoyed a recovery of FDI, from US$ 2.6 billion in 2001 to US$ 4.1 billion in 2004. FDI not only generates profits for foreign investors but also represents a significant capital source which comes along with technology transfer as well as advanced managerial and professional skills B. ASSESSMENT OF VIETNAM ECONOMIC ISSUES IN THE NEW STAGE. Although Vietnam has seen a surge in economic development for many years, the economy still contains a number of potential unstable factors which, if not resolved in time, could lead to serious consequences in terms of not only economy but also society. Within the scope of this essay, only some prominent points are to be made as follows. ( Due to the seriousness of corruption, this issue is stripped from the investment climate one ) 1. Corruption and bureaucracy. Corruption is generally viewed as a serious problem in Vietnam. This view is shared by senior government and party officials, local and international business leaders, citizens and donors. Corruption is thought to play a significant role in the waste and inefficiency that characterize public expenditure in this still nascent transition economy. Such inefficiencies are in many cases a legacy of the former centrally planned economic system practiced prior to 1986. Centralized state management is still the norm throughout much of the economy and state owned enterprises still dominate commercial activity. Laws and regulations are often ambiguous, criminal and civil law are not separated, and considerable authority for the interpretation of laws rests with designated authorities. Both domestic and foreign businesses find that the complex and detailed nature ofpermit requirements, the opaque nature of decision-making, and the prevalent need to pay commissions and â€Å"give envelopes† are barriers to doing business. Paying commissions to influence company and administrative decisions is thought to be commonplace, including in tendering processes. Many foreign businesses which were attracted by the early reforms of the Doi Moi period (perhaps unrealistically) have now become disillusioned and are reassessing their presence in Vietnam, citing corruption and an unpredictable business environment as majorfactors. The Global Competitiveness Survey found that unclear procedures, lack of public information, bureaucratic discretion on the part of middle-level officials, and long delays were the factors which caused Vietnam to be viewed by the private sector as near last in competitiveness compared to other countries. Similarly, Transparency International ranks Vietnam as 111th in its list of 163 countries. A number of recurrent problems in the operation of the National Integrity System (NIS) can be observed across nearly all pillars. These include the following: * The government has a generally piecemeal approach to tackling corruption. Where government plans or strategies exist, it is not clear that they are being pursued systematically from one institution to the next. Moreover, few institutions featured in the NIS are adopting a systematic approach to tackling corruption in their own ranks even if they are tasked with fighting corruption elsewhere. * Whether corruption is uncovered, investigated or prosecuted – and whether it is not – is often politically motivated. That is, the politically powerful are able to escape investigation and prosecution, while allegations of corruption are often used to fight political battles. The Communist Party and government have pledged to root out corruption regardless of who is involved, but few believe that this is what happens in practice. * Institutional rivalry and jurisdictional disputes are considerable between institutions tasked with the fight against corruption. The 2005 Anti-Corruption Law allows for the creation of a National Anti-Corruption Steering Committee under the prime minister, but it remains to be seen how successful it will be in coordinating the different organisations involved in the fight against corruption. * Nepotism is commonplace across all state institutions involved in the NIS despite the formal existence of merit-based appointment systems. Codes of conduct, where they exist, are poorly enforced. This is especially the case where they deal with conflicts of interest. Access to off-the-books funds is the norm. * Despite a relatively strong tradition of public consultation through mass organisations, consultation is actually quite formalistic and narrowly based. State institutions are more at home with secrecy than openness. * While internal and public complaint mechanisms exist, there is a general reluctance to use them for fear of the potential repercussions for the people who complain. There has been a small increase in formal citizen complaints directed at lower-level public officials, but the increase is marginal. Anonymity or protection for whistleblowers cannot be guaranteed. There is a sense in which the media, civil society and international organisations are potentially pushing in the same direction in terms of an increased willingness to focus on corruption and a greater commitment to government transparency. However, there is no clear alliance between them, and the role of civil society – because it is still weak – is relatively piecemeal and uncoordinated in terms of the fight against corruption. There is a wide gap between the formal rules governing the NIS and actual practices on the ground. This is commonplace across all areas of political, economic and social life in Vietnam. The reasons for the disagreements in relation to corruption have to do with the fact that political power often operates outside the law, that nepotism is widespread and that officials can be bribed relatively easily. Overlapping jurisdictions, unclear rules and weak state capacity are part of the problem, but there is a sense in which these problems are secon dary to the political and attitudinal problems cited above. The government’s existing anti-corruption strategy as reflected in the new Anti-Corruption Law is highly ambitious. Even to make limited progress in implementing the law would be for the state to significantly up its game in the fight against corruption. However, given the way in which the NIS is currently operating, it is likely to be some years before the Anti-Corruption Law is properly enforced. In the meantime, what is actually happening on the ground in terms of anti-corruption activities is much more limited but is what one would expect given the real nature of the NIS. Clearly, corruption has really become an evil which has it root deeply grafted in the society. Not only does this evil cause troubles for people in their daily lives but it also sets up obstacles for foreign investors. Just imagine that a Korean investor spent years trying to get his investment license approved but still failed. Some donors, including Sweden, Denmark and ADB, have had to bring in specialist consultants to guide them on the most strategic interventions. The World Bank even published a handbook guiding investors to cope with this fact in Vietnam. In short, maybe it is a long-lasting and daunting task, Vietnam still has to have determination to radically eradicate the evil in the new stage of integration. Otherwise, who knows ? Perhaps Vietnam economy could be hollowed to the point of a collapse. 2. Economic structure. a. By sectors. In the economy structure, agriculture sector represents a major proportion. The sector employs more than a half of Vietnam’s labor force and contributes nearly one fourth of the country’s GDP and a third of exports earnings. Despite the progress made in agricultural production and export growth, and in liberalizing commodity, land, and credit markets in recent years, rural poverty remains high (estimated at 45%), and the role of the private sector in marketing remains small. Growth in the past was the result of (i) reliance on higher input use (labor, land, fertilizer, tractors, and irrigation); (ii) policy reforms in land, markets, and trade; and (iii) high public investment, mainly in the forms of irrigation and roads. It is unlikely, however, that this strategy will be able to sustain growth in the future because (i) the potential for expansion of the rural labor force and land under cultivation is limited; (ii) new investment in irrigation exhibits decreasing marginal returns, as the stock of irrigation capital is already very high and requires increased operation and maintenance expenditure rather than new expansion; and (iii) rice export revenues are declining. Major agricultural exports of the cou ntry are generally unprocessed or semi-processed materials and low-quality produce with trivial value added. Future agricultural growth will have to come from the increasing demand for high value and value-added products. This will require a new policy environment with greater diversification of crops and value addition through processing, and shifting the focus from production volume to value. Policy reforms that promote competition, diversification, and more effective use of science and technology are required. Some of the major factors contributing to low agricultural diversification include (i) low investment in and poor effectiveness of research and extension, (ii) limited access to high quality genetic material, and (iii) limited access to financial services and market information. Although Vietnam has recently tried a lot to reduce the ratio of agriculture in the economy, the sector still accounts for quite a large part at 20.1% ( 2006 est.), employs as much as 56.8% labor force and will continue to be at the core of the economy in the next decade. Therefore, intensification and diversification to enhance the competitiveness of the industry has become a pressing task in the new stage of integration. Besides, other industries of the country are of relatively weak competitiveness with restraints in terms of technology and quality as well. Many of the must rely on unstable factors with low value added. In 2006, Vietnam’s steel industry must import as much as 70 percent of steel ingot. Meanwhile, steel ingot accounts for the major part in the value of steel. Other industries are in the same condition as well. They must import most of their semi-processed or processed production materials abroad at a high price while export their products into other countries with quite low value-added. As depending to much on the world’s market, they’re easily affected by negative changes. That’s not to mention the fact that due to obsolete technologies, their products could hardly compete with others from developed countries in some highly profitable industries. In addition, Vietnam products usually have difficulties with non-tariff barriers in these areas, for example, hygiene standard, products quality or safety, etc†¦In short, to successfully penetrating the markets of that kind is a fearful obstacles to Vietnam’s economic sectors. However, that is the inevitable trend of the economy that Vietnam must take. If the country want to survive to further develop, it has to overcome all of these barriers to integrate into the world’s economy, accepting its rules and regulations. Otherwise, it is not difficult to predict where the economy would head for. b. By ownership ( Equitization process ). Although the equitization program has been successful in transforming a large number of SOEs into more efficient enterprises, there are still many shortcomings. The pace of equitization has been slow. By early 2005, only 80% of the government target has been met; total capital of equitized SOEs accounts for only 8.2% of total state-owned capital in the economy. The remaining 92% of state-owned capital is still held by state general corporations ( SGCs 90 and 91 ) and other large SOEs that yield significant monopoly power. Furthermore, equitization process has lacked transparency and benefited political elites (i.e., government and insiders hold large chunks of the equitized firms). As a result, equitization has failed to attract investment from domestic investors and improve the management structure of equitized enterprises. There is also anecdotal evidence that public assets in equitized firms are quietly and legally transferred to private ownership because of internal and underpr iced equitization. It is reported that in 12 years of equitization (1992-2004), the total investment raised from nonstate sources is VND 12,411 billion ( US$ 0.8 billion). This amount is small when compared with the investment contributed by the domestic private sector during the same period. The Central Institute of Economic Management (CIEM) reports that between 1992 and 2003, around VND 190,000 billion (est. US$ 12 billion) was invested in newly registered private enterprises; US$ 9.5 billion was raised between 2000 and 2003 following the implementation of the [Private] Enterprise Law effective January 1st , 2000. Equitization has been partial. The fact that the state maintains large number of shares in equitized firms has posed several serious problems to the corporate governance of these companies and the government regulations. Similar to the situation prior to equitization, there is no clear separation between the controlling and ownership rights with respect to the state being legally defined as shareholder and, at the same time, regulator. Ownership of large blocks of shares also gives the state veto power in most important management and investment decisions, resulting in frequent particular interventions in the governance of equitized firms. At the macro level, the dual role of the state as the owner of SOEs and equitized firms and as the only regulator creates a real possibility of ( Regulatory capture is a phenomenon in which a government regulatory agency which is supposed to be acting in the public interest becomes dominated by the vested interests of the existing incumbents in th e industry that it oversees). Another serious problem is that the institutional capacity of the state agency responsible for managing state capital is very limited as it is in charge of a vast number of equitized firms. As a result, despite being a large (if not the largest) shareholder in many firms, the state is unable to exert proper management oversight. Coupled with the fact that workers usually have a very weak voice in running the company implies that managers enjoy great discretionary power, which can be easily abused to pursue private benefits. Another notable feature of Vietnamese equitization is that it has been a highly internal process. The largest chunks of shares have been held by the state and insiders (managers and workers); on average only about 15% of shares have been sold to outside investors. Out of 2224 equitized firms (as of 2005), 860 firms never sold any shares to the public. Indeed, there is a problem of information asymmetry between insiders and outsiders with respect to real and future value of equitized firms. Faced with this information asymmetry and the legal system that does not afford proper protection to minority shareholders, most people do not want to take the risk. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many equitized SOEs, especially profitable ones, have been underpriced ( as in the case of Vinamilk and Phu gia ). There are some possible explanation for this situation. For example, the value of land use rights has not been properly accounted for, valuation of equitized enterprises is the result of negotiation between the managers and the evaluation committee or the auditing firm etc†¦ Equitization has had a modest effect on the ownership structure of the economy. The overall structure of ownership in Vietnam, however, has not been substantially changed by equitization. It is projected that equitization will be completed by 2008. Meanwhile, as of February 2005, SGCs alone accounted for nearly 80% of total state capital. Three SGCs, namely Vietnam Oil and Gas Corporation (PetroVietnam), Vietnam National Post and Telecommunication Corporation (VNPT), and Electricity of Vietnam (EVN), account for 66% of all SGC fixed assets. This fact, reinforced by the government policy to retain control in large and strategically important equitized firms, implies that without significant improvement in the private sector, public ownership will still be the dominant form of ownership in the economy by 2008. Despite its remaining persistent shortcomings, equitization has also improved the enterprise performance. However, if Vietnam wants to take full use of its potential to further develop after the accession to WTO, it will have to improve the SOEs’ equitization process soon. 3. Human resources. For many years, it has been said that Vietnam’s â€Å"cheap labor force† is a competitive advantage. Yet, in the new stage of integration, as the country is facing the fierce competition from other country and simultaneously, becoming more developed, this advantage doesn’t bring about significant benefit as it was any more. Conversely, this fact is gradually showing weaknesses of Vietnam’s labor force in the process of industrialization and modernization. According to a survey of labor trends in 2006 in Southeast Asia by the Japan External Trade Organization, the shortage of senior managers and other qualified personnel is more acute in Vietnam than in any other ASEAN country. In fact, a shortage of engineers and managers, particularly in design and development, is common throughout the region, in stark contrast to China and India. Half of the Japanese companies in Vietnam cannot find suitably qualified engineers from the local populace and nearly 60% have only managed to recruit one or two apiece, well under the proportion in other ASEAN nations. In information technology, for instance, Vietnam has a clear advantage over the other countries in one respect – low pay – but their software writers and engineers know little or no Japanese and their technical qualifications are often below par. The same situation is a common thing in other industries which require employees who are well-trained and good at professional expertise. Another problem is the rising pay in the ASEAN countries, India and China, a trend that looks likely to continue. The problem is that the pressure for higher wages could get out of control and out an end to the advantage of low labor costs compared to the rest of the world. As it is, the advantage of inexpensive labor of the country is to substantially decline in the coming years. On the contrary, With ever more foreign companies coming to Vietnam to invest, the shortcomings of its workforce are being clearly exposed. Although an abundant supply of cheap labor can temporarily compensate for t hese shortcomings, in the long term Vietnamese employees will have to face competition from China, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and such. Even in agricultural sector, the sector employs as much as 57% of the country’s labor force, productivity is still depends much on manual labor. Therefore, the efficiency is greatly constrained with low productivity. Hence, it’s reasonable that most of the poor comes from the sector. In short, in the future, the current comparative strength can’t be maintained very long any more. Instead, only skilled laborers with high productivity will become the source of stable development of the country. In conclusion, even if a country owned the most advanced technologies and abundant natural resources, without the good human resource, it couldn’t effectively tap its own potential to develop. In contrast, despite difficulties of all kind, with the capable and developed human resources, the economy could overcome any obstacles in order to sustainably progress. As for Vietnam, to reform the country’s labor force is a must so that it would successfully integrate into the world’s economy and become an Asian tiger, as many analysts note. 4. Environment. a. Natural Environment. Vietnam’s environment is under considerable stress from rapid economic growth, urbanization and rising human pressure on relatively scarce natural resources. While it has gradually improved its environmental regulatory framework, Vietnam has very limited capacity for implementation. Therefore, future rapid economic growth (an expected doubling of GDP in the next 10 years) and substantial investments in infrastructure may significantly threaten the environmental sustainability of the country’s development. Progress has been made in reforestation programs and tightening the control of illegal wildlife trade. Mechanisms for integrated river basin management are being established under the Law on Water Resources. Ministry of Natural Resource is now drafting amendments to the Law on Environmental Protection to enable new policy tools and remedies for pollution prevention and cleanup and adjustments to cover environmental management in the private sector. Despite these signs of progress, there is need for substantial improvements in the policy framework for environmental sustainability and the institutional arrangements to achieve them. Progress has been slow due to weak commitment by sectoral agencies, low awareness in local departments and officials, and capacity challenges at all levels. There is a lack of environmental integration at planning and programmatic levels, especially in the public investment planning process and in regional plans for land and resource use. In addition, awareness on the expected, negative environmental impacts of sustained economic growth, and the mechanisms for stakeholders to hold government agencies accountable for their performance is weak. Industrial production grew from 15 percent per year between 1995 and 2004, with some of the fastest growth generated by state-owned enterprises (e.g., oil and gas, electricity, and cement). These enterprises have poor environmental records due to old equipment, lack of adequate controls, and inadequate treatment of wastewater and air emissions. Many industrial pollutants have a high environmental health cost. The Government has implemented fees on wastewater pollution and introduced a Prime Ministerial Decision to reallocate, close down or adapt cleaner technologies, but these policies need to be enforced effectively. Land degradation is also a major problem, particularly in upland areas. Its major causes are insecure land tenure, poor logging practices, drought, salinization and acidification. Degraded steep slopes and deforested landscapes, especially in the northwest region, are now very susceptible to soil erosion during heavy rains. Despite recent increases in forest area, forest quality remains a concern. Closed canopy forests still make up only 13 percent of the total forest area, while poor/regenerating forests account for 55 percent. Fisheries output, which more than doubled from 1990 to 2005, is now experiencing declining rates of catch per unit effort. Rapid expansion in aquaculture activities has caused a substantial decline in mangroves and wetlands, raising concern about coastal fish yields. Coral reefs are under pressure, and more of Vietnam’s reefs are classified as at â€Å"very high risk† than in any of the eleven other countries in the Southeast Asia region. Vietnam’s surface, ground and coastal waters are threatened by pollution. Although the quality of upstream river waters is generally good, downstream sections of major rivers reveal poor water quality and most of the lakes and canals in urban areas are rapidly becoming sewage sinks. Rapid urbanization and industrialization in coastal areas, expansion in coastal tourism, and an increase in the number of oil spills are all contributing to the deterioration of coastal water quality. World Bank assistance focuses on expanding access to sanitation and wastewater treatment. Wastewater and run-off from urban areas, industrial centers, and agricultural land, pollute surface, ground, and coastal waters. Water bodies such as lakes, streams, and canals increasingly serve as sinks for domestic sewage and industrial wastes. Air quality in nearly all urban and industrial areas is affected by various pollutants, such as particulates, lead and nitrous oxides, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide emitted by sources including vehicles, factories, power plants, and households. Sulfur dioxide levels near some factories occasionally exceed national standards by several times. Household waste collection efficiencies remain low, and there is no separate treatment for hazardous wastes. The development sustainability of a country depends largely on the environmental conditions. As the impacts of environmental pollution on the country has becoming more and more serious, it’s high time Vietnam radically carried out all possible activities on a large scale to preserve its invaluable resources for the development of next generations. If not, the wealth that the country has been proud of will definitely deplete. Then, nothing will be able to save it any more. b. Business Environment. Since the 1999 Enterprise Law took effect, the Vietnamese business environment has become more favourable. This was a breakthrough in administrative reform, which has improved the transparency and equality of the legal framework for business activities in Vietnam. Procedures for business establishment have been simplified with the removal of hundreds of unnecessary licences and legal documents, and the establishment of new legal documents, providing guidelines for business activities. The 1999 Enterprises Law and its enforcement have encouraged the development of business activities of Vietnamese and foreign individuals and organisations. The number of enterprises increased from 62,000 in 2002 to 200,000 in 2006 The Vietnamese legal systems strength is the seriousness and urgency with which it is trying to meet the development demands of the economy and match the WTO system. It is possible to say that State management has caught up with economic development. While intellectual property rights became a hot issue in Vietnam and the world, the Law on Intellectual Property was issued as a guideline for settling copyright issues. When the Vietnamese people adapted themselves to e-commerce and the stock market, the Law on E-commerce and the Law on Securities were issued. More importantly, however, two laws, which cost much strength and effort, the Unified Enterprise Law and the Common Investment Law were issued. Yet, a number of innate and serious problems do still exist in the system, making Vietnam’s business environment less attractive in the eye of many foreign investors. Despite significant improvements, problems remain in the legal environment in Vietnam, especially the existing business licence system, to which the Government is paying great attention. In 2006, many improvements in the business environment were seen. Apart from the Enterprise Law and the Investment Law which took effect, the Prime Minister took tough measures, asking relevant agencies to reform administrative procedures and apply the one-stop mechanism for transactions with people and enterprises. In fact, some localities have seen a significant progress. However, when the laws took effect, issues relating to business licences emerged. In fact, the system of licences has cost enterprises more. Therefore, it is necessary to review and remove unnecessary licences. Specifically, since the 2005 Enterprise Law was issued, issues relating to licences have heated up because under the law, business fields have conditions stipulated by other laws, ordinances and decrees. In fact, concrete c onditions are stipulated in circulars, decisions by ministries and people’scommittees at all levels with unclear conditions and times. The Vietnamese Government and relevant agencies are making efforts to filter the system of business licences to facilitate investment and business activities of enterprises in Vietnam. However, many inherent problems seems take quite a long time to resolve since their efforts are working sluggishly. Law enforcement and the tribunal system are rated very low by foreign businesses due to complicated formalities and high fees. Law enforcement takes longer time and causes delays to project implementation in Vietnam. As a result, few businesses seek dispute settlement by law and official procedures, in most cases they negotiated among themselves. Vietnam law is often without guidance for implementation. For instance, Decree 72 issued in July 2006 allowing the establishment of commercial branches. However, until now, there is no guidance for the establishment of commercial branches. No one knows for sure whether they can be established or how far they can operate. WTO protocol approved by Vietnam contains no commitment on commercial branches though Decree 72 mentions it in clear term. In spite of Vietnam’s accession to WTO several months ago, businesses are not very optimistic about the prospect of the business environment in the coming years. With WTO membership, many new laws will be promulgated and law enforcement will be slow as often happened. Furthermore, new laws will not be immediately understood and implemented causing misunderstanding and confusion. For instance, new Investment Law and Enterprise Law were approved in late 2005 and effective in July 2006, decrees for the implementation of those laws have not been issued causing some controversy. In the process of integration and globalization, no country can stay out of the trend and live well in its own niche. Since the internal resources are limited, all countries should looking for external ones to help them soundly develop. Therefore, the more investors rush to the country to do business, it means, the more capital is poured into the country, the better. Hence, efforts should be further promoted so that the business environment could be more and more favorable and attractive. This is one of the tasks requesting to be done immediately for the sake of the country’s development. 5. Income disparity. Over the last two decades Vietnam has undergone strong economic development as a result of cautious political reforms. Many people claim that Vietnam is winning the battle against poverty via a high rate of economic growth. During the past years, Vietnam government has also launched a number of programs aimed at hunger elimination and poverty alleviation and obtained significant achievements. According to statistics of World Bank, 67% of Vietnams population lived under the poverty line in 1993, but the rate dropped to 24% last year. Yet, at the same time, the gap between rich and poor has increased. In Vietnam, although the gap between the rich and the poor is not as big as in many other countries in the world, it has been going up over the time. The results of many researches also show that inequality of living standard (the rich-poor gap) in Vietnam is shown most prominently in the inequality between the various geo-economic regions and inequality between the rural and urban areas. This inequality originates from several factors among which there are educational qualification and occupation. 0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 199319982002 bottom 10% top 10% top 1% Per capita expenditure of top 1% and top/bottom 10% of households, 1993-2002 The widening labor productivity growth gap between the primary sector and the industry and services sectors of the country helps to explain the growing urban-rural gap documented in the Vietnam Living Standard surveys. According to the survey findings, while the overall incidence of poverty declined significantly, from 58.1% in 1995 to 37.4% in 1998, and to 18.1% in 2004, the reduction in poverty was much greater in urban areas, where it declined from 25.1% to 9.2% and to 8.3% respectively. Rural areas experienced a smaller decline, from 66.4% to 45.5% and to 23.2% correspondently. Moreover, real per capita expenditure in urban areas grew twice as fast, recording a 60% increase, relative to rural areas, which recorded a 30% increase (World Bank 2004). Source: VLSS calculations 14% 22% 17% 86% 83% 78% 0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 1992/931997/982002 Inequality within each region Inequality between Regions 21% 32% 65% 79% 68% 65% 0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 1992/931997/982002 within Urban-Rural area BetweenUrban-Rural area Theil decompositions of inequality by region and rural/urban The evidence from the Living Standard surveys leaves little doubt that, while per capita income has risen and most Vietnamese are better off, the gains from the first phase of reform and external liberalization have largely favored urban, educated, white-collar, and relatively well-off households. Inequality increased by all measures, recording the greatest change. The disparity between richer and poorer households also was apparent when comparing real per capita expenditure between the poorest and richest. From 1999 to 2004, reflecting their higher income growth, the richest 10% of the population increased their spending by 53.3% compared to a 23.3% spending increase by the poorest 10%. The inequality in terms of income, as a consequence, also leads to a number of impacts on life between the rich and the poor, the urban and the rural people. People living in rural areas enjoy fewer opportunities and poorer education as well as other utilities such as clean consuming water, sanitation facilities, electricity, communications and so on in their lives. Meanwhile as for a number of people, mostly in urban areas, studying abroad, traveling by luxurious private vehicles, consuming expensive goods etc†¦ is a common thing. This trend is more and more widening in the country, causing discontent among some groups. That can result in social disorder, compromising the ultimate goal of socialism, harming the country’s institution. Therefore, tackling this issue has become one of the most important issues in order to ensure the stable development of the country. C. SOLUTIONS Dealing with all of the above issues is a time, effort, and funds consuming task. Therefore, the country must have enough determination to pursue this very long way. And foremost, it can’t be finished solely by the government but need the joint efforts between the State and people. On that people, a number of solutions is to be proposed as follows: 1. Corruption and business environment. * Minimizing red-tape and arbitrary discretion: reducing to a minimum activities for which government permission is required and the number of steps required to acquire necessary permits. This includes codifying wide ranging areas of permitted activity (not needing approval) and defining more precisely activities requiring licenses or permits, to curtail opportunity for corruption arising from officials’ scope for interpretation and delay. * Disclosure: greatly increasing the volume of official information that is in the public domain, including more detailed budget information and successful bids in procurement operations; requiring top officials and high elected officers to declare their assets on assuming office and at intervals thereafter (making this information public); and permitting increased independence of the media. * Strengthen judiciary and judicial processes: ensuring full independence, integrity and efficiency of the judicial system in dealing with matters of corruption; minimum ambiguity in laws and regulations; better public dissemination of laws and legal opinions; fair and efficient procedures for bringing corruption charges, with just, consistent and transparent penalties. Judicial and legal reform programs should identify changes in procedures and institutional arrangements which would help anti-corruption goals and promote integrity in public life. * Strengthening human resource management: developing a modern, performance-based personnel system for civil service recruitment and promotion (to ensure a true meritocracy); reviewing civil servants salaries to ensure a living wage; providing training in ethics and integrity; requiring civil servants who routinely meet the public to wear name tags; and displaying prominently to the public instructions to staff concerning customer service standards. * Reforming procurement: already much progress has been made, but further steps could be taken including: (i) publishing in the national press information about winning tenders for government procurement contracts above a given size; and (ii) strengthening procurement laws, possibly adopting the UNCITRAL ( United Nations Commission on International Trade Law ) model law on procurement (which has proved highly effective elsewhere) to the Vietnam context. * Other elements of Public Administration Reform including strengthening: (i) expenditure management, particularly prioritizing allocations among and within sectors, (ii) revenue management, especially revenue collection enforcement, and (iii) decentralization, including establishing clear intergovernmental fiscal transfer system. 2. ECONOMIC STRUCTURE. a. By sectors. * Carry out economic structure transformation with focus on agriculture and rural industrialization and modernization to meet the requirements of the market and minimize the proportion of agriculture production in GDP; * Intensively develop industries boasting competitive advantages; selectively establish a number of heavy industrial establishments; strongly develop hi-tech and export-oriented industries. * Focus on developing small and medium-sized industries and infrastructure and service industries; develop three major economic zones in the Northern, Central and Southern regions together with those in midland, mountainous and coastal regions. b. By ownership * The political will to equitize must be nurtured: This condition is critical to sustain progress of equitization and to keep equitization on the right track. Evidence shows that political will, expressed in terms of pragmatic and timely policies, can overcome obstacles to equitization, even when the process grinds to a virtual standstill (e.g., during the 1992-1998 period.) The political will in Vietnam, accompanied by sound economic analyses, must support the view that the government should limit its reach in areas where people or markets can do a good job. * Equitization authorities require organizational capacity proportionate to the scale of their task. There are at least two alternatives. The first is to build up the capacity of this organization quickly so that public assets in remaining SOEs and equitized enterprises are properly managed, and bad debts before equitization (which is one of main reasons for slow equitization) are handled effectively. Second, the state could decisively and selectively shorten the list of SOEs that need to be kept under public ownership, and at the same time, gradually reduce public ownership in equitized firms to a minimal level. * Equitization must be transparent: When the decision to equitize an SOE has been made, the process must be transparent. To reduce management’s information advantage, all relevant information about a firm targeted for equitization should be published well in advance. This measure then reduces the possibility of underpricing and internal dealing, which may result in corruption and economic inequality. * SOEs should be evaluated by the market: This is again a measure to limit the possibility and extent of underpricing and self dealing, thereby recovering public assets and reducing the extent of economic inequality created by internal equitization. This proposal also speeds up equitization process. Market measures such as public biddings via stock exchanges and independent audits should be employed in the evaluation of SOEs. The recent case of the Vinamilk initial public offering provides an excellent example for this. * Trade and regulatory reforms should be promoted: These reforms create additional pressures to accelerate equitization. The protection enjoyed by SOEs which produce tradable and nontradable goods will be significantly reduced as Vietnam’s commitments under AFTA, BTA, and WTO. For tradable goods, lower tariffs intensify competition, which consequently drives SOE reform forward. For non-tradable goods, Vietnam needs a sound competition law and an effective regulation reform to create a healthy competitive environment to force SOEs to become more accountable. 3. Human resources. For the readiness of the country’s labor force for the new stage of development, particularly post-WTO accession, the following measures need to be taken. * The regulatory framework for labor has to be continuously improved and renewed to catch up with international standards and practices and respond to the specific conditions of Vietnam. Particularly, special attention should be paid to antidiscrimination, transparency and predictability – the basic principles of the WTO in the labor law and management system. In the long run, labor, employment and wage have to observe market rules and the macro-management of the State toward the goal of creating a level playing field for all economic sectors in this area. * Quality of labor has to be improved. It not only relies on skills but also workers’education, sense of discipline and respect of business etiquette. A skilled, disciplined and educated labor force will become a competitive strength of the economy, attracting more foreign investment. With regards to human resource development strategy, on one hand, the country needs to continue training of labor for labor-intensive industries, on the other hand, it should invest into the development of labor for high-tech industries so as to diversify the labor and economic structure. The Vietnamese government and the relevant agencies need to work more closely with the business community and the vocational schools to create enough suitably skilled people for the requirements of industry, and the factory owners themselves should train more employees on the job. Human resource development strategy should always be closely linked to and complement to the socio-economic development strategy. 4. Natural Environment. * The problems can only be solved through a comprehensive approach to environmental management. It will be most important to raise public awareness and support for environmental conservation. With a literacy rate of more than 90% of the population, with the television network available to all districts since the end of 1995, and with inexpensive radios in even the most remote areas, environmental protection messages can be effectively communicated throughout the country. * At a macro level, the government must work to enforce Vietnams existing environmental legislative regulations. This can only be done through an increase in the effectiveness of two-way information on environmental issues, both from the bottom up and the top down. * At the same time, the government should strengthen the capacity for environmental development planning and investment decision-making. It is crucial to improve awareness on environmental management among those who make planning and investment decisions. * Finally, environmental protection can be indirectly achieved through the poverty alleviation process. Efforts at reducing population growth by improving the awareness and knowledge of reproductive health and the access to family planning services could assist in this effort. 5. Income disparity. * To address this concern, the country should focus on pro-poor measures (improved governance including strengthening of grassroots democracy to ensure better accountability, infrastructure investment in the poorest communities, better health and education for the poor, greater emphasis on agriculture and rural development, improving the environment for small and medium enterprises, and so on) to narrow the social development gap between different regions and population groups and to reduce the vulnerabilities of the poor and disadvantaged groups. CONCLUSION Although the country has obtained a number of substantial achievements during the past years in the cause of renovation, it’s impossible not to take into account the above issues. Red tape, corruption, low-quality labor force, uncompetitive economic structure, unfavorable investment climate, natural environment degrading, widening income inequality and so on may both lead to painful and long-lasting consequences if neglected. In the process of integration and globalization, more than ever before, they’re in dire need of being done away with so that the country could successfully penetrate into the world economy and further develop. However, they can’t be dealt with overnight. Instead, to radically solve those problems, it is necessary to take step-by-step measures under a certain schedule . Besides, this work requires the joint efforts between the State and the public rather than unilateral ones. Clearly, it is a long-term and daunting task, but not impossible t o do provided the country is united and determined enough. Furthermore, the outlook of the country is still quite bright. According to a number of world’s analysts, Vietnam will be able to keep its sustainable growth in the coming years. Some even suppose that Vietnam will soon join the group of Asian Tigers, emphasizing its increasingly sound economy. Post-WTO accession period will be a difficult time for the country with significant impacts on both economy and society. It is a milestone marking a crucial turning point of the development of the nation. Gaining WTO membership is similar to participating in a speed race. If we failed to compete with other players, we would be out of the race and would fall behind them without any opportunities to re-emerge. On the contrary, if we can overcome these challenges, we would embark on a new phase of development and prosperity. Under the wise leadership of the Communist Party, with the unity of the whole nation, no doubt that after all, we would realize the ultimate goal of building a Vietnam with rich people, powerful country, equal, democratic and civilized society. References: Vietnam Inequality Report 2005: Assessment and Policy Choices, Mekong Economics Ltd. Vietnam: Economic Update 2006 and Prospects to 2010, Dr. Adam McCarty. Vietnam: External Liberalization, Structural Change, Economic Growth and Income Distribution, Tu Packard. Vietnam Development Report 2006. Labor and social issues emerging from Vietnam’s accession to the WTO, Ministry of Labor, Invalid and Social Affairs. Vietnam, The Long March to Equitization, Vu Thanh Tu Anh, the William Davidson Institute, University of Michigan, April 2005. State Owned Enterprises and Equitization in Vietnam, Fredrik Sjà ¶holm, August 2006. Accelerating Vietnam’s Rural Development: Growth, Equity and Diversification, World Bank, November 2005. 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