Egypt the Troubled Giant Essay Example

Egypt the Troubled Giant Essay Egypt, The Troubled Giant The case highlights some of the key factors that have enabled Egypt to grow over the last five years. Egypt is the most populated Arab state. More than 75 million people live there. Starting in 2004, Prime Minister Ahmed Nazit was able to pass into law many economic reforms that lowered tariffs, cut taxes, and the deregulation of trade that allowed Egypt to create billions in foreign direct investment in the economy. Many projects began in Egypt that built offices for large American companies to operate in as well as a huge construction project on the Suez Canal. This growth kept Egyptâ„ ¢s growth parallel with many other emerging economies. At the end of 2008, like many other countries, Egyptâ„ ¢s economy plummeted. This crushed the Egyptian people. The difference between the rich and the poor citizens is significant. This difference became the driving force in the divide of the country. The political and social pressures began to crumble the countries framework. The government has become corrupt and even the elections were rigged to favor the current President (at that time) Hosni Mubarak. Leaders opposing the President were harassed and falsely imprisoned. 1. How would you describe the economic policy that Egypt implemented during 2004â€Å" 2008 Do you think that this policy helped to boost Egyptâ„ ¢s growth rate Why I would describe Egyptâ„ ¢s economic policy during these years as mixed. There was a great deal of deregulation of trade as well as tax breaks implemented, however, the then President still remained in overall control. Yes, I believe that the Egyptian grow rate was boosted during this time. Because of all of these changes, companies like Microsoft and many Egyptian technology companies were allowed to conduct business in the country. This created a large increase in the money coming into as well as out of the country. This created growth in the Egyptian economy. We will write a custom essay sample on Egypt the Troubled Giant specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Egypt the Troubled Giant specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Egypt the Troubled Giant specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer 2. How vulnerable is the Egyptian economy to a slowdown in global economic activity such as that which occurred in 2008â€Å" 2009 I believe that Egypt is extremely vulnerable to economic slowdown. The country gets a large portion of their annual revenue from tourism and expatriate workers. Almost any change in the global economy could change the country forever. I believe that the effect will change primarily the lower class of people. With the majority of citizens currently living in poverty again, any decrease in the economy will make day to day living impossible. 3. What are the potential risks inherent in Egyptâ„ ¢s current political system What is the best case scenario going forward What is the worst- case scenario At the time that this case was written the primary potential risk was the corrupt government being overthrown. I believe the best scenario going forward is for Egypt to become more of a democratic society where the elected officials care about all of the citizens. The worst-case scenario would have been for the country to remain on the same path of increased political corruption. Where the people are disenfranchised, one can easily envisage a situation where economic turmoil spills over into the political arena, destabilizing the country and setting it on an uncertain future path. (p. 88) 4. All things considered, is Egypt an attractive market for international business What advice would you give to a multinational enterprise considering investment in Egypt At this point in time I believe that Egypt is a prime market for international business. The country is in a period of positive change. Corruption is being overthrown and the people are ready to become self-sufficient. The advice that I would give a company considering investment is to research those in power and the direction they are taking the country. Change is already underway and a more democratic environment is emerging. This can foster additional benefits for companies willing to invest.

Profile of Tycho Brahe, Danish Astronomer

Profile of Tycho Brahe, Danish Astronomer Imagine having a boss who was a well-known astronomer, got all his money from a nobleman, drank a lot, and eventually had his nose bit off in the Renaissance equivalent of a bar fight? That would describe Tycho Brahe, one of the more colorful characters in the history of astronomy. He may have been a feisty and interesting guy, but he also did solid work observing the sky and conning a king into paying for his own personal observatory. Among other things, Tycho Brahe was an avid sky observer and built several observatories. He also hired and fostered the great astronomer Johannes Kepler as his assistant. In his personal life, Brahe was an eccentric man, often getting himself into trouble. In one incident, he ended up in a duel with his cousin. Brahe was injured and lost part of his nose in the fight. He spent his later years fashioning replacement noses from precious metals, usually brass. For years, people claimed he died of blood poisoning, but it turns out that two posthumous examinations show that his most likely cause of death was a burst bladder. However he died, his legacy in astronomy is a strong one.   Brahes Life Brahe was born in 1546 in Knudstrup, which currently is in southern Sweden but was a part of Denmark at the time. While attending the universities of Copenhagen and Leipzig to study law and philosophy, he became interested in astronomy and spent most of his evenings studying the stars. Contributions to Astronomy One of Tycho Brahe’s first contributions to astronomy was the detection and correction of several grave errors in the standard astronomical tables in use at the time. These were tables of star positions as well as planetary motions and orbits. These errors were largely due to the slow change of star positions but also suffered from transcription errors when people copied them from one observer to the next. In 1572, Brahe discovered a supernova (the violent death of a supermassive star) located in the constellation of Cassiopeia. It became known as Tychos Supernova and is one of only eight such events recorded in the historical records prior to the invention of the telescope. Eventually, his fame at observations led to an offer from King Frederick II of Denmark and Norway to fund the construction of an astronomical observatory. The island of Hven was chosen as the location for Brahes newest observatory, and in 1576, construction began. He called the castle Uraniborg, which means fortress of the heavens. He spent twenty years there, making observations of the sky and careful notes of what he and his assistants saw. After the death of his benefactor in 1588, the kings son Christian took the throne. Brahes support slowly dwindled due to disagreements with the king. Eventually, Brahe was removed from his beloved observatory. In 1597, Emperor Rudolf II of Bohemia intervened and offered Brahe a pension of 3,000 ducats and an estate near Prague, where he planned to construct a new Uraniborg. Unfortunately, Tycho Brahe fell ill and died in 1601 before construction was complete. Tychos Legacy During his life, Tycho Brahe did not accept Nicolaus Copernicus’s model of the universe. He attempted to combine it with the Ptolemaic model (developed by ancient astronomer Claudius Ptolemy), which had never been proved accurate. He proposed that the five known planets revolved around the Sun, which, along with those planets, revolved around Earth each year. The stars, then, revolved around Earth, which was immobile. His ideas were wrong, of course, but it took many years of work by Kepler and others to finally refute the so-called Tychonic universe.   Although Tycho Brahe’s theories were incorrect, the data he collected during his lifetime was far superior to any others made prior to the invention of the telescope. His tables were used for years after his death, and remain an important part of astronomy history. After Tycho Brahe’s death,  Johannes Kepler used his observations to calculate his own three laws of planetary motion. Kepler had to fight the family to get the data, but he eventually prevailed, and astronomy is much the richer for his work on and continuation of Brahes observational legacy.   Edited and updated by Carolyn Collins Petersen.