The Politics of Equitable Development in Malaysia

This paper was initially meant to be a presentation in an event hosted by the American Political Science Association. The association commissioned the study and it owns the copyright to this research. The paper is a study focusing on the impressive growth of the Malaysian economy and its origin. The presentation is titled â€Å"The Politics of Equitable Development in Malaysia† and it was first presented in 2002.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on The Politics of Equitable Development in Malaysia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The presentation covers various political and economic activities in Malaysia beginning from the late 1960s to the early 2000s. The article pays special attention to Malaysia’s New Economic Policy (NEP) of 1969. The paper’s main argument is that â€Å"the pursuit and achievement of equitable development is largely a function of political dynamics†1. The article b egins by noting that Malaysia has had an impressive rate of progression. This progression has led to a stable economic growth. According to the article, this growth is as a result of both social and economic policies that specifically target the poor in Malaysia. In addition, it is noted that the New Economic Policy is at the centre of the integration between social and economic policies. The article continues by noting the two goals of the NEP that were spelt out in the Second Malaysian Plan. The mode of inequality eradication in Malaysia is compared to that of China. The paper states that unlike in China, poverty eradication did not focus on a single policy. It is noted that among the policies initiated through the NEP include social spending, rural development, industrial restructuring, and human capital2. The article then continues to explore each of these policies independently. The presentation’s main goal is to investigate the role of political dynamics when Malaysia w as pursuing equitable development. The article lists the records of economic growth in Malaysia from 1971 to 2000. The incidences of poverty in Malaysia between 1970 and 1993 are also listed. The list indicates declining incidences of poverty and a sustained economic growth. The study then explores the structure of the NEP. According to the paper, the NEP was initially meant to steer the country’s economy and reduce incidences of poverty across Malaysia irrespective of race or ethnicity. The NEP was representative of both the interests of the poor and the capitalistic class. The article then discusses the rural development policy. It is noted that rural development in Malaysia mostly focuses on the agricultural sector but also spreads to healthcare and institutional support. The taxation and public expenditure policy is also addressed in this presentation. This policy is said to have been successful in redistributing wealth.Advertising Looking for report on business eco nomics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The article goes on to explore the role of health and educational policies as tools of poverty eradication. By formulating effective educational and health policies, the Malaysian government was able to demonstrate an equitable redistribution of resources. The article concludes by restating the main argument and listing the challenges associated with the Malaysian political and economic actions. The ignored areas of growth are also listed in this presentation. The strong points of the implemented policies are then restated. One of the elements that I found to be of importance in this presentation is the multi-layered policy implementation by the Malaysian government. Most countries always tend to rely on a single policy to effect significant economic, political, and social change. This presentation details an ensemble of policies that were used in countering inequality and poverty in Malaysia . This means that this â€Å"East Asia economic miracle† did not depend on a single enforcer or policy but it was a collective effort3. Most of the other countries that have successfully dealt with the inequality issue have had to rely on communistic policies. For example, the Communist Party in China reformed the land policy in order to deal with the issue of inequality once and for all. Although this policy was largely successful, it undermined the spirit of capitalism. However, none of the Malaysian-based policies directly undermines capitalism. This makes the Malaysian case to stand out from most of the other recorded economic turnarounds. Some policies such as institutional support and capital grants are always employed in communist economies. However, they are mostly structured in such a manner that they support communism. This was not the case in Malaysia because even capitalists benefited from the NEP. The political aspect of the battle against inequality and poverty in Malaysia presents an interesting angle to this paper. This is because the marriage between effective economic and political policies is rarely witnessed. In Malaysia’s case, the dominant political party had a substantial capitalist representation. This group would have wanted the status quo to remain in order to safe guard its capitalistic interests.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on The Politics of Equitable Development in Malaysia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This is why the effectiveness of the NEP is often referred to as an Eastern Asia Miracle. There are those who argue that the success of the NEP was occasioned by the 1969 ethnic riots. This group argues that the government was hard pressed by the unfolding events and something drastic had to be done. However, the sustainment of these economic policies refutes such claims because the government could have undermined the policies after the situ ation reverted to normal. The â€Å"miracle† element of this economic turnaround is also highlighted by the economic situations in other developing countries. Over half of the developing countries in Asia and Africa have at one time or another attempted to undertake an economic policy similar to the Malaysian NEP. Many of these policies fail due to lack of political will and the fact that most politicians are the main beneficiaries of social inequality. It is also important to note that in the course of over four decades that the Malaysian economy has flourished, the country’s economic policies have not received any major threats from the political class. All these facts make this Asian economic miracle seem more impressive. The manner in which this presentation is structured leaves little room for errors. However, the presentation should have compared the developments of the Malaysian economy to other economies outside the Asian continent. This is because some economi es in South America and Africa bear striking resemblances to the Malaysian economy. Comparing Malaysia with China and India is somehow out of line because of the obvious differences in population and GDP. On the other hand, several countries in South America and Africa resemble Malaysia in terms of population, GDP, reliance in Agriculture, and low industrial development. The researchers should have been able to make this connection. In addition, most of these countries have used Malaysia as the case study for formulating their own economic policies.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This article offers an insightful presentation on the role played by politics in effective implementation of economic policies in Malaysia. The presentation offers a detailed account of the events that have transpired over the course of four decades since the NEP was formulated. Bibliography American Political Science Association. â€Å"The Politics of Equitable Development in Malaysia.† Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Boston, MA, August 28-31, 2002. Footnotes 1 American Political Science Association. â€Å"The Politics of Equitable Development in Malaysia† (Presentation, Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Boston, MA, August 28-31, 2002). 2 American Political Science Association. â€Å"The Politics of Equitable Development in Malaysia† (Presentation, Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Boston, MA, August 28-31, 2002). 3 American Political Science Association. à ¢â‚¬Å"The Politics of Equitable Development in Malaysia† (Presentation, Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Boston, MA, August 28-31, 2002). This report on The Politics of Equitable Development in Malaysia was written and submitted by user Taraji Michael to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Factor of Audience

The Factor of Audience Imagine the following scenario: you have been asked to compose an essay about your life that your children will someday read. What would you say? How would you say it? What details would you include knowing that it would only be read by your children?Now imagine that you have been given the same task, only this time the essay would be published in a national magazine. Knowing that this essay would be read by your friends and family- as well as by your employer, your peers, and by perfect strangers- how would it differ from the first one? Would the details be different? Would your tone change? Would you leave out a few details for the sake of possible embarrassment or misunderstanding?In each case, the audience of your work made a difference in how you write. In fact, one of the first things you learn as a writer is the factor of audience. Regardless of the genre, style, or purpose of your writing, consideration of audience is vital in writing effectively. In the above scenarios, your tone, choice of words, and depth of intimacy in your writing would probably differ between the two essays- although both were basically on the same topic. In a similar sense, having an understanding of your audience before you approach any writing task is crucial to a successful outcome.This fact is often most difficult for academic writing. If you are writing as a class assignment, then the obvious audience for your work will be your professor (or TA, or class peers). Lets take, for example, an assignment on Shakespeares poetic techniques. You are aware that your professor is a preeminent Shakespearian scholar, so there is no need to explain the terminology you mention within your writing, or the credentials of your resources used- right?Not so fast. While academic writing assignments do assume a certain level of knowledge with the topic, if you fail to follow through with your arguments and explanations in a concise and thorough way, your professor could see it as a weakness in y our writing. This is especially true of most undergraduate-level writing, as professors tend to want to see your ability to explain your thesis, rather than your ability to astound them with your relevant and innovative slant on the topic. However, academic writing for dissertations and future publication in academic journals is slightly different. In these cases, it is generally safe to assume that your audience is familiar with the basics of the topic, requiring less explanation on your part of the commonly known terms and/or theories.In other forms of writing- particularly creative writing- audience should always be your first consideration before putting pen to paper (or fingers to the keyboard). If you are writing an article, short story, or novel for hopes of future publication, knowing your audience will be the most important part of the process- outside of good writing, of course. Many writers even use the factor of audience as a springboard for coming up with the content, r ather than the other way around. They might find a particular niche or magazine that is looking for fresh content, and then later decide upon a topic after researching the intended audience. For example, a regional magazine that focuses on rural living would have a readership interested in all facets of country life. A writer seeking publication within this magazine would consider the readership, read past articles published by the magazine to determine the reading level of the readership, then come up with a concept and topic accordingly. In this situation, an article about heirloom recipes or seasonal gardens would definitely be chosen for publication over one about public transportation or urban schools.Editors should consider audience as thoroughly as writers should- if not more so. One of the first things an editor will deliberate when reading a manuscript for possible publication is whether or not there will be an audience for that book or article, and if so, does it give them what they want? Editors are trained to know what people want to read, and generally have a good eye in determining if a particular writer hits the mark. They will edit your manuscript or rough draft accordingly, and offer suggestions for changes that might broaden your audience (for more sales) or help you in relating better to a specific age group or gender.When you are editing your own work, the easiest way to factor in your audience is to read it as if you were your own reader, rather than the writer. While this sounds easier said than done, it is really just a matter of stepping back from your writing. Usually this is best done if you wait a day or two after youve finished writing, and then read it with your reader in mind. Ask yourself the following questions: If I were reading this for the first time, would I be confused about something? and Is this something I would be interested in reading if I were a [insert your audience here]?Considering your audience is a mixture of mar keting and psychology. You must first question who would be your reader, and then question if they would identify with, or enjoy reading, your work. If you take the time to brainstorm these details before you even begin writing, youll save yourself a lot of time and energy by zeroing in on the perfect tone and topic for your intended audience.

Group Dynamics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Group Dynamics - Essay Example On then other hand, Jung & Sosik (2002) indicate that group dynamics ahs been beneficial to the organization since it aids the management in devising problem solving skills in the workplace. Through group dynamics, the management has been able to create team work among its employees; thus, creativity and cooperation in the workplace. A group is inclusive of several people who come together with the aim of achieving a common objective. Group dynamics refers attitudinal and characteristics in behaviour of a given group (Robbins, 2007). Group dynamics are relevant to the organization in the HS engineering firm where there are several group dynamics in the Leeds firm that work together with the aim of achieving organizational objectives. The study of group dynamics within an organization will enable one understand the status of an organization (Cheringtan, 2004). However, group dynamics can only be successful if the management organizes the various aspects of groups in the workplace (Lov elace, Shapiro & Weingart, 2001). Among these attributes include the size of the groups, the characteristics of the members of these groups, their norms beliefs, and finally, the nature of tasks that they perform so as to be successful in their quest to create team work. Through categorization of these attributes in the organization gives the management an opportunity to strategies the kind of activities that ought to be performed in the workplace ands at what pace. From the HS engineering firm case study, group dynamics has not been alienated from the functioning of the organization. In the Leeds firm for instance, several aspects of group dynamics have been put in place to see to the success of the organization. Through analysis of the group dynamics of the organization, the management has been able to clearly understand what aspects to apply so as to understand the entire organization (Marcus, 1998). With the HS engineering company having other branches in other parts of the coun try, there was dire need by the company to understand the functionality of all the branches in the workplace. A closer scrutiny of the case also indicates that the company has gone through massive changes all in attempt to survive in the market. In the long run, the company has experienced massive losses in some of its branches that led to the closure of the same. This indicates that the management has dedicated a lot of efforts in understanding the operations of the company. Social identify theory states that individual group dynamics help to obtain a sense of identity and acquire self actualization. This reduces the rate of conflict within the organization. As an illustration from the HS engineering sample the major conflicts that arise due to the change taking place within the organization include; loss in manufacturing industries, there is an expectation of 30% reduction in the financial status of the company. The different group dynamics established had their own needs that lea d to the closure of some of them due to poor management. Mangold & Miles (2002) and Moritz &Watson (1998) indicate that leaders of organizations can only implement the aspects of group dynamics if the management of the organization is well conversant with the occurrences in the organization, no matter how minute they may seem. All organizations

Film Franchises Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Film Franchises - Essay Example The Harry Potter (#5,7,11,14) film franchise, meanwhile, is a pentalogy while the Star Wars series (8,17,20) is an octology (IMDb. All-Time Worldwide Box Office). It is worthwhile to mention that the James Bond film franchise, which consists of a series of 23 films ranks first The hereinabove data is a potent proof of the reality that in the movies, moviegoers would rather prefer to patronize movies which they are familiar with in terms of the characters and the story lines and which they know beforehand that there is a high possibility of them enjoying the movies to the hilt. They would rather not risk their money and time with films which they are not so sure whether the quality, the acting and the direction and the story would be to their liking. Like in books, comic strips, TV serials, one good thing must lead to another. are a ready, hard-core audience, a marketing hook and a possibility of generating new fanatics by simply improving the visual quality of the succeeding serials through the taking advantage of advances in cinematic technology especially the special effects phase of film making. Sadly though, many movie producers fail to sustain the movie going public's interest in their purported movie franchises, inevitably run out of steam and end up only in the sequel stage. Others run short of ideas and need the most opportune time to stage another reboot or even a prequel to continue the movie franchise undertaking. An example of this is The Chronicles of Narnia which had already netted more than $1.168 billion but is at the moment stymied in its production of a third serial, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, due to a finalisation of a more convincing and appealing screenplay (Sammons 2004, p.48). The most crucial challenge to all though, would be how to vigorously maintain the franchise's commerc ial appeal and potential and yet make it firmly self-contained as a narrative so that it will not end up churning a "series that outstays its welcome" (Thompson 2008, p.7). History of Film Franchises The movie world took a while to discover the magic and the marketing power of film franchises. Since the birth of cinema on December 28, 1895 when French

Modelo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Modelo - Essay Example Modelo’s expansion strategy was made possible through its strategic alliance with its two main distributors; Bartisor and grambrinus, experienced, creative and knowledgeable subsidiaries with knowledge about local customers in the US market. This strategy ensured that the risk of increase in taxes is hedged. These distributors were delegated with all the value chain processes of the activities except production which was being carried out the parent firm, Group Modelo back in Mexico. They had autonomous control on decisions regarding the marketing, insurance, transportation and creatively marketing captains, from which a campaign that leapfrogged the Grupo Modelo’s sales emanated from in 1986. As pointed out in the report, wine is more competitive in Italy and Ireland unlike beer. Therefore, it will have an opportunity to attempt to enter these foreign markets by both mergers and acquisition from the local importers and distributors. They ca also adopt other strategic alliances with highly expertise- mature companies in this countries. It can be pointed out that, for the company to stand tall, it needs, a sharper differentiation, identifying and focusing on the key marketing that region and developing a creative Marketing development as a strategy

The Cold War: A New History

The Cold War: A New History By 1945, World War II came to an end, but there was no victorious celebration or a promising future of hope for peace. The members of the Grand Alliance had already toasted their success in winning the war. However, the United States and the Soviet Union became wary of each other as they had very different goals regarding how to deal with Germany and eastern Europe. The competing visions of the two countries had led the world to fall under the shadow of the Cold War. In his one-volume-book The Cold War: A New History, John Lewis Gaddis examines the dynamics of the political conflicts that dominated the world from the end of World War II to the late 1980s. John Lewis Gaddis is currently the Robert A. Lowett professor of history at Yale University. He is a distinguished historian who had written six other books on the subject of the cold war. In 2005, he was also rewarded a National Humanities Medal by the National Endowment for the humanities (Gaddis, back of front cover). Unlike his previous six books, Gaddis was convinced by his students and agent to write a short, comprehensive, and accessible (Gaddis, pg x). He had intended to write his book for a new generation of readers for whom the Cold War was never current events' (Gaddis, pg x). From many research from the works other Cold War historians and as well as his own analysis, Gaddis created a masterpiece of work that leads his reader through the history of a fearful era and behind-the-scene strategies and thoughts on both sides of the war. His objectives were to reveal the underlying dynamics of the political struggles of the confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union that shaped, and threatened to end, our lives (Gaddis, back of front cover) while intertwining with his own judgments of the historical events. The superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, may have collaborated together to end the World War II; however, their visions of shaping the postwar settlement of Germany and eastern Europe could not have been more different. As Gaddis had stated in his book, The tragedy was this: that victory would require the victors either to cease to be who they were, or to give up much of what they had hoped, by fighting the war, to attain (Gaddis, pg 6). Stalin of the Soviet Union desired security for himself, his regime, his country, and his ideology, in precisely that order (Gaddis, pg 6). He solely believed that his country deserved a lot of territories because of the wartime expenditures that caused the countrys land to be ravaged and the notorious, bloody casualties of an approximate of 27 million civilians that died as a result of World War II (Gaddis, pg 9). He also had a zealous dream which was influenced by the Marxist-Leninist ideology that communists would soon dominate Eur ope through patience because capitalists cannot comply with one another for long. On the other hand, unlike Stalin, the Americans had a less determined goal of grasping security and global influence of their democratic ideas. Most part of Americas history was isolated from the rest of the world until its involvement in World War I. Americans did not have to worry much about security since they were apart from the other continents up until their involvement in the world wars. Within time, the distrust between the United States and the Soviet Union intensified by major issues such as the Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, and especially the fear of the atomic bomb. President Truman announced to provide military and economic aid to Greece and Turkey along with a speech that publicized the aid program in supporting the free people to make their own destinies (which became known as the Truman Doctrine). As the Americans searched for an explanation of the Soviet behavior, George F. Kennan, a Foreign Service officer who served in the American embassy, found the problem that the Soviet Unions internally driven hostility toward the outside world (Gaddis, pg 31). After the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan was devised as a solution to Kennans identification of problem, which was committing the United States to provide economic aid for the reconstruction of Europe. The Marshall Plan was intended to produce psychological benefits that would prevent Europeans to not tu rn towards communism as a solution for their hunger and poverty. According to Gaddis, the Marshall Plan was a trap to get Stalin to build the wall that would divide Europe, which was the blockade of Berlin (Gaddis, pg 32). The fear of the atomic bomb was probably most intensifying cause of the distrust between the two superpowers. The atomic bomb was developed by the Americans and British (without telling the Soviet), called the Manhattan Project, to use against Germany. When the bomb was used on Japan, Stalin reacted strongly, War is barbaric, but using the A-bomb is a superbarbarity (qtd. by Gaddis, pg 25). Not soon after, Soviet scientists devised atomic bombs in August 1949 to Stalins relief. Silently, Stalin and Truman both knew well enough how the atomic weapons can hardly be used without destroying the world. Gaddis analyzed how the two sides did not go into war, especially with the nuclear weapons involved because those weapons could very well end the world. The Cold War spends a good amount of time in examining the emergence of autonomy during the Cold War. However, Gaddis was not focusing on the decolonization of the various countries. Instead, the author dove into what was beneath the surface by showing how the non-alignment of independent countries had an advantage by not committing to either side of the Cold War. As Gaddis writes, if one superpower became too great, a smaller power could defend itself by threatening to align with the other superpower (pg. 124). Other countries such as North and South Korea, North and South Korea, and East and West German kept the two superpowers on their hooks. The weaknesses of those countries became their strength because if their countries collapsed, the countries may turn to communism (which is what the United States does not want) or capitalism (which is what the Soviet Union does not want). The best way to put to is in Gaddis words, a compelling form of Cold War blackmail: if you push me too h ard, my government will fall, and youll be sorry (pg. 130). In this short, comprehensive, and accessible book, Gaddis did an impressive job to discuss and condense down his judgments and the history of the entire era of the Cold War in a fewer than 300-pages of text. Gaddis divided his book into nine different chapters, in which each chapter covers a different topic that were occurring on both sides of the Cold War. Although each chapter covers a different topic, Gaddis subdivided each chapter into smaller sections, yet still able to compel the events or topics in a sequenced manner which allows the reader to follow along without confusion. In each topic, Gaddis does not only provide the hard facts that happen but examines and provides insightful analysis of how the events or ideologies influenced the leaders of the superpowers. This made it difficult to summarize and capture everything of what the author has to offer to the reader about an era that is commonly written about. In the center of the book, Gaddis provided sixteen pages of black-and-white photos that are organized in chronological order of the important people that made up the history of the Cold War as well as events. In addition, there were maps of Europe that added as a visual aid for the reader as the author explains territorial changes, bases, and alliances of the two superpowers. The author was very straightforward with what he had to say, which makes it easy to read and understand, and revealing to his audiences of what the superpower leaders were truly thinking of and their strategies in reaching their ambitions. However, there are flaws or bad choices of events that the author decided to take time to talk about. For instance, Gaddis spent two to three pages on the Watergate crisis, which led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. As a reader, one may find how such an event is irrelevant to the Cold War. Overall, it was impressive of how the author organized the numerous events of the Cold War into a one-volume book. The writing style of Gaddis is very absorbing, which makes the book to be enjoyable to read. He chose great quotes from leaders and other people during that time that backs the judgments he makes. Also, he included little anecdotes that supplement his grand narrative of analysis of the various events of the Cold War. For example, every person who has some background knowledge of the Cold War knows that the atomic bombs were not used since the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, he started out on the second chapter telling the reader how General MacArthur commanded five atomic bombs to be dropped on the Chinese advancing down the Korean peninsula and two Soviet bombers took off from Vladivostok (Gaddis, pg. 48-49). I was momentarily fooled by this little fiction Gaddis created. The purpose of the story was to show how close the world was to have a nuclear-violent war that could virtually destroy the entire planet. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who anyone who is interested in the Cold War because the book is not just a history book that provides hard facts about events, but also deep analysis of how the events influenced leaders during that era and the future of today. The book is not difficult to read but it would be better if the reader already had some background knowledge of the World War II and the Cold War. The book is worthy for a reader to take their time and absorb the analytical thoughts, examples, and anecdotes that the author conveys. Gaddis examines the different aspects of the events switching and back and forth between the perspectives of the two superpowers. While doing so, he guides the reader through the history of the Cold War without missing any of the commonly-known landmarks of the era providing a well-written narrative of the authors own interpretation and the history itself.

Sweatshop Labor: Wearing Thin Essay example -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For most people in the United States, the term â€Å"slave to fashion† relates to an individual’s desire always to be wearing the latest fashions from trendy clothing lines. In a twist of supreme irony, the designation applies much more literally to the legions of poverty-stricken sweatshop laborers worldwide who toil away under miserable conditions to produce the snappy apparel that Americans purchase in droves on a daily basis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conditioned by a media that places considerable emphasis on possessing a stylish wardrobe, the majority of U.S. consumers are far too awash in their own culture -- one that is notorious for the value it places on material wealth -- to be sensitive to the plight of these indigent foreigners. And although the US media’s fleeting scrutiny of sweatshop conditions five years ago did make the issue a greater part of the national consciousness than ever before, not enough people changed their buying habits as a result -- or at least not enough to make a dent in the all-important bottom line of guilty corporations. Indeed, major American retailers of clothing and other apparel products have not changed this despotic element of their business practices in the least despite the negative publicity; in fact, they continue to exploit laborers in foreign, mostly Third-World countries to an alarming degree.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The scope of the problem is such that hundreds of residents in a town as small and isolated as Santa Cruz have at some point been employed in sweatshops in impoverished nations. Santa Cruz resident Lorenzo Hernandez endured years of mistreatment at a Doall Enterprises factory in El Salvador before immigrating with his wife and two sons to Santa Cruz in September, 2000. He now works full-time as a cook at Tony and Alba’s Pizza in Scotts Valley, and while he scarcely earns above minimum wage in his current position, it represents a substantial improvement to the abject conditions under which he labored for so many years in his home country. â€Å"They treated us very badly (in El Salvador),† Hernandez said. â€Å"I earned not enough to live on. My family could only buy two shirts and pants (per person), and we were always hungry. I worked 14, 16 hours a day but still did not make enough.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hernandez speaks and moves with the languor of a man... ...ation or escape in religion. Fittingly, while more affluent people in the United States disregard the reality of sweatshop labor because they are preoccupied with trying to sport cutting-edge fashions, the people of Ciudad Juarez seek to disguise their realities because they are so painful.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Faced with such unsettling tales of human suffering, Saganovich remains resolute: â€Å"Wal-Mart is simply looking out for its best interests, and this alleged mistreatment of foreign laborers isn’t anywhere near as bad as a lot of people make it out to be. The people who are speaking out so strongly against us are little more than a type of propagandists with their own agendas. Nobody forces anyone to work anywhere, and a lot of them are coming to America and making better lives for themselves.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hernandez is one of a relatively small number of lucky immigrants who have realized a greater level of wealth and comfort in the States, but he will never forget the anguish his previous jobs brought him and his compatriots. â€Å"It’s great, I can afford clothes and food here now,† he said. â€Å"But I try to buy from stores (that) don’t have sweatshops.†