The Middle East And North Africa Mena Economics Essay

The Middle East And North Africa Mena Economics Essay Economic Integration is the elimination of  tariff  and nontariff barriers to the  flow  of  goods,  services, and  factors of production  between a group of  nations.  The purpose of Economic Integration is to allow the free flow of goods and service between nations that can benefit from the economic resources of partner nations. The Economic Integration Model used for this paper is MENA; commonly known as Middle East and North Africa. The countries and regions included in MENA are labeled in the map below http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/MENA.png The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is an economically diverse region that includes both the oil-rich economies in the Gulf and countries that are resource-scarce in relation to population, such as Egypt, Morocco, and Yemen. The MENA region includes the following countries: Algeria | Bahrain | Djibouti | Egypt | Iran | Iraq | Israel | Jordan I Kuwait | Lebanon | Libya | Malta | Morocco | Oman | Qatar | Saudi Arabia | Syria I Tunisia | United Arab Emirates | West Bank and Gaza | Yemen The MENA countries have signed a series of multilateral, regional, and bilateral trade agreements. Multilateral agreements are within the framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO), of which, with the exception of Syria and the West Bank and Gaza, all countries in the region are members or have observer status. Ten MENA countries have signed European Union-Mediterranean Association Agreements (EMAAs) with the E.U. These agreements replace the preferential access to European markets for goods from African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries with a reciprocal reduction in tariffs on many goods. However, these agreements generally exempt agricultural commodities. The MENA region is also an oil rich region and the regions economic fortunes over much of the past quarter century have been heavily influenced by the price of oil. During the recession of 2008 that effected global economies and the demand for oil, it led to increase uncertainty for the MENA region because of its high dependence on oil price in the international market. As an integrated unit MENA has been able to cope with global recession because of its combined trade policy. In the years to come, integrated regions similar to MENA might be the answer to future problems and hence makes it important to look at costs and benefits of economic integration in the light of MENA. The paper will firstly look at the current problems and challenges faced by the MENA region and then look at the benefits of integration to the region Challenges faced by the MENA region In order to understand the challenges faced by the MENA region collectively, it is important to divide the region into groups and look at these problems in a coherent segregated manner. According to a report by OECD titled Opportunities and challenges in the MENA region these classifications are: Resource-rich, labor-abundant countries are producers and exporters of oil and gas and have large native populations, which represent almost the totality of their residents. This group of countries includes Algeria, Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Resource-rich, labor-importing countries are producers and exporters of oil and gas and have large shares of foreign or expatriate residents, who represent a significant percentage of the total population, even the majority in some cases. This group of countries comprises the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates) and Libya. Resource-poor countries are small producers or importers of oil and gas. These countries include Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, and the Palestinian Authority. (OECD, 2003) Unemployment The challenges faced by MENA include high unemployment levels (in particular among youth); pervasive corruption and lack of accountability and transparency; bloated public sectors with state-owned enterprises that crowdout the development of private enterprise and investment; low levels of enterprise creation; and, for a number of countries, a high dependence on fuel and food imports generating extensive exposure to commodity price volatility. Given that these challenges are both structural and interconnected, they can be addressed only through a coordinated and comprehensive strategy that involves governments, the private sector, civil society, and the international community which I will show later in the essay. The chart below from the World Bank shows unemployment rates for 2000 and 2009 in the MENA region, indicating the change in unemployment over nine years. (World Bank, 2011) Arab Spring Revolution Immigration is expected to increase in those countries most affected by the Arab Spring. Immigration to GCC countries, which already host significant shares of Arab immigrants, is expected to rise. Numerous accounts have been reported of Immigrants fleeing from Northern Africa to Europe. Furthermore, a survey of Egyptian young people by the International organization for Migration found that the onset of protests and instability may have acted as a primary push factor for youth who reported prior intentions to migrate. The surveys results showed that two-thirds of respondents with migration intentions who were working prior to the start of the protests were negatively affected by the events: 26 percent lost their jobs, 20 percent were asked to take unpaid leave, and 19 percent witnessed a reduction in their working hours. (International Organization for Migration, 2011) Inflation Data from OECD indicated that high inflation which is the product of a high dependence on fuel and food imports represents a major challenge for resource-poor countries. For the MENA region; consumer price inflation has remained high since the oil and fuel price spikes of 2007-08. This is particularly the case in Egypt, which registered an inflation rate of 5 percent during 1996-2005 and a significantly higher rate of 11 percent during 2006-10. A notable exception to high inflation has been Morocco, which has kept consumer price increases below 3 percent. (OECD, 2003) Costs and Benefits of Economic Integration in MENA Although the MENA region has registered a relatively high economic growth during the last few years, However;the absence of a vibrant private sector which would have been able to create more and better jobs, has meant that economic performance has not been reflected in improved living standards for the majority. As discussed earlier, some factors causing this deficiency are rigid labor markets, skills mismatches, the crowding out of private enterprise by SOEs and high corruption. But there are also other economic and structural factors, such as low levels of competitiveness in manufacturing sectors, lack of export-market diversification, and low intraregional integration which still exists in the region. Furthermore, although the Arab Spring provides an important opportunity for economic reform, although its immediate effects will be negative for those countries most affected by social and political instability Transition examples from other regions suggest that the medium-run gains from moving to more open and accountable governments are sizable. Income growth tends to stabilize at a higher average rate in the decade after transition, and income volatility at a lower rate, as compared with the previous period. The results will depend on how swiftly and credibly governments can commit to reform. In the meantime, as investors wait for political uncertainty to be resolved in countries affected by political turmoil, it is inevitable that investment will be delayed and economic challenges will emerge. Evidence from earlier transitions shows that these difficulties tend to be limited; growth typically dips for only one year and then returns to or exceeds previous levels. Integration via Trade in Goods Regional trade agreements (RTAs) have proliferatedin the MENA region in the past two decades. Such agreements can make it possible to reap benefits from internationalintegration, while tailoring the provisions ofthe agreements to the particular needs and adjustmentcapacities of the countries involved. They canalso have beneficial indirect effects. Opening domesticmarkets to partner countries, for example, can increasecompetition in sectors with previously highlyconcentrated industrial structures. Such precompetitive impacts are particularly important for countriesthat have only a nascent domestic competition policy.Also, regional cooperation can be effective in harmonizingcustoms procedures and domestic regulations.Adopting common rules on investment, forexample, has the potential to encourage increased inflowsof foreign direct investment by enhancing thecredibility of FDI-related policies and providing a restrainton sudden policy reversals. According to the World Bank many MENA countries have recently seen the share of intraregional trade in total merchandise trade increase dramatically over the past two decades. Compared to this; the extent of intraregional trade remains lowerthan in all other regions of the world, except for South Asia. Though the ratio of intraregional trade to GDP exceeds 15 percent in the Syrian Arab Republic and Jordan, in most MENA countries the ratio remains in the low single digits. In particular, resource-rich, labor-importing countries generally show a very low level of intra-MENA exports in relation to GDP, despite high total export-to-GDP ratios. (World Bank, 2005). Integration through Services For an economy, services typically contribute a major portion to the GDP. Therefore, it is important to remove barriers to entryfor both domestic and foreign firms and increasethe efficiency of services. The current regional integration agreements inMENA generally do not cover services trade, and in areas where the agreements do cover services, it is in the terms of intentions and tacit agreements. Moreover, there still exist differences in regulations and at times limits on the physical movement of individuals. In these cases it is currently creating a situation in which it is often easier for MENA countries service providers to operate in countries outside the region than within. The chart below from the World Bank represents the service exports for selected countries in the MENA region. Integration through Labor reforms If we compare the regions integration through trade and labor we can see that the MENA region is more integrated in the globaleconomy through labor mobility than through tradeand investment. According to a report by the World Bank on the MENA region titled Economic Developments and Prospects it has outlined that the regions share of global trade flows is below 5 percent, andthe region receives an even lower share of globalFDI flows. However, about 16 percent of all remittancespaid out to migrants in the world originate inthe MENA region, essentially the GCC countries,and 10 percent of global remittances are received byresidents of MENA countries. (World Bank, 2008) They have also explained a recent trend where MENAs share in remittances has come down significantly since the 1990s, at atime when remittances to India, China, Mexico, andthe Philippines have increased exponentially. Thus looking closely at these huge labor flows in the past it becomes important to ask here if immigrations are entirely conflict-driven flows. This is not the case if we look at the chart below where the share of refugees as a portion of Migrants has decreased dramatically. One of the primary factors favoring the increase in immigration still appears to be demographics. According to population projections from the United Nations in context with labor force participation rates, show that, if there is no migration then the labor force in GCC countries will keep growing at 2.2 percent per yearbetween 2005 and 2010, but after 2010, this growth rate will decline. Thus, without additional migrant workers, two GCC workers would still have to supportthree inactive persons over the foreseeable future. This shows that if there are no drastic changes then underlying demographic factors will continue to favor more migration. Integration through Capital Flows Two developments frame the context for recenttrends in capital markets in the MENA region: countriessuch as Syria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisiahave begun to deepen structural and institutionalreforms, increasing the demand for capital The oil boom has generated massive liquidity in theGulf states, thus increasing the supply of capital. Compared with conditions in previous oil boomperiods, a higher amount of the surplus is now availableto the oil-exporting MENA countries and is beingchanneled into project-based investments in the region.GCC countries have already allocated over$1.3 trillion in infrastructure and manufacturing investmentsover the next 5 years according to the EIU outlook for 2007 (Economist Intelligence Unit, 2007) On the other hand, Project-based investments have recently been increasingespecially in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, andTunisia. These intra-MENA investments are mostly basedon telecommunications, infrastructure, real estate,tourism, and banking. The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency has list of multibillion-dollar investment projects in MENA which is getting longer. According to them some recent investment projects include: A$9 billion tourism project by Dubai Holding and Emaar Holding in Morocco, Kuwaits Telecom Group (Wataniya) expanding into Tunisia, DubaiHolding acquiring 33.5 percent of Tunis Telecom ($2.25 billion), and the Bukhater Groups $5 billion City Complex project in Tunisia. To date, there are 15MENA national investment promotion agencies,most of which were established in the past decade.New investments are facilitated by private groupsand finance houses, and governments are closelymonitoring reform indexes published by internationalagencies to analyze the effects of greater investments intra-region. (Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, 2011) Integration through Infrastructure Investments In terms of Infrastructure investment recently, there have been cross-border infrastructure projects that are becoming more prominent in the region. Some of the examplesinclude cross-border electricity grids, gas pipelines,transport links, and telecommunication networks. However, there are still many regulatory and financial challenges.In the past, interconnection of power grids in theMENA region was primarily driven by governmentsconcerns about preserving power supply securityin their respective markets. On the other handother benefits,such as capital investments saving, are also considered,though these are not yet the main drivers fornetwork interconnection. The amount of exported and imported power still remains low in many cases. For instance reports from the World Bank show that only 12 percent of total capacity of theAlgeria-Morocco links is used, 17 percent in the case of the Algeria-Tunisia interconnection. (World Bank, 2011) With the exception of Yemen and Djibouti, transportsystems are well developed in MENA countries. Most countries have been able to develop extensiveroad networks, with high capacity in some areas, and modern facilities for air, sea, and railtransport. The key issue in the region is the quality of the transport assets as a result of the lack of appropriatemaintenance or of poor service operations due to institutional deficiencies. Cost-effectivetransport services, efficient facilitation, and transport infrastructure supplemented with good intermodalconnectivity are required to accommodate the growth in global and intraregional trade. However, regional integration initiatives still remain at an early stage of development in the transport sector.As a result of the closure of several borders in the region, land-based transport plays a minor role inintraregional trade in MENA. Conclusion In light of the recent developments and the challenges faced by the MENA region we can accurately see that there is still room for more substantial development in the region as a result of greater intra-regional economic region. Looking at results from the development of intra-regional trade and services we can see that the benefits outweigh the costs and it is important the reforms are taken at a governmental level to allow for greater de-regulation of markets and policies effecting trade flows between countries. Nevertheless, the recent oil boom and global commodity boom does leave tremendous room for development and growth in the region.

Essay --

Ryan White was the most prominent HIV/AIDS activist. He had become the national poster boy for HIV/AIDs in the United States. Ryan educated the public with knowledge about his disease. Because of Ryan’s experience being broadcasted across the nation, the discrimination of those who had HIV or AIDS was exposed and he spoke out for the rights of those who were living with AIDS. The programs started in his name today are the largest provider of services for people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States. What is HIV/AIDS? HIV stands for â€Å"human immunodeficiency syndrome,† while AIDS stands for â€Å"acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.† AIDS is the final stage of HIV, which causes severe damage to the immune system. In our world today, over 35.3 million people worldwide currently live with either HIV or AIDS, with 2.1 million of them still being young children and teens. It is transmitted through sexual contact, exposure to infected body tissue or fluids, or hereditarily from the mother during pregnancy and breastfeeding (Global AIDS Overview). What people didn’t know before, and still don’t today, is that the virus cannot be transmitted through; saliva, sweat, tears, urine, or vomit unless they are somehow contaminated with blood. Most people that live with or are at risk of contracting HIV do not have access to any sort of prevention or treatment care. Although scientists have spent many years searching, there is still no known cure for the virus. Today, he would be forty-two years old. Born in Kokomo, Ryan was diagnosed as a hemophiliac at birth. He suffered from severe Hemophilia A, a hereditary blood coagulation which causes even the most minor injuries to result in severe bleeding. He would begin receiving the common treatment at ... ...tor Orrin Hatch and Edward Kennedy, it helped the cause by providing funds to the cities hardest hit by AIDS. This contained disaster relief for 16 cities, grants to all 50 states, and special projects that emphasized early intervention for newly diagnosed HIV-positive patients. The act improved available funding for care of low-income, uninsured, and underinsured victims of AIDS and their families (Siplon). Ryan White was the most prominent AIDS activist. Being the national poster boy for AIDS in the United States, he changed its public perception on AIDS. Also because of White’s influence, a numerous amount of programs have been established that provide victims of HIV/AIDS cope with the disease, especially the populations that were underserved and couldn’t cope without any assistance. Ryan was an influence to not only HIV/AIDS victims, but to people nationwide.

Outline the main values issues presented to a social worker by one of the case example given

Outline the main values issues presented to a social worker by one of the case example given, with reference to the CCETSW statement of Social Work values. Discuss how you would attempt to resolve the issues in line with the CCETSW value position. Case Study: Ethel, Alan, Marion In this essay I will be outlining the importance of social work values, by looking at the social work values. I will be focusing on the value issues within the case study which are relavent to the CCETSW's statement of values, to understand and integerate the values of social work. In the assignment I will try to resolve the arising value issues in the accordance of CCETSW's statement values as a social worker. In this assignment by using the term' social work' it will be refering myself. In   The meanings â€Å"value† are divers and varied. ‘Values' are a combination of our beliefs, views on which we act upon. Initially, all individuals have some personal values. A social worker has social work values, which are linked with his/her duties and responsibilities. Therefore, the agency also imposes some values on social workers. In some terms social worker's personal values can conflict or compete with others' values. As â€Å"Values are concerned what's good and desireable†(Loenberg and Dolgoff 1992, quoted in Meyer and Mattain, 1995:p.51). The social work is a well know agency and institute, which provides help, support and advice to those people who are deprived, vulnerable and needy such as poor, elderly, women, children etc. The social work services are reliable, confidential, and equally availiable to all individuals and groups. However, the social work is highly criticised to use their power wrongly, for example removeing children and adults from home. On other hand, the occurance of neglegence and abuse in the residential care. We should not forget that it is individual's act and it is not a fault of all members of institution. Thus to pervent abuse and misuseing of power, a social worker should practice on the basis of CCETSW's values, rules and regulations and use them as a guidence. Ethel is 93 years old, which is a fragile age. She may be discriminated and oppressed because of her age as statistics show Family and society: As often seen in our society, people's views about old people are negative. For example they labelled them as ‘burden' ‘ clumsy' ‘rages' ‘slow and lazy' ‘useless' ‘fussy' ‘childish'and even ‘mad'. Ethel's son, Alan, passed comments † but that's old woman for you, isn't it†? On the other hand, Alan's wife Marion is reluctant to answer the questions and burst into tears. Alan pays little attention which makes you think Marion is depressed for some reason. Which require assessment and communication to evaluate the situation. â€Å"It is also important to â€Å"identify, analyse and take action to counter discrimination, racism and disadvantages, inequality and injustice, using strategies appropriate to role and context; and practice in a manner that does not stigmatised or disadvantage either individuals, groups or communities. (CCETSW 1995;P18) Physical and emotional concerns: Ethel is fit and healthy for her age but she is may be at risk, (perhaps she is not). But she had bruises and burnt the kettle. In my opinion it is important to assess the situation, circumstances, knowledge of available and existing resources and assistance which is ‘concerned with the enhancement of human well being†, (BASW 1986) â€Å"Social workers have a responsibility to relieve and prevent hardship and suffering.† (CCETSW 1996) and â€Å"communication to promote opportunities for children, adults, families at risk or in need to function, participate and develop†. (CCETSW 1996; p: 16) Choices and options: It is necessary to know about Ethel's concerns. Social work gives clients ‘respect', ‘options', and choices. The options for client (from available resources) to choose from such as residential homes, care worker, health visitors, community nurse, age concern and others. As ‘choices available to users are often limited.' (Nocon, A. et al 1996p: 51) Although ‘case worker have a correspondent duty to respect that right, recognise that need' (Biestek, P.et al 1950, principle 6) ‘respect their clients as individuals and will seek to ensure that their dignity, individuality, rights and responsibilities shall be safeguarded.'(BASW 1986; 10:ii) â€Å"Regardless of whether they are provided in the home or out side the home,†(Lowy, L.1979; p: 429) ‘However only 5% living in any institution: most elderly people prefer to live with or near their families. Because of lack of community resources Many people are forced out of their homes, but not because the family wishes to be get rid of the older members. (Lowy, L. 1979;p: 65) Partnership: It is essential to communicate with the client, family, friends, or other person or authorities (if involve) to work in partnership. In this case Ethal's son, daughter-in-law or other family, care manager and friends at the day centre and GP (to find out if she have had any sort of injuries or bruises before). Emotional and Health issues: It is stated that Ethel is being confused on occasions, and her short- term memory is poor but she can recall her memories from the past, which is clearly a rough and difficult existence. It also has been acknowledged that she was a victim of domestic violence. She used to get beaten by her drunken husband. A programme, broadcasted by Channel 2, showed that 87% of domestic violence victims are women. According to Unison 1 October 1997, new domestic violence legislation in England and Wales came into force under the Family Law Act. While there remain loopholes in the Act. It does not make the civil law simpler and clearer, allow greater protection to more individuals and strengthen the use of powers of arrest. Despite this, a victim can live in trauma of fear and it also psychologically effects the personal abilities and qualities. It can affect victims for a long- term and blunt their abilities to operate their lives with confidence. And they can see it as a norm of their life, may be Ethel have accepted it as norm that's why she is not unhappy. In our society, people are hesitate to talk about it, or discus about it in the public or with friends which leave them isolated, alone, scared and helpless. It also develops a sort of sense of guilt. The longer you live in that situation the worst outcomes could be. Ethel described, as she was a victim of domestic violence, is she still a victim? Counselling could be a good solution for her if she requires it. But if she is still a victim of domestic violence (Statistics show that if a woman is being beaten by her husband then it could be possible that it can carry on by her son as he see himself ‘Dominate or head') then there is a need of ‘family therapy'. Non-judgemental: We can't make judgements about others but for assessment we should consider each and every possibility and chances of risk and inequality. We are concern that personal help (individually and collectively) is offered within an acceptable personal and cultural context to increase the range of choices open to them and power to make decision, including the participation of client in ensuring and defining that the services are appropriate for them. (BASW 1986; 10) Access to resource: (care, finance, support, and Accessibility) Ethel' home looks tidy but are there adequate support, resources and care available? Ethel's family is living in a rented property and the house is in need of repair. Possibly, the land- lord can arrange to repair the property under the Tenancy Rights. May be Local Authorities can help to provide easy access to and out of home. One more issue, which clicks me, is why Alan took the electricity off! Was it due to financial problems or are they neglecting Ethel. If Ethel needs to get up at night for her needs or she is not having enough sleep then her GP can advice her. Mostly it has seen that the sleeping of the elderly people do change and also getting confused or short-term memory are related to old age. Lowy argues that chronological ageing alone does not account for such changes but, instead, that they are connected with a number of other life's circumstances. (1979; p: 65) â€Å"Persuading and cajoling of clients can range from the ‘informal' admission to a psychiatric hospitals to the gentle pressure on an elderly to enter residential care† ( Thomas, & et al.) On the opposite, Tony Novak and Chris Jones (BASW 1993;p: 196) argue that â€Å"social workers have found themselves with even few resources to meet the needs of more desperate clients. At the same time social worker has faced increasing criticism and ridicule, not only from the media but also from the state itself, which has challenged its legitimacy and sense of identity†.

The Yellow Wall-Paper A Classic Piece of Gothic...

According to the definition provided in Literature and the Language Arts: The American Tradition, Gothic fiction is a style of fiction characterized by a murky atmosphere of horror and gloom and grotesque, mysterious, and violent incidents (229). A setting that evokes strong feelings of foreboding or fearful anticipation is also essential to this genre. Based upon these criteria, The Yellow Wall-paper is a classic piece of Gothic literature. In it, Charlotte Perkins Gilman utilizes numerous elements of the Gothic tradition to tell the story of one womans descent into madness. The physical setting that Gilman creates in The Yellow Wall-paper certainly evokes a feeling of foreboding or nervous anticipation. At the beginning, the†¦show more content†¦At one point, the narrator mentions that she fancies seeing people walking through the estates paths and arbors, but her husband is quick to assure her that it is just her imagination. While it is easy to believe that she is ind eed seeing things, it is also possible that her husband dismisses her fancies in an attempt reinforce her feelings of isolation and make her feel that she might be a little crazy. Most of the story takes place within the bedroom that the narrator and her husband share. It had formerly been a nursery, and the narrator hates it, or more specifically hates its smouldering, unclean yellow wall-paper (Gilman 1685). Here she is kept isolated from the rest of the household. The more time the narrator spends in the room, the more she is driven toward the brink of madness. She is left alone to recover from her nervous troubles, but strange thoughts and hallucinations still seem to find her behind the barred windows. At the end of the story, readers learn that she has taken to locking the door during the day so others in the house will not discover her creeping around the room. She has chosen to isolate herself from her husband and Jennie, the housekeeper, because of a growing paranoia of what they say about her and because of her obsession with the woman behind the wall-paper. It seems strange that her self-imposed isolation takes place in the room she initially claimed not to like one bit. The mostShow MoreRelatedGothic Literature Essay834 Words   |  4 PagesGothic Literature Comparative Essay In the movie ‘Coraline ‘ and the texts ‘The Red Room’, ‘The Yellow Wallpaper†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and ‘Northanger Abbey’, there are many aspects of gothic literature present, gothic literature is used to create mystery and a sense of something odd to come. Coraline is a movie about a young girl who discovers a parallel universe in the new house she moved into, The Red Room is about a supposedly haunted room, Northanger Abbey is about a girl who is spending some time in an oldRead MoreWhen It Comes To New York Accommodation There’S Something1323 Words   |  6 Pagesrooms that were once dormitories crowded with budding Episcopalian priests, a new outdoor restaurant is ready to open in the front garden, and the Intelligentsia coffee corner morphs into a full-service bar every evening. Rooms inside this theatrical gothic faà §ade celebrate â€Å"vintage eclectic Americana† style and each chamber features vintage wallpaper, a historic rotary-dial telephone, heirloom rugs, assorted antiques, and books from Ingo Swann’s private collection. ROW NYC Row NYC is plum in the middleRead MoreHumanities11870 Words   |  48 PagesThe student is advised to consult more advanced texts to gain further understanding of how to appreciate art more fully. HUMANITIES: What is it? †¢ The term Humanities comes from the Latin word, â€Å"humanitas† †¢ It generally refers to art, literature, music, architecture, dance and the theatre—in which human subjectivity is emphasized and individual expressiveness is dramatized. HOW IMPORTANT IS HUMANITIES †¢ The fields of knowledge and study falling under humanities are dedicated to theRead MoreANALIZ TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS28843 Words   |  116 Pagesaccordance with his vision and is permeated with his idea of the world. The reader’s interpretation is also highly individual and depends to a great extent on his knowledge and personal experience. That’s why one cannot lay down a fixed â€Å"model† for a piece of critical appreciation. Nevertheless, one can give information and suggestions that may prove helpful. PLOT The Elements of Plot When we refer to the plot of a work of fiction, then, we are referring to the deliberately arranged sequence of interrelated