Saturday, August 31, 2019

Kerala from Sangam to Dutch Period

Introduction. ?Kerala has a unique Geographical position. ?Kerala has a rich culture and is the meeting point of many types of ideologies, Ideas and religious views. ?Travelers, merchants and rulers visited kerala and influenced its History. ?Story Behind the birth Of Kerala. ?Parasurama the 6th Incarnation of Lord Vishnuthrew an axe far into the sea and commanded the sea to retreat. ?The land that emerged from the waters became Kerala. ?From where does the term kerala come from ? ?Sanskrit scholars derive the name from â€Å"Kera or coconut†,which is a staple product of kerala. Others say it is derived from the Tamil word â€Å"Charal† meaning Mountain slope. ?Arab and Persian writers and early Malayalam and medieval Tamil Literature say that the word kerala means the land of hills and mountains. Traditional sources. ?Early history of kerala is based on traditions. The two major sources are : ? Archaeological Sources. ?Archaeological survey and excavations were started in Kerala by Ward and Conor in 1819. ? there are 3 relics of the Historical period found in the various parts of Kerala. They are : 1. monuments 2. coins 3. inscription. ?Monuments. 1.Stone images of Buddha, reflect the culture of kerala during the Buddhist era. 2. Religious monuments : Temples , Churches, Mosques and Synagogues. 3. Palaces – famous Padmanabhapuram palace in Kanyakumari district and Dutch palace in Fort Cochin. 4. Forts and historical sites. ?Coins. ? Many foreign and indigenous coins have been found in kerala. †¢ Rast is the oldest of them. †¢Roman coins are the oldest Foreign coins. †¢Rulers of Travancore and Cochin Had their own independent coinage. †¢Dutch copper coins and British Indian Coins give valuable information to historians. ?Inscriptions . Throw light on the political,Cultural, and social life of the People of Kerala. 2. Give insight into working conditions of local assemblies, how temples were managed, Relationship between the landlord and tenant and functioning Of educational institutions. 3. Some inscriptions testify the liberal policy of religious tolerationfollowed by the ancient rulers of Kerala. ?Sangam Age(1-500 A. D. ) ? Sangam Literature was composed, In which the Works of poets and writers threw light upon cultural, economic, political, Social and other aspects of the kingdoms of the South. Through these works we get to know what happened during the first 500 years of Christian Era : I. there was monarchy and patrilineal system of succession, II. Women were well educated and had a good position in society, III. Monogamy was the norm, widow remarriage was permitted, Child marriage was not there. ?No division of society into high and low castes,there was no untouchability, ? Rice was the staple food, people had no restrictions regarding beef eating and other non-veg items. Rice-wine was a popular drink. ?It was rare to find Brahmins though some were there as Aryan Brahmins in the royal court. Agriculture was a major occupation and due to trade with countries like Rome, they flourished as a prosperous set of people. Post Sangam Period (500-800 A. D. ) ?Main rulers of this period were Cheraman Perumal and Kulasekara Alwar. ?The former became a Vaishnavite Poet and the latter accepted Islam and went to Mecca. ?Adi Shankara (788-820 A. D. ) lived and propogated the Advaida philosophy during this period. ?After the creation of Kerala it was believed that Parasurama planted sixty-four joint Brahmin Families and gave them rules which would govern them. The Brahmins invited rulers called â€Å"Perumals â€Å" to rule them and each ruler was appointed for a period of 12 years to rule over them. The Kollam Epoch (800-1200A. D) ?Politically Kerala was under the Cholas and Pandyas. †¢A temple was constructed at almost every town and village in Kerala †¢ the Quilon calendar was introduced during this time in 25 July 825 A. D. ? Festivals like onam and vishu came to be cel ebrated. ? The 9th century A. D. saw Malayalam growing as a distinct language. ? Educational institutions like â€Å"Salai† came into existance. ? This period also saw the grow of trade and commerce. There was trade between China and Kerala. ?Tenant system was prevalent whereby the feudal lords enjoyed life at the cost of the poor tenants. ?Sales and tax on vehicles fetched a revenue for the state. ?Ravi Varma Epoch (1200-1500 A. D) ? During this period the land relations showed certain important features : ? Increase of intermediaries as temporary holders of land. ?Increased measures to expand cultivable land and enhance income from land. ?The emergence of cash money in obtaining land rights. ?Traditional landowners held the right of ownership of land. ?Pledging of land of debt on interest. Agriculture was the main occupation. ?There were other occupations like ritual-cum-medicine men, astrologers, washer men and so on. ?There was growth of trade and trading centres; ?Trade was at 3 levels : ?Transport system was essential for trade and in this context there were many boats, ships; even bridges over waterways was essential. ?Portugese Rule In Kerala. ?Political authority was fragmented by the time the Portuguese came to kerala. ?In 1498, Vasco-do-Gamma reached Kappad near Kozhikode. ?Portugese, was the first to achieve a stronghold in Kerala ?A number of battles were fought between the provincial rulers and the Portugese. In 1524 Gamma was appointed the Portugese viceroy of Kerala. ?Apart from commerce, they were also interested in imparting their faith to the people. ?Many people were forced to convert. ?In 1550’s , St. Francis Xavier converted many fisher folk and other socially backward sections along the coastal regions of southern Kerala. ?The chiefs in the state (except the Muslims to whom the Portuguese were hostile) did not resist the conversion as long as they had freedom to do trade and commercial activities and the economic fabric of society was not disturbed. The Portuguese used their own tactics of divide and rule policy for fulfilling their commercial interests in the state. ?New towns had risen and old towns decayed. eg. Calicut, Cochin, Chaliyam gained importance while Quilon and Cranganore languished. ?Crops like cashewnuts, tobacco, custard apple, guava, pineapple and papaya were introduced. ?Gunpowder increased the importance of artillery. This brought unemployment among the Nairs who were well trained in swords and shields. †¢They established seminaries and colleges in Cochin, Angamali and Cranganore. For gtting Christian priests. †¢St.Francis Xavier translated Catechism into Malayalam. †¢Fearing ?The Dutch in Kerala. ?Dutch East India Company was established in the year 1592. ?In 1604 they came to the Malabar coast. ?There was rivalry btw Cochin and Kozhikode during that time and they took advantage of this situation. ?However like the Portuguese their involvement in the local politics w as minimal. ?However they had conflicts btw Marthanda Varma of Thiruvithankur and Samuthiri of Kozhikode. ?The Dutch had the main power over the Trade activities. ?Pepper and spices were exported by merchants only after the consent of the Dutch people. They constructed forts and factories here like the Portuguese. ?They sold Indonesian spices and sugar to those ships which were going to Cochin. It turned out to be a success. ?But this didn’t last for long as it declined from 1783 and was completely stopped by 1793 due to poor demand. ?Conclusion ?The History of kerala is very essential part of the heritage of the state and country as well. ?If we study History well then we would know about the real background in which our state developed through the years. ?We can also see the contrasting practices that were in vogue during the ancient and medieval and the present kerala society.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Active Listening Essay

Listening requires focus and attention, and failure to listen is one of the key causes of miscommunication (Sole, K. (Chapter 2, 2011).Making connections: Understanding interpersonal communication. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc). I think at some point in time everyone has been guilty of believing that they knew someone better than they actually did. When we assume we know all there is to know about a friend or a loved one, I believe that we unknowingly stop listening to them. One perfect example of this would be my best friend Carla and I. Carla and I have known each other for many years, we were friends in High school, roommates in college and godparents to one another’s children, so one would naturally think that we knew each other VERY well. One year for Carla’s birthday she asked me to make her a cake, and obviously I agreed. The day of her birthday celebration I arrived with the cake and presented it to her, only to have her wind up extremely unhappy. Carla was under the impression that she had specified she wanted her favorite cake, which happened to be strawberry, but she did not, had she specified she wanted me to make a strawberry cake I would have declined because i am extremely allergic to strawberries, if I consume them I’m nauseated if I touch them I break out in a sever rash. Even after Realizing that she had not requested a strawberry cake she remained upset claiming that as her best friend I should have known she wanted me to make a specific cake and I remained upset because I felt like she either didn’t know or didn’t care about my allergies and as a friend neither of those options were ok. At some point we were able to realize that we failed each other. Had we communicated with one another we could have avoided an unnecessary fight. One way we could have avoided our misunderstanding would have been to actually say exactly what we wanted each other to know, Carla could have asked for what she wanted from me instead of assuming that since I know how much she loves strawberries, that I’d be making a strawberry cake  and I could have asked more questions about what she wanted rather than assume that because she knows my allergies she knew I wouldn’t be making her favorite cake. Another way to avoid that type of situation is to actually listen and focus on the conversation that you’re having. This is where I think active listening comes into play. We weren’t intentionally ignoring each other but I think that our long-term friendship and assumption about how well we knew each other caused us to only listen partly as opposed to completely. In the future I fully intend to be an active listener and completely engage myself in discussions that I have. References: Sole, K. (2011).Making connections: Understanding interpersonal communication. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc Active Listening Essay Active listening is one of the most rewarding skill sets that I have learned from the lesson because it has really contributed to my personal growth and my professional lives. Active listening skills refer to the skill of being fully present when you are in a conversation with someone. Very often when we are in a conversation, we are not paying any attention to what the person is saying. We are just waiting for our turn to talk. We are actually having a conversation in our own heads while the person is talking to us. It is when we are not â€Å"present† in a conversation. Before I realized the importance of active listening, the most important thing in a conversation was that people understood what I was trying to share with them. Meaning that my perspective was the most important thing in a conversation and that they had to understand me. And what I learned over the lesson, was that the best way to nurture a relationship was actually to stop caring about people understanding my point. This lesson reminds me that each of us had different experiences, we grow up with different believes, different values, different rules. And how we think and how we view everything that goes on around us are always filtered based on the environment we grew up. Throughout the lesson, I had many opportunities to practice my active listening skills by actively participating in the class discussions. After completed the lesson, I would not say I am an excellent listener, but I definitely feel that I am a better listener. I find myself paying more attention to the speaker and interpreting his/her non-verbal cues, showing that I am listening by probing and providing feedback and clarifying by asking questions. By listen closely, I am able to gain more information about what the person is sharing and to find things that peak my interest. When the person is done with the sharing, I will ask them about what that peaked my interest and let the person respond. By doing so, I am able to understand their point of view and to see things from their perspective. I will not interrupt when the person is speaking as I know that interruption always limit my ability to connect. Improving active listening skills will enable me to reshape my ideas about myself, my beliefs, and everything that are important to me. From now on, I will remind myself to be fully present and fully aware of what others are saying, instead of feeling the urge to find what I am thinking of and what my response is going to be. I will try the best I can to get rid of thinking on my own perspective and to do everything I can to understand the other person’s point of view and make them my priority.

Emergence of Mncs the Rise of Fordism

Name: Ginu Abraham Registration Number: H00124734 Course: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS Coursework type: ESSAY Course Tutor: Dr. UmmeSalma HOW CAN THE EMERGENCE OF MNCs BE BEST EXPLAINED? Multi-National Corporations are corporations which have their head office in one country which is called the host country or the home country from where it manages their operations all over the world. Normally any corporation or group which derives the quarter of their income from their operations outside the host country is considered a multinational corporation.There are mainly four categories of Multi-National Corporations (1) a multinational, decentralized corporation with strong home country presence, (2) a global, centralized corporation that acquires cost advantages through centralized production wherever cheaper resources are available (3) an international company that builds on the parent corporation's technology or R;amp;D (4) a transitional enterprise that combines the previous three approaches . As according to the UN data about 35000 companies have direct investment in foreign countries, and the largest 100 of them control about 40 percent of world trade. Anon. , 2012) The birth of MNC's started from the early days of transitional trade started by Mesopotamian, Phoenician and Greek merchants. As the result of fall of Roman Empire the trade among various nations became difficult. The feudalism in Middle East and Europe resulted in wars among feudal lords and church prohibited the trade with the Muslim nations. After years the trade was established by traders of Italy who are considered as the predecessors of present day Multi-National Corporations.In the mid of seventeenth and eighteenth century Multinational corporations in the form of trading companies started. The East India Company, the French Levant Company, the Hudson Bay Company, was the main multinational companies established in those days. Standard Oil, British Petroleum, International Nickel and Ana Conda Coppe r were the main MNCs investing mainly in petroleum and mining industries in the early twentieth century. The MNCs went through three main phases in their growth process. The first phase came to an end almost at the beginning of the 1st World War.The European Companies such as Imperial Tobacco, Dunlop, Siemens, Philips, etc. captured the field. Due to the recessionary situation prevailing world over during the post-war period amidst of 1930-1950 the growth of Multinational corporations came to a halt. During the first phase, decades of 1950s and 1960s witnessed the emergence of American MNCs such as IBM, General Motors, and Ford Motors. The 1970's witnessed the third phase of MNC's. The new age belonged to the German, Europeans and Japanese MNCs.The recent years witnessed the emergence of MNCS from developing countries such as Indonesia, India etc. (Nirav, 2012) Let us consider the case of Ford Motor Corporation over the years. The life cycle of this company will help us better under stand the emergence of the MNCs Ford Motors is an American automotive corporation found by Henry Ford and a number of associates, who were C. H Bennett, Alexander Malcomson, James Couzens, John W. Anderson, John F. Dodge, Charles J. Woodall, Horace H. Rackham, Horace E. Dodge, Vernon C.Fry, John S. Gray and Albert Strelow started on June 1903. The company have produced automotive parts and heavy vehicles in the past. The Ford Motor company today produces luxury and commercial cars. (Anon. , www. britannica. com) Ford introduced various methods which were later called as Fordism. These were the methods like assembly lines and management of high scale industrial work-force and methods for higher level of production of cars. Henry Ford was one most common symbol of transformation of agricultural to industrial mass production, mass consumption economy.Ford was the creative or most resourceful force which resulted in the growth to superiority of the automobile industry to the world's pri me manufacturing activity. The foremost of the transformations it made was from the craft production to the mass production which helped in the creation of markets as it is mainly based on the economies of scale and scope which resulted in the rise to giant organizations which were built upon minute divisions of labour and functional specialisation. These were the main factors which resulted in the creation of a wider market.The company grew on the concept that to manufacture it by mass and to standardize a product in end would mean to price it so low so that even the lay man would afford to buy it. Ford manufactured almost everything he required for his cars right from the basic raw materials. Ford mastered the mass production techniques to achieve significant economies by taking the task of doing everything by him. Ford was cautious about finance, accounting and giving super vision short and straight for the efficient coordination of the free flow of the raw materials and the comp onents through the production procedure.These were the two reasons why Ford vertically integrated the corporation. Though for the complete vertical integration it needed a huge amount work force including middle managers and specialists which were to be employed and assigned according to the hierarchical scheme. Thus in the end it all helped in the vertical integration of the corporation. By 1950s, the increase in mass production made them the largest single group within every developed country. (Thompson, n. d. The following chain of events will help to shed some light on the three stages of evolution of the company to an MNC. These stages will be further explained following the key moments in history. Ford Motor Corporation sold their first car which was assembled in their Mack Avenue plant in Detroit. The first car that they sold was a two cylinder model A on July 23rd. The Model T was made available to the public in 1908 and in which model production continued until 1927. Ford M otor Corporation of Canada incorporated near Winsor in Ontario.In the same year Ford Motor corporation starts the production at the Piquette Avenue Plant in Detroit In 1910 The Manufacturing operations of Ford Motor Corporation was transferred to Highland Park, Michigan Plant. The corporation established their first overseas plant in Trafford Park, Manchester, England in 1911. The experiments with the assembly line began at the Highland Park Plant. The early trials with the transmissions and magnetos were followed by the advancement of chassis assembly line by the mid of the 1913 and by the end of the 1915 the one millionth car was produced by the Ford Motor Corporation.Two years later first Ford truck was introduced which was supported by the Model T engine and in the same year the production of Fordson tractor begins which until Feb 1928 was produced only in North America. It was in the beginning of the 1922 the Ford Motor company purchased Lincoln Motor Company for 8 million doll ars and Edsel Ford the son of Henry Ford was named as the president of the Lincoln. After five years from the purchase of Lincoln Motor Company, it ceases the model T production which was being sold to the public since 1908. Ford starts with production of the Model A in the same year which continues till 1932.By the beginning of 1941 ford started producing the Mercury, the first jeep and first V8 en-block engine-equipped car built. All these car productions came to a halt by the beginning of World War II in 1942 and the production of Ford passenger cars was only resumed by July 3rd 1945. Later in 1956 Ford Motor company transforms into a publicly-held company with the common stock sale in the public and was listed on NYSE in the beginning of 1956. By the same year the Ford Motor company subsidiary on Aeronutronics systems, established which specialized in defence weapons and aerospace technology.As the Ford Motor corporation went on progressing with their production and sales reachi ng higher demands it finally achieves exceeded earnings than those of the General Motors for the First time in 1986/1987. The same year it earns record profits of 4. 63 billion but later on in 1991 Ford Motor Company's largest loss in a year was recorded as 2. 3 billion. As the result the Ford Motor company creates a Quality Care system to meet the needs the Ford dealerships and Ford owners. The same year Ford and Volkswagen Embark on a joint venture in â€Å"Auto Europa†, which is an organisation which produce multipurpose vehicles in Portugal.Later next year Ford's F series truck known as the best-selling truck for the tenth consecutive years in United States. Ford also succeeds in producing the first car which has environment friendly air-conditioning system. By the same year, Ford acquires 50% of the Mazda Motor Manufacturing and renames it as Auto Alliance International. In the year 1993, Ford is claims five of the eight top selling vehicles in the United States. The sam e year the first formal Ford Dealerships were placed inside the mainland China and the Ford China operations later secured the manufacturing and assembly.In 1994 the first ford assembly began in India and acquires the world's largest car rental company named Hertz. Finally in 1995 the Ford 2000 is initiated which was said to combine the power, resources ultimately to be a world company with the intimacy and agility of a small one. (Anon. , 2010) Later through years till to date the Ford Motor Corporation concentrated firmly on increasing the consumer base by marketing and developing new products and to achieve their globalization goals.Ford also tried to put more effort on the research and development to increase their consumer base by commercialising cars powered with natural gas. The company advanced by developing and introducing new features like side impact airbags to their products. The growth and development of the corporation reached even up to the teaming up with the NASA to develop features for their cars which no other corporations in automobile industry have ever provided.Over the years though the ford corporation have already started selling their products, after the 90s it came to a broader perspective of growth by extending their fields to various other sections by teaming up with NASA, Oracle Corporation and even a YMCA Childcare, which portrays the in deep goals to become more than a popular automobile manufacturing corporation. At this juncture I would like to shed some light on three stage of evolution that the Ford Corporation had to get through to become a MNC.There are generally three stages of evolution for a corporation to become a Multinational Corporation; they are the Export stage, Foreign Production Stage and finally the Multinational stage. (BRIMS, n. d. ) The Fords motor Corporation which after its incorporation in 1903 made their first model commercialised for the public after a few years from incorporation. At this first stage of Export, it is the point of time were the Ford Motor Corporation had to completely rely on the export agents for exporting the cars outside their home country as they had no other option to increase their export sales.They built plants in Detroit and Michigan to increase the production to satisfy the demand for the cars. The company focuses mainly on achieving higher number of export sales and introduces methods like assembly line to reduce cost and to save time which ultimately increases the production. In the second stage of foreign production, the Ford motor corporation's export sales reach the limits of the sales to the foreign countries in means of export sales.Now the Corporation had the option of either to start a plant in a foreign country or to license corporation's technology to a new company in a foreign country is a risky choice as it may result in transfer of trade secrets regarding the technology to a new firm thereby paving way for the rise of a rival. In spite of the se facts the Ford Motor Corporation established their foremost overseas manufacturing plant in Trafford Park, Manchester. Thus the productivity of the Ford Motor Corporation increases and in 1915 it produces he one millionth ford car and over the decades the Ford Motor Corporation increases their productivity by building more efficient and advanced plants throughout the home country and in foreign countries as well, which means it has already entered the final stage of being a multinational company. In this final stage, Ford Motor Corporation focuses on research and development, financing, and recruiting and co-ordinating production. By viewing the world market into a broader and growth intended view which results in the standardisation of products and the services paving way for the emergence of MNCs.From this it is easy for us to understand the different phases involved in an organisation’s transformation into an MNC. This also helps us to understand the changing market tre nds and consumer behavioural characteristics thus helping us understand the concept of business as a whole.REFERENCE Anon. , 2010. www. thehenryford. org. [Online] Available at: http://www. thehenryford. org/exhibits/fmc/chrono. asp [Accessed 19 09 2012]. Anon. , 2012. www. businessdictionary. com. [Online] Available at: http://www. businessdictionary. com/definition/multinational-corporation-MNC. html Anon. , www. britannica. com. www. britannica. com. Online] Available at: http://www. britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/213265/Ford-Motor-Company [Accessed 19 09 2012]. BRIMS, D. V. , n. d. A Brief on MNCs inside pages, s. l. : s. n. BRIMS, D. V. , n. d. A Brief on MNCs inside pages, s. l. : s. n. Nirav, S. , 2012. www. preservearticles. com. [Online] Available at: http://www. preservearticles. com/2012020122380/emergence-of-mncs-in-a-historical-perspective. html [Accessed 20 09 2012]. Thompson, G. F. , n. d. Fordism, Post-Fordism and the Flexible System of Production, Virginia: s. n. T hompson, G. F. , n. d. Fordism, Post-Fordism and the Flexible Sytem of Production , Virginia: s. n.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Based on Tesco Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Based on Tesco - Assignment Example A motivated workforce results in increased performance, thus an improvement of the firm’s profitability. Therefore, Tesco may motivate its staff by way of providing monetary rewards, non-financial rewards, training, and development. Training is of increasing significance of firms seeking to gain competitive advantage amongst the competitors. Various schools of thought have come to a conclusion that training and development is a human resource practice that may considerably influence the success of a company. Tesco’s growth could be improved by use of on the job-training, mentorship programs, coaching programs, use online marketing tools, and evaluating the effectiveness of the training and development programs. The other element that can affect the performance of a firm is reward. The provision of financial and non-financial rewards impact positively on the firm’s performance, financial gain, and employee motivation, and job satisfaction. Both the monetary incent ives and non-monetary benefits, such as work-life balance, flexible working hours, rewards and recognition, leave, and vacation time not only motivate employees, but also staff turnover. As a result, there is proportionate correlation between rewards, training, learning, and development, with firm performance and growth. The universal competition and rapid changes put emphasis on the significance of human capital within a firm. An organisation’s success depends on the performance of the employees. Employees are considered as essential resources in the growth and development of the firm. In this regard, the success and growth of an organisation in any industry is reliant on its human resources. Even though there are numerous factors that play a major role, a firm needs to have effective employees in order to stay competitive and financially solvent. Motivation and satisfaction are viewed as the core element in the development of human capital in any

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

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

Scientology - Essay Example A religious person does not blame God for his failures he faced in life. However, whatever he does should not be a show off and he shall not be a hypocrite. (a). A spiritual man looks upward. It means his earnest desire to be one with God. He spent most of his time in prayers. The worldly matters such as wealth, conveniences etc never bother their spiritual life. His ultimate hope is in God. (b). Secondly, a spiritual man looks inward. He is always aware of what he does. He is a good judge of himself. If there is something that destroys his spiritual life, he is ready to do away with whatsoever important it is in his personal life. (c) Finally, a spiritual man looks outward. It means he is willing to impart the goodness that God has bestowed on him to others. He is ready to forgive his trespassers as he knows God forgives his trespasses. He is not worried about his own happiness and life but finds bliss in making the men around him happy. Religion has got both social and psychological functions. As the part of social function, it ensures social control and reduces conflict. Every religion sets a standard for behavior that is expected to be followed by the believers. Secondly, religions avoid social conflict by reducing tension and frustrations. As Ferraro and Andreatta (2009) point out, religion controls the animosity of people and makes them compassionate and charitable through various religious experiences; and when it comes to psychological functions, religion provides mental peace to the believers by consoling them during the time of crisis and helplessness (pp. 354-355). From the religious leaders, one gets emotional support and peace. It encourages him to face the problems with a renewed punch. We cannot understand religion by setting aside its functions. Religion becomes an integral part of the society only through its functions. So, it is impossible to thoroughly understand a religion merely from

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Reflection paper about the annishnaabe people Research - 3

Reflection about the annishnaabe people - Research Paper Example Each tribe has its own medicine wheel. The Ojibway believe that their medicine wheel offers them direction in life. In the same way, the wheel of medicine is a life-cycle that represents the natural cycles of life from delivery, to growth, to demise, and even regeneration. The wheel of medicine not only includes the Ojibway people, but also the nations of the earth. The four cycles are viewed in a clockwise manner. North is at the top, East to the right, South at the bottom, and West on the left of the viewer. Even though the wheel has neither the beginning nor the end, it is crucial to enter the wheel from the South and proceed in a clockwise direction. At the centre is the Creator and is also the Medicine Wheel itself. We begin from the East because it is where life starts and everything starts to come alive from people, vegetation, and seasons among others. The medicine wheel comprises of the following (Lawson, McDowell and Thomson 56-57): West – Sage; it cleans the air, its smoke can also be utilized to cleanse one from spirits, help one to observe, feel, and taste things effectively. Besides, the tea made from sage is beneficial for the throat. Sage can also be used to provide direction when one

Monday, August 26, 2019

The causes of NBA 2011 lockout Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The causes of NBA 2011 lockout - Research Paper Example The whole world gets affected when the economy of the US is affected. The recent lockout in the NBA has made things much worse for the economy of the US; it has slowed the growth even further. The lockout refers to players unanimously deciding not to play for their respective clubs; during this period no player will move from one basketball club to another which means there will be no transfers and which further implies clubs will not be able to make money when there are no transfers. All this started when players were forced to accept a pay cut by the NBA stating that they have suffered hefty losses, the players decided to protest against it and they certainly want what they deserve. â€Å"Without question, sporting events generate sizable, if often overstated, amounts of game-day spending in cities. According to the  Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, for example, every Oklahoma City Thunder game pours $1.3 million into the local economy. As  The Atlantic  recently pointed out, Spurs games generate $95 million for San Antonio, the Portland Trail Blazers made a $2 billion local impact between 1970 and 2004, according to a study, and in 2010 the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce estimated that the Grizzlies and their arena, the FedEx Forum, general an annual economic impact of $223 million.† (The NBA Lockout) The economy of the US is severely affected because when there are no games played, no revenue whatsoever is generated. Fans buy tickets and other merchandise on match days and this is how the money is generated but the fans would not have to buy tickets when there are no games played in the NBA. It has been reported that billions of dollars have already been lost because they players have decided not to play any pre-season games and this is certainly very bad for the economy of the US. â€Å"This labor disagreement not only puts the

Sunday, August 25, 2019

FINAL EAM HIS. 101 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

FINAL EAM HIS. 101 - Essay Example Because of this, cities and factories were developed. The factories were responsible for the processing of the agricultural products. Growth of factories facilitated the development of commercial centers. It is also during this period that the phenomenon of enlightment was experienced. A number of scholars started emerging during this period. These scholars contributed to the development of research (McKay, 123). It was also during this period that the phenomenon of renaissance was experienced. Renaissance or re-birth contributed significantly towards the growth of commercial centers because it enabled the Europeans to widen their scope of thinking (McKay, 127). The development of the learning institutions such as universities also had a role to play as far as growth of commercial centers is concerned. Through universities, innovation and inventions rose drastically. This facilitated the growth of commercial centers. Increase in population is another factor that contributed to the growth of commercial centers. It is clear that Europe population stated rising significantly during this period. This was due to improved medical care. The rise in population demands of commodities and hence leads to the development of commercial businesses. Technological advancement is another factor that facilitates the growth of commercial centers. This is because the advent of technology facilitated the development of industries which in turn promoted the development of other commercial centers such as banks. In order to achieve this there was a great need of business expansion which in turn led to the rise of commercial centers (Coffin et. al, 259) The rise of these commercial centers in Europe brought several benefits to the population. The first benefit of development of commercial centers is that it leads to improvement of the living standards. This is because the people could get money through selling services or goods the rise of commercial

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Patient satisfaction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Patient satisfaction - Essay Example In developing the questionnaire, one must focus one finding focus on achieving three set of goals namely provision of quality health care to patients, treating them with courtesy as well as respect and making the health services affordable to the patients. The questions to be used in the process should thus focus on the three issues namely quality, interpersonal and accessibility. The question should be brief with careful wording so as to ensure that they are not biased, vague or enclosed. There is need to use a consistent scale while developing the questions such as likert scale, 10-point scale or the four point scale. The use of scale assists in the ensuring accuracy and precision in the determination of the satisfaction level of the patient. Anonymity should be highly emphasized as this will allow patients to give their honest opinion. The entire process need to be anonymous and the forms should be filled in private and the questions need to be open-ended so as to make the entire process as flexible as possible (Shelton,

Friday, August 23, 2019

Hitler's Pope Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Hitler's Pope - Essay Example John Cornwell made one of the first attempts to look deeper into the role which Catholic religious leaders played in the development and expansion of Nazism in Europe. His book about Eugenio Pacelli, the Catholic Pope during the World War II, was too sensational to be untrue. The author relied on the primary documents, to reveal the astonishing truth about the Pope, his attitudes toward Jews, and his role in the development of diplomatic ties between Nazi Germany and other European allies. Despite a wealth of historic information provided by Cornwell, his personal â€Å"negative† attitudes toward the Pope were too obvious to conceal and often compromised the need to be historically objective and unbiased. That the topic of Catholic religion during the times of Nazism had always been underresearched pushed John Cornwell to explore the subject in greater detail. His book was the product of his own analysis and the growing interest toward the issues of papacy in Nazi Germany. Cornwell acknowledged that in his book, he wanted to resolve the eternal conflict of beliefs about the Pope: â€Å"some historians were confident that Eugenio Pacelli shamed the Catholic Church by failing to denounce the Final Solution; others believed that the issue lacked historical evidence and proofs†.1 The topic was increasingly interesting to everyone who sought to feel the information void in the contemporary research about religion during the times of Nazism. Pope Eugenio Pacelli was an exemplary object of historical research, due to the significant role he played in church during the World War II and the number of mysteries that surrounded his personality during and after his religious triumph. The popularity of the Pope’s figure was difficult to underestimate – Cornwell wrote that his picture had been looking at him at every wall of every classroom.2 What else could a professional historian need to produce a sensation? – only an access to the secret documents

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Discuss the difference between leadership and management in nursing an Essay

Discuss the difference between leadership and management in nursing an prioritizing and managing client care - Essay Example ts essence involves gathering people from different domains and motivating them to achieve organizational goals through knowledge sharing and expertise. Specifically, a leader is one who lends a helping hand to those who are not able to realize their potential and go for their aims. In nursing, while the staff nurse is the leader to entry level nurses, the latter are leaders to ultimate clients. Management takes on a more individualized form when nursing is talked of. This is so because in nursing, client care is to be accomplished which is the duty of every single nurse and as such, nurses are required to have the competencies of time management, communication skills and other management skills of planning, organizing and others. In this essence, management in nursing involves judicious and critical use of scare resources optimally for the benefit of the client and the organization. Leadership and management are used synonymously most of the times. However, the two carry different meanings in nursing parlance. In terms of client care management, entry level nurses are equipped with expertise, experience and knowledge which provide guidelines for them to act as client care managers. On the other hand, awareness of organizational policies, protocols and regulations encourage in them the personality of a leader whereby they are able to direct their followers and align their individual goals with that of organizational goals. During entry level, nurses are required to take care of the clients directly through observations and careful usage of the available resources. They have to manage the aspects if time, shifts, materials, supervision and services for clients which are not commanded as in case of passive nursing (Richardson et al. 2007). Thus, they act in the role of decision makers for cost effective use of resources without feeling overburdened and not letting the client feel unobserved. This demonstrates the management skills adopted by nurses in delivering

Assess the View That Cults and Sects Are Only Fringe Organisations That Are Inevitably Short Lived and of Little Influence in Contemporary Society Essay Example for Free

Assess the View That Cults and Sects Are Only Fringe Organisations That Are Inevitably Short Lived and of Little Influence in Contemporary Society Essay It can be argued that cults and sects are only fringe organisations that are inevitably short lived and of little influence in contemporary society, however some may have views to contrast this idea. A sect is an organization, which usually breaks off from an established religion, which finds itself in disagreement with beliefs and values of wider society and refuses to tolerate the beliefs of others. Although the desire to be a member is voluntary, as oppose to being born into, like religion, sects are rejected by society and claim strong obligation and commitment by its members. A sect is an extremely narrow-minded organisation, which is often led by a charismatic leader. Whereas, in contrast, a cult does not progress from a mainstream religion and does not reject or challenge societal norms. However, as tolerant of other beliefs as they are, they still attract a great deal of negative press, for example brainwashing. Members in a cult are usually more like customers than followers. An example of a cult is Heavens gate, which is a destructive doomsday cult, centered in California. There is a mass of supporting evidence that cults and sects are short lived and insignificant to wider society. Nevertheless, it must be maintained that the matter is complex as there are many sects and cults, which identify themselves differently. There is evidence to support this view of a short-lived nature of sects. This is due to many reasons. World rejecting sects, due to their nature and succeeding societal rejection and stigma of bad press, must be able to compromise with society and becoming a denomination and therefore cease to be a sect, if this is not done then the sect will die out. There is also an argument that sects cannot have a great deal of affect upon society over a long term period as they cannot survive past the charismatic leader’s lifetime and therefore sustain themselves over more than one generation. The American theologian Niebuhr theorises that another reason for transience of sects is that they rarely live past the 1st generation because the 2nd generation usually lacks the belief of the 1st. In this way, their membership dwindles as the 2nd generation chooses to leave the sect and hold other views in wider society. However Wilson disagrees with Neibuhrs view and says that he overates his case and chooses to not pay attention to groups who did preserve a ‘ distinct sectarian stance’. Similarly, evidence proves to discredit the belief that a sect fails to live on past their leader’s death. For example, The Mormons have continued for many generations and also the Amish- however this could be attributed to the protective ‘isolation-like’ in which they live. There is also a possibility that the Moonies surviving is due to the leader preparing for his son to take over his position as the charismatic leader after his death, however this is yet to be seen. Cults have seen a large incline in their number recently and because they are more accepting of wider society and despite receiving bad press, offer a practical solution to peoples’ issues and wishes, seem less likely to die out due to refusal and disapproval. They are also financially rather stable, the Church of Scientology for example has an estimated income of over  £200m per year. This is down to the consumer attitude of cults. There is also a mass of evidence for their importance in society in a sense that audience cults have a mass market of ‘self help therapy’ there are many books available for example, tarot reading, crystals and reflexology regularly appear on the best seller list and often more room is devoted to these books rather than Christianity books themselves. The view that cults are fringe movements is less supported than that for sects. Sects very infrequently continue on as sects but cults such as scientology are not only prosperous but also have a huge celebrity following trend; admired by the public for example Tom Cruise. There is also evidence that sects and cults can be of great influence to society – though it is debatable as to whether or not that is possible today in a society as apparently secular as ours. Weber suggests in his Theodicy of Disprivilege that because they offer a solution to problems: justification and explanation for life and its problems, to marginalised groups such as dropouts or ethnic minorities, world rejecting sects that offer status appeal to people. An example of this is Liberation Theology which was for the poorer people which had great influence upon the priorities of the Catholic Church in Latin America (though it has become more conservative, it continues to represent human rights and democracy). Bruce argues that it is not a religion and is instead a shallow, meaningless thing. Due to the elements of choice it offers, the choice about which bits to believe and whether to take its readings into account, it does not require commitment. This he argues prevents it having religious status. Post Modernists see it as being spiritual shopping: it is part of a consumerist culture. Despite not necessarily being a religion, there is lots of evidence to show that it has influenced society as a whole and, some sociologists would claim, aided secularisation. There is also evidence to show that it is unlikely to be particularly short lived as it fits in so well with our Capitalist, consumerist society and our individualistic values and is so profitable. Therefore, though there is strong evidence to show that sects and cults are ‘fringe organisations’, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that neither are short lived in themselves either through the Sectarian cycle or demand and supply (though sects tend to become denominations) and also to suggest that the influence of sects and cults on society is greater than expected; though the influence of sects and cults is exemplified by older examples and so one cannot be sure as to how successful they will be in today’s society, except in regards to specific sects and cults. In conclusion, the view that cults, sects are fringe organisations that are inevitably short-lived and of little influence in modern-day society, is on the whole not wholly correct but has some strength in that the permanency of all is arguable as is their status as fringe organisations.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Nature Of Managerial Work Business Essay

Nature Of Managerial Work Business Essay The verb manage comes from the Italian maneggiare to handle especially tools, which in turn derives from the Latin manus (hand). The French word mesnagement (later mà ©nagement) influenced the development in meaning of the English word management in the 17th and 18th centuries.[1] Some definitions of management are: Organization and coordination of the activities of an enterprise in accordance with certain policies and in achievement of clearly defined objectives. Management is often included as a factor of production along with machines, materials and money. According to the management guru Peter Drucker (1909-2005), the basic task of a management is twofold: marketing and innovation. Directors and managers have the power and responsibility to make decisions to manage an enterprise when given the authority by the shareholders. As a discipline, management comprises the interlocking functions of formulating corporate policy and organizing, planning, controlling, and directing the firms resources to achieve the policys objectives. The size of management can range from one person in a small firm to hundreds or thousands of managers in multinational companies. In large firms the board of directors formulates the policy which is implemented by the chief executive officer. [edit] Theoretical scope At first, one views management functionally, such as measuring quantity, adjusting plans, meeting goals. This applies even in situations planning does not take place. From this perspective, Henri Fayol (1841-1925)[2] considers management to consist of six functions: forecasting, planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating and controlling. He was one of the most influential contributors to modern concepts of management. Another way of thinking, Mary Parker Follett (1868-1933), defined management as the art of getting things done through people. She described management as philosophy.[3] Some people, however, find this definition useful but far too narrow. The phrase management is what managers do occurs widely, suggesting the difficulty of defining management, the shifting nature of definitions and the connection of managerial practices with the existence of a managerial cadre or class. One habit of thought regards management as equivalent to business administration and thus excludes management in places outside commerce, as for example in charities and in the public sector. More realistically, however, every organization must manage its work, people, processes, technology, etc. to maximize effectiveness. Nonetheless, many people refer to university departments which teach management as business schools. Some institutions (such as the Harvard Business School) use that name while others (such as the Yale School of Management) employ the more inclusive term management. English speakers may also use the term management or the management as a collective word describing the managers of an organization, for example of a corporation. Historically this use of the term was often contrasted with the term Labor referring to those being managed. [edit] Nature of managerial work In for-profit work, management has as its primary function the satisfaction of a range of stakeholders. This typically involves making a profit (for the shareholders), creating valued products at a reasonable cost (for customers) and providing rewarding employment opportunities (for employees). In nonprofit management, add the importance of keeping the faith of donors. In most models of management/governance, shareholders vote for the board of directors, and the board then hires senior management. Some organizations have experimented with other methods (such as employee-voting models) of selecting or reviewing managers; but this occurs only very rarely. In the public sector of countries constituted as representative democracies, voters elect politicians to public office. Such politicians hire many managers and administrators, and in some countries like the United States political appointees lose their jobs on the election of a new president/governor/mayor. [edit] Historical development Difficulties arise in tracing the history of management. Some see it (by definition) as a late modern (in the sense of late modernity) conceptualization. On those terms it cannot have a pre-modern history, only harbingers (such as stewards). Others, however, detect management-like-thought back to Sumerian traders and to the builders of the pyramids of ancient Egypt. Slave-owners through the centuries faced the problems of exploiting/motivating a dependent but sometimes unenthusiastic or recalcitrant workforce, but many pre-industrial enterprises, given their small scale, did not feel compelled to face the issues of management systematically. However, innovations such as the spread of Arabic numerals (5th to 15th centuries) and the codification of double-entry book-keeping (1494) provided tools for management assessment, planning and control. Given the scale of most commercial operations and the lack of mechanized record-keeping and recording before the industrial revolution, it made sense for most owners of enterprises in those times to carry out management functions by and for themselves. But with growing size and complexity of organizations, the split between owners (individuals, industrial dynasties or groups of shareholders) and day-to-day managers (independent specialists in planning and control) gradually became more common. [edit] Early writing While management has been present for millennia, several writers have created a background of works that assisted in modern management theories.[4] [edit] Sun Tzus The Art of War Written by Chinese general Sun Tzu in the 6th century BC, The Art of War is a military strategy book that, for managerial purposes, recommends being aware of and acting on strengths and weaknesses of both a managers organization and a foes.[4] [edit] Chanakyas Arthashastra Chanakya wrote the Arthashastra around 300BC in which various strategies, techniques and management theories were written which gives an account on the management of empires, economy and family. The work is often compared to the later works of Machiavelli. [edit] Niccolà ² Machiavellis The Prince Believing that people were motivated by self-interest, Niccolà ² Machiavelli wrote The Prince in 1513 as advice for the city of Florence, Italy.[5] Machiavelli recommended that leaders use fear-but not hatred-to maintain control. [edit] Adam Smiths The Wealth of Nations Written in 1776 by Adam Smith, a Scottish moral philosopher, The Wealth of Nations aims for efficient organization of work through Specialization of labor.[5] Smith described how changes in processes could boost productivity in the manufacture of pins. While individuals could produce 200 pins per day, Smith analyzed the steps involved in manufacture and, with 10 specialists, enabled production of 48,000 pins per day.[5] [edit] 19th century Classical economists such as Adam Smith (1723-1790) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) provided a theoretical background to resource-allocation, production, and pricing issues. About the same time, innovators like Eli Whitney (1765-1825), James Watt (1736-1819), and Matthew Boulton (1728-1809) developed elements of technical production such as standardization, quality-control procedures, cost-accounting, interchangeability of parts, and work-planning. Many of these aspects of management existed in the pre-1861 slave-based sector of the US economy. That environment saw 4 million people, as the contemporary usages had it, managed in profitable quasi-mass production. [edit] 20th century By about 1900 one finds managers trying to place their theories on what they regarded as a thoroughly scientific basis (see scientism for perceived limitations of this belief). Examples include Henry R. Townes Science of management in the 1890s, Frederick Winslow Taylors The Principles of Scientific Management (1911), Frank and Lillian Gilbreths Applied motion study (1917), and Henry L. Gantts charts (1910s). J. Duncan wrote the first college management textbook in 1911. In 1912 Yoichi Ueno introduced Taylorism to Japan and became first management consultant of the Japanese-management style. His son Ichiro Ueno pioneered Japanese quality assurance. The first comprehensive theories of management appeared around 1920. The Harvard Business School offered the first Master of Business Administration degree (MBA) in 1921. People like Henri Fayol (1841-1925) and Alexander Church described the various branches of management and their inter-relationships. In the early 20th century, people like Ordway Tead (1891-1973), Walter Scott and J. Mooney applied the principles of psychology to management, while other writers, such as Elton Mayo (1880-1949), Mary Parker Follett (1868-1933), Chester Barnard (1886-1961), Max Weber (1864-1920), Rensis Likert (1903-1981), and Chris Argyris (1923 ) approached the phenomenon of management from a sociological perspective. Peter Drucker (1909-2005) wrote one of the earliest books on applied management: Concept of the Corporation (published in 1946). It resulted from Alfred Sloan (chairman of General Motors until 1956) commissioning a study of the organisation. Drucker went on to write 39 books, many in the same vein. H. Dodge, Ronald Fisher (1890-1962), and Thornton C. Fry introduced statistical techniques into management-studies. In the 1940s, Patrick Blackett combined these statistical theories with microeconomic theory and gave birth to the science of operations research. Operations research, sometimes known as management science (but distinct from Taylors scientific management), attempts to take a scientific approach to solving management problems, particularly in the areas of logistics and operations. Some of the more recent[update] developments include the Theory of Constraints, management by objectives, reengineering, Six Sigma and various information-technology-driven theories such as agile software development, as well as group management theories such as Cogs Ladder. As the general recognition of managers as a class solidified during the 20th century and gave perceived practitioners of the art/science of management a certain amount of prestige, so the way opened for popularised systems of management ideas to peddle their wares. In this context many management fads may have had more to do with pop psychology than with scientific theories of management. Towards the end of the 20th century, business management came to consist of six separate branches, namely: Human resource management Operations management or production management Strategic management Marketing management Financial management Information technology management responsible for management information systems [edit] 21st century In the 21st century observers find it increasingly difficult to subdivide management into functional categories in this way. More and more processes simultaneously involve several categories. Instead, one tends to think in terms of the various processes, tasks, and objects subject to management. Branches of management theory also exist relating to nonprofits and to government: such as public administration, public management, and educational management. Further, management programs related to civil-society organizations have also spawned programs in nonprofit management and social entrepreneurship. Note that many of the assumptions made by management have come under attack from business ethics viewpoints, critical management studies, and anti-corporate activism. As one consequence, workplace democracy has become both more common, and more advocated, in some places distributing all management functions among the workers, each of whom takes on a portion of the work. However, these models predate any current political issue, and may occur more naturally than does a command hierarchy. All management to some degree embraces democratic principles in that in the long term workers must give majority support to management; otherwise they leave to find other work, or go on strike. Despite the move toward workplace democracy, command-and-control organization structures remain commonplace and the de facto organization structure. Indeed, the entrenched nature of command-and-control can be seen in the way that recent layoffs have been conducted with management ranks affected far less than employees at the lower levels. In some cases, management has even rewarded itself with bonuses after laying off level workers.[6] According to leading leadership academic Manfred F.R. Kets de Vries, its almost inevitable these days that there will be some personality disorders in a senior management team.[7]

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Society vs. Heart in Mark Twains Huckleberry Finn Essay -- Mark Twain

Society vs. Heart in Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ernest Hemmingway once described a novel by Mark Twain as, â€Å"†¦it is the ‘one book’ from which ‘all modern American literature’ came from† (Railton). This story of fiction, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is a remarkable story about a young boy growing up in a society that influences and pressures people into doing the so-called â€Å"right thing.† It is not very difficult to witness the parallels between the society Huck has grown up in and the society that influences the choices of people living today. However, what is it that gives society the power to draw guidelines to define the norms, trends, and what is morally right and wrong in life? Is it always the best choice to listen to your consciences, which is under the influence of society, or is it sometimes just as important to listen to your heart and what you think is right?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Society has always denounced the acts of death and children running away from their homes. Huck can be seen as a morbid child as he is always talking about death and murder. Society would rather not have anything to do with people who have such a melancholic outlook on life. Living with years of torment by his drunkard father, Pap, Huck feared the day he would return to daunt his life. When Pap does return, he seizes Huck and drags him to a secluded cabin where Huck is boarded inside and unable to leave: This is where the dilemma occurs. In this position, Huck has a decision to make, either take note to the morals of society and listen to his conscience, which will result in more added years of pain and anguish from Pap, or Huck can listen to his heart and do what he thinks is best.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Huck’s situation is so extreme (the mental and physical abuse from Pap) that he cannot take it anymore. He does what he thinks is best; Huck listens to heart rather than his conscience. In order to get away from Pap, Huck organizes an elaborate plan to arrange his own death and run away – both denounced by society - from the prison cell (cabin) and Pap. Huck, for the first time in his life, had felt what it is like to be free: â€Å"The sky looks ever so deep when you lay down on your back in the moonshine; I never knowed it before† (Twain 46).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Every incident where Huck is faced with a dilemma, the situation seems to intensify. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was first pub... ... losing the acceptance of a social group, listening to the heart will leave individuals with a feeling of fulfillment and happiness. The socially unacceptable is only unacceptable because there are new ideas society is not use to: â€Å"Society opposes the good idea when it is not an accepted routine† (Growth Online). Individuals who listen to their heart have something extra than people who listen to their conscience, which is true self-respect: â€Å"The individual’s trust in himself [or herself] is superior in his [or her] trust in the society† (Growth Online). Works Cited "Growth Online." Social Influence on the Individual. 06 Apr. 2005   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hona, Leah. "Julie and the "Real World"." About. 08 2000. 06 Apr. 2005   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   King, Larry."Larry King Live." What's Driving the Popularity of `Reality TV'?. 27 2000. Transcript. 06 Apr 2005 Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. 07 Apr. 2005 . The Mormon Church has a poor record on free speech. 07 Dec 2002. 06   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Apr. 2005 . Railton, Stephen. Mark Twain in His Times. 05 Apr. 2005   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "Remembering Brian Deneke." Brian Deneke Memorial Committee. 05 Apr.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2005 Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Monday, August 19, 2019

College Costs :: essays research papers

Beyond Sticker Shock - Extracurricular College Costs You've probably already calculated tuition bills and costs for room and board. Yet the hidden costs of college — from pizza to airfare, from library fines to laundry money — can easily add up to another $2,000 per year. To get a handle on those extras, you'll want to put together a monthly budget that estimates your costs. Be sure to include: Books: Book costs vary widely, depending on your courses. Call your bookstore to get early warning of book prices for your various classes. Transportation and travel: If you commute, figure in car insurance, gas and parking fees. Some colleges offer free parking, while others may charge up to $100 for a permit. Don't forget to include the cost of holiday travel. Often you can cut these costs by carpooling or shopping around for special saver or student rates on airfare. General food: Dorm dwellers may have a pre-paid college cafeteria plan, while students living off-campus will pay their food bills on a weekly basis. Either way, it's good to figure out how much you'll spend at the grocery store and in restaurants. Appliances and utilities: Apartment dwellers usually have utility bills: gas, electric, heat and water. On-campus students face different charges: mini-refrigerator rental fees, for example, can range from $35 to $120. To limit phone bills, consider getting a pre-paid phone card with a set amount of calling time to limit long-winded and expensive phone calls. For staying in touch on the cheap, see if your school offers free Internet access and e-mail. Personal supplies: Remember when things like soap, toilet paper, makeup and laundry detergent were just there? It's easy to forget these when you're planning your budget, but they add up. Washing your clothes at a coin laundromat, for example, will run you $1 to $2 per load per week. Fraternity or sorority dues: Charges vary widely, depending on the school and chapter. Budget $30 per month minimum, although $50 fees and more are likely. However, Greek life can have an upside; if you live in a house, the dues sometimes cover extras like laundry, social activities and access to a computer lab. Printing, copy and computer costs: Stock up on printer paper and floppy discs at a discount store before the school year starts (on-campus supply stores often charge many times the going rate). You'll not only save money, you'll avoid last-minute exam week supply crises.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks Essays -- school students, logic,

Nicholas Sparks’ A Walk to Remember is a classic â€Å"coming-of-age† novel that is a simple enough read to allow high school students to relate to the storyline. When Landon Carter finally accepts his feelings for Jamie, who has helped him become a better person in more ways that either of them know of, he reaches the pinnacle of his transformation from a troubled and resentful teenager into a respectful and selfless young man. A text included on a required reading list for high school students should have a theme that allows them to relate to the characters, to figuratively put themselves in their shoes and feel as if they are part of the story. It should also develop the students’ moral compass and teach them a valuable lesson that will help them throughout their lives. A Walk To Remember is a great Coming-of-Age novel for high school students to read because it allows students to hear the main character’s voice change and mature throughout the novel an d provides an opportunity for them to reflect on whether it is best to listen to logic or to listen to one’s heart, Landon’s personal growth, and the brevity of life. Landon Carter is a typical high school senior who’s always behaved himself based on logic, but as he encounters many fateful events that grant him a sense of self-awareness he realizes who he truly is, and is appalled by what he finds. Throughout the story, Landon spends more and more time with Jamie, a girl who is ousted by most of the senior class because of her religious devotion. Although he is not thrilled by her company at first, he truly ends up appreciating what she represents, which we see when he says, â€Å"The more I hung around Jamie, the more I realized she had a lot of different emotions†¦ that was the first tim... ...ould be a part of required reading lists for high school students because it introduces them to concepts like logic and feelings, levels of maturity, and the brevity of life that allow students to find their true calling. This novel will teach them to develop the skills they need to make conscious decisions, whether they base them on logic or they go with their hearts as well as developing the right level of maturity they need to succeed in the real world. Students need to be able to reflect on matters that will be meaningful regarding the decisions they will have to make in the future so that they are knowledgeable about their choices. This novel is a great example of how a required book should teach students an indispensable lesson about logic, feelings, and moral values. Works Cited Sparks, Nicholas. A Walk to Remember. New York: Warner Books, 1999. Print.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Islamic civilization Essay

Islamic civilization which known as golden ages has a lot of contribution in mordent civilization. Islam is a religion which belief in one god Allah also encourages to gain knowledge from the creation of Allah. The last messenger of Islam Muhammad (May peace be upon him) advice his follower to seek knowledge. Islamic scientist and scholar had contributed a lots in mordent science starting from the medical science , mathematics , architecture , philosophy geography etc. from the two documentary â€Å" Islam and science† made by BBC and â€Å"short film about 1001 invention† which described the contributions of Islamic civilization in the mordent world. First of all talk about the contribution of Islamic scholar in mathematics. The language of modern science still has many references to Arabic roots. If we discuss about scientific terms like Algebra, Algoriddim, alkaline this word as Arabic. There will be no mathematic or no physics without Algebra, no computer without Algoriddim, no chemistry without alkaline. Surprisingly few people in the west today even scientist are aware of this medieval Islamic legacy. But it was not always so, from 12th to 17th century European scientism and scholars regularly refers to earlier Islamic text. European world realize that there way of doing arithmetic which is essentially based on Roman numerals which was hopelessly inefficient. Muhammad ibn-musa al-khwarizmi showed Europeans a batter way to doing arithmetic. In his book the Hindu Art of Reckoning he describes a revolutionary idea. He shows that we can represent any number we like with just ten simple symbols. Which are Indian Arabic digits or symbols Ù ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å½ to Ù © and Ù  Ã¢â‚¬Å½ and in English 1 to 9 and 0, by using this now we represent all the number we like. Al-Khwarizmi created the decimal points at time of translating Indian system to Arabic. By using this decimal now we can describe the fraction numbers not only the whole numbers. Islam always encourage to gain knowledge, prophet Muhammad Sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, (May peace be upon him), advice his followers to seek knowledge. Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan one of the leader of Islamic empire 8th century (AD) select one common language Arabic to rule the Islamic empire. Selecting common language is not only for administrative connivance. He realizes the important to gain knowledge. As a result Abd Al Malik start collecting different books from other reason as, Greek, Persian and bring those books and translate to Arabic, this became known as  translation period. To collect books Abd Al Malik send his messengers different part of the world and anyone who brought a book that he did not have , he repaid that person by its weight in gold. As a result of translation movement scholars, scientist, physicians in Arab empire was familiar or aware of the latest remedies, innovation, theories introduced by the other scholar from the far away as India and china. The golden ages of Islam which is time between 8th century to 1258 when Mongol conquest of Bagdad. Through scholars and scientist of various faiths some of the most important discoveries known to man were invented in this time. Starting from the Islamic scholar Ibn sina , Al Zahrawi in medical science to Al Biruni who determined the size of the world. Al Rayhan Al Biruni successfully determined the size of the world by using his formula or method. To estimate the size of the world Al Biruni used the height of the mountain and the angle of dip of the flat horizon from the mountain. Ibn al-Haytham , whose idea led to the invention of camera. By explaining who our eyes work Ibn Haytham led the foundation for modern cameras. Abbas Ibn Firnas who is the first man in the history who believed that man can fly before many years before the Wright brother. On the other hand, not only the male scholar contributed or invented new technology in this golden ages. Beside all the male Islamic schola r there was a lots of female scholar contributed a lot by inventing new technology this period. Merriam Al Astrulabi, she invented sophisticated astrolabes which show the sky and the stars on a small flat plate. This used by the navigators, astrologers astronomers for predicting the position of the stars, sun, moon etc. Abu-Ali Husayn Ibn-abdullah Ibn-sina one of the greatest Islamic scholar. In 1025 he completed Al-Qanon fi Al-Tibb (canon of medicine) in it he collected and expanded all that gone before him, medical idea from Greek to India and turns them into a single work. In this book he describe how human body works, how disease work in general, what are the causes for different disease. Another great scholar in Islamic empire is Abu Al Qasim Al Zahrawi , known as greatest medieval surgeon. Abu Al Qasim Al Zahrawi well has known for his book Al Tasrif and inventing several surgical instruments, which still use in the mordent medical science. In his book Al Tasrif which consists thirty parts and he describe different issues in medical science.  The most important part Fro m his book Al Tasrif where he describe different surgical treatment which include surgery of eye ,ear , removal of stone from bladder etc. In conclusion, at the time of golden ages in Islamic civilization the scholar and scantiest in Islam contributed to science in a large extent. Which gave new theories, methods, scientific innovation in different field. Starting introduce new way to calculate the numbers, inventing instruments for doing surgery, who our boy work and cause of different diseases, determining the size of the world so on. Most of this theories and inventions are still using in the modern science. On the other hand translation period provide a great opportunity for the Islamic scientist to gain knowledge and use that knowledge to invent a new ideas.

Friday, August 16, 2019

NCR Corporation Essay

NCR Corporation, known as a world leader in ATMs, point-of-sale (POS) retail checkout scanners, and check- in kiosks at airports, announced in June 2009 that it would move its world headquarters from Dayton (OH) to Duluth (GA), a suburb of Atlanta, after more than 125 years. An employer of 1,200 mostly high-salaried, profes- sional workers in Dayton, NCR was enticed to move by Georgia’s offer of more than $56.9 million in tax credits; its fast-growing, educated 25- to 34-year-old population cohort; international offices for 10 European state govern- ments; and the busiest international airport (Atlanta) in the world. aWhat qualitative research might NCR have done to reach this decision? b NCR will use its move to Georgia to downsize its world headquarters workforce. What qualitative research could help NCR determine which of its 1,200 employees will be offered positions in Duluth? Qualitative research is the type of research people use to gain insight into a problem, issue or theory. Qualitative research is an in-depth exploration of what people think, feel or do and, crucially, why. If you want to know identify human behavior and what barriers there may be to their changing that behavior, you would use qualitative research to explore those issues. Qualitative research does not give statistically robust findings. In the case of NCR and their decision to move, focus groups I think would have been utilized to form this decision. This method would have reduced the risk of researcher’s bias. A focus group is basically research that organizations do to gather information about person’s perspectives and opinions about new ideas. Focus group participants are asked questions in an interactive setting and are encouraged to discuss thoughts freely with other participants. The open and free discussions typically generate ideas and can provide a wealth of information for the business or organization. Questions asked of group participants should be based on the objectives of the project. For the decision of which employees to take in the move, one  on one interviews would be a useful qualitative research method. When qualitative research takes the form of an interview, the interviewer asks open-ended questions and simply records what the participant says. The more intimate environment allows participants to talk openly and is particularly appropriate where participants are competitors who would not agree to come together in a focus group. The individual interview is a valuable method of gaining insight into people’s perceptions, understandings and experiences of a given phenomenon and can contribute to in-depth data collection. However, the interview is more than a conversational interaction between two people and requires considerable knowledge and skill on behalf of the interviewer. (Ryan;Coughlan;Cronin,2009) 7.10 Pepsi launched a new global branding campaign based on the concept of live in the moment called â€Å"Live For Now.† It did extensive research prior to the campaign’s launch. What research should be done to determine if the campaign is resonating with worldwide audiences? Qualitative research would be the method that would be uses. Qualitative research follows a semi-structured discussion guide to ensure that all topics under consideration are covered and that the discussion stays relevant. However, the questioning is open and participants are encouraged to explore the reasons for their responses. The discussion process can reveal underlying views and motivations, behavioral triggers and barriers. It can explore reactions to messages, printed material, design features and new products, test understanding of terminology, help generate new concepts and much more. Qualitative research is usually audio-recorded and transcribed. The transcriptions form the data which is then analysed by the moderator. Groups can also be video-recorded and can also be observed in real-time at venues specially designed for that purpose. You can expect a report or a presentation of the findings supported by verbatim quotes from the participants. References Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S. (2014). Business Research Methods. (12th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Frances, R., Coughlin, M., & Cronin, P. (2009). Interviewing in qualitative research: The one-to-one interview. International Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation, 16(6), 309-309.

International Bussiness an Asian Perspective Chapter 9-11

CHAPTER 9 9. 1)  Ã‚  The interest rate on South Korean government securities with one-year maturity is 4% and the expected inflation rate for the coming year is 2%. The  US  interest rate on government securities with one-year maturity is 7% and the expected rate of inflation is 5%. The current spot exchange rate for  Korea  won is $1 = W1,200. Forecast the spot exchange rate one year from today. Explain the logic of your answer. Drawing on what we know about the Fisher effect, the real interest rate in both the  US  and  South Korea  is 2%.The international Fisher effect suggests that the exchange rate will change in an equal amount but in an opposite direction to the difference in nominal interest rates. Hence since the nominal interest rate is 3% higher in the  US  than in  South Korea, the dollar should depreciate by 3% relative to the South Korean Won. Using the formula from the book:  Ã‚  (S1  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ S2)/S2  x 100 = i$  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ iWon  Ã‚  Ã‚  and substituting 7 for i$, 4 for iWon, and 1,200 for S1,  yields a value for S2  of $1=W1,165. 9. 3) You manufacture wine goblets.In mid-June you receive an order for 10,000 goblets from Japan. Payment of ? 400,000 is due in mid-December. You expect the yen to rise from its present rate of $1 = ? 130 to $1 = ? 100 by December. You can borrow yen at 6 percent a year. What should you do? The simplest solution would be to just wait until December, take the ? 400,000 and convert it at the spot rate at that time, which you assume will be $1=? 100. In this case you would have $4,000 in mid-December. If the current 180-day forward rate is lower than 100? $, then a forward contract might be preferable since it both locks in the rate at a better level and reduces risk. If the rate is above ? 100/$, then whether you choose to lock in the forward rate or wait and see what the spot does will depend upon your risk aversion. There is a third possibility also. You could borrow money from a ba nk that you will pay back with the ? 400,000 you will receive (400,000/1. 03 = ? 388,350 borrowed), convert this today to US$ (388,350/130 = $2,987), and then invest these dollars in a US account.For this to be preferable to the simplest solution, you would have to be able to make a lot of interest (4,000 – 2,987 = $1,013), which would turn out to be an annual rate of 51% ((1,013/4000) * 2). If, however, you could lock in these interest rates, then this method would also reduce any exchange rate risk. What you should do depends upon the interest rates available, the forward rates available, how large a risk you are willing to take, and how certain you feel that the spot rate in December will be ? 100 = $1. 9. ) You are the CFO of a Philipine firm whose wholly owned subsidiary in Mexico manufactures component parts for your Philipine assembly operations. The subsidiary has been financed by bank borrowings in the United States. One of your analysts told you that the Mexican pes o is expected to depreciate by 30 percent against the dollar on the foreign exchange markets over the next year. What actions, if any, should you take? Your financing and operating capital are in dollars, yet many of your costs (labor) must be in peso.Your hard assets are all in peso, and their value will decline. On the other hand, if the peso depreciates, then your dollars will go further. So perhaps doing nothing is the best approach. If you are pretty sure that the peso will depreciate, then you may want to avoid any major peso-denominated costs that you can until after devaluation. That may mean holding back on shipments if possible, and you may want any dollar-denominated purchases made before the devaluation.You may want to move any peso-denominated major accounts into dollars before the devaluation. CHAPTER 10 1. Why did the gold standard collapse? Is there a case for returning to some type of gold standard? What is it? The gold standard collapse for the reason it would not allow for a nation's economic expansion. When times of war or acts of the like required for a economy's government to spend above the limits of its gold supply in turn the government would print extra money into circulation to compensate the excessive expenditures.This would cause a problem when these times of crisis would end and the extra printed money caused rapid inflation with in that nation. That nation would then try to re-establish it's rate hold per ounce of gold, yet not being able to internationally maintain that rate which would cause failure in this system. This is just one good reason I see as the collapse of the gold standard. I would say not. The problem is presented when a nation has the desire and ambition to grow yet there is only a set amount of gold and silver to be removed from the earth to back monetary value.When you have a limited amount of backing it kind of limits your growth and expansion. I could foresee a problem with any system if the players are too i nconsistant and change the environment of the game too often. I currently have faith in our floating exchange rate system because it acommidates human inconsistancy and allows for frequent change with the ability to stabilize. 2. What opportunities might current IMF lending policies to developing countries create for international businesses? Most of these developing countries are consumer countries.IMF usually focuses on areas that will be improved by the specific kitty. You can therefore look into these areas and seek to be an exporter to them, whether of services or of goods. These countries are also seeking to stabilize balance of trade. If they seek to import, there is still business for anyone who is aligned to hit at the right time. The fact also, that they have simplified cost and maturity means that it can create sustainability of any business that starts due to ease of re-borrowing. 3.Do you think the standard IMF policy prescriptions of tight monetary policy and reduced g overnment spending are always appropriate for developing nations experiencing a currency crisis? How might the IMF change its approach? What would the implications be for international businesses? Critics argue that the tight macroeconomic policies imposed by the IMF in the recent Asian crisis were not well suited to countries that were not suffering from excessive government spending and inflation, but instead from a private-sector debt crisis with inflationary undertones.Anti-inflationary monetary policies and reductions in government spending usually result in a sharp contraction of demand, at least in the short run. In the longer term, the policies can promote economic growth and expansion of demand, which creates opportunities for international business CHAPTER 11 CLOSING CASE 1. Why did China Mobile feel it was necessary to issue equity in markets outside of its home base in Hong Kong? What are the advantages of such a move? Maybe it’s because China Mobile wanted to tak e advantage of international exchange rates.Since the company wanted to achieve maximum competitive advantage, one way of assuring itself that it will always have adequate capital funding is by seeking external currencies as sources for tapping and hedging against any local market conditions that may have a negative impact on its local stocks. The advantages of such a move are the fact that other major world currencies such as the U. S. dollar tend to be more stable against most world currencies and the fact that being cross listed easily can be a use of additional funding to the company in the future should the need arise. 2.Why did China Mobile price the bond issue in U. S. dollars instead of Hong Kong dollars? Pricing the bond issue in U. S. dollars instead of Hong Kong dollars is to safeguard the stability of the price of its bond. Since the capital markets within the American market is also the most vibrant in the world, pricing the bond in U. S. dollars will ensure that for pu rposes of trading, there is a more vibrant, ready and willing market that can assure China mobile's bond to have a fair value and upon expiration, market values will most likely be much higher than those of the local market. . Can you see any downside to China Mobile's international equity and bond issue? I don’t see any downside issues that should discourage China Mobile's international equity and bond issue. Probably, there would be more of a challenge in the socialist culture of China. By pricing its equity and bond internationally, the local market may shun from the company on their capital markets since it’s perceived to be more attractive in international players. Although China Mobile’s international†¦

Thursday, August 15, 2019

How Women Are Portrayed in Lynx and Cosmo Essay

‘Men act and women appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at’ – John Berger, ‘Ways of seeing’. For my research investigation I intend to explore to what extent specific media products use similar representations of women to appeal to their target audiences. The examples I have chosen to focus on are the iconic, international women’s fashion and lifestyle magazine ‘Cosmopolitan’ and Lynx’s controversial ‘beach campaign’. I will therefore be exploring what similarities and differences they embed due to their oppositional target audiences and content. Throughout my research the main theory I will be linking to my texts is that of Laura Mulvey, her theory explores ideas of sexism and male gaze within the media industry. Hearst the publisher of Cosmopolitan describes the magazine’s target audience as ‘Fun, Fearless Females’, the alliteration of the ‘F’ sound connotes a sense of attitude and fierce behaviour. Alongside the brand proposition ‘celebrates†¦a passion for life and inspires young women to be the best they can be’ consciously supporting women by portraying a sense of empowerment and ambition. In contrast, Unilever, owners of the Lynx brand state their brand prospect is that all their products are ‘designed to give our customers the edge in the mating game’ establishing itself as ‘UK’s leading male grooming brand!’. Cosmopolitan are iconic for telling their audience about two main topics; lifestyle and sex. Just by looking at the magazine covers, it is clear that these two topics dominate. I researched the April 2012 cover of Cosmopolitan, it follows the generic conventions of a typical magazine format for a women’s fashion and lifestyle magazine. In terms of the colour scheme – the pink fonts and neutral clothing convey a sense of femininity and perhaps the everyday domestic lifestyle of women, although the lifestyle aspect of the magazine seems overpowered by the topic of sex. The cover features an attractive women – in this case the iconic Megan Fox, posing some mildly alluring body language, showing a lot of skin, all whilst looking directly at the camera (audience) with a sexy, serious facial expression with the eyebrow promiscuously raised, and suggestive parted lips. Although the model is simply posing the latest fashion, the low cut, tightly fitting dress connotes an over sexualised view of the celebrity who is universally known as a sex symbol in the media world, taking her place in FHM’s sexiest women each year and continuously playing the role of the sexy female in various popular films. It is clear that Cosmopolitan use bold sexual connotations surrounding women, although argue that their intentions are in fact to empower women through their sexuality. Notice the models strong body language , the hand on hip look used alongside taglines such as ‘Naughty or nice? You decide†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, and sexual puns are even added in regarding none sexual subjects such as career advice ‘You on top’, these are bold sexual connotations implying that woman should dominate to get what they want, mostly regarding the topic of sex. Perhaps fighting the controversial debate of sexism towards women in media by surprisingly embracing La ura Mulvey’s theory of ‘male gaze’. Cosmo put across the idea that if men find women attractive then it should accredit them by making them feel good about themselves, knowing that they look sexy and attractive. The magazine are conscious to do this in a sophisticated manor, opposed to other trashy and over sexualised magazines. Mediaknowall.com state that ‘Women’s magazines have moved on and offer visions of independence and confidence as well as beauty and domestic concerns, yet women are still encouraged to look good’. Body image and size have become a growing issue in society in result of magazine content. The overuse of petite, photo shopped models throughout magazines has resulted in these images becoming the dominant ideology. Over the years images printed in women’s magazines have contributed to this universal feeling to look good and be a certain size. Lynx are known for their voyeuristic product advertisement, this element of the company is what attracts their buyers, yet is also their downfall. Lynx have been publicly criticized for their overuse of objectifying women, using sexualized and provocative imagery and overall blunt sexism. The BBC news state that ‘in 2011 six of Lynx’s advertising campaigns were banned after mass numbers of complains were made’ they added that ‘the 113 complaints said it was sexually suggestive and demeaning to women’. I researched Lynx’s recent TV advertisement and accompanying print advert titled ‘The cleaner you are, the dirtier you get’. Although I believe this is one of Lynx’s milder sexualised adverts even the title itself contains a sexual pun, suggesting the promise of sex if you shower with the product. The girl on the print advertisement is no doubt an attractive young female, fitting the iconic ‘blonde bombshell’ look. The girl’s enticing facial expression creates the impression she is inviting the audience (male) into the shower with her. Although the girl’s expressions look confident, there is a contrast between this and her body language. For example the way she has to cup her bikini top to stop it from falling. This vulnerability of the woman standing half nude for a male audience completely visually depicting her as a female, making her a passive object of male visual pleasure. A comment by Jean Killbourne (a popular media activist) backs up my point by stating that ‘women’s bodies are often dismembered into legs, breasts or thighs, reinforcing the message that women are objects rather than whole human beings’. Killbourne suggests that women have become dehumanised into erotic objects for male pleasure. One element of Lynx’s campaigns which continues throughout is the idea of fake portrayal. In each advert the male role is played by your everyday, not overly-attractive man, contrasted with the female role being a desirable, young beauty. In an everyday world the changes of the male role attracting that type of woman are very slim. Despite this the main message that Lynx put across to their audience throughout their advertisements is that if men wear the product – women will find them irresistible – False portrayal. Of course this element adds humour to the advertisements, although all at the expense of objectifying women in the process and promoting the gender role of the dominant male. Bibliography Websites: www.mediaknowall.com Hearst, http.//www.hearst.co.uk/magazines/Cosmpolitan/5-about.htm Cosmopolitan, http://www.cosmopolitan.com/celebrity/exclusive/megan-fox-april-cover-cosmopolitan Exploring the media: representations and responses

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Nation of Kazakhstan Essay

Kazakstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan is one of the 15 countries that where created when the U.S.S.R. divided in 1991. As of 1995 Kazakhstan had an estimated population of 17,377,000, Kazakhstan is 1,050,000 sq. miles and is located in central Asia. It borders Russia in the north, China in the east, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan in the south, and the Caspian Sea and European Russia in the west. Astana is the capital and Almaty is the largest city. The national religion is Muslim. The Kazakhstanian government is lead by an executive president, who is elected by popular vote. Kazakhstan has several major land features. It consists mainly of flatland and desert, and has low or irregular rainfall; there is a high mountain belt in the southeast (2,100 miles long). It also is a region of drainage: The Syr Darya, the Ili, the Chu, and other rivers drain into the Aral Sea and Lake Balkash. Although Kazakhstan is largely arid, its steppes work well to accommodate both livestock and grain production. Wheat, cotton, sugar beets, and tobacco are the main crops. The raising of cattle and sheep is also important, and Kazakhstan produces much wool and meat. In addition, there are rich fishing grounds, famous for their caviar-producing sturgeon in the Northern part of the Caspian Sea. All this works well for the country’s economy. Other large natural resources that come out of Kazakhstan are: natural gas, iron ore, manganese, chrome, lead, zinc, silver, copper, nickel, titanium, bauxite, and gold. Also the Irtysh River hydroelectric stations are the country’s main source of power. Out of all the nations that came out of the U.S.S.R. Kazakhstan is one of the richest, both economically and naturally.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Should Women be Allowed in Combat Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Should Women be Allowed in Combat - Essay Example First thing to consider is that there is around 13% of the military population is comprised by women (Willens 1996). Before women reached this population inside the military, there have been limitations on their integration to the military from 32000 which is very minimal (Willens 1996). Although certain situations like the World War II and other conflicts that have occurred between countries provided certain conditions that allowed several numbers of women in the military (Willens 1996). Women have provided significant contributions in the logistical matters, medical operations and the like in the military operations (Jelinek 2011). This contribution of women in the military is clear. This can be considered a feminist move in this case and this is a manifestation for women trying to get equality and representation in the military field wherein gender politics is a very intriguing matter (Butler 1990, p. 1). This act of women to be involved in the military is a major move that challe nges the patriarchal conventions that have existed in the society since the establishment of societies and having undergone development as seen in the world nowadays (Rosenbluth 2008, p. 2). ... dered in its fullest scope, then the case of inclusion of gays and lesbian is a selective equality and not a full consideration of ensuring equality in its fullest scope. Also, the fact that women are not included in the military highlights the persistence of military to live out the traditional norms that surround gender. (Rosenbluth 2008, p. 4).This is the very condition even if feminist movements have demanded that women should be integrated in the military. Paradoxically, the condition of democracy conforming to equality becomes an illusion in the way women are allowed only into certain condition inside the military. The problem here is that women, despite of the certain efforts of the government to recognize their efforts in the military like the Women’s Armed Integration Service Act, is not fully recognize according to the gender neutral premises in military selection and promotion (Willens 1996). Even if the dominance of the democratic political thought that recognizes equality in its fullest scope, lawmakers who are carefully assessing on the matter, employs a very different standard that limits the presence of women in the military. One thing is that women’s welfare be prioritized (Jelenik 2011). Their safety is being considered since even if women are allowed to be in military, they are not allowed to engage the conflict on the front line (Jelenik 2011). At the same time, there is already a consideration towards women of being war prisoners wherein the trauma that might go through will be excruciating on their part, making them dysfunctional (Willens 1996). Also, the presence of women in the military is already a good notion to consider since their integration has been achieved (Jelenik 2011). There are already existing mechanisms like the military