Saturday, August 31, 2019

Critical Views of Beowulf

Beowulf Critical views †¢One of the oldest and most important remains of the Anglo-Saxon literature is the epic poem of Beowulf. Its age is unknown; but it comes from somewhere between the 7th and the 10th centuries. It is like a piece of ancient armour; rusty and battered, and yet strong. The style of the epic poem is likewise simple- perhaps one should say, austere. Beowulf is indeed the most successful Old English poem because in it the elements, language, metre, theme, structure, are all most nearly in harmony.The author seems mainly bent upon telling us how his Sea-Goth slew Grendel and the Fire-drake. †¢The poem opens with an account of forefathers of Hrothgar the Scylding, king of Danes. He is the builder of Heorot, the hall where Beowulf contends with Grendel. The poem begins with the burial of Scyld, from whom the dynasty of Scyldings take its name. In ancient days, so ran the legend, scyld when he was child, was drifted in an open boat to the shores of Danes.When coming thus out of the secret of the Sea the bark touched the land, the folk found the naked child lying asleep in the midst of arms and gems and golden treasure, took him up and hailed him king. As he came alone and mysteriously out of the sea, so he passes away alone and mysteriously into the sea, and the introduction of the poem describes his burial. With as many treasures he brought, with so many they send him away when he died. And as the poem begins with this burial, so it ends with the burial of Beowulf.His burial is nothing mythic, nothing mystic surrounding it. Beowulf, dead after his fight with the dragon, and his gray hair lying around his hair, is borne to the top of the great cliff that overlooks the sea. The cliff has its own name, Whale’s Ness. †¢The epic is divided into three chief episodes. Yet these three episodes are well wrought and well diversified. They are not repetitions, exactly; there is a change of wrestling with Grendel in the night at Heorot and the descent underwater to encounter Grendel’s mother; while the sentiment of the Dragon is different again.But the great beauty, the real value, of Beowulf is in its dignity of style. †¢The word Grendel, as Lawrence points out, can be associated with the Old English grund, i. e. ground, bottom, or watery depths that we find the lurking-place of Grendel and his mother. †¢SIMILARITY WITH OTHER WORKS: Frederick Panzer in 1910 published the results of a careful study of over 200 folk-tales which have elements of resemblance to the Grendel story. These tales with all their variations of outline have enough in common. One of these is the tale of ‘The Bear’s Son’.From the varying versions of ‘The Bear’s Son, something like a central frame, or outline, can be reconstructed. An aged king builds a hall or house which is nightly haunted by a demon. The elder sons of the king are unable to overcome the invader, but the youngest son, formerly held in little esteem, wrestles with the monster and wounds him. The fight of the demon is marked by a trail of blood. An episode follows in which the hero fights in an underground lair of monsters often against a male and a female.His victory over them, sometimes by a use of a magic sword, frees captive maidens who return to the upper world. But the hero is abandoned by faithless companions, and must without aid contrive means of escape from the monster’s home. The tale often ends with the punishment of the traitors, and the marriage of the hero with one of the rescued maidens. Similarities in this outline to the Grendel episodes of the Beowulf are, of course, general rather than precise. But it seems clear that Panzer is correct in claiming that a relationship exists.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Assignments Physical Activity, Disease and Public Health

Obesity is becoming a leading killer disease in the world. The changing nature of life has led to change in lifestyle which has led to increased cases of lifestyle diseases.   It is estimated that more than half of the population of United States is obese or overweight.However epidemiological studies show ethnic and racial dimension with regard to prevalence of obesity in the population. African Americans especially African American women have a higher prevalence of obesity compared to other races.There are many genetic and environmental factors which have been predisposing African Americans to increased cases of obesity. Obesity does not only affect health and social life of the individual but it is also a gateway to development of many other chronic illnesses.   If not well managed, obesity leads to other terminal illnesses like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and others.Change in diet and tendency towards a sedentary lifestyle have been identified as the leading causes of ob esity all over the world.   The increasing prevalence of obesity in the population has been correlated with myriad of environmental, behavioral, physiological, and genetic factors.   Attenuated metabolic response to the exposures in the environmental combined with a number of predisposing factors and low level of energy expenditure leads to   positive energy balance which increases body weight.Several researches have underpinned the importance of diet modification and exercise in reducing body weight. However the emphasis has been mainly on diet modification with less attention on the role of exercises. Regular exercises can help to burn the excess body fats leading to reduction of obesity.In this study we are going to review a number of studies which have looked into the role of exercise in the management of obesity. The study   review a total of 10 studies from American Journal of Nutrition, JAMA, British Journal of Sports Medicine, and many   other renown medical sites. The key search words used include obesity, African Americans, Body Mass Index, and physical activitiesObesityObesity is one of the growing health problems in the world. Since the mid 20th century, the number of obese individuals in the population has been growing at an alarming rate due to the changing nature of our life.   The high prevalence of overweight and obesity is a great concern for adults, children, and adolescents not only in the United States but also in the rest of the world.  Obesity can be defined as increase in body weight due to accumulation of fat tissues. Individual weight status is usually determined by the Body Mass Index, which is a ratio of individual’s weight to height.   Body mass index has been shown as one of the most effective tools to assess the level of risk from individual weight. Obesity can be described as accumulation of fast on the body due to a positive energy balance.The food we eat is used up for body metabolism processes and the r est is stored as fats in the body adipose tissues.   If we eat too much and engage in fewer exercises, there is that energy balance in the body that is converted to fat.   Therefore the more we eat or the higher calorie foods that we eat, the more we gain weight and we end up being obese.According to the body mass index measure, a health individual should have a BMI of 18.5 – 24.9 kg/m2. The following table shows the classification of BMI and the body weight status.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Letter of Recommendation

I take immense pleasure in introducing one of my outstanding students†¦. whom I know for the past three years. I have taught him the courses of ‘Electrical machines’ , ‘Power Electronics’ , ‘Modelling of power system components’ and ‘Network theory’. This interaction with him provides me sufficient information to gauge and asses the intellectual capability and analytical skills that he has developed during his course . I would rank him among the top 1% of the students I have taught in my experience of 25 years.I find †¦.. to be hard working, diligent and sincere in his efforts and feel that his practical and logical approach of handling the problems presented should be brought to your notice. In him, I find the commitment desirous of a good student, meticulous with the right blend of aptitude, merit and determination. His clarity of thought combined with his analytical ability, supported by his excellent communication skil ls, brings out the intellectual independence in him.His ability to work with counter parts and even with his seniors is exemplary. With his pleasing manners, proficiency in communicating his ideas effectively, he has established an excellent rapport with his fellow students and the faculty. He has brilliant team leader skills and is competent of extracting the best out of his team members. He also has good teaching capabilities. He has attended various symposia held in the city, which suggests his keen interest in the latest technological advancements.Considering his motivation, perseverance and intelligence, I strongly believe that he will scale the highest peaks in his fields of interest. In view of all the above facts, I strongly recommend him, without any hesitation, for admission into your graduate program with possible financial assistance, and would like to recommend him to qualify as a teaching/research assistant in your university. Letter of Recommendation LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION I take great pleasure to recommend the candidature of Mr. XXXYYY for admission into the graduate program at your esteemed university. He has been a student in many of my classes during the academic years to and my interaction with him during this period had given me adequate scope to examine him intimately, as to judge his personality and scholastic capabilities. Having taught him , supervising him in laboratory, being his final year project mentor, I had an occasion to be in close association with him.I am glad to present this testimonial for your reference and I know he would do well if given the opportunity to continue his education. Mr. XXXYYY is intelligent, inquisitive and yearns to gain in-depth knowledge. He has an excellent ken of Analytical and Logical Skills, which he applies efficiently in problem solving. He is optimistic, communicates effectively while working as a part of team and has a strong work ethic. I found him very sincere, diligent and responsible towards his course work.He is equipped with the right level of self-confidence and maturity. When in times where the students were reluctant to take up real time projects during their final year, Mr. XXXYYY with his knowledge and experience on the Software, embedded systems design, manufacturing process & with his personal network connections for procuring components required for the project, encouraged and made six other teams to take up real time projects.More so, he and his team completed their final year project â€Å"Project Title† with excellence and won the Best Project of the Year Award from the university. Mr. XXXYYY’s proficiency in English is commendable. He has always maintained a good academic record in both theory and practical studies and has been a regular student in our institution. His organizational, analytical and interpersonal skills are highly developed. He maintains a good rapport with the faculty members and peers.Considering his per formance records and other activities, I place him in the top 5% in his class. He has shown the motivation, intelligence, preserving nature and analytical aptitude for graduate program. Considering his enthusiastic quest for knowledge and intellectual capabilities, I strongly advocate him for Master’s program in your honored university. I am confident that he would continue to be a promising and competitive student and would be capable of efficiently discharging his duties. I wish him a prosperous career ahead. Letter of Recommendation I take immense pleasure in introducing one of my outstanding students†¦. whom I know for the past three years. I have taught him the courses of ‘Electrical machines’ , ‘Power Electronics’ , ‘Modelling of power system components’ and ‘Network theory’. This interaction with him provides me sufficient information to gauge and asses the intellectual capability and analytical skills that he has developed during his course . I would rank him among the top 1% of the students I have taught in my experience of 25 years.I find †¦.. to be hard working, diligent and sincere in his efforts and feel that his practical and logical approach of handling the problems presented should be brought to your notice. In him, I find the commitment desirous of a good student, meticulous with the right blend of aptitude, merit and determination. His clarity of thought combined with his analytical ability, supported by his excellent communication skil ls, brings out the intellectual independence in him.His ability to work with counter parts and even with his seniors is exemplary. With his pleasing manners, proficiency in communicating his ideas effectively, he has established an excellent rapport with his fellow students and the faculty. He has brilliant team leader skills and is competent of extracting the best out of his team members. He also has good teaching capabilities. He has attended various symposia held in the city, which suggests his keen interest in the latest technological advancements.Considering his motivation, perseverance and intelligence, I strongly believe that he will scale the highest peaks in his fields of interest. In view of all the above facts, I strongly recommend him, without any hesitation, for admission into your graduate program with possible financial assistance, and would like to recommend him to qualify as a teaching/research assistant in your university.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Ethnic Difference in Quality of Life in Adolescent Essay

Ethnic Difference in Quality of Life in Adolescent - Essay Example It is the assessment of physical, mental and social well-being and for informed healthcare decision making (Wee, 2007). Singapore is a multi-ethnic city-state, with a resident population of 3.26 million persons in 2000 of which 76.8% are Chinese, 13.9% Malays and 7.9% Indians (Leow, 2001). Singapore is wholly urban, and has undergone rapid economic and demographic transitions over the last 40 years, from a poor country with a high fertility rate, to a rich one with one of the lowest fertility rates in Asia and a rapidly aging population. This paper describes self-rated health in Singapore, and examines the socio-economic factors and health behaviors associated with poor health ratings. It concludes by discussing the public health implications of the findings. In this article, focus is on transitions during adolescent where individuals are more of experimental nature and want to try new stuffs which encompass risk and addiction behaviors such as consumption of tobacco, alcohol use along with various conditions of violence, accidental injury and suicide. The article is based on the questionnaire which focuses on health-related quality of life in adolescents. The QOL is same what so ever cultural values are present. There are various factors governing the influence of ethnicity on health and health related quality of life, this encompass biological, demographic, psycho-social, behavioral and environmental factors. The article emphasizes that to observe ethnic differences, cultural differences would be excluded and socio-economic and health status is considered. The article has taken cross- national differences in adolescent QOL. Method Random selection of 1397 early and mid-adolescents of the age group 10- 15 years was made in two stages from 40 schools. The first stage encompassed random selection of schools out of 341 schools (primary, government, primary government aided, secondary government, secondary government aided, secondary school independent and full primary and secondary schools). The study made in the article is base on the questionnaire from Japanese researcher but a few (39) questions were eliminated with a thought that they were beyond the understanding of the participants. These were related with sexual subjects, work, mobility and personal beliefs. This is controversial with the assumptions that authors have made about the adolescents in introduction part stating that children over 9-10 years age are able to report on subjective concepts such as behavior or self-esteem (Landgraf, 1996, Stone, 1990). The article has incorporated some additional questions based on school life and peer relationships. The QOLQA then comprised of 70 items and pre-tested on 77 subjects. The questionnaire was translated in the Chinese which was not required as the ethnic differences were observed in Singapore where the primary language of instruction is English. This was not required, moreover 70 items in the questionnaire was divided into five domains, physical (8 items) encompassing pain, discomfort, energy and fatigue, sleep and rest; psychological (33 items) encompassing positive feelings, self esteem, body image and appearance, negative feelings; independence (6 items): activities of daily living,

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

The influence of African and Asian Art on Modern Art Essay

The influence of African and Asian Art on Modern Art - Essay Example The development of the Royal Pavilion borrowed heavily from Asian art. The exterior of the building had a large Indian influence which makes it look like the Taj Mahal. This influence is tempered with the Gothic influence which makes the windows to appear like those of a castle. The design of the main entrance is inspired by Persian architecture. Its interior has a Chinese Gallery. For example, the hanging lamp is a feature of Chinese art. Moreover, the walls and the statues in the room reveal a deep Chinese influence in the building.In 1853, Admiral Perry traveled to Japan with a newly invented the camera. During his expedition, he took many photographs which American and European impressionists used to paint images of the Japanese people and culture. This led to the rise of new imperialism in which it was not only raw materials coming from the Far East to the West but also works of art that were used by artists. For example, the Portrait of Emile Zolla by the Paris based artist, Ed uard Manet revealed the influence of Asian artistic philosophy in which the painting is expected to not only dwell on the subject but to also communicate more about the individual. In this particular painting, the author is seen holding a book, while a portrait of a Samurai adorns the wall. In addition, the presence of a Japanese screen behind him shows that he is a cultured person. Moreover, Edouard Manet was fond of including fans in his paintings. For example, he asked a female associate to pose holding Japanese fans.

Legalizing Performance Enhancing Drugs Research Paper

Legalizing Performance Enhancing Drugs - Research Paper Example It is about time when the law and policy makers stopped being hypocritical and paranoid about the use of PEDs, and sought their legalization instead. This is an obvious question. Why is there a debate on this issue in the first place? Performance enhancing drugs can simply be banned because they give an added advantage to their users. Then why are people objecting to the ban? Do they wish to be unfair? Not exactly. Banning of PEDs has led to the introduction of other evils apart from further aggravating their illegal use. For instance, while anti-doping policies in sports seek to â€Å"level the playing field† and prevent sportsmen from taking unfair advantage, they have not been successful at this attempt (Kayser, Mauron and Miah 521). Sportsmen who intend to use them do so without fail, and many go undetected. This proves to be unfair for those who do not use such drugs out of fear of being caught. This has not at all leveled the playing field, as illegal use of drugs is already prevalent among sportsmen. It is just that most of them are not being caught. According to Herper, to address the issue of illegal doping by spo rtsmen: The most obvious solution has always been to legalize those drugs that work, and to experimentally monitor new entrants, including dietary supplements, for both efficacy and safety. Biological improvement would be treated much as athletic equipment like baseball bats and running shoes. If these drugs are legalized, it will at least be possible to monitor the use of such drugs and even level the playing field as those innocent players who were earlier deterred from using them

Monday, August 26, 2019

Andrew Marvell and Oliver Cromwell Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Andrew Marvell and Oliver Cromwell - Essay Example His sympathies were on the whole royalist and aristocratic but he felt great admiration for Oliver Cromwell the Lord Protector of England who came to power after deposing Charles I. Milton's impunity at the Restoration was largely due to Marvell's influence and exertions. Very few of Marvell's poems were published during his lifetime. Most of his poems appeared posthumously in 1681. His satires were published only in 1689 after the Glorious Revolution. Marvell's best poems were written in the early 1650s. He used to be considered as a typical love poet who wrote in the metaphysical strain. But Marvell displays curious traits which set him apart from the usual poets who wrote of love. Marvell though a poet of wit, love and fancy strangely though not without reason professes admiration for Puritan ideals. "Marvell strangely enough was a Puritan __an admirer of Cromwell, a devote reader of the bible, a supporter of the joyless regime whose spirit is to unlike that of his verse" (Wilson 136).But this ambiguity is not surprising when one considers the turmoil and political upheavals of Marvell's time. In August 1642, the long standing quarrel between Charles I, and the Parliamentarians or Roundheads involving political, religious and constitutional matters, broke up into open hostilities. In the battles that followed, Oliver Cromwell soon proved himself to be the most powerful candidate the Parliamentarians had. In spite of oppositions among his own people Cromwell assumed the position of the Lord Protector of England. In 1647, Cromwell organized the New Model army which inflicted a crushing defeat upon the royal army. Charles surrendered to his Scottish subjects who later turned him over to England in 1647. It is surprising to note the different strains of thought which coloured Marvell's poetic output. In his poems from the Horatian Ode Upon Cromwell's Return from Ireland e onwards the one finds his admiration for Cromwell increasing. The way in which Marvell's perception of Cromwell changed is an indication of the difficulty of the choices of political allegiances facing an alert and sensitive mind of a poet who had political aspirations himself. In the Horatian Ode the Marvell we meet is a troubled man torn between divided loyalties. The title refers to Cromwell's return from Ireland which took place in May 1650. The poem welcomes Cromwell home from his conquest of Ireland, looking forward to his campaign against the Scots. Since Cromwell returned from Ireland in May 1650, and entered Scotland on July 22 of the same year, the poem therefore, was probably written in the early summer of 1650.The poem contrasts two political figures, the ceremonial Charles I and the military Cromwell. I t expresses a deep sense of loss in the passing away of ceremony and ritual with the beheading of the king. A dichotomy is seen in the thoughts and emotions of Marvell the lyric poet and Marvell the Parliamentarian. The Puritan revolution, the new science and modern liberalism were all seen as disrupting an older unified world view in which poetry had a favoured place. In this poem Marvell's attitude towards Cromwell is at best ambivalent. While he shrinks from certain elements in Cromwell's personality and government the poem concludes with a balanced view of his administration. The Ode in two parts celebrates Cromwell

Sunday, August 25, 2019

An Examination of the Wikipedia Site Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

An Examination of the Wikipedia Site - Essay Example This has been related to the concept that the quality of control of internet subjects has not been well regulated especially in terms of the origin of the material, its perspectives and even the selection of references. With the users quick to use the information online, they easily fall into the trap of acquiring wrong information on sites such as Wikipedia. From my assessment, Wikipedia has more weaknesses than strengths. One of the limitations is that the site does not have accurate information that the user may need. In many instances, the readers find a great percentage of the pages on the site requiring citation even from the reader themselves (Wikipedia 2015). This means that the author of the work simply collected information from different sources and combined them to get a complete text. In the course of my research in English, I am likely to find inaccurate information and even wrong information on different subjects using the site. I would not even be surprised to find gr ammatical and spelling errors on the site. The page may also embrace a short form of words such as â€Å"bt† to mean â€Å"but†. Other examples of spelling errors include â€Å"port† as opposed to â€Å"part† (Wikipedia 2015). Secondly, Wikipedia is a not a reliable source since it provides a chance for editing by any user (Wikipedia 2015). It is this point that the user may find a lot of misleading information on the subject in question especially with the differing views on different subjects. The quality of the content is, therefore, questionable; thus, not applicable for my research in English. This finding also explains that the claims posted are indeed questionable. As opposed to scholarly articles, Wikipedia contains shallow information that uses headings to lure the users into using their site and applying their findings. At times, the facts presented in the page may not be required, such as a  historical background to merely all topics, and the rest of the information is not provided (Wikipedia 2015).  

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Popular Music Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Popular Music - Dissertation Example The following research questions will be used to frame the study and develop research on the topic of popular music as an appropriate medium for re-engaging youths from the inner city London boroughs. 1. How would the popular music industry benefit young people from the inner city London boroughs? 2. What risks would be involved in trying to re-engage young people from the inner city London boroughs? 3. What would be the projected success rate of working towards discovering young people in the inner city London boroughs who had talent that could compete in the professional world of popular music? 4. Is popular music an appropriate way to re-engage unfortunate young people from the inner city London boroughs? Through these preliminary research questions this study intends to discover means and methods of re-engaging inner city youths through organisations that can provide services that support entry into the popular music business. In addition, the appropriateness of this medium as a way to re-engage young people will be examined and defined so that risk can be minimized and appropriate support provided through the methods discovered in this research. The Ocean Music Venue is located at 270 Mare Street in London. This venue provides an appropriate local space in which music can be played by musicians that are growing their music (Cylex 2013). Bigga Fish (2013) provides for opportunities for up and coming artists age 14-21 so that they can have experiences such as playing next to experienced artists.

Friday, August 23, 2019

BHP Billiton Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

BHP Billiton - Case Study Example Apart from some specific small scale mining especially in high value low volume minerals, extraction of mineral resources usually requires large scale, capital intensive investments, Most projects are technologically challenging and investments are characterized by high degree of uncertainty and long gestation periods. In most developing countries except China and India, extraction industry seems to be export focused with significant scope of revenue creation but limited scope of employment generation. Mineral extraction also involves considerable threat to an ecosystem, and could have adverse social implications. Finally, mineral resources are non-renewable and often of strategic, geo-political importance. As a result, governmental influence tends to be high, which can interfere with the business operations. Owing to the huge capital investments required for extraction, this market has seen emergence of state-owned enterprises, which can depend on the government for the huge capital investments that they incur. Not all developing and least developed countries can afford the high capital investment. Therefore, this market is also characterized by the presence of large multi national corporations (MNCs), which have the financial power to make huge financial commitments. Exploration activities for minerals can not only take up long gestation periods, but can als... Exploration activities for minerals can not only take up long gestation periods, but can also result in unsuccessful attempts. Even after successful exploration, the investor needs to face the technical risk (involved in extraction at sometimes difficult sites), and market risk (demand and supply risks), political risks (nationalization). Political risks can be higher if the host country has a weal constitutional framework. This is a risky business and the investor should have the expertise necessary to handle such risks. Once investment is committed, the cost of pullout is very high (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, 2007). Section-III About BHP Billiton The largest extractive company, BHP Billiton was chosen as the subject of this case study. Its mission, marketing strategies are explored in the subsequent sections. The mission statement of BHP Billiton is "to create long-term value through the discovery, development and conversion of natural resources, and the provision of innovative customer and market-focused solutions". BHP Billiton is a global resources company in the extractive sector headquartered in Australia. It is a dual listed company and consists of BHP Billiton Limited Group in Australia, and BHP Billiton Plc group in the UK. IN addition, American Depository Receipts (ADRs) of both companies are listed Ney York Stock Exchange (NYSE). It was created in 2001 by the merger of Australia's Broken Hill Proprietary Company (BHP) and the UK's Billiton, which had a Dutch and South African background (Wikipedia, 2009). It is the world's largest diversified natural resources company, and has significant businesses in alumina and aluminum, copper, energy (thermal) coal, iron ore, nickel, manganese,

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Patents And Trademarks Essay Example for Free

Patents And Trademarks Essay 1. What are the types of patents? There are basically three (3) types of patents that an individual can apply for.   The first type is called the Utility Patent.   This type of patent is given to any person who is able to invent or discover any novel and useful process, machine, and manufactured article or matter composition.   It also includes any new and useful improvement of such.   The second type of patent is the design patent.   This patent is given to anyone who is able to create an original and novel ornamental design for any manufactured article.    The third type of patent is the plant patent, which is given to anyone who invents or discovers any distinct new variety of plant. 2. How long does the patent review process take? The patent review process is handled by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.   It is tasked with the review and examination of patent applications.   It usually takes a period of 18 months from the time of filing before the patent is approved.   There is also an accelerated patent application examination process that allows the USPTO to advance an application due to special reasons and circumstances. 3. What is the so-called Madrid Protocol concerning the international registration of marks? The Madrid Agreement and Protocol is a procedure by which any state that is a party to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property may invoke the international protection that is given to the patent.   Trademark and patent owners may now avail of international protection over their intellectual property rights without the need for filing a separate application in a foreign country.   Being a signatory to any of the agreements entitles the citizens of the signatory country to seek the intellectual property protection of any of the party states to the agreement.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Single-sex schools are better due to its psychological reasons Essay Example for Free

Single-sex schools are better due to its psychological reasons Essay I)Introduction Thesis Statement: some people believe that single-sex schools are better because of educational reasons and psychological reasons, while others believe that mix schools are better. II) Single-sex schools are better due to its psychological reasons Girls have fewer constraints over how they must act if males are present they don’t get shy to freely discuss any of their views; they deal with nature and does not fabricate. According to CHRISTIE GARTON, founder, and CEO of 1000 dreams fun â€Å"single-sex schools foster better female-to-female relationship, which creates a sense of mutual empowerment and community†. Girl’s main concern is their looks 1)when there are males in class, girls focus on their physical appearances like styling their hair, wearing makeup and their outfit which takes a lot of time in the morning to get prepared and during the class have to constantly check their look this may eventually lead them to lose their concentration in class. 2)According to Dr. Linda Henman; a passionate proponent of single sex-gender schools believe that it provides fewer distractions, so the students can focus on academics. III) single-sex schools are better due to its educational reasons A)performance in single-sex schools is better than mixed schools. 1) Girl’s will understand to the fullest that’s to say, they don’t hesitate to raise their hand and ask a question related to the chapter the teacher is discussing even if the question is silly; she will not get embarrassed if it is silly therefore she cleared all her doubts. 2)According to Christine Garton, â€Å"a huge part of promoting women’s global success is fostering an environment where girls feel completely comfortable speaking up, voicing their opinions and being heard’’. B) There may be competition between the girls and boys. 1) sometimes boys master at some subjects like math and this will make girls to lose their belief in their abilities which will decrease self-efficacy and performance while in an all-girl environment, competition differs as girls are in the same level of math so this increase competition among them to put more effort in math and get good grades. IV)mixed schools are better due to psychological reasons. A) learning to deal with the other gender. 1)females who are not used to address males before may find it difficult to coexist or communicate with boys that’s to say she would be shy and nervous when talking with them but in mixed schools she is already familiar with how to deal with them so when she enters college or work phase, there will not be any barriers between their collegues2) According to Samira M ,who invented CoderBunnyz â€Å"girls will eventually have to work side by side with boys. So it’s better to start working with them early†. B) V)Mix schools are better due to its social reasons. A)Girls would know how to deal with different personalities. 1 )they will learn about each other way of thinking so that they will be able to understand each other later. 2)According to Professor Simon Baron-Cohen â€Å"A strong reason for co-education is that separating children for numbers of years means they will not be mixing and learning about each other†. B) In six schools there is no bullying. 1)In an all boys environment bullying is more intense which means a boy will be shy to fight with another boy in front of girls this may make him look aggressive and encourage violence and girls may move away from him. VI)conclusion

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Causes of the Little India Riots

Causes of the Little India Riots Introduction In December 2013, an alarming incident hit Singapore and shocked the entire world. Newspaper, reports on it spread across the globe. This incident is no other than the Little India’s Riot. The severity of this issue had sent different messages to the different communities in Singapore. For instance, the government realized the need to look into the issue of migrant workers, Singaporeans preconceived stereotype of these migrant workers worsen and migrant workers possibly losing a place where they can get to enjoy the sense homeliness that they missed dearly. Hence as a result of this highly discussed incident in Little India, I have decided to take a closer look at Little India and the tension that was built up among the residents and the migrant workers there. Prior to this incident, based on a research by T.C. Chang (2000), most of the initial displeasures came from the non-Indian community living in Little India. (Chang, 2000) However, the result of the riot had sparked off increasing concerns from the Indian residents as well. The riot did not occur due to the tension built up but it certainly did amplify the concerns residents have on the migrant workers and their existence. In this paper, we will look at the history of Little India and the present situation, followed by the reasons for the migrant workers’ gatherings and finally the cause of these tension built up to provide a better picture on how the co-presence of migrant workers and residents created tension. However, prior to that, I would like to introduce certain geog raphical terms that will be used throughout this paper which are mainly, space, place and identity. Space in geography is often used in doing spatial analysis. There are many definitions of space available in the different literatures. However, in the context of this paper, we will be looking at Cognitive Space. Cognitive Space is often used when space is shaped by human’s values and thinking. It is bounded by settings which comprises the identities and relations people have with it. Hence, neither space nor place can exist without one another. (Agnew, 2011; Furland, 2008; Mazà ºr Urbà ¡nek, 1983; Horodniceanu, n.d) According to Edward Relph’s book titled Place and Placelessness (1980), he defined place as â€Å"fusions of human and nature order and are the significant centers of our immediate experiences of the world†(p. 141). In order words, place is somewhere where an individual or group has a strong sense of attachment to, creating a sense of identity with the place. (Monnet, 2011; Hauge, 2007; Tuan, 2001; Seamon, 1996; Relph, 1980) In short, space, plac e and identity are often interlinked and one could not exist without another. Having said that, with a brief introduction to these key terms, we will move on to take a closer look at the issue mentioned. History of Little India Little India is not quite like how it is termed. It was never a designated ethnic enclave, dominated by one particular community, unlike Chinatown. However, under the development of Singapore and the cattle trading industry in the mid-1800s in Little India, it had attracted many Indian traders and laborers coming into Little India and eventually settling down there. The increasing growth of the Indian population during the 19th and 20th century led to the numerous cultural and religious landmarks such as Hindu temples that can still be observed today. By then, Little India was dominated by the Tamil-speaking south Indians. The commercial and retail activities catered specifically to this specific community grew rapidly. Even though it was predominantly occupied by the Indians, there were Chinese and Eurasians inhabitants as well. Hence, Little India is considered have a multi-ethnicity population and not just the Indian community. The diversity of population is showcased through the wide array of worship places in the area catering to the different communities and religions which can be found as architectural landmarks in Little India today. (Chang, 2000; URA, 1995; Wong, n.d) Present situation Fast forward to today’s context, it is undeniable there has been an increasing trend in the number of migrant workers coming into Singapore seeking for job opportunities. Based on the statistics obtained from the Ministry of Manpower Singapore, the number of work permits issued for the construction industry increased from 180,000 as of December 2007 to 306,500 in June 2013 (Ministry of Manpower, 2013). The number of foreign workers working in the construction industry had increased by close to 40% as of the figure in 2007. You might be wondering why the emphasis on migrant workers in the construction industry. This is because large percentage of them came from South Asian and shared a similar culture of the Indians. As such, Little India became a place where they gather during the weekends, converting public and private spaces in their own diaspora third spaces. (Yew, 2014) Their presence had also caused an undeniable change in the landscape of Little India. For instance, Beng ali is now the second mostly widely seen and spoken language in Little India. There are also increasing numbers of Bengali restaurants selling Bengali cuisines and even retail shops selling Bengali products set up along the streets of Little India. The characteristics of a street in South Asian can be seen transported into the streets of Little India, replacing many of Little India’s very own characteristics. (Yew, 2014) This process of place-making is also known as personalization. It refers to putting a distinctive mark on a place and it can be in the form of physical changes or attitudinal changes. In this case, we can see that the influence of these migrant workers had created both tangible and intangible forms of personalization on Little India. (Garcia, 2012) The touch of personalisation further entice them into visiting Little India as based on the article â€Å"Home away from Home† by The Straits Times (2013), Little India provides them with the sense of homeli ness, which they had left behind to seek job opportunities in Singapore. It is also estimated that the numbers of migrant workers going to Little India on Sundays can hit more than 30,000. Reasons This increasing trend had caused tension to build up between them and the residents creating an insider-outsider dichotomy in Little India. (Chang, 2000) An insider refers to someone that has a sense of social belonging and is adapted to fit the space while an outsider, is someone who does not feel belonged and feels culturally out of place. According the Edward Relph (1980), there are different forms of insideness and outsideness. In the context of Little India, the residents themselves take up the identity as existential insiders. It is only possible for people who live in that place and had developed a strong sense of belonging and identity with it. The migrant workers on the other hand are incidental outsiders whereby the place was just a setting where they have their activities at. (Relph, 1980) As a result of the co-existence of these two communities in one place, one as an insider and the other as an outsider, a dichotomy will follow because of the different importance the pla ce plays for them. Residents, as insiders, will value the place much more than the migrant workers as the place provides them with a sense of belonging, attachment and identity and played an important role in their daily lives as it is the place where they live and play. The migrant workers on the other hand may only refer Little India as a place for them to gather over the weekends as it provides them the sense of homeliness. (Chan et al., 2013) Therefore, because of different importance Little India plays for the different community, certain behaviors or actions carried out by the â€Å"outsiders† in it may be deemed as unacceptable by the â€Å"insiders†. The unacceptance of the actions hence creates a tension build up between the two. In addition, the sense of insideness and belonging the residents had of Little India also portrayed an implicit sense that they entitled more rights to the space compared to the â€Å"outsiders† and that these public spaces should not be â€Å"owned† by the â€Å"outsiders† during the weekends. However, no one actually legally owns these public spaces. (Yew, 2014) Hence, as a result of these prejudice ownership of rights of the residents and the tension built up overtime, these common spaces where these migrant workers tend to frequent in large numbers were constructed into social problems as their attempts in reclaiming of public spaces. (Yew, 2014; Chang, 2014; Berlenger et al. 2012; Garcia, 2012) The increasing trend of tension build up could be seen from the increasing numbers of reports on the complaints residents had lodged on the migrant workers because of their misconduct. Most of the residents interviewed voiced that the presence of these migrant workers was a major issue that should be looked at. Many complained of their rowdiness under void decks, loitering and even claimed to feel unsafe. This is especially so after the recent riot that occurred in Little India in December 2013. (Yahoo, 2013; Lee, 2013; Gan, 2011; Chang, 2014) However, I feel that besides the insider-outsider dichotomy inside Little India between the residents and migrant workers, the concept of â€Å"othering†, the marginalization of migrant workers in Singapore is highly applicable to the reason for tension build up as well. (Rubdy Mckay, 2013; Vincent et al., 2006) Migrant workers coming into Singapore has always been seen as an â€Å"other† on Singapore landscapes and were marginalized by society. The preconceived stereotype the general public had of the migrant workers often associate it with the 3’Ds which are dirty, difficult and dangerous. (Yew, 2014; Rubdy Mckay, 2013; Vincent et al., 2006) Hence, because of the jobs they are involved in, mostly construction, they are often seen as the â€Å"foreign, lowly and othered pariahs in society† (Rosanow, n.d). These perceptions could be due to the lack of exposure to these workers or even hearsay. Even though there were efforts made by the government, it is still not possible to erase the fundamental relationship between Singaporeans and the migrant workers that had built up for a long time. Hence, due to the preconceived stereotypes the general public had of migrant workers and the increasing numbers of migrant workers, it amplified the anxieties of alterity residents had of the migrant workers in Little India. This increasing sense of alterity is also one of the possible causes of insider-outsider dichotomy in the area, thus creating tension due to unacceptability. Hence, we can say that the issue of marginalization of foreign workers in general among Singaporeans had played a part in contributing to the formation of the insider-outsider dichotomy. Conclusion In conclusion, the increasing number of migrant workers coming into Singapore had created tension between the locals and them. Tension built up could be due to the preconceived idea people have of these workers and hence rejecting them placing their footsteps on Singapore’s landscape or becoming part of their â€Å"space†. This rejection can be seen through the insider-outsider dichotomy as mentioned above. These signs of tension between residents and migrant workers are not only observed in Little India. Places such as Lucky Plaza in Orchard Road and Golden Mile are areas that face similar issues like those in Little India where there is a constant build-up of tension because of the increasing number of migrant workers gathering in these areas. This tension will continue to grow if neither Singaporeans nor migrant workers are willing to change their mindsets. Singaporeans ought to keep an open mind about these migrant workers while the workers become more sensitive to their environment and the feelings of the residents. Singaporeans have to learn to appreciate their existence on Singapore landscapes, the role they play in our society and not judge them based on the work they are involved in. It is the only way to prevent continual build-up of tension as it is an undeniable fact that Singapore needs these workers to sustain its development. Bibliography Berlenger, H., Cameron, S., Mora, C. d. (2012). Place Identity and the experience of Public Space: Revitalisation. Restorativeness, and Transformation. In H. Casakin, F. Bernando, Role of Place Identity in the Perception, Understanding, and Design of Built Environments (pp. 47-91). SAIF Zone, Sharjah, UAE: Bentham Science Publishers. Chang, R. (2014, January 26). Supper Club: Denise Phua: Put ourselves in Little India residents shoes, The Straits Times: SingaPolitics. Retrieved February 11, 2014, from: http://www.singapolitics.sg/supperclub/denise-phua-put-ourselves-little-india-residents-shoes Chang, R., Mokhtar, M., Yong, C. (2013, December 17). Little India Home Away From Home, The Straits Times. Retrieved from http://www.straitstimes.com/the-big-story/case-you-missed-it/story/little-india-home-away-home-20131217 Chang, T. C. (2000). Singapores Little India: A Tourist Attraction as a Contested Landscape, Urban Studies. 37(2), 343-366. Furland, E. B. (2008). The effect of development in Little India and Chinatown, Singapore, from third to first world country. Norwegian University of Technology and Science, Department of Geography. Trondheim. Gan, L. K. (2011, June 20). The New Paper: Little India Residents Woes, AsiaOne News. Retrieved February 9, 2014, from: http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20110620-285089.html. Garcia, J. H. (2012). Open Spaces in Informal Settlements in Bogota, Expressions of Attachment and Identity. In H. Casakin, F. Bernardo, Role of Place Identity in the Perception, Understanding, and Design of Built Environments (pp. 92-106). SAIF Zone, Sharjah, UAE : Bentham Science Publishers . Hage, G. (2006). Insiders and Outsiders. Sociology: place, time and division. Hauge, A. L. (2007, March 1). Identity and place: a critical comparison of three, Architectural Science Review. 2-6. Horodniceanu, O. (n.d). Space, Place, Idenity, Geographical Approaches Lee, K. L. (2013, December 10). Safety of Little India’s residents can be improved, Today Online: Voices. Retrieved February 9, 2014, from: http://www.todayonline.com/voices/safety-little-indias-residents-can-be-improved Mazà ºr, E., Urbà ¡nek, J. (1983). Space in Geography. GeoJournal, 7(2), 139-143. Ministry of Manpower. (2013, June). Foreign Workforce Numbers, Ministy of Manpower. Retrieved February 11, 2014, from: http://www.mom.gov.sg/statistics-publications/others/statistics/Pages/ForeignWorkforceNumbers.aspx#sthash.vIDdObHR.dpbs Monnet, J. (2011). The symbolism of place: a geography of relationships between space, power and identity (Vols. (1278-3366)). Cybergeodo. Relph, E. (1980). Place and Placelessness. London: Pion Limited. Rosanow, G. A. (n.d). Home Away from Home Social Support Network for Migrant Workers , Kitakyushu Forum for Women. Rubdy, R., Mckay, S. L. (2013). Foreign Workers in Singapore: Conflicting discourses, language politics and the negotiation of immigrant identities. De Gruyter Mouton. Seamon, D. (1996). A Singular Impact: Edward Relphs Place and Placelessness. In Environmental and Architectural Phenomenology Newsletter (Vol. 7, pp. 5-8). Selten, M., Zandt, F. v. (2012, September 19). Space vs Place. Human Geography Knowledge Base Retrieved March 3, 2014, from http://geography.ruhosting.nl/geography/index.php?title=Space_vs._place Tuan, Y.-F. (2001). Space and Place: The Perspective Experience. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. Urban Redevelopemnt Authority. (n.d). Conservation-Little India, Urban Redevelopment Authority. Retrieved February 10, 2014, from: http://www.ura.gov.sg/uol/conservation/conservation-xml.aspx?id=LTIN Urban Redevelopment Authority. (1995). Little India- Historic District. Singapore. Vincent, J. A., Shiuan, O. S., Subto, S. F., Manhong, Y., Jing, Y. Y. (2008). The Attitudes of Tertiary Students toward Foreign Construction Workers. Ngee Ann Polytechnic. Wong, S. Y. (n.d). Not such a Little India, Reclaim Land. Retrieved February 9, 2014, from: http://reclaimland.sg/rl/?p=30 Yahoo News: Shopkeepers,residents,visitors responds to Little Indias riot. (2013, December 9). Retrieved from http://sg.news.yahoo.com/singapore-charge-24-indian-workers-rioting-044957734.html Yew, L. (2014). Asianism and the Politics of Regional Consciousness in Singapore. In L. Yew, Asianised Landscapes and the transculturation of Singapore (pp. 174-205). United States of America: Routledge.

Albert Einsteins Theory of Special Relativity Essay -- Science Physic

Albert Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity The theory of Special Relativity, written by Albert Einstein in 1905, describes the laws of motion at velocities close to and at the speed of light. It was written to make the laws of motion consistent with the laws of electromagnetism. Special relativity makes two postulates: the laws of physics are the same for all non-accelerating observers and the speed of light in a vacuum is constant, regardless of motion. One of the consequences of these postulates is that clocks run slower to an observer in motion, or time slows down. Special relativity also states that objects at high speeds always appear shorter in the direction of motion than they do at rest. However, length measurements transverse to the direction of motion are unaffected. Velocity addition is different for special relativity than for classical mechanics because according to special relativity, nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. Also, in order to retain the conservation of momentum as a general la w consistent with Einstein's first postulate, a new definition of momentum must be used at relativistic velocities. The twin paradox is the famous example that uses time dilation and length contraction. Special relativity is not contradictory with classical mechanics because at low speeds, all of the laws of special relativity reduce to the laws of classical mechanics. In 1905, Albert Einstein wrote his paper on the special theory of relativity (Prosper). This theory has the reputation as being so exotic that few people can understand it. On the contrary, special relativity is simply a system of kinematics and dynamics, based on a set of postulates that is different from those of classical mec... ...pecial relativity has caused profound changes in the way we view our universe at its most fundamental level. The theory has had an effect on many areas of science, especially physics. Even though many people did not think that special relativity was anything more than a theoretical idea, it has been tested numerous times. In every case, the predictions of special relativity are upheld. Special relativity is a cornerstone upon which modern physics has been built, and it is one of the greatest discoveries of the twentieth century. References Einstein, Albert. Relativity: The Special and General Theory. Three Rivers Press, New York, New York. 1961. Krane, Kenneth. Modern Physics, Second Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1996. Prosper, H. Introduction to Relativity: Special Relativity. http://www.physics.edu/users/ProsperH/AST3033/relativity.htm

Monday, August 19, 2019

The Lady of Shalott Essay -- essays research papers

1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Introduction This paper will try to analyze the growth of consciousness of the Lady of Shalott. Ranging from her state of mind in total isolation, her 'childhood', to her changing 'adolescence' and eventually reaching 'adulthood' and death, all in a sort of quick-motion. It will further deal with the development of tension throughout the poem. By making a distinction between tension through formal aspects, such as rhyme scheme, and tension through content it will try to show the interconnection between both of them. Additionally, the paper will deal with the possible effect of tension on the reader and how the poem might be perceived by him/her. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Growth of Consciousness and Development of Tension 2.1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Initial Isolation Lord Alfred Tennyson's poem starts out with the total seclusion of the beautiful, young Lady of Shalott surrounded by '…four grey walls, and four grey towers…';. (Tennyson, line 15). She is largely unaware of the world outside and of her own existence as a woman, only being able to see shadows of reality, which are reflected by her magic (?) crystal mirror and worked into her web. At this point of time it is unknown to the reader whether the Lady of Shalott is forced to be in this situation or chose to live this life of isolation. Reasons for a self inflicted seclusion might be homophobia, the fear of rejection by the exterior world, or simply a lack of interest for it. However, the Lady of Shalott is quite content with what she has and what she does. Her life of art in front of the loom and the crystal mirror is all she needs singing her ';…song that echoes cheerly…'; (30) throughout the land. She is as innocent as a careless child giving little thought about her future. The Lady of Shalott has no urge to leave her own interior world because she is not aware of any other options. Little is known about her outside '…many-towered Camelot.'; (5) and apparently she intends to keep it that way: But who hath seen her wave her hand ? Or at the casement seen her stand ? Or is she known in all the land, The Lady of Shalott ? (24-27) By now the reader might ask him-/herself why the Lady of Shalott is stuck in such a dreadful situation and why she does not attempt to do anything about it. There is a cons... ...martyrdom and so the story ends, leaving the reader in anger about the carelessly spoken words of Lancelot. 3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  'The Lady of Shalott'; was and is subject for countless interpretation by readers and artists, especially pictorial. Although, or maybe because the whole setting is quite vague and shadowy there have been many attempts to explain why the Lady of Shalott was cursed. Maybe she was not cursed al all. What was this whisper she heard ? Was she schizophrenic, hearing voices inside her head ? Another question is why she had to die in the end. Is it possible she eventually commit suicide, because she had realized that her love for Sir Lancelot was futile ? These are some questions that stay in the back of your head after reading Tennyson's poem. Even today you can feel the infinite struggle the Lady of Shalott had to undergo. Tennyson impressively shows the development of a young woman who is faced with one of the most difficult times in life- growing up in a world full of restrictions and rules and becoming a woman. His subtle description of a girls problems at his time is, slightly altered, even valid today.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Essay --

Schroeder 1 Hunter Schroeder Ms. Caturano Honors English 9 January 2013 Independent Reading: Connections Connection: Going to Extremes For Love The Hunger Games is set in world called Panem that was once America, before the Capitol was overcome in some unexplained, apocalyptic war. As punishment for that aggression, the remains were divided into 12 districts. Every year each district has to send one boy and one girl between 12 and 18 years old, chosen by lottery, to compete in a nationally televised event called â€Å"the Hunger Games.† The purpose of this is to create a mass killing spree with only one survivor. What really twists this storyline is when two tributes from the same district fall in love and fight to protect each other until they are the last ones left in the games. The two go to extreme measures to keep one another out of danger. â€Å"You're still trying to protect me. Real or not real," he whispers. "Real," I answer. "Because that's what you and I do, protect each other† (Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games). Because the hunger games is such a gruesome event, the things Katniss and Peeta did for each other aren't typical things couples would give up for eachother. These two would share supplies and weapons along with going as far as killing off an attacking enemy. Seeing how far Katniss and Peeta were willing to go to be with each other gave me a better understanding of why Romeo and Juliet fought to never let anything get in between them. Even though Romeo is a Montague and Juliet is a Capulet and the two families have an ancient rivalry they did not let that stand in the way of being with each other. â€Å"O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name! Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, ... ...ena. â€Å"You love me. Real or not real?" I tell him, "Real.† (Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games). Even though Katniss and Peeta are so young, they truly believe that they are in love. This changes my opinion of Romeo and Juliet and leads me to believe that they really could have been in love so young. Romeo and Juliet were a mere 13 and 14 when they claimed to fall madly in love and get married, but this was around the normal marrying age for that time period. â€Å"But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun† (Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet). In this time period, young people were very romantically mature and knew about love and did not just marry anyone because there was no such thing as divorce. This makes me think that Romeo and Juliet may have been in love and people were just very critical because the were of rival families.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

How Accurate Is It to Describe the Us Constitution as Too Rigid?

How accurate is it to describe the US Constitution as too rigid and difficult to change? The USA has a written codified constitution and as a result, it may be described as too rigid and difficult to change. The UK in contrast, has an unwritten constitution in the sense that it is not contained in one single document so it lacks a formal constitution but is made up of a variety of different sources along with long-standing traditions. This has led to some saying it is too flexible and easy to change.While it may be argued, that the US constitution is too rigid and too difficult to change and this is highlighted through the lack of new amendments, I do not feel that this is a bad thing, it was desire of the Founding Fathers to be this way in order to ensure long-term political stability. In order to amend the constitution the Founding Fathers stated that Congress must call a national convention at the request of two thirds of the state legislatures or there must be a two-thirds superm ajority in favour of the amendment of both houses in Congress, the first has never been used.For a proposal to be ratified the Founding Fathers specified that there should never be another supermajority in three-quarters of the state legislatures for this amendment to be added to the constitution. The relatively inflexible nature of the US constitution is revealed through the number of amendments that have been made. Since the bill of rights, which was the inclusion of ten rights to the constitution, there have been only 17 amendments made.Even two of these cancel each other out, the 18th and 21st regarding to the prohibition of alcohol. This could be argued this is appropriate rigidity, some people would argue that it prevents the USA from adapting to changes in the national culture and situations. Many people state the ‘right to bear arms’ as the principle example highlighting the nation’s failure to set stricter gun laws. However, the nature of the constitutio nal change in the USA requires that the majority of people to put pressure onto Congress to implement necessary changes.The fact that this has not happened in some ways shows that the constitution is fulfilling its role and preventing fundamental changes based on minority views, just as it was designed to do. While the limited number of amendments presents the USA constitution as being highly flexible, it has been kept up to date through judicial interpretation. The founding fathers granted the judiciary the power to interpret the document and this has allowed the rules of the constitution to be kept up to date. It has been flexible in the sense it can evolve along with the changes in society.In this role, the judiciary has been willing to interpret the words in the light of modern conditions and ignore precedent. It should be noted that when the Judiciary is mainly Republican, they are more likely to conserve the constitution in its present state, whereas Democrats are likely to be more willing to add and interoperate the constitution more freely. The constitution was intended to be a full set of fundamental principles for the ‘new nation state’. If they are such fundamental principles, then it possibly could be argued that it should in fact be entrenched and difficult to change.In the USA, constitutional law is above that of ordinary statute law where there is conflict between the two. In contrast, the UK does not have constitutional law. ‘Constitutional changes’ are implemented in exactly the same manner as statute law, by a simple majority in the sovereign parliament, such as the Devolution of Scotland, however, in America any change in power would need constitutional amendment, and as I have pointed out this is a difficult process, however though not many amendments have been enacted, a few have showing it does happen time to time.The founding fathers set in place the rigidity of the constitution, giving the judiciary, the abilit y in making constitution to be flexible in terms of its interpretation, thus allowing it to keep it up to date. It has stood the test of time and has maintained political stability

Friday, August 16, 2019

My Christmas 2008

When I woke up early morning Friday 19. December the first thought that crossed my mind was that finally, today we were getting free from school! This holiday was going to be amazing! Time went on and suddenly I got home from school and the days without homework, early mornings and tired hours were finally over! What a relief†¦ I started these days by just sleeping. I slept for a very long time the first nights. I didn't really do anything special the first weekend. I was rested and ready for a new week full of Christmas, friends, family and fun! Christmas Eve was really good. My aunt and my grandfather visited us and ate dinner with us. I just love the dinner on Christmas Eve! My neighbour, a good friend of mine also showed up late at night, and he stayed with us a little while we watched a movie and talked. At the first day of Christmas my whole family, including my uncles, aunts with their family. My cousins are so fun to be around, so I had a really good day. Christmas is the best holiday. At least that's what I think. Next day I went shopping with two of my friends. Of course this trip went no longer than Sweden. We ended the day by watching movies and eating a lot candy. Not very healthy though, but we had a good time that day. The days went faster then ever, and suddenly it was new years eve! I spent this night only with my family. We ate good food, and the night turned out to be real nice. After this night the holiday was going to an end, and before we knew it, suddenly it was Monday and back to school. I really loved this holiday. I had a good time with my family and my friends that I care about a lot. They're the best. Hoping it will be just as good next year.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Supply chain management Essay

In this final paper for Managerial Finance I will attempt to show how the supply chain inventory management method can be affected depending on the situation of the retailer. Studying the control method for problems in inventory, which would include both, excesses in inventory as well as shortages, and hoping to minimize loss. Use of SCM as a Method of Inventory Control I have decided to do the final for Managerial Finance on the use of the SCM method as a form of inventory control, because I have worked in a business that has used many different forms of inventory control. As a manager it was one of my responsibilities to maintain inventory and observe any losses as a loss prevention issue that must be discovered. The ordering responsibility for inventory was one of my most important duties as a manager. â€Å"Supply Chain Management is a set of synchronized decision & activities, utilized to effectively integrate suppliers, manufacturers, transporters, warehouses, retailers & customers so that the right product or service is distributed at the right quantities, to the proper locations & at the appropriate time, in order to minimize system wide costs while satisfying customer service level requirements. (Misra, 2010) Finding different options for inventory choices as well as finding prices that reflects a profit for the company was primary reasons for me to research the available possibilities in inventory. Deciding a price for acquiring inventory is an important aspect of making a determination in product for any company striving to make a profit. An important aspect of inventory is the amount of inventory that needs to be ordered, as over ordering or under ordering can be just as problematic for a company. A company that over orders does ot receive profit, because they have put out too much money without a return on that investment, will not make a profit. A popular product may sell very well for a company, but an overabundance of product means that the remaining product after sales may end up being a loss if sales do not again pick up. Under ordering can be just a big of a problem for a company because when customers start coming in for products that are not on the shelves it leads them to find alternate sources for their purchases. Under ordering can also create problems when it comes time to do a secondary order. The initial under ordering of product can lead even the most cautious of managers to second guess their ordering process. The initial under order leads a manager to think that they need to order more of the product to compensate for future sales of the product. The main problem that comes from this common over reaction is that the company lost out on sales on the initial order so tried to compensate by ordering more of the product on their new order. There may have been an increased demand on the first day of sales that may not (usually not) return when the manager orders more stock. The ability to make an initial determination as to the proper inventory can be a deciding factor on a profitable business and an unprofitable one. SCM or supply chain management is a process that refines the process in which managers make their decisions for the products and services that the company offers. SCM is a way for a company to find the products that they offer to their customers. â€Å"The Supply Chain management (SCM) is defined by the Supply Chain Forum (SCF) as the integration of key business processes from end user through suppliers that provide goods, services and information that add value for customers. (Assey, 2012) Supply chain management takes the production of a manufacturer and presents it to a supplier; the supplier then presents those products to the retailers which in turn provide those products to the customers. Choosing the supplier that gets the best deal from the manufacturer is going to give the most profit for the retailer selling the product to their customers. The process of supply chain management can actually merge retailers with supplier just as suppliers merge with the manufacturers. Some companies choose to use various different suppliers for their products while other companies choose to use a single supplier for their product. Personally I worked for a video game company called FuncoLand which was purchased by a company called Babbages, which merged with Electronics Boutique. After the merger the name of the company was changed to GameStop which is now the largest video game retailer in the United States. The thing that makes this important to this paper is that when FuncoLand was purchased by Babbages the supply chain changed. The change in the supply chain meant that all orders must be relooked at to insure the same profit levels for products that GameStop enjoyed. The single supplier for GameStop was replaced by the numerous different suppliers of Babbages. Every item of inventory needed to be checked to make sure they reflected a price that was going to produce profit for the merged FuncoLand and Babbages stores. Inventory charts were created and every store of both needed to inventory all items listed so that they could be compared with the new companies overall stock as well as profit ratios. Once the inventories of both companies were done there was a coordinating effort by upper management to determine prices of available product as well as the suppliers that were going to deal which each stores location. The numerous different suppliers made each location different in their ordering and inventory procedures. As could be expected this made it very difficult for these merged companies to be individually managed by the district and upper management. Each individual store was looked at by the store managers and was expected when issues arose to contact headquarters immediately. The buyout of these two merged companies by Electronic Boutique turned out to be a blessing in disguise for all involved. Electronic Boutique used a single supplier had dealt with the same supplier for years and had already worked out their profit ratios (including the purchase cost of the two companies) and store management once again needed to inventory their entire product for the new owners. The name was changed to GameStop and all store locations now used the same supplier and the prices for each store location were set by upper management. Ordering was done automatically based on the initial stores inventory counts and the new POS systems. While I understand there is an alternate definition for POS in this instance it refers to â€Å"point of sale†. The point of sale system was built using the store’s inventory, and orders for products were made, when the sales reached a certain level. Once a product reached a certain level of sales and did not continue to sell the item was automatically removed from the automatic reorder listing. The product would not be reordered into that store location unless it was a pecial order done by the stores management and usually had to be presented with a reason for the order to be made. In the four years that I worked for GameStop I only ever had to use this feature one time. A customer wanted Final Fantasy 7, new and unopened, and this was well over a year after the initial release of the game. The suppliers notified the upper management that they could do this, and I placed an order for the product as a full pre-sale, which means that the money was available to GameStop before the product was available to the customer. Being the only time this issue ever arose for me while working at GameStop it was an interesting learning experience about how a supply chain management process works. â€Å"The descriptive model presented is useful in settings where organizational structure and the supply chain are needed to support sustainable products and processes and whose success is facilitated by establishing strategic partners, especially those that make possible economies of scale†. Pullman & Dillard, 2010) Since one of the primary reasons for using supply chain management is to reduce inventory and cost for a company, GameStop has achieved what neither FuncoLand nor Babbages were able to because their use of a single supplier made achieving profit that much more possible for the mangers making their store orders. â€Å"Most of the decline is due to more efficient cash and inventory management†. (Ross, Westerfield, Jaffe, Jordan, 2010) The main purpose of examining the supply chain management method is insuring that the retailer gets the best uses of their supplier(s). Minimizing shortages, while acquiring profits, in an attempt to optimize the proper supply for each location, is another purpose of using supply chain management. The strategy can be difficult to implement for those unaware of the procedures. I must admit that I did not realize the purpose (or the concept) of supply chain management, at the time I worked for GameStop. Looking back at my time at GameStop has led me to a new appreciation for the business that was built off of the back of FuncoLand.

Only God can be the source of moral awareness Essay

Moral awareness is sometimes referred to as the human conscience, it supposedly separates us from other animals and allows us to function as a society. A moral is a value that we live our lives by and each one contributes to a moral code of conduct which then becomes a country’s laws. This essay focuses on the ideas of Kant and Newman, who believed the source of moral awareness could potentially be God, and Freud and Russell whose views oppose religious ones. Some key ideas used are the Moral Argument, Psychoanalytic theory of personality, and the Euthyphro Dilemma. Kant’s understanding of moral awareness was that it consisted of universal moral laws that everyone knows of and are obligated to follow; these laws do not vary between cultures or throughout time. An example of an objective moral law would be that we shouldn’t commit murder. A moral action might be to help an elderly person across a busy road. We would perform this moral action- or others- out of duty, obligation and reasoning. To discover the correct action to perform in a situation we apply moral reasoning- otherwise known as the categorical imperative. This is like a test that enables us to identify our moral duty. When deciding whether to lie or tell the truth, for instance, we consult the categorical imperative. These ideas helped Kant to formulate his Moral Argument for the existence of God. Humans, he said, have a sense of innate moral awareness that burdens us with the obligation to be virtuous. True virtue is logically rewarded with happiness, but we’re incapable of rewarding ourselves. He called the state in which virtue and happiness coincide the ‘summum bonum’, and the only way to ensure this state is reached is by the existence of a God. Summum Bonum can then be reached in a form of afterlife, explaining why we feel the constant pressure from our conscience to do the right thing, even when it won’t directly benefit us. Importantly though, Kant didn’t explicitly say that God was the source of moral awareness, but that human reason was and that this reason was provided by God. Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890) had similar views on the source of moral awareness, he said: â€Å"We feel responsibility, are ashamed,  are frightened at transgressing the voice of conscience, this implies that there is one to whom we are responsibl e.† By this he means that the existence of conscience implies that we are answerable to someone who provided moral laws, and that the law-giver is in all probability God. On the other hand, Freud would disagree with Kant and Newman, because morals aren’t objective and consistent as they claim them to be. Freud noticed the differences in ethical values and actions, and attributed them to social conditioning. He said that the area of our mind- the superego contains the reasoning ability to make decisions, it’s our conscience. Freud said our conscience is shaped by people involved in our early developed- parents and teachers. These people pass on their moral values to us through socialisation, which is the process where we acquire a personal identity and learn values, social skills and behaviour from other in society. This version of the source of our conscience accounts for the subjective values seen in the people of the world and can be used as evidence against God as the source of moral awareness. Another who felt God was an unsatisfactory explanation for the origin of moral awareness was Bertrand Russell. He reformulated Plato’s Euthyphro Dilemma, wherein Euthyphro is unable to solve the question of whether a thing is good because God commands it, or if God says something is good due to a quality it has? Euthyphro didn’t know what that quality could be. Russell presents the argument that either God isn’t good, or He’s not the most powerful being. God isn’t good if Divine Command Theory (morality is the revealed will and commands of God) is correct, as this would demean God’s goodness by making His most important quality power. Also, by this logic, any immoral act could become moral if God was to say so- for example, murder would be acceptable if God said so, yet we would still know from our conscience that murder is wrong. The second problem is even worse for Christians to accept, as by definition God is the most powerful being. However, if He acknowledges a moral code superior to Him, that we must abide by, God wouldn’t be the Divine Being at all. This argument suggests that God is not the source of moral awareness and instead implies that either there is something superior to God where the moral code originated, or that  conscience simply exists without an outside being’s intervention. In conclusion, God is not necessarily the source of moral awareness, as there’s no solid evidence that this is the case. Other proposals have been made by people such as Freud- conscience could be the result of our upbringing or just something that is naturally occurring in humans. The statement ‘only God can be the source of moral awareness’ is therefore incorrect.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Answering questions

This theory states that attention can be divided into two separate states, wherein one can attend to two things or stimuli at the same time, without sacrificing the quality of attention given to either of the two stimuli (Reisberg, 2001). Thus to the comedian, one can continue listening to the radio and at the same time look for the house number, and it perfectly makes sense to him that a person can do both of it since it does not really require an intense concentration. However, a case in point is that looking for a house number in a long row of houses may be quite a challenging task, one that requires concentration and selective attention. Yes, it can be said that keeping the radio on would not make any difference but to those who prefer to look closely and to be able to do so safely would naturally turn their radios off. Just imagine yourself driving slowly in a street you are unfamiliar with and keeping the radio on would mask the noise of incoming traffic or even pedestrians. Besides, when a person is involved in one task, like looking for a house, then one instinctively attends to it and disregards the other sounds, sights and disturbances in the immediate environment. Divided attention is very real, we engage it once in a while especially if we multi-task but we could do so in a limited period, for example think of how you can possibly manage to entertain questions from an officemate at your table and at the same time talk to someone on the phone, you could do both for a maximum of 2 minutes, but eventually one stimuli takes greater attention and we must give our full attention to it. On the other hand, with training, anybody can make use of divided attention, but its contributions and benefits in engaging in it remains to be seen since much research has to be done in this area. 2-B. Based on what you have learned about perception and attention, do you think it’s safe for people to talk on cellular phones while they are driving? Learning about how we perceive the world around us gives us a better way of understanding how intricate the human mind is and how even a faculty that we often take for granted can have a profound impact in our daily lives. Perception refers to a complex process of how we receive a stimuli, how our brain process the stimuli, and how our mind tells us what to do and how to react to the stimuli (Reisberg, 2001). It can be said that a disruption of any of the lines of our perception may have adverse consequences; sometimes it can be bizarre, like when a person cannot recognize the face of love one but instead are able to say that they look like a family member. Taking our study of perception into our daily activities, a debated issue like â€Å"is it safe to talk on the cell phone while driving† is better explained. I still believe that it is not safe to talk on the cellular phones while driving. Driving already entails a number of processes and is quite demanding of our attention, like when you are in the freeway, one has to be conscious of incoming traffic, cars at you back, the speed limit of the highway, and even looking out for possible mishaps in the road, on top of which, the driver must be conscious of the cars fuel level, brake fluid and tire conditions. So how could anybody be able to talk on the phone while driving? Talking on the phone also demands attention; we have to perceive and process what the other person is saying, and to even think of the appropriate response to what they are saying. Theories on perception have stated that our mind works overtime just to process and be able to respond to external stimuli, and that each part of the brain is involve in different ways just to come up with the correct processing of information (Reisberg, 2001), like being able to recognize faces of family members. Perceptual illusions demonstrate that what we see may not be true or real, hence while driving we may not be able to accurately tell how far we are from the car ahead of us or how near we are to the railings without our full concentration. Reports have shown that many people die on the road or in car accidents than any disease. Perceptual overload occurs when we drive and talk on the phone, based on previous researches (Reisberg, 2001), perceptual overload makes us incorrectly perceive our surroundings and hence we may see what is not there, or we may not see what is really there. When we overload our senses it would mean that one part of the brain or our faculties might be sacrificed to compensate for the attention we give to another stimulus. And in an activity like driving which in itself is a high-risk behavior, we need complete control of our faculties, thus talking on the cell phone is not advisable. 2-C. Write a 200 word summary and critical analysis on Rayner’s article. Discuss what the article is basically about, its strong and weak points, how convincing (or unconvincing) you find its arguments, and how it might be followed up (e.g., if you think the article suggests any promising, new ideas for future research, describe what they are and how they might best be pursued.) The article â€Å"Eye Movements in Reading: Recent Developments† by Keith Rayner (1993) presents the latest development in the study of eye movement in the reading process. The strength of the article is that it gives a background of what has been discovered so far in the field of study, the article argues that studying eye movement is important for it help build theory and also used to infer perceptual and cognitive processes during reading thus the objective of the article. It also presents a number of theories that have used new methods in studying eye movement. What was weak about the article was that it was not able to connect how the new methods of studying would contrite to a better understanding of the cognitive processes that occur during reading. The article basically was not convincing when the author says that much remains to be seen when researchers realize how interesting a research data eye movement can be. The article does not arouse this interest and simply goes on to say that eye movement is a natural consequence of reading, which contradicts his claims earlier in the introduction part. The article was also too technical for the average reader even if the reader is interested in eye movement. References Rayner, K. (1993). Eye movements in reading: Recent developments. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2 (3): 81-85 Reisberg, D. (2001). Cognition: Exploring the science of the Mind, 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton Company, Inc.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Risk Management - International Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Risk Management - International Trade - Essay Example Wikipedia explains the process of risk identification, "After establishing the context, the next step in the process of managing risk is to identify potential risks. Risks are about events that, when triggered, will cause problems. Hence, risk identification can start with the source of problems, or with the problem itself." A similar condition comes under scrutiny when Australia considers to invest in UK. It is not only about another country, but about another continent, another culture, another geopolitical scenario. So the economic stance takes somewhat of a back seat unless other important issues are taken care of. Under mentioned is an analysis of the investment scenario in UK vis--vis Australia, and what can be the most effective strategy for market research in the former. Nothing negative, but factually speaking, when one has to conduct marketing research and ultimately trade in a country, it is very important to consider the political scenario within the country. Based on Australia's position in the Commonwealth, Australian relations with UK are active. As the current Chair in Office of the Commonwealth, UK plays a substantial role in Commonwealth affairs creating opportunities for close participation with Australia in a broad range of Commonwealth issues. These issues are imperative to be considered, as any country that wants to invest elsewhere, must undergo this process. As is evident, it cannot be accomplished without help and expertise from the localities. Keeping all this in view, it only seems rational and pragmatic to rely as much as possible on UK market researchers. The fact of the matter remains, that it is not a country with an ideal infrastructure of communication and regulations. Therefore, the theoretical marketing research that a book of marketing may teach, may not be wholly applicable upon UK. The importance of local knowledge in this instance cannot be over emphasised. Hence, in the execution phase, certain modalities of risk inference may differ inherently. That is by no means a flaw, but actually a characteristic in its own

Monday, August 12, 2019

The EU as a Diplomatic Actor in Recent Conflicts Essay

The EU as a Diplomatic Actor in Recent Conflicts - Essay Example When America appeared to disregard even a consensus on the matter, EU came out with a view that, 'the European Union does not support a war on Iraq without the backing of the United Nations' (Reuters, 2003). A team of weapon inspectors was on a 'fact finding mission in Iraq', but America appeared to eager to strike and was in no mood to wait for their report. On the other hand the European Union together with governments from other parts of the world wanted to have a firm proof for punishing Iraq. After the 9/11 attacks, US appeared desperate to take on the terror outfits. Iraq and Afghanistan were the first in the firing line. UK, an important partner of EU, having good relations with US as well, formed the backbone of support for US policies. The official stand of European Union on the other hand was to start off the attacks after debating the issue and seeking a sanction from UN. But the moot point is, to what extent the European diplomacy was in action. The Maastricht Treaty of 1 992 was instrumental in coming out with a common foreign and security policy (CFSP) for the European Union (Bruter, 1999). This implied that the 'Union' will have a unanimous opinion about an issue. But the factual position has been somewhat different. The CFSP appeared in some common declarations only and not on issues involving diplomatic rows. It is worthwhile here to mention that the European Union and CFSP appeared to provide a semblance of unanimity on paper, but on the surface, the interests of nations forming part of the union forces them to take different stand on a range of issues. Anderson (2001) lists out factors like, lack of participation or concern by the Member States; perceived competition between the Commission and the Member States; inconsistent Member State positions; and slowness as the reasons for the EU not being able to come out with effective and unanimous stands. The Iraq war happened to be one such issue on which the EU could not come out with a strong and unanimous view. The official statement from EU on Iraq is that1, "The EU is committed to working with Iraq and international partners in order to bring about a secure, stable, unified, democratic and prosperous Iraq." But the actual implementation of this commitment is yet to be seen. While on a visit to Greece after the war started in Iraq, the UN Secretary General Mr. Kofi Annan also called upon the EU leaders to come out with a common stand on the issue of Iraq (Barringer and Bruni, 2003). Once the war on Iraq was declared by the US and allied forces, on the basis of 'concrete proof', it appeared irreversible. But as days went by, it was all too apparent that the 'proof' that were being used as an alibi for initiating the attacks were nowhere visible on the surface. Even the so-called 'weapons of mass-destructions' were nowhere to be seen. This resulted in protests in UK and USA against the excesses being committed in Iraq. Today, even after executing Saddam Husain and thousands of deaths the WMDs are still proving to be illusionary. On the other hand the war has become a trap for US and allied forces; now they are finding it difficult to come out of it. Realising the differences in opinions of world leaders in general, UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan said, "No issue has so divided the world since the end of the Cold

Sunday, August 11, 2019

Recent Supreme Court decisions 2014 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Recent Supreme Court decisions 2014 - Essay Example The court of appeal of California declined the petition and affirmed that the police officers had right to stop and search the vehicle since they had sufficient suspicion that deduced them to investigate the vehicle. The officers did not violate the fourth amendment and they supposed the vehicle driver was intoxicated with marijuana. The fourth amendment grants police officers powers to stop a person or vehicle and conduct a brief investigation if they have perception that the person is criminal suspect. The police tip off by the caller of 911call gave the security officers sufficient reasons to stop and investigate the vehicle that resembled the one occupied by the petitioners. The claimed reported by the 911 caller of a vehicle running another vehicle on the road was sufficient reason by the security officers to suspect the occupants of the car were drunk. Therefore, the judge of the California court of appeal affirmed the trial court’s decision that security officers acted reasonably by suspecting the petitioners of drunken driving. In this case, the respondent was young, a victim of sexual abuse who had been engaged in production of phonographic video at a tender age. At the age of seventeen years she discovered her image was continuing to circulate in the internet thus perpetrating the abuse she went through. Paroline the petitioners accepted the liability of being in possession of victim’s photographic images. The victim requested for three million dollar as restitution for the lost revenue by trading with her image and five-hundred thousand dollars future treatment and counselling expenses. The Supreme Court held that the victim was entitled to restitution to the extent of the loss she was caused by the offender. Also, the court added that the government had an obligation to determine the loss suffered by the victim. Therefore, the payment of restitution by the offender to the victim was declared

Saturday, August 10, 2019

Explain the principal mistakes of Hitler during World War Two. How Essay

Explain the principal mistakes of Hitler during World War Two. How could Nazi Germany have won the war (c. 1000 words) - Essay Example But what he gave the German people was more death, more destruction. His multiple mistakes in starting and prosecution the Second World War led to a new and this time total defeat for Germany. This essay will examine a number of those mistakes and show just where Hitler went wrong. Hitler made numerous mistakes during his period of leadership, but among the most blatant and serious was attacking the Soviet Union in 1941. Since the remilitarization of the Rhineland in 1936, Hitler had been on a role. He had successfully annexed Austria and Czechoslovakia, and he had managed what seemed impossible the invasion of Poland and France. His western front was threatened only by Britain which was back on his heels. Therefore his major concern was with the Eastern front. There he had secured peace with Stalin in the Ribbentrop-Molotov compact which had divided Poland. Stalin didnt care what Hitler did to Europe; as far as he was concerned, Hitler could take the whole continent so long as there was peace between the two men. It was therefore a serious error for Hitler to declare war on the Soviet Union. To be fair, he thought that Stalins purges of the army has massively weakened the Soviet Unions defences. Nevertheless, the lesson had been well learnt by Napoleon 150 ye ars earlier, that Russia was never an easy place to invade and that the brutal winters made it very hard to hold ground there. Hitler thought his invasion of the Soviet Union could be complete within a few months, but he overestimated the speed and equipment at the disposal of the Wehrmacht. At Stalingrad, the Soviet army delayed the Germans long enough to effectively freeze them out and encircle the Sixth Army—a devastating blow. Hitler refused to listen to many of his best generals—a crucial error. This is a good illustration of one of Hitlers most significant errors: he never knew when to stop and consolidate his victories. He became

Friday, August 9, 2019

International management - Ethics - Moral relativism vs moral Essay

International management - Ethics - Moral relativism vs moral universalism - Essay Example This analysis starts with a brief description of the debate between moral relativism and moral universalism. The second section presents an analysis of the case, which is Google in China, in terms of its connection to the ethics debate. Particularly, the analysis tries to determine whether China’s Internet censorship approach is universalistic or relativistic, and, more importantly, whether Google’s response to the impenetrability of China’s culture and ideals reflects a universalistic or relativistic model of morality. Overview of the Moral Relativism and Moral Universalism Debate Moral relativism is the view that moral standards are particular or distinct to culture and personal judgments. It argues that a universal moral standard does not exist. On the other hand, moral universalism argues that morality is valid universally, irrespective of gender, race, religion, culture, nationality, or other unique attributes; in the debate, Universalists claim that moralit y have been concretely delineated in different international agreements and declarations whereas relativists relate to distinct cultural viewpoints (McDonald, 2010). The various morality theories are generated by various view of morality. These theories have built divisions and barriers in human society. The influence of these moral views on people’s lives is considerable. It affects the moral attitude and behavior of individuals. Hence, there are dilemmas of ethical conflicts and double moral standards. Individuals are not certain of the form of morality they should conform to, either moral universalism or moral relativism. This predicament is continuously experienced by Google in their operation in China. Moral relativism, in business, usually becomes traditional morality and unethical decisions are usually defended on the theory of ‘commonly accepted practice’ (McDonald, 2010, 451). A number of scholars in international business have been distrustful of circum stances where moral relativism has been employed as a kind of ‘moral sanctuary’ (McDonald, 2010, 451). For instance, companies may have carried out a decision which generally would be viewed as unethical but have asserted that the decision is ethical, or reasonable, since it falls within a particular cluster of moral norms promoted by the society where in they are in service. In reaction to this argument, which basically reinforces the arguments that deeds are impervious to common moral standards because they originate from a particular set of standards or codes that surpass general norms, Roberts (1986 as cited in McDonald, 2010) has argued that, because of the intricacies of international business, there is a certain extent of excuse for companies demanding immunity from moral censure by sheltering behind premises of moral relativism, particularly because of their need to make room for diverse cultural situations. Unsurprisingly, this argument is controversial. It may be appealing to refuse to believe that there are universal principles that can provide direction to those whose trade has to be carried out on a global arena. Maybe, multinational business firms should recognize and applaud relativism as a principle and proclaim itself in support of an ethic of conduct that is situational, domestic, and local. The strength of relativism in international