How the National Industry of Smuggling Harms the Economy...

Smuggling is the illegal transportation of goods or people, such as out of building into a prison , or cross an international border in volation of applicable laws or other regulation. There are various way to smuggle. These include the participation in illegal trade, such as in the drug trade etc. Smuggling severly harms the economy of a country in multidimensional ways. â€Å"Smuggling was not just a cottage industry, but a national industry.† Jim Sinclair Smuggling is an activity which involves the importation or exportation of goods by wrong or unlawful means with objective of evading taxes. Smuggling is an illegal method of conducting business. The principle causes of smuggling are greed for wealth ignorance and lack of nationalism.†¦show more content†¦RAWALPINDI: British Woman Jailed For Smuggling Drugs A court jailed a british mother of three for life for attempting to smuggle 63 kilogram of heroin out of the country. Markets and shops across the country are flooded with smuggled goods of any and all descriptions. Smuggled items through the borders of Iran, Afghanistan, China and the Afghan transit trade form a major part of the informal economy volume of which ranges between 50to60 percent of the formal economy, which is depriving the country of its rightful levies including excise and customs duty worth hundreds of billions of Rupees. Thousands of industrial units have been rendered sick, due to the availability of smuggled goods in open markets. Afghan imports under Afghan transit trade are actually arranged for back smuggling into Pakistan with the help of Afghan traders. It is not possible to determine the precise amount of revenue loss and size of black money or shifting of money abroad .revenue loss on account of smuggling of Afghan transit trade alone, as estimated by the World Bank, amounted to US during nine years from 2001to2009. Smuggling has now become a routine part of all economic activities in Pakistan which hardly raises any eye brows nor stirs the slightest fear of the law. Pakistan which hardly measuring and countering enormous revenue leakages and black money. Its size estimated to be three time the regular economy. People are bringing inShow MoreRelatedImmigration Is A Major Controversial Issue1471 Words   |  6 PagesScheurmann 5-4-2015 â€Æ' Immigration is a major controversial issue in today’s government. Some important matters include national security, the economic weight, escalation in drug and weapons trafficking, and human trafficking. Immigration is both beneficial and detrimental to many people, and our country. 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The term ‘Protectionism’ was thus introduced in the language of global trade and economy (Rowley, 2002). Protectionism is an economic policy applied in the trading system, to restrict the quantity of imported items, and to flourish country’s exports. The objective of this is policy is to maintain the competition between foreign and the domestic industries. InRead MoreHuman Trafficking : A Form Of Modern Day Slavery2794 Words   |  12 Pagessingular situation, rather it also refers to immigration, people smuggling, crime, migrant labor, tourism, social cohesion, citizenship, and structural inequalities. Human trafficking is seen as an international crime, which means that it is still a growing transnational phenomenon. International trafficking of women and girls for the sex industry has been spreading to new regions of the world and has become a larger part of the global economy. This is caused by â€Å"poverty, [mainly] among women, lack of

Steve Jobs Big Five Personality Dimension - 990 Words

Steve Jobs’ Big Five Personality Dimension 1. Customers don’t know what they want. The controversial start when the Steve Jobs come with this phrase â€Å"We built [the Mac] for ourselves. We were the group of people who were going to judge whether it was great or not. We werent going to go out and do market research† and after more than ten years he come up with this phrase â€Å"A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them† which is contradicting to current trend of doing things. Generally it is not the way to do or invent things because without proper market research especially to the customer needs and wants, it is almost impossible for the product to be success. Usually the customer and environment will†¦show more content†¦to have this secrecy they also need to invest more in hiring people and keep the people around them to not leak out the information. 3. Project a reality-distortion field. Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google Inc., has said â€Å"He had this extraordinary depth. I have a PhD in this area, and he was so charismatic he could convince me of things I didnt actually believe† when he met Jobs. To be away from usual is not easy and Jobs manage to get away from the â€Å"usual† title by having the brilliant idea and have what it takes to influence people affected directly from what in his mind. Not everyone can make this because this characteristic will need you to have more than what you can see and projection to the future as in reality of today. Ordinary people will unlikely to have this kind of thinking because of the hidden risk that comes across in their mind. The legendary myth of more cost will be acquired in order to invent product will make them withdraw their idea. Matching the reality on what we have today and what will happen in the future somehow determine the success of the future but Jobs see more than that because he al ways think what other people might not think. 4. Micromanage every detail. Either a complement or not, Fortune says Jobs as â€Å"a corporate dictator who makes every critical decision — and oodles of seemingly noncritical calls, too.† Managing almost everything from small to all major

Cause of American Revolution free essay sample

What caused the American Revolution? That is a very good question. Throughout the , the colonist had a good relationship with Great Britain. They fought in wars together, such as the French and Indian war of 1754 which ended up in total victory. But as time passes, things began to change in this relationship of theirs. These changes led to a need of the American Revolution. Even though there are many causes, three that I will be discussing about that caused the American Revolution is the Stamp Act, Boston Tea Party, and the Intolerable Act. The enforcement of Stamp Act was a huge movement towards the American Revolution. After the French and Indian War, Britain was in great debt therefore this was made. It put taxes on all the legal documents or printed goods, which angered the colonist in so many ways. This was one of the reasons of the no taxation without representation. We will write a custom essay sample on Cause of American Revolution or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The Boston Tea Party was caused by Great Britain putting taxes on tea. This angered the colonist because it was also an example of the no taxation without representation idea.The angered colonist threw all of the imported tea of Great Britains into the sea. This led to the cause of the Intolerable Act. The Intolerable act was the laws passed by Great Britain banning all trades of exports and imports on the colonist and they were only allowed to buy from Great Britain. This occurred after the Boston Tea Party as a punishment for the colonist. The ports would be closed until the colonist pay off all the money of the tea dumped in the Boston Tea Party was made back.This act made he colonist even angrier because they cut off their only way of making money. Revolution means either to overthrown a government or leader or separating from them. Great Britain was making all these changes towards the colonist for their own benefits. The laws they made were so unfair to the colonist. Great Britains selfishness caused the change of the relationship between the two. The Stamp Act, Cause of Boston Tea Party, and the Intolerable Act were all steps that led to the American Revolution. Changes were needed because of unfair decisions.

The International Organization for Standardization

Background The International Organization for Standardization, otherwise known as ISO, is a global organization, which accredits companies based on performance and service delivery.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on The International Organization for Standardization specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The ISO certification for companies recognizes those companies, which have successfully gone through the laid down procedures in quality assurance. Its principles include customer focus, leadership, involvement of people, process approach, the systems approach to management, continual improvement, factual approach to decision making, and mutually beneficial supplier relationships amongst others (Branson n.d., p. 1). The scheme is about guaranteeing quality to the recipients of goods and services in business and entrepreneurship, as well as other fields. In determining this quality, customer needs are assessed followed b y an evaluation of the degree to which an organization meets them. According to the ISO certification, quality cannot be achieved at once. The process therefore is continuous. As such, it requires active improvement. It is also managed by instituting measures aimed at preventing rather than detecting flaws that may hinder companies’ performance. Some authors have described the quality as â€Å"getting it right the first time† (Branson n.d., p. 1). This result is therefore the target of ISO certification in its course to achieve high standards in organizations’ performance. This research looks at the ISO 9000 clause 2.3. It describes it in details in a bid evaluated how companies and organizations deal with it and or how best they can reap from it. Discussion of the Clause There are a number of clauses in the ISO 9000. Companies target to achieve the demands of specific clauses for their accreditation to hold. The clause that the essay looks at is clause 2.3. Thi s clause is on quality management systems approach. It entails a number of prestigious business functions (Branson n.d., p. 1).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More There are also a number of steps involved for companies to fulfill the clause. The first step involves the initial determination of the expectations of clients to an organization or customers in a business enterprise. In this step, a company considers the requirements of the population it serves so that it targets to fulfill the needs in a bid to benefit at the same time from the efforts. This stands out as the foundation of any successful company. In the ISO requirement, an organization should be able to tell the needs of the people it serves before proceeding to meet them in a defined manner. Most of the organizations, which do not meet this first part of the clause, end up not satisfying the ISO standards. Therefo re, they are not accredited. The second part of the clause states that an organization should be able to come up with policies on quality and objectives pertaining to management (Branson n.d., p. 1). These are laid down in the framework of the organization to be discussed with the interested parties and those involved in the management within a company. In most organizations, the quality statement is drafted and placed in the areas of work. This strategy is meant to be adhered to by all workers and organizational affiliates. It sets the ground for those interested in the success of the organization, and for those who want the organization to proceed. This part of the clause is pertinent to consider in excellence awarding exercise by ISO. It is also related to the first part of the clause. Therefore, it should be aligned with it.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on The International Organization for Standardization specifically for you for only $16.05 $1 1/page Learn More After the organization or company sets up the objectives, the next step according to the clause is to determine the process that is required to achieve these goals (Branson n.d., p. 1). Not only is the process established but also the responsibilities that are required to meet the objectives are also determined (Branson n.d., p. 1). These are in line with the second step of setting up the objectives. They should be made by an exceptional quality control part of the organization where possible. The processes are then written down for implementation. However, they should be cost-effective, orderly, and logical. An organization should use processes that are easy to lead in the achievement of the set goals, which should not be out of reach for the particular organization. The responsibilities determined thereof should also be equally distributed within the organization with each of the employees being made aware of his or her part in the process. These r esponsibilities include the approach to clients, meeting their needs in an informed and friendly manner, and client feedback. The process should also have room for getting suggestions in an attempt to ensure their implementation in the company. The fourth part of the clause is on determining and providing resources necessary to attain quality objectives (Branson n.d., p. 1). In this part of the clause, the organization spells out the requirements in meeting the set objectives some of which are physical while others are non-tangible resources. The requirements include increased funding in the quality assurance process of the organization, increased staffing, increased machinery, reduced number of processes, and reduction in the time of getting services within the organization.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The company should then proceed to provide these resources through a process that is efficient and beneficial to it and its clients. The basis of taking this step is to ensure client satisfaction, which is the ultimate goal of any organization. The fifth process in the clause is the establishing of â€Å"methods to measure the effectiveness and efficacy of each process† (Branson n.d., p. 1) that have been mapped down according to the above procedure. The setting up of these methods is linked to the determination of resources needed as indicated in the preceding part. Once a company has set the objectives in quality assurance, it should then embark on determining the efficiency of the processes that it has laid down. This step should be done in an internal manner where the company evaluates the methods. The company then needs to consult widely on the processes used elsewhere before proceeding to develop its own from the existing ones. Some of these methods include surveys wher e client satisfaction is established via feedback. Any process that is chosen should be able to determine the effectiveness and the efficiency of each of the processes listed above. A company can also enlist the services of other external companies to guarantee the effectiveness and efficiency of the processes that it has set as its quality assurance. The next step after the determination of effectiveness and efficiency of the processes is the elimination of non-conformities. This part tries to answer the question of what will be done to eliminate non-conformities (Branson n.d., p. 1). A company spells out the measures it will take to prevent non-conformities to eliminate their causes (Branson n.d., p. 1). This part aims to reduce any risks that organizations face in the achievement of quality in their services. For organizations to maintain and establish quality services, they need to seal all the loopholes in their quality assurance process. This step involves the elimination of a ll hindrances to quality services. The most common process that companies use is the development of rules and laws governing their performance. The personnel, processes, and other affiliates that do not meet the set rules and organizational laws are then dealt with according to the laid procedures, which include termination of contracts, warnings, and other disciplinary measures. The last part of the clause entails the â€Å"establishment and application of a process for continual improvement of the quality management† (Branson n.d., p. 1: Rothery 1993, p.15). In the real sense, this means improving the business as a whole. A business cannot achieve quality performance if any part of it is not performing according to clients’ requirements. The organization therefore targets to improve the overall rating of the organization by taking a holistic approach to quality service delivery. Any process that is initiated by the organization should be focused on improving it. When a particular part of the organization is not performing optimally, the organization is perceived not to be performing as a whole. The target is therefore to eliminate this drawback by ensuring that all departments and services offered are within the organization’s target. In most instances, various authors define the above clause as the most important in the ISO 9000 certification (Hoyle 1998, p.23). It is however not a constituent of ISO 9001 (Branson n.d., p. 1) despite its importance in quality assurance. The clause can be used to improve the quality management systems that exist within a particular organization, or even maintain it at a desired level (Hoyle 1998, p.23). It is therefore indispensable to apply it in any organization. Any organization that adopts it â€Å"†¦creates confidence in the capability of its processes and the quality of its products besides providing a basis for continual improvement† (Hoyle 1998, p.23). It is therefore a necessity in m eeting clients’ needs by ensuring their satisfaction and hence the overall organizational success. Critique The clause is a paramount requirement in attaining the ISO 9000 certification for companies and organizations. The resources needed to meet these requirements are not readily available to medium and small companies. This gap may hinder their certification. They are also subjective to an organization. Besides, standardization is difficult across various fields in the business world. These are the main disadvantages and hindrance to achieving the ISO in the companies. The clause however provides organizations with a chance to improve their services and operations. This will not only improve their rating but also their market share, profitability, and efficiency. An organization therefore needs to pursue the principles in the clause irrespective of whether it is seeking ISO certification. In the establishment of successful organizations, the clause also contributes in the development of quality management systems within the organization. This stands out as the target of the ISO 9000. All companies fulfilling this basic clause should be certified. The clause is also not demanding to organizations, as the resources required are within the reach of most of them. An organization should determine resources it needs to guarantee client satisfaction. Another positive creation of the clause is competition for companies. Organizations within a particular field and those offering related services continually compete to ensure the set standards are achieved. Other companies do not do it before them. This competition has ensured that clients get the best services and products in a particular field (Klassen 2007, p.18). Companies that achieve ISO certification after meeting this clause therefore use it as a marketing strategy to improve their performance and rating (Johnson 1993, p.6). There are a number of positive developments from this clause relative to quali ty assurance in organizations. This realization has contributed towards making service delivery efficient and affective. Best Organizational and Company Practices The clause has ensured that some practices are adopted within organizations. In most of the organizations with ISO 9000 certification, the clause enables organizations to set up client feedback systems. Most companies have existent client feedback systems in place as a way for clients to express their satisfaction with the services offered by the companies. For client satisfaction, there are feedback centers within organizations, quality assurance departments, client reward schemes, organizational feedback websites, and programs (Klassen 2007, p.18). These centers have culminated from the adherence that companies have put to the clause hence making it one of the resultant practices. Another company practice that has resulted from the clause is the development of the company and organizational charters (Peach 1997, p. 73). Organizations and government institutions falling under ISO offer these charters to ensure that services provided, and goods manufactured are within their standards. Most of the organizations have therefore developed distinctive units within them, which are concerned with the achievement of the laid down quality assurance goals. A schedule for monthly and annual meetings exists in companies to discuss the success in quality assurance for the organization and the steps required to guarantee continued customer satisfaction (Johnson 1993, p.6). Other positive practices that businesses have adopted because of this clause include the award schemes. Most organizations have set up a means of rewarding their best performing personnel in various departments. This gesture serves as a motivation for them since it improves service delivery in companies. It improves their market rating. It also serves as a means of marketing for their products and services. In the business world, profitability f or companies is linked to the adherence to the clause. The clause has also increased consumer awareness thus contributing towards the improvement in service delivery across all sectors of trade and business. The clause therefore makes a positive contribution in service deliver. Thus, its adoption of importance for the success of any organization Conclusion In conclusion, the ISO certification has contributed towards establishing a reward scheme aimed at improving service delivery in organizations. The ISO 9000 and the constituent clause 2.3 have enabled this outcome to be effected, as it spells out the procedure to be followed in attaining quality service delivery. The description made above establishes that the clause entails seven processes to be followed in attaining the fulfillment of this clause. They have been described in details. The critique establishes that the clause is beneficial to organizations and companies. It therefore qualifies as an ingenious way of ensuring their positive market performance. Some of the best practices that organizations have adopted include awards scheme, quality assurance departments, and client feedback programs. These have contributed towards efficiency and effectiveness in organizational performance. References Branson, P n.d., Most important clause, Business improvement through effective process management, viewed on https://transition-support.com//the_most_important_iso_clause.html. Hoyle, D 1998, ISO 9000 Quality Systems Handbook, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford. Johnson, P 1993, ISO 9000: Meeting the New International Standards, McGraw-Hill, New York. Klassen, L 2007, Certification Study Guide, International Technical Support Organization, IBM, United States. Peach, R 1997, The ISO 9000 Handbook, Irwin Professional Publishers, Chicago. Rothery, B 1993, ISO 9000, Brookfield, VT, Gower. This report on The International Organization for Standardization was written and submitted by user Jaylen Ochoa to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Euthanasia In The United States Essays - Euthanasia, Medical Ethics

Euthanasia In The United States Essays - Euthanasia, Medical Ethics Euthanasia In The United States Euthanasia in the United States Every year two million people die in North America. Chronic illness, such as cancer or heart disease, accounts for two of every three deaths. It is estimated that approximately seventy percent of these people die after a decision is made to forgo life-sustaining treatment (Choice in Dying). In America and all around the world, the ongoing debate is whether patients should have the opportunity to implement this critical alternative of euthanasia. Although controversial, it is imperative that United States citizens are not denied this right to a humane death. Groups in opposition to euthanasia say that patients who yearn to make this decision are neither in a healthy psychological state of mind nor have the God-willing right to do so. These groups feel if euthanasia were to become a publicly accepted option to the terminally ill that physicians, family, and even patients may abuse it. They also strongly support modern end-of-life treatment, known as palliative care, as a more logical and moral option. Perhaps the strongest belief that euthanasia is wrong comes from those who follow the words of the Bible and believe that every aspect of life belongs to God. The Old Testament records an incident involving King Saul of Israel, who became seriously wounded on the battlefield. Fearing the advancing enemy, Saul took his own sword and tried to fall against it. He cried to a soldier, Come and put me out of my misery for I am in terrible pain but life lingers on. The soldier acted in accordance with the wishes of the king and killed him. The soldier then brought some of Sauls armor to David and said, I killed him, for I knew he couldnt live. David ordered the soldier put to death (Eareckson, 111). Those who believe in the Bible clearly see here that, whether a monarch or a common person, mercy killing is perceived as iniquitous in the Lords eyes. To see a more recent example of the Catholic Churchs disagreement of euthanasia we only have to look back a few years. In 1994, for instance, the Dutch television station IKONs filming of the death of a man with Lou Gehrigs disease in a documentary, Death on Request, brought a denunciation from the Vatican (Branegan, 30). Equally important to those supporting the anti-euthanasia cause is the thought of any physician, family member or patient who would abuse this right if given the chance. Naturally, much trust is bestowed in these key players of our lives if anything were to happen to us. The question in this sense is how do we know that they will make decisions in the best interest of the patient if they are unable to speak for themselves? Would the financial and emotional burden on the family of a terminally ill patient cause them to make an irrational decision to directly affect the life of the patient? If the emotional stress doesnt get to some people, the financial burden may definitely hit some families hard these days with the high costs of modern medical treatment. And who couldnt use thousands of dollars in life insurance? The temptation is definitely there. A harsh example of this can be seen in the experience of a fifty-year-old woman with cancer of the bones, liver, lungs, and breast. Her doctor was a Polish-born oncologist, Dr. Ben Zylicz. Dr. Zylicz explained to the woman that he could lessen her pain with drugs, and offered her a hospital room. Aware of Hollands policy allowing doctors to end the lives of the terminally ill by such means, the woman stated, I am Catholic. My religious beliefs would never allow me to accept euthanasia. Zylicz assured the woman that he would take care of her, and she agreed to take the room. After twenty-four hours of morphine treatment she was able to see her family (Eads, 93). Later, a nurse called Zylicz at home with some distressing news. After Zylicz had left the hospital, another doctor entered the patients hospital room and asked her husband and sister to leave. He then ordered an increase in her morphine dosage, but refused to confirm the order in writing. Within minutes the woman was dead.

Emperors of Chinas Xia Dynasty

Emperors of Chinas Xia Dynasty According to legend, the Xia Dynasty ruled China beginning more than four thousand years ago. Although no firm documentary evidence has yet been found for this period, it is possible that some form of evidence exists, like the  oracle bones  that have proved the existence of the Shang Dynasty (1600 - 1046 BCE). The Xia Kingdom supposedly grew up along the Yellow River, and its first leader was a sort of community organizer named Yu who got all of the people to cooperate in creating dams and canals to control the annual river floods. As a result, their agricultural production and their population increased, and they selected him to become their leader under the name of Emperor Yu the Great. We know about these legends thanks to much later Chinese historical chronicles such as the  Classic of History  or  Book of Documents.  Some scholars believed that this work was compiled from earlier documents by Confucius himself, but that seems unlikely. Xia history is also recorded in the  Bamboo Annals, another ancient book of unknown authorship, as well as in Sima Qians  Records of the Grand Historian  from 92 BCE. There is often more truth than we might guess in ancient myths and legends. That certainly has proved true in the case of the dynasty that came after the Xia, the Shang, which was long thought to be mythical until archaeologists discovered the above-mentioned oracle bones bearing the names of some of the mythical Shang emperors. Archaeology may one day prove the doubters wrong about the Xia Dynasty as well. Indeed, archaeological work in the Henan and Shanxi provinces, along the ancient course of the Yellow River, has turned up evidence of a complex early Bronze Age culture from the correct time period. Most Chinese scholars are quick to identify this complex, called the Erlitou culture, with the Xia Dynasty, although some foreign scholars are more skeptical. The Erlitou digs reveal an urban civilization with bronze foundries, palatial buildings, and straight, paved roads. Finds from the Erlitou sites also include elaborate tombs. Within those tombs are grave goods including the famous  ding tripod  vessels, one of a class of artifacts known as ritual bronzes. Other finds include bronze wine jugs and jeweled masks, as well as ceramic mugs and jade implements. Unfortunately, the one type of artifact not discovered so far is any trace of writing that conclusively states that the Erlitou site is one and the same with the Xia Dynasty. China’s Xia Dynasty Yu the Great, c. 2205 – c. 2197 BCEEmperor Qi, c. 2146 – c. 2117 BCETai Kang, c. 2117 – c. 2088 BCEZhong Kang, c. 2088 – c. 2075 BCEXiang, c. 2075 – c. 2008 BCEShao Kang, c. 2007 – c. 1985 BCEZhu, c. 1985 – c. 1968 BCEHuai, c. 1968 – c. 1924 BCEMang, c. 1924 – c. 1906 BCEXie, c. 1906 – c. 1890 BCEBu Jiang, c. 1890 – c. 1831 BCEJiong, c. 1831 – c. 1810 BCEJin, c. 1810 – c. 1789 BCEKong Jia, c. 1789 – c. 1758 BCEGao, c. 1758 – c. 1747 BCEFa, c. 1747 – c. 1728 BCEJie, c. 1728 – c. 1675 BCE To learn more, go to the list of China’s Dynasties.

Music and the society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Music and the society - Essay Example The lyrics therefore fuses with the instruments to resulting a holistic peace that does not only entertain but also communicates the basic aspects of the society. Set in the society and targeting the same society for audience, musical compositions limit their creativity to the similar attributes of the society. This implies that the themes in the songs and the musical instruments used in the songs must come from the societies in which either the composers or the audience belong. Songs therefore portray the social, political, economic and cultural aspects of the society. In doing these, the draw lyrics from the specific features of the above elements that affect the society daily (Chris, Gerald and Allen 44). Through time, societies develop their technologies and cultural behaviors alongside other pertinent attributes. Songs and other works of art should therefore communicate the constant change in their presentation. This includes the type of instruments they use and the level of cre ativity in composing the songs. Songs must therefore reflect the changes through time. This implies that songs produced in different times should portray the difference in the features of society. The difference should be easily evident in the lyrical composition of the songs and even the instruments used. The technological changes often result in improvements in the instruments and other technological aspects of the composition. Songs should therefore always have better quality owing to the fact that they subsequent song productions employ better technologies. Due to the modern telecommunication developments, the world has eventually become a global village denoting that people easily trade cultural products key among which are songs and other works of arts. With such developments, any work of art that targets the global audience must address issues that are familiar to the global market. This compels detailed researches to identify the prominent aspects of the global society. Song s determine the trends in the global popular culture, composers of songs and other global works of art therefore have increased responsibility of regulating their cultural products to limit their compositions to uphold the values and virtues in the wider global society. From the above discussion, it is obvious that comparing to musical compositions is synonymous to comparing the different times of production for the two or more songs. Through the themes in the songs, the instruments used and the composition styles, the social, economic, political and technological state of the times become evident. Two of such songs composed and produced at different times in history but are still classical master pieces are The Four Seasons by Antonio Vilvadi in 1723 and Music for the Funeral of Queen Marry written by Henry Purcell in 1965. The time differences between the two songs is more than three centuries a time within which the society changed its structure. Political, social, economic, cult ural and even technological factors all changed thereby creating a big difference in the nature of the songs. They both have a representation of each of the five aspects of the society and the nature of representation in the two communicate the difference in the time lines. As its name suggests, The Four Seasons describe the seasons in the year and the activities in them. In his composition, Vilvadi composes and produces four concertos to represent he four seasons. Published for the first time in 1925, the four were part of the twelve concerti named the contest between harmony and invention. Each of the four concerti has unique composition structure and uses different instruments to create the difference in the tempo and therefore the general composition. The first two represent the warm seasons of

Anthropology (movie) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Anthropology (movie) - Essay Example m, it is submitted that Marc Forster’s approach clearly mirrors Ebert’s review of the film by providing an engaging narrative with the overriding purposes to provide a socio-political commentary on the instability in Afghanistan through the presentation of complex cultural norms. Moreover, the film’s visual portrayal of Hosseini’s secular narrative in the book is precisely what resonates with the audience in the superimposition of â€Å"human faces and a historical context on the tragic images of war from Afghanistan† (Ebert, 2009:373). Ebert’s review of the film suggests a visual emphasis on presenting Afghan culture outside the presumptions of the war torn state (2009). This is supported by the scenes of the boys flying kites as a precursor to the loss of innocence, the burden of living with guilt and the need for redemption as symbolised through Amir’s character development after his betrayal of Hassan. As such, the cinematic portrayal of the relationship between Hassan and Amir with other boys in the kite flying season presents a novel perception of Afghanistan and Afghani culture prior to the â€Å"Taliban, the Americans and the anarchy† (Ebert, 2009:373). The film clearly presents this part of Afghan culture by using special effects to visually emphasise the freedom and importance of family bonding in kite flying. Additionally, Ebert suggests that the film presents the freedom and exhilaration of kites to their owners, which is utilised by Forster to underline the cultural and class divide between Amir as the kite flyer and Hassan as the kite runner. To this end, Ebert suggests that â€Å"perhaps that sad wisdom in Hassan’s eyes comes from his certainty that all must fall to Earth, sooner or later† (Ebert 2009:374). In watching the film, the vulnerability of the actor playing Hassan reinforces the precarious nature of his societal position as a Hazara in Afghanistan, which leaves him powerless in the shocking rape scene and its aftermath.

Toyota Motors Japan Essay Example for Free

Toyota Motors Japan Essay The mission theme of Toyota Motors Japan is Innovation into the Future – A Passion to Create a Better Society.   Launched and announced in 2004, this mission theme is the main influence for all of the programs of Toyota Motors Japan.   It basically follows four (4) basic guidelines which the company follows in order to achieve its goals in being able to create a more prosperous society.   These four (4) basic principles are as follows: Be a driving force in global regeneration by implementing the most advanced environmental technologies. Create automobiles and a motorized society in which people can live safely, securely and comfortably. Promote the advantages of cars throughout the world and attract more Toyota fans. Be a truly global company that is trusted and respected by all people around the world. These goals are the overriding objectives of Toyota Motors Japan and figure prominently in the formulation and implementation of its corporate strategies and plans.   Toyota Motors adheres to the principle of Monozukuri, which emphasizes the manufacturing of value-added products and technological innovation.   The company believes that while Japanese cars have been associated with low costs and quality it can change all of this by offering better quality for relatively the same price.   It also emphasizes the shifting trend into more environmentally friendly vehicles in line with the Tokyo Protocol. These implementing guidelines for the mission statement of Toyota Motors Japan, which help them maintain their focus on their goals, are the following: Honor the language and spirit of the law of every nation and undertake open and fair corporate activities to be a good corporate citizen of the world. Respect the culture and customs of every nation and contribute to economic and social development through corporate activities in the communities. Dedicate ourselves to providing clean and safe products and to enhancing the quality of life everywhere through all our activities. Create and develop advanced technologies and provide outstanding products and services that fulfill the needs of customers worldwide. Foster a corporate culture that enhances individual creativity and teamwork value, while honoring mutual trust and respect between labor and management. Pursue growth in harmony with the global community through innovative management. Work with business partners in research and creation to achieve stable, long-term growth and mutual benefits, while keeping ourselves open to new partnerships.

The Formation of An Individual :: Philosophy

The Formation of An Individual Man needs a polity, and in the same way a polity needs man. This is the focus of the first chapter in the formation of an individual. The formation of an individual is a very complicated process, yet it is a process that is very necessary. Through the formation of some types of government man tries to form himself from his acquired beliefs. The most basic form of government is a couple, but it branches out to entire societies. In these societies there are certain issues that the individual must deal with, the first is oppression. Oppression is probably the hardest of all of the problems that one faces on his road to humanization. Oppression is a single force, held by few, that prevents others from reaching their status. This form of inequality can be seen in almost all forms of government, save anarchism because there are no superiors that can oppress. We saw this oppression in the movie "A Dry White Season". This movie summarized the problems with injustice, inequality, and oppression. In order for us to become more fully human, and move along on our road to our own formation we must break free from our oppressors. By breaking free, you are not starting a war, or even a conflict, but you are actively participating in your own realization. Before we can break free of the oppression that I just described we must first be able to realize when we are being oppressed. Through a complicated process of influence we gain our own thoughts, words, and actions. It first starts with our own set of beliefs. Most likely the ones that our parents set for us. But after we gain that first sense of who we are, and who we should be, then and only then can we realize if we are oppressed. We must understand the actions of ourselves before we can understand those of others. On the journey to create our own individuality we need to be influenced because after we are influenced we can then Aweed out@ the ideas that most likely conform to our own opinions. This onion is the most effective tool or method in the formation of an individual. Paulo Friere addressed the issue of oppression and why it must be stopped in his essay APedagogy of the Oppressed.@ In this essay he dictates that through education we can and must stop oppression. Yet this Abreaking free@ cannot be an individual effort, but a combine summation of forces. Near the beginning of his essay he says that man must break free of the chains that bind him to his The Formation of An Individual :: Philosophy The Formation of An Individual Man needs a polity, and in the same way a polity needs man. This is the focus of the first chapter in the formation of an individual. The formation of an individual is a very complicated process, yet it is a process that is very necessary. Through the formation of some types of government man tries to form himself from his acquired beliefs. The most basic form of government is a couple, but it branches out to entire societies. In these societies there are certain issues that the individual must deal with, the first is oppression. Oppression is probably the hardest of all of the problems that one faces on his road to humanization. Oppression is a single force, held by few, that prevents others from reaching their status. This form of inequality can be seen in almost all forms of government, save anarchism because there are no superiors that can oppress. We saw this oppression in the movie "A Dry White Season". This movie summarized the problems with injustice, inequality, and oppression. In order for us to become more fully human, and move along on our road to our own formation we must break free from our oppressors. By breaking free, you are not starting a war, or even a conflict, but you are actively participating in your own realization. Before we can break free of the oppression that I just described we must first be able to realize when we are being oppressed. Through a complicated process of influence we gain our own thoughts, words, and actions. It first starts with our own set of beliefs. Most likely the ones that our parents set for us. But after we gain that first sense of who we are, and who we should be, then and only then can we realize if we are oppressed. We must understand the actions of ourselves before we can understand those of others. On the journey to create our own individuality we need to be influenced because after we are influenced we can then Aweed out@ the ideas that most likely conform to our own opinions. This onion is the most effective tool or method in the formation of an individual. Paulo Friere addressed the issue of oppression and why it must be stopped in his essay APedagogy of the Oppressed.@ In this essay he dictates that through education we can and must stop oppression. Yet this Abreaking free@ cannot be an individual effort, but a combine summation of forces. Near the beginning of his essay he says that man must break free of the chains that bind him to his

Importance of Securing Items

It would be nice if we were able to wake up, get dressed, and lay out any additional clothes, or uniforms we may need later on in the day. Then go to eat breakfast at a local favorite restaurant; getting in and out of your vehicle quickly without care or worry. It would be nice to chat and trade info with your friends and family, or enquire help with someone different on-line. To be able to come back home after a long day of work, and leave the outside world to itself, would be great! However, the reality of it all is that doing so in this world, is not only dangerous, but also potentially deadly. For us to be able to function in today’s society requires security. And this security is needed in almost every aspect of life; no matter how large or small it may be. Yes, everyone can agree that a vehicle needs to be secured. Without security, criminals are able to climb in, start it up, and drive off. You have just lost your primary form of transportation. That leads to delays in work, or even losing a job. Then trying to get a job would be difficult without a vehicle, making life more and more trying. In today’s news, as well as ads, we are informed of the importance of security when it comes to one’s home. Criminals and burglars, target locations with no or very little security. Large valuable items are easily obtained through this. Even one’s life is in potential danger without home security. One of the most important things that need security, whether you are single or a family, is as simple as a desk or wall locker. Almost everything we do each day can be found in one. We tend to put car keys, and house keys in a desk or locker. We also tend to keep important paper or receipts from wherever we went or did through the day. Or we may have small items like jewelry, and cash stored away. Without security measures in place, these items would be directly obtainable to anyone. Not only from those that want to take things from you. Not only from those that would take and use your things against you, like your bank info, your social security number; to name a few. But also those near to you that you love. A Child can enter an unsecured cabinet and get hands on poisonous cleaning supplies, or medications; or even a handgun that may have been meant for protection. It would nearly, if not be the worst to ever happen to lose a child, or other family member, because a locker or desk was unsecured. So it is very important to be ever vigilant in ensuring that your things, especially your wall locker is secured at all times. Start practicing today, and every day. Then you can have one of those days that will be nice to wake up to safe, and sound.

Classroom Community Investigative Paper Essay

Feeling a sense of community is important for almost anyone. Even now, in college, the students in the Elementary Education Program at Utah Valley University are in cohorts. Why? To help us find others who we have common interests with, and who can help us learn and grow into great teachers. Because being in an environment where we feel safe as well as feeling a sense of belonging is important. Developing a classroom community for elementary students is imperative. A student who feels comfortable in the classroom will be able to learn and grow because they will not be afraid to make mistakes in front of others, and they will learn to appreciate the opinions of others. The sooner a child learns to work with and value others, the better. This not only benefits a person during their school years, but is an important part of success later in life. One tool we have learned about this semester to improve classroom community is morning meetings. Though I have not personally seen an elementary classroom morning meeting in action, the evidence of its success that I have seen and heard from our guest speaker, Sylvia Allan, as well as what I have read in our text books and researched online, has convinced me to try morning meetings in my own classroom. Our morning meeting packet states that morning meetings build a classroom community, which may improve student test scores. That is great reason to try them. Earlier in the semester when we were introduced to morning meetings, I was so excited. My goal as a teacher has always been to value every student. I was thrilled to have been given a tool that would do just that. My focus for morning meetings will be to help each child in my classroom realize how important and irreplaceable they are. Morning meetings will help to create an atmosphere of trust, which is essential for optimal student learning. The responsive classroom. org states that morning meetings â€Å"Build community, increase student investment, and improve academic and social skills. † That is exactly what I hope to do with them. Using the morning meeting tool in our own college classroom has been an effective tool for me as a student. Because I transferred from another cohort this semester, I did not know anyone else in our cohort. Participating in morning meeting has given me the opportunity to learn more about the other people in our class. Learning about the similarities I share with these people has allowed me to make connections with some of the students in my class, and has made me feel more comfortable and more willing to participate. I plan to use the morning meeting format as it is presented in the morning meeting packet with a few modifications. The greeting, sharing, group activity, and news and announcements portions are all important for the children to get to know one another and feel comfortable in the classroom. However, I will probably just write the news and announcements on the board and briefly go over it with the class because I plan to be teaching older grades. I would also like to add memorization of a poem each day, as well as a fun saying a la Silvia Allan. I like these ideas because it gives me the opportunity to prove to my principal that morning meetings are not only effective in building a classroom community, they are academic as well. I plan to initiate full morning meetings into my classroom on the first day of school. Because I have not actually used them in an elementary classroom setting yet, I am not sure if I will do every component every day. For example, the greeting may have to be on Mondays only due to time constraints. I also may not do a group activity every day. I may use this time as an opportunity to work on a concept I noticed the entire class had a hard time with. For example, if most of the class had a difficult time learning a math concept the day before, I would have a student with a good understanding of the concept explain it to the class while we are in morning meeting while the positive classroom community juice is flowing. Hopefully, the students who are having a difficult time with the concept will feel less threatened because we are working on the concept during morning meeting time, not math time. So how does a classroom community lead to differentiation in the classroom? Having a classroom where students feel accepted and accepting allows the teacher to be able to make accommodations for students who need it because the rest of the class understands why they need it. One of my favorite â€Å"Hallmarks of a Differentiated Classroom† that describes this in detail is â€Å"shared responsibility for the classroom between teacher and students, in the goal of making it work for everyone†. When students feel comfortable in the classroom and care about their fellow classmates, students are willing to share their strengths with the rest of the class for the betterment of others. They also realize their limits and are willing to strengthen them by learning from other students. A classroom community is a very important part of a successful classroom. It gives students a place where they feel comfortable and are not afraid to make mistakes. Students who feel comfortable in the classroom are more willing to make mistakes and learn from them, thus giving them a better opportunity to achieve their full potential. I am excited to use morning meetings in my classroom to build a successful classroom community.

Free Essays on Global

The central theme to this course is the concept of sustainable development. According to Dr. Peterson’s lecture on January 9th, sustainable development is â€Å"the development of a society that is just and desirable for both our and future generations.† Dr. Peterson also outlined six problems dealing with sustainable development. In this paper I will relate the countries of Nigeria and China to the problem of natural resource use and industrialization and the other five problems of sustainable development utilizing material from lectures, discussion, labs, movies, and the text. The first problem associated with sustainable development is natural resource depletion and rapid industrialization. Nigeria and China are both experiencing problems related to industrialization and the use of natural resources. Industrialization and the natural resource used go hand in hand, because the natural resources extracted from the environment in a said country is the main source for sector of the economy. The natural resource is used to produce a product, which in turn provides capital. The Nigerian society is highly dependent on non-renewable resources, namely oil, which serves as the basis of its economy. In Nigeria, oil production is estimated to peak between 2010-2050. In China, one main natural resource is hydroelectric power, used by the rapid industrialized cities. One of the prices paid for industrialization and extracting a natural resource is the Three Gorges Dam in China. The creation of the dam will result in a 350 square mile reservoir, yet 1-2 million inhabitants will be forcibly removed from their homes. Since the silt flow of the Yangtze River will be altered, farming and soil fertility will be significantly altered. And, not to mention, the endangered river dolphin will undoubtedly be driven to extinction. All these consequences will be paid for the price of 18 billion watts of power to spur economic and industrial ... Free Essays on Global Free Essays on Global The central theme to this course is the concept of sustainable development. According to Dr. Peterson’s lecture on January 9th, sustainable development is â€Å"the development of a society that is just and desirable for both our and future generations.† Dr. Peterson also outlined six problems dealing with sustainable development. In this paper I will relate the countries of Nigeria and China to the problem of natural resource use and industrialization and the other five problems of sustainable development utilizing material from lectures, discussion, labs, movies, and the text. The first problem associated with sustainable development is natural resource depletion and rapid industrialization. Nigeria and China are both experiencing problems related to industrialization and the use of natural resources. Industrialization and the natural resource used go hand in hand, because the natural resources extracted from the environment in a said country is the main source for sector of the economy. The natural resource is used to produce a product, which in turn provides capital. The Nigerian society is highly dependent on non-renewable resources, namely oil, which serves as the basis of its economy. In Nigeria, oil production is estimated to peak between 2010-2050. In China, one main natural resource is hydroelectric power, used by the rapid industrialized cities. One of the prices paid for industrialization and extracting a natural resource is the Three Gorges Dam in China. The creation of the dam will result in a 350 square mile reservoir, yet 1-2 million inhabitants will be forcibly removed from their homes. Since the silt flow of the Yangtze River will be altered, farming and soil fertility will be significantly altered. And, not to mention, the endangered river dolphin will undoubtedly be driven to extinction. All these consequences will be paid for the price of 18 billion watts of power to spur economic and industrial ...

Kristallnacht - The Night of Broken Glass

Kristallnacht - The Night of Broken Glass On November 9, 1938, Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels announced a government-sanctioned reprisal against the Jews. Synagogues were ravaged and then burned. Jewish shop windows were broken. Jews were beaten, raped, arrested, and murdered. Throughout Germany and Austria, the pogrom known as Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass) rampaged. The Damage Police and firefighters stood by as synagogues burned and Jews were beaten, only taking action to prevent the spread of fire to non-Jew owned property and to stop looters - upon SS officer Reinhard Heydrichs orders. The pogrom spanned the night of November 9 to 10. During this night 191 synagogues were set on fire. The damage to shop windows was estimated at $4 million U.S. dollars. Ninety-one Jews were murdered while 30,000 Jews were arrested and sent to camps such as Dachau, Sachsenhausen, and Buchenwald. Why Did the Nazis Sanction the Pogrom? By 1938, the Nazis had been in power for five years and were hard at work trying to rid Germany of its Jews, attempting to make Germany Judenfrei (Jew free). Approximately 50,000 of the Jews living within Germany in 1938 were Polish Jews. The Nazis wanted to force the Polish Jews to move back to Poland, but Poland did not want these Jews either. On October 28, 1938, the Gestapo rounded up the Polish Jews within Germany, put them on transports, and then dropped them off on the Polish side of the Poland-Germany border (near Posen). With little food, water, clothing, or shelter in the middle of winter, thousands of these people died. Among these Polish Jews were the parents of seventeen-year-old Hershl Grynszpan. At the time of the transports, Hershl was in France studying. On November 7, 1938, Hershl shot Ernst vom Rath, the third secretary in the German embassy in Paris. Two days later, vom Rath died. The day vom Rath died, Goebbels announced the need for retaliation. What does the word Kristallnacht mean? Kristallnacht is a German word that consists of two parts: Kristall translates to crystal and refers to the look of broken glass and Nacht means night. The accepted English translation is the Night of Broken Glass.

Kano Model Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Kano Model - Assignment Example According to the article, the main purpose of the Kano Model is increasing the customer’s happiness by improving the quality of the product or service provided. Every business organization has to out into consideration the features of any product before releasing it to the market. For successful implementation of the Kano model, a number of steps have to be completed. Fitting in all the features and attributes of a product is the first step. Then the organization should classify the features as either threshold, performance and excitement attributes. The article argues that all the attributes of the product must be fully satisfied to ensure employee satisfaction. Further, the article argues that for successful implementation of the model, the organization has to desist from focusing on the performance of the organization to major on the product attributes. The Kano model is very significant as it helps an organization in identifying customer needs, defining purposes that have necessities as well as carrying out an analysis of the competitive products in the market. Essential tools for the success of the Kano of the technique include customer involvement, value analysis, prioritizing matrices and ensuring the quality of the products. IV. KEY LEARNING POINTS Definition of Kano model- it is a model designed to improve the happiness of an organization’s customers through decisions aimed at improving the quality of products and services. Importance of the Kano model- its main importance is providing high-quality products to the customers, which lead to high customer satisfaction. The Kano model also helps in identifying factors that lead to customer dissatisfaction. Categories of the Kano technique include threshold attributes, considered as the most important attributes, Excitement Attributes that necessarily catapults the customers’ level of satisfaction and Performance Attributes that aims at improving customer satisfaction. V. RELEVANT STATE MENTS TO THE SESSION The main advantage of the Kano model is that it opens and widens the reasoning of business organizations, putting more emphasis on the features of the product which improves customer satisfaction. Kano model stresses on customer judgment of a product or service in the market. The original developer of the model was Dr. Noriaki Kano in 1980s, where he raised claims that for a product to capture the customers it must have three attributes include threshold, performance and excitement attributes. Steps involved in successful implementation of the Kano technique include settling on the most important and essential features of a product or service that customers deem as important and crucial in satisfying their needs. The next step involves classifying the identified features as either threshold, performance and excitement attributes respectively. Other performances and non-relevant attributes require trimming in order to develop fully the threshold attributes. VI. C RITICAL ANALYSIS According to the article, the Kano theory aims at improving the customer’s level of satisfaction. As such, all business organizations aims at providing the best quality product or services to the people geared to winning their loyalty.  

Research Proposal on Training Lab Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

On Training Lab - Research Proposal Example This requires them to adapt to the new reign of automated, technologically driven and digital society which has its own principles and which subjugates its people to leave aside their old ways and conform to the new order. In this regard, it is easier for some groups to adapt to this change quickly; to others, it comes with some difficulty. These groups face some hindrance in the process of adaptation to these new lifestyles due to many reasons. It can be due to their vulnerability to other material conditions such as poverty or unavailability of resources, which may lead to deprivation of secondary pleasures such as technology, or it can be because of their own built-in features like age or inclination towards conservatism or liberalism that affects this adaptation. Based on this notion, one group that finds it extremely difficult to adapt to the technological shift of twenty first century is the elderly or the senior citizens (Robinson, 2009). Speaking of technology, the invention and prevalence of computers have been so far the most intriguing. Not only did computers take over the simple tasks of mails and writing, but also replaced man in areas of communication, documentation, book keeping and much more. From children to adults, farmers to gynecologists and elite to middle-class, most people have access to computers in one setting or another and they utilize its efficiency as much as they can (Fogg, 2003). However the elderly people, in many settings, especially in countries like USA, where nuclear family systems are most popular and the elders live separately, it is common for these aged people to lag behind and lose touch with the society and fall into isolation. Thus, in order to bring the elderly people on a par with other age groups and to save them from falling into depression and isolation, teaching them how to use computers is an essential way to go. This proposal entails essential outline of the research that will study the set-up of computer train ing labs for the elderly. It discusses, for the most part, the intricacies of the study itself and for the other, the issues related to the study. To put it precisely, the project undertaken is of establishing computer literacy center for the elderly in a small locality inhabited by mostly Catholic Christians in Upper West Side, NY. The locality is primal for the project for it is a residence of a major chunk of NY’s population. The demographics also suggest that the residents of the Upper West Side range from upper-middle to middle class. This is a positive trait for the study since it caters to the right sub-group of people; the elderly in this financial standing are usually more deprived in comparison to elders of the elite class since they have fewer resources to afford learning and using computers, both monetary and non-monetary. For this purpose, this research aims to find out the teaching methods most productive in teaching computer to the senior citizens. Methodology The research will comprise two phases: primary and the secondary searches. The primary research will definitely entail the interviews and surveys conducted in the locality with the participants, which will include the senior citizens, their guardians and the teachers and educationists. The secondary research, on the other hand, will entail the study of literature on the subject (Hamilton, 2004). There has been a huge discourse on the subject of pedagogy

Business in a Competitive Environment -technology Article

Business in a Competitive Environment -technology - Article Example There are a number of factors that influence the market’s preference of one technology over another and these include innovation and lock-in forces. Innovation has been defined differently by different people but the one thing that is common in all its definitions is the need to complete the exploitation and development aspects of new knowledge or technology, not just its invention. Innovation is often confused with invention but the later is the first step of the lengthy process of developing a good idea into wide spread and effective use by consumers. A good invention does not guarantee market preference and therefore market success. Once a good technological invention has been created, innovation tools such as market development, project management, organizational behaviour and financial management, just to mention a few, have to be employed in order to make the invented technology successful in the market. For instance, when consumers or markets are faced with the decision to select a technology among many available technologies, the consumers will find it necessary to base their decision on several innovative aspects such a s the technology that gives a richer user experience, is easily accessible, has evolving capabilities, is secure, and best serves the need of the business, among other aspects. The direction of technological innovation is a major determinant of the technology that gets preference in a market. Technological innovation can either be sustaining or disruptive. Sustaining innovations are those that seek to improve an already existing technology in order to increase its value to the market while disruptive innovations aim to introduce entirely new technology to the market in order to replace the old technology. Disruptive technological innovations often overlap with radical breakthroughs but sometimes represent advances in business models. Leading companies and governments in tend to be very successful at implementing sustaining

Role of Marriage in Society

Role of Marriage in Society Culture is defined as the dynamic system of rules established by groups (Matsumoto Juang, p. 10). Marriage is one of the norms established by people, which reflect attitude, beliefs and behaviors. Marriage is an interpersonal relationship with communal or religious acknowledgment which is often created as an agreement. Marriage is rooted effectually in almost every society except where common law partners are recognized. It is the bond that exclusively consents a sexual relationship, especially in collectivist countries where sex before marriage is considered a sin, likewise some societies, especially collectivist countries also require official approval of religious or civil body. Across cultures, the anatomies of ancestral standards are different. Beliefs of what comprises a family are based on culture, dynamics, assets, and ethics. In many cultures, extended family which includes married couples staying in the home of their parents is a form of showing love and respect for exampl e in Pakistan; marriage is also basis for having children in those societies. Since issues like fornication and having children outside of marriage is considered taboo so to grow a family in collectivist cultures getting married is must. Our attributions, interpersonal and romantic relationships and group behaviors are all influenced by the culture we live in thus resulting in the attitudes we have towards a specific actions we take. Support gap, depression and illness including marital satisfaction, communication pattern and attitudes towards marriage, they all differ across cultures and will be discussed. Attitude towards marriage being the most important one, because the whole idea of relationship relies on the individuals perspective and preferences. It depends on the individual to see it as a social foundation which administer structure, support, growth and stability or see it as an economic arrangement or as a part of religious institution. The western society might pay more importance to love whereas collectivist cultures might see as an obligatory and as a religious foundation to have family. Spousal Social Support: Social support for women is greatly reduced in machismo cultures (Matsumoto Juang, p. 198). The conformity and obedience are expected by women and is related to traditional gender roles that females and males have occupied; with male traditionally being in power. Such differences result in loss of support especially in cultures where women tend to get married at a young age; since getting married at an early age is a form of economic survival it is also seen as a way to guard the female gender and to administer some adherence in settings where society is under pressure for example India. The support a married couple gets from their significant partner is substantial, because support from outside the marriage does not compensate for the lack of spousal support (Xu Burleson). Belle (1982) termed support gap hypothesis which is that women receive less support from their husband compared to men even though the study Belle did was in 1980 and it has been almost a decade, the study done by Xu and Burleson indicates that social change in sex role relations has not changed. The different kinds of support received are emotional support, esteem support, network support, tangible support and informational support. Research indicates that men are less comfortable and less skilled in discussing distressed emotional state (Burda Vaux 1987; Saurer Eisler, 1990; Trobst, Collins Embree, 1994). In Cross Cultural comparison of social support, Mortneson (1999) found that members of the American individualistic cultures viewed seeking of social support as more appropriate means of coping with problems than did members of the Chinese collectivist cultures. American individualists also rated the provision of emotional support as more appropriate form of emotional support than did Chinese Collectivists. Study done by Xu and Burleson, included 100 native born Americans and 102 native born Chinese; 45% of the sample were between 18-24 yrs of age and not exceeding 33 years. All participants were recently married i.e. not more than 5 years. The study tried to obtain desired and experienced levels of spousal support for the five types of social support (emotional, esteem, network, informational and tangible). Participants also responded to demographic questions that provided information on age, sex, race, national origin, length of time they had known their spouse and the time they have been married. The results indicated a vast difference between Chinese support system vs. American support system; Chinese men reported getting more esteem and network support from their spouse than Chinese women versus American women who experienced higher level of support from their spouse than did men. Sex differences were found amongst Chinese and American women, both face a support gap but Chinese wom en face an additional gap with respect to network support. The results provided Cross-cultural corroboration for the existence of support gaps, i.e. the less network support for Chinese wives that is because Chinese wives were reliant on their husbands for social contacts outside their home. Chinese also reported in getting more information support than did Americans, which could arise from Individualism-Collectivism; a cultural factor. Americans view intimate relationship in terms of personal affect changes whereas Chinese in terms of connection with community. American men reported getting low level of spousal support than Chinese men that is because in traditional value system, wives have an obligation to support the egos and social connections of their husbands and husbands have lesser responsibility. Results indicate that marriage remains more influenced by traditional values among Chinese men than Americans. Depression and Illness including Marital Satisfaction across Cultures In collectivist societies, marriage is the central reality of a womans life and the blue print on which her life depends. Epidemiological studies confirm the special vulnerability of women, especially married women, in South Asia (Johnson Johnson, 2001). High rates of domestic violence (Jejeebhoy, 1998); female illiteracy, malnutrition, anemia and maternal mortality are major public health problems (Buckshee, 1997). Psychiatric epidemiological studies consistently identify high rates of depression and other neurotic illnesses in women and the gender ratio of these disorders on the subcontinent is higher than the gender ratio in the West (Mumford et al., 1996). Among married women in Pakistan, especially among newly married women, attempted suicide (Khan Reza, 1998) and death rates from murder and suicide are higher than in are higher than in many other societies and are usually associated with in-law conflicts, especially dowry disputes (Kumar, 2004). Smaller scale studies of menta l health and illness have found that a variety of disorders such as depression and post-partum depression were strongly associated with marital problems, particularly maltreatment by husband or in-laws (Patel et al., 2002; Ulrich, 1987). Women immigrants report higher rates of depression and dysphoria than Native American women (Karasz, 2005). A study of traditional South Asian immigrant women and white European American women found that European American women viewed depressive symptoms as the result of personality structures shaped by childhood experiences, or by patho-physiological processes such as serotonin deficiency or hormonal imbalance. South Asian women, by contrast, viewed depressive illness as a normal emotional reaction to severe situational stress, especially marital distress, and to the vulnerabilities associated with womens gender roles (Karasz, 2005). The present study by Karasz examines how women understand the link of marital family problems and a wide range of health problems by examining their conceptual representations of the causal relationship between marriage roles, health and illness. Using qualitative methods and a model of illness representation from health psychology literature, 35 traditional South Asian immigrant women living in New York City were interviewed. Results indicated that problems associated with marriage roles, including marital and marital family conflict, domestic overwork and isolation were viewed as extremely serious and were associated conceptually with a variety of health problems. In another study done by Qadir, De Silva, Prince and Khan, tested the applicability of marital satisfaction scales developed in the West for use in Pakistan. The results indicate that, contrary to cultural beliefs regarding marriage, most women expressed the need to be satisfied within marriage, which was found to be extremely low because of variety of reasons such as living in an extended family background and low spousal support. Communication Patterns Rehman and Munroe did a study and used cross-cultural methodology to examine the demand-withdraw pattern of marital communication. In Western countries, women make more demands, whereas men are more likely to withdraw. This advanced marital structure hypothesis suggests that this pattern can be altered by gender roles and beliefs, particularly in traditional marriages (Rehman Munroe, 2006). To test such hypotheses, the authors conducted an observational study of marital communication across very different cultures, with varying levels of patriarchy (i.e., 50 White American couples, 52 Pakistani couples in Pakistan, and 48 immigrant Pakistani couples in America). A questionnaire was used to gather demographic information, such as age and education. The Short Marital Adjustment Test (SMAT; Locke Wallace, 1959); a standard measure of marital adjustment with well-established psychometric properties was the measure of marital satisfaction level. The Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS; Straus, 1979); was used to screen out violent couples. Modified General Ethnicity Questionnaire (GEQ; Tsai, Ying, Lee, 2000); only the immigrant couples completed this measure of acculturation to U.S. culture. Unable to find acculturation measures designed for The Desired Changes Questionnaire; the DCQ was used to choose topics for each couple to discuss during their marital interactions. Twenty areas are listed (e.g., Get together with my friends).3 For each area, spouses rated how much they wanted their partner to change (1- no change; 7- much more); they then listed at least two additional issues on which they wanted partner change and rank ordered their three most important issues. Each couple was also asked to discuss for 7.5 minutes, which were later coded. Across cultures, demand-withdraw communication was related to marital distress, extending previous findings to new groups. The results for demanding behaviors showed that Pakistani wives were significantly more likely to engage in unassertive demands than were American wives, whereas American wives were significantly more likely to use aggressive demands than were Pakistani wives. In addition, among Pakistani and immigrant couples, husbands were significantly more likely than were wives to use aggressive demands, whereas American wives were significantly more likely to use aggressive demands than were American husbands. There was a trend for American husbands to be more likely to withdraw than their wives. In contrast, in the Pakistani group, wives were significantly more likely to withdraw than were husbands. In addition, Pakistani and immigrant wives were significantly more likely to withdraw than were American wives, whereas American husbands were significantly more likely to with draw than were Pakistani husbands. Pakistani and immigrant wives showed increased withdrawal and made more unassertive demands, whereas Pakistani and immigrant husbands withdrew less and made more aggressive demands. Attitudes towards Marriage Attitude is one of the definitions in Jungs Chapter XI of Psychological Types. Jungs description of attitude is a readiness of the psyche to act or react in a certain way (Jung, [1921] 1971:par. 687). One of the types of attitudes Jung describes is, rational attitude, which is reason as an attitude (Jung, [1921] 1971: par. 785). Rational attitude is subdivided into thinking and feeling and irrational is subdivided into sensing and intuition. Attitude towards marriage involves, readiness to act in a certain way, whether you are capable of considering it rationally or irrationally. Why an individual chooses to get married? (voluntarily and involuntarily) differs across cultures. In collectivist cultures, it is seen as the only way of having family, fornication is not only considered a sin but also an individual can be severely punished which can lead to his/her death; some countries also have laws protecting it for example Saudi Arabia. Higgins, Zheng, Liu and Sun did a study to compare the attitude towards marriage amongst people living in China (collective culture) and United Kingdom (individualistic culture). The British sample consisted of 338 students and the Chinese sample consisted of 505 students. A questionnaire was devised by Chinese and English researchers working together. Respondent cultural differences in response style were noted (Higgins, Zheng, Liu Sun, 2002). According to Triandis, Brislin, and Hui (1988), people who belong to collectivist, group-oriented societies are more likely to value harmony, face-saving, modesty, and moderation and this may manifest itself in neutral answers to attitude scales. Respondents were asked for their opinion using a 5-point Likert scale. In this study, students were asked for their general attitude to sex before marriage. A total of 46.3% of Chinese men and 41.2% of Chinese women gave neutral answers, a higher percentage of Chinese female students (46.9%) were aga inst sex before marriage than were Chinese male students (29.9%). The next statements concerned the connection between premarital sex and marriage. Most British students (85.2% men, 91.3% women) disagreed with A couple who have had sexual intercourse before marriage ought to marry each other, whereas only a few Chinese (12.9% men, 11.4% women) disagreed. The belief that sex is designed for marriage is still firmly held by many Chinese people and exerts a strong influence on their attitudes (Higgins, Zheng, Liu Sun, 2002). When asked about their willingness to marry a partner who had had sex with somebody else, over half of the British respondents (54.0% men, 50.6% women) did not seem to worry about their partners previous sexual experience whereas their Chinese counterparts (34.0% men, 36.5% women) appeared to be less agreeable to the idea. 87.1% male and female 94.3% students were against freedom to have lovers within marriage. This attitude was also prevalent among the Chinese sample, with 65.6% of men and 72.5% of women against extramarital lovers, this study showed that these male-superior norms still exist in the U.K. sample but are more prominent in the Chinese sample (Higgins, Zheng, Liu Sun, 2002). Culture exerts a strong influence on peoples attitudes to love, marriage, and sex. People from a more traditional society (e.g. China) have more consensus about the gender roles of men and women; adhere more to traditional morality and values; and are less open about sexual freedom (Higgins, Zheng, Liu Sun, 2002). Hojat, Shapurian, Shafeyhain and Parsi conducted a study amongst 160 Iranian immigrants in the US in 2000. The immigrants were between 20 -50 years of age, questionnaires were given which included 25 questions regarding attitude towards marriage and relationship. Results showed that Iranian immigrant men were more likely than female partners to view premarital sex, marriage and family from a traditional point of view. Another interesting study done by Wiesel and Krenawi consisted of 150 participants of different cultural backgrounds i.e. 29 were Druze, 32 were Muslims and 33 were Christians; 44 were women and 50 were men with a mean age of 34. The questionnaires were designed to reveal attitudes toward love, the marriage expectation scale, potency scale, which will reveal the control of things, and mate selection scale which revealed how the person took initiative in getting married (love or arranged). Results indicated Muslims saw love as less important for marital quality than did Druze and Christians, Muslims more than other groups correlated independent decision making with marital quality, attitude toward love and marital quality were weakly correlated among Muslims, the necessity to beget off spring and unity between families were high amongst Muslims than other groups suggesting what might keep the families together in the absence of love. The results also suggested that arranged marriages are negatively associated with marital satisfaction and low level of marital satisfaction was related with low level of education. Discussion Through a variety of perceptions, one develops an exclusive analogue of what marriage is; and the ancillary ideals concerning marriage. My mother always said that successful marriage depends on two things: finding the right person and being the right person. Since I am a Muslim, I will give several quotations from Quran; which I support as my belief and my idea of a perfect family and what a perfect husband and wife should be like. Though I must admit with time, I have come to realize that to be perfect; one must have to sacrifice a lot and since marriage is a two way street one has to give a lot in order to get anything. In Islam, marriage is treated as half-faith. When a servant of Allah marries, he has completed half of his religious obligations, and he must fear Allah in order to complete the second half (al-Baihaqi). Prophet Muhammad has also said, Marriage is part of my *Sunnah, whoever runs away from my path is not from among us. Husbands and wives are compared as garments to each other (al-Quran 2:187) Marriage gives tranquility (al-Quran 30:21) of mind in the spouses. Allah has prescribed marriage as the only way for conjugal relationship and family life in human society (al-Quran 2:221, 5:5, 24:33). With enough being said of the significance of marriage in Islam, its a shame to see that Muslim women face higher suicidal rate than men in Pakistan (Khan Reza, 1998). Most marriages in Pakistan are arranged by parents and other elders of family, with the woman having little or no say in the selection of her partner. Premarital meetings between couples are rare. Many couples meet each other for the first time on their wedding night. Newly married couples share the house with the grooms family, having little time or space of their own. Once married, a woman is under increasing pressure from her in-laws as well as her own family to have children as soon as possible, preferably in the first year. If for some reason the woman cannot have children, the threat of divorce or the husband taking on a second wife (allowed in Islam) is not uncommon. The divorce rate in Pakistan is quite low 0.3 per 1000 population (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1996, p. 686) but this does not reflect the true state of marriages. There is considerable stigma to divorce, especially for the woman. In addition, few women work outside their homes or have jobs that give them economic independence. Because most of the South Asian and Middle Eastern countries give high power to men, the spousal support is something that men living in these countries expect from women. Being a housewife, taking care of kids and most of all thinking of women as inferior is something common amongst these men. Because the families live together, there is not privacy, which gives rise to poor communication amongst married couples. My marriage was an arranged, it wasnt that my parents didnt ask me of my approval; or if I didnt get a chance to talk to my husband, before getting married, that is something that a women in Islam has the right to do and people; who are uneducated living in impoverished societies, deprive women of these right which gives rise to many social and marital problems. I must admit though, that living in an extended joined family, gave my husband and me little or no time for us, our life was going around in circles to which I always thought was no ending. But, being educated and having a liberal thinking we always made sure there was at least if not all, some privacy left, some matters that only me and my husband would discuss behind closed doors. While doing research for this paper, I sadly have to confess that women living in Asian or Middle eastern countries do suffer more, which didnt come to me as a surprise because Ive lived in Pakistan and have seen it all, but my question and concer n was who will ever put a stop to all this nonsense?. Sadly, women is a victim in these countries but women are also who are perpetuating these hatred and violence in the household. A woman can take many forms, she can be a daughter, a mother in law, a sister in law, a wife, an aunt etc. most importantly she is the one who raises a child to be the kind of person she wants to see him as; unfortunately in countries like Pakistan and India, it is the woman (mother in law) who forces their child to be stern and harsh to their wives, I think its because of the fact that they cant stand the undivided attention of their sons or maybe they think keeping a women under control will only bring out the best for their sons. Who will ever think of these women who are ignored?

Bless Me, Ultima Essay -- essays research papers

The loss of innocence in life is an inevitable process. Losing one’s innocence comes merely by growing up. The philosophy of the loss of one’s innocence is a definite theme in the book Bless Me, Ultima. This theme is displayed throughout the entire story and plot of the novel. There is loss of innocence all around the main character, Tony, with his brothers and the people he meets. Tony also loses a great deal of his own innocence to the harsh realities of the world which marks his transition from a boy to a man.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The theme of the loss of innocence covers the entire essence of the book. There are many cases in the story where people had lost their innocence of life and it was lost to them forever. Tony’s brothers are of such a case. They had gone to war to fight for their country and explore the world. But as they yearned and sought the outside and how it was, they lost their innocence in the process. Being in war they saw death and destruction which soiled their once virgin eyes. Although they gained knowledge and experience they were becoming no longer young and gay, but were becoming mature and knowledgeable. Growing at such a fast pace was a regretful process, that even Andrew advised Tony to not grow too fast but that would not happen as we know.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another example of loss of innocence in the book would be Tony’s friends. The gang seems to be fairly innocent enough but they ...

The Berlin Blockade

For many historians, the Berlin Blockade effectively started the Cold War era. This is because it happened to be the first major issue which took place between the United States and her allies, on one hand, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), on the other hand, after which years of tension between the two camps ensued (Byrnes). Essentially, The Berlin Blockade took place when the USSR cut off all access to Berlin in an attempt to force the United States, Britain, and France to the negotiating table for the purpose of discussing the future as well as the division of Germany (Wilde).Historical Background When the Second World War ended in 1945, the victorious allied forces which consisted of the United States, Great Britain, France, and the USSR occupied Germany and divided the country into four zones and its capital (Berlin) into four sectors. Berlin, however, was located well inside the zone which was occupied by the Soviets. In other words, before the three other occ upiers could gain access to their Berlin sectors, they had to pass through the Soviet-occupied zone.Under their arrangement, although the country was already divided into four zones, it would still be considered as one economic entity to be controlled by the â€Å"Allied Control Council (ACC)† (Russian History Encyclopedia). Based in Berlin, the ACC was also known as the Allied Control Authority or the Alliierter Kontrollrat in German. It was essentially a â€Å"military occupation governing body of Germany† composed of the representatives of the United States, Great Britain, and the USSR. A later addition was France whose representative was granted with the power to vote but did not have any duties.The ACC was formally constituted on August 30, 1945. Its initial members were General Dwight Eisenhower of the United States, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery of Great Britain, Marshal Georgy Zhukov of the USSR, and General Jean Joseph-Marie Gabriel Lattre de Tassigny of Fr ance (Spiritus-Temporis. com). Unfortunately, the relations between the USSR and the three other occupiers of Germany did not last that long because their self-appointed task of administering the occupied Germany under the provisions of the ACC agreement did not go as envisioned.For one, the Soviets insisted on collecting huge reparations from its controlled eastern zone while the United States, Great Britain, and France, instead of demanding for reparations, wanted to revitalize the economy of their occupied zones in order to improve the living conditions of the residents (BBC Bitesize). Their disagreement was sparked by the January 1, 1947 decision of the British and the Americans to merge their zones and form the Bizone. Then the two countries spent the rest of 1947 and the early part of 1948 in the preparation of a currency reform that would ultimately introduce the Deutschmark.This currency reform was only the first step towards the establishment of a separate West German state . This move was opposed by the Russians because, according to them, it showed that the Americans and the British were no longer interested in taking part in the â€Å"four-power control of Germany. † The Russians further argued that the American and the British move would ultimately result to the death of the ACC (Spiritus-Temporis. com). By January 1948, the Soviets were already starting to severely criticize the intents and methods which the Americans and the British were employing in dealing with the economic problems of West Germany.Their disagreements remained unresolved until finally, in March of the same year, the Soviet delegation to the ACC staged a walkout. That Soviet act effectively dissolved the council because no further meetings had been conducted after their walkout (Russian History Encyclopedia). In spite of their disagreements, all four victorious countries were wary of the rebirth of a unified Germany. They all agreed that allowing Germany to regain its eco nomic and military strength would be a very risky proposition because the country might again represent a threat to world peace.However, they differed in their methods and intentions regarding the future of the country. First, the USSR wanted to convert the eastern territory into a communist state. Then it feared that if the zones controlled by the United States, Great Britain, and France would be totally integrated into the capitalist West, its control over its own Russian zone would be threatened, considering that the three Berlin sectors controlled by the three occupiers were located deep inside the Soviet-occupied zone.Stalin, in particular, who was known to have been consumed by paranoia, suspected that the western occupied sector in Berlin would first attempt to alienate the eastern sector from Russian influence and later serve as a staging point of a destabilization campaign against the Soviet Union itself, including the entire Eastern European communist bloc. For this reason alone, Stalin could not allow the emergence of a unified and rejuvenated West Germany inside the Russian zone. The other three occupiers, on the other hand, were bent on working together towards their common objective of rejuvenating their occupied territories.Their intention was to unify their three zones into a capitalist West Germany and integrate the same into their economic and defense organizations. Their purpose was to exercise complete control over West Germany while providing all the necessary assistance it needed in order to become a self supporting state (Wilde). In all indications, the disagreement over the Berlin question was already the start of the Cold War era. Both the western bloc and the Soviet Union were already considering their positions in the new world political order.So that when the Soviet delegation walked out of the ACC meeting, the United States and Great Britain became really convinced of the urgency of the establishment of a West German state. It coul d not be denied that they, themselves, did not want to give the Soviet Union the opportunity to consolidate its hold over all of Europe. For this purpose, a â€Å"Six Power Conference† was convened. Delegates from the United States, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Belgium sat down and discussed the issue.