Methodology (guide 1000) †Research Design Essay

The current study employs a descriptive-comparative design, with nutrition knowledge, lifestyles, and health behaviours being compared. The scores of the two groups (normal weight and obese groups) were analyzed using the Chi-square to determine if they had a relationship with being obese. Tthe study is descriptive in nature as frequencies, means, and frequency distributions were computed to describe the samples used in the study. Samples and Sampling Plan Hong Kong residents between 18 to 40 years old is the population for this research study. Since the total population for the survey is very large, due to time limitations a sample size of 60 was taken for the survey, with 30 allotted to the normal weight group and the rest to the obese sample. Purposive sampling method is adopted for this research. The selection of employees for the experimental group was made on the basis of their participation in the stress management workshop. To ensure the effectiveness of the study, employees belonging to all levels of management, service time, sex groups and age are selected to participate in the survey. There shall be two samples used in the study, namely, 1) normal weight group and 2) the obese group. Both groups shall be chosen using purposive sampling. Purposive sampling is a popular research recruiting method, as the sample size does not have to be determined at the beginning of the project. It is also an advantage for this study, as the sample size will be constrained by time and available resources (Mack, Woodsong, MacQueen, Guest & Namey, 2005). This study will make use of purposive sample to select respondents. This was based on respondents’ willingness to participate and being available during the period to complete the surveys. Informed consent need to be taken into consideration at the start of any research project. Consent is about participants making a reasonable choice to take part in the study, and, as such, their aspirations need to â€Å"fit† with the goals of the research (Mason, 1997). The researcher will ensure that the participants were fully informed. In addition the researcher discussed the potential consent form with their supervisor and colleagues. This will highlight to the researcher potential ambiguities in meaning, confusing sentences and missing information that are likely to invalidate the measures (Patton, 2000). Informed consent requires the awareness of the researcher that participation is dependant on an individual’s understanding of the goals of the study, and what is expected of the participant. Informed consent will ensure respect for the dignity of the participant (Mack et al. , 2005). Coercion into participation will be avoided at all costs, as the study requires that participation be voluntary (Mack et al, 2005). Thus, informed consent was to ensure the well being of participants as its priority. Additionally, participants would be made aware that their responses would directly contribute to a sharing of knowledge on nutrition knowledge, lifestyles, and health behaviours among Hong Kong residents. In addition, respondents will be reassured that the data collected would be kept confidential. No incentives will be provided for participation in this study. Results collected from the final analyses will be made available to respondents on request. Procedure The respondents who are legible for participation were contacted to ask for their permission in participating in the study. They were sent formal letters or emails indicating this purpose. Calls were made to these individuals to confirm their willingness to participate in the study. This study is meant to research on nutrition knowledge, lifestyles, and health behaviours of normal weight and obese individuals in Hong Kong. The primary source of data is the responses to a questionnaire (see Appendix A). A preliminary study is done on the responses collected from 5 respondents. The questionnaire was then altered based on their suggestions. During pilot testing, wording of some questions is improved to make it more understandable to the respondents. Some questions were eliminated from the questionnaire and new questions were added on the basis of the respondents’ comments. The process was repeated once again to arrive at the final questionnaire to be used on the sample. The data collection period occured over a period of 15 days. The research hypotheses were not divulged rather respondents were only informed that the study aims to determine differences in nutritional knowledge, lifestyles, and health behaviours between normal weight and obese individuals, and so contribute to research on this topic. It is anticipated that respondents are less likely to guess the hypotheses, and so less likely to exhibit socially desirable responses in order to â€Å"please† the investigator. Respondents were called to administer the survey via telephone. Each respondent was told that the completion of the survey will take about 10 minutes and they were asked to email a signed consent form if he is amenable to the terms of participation. In all cases, consent forms were printed and stored separately to consent forms, and each questionnaire booklet was identified only with a respondent number. On completion of the study, respondents were thanked, and were briefly informed of the study’s hypotheses. Respondents were also informed that the results of the study will be made available to them on request following submission of the final thesis. References Adamson, A.J.,  Rugg-Gunn, A.J.,  Butler, T.J.,  & Appleton, D.R. (1996). The contribution of foods from outside the home to the nutrient intake of young adolescents.   Journal of Human nutrition and Dietetics, 9(1), 55-68 Department of Health, Hong Kong. (2006). Obesity. Retrieved on October 20, 2006 from http://www.dh.gov.hk/english/main/main_chp/surveil_pr_dig_kncd_obesity.html.

Opinion and analysis essay on movie “Merchants of Cool” Essay

The movie, â€Å"The Merchants of Cool†, presented an in-depth look at the relationship between marketing giants and the individuality and â€Å"coolness† of teens today. I was surprised by some of the things shown in the movie; not that I was ignorant of the fierce marketing tactics used by companies to sell their product, but I was unaware of the extent that some are willing to go to. Sprite for instance, paid teenagers $50 each to come, dance, and have a good time at the launch party for its website. This party was filmed by MTV, and broadcast to millions of teens who were accordingly influenced by this new trend. To me, it seems that by attempting to discover cool trends before they flourish, with â€Å"cool hunting†, companies themselves eventually kill whatever trends they find. They are encouraging trends that may have never surfaced without intervention, and repressing others that they deemed unmarketable. The results of this craving for foreknowledge of the next trend are frequently unsavory, as is seen in the case of MTV’s ethnographic study, where researchers visited teens at their homes and attempted to analyze them as if their individuality could be synthesized and then marketed. From these studies, arose what â€Å"The Merchants of Cool† call the mook and the midriff. The mook is an extremely rude and immature character who completely disregards what others think of him and his actions. This character is portrayed by actors such as Tom Green and is seen in the show â€Å"Jackass†. The midriff is the character that media says a teenage girl should be; comfortable and extremely open with her sexuality. These â€Å"standards† that the media creates are obviously flawed. The movie also opened my eyes to a few astonishing facts, such as the fact that teens see 3,000 ads per day, 10 million by the time they’re 18. This mass exposure is obviously not beneficial, and in my opinion these media conglomerates, including companies such as Viacom and AOL Time Warner have, in a sense, taken over many teen’s lives, becoming dictators of every day in a teen’s life. These ads tell one how to dress to be cool, what kind of shampoo to use, and even what soda to drink to achieve the ultimate â€Å"cool factor†.

Atypical Behaviors Reflection Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Atypical Behaviors Reflection - Movie Review Example This fetish is perceived to be very weird because balloons are associated with children and, accordingly, people who literally love balloons can be treated as pedophiles (Nikolaj Rantala). Foot fetish is one of a kind of fetish where people are attracted by some body parts (Ryohey Sasagawa). This fetish is treated as abnormality because people rarely pay attention to feet when it comes to romantic relationships or attractions. They are more likely to seek people with certain color or hair or eyes. The Love Dolls video by National Geographic deals with one more abnormal sexual behavior where men almost fall in love with human-like love dolls. Men give names to their dolls, take care of them and treat them like people. All these fetishes look strange to me because they really challenge traditional understanding of sexuality. I grew up in a traditional family with totally conventional beliefs about sex and relationships. Balloon and love dolls fetishes look really strange because I simply cannot understand why people feel sexually aroused by things like dolls or balloons. Overall, perception of sexual abnormalities heavily depends on the person who judges what is normal and what is

Investigative report Assignment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Investigative report Assignment - Research Paper Example There are a large number of details which are pouring in to certify that there has been attack on the protestors of Qhadafi and the fact that he has done intense murders to signify his position as the strong man in the State of Libya. â€Å"A three-member international panel arrived in Libya today to begin a United Nations-ordered inquiry into the violence and human rights abuses in the North African country since forces supporting Muammar al-Qadhafi began a crackdown against protesters earlier this year.† The team which belongs to the United Nations said that there are not enough numbers on the deaths of the people but it looks like that more than a hundred thousand have lost their lives and approximately seven hundred thousands fled Libya. It all began as a peaceful protest against the camp of Qhadafi turned into a violent armed conflict between the protestors and his people. There were a large number of people who were involved in the protest and it has come to the surprise of many Libyans that why the protest which started off so peacefully did has turned out to be violent in nature. One of the answers to this could be the fact that the Qhadafi camp was not willing to allow any kind of mass movements against its camp. It was however understood by the leadership that they should give it some time to boil down, as they anticipated that protest like these would eventually fade out without having any stake. However, that did not happen, instead, more and more people joined the protest which was a clear indication that people did not appreciate the functioning of Qhadafi and wanted and ouster of him and his camp from the establishment. After Qhadafi came to realise this aspect of the protest, he quickly turned to violent means to kill the protest which was keeping his position in the establishment in jeopardy. â€Å"The General Assembly suspended Libya’s membership in the Human Rights Council last month in the wake of the violent repression of the protesters, and the Security Council later authorized Member States to take â€Å"all necessary measures† to protect civilians.† This comes as a shock to Libya which is going under severe crisis due to the fight between the protestors and the established camp. Ethnic Cleansing and genocide in Tawergha: It is reported by the Human Rights Investigation that the people in the region of Tawergha have been ethnically cleansed by the establishment under heinous circumstances. â€Å"Human Rights Investigations has been following the situation of the Tawergha closely and here we draw the information together and find, based on the reports of witnesses, journalists and human rights workers, the situation of the Tawergha is not just one of ethnic cleansing but, according to the legal definition, genocide.† This is a prime case of genocide in the region and calls for drastic measures by the human rights organization to help the people of Tawergha from man slaughter. Let us look at the Genocide convention to understand the meaning of Human Rights violation: â€Å"any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group as such: 1. Killing members of the group; 2. Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the gr

XTRA Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

XTRA - Case Study Example The company owners are anticipating the launch of e-business as a probable solution to regain their lost business and sales. The e-business is a manifestation of the turnaround strategy that is planned by the business owners. The new platform will lend a global existence and wider consumer base reach for increasing sales. The e-business will support XTRA to restore the company’s business and the market share. The launch of e-business is expected to generate more business for XTRA by offering a reengineering strategy. Also the data collected by the information systems can be used to serve the customers personally. The staff members at are apprehensive of the new technology and fear the change in roles and responsibilities that will be accompanied with the new approach. Also, since the staff has not been using the computer systems extensively at work, they are not very well acquainted with the information systems and how to use it for the business processes. So the decision is a strategic one and the various critical factors and their impact must be evaluated. The basic problem that can be identified for the current situation at XTRA is its limited consumer base and narrow exposure. Also, company serves product line that caters to a narrow consumer segment with fans of Hollywood actors who are interested to buy a memoir of the favorite movie or actor. XTRA has been operating through a centralized outlet at the city centre. The declining sales can be contributed to the limited market exposure and constrained reach in the world of global and transnational businesses. The past success describes that local demand for the related goods has been well satisfied and saturated. The unique range of products needs to reach a newer customer base which cannot be provided by local market. E-business will help XTRA to reach global customers and to

Sales Operations and Planning Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sales Operations and Planning - Assignment Example The sales team will support the promotion mix through demonstrating professional understanding of the product. Their customer-centered attitude is expected to generate satisfaction and the confidence to buy the products among customers (Belch & Belch, 2006). Their appearance through dressing in branded T-shirts and caps will be significant in promoting the product as well as the company’s presence in the UK. The salespeople will offer essential advice to customers regarding the application of products to ensure that they derive maximum utility. The job descriptions of salespeople and their remuneration plans also need to reflect the corporate objectives. This alignment is a significant step aimed at maintaining the financial well-being of the company. It motivates the sales team to engage in activities that enhance corporate objectives by avoiding sever connections between what the organization is trying to accomplish and the aims of the sales team. If the alignment is not est ablished, there is a likelihood of the sales people overemphasizing on certain products or activities that they associate with maximal gains in terms of compensation while disregarding others (Stone & Jacobs, 2001). This may negatively influence the company’s market expansion especially in the efforts for new product launch as salespeople focus much of their energies on the already established products in the market and fewer efforts to the slow-moving and less known products.  

Nature and Technology of War Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nature and Technology of War - Research Paper Example There was frequent raiding of neighbors and confiscation of territories, goods and women from other groups by fighting. War during these times was highly ritualized and was based on a number of taboos and practices which limited the number of casualties as well as length of conflict. A condition referred to as endemic warfare. During the earliest times of Homo erectus society (hunter-gathers) the population was scarce and low to avoid war. However, with the invention and development of throwing spear and hunting techniques, probable violence between groups was made costly, ordering conflict prevention and groups moving apart and far to lessen competition for resources which could cause war. This describes the era of Paleolithic â€Å"warlessness† which took place until the emergence of the Homo sapiens. Starting around 12, 000 CE, war was transformed by the discovery of bows, slings and maces, according to Duiker and Spielvogel (2010). The bow appeared to be the most vital wea pon in the development of prehistoric war as exposed the attacker to less risk. The Neolithic period which is associated with the emergence of farming has been evidently associated with war, for instance, the massacre of a rival tribe. In this era before blockade weapons were developed to a high level of complex technology, fortification appeared to have been a successful method of protecting the community against invaders. Fortifications indicate that there was significant social organization in the societies of prehistoric people. Warfare at this period was also said to be more organized. The Nature and technology evolvement of war is more pronounced in the analysis of military historians. In the prehistoric era, there were a lot of conquest and movements with various technological innovations. The kingdoms and empires were the central units controlling war and were only maintained via military forces. War was common during this period due to lack of enough agricultural ability. W eapons and armor were largely produced as they were known to last longer than artifacts. Use of weapons was seen as an indication of prosperity or virtue and thus weapons were mostly placed on monuments and tombs of great warriors. With the invasion of writing it was used to record events such as major battles and conquest. Writing was also used for kings to boast of military conquest or victories through records. With the growth of the nation states, empires grew hence the increased demand for order and efficiency as well as increased recording. Some of the notable militaries in pre history include Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks, Indians, early imperial Chinese ancient Romans, Carthagians and Persians among others, as stated by Hamblin (2006). The fertile crescent of Mesopotamia was the heart of many prehistoric conquests. The philosophers of the Warning States era in china, Mozi and his followers invented diverse blockade weapons and blockade crafts. These were used to level forti fied walls during a blockade of an opponent city. In most cases, the nature of war involved a kingdom fighting with another in order to overtake their land. As a result there were a lot of invasions. It also involved civil wars due to the increased power struggles within the empires generals. During the Dark Ages, when stirrups came into existence, war had forever changed. Invasions were combined with technological, social and cultural

Twentieth Century Conflicts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Twentieth Century Conflicts - Essay Example The individual level of analysis in war includes a basic idea of how human traits cause many of the social outcomes in historical instances, including war and peace. There are variations of this idea as listed in a paper written by Wade L. Huntley, Ph.D. titled Causes of War and Paths to Peace written in May of 2004. Those variations include: basic human nature, varying features of human nature and both perception and misperception. His considerations behind this would include that in factoring basic human nature, people are basically aggressive, loving, greedy and fearful and so forth. People would be of all sorts of types, some aggressive, others peaceful, greedy or generous. Perception and misperception can result as bad decisions are made, especially in times of stress, which continually exemplifies the limits of human understanding of more than just human nature. Now, the question is, why does this series of considerations explain how war can manage coming about According to the text written by Wade L. Huntley, Ph.D. titled Causes of War and Paths to Peace written in May of 2004 that would include such potential motivations as self interest, which would lead to dilemmas in security, the equivalent of fear, protection requirement as a result and then intimidation as a result of those protections. Uncertainty breeds doubt and thus creates misperception and misinterpretation of actions. Wars or conflicts that would figure into this particular style of analysis would include, the Kurds, Bosnia, and Afghanistan in the grand scheme of war analysis because it would be individual conflicts of interest and security involved. The state level of war analysis includes a basic idea that the key factor is not necessarily based on human factors, but governmental ones in organization and such. The constraints that are created as a result of the basic infrastructure of the country can become a root cause of war. There are two variations to this idea. One is the state's nature; because each state wants certain things just because they would happen to be states and things like security and unity or nationalism would be inclusive within that. Also, included within this perspective is, like individuals, every state would be different. There would be differences that include purposeful, ideological and structural differences to consider. Much like the man vs. man consideration, this would be, in order revolutionary vs. status quo, capitalism vs. communism and democracy vs. totalitarianism. So, how can we understand such things, well we examine one of the wars on a state level. This would be, in essence, the Vietnam C onflict in which half the country believed strongly in democratic process and the other half would believe strongly in the communist construct. The same could be said for the Korean War. Understanding the underlying reasons would hardly gain knowledge as to how the individual level of war interpretations would inevitably cause war. Nor, would this actually explain the impetus of war in the fact that uncertainty of the human condition exists. In the State level of war, you have states that control the military, so what happens within a state or affects that state, can affect the military. No matter how good the people are within that state, it hardly would imply that the governing body for that state would be the same. Regardless

God of Small Things Quotes Essay Example for Free

God of Small Things Quotes Essay Extended metaphor: â€Å"Perhaps Ammu, Estha and she were the worst transgressors. But it wasnt just them. They all broke the rules. They all crossed into forbidden territory. They all crossed into forbidden territory. They all tampered with the laws that lay down who should be loved and how. And how much. The laws that make grandmothers grandmothers, uncles uncles, mothers mothers, cousins cousins, jam jam, and jelly jelly. Rahel and Estha live in a society with very rigid class lines. â€Å"Commonly held view that a married daughter had no position in her parent’s home. As for a divorced daughter – according to Baby Kochamma, she had no position anywhere at all. And for a divorced daughter from a love marriage, well, words could not describe Baby Kochamma’s outrage†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Chacko told the twins that, though he hated to admit it, they were all Anglophiles. They were a family of Anglophiles. Pointed in the wrong direction, trapped outside their own history and unable to retrace their steps because their footprints had been swept away† The concept of Anglophilia is a big one in this book, from the way everyone fawns over Sophie Mol, to Chackos cocky attitude about his Oxford degree, to the whole familys obsession with The Sound of Music. But its pretty clear that the thing they love also holds them down. When Chacko says their footprints have been swept away, he is making a reference to the way members of the Untouchable caste have to sweep away their footprints so that people of higher classes dont pollute themselves by walking in them. Even though by Indian standards their family is of a relatively high social status, they are of a low social status in relation to the British. Pappachi would not allow Paravans into the house. Nobody would. They were not allowed to touch anything that Touchables touched. Caste Hindus and Caste Christians. Mammachi told Estha and Rahel that she could remember a time, in her girlhood, when Paravans were expected to crawl backwards with a broom, sweeping away their footprints so that Brahmins or Syrian Christians would not defile themselves by accidentally stepping into a Paravans footprint. In Mammachis time, Paravans, like other Untouchables, were not allowed to walk on public roads, not allowed to cover their upper bodies, not allowed to carry umbrellas. They had to put their hands over their mouths when they spoke, to divert their polluted breath away from those whom they addressed. (2.270) This quote speaks volumes about the experience of the Untouchables, and it helps us appreciate the kinds of deeply ingrained attitudes that drive so much of the prejudice and hate we see in the novel. Then [Baby Kochamma] shuddered her schoolgirl shudder. That was when she said: How could she stand the smell? Havent you noticed? They have a particular smell, these Paravans. (13.129) Like Mammachi, Baby Kochamma has a heap of prejudices against other social classes, and these prejudices run deep. By disparaging Velutha out loud and saying that his smell must have been intolerable, she tries to show just how high class she is. Mammachis rage at the old one-eyed Paravan standing in the rain, drunk, dribbling and covered in mud was re-directed into a cold contempt for her daughter and what she had done. She thought of her naked, coupling in the mud with a man who was nothing but a filthy coolie. She imagined it in vivid detail: a Paravans coarse black hand on her daughters breast. His mouth on hers. His black hips jerking between her parted legs. The sound of their breathing. His particular Paravan smell. Like animals, Mammachi thought and nearly vomited. (13.131) Again, we see just how deeply Mammachis prejudices run. She doesnt see Ammu and Veluthas relationship as love between two people, as it might look to us. As far as she is concerned, it is as low as two animals going at it in the mud. The idea of a coolie (lower-class laborer) having sex with her daughter is so repulsive to Mammachi that it almost makes her puke. Still, to say that it all began when Sophie Mol came to Ayemenem is only one way of looking at it. Equally, it could be argued that it actually began thousands of years ago. Long before the Marxists came. Before the British took Malabar, before the Dutch Ascendancy, before Vasco da Gama arrived, before the Zamorins conquest of Calicut. Before three purple-robed Syrian bishops murdered by the Portuguese were found floating in the sea, with coiled sea serpents riding on their chests and oysters knotted in their tangled beards. It could be argued that it began long before Christianity arrived in a boat and seeped into Kerala like tea from a bag. That it really began in the days when the Love Laws were made. The laws that lay down who should be loved, and how. And how much. (1.207-210) This quote is full of what might seem like obscure references, but what its basically doing is pushing us to think about what caused everything to fall apart for Estha and Rahel. Did everything come crashing down because Sophie Mol came to Ayemenem? Or do the events of the novel happen as a result of decisions, actions, and rules that were made thousands of years before any of our characters were even born? Do things happen for a reason, because theyre part of this huge plan, or do they just happen because the world is fickle like that? [Estha] knew that if Ammu found out about what he had done with the Orangedrink Lemondrink Man, shed love him less as well. Very much less. He felt the shaming churning heaving turning sickness in his stomach. (4.245) We can be pretty sure that if Ammu ever found out that Estha was molested, she wouldnt be upset with him. Shed be unbelievably angry at the Orangedrink Lemondrink Man, but she would never actually blame Estha. Yet, in Esthas mind, what happened to him is his fault, and he carries it around as his shame Ammu touched her daughter gently. On her shoulder. And her touch meant Shhhh.Rahel looked around her and saw she was in a Play. But she had only a small part. She was just the landscape. A flower perhaps. Or a tree. A face in the crowd. A Townspeople. (8.48-50) This moment turns the way Rahel understands her role at home upside-down. All of a sudden, things are totally different than they usually are. Rahels realization that theyre in a play shows us that everyone here is playing a part to some extent – they arent being themselves. Sophie Mols arrival topples over Rahels reality; she goes from being one of the leads to being the nobody in the background. Now, all these years later, Rahel has a memory of waking up one night giggling at Esthas funny dream. She has other memories too that she has no right to have. She remembers, for instance (though she hadnt been there), what the Orangedrink Lemondrink Man did to Estha in Abhilash Talkies. She remembers the taste of the tomato sandwiches – Esthas sandwiches, that Estha ate – on the Madras Mail to Madras. (1.10-12) Rahels ability to remember things that happened to Estha and not her tells us a lot about their joint identity and how profoundly she understands him.

Faust and Job Essay Example for Free

Faust and Job Essay While he was yet speaking , there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee† (Bridge Builder’s Bible, Job. 1.12-16). Job loses his possessions, his children,and he suffers health wise. He becomes very ill, but no matter what life brought him he still remained faithful to God. Job could have easily given in as Faust did. In this life we have choices to make whether they be good or evil. We must suffer the consequences for every wrong deed we choose. It takes a strong will power to be determined to do right like Job. Faust believes there is a narrow limitation on the world in which he have been living until he interacts with Mephistopheles. Faust feels he knows enough about philosophy and heros of old legends. He now recalls for a divine law that proves that this action is the ruling force of the universe. This pact deal that was made was set up to fail Faust. Faust did not believe in a heaven or hell, which means he is betting his life rather than selling his soul. In Faust’s mind he is not sure if a eternal life even exists. If he gave up the world that he was living in he really felt that he would be just giving up something that dissatisfied him any way. Faust’s desires is not so much an evil one, but the idea that he has made this pact deal with the devil brings on many concerns about this decision he has made. The devil is unsure of his own ability to fulfill all the request that Faust made to him. However, the devil accepts these challenges and make sure the pact deal is signed in blood. Faust is very eager at this point to taste all the aspects of life that he thinks he have neglected. Although at first Faust rejects the offers made by Mephistopheles, he still ends up given in to this temptation. Faust should have kept his belief when saying, â€Å"the world’s pleasures cannot end his doubts or satisfy his needs† (Cliffnotes:Faust study iii). Faust is being taking advantaged of because Mephistopheles knows Faust’s weaknesses. He knows that Faust is striving to understand the universe and his place in it, while Mephistopheles has something totally different in mind from Faust. Faust just happened to be at the crossroads in his life. He was a very well-esteemed man and an intelligent scholar who was highly looked on. The book of Faust came out during the eighteenth centuries, so attitudes then may have had an impact on how people, in particular Goethe may have viewed life. During that time attitudes were focused more toward earthly life and beyond. Looking at Faust attitude compared to Job’s, I see that Job was strong while Faust was weak. I find them to be different from each other just by viewing who gave in to this trick. It is plain to see that Faust gave in and Job stood his ground. It means a whole lot when someone can stand their grounds and not be moved by nothing in this world. Job’s world was in turmoil, but this did not interfere with his faith nor the confidence he had. Satan was concerned with getting souls that he can keep for eternity. He used any tactics he could to seduce Faust. The Devil offered earthly things to blindfold Faust. The Lord did let Mephistopheles know that when he grants him permission to engage in Faust’s life, Faust will be fully aware of the righteous path, whether he chooses it or not. I believe at this point Faust is beginning to see Mephistopheles for who he really is. I had came to this conclusion personally when I read these lines: â€Å"Your real being no less than your fame Is often shown, sirs, by your name, Which is not hard to analyze When one calls you the Liar, Destroyer, God of Flies. Enough, who are you then? Part of that force which would Do evil evermore, and yet creates the good. What is it that this puzzle indicates? I am the spirit that negates. And rightly so, for all that comes to be Deserves to perish wretchedly;’Twere better nothing would begin. Thus everything that your terms, sin, Destruction, evil represent- That is my proper element. You call yourself a part, yet whole make your debut† (Goethe 705)? Mephistopheles was a smooth talking and slick which reminds me of Satan himself. Job at some point in his life wished he had never been born. How can anyone fault Job for feeling the way he did after going through these horrible storms in his life. He had to face these mountains and conquer his fears. I do understand Job was human, so he had a right to feel saddened or possibly even lonely. Faust longs to find something absolutely enduring so that he can end his alienation. He rather ignore reality just to have pleasures fulfilled for a few years rather than having something that will please him forever. Faust understands life, but he wants to dig deeper into the truth about supernatural things. In return for his search on this he turns to magic which leads him to making this pact deal with the devil in the first place. Satan plan he had for Job did not work as God said. Mephistopheles tries to criticize God by saying he made an imperfect world. However, he did help God carry out his will through using this pact deal with Faust. Satan main goal and purpose is to defeat God by taking over every soul. It is evidently true just reading: â€Å"And in return, what do you hope to take? There’s so much time so who insist? No, no! The Devil is an egoist And would not just for heaven’s sake Turn into a philanthropist. Make your conditions very clear; Where such a servant lives, danger is near† (Goethe 711). It is obvious that Mephistopheles is not on Faust side. Once he get him right where he wants him he is going to surely take his life. What good can come from someone when they encourage another human being to take their life. No friend would want to see you die. I consider that to be for someone who hates you and they must be cold-hearted. One comes to know good by knowing evil. A person can not come to know God without knowing this knowledge. True knowledge is gotten only from experience. Just like the Devil Mephistopheles often speaks the truth to get what he wants. Faust wanted much and he was never satisfied so greed began to take over his life. Job was satisfied with what God had given him and that is how he was able to stand on the word of God. He return for Job’s pain God restored to him everything that he had lost. He gave him back more than what he had before. Faust struggle with self worth causes him to have an inability to have faith in God. However, God does not give up on Faust. Believe it or not God gives us many chances in this world today because he has not given up on us either. God knew Faust struggled, but he allowed him to reach his low point in order to draw him back. Mephistopheles duty was to lead Faust down a dark road. If Satan could have done the same thing to Job he would have, but Job was too strong for him. Therfore, Satan fault a loosing battle with Job. In the process Faust is responsible for three deaths in this story, although he was influenced by Mephistopheles. God has given us the spirit of unlimited belief.The battle really begins in our mind. It is our will and emotions that control what we do or think. We must stop limiting God by the level of our faith or belief. He is and will always be the God of the impossible. People must demand that Satan leave them alone and not just ask this. It is good to know that by the power of the holy spirit we have authority over Satan to tell him what to do. Satan must be put in his place. Satan is a great pretender, so don’t be deceived by his fierce growl. I am encouraged knowing this scriptures, â€Å"and put on the whole armor of God so that ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked† (Bridge Builder’s Bible, Ephesians6.11-18). After being tested it feels good to know t hat someone passed their test and did not fail. I must be strong myself and not get caught up in the crossroads of my own life. People must have faith in order to make it in this world. Nothing can compare to what God has to offer us in heaven. God is amazing and he is the almighty whom we must answer to. It is great to have Job like attitude and not Faust attitude towards life. I encourage people to be strong in the Lord, having much faith. Works Cited Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Faust. New York:W.W Norton Company, 1984. Lawall, Sarah, ed. The Norton Anthology of world literature .London: Castle House, 1909. Rod Parsley. Bridge Builder’s Bible. Deerfield: International Christian Publishers, 1997. Cliffs Notes -The Fastest Way to Learn. Wiley Publishing, Inc. 2000-2010 Faust, Parts 1 and 2. 11 November 2010 .

Business analysis of General Electric

Business analysis of General Electric In the history of technology in the united scales, the history of General Electric company constitutes a significant part. The growth of General Electronics (GE) from a mere home laboratory of Thomas Edison to one of the largest companies from simple early applications to complex 21st century high tech wizardry, has been quite outstanding. the company has also merged with other companies, broading its scope , moving from technology to services, consisting of total 11 main operating gates : GE Advanced with high-performance, fused quartz and ceramics which are used by a good number of industries, silicon-based products. One of worlds leading appliance manufacturers, GE Consumer and Industrial is a preeminent global maker of lighting products for consumer, commercial, and industrial customers. Besides, these functions, GE Commercial and Industrial also supplies systems, services and integrated industrial equipment. The energy industry is served by GE Energy, a prominent supplier among its field. P1. Background to Change Major changes in General Electric: The economic problems of GE can be deciphered through its managerial reshuffling. General Electronic experienced a far reaching change when John F. (Jacx) Welch Jr. became the chairman and CEO in 1981. Welch intended to give power to the subordinates i.e. the periphery of the company by invalidating the hierarchy of the management, assigning divisions according to the per formative skills, which he followed from predecessor Reginald Jones time. GE bought 338 business and product lines for $11.1 billion and sold 252 for $5.9 billion over the next few years. Jones wanted GE to be top ranked in all the fields of operation. During this period, in 1943, General Electric Credit Corporation, another of GEs operations was formed. And as it expanded into other markets like real estate, leasing and selling of heavy industrial goods, insurance and inventories its assets doubled to $16 billion between 1979 and 1984. Also, the leasing operations protected the parent company from heavy taxes. It w as done by leasing of the credit corporation on the equipments developed by GE which suffered accelerated depreciation. Forces for change: Controlling bureaucracy: Welchs signature concept was to spark productivity and save the company from eminent threats. Wales took care of both internal and external problems. He sorted out internal problems such as between functions eg-that between sales and manufacturing and external problems like GE and its suppliers and customers. Welch incited any kind of barrier was bad for the company. Information travels easily in an open, boundary less organization. There is a nothing to hinder the continuous flow of decisions, people, ideas etc. the century-old systems of resided hierarchy and bloated bureaucracy in Ge near got rid of because this Boundary less behavior. Welsh spent two decades reforming the bureaucratic procedures of GE, because he thought anything that hindered the free flow of ideas and learning was destructive. Lack of sharing information: Because there was a communication gap between the lower and top management, the goals were not clear to them. So they needed to change and adapt so that everyone could be aware of the goals and objectives of the company. Mobilizing the workforce/winning competitive advantage: GE had to change and adapt itself to the changes around and compete properly and not lag behind. And when this change happens throughout is required to minimize the disturbances associated. For expanding the business: In order to expand his business to suit the competitive market, Welsh globalizes , many were not doing well, so Jack first handled the problems playing weaker domestic sector (i.e. the hardware phase: restructuring, delivering, downsizing etc. ) After solving the hardware problems, Welch concentrated on making GE global. Advancement of Technology: Change is a must to adapt to the growing technological market. Internet initiative was used by Welch. Welch recommended every process to be digitized, as a part of GEs e-Initiative. In making the company diligent and agile this step was much instrumental. P2. GE organizational structure is combination of top-down bottom up structure. Corporate Executive Office Chairman CEO Corporate staff Finance Business R D Human Legal Development Resource GE aircraft GE transp- GE industrial GE Plastics GE Appliance GE supplies Engines orttion systems GE Power GE Medical GE Lighting GE specialty NBC GE Capital Systems Systems Materials GE Capital 26 Business organized into 5 segments Consumer Mid-market Specialized Specialty Equipment Services Financing Financing Insurance Management Advantages of Bureaucratic structure organization: Functional economics of scale Minimum duplication of personnel equipment. Enhanced communication centralized decision making Disadvantages of Bureaucratic organization Submit conflicts with organizational goals. Obsessive concern with rules and regulations. Lack of employee discretion to deal with problems. P3. Mechanistic Organizational structure: Qualities such as high complexity, formality and centralization mark the Mechanistic structures. These structures are well suited for repetitive functions and actions. They react to unpredicted events relatively slow and are highly depended on planned behaviors. Mechanistic Organizational Structure Mechanistic Organizational Performance AlignmentStructure Control-oriented IT Alignment Performance Control-oriented IT Advantages: High specialization Rigid departmentalization High formalization Disadvantages: Narrow span of control Flow of information is not free Centralized Organic Organizational structure: Organic structures emphasis on parallel relations rather than vertical ones and are relatively resilient and adoptable. It is influenced by skills and knowledge rather than status-related authorities, the focus is not on commands but on data sharing and responsibilities are rendered flexible not based on terms of reference. Organic Organizational structure Mechanistic Organizational Performance AlignmentStructure Coordinatio-oriented IT Alignment Performance Control-oriented IT Advantages: Open communication network Empowered employee Wide span of control Cross hierarchical team Free flow of information Disadvantages: Low formalization Minimal formal rules Little direct supervision. .Organizational transformation (Centralized -decentralized) The key to success is innovation. And centralization and decentralization-two structural dimensions of the firm affect this innovation. The degree is to which decision-making authority is kept at top levels of management is known as centralization. And the degree to which -decision-making authority is pushed down to lower levels of the firm is known as decentralization. There is a dispute regarding which is better among the two. There can be two types of centralization and decentralization -geographical and the hierarchy among the employees. In the case of the geographical centralization, an organization can have just one headquarter and vice versa in the case of decentralization. The other type would be when the authority and decision making sessions are involved. The centralization or decentralization of an organization depends on factors such as type of industry etc. In the case of centralized organization, the hierarchy is strictly maintained and power is held by the top executiv es and the headquarters. In decentralized organizations, the power all including various outlets and lower level managers. Tesco, the super market chain, where each store has a manager who take important decisions regarding the store, and is responsible to the regional manager is an example of decentralized organization Recommendation: The firm should have a Communication consultant who will help to assess the situation. This in turn will help the business to be as productive as possible. The communication assessment helps to figure out the faults through an external source and tries to solve them and provide better business structure and design. P4. Features of radical Changes Merger Acquisition: During the early 1980s Factory automation became a major activity. Calma and Intersil were acquired by GE and were essential to this program. To manufacture and market Hitachis industrial robots in the United States, GE also entered into an agreement with the Japanese, company. In order to robotize its locomotive plant in Eric, Pennsylvanian, and GE spent $300 million by itself. GEs aircraft engine business also participated in an air-force plant-modernization program two years later. The controversial B-1B bomber engines were also manufactured by GE. Restructuring: The six sigma was adopted by GE in the late 1990s under Welchs leadership, a Motorola, Inc. and Alliged Signal Inc pioneered quality control and improvement initiative. Costs were cut by reducing errors or defects through this program. The six sigma was claimed to yield $1 billion in annual saving by 1998. Restructuring continued within the company including a $2.3 billion charge in late 1997, which led to the closure of redundant facilities to shift to cheaper labour market production. Reconfiguring the business portfolio: Welch wanted GE to be identified as a broadly diversified corporation. Buthe was also aware that GEs business portfolio should at first focus on a limited number of sectors which will be potentially attractive for growth and profitability. In his initial says, Welch confessed about his interest in dealing with the top companies in the global market. He highlighted GEs resources on its best opportunities: the consumer electronic business, mining interests ( notably Utah International), small household appliances division, semiconductors, and radio stations were sold off by Welch. And GE acquired small companies. the bigger ones includes RCA, NBC, Kidder Peabody, CGR etc. GE made over a hundred acquisitions with financial services being the largest sector acquired. Charging the structure: One major factor which contributed to the transformed product-market face of GE and the consequent increase in growth was the changes in the business portfolio. Along with it, revitalizing the management systems and management style was required to generate ambition. This also led to a changed structure of GE. Several layers of management and large numbers of administrative positions were eliminated under Welchs supervision of special importance is the disbanding of GEs sectors, which resulted in the direct reporting by 13 business leaders to the CEO. The CEOs office expanded to include a corporate Executive council to facilitate GEs senior corporate officers and business level chiefs. Changing management systems and processes: A more flexible and responsive corporation resulted from the changes in GEs structure. GEs highly developed management systems were also required to be changed, specially the much popular strategic planning system. A less formal and more personal process substituted the staff-led, document driven process though the framework of an annual planning cycle was retained. Modify human resource management: The development of management talent contributed GEs long-term development and performance. Welch retained GEs well-developed management appraisal system and development. He thought that greater flourishing of managerial talent could be achieved by vesting managers with greater profit and loss responsibility early in their career. And better incentives were required to encourage risk taking and higher levels of performance aspiration. The bonus system was redesigned to reach into the middle of middle management. There were stark discrimination on the bonuses. Corporate Initiative: Periodic new corporate initiative as mechanisms to drive particular aspects of companywide performance was used by Welch. About every two year Welch would announce a major new initiative designed to energize the company and drive its performance in a particular direction, while strategic planning, financial control and human resource management provided the basic systems for managing GE. This initiative would be absorbed into the ongoing management systems of GE over time. Work out: The no-holds-barred discussion sessions that Welch held with different managers groups at GEs Management Development Institute at crotonville, New York, gave birth to the idea of GEs work-out process. Because work-out has a practical and an intellectual goal, it could achieve fundamental changes in management the riddance of several bad hobbits during all this twice being the objective. The second objective is intellectual, which puts the leaders of all businessing front of 100 or so, if their people, to let them know what they think. This is done 8-10 times a year. They will get to know more, about their business- feelings, opinions, resentments etc. Its about re-defining the leader-subordinate relationship. This helps form all kinds of dynamics, source go and hide, and others emerge successful. The Boundary less Organization: Though Welch reacted strongly to GEs is depicted as a conglomerate, it did GE good, for the utilization of its products and geographical diversity for the betterment of performance led to GEs growth and expansion. Globalization: GEs global responsibilities included exploiting international growth opportunities and the advantages of global reach. This was done through exploiting increased learning opportunities and global that affected particular countries could be handled properly because of global diversity. Also the advantages of such downturns were well-used. Six Sigma: This program dominated corporate initiative and primary driver of organizational change and performance movement during 1998 to 2000. Soul transferring cultural initiative- such was it called by Welch. Motorola inspired the methodology of measuring , analyzing, defining, improving and thus controlling every process that lead to the customer so that the defects reduced to 3.4 per million. P5. Evaluation of the Change Merger and acquisition: Several importance purchases were made by GE in the year 1986, including the $ 6.4 billion purchase of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), the largest for the company till that date. Interestingly, GE in 1919 had helped to found the company. GE/s broadcasting business was brought into full force by RCAs National Broadcasting company (NBC) , the leading television network. This RCA GE match was considered beneficial by the company though both the companies were heavily involved into consumer electronics. This success had been possible because GE had been shifting into service and high technology from manufacturing compared to the50 percent 6 year before almost 80 percent of GEs earnings came from services and high technology, after the merger. GEs labs made RCAs famous David Saran off Research Centre quite redundant and divested itself of it. RCAs television manufacturing business was sold to a French company Thomson in 1987. Thomsons medical diagnostics b usiness was taken up by GE instead. And to complete 130 European acquisitions, GE spent $ 30 billion during the 1990s. Restructuring:- e-business was chosen by GE for further growth of the company in 1999. GE cautiously reacted to the Interact explosion in the 1990s. Though it was thought that the Honeywell deal would serve as a capstone for Welchs much admired leadership it ended sourly. Because of the11th hour negotiations between the European regulator and GE executives were broken down, the European commission had to block the deal on antitrust grounds on 2001. Restructing: The Headquarters and the interiors of the business experienced further elimantions. Decisions were taken by the operating units which could have four layers in the hierarchy. Welch was named Neutron Jack for his administrative costs and ruthless attacks on bureaucracy. It was so severe, that many people had to leave. Human Resource modification: Because of the restricting, fewer people were left, and the 10 to 15 percent bonus was substituted by 30 to 40 percent bonus. Also, much wider range of managerial and technical employees received stock options instead of just the top echelon of management. The number of stock options receiving employees increased to 22,000 by the end of 1995, from a 400 in early 1980s and Welch said the stock compensation which was based on total GE performance salary or bonus associated with the performance of individual business or unit then. This enables a harmonious relationship between the interests of the individual, the company, and the share owner behind the powerful on company results. Workout: the interaction between people will create the scope for rewarding and more fulfilling jobs for it is when they meet and talk, opportunities broaden. The quality of work life too is bound to improve. Work out concentrated on eliminating bureaucratic practices, at first but with time it evolved to the analysis and redesigning of complex cross-functional processes-involving customers, suppliers and Ge employees. Sig Sigma: It became an unprecendents fervor across an unprecendentant broad front at GE. 100000 people were trained in sciences and methodology in four years, GE reported by 2001,- six sigma was their way of working, speaking a common language of DMOS (defects per million opportunities), Needs Assessment Maps, CTQS (critical to quality) , FMEAs (Failure, mode effect analysis) etc. GE gained as lot in performance and it moved the rank from reduced waste and lower operating costs to improved, financial management and faster customer service. P6. Model of Planned change: The action research model, contemporary adaptations to the action research model, and Lewins change are the three theories which tells about the process of planned change in the organization. It showcases the four basic principles that is to be carried out by the practitioners and organization members. It can be drawn into a diagram, a flowchart , depicting the series of actions and its consequences-events from entering and contracting, to planning and working out the change, to evaluating and institutionalizing change. It is not a simple linear flowchart, but is constructed of overlaps and cycles among the activities. Unfreez, change, freez: Infreez, change, freez (or Refreez) is a three stage theory of change designed by Kurte Lewin . Though the three stages can be complicate it is not required , for it works fine even when simple. But the simplicity has been criticized. And though it has been change considerably since 1947, it is still relevant. This model has helped the formation of many others model as well. The three stages, i.e. unfreezing, change and Freezing are explained in the following paragraphs:- Stage 1. Unfreezing:- The first stage is the most important and should be understood very well. It creates the ground for the change. It creates awareness about the change and prepares the organization for it. Making it come out of the comfort zone. Under Welch this first stage contributing the organization, using lessens, delaying the organization etc. He actually merged and used acquisition, using the six sigma to bring about this change Stage -2- Change-or Transition Kurt Lewin knows that change is a process, not event and called it transition. This journey also involves our reaction to the change. In the second stage the changes actually occur. He used merger and acquisition changing management system and process to help the change happen. This involved restructuring, reengineering and changing the HR to bring out the best within. He also made use of devices like work out globalization, boundary less organization, and six sigma. Stage 3. Freezing It is variably called the Refreezing. It is about stabilizing the situation after the changes. It is about making people aware and comfortable about the new norms, routines. It can be time consuming. GE achieved huge success through this method and was ranked 10 in the SFORTUNE 500 magazine. P7. Implementation Procedure Communication Communication is the most important and required process to let the employees know about the consequences of not adopting to the change and the benefits that the post change time will reap. Objectives, coverage, timing, costs; individual and organizational implications and change methods should be communicated. Educated and Training Education and Training is required to teach the employees who may not have the desired environmental, functional, financial, organizational, technical, strategic and behavioral knowledge or skills. Participation and Involvement Participation of the concerned people is absolutely necessary right from the beginning. This also helps to generate a sense of responsibility, ownership. Facilitation and Support Skilled facilitators implement the change initiatives. Proposals and issues since resolution of conflict team building and development of a conducive change climate are surfaced through them. Negotiation Some valuable things are needed to be exchanged for reducing the resistence among the employees, so the change agent has to negotiate. This is particularly interesting in the case of resistance from powerful employees. Tongue battle, supportive facilitator and cognitive Reasoned are the three styles of Negotiation. Implicit and Explicit: Direct threats or force is applied on those who strongly resist lent this method works only in a crisis situation, otherwise it is quite redundant. Contingency plan for GE A contingency plan can be made when eligible CEO candidates who cannot be fully located or trained by the hand once deadline, and through this Welch could extend the tenure. The person can be employed as an unofficial consultant, even though the government mandated retirement age is reached by 2011. The company would be benefited with adequate breathing room. The chances of the creation of dangerous powerful acumms during the change or transition from old tonew CEO can also be avoided.

The U.S. Constitution and Slavery :: USA, constitution, slavery, history,

The US constitution was written with great vision to create strong nation. The bill of right were written, it provide all humans with rights. The writers of the constitution we hypocrites, they didn’t abide by what they preached. Thomas Jefferson wrote himself â€Å" all men are created equal† but he owned slaves. The founding father didn’t look or even think about slavery when they wrote the constitution. They were pre-occupied in getting the southern state to join the union and sign the new constitution. They southern states believed that the federal government shouldn’t mess with the issue on slavery because slavery was a state issue. The south and the north made numerous compromises to create a great nation. The first indirect compromise was when the constitution didn’t mention slavery in the constitution, they left that for the states to deal with. After years after when the congress decide to stop the slave trade in 1808, they gave the south time to adjust to this but they new that by the time the slave trade died line was over the slave would have reproduces and they would have more slaves. Third compromise gave the south more power. They had notice that they had less seats in the house of representative. States with the most slaves, for instance Virginia and Maryland, were get out number in the house of representative, so the compromised to have the slave counted as part of the population. They got three counts for every five slaves. This helped balance the house of representative. Later on, after President Lincoln abolished slavery(the thirteen amendment in the constitution) the southern states decided to nullify his decision but the went against the constitution. Nullification is illegal. This action cause the bloodiest civil war in America. President Lincoln notice that the US government was not following what they were preaching. After the win in the civil war, the federal government had established themselves with a lot of power.

The Heart of Darkness :: essays research papers

Heart of Darkness is a novel of indescribable horrors and actions that lie outside the human mind. It describes a mans (Marlow) voyage on a west African river to find an a man named Kurtz. The actual journey truly is towards the â€Å"heart of darkness†, where it takes Marlow by evidence of European indignity towards the natives. He wants to see this land for himself, he does not quite believe in himself of what is really there. This story hints at horrors that Marlow is incapable of describing, which leaves the reader to imagine actions that are outside of normal everyday life. The voyage that Marlow has taken has been long and exhausting. It’s an adventure for him. He has experienced a great deal of confrontation with the natives, jungle dangers and savagery. There is no interest of the humans who live here and they are extremely mistreated. To them this is normal human behavior. Nothing has been done differently. Nowhere did we stop long enough to get a particular impression, but there was general sense of wonder. â€Å"It was like a weary pilgrimage amongst hints for nightmares†. This describes Marlow’s voyage to the â€Å"heart of darkness†, the literal heart of darkness: Africa. He was fully warned and well-aware of the evil he would encounter, however he chose to ignore that in effort to satisfy his curiosity. The author is also saying something about human nature. Human curiosity about an unknown place can make him cross the line of civilized human behavior and enter a world of nightmares. Marlow wanted to see it for himself, but what made it most fascinating was this land was something he had never experienced before. He knew he would be a "weary pilgrimage amongst hints for nightmares" but he wanted to prove something to himself that could remain doubtable if not seen. There is a persistence of the human instinct that pushes people to try to find the unknown and calm their deepest desires and questions. To actually see and experience the unknown are the only true ways we will believe. This adventure novel can mean a whole different thing. The â€Å"heart of darkness† can be a symbolic journey into the dark center of the heart and soul of a human revealing concealed evil. It is exploration of the inner self, reflecting the unconscious self of a human. Ironically, the truth is exposed not in terms of light, but in terms of darkness.

Are our actions truly our own? Essay

What we do, where we walk, how we act and what decisions we take; are they guided by our free will or by the hand of fate? Even if we do have free will; are we one hundred percent, truly free or is free will just training wheels carrying us along different paths to our predestined location? If so, we are inherently limited from birth in the aspects of our intelligence, success, and true freedom depending on how binding the shackles of fate truly are. We can’t control circumstances of our birth or generally life-altering things that are out of our control such as a random lightning strike or traffic accident, but perhaps we can control the broader course of our life through our actions. One who trains their body diligently and with supreme effort may become a famous MMA fighter with a body that the ancient Greeks would marvel at, but what if that person’s profession and training were stamped into him at birth? At conception? At the beginning of time itself? Possible, but what if he just made a decision one day and earned it? There simply is no way to know, short of speaking with the divinity that has assigned us all our fates if such a being exists. Say we are all prisoners in an inescapable prison of destiny. Perhaps some of us are given the opportunity to control our fates. Perhaps some of us are afforded a choice between the blue pill or the red pill; the choice to be a living puppet or to break into our own universal order and control our own lives. We will never know. The one thing we may know however, is that we may be given this choice one day, and this rift in the balance of the universe will afford us enough free will in the situation simply to make the decision between the blue pill and the red pill. We can know in our hearts what our decisions will be when we are handed our destinies and told to take control and become the master of our own destinies or release them back into the cosmic wind, and become a simple puppet once more. I can speak for no one but myself, but I know my answer in my heart. The thought of my life being anything but my own up until this point sickens me. I will not be a puppet,  I will not be led forcefully through my destiny by the imperceptible shackles of fate. I will take control of my destiny, steer my own ship; I will be the master of my own destiny if the expense is my life; because I know the life I led will have truly been mine.

Is america too dependent on technology? Essay

Are Americans too dependent on technology? Do you think Americans are too dependent on technology? Americans have become so reliant on technology in the 21st century that a vast majority of us probably wouldn’t know what to do if one day all the electronics just shut down. For example, I depended on this computer in order to write this paper, instead of just doing it the old fashioned way with a pencil and a piece of paper. Cell phones have become a â€Å"must have† in almost everyone’s life even the younger kids. I personally believe that we, Americans, are extremely too dependent on technology. Even though technology helps us in many ways it can also harm us as well. Despite the ease technology has given us â€Å"technology has caused people to become so reliant that, in a poll by CNET, 28 percent of people said they wouldn’t be able to live without high- speed Internet. The younger generation has lost its curious nature to explore to world. Instead, children are hiding behind a TV screen or Xbox game† (America). Many American children have awful social skills in todays time because they’re so stuck on their phones or computers. For example, my little brother is so stuck on his phone, ipad, or tv that when he has to talk to people in person he shuts down because he’s so used to just talking to people through his electronics. â€Å"Some experts believe excessive use of the Internet, cellphones and other technologies can cause us to become more impatient, impulsive, forgetful and even more narcissistic† (An Ugly). Another large problem technology has caused for us.

Religion may be losing its power at an institutional level, but it still retains immense influence over individual consciousness

Statistical evidence suggests that in terms of institutional religion, membership is in decline in Britain and in much of the rest of the world. Church attendance figures show a continuing drop in attendance throughout the twentieth century particularly in Anglican, Baptist and Catholic Churches. It has also been found that the number of children being baptised has dropped from 65% of the British child population to only 27%. Many sociologists use these statistics as support for their hypothesis in the secularisation of our society. However an equal number disregard these facts as evidence of secularisation, arguing that for our society to become secular there must be a decline in religious belief not just Church membership. Institutional religion can be defined as a large organisation, that has particular codes of conduct, values and morals which members are supposed to follow. Private belief is when an individual has their own set of beliefs and moral guidelines to follow, worship and abidance to these rules are conducted personally and internally. An opinion poll conducted in 1991 called the British Social Attitudes Survey found that only 10% of the English population and 1% of the people in Northern Ireland denied the existence of God outright. This suggests that Britain has a religious population supporting the idea that religion still has major influence over religious consciousness. It is therefore necessary to explain what has caused the decline in popularity of institutional religion if it is not a decline in religious belief itself. It can be argued that for a society to be truly religious, religion must play a part in every aspect of life. This religious ‘Golden Age' was present in Britain in the Medieval Ages where the Church held most of the power, wealth and status. Today the Church has less wealth and plays little part in the running of the country (there is little Church representation in the Government), Martin (1969) calls this process the disengagement of religion from wider society. However many sociologists would dispute that the ‘Golden Age' of religion does not automatically indicate an enhanced religious thinking but actually a lack of spiritual freedom which can lessen religious conviction. With an increasingly diverse ethnic mix present in British society there are more religions. Religious pluralism has made people aware that spirituality can be an individual journey and that they are not required to share the same beliefs as everyone else to be religious. This is verification of the idea that institutional religion is in decline but not of secularisation, as although religious beliefs have changed they are still inherently spiritual. The sociologist Bellah defined religion as the search for the ultimate meaning of life but claimed that this did not have to involve the supernatural. Bellah supported the theory that religious pluralism is evidence against, not for, secularisation saying that religion has become an individual quest as religious doctrine had become less strict. For example today it is impractical for all workers to rest on the Sabbath therefore it is no longer considered unholy to work on a Sunday allowing many to conduct their own worship in their own time. Consequently it is impossible to use research on the Church and other institutional religions as evidence of secularisation. Individuation is the natural evolution of religion whereby religion has not decreased but simply changed to become more personal to the individual. Bellah can be faulted however for his lack of evidence in individuation in wider Western society and also for his definition of religion being too vague Parsons argued that through generalisation religious teachings have become an integral part of our society. Rather than there being a number of different teachings and values in one society, the institutional religion (in Britain it is Christianity) doctrine has become more generalised and embedded into modern culture. Parsons uses the example of healthcare. When the Church was at its height of power it was responsible for the running of the Hospitals, rather than the State. Religion was a major part of caring for the sick. Today Hospitals are run by the Government but the notion that it the responsibility of the healthy and able to care for the sick is a religious teaching. David Martin looked into generalisation in the US and found the same as Parsons however both have been criticised. It has been said that neither provide enough detailed evidence to support their theory, for example they do not supply evidence that social values do not have a secular foundation rather than religious. Also many argue that it is wrong to assume that Britain and the USA are basically Christian societies. In terms of whether society has become secular Parsons theory of generalisation suggests that this is not the case, religious principals have become embedded in our society. Weber, another leading sociologist, agreed that many of society's core social guidelines in modern society have a religious origin. However where Weber significantly differs from Parsons is that he proposes that these guides to action have been transformed into secular guidelines, essentially Weber is arguing for secularisation. Weber uses his study The Protestant Ethic and the Rise of Capitalism to show how the popularity of the Protestant faith has inadvertently caused a secular society. The teaching of the Protestant faith (to work hard and to keep reinvesting time, money and energy so to accumulate wealth) has lead to a decrease in the necessity of religion. Capitalism has brought about an increase in wealth, which provides its own satisfaction and rewards so there is less need for religion. Furthermore new technology and the mechanization of industry has resulted in there being less call for religion as a motivator for hard work. Like generalisation the transformation theory can be condemned for lack of evidence for modern day values having religious origins. Alternatively one could argue that Weber's theory does not disprove generalisation, he makes little argument for the Protestant Ethic not still being present in society today. Weber argued against individuation also, claiming that the supernatural belief has been banished from our society and all meanings and motives are governed by rational belief instead. Weber called this Desacrilisation. Wilson developed the argument for desacrilisation citing four reasons for the dissolution of supernatural conviction. Firstly the rise in Protestantism, which Wilson argues encourages rational thought and behaviour. Secondly the rational organisation of society, this can be related to the fact that with a greater equilibrium in society this has lessened /. Finally the development of rational ideologies such as Communism have highlighted negativity within religious institutions (for example Marx's claim that ‘Religion is the opium of the people'). Desacrilisation can be denounced for its lack of hard data, it almost appears that much of the theory is based on the impressions of particular researchers. When looking at society from a different perspective it is clear to see that the supernatural does play a significant role in our lives. An example being belief in superstitions such as walking under a ladder or making a wish when you break a wish bone or blow out candles. To imply that supernatural belief has been banished from our society would eradicate all superstitious related actions, yet they are still prevalent in our society.

Aristotles concept of justice Essay Example for Free

Aristotle’s concept of justice Essay In his book The Nichomachean Ethics, Aristotle discusses the concept of justice in Book V. Justice is used with its many different connotations. However, in order to explain the statement that justice can only be found in the laws established by the state I would like to point out the last two types of justice and the notion of equity Aristotle refers to in his book. The first is natural justice, true for everyone, and next to that there is conventional justice which can differ in different societies and there is the notion of equity that works in unusual cases. With understanding these three concepts we can reach to the conclusion that according to Aristotle justice can not only be found in the laws established by the state and he is right in claiming such an idea. Anyone who is a virtuous person can also be just. But not everyone who is just is also virtuous. Would you consider someone who kills the murderer of his wife a murderer? Would you put him in the same position as Jack the Ripper? Do you think justice is protected by the law? Is it just to stone adulteresses to death even if it complies with the law? Which law is just and which is not? What are the criteria? Are the laws of the state enough to maintain justice?Such questions can be boosted up to thousands if one starts to think about justice, itsconnotations and the relation between justice and law. The debate is a long-lasting one. In his book The Nichomachean Ethics, Aristotle discusses the concept of justice in Book V. Justice is used with its many different connotations. There is particular justice, distributive justice, reciprocal justice, political and social justice, domestic justice, natural and conventional justice. I would like to point out the last two types of justice in order to understand Aristotle’s idea of law and justice relation in a state. According to Aristotle, there is natural justice, true for everyone, and next to that there is conventional justice which can differ in different societies. Natural justice is the kind of justice that can be applied to every human being regardless of nation, race, religion, etc. It has the same validity everywhere and do not depend on acceptance. Aristotle argues that â€Å"the things which are not just by nature but by human enactment are not everywhere the same, since constitutions are not the same, though there is  by one which is everywhere by nature the best† (124). Accordingly, the conventional justice is set by the society and in some cases by the rulers of the society. However, Aristotle suggests that, for the laws established by the state, a law can be just whether it is for the advantage of the law makers or the rulers or the dominant class. In The Nichomachean Ethics, he says that â€Å"the laws†¦on all subjects aim at the common advantage either of all or of the best or of those who hold power†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (108). He adds that every kind of conventional justice is created in one way from the natural justice and it is normal that they may differ from one society to another. For instance it is by the law to drive on a certain side in Turkey and in Britain people drive on the other side of the road. Both laws are created to maintain justice and order. However there are laws which are created by the state such as the law that women have to wear veils which seems to us not just but what is important to Aristotle is not what we think but how that society with that particular law is affected. As long as the law works for the society, regardless of its rightness, it maintains justice. Let’s give an example, at the times of Roman Empire the gladiators fight with each other or with lions, they know that they are going to die at the arena but they do not show any fear, they fight with their honors and they die with an honorable death. Mentioning that laws are created to be functional, to stabilize and control the society, Aristotle talks about the â€Å"equitable justice† in which he stresses that there are cases in which the universal law or justice does not suit to the case in hand. He suggests that laws guide people in the direction of justice but they do not encompass all the cases about justice or injustice. In such conditions he suggests that the judge interferes and corrects â€Å"the law where it is defective owing to its universality† (133). Equity means the correction of the law when it is too abstract for the situation in hand. Aristotle here suggests that the judge or the legislator should find the balance and give the right decision in such situations. Taking these ideas into consideration, according to Aristotle, the laws of  the state are enough to maintain justice for their people only to a certain extent because in some cases the decision making authority is not the law but the jud ge. I think Aristotle is right in making such a claim because of many reasons. First of all, if the conventional laws are the extensions of natural laws and the natural laws are universal and do not change in any situation but still there are circumstances in which the natural law is tooabstract for the case and the judge and the legislator is the one who is to adapt the law to the case, we can not say that either the natural laws or the conventional laws (the laws established by the state) maintains the justice. Furthermore, if there arecases in which the law does not work, we can not say that the laws established by the state maintain the justice at all times unless we see the starting argument as a generalization. However it is also not possible to know the qualities of the judge whether he is biased toward the case that he balances with the law. Accordingly there may be some cases in which justice may not be maintained because of the origin (in Aristotle’s words â€Å"universality†) of the law does not cover the case or because of the judge’s personal qualities. Consequently if the conventional laws are the extensions of natural laws and the natural laws are universal and do not change in any situation but still there are circumstances in which the natural law is too abstract for the case and the judge and the legislator is the one who is to adapt the law to the case, we can not say that either the natural laws or the conventional laws (the laws established by the state) maintains the justice. Aristotle’s concept of justice. (2016, Jul 25).

How the American Dream has changed for the worse over time Research Paper

How the American Dream has changed for the worse over time - Research Paper Example It is now infused with both an obsession with work and a desire to get rich quickly. Benjamin Franklin first talked about the American Dream in his Autobiography. He viewed it as in part the religious freedom that Pennsylvania embodied (Guercio). In modern times, religious freedom is not encompassed in our American Dream because we have largely accomplished it. No longer do religious minorities have to live in fear, there is an enforced freedom of religion in our nation, and thus I contend that that is why religious freedom is no longer part of the American Dream. But with the loss of this virtue comes a loss of some tolerance. We still have religious persecution. For instance, after 9/11 we saw a rapid increase in both state sponsored and personal harassment against Muslims. Many see Islamicists as threats to our freedom, and thus have no problem infringing upon religious freedom to ensure our safety. The Early American dream, however, is best embodied by the American story of immig rants. Our nation was built on immigrants, Chinese Immigrants built our transcontinental railroad, Irish Immigrants helped hold our nation together by fighting in the civil war, and German immigrants like Albert Einstein helped ensure we could maintain our presence around the world in World War 2. These immigrants built an idea of the American Dream that it was not necessarily easy, but that, with hard work, economic success could be gained. It was the willingness to work hard, to accept horrible conditions and racism, that helped immigrants like the Irish work their way up the societal totem pole and become accepted members of society. At first, they were hated by many, denied jobs, and even spit on (Irish Immigrants). While this hatred of the Irish was not part of the American Dream, what the Irish were able to accomplish was. After all, within about a century of being the scourge of the nation, an Irishman, John F Kennedy, was elected President. This advancement through social pr ejudice was once key to the American Dream, the kind of ideals our Founding Fathers used to enforce the ideas of our young nation, in contrast the oppression and prejudices of the old world (Todays American Dream). Some aspects of the American Dream were also defined with the settlement of the West, as settlers sought a place where they were not bound by laws or social constructs (Zinn). Yet this willingness to sell everything to head west was part of a wider aspect of the American dream, it embodied the idea that material possessions were worth nothing when compared to freedom and equality (Kozol). Manifest destiny, the settlement of Alaska, and the movement to explore space were all parts of this exploration aspect of the American Dream (Library of Congress). Yet these ideals of the American dream began to fall apart with industrialization. With factories and mass-produced consumer goods, people became less obsessed with freedom and more obsessed with amassing material wealth (Ben der). They were someone content with their current state of freedom, white males at least, and thus accepted their situation and, rather than try and change the system as a whole, accepted it and just tried to improve their situation. With the advent of credit and a huge new advertisement program, Americans became obsessed with material goods. This

Guanxi in Jeopardy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Guanxi in Jeopardy - Essay Example When other countries decide to conduct business and partake on the growth and stability of another for economic reasons, the intruder has to understand the diverse culture that govern ones actions. Critics have widely maintained "that multinational corporations are agents of destruction". Their entry into the realm of another is therefore treated with apprehension. Joint venture agreements are major trends of globalization seeking market opportunities that go beyond their own national boundaries. Certain criteria should be studied and observed in the selection of a Joint Venture Partner specifically where diverse cultures are existent. Pritchard in his report specified "Asset Specificity" of a potential partner's resources are distinguished according to its market availability and potential financial results. A potential partner's technical skill and managerial flexibility can provide ability and plans for risk management. The recent political and economic events should also be among the considerations a JV requires. A multi-national company cannot allow disruptions to the negotiations that political upheavals could result to. A partner's economic viability and past dealings with other companies should also be considered as a reference for acceptable behavior especially where legal contracts are concerned to sea; the agreements and negotiation s.

Chapter7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Chapter7 - Essay Example Mass marketing increases the chances of brand recognition. Since the brand is being seen by any consumer, the level of brand recognition increases tremendously. This makes it easy for the business to expand its operations in the market. Custom marketing is cost effective. This is because it targets the potential customers of a product or a service (Kotler 24). As a result, a lot of money is not wasted trying to reach clients who are not likely to make a purchase. Custom marketing plays a critical role in attracting customer loyalty and increasing the number of referrals. This is because it informs and persuades the customers to purchase the products or services. With the increasing levels of competition in the market, custom marketing is the best strategy for business-to-business market. This is because it will address the specific needs of the customers. In addition, it will enable the company to segment the market and position them strategically in the market. However, the company should combine it with other modern marketing strategies such as the use of social media. Moreover, an in-depth research should be conducted to understand the tastes and preferences of the target

Law - Directors Duties Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Law - Directors Duties - Essay Example With the existing emphasis on corporate social responsibility, traditional common law notions had to be revised with a codification by the Companies Act Review. The codification of the Companies Act focused on 9 main sections, which define the duties that the directors owe to their companies. The first codification is section 171, which requires the directors to act within their powers in association with the company. Section 172 sets out the duty of the directors to promote the success of the company in a way that benefits the shareholders of the company. Section 173 requires the directors to exercise independent judgment in their actions and decisions, while section 174 of the codified version of the Companies Act requires the directors to exercise reasonable care, skill and diligence in actions regarding the company. Section 175 requires the directors to avoid conflict of interest, where the methods or authorizing such conflicts have to be sanctioned by either board or shareholder approval. Section 176 requires the directors not to accept benefits from any third parties, especially if the benefits could lead to conflict of interest with the company’s articles. ... Section 182 of the Company’s Act also clearly sets out the remedies available to the shareholders or the company if a director breaches the duty to the company. As already stated, the codified duties are performed by the director for the company, which means that only the company or statutory liquidator is able to act on the director’s breach of duty. However, a shareholder is also able to bring a derivative action against the director if needed. From section 260 of the Company Act 2006, a derivative action is one that can be brought by an interested party, mainly shareholder, against a director as a remedy for breach of fiduciary duty owed to the company. Section 175 of the codified Companies Act 2006 has generated a lot of debate and interest from different parties (Hannigan, 2009). Under this section, the director must avoid any situations which can have direct or indirect conflicts with the interest of the company (Companys Act 2009). This section overlaps with othe r sections of the Companies Act, for example, it is already required that the director act in the best interests of the company, which means that the best interest would not overlap with any other interests. Previously, the rule on conflict of interest required the director to take steps to mitigate the conflict. For example, the director would be required to remove himself from board discussions, and in extreme circumstances, remove himself from the board completely (Hannigan, 2009). However, the new rule requires the director to completely avoid areas where the conflict o interest might arise, unless the board has prior notice and authorization for the conflict of interest. From the codification of this section, it is evident that there has been a lot of

Zhang Xin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Zhang Xin - Essay Example Zhang use of these colors on his artwork symbolizes the unity of the human beings which he relates with history. The dark colors on the painting reflect painter’s idea of preventing access to the past and by incorporating such colors and war materials such as armor, horses, and swords into his work, Zhang directly engages the observer with the question of history and memory, reality and truth (Honour and Fleming). I like Zhang artwork because through his paintings, he exposes more information about history as well as bringing about memories of truth and reality. Colors and materials incorporated into the paintings say more about the â€Å"vexed subject† of history. The idea drawn from the pictures is relevant because it helps me understand history more vividly. One thing that does not escape from Zhang painting is his ability to connect his artwork with the great events happening throughout history and the entire view of the world. The attached paint of two cocks fighting elucidates the painter’s genuine creativity whose receptiveness influences a broader range of studies. The fighting cocks expresses strength, majesty and perhaps dynamic forces of the stronger. Just the green color symbolizes healing and perseverance, probably the paint stands for the injustices and oppression of the weak. However, as mentioned earlier, Zhang paintings concentrated on humanity and connectedness with

Final Exam Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Final Exam Paper - Essay Example There are several pharmaceutical companies in Kuwait that may offer Support to Genentech in terms of buying their drugs and selling them to people. For example, the Kuwait Saudi Pharmaceutical s industries that are a leading company in the manufacture and marketing of pharmaceutical drugs. For success, Genentech has to have to be linked to such companies. However, there are no supporting pharmaceuticals clusters in Kuwait that would facilitate the buying and marketing of the drugs. The Kuwait Government has to offer support for Genentech for the company to establish itself successfully. This is possible since the government has been supporting research in different areas notably agriculture and economic improvement. This support is mainly given to home industries therefore, it will problematic for Genentech to get support since it is a foreign company Laws that protect intellectual property in Kuwait are found in law No. 4 of (1962). Companies are allowed to register patents and intellectual property in Kuwait provided they are inhabitants of countries that give Kuwait reciprocity. After the company registers its patent with the patents Office, it gains the rights to use that patent. The right is valid for 15 years and may be renewed for an extra five years If Genentech opens up businesses in Kuwait, it will not have a problem of markets. This market would be provided by its powerful neighbors. Proximity to markets can therefore be a factor for Genentech to consider for successful establishment of a company in Kuwait. However since, Kuwait is quite Isolated, challenges of market are inevitable Kuwait being a country with the majority of its population Muslim, genetic testing is not well addressed in the regulations and has to take into consideration bioethical issues. Kuwait has no regulations on genetic testing but it respects the recommendations of the Islamic Organization for Medical

Zara business model in comparison with others in apparel industry Assignment

Zara business model in comparison with others in apparel industry - Assignment Example A lot of companies in the industry face the challenge of being able to predict and even respond to the fast changing trends in a manner that is swift that will be able to meet the consumer demands. In this paper I will focus on Zara business model that continually changes with the changing customer demands. I will compare the model with other business models in the industry by using Gap.inc Company as the proxy company that will be responsible in representing all other firms in the industry. It will be used in making comparisons with the Zara business model. Gap inc. specializes in clothing, personal care products and accessories. This company was the former industry leader before Zara came to the limelight. Zara’s model Zara runs a fast fashion model that has come to be known as the business model innovation. Zara’s model has three basic components which include concept, capabilities and value drivers. It has the concept of maintaining design. This is achieved through its production and processes in distribution that will enable it to respond fast to shifts in demands f consumers. It emphasizes on giving consumers what they want by putting their focus on demand and not on the supply. It maintains control over its production through in-house manufacturing and also with strategy partnerships located near its headquarters. 80% of its materials are made in Europe and 50% made in the Zara controlled facilities in Spain. Herman (2008) indicates that Zara has a unique approach to marketing and advertising. This is because it spends 0.3% of its revenues on advertising and marketing. It uses the location, layout of the store and life cycles of their products as marketing tool i.e. it locates all stores in the prime retail district in order to do visibility marketing. It also does its marketing by doing a lot of investment in the layout of its stores by making them look trendy. This model encourages the customers get to the store very often and also encour ages them to buy on the spot because of the fear that if they don’t buy at that time, the product will sell out. Zara has a core philosophy that quality and creativity with fast response to market demands yields results that are profitable. In terms of the use of information and technology, Zara has a different approach as compared to other companies in the industry that are represented by Gap inc. Communication protocols are different from others because it spends 0.5%of the total revenue on information technology and 0.5% on the employees of technology. It uses human intelligence and information technology to create hybrid in information flow from the stores to the headquarters. Using of the human intelligence on information technology made it successful since it resulted to inventories that are well managed, reduced cost from merchandise that was obsolete and also a link between the demand and supply. This strategy is advantageous in terms of cost to the operations of Zara and responds fast to the changing demands. According to Badil, (2009), Zara is able to change its designs in a fast way and quickly due to the proximity it has to the stores. It has departmental stores that modify designs of other people and send them to Asian factories that are low cost. This model supports the notion of stocking little while ensuring that it updates the collections more often. Zara does restocking of new designs twice a week as compared to other competitors in the market. Consumers in the market have characteristics of quickly losing interest in a fashion that stays for a while in the market and that is why Zara is involved in observing the trends and often changing fashion.