Reflections on medievil and ancient texts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflections on medievil and ancient texts - Essay Example managed to draw on the generosity of the twin rivers Tigris and Euphrates, enabling them to come up with proper cultivation of the fertile land as well as systematic irrigation even during times of drought. Based on these accounts, it is not so much of a surprise that Gilgamesh, a great ruler in his own way, could lead such people who ought to earn recognition for a nearly remarkable living characterized primarily by their intelligent utilization of vast water sources besides literary inclinations and fascinating inventions of unique writing form, temples, cities, and academic institutions. Through extensive studies, archeological evidences do indicate that Sumerians possessed rich culture of literary scholars who had written epics, proverbs, poetry, history, and fables from which the prominent details of Gilgamesh is claimed to have concretized into an entity with flesh and form. In the combined endeavor of both the fields of history and literature. Gilgamesh is widely known as the king of Uruk who made possible the founding of the great city wall. Standing in the tangible realms of Mesopotamia, the six-mile wall in its wide presence across civilizations makes no unsolved mystery thou gh Gilgamesh, its acknowledged creator, is assumed a demigod. Analyzing such perspective with the aid of liberal approach used in current times, I think Gilgamesh may have existed in an ordinary human form or a human character whose interesting traits were more than adequate for a priest-king. For this ground, the Sumerians could have exaggerated more in their reverence and appreciation to the extent of treating Gilgamesh as a mythically constructed figure breathed into life by oral tradition. Accounting sufficiently for the Sumerian’s great city wall, by practical knowledge, we realize the fact that even if there were highly skilled workers who built the structure in all magnificence, it may not be denied that someone with genius potentials had facilitated them in the building

Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of technological change for Essay

Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of technological change for business - Essay Example The advantages of modern technology like time and money savings are traditional reasons for business entities as they make decisions in implementing new technology in the workplace (Jones, 2011). The nature of capitalism in the economy where there is a need to maximize profit would generally motivates business entities towards that direction (Brigham, & Ehrhardt, 2010; Khan & Jain, 2007). It is not hard to see the savings in money and resources accomplished by automating some part of the business operations. The market is also a product of innovation and people or customers would always go for those advertised benefit of new products arising from new technology. These business decisions are however not without negative consequences. Every employee would get replaced by machines as a result of changing technology but this could actually be adding to the rising levels of unemployment. This may be partly the dilemma that has actually affected the United States and the United Kingdom. To have this kind of unemployment level of above 5% when these countries are supposed to be ahead in economic development may be partly explained by the conflict by the need for companies to be profitable or having more revenues than costs which can actually be done by controlling the cost of labor. However the unemployment problem may actually be a greater problem in terms of consequences of the business decisions to go for more profit and more wealth for stockholders (Correia, et al 2007; Van Horne & Wachowicz, 2008). Who will buy the products produced by these companies if people who will consume them ultimately have no purchasing power because of lack of employment to provide them means like income to empower them? This is therefore a case of profit maximization that could be creating a greater social problem. Not all the technology that may promise to reduce cost will be beneficial to business in the long-run. Will

Is Globalisation All About Technological Development Media Essay

Is Globalisation All About Technological Development Media Essay Globalization can be defined as the removing of borders and barriers to facilitate easy exchange of ideas, resources and knowledge between countries. Globalization describes the process by which regional economies, societies, and cultures have become integrated through a global network of communication, transportation, and trade. People around the globe are more connected to each other today than ever before in the history of mankind. Information and money flow more quickly than ever. Goods and services produced in one part of the world are increasingly available in all parts of the world. International travel is more frequent. International communication is usual. This phenomenon has been titled Globalization. It may be said that globalization is not a new phenomenon. It has been taking place for hundreds of years. The Romans used monetary systems, road infrastructure and a system of rules and order to maintain control over a widely dispersed empire. It is only the speed and extent of globalization has increased significantly over the past 15 years largely as a result of several developments: technological developments, better transport facility, which have led to a diminished importance of distance in trade. Income and technology have converged globally, particularly as China and India have experienced substantial economic growth resulting in reductions in poverty levels and rising incomes. Production processes have been relocated globally through off shoring and outsourcing of production. Trade and capital market integration has accelerated. It has helped countries to build a global market where they share new technologies and innovations. It has therefore created a global free market for goods and services. Since companies have moved overseas, goods and services are easily available and at affordable prices. It has been observed that countries are becoming dependent on each other for various resources. Even the dependence on cheap and new technologies is increasing all over the world. The integration of all major economies and major populations of the world, levels of dispersion of production processes around the world, development of more sophisticated financial markets and greater trade and investment flows than previously, have lead to an unprecedented pace of global economic integration. Production processes are also becoming increasing geographically fragmented. Historically, manufacturing plants were located in one place. For example, the earliest car manufacturing plants had all of their production processes located in one place, making it possible to observe basic raw materials being transformed into a car. Today, firms are breaking down the production chains into smaller discrete tasks that can be performed in different locations which allows them to achieve a competitive advantage (such as to minimize the costs, and to gain access to skills and knowledge or better access to markets). It is becoming an increasingly common feature in many large companies to locate their research and development in one country and their manufacturing plants in other countries. Usually, U.S., or China are talked about when we look forward for technical assistance. When it comes to production of electronics in particular, we can always quote that the world is dependent on China and Japan. The maximum goods are produced in China because of its cheap labor and advance technology assistance. The only question to be raised is that has globalization led to technological dependence or technological assistance. If we talk about technological assistance then we should not forget the concept of INTERNET. This has helped to define globalization as a path of creating connectivity between people of different culture across the world. Today we can communicate easily with people sitting across the globe. In fact we can easily acquire information and details on various products on internet. Even education can be provided through the net facility, whereby a student can have access to his teacher with the help of internet facility. More over companies like Educomp is providi ng facility of smart class teaching whereby students can study in monitor the practical aspect of what he was earlier just learning in theory. Apart from technological benefits, globalization has also removed the barrier of place and time i.e., geographical barrier which has directly benefited the society at a large. The availability to various international products at every corner of the world is like a gift to society. Its not only about availability but availability at affordable prices. Earlier if people had to purchase some product of some international brand say Apple, they use to think of USA. But now if one wants to buy the latest product they can just visit nearby store to fulfill their desire. Further facilities like cold storage has helped people to store various goods over a longer period of time at a cost which is tolerable. Earlier there use to be wastage of excess production of foods and vegetable due to absence of market. About 40% of food produced use to get wasted because of lack of cold storage. These days it is easily possible to store these products and are therefore available in off seasons also which leads to proper and optimal utilization of resources. There are even readymade food products available in the market which makes the life simpler for working people and also helps in saving their time. Moreover with the help proper storage of excess productions goods can be exported and imported easily. For instance, Mango a seasonal fruit usually is grown in large quantity in India. But cold storage facility and easy transportation has made it easy to export them in countries where the demand is high but supply is less. If we talk about commodities, high levels of demand in countries such as China are also impacting on the prices of commodities, particularly metals. These metal price rises are highly advantageous to countries that have high reserves of various metals such as Australia and Chile (copper). Countries that have a comparative advantage in commodities such as metals and other energy products can obtain significant benefits from globalization, particularly as other countries economies grow. As production expands in countries where there are relatively low levels of raw materials and energy supplies relative to exports of manufactured products, such as China, there will be increasing demand for the raw material and energy inputs for the goods produced. It is because of the globalisation that the gap between cultural behavior and thought is reducing. Earlier every country had their own castes and culture, whereby people generally communicated in their national language and it was very difficult for a foreign person to understand and communicate with locals. But globalization has helped to remove this disparity also by making a standard language for people to communicate in. Since people all over the world are familiar with English it has become easy to communicate for everyone. In fact in India where there is more than one culture, it has made easy for the people to interact very fluently. Even a change in dressing sense of people is seen as a remarkable change because of globalization. People generally have a common dress code of jeans, trouser, shirt, t-shirt. Whereas earlier every culture had their own dress code. It is just because of globalization that has created a demand for like products across the world. Hence now it is all about commonness between common and like people. The Olympics is another landmark which has contributed to society by giving a common platform for various countries to compete in terms of their sports. It is seen as an event where without any cultural and racial discrimination people show a sense of togetherness. We show a sign of respect for each other, which help us to make earth a better place to live in. To conclude can we say that globalization has lead to liberalization. To be precise it seems more about modernization rather than liberalization. Today almost all the developed and even some developing countries are trying to adapt the western culture and hence becoming modern people by giving up their social norms and responsibilities. Today we have become so technologically oriented that we will feel paralyzed without it. From morning to evening we take assistance of technology to live a comfortable life. All the credit goes to globalization which has made it so easy for us, that everything is available at our door step. It seems really difficult to vision a life without technology. A simple device as mobile has become a necessity for every individual. Earlier it was just telephone which was sufficient but those days with simple lives are long gone. In fact now it is used just in fax machine, for data transfer instead of its primary use of medium of communication. The change of idea and usage of product is so variable and vast that its just not a gift to society but a blessing to mankind. Guy Brainbant: says that the process of globalization not only includes opening up of world trade, development of advanced means of communication, internationalization of financial markets, growing importance of MNCs, population migrations and more generally increased mobility of persons, goods, capital, data and ideas but also infections, diseases and pollution.(www.wikipedia.com) Today our society is more driven by the concept of efficiency, latest innovation. We are often attracted towards goods and services which are newly launched. There might not be a very urgent need but it creates a place for itself in the market. We seem to be forgetting the difference between our needs and comfort. Whatever is comfortable is becoming a need for us. What we require today is more of comfortable life than a standard life and in this race we are leaving our culture and ethics far behind. Generations have survived without such comfort, then how difficult should it be for us? What has made us to be so dependent that we have lost the importance of all our being? The answer is Globalization, an infection, a disease. proposals put forward by some groups internationally. One of the main causes of projected growth in CO2 emissions is rising energy consumption. Among high consumers of energy China is one country where use of energy and CO2 levels are expected to rise significantly. China also has a high level of reliance on coal for energy supplies relative to other countries. Globalization has contributed a lot to society but has in return taken away the real value of our lives. Earlier people used to stay under one roof and had a feeling of respect towards elders. Even today we have respect but the respect is for money and monetary value. We have started valuing things over life. Is that the reason why its so difficult for people to stay under one roof. It seems we have become human mechanics which is hardly left with any emotions. Had so not been the scenario then there would have not been the need for old age homes. The question lies is what has made our life so fast and furious that we leave behind those dear ones to suffer when they need us the most. Is the thirst of staying ahead or a desire to win a race which never existed few years ago. Once again its globalization that has created such a competitive environment that everyone wants to outperform the other. It has rather become so important to perform that we forget about the people who helps us to form our life. What is the need of old age home if someone still has a son or a daughter who should be taking care of them. It is proven fact that some people are leaving theirs morals behind. But thanks to few people that even in todays world humanity exists. It is all about being there for people when they need support of people. A small act of guiding one voluntarily when someone is going wrong reflects humanity. The very concept of nuclear family is exchange of human thoughts from the Eastern countries to rest of the world. People today in race of being independent are forgetting the importance of togetherness. People like to shift to developed countries to make their career and lifestyles better. What they leave behind is their near and dear ones. At times it becomes difficult for parents to fight for their survival. In most of the modern countries like Singapore the major problem is that people are becoming too career-oriented and technology oriented. Hence they have lack of time for interaction and socializing with the people around them. They not only refuse to socialize with people around them but also their dear ones. The research has proved that most of the old people in these kinds of countries spend a very lonely and depressed old age hood. They dont have anyone to look after them. At this juncture they look forward to old age homes where they spend their time in some comfort becaus e somewhere they feel the absence of their dear ones. The very concept of Old age home is to give support to elderly people who are in need of great help. One can say it to be a place for the most needed people, where they dont need anything else. Hence, globalization can play a major role in helping such groups of people instead of improving the lifestyles for the people who already have good lifestyles. For instance globalization helps in improving the standard of living of rich people but does not help the poor people at all, who are the majority in the society. Therefore, it can be concluded that globalization has better role to play for the society in the other ways and not only by improving the pattern of life style by introducing new technologies everyday.

AIDS :: Free AIDS Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Nearly 90 percent of Russia’s HIV infections occur among addicts sharing dirty needles† (Klesius, p.35). This percentage from a National Geographic magazine would differ heavily from that of the United States. The Henry J Kaiser Family Foundation reported that through the year 2002 in the state of Colorado that only 9% of aids cases in the state were due to injection drug use and 25% on the national level. (Kaiser Family Foundation) In the United States, Men who have sex with men would more closely share Russia’s dirty needle problem for being the number 1 cause for AIDS transmission with 46% in the U.S. and 69% in the state of Colorado. These figures here in the states prove to coincide with the majority of Americans view on who they think is the stereotypical person infected with AIDS, gay males.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I took the liberty of asking random Americans who they thought was stereotypical person in America infected with AIDS. The results didn’t vary from my understanding of previous viewpoints. 18 out of 20 of these random Americans told me that they considered the stereotypical infected person with AIDS would be a gay male. I then asked them if this changed their viewpoints on the AIDS epidemic and its seriousness. 8 out the 20 told me that they didn’t worry about it because they believed it to only be a problem for gays here in America and those who live in Africa, not themselves. Now, I have to say that this is a pretty close minded view shared by a large number of Americans, if this percentage of my poll were to represent the whole United States. I do note that Gay males have the highest percentage of those who have the disease here in America, but should that be a reason for not caring about this epidemic?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Yet AIDS is still a serious problem because of the high fatality rates, the costs of treating the disease, and the difficulty of eliminating such HIV/AIDS risk factors as unprotected sex and injecting drug use†(132). This statement wouldn’t be so bad if it were describing a virus with only a small population. Unfortunately this statement is describing one with a large population. The Centers for Disease Control (C.D.C.) and the White House have statistics of the AIDS epidemic here in the states and the rest of the world. None of which are miniscule by any means.

Future of democracy Essay

Illiberal democracy is a system of governance in which the citizens are kept in the dark about the conduct and activities of powerful officials in the government due to the absence of civil liberties. Despite the existence of democratic space in a country, the society becomes an â€Å"un-open† society. Such situations arise in cases where despite the existence of a democratic constitution that limits the powers of government, its liberties are not taken into consideration by the ruling class due to lack of strong constitutional legal framework. Illiberal democratic regimes feel that they have the right to act in whichever way they feel is best provided that regular elections are held. Such governments may impose rules which interfere with the individual liberties such as: the freedom of assembly and speech, making it difficult for opposition forces to succeed in criticizing it (Zakaria 2007). There is a wide range of illiberal democratic governments. They range from those dictatorial governments to those governments that are nearly democratic. An illiberal democracy regime can be determined through observing the nature in which the government carries its elections. If a government does not carry out regular, free, competitive and fair elections when filling its principle governance positions, then it can be classified as an illiberal democracy government according to the yearly freedom house ratings. Around the globe, democratically elected governments have gone beyond their limits and deprived their citizens their rights which are provided for in the constitution. Countries such as the Philippines and Peru are some of the countries with illiberal democratic governments. According to Zakaria (2008), democracy that has no constitutional liberalism produces centralized governments, eroded liberty, conflicts, war and ethnic competition. There are a wide range of implications of liberalism to the foreign policy. First, it is a guarantee for humility. Although it can be easier for elections to be imposed on a country, it will be difficult to impose constitutional liberalism to a society. Genuine democratization and liberalization is a process which is long-term and gradual in nature that an election acts as a step towards achieving its overall goal. Without the necessary precautions being taken, such an election can end up being a false step towards the process. This has prompted nongovernmental organizations together with various governments to put in place measures that are aimed at promoting constitutional liberalisms in countries which are in the process of becoming developed (Zakaria 2007). National democracy endowment fosters independent labor unions together with political parties and also ensures that there are free markets. Independent judiciaries are funded by the USA through the International Development Agency but in the end, elections trump virtually everything. On the other hand, if elections are not held in a transparent way that promotes democracy, the incident should not be viewed as dictatorship but instead it should be taken as a mistake that has been committed. Although fair elections form part of the virtues of effective governance, it should not be the only virtue that should be capitalized on. Other government yardsticks should be used in judging it. Such yardsticks include: civil, religious and economic liberties which form the basis of human dignity and autonomy. When a government extends these liberties to its people despite its limited democratic space, it cannot be categorized as a dictatorial government. Countries like Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore provide their citizens with a better life of happiness in spite of the limited political freedom. Countries such as China which have continued with repressive regimes offer their citizens more economic liberty and autonomy in their current forms than they have ever offered in their history. Despite the achievements that China has achieved for its citizens such as economic freedom, much still needs to be done to effect proper change towards full liberalizing democracy (Zakaria 2008, 200). Zakariah concludes with a recommendation that there is need for countries to change their system of governance through constitutionalism. He says that when there is too much dependency on pure democracy, it affects transitional countries such that they lack constitutions which can be considered imaginative. Constitutionalism is a system of governance in which there are checks and balances which are meant to prevent stagnation and abuse of power by officials in governments. This is achieved through drafting a list of rights for the citizens and ensuring that they are given to people by putting in place proper structures to ensure that they are not neglected by authorities. Various groups are also empowered to ensure that the officials observe the rule of law (Zakaria 2007). Just as an ambitious idea is made to counteract another ambitious idea, constitutions were made to cater for public passion and ensure effective governance. Despite its creation, most European countries at the moment have started looking at their constitutions suspiciously because of the wide range of rich unelected bodies that indirectly vote, do checks and balances and federal arrangements to both formal and informal constitution. Such procedures which do not advocate for direct democracy are considered to be inauthentic because they muzzle the people’s voices (Zakaria 2008, 200). It is therefore important for any country to use the type of governance that suits them but should at the same time put the interests of its citizens ahead of any other issue. Bibliography Zakaria, F. 2008. The post-American world. New York: W. W. Norton & Co. Zakaria, F. 2007. The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad. New York:

Of Men And Mice †Is loneliness mans greatest enemy? Essay

Loneliness is a state of being alone in sadness, resulting from being forsaken or abandoned. As I understand it, loneliness is when a person has no one to talk to, no one to confide in, nor anyone to keep companionship with. Loneliness also makes a person slip into a desolate state, which they try to conceal under a tough image, and is an emotion even the strongest cannot avoid. In his novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck deals with loneliness by looking for comfort in a friend, but settling for the attentive ear of a stranger. Although they seem at ease and friendly on the surface, a deep sense of loneliness lingers in the hearts of Crooks, George, and Curley’s wife, to which they are desperate to find an escape from to cope with their seclusion from the rest of society. Crooks, a lively, sharp-witted, black stablehand, who takes his name from his crooked back, leads a lonely life. He lives according to the rule that no black man is allowed to enter a white man’s home. Crooks’ loneliness is a result of rejection from everyone else on the ranch. He is forced to live alone in a barn, where he lives his life in isolation because of his colour, which was an issue in those days. When Lennie visits him in the room, Crooks’ reactions reveal the fact that he is lonely. As a black man with a physical handicap, Crooks is forced to live on the border of ranch life. He is not even allowed to enter the white men’s bunkhouse, or join them in a game of cards. His resentment typically comes out through his bitter, sad, and touching vulnerability, as he tells Lennie: †¦A guy needs somebody–to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you. †¦I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick. (Steinbeck 72-73) Crooks’ openness of his inner self, and his ability to speak his heart’s desire to a stranger illustrates how lonely he gets, and admits that it results in sickness. Furthermore, as bitter as he is about his exclusion from other men, Crooks is grateful for Lennie’s company, and when Candy enters Crook’s room, it becomes difficult for him to conceal his pleasure with anger. The only relationship he can find is with his books. When Lennie talks about his dream farm, Crooks hesitantly asks Lennie an alternative for  him to escape his loneliness, â€Å"‘†¦If you†¦guys would want a hand to work for nothing–just his keep, why I’d come an’ lend a hand'† (Steinbeck 76). Crooks’ desperation to get out of his lonely spell prompts him to make such a drastic, but shy, suggestion. Crooks becomes so desperate for a relationship that he offers his services to George and Lennie for free, just to escape his loneliness. Crooks is not successful in overcoming his loneliness because Lennie dies in a matter of days, and no white man in his right mind would care to step foot in Crooks’ humble abode. George, a short-tempered but loving and devoted friend, is lost in loneliness. At the beginning of the novel, George reveals his thoughts on loneliness in a story that he narrates about Lennie, himself, on a farm: Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place†¦. With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don’t have to sit in no bar room blowin’ in our jack jus’ because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us. (Steinbeck 13-14) George realizes that loneliness attributes too much of his sufferings. George’s rough attitude to conceal his loneliness and to admit to suffering from profound loneliness is revealed when he reminds Lennie that the life of a ranch-hand is among the loneliest of lives. Migrant workers, like George, rarely have anyone to look to for companionship. To overcome his loneliness, George not only befriends Lennie, but he seems to find companionship with his co-workers as well. He eagerly accepts the invitation to go into town with ‘the boys’, leaving Lennie alone in the barn with the animals. Towards the end of the novel, George feels an even greater sense of loneliness and guilt before he kills Lennie. Instead of being angry and reprimanding him, George, overcome by his forthcoming loneliness, responds to Lennie’s running away to the caves, â€Å"No †¦ I want you to stay here with me† (Steinbeck 104). The wave of nostalgia and loneliness that engulfs George is so overwhelming, that he shoots Lennie instantly. In this way, George is not successful of overcoming his loneliness because he would mourn for the loss of his friend  for a long time, leading him to feel even more guilty and lonely. Curley’s wife, who walks the ranch as a temptress, hides a deep sense of loneliness behind the â€Å"tramp,† â€Å"tart,† and â€Å"bitch† masks that she puts on. For a young lady to wed at an early age, and then be left alone at home, would send one in a deep state of loneliness or depression. She is married to a man that gives her little attention and none of his time. Curley’s wife’s ‘mask’ of a prostitute hides the vulnerability, dissatisfaction, and loneliness in her life. Her first outburst in Crooks’ room tears down a wall of her image: –Sat’iday night. Ever’body out doin’ som’pin’. Ever’body! An’ what am I doin’? Standin’ here talkin’ to a bunch of bindle stiffs–a nigger an’ a dum-dum and a lousy ol’ sheep–an’ likin’ it because they ain’t nobody else. (Steinbeck 78). Being the only woman on the ranch, Curley’s wife does not have another person to talk to who could emphasize with her. She has no friends, no future, no respect; she does not even deserve a name! Desperate to satisfy her need for belonging and love, she turns to strangers such as Lennie, Crooks, and Candy. Before her death, Curley’s wife reveals a lot about herself to Lennie, the only person that she feels she can talk to. She hints at her loneliness when she says, â€Å"Seems like they ain’t none of them cares how I gotta live,† (Steinbeck 88). Her aggravation and frustration about being lonely is being released, and she may be free, in a way, because she has finally released most of her innermost feelings and emotions before her death. She is successful in getting a person like Lennie to talk to and confide in, but it works out to her misfortune that she has to be mercilessly killed by his hands. All three of the characters share the despair of wanting to change the way they are and attain a victory over their loneliness. Crook’s loneliness is hidden by his character, but eventually comes to surface while talking to Lennie. George’s loneliness is hidden by his rough attitude, which seems to disappear when narrating the story of the farm to Lennie. Curley’s wife’s loneliness is covered behind the mask of a portrayed prostitute, but the mask falls off during her conversations with strangers, including Lennie. I  think John Steinbeck’s message about loneliness and people’s attempts to overcome loneliness in the novel is to reveal to us the nature of human’s true existence. One cannot escape from being lonely, and the characters’ attempts to overcome their loneliness is to seek the desire and comfort of a friend, but settle for the attentive ear of a stranger. I feel that Steinbeck is not completely successful in delivering his message across because for a full realization, one has to dig deep into the story, as well as place themselves in the shoes of a character to emphasize with, as well as relate to them and perceive their misery.

Salavador Dali, Michelin Slave essays

Salavador Dali, Michelin Slave essays In his book entitled Esculturas. Sculpture. A. Reynolds Morse identifies two distinct categories in the sculptures of Salvador Dali. The first is defined as the "only genuine group of Dali's original sculptures"(Morse, Esculturas. Sculpture p. 16). This group of forty-three wax sculptures, made between 1971 and 1981, are known today as the Clot Collection. The originality of these works lies in the fact that both the idea and its execution truly bore the hands of the artist. By contrast, Morse refers to the second category of sculptures as objects representative of Dali's ideas. (ibid.) These objects are typically assemblages or transformations of existing objects into Dali's surrealist experiments. He began creating these works in the early 1930's, and by the end of the 1960's they came to both represent and attract a mass commercial market. Michelin Slave is an object that falls under this second, more commercial category, and was therefore created prior to 1971. An understanding of the evolution of Michelin tires helps to further narrow the time period within which the work was conceived. Between 1950 and 1970, Michelin marketed the radial tire marking a real technological revolution. It would gradually take over all types of vehicles and all markets and give Michelin a decisive advantage over its competitors. (Michelin). Perhaps inspired by its radical innovation, Dali envisioned the combination of this highly commercial product with Michelangelo's Dying Slave (1513-15416) (see fig.1). The result is a three dimensional representation of a Dalinian concept known as the Michelin Slave. Michelin Slave shows a juxtaposition of modern innovation with classical tradition and illustrates but one of the many contrasts which are so striking about this work. While the main figure is one of classical perfection, the smaller figure at his feet is highly abstract. Its face is animalistic, resembling that of a monkey. The original work ...

The Challenge Report of Crocodile Tourism Wen Bing Essays

The Challenge Report of Crocodile Tourism Wen Bing Essays The Challenge Report of Crocodile Tourism Wen Binghuan ID:133 08453 James Cook University, Singapore BX3095 : Visitor Crowd Behavior Management 23 May 201 7 Attitude Crocodile tourism is one of the most famous adventure tourism in the world that attracts a lot of tourist s to visit Australia. The huge amount of tourists brings a lot of benefits to Australia, which includes a huge amount of revenue for local government and tourist operators and great reputation in tourist industry under the economic downturn environment. However, the most famous tourism also result in some negative impacts breaking the ecological equilibrium and threatening local people's life. Therefore, it is hard for people to judge whether crocodile tourism is positive or not. Some individuals and environmental organizations considered that the crocodi le tourism should be prohibited. On the other side, tourism operators will try their best to protect their profit as well. In order to retain the substantial income but reduce the negative impacts, negotiating and cooperation is the essential part that both sides need to attempt and put effort Beginning The most obvious and significant problem is the crocodiles becomes more aggressive and fearless to human, which is threatening people ' s life significantly. Due to the crocodile tourism, crocodiles are more familiar with boats and attracted by boats, further more, more humans were killed by crocodiles than before. According to the news, in 2014, saltwater crocodiles killed four Territorians in the Northern Territory, which is almost one-fifth of the total 21 people killed since 1974(NT News, 2014). The crocodile tourism has pushed not only natives closer to the dangerous but also backpackers. There were 31 victims on the list since 1990, all of them were k illed by crocodiles in Australia, and there were many tragedies have not been recorded(C. Garry, 2011). The reasons why crocodiles attack human are multiple, which include territory defense, nest defense, self-defense, food and by accident(C. Garry, 2011). To be more specific, the crocodile is ectothermic which means cold blood. They always become active when temperature increase, because they depend on solar energy. However, people also prefer to travel during the warm period. Thus, the season also could be summed as a factor(H. Melissa, 2015). Indeed, there are many factors result in crocodile attack, but , the core reason is the development of crocodile tourism and human ' s improper behaviors, overfeeding and habitat loss changed crocodile ' s habits. Meanwhile, with the development of crocodile tourism, there are more chances for human to approach crocodile which means the situation could be worse in the future. Consider again The crocodil e attack is not only threatening human ' s life but also itself. Revenge kills are common in any place. According to the news report, in 2014, an African man killed crocodile after one month when his family was killed by crocodiles (H. Melissa, 2015). Further more, crocodile attack makes crocodile get a really bad reputation, which makes many innocent crocodiles have been killed. In Australia, after a boy was missing, the authority in Australia issued a shoot-to-kill order on any crocodile bigger than two meters(H. Melissa, 2015). Thus, the bad reputation has put crocodile into a really dangerous edge.( Grisly , 2009) Some of the crocodiles are endangered species such as Philippine and Orinoco crocodile. However, most people do not have the knowledge of the crocodile, they will not consider them as Philippine and Orinoco, the only name of them is crocodile ' , the dangerous killer in the world. Therefore, the crocodile tourism has aggravated contradictions bet ween human and crocodile to some extent. Definition of Stakeholders In order to define the stakeholders, it is better to look through the whole benefit chain in the crocodile tourism. On one hand, as a profitable industry, the tourist industry is playing an essential role in Australia economy. According to the report, during the period from 2013 to 2014, tourism has brought $102 billion income to Australia(Tourism Australia, 2014), which is such big number. In the case, it also mentioned that in the declining trend of the tourism industry, crocodile tourism still can remain a successful number of visitors. So, we can find how much important is crocodile tourism for the

All About Most

All About Most All About Most All About Most By Mark Nichol Most is a grammatically versatile word employed in references to amounts, quantities, and degree. This post discusses its use as various parts of speech. Most, deriving from Old English and related to more, serves as an adjective pertaining to extent (as in â€Å"The most support comes from the Midwest†) or the majority (â€Å"Most of his supporters are in the Midwest†). Note the distinction between general and specific discussion: Compare â€Å"Most households have more than one television† (general) with â€Å"Most of the city’s households have more than one television† (specific). As an adjective suffix, it applies to something that most completely or extensively displays a characteristic, appearing in such words as foremost and hindmost, meaning, respectively, â€Å"farthest forward† and â€Å"farthest behind.† As an adverb, most performs a similar function, except that it modifies adjectives. When it means â€Å"to the greatest degree,† it is preceded by the, as in â€Å"He found it to be the most rewarding job he had had to date.† When the meaning is â€Å"to a great degree,† the is omitted, as in â€Å"His current job is most rewarding.† It can also modify another adverb, as in the phrase â€Å"most certainly.† In addition, most is sometimes employed as a variant of almost to modify such words as all, anyone, anywhere, and always, as in â€Å"You will find that happens most everywhere,† but this usage is considered informal. Most is also a noun meaning â€Å"the greatest amount,† as in sentences such as â€Å"It’s the most I can do† and â€Å"You gave him the most of all,† and in the phrases â€Å"at most† and â€Å"at the most† (which are interchangeable), as in â€Å"It will take her two or three days at most.† As a pronoun, it means â€Å"the greatest number or part,† as in â€Å"Most would agree.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Has vs. Had80 Idioms with the Word TimeEducational vs. Educative

English Only Debate Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

English Only Debate - Article Example Some of the first casualties of the English only program would be the immigrant children who are in the process of learning English. America values its legal immigrant population and children need to be assimilated into the language as well as society. Bilingual education allows the children to continue to learn in both languages and allows them to keep pace with their classmates. An English only system would ban bilingual education in the public classroom. While a bilingual class could teach the child US History in their native tongue, an English only program could offer them no chance of learning about America's past. If the educational system fails to adequately support these students at this point in their education it will decrease their potential for success and increase the chances that they will become an economic burden to the system sometime in the future. States such as California and Arizona have debated and implemented bans on bilingual education, but Utah has gone farther by considering a bill that would require most all public business to be conducted in English only. When public notices and records are printed in a foreign language, it helps the non-English speaker to fully understand their rights and obligations. The requirement that all public paperwork be printed only in English would not only restrict the rights of the non-native speaker, but would also place an unwarranted burden on our public institutions. This would be especially true in areas that have concentrated numbers of immigrants. Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of an English only advocacy group, contends that the program would unite Americans by the use of a common language (Making English, 2008). The law may unite the English speaking population, but it would drive a wedge between the natives and the immigrant population. America has a long tradition of valuing diversity and language contributes to our cultural fabric. In fact, our concept of the world may be based in our language. Linguistic scientists believe that our language shapes human thought (Biever 2004). Many cultures have words for concepts and meanings that are lost in translation. As an example, the Inuit Eskimo has over 100 words for 'snow' (Mendosa 2005). If they were subjected to an English only system, they would lose the many fine nuances that they use to describe the vast differences in their winter precipitation. The diverse languages spoken in America help create the rich cultural differences that we value. There is little fear of English becoming a minority language as it has become the international language of choice for business. Most immigrants arriving in this country are anxious to learn English and become a part of our culture. They want to shop in American stores, watch American TV, and listen to American music. Placing an English only barrier may actually impede their progress towards that goal. The global view of English as the universal language makes it unnecessary to place limitations on the use of other languages. In conclusion, the hope that an English only America would help unite the people is a short-sighted and misguided effort. The children who currently have English as a second language would be left behind in the educational system. Bilingual programs could prevent these people from turning to public

Hand In Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Hand In - Assignment Example With the advancement in technology more and more complex program structures are being developed and if it is tested by the result of one’s experience then it will not be time efficient. As time competence factor plays an important role in technology development, therefore, personal experience cannot be considered as a preferred way for verification and performance tuning. Several test cases are created when the testing and verification are carried out by automatic means. These test cases include all the possible paths through which a program can go through. If a program is passed through a test case and it halts in an indeterminate state or infinite condition or it gives undesired output then it means that there is some coding problem in the program and with the help of that particular test case it can be determined that in which line of code error exists. It is also necessary to pass the program through every case in order to make a program error proof. This takes very less time as compared to manual testing and correction of the program which can consume several hours / days to test a complex program. Use of a particular algorithm also depends on the complexity of a program. Some of these are good with more complex structures while others should be preferred for simple program verification and testing. Incorrect selection of an algorithm can be devastative for a system. Manual program verification, testing and performance tuning is very complicated, time consuming and complex therefore it should not have a preference over automatic means in future. Also, it can be deduced from outcomes of artificial intelligence that magnificent performance improvements can be made by using automated tuning process (Hutter and Babic,

Emotional and Physical Symptoms of Depression during Pregnancy And Research Paper

Emotional and Physical Symptoms of Depression during Pregnancy And Different Ways of Treatment - Research Paper Example While most pregnant mothers use antidepressants to manage prenatal and postnatal depression, this study proposes other significant measures that can do better that antidepressants. The method for this research is a mixed method approach. The qualitative part of the study is observation and interviews while the quantitative part is considering the number of patients presenting symptoms in different health centers for a period of one year. Statistical analysis of the data obtained would help in determining the prevalence of depression in pregnancy. There is evidence suggesting that women have a higher prevalence of suffering fro depression during pregnancy. The fact that this presents adverse effects to the mothers places emphasis on the need for addressing the issue. Cases of pregnant mothers suffering from depression and stress are likely to reduce in the events of increased awareness on the contributing factors of stress and the necessary measures to curb them. In order to solve this, the health sector should find appropriate treatment for pregnancy depression. Pregnancy depression refers to a mental situation of pregnant mothers, whereby they are sad and feel they do not want to do anything. The present research paper will aid in highlighting the common symptoms of pregnancy depression and the appropriate treatment measures that pregnant mothers should take into account to address this problem. Accordinmg to the World Health Organization, pregnancy depression is currently an epidemic affecting many mothers across the world. Most pregnant mothers are highly affected by prenatal and postnatal depression. Since pregnancy depression is not â€Å"protective†, adequate treatment is necessary for pregnant mothers. Most pregnant mothers do not understand the necessary appropriate measure to address this issue and therefore, this field needs further research to educate mothers on how to cope with such

The Federal Reserve Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

The Federal Reserve - Essay Example Disney issued its first batch of floating rate notes in the year 2007. Floating-rate notes are debts that reimburse the investors a rate of interest that is reset in every quarter. Disney was one of the companies in the small club, which could sell its debts below the London interbank rate (LIBOR) (First Share, 2008). The floating-rate debt notes assist the companies to trade bonds which are attached to different benchmark other than that of US Treasury. It offers diversity for customers cautious of increasing interest rates. Issuing Floating-rate notes is a way to hedge the risk against the interest rates that arises while abiding to be in corporate. The company also planned to promote stock ownership which is for long-term to the existing as well to the new investors, so they developed an investment plan to offer customers Disney’s common stock which will also provide the existing investors of Disney to re-invest their dividends. Two-year notes were sold by Disney that could yield one basis point in a pan of less than three moths LIBOR. These securities were rated as A2 by the Moody’s Investors Service and Standard & Poor’s rated it as A. The last floaters were sold by Disney was in April 2008. However, the last debt was sold by the company in November, which assisted the company to raise $3 billion. Disney sold their debt at a record amount because the interest rates were the lowest. The company issued bonds amounting to $3 billion and it was the considered to be the fourth part of their coupons. This issue was considered to be the biggest in the 89 years history of the California based company called Burbank (First Share, 2008). Since The Federal Revenue in US has been absorbing around 90 percent of the government bonds, scarcity in treasure can be felt. The Fed as well as the Obama administration assisted the customers as well as Walt Disney by keeping the borrowing cost low, so that the company can raise funds successful from its debt instruments. Apart from this, the company also lured its customers by revealing a strong financial status of the company and a prospect of growth in future. The investors go for acquiring those securities which are readily marketable than the identical assets that are not easily marketable. The genera; cash flow methods cannot be utilized for making securities marketable (Bajaj, Denis, Ferris, & Sarin, n. d.). When securities are not marketable, companies apply a discount to the estimated value for making them acceptable to investors. The concept of marketability lies in the fact that how quick the debt or asset can be converted to near cash or cash, without any transaction cost to be borne by the owner. Even when an individual wishes to convert the common stock into cash, it can be easily done by incurring a minimum transaction cost and there would be minimum impact on the market price (The Walt Disney Company, 2008). Question 2 List the dollar amount of debt Disney proposed to se ll to the public. Indicate whether this amount has increased or decreased from 2008 to 2010. Discuss some potential causes of this increase or decrease. Answer It has been already discussed in the first part of the study that Disney issued two-years floating-rate notes which amounted to around $800 million. The company initially planned to offer $500 million, which increase to $800 in the next five years (Gangar, 2013). The last sold floater, which was a three year debenture, amounted to aroun

The fair debt collection practices act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The fair debt collection practices act - Essay Example First is hours for phone contact, contacting consumers by telephone outside of the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. local time is prohibited in respect to private time of the person to be collected. Next is failure to cease communication upon request, communicating with consumers in any way after receiving written notice that said consumer wishes no further communication or refuses to pay the alleged debt, with certain exceptions, including advising that collection efforts are being terminated or that the collector intends to file a lawsuit or pursue other remedies where permitted. This is in accordance to what has been stated in the written notice which is therefore considered as a mutual understanding between two parties. Causing a telephone to ring or engaging any person in telephone conversation repeatedly or continuously: with intent to annoy, abuse, or harass any person at the called number. Such act is indeed an act that goes beyond the realms of the collection process as it br eaks through the rules of decency and formality. Communicating with consumers at their place of employment after having been advised that this is unacceptable or prohibited by the employer. All company duly uphold certain rules and regulations among their employees and anyone who still insist of getting through these companies in order to collect is highly prohibited by this law.

Organizational Communication Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Organizational Communication - Assignment Example He encouraged them to ask questions or complaints either directly or through a fishbowl kept in the companys cafeteria. He displayed great willingness and enthusiasm to answer questions quickly and on the spot (p. 85). These changes proved to be highly effective because of various factors such as effective leadership headed by the new CEO Jim Sims; a significant boost in employee morale and in the words of one of the technical directors at CTP, development of â€Å"a critical mass of committed people† (p. 86). There is ample evidence which suggests a direct relationship between effective leadership and employee productivity as well as between employee morale and productivity. Furthermore the manner in which a leader behaves and communicates with the followers during challenging periods directly affects their relationship with the employees resulting in improved performance and commitment on the part of the employees (Kasper-Fuehrer and Ashkanasy, 2001; Connell et al., 2003; Costa, 2003; Dirks and Ferrin, 2002; Corbitt and Martz, 2003, Conrad and Poole, 2012). The effectiveness of the new leadership could be observed from the fact that immediately after the new policy (the three rules) was implemented a significant and apparent change in there was a marked improvement in the employee morale, the company was able to hire more employees, secure more contracts, and stabilize the financial position of the company through improved performance (p.

The fair debt collection practices act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The fair debt collection practices act - Essay Example First is hours for phone contact, contacting consumers by telephone outside of the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. local time is prohibited in respect to private time of the person to be collected. Next is failure to cease communication upon request, communicating with consumers in any way after receiving written notice that said consumer wishes no further communication or refuses to pay the alleged debt, with certain exceptions, including advising that collection efforts are being terminated or that the collector intends to file a lawsuit or pursue other remedies where permitted. This is in accordance to what has been stated in the written notice which is therefore considered as a mutual understanding between two parties. Causing a telephone to ring or engaging any person in telephone conversation repeatedly or continuously: with intent to annoy, abuse, or harass any person at the called number. Such act is indeed an act that goes beyond the realms of the collection process as it br eaks through the rules of decency and formality. Communicating with consumers at their place of employment after having been advised that this is unacceptable or prohibited by the employer. All company duly uphold certain rules and regulations among their employees and anyone who still insist of getting through these companies in order to collect is highly prohibited by this law.

Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior Essay Example for Free

Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior Essay IN THE ARTICLE ‘WHY CHINESE MOTHERS ARE SUPERIOR’ AMY CHUA, WHO IS PROFESSOR AT THE LAW SCHOOL IN YALE, WRITES IN THE ARTICLE ABOUT HOW TO RAISE YOUR CHILDREN, AND THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HOW THE WESTERN AND CHINESE PARENTS RAISES THEIR CHILDREN, BY COMPARING CHINESE AND WESTERN KIDS. THE COMPARISONS GIVE US A VIEW OF WHAT THE GOOD AND BAD CONSEQUENCES ARE, WHEN IT COMES TO HIGH EXPECTATIONS AND STEREOTYPICAL RAISED KIDS. THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT VIEWS ON WHICH WAY IS THE RIGHT, BUT AMY CHUA IS COMPLETELY SURE, THAT HER METHOD IS THE MOST SECURE WAY TO MAKE HER CHILDREN SUCCESS. AND THAT’S ALSO WHAT SHE IS ARGUING FOR IN THE ARTICLE. ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS WE READ IN THE ARTICLE IS A LIST OF WHAT AMY’S CHILDREN ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DO. HER CHILDREN ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DO THINGS LIKE: SLEEPOVERS, HAVING A PLAY DATE OR WATCHING TV AND PLAY VIDEO GAMES. IN THE WESTERN WORLD IT IS VERY NORMAL THAT KIDS PLAY VIDEO GAMES, SLEEPOVERS AND WATCH TELEVISION, BUT IN CHINA IT IS NOT THE KIDS WHO DECIDE WHAT TALENT THEY WANT TO CULTIVATE, BUT THE PARENTS. FOR AN EXAMPLE AMY TELLS IN THE TEXT THAT WHEN LULU WAS ABOUT 7 SHE COULD PLAY TO INSTRUMENTS WHICH WERE CHOSEN BY HER MOM. SHE COULD PLAY PIANO AND LULU WAS WORKING ON A SONG CALLED ‘THE LITTLE WHITE DONKEY’. IT IS A VERY DIFFICULT FOR YOUNG PLAYERS TO LEARN BECAUSE THE TWO HANDS HAVE TO KEEP SCHIZOPHRENICALLY DIFFERENT RHYTHMS. LULU COULD NOT DO IT, SO AMY WORKED ON IT NON-STOP FOR A WEEK, DRILLING EACH OF HER HANDS SEPARATELY, OVER AND OVER. BUT LULU COULD NOT FIGURE OUT HOW TO PLAY THE SONG. SO SHE GAVE UP AND TOLD HER MOTHER THAT SHE DID NOT WANT TO PLAY ANYMORE. BUT AMY FORCED HER TO PLAY. IT COMES IN THE TEXT â€Å"GET BACK TO THE PIANO NOW, I ORDERED† â€Å"YOU CAN’T MAKE ME. † â€Å"OH YES, I CAN† EVEN THOU LULU CANNOT PLAY THE SONG SHE IS FORCED. AND AFTER MY MEANING I THINK IT IS WRONG AND THAT A WESTERN PARENT WOULD NOT FORCED THEIR KIDS TO DO ANYTHING THEY DO NOT WANT TO WHICH AMY ALSO SAYS IN THE TEXT. AMY ALSO SAYS IN THE TEXT â€Å"EVEN WHEN WESTERN PARENTS THINK THEY’RE BEING STRICT, THEY USUALLY DON’T COME CLOSE TO BEING CHINESE MOTHERS. FOR EXAMPLE, MY WESTERNS FRIENDS WHO CONSIDER THEMSELVES STRICT MAKE THEIR CHILDREN PRACTICE THEIR INSTRUMENTS 30 MINUTES EVERY DAY. AN HOUR AT MOST. FOR AN CHINESE MOTHER, THE FIRST HOUR IS THE EASY PART. IT’S HOURS TWO AND THREE THAT GET TOUGH. † IT IS LONG QUOTE BUT IT REALLY TELLS ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WESTERN AND CHINESE MOTHERS. AS AMY SAYS IN THE QUOTE EVEN WHEN WESTERN PARENTS ARE STRICT IT IS NOT CLOSE TO BE AS STRICT AS CHINESE MOTHERS. ANOTHER STATEMENT THAT AMY USES IS: â€Å"CHINESE PARENTS DEMAND PERFECT GRADES BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE THAT THEIR CHILD CAN GET THEMâ€Å" AND LATER SHE ADDS: â€Å"CHINESE PARENTS CAN ORDER Taha Hussain, 3. u Engelsk a? evering Frederiksberg Gymansium THEIR KIDS TO GET STRAIGHT AS. â€Å" â€Å"WESTERN PARENTS CAN ONLY ASK THEIR KIDS TO TRY THEIR BEST†. I THINK THAT INDIRECTLY SHE IS SAYING THAT WESTERN PARENTS ARE WEAKER THAN CHINESE PARENTS. THEY DO NOT REALLY BELIEVE IN THEIR KIDS, LIKE CHINESE PARENTS DO. INSTEAD OF ALWAYS BEING CAREFUL AND LOVING, WESTERN PARENTS SHOULD USE PUNISHMENT AND MAKE THEIR CHILD FEEL ASHAMED INSTEAD OF BEING AFRAID OF THE CHILD’S MENTALITY. THEY SHOULD BE MORE LIKE AMY AND USE THE SAME METHODS AS HER. WESTERN PARENTS HAVE TO MORE STRICT. AMY TELLS IF A THEIR CHILDREN KIDS B, THERE WOULD FIRST BE A SCREAMING, HAIR-TEARING EXPLOSION, THEN THE CHINESE MOTHER WOULD GET DOZENS MAYBE HUNDREDS OF PRACTICE TEST AND WORK THROUGH THEM WITH HER CHILD FOR AS LONG AS IT TAKES TO GET THE GRADE UP TO AN A. SO FROM THESE QUOTES WE CAN COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT CHINESE MOTHERS’ THINKS THAT TO MAKE THEIR CHILDREN ACHIEVE ANYTHING FURTHER IN LIFE, IT’S IMPORTANT TO PUSH THEM FROM THE BEGINNING AND HAVE SOME STRAIGHT AND STRICT RULES. AFTER READING THE ARTICLE I CAN CONCLUDE THAT THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS OF RAISING YOUR CHILD, SOME BETTER THAN OTHERS, AND THERE ARE DIFFERENT OPINIONS ABOUT WHICH METHOD IS THE BEST ONE. WHEN IT COMES TO SUCCESS, CHINESE PARENTS WILL ALMOST DO EVERYTHING TO REACH THEIR GOAL. THEY ONLY WISH THE BEST FOR THEIR CHILD, AND THEY ONLY WANT THEM TO HAVE THE BEST FUTURE, BUT THEY MIGHT FORGET THAT THEY ARE NOT DEALING WITH A ROBOT OR A THING THEY CAN BRAINWASH, BUT THEY ARE DEALING WITH AN INDIVIDUAL THAT IS NO LESS WORTH THAN THE PARENTS, THEMSELVES. I THINK THAT EVERY KID NEED TO NEED SOME SPARE TIME WHERE CAN WATCH TELEVISION, PLAY VIDEOGAMES AND SLEEPOVER. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE KIDS HAVE DISCIPLINE, BUT AS I MENTIONED BEFORE THEY ARE NOT ROBOTS. THE KIDS ALSO HAVE SOME NEEDS, THEY WANT TO PLAY AND HAVE SOME FUN. AND AMY CHUA DOES NOT MENTION HOW THE CHINESE WAY OF PARENTING AFFECTS THE INDIVIDUALS; I DO NOT THINK THAT IT CAN BE POSITIVE, BECAUSE EVERY INDIVIDUAL NEEDS VALUES AS LOVE, FRIENDSHIP AND FREEDOM. SO I WOULD PREFER THE WESTERN PARENTS ABOVE THE CHINESE, BUT I THINK IT IS BECAUSE I LIVE IN DENMARK, IN CHINA IT IS NORMAL, AND THEY WOULD OF COURSE PREFER THEIR OWN METHODS. SO IN A WAY IT IS FAIR ENOUGH, THAT’S THEIR WAY TO LIVE THEIR OWN LIFE. AND AS WE CAN SEE THE CHINESE PEOPLE HAVE A LOT OF SUCCESS IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW, SO MAYBE THEY ARE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT.

Assessing The UK Manufacturing Sector

Assessing The UK Manufacturing Sector UK manufacturing sector is a diverse sector that is based upon various industries, activities and technologies. There are some developed industries in UK like drinks and food, pharmaceuticals, aerospace and automotive and electronics industries. Furthermore some new industries are also developing in UK like biotechnology, low carbon, digital and advanced materials and nano technology. Overall UK manufacturing sector now becomes a balanced sector that is putting its contribution in the development of UK. UK manufacturing sector is at number three in UK economy in terms of UK GDP, after services and retail sector. In 2009 this sector has generated  £ 140 billion of gross value added that is around 11 percent of UK economy. 2.6 million, individuals are working in manufacturing sector that is around 8 percent of total labour force of UK (BIS, 2010). In the current report I have provided an in depth analysis of UK manufacturing sector and its contribution in the economic development of UK. For the analytical purpose I have used different tools like PESTLE and SWOT analysis that highlighted the need of strong manufacturing sector for the economic development of a country and I also have provided the information of some weak sectors of manufacturing due to some lack of skills and other aspects that cause for decline in manufacturing industry in some years for example UKs Textile industry etc .Moreover I have provided some valuable information related with the contribution of UK manufacturing sector in terms of providing jobs, foreign exchange and gross value added. Introduction: Two conflicting views were always there in the minds of peoples in relation to UK manufacturing industry. Individuals were perceiving from the last two decades that the new age will be for service industry so there should not be any need to worry about manufacturing sector and factories. Second point of view was that real jobs were created by the factories and manufacturing sector so with out manufacturing sector workers cannot get jobs and it will create economic problems for British citizens. In 2003, UK manufacturing industry was contributed 16 percent to GDP and 13 percent British citizens were employed there. It also representing continuous decline of manufacturing sector but until 2003 this sector has contributed 83 percent of exports (Ferguson, 2004). But after the recent recession this sector of economy is experiencing boom. Defining manufacturing of UK : UK manufacturing sector is a diverse sector that is based upon various industries, activities and technologies. This sector is coming at number three in UK economy in terms of UK GDP, after services and retail sector. In 2009 this sector has generated  £ 140 billion of gross value added that is around 11 percent of UK economy. 2.6 million, individuals are working in manufacturing sector that is around 8 percent of total labour force of UK (BIS, 2010). According to SIC code system of 2007 for industry statistics, manufacturing sector is made up of following industries Beverage, tobacco and food products Textile products Wood products Paper and Pulp products Printing and publishing Petroleum, Nuclear and Coke Man made fibres and Chemicals Plastic and Rubber products Non Metallic and Mineral products Metals and Fabricated metal products Machinery and Equipment Optical and Electrical equipment Transport equipment Other manufacturing Literature Review There is a long history of UK manufacturing industry and this industry has always produce good results of UK and contributed for the UK economy. As discussed above that manufacturing industry is composed upon different industries like beverage, tobacco and food products, textile products, wood products, paper and pulp products, printing and publishing, petroleum, nuclear and coke, man made fibres and chemicals, plastic and rubber products, non metallic and mineral products, metals and fabricated metal products, machinery and equipment, optical and electrical equipment, transport equipment and other manufacturing (BIS, 2010). We can say that there are different sub parts of UK manufacturing industry but at the same time these industries are dependent upon each others because lot of time finished product of one industry will becomes the raw material for another industry e.g. metal industry produces metal sheets but it will becomes the raw material for automobile and transport industry. Capabilities and strengths of UK manufacturing industry: UK manufacturing industry has different strengths and capabilities and due to this once UK was considered as the leader of industrialization. Some of the capabilities and strengths of UK manufacturing industries are provided below Changed circumstances of manufacturing industry of UK: Current globalisation has changed everything and it has impact on manufacturing industry as well. The manufacturing of the current time period is based upon technological innovation, knowledge, investment in intangibles and investment in skills. As a result of current manufacturing industry in the world consumers are able to get better quality and sophisticated products that helps to satisfy customers (ABPI, 2010) UK got specialization in highly technical manufacturing industries e.g. pharmaceuticals and aerospace as compared to the emerging markets e.g. Brazil, Chine, India and Russia that have specialization in lowest technical industries like textile. Once a country gain specialization in a particular industry then that country can hold that specialization or competitive advantage for a long period of time normally until that time when new technological change came. After an in depth analysis I came to know that UK have strong position in the industries such as organic chemistry, medical technology and pharmaceuticals while it has weak position in electronics, information technology and optics or nano technology (Arthur, 2009) Innovative capabilities of UK manufacturing industry: Innovation is exploration of new idea successfully. Innovation can be linked with establishment of new concepts, products, technologies, new designs, business models management practices or organisational structure. The scope of innovation is much broader as research and development. Innovation is linked with the establishment of latest technologies, processes that can increase the efficiency and by diffusing new concepts. The result of UK Innovative Survey of 2009 has showed that more than 70 percent of UK manufacturing firms are innovative especially most of electronic and optical industry firms are highly innovative (ONS, 2010) Moreover the maximum research and developmental activities across UK are being financed by the business and especially by manufacturing industry. In 2008 UK business sector has spent  £ 16 billion on R D and out of that  £ 16 billion,  £ 12 billion are financed by manufacturing sector (Swann, 2000) Skills capability of UK manufacturing sector: Skills are helpful to improve the performance and productivity of the employees. If the firm has skilled labour force than that firm can respond flexibly and innovatively for enhancing competition, establishing and applying new concepts that ends up in efficient processes, better products, better organisational structures and better business processes. In the recent times workers want to improve their skills levels so they are getting formal education for it due to this reason now labour force are more educated. In other words skilled work force can be a back bone of any organization, In 1994 from the total work force that has joined manufacturing industry only 9.7 percent were holding a degree but in 2009 this figure has improved and now 17.1 percent of the workers have degree. The workers who are interested to join service sectors, research and development and marketing and sales field they always hold degree and in 2009, 31.7 percent of these worker hold degree. As workers who are interested in services and other profession prefer to hold degree this factor has effect those workers as well who want to join manufacturing sector to get degree before starting their career (Technology Strategy Board, 2008) Capabilities of UK manufacturing firms to export : There is no specific criterion to check that if a country is involved effectively in global value but at least one tool which can give some sort of information is the percentage of companies that are selling into offshore markets. It is no doubt that there are some manufacturing companies in UK who are really doing well in this industry e.g. car manufacturing in UK (Vauxhall ,Astra) etc which is in the peek at this time but on the other hand there are some industries who are badly declining like Textile and Clothing industry of UK. This is the 9th biggest sector of UK manufacturing. In 1997 this industry had a great boom, in 1999 5.1 billion of goods were exported but after that the total output starts decline gradually each year due to different factors like higher exchange rates, shortage of skilled labour etc . Normally the firms that are involved into exporting business they are big, productive, having technical know how and always remain involved into research and development. These are some of the features of those firms that involve in the export but it is not essential that all the firms that have these features they involved in exports. Harris and Li (2010) have stated that majority of the manufacturing firms involved in export business as compared to service firms. It means that good have more tradability as compared to services. Chemical firms, medical instrumentation and metal firms are providing higher level of foreign exchange to UK economy as compared to other components of UK manufacturing industry. As discussed earlier that the firms which are involved into exporting business they always involved into research and development as well as always come up with innovate ideas. Research and development and innovative activities help firm to generate higher revenues and profitability. Moreover it will result in getting higher foreign exchange for the country. UK manufacturing firms were facing problems from the last few years due to recession but now this industry is doing well due to tax relief that is offered by the government to UK manufacturing firms. Moreover the managers that are linked with the UK manufacturing industry they know they strengths (changing nature of UK manufacturing, innovative capabilities in UK manufacturing, skills capacity of UK manufacturing and capabilities of UK manufacturing to export) and with the help of this they can improve their condition as soon as possible Competitive Analysis There are different methods to analyse the performance of different business units, business sectors and different economies of the world. One of these analytical tools is PESTLE analysis that is representing by political, economical, social, technological, legal and environmental factors (Johnson, Scholes and Whittington, 2008). With the help of PESTLE analysis I am able to analyse the current situation of UK manufacturing industry. PESTLE ANALYLSIS Political factors: Factors that has an impact on political situation or different political decisions that can bring any sort of changes for the individuals that are living in a country can be covered under political factors. Most of the times when there is a political stability in a country then it has positive impact on the citizens of that country and political stability bring about positive changes for the citizens and every field of life. Vital factors that are linked with the political factors are support of government to governmental institutions, restriction upon net migration and security control within the country. Due to the recent recession in UK, manufacturing industry was facing different problems. For the elimination of these hurdles for UK manufacturing industry the current government has launched different schemes to give some incentives to the manufacturing industry e.g. Lord Mandelson in 2009 has explained that the government want to give tax relief to all entrepreneurs who want to make investment in the manufacturing sector of UK (Peter, 2009). Moreover Labour MP Richard Caborn explains that the government want to start  £ 1 billion National Investment Corporation for the development of manufacturing sector of UK (Rae, 2009). In this way the sound political leadership can support the different sectors of the economy so that these economical sectors will perform well in future Economic factors : Economic factors are the factors that are linked with economic conditions of a country. Major economic factors are growth rate, inflation rate, interest rate, unemployment rates and per capita incomes of the citizens. There are different economic factors that are linked with the growth of manufacturing industry of UK. One of the main factors is the higher salary and wage rates in UK as compared to other countries and due to this reason most of the companies have shifted their plant into different other countries of the world where the labour cost is less. In this way employers are trying to decrease the cost of production and increasing profit margin. The best example is Vauxhall that has its car making plant in Luton but it was close down in 2003 and it is only involved in manufacturing of different vans of Vauxhall and the production of cars facility is transferred to Ellesmere Port. In 2006 Vauxhall has created trouble to its parent company General Motors due to improving efficiency and in 2009 General Motors has decided to sell off Vauxhall and Opel to Magna (David, Zeleny and Vlasic, 2009) Second major economic factor is tax liabilities of the firm. UK government is now keen to give some tax incentives to the manufacturing firms that are operating in UK to improve their performance (Peter, 2009) Social factors : Social factors are those factors that are linked with that specific society in which the peoples live and common social factors are norms, traditions, habits and values of the peoples that are lived in a particular society. Social factors that are related with the manufacturing industry of UK are taste of the peoples to work with a particular industry. As explained earlier that from the last two decades British peoples have a perception that the coming age is of services industry and British peoples prefer to improve their skills for service industry as compared to manufacturing industry but manufacturing industry is the backbone of the economic prosperity of a country due to this reason now more peoples are coming toward manufacturing industry (Ferguson, 2004) Technological factors : Technological factors are linked with the use of latest technology and technological advancement in a particular country. The companies which are using latest technology their productivity is higher as compared to the companies that are not using modern methods of production and latest technology UK manufacturing industry has the benefit of getting latest technology and uses it in their manufacturing units because UK has the long history of research and development and innovation that is the key factor for technological advancement. Moreover UK has the basic infrastructure available for the technological advancement as well as they has skilled labours (BIS, 2010). All these factors are considered as vital for the technological advancement and once that infrastructure is available within the country business sector can get benefit from it whenever and whichever way they want Legal factors: Legal factors are related with making new legislature by the government for the country whenever it is required by government. Legal system of UK is considered as one of the best legal system of the world. Government always introduced new laws whenever any field of life need it for their ease UK government always make those laws that are helpful for the economic growth of the country. The best example is in 2009 when UK was in recession and the manufacturing sector was not able to perform well at that time the government has made amendment in the law related with the tax liability of the corporate sector especially for the improvement of manufacturing industry of UK and due to this now the manufacturing industry is experiencing mini boom. That is how legal factors can be used to enhance the productivity of a particular sector of economy (Peter, 2009) Environmental factors : Individuals are very much concerned about the environmental factors because now they have realized that industrial waste is a main cause of pollution and that can damage and destroy the environment. Due to this reason individuals always criticise whenever they find any that a particular business unit is not dispose off industrial waste properly. Moreover there are laws and regulations of different government departments that are binding on business units and whenever any business unit is not following these rules and regulations they find penalties. Furthermore most of the manufacturing companies are trying to complete all their environmental liabilities because with out it they cannot survive in the long term. But most of the times manufacturing companies are following all their responsibilities because the management of these companies know that it is their corporate social responsibility and by performing corporate social responsibility these firms can create softer image that will be helpful to them in long term (Short, Keasey, Wright and Hull, 1999) With the help of PESTLE analysis I have explained most of the potential factors that have their impact on UK manufacturing industry and now it is the duty of the top management of these UK manufacturing companies to work in line with these factors for improving their performance In addition to the PESTLE analysis, SWOT analysis is also another important analytical tool. SWOT is representing internal strengths and weakness of the firm as well as external opportunities and threats that the firm is facing in a particular time period. Now I am conducting SWOT analysis for UK manufacturing industry SWOT Analysis Strengths: The strength that the UK manufacturing industry has is that most of the educational and non educational institutions always involve in research and development activities and manufacturing industry can get benefit from this research Deloitte (2009) UK is an industrialized country and proper infrastructure is available there in the form of skilled labour, availability of inputs and technological advancement. All these factors are pre-requisites for manufacturing boom (Gil and Haskel, 2008) Manufacturing sector is still providing job opportunities to at least 8 percent of UK labour force. Overall 2.6 million peoples are linked with UK manufacturing industry (BIS, 2010) Contribution of manufacturing industry towards UK GDP in 2009 was  £ 140 billion which is third largest contribution after services and retail sector contribution in UK economy (BIS, 2010) UK manufacturing sector has the ability to produce the products and export them to the international market. Even though in 2003 UK manufacturing sector were able to generate 83 percent of the total UK exports (Ferguson, 2004). This much higher exports in 2003 is the evidence that the manufacturing industry of UK can generate higher amount of foreign exchange Weaknesses Labour cost is pretty much higher in UK as compared to other counties and due to this lot of factories are transferring from UK to other counties where the labour cost is comparatively low (Neely, 2009) Maximum job opportunities are created by services sector due to this reason most of the individuals are getting professional education or training that is required by services sector (Hall and Jones, 2004). Due to this reason best and productive employees are not coming towards manufacturing sector. Moreover the jobs are very hard in manufacturing sector as compared to services sector so work force prefer to join services sector as compared to manufacturing sector Any potential investor has to make higher amount of investment for setting up a manufacturing unit in UK because of strong local currency (pound sterling). Most of the times when investors want to invest their funds they are investing in other countries where the exchange rate is less as compared to pound sterling. The utility expenses in UK is higher as well as cost of living and this is one of the potential weakness due to which investors are hesitate to invest in the UK manufacturing sector. Moreover higher utility expenses will increases the cost of production for the manufacturing concerns (Girma and Gorg, 2002) There are different sort of taxes that the general public has to pay whenever they are purchasing anything. Moreover income taxes and corporate taxes are also relatively higher in UK that also discourages potential investors to invest in UK. Opportunities Tax relief that is announced by the tax department for the UK manufacturing firms is an opportunity for existing manufacturing firms as well as for the potential investors who are finding a good place for setting up their manufacturing unit (Peter, 2009) Government is starting to give some relief to the potential investors who want to start any manufacturing unit in UK. Government has started National Investment Corporation of  £ 1 Billion for the development of manufacturing sector of UK (Rae, 2009) Geographic location of UK makes it one of the ideal locations to set up a manufacturing unit here. Access through UK for American markets is easier so any one who want to set up a manufacturing unit he prefer UK Easy availability of raw material, right infrastructure, secured location and skilled labour force make UK a best location to set up a plant by any investor. Most of the investors are making investment in UK manufacturing sector to get all such advantages Threats Threat to UK manufacturing industry is the emerging market like China, India and Brazil which have now improved their local industries and are giving tough time to different developed economies of the world (PriceWaterhouseCoopers, 2006) Another threat to the UK manufacturing industry is the low wage rate in different countries as compared to UK due to this reason most of the plants and factories are transferring from UK to other countries where the wage rate is less (Neely, 2009) Transfer of one manufacturing plant from UK is a loss but this loss of manufacturing plant has an impact on other production units as well because some time different other manufacturing units are producing raw material for a big manufacturing unit. In this case transfer of one manufacturing unit has higher level of impact on other manufacturing units as well. Critical Analysis In the current section I am providing different information related with UK manufacturing sector. Furthermore in the current section I am providing details of different charts and figures that are provided in the appendix 1. Figure 1 is related with the proportion of various industries to total manufacturing gross value added (gross inputs gross outputs) and employment date related with 2009. This graph is helpful for the users who want to get the information regarding the proportion of each and every industry and its contribution to the total manufacturing gross value added. Moreover this graph is providing information related with the job creation for the UK workforce by the UK manufacturing sector. Overall contribution of manufacturing sector in 2009 is that this sector has generated  £ 140 billion of gross value added that is around 11 percent of UK economy. 2.6 million, individuals are working in manufacturing sector that is around 8 percent of total labour force of UK (Department of Business Innovation and Skill, 2010). With the help of figure 2 we can get the information related with total manufacturing employment and structure by occupation from 1994 to 2009. According to this graph one point is clear that in 1994 UK manufacturing sector was provided employment to 4.7 million peoples but in 2009 manufacturing sector is providing employment opportunities to only 2.7 million workers. With the help of this graph one point is clear that production, support and trades were employing more workers in 1994 as compared to 2009 but all the other sectors like logistics and distribution, marketing and sales, support and professional, R D and production professional have provided more jobs to the employees in 2009 as compared to 1994. Figure 3 is providing information related with manufacturing employment in selected developed countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom and United States) from 1990 to 2009. After analysing this figure one point is clear that in all these countries manufacturing sector is now providing less jobs as compared to before. But still now maximum employees are employed in US manufacturing sector and figure is around 15 million. After US, the manufacturing sector of Japan has created around 11 million jobs. Germany is at third place and German manufacturing sector has provided jobs to around 8 million peoples. Next is Italy and around 5 million peoples are linked with the manufacturing sector of Italy. France is next to Italy and its manufacturing sector has provided jobs to around 3 million peoples. As discussed before that UK manufacturing sector is providing jobs to 2.7 million employees. Canada is at the end of this list by providing jobs to only 2 million Canadian peoples. Figure 4 is providing information related with productivity performance of UK manufacturing sector from 1991 to 2009. This figure shows that overall employees that are linked with manufacturing sector has increases and UK manufacturing sector is contributing its best in the economic development of UK Figure 5 is related with the total exports of UK manufacturing goods to other countries. The proportion of every industry along with the amount of export is given in the figure 5. With the help of this graph it is clear that every sub sector of UK manufacturing industry is contributing something in the total exports of UK for earning precious foreign exchange. Above mentioned information is vital because it is representing the contribution of UK manufacturing industry in the economic growth. With the help of this information one point is clear that UK manufacturing sector is contributing it part into different ways e.g. this sector is providing jobs to the UK workforce, this sector is the third largest sector of UK in terms of GDP and this sector is helpful to UK government to earn precious foreign exchange by selling manufacturing goods to the different other counties of world. Conclusion and Recommendations Current report is helpful in explaining the contribution of UK manufacturing industry in the economic development of UK. UK manufacturing sector is at number three in UK economy in terms of UK GDP, after services and retail sector. In 2009 this sector has generated  £ 140 billion of gross value added that is around 11 percent of UK economy. 2.6 million, individuals are working in manufacturing sector that is around 8 percent of total labour force of UK (BIS, 2010). Moreover this sector is helpful to UK government to earn precious foreign exchange by selling manufacturing goods to the different other counties of world. In the current report I have provided PESTLE and SWOT analysis of UK manufacturing industry that is helpful to analyse the political, economical, social, technological, legal and environmental factors of UK manufacturing industry as well as SWOT analysis was focused on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that UK manufacturing industry is facing in the current time. Moreover I have provided some figures and tables that have provided a comparison of UK manufacturing industry in past to the current state. All these analysis are helpful to get an in depth information about UK manufacturing industry. Based upon my analysis at the end I want to give some suggestion that will be helpful for further improving the UK manufacturing industry. Suggestion are provided as follows UK government should give some sort of tax relief to the existing manufacturing units as well as tax holiday should be announced for the potential investors that are interested to set a manufacturing plant in UK UK government should give some sort of incentives to the existing manufacturing units as well as potential investors by the way of supplying cheap utilities so that more peoples will come to manufacturing sector UK government and manufacturing units should invest higher resources on the research and developmental activities so that UK manufacturing firms are able to produce those products that have better features. In this way UK manufacturing industry will able to give tough time to the emerging economies like China, India and Brazil and their manufacturing units UK government should take different steps to reduce the higher labour cost that is currently being paid by the manufacturing units in UK. This higher labour cost is one of the main factors for which the firms are not establishing their manufacturing units in UK. Emerging markets are giving tough time to other developed countries of the world because labour cost in these countries is low. For getting the benefit of cheap labour some of the manufacturing firms are transferring from UK to these emerging markets (China, India and Brazil) In addition to this UK government should try to reduce the foreign exchange rate of pound sterling with other currencies. Investors have to invest more if they want to start their business in UK because of higher value of pound sterling as compared to other currencies. Higher value of pound sterling is also a vital factor for decreases level of investment in UK manufacturing sector If the UK government is able to follow the above mentioned suggestion then definitely UK manufacturing industry will able to get more attraction from the world and it will contribute more as compared to its current contribution. References : ABPI (2010), Did you know: Facts and figures about the pharmaceutical industry in the UK Arthur D Little (2009), Quantitative modelling of industrial biotechnology and renewable chemicals Final report for BERR, http://www.bis.gov.uk/files/file51252.pdf BIS (2010) Economics Paper No. 2 Life Sciences in the UK Economic analysis and evidence for Life sciences 2010: Delivering the Blueprint BIS (2010), Economics Paper No. 4 Supporting Economic Analysis for Skills for Growth: The National Skills Strategy David, S., Zeleny, J. and Vlasic, B. (2009), G.M. to Seek Bankruptcy and a New Start: A Risky Bet to Save an Icon of American Capitalism, New York Times, 31/05/2009, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/business/01auto.html. Retrieved 19 March 2011 Deloitte (2009), Innovation that Matters: How Innovation is Currently Supported in an Ageing Society Ferguson, N. (2004), Empire, The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power Gil, V. and Haskel, J. (2008), Intangible Investment in the UK Ma

Hamlet theme of appearance vs. reality Essay -- essays research papers

Shakespeare examines the theme of appearance and reality in his book-Hamlet. The dilemma of what is "real" is established at the very beginning of the play. Hamlet doesn’t know what to believe and devises a plan to find out. The old king Hamlet appears to be bitten by a snake, but in reality he was poisoned, the ghost appears as an apparition, but it’s actually real, and the play-with-in-a-play strongly depicts the theme of appearance vs. reality. The dead King appears to have been bitten by a snake. In reality, he has been poisoned. Everyone believes that the king died from snakebite, but once Hamlet knows the truth he is unsettled by the revelation. When Hamlet's dead father directs his son to, â€Å"Avenge him of his foul and most unnatural murder† (1.5. 25), Hamlet's response shows determination to act and a curiosity to know all the facts surrounding the murder: (1.5. 29-31) "Haste me to know't, that I, with wings as swift, as meditation or the thoughts of love may sweep to my revenge.† Hamlet's choice of image is significant here. A person who wants to take revenge rarely has "thoughts of love" but only concentrates upon thoughts of revenge, but Hamlet's thirst for revenge is immediate and deep. Shakespeare also develops the theme of appearance vs. reality when Hamlet resents his mother's insinuation that he is putting on a show of being grief-stricken. Strangely, he is the only one in th e family who is truly mourning ...

Reducing Fraud in Head Start Essay -- Legal Issues, Fraud, Abuse

Allegations of fraud and abuse involving two Head Start nonprofit grantees have been documented in the Midwest and Texas. The strengthening of internal controls and performance measures can reduce the amount of fraud and increase quality services to the nation’s most vulnerable children and families. Head Start, an anti-poverty program that dates to the 1960s, provides preschool, social and health services to more than 900,000 children and their families. (Anderson 2010) It receives more than $7 billion in federal funding annually. (Anderson 2010) Undercover investigators have found evidence of fraud and abuse at federal Head Start preschool centers, including cases in which enrollment procedures were manipulated to put potentially ineligible applicants into slots reserved for needier children. (Anderson 2010) The Government Accountability Office reported to Congress that investigators posed as families to test whether Head Start centers in six states and the District of Columbia followed federal rules. In eight of 15 cases, the GAO found, staff members at the centers fraudulently misrepresented financial information from applicants. (Anderson 2010) "This leaves Head Start at risk that over-income children may be enrolled while legitimate under-income children are put on waiting lists," the GAO concluded. One D.C. center disregarded $9,600 in reported income to enroll a fictitious family of three. An associate at the center told undercover investigators: "We don't need any extra; we need to keep you low." (Anderson 2010) In contrast, behind every good Head Start program is a good grantee or public organization. In other words, Head Start programs do not exist in isolation, but depend upon the organizational infrastruct... ...evident, as a part of an effective management system. Performance measurement requires the executive through to operational staff to understand their own roles and particular contributions. Ideally, it should form a continuous thread that connects an organizational mission to its high-level outcomes and strategic objectives. Only then can an organization attempt to understand the level of cohesive planning that is required to implement a high quality Head Start program. In conclusion, Head Start programs do not exist in isolation, but depend upon the organizational infrastructures in which they are housed. They are products of governance, management and organizational leadership. The strengthening of internal controls and performance measures can reduce the amount of fraud and increase quality services to the nation’s most vulnerable children and families.