China And The Keynesian Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

China And The Keynesian Theory - Essay Example For purposes of regulating their markets, the majority of states were able to adopt the principles contained in the Keynesian theory. This principle advocate for the intervention of the government, in the economic system of the state. China is one of the countries that advocated for the use of the concepts of the Keynesian theory, for purposes of controlling its national economy. This is until 1978, with the market reforms of Deng Xiaoping, in China. This is because of the failures of the Keynesian theory to protect the market economies of the majority of the developed states. This includes the United States. These countries were only able to experience economic growth, during the 1950s, to the 1960s. However, after the 1960s, the economies of these countries began to collapse, experiencing an increase in unemployment, and stagflation. This made economic experts, and policy formulators to demand a new economic system. Neo-liberalism was a preferable theoretical framework, and it advo cates for a minimum intervention by the government, in the economic affairs of the state. Deng Xiaoping supported neo-liberalism, and he led this movement in China, and this is through the market reforms that he had begun in the country. Furthermore, his visit to the United States in 1979 was in a bid to understand the manner in which a neo-liberal state was able to function. The United States was one of the leading neo-liberal states, and its economy was improving because of the adoption of the principles of neo-liberalism.

Reality TV Is Fake Essay Example for Free

Reality TV Is Fake Essay Imagine this. A producer came to you and said: â€Å"Hi, I would love for you to be in a reality TV program.† So you asked what it means to be in a reality TV program. He’d answer with â€Å"all you need to do is act normally. Just do what you normally would do, but the exception that a camera crew will be following you around.† You agreed, and the camera men, producer, director and writer started following you around. And when they’re filming you and your friends having dinner together, they suddenly stopped and asked you to start talking about a certain boy in your school. You agreed, and started talking about some boy you know. And then the director and writer asked you to pretend you like the guy and squeal and spaz about him. But the thing is, you don’t like this guy. And you don’t want to squeal and spaz about him. You both are only friends but the director asked you to pretend that you like him. So is that what reality TV is? Isn’t it about real life people doing real life stuff in a real life situation? But why are the producers and directors and writers asking you to do stuff that you don’t normally do? Why are they making something up to make it sound more interesting? Reality television is a television program genre that presents unscripted situations, documents actual events and usually features unknown instead of professional actors. What they do is the reality TV stars do whatever that they’re doing, just like what we normally do. But with the exception that there are cameras filming everything. Such shows usually have participants that double as the show’s narrator. They are interviewed about the situation and the participants talk about how they feel about it and what they think about the situation. Another type of reality TV shows are competition based reality shows. They often have additional common elements such as participant being eliminated per episode, with a panel of judges, and the concept of immunity from elimination. The participants or challengers are put into tests and missions with the possibility of being eliminated or punished. And a prize is always on the line. Is the reality TV shows really real? Are these reality programs fabricated and staged or are they genuine? If they are fabricated, how much then are they fake and how much are they real? Body All these reality programs are very successful not only in U.S but also all over the world. They are well known to people of every age, race, education, and language. They show how relatable these stars are to the viewers and how alike these stars are to the viewers. But are they real? Are these reality shows real? And if it’s not, how fake are these shows? Pawn Stars chronicles the daily activities at a high end pawn shop, where staffs of the store interacts with customers who bring in a variety of artefacts to sell or pawn and who are shown haggling over the price and discussing its historical background, with narration provided by the Harrisons. There are proofs in which these reality TV are not real. For example in Pawn Stars, there was an episode where a man named Rod who brought in his 1960 Les Paul Custom guitar. And he claimed that he had gotten the guitar during his tour with the bands Toto and Triumph. But with further investigations, it was later found out that the whole thing was completely staged. The Les Paul Custom guitar was actually from a local Las Vegas vintage guitar store, Cowtown Guitars. The â€Å"customer† Rod, was actually an employee of that store. And the â€Å"expert† that was also in the show was also another employee/manager (centraltendencies.com). Another episode named Time Machines in season 1; the customer simply named Jim is actually Jim Waters, a local Las Vegas comedian and actor. He’s one of the founders of a Las Vegas group called Film and Television artists of Las Vegas. What was seen as a customer with an antique was actually an actor hired to stage an episode. As for the competition-based reality programs, one of the most famous one is American Idol. It is a singing competition and after the preliminary rounds, the live shows start. And each week, a contestant will be eliminated through the votes of the public. Even with judges to give reviews of the participant’s performance that night, it is the public who will decide who would leave and be eliminated. There are testimonies from an American Idol participant who have came out to testify how it really is when auditioning for the show. How all that we see on TV is not what it really is like. She’s known as Maria Saint, and in her writings are very explicit accounts of what she encountered during her audition process. At one point, all the contestants were asked to learn a new song: Billionaire by Bruno Mars and Travis McCoy, to test their ability to learn a new song fast. And what is shown on TV is a bunch of people singing the same song in front of the judges. But if you look carefully at the clip, you’ll notice that there was not a frame that shows the contestants and the judges in the same room. In actual fact, they are recorded at different times. According to Maria Saint, it was actually taped â€Å"to make that ridiculous compilation of people singing the same song privately, some good, and some bad (Saint).† And at the final round before really going in to meet the judges, she accounted an event whereby an â€Å"adorable but strange little blonde haired boy, dressed kind of how you’d expect to see Forrest Gump, nice white dress shirt, slacks, and loafers, passionately waving an American Flag for the cameras† screeching the song â€Å"Smile.† And at that particular round, if a contestant is cut, and they act crazy, they will be put back in so that they can air the reaction on the show. And when â€Å"flagboy† were cut, he started crying hysterically. Cameras immediately swarmed over him, and were brought back into the audition room. A few minutes later, he came out proudly with his large sticker than indicates that he passed that round (Saint). Amazing Race is another competition based reality TV show that is very famous around the globe. It is a game show in which teams of two people, race around the world with other teams. Each team are given missions and are needed to complete these missions in order to be able to go to ‘pit stops’ where the last team to arrive would either be eliminated or be faced with disadvantages in the next round. Popular race show, Amazing Race is also not as it seems. What is shown on television has also been controlled by the producers and directors. The clothes that they wear, the expressions that they have on their faces and every scene has been altered so it would be shown on TV the right way and with the right angle. The world of entertainment is making changes to spice up their programs. It was then the reality TV shows were introduced. And the audiences loved it. From a reality show of singing, acting, modelling, sports, magic, and even to parenting, audiences from all walks of life enjoys it. Closing In conclusion, as popular as these reality programs are, many of them are staged and controlled behind the scenes. What should not have scripts are actually scripted. And what should be natural and real are actually fake and created by directors and producers. And with so many demands in this genre, there would be more reality TV shows and they would still not be ‘real.’

Helena Viramontes Miss Clairol Essay -- short story, Miss Clairol

Helena Viramontes' short story, "Miss Clairol," takes the reader through a day in the life of Arlene, a single Hispanic mother, and her daughter, Champ. They begin their day at K-Mart in search for just the right beauty products for Arlene because she is going on a date that evening. After leaving without paying, they spend the day at home. Arlene prepares for the date while Champ assists her, watches television, and fixes herself dinner. Once Arlene is sufficiently fixed, she leaves for the date, ignoring Champ as she yells goodbye. Although I had to read "Miss Clairol" all the way through several times in order to develop a full understanding of the story and its purpose, I needed no extra reading to understand Arlene and my feelings about her. From the beginning of the story, my gut reaction to Arlene was disgust, and as I continued to read, my distaste only enlarged. Although I do not feel that Viramontes' sole purpose was to disturb the reader by her characterization of this sin gle mother, that was what kept my attention from the moment she was introduced. My dislike for Arlene began with the mere description of her physical appearance . When Arlene is first presented, she is depicted wearing "bell bottom jeans two sizes too small" and "a pink strapless tube top" (78). Not only do her clothes fit improperly, but "her stomach spills over the hip hugger jeans" as well (78). I next realized Arlene is accompanied by her young daughter, Champ. I was caught off guard by her blatant use of profanity in front of Champ. For example, she responds to Champ's question about which Miss Clairol box to grab saying, "Shit, mija, I dunno," and after dropping a gum wrapper on the ground, the simple comment, "Fuck it," expresses her nonchala... ...e next man is so far from romantic in the way I understand the concept, that it angers me to hear about it. Arlene's misunderstanding of romance epitomizes my serious dislike for her. My experience with good parenting and romance is so opposite of Arlene's parenting and ideas of romance that I am repulsed by them. Because it is so easy to develop set ideas of what is right and wrong concerning these concepts at such a young age, it is difficult to rid myself of the biases now that I am a young adult. These cultural biases that created the lens through which I read this story strongly affected my perception of Arlene in a way that no one else can experience. Work Cited Viramontes, Helena. "Miss Clairol." Literature and Gender: Thinking Critically through Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Eds. Robyn Wiegman and Elena Glasberg. New York: Longman, 1999. 78-81. Print.

Organizational Behavior Terminology and Concepts Essay -- essays resea

Organizational Behavior Organizations have been described as groups of people who work interdependently toward some purpose. This definition clearly indicates that organizations are not buildings or pieces of machinery. Organizations are, indeed, people who interact to accomplish shared objectives. The study of organizational behavior (OB) and its affiliated subjects helps us understand what people think, feel and do in organizational settings. For managers and, realistically, all employees, this knowledge helps predict, understand and control organizational events. There are not two identical organizations. When you look for a job you look for a place that is comfortable to you. Organization behavior is the way we study the people of organizations. All depends on your choice of a small business or a business in the Fortune 500. The way the organization runs itself is something that you have to â€Å"fit in.† This essay is going to guide you through the many different termino logies and concepts. Organization learning is defined as, â€Å"the process of acquiring knowledge and utilizing information to adapt successfully to changing circumstances† (Schermerhorn 5). This course that we are taking is just one example of organization learning. There are people out there that study organization learning of the businesses out there. This is where you get your comparisons of different organizations. This course has made me look different at the organization that I work for. The world today i...

Spring Jazz Band Concert Report

On Friday, April 29, 2011, I went to see Spring Jazz Concert at Sophia B. Clarke Theater. Most of performers have great instrument skill and show us a wonderful music. Each movement highlights the character, range, and technical abilities of an individual instrument, all of pieces stand on their own as intricate musical gems. The show was divided for two parts, and they have different sections on those two parts.During the concert, we would hear different music programs by playing in different music instruments such as saxophones, trumpets, trombones, drums, bass, guitar, and piano. Each performer represents different music instruments. On the first parts of the concert, there were three songs. In conclusion, I enjoyed this concert very much because the music in this concert was very nice. In my opinion, I had totally different feelings between I listened music in the concert and at home, and the atmosphere of concert was awesome.Besides the music, I had deep impression in the perfor mers; every performers in the concert had much passion when they were performing. In my opinion, because of their wonderful performance, I could hear such nice music. Also, everyone in the concert was polite. Every times when conductor came to the stage or the song was end, almost every audience stood up and applauded to the performers, the applause lasted for a pretty long time. At that time, I felt so good. All in all, I really enjoyed this concert.The tone color of most of the jazz bands that I saw was smooth and inviting. This made the bands easier to listen to. They were polyphonic in structure, where all of the different instruments were playing different melodies. The rhythm that was used was in a quadruple meter. This was true for all of the bands. The only thing that I wished would have happened was that there would have been more improvisation instead of reading from sheet music. They were very structured in that way.

The continuing foreign control over much of china, and ever-increasing influence of Japan doomed china for a state of political and social destress from 1911 to communist victory of 1914

The continuing foreign control over much of china, and ever-increasing influence of Japan doomed china for a state of political and social destress from 1911 to communist victory of 1914 On January first, 1912 the Republic of China was established, signaling the end of the Manchu-dominated Qing Empire. Sun Yat-sen of the Kuomintang, was proclaimed provisional president of the republic. However, Yuan Shikai, a former Qing general who had defected to the revolutionary cause, soon forced Sun to step aside and took the presidency for himself. For the years to come up until the Communist Victory in 1949, the Country of China was faced with various levals of policital distress. Increasing pressure from neighbour Japan, as well as the selfish betrayal of the Republics well being by political leaders Yuan Shikai and Chiang Kaishek lead to a testing time for the Country.Thanks to strong military backup, Yuan was officially swarn in as President of the Chinese Republic on the 10th of October 1913. He had gradually dissolved the provincial and national paliaments thus leaving him the unchallanged dictator of China.Yuan Shikai sworn in as Provisional President of t...Yuan was Th e President of the Republic of China for a short period of time, due to his death at age fifty-six of Kidney failture on June 6th 1915. Athough he was head of the Republic for around three years, This period of time was a major factor in China's social and political destress starting with World War One and The Twenty One Demands from their neighbouring island Japan.During The First World War only Japan had joined the war with the Allies against Germany and Austria-Hungry, thus meant Japan was in a position to seize the concessions that Germany had in China.Yuan Shi-kai was anxious to establish himself as an emperor and thorght the support of Japan would help him reach his goals. When Japan fronted the Twenty One Demands in 1915 he accepted the main demands, resulting in nationwide protest. The Chinese people were outraged when...

Atlantic Slave Trade essays

Atlantic Slave Trade essays When most people talk about or think about slavery, they look at how it effected the US. The Atlantic Slave Trade had a huge effect on the US but there are no words or expressions that can describe the effects it had on Africa and its familys. It is estimated that between 1450 and 1900, there were 11,698,000 slaves exported from Africa. (Atlantic Slave trade, pg.170) To understand the effects this had on Africa you must consider the families that lost relatives, the stores that lost business, and even the friends that lost friendships. None of the misfortunes can be brought back or replaced. The many lives that were taken can never be brought back to life. This not only effected the African culture when it happened but also it effects todays societies in Africa. The overall net effect of the Atlantic Slave Trade on Africa could never be estimated unless you are inside one of the relatives of a slave. These slaves died for no other apparent reason than the color of their skin. The effects that the slave trade had on Africa were not all negative. Depending on what point of view your looking from, there were also some positives of the Atlantic Slave Trade. In William Bossmans account, he states that as soon as the king arrives he will be satisfied with an amount of one-hundred pounds in Guinea value. (Atlantic Slave Trade, pg.181) So the kings and most of all the slave traders benefited from the slave trade. One benefit from the Slave Trade would definitely be spiritually. The great misfortunes had to strengthen the inner souls of the people and relatives that were left behind. A lot of these people had nothing left but themselves so they had no choice but to deal with it and get stronger mentally and spiritually. One other benefit from the Slave trade would be that the African Culture was spread to totally different continents. All of these slaves were taken to different places an ...

North By Northwest Review essays

North By Northwest Review essays The movie North by Northwest is a very traditional action suspense movie. It is filled with murder, mystery and edge of your seat thrill. The film poseses a certain Ive been framed feel to it. The costumes of the movie are civilized. Nothing really special about them but they work well. It is mostly suit and ties but that is the type of attire that would most fit that time period and social status. All of the criminals are also well dressed, which I thought gave the extra fear. The sets for the movie were elegant, and beautiful. Nothing of the dirty city or bad visuals. The desert scene with the plane was my favorite, and the train scene was also well setted. The hotels and city life were also beutiful and well lit. Characterization was well, but could probably be better. The criminals could have been more fearful and dangerous looking. The two main characters were very well played and casted. I also noticed that there were also a lot of extras and police in the movie. The overall movie was good. I have heard that it is a classic and many people have seen it. I can see why because of the good acting and suspense. It represents a basic fear for many people; being framed for murder. The main character was played also as extreamly intelligent which I though was a good decision for the director. I would reccomend this movie to others because of the overall suspense. It is the main reason for watching the movie, and the characters and fear are also highly regarded. ...

Case Study - Federal Deposit Insurance Corp Essay

Case Study - Federal Deposit Insurance Corp - Essay Example For example, Toyland the owner of a departmental store in Houston, contracts with Pantaloon, a manufacturer of children toys in New York, for $15,000 worth toys. In the absence of negotiable instruments, Toyland would have to remit or take across the country the said amount which is risky and inconvenient. If the money is stolen in transit, it will create additional botheration for the company besides the financial loss. Check facilitates transfer of the funds through the designated bank. The transaction through the check is convenient to both the parties. Some types of negotiable instruments are promissory notes, certificates of deposit, drafts and checks. The legal requirements for an instrument to be negotiable: That it should be in writing and signed by the issuer and it should contain an unconditional promise to pay a fixed amount of money, as per terms and conditions described in the promise or order. It may be with or without interest. It is a bearer instrument or payable to order, either on demand or at prescribed future date. It should â€Å"not state any other undertaking or instruction by the person promising or ordering to do any act in addition to the payment of money. However, it may contain (a) an undertaking or promise relative to collateral to secure payment, (b) an authorization for confession of judgment, or (c) a waiver of benefit of any law intended for the advantage or protection of an obligor.† (p.780) A holder in course of a negotiable instrument has special rights. â€Å"Normally, the transferee of an instrument—like the assignee of a contract—gets only those rights in the instruments that are held by the person from whom he got the instrument. But a holder in due course can get better rights. A holder in due course takes a negotiable instrument free of all personal defenses, claims to the instrument, and claims in recoupment either of the obligor or of a third party.† (p.797)The advantage

Compares three broad themes found in the film The Atomic Cafe and the Essay

Compares three broad themes found in the film The Atomic Cafe and the book Lost Girls by (kolker) - Essay Example The prominent themes found in both the pieces of work are violence, social callousness, and the deceptiveness of the government authorities. The callosity of few social institutions and the deceptive nature of the governmental authorities affect the public welfare leading to calamities that have some long-lasting impact on the society. These acts of violence tend to show the vulnerability of the society and are clearly evidenced in the incidents discussed in both the novel and the film. Kolker’s book recounts the traumatic life of five young sex workers, Shannan Gilbert, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Overstreet Costello, who were gone missing and later found to be murdered by unidentified serial killer. It takes place from 1996 to 2012. This represents a sad cycle of poor families raised in declining towns. Their poor choices and economic problems lead to child neglect, child abuse, behavior disorders, and drug habits. Those are the partial cause of prostitution today. In the book, the author focuses on this sensitive case, compiling all the known facts along with the biographies of the victims. On the other hand, the documentary film titled The Atomic Cafà © talks about misleading political propagandas and its consequences on the society. The film discusses the emergence of nuclear threats and the misinformation doled out to the public by the governmental authorities, with a view to manipulate the reality of the situ ation. This is an era rife with paranoia, anxiety and misapprehension, while the film also exhibits a genuine nostalgia for an earlier and more innocent nation. The footages used in the film clearly capture the effects of the political pressures of war as well as the impact resulting from these destructive weapons, since the World War II to the Cold War years. The callousness of the American authorities who were responsible for the atom bomb calamity is well portrayed in the film. The

Cause and Effect Essay (Affirmative Action) Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cause and Effect (Affirmative Action) - Essay Example Affirmative action can be considered one of the most effective means of reversing the injustices that were caused by the centuries-old discrimination against people from minority groups as well as women. It can also be said that it is a means through which the white dominated fields in the United States can be leveled to include minority groups. Despite the institution of affirmative action in our nation, however, the legacy of racism and racism still lives on and this is despite those gains, which were made by the Civil Rights Movement. The opportunities available for those who were previously excluded remain very few and this is one of the reasons that affirmative action is still very much needed today. It has been seen that black people are nearly twice as likely to get employment as white people are and this is despite the fact of the presence of Affirmative action. Not only is the unemployment rate higher among minority groups when compared to whites, these groups have been show n to earn much less than what their white counterparts earn. There tends to be very little likelihood of either black or Latino men to be given employment as managers or, as professionals, therefore, these are more likely to get jobs, which only involve labor. This also applies to women who have to work much harder and for lesser pay than their male counterparts do in order to get positions of authority (Phelan 376). To correct this, more needs to be done to ensure that such inequalities do not persist in American society so that the gap that has existed between the different groups for centuries get to be filled and the dream of equality becomes a reality. The main purpose of affirmative action is the promotion of fairness and equality in American society. In the United States, what is popularly known as the American dream is always framed as a race in which the swiftest people always win (Lawson 281). This is a very wrong impression of the American Dream because not everybody in t he United States started at the same level considering that minorities tended to be excluded from some of the most important aspects of American life. Therefore, Affirmative action exists in order to ensure that everybody in American society starts from the same level so that all can achieve their dreams fairly. Therefore, it does not give an advantage to the minorities in discrimination of white people and instead, it is meant to correct those practices, which had conspired to keep minorities behind while others continued with their advancement in society. Affirmative action is in reality a policy of inclusion whose purpose is to ensure that all people have an equal chance to compete in making their dreams and aspirations come true. Previously, minority groups were completely excluded from the majority of economic activities in the United States except for those who were considered labor intensive. Moreover, these groups were rarely ever accepted in the mainstream American life unt il after the institution of Affirmative action. From its very beginning, there has been opposition towards it with those against it stating that it is giving an unfair advantage to minority groups over other people. They further state that affirmative action goes against the spirit of the American Constitution due to the fact

To what extent is migrant integration determined by formal and Essay

To what extent is migrant integration determined by formal and substantial citizenship - Essay Example Prior to an analysis of the subject, it is critical to describe the key terms in the paper. Literature defines migrant integration as the extent to which migrants are like the rest of the population. This may be seen through social economic indications like education, employment, housing and health. Alternatively, it may be manifested through cultural indicators like language, values, lifestyles and allegiances. Citizenship is the relationship one has between himself or herself and the state; it is political, civil, social, economic, cultural and symbolic. Formal citizenship focuses strictly on rights and duties that arise from one’s membership status within the state. Substantial citizenship refers to the economic, moral, and social resources to exercise rights .The phenomenon encompasses the lived experiences and the extent to which these rights are exercised. It is subjective and dwells on the social exchanges and interactions of people. These definitions thus indicate that having citizenship rights and putting into practice those rights enable social integration. If a migrant has access to citizens’ rights, they are more likely to bond with members of that community and demonstrate allegiance to it. Whether migrant integration is determined by formal and substantial citizenship Openness and inclusiveness as a precondition of migrant integration As mentioned in the introduction, formal citizenship encompasses the resources required to exercise citizenship rights. One dimension of these resources is the social dimension. A society’s value system can determine how effectively a migrant integrates with the larger society. If upon citizenship acquisition, they find that their society tolerates cultural diversity, then they are likely to deliberately choose integration (Berry, 1997). It should be noted that integration may be considered as one of four dimensions of migrant acculturation. Foreigners have the choice to assimilate, where they ab andon all their former cultures and adopt the ones in their host country. Conversely, they may choose to separate, where they hold onto their original cultures and ignore that of the dominant community. They may integrate by maintaining cultural ties in their native communities and adopting cultures from the receiving community. Alternatively, individuals in this group may lose ties with their former culture and also fail to adopt the culture of the dominant group; as such, they will become marginalised. Therefore, the degree of integration of immigrants in this sense can only occur if a society has values that encourage multiculturalism. The attitudes prevalent in the receiving country must be positive towards these groups. A person may have formal rights as a citizen but when they meet social characteristics that do not enable realisation of these rights then they will not integrate into society. Berry (1997) notes that sometimes these attitudes may stem from the physical features of the group or other characteristics. As such, even though Koreans may have acquired formal

Unemployment Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Unemployment - Article Example otential and actual output, this article refers to the calculations presented by Lewis Alexander of Nomura Securities by using labor market indicators. According to these reports, the employed people represented 63 percent of population in 2007, as compared to 59 percent for 2009 population. The author thus justifies that the actual unemployment rate, as related to the actual output, is almost 1.1 percent higher than the given figure of 5.5 percent. The article emphasizes the fact that many people in the country have stopped looking for jobs, which is falsely reflected through the decline of employment rate. Therefore, the author suggests that it is important to persuade such long-term jobless people to hunt actively for jobs. In this direction, the article refers to the recent call from President Obama to many corporate entities for encouraging such employment seekers. (Closing the Gap 2014) I do not agree with the author, as I believe that job is the necessity for every responsible householder. Any person needing a job cannot afford to give up the efforts for looking at fresh employment opportunities until he or she gets the desired job. Further, the population figures relating to employed percentage is not the correct representative of employment growth, as increase in population can be mainly due to increase in young adults, who are not old enough to seek any job. Closing the Gap (2014). â€Å"America’s labor market has suffered permanent harm.† Retrieved on Dec. 15, 2014, from:

Critically evaluate how the recent recession has been affecting Essay

Critically evaluate how the recent recession has been affecting strategic marketing management practices of Apple - Essay Example By 1980 as the sales of the company were experiencing a high the company also grew considerably in size, by the time the Apple III was launched, the company employed several thousand people and was conducting international business (apple-history, 2013). Lisa and Macintosh are hall mark products of the Apple Company. During the 1980’s the Mac II gave the windows a really tough time, taking it to the verge of a flop, due to its expandability and viability (apple-history, 2013). The release of power books in 1991 put Apple back in the race it was losing against windows 3.0, and advancements were being made at the same time towards the PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) (apple-history, 2013). Formerly known as Apple Computer; Apple Inc. is currently the biggest tech company in the world that employs more than 49,400 people and gross profit of more than $ 65 billion (Rodrigo, 2012). Competitors Apple’s competitors in the technology and computer industry are Microsoft, Dell, M otorola, LG, and Nokia. ... comes from its diverse line and range of products and the software and hardware integration of their range of products; which they have achieved over the years (Magee, 2011). Apple has led to the jointed manufacturing of computers and mobile devices, whereas this was previously done by separate companies (Magee, 2011). This allows for shared functioning and information processing, connectivity is the main feature giving these products a competitive edge (Magee, 2011). Impact of Recession The recession did not impact Apple Inc. as expected and rather than suffering massive losses like its counterparts it just received a jolt at its retail stores (MaCNN, 2009). The number of visitors per Apple retail store suffered a drop of 1.8%, and the revenues fell 17.4 percent (MaCnn, 2009). 2008 saw a drop for the company’s revenues by 0.6 percent in the last three month period (Oliver, 2009). Apple saw the revenue decrease on per store basis but as a whole the Mac sales increased year ove r year as compared to 2008 (Oliver, 2009). Apart from suffering a drop in terms of visitor per retail store the concept that Apple retail store follow, showed the success of the strategies employed by Apple (Oliver, 2009). According to Carl Howe, who is the director of consumer research for the Yankee Group said that the company is really tested during a recession, and for Apple, the ‘ think different’ motto appears to be working really well (cited in Rodrigo, 2012). Where economies, banks and companies have drastically suffered at the hands of the recession, Apple has maintained its record sales. Recession tests companies by better execution and Apple is achieving that (Howe, cited in Rodrigo, 2012). Apple’s share value doubled during 2008, the year the recession hit the hardest and

To what extent is migrant integration determined by formal and Essay

To what extent is migrant integration determined by formal and substantial citizenship - Essay Example Prior to an analysis of the subject, it is critical to describe the key terms in the paper. Literature defines migrant integration as the extent to which migrants are like the rest of the population. This may be seen through social economic indications like education, employment, housing and health. Alternatively, it may be manifested through cultural indicators like language, values, lifestyles and allegiances. Citizenship is the relationship one has between himself or herself and the state; it is political, civil, social, economic, cultural and symbolic. Formal citizenship focuses strictly on rights and duties that arise from one’s membership status within the state. Substantial citizenship refers to the economic, moral, and social resources to exercise rights .The phenomenon encompasses the lived experiences and the extent to which these rights are exercised. It is subjective and dwells on the social exchanges and interactions of people. These definitions thus indicate that having citizenship rights and putting into practice those rights enable social integration. If a migrant has access to citizens’ rights, they are more likely to bond with members of that community and demonstrate allegiance to it. Whether migrant integration is determined by formal and substantial citizenship Openness and inclusiveness as a precondition of migrant integration As mentioned in the introduction, formal citizenship encompasses the resources required to exercise citizenship rights. One dimension of these resources is the social dimension. A society’s value system can determine how effectively a migrant integrates with the larger society. If upon citizenship acquisition, they find that their society tolerates cultural diversity, then they are likely to deliberately choose integration (Berry, 1997). It should be noted that integration may be considered as one of four dimensions of migrant acculturation. Foreigners have the choice to assimilate, where they ab andon all their former cultures and adopt the ones in their host country. Conversely, they may choose to separate, where they hold onto their original cultures and ignore that of the dominant community. They may integrate by maintaining cultural ties in their native communities and adopting cultures from the receiving community. Alternatively, individuals in this group may lose ties with their former culture and also fail to adopt the culture of the dominant group; as such, they will become marginalised. Therefore, the degree of integration of immigrants in this sense can only occur if a society has values that encourage multiculturalism. The attitudes prevalent in the receiving country must be positive towards these groups. A person may have formal rights as a citizen but when they meet social characteristics that do not enable realisation of these rights then they will not integrate into society. Berry (1997) notes that sometimes these attitudes may stem from the physical features of the group or other characteristics. As such, even though Koreans may have acquired formal

Critically evaluate how the recent recession has been affecting Essay

Critically evaluate how the recent recession has been affecting strategic marketing management practices of Apple - Essay Example By 1980 as the sales of the company were experiencing a high the company also grew considerably in size, by the time the Apple III was launched, the company employed several thousand people and was conducting international business (apple-history, 2013). Lisa and Macintosh are hall mark products of the Apple Company. During the 1980’s the Mac II gave the windows a really tough time, taking it to the verge of a flop, due to its expandability and viability (apple-history, 2013). The release of power books in 1991 put Apple back in the race it was losing against windows 3.0, and advancements were being made at the same time towards the PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) (apple-history, 2013). Formerly known as Apple Computer; Apple Inc. is currently the biggest tech company in the world that employs more than 49,400 people and gross profit of more than $ 65 billion (Rodrigo, 2012). Competitors Apple’s competitors in the technology and computer industry are Microsoft, Dell, M otorola, LG, and Nokia. ... comes from its diverse line and range of products and the software and hardware integration of their range of products; which they have achieved over the years (Magee, 2011). Apple has led to the jointed manufacturing of computers and mobile devices, whereas this was previously done by separate companies (Magee, 2011). This allows for shared functioning and information processing, connectivity is the main feature giving these products a competitive edge (Magee, 2011). Impact of Recession The recession did not impact Apple Inc. as expected and rather than suffering massive losses like its counterparts it just received a jolt at its retail stores (MaCNN, 2009). The number of visitors per Apple retail store suffered a drop of 1.8%, and the revenues fell 17.4 percent (MaCnn, 2009). 2008 saw a drop for the company’s revenues by 0.6 percent in the last three month period (Oliver, 2009). Apple saw the revenue decrease on per store basis but as a whole the Mac sales increased year ove r year as compared to 2008 (Oliver, 2009). Apart from suffering a drop in terms of visitor per retail store the concept that Apple retail store follow, showed the success of the strategies employed by Apple (Oliver, 2009). According to Carl Howe, who is the director of consumer research for the Yankee Group said that the company is really tested during a recession, and for Apple, the ‘ think different’ motto appears to be working really well (cited in Rodrigo, 2012). Where economies, banks and companies have drastically suffered at the hands of the recession, Apple has maintained its record sales. Recession tests companies by better execution and Apple is achieving that (Howe, cited in Rodrigo, 2012). Apple’s share value doubled during 2008, the year the recession hit the hardest and

Discuss one or more theories of Moral Understanding and evaluate its conclusions Essay Example for Free

Discuss one or more theories of Moral Understanding and evaluate its conclusions Essay The term morality, according to Shaffer (1993) means â€Å"a set of principles or ideals that help the individual to distinguish right from wrong and to act on this distinction. Morality is important to society, as it would not function effectively unless there is some agreement of what is right and wrong. There are many underlying processes and environmental factors, which limit or promote social, cognitive and moral development in children. In modern society, television could be considered to be one of the major influences on a child’s moral development. There are three approaches to moral development; the cognitive approach, the psychodynamic approach and the social learning theory. The Cognitive-Developmental approach of Piaget and Kohlberg studies how children become more able to reason morally and make moral judgements, whereas the Freud’s psychodynamic approach is more concerned with the development of the conscience and moral feelings such as guilt and anxiety. The social learning theory of Bandura and Mischel investigates the development of moral behaviour and how role models in the family, society and the media, influence it. The theory I am going to discuss is Piaget’s Cognitive-Developmental Approach. His theory of moral development is concerned with how the child’s moral knowledge and understanding change with age. Piaget saw morality as any system of rules, which governs interaction between people. The methods of investigation he used to develop his theories were, he looked at the way children imposed rules in their games. He used games to study the development of children’s moral development as he thought that by studying rules in the context of a game, he could study the child’s spontaneous though directly. He also, assessed changes in the child’s moral judgements by telling hypothetical stories about children who lied, stole or broke something. When using hypothetical stories, Piaget was generally more interested in the reasons why the children give the answers they did and not particularly the answers. Piaget identifies stages of moral development just as he identified stages with cognitive development. His theories of the way children think and their moral reasoning goes through a series of stages, as they are adapting to the world, these are also known as the processes of accommodation and assimilation. He believed that as children’s reasoning about the world changes when they grow older and gain more experience, so does their reasoning about morality. Their ability to think about the world in more complex ways is what causes them to move on from one stage to the next. This is known as cognitive development. Piaget stated that infants don’t understand much about morality until they are about three or four years of age. Their development divides into two main stages after infancy. His stages of moral development are: Pre Moral Stage (up to three or four years) Children don’t understand about rules, and so they don’t make moral judgements Stage of Heteronomous Morality (aged three – six years) Children at this stage think rules are absolute and unchangeable, and the goodness and badness of an action is judged largely on the basis of its consequences rather than by taking intent into account. Stage of Autonomous Morality (from around six or seven) Children at this stage now see rules as more changeable and intentions are taken into account. Children also start to believe that it is possible to break rules and get away with it, whereas earlier they tended to think they will always be found out and possibly punished. Researchers from Europe and America have tested some of Piaget’s theories and have concluded that distinct stages of development do seem to exist however, other research found that children do not see all rules as being equally important as Piaget thought they did. Heteronomous Morality, also known as moral realism, means when the child is subject to another’s laws or rules. Children think that rules must be obeyed no matter what the circumstances. A child at this stage will think that rules are only made by authority figures, such as, parents and teachers. Two other features that are displayed in moral reasoning at this stage are, first they expect bad behaviour to be punished in some way, they believe that the punishment should be expiatory – the wrongdoer must make amends for the crime by paying with some kind of suffering. They have the view that the amount of punishment should match the badness of the behaviour. Secondly, if the bad behaviour goes undetected then the child believes in immanent justice – where any misfortune occurring after the bad behaviour can be seen as a punishment. For example, if a child tells a lie and gets away with it, then later trips and falls, the younger child could consider this as a punishment. In general, they believe punishment should be fair and that wrongdoing will always be punished in some way. Autonomous Morality, which means when the child is subject to one’s own laws and rules. It involves moral relativism whereby the child comes to realise that rules evolve from social relationships. Due to the child ‘decentring’ and their developed ability to think more flexibly about moral issues, they have began to realise it is important to take other people’s opinions into account. At this stage a child will have developed the understanding that sometimes rules of morality can be broken in certain reasonable circumstances. They believe in reciprocal punishment, whereby the punishment should fit the crime. For example, if a child takes another child’s sweets, the first child should be deprived of their sweets or should make it up to the victim in some other way. This is known as the principle of reciprocity. Children will also have learnt at this stage that wrongdoers often avoid punishment, diminishing any belief in immanent justice. They see punishment as a method of making the offender understand the nature of the crime and that punishment is also a deterrent. The move from heteronomous morality to autonomous morality is influenced by two factors. Children around the age of seven begin to move on from the pre operational stage of an illogical and an egocentric way of thinking to more logical and flexible way of thinking, in the operational stage. Their growing awareness that other people have different views allows them to develop more mature moral reasoning. However, moral development lags at least one to two years behind cognitive development because the whole process depends on the cognitive changes occurring first. Kohlberg expanded Piagets theory to form a theory that also explained the development of moral reasoning. While Piaget described a two-stage process of moral development, Kohlberg’s theory outlined six stages within three different levels. Kohlberg extended Piaget’s theory, proposing that moral development is a continual process that occurs throughout the lifespan. A study by Colby et al (1983) criticised Piaget’s assumption that children of ten and eleven years old had reached an adult level of moral reasoning. Piaget was always focusing on what an average child was capable of achieving so he neglected the idea of great variations between the individual child’s ways of thinking. In general, Piaget’s cognitive theory has been criticised for the methods of investigation not being as precise as they could have been. Methods he used were seen as complicated, leading critics to think he under estimated younger children’s capabilities of what they could and could not do. This was because later research went on to conclude that children could actually take other motives into consideration, when they understood what motives were involved. Despite criticism, Piaget’s work is still regarded as a revolutionary step forward in the way we understand how children think. It has led to a much more realistic ways of understanding children’s moral development. Many attempts to test Piaget’s theories from researchers around the world have resulted in acceptance that some of his views and methods do appear to exist.

Natural And Conventional Medicine Health And Social Care Essay

Natural And Conventional Medicine Health And Social Care Essay This paper discusses and compares the two main medical traditions natural and conventional medicine. Both conventional and natural medicine have been practiced and found proven to hold many advantages but conventional medicine is regarded as the universal, hence, more popular method of healing illness. Conventional medicine relies on science and technology to contribute to the preservation and longevity of peoples lives and the leaps that this tradition has made has surpassed expectation. Nevertheless, with the rising cost of medicines, procedures, and hospitalization, and the preference for more holistic and non-invasive methods in the treatment of illness, naturopathy or natural medicine has grown in popularity. In its comparison with conventional medicine, this paper highlights the advantages of naturopathy including its effectiveness, safety, a good patient-healer relationship, the sense of being in control over illness, and its non-invasive nature. Naturopathys congruence with the culture and psychological belief systems of diverse peoples also contributes to growing preference of it. Moreover, conventional treatment has slowly incorporated natural methods such as the use of herbs, crossing over with acupuncture and other alternative practices, proving that the next best step for medicine is to maximize knowledge from both conventional and natural methods toward a better quality of life for mankind. Introduction In the current world, medical practice is dichotomized. Medical practice may either be classified as conventional or alternative. Sometimes, classifications go by conventional versus natural or traditional. These medical traditions and their respective practitioners are often pitted against one another. Yet, a closer look reveals that these classifications are arbitrary and are not actually in blanket opposition. Conventional medicine also has a long history of utilizing natural resources in the past. Meanwhile, various natural methods of healing are now using technologies too. The real nature of these categories are hegemonic. Conventional medicine which was developed by more dominant societies and cultures arose as the dominant and in this respect, the most scientific way of healing. Meanwhile, indigenous, natural and traditional forms of healing that have long histories of local practices were simply lumped together in opposition to the conventional. This is similar to how various forms of traditional music have been clustered together under the banner of world music despite obvious aesthetic variations. Sadly, the burden of proof was pushed more to the side of the alternative or natural medical traditions. This paper intends to give a brief discussion and comparison of conventional and natural medicine. Being the less dominant one, this paper will put stress on the strengths and positive attributes of natural medicine. Although the historical importance and contributions of conventional medicine are recognized, this paper asserts the need for a greater recognition, utilization, and further improvement in the realm of natural medicine. Conventional Medicine Conventional medicine, sometimes called allopathic medicine or even Western medicine, is the most widely used medical system in the world today, particularly in the Western hemisphere. It is largely based on the physical and biological sciences. Its universality lies in its materialist and standardized approaches and to its positivist and experimental tradition. The materialism of this medical school enables the easy translation of the discipline to different countries and cultures. This enables its practitioners to speak the same language and to have a unified view of medical problems. Advances in the field of conventional medicine owe to its strong research tradition. Conventional treatments are all supposed to subscribe to proven treatments based on evidence. Of course, many researches are now being done by multi-national pharmaceutical corporations owing to conventional medicines strong commercial nature. Thus, the price to pay for getting oneself cured can be very high due to the commercialized and increasingly privatized treatment facilities, medicines and other diagnostic procedures. Indeed, it is undeniable that conventional medicine has gone through great leaps and bounds in preserving the quality and longevity of lives of people around the world. This owes very much to advances in diagnostic and treatment procedures and preventive measures. The use of X-rays, CT scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologies now give more accurate diagnoses over a shorter period of time. Vaccinations are now preventing the spread of diseases over large populations. Advances in the pharmaceutical industries are now presenting greater potential in curing some of the worlds deadliest diseases. Even medical doctors (M.D.) who recognize and advocate and use alternative medicine, like Weil (1998), still point out the greater ability and efficacy of conventional medicine in treating particular diseases as compared to alternative medical systems. Particularly, they mention the management and cure of viral infections; allergies; chronic degenerative diseases; autoimmune problems such as AIDS; bacterial infection; trauma; many of the serious forms of cancer; mental illnesses, which require medication; other functional illnesses; and medical and surgical emergencies. However, there are still many imperfections in conventional treatments. For example, there are drugs that are effective in treating particular problems but may bring about ugly side effects. For instance, thalidomide, a morning sickness drug is known to produce severe birth defects. The taking of malarial prophylaxis, such as doxycyclin, can damage the liver over long use, thus deemed inadvisable for usage of people living in malaria-infested areas. A recent online news report told how Americans get the most radiation from medical radiology. Viruses also evolve every day which presents continuous new challenges to the medical world. Natural Medicine The term natural medicine for the purpose of this paper refers to alternative medical systems that lean towards the usage of more natural means of healing, especially in comparison to conventional medicine. This adoption of a more simplified definition is due to the existence of several yet still similar and related definitions. The term is oftentimes almost equated to alternative medicine which was defined by Brannon and Feist (2007) as a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices and products that are not currently considered part of conventional medicine (p. 190). In actuality, the term alternative medicine covers a wide array of medical systems which evolved more or less independently from different cultures. Examples are the Chinese traditional medicine, from which acupuncture and acupressure arose; Ayurvedic medicine from India, Naturopathy from Europe; macrobiotics; chiropractic and other various massage treatments from all over the world. When these methods a re incorporated by conventional doctors to their practice, the treatments are termed complementary medicine. The clustering of these diverse medical systems and traditions, some of which from great civilizations, either under the term alternative medicine or complementary medicine, implies how the former is deemed only secondary to conventional medicine. On the other hand, natural medicine is also treated as synonymous to naturopathy. Naturopathy is a cure system which targets the prevention and cure of diseases with the use of safe and efficient natural remedies (Muetzell, 2008). The practitioners central belief is that the human being in his normal state is healthy and that disobedience to natural laws results to illnesses (Brown, 1988). It then follows that nature has the power and resources to heal and that the human body has the ability to maintain, nurse and heal itself back to health. It is said that the movement became sufficiently coherent in Europe in the 19th century. A man named Benedict Lust, a German patient who was treated for tuberculosis through hydrotheraphy and other natural means, migrated to the United States and popularized the movement. The naturopathy movement was popular in Germany and in Britain during those days and was later popularized in the United States (Brannon Feist, 2007). In spite of the varying definitions of natural medicine, the various alternative medical systems named early in the paper have significant similarities in their principles, which like naturopathy leans towards the healing power of nature. The seeking of natural balance is quite universal to various traditional and indigenous medical systems. In reverse, naturopathy employs various healing practices from various cultures. Increasing Popularity in Conventional Medicine-Dominated Countries More and more, natural medicine has been enjoying increasing popularity and patronage in countries with advanced levels of conventional medical practice. Eisenberg et al. (1993) reported that the unconventional medicine usage frequency of the United States adult population had been way higher than stated in previous reports. Particularly, they estimated that one in three persons in the U.S. adult population had been utilizing unconventional medicine in 1990. This figure also implied a greater number of patient visits to unconventional medicine practitioners as compared to visits to conventional medical practitioners. They added that the amount spent by these adults on unconventional treatment was also comparable to the amount spent by Americans for all hospitalizations. A telephone survey in Britain revealed a 20% usage of alternative medicine, most popular of which is the use of herbs, aroma therapy, acupuncture, massage and reflexology (Ernst, 2000). This increasing patronage of natural and other alternative medicine may also be attributed to the increasing number of physicians who practice or recommend alternative therapies to their patients. Astin (1998) mentioned how a 1994 survey showed that more than 60% of the surveyed variably specialized physicians in Washington State, New Mexico and Israel recommended alternative therapies to their patients in the previous year while 38% had done so in the previous month. Meanwhile, 47% of these physicians use alternative therapies on themselves and 23% of the physicians have incorporated alternative therapies to their practices. The practice of naturopathy as a discipline is also becoming more and more regulated and consolidated with the creation of professional associations such as the American Naturopathic Association. More so, various schools have been accredited to teach naturopathy such as the Bastyr University, National College of Natural Medicine and the Broucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine. More mainstream medical schools are now tackling or offering alternative medicine. Examples of such schools are Harvard, Columbia, Georgetown and Duke (Barney, 1998). Many conventional medical practitioners critique the usage of natural medicine. According to Ernst (2003), alternative medicine is largely opinion-based. Practitioners tend to give inconsistent and different prescriptions for the same diseases or medical conditions. For example, he cites how 100 different complementary therapies were recommended for asthma, while systemic reviews failed to back up a single treatment for this indication (p. 1134). Ernst was also disappointed at the scarcity of systematically gathered evidence. Yet, he is not against alternative medicine per se. He advocated for a more objective and scientific usage of alternative medicine. Why the Shift towards Natural Medicine? Overly-commercialized Conventional Medicine Weil (1998) tells how the commercialization of orthodox medicine is discouraging patients to continue seeking conventional treatments. He characterizes how mainstream medicine continues to become more expensive and technology-reliant. He tells how the popularity of health maintenance organizations (HMOs) has gravely affected the health care system. HMOs, he claims, want doctors to see as many patients as possible for the purpose of profit. Sadly, doctors spend less time with their patients which translate to less detailed medical and family histories, thus affecting the quality of diagnosis and treatment. In contrast, naturopathic consultations involves long and thorough interview with patients. Interviews look at medical and family histories, patient lifestyle, emotional health, and other physical features. Ernst (2000) points to various motivating factors for trying complementary and alternative medicine, which he divides into two positive and negative motivations. Positive motivations consist of the attributes of alternative medicine itself while negative motivations refer to negative attributes of conventional medicine which pushes patients to try alternative medicine. Examples of those enlisted as positive motivation are the following: 1) perceptions of effectiveness; 2) perception of safety; 3) control over treatment; 4) good patient-healer relationship; and 5) non-invasive nature. Meanwhile, enumerated as negative motivations are: 1) dissatisfaction of- and case-to-case ineffectiveness of conventional medicine; 2) rejection of science and technology; 3) rejection of the establishment; and 4) desperation. Education, Poorer Health Status and Congruence to Patient Beliefs and Principles The national study of Astin (1998) revealed that the most significant factors leading to the use of alternative medicine are the attainment of a higher level of education, having a poorer health status and the greater congruence of alternative medicine to the patients values, beliefs and philosophies. Patrons, he said, tend to hold a philosophical orientation towards health and holism. He also found out that dissatisfaction with the conventional medical system is not as significant as the earlier mentioned factors. Key Principles of Natural Medicine and their Implication to Treatment in Comparison to Conventional Medicine As mentioned in Astins study (1998), the principles of natural medicine appeals significantly to patients. The key principles of naturologists can be summed up into six guidelines, which are: 1) Promote the healing power of nature; 2) First do no harm; 3) Treat the whole person; 4) Treat the cause rather than the symptom; 5) Prevention is the best cure; 6) The physician is a teacher, teaching patients to take care of themselves (Brannon Feist, 2007). Holistic (system-oriented vis-a-vis disease oriented) The most common word to describe naturalistic treatment is holistic. This owes to natural medicines strong faith and reliance on the natural balance of nature. Particularly, the body was said to have a stable state that when bothered can lead to illnesses. Natural medicine also believes that excretion of wastes is a valuable part of this system and a stoppage to this normal functions lead to an unhealthy state. To illustrate, Chinese traditional medicine believes in the concept of Chi, a local concept which closely translates to vital energy. Chi, the Chinese believe, flows throughout the body. In line with this, illnesses are attributed to the blockage of this energy flow. Acupuncture for instance targets to solve this blockage. Natural medicine practitioners look at patients in their wholeness as individuals. Practitioners usually look at factors that may be disrupting the bodys natural balance. They are not only focused on the physical body but also looks at the mind and spirit. It is common for natural medicine practitioners to look at the lifestyles of patients and tries to being out the natural healing capacity of the body. They advise and help patients incorporate stress reduction methods and healthy eating into their lifestyles. This was in contrast to the treatment of conventional medicine which commonly isolates the physical body from the exclusion of mind and spirit (Weil, 1998). Barney (1998) a medical doctor who subscribes to medical complementation, criticizes the rigidity of conventional medicine in its approach to diseases. Particularly, he describes conventional treatments as disease-oriented. For instance, to address an infection, doctors may prescribe antibiotics that can weaken the kidneys. This shows a disregard to the body as a system only comprised of body parts. He said that treatment options must be expanded to fit the specific needs of each patient. Regard for particularities While natural medicine practitioners look at the whole in everyone, they also do not forget to look at the particular attributes of the individual. For instance, Ayurvedic medicine subscribes to the belief that there are different types of human bodies and that each body type must be given customized medical treatment. People who are fat or thin are also not automatically considered unhealthy in Ayurvedic medicine. Whereas in conventional medicine, normal body mass is calculated based on the height and weight of a person compared to universal standards. Also, some of the healthiest food prescribed by conventional medicine for a healthy person can be classified as unhealthy in Chinese medicine based on individual conditions. In this tradition, the definition of healthy food varies from person to person, even to those who may be classified by conventional medicine as being in a state of good health. Bias towards the Natural Natural medicine also attributes illnesses to actions and activities which veer away from natural laws of the body. For example, in macrobiotics, it is viewed that meat and poultry products being sold nowadays are very characteristically un-natural due to the hormones and chemicals being fed to the animals to facilitate speedy growth. Thus, natural medicine avoids or minimizes the usage of synthetic drugs such as antibiotics, radiation technologies, biomedical technologies such as vaccines and major surgery. Furthermore, it uses more natural substances and medicines found in the body and in the natural environment such as water in hydrotherapy. It has a far greater respect for herbal medicines which was used by a great number of people around the world. In contrast, conventional medical treatments can sometimes suppress the bodys efforts and capability to self-heal. Conclusion The fact that natural medicine is enjoying widening and growing support especially in the Western world gives credence to its claims of efficacy in relieving problems of the mind, body and soul. It also reflects particular weaknesses in the current conventional medical practice, which translates as negative motivations for usage of natural medicine. This validates the importance of the key characteristics of natural medicine which are: 1) holism; 2) bias towards the natural; and 3) attention to the particular. Outside the efficacy in dealing with physical problems, I think that the greatest trait espoused by natural medicine that conventional medicine lacks is in the formers attention to the mind and body. This translates to patients feelings of peace, control over their bodies and feelings of being valued and respected by their healers. Like Ernst, I believe that natural medicine and other alternative medical systems can benefit from addressing the critiques of conventional medical practitioners. In particular, it would be beneficial if natural medicine practitioners from various traditions can take steps in systematically documenting and gathering our- and other unexplored healing practices and their results. This is a positive step towards a maximization of knowledge from all over the world and the integration of various know-hows and towards more informed choices among patients.

Hawthornes Rappaccinis Daughter Essay -- Nathaniel Hawthorne Rappacc

Hawthorne's Rappaccini's Daughter This essay focuses on the way Hawthorne’s â€Å"Rappaccini’s Daughter† articulates the tension between the spirit and the empirical world. Hawthorne challenges the empirical world Rappaccini, both malevolent for his experimentation with human nature and sympathetic for his love for his daughter, represents, by raising an aesthetic question Rappaccini implicitly asks. Hawthorne never conclusively answers this question in his quest to preserve spiritual beauty in an empirical world, offering the most disturbing possibility of all: could art and the artist prove as fatal to the human spirit as empiricism? Hawthorne’s sinister representation of Rappaccini early in the story belies this self-isolating character’s complexity and his overriding desire to protect his daughter from the â€Å"miserable doom† (942) she nonetheless suffers by creating her as a poisonous body, dangerous like her â€Å"sister† plant in the garden. Rappaccini is first presented to us â€Å"a tall, emaciated, sallow, and sickly-looking man, dressed in a scholar’s garb of black.† He â€Å"could never, even in his more youthful days, have expressed much warmth of heart,† appearing as a somber figure apparently morose and removed from love at the tale’s beginning. Hawthorne opens the story in an allegorical framework he draws from Dante’s Inferno by presenting Rappaccini as a seemingly fixed character: his â€Å"demeanor was that of one walking among malignant influences,† or â€Å"influences† that signal his role in the tale both as evil, s ince he walks among the â€Å"deadly snakes, or evil spirits† (925), and as Adam, the first man encountering evil in the Garden of Eden. Rappaccini’s dubious, if not entirely evil character as â€Å"the distrustful gardener,† along... ...† in a practical world that threatens the spiritual one with its evil? Obviously, Rappaccini’s answer in his self-imposed isolation and experiment with Giovanni and Beatrice fails; rather, his attempt to ameliorate the poisonous effects of the physical world on the spirit only attracts a greater, more deadly poison—the dark aspects of human nature. He gives a dissatisfying alternative in Baglioni’s last, mocking line to Rappaccini, one in which the empirical horrors have, in the end, killed the spiritual essence along with Beatrice. It is a lesson not just about the dangers of science, then, but also about the dangers of human nature and its capacity for evil, from which art cannot lift us. Hawthorne’s bleak view of the scientist and the artist proposes a perfect world no one—not Rappaccini, not Giovanni, not Hawthorne—can achieve, even with the best of intentions.

Comparing Cinderella and Ever After Essay -- Movies Film Ever After Ci

Comparing Cinderella and Ever After When most people think of the movie, "Cinderella';, they think of the animated Disney version with the little mice and the happy ending where Cinderella marries the prince and they live happily ever after. While the movie "Ever After'; is based on "Cinderella';, it is not animated, but still has many of the same characteristics as the Disney version. Of course it is not exactly the same, and since it is not animated there are many differences. In "Ever After';, Drew Barrymore portrays the character Cinderella, who in the beginning of this movie is called Danielle. In the very beginning, it shows how Danielle's father died and how she went off to live with her wicked stepmother and stepsisters. In "Cinderella';, both of the stepsisters are wicked, but in "Ever After';, her sister Jacqueline is not so wicked and usually sides with Danielle. In "Ever After';, Jacqueline is the not so pretty and quiet sister and Marguerite is the loud obnoxious pretty one. One similarity is that in both movies, Cinderella and Danielle are servants to their stepmother and stepsisters. They are also not allowed to eat with them, only serve them. In "Ever After';, Danielle's only friends are the other servants of the house, this is similar to how Cinderella is friends with the mice that live in her house. In both cases their friends are always protective and willing to help. In "Cinderella';, Cinderella doesn't meet the prince before the ball, she doesn't even really expect to be going to the ball. In "Ever After';, Danielle meets the prince in a confrontation where the prince was actually stealing one of their horses. Danielle starts pegging him with apples, but just as she realizes that he is the prince, she kneels down before him. She apologizes, but the prince is lenient and says he will not punish her. He also gives her money to keep quiet about the whole situation. In "Ever After';, Danielle repeatedly bumps into the prince. Whenever she does meet up with him, she makes sure she is dressed like a courtier, so he doesn't think that she is a servant. They start to fall for each other and they spend more and more time together. In "Cinderella';, the stepmother tries to make sure that one of her daughters is chosen for a wife by the prince at the ball. At first she tells Cinderella that she can go also even... ...nce and Cinderella live happily ever after. In the end of "Ever After';, the wicked stepmother is called to the palace. She doesn't know that Danielle and the prince are married. The king and queen question the stepmother of lying to the queen. They tell her that if she doesn't tell the truth, she will be killed. She confesses that she lied to the queen about Danielle. Just then Danielle comes in dressed as the princess she has become, and her stepmother kneels before her. The only punishment that she gives her is the punishment that she had to go through herself as a servant. The stepmother and Marguerite are brought down to the washroom and they are put to work. Jacqueline the other sister is not punished because her innocence had been noted. Of course "Ever After'; is a little bit more realistic because it is more like real life. "Cinderella'; is animated and there is a lot more make believe, such as talking mice. "Cinderella'; is also probably aimed at more of a younger audience and "Ever After'; can appeal to a little bit older crowd. "Cinderella'; is one of my all time favorite movies, and know that I've seen "Ever After';, it ranks right up there with "Cinderella';.

Recruitment and Selection Strategies Essay

Over the past five weeks, work was completed on an employment compliance plan, compensation, and benefits strategies plan, performance management strategies suggested, advise given on training plans, and this week, we will provide recommendations on recruitment and selection strategies. Within these suggested strategies, the importance of implementing the following will be highlighted, the goals for Bollman Hotels, anticipated demographic changes, analysis of projected workforce needs, objectives of workforce diversity, branding of the organization, methods for recruiting, screening, and selecting candidates. Organizational Goals Bollman Hotels has net revenue of $100,000,000 with a 15% growth expected within the first year. A workforce of 25,000 employees with plans to increase by 20% with the expansion to India and the current employee turnover is 5%. Based on this information and the stage of their business development, they will need to enter the Indian market fiercely, but with as little interruption to the tourism industry as possible. Therefore, Bollman will have to be competitive and establish a premier hotel chain that will lure international travelers seeking the exotic, heterogeneous, and lavish experience by offering elitism while on business or pleasure (Incredible India, n. . ). It is recommended that the goal of Bollman Hotel’s in India is to open and operate at a five star deluxe status and be competitive with hotels such as Taj Falaknuma Palace, ITC Hotel Kakatiya, Park Hyatt, Hderabad, and The Ashok, just, to name a few (Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, 2013). Therefore, Bollman Hotels will be a premier chain while aligning itself with the Government of India’s to urism and hotel requirements (Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, 2013). Forecasted Demographic Changes Bollman Hotel’s entrance into the Indian market also means a shift in the demographics. Affluent international clients visiting Bollman hotels will bring notoriety to the region that they are located resulting in an economic boost. A thriving emerging economy means Indian Nationals (both men and women) experience a socio-economic change with an increase in jobs and income in that region. Additionally, with the increase in birthrates, the candidate pool has increased and Bollman will help to provide these well needed jobs (Chua, 2012). Five-Year Workforce Plan Based on the organizational goals and demographic changes, it is recommended that Bollman adopt a three-step plan to analyze its present workforce. This will help to identify the needs over the next five years (Analyzing Your Workforce, n. d. ). First step includes a supply analysis – evaluating current resources and includes the number of persons performing specific job functions in Minnesota, how many are supervised by one person and is it sufficient. What is the current pay rate in Minnesota and what will work best in India and what are the areas that contribute the most to the current 5% turnover rate and what will decrease it (Analyzing Your Workforce, n. d. ). Second step recommended is a demand analysis that will evaluate the future needs of Bollman Hotels. This analysis will determine the jobs necessary for optimum service, the jobs that can be combined or eliminated, the possible technological changes to operate best and the areas that can be performed more economically and effectively (Analyzing Your Workforce, n. d. ). The final recommended step is a gap analysis that will identify a projected need that has not been met or an excess. This is done by comparing the supply and demand results. Based on the results received from the gap analysis, solutions such as additional training, increased staff, and more efficient recruitment and hiring processes can be done over the next five years (Analyzing Your Workforce, n. d. ). Workforce Diversity Objectives Diversity is the variations that exist in an organizations based on age, gender, educational background, ethnic groups, culture, and working customs (Lai, 2013). Workforce diversity helps to manage the change that has taken place in the workforce from a manufacturing to a service industry that Bollman Hotels provides (Cascio, 2013). Second, market globalization is another factor and with Bollman’s move into an international market, it is important that they understand their internal market its customers to operate best (Cascio, 2013). Third, many businesses are requiring increased teamwork (Cascio, 2013). Bollman has experience with this demand in Minnesota with peak operating seasons and have had to increase the number of personnel that work at once. The same will apply in India. Fourth, there are increased mergers and strategic international alliances (Cascio, 2013) and with Bollman’s international move, there will be a difference in the corporate culture. Therefore, it is recommended that diversity training is provided. Finally, India is an evolving economy and with an expected increase in diverse workers such as women it is imperative that Bollman Hotel workers understand that the aim is to provide quality service to everyone (Cascio, 2013). Organizational Branding Organizational branding is essential at this point of the recommendations to Bollman Hotels. With a goal to be known as a five start deluxe hotel, it is important to put the name Bollman Hotels in the Indian market and among the local areas in the United States and Europe known for international business travel. It is recommended that this is done through traditional advertisements in local papers in the language of each country and most important and relevant to these recommendations, through hiring diverse employees (Cascio, 2013). This will ensure that Bollman is known to help create a boost in the Indian economy and the demographics as previously mentioned, hence, causing more word-of-mouth marketing internationally. Also, the service standards and five star statuses will also be something to rave about. Methods for Screening Candidates It is important that Bollman Hotels has a process for screening candidates; therefore, recommendations will be made for interview methods, testing procedures, and interview process considerations, all of which will cover the screening process. Interview Methods Employment interviews allow organizations to have an idea of the skills and personality traits that a candidate possesses (Cascio, 2013). It is therefore recommended that Bollman Hotels interview team have interview questions built on-the-job analysis done. Create general questions for all candidates, use thorough rating scales with descriptions of desired behaviors as scale points and recording notes focused on the behavior of the candidate. It is also recommended that several interviewers are used with a diverse number of them and that vast training is provided on how to conduct interviews. Interviewers are also encouraged to wait until all interviews are complete prior to discussing any candidates and finally, use statistical information and overall views of the candidates to decide (Cascio, 2013). Interview Process Considerations To ensure that the interview is a fair process, it is recommended that the panel focuses on-the-job competencies, assess resumes and applications by concentrating on specifics in line with the job requirements. Consider things that identifies if a candidate meets the requirements and skills that they possess from precious employment that are applicable (Cascio, 2013). Use open-ended questions to stimulate elaboration on topics and use questionnaires that will highlight how well someone will perform and overall fit. It is also recommended that scenario type questions are used as this will give an idea of how they will handle specific situations (Cascio, 2013). Finally, given this is a US company going into India, it is recommended that interviews are done in relaxed environments. This will allow candidate to be more open and relaxed with their responses also giving the interviewer a chance to note both verbal and non-verbal responses (Cascio, 2013). Testing Procedures Employment testing is necessary for Bollman hotels, not only based on the location, but also to protect them and to ensure they are hiring suitable employees. The tests recommended are work-sample tests, leaderless-group discussions, personality measures, and integrity test. Bollman Hotel’s goal in India is to be a premier chain; hence, service delivery is important. So, job fit is important and an integrity test will help to outline the attitudes of prospects toward stealing, dishonest behavior, violence, and drug abuse. This it done through overt integrity test – clear purpose esting and personality-based measures – disguised -purpose test (Cascio, 2013). Employees will have access to guest rooms and information, so ensuring that Bollman has an idea of their tendencies, could help with selection. Another testing method is the work-sample tests used to analyze an applicant’s ability to perform a job task (Casco, 2013). Placing an employ ee in a hotel room or situation based on the job they applied for will show the interviewer if he or she can perform this task, such as spreading a bed according to Bollman Hotel standards for example. Leaderless-group discussion is another method and entails placing several candidates at a round table and giving them a job related topic to discuss. Each person will naturally approach this based on his or her abilities and personalities. This is recommended for Bollman as it will help to determine persons suitable for supervisory roles or otherwise. Finally, the personality measure test is recommended as it will help to identify personality characteristics such as neuroticism that is the level at which an individual is insecure, anxious emotional or calm, and self-confident. Extroversion looks at how an individual is gregarious, assertive, and sociable. Openness to experience looks at how an individual is cooperative, and warm, and conscientiousness looks at how hardworking, organized, and dependable someone is (Cascio, 2013). Personality measure is recommended because it will give an idea of persons most suited for jobs where they will interact with guest the least or the most based on their personalities. Methods for Selecting Candidates The candidates chosen for the jobs at Bollman Hotels in India will have to be in tuned with the culture of prestige and superb customer service. To do this, it is recommended that all the persons involved in the interview process are gathers and each will give their thoughts on each candidate and narrow the candidate pool. The process can be repeated until the desired number of employees has been reached (McNamara, n. d. ). The interview results and subsequent selections can be coupled with test results to make decisions as well. Job Offer The job offer is another important step in the employment process. The following are recommended when presenting the job offer to a successful candidate. Prepare a letter stating how thrilled the company is to offer them the job, outline the exact compensation offered, and outline the benefits him or her is entitled to. The letter should have a signature line for them to indicate their acceptance of the job within a specified time and the contact information for the Bollman Hotel’s personnel office if the need arises (McNamara, n. d. ). A three – month probation period is recommended in addition to orientation for one week and on-the-job training for four weeks. This should also be outlined in the letter in addition to a copy of the job description (McNamara, n. d. ). Impact of Organizational Diversity on Organizations Diversity caused organizations to grow and operate more efficiently in global markets as they understand the need to relate to their customers. This also creates a competitive advantage when customers see an active effort to embrace diversity. Diversity also effects an organization by building brand equity for companies that choose to invest in multicultural advertising. They become known globally (Cascio, 2013). Organizations are also seeing that diverse employees need to be embraced to retain productive talent. Corporate image is also a factor and is increased as organizations known to employ diverse employees are more attractive to job seekers and companies seeing alliances (Cascio, 2013). It is recommended that Bollman capitalizes on the impacts of diversity as they are entering into a diverse and global market-place. Laws to Consider for Recruitment Selection It is important that Bollman Hotels remembers that employee and future employees have specific rights under specific laws. Consent is needed for background checks to be done on applicants, and this is covered under the Fair Credit Report Act and is necessary for checks done by a third party. Also, if references are provided on an applicant, they have the right to petition to see this reference under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (Cascio, 2013). Conclusion In this final recommendation prepared for Bollman Hotels, the following were effectively addressed. The organizational goals, forecasted demographic changes, five-year workforce plan, workforce diversity objectives, organizational branding, methods for screening candidates using highlighting the interview methods, interview process considerations and testing procedures. Recommendations were also made for methods for selecting candidates, the job offer, impact of organizational diversity on organizations and recruitment selection laws to consider.

Ethical Theories Chart Essay

Complete the chart below using information from the weekly readings and additional research if necessary. Include APA formatted in-text citations when applicable and list all references at the bottom of the page. Ethical Theory Utilitarianism Deontological Virtue ethics Definition â€Å"A system of ethics according to which the rightness or wrongness of an action should be judged by its consequences. The goal of utilitarian ethics is to promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number† (â€Å"Define Utilitarianism,† 2005). Utilitarianism is making a decision that benefits the most amount of people/society. Deontological means duty, honesty, promise keeping, and fairness no matter what the consequences are (Trevino & Nelson, 2011). â€Å"Virtue Ethics is a classification within Normative Ethics that attempts to discover and classify what might be deemed of moral character, and to apply the moral character as a base for one’s choices and actions.† (Gowdy, 2011). Ethical thinker associated with theoryThe ethical thinker/thinkers associated with utilitarianism are Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. Emmanuel Kant (Trevino & Nelson, 2011).Aristotle (Trevino & Nelson, 2011). Decision-making processThe decision making process is to Identify all of the possible stakeholders and what would be the consequences the  harms and benefits. Make a list of pro’s and con’s and the best ethical decision is one that is of the greater good for the most amount of people. The decision making process is figuring out what values and or obligations are important to you, and base your decision on what is right not what is best (Trevino & Nelson, 2011).The goal here is to be a good person because that is the type of person you wish to be and keep moral values or virtues in any action or decision. (Trevino & Nelson, 2011). Workplace exampleA few employees inform their boss that they do not feel comfortable working with a co-worker who was blamed for talking about confidential information, and the manager decided to terminate that employee’s employment. A workplace example would be telling your boss the truth even though you might get a fellow co-worker in trouble. If we see a person being sexually harassed on the job it is our moral responsibility to help them and follow through with our decision. This is a virtuous action. Reference: Define Utilitarianism. (2005). In New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/utilitarianism Growdy, L. (2011). Virtue Ethics. Retrieved from http://www.ethicsmorals.com/ethicsvirtue.html Trevino, L., & Nelson, K. (2011). Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do it right (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Utilitarianism. (n.d). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utilitarianism

Corporate Management & Finance - Assignment 3 Essay

Corporate Management & Finance - Assignment 3 - Essay Example Carillion Company has also, in the past been involved in facility management, infrastructure and buildings management, and construction of major public infrastructures (Carillion, 2013). The objectives of the firms are qualitative and quantitative in nature due to the mission statements of the diverse firms. The current and future objectives of the three firms are relatively differentiated. The divergence of the firms current and future objectives are reflected by the measurement criteria employment by the firms. Even though the core objectives of the firms currently and future is to remain profitable and offer services and goods that are of high quality, the achievement of the objectives measurement of the firms differ relatively. The direction under which the three firms employ in achieving their operational objectives can be considered to be different. Corporate social responsibility is one of the main objectives of the firms in undertaking their operations. The corporate social responsibilities of the firms are the reflected in their vision and value statements to the public. Corporate social responsibilities have been adopted by the firms in helping them to connect with the market through positive reputation that is essential in promoting their operations positively. However, the f irms do not employ quantitative measures of the corporate social responsibility achievements. Another aspect of the three firms is their core and threshold competencies that enable the firms in operating in the firm. The core and threshold competencies of Carillion firm are based on three capabilities of project finance, support services and construction services (Carillion, 2013). Project finance core competency of the organization helps the firm in to deliver asset-based services to the public sector. This is essential in allowing the firm to be attractive to the public sector customer on construction capabilities. Construction

Strategic Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Strategic Management - Assignment Example So by the time the other European retail giants realized the real benefit associated with international diversification, Tesco has already established in more than 6 international markets. Diversification itself did not stop the very problem for which Tesco decided diversify in the first place itself. The problem is depleting revenue margin in almost 70% of the international markets where Tesco has operational base. Tesco realized that the mere diversification is not going to solve the problem of decreasing level of profits from the international markets (Collinson, 1999). It quickly came up with the idea to form strategic alliance with retail giants in the international markets like Asia. Asian countries like India and China represents an untapped market segment. It is known that the propensity to buy in China is the highest among the Asian countries. Tesco realized that without the help of any local partner, it will not be able to gain the knowledge about the local demographics of these regions. Tesco’s main aim is to use the knowledge of the local demographics to improve its customer relations with the customers. The local retailers have enormous knowledge about the demographic characteristics of the land. Tesco will benefit by utilizing the knowledge of the local retailers. 2.0The benefits arising out of the international strategic alliance 2.1Supply and distribution channel Presently there are more than 3000 local retailers in China. The local retailers range from medium to small scale enterprises. Apart from these there are about 5 big retailers who have considerable influence over the local markets. Through the use of these local retailers Tesco can gain an upper hand in the supply and the distribution channel. Tesco can use the supply and distribution chgannel of the local retailers to procure the raw materials and supply the products. This leads to cost cutting (Soh P. H., 2003). If Tesco is not utilizing the supply and distribution networks of the local retailers then it will take months before Tesco can finally realize what works and what does not work in the supply and distribution channel. 2.2 Launch of products under own brand name The local retailers have set up outlets in the posh areas where the buying propensity of the local people is comparatively more than the other regions. The strategic alliance equips Tesco with the ability to utilize the same outlet to sell the Tesco products or can even partner up with the local retailers to sell combined products. Tesco can also set up its own outlet and sell the Tesco brand products or the local products. In United Kingdom Tesco is a home grown brand where the people have some perception of the brand value. So when new products are launched under the brand name Tesco, customers can easily identify the products with the brand image of Tesco. While in Asian countries the scenario is a bit different. The customers don’t a have very strong perception about the brand Te sco (Youssef and Hansen, 1994). If Tesco decides to produce and sell products under its own brand name, it is not known for sure, what the results might be. Through strategic alliance

Management Principles and Application for Construction and the Built Essay - 1

Management Principles and Application for Construction and the Built Environment - Essay Example The management of development tasks obliges learning of present day administration and additionally a comprehension of the design and construction process. Construction activities have a particular arrangement of tasks and objectives, for example, an individual timeline for finishing. While the institutional courses of action or methodologies will vary, the management of such activities is much in a similar manner to the principles applied in business management (Horlene & Randy, 2010). Construction show features that are present in a conventional business set up thus control in a similar way, as an enterprise organisation is possible. In most cases, the mission and the arrangement of tasks to be accomplished by the project recognize construction projects from the general rules of organizations. As indicated by the Project Management Institute, the arrangement of tasks and functionalities are dependent on the nature of the project and type of organisation employed. Construction project management is all about coordinating and facilitating human and material assets for the duration of the life of a task by utilizing current administration strategies to attain the planned targets of extension, expense, time, quality and structural requirements (Hablot, 2011). By complexity, the general management of construction works and modern organizations expect a more extensive viewpoint with the more prominent progression of operations. In any case, there are sufficient likenesses and, in addition, contrasts between the two so that present day management procedures created for construction administration may require adjustments to fit the particular task.