Product Designs & Development Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Product Designs & Development - Dissertation Example As the report declares each and every product in business is offered with an intention of making profits as it fulfills the consumer’s need. As such, a well conceived product is bound to sell more, have wider reach, increase market share, improve profit margins and possibly carve out new opportunities for the business. In other words product design is a crucial element in the production or manufacture, and by extension marketing of physical products. A product should be designed to meet specific needs of the society with other factors taken into due consideration. There is therefore a correlation between product development, social culture and business success. According to the essay findings China as a country has for long maintained its culture of Confucianism and Socialism even in the business environment. Confucianism demands submission to authority and near absolute obedience in every situation. This culture of course has its pros and cons when adopted in the business setup. While several independent surveys have been conducted concerning product development and people’s culture, none has been conducted to establish the relationship between the two. This study seeks to bridge this gap with focus on art and craft businesses in China. This study will be limited to art and craft businesses within the borders of China and will hence preclude any businesses engaging in art and craft or DIY products outside the country.

Immersion Education In Korean Elementary Education Education Essay

Immersion Education In Korean Elementary Education Education Essay As the world is globalised and English-speaking countries have dominant roles in politics, economy and culture, English is universally recognised as a global language. With the importance of English as a global lingua franca and the necessity of having a command of English, South Korea (hereafter Korea) has perceived the importance of English language education and tried to improve students English proficiency by suggesting multilateral methods. Many language education specialists, scholars and policy-makers have suggested many methodologies applicable to the Korean public education system. In 2009, the Korea Herald (2009) reported, for example, that Korea ranks 89th out of 120 countries in terms of TOEFL (Test of English as foreign language, led by Educational Testing Service, U.S.A) results, achieving a score below the international average. Korea has still been ranked bottom in the English Proficiency Test, especially in the speaking section (Korea Times, 2011). Demand for a high level of English is increasing because English has become the most important part of Korean peoples lives. English proficiency tests, such as university entrance exams, TOEIC (Test of English for international communication, see reference C) are now essential elements for going to a good university or getting a good job or promotion. Especially, English proficiency is a major component in university admission. A recent survey led by KDI (Korea Development Institute) mentions that academic cliques are voted as the top-ranked factor of individual success. This leads to English education fever in Korea and students parents have spent colossal amounts of time and money on English education for their children. When the current government was launched in 2008, its campaign in terms of English education was Anyone who graduates from high-school can communicate with English without inconvenience, and when President Lee was selected, his transition committee of education brought in the Immersion education concept, known in Korea as Mol-ib. In particular, the committee focused on early English education, and targeted elementary school students for this imme rsion scheme. After severe controversy, the committee had to withdraw the policy, but some offices of education from cities and provinces still encourage their elementary/middle schools to adopt immersion education voluntarily. Especially, the government allowed four international middle schools to adopt English immersion education and accordingly many offices of education in cities and provinces considered establishing a specialised middle school. Accordingly, the new governments cancelled policy resulted in unintended consequences that led to overheated early English education. There was a rush of students who would go to private language institutes to prepare for going to the new schools. Students living in rural areas moved to the cities where four International middle schools are located. Other students and their parents have also recognised that English education in public school is not enough and searched for private institutes which provide the Immersion programme and classe s taught by English native speakers. Contrary to the governments expectations, many middle-class students have to rely on private language institutes and their parents have to spend more money for private English tutoring and sending their children abroad for Summer/Winter language programmes. Especially, as the new presidential election approaches, this policy is mentioned again by new candidates, education policy-makers and educators. Accordingly, the interests of teachers at public schools and private institutes are reaching the climax of new policy. This case study explores the suitability of the English immersion programme in South Korea from two immersion teachers experiences and attempts to answer the following research questions: 1) How do Korean immersion teachers teach in an immersion education environment for elementary students? 2) What difficulties do non-native speakers have when teaching in the target language? 3) Is immersion education suitable for English language e ducation in Korea? The study first observes Korean immersion teachers classes. It then investigates their opinions in terms of immersion education. Finally, it looks into the suitability of immersion education in the Korean education system. Although this case study is small-scale, the findings will show some suggestions to the persons concerned with English education in the next government. 2. Background 2.1 Theories of bilingual education From the twentieth century, the worlds globalisation has greatly influenced language education in every country. According to Baker (1996: 165), one of the illusions about bilingual education is that it is a twentieth century phenomenon. Some countries, such as Hungary, Finland in Europe, Canada, and Hong Kong have applied bilingual education officially or unofficially and optionally or compulsorily. This phenomenon explains why people cannot deny current globalised times and must recognise the importance of communication across the globe. Paulston (1992: 80) argues that unless we try in some way to account for the socio-historical, cultural, and economic-political factors which lead to certain forms of bilingual education, we will never understand the consequences of that education. In this sense, characteristics of bilingual education can be deeply related to ones societys history, culture, economy, and politics and can be changed according to these aspects. Two terms, immersion education and CLIL, are introduced briefly in this chapter, as they require a wide range of theoretic background. One of very well-known bilingual education programmes is immersion education. Baker (1996: 180) introduces the term Immersion bilingual education as an intended outcome, and therefore represents a strong use of the term bilingual education. In this sense, from the view of teaching general subjects in English, English immersion education is a different approach from TEE (Teaching English in English) or teaching other subjects integ rated partially in an English class. Johnson and Swain (1997: 6-8) discuss the core features of a prototypical immersion program. They present that there are eight common features which exist in spite of the variable features in each immersion education programme: 1. The L2 is a medium of instruction. 2. The immersion curriculum parallels the local L1 curriculum. 3. Overt support exists for the L1. 4. The programme aims for additive bilingualism. 5. Exposure to the L2 is largely confined to the classroom. 6. Students enter with similar (and limited) levels of L2 proficiency. 7. The teachers are bilingual. 8. The classroom culture is that of the local L1 community. On the other hand, there is another immersion education programme, which is called CLIL; Content and Language Integrated Learning. According to Dalton-Puffer (2007: 1), CLIL refers to an educational setting where a language other than the students mother tongue is used as a medium of instruction. Garcà ­a (2010: 210) takes the stance that CLIL-type programmes aim at achieving a functional competence in both receptive and productive skills, particularly when the target language takes a low portion of curriculum time, as in vocational or professional training. Garcà ­a refers to Hammerly and Swain in noting the difference between them, as follows: (2009:209-2010) Full immersion offers intensive contact with the target language and aims for native or near-native competence at least in receptive skills of comprehension and reading. However, many early total Canadian immersion pupils, even by the end of the program, continue to reveal striking grammatical inaccuracies in their speaking and writing (Hammerly 1991; Swain, 1985). 2.2 Current theoretic trend of English immersion education in Korea Since the latter part of the 20th century, the introduction of the immersion programme as one of bilingual education and the research of its necessity in the Korean education system has been shown. J. Park (2000) suggests the importance of bilingual education, and especially the application of immersion education to English classes in Korea. His paper provides three key objectives; showing successful cases of other countries in terms of immersion education, exploring the applicability of the immersion scheme in Korean education and arguing that partial subjects need to be taught in the immersion education system. There is updated research based on teachers cognition to apply immersion education in the Korean curriculum. S. Park (2004) broadly surveys the subject of teachers ideas in relation to English immersion education in Korean elementary schools in the Seoul metropolitan area. He suggests several ideas based on his research findings and some representative suggestions from parti cipants are summarised as follows (2004: 277-278): English immersion education should be fundamentally implemented after cultivating professional immersion teachers and should not give pressure on general subjects teachers. Teachers emphasise the need for government policies to give thoughtful consideration to immersion teachers in order to make them into immersion teachers. Additionally, preliminary arrangements in terms of curricula and materials would be needed to minimise the possibility of disorder and inconvenience caused by insufficient preparation. In relation to induction timing, they recommend slow and partial induction of immersion education and the government should suggest this policy to schools in the form of a voluntary, not compulsory, aspect in the beginning stage. The idea of working with English native speakers is recommended and desirable for team-teaching, but Korean teachers should lead the initiative. They recommend that in the later phase, Korean teachers who are fluent in English should lead the class alone. Especially, social equality between the students from diverse family backgrounds is insisted upon and policy-makers are required to suggest proper methods of selecting beneficiaries. Furthermore, teachers argue that the induction of immersion education should not foster the growth of the private education market. Additionally, J. Park and S. Park (2007) suggest a time of induction of English immersion education, appropriate subjects of immersion, its curriculum, a selection scheme for students of this programme, immersion education teachers, types of immersion class, a plan for improving teachers English proficiency, and developing materials in a practical manner. 3. Methodology This chapter describes the methodological framework. It first describes participants and their recruitment. The description is followed by a detailed description of the procedures and techniques of data collection. The chapter ends with an account of data analysis methods as well as ethical issues related to the study. 3.1. Participants Two immersion teachers participated in the survey. I recruited them at a public elementary school and a private educational institute through my personal network. Both are male and their average age was 32. I made this decision in order to listen to different voices from public and private institutes. A public school teacher (hereafter Teacher A) received a BA in Math Education from one local university and gained a teaching license from the Korean education council. He has taught English in elementary school for 7 years, but his immersion teaching experience is only 1 year. Another teacher (hereafter Teacher B) from a private institute gained a BA in science education and spent a total 6 years in U.S.A. His immersion teaching experience is 2 years in Korea. 3.2. Data collection This study tries to employ qualitative data collection and analysis methods. These characteristics of qualitative research match this studys research purposes. The focus of the study is to observe immersion classes in Korea and particularly to get Korean teachers opinions about English immersion education. Therefore, qualitative research methods were prioritised in this study. Among various qualitative data collecting tools, interview was used as a primary data collection tool, and observation served the purpose of getting referencing data. 3.2.1. Observation Due to geographical distance, I had to observe their classes via videos which were uploaded on their institutions websites. Teacher As video was produced and uploaded onto the web because the school was designated as an exemplary immersion school. On the other hand, teacher Bs video was produced for the purpose of marketing for recruiting students. One reason for classroom observation was mainly to build up a background knowledge of immersion education in Korea. The second reason is to develop my questionnaire and see the consistency between what interviewees think about immersion education and what they actually do in their classroom teaching. 3.2.2. Interview The interview was followed by two interviews separately via Skype and was conducted with a pre-provided questionnaire (Appendix A) which was sent to them by E-mail. In order to allow for flexibility, some questionnaires were additionally made to get their opinions. All the interviews were conducted in Korean and audio-recorded with Evaer Skype Recorder. 3.3. Ethical issues When I found the appropriate participants, I contacted them via Facebook and explained the purposes of the case study. They informed me that they would accept my offer under the condition of anonymity. I had to promise to protect the confidentiality of the participants and that I would secure their anonymity by using pseudonyms as well as the institutes names. I assured them that the interview results would not be released to anyone with whom they work, or to any institutes at which they work. 4. Research findings 4.1 Immersion programme in two institutions The below contents are collected from interviews with two participants and information from school/institute homepages and are summed up. The general approach to immersion is similar but they have slight differences of purpose and characteristics. 4.1.1 Programme purpose and characteristics of Teacher As school This programme is sponsored by the Office of education, Busan city. This school is designated as an exemplary school which provides immersion education. Three subjects, which are maths, science, and sociology, are taught in English, not in regular classes but in extracurricular classes for voluntary students. Students English levels are diverse. The mission of the programme is to assist EFL elementary students in developing English language proficiency while fostering an interest in their studies. This programme enables the students to learn English additionally at school and review subjects which were taught in Korean at regular classes. In class, the Korean teacher leads the class and an English native speaker supports the Korean teacher. The textbooks are provided by the government and have similar contents to Korean textbooks. 4.1.2 Programme purpose and characteristics of Teacher Bs institute The programme enables highly intelligent elementary students who have a good command of English to complete a series of elementary-level subjects in immersion education. This programme is designed to meet the interests of elementary students who plan to go to International Middle school (Appendix B) or secondary school in English-speaking countries. In order to be considered for this programme, candidates must possess over 700 points in their TOEIC score and their ranking in their class should be within the top 5% of total subjects. The mission of the programme is to provide the upper level contents to elite students and to enable them to prepare for studying in an English environment. The main subjects, such as maths, science, and sociology, which are core courses required to prepare for junior high school, are taught in English. All teachers are English native speakers or Koreans who speak English fluently and have a relevant degree from English-speaking countries. The materials ar e diverse; from American elementary books to self-translated books into English. 4.2 Classroom observation In order to observe two different classrooms, I borrowed Fortune (2000)s immersion teaching strategies observation checklist (appendix D). I observed how teachers would operate the class and how students responded to find similarities and make comparisons between their two programmes. There are several areas of classroom observation, but I focused on teachers methods of 1) Making input comprehensible, 2) Integrating language with contents, and 3) Interacting with students. 4.2.1 Teacher As class Teacher A teaches maths for the 5th grade (age 11) in English immersion. In his class, there are about 25 students. This class is not in the regular course curriculum but is additionally conducted for the purpose of immersion education. This is an alternative measure to avoid making students parents worried in terms of childrens scholastic attainments. When the class begins, teacher A and a native speaker share greetings in English to catch the students attention and to inform them that only English is to be used in the class. He leads the class with relative ease and simplicity in order not to give pressure or stress to students. His intention seems to focus on the understanding of the English language, especially vocabulary. He tries to provide activities by asking questions. He also asks the native speaker to talk to students individually. The native speaker tries to tailor her English to a level that the students, with their limited English proficiency, can understand. 4.2.2 Teacher Bs class Teacher B teaches science to the 6th grade (age 12) in English immersion. In his class, there are 12 students. He explains some contents and their structures and vocabularies simultaneously. He focuses not only on speaking, but also on reading and writing skills. In order to develop students English skills, he encourages students to write their thinking after the teachers explanation and to have a discussion with a partner. He uses American material from California state for grade 7 (12-13 years of age). He tries to correct the students English and seems more focused on students understanding of content. In order to familiarise them with Western classrooms and culture, he uses an American Home school DVD as a visual aid to supplement information to get positive feedback from his students. 4.2.3 Similarities and differences between them The main intentions of both of the programmes are to promote academic instruction so that all students become proficient in English through the implementation of immersion education. Their classes aim to provide students with a Western-like environment and to provide some opportunities for positive interactions. Both programmes seem to employ a lesson plan that facilitates English language development. Lessons are designed to promote English language skills, rather than to deliver content. As students have a limited understanding of English, teachers try to speak English slowly and explain things simply. They allocate some minutes for providing opportunities for students to produce language on their own to practice English. After their response, teachers provide positive feedback, although the students make some mistakes, so that students get involved and interested in another language and class. Although there was not a significant difference between the two classrooms, one particul ar finding is that Teacher A delivers some content in Korean to help students understand information. His class focuses on helping children become comfortable with the English language. His intention is to make his students become familiarised with the English language and to grow slowly in their English skills. Students feedback is rather limited and this class is generally teacher-centred. This case is not the original class of immersion education because this class is for reviewing what students have already learned. Repeating the lesson in the target language is the main purpose; thus, it does not fit in the basic principle of immersion education. In contrast, teacher Bs class is slightly different. Because of the student body, which is composed of elite students, his class provides an environment that promotes positive attitudes towards the English language. It allows them to simultaneously learn content on a topic as well as acquiring vocabulary and the ability to speak in Eng lish. This programme seems to focus on individual academic strengths. The teachers main interest includes students developing high levels of proficiency in the English language and performing at or above grade level in academic areas in both languages. 4.3. Interview results and discussions This section shows the findings from the interviews based on questionnaires. A copy of the questionnaire can be found in appendix A and copies of the completed questionnaires can be found in appendix B. The public school teacher is referred to as Teacher A and the private institute one is referred to as Teacher B. I summarise the findings with 4 themes, as shown below. 4.3.1 Target language proficiency and self-confidence Teachers are not sure whether immersion education should be introduced in public school. They point out that their English proficiency is the main problem and they lose confidence when teaching. They also worry about the teaching quality due to delivering lessons. When I was selected as an immersion teacher, I was excited, but on the other hand, I was worried about my English proficiency. I had some English communication classes in college, but that was for general English classes. Although I have quite a high score in TOEIC (Test of English for international communication by ETS), I have had no exposure to an English environment. I am planning to go abroad for intensive English. (Teacher A) Although I studied and gained a B.A. degree in U.S, its very challenging to teach in English. Policy-makers need to understand that an American degree cannot make foreign students get the language level of native speakers. There is no option but to improve English proficiency at this moment. (Teacher B) These two participants recognise the teachers English proficiency as a starting point for immersion education. They understand that the language issue is critical for adopting immersion education. However, they appreciate that the future trend of English education in Korea will be similar to the immersion education system. Thus, in order to strengthen their teaching competitiveness, they are going to language schools after work or are planning to go overseas. 4.3.2 Relationship with their parents and the market of private institutes One of the key issues in introducing immersion education is dealing with students and their parents. Especially, they have common ideas that immersion education should require parents permission and agreement. These are quotations in terms of this theme: In the beginning, it was very difficult to persuade parents. Thats why immersion class is executed in extra-curricular class, not regular class. One particular thing is they regard my class as another opportunity to expose themselves to English language. (Teacher A) Parents intentionally send their children to my institute, as it is one of a few institutes which provide immersion education in this town. Most of them expect their children to go to middle school of science; thus, their expectation is very high. They pay a significant amount of money. I think immersion teaching would be limited in public school and the market of private institutes will be bigger. (Teacher B) As shown above, it is found that getting permission from students parents is not easy and general explanation needs to be provided to parents in the beginning stage. One interesting finding is that this immersion programme increases the role of private education, which is contrary to the governments intention. Furthermore, this points to the fact that the immersion programme creates a gulf between the rich and poor. 4.3.3 Interaction with students Interaction between teachers and students is a very important factor in the classroom. As a teacher, he/she needs to monitor whether students understand the content and can follow what he/she teaches and be aware of any difficulties the students have. Especially, this is very important in the immersion classroom because a foreign language is the main delivery method. This is the most important issue that I object to in the adoption of immersion education. Most students start learning English from the age of ten in public school. To be honest, their English proficiency is not enough to understand a class in English. Accordingly, they lose interest in the class. Although the class deals with elementary-level content, students feel difficulty in understanding new English words and contexts. (Teacher A) As a matter of fact, class in a foreign language is difficult not only for teachers but also for students. My students English is definitely better than other students in the same grade. However, understanding, presenting and asking questions is not that easy. Fortunately, they are aiming to go to international middle school and they try their best. In my position, I try to utilise many visual aids to catch their attention. (Teacher B) In terms of this issue, the language issue is mentioned again. One of the key principles of immersion education is linguistic knowledge. In Korea, one of EFL countries, where English is rarely used in real life, it is once again confirmed that by teaching in a foreign language, it is not easy to make academic content comprehensible to learners. 4.3.4 Qualified native speaker and tailored materials The basic requirement for any class is material. The two participants agreed that they were not sure about which materials they should use. They also had some difficulties in finding qualified native-speakers to work with. These remarks are exemplary in relation to this theme: To be honest, selecting materials is beyond my capacity. There is no official textbook for immersion education. I use an American textbook but the curriculum is very different. Thus, I translate Korean textbooks into English before class and hand them out in class. (Teacher B) Working with a native speaker is very beneficial to me and to students. However, I have to spend more time to prepare for class because the native speaker and I have to prepare together in advance. In particular, getting a qualified one is very difficult. Most of them come to Korea to teach English, not maths or science. Even finding a qualified one who meets the school recruitment standard is very rare. (Teacher A) As shown above, producing material tailored to the Korean education curriculum is recognised as one of the most challenging aspects. Currently, the average monthly wage for a native-speaker is about 1300-1500 pounds, which is quite a lot lower than other East Asian countries. The Korean government needs to organise a task-force for implementing the necessary conditions. 4.3.5 Testing and assessment Language assessment is a very important factor in helping to understand students academic outcomes or proper development and even help them to learn the target language effectively. Unfortunately, at this moment, it is difficult to assess students learning process. City office education has not mentioned about testing. Fundamentally, my class is not on regular curriculum and I feel little necessity of testing. If I have to, then I need some support from school or city office of education. (Teacher A) As the interview result shows, Bax (2010: 52) also describes in terms of immersion education in Korea that there is an absence of firm test data by which to evaluate the academic success of English language learning in Korea in comparison with other countries. Assessment should have been considered when the immersion scheme was introduced in Korea. 5. Conclusion 5.1. The findings and implications This case study shows some limitations of employing the immersion programme. In order to gain a successful immersion programme, sustainable support and interest is needed from educational policy-makers, administrators, teachers and students. In this sense, the results of this case study have some implications for other schools and private educational institutes, and particularly for policy makers of English language education. As discussed in the interview chapter, the teachers have difficulty in teaching their subjects in an immersion education environment in several respects. First of all, English language proficiency is considered to be a very important tool in educational contexts. Secondly, although the immersion educational policy has attempted to strengthen English language proficiency for students, the current educational system cannot cover their willingness. Thirdly, the sudden change in language education policy has been generating many constraints, such as teachers low En glish proficiency, the lack of materials and English native speakers. In this sense, all of the relevant people share many weaknesses and shortfalls of immersion education in Korea and thus may benefit from the results and findings of this study. The results of the study may also have implications for people who plan to teach their subjects within immersion programmes. They need to study how they can deliver their education to students within immersion environments effectively. Native English speakers who plan to teach English in South Korea or EFL settings may also benefit from this study about English language teaching, as they are informed of the realities of teaching EFL in the current trend of South Korean situations. For these reasons, this case study can be a useful source of information. Korea has a tendency to quickly benchmark things which are deemed good policies, or systems from developed countries, without thorough preparation. This also seems to apply in this case. Stu dents and teachers recognise this scheme is clumsily prepared without all circumstances being set up. 5.2. Limitations and suggestions for future research directions This study employs two means of data collection; interview and observation. However, in terms of combining quantitative and qualitative research instruments, the study has not fully provided a better understanding of the suitability of English immersion education in South Korean education. Instead, this study rather focuses on teachers beliefs about the English immersion education, their perceptions of it, and their attempts to implement newly suggested immersion education into their classroom teaching. In this sense, the study is rather small-scale. There are three big limitations of this study. One is the difficulty of persuading participants to have interviews. For finding interviewees, I managed to recruit some of the candidates through my personal network. However, it was very difficult to get their permission for interviews. As I described in the interview results section, they hesitated to accept my interview proposal, because they also understood that most of their ideas would possess negative views of immersion education. Therefore, at their request, we agreed to have interviews on condition of the anonymity of all of their names, schools and mentioned people. The second limitation concerns a lack of real class observation. Due to the long distance between us, although they provided me with video cl

Technology: Friend or Foe? :: essays research papers

Technology is defined by dictionary.com as â€Å"The application of science, especially to industrial or commercial objectives† Determining whether this technology has helped or hindered our society, we must remember that it is not limited to computers and the internet. Technology has had a variety of faces over the last several thousand years of human existence. As man began to understand more and more about his environment, he began to use that knowledge to accomplish a practical purpose.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We know from history books and stories passed from generation to generation that man gradually improved things as he discovered them. This is true from the invention of the wheel to the ancient Egyptians great pyramids. Had they not discovered the technology to accomplish these things, our American way of life would be vastly different today. The wheel led to the horse drawn carriage, which led Henry Ford to invent the automobile and the assembly line. Ford's Model T, the only auto Ford produced from 1910 to 1927, not only outsold every other car made for much of its product life, it outsold all the myriad other cars sold in the U.S. combined*. From those two inventions alone, a great improvement in travel and productivity was accomplished, not to mention the money. Today, we still manufacture automobiles and many other things in an assembly line due to its efficiency and effectiveness. Modern technology has robots to reduce the number of human operators required. Computer controls enhance the precision of the machinery used in these assembly lines to reduce flaws. This process continues to improve, but there are side effects.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Will Smith, a corporate trainer in the IT industry with 15 years experience said that â€Å"Without technology, many Americans would be without work today. The advancement of computers and the internet has created far more opportunities for new kinds of jobs. My company would not exist without it. Computers do fail, creating the job of pc repair for thousands, if not millions of people. Anytime you use equipment to improve things you need someone to maintain it, and therefore jobs are created.† The question was then posed, â€Å"What negative effects, if any, do you see resulting from the widespread use of technology?†. Mr Smith replied, â€Å"The internet in particular has encouraged laziness among many people. It also causes people to withdraw from social interaction because they can do everything they need from their home.

Morality & Social Justice-Rubric for Essay Essay

Seven influential moral thinkers hammered just war tradition which has been distilled into seven principles where five of the principles judge whether a decision to go to war is actually justifiable while the other two are a guide to just conduct in waging a war. The principles of a just war include: legitimate authority, just cause, just intent, last resort, reasonable chance of success, principle of discrimination and the principle of proportionality. The Spanish and Portuguese were not justified to go to war with the Guarani but the Guarani were justified to war with the Portuguese and the Spanish. Subjecting the Portuguese and the Spanish to the seven principles of a just war they were not justified to go to war. The first principle which requires that before a war is started, it must be declared by a legally recognized authority which in most cases is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces while in United states it the Congress was not met by the Spanish and Portuguese soldiers. The soldier according to Alves were sent to relocate the Guarani but when they resisted they resorted to military action where many natives were killed and other were taken as slaves without the order of the legal authorities of the two nations (4). Before going to war with the Guarani the just war principles demand that Spanish and Portuguese leaders and soldiers were to seek an order from the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of their respective countries before waging a war with the natives which they did not do. The second principle of a just war that requires that a war should not be started on the basis of expanding a territory or national pride but only for a just cause like resistance to aggression by means of threat of attack or attack was not met either by the Portuguese and the Spanish in fighting the Guarani people. They instead invaded the people with an aim to relocate them to take them as slaves but when the Guarani resisted they started war with them thereby breaching the just cause (Alves 4). Another principle require that before starting a war the aims of the war should be just and limited which should be restoring justice and peace and not vengeance. The Spanish and the Portuguese breached this principle as well since their intention was not to restore peace or justice among the Guarani people. They waged the war out of their own selfish gain because the natives were living peacefully before. Their interest was the land of the Guarani and to enslave them as well. It was not the last resort for the Portuguese and the Spanish to start war with the Guarani people. The principles requires that all other means should be used to resolve dispute between contending parties and that the means must have been tried and found to fail before going to war. In the situation of the Portuguese, Spanish and the Guarani people there was no dispute in the first place. It is the Spanish and Portuguese that were determined to take the land that belonged to the natives and to take them as slaves and even after the natives resisted their effort they never used any other means to resolve the dispute but war. There should be reasonable chance of success before starting a war which the Portuguese and the Spanish did not take to consideration. The principle requires that the situation should be accessed to ascertain if there is a possibility of success before initiating or continuing a war. They never considered this fact and that is the reason why the war continued for several decades and they were eventually defeated (Elves 6). Another principle of a just war tradition that the Portuguese and Spanish violated is the principle of civilian immunity or honor of noncombatant where the noncombatants are not targeted to avoid civilian deaths. It also requires that prisoners captured should be treated humanely and that military forces desist from rapes, massacres, looting and other atrocities. This was not the case in the wars of the Guarani where all sorts of atrocities were committed against the people since children, women and men alike were taken captives and were not treated humanely. The principle of proportionality which requires that the harm to be caused by a war must not exceed the good the war can accomplish. Before the Europeans invaded the natives they were living peacefully in their land but after they attacked them they were left with sorrows since some died, others were enslaved, property destroyed and families disunited forever. It therefore goes without saying that the Spanish and the Portuguese caused several harm and zero good to the Guarani which is against this principle of just war. The Portuguese and the Spanish were not justified to initiate and continue the war with the Guarani after being subjected to the seven principles of a just war tradition. In all the instances they went contrary to the principles. They were not interested in the plight of the people or the outcome of the war but their own selfish gains. Works Cited Alves, Wesley. The Mission. 2007. 3 May 2010 http://people. bu. edu/wwildman/WeirdWildWeb/courses/thth/projects/thth_projects_2007wesley_alves. pdf

Impact of Gold on GDP Essay

Impact of Gold on GDP In ancient times, India was referred as Golden Bird and In the modern times, She has emerged as the largest consumer ot gold in the world. The importance ot gold can be understood in the saying all glitters are not gold. Gold is an important participant in Indian culture, traditions and economic policy. Gold has several applications or uses and the main reasons why Indians take to gold are: Gold is considered an equivalent for liquid cash: Gold is highly liquid and portable as a Security or Asset. It can be converted to cash anytime when an emergency arises and Is considered a friend In eed. Gold is considered as Status Symbol: Especially in India gold symbolizes wealth. often, gold Is Important consutuent of the bridal wealth In the wedding. Indian weddings without gold are unimaginable. Gold is a very good investment: Gold is an asset which has consistently increased in value and thereby considered as a safe and secure Investment. Gold Is considered an effective diversifier which helps to reduce portfolio risk. Gold Is considered as a good gift item: Gold is precious and worthy across all cultures and times. The gold Jewelry Is given as gifts during weddings, festivals and other pecial occasions. Gold has great religious significance: Gold is the symbol of the Hindu Goddess Laxmi and considered highly auspicious. Gold is brought or presented on testivals like Dhanteras and Akshaya Tritiya. Toe rings are never made of gold as it represents the goddess of wealth and should not be soiled by touching a human’s feet. Great Ornamental Value: Women of every age and time have always loved wearing gold ornaments. Moreover. Gold Ornaments are never out of fashiorn It also may be remembered that Wedding rings are also traditionally made of gold to mark a long asting relationship. Great value as Heirloom: Gold jewelry is something which can be passed down from one generation to the other as ancestral property Not only In India, but In rest of the world also, gold Is also one of the most valuable assets. Like most of the commodities, gold prices are also determined by demand and supply. The global demand for gold has many layers. For the last 5 years, Jewelry has consisted of of the overall demand for gold. The major players for gold jewelry with over of the demand are China, Turkey, and the Middle East. Gold, as gold coins or bars, adds another 20% of the demand where the united states, India, and Europe play a vital role. Industrial demand lead by Japan makes up the last 12%. Mining constitute 59 percent of the global gold supply, net official sales constitute 6 percent and recycled gold provides 35 percent ot the global gold supply. But many other factors also play their role In determlnlng the gold prices like dollar prices, crude oil prices, inflation etc. Even today, despite of US Dollar being acceptable in International trade, gold is still considered the safest option. It is because ot this reason gold prices are otten attected by the change in Dollar prices. Anyone who follows the gold and currency markets closely will realize that the IJS$ gold price and the Dollar Index generally trend In opposite directions. I ne reason tnat gold ana tne collar generally trend In opposite alrectlons Is tnat In one respect gold is Just another currency. As a result, when the dollar weakens on the foreign exchange market over an extended period then the IJS$ gold price will generally rise during the same period; and when the dollar strengthens over many onths the IJS$ gold price will usually fall. There are, of course, leads and lags and there’s no reason to expect that percentage changes in one will be accompanied by equal-and-opposite percentage changes in the other, but when charts of the dollar and gold are compared it quickly becomes apparent that the two have been inversely correlated. On the contrary, gold prices and crude oil prices tend to rise and fall positively with one another. There are two reasons for this- historically, oil purchases were paid for in gold. Even today, a sizable percentage of oil revenue ends up invested in gold. As oil prices rise, much of the increased revenue is invested as it is surplus to current needs and much of this surplus is invested in gold or other hard assets. The second reason is that rising oil prices place upward pressure on inflation. This enhances the appeal of gold because it acts as an inflation hedge. Over the last 50 years or so, gold and oil have generally moved together in terms of price, with a positive price correlation of over 80 percent. Apart from above factors, gold also provides hedge against inflation and therefore there is a positive relationship between gold price and inflation. During times of economic growth there is an increase in wealth which leads to higher demand for luxury goods like gold. During times of economic recession, gold can be used as an asset that protects against inflation and devaluing paper currencies. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has concluded the purchase of 200 metric tonnes of gold from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), under the IMF’s limited gold sales programme. This was done as part of the Reserve Banks foreign exchange reserves management operations. RBI’s decision to shore up its gold reserves needs to be seen in the ontext of other central banks across the globe increasing their gold reserves. In fact, the share of gold in India’s total reserves has dwindled over the decade. In March 1994, the share of gold in the total reserves of the country was 20. 6%; by the end of June 2009, gold constituted only 3. 7% of the total reserves. The purchase resulted in increasing the share of gold in total assets of RBI to 6percent. RBI’s foreign currency assets consist mainly of sovereign bonds, mainly US treasuries. So, buying more gold had helped the Indian central bank to diversify its assets. RBI’s foreign exchange reserves consist of for eign currency assets, gold, special drawing rights (SDR) which is an international reserve currency floated by International Monetary Fund (IMF) and RBI funds kept with IMF. India is the largest consumer of gold in the world, consuming around 18 per cent of the total world’s production. India has to import around 70 per cent of its total gold consumption, thus imparting a lot of foreign exchange to major gold producing countries. With the development of the stock markets, especially on-line trading systems, urban India is lowly shifting its investment focus from gold to the other avenues of investment such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds etc, but, rural India still has its major investments in the form of gold. Around 65 per cent of the total demand for gold in Inala Is Trom people Involved In agrlculture ana alll around 30 per cent of the GDP of the nation. ea Inaustrles wnlcn contrlDutes to Thus gold is still as important for Indian economy as it was ever. Gold is also the important source of income for many least developed countries of Africa where countries like Mali, Ghana get majority of foreign exchange from the export of Gold.

Glory-euro-centric essays

Glory-euro-centric essays Most people believe that movies are created to purely to entertain the audience, which is true in some aspects to make money, but most movies have a moral or important message that it portrays. Glory is a movie that has a huge historical meaning about the first black regiment in the Civil War. The movie Glory tells the history and the story of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry. The Regiment was made up of black soldiers some were Northern freemen, some were escaped slaves. The leader was General Robert Gould Shaw, the son of Boston abolitionists. The 54th Infantry was comprised of a very diverse group of men. They trained for months and were determined to be the best and fight for their freedom. The men of the 54th Regiment proved themselves worthy of the freedom for which they fighting, and the respect of their fellow white soldiers. The company, and their white leader confront the prejudices of the Confederates and the Union army. The movie climaxes showing the fighting at F ort Wagner, where the regiment proves there was nothing inferior about a black regiment. Throughout the movie the regiment and General Robert struggled through many obstacles but nothing came in their way of their spirit to fight and wage battle against the Union. There are certain times in the movie that has a very euro-centric shine to it that heightens the movies action and excites the audience. Glory clearly reflects a euro-centric point of view in many ways and gives the viewers a conclusion that makes Americans today proud of. ...

Free Essays on The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls

that no one has ever heard of. I know that this partly because this was written many, many years ago and some people probably understood this, but not all because not everyone was as educated as he was or even as we are today and it confused me the first time I read it. That I can underst... Free Essays on The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls Free Essays on The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow The poem â€Å"The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls† written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is a very well written poem. Longfellow is known to be one of the best authors of all time; but this poem has its good points and it’s bad points. Some of the good points are the very even rhythms he uses, also the way he describes the travelers â€Å"life†. But in my opinion this poem also has some fairly large flaws. Some of the flaws are the fact that at the end of the poem Longfellow jumps to talking about horses, also he uses so words that no one knows what they are. Longfellow does a very good job of keeping the rhythm in this poem. In each line he makes it rhyme with the last. By doing this he makes the poem flow very nicely and makes it sound very nice. I think that is part of what makes this poem. Another thing that is very good about this poem is the way Longfellow relates the â€Å"travelers† â€Å"life† to the tide. This makes it a very metaphorical poem and by doing this he puts many underlying meanings to it that make this poem much more entertaining. This is one of the few good things about this poem. One of the main things that came to mind is how Longfellow jumps from topic to topic in this poem. For example, he goes from talking about the traveler to talking about how there are horses stamping and neighing and about the hostler. To me this kind of confused me because I was expecting to here more about the traveler but instead I get horses. This kind of irritates me. The last thing that I will complain about today is the fact that he uses language that confuses people and words that no one has ever heard of. I know that this partly because this was written many, many years ago and some people probably understood this, but not all because not everyone was as educated as he was or even as we are today and it confused me the first time I read it. That I can underst...

Compelling Topics for Research Papers

Compelling Topics for Research Papers Compelling Topics for Research Papers Finding a compelling topic for your research paper is a step by step process; dont rush and reap the rewards Call in Ontario for assistance. Challenge and Engage The best thing to do is choose a topic that interests and challenges you simultaneously. It shouldn’t be something that’s too difficult to handle; dont bite off more than you can chew. The topic should be thought provoking and grab the readers interest immediately. Next, consider the scope of the essay. If the topic you choose is too narrow, it may be difficult to find research material. If the topic is too broad, it runs the risk of seeming too boring for the reader. Research, Research Do plenty of investigation on the topic. At this stage you’ll discover how compelling the topic truly can be, and save time if you decide to scrap it for a better idea. If you have a general idea in mind, research anything that could be associated with it to learn more and create an interesting essay. For example, if you choose to write about farming, consider other topics such as free trade agreements, weather patterns, transportation, and fertilizers. What’s the Angle? Choosing a topic almost always involves choosing an â€Å"angle.† Ask yourself, â€Å"What am I trying to prove with this essay?† Take into account historical, geographical, and sociological factors. This will help clarify your topic and its focus. Your topic may require final approval from the professor or teacher. Make sure you meet all established guidelines before proceeding with more writing and research. If you need help can make sure you finish your project on time. Please give us a

HRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

HRM - Essay Example It seems that appropriate HR practices need to be introduced for help the firm to stabilize its performance towards its rivals. The above problem is explored in this paper; HR tools and practices are suggested for the limitation of the firm’s HR challenges, as described above. It is concluded that strategies, like the HR audit and the HR benchmark could significantly help towards the limitation of the firm’s HR gaps. However, it would be necessary that these plans are appropriately monitored in all their phases; the hiring of employees and the training of existing staff should become indispensable elements of the firm’s HR strategy. 1. So far, GS Plumbing has not conducted a formal audit of the HR function. Why would this activity be useful and who should be involved? Through the case study it is made clear that GS Plumbing faces a series of HR management problems. Alan, as the firm’s HR manager has the responsibility for the appropriate handling of all re levant problems. As revealed through the case study, Alan is willing to develop the firm’s HR policies. However, delays occur in regard to the achievement of this target. These delays are partially related to the following fact: Alan has to work on administrative tasks that would be normally handled by other members of the staff – referring especially to Gail and Jane. ... At the same time, problems like increased absence from work, low employee performance (resulted to increased customer complaints), lack of appropriate training of new staff and luck of trust across the organization need to be appropriately addressed. A solution should be also identified in order to keep existing staff motivated – periodically employees leave the company for the competitors. The HR audit could help to identify all failures in gaps in the firm’s HR policies, helping the firm’s senior managers to understand how ‘HR policies could contribute to the organizational success’ (Mathis and Jackson 2008, 62). Moreover, it could help to locate a series of appropriate solutions. In accordance with Phillips (1996) the HR audit function can help to identify the effectiveness of the firm’s HR policies, reviewing all areas of HR function, including the hiring, training and remuneration processes and policies of the organization (Phillips 1996, 37). At this point, it should be noted that the requirements of HR audit, can be many, including legal, technical and managerial issues (Storey 2009). The HR audit in GS plumbing could be based on a survey. The use of alternative method of HR audit, such as the interviews could be also used (Phillips 1996, 37), in case that the firm’s technical staff would agree with this strategy. Alan would be the most appropriate person to develop the HR audit across the organization knowing well all details related to the firm’s operations but also the challenges that the firm has to face within its market. 2. Unplanned absence of employees is a particular issue at GS Plumbing. Develop a process to address this issue. Since the unplanned absence of

Interpretation of the picture Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Interpretation of the picture - Assignment Example If viewed from another perspective, the green background can represent the humanity during the era of least civilization. However, as the picture extends further, there is a bright light in form of an ocean that opens up into a bright background. Therefore, this bright background can be compared to how civilization has changed the world into a better place. In this regard, the picture teaches humanity the importance of civilization because the character holding the arrow and the bow are wearing a dark-brown outfit that can be linked to the clothing of humanity before civilization. As such, the picture teaches a man to appreciate civilization because it has made life bright like the bright watery background. On the other hand, the picture shows the tremendous developments that man has gone through since the onset of civilization because the two backgrounds compare the bleak and dull lived in the olden days to the modern bright and exciting life that is also enjoyable and fun. The assu mption on the differences in life existing in the dark-green and the bright backgrounds is also indicated by the facial expression of the character. Although he may give an impression of a relaxed hunter, his overall expression is that of a dull person with no other things cheer him up except for the hunting. Therefore, from the picture, mankind can learn to appreciate civilization that has brought liveliness, brightness as opposed to the dark days when a man only co-existed with the wild animals and only found fun hunting in the bush.

Mass Media's effect on children's behavior Essay

Mass Media's effect on children's behavior - Essay Example 7). Infants begin to interact with their family. The family sets the child's perception of a social environment; an environment which can later be altered when the child's exposure to mass media begins, or when the child starts going to school. As children develop intelligence, most likely, they tend to imitate the elders. Andrew Meltzoff discovers that as early as 9-month-old, an infant "can imitate very simple acts (for example, button-pressing to activate a noise-making toy) twenty-four hours after observing them" (qtd. in Shaffer 251; ch. 7). Similarly, a child exposed to various forms of mass media imitates whatever is there to see or hear. Mass media takes on different forms: newspaper, magazine, radio, movies, television, and the latest and fast-growing electronic media - the World Wide Web. Newspaper and radio are among the earliest forms of communication media; however, television is one of the most popular today. Almost every household in the world owns a television set. In 2004, a study by Frank N. ... Ecological systems model and mass media A number of theories on human development and the environmental influences have been published. Many of which cited that mass media have a certain effect on a child at a particular point of development. Shaffer states that Urie Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems model of human development is "perhaps the most detailed analysis of environmental influences that has appeared to date" (59; ch. 2). Fig. 1. Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems model of human development; rpt. in "Overview of Child Development" (32) Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems model of human development consists of microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem. His innermost environmental structure, or microsystem, consists of the immediate contexts that a child actually experience (qtd. in Shaffer 59). It is the surroundings where the infant is first exposed to; this involves the family, playmates in the neighborhood, and later expands to peers at the day care. Mesosystem refers to the "interrelationships among microsystems" (Shaffer 60; ch. 2). The strong emotional foundation that the family instilled will prepare the child with future relationship with the teachers and other children. Exosystem, on the other hand, consists of "settings that children never experience directly but may still affect their development" (Shaffer 60; ch. 2). This involves the parents' view towards their work. If the parents are no longer happy with their job and they let their offspring see it, the child's emotional growth might be affected. The macrosystem is a "broad, overarching ideology that dictates how children should be treated, what they should be taught, and the

The Inhumanity of the Death Penalty in Truman Capotes In Cold Blood Research Paper

The Inhumanity of the Death Penalty in Truman Capotes In Cold Blood - Research Paper Example Hickock and Smith mistakably comprehended that Clutter used to keep a lot of money in his house. So both of them planned that immediately after their release they would go and rob Clutter and escape with his money. Therefore, I support that Perry and Richard were justified to be given death penalties. Perry and Richard were justified to be hanged since both characters were a threat to society. After their release, they did as planned but they didn’t get the money since Clutter rarely kept any money in the house. The two criminals ended up killing the whole family and escaped. Church mates are noted to be the ones who first noted the disappearance of the Clutter’s family in Church and decided to make a follow-up. Their efforts led them to Clutter’s house in which they found only dead bodies. This is said to be realized on the second day after when the criminal event had taken place. The police were notified and in the process of making investigations, Wells informed the authorities that he had discussed Clutter’s richness with Hickock and Smith and so they became the first suspects. Further investigations are mentioned to lead to the arrest of the two criminals a month after in Los Vegas and were brought to Kansas where they were charged for the murder c ase of the Clutter’s family. The two confessed while agreeing with the charges but their statements contradicted each other about who killed who. Nevertheless, the two murderers were both charged and sentenced to death by hanging and which took place in 1965.

Discussion week 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion week 2 - Essay Example system results to wrongful conviction because a public defendant has very many cases to handle and lacks ample time to spend on each case, and this affects the quality of representation (Collica & Furst, 2012). In the long rand, there is wrongfully conviction because the Public defender does not comprehensively analyze the case. There is also poor contact between the public defender, and there is unfair conviction. In contrasting the level of representation illustrated by Bright to the level of representation to white collar, corporate, and environmental crimes is to say that money has power and influence. A plaintiff without money to hire a competitive Public defender receives poor representation in the court of law, and the case does not favor him/her (Collica & Furst, 2012). In solving these issues, every state should adequately fund the public defender system because everyone should get fair and justified trial. It becomes difficult to receive a fair trial if the representation is poor. Adequate resourcing and funding the public defender program results to a fair trial and effective representation. The war on drugs has resulted to increased imprisonment. There has been heavy taxation in order to imprison and rehabilitate the drug victims. According to Collins (2012), since the commencement of war on Drugs, there has been a great increase of those convicted. There has been unequal percentage of the minority groups convicted and imprisoned without proper investigation. In the year 2003, there was a high rate of imprisonment of African Americans accuses of drug abuse in US (Collica, 2012). However, the use and trafficking of illegal drugs among the white and the African Americans is equal, yet the African Americans are the ones accused and imprisoned. This is unfair and against the constitutional rights on discrimination based on race and color (Collica, 2012). The increase of immigrants in US has reduced the crime rates. Indeed, immigration has a

Area of Learning Free Writing Exercise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Area of Learning Free Writing Exercise - Essay Example The sense of duty and courage that is needed for such a job was made aware later on but the interest kindled in me did not go away. Among my childhood memories, I remember playing cops and robbers quite often and on most occasions, I used to play the cop. Though I cannot say that this was responsible for my choice of study later on, nonetheless the philosophy with which I grew up instilled in me a confidence and a moral resoluteness to pursue this field. My first experience of what it takes to react swiftly in an emergency was when I had gone to watch a movie with my friends when I was barely a teenager. As the movie progressed, there was an alarm in the Mall in which the theater was located and this led to an evacuation of the place. Though it turned out to be a false alarm, the quickness with which the security staff of the Mall reacted and the way in which they were professional and competent in evacuating the place impressed me a lot. I realized that to be a good security officer means that one has to keep oneself calm under pressure and not let the people panic. An aspect of that incident was the way in which the security staff were precise in their instructions to us and the way in which they ensured the evacuation in a rapid and orderly manner. As I mentioned in the introduction to my portfolio, the events of 911 were a turning point not only in the history of the United States but for me as well. Having seen how the NYPD and the Firefighters risked their lives trying to save people made me proud of them and inculcated a desire to be like them if not emulate them in their sense of duty and patriotism. This theme or meme has stayed with me ever since those years when I was in my teens and this is one of the major motivations for me to take up the field of security management as a career. My experiences in Best Buy as well as my internship with the Bergen County Prosecutors office have made me aware of other areas of security management which include solvi ng fraud cases in a methodical and professional manner. I have learnt that in most cases of fraud and theft as well as crimes, the unthinkable is the most plausible scenario especially when all the other possibilities have been discounted. Conversely, I have also learnt that sometimes the most obvious clues to the crime are ignored and hence one must keep one’s eyes and ears open to all possibilities, however obvious or unthinkable they are. This has given me a sense of confidence on my abilities to crack crime cases and detect frauds as well as preempting crime and fraud. My ultimate goal is to major in criminal justice and towards this end, I have enrolled in this program so that I gain valuable experience and given the fact that my father was a fire fighter, my early influences were to do with preventing loss of goods and people and hence security management is an area that I have been especially interested in. I hope that I become a security officer at a retail store chai n or join the government (federal or state) where I am of use to the security apparatus. Having written down my thoughts in a free writing manner, I would like to quote one of my favorite slogans which goes like this, Low Crime Does Not Mean No Crime and this is something that has spurred me to be on my toes when dealing with people in the store as well as in the county prosecutor’

Discussion week 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion week 2 - Essay Example system results to wrongful conviction because a public defendant has very many cases to handle and lacks ample time to spend on each case, and this affects the quality of representation (Collica & Furst, 2012). In the long rand, there is wrongfully conviction because the Public defender does not comprehensively analyze the case. There is also poor contact between the public defender, and there is unfair conviction. In contrasting the level of representation illustrated by Bright to the level of representation to white collar, corporate, and environmental crimes is to say that money has power and influence. A plaintiff without money to hire a competitive Public defender receives poor representation in the court of law, and the case does not favor him/her (Collica & Furst, 2012). In solving these issues, every state should adequately fund the public defender system because everyone should get fair and justified trial. It becomes difficult to receive a fair trial if the representation is poor. Adequate resourcing and funding the public defender program results to a fair trial and effective representation. The war on drugs has resulted to increased imprisonment. There has been heavy taxation in order to imprison and rehabilitate the drug victims. According to Collins (2012), since the commencement of war on Drugs, there has been a great increase of those convicted. There has been unequal percentage of the minority groups convicted and imprisoned without proper investigation. In the year 2003, there was a high rate of imprisonment of African Americans accuses of drug abuse in US (Collica, 2012). However, the use and trafficking of illegal drugs among the white and the African Americans is equal, yet the African Americans are the ones accused and imprisoned. This is unfair and against the constitutional rights on discrimination based on race and color (Collica, 2012). The increase of immigrants in US has reduced the crime rates. Indeed, immigration has a

Death of a Salesman and Fences Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Death of a Salesman and Fences - Essay Example There indeed is a highly valid reason for stating so. In both the plays, these characters, Willy in â€Å"Death of a Salesman† and Troy of â€Å"Fences† have negative shades, for they not just are obsessed with the past at the cost of neglecting the present, but they (father characters) also share a highly hostile relationship with their respective sons. It is not just that; both Willy and Troy denote as being impediments in terms of the goals of their sons. (1) In fact, in â€Å"Death of a Salesman† Willy’s obsession with the past is so high that he reaches the stage where, he is unable to draw a line between reality and fantasy. Perhaps, the most prominent common feature of the characters (of fathers) is that, both do not have a respectable position in the society. (1) After that, it indeed would be worthwhile in having a look at the characters of sons: Biff in â€Å"Death of a Salesman† and Cory in â€Å"Fences†. As mentioned earlier, both Biff and Cory are the victims of the day-dreaming of their respective fathers. It also has to be noted that, solely because of the false approach adopted by Willy and Troy, even Biff and Cory have been subjected to severe mental conflict. As a matter of fact, Biff is redeemed of this mental turmoil only after he musters the needed courage to rebel against Willy’s dominant approach. However, it is observed that, notwithstanding all the unpleasant experiences, Biff still has a soft corner for his father. This is evident from the words that he speaks at the funeral of his father â€Å"there were a lot of nice days†. Also, Biff adds that the intentions of Willy were good, and it is just that the dreams were erroneous. (1) When the play â€Å"Fences† is taken, the unpleasant relationship shared by Cory with his father is clear by the words spoken by the former â€Å"You ain't never gave me nothing! You ain't never done nothing but hold me back. Afraid I was gonna b e better than you. All you ever did was try and make me scared of you.† Cory is aware that, apart from creating fear in his mind, Troy has done nothing else for him! Despite the fact that Cory has lot of talent for playing baseball, Troy never permits him to make a mark for himself in this game. And similar to â€Å"Death of a Salesman† even in â€Å"Fences† the son gets his total freedom only after his father’s death. (1) When the characters of the sons are considered in both the plays, one surely notes a key difference. In the play â€Å"Death of a Salesman† Biff thinks about his father in a positive manner, after the latter’s death. But when â€Å"Fences† is considered, Cory expresses no such sentiments. On the contrary, it is seen that he is highly reluctant to even attend the funeral. Owing to these points, it can conveniently be inferred that, when both Willy and Troy are compared, it is only the former who is having at least a f ew positives. That is why his son was able to pay respects at the funeral. On the other hand, Cory has nothing but utter dislike for his father. (1) Now, the focus needs to shift on to examining the characters of Linda, wife of Willy, and Rose, the spouse of Troy. To begin with, it has to be stated that Willy and Troy do not have a sound relationship not only with the sons, but also with their respective spouses. Also, both of them (Willy and Troy) indulge in adultery. In â€Å"Death of a Salesman† though Linda is unaware about the extra-marital affair of her husband, yet; his adulterous acts tell upon their relationship. This can be understood by an example. When Willy

Impact of Natural Disaster on Infrastructure

Impact of Natural Disaster on Infrastructure We humans cannot envision when a regular calamity happens, and more often than not, when a natural disaster happens it brings a lot of wreckage and demise. Recent events show that a significant increase in number of natural calamities for natural and human made reasons which could have potentially very huge consequences on infrastructure. If those infrastructures fall the chain of accidents could lead to a catastrophic situation, and can affect the environment, the economy and people. This paper will focus on the study of the impact of natural disaster on infrastructure. This paper will analyze the methodology of assessing the risk regarding natural Calamity on critical infrastructure through the analysis of cascade effect. This paper will analyze a series of proposals to reduce the risk of such events. Rationale of the Study The significant increase in natural disasters has serious consequences on the population, environment and economy of the world. This consequence has been extended because of the development of Transport networks industrial plans and infrastructures. According to Rahman (2005), during the year of 1980 to 1990, the major catastrophic natural disasters was caused by a earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, lightning and violent winds. They have also analyzed the contributing factors regarding those natural disasters and its impacts on the infrastructure. Now critical infrastructure is a complex system of components that includes production, Transportation, communication, health, safety and activities that is necessary for social needs. So naturally if the infrastructure or Falls then sodas their communication system as well as the economy of the word. That is why there is a very significant impact of natural disasters on the infrastructure and economy of the world. And because of that this is a very important problem to study. Research Objectives Major objectives of this research are given below. To investigate the importance of infrastructure in modern economy To investigate the contributing factors of natural calamities To investigate the impact of natural calamities on infrastructure To recommend proposed ways to minimize the risks on natural calamities. According to Chen and Mark (2010), critical infrastructure is a series of complex system that involves production, Transportation, health, communication, safety and all the teams that is society needs to run. Now any destruction of this complex system or affect the overall economy as well as the working structure of the word. The potential sources of affecting the infrastructure can come from natural causes, technological causes or human origin causes. The disaster can also be triggered by a simple mistake which has a big consequence over the environment. And those risks can combine with each other to lead to an event complex situations where the consequences are even bigger. Natural reasons involve earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and other natural emissions including floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, storms and climate change. On the other hand, the technological list on infrastructure involves fire, explosion, pick toxic chemicals release and other mechanical explosions that can affect infrastructure. And finally, the human cause two reasons involve human error, defect in design, carbon emission by human civilization that can lead to Natural disasters and many other (Showalter and Myers, 1994). Figure: Infrastructures Damaged by the Effects of the Earthquake. According to Birregah, Muller and Chà ¢telet (2011), earthquakes are one of the main reasons that do more harm to infrastructure than any other natural events. But earthquakes dont kill people, buildings do. They describe the effects of the 7.9 magnitude earthquake in 2008 in China where the main cause of death and injury was because of the collapse of a building due to earthquake. During this event, a lot of industrial facilities, where houses and buildings have destroyed and because of the destruction of those infrastructure a lot of people died and injured. On the other hand, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake occurred in Japan in 2011 who is causes a powerful aftershock that gave rise to a huge tsunami who treats several miles in Japan. The earthquake and tsunami destroyed the overall infrastructure in the country including roads, Bridges, ports, railways, buildings and other infrastructures. And because of the earthquake more than 28,000 people were dead or missing which created a havo c. Because of the earthquake and tsunami, the nuclear plant in Fukushima, Japan was destroyed the creating more disaster because of nuclear radiation. These also created a total blackout in many regions in Japan during the time (Krausmann and Cruz, 2013). This example shows how the combination of natural disasters and technological event can occur simultaneously and affect a whole countrys Industrial infrastructure thus leading to social crisis. Figure: The Accident Sequences Generated by the Earthquake. A natural event can also cause a chain of events that can lead to a complete destruction of a countrys infrastructure. The figure above shows how an earthquake give birth to a series of events that can completely destroy the critical infrastructure of a country. For example, if we consider the destruction of supply because of the chain event caused by an earthquake it can be found that the earthquake can produces a huge shock wave that create a tsunami and that can destroy the Nuclear Power Plant which produce energy. And because of the destruction of the nuclear power plant the whole country can face a complete blackout. And it takes a lot of time and money to rebuild the infrastructure destroyed by the natural disasters. This research will provide several recommendations to reduce the destructions and costs offered by natural disasters. Some proposed recommendations are given below. Dampers, also known as shock absorbers can be a very useful tool to absorb the shock wave during an earthquake while designing an earthquake resistant building. As concrete are able to withstand wind, hurricane, flowers and Fire; powerful concretes can be used to build earthquake resistant buildings. When designing a house or building, hipped roof or with stands can be used instead of flat or gable shaped roof. The reason is because hip shaped roofs are more stable than gable type roof. This paper will present proper methodology of carrying out risk assessments on infrastructure because of natural disaster. As natural disasters have a significant economic, social, environmental and political impact on the country, these disasters can cause a huge loss for a country. And that is why it is very important to always be prepared because natural disasters are very hard to predict. But by taking precautions it is possible to reduce disease done by natural disasters. Aldo tropical cyclones, floods, storms are predictable but severe natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunami are very hard to predict. Their examples where a single disaster led to a whole destruction of a countrys infrastructure. Besides, because of the difficulty of measuring the actual impact of natural disaster on the, economy continues to be a major challenge, it is not always possible to asses the proper loss caused by those disasters. So, the challenges are always big when it come s to natural disasters part by taking precautions it is possible to reduce the loss caused by those natural events. References Birregah, B., A. Muller and E. Chà ¢telet (2011) Interdependency-based Approach of Complex Events in Critical Infrastructure under Crisis: A First Step toward a Global Framework. In: (C. Soares, ed.) Advances in Safety, Reliability and Risk Management. London: CRC Press, Taylor Francis, pp. 149-155. Campedel, M., V. Cozzani, E. Crausmann and A. M. Cruz Naranjo (2008) Analysis of Natech Accidents Recorded in Major Accident Databases. In: Proceedings of PSAM9 International Conference on Probabilistic Safety Assessment and Management, IAPSAM Int. Association for Probabilistic Safety Assessment and Management, Hong Kong, China, May 18-23, pp. 1-8. Chen, Z. W. and H. Mark (2010) Impact Analysis of Natural Disasters Using Interrelation of Infrastructure and Associated Industries, Journal of Shanghai University (English ed.), 14(6):424-429. Kadri, F., P. Lallement and E. Chà ¢telet (2012) The Quantitative Risk Assessment of Domino Effect on Industrial Plants Using Colored Stochastic Petri Nets. Presented at PSAM11 and ESRELConference, Helsinki, Finland. Krausmann, E. and A. M. Cruz (2013) Impact of the 11 March 2011, Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami on the Chemical Industry, Natural Hazards, 67(2):811-828. Krausmann, E. and F. Mushtaq (2008) A Qualitative Natech Damage Scale for the Impact of Floods on Selected Industrial Facilities, Natural Hazards, 46(2):179-197. Krausmann, E., A. M. Cruz and B. Affeltranger (2010) The Impact of the 12 May 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake on Industrial Facilities, Journal of Loss Prevention in Process Industries, 23(2):242-248. Rahman, S. (2005) Impact of Natural Disasters on Critical Infrastructures. In The 1st Bangladesh Earthquake Symposium. Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 14-15. Showalter, P. S. and M. F. Myers (1994) Natural Disasters in the United States as Release Agents of Oil, Chemicals, or Radiological Materials between 1980-1989: Analysis and Recommendations, Risk Analysis, 14(2):169-182.

AIDS Problem Essay -- Health, Diseases, AIDS, HIV

1. Introduction Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, also known as AIDS, is caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).HIV damages body’s immune system by destroying white blood cells which help us to destroy invaded pathogens. When HIV enters a white blood cell, it may remain dormant. However, once it is activated, it infects another cell to produce many new HIVS. After a certain period of time, the white blood cells are destroyed and leading to a loss of function of the immune system (Y.K. Ho,2004). People infected by HIV will turn out to have AIDS. Infected people are very weak to fight off other infectious disease and soon they will die. According to the data and statistics of WHO, global summary of the AIDS epidemic, 2009, the number of people living with HIV is around 33.3 million and AIDS death in 2009 is around 1.8 million. How about China situation? We couldn’t find much data about China situation. Therefore, we have to explore the situation from other sources. 2. Current Situation of AIDS in China According to the ministry of health of the people’s republic of China, the number of people living with AIDS is about 370 thousand and AIDS death is about 60 thousand. The figure is much different from the prediction of United Nations (UN), UN predicted that there will be 10 million people living with AIDS at the end of 2010. So, which figure is more reliable? I would suggest the UN one and the following is my reason. In the early 1990s, the Chinese leadership launched a blood drive and paid donors for their plasma (Alice Park,2004), this is so called the â€Å"plasma economy†. Especially in Henan province, many blood stations appeared in a short period of time. Farmers believed that they could earn a lot of money by d... ...n provide AIDS patients with counseling service which can help them to accept themselves and dispel prejudices. 6. Conclusion To conclude, the central pillars of public health can explain the AIDS problem in China. Public health is composed of multidisciplinary knowledge, prevention and social justice. We could not interpret AIDS problem by only exploring the scientific perspective. Economic and social perspective also play am important role. Moreover, prevention can be divided to 3 levels, primary prevention is crucial to the issue, which is also most effective way to get rid of the problem. Tertiary prevention is the last line of defense, reminding the Chinese government should do something before it is too late. Lastly, social justice should be upholding in Chinese, this is the most critical aspect to see whether the AIDS problem can alleviate or not.

New Yorks Governments Response to Influenza Outbreak :: Journalism Media Studies Spanish Flu Essays

New York's Government's Response to Influenza Outbreak NEW YORK CITY (September 22):--Forty-three new cases of Spanish influenza were reported yesterday throughout the greatly afflicted state of New York. Of these new cases, eighteen were in Brooklyn, three were reported in the Bronx, eighteen in Manhattan, and four were reported in Queens. There appears to be little progress for New Yorkers and East Coast Americans in general, in their attempt to quell the spread of the disease. As such, public fears continue to be heightened by a steady increase in the number of both the infected and the deceased persons who have been subjected to this outbreak of Spanish influenza. In response to this latest outbreak, the United States government has been monitoring the increasingly grave statistics that have been pouring into the national office of the Public Health Department. 1 United States Surgeon General Blue, an obviously key figure in the American government's attempt to treat and eradicate the influenza, informed reporters yesterday that a more stringent plan for combating the disease had become necessary and that therefore he was announcing the immediate implementation of such a plan. Said the Surgeon General, "The people of New York are in great need of further assistance than that which local authorities are currently capable of providing. Hospitals throughout the state are inadequately staffed for the huge number of patients they are receiving, and as such many a hospital is filled beyond capacity with countless influenza patients. We as a government must take stronger measures to inform the public of the dangers of Spanish Influenza, instruct them as to how to decrease their risk of contracting the illness, and must also allocate more funds to the U.S. Health Department so that it may better aid New York's overworked medical staffs." 2 The Surgeon General next proceeded to caution the public against falling victim to mass hysteria over the currently rampant influenza scare. When asked by a local reporter as to whether U.S. scientists were making any progress in determining the cause of the current outbreak, Surgeon General Blue was quick to acknowledge the fact that many cultures from influenza patients are currently being studied in various laboratories throughout the United States. More significantly, the Surgeon General announced that a new microorganism had recently been discovered, which scientists hope will prove to be the culprit for the U.

The Importance of Keeping Appointments

Article 86 of the Uniform Code Of Military Justice. This Article covers Point and Place of Duty. That means from PT formation to COB, that is where you are supposed to be. What a lot of Soldiers do not understand that includes appointments made by them or someone else. We have appointment times, formation times and many other start times that dictate we will be there. If a Convoy has a time of fifteen hundred hours and the Soldiers decide to show up late because they did not feel like getting ready on time people could die. If they rolled out on time, they may have avoided an ambush. It sounds extreme but time management plays a critical role in the Army. When you make an appointment that spot has been reserved for you. That means if you have been given the last slot someone else is going to have to wait for another one to open up. This could be one day or one month. And because you missed it someone else is still going to have to wait when they could have had that spot and been there. If you are going to miss the appointment or cannot make it due to mission or other circumstances they do allow us to cancel the appointment with in twenty four hours. The Army allows us to make appointments for whatever we need. Be it for a medical appointment, house goods, CIF, Smoking Sensation or whatever we need these recourses are available to us. But when Soldiers start missing appointments theses systems start to become inefficient. What a lot of Soldiers do not realize is that when they miss an appointment it does not just affect them; it affects the entire chain of command from the Squad Leader all the way to the First Sgt.

The Importance of Career Planning in Industry

the importance of Career Planning in industry. Career planning involves efforts on the part of the organizations to provide avenues for growth to its employees. Certainly this growth should be accompanied by development. The other side of the coin is the role of employees in career planning. It involves effort on the part of employees to clearly think through and decided areas in which they would like to make a career for themselves. When employees have assessed their career needs and have become aware of organizational career opportunities, the problem is one of alignment. The crucial role has to be played by HRD in ensuring this alignment to build up morale in the organization. A systematic choice of development techniques like training, special assignment, counseling and rotational assignments should be made to ensure this alignment. Employees are often uncertain as to the type of work that would suit them best. There are a number of evaluation instruments available to determine basic aptitudes. Human Resource Development Managers should be able to guide employees by administering these instruments on them. Employees should also find out whether they are loners or socially active. These exercises with some assistance from HRD Managers should help in career need assessment. At certain stage the upward mobility stops for many employees. This is inescapable in view of pyramid organizations structure. This phenomenon is called plateauing. It takes place around the age f 40. Some suggested measures to deal with such employees are: ? Mentors should be assigned measures to deal with such employees. Depending on the maturity of such mentors, good results can be achieved in assuaging the hurt feelings of plateaued employees ? Additional career ladders could be established to retain some valuable resource. Giving them importance by assigning them to some important task force or committee. ? Assisting them to choose a new career. Some organizations assist their plateau executives to start their own business. Career path models developed by a large public sector undertaking: This organization has developed career paths models for the major discipline †¢ Sales †¢ Technical services †¢ Operations †¢ Engineering †¢ Aviation †¢ LPG †¢ Finance †¢ Personnel Career path models have not been drawn for the disciplines like materials, public relations, training, etc. areer path models have been evolved to provide direction to career progression of officers. It forms the basis for placement, transfer, rotation etc. so that the officers are prepared for higher responsibilities progressively and the experience they gain becomes cumulative rather than respective. The most distinguishing feature of these career path model are the stress on jib rotation and testing the incumbent in a different environment to enhance his coping capability before giving him a higher position in the hierarchy.

What is sovereignty?

The idea of sovereignty is the idea of someone holding supreme power. For example in the United Kingdom we have parliamentary sovereignty. This means that parliament holds supreme power in the land with no constraints. However sovereignty is affected and controlled by certain things such as public opinion and outside influences including the media etc. That is why although sovereignty gives supreme power to the bearer it can sometimes be restricted by uncontrollable means. However ultimately, if remove all other influences and theories, sovereignty is the word used to describe something that is given to someone or something to hold supreme power, and this power should technically be un-unquestionable, that is the idea of sovereignty. Where is sovereignty located in the UK? The monarch originally always held sovereignty. However in 1649 after the English civil war sovereignty in the UK was handed over to parliament after the execution of Charles I, and the running of the country became a dictatorship under Oliver Cromwell. Ever since then, although the monarch is still head of state, parliament has always held supreme power in the land. The monarch still holds theoretical powers such as the command of the army but in practice these powers belong to the executive and ultimately the Prime Minister. Unlike the American presidential system where the President forms only one third of the three areas of power, the British system relies on a majority to form the government. This can sometimes be a problem as the majority party holds all powers because the house of commons makes legislation and the house of lords can only block legislation for so long. The only person in theory that can stop a law being passed is the queen but this would be very unpopular so in practice is not done. Although the House of Commons and ultimately the executive hold supreme power, whilst we are a part of the European Union we must follow the laws and guidelines set by them. This was shown when be introduced the Human Rights Act after the EU had made it law. So although in theory the UK could leave the EU if it really disagreed with something, in practice this would not be economically or politically viable and so we are bound by their laws. So although sovereignty ultimately rests with the executive, the monarch still has to agree to laws and the monarch still holds military powers but these are never used in practice. The only constraint to sovereignty is the EU that we could technically leave at anytime. So practically sovereignty in the UK is located within the government but in theory the EU can say ‘no' to our legislation. This is where sovereignty is located in the UK. Why has the UK's un-codified constitution been criticised? Over the years the UK's un-written or un-codified constitution has been criticised. This criticism has not only come from countries with a codified constitution but also within the UK as well. Although the UK constitution is un-codified it has however been around longer than any constitution in the entire world. This says that that fact that it has never been fully written down means that it has had a chance to evolve and so last for a long period of time. Some may argue that the American codified constitution was a necessity, as after the American war of independence the Americans needed a quick constitution straight away in order to run the country. There is no way that a country could have been set up without a codified constitution. The advantage of a codified constitution is that all of the information is there and cannot be removed unless two thirds of the government/senate agree. Acts can only be amended. This could also pose as a disadvantage as a law that needed to be passed quickly would take at least a week to go through all of the houses to be added to the constitution. The advantage of an un-codified constitution is that not everything is in black and white. This is where we get conventions and case law. As not everything in the constitution is set in stone, if something were to be ambiguous then it could be taken to court for a ruling. Also we have conventions that are things that we do but are not written down. The advantage of having an un-codified constitution is that in an emergency and act or law can be added pr removed completely within twenty-four hours as no government can bind another government. So basically there are both advantages and disadvantages of both systems. With an un-codified constitution not everything is set in stone so things can be adjusted from case to case and also it is very quick and easy to change. The disadvantage to this is that this gives a lot of power to the executive and in theory they could run a dictatorship with no one to stop them. This is an advantage of a codified constitution because it is not very easily change and so does not give a lot of power to a few people. The disadvantage of this system is that things take a long time to change and can never be completely removed. Despite both the advantages and disadvantages of both of the systems, each system works best for the country that uses it. So all the UK's constitution has been criticised it obviously works because it has lasted for such a long period of time.

Why young people join gangs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Why young people join gangs - Essay Example A gang is a relatively durable, predominantly street-based group of young people who see themselves (and are seen by others) as a discernible group who engage in a range of criminal activity and violence, who identify with or lay claim over territory, have some form of identifying structural feature and are in conflict with other similar gangs (Centre for Social Justice, 2009, p. 21). Youth make a conscious choice to join a gang during adolescence, and multiple personal and environmental factors influence this choice A youth gang can also be defined as a self-formed association of peers having these characteristics: a gang name with recognizable symbols, identifiable leadership, a geographic territory, a regular meeting pattern, and collective actions to carry out illegal activities (Howell, 1997, p. 1). The majority of gang members are male and almost half of them are under the age of 18 years (Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, 2011, p. 2). This research will try to look at the factors and pre-conditions that make gang life an attractive and desirable option to the young people. The themes that will be espoused in the essay will be education and employment, gender, family, poverty ethnicity and peer pressure. The main conclusions to be drawn from the research are that the provision of basic amenities and opportunities will go a long way in preventing young people from engaging in gangs and gang related activities. The social development of a child is rooted in the opportunities, skills and the recognition that builds up through early interactions with family members, friends and teachers (Stefan Hounslea, 2011, p. 9). Education to the progression of a young person is significant. Thornberry discovered that 71.5% of ‘stable gang members’ had dropped out of secondary education compared to 33.6% of non-gang members (Thornberry, 2003, p. 169). He also found that the youth who transitioned smoothly from secondary to