Saturday, August 31, 2019
The Illusion of Freedom in Miss Julie
The Illusion of Freedom in Miss Julie August Strindbergââ¬â¢s Miss Julie is a naturalistic play which deals with the themes of love, lust, and power struggles between social classes and genders. Being a naturalistic play, Miss Julie deals with the upbringing of and the environment surrounding the two main characters, Julie and Jean, and how these factors affect their motivations.As with the convention in naturalism, the two main characters would have no real control over their fates and instead be subjugated to hereditary and environmental forces. Julie, being of aristocratic descent, seemed to have complete freedom. She had access to the best of luxuries and yet could heavily interact with the servants, such as participating in their Midsummer Eve celebration and dancing with Jean, without severe consequences other than some gossip among the servants.However, Julieââ¬â¢s gender and upbringing seems to be a great disadvantage and hinders her freedom. Raised by her mother to act like a man and yet despise men and subsequently herself, Julie became what Strindberg refers to as a ââ¬Å"man-hating half-womanâ⬠(page 60), though this upbringing allowed Julie to ignore the social norms of her time and assert her dominance upon male characters (her fiance and Jean), it is also responsible for her eventual suicide which was implied in the end of the play.The illusion of Julieââ¬â¢s supposed freedom is revealed throughout the play, with Jean holding power over her during a significant portion of the play and her father, the Count, being an absent, but nevertheless imposing presence throughout the play, especially in the end. Jean is diametrically opposite to Julie in his heredity, being of common descent and a male, although Jean is well travelled and possesses a degree of sophistication in his speech and manners.He has access to little resources other than his own ambitions and determination. Jean dreams vaguely of someday opening a hotel and using the p rofits and prestige gained from such an enterprise to purchase a title and make himself a Count like Julieââ¬â¢s father. Despite the numerous power reversals that occurred after his seduction of Julie, he remains subjugated to authority throughout the play, both to that of Julie and especially her father.Any reminder of the Count such as his boots, Jeanââ¬â¢s inferior clothing, and especially the ringing bell reduced Jean from a normally eloquent or sadistic speaker to a pathetic servant. There were multiple factors, other than the supposed love that was professed by both characters towards one other, which caused Julie and Jean to engage in such a tryst. The Midsummer Eve celebration and its intoxicating drinks and passion-inducing dancing lowered the inhibitions of both characters.The celebration increased Julieââ¬â¢s lust and her emotional vulnerability from her recently broken engagement with her fiance made Julie vulnerable to Jeanââ¬â¢s seduction; his tale of falli ng in love with her upon laying his eyes on her and subsequently wanting to kill himself because of the obviously lack of romantic relationship that would form between them was especially effective; Julieââ¬â¢s vulnerability to Jeanââ¬â¢s seduction could also be attributed to her female sensibilities.Likewise, the celebration likely emboldened Jean to proceed with his seduction, with Jeanââ¬â¢s ultimate goal being using Julieââ¬â¢s wealth to finance his dreams of opening a hotel and becoming a Count. Before Julieââ¬â¢s seduction by Jean, she possessed the power or the appearance of power in the relationship. Jean addressed her respectfully, as befitting a servant talking to his mistress. Julie could toy with Jean and command him to do almost anything, such as forcing him to dance with her or kissing her shoes, as she was of a higher class and had authority over Jean, who was a lowly servant.However, after Jeanââ¬â¢s successful seduction of Julie, the class lines th at existed between them were broken down and they were became social equals, thus their relationship shifted focus to power struggles with respect to gender. While Julie still insults Jean regarding his lower social standing, Jean responds with derogatory remarks such as calling her a whore (page 90) for throwing herself at one with such a lower social standing, which was unthinkable for women in her position at the time.Despite the antagonistic and sadomasochistic relationship that arose between them after the seduction, Julie and Jean still could use each other to benefit themselves. Julie was tired of the social standards that were imposed upon her, thus she desired to fall to Jeanââ¬â¢s social level. Whereas Jean, with his grand ambitions of becoming a Count, sought to rise in the social ladder through Julieââ¬â¢s wealth. Julie and Jean were able to temporarily rebel, against the social norms that constrained them, through having an affair despite the immense difference in their social standings.They planned to further this rebellion through running away together and starting their own hotel. However, this radical plan was stopped by Christine, who prevented the lovers access to horses and their escape, who embodied the social disapproval at the inappropriateness of a tryst between two of such different class and their plan to escape the consequences. Julie and Jean still could have escaped by foot but for the ringing of the bell that signaled the return of the Count.The Count, whose presence pervaded throughout the story, whose very mention reduced Jean to sniveling servility, and shamed and angered Julie greatly, ultimately held power over both the lovers. Despite never being physically present in the play, the Count still commanded great fear and respect in both Julie and Jean. He symbolized the omnipresence of social authority and the power it commanded over its subjects. The most convincing example of this is in the end of the play, Julie wished to commit suicide to escape her shame and indignity but lacked the willpower to do so.She implored Jean to command to do so, but he suffered the same problem and lacked the willpower too. Only through hypnotizing himself, by acting as the Count giving him a command, was Jean able to command Julie to commit suicide. Only through both Julie and Jean submitting to the social authority, represented by the Count, was Julie able to achieve the end that she desired. In the end, though Julie and Jean were able to temporarily fight against the environmental forces through their affair and hatching a fantastic escape plan for a new life, neither of the lovers were able to escape their respective upbringings and social classes.One could argue that Julie was able to rebel against the social authority through suicide which released its power over her; one must also consider that an aristocrat such as her would be ingrained to avoid bringing such great shame upon her family through her upbringin g and surrounding environments , thus the social authority is responsible for her suicide, which is almost unsurprising or even expected.Likewise, Jean was not able to escape the social authority either, he was not able to commit suicide because of his lack of aristocratic pride is replaced with a greater sense of self preservation, thus Jean will suffer the full wrath of the Count and the social authority for causing Julieââ¬â¢s death and attempting to disrupt the social equilibrium.Ultimately, Jean and Julie have been and always will be subject to the social authority for the entirety of their lives, any control or freedom is merely a temporary illusion which will be broken quickly and dramatically. Work Cited 1. Strindberg, August. Miss Julie and Other Plays. Oxford University Press, 1988. Print.
Friday, August 30, 2019
Discovering Las Vegasââ¬â¢ Vibrance and Orlandoââ¬â¢s Magic
Life can be so dreary if you just wallow in work all the time. For all you know, you might be burnt out and this has caused you to be irritable and looking stressed because of the drudgeries of daily routine. Being burned out is more than just a feeling; it is a condition. Being burned out implies that one is totally exhausted, both physically and emotionally, and that rest, recuperation, or vacation can be a key to ease you out of it. Actually, we need not to go far to have a vacation. Las Vegas and Orlando are two of the most visited cities to have a vacation. Thus, we will try to evaluate the ups and downs of having a vacation in Las Vegas and Orlando by browsing through articles that feature these cities. Anyone might have known Las Vegas because it is constantly represented in movies as a site for gambling and shotgun weddings. In addition to what Las Vegas is known for, it is also city renowned for its desert resort getaways. When a visitor wants get into the cityââ¬â¢s hub, ââ¬Å"The Stripâ⬠is the answer. ââ¬Å"The Stripâ⬠is lined with dazzling luxury hotels, casinos, and nightclubs that offer not just gambling, but also exotic entertainment. In fact, when anyone visits ââ¬Å"The Stripâ⬠, it would summon memories of movie scenes as it stretches along part of Las Vegas Boulevard South, where buildings are known for its dazzling neon signs, psychedelic electronic billboards and spectacular interiors (Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Online, 2007). Sanchez (1999) shared that there are two parts to the state and Las Vegas. Thereââ¬â¢s the Old West, with its morals and values: you shoot a burglar. If he falls inside your home, youââ¬â¢re okay; if he falls on your lawn, youââ¬â¢re in trouble. The other part is the casinos. Las Vegas is totally about money. The streets are truly paved with gold. They [the usual ââ¬Å"theyâ⬠, the people who run things] only want people to know about the Strip. Off the Strip, thereââ¬â¢s nothing to do. They want people to drop ten thousand dollars and come back later trying to win it back. Casino profits go up and up. They showed us the records at school. There's never a dip. But itââ¬â¢s a camouflage. Without casinos, Las Vegas will be like Austin, Texas. Weââ¬â¢d be lame, but a town, a community. Weââ¬â¢d be a little town in the desert. But the Las Vegas mentality is ââ¬Å"Weââ¬â¢re the whole stateâ⬠. Clark County became our state, and we let the casinos take care of us (Sanchez, 1999, p. 92). But thereââ¬â¢s more to casinos and weddings in Las Vegas, according to Rosenthal and Renaud (October 2005) in Shape magazine, one can visit an oasis in the luxurious Green Valley Ranch Resort, Casino ; Spa. They suggested that the stay there is ââ¬Å"all about understated eleganceâ⬠. The resort is a ââ¬Å"full-fledged Las Vegas-style casino hotel without the over-the-top theme-park decor, itââ¬â¢s an easy 10-minute cab or shuttle ride to action on The Stripâ⬠. However, Rosenthal and Renaud (October 2005) assured travelers that they will be tempted to ââ¬Å"stay put and enjoy the array of restaurants, gaming action and luxury treatments and activities at the spa and fitness centerâ⬠. For health buffs, Rosenthal and Renaud (October 2005) warned that although self-control can be challenging amidst the flashing neon signs that are tempting you toward ââ¬Å"all-you-can-eat buffets and free drinksâ⬠, both authors suggested that they could visit the Little Buddha at the Palms Casino Resort, located at 4321 W. Flamingo Road. According to Rosenthal and Renaud (October 2005), ââ¬Å"the restaurant is done up in sexy shades of redâ⬠, and ââ¬Å"the dà ©cor is opulent, with massive Buddha statues and velvet stools lining the restaurantââ¬â¢s glowing barâ⬠. On weekends, visitors can ââ¬Å"feast upon light yet flavorful sushi and other pan-Asian treats while a DJ spins world musicâ⬠. Another place that Rosenthal and Renaud (October 2005) recommended is the Red Rock Canyon. Situated accessibly in a 25-minute drive west of the neon glares of ââ¬Å"The Stripâ⬠, they described Red Rock Canyon as a ââ¬Å"Mojave Desert conservation area where petrified dunes, arches and cliffs come in a stunning palette of colorsâ⬠. According to Rosenthal and Renaud (October 2005), ââ¬Å"there are more than 30 miles of hiking trailsâ⬠and they recommended to trek the ââ¬Å"moderate six-mile White Rock loop past trickling springs and rock formationsâ⬠. They also advised that to watch out for some desert tortoises, wild burros and red-tailed hawks that could be encountered in the trail. Of course, visitors are advised to bring ample amount of water when visitors decide to choose this kind of adventure. On the other hand, the mention of Orlando invites us to think of one word: Disney. Anyone might not be surprised that the Disney complex alone covers 47 square miles (122 square km). Several large resorts are not the only exciting attractions that Disney offers, any visitor would marvel at ââ¬Å"the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios, and Animal Kingdomâ⬠. Also in the greater Orlando area are ââ¬Å"Universal Orlando (with the Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure theme parks), Sea World of Florida (a marine-animal park), and Wet ââ¬Ën Wild (a large water park)â⬠. In addition, Lack Haven Park contains art, science, and history museums. Gatorland, just to the south, is home to alligators and crocodiles (Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Online, 2007). In Hagamanââ¬â¢s article (1998) about Orlando in the PSA Journal, she suggested that aside from Disney, any visitor can also experience the glamor of Hollywood while staying at the doorstep near Universal Studios, Florida, where they could stand at awe with the likes of Jaws, King Kong, Woody and Winny Woodpecker and other characters ââ¬Å"just waiting to give you a thrill and photo opportunitiesâ⬠. Hagaman (1998) also recommended having fun beneath ââ¬Å"swaying palm trees in the heart of Americaââ¬â¢s vacation fantasy landâ⬠because ââ¬Å"visitors always enjoy Orlandoââ¬â¢s splendid weather and natural beautyâ⬠. Hagaman (1998) cited that the opening of Cypress Gardens in 1936 marked the beginning of a new era in Central Florida, where any visitor can marvel at the new Birdwalk Aviary, composed of five new animal habitats. The list goes on as Hagaman (1998) cited other places of interest like the Butterfly Conservatory, European acrobatic acts, floral festivals, and a new fast-paced and thrilling water ski showâ⬠. The Cypress Gardens is situated 22 miles south of I-4 be tween Orlando and Tampa. Hagaman (1998) also prided that Orlando has treats for history lovers. She assured visitors will bask in a ââ¬Å"magical evening in a medieval castle at King Henryââ¬â¢s Feastâ⬠. King Henryââ¬â¢s Feast features a banquet and show that compose of ââ¬Å"a bountiful four-course dinner while special royal entertainment and amazing death-defying feats are performed right before your eyes. Tankards of beer, wine and soft drinks are included with dinnerâ⬠. Hagaman (1998) informed that King Henryââ¬â¢s Feast is in Orlando.à Another recommended attraction by Hagaman (1998) is located near Kissimmee, where visitors would have the feel of traveling back to the days of yore at Medieval Times. Hagaman (1998) revealed that this is Central Floridaââ¬â¢s number one 1 dinner attraction located on Highway 92 near Disney. Visitors will definitely have fun feasting on a ââ¬Å"regal banquet inside the 11th-century European style castle and cheer for knights on horseback jousting and sword fightingâ⬠. Hagaman (1998) also included in her list of attractions the Pointe Orlando, which is ââ¬Å"a 450,000 square foot Lifestyle Entertainment Center located across from the Convention Center, featuring FAO Schwartz, multi-screen cinema, and a 3-D IMAX theaterâ⬠. In this entertainment center, nightclubs, outstanding restaurants, and the finest collection of 60 unique retailers will surely make visitors busy while in Orlando. Moreover, visitors should also delight the Oriental magic of Splendid China. Hagaman (1998) described it as ââ¬Å"a 76-acre attraction featuring 5,000 years of authentic Chinese cultureâ⬠. In here, Hagaman (1998) described that visitors will see a replica of Chinaââ¬â¢s historical sites and landmarks, like the Forbidden City, Great Wall, Leshan Budda and many others. Hagaman (1998)à also mentioned ââ¬Å"The Mysterious Kingdom of the Orientâ⬠, which is ââ¬Å"a pulsating and visually majestic presentation of 70 talented acrobats, dancers and actorsâ⬠. Lastly, Hagaman (1998) invited visitors to discover Chinatown for its ââ¬Å"excellent dining and unique shoppingâ⬠. Both locations have their unique features, the casinos and desert resorts in Las Vegas and the theme parks in Orlando. Whatââ¬â¢s best is that both cities offer different features and landmarks for different interests. Las Vegas discovered that shopping, dining, and entertainment could attract non-gamblers and also serve as secondary activities for all but the most dedicated gamblers. The Forum shopping mall at Caesars in Las Vegas provides continuous entertainment and a great variety of restaurants, making the retail sales areas some of the most costly and desirable to rent in North America. Today, the top attraction in Las Vegas is shopping, not gambling. However, I feel that there are more things to do in Orlando than in Las Vegas. I believe that tourist markets should be dynamic and a marketing information system should come in important. Destinations need to closely monitor the relative popularity of their various attractions by determining the number and type of tourists attracted to each and I think Orlando is more publicized in this arena. References Hagaman, C. L. (1998, February). Orlando: Never Outgrow the Magic. PSA Journal, 64, 16-18. Las Vegas. (2007). In Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica.à Retrieved February 14, 2007, from Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Online: http://www.search.eb.com/eb/article-9047243. Orlando. (2007). In Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica.à Retrieved February 14, 2007, from Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Online: http://www.search.eb.com/eb/article-9057392. Rosenthal, J. and Renaud, L. (2005, October). Sin-City Shapeovers. Shape, 25(2): 38. Sanchez, M. (1999). Growing Up in Las Vegas. In The Real Las Vegas: Life beyond the Strip, Littlejohn, D. (Ed.) (pp. 75-96). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Corporate Faliure Maxwell Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words
Corporate Faliure Maxwell Communications - Essay Example In Britain rates of insolvency have risen to historic highs, punctuated quite dramatically by company failures from Rolls Royce through the Olympia and York failure (the developers of London's Docklands), and the collapse of the Maxwell communications empire. Because struggling debtor corporations frequently raid their pension funds for cash, which consequently are under-funded when companies declare bankruptcy, significant private costs have been off-loaded onto the government. Furthermore, failing firms do not pay their taxes, and so the tax authorities frequently join the list of unpaid creditors (Altman2003). Yet bankruptcy is not without its beneficiaries. Just as a deadly epidemic is lucrative for undertakers and morticians, the vast sums of money involved in the largest corporate bankruptcies have exerted a magnetic effect on the most sophisticated--and expensive--corporate lawyers and accountants. ... accounting, in both the United States and Britain, have become prestigious revenue-centers for law and accounting firms, so much so that in the United States there is increasing pressure to pare down the size of professional fees. During the 1980s, several of the largest accounting firms in Britain merged with small boutique insolvency firms, such as Cork Gully's assimilation by Coopers and Lybrand, just as numbers of large United States law firms absorbed smaller bankruptcy specialist firms simply in order to acquire their expertise in a quickly growing area (Altman2003). the case of Maxwell shows that despite the far-reaching practical implications of such legal change, bankruptcy law opens up an almost virgin field of inquiry for sociolegal scholars and sociologists. Given the enormous impact bankruptcy reforms are alleged to have, little research has appraised what or who shaped the bankruptcy laws in either country. Empirical studies document the aftermath and apparent consequentiality of the reforms. Bankruptcy law provides an especially valuable site to account for the distribution of power among corporations for two reasons. On the one hand, at the moment of bankruptcy, every credit relationship, which is to say every financial relationship with other companies, banks, the state, consumers, suppliers, workers, and even communities, is simultaneously thrown into doubt. In principle, every player in the organizational network is at the bankruptcy table. All their interests are manifest, as each vies for a piece of a pie that will be too small to satisfy them all. On the other hand, who wins is directly contingent upon statutory priority or on the strength of their security--the legal instruments creditors have used to protect their interests. This conjunction
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
REACH. Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Essay
REACH. Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals - Essay Example This paper discusses what REACH entails and how it affects EU by it regulations. Apart from the sole of ensuring regulation of trade in chemical substances, REACH performs several duties, like safeguarding human health at all levels and the protection of the environmental too. Secondly, they inform organizations involved with chemical manufacture of the risks likely to result from their actions (Workplace Law Group 612). In addition, they monitor the movement and use of chemical substances within the EU. Lastly, they promote creativity in substance manufacturing by ensuring operations are in accordance with ethics. REACH has the strictest law ever implemented by the EU and it took them almost seven years before coming up with this complex decree. REACH ensures that corporations dealing with chemical substances exceeding a tone are registered with the European chemicals agency. Before they accent to a registration, there are certain requirements that qualify one for registration for example substances that do not pose harm to human health (Leeuwen, & Vermeire 6).Moreover, it should not be of a high concern in terms of chemical content. REACH laws also deals with prohibition of trade for substances lacking registration and certification from European chemicals agency. However, there are exempted cases for radioactive items and certain wastes. Food substances and military equipment are also exempted form certain cases. Controversy aroused from its duties when they harmonized and improved the past legislative framework. Reach as a body began to function on June 1 2007, thereafter going through a session of complete registration in 2008. The organization has approval by environmental bodies such as ââ¬Å"Environmental management systemâ⬠and OHSAS 18001 who have confirmed credibility for REACHââ¬â¢s activities. This body has the mandate of monitoring the supply of chemical products imported to the EU zone. They perform their duties using certain
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Lower division capstone ip3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Lower division capstone ip3 - Essay Example Following is how I start. Before we start, I would postulate that I could expect to achieve a face-to-face interview at three prominent organizations that I know and that I also know in particular as attractive and potential employers. On my list Wal-Mart is the first one. Undoubtedly this is an organization that is well known to me and comfy talking about as far as marketing is related. Continued expansion and success are attributes that make this particular firm so attracting for the job. A workable opportunity in the marketing department should be permissible as praiseworthy. The most significant of it is to categorize whether the asked opportunity is a low hanging fruit, single, or a good home run. Moreover, the most crucial thing is to assess every opportunity of marketing and after that come to an communicated decision that will mostly likely to be based on my past experiences and market research to finalize the best one out of those ideas. Foreseeing the selected idea will result positively or negatively on the organization and also deciding the importance of the opportunity would be for a financial improvement or not. My suggestion for business giant like Wal-Mart is to go for the implementation of cell phone contract with the reliable network of the country, but with Wal-Mart acting the go between to help will ease up the process for the customers as possible. It would be quite an easy objective for Wal-Mart to master; if I would have to categorize it, I will set it in the easily achievable category or the fruit hanging low in the customer domain. However, this objective will give boost to the company to compete with the other national cellular service providers who would also want to take advantage for providing this service. Second one my valuable companies would be Blockbuster. My suggestion for this company would be to upgrade in the digital area. If they are able to upgrade themselves in the field of technology and have more
Monday, August 26, 2019
Implantable cardiac pacemaker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words
Implantable cardiac pacemaker - Essay Example Its blood pumping role is set at a certain pulse limit below or above which the process becomes abnormal which may be fatal.In this regard, a device called pacemaker which is an artificial pulse regulator was invented for those with malfunctioning heart muscle. It is the comparison between the structure and functions of the device that is taken through critical investigation with the aim of establishing its mechanism of pulsating. The clinical problem that the device addresses, including a brief description of the therapeutic function, and a brief history of the development and deployment of the device The management and caring for patients diagnosed with cardiac problem has been very challenging in the present world owing to the complexity of these infections. Electric pacing is one of the latest medical engineering developments that has gained acceptance as being one of the common prophylactic or therapeutic strategies of managing cardiac problems in patients. In the management of myocardial infections compounded by system injury, temporary cardiac pacing devices often play a significant role (Luderitz, 2012). It is at this point that cardiac pacemaker is deployed in order to help patients suffering from cardiac problems. The primary function of cardiac pacemaker in clinical and medical health is to pace hearts to help in recognizing the presence of intrinsic cardiac electrical activity and to restrain pacing of the heart in the absence of normal intrinsic impulses. This electric pacing device is often implanted in the heart of patients diagnosed with sinus node dysfunction. Only two approaches were commonly employed in the restoration of cardiac arrest (Bernstein, 2002, pp.260-2). This happened years before cardiac pacemakers were advanced. The two methods were intracardial therapy and mechanical simulation. The first successful heart pacing treatment was a case of an Australian baby that used Lidwillââ¬â¢s apparatus as the artificial pacemaker. Irrespect ive of the drugs and medical therapy used in this first pacing case, medical doctors at the New York Beth Hospital attributed the success to the prick needle inserted into the heart. The design was named after the founder, Hymanââ¬â¢s pacemaker, which took place in 1932. Interest in pacemakers (artificial pacemakers) with respect to cardiology rekindled after WWII, this time round, the exercise was spearheaded by Callagan, Hopps, and Bigelow, research experts at the University of Toronto, Canada. After conducting a thoracotomy, John Hopps designed the first artificial pacemaker with the ability to produce impulses at the desired rhythm (Bigelow, 2008, p.841). However, the first case of clinical application of pacemaker happened in 1952. This first successful application of pacemaker involved Zollââ¬â¢s pacemaker. This occurred at the Boston Beth Israel Hospital when a man aged 75 was admitted to suffering episodes perceived to be Stokes Adams attack (collapse without warning a nd unconsciousness) and heart blockage, a condition that is common among the elderly and is associated with ischemic disease of the heart (Bigelow, 2008, p. 842). The first implantation of the pacemaker took place on October 8, 1958. This involved Mr. Larsson Arne (aged 43) who was found to be suffering from Stokes-Adams attacks and complete heart block. However, following the increase in technological innovation and advancements in the late 1970ââ¬â¢
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Open Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words
Open - Term Paper Example Investors are always looking for strategies through which they can generate higher return on their investment whether that particular strategy falls within the domain of any particular theory or not. Through this paper a unique method of increasing the investorââ¬â¢s return is analyzed, i.e. by following the transaction pattern of a director of the corporation. The directors in corporations all around the globe are actively involved in insider trading of their shares, and being on a strategic position they are well aware of the future outlook of their company. It is a general notion that the directors of the company are able to generate profits by selling the shares of the company and this paper tries to provide empirical evidence for it. The paper has two primary objectives: (1) Whether directors are able to generate abnormal gain through insider trading of the shares, as suggested by various economists and financial analyst (based on American Stock Market) (2) Can individual and corporate shareholder can also earn good return by following in the footsteps of the directors. In the world of economics and finance, when it comes to financial malpractices, insider trading tops the list. Insider trading is one of the most notorious financial crimes being practiced by managers, directors and other employees all around the globe. Insider trading can be defined as the buying and selling of a security by an individual who has direct and reliable access to the non-public information about the security. Insider trading is not always considered as a malpractice or illegal and is subjective to the underlying intention to the transaction. The statement can be further elaborated by considering the fact that if the trader is reaping profits on the basis of such information which is not being public yet, then the insider trading transaction is illegal. In addition, insider trading does not always mean that buying and selling of security is taking place. Providing confidenti al information to a third party, in exchange of monetary or any other form of consideration, is also illegal. The practice of insider trading is not confined to Directors of any corporation but the practice also prevails among brokers and even the family members of the directors. Although, once the information is public, the inside transaction is not illegal as the parties involved does not derive any unfair advantage over the general public. Media has made the masses at general knowledgeable with the passage of time and they have also equipped themselves with the technicalities of insider trading especially after the cases of Enron and Martha Stewart. The Securities and Exchange Commission of USA has adopted the practice of enforcing strict and practical guidelines which distinguishes legal and illegal trading of the shares by the inside people. Insider trading is not a recent or a latest money making gimmick which has been exploited by the directors and managers to earn higher ret urn. The history of insider trading dates back to the great depression as well. The securities and exchange commission of the United State has made it compulsory for the key management personnel and other officers of the company. Insider trading creates impact on the share price of the corporation to which the transaction
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Global Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1
Global Marketing - Essay Example Because of this free flow of information, it has to be said that there has been a tremendous rise of competition in the global market place. As of the recent times, many companies are focusing on entering many new markets for the purpose of clocking significant business growth opportunities. It has to be said that this particular project discusses about the internationally acclaimed ethical cosmetic and beauty product offering company Body Shop and its efforts related to entering the market of China. Introduction The world of the 21st century is moving at a rapid pace. The tremendous momentum of the pace is being spearheaded on the basis of fast growth and rapid development. It is of considerable importance to mention that the rapid growth of the telecommunication technology has acted as a major catalyst in promoting tremendous growth for the emergence of high speed internet technology. It is largely relevant to mention that the faster penetration of the internet has resulted in a tr emendous spike of acceptance of Smartphones in the markets of both the developed as well as developing economies. Because of the smooth and seamless integration of the developed world with the developing economies on the lines of the technology medium, it has to be said that the world in itself has transformed into a single and well connected entity. It has to be said that the globally connected entity has resulted in the
Friday, August 23, 2019
Engineering semulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Engineering semulation - Essay Example There are four tasks to be done: first is to show how to plot a specific behaviour of a system; the second task is about choosing the suitable time step for the simulation; in the third task I have to find the best spring stiffness, under certain speed and the last task is to describe the experience of using COSMOSMOTIONS and highlighting its advantages and disadvantages This sub-assembly has two rocker arms, two valves and a camshaft. It has to be analyzed. The least contact force between the rocker and the camshaft is to be found by varying (changing) the spring stiffness. I deleted the lower parts of the complex system as seen in the picture. If it was included, the program will take too much time to calculate such a complex system. For task 1 to plot the contact force, linear velocity and linear acceleration charts, the motor speed was kept at 100 rpm. This is the linear velocity chart. The chart shows the rocker speed first rises up as the rocker rises and reaches a point where the speed becomes zero. Then speed starts decreasing while the rocker is retrieving its position. This motion is periodic and is repeated continuously. Task two: controlling the accuracy in the simulation. The size of the time step is an important factor which affects the error in the simulation. Larger time step increases the error and a very small time step will cause the simulation program to take too much time to calculate; a suitable time step is to be chosen. The program has 98.7% probability that itââ¬â¢s accurate and the 2.3% probability is for a value between 317 and the first 42 value on the force chart. I select the second accurate time step which is 0.00001 for the best efficiency and results in the minimum time. Choosing smaller time step will take more time to calculate, without any improvement in accuracy: Task 2 ends here. For task 3, I set motor speed to 7800 rpm and find
Impairments of intangible (including goodwill) Research Paper
Impairments of intangible (including goodwill) - Research Paper Example Under the USA GAAP principle, the methodology used for the determination of the impairment of long lived assets is based on the two step approach. In the two steps approach, the first step requires test of recoverability. In this test, the comparison of the carrying amount and future amount of discounted cash flows from the using and disposing. In case, the assets are determined to be not recoverable than impairment testing conduct becomes mandatory. Contrary to this, in the IFRS system one step approach is employed. Under this system, the existence of the impairment indicators makes it mandatory for the application of the impairment testing (EY, a). The second major difference in the treatment of intangible assets in US GAAP and IFRS exist in calculation of the loss in the impairment of long lived assets. Under the system of US GAAP using FAS 157 entitled Fair Value Measurement is employed and the loss calculation is difference between the carrying amounts to the fair value amount. On the other hand, the IFRS system of financial reporting, the calculation of the loss is conducted by measuring the difference between the carrying amount and the recoverable amount. The recoverable amount is measured as either the fair value net of cost of selling or value in use or value indicating future value of discounted cash flow including the amount received after disposal. ... Additionally, the reporting unit can also be accounted in the level under operating segment or the component. In the IFRS financial reporting of corporate accounts, the allocation of goodwill is conducted differently. Goodwill in the IFRS system is allocated either in the group of Cash Generation Unit (CGU) or CGU itself. Allocation of the Goodwill in the group of CGU represents lowest level from which the internal management monitors goodwill for internal assessment IAS 36.6. Importantly, this group, by law of IFRS 8 (Operating Segment) cannot larger than operating segments (EY, a). In addition to the goodwill allocation carrying differences in the two internationally followed systems of reporting of corporate accounts, methodology for the determination of impairment of goodwill also varies. Corporate accountants using US GAAP system of reporting has to imply the two step approach or methodology for the determining the requisite impairment. Under two-step approach requires performin g the recoverability test at the level of reporting unit in which the allocation of goodwill is conducted. In this initial test, the net amount of difference of the reporting unitââ¬â¢s carrying value to the reporting unitââ¬â¢s fair values is conducted. Positive difference between the carrying value and the fair value of the reporting unit makes it mandatory to perform the impairment test for the goodwill. Companies using IFRS system of developing the financial accounts apply the one step approach. Under the IFRS system it is simply mandated to conduct the impairment test. The impairment test of goodwill is conducted at CGU unit. Under this approach, the comparison of the carrying amount at CGU level with recoverable amount is conducted while carrying amount
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Pornography and US Law Essay Example for Free
Pornography and US Law Essay In Catherine Mackinnonââ¬â¢s book ââ¬Å"Only Wordsâ⬠she describes U. S law as a very strong indictment of a law system in conflict with itself. The book is divided and is a collection of three essays. The first one is a heavy and emotional criticism of pornography. The other two essays evaluate and compare pornography and sexual harassment with racial discrimination and abuse. She defines pornography as ââ¬Å"explicit sexual material that subordinates womenâ⬠(page 13). She argues that ââ¬Ëpornography is sexââ¬â¢, as viewed by the American law, that only views it as a possible cause of injury, instead of an act of sexual discrimination that promotes sexual inequality. She holds that like other kinds of racial and hate speeches, it should be totally banned because it contributes heavily in the degradation, subordination and abuse of women in general. Mackinnon says even if pornography is a form of speech, this does not mean that it cannot be controlled and regulated by the government. She lashes out at the people who believe pornography and other acts of harassment and hate propaganda should be protected by law. Mackinnon argues that that pornography, harassment messages and racial speeches eventually do the same thing, which is ââ¬Ëenact the abuseââ¬â¢. Porn, she says, lowers the dignity and self esteem of women and fuels the acts by ââ¬Å"sexual harassers, wife beaters, child molesters, rapists and clients of prostitutesâ⬠(page 17). The first amendment promotes the problems the fourteenth amendment was supposed to fix. Mackinnon shows a society that is extremely hypocritical. Her words in the book have encompassed real abuse, directed at her as a woman; she has really tried to prove her point. Mackinnon believes that we need to change the first amendment in order to balance it out with the fourteenth amendment on issues concerning free speech and protection of equality. She is campaigning for the ââ¬Å"new model in which free speech does not most readily protect the activities of Nazis, Klansmen and pornographers, while doing nothing for their victimsâ⬠(page 32). She commended two Canadian court decisions which promoted the rights of people negatively affected by pornography and hate speeches and propaganda. Word that involve issues such as bribes, fixing of prices and segregation of facilities are treated as acts of law, but words or pictures target issues involving race and sex are not treated as acts of law, and that is why the courts end up permitting pornography in our societies. She shows how lawyers and judges have used the first amendment to justify the heinous acts of pornographers and racist individuals into political speech. She says that if words have ever been recognized as actions it is in situations concerning sexual harassment. She laments that the courts have reduced their effectiveness by overturning universitiesââ¬â¢ restraints of discriminatory and sexual speeches on campus by throwing out a complaint brought forward by a female shipyard worker who was harassed by having been shown pornography, which is a form of speech that is protected in the first amendment. In fact these words and pictures are protected by law explained as ââ¬Ëthe free and open exchange of ideasââ¬â¢, even reproduced for viewing. Mackinnon says that what the law is concerned with is not what the word does but what the consequences of the word is, the harassment, racism and hate speeches is showing the differences between the different social groups, the power one group has over another. Mackinnon through studies in workplaces, pornographers, on college campuses and others she shows these very discriminatory acts are protected by law as free speech; equality will only be seen and treated as a word. Mackinnon brings to the open many of the contradictions she has been saying in the previous essays, she says that ââ¬Å"the law of equality and the law of freedom of speech are on a collision course in this countryâ⬠(page 47). Mackinnon does a good job in showing the ignorance and shallow thinking of many defenders of pornography. The book is a passionate and eloquent plea to Americans to be able to see beyond the doctrines made normal by society, in particular concerning pornography and racial and hate speeches. She says that Americans suffer from obsession of expressive freedom to the trauma of the McCarthy era. Her arguments show that in some levels, pornography may be restricted, but it has not yet shown reason to be restricted. She later confuses by emphasizing that some of them are made from ââ¬Å"actual child abuse and actual rape and torturesâ⬠(page 56). Certain weaknesses are evident in the book. First of all, she should have devoted more space for the definition of pornography so that it would have been applicable in law. Another weakness is the vague separation of debating and expressing intolerable ideas. These prevent from having clearly defined boundaries. What she fails to bring out in her book is the other side of free speech, the importance of free speech in an independent society like political accountability, self determination among others. Catherine Mackinnonââ¬â¢s views do have pros and cons. Her view that pornography should be controlled by the government I believe is a good thing. Pornography has really led to degradation of the society and this will reduce if it is controlled. To some extent it does lead to subordination of women leading to more cases of aggression towards women, it eventually ââ¬Ëenacts the abuseââ¬â¢. Her suggestion that amendments should be made to the constitution to be able to defend those affected by pornography I believe is also a good thing. Campaigning for the new model that free speech does not protect the activities of those using the right of free speech to justify their actions is also a good idea. Some of the abuses of sexual inequality are regarded as free speech hence not seen as acts of sexual abuse. Lawyers and judges have used this to justify some of the issues affecting the society such as hate speeches, pornography and racial discrimination. Some of the cons is that she uses very few words to explain the definition of pornography, she should have taken more time define her view of pornography. I believe that pornography should be regulated and have to agree with Catherine Mackinnon. Pornography has caused serious consequences to the society in general and therefore should be controlled. The pornographers have the freedom to do a lot and they are protected by the constitution. To some extent it does lead to subordination of women, hence pornography should be controlled.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Pro Choice View On Abortion Philosophy Essay
Pro Choice View On Abortion Philosophy Essay Abortion is one of the most disputable issues discussed all over the world today. Several decades ago abortion was considered only a social issue, but now situation has changed and it has also a political and ethical context. The issue of abortion does not become an important ethical issue as long as modern medicine has not provided its relative safety, and only now, in recent decades, the issue has inflamed a sharp public controversy. Thus, the main aim of this paper is to discuss pro-choice view on abortion. First of all it is necessary to answer the question what an abortion is? Abortionà is the termination of aà pregnancyà by the removal or expulsion from theà uterusà of aà fetusà orà embryo, resulting in or caused by its death. Observing this topic we can see that there are many different points of views around this question and there are, apparently, three main positions on the issue of abortion. At one extreme we see the supporters of preserving life (people who have pro-life position) who would ban abortions in all circumstances: they believe that the government may not encourage the destruction of the embryo or fetus, legalizing abortion. At the other extreme are advocates of free choice (pro-choice position): they believe that the law should not restrict the freedom of choice for the mother, because all pregnant women should have the opportunity to request an abortion. Intermediate position is occupied by those who believe abortion is permissible only in certain c ases (for example, when the pregnancy is dangerous for the mothers life or was the result of rape or incest), as well as those who believe that it should not be the main method of birth control. In this part we are going to concern our attention on pro-choice abortion and according to Colker, we see that Pro-choice abortion is the belief that women have the right to choose to abort a baby from their body. The pro-choice view is that a baby does not have human rights within the mothers womb. The people of the United States never voted on or supported this pro-choice position. Actually, it was the U.S. Supreme Court that legalized abortion as a result of Roe vs. Wade on January 22, 1973. (Colker, 1992). Analyzing contemporary situation it becomes obvious that movement for the legalization of abortion in recent years has also become a well-organized and politically active force: it is supported by a series of specially created organizations nationwide, and tens of major religious groups. Opponents of the ban on abortion put forward four main ethical arguments: 1. No person shall be entitled to compel a woman to preserve the pregnancy against her will. 2. We should not give birth to unwanted children. 3. Abortion was never subjected to the ban, if the legislators were not men. (Or, as one aphorism says, if men could get pregnant, abortion rights would be considered sacred.) 4. If a woman has no right to freely dispose of own body, including control of reproductive function, then there is no real freedom at all. Advocates of abortion rights typically originate from the fact that the government should not intervene in the privacy of women deciding for them the fate of a pregnancy. They believe that every woman should have a choice to abort or not, at the same time, they stress that such choice does not force anyone to a particular decision. In addition, it is noted that no one should be required by law to risk own health, and yet at the complete prohibition of abortion, many pregnant women are exposed to the dangers of childbearing and childbirth, as well as unsafe criminal abortions. What supporters of pro-choice position have to say about how to deal with the right to self-actualization of the fetus, with its right to life, with its right to the pursuit of happiness? Pro-choice supporters proceed from the concept of social development of personality. Since the fetus has no idea about own future, about own personality, then it can not be self-consciousness. Once there is no consciousness, then the concept of consent to it is not applicable. (Jelen Wilcox, 2003). Are these arguments are more persuasive than the arguments against abortion? Nobody can definitely say yes or no, because there is no one single view on this issue in contemporary society. Thinking about different points of view on pro-life and pro-choice abortion Levitt Dubner stated that pro-choice position allows to control criminal situation in the country. They explained that decades of research indicate that children from disadvantaged backgrounds are much more likely to become criminals than others. (Levitt Dubner, 2005). Thus, abortions allow to control criminal situation in the country due to their distance effect, because years later, these unborn children are not replenished the ranks of criminals and crime stopped. Debating this topic and looking at the problem from ethical and psychological side we should remember about the situation that the woman, who decided to make abortion, found herself in psychological crisis, and sometimes she is also found herself in a great despair, but we can contradict to above mentioned women other pregnant woman who wait for their babies and are full of happiness and excitement that in the nearest future they will become mothers and will see their little babies. There are many different people, and different situations, but there is one variable childs lifeà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦ It is necessary to think deeply about how it can happen that a child for one woman is a great grief and they are willing to pay money for childs death, but for others childs birth is so good that they go to any expenses to have a baby. It is a description of dual character of one situation around childs lifeà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦ Thus, according to Staggenborg, despite all the support for abortion, one of the important pro-choice facts is that those who raise pro choice issues to strengthen their cause are not pro abortion. They take the right to as a womans freedom to her body and life. However, we must remember that abortion should not cloud the sanctity of life. It is important to bear in mind theà pros and cons of abortionsà before taking any decisions regarding ones pregnancy. (Staggenborg, 1994). Taking into consideration all the above stated it is possible to conclude that in discussing the moral aspects of abortion we usually used many arguments in favor of one or another position. Whatever our personal view, it is important to be able to recognize the ways of argumentation in ethical reasoning, which in reality is not as logical as it might seem at first glance. It is necessary to remember that every human child should be wanted, nurtured, loved and cherished. In such a way birth control and abortion are the part of necessary policy in this direction. Choices in this case should belong to the pregnant woman, and only her wish to save or not to save a child should be the main argument in pro-choice position.
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Countless stereotypes and negative representations exist
Countless stereotypes and negative representations exist I. Introduction A countless stereotypes and negative representations exist about the Middle East by the Western media. It is known that media is very powerful source that shapes peoples minds and opinions. For some people, media is the only source they acquire their information through, especially when it comes to other cultures and populations. Western media coverage of the Middle East issues, Arab, and Muslim world is clearly a continuous subject. These stereotypes and negative representations have negative associations as Westerns assume that every member of a certain group has the same characteristics. As mentioned by Macdonald (2003), stereotypes homogenize people and put them under the same umbrella which results in biased pictures. While stereotypes can be sometimes positive, still negative stereotypes are much more problematic, causing conflicts. (Macdonald 2003). It seems that Western media is have always been having the tendency to misrepresent Arab Muslim women as Islam came around. As Miladi (2010) said, Western does not know much about neither Islam nor Arab cultures nor traditions. As a result of this lack of knowledge, the Western media tends to represent Arab Muslim women as oppressed, victimized, and have no voice, and this is because of Islam, mainly the veil. In his research paper, Morin (2009) pointed out that the veil is being misrepresented by the Western media since forever; the Western media is fascinated by the veil or the Hijab. The issue of veil and women who wear the veil is a common misunderstood concept in the West. Westerners often think that this is a harsh custom that Islam requires of women. They claim that these women have no freedom or dignity for wearing these veils and that they look like ghosts in this custom. In some old movies, the Islamic custom is portrayed as a way for women to play with identity and her sexuality. But in fact, these veils actuality help protect women. (Posetty, 2006). Stereotypes may take the form of both physical stereotypes and mental stereotypes. The physical stereotypes are usually related to the concept of the veil as women who wear the veil are seen as anti-West and extremists. As for the mental stereotypes which can be very dangerous, it is caused by narrow-minded ideas and false data. Mental stereotyping of Arabs in the Western media includes portrays anti-Western attitudes, extremism and terrorism. In fact, the Westerns have ignored the fact that Islam is a tolerant religion that gave women the right to be educated and the right to participate in political, economical, and social activities in their community. Women were also given the right to vote, the right to inherit property and take charge of their possessions (Miladi, 2010). Perhaps some of these rights are disallowed or denied by Muslim women today not because of Islam, but because of cultural traditions that should not be correlated to Islam. The problem of these negative stereotypes has begun long time ago as it was rooted by the Arab misrepresentation. Stereotyping of Arabs has been dominating the Western media and was highly evoked since the incident of 9/11. All Arabs have been stereotyped as terrorists and extremists. It also started with the theory of The Clash of Civilizations that was written by Samuel P. Huntington in 1997. (Macdonald 2003). In his thesis, Huntington stated that the conflicts between the West and the Middle East will be resulted by the clashes of religions, and cultures, and that there is a new enemy to the Western world that is emerging which is Islam. According to Morin (2009), what also evoked the stereotyping towards Arabs and Muslim world is that the Arab media that is also practicing stereotyping of Westerners as enemies of Islam and Muslims across the world. Somehow through these misconceptions, Western media is always under the impression that Arab women are caged in the Arab world and its culture as well as being oppressed and victimized just because of the way they dress. Because of these images, it is always neglected that there are so many business women in the Arab world and that the rate of education in the Arab world is very high among women who indicates that women are well educated at the Arab World as well as that they are granted almost the same rights of men (Ahmed, 1992). In order to improve the situation in the Western media according to Ahmed (1992), it is the role of mass media to create better understanding about the Arab cultures, religions, and traditions about the Arab Muslim women. In addition, it is the Arab Muslim womens role in political, social, and cultural fields to change these stereotyping that is dominating the mass media. II. Literature Review Since the last couple of decades, the subjects of Islam, the Muslim community and especially Muslim women seem to have dominated the Western media. It started with the excessive coverage of September 11, the war in Afghanistan and Iraq, the banning of the veil in Europe, to the terrorist attacks and suicide bombers in the Middle East. These are just a few images to name that the Western societies and countries have been absorbing in their daily lives, eventually forming their attitudes, perceptions and ideas about the Muslim world. It all started with Samuel P. Huntington (1997) ââ¬Å"Clash of Civilizationsâ⬠, according to Macdonald (2006). It was Huntington who came within reach of this problematic relationship between the East and the West. ââ¬Å"Clash of Civilizationsâ⬠is a part in his book that is called ââ¬Å"The Rest Vs. The West. (Macdonald, 2006). After the Cold War ended, the desire to search for a new global ideological threat has emerged to replace the collapse of Communism. Since then, it was predicted by the Westerns experts that the Western World is facing a new enemy: Islam. Macdonald (2006). Huntington notion pointed out that Islam has a noticeable contradictory vision and action to the Western ideology, ideas of liberty, and democracy. This phenomenon has been developed and spread into a discourse and got fully attention of the Westerns (United States, the United Kingdom and its allies) perceptions and its relationships towards the world of the Middle East, the Muslims and Islam. As a result of such phenomenon and ideology, the stereotypical idea that Islam and its followers are anti-democracy and anti-Western has become fixed within the minds of the Western society. (Macdonald, 2006). The acts of stereotyping persuade people to respond and behave in the same way that is both negative and prejudiced. The word Arabs is meant to portray a person from the Middle East, it also meant to portray this Arab as terrorist, ignorant, and a person that contradicts with the Western ideologies. In spite of the reality that these persons are from different countries, with varied cultures, attitudes, beliefs, and a diversity of religions, they are typify by one word ââ¬Å" Arabsâ⬠. (Cheney, 1986). Several movies have been misrepresenting Arabs men and women through the years. It is has been pointed out by Cheney (1986), that Jack Shaheen, (2003), stated that 900 films done by in the American cinema showed how Arab men women and children shaped as different and threatening. Hollywood films from 1896 until today portraying Arabs as heartless, enemies, cruel, burglars, extremist in their religion, brutal murderers, and abusers of women. (Cheney, 1986). History shows that since the beginning of cinema, Hollywoods movies have been misrepresenting Arab women. Clearly, film makers did not create these images but inherited Europes pre-existing Arab stereotypes. These images have been created long ago; in the 18th and 19th centuries, European artists and writers offered fictional versions of women as bathed and submissive exotic ââ¬Å"objectsâ⬠. As a result, through the time, the stereotype came to be accepted as valid, becoming a permanent part of European popular culture (Cheney, 1986). In his book ââ¬Å"Reel Bad Arabsâ⬠, Shaheen noticed that ââ¬Å"In Arabian Nights fantasies such as The Sheik (1921), Slave Girl (1947), and John Goldfarb, Please Come Home (1964), Arab women appear as leering out from thin veils, or as unsatisfied, disposable ââ¬Ëknick-knacks lounging on ornate cushions, scantily-clad harem maidens with bare midriffs, closeted in the palaces womens quarters and/or on display in slave marketsâ⬠(Shaheen, 2001:23, cited in Cheney, 1986). The stream continues in the third millennium. In Disneys remake of ââ¬Å"Around the World in Eighty Daysâ⬠(2004), for example, Arnold Schwarzenegger portrays Prince Hapi, a Mideast sheikh with ââ¬Ëone hundred or so wives. This means that films continue to show Arab woman as a slave for sex, even though the image of a terrorist dominated after 9/11. A research paper aimed to analyze U.S. and international newspaper articles on Arab and Muslim women from 9/11/01 till 9/11/05, in order to understand how women who wear the veil are represented in western media. It was found that Reporters rarely give women the chance to speak to look beyond the stereotype and get to know Arab women. Whether oppressed, victimized or turned into a superwoman, that woman in the news is more often not caricature of the Arab and Muslim woman in real life. Readers have not yet able to receive a consistent and accurate representation of the diverse personalities, lives and opinions of these women. (Sakr, 2004). Its been always known that TV shows influence Western people perceptions and attitudes towards various issues, especially when it comes to issues related to the Middle East and Arabs. So, most of the misperceptions towards Arab women are caused by the flow of information through TV stations. (Kaufer Al Malki 2009) According to Kaufer Al Malki (2009), on the 28th of September 2009, Oprah Winfrey hosted the ââ¬Å"Goodwill Ambassador for the UNICEFâ⬠; the famous Lebanese singer ââ¬Å"Nancy Ajramâ⬠on her TV show on CBS station. In that show, Winfrey referred to Lebanon as being ââ¬Å"deeply conservativeâ⬠and presented a documentary that shows Lebanese women veiled like the Afghani ones and compared these women with Nancys Ajram style and dance moves. With no doubt, Oprahs documentary misrepresented Lebanese women and created misconception in the minds of Western people about Lebanese women who are the most modernized women in the region. In fact, Nancy Ajram style and fashion represent a large segment of Lebanese females. Statistics show that 75% of the Lebanese women are unveiled and have freedom of dress; they have their full education that exceeds that of men with 44 % compared to 40 % of men. The media is fascinated by the portrayal of Arab women and they way they dress. According to Ahmed (1992), when it comes to portraying Muslim woman, the media in the West seems to be attentive and obsessed by the way they dress which is the veil in particular which has resulted in a great number of reactions and debates. These debates shows that the veil is perceived as a sign of cultural difference in the Western world as it differentiate Arab women from Western ones. (Ahmed, 1992). Muslim Arab woman are always badly portrayed as the shapeless and ghost women in their Islamic dress .they are really confusing the western normal people as its not their fault that what they are seeing on TV is that its the fault of the western media. The Negative stereotyping and reactionary reporting have historically symbolized coverage of Islam and Muslims and have been reflected clearly in the theory of Orientalism created by Edward Said in 1978 which states that the East and its populations are considered backward, barbaric and outsiders to Western society. (Posetty, 2008). As a result, it seems that the media helps in creating the image of the Muslim women as the oppressed other, which will lead to imprecise conclusions, stereotypes and misperceptions of these women. (Macdonald,2006). According to the Orientalist theory, when women are portrayed, they are portrayed as being oppressed, exotic, mysterious, and shy. In addition, the Western media have always been portraying Arabs as violent, stupid, and cruel people that treat women as objects and that they are marginalized in their own society, and that the East all alike in their image for the West. (Macdonald,2006). Therefore, when the Western media frames women as sexual slave and oppressed by men as they are abusing their women, beaten, and humiliated, they are being truthful as this is the image that has been always stuck in the Westerns minds. In fact, the West has been stereotyping Arab women since forever, and they didnt change their look for the Arab women till now. Photographs and Frencp9th Century paintings represented Arab women as property, toy of men, submissive and still, dependent on a man who is the only motive for their survival. (kaufer, 2009). Terms such as the veil, the harem, female circumcision helped in the formation of such misconceptions as well as gave the impression to some of the associated images with the oppressed Muslim woman. The problem is that these perceptions have been incorrectly generalized with no differentiation. (Gwinn, 1997). This problem has made it harder for the veiled Muslim women living in the West, as they tend to suffer more from the intolerance from the way they dress, in addition, they are hardly accepted in the Western communities. (Mohanty, 2005). Arab women in immigrant communities and who are living in Western societies, are victims of these negative stereotypes and gender based media representations. As Morin (2009), noted that these women face negative media coverage that is based on cultural misconceptions and the recent political conflicts that have spoiled Arab-Western relations. As a result, Arab women in immigrant communities cannot win the fight for better media recognition while they continue to be viewed inside the limit of traditional Arab-Islamic stereotypes. (Morin, 2009). As Posetty (2008) stated in his article, in the portrayal of Muslim women, attention is frequently focused on the way they dress, with their clothing seen as a symbol of their threatening, alien status. Images of Islamic dress are increasingly used in the media as visual shorthand for dangerous extremism, and Muslims all over Europe are suffering from the consequences of such associations. The main problem as Ahmed (1992) pointed out, is that the act of veiling among Muslim women or the veil itself is often associated with the lack of traditionalism and backwardness that does not fit into the modern society and among Western women who do not need to veil (Ahmed, 1992). This phenomenon suggests that we can reach the other cultural difference and how the West is fascinated with otherness and still continues within the Western media towards the Muslim world (Ahmed, 1992). Ayish (2010) pointed out in his paper that the Western media tends to portray Arab men as aggressive and abusers of women, and that they control women. Media portray that the women is always wearing her veil, staying at home raising children and only obey her husband who she fears. Newspapers studies has showed that Western illustration of Muslim marriage issues is vague and this is because the lack of the knowledge of foreign cultures and religions One could disagree that the major issue is Islamophobia, many Western journalists, unfamiliar with Islam religion, have a tendency to view the faith as cruel, backward and the contradictory of tolerance. (Ayish, 2010). Morin (2009) stated in his research that stories investigated about Muslim women have shown that Western news reports represents women as the oppressed, mistreated wife, who is obligated to a prearranged marriage by her parents or obligated out of a marriage, and that she is helpless and voiceless in both situations. Another disproportionate as stated by Ayish (2010), Sometimes, the Arab Muslim women is represented as the money hunter, who does not think about who she marries as long as the man she is going to marry is rich enough to indulge her hunger for money. In these situations on the other hand, Arab Muslim men think with different greed, they are sexually deprived and tends to treat women as sexual objects. The men are also harsh and controlling, playing with womens feelings and threats women through oral divorce. Women are thus represented by the Western media as weak and have no rights which permit men to claim superiority (Ayish, 2010). Dominant images of the veiled Muslim woman are always covered in the Western media to present the Muslim woman as a victim as well as being oppressed. (Ahmed, 1992). The veiled of Arab Muslim women has always been misrepresented by the media as it has became a symbol of the oppression of the Muslim woman. This representation as stated by Ahmed (1992), has been highly evoked since the event of the 9/11. As noted in Posetty (2008) research paper, Alison Donnell argues that the September 11 terrorist attacks resulted in media representations of veiling as an object of mystique, exoticism and eroticism and that the veil, or headscarf, is seen as a highly visible sign of a despised difference. The oppression of Muslim women has been regularly used in Western media as suggestive of the barbaric and pre-modern characteristics of Islam. As Helen Watson comments in her article ââ¬Ëthe image of the veiled Muslim woman seems to be one of the most popular Western ways of representing the ââ¬Å"problem of Islamâ⬠. (Posetty, 2008). According to Ahmed (1992), the veil has become the typical symbol of womens oppression in Islam, and is perceived as it creates hostility to Westerns. In fact, the Western media has ignored the fact that veiling as a practice existed before the rise of Islam, especially in Syria and Arabia. It was also a custom among Greeks, Romans, Jews and Assyrians, and not only to Islam. At that time, the veiled Arab woman was perceived as respectable and protected. (Ahmed, 1992). However, as Ahmed (1992) pointed out, the veiled woman is usually represented as having denied pleasure, fun, or bodily self-expression. In some of the Western conceptualizations veiling is used as a means of performing femininity self-exploration and play with identity. With these rising and continuous prejudices against Muslims and, especially, Muslim women, it seems to demonstrate that there is still a huge gap, a barrier that appears to prevent a sense, approval and understanding towards the Muslim ââ¬Ëother. And by ââ¬Ëthe other we mean ââ¬Ëthe oppressed, ââ¬Ëthe traditional-bound, ââ¬Ëthe factory-worker, ââ¬Ëthe poor, etc. (Macdonald,2006). As mentioned before, besides the veil, discussions of the circumcision, polygamy, the sharia (Islamic) law, the harem, forced marriages, etc, are just a few issues that have made this group of women fit into the absolute, homogenous ââ¬Ëoppressed Muslim woman category. (Macdonald,2006). As noted in Falah Nagel (2005) paper, the problem lies when these visual images tend to portray Muslim women as a stereotypical figure; an oppressed figure suffering from a harsh culture. The veil especially is the major theme that is associated with the limitations and the oppression of Muslim Arab women as it was constantly deployed and replayed again in our visually dominated culture. Falah Nagel (2005) argue that the veil is not only representing the oppressed Muslims and Muslim women world, but also the hidden assumption about the superiority of the West in relation to that world. In this case, the figure of the veiled Muslim woman that is being represented through the media, is tending to represent these women as passive victims, muted, untraditional, and oppressed, which therefore creates a cultural-ideological barrier with the Western women. Thus, the problem is that the danger that is resulted from these representations of veiled Muslim women tends to create a division bet ween Western women (as modern, liberated) and Eastern women (as backward, oppressed), while also ignoring the diversity of practices, views and experiences of these women. As Falah Nagel (2005) pointed out, it seems important that the question on how to communicate with the other who is culturally and traditionally different has become one of the most urgent and immediate agendas within North-South/West-East relations and interactions. What is needed is an understanding of this sense of ââ¬Ëurgency, ââ¬Ëgaps and ââ¬Ëbarriers that links to the Westerns knowledge of the ââ¬Ëveiled Muslim woman (Falah Nagel, 2005). As a result, veiled Muslim women become muted and misrepresented. Another major feature found in the Western media especially in advertising is the imagined perspectives such as the myths and fantasies Western culture has about Islam, the Muslims, and especially, veiled Muslim women. This means that not only misconceptions and misunderstandings towards Muslim women have been continuous in modern times, but it has also became widespread and universal by the advent of modern technology. (Falah Nagel, 2005). Miladi (2010) pointed out in his research paper that modern images of Muslim women in American advertisements, argues that Western advertisers tend to spread stereotypes and the wrong representations of the veil and Muslim women in order to appeal to consumers. As a result, advertisers use certain images of Muslim women that have been historically fixed in the Western mind, such as the harem, the hammas (public baths), the mysterious veiled woman or the oppressed woman living under an oppressive ruler or men and use this to attract consumers. The veil especially is itself is considered as an enormous marketing tool, as marketers often use the veil in order to sell sex. (Miladi, 2010). The use of the oppressed women and the veil in advertisements will make the Western consumers think that by buying the advertised product as well as buying the favors of the mysterious woman behind the veil. (Miladi, 2010). The problem as stated by Miladi (2010), is that Westerners are usually buying certain products for buying these imaginary images of the ââ¬Ëother. As a result, through the continuous and repetitive collective exposition to the media, a larger collective imagination will continue to be created and produced about this image of the imaginary veiled Muslim woman ââ¬Å"otherâ⬠. As mentioned by Gwinn (1997), the oppressed veiled Muslim woman in the ads may also be connected to the rising prejudices and debates that surround Muslim women and the veil in the Western world. The oppressed stereotypes of Arab Muslim women as stated by Ahadi (2009), has negative impacts on those women that is very obvious. Stereotypes occur when individuals are classifieds by others as having something in common because they are members of a particular group or category of people. Media stereotyping of women as objects and helpless beings creates very low expectations for societys Arab women. As mentioned by Morin (2009), women living abroad face distinctive discriminations from the Western communities. Western women are always considered as superior to Arab Muslim women especially, the veiled ones. In fact, Arab Muslim women are being oppressed by the negative representations created by the Western media. In addition, these representations may impact on these women psychologically as Western populations perceive the veil as a barrier between them and the veiled women. III. Body Numerous stereotypes and defaming of Arab Muslim women have been controlling the western media. Samuel P. Huntington wrote a theory called Clash of Civilization about Islam has different believes and values that contradict with the Western idea of liberty and democracy, and that Islam is the solo enemy of westerns and the main reason that the world will not going to improve. Islam and Arabs have a way of thinking and believes that is very different than the west has. And that the west see that the road to freedom and democracy of the societies is blocked by the Islam ideologies that block the world from reaching freedom and democracy at its fullest point, from here the stereotyping of Arab Muslim women began. The stereotyping of Arabs in general has taken its fullest load since the incident of 9/11. Westerns have blamed Muslims and Arabs for this tragic incident, and they started to look at them as the main enemies of the west and that if there are any terrorists in the world they are Muslims or Arab Muslims. The westerns have been Arabs have been subjected to discrimination and violence since 9/11, a Muslim girl for example that works in a rental car company was simply fired because she was told that she cannot wear her veil, also a hotel employee stated that he was cursed many times and that people called him Taliban and Osama. Following the September 9/11 attacks on the USA, stereotyping of Muslims, and Muslim women began with such great hatred toward Muslims and Arabs. That the Islam and Muslims are terrorists, thieves, spiteful, merciless, extremist, vicious murderers, and abusers of women. The beginning of the stereotyping of women in the western media was that the women are abused by the Arab men, and they are beaten and they are sex tools for the men, and they abuse them mentally and physically, and that they only please the wishes of men without thinking, and theses are some examples of the way of the western media portrayals of Arab Muslim women. After the attacks of 9/11, the world initiated a campaign against Islam and they started condemning Islam as a religion of violence and terrorists. Surrounded by all these accusation there were people who needed to understand the accuracy of the religion of Islam, to know if it is in fact a religion of terrorism or not?. The overstatements of the media reporting after 9/11 attacks, lead the people to be convinced that the Arabs and Muslims are terrorists and they are cruel and heartless that they want to demolish the west. Hollywood and media personnel are also responsible for making the people believe that the Muslims and Arabs are terrorists. Film creators, and Cinema producers continue to make movies and films that target the Arabs as a terrorists and murderers, they stereotype the Arabs with the 5 Bs, which are Billionaires, Bombers, Belly dancers, Bedouins, and Barbarians. Jack Shaheen made a movie called Reel Bad Arabs demonstrated that the western movies industry are fanatical with portraying Arab women in their movies, and they portray the Arab women from the western point of views, and they didnt change anything during the years of portraying of Arab women, its the same point of view. Jack Shaheen said that the portray in western media of Arab women are mostly as slave girls, a woman wears veil that shows all her body, they are belly dancers that seduce men, barbarian, they are gold diggers, that they are welling to do absolutely anything for the sake of their well being. Jack Shaheen in the part of the western portrayals of Arab women as gold diggers, and barbarians and gypsies is right and I agree with him in this part. Furthermore, the remake of the Disney movie Around the world in 80 days they show Arnold Schwarzenegger as an Arab Sheikh, that have over a 100 wives, that are slaves just for sex. This shows that the Arab men are not pleased with just one woman or wife; they need more from everything, even from women. This part tackles a very important issue which is Shariaa Islamic law, which states that the man has the right to marry 4 wives at the same time, and this believe of marring more than one wife is totally rejected in the western believes and ideologies from the beginning, they dont understand this part from the Islamic law to talk about it or to misrepresent it like this in their movies. Even though they portray Arab women in diverse descriptions, Slave girl, playful, self centered, but after the September 9/11 attacks, the terrorist image was the image that controlled over the mind of the western people and the western media. The TV manipulate the people in a huge way, it affects the attitude, behavior, believes and the opinions of the people. Media people take gain of this point, and the western people are badly informed about Arabs and Arab women, and that their information about Arabs is from movies and TV shows. The image there are consistent in the movies is that the Arabs are terrorists, they take this part and they stereotype Arabs and Arab women without studying them or their culture, they stereotype them in the way they would like the world to see them in it. they have succeeded in making the people when they hear the word Arab or Arab women they think of terrorists, cruel, merciless, barbarians, gypsies, robbers, monsters, beaters of women, use women just for sex, women are slaves. Its widely known from the western media and western image what is the image the Arab have in general, the image that have started by the Arab are Orientalists about Harem of the Arab, Arab dancing, Arab women are locked in doors and they are not allowed to get out except with the permission of her husband, and that the women are substandard than men, they are not allowed to be involved in public issues. These are the idea and images that the western have about the Arab women, in western media and cartoons regrettably. The majority of Arabs are passive to the stereotypes of western media toward them, but for the Arab women the issue is very sensitive. Western media is fanatical about the dress code of Arab women, mostly the Veil of the Arab women. Arab women are portrayed as overweight, loose-fitting women, in their loose dress and their unattractive shaped veil that doesnt show the feature of their body, they portray them even in caricature and some magazine and programs. The concept of the Arab veil for the western was always that the Arab women have the life of suppressed and the victimized, poor, isolated creature politically and culturally that is forcibly is wearing this veil and is being like this. According to Gwinn (1997), he tackled the point that the veil of the Arab women is reflecting in the western media to be the well-known method of representing the Arab women and to represent the dilemma of Islam. The fact is the veil was in the pre Islam era, was the custom of Romans, Jews, and Gr eeks. But after the Islam had spread and the Muslim women started to wear the veil as God said to cover their hair, the west started to stereotype the veil with Islam and Muslim women, and finally terrorists women. The veil of Arab women is distinguished as a threatening to the peace and as a terrorist symbol and its also seen as a alien as declared by Posetty (2008) in his article. The way Arab women dress and the veil is seen in the western media as a symbol of terrorists. Consequently, the Arabs are suffering from the result of these stereotypes all over Europe and the west countries, that make them in a continues threat every minute of everyday due to these portrayals. According to Ahmed (1992), the issue of veiling of women is that the concept is associated to the lack of traditional values and backwardness that doesnt go with the
Monday, August 19, 2019
Heart Attacks Essay -- Health Medical Research Papers
Heart Attacks Heart attacks are the leading cause of death in the United States. Everyday approximately 1,500 people die from heart attacks. Thousands more suffer crippling effects of some form, and remain disabled for the rest of their lives. A simple definition of a heart attack is a sudden failure of the heart resulting from an occlusion or obstruction of a coronary artery. Basically, this means the heart is no longer receiving the blood supply it needs to function properly. A person having a heart attack experiences severe pain in the chest extending to the left shoulder and arm. Heart attacks occur for a variety of reasons. Diet, genetics, obesity, and lack of exercise are all contributors to heart attacks. Smoking and stress are the most widespread causes however, affecting 2.5 million people every year. Therefore, smoking and stress are two major causes of heart attacks. Smoking causes heart attacks. The tobacco in cigarettes and cigars contain a chemical called nicotine. When inhaled into the lungs, nicotine causes the release of hormones in the body. These hormones raise the blood pressure. Consequently, a person's heart rate increases 15 to 25 beats per minute. Nicotine also causes the blood vessels to contract. People who smoke have a harder time keeping their hands and feet warm because their blood does not circulate as well as it does in non-smokers. When the heart rate increases and the blood vessels remain constricted for an extended p...
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Workplace Literacy and Effective Communication Essay -- Literacy Essays
Recently, there has been a poorly written communication in the workplace, which has led to some hurt feelings, lower morale and possible loss of business. As a corporation, we have worked very hard to maintain the synergy thoughout our work environment. These latest events are starting to compromise multiple aspects of our company. First, we are loosing control and perspective of our colleagues. Camaraderie and atmosphere are suffering, placing us in jeopardy of destroying our active policies and their integrity. We must also be careful not to take these events lightly, jeopardizing our nucleus and strong core structure of talented workers. Workplace literacy and effective communication have long been increasingly important skills demanding continuous attention, monitoring, and education. Therefore, the objectives are to present a solution for company-sponsored workshops to improve workersââ¬â¢ writing skills. Workplace literacy involves instruction in basic skills of reading, writing, or mathematics, and the application of these skills to areas such as communication, teamwork, and problem solving (Smith, 2000, p. 378). The workplace is a very competitive environment and the key to competitiveness will be gaining, transforming, and generating knowledge, which can be useful for the employee and employer alike. There are many reasons and justifications for effective communication, but these can best be described by singling out a few common points that will enlighten us to the need for this higher communicative education. According to Office Team 2000, a leading staffing service, while intellectual challenges and opportunities will motivate workers, such skills as writing and speaking well, the display of proper etiquette, and listening attentively will probably determine their career success. HR Focus Magazine (1999) performed a survey which revealed that workers will have to learn to communicate more effectively and articulately. Through technological advancements, their people skills will be showcased and tested, and those workers lacking in these areas will have their shortcomings exposed. Likewise, it is mentioned that pervasiveness of both audio and video teleconferencing will also reveal the caliber of oneââ¬â¢s verbal strengths. This leads us next to professional craftsmanship and the justification for which every good employee is obligated for it. W. Bri... ...racy...â⬠(cited in Smith, Mikulecky, Kibby, Dreher, Dole, 2000, p. 378). High literacy will involve the mastering of lower level processing skills. This will include self-monitoring oneââ¬â¢s thinking, understanding of ideas and beliefs, diversity on multiple issues, working in teams, and synthesizing new ideas. Fred Talbott makes mention in The Salt Lake Tribune (2000); ââ¬Å"...writing does not have to be staidâ⬠. References Anonymous. HR Focus. The challenges facing workers in the future. New York, Aug à à à à à 1999. Vol. 76. Lss.8: pg. 6, 1pgs. Brinkman, G., & M van der Geest, T. (2003). Assessment of communication in à à à à à engineering design. Technical Communication Quarterly, Vol. 12(1), 67. Smith, M., Mikulecky L., Kibby M., Dreher, M., and Dole, J. (2000). What will be the à à à à à demands on literacy in the workplace in the next millennium? Reading Research à à à à à Quarterly, Vol. 35(3), 378-383. Tyler, K. (2003, Mar.). Toning up communications. HR Magazine, 48(3), 87-89. Writing well can help in the workplace. (2000, Apr.9). The Salt Lake City Tribune, p. E3
Mathematical Logic :: essays research papers
Mathematical logic is something that has been around for a very long time. Centuries Ago Greek and other logicians tried to make sense out of mathematical proofs. As time went on other people tried to do the same thing but using only symbols and variables. But I will get into detail about that a little later. There is also something called set theory, which is related with this. In mathematical logic a lot of terms are used such as axiom and proofs. A lot of things in math can be proven, but there are still some things that will probably always remain theories or ideas. Mathematical Logic is something that has a very long history behind it. It has been debated on for many centuries. If someone were to divide mathematical logic into groups they would get two major groups. Both groups are very long. One is called ââ¬Å"The history of formal deductionâ⬠and it goes all the way back to Aristotle and Euclid and other people who lived at that time. The other is ââ¬Å"the history of mathematical analysisâ⬠which goes back to the times of Archimedes, who was in the same era as Aristotle and Euclid. These to groups or streams were separate for a long time until Newton invented Calculus, which brought Math and logic together. à à à à à Somebody who studies mathematical logic and gives his or her own concepts about it is called a logician. Some well known logicians include Boole and Frege. They were trying to give a definite form to what formal deduction really was. Aristotle had already done such a thing but he had done it with language, Boole wanted to do it with only Symbols. Frege came up with ââ¬Å"Predicate Calculusâ⬠. As time went on people did not make new theories as much as they used to in the time of Aristotle. They mostly concentrated on expanding on theories that have been said centuries ago, proving those theories or putting them into symbolic form. Table of Logicians* Boole Frege Newton Gà ¶del Aristotle Euclid Archimedes Leibnitz *This Table has a few of the Logicians listed in my book Words that have to do with logic like and, or, not are given symbols like &, V, or an upside down L reversed. The Letters X, Y, Z and so on are commonly used as variables and P, Q, R are used as predicates, properties or relations. Sometimes there are theories that have to do with machines that do not exist and usually have things in them that are infinite and they usually work with letters and numbers.
Saturday, August 17, 2019
The Namesake Clash of Culture
The thing about The Namesake is not that it is a great movie (although most avid movie-goers will be satisfied), but that it treats universal themes with such clarity that anyone who has been through the experience of leaving oneââ¬â¢s land should be able to relate, even if not from India. Directed by Mira Nair and with Kal Penn leading a great cast, the movie follows the lives of an Indian couple coming to New York in the 70s and raising children in this context.I have a number of friends that are second generation to Indian immigrants for which reason I believe my understanding of their culture is above average, but even if that was not the case Iââ¬â¢m sure these themes would not be lost on me: Abandoning the comfort of family life in the quest for better opportunities Struggling to make a living without help, in a culture where all values are different All the sacrifices that parents make for the sake of their children.Iââ¬â¢ve always said that migration is cruel to our ancestors but selfless to our children. The agony of loosing loved ones being far away and the constant fight with the irrational thought that it could be avoided. The temptation of multiracial relationships The intimacy of the father/son dialog when the entire future of their lineage depends on them The cultural pride that one feels even after leaving the country behind, assuming all great achievements from our people as our own.In many ocassions this only happens once we leave our countries. The quiet professional triumph that occurs almost in the background to all the other events in our lives. The crude attempt to follow tradition even if this means to butcher them once in a while The cultural mix that is driven by well adapted ââ¬Å"second generationâ⬠kids and their loose interpretation of their heritage in the context of their daily lives. Go see it or continue reading the chatter at one of the Indian blogs I follow.
Friday, August 16, 2019
Importance of Understanding Cultural, Ethnic, and Gender Differences Essay
The United States is and will continue to be a very diverse place. More than 8 million legal immigrants came to the U. S. between 1981 and 1990, and an undetermined number of undocumented immigrants enter the United States each year. In addition, the United States includes people of many religions, languages, economic groups, and other cultural groups. In order to be a successful manager in todayââ¬â¢s very diverse society a manager needs to be open and understanding of cultural differences, different ethnicities, and gender differences among employees. Diversity is the presence of people from a wide range of backgrounds all possessing different traits. Some possible contributors to diversity include but are not limited to differences in age, race, ethnic origin, culture, physical abilities, religion and sexual orientation. As the text book states, ââ¬Ëbringing diverse workers into an organization is seldom a seamless transition. ââ¬â¢ People tend to prejudge and place stereotypes or generalized beliefs that all members of a group possess the same characteristics from different cultures, race, or sex; this must be overcome. To be effective, managers and employees need to recognize, respect, and capitalize on each otherââ¬â¢s differences. By being diverse in its employees, a business has a better opportunity for new ideas and growth potential. As discussed this week in class, when the department head turned down the Jamaican friend for the position, even though he seemed better qualified, it showed stereotyping and prejudices can have a negative effect in the workplace. The situation made for an uncomfortable, even negative environment in the workplace. By the department headââ¬â¢s negative behavior it caused a barrier for productivity and potentially harmed working relationships. It is essential in todayââ¬â¢s business world for managers and professionals to understand the importance of cultural, ethnical and gender differences to make a positive work environment possible. While performing the ball and sock experiment, I was put outside of my comfort zone and was forced to see what it was like in someone elseââ¬â¢s shoes. I found the lefty experiment to be awkward and difficult. I started in the early morning as I was getting ready for work. The seemingly thoughtless tasks that I completed every morning such as showering, brushing my teeth and hair, and eating breakfast now became hard and tedious. I continued the experiment when I returned home from work. Preparing dinner as a lefty was virtually impossible and almost dangerous. Most tasks as a lefty were manageable after some time and practice, but operating a knife was not. I am sure that with a little time and patience these tasks could have become easier to me. I can see how it could be frustrating living as a lefty in a right handed world. This is the same concept as being from a different culture, ethnicity, and gender then those in your workplace. Although the transition into a new company can be difficult, with time and some adjustment it is possible. I can relate the ball in the sock experiment to the importance of understanding cultural, ethnic, and gender differences in the work place because adjusting to something that we are not accustomed to can be challenging. It is important to understand that people we come into contact with everyday come from a background that we may not know much about. It can be difficult to adjust when meeting new people or entering a new work environment. I believe an organizations success can be attributed to its ability to embrace diversity and appreciate the benefits. A workplace who supports diversity can supply an assortment of solutions to problems. A diverse workplace can facilitate a broader service range. It can allow a company to provide their service to those all around the world. I think the most significant benefit to supporting diversity in the workplace is the inspiration it gives to all of its employees to perform to their greatest capacity. Diversity allows employees to come together to accomplish a common goal as a team. Employees will feel comfortable to share their viewpoints and ideas to execute a goal or solve a problem. I believe diversity opens the door for workplaces to achieve higher productivity, result in higher profits, and benefit the community. Diversity may not be something that people are familiar with and may even have a difficult time adjusting to, which is similar to trying to using your opposite hand in daily tasks. I believe understanding diversity will show employees the importance of it in the workplace and how it can enhance the quality of work.
Thursday, August 15, 2019
How Entrepreneurs Impact an Economy
Introduction As economies continue to integrate due to globalisation and formally closed economies like India and China march toward total liberalisation, entrepreneurship is on the increase. A close analysis of developed and industrialised economies indicates a common denominator that stands out amongst all of them, which is the important role played by entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs in such economies.This phenomenon has proved to us that if an economy is to develop fully, entrepreneurship should be allowed to flourish. Therefore it is the objective of this paper to critically analyse the impact of entrepreneurs in any given economy. In this paper the writer will identify and discuss the many benefits afforded to an economy through entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship and the disadvantages of the same and draw conclusions on the overall impact of the entrepreneurs. InnovationIndividuals often resort to entrepreneurship for one of the following reasons, because they find a market n iche and have the solution to profit from such niche, because they have been unable to find suitable employment or a suitable means of income and therefore have resorted to using their creativity to generate an income for themselves, or because they have the technological know-how and the financial resources (or able to source all of the above) necessary to generate income by satisfying a need in the marketplace.Irrespective of which of the above led an individual to become an entrepreneur it is clear that innovation and creativity is the driving factor and therefore it can be stated that the biggest impact of entrepreneurs to an economy is the innovative contribution that they make. Job Creation As stated in the previous section one of the main reasons that individuals tend to become entrepreneurs is because they are unable to find suitable jobs.As a result, by being enterprising, creative and finding a market niche, not only are they able to generate an income for themselves but a lso to employ other individuals in their business operations. Therefore one of the most positive impacts that entrepreneurs make on an economy is job creation and the reduction of unemployment levels within that economy. In developed countries we see that almost 40 ââ¬â 50% of the workforce are employed in small and medium scale business enterprises that were started up by very enterprising individuals.Likewise in countries like India we see that millions of women have been able to pull their families out of poverty through self employment and entrepreneurship that has been made possible by different Non Governmental Organisations and due to the availability of such resources through micro finance etc. Africa is another good example of small scale entrepreneurs helping to reduce poverty and help many avoid destitution. Therefore based on everything that has been stated above it is apparent that entrepreneurs can cause a great degree of impact on an economy through job creation a nd income generation.Increased Competition Another positive impact of entrepreneurship on an economy is the increasing level of competition in that economy as new entrepreneurs join the fray in existing domestic markets. While one may venture to say that this will only lead to market saturation, the upside of such a phenomenon is that it causes all the players in the market to re-evaluate their operational capabilities, increase value addition, lower costs and become more efficient.Thus it can be stated that competition reduces likelihood of monopolies and oligopolies in the marketplace and is beneficial to the customer and the economy as a whole. Increased Productivity One of the advantages of increased competition in an economy is that individuals and firms continue to source methods that can better improve their operations, use resources more efficiently and most importantly reduce costs while adding value. All this often results in an increase in productivity in an economy and a increase in the gross domestic product (GDP), which is indeed a benefit for the economy.While opponents tend to state that when productivity increases the unemployment can often increase, thus reducing the positive impacts, it is the opinion of the writer that increased productivity which can then lead to increased unemployment will then cause more individuals to be creative, find niche markets, become entrepreneurs and begin generating more employment opportunities, thus re-inventing the wheel and driving the economy forward.New Markets As stated in the previous section increased competition in the marketplace can cause saturation and as a result many entrepreneurs maybe driven to seek new markets for their products and services or adapt market penetration tactics.Either way such a phenomena of increased competition, which ultimately causes individuals to look for new markets can be considered as a positive impact on the economy and therefore entrepreneurs can be considered to pla y a very important role in the economy. As integration of economies continues due to globalisation entrepreneurs often tend to look for markets that are outside of their domestic sphere thus generating foreign revenue and increasing the prosperity of the economy as a whole.While this maybe a very simplistic explanation of the impact that entrepreneurs make on an economy, it is also safe to say that the employment generation, increased competition, market expansion, market penetration and sourcing new markets all result in income generation that ultimately help an economy to become more prosperous, draw millions out of poverty and generate funds for social welfare activities that ultimately uplift the living standards of its citizenry.Negative Impacts of Entrepreneurs The single largest negative impact of entrepreneurs on an economy is the plundering of resources, which can have a disastrous affect on the environment. While such negative impacts are mitigated to some extent in develo ped economies due to the enforcement of environmental protection standards and regulations, this is not the case in developing economies.Further entrepreneurship requires a certain degree of business knowledge and know how, without which entrepreneurial ventures can often fail, which can also cause many financial hardship that in extreme cases can even lead to destitution. Social Entrepreneurship Today we see the realm of social entrepreneurship growing exponentially which is a very positive sign and has helped to draw millions out of poverty, decrease unemployment, decrease the number of people dependent on social welfare and all in all uplift the living standards and quality of life of millions.Further social entrepreneurship initiatives are also often seen as ââ¬Ëgreen initiativesââ¬â¢ that take into consideration the impact on the natural environment and therefore strives to keep this at a minimum, thus increasing awareness about such issues, avoiding plundering of natural resources and conserving the environment wherever possible. Therefore it can be stated that the negative impacts of entrepreneurs on an economy can be mitigated to some extent through social entrepreneurship. ConclusionBased on everything that has been discussed above it is apparent that the positive impacts of entrepreneurs on an economy, far outweigh the negative impacts. Job creation, reduction in unemployment levels, increased competition, opening new markets, increasing productivity, foreign income generation and poverty alleviation are some of the positive impacts that entrepreneurs have on an economy. However this is not to say that there are no negative impacts such as the wastage and plundering of resources, yet taken as a whole it is apparent that the entrepreneurs positively impact an economy.
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