Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Gender Difference in Adapting to New Environment Essay

Gender Difference in Adapting to New Environment - Essay Example The roles stems their roots from the environment in which an individual has been in. Learning takes a major part in establishing these roles in to the system of an individual. There are different routes through which an individual learn of their roles and rewards and punishment is one of them (Carroll 97). According to Carroll (97), children learn about appropriate behaviors from their parents. Other people who play part in gender behavior development among the children are relatives, peers, and teachers. Not forgetting the media, which happens to be the main source of behavior influence, it plays a very significant role when it comes to gender behavior development (Carroll 98). Most behavior patterns, actions, preference professions, and emotion differ with gender type (Carroll 98). Time, energy, resources, and meaning invested in relationships also differ among males and females (Daka and Martin 132). This is because of the emotional differences revealed between the males and femal es. The differences between the genders result to them using different strategies to adapt to new environments (Daka and Martin 133). Due to the dynamic nature of gender roles, adaptation strategies adopted by different genders are changing. This is an indication that we might find that the way different genders adapt to new environment will be differing significantly in future. Culture and orientation also plays a big role in molding gender behavior. Personal identity is defined by culture hence becoming a strong part of a person’s behavior. These culture and identity are greatly influenced by the media and by legends, stories, and symbols, they get established deep into somebody’s daily living (Daka and Martin 136). The event I have decided to watch is Harvard Youth & Family Swimming Championship. This event took place on 31 March at Blodgett Pool in Allston, Harvard University. It attracted 300 participants and a multitude of fans. The participants were children of different gender aged between 6 year and 13 years. The fans were Harvard students and the people living in areas around the university. The main aim of this event was to introduce city children to introductory level competition swimming. Another aim was to introduce a new perspective to swimming, being in a university and thinking about life among the participants. In my observation, I aimed to obtain answers to the following research questions: 1. How will the children be reacting on that day? 2. Will their reactions be influenced by gender? 3. What evidence will show that their reactions are influenced by gender? 4. Are there other factors that influence their reactions on this day? 5. Are these factors affected by the gender of the student? 6. How is the idea of personal identity shown? Answers to the above questions were to help me defend my main hypothesis, which was that different genders adapt differently to new environments. For me to get all the information required, I got there early to catch all the events. It was difficult to catch all the reactions of the participant due to the size of the crowd but to solve this; I interviewed randomly selected participants at the end of the event. During the event I discovered that majority of the participants were males and that the entire group of participants was excited about participating in this event. I also observed that the female

Monday, October 28, 2019

Books are dead Essay Example for Free

Books are dead Essay It could be said that books are dead which leads to the question, What are people doing instead? People are buying and using modern technology indeed of reading books because books are tedious. Would you rather read through a whole chapter in a book just to find an answer to a question, or type in key words into a search engine on a computer and the information be found instantly? Other technologies such as; video, internet and DVD, have superseded them. The more advanced technology appeals to a wider audience and society is not pressurised into enjoying it from an early age if they do not want to, as in the case of books. Books are seen as primitive and dated because they have less to offer the next generation in the form of enjoyment. Furthermore, books are not fashionable in the twenty-first century. This is because popularity within the community is directly proportional to whether the individual has the newest technology or not. The most popular individual has the most recent technological development, such as the latest mobile telephone, and the not so popular individual is left behind, still reading books. Technology is a way to show off and showing off is a way of making new friends and keeping the existing ones. In addition, we would not have moved forward in time without new technology. For example, in the future, we will be able to travel into space and back, which we would not be able achieve using books. Of course, the maths and science would have originated from books but you would need technology to apply it. There is not point in publishing books anymore because no one has the time to sit down and read them. This is because they are boring and it is too much effort. You also have to be in the right mood to read a book, whereas you do not need to be with technology since there are so many alternatives. Books are a waste of paper and ink, and are we not trying to save the environment? Moreover, books are made by technology, for example, the printing press is made up of machines. So why not use technology in other ways that will be appreciated more? On the other hand, books have survived every new technological development, unlike the video recorder being superseded by the DVD recorder, within a few decades. Books have, and will stand the test of time because one can escape into a story in a book and enjoy it without the need for anyone else. Disappearing into a book is an escapist fantasy because you can interpret it in so many different ways. It also makes a nice change from the more advanced technology the world has to offer.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Comparing the Rich versus the Poor Essay -- Poverty

Rich v. Poor Take a moment and picture a child half naked in the streets. His body has been harshly neglected. Little to no calf muscles exist. His ribs are plainly countable. One, two, three up his left side. You can do the same to his right. Malnutrition only vaguely begins to describe his condition. The worst of anorexia doesn’t even compare to this child’s inhumane state. As for shelter, he lives in a dilapidated hut. Food is a luxury, as the child may be fed only three or four times a week. He’s expected to die by the age of five due to severe malnutrition and disease. This is the grim portrait of an Ethiopian child in absolute poverty. His life doesn’t allow for the basic essentials of food, shelter, or clothing. In today’s world poverty is not only viewed in terms of average income/wealth, but as the lower end of distribution regarding income, education, health accessibility, nutrition, productivity, participation in politics, etc. Thus, poverty is defined as the â€Å"economic condition in which people lack sufficient income to obtain certain minimal levels of health services, food, housing, clothing, and education generally recognized as necessary to ensure an adequate standard of living† (Funk & Wagnall 1). Adequate, however, depends on the standard of living for each country. There are two different types of poverty today—relative and absolute. Nearly half of a billion people live in relative poverty—â€Å"meaning that some citizens are poor, relative to the wealth enjoyed by their neighbors† (Singer 218). To put these figures in terms one can relate to, it’s estimated that about 10% of human life resides in relative poverty. This is a substantial amount, but their condition is quite well ... ...ay, â€Å"prevent something very bad from happening, without [thereby] sacrificing anything of comparable moral significance†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Singer 229), and we should. Works Cited * Hardin, Garret. â€Å"Living on a Lifeboat.† Contemporary Moral Problems. American Institute of Biological Sciences, 1974: 246-257. * â€Å"Poverty.† Funk & Wagnall’s New Encyclopedia. 1992: 1-2. * Quadrini, Vincenzo.; Rà ­os-Rull, Josà ©-Và ­ctor. â€Å"Understanding the U.S. Distribution of Wealth.† http://newfirstsearch.oclc.org * Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Quarterly Review v. 21 no2. Spring. 1997: 22-36. * Singer, Peter. â€Å"Rich and Poor.† Practical Ethics. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993: 218-246. * Speth, James Gustave. â€Å"The Plight of the Poor: The Unites States Must Increase Development Aid.† Foreign Affairs v. 78 no3. May/June. 1999: 1-3.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

How does Owen make clear his feelings about war in Dulce et Dorcum est? :: English Literature

How does Owen make clear his feelings about war in Dulce et Dorcum est? The title of this poem which is ‘Dulce et Dorcum est,’ is a Latin saying which means, ‘It is sweet and honorable to die for your country.’ It is written by Wilfred Owen who gives us his opinion about this motto. He uses one of his brutal memories to support his views and to compare a stereotypical soldier as we visualize one in our heads and one as he saw whilst fighting in the war. This memory is of a time when Owen, along with his fellow soldiers is walking back to their rest place, when all of a sudden there is a gas attack. All except one of these soldiers manages to put on his gas mask in time; therefore he dies a horrible death. The poem explores a different mood for each of the four stanzas. In stanza one the mood is slow and weary. In stanza two there is a mood, which is fast and panicky. Stanza three explores a tragic mood and the final stanza has a mood of bitterness and anger. Owen is successful in providing detail throughout the poem. He is also successful in writing the poem as a memory, as he did fight in the war. In this poem he effectively shows his thoughts and expressions, as he wants the reader to think of them. Owen accomplishes the mood in verse one through his use of language. The poem starts with the words â€Å"Bent Double†, which introduces the image of a soldier as Owen remembers one. These words show us the action and figure of the soldiers. In reality you cannot walk bent really close to the ground, therefore these words can be considered as metaphors or slight exaggerations of what the soldiers were doing. These words start off the comparison of a real soldier with a stereotypical one. â€Å"Like old beggars under sacks†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This implies the visual sight of the soldiers if an ordinary person were to see them. This sentence is a simile and therefore means that the soldiers look like beggars. The word ‘sacks’ helps us to visualize the soldiers walking really close to the ground, under the weight of a sack. The simile above can also express torn clothes worn by the soldiers, muddy faces, slight injuries taken on by the soldiers and the mental conditions that they were facing. The simile compares these soldiers to people who have nothing to lose and their uniform to ‘sacks’, which indicates their shabby conditions. Another word, which suggests the speed at which soldiers move, is â€Å"trudge.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Health Care Interview Paper Essay

There are many different professions that one can choose when entering the healthcare field. Nursing is a very popular and needed profession that is vital to care for patients. For this paper I have chosen to interview my younger cousin who currently works for the VA Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada as a Registered Nurse in the Medical Surgical Unit. I will describe the targeted facility and unit she works for, the type of work done within her unit, any interesting, informative, or specific information related to the chosen unit which makes it unique, and a comprehensive description of my cousin, and her responsibilities. The facility that my cousin works at is The Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital. The purpose of this facility is to fulfill President Lincoln’s promise â€Å"To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan† by serving and honoring the men and women who are America’s veterans. The particular unit she works for is the Medical Surgical Unit. Some of the types of work done in this unit is to consult and coordinate health care team members to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate patients, write up care plans, prepare and administer (orally, subcutaneously, through IV) prescribed medication and records, report adverse reactions to medication or treatments in accordance with the policy in regards to administration of medications by a licensed registered nurse, educate patients on surgical procedures, record patients’ medical information and vital signs, monitors and adjust any specialized equipment used on patients, monitors and adjusts specialized equipment used on patients, and interprets and records electronic displays. More tasks that are required of her in her unit are initiating corrective action whenever the patient displays adverse symptomatology, she also provides bedside care for a wide variety of medical patients including pre- and post-surgery patients, initiates patient education plan as prescribed by physician which may include teaching patients and significant others how to manage their illness/injury by explaining post-treatment home care needs such as: changes of dressings, insertion of catheters, and starting IVs. Other tasks include preparing equipment, aiding physician during examination and treatment of patient, and participation in discharge planning. All the tasks that she is required to accomplish on a daily basis require that she utilizes time management skills, attention to details, and accurately record all care information concisely and completely in an efficient manner. A very important trait that she must possess is to be adaptable, and have the ability to perform other du ties as assigned. Some interesting, informative, or specific information related to this department that makes it unique are that they cater to the veteran population and an age group that ranges from 50s-90s. She states that working for the VA Hospital she must understand what the veteran have gone through and understand where they are coming from. For instance, she needs to be sensitive to the facts that some of these veterans may suffer from post-traumatic syndrome disorder from war or other causes that may cause them extra stress or anxiety from being cared for in the Medical Surgical Unit. This requires that my cousin needs to not only have the professional skills that she learned in school, but also requires on sense of compassion that cannot being taught, but comes from within. A sense of empathy would also help in this field as it is allows for the nurse to not only care for the patient professionally, but also on a level that allows them to be cared for on a personal level which may help with the healing process as they may feel more important, and receiving better care rather than just being seen as another patient. When I was asked to find a healthcare individual to interview for my paper I chose my younger cousin because she is newer to the field, and would offer the most current description of her field without any bias that some nurses tend to have after working in the field for so long. She started her nursing career at the age of 23, and she does admit that she did have a hard time relating with her patients because of their ages and the types of experiences that some had to deal with. The transition she explains was hard because unlike her at age 23, these patients were sent off to war to protect their country. Many of them didn’t even have the privilege of having an education like she did. Another apparent difference was that her goals were to go to college and advance her career, and her patients’ goals were fighting for our country, and starting a family was insignificant. Now after being a nurse for a few years she was able to learn their point of views. For example, she explains that telling a veteran to be careful when getting up from the bed to go to the bathroom is embarrassing for them. These men have an idea in their head that they’re still that tough guy who can handle anything, and for someone young like her to tell them to be careful, makes them feel inferior and weak. This then becomes a really difficult communication barrier to overcome and it takes time, effort, and compassion to understand them. In my cousins own words, â€Å"It is still my job and my responsibility that these veterans are getting the appropriate care they deserve because that is who I’ve chosen to work for and what the department of veterans affairs stands for.† After my interview with my cousin, I have a new found respect for her, and Medical Surgical Nurses, and those who work with her to care for our Veterans. Not only does she have to handle the difficult, and stressful tasks that she is dealt with everyday, but she also must be able to handle the types of patients that she cares for. These patients have had to go through difficult situations that civilians would never have to endure. A civilian would never have to deal with coming back from a war, and possibly have seen many people die, or have that fear that they may die far from home. Having these types of stress that veterans deal with may make their mentality different from regular patients, and in turn cause difficulty for nurses that need to care for them. Therefore, a patient that is cared for with the compassion that my cousin offers as a nurse is very fortunate, and I know that she must feel as though she is making a difference in the lives of the patients she cares for. As I mentioned in the beginning that there are many fields to choose from in healthcare, but a nurse must be able to offer care both professionally and selflessly on levels that are beyond just caring for patient.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The Problem of Language in All Quiet on the Weste Essays

The Problem of Language in All Quiet on the Weste Essays The Problem of Language in "All Quiet on the Western Front" German Literature The Problem of Language in "All Quiet on the Western Front" For it is no easy undertaking, I say, to describe the bottom of the Universe; nor is it for tongues that only babble child's play. (The Inferno, XXXII, 7-9.) Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front, a novel set in World War I, centers around the changes wrought by the war on one young German soldier. During his time in the war, Remarque's protagonist, Paul Baumer, changes from a rather innocent Romantic to a hardened and somewhat caustic veteran. More importantly, during the course of this metamorphosis, Baumer disaffiliates himself from those societal iconsparents, elders, school, religionthat had been the foundation of his pre-enlistment days. This rejection comes about as a result of Baumer's realization that the pre-enlistment society simply does not understand the reality of the Great War. His new society, then, becomes the Company, his fellow trench soldiers, because that is a group which does understand the truth as Baumer has experienced it. Remarque demonstrates Baumer's disaffiliation from the traditional by emphasizing the language of Baumer's pre- and post-enlistment societies. Baumer either can not, or chooses not to, communicate truthfully with those representatives of his pre-enlistment and innocent days. Further, he is repulsed by the banal and meaningless language that is used by members of that society. As he becomes alienated from his former, traditional, society, Baumer simultaneously is able to communicate effectively only with his military comrades. Since the novel is told from the first person point of view, the reader can see how the words Baumer speaks are at variance with his true feelings. In his preface to the novel, Remarque maintains that "a generation of men ... were destroyed by the war" (Remarque, All Quiet Preface). Indeed, in All Quiet on the Western Front, the meaning of language itself is, to a great extent, destroyed. Early in the novel, Baumer notes how his elders had been facile with words prior to his enlistment. Specifically, teachers and parents had used words, passionately at times, to persuade him and other young men to enlist in the war effort. After relating the tale of a teacher who exhorted his students to enlist, Baumer states that "teachers always carry their feelings ready in their waistcoat pockets, and trot them out by the hour" (Remarque, All Quiet I. 15). Baumer admits that he, and others, were fooled by this rhetorical trickery. Parents, too, were not averse to using words to shame their sons into enlisting. "At that time even one's parents were ready with the word 'coward'" (Remarque, All Quiet I. 15). Remembering those days, Baumer asserts that, as a result of his war experiences, he has learned how shallow the use of these words was. Indeed, early in his enlistment, Baumer comprehends that although authority figures taught that duty to one's country is the greatest thing, we already knew that death-throes are stronger. But for all that, we were no mutineers, no deserters, no cowardsthey were very free with these expressions. We loved our country as much as they; we went courageously into every action; but also we distinguished the false from true, we had suddenly learned to see. (Remarque, All Quiet I. 17) What Baumer and his comrades have learned is that the words and expressions used by the pillars of society do not reflect the reality of war and of one's participation in it. As the novel progresses, Baumer himself uses words in a similarly false fashion. A number of instances of Baumer's own misuse of language occur during an important episode in the novela period of leave when he visits his home town. This leave is disastrous for Baumer because he realizes that he can not communicate with the people on the home front because of his military experiences and their limited, or nonexistent, understanding of the war. When he first enters his house, for example, Baumer is overwhelmed at being home. His joy and relief are such that he cannot speak; he can only weep (Remarque, All Quiet VII. 140). When he and his mother greet each other, he realizes immediately that he has nothing to say to her: "We say very little and I am thankful that she asks nothing" (Remarque, All Quiet VII. 141). But finally she does speak to him and asks, "'Was it very bad out there, Paul?'" (Remarque, All Quiet VII. 143). Here, when he answers, he lies, ostensibly to

Monday, October 21, 2019

Relationship Between Government Policies And Investment Market Essay Example

Relationship Between Government Policies And Investment Market Essay Example Relationship Between Government Policies And Investment Market Essay Relationship Between Government Policies And Investment Market Essay Acknowledgements We would like to thank the all people who assisted us in the preparation of this report especially to our lecturer Puan Noor Aishah Mohamad Hamdan. 1. 0 INTRODUCTION According to Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), government policies that maintain a business environment with opportunities for growth and profits have made Malaysia an attractive manufacturing and export base in the region. The private sector in Malaysia has become partners with the public sector in achieving the nations development objectives. Over the decades, the Government of Malaysia has effectively used the fiscal policy through tax measures and allocation of operating and development expenditures to attained a broad range of macroeconomic objectives such as growth equity, macroeconomic stability, reform restructuring such as tax incentives to facilitate reform and structuring of economy, sectored and regional development such as tax incentives and expenditure directed experienced difficulties in balancing its budget. Therefore in this recent year, Malaysia has becoming run deficit budgets. The slow growth or decline of several sources of revenue has given pause for reflection on the approach to fiscal anagement. The key to fiscal flexibility is to ensure that the mandatory spending and the size the government is not too large, the fiscal deficit is not structural and public debt level not excessively high. 1. 1 Backgrounds Construction Economics Ill is aimed to provide an in-depth study of development economics including investment market and property development, preparation of feasibility studies, financing and risk and uncertainty of development works and the influence of government policies on such works. . 2 Purpose The purpose of this report is to study and understand the relationship between overnment policies and investment market, to investigate the effects of government policies to investment market and to forecast possible changes of investors decision in property market. It is hoped that with more discussion in this report, it will increase the level of und erstanding about property investment market. 1. 3 Scope The study for this report focused on the impact of the increase of the oil price in Malaysia on 2nd September 2013 towards property investment market. The policies related to government expenditure and their effects to investment market in general will be discussed. Besides, the importance of these policies in relation to investment market and their influences on investors decision especially in property investment will be included. 1. 4 Methodology The data from various sources will analyse. The budget 2014 will be main sources to analyse new policy. On 2nd September 2013, Prime Minister Datuk Seri NaJib Tun Razak announced the Governments decision to increase the price of RON95 and diesel by 20 sen to RM2. 0 and RM2 per litre, respectively, effective on 3rd September 2013, as one of its measures to rationalise subsidies. It expects to save RMI . 1 bil this year from September to December and RM3. bil per year in subsidy bills from the exercise, helping to tame the fiscal deficit. The Government has targeted to reduce budget deficit to 4% this year, 3. 5% in 2014 and 3% by 2015. This report will analyse the effect of government po licy including reducing in fuel subsidy towards investment market especially property. 3. 0 FINDINGS 3. 1 INTRODUCTION OF GOVERNMENT POLICIES 3. 1. Fiscal policy Fiscal policy is the governments steps to change the government spending and structure of taxation to influence the level of aggregate spending in the economy. Fiscal policies seeks to reach full employment level and to control inflation. There are three major ways in which fiscal policy affects aggregate demand: Business Tax Policy Business taxes can change the profitability of businesses and the amount of business investment. Lowering business taxes will increase aggregate demand and business investment spending. Government Spending Government can directly increase aggregate demand by increasing its spending. Tax Policy for Individuals Lowering taxes will increase disposable personal income and increase consumption spending. Fiscal policy should be used to increase aggregate demand when an economy is operating at below full-employment levels. If aggregate demand exceeds aggregate supply and output is at full-employment levels, fiscal policy should be used 2013 continues to focus on sustaining the growth momentum of the domestic economy in the near term and facilitating the long-terms transformation of the economy, while ensuring the sustainability of public finances. The Federal Government fiscal deficit is expected to reduce from 4% of GDP in 2013 to 3% in 201 5 and balanced budget on 2020. To ensure the efficient use of fiscal resources, the 2013 Budget continues to focus on enhancing the productive capacity of the domestic economy. Besides, subsidies have been restructured and only low income earner will get it. Therefore, the low income group who is most affected due to rising oil prices, government will give financial assistance through BRI M. 3. 1. Monetary Policy Monetary policy is government policy carried out by the Central Bank to control money supply and interest rates to affect the level of aggregate expenditure to reach level of full employment and controlling inflation. During the inflation problem, government will transact contractionary policy. It is a macroeconomic tool use by the central bank to slow down an economy. Contractionary policies are enacted by a government to reduce the money supply and maximise the spending in a cou ntry. This is done primarily through: 1. Increasing interest rates 2. Increasing reserve requirements 3. Reducing the money supply, directly or indirectly This tool is used during high-growth periods of the business cycle, but does not have an immediate effect. During deflation problem, the government will implement expansionary policies that is increase the government spending and reduce tax rate to increase aggregate spending to combat unemployment. According to Bank Negara Malaysia, monetary policy in 2013 focus on addressing potential risks to inflation and growth. During the 2013, private investment is likely to remain firm, led by continued capital spending in the domestic-oriented sectors, the ongoing implementation of infrastructure projects, and a gradual improvement in external demand. 3. 1. 3 Other regulatory policies 3. 1. 3. 1 sales Tax In general, the sales tax rate is a tax charged to consumers based on the purchase price of certain goods and services, applied to sales of locally manufactured taxable goods as well as to taxable goods imported for domestic consumption. It is imposed by the government at the point of sale on retail goods and services. Collected by the retailer and passed on to the state. It is based on a percentage of the selling prices of the goods and services and set by the state. All taxable goods manufactured in, or imported into, Malaysia are subject to sales tax, unless they are specifically exempted Labuan, Langkawi, Tioman, the (Inter-Country) Joint Development Area, free zones, licensed warehouses or licensed manufacturing warehouses. The rates of sales tax are 5% and 10%. The 10% rate applies to most taxable goods. The reduced rate of 5% pplies to certain nonessential goods which include, among others, foodstuffs and building materials. Specific rates are imposed on certain petroleum products. 3. 1. 3. 2 Service Tax. Service tax is a single-stage tax applied to specified taxable services. Services that are not included in the prescribed list are not taxable. Nine major groupings of taxable services are currently included in the prescribed list. Taxable services include, but are not limited to, telecommunication services, employment services, consultancy services, management services, legal services, accounting services, advertising ervices, engineering services, surveying services, architectural services, insurance services and car hire services. Service tax does not apply in Labuan, Langkawi, Tioman, the (Inter-Country) Joint Development Area and free zones. Service tax is imposed at a rate of 6% on the price, charge or premium for the taxable service. Accounting, engineering, legal, architectural, surveying, management and consultancy services provided by one company to another company within the same commercial group are not subject to service tax if certain conditions are satisfied. 3. 1. 3. 3 Goods and service Tax (6ST) Malaysia plans to carry out a major indirect tax reform. It is proposed that a new Goods and Services Tax (6ST) system replace the current sales tax and service tax system. It appears that the new Malaysian GST will operate similarly to other value- added tax (VAT) and GST systems around the world. It is proposed that the standard GST rate will be 6% and that a zero rate will apply to exports and some goods, such as basic foodstuffs. GST exempt status is expected to apply to most financial services, including Islamic financial products, life insurance and investment linked insurance, he lease, rental or sale of residential real estate, mass domestic public education services and health services. As a result, no output tax will apply and correspondingly, no entitlement to input tax will exist. The Malaysia government announced the date of implementation of the GST is on 1 April 2015. . 1. 3. 4 Real property Gams Tax (RPGT) Real Property Gains Tax (RPGT) is a tax levied by the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) on chargeable gains derived from the disposal of real property. RPGT is introduced to provide imposition, assessment and collection of tax on gain deriving from the disposal of real property. The tax is levied on the gains made from the difference between the disposal price and ac quisition price. This tax is provided in the Real Property Gains Tax Act 1976 replaced the Land Speculation Tax Act 1974. Real property being disposed is knows as chargeable asset. Chargeable asset may vary into two, the real property and Real Property Company. Real property is defined as any land in Malaysia and any option, interest or other right over that piece of land. Example land, houses such as bungalow, apartment, condominiums, etc. A real property company (RPC) is a controlled company which owns real property or shares r both whereby the defined value of real property or shares or both owned is at least 75% of the value of the companies total tangible assets. RPGT Rates Companies Individual (Citezen / PR) Individual (Non Citizen) For disposals within 3 years For disposals in the 4rd years For disposal after 5th yeard For disposals after 6th year 5% Table 1 : Rate of RGPT During the tabling of the Budget 2014, the real property gain tax (RPGT) is 30% for any property held and disposed within 3 years. For properties held and disposed in the 4 years and 5 years, the property tax is 20% and 15% each, while properties held nd disposed after 6 years are not subject to any real property gain tax. The Star 2013) For non-citizens, NaJib said RPGT would imposed at 30% on the gains from properties disposed within the holding period of up to five years, and disposals in the sixth and subsequent years, RPGT is imposed at 5%. 3. 1. 3. 5 Affordable Housing KUALA LUMPUR: The Government allocated RMI . 9bil this year to build 123,000 affordable homes in strategic locations throughout the country by 1 Malaysia Peoples Housing (PRI MA), Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad (SPNB) and the National Housing Department. The Finance Ministry, in its Economic Report 2013/2014 released Friday, said RM500mil was allocated to PRI MA to build 50,000 homes in prime locations across the country and another RM300mil to build 30,000 homes in collaboration with private developers. A total of 320,000 people will own their own homes under the affordable housing programme, when the homes costing between RMIOO,OOO and RM400,OOO per unit are expected to be completed in 2016. PRI MA homes, which are generally 20% cheaper than the current market price, are sold through an open balloting system and are expected to be ready in three years. For ow-income earners, the government has allocated RM320mil to SPNB to build 22,855 housing projects, to be completed in 2015. Meanwhile, the Government also allocated RM543mil to the National Housing Department to construct 20,454 unit of Peoples Housing Programme (PPR) units using the Industrialised Building System sources : The star 25/10/2013 During the tabling of the Budget 2014, Prime Minister announce that RM 1. 9 billion will be fund to build 123,000 affordable homes throughout PRI MA, SPNB and Naional Housing Department. Allocation are as follow: PRI MA RM 500 million to build 50,000 homes in prime locations RM 300 million to build 30, 000 homes via private developers SPNB RM320 million to build 1,855 medium-cost apartment units and 10, 000 units of public housing projects for low-income earners. National Housing Department RM 543 million to construct 20,454 unit of Peoples Housing Programme (PPR) units using the Industrialised Building System. 3. 1. 3. 6 Skim Rumah Pertamaku (SRP) My First Home Scheme was first announced in the 2011 Budget by the Malaysian Government to assist young adults who have Just Joined the workforce to own their first home. The Scheme allows young adults to obtain 100% financing from financial nstitutions, enabling them to own their 1st home without the need to pay a 10% downpayment. In 2013 Budget, it was announced that the gross income limit was increased from RM3,OOO to RM5,OOO per month and certain qualifying criteria were abolished with effect from 1st January 2013. 3. 1. 3. 7 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) FDI can be define as a company from one country making a physical investment in building a factory in another country .. It is the establishment of an enterprise by a foreigner. Malaysia has been an encouraging economy to foreign investors. This is because as a developing country, it is help in boosting the economy. Example of policy to encourage FDI, government take no tax up to 10 years who invest in Joint Development Area such as Iskandar Regional Development Authority. 3. 2 EXPLANATION ON CURRENT ECONOMY SCENARIO THAT LEAD TO THE REASONS 3. 2. 1 Budget Deficit Figure 1. 1 : Malaysia Government Budget Figure 1. 1 shows the percentage of budget deficit from year 2004 to 2013. It can be seen that the Government Budget deficit in 2012 is 4. 8 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Central Bank of Malaysia forecasted that budget deficit in 2013 will be 4. %. Thus, the average of budget deficit from 2004 to 2013 is 4. 6%. Figure 1. 2 : Federal Government Finance Figure 1. 2 tabulate the Federal Government Finance from 2009 to 2013. It can be seen that revenue for 2013 is RM 208,650 million and total expenditure is RM 248,643 million. So, the deficit is RM 39,993 million or 4% of GDP. Government Budget is an accounti ng of income receive by government and the expenditure made by government. A budget deficit occurs when the government spend more money than income. It is recommended that government should reduce deficit maximum to 3%. High percentage of deficit in many years will cause interest rate increase as well as total debt and as a result economies will slowdown. So that, to decrease budget deficit the government should increase income or decrease expenditure or both. However, in this situation, the government choose to decrease expenditure for example by cutting fuel subsidies as much as 20 cents per litre. As Prime Minister Datuk Seri NaJib Razak said: Its a process of fiscal consolidation. The market will feel more confident if we can bring down our fiscal deficit. (BBC 2013) The government has allocated RM24. billion this year for fuel subsidies and the Prime Minister has said the country would save RMI . 1 billion with the cutting fuel subsidy. Before that, the government has requested for an extra RM 14. 1 billion to cover unplanned overspending for year 2013. ( L. Kong 2013) It can be concluded that the most factor of increase in fuel price is government policy to reduce deficit. Figure 2 : Malaysia Government Debt To GDP Figure 2 shows the percentage of Malaysia Government Debt to GDP from year 2004 to 2013. Malaysia recorded a Government Debt to GDP of 53. 10 percent of the countrys GDP in 2013. It can be seen that the percentage is rose more than 50% since 2010 and remain until 2013. Basically, Government debt is the money owed by the central government to its creditors. Similar with citizen expense, increase in government debt will cause more budget deficit and lead to slowdown of economy if continued. Generally, investors use Government debt as a percent of GDP to measure a country ability to make future payments on its debt, thus affecting the country borrowing costs and government bond yields. If this situation continued, it gives negative view towards Malaysia economy and foreign investor will not invest here. According to an economy analysts credited by the London Times for predicting the global financial crisis, Colombo, said that After Sri Lanka, Malaysia now has the 2nd ighest public debt-to-GDP ratio among 13 emerging Asian countries, he also noted that Malaysias high government and household debt is contributing to the credit bubble. So that, to overcome this matter Government reduce fuel subsidy to attract back foreign investor to invest in our country. ( Sinar Harlan 2013 ) It can be concluded that the Malaysia Government Debt to GDP continue alarming is influence government policy to reduce fuel subsidy. . 2. 3 Defending Ringgit Figure 3: The value of ringgit from 30 Nov, 2012 to 25 Oct, 2013. Figure 3 show the trend of USDMYR spot exchange rate from 30 November 2012 to 25 October 2013. On 25 October 2013, the USD exchange rate for the MYR stands at 3. 14. According to Bank Negara Malaysia governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz, as a result in unstable international financial market , the Ringgit has fallen about 4 percent this year. She also reported to the Bloomberg that Bank Negara will only intervene to maintain important market conditions and not to defend the currency at any particular level. It seem that, this statement seen to convince the foreign investor and strengthened the export market. ( Business Time 2013 ) As a result, after a week cutting fuel subsidy, the Ringgit advanced 0. 29 percent to 3. 2645. This is strongest value after hitting 3. 2590 on 13 August. Besides, Ringgit reported may gain over time if the nations fundamentals remain strong and predicted faster economic expansion attempt by the government to increase investor confidence and persuade them to leave their money in the country. In conclusion, cutting fuel subsidy is contributed toward Ringgit stability. 3. 2. 4 Inflation rate is under control Figure 4: Malaysia Inflation Rate from November 2011 September 2013 Figure 4 show the Malaysia Inflation Rate from November 2011 September 2013. The inflation rate in early 2013 is around 1 percent to 2 percent. Effect of price increase in food and non-alcoholic beverages, rate of inflation slightly increased to 2 percent and slightly decelerated to 1. 9 percent in August, as food price slowed. After the government cut fuel subsidy on the September 2013, the inflation rate accelerated to 2. 6 percent, its highest rate since January 2012. According to Joana Taborda an economy analyst, the main contributor of inflation rate in September are increase in price of transport ( up by 4. 6 percent, from 0. 6 percent in August), food price (up by 3. 9 percent, from 3. 6 percent in August), and cost of alcohol and tobacco (rose 4. 5 percent). She reported, cost of housing, water, electricity and other fuels remained unchanged at 1. 8 percent. It can be seen cut in fuel subsidy had affected price of transport and food, while alcohol and tobacco affected by increase in that rate of that categories. Besides that, Prime Minister Datuk Seri NaJib Razak announce in Budget 2013 tabling, inflation rate in October is around 2 percent to 3 percent. In conclusion, government cut down fuel subsidy in right time. Although price of fuel increase, the inflation rate is under control and not slowing down economy. 3. 3 EXPLANATION ON RELATIONSHIP OF GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND INVESTMENT MARKET

Sunday, October 20, 2019

The Enormous Bronze Age Shang Dynasty Capital of Yin

The Enormous Bronze Age Shang Dynasty Capital of Yin Anyang is the name of a modern city in Henan Province of eastern China that contains the ruins of Yin, the massive capital city of the late Shang Dynasty (1554 -1045 BC). In 1899, hundreds of ornately carved tortoise shells and ox scapulas called oracle bones were found in Anyang. Full-scale excavations began in 1928, and since then, investigations by Chinese archaeologists have revealed nearly 25 square kilometers (~10 square miles) of the enormous capital city. Some of the English-language scientific literature refers to the ruins as Anyang, but its Shang Dynasty residents knew it as Yin. Founding Yin Yinxu (or the Ruins of Yin in Chinese) has been identified as the capital Yin described in Chinese records such as the Shi Ji, based on the inscribed oracle bones which (among other things) document the activities of the Shang royal house. Yin was founded as a small residential area on the south bank of the Huan River, a tributary of the Yellow River of central China. When it was founded, an earlier settlement called Huanbei (sometimes referred to as Huayuanzhuang) was located on the north side of the river. Huanbei was a Middle Shang settlement built around 1350 BC, and by 1250 covered an area of approximately 4.7 sq km (1.8 sq km), surrounded by a rectangular wall.​ An Urban City But in 1250 BC, Wu Ding, the 21st king of the Shang Dynasty {ruled 1250-1192 BC], made Yin his capital. Within 200 years, Yin had expanded into an enormous urban center, with an estimated population of somewhere between 50,000 and 150,000 people. The ruins include more than 100 pounded earth palace foundations, numerous residential neighborhoods, workshops and production areas, and cemeteries. The urban core of Yinxu is the palace-temple district at the core called Xiaotun, covering approximately 70 hectares (170 acres) and located at a bend in the river: it may have been separated from the rest of the city by a ditch. More than 50 rammed earth foundations were found here in the 1930s, representing several clusters of buildings which had been built and rebuilt during the citys use. Xiaotun had an elite residential quarter, administrative buildings, altars, and an ancestral temple. Most of the 50,000 oracle bones were found in pits in Xiaotun, and there were also numerous sacrificial pits containing human skeletons, animals, and chariots. Residential Workshops Yinxu is broken into several specialized workshop areas that contain evidence of jade artifact production, the bronze casting of tools and vessels, pottery making, and bone and turtle shell working. Multiple, massive bone and bronze working areas have been discovered, organized into a network of workshops that were under the control of a hierarchical lineage of families. Specialized neighborhoods in the city included Xiamintun and Miaopu, where bronze casting took place; Beixinzhuang where bone objects were processed; and Liujiazhuang North where serving and storage pottery vessels were made. These areas were both residential and industrial: for example, Liujiazhuang contained ceramic production debris and kilns, interspersed with rammed-earth house foundations, burials, cisterns, and other residential features. A major road led from Liujiazhuang to the Xiaotun palace-temple district. Liujiazhuang was likely a lineage-based settlement; its clan name was found inscribed on a bronze seal and bronze vessels in an associated cemetery. Death and Ritual Violence at Yinxu Thousands of tombs and pits containing human remains have been found at Yinxu, from massive, elaborate royal burials, aristocratic graves, common graves, and bodies or body parts in sacrificial pits. Ritual mass killings particularly associated with royalty were a common part of Late Shang society. From the oracle bone records, during Yins 200-year occupation more than 13,000 humans and many more animals were sacrificed. There were two types of state-supported human sacrifice documented in the oracle bone records found at Yinxu. Renxun or human companions referred to family members or servants killed as retainers at the death of an elite individual. They were often buried with elite goods in individual coffins or group tombs. Rensheng or human offerings were massive groups of people, often mutilated and decapitated, buried in large groups for the most part lacking grave goods. Rensheng and Renxun Archaeological evidence for human sacrifice at Yinxu is found in pits and tombs found across the entire city. In residential areas, sacrificial pits are small in scale, mostly animal remains with human sacrifices relatively rare, most with only one to three victims per event, although occasionally they had as many as 12. Those discovered at the royal cemetery or in the palace-temple complex have included up to several hundred human sacrifices at once. Rensheng sacrifices were made up of outsiders, and are reported in the oracle bones to have come from at least 13 different enemy groups. Over half of the sacrifices were said to have come from Qiang, and the largest groups of human sacrifices reported on the oracle bones always included some Qiang people. The term Qiang may have been a category of enemies located west of Yin rather than a particular group; little grave goods have been found with the burials. Systematic osteological analysis of the sacrifices has not been completed as of yet, but stable isotope studies among and between sacrificial victims were reported by bioarchaeologist Christina Cheung and colleagues in 2017; they found that the victims were indeed nonlocals. It is possible that rensheng sacrifice victims may have been slaves before their deaths; oracle bone inscriptions document the enslavement of the Qiang people and chronicling their involvement in productive labor. Inscriptions and Understanding Anyang Over 50,000 inscribed oracle bones and several dozen bronze-vessel inscriptions dated to the Late Shang period (1220-1050 BC) have been recovered from Yinxu. These documents, together with later, secondary texts, were used by British archaeologist Roderick Campbell to document in detail the political network at Yin. Yin was, like most Bronze Age cities in China, a kings city, built to the order of the king as a created center of political and religious activity. Its core was a royal cemetery and palace-temple area. The king was the lineage leader, and responsible for leading rituals involving his ancient ancestors and other living relations in his clan. In addition to reporting political events such as the numbers of sacrificial victims and to whom they were dedicated, the oracle bones report the kings personal and state concerns, from a toothache to crop failures to divination. Inscriptions also refer to schools at Yin, perhaps places for literacy training, or perhaps where trainees were taught to maintain divination records. Bronze Technology The Late Shang dynasty was at the apex of bronze making technology in China. The process used high-quality molds and cores, which were pre-cast to prevent shrinkage and breaking during the process. The molds were made of a fairly low percentage of clay and an accordingly high percentage of sand, and they were fired before use to produce a high resistance to thermal shock, low thermal conductivity, and a high porosity for adequate ventilation during casting. Several large bronze foundry sites have been found. The largest identified to date is the Xiaomintun site, covering a total area of over 5 ha (12 ac), up to 4 ha (10 ac) of which have been excavated. Archaeology in Anyang To date, there have been 15 seasons of excavations by Chinese authorities since 1928, including the Academia Sinica, and its successors the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. A joint Chinese-American project conducted excavations at Huanbei in the 1990s. Yinxu was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006. Sources Campbell Roderick  B, Li Z, He Y, and Jing Y. 2011. Consumption, exchange and production at the Great Settlement Shang: bone-working at Tiesanlu, Anyang. Antiquity 85(330):1279-1297.Cheung C, Jing Z, Tang J, Weston DA, and Richards MP. 2017. Diets, social roles, and geographical origins of sacrificial victims at the royal cemetery at Yinxu, Shang China: New evidence from stable carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur isotope analysis. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 48:28-45.Flad R. 2016. Urbanism as technology in early China. Archaeological Research in Asia 2016/09/29.Jin ZY, Wu YJ, Fan AC, Yue ZW, Li G, Li SH, and Yan LF. 2015. Luminescence study of the initial, pre-casting firing temperatures of clay mould and core used for bronze casting at Yinxu (13c. BC~11c. BC). Quaternary Geochronology 30:374-380.Smith AT. 2010. The evidence for scribal training at Anyang. In: Li F, and Prager Banner D, editors. Writing and Literacy in Early China. Seattle: University of Washington Press. p 172 -208. Sun W-D, Zhang L-P, Guo J, Li C-Y, Jiang Y-H, Zartman RE, and Zhang Z-F. 2016. Origin of the mysterious Yin-Shang bronzes in China indicated by lead isotopes. Scientific Reports 6:23304.Wei S, Song G, and He Y. 2015. The identification of binding agent used in late Shang Dynasty turquoise-inlayed bronze objects excavated in Anyang. Journal of Archaeological Science 59:211-218.Zhang H, Merrett DC, Jing Z, Tang J, He Y, Yue H, Yue Z, and Yang DY. 2016. Osteoarchaeological Studies of Human Systemic Stress of Early Urbanization in Late Shang at Anyang, China. PLOS ONE 11(4):e0151854.Zhang H, Merrett DC, Jing Z, Tang J, He Y, Yue H, Yue Z, and Yang DY. 2017. Osteoarthritis, labour division, and occupational specialization of the Late Shang China - insights from Yinxu (ca. 1250-1046 B.C.). PLOS ONE 12(5):e0176329.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Historical Role Of Slavery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Historical Role Of Slavery - Essay Example Swift in Gulliver’s Travel describes the human nature in a satirical form. He shows how honesty and on the other hand lying are incorporated into the human nature and how well they fit. Swift does this by taking Gulliver through a self-deception journey and getting to a point of experiencing e depicted authenticity that is straightforward. Swift, therefore, reveals human nature as being faced with issues of telling the truth, lying, hypocrisy and authenticity and reality and illusion (Jan 16). Human nature in Voltaire’s Candide emerges as being ridiculous and depicts that whatever happens is for the best of all the possible worlds. He focuses on the capacity of the human to reason and believes that the only time that humanity can reform is when an individual is able to think by themselves and independent of what others think (Jefferson 146). Voltaire sees the possibility of challenges that face individuals with regard to belief before they can realize that optimism does not provide a realistic basis to enable them to perceive the world. He clearly shows that people must think independently in order to achieve all that they ate capable of achieving (Lowers 44). Shelly in Frankenstein brings out the human nature as being to judge from appearance. The people just see the external features of the creature and from this labels him the monster (Allen 93).They do not see beyond his external deformities even to realize the good aspects that he possesses such as being an eloquent speaker.  

Friday, October 18, 2019

The Successful College Lecturer Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Successful College Lecturer - Assignment Example Humanism is usually effective in cases where the learners need to use their common senses to judge problems being asked by the teacher or instructor. Among the rest of the theories that explain ethical philosophies, humanism is regarded as the best of them all when it comes to learning. Learners in their childhood stages are able to appreciate human nature, thereby giving them an opportunity to learn faster when they are in class. Humanism advocates for people to seek what they need to know by themselves as opposed to seeking them either from revelation or mysticism1. The effectiveness of this philosophy in terms of contributing to learning situations is good and need to be emphasized. It is believed that humanism allow people to think for themselves and are able to challenge any form of 'thinking' as they wish without fear It is also referred to the 'learning perspective'. The proposition of thinking, feeling and acting are normally regarded as the 'behaviours' of that person. The behaviours one develops either by imitation or taught affect the persons learning ability. In psychology, it is said that the behaviour of a human being are related to the environment they live in and this will contribute significantly on the learning ability of the persons. Behaviourism as in the way people act, is considered the easiest way to teach people what they should do and how to do it. Whether the results of the action will be right or wrong depends on the humanistic philosophy stated above2. The effectiveness of behaviourism is rated the second after humanism. This is because, the behaviours one achieves may as well be acquired from the same classroom or teaching space that is in question. Constructivism Any assumptions made on the natural being of people's learning that guides their learning methods and theories are called constructivism. Constructivism takes puts more emphasis on appropriate teacher -supported learning developments in an educational environments. It also gives an opportunity to each of the learners to develop their own unique background-achieved abilities towards their learning processes. In this case, the learner is seen as complex being with multidimensional cognition and acknowledges it as part of the integral process of learning. It therefore encourages, rewards and maintains it as a tool for use in learning. Constructivism also dictates how the learner socially interacts with other people within the society with a view to gain a learning experience through them. The vulnerable members of the learning community including the young children develop their abilities to think through the interaction with other children and the physical environment at large. It also motivates the learner to seek more and more knowledge from various sources making it very effective when it comes to teaching practices. Learners are ready to learn through all ways and that their motivation directly comes from their confidence and competencies. This helps teachers to link up their teaching contents with the level of developing the leaner is undergoing at the moment. Learning styles Majority of the people favour some particular forms of interactions3. These forms of interaction are learning styles that represent how best an individual can be able to adopt a specific method of learning suitable to him or her. There are four basic learning styles; Learning by seeing Learning by hearing Learning by processing text Learning by doing

Micky McDivet Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Micky McDivet - Assignment Example and where the decision under consideration is that of the ALJ, two standards of review are commonly considered, namely: substantial evidence, and; de novo. A substantial evidence standard of review was defined in Richardson v Perales. 402 US 389, 401 (1971) as â€Å"such relevant evidence as a reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support a decision.† A reviewing court must set aside the decision of the trial court if it finds that the evidence used in supporting the decision lacks substance taking into account the evidence in the case’s record that opposed such findings (Universal Camera Corp v NLRB 340 US 474, 488 [1951]). In deciding whether evidence is substantial or not, the US Supreme Court in the Richardson case reminds appellate courts that is â€Å"more than a mere scintilla.† Five decided cases that made use of this standard are the following: A de novo standard of review is one where a â€Å"reviewing court makes an original appraisal of all the evidence to decide whether or not it believes [the conclusions of the trial court]† (Bose Corporation v Consumers Union of the US, Inc. 466 US 485, 514 [1984]). A de novo standard of review applies when there is an error of law (Kober v Apfel, 133 F.Supp.2d 868 [2001] or a mixed error of law and facts (Johnson v Employment Security, 112 Wn.2d 172 [1989]). This standard of review was used in the following cases: Any decision to elevate Mickey McDivet case must take into account the two standards of review, which the federal district courts commonly use in reviewing a case. The issues that an appealing party cites as basis for the appeal usually determine the standard that the court will use. An assignment of error of law, for example, will subject it to a de novo standard review and an assignment of error of fact on the part of the ALJ will subject it to a substantial evidence standard of review. An assignment of both types will create subject it to both

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Saudi pus millions in higher education buildings , where saudi Essay

Saudi pus millions in higher education buildings , where saudi education heading - Essay Example By the end of 2003, eight universities served 22 million people. However, in 2003, the government of Saudi Arabia made an active decision on restructuring and expanding the higher education sector. As a result, the national allocation for the same has tripled since 004 reaching $15 million in 2007. Most of the funds allocated to the ministry were used in the construction of new universities and colleges across the country. National leaders, such as King Abdullah, have supported the program from their personal account by donating $10 million for the construction of a Science and Technology University. In endorsing the higher education initiative, the government lifted a long-standing ban on the operation of private institutions. In this regard, free land and funds amounting to $10 million were issued to the private sector in terms of scholarship and construction to facilitate its achievement of a higher status such as Yale and Harvard Universities. In establishing a quality education system, various adjustments were made in the banking sector, political sector, as well as the religious and social sector to promote factors that facilitated the cultivation of a New England in the Middle East. According to Philip G. Altbach, the decision to establish the ministry of education and invest in the same is a decisive step towards academic development. However, the director of the Center for International Higher Education acknowledges that the educational position of the country poses a challenge to the achievement of the set objectives (Altbach cited in Krieger 2007, p. 1). The first challenge facing the country is solving its major problem of technology import. As confirmed by the deputy minister of higher education, Mohammed Al-Ohali, the country has relied on foreign technology for a long time (Bander bin Saud cited in Krieger 2007, p. 2). Specifically, this is due to the overreliance on Social Sciences among the universities in Saudi Arabia. For a long period,

Communications Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Communications Assessment - Essay Example However, the success of a person depends on his ability to judge his strengths and weaknesses. Once weaknesses are identified it becomes easier for the individual to overcome them. However, the strengths motivate him to maintain them and further research what needs to be done for a more successful outcome. Hence, it can be said that strengths and weaknesses both are important for a sustained excellence in the leadership profession. The weaknesses of my leadership communication skills that I have observed are discussed in this part. Leaders are aimed to direct their sub-ordinates towards the specified goal. Their job requires special care and consideration. I have observed that I do not give any detailed information about my instructions. This is because I find it difficult to share my views in groups. It can be taken as strength as it saves a lot of time. But if we look closely, the job of a leader is not to compel people do what they are asked to do. In fact, leadership is a skill to motivate people on doing a particular task. It demands to have such an influence on the sub-ordinates that they willfully and enthusiastically move towards a common goal. Without explaining the reasons for a particular act it is impossible to gain the interest of subordinates in the work. A work done without interest will always be less accurate than a work done with interest and having a goal oriented approach. The effects of this weakness do not end here. Due to my short and restricted instructions the subordinates may feel uncomfortable to question about anything. Hence, the subordinates may restrict their questions to themselves which may affect the performance and may end up in an unexpected outcome. Moreover, I am not able to show my emotions properly. Even if the work of subordinates please me or is better than expected, I find it difficult to show my pleasure, happiness, contentment and satisfaction. One cannot, however, deny the importance of these expressions. It

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Saudi pus millions in higher education buildings , where saudi Essay

Saudi pus millions in higher education buildings , where saudi education heading - Essay Example By the end of 2003, eight universities served 22 million people. However, in 2003, the government of Saudi Arabia made an active decision on restructuring and expanding the higher education sector. As a result, the national allocation for the same has tripled since 004 reaching $15 million in 2007. Most of the funds allocated to the ministry were used in the construction of new universities and colleges across the country. National leaders, such as King Abdullah, have supported the program from their personal account by donating $10 million for the construction of a Science and Technology University. In endorsing the higher education initiative, the government lifted a long-standing ban on the operation of private institutions. In this regard, free land and funds amounting to $10 million were issued to the private sector in terms of scholarship and construction to facilitate its achievement of a higher status such as Yale and Harvard Universities. In establishing a quality education system, various adjustments were made in the banking sector, political sector, as well as the religious and social sector to promote factors that facilitated the cultivation of a New England in the Middle East. According to Philip G. Altbach, the decision to establish the ministry of education and invest in the same is a decisive step towards academic development. However, the director of the Center for International Higher Education acknowledges that the educational position of the country poses a challenge to the achievement of the set objectives (Altbach cited in Krieger 2007, p. 1). The first challenge facing the country is solving its major problem of technology import. As confirmed by the deputy minister of higher education, Mohammed Al-Ohali, the country has relied on foreign technology for a long time (Bander bin Saud cited in Krieger 2007, p. 2). Specifically, this is due to the overreliance on Social Sciences among the universities in Saudi Arabia. For a long period,

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Answer the question in form of essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Answer the question in form of - Essay Example Personally, I have been raised to believe that there are only two acceptable genders, and a third one is utterly laughable and brings humiliation to the family. However, with the propagation of the principles of diversity, people of various sexual orientations are now being embraced to the fold. Media has been actively promoting them, breaking down barriers set by essentialists and creating a new morality that I am still having difficulty fully accepting. Vacek’s arguments were very clear as he used various examples, some even exaggerated in order for readers to see his point. He discussed six overlapping criteria for what should make a marriage and these criteria are being debated upon by essentialists and postmodernists. These are gender differences; reproduction; â€Å"unnatural sex†; institutional recognition; purposes of marriage and parenting. With differences, Vacek claims that boundaries between men and women are slowly disappearing with the fusion of gender roles. Only biological differences seem to remain. Hence, same sex partners who have similar biological make-ups can still be considered a couple due to diminishing gender differences required in marriages. The issues regarding sex and reproduction between heterosexual and homosexual marriages continue to be controversial, although Vacek reasons out that the modern world has found alternatives that make them more acceptable socially but not necessarily moral ly, especially in the eyes of essentialists. His point is that any couple can be having unnatural sex, as recognized by essentialists and can reproduce children or just adopt, but these do not make them less suitable to be people of good spouses and parents. Legal status and recognition were also discussed by Vacek as the law only recognizing heterosexual unions, but he argued about homosexual spouses having the same conditions or even better, but they are

Communications and Media the use of social media Essay Example for Free

Communications and Media the use of social media Essay What SouthWest Airlines (SWA) has done is to consolidate customers and fans for the better performance of its operation in light of competition it is facing. This is a clear case where social media is being used as a channel that supports community building, customer collaboration and sharing ideas and market trends that propel the performance of a company. This strategy should be adopted in an ideal education situation so that university systems could look for ways of engaging and motivating learners to be more proactive. Still on SWA, the Company actively engaged fans on Facebook through posting different items and argumentative debates just to gather opinions on what customers expect from them. This is what Dani and Singer (2008) term as ‘discrete approach to marketing and feasibility study on what people expect’ (p. 192). American University of Sharjah needs to integrate a number of social media tools into the learning process to reflect the success SWA has enjoyed within the shortest period of time it has been on business. Beginning with how SWA has integrated Facebook within its platform, it is important to note that what American University of Sharjah should strive to achieve is to have social networking. To contextualize this point, when using Facebook to engage customers, the case (Southern Airlines by Adam Saffer) reports that by posting a video from Air Zealand there were 58 comments and 95 likes. These comments according to the author helped the Company strategize on the best approaches to deal with the demands of its client. Contextualizing this case, research by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI 2007) has shown that at least 87 percent of students in universities have social media accounts and as such, Facebook account for about 90 percent. This statistics shows that social networking websites have become integral parts of students’ live at American University of Sharjah. It is from this perspective that the university should try as much as possible to engage students in dec ision making process by posting agendas and policies for debate. That is, facebook should be integrated as part of learning process. From the case, it has been noted that SWA communicated with Facebook fans in response to the questions and issues they were having. When there was a query or a problem from their fans, they could respond to the question on time and publicly. This is particularly to the issue that Lala Palelei asked on November 2nd 2009. It is from this approach that it is recommended for American University of Sharjah to actively engage with students through Facebook. As a matter of fact, Alexander Astin proposed a developmental theory that sought to engage with learners (Geyer et al. 2009). In his theory, he proposed that social interaction with learners help them grow psychologically and physically. Just like what SWA did, responding to the issues students are asking should be evidence-based. That is, answers should be well researched so that engagement includes effo rts students invest in their educational activities and such empirically connected to the objectives of the university. Just like SWA, American University of Sharjah is active on Twitter. It is important to note that adoption of official Twitter account is one factor, making it outpace empirical understanding of the use of such technology and the available theories regarding why it (the Twitter account) may alter a number of organizational process is another. It is from this observation that the university should make twitter account serve the purpose SWA’s twitter account is doing. The case reads, ‘of the social tools, SWA has found Twitter to be its primary means of interacting with its public.’ There are inherent reasons as to why the Company finds Twitter to be a source of interaction. Citing a case, it is reported that Jessica Turner had an interesting post concerning newest service location which was geared towards attracting debates on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This post attracted attention of its followers to an extent that the SWA managed to understand dynamic s of the market through what is termed as ‘two-way communication between SWA and its publics.’ Basically, this is the recommendation the University needsa two-way communication between students, teaching staff and the public. This recommendation is evidence-based. Scholars such as Daly (2010) have studied the relationship between social practices and new technologies and found greater utility in the concept of affordance and unity because by positively engaging others through social media forums explain why organizations using same technology are likely to engage in disparate or similar work practices and communication. On 14th December 2014 the University through its official Facebook account posted the 12th NGN10 Competition where engineering students from the university were invited to contribute on the best way to make the lightest tower crane. While this approach is similar to what Christi Day did about his Twitter post on ‘Grab your bag. It’s onâ€⠄¢ it is recommended that for effective interaction, the university should integrate marketing campaign when making such posts so that a conversation is generated between interested parties and students. Flickr and You Tube are other two social media SWA has used to capitalize on the needs of its customers and fans. On Flickr the information provided is that organizations such as the University can use social media to counter unrealistic claims and complaints aimed at tarnishing its image. This is in regard to complain made by Scooteriscracy. However, to maintain transparency and avoid circumstances as the one SWA found itself in, the line between personal business and professional posting should be distinct. It is recommended that the University should be careful in its posting. Nuts about Southwest as the name of SWA’s You Tube should be used as a benchmark in helping American University of Sharjah note that the use of social media also encompasses permitting every employer to self-publish as long as such publication conforms to specific regulations of the institution. It is apparent that the manner in which the University uses You Tube does not allow people, including stude nts to communicate or share their views and opinions across faculties or organizational boundaries. To conceptualize this recommendation, Brzozowski et al. (2009) conducted a research on the benefits of institutional engagements of leaners on social media. After interviewing 425 undergraduate students from the Midwestern institution, is was found that when learners are allowed to share, post or participate in education forums posted through social media there is a positive correlation between student engagement in the affairs of school and success of the school in policy drafting and implementation. In fact it is through this recommendation that SWA has managed to achieve its objectivegreat customer service (being ranked as the airline with the least cases of complaints per passenger since it started monitoring the data in 1987). It is important to mention, just like Fuller and Valacich (2008) does that the usage of social media in American University of Sharjah should be about providing meta-knowledge. That is, making the institution understand the type of people in its environ and what they may do so that good relationships and rapport is maintained. Just like what SWA is doing through blogging, the University could let students and employees create profiles pages on different social media where such pages have corporate directories information, photos as well as summary of content that individuals have contributed. It is from such initiatives that people will learn more about the interests, backgrounds and activities of students, workers. It is apparent that what SWA has succeeded in is creativity which as not only placed it as one of the fasted growing companies but also made it become effective. This will be achieved if the University allows participation by all in social media activities. Finally, Ameri can University of Sharjah has a reputation to keep and for the usage of social media, maintenance of confidentiality, transparency and respect to the property should note be overshadowed by the quest to adopt the recommendation provided. References Brzo zowski, M., Sandholm, T., Hogg, T. (2009). Effects of feedback and peer pressure on contributions to enterprise social media. Proceedings of the 2009 International Conference on Supporting Group Work (pp. 61–70). New York: ACM. doi:10.1145/1531674.1531684 Daly, E. M., Geyer, W., Millen, D. R. (2010). The network effects of recommending social connections. Proceedings of the Fourth Conference on Recommender Systems (pp. 301–304). New York: ACM. doi:10.1145/1864708.1864772 Dani s, C., Singer, D. (2008). A wiki instance in the enterprise: Opportunities, concerns and reality. Proceedings of the 2008 Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (pp. 495–504). New York: ACM. doi:0.1145/1460563.1460642 Fuller, R. M., Valacich, J. S. (2008). Media, tasks, and communication processes: A theory of media synchronicity. MIS Quarterly, 32, 575–600. Geyer, W., Millen, D. R., Dugan, C., Brownholtz, B. (2009). People sensemaking and relationship building on an enterprise social networking site. Proceedings of the 42nd Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. Los Alamitos, CA: IEEE Computer Society Press. doi:10.1109/HICSS.2009.343 Higher Education Research Institute (2007) College freshmen and online social networking sites.Available at: http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/PDFs/pubs/briefs/brief- 091107SocialNetworking.pdf (last accessed 17th December 2014). Source document

Monday, October 14, 2019

Netflix Marketing Plan and SWOT Analysis

Netflix Marketing Plan and SWOT Analysis Brand or Company Description   Netflix is subscription service on the internet that offers a variety of TV shows and movies. Netflix is a forerunner in the internet delivery of TV shows and movies, launching its streaming service in 2007. Since this time, the company has developed a wide variety of internet-connected devices and has licensed increasing amounts of content that enable consumers to enjoy their favorite TV shows and movies no matter where they are at because they can access this content on their TVs, computers or mobile devices. As a result of these efforts, Netflix has experienced growing consumer acceptance of and interest in the delivery of TV shows and movies directly over the Internet (Netflix, 2018). Core Products or Services   Subscribers can watch unlimited TV shows and movies instantly. Content can be streamed over the Internet to their TVs, computers and mobile devices and, in the United States, subscribers can also receive standard definition DVDs, as well as Blu-ray discs, delivered  directly to their homes. Netflix markets its service through various channels, including online advertising, broad-based media, such as television and radio, as well as various strategic partnerships. In addition to various marketing strategies, the company offers free-trial memberships to new and rejoining members. According to Netflix, rejoining members are an important source of subscriber additions (Netflix, 2018). A Brief History   Netflix is an American entertainment company founded by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph  on August 29, 1997, in Scotts Valley, California. The company expanded into film in 2016 as well as television production and online distribution. The company is headquartered in Los Gatos, California. As of January 2016, Netflix is operating in over 190 countries and has greatly expanded the production of both film and television series. Netflix released an estimated 126 original series or films in 2016, more than any other network or cable channel. As of January 2018, Netflix had 117.58 million paying subscribers worldwide, including 54.75 million in the United States (Netflix, 2018). Key current competitors   The market for entertainment video is competitive and changes rapidly. Competitors  have the ability to launch new businesses at relatively low costs. Many consumers maintain subscriptions to multiple entertainment video providers at once and can easily shift from one provider to another. Netflix competitors include multichannel video programming distributors with free TV everywhere and video-on-demand content including cable providers, such as Time Warner and Comcast. Direct broadcast satellite providers, such as DIRECTV and EchoStar, as well as telecommunication providers such as AT&T and Verizon, are also key competitors for Netflix. Internet movie and TV content providers, such as Apple’s iTunes, Amazon.com, Hulu.com and Google’s YouTube are also sources of competition.  DVD rental outlets such as Blockbuster and Red-box also are also included in the list of key competitors that Netflix faces (Netflix, 2018).  Ã‚   SWOT Analysis   SWOT Analysis: Strengths   1.  Brand Name   After ten years, Netflix has become the sole brand name for online streaming content with a share price increase of over 6000% since 2007 (Bradshaw  & Bond, 2017). Often consumers are much more likely to go with a brand name they know and trust than an off-brand that may or may not be a better value for their money. This is one way Netflix can capitalize and grow their business. Being the known familiar service provider puts them at a greater advantage of not only keeping their customers but attaining new ones. 2.  Large customer base Through serving 190 countries, Netflix has access to over 100 million subscribers. This strength gives the company bargaining power when in talks with studios to secure exclusive content (Bradshaw  & Bond, 2017).  The popularity and convenience of Netflix is one of its greatest strengths. This makes them able to accommodate and appeal to a very large customer base and has the ability to further expand and develop in more areas, including partnerships and expansions in various areas and with various companies in a variety of countries. Growth will likely continue as the company goes forward and continues to expand. Customers are opting for the convenience of consuming entertainment online and Netflix continues to expand internationally. 3.Original content Through careful acquisitions, Netflix have secured numerous original shows that have appealed to audiences. In 2017, two Netflix shows are so popular they have pushed subscribers from 83m to over 100m in one quarter (Bradshaw & Bond, 2017). The House of Cards was a game changer for Netflix. All episodes of the first season of the show were released at the same time, and the response of the critics was overwhelmingly positive. The House of Cards not only attracted many new users but also proved that the key to their customers’ loyalty is a unique and abundant content library. The company continues to working on adding new shows such as 30 kids’ shows, ten new feature films, 12 documentaries, and ten stand-up comedy specials (Netflix, 2018). SWOT Analysis: Weaknesses   1.  Cost of original content While its original content creates a competitive advantage for the company, the cost continues to grow  in order to  support this content. In 2017, it is expected for Netflix to invest $2.5 billion  solely on securing original content rights.  To keep prices competitively low, Netflix  will need  to find a balance between maintaining good relationships with the distributors and aggressively negotiating content licensing costs with them. This type of dependence can result in a vulnerability that could prove to be very costly (Bradshaw, 2017). 2.  Lack of rights to original content   Unlike many traditional television studios, Netflix does not own most of their original programming. Due to this, rights usually expire after a year and the original content can be shown on rival services (Bradshaw, 2017). This is an area that serves as a potential weakness especially related to retaining customers and keeping costs low. 3.  Environmental cost   Netflix has been ranked poorly in terms of environmental awareness. This has given them bad publicity for the company as rival competitors such as Amazon and Facebook use over 40% renewable energy with their services (Lewis, 2016). SWOT Analysis: Threats   1.  Increased competition Facebook is the latest to try and take on traditional media by launching its own original content. Amazon, Hulu, HBO, and YouTube are all competing for audiences to subscribe to their platforms. For Netflix, this will continue to develop as more companies seek to buy the latest original content exclusively for their platform (Bradshaw, 2017). 2.  Digital Piracy For more than 30 content providers, including Netflix, piracy has led to 5.4 billion  downloads of media content in 2016 alone. This threatens Netflixs business model and ability to fund content in the future (Opam, 2017). The ability for viewers to get the same content basically for free is a huge potential threat for Netflixs bottom line and ability to continue to dominate the market. SWOT Analysis: Opportunities   1.  Expansion into China Difficulties with licensing has left Netflix unable to enter China through traditional means. The company must find a joint-venture to capitalize on the 500 million  Chinese users who currently stream media content (Russell, 2017). 2.  Partnerships in Europe   To meet new European laws, Netflix can partner with the BBC and Canal Plus to gain access to a wealth of native-language European content and grow customers in local markets (Murgia & Bond, 2017). 3.  Growth of technology With the growth of streaming content, Netflix must continue to come up with new ways to allow customers to access their content and provide further competitive advantages. A growing market for content is foreign-language programming. Partnerships with local-language content will help Netflix to be able to be a rival for local streaming services and help them to be a leader among this (Mintel, 2016). Marketing Plan Focus   Based on my SWOT analysis, I believe there is an opportunity to expand internationally by partnering with telecommunications companies such as Samsung to make the application readily available for customers on their devices in overseas markets. For this marketing plan, I’ve come up with an idea to incorporate the Netflix application into Android devices. This would target a particular demographic, and could help to begin to solve the issues Netflix faces internationally. The app would have early childhood development movies and songs that would help little children and as well the already existing list of unending movie for all ages. Segmentation Approach   For this marketing plan, I’ve opted for a straightforward demographic approach to segmenting the market given my desire to target a specific age group. I considered a behavioral approach based on past purchase history as captured via use of the McDonald’s app. However, the app was only introduced in late 2015 and age is not captured in the registration process (unless a social media log ­in is used). Furthermore, I don’t want to limit my audience to just existing customers. Given the broad appeal of the McDonald’s concept and its national footprint, I did not feel geographic targeting or formal psychographic targeting was needed. Target Definition   My target for the Netflix K is families with young children and adolescents ranging from the age of 2 to 12 years old. An interest in learning and technology would allow for further media targeting. Positioning Statement   Netflix K A time for parents to have quality moments with their children while watching them learn, grow and excel academically in the privacy and comfort of home. Marketing Mix Discussion   Marketing Mix: Product This marketing plan is centered around education and the benefit of families coming together and sharing quality moments with the thrill of old favorites and new exciting learning opportunities. The core idea is to use advertisement to create awareness in between episodes and popups advertisement when the application is not in use or in between episodes when in use.   With the already exiting approach of having it available to Android devices it would help market itself by being readily available Marketing Mix: Price   Netflix strategy would be to retain its already existing customer base by offering 10% discounts on yearly subscriptions and 15% discount to customers that have been a Netflix member for more than 3 years. Included in the price new series would be offered at a 50% off rate compared to its competitors such as Hulu.com and Amazon Prime in order to be able to win and secure future customers. This is characterized as skimming as they are trying to take business from their competitors by offering the same service at a reduced rate. Marketing Mix: Promotion   In addition to the promotional pricing deal discussed above, there would be an opportunity to redeem a promotion code to save money on a family night out package based on local available retailers. This would be a way for Netflix to partner with local companies in order to help them gain acceptance internationally. Marketing Mix: Place   I would make use of a dedicated Netflix K microsite where customers could go to learn more about the promotion and app and to have the possibility to win promotion codes and save additional money on family nights out as well as the possibility of earning months free towards their Netflix subscription. This would also encourage additional downloads of the Netflix K app and promotion of a larger and growing customer base. Potential Success Metrics   Customer Satisfaction Knowing if people are actually satisfied with the service or product is very important.   Customer satisfaction can be a helpful metric in guiding a marketing campaign. Getting feedback directly from customer is an easy way to measure satisfaction. One way to do this would be to add a standard Google consumer survey to the app or site for free. With a few simple questions, you can find if  your customers are satisfied with the app or site, what they dont like about the app or site, and whether or not they will continue using the app. User Engagement   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Tracking visits and signups is important, but focusing on how much time a user spends on your website or app is important as well. This has the ability to provide a realistic view and can base future success around this consideration. Progress It is always important to keep moving forward and having a forward momentum. If a company is making strong progress on a day to day basis, then it will likely be creating new opportunities and growing the business overall. This will allow the company to accomplish its overall goal and keep them on track. International Considerations   Netflix faces the challenge of being able to make their international segment profitable. Netflix will need to invest in local content and better streaming quality over low bandwidth connections in order to attract subscribers. Netflix will have to expand this base quickly in order to be able to recover the associated costs. Netflix will also have to consider the competition of other providers such as Amazon and YouTube who are also looking to capture this segment of the market. Another challenge Netflix faces related to international markets such as India, is lower internet penetration and existing connections with low bandwidth. These factors limit its target consumers in these countries to the small section of the population that have access to high speed internet. Viewing preferences is another consideration that will have to be addressed as these differ from country to country and even between different regions of the same country. In order to attract subscribers, Netflix needs to have a broad content library catering to the preferences of the diverse audience (Bradshaw & Bond, 2017). Conclusion   The Netflix K marketing plan should be approved for funding because it has the opportunity to generate a great deal of business and success in entering many foreign markets not previously entered in. Associating Netflix with current technology such as Samsung and then appealing to a customer base of families with children has the possibility of building a strong business base in this target population and areas abroad. This will also help build affinity and rapport with local businesses in foreign destinations helping Netflix to become a top international company not just a top American company. References Bradshaw, T. (2017) Netflix boosted as viewers outside the US tune in.  Financial Times.  Retrieved from   https://www.ft.com/content/e8c742f2-6b34-11e7-b9c7-15af748b60d0. Bradshaw, T., and Bond, S. (2017). Netflix looks to become worlds entertainer as it hits   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   milestone.  Financial Times.  Retrieved from   https://www.ft.com/content/06b55bb8-6d0c-11e7-bfeb-33fe0c5b7eaa. Lewis, D. (2016). Will the internet of things sacrifice or save the environment?  Guardian   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Business.  Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/dec/12/will-the-internet-of-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   things-sacrifice-or-save-the-environment. Mintel, J.  (2016). Music and Video Streaming-UK-April 2016.  Mintel Academic.  Retrieved   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   from  http://academic.mintel.com/display/770307/. Murgia, M., and Bond, D. (2017). Netflix seeks European crown in local content push.  Financial   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Times.  Retrieved from https://www.ft.com/content/c286c25e-04d5-11e7-aa5b-6bb07f5c8e12. Netflix Inc. business description. (2018).  CSIMarket.com.  Retrieved   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   from  https://csimarket.com/stocks/NFLX-Business-Description.html. Opam, K. (2017). HBO, Netflix, other Hollywood companies join forces to fight piracy.  The Verge.  Retreived from  https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/13/15791688/hbo-netflix-hollywood-ace-fight-piracy. Russell, J. (2017). Netflix enters China via licensing deal with top video streaming service iQiyi.  Tech Crunch.  Retrieved from  https://techcrunch.com/2017/04/25/netflix-china-iqiyi/.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Lawrence Ferlinghettis Politics :: essays research papers fc

Lawrence Ferlinghetti's Politics I hope I won't seem too politically incorrect for saying this but after immersing myself in the writings of the guilt-obsessed asexual Jack Kerouac, the ridiculously horny Allen Ginsberg and the just plain sordid William S. Boroughs... it's nice to read a few poems by a guy who can get excited about a little candy store under the El or a pretty woman letting a stocking drop to the floor (â€Å"Literary Kicks†). For casual reading, Lawrence Ferlinghetti's poetry is cheerful and humorous. At best it is a welcome break for the mainstream of the â€Å"beat generation.† Inside his poetry, deep rooted criticisms of the United States exist. Ferlinghetti has had an anti-government attitude since the 1950's. His beliefs strengthened when he was put on trial for publishing a highly controversial collection of poems written by Allen Ginsberg. Lawrence Ferlinghetti has chosen to express his political views through his poetry. Additionally, Ferlinghetti became more vocal with the use of protests and further publication of controversial and/or anti-government materials through his publishing house, New Directions. By using poetry, Ferlinghetti was able to reach a vast audience including those whom he was criticizing. Through his poetry, Lawrence Ferlinghetti blatantly and subtly criticized the American democratic system and politicians.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1957, Ferlinghetti received his first national attention. Ferlinghetti was arrested and brought to trial as the publisher of a collection of obscene poetry, Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg (Alspaugh 1148). Eventually he was cleared of the charges of â€Å"publishing and sale of obscene writings.† Since his involvement in the obscenity trial, Ferlinghetti became quite cynical of the government. After the trial ended, Lawrence Ferlinghetti canceled all government grants coming to him and to any writers under his publishing house. Currently he still disallows the acceptance of government grants to any of his writers (Alspaugh 1146). Economically speaking, Ferlinghetti did benefit from the trial. The publicity created by the trial attracted new names to New Directions Publishing. The publicity also was great enough to propel Lawrence Ferlinghetti's image to the degree where he could successfully release his second collection of poetry, A Coney Island of the Mind. In most of Ferlinghetti's work, he has shown a concern with political issues. â€Å" His poetry often addresses political subjects...† (Nasso 196). The Kennedy Assassination, McCarthyism and the Vietnam conflict were all topics in several Ferlinghetti poems (Oppenheimer 136). Lawrence Ferlinghetti's past incidents involving the government influenced his poetry and consequentially he has little respect for government. â€Å"Ferlinghetti's... poetry offered blatant tirades against the destructive tendencies of America's political leadership† (Trosky 136).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Politics are themes in virtually all of Ferlinghetti's works.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Napoleon’s success in Europe to 1807 Essay

To what extent was Napoleon’s success in Europe to 1807 the consequences of his own military ability? Napoleon’s success in Europe to 1807 could not have been the consequences of a single factor, his own military ability, but rather a combination of linking, interdependent factors, some of which playing a greater role than others, but all helping Napoleon along the road to success. It is undeniable that if fate had given Napoleon an entirely different set of circumstances (if he had not been able to rise through the ranks as easily, if France had not the massive population it did e.t.c) then, no matter how intelligent or able he was, he would not have enjoyed the kind of success he did. Correlli Barnett, in his book Bonaparte, is very critical of Napoleon and his tactics, claiming that it was largely the incompetence and weaknesses of his enemies that enabled him to achieve success. For example, on the Battle of Ulm (October 1805), Barnett talks about what might have happened if Austria had a â€Å"general more active than Mack†, who broke out with a single Austrian corps right across Bonaparte’s communications. The Austrian army had an impressive artillery which could have posed a threat to Napoleon if combined with Russia, but there was no universal language, and with it’s varied ethnic and racial populations this was a huge problem – it slowed communication and often left many in a state of confusion. This also meant that there was no real national identity allowing the kind of patriotism that the French could use to fight with. The Russian army also had huge problems, one of the main ones being the fact that the soldiers did not want to be fighting a war at all. Surrounding the conscript army was a negative, fatalistic view of army life – a darkly amusing fact is that soldiers could often go to their own funeral before they were conscripted away to battle. Apart from the fact that they were treated like criminals, Russian soldiers were also poorly trained, severely lacking in tactical awareness and education. Prussia on the other hand, with its fine tradition, had a very strong army. However, the Prussian skirmishes were poor and the army missed a sense of individuality (instinct or initiative) and instead acted after strategic planning alone. Furthermore, the Prussian artillery could not come close to the French standards, being completely out gunned on some occasions, even when the French had far less numbers. The British army, before 1807, was not much of a force to be reckoned with – it was fairly tiny and was not as strong or quick as the French army. Even though the weaknesses of Napoleon’s enemies were rather considerable before 1807, he would not have been able to profit from these weaknesses if it were not for his military genius and the strength of his army. When he came to power, Napoleon inherited a huge and incredibly strong army to do with whatever he pleased. The French army fought for a cause. They were not as mercenaries, not as men impressed against their will, but as citizens honorably defending their revolution against its threatened destruction by outside forces. People were full of this revolutionary ardour and actively sought battle. This was a wholly new perspective of war and the causes it was fought for. Generally, Napoleon’s enemies fought Wars of maneuvers and not, unlike Napoleon’s army, with the intention of completely annihilating the enemy. They relied on aggressive shock tactics and the momentum of the bayonet charge to bring them success. The French fought with more purpose and feeling than any other nation because they had a war with a strong purpose – a terrorist war. Also, Napoleon’s army was blessed with a variety of talented commanders and officers. The great military theorist, the prussian, Von Clausewitz wrote ‘on war’ in 1832. In this he put forward his view that 1793 marked a turning point in the organization of armies and the conduct of war. He considered that both were changed forever by the creation of the year of the ‘French nation in arms’ (the levee en masse) that transformed limited war into total war. This refers to when the previous man in change of the army, Carnot, introduced a forced conscription to all able civilians. As well as conscription,1793 brought with it the first amalgame – the merging of remnants of the old army with the new. The introduction of veteran soldiers into the new army did much to bring order into its early chaotic organization without destroying its verve, and formed the fighting force which Napoleon used as the basis of his grande armee. The amalgame also brought a great deal of military experience to his army Furthermore, the sheer size of Napoleons inherited army was the largest ever seen in Europe, a million men, and provided him with the ammunition, if you like, to launch devastating attacks on his enemies. He therefore inherited significant developments which had been introduced by the Republic, and which he subsequently built upon. The strength of his army, however, would not have been anywhere near as impressive if he had not the domestic foundations for success or strength of mind to know what to do with it. France had a huge population of around 28 million (the largest population in any single state in Europe) and so simply had a greater number of men to choose from. This also enabled Carnot to introduce the levee en masse which enlisted a massive 80,000 men each year into the army, fueling France’s battles, which could be fought more often, more continuously and on more fronts than any other country. Although the large majority were from poor peasant families, universal conscription brought me from all classes together and created a new sense of unity in France. Also, France had a whole society organized for war. Napoleon had a military dictatorship so could use all the resources of the state and was not held accountable for his failures (e.g leaving armies in Egypt and Russia and losing 50,000 men a year as opposed to Wellington’s 6,000). This greater amount of authority meant that Napoleon could make all of his appointments personally, and not by advisors. e also created a meritocracy within the army, a kind of ‘privileged military caste’. This said that if you do well in the French army, you get rewards or offices of state (giving officers incentives to succeed). Furthermore, Napoleon controlled all press and channels of communication so could have a careful watch over his country and could make sure that all efforts were in favour of driving on the savage French war machine. Although the sheer size of the army enabled Napoleon to create his grande armee and the resources of France could be used to help the war effort, Napoleon’s ability and qualities as a general were absolutely vital in securing his success to 1807. Napoleon was widely known as being able to inspire loyalty. He gave the appearance of knowing everybody in his army and always knowing what was going on. He played on the ideas of military glory, of patriotism and comradeship, while giving at the same time the impression that he had a deep paternal concern for his men. For example, he would single people out and congratulate them by name, very personally. He used theatrical and emotive language in his bulletins and orders of the day to forge bonds between him and his soldiers. For example, in a Bulletin in 1805 he wrote that â€Å"The Emperor is among you†. Despite his generally unprepossessing appearance, when he wished to charm he could quickly win over anyone he met, however initially hostile he might be. This sort of confidence was also shown on the battlefield where Wellington observed that the effect of his presence was worth an additional force of 40,000 men to the French army. He was very charismatic and could play on the soldiers greed by promising loot, a material reward for their toils. He could also rally himself with them, â€Å"Whatever the obstacles we meet, we shall overcome them†. All these factors earned Napoleon the adoration of his soldiers. Whatever point of view one takes, it is a fact that Napoleon possessed a very gifted military mind. Napoleon’s prime tactic was to avoid a slugging match and focusing his strengths on the enemies weaknesses. He picked weakest spots and then blasted huge chunks out of them with his artillery. He had flexibility with his corps (taken from the ideas of Guibert), and would use them to come from unexpected directions and attack weak points. He was known for his pragmatism and opportunism, but there is a great debate over whether Napoleon was a great strategic planner or whether he was a scrambler, good at scrambling and improvising his way to victory. Gunther Rothenburg praises his qualities, but believed he was a ‘Planner’ instead of a scrambler, giving the example of his maneuver on Ulm which he describes as ‘well co-ordinated and swift’. However, historians such as Owen Connolly are critical of the traditional interpretation of Napoleon and says that he was a great improviser with no tactical doctrine who would simply profit from his enemy’s mistakes. Even though both of these historians, and many like them, disagree on this aspect of him, they both say that Napoleon was probably the greatest commander of all time. This shows that, even though he may have been gifted with extraordinary circumstances, Napoleon’s towering genius was the major driving force in his success and it is obvious that no ordinary commander could have gone as far as he did. After looking at various factors in Napoleon’s success in Europe to 1807, it is evident that the scale of Napoleons success was dependent on a number of things; population size, Carnot’s policy of conscription, French resources and the relative weakness of his enemies. Napoleon’s journey to success was paved by a number of these absolutely crucial factors, without which no success would have been possible. Even though his military ability was one of these vital paving stones, one cannot really argue that it was more or less important than other crucial factors because they were all instrumental in allowing the extent of extent of Napoleon’s success to be realized. However, I am positive that if Napoleon did have a less fortunate army given to him when he came to power, his enemies stronger, and the potential opportunity for success had not been so great, he would still have made the best out of what he had and would have made relative success, showing his huge military capabilities.