Knowledge and Competence and Professional Practice Essay

Knowledge and Competence and Professional Practice - Essay Example The essay will also discuss issues related to accountability as a nurse as well as factors that affect the decision making process and how this translates into professional practice. Analysis of the theories of knowledge, competence and professional practice The concept of knowledge is closely related to the theory of knowledge creation. Knowledge creation is not only concerned with dealing with objective information but it also takes into consideration insights that are highly subjective from members of the organisation and these are tested in order to be used by the other employees (Robbins, 1993). Basically, â€Å"knowledge creation is defined as the process of making available and amplifying knowledge created by individuals as well attempting to connect it with the organization’s knowledge system,†( Nonaka, Krogh & Voelpel 2006). New ideas are generated and these are helpful in the operations of the organisation as a whole. Having generated the required knowledge, i t becomes imperative to formalise a continuous improvement of the knowledge through different management systems for the benefit of the organisation as a whole. ... It can also be noted that knowledge creation is not a preserve for influential people in an organisation alone but it ought to include input from all members within that particular organisation. In case of a clinical setup, through knowledge creation, the nurses are given the autonomy to make informed decisions in their operations especially with regards to post operative recovery. Practice theory is applicable in this particular case where I will use my knowledge to offer appropriate treatment to alleviate pain. This also entails transformation of knowledge into practical skills. Decision making that is enhanced through knowledge creation is essential to the operations of every organisation (Schultz, 2003). This concept is also applicable in the area of practice of health care professionals as they are likely to develop a sense of belonging to the hospital which is a basic tenet for practice development. I strongly believe that my duties can be enhanced through making decisions with regards to administering treatment to the patients. According to Nonaka, Krogh & Voelpel (2006) the success of other conventional organisations is mainly influenced by their ability to keep pace with changes that may be obtaining in the business environment at that particular period and it can be seen that knowledge creation plays a pivotal role. This concept can also be applied to a clinical setup where the operations of different hospitals are moulded on the same business principles with other conventional businesses. Performance is also enhanced through knowledge creation and sharing given that the health care professionals are in a better position to make informed decisions that may affect their operations. Decisions made by an individual often shape his

Assesment 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Assesment 2 - Essay Example In the health care setting for example, there are numerous forms of predicaments and this includes health care fraud. The sapping of financial resources in the health care system, along with several other consequences, problems associated with personnel development plans and shortage of competent staff are just few of the magnified issues. The concerns on fraud and abuse greatly affected the everyday life of health care personnel particularly the nurse practitioners; since these professionals are the â€Å"front liners† in terms of delivery of care. Nurse practitioners (NPs) can hardly go away from working in clinical environments; and this expose them further to fiscal issues of billing, reimbursement and revenue production issues. In other words, the described situation is somewhat stressful for them. Fraud is actually described as â€Å"any act, omission, expression, or concealment calculated to delude another individual,† Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Law stated. Medicare and other government funded health benefit programs are usually the targets of these schemes. Billing for needless or the double billing schemes, unperformed tests, and kickbacks are few of the most common fraudulent activity that burden most patients;this is reported by the Social Security Act, Section 1128C reiterates that (a) of the designed the Health Care Fraud as well as Program for Abuse Control Program (Department of Justice, 2000). There are several approaches to address concerns in an organization. One very important is the evaluation of the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, as well as opportunities. If limitations in the human and/or financial resources are identified, it may be a necessity to provide attention to the organizations opportunities through the use of phased approach. On the other hand, based on the Economic and Social Research Council Strategic Plan, (2009; p 5-7). Extensive consultations are very necessary to identify areas of strategic

What Are The Advantages Of Internal Promotion Commerce Essay

What Are The Advantages Of Internal Promotion Commerce Essay Internal promotion is a strategic management idea accepted widely. And it is already utilized by many companies in the world . Comparing with external recruitment, internal promotion has some advantages in companys growth stage especially. It is more economic and essential and is conducive to keep companies developing orderly. In this essay, I will discuss the reasons why internal promotion is superior by analyzing and comparing Microsoft , Sodexo company, General Electric and some other international companies in their development. And I will conclude that internal promotion should be widely spread in companies in their initial stages to make them grow well. We believe that internal promotion is also a good way to build a sense of loyalty, create incentives for employees innovation at work and more easily to find a good person for the new job vacancy. Therefore, our tradition of internal promotions can guarantee anyone who joins in Sodexo a bright future of constant career development. (Sodexo concept)When candidates read these sentences, I am sure that they will have confidence in this company and the employees who already work in this company also like to share what they have known and do their work with passion. When a company was settled, it is not mature because many systems, culture and even the goal have not been confirmed. What drives the workers to devote themselves to the unsure future is their motivation and passion. They even consist the history of a company. During this stage, to develop it, HR need to pay more attention on initial employees and give them the priority to be promoted. As the employees recognize their achievement is always concerned and the responsibility is great at this stage. They can also take part in the growth of company and get the advancement opportunity. (Michael Adam)What mentioned all can motivate an employee Microsoft adopted the internal promotion strategy at the beginning and the result proved to be successful. When Bill Gates started Microsoft, he already had the concept that his employees are his most valuable asset, and he gave the conclusion that without them, Microsoft would become negligible. There is a strategy in Microsoft called n minus 1 which shows that the number of employed people is less than the position need-then all employees have the chance to be promoted. When Microsoft expanded later, it was nearly all early employees being promoted. And to encourage them and keep them, they even got the stock options as reward. They all play an important part in the development of later. The key to supporting the motivation of your employee is understanding what motivates each of them.( McNamara). There is a number of excellent people working for Microsoft. What these workers need is to achieve thier self-actualization As Microsoft give great opportunities, workers are all willing to work hard to make company better. Under these strategies, when Microsoft stepped into the next stage and expand itself, it already owed its own systems, culture and the clear goal. From 2009 to 2010, it is about 11.5% management positions in Sodexo company are filled through internal promotion. And it is over 79% employees believe that Sodexo provides them an opportunity to learn and develop. (Sodexo China figure) An extreme example of GE (General Electric), it is nearly 80% of the companys senior positions generated by the internal promotion. The leaders in GE spent almost all their career. Our principle is to tap internal talent, human resources manager of GE (William Conaty). Unless forced to, we do not want to rely on outsiders. He said. Many international enterprises in Europe have formed the internal selection system in their early stage. From cultivating employees and appointment of employing strategies to mechanisms, these enterprises have a mature procedures For example, General Electric, Motorola, Procter Gamble, Ford Motor Company, Boeing, 3M Company and other famous companies, in their operating time adding to 1700 years, only four CEOs hired from the outside, and only two companies before. Good to great (Jim .Collins ,2009) says that celebrity who is brought in from outside the company as a new leader, often lead a negative effect on the company. Among 11 international companies, there are 10 companies CEO appointed from the companys internal promotion. According to a survey to more than 200 foreign investments in China from people.com, when a company faces a situation that there an empty position turns up, they prefer internal promotion than external, and the original department has the priority. It shows that 67% companies adopt internal promotions on management position , and 2% will recruit from labor marketing, and 1% will be appointed by the government.55% companies adopt internal promotion on skill positions, 45% of them will search new employees from labor marketing.(people.com) When a vacancy occurs in the enterprise positions, the modern human resource managements common practice is internal-promotion -oriented, especially in small companies at their initial stage. II: Comparison of internal promotion and external recruitment advantages disadvantages Internal promotion Improving the promoted employees morale Judging the staffs capacity more accurately Saving costs in some areas (time/money recruiting /training) Mobilizing employees working enthusiasm Contributing to the continuous improvement Reinforcing a companys internal career ladder Retaining leaving staff Reducing induction training period Reducing the risk of selecting an inappropriate candidate Inbreeding(narrowing the view of the enterprise) Reducing morale of un-promoted employee Political intrigue Demanding a systematic managing and training plan External recruitment Fresh blood broadening companys horizons Cheap and fast in professionals training A small group of political supporters having not been formed A form of advertising Improving the skills in judging external employees Incurring spies Not recruiting suitable candidates Impacting the morale of internal un-selected candidates Longer adjustment period need by new employees Not fitting with new companys culture (Strategic Approach to Human Resource Management Page153-165 author ¼Ã… ¡Tapomoy Deb) III: Analysis It is said that people who join in a company at its initial stage promote the company excellent. While people who join it later depend on the companys excellence.( Jamie Zawinski,2010) . Internal promotion belongs to a companys incentive system, and it is a basic system to make a company attractive and influential. There are many different theories about the internal promotion. Race theory (Lazear and Rosen, 1981), or career models in the organization(Gibbons and Waldman, 1999). These various models provide various explanitations of internal promotion (Greenwald, 1979; Chen, 1996; Fairburn and Malcomson, 2001) and its consequences (Prendergrast, 1993). To brief, if you want to encourage your employees ,what you need do firstly is to make them escape from problems which bother them by company and treat all employees equal. When you make this true, it means the company offer its employees chance to make achievements and grow. Co-ordination between the employee and the organization is important. Project staff working more effectively, their overall goals and team goals rather than individual goals (Christopher Brown) reported by a recent study in the Journal of Applied Psychology. Maslows hierarchy of needs can also explain this question. Self-realization is a top level of self-gratification.( Maslow ,1943) Provide the opportunity to grow, be creative and get the training challenging task and push forward (Daft 530).is regarded as an effective method. Just as what has mentioned above in the table, the HRM take the responsibility to shape a companys organizational culture, the core concept , a completed system etc. Especially in small companies, the number of employees is limited, and the bonds between workers are strong. According to Dunbars number theory(Dunbar,1992) , if a departments worker number under a certain level(150-250), the organizational culture just begins to shape. Everyone personality and group practice play an important role in the operation. The leader in shaping corporate culture is vital, which means if this company promote a new leader, it is easy for the entire companies shift the attention away from its original growth direction which may still operate potentially. Under this reason, the internal promotion is necessary in small companies.( Bidwell, 2011,ibid) That promoting internal middle managers or high managers not only take advantage of their talent ,also can encourage other root managers and employees competitive. Because this company illustrate its attitude to its workers that it provides great tunnels for them making progress. If a manager who was selected as a sub-promoting member, it may launch that this persons work style, communication style and his attitude is accepted or committed by people. These will help this sub-leader lead the team work effectively and united. Reward system gives the information of a companys value to judge the employees (Robbins, Bergman Stagg 84).A company can use many ways to motivate its employees to work. Satisfaction and growth in a company are two important factors. (Frederick Herzberg ,1959).The internal promotion is just a suitable method to meet employees need. It is worth noting that internal promotion is not only chosen as an inciting way in management position, but also in skill management. Training technical staff, companies need to consume a certain amount of human and financial capitals. If the staff control sophisticated technology, they can make amount of benefits for a company. But if the company failed to attract employees to continue to work effectively and stay in the enterprise, then it is not only the effectiveness of the companys loss, but also provides an opportunity for potential competitors. Due to the small size of the company, organizational productivity is influenced by every employee in it. It has been improved that entrepreneurs are unwilling to give up control, because they believe that standardized management enterprise beyond their abilities (McMahon and Murphy, 1999). IV: How to adopt internal promotion effectively (HR WORLD,2011,ibid) Risk To a small company, the way to select and appoint an middle or high manager should be base on its real surroundings. Even though the human resource department can not guarantee to make a right choice, considering the disadvantages both internal promotion and external recruitment is necessary. Minimizing the risk should take into concern. The risk is the uncertainty of future expectations. Comparing internal and external way, there are three aspects that external way higher than internal way. First, an outside manager can only prove how was successful in the past work, but can not prove how suitable himself or herself to this work. Second, in a small company, its organization culture is in shape, a new leader outside may not adjust to its culture or want to bring other companies culture in. It is another unknown thing. Third, if the human resource department appoint an unsuitable manager, it is not just about a waste of a position. The whole team will face an uncertain loss. Even the new manager can adopt to the new environment well. The adopting time is uncontrolled. Obviously, the external recruitment takes risk, meanwhile we can not avoid the risk of internal promotion. A company knows its employee better than outside, but this employee still will face a new occupation when get promoted. At the same time, because of many politic issues, there may lead to some contradictions among different departments. Cost Cost is a significant issue to take into accounting. It seems that choosing a worker from original department or company is the economical way. Because the company does not waste too much money or time in hiring a manager. Is it true? To realize this internal promotion system, another system named training system should be operated. When a company faces a need of manager, this system can supply a fixed person in time. Building such a perfect system requires much cost before. External recruitment demonstrates its superiority. However , if a company can not build a training system when it was settled, it can not supply the growth space for employees, which means employees who want to pursue their progress must leave this company sooner or later. What will cost is beyond the cost of training system. Income Despite the cost and risk , as a company, it should care about income. No matter internal or external way , if the new manager can make profits for the company , and make the whole manager level balance, both of them can be considered. V: Conclusion We can not conclude that internal promotion is better than external recruitment free-minded. The conclusion need depend on the industry and maturity of a company, as well as specific occupation. A small company has its own characteristics. It is stepping in a developing road. It is too frangible to bear risk. If someone do not have any experience in a small company , it is really hard for this person integrate into a small company easily. And it may make some troubles for a small companys operation based on some experiences in the big one. The new manager also need more patience. Whoever works in a developing company as a manager all under pressure. With the help of training system , an employee who has full motivation for their company and also made some achievements, understanding their organization culture in deep and having potential to be a leader can become a new manager. There is no doubt that , this type of internal employee is stronger than external candidates.

Kids Worst Nightmares :: essays research papers

Kid’s Worst Nightmare   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The worst nightmare for a child in elementary school is to hear his/her teacher say they will have no recess. Most children look forward to recess every day and some could even play everyday all day if they could. It is a time for them to let off all the stress that has built up from school work, and a time for them to be themselves. The council on Physical Education for Children agree that recess is a necessity, they state that â€Å"Recess is a time that gives children opportunities to engage in physical activity, to developing, healthy bodies which in return would create healthy minds and bodies that would be capable for learning† (COPEC, 2001). Recess is needed in all schools because it is healthy for all children, it improves social skills with one another, and it revitalizes the children.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Recess is an important part of child development in Elementary Schools because it allows the children to get the necessary exercises they need, which is healthy for all children. Due to some parents’ work loads, community violence, and safety issues some children are unable to play freely. As a result of these issues, children are leaning more towards watching television, playing video games and other inactive activities that endanger their health (Jarrett, 2003). Therefore, children are at high risk for early signs of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Recess is a way that Elementary schools help prevent health issues in some children’s lives. It also serves as a developmentally appropriate strategy for reducing stress. Olga S. Jarrett did a study on recess, she stated that â€Å"Recess allows children to be active which will make the child more assertive and able to focus on their class work when he/she starts on it† (Jarrett, 2003). Jarr ett also study how recess works with the brain and she concludes that â€Å"Recess involves that valuable, unstructured downtime, that research says is crucial for recycling brain chemicals that formulate long term memory† (Jarrett, 2003). During play, children breathe in oxygen which helps fuel their brains, creating more connections between neurons. This helps their brain to process information, and leads to better grades. Recess also helps with the development of children’s social skills and in the long run, being an adult in society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While children play, they are still learning; they are learning life-long skills that will help them as adults. Skills such as working together, resolving conflicts, motor skills, and cognitive abilities are being taught.

Describe the Role and Status of Women in the 1940s and 1950s Essay

After the First World War women had gained a huge step towards having equality with men. In 1918 married women over the age of 30 were given the right to vote. During the war women had proved themselves as capable as men, not only as nurses near the front lines working in very dangerous positions but also back in Britain working to help the war effort in jobs that before the war they could never have even had a chance of getting. However women were still a long way of having any vague equality with men, and when the men returned from war things changed as men were still considered far above women. Although it had got worse since the end of the war it should be recognised that womens role in society had been greatly improved since the days before the First World War. During the Second World War many of the men were conscripted to go away to war. This meant that their jobs now needed to be filled in order for the country to work., women got jobs in all areas of employment from working in manual labour to working in banks. They also managed to prove that they could do the jobs just as well as men and were able to work in jobs that had previously been for men only. Gaining all these new jobs had been a huge leap towards women gaining equality with men, however when the men returned from war most if the women lost their war time jobs. This happened because of a number of reasons. Firstly, public opinion in general believed that the soldiers who had been fighting deserved to come back to jobs and not have to struggle with unemployment. Also some bosses of small and large companies felt that men were still better and didnt want to employ women over men. A women who had worked as a welder during the war years was told, â€Å"Oh my goodness, youve got the best qualifications that we ever had apply for the job, but your a woman, and I wonder what the boys would say if I employed a woman† A newspaper editor was told when she was dismissed,†Oh its nothing wrong with your work, but we have to safeguard the succession and the successor has to be a man†. Bosses who were taking this line, and most of them were were infact taking and supporting the governments line. The governments official line said it is doubtless true that there are many jobs done during the war by women for which men are better suited, both mentally and physically. And, if there is to be a nation in the future, there must be children and children mean homes and endless chores. So that there must naturally be a drift back from the services and the factories to domestic work. I believe that this is showing that men and the government (dominated by men) were showing an incompetence to realise that women were able to do the jobs that men traditionally did. So although women had again gained a further step towards equality after the war they had again lost some of that newly gained freedom when the war ended in 1945. However not all women were displeased at societys attitude as after the war many women wanted to start families and now the men had come back from the war they were able to do this. The evidence for this lies in an area known as the baby boom, when the birth rate soared dramatically after the war. Even after the war when women were gaining more equality with men they did not have equal pay rates as men. A woman doing the same amount of work as a man would be paid two thirds of what a man would be paid. Women didnt, understandably find this fair and in August 1943 them women who worked at a Rolls Royce factory went on strike and after a week on strike they were given equal pay. However all over the rest of the country women continued be exploited by societies views. Even the government were not willing to even think about women being equal to men. When female school teachers asked for equal pay with men, Churchill dismissed their demand with one word. Even though now he was falling out of favour with the people and was soon to lose the general election, it showed that some men and in incredibly important positions within society, had no respect still for womens role in society. This meant that their status remained below a mans status even though in some cases they had become more equal, such as the right it do certain types of jobs. Before 1948 the government offered no medical assistance to women or their children only a small amount to men. In 1942 the Beveridge report was published which illustrated the importance of setting up a Welfare State which would look after all citizens equally. In July 1948 the National Health Service Act and the National Insurance Act were introduced for a weekly payment by all people earning wages. This was a huge advance for womens equality and their place in society as it now made them equal. In the first few months thousands of women went to the NHS to be treated of illnesses that they had previously had to suffer in silence. The introduction of the Welfare State also brought about the Butler Education Act. This meant that the minimum age to leave school was now raised to fifteen for all children. This was another huge advance for girls in school as it meant that there was now not only had free secondary education, and therefor this meant that the government recognised girls ability to thrive within a working and intellectual environment. It also meant that they were being put on the same level platform and being given equal opportunities in schools as boys, which would then go onto to effect the whole generations and its way of dealing with women as equals. However the system was slightly corrupt and it was not entirely equal. When pupils went up into secondary schools they had to take an 11+ exam to determine which type of school they would go in to. There were three different types, grammar for the most academic, secondary modern and technical for pupils who would be more suited to manual and primary sector jobs. Although the system seemed to give equal opportunities for both girls and boys there were infact more grammar schools for boys than there were for girls. The Welfare State also introduced family allowances to try and deal with poverty among families with a large numbers of children. It meant that for each child a small payment was paid to the women to help keep the child. This meant that the women now had some control over the finances within the household and that the man could not just go out and spend the money needed for the children. I believe that in the 1940s and 50s womens role in society improved greatly and that there were huge leaps made towards equality. However there were still some major issues that still had not been resolved and needed to be if there was going to get equality between men and women

Divine Command Theory, Objectivism, Diversity and Dep Theses

1. Explain what is meant by saying that a value is intrinsic? How are instrumental values related to intrinsic values? A value is said to be intrinsic if an object has the value for its own sake or because of its nature. A value is said to be instrumental if it aids in achieving or acquiring something with intrinsic value. For example, one’s job could have instrumental value in that it acquires money. Furthermore, money could have instrumental value in that it can provide objects from which one derives happiness or pleasure, something with intrinsic value.Objects or activities with instrumental value typically aid in acquiring things with intrinsic value. 2. According to the Divine Command Theory (DCT), does God command what he commands because it is intrinsically good; or is what God commands â€Å"good† because it is God who commands it? The Divine Command Theory suggests that what God commands is â€Å"good† because He commands it, but this view is not necessa rily valid. According to the DCT, â€Å"goodness† is equated with â€Å"God-willed,† suggesting that the commands of God are â€Å"good† because they are His commands.A statement such as â€Å"God is good† becomes redundant and illogical if â€Å"good† is equated with â€Å"God-willed. † It would be more logical to think that God’s commands have intrinsic goodness since atheists and other nonbelievers can identify with some moral foundation. An atheist might choose to believe that God was correct in saying that â€Å"killing is wrong† not because he believes in God’s word but rather he believes that the rule is intrinsically good. 3. According to the Divine Command Theory why should we obey the moral law?According to the Divine Command Theory, we should obey the moral law because it is the word of God. The DCT suggests that â€Å"morally right† means â€Å"willed by God,† so acting in compliance with moral law is essentially synonymous with acting in compliance with the word of God. Since God determines the moral law, no other reason is required for us to obey. 4. Explain why the DCT logically makes morality arbitrary. Why is arbitrariness a problem for morality? The Divine Command Theory suggests that morally â€Å"right† simply means willed by God.If something is morally â€Å"right† based solely on what God determines, an unsettling arbitrariness arises out of His commands. It would seem that God could just as easily make seemingly â€Å"immoral† acts â€Å"moral† (i. e. rape, genocide). The problem with arbitrariness is that it makes the development of a deeper, more appreciative morality absolutely impossible. An example can be made out of the story of Joshua and the battle at Jericho. If we are to believe that God determines what is morally â€Å"right† and â€Å"wrong,† then we believe that Joshua was just in slaughtering the men, women , and children because it was God’s command.In this scenario, this belief prevents the development of a moral understanding that murder is wrong, a severe problem for morality. 5. Define and explain Ethical Relativism, Ethical Absolutism, and Ethical Objectivism. Ethical relativism is the idea that moral â€Å"right† and â€Å"wrong† are defined within a society/culture or by an individual. The difference between society (conventional ethical relativism) and an individual (subjective ethical relativism) defining morality is very clear. Subjectivists hold that individuals are allowed to define what is â€Å"right† or â€Å"wrong,† but this would suggest that criminals (i. . murderers, cannibals, rapists) are correct and morally â€Å"right† when they engage in their crimes, since no one can ever be wrong. Conventionalists would hold that a society or culture is left to define moral â€Å"right† and â€Å"wrong. † However, it wou ld allow for any group to declare their ideals â€Å"right† or â€Å"just,† suggesting that groups with â€Å"immoral† ideals (i. e. congregations of rapists, murderers, etc. ) would be just as morally â€Å"right† as pro-life activists. Ethical absolutism holds that fundamental, absolute moral â€Å"right† and â€Å"wrong† exist and must not be defied by anyone, regardless of context.However, the ethical objectivist believes that there exists a universal morality relevant to all people and cultures, but with context taken into consideration. For example, the ethical absolutist would believe that a mother stealing medicine to help her sick child is wrong because the bottom line is that stealing is wrong. However, the ethical objectivist would hold that the mother’s reasoning was sound and that her moral obligation to help her child overrides her moral duty to the law. 6.Explain how the â€Å"Diversity Thesis† together with the â€Å"Dependency Thesis† logically imply the conclusion that Ethical Relativism is true. Then, give at least two arguments against ethical relativism. Are there reasons to believe that there are some objective values that apply in any society? The Diversity Thesis is an anthropological fact stating that moral â€Å"right† and â€Å"wrong† vary amongst different societies, so there are no fundamental or universal morals held by all societies. The Dependency Thesis states that what is morally â€Å"right† and â€Å"wrong† is dependent upon what the society defines as right and wrong.If both of these hold true, and conventional ethical relativism is described by a society in which moral â€Å"right† and â€Å"wrong† are defined within the society, then the connection is clear. The Diversity Thesis coupled with the Dependency Thesis entail the conclusion outlined in conventional ethical relativism. There are a number of arguments to be ma de against the idea of conventional ethical relativism. For example, some cultures view their women as inferior to men, withholding basic rights (and in some cases, inflicting genital mutilation).While this may be seen by a majority of the society as acceptable, it is often argued that the disregard for human rights is immoral. The ethical relativist would argue that the society is right in doing whatever it collectively thinks is right. In this case, and in many more, it is clear that the society is not always correct in defining moral â€Å"right† and â€Å"wrong† by its own standards. Additionally, the ethical relativist might argue that the pro-slavery movement in early America was morally sound because the society thought that what they were doing was morally â€Å"right. The notion that slavery is wrong is now more widely accepted, but a glimpse not too far into our country’s past would prove otherwise. This is an obvious example of why ethical relativism is incorrect and can inadvertently allow immorality to be permissible. It is sound to think that the value of human life is an objective value relevant to all societies. While it may be recognized to varying degrees in different parts of the world, it is safe to acknowledge human life as something to be universally valued by all societies.

Inca Star Worship and Constellations

Inca Star Worship and Constellations The stars in the sky were very important to the religion of the Inca. They identified constellations and individual stars and assigned them a purpose. According to the Inca, many of the stars were there to protect animals: every animal had a corresponding star or constellation which would look out for it. Today, traditional Quechua communities still see the same constellations in the sky as they did centuries ago. Inca Culture and Religion The Inca culture thrived in the Andes Mountains in western South America from the twelfth to sixteenth centuries. Although they started out as one ethnic group among many in the region, they embarked upon a campaign of conquest and assimilation and by the fifteenth century, they had achieved pre-eminence in the Andes and controlled an empire which stretched from present-day Colombia to Chile. Their religion was complicated. They had a pantheon of greater gods which included Viracocha, the creator, Inti, the Sun, and Chuqui Illa, the thunder god. They also worshiped huacas, which were spirits which could inhabit just about any remarkable phenomenon, such as a waterfall, large boulder or tree. The Inca and the Stars The sky was very important to the Inca culture. The sun and moon were considered gods and temples and pillars were laid out specifically so that heavenly bodies such as the sun would pass over pillars or through windows on certain days, such as the summer solstice. The stars played an important role in Inca cosmology. The Inca believed that Viracocha had planned for the protection of all living things, and that to each star corresponded a particular sort of animal or bird. The star grouping known as the Pleiades held particular influence over the lives of animals and birds. This group of stars was not considered a greater god but rather a huaca, and Inca shamans would regularly make sacrifices to it. Inca Constellations Like many other cultures, the Inca grouped the stars into constellations. They saw many animals and other things from their daily lives when they looked to the stars. There were two sorts of constellations for the Inca. The first are of the common variety, where groupings of stars are linked in connect-the-dots fashion to make images of gods, animals, heroes, etc. The Inca saw some such constellations in the sky but considered them inanimate. The other constellations were seen in the absence of stars: these dark blotches on the Milky Way were seen as animals and were considered living or animate. They lived in the Milky Way, which was considered a river. The Inca were one of the very few cultures who found their constellations in the absence of stars. Mach’acuay: The Serpent One of the major dark constellations was Machacuay, the Serpent. Although snakes are rare at the high altitudes where the Inca Empire thrived, there are a few, and the Amazon River basin is not far away to the east. The Inca saw serpents as highly mythological animals: rainbows were said to be serpents named amarus. Machacuay was said to oversee all snakes on Earth, protecting them and helping them procreate. The constellation Machacuay is a wavy dark band located on the Milky Way between Canis Major and the Southern Cross. The constellation serpent emerges head-first in the Inca region in August and begins to set in February: Interestingly, this mirrors the activity of real snakes in the zone, which are more active during the Andean rainy season of December to February. Hanp’atu: The Toad In a somewhat surprising twist on nature, Hanpatu the Toad chases Machacuay the Serpent out of the Earth in August as that segment of the Milky Way becomes visible in Peru. Hanpatu is seen in a lumpish dark cloud between Machacuays tail and the Southern Cross. Like the snake, the toad was an important animal to the Inca. The nocturnal croaking and chirping of frogs and toads were listened to attentively by Inca diviners, who believed that the more these amphibians croaked, the more likely it was to rain soon. Also like the snakes, the Andean toads are more active during the rainy season; in addition, they croak more at night when their constellation is visible in the sky. Hanpatu also had the added significance that his appearance in the night sky coincided with the beginning of the Inca agricultural cycle: when he showed up, it meant that the time to plant had come. Yutu: The Tinamou Tinamous are clumsy ground birds similar to partridges, common in the Andean region. Located at the base of the Southern Cross, Yutu is the next dark constellation to emerge as the Milky Way becomes visible in the night sky. Yutu is a dark, kite-shaped spot which corresponds to the Coal Sack Nebula. It chases Hanpatu, which makes some sense because tinamous are known to eat small frogs and lizards. The tinamou may have been selected (as opposed to any other bird) because it exhibits remarkable social behavior: male tinamous attract and mate with females, who lay their eggs in his nest before leaving to repeat the process with another male. Males, therefore, incubate the eggs, which could come from 2 to 5 mating partners. Urcuchillay: The Llama The next constellation to emerge is the llama, perhaps the most important of the constellations to the Inca. Although the llama is a dark constellation, the stars Alpha and Beta Centauri serve as its â€Å"eyes† and are the first to emerge when the llama rises in November. The constellation consists of two llamas, a mother, and a baby. Llamas were of great importance to the Inca: they were food, beasts of burden and sacrifices to the gods. These sacrifices often took place at certain times with astronomical significance such as equinoxes and solstices. Llama herders were particularly attentive to the movements of the celestial llama and offered it sacrifices. Atoq: The Fox The fox is a small black splotch at the feet of the llama: this is appropriate because Andean foxes eat baby vicuà ±as. When they foxes come by, however, the adult vicuà ±as gang up and attempt to trample the foxes to death. This constellation has a connection to earthly foxes: the Sun passes through the constellation in December, the time when baby foxes are born. Significance of Inca Star Worship The Inca constellations and their worship - or at least a certain respect for them and an understanding of their role in the agricultural cycle - are one of few aspects of Inca culture that survived the conquest, colonial era and 500 years of forced assimilation. The original Spanish chroniclers mentioned the constellations and their importance, but not in any great detail: fortunately, modern researchers have been able to fill in the gaps by making friends and doing fieldwork in rural, traditional Andean Quechua communities where people still see the same constellations their ancestors saw centuries ago. The nature of Inca reverence for their dark constellations reveals much about Inca culture and religion. To the Inca, everything was connected: The universe of the Quechuas is not composed of a series of discrete phenomena and events, but rather there is a powerful synthetic principle underlying the perception and ordering of objects and events in the physical environment. (Urton 126). The snake in the sky had the same cycle as earthly snakes and lived in a certain harmony with the other celestial animals. Consider this in contrast to traditional western constellations, which were a series of images (scorpion, hunter, scales, etc) that really didnt interact with one another or events here on Earth (except for vague fortunetelling). Sources Cobo, Bernabà ©. (translated by Roland Hamilton) Inca Religion and Customs. Austin: the University of Texas Press, 1990.Sarmiento de Gamboa, Pedro. (translated by Sir Clement Markham). History of the Incas. 1907. Mineola: Dover Publications, 1999.Urton, Gary. Animals and Astronomy in the Quechua Universe. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. Vol. 125, No. 2. (April 30, 1981). P. 110-127.

Israel essays

Israel essays Thesis- Israel has preserved their culture, land, and well being by defending their borders stopping any attempt to disrupt the Jewish state. Israel is extremely different than their surrounding countries. Being very unique in their niche of the world has made Israel have some enemies. Other countries have tried to break Israels back by constantly attacking all the hold sacred. Sometimes going to such extremes as to attack during religious holidays and killing children. Israel has preserved their place in the world by defending their borders and stopping any attempt to ruin the Jewish state. (World Book Online...par 6-7) In 1948 the UN decided to break Palestine up into two parts, one Arab the other Jewish. Theist created the state of Israel. The Arabs however, rejected the split. What was to come was Israels first war. But instead of fighting one enemy they had to fight several. Armies were sent by Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon to fight the UNs decision. The result was the war of 1948-49. The Arabs had an enormous strategic advantage. With Jordans 10,000 British trained troops artillery experienced, and Iraqs army planning to cut the Jewish state in half things looked good for the Arabs. The Egyptian forces were planning on giving Israel a deafening blow by going through Gaza and towards Jerusalem in two different forces. All in all the Arabs were very confident with their numbers compared to the Israelis with the Arabs at 37,000 and Israel at 28,000. If performed correct the Arabs could make the Israelis fight on three differ fronts. That would prove to be very beneficial to the Arabs for the Israelis were ill equipped and inexperienced for such a fight. The first of the attacks began when Syria attacked Northern Israeli villages. The Syrians started on May 14 with an artillery attack concentrated on the Ein GeV area. This was accompanied with an attack...

Broadening Your Prospective Essay Example for Free

Broadening Your Prospective Essay 1. Compute the activity-based overhead rate for each activity cost pool. Activity-based overhead is determined by dividing estimated overhead by the estimated cost drivers. Activity cost Pool Estimated Overhead /Cost drivers=ACB Overhead Rate Market analysis 1,050,00015,000$70 Product Design2,350,0002,500$940 Product development3,600,00090$40,000 Prototype testing1,400,000500$2,800 2. How much cost would be charged to an in-house manufacturing department that consumed 1,800 hours of market analysis time, was provided 280 designs relating to 10 products, and requested 92 engineering tests? The total charged to an in-house manufacturing department would be $1,046,800. This dollar amount is determined by multiplying the overhead rates of each activity to the amount consumed for that activity and added together for a total. (1,800*70= 126,000), (280*940=263,200) (10*40,000=400,000), (2,800*92=257,600) 3. How much cost would serve as the basis for pricing an R&D bid with an outside company on a contract that would consume 800 hours of analysis time, require 178 designs relating to 3 products, and result in 70 engineering tests? $539,320 would serve as the basis for pricing an R&D bid with an outside company because that dollar amount is the breakeven point. (800*70=56,000), (178*940=167,320), (3*40,000= 120,000), (70*2,800=196,000) 4. What is the benefit to Ideal Manufacturing of applying activity-based costing to its R&D activity for both in-house and outside charging purposes? The benefit to Ideal Manufacturing of applying activity-based costing to its R&D activity for both in-house and outside charging purposes is it will allow the company to gain control of the operating costs of the department. Activity-based costing allows a company to appropriately assign overhead head cost. For example, Ideal manufacturing activities fell into four pools and activity-based costing helped the company to properly allocate its overhead dollars. Under using or over using overhead dollars means the company has to supplement those funds from or to another activity which is a waste to the company. The basis of activity-based costing is to assign cost only to those activities of a product that is actually using the activity in essences cutting costs. This is not only a benefit to Ideal Manufacturing but to any company that is looking to become more efficient and effective. Broadening Your Prospective. (2016, Apr 26). r-prospective-essay We will write a custom sample essay on Broadening Your Prospective specifically for you

Environmental Health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Environmental Health - Essay Example Environmental Protection Agency, 2012). The definition of medical waste was effectively provided in the Medical Waste tracking Act of 1988 which aptly states its meaning as â€Å""any solid waste that is generated in the diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of human beings or animals, in research pertaining thereto, or in the production or testing of biologicals." This definition includes, but is not limited to: blood-soaked bandages; culture dishes and other glassware; discarded surgical gloves; discarded surgical instruments; discarded needles used to give shots or draw blood (e.g., medical sharps); cultures, stocks, swabs used to inoculate cultures; removed body organs (e.g., tonsils, appendices, limbs); and discarded lancets† (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2012, p. 1). 2. Describe the factors that contribute to its toxicity. Information from the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that as much as 20% of medical wastes are classified as hazardous which â€Å" may be infectious, toxic or radioactive† (WHO, 2011). The factors that allegedly contribute to its toxicity include presence of micro-organisms, as well as preponderance of specifically identified drug-resistant micro-organisms. Likewise, disposing of these medical wastes improperly could pose indirect risks in terms of release of toxic pollutants. As emphasized, â€Å"incinerated materials containing chlorine can generate dioxins and furans2, which are human carcinogens and have been associated with a range of adverse health effects. Incineration of heavy metals or materials with high metal content (in particular lead, mercury and cadmium) can lead to the spread of toxic metals in the environment† (WHO, 2011, p. 1). 3. Name the environmental and occupational sources of exposure to it. The environmental and occupational sources of exposure to medical wastes include landfills, which â€Å"can contaminate drinking-water if they not properly constructed. Occupational risk s exist at disposal facilities that are not well designed, run, or maintained† (WHO, 2011, p. 1). Likewise, medical wastes which are not properly incinerated pose significant hazards. 4. How is it evaluated and treated? According to the Healthcare Environment Resource Center, medical wastes were previously monitored and regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency; but currently, various states have allegedly taken control and governance. The different regulations that stipulate guidelines and monitor, evaluate and treat medical wastes include: the State Medical Waste Regulations, OSHA Regulations, the US EPA Regulations, as well as the Department of Transportation (DOT) Regulations (Healthcare Environment Resource Center, n.d.). 5. What action could you, the nurse, take to reduce exposure of yourself, your co-workers, patients, and the community? As a nurse, the action that must be taken to reduce exposure to medical wastes include adherence to safety procedures as prescr ibed by OSHA and infection control. Likewise, proper disposal in designated waste receptacles must be followed. In addition, the role of nurses in educating other health care practitioners on its hazard and possible effects, if contaminated, should be enforced as a firm advocate for promoting a safe and secure environment. 6. List at least three web sources about it. References Healthcare Enviro

Wind turbines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Wind turbines - Essay Example The earth’s surface does absorb heat at different rates since it is made up of quite distinct types of water and land (School of Earth and Environment, 2014). A good example of uneven heating is found in the daily cycle of the wind. Air over water does heat up less fast compared to air over land. After heated air over land rises up, after which the air that is cooler over the waters rush to replace it (Met Office, 2013). In this way, wind is made. Wind power is generated by use of wind energy that is created by the wind. Towers that have wind turbines, which are mounted on the top, capture it. The three or two blades, which catch the wind, rotate sometimes at a hundred feet or more above the surface of the ground. They are attached to an internal shaft. A generator is spin by the turbine blades through the shaft and as a result, electricity is produced (Energy Saving Trust, 2014). Electrical current produced is produced and a transformer is made use to step up voltage produced , something that makes it possible for electricity to be sent through transmission over distribution lines to businesses, homes, and other users (BBC Weather Centre, 2009). Concurrently, wind power in windmills form has been used for different tasks like pumping water as well as grain grinding for centuries. Currently wind energy use has been widened and generation of electricity generation (Renewable UK , 2014). Wind turbines that generate electricity are of two types basically, determined by the way in which they spin. Most common are wind turbines that spin around a horizontal axis, the way a windmill does. Their blades have a look that of a propeller that spin on a horizontal axis. They do have their main rotor shaft as well as a generator at the tower top, and they have to point into the wind. A wind vane is placed squire with blades (rotor) and is used to point small turbines, while large turbines make use of wind sensors, which is

Marxism theory of the State Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Marxism theory of the State - Essay Example For instance, Marxism has different impacts compared to pluralism and elitism. However, Marxism is still the preferred theory for governance in countries like Russia and China. Supporters of Marxism in Russia argue that it creates balance in the society compared to pluralism and elitism1. Marxists advocate for the institution of political and legal structures that create a classless society. Karl Marx and Engels devised the theory after conducting several studies on the dynamics that shape the society. The two philosophers formulated the theory at a time when governments were struggling with political, social and economic structures in the society. The theory was an alternative to leadership that was failing in the society. Marx recommended the theory because it provided solutions to challenges that faced pluralism, elitism and feudalism. Based on initial literature review processes, it appears that Marxism is the most convincing theory for governance. Marxism political system Marxis m is a theory that puts the society into classes based on their economic capabilities. According to the theory, everyone in the society has a fundamental role to play in enhancing stability of the state2. The theory is opposed to totalitarian rule when the state has autonomy in controlling the social political and economic aspects of peoples’ life. Marx argues that discomfort of the masses has the possibility of destabilizing the society. Therefore, Marx suggests that measures should be enacted to enhance understanding amid different classes of the society. In Marxism, the classes are based on the individual’s access to the means of production. People who have the capacity to manipulate the factors of production are at the top of the class. The second group is the middle class identified as those who control the factors of production, but lack sufficient control as the upper class. The last group is the lower classes who partake in the production but they receive fewer benefits from the process. Authority serves at the behest of the class that owns wealth in a classified society. According to the theory, instability in the society results from class struggle. This means that there can never be peace as long as a particular group of people is dissatisfied with the administration. A need arises for people in authority to formulate measures for creating a balance in society to prevent conflicts from arising3. According to Marx, a shift in power is likely to happen whenever a particular class feels that the authorities do not represent their interests. Marxist approach allows individuals to take control of the factors of production in the society4. The theory enhances stability in the society because it encourages individuals to produce wealth that can be used by the community. According to Marx and Engels, the theory makes it easy for the ruling class to maintain stability in the society by quelling any form of discomfort among the classes in the so ciety. According to theory, a State is the authority that takes control over the other classes. The State is responsible for controlling the factors of production. Politics play a significant role in influencing economic activities of the classes. Interestingly, the ruling class constitutes the minority in the populace in several instances. However, the ruling class is influential based on their economic capability. The ruling class thrives at the ignorance of the middle class who comprise the bulk of the population yet they lack the capacity to control the State. Given their numerical strength, they can overthrow the government at will but they are unsuccessful because

Discuss the Ways in which the Terms Freedom, Risk and Individuality Essay

Discuss the Ways in which the Terms Freedom, Risk and Individuality were Invoked by post-WWII American Artists and Critics - Essay Example Thus, from 1940s American artists developed something unique which illustrated the American political, economic and social forms of expression. Americans in general also became aware of an increase in crimes, which the mass media, represented by photographers, filmmakers and journalists, revealed to them. They came to know that ideas and feelings could be better expressed through art forms and abstract expressionism. Thus, the concept of abstract expressionism evolved, which marked the turning point in American art history. So far it relates to abstract expressionism in painting, it uses a means where in the artists apply paint rapidly on huge canvasses and express their feelings, emotions and gestures in a non geometric form. After the World War II, American artists have remained engrossed in the development of abstract art. Significant among such artists are Robert Motherwell, Norman Lewis and Mark Rothko who have contributed greatly to the development of the technique of abstract expressionism. It is mainly characterized by eminent factors. ... Abstract expressionists always make it a point to portray rich meanings and their works are a combination of both fluid washes as well as violent strokes of paint. â€Å"Rothko's fluid washes of paint, for example, stand in contrast to De Kooning's energetic, nearly violent brushstrokes. Yet both artists believed strongly in the ability of art to evoke powerful and meaningful emotions in the viewer† (Post World War II par. 3). It appears to a viewer that the painting is a chance painting or is simply an accident painting but such type of paintings is highly planned and has rich meanings, boiling beneath the surface, which the painter has visualized and intends to communicate to the world. Mark Rothko’s sienna, orange and black on dark brown and browns over dark are popular canvases. The USA’s experience in the World War II demonstrates the conflict which existed between the American values and the geopolitical exigencies. President Franklin D Roosevelt has delive red the famous ‘four freedom’ address where people possess certain freedom such as the freedom to speech, worship, want and the right to remain free from fear. Norman Rockwell, another eminent abstract expressionist painter, has immortalized the concept of four freedoms in a series of paintings in the Saturday Evening Post. â€Å"Works representing emancipated blacks from an album of photographs taken by the war artist James Taylor reveal an indeterminate, still somewhat displaced status for those recently freed by the Union Army† (Kromm & Bakewell 240). Photographs, especially made and dispersed by antislavery societies in order to celebrate the victorious escapes of slaves by contrast, raised the performance and unusual

Imperial Powers over Africa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Imperial Powers over Africa - Essay Example According to Du Plessis (2010), Europe was undergoing several socioeconomic and political transformations which compelled the major European powers to explore overseas territories to supplement to their resources towards the turn of the 17th century. One of the most potent challenges that such control was to tackle was the resistance that Africans had against occupation of their territory by the white man. According to Oliver and Roberts (1986), the first important control that would facilitate realization of the entire colonial project was to place local political administration under the imperial power. There were different responses from the native communities with regard to the welcome that the European powers got. Whereas some communities readily collaborated and assisted the imperial powers to take charge of their administration, there were others that heavily resisted and contested any foreign takeover of their political control. It is therefore correct to state that the division among the African communities regarding the response they ought to have collectively staged played a part in the thriving of colonial administration across Africa. The clan elders and the kings ruled according to old traditions which did not allow easy interaction with foreigners lest they lost their authority (Achebe, 1996). Economic control over Africa was possible soon after the political resistance had been contained.

Marxism theory of the State Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Marxism theory of the State - Essay Example For instance, Marxism has different impacts compared to pluralism and elitism. However, Marxism is still the preferred theory for governance in countries like Russia and China. Supporters of Marxism in Russia argue that it creates balance in the society compared to pluralism and elitism1. Marxists advocate for the institution of political and legal structures that create a classless society. Karl Marx and Engels devised the theory after conducting several studies on the dynamics that shape the society. The two philosophers formulated the theory at a time when governments were struggling with political, social and economic structures in the society. The theory was an alternative to leadership that was failing in the society. Marx recommended the theory because it provided solutions to challenges that faced pluralism, elitism and feudalism. Based on initial literature review processes, it appears that Marxism is the most convincing theory for governance. Marxism political system Marxis m is a theory that puts the society into classes based on their economic capabilities. According to the theory, everyone in the society has a fundamental role to play in enhancing stability of the state2. The theory is opposed to totalitarian rule when the state has autonomy in controlling the social political and economic aspects of peoples’ life. Marx argues that discomfort of the masses has the possibility of destabilizing the society. Therefore, Marx suggests that measures should be enacted to enhance understanding amid different classes of the society. In Marxism, the classes are based on the individual’s access to the means of production. People who have the capacity to manipulate the factors of production are at the top of the class. The second group is the middle class identified as those who control the factors of production, but lack sufficient control as the upper class. The last group is the lower classes who partake in the production but they receive fewer benefits from the process. Authority serves at the behest of the class that owns wealth in a classified society. According to the theory, instability in the society results from class struggle. This means that there can never be peace as long as a particular group of people is dissatisfied with the administration. A need arises for people in authority to formulate measures for creating a balance in society to prevent conflicts from arising3. According to Marx, a shift in power is likely to happen whenever a particular class feels that the authorities do not represent their interests. Marxist approach allows individuals to take control of the factors of production in the society4. The theory enhances stability in the society because it encourages individuals to produce wealth that can be used by the community. According to Marx and Engels, the theory makes it easy for the ruling class to maintain stability in the society by quelling any form of discomfort among the classes in the so ciety. According to theory, a State is the authority that takes control over the other classes. The State is responsible for controlling the factors of production. Politics play a significant role in influencing economic activities of the classes. Interestingly, the ruling class constitutes the minority in the populace in several instances. However, the ruling class is influential based on their economic capability. The ruling class thrives at the ignorance of the middle class who comprise the bulk of the population yet they lack the capacity to control the State. Given their numerical strength, they can overthrow the government at will but they are unsuccessful because

Imperial Powers over Africa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Imperial Powers over Africa - Essay Example According to Du Plessis (2010), Europe was undergoing several socioeconomic and political transformations which compelled the major European powers to explore overseas territories to supplement to their resources towards the turn of the 17th century. One of the most potent challenges that such control was to tackle was the resistance that Africans had against occupation of their territory by the white man. According to Oliver and Roberts (1986), the first important control that would facilitate realization of the entire colonial project was to place local political administration under the imperial power. There were different responses from the native communities with regard to the welcome that the European powers got. Whereas some communities readily collaborated and assisted the imperial powers to take charge of their administration, there were others that heavily resisted and contested any foreign takeover of their political control. It is therefore correct to state that the division among the African communities regarding the response they ought to have collectively staged played a part in the thriving of colonial administration across Africa. The clan elders and the kings ruled according to old traditions which did not allow easy interaction with foreigners lest they lost their authority (Achebe, 1996). Economic control over Africa was possible soon after the political resistance had been contained.

Dispostional Personality Theories Essay Example for Free

Dispostional Personality Theories Essay The two most common dispositional theories are Allport’s psychology of the individual theory and the trait and factor theory. Allport’s psychology of the individual theory emphasized that people are unique, even though they may share traits in common, and those unique qualities are what should be focused on. â€Å"More than any other personality theorist, Gordon Allport emphasized the uniqueness of the individual. He believed that attempts to describe people in terms of general traits rob them of their unique individuality†. In order to focus on the individuals uniqueness Allport felt that a broad theory is more useful than a narrow one and he would use information from different theorist in his research. For many years there has been much debate about how many traits actually have an effect on an individual’s personality. In recent years the majority of theorist have come to the conclusion that five is the magic number. Esyneck, McCrae, and Costa have focused their studies on the trait and facto theory and have done much research using standardized tests, clinical observations, and observations from friends and families of the individuals studied. â€Å"Trait and factor theories of personality are based on factor analysis, a procedure that assumes that human traits can be measured by correlational studies†. Each of these theories have different approaches to explaining an individual’s behavior. Both Allport’s psychology of the individual theory and the trait and factor theory have its own effect on individual personalities. Interpersonal relationships are influenced by each of these theories in its own way as well.

Commercial Contracts in International Oil and Gas Industry

Commercial Contracts in International Oil and Gas Industry This paper aims to address the issues associated with long term petroleum contracts concluded between the state and international oil companies in terms of the political risks investors tend to face in such contracts as well as the risk of change of circumstances brought about not by the act of the parties but rather by the time. In doing so, the efficiency of both stabilization and renegotiation clauses, as means of mitigating these mentioned risks, are critically examined. It argues that stabilization clauses are highly problematic with regard to their validity and effect as they would normally conflict with the very well established principle of international law of state sovereignty, also these clauses are limited only to the change of regulatory framework and does not take into consideration the effect of change of other circumstances which may have a considerable impact on the parties obligations. Whereas, renegotiation clauses can be useful to reduce the impact of changes not only the legal framework of the host state but also other circumstances which are beyond the control of the parties should proper and clear mechanisms and criteria for implementing these clauses be provided for within the clause. It is widely recognized that regulatory stability of any given state is an essential element of promoting and encouraging investment in general and to attract and secure the confidence of potential foreign investors in particular.[1] This is certainly the case for energy projects where investors are vulnerable to wide variety of risks throughout the projects life, given the long duration and the capital intensive characters of these projects. In addition, the vurnablity of petroleum contracts to the change of circumstances, which may be beyond their control such as price fluctuation in the international energy market, can make the contractual arrangement that was once profitable becoming highly undesirable a few years later.[2] Not to mention the very fact that one of the parties of these contracts is state or its agency may well raise the investors concerns that the contractual arrangements once have been secured at the time of negotiating can be disregarded by unilateral states act later. Therefore, it has been the tendency of oil and gas investors to seek protection against these risks by providing for legal mechanism in the contract in order to mitigate their impact throughout the project period. These legal mechanisms tend to be in the form of stability guarantees offered by the state, either stabilization clauses or renegotiation clauses, as well as providing for arbitration to be the manner of dispute resolution. However, while the latter has become a stable and widely recognized clause aiming to ensure the netiaulty and fairness of resolving disputes arising between the states and IOCs, the former has generated much concern over their legal validity and effect, simply because of the fact that the main objective of these clauses is to fetter the states right to legislate and regulate for reasonably long period of time. It is the aim of the second chapter to critically analyze the different views given to stabilization clauses in scholars writing and the relevant arbitration awards in terms of their legal validity under both national and international law and the extent to which these clauses can prevent the state from exercising its sovereign power within its territory. Arguing that the sharp divide among scholars and arbitrators in this regard proves the insufficient and uncertain nature of these clauses, which in turns makes the capability of these clauses to provide absolute protection to oil and gas investor questionable. Chapter three goes on to further affirm the conclusion reached in the second chapter through using the example of the Russian petroleum experiment, where the existence of stabilization clauses led to decreasing cooperation between the state and the industry and resulted in disrupting the parties relationship as the petroleum activities went on, given the fact that the Russian Petroleum Law concerned only encouraging the exploration activities while lifting many essential aspects unregulated with the view that if the oil was to be found, new legislation would be enacted. It is from this chapter where this paper comes to the conclusion that not only does stabilization clauses conflict with the principle of state sovereignty and may well be held invalid as a result, but also these clauses have appeared to be inconsistent with the parties needs to flexible mechanism in order to mitigate the risk of changes of circumstances brought about by time rather than parties acts. Finally, chapter four aims to advocate the recent trend of inserting renegotiation clauses into oil and gas contracts as the proper manner to mitigate not only the political risk of state behavior but also other commercial risks associated with petroleum projects, which in the latter case even the host state can enjoy the protection offered by this device. On the other hand, this chapter also recognizes the fact that renegotiation clause may be too flexible, and thus run the risk of the contract being open-ending. Therefore, this chapter argues that the success of this clause depends, to very large extent, on the specific drafting agreed by the parties and whether a clear mechanism and guidance have been provided to address potential disputes. Thus, this paper argues that the states right to legislate and to regulate should not be subject to negotiation, nor to be used as an incentive for the purpose of attracting investment as such commitment is difficult to be fulfilled in the long term. Furthermore, stabilization clauses have proved to be inefficient and difficult to predict as well as inconsistent with the parties needs in such a long term contract. Whereas, renegotiation clauses can achieve the parties aims and objectives of sustaining the agreed contractual arrangements and encouraging cooperation needed in long term contracts through flexible legal mechanisms. 2. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Primary Sources 1.1 Judicial decisions PreussenElektra case (PreussenElektra AG vs Schleswag AG) ECJ C-379/98, European Court reports 2001, I-02099 Stardust Marine case (French Republic v Commission of the European Communities) ECJ C-482/99, European Court reports 2002, I-04397 1.2 European Union secondary legislation Regulation (EC) No 1228/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2003 on conditions for access to the network for cross-border exchanges in electricity, OJ L176/37, 15.07.2003 2. Secondary Sources 2.1 Books Cameron P. D., Legal Aspects of EU Energy Markets, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005). Helm D., Energy, the State, and the Market: British Energy Policy since 1979 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003). Hunt S., Making Competition Work in Electricity (New York: John Wiley Sons, Inc. 2002). 2.2 Articles Meier, G.M., Impact of the power-market liberalization on the operation of CHP-plants securing the competitiveness on the district heat market, 29(4) Euroheat and Power/Fernwarme International (2000). Klinge Jacobsen, H., Fristrup, P. and Munksgaard, J., Integrated energy markets and varying degrees of liberalisation: Price links, bundled sales and CHP production exemplified by Northern European experiences, 34(18) Energy Policy 3527-3537 (2006). 2.3 Other 2.3.1 Internet sources European Association for the Promotion of Cogeneration (GOGEN Europe), Financial and Regulatory Support for Cogeneration in EU (2007) http://www.cogeneurope.eu/publications/reports_and_studies.htm (last visited on 31 November 2008) Lowe, Ph., Applying EU Competition Law to the new liberalized energy markets, (13 May 2003) http://europa.eu.int/comm/competition/speeches/text/sp2003_012_en.pdf (last visited on 1 December 2008) [1] L. Cotula, â€Å"Reconciling Regulatory Stability and Evolution of Environmental Standards in Investment Contracts: Towards a Rethink of Stabilization Clauses†, Journal of World Energy Law and Business, vol. 1 (2008), p164 [2] P. Thomas, â€Å"Evaluating Stabilisation Clause in Venezuelas Strategic Association Agreement for Heavy-Crude Extraction in the Orinoco Belt: The Return of a Forgotten Contractual Risk Reduction Mechanism for the Petroleum Industry† p.1

Robert Frosts The Road Not Taken - Making Choices Along the Road of Life :: Road Not Taken essays

The Road Not Taken - Making Choices Along the Road of Life The Road Not Taken can be interpreted many different ways. Depending on the past, present and future attitude one has at the time he read it determines the way the poem may be interpreted. As the title indicates the central theme of this poem is choices. Most people agree that in the poem that Frost was expressing the belief that it is the road or path that one takes or chooses that makes him the man who he is today and will be tomorrow. Everyone is a traveler on lives roads. In the poem there is never just one road to take. Life is a struggle to make the decision of which road to take but a choice must be made. A traveler comes upon "two road deversised in a yellow wood" He is at a cross road point in his life. He is unable to take both paths at once and must make a decision which way he would like to go or how to live his life. He must decide but is remorseful as he states "And sorry I could not travel both". This decision is always difficult to make because it is impossible not to wonder at the cost of taking this path over that one. He can not help but wonder what he will miss if he chooses this road over that one .There is regret before the choice is ever made. He relaxes that in one lifetime it is impossible to travel down both roads and he has a difficult choice to make and is carefully considering his options as well as wondering were each could lead . In attempting to make this decision the traveler "looks down one as far as I could," trying to see the future and were this road might lead. Both roads lead to the unknown and although he tries to see as far as the road stretches he ca nnot see where it is going to lead. It is the way he chooses that sets him of on his journey of life and determines were he is going. He makes his decision and chooses "Then took the other just as far and having perhaps the better claim." This road has a better claim because it was the one that appealed more to him and "it was grassy and wanted wear.

Pro-Life: The Opposite of Pro-Death Essay -- Anti-Abortion Pro Life

Pro-Life: The Opposite of Pro-Death Careful attention to the truth has never been standard operating procedure for pro-abortion advocates. Therefore, it should not be any suprise that half-truths, and misrepresentations, and many outright lies have permeated the pro-abortion propaganda campaign. Pro-choice is just a phrase used by people who know the absurdity of legal abortions and infanticide. Pro-life advocates have a more simple and straight forward approach: Pro-life is not the opposite of pro-choice, but the opposite of pro-death. Pro-choice is an escape from the harsh reality that abortion is the murder of millions of innocent lives. Activists also believe that killing infants because they are severely handicapped is morally acceptable. They are of the opinion that a life can be terminated by the hands of a physician; in my opinion, only by God. That is how pro-choice activists represent themselves. As a junior in high school, I am considering medicine as a possible career choice. Through my research in this field, I discovered the Hippocratic Oath. The Hippocratic Oath is the most famous of the Hippocratic documents; it has served as an ideal for the professional attitude and ethics of physicians to the present; the historical origin of the oath is so obscure that even the date of its composition is placed from the 6th to the 1st century B.C. The Hippocratic Oath generally stated by Hippocrates says, â€Å"I will follow that system of regimen which, according to my ability and judgment, I will consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous. I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked; I will not suggest any such counsel, and ... ...and wiggle in an ultrasound. I felt her turn, kick, and I also experienced her hiccups. I could feel the life inside of my and no pro-choice argument can convince me the Alexandria Nicole was not alive inside of me. I realize that pregnancy can often seem like a burden: however, if you create a life you should be responsible for that life. If you choose to be responsible only for the nine months during your pregnancy, adoption is a loving and mature option. There are countless families that would love to adopt a baby. The choice of adoption gives your baby a chance to live. There can be no justification or reason given for being pro-choice - pro-death. Every child is created with a purpose from God. â€Å"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; And I ordained you a prophet to the nations.† (Jeremiah 1:5)

Effectiveness of Product Placement in Hindi Movies Essay

Product placement refers to the practice of including a brand name, product, package, signage or other trademark merchandise within a motion picture, television or other media vehicles for increasing the memorability of the brand and for instant recognition at the point of purchase. Product placements are commercial insertions within a particular media program intended to heighten the visibility of a brand, type of product or service. The common practice has been that advertising has been inserted within breaks, 30 seconds or 10 seconds commercial, but with increasing number of channels and media clutter, the target audience is not properly exposed to the message. The tendency of the audience is to change the channel whenever an advertisement appears. But by subtle placement of products in the settings of the Movie or a TV serial, the promotional message can be effectively put across the target audience These insertions are not meant to be commercial break ups rather an integral part of the medium so that the visibility of the brand increases. Attempts are made for the viewer to read the product or the brand as a quality of the characters using and approving it. Scripts are tailor made for the desired brand so that when they are incorporated they look natural. It is done through special mention in the programs, placement of logo or may be a shot of that particular brand. Movies have been used as the most popular platform for product placement. Showman Subhash Ghai’s Yaadein showcased brands like Pass-pass and coca-cola. But recall the Rishi Kapoor starrer Karz by the filmmaker, which had an entire song sequence with the Emami banner at the backdrop. Similarly time and again we have witnessed so many brands like ICICI, Yamaha, Pepsi, Lays in movies Aakhein, Baghban, Dhoom, Khushi and Krissh respectively. Product placements are different than the celebrity endorsement advertisements in many ways. The celebrities endorse products and brands with commercial reasons,which normally comes in the breaks in television programs or in cinema halls. The phenomenon of zipping and change in the television usage behaviour due to surfing during commercial breaks has reduced the effectiveness of the television commercials. Similarly the commercials on cinema halls are found to be of low involvement as the audience takes them as blocks between the reasons of visiting the cinema hall and the time available to them for entertainment. So the brand communication and the entertainment products are viewed differently by the audience in both the media. Brand placement provides an opportunity where the involved audience gets exposure to the brands and products during the natural process of narration of the movie or television commercial. We have taken the issue of the movie as area of research because compared to television, movies are found to be of higher involvement. The audience can undertake multitude of working while observing the television program at a home setting which may affect the degree of attention span of the audience and hence reduce the over all effectiveness of the medium for enhancing brand memory. Quite contrast to this is the movie going behaviour where the audience makes a voluntary choice for viewing (exposure) at a cost (financial, time and opportunity cost) for the purpose of entertainment. So he is more receptive to the information provided to him in the movie hall setting which also includes the dissemination of the product information. Further to this in a television viewing, the audience has a choice to shift the channel, as the programming is an involuntary exposure due to fixed schedules, content and timing. This involuntary exposure makes the audience to have a choice of voluntary viewing of the program of his choice and then he or she may switch to another channel. It has been observed from research that brand recall for commercials shown during the television programs with higher level of TRPs are very poor due to the channel switching behaviour (Fourier and Dolan 1997). High level of media clutter, similarity of programming across channels, channel switching behaviour are the factors responsible to generate sufficient level of research interest among researchers at the practice of brand placements in movies. It is very important to expose the product only to the target audience. A good marketer should first identify the target market based on geographic segmentation and demographic variables or may be even both. Selection of the target audience is also done keeping the brand profile in mind. A target audience should also be able to identify with the product. The potential target audience should be able to identify themselves with the product. History: Product placement is being used since long in bollywood industry, however it was not much known . With time the frequency as well as the awareness for this advertisement media have been increased. The earliest reference of a brand placement comes in the 1940 classic Chalti Kaa naam Gadi with the brand Coca Cola, followed by movie bobby endorsing rajdhoot by Rishi Kapoor. The movie Dilwale Dulhanyiyan Le Jayenge of the 1990s was a successful story of launching of Stroh bear in Indian market. Today, product placement is used as an often-used strategy for the advertisers in Hindi films. Broadly analysing, there are three ways product placement can occur: 1.The placement simply happens : This placement occurs without any type of formal contractual agreement to place a particular product or brand. The likely scenario in this instance involves some member of the cast or crew selecting a product to use in a scene because it will enhance the scene though the product itself may not be seen or presented in a favourable light. 2.The placement is arranged and some of the product serves as compensation. This type of placement a particular product is shown in the Movie/ Serial and no extra amount is paid for that. The product itself serves as compensation 3.The placement is arranged and there is financial compensation. In this type of product placement the company has to pay for the placement apart from the product. Basically Product placement can be categorized in various forms. The most popular forms are described below: 1. Product/Brand as a background: This the most simplest form of product placement where hoardings of brand, company name, actual product or logo are placed in the scene. Sometimes packaging of the products are also placed. Here the brand is shown without any verbal reference. For instance, in the movie Koi mil gaya, boards of Nescafe and coca cola are seen in the background during the song idhar chala me udhar chala. Likewise in the movie hero, board of Yamaha rajdoot is seen in one of the song. Board of Virgin brand at the background in the movie Kabhi alvida na kehna. 2. Actors use the product: Another popular idea for product placement is to show the use of the product by characters of the movie without verbal reference to brand name or benefit. For example: In the movie kuch na kaho Abhishek Bacchan and Aishwaria Rai drink coke in one scene where camera is focused purposely on the bottle of the coke. Similarly in Taal, Aishwaria Rai and Akshay Khanna share coke from same bottle. Use of Reebok t-shirts by actor Jhon Abraham and Arshad Warsi in movie Goal. 3. Actors mention the product: In this type of product placement, the product is integrated into the drama where the benefits/attributes of the brand/product are mention by the main star without any visuals of the product. For example: There is one sequence in movie Koi mil gaya where actor Hritik Roshan talrs about benefits of drinking Bournvita. 4. Actors mention and use the brand: This style of product placement includes combination of above two method where characters use the product as well as mention the benefits/attributes of it. For instance: in the movie Chup chup ke actor Rajpal Yadav is shown to use Tide detergent powder. Here the level of placement is so high that all the males in the movie are shown in wite clothes in most of the scenes. Also in movie Krish actress Priyanka Chopra is associated with Star tv. 5. Product as the part of the story (theme): Sometimes the story is woven around a specific product or product category. This is extreme level of product placement. However, this trend is not very well developed in India. Very few films have adopted this type of product placement. For instance, In movie Dhoom high speed bikes are the part of the story, also in move hungama starring Akshay Khanna is given the name Jitu Videocon Who owns the Videocon Showroom. 6. Product in promos: This the relatively new trend where the product is tied up with the promo of the movie. The trend in India was started with Kaante where thumps up is associated with promo, similar example is of movie Viruddh which was associated with Max New York life insurance. However it is more seen in the television programs especially the reality shows. This new media of Advertising is beneficial in many ways, firstly the exposure is to a large no of people as a big amount of people see movie each year and the most important ting is that this form of exposure is not subject to zapping, at least not in the theatre. And if in case the movie is hit this exposure can be repeated especially for those who like to watch the movie more then once. The source association also plays a major role. When consumers see their favourite star wearing polo sport, drinking coke or driving a Mercedes, this association may lead to a favourable Brand image. above all, the cost of placing the product in the movie is far less when compared it to the broadcast media, the CPM for this type of media can be very low owing the high volume of exposure it generates. Product placement also helps the marketers to bypass certain regulations, in many countries certain products are not permitted to advertise on television or to some specific market segments for instanc e, cigarettes and liquor. For the industries manufacturing such product this is a very effective media. However its even more important to know that How Does It Actually Works, Basically Marketer pays to the Advertisement agency that decides and places specific brands strategically in films/TV shows. It is the job of the agency to maintain tie ups with prop suppliers/vendors and with set designers. Thus the agency plays the role of the mediater between the director/producer and the marketer. Suppliers get in touch with the production houses, which also look for props and some extra money as revenue. Subsequently the script is reviewed, edited and necessary changes are made in the script to place the brand appropriately to look like a natural phenomenon in the story. A very best example of blending of a brand into the story of the movie is, a well famous brand of bikes Hayabusa in the movie Dhoom. The brand is used by almost all the actors in the movie, and the most important and noticeable part is that the whole story of the movie is encircled around it. It was a very well done promotional strategy, the craze of the bike in India was at its heights even long after the movie was out of the theatres. There are even more examples like Pepsi in dil to pagal hai and scooty pep in the movie Sunday. The typical product placement starts up with publicity. Publicity attracts the viewers to cinema hall, which includes prospects of advertisers. In modern era of commercial news channels, number of viewers largely depend on positive publicity. The number of viewers also depends on actors, production banners, popularity of music etc. Actual product placement process starts with four types of inputs, out of which the dialogues and way of presentation are controlled by the advertiser through proper coordination with the director while on the other hand viewer’s attitude towards movie and actor are uncontrollable. Former two inputs almost depend on advertiser while later two on viewers.

Nokia Strategy Analysis Essay

1.Does Nokia have a truly global strategy, rather than just a series of regional strategies? Explain. Yes, it does have a global strategy. The global strategy of Nokia is the foundation of all the regional strategies and that is based on overall consumer needs. They found out the main consumer needs is focused on selling products (phones) as lowest price all over the world with its simple, easy and basic models. Also beside that Nokia has series of regional strategies that use most advanced technologies in terms of Camera, music and nanotechnology which is the future feature of the phones in e flexible shape and the last not the least is focusing on the business communications to compete with other companies in the industry and keep its position as the market leader. Therefore they placed their strategy in 3 facets: 1. growing the number of people using Nokia, 2. transforming the devices people use. 3. buidling new businesses. 2.Consider the different global marketing environments discussed in the text. How do these environments differ in developing versus developed countries? †¢Developing countries: African, Asian, Latin American countries and Middles East region have the highest sale volumes in a way that the half of the world population have cell phones and one of the three hold a Nokia phone, as China and India are among the countries with highest number of population and also got the highest number of sales, as an example 70 mil phones were sold in China in 2007 that is 38% more than the previous year’s sales. Basically the high demand for this product in these regions is for simplicity and user friendly system that the Nokia has along with its cheap price, as most of the people in these regions have very low income and in some place the mobile is shared by  ½ dozen of people who even cannot read or write ( mostly in Africa). In these regions (African-Asia) the main aim is connecting one person to another, could be a simple greeting phone call, or a simple test message. It does not matter if it’s colorful or black and white, or if it has a camera or Social group connection such as Facebook, Twiter or so on. The simple lifestyle will remain the same in the usage of  the phone as the phone will not stop the normal people gathering and family meetings while in the Developed countries it varys. †¢Developed countries: Europe consists of 39% of Nokia’s net Sale. It was not explained in the text what is the attraction of the European towards Nokia, but I assume it is based on the different features that each phone has that is different from another phone and also the user friendly technology that is used can be another reason as other competitors’ phones are a bit difficult to get used to. The U.S. only consists of 5% of the Nokia’s sale and the reason could be the people’s attraction is towards the most advanced technology smart phone that includes all the required and needy application in one slim size and light weighted smart phone and this is why most Americans seek competitors phone like, Iphone, Samsung, LG, Sony and Motorella and Black Berry phones. In terms of environment U.S is the place of business and fast communication, no double in this place the level of education is very high and simple phones are not the demand of the smart and highly educated individuals, they look for most advanced technology and the simplicity is not their main aim. They try to save time for meeting, gathering by a simple video call, or chat or so on which is the lifestyle of the people of the developed countries. 3.Discuss Nokia’s global strategy in terms of the five global product and communications strategies. Nokia, tries to get highest number of Nokia users not only through the low cost and simple mobiles that are mostly sold in the developing countries, it is also trying to grow in the niche markets that other competitors are focusing on such as the touch screen phones that were first introduced by Apple’s, and music focus products such as i-pod, in camera is competing with other phones and Canon as having more sales than Canons, and the business communication phones with advanced technology phones. The high amount of investment in R&D and expanding the range of products are all part of Nokia’s strategy in order to stay in the market and keep its position as the market leader for a very long period. I personally admire Nokia’s strategy as it is this keeps the Nokia brand name always speeded around for all the segments needs which is the main global aim of the Nokia meeting what the consumer want. 4.Can competitors easily replicate Nokia’s global strategy? Why or Why not? I don’t think so. As other companies are only focusing on their specific niche and investing in other niche needs high investment and it’s already taken by Nokia, and the only way is possible if there will be high investment in these companies to compete with Nokia. As most of the competing companies are not only Phone producers, they are producing a other electronic devices as well and their profit is gained from the whole range of their electronic devices that they sell and focusing only in one different targets of one single product (Mobile phone for low income individuals) would not be very beneficial for them to invest is. (Such as Samsung; Smart TV, mobile phones, Washing Machine, †¦.) But in future (about 20-50 years from now) I think as we go further the old technologies will be cheaper and cheaper, in a way that there will be less demand for these low cost mobile phones as most probably these will be available for free or maybe they will not be used at all as there are new products or devices that will be introduced that will replace the Mobile phone the same for other electronic devices who knows†¦? 5.Will Nokia’s planned expansion into other products and services work? Explain. In my opinion it won’t. As I have read in many places that Nokia had released a Laptop and its sales was not successful. I think Nokia is knows as a Mobile Phone producer and has to focus more on that market only. As if it produces other electronic devices, Nokia’s customer will lose their focus on the Nokia as the leader in the Mobile phone devices. Nokia if is trying to expand, its better to use the sample production as laptop, tablet for very limited period, as limited period only and study the market demand. If it was successful (which it was not in the first place) can expand its products slowly in the business-communicating devices only.