Monday, September 30, 2019

One of the Most Important Moment in Your Life

The terrible car accident occurred to me ten years ago threatened my life, only a few flashback memories are what is left in my head. It was summer in June and a Saturday night; the rain was pouring like I have seen very few times before. I had just left my mother’s house after a delicious meal along with some of our homemade red wine. In getting ready to go to work I realized that it was late, my Jazz music band, was supposed to start to play music at 10pm in a nightclub twenty miles west from my house.But the pleasant dinner, and mostly the wine, inadvertently caused me to be extremely late. Once on the highway I tried to reduce the lateness by increasing and maintaining high velocity, in several occasions the speedometer was above 130 MPH. When the crash happened I was not wearing the seatbelt; in fact I found myself on the passenger seat. The windshield and the side glasses were reduced in thousands of pieces, many of which were all over me. The absence of glass also facil itated the rain getting inside the vehicle and created more discomfort.The front of the automobile, where the engine was located, had been pushed so much inward that it almost reduced the length of the car in half. I was so furious about the damages that I didn’t even care of my health conditions. The car went down the side of the highway; it was hidden by trees and quite difficult to reach. In fact, the police report stated that I had been unconscious for more than half an hour before someone found me. When I came to senses I did not remember anything, not even what day it was, or why I was in the car. As minutes went by I began to consider the gravity of the situation, as my despair as well.Fully awake and angry still I could not move, my shoulder was hurting and something was obfuscating my sight and it was not the rain—I later discovered that it was my own blood. At some point I turned my head to the right and saw an old man standing right outside my car’s b roken window pushing a piece of fabric against my head. I guess he was trying to stop the blood flow. Thanks to this person, who despite the difficulty, came down almost 30 feet to reach my car I was found, and thanks to this man I was able to receive immediate assistance from the paramedics and be carried at a nearby hospital.Nevertheless, sadness embraces me when I think of him; unfortunately I missed the chance to express to him my gratitude. That night he simply vanished in the darkness. Once the paramedic took me off the car, the race to the hospital was almost pleasant. In the ambulance I will never forget the beautiful face of a relatively young female doctor who gave me the first aid—she came very close to my face several times in order to check my eyes and wounds on my head.At the destination, I was transported in the emergency room where other people immediately started to cut my clothes off with a pair of scissors, in order to check the integrity of my whole body. Even though it was summer I recall being very cold in that room, and thirsty as well. The numerous and small pieces of glass inside the upper-part of my body required an extensive amount of time to be taken out. During this long procedure—conducted by only one doctor—something funny happened. One of the nurses approached the surgery table, came close to my face and said, â€Å"Today boy is your lucky day. â€Å"Why? † I asked, â€Å"Well, at the moment the plastic surgeon is still at the hospital, he was supposed to leave an hour ago but something happened and kept him here† was her response—a couple of days later it was explained to me that these specialized doctors are not found frequently in the emergency room. Usually, generic doctors perform these surgeries with significantly poorer results. â€Å"He will fix your ear so well that you would not even notice the scar† she added—I had a deep cut behind my right ear, which fortunate ly enough did not damage any nerves.After those loud nurse’s last words, the anesthetic took over because I don’t remember anything else. As a result, every time I go back with my thoughts to that night I realize how irresponsible I acted. During the days prior to the accident I had a very poor sleep; that combined with the high speed and heavy rain caused the crash. This traumatic and unique experience will always accompany me. Still, today those memories affect my decision-making processes in order to prevent similar circumstances from occurring again. In the end I surely admit to have learned my lesson.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Definition of motivation Essay

Internal and external factors that stimulate desire and energy in people to be continually interested and committed to a job, role or subject, or to make an effort to attain a goal. Motivation results from the interaction of both conscious and unconscious factors such as the (1) intensity of desire or need, (2) incentive or reward value of the goal, and (3) expectations of the individual and of his or her peers. These factors are the reasons one has for behaving a certain way. An example is a student that spends extra time studying for a test because he or she wants a better grade in the class. Motivation is the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal and elicits, controls, and sustains certain goal directed behaviors. It can be considered a driving force; a psychological drive that compels or reinforces an action toward a desired goal. Motivation elicits, controls, and sustains certain goal-directed behaviors. For example, hunger is a motivation that elicits a desire to eat. Motivation has been shown to have roots in physiological, behavioral, cognitive, and social areas. Motivation is conceptually related to, but distinct from, emotion and may be rooted in a basic impulse to optimize well-being, minimize physical pain and maximize pleasure. It can also originate from specific physical needs such as eating, sleeping/resting, and sexual reproduction. Motivation can be divided into two types: intrinsic (internal) motivation and extrinsic (external) motivation. Intrinsic motivation  Intrinsic motivation refers to motivation that is driven by an interest or enjoyment in the task itself, and exists within the individual rather than relying on any external pressure. Intrinsic motivation is based on taking pleasure in an activity rather than working towards an external reward. Intrinsic motivation has been studied since the early 1970s. Students who are intrinsically motivated are more likely to engage in the task willingly as well as work to improve their skills, which will increase their capabilities.[1 ] Students are likely to be intrinsically motivated if they: * attribute their educational results to factors under their own control, also known as autonomy, * believe they have the skill that will allow them to be effective agents in reaching desired goals (i.e. the results are  not determined by luck), * are interested in mastering a topic, rather than just rote-learning to achieve good grades. Extrinsic motivation Extrinsic motivation refers to the performance of an activity in order to attain an outcome, which then contradicts intrinsic motivation. It is widely believed that motivation performs two functions. The first is often referred to as the energetic activation component of the motivation construct. The second is directed at a specific behaviour and makes reference to the orientation directional component.[clarification needed] Extrinsic motivation comes from outside of the individual. Common extrinsic motivations are rewards like money and grades, and threat of punishment. Competition is in general extrinsic because it encourages the performer to win and beat others, not simply to enjoy the intrinsic rewards of the activity. A crowd cheering on the individual and trophies are also extrinsic incentives. The concept of motivation can be instilled in children at a very young age, by promoting and evoking interest in a certain book or novel. The idea is to have a discussion pertaining the book with young individuals, as well as to reward them. Comparison of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation Social psychological research has indicated that extrinsic rewards can lead to overjustification and a subsequent reduction in intrinsic motivation. In one study demonstrating this effect, children who expected to be (and were) rewarded with a ribbon and a gold star for drawing pictures spent less time playing with the drawing materials in subsequent observations than children who were assigned to an unexpected reward condition.[2] While the provision of extrinsic rewards might reduce the desirability of an activity, the use of extrinsic constraints, such as the threat of punishment, against performing an activity has actually been found to increase one’s intrinsic interest in that activity. In one study, when children were given mild threats against playing with an attractive toy, it was found that the threat actually served to increase the child’s interest in the toy, which was previously undesirable to the child in the absence of threat.[3] For those children who received no extrinsic reward, self-determination theory proposes that extrinsic motivation can be internalised by the individual if the task fits with their values and beliefs and therefore helps to fulfill  their basic psychological needs.

Friday, September 27, 2019

E)Changing Roles in the Household Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

E)Changing Roles in the Household - Essay Example Specifically the Equal Pay Act of 1963 was implemented to promote equal work and employment opportunity for men and women by mandating employers to pay male and female employees equally for performing equal work load except for work differences related to seniority and merits (Reuter, 2009). As part of strengthening the promotion of work diversity and gender equal rights, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was established in order to enforce the federal laws concerning work discrimination related to race or ethnicity, color, religion, gender preferences, nationality, age, and physical or mental disability (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2010). As part of determining the current socio-economic status of women and the minorities in the United States including the significance and effectiveness of EEOC in terms of alleviating gender and racial discrimination within a work environment, this study will gather the most recent articles and news reports that has been published online particularly in the Wall Street Journal, news media, business journals, and magazines. Eventually, economics of race and gender will be tackled in relation to the gathered news and articles. Prior to conclusion, strategic ways on how the EEOC could effectively prevent the high incidence of work discrimination related to gender and race will be provided in details. Back in 2003, the entire U.S. workforce is composed of 69.9% White Americans, 13.8% of the African Americans, 11.1% Hispanics, and 5.2% other minorities (Hymowitz, 2005). Out of the White Americans who are employed, 84.5% of them are managers in small-, medium-, and large-scale companies (ibid). Statistics shows that gender discrimination in the United States is still present despite EEOC’s effort to avoid gender and race discrimination at work. In rare cases, there are some women and few individuals coming from the minority groups who were able to establish a strong

Research Methods in Sales and Marketing for Tourism Essay

Research Methods in Sales and Marketing for Tourism - Essay Example Furthermore, the proponent provides examples in their application in the tourism sector. Quantitative research method Quantitative research is a common method used in investigating or finding information in various fields of studies. This method ensures that information can be transformed into figures for quantitative analysis. Quantitative research method preserves neutrality and sees to it that there will be no bias since the collected data will be used for quantitative analysis, so it is more numerically measurable (Bennett, 1986; Shi, 2008). In quantitative analysis, there is a need to come up with objective output because a researcher deals with figures and transforms them into essential information that can be subjected to more meaningful interpretation and source of information. One common quantitative research method is experimental method. In experimental method, the researcher could potentially obtain information from certain observations under controlled condition. Thus, t here are important things that need to be considered prior to obtaining the most essential information and one of them is to ensure the significance and validity of the entire method used. Quantitative research is quite flexible but its potential drawback could be its not being able to potentially explain all types of phenomena (Muijs, 2004). Qualitative research method Qualitative statements and concepts comprise the body of qualitative analysis (Shi, 2008). Qualitative research method still applies numerical data which potentially include counting and assigning numbers to observations, but the presence of qualitative statement and concepts prevail as its general core foundation. Thus, it may still turn out that all information under qualitative approach cannot be numerical in nature but in a verbal form (Creswell, 2003). Observations which are integral components of qualitative statements and analyses are important in qualitative research method because they would ensure that the analysis will be well presented and the research aim is substantially obtained. An interview for instance regarding certain issue may focus more on understanding the framework of the subject and this could potentially concentrate the analysis on general qualitative information. Qualitative method therefore can be done at multiple levels of analysis (Piekkari and Welch, 2004). This means a researcher could still potentially find information in using this method even at various levels of analysis. An interview or focus group for instance can essentially initiate this because what the researcher needs is to integrate various concepts or frameworks in order to bring the entire analysis at different levels, depending on the actual objectives. However, one general and potential drawback of qualitative method is that the sample size is small and non-random, making findings most likely not conclusive at some point (VanderStoep and Johnson, 2008). The differences It is noted based on the abo ve discussion that both methods of research; the quantitative and qualitative have potential advantages and drawbacks. Furthermore, they are an entirely different approaches; that is why they have significant noted difference. In the case of quantitative method of research such as survey or experimentation, it is important to have remarkable number of samples in order to make certain that the conclusion is conclusive. Sample should be numerically or statistically significant. On

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Reflection paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 23

Reflection paper - Essay Example oduction business that produces and sells quality food production in order to feed the urban population that suffers from lack of proper food for good nourishment (Allen & Charles p124). Food insecurity is a major problem in the world today; good food is a health issue that is becoming a great concern for many health professionals such as nutritionists and dieticians. Good food translates to good health and good health is the essence of healthy and productive communities. Allen focussed his energy to ensure that the unhealthy processed food that makes a large proportion of urban food consumption is a health problem of the past. Healthy food has become an upper-class experience since the prices of such food have soared (Allen & Charles p152). When considering healthy food for a nation, prices should be part of the subject as there are members of the society or nation that have low income and might not afford such food. It is, therefore, necessary to adopt affordable and creative good food production techniques to ensure that food prices are affordable for everyone; everyone can access good food for revolution! Statements like ‘You couldn’t place people in a middle of a blighted neighbourhood and expect them to thrive’ is s key sentiment of this inspirational book by Allen. Society is comprised of different people and whereas some may have the best if it, it is crucial to observe the welfare of the remaining members of the very society, this is to say that the welfare of everyone in the society if vital and if some other people’s welfare is compromised for the selected few, the ‘selected few’ are likely to suffer too (Allen & Charles p173). One cannot make an illogical assumption of placing people in a bias or unfair conditions within the society and expect them to thrive be healthy and thrive. With this respect, Allen developed production techniques that would ensure that everyone thrives in the urban society. He identified the challenges that face

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Criminal Liability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Criminal Liability - Essay Example This left the roof in a dangerous position that collapsed killing Serena. Adam can be held criminally liable for the death of Serena. His act of stealing lead connects the link of causation that led to the death of Serena. Criminal negligence represents men's rea. However, the men's rea in this situation is replaced by the recklessness of Adam. The test used to determine recklessness is the standard of behaviour expected of the defendant in such circumstances. A reasonable person in such circumstances would not have committed the act that Adam did and therefore he can be considered to have the men's rea required to find him criminally liable. The test here applies to willful negligence in gross negligence that another person would find it reckless. In criminal law, there must be an actus reus and men’s rea. The actus reus of the defendant was stealing the lead that led to the roof collapsing. Criminal negligence looks at the culpability and recklessness that causes the interme diate seriousness of the resulting actions of a defendant. Adam was reckless in his actions since he exposed other members of the church to damage. This means that he was willful in running the risk. The courts in such a case will apply the test of a reasonable person to analyze his culpability in such a case. This test of culpability and men's rea is an assessment by the courts to establish whether the defendant had the foresight of the consequences of his actions. It applies three elements in these tests.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Introduction to Professional Nursing Practice Essay - 1

Introduction to Professional Nursing Practice - Essay Example The other appropriate measure, which head nurses ought to ensure, encompasses avoiding incidences of nurses’ shortage (Subramanian &Vinoth, 2012). Since this is what results to excessive workload on the part of nurses for they end up serving many patients beyond what their both physical and psychological endurance can adequately support. Shortage of nurses in hospitals is a major cause of Burnout whose early signs encompass stress and irritability that signify an overworked nurse. Therefore, nurses ought to learn how know themselves and their limitations (Gagnon, 2008). Moreover, nurses are supposed to maintain a healthy lifestyle by fitting enjoyable leisure activities in their daily lives. This will help in reducing stress. Furthermore, nurses’ training is to put other peoples care before them (Walter, Plaumann & Awa, 2010). This intervention normally enables them learn how to take care of themselves and not to mistake self-care as being selfish but as a way of energizing as well as maintaining one’s emotional and physical stamina. In post cases, this comes with enhancing interpersonal and social relationships with friends and family, which is via healthy communication (Elder, Evans & Nizette, 2009) Elder, Evans & Nizette (2009) in their study have clearly shown how burnout syndrome is an ethical issue and that all nurses have a moral obligation to take the necessary steps to reduce burnout in themselves. This is because, as seen above, burnout syndrome is an undesirable state due to the nurses’ interaction with patients and its effects it on immediate colleagues. Mainly, these associations act as influential organizations towards promoting health mostly comprising of registered nurses. This is through lobbying government and other respective authorities towards availing appropriate working environment for nurses, which will in turn lead improved medical care. Their focuses

Monday, September 23, 2019

What impact does migration have on European politics Essay

What impact does migration have on European politics - Essay Example People have migrated to Europe because of the numerous opportunities that are in Europe as compared to other parts of the world. One of the reasons why migration has been common in Europe is because of many job opportunities that are there. Education prospects have also contributed to this migration (Castles 2006, p.745). People have also moved to Europe in order to run away from war and conflict situations in their home countries. There is a common perception that Europe is more peaceful than other continents. The improvement of the economic policy of Europe has also contributed to the movement of people to European cities. More than 32.5 million people within the European Union (EU) are non-citizens (Cesarani and Fulbrook 1996, p.63). The political participation is debatable along context of awards for voting rights within the European countries. This is due to the changes that have resulted in changes of European societies. The political system in Europe allows the flexibility in exercise of political rights, laws and regulations. As a result, the migrants can be incorporated into the translational forms of political participation like the lector politics and other civic engagements (Geddes 1999, p. 12). Effects of migration on European politics Recently, the interest in migrant political transnationalism has increased. Precisely political participation of the immigrants encompasses distribution of resources between members of a political community and acts as an instrument for obtaining other goods and resources. The political participation of immigrants was more than just the need for resources, but acted as a goal of conventional democracy towards seeking the influence from other parties (Geddes 2003, p.251). Migration in Europe triggered the immigrant to participate in parliamentary and advisory committees. The migrant self-society and civil society institutions facilitated political participation of the immigrants. Such initiatives include religious gro ups, non-governmental organizations and political initiatives. This gave a chance for immigrants to participate in various political dimensions based on the diversity and country they migrated to. More than 32.5 million people within the European Union (EU) are non-citizens. Political and civic participation of immigrants is a key area on the integration of migrants into the European societies. This is accompanied by practices and measures that enhance participation and empowerment of immigrants to enables them exercise their duties and rights in the promotion of values and accountability. This may be constrained by human and social factors due insufficient resources such as finance and time (Cesarani and Fulbrook 1996, p.63). The immigrants participated in procedures and structures of the political systems in Europe. This includes voting, joining a political party of choice, standing for an office or participating in petitioning bodies and political demonstrations. This raises conc erns on societal and political relevance in relation to national development. A decision to migrate begins with the decision by the immigrant to move. Immigration to Europe resulted from the need to escape oppression, natural disasters and poverty by people from developing countries. Some of the countries within the European regions experienced dramatic growths due to immigration after the Second World War (Freeman 1995, p.887). Most of the nations in Europe still contain significant populations of immigrants. In most contexts, immigrants have expressed the interest of participating in parliamentary systems for the countries at hand. This is confirmed by the increased number of civil societies. The situation of modern Diaspora and transfer of political issues in

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Value of Education Essay Example for Free

Value of Education Essay It used to be a half century ago that completing high school was considered a valuable step towards a successful future. But as years go by we find that views of the past don’t always hold true. Today it is widely accepted that obtaining a college education is equally or even more critical in the pursuit of success than the importance of finishing high school was fifty years ago. The job market in today’s economy has increasingly become more competitive than it has even been and new job seekers are finding that a higher education is needed in order to obtain a well-paying job. Accordingly, the ones who do find a well-paying job right out of high school are realizing that their path doesn’t lead them to anymore steps in the future and without a college degree it is difficult to receive a promotion. Ironically enough, it used to be the ones who believed in the importance a college education were the ones who already had a degree or in the process of getting one. Today it is commonly viewed as a necessity by almost everybody. In fact, â€Å"84% of the general public say that it is extremely (37%) or very (47%) important to have a college degree in order to get ahead,† according to survey taken by higherdeucation. rg. It is now evident more than ever, in the current job market, that higher education is a better opportunity towards achieving the desired lifestyle of today’s expectations. A hard-work effort is no longer worth as much in gaining advantage against competing co-workers as it once was. Now employers are expecting new hires to be knowledgeable in the field of work before they get the job. A college degree isn’t just a good merit on a resume for employers to see; it shows them that you endured the whole college experience. A degree not only indicates that the applicant is knowledgeable in the subject that they studied in, but that he or she was able to complete the necessary tasks and steps in order to acquire the degree. Part of the college process is learning how to approach a project and complete it by a specific deadline. Learning important problem-solving skills and the ability to be punctual is viewed as a huge asset to employers and they will know the applicant possesses those traits just by seeing the word college on the resume. Some may argue that one could just check out some books and do a little research online and acquire the same status as a college graduate without paying thousands of dollars, but again college is more than the knowledge you gain from books. Students gain another advantage because they are learning directly from a professional of a specific subject. Just reading text isn’t the same as having an expert in front of you, explaining the optimal way of viewing a topic and performing hands-on lessons. College has been proven, over the years, to be an opportunity for citizens with aspirations to live successful and enriched lives.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Exam Topics Home Ownership, Neighborhood Essay Example for Free

Exam Topics Home Ownership, Neighborhood Essay Home ownership Home ownership is one of the definitions of success in America. Generally people are judged by the houses they live in. It is not only the size and architecture of the house but also the type of neighborhood and the distance from different amenities. The progress in buying a house of ones own was steady from the 1930s right up to 2000. By 2000 69,8 million Americans lived in their own homes. But then the steady growth stopped and started falling back. By the end of the eighties the home-ownership rate had declined to 63,4 percent. Why did this happen? The basic reason for the turnaround is simply that home ownership, which was never cheap, has gotten more and more expensive. The reasons are follows. Ownership costs are increasing more than income. Cash down payments are out of any proportion as compared to what they were twenty years ago. Monthly principal (mortgage) and interes payments for a medium house are soared. Prices for homes are so inflated, particularly in good and safe neighborhoods, that tthey are beyond most peoples budget. Life-style changes are also influencing the home-ownership rate. There are more singles and childless couples who are unwilling to commit themselves to a mortgage. Steady home prices and a strong market formerly contributed to mobility, but owners can now find themselves immobilized by deflated but still expensive housing that can take a year or more to sell. Home ownership is becoming a thing of the past. Some experts predict that builders will eventually move toward smaller, more moderately priced housing demanded by many people. Owning is still far less risky than renting, since costs can be fixed with a long-term mortgage. Besides, the underlying desire to be your own boss is deeply ingrained in the American consciousness. Neighborhood Neighborhoods are an important element of the setting for a house. They may be steady or not, friendly or not, clean or not, safe or not. The list of qualifying adjectives can be endless. And still you must live with it if you have a house in this neighborhood. The ethnic origin and economic status of the people who live in the neighborhood often define it. Few neighborhoods today are static. They are constantly changing: people of different ethnic groups and economic status are beginning to live together in the same  neighborhoods. Many young professionals (doctors, lawyers, academics, etc.) move into traditionally poor neighborhoods because they can find larger and less expensive housing there. These young professionals often have money and power and they cause changes in the character of the neighborhood. This process is called gentrification. It then becomes too expensive for the poor residents and they move on. This is a way a poor, unfashionable inner city neighborhood may change into a very expensive area in the course of several years. The atmosphere of neighborhoods is also changing. Formerly one could always borrow a couple of eggs or a ladder from the friend next door. But their family has moved, and the people in there now are strangers. Some of the old sentimentality of neighborhoodliness has receded. There is no reason to have friendly ties with the people who live next door to you just because they happened to wander into a real estate office that listed the place next door to yours. The only thing neighbors have in common to begin with is proximity, and unless something more develops, that isnt reason enough to be best friends. It sometimes happens naturally, but the chances are very small that you neighbors will be your choice as friends. The best relationship with neighbors is one of friendly distance. You say hello, you make small-talk if you see them in the yard, you help each other in emergency. It is easier to produce nostalgia about a neighborhood than about a community, but a community is probably a better unit. A neighborhood is just a bunch of individuals who live in proximity, but a community is a group of people who rise above their individual limitations to get some things done for the public. The American Civil War The American Civil War, also known as the War between the States or simply the Civil War, was a civil war fought from 1861 to 1865 between the United States (the Union or the North) and several Southern slave states that had declared their secession and formed the Confederate States of America (the Confederacy or the South). The war had its origin in the fractious issue of slavery, and, after four years of bloody combat (mostly in the South), the Confederacy was defeated, slavery was abolished, and the difficult Reconstruction process of restoring unity and guaranteeing rights to the freed slaves began. In the presidential election of 1860, Republicans  led by Abraham Lincoln opposed expanding slavery into the territories. Lincoln won but before his inauguration on March 4, 1861, seven cotton-based slave states formed the Confederacy. Outgoing Democrat James Buchanan and the incoming Republicans rejected the legality of secession. Lincoln’s inaugural address insisted his adm inistration would not initiate civil war, leading eight remaining slave states to reject immediate calls for secession. A Peace Conference failed to find a compromise. Both sides prepared for war. The Confederates assumed that Europe was so dependent on King Cotton for its industry that they would intervene; none did and none recognized the new Confederate States of America. Hostilities began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces fired upon Fort Sumter, a key fort held by Union troops in South Carolina. Lincoln called for the creation of an army to retake it; meanwhile, four border slave states joined the Confederacy, bringing their total to eleven. The Union soon controlled the Border States and established a naval blockade that crippled the southern economy. The Eastern Theater was inconclusive in 1861–62. The fall 1862 Confederate campaign into Maryland ended at the Battle of Antietam, dissuading British intervention. Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which made ending slavery a war goal. To the west, by summer 1862 the Union destroyed the Confederate river navy, then much of their western armies, and the Union at Vicksburg split the Confederacy in two at the Mississippi River. In 1863, Robert E. Lee’s Confederate incursion north ended at the Battle of Gettysburg. Western successes led to Ulysses S. Grant command of all Union armies in 1864. In the Western Theater William T. Sherman drove east to capture Atlanta and marched to the sea, destroying Confederate infrastructure along the way. The Union marshaled the resources and manpower to attack the Confederacy from all directions, and could afford to fight battles of attrition through the Overland Campaign towards Richmond. The defending Confederate army failed leading to Lees surrender to Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. The American Civil War was one of the earliest true industrial wars. Railroads, the telegraph, steamships, and mass-produced weapons were employed extensively. The mobilization of civilian factories, mines, shipyards, banks, transportation and food supplies all foreshadowed World War I. It remains the deadliest war in American history, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 750,000 soldiers  and an undetermined number of civilian casualties. Historian John Huddleston estimates the death toll at ten percent of all Northern males 20–45 years old, and 30 percent of all Southern white males aged 18–40. Reconstruction. Ku-Klux-Klan Reconstruction of the Union held many promises. Black men and women in the South could move to their new home in Florida. Black refugees quickly poured into these lands. By 1865 40 thousand freedmen were living in their new home. But the opposition to the Reconstruction in the South steadily grew. In 1869 the Ku-Klux-Klan added organized violence to the whites resistance. Despite federal efforts to protect them, black people were intimidated at the polls, robbed of their earnings, beaten or murdered. By the early 1870s the failure of the Reconstruction was apparent. The Military Reconstruction Act of 1867 called for new governments in the South; it barred from political office those Confederate leaders who were listed in the Fourteenth Amendment. But the law required no redistribution of land and guaranteed no basic changes in southern social standards. Terrorism against blacks was widening. Nighttime visits, whippings, beatings, and murder became common. In time, however, the Klans purpose became not only economic (to keep the slaves) but also openly political and social. Klansmen also attacked white Republicans and school teachers who were aiding the freemen. Then in 1871 the actions of KKK moved Congress to pass two acts directed against the KKKs violence. These acts permitted the use of martial law, but they were unsuccessful in combatting the Klans activities. The Klans terror frightened many voters and weakened local party organization, but it did not stop Reconstruction. Throughout the South conventions met and drafted new constitutions. New governments were set up, and Republicans won majorities nearly everywhere. After 1877 thousands of blacks gathered up their possessions and migrated to Kansas. They were disappointed people who were searching for their share in the American Dream.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Tragedy of the Commons: Analysis of Fishing Industry

Tragedy of the Commons: Analysis of Fishing Industry OBJECTIVES To understand the ‘tragedy of the commons’ as a form of market failure, with specific reference to the fishing industry To analyze the Indian fishing industry with respect to ‘tragedy of the commons’ To outline the pros and cons of methods by which the ‘tragedy of the commons’ can be solved to ensure sustainability of fisheries Introduction Our presentation is on a form of market failure known as â€Å"tragedy of the commons†. This refers to the problems inherent with resources that are treated as common property. Our focus is specifically on the fishing industry with India as a case study. It is necessary to first define what we mean by common property resources. Common property resources share two characteristics: excludability and subtractability. Excludability refers to controlling access to a resource by potential users, i.e. it is open access. In the case of common property such as fishing waters, every citizen has access to this resource without any restrictions as is the current case in India. Subtractability means that each user of that resource is capable of subtracting from the welfare of other users. That means that if one person fishes in that water source, there will be less fish stocks available for the other fishers. Since each fisherman is a rational being, he will take into consideration only his own marginal costs and revenues, ignoring the fact that increases in his own catch will deprive other fishermen of their catch, as well as affect the future of the sustainability of fish stocks. As fish stocks continue to get depleted, eventually that resource becomes so degraded that it collapses completely, for example the collapse of the Newfoundland cod fishery in North America in 1989. In this case, the market due to lack of regulation resulted in excess capacity and overexploitation of the resource. Since in the long term the good is not efficiently allocated, this form of market failure is called â€Å"tragedy of the commons†. Tragedy of the Commons in the Indian Fishing Industry Fishing is a big business in India. The local industries employ about 15 million citizens and overall exports had brought in 2.8 billion USD worth of forex to the country. Officially, the government’s stance seems to be that fishing levels and resources are adequate and that there is still further capacity for growth and has busied itself with developing mechanized fisheries as a means of catching more fish than a traditional fisherman could. The Marine Products Exports Development Authority (MPEDA), which operates under the Ministry of Commerce, has outlined a number of objectives regarding the growth of the fishing industry in India, including: India to be among the top 5 seafood exporters in the world Employment in the fishing sector to double by 2015 India currently follows an open access policy to water resources or fish stocks, i.e. fishers don’t require any quotas or licenses required to operate. Apart from some laws against fishing during the breeding season, and using explosives to kill fish, India does not place any great restrictions on its fishing industry in hopes to encourage fishing for the purpose of exports. This has led to overfishing and depletion of fish stocks. This strong emphasis on output has already placed India’s fisheries under huge pressure, as more and more boats hit the waves in search of fish. According to a 2012 study by Greenpeace, 90% of India’s fish resources have reached or are operating beyond their sustainable level and poor regulation of the industry has contributed to a decline in growth of India’s fisheries. Fishermen are going farther and wider to secure a catch as traditional marine fishing areas show depleting numbers of commercially valuable fish. In such a scenario, it is inevitable that India will not be able to follow its open access policy for long and will have to put in stronger regulations to make its fishing industries more sustainable. Possible solutions to the tragedy of the commons Individual transferrable quotas (ITQs): Privatization of the common resources is one of the solutions offered to the tragedy of the commons, to ensure excludability. Privatization usually provides incentives for rational exploitation of the resource. But marine resources cannot exactly be privatized so it takes the form of quotas. If the owner has a stake in a particular stock of fish, that person or company will want to ensure the sustainability of the stock to ensure a potential for future profit. ITQs are a transferrable share of a part of the total allowable catch (TAC). These shares are divided into portions for individual quota holders, who can catch their quota, or alternatively, can buy, sell or lease them. Because owners of quotas have long-term access to the fishery, the long-term health of the stock is in their interests, and so we have a market system that encourages sustainability. Since portions of the stock are guaranteed, there is no fear that someone else will benefit from the resource by exploiting it faster. However in practice it is rather difficult to enforce these quotas when it comes to fisheries. And since quotas are difficult to enforce, each quota holder feels that the other fishermen might break the rules and so continue to engage in overfishing. By-catch dumping: This occurs because a vessel or individual fisher cannot predict the number of each species that is caught (since even targeting one species inevitably results in catching more than one species). Some species for which the quota has already been filled may be caught, and with the quota already filled the only option is to dump the excess fish. Quota busting: Fishermen take more than their allowed quota of a species. Especially when there are a large number of vessels operating it is difficult to prevent quota busting, leading to a much larger catch than is actually recorded in the official data. High-grading: The quota is for a fixed volume of fish, so smaller or less desirable fish are thrown overboard so that the revenue per unit of quota is maximized. These discarded fish will die and deplete fish stocks but are not counted in the mortality rate of fish in the official records. One method to prevent high-grading is on-board inspectors but this is too expensive and impractical especially in fisheries with large number of vessels. Another solution to the problem of high-grading would be to offer the quotas in terms of total value of catch in terms of price rather than total physical quantity of catch. So there wouldn’t be low quality fish discarded as they could still be sold for a low price and wouldn’t drain the quota. But the problem with this approach is constant fluctuations in prices may make the quota difficult to determine. All of these malpractices lead to wrong data being recorded. Further quotas are then decided on the basis of this faulty data, thus threatening sustainability as the quotas would be too high. Currently according to Greenpeace 25% of catch is discarded, but this figure may not reduce with ITQs. Community transferrable quotas CTQs would make the resource a communal property. Communal property is held by a group or community of interdependent users who exclude outsiders and regulate use by members of the local community. CTQ’s would also enhance enforcement capabilities and solve the serious problems of high-grading and discarding that are present in ITQ systems. This enhanced enforcement would come from within the community itself. Since all members of the community share the costs of cheating, it is likely that community members would keep a close eye on the activities of others. Anyone caught cheating would face not only the fines and like penalties that would come with an individual quota system, but would also face a loss of face in the community. One problem is a matter of definition. It is not clear whether entire communities may buy and sell quotas, or individuals within the communities can exchange their shares among each other. In the former case, it seems unlikely that an entire community could agree to buy or sell a quota, and if they did, there is potential for a dissenting minority to lose their right to access the fishery due to simply being outvoted. If transferability in CTQ’s refers to exchange within the communities, then it seems likely that the same problem of concentration of ownership might occur, though on a slightly smaller scale. Before a community-based quota program were to be implemented, it would be necessary to clarify what type of exchange could take place and determine a set of regulations for such exchange. Another problem with CTQ’s is that this system might not be able to account for the sheer size of the fishing industry as it exists today. Long gone are the days when small inshore vessels were responsible for catches; today much of the work is done offshore by large trawlers taking in massive amounts of fish from open waters, sometimes hundreds of miles from the coastline. Community based quotas seem well equipped to deal with inshore fishing, but offshore operations often involve corporations not fixed geographically in a â€Å"community†. These and many other issues must be resolved before any kind of effective CTQ system is put in place. Conclusion Thus we have outlined tragedy of the commons with special reference to the fishing industry, and outlined the pros and cons of individual quotas and community quotas. The government of India should look at both sides of the issue, and consider local needs of subsistence fishing communities, sustainability of resources as well as India’s international export status while designing its policies to deal with overexploitation of fisheries. Bibliography David Feeny, S. H. (2006). Questiong the assumptions of the tragedy of commons model of fisheries. Land Economics , 187-205. Greenpeace. (2012). Safeguard or squander: deciding the future of Indias fisheries. Greenpeace. Hardin, G. (1968). The tragedy of the commons. Science , 1243-1248. LeDrew, S. (2003). Property Rights and the Fishery: ITQ’s and CTQ’s as solutions to the problem of the commons. OMRN. Narayankumar, R. (2012). Economic efficiency in fishing operations technology, exploitation and sustainability issues. Cochin: Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute. NFDB. (n.d.). About Indian Fisheries. Retrieved from National Fisheries Development Board: http://nfdb.ap.nic.in/html/aboutus.htm

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Radio Frequency Identification Essay examples -- Technology, Communica

I. INTRODUCTION RADIO frequency identification (RFID) technology is gaining attention both from academicians and from practitioners. RFID has the potential to serve as a fundamental technology for ubiquitous services where both objects and people can be identified automatically via attached RFID tags [35]. However, with the promise of RFID technology come issues that need to be addressed for its widespread acceptance by consumers. For example, the use of RFID technology by retailers and government agencies raises questions about potential violation of personal information privacy [35], and potential security threats to personal information [40]. Motivated by such issues, this study proposes and validates a theoretical model of consumer acceptance of RFID technology. The proposed model is developed based on the extant literature and provides a theoretical framework of the critical factors that determine the consumer’s acceptance of RFID technology. A contribution of this paper involves reviewing the technology acceptance model (TAM) Manuscript received September 1, 2006; revised June 27, 2007. Review of this manuscript was arranged by Department Editor A. Chakrabarti. The authors are with the Information Technology and Decision Sciences Department, College of Business Administration, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76201 USA (e-mail: hossainm@unt.edu; prybutok@unt.edu). Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TEM.2008.919728 and contextualizing it to the RFID technology. This contextualization is done with the intent of extending the TAM to the acceptance of a specific technology—RFID technology. This study is the first in the RFID literature to utilize and contextualize the TAM for explaining consumer a... ...chnology. Perceived usefulness is defined as the extent that individuals believe their job performance is enhanced by using a particular technology. Perceived ease of use is defined as the extent to which an individual believes that using a particular system is free of effort. TAM also postulates that perceived ease of use is a predictor of perceived usefulness. Researchers have utilized and validated TAM for use with numerous types of technology [51]. Some studies suggest that TAMsuccessfully predicts an individual’s acceptance of various corporate information technologies [1], [8], [12], [39]. According to Straub et al. [42], TAM may hold across technologies, people, settings, and times. Recently, TAM has its footprints in e-commerce [50], [51], and mobile service [46]. This study expands TAMto the study of consumer acceptance of the RFID technology.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

School Project :: essays research papers

Introduction from the principal†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Students and Parents: We welcome you all here to Hard Knock High School. High school experiences offers learning opportunities that will provide skills to prepare you for post high school choices. Our staff at HKHS is here to help you through your high school career, and with anything else you need. We are open to the public, which means anyone can go here. We are all here to work with you, not against you, as most of you would like to think that we throw you in school to punish you. That is not true. If you try, just a little, then your high school experience at HKHS will be the best you will ever have. I wish you success in all your endeavors as a student at Hard Knock High School. Sincerely, Jessica C. Lynch Principal Rules of School 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Respect your peers as well as Teachers 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  No Weapons 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  No Drugs 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  No Drinking 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  No Sexual Contact 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  No Beat boxes 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  No Profanity ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS CREDIT REQUIREMENTS In order to graduate from Hard Knock High School, a student shall be required to earn the following:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  70 credits (based on 72 possible in grades 9-12) One credit will be given to each class passed with a D+ or higher for each term. REQUIRED COURSES ENGLISH – 14 CREDITS SOCIAL SCIENCE – 12 CREDITS SCIENCE – 8 CREDITS HEALTH – 2 CREDITS COMPUTER LITERACY – 4 CREDITS ATHLETIC ELIGIBILTY All students that wish to play school sports must keep a GPA of 2.00 or higher. No excuses. COLLEGE PREPARATORY FRESHMAN  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  SOPHOMORE  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  JUINOR  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  SENIOR English 9 U.S. History Math Science Health Electives: Keyboarding, modern language fine arts, life skills, etc.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  English 10 Am. History Math Biology Phys. Ed. Electives: Modern language, fine arts, business, life skills.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  English 11 Government Electives: Math, Chemistry, etc.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Economics English Math Science Social Sci Modern Lang. Course Selection Index BUSINESS EDUCATION †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Keyboarding †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Basic Economics 1 & 2 †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Business Math †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Accounting 1 & 2 †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Computer Applications †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Web Publishing †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Word Processing and Advanced †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Business Management †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Work Experience †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  School to work Mentorship and Internship FINE ARTS †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Drama and Theater †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Drawling †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Painting †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ceramics †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sculpture †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Set Design †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chorale †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chorus †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Band †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Art Seminar 1 & 2 †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Computer Design †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dance ENGLISH †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Journalism †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Speech †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Yearbook Publications †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  English 9th †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  English 10th

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Presentation and Role of Religion in Chronicle of a Death Foretold Essay

Chronicle of a Death Foretold is set in Columbia, where the extreme theocentricity means every character’s actions are intrinsically affected by religion. Whilst Marquez also explores much deeper religious issues, the action of the novel centres on the God-fearing townspeople allowing the murder of Santiago Nasar, which clearly contradicts the Christian commandment ‘Thou shalt not kill’1 Since female virginity is so venerated in the Catholic faith, when Santiago is accused of taking Angela Vicario’s virginity, her life would be worthless without it, and Angela’s brothers are charged with redeeming her honour. The novel can boil down to the assertion that a man died because of the teaching of both the Catholic Church, and the embedded paganistic values that are subliminally prioritised. The novel presents characters using religion to give meaning to their lives, and Marquez satirises this role accordingly2. Evidence of Marquez’s satire of religion’s malfunctioning role is; â€Å"If God hadn’t rested on Sunday, he would have had time to finish the world. †3 There is a subtle sense that Marquez hopes to probe and engage the reader’s opinions on religion by displaying both sides of the argument in his characters – those that are superstitious, and those who are religious. In practice, most characters are of both camps, which points to a mockery of religion. The theme of mockery is perhaps the strongest idea relating to religion to be conveyed by the novel. As an atheist, Marquez appears dedicated to accentuating the hypocrisies of the Catholic Church, saying himself, â€Å"Fiction was invented the day Jonas arrived home and told his wife he was three days late because he had been swallowed by a whale. †4 This satirical quote highlights Marquez’s belief in the deceit of the Church, even from its conception; strongly suggesting the whole business is fraudulent. Marquez’s use of Christian references and symbolism lend a deeper meaning to the text, implicating the characters and events at a subtextual level. The majority of the character’s names are theological, however it is more revealing to note some of the names that do not hold religious connotations, such as Placida Linero5, who is a well known â€Å"(dream) interpreter†6, and Luisa Santiaga, a notorious precognitive. These are two older members of the community who prioritise superstition and the paranormal over religion; therefore indicating a revival of paganism. Perhaps Marquez is suggesting that paganism is constantly just beneath the surface of South American culture, since honour is a remnant of paganism which has survived colonisation and the introduction of Catholicism. That religious authorities were powerless to stop Santiago’s murder (even if they had wanted to) indicates that the underlying pagan culture is the stronger. A fascinating double standard is the town prostitute, Maria Alejandrina Cervantes, in whom Marquez has chosen to represent the Virgin Mary, the most pure and chaste woman. This character maternally mourns Santiago’s death. In fact, Maria’s role extends far beyond prostitution. Although she â€Å"did away with our (Santiago’s) generation’s virginity†7, she is described as apostolic, and is repeatedly reported as having taught the young males crucial lessons about marriage, love and life. The character that ran about the town minutes before Santiago’s death, attempting to warn him is ‘Cristo Bedoya’. ‘Cristo’ means ‘bearer of Christ’; in a sense, Cristo bears the burden of Santiago’s death. Santiago’s ranch, the ‘Divine Face’ is almost a pun, being a derivation of the phrase ‘Divine Countenance’, which means ‘the Face of God’. Perhaps a further mockery of Catholicism is the idea that ‘the Face of God’ was passed on by an Arab (who, presumably, was not Christian). The significance of these Biblical names is to enable the reader, especially a Western reader, a reference point, since they will already be familiar with the theological implications, but unfamiliar with the South American culture. The reader will also discern the scores of parallels able to be drawn between Santiago and Jesus Christ, making Santiago a literary ‘Christ-figure’. Both were somewhat outcast, in Santiago’s case because he was not a native Columbian. This makes it easier for the town to allow Santiago’s death, and make him the scapegoat. The town’s unwillingness to save Santiago is similar to the Jews choosing to have Jesus killed rather than a murderer. In both cases, those who had the chance to save the innocent man felt terrible afterwards. Jesus had foretold his own death, and although Santiago was blissfully unaware of his demise until it befell him, the narrator states ‘never was there a death more foretold. ’ In dying for the sake of Angela Vicario’s honour, Santiago is sacrificed for the sins of others, which was also Jesus’ purpose in dying. In addition, the seven fatal wounds Santiago suffers probably represent the Seven Deadly sins. Even the way in which Santiago was murdered is akin to the Romans’ killing of Jesus. â€Å"The knife went through the palm of his right hand and then sank into his side up to the hilt. †8 The Romans ensured their victims were dead by stabbing them in the side, their hands having been pierced by being nailed to the crucifix. Incidentally, the Vicarios’ knives â€Å"kept coming out clean†9, which denotes Santiago’s innocence. This is amplified by his Christ-like appearance that day, dressed in white. Finally, since Santiago eventually dies in the kitchen, this could reflect the image of eating the body of Christ in the Catholic mass. Since the chronicle is written twenty-seven years after Santiago’s death, the reader is able to observe with a degree of objectivity the affect it had on the townspeople’s lives. One in particular is the town mayor, Colonel Lazaro Aponte, who as a result of the incident became â€Å"a spiritualist. †10 His faith was not the only character’s to falter under the strain of justifying murder. In fact, the faith of the older generation seemed already to have dwindled, as is notable in Placida and Luisa. The younger generation, including the narrator and Angela follow suit, as Angela states â€Å"The only thing I prayed to God for was to give me the courage to kill myself†¦but he didn’t give it to me. †11 She also resents the gluttony of the Church12, asserting that she â€Å"didn’t want to be blessed by a man who only cut off the combs for soup and threw the rest of the rooster in the garbage. †13 Angela’s radical discontent with the Church is presumably Marquez’s suggestion of a wider disillusionment with religion, beginning to seep through the more contemplative members of the novel’s characters, and perhaps even the real South American people. The immoral waste that Angela refers to is part of a much wider hypocritical routine. This includes the â€Å"mechanical†14 blessing the Bishop bestows upon the town as he passes by, not bothering even to stop the boat to greet his flock. This event indicates the Church has long-since ceased to be a charitable establishment, and is now effectively a totalitarian state. One under the directive of the Bishop was the narrator’s sister; â€Å"My sister the nun, who wasn’t going to wait for the bishop because she had an eighty-proof hangover. †15 In addition, the juxtaposition of the Virgin Mary’s name with the local prostitute, who lives â€Å"in a house with open doors†16 presents an appalling blasphemy. These two representations go beyond mockery of Catholicism, and enter into sacrilege. Finally, Father Amador says plainly that the Vicario twins are â€Å"perhaps (innocent) before God†17. This embodies the ultimate corruption of the values of the Church – to condone murder and to profess the twins’ innocence directly contradicts the word of the Bible, and critically impairs his pastoral role. The non-linear style of the novel revolves constantly around Santiago’s death, (‘â€Å"They’ve already killed him. †Ã¢â‚¬â„¢18 and â€Å"whose sentence has always been written. †19) With each revolution of the spiral story, more detail is displayed and more characters’ recollections revealed. This constant reminder to the reader that Santiago will die, as opposed to a linear story with a final climax, simulates the nature of the killing, with the entire town aware. By placing the reader in the position of those who share in the guilt for Santiago’s death (who (pour) â€Å"in to testify without having been summoned†20), Marquez succeeds in making the reader uneasy, and therefore challenge the morality of the culture and the religion that dictates it, as well as their own nature. The guilty conscience the reader develops cannot be laid to rest, due to the unresolved and ever-present death achieved by the non-linear style. Marquez uses characters to present arguments regarding attitudes towards life, and the religion that presides over them. In particular the rejection of religion in favour of the more traditional paganism, which is beginning to seep through the Columbian society, despite religion’s stranglehold. By Marquez’s characters sharing their opinions, the reader in turn considers his own stance and questions religion’s role, which is no doubt Marquez’s objective. It can be assumed that any reader of the novel would also reach Marquez’s satirical judgement of the role of religion. Bibliography The Bible. King James Version. 1769 Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Chronicle of a Death Foretold. London, Penguin Books, 2007 http://www. goodreads. com/quotes. 2012 Goodreads Inc. Mar G. Berg, Repitions and Reflections in Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California. http://authors. library. caltech. edu/18939/1/HumsWP-0110. pdf

Monday, September 16, 2019

Philippine Literature During Japanese Period Essay

During the Japanese Occupation, when Tagalog was favored by the Japanese military authority, writing in English was consigned to limbo. It picked up after the war, however, with a fervor and drive for excellence that continue to this day. Stevan Javellana’s â€Å"Without Seeing the Dawn† (1947), the first postwar novel in English, was published in the United States. In 1946, the Barangay Writers Project was founded to help publish books in English. Against a background marked by political unrest and government battles with Hukbalahap guerrillas, writers in English in the postwar period honed their sense of craft and techniques. Among the writers who came into their own during this time were: Nick Joaquin, NVM Gonzalez, Francisco Arcellana, Carlos Bulosan, F. Sionil Jose, Ricaredo Demetillo, Kerima Polotan Tuvera, Carlos Angeles, Edilberto K. Tiempo, Amador Daguio, Estrella Alfon, Alejandrino Hufana, Gregorio Brillantes, Bienvenido Santos, Dominador Ilio, T.D. Agcaoili, Alejandro R. Roces, Sinai C. Hamada, Linda Ty-Casper, Virginia Moreno, Luis Dato, Gilda Cordero-Fernando, Abelardo and Tarrosa Subido, Manuel A. Viray, Vicente Rivera Jr., and Oscar de Zuà ±iga, among many others. Fresh from studies in American universities, usually as Fulbright or Rockefeller scholars, a number of these writers introduced New Criticism to the country and applied its tenets in literature classes and writing workshops. In this way were born the Silliman Writers Summer Workshop (started in 1962 by Edilberto K. Tiempo and Edith L. Tiempo) and the U.P. Writers Summer Workshop (started in 1965 by the Department of English at the U.P.). To this day, these workshops help discover writing talents and develop them in their craft.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Harley Davidson Company Essay

Harley Davidson Inc is a company that has been in existence for over 100 years. The company is made up of several other subsidiary companies such as the Harley Davidson Motor Company, Harley Davidson Financial Services and Buell Motorcycle Company. These companies work together in the motorcycle industry with the motor cycle companies dealing with the production and marketing of the motorcycles while the financial services deals with providing financial services to the customers and dealers of the company. Harley Davidson Company has undergone various challenges in its internal and external environment such as the World War I and II, the Great Depression and other internal challenges such as the labor strikes and change in ownership. An analysis of the company portrays several strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that the company faces. The company can use the findings of this analysis to develop a grand strategy that can help the company survive the future. The various stakeholders of the company are mostly the customers, the suppliers, dealers, employees, the shareholders and the management of the company. These are the people that are affected by the activities of the company and that also have expectations from the company. The company’s financial performance has been improving during the current financial year due to the restructuring changes that are ongoing. It has reported profits in its operations and also an increase in sales. The strategic issues that the company is facing have also challenged its performance. The shifts in the customers’ tastes and preferences for example have affected the sales of the company’s motorcycles. A grand strategy that focuses on growth through an increase in marketing and an improvement of the company’s product and manufacturing processes can help the company survive the current environment. 1.0 Introduction Companies strive to excel in all manner of situations and overcome the challenges that they face in order to succeed and become competitive. Harley Davidson Inc is once such company. It has been surviving for about 107 years since it was founded in 1903 (Harley-Davidson, n.d). The company has its headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and was founded by three brothers Arthur, Walter and William Davidson together with a partner, William Harley. The company consists of several subsidiary companies which operate in three continents. The companies include Harley-Davidson Motor Company (HDMC) which deals with the production of motor vehicles together with Buell Motorcycle Company (Buell) (Harley-Davidson, 2010). Harley-Davidson Inc also includes Harley Davidson Financial Services (HDFS) which provides financial services to the dealers and customers of HDMC’s products. It also provides insurance policies and programs to the companies and its customers. HDMC sells motorcycles, together with the accessories and spare parts which it also produces. Harley-Davidson is also involved in other activities such as racing and in the production of bicycles and motor vehicles. The company which has been in existence for years now has survived several political and economical challenges such as the World War 1, the Great Depression, the World War 2 and other company trials such as labor strikes and change in ownership. Despite the many challenges it has undergone over its existence the company has been able to survive. The company’s sales have gone off severally, its quality has also been affected but it has been able to regain both the sales and the quality of its products. It has remained tough in the manufacturing of motorcycles and this has made its brands the most sought after all over the world (Davidson, Thompson, & Barger, 2006). The company has also faced competition from other companies based in the U.S and in other countries such as Japan but it has been able to retain and maintain its market share. Further more; the founders of the company were named American heroes through their innovation with the company receiving several awards for its involvement in the two World Wars and other racing events (United States Department of Labor, n.d). This paper discusses Harley Davidson Company providing a SWOT analysis of the company, a description of its internal and external environment, a financial assessment of the organization as well as summarizing the major strategic issues that have faced the company. It also discusses the next grand strategy that the company can undertake in the future to improve its performance. 2.0 Harley Davidson 2.1 History William Harley, Arthur Davidson and Walter Davidson pooled their resources in 1903 to produce their first practical motorcycle (Harley-Davidson, n.d). The three men were assisted by William A. Davidson on a part time basis and by 1905 they had produced eight machines and they hired their first employee then. William Davidson quit his job in 1907 at the Milwaukee Road railroad and joined the Motor Company (Harley-Davidson, n.d). The Harley Davidson Company was later incorporated in September 1907 with the stock of the firm being split into 4 among the four founders.   At that time the staff of the company had more than doubled from 18 employees in 1906. The size of the company had also doubled by then and dealer recruitment had begun targeting the New England Region. In 1908, the company was able to sell its first motorcycle for police duty in Detroit Police Department and a year later they started motorcycles spare parts. In 1912, the company started building its six storey headquarters at Juneau Avenue in Milwaukee (Harley-Davidson, n.d). The building would also become its main factory with a separate parts and accessories department. During the same year the company made its first sales outside the U.S when it started exporting motorcycles to Japan. Its dealership network also grew to become over 200 dealers. A few years later, the company formed a racing department with Engineer William S. Harley who was assisted by William Ottaway. It also started publishing its first magazine, The Enthusiast which became the first motorcycle magazine all over the world (Harley-Davidson, n.d). In 1917, when the World War I started, the company was asked by the military to produce motorcycles to be used during the war. The company produced over 20,000 motorcycles to be used specifically by the military for the war (Speed Ace, n.d). The involvement of the company in producing motorcycles for the military enabled it to survive the war. By 1920 the company had become the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world due to the number of motorcycles it produced and the size of its facilities. It was operating in over 67 countries and had over 2000 dealers all over the world (Harley-Davidson, n.d). In the year 1941 when the World War II started, the company suspended the production of civilian motorcycles and started producing more military motorcycles (Harley-Davidson, n.d). The company also developed specific models for the army and in 1943; the company received the first of its 4 Army –Navy Awards for its excellent performance while producing motorcycles for the army. The company had produced over 60,000 models for military use (Harley-Davidson, n.d). When the war ended, the company wasting no time it resumed the production of civilian motorcycles. In the year 1952, the company was charged with restrictive practices after they applied to the US Tariff Commission for a 40% tax to be imposed on the imported motorcycles (Speed Ace, n.d). In 1953, as the company was celebrating its 50th anniversary, an attractive logo was developed that would depict the engine that had brought the company that far (Harley-Davidson , n.d). During the same year, Hendee Manufacturing Company, the Indian Motorcycle Company in the U.S, went out of business leaving Harley Davidson as the sole U.S motorcycle manufacturer over the next 46 years. The year 1969 was not a great year for the company as the American Machine and Foundry (AMF) acquired the Motor Company and made some changes that affected the company for years to come (Masker, 2007). AMF worked to streamline the production activities of the company and reduced the workforce in a bid to reduce the costs of the company. These changes were beneficial to the company in the short term but they became very damaging to the future of the business and in its long term. The reduction in the workforce led to a labor strike that affected the performance of the company. Furthermore the changes that had been done led to a reduction in the quality of the motorcycles that were produced over the years. The sales of the company were affected and the company almost went bankrupt. It was during this time that the Japanese manufacturers caught up with the company with their better quality, technology and increased stock. The regime by AMF lasted until 1981 when the company was bought back by 13 senior executives who were led by Vaughn Beals and Willie G. Davidson. The group bought the company for about $80 million and they were they able to set up the company to its load of recovery (Masker, 2007). Soon after in 1986 the company was listed in the American Stock Exchange and started to trade publicly in the year 1969. A year later the company was listed in the New York Stock Exchange and it petitioned the International Trade Commission to terminate a five year tariff on heavy weight motor cycles. This was seen as a major step for the company as it boldly stated it was in a position to compete fairly in the market. In 1993 the company celebrated its 90th anniversary with over 100,000 people parading their motorcycles in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Harley-Davidson, n.d). The company also purchased a minority interest in Buell Motorcycle Company which was manufacturing American sport motorcycles. In 1998 the company opened a new assembly facility that was to be the first of its kind outside the United States. The facility was opened in Manaus Brazil when the company was celebrating its 95th Anniversary and at the same time it bought the remaining interests in Buell Motorcycle Company of 49% (Harley-Davidson, n.d). The company has continued to expand its production facilities in Milwaukee, Tomahawk, Wisconsin, and New York and in Pennsylvania (Davidson, Thompson, & Barger, 2006). The company has also been developing more products and improving its products with the latest technology. The company has also developed a Harley Davidson Museum which showcases the motorcycles that the company has developed over the years and other historical items that the company has maintained in its archives. The museum building cost the company over $75 million and is situated in Milwaukee (Rovito, 2006). 2.2 SWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis is a framework that is used to audit an organization and its external environment. The results of the analysis help in the planning of any strategic decisions towards the future of the company. The analysis involves identifying the internal and external factors that favor the organization and that also form an unfavorable environment (Stahl & Grigsby, 1997). The strengths of the company include those attributes that help the company to achieve its objectives while the weaknesses are the internal attributes that derail the achievement of the company’s objective and that also harm the company. The opportunities that are in the external environment include conditions that help the company to achieve the objectives. The threats on the other hand, include the conditions that are in the external environment and that challenge the company and affect it in a way that it may not be in a position to achieve its objectives. (a)  Ã‚   Strengths The Harley Davidson Company has several strengths that make it very competitive and profitable. The company has been in existence for over 100 years, and during this time it has established brand loyalty with its customers for its products. This is the major strength of the company as the products of the company are viewed as a culture and not just products. Most of the customers of the company are male and are in the middle-aged age bracket. They normally use the motorcycles for recreational purposes rather than for transport. The main qualities that the customers look for in the company’s product are the brand quality and the style. The company is able to provide these qualities and hence maintain its customers. The computer switching costs are high and once a customer buys a product from the company, they get trapped in buying more of the company’s products. The complementary products that come with the motorcycles also encourage the consumer loyalty. Once a customer purchases a Harley motorcycle, they proceed to buy accessories such as jackets and bandanas from the company. The company has also expanded its operations in different regions within the United States and also in other countries outside the United States. Some of the production plants are located in areas such as York, Kansas City, Tomahawk, and Milwaukee among others (Harley-Davidson, Inc., 2009). The different manufacturing plants have helped in reducing the costs especially in transport. The company has also diversified its activities and acquired several companies in different industries. The company acquired Buell Motorcycle Company which was also in the production of Motorcycles in East Troy, Wisconsin (Wheelen & Hunger, 2002 ). It also acquired the company Eagle Mark in 1995 which was providing financial services to manufacturers of leisure products as well as their dealers and customers. The company acquired Eagle Mark so that it would provide retail financing to its customers, insurance and contracts for servicing. Eagle Mark Company has also been offering planning services on behalf of the North American Dealers in motorcycle floor planning. The two companies have been working together complementing each others activities. The diversification of the company in the motorcycles, related products and the financial services has helped the company to diverse its risks in the industry and in business. Over the years the company has maintained strong relationships with its suppliers. The strong relationship with the suppliers has given the company access to resources that it needs in its production processes as well as the design and development of its products. It has then been able to increase the quality of its goods and improve the features of the brands in a bid to remain competitive. The production process is also reduced in terms of time as the suppliers are able to deliver the suppliers on time reducing the lead time. This leads to a reduction in costs and saves time for the company. The company operates its business in three continents and in various countries all over the world. However it has not been able to increase its foreign sales which are mostly carried out outside the U.S. (b)  Ã‚   Weaknesses The major weaknesses that the company has experienced within its internal operations include the weak marketing strategies that it has applied especially in its foreign markets. The company has experienced low foreign sales over the years as compared to its competitors. In 2009, the international sales only made up 33% of the total unit sales of the company (Pravda.Ru, 2009). The number of dealers in international markets are also very few and this has contributed partly to the low market sales of the company’s products as most of the customers in the market can not access the company’s products through this dealers. The labor conflicts that the company has experienced in some of its plants over the years have been affecting the performance of the company. Dissatisfied workers of the company have held strikes that have contributed to losses for the company as it has had to shut down the production plants during these times. The company has also had to lay off workers during the strikes in a bid to cut down its operation costs as a result of the strikes in other production plants. The labor conflicts have also reduced the investor confidence in the company as the prices of the company’s shares have been affected. (c)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Opportunities The external environment of the company has several opportunities that can benefit the company and improve its performance and market share. The shifts in the trends in the customers’ preferences and tastes in the market are producing an opportunity that the company can exploit to its advantage. The customers’ preferences and tastes have changed especially among the young and hip crowd of customers who the company was once targeting as its sole customers. These customers have shifted their preferences to sporty motorcycles for their recreational purposes. Harley-Davidson Company does not engage in the production of sporty motorcycles; however the increased demand for these kinds of motorcycles is providing an opportunity for the company to develop them and target this new market. The company can grab this opportunity and develop these sporty motorcycles and hence gain from the high demand. The need to restructure the company’s business structure after the company’s subsidiaries have experienced a decrease in performance is providing an opportunity for the company to concentrate in its brands and grow. The new structure of the company will ensure that all the resources of the product are put into good use to help develop the company and expand its operations into other markets. The company will also be able to focus on the development of the products and also develop new products that can help increases the market share in different parts of the world. (d)  Ã‚   Threats The company has faced several threats in the market that have undermined its performance. One of the major threats that the company has faced include the competition in the market. The company has faced a lot of competition from other international companies and manufacturers especially in the heavy weight motorcycles market. Some of the major competitors include Yamaha, Suzuki, and Honda among others. The increased competition has led to decreased sales of the company’s products especially in the foreign markets. The competition between these companies is based on the price, quality, and features of the products, the preferences of customers and the reliability of the products among other factors. The switching costs for the manufacturers in the industry are also quite low. With the increased growth in demand and the potential of the market, new competitors are entering the market and increasing the competition. The existence of substitute goods such as cars for transport and other recreational activities has also threatened the existence of the company and the sales. Consumers have a wide variety of products to substitute the motorcycles with and the increase of competitors is also leading to an increase in more brands in the market. This poses a big threat to the future of the company in the market of its products. The changes in customers’ demographics are also threatening the business in terms of sales. The percentage of males who have been purchasing the company’s products especially the motorcycles is declining. The percentages of women who are purchasing the products are however increasing. During the years 2003 and 2004 the percentage of sales that were purchased by men made up 89% with the rest being female. While in the years 2005 and 2007, the percentages had reduced to 88% among the male customers and 12% among the female customers (Harley-Davidson, n.d). The ages of the customers who have been purchasing the products of the company have also been increasing. By 2008 the median age of the customers had risen to 47 from 45 in the year 2004.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

A Critical Review of Infant Artificial Language Learning Essay

They also give evidence which comes from experiments showing that newborns discriminate a passage read aloud by their mothers during the last six weeks of pregnancy from an unfamiliar one. Rebecca L. Gomez and Louann Gerken’s observation about this phenomenon is very helpful especially for those who are learning about the mystery of how children acquire their language and it is only how but also since when children especially infant acquire the language and it can be answered by Rebecca L. Gomez and Louann Gerken which stated that there’s a probability infants learn and acquire language since in the utero. Summary How children acquire language is one of the mysteries of human cognition. There is a view about thirty years ago states that children master language by means of a language-specific learning device but in earlier proposal states that children make use of domain-general, associative learning mechanisms. Language acquisition is one of the most complex learning tasks imaginable. The complexity of natural language makes it exceedingly difficult to isolate factors responsible for language learning. Infant language researchers have begun by examining four aspects of the language learner’s task. The first involves identification of word-like units in speech. The second involves encoding and remembering the order in which words occur in sentences. The third involves generalization of grammatical relations. The last involves learning at the more abstract level of syntactic categories (e. . determiner, adjective, noun and verb). This fourth sensitivity is at the root of our unique human ability to produce and comprehend novel utterances. First implication of the research on infant artificial language learning concerns artificial-language-learning studies discussed have examined infants’ sensitivity to linguistic form in the absence of semantic content. This is not to say that learners do not ultimately need to map the syntactic forms they encode durin g infancy onto meaning. Obviously they do. However, the fact is infants are able to acquire certain aspects of form prior to acquiring the meaning of these forms changes the nature of the language acquisition problem in a fundamental way. A second implication of the research on infant artificial language learning concerns the specificity of the constraints on the learner. On many accounts, these constraints have been construed as being language specific, such that for every aspect of language to be acquired, the child is born with a specific constraint. Data showing that infants can use transitional probabilities to segment grammatical tone sequences contrasts with this view. A third implication of both the infant artificial-language learning studies reviewed here and many studies of infant language perception preceding them concerns the relevance of children’s early utterances as evidence for theories of language acquisition. One of the key observations of linguistic natives involves errors that children do not make. Children never erroneously transform a statement like ‘The man who is tall is Sam’ into a question like ‘Is the man who tall is Sam? The lack of such errors, along with logical arguments concerning the poverty of the stimulus, have been taken as evidence that children never consider rules based solely on linear order in sentences. it is equally important to note that if the studies of infants’ early linguistic abilities tell us anything, it is that they have become sensitive to many asp ects of linguistic form a year or more before they ever begin to produce multiword speech. This is not to say that all of language is acquired by the age of 12 months. However, if infant language-perception studies have one theme, it is in demonstrating the extremely complex relationship between aspects of their native language infants. Thus, we must exercise caution in interpreting children’s early utterances as evidence for or against the linguistic representations they do and do not entertain. Critical Evaluation Infant Artificial Language Learning and Language Acquisition by Rebecca L. Gomez and Louann Gerken are based on the observation which they already held and also from the later observation from other experts. The main focus in this journal is about the artificial language of infant, here Rebecca L. Gomez and Louann Gerken made such a grammar for infant to determine whether infants could learn ‘grammatical’ word order, Gomez and Gerken exposed 12-month-olds to a subset of strings produced by one of two grammars. However, this journal focuses not only how children especially infant acquire language but also since when infant acquire the language itself. Rebecca L. Gomez and Louann Gerken also give evidences which make their observation stronger. The explanation given is also complete and simple. Conclusion Infant Artificial Language Learning and Language Acquisition by Rebecca L. Gomez and Louann Gerken is a journal that expose about infant artificial language. They explain how infant acquire language from their own observation and they also made a grammar special for infant in order to complete their observation but besides that, they also take some observation which also already been discovered. This journal is worthy to read especially for the linguists who try to reveal and find out one of the mysteries in human cognition which is how children acquire language.

Friday, September 13, 2019

A Dream To Work In A Multinational Company Commerce Essay

A Dream To Work In A Multinational Company Commerce Essay it has always been a dream to work in a multinational company such as an oil and gas companies after my M.sc program in other to apply my skills learnt to the sector regarding business unethical practices and negligence of corporate social responsibility(CSR) by this companies in this sector. firstly it would be necessary to define CSR which is a situation where a company provides social benefit to the public which are required by law(Mc William and siegel 2001); while business ethics can be defined as† the study of business situation activities, decisions where issues of right and wrong are addressed † (Crane and Matten 2004;8) CSR is highly required all organizations to fill in the short coming of government and provide needs of a community. The aim and objective of this write up is to point out the unethical practices, negligence and ineffective deliverance of CSR by the MNCs focusing on oil companies in Africa to their host communities. Analysis Despite some positive influence of oil companies through CSR like increase in developmental funding in 2001 by $500m(Frynas 2005) previous studies has shown that there are still cases where CSR has not had effect on the required beneficiaries through ineffectiveness , negligence and unethical practices by the companies. This can be proven through various situations in Africa has discussed it the course of this report , it can be seen that most CSR embarked upon by the MNCs are due to public and global pressure such case is that of shell and Ogoni , when visited by observers it was seen that the lack social amenities like Roads and electricity e.t.c.( World Business Council for Sustainable development 2008) despite this protest oil producing regions have not yet benefited from the wealth and are still left in poverty. In a statement by president of movement of survival of Ogoni people (mitte 1995) he says that the communities where not getting enough required social and infrastructures development, he al so pointed out that the companies are taking from the communities and not putting back into it and left in total neglect. this shows a great cases of negligence of CSR to their host environment which they are benefiting from financially, there also citing of abandoned projects which are meant to serve as CSR to the community example is an hospital abandoned by shell in Okoroba village Bayelsa for many years bust was completed due to pressure(Fryans 2005) this suggest that they don’t have good management or department to ensure that project that have been embarked upon by them are not left alone, some previous events indicates that CSR was adopted not for the benefit of the communities but for that of the companies so has to have competitive advantages and get favors from government representatives, In a report ChevronTexaco made a partnership deal of $50million with Us Agency For International Development (USAID) and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Angola to coin cide with negotiations for it block O (Fryans 2005) another example is in Ughoton Nigeria (SPDC) built roads and also provided funds for schools and youth empowerment in the village but as soon as it well stop producing oil they also stopped their various projects (okunmadewa et al 2002,p 63) . it shows that it was not meant to benefit to society but the company because it made them look like a company that support development and if the negotiation did not fall through they might have withdrawn their partnership another case is of shell who grant development fund to it managers to put up projects in regions which it has activities so has to maintain peace between them and the communities once this activities are complete it development account is closed and the project are left alone which ever stage it has gotten too. evidence of non functioning project like that of shell which one-third of it project in Nigeria not running or are in operation(Nigeria and shell 2001) duo they are trying to help there is no sign if development due to the lack of smooth operations of this projects. lack of trained managers in CSR has made it difficult for most developmental plans see the light of day Frayans(2005) also confirmed this saying † major contract managers are not development specialist† and even if trained might be wrongly trained for instance British petroleum sent it managers to acquire skills on development in a business school instead of a development school Fraynas(2005) which would put them through all the stages of development , failure to have specialist and conduct investigation relating to what is required could make the aim of CSR not to be achieved e.g. in Angola BP donated condoms during a campaign for AIDS but without adequate investigation and consultation the aim of CSR was not met because the condoms where too small for African men (Fraynas 2005). There has also been cases relating to un ethical practices by the oil companies causing har m and increase level of poverty in the regions which they operate such as Niger Delta according to Eyina and Ukpo(2006) they state that † it will be correct to indicate that the greatest environmental problem with petroleum industry in Nigeria result from spillages†; In the early part of 2008 alone Nigeria recorded 418 spills(Vanguard Oct.29,2008) which affects the ecosystem and increases poverty due to the fact that most people in that region are farmers and fishermen. Further evidence of unethical practices can be seen in the technological method of production adopted by them which releases poisoned gas like CO2 and CO into the atmosphere(Aigbedion et al 2007) also Eyinla and Ukpo(2006) supported this by saying that the †soil ,rivers and creeks are now acidic†. which had influence the people indirectly because there drinking water and fishing occupation have been destroyed impact of oil exploitations has caused the soil not be good for planting and the wate r is contaminated with oil (Adepelum et al 2006).A report by Niger Delta Environmental Survey indicates that drilling activities in Niger delta has negative impact both † socio-economically and ecologically† (Nigeria Sunday Times 1998), Aigebedion(2005) also confirmed this that oil spillages has caused †ecological disturbance† .

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Controlling Organized Crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Controlling Organized Crime - Essay Example Control of organized crime is one of the most difficult police functions. Organized crime is defined as illegal activity aimed to generate a money profit with the help of illegal methods and activities. Organized crime is centralized activity based on strict authority and hierarchical structure of the enterprise. Abadinsky (20090 underlines that small countries with weak military government are the main producers of illicit drugs. Criminality is linked to the systemic violence and corruptive categories, as is their related criminal support system, which focuses on acquiring, securing, laundering, and safely guarding money and getting and preserving positions of power. Organized crime does not end with these more sensational and individual acts of depriving, hurting, maiming, and destroying. Even the "benign" repatriation of criminals assets through illegal cash laundering-whether this entails investment in lawful enterprise or disbursement to cover business debts in the underground e conomy-adds to criminality. Beyond that, criminal leaders corrupt the state or political leaders who run it in order to improve goods movement and access to intelligence, protect persons and property, allow for easier repatriation of financial resources, and build respectability through political influence (Lunde, 2006). Control of organized crime requires international cooperation and interaction between the First and the Third world countries. Allowing for the organized crime groups, more decentralized and less prone to syndication and violence, in many isolated geographical areas there is more finance to be made in illegal drugs and human trafficking than in any other available product or service, despite the risk and loss factors associated with an illegal drug trade. Drug money buys the peasant in Burma a new quality of life, one to be defended at all costs. On the other hand, it also provides the wherewithal for some social groups to prosecute political demands). Both political leaders and major drug traffickers in cocaine and heroin are world-class criminal leaders deprive, hurt, maim, and destroy out of business necessity or political goal. Most individuals consider this to be criminal, and much of the criminality is funded by financial assets (Abadinsky, 2009). Experience bred in conflict ha s honed control and discipline among criminal organizations worldwide. The new criminal methods, supported by the state, are much more sophisticated than the old ones of the mafia. One international critic admits that international drug traffickers have become the "global mafia," a new monolithic threat able of invoking fears such as those stirred up by East-West rhetoric about communism and capitalism (Abadinsky, 2009). Conspiracies whose combined intelligence, firepower, and will for violence exceed the capacity of some states to restrain or counter them. Such solutions create a safe, near foolproof way needing to launder vast quantities of financial reso