A Reflection of My Spirituality

Waking up each morning, I thank God for giving me another day, for the gift of life and all gifts of nature. Truly, all around me comes from God who has created everything.The Almighty has given this earth for me to develop and cherish. Human life itself is a great miracle and everyday this miracle happens every minute across the globe. God is manifested in the beautiful sceneries of nature, from the mountains to the seas to the universe to the birth of a child.I see the purpose for which God has shared His splendor and presence in me through these wonders of nature. It is because He wants me to get close to Him, to know Him better, and to love Him more. He is telling me that He is everywhere and that He is always there when I needed His help.Nature is the mirror for which God reflects Himself so that I could recognize Him and His glory. When problems arise I would usually commune with nature to seek refuge watching the waves and listening to the waters in the beach or go mountain cl imbing and see the world from above. Just by appreciating God’s handiworks is enough for me to see life much better amidst the uncertainties that lie ahead. God communicates through our environment.From the beginning, God has created this world for us to nourish but now we neglect this duty and could possibly face annihilation as it is slowly happening this very moment.Taking this walk with nature enriches my spirituality because nature itself is spiritual and Godly since it is not made by man. This walk is a learning experience that strengthens not only my knowledge about God but most of all my faith in God.Through this walk I came to understand that the future of mankind depends solely on the condition of our environment. The Almighty has given us paradise but we have turned it into a swamp. In nature, He has provided us with the necessity to live. We need to develop and use the resources wisely but we have come to abuse these resources for our personal gains and hasten the destruction of our environment. Is this how we repay God for giving us this earth so we could live in His presence?The simple message I received from this walk with awareness is that this world will end if we fail to stop the exploitation and cruelty to our surroundings. It is very unfortunate that our planet has come to this and we are now experiencing the effects of pollution and global warming. We contributed much to polluting the earth but at the same time we can solve this problem by changing our lifestyle and way of thinking that nature is God’s gift to us.However this awareness did come easy because for many years I did not really see the value of nature in my life. I have taken for granted its meaning just like clothes that you can dispose of and buy a new one. In this time of modernization, I find it difficult to feel God’s presence. I am too distracted more often by the new technology and commercialization that I forget He existed.You could hardly see the be st of nature in cities when all you can see are buildings. Indeed, this is a great challenge in practicing my spiritual life where concentration is hard to achieve. The best thing is that I try to live my faith each day. At times I fail but I move on and try again.

Moral Panic Thesis Essay

How convincing is the moral panic thesis in explaining media reporting of, and public responses to, youth crime? Moral panic is a concept that examines inconsistent reaction to an event or person. Crimes concerning youths have occurred over the years which have provoked a strong reaction from the public. This essay will mainly focus on how the media reported two events, the Clacton riots in the 1960’s and the murder of toddler James Bulger in the 1990’s and how the public responded to them. It will examine the role of the media, in particular newspapers and will try to determine if moral panic is devised through media reporting. Stanley Cohen was the first Sociologist to use the concept of â€Å"moral panic† in the early 1970s to describe political, social or media influence (Jewkes, 2011). Cohen (1972, p. 9) defines moral panic as â€Å"A condition, episode, person or group of persons that emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests† (Cohen, 1972). Although it was Jock Young in 1971 who first explored the role of the mass media in labelling non conformists groups and manufacturing crime waves (Jewkes, 2011). As well as moral panic is the theory of a â€Å"folk devil†, a name used by Stanley Cohen (1972) to describe a specific body that exists which is often created to understand societal anger. A folk devil ‘is typically identified with the evil doings of an individual or group of people (Ungar: 292). The folk devil in moral panic theory is seen to represent a threat to society and is viewed as â€Å"evil† and why action is required to remove or counteract this threat. The threat over exaggerates the consequence (Goode and Ben-Yehuda, 1996). However, it is this corresponding reaction that results in real fear. Though the reasons for this anxiety may be untrue or exaggerated, the fear remains (Goode and Ben-Yehuda, 1996). Cohen looked at the way in which the mass media moulds events, elaborates the facts and accordingly turn them into a national issue (Cohen, 1972). Cohen’s interest was in youth culture and its perceived potential threat to social order. The Mods and Rockers, Skinheads and Hells Angels all became associated with certain types of violence, which provokes a reaction from the public (Cohen, 1972). Cohen’s study was primarily about the conflict of the Mods and the Rockers, and the treatment they received in the public eye (Cohen, 2002). In Clacton on Easter Sunday 1964, the two groups fought, with some beach huts being vandalised and windows were broken. Ninety seven people were arrested. The story became a headline in every national newspaper with such titles as â€Å"Day of Terror by Scooter Groups† and â€Å"Wild Ones Invade Seaside – 97 Arrests† (Cohen, 2002). Cohen looked at the reaction of society, and his main criticism was that the media’s coverage of the incident was exaggerated, a distortion of the facts and stereotyping (Cohen, 2002). ‘Riot’, ‘siege’, and ‘screaming mob’ were phases that were included in the main story, creating an impression of a town under attack from which innocent holiday makers fled from a rampaging, unruly mob of youths (Jewkes, 2011). With the exaggeration of the numbers involved, consequently gave the perception the event was to a great extent a more violent affair than the true facts support. The press coverage seemed to follow a stereotypical pattern’ of unruly, out of control youths rather than what actually happened (Cohen, 2002). The general public reacted with hysteria, to the published stories and a media campaign was built, creating moral panic (Goode and Ben-Yehuda 1994). Words such as ‘riot’ or ‘youth’ became a symbolic status as deviant and items such as a particular form of clothing or hairstyle signifies that status. Negative emotions become attached to it, disassociating any previous neutral connotations acquiring altogether negative meanings (Jewkes, 2011). Moral panic often occurs when the media take a relatively ordinary event and report it selectively according to ‘news values’, as an extraordinary occurrence. To keep the story alive and to compete with other media sources, exaggeration, distortion, and stereotyping may be reported to keep the public interested. The youths revel in their new reported status as ‘folk devils’ and behave like the unruly youngsters that the media has created and the public now expect of them (Jewkes, 2011). The overblown reporting created unnecessary moral panic within society. The level of fear had been raised and the public call for protection and crackdown on these deviant youths. To heighten public fears, the police and politicians voice their concerns and to appear to be tough on crime and to deal with the problem, they usually seek to introduce new laws to strengthen existing ones and enforce law and order through zero tolerance policies (Jewkes, 2011). However, moral panic is not a new occurrence and the actions of youths are often been seen as immoral and threatening to the accepted norms and patterns expected within our society (Jewkes, 2011). In producing news for mass consumption, media economists would argue that the media is responding to the pressure of supply and demand by creating sensational accounts of real life incidents to the wishes of the consumer (Schissel, 1997). Nonetheless, the media has epistemological influence and by creating a world of ‘them’ and ‘us’ the media embed stereotypical images of deviants and menaces in our collective psyches that inform us as we form opinions about youths and crime (Schissel, 1997). The panics and the hatred that modern society has formed regarding young people could in some way be the result of constructed, controlled and de-contextualized images of youths (Schissel, 1997). Photographs and headlines are what the reader sees and is likely to remember the most (Schissel, 1997). This could be the case in 1993 when two 10 year old boys led away two year old James Bulger from a shopping centre in Liverpool, and brutally assaulted him, leaving him unconscious on a railway track (Morrison, 1998). The images of the two young boys leading Jamie away were captured on the CCTV cameras was widely used by the press and this last image of Jamie is an image that is still widely remembered. Reporting restrictions of child offenders in Britain prevented the two boys being named until the trial was over, however this did not stop the media publishing, unsupported wild stories about them and their families (Morrison, 1998). The CCTV images of the abduction, the age of the accused, the angry public and the details of the horrific death, all guaranteed massive news coverage on a land mark case (Morrison, 1998). The story triggered an immediate unruly moral panic (Cohen, 2002). Public outrage was fuelled by sensational and vindictive press reporting which described the 10 year olds as monsters, animals, the spawn of Satan (Jewkes, 2011), a pair of evil psychopaths (Morrison, 1998). Children are seen to represent the future and engaging in deviant behaviour is often observed as an indication that the youths of society are declining into moral chaos. The media target youths as wrong doers as a source of moral decline to explain the increase levels of crime and unscrupulous behaviour in society (Jewkes, 2011). The message of the Bulger case was that we were living in a violent world, where children were not safe with anyone, not even other children (Morrison, 1998). The story became a symbol for what had gone wrong in society, violent children, absent fathers, dysfunctional underclass families and the exploitation of children by television violence and video nasties (Cohen, 2002), and that acce ss to certain violent films could create child murderers (Furedi, 1997). These concerns were highlighted in the murder of Jamie Bulger. The case was related to the violent film ‘Child’s Play 3’, which the two 10 year old offenders had apparently previously watched. The case and the implications made against the film resulted in further regulations of videos via the British Board of Film Classification being enacted in 1994. However, there was no supported evidence that suggested a causal link between the film violence and the crime or that the two boys had actually watched the film, only that the film was at one of the boys homes (Morrison, 1998). This illustrates another instance of moral panic, highlighting that they are often based on insubstantial evidence. There is great difficulty in establishing connections between television violence and violent behaviour (Lusted, 1991). The question of television violence reflects the broader concerns of the nature of society. The fundamental causes of many moral panics have little, or nothing to do with the subject or event with which they focus their concern (Lusted, 1991). The dangers posed by moral panics are continuously exaggerated and distorted by the media with the result that public concern is heightened. They often present reasons and scapegoats for the occurrence of certain events in order to divert attention from more real and greater problems found within society. Such as the 38 adult witnesses who claimed to see two boys kicking and beating a smaller boy but who did not intervene (Morrison, 1998). Children who kill children are rare and go back as far as 1748 when William York, a 10 year old boy who murdered a 5 year old girl (Loach, 2009). The last notorious child-killer before the Bulger 1993 case was Mary Bell, in 1968 (Loach, 2009). Although there are other recorded cases of murder by children the UK, statistics suggest that juvenile crimes such as homicide are a crime that happens compar atively rarely (Morrison, 1998). The moral panic thesis has been criticised for its inability to determine a link between the extent of disaster and the level of response to it. Failing to accurately determine public levels of concern and as to whether people are motivated by the media to the exclusion of all other influences, makes it impossible to gauge whether the problem is real or not (Jewkes, 2011). Goode and Ben-Yehuda (1994) believe problems only become the subject of moral panic when they are familiar, and directly impinge on the individual’s lives. Threats such as a shrinking ozone layer maybe a future problem, but is unlikely to become the subject of moral panic (Goode and Ben-Yehuda, 1994). What is the length of time that public outrage has to be expressed to qualify as moral panic? Cohen’s formulation of the concept concludes that moral panics are short term, infrequent episodes which play on the conscious mind, quickly dying out and is forgotten when the story is no longer headline news, or it has more serious and lasting implications, such as changes in policy or legislation for the good of society (Cohen, 1972). Conversely, McRobbie and Thornton (1995) argue that moral panics are no longer events that happen every now and then, but have become a standard way of reporting news, designed to capture the consumer’s attention (McRobbie and Thornton, 1995). On the other hand, Furedi (1997) argues that we live in a culture of fear. The beliefs that society can be changed for the better have been lost to a sense of vulnerability. Whereas, Carrabine (2008) stresses we are now living in times of high anxiety and the media provide us with daily stories of adversity to constantly remind us that we live in a world of crisis, danger and uncertainty (Carrabine, 2008). Furedi, (1997), McRobbie and Thornton, (1995), Carrabine, (2008), Goode and Ben-Yehuda (1994) and Cohen’s concept of the moral panic thesis are all valid points. The public respond to incidents that impose on their lives, once the story is no longer headline news it disappears into the back of the conscious mind to be replaced with another article. However, moral panics does not occur on a daily basis, the general public see the occurrence of youth crime depicted in the media as an increasing and out of control epidemic but this does not necessarily mean moral panic will be created. The media may play an enormous part in the spreading of fear, and provoke anxiety, but they do not necessarily, create these fears in the first place (Lea and Young, 1993). For a media campaign to be built the public needs to react to the problem. The public may be outraged by particular reported issues, but if this does not generate public concern then there is no moral panic (Goode and Ben-Yehuda 1994). O’Connell (2002, p245) states: â€Å"The media do not directly set out to distort public opinion, but by entertaining people with crime, rather than informing the public about it, certain consequences follow†¦ a steady stream of salacious and lurid crime stories sell newspapers but ultimately distort the public understanding of crime as a serious social problem (O’Connell, 2002). O’Connell puts forward a journalist’s belief that, regarding crime news, in order for a newspaper to be successful, they are unable to reflect the everyday reality about crime, the consumer would basically not be interested (O’Connell, 2002). The news media shapes the way we think about things that are fear-provoking and unfamiliar to us. Despite the fact youth crime is a statistical rarity, the general population perceives youths as increasingly violent and dangerous. Media efforts to draw attention to certain types of news is based on the hypothesis that if the public fears it, it will read about it (Schissel, 1997). The threat of youth crime does exist and is a legitimate concern. But the media and politicians exaggerate youth crime to the extent that creates moral panic within society, to the extent that the fear of youths by the public is more of an issue, than the actual crimes itself. Therefore it could be viewed that both the media and political construction is more of a threat to society than the youths themselves. As a result it could be established that the media reporting of youth crime creates moral outrage and fear, generating concerns within the public, which does in turn creates moral panic within society about youth crime. References. Carrabine, E. (2008) Crime, Culture and the Media. Cambridge, Polity. Cohen, S. (2002) Folk Devils and Moral Panics. 3rd Edition. London, Routledge Cohen, S. (1972). Folk Devils and Moral Panics London, Routedge. Goode, Erich & Nachman Ben-Yehuda (1994) Moral panics: The Social Construction of Deviance. Oxford, Blackwell Fuerdi, F. (1997) Culture of Fear, Risk Taking and the Morality of Low Expectation. London, Cassell. Jewkes, Y. (2011), Media and crime, 2nd Edition, London, Sage. Lea, J. Young, J., (1993). What is to be done about Law and Order? Crisis in the Nineties, London, Pluto Press. Loach, L. (2009) The Devils Children. A History of Childhood and Murder. London, Icon books Ltd. Lusted, D. (1991) The Media Studies Book. London, Routledge McRobbie, A. Thornton, S., (1995), ‘Rethinking â€Å"moral panic† for multi-mediated social worlds’. British Journal of Sociology, 46 (4): pp 559-574. Morrison, B. (1998) As if London Granta books O’Connell, M. (2002) ‘The Portrayal of Crime in the Media – Does it matter?’ in O’Mahony, P. (Ed) Criminal Justice in Ireland, Institute of Public Administration, Dublin. pp 245 Ungar, S. (2006) ‘Moral panic versus the risk society: the implications of the changing sites of social anxiety’ in Critcher, C. (Ed) Moral Panics and the Media, Open University Press; Berkshire. pp: 292.

Argue that hunting among the Bushman is not merely a physical act, but Essay - 1

Argue that hunting among the Bushman is not merely a physical act, but one that touches, often deeply, every domain of Bushman society and thus promotes social solidarity - Essay Example This paper argues that, in terms of Durkheim’s theory of solidarity, the Bushmen utilize hunting not just for obtaining food, but also for deeper domains of their life, specifically marital, religious, and economic customs and rites. Hunting in the Bushmen society influences social status, determines the rituals of religious traditions, and forms duty within extended family units, uniting the people in what Emile Durkheim refers to as ‘social solidarity’. As stated by Peter Kropotkin (Hann 1993, 27): But still we know that when the Europeans came, the Bushmen lived in small tribes (or clans), sometimes federated together; that they used to hunt in common, and divided the spoil without quarrelling; that they never abandoned their wounded, and displayed strong affection to their comrades. Emile Durkheim claims that traditional societies are bonded together by a type of social cohesion that is rooted in the commonalities of the members, or referred to as ‘mechanical solidarity’ (Komter 2004). The common values within these traditional societies, which are mostly religious in character, create a ‘collective consciousness’ for the society, a group of ideas, beliefs, and norms common to everybody (Komter 2004). There is modest individuality because individuals view themselves mainly in connection with their membership in the group. Hunting is still deeply embedded in the culture of Bushmen, even in instances where bands take care of their own cattle and grow their own food. The Bushmen are essentially hunters on the peripheries of the bigger non-Bushman culture. Bushmen are hunters in numerous ways. Gift-giving and kin relations include social ‘hunting’, for family connections and for bonds of exchange. Their spiritual or religious principle is distinguished as ‘hunting’ for knowledge (Hann 1993). It is factual that personal ties and hunting in Bushmen culture are

Volkswagen and Mercedes Benz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Volkswagen and Mercedes Benz - Essay Example For the third quarter the company posted net profit of â‚ ¬7.146 billion which is three times higher than the profit figure in the same quarter of the last year. The astounding company results are attributed to its investment in new products, manufacturing operations in the emerging markets like China. The company plans to invest heavily in developing markets simultaneously consolidating its position in developed regions such as Europe and Americas. (IHS global 2011) The following table represents year wise consolidated income statement of the company. Figures in Millions of Euros Items Dec 31, 2007 Dec 31, 2008 Dec 31, 2009 Dec 31, 2010 Total Revenues 108,897.0 113,808.0 105,187.0 126,875.0 Cost of Goods Sold 83,593.0 87,862.0 81,899.0 94,050.0 Gross Profit 16,399.0 16,250.0 12,733.0 20,742.0 Operating Expenses, Total 10,142.0 11,431.0 12,648.0 13,868.0 Operating Income 6,257.0 4,819.0 85.0 6,874.0 Net Interest Expense 413.0 344.0 -781.0 -626.0 EBT, Excluding Unusual Items 7,665. 0 6,688.0 863.0 7,956.0 Income Tax Expense 2,421.0 1,920.0 349.0 1,767.0 Net Income 4,120.0 4,753.0 960.0 6,835.0 Source: http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/financials/financials.asp?ticker=VOW:GR Balance Sheet of Volkswagen Figures in Millions of Euros Assets Dec 31, 2007 Dec 31, 2008 Dec 31, 2009 Dec 31, 2010 Total Cash And Short Term Investments 15,638.0 11,394.0 21,890.0 22,794.0 Total Receivables 8,902.0 11,372.0 10,871.0 12,811.0 Total Current Assets 68,516.0 76,163.0 77,776.0 85,936.0 Plant And Equipment 25,689.0 30,030.0 31,745.0 34,550.0 Total Assets 145,357.0 167,919.0 177,178.0 199,393.0 Figures in Millions of Euros Liabilities Dec 31, 2007 Dec 31, 2008 Dec 31, 2009 Dec 31, 2010 Accounts Payable 8,202.0 9,085.0 9,734.0 11,628.0 Other Current Liabilities, Total 14,620.0 15,330.0 14,911.0 17,043.0 Total Current Liabilities 56,068.0 64,802.0 69,534.0 76,899.0 Long-Term Debt 3,645.0 2,240.0 9,272.0 8,989.0 Pension & Other Post-Retirement Benefits 12,481.0 12,82 9.0 13,793.0 15,265.0 Deferred Tax Liability Non-Current 2,637.0 3,654.0 2,224.0 1,669.0 Other Non-Current Liabilities 12,775.0 15,863.0 17,061.0 19,522.0 Total Liabilities 113,419.0 130,531.0 139,748.0 150,681.0 Total Common Equity 31,875.0 35,011.0 35,281.0 45,978.0 Total Liabilities & Equity 145,357.0 167,919.0 177,178.0 199,393.0 Source: http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/financials/financials.asp?ticker=VOW:GR&dataset=balanceSheet&period=A¤cy=native Cash Flow Statement (Figures in Millions of Euros) Details Dec 31, 2007 Dec 31, 2008 Dec 31, 2009 Dec 31, 2010 Net Income 4,120.0 4,753.0 960.0 6,835.0 Depreciation & Amortization, Total 6,427.0 6,738.0 4,900.0 5,058.0 Cash From Operations 15,662.0 2,702.0 12,741.0 11,455.0 Cash From Investing -15,812.0 -11,183.0 -9,675.0 -11,048.0 Total Debt Issued 9,609.0 17,477.0 16,998.0 7,910.0 Total Debt Repaid -8,524.0 -8,485.0 -10,225.0 -12,069.0 Total Dividend Paid -497.0 -720.0 -779.0 -755.0 Cash From Financing 787.0 8 ,123.0 5,536.0 -852.0 Net Change in Cash 547.0 -471.0 8,792.0 -8.0 Source: http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/financials/financials.asp?ticker=VOW:GR&dataset=cashFlow&period=A¤cy=native Financial Analysis It will be interesting to analyze the company’s financials from stakeholder’s point of view as the company’s progress in last few years has been exemplary and how the stakeholders can see the Key

Sweatshop Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sweatshop Economy - Essay Example One summons ‘moral and political’ dimensions to the argument since if and when progressive changes are brought about in the conditions of sweatshops, the role of moral and political leaders will be significant for such changes. Corporations are amoral on the one hand and are the pillars of political establishments on the other and the conflict of interests is right in front of us. One has to resolve this conflict, understand the mindset of eastern world before moving to help ease woking conditions in sweatshops. Economic realities Globalization of economies of the world has effectively broken international barriers. As natural as water finding its own level, corporations around the world drift towards cheapest possible resources for their operations. Both raw materials and labor, two of the fundamental factors of production, are available in plenty in the third world countries. End of colonialism in the mid-sixties ensured that the developed countries of the West have to find other ways and means to sustain the high living standards of their citizens.

Are human rights simply extensions of natural rights Essay

Are human rights simply extensions of natural rights - Essay Example (United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948) These rights to life, property, liberty and peaceful co-existence among men and nations are based on equity and natural obligation however without any positive, substantive and procedural laws to govern the actions of each man and nation, then anarchy, chaos, and lawlessness ensue as men and nations are, at times, motivated by power, self-interest and greed. This being so, they are predisposed to use violence and inflict harm upon those who stand in their way. The aggrieved party indeed has natural rights to be protected against any transgression, tort, or injury however without any legal structure that prescribes how relief or restitution may be instituted then the compulsory compliance cannot be effected. It would appear that duly constituted governments have enacted laws which enshrine the basic human rights to life, liberty and property, including, among others, the right to free speech and assembly, freedom of abode, e qual opportunity and more importantly, the right not to be discriminated against by reason of gender, race, disability, education, belief or political affiliation. II. Statement of Issue/s One school of thought is that human rights is simply an extension of natural rights making the same self-executing thus this paper shall determine if this proposition or theory may be defended and supported by statutory enactments as well judicial interpretations. III. Statement of Relevant Historical Development In this jurisdiction, the rights evolution started in 1689 when the Parliament enacted the Bill of Rights, otherwise known as An Act Declaring the Rights and Liberties of the Subject and Settling the Succession of the Crown. It delineated the powers of the sovereign, the Parliament including its freedom of speech, the necessity of regular elections and the right to appeal the monarch without apprehension of reprisal or punishment. It similarly re-instated the liberty of Protestants to arm and protect themselves within the realm of law as lawless elements were themselves armed and employed ruses contrary to law. Even the succession to the throne was subject of a decree which was crafted in 1700 and took effect in 1701, otherwise known as the 1701 Act of Settlement the Bill of Rights. However the enactment in 1931 of the Statute of Westminster in each of the Commonwealth realms marked the beginning that the Bill of Rights cannot be altered in any realm except by its own parliament, and if applicable by convention with the consent of all the other realms, if it involves the succession issues to the shared throne. In this jurisdiction, the Bill of Rights is complemented by Magna Carta 1215 which is a written instrument granting a more limited power to the king respecting property and successional rights of barons and freemen who held lands directly of the Crown, including the fees levied, payment of debts, services to be rendered and such other rights are inscribed to a vert any dispute. While Habeas Corpus Act 1679 confers rights upon those persons charged of an offense but are nonetheless unduly detained may file a petition for such person or body to be produced at such time and place determined by the judge upon payment of

Innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Innovation - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that innovation allows hospitality organizations to meet the dynamic needs of the customer. The hospitality is characterized by customers who have changing needs. People are looking for something different and exciting. Innovation allows hospitality organizations to come up with new and effective ways to meet the needs of these consumers. This helps in generation of revenue.This paper highlights that innovation increases efficiency, which means the cost of doing business goes down. This allows the organizations to charge competitive prices in a bid to attract and maintain customers. The price elasticity of demand in the industry is very elastic. A small change in price can lead to either losing or gaining many new customers. The hospitality industry is full of many different organizations that offer similar services. The stiff competition in the industry has led to the exit of many companies. The key to gaining a unique identity in the hospitality ind ustry is having a unique service delivery system. Innovation fosters service and product differentiation.  Innovation has driven organizations to consider frontline employees on multiple skills in a bid to support innovation. Employee training is one way of motivating the workforce because they feel the organization cares about them. This is bound to increase the quality of services and the overall experience of customers. The ultimate effect is additional revenue generation and the creation of a stellar reputation when it comes to quality service delivery.

Adam Smith & UK Income Taxation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Adam Smith & UK Income Taxation - Essay Example 42). According to Smith, the first maxim is that â€Å"the subjects of every state ought to contribute toward the support of government, as nearly as possible, in proportion to their respective abilities, that is in proportion to the revenue which they respectively enjoy under the protection of the state† (Smith 1784, p. 639). According to Smith, â€Å"observation or neglect of this maxim consists in what is called the equality or inequality of taxation† (Smith 1786, p. 639). For Smith, the second maxim is that â€Å"the tax which each individual is bound to pay ought to be certain, and not arbitrary† (1784, p. 639). For Smith, this means that â€Å"the time of payment, the manner of payment, the quantity to be paid, ought all to be clear and plain to the contributor, and to every other persons† (1784, p. 639). For Smith, the second maxim is necessary because â€Å"otherwise, every person subject to the tax is put more or less in the power of the tax-gathered, who can either aggravate the tax upon any obnoxious contributor, or extort, by the terror of such aggravation, some present or perquisite to himself† (1784, p. 639-640). Smith emphasized that uncertainty of taxation â€Å"encourages insolence and favours the corruption of an order of men who are naturally unpopular, even where they are neither insolent nor corrupt† (1784, p. 640). The third tax maxim of Adam Smith is that â€Å"every tax ought to be levied at the time, or in the manner, in which is it most likely or most likely to be convenient for the contributor to pay it† (1784, p. 640). Finally, Smith’s fourth maxim on taxes is that â€Å"every tax ought to be contrived as both to take out and to keep out of the pockets of the people as little as possible over and above what it brings into the public treasury of the state† (1784, p. 640). On the fourth maxim, Smith also noted four things. One, the tax levy may require a great number of officers whose salaries may eat the greater portion

The Cuban Missile Crisis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

The Cuban Missile Crisis - Research Paper Example This contest had been going on since the conclusion of World War II in 1945 (The Belfer Center, 2012). This variable game of â€Å"one- upsmanship† continued, resulting in the Soviet government successfully launching Sputnik into space and being the first to put a man into orbit. This outcome terrified Americans. They feared that the Soviets had gained the advantage in technological advancements and that the Russians were winning the Cold War. This only heightened the United States’, nearly, universal fears concerning communism (Thompson, 2010). Tensions were already high when John F. Kennedy came to the office of President of the United States in 1961 and would soon find himself in a crucial position while nuclear war hung in the preverbal balance. In early October 1962, an American U-2 spy plane was able to capture photographs showing a potential Soviet missile base on the island of Cuba. To date, there had been no known military installations in this rather remote an d sparsely populated area – an area where the Cuban citizens had been evacuated and the area labeled â€Å"restricted† (Yale Law School, 2008). The President opted to keep this knowledge quiet while he conferred with his select group of advisors, who would be called ExComm, the Executive Committee. The decision made was to place a blockade of ships, ringing the Cuban island, which would prevent the Soviets from reaching their military site. This â€Å"quarantine† came with the demands for the removal of the missiles and the destruction of the base. This did not happen immediately. In fact, the Soviets had been working very hard to keep the location of the Cuban base a secret, even from its own lower-ranking officers. The secret project had been titled ANADYR, which also happened to be the name of a river near the Bering Sea where a known Soviet bomber base was located. Even after the pictures were presented, they continued a volley of denials and misinformation, which is referred to as â€Å"disingenuous diplomacy† (Hansen, 2008). The President then alerted the American people, in a public broadcast, detailing the presence of the missile site in Cuba, the blockade that had been implemented, and that, as of that moment, no resolution had been reached (John F. Kennedy, 2012).

American History Essay Example for Free

American History Essay â€Å"The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil† was a wise phase once uttered by Hannah Arendt. I love this quote because is perfectly describes the two boys from â€Å"American History X,† Danny and Derek. These two boys have seen and done it all when it comes to hate groups, as both were members of a neo-nazi hate group. Neo- Nazi hate groups use authoritarian, scapegoat, normative, and exploitation theories to justify their hate, discrimination, and torture of anyone who isnt a part of the â€Å"supreme race,† or white. Boy Danny and Derek end up in this life from an early age. Parents are one of the biggest, if not the biggest influence on a childs life. When Danny and Derek were both relatively young they looked up to their father, thought of him as the â€Å"ideal† man. However their father was a racist, influencing almost every thought the boys had. At family dinner when talking about about a black school teacher their father said, â€Å"Its nigger bullshit,† and warned Derek not to buy into the equality teachings. Because Danny and Derek both looked up to their dad so much, this would be and example of the exploitation theory. Exploitation theory is when one societal group, in this case whites, use hostility to keep their position and power intact. This really come into play after Danny and Dereks father was murdered and Derek believes it was a race related killing. Right after their father died, Derek joined a neo-nazi hate group known as the DOC(Disciples of Christ). Being extreme believers in the white supremacy movement, the DOC acted out with violence and extreme hatred toward any other race, especially blacks. Derek, being a high ranking member, murdered 2 black men for the cause. He served three years for the murders, which impacted his whole family tremendously. At the beginning of Dereks sentence he did not want any visitors, claiming it would be to hard to see his family. He made friends with other neo-nazi members in prison, but soon started realizing that they were not serious about the cause like he was. He also started becoming friends with his black work partner who said, â€Å"I aint the nigger in here, you are† Derek started realizing that white supremacy what basically just a scapegoat. Meaning that the followers of the movement were just trying to find someone to blame for their problems, which in this case happened to be  the blacks. After befriending his black work mate he realized that blacks are human too. Once he could recognize blacks as human he finally felt guilt for killing to people, not niggers, people. Derek was determined to help his brother and family by getting them out of the gangs and hate. One of the biggest influences on Derek while in jail was his principal from high school. He was a black man with experience in dealing with â€Å"troubled youth.† He gave Derek the push he needed by saying, â€Å"Has anything youve done made your life better?†. Later Derek told Danny, â€Å"Its just because I was pissed off†. I think this was Dereks way of responding to his principal, he really didnt believe in the cause it was more of just an outlet for his anger that his father would have approved of. While Derek is locked up.

Organizational Performance Of Hotels In Malaysia Marketing Essay

Organizational Performance Of Hotels In Malaysia Marketing Essay ABSTRACT This study investigates the relationship between competitive strategy and market orientation on organizational performance of hotels in Malaysia. This paper provides an overview of the research in terms of background of the study, problem statement, questions and objectives of the study. Additionally, this paper presents the theoretical framework and hypotheses development. Finally, this paper discusses about the significances, limitations and conclusion. Keywords: Cost leadership, Differentiation, Customer orientation, Competitor orientation and Organizational performance Background of the study In the present business environment, Malaysian hospitality industry has achieved more attention. In line with, Malaysian governments policies to convert the Malaysian economic perspective from production based to knowledge based, has made the service sector became one of the pillars for the national economic growth. Based on Productivity Report 2010/2011, the service sector contributed almost 48.45 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 4.74 percent of productivity growth in the year 2010. Additionally, the statistic by Department of Statistic Malaysia shows that service sector remained as a major driver of the Malaysian economy by recording 7 percent growth in Third Quarter of 2011. One of the crucial components of the service sector is hospitality industry. The hospitality industry consists of the accommodation, transportation, restaurant and entertainment sector which facing tremendous competition. In Malaysia, the hotel industry is a one of potential industry. The contribution of the hotel industry to the national economy is plentiful. The hotel industry is not only contributed to a variety of economic sectors but also a labour intensive industry with the capacity to create job opportunities. The Ministry of Tourism of Malaysia is encouraging development of hotel industry in Malaysia by planning and implementing various valuable events and policies. Based on Malaysian Tourism Industry Outlook, tourism is the second largest contributor to Malaysian economic development. Additionally, Malaysia has a strong tourism position as the 9th most visited country in the world and gain RM 1 billion receipts per week from the foreign tourist. A total of 24.6 million tourists were arriving in Malaysia and spent RM 56.5 billion in 2010 compared to previous years, the number of tourist arrivals was 23.6 million and spent RM 53.4 billion. Furthermore, the World Tourism Ranking by United Nations World Tourism Organization shows that Malaysia is a second largest tourist arrival destination in Asia Pacific in 2010. Additionally, the domestic tourism also gained revenue of RM 25.98 billion in 2009. By 2011, the Malaysian Tourism Ministry is forecasting 25 million tourist arrivals and earn RM 60 billion in tourism receipts. By 2020, the Malaysian government under National Key Economic Area (NKEA) expecting the tourism industry will contribute RM 103.6 billion in Gross Nation Incomes (GNI) by increasing the number of tourist arrivals from 24.6 million to 36 million. Based on the report by Malaysian Association of Hotel (MAH), in November 2011 there are 888 one star to five star hotels around Malaysia. The MAH report shows that there were 264 three to five star hotels in Peninsular Malaysia, 102 three to five star hotels in Sabah and Sarawak and 77 three to five star hotels in federal territories. Thus, currently there were 443 three to five star hotels in Malaysia. This figure shows growing of hotel industry in Malaysia. Problem statement Notwithstanding the rapid growth, the hospitality industry is facing various challenges from external and internal factors in a business environment which affect the organizational performance. This terrific competitive business environment required the organization to adopt the finest competitive strategy and market orientation which can be best strategic fit for the organizational strategic direction and practices in order to achieve greater organizational performance and competitive advantage (Kumar, Subramanian Stradholm, 2011; Parnell, 2011; Zhou, Brown Dev, 2009; Abdullah, Mohamed, Othman Uli, 2009; Allen Helms, 2006; Prajogo, 2006; Javalgi, Whipple Ghosh, 2005; Vazquez, Santos Alvarez, 2001). In fact, the above two factors have the potential to establish the competitiveness level and organizational performance (Nandakumar, Ghobadian Regan, 2011; Ainrafas, Irabkha Isabba, 2011; Bordean, Borza, Nistor Mitra, 2010; Fierro, Mur, Hart Redondo, 2010; Bordean, Borza, Plesca n Mitra, 2010; Seedee, Sulaiman Ismail, 2009; Vazquez, Santos Alvarez, 2001; Porter, 1980, 1985). Even so, a very limited empirical study has been conducted in examining the relationship between these combinations of variables which highlighted by this study. The framework proposed in this study considers the generic competitive strategy as business level strategies and will be the independent variable and the marketing orientation considers as functional level strategy and apply as a mediating variable and their effects on organizational performance as a dependent variable. The previous literature reviews revealed that researchers have been using financial and non- financial method to measure the organizational performances. The financial measures such as Return on Assets, Return on Sales, Return on Equity, profitability, market share which using instruments of Ramanujam Vengkataraman, Dess Robinson and Lee Miller (Nandakumar, Ghobadian Regan, 2011; Seedee, Sulaiman Ismail, 2009; Allen Helms, 2006). On the other hand, some researchers used financial and non- financial instruments to measure the organizational performance (Bordean, Borza, Nistor Mitra, 2010; Abdullah, Mohamed, Othman Uli, 2009). Evans (2005) used the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) method in order to measure the performances of service industry. The Balanced Scorecard method found by Kaplan Norton (1992) is a useful tool of performance measurement for the hotel industry. This balanced Scorecard equipped with four dimensions namely financial perspective, customer perspective, internal process perspective and learning growth perspective. Actually, there were very limited studies have been conducted using the Balanced Scorecard to measure organizational performance of hotels in Malaysia. (Razalli, Dahlan T.Ramayah, 2007; Jusoh Parnell, 2008). Thus, this study will use the BSC method to measure the organizational performance of hotels. Indeed, it has been very common practice to study the integrating issues from a wide range of perspectives. However, conducting a research involving various strategic issues in one particular theoretical framework is still considered as unusual and latest (Yang Huang, 2000). In short, the previous literatures show that the researchers have conducted various studies on these above mention variables independently. Hence, this could be the key inadequacy in prior researches where each study conducted on a particular basis. Even though, the past studies contributing valuable information to the existing knowledge but it is still insufficient studies which integrating these three constructs in one theoretical framework. Thus, in order to address this inadequacy and bridge the existing gap this study will investigate the importance of the relationship between competitive strategy and market orient ation and the consequences on organizational performance of hotels in Malaysia. This study will examine the context of research more holistically from the strategic management perspective for the best decision making process in order to achieve superior organizational performance among hotels in Malaysia. Research Questions Based on the problem statement, the following questions will be used as a fundamental guidance to conduct this study which stated below: RQ 1: Is there a relationship between competitive strategy and market orientation? RQ 2: Is there any mediation effect of market orientation on competitive strategy and organizational performance? Research Objectives The general objectives of the study are to examine the influence of competitive strategy and market orientation on organizational performance. The specific objectives are as follows: RO 1: To investigate the relationship between competitive strategy and market orientation. RO 2: To investigate the influence of market orientation as mediating variable in the relationship between competitive strategy and organizational performance. Overview of Theoretical Framework Based on the research gaps identified from the prior literature, this study will investigate constructs in the context of competition among the hotels in Malaysia. Figure 1.1 illustrates the theoretical framework and hypotheses relationship in an endeavour to address the research objectives as mentioned before. Figure 1.1: Relationship of Competitive Strategy and Market Orientation on Organizational Performance. Organizational performance Market orientation Competitive strategy Competitor orientation Cost leadership Customer orientation Differentiation Hypothesis development of study Based on the theoretical framework, this study formulates eight hypotheses to examine the relationship. The hypotheses are as follows: H1: There is a relationship between cost leadership and competitor orientation. H2: There is a relationship between differentiation and customer orientation. H3: There is a relationship between cost leadership and organizational performance. H4: There is a relationship between differentiation and organizational performance. H5: There is a relationship between competitor orientation and organizational performance. H6: There is a relationship between customer orientation and organizational performance. H7: Hotel pursuing cost leadership mediating by competitor orientation produce better performance. H8: Hotel pursuing differentiations mediating by customer orientation produce better performance. Significance of study This study emphasizes the importance of competitive strategy and market orientation and their relationships towards organizational performance. Specifically, it is predicted that the adaptability of these combined factors will contribute major impact to the organizational performance. This significance of study can be viewed from two perspectives: practical and theoretical significance. Below a brief elaboration on how this study able to contribute to the body of knowledge from the strategic management perspectives specifically on the process of decision making. Practical significance: This study will determine some imperative issues and the gaps in the literature related to the strategic relationship between competitive strategy and market orientation on organizational performance, especially in hotels of Malaysia. These analyses will shed some lights to the hotel industrys competitiveness. The findings of this study shall formulate better strategic management choices and strategic decision making in order to gain competitive advantage. In order for that, this study will generate a framework which shall enhance the confidence and potential of top executives and managers for making very concrete decisions. Theoretical significance: This study will contribute to the competitiveness theory development and it is envisaged to be further input to the process of decision making. The new framework which proposed would expand the existing body of knowledge. Limitations of study The only focus of this study is on the strategic relationship between competitive strategy and market orientation on the organizational performance of hotels in Malaysia. For that reason, the scope of the study is on the hotel industry in Malaysia only, with a particular focus on three to five star rated hotels in Malaysia. Finally, other aspects or factors excludes from the scope of the study. It is undeniable, contribution from other factors or issues may perhaps affect or provide valuable information for the managerial decision making process, so if such situation occurs that will consider as limitations of the study as well. Conclusion In conclusion, it is predicted that the findings of this study will give a strong message to top management regarding the decision making of business level strategy and functional level strategy for the hotel industry. In other word, the top management should carefully derive best strategic choice for the hotel by making alignment between business level, functional level and operational level strategies. If all the hotels in Malaysia continuously strive towards giving importance to strategic decision making of the above mentioned factors, then there is no doubt the Malaysian hotel industry will generate superior organizational performance and competitive advantage which lead our hotel industry to be positioned in world class hospitality business.

The Soliloquies of Shakespeares Hamlet - To be or not to be Soliloquy

The â€Å"To be or not to be† Soliloquy within Hamlet      Ã‚  Ã‚   The fame of one particular soliloquy by the hero in Shakespeare’s Hamlet logically requires that special consideration be given to said speech. And such is the intent of this essay.    In â€Å"Superposed Plays† Richard A. Lanham discusses this most famous of all the soliloquies:    The King and Polonius dangle Ophelia as bait and watch. Hamlet sees this. He may even be, as W. A. Bebbington suggested, reading the â€Å"To be or not to be† speech from a book, using it, literally, as a stage prop to bemuse the spyers-on, convince them of his now-become-suicidal-madness. No one in his right mind would fault the poetry. But it is irrelevant to anything that precedes. It fools Ophelia – no difficult matter – but it should not fool us. The question is whether Hamlet will act directly or through drama? Not at all. Instead, is he going to end it in the river? I put it thus familiarly to penetrate the serious numinosity surrounding this passage. Hamlet anatomizes grievance for all time. But does he suffer these grievances? He has a complaint indeed against the King and one against Ophelia. Why not do something about them instead of meditating on suicide? (93)    Marchette Chute in â€Å"The Story Told in Hamlet† describes just how close the hero is to suicide while reciting his most famous soliloquy:      Hamlet enters, desperate enough by this time to be thinking of suicide. It seems to him that it would be such a sure way of escape from torment, just to cease existing, and he gives the famous speech on suicide that has never been worn thin by repetition. â€Å"To be, or not to be . . .† It would be easy to stop living.    To die, to sleep; No more. And by a sl... ...in, Harry. â€Å"An Explication of the Player’s Speech.† Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. Rpt. from The Question of Hamlet. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1959.    Nevo, Ruth. â€Å"Acts III and IV: Problems of Text and Staging.† Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. Rpt. from Tragic Form in Shakespeare. N.p.: Princeton University Press, 1972.    Rosenberg, Marvin. â€Å"Laertes: An Impulsive but Earnest Young Aristocrat.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Masks of Hamlet. Newark, NJ: University of Delaware Press, 1992.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html

Analysis of the Physician Assistant Suicide Debate Essay -- Euthanasia

Medical science, beginning in the last half of the twentieth century, began to achieve the remarkable ability to prolong life. In most cases, this is beneficial; however, in regards to prolonging the dying process, sometimes indefinitely, this is frequently viewed by patients and their families as cruel, rather than life-giving, and they petition the courts for the right to die. Despite the legitimacy of this position, a variety of forces have repeatedly endeavored to limit the rights of individuals in shaping the dying process for themselves and their loved ones. This is a particularly problematic area for health professionals and the following examination of the issues that this entails demonstrates that the most ethical position for society is to respect the autonomy and decisions of individuals. To die of cancer is frequently a drawn-out process. Terminal patients are frequently in tremendous pain despite the use of opiates. It seems perfectly logical to many people that individuals who wish to forego such torture, when they know that this inevitable, should be allowed to painlessly end their lives rather than suffer a slow, painful death. Yet, there are those who disagree. Stein (2004) reports that before stepping down as the country's Attorney General, John Ashcroft asked the US Supreme Court to overrule the nation's only assisted-suicide law. A previously held lower court ruling held that the federal government did not have the power to punish Oregon doctors who legally prescribed lethal doses of federally approved drugs (Stein, 2004). Oregon's Death With Dignity Act allows patients who have been diagnosed with less than six months to live to request such a lethal dose if their diagnosis has been confirmed by two do... ...out, this objection can be overcome through the institution of strict guidelines, such as were instituted in Oregon in accordance with their physician-assisted euthanasia law. Works Cited Feinberg, B. "The Court Upholds a State Law Prohibiting Physician Assisted Suicide." . Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 88.3 (1998): 847-76. Web. . Harris, J. "Consent and End of Life Decisions." Journal of Medical Ethics 29.1 (2003): 10. Web. . Singer, P. "Freedom and the Right to Die." Free Inquiry 22.2 (2002). Web. . Stein, L. â€Å" Right to Die†. U.S. News & World Report 18.137 (2004, November 22) Print. Sunstein, Cass R. "The Right to Die." Yale Law Review (1997): 1123-163. Web. .

How Does the Childhood Obesity Rates Compare in Wales and Usa

How Does The Childhood Obesity Rates Compare in Wales and USA Intro I have chosen the issue of childhood obesity in Wales and America. I have chosen this issue as obesity is a main problem in today’s society, and I want to see how Wales compares to what is known as the ‘Fattest’ country, America. Also I hope to find out the main reasons behind the high or low rates in obesity. This topic interests me as it has a big impact on today’s youth, and I as a rugby player would prefer to see more people out exercising than sitting in the house eating. Aims For my investigation I have found both secondary and primary information.My secondary information is from various sources off the internet. This will help me find out the information I need such as rates of obesity in Wales and USA, and also give me a better understanding of the issue. I will use facts and figures from my research to give a clear outlook of childhood obesity. For my primary information I produced a questionnaire to hand out to a range of people. Twenty five of these questionnaires will be given out to children aged eleven to sixteen, and the other twenty five will be handed to adults. This will give me a two different view points which could contrast or be very similar.From this I should be able to see what the main cause of childhood obesity is, and shall show my findings in graph form to show clearly my results. I will show a clear understanding of the issue chosen by looking at both view points (adult and children), this will give me a balanced view and not a bias one. I shall also then produce an overall conclusion about my investigation and evaluate the quality of my findings too. Issue Childhood obesity has nowadays become a serious health matter world wide. â€Å"Obesity is an abnormal accumulation of body fat, usually 20% or more over an individual's ideal body weight.Obesity is associated with increased risk of illness, disability, and death. † [www. answer. com] Even though obesity does not affect every child, it is becoming more increasing. Also with obesity comes health problems, maybe not straight away but in the future, these problems could be such things as diabetes, heart disease, cholesterol and heart attacks which could lead to an early death. In today’s world many people had a part to play in the rising obesity figures. Today's reliance on cheap convenience and fast foods make it easy to consume large amounts of calories and they are well advertised to children.Only a very few children are overweight due to medical problems. Parents may be feeding their child too much at a young age, therefore making them obese before they have a choice of what to eat and what not to eat, from this when the grow up a bit they may feel depressed and look to food for comfort, only making the problem worse. Another reason is that in schools the amount of physical activity has dropped, with more children getting lifts to school too, and ch ildren now prefer to sit on the computer or watch the T. V. than going out and playing. Secondary ResearchFor my secondary research I planed to find rates of obesity for both Wales and America, and see how much/if the rates have risen through the years. I am expecting to find an increase over the years and hopefully find an explanation to why this is happening. Also I plan to find out if the government has any plans to try help this issue and decrease the rates. I hope to find that most information gives the similar answers, so I can then find out who is most responsible for the rates increasing. The figures of childhood obesity all over Europe are rising quickly, and up to 400,000 deaths each year in Europe are linked to excess weight.In America it has 25,814 deaths related to obesity a year, this is close to the European number for just one country. Therefore proving obesity is a huge problem within today’s everyday life. In Wales around 10% of six year olds are obese, with it rising to 17% of 15 year olds being obese. It is said that Welsh children are now among the fattest in the world, aged ten to fifteen years old. With the United Kingdom number three in the world with 23% of the population being classed as obese. RankCountry%Population Obesity 1USA30. 6 2Mexico24. 2 3United Kingdom23 information from http://www. nationmaster. com/graph/hea_obe-health-obesity) America is rated the number one for obesity in the whole world, with a 30. 6% of the population being classed as obese. Also it has had its own T. V. documentary show done on it, â€Å"Super Size Me† which shows what Americans eat and the drastic damage it can do to your body. I have found from my research that child obesity is a major issue in Wales and more so, America. There needs to be drastic changes to try solve this problem, yet there doesn’t seem anyone/any organisation big enough to do so.However, there are small changes over world that I have noticed, such as schools taking out more fatty foods and bringing in new healthy options to take there place. This started with Jamie Oliver going round Britain looking at school dinners and then giving the children a new healthy option. Also from my research I have found that in both America and Wales the main cause seems to be an unhealthy diet combined with a lack of exercise. High-calorie foods such as chocolates, sweets and fast food are cheap and readily available to children.Alongside this, physical activity and exercise are no longer a part of most children's days – some children never walk or cycle to school or play sport. Instead, many of them spend hours in front of a television or computer. With this being the main cause it seems that the parents are also to be blamed for not controlling or joining in with activities in their children’s lives, if this is the case it may be a hard trend to get out of. Primary Research For my primary research I decide to produce 50 questionnaires to hand out, twenty five went to children aged eleven to sixteen and twenty five to adults.I have done this to try give a balanced view on what people of the area believe the main cause of obesity could be. However I know with questionnaire that you do not always get all of them back completed fully and appropriately, but I cannot let this effect me as it happens to everyone. Fourteen of the adults I asked to complete my questionnaire had children while eleven didn’t, but I found this did not affect my findings significantly. Below I will show you a few results of my questionnaire in graph form, and also a copy of the questionnaire I gave out. Who do you think is responsible for the wellbeing of obese children? (Adults)Who do you think is responsible for the wellbeing of obese children? (Children) As you can see from the graphs, there is a slight trend in who people believe to be responsibility, this is the parents. However from the adult graph you can see that parents come seco nd behind cheap foods, but this could be that the parents asked did not feel it was their fault and felt it was someone else’s. What do you believe the main cause for child obesity is? (Adults) What do you believe the main cause for child obesity is? (Children) From the above graphs you can see most adults saw junk food being the main cause for obesity, then parental control.I agree with this as junk food has become more advertised and easier to get hold of in today’s society, and with lack of parental control over their children they give in to them and let them have junk food or let them watch the T. V. instead of controlling them and giving them the healthy option and time slots for video gaming. However, in the children’s graph you can see they feel the school meals are to blame. I disagree with my findings here as I believe the children who have done the questionnaire have been more boas towards the rest of the options and not voted for them as much as it i s what they like in today’s life.Instead of going out, they prefer to sit in watching T. V. instead of eating healthy, they snack on junk foods. I find the adults graph to be more realistic in finding the main cause, but to get a balanced opinion I had to look at what children in my age range thought. Conclusion After looking over all my findings from both my primary and secondary research I have been able to come to a valid conclusion on the topic I chose to look at, Childhood Rates of Obesity in Wales and USA. It is easy to say that America is most obese country out of the two, with it being ranked number one for obesity in the whole world, with 30. % of the population being obese. I found that childhood obesity can be caused by a number of issues. Firstly the way children are brought up; if they are brought up on junk food it is hard to get out of this bad habit and they will carry on this into their adulthood and then carrying it on to their children. Another reasons is t he bombardment of fast food and its advertisement, this entices people to go to a fast food restaurant like McDonalds which is full of unhealthy foods that some people chose to live off instead of making a healthy meal in their house.In Wales the rates may not be as high as America, but they are still a great deal of children classed as obese. This has become a bigger problem in Britain over the past few years, with Britain being number 3 in the world rankings for obesity. However, there has been some Government work towards solving this problem such as change in school meals and healthier advertisements for restaurants like Pizza Hut and McDonalds, but most people feel this isn’t enough and more work could be done to help. EvaluationI encountered a number of problems during my research for both secondary and primary research. With my primary research the main problem I had was getting the questionnaires back in fully completed, also once in I was able to see that some may ha ve been done quickly and not completed seriously. The main problem with the secondary research was finding appropriate websites that can be trusted and give valid information. With so much on obesity it was difficult to find the right sources, however once found it was relatively simple to extract the information needed.Another problem that occurred was the size of both countries, Wales being a tiny country compared to America so it was hard to compare the rates in both. Overall though, I felt my investigation went well and what I believed was true, that USA was higher in childhood obesity than Wales. If I had to do this investigation again I would change two parts to what I have done, firstly I would have chosen a different country to USA due to its size over Wales, now looking back I think it would have been better to have pick a country such as France.The other change to my investigation would be with the questionnaire, I would ask more people to try get a wider picture instead o f a small amount which may not be an accurate opinion of the country in hand.Websites Usedhttp://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/wales/2997940. stmhttp://www. cdc. gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hestats/overweight/overwght_child_03. htmhttp://www. nationmaster. com/graph/hea_obe-health-obesity

Cost Accounting and Management Decisions Essay

If you are using the Blackboard Mobile Learn iOS App, please click â€Å"View in Browser† Click the link above to submit your assignment. Students, please view the â€Å"Submit a Clickable Rubric Assignment† in the Student Center. Instructors, training on how to grade is within the Instructor Center. Assignment 1: Cost Accounting and Management Decisions Due Week 8 and worth 240 points Conduct research on a U.S. manufacturing company that produces two (2) or more products. Write a five to six (5-6) page paper in which you: 1. Describe the company researched, indicating the primary products manufactured. 2. Examine the effect of changes in the variable cost / fixed cost structure of the company on cost- volume analysis decisions by managers. 3. Analyze the current cost system used by the company to determine manufacturing costs and examine the benefits of using an activity-based cost system over the traditional system for management decisions. 4. Compare the company’s sales and cost of sales forecast to the actual sales and costs of sales in the current financial statement. Evaluate strategies management can implement in response to changing conditions affecting budgetary planning and forecasting. 5. Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources. Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements: 1. Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions. 2. Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the  required assignment page length. The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are: 3. Examine the assumptions of cost-volume-profit analysis. 4. Discuss the allocation of costs to divisions, plants, departments, contracts, and products. 5. Analyze activity-based costing and activity-based management. 6. Analyze the advantage of budgeting, the preparation of a master budget, and other forms of planning. 7. Use technology and information resources to research issues in cost accounting. 8. Write clearly and concisely about cost accounting using proper writing mechanics. Click here to view the grading rubric.

Analysis of “Regret” by Kate Chopin

When It Is too Late â€Å"European and American women in the nineteenth century lived in an age characterized by gender inequality† (Bomarito and Hunter, pars. 1). Women's role in a society was limited to be wives and mothers. But as time went on, things began to change. Women started to have the right of higher education and working (Bomarito and Hunter, pars. 5). They became more independent in their lives without the need of men to support. But the question is that was this change good for women or not? The American author Kate Chopin gave an example of those independent women in her short story â€Å"Regret†.In the story, a woman called Mamzelle Aurelie lived alone in her farm. She has never got married and never had children. But one day the silence in Aurelie's life was broken as she carried the burden of looking after her neighbor's four children for two weeks. One might ask how could she manage to take care of these children since she never had one? In the story Chopin describes the difficulties Aurelie faced and how she finally managed to deal with the children, also how she felt after the children left her alone.In â€Å"Regret†, Chopin uses this description to explore the change in Mamzelle Aurelie's character before and after the arrival of the children and her regret at the past. At the beginning of the story, Chopin describes Mamzelle Aurelie in masculine terms. She was unmarried and never thought of getting married. She was a middle-aged woman with a rugged appearance. â€Å"She wore a man's hat about the farm, and an old blue army overcoat when it was cold, and sometimes topboots† (Chopin 1). She was strong and capable in her every day life.She had a â€Å"determined eye† (Chopin 1), and she lived quite alone except for her dog Panto. She even ran her own farm and supervised her workers. That shows how independent and hardened woman she was. All this description appeared in Aurelie's character before the arriva l of her neighbor's children. After the arrival of the children, Aurelie became aware of the missing part of her character which is womanhood. Those children had arose this suppressed character in Aurelie. At the beginning she did not know how to deal with these children.She treated them as if they were another variety of her farm animal. But soon she realized that â€Å"little children are not little pigs† (Chopin 2). Taking care of the children required the awaken of feminine and maternal aspects in Aurelie's nature that were dormant. Therefore she brought out her â€Å"white aprons† (Chopin 2) and â€Å"got down her sewing-basket†(Chopin 2) to mend the children's clothes. She washed their feet before bed. Told them stories, and even let the youngest sleep with her. At the end of the story, the children had to go back home and leave Mamezlle Aurelie alone again.After they had awaken her maternal instinct, they left her in a great sadness and regret. â€Å"The red sunset and the blue-gray twilight had together flung a purple mist across the fields and road that hid it from her view† (Chopin 3). She realized that the void left by the children could not be filled by her own at the age of fifty. She felt regret for banning herself from a great happiness; she might have done this because she wanted her independence or because she did not find a true love.Now after discovering all these things, â€Å"she let her head fall down upon her bended arm, and began to cry† (Chopin 3). In the short story â€Å"Regret†, the change in Mamzelle Aurelie's character caused her sadness and regret. In her past life, she hid some good aspects of her character  beyond her  appearance. She seemed to be strong and appeared in man's style. But when the children had entered her life, soft sides in her character appeared. At that period , she starts doing things she had never done before.She took care of the children, and spent most of her t ime with them as if she were their mother. In those two weeks, her kind heart and  maternity  instincts revealed. And when the children left her, she realized how much time of her life she had wasted without being a mother and  banning herself from this kind of happiness. Works Cited Primary Chopin, Kate. â€Å"Regret†. New York: The Century Company, 1895. Secondary Bomarito, Jessica, and Jeffrey W. Hunter, ed. â€Å"Women in the 19th Century – Introduction†. Feminism in Literature. Vol. 2. Gale Cengage, 2005. eNotes. com.

Management Information System Essay

The ten major domestic carriers in the United States reported revenue of 145. 3 billion dollars in 2012, according to data gathered by Airlines for America (2012). The combine market capitalization of the twelve largest and publicly traded airlines stood at 48 billion dollars as of April 2012 just four billion greater than the value of Starbucks and way below other companies like Facebook and eBay ( Airlines for America, 2012). Our research will give a detail analysis of the two theories developed by Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter. Porter posited that in order for businesses to compete an in-depth analysis should be done not only of your direct competitors but also external forces that can help a business performance; Porter labelled this as the Five Forces of Competitive Strategy. Another concept developed by Porter was the Value Chain, the Value Chain breaks the business process into two groups, Porter argues that business should analyse the areas of the Value Chain to see where improvements can be made to enhance performance. Our report will show how Southwest Airlines uses Information system in Porters theories and concept to gain competitive advantage Introduction to Southwest Airlines According to information received from Southwest. com (2013), Southwest Airline was incorporated in 1971 by co-founders Rollin King and Herb Kelleher as Air Southwest Company. The company is based in Dallas, Texas and has a staff capacity of over 46,000 persons. The carrier was formed has a low cost domestic carrier originally only flying in the state of Texas before branching out to other US states. From inception Southwest policy business strategy was to offer low fare and conveniently times flights on short haul routes (Ross & Beath, 2007). Today Southwest Airlines flies domestic in the United States to 79 cities. Southwest Airlines is the largest airline in the world by passengers carried, in 2012 over 100 million persons was transported by the airline to different cities in the USA. The airline has being a pioneer in the industry and is credited for setting the foundation for the rise of other low cost carriers across the world like Ryan Air and Easyjet. In an industry where profit margins are very low and different carriers filing for bankruptcy ever so often Southwest has managed to stay above the fray. In almost 40 years of service the airline has consistently turned a profit while other airlines have struggled and has remained one of the world’s most profitable airlines. The airline’s consistent profitability was due to its own ability of low cost on a set per mile basis due to its use of a single aircraft model the Boeing 737 and its fuel hedging program that protect the company from rising fuel prices (Ross & Beath, 2007). Southwest Airlines commands a market capitalization of over nine billion dollars making it one of the most valuable airlines in the world. Southwest credited its success for building a philosophy of simplicity, the company offering of low cost fares kept attracting passengers while its high touch customer service kept them coming back (Ross & Beath, 2007). As the airline grew and its business processes became more complex and with other airlines investing heavily in technology in order to survive Southwest’s CEO at the time realised that a solid IT infrastructure would be essential for the company to achieve its strategic goals and could lower the airline cost without compromising on customer service (Ross & Beath, 2007). Porters Five Force Model for Competitive Strategy Porter’s Five Force Model was developed by Michael Porter, Professor at the Harvard Business School in 1979. According to Porter (1979) the Five Forces is a holistic approach of looking and analysing any industry to understand the structural underlining drivers of profitability and competition. Porter believes that industry players take too much of a narrow look in assessing competition by believing that direct competitors in an industry are the only ones that are important. He uses the five forces model to show how business are engaged in a broader form of competition that can affect their profitability. These broader forces of competition include customers and suppliers who can have certain bargaining powers, new entrants that can emerge in the industry and affect your market share, substitute products or services that can be used and can have a direct effect on your profitability or growth and direct industry rivalry and competition within the industry. According to Hills & Jones (2008) a business’s ability to earn great profits are dependent on the strength of Porters Five Forces, the reverse is also true that a weak competitive force allows for a greater opportunity to make profits. For example, a company that controls a monopoly in a certain geographical area will see greater opportunities for profit, because being a monopoly will eliminate the threat of new entrants, no internal rivalry and low bargaining power of consumers. The greatest issue most businesses will have is to identify changes in the five forces and knowing how to formulate strategies from the opportunities and threats that may arise from the change (Hill & Jones, 2008). The image below illustrates Porter’s Five Force Model. Fig. 1 Source: (Porter, 1979) Threats of Entry in the Airline Industry The domestic airline industry in the United States has intense rivalry between its competitors. Over ten airlines fight for market share with the rivalry completely driven on price. Southwest Airline faces some its greatest competition from fellow low cost airlines such as Spirit air and JetBlue all three compete against each other on direct routes trying to offer the lowest prices and the best service to passengers with very low profit margins. Passenger figures stand at approximately 450 million passengers travelling domestic annually in the United States (International Air Transport Association, 2012). However, Southwest Airlines remained the dominant domestic carrier with a passenger load of over 100 million 2012 (Southwest Airlines, 2012). The competitive nature of the domestic market in the United States has led to the merger of some of its carriers in order to consolidate costs. The most recent merger being that of American Airlines and US Airways and before that it was Continental and United Airlines who joined forces. Barriers to Entry in the Airline Industry Prior to 1978 the airline industry in America was heavily regulated by the United States government and was driven by high prices and empty airlines. Government regulation not only prevented competition among industry players but also created an entry barrier for new airlines, as government regulated routes presented a monopoly for established carriers (Bloomberg Business Week, 2011). In the United States the state of Texas was the only state which never had government regulation in the industry. The deregulation in Texas gave Southwest Airlines an opportunity to enter the market offering its service in the major cities of Texas only (Southwest Airlines, 2012). The deregulation effort that was led by democratic senator Ted Kennedy and signed into law by former President Jimmy Carter saw a dismantling of fare and route controls in 1978 (Bloomberg Business Week, 2011). This deregulation made it increasingly easy for new airlines to enter market and compete. With government control no longer a barrier airlines were able to enter the market once they were able to access the capital that was required and meet the safety standards that were required by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA). However, Michael Porter (2008) in an interview with Harvard Business School described the airline industry as one of the easiest enter with low barriers to entry he pointed out there is a constant stream of new airlines that enter the market regularly despite low profits. Bargaining Power of Suppliers and Customers in the Airline Industry According to Porter (2008) the limited number of suppliers in the airline industry gave a considerable amount of power to the ones that existed. Porter argues that airline suppliers made considerable more profits than airlines themselves. Aircraft manufacturing is dominated by only two major players,’ American company Boeing and French company Airbus. In 2011 both manufactures controlled over 90 per cent of new air craft orders with Airbus dominating at 64 percent (The Guardian, 2012). An airline survival in the industry is also tied considerably to the price of oil which is core to operation. Southwest Airlines use a method of hedging to compete on the price of oil which allows the airline to lock in to contracts at cheaper prices in anticipation of future rises in the world market prices (CNBC, 2012). Other supplier cost that affects performance includes security cost, airport gates and terminal fees and wages to staff. The greater the rivalry among industry players the more fickle customers will become. Customers in the airline industry have tremendous bargaining power and are very price sensitive. The fast pace nature of the industry can allow a customer to switch airlines at any time. Customers were the key beneficiaries from the deregulation of the industry, before the removal of price structure and other regulation, government policy ensured that airlines competed on service and not price (Bloomberg Business Week, 2011). This shifted dramatically with deregulation has new entrants to the markets like Southwest and JetBlue built their business model on low prices which has caused older established companies to lower their own margins. Substitutes Products for Airlines There are a number of substitute services available in the domestic airline industry in America. Substitute products include rail service, water, coaches, private car transportation or refusing to travel. These substitutes provide customers with other alternatives other than flying and are strong competitive forces to the industry. Airlines are therefore forced to show the economical convenience of air travel as oppose to using other means. For example a person travelling on business who places great value on time could find it more efficient to fly instead of using substitutes. Airfares offered by low cost airlines like Southwest are also competitive with other substitute products. The Value Chain Analysis Along with the Five Forces Michael Porter also developed the Generic Value Chain as a means of understanding competitiveness in the business industry. The Value Chain is aimed at helping us understand how goods and services move through an organization and how value is added to them. According to Porter the Value Chain represents a business process that comes along with a product (Porter, 1985). The main aim has articulated by Porter (1985) is to find sources for a company’s competitive advantage by dividing the company into several activities in the business process which are all strategically relevant to the goods or services provided. The business process is divided into primary and secondary areas. Primary activities include areas directly related to getting the product to the consumer. Inbound logistics is the acquisition of the raw materials that are necessary to provide the product or service. Southwest inbound logistics include areas such as route selection, flight and crew scheduling, fuelling, acquiring aircrafts and ticket management systems. Operation generally refers to the physical actions that are required to produce the service once all the raw materials are acquired. Southwest Airlines operations include a variety of actions to provide its service. It covers the airlines customer care services, gate operations, air craft operations and maintenance and baggage handling. Outbound logistics involves moving goods into inventory and places where they can reach customers. Southwest Airlines outbound logistics includes website for booking tickets, connecting passengers on flights, offering, baggage collection systems and other gate services. Other areas Primary agents of the value chain include marketing and sales and services. Marketing and sales involves the initiation of buying the product by utilizing advertising, promoting and monitoring sales (Porter, 1985). Therefore any advertising, promotional activity or deals and incentives offered by the airline will fall under marketing and sales activities. While service involves handling of customer relations once the product or service is in the hand of the consumer these include handling customer complaints, handling special request from customers such as disability requests or dealing with elements such as flight delays and cancellations. The secondary activities are important in creating a product or service but are not directly involved in its creation. Procurement is responsible for buying the raw materials for the company it can include computers furnisher and other fix assets which are essential to the value chain, the act of procurement according to Porter is normally carried out by management or the sales department (Porter, 1985). Technology support activity includes research and development that could lead to product development for the primary areas of the value chain, human resources role provides the company with essential staff to carry out functions while infrastructure involves the processes and procedures needed to execute the business process for example payroll and account (Porter, 1985). The purpose of this process is to analyse all the aspects of the Value Chain and determine if improvements can be made to increase the profitability and performance of the business. For example, Southwest Airlines could look at a value chain and determine if they could reduce the speed at which it check in passengers to flights to reduce turnaround time or increasing the speed of operating procedures such as maintenance and refuelling. Value Chain is a structured way to look at improving the business process and information systems can play a key role in this effort.

Civil War (Ken Burns Review) Essay

Episode V ,†The Universe of Battle†, of The Civil War series directed by Ken Burns reflects on how the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 was a major turning point in the Civil War. He details how the Union defeat at Gettysburg, the work of women, and the entry of black men into the Union army enabled the North to significantly weaken the Confederacy. The Union and Confederacy both suffered thousands of casualties in the bloody battles that took place. However, by the end of 1863, the North was led to a â€Å"new birth of freedom† while the South had to come to the realization that the â€Å"bottom rail was on top†, now. Burns begins the episode with the first of three battles that took place in the rural town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on July 1, 1863. The Union was led by Commander Meade who served under General Grant and the Confederacy by General Lee. Due to Lee’s commanders not delivering tactical support on the first day of battle, the North was able to hold their high ground, but did this not compare to what was going to happen in the following two days. The second day of battle the number of soldiers present in Gettysburg grew substantially, on both sides. A significant part of this battle is when the Union stopped the Confederacy form gaining position of Little Round Top. This was long day of battle, whole regiments in the Confederacy were lost this day. By third day of battle Lee was acting as if he was invincible and this was detrimental for his men. Union soldiers slaughtered the Confederacy and they never entered that far into Union territory again. Lee had failed his men and he knew it. This must have been very hard on Lee. It was shocking to hear that he tried to resign after he lost this battle. I thought it was very interesting that the Confederacy’s need for shoes is was what led them in to Gettysburg. I bet they never thought that the result of this stop would end up in 150,000 men fighting 51,000 men dying in the greatest battle ever fought in the northern hemisphere. The actual pictures, paintings, and simulated video used while describing these battles were really good and the helped me to gain a sense of what it was like to be there. I also enjoyed the irony in the fact that the North entered Gettysburg from the south and the South entered from the north. It was also interesting that the troops fighting over the Little Round Top were both from equal distances from Gettysburg in the opposite directions. Next, the importance of women supporting the war was examined. Women not only held down the farms and houses when the men were off at war, but many women also left their homes to care for the soldiers. In the north women started the Sanitary Commission and demanded better treatment and better food for the soldiers. This commission was made up of hundreds and thousands of women. In the south Sally Tompkins and a staff of six, nursed 1,333 wounded men. Unlike the North, the South did not have a Sanitary Commission and most men were treated in houses. In the north, Mary Ann Bickerdyke was a important female figure in the war. She traveled with the Union army for four years and sixteen battles. General Sherman stated, â€Å"She ranks me†. This statement by Sherman was extraordinary, especially for this era. It makes me happy that she received the credit that was due to her. Many women served as nurses, food gathers, and cooks, but I am exceptionally impressed with Mary Ann Bickerdyke’s story. I imagine she gave up a lot and the fact that she stayed strong during all of the gruesome battles she saw really says a lot about her character. Following the role of women in the Civil War, Burns details the forty-eight day siege of Vicksburg. During this battle the residents of Vicksburg were cut off from the world and were in desperate need of supplies. When Union had control over the well being of the Vicksburg residents, 31,000 Confederate soldiers under the command of General John C. Pemberton withdrew due to the concern of the health of the Vicksburg residents. The Union victory of this battle was significant because the Confederacy was now cut in two. I was surprised that Pemberton was a northern man fighting for the Confederacy. I would expect that soldiers would support their states. I also found it very interesting that after this siege, the fourth of July would not be celebrated in Vicksburg for eighty-one years. That is just crazy to me! Burns goes on to examine the first black regiment and the first federal draft call. In New York, a mostly Irish mob held an uprising over the draft. They were opposed to abolition because they feared blacks taking their jobs. It also made them angry that the draft favored the rich in that they could easily hire substitutes to take their place. Meanwhile, the uprising in New York was ended and the enlistment of the first blacks into the Union army had begun, this was a huge blow to the Confederacy. However, the blacks did not receive fair treatment, but they were key to the war. I am not surprised that black soldiers would fight without pay, but it was surprising that they declined it because it was not equal to the pay of the white soldiers. I like the pictures of the black soldiers. You could see by their facial expressions that their pride was different from that of the white men. In some of their pictures some of them were actually smiling unlike the pictures of white soldiers I have seen. I think it because they were truly happy to be fighting for their cause. Frederick Douglass put it best when he stated that blacks were, â€Å"the pivot upon which the whole rebellion turns, this war, disguise it as they may, is virtually nothing more or less then perpetual slavery against universal freedom and to this end the free states will have to come.† The 650 men of the all black 54th Massachusetts regiment proved to the Union that blacks were useful soldiers during the battle at Battery Wagner in South Carolina. Even though the Confederates were ahead in this battle, the battle ultimately ended in a protracted siege that was enabled by the 54th. It was because of their battle other black regiments were deemed worthy to fight. Finally, the episode ends with Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. On November 19, 1863 Lincoln delivered one of the most memorable speeches in American history. Lincoln declared the love he had for his people and his unwavering pursuit for equality in just 269 words. I never realized that this speech was just a â€Å"side speech† at a dedication ceremony. It is almost unbelievable that Lincoln thought that this was a failed speech considering that even today most Americans know at least the first line of the Gettysburg Address. It is a shame that the photographer was not able to capture him delivering his speech, it would have been a great image to reflect upon today.

Rogerian Argument on The Chinese in all of Us Essay

Rogerian Argument on The Chinese in all of Us - Essay Example He thinks that there is no such thing as multiculturalism, there is only a melting pot and all the cultures go in and a different culture(s) emerges. The theme is relevant to all, as everyone supposedly belongs to some culture or race. If the only constant is change then what is a culture anyway? If certain tradition, style of speaking, food and dress remains specific to a place for a certain amount of time, does it mean it will always stay that way, if this is not true then what happened to the Stone Age culture and hunting with spears made of bone and wood? Shouldn’t we all hold on to our ‘true culture’? Rodriguez is right in his reasoning because he grew up in America, born to a Mexican family. He lived through all of the cultural amalgamation in the US. There are no hard and fast rules to cultures anymore. Probably there is no culture after all, but the culture of change and evolution. Rodriguez is right in arguing that there is no multiculturalism, it is just a haze. He astoundingly explains this to an interviewer who asks him if he considers himself as Hispanic or American, and he replies, Chinese. That is what he grew up with; a little bit of this and a little bit of that. He is born to Mexican parents and goes to an American school (where he’s shown to speak ‘proper’ English) and has Chinese neighbors. The ‘proper’ English even teaches him how to say his own name as the school teacher writes his name on the board and reads it out loud and asks him to follow along, so that the whole class gets familiar with his name and he gets to say his name in a certain accent; the ‘proper’ accent, this is what the culture (or multiculture) is all about. However, certain things remain specific to certain cultures, for instance Asian culture is very different from the Western culture; â€Å"Many Asian cultures have distinct conceptions of individuality that insist on the fundamental relatedness of indiv iduals to each other. The emphasis is on attending to others, fitting in, and harmonious interdependence with them.† (Markus and Kitayama, 1991) But there is something in the world that brings together different cultures, the melting pot. The author frequently uses the term melting pot and prefers it over common culture or multiculture. The term melting pot represents the trend in culture in a better way. The author has introduced two different views about the ‘melting pot theory’, one is positive while the other has some negativity attached to it. The author says that the melting pot has changes people. When someone goes into it, their identity is lost. An African will not remain African after the melting pot treatment. The loss of identity or separation from the origin is what he refers to as something which he doesn’t look forward to. He accepts it only because of its inevitability. The inevitable side of the ‘identity loss’ makes sense. Thi s world belongs to everyone; it would be ridiculous to think that certain race will remain in a certain piece of land for all eternity; an impossibility. They will eventually travel to some other part of this world. And when they live with the other ‘cultures’ they will take some part of it and will give some of theirs; â€Å"Even while America changes the immigrants, the immigrants are changing us† (Rodriguez) The other way Rodriguez sees the melting pot is somewhat of a miracle pot. A person goes in it and comes out as something different. The pot has magical powers, but he question is; does it bring people closer or pushes them away? Clearly it brings them closer at the cost of the so called ‘identity’. The only thing wrong with this approach is when people are forced to adapt to certain norms. They have their own culture and lifestyle, why would the dominant culture suppress it