Evaluate the actions of the Spanish, French, English, and Dutch Essay

Evaluate the actions of the Spanish, French, English, and Dutch explorers and colonizers. Be sure to consider their impact on the native peoples, the environme - Essay Example New trade routes were a necessity in competing with other European countries. Trade of European goods for spices and other goods not available in Europe were in high demand. An explorer who opened up or discovered a new trade route was handsomely compensated by their government. Wilkenson (2002, p. 20) explains â€Å"more and more explorers tried to open up trade routes.† Faster trade routes to countries with raw materials were valuable. The faster a ship could reach a country with valuable resources, the sooner they could beat other countries wanting the same materials. Riches also drove the explorers. They were searching for gold, silver, spices, and other natural resources. Abernethy (2002, p. 211) explains how these explorations were â€Å"leading Spain and Portugal to vie in the early sixteenth century for spice-rich islands off Asia’s southeast coast†. Tales of streets of gold and diamonds lying on the ground made it back to Europe. Although the Europeans did not believe such tales, the explorations were popular. Abernethy (2002, p. 191) reports â€Å"led Europeans to ask more insistently whether statements about the world were supported by the evidence. Maritime exploration having paid rich and unexpected dividends.† The expense was being returned ten fold on ships funded for exploration. Spices, gold, diamonds, and other natural resources were being sold at a fraction of the cost to obtain them. These explorers were treasure hunting for their governments, with the dividends paying off richly. The problem with the Europeans finding riches was where the riches were located. The natural resources were located in North and South America, Africa, and other lands not yet explored by Europeans. The natives they met were exotic. However, the Europeans easily conquered these new cultures in order to take their natural resources. Suddenly, the natives were second class citizens in their own

Comparing and Contrasting The Conflict Scenes in Great Expectations and Of Mice and Men Essay Example for Free

Comparing and Contrasting The Conflict Scenes in Great Expectations and Of Mice and Men Essay A major point in each of these films are the fight or conflict scenes and although they appear in different points in the story they still have an equally large effect on the main story line. In of Mice and Men this conflict between Curley and Lennie is really not cause by any major factors apart from the fact that Curley is a bully. He only chooses to pick on Lennie because he thinks he can win either way when picking on a big man, because if he wins he has won the fight, and if he looses he can say he won to a larger opponent. This is why Curley picks Lennie when in fact all the others were the ones who were being critical of him. All Lennie had to do was smile to make Curley hit him! You could say he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, which is exactly what Pip was in Great Expectations this was what caused Magwitch to pick on Pip. Magwitch was not retaliating to anything Pip had done in the same way that Curley was not retaliating to anything that Lennie had done, although he does make the false accusation that Lennie was laughing at him. We do not know any past history about Great Expectations apart from the fact that Pips mother and father are dead although this really does not have anything to do with this conflict. We find out later that Magwitch is an escaped convict and so he was merely trying to get food. In of Mice and Men, however, we do know some past history behind the conflict. Curleys wife is a flirt but Curley doesnt seem to realise this so when people say something about his wife he feels confronted and in this case he releases his aggression physically and he releases it on Lennie because he thinks that is the fight he is least likely to loose. The two combatants in the conflict scene from of Mice and Men are Lennie and Curley. Curley comes across as a small muscular ex-boxer who is quick on his feat and very intentionally aggressive. Lennie on the other hand is portrayed as a large soft figure who is naive, innocent and very dependant (on his travelling partner George) and is therefore never intention ally aggressive towards anyone. The men are almost total opposites of each other; this is similar to the end of Great Expectations where Magwitch, the ex-convict meets up with the perfect gentleman he has produced, who happens to be his former combatant Pip from the beginning of the book. In Great Expectations Magwitch is presented as particularly dangerous person at first however later in the book we realise he is in fact a complicated person who was never really trying to hurt anyone. He was obviously born into this social class where he was bound to end up having to steal for food anyway and in fact later in the story he says his earliest memory was stealing cabbages from a farmers patch! So when it comes to Magwitch being a criminal, he really didnt have any choice in the matter. Pip, who the story is about is portrayed as a person with as the story is named Great Expectations, he doesnt seem to be happy with growing up to be just an average worker. So it really must be an amazingly kind and dedicated man, who despite being a convict, manages to produce this perfectly crafted young gentleman. Which in the end causes Magwitch to be executed when he comes over to see what all his money and effort has produced. A main feature in of Mice and Men is the words and phrases used to describe and create atmosphere in relation to the conflict scene between Curley and Lennie. This includes many references and comparisons between the two men and animals. It starts near the beginning of the conflict when Curley tries to intimidate Lennie by walking over and staring at Lennie. In The book Steinbeck describes it by writing, Curley stepped over to Lennie like a terrier. This is a good simile as it really does emphasise Curleys small but snappy character. Then later on when Curley has started hitting Lennie Steinbeck describes Lennie as Bleating. Later on in the fight, however, when Lennie fights back and grabs Curleys hand, this action is described in the book as Curleys fist being lost in Lennies paw. Also as a consequence of this action Curley ends up, Flopping like a fish! This may not be intentional by Steinbeck but bears are a natural predator of fish, which would agree with the comparisons. Yet we already know that Curleys, natural targets have been bigger men, so it is a contrast of this when Curley himself becomes the prey. In the conflict scene in this book there are a lot of verbs to suggest Curleys boxing career, for example on page 66 when Curley first starts to hit Lennie it says, Curley was balanced and poised. He slashed at Lennie with his left, and then smashed down his nose with a right! All these words show that Curley really was just beating Lennie up at this point. Lennie was not retaliating at all; he was just taking the huge blows from Curley. Its seems as if he does not realise that he can fight back, Lennie gave a cry of terror. George He cried Make him let me alone George as he backed up against the wall Lennie, even when in the most dangerous and threatening situations where you would have though natural instinct would set in, still calls for Georges guidance or help. It is Lennies lack of ability to do things for himself, which eventually leads to his downfall. The language also plays a big part in the story, In Great Expectations the words and phrases also play a big part in displaying the action happening during the conflict although generally they are used to show the actions and feelings of the characters rather than the physical conflict because the conflict in this story is less dramatic. For example phrases such as, I pleaded in terror! I was dreadfully frightened. and He muttered then considering. all show emotional or mental states which do help you imagine the situation however the actual physical action is not portrayed as if it was extremely violent which is because although it is a conflict, the two combatants are not really engaging in any kind of physical fight. The most dramatic thing that happens in this meeting is when Magwitch grabs Pip and shakes him upside down by his ankles, which probably hurt Pip somewhat. All that is said about this in the story however, is, He turned me upside down and emptied my pockets. this does not make it sound particularly dramatic. This is because it is not done as an intentionally hurtful thing to try and cause harm to Pip it is just Magwitch trying to get food from Pip. Even when Pip is defending himself, it is never physically. There are only two times when he really tries to stop Magwitch from hurting him and the first of these is at the top of page 2when he says, Dont cut my throat sir, and then on page 3 when he says, If you would kindly please to let me keep upright, sir, perhaps I shouldnt be sick, and perhaps I could attend more. In both of these instances Pip regards his attacker with the utmost of respect and tries to reason with him despite the fact that this man he has never met has threatened to kill him. In this way the language shows the reader how Pip feels and how they are behaving, whereas in of Mice and Men we get mainly a physical side to the fight because that conflict is a lot more actual fighting than in the conflict between Pip and Magwitch. In Great Expectations there are no other characters watching when the actual conflict occurs and so the meeting is a lot less about show than it is in of Mice and Men where Curley is really just trying to show the other men that he is still a good fighter and is in charge physically as well as being the bosses son. This fails though, when Lennie successfully retaliates. There are a lot more people who have a role in the conflict in of Mice and Men than there are in Great Expectations. In Great Expectations Pips has done nothing to provoke the attack and he does not have any real family who could have done so and Magwitch is a convict. The only person we could say, that had a role in this conflict would be the person who Magwitch escaped with because he was the one who helped him escaped and who Magwitch said the food was for. Although this escaped partner turns out to be the person who lets him down by giving him in to the police. In of Mice and Men George is another main character that plays a big role in this conflict. Because Lennie is so dependant on George, he has to stay around him all the time or he may do something which will end up with them leaving their jobs or having to leave town. He gives Lennie all the right advice about Curley, yet Curley still finds an excuse to hit him. So George is entirely just in telling Lennie to hit back in this situation. Even though he doesnt do it at first, in the end Lennie fights back and with incredible force. Seeing as Lennie takes every instruction from George, you could say it was George who was fighting back against Curley because if it werent for him then Lennie would have just sat back and taken the beating until he was knocked out or until someone stepped in. Another character who had a role in this conflict was Curleys wife. Curley does not know how to control her flirting and so he just tries to make everyone to scared to even talk to his wife. This works with the workers and they wont go near her but this makes her try harder to get their attention. This is what puts Curley in a bad mood before the conflict because they all gang up on him about his wife. Ironically the only person who doesnt say anything is Lennie and he is the one who Curley picks to beat up. This conflict in of Mice and Men makes us think that Curley has got his comeuppance and that Lennie is some kind of hero because we naturally feel sorry for the underdog who triumphs over a cocky adversary. We feel a justice has been done and this makes us want to know what Curley is going to do to get back at him. All through the story I think we know that Lennie is going to eventually kill someone so we are always looking for who we think it will be. This conflict makes us proud of Lennie for beating Curley although we still feel sorry for him despite the fact that he has just physically assaulted and seriously injured another human being. I t is strange how Steinbeck gets us to feel this range of emotions through a relatively simple fight. We want to know what will happen next and it brings action to the book which makes us think that the end will be even more dramatic. In great expectations we are given an opening to the story. We know almost nothing about the plot yet we want to read on to find out what relevance this conflict has to the main story line, almost like the chase at the beginning of a James Bond movie. We are enjoying the action and we are introduced to the main character but we still want to find out what the main plot is going to be afterwards. This is not the main action in the story but it is still important. This is the same in of Mice and Men where we know this conflict between Curley and Lennie is not the main action but it is still important and makes us want to know what is going to happen to the characters at the end of the story. The conflict in of Mice and Men is more about catharsis than reso lution; Steinbeck is not trying to solve a problem by showing you this fight, which is a climax of the story so far. He is also not showing you a happy ending to the fight; he is posing a problem, which to some extent is never solved throughout the book. By showing the reader Lennies attempt at doing something bad we actually see what a good person he is by the way he reacts afterwards and even during the conflict. He cries and shouts; as if he has no control over what he is doing to Curley. This is the main theme of the book and once you can see this, you can start to empathise and eventually feel sorry for Lennie, which I think is Steinbecks overall aim in the story. By bringing out Lennies bad side, the author is showing a side of the character that happiness cannot. However when it comes to Lennie, this shows us that he does not have a really bad part to his personality. It is almost through being innocent, that Lennie appears not to be to blame, as he is not clever enough to have unjust just anger towards someone. Although at the same time it is because of his innocents and naivety that he doesnt realise all he has to do is let go, and the madness will stop. However no matter how you look at this Innocent/Harmful side of Lennie, it is still is what causes all the deaths in this book. Yet not one of these deaths or injuries is caused by Lennie intentionally trying to hurt another human being apart from when he hurts Curleys hand in this conflict. It is the only time we really see Lennie intentionally doing some harm, and this is only after being beaten up by an ex-professional boxer and then told to do it by George! So in this way the conflict is not really solving anything. This is exactly the same as in Great Expectations where we see Magwitch stealing food from Pip. Dickens is showing us the bad side of this character right from the start and at first glance we assume he is an evil criminal and a bad person. However if we look closer we see that the bad side of this person is actually not trying to be bad and scary, its just how it looks. For example the first thing Magwitch says is, Hold Your Noise! Cried A Terrible Voice. The word terrible makes us assume that this person is bad but really he is just trying to make Pip be quiet so he does not cause any attention to himself. He is only robbing Pip for food; he is stealing for survival. So he is not actually trying to do a bad thing. Like how Lennie never does bad things intentionally in of Mice and Men. The conflict scenes in both these books are not about intentional harm or causing pain to another person (with exception of what Curley is doing to Lennie); they are about people doing these things because they have to, not out of choice. The stories make you empathise with the main combatants despite the fact they are doing something wrong.

Battle Of Long Island :: essays research papers

The Battle of Long Island took place on August 27, 1776. The American outpost of Colonel Edward Hand's sent word that the British were preparing to cross Long Island from Staten Island on August 22, at dawn. There were three frigates, the Phoenix, Rose, and Greyhound, and two bomb ketches named Carcass and Thunder, in Gravesend Bay. The frigates were anchored in the Namews. British generals Cornwallis and Clinton had a force of 4,000 men that included Von Donop's corps of jaegers and grenadiers. The force started crossing to Denyse Point and they were covered by the guns of the H.M.S. Rainbow. Two hundred men of Edward Hand's withdrew to Prospect Hill, destroying the property and supplies that the British might use. The British boats returned to Staten Island and landed in Gravesend Bay with more then 5000 men. By noon, they had landed almost 5,000 men and about 40 cannons safely on shore. The Americans couldn't defend themselves and were pushed back. The American forces were distributed on the evening before the battle. Their forces had a total strength of 550 in the area of Gowanus Road. To the left in the Flatbush Pass there were 1,000 troops, and to the right at Bedford Pass there was a force of 800 men with only 3 guns. In the early morning hours on August 27, the Americans fired on a few British soldiers who were near the Red Lion Inn. A few hours later, the Americans were attacked by 200-300 British troops. These attacks started the battle. General Howe was trying to distract the Americans so that Grant could attack; the plan worked. This lead to a battle between Grant and Alexander. Though Alexander only had 1,600 men, he was smart to organize his men into the open, European style, rather than just hiding them behind cover. Grant, on the other hand, had 7,000 men, which meant that they were superior to the Americans. At the end of this battle, there were only 12 dead, and 5 wounded. The Americans were waiting to be attacked again. The British had marched to Bedford, and were now behind the Americans. They had marched over 9 miles, with 10,000 men, and the Americans never detected them. Somehow the Germans (Hessians) on the British side began attacking the Americans. The Americans traveled along Port Road to Brooklyn because it was one of the few roads still open.

The Very First Day of School (1945) Essay -- Personal Narrative

   My mother took me to school on my first day. Mother had been telling me for weeks prior to the big day how wonderful school was going to be, so I was dutifully excited. She failed to mention that she was going to leave me with seventeen little strangers and one large lady. The large lady seemed to think that she was in control. I later learned that she was the teacher. She was trying to explain to Mother that I was not eligible to attend first grade because I would not be six until November of the following year. My mother was having none of that. She wanted me out of the house and into school and she did not care what the rules were. We had just moved from New Orleans to the woods of St. Helena Parish, where school had started two weeks before we arrived. Although it was 1945 in the rest of the world, it was still 1920 in St. Helena. Our home in New Orleans had had indoor plumbing, a gas stove, and electric heaters. In the country, however, we had an outhouse. Every drop of water we used was pumped and carried inside. We chopped wood for our stove and heaters. The back breaking, never ending labor did not bother me as much as having to live in such a degrading manner. I hated the woods. I missed the comforts of the city and I hated the primitive conditions of our new country life. I missed my good-natured little playmates who had treated me so kindly for the first five years of my life. I missed the gentle accents spoken in soft voices by my friends and neighbors, and the endless hours of playtime that we enjoyed. But now I was going to have to go to school! For a while, I thought the rule that a child had to be six before entering the first grade would rescue me. School rules back then, li... ... At lunchtime, I offered to share my cookies with a very angry girl. She had been staring at them ever since I had taken them out of their wax paper wrapping. They were only vanilla wafers, and certainly were not my favorite. She told me that she had never tasted store bought cookies, and pronounced them fit for a king. She became my lifetime friend and protector. She remained an angry person, but seldom got angry with me. The big boy dumped me in the fifth grade for a girl who had matured very early. The first day of school, I learned these valuable lessons. Accents only sound strange to people who have different accents. Never bother arguing with my mother. Crying does not help, but sometime you just have to do it anyway. A little sweetness can make an angry person nicer. Flattery goes a long way with a guy; sometimes it can even go as far as the fifth grade.

Gender, Race, and Religion in the Colonization of the Americas Essay

Colonization is associated with the occupation of a foreign land. The definition of colonization is broad. However, it is used in the materialist and the traditionalist sense, rather than the metaphorical, to refer to the expropriation and exploitation of land and/or resources by one group over another. Various countries and continents fell under the York of colonization, and one such case is the African continent. The motivation for European’s colonization of different regions such as Africa was a combination of curiosity, missionary effects, scientific inquiry, exploitation of natural resources, and philanthropic desire to bring progress to Africa and its inhabitants. This is as per the definition of the Europeans. While Christianity and some desire to promote commerce were primary drivers of European interest in Africa, the dominating view was one of laissez-faire politics, assuming that contact with Europe and the desire to trade and interchange would stimulate African dev elopment. Beginning 1800 European powerhouses such as Britain, France, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Germany, and the Netherlands expanded their rule and influence to different parts of Africa. This led to the rise of colonial rule that affected nearly all institutions, politics, and social settings including growth and control of certain industries, government structures, education systems and health practices (Udeze, 2009). In the early periods of the twentieth century, European governments were claiming sovereignty over all, but six of the roughly forty political units into which the African continent had been divided by European missionaries and exploration. By doing this, these countries had already begun to lay claim to African territory, and this may have been attributed more to their competition with each other in Europe as opposed to the desire of developing colonies. In large part, the main focus of the colonial powers was to extract resources from Africa such as ivory, rubber, ores et c etera. In the case of colonization in Africa, there has been a significant debate about the impact of colonialism in Africa. In the grand scheme of the continent’s history, the colonial era lasted a short time –less than a century. The Eurocentric scholars often gave the early accounts of the colonial period in Africa and they emphasized the positive impacts of colonization by focusing on the introduction of new technology, civilizing mission, medical advances, and the onset of modernity. On the other hand, the era of African nationalism resulted in the emergence of Afrocentric and Marxist analysis of colonization in Africa that was hardly sympathetic to the European point of view. In general, these studies concluded that the colonial era interrupted Africa’s natural development and condemned the continent to stagnation and continued exploitation. That being said, it is clear that colonization in Africa came with its fair share of positive and negative outcomes alike. The nature of economic activities promoted during the colonial period caused the spread of cash crop agriculture, which in some cases allowed Africans to acquire wealth and raise their standard of living. Economically speaking, colonialism fostered the construction of economic infrastructure –roads, railroads, telegraph, and ports. However, the purposeful emphasis on cash crop agriculture impeded industrial development in Africa. This is because European nations did not want industrial competition. Furthermore, Africa’s integration into a world economy resulted in a system that encouraged Africans to produce what they could not use and use what they did not produce, creating national economies extremely susceptible to an economic crisis. America is another classical example of countries that were subjected to colonialism. American was a former colony of the British. Some of the most heated debates about colonization in America concerned whether this was primarily a form of gradual emancipation and a conservative alternative to abolitionism, or whether it is understood as a racist movement that ultimately reinforced slavery in America. Through colonization, America was able to realize its economic potential and today it is one the leading economies across the globe. Furthermore, colonization in America led to the introduction of an employee benefits program that helps to add to economic stability whereby the income and welfare of American families are guaranteed (Yarema, 2006). However, it cannot go without saying that the colonization of America increased the widespread of slavery that is often considered as a negative impact of colonialism in America. A lot of people from Africa were shipped to America to work as slaves. In its most benevolent formulations, the colonization movement proposed that, due to prejudice within the United States, free blacks and those who worked as slaves could not experience the full benefits of freedom, equality, or citizenship in America. This acted as a catalyst for racism, and some African-Americans did agree that the best course would be to leave the country and start freshly in Africa. In other cases, slaveholders made colonization a condition of manumission, leaving African-American women and men with the choice between slavery and Liberia (Jaffary, 2007). Other than slavery, the other negative impact of colonization in America is that it was premised on the assumption that a multiracial republic could not function prope rly. Effects of one culture trying to colonize the other are bound occur in one way or the other. The subject of colonization in the African historical experience; should explain why every cultural trend discovered in Africa by later observers should not be simply tagged as original African culture and the tradition of the group living it; or of Africa as a whole. The strongest arguments are based on the dramatic change and twists inflicted on the original African culture by the acts of colonization by the West in the history of Black Africa. As a result of Europeans invading Africa on the pretext of exploration, this did not only retard the steady growth of the original African cultures, it created confusion, a distortion and a form of syncretism. Based on the incompatible nature of these two cultures, the Europeans amalgamated cultures indiscriminately. This act of colonization inflicted an enormous long-term suppression on the totality of the African cultures colonized, and effected an extensive implant of the colonizing foreign cultures that are better referred to as Western cultures. The act of one culture colonizing the other cannot escape the fact that culture is a man-made reality; thus, it is a product of man. Each culture has its specific imperfections. The situation becomes worse when one culture, with all its imperfections, imposes itself indiscriminately on another culture; thus permeates its victims with its own imperfections; hence, proliferating evil and imperfections (Rieder, 2008). Because of the indifference of these two cultures, the European colonizers treated Africa as only a vast extension of land mass and paid very little or no attention to the people occupying that land mass except when they could consider them as a commercial vehicle or as any other means and instrument of making their insatiable material cravings come to fruition within the grips of their fingers. References Jaffary, N.E. (2007). Gender, Race, and Religion in the Colonization of the Americas. Burlington: Ashgate Publishing. Rieder, J. (2008). Colonialism and the Emergence of Science Fiction. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press. Udeze, B. (2009). Why Africa?: A Continent in a Dilemma of Unanswered Questions. Xlibris Corporation. Yarema, A. E. (2006). American Colonization Society: An Avenue to Freedom? Maryland: University Press of America. Source document

The Arctic Essays - Arctic, Artic, Pollution, Lichen, Sea

The Arctic Essays - Arctic, Artic, Pollution, Lichen, Sea The Arctic The Artic Introduction. The Artic is a region at the upper most tip of the Northern Hemisphere. The Artic includes the area around Greenland, USSR, Canada and Alaska. Much of the Artic circle is permanently frozen ice. The Artic is a pristine environment, clean and void of human interference. However as humans move into these areas and begin to extract what ever they can be balance can be tipped, resulting in pollution and destruction of the environment. Climate. The Artic winters much longer than the Summer. In the winter the sun never rises and in the summer it never sets. The average temperature for the Artic is zero degrees of less. Industry and the Artic. There was once a time when the land of the Artic Circle was considered useless and only hospitable to those native to it. However once vast quantities of oil and fish had been found there was a rush of interest in the land. Fishing in the Artic has occurred for thousands of years but in recent years man has been fishing the Artic; in greater numbers and taking more fish. Professional fishermen are taking all kinds of fish as well as whales and seals. In some areas fishermen have become so efficient at their job that quotas have needed to be put on to limit or stop the capture of certain animals. There are many mineral deposits within the Artic Circle. In Russia: nickel, iron ore, apatite, diamonds, gold, tin, coal, mica, and tungsten. In Sweden: iron ore. In Greenland: lead, zinc, molybdenum and cryolite. Spitsbergen: coal. Canada: uranium, copper, nickel, lead, zinc, tungsten and iron ore. The digging out of minerals would inevitably disturb the natural habitat as well as the environment there would be a great cost to maintain the site. Industry that is designed to process various minerals have waste products that would be most unwelcome in the Artic. A good example of this is the pollution that has arisen as a result of the smelting of metals in the Artic. It is for this reason that there is very little industry in the Artic. However Russia, Canada, Greenland and Iceland have several small scale manufacturing plants. The largest industry in the Artic is oil. The rush began in 1968 when a large oil field was discovered, there was a great deal of protest but the development went ahead. Oil extracted from the felid makes its way to Port Valdez via a 1300 kilometre pipeline. Although steps were taken to limit the pipelines affect on the environment it still disrupts the migration of caribou. In 1989 the unthinkable happened and the super tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground spilling millions of gallons of crude oil into the Prince William Sound. The effects of the slick were devastating. Within a week workers counted 24000 dead sea birds and 1000 sea otters. The effects of the slick were felt throughout the food chain from photoplankton to bears. The Exxon company funded the clean up but there was no compensation for the hundreds of people that lost their job as a result of the slick. Pollution of the Artic A large threat to the Artic is transboundry pollution and bioaccumulation. These are both complex subjects but are easily explained. Transboundry pollution is the pollution of the Artic from other countries. The ocean currents and wind conditions result in large amounts of pollution being deposited in the Artic. In winter when the sun is low thick blankets of haze can be seen over the Artic. Bioaccumulation is the process where pollutants build up in the Artic because they cannot be broken down due to the extreme cold. Once harsh chemicals find their way into the food chain they stay there forever, trapped in the animals and sediments. A result of increased pollutants in the atmosphere is the occurrence of acid rain. Sulphur and Nitrogen dioxides drift from developed countries and when they mix with water in the atmosphere they can produce acid rain as strong as lemon juice. The acid snow melts in summer and spring producing an acid shock that can kill animals and plants alike. In 1986 the nuclear reactor in Chernoybl exploded sending a nuclear cloud into the atmosphere that among other places contaminated plants and animals in the Artic region. Particularly affected were lichens, lichens are a plant that makes up the majority of a reindeers' diet. When the reindeers ate the lichens they became radioactive and many thousands had to be shot. Tourism vs conservation. In the battle between tourism and conservation, tourism seems to always win. However in the Artic tourism has so far had little effect (compared to other human activity) on the

The FAO-organised World Food Conference in 1974 The WritePass Journal

The FAO-organised World Food Conference in 1974 Introduction The FAO-organised World Food Conference in 1974 IntroductionConclusionRelated Introduction The acceptance of the term at the FAO-organised World Food Conference in 1974 has led to a growing literature on the subject, most of which grab ‘food security’ as an unproblematic starting point from which to address the persistence of so-called ‘food insecurity’ (Gilmore Huddleston, 1983; Maxwell, 1990; 1991; Devereux Maxwell, 2001). A common activity followed by academics specialising in food security is to debate the suitable definition of the term; a study undertaken by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) cites over 200 competing definitions (Smith et al., 1992). Simon Maxwell, who has produced work commonly referenced as foundational to food security studies (Shaw, 2005), distinguishes three paradigm shifts in its meaning: ‘from the global/national to the household/individual; from a food first perspective to a livelihood perspective; and from objective indicators to subjective perceptions’ (Maxell, 1996; Devereux Maxwell, 2001). A primary focus on food supplies as the major cause of food insecurity was given credence at the 1974 World Food Conference (McCaston et al., 1998). But the limitations of this supply focus came to light during the food crisis that plagued Africa in the mid-1980’s and the paradigm shifted to explore individual and household food security as opposed to food security from a national perspective (Argeà ±al, no date) and the household food security approach emphasized both availability and stable access to food. Research work carried out in the late 1980s and early 1990s also focused on food and nutritional security (Frankenberger, 1992). It showed that food is only one factor in the malnutrition equation, and that, in addition to dietary intake and diversity, health and disease and maternal and child care are also important determinants (UNICEF, 1990). Thus, the evolution of the concepts and issues related to household food and nutritional security led to the development of the concept of household livelihood security (McCaston et al., 1998). Until the late 1980s, most practitioners and theorists were focusing on a 2,100 calories a day standard, which was assumed to be the amount needed for any individual on a daily basis to avoid hunger.   More recently, the ethical and human rights dimension of food security has come to the fore. In 1996, the formal adoption of a new definition by World Food Summit delegates reinforces the multidimensional nature of food security; it includes food access, availability, food use and stability (FAO, 2006). This has enabled policy responses focused on the promotion and recovery of livelihood options and included the concepts of vulnerability, risk coping and risk management (FAO, 2006). In short, as the link between food security, starvation and crop failure becomes a thing of the past, the study of food insecurity as a social and political construct has emerged (Devereux et al., 2001). The Rome Declaration of 1996, primarily laid the foundations for diverse paths to a common objective of food security at all levels: ‘food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life’. This widely accepted definition points to the following dimensions of food security (FAO, 1996): Food availability: The availability of sufficient quantities of food of appropriate quality, supplied through domestic production or imports (including food aid). Food access: Access by individuals to adequate resources for acquiring appropriate foods for a nutritious diet. Utilization: Utilization of food through adequate diet, clean water, sanitation and health care to reach a state of nutritional well-being where all physiological needs are met. This brings out the importance of non-food inputs in food security. Stability: To be food secure, a population, household or individual must have access to adequate food at all times. The concept of stability can therefore refer to both the availability and access dimensions of food security. Although nutrition scientists distinguish between ‘food security’ (availability of food on the global, national, local and household levels), on the one hand, and ‘nutritional security’ (satisfactory nutritional status of individuals), on the other (Oltersdorf and Weingartner, 1996), economic, social and behavioural scientists tend to consider ‘food security’ as a more comprehensive term that incorporates both concepts. In the above definitional context, the FAO (1996) stated that to achieve food security at national level, all four of its components ‒ availability, accessibility, utilization and stability ‒ must be adequate and that the opposite of food security is regarded as food insecurity. However, national food security depends on the household-level food security as a fundamental unit. Chen and Kates (1994) stated that at a household level, food security tends to be equated with the sufficiency of household entitlements that bundle of food-production resources, income available for food purchases, and gifts or assistance sufficient to meet the aggregate food requirements of all household members. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) concisely defines household food security as â€Å"the capacity of a household to procure a stable and sustain-able basket of adequate food† (IFAD, 1992). Adequacy may be defined in terms of quality and quantity of food, which contribute to a diet that meets the nutritional needs of all household members. Stability refers to the household’s ability to procure food across seasons and transitory shortages. Sustainability is the most complex of the terms, encompassing issues of resource use and management , human dignity, and self-reliance, among others (IFAD, 1992).   Thus, household food security is as integrated system of the four subsystems of production, exchange, delivery and consumption (Cannon, 1991). Theoretically, poverty, household vulnerability, and undernourishment may be distinct conditions. Yet, in practice, these conditions intersect and overlap: poor households are usually most vulnerable to transitory and chronic food insecurity, hence they are often undernourished (Maxwell and Frankenberger, 1992). But the individuals within food-insecure households cannot be assumed to suffer from hunger equally; there are differences in distribution and negotiating abilities of individuals (Argeà ±al, no date). Oshaug (1985) therefore identified three kinds of households: enduring households, which maintain household food security on a continuous basis; resilient households, which suffer shocks but recover quickly; and fragile households, which become increasingly insecure in response to shocks. Similar approaches are found elsewhere (Benson et al., 1986). During the 1990s, authors and practitioners concerned with vulnerability to food security have engaged to define vulnerability and theorize how far people had slid towards a state of food insecurity (Dilley and Boudreau, 2001). The foundation of the concept is closely associated with poverty. But it is not the same as poverty; rather underlying poverty contributes to increased vulnerability (Young et al., 2001). In addition to income, there is a multiplicity of other factors that co-determine whether an individual will go hungry. In 1981, Sen challenged the then widely held conviction that a lack of food availability was the primary explanation for famines; instead, he posited lack of access as the key to understanding who went hungry and why. Because access issues are entrenched in social, political and economic relations, Sen’s work represented a clear shift in emphasis from natural to societal causes of famine (Blaikie et al., 1994). After Sen’s (1981) entitlement ap proach, many authors (Swift, 1989; Borton and Shoham, 1991; Maxwell and Frankenberger, 1992; Ribot, 1995; Middleton and O’Keefe, 1998) sought to operationalize Sen’s ideas by using the word â€Å"vulnerability† to refer to the complex web of socio-economic determinants. In food-related contexts, the question, â€Å"vulnerable to what?† is nearly universally answered by ‘famine’, ‘hunger’ and ‘the undesirable outcomes that vulnerable populations face’ (Dilley and Boudreau, 2001). Therefore, vulnerability denotes a negative condition that limits the abilities of individuals, households, communities and regions to resist certain debilitating processes and improve their well-being (Yaro, 2004). According to Chambers, ‘vulnerability refers to exposure to contingencies and stress, and the difficulty in coping with them. Vulnerability has thus two sides: an external side of risks, shocks, and stress to which an indivi dual or household is subject: and an internal side which is defencelessness, meaning a lack of means to cope without damaging loss’. Chambers’ definition has three basic coordinates (Watts Bohle 1993):   The risk of exposure to crises, stress and shocks;   The risk of inadequate capacities to cope with stress, crises and shocks;   The risk of severe consequences of, and the attendant risks of slow or limited poverty (resiliency) from, crises, risk and shocks. According to this definition, the external shock or stress might be drought, market failure, conflict or forced migration and the internal aspect of vulnerability is to do with people’s capacity to cope with these external shocks (Young et al., 2001). As livelihoods are conjured of a combination of exchange entitlements, a massive change in a particularly important entitlement may be decisive in causing entitlement failures, leading to loss of livelihood and starvation. The impact of the external shock on livelihoods depends on the household’s vulnerability, which is a combination of the intensity of the external shock, and the household’s ability to cope (Young et al., 2001). Patterns of vulnerability have become increasingly dynamic, thereby necessitating a dynamic rather than static approach to vulnerability (Yaro, 2004). From this vantage point, the most vulnerable individuals, groups, classes and regions are those most exposed to perturbations, who possess t he most limited coping capability, who suffer the most from crisis impact and who are endowed with the most circumscribed capacity for recovery (Watts Bohle 1993). Thus, the two dimensions of vulnerability ‒ ‘sensitivity’ (the magnitude of the system’s response to an external event) and its ‘resilience’ (the ease and rapidity of the system’s recovery from stress) ‒ are crucial. The lower the resilience and the higher the sensitivity, the higher the vulnerability and vice versa (Gebrehiwot, 2001). Swift, (1989) and Davies (1996) further pointed out that most food-insecure households are characterized by a very low resilience. However, extending our understanding of the crucial links of entitlements to wider political processes, Watts Bohle (1993) argue that the mutually constituted triad of entitlements, empowerment and political economy configures vulnerability to food security (Yaro, 2004). Vulnerability will therefore be shaped by several forces that affect the three sources of provision of food and well-being of households. Watts Bohle (1993) see vulnerability as being caused by lack of entitlements, powerlessness and exploitative practices and they defined the space of vulnerability through an intersection of three causal powers: command over food (entitlement), state/civil society relations seen in political and institutional terms (enfranchisement/empowerment), and the structural-historical form of class relations within a specific political economy (surplus appropriation/crisis proneness) (Watts Bohle, 1993). In the entitlement lexicon, vulnerability can be defined as the risks associated with the threat of large-scale entitlement deprivation (Sen, 1990). These shifts are frequently posed as a function of market perturbations, with a particular emphasis on rural land, labour and commodity markets (Watts Bohle, 1993). The heart of empowerment approaches to vulnerability is politics and power. Empowerment encapsulates both freedom to make choices by people and acceptance of culpability by governments who are supposed to ensure the workings of the ‘right to food’ (Drà ¨ze et al., 1995) as part of the fundamental rights of the human personality. Vulnerability can be defined, in this view, as a political space and as a lack of rights broadly understood. Property rights ensure access to land and other assets, but political rights are also central to the process by which claims can be made over public resources as a basis for food security, and to maintain and defend entitlements (Watts Bohle, 1993). As a political space, vulnerability is inscribed in three domai ns: the domestic (patriarchal and generational politics), work (production politics) and the public sphere (state politics). Accordingly, vulnerability delimits those groups of society which collectively are denied critical rights within and between these political domains. Mead Cain (1983) identifies two fundamental realms of risk in rural Bangladesh; one is patriarchal, expressed through gender based differences in wage rates and access to and control over resources (within a specific notion of political ecology); the other is rooted in property rights, and specifically the difficulty for the rural peasantry to enforce and defend their property rights against rapacious local landlords and corrupt representatives of the state (Chen, 1991). Powerlessness can, therefore, be approached at a multiplicity of levels in entitlement and food security; intra-household rule-governed inequities over access to resources and property rights, village level stratification and processes of politic al inclusion and exclusion with respect to land or access to local credit, national level power (Harriss, 1989). On the other hand, the strength of a rigorously class-based political economy provides a class map on which historically specific processes of surplus appropriation and accumulation (Patnaik, 1991), and the corresponding configurations of crisis, conflicts and contradictions can be located. In general, these crisis tendencies arise under capitalism as a result of structural contradictions and conflicts between classes, between the relations and forces of production, and between accumulation and production conditions (Harvey 1982; OConnor 1988). Conclusion Vulnerability is here understood not solely in terms of entitlement or empowerment (though both are implicit), but rather as an expression of capacity, specifically class capacity defined by the social relations of production in which individuals and households participate (Watts Bohle, 1993). In the class perspective, famine and hunger are poverty problems but this requires an understanding not simply of assets but of the relations by which surpluses are mobilized and appropriated. Class analyses of hunger and famine are similar, in many respects, to marginalization theories and to political ecology (Blaikie 1985; Blaikie and Brooldield 1987). Vulnerability to food security is thus a structural-historical phenomenon, which is shaped by the effects of commercialization, proletarianization and marginalization (Watts Bohle, 1993). Therefore, dynamic on-going political economic processes of extraction, accumulation, social differentiation, marginalization, and physical processes all a ffect vulnerability (Yaro, 2004).

Pericles essays

Pericles essays The historian, more often than not, will have direct or indirect personal input and remarks in the historical account he is relating; the historical facts and figures obtained would flow together with his objective tendency for that particular event. The historian, Thucydides, exemplifies such, as he narrates the account of the Peloponnesian War. Reading excerpts from the mentioned historical account containing occurrences of the first years of the war, speeches from the general Pericles, as well as the historians judgment on him reveals certain illustrations of the values held by him as he infuses his text with personal opinions and evaluations, such as power, justice, virtue, equality, nobility, and rationality. Paying more attention to the speeches of Pericles the funeral oration and the last speech during the plague one sees a juxtaposition of opposites: rise and downfall, virtue and vice, democracy and mob rule. The reconstruction and inclusion of Pericles funeral oration emphasizes Pericles significance in the Peloponnesian War, being the general during the time who suggested war to his fellow Athenians. This inclusion is necessary in order to prove the greatness of Athens, which Thucydides found substantial enough for the citys description, having no need to expound on this exemplary fact anymore. In his speech, Pericles strengthens the wills and hearts of his fellow Athenians, especially relatives of those slain soldiers, speaking eloquently of life in their unyielding land, Ahtens its people, ancestors, customs, warfare, and government. This emphasis on the prominence of Athens justifies the demise of many of its patriotic citizens as they do not just become worthy of their country, but also immortal monuments...where their glory is laid up to be remembered forever...an unwritten record of the mind lives on for each of them, even in ...

BVC Company Law Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

BVC Company Law Assignment - Essay Example Tyler from the directorship of the company was valid or otherwise. 3. Winding up proceedings, based on a statutory demand in proper form, have been commenced against the company. The petition has already been advertised and the company’s bank accounts have been frozen. The company wrote to the creditor, when underlying debt was first demanded, stating that the agreement was that the creditor’s invoices were payable after 60 days. I have been informed that the petition was given to a junior employee, who did not understand what it was, and it was not until very recently that Mr Henderson heard of it and immediately contacted the instructing solicitors. They also contend that since the bank accounts are frozen, it is not possible for them to pay off the petitioning creditor. Summary of Advice 4. As a director, Mr. Tyler owed a duty to take reasonable care and caution when dealing with the company’s assets. By misusing the credit cards of the company, he had breache d his duty. The removal of Mr. Tyler can be justified on the basis of his mismanagement of the company’s funds and his general conduct during the period of his directorship. The only problem in this regard is Article 11 of the Articles of Association of the company, where it requires the passing of a special resolution for the removal or appointment of a director. Under CA 2006, a director can be removed by simple majority but with special notice. The brief is silent about the special notice. Thus, a special notice and a chance of hearing to defend against the removal is mandatory before taking the decision of removal Mr. Tyler. Thus, his removal without these prerequisites can be invalidated. In my opinion, although the current directors have a prospect of getting a court decision in their favour, if a claim is brought under unfair prejudice Mr. Tyler can stake a personal claim or derivative claim or a claim for the just and equitable winding up of the company. In my opinion , the best option available to the company and its directors is to offer to buy Mr. Tyler’s shares at a fair rate. 5. With respect to the winding-up petition, Mr Henderson would like to dispute the petition on the basis of his letter to the creditor, when they first demanded the payment explaining that under the company’s standard terms and conditions it has 60 days time lag after receipt of invoices. The petition can be disputed, as the company has a policy to pay its debts within 60 days of receiving the invoice, which can be discerned from the company’s previous transactions. The company can apply for an injunction or an application for the rejection of the insolvency proceedings, but there are chances that the court may issue an order against the company, which will result in additional costs being incurred by them. In my opinion, the best option available to the company is to make an application to the court for the assurance of a validation order so that t he company can pay its outstanding debts. As the company’s accounts are held at one branch and the bank has frozen the bank account, the company can ask for a validation order to allow it to use its accounts to pay off the debts. Removal of Mr Tyler from the Directorship 6. Mr. Tyler was removed from his capacity as a director of the company during the last year, when the other directors decided that Mr.

There are signs that the current economic situation is improving Essay

There are signs that the current economic situation is improving - Essay Example HRM is also entrusted with the tasks of ensuring that a suitable working environment is developed in organisations. Moreover, it also ensures that a harmonious and a better relationship is developed amid employees and management of organisations. The role of HRM can be viewed to get affected due to influences with respect to internal along with external environment. In this regard, the internal factors include organisational culture and climate. Organisational culture is based on various factors including values, beliefs along with ethnicity of employees. Organisational climate depends on leadership styles, communication and human resource (HR) policies. On the other hand, external factors comprise economic conditions, demographics and labour market conditions. Economic conditions entail availability of financial resources or materials and demand along with supply of products and/or services. Labour market implies the availability of labour forces to be recruited. Demographics state the features of the workforces to be recruited which include education level, marital status and age. In this context, the economic conditions are determined as the major element affecting the aspect of HRM in maintaining the performance of business organisations. This can be owing to the reason that the economic conditions pose several threats to certain significant factors that include employment rate and productivity (Pearson Canada Inc., 2013). It can be apparently observed that the global economy has been under economic recession from the period 2009, affecting business operations on a global context. However, the commencement of the year 2011 has been identified to reveal signs of improvement in the global economic conditions with increased demand and sales of products and/or services. Additionally, the rate of employment has declined by a certain extent. Moreover, there are certain other factors depicting the reviving conditions of the global economic conditions that include profit margin, increased factory productions and better job opportunities (Pearson Canada Inc., 2013). In this respect, the essay intends to discuss about the impact of improving economic conditions imposed on the policies along with other strategic aspects of HRM within organisations. Review of Literature Improving Economic Situations According to Monica (2012), the economic conditions have been observed to improve by a certain extent in a slow and a steady manner after the recession period. It can be viewed in this similar concern that the spending of consumers in the worldwide market segments have increased by a substantial amount due to greater flow of money in the economy. Additionally, operations of business organisations have increased on a global context with better trading activities and sales of products and/or services. Monica (2012) noted that flow of investments has augmented with the rise of the trends of globalisation. Moreover, the rate of inflation is also seemed to reduce in most of the countries, improving the purchasing power of customers at large (Monica, 2012). In this similar context, Jochnick (2013) stated that balanced economic policies have assisted countries in improving their respective economic conditi

HRM, Strategy and Performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

HRM, Strategy and Performance - Essay Example inciples, the term personnel management do not reflects the entire functions of the personnel department and name personnel management changed to human resource management at present. Globalization and liberalization brought many changes in the business world and internationalization of business through outsourcing and offshoring are common nowadays. In any case, it is a fact that the interaction between employees of different culture has increased a lot in the current business word. Most of the big organizations are currently keen in keeping a diverse workforce in their workplaces because of different reasons. Managing a diverse workforce at the workplace is a complex task because of the huge differences in the requirements of the diverse employees. The performance of an organization depends heavily on the success of managing the employees at the workplace. In short, human resource management can make or break an organization. This paper briefly analyses the HRM topics in general and the topics related to HRM like the meaning of HRM, business and corporate strategies, stakeholders, corporate responsibility and diversity, international and comparative HRM, HRM an d Performance etc in particular. Human Resource Management or HRM can be defined in simple words as the process of employing people, developing their capacities, utilizing, maintaining and compensating their services in tune with the job and organizational requirement. HRM’s responsibility include hiring of the people, developing their resources through training, utilizing them by placing them in appropriate places and sustaining their services with respect to needs of the organization. In other words, HRM has two important functions; one with respect to the organizational needs and the other related to the individual needs of the employees. In short, HR department acts as the bridge between the organization and the employees. The needs of the organization and the needs of the employees may not go in

Human Needs in Organizational Settings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Human Needs in Organizational Settings - Essay Example Personal qualities which are encouraged are punctuality, good individual organization, motivation, ability to deal ethically with people and leadership qualities. Any career success incorporates three variables - knowledge of the career desired, the ability to devise a plan and the motivation and devotion to put the plan into action. On the way along the career ladder, one needs to be confident, possess independent thinking and ability to solve problems and make decision-making. We expect the applicants to introduce themselves via competently produced CVs and exhibit their abilities in practical tasks offered by the Selection Board. We are going to assess an individual based on information about one’s abilities and skills, achievements and personality variables. We are also interested in person’s preferences and interests, values and attitudes. To obtain the picture of one’s professional competence we offer tests to see literacy or math level. A specific written or practical exam is also possible. At this pre-selection stage, a selection advisor will determine if an applicant can qualify to continue further selection procedure. At the next stage, we deem important to test applicants’ communication skills and personality. That’s why on the second stage of the assessment procedure prospective applicants are offered to have an interview. Since the company is interested in organizing people into a strong team, peer interviews can be the most suitable tool to use for the creation of this team.

Napoleonic Wars Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Napoleonic Wars - Essay Example He decided early on a military career and won a scholarship to a military academy. His ensuing military conquests threatened the stability of the world and made France a powerful force. He built an empire extending throughout Europe, but his quest for France's total world domination was doomed to failure. Napoleon was decidedly effective against the Austrians in Italy in 1796. Ever a great self-publicist, he maintained the popular profile of a political independent, thanks partly to the newspapers he ran. Because he controlled printed matter in France, he was able to influence public opinion. His political talents and military expertise on land expanded his powers. He did, however, fail in his attempt to invade Egypt, and, crushed by the British navy, he was forced to abandon much of his army and return to the European front. In the meantime, however, the French public was aware only of his military successes, and he was considered a hero. Napoleon took control of France after overthrowing the republic. By 1801, as First Consul, he had restored order in France. He established the Civil Code on March 21, 1804, and it was renamed Code Napoleon in 1907. With its stress on clearly written and accessible law, it was a major step in establishing the rule of law. The principal tenet of the Civil Code was that every French person was equal before the law. Napoleon wanted to replace a series of existing laws in France with a standard code for all people. However, the law was inconsistent in that it established supremacy of husband with respect to wife and children, but allowed divorce on a relatively liberal basis, including divorce by mutual consent. Other major points of the law were: Laws could be applied only if duly promulgated and if published officially. No secret laws were authorized. Ex post facto laws were prohibited. Judges prohibited from passing from general judgments of a legislative value. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopaedia Napoleon's empire controlled-either directly or through states under his sway-France, Portugal, Spain, modern-day Belgium and the Netherlands, and large parts of modern Italy, Germany and Poland. Alliance with Russia between 1807 and 1812, and dominance over the remaining continental powers of Austria and Prussia, showed the empire at its peak. Napoleon's rule began with the annihilation of the French monarchy, which would never again be in control. He established an independent nationhood based on ability and rose to power through political coups. The French Directory was replaced by the Consulate, a new government run by three consuls (Bonaparte, Sieys and Roger Ducos) with Bonaparte as First Consul (Time Traveller's). In 1804, Napoleon declared himself emperor and ruled from 1804-1814 when he abdicated to Elba, and then reclaimed power from March to June 1815. Continental System Napoleon established the Continental System in 1806, his scheme to stop all shipping of British goods into Europe, which ended up hurting France more than Britain, and leading to the rise of nationalism in Europe. The response of the United Kingdom with a counter blockade indirectly led to the War of 1812 (Napoleonic, 2006). One of the most dramatic results of this commercial warfare was "the English bombardment of

Human Needs in Organizational Settings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Human Needs in Organizational Settings - Essay Example Personal qualities which are encouraged are punctuality, good individual organization, motivation, ability to deal ethically with people and leadership qualities. Any career success incorporates three variables - knowledge of the career desired, the ability to devise a plan and the motivation and devotion to put the plan into action. On the way along the career ladder, one needs to be confident, possess independent thinking and ability to solve problems and make decision-making. We expect the applicants to introduce themselves via competently produced CVs and exhibit their abilities in practical tasks offered by the Selection Board. We are going to assess an individual based on information about one’s abilities and skills, achievements and personality variables. We are also interested in person’s preferences and interests, values and attitudes. To obtain the picture of one’s professional competence we offer tests to see literacy or math level. A specific written or practical exam is also possible. At this pre-selection stage, a selection advisor will determine if an applicant can qualify to continue further selection procedure. At the next stage, we deem important to test applicants’ communication skills and personality. That’s why on the second stage of the assessment procedure prospective applicants are offered to have an interview. Since the company is interested in organizing people into a strong team, peer interviews can be the most suitable tool to use for the creation of this team.

Managing Human Resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Managing Human Resources - Essay Example Whenever the missionaries fail to adapt or coagulate with the foreign culture, repatriation becomes a necessity. The organization recalls the missionaries back to the home country, and this reduces the risks of losing foreign ventures entirely (Anderson, 2005:57). The use of technology in the recruitment process established by Callaghan and Thompson relate all activities closer to the employee activities. The point is that, the management must establish the communication medium that will effectively relay information within the organization. Secondly, employees are the point of consideration in telemarketing. Whenever a customer makes a call, the employee should answer the questions with the utmost degree of concern to solve an issue rather than turn emotional and furious. The management may consider evaluating the work relations among employees in a communication service oriented firm. The best employee should bear technicality in handling tasks, be of a good personality, easy to communicate, and always exhibit competence in performance of tasks (Callaghan and Thompson, 2002:35). The third article analyzes human resource management on the diversity posed in different nations in the globe. The political stature prevailing in every economy affects the businesses and labor relations accordingly. Communists’ states implement practices that tend to utilize labor for the country’s benefit and not for the sole worker. On the contrary, capitalist states ensure that employee work to earn the agreed amount of money as they deliver services to the organization. Most of the countries emphasize on interviewing a prospective employee prior to employment. The firms must outline the various qualifications that the employee holds in relation to the job. It is advisable for the management to establish the cultures comprised in the organizations, from one geographical region to another (Chapman and Webster,

Processes of negotiation Essay Example for Free

Processes of negotiation Essay In simplest terms, negotiation is a discussion between two or more disputants who are trying to work out a solution to their problem. Negotiations typically take place because the parties wish to create something new that neither could do on his or her own, or to resolve a problem or dispute between them. The parties acknowledge that there is some conflict of interest between them and think they can use some form of influence to get a better deal, rather than simply taking what the other side will voluntarily give them. When parties negotiate, they usually expect give and take. While they have interlocking goals that they cannot accomplish independently, they usually do not want or need exactly the same thing. This interdependence can be either win-lose or win-win in nature, and the type of negotiation that is appropriate will vary accordingly. The disputants will either attempt to force the other side to comply with their demands, to modify the opposing position and move toward compromise, or to invent a solution that meets the objectives of all sides. The nature of their interdependence will have a major impact on the nature of their relationship, the way negotiations are conducted, and the outcomes of these negotiations. Mutual adjustment is one of the key causes of the changes that occur during a negotiation. Both parties know that they can influence the others outcomes and that the other side can influence theirs. The effective negotiator attempts to understand how people will adjust and readjust their positions during negotiations, based on what the other party does and is expected to do. The parties have to exchange information and make an effort to influence each other. As negotiations evolve, each side proposes changes to the other partys position and makes changes to its own. This process of give-and-take and making concessions is necessary if a settlement is to be reached. If one party makes several proposals that are rejected, and the other party makes no alternate proposal, the first party may break off negotiations. Parties typically will not want to concede too much if they do not sense that those with whom they are negotiating are willing to compromise. The parties must work toward a solution that takes into account each persons requirements and hopefully optimizes the outcomes for both. As they try to find their way toward agreement, the parties focus on interests, issues, and positions, and use cooperative and/or competitive processes to come to an agreement. Planning for Negotiations Effective planning is crucial to meeting negotiation objectives. If the parties are to reach a stable agreement, specific events must take place before the parties ever come to the table. 1. Parties must frame the problem, and recognize that they have a common problem that they share an interest in solving. Frames are the conceptions that parties have of the situation and its risks. They allow the parties to begin to develop a shared definition of the issues involved, and the process needed to resolve them. When the frames of both parties match, they are more likely to focus on common issues and have a common definition of the situation. The way in which parties define the problem can shape the rest of the planning process. 2. In the early stages of framing, negotiators must also determine their goals, anticipate what they want to achieve, and prepare for the negotiation process. They must define the issues to be discussed and analyze the conflict situation. In many cases, negotiators can appeal to research or consult with experts to help them develop a complete list of the issues at stake. 3. Negotiators often exchange and negotiate the list of issues to be discussed in advance. Consultation between negotiators prior to actual negotiation allows them to agree on the agenda of issues to be discussed, as well as the location of the negotiations, the time and duration of the sessions, the parties to be involved in the negotiations, and techniques to pursue if negotiation fails. Negotiators should also agree on principles that will guide the drafting of a settlement, the procedures to be used in negotiations, and the formula by which a general agreement is to be reached. 4. After assembling issues on an agenda, the negotiators must prioritize their goals and evaluate the possible tradeoffs among them. Negotiators must be aware of their goals and positions and must identify the concerns, desires, and fears that underlie their substantive goals. They must determine which issues are most important, as well as whether the various issues are linked or separate. Once they have determined the relative importance of the issues, parties need to decide the order in which issues should be discussed. Different situations suggest different answers to that question, and different negotiators and mediators prefer one approach over the others. 5. Negotiators that are operating on behalf of a constituency should consult with their constituents as well as with the other side to ensure that the constituents needs and priorities are included in the negotiations. 6. The next step is for negotiators to define specific targets with respect to the key issues on the agenda. Parties should try to figure out the best resolution they can expect, what counts as a fair and reasonable deal, and what is a minimally acceptable deal. They should also be aware of the strongest points in their position and recognize the strongest points in the other sides position. 7. Because negotiations typically involve more than one issue, it is helpful for negotiators to anticipate different ways of packaging issues. They can balance the issues they regard as most important by being more flexible about items they deem less important. 8. Planning for negotiation also involves the development of supporting arguments. Negotiators must be able to present supporting facts and arguments, anticipate how the other side will respond to these arguments, and respond to the other partys claims with counter-arguments. 9. Finally, planning involves assessing the other partys priorities and interests and trying to get a better idea of what that party is likely to want. Negotiators should gather background information about the other partys current needs, resources, and interests. This can be done through preliminary interviews or consultations with those who have done business with the other party in the past. In addition, negotiators need to understand the other partys objectives. Negotiators should be aware of the other partys negotiation style, reputation, and the strategy and tactics they commonly use. They should investigate that partys past behavior in related settings, determine his or her organizational position, and find out whom he or she admires and whose advice carries weight. An individuals past negotiation behavior is a good indication of how he or she will behave in the future. Also, negotiators should understand the other partys alternatives. If the other negotiator has strong alternatives, he or she will probably be willing to set high objectives and be willing to push hard for these objectives during negotiation.

Principles Of Procedural Programming Computer Science Essay

Principles Of Procedural Programming Computer Science Essay Procedural programming is the most natural way of telling a computer what to do as the computer processors own language and machine code is procedural. It is also referred as structured or modular programming. Procedural programming is performed by telling the computer what to do and how to do it through a list of step-by-step instructions. Therefore, procedural programming involves procedures, which implies that there are steps that need to be followed to complete a specific task. For example read a number, add 7 or display a specific message. Procedural programming is quite straightforward and efficient as more than often to begin with, the program is written in a common and plain language by applying logic before actually writing the code. The main features of procedural programming is that it is relatively easy to read and write program code and maintain program code as numerous procedures can be debugged separately. Furthermore, large programs are divided into smaller ones and that most of the data is shared and can therefore be reached from any other point within the program. Conclusively, taking into account that the main characteristics of procedural programing being sequential logic, simplicity, easy implementation of compilers and interpreters, ability to make use of the same code in the program by calling it instead of copying, ease with which the program flow can be tracked, ability to be strongly modular or structured, it can definitely be said that procedural programming is an essential stepping stone towards learning further programming skills. 2. Implementing Procedural Programming Solutions. An algorithm can be defined as a set of steps for performing a task that can be written down and implemented. An algorithm details how to start with known information specified in the problem and how to use that information to reach a solution. In this particular task, the following algorithm using pseudo code has been developed a program which will help a small High Street Curry House manage their business operations. Algorithm using pseudo code Show Login and Exit ( Press 1 to Login/ else exit) Request monthly salary and other income Calculate and Display Total Income Request All Personal Expenses ( i.e. college fees/ rent/ food/travel/entertainment/phone bill/ gas bill/electricity bill/ TV license/ council tax/ club membership and charity contribution and any other expenses) Calculate all expenses and display Total Expenses Calculate and Display Balance (Total Income Total Expenses) If Balance is positive display credit amount and if negative display no more funds available. Diagram 1| Flowchart illustrating Algorithms Logical Flow Functions. START IF 1 OR IF 2 Salary + Other Income = Total Income Display Request Salary Other income Login Request all Expenses Calculate Total Expenses Display Total Income Total Expenses = Balance If Balance is +ve (Balance > 0) If Balance is -ve (Balance Display You are in Credit EXIT No More Funds Available 3| Implement Procedural Programming Solution using System; using System.Collections.Generic; using System.Linq; using System.Text; namespace Unit18_CW_ID10571 { class Program { static void Main(string[] args) { double monthlySalary, otherIncome, totalIncome,balance; /************************************************************************************************************************************* About : This program answers Task 3 of the Coursework for Unit18_Procedural Programming, BTEC HND in Computing and Systems Development (CSD). Icon College of Technology and Management. Date : 10.04.2013 By : Ibrahim Khan Mahomudally . Student ID : 10571 Tutor : Y M Gebremichael *************************************************************************************************************************************/ Console.WriteLine( ****************************************************************************** n); Console.WriteLine( ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Profit Loss Accounting 2013 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ); Console.WriteLine(tttt [Menu]nn); Console.WriteLine(tttt 1. Loginnn); Console.WriteLine(tttt 2. Exitnn); Console.WriteLine(ttt To Login Please Press 1nn); Console.WriteLine(ttt To Exit Please Press 2nn); Console.WriteLine( ****************************************************************************** ); int Menu = int.Parse(Console.ReadLine()); if (Menu == 1) { // input income //calculate total income and display Console.WriteLine(************************* All income***************************************); Console.WriteLine(Enter Monthly Salary: ); monthlySalary = double.Parse(Console.ReadLine()); Console.WriteLine(Enter Any Other Income); otherIncome = double.Parse(Console.ReadLine()); totalIncome = monthlySalary + otherIncome; Console.WriteLine(Total Income = + monthlySalary + + + otherIncome + = + totalIncome); /******************************************************************************/ //input expenses //calculate total expenses and display Console.WriteLine(************************* All Expenses***************************************); double totalExpenses, rent, collegeFees, food, travel, entertainment, phonebill, gasbill, electricitybill, tvlicense, counciltax, clubmembership, charitycontribution, anyotherexpenses; Console.WriteLine(Enter College fees); collegeFees = double.Parse(Console.ReadLine()); Console.WriteLine(Enter Rent); rent = double.Parse(Console.ReadLine()); Console.WriteLine(Enter Food); food = double.Parse(Console.ReadLine()); Console.WriteLine(Enter Travel); travel = double.Parse(Console.ReadLine()); Console.WriteLine(Enter Entertainment); entertainment = double.Parse(Console.ReadLine()); Console.WriteLine(Enter Phone Bill); phonebill = double.Parse(Console.ReadLine()); Console.WriteLine(Enter Gas Bill); gasbill = double.Parse(Console.ReadLine()); Console.WriteLine(Enter Electricity Bill); electricitybill = double.Parse(Console.ReadLine()); Console.WriteLine(Enter TV License); tvlicense = double.Parse(Console.ReadLine()); Console.WriteLine(Enter Council Tax); counciltax = double.Parse(Console.ReadLine()); Console.WriteLine(Enter Club Membership); clubmembership = double.Parse(Console.ReadLine()); Console.WriteLine(Enter Charity Contribution); charitycontribution = double.Parse(Console.ReadLine()); Console.WriteLine(Enter Any Other Expenses); anyotherexpenses = double.Parse(Console.ReadLine()); totalExpenses = collegeFees + rent + food + travel + entertainment + phonebill + gasbill + electricitybill + tvlicense + counciltax + clubmembership + charitycontribution + anyotherexpenses; Console.WriteLine(Total Expenses = + totalExpenses); Console.WriteLine(************************* Balance***************************************); //work out balance and display relevant message balance = totalIncome totalExpenses; Console.WriteLine(Balance = + balance); if (balance >= 0) { Console.WriteLine( 🙂 You Are In Credit by  £ + balance); } else { Console.WriteLine(:( No More Funds Available); } } else if (Menu == 2) { Environment.Exit(1); } else { Console.WriteLine(Enter a number from the menu); // this should return back to the menu again } Console.ReadLine() } } } 4| Testing Procedural Programming Solutions. Below are enclosed screenshots of the above-designed program demonstrating that every aspects of program is tested and compared against the design specification. Screenshot 1| Menu Options. Main menu presenting the user with the following options: Press 1 to Login Press 2 to Exit Screenshot 2| Request for Income. When 1 is pressed, User is requested to start entering figures for incomes Screenshot 3| Total Income. When all incomes are entered, Total Income is calculated and displayed. Screenshot 4| Input Expenses. User is requested to input figures for all expenses. Screenshot 5| Total Expenses, Positive Balance and Message. Total Expenses is calculated and displayed. Balance is obtained and if the result is positive, You Are In Credit message displayed. Screenshot 6| Negative Balance Relevant Message. Total Expenses is calculated and displayed. Balance is obtained and if result is negative, No More Funds Available message displayed 4b| Difference between syntax error and semantic error Syntax is the required grammar and punctuation of the language while semantics is all about meaning, that is, what the statements do, what the programs do. Applying the correct syntax is essential as if not done properly, the program wont run. The syntax of a language greatly affects how easy it is to write, read and understand programs. Syntax errors usually occur when program statements do not conform to the rule of the language. Therefore, Syntax errors occur during the parsing of input code, and are the result of grammatically incorrect statements. Some examples of syntax errors are misspelled keywords, unmatched quotation marks, missing semicolon, illegal character in the input, missing operator, two operators in a row, two statements on the same line with no intervening semicolon, unbalanced parentheses, misplaced reserved word etc. Semantic errors occur when the form of the elements in a statement is correct but the elements are not valid for its use. Semantic errors are normally detected at compile time. Semantic errors occur during the execution of the code, after it has been parsed as grammatically correct. These errors have to do not with how statements are constructed, but with what they mean. Regular examples of sematic errors are such things as incorrect variable types or sizes, non-existent variables, subscripts out of range, specifying the wrong number of arguments for a function, using numeric variable name where only character variable is valid and non-existent references.

RIG VEDA :: essays research papers

THE RIG VEDA I will mention about the Indian’s Rig Vedas.Before giving the details of Rig Veda,it would be better giving information about eastern philosophy and also Hinduizm. Firstly I want to explain some basic characteristics of eastern philosophy and the place of Hinduism as a religion entering the side of the philosophy. Actually if we want to understand the eastern philosophy completely, there is need to know that these philosophies depend on a religious area, like Indian philosophy. The system of eastern philosophy aims to experience the truth in a directly but also in a mystical way, and this experience take the character of religion with it, so why it is inevitable that the eastern philosophy depend on the religious area. Then we can put Hinduism in eastern tradition entering the side of philosophy. There is a strict relationship between philosophy and religion in Hinduism so that it effects the intellectual life of Indian deeply for hundred years and it formed the cultural and social tradition of this country. Essentially it is hard to define Hinduism as a religion or a philosophy. It contains so many cultures, philosophical systems that make itself complicated. Besides it has so many Gods and Goddess. We can convey that this state is the reflection of complex society in Indian, people from different races, geographic areas. Whereas it would be seen as a complication, there is a constant ritual with the spiritual of Hinduism. ‘ The oldest Scriptures in all of India and the most important are called the Vedas. All Hindus recognize the Vedas as the true origin of their faith because of the spiritual meaning behind them.’2 It is obvious that the Vedas are the main resources of the spiritual of Hinduism. Then we can give some information about Vedas, world’s oldest spiritual teachings. ‘The Vedas are probably the earliest documents of the human mind, they are the original scriptures of Hindu teachings. Veda means wisdom, knowledge or vision, and it manifests the language of the gods in human speech. The laws of the Vedas regulate the social, legal, domestic and religious customs of the Hindus to the present day.’3 So what gives Vedas this power to regulate these customs of Hindus to the present day. The answer of this question is hidden in the question ‘Who wrote the Vedas?’. ‘It is believed that humans did not compose the revered compositions of the Vedas, which were handed down through generations by the word of mouth from time immemorial.

Feng Shui :: essays research papers

When it comes to Feng Shui, I think there are generally three groups of people. There are the Believers, Skeptics and the In-Betweens. In-Betweens are those that are neither Believers but nor are they absolute Skeptics. Being in the industry, obviously, I meet people who believe in Feng Shui all the time. But I do not ignore the fact that like many other metaphysical sciences, is often skeptically perceived by the public in general. The problem lies with the fact that there is so much hocus-pocus in this field, that one cannot help but feel a sense of misconception shrouding the practice. In actual fact, the art, science, study and practice of Feng Shui is a principled subject and no different to other traditional studies. I think it is up to the practitioners of this art, the believers, to help put it in a better light. And I believe, the best way to do this through education. I asked a group of advanced students once, what they believed to be the definition of Feng Shui. To my surprise, almost everyone responded with a different definition. It was such a fundamental question – yet most of their replies were different. Some said that Feng Shui is â€Å"an art of placement†, others claimed that it was â€Å"about harmony† or â€Å"wind and water† and another group said it was about â€Å"living in harmony with nature†. It was interesting experience. It seems, almost everyone has a different ‘definition’ of Feng Shui. Even the professionals in this field seem to have different definitions. Not surprisingly, even the same author, may have different definitions on the subject depending on which book you read! What exactly is this art? Is it really an art? Or is it a science? It is because of this lack of understanding that people tend to lose respect for Feng Shui. If even the professionals don’t have a common denominator on what Feng Shui is, then what value is there in it? Some of the more common definitions circulating today are: 1. Feng Shui is an Art of Placement 2. Feng Shui is Interior Design 3. Feng Shui is about decorating your house with good luck objects 4. Feng Shui is about living in harmony with nature 5. Feng Shui is about enhancing Wealth 6. Feng Shui is about enriching lives. Which one of these is correct? Actually, lets start with the wrong ones, it’ll make it simpler? To begin with, Feng Shui is definitely NOT the art of decorating your home with good luck objects NOR is it the so-called ‘art of placement’ of furniture and objects.

Management planning of Arthur Andersen

Introduction The Arthur Andersen Company is an accounting firm that was founded in the year 1913 by Clarence Delaney and Arthur Andersen. It is an accountancy firm that deals in auditing, consulting and tax evaluation services. It is based in Illinois. About five years ago, the company was one of the most successful accounting firms with an employee base of about eighty five thousand. Presently, the firm has only two hundred employees under its name. Similarly, its revenue has fallen from 9.3 billion dollars in the year 2002 to very low amounts in 2007. In that fateful year 2002, the firm lost its accounting license as a result of fraudulent dealings. Consequently, the firm has lost its business, and is no longer in serious operation. It is a good example of a company that did not apply management skills in its operations. (Harold, 2003) Planning function of management in The Arthur Andersen Company Management within any organization is normally assigned four main roles, these include; leading, controlling, organization and planning. The planning function of management involves developing an organization’s mission and defining specific methods of accomplishing it. This encompasses a variety of ideas. Planning may be applied when starting a project or organization or it may be applied in the day to day running of the organization. The organization under review was already in existence so we shall examine its day to day planning functions. (Norbert, 1967) The first management planning issue that the company under review failed to analyze was financial planning. The company did not allocate its budget to projects that would generate long term income. It focused on short term gains like the WorldCom audit that preceded its bankruptcy. Financial planning involves monitoring the amount of money coming in and out of the organization and noting any fund misappropriation. This was clearly a duty that the Arthur Andersen Company failed since it lost a lot of finances. This aspect also involves planning salary packages, employee benefits, insurance and retirement packages. Before the great fall of the Andersen Company, this aspect was looked into. The employee base was quite large and complaints were quite rare. Another aspect of planning is policy formulation. This entails coming up with strategies that counter the effect of competitors. The Andersen Company played its part in good policy formulation during the 80’s and 90’s. It knew that IT consultancy was receiving a lot of attention; it therefore decided to focus on this sector and tripled its revenue. But in the years following 2000, the organization did not plan its policies well. It decided to focus on client’s wishes instead of establishing a reputation for being a straight forward firm. This policy planning should be put together with policy development and policy implementation. (Norbert, 1967) Thirdly, management involves human resource planning. This begins from recruitment of new employees when beginning the organization to hiring of new employees. This was well done by the Arthur Andersen Company at its inception because most of its employees were in line with the companies’ mission. In the mid twentieth century, the company founder frequently took his employees for training and ensured that they were in top notch condition. But this was later forgotten because the firm hired employees that were dishonest and untrustworthy. The company did not evaluate its employees to ensure that they were inline with its founding principles. It should be noted that the employees considered during planning encompass all the departments in an organization including managerial posts. The Andersen Company failed in this area because one of its senior representatives in the Legal Department Madam Nancy Temple clearly did not follow due procedures. She failed to withhold company principles. This could have been prevented if employee evaluation was done. Impact of legal issues, ethics and corporate responsibility on management planning. A code of ethics within an organization is a sure recipe to bring about returns on one’s investment. Contrary to what people believe; that ethics are quite theoretical, a recent research by the Ethics Resource Centre in Washington has shown that employees who feel that their management adheres to strict moral standards and codes of ethics, feel valued by their organization. Consequently, productivity will be increased by these employees and company profits will be improved. It was quite clear that the Arthur Andersen Company did not realize this hidden truth before the great Enron scandal that led to its downfall. The Company did not adhere to accounting code of ethics as it allowed numerous irregularities to continue within the Enron Company which it was auditing at that time. All the auditors were focusing on was whether their client’s share prices were increasing. They didn’t pay attention to how the income was being generated. Legalities are a key aspect to be considered during a company’s operations. Companies ought to strike deals that are acceptable within the law of the land. The repercussions from lawsuits are quite severe because they can cause irreparable damage to the company name thus preventing any further business. A case in point is when the Arthur Andersen Company audited the Enron Company is engaged in a deal which it knew was unethical but claimed not to know that it was unlawful. These legalities should have been considered before the firm proceeded with its activities. The consequence of these illegalities was loss of its license authorized by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Even though the decision of the commission was reversed in the year 2005, the company had an ill reputation and no company worth its salt would allow them to audit their firm. (Harold, 2003) Corporate social responsibility encompasses giving back to the community. It is a way of saying thank you to the people who have contributed to company growth. The Arthur Andersen Company did not involve this aspect in its management plans. In the late 90’s and twenty first century, the company began focusing on expanding its client’s base and maximizing profits. It did not realize that giving back to the community would increase its authenticity. This is because, the community would feel like they were partnering or cost sharing when investing in the Company’s stocks or doing business with it. Factors that influenced the company’s strategic, tactical, operational and contingency planning. Strategy can be defined as an action that facilitates realization of long term goals while planning is the coordination of resources within an organization. Therefore strategic planning is analysis of all the information available to come up with the best goals for an organization. One factor that influenced the Arthur Andersen Strategic planning was establishing a reputation in the accounting field. It wanted to be identified with good intentions and strong principles. This was viable during its inception by the founding member. Tactical planning involves putting the strategical plan into action. It usually involves the budgeting process, considering alternatives, studying the market and its competitors. In addition, reviews must be made and reports be made. One factor that influenced this aspect of the company was its revenue. The company wanted to make as much as it could. This meant that it could overlook ethical issues as long as a return on investment was plausible thus causing the company’s downfall. (Erica, 2006) Lastly, operational planning involves the day to day running of the company. This normally involves proper communication between management and its employees. One factor that influenced this aspect was output generated. The company did not adhere to good communication practices within its structure and instead focused on input. Poor communication led to the company’s fall. Conclusion Good management practices are backbone of success within any organization. The Arthur Andersen Company had started out with these practices but was swayed away from them in latter years. If it had stuck to its founding principles, it would still be in operation today. Reference Harold, K. (2003): Project Management: A systems approach to planning, scheduling and Controlling; Blackwell publishing Erica, W. (2006): Strategic public relations management planning; University of York Publishers. Norbert, E. (1967): Management planning: a systems approach; Melbourne publishers