Thursday, December 26, 2019

The Rwandan Genocide of 1994 - 1183 Words

In April of 1994 a terrible event took place, one where approximately one-million people were brutally murdered on the basis of their ethnicity or if they opposed the regime. (Uvin, 2003). This terrible event occurred in Rwanda, and it is known as the Rwandan Genocide. Genocide can be described as a one sided mass killing in which the state or other authority intends to destroy a group, as that group and membership in it are identified by the perpetrator. (Hintjens, 1999) This is exactly what took place in Rwanda in 1994. In Rwanda the population was mostly Hutu (84%) and had two minorities, Tutsi (15%) and Twa (1%). (Hoex, 2010) The perpetrators of the genocide were the Hutu majority and the victims were the Tutsi. In order to†¦show more content†¦As the scholars said â€Å"invention of tradition,† is basically saying that these roles in the society at the time of the genocide had been constructed and it was not something that was primordial. Generation aft er generation this concept of the ethnic difference between the Hutu and Tutsi was more accepted and held to be true. The belief of this being true does not make it true, but just gives power who benefit from this belief. During the colonial period these distinctions became more important. When colonists came to Rwanda they imposed their racial hierarchal system. They said that the Tutsi were not even native Africans and came from a different land and that is why they had the right to rule over the Hutu majority. This was also necessary to the Belgians because it gave them a sense of order, where there were once about twelve clans in the area where they colonized. This way they did not have to learn the culture and make it simpler to rule because there were only two ethnic groups to manage. The Belgians imposed this story of the right to rule and how the two groups of people were different. This also led to the differences in the occupations that the groups were allowed to h old. The Tutsi were delegated the job of ruling, cattle, and military. In order to create this difference that was not really there before, they need a method to divide the people. They did so by the amount of cattle that the man had. If the man had more than ten heads ofShow MoreRelated Rwandan Genocide of 1994 Essays2528 Words   |  11 PagesThe Rwandan Genocide of 1994 lasted only for a brief period and lasted for approximately a hundred days. During that time, an estimated amount of 800 000 people were slaughtered. Beginning on April of 1994, massacres were held on a daily basis with the intent to eliminate an ethnic group known as the Tutsi by another ethnic group known as the Hutus. This genocide was overlooked by the United Nations, and the superpowers of the time offered very little or no assistance at all to Rwanda. The civilRead MoreThe Rwandan Genocide Of 1994 Effect The Hutu And Tutsi1998 Words   |  8 Pagesinvestigation will seek to answer the question â€Å"H ow Did the Rwandan Genocide of 1994 Effect the Hutu and Tutsi?† I chose this question because last year I read the book Left to Tell and I wanted to know more about the two different types of groups, the Hutus and the Tutsis. This was and still is an important topic because many died that day just for belonging to a specific group. This topic shows how much our world has changed since 1994. In order to answer my historical investigation question, IRead MoreThe Rwandan Genocide Began On April 6Th 1994 Culminating1370 Words   |  6 PagesThe Rwandan Genocide began on April 6th 1994 culminating in the killing of an estimated 800,000 Hutus and their sympathizers. After it became apparent that the Rwandan government was not willing or able to protect it s citizens, the question became why did the international community do nothing to intervene. Rwandan citizens’ lived under the premise, that their rights are protected under UN accords and treaties. The Genocide Convention of 1948, outlined the responsibilities of the participatingRead MoreRelationship Between Rwanda, Israels Perceptions Of The 1994 Rwandan Genocide1249 Words   |  5 PagesBeginning in 2008, my research focuses mostly on Rwanda’s political, militarily, economic reconstruction since the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. This research has led to a greater exploration of regional dynamics between other African Great Lakes region nations. During my various periods living within Rwanda, I have had the opportunity to perform independent research and analysis on the nation’s political, military, agricultural-focused development, religious and social history and presence. This researchRead MoreThe Rwanda Of The Rwandan Defence Force904 Words   |  4 Pageshistory, perpetrators, victims and bystanders with difficult answers on how to solve them. The p ost-genocide nation of Rwanda witnessed one of the most horrific events a nation could experience, genocide. However, it has rebuilt itself to become an example nation for transitional justice, political stability and economic development. Rwanda’s military capabilities within the institute of the Rwandan Defence Force (RDF) are well known for its organisation capability and effectiveness in compact. InRead MoreWhat Was Happening Of Your Town?1094 Words   |  5 Pagesin your town? I was born on April 13, 1994, in a small town in the USA. Today, I am a college going student, busy with my studies and other activities. However, during a history lesson, something made me ponder as to what the world would have been like in the year I was born or the month. I listen regularly to the news, but those headlines are forgotten by the end of the day. I just wondered what my city or town or the country was like in the year 1994. I was thinking about going back by twoRead MoreRe Writing History And Rwandan Identity Through The Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre Essay1473 Words   |  6 PagesRe-writing History and Rwandan Identity Through the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre In April 2004, the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre opened to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide. Peacefully overlooking the city of Kigali, the Centre seeks to be a place of remembrance and honor for survivors as well as a step towards creating Rwanda’s post-genocide identity. Rwanda has sought to find its place politically, socially, and in memory through this westernized approach to remembranceRead MoreInternational Community Is Culpable For The Rwandan Genocide1376 Words   |  6 PagesFrom April to June 1994, in a mere 100 days, approximately 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu were murdered during the Rwandan genocide (Destexhe, 1994). The international community failed to prevent or stop this slaughter. Considering the horrific nature of this genocide and the vast number of victims, there is a question whether the international community is culpable for the Rwandan genocide; specifically, the role of its key players, the US, the UN, France and Belg ium. I will argue that the internationalRead MoreRwand The Rwandan Genocide1296 Words   |  6 Pages The Rwandan genocide was the killing of 800,000 people in just 100 days. The Rwandan genocide took place in 1994. During this time Rwanda was a small country with a mostly agricultural economy. Although it is small it had one of the largest populations. In 1994 Rwanda was made up of three different ethnic groups. The Hutu made of 85% of the Rwandan population. The Tutsi’s made of 14% of the population and was the minority. The Twa was a small Pygmy group that made up 1% of the population (unitedhumanrightsRead MoreInformative Speech on Rwandan Genocide Outline1300 Words   |  6 PagesBen Johnson Intro to Comm. 1320-04 11/8/12 Rwandan Genocide General Purpose: To Inform Specific Purpose: To share with the class that the Rwandan Genocide was a brutal genocide that most people know little about. Thesis: The Rwandan Genocide is one of the lesser known, quickest, and most inhumane genocides this world has ever seen, and it is still affecting the people of Rwanda till this day. Organizational Pattern: Topical Introduction I. Attention Getter:

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Investigating Altered States of Consciousness Essay

Investigating Altered States of Consciousness â€Å"The question of what consciousness is, is one that has intrigued psychologists.† (Hayes, N Orrell, H, 2000, page 116.) ‘The term altered states of consciousness refers to significant change in what is considered a normal waking awareness’ (Crisp, T, 2003, Altered states of consciousness, http://www.homepages.tesco.net/~waves/asoc.htm) An altered state of consciousness takes many forms such sleep, dreams, hypnosis, coma and the effects of psychoactive drugs. Learning about these altered states of consciousness helps us learn why we have these different altered states and how and why we benefit from it. Altered states of awareness can be caused†¦show more content†¦Sleep is an important altered state of consciousness without we lose out on many things according to Oswald, he quotes â€Å"the purpose of sleep is to restore depleted energy reserves, eliminate waste products from the muscles, repair cells and recover lost physical abilities. (Mcliveen, R Gross, R, 1996, Biopsychology, Hodder Stoughton, page 101.) There has been many studies where people have deprived themselves of sleep, Randy gardener conducted a famous study, he deprived himself of 11 days and12 minutes hours of sleep. Gardner did experience lack of coordination, hallucination, blurred vision, muscle tremors, slurred speech, memory lapses and concentration difficulties as a result of lack of sleep. Lack of sleep therefore is not a light matter although Gardner did not suffer from any long term effects from conducting this study. The relevance of sleep to the human body cannot be over emphasised. From this study we can learn that sleep is important and with out it we could not properly function in our day to day lives. Sleep deprivation studies has taught as these important factors. Rechtschaffert supports that sleep is important he conducted a study using rats, placed them on a disc that was in water, EEG monitors were attached to the head to monitor brain activity, when the rat fall asleep disc rotated therefore the rat had to move to avoidShow MoreRelatedUnderstanding The Complexity Of Consciousness2247 Words   |  9 Pagesfully understand the complexity of consciousness, it must be defined. However there is no universal accepted definition due to the concept is looked at from many different positions and in different terms. In this essay which will explore altered states affecting consciousness, the definition which will be used is ‘One is aware of surroundings, and is able to make decisions and the ability to apply different experiences to different situations’. When consciousness is not present, a person is thenRead More The Consequences of Epilepsy Essay1528 Words   |  7 Pages The Consequences of Epilepsy Epilepsy: Any of various neurological disorders characterized by sudden recurring attacks of motor, sensory, or psychic malfunction with or without loss of consciousness or convulsive seizures (1). Is epilepsy a purely physical phenomenon? The question is a complicated one. Put simply, the answer should be yes. The psychological trauma sometimes caused by the seizures, however, makes the answer more complex, along with a more troubling trend. In yearsRead MoreInvestigating the Extent to Which Historians Can Be Objective1137 Words   |  5 PagesInvestigating the Extent to Which Historians Can Be Objective ‘You have reckoned that history ought to judge the past and to instruct the contemporary world as to the future. The present attempt does not yield to that high office. It will merely tell you how it really was’ - Leopold Von Ranke ‘There are no facts, only interpretations’ – Nietzsche Here we encounter two diametrically opposed views concerning objectivity. It can be argued that â€Å"true† objectivity cannotRead MoreReform Judaism As Liberal And Progressive Judaism1837 Words   |  8 Pagesto be the founder of the Reform movement. While he was investigating Jewish history he discovered that many of the old practices were changed in favor of new ones. Geiger also felt that the more changes that are made to keep up with the times will make Judaism attractive to all Jews. Olmec Religion was the small traditional religion that I chose. The location that the Olmec Religion was practiced in the Gulf of Mexico which is now the states of Tabasco and Veracruz, but their influence spread toRead MoreAudrie And Daisy : A Documentary Analysis1469 Words   |  6 Pagesand law enforcement officials give important details about the aftermath of the events, and introduce viewers to possibly the biggest villain of all, Sherriff Darren White of Maryville, Missouri. Throughout the documentary White appears smug when he states that â€Å"as County Sheriff, â€Å"the buck stops here† (White), and when asked about the crimes committed by Maryville’s football star, he rebuts with â€Å"was there a crime?† (Darren White). As the film moves through the twists and turns of the cases, the settingsRead MoreThe Documentary : Audrie Daisy, Husband And Wife Director Team Bonnie Cohen Essay1464 Words   |  6 Pagesand law enforcement officials give important details about the aftermath of the events, and introduce viewers to possibly the biggest villain of all, Sherriff Darren White of Maryville, Missouri. Throughout the documentary White appears smug when he states that â€Å"as County Sheriff, â€Å"the buck stops here† (Darren White), and when asked about the crimes committed by Maryville’s football star, he rebuts with â€Å"was there a crime?† (Darren White). As the film moves through the twists and turns of the casesRead MoreAn Analysis Of Audrie Daisy, Husband And Wife Director Team Bonnie Cohen Essay1500 Words   |  6 Pagesand law enforcement officials give important details about the aftermath of the events, and introduce viewers to possibly the biggest villain of all, Sherriff Darren White of Maryville, Missouri. Throughout the documentary White appears smug when he states that â€Å"as County Sheriff, â€Å"the buck stops here.†(White) and when asked about the crimes committed by Maryville’s football star, he rebuts with â€Å"was there a crime?† (White). Montages, long and subjective shots, close-ups, and personal sketches highlightRead MoreN Fowleri Consists Of An Amoeba2180 Words   |  9 Pagesand the nucleolus is less pronounced. The N fowleri may change to the flagellated (motile, non-feeding) state due to a lack of nutrients in the environment. The cystic form serves as protection, and the organism may change to this state in response to negative environmental factors like pH changes, toxin exposure, anaerobic conditions, and desiccation. The trophozoite form is the feeding state, and would occur in favorable, nutrient-rich conditions. Trophozoites are the only infective stage of NRead MoreThe Use Of Recreational Drugs And Its Effects On Mental Health2286 Words   |  10 PagesThe use of recreational drugs has been common among humans ever since their psychoactive effects and ability to alter consciousness was discovered. A downside to this is that according to research, substance use has been linked to the development and expression of latent mental illness (a mental disorder that a person may carry the genes for but not express). My main research focus is the question of how drug use, especially hallucinogenic drugs, mediates and effects mental health, and whether itRead MoreThe Stand Against Elder Abuse1897 Words   |  8 Pagessometimes hidden signs, and how to properly take action against abuse. â€Æ' Imagine you have just received report for your patient Ms. Smith, who is 80 years old, and admitted for UTI and Altered mental status. You enter the room to find Ms. Smith crying. When you ask her what is wrong, she covers her face, and states â€Å"I sorry Sam it was an accident. Please don’t be mad, please don’t hurt me, I’m sorry I couldn’t get up in time†. Upon assessment you find, Ms. Smith was incontinent, and will need to be

Monday, December 9, 2019

Eastern State Penitentiary A History in Prison Reform free essay sample

A complete history of the construction of Eastern State Penitentiary and an exploration of the famous inmates and stories that are associated with the prison. A detailed paper that outlines the history of one of Philadelphias national historical landmarks, Eastern State Penitentiary. The author describes the history of its philosophy and construction, as well as facts regarding the massive penitentiary. Construction began on May in 1822. The penitentiary received its first prisoner in October of 1829, though the prison would not be completed until 1836. Eighteen-year-old Charles Williams was Easterns first prisoner, sentenced to two years for theft. The identity of Charles Williams disappeared, there was now only prisoner number one in his place. As he was walked to his cell, a black hood was placed over his head, to protect his identity and to help minimize escapes. The only person to see an inmate was a guard who brought meals to an inmate, which were deposited through a slot in the door. We will write a custom essay sample on Eastern State Penitentiary: A History in Prison Reform or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The walls were eighteen inches of thick stone. Pastors and ministers would make rounds to Eastern State on a weekly basis, reading scriptures and preaching sermons, but even for this, inmates remained in their cells. Inmates were not allowed to converse, whistle, sing, or even know who the president was at the time. Any inmate not obeying these strict rules were deprived of dinner that night. However, during the exercising sessions, inmates would throw pebbles over the walls with a note attached to communicate with other prisoners.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Three Reasons Against Gun Control Essay Example For Students

Three Reasons Against Gun Control Essay There has been an increased interest to the problem of recent gun regulations in society and whether they are reasonable or not. Many people believe that gun restrictions are not the answers to address the existing problem effectively. Like most of the other social issues, some argumentative points should be taken into account as far as the problem of the gun control is concerned. Both sides have their moderate and more extremist supporters. However, even though from the beginning gun restrictions control have been used for the purpose to secure individuals’ safety, some strong opposite points of view should be taken into account. We will write a custom essay on Three Reasons Against Gun Control specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now First of all, gun restrictions are direct violations of the second amendment. In fact, how can citizens stop the individuals with guns without using guns? Confiscation of everyones guns will create new issues in the problems of self-security. Any restrictive collective right threatens the individual liberties.   One more case that should be taken into account is womens rights. Because of the huge criminal violence directed against them, females use firearms ownership for self-defense. Thought the history, there are many cases when guns have been used for the defeating â€Å"bad guys.† The restrictions against ones right to possess firearms contradict womens right of self-protection. Hence, every citizen should be able to have guns to protect one’s life. These guns may not only save one’s life but also make sure that a person feels safe at own place. Also, every person should be able to protect one’s territory and family members from any form of violence. Secondly, gun restrictions are not effective policies as one should not blame guns for killing people. It is individuals themselves who kill others. Hence, in case the guns are prohibited, people will find many other ways to harm others, including knives, hammers, and even bomb. Probably, it will only increase the percentage of deaths. The problem is more connected to ones mental illness. One common example is the existing prohibitions that were supposed to stop consuming alcohol. If they did not stop individuals from buying and consuming alcoholic drinks, gun control would also not be able to prevent others from using guns for personal purposes. There are many other sophisticated and more effective approaches to secure effective gun control rather than just banning them. The last argument against gun control is that it only will lead to illegal gun business and the appearance of black markets selling guns. These guns are most commonly used by criminals. Hence, gun control would not solve the issue from a long-term perspective mainly because it is impossible to control every member of society who has guns. In case people have no official permission to buy guns for self-protection, there will be many black markets or platforms on the Internet that will sell guns. Ironically, the evidence demonstrates that primarily the countries with severer gun control have more cases of illegal gun selling. It is an ineffective policy as it will only lead to higher levels of gun violence, contrary to what one may think. In fact, any weapons are mainly manufactured by board companies before they fall into the wrong hands. Probably, it is much more effective to start with manufactures. First of all, any companies selling guns should secure that the customers are mental ly healthy individuals who obey the laws. Some deeper examinations are needed before a person gets the right to buy a gun. Besides, every citizen should mindfully buy the guns and make sure that they are used only in extreme cases.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Literally the Worst Mistake You Could Ever Make

Literally the Worst Mistake You Could Ever Make Literally the Worst Mistake You Could Ever Make Literally the Worst Mistake You Could Ever Make By Guest Author If most peoples employment of the word â€Å"literally† doesnt drive you mad, youre probably guilty of a few misuses yourself. Its one of the most common complaints of the grammar-savvy. Responding to our post on â€Å"Blackboard Moments† those usages of speech that provoke the same response as fingernails on a blackboard – Abbie points out one of her least favorite tropes of modern language: â€Å"Literally† replacing the word â€Å"very† in a sentence. I know someone who says â€Å"literally† several times in a row, when she wants to emphasize how â€Å"very† something is. One day I will have to shoot her. One hopes that Abbie isnt being literal here. Along with that other frequent offender, â€Å"basically,† the word â€Å"literally† is often mistakenly employed to provide emphasis for a word or phrase that might otherwise go overlooked: â€Å"literally furious,† â€Å"literally champing at the bit,† â€Å"literally scared me half to death.† As anyone reading this no doubt knows, correct use of the word â€Å"literally† literally looks almost nothing like this. Its a value-neutral term absent of any inherent emphasis or largesse. Correctly, â€Å"literally† should be used when a turn of phrase usually employed in a metaphorical sense enjoys a rare moment of non-metaphorical applicability: the phrase becomes true in a literal, words-meaning-exactly-what-they-say sense. If we know that â€Å"waiting with bated breath,† for instance, originates in Shakespeares allusion to someone whose breathing has stopped (or abated) in their anxiety, we might say we were â€Å"literally waiting with bated breath† if we had cause to hold our breath for an extended period of time. With our communications increasingly conceptual and metaphor-laden, more and more terms enjoy frequent non-literal use. In an online environment filled with abstract concepts and non-corporeal action, metaphorical language is particularly prevalent: â€Å"rolling out new features,† â€Å"clearing my inbox,† â€Å"laughing out loud.† Add to this the blurred boundary between idiom and clichà © and you have a language rife with metaphor. Those of us attuned to the true meaning of â€Å"literally† may jump at the chance to say something like â€Å"I literally jumped at the chance,† but be wary that youre not falling into the same trap as the misusers: using â€Å"literally† to convey emphasis, instead of simply finding a stronger word to make your point. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:"Based in" and "based out of"45 Synonyms for â€Å"Old† and â€Å"Old-Fashioned†20 Classic Novels You Can Read in One Sitting

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was an organization established during the Civil Rights Movement. Established in April 1960 at Shaw University, SNCC organizers worked throughout the South planning sit-ins, voter registration drives and protests. The organization was no longer in operation by the 1970s as the Black Power Movement became popular. As a former SNCC member argues: In a time when the civil rights struggle is presented as a bedtime story with a beginning, middle, and end, it is important to revisit the work of SNCC and their call for transforming American democracy. Establishment of SNCC In 1960, Ella Baker, an established civil rights activist and an official with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), organized African American college students who had been involved in the 1960 sit-ins to a meeting at Shaw University. In opposition to Martin Luther King Jr., who wanted the students to work with the SCLC, Baker encouraged the attendees to create an independent organization. James Lawson, a theology student at Vanderbilt University, wrote a mission statement we affirm the philosophical or religious ideals of nonviolence as the foundation of our purpose, the presupposition of our faith, and the manner of our action. Nonviolence, growing from Judaic-Christian traditions, seeks a social order of justice permeated by love. That same year, Marion Barry was elected as SNCCs first chairman. Freedom Rides By 1961, SNCC was gaining prominence as a civil rights organization. That year, the group galvanized students and civil rights activists to participate in the Freedom Rides to investigate how effectively the Interstate Commerce Commission was enforcing the Supreme Court ruling of equal treatment in interstate travel. By November of 1961, SNCC was organizing voter registration drives in Mississippi. SNCC also organized desegregation campaigns in Albany, Ga. known as the Albany Movement. March on Washington In August of 1963, SNCC was one of the chief organizers of the March on Washington along with Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the SCLC and the NAACP. John Lewis, chairman of SNCC was scheduled to speak but his criticism of the proposed civil rights bill caused other organizers to pressure Lewis to change the tone of his speech. Lewis and SNCC led listeners in a chant, to We want our freedom, and we want it now. Freedom Summer The following summer, SNCC worked with CORE as well as other civil rights organizations to register Mississippi voters. That same year, SNCC members helped establish the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party to create diversity in the states Democratic Party. The work of SNCC and the MFDP caused the National Democratic Party to mandate that all states have equality in its delegation by the 1968 election. Local Organizations From initiatives such as Freedom Summer, voter registration, and other initiatives, local African American communities began creating organizations to meet the needs of their community. For instance, in Selma, African Americans state the Lowndes County Freedom Organization. Later Years and Legacy By the late 1960s, SNCC changed its name to the Student National Coordinating Committee to reflect its changing philosophy. Several members, particularly James Forman believed that nonviolence might not be the only strategy to overcoming racism. Forman once admitted that he did not know how much longer we can stay nonviolent. Under the leadership of Stokely Carmicheal, SNCC began protesting against the Vietnam War and became aligned with the  Black Power Movement. By the 1970s, SNCC was no longer an active organization   Former SNCC member Julian Bond has said, a  final SNCC legacy is the destruction of the psychological shackles which had kept black southerners in physical and mental peonage; SNCC helped break those chains forever. It demonstrated that ordinary women and men, young and old, could perform extraordinary tasks.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Success of Napoleon's Strategy throughout His Conquest Essay

The Success of Napoleon's Strategy throughout His Conquest - Essay Example A study into Napoleon’s military influence on Europe should first describe a brief background on the his rise before focusing on the military strategy he deployed in battle, utilizing the various battles he won to demonstrate the success of the strategy. Napoleon grew up in pre-revolution France and attended a military academy before being selected to study the scientific and mathematical aspects of warfare.3 When the French revolution removed the autocratic leadership creating a room for other individuals to take up positions, a scenario a situation developed with Napoleon becoming the beneficiary. He rose up the ranks due to military adeptness in squashing the counter revolutions that characterized early post-revolution France, and was later appointed an operational planner for the army in Italy.4 His military brilliance in Italy saw him take senior leadership in the military and lead an army to Egypt before returning to his homeland and organizing a successful coup d`etat a nd transforming France into a form of a military dictatorship. He however made civil law standard through the Napoleon Code which ensured the revolution’s objectives were not lost especially in terms of freedom and religion. Napoleon’s Military Strategy Napoleon devised a highly effective approach to war that had no rival at that time hence leading to numerous victories against his enemies and driving his conquest. Of particular note is the fact that Napoleon was more of a practical General rather than an innovator, utilizing approaches by former Generals after adapting them to his cause. He adopted the aspects that worked and ignored the useless. His strategy was based on military agility, speed and surprise attacks hence he configured his army in a manner that could carry this out.5 The Napoleonic army was organized into basic units or corps;6 self-sustaining and semi-independent units that could be deployed effectively even against large armies and hold their ground until the other units reinforced them or attacked the enemy from a different side. Napoleon recognized the soldier as the most important function in the overall organization and hence undertook to boost morale across his forces.7 As a result, he had a close personal relationship with his subordinates and was a charismatic figure that created bravery and boosted fighting spirits amongst his men. This can be evidenced by the several proclamations he made to his army such as †¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"You have won battles without cannon, crossed rivers without bridges, made forced marches without shoes and camped without brandy and often without bread. Soldiers of liberty, only republican phalanxes could have endured what you have endured. Soldiers, you have our thanks! The grateful Patrie will owe its prosperity to you. The two armies which but recently attacked you with audacity are fleeing before you in terror; the wicked men who laughed at your misery and rejoiced at the thought of the triumph s of your enemies are confounded and trembling...†8 With an army boasting of such high levels of morale, Napoleon could then implement his strategy that was developed after taking into consideration each specific battle

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Existentialist view on human nature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Existentialist view on human nature - Essay Example For thousands of years, people have debated whether God exists, and most conclude that it cannot be proven. Karl Barth asserts that God â€Å"rules unconditionally and irresistibly in all occurrences. Nature is God’s servant, the instrument of his purposes. God controls, orders, and determines, for ‘nothing can be done except the will of God†. Aquinas argued that â€Å"God is impassible, unaffected by the world. Since God knows all events in advance and controls every detail, divine knowledge is unchanging and in, God there is no element of responsiveness†. In this context, an analysis of opinions expressed by different philosophers is paramount in understanding the analogy of self and being, and it is postulated that the correct answer lies in the area of abstract philosophy and the metaphysical. Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards human exist ence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one’s acts. Danish religious philosopher Soren Aabye Kierkegaard is considered as the founder of existentialism and is remembered for his critique of the systematic rational philosophy of Hegel on the ground that actual life cannot be contained within an abstract conceptual system. Kierkegaard rejected collective thinking, and insisted on the importance of the individuals and resisted the features of Hegel's tendency to mediate all oppositions and to hold out the prospect of complete understanding of god. Hegel maintained that true understanding can only be attained if one has a comprehension of 'The Absolute', and for Hegel the whole of human history and intellect constitutes a progressive self-realization of this Absolute spirit that takes place through 'dialectic.' (Stevenson, 1987, p.54). He believed that to an extent the mind has not completed its journey toward the absolute, the individual experience alienation, and a strong sense of awareness is essential to accomplish this goal. Hegel's emphasis on self-awareness in establishing self-realization is strongly reflected in existential philosophy. Marx also adopted the concept of alienation into his thinking, but maintained that such self-estrangement is a product of economic and social factors, and not of a metaphysical relationship. Rene Descartes assumed a dichotomy between thinking substance and extended substance, the ghost in the machine, and faced the problem of how we can have valid knowledge of objects if the only basis for knowledge is intuitive individual self-consciousness. Martin Heidegger believed that the individual and the world are inseparable, and postulated that 'to be' involves existing, and existing involves constant and dynamic change. Although one has no choice regarding some of the circumstances he lives in, these factors determine the context in which one exercises one's freedom and defines his/her existence. The position of the German philosopher Immanuel Kant, that the physical world did not transcend consciousness, or of objective or absolute idealism, that the world was an aspect of an absolute min d, has

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Marxism Analysis of The Lower Depths Essay Example for Free

Marxism Analysis of The Lower Depths Essay Maxim Gorky’s â€Å"The Lower Depths† shows the struggle between classes. Unquestionably, its focus is on the lowest of the economically low class people being controlled by the bourgeoisie. It is also a representation of how cruel the society could be towards them and how, in turn, the people are affected by the society. Although the play talks of the story of low class people –the vagrant, the gambler, the ex-artist, the ex-aristocrat, the prostitute, and so many others, the thief’s character is the best to display the struggle between the classes. Thieves are likely to be wicked, troublesome, and disobedient. However, the thief in the text projects only the wickedness and troublesomeness but is not really disobedient. He is a bit subservient to the whims of their landlady. Though it is true that there are times when he doesn’t want to follow what the woman says, in the end the woman would always find a way to make him do whatever she likes. For instance, when the landlady wanted the thief to kill her husband, the thief refused. And to bring her plans into reality, she beats Natasha –whom the thief cared about. This made the thief furious and he went to confront the landlady but he incidentally killed her husband instead. Aside from this, the fact that the landlady â€Å"owned† her sister Natasha made the thief adhere to her caprice. He is always protecting his love and is willing to do everything to spare her from the landlord and the landlady’s injustice. The text embodies how the low class people resist the ideology of those in the higher classes. However, because of circumstances they are in, they end up going along with whatever those in higher classes’ demands. The lower economic groups are ignored in this text by those higher than them. The mere title of the play is distasteful. The place where the characters live is created and tagged as the lower depths by no other than the society itself. This just means that the society is also the primary reason for the repression experienced by the people. What the society didn’t realize is that these low class people are in the lower depths because they are deprived of chances to attain their goals and they are put on circumstances that destroy their self-confidence. The system of the ruling class caused the alienation of the low class people, therefore causing them not to be able to live their lives to the fullest. Also, the setting is where the characters tell their stories and debate on whether it is better to live without illusions on ones own capability or to embrace a romanticized view of the world in order to protect oneself from the pain of daily life. In the play, it is the character of Luka who seems to idealize everything in life and the one who demonstrate that philosophy is meant to be used as an instrument to initiate change. Precisely, it was him who played the opposing figure to the rest of the characters. He is an example of an old man whom experiences made wise. He serves as an inspiration to everyone he meets by urging each of them to start a new life. In spite of this, his extreme optimism could also be the same reason why his life failed. And although he amazed the neglected lower class people in the lower depths, his arrival in their lives was too late that their energy and will has already taken from them. No matter how those people try to ascend from the social swamp, they are always shoved back into the depths. For example, when Natasha and the thief were about to begin a new life, destiny surpass them. Natasha was terribly beaten by her sister and when the thief came to confront the landlady, he accidentally killed the landlord. The theme of the play could be about the dominance of the higher class over the lower classes. As one of the play’s characters puts it â€Å"And so for all the others. Locksmiths then bootmakers and other working folk and all the agriculturals and even the gentry they live for the better man! Each thinks es livin fer imself, yet it turns out its fer that better man†. All of them who live in the depths and all the other workers seem to believe that they are living for themselves. What they don’t realize is that they are living to work and feed the bourgeoisie. And aside from this, the fact that the characters came from different field means that the bourgeoisie could control all aspects of the culture. To sum up, the play is a depiction of how the bourgeoisie rule the society. And the fact that the society puts the label to people shows how powerful it could affect other people’s lives.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Yahoo! Inc. Essay examples -- Business Marketing Case Studies

Yahoo! Inc. is a global Internet communications, commerce, and media company that offers a comprehensive branded network of services to more than 120 million users each month worldwide. As the first online navigational guide to the World Wide Web, www.yahoo.com is the leading guide in terms of traffic, advertising, household, and business user reach, and is one of the most recognized brands associated with the Internet. The company also provides online business services designed to enhance Yahoo!'s clients' Web services, including audio and video streaming, store hosting and management, and Web site tools and services. The company's global Web network includes 21 World properties. Yahoo! has offices in Europe, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, Canada and the United States, and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California. Yahoo! was developed and first made available in 1994 by the Company's founders, David Filo and Jerry Yang, while they were graduate students at Stanford University. The Company was incorporated in California on March 5, 1995, and commenced operations on that date. On May 18, 1999 the Company reincorporated in Delaware. In August 1995, the company commenced selling advertisements on its Web pages and recognized its initial revenues. The company experienced dramatic growth providing broadcast media, communications, and commerce services. Yahoo! completed several major acquisitions including GeoCities, an Internet company specializing in publishing tools and online communities, and Broadcast.com inc., an Internet company specializing in audio and video broadcasts over the Web. These acquisitions as well as many other ones have helped Yahoo! diversify the properties and services it offers to its clients, helping to establish it as a one-of-a-kind, all encompassing web portal. Yahoo! is the number-one destination of users of the Internet the world over. With over 110 million unique users and 485 million average daily page views during December 1999, Yahoo! has clearly proven its ability to attract Web users like moths to light. With Yahoo!'s customizable services available in the U.S. and in 21 countries in 12 languages, Yahoo! users worldwide can pay their bills, track their stock portfolios, purchase virtually any product imaginable, and find a host of other services including email and chat rooms, all within the virtual borders of the prime ... ... for the short-term it still faces possible downside. As good as Yahoo!’s prospects are for the future, with all of its new sources of revenue as well as with the new pay services it is implementing, Yahoo! still faces near term uncertainty for shareholders. With all of the market turmoil over the possibility of recession and economic downturn, Yahoo!’s current instability leaves it with room for a greater decrease in share price. I do however believe that over the long term Yahoo! has a strong outlook and will perform well for its shareholders. Although compelling at these levels, I would not buy shares in Yahoo! for the short term, as in the next 6 months I don’t see any improvement in Yahoo!’s finances. I would therefore buy a July-01 Put on Yahoo (Symbol: YHQSF), with the exercise price of $30, based on Friday February 23rd’s closing price of $25.43. This Put is $4.57 â€Å"in the money† and its last trade went through at 9 and 7/8. T his is less than the value computed by Black-Scholes of 11 and 1/64. I believe that over the next few months, Yahoo!’s shares will be trading below the current market price of $25.43, therefore making the Put a profitable investment with minimal risk.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Chemical element

True The half-lives of unstable isotopes vary from milliseconds to billions of years. The combining of atoms is known as nuclear fusion. Multiple choice (271)mints) The man responsible for discovering that the atom is mostly space is: Rutherford false statement concerning matter is: All matter contains mass. The true statement concerning the atomic nucleus is: It is made up of electrons only. The element has how many protons? 7 has how many neutrons? 146 Which statement is true? Isotopes of a given element have very similar chemical properties. The atomic number of an atom is equivalent to the number of: protons Rutherford coined the term used for the simplest positive charged particle and called it the: neutron An alpha particle is: an electron Select all that apply. In the vertical columns of the periodic table: All the physical properties are identical.The number of positive charges in the nucleus of an atom is equal to: its atomic number Most of the mass of an atom is made up of: The protons and neutrons Movement of electrons about a central nucleus is a concept by: Boor Periodicity is best defined as: The repeating nature of physical and chemical properties with increasing The last element in any period always has: eight electrons in the outermost energy level The maximum number of electrons in a p sub-level is: 3 The 3 in up represent TTS: the number of electrons Name the element that corresponds to the following electron configuration. 2 , as , up neon 22 61 What does the p mean in Is as the p shell What causes the lines in the spectrum for elements? None of the above What is the maximum number of electrons found in any shell of the known elements? 8 A principal quantum number refers to: The numbered energy levels starting from the nucleus outward 2 2 The electron configuration of En is: Is In the vertical columns of the periodic table, as the atomic numbers increase: The numbers of electrons in the valence shell increase.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Thomas Hardy Poem Interpretation

Poems for essay: Neutral Tones, A Broken Appointment, The Moth-Signal. Interpretation is said to be an explanation or conceptualization of a work of literature or other art form by a critic. Hardy is known for integrating personal events from his life, into his poems that allow the reader to develop a fully rounded view of what he was trying to convey in his work. Love and its effects are one of his most famous themes that are the basis of many of his poems. Hardy tends to use references to many of his loves in his life in his poems especially his first wife Emma.The context from which he writes helps immensely when deducing the meaning of his works. However, knowledge of the poet’s background is not a necessity when interpreting all poems nor does it always influence the interpretation given by the reader; this only true to a certain extent. In the poems: â€Å"Neutral Tones†, â€Å"A Broken Appointment† and â€Å"The Moth- Signal (Edgon Heath)† are all e xamples of poems by Thomas Hardy that does not require awareness of his background to be interpreted by the reader.The poem, â€Å"Neutral Tones† can be deciphered is about a man who loses his true love and thus skews his view of love forever. The first stanza may be interpreted as the setting of which this heartbreaking moment between these two lovers took place. The setting bares no identification needed towards the writer and can be easily interpreted by the reader. The proceeding stanzas basically describe the scenarios in the relationship that led to ultimately the couple going their separate ways and as a result changes the man’s perception of love as the event is relayed from his point of view.This poem is just based on a love gone wrong and does not need Hardy’s background information to be successfully understood by anyone who reads it. His personal detached tone from the poem allows this to be possible. Along with â€Å"Neutral Tones†, â€Å"A Broken Appointment† follows the same trend of love and freedom to be interpreted without having knowledge of his past loves. This poem is about a man who is now reflecting later about the time he was stood up by the woman he loved. This is an issue that happens regularly and does not need to be referenced to sometime in the author’s life to be analyzed thoroughly.This poem was also written generally so it also bore no semblance to the life of Hardy. This goes to show that the background of an author when interpreting a poem is not utter importance. In addition, â€Å"The Moth-Signal (Edgon Heath)†, is another one of Hardy’s poems that lack the need for the context from which the poet writes. In this poem, there is an affair by a woman that is summoned to her lover via a moth being burned in the flames of a candle to indicate her lover was present.Since infidelity is a common issue, the background of Hardy is not needed to influence the interpretation of th is poem. In all of the above mention poems, they all encompassed a plot that was easily identifiable by any reader. The thread of love and heartbreak ran through each and they are all poems that are relatable to all who reads these poems. This gives proof that a poet’s background does not need to be known in order to interpret a poem nor influence its interpretation.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

LinkedIns Overused Buzzwords for 2017 - Do You Really Need to Avoid Them

LinkedIns Overused Buzzwords for 2017 - Do You Really Need to Avoid Them LinkedIns 2017 Buzzwords Are Out! Even in the midst of big changes at LinkedIn, the company has stuck to its annual tradition of posting a list of overused buzzwords. As they say, they â€Å"want to help you start the year of right†- and one way to do that is by writing a LinkedIn profile that doesn’t sound like everyone else’s. LinkedIn has gotten a sense of humor this year! They provide some amusing examples of profiles from the likes of Queen Victoria, claiming to be a â€Å"reliable monarch with a proven track record in governing empires,† and Leonardo Da Vinci, a â€Å"detail oriented self-starter with experience in drawing.† Point made! Why Do We Use Buzzwords? LinkedIn did some additional delving into why people continue to use buzzwords when everyone else is using them. They identified four main factors: Ease of use and the effort required to be creative; the sense that if other people are using the buzzwords, those people and their words must be right; the desire to â€Å"fit in† to a group or industry; and a lack of confidence in conveying one’s own achievements. While these explanations have value, I have some other thoughts on LinkedIn’s list, which I will share in a moment. The List Following is this year’s list of words to avoid. But I say take LinkedIn’s admonishment to â€Å"avoid† them with a grain of salt. Maybe there’s a good reason a lot of people use these words. Maybe some of them are important and actually work! Let’s take a look: Specialized Leadership Passionate Strategic Experienced Focused Expert Certified Creative Excellent Here are my thoughts on the top five: Specialized. This word appears on the list for the first time ever. How interesting that a word meant to make someone stand out has the effect of sounding distinctly un-special. To avoid â€Å"specialized† or â€Å"specialize† in your profile, simply state what you do, and it will be clear to your audience that you specialize in whatever that is. Recruiters are only searching on the term â€Å"specialized† if they are looking for skills in specialized equipment or specialized programs. So banish the buzzword if you don’t have one of those specific skills. Leadership. This is a tough one. Isn’t leadership the thing that everyone is looking for? I can’t see stripping it out of every leader’s profile, especially because it appears in 10 of LinkedIn’s approved Skills. Don’t overuse the term, but don’t avoid it if it’s integral to what you do. Here are effective keywords that include the buzzword and that you should continue to include in your profile if they describe you: Passionate. Demonstrate your passion! Let us hear the excitement in your â€Å"voice.† Tell us stories of how you went after things you wanted and completed challenging projects with energy and enthusiasm. Saying you are passionate is a cop-out, as demonstrated by its move to 3rd place from 4th last year. Good writing will exude passion without relying on the term itself. Strategic. This is another tough one, since phrases that contain â€Å"strategic† comprise 10 actual core competencies/skills that recruiters search for on LinkedIn. Use the word sparingly, but I would not recommend eliminating it from your profile if it’s a keyword for your industry. Experienced. Okay, yeah, this is overused. I personally like to state the number of years of experience a client has in an industry to show a depth of, well, experience. But saying you have â€Å"12 years of experience† is different than claiming to be â€Å"experienced.† LinkedIn does have four Skills that include their self-identified buzzword. But if you’re defaulting to the adjective â€Å"Experienced† to describe yourself, look for other ways to convey how many years you’ve been doing what you do and how well you know your field. What do you think about the remaining five buzzwords, Focused, Expert, Certified, Creative, and Excellent? Don’t Overdo It! Whatever our opinions on any individual buzzword, the clear fact is that putting more than one buzzword in a sentence or phrase is not going to make you stand out. It doesn’t work to default to a string of these terms in an effort to sound good, and doing so will have the opposite effect. Leonardo Da Vinci’s fake headline above is a great example of the downside of overused terminology. But you are not going to avoid using all these buzzwords! My advice: Use them in moderation. Be aware. Do your best to find other alternatives. And if there are not alternatives, use the buzzwords, very carefully, with pride. Save Save

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

How To Schedule Tweets And Organize Your Social Media Plan

How To Schedule Tweets And Organize Your Social Media Plan Studies suggest its perfectly  acceptable to  tweet up to 15 times a day. Thats 105 tweets  a week! Whether you  plan to send that number of tweets or not, one thing is certain: Twitter is a high-sharing volume network. Your followers expect you to tweet a lot of helpful  content consistently every day. That means scheduling tweets is more important than ever to help you: Queue tweets to automatically post well  into the future. Send tweets at the absolute best times  to reach your followers when theyre most active on Twitter- even when youre busy with other projects and life in general. See every scheduled tweet for all of your Twitter handles  in one place to discover gaps in your posting plan. Thats exactly what youll get when you schedule tweets with , your all-in-one social media editorial calendar. Lets explore. How To Schedule Tweets And Organize Your Social Media Plan Studies suggest its perfectly  acceptable to  tweet up to 15 times a day. Thats 105 tweets  a week! Whether you  plan to send that number of tweets or not, one thing is certain: Twitter is a high-sharing volume network. Your followers expect you to tweet a lot of helpful  content consistently every day. That means scheduling tweets is more important than ever to help you: Queue tweets to automatically post well  into the future. Send tweets at the absolute best times  to reach your followers when theyre most active on Twitter- even when youre busy with other projects and life in general. See every scheduled tweet for all of your Twitter handles  in one place to discover gaps in your posting plan. Thats exactly what youll get when you schedule tweets with , your all-in-one social media editorial calendar. Lets explore.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Research Methods in Sales and Marketing for Tourism Essay

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

Friday, November 1, 2019

Possible Recommendations for Drowling Mountain Essay

Possible Recommendations for Drowling Mountain - Essay Example Operating as a nonprofit resort meant that the organization did not have any income generating activity but after its lease to Ian MacArthur, things took a new turn. This specifically means than for the business to continue flourishing as the leading skiing resort, the management should encourage more privatization efforts. Owing to the numerous challenges that the Drowling Mountain faced in its operations, one can insinuate that it performed rather well in the 2009-2010 financial year, at least going by the financial statements recorded during the year. Perhaps the first major recommendation that would save Drowling Mountain from the previous downward trend and set it for a financial takeoff is the adoption of new marketing strategies. Keeping cognizant of the fact that the competition is very stiff, particularly when it comes to the skiing industry, Drowling Mountain can only embark on a robust marketing campaign to attract more tourists. This is majorly because despite the fact th at Drowling Mountain is strategically located at the highest ski mountain, it has won the love of the local Syracuse residents in the past. In addition, most lovers of skiing prefer Drowling Mountain especially the local population who perceive that the skiing resort is one of their own besides offering a host of other hospitality services apart from skiing. When it comes to the management of the organization, much more need to be done in order to ensure that all the departments are fully functional. This ought to start with the restructuring of the Board of Directors in order to eliminate any redundant positions while creating new and deserving managerial positions. This will actually lead to enhanced efficiency in service delivery that will translate to high customer satisfaction. Currently, there are only eight members in the board out of the required eleven, which means that there are lapses in concrete decision-making and overall management of the resort. Perhaps another recomm endation that would befit Drowling Mountain is the use of industry comparable to take the company to the next level. Although Cartier had done a good job in this perspective, it is important to advise that the resort needs to compare with other players within the industry in order to set a benchmark from which to operate. This will not only help in keeping track of their rivals’ profitability and strategies but it will also help the company come up with better strategies to gain a competitive advantage. This means that in addition to looking for outside and new sources to finance initiatives that could chip in, the company needs to find a lasting solution to the long-term debt that has always kept a toll on its working capital. Instead of digging into the market dynamics, Cartier should simply enhance the cash position of the company by expanding the services through active encouragement of the tourists to enjoy other services of the resort apart from skiing. Since a vast maj ority of the customers have complained of exorbitant pricing by Drowling Mountain, it would be appropriate to consider the pricing strategy. Taking into consideration the advanced ski hills owned by Drowling Mountain, more tourists should be encouraged by fair pricing that would give them value for their money. This way, the company would experience a tremendous rise in its yearly profits because, currently, it is the resort of choice for most tourists despite the fact that it is the most expensive resort in Syracuse. It is understandable that customers tend to remember the lower prices even if there is an increase and there will be a careful strategies to make the customers understand in case of any price increase in the future. Perhaps the section that needs a major overhaul in Drowling Mountain

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

International Trade and Finance Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

International Trade and Finance Law - Essay Example Not relying on the fact that crisis was caused by retarding market demand and financial mishap rather than ostensible anti-inflammatory guidelines, as has been the crisis case since 1945. Japan is the only nation among stable economies accustomed to this type of recession and this is as a result of the past-bubble downfall of the 1990s. For emerging economies, the case was quite different, as much it may have been associated with a rich economy: emerging economies had a deeper conventional trend that begun by a flow in inflation in 2008, which made many Asian countries to adopt tough anti-inflammatory regulations. Then the effects of such policies were witnessed at world trade level after Lehman and associates went bust in 2008; this saw poorer countries in Latin America and Africa feel the hitch of shortage of raw materials from China and India. Several players are behind the crisis that took the world by storm. One of the major bodies that are keenly looked at is the International Centre for Financial Regulation (ICFR). Based in London, ICFR was formed by U.K government in collaboration with international financial institutions with an aim of monitoring financial activities and coming up with international policies that would guide matters related to finance across the globe1. ICFR has been mandated to form laws that will enhance proper trade and should guide the global economy. Critics have been concerned about how such bodies carry out their activities; this is as a result of constant financial rescissions that have rocked the globe in the recent past. Some argue that such bodies should be abolished so that each country forms its own rules to govern trade. Other critics argue that the institution should consider reviewing its policies so as to avoid such crisis. ICFR members are claiming not to be blamed future expectations are unpredictable and cannot be fixed while coming up with such regulations. Even though the ICFR may defend its reputation, outcry has persisted and several fingers pointed towards the organization. Some of crisis effects such as guarantees and bail-outs have proved the organization to be unstable. Much of consequent regulatory agenda debatably reflects the need to tackle such weaknesses rather than implementing well investigated optimum governing solution. As a result, high leverage that was manageable only under circumstances of growing investor confidence and asset price is considered to be a weakness form the body. Weak governance, remuneration and accountability culture within financial bodies has been a factor as well behind downfall of the organization. Some analysts accuse the organization of hysterical and unorganized creation of liquidity to imbalance and motivate countries to invest in financial assets present in deficit countries. Other organizational weaknesses are pointed out they need attention to avoid plunging the world economy in such financial jeopardy; these include but not limited to: emergenc e of increased and uncontrolled ‘shadow banking’ segment and adoption of complicated financial tools and techniques that made risk disperse all over the global financial division and relevant interdependencies created, as well as missing public information on the extent and distribution of risk occurring in the financial system. Some commentators characterize the emergence of these, at least not wholly, to

Sunday, October 27, 2019

The Buddhist No Self Doctrine Philosophy Essay

The Buddhist No Self Doctrine Philosophy Essay The Buddha taught that there were no persisting identity and there are no permanent stable identities. We are just a complex experience streamed through time. We are just short lived, temporal, historical beings in the process of becoming. There is no difference between you and your life: you are your life history. thoughts were the thinker and experiences were the experiencer The Buddha taught Ksanika-vada which is an anti-substantial doctrine that the world is in a continuous flux and is impermanent. There is nothing more than movement and change in the world (Anitya). There are no fixed or permanent, absolute or independent substances. The Buddhist universe is the same as Heraclitus simile of a river as you cant step twice into the same river due to the constant changing of water. The phenomenology of reality, objects, events and self are not what we think they are. They are in fact a temporary interconnected stream of some fundamental elements. This is the Buddhist ontology that everything occurs through causes and effects. All these things we believe to be persisting entities, including self, are just a stream of events. The effect doesnt exist when the cause existed and the cause stops existing when the effect comes to exist. This results in everything in the world having a cause and nothing existing unconditioned. The idea of Atman is the metaphysical self or soul which is everlasting. The Hindu religion uses this idea of the soul thus they adopt the Eternalists view. This is that the soul is immaterial, infinite and immortal so it will continue to exist for ever. Atman has various meaning such as soul, self, being, ego or personality. This is what Buddhism rejects, a persisting and enduring entity in humans. The doctrine of Nairatmya-Vada teaches us that to recognize ourselves as a persisting entity is an illusion. We are actually a phenomenon of human experiences (dharma) so we are temporal being (Ksanika). What we call the self is actually a temporary interconnected stream of thoughts and desires. So why do we believe we have a self and why do we cling onto the idea of a self? The early Buddhist believed individuals were an arrangement is a composition of five aggregates (skandha). None of these phenomena contain an actually sense of self: The body (rupa) Feelings of pleasure and pain (vedana) Sense-based perceptions of objects (vijnana) Conceptual thoughts (samjna) Volitions, inherited dispositions and habits (samskara) To clarify, conceptual thoughts are not the mind but just the thoughts themselves. They are not a substance or an enduring self. Also consciousness is not found in these five aggregates as the Buddha rejected the idea. Rather consciousness is named by the cause. It is dependent on all five and it cant exist without them. For example the eye gives visibility which gives rise to visible consciousness. This is a mental consciousness. Consciousness is always an effect of the aggregates and always in flux. . The self is not actually real as none of these five aggregates show that there is a persisting and enduring identity in humans. What gives rise to individuals feeling of self is just the aggregate of these factors replacing each other. For example, a body touch a red hot poker, this will give rise to a feeling of pain, this will give rise to a thought of pain and the memory of what it felt like. It is a conventional designation for a becoming compound of the five aggregates that gives rise to the feeling that we are selves. Descartes believed that I think therefore I am, whereas the Buddha taught that I am because I think. Therefore Buddhism is an impersonalist teaching showing us that the self doesnt actually exist so we are not what we think we are, we dont matter. Nagasena explains this concept in Question of King Milanda through a conversation between Menader (a king) and Nagasena (a monk). Nagasena asks the king if the axle, wheels, chariot body, flagstaff, yoke, reins or goad-stick is the chariot. Also he asks if all of these are the chariot. All of these were answered negatively. Thus the chariot is not the same as the parts and is not the parts conjointly. He concludes that the word chariot is only a name for the parts in a certain way formation. He applies this to self and postulates that his name is just a construction of his five aggregates but not actually a self: As the various parts, the different adjuncts of a vehicle, form, when united, that which is called a chariot; so, when the five khandas are united in one aggregate, or body, they constitute that which is called a being, a living existence. The Buddhism doctrine of Pratiya- Samutpada, often translated as dependent arising taught that thirst or desires, attachments and commitments are causally related to suffering (duhkha). This is where the Buddha explains the process where enduring world phenomenon arises. Even though cause and events (dharmas) are separate in Buddhism they are still interconnected and this is the same for the continuous cycle of rebirth (samsara). It is just life a flowing river or an ever turning wheel. There is no need for the self, all phenomena, our experiences, substances and events, can be explained by caused and effect. Life is one causal sequence made of Twelve Links of Dependent Origination (nidanas). This shows that no beings exist independent of any other beings. Therefore it describes one enduring identity from birth to death and also reincarnated lives: 1. Ignorance 2. Volitional Actions 3. States of Mind 4. Name and Form 5. Sense Sources 6. Contact 7. Feelings 8. Attachment 9. Grasping 10. Becoming 11. Birth 12. Aging and Death Yet again this process shows us that nothing can exist by itself. This is because the Buddha taught that if something has a dependent origination then it cant be independent: If something is fundamentally dependent then it must be devoid of having a nature that is independent of other phenomena, of existing independently. Anything that is dependently originated must in fact be empty. Everything that we experience is a result of a cause and the nature of them is being dependent. This means that all of our phenomena are empty of having an independent self. To be enlightened is to take away the first link of ignorance and be aware that all our phenomena are empty and once we are aware of this we will become enlightened. This is becoming aware that we arent actually what we think are. Our self or personality is a constitution of feelings and attachments to objects which is what causes our process of becoming. This is the aim of Atman, to escape from this unsatisfaction that the phenomena of the persisting self causes. When we grasp an object we want we may feel happiness but this never last and even if we get an object we want we always crave for more or are scared of losing it. We need to become enlightened that these are not actually real and are only a product of our phenomena. The four noble truths teach us that you can realise your true self and aspire to a higher living. When you understand that ignorance, volitional action, attachment and feeling and grasping are empty then you will let escape the circle of birth, suffering, death and rebirth (samsara) and find peace in nirvana. As we have seen, early Buddhism analysed experience into five aggregates but later schools developed the process of reduction analysis. The Abhidharma, a later reduction analysis text, develops some of the fundamental teaching of the Buddhism. The Abhidharma analyses phenomenon and experiences, reducing them into minute essentials (dharma) by complex lists. This rejects the sustainable self as an independent entity because it is actually a changing construction dependent on complex connection of mental and material components. The Sarvastivada Abhidharma doctrine teaches that only impartite entities truly exist. If atoms make up an object then the object doesnt exist as it is just an aggregate. The impartite entities in phenomenon (dharma) have a permanent identity of their own (svabhava) and exist in the past, present and future. Each dharma has its own essences or intrinsic nature (svalaksana). This idea is Atomism, where the basic constituent ingredients for all mental thoughts an d physical materials are all reducible to this. Yet again this breaks down our habits of attachment as we are just a mass of material elements and just as the Lotus flower will fade and die so will us. As the dharmas which have no cause and effect dont include the self, this must mean that all aspects of our experiences are impermanent and dependent on many causes and effects which arise and pass. This ontology of dharmas shows us that the world we live in is not what we think it is. Hence our attachments, commitments and desires for objects of this world are false: Try to grasp the world and it runs through ones fingers. The Abhidharma lists conditioned realities (samskrta) which are made from temporary fluxes. These phenomena are conditioned: 1. Material phenomena 2. Mind 3. Mental phenomena 4. Elements which are neither material nor mental The mind is conceived as a complex cognitive process consisting of a succession or related momentary mental states. Mental states arise dependent on its cause therefore forming a mental flux. The mind is always rapidly changing, streams of consciousness is made up of streams of awareness. Every moment of cognition relates to a particular object therefore intentionality and consciousness are inseparable. Our phenomenon of consciousness is therefore a stream of immaterial and impersonal events; it is associated with the body in life but will come to exist dependent on another body after the death of the body. This is not a persisting self but an impersonal series of mental events. Our reality is made up of a connection of momentary events. So mind and matter are not substance but events, and mental and material events interact in a flux. The Sautrantika teaching are different from the Abhidharma teachings as it rejections dharma as actual reality. The Abhidharma introduced the idea of permanence in the world through dharmas and the Sautrantika rejects this unconditional reality. This is because the Abhidharma dharmas go against the Buddhist principle of impermanence (anitya). They retain the notion of dharma but eliminate the notion of svabhava. They believe that our basic reality is just flashes of momentary energy (svalakshana). Therefore all things momentary exist only in the minute when they are produced. This is a radicalisation of impermanence as everything is instantaneous and has no duration. All materials are also impermanent as all things decay. Decay needs no external causes as it is a self destruction of the material. So there is only ever a present, there is no past or future as everything is instantaneous. An enduring and persisting self can certainly not exist as there is only momentary existence. Thus consciousness actually is just a flux of momentary flash of energy hence there is no need for a conscious self with a past, present and future. The doctrine of sakaravada teaches us that we are never in contact with the material world but only perceive an aspect based upon the sense organs and sense consciousness: It asserts the mediated character of cognition, the recognition that perception apprehends its object through the mediation of a mark left by the object on consciousness. Therefore reality is not what we think it is as there is a gap between our minds and what is actually occuringf. It is not a self being confronted by a world of objects. It is actually our sense consciousness taking on the form of the sakaravada. Before there was a need for a self for something to be consciously perceived by the senses but in this theory there is no need for this as we are not in direct contact with the world (bahyartha-pratyaks). The Nyaya- Vaisheshika taught that the world had an objective structure, that we are permanent, that there were persisting entities and they were substances. Dignaga, a Buddhist scholar believed that these categories that have been discovered in reality are just imposed by the workings of the mind and dont actually exist in reality. Through the process of our imagination (kalpana) is what we are giving words to. It is our language that imposes structure of reality. The mind groups svalakshana together. So words for generalities, for classes, for types, for qualities and words for individual substances all would seem to have repeatable properties are just our interpretation of the world and not actually real. Our minds are linking together different particulars and imagine them as an enduring and persisting entity. We forget that we are part of a process and talk in terms of us being stable observers not matter or quantum self, however we are not except from processes. Thus the belief of the self is just a word invented by the mind for the different processes in flux. Yogcara, another School of Buddhism, rejects the Sautrantika and Abhidharma idea of there being a reality independent of the mind. These ideas are interconnected and give rise to other ideas whilst being self illuminating. The unenlightened believe they have a self or they are conscious but this actually arises from a stream of conscious self illuminating ideas. This is because these self-conscious ideas may wrongly believe they have a self when actually they are part of a flux. It is the mind-set that makes us have this belief as this establishes how we perceive the world. Even though the world is mind only, the ideas cast themselves as external resulting in the misconstrued belief that we have a self. People dont feel individual because of the external world but because of the certain habitual mind-set they have, their feelings and moods.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Religion in Singapore Essay -- Religion, Asian History

INTRODUCTION The major religions of the world are no longer distant from us. They are now closer to us than we can conceive; our neighbors, schools, offices and market places. These beliefs and faiths are much a part of our everyday lives, which make it important for us to have a clear view of our history, teaching, customs and traditions, so we can better relate to people who profess them. In this research paper, I endeavor to make a small, but intensive contribution and bring to light religious history on Singapore. The philosophy of religion is different to various people. But in all we can say that religion is a set of beliefs and practices of a particular individual or group of people or sects. In any nation or society, people have a caboodle of cultural structure, belief structure and world views that create symbols that relate to spirituality and moral values. Many religions have symbols and traditions, passed in from generations down that are intended to give life a meaning or explain its origin. Many countries if not all have their own religion. Some practice one, others two and many others are known for their polygamous religions. Among these countries, we have Singapore. There are many religions in Singapore considering the fact that many ethnic groups exist. That is to say, there are many religions in Singapore as a result of their different beliefs. It is home to ten religions. Coming into Singapore, the first thing you will notice the diversity of its citizens.. Singapore is an uncommon but corporeal sample of a nation where people from different facets of life, live together, irrespective of their tribe or religion, without fear or favor. As a matter of fact freedom of worship is topm... ...ment/Government-Restrictions-Index-(GRI).aspx "Religion in Singapore." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. â€Å"Ethno-religious Conflicts." Dawodu.Com - Premier Site Dedicated to Nigeria's Socio-Political and Economic Issues since 1998. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. http://www.dawodu.com/adeyemi3.htm 8 http://app.www.sg/who/31/Pre-Colonial-History.aspx Asiaweb . n.d. 3 december 2011 . buddha dharma production. 1996. 16 november 2011 . Guruswamy, Rekha. live.com. n.d. 16 october 2011 . Pew forum. 17 2009 december. 17 november 2011 . Straits Times. 20 Janurary 2009. . Wikipedia. n.d. october 2011.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Twelve Angry Men Exposes the Weaknesses of the Jury System as Well as Its Strengths

Twelve Angry Men exposes the weaknesses of the jury system as well as its strengths – The Jurors within Twelve Angry Men portray individual aspects of a 1950s American culture, all with their own take on the American Jury system. The closed minded, sheep like attitudes of the Jurors illustrates the McCathic mentality of the public which directly reflects the weaknesses within the American Jury system. Though flawed in many aspects one juror displays the key strength in the American justice system when dealing with serious crimes, a unanimous vote must be accomplished through the consideration of reasonable doubt. The question remains throughout if Juror 8 had not been present would the verdict of been the same? Would reasonable doubt of been taken into consideration? And was the American justice system strong enough to uphold their value of innocent until proven guilty. Throughout the play there are many references to the judicial concept of â€Å"reasonable doubt†. This theme is a thread that runs its way through all the deliberations and eventually exposes the weakness of the whole system as well. Reasonable doubt can be a very difficult term to understand. If a jury has any reasonable doubt that the accused may not have committed the crime, then it must enter a not guilty verdict. Each person has their own opinion of the term reasonable doubt and therefore there is much contrast found across the jury room exposing the weak point in the American judicial system. None of the jurors believe they were cheating the accused out of a fair trial or had any initial doubt in their minds that he was guilty and yet as the case is further picked apart each juror finds a point of clarity in the unravelling of evidence and a better understanding of the term reasonable doubt. A juror’s individuality is a clear fault in the American jury system as the truth or the facts are never the same in the mind of another. With individuality also come strengths. If it had not been for juror 8# the accused would of surely of been found guilty, as the intellect of one courageous man slowly turned the verdict around. With a string of evidence that 8# slowly brings forward such as the replica murder weapon and the re-enactment of the neighbours shuffle to the front door to become an eye witness to the killers escape each juror sheds a different light on the events. After gaining the trust of one elder the others follow ‘it’s not easy to stand along’ and yet juror 8# shows the view of the minority in his refusal to be intimidated with the majorities McCathic method and the subtle backing of a wise old man, together shows the strength that one can have on the judicial system and the outcome of a very serious case. It is clearly evident the polarisation enforced within the judicial system as a result of naivety and ignorance of a typical jurors regarding legal concern exposing with it underlying weakness. In relation to the plays characters it is clear that personal bias is seeping into the grounds of which the case is built on creating instabilities regarding plausibility. Such opinions are depicted by juror 3 and his personal inclusion of his own son into the decision making process creating prejudice that all of â€Å"these kids† are of the same substance. If it was not for the brave actions of juror 8 in standing up and pointing out â€Å"he is not your son† then a verdict would have been reached based on the jurors own personal conflicts expressing with it an underlying weakness of the American jury system and community perspective. There are many individual aspects that add to the pros and cons of the 1950s American jury system. These are shown subtly through 12 angry men’s contrasting personalities and the process in which t they come to their decision.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Organizational Behavior Essay

Organizational Behavior Instructor: Rachana Misraraj December 10, 2012 Organizational Behavior Analysis Organizational Behavior is the study and application of knowledge about how people, individuals, and groups act in organizations. â€Å"Organizational behavior is a misnomer. It is not the study of how organizations behave, but rather the study of individual behavior in an organizational setting. This includes the study of how individuals behave alone, as well as how individuals behave in groups(Werthiem, 2004). † The purpose of organizational behavior is to gain a greater understanding of those factors that influence individual and group dynamics in an organizational setting so that individuals and the groups and organizations to which they belong may become more efficient and effective. The field also includes the analysis of organizational factors that may have an influence upon individual and group behavior. Much of organizational behavior research is ultimately aimed at providing human resource management professionals with the information and tools they need to select, train, and retain employees in a fashion that yields maximum benefit for the individual employee as well as for the organization. The purpose of the paper below is to analyze the organizational behavior of my current or former employer (current: Street, Water, and Sewer Department for my town), by describing how each of the components listed below influences the behavior of the organization in a negative or positive manner, and they include, the Type of culture (Pluralism, Dualism or Salad bowl? ); Modes of communication (Describe the dominant communication form used, e. g. written or verbal); Nature of authority (recognized social rank); Motivational techniques (Describe the motivational driving forces e. g. Intrinsic or extrinsic used to influence productivity and performance? ); Areas of EQ incorporated (Describe how the organization embraces the theory of emotional intelligence); and How are the components of a virtual organization embraced? (Explain how the organization embraces new paradigms such as teleworking and virtual offices? ). Grasping a complex and knowledgeable understanding on why, when, where and how, organizational behavior functions and operates, can provide great tools and skills to an individual or organization to better manage behavior and productivity within a company. I currently work for as a laborer for the Water/Sewer department for my county/town. As a member of the STREET department which is responsible for the maintenance and repair of City roads and right-of-ways; maintenance and repair of drainage located on City property; installation and maintenance of signs and roadway markings; and removal of snow and ice. The Employee’s operates, maintains and repairs various machinery, tools, and equipment. As for the water department, this position is responsible for maintenance and repair of City’s WATERLINE system. Installs any and all new additions to the existing distribution system as well as performs necessary maintenance and or repairs to any part of the water distribution system. Performs miscellaneous duties such as operating and repairing equipment, general clean up, concrete finishing, painting, etc. Uses various hand tools, power tools, heavy equipment and machinery. As a member of the WASTEWATER(Sewer)Department which is responsible for maintenance and repair of the City’s sewer line system. Employee performs necessary maintenance, repairs, and/or replacement of sewer system components. Employee uses various hand tools, power tools, heavy equipment, trucks, and machinery. Employee performs miscellaneous duties such as operating and repairing equipment, general clean up, concrete finishing, painting, etc. Good communications skills are required as this position frequently deals directly with the public. The primary hours of this position are Monday through Friday during the day; however, extended shifts and overtime on weekends, evenings, and holidays may be required. Therefore organizational behavior skills are a must. Type of culture (Pluralism, Dualism or Salad bowl? ) Culture can be defined as the cultivated behavior that is socially transmitted. It involves the accumulation of knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, experiences, religion, relations, concepts of the universe, values, meanings, roles, notions of time, relations, material possessions and objects acquired and a way of life of a group of people throughout the generations. When it comes to the type of culture on my job I would have to describe it as a pluralism type of culture. This refers to the type of culture whereby smaller groups of people within a large society tend to maintain their unique culture identities and their values, behaviors and identities are well accepted by the wider society or culture. The minor groups of people participate fully within the dominant society while still maintaining their cultural differences. It involves coexistent of different cultures in a location without the domineering of one particular culture. The human differences that exist are accepted by the majority and hence it eliminates discrimination in the form of racialism or sexism. It can also be refereed to as multiculturalism (Henry, 2011). † Within the three departments that I participate and work in, there are 5 different nationalities of workers who coincide within the organization, and they include African American, Mexican, Caucasian, Latino, and American Indian. Each and every one of these individuals, have their own way of living, eating, etc.. But when everyone clocks in in the morning, we are all one cohesive group, who knows that the main goal is to come to work, be safe, respect your fellow co-worker, get the job done in a professional manner, and most importantly be in the best interest of the tax payers and the town in general, while at the same time excepting who each individual is a person, where they come from, and their cultural differences. This influences the company in a positive manner because, it incorporates good behavior on the job, respect for the job, positive progress for the people participating at the job, and goal completion. Modes of communication (Describe the dominant communication form used, e. g. written or verbal) â€Å"Communication consists of transmitting, receiving, and processing information. In organizations, communications flow between individuals, between levels in the organizational hierarchy, between departments, and between the company and outside publics. Effective communication has often been linked to interpersonal and company success (Baak, 2012). † Communication is of high importance on any job, especially the one that I work for, due to the risks that are associated with the work and projects that we take on. Even though we may use written communication from time to time, describing what our daily goals and tasks are, verbal communication is the dominant mode of communication throughout the organization. Whether it be verbal or non verbal, both revolve around the importance of everyone, working in sync with one another and most importantly working safely around your fellow co-worker. One example is, when we are replacing larger water lines (12 inches in diameter) within a trench, which may be at a depth of 2ft to 14ft. Therefore, when a worker is in the trench digging around and locating the pipe, there must to be a competent person at the top of the trench looking for cracks or imperfections in the walls, where a potential cave in could happen, injuring or killing the person in the hole. So, verbal communication is regularly used when there is no machinery running, and you have to alarm the workers of a dangerous situation. And non-verbal communication is used, when a gas powered saw is in operation to cut a pipe, in which, the worker cannot hear you verbally, thus non verbal actions and communication are used to alarm the worker of potential danger and they are pulled out of the trench before anything catastrophic occurs. On that note, this influences the company on a postive level, because, both verbal and non-verbal communication is the dominant and vital mode of communication, that provides protection for a safe work environment. Nature of authority (recognized social rank) The nature of authority is also very important on my job because, each individual respects the fact that one should not go over the next persons head of authority, or having curiosity about a co-workers way of life without discussing it with them first. Because, there are individuals on the job who have been there 20 years, 10 years, 5 years, etc, therefore when you join a team or a group of people, you become part of that organizations social system, and you must adjust and relate to that world of work. â€Å"The variables in an organizational system operate in a working balance called social equilibrium. Individuals make a psychological contract that defines their personal relationship with the system. â€Å"When they contribute to the organization’s success, we call their behavior functional. The broad environment that people live in is their social culture, and a major change in it can lead to cultural shock. People need to accept and appreciate the value that cultural differences can contribute to the success of an organization (www. angel fire. com). † â€Å"Other important cultural factors include the work ethic and corporate attitudes toward social responsibility. Role is the pattern of action expected of a person in activities involving others. Related ideas are role perceptions mentors, role conflict, and role ambiguity. Status is the social rank of a person in a group, and it leads to status systems and possibly status anxiety. Organizational cultures reflect the assumptions and values that guide a firm. They are intangible but powerful influences on employee behavior. Participants learn about their organization’s culture through the process of socialization and influence it through individualization (www. angel fire. com). On that note, the nature of authority can be both positive and negative, because, from a negative standpoint it can be used for growth in power in domination. But from a positive standpoint, it can be sued for uplifting other coworkers, by improvising their skills, capabilities and more importantly, their motivational drive on the job. Motivational techniques (Describe the motivational driving forces e. g. Intrins ic or extrinsic used to influence productivity and performance? ) Due to the constant and unpredictable adjustments that my organization goes through, behavior can change in a instant, with each and every individual on the job. Therefore, motivational techniques are a concurrent thing, on a day to day basis. â€Å"There is no doubt that motivation is the driving force by which humans achieve their goals. Motivation can be intrinsic or extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation is driven by an interest or enjoyment in the actions required to achieve a goal, without relying on external rewards or pressures (Amin, 2011). † In my organization the motivational driving force is intrinsic, because pride is everything to a man more than anything, therefore everyone on the job feels a sense of obligation to achieve the goals presented to them to their best ability. Productivity and performance stays at an all time high and positive level, thus, whatever daily goal is presented to us, is handled with confidence and integrity. Our motivation consist of reminding ourselves that what we do, is what we enjoy to do, what we do is appreciated by the tax payers & family and most importantly we enjoy knowing that our skills and capabilities are worth the time and effort that we put forth to learn and achieve the skills and tools to complete present and future organizational objectives. Areas of EQ incorporated (Describe how the organization embraces the theory of emotional intelligence) Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to the ability to perceive, control and evaluate emotions. Some researchers suggest that emotional intelligence can be learned and strengthened, while others claim it is an inborn characteristic. And it consists of four branches that include perceiving emotions, reasoning with emotions, understanding emotions and managing emotions (Cher ry, 2012). † Based on the high demands of my job, my co-workers and myself included, may at times have high emotions about whether something on the job is not going right, and show some form of frustration without even knowing it sometimes. Therefore my our organization constantly issues EQ (emotional intelligence ), reminder courses, that helps the crews keep a stable mind set when working in dangerous areas, and if something goes wrong, we use the EQ tools to control and manage our emotions for the sake/safety of our well being the others that are around. EQ classes have been very positive for the organization over the past 5 years, and every since the integration there have been no altercations, accidents, or incidents on the job at all. A 100% success rate. How are the components of a virtual organization embraced? (Explain how the organization embraces new paradigms such as teleworking and virtual offices? ) â€Å"Traditional brick and mortar businesses may become a thing of the past. Today’s modern workplace has embraced the virtual environment. The ultimate goal of the virtual organization is to provide innovative, high-quality products or services instantaneously in response to customer demands (Hamilton, 2012). On that note, my organization has embraced the components of a virtual organization on a very positive and useful level. For example, in the Water/sewer department, we are responsible for the distribution of bills/and cut-off notices for the water use throughout the city. For decades, this task was done by hand; by hand I mean driving to each and every house in the city, knocking on the door, and handing the customer their water/sewer bill for that month. Ever since the company embraced the compo nents of a virtual organization, these tasks are now obsolete. Now we contact the customers, through email, text messaging, and voicemails. When the customer has a question about their bill, they are able to contact the office and have a videoconference with the workers in the water/sewer department, to discuss whatever problem they are having with their water/sewer bill, or their water/sewer in general. My organization has also embrace the concept of a virtual organization in the street department. When there is a down power line, streetlight, street sign, blocked up drain pipes, etc. my organization has integrated a beacon system that alerts us when any of these incidents have occurred and in what area. All we have to do is acknowledge the beacon alert, log on to our computers, locate the problem, and proceed to fix the issue at hand. Integrating the components of a virtual organization has been immensely helpful and positive to our over all daily tasks and duties. In conclusion, Organizational Behavior is the study and application of knowledg e about how people, individuals, and groups act in organizations. The purpose of organizational behavior is to gain a greater understanding of those factors that influence individual and group dynamics in an organizational setting so that individuals and the groups and organizations to which they belong may become more efficient and effective. Culture can be defined as the cultivated behavior that is socially transmitted. It involves the accumulation of knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, experiences, religion, relations, concepts of the universe, values, meanings, roles, notions of time, relations, material possessions and objects acquired and a way of life of a group of people throughout the generations. When it comes to the type of culture on my job I would have to describe it as a pluralism type of culture. Communication consists of transmitting, receiving, and processing information. In organizations, communications flow between individuals, between levels in the organizational hierarchy, between departments, and between the company and outside publics. Effective communication has often been linked to interpersonal and company success. The nature of authority is also very important on my job because, each individual respects the fact hat one should not go over the next persons head of authority, or having curiosity about a co-workers way of life without discussing it with them first. Due to the constant and unpredictable adjustments that my organization goes through, behavior can change in a instant, with each and every individual on the job. Therefore, motivational techniques are a concurrent thing, on a day to day basis. Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to the ability to perce ive, control and evaluate emotions. Some researchers suggest that emotional intelligence can be learned and strengthened, while others claim it is an inborn characteristic. And it consists of four branches that include perceiving emotions, reasoning with emotions, understanding emotions and managing emotions. Traditional brick and mortar businesses may become a thing of the past. Today’s modern workplace has embraced the virtual environment. The ultimate goal of the virtual organization is to provide innovative, high-quality products or services instantaneously in response to customer demands. All in all the purpose of the paper above, was to analyze the organizational behavior of my current or former employer (current: Street, Water, and Sewer Department for my town), by describing how each of the components listed below influences the behavior of the organization in a negative or positive manner, and they include, the Type of culture (Pluralism, Dualism or Salad bowl? ); Modes of communication (Describe the dominant communication form used, e. g. written or verbal); Nature of authority (recognized social rank); Motivational techniques (Describe the motivational driving forces e. . Intrinsic or extrinsic used to influence productivity and performance? ); Areas of EQ incorporated (Describe how the organization embraces the theory of emotional intelligence); and How are the components of a virtual organization embraced? (Explain how the organization embraces new paradigms such as teleworking and virtual offices? ). Grasping a complex and knowledgeable understanding on why, when, where and how, organizational behavior functions and operates, can provide great tools and skills to an individual or organization to better manage behavior and productivity within a company. References Amin,. (July 21, 2011). Motivate your team intrinsically or extrinsically? Retrieved on December 10, 2012 from http://blog. 7geese. com/2011/07/21/intrinsic-vs-extrinsic-motivation/ Baack, D. (2012). Organizational behavior. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc Cherry, K. (2012). What Is Emotional Intelligence? Definitions, History, and Measures of Emotional Intelligence. Retrieved on December 10, 2012 from http://psychology. about. com/od/personalitydevelopment/a/emotionalintell. htm Hamilton, D. Dr. (April 23, 2012). Today’s Organizations Embracing Virtual Business. Retrieved on December 10, 2012 from http://drdianehamilton. wordpress. com/2012/04/23/todays-organizations-embracing-virtual-business/ Henry,. (April 4, 2004). Culture Definitions and Types. Retrieved on December 10, 2012 from http://language. ezinemark. com/culture-definitions-and-types-17b25a011fd. html Wertheim, E. G. (February 22, 2004). Historical Background of Organizational Behavior. Retrieved on December 10, 2012 from http://ehcweb. ehc. edu/faculty/ljcumbo/downfiles/historyofOB. pdf http://www. angelfire. com/blues/cannonsessays/org_behavior/ORGANIZATIONAL_BEHAV