Society at Home

Bonnie Fellhoelter Paola Brown English 102 17 March 2008 Argument Paper â€Å"Are you hot? Are you cold? Are you wearing that? Where’s your books and your lunch and your homework at? Grab your coat and your gloves and your scarf and hat. Don’t forget; you got to feed the cat! † (1) Anita Renfroe wrote these catchy words for the song â€Å"Momisms†, sung to the familiar tune of the William Tell Overture. Her words best describe a typical day of mayhem through the eyes of a mother. Mothers who stay at home know that at times, their lives can be discombobulating. Despite the chaos, stay-at-home mothers get the tremendous responsibility of only having one chance of raising their children in such a way that makes a difference in their children’s lives and in society. Throughout history, society has looked upon the male as the breadwinner: the one expected to work and support the family. The mother has been viewed as the nurturer: the one to stay home and raise the children. During the 1960’s, women wanted more rights, power, and the ability to get higher paying jobs. Women were given this right so they expressed this new found freedom by going to work outside of the home. As women sought employment, their children were left to the care of babysitters and day care workers. Because society has redefined the role of a mother to be one who is an important element in the workforce, the loss of the mother in the home has led to the Fellhoelter 2 decline of the family unit, and thus, to society. This forfeiture has created a generation for whom social morals and values are not as important as they once were. Perhaps this is due to a working mother being absent from the home where she is unable to personally instill these ethical standards in her children, thus leaving her children to receive their value system from strangers. â€Å"Society truly does begin at home†, asserts Sibyl Niemann, so, in order to return to a culture with better morals and values, the importance of the role of the stay at home mother should be restored. (2) In this way, stay at home mothers can improve society. It is disappointing when mothers are devalued for staying at home to raise their children. Richard Lowry states, â€Å"There is something valuable in a mother’s caring for her own child. † (4) In general, no one can take care of your child in the same way his or her mother would. A mother’s care is usually superior to daycare since she naturally wants what is best for her child. â€Å"According to a non-partisan Public Agenda survey in 2000, roughly 80 percent of parents with children five and younger say a stay-at-home parent is best able to give children the â€Å"affection and attention they need. †Ã¢â‚¬  (qtd. n Lowry 4) A mother’s individual care can also curb the aggression that is evident in day care centers. â€Å"A study done by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), reports that, kids in non-maternal care tend to be associated with qualities such as â€Å"gets in lots of fights,† â€Å"cruelty,† â€Å"explosive behavior,† â€Å"talking too much,† â€Å"argues a lot,à ¢â‚¬  and â€Å"demands a lot of attention. †Ã¢â‚¬  (qtd. in Lowry 1) Teachers who work in a preschool environment, like my daughter, are frustrated with how badly the children usually behave. Workers in day care are governed by strict rules which prevent Fellhoelter 3 disciplining children the way one can do at home. This causes a disregard and loss of respect for others because many children grow up thinking they can do what they want. Today, many of the younger generation act like they are owed something. In the workplace, it is shocking to see the way they treat others with their degrading manners and think there is nothing wrong with their behavior. They also tend to have lazy work ethics and â€Å"cop an attitude† when asked to do anything extra. This makes it difficult for many employers to find hard working and respectful employees. It is important to note that not all children in daycare grow up to be aggressive and unproductive adults. Even though many women in the work force find raising children to be a very difficult task which leaves them feeling lonely and bored, they do a fine job of balancing their jobs with raising successful children. These women enjoy being able to show their children the advantages of working outside of the home. They are able to â€Å"teach their children how to be independent, inquisitive, and ambitious†, as well as â€Å"learn the value of personal fulfillment and goal setting. † (Karaim 1) Reed Karaim also proclaims that, â€Å"successful working mothers give their children one of the best gifts any parent can: the example of a life lived to its potential. † (3) I think that all of these examples are helpful in raising successful children, however, I believe a stay at home mom can also teach these same qualities in the home. I know this to be true because I was fortunate to remain at home and raise my children. I was the one who was the nurturer and demonstrated love and compassion to my children by hugging, cuddling, and kissing them. I was personally involved in teaching them throughout all the stages of development and shared in the joy of my children’s accomplishments. There is something special about hearing your child’s first word and watching them take their first Fellhoelter 4 step as they giggle with glee. I was able to mold my children’s character by instilling good values and morals that taught them to be independent and set goals for themselves, such as being on time for work and appointments. These attributes have helped to contribute to society in a positive way and leave me feeling as if I have done a good job. Despite the seemingly successful results of a stay at home mom’s efforts, â€Å"our culture no longer values the household supported by a sole breadwinner. † (Niemann 3) This is demonstrated by the many women who currently do work outside of the home because they feel the need to contribute to their families’ well being. According to Niemann, â€Å"everything—from buying a house to applying for a college loan for one’s son or daughter—seems structured around the two income family. (3) A household that has a dual income helps â€Å"boost many families into middle class. †, says Karaim. (2) This allows their children to experience the comforts, options for education and opportunities that they might otherwise not have had. As tempting as this extra income may be, couples should be careful that this does not impact t heir relationship as husband and wife. When spouses compete for power in the workforce and then return home too tired to deal with the many needs of their children, the harmony of the family unit can suffer. This is because husbands often feel threatened by the success of their wives. Steven Rhoads claims that â€Å"men are more likely to divorce women who are ambitious. † (5) Lowry explains that â€Å"just the specter of divorce creates a kind of intra-marital arms race. The wife works to hedge against getting abandoned, but her very act of working, research shows, makes it more likely that the marriage will fail—a dismaying downward spiral. † (3) Since divorces negatively impact society, we should refocus on preserving marriage and on strengthening the family unit. Fellhoelter 5 When men and women are happy and comfortable in their roles as the fatherbreadwinner, and mother-caregiver, marriages can thrive. Women who do remain at home should not hide behind their children or husbands but instead should be proud of their role. They should be vocal about how productive they are with their children and family. This allows working women and men to see and appreciate the importance of the role of a stay at home mom. Perhaps they will see for themselves the advantages of remaining at home and raising their children. According to Lowry, â€Å"most women would like to stay home and care for their children, but society pressures them into believing that a career is more important than family. † (1) Unless some changes are made, the family unit will continue to decline. Less time spent with children building character increases the risk for disregarding and disrespecting others. The current attitudes of â€Å"you owe me†, â€Å"I deserve it†, as well as â€Å"it is all about me† will probably continue to get worse. Even though being a stay-at-home mom may have periods of loneliness, boredom, frustration, and feelings of futility, the rewards of being personally involved with raising one’s own children greatly outweigh the negatives. One of the greatest accomplishments in life is being a stay-at-home mom where one can teach and model good behavior and moral fortitude. By emulating these morals and values, children enter into adulthood with the necessary tools needed to produce a successful society. As tough as this unpaid task may be, this self-sacrifice of staying at home to raise ones’ children can be the most society enhancing job a woman can do.

Community College vs. Universities Essay

Which is better, a community college or university? Both are a great experience. But In my opinion you would benefit more affectively from a community college. There are multiple reasons why a community is better, such as a cheaper cost. In this economy cheaper sounds much nicer than an expensive university. Also a smaller class, which means more hands on experience with your teacher. And the hours would be more flexible, adjusting to your lifestyle. I could sit for hours for and name many more reason; the examples are numerous but let’s go a little deeper into the details and see if you’ll also agree with me. For starters, in our current economy cheaper sounds very alluring and tempting. Although you can’t put a price on your education, it’s nice to know you’re getting your money’s worth. Being said; the average tuition for a university is 4,694 dollars. And the whole sum for the full four years is roughly about 35,000 dollars (A real eye opener for a soon to be college student! ) The community college is lower and tuition lesser than half reaching only about 2,076 dollars. Meaning you can take classes and earn credits toward a two year or four year degree program at a lower cost. With a university the price expectations can be difficult to reach. You never know if you get into your major and want to switch it up; in that case it would’ve just been a waste of time and money. So the difference in the prices should already be opening your thoughts on if you should be considering a community college over a university. Also, if you like more hands on opportunities with your teachers a community college would be perfect for you. Community Colleges tend toward fewer students per class, which means more student/teacher interaction. The standard number of students in a community class is around 15 to 20 students. In a smaller class, professors have the opportunity to learn more about their students and become more entwine in your work personally. And you will also have a much easier time getting to know your classmates, compared to a university where’s there’s about 40 to 50 a class. In which classes would be more lectured instead of having that one on one time. That could result in you not fully understanding the work or your teacher’s method. Also, this is good for students who like access to their instructors so they can ask questions and avoids getting lost in the course material or in the shuffle. Therefore, it shows that size matters when it comes to education, and reducing class size is an important step in promoting effective learning. Another asset to being in a community college is being able to adjust your school schedule to your lifestyle. For instant, many students don’t realize that if they plan on working while attending school, community college is hands down, the best option. For example, having a job while going to school can become very difficult. A job schedule is very unpredictable, and so are the people you work with. And whoever you work for may need you to come in early or work late, so having an early or night class may help you out. And another crucial scenario that a lot of school student have nowadays is children. Sometimes you’re put in a situation where u may have to be with your child, or have to pick them up from school. That may cause you to miss a day of class, or in worser cases days of school. A community college offers far more night classes then a university college, which means there can be more personal adjustments to you schedule. Versus a university, where it may be more backbreaking to deal with the schedule they apply to you. University students are expected to do university as if it’s a full-time job, and then some. As such, the schools will not flinch to schedule a crucial class at 8 or 9 in the morning, five days a week. In doing, it would become extremely difficult to work a 9 to 5. Concluding, community college sounds way more stable and appealing to the upcoming college student. The pricing is more affordable year round, so you still have cash for the necessary necessities. If you’re looking for more hands on experience then it’s also right for you, versus the 50 students that’ll be in your university class. Lastly it would be lighter on your schedule, especially if you are trying to keep a 9 to 5 job, or juggle kids. To wrap it all up, the university life isn’t as glamorous as it may appear. It may look appealing on TV but the price will make you reconsider.

Green Marketing Strategy of Businesses

Green marketing has been an important academic research topic since it came about (Coddington, 1993; Fuller, 1999; Ottman, 1994). Attention was drawn to the subject in the late 1970’s when the American Marketing Association organized the first ever workshop on ‘Ecological Marketing’ in 1975 which resulted in the first book on the subject, entitled, ‘Ecological Marketing’ by Henion and Kinnear in 1976. The first definition of ‘green marketing’ was according to Henion (1976); â€Å"the implementation of marketing programs directed at the environmentally conscious market segment† (Banerjee, 1999, p. 8). Peattie and Crane (2005) claims that despite the early development, it was only in the late 1980’s that the idea of green marketing actually made an appearance, because of the consumers’ growing interest in green products, increased awareness and willingness to pay for green features. Henion’s (1976) definition of green marketing has evolving and many more definitions of green marketing have arisen throughout the years. One of the latter definitions is Fuller’s (1999, p. ): The process of planning, implementing, and controlling the development, pricing, promotion, and distribution of products in a manner that satisfies the following three criteria: (1) customer needs are met, (2) organizational goals are attained, and (3) the process is compatible with ecosystems. The first indication of consumer interest in green products came through Vandermerwe and Oliff? s (1990) survey. This stated that more than 92% of European multinationals claimed to have changed their products in response to green concerns and 85% claimed to have changed their product systems (Peattie & Crane, 2005). Green product introductions increased by more than double to 11. 4% of all new household products in the USA between 1989 and 1990, and continued to rise to 13. 4% in 1991 (ibid. ). However, this optimistic start to the 1990’s was not sustained (Peattie & Crane, 2005. A report conducted by Mintel in 1995, showed only a very slight increase in green consumers since 1990, and showed a significant gap between concern and actual purchasing (ibid. ). This can be attributed to the fact that consumers do not want to compromise on price, quality or convenience when conducting a ‘green’ purchase (D?  Souza et al. , 2006). The frequency and prominence of green claims was also found to be in decline (Peattie & Crane, 2005). So instead of the â€Å"green revolution† in marketing forecasted for the 1990s, companies became more cautious about launching environmentally-based communications campaigns for fear of being accused of â€Å"greenwashing† (ibid). This is when a company hides the true effect of its products or actions on the environment, by making it seem as though the company is very concerned about the environment (Greenwashing, 2009). One challenge green marketers — old and new — are likely to face as green products and messages become more common is confusion in the marketplace. â€Å"Consumers do not really understand a lot about these issues, and there's a lot of confusion out there,† says Jacquelyn Ottman (founder of J. Ottman Consulting and author of â€Å"Green Marketing: Opportunity for Innovation†). Marketers sometimes take advantage of this confusion, and purposely make false or exaggerated â€Å"green† claims. Critics refer to this practice as â€Å"green washing†. Even though this revolution did not occur as predicted, the interest in the topic has not died down. Grant (2007, pp. 20-24) claims that green marketing is at a tipping point and that what we do next will decide if the topic continues to develop and gain momentum. The popularity of such marketing approach and its effectiveness is hotly debated. Supporters claim that environmental appeals are actually growing in number–the Energy Star label, for example, now appears on 11,000 different companies' models in 38 product categories, from washing machines and light bulbs to skyscrapers and homes. However, despite the growth in the number of green products, green marketing is on the decline as the primary sales pitch for products. On the other hand, Roper’s Green Gauge shows that a high percentage of consumers (42%) feel that environmental products don’t work as well as conventional ones. This is an unfortunate legacy from the 1970’s when showerheads sputtered and natural detergents left clothes dingy. Given the choice, all but the greenest of customers will reach for synthetic detergents over the premium-priced, proverbial â€Å"Happy Planet† any day, including Earth Day. New reports however show a growing trend towards green products.   This provides information regarding the setting of the study and/or general information about preview of the topic. The term Green Marketing came into prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The American Marketing Association (AMA) held the first workshop on â€Å"Ecological Marketing† in 1975. The proceedings of this workshop resulted in one of the first books on green marketing entitled â€Å"Ecological Marketing†. The first wave of Green Marketing occurred in the 1980s. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Reports started with the ice cream seller Ben & Jerry's where the financial report was supplemented by a greater view on the company's environmental impact. In 1987 a document prepared by the World Commission on Environment and Development defined sustainable development as meeting â€Å"the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own need†, this became known as the Brundtland Report and was another step towards widespread thinking on sustainability in everyday activity. Two tangible milestones for wave 1 of green marketing came in the form of published books, both of which were called Green Marketing. They were by Ken Peattie (1992) in the United Kingdom and by Jacquelyn Ottman (1993) in the United States of America. According to Jacquelyn Ottman, (author of Green Marketing: Opportunity for Innovation) from an organizational standpoint, environmental considerations should be integrated into all aspects of marketing— new product development and communications and all points in between. The holistichttp://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Holistic nature of green also suggests that besides suppliers and retailers new stakeholders be enlisted, including educators, members of the community, regulators, and NGOs. Environmental issues should be balanced with primary customer needs. The past decade has shown that harnessing consumer power to effect positive environmental change is far easier said than done. The so-called â€Å"green consumer† movements in the U. S. and other countries have struggled to reach critical mass and to remain in the forefront of shoppers' minds. While public opinion polls taken since the late 1980s have shown consistently that a significant percentage of consumers in the U. S. and elsewhere profess a strong willingness to favor environmentally conscious products and companies, consumers' efforts to do so in real life have remained sketchy at best. One of green marketing's challenges is the lack of standards or public consensus about what constitutes â€Å"green,† according to Joel Makower, a writer on green marketing. In essence, there is no definition of â€Å"how good is good enough† when it comes to a product or company making green marketing claims. This lack of consensus—by consumers, marketers, activists, regulators, and influential people—has slowed the growth of green products, says Makower, because companies are often reluctant to promote their green attributes, and consumers are often skeptical about claims. Despite these challenges, green marketing has continued to gain adherents, particularly in light of growing global concern about climate change. This concern has led more companies to advertise their commitment to reduce their climate impacts, and the effect this is having on their products and services. This provides the concise description of the issues that need to be addressed. It also provide why these variables are important so it focus on it. The ongoing marketing paradigm, according to Peattie (1999, p. 57), is based on using the earth’s resources and systems in an unsustainable manner. The traditional view on corporate social responsibility, which argues that corporation manager’s and director’s only responsibilities are to the â€Å"owners† of the firm and to maximize profit, started changing in the early nineties to include a responsibility not only to those with a vested interest in the corporation (Klonoski, 1991). Instead a company must consider the effect of its actions on all stakeholders, including nature and animals (ibid. ). Many of the serious environmental issues we face are due to modern development and the pursuit of econoy Peattie, 1999, p. 58). However, making these crucial changes occur requires more than individual change; change on a societal and economic level will be necessary (Grant, 2007, p. 47; Hartmann & Ibanez, 2006). Hence, governments will need to commit to developing forward thinking environmental policies (Peattie, 1999; Grant, 2008). Corporations must integrate greening into their business strategy and invest in the development of it as they would any other aspect of their business (Polonski & Rosenberger, 2001). Finally, the consumers have to actually purchase the environmentally friendly products they, so far, only claim to be interested in (Ginsberg & Bloom, 2004). In the end though, going green needs to make business sense for the corporation and not require a compromise on product attributes for the consumer. Marketers have a tremendous potential to help make this shift happen by pushing organizations to implement some form of a green marketing strategy (Peattie & Crane, 2005; Grant, 2007, p. 32). Marketers have the power to help „sell? new lifestyle ideas (Grant, 2007, p. 1) According to Ottman (1993) green marketing serves two key objectives: 1) To develop products that incorporate consumers? eeds for convenience, affordable pricing and performance while having a minimal impact on the environment. 2) To project an image of high quality, including environmental aspects, both in regards to product attributes and the manufacturer’s track record for environmental compliance. If a paradigm shift from conventional to green marketing occurs, corporations will need to incorporate sustainability into their strategies or risk being left behind (Grant, 2008). It will be important for organizations and marketers to be well-versed on the subject and have a thorough understanding of green marketing and how it can create value. Since the mid-nineties environmental legislation has increased, leading to a higher level of awareness of environmental issues in the business community and many corporations being required to consider these issues in their strategic planning in order to meet stricter environmental standards (Banerjee, 1999, p. 18; Olson, 2008). Regardless of legislation and standards many people are calling for corporations in general to take more responsibility for their actions and the consequences thereof. Green marketing concept is fairly young and as a consequence it has not been extensively explored or research yet (Grant, 2007, p. ; Hartmann & Ibanez, 2006; Baker & Sinkula, 2005). Olson (2008) claims that while many corporations have implemented some form of green initiative, very few have actually established an enterprise-level green strategy. He furthers states that, while it may vary depending on industry and possibly by individual business, early adoption of a formalized and well-articulated green strategy can allow companies the opportunity of a competitive advantage. Considering Olson’s statement, one wonders how corporations, that have indeed incorporated some form of green thinking into the business, have done so and for what reasons. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of the subject of strategic green marketing by examining how strategic green marketing can be developed and what incentives companies have to do so. In order to fulfill this purpose, four research questions were developed. One objective of a marketing strategy is to optimize the marketing mix in relation to the wants and needs of the target market (Fuller, 1999, p. 330). Data from the targeted business consumers can provide valuable input for the decision making process (ibid. . 320). Fuller (1999, p. 330) further states that mass-undifferentiated marketing will often fail to ensure customer satisfaction and profit and that segmenting the market provides a more realistic market interpretation. The first research question is therefore: RQ1: How do companies segment their market based on business consumers’ green tendencies? Polonsky and Rosenberger (2001, p. 22) claim that â€Å"in true green marketing, environmental issues become an overriding strategic corporate focus rather than simply one strategic action†. When forming a green marketing strategy it is important to realize that, just as in conventional marketing, there is no single strategy that will work for all companies (Ginsberg & Bloom, 2004; Fuller, 1999, p. 330). Instead each company must examine what strategy will work best depending on its own individual objectives, resources, target market, competitive conditions and so on (Polonsky & Rosenberger, 2001). According to Olson (2008), many companies pass up significant benefits because they do not look at green opportunities in a strategic context. This brings us to research question two: RQ2: How do companies choose their green marketing strategy? Implementing a green marketing strategy requires a fundamental, holistic, integrated approach across all functional marketing areas, including the entire marketing mix of targeting, pricing, design, positioning and promotion (Polonsky & Rosenberger, 2001). According to Fuller (1999, p. 109), only companies that are truly committed to environmental concerns and are willing to translate those concerns into action through marketing mix decisions can develop viable green marketing strategies. Due to these facts, research question three was developed: RQ3: How do companies’ choices of green marketing strategy influence their marketing mix? Authors such as Porter and van der Linde (1995) and Elkington (1994) argue that environmentally superior strategies exist, which can create a competitive advantage by stimulating innovation and tapping into consumer concerns. Fuller (1999, p. 39) states that worldwide corporate practices suggest that a competitive advantage can indeed be earned and companies not implementing a green marketing strategy will be viewed as uncompetitive, unresponsive, and out of touch with emerging global markets. However, others argue that greening strategy is difficult to do in practice (Walley & Whitehead, 1994). Managers need strategies that transform environmental investments into sources of competitive advantage by optimizing the economic return on their investments (Orsato, 2006). This lead to the fourth, and final, research question: RQ4: How do companies obtain a competitive advantage through their green marketing? The obvious assumption of green marketing is that potential consumers will view product or service's â€Å"greenness† as a benefit and base their buying decision accordingly. The not-so-obvious assumption of green marketing is that consumers will be willing to pay more for green products than they would for a less-green comparable alternative product – an assumption that, in my opinion, has not been proven conclusively. This green marketing approach is largely used as a gimmick by the gigantic corporate houses in order to make a difference in the consumer’s point of view when it comes to major market decisions. Many firms are beginning to realize that they are members of the wider community and therefore must behave in an environmentally responsible fashion. So green marketing is also a way of looking at how marketing activities can make the best use of these limited resources while meeting corporate objectives. Thus an environmental committed organization may not only produce goods that have reduced their detrimental impact on the environment, they may also be able to pressure their suppliers to behave in a more environmentally â€Å"responsible† fashion. Final consumers and industrial buyers also have the ability to pressure organizations to integrate the environment into their corporate culture and thus ensure all organizations minimize the detrimental environmental impact of their activities. With the human wants escalating heavily, the resources are decreasing. Hence it has become mandatory for the marketers across the globe to use the resources efficiently and not waste them under any circumstances. Worldwide surveys indicate that consumers globally are changing their behavior towards products and services. Green marketing is almost inevitable as the market for socially responsible products is increasing greatly. This provides what the study covers and fix its boundaries. Limitations specify certain constraints in the study which are essential, but which the researcher has no control of. Although the business-to-consumer (B2C) segment is a major contributor to the damage of the global environment and that a significant change in attitude is necessary, this thesis will only focus on the business-to-business (B2B) segment. The study is not limited to one industry but is examining a range of B2B firms with the purpose of gaining a deeper understanding of green marketing strategies in an overall business context. Most research conducted on the topic of green marketing is focused on the B2C market and the author’s consider there to be a significant lack of knowledge available when it comes to the B2B market. Furthermore, the authors? were intrigued by the apparent opportunities available to companies choosing to go green.

Religious Fundamentalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Religious Fundamentalism - Essay Example   Christians and Muslims widely differ in their interpretation of historical events. For example, Crusades was a religious war and fundamentalism formed its bedrock. Both Muslims and Christians interpret this huge historical event differently. For example, Muslims interpret this event as a series of military campaigns run by Christians to stop the expansion of Islam and restrain the growing power of Muslim rulers. Many Christians were becoming impressed by Muslim civilization which was not tolerated by Christian fundamentalists and they started this war. Christians, in contrast, believe that expansion of Islam was not an issue, but Pope Urban II announced the first crusade to help Christians restore their access to the holy places in Jerusalem. What are some common threads between Christian and Islamic religious fundamentalism? Many traits are shared by Christian and Muslim religious fundamentalists. For example, it is claimed that right-wing religious extremists and their Muslim c ounterparts share five main characteristics. These common characteristics, as claimed by research, are found in nearly all fundamentalists. These are â€Å"racism, bigotry, intolerance, disdain for education, hatred of gays and women and people of different faiths and non-believers†. Both Christian and Muslims fundamentalists gush with hatred and vengeance for gays and empowered women. Also, both are found bursting at the seams with racist ideas and they also equally think low of people from other faiths.  

International monetary and finance structure Essay

International monetary and finance structure - Essay Example Whereas IPE (international political economics) can be understood as a basic concept, it should not be seen as static. In other words, the interactions between states in the economic realm are continually evolving with a massive level of importance attached to the way in which international interaction, agreement, and discord takes place. Above all, it must be understood that international political economics is just that: international. As such, the fact of the matter is that the agreements, and economic levels of understanding that take place, are not self-contained; instead, they are inherently the work of two or more nations. Naturally, as with any financial agreement or level of cooperation, the interests of the two parties factor heavily in the decisions that are ultimately agreed upon. Within such a level of understanding, the current state of international political economics deals heavily with preferential trade agreements, development of trade blocs, debt administration/cre ation/repayment, and issues pertaining to resources. As can easily be noted, the broad level of impact that IPE has upon the way in which international relations takes place, as well as the impacts that it has on trade itself, is profound and can be attributed to a litany of different decisions and choices that individual states make. Yet, instead of IPE merely being concentric upon monetary or domestic economic interests, it must be understood that international political economics has a massive impact on the way in which certain states within the global system are coerced into participation and action that they would otherwise seek to avoid. Whereas the authors reference the fact that engagement with the global power structure is expected, this level of engagement is not always a positive for nations that choose to interact within the current paradigm of international political economics. In short, the current level of coercion that exists allows for a great power to set a price a nd force a poorer nation to meet this demand, revealing a situation in which the wealthier and more powerful state is the ultimate price maker and the client state is the ultimate price taker. The authors further reference the fact that the mechanism of debt is oftentimes utilized as a means of forcing the will of a particular state or group of states onto a poorer nation. However, beyond trade interaction, the chapter focuses heavily upon the way in which the United States dollar has come to be definitive of the foreign exchange and reserve status. As such, the impact that the dollar has on setting supply and demand ratios and equilibrium point is profound. However, even though this power is profound, the demand for the dollar is not something that is set in stone. Although the United States government necessarily has a great deal of latitude with regard to the amount of dollars that are in global circulation and â€Å"supply,† the demand for these dollars fluctuates based u pon fear or confidence, restricting or expanding the global economy as a function of this faith or fear in the international currency of exchange. The chapter moves on to discuss the ways in which currency speculation allows for the individual member of society to have a profound impact on the way in which monetary policy and levels of value are defined. Whereas the preceding analysis has been focused upon defining international pol

Capitalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Capitalism - Essay Example Protection of private property was never so legally simplified before the advent of capitalism and the legal implications of private ownership suggested greater independence of private property owners and provided clear protected ownership that could be legally validated. Capitalism brought in the standardization and integration of property rules, increased trust in economic transactions and laid down the risks of ownership with possibilities of insurance against such risks. Loans and borrowing became easier as personal credit history could be checked and there was an increased standardization and transferability of statements documenting ownership of property (Levi-Faur et al, 2005). This specification of property limits and rules and regulations of ownership indicated a smoother flow of property between individuals and enabled a well-defined role for companies so that they could easily operate in national and international markets. The concept of capitalism has often been criticised by the fact that ownership of enterprises shows the division between the employer and the employee as the profits seem to go to the employer and is not shared by the employees. The growth of multinational companies is thus a direct influence of capitalism and the changing global economy has also been directly shaped by the spread of capitalism across society and nations. In fact, the world today could never have been the same without capitalism and considering this, it is important to examine why and how capitalism first emerged in the 16th century and what are the social, historical and political implications. Capitalism - A Background Capitalism is often contrasted to feudalism on the one hand where a monarch has ownership of property and socialism or communism on the other in which means of production are owned by the community collectively (Sweezy et al 1976). Karl Marx, used the term 'capitalist' in the Communist Manifesto although the word 'capitalism' introduced by Thackeray in 1854 meant as the possession of a large amount of capital. The ideology of the capitalist class also known as the bourgeoisie is known as capitalism which closely relates to the capitalist system (Marx, 1890/1976). Considering a social history of the distribution of wealth, Marx contended that human society has passed through several stages and modes of production. The mode of production has changed from ancient communism to primitive slavery, then to feudalism and capitalism. Marx sees society as being divided into two major social classes - the class that has control of the means of production (the exploiting class or bourgeoisie) and the class which do not have any control or does not own the means of production (the exploited class or the proletariat) (Marx 1890/1976). In ancient slavery, the slave-owners exploited the slaves. In feudalism, the lords exploited the peasants. Under capitalism, the capitalists exploit the workers and exploitation happens through the expropriation of surplus value. The surplus value is the total value of the products made by the worker minus what the worker is paid. The exploited class resists this exploitation and the resulting class struggle or class conflict is what drives human history forward. Marx argued that under the capitalist system, workers are treated like a commodity or equipment rather than a person and also

Ethical Principles Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethical Principles Paper - Essay Example In many cases, the values that we as individuals hold include the morals adopted by our society over time. Some of these morals, for better or for worse, shape our behavior. Perhaps it is important to describe some of those moral ideals held by contemporary societies so that we can understand behavior and individual decision-making from an objective perspective. What are the most important morals in our society? It seems the ideal that we lessen the amount of harm suffered by others is one of the most important values of contemporary society, and thus many of us as individuals. This kind of perspective, however, is ancient. The Greek philosopher Aristotle described a system of virtue ethics that tells individuals to do good, not to do harm, to others. This includes corollaries like respecting individual rights, telling the truth, being faithful, and so on. All of these prescriptions are directly related to healthcare, where virtue ethics is an important ethical perspective. Beneficen ce, which is the duty to do good, is an important principle in healthcare work, especially when the healthcare provider has good intentions. Non-maleficence, which is the duty to not do harm, suggests that the healthcare worker should attempt to avoid the worst-case scenario when serving a patient. Autonomy, which is respect for an individual’s right to make decisions, is important when healthcare workers are delivering a service to someone who might have cognitive or behavioral deficiencies. Truthfulness, which is tied to autonomy, tells us that we should always give others all of the information in order to make an informed judgment. Fidelity, which is the virtue of being loyal to a patient in terms of establishing trust, is fundamental to the provider-patient relationship. The Aristotelian system of virtues is best practiced in healthcare because it provides a basis for how a healthcare provider should act in all situations. How does one determine worth and what does one c onsider worth to be? Worth seems to be something that is desirable, useful, or valuable to many people. We might measure something’s desirability in terms of the pain or pleasure that it causes for others. If, for example, a medicine gives a patient a great deal of pleasure (which includes long-term pleasure knowing that his disease has been cured), then we might judge it to be of worth to someone. We might also measure something’s desirability in terms of how it aligns with someone’s values. If, for example, someone values close relationships with others, then the worth of a hospital’s program to connect volunteers with terminally ill patients for one hour each week might be judged in terms of whether the patients might value that experience. What virtuous qualities are most important? Virtues enable people to pursue moral ideals of disposition or character as a means of developing their own potential as human beings. Any given society has many virtues. Some examples include honesty, courage, compassion, generosity, and fidelity. From such a list, individuals or societies can pick and prioritize based on their perceptions of which virtues are most important. One might say that, from this list, generosity is important. In health care in particular, generosity is essential. Generosity leads healthcare providers to give their best service to the community. In healthcare, when we are dealing with people’s lives, commitment to generosity and service is very important because only the very

Pandora Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Pandora - Essay Example Specifically, the company achieves this through the provision of up-to-date music, drama, and related discussion such as a live performance on the company blog. The blog and the ‘Submit your Request’ platforms within the website allow users to create free online profiles to participate in discussions. The personalized station established the Music Genome Project allows the users to edit or refine the content to fit the personal change in music taste and preferences.The interactive feature on the Pandora.com website characterizes it as a social media platform. The social media is an online phenomenon that supports connectivity and interaction, as well as encouraging contributions and feedbacks on online topics from the members and users of the virtual community. The essential features of the social media include connectedness, participation, openness, and conversation. The Pandora.com supports these characteristics through the blog where users post and contribute to the a rticles on various topics.Another unique and primary feature of the social media is the user-created and maintained an online profile that facilitate digital dialog. Although Pandora.com does not have an intensive and user-enabled profile like Facebook, it has a platform that supports online contribution and commenting on the available topics. The Pandora.com internet community has a common interest in music and comedy categorizing the website as a specified social media that confines its engagement within the entertainment industry

Mechanical testing of metals and polymers Assignment - 1

Mechanical testing of metals and polymers - Assignment Example 2. Procedure: Test Equipment Material Tested Test Speed mm/min Secant Tensile Strength-Metal Universal Tensile Testing machine 0.1% C Steel 0.4%C Steel 0.8%C Steel 1.15%C Steel 50 Tensile Strength-Plastics Universal Tensile Testing machine HDPE,PP-PE, PVC, PC, Acetal (POM), Nylon (PA66), GRN (PA66+glass fibres) 10, 50 & 500 Pendulum Impact Tests Zwick/Roell Pendulum Impact Tester PVC, POLYCARBONATE, NYLON 66, HDPE, ACETAL 7.5J Force Vickers hardness Test Vickers Testing Machine 0.1% C Steel 0.2%C Steel 0.4%C Steel 0.85%C Steel 20 Kg load for (2) minutes 3. Results Red 0.1% C Steel Green 0.4%C Steel Blue 0.8%C Steel Orange 1.15%C Steel Fmax Fmax dL at Fmax FBreak dL at break Nr N/mm? N mm N mm 1 414.53 8302.90 6.4 2020 10.7 2 691.64 13853.22 4.9 3930 8.1 3 896.10 17948.63 4.3 6720 5.6 4 1108.75 11098.39 2.7 4030 3.4 dL = Strain Hardness of carbon steels (load 20Kg) 1st measurement 2nd measurement 3rd measurement 0.1% Carbon 146 148 153 0.2% Carbon 166 162 170 0.4% Carbon 209 213 217 0 .85% Carbon 255 259 251 Zwick/Roell Pendulum Impact Tester. 1-Jun-15 M/c Model No 5113. Ref No A466690. ... 1.55 20.62 32.98 Charpy 7.50 â€Å" 6 15.44 2.97 45.86 0.45 6.03 9.86 Charpy 7.50 Series Specimen width b0 Specimen thickness a0 Cross-section Impact energy Impact energy Impact resistance Work contents n = 5 mm mm mm? J % kJ/m? J x 15.82 2.978 47.11 0.38 5.05 8.03 7.50 s 0.3013 0.01304 1.074 0.09 1.16 1.80 0.00 ? 1.90 0.44 2.28 22.89 22.89 22.44 0.00 Zwick/Roell Pendulum Impact Tester. 1-Jun-15 M/c Model No 5113. Ref No A466690. Force 7.5J Material: POLYCARBONATE Specimen width b0 Specimen thickness a0 Cross-section Impact energy Impact energy Impact resistance Type of test, PIT Work contents Legends Nr mm mm mm? J % kJ/m? J â€Å" 1 15.82 3.11 49.2 2.29 30.50 46.49 Charpy 7.50 â€Å" 2 15.5 3.12 48.36 2.39 31.93 49.52 Charpy 7.50 â€Å" 3 16.01 3.11 49.79 2.44 32.55 49.03 Charpy 7.50 â€Å" 4 15.99 3.12 49.89 2.23 29.69 44.63 Charpy 7.50 â€Å" 5 15.39 3.16 48.63 2.28 30.40 46.88 Charpy 7.50 â€Å" 6 15.81 3.09 48.85 2.47 32.96 50.60 Charpy 7.50 Series Specimen width b0 Spec imen thickness a0 Cross-section Impact energy Impact energy Impact resistance Work contents n = 6 mm mm mm? J % kJ/m? J x 15.75 3.118 49.12 2.35 31.34 47.86 7.50 s 0.2552 0.02317 0.622 0.10 1.32 2.23 0.00 ? 1.62 0.74 1.27 4.22 4.22 4.66 0.00 Zwick/Roell Pendulum Impact Tester . 1-Jun-15 M/c Model No 5113. Ref No A466690. Force 7.5J Material: NYLON 66 Specimen width b0 Specimen thickness a0 Cross-section Impact energy Impact energy Impact resistance Type of test, PIT Work contents Legends Nr mm mm mm? J % kJ/m? J â€Å" 1 15.35 3.19 48.97 3.61 48.18 73.80 Charpy 7.50 â€Å" 2 16.1 3.19 51.36 4.88 65.02 94.95 Charpy 7.50 â€Å" 3 16.05 3.22 51.68 4.64 61.83 89.73 Charpy 7.50 â€Å" 4 16.1 3.2 51.52 4.50 60.05 87.42 Charpy 7.50 â€Å" 5 16 3.18 50.88 4.66 62.14 91.60 Charpy 7.50 â€Å" 6 15.98 3.2 51.14 4.07 54.32 79.67 Charpy 7.50

International Portfolio Diversification Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

International Portfolio Diversification - Essay Example Investing on the stock market can be a very risky venture. According to Yavas (2007), both the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) and the Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT) indicates that investors should hold a well diversified portfolio in order to reduce risk. Beta is used to measure risk. A stocks beta indicates the sensitivity of the stock’s returns to the market returns (Madura 2006, p. 304). Madura (2006, p. 304) states that investors who have a diversified portfolio use beta to determine how well their portfolio reflects movements in the market. Investors believe that favourable characteristics that are related specifically to a particular firm will offset unfavourable characteristics of other firms. This is also true for industries and so it implies that a wide range of stocks spanning various industries should be held. It is expected that certain factors affecting securities on the stock market are either firm or industry specific and so in order to reduce unsystematic ri sk holding securities from a wide range of industries is recommended. This is also true in relation to national securities. Certain risks are country specific and so in order to reduce risk international portfolio diversification is recommended. This paper examines how International portfolio diversification can result in a reduction in portfolio risk. It looks at various elements of risk that are associated with portfolio. It looks at market returns in five countries and shows how correlation between these markets can impact negatively on portfolio risk reduction. An analysis is also carried out to determine whether of the returns on stock markets in Japan and Canada are integrated based on their trade relationships over the years. The findings from other studies are also explored to determine how they concur with the results from this research. How can international diversification reduce risk? There are differences in the level of economic growth among countries. Some are develop ed while others are developing. Yavak (2007) states that these differences can lead to portfolio risk reduction as the timing of business cycles are usually different. According to Eiteman et al (2007) the case for international portfolio diversification can be broken down into two components. They are the potential risk reduction benefits of holding international securities and the potential foreign exchange risks that comes with it. Portfolio risk reduction The risk associated with a portfolio of securities is measured by the ratio of the variance of the return on the portfolio in relation to the variance of the market return (Eiteman et al 2007). As noted earlier, this is represented by beta. As the number of securities in the portfolio increases the portfolios beta approaches the market beta. A portfolio that is fully diversified would have a beta that is equal to 1. Therefore the risk that is associated with holding a particular stock can be reduced through diversification. How ever, risk cannot be eliminated totally (Eiteman et al 2007). This can be explained by the fact that the total risk of a portfolio comprises a systematic and a non-systematic element. The systematic element is associated with the market and unsystematic element is related to the individual elements in the portfolio. Increasing the number of securities in the portfolio reduces the unsystematic element (Eiteman et al 2007). This same approach can be taken in the form of investing in various stock markets across the globe. When investors hold securities in several countries they are able to cushion their portfolio from shocks in any one market. Therefore, if economic conditions in one country are affected by unfavorable factors, any resultant reduction in stock market returns may be offset somewhat by gains in other stock markets or at least be cushioned by the relative weight of other securities held in other parts of the world. This is however, assuming that the markets are not highl y

Why Boston University is a good fit for you and what specifically has Essay - 1

Why Boston University is a good fit for you and what specifically has led you to apply for admission - Essay Example e understand and create a solution to their problems, I was able to prove to myself that with ample knowledge about the human brain and its effects on human behaviour would allow me to help more people in the future. Taking up a bachelor’s degree with a major in Psychology is exactly what I think suits me best. As of the moment, I have not thought about the area in which I would like to specialize, though I am hoping that the university would guide me through which road I should take eventually. My fascination about the human brain is too profound for me to put it to waste. It would be an honor for me to share that passion with one of the most prestigious universities in the country, Boston University. With the university’s excellent programs, I am confident that they will provide me with exceptional learning experience that would further nourish the desire within me to understand the complexity of the human mind. Being a pioneer in the research programs among the various educational institutions in the country (â€Å"Boston†), its members of the faculty are equipped with adequate wisdom and knowledge of the areas I hope to gain as much learning as possible. I believe I deserve to be educated in this institution because I share the same passion that they have particularly in recognizing the need to interpret people’s behaviour as dictated by their

Information system and types Essay Example for Free

Information system and types Essay For this paper I was asked to define an information system and types of information systems, Provide three examples of information systems used in real life and tell us what type of information systems they are and how are they related to the learning objectives for this module. I have picked three examples of information systems in real life applications, they are: Pandora radio (decision support system), cashier register (transaction processing system) and Facebook (office automation system). Information system are vital to knowledge management, they provide a simple system to ensure the success of not only businesses, but national defense as well. * Define an information system and types of information systems An information system is the interaction between people, processes, data and technology. Information systems are also any combination of information technology and peoples activity that support operations, management and decision making. Let’s now look at the three different types of information systems that I will use for my real life examples. Transaction Processing System: TPS stands for Transaction Processing System, and is the most well-known example. TPS is best recognized by any type of system that utilizes bank card processing. Any time a person pays for goods or services via their bank card, the transaction is sent to the bank. The bank in turn either approves or denies this transaction. The key point to notice in this type of system is that it guarantees that either the transaction completely succeeds or completely fails. This type of system is used in many types of systems though, and not just limited to financial transactions. (Mills, Kevin (June 30, 2011) IT Collaborate: Information Systems used in Modern Business. Retrieved January 7, 2013 from http://www.itcollaborate.com/71/information-systems-used-in-modern-business/) Decision Support System: In its most simple form, the DSS can be found in many types of automatic text completion systems. One of the most popular forms of this system is Google Suggest. Google Suggest is a type of auto complete feature that completes your search phrase based on the majority of searches it has based on what has already been entered by the user. . (Mills, Kevin (June 30, 2011) IT Collaborate: Information Systems used in Modern Business. Retrieved January  7, 2013 from http://www.itcollaborate.com/71/information-systems-used-in-modern-business/) Office Automation System: Office automation systems can take many forms, but their primary function remains the same throughout, and that is to facilitate information exchange between people in an organization. Some of these systems may include word processors, spreadsheets, email clients, file sharing systems, databases, etc. The main benefit behind this type of technology is that the more freely that information flows around an office, the more productive the environment is. With the increase in production, the organization can raise its profits considerably as the efficiency of data exchange increases, allowing a decrease in the time it takes to deliver the product to the customer. (Mills, Kevin (June 30, 2011) IT Collaborate: Information Systems used in Modern Business. Retrieved January 7, 2013 from http://www.itcollaborate.com/71/information-systems-used-in-modern-business/) * Provide three examples of information systems used in real life and tell us what type of information systems they are Pandora radio is a decision support system and I will explain why. The decision support system uses an auto complete feature like we learned earlier, it memorizes what you have previously searched or looked at. Pandora radio has a like button and a do not like button so the user can filter out what he or she likes/dislikes. The application remembers the genre and artists the user has previously liked to create the ultimate playlist. This decision support system has created a more efficient way of listening to music, no more stopping and hitting the next button. The Cash register is the ultimate transaction processing system. It creates a simple bond between consumer and supplier, in turn creating a fast and effective way of purchasing goods. Like the definition above, this transaction processing system guarantees a â€Å"no or go† scenario that is easy to understand. This system creates a simple transaction log that is easy for operators, management and owners to gather information. Facebook is an online database that provides information to every user on a continual basis. Facebook is always updating within seconds of a user posting information and how does this coincide with the office  automation system? The information from Facebook gives the users a constant information flow, thus increasing data that can be dispersed efficiently. * How is this related to the learning objectives of this module? The objectives of this module where to define the key principles of knowledge management define the different types of information systems and be able to differentiate between data, knowledge and information. When you break down the information systems that I have covered, you can see data, information and knowledge. Facebook is a database that disperses information and knowledge, a cash register stockpiles information by creating transaction receipts for future knowledge of store purchases and Pandora uses knowledge to remember what the user has previously â€Å"like† or disliked† to create a positive environment. So with these examples, you have the three main ingredients of knowledge management. Without data, information and knowledge, we can’t continue to create more efficient information systems for years to come. REFRENCES Mills, Kevin (June 30, 2011) IT Collaborate: Information Systems used in Modern Business. Retrieved January 7, 2013 from http://www.itcollaborate.com/71/information-systems-used-in-modern-business/

The Absolute War

The Absolute War In order to understand why absolute war does not occur in reality, the absolute war should be defined in the first place. It should be underlined that absolute war differs from total war. Total war involved the total subordination of politics to the war effort, an idea Clausewitz emphatically rejected, and the assumption that total victory or total defeat were the only options. Total war involved no suspension of the effects of time and space, on the other hand Clausewitzs concept of the absolute did.[1] The word absolute refers to purity and extremes in that sense. Before explaining Clausewitzs conception of absolute war, his military as well as intellectual and historical background should be kept in mind. The context of Clausewitzs ideas which covers the transition from the enlightenment to the German movement that was hostile to it should be recognized. In Berlin Institute for Young Officers, he learnt that the theory had to be concrete and circumstantial, encompass that formed the reality, and be closely linked to historical experience.[2] He was also influenced by the theoretical ideal that has to reflect the relationship between the parts of war and the whole, and be necessarily grounded in the nature of things. The primacy of the major battle, aided by a massive concentration of forces and aggressive conduct, and aiming at the total overthrow of the enemy reflected the impact of the Napoleonic experience.[3] In 1827, while composing On War, Clausewitzs line of thought underwent a radical change of direction. He transformed but did not ab andon his old military outlook, and developed completely new theoretical devices. The origins and nature of Clausewitzs new theoretical framework have remained a mystery, and as a result the exact nature of the transformation in his thought has not been entirely clear. This explains why Clausewitzs ideas could be interpreted so differently by successive generations.[4] Clausewitz wanted to do more than merely writing for next generations, or Prussian army, he wanted to search for the absolute, the very nature, or the regulative idea of things.[5] He put emphasis on the role of the theory that it is its duty to give the place to the absolute form of war and to use that form as a general point of direction, it had to reflect the relationship between the parts of war and the whole, and to be found in the nature of things. He regarded absolute war as ideal in the philosophical sense, as a regulative idea which gives unity and objectivity to diverse phenomena, an idea like that of perfect beauty in art which may never be attained but constantly approximated.[6] According to Clausewitz, the definition of war is: War therefore is an act of violence intended to compel our opponent to fulfil our will.[7] After defining, he then deductively argued from this definition to essential features to conclude how one should behave to realize its will. Therefore, from the definition, it can be understood that the violence, or physical force is the means, and the compulsory compliance of the adversary to our will is the ultimate end. To this end, the violence is pushed to its utmost bounds, since one side dictates law to its adversary, there occurs a kind of reciprocal action, leading to an extreme, which is first reciprocal action [8]. To compel the enemy to our will, the enemy must be placed in a situation so that he would sacrifice which is demanded. This situation can be disarming the enemy, threatening him with it, or overthrow of him. As long as the enemy is not defeated, there is always possibility that he may dictate to the other side. Therefore, it is the second reciprocal action leading to second extreme.[9] If one wants to defeat the adversary, he must proportionate his efforts to the others powers of resistance by increasing the means as much as possible, however the adversary would do the same and meet him in a new mutual enhancement, therefore there would occur the third reciprocal action leading to the third extreme.[10] The absolute war can also be understood as a war, in which all available force is concentrated into a single, instantaneous blow.[11] From this logic, it can be argued that there can be no middle ground between the state of peace and the absolute war, the two extremes where force remains wholly unused or wholly and immediately used in order to make the adversary defenceless. However, in reality, the conduct of war engages the incremental use of force.[12] The discrepancy between the absolute and real wars is due to the two basic factors. Firstly, the real war is dictated by the time and space. Actual military means are spatially distributed; therefore they can be employed in some period of time, but not instantaneously. Also, the real war is affected by the friction, which refers to the obstacles to the efficient usage of force that the real world imposes, and it is caused by the chance, and uncertainty, physical exertion and danger.[13] Moreover, for constraining the absoluteness of war, Clausewitz introduced the effect of politics on wars. According to him, all characteristics of war are influenced by politics, and this influence is not part of the nature of war. On the contrary, the influence of politics is an external force which works against the true essence of war, harnesses it to its needs, and modifies the imperatives which it imposes in the process.[14] It is due to the fact that when the political influence on the war is admitted, one may be willing to wage minimal are closely linked to the character and scope of the political objectives. These wars may consist threatening the enemy, with negotiations held in reserve.[15] Therefore, the politics convert the destructive element of war into a mere instrument, in other words, the conception that war is a mere continuation of policy by other means.[16] To introduce the Trinitarian nature of war, Clausewitz, first of all, wrote that warfare was a complex combination of passion, chance and reason. War is partly a matter of great passion, of hatred, danger, exertion. To the extent that war was an extension of politics, it was a rational, purposive activity aimed at altering the behaviour of an opponent. War, according to Clausewitz, was also the realm of chance. This combination makes war a paradoxical trinity. [17] In short, war is composed of three elements: first, primitive violence, hatred, and hostility, which should be regarded as a blind natural force; second, the play of chance and probability within which the creative spirit is free to roam; and third, its subordination, as an instrument of policy, which makes it subject to reason alone.[18] The relations among these elements are fluid and tense. As warfare moves towards its absolute nature, the passion increases and the rational direction of war becomes more problematic. As the violence becomes more complete, untramelled, and absolute -since the pure concept requires, war would drive policy out of office and it would rule by the laws of its own nature. As the goals of war expand and the stakes increase, warfare would tend to move towards to the absolute form. This tendency towards absolute war would increase the tensions between the constitutive elements of the trinity, threatening to displace reason.[19] However, by arguing that the war is the extension of politics, Clausewitz asserted the rational direction of war as a whole. Similarly, as long as war is a political activity, it is fought for a purpose. It is neither the result of unreasoning passion, nor the result of mistakes. Besides, to explain the fact that although politics is artificial element to the nature of war, the real war may still come close to the absolute war. From Clausewitzs writings, it can be understood that state policy determines the main lines along which war is to move. This is the correct order of things, since the policy does not demand anything against the nature of war. If the political tensions carry very powerful character, and if adequate material means are given, the political aim may disappear behind, or rather coincide with, the military aim of disarming the enemy. In such case, real war approaches to absolute war. [20] He argued that this type of warfare would appear again and again in the age of nationalism.[21] On the other hand, this does not necessarily mean Clausewitz argued in favour of the absolute war, but rather he supported limited war. His conception of war became more durable, and more sophisticated after seeing Napoleons defeats at Russia in 1812, at Leipzig i n 1813 and finally at Waterloo in June 1815. This conception became regarded as a political act, and as an act which is and should be limited.[22] To argue in favour of why limited wars happen in reality, Liddell Hart raised Clausewitzs conception of absolute war to the level of an infallible religious dogma.[23] In this critic, it may be argued that Hart did not carefully read Clausewitz, however at this point I would only like to give Harts point of view on war. Harts definition of strategy was designed to reemphasize the subordination of the conduct of war to political objective. He believed that since Napoleon, the definition of strategy had expanded to the point where it was controlled completely by the military, the situation which created the dominance of the false objective.[24] Therefore, he redefined strategy as the distribution and transmission of military means to fulfil the needs of policy making it more clearly dependent upon political decisions while leaving its execution in the hands of the military.[25] Since the objective of war is to change the enemys will, Hart concluded that the strategy should not accept s eeking decision in battle as a guiding principle, the situation in which the enemys power of resistance is likely to be greatest, but it should be attacking to the vulnerable points in the enemys armour where defeat would destroy his moral and physical capacity to resist. In other word, it is a strategy of paralysation thorough dislocation rather than annihilation thorough attrition.[26] Moreover, Hart also criticized Clausewitzs argument that locates overthrow of the enemy as the aim of the war. Hart argued that the complete overthrow of the adversarys forces and the occupation of the opponents territory may be necessary to his success, but it is not compulsory to ones achievement. The object is fulfilled if the enemy can be convinced that he cannot conquer.[27] In order to illustrate this logic, the nuclear age and the deterrence theory based on the assumption that when one state does cost-benefit analysis before engaging to any aggression, and in this case since one state owns nuclear capability, it would deter other states from creating or getting involved to aggression, can be used.[28] The nuclear weapons and limited war are incompatible with each other since an unlimited war with nuclear weapons would mean mutually suicide. Therefore, the states need to establish adequate forces to defend themselves. Hart criticized the common assumption that the world faces a choice between the extremes of total war and total peace, but he urged a more limited approach to war.[29] Therefore, it can be understood that if wars are likely to occur, the limitation of their destructiveness is in every states interest. Similarly, although it is always irrational to fight nuclear war, and it may not be irrational to risk nuclear war, not all wars are nuclear wars, even in the nuclear age.[30] Nor nuclear war is instrument of policy, neither are nuclear weapons. These nuclear weapons are to be used only to prevent wars, not to fight wars. The purpose of the development of the doctrine of limited war in the 1950s was to restore policy control over the use of violence.[31] From these arguments, it can be understood that states may sometimes choose limited war, in order not to start or create possibility of engagement to any nuclear wars, but to keep their power over the use of force. It can be therefore further argued that while engaging to wars, states keep their political aims limited, so that they can keep their weapons conventional and limited. For instance, in 1950, during the Korean War, the US General MacArthur was in favour of nuclear weapons against North Korea. However, American policy makers decided on diplomatic and political utility in nuclear weapons rather than military utility.[32] Therefore, when the US intervened in Korea, it used conventional and limited military means to defend the South Korea. Meanwhile, when the allied powers came at the border of Yalu River, China got involved to the conflict to support North Korea. These two states, namely the US and China fought with limited scope and conventional weapons, therefore this example shows that states sometimes prefer to keep their force limited due to the political influence. Apart from these, the bargaining theory which assumes the wars with bargained settlements developed by Alastair Smith and Allan C. Stam approaches to Clausewitzs limited wars, or wars in reality. Since the bargaining theory is in realm of game theory, I will not speak of it in details. However, since one of the key feature of the theory is much more related to Clausewitzs limited wars, I will use it as an instance as an illustration. One of the features of the model is that as nations fight battles and capture forts from each other, both nations learn common information about the nature of warfare between them. As long as more and more information is revealed, the beliefs of nations converge. Therefore, wars are fought until either one side decisively defeats the other or until beliefs of each side unite sufficiently so that they can agree to a settlement.[33] Bibliography Gat, Azar. 1989. The Origins of Military Thought: From Enlightenment to Clausewitz. New York: Oxford University Press Earle, Edward Mead. 1973. Makers of Modern Strategy. Princeton: Princeton University Press Howard, Michael. 1983. Clausewitz. New York: Oxford University Press Bassford, http://www.clausewitz.com/readings/Bassford/Cworks/Works.htm, 8 July 2008 Gat, 1989, p.167 Gat, p.199 Gat, p.199 Edward Earle, p.94 Edward Earle, p.103 Clausewitz, p.101 Clausewitz, p.103 Clausewitz, p.104 Clausewitz, p.105 Stone, p.31 Stone, p.32 Stone, p.32 Gat, p.221 Howard, p.39 Clausewitz, p.119 Roxborough, p.625 Roxborough, p.625 Roxborough, p.626 Earle, p. 106 Earle, p.106 Cornish, p. 217 Larson, p.70 Larson, p.71 Larson, p.71 Larson, p.71 Larson, p.72 Kibaroglu, p.4 Larson, p.72 Moody, p.419 Moody, p.429 Dingman, p.56 Smith and Stam, p.787

Crime And The Process Of Solving Crimes Criminology Essay

Crime And The Process Of Solving Crimes Criminology Essay Crime analysis is a systematic process that investigators go through to help solve crimes that are similar to one another by location and specific details about the certain crime committed. Crime analysis helps to solve crimes because if the same person is committing the same crime over and over again, it is easier for law enforcement to recognize where the criminal is going to strike next. There are three different approaches to crime analysis and these are tactical crime analysis, strategic, and administrative. In todays Criminal Justice world, there are thousands of criminal that do the same crime over and over again and do the exact same thing every single time. To help solve these crimes there is an up and coming field in Criminal Justice that helps solve these crimes and it is called Crime Analysis. Crime analysis is the examination and studying of crime patterns in certain locations that will aid in the identifying and prosecution of the suspects. There are three ways to determine crime analysis and they are tactical, strategic, and administrative. Crime analysts are always busy in what they do because they have to keep up with the current trends and patterns of crime to determine when the next crime will occur and stop it from happening. This paper will discuss the process of which crime analysts go through, as well as the three different types of crime analysis, how it will help the future of police departments by predicting when the next crime is about to occur, and this paper will also discuss the jobs in this up and coming field of crime analysis. The process of figuring out numerous crime trends and similarities in a given location can be quite difficult at times. Therefore, there is a series of steps that a crime analyst runs through to try and determine the patterns of the same crime happening every night or every weekend in a close diameter of one another. In the first process, that is when the data is all collected from other sources by gathering the crime details, eyewitness reports, and as well as the police operations. With all of the information, it gets entered into numerous databases so other municipal police organizations can recover the information if the same crime is occurring in their neighborhood as well. In the second process, the analyst sits down and actually recovers all of the information and tries to put crimes together through patterns, trends, and the location of where the crime occurred. In this process the analyst will determine the who, what, when, where, and how, of the crimes being committed so they can conclude specific details to the police officers to keep an eye on certain people and/or locations. With the specific details of certain crimes that could be linked to one another, that is when the information is put on bulletins throughout the different departments. Then after this, the administration is contacted and the police will also inform the public as well. By informing the public of a murderer in the community for example, people will be more alert to certain people who look suspicious and the public can also watch out more when the police officers cannot. The next step in crime analysis is most likely the most important step for police departments and their employees. At this step of the process, the crime analyst has a lot of information about specific re-occurrences of a crime in an area. With that information the crime analyst will brainstorm different ideas to help seize the suspect while the suspect is committing the same crime again through the crime analyst studying. They do this by surveillance of the area, decoys or traps that the criminal will get themselves carried into, or if the department is able to, by putting more police officers in that area to stop the crime from happening again. The last step of this process is to study all of the facts and eyewitness reports to stop that specific crime from occurring in that area ever again. There are three different ways that crime analyst can go about to determine crime trends and similarities in a specific situation. The three are tactical, strategic, and administrative. Crime Analysis supports a number of department functions including patrol deployment, special operations, and tactical units, investigations, planning and research, crime prevention, and administrative services (budgeting and program planning)(Gottlieb, 1994, Pg. #1). When the crime analyst comes across an upcoming trend in a community there are numerous factors to affect the crime from taking place. Some of these factors include, but not limited to, is the overall geographical location of where the crimes are being committed, such as the poverty level of the community, the population, and as well as cultural factors such as religious characteristics. Other geographical factors include the climate of the community, for example during the Winter months of New York, the crime rates may decrease in resul t to the colder weather. In contrast to the warmer months of Summer, the crime rates will increase due to more people on the streets. One of the biggest factors to studying crime analysis is the effective strength of the police department and their employees. If the communitys police administration is not as effective and harsh punishments, the criminals will suppose that they can get away with anything they want to do. Another important factor is how the citizens of the community react to the crimes being committed because if they are concerned with the crime problems occurring, then they will not be a part of the Neighborhood Watch when the police officers are not there 24/7 to monitor the streets. Tactical crime analysis is the most concerned type of crime analysis because it deals with the worst of the worst crimes that is an immediate threat to the public, such as murder, rape, robbery, and burglary. The crime analyst will put together the trends by eyewitness accounts, the weapon used, the suspects physical description, and many other similarities to put into account for determining the suspect of the crimes committed. Then during this type of crime analysis the police officers will be more alert to certain people who resemble the suspects description and the administration will have more police officers in that particular area to stop the crime from occurring again. At the tactical level of crime analysis it also includes identifying suspects and linking the crimes together. In this phase is where the information that was processed in the strategic step is now being used to solve the crimes that have been happening over and over again in one particular area. The tactical a nalysis is most useful towards the investigators and patrol officers so they can keep an open eye out for suspicious activity in a certain area with specific problem that has been happening. At the tactical level of analysis they also use information for outside agencies to aid them in finding the suspects. The use of outside information from other agencies is very useful in crime analysis because if the same crime is happening in another county or state, the crime analyst can link the crimes together by similarities of the who, what, when, where, and how of the crimes committed. The Crime Analysis Unit in the city of Tempe, Arizona said that, Tactical information links offender and modus operandi information from a number of offenses in an attempt to provide investigative leads, help solve crime, and clear cases after apprehension and arrests (Wong, 2009, Pg. #1). Without the tactical analysis the crimes that have been re-occurring in an area would not be able to be solved as quick ly if it were not for this very important step in crime analysis. The next type of crime analysis is the strategic analysis. Strategic crime analysis is the study of crime problems and other police-oriented issues to determine long-term patterns of activity as well as to evaluate police responses and organizational procedures (Boba, 2005. Pg. #15). Strategic analysis main concern is to seek solutions to on-going crime problems in a certain location. They do this by gathering all of the information of trends, suspects, and crime and link them together to make a result of the similarities of the crimes committed. The strategic analyst gathers information together to find unusual crime trends and police reports from all different seasons to see if there are any similarities with the suspects physical description and the crimes committed. They also match the demands for police officers in a certain location. If the crime level is very high they will conduct more officers on foot and also in patrol cars to try and eliminate the problems before they turn into more larger and more dangerous crimes. The strategic analyst will also decrease the number of officers in a certain location if the crime statistics show that there is not many crimes being committed there, they will move some of those officers to where the help is really needed. The last type of studying crime analysis is called administrative crime analysis. The administrative crime analysis main goal is to relate the information that has been made in the previous step and relay that information to the police chief and other administrative level officers, and as well as the community because they need to be informed if there is a serious crime issue in their neighborhood. They like to inform the public about crime patterns because the Neighborhood Watch is the polices best way to collect information such as the physical description of the suspect. The administrative analysis will also inform the local schools around the community to have a look-out of suspicious activities happening around the school. They also need to keep the police officers from each shift informed of the new information gathered day by day so if some information has been changed recently they will be fully up to date with the information of the crime patterns and suspects in that partic ular area. A lot of the administrative analysts job is to put all of the information gathered into databases so not only can their jurisdiction have the information, but all of the surrounding jurisdictions and states as well. They will also make reports of their crime statistics in their community to the Uniform Crime Reports to the Federal Bureau of Investigations every month and every year to make statistics about the Part I and Part II offenses in their community and relate them to other agencies in their state and other states as well. With all of the information gathered at this type of crime analysis, the administrative analysis also goes out to the public and performs speeches and presentations on the crime reports to the police administration, including the Chief, Lieutenants, Captains, and others. They can also make speeches to the citizens of the community and other agencies as well. The reasoning for the speeches and presentations is for the economic sense of the crime analysis agency because that is how they receive grants through governmental funding or from the community funding money to the crime analysis agency. After the crime analyst studies and looks over the information of crime trends in their community, it is time to try and solve the crimes committed and also to try and stop other crimes from happening. A very good way to determine crime trends is by using a Geographic Information System (GIS) to be used in crime mapping. The GIS overlaps other databases around the community to get more information for the crime trends by getting useful information from other community information such as the pawnshops for burglaries. Another positive attribute to the GIS is that anyone with the Internet can see where most of the serious crimes are occurring in a particular community. For example, if a family with small children is looking to move and they find out that there is an inclination of sex offenders or rape in that community, they will know beforehand. An excellent website that shows the different crime trends in a community is www.spotcrime.com. The tactical crime analyst is the form of crime analysis that mostly uses the crime mapping for their information that they have collected. By using crime maps they can discover the crime trends that are not as noticeable that are just collected through crime reports. The crime maps examine a specific location and mark where the crimes have been committed and if there is any similarities between all of the crimes committed. The maps also help the police officers formulate strategies to aid in the detainment of the suspects. One very effective way they also solve crimes through crime mapping is call Problem-Oriented Policing or POP. POP is a police strategy that involved the identification and analysis of specific crime trends and problems that puts the community in disarray. POP and crime analysis go hand-in-hand because POP looks at the repeated incidents in the same community with related similarities with the crimes and that the crimes are harmful to both the police and the commun ity as well. Although POP and crime analysis is not completely the same, the big different between the two is that POP is trying to figure out the problems in the community by solving the crimes more quickly and effectiveness. While crime analyst goes in depth with their information and they look at crime trends as a whole and not as one problem in a community. Although many cases might not have a lot of information for the crime analyst to look over and attempt to solve the case, there is another obstacle to overcome and that is the time in which is takes scientist to study the amounts of evidence that is collected at the crime scene. Some other obstacles that they must overcome is because of the CSI Effect. This effect is because of the CSI drama series that every case has substantial amount of evidence and at the end of the show, there is always someone guilty. This is not the case in real life, the crime analyst has to go through every single piece of evidence thoroughly and this may take days, weeks, months, or even years to get all of the facts correct. Although this may seem like a very easy job to acquire, it is not that easy all of the time. When the crime analyst sends out evidence to be tested for suspects, this process could take a very long time due to the enormous amount of other evidence from thousands of other cases that is needed to be tested for numerous reasons. From the Nebraska State Crime Lab, the Forensic scientist stated that, In 2009, the DNA section worked 251 cases with 347 assignments that included 1,800 pieces of evidence, she said. In February of this year, the lab had six casework DNA analysts, two of whom were in training, and one database analyst(Kindschuh). This example just goes to show that with the large amounts of evidence being sent to crime labs all around the country and the lack of personnel and employees; it will be difficult to solve these crime patterns in a timely fashion. Because of this problem, it may take crime analysis many years to figure out the crime patterns for one particular city, if this city is a very large one. For smaller towns and cities, it may be easier to collect and test evidence because there might not be as much evidence that is needed for testing. So, the job performance of a crime analyst can become very difficult at times for waiting on evidence to come back from the lab to solve crimes. But the best part of being a crime analyst is the after effect of solving crimes that have been tormenting a specific area for a long period of time and being able to put the criminal behind bars for their wrongful acts. Since crime analysis is an up-and-coming field in the Criminal Justice system, there is a lot of schooling and training courses that have to be met before becoming a crime analyst. Not all departments hire crime analyst to do their in-depth process on the trends of crimes in their community, due to the size of their department or jurisdiction. Some jurisdictions are too small to coordinate and run such a wealthy and demanding field of criminal justice; so most of the crime analysis jobs are in major metropolitan areas where the population is large and there is large and there is a large amount of crime occurring to determine different trends to go along with the suspects. Although some of the large agencies that have crime analyst, most of them are not sworn in officers, the majority of them now are sworn in civilians that do not need all of the requirements that a sworn in officer would need. Since almost every agency has their own rules and restrictions to whom they hire, there is a general amount of similarities between them with schooling and the minimum requirements. To become a crime analyst they need at least a four-year degree or Bachelors Degree majoring in Criminal Justice, Statistics, Business, Public Administration, or any other field closely related to these. With all of the schooling requirements set, they will also need to have a Department of Justice Crime Analysis Certificate. Another requirement is at least two years minimum of operational experience in any criminal justice setting. After all of the experience in schooling, the training, the courses, and the completion of the certificate and required hours the crime analyst can start searching for an occupation. Indeed.com reports that the average salary for crime analysis is $57,000. Our research found that crime analyst salaries range from $28,000 to well over $66,000 a year depending on experience, education, location, and related factors (Legal-Criminal-Justice-Schools, Pg. #1). The amount of salary someone earns is all determined on how much schooling and experience someone has who wants to become a crime analyst. Obviously the more schooling and more experience someone has to offer, the better chances of getting a job and the more salary pay they will earn in their department. This paper discussed the up-and-coming field in the Criminal Justice system known as crime analysis. Crime analysis is a very useful strategy in a large metropolitan area to determine trends and similarities in crimes that have been occurring every day, or every week. The crimes that have been committed might have committed at the same time of day or night, with the same weapon, or stolen a specific item from parked cars in a mall parking lot. With just that information the crime analyst can conclude that they need to have more patrol officers at the mall at a certain time of day to determine who has been breaking into the cars and stealing those specific items and why. The use of crime maps is a very distinctive and descriptive way of determining crime trends because instead of just looking at crime reports, it is clearly stated on a map of the community. The crime analysis unit is made up of three different sections and they do their own part in cracking down the individual or indi viduals that have been troubling the neighborhood. The three sections are the tactical unit, the strategic unit, and the administrative unit. In the tactical unit their main goal is to gather up as much information as possible to settle on a time, place, and hopefully a suspect of the re-occurring crimes. The strategic unit is using the information from the tactical unit and putting it into perspective and figuring out where the police officers need to be increased or decreased in numbers in a large community. The administrative unit sends out all of the information to their own department as well as the surrounding agencies and also to the Uniform Crime Reports for the FBI. In conclusion, without the crime analysis unit in large jurisdictions, it would be very difficult to determine the crime trends in a community and prosecute the criminals for their wrongful actions. Reference Page: Ainsworth, Peter F. Offender Profiling and Crime Analysis. Devon: Willan, 2001. Print. Boba, Rachel. Crime Analysis and Crime Mapping. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, 2005. Print. Boba, Rachel. Guidelines to Implement and Evaluate Crime Analysis and Mapping in Law Enforcement Agencies. October 2000. Community Oriented Policing Services: U.S. Department of Justice. http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/files/RIC/Publications/guidelinesimplementevalcrimeam.pdf Bruce, Christopher W. What is Crime Analysis? Massachusetts Association of Crime Analysis. http://www.macrimeanalysts.com/articles/whatiscrimeanalysis.pdf DAddario, Francis James. Loss Prevention through Crime Analysis. Boston: Butterworths, 1989. Print. Dempsey, Caitlin. GIS Lounge and DM Geographies. 2008. California. http://gislounge.com/crime-mapping-and-analysis/ Flowers, R.B. (1989). Demographics and Criminality: The Characteristics of Crime in America. Greenwood Press: Westport, CT. Goldsmith, Victor. Analyzing Crime Patterns: Frontiers of Practice. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, 2000. Print. Gottlieb, S., Arenberg, S., and Singh, R. (1994). Crime Analysis: From First Report to Final Arrest. Alpha Publishing: Montclair, CA. Kindschuh, Hilary. Real-life Crime Analysis not like TV, Local Experts Say. Posted April 21, 2010. http://journalstar.com/news/local/article_a71319dc-4cbd-11df-b1bd-001cc4c03286.html Legal Criminal Justice Schools. http://www.legal-criminal-justice-schools.com/ Morris, J. (1986). Crime Analysis Charting. Palmer Enterprises: Orangevale, CA. Peterson, Marilyn B. Applications in Criminal Analysis: a Sourcebook. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 1998. Print. Vann, Irvin B., and G. David. Garson. Crime Mapping: New Tools for Law Enforcement. New York: P. Lang, 2003. Print. Wong, Theresa. Crime Analysis Unit. 2009. Tempe, Arizona. http://www.tempe.gov/CAU/about_ca.htm

End-Stage Renal Disease :: Health, Diseases, Hemodialysis Patients

Introduction Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) had higher anemia rate than general population (1). Several studies considered inflammatory markers as predictors of outcome in patients with ESRD and in one of them which was performed on 25000 HD patients, neutrophil count combined with low lymphocyte count were independent predictor of outcome in hemodialysis patients (2). In some of other studies elevated level of C-reactive protein was accounted for higher mortality rate in HD patients (3). In a European study, CRP were presented as one of the uremic syndrome futures and 50% of patients have CRP level >8mg/l and 75% of them had CRP level >3.4mg/l (3). Anemia related increase serum level of pro-inflammatory factors with poor treatment outcomes in HD patients (4). There is relationship between anemia, inflammation and oxidative stress level. Serum level of hemoglobin was increased during 2-3 days after inflammatory response to infection. Inflammation also active macrophages and remove old erythrocytes from the serum of HD patients (5). According to findings of previous studies, ESRD is one of the states that increase pro-inflammatory cytokines and in some of them interleukins (IL) 1, 4 and 6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) were 8-10 times higher than general population (6). Statine agents can reduce serum level of CRP in HD patients and decline their need to Epoetin for management of anemia (7). Serum CRP level more than 5-10 mg/l is associated with cardiovascular events and statine agents due to reduce CRP level might decline mortality of HD patients and improve their cardiovascular outcome. Measurement of Serum level of C reactive protein (CRP) in hemodialysis (HD) patients with anemia and their response to lovastatin is aim of our study. Material and methods One hundred fifty hemodialysis patients in Imam Khomeini and Amiralam hospital during 2004 were participated in our randomized clinical trial. Hemodialysis patients had three sessions per week hemodialysis plan with Polysulphone and Hemophane dialysis filters and bicarbonate as dialysis solution. Our study was approved in ethical committee of Tehran medical university and informed consent was obtained from each patient. Our inclusion criteria Our inclusion criterias were more than hemodialysis patients with six months hemodialysis and Hs-CRP higher than 10 mg per liter, without tumors, chronic respiratory disorders, iron deficiency anemia, hypothyroidism, diabetic foot ulcer, total cholesterol more than 200 mg/dl, abnormal liver tests, immunosuppressive, beta blocker and statine usage, and active infection in recent three months.