Meaning of life †Philosophy of life Essay

What is the meaning of life? The answer to this question has sought over since mankind became capable of exercising their brain capacity past a level of primal instinct. In general life is rather meaningless, we all simply exist together on this planet. But before one dwells on the pointlessness of human existence, they should think about the purpose of each individual person in our society. We create goals for ourselves; we all have a role to play in our society. In a sense, we choose our future and in doing so, give ourselves a purpose to live. The purpose of human existence in general may be absent, but in our society and through our goals and achievements, I believe each individual creates their own purpose. Through one question I realized this great truth: what do you want to be when you grow up? For the longest time, I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up. What did it matter to me anyway? I was a kid (well, I suppose I still am) and didn’t like any of the generic jobs they told us about in elementary school. Police force, teachers, fireman, none of them interested me. Then, in middle school, my life changed, a lot. I got completely new friends, after the old ones left me behind. I slowly started to become more and more enclosed, I spent most of my time out of school alone. As I developed into this over-dramatic teenage state, life suddenly became meaningless. I would often find myself sitting bored in my room, mindlessly surfing the internet or playing videogames. I slowly started to hate it; it was like I could feel my brain melting inside my head. I needed to find a more constructive hobby, and so I found myself musical instruments and started creating more and more music every day. Music became my life and from then on, I knew that my goal, the meaning of my life, was to become a musician. I believe that life was meant to be enjoyed; nobody wants to spend their life in a dead end job. After all, just how much meaning is in an unhappy life? Just ask Monty Python’s John Cleese, who states, â€Å"If I had not gone into Monty Python, I probably would have stuck to my original plan to graduate and become a chartered accountant, or perhaps a barrister lawyer, and gotten a nice house in the suburbs with a nice wife and kids, and gotten a country club membership, and then I would have killed myself. † I find this quote strongly inspiring because instead of choosing a highly respectable, well paying job and living a comfortable life, he choose to work with some of most popular men to ever wear woman’s clothing. Comedy is what he finds gives meaning to his life, and although his second choices would have been nice, Cleese didn’t find as much value in them as he did in Monty Python. Perhaps life itself is meaningless, but I believe it doesn’t have to be. I believe that a happy life is a meaningful one. I believe that mankind may not collectively have a reason for existence or a common goal, but each individual certainly does. I believe that each and every person has to create their own reason to live, instead of waiting for that reason to come to them, or they must just find themselves waiting forever.

Luxury goods in China Essay

Life is getting harder for purveyors of luxury in China, but the growth prospects are still fabulous Jun 8th 2013 | SHANGHAI |From the print edition â€Å"IT WAS AN AMAZING GOLDEN AGE,† REFLECTS GUILLAUME BROCHARD OF QEELIN, A CHINESE jeweller. From 2007 to 2011 many luxury-goods firms enjoyed double-digit annual growth in China, which became their most important market. The first blows came last year, with an economic slowdown and jitters about the political transition. Now, a crackdown on corrupt gift-giving and a populist backlash against ostentation have added to the woes. The outlook for luxury-goods firms appears to have dimmed. Internet users have posted incriminating pictures, for example of poorly paid bureaucrats wearing suspiciously pricey watches, which have caused heads to roll. Mobs have also disrupted banquets deemed to be too lavish, on occasions forcing officials to their knees to beg for forgiveness. This has traumatised some purveyors of conspicuous consumption. Beijing Xiangeqing, an upmarket catering outfit that is usually highly profitable, plunged into the red last quarter. Sales of shark fin, the key ingredient of a soup served at fancy dinners, are down by around 70% year-on-year. Imports of bottles of Bordeaux costing more than $800 have collapsed. But look beyond the lavish public banquets and a more complicated picture emerges —AND NOT JUST BECAUSE DEVIOUS OFFICIALS ARE NOW THROWING THEIR EXTRAVAGANT PARTIES IN private. It is true that some luxury-goods firms are grappling with slowing demand in China: imports of Swiss watches, for example, fell 24% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2013. But Andrew Keith of Lane Crawford, a high-end department store that first opened in Hong Kong in 1850, reports no slowdown at his stores there or in Beijing. Burberry, a British fashion brand, enjoyed sales growth in China of about 20% in the year to March. Sales of private jets in China are still soaring. So what is really going on? It seems that China remains the biggest prize in the luxury industry, but the low-hanging fruit is gone. Luxury firms must now venture beyond the coastal cities where they have made easy fortunes, cultivate new types of customers and market niches, and experiment with new business models. It will be worth the effort. Despite the recent troubles, Bruno Lannes of Bain & Company, a consultancy, insists that â€Å"Chinese have become, and will remain for a long time, the most important luxury consumers. † His firm estimates that luxury sales in greater China (which includes Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau) will grow by 6-8% this year, ? 2 ? ? 3 ? to exceed $35 billion, making it a luxury market second only to America. But even that does not tell the full story. China’s rich are travelling more and farther, and do lots of luxury shopping on their travels, especially in Europe, whose weak currencies encourage Chinese visitors to splash out. Measured by the nationality of the buyer, China is now the world’s biggest luxury market, and growing fast (see chart). Last year mainland Chinese took 83m foreign trips, up 18. 4% on 2011. Global Blue, a big tax-free-shopping firm, says its refunds to Chinese shoppers shot up by 58% last year to more than 24 billion yuan ($3. 9 billion). To make the most of this trend, firms need to rejig their shops worldwide. They need Mandarin-speaking assistants, VIP rooms big enough to accommodate large tour parties and payment systems that can handle Chinese credit cards. Philippe Leopold- Metzger, who runs Piaget, a Swiss watch and jewellery brand, says he regards the firm’s outlets in China itself more as showcases than profit-earners: half of his global business comes from mainlanders, but they mostly buy while on foreign trips. That said, there are still plenty of opportunities to expand sales inside China. Kent Wong, managing director of Chow Tai Fook, the world’s largest jeweller, with over 1,700 sales outlets on the mainland, says their takings are continuing to grow. Any weakness is seen chiefly in coastal cities exposed to China’s struggling exports. In the interior, where locals are not yet used to foreign shopping jaunts, â€Å"middle-class incomes are still rising. † Luxury firms are having to adapt to this fragmentation in the Chinese market. Whereas flashy â€Å"bling† still sells to the new money in smaller, interior towns, globetrotters from the coastal cities are returning from their travels as more knowledgeable and demanding shoppers. Armando Branchini of Fondazioni Altagamma, the Italian confederation of luxury brands, says such customers look for more subtle and modern designs. Digitally challenged Over two-thirds of Chinese use the internet to research brands, but most luxury firms have pitiful digital strategies. One study found that luxury websites take four times as long to load in China as elsewhere (because most firms do not put servers inside China’s Great Firewall, which slows access to foreign sites) and rarely offer yuan prices or purchasing options. Mobile commerce is growing in China, but few luxury firms’ websites are optimised for mobile devices. As the tastes of rich Chinese evolve, business models combining local flavour and global savvy are emerging. Qeelin, recently bought by Kering, a French luxury house formerly known as PPR, is one example. Another is Shang Xia, a homeware label inspired by local crafts, launched in 2010 by Hermes, also of France. Under orders ? 3 ? ? 3 ? from the government in Beijing, foreign carmakers and their Chinese joint-venture partners are creating new, local brands: BMW will produce cars with the Zhinuo badge, and Mercedes will market new models under the Denza brand. So far, Chinese luxury buyers, especially of cars, have turned up their noses at domestic brands. But the hybrid brands may prompt them to reassess the â€Å"Made in China† label, says Michel Gutsatz of the China Europe International Business School. At a conference the school recently held, He Haiming of CCTV, China’s dominant national broadcaster, pointed out that â€Å"Made in Germany† and â€Å"Made in Japan† were also once derided, but are now marks of quality. As Europe’s luxury-goods firms grow from low-volume exclusivity to semi-industrial scale—thanks in large part to China’s voracious appetite for their wares—Mr Gutsatz argues that they â€Å"must think of economics† and consider manufacturing in China itself instead of mainly exporting to it. The business of getting wealthy Chinese to open their wallets is bound to go on evolving, but the opportunities for growth make it irresistible. From the print edition: Business.

History: Questions Essay

5. Compare and contrast policies, factors influencing success and outcomes achieved by the following â€Å"Asian Miracle† countries: Taiwan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Laos. After the end of World War 2, East Asia experienced a rapid economic growth which lasted till 1990; before the Asian Financial Crisis. The countries that achieved substantial growth were Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong,  Singapore and Japan. These countries were referred to as the Asian Tigers and they were known for achieving and maintaining incomparably high growth rates and rapid industrialization between 1960 and 1990 (Lall, 1996). By the 21st century, the Asian Tigers had grown into high-income and advanced economies (Page, 1994). Initially, these countries were not expected to achieve such rapid growth as compared to Western countries (Amsden,1993). The other countries which were not far behind from the five miracle economies were Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. These countries were known as the Second-Generation Tigers. However, less fortunate countries such as the former French Indochina (Focusing on Vietnam and Laos) remained lagged in terms of development. Source: Summers and Heston (1991). Barro (1989). World Bank data. Figure 1 shows the eight HPAEs; all have a positive outlier in the income-growth distribution. While Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia are closer to the predicted values, the other five economies, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong, are significantly above the predicted Gross Domestic Product growth rates on the basis of relative income level. From this chart, it is concluded that all of the HPAEs were catching up to the more developed countries. This essay analyses the causes that led to the difference in development between the Asian Tigers (5 miracle countries), Second-Generation Tigers (Second-tier countries) and the least developed ones. This essay will also state the multiple factors which led to the countries’ divergent paths and compare and analyse the impacts of each factor. The factors that will be expounded on are: (1) Economic Policies, (3) Factors influencing success and lastly, (4) Domestic and Regional Political outcomes. In 1960, the companies that achieved high growth rates and rapid industrialization were addressed as High Performing Asian Economies of Northeast Asia (HPEAs) of Northeast Asia and the Second-tier were referred to as Newly Industrialising Economies (NIEs) of Southeast Asia (Fisher & Rotemberg, 1994). Key events such as colonialism, decolonisation and the  cold war played a part in this phenomenon as it contributed to the building of HPEAs and NIEs economies. Colonialism Majority of HPEAs and NIEs countries used to be under colonial rule except for Thailand and Japan. Both Thailand and Japan used various methods to run their country; two of their main methods where their geographical location and resources available (Andressen, 2002). During the colonial era, majority of Southeast Asian countries used to have higher GDPs than Northeast Asian miracles; in the early 19th century, countries like Burma and Vietnam were wealthier than Taiwan, which GDP was $499 in 1820. During that period, both Malaysia and Indonesia’s GDP topped Taiwan and Korea until the 1940s, during the fall of colonisation. Burma and Vietnam owed most of its achievements to colonial institutions and natural resources. Unfortunately, colonialism did everything but good for both countries’ welfare (Easterly, 1994). The aim of colonialism was to acquiring full or partial political control over both countries, occupy it with settlers and exploit it economically. The Dutch, for example, introduced social classification and applied a divide-and-rule method to attain superiority over the indigenous people while exploiting them to work in plantations. The Dutch did not teach the colonies any form of manufacturing as they had no intention to invest in human resources. Similarly, British Malaya had its resources drained by colonists and when the colonist left, the countries that made up British Malaya declared independence. These independent countries continued to carry out the colonial style of administration; as this once produced significant profits, and system without the knowledge of manufacturing. The Asian Tigers: Korea & Taiwan In contrast, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong, which were colonised by Japan and Britain, did not own many natural resources. Little was to be exploited from those colonies as the colonist only found their geographical  location and labourers of use. Unlike Korea and Taiwan, which were the main hub of food production and labour-intensive industries, Singapore and Hong Kong were used as import harbours. This put Singapore and Hong Kong at an advantage as basic education was provided and allowed them to gain the upper hand in industrialization when they gained independence. In 1960, during the Cold War, when political and military tension grew between both Western Bloc and Eastern Bloc, the economies of Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore were not affected. These Asian countries were not affected as they had leaders who put communal interests over personal benefits. Both private companies and governments of HPEAs worked together and collaborated. This act is attributed to the Confucian culture which majority of Asian countries practice. The Confucian culture emphasises on prioritising of community over individual (Johnson, 1982). Their economic strategies constituted of advanced industries supported by exceptional human resources, export-oriented, market-adjusting state interventions, efficient bureaucrats and institutional cooperation consisting of both government and certain companies. Korea and Taiwan, both former Japanese colonies, promoted their local companies and invested in improving their human resources skill and technological capability by following the Japanese model with their own adaptation (Beasley, 1987). They also used protectionist policies; such as tariffs, to ensure that their immature domestic market would not be forced to compete with foreign products. For the Koreans, their post-war economic strategy was to obtain knowledge from developed countries to adopt foreign technology. This was done to provide a foundation for its domestic industries (Woronoff, 1992). Korea’s oligopolistic development model was founded in 1960, under authoritative administration of Park Chung Hee. This development model was made up of collaboration between conglomerates called chaebols. Chaebols consisted of successful exporting companies that were chosen and given privileges (Wad, 2002). Korea’s development was also supported by its human resources. Its human resource were organised in military-like discipline. Gradually, after gaining independence from Japan, Taiwan entered into industrialisation stage by allowing government bodies to  supervise its development. In 1950, the Economic Planning Institution was started. The Economic Stabilisation Board executed the first four-years of economic plans, continued by Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) who was tasked with national and regional planning (Kuznets, 1959). CEPD coordinated with ministries to ensure that development would be done according to plan but they had no authority to supervise. Government involvement could also be seen through the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ role in outlining which subdivision should be supported and this included industries of which Taiwan is reputable for: machinery, electronics, and telecommunications. In mid 1960, the government built export-allocated zones which were easy to access from harbours and airports. To stimulate export, customs and taxes were reduced and low interest loans were promoted. In 1980, labour skills gradually improved and this also resulted in the improvement of the education sector. Meanwhile, the NIEs and other less fortunate countries such as Vietnam and Laos; although predicted to be the next tigers following the success of their Northeast Asian counterparts, could not catch up with HPEAs. Some of the NIEs formed a ‘neo-patrimonial’ state. Neo-patrimonial is classified by having inefficient bureaucracy, nepotistic leaders and unstable authority. These nepotistic leaders show favouritism and public interest becomes second priority. This leads to poor economic growth along with disorganised policies. Furthermore, unlike the HPEAs that benefited from having a relatively homogenous ethnicity, Southeast Asian countries were diverse. This diversity in ethnic groups made it difficult for the ethnic groups to understand each other. In addition, due to the Cold War, the former French Indochina suffered severe political instability and economic collapse. The Second Generation Tigers: Thailand & Malaysia Similarly, Thailand and Malaysia both failed to achieve HPEAs success. In 1980, Malaysia tried to adapt HPEAs intervention model, but failed implement their policies. Thailand, on the other hand, was hindered by political  instability (Unger, 1995). In Malaysia’s case, participation of local companies was low and foreign companies played a greater role in Malaysia’s economy (Lubeck, 1992). Also, local companies depended on foreign technology and the country’s demand for advanced technical skills was not fulfilled. Furthermore, there was an ethnic divide between the indigenous people and Chinese. This prevented cohesive cooperation in both Thailand and Malaysia As for Thailand, the government, shareholders and military were unable to cooperate. The military would occasionally launch coup attempts and such attempts disrupted both political stability and economic activities. Vietnam & Laos Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia were the main Southeast Asian countries with poor economies. These countries’ economic problems were the result of internal conflicts (Tran Van Tho, 2003). The conflicts in Vietnam and Laos resulted in the victory of the communist party and as for Cambodia, the democratic government ruled. In 1970s, Vietnam was exhausted and isolated due to its involvement with the conflict between Cambodia and USA. Due to the conflict, Vietnam became one of the poorest countries in the region. Realising the need to fix their economic condition, Vietnam adapted a reformist pace by allowing private ownership in small to medium enterprises and opened itself to investments (Brown, 1995). This move led to Vietnam’s economic prospers, though lagging behind its capitalist neighbours. Vietnam currently relies on raw and secondary products (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2014). Cambodia and Laos were both alienated from being one of the Asian Miracle. Laos, being in between Thailand and Vietnam became a heated political theatre during the Cold War. Although Laos reformed it’s economic sector simultaneously with Vietnam, its economic growth pace was slow as the country relied on natural resources, agriculture and low skilled labourers. Only in early 1990 did Laos manage to expand its industry and attract foreign investors. To summarise, this essay has argued that the Asian miracle was an uneven phenomenon that only happened to some countries. It also states how rapid economic growth occurred in the eight East Asian countries; mainly focussing on Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Thailand. Furthermore, the common denominators of success: (1) maintaining macroeconomic stability, (2) broad-based educational strategies, (3) export growth, and (4) insignificance of industrial policy have been discussed upon. This essay argues that export push was a successful strategy, while industrial policy was â€Å"insignificant.† In conclusion, the substantial achievements of the HPEAs were owed to the collaboration of both companies and the government whose goal was to build a sustainable economy for the country. Majority of the Asian Tigers (First- tiers) were not blessed with plenty of natural resources but they managed to improve by investing in human resources and value-added goods. In addition, these countries also showed a strong unity among the society, government, and businessmen. The government’s authoritative nature created stability and helped to bring about positive impacts on the economy. The second-tier managed to get closer to the first-tiers due to the resources available. However, the second-tiers did not manage to draw alongside or surpass the first-tiers as they relied on low value-added goods, raw materials and low wage labourers. Also, their governments personal interests and corruption hindered the countries development. Citation Amsden, A. H. (1993). Why isn’t the whole world experimenting with the East Asian model to develop? Review of the World Bank’s East Asian Miracle Report, to appear in Symposium on the World Bank’s East Asian Miracle Report, in World Development. Andressen, C. A. (2002). Short History of Japan: from Samurai to Sony, Allen & Unwin. St. Leonards. Beasley, W. G.(1987). Japanese Imperialism 1894-1945, Oxford University Press, New York. Brown, FZ ‘The Economic Development of Vietnam Laos, and Cambodia’ in Young C Kim (ed.), The Southeast Asian Economic Miracle, Transaction Publishers, London, 1995 pp. 85-104 Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, The New ASEANS: Vietnam, Burma, Cambodia, & Laos, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. 2014. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.dfat.gov.au/publications/catalogue/new_asia.pdf. [Accessed 03 September 2014]. Easterly, W. (1994). Explaining miracles: Growth regressions meet the gang of four. In NBER, East Asian seminar on economics 1993, T. Ito and A. O. Krueger (eds.). Johnson, C. (1982). MITI and The Japanese Miracle: The Growth of Industrial Policy, 1925-1975, Stanford University Press, Stanford. Kuznets, S. (1959). Six lectures on economic growth. Glencoe, IL: Free Press. Lall, S.(1996). Learning from the Asian Tigers, Macmillan Press Ltd., London. Lubeck, PM ‘Malaysian Industrialization, Ethnic Division, and the NIC Model’, in RP Appelbaum & J Henderson (eds.), States and Development in Asia Pacific Rim, Sage Publications, London, 1992, p.177-181 Page, J. ‘The East Asian Miracle: Four Lessons for Development Policy’, in S Fisher & J J Rotemberg (eds.), NBER Macroeconomics Annual, MIT Press 1994, pp. 219-282 Tran Van Tho. (2003). ‘Economic development in Vietnam during the second half of the 20th century: How to avoid the danger of lagging behind’ in Binh Tran Nam and Chi Do Pham (eds) The Vietnamese Economy: Awakening the dorming dragon. RoutledCurzon. Unger, D. (1995). ‘Government and Business in Thailand’, in Young C Kim (ed.), The Southeast Asian Economic Miracle, Transaction Publishers, London, 1995 pp.137-158 Wad, P ‘The Political Business of Development in South Korea’, in Edmund Terrence Gomez (ed.) Political Business in East Asia, Routledge, London & New York, 2002 pp. 182-215 World Bank, The East Asian Miracle: Economic Growth and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, New York, 1993, pp. 90-92 Woronoff, J.(1992). Asia’s Miracle Economies, 2nd ed., M. E. Sharpe Publisher. New York.

Ico.popov@gmail.bg Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

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Business Communication skills Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Communication skills - Research Paper Example According to Evans et al (1998, Pp. 53) â€Å"The most English-medium communications in business are non-native speaker to non-native speaker (NNS - NNS) and the English they use is International English†. Thus, it is extremely essential to impart proper training to non native speakers in Business English (which is different than General English) in order to facilitate smoother business relations and participate in international business ventures on account of their English speaking skills. Although it is difficult to define the term Business English Pickett, (1986, Pp. 16) states that business English communication has several facets one of them being the fact that it is "lot nearer to the everyday language spoken by the general public than many other segments of ESP† Despite its importance and growing popularity, Business English communication still remains a largely ignored area, in the sense that it still lacks proper structured and professional courses which imparts training and education to adults. There is an urgent need for a well recognized universal foundation of business language similar to one observed in academic English communication, which is much more organized with a comparatively well-accepted semi technical lexis and grammar which is an inevitable aspect of the EST textbooks (Bates, Dudley-Evans, 1976; Donovan, 1978; Allen, Widdowson, 1974). However, Pickett (1989, Pp.6) believes that the very nature of Business English as a "mediating language between the technicalities of particular businesses and the language of the general public" (Pickett 1989, Pp.6) which suggests that there cannot be a simply definable structure of lexis and grammar which strives to differentiate Business English from other forms such as English for Gener al purposes or academic purposes. Oral communication at the workplace - which includes formal

Is aggression in man Adaptive Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto - Essay Example This paper purports to analyze Marx’s stances on the practical and idealist form of democracy, and the reasons the idealist form of democracy can not be established in the current social set up. He also does not uphold individualism and personal freedom (Marx), and this aspect of his manifesto will also be analyzed. The basic theme running in the background of his text, and which forms the basis of all his arguments and much discussion, is Marx’s concept that man is not genuinely free in the society (Marx). He compares the current state of man’s condition in the capitalist society with that of the feudal society in which there were hierarchical classes and divisions in the society, so that the poor and oppressed, and the workers and peasants (Marx), could not rise above their standards ever, and were stuck in a vicious circle in which they were destined to forever serve the ruling class (Marx). Although this feudal system of government and society has been change d in most of the countries of the world, it is unfortunately replaced by the capitalist government and businessmen (Marx). The concept of classes and divisions in the society still remains, the strata are just as well demarcated as they were before, the only difference is that now whereas it might appear that man is free in the society (Marx), he is basically just a customized worker for the huge industry that the capitalist has set up (Marx) in order to benefit from the hard work of his workers (Marx). Marx has identified the social strata as the bourgeoisie and the working class (Marx), with the former being the oppressor and the latter being the oppressed (Marx). He claims that unless and until the oppressed recognize that they are being oppressed, and rise above their social conditions against the ruling class, they will never be able to claim true personal freedom, and so would never be a part of democracy (Marx). True democracy is based on truly free people, who are free in th ought as well as in person, and are not bound by work and service to a ruling class. It is only when society has its foundations based on such free people that it can hope to bring in democracy and it is only then that the democracy would work. The worker is still in shackles, and although he might seem to be a freeman, he is not (Marx). Marx submits that free trade and paper currency are the bane of the society (Marx), and the chains that bind the workers. He likens society to a big factory set up by the bourgeoisie capitalist (Marx), in which he has hired an army of customized workers (Marx) to work for him around the clock in order to increase the sales, from which only the capitalist manager would benefit (Marx); the increased sales would only mean more machinery for the workers, whose working hours would be increased based on the ease that the machines bring with them (Marx). He has also identified sub-strata in the ruling class, such as the factory onlookers (Marx), the superv isors (Marx), the middlemen, and other divisions within an organization which rule over the workers (Marx). Marx does not uphold individualism and personal freedom (Marx). His concept is that individualism is the characteristic of the bourgeoisie, as he only thinks of himself and makes the workers work for his own profits and benefits (Marx). What Marx proposes is the exact opposite of this

Give an introduction to the political system in People's Republic of Essay

Give an introduction to the political system in People's Republic of China. What is the role of Politburo Standing Committee - Essay Example China’s Political System: China is a socialist state, led by a single party rule, normally referred to as the communist party. This party is recognized by the constitution of China, and the same constitution has provisions on how this party should be led. This includes the establishment of powerful committees such as the politburo and the politburo standing committee (BBC, 4, 2013). The constitution also recognizes four vital institutions whose main roles is to help the party in the governance of the country. These institutions are, the people’s liberation army, the peoples national congress, the state council, and the political consultative conference (Lawrence and Martins, 7, 2013). These are the four pillars in which the communist party of China controls all the affairs of the Chinese. The institution of the state is responsible for implementing the various policies of the communist party. The state is therefore headed by the state council, which includes ministries and various commissions (Lawrence and Martins, 8, 2013). Under the Chinese constitution, the National People Congress (NPC) is responsible for overseeing all the affairs of the state council. The NPC is also responsible for supervising other political institutions such as the Supreme Court, the Presidency, the Prosecutors office, and the military. However, the NPC is under the communist party, and it is therefore unable to carry out its own policies (Military of China, 9, 2013). The political consultative conference on the other hand provides an avenue where the state and the party can consult on various policy issues. The military on the other hand have the responsibility of protecting the Chinese (Security Service, 11, 2013). However, critics argue that the Chinese military is only loyal to the communist party, and not the people of China. Other political institutions in China are the minor parties that were formed before the emergence of the communist party. These parties are eig ht, and they pledged their loyalty to the communist party, accepting its leadership. This allows for the description of the Chinese political system as one of political consultation, and multi-party cooperation, but under the Communist Party (Lawrence and Martin, 14, 2013). The Politburo Standing Committee: The communist party has four important organs representing its leadership. The highest decision making body is the politburo standing committee, followed by the politburo. The next in rank is the central committee, which is thereafter followed by the congress. The politburo standing committee (PSC) is responsible for the enactment and the development of policies. This organ consists of seven people, and each of them has various roles (Lunn, 13, 2013). The members of this committee are also members of the politburo, and they meet once in every week to deliberate on the policies that the government should follow. This is the institution that actually rules China, since their decisi ons is always the law. In arriving at a decision, members of the PSC try to achieve consensus, and if it fails, they take a vote. The simply majority carry’s the day (McGregor, 34, 2012). It is important to denote that the seven members of the PSC are ranked from the scale of one, to seven. Each of them has specific functions, and it can either be in security, propaganda, or foreign relations. For example, the highest ranked member of

Fredricksons various models in the story of Stephen Cruz by Studs Essay

Fredricksons various models in the story of Stephen Cruz by Studs Terkel - Essay Example For Stephen Cruz, who was taught and brought up by his father to work hard in whatever he does and avoid taking things that he does not deserve, is seen in the story being told to fall in the line and learn the way of doing business as the dominant and powerful group does. The Civil Acts of 1964 is used in this story to signify the way policies and legislations are used to assimilate minority groups. Fredrickson’s one way assimilation methods is apparently used in this story as the minorities are being accepted and employed to and by the dominant group, but they still play a subordinate role and are not allowed to fully enjoy the freedoms nor fulfill their American dream (Fredrickson, 335). As Stephen Cruz rises up through the corporate ladder slowly with his sheer hard work, he continues to discover that maybe the American dream he is working on is not meant for him. This is because he discovers that the dream and the relations between the minority-weak and dominant-powerful, are to the advantage of the later. This relation is described by Fredrickson as group separatism. Although the method of doing so might not be as direct as it may be perceived to be, through taking advantages of various legislations and policies to their (dominant group), can be seen as a way to separate the dominant and the minority. The dominant and powerful in America continue to get stronger and wealthy and the expense of the minority. This separates the two groups even further and no equally is presented.

Dissertation Module Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dissertation Module - Essay Example The most innovative work since the early 1990s, however, has been the development of understanding and elaboration of cognitive therapy approaches to the treatment of psychoses in urban and rural geographical regions. Thus, the interdisciplinary research occurs in the minds of the authors as well as in their interaction with each other. In this instance, the research, theory-building and clinical applications are a synthesis of individual and group effort. It is often difficult to know which comes first: theory, therapy or research. Theory serves as a roadmap for the clinician and informs the researcher regarding the important areas for investigation. On the other hand, the clinical works provides the data that generate the formulation of the theory and the ideas for research. Finally, research not only validates (or invalidates) the clinical and theoretical propositions but also provides new guidelines for therapy and ideas for theory building. The research will draw on the blend of theory, research and practice in developing the corpus of knowledge, formulating the basic assumptions, and adapting and refining appropriate strategies for the treatment of psychoses in urban and rural geographical regions. ... the corpus of knowledge, formulating the basic assumptions, and adapting and refining appropriate strategies for the treatment of psychoses in urban and rural geographical regions. The result will be a landmark in the evolution of cognitive therapy for psychoses. 8. Provide a brief outline of the research problem For centuries, it has been debated that the inordinateness of psychoses found in geographically urban areas (including city centres) is the consequence of social drift. Social drift is described as the resettlement of the populace suffering from various psychoses to the urban areas from outlying or rural geographical regions. The term psychosis includes disorders such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective and schizophreniform disorders, affective disorders where psychosis is present (e.g. in depression, mania, bipolar affective disorder) and delusional disorders. More recent research has shown, however, that there is an increased risk of psychosis within individuals born into an urban than rural areas (Warner, date, Jablensky, 1992). What is the causal agency for the increased risk of psychosis Is this due to increased rates of difficult births or obstetric complications, sunlight deprivation, environmental disturbances, ozone depletion or excesses of toxins Or, is there some other facto r yet to be studied An explanation of this phenomenon would contribute to our understanding of the causes of psychoses. 9. Provide a brief outline of the selected methodology and/or methods Here approach of this research is based on content analysis of previously conducted researches and studies. The data of our research will be based on previously conducted researches as mentioned above. In the data-gathering phase, the researcher will go through reading many studies of

Critically discuss the extent to which HPWPs may be successfully Research Paper

Critically discuss the extent to which HPWPs may be successfully implemented - Research Paper Example Basically, it can be noted that there is no universally agreed definition of HPWP but there are three key characteristics that are shared by many advocates of this model. The key attributes of this model are as follows: HPWP seeks to generate performance through the utilisation of practices which secure mutual gains for both the employees and employers, employees are treated as valuable assets and this model involves bundling of practices which yield combined benefits that are greater than the sum of their individual parts (McDuffie 1995). In order to effectively implement HPWP in the workplace, Huselid (1995) identifies three practices that are key attributes and these include the following: comprehensive recruitment and selection procedures, incentive compensation as well as extensive employee involvement and training. Employees form the back bone of every organisation hence effective recruitment as well as improving their performance are the major factors that determine success of business during the contemporary period. In most cases, employee recruitment mainly depends on the available human resources tools and their ability to cope with the environment they will be operating in. Thus, recruitment of skilled and qualified employees is a vital strategy for an organisation to function successfully with regards to high performance work practices. For any organisation to run viably, there is need to recruit the best talent in the first place as these people would be capable of being developed to become valuable assets to the organisation. The success of an organisation operating in a competitive market is mainly determined by its ability to recruit skilled people and this is a process which requires careful consideration. Recruitment involves searching for and obtaining qualified job candidates and it gives the organisation the opportunity to select the most appropriate persons to fill its job needs (Carrell, R. et al 1995). Effective recruitment often attract s individuals to the organisation and also increases the chances of retaining the individuals once they have been hired. Recruitment efforts seek to satisfy the needs of job applicants as well as the needs of managers. Recruiting the right staff is key to implementing a performance related strategy which encompasses retention of those skilled employees. In most cases, such specialist and skilled workers may be in short supply and a company may find it difficult to replace the experienced workers and training of individual employees with more skills in particular jobs. As far as these measures are put in place, the performance of the employees is likely to improve greatly given that there will be more incentives to create a sense of belongingness to the organisation by the employees. In most cases, it can be noted that organisations are run on the basis of various decisions that are made within any particular organisation. In practice, decision

Genetics of Organisms Essay Example for Free

Genetics of Organisms Essay Link for flylab: You will be using a sample subscription, so once you sign up you will only have access for 24 hours. It is important to do all the pre-work before logging in to get your experimental numbers. Click on the fly lab button. After reading through the lab and understanding what you will be doing, click on start lab. Introduction FlyLab will allow you to play the role of a research geneticist. You will use FlyLab to study important introductory principles of genetics by developing hypotheses and designing and conducting matings between fruit flies with different mutations that you have selected. Once you have examined the results of a simulated cross, you can perform a statistical test of your data by chi-square analysis and apply these statistics to accept or reject your hypothesis for the predicted phenotypic ratio of offspring for each cross. With FlyLab, it is possible to study multiple generations of offspring, and perform testcrosses and backcrosses. FlyLab is a very versatile program; it can be used to learn elementary genetic principles such as dominance, recessiveness, and Mendelian ratios, or more complex concepts such as sex-linkage, epistasis, recombination, and genetic mapping. Objectives The purpose of this laboratory is to: Simulate basic principles of genetic inheritance based on Mendelian genetics by designing and performing crosses between fruit flies. Help you understand the relationship between an organisms genotype and its phenotype. ï‚ · Demonstrate the importance of statistical analysis to accept or reject a hypothesis. Use genetic crosses and recombination data to identify the location of genes on a chromosome by genetic mapping. Before You Begin: Prerequisites Before beginning FlyLab you should be familiar with the following concepts: Chromosome structure and the stages of gamete formation by meiosis. Basic terminology and principles of Mendelian genetics, including complete and incomplete dominance, epistasis, lethal mutations, recombination, autosomal recessive inheritance, autosomal dominant inheritance, and sex-linked inheritance. Predicting the results of monohybrid and dihybrid crosses by constructing a Punnett square. How genetic mutations produce changes in phenotype, and beneficial and detrimental results of mutations in a population. Assignments To begin an experiment, you must first design the phenotypes for the flies that will be mated. In addition to wild-type flies, 29 different mutations of the common fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, are included in FlyLab. The 29 mutations are actual known mutations in Drosophila. These mutations create phenotypic changes in bristle shape, body color, antennae shape, eye color, eye shape, wing size, wing shape, wing vein structure, and wing angle. For the purposes of the simulation, genetic inheritance in FlyLab follows Mendelian principles of complete dominance. Examples of incomplete dominance are not demonstrated with this simulation. A table of the mutant phenotypes available in FlyLab can be viewed by clicking on the Genetic Abbreviations tab which appears at the top of the FlyLab homepage. When you select a particular phenotype, you are not provided with any information about the dominance or recessiveness of each mutation. FlyLab will select a fly that is homozygous for the particular mutation that you choose, unless a mutation is lethal in the homozygous condition in which case the fly chosen will be heterozygous. Two of your challenges will be to determine the zygosity of each fly in your cross and to determine the effects of each allele by analyzing the offspring from your crosses.

The Friedrich Nietzsches Worldview Philosophy Essay

The Friedrich Nietzsches Worldview Philosophy Essay Each person has a different way of perceiving and interpreting the world. It is his or her worldview that decides his perspective. According to Nancy Cavender, Basic background beliefs make up world views. World views are like lenses that cause us to see the world in a particular way, or like filters through which we process our new ideas or information (26). Worldview not only influences the way someone thinks or sees the world, but also his or her decisions. Therefore, people can figure out someones worldview based on his or her actions, decisions, or ideas. Friedrich Nietzsche, one of the most influential German philosophers, has influenced, impacted, and brought forth new questions for many philosophers to follow. In one of his famous writings, Morality as Anti-Nature, Nietzsche expresses the belief that the church that represents morality negates the value of life and says no to all the desires of life. Based on Nietzsches words and ideas in the work, people can realize that he has a positive outlook on life. Nietzsche believes that to acquire a positive life, people have to live with their passions. According to him, passions are roots of life which are desires by nature. They are found in living things (702). These desires exist as part of who we are; they define us in a way. They can aid us, and they can also harm us. When people embrace our desires, people acknowledge their positive sides and negative sides; they dont hide their evil and they have peace of mind in their life. Due to the damaging side of passion, on the contrary, churches that symbolize morality choose to remove passion to be out of suffering its consequence. As Nietzsche points out, The church fights passion with excision in every sense: its practice, its cure, is castratism which means cutting off sensuality, pride, avarice, vengefulness (702). This implies that the church wants its followers to obey a series of negative enforcements or impossible rules which are against their nature. In other words, the churchs meth od is getting rid of the negative side of passion, the church ready accept to give up good side of passion, and the church wants people to hide their vice. Their method clearly is not successful. As Nietzsche declares that the extreme of the church reaches its climax only when such types lack even the firmness for this radical cure, which suggests that the more extreme the church becomes, the less successful it is (702). Nietzsche also points out the situation of the followers, The most poisonous things against the senses have been said not by the impotent, nor by ascetics, but by the impossible ascetics, by those who really were in dire need of being ascetics (702). This strongly supposes that its followers cannot conform to the set of morals or the rules of the church, not because they are powerless or effortless, but they know that they never can fulfill the impossible requirements. Moreover, it implies the followers are miserable and become mentally self-imposed slaves because t hey are kept in a perpetual state of sin, which can only be remedied by the church. As Nietzsche shows, the churchs way fails because the kind of morality which the church embodies is against the instincts of life (703). All Nietzsches illustrations of the negative method of the church imply that people cannot get a positive life until they are living under the naturalistic morality_the passions that he asserts to be kind of healthy morality (703). Nietzsche also supposes that to live a positive life, people need to possess a power to conquer hindrance. As mentioned above, passions of a person also have negative side; they can drag down their victim with the weight of stupidity (701). In order to harvest the benefits but avoid the stupidity of the passion, Nietzsche suggests that people get over their obstructions by spiritualizing hostility, which he means a profound appreciation of the value of having enemies (702). This clearly implies that people need to possess power to resist their temptation and to tame it or redirect it in a constructive way. Furthermore, he emphasizes another meaning of internal enemy, which means acting and thinking in the opposite way from that which has been the rule (702), such as the rule of the church or the institutions. This will help people liberate themselves from imposed rules or ideas from institutions, find a creative way to make decisions people need to make to get they want for their lif e or to make a difference for their life. Nietzsches positive worldview of life is also reflected in the attitude that people who embrace their own nature need to have a tolerance view to their enemy or their difference. He claims that life contains a rich variety of ways of living, so people need to accept and respect those varieties. As Nietzsche states, We immoralists, have conversely, made room in our hearts for every kind of understanding, comprehending, and approving (705). He He also claims that having an internal enemy will help people to stay young in spirit and open to gain comprehension and approval (705). when people can curb their weakness or their enemies, they will become stronger in spirit and feel pleased with themselves, and more importantly, gain freedom of the will which is the main factor to help us to succeed in life and gain happiness. In short, Life is not about whats right but whats wrong Think The Opposite from Paulo Ferreira

Recruitment Selection of Internally Motivated Employees

Recruitment Selection of Internally Motivated Employees Growth in Global companies today demands the increasing need of recruitment and selection process. The number of expatriates has increased over the last 30 years due to increase in the number of mergers and acquisitions. Recruiting an expatriate is mostly associated with increase in the salary range, improvement in hierarchal levels. But the facts that there will be drastic change in the culture change in social life, career risks, are all very important aspects to consider when planning a recruitment process in an organization. The role of a HR manager is to enable individuals to achieve organizational goals and objectives. To ensure a successful gain, they need to know who these people are, where they are from, how they can be developed for personal fulfillment and to achieve organizational goals, and the impact of external constraints. All these come together and demand the need of formulation of HR functions in an organization. They are involved in the development and implementation of HR strategies and policies and various people management activities like human resource planning, talent management, knowledge management, recruitment selection, learning and development, reward management, employee relations, health and safety, welfare and any other matters related to employment relationship. Ulrich (1998) pints out that: The activities of HR appear to be and often are disconnected from the real work of the organization. He believes that HR should not be defined by what is does but by what it delivers. It is often a face there are a limited number of employees willing to travel within the organization. Considering other specifications like their past work experience, technical skills, ability to be flexible with teams, job requirements and period of expatriation as well. In many cases, Human resources team tends to select a candidate who is willing to take the overseas opportunity. Lack of effective selection process and emphasized technical requirements listed out are the major reasons for failure in the process. To handle successful HR operations an organization need to consider both internal and external contexts that has great influence on the business. External contexts could be including Political, Economic Social Technological contexts. However many organizations today operation in a global context, that direct HR managers to develop an international strategy considering the cultures and values. One of the key concerns that often lead to failure in recruiting an employee in cross cultural context is related to family concerns. According to Tung (1987) and Forster (2000) the inability of the spouse in adopting foreign environment and language issues are the general causes of a failed expatriate. Bonache Brewster (2001) illustrated the survey conducted by Windham International and the National Foreign Trade Council (1999) is mentioned that a large number of international assignments are turned down in between the time due to personal family and spouse issues. It is also important to understand that a successful domestic operation with well framed policies and procedures leads to improvement in handling international operations. Companies need to show strong need for a proper recruitment and selection processes. Briscoe, Schuler (2004) believe that it is definitely important to understand that the HR in International context is different from its domestic counterpart in many ways. This includes Multifunctional IHR department Expanding the areas of expertise Having to face much greater challenge in recruiting and selection international employees and many more. Role of well developed Cross Cultural HR practice in Recruitment and selection processes of internal motivated employees: Recruitment of candidates plays a very important role of the major HR function and this becomes specific in an international cross cultural context. Bratton and Gold (2003) illustrates recruitment as: the process of generating a pool of capable people to apply for employment to an organization. Selection is a discrete and subsequent process, by which managers and other use specific instruments to choose from a pool of applicants a person or persons most likely to succeed in the job(s), given management goals and legal requirements. A close look at the importance of managing employees with various cultures explains the need of strategic and planned process of choosing employees in an international organization. Ghemawat (2001) describes that there can be significant impact in employees relations, that further explained and clarified the importance of right recruitment and selection process in organizations. Within the narrow description of recruitment it is typically seen as occurring in two main stages: the formative basic work and recruitment practices such as sources and methods that end with the arrival of applications. The most important consideration before the process understands the kind of need: whether an organization is considering new staff of replacing existing staff members. The traditional recruitment cycle: Recruitment Job Description Job Analysis Person Specification Person Analysis: Flexibility to relocate, Family, prior expatriation. Selection (Marchington and Wilkinson, 2005) Job analysis: Job analysis is often referred as the information on which two significant recruitment documents are based: job and person specifications. It involves in collecting systematic information about the job from current incumbents and/or their colleagues (Newell and Shackleton, 2000). Analysis on the particular positions need would rather is the first appropriate for a HR manager. This enables him to take decision on designing a better description and specifications. The specifications play a very keen role when the need of recruitment techniques becomes important. This importances becomes challenge when facing a job analysis in a cross cultural context. Wanous (1992) referred the recruitment technique is a theoretically derived from an individual need of an organization culture matching process is the realistic job preview that presents the candidate with negative and positive aspects about a particular job. This allows the candidate to match the organizational climates and individual wants. Mac Bartine (2007) illustrates five important steps in analyzing a job basing on the cultural demands of the job. The steps help HR team in gathering more information about the job, about what qualifications for the right candidate should have. Asking yourself: The needs of accomplishment of the new employee that are expected to take the position on periodic basis. A detailed list out will help the HR team in furnishing better Job Analysis process. Implementing the best cross cultural HR practice would result in success in recruitment and selection process. Identifying basic roles and responsibilities of the job and conducting a critical evaluation basing on the cultural demands. Day to day activities of the employee? Resources that the employee is expected to be use in the job? Is the employee expected to handle any team under his supervision? If so will there be any conflicts basing on the team past behavior? Will the employee be allocated any tasks that are important to handle basing on the cultural demands on the country other than typical roles to be performed? The next step in job Analysis is measuring the need of tasks of the employee. Comparison of the present roles of the employee to the tasks expected to handle and measure them using Key Resolution Areas (KRAs). Measuring the abilities of the employee: Stress management, flexibility etc. Discussing with the team if there will be any differences between the roles of the job comparing with the past and expected to be in future. Discussion with subject matter experts locally and also with the experts placed abroad. Job Descriptions: A well written Job Descriptions plays a very important in a cross-cultural context. They are understood as written statement that describes the duties, responsibilities, required qualifications, and reporting relationships of a particular job. Job Descriptions are the further steps of Job Analysis and allows the organizations to perform better. There are various important aspects that should be taken into consideration when writing a job description for any international assignment. A poorly framed description can result in the failure of an international assignment. Other than the general important aspects of describing a job on the roles, skills base, vision base, objectives and goals base that are set with complete expectations from the candidate, offering and expectations on the relocation should also be listed accordingly. Susam.M (2000) describes that a well-written job descriptions organization employees, who must work with the person hired, understand the boundaries of the persons responsibilities. Person Specification: Crafting persons specifications gives the HR team a chance to understand on what the organization really need from the job. Most often employers rush to hire person to fill in the position but misses to find the need. (Adelà ¨ Bird) While the job description describes the job, persons specification describes the skills, experience, knowledge and aptitudes of the desired candidate he/she should have to fill the position appropriately. Applicant will have clear understanding of those details only if the above listed specifications are listed. Unfair discrimination attracts widest range of potential employees internally within the organization and externally. The need for closer look at the persons specification is critical when hiring for an international assignment. HR management demands high amount of cross cultural knowledge in handling these assignments. Person Analysis is the most important aspect of person specification, when hiring for an international assignment. 1) Knowing the flexibility of the employee in adjusting towards the cultural changes and adoption to new work atmosphere. 2) Knowing the family background of the employee make it necessary in taking the decision. It is studied that majority of the international assignment fail due to spouse unable to adopt the culture. 3) Knowing the employee about his/her past experiences of international travel will help the HR team in judging the flexibility of the candidate. Selection of future expatriates is the further challenge of HR team in across cultural context. Measuring technical and professional education is possible all the time, but skills like interpersonal communication is also required to be assessed when refereeing current and previous colleagues or superiors. However there are various factors that that are difficult to be measure when selecting an employee to go abroad (J. Kline Harrison, 1994) Profile of expatriates qualification: According to Harrison there are certain traits and characteristics that are identified as predictors for expatriate assignment successful. It is not that without these traits are guaranteed to achieve successful expatriation but without them the chances of failure is higher. They include technical ability, managerial skills, cultural empathy, adaptability, diplomacy, language ability, positive attitude, emotional stability and maturity, and adaptability of family. This summarizes that besides technical ability, professional skills and role discrimination, behavioral components have to be taken into account during the selection process. Otherwise the assignment results in unexpected culture shock to the employee. The dual career problem importance of spouse and family As a part of selection process it is identified that spouse and family plays a very vital role. The family situation of the expatriate has great importance in successful expatriation assignments. It is often noticed that an unhappy family or spouse of the employees assignment is terminated before the mentioned period. Duel career problem happens when the spouse leave his/her present job and travels along with expatriate and finally found no job matching his/her education, often get isolated and irritated. An assessment of the family members makes it important during the process of recruitment and selection which can avoid the damage up to an extent. Most of the global companys still lack effective methods of selecting managers for international assignments. If a company is very successful in domestic movements, it does not mean that the knowledge of selecting managers for international assignments is completely accumulated. An integrated screening and selection system to determine the aptitudes of the candidates make it more important in the selection process. Kealey (2006) suggested components consisting of aspects that play vital role in selection process in a cross-culture atmosphere. Developing skills and knowledge profile- qualifications of the employee need to me matching with the job requirements, cultural constraints and the host organization environment. Procedures for planning and implementing of selection process- regular personality tests during the selection process, biographical data questionnaires, structured interviews and behavioral assessment techniques; Monitoring the past overseas performance. One of the leading ideas that organizations follow is that they were preferring couples working in organizations specially in senior management team, so that the plan of expatriation have very few chances of failure. The family will remain expatriates together with clear understandings. The results of the above study show that there are various issues in handling Human Resources at a view of recruitment and selection processes at a globalised organization. According to Tung (1987) one of the key causes for the premature return of expatriates from overseas assignment was related to concerns of family. This supports previous studies on expatriate failure indicating the inability of the spouse to adapt to the foreign environment as the frequent cause of the early return of the expatriates back to their home country. A carefull understanding of the recruitment and selection process can reduce the failures in international assignment. A major challenge of Hr team is to develop strategies in improving the processes better. The Recruitment and Selection process is the key in the human resources department as its so effective to the businesses it credits by taking in people that want to benefit the business. The recruiting and selecting has so many responsibilities to go thorough from a vacancy arising to planning and preparing a job to selecting the right candidate. One of the main issues of this process is the selecting as it does not show much expertise. These are all the aspects of having a fair treatment in the employability, this is what brings in the public view of the organisation of being a well structured company.

Ozone :: essays papers

Ozone Ozone is an important molecule in maintaining the homeostasis in the environment. Ozone, the molecule O3, makes a layer in the stratosphere, situated 10 to 15 kilometers from the earth's surface. The dioxide molecule, O2 and Oxygen atom O, collide with each other result in the formation of Ozone, O3. In this reaction, the molecule O3 contains an excess of energy. Once the molecule is formed, it is not stable enough to last long. The energy-rich O3 molecules discards the excess energy by colliding with another atom or molecule and transferring the energy in the form of heat. In the results of the decomposition of ozone into O2 and O in the ozone layer, solar radiation is absorbed. This process of the chemical bond breaking causing the absorption of a photon by a molecule is called photodissociation. Radiation with sufficient intensity, is capable of separating the O3 molecule, resulting in photodissociation. The cyclic process formation and decomposition of ozone provides a shield against ultraviolet radiation that enter the earth's atmosphere. If it were not for the chemical reaction of radiation and ozone in the stratosphere, these high-energy photons would penetrate the earth's surface. The ozone layer absorbers about 99% of the harmful radiation which makes it possible for animals and plants to live on the planet. In 1974, F. Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina of the University of California proposed that chlorine from chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) could deplete the ozone layer. Beginning in 1957 to 1985, the British Antarctic Survey had measured the average ozone concentration over Halley Bay in Antarctica. Up until 1974, the ozone concentration remained stable. Yet after 1974, the team observed a decline of the ozone layer to levels less than 10%. From this study the awareness over the danger of the "hole" and ultraviolet radiation and the destruction being done to the earth. Scientists believe the expanding ozone hole, which is centered over Antarctica was caused by Chloroflurocarbons. CFCs are released into the environment through such sources as spray cans , air conditioners, factories, refrigerants and cleaning products. CFCs are dangerous to the atmosphere because after they are released into the environment, the sunlight breaks down the compound. The chlorine molecules react with the ozone molecules by permanently breaking down the molecule, thus diminishing the ozone layer. This rise poses a major threat environment. In 1985, in Vienna and in 1987 in Montreal, a Protocol was signed proposing the gradual termination of use of CFCs over the decades. A dramatic reduction in the use of CFCs was agreed on. Regulations to limit the production of

Victor Frankenstein is the Monster in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay

Victor Frankenstein is the Monster in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Through out the novel we are under the assumption that the demon in the novel is the man who is disfigured and hideous on the outside. While we view Victor Frankenstein as the handsome and caring victim, even though sometimes a monster cannot be seen but heard. Looks can be deceiving but actions are always true.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We first view Frankenstein’s ignorance while he is busy in his work. He had not visited his family for two straight years. These are the people that love and care about him, yet he does not go home. Not even to visit his own father, the man who pays for his schooling and necessities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We again view his ignorance and irresponsibility when after spending two years of work on his creature he disowns and abandons the creature. He runs out of the room after seeing the creature come to life. He fled the room because he thought the creature was so hideous, even though he had chosen all the best body parts for its creation. When Frankenstein returns to the house when he â€Å"became assured that my enemy had indeed fled, I clapped my hands for joy†(55). Even after all his work he is ecstatic that this horrible beast has left him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Victors’ ignorance is viewed again when he does not tell anyone that he has created this monster, and that he is the murderer of William. He does not tell of this creature until his own welfare is on the line. He could have stopped these evil deeds the mons...

Does War Affect Literature

Many writers use the environment, political issues, or social issues as inspiration to their work. During romanticism nature imagery was a common occurrence in literature. However does on particular issue effect writers so much that a new literature movement is sprung from it? I pose the question what were considerable differences between Victorian literature and Modernism and how did the Great War play apart in those differences?Was it because of the war that there was the Victorian Era and Modernism or was it bound to be a new literary movement with or ithout the Great War. I pose to answer these questions to the best of my ability in this paper. The Victorian era took place from 1830 – 1901, which is almost the exact same time frame that Queen Victoria reined thus the name Victorian Era. Writers during this time were at an awe trying to respond to the expansion of the country due to the industrialization going on at the time. Reactions it the changes going on at that time w ere numerous between writers and the people.Some welcomed the changes, while others challenged the changes because they found them to be threatening to their raditions. While others felt that breaking away from the traditions was more freeing than trying to maintain this conventional life. The Victorian Era was full of liveliness surrounding the social and industrial changes that were going on at the time. Nevertheless with all the change some things are bound to stay the same, Great Britain was still in a great deal of debt. Even though national debt was at an all time high the British banks continued to borrow money.Brantlinger says borrowing money is the best way of sustaining credit in his book, the debt that the country was n played a major role in the literature and art of the time because money is used in everyday life. Whether you were paying with credit or ready money determined whether or not you would eat that night. During the Victorian Era writers focused most of their literature on social differences in social classes and reform. During this time society's interpretation reined supreme over personal interpretation. During that time writer such as John Stuart Mill, Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde emerged.John Stuart Mill shed more light on the philosophical idea of Utilitarianism. John Stuart Mill son of Philosopher James Mill was a close friend to the creator of Utilitarianism, Jeremy Bentham. Utilitarianism is the doctrine that actions are morally and socially acceptable if they benefit the majority. John Stuart Mill used this doctrine to preach reform in the social classes. John Stuart Mill felt that the government should work on the living conditions of working and lower class people. This philosophical idea was used to argue in most political arguments during the Victorian period.Even when it came time for parliament to decide whether to continue to borrow money from allied ountries, this greater good philosophy came into play. An idea that rema ins strong and has stand the test of time still being used by philosophers today. Charles Dickens was renowned to be one of the greatest novelists of the Victorian Era. His works were heavy on sub textual references. He enjoyed creating then breaking down meanings and interruptions. Otten times ne put some ot his own person experiences into his work.Fore example in his novel â€Å"Oliver Twist†, Charles Dickens himself once lived in an orphanage after his father was thrown into debtor prison like many people during this time period. While using â€Å"Oliver Twist† to somewhat tell his life story, he was also using a very melancholy type of humor reminiscent of other authors during the time. Mid Victorian era literary realism appeared, Writers and artist began to incorporate the industrial work and the excessive use of credit in the country into their work likewise discussing the social conventions of the time.Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest takes a Jab at Victorian social conventions in this satire filled play. Beside the play making fun at the Victorian Era it also marked the end of an era and the start of Modernism and also the events leading up to the Great War. The Great War began in summer on 1914 with the assassination of the Archduke of Austria-Hungry, once Britain entered the war they quickly asked for both financial and military assistance from allies and colonies of theirs. By entering the Great War, a greater financial strain was put on to both the country and the people.Britain fell further into debt with the United States as the war continued to rage on and on. Besides Britain suffering financially, on the battlefield the men were suffering. Spending countless days and nights in muddy blood filled trenches to stay out of the line of fire. A new type of warfare emerged through the bloodshed, poison gas. All you saw on the battlefields during were gas masks gas, gas, and gas. Chlorine gas killed more soldiers than actual bullets during this war. Most men who enlisted to fght during the Great War were dead men walking.Chlorine gas was a favorite weapon of the Germans as Duffy has told us. However soldiers went the only ones being choked to death so to speak. Freedom of speech was being silenced in Britain by the Defense of the Realm Act in 194, besides silencing the people election were deferred during the war. Britain was becoming a place were the people no longer aw eye to eye with the government. The working class was now truly breaking away from the idea of the Victorian period; they no longer wanted to survive Just solely on credit in fear of losing everything if they were not able to pay their bills on time.This war made the people actually see what was going on in their country and in their government and it began to spill over into literature and arts. Literature went from discussing social class and poverty to describing battlefields in great details and questioning the readers' moral Judgme nt. Modernism directly followed the Victorian Era. It is said that Modernism started in 1901 and lasted until the 1960's or 70's. I believe it was small changes in art and literature started in 1901 but Modernism did not really begin to appear until during the Great War and everything after.It was a conscious break from traditional art, subjective, full of alienation and despair while also rejecting the past. Modernism is extremely different from Victorian Literature, while modernism focuses on how the readers will interpretation the work and not society. Where in Victorian literature it was society's interpretation trumps everything. Also during this time both World Wars had occurred giving writers at the time even more to write about and shed their own opinions on.This period was a time where experimentation and individualism were encouraged most things about the past were thrown to the side and discouraged like writing about social conventions or painting pictures ot a dinner sce ne. Also Modernism unlike Victorian Era gives you a clear definition on what to expect from literature and art during that time period. I attribute the mast amount of differences between the two literary periods to the dark cloud that was hanging over Britain and its people once the Great War was over. People were questioning both their countrys morality and their own patriotism.Just like the Victorian Era there were great Modernism authors. Authors like Joseph Conrad, T. S Eliot, and Wilfred Owen all with very similar dark styles that you can attribute to the Great War. Joseph Conrad still known for his short story The Heart of Darkness and novel â€Å"The Nigger of the Narcissus†. Both works drift far away from the traditional standards of the Victorian Era and was a true work of modernism. The slow dark story of The Heart of Darkness was a story whose major theme was savagery versus civilization while traveling through Africa. That was something that was not seen at that t ime.This story made people question savagery and civilization. Everyone has a little savage in them but how much is too much and you cross the line of being uncivilized. This was a very big question during the Great War, what was too much? What was considered uncivilized? That was a question that was constantly raised during the Great War. Besides questioning civilization Conrad had a dark way about his work similar to another Modernism writer. The Heart Of Darkness was dark story about a voyage, a voyage that many of us could never dream of making or going on.A voyage that would test the morality of most men, Just like the Great War tested the morality of most of its soldiers. Was it morally acceptable to continuously heave poison gas back and forth at each other? T. S Eliot was a dark writer with his works such as â€Å"The Hollow Men†, a poem that begins by quoting Conrad's The Heart of Darkness and mimicking its darkness for entirety of the poem. Unlike the Conrad's story , which questioned what is civilized and what is not this poem, speaks of the end of the world and humanity, as we know. The poem discusses us as humans losing our individuality and becoming empty.While reading â€Å"The Hollow Men†, I questioned was humanity lost after the Great War with all of the unnecessary bloodshed and death. People in Britain became empty and inhuman after the Great War. Besides his dark works T. S Eliot's poems are prime examples of Modernism. Poems like â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† and â€Å"The Wasteland† both poems were bold and broke far away from everything Victorian. In Eliot's â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† he broke away from tradition with a title that has on particular inference to anything in the poem, there was no love in this poem.Modernism is all about being different and T. S Eliot did that. He also wrote with a style that forced readers to read his work several times to grasp the different meaning, with his lines like the muttering retreats, of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels. Which could be interpreted as he had a considerable amount of one- night stands or he traveled a great deal and was in a different city every night. The interpretation varies from reader to reader another characteristic of Modernism. Lastly Eliot's work do not fit any type of cookie cutter mold, Eliot focused only on † The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock†. Solely on his chaotic thinking and perception of his ife. He's not worried about what social effect his poem has on the world. This poem shows he does not care if the reader can even understand his thought process completely subjective like Modernism works should be. Wilfred Owen another author to nave works published during Modernism. Owen is known tor his war poems classifying him as a war poet. Many of his poems describe British soldiers after or during battle. Most famously known for his poem â€Å"Dulce et Decorum Es t† which was published towards the end of the Great War.In his poem Owen paints a gruesome picture of English troops dying from poison gas. The same young men that were so anxious to fght for their country are now tired covered in blood and barely alive. At the end of the poem Owen uses Just a bit of satire after describing this horrible scene. Owen's tells us that it is sweet and right to die for your country. Owen tells readers the old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mor. But really how sweet is it to choke to death for your country. I bet most soldier would rather be shot than to die choking on a cloud of poison gas.The Great War made it possible for works like â€Å"Dulce et Decorum Est† to be created and become popular for the reason that it is ust like a car crash people will slow down to watch, so if a writer is describing the horrors of the battlefield people will slow down and read it. Just like the writers I described before Owen's his works our faultless examples of Modernism and how the war contributed to the development of the literary movement and the clear differences between Victorian era and Modernism. After writing this paper I know have an improved understanding of what was going on in Britain Pre war and after.I also can further see the differences between the two literary movements, the topic that were debated on plus by what means the topics were conversed about. The primary topic in literature during the Victorian Era were the remarkable differences between the social classes and the living conditions of the mast majority of citizens in Britain during this time. Most of these works were Jam-packed with humor to try to contradict the dim truth about the horrible situations many citizens had to deal with on the day to day.Spending countless hours each day working low paying Jobs in factories, orphans on the street begging for money because their parents were locked in debtors' prison. As much as authors complained of the living conditions and he need for social reform in the country, they still remained very patriotic. Nevertheless once the Great War began both the country and the literature started to change. I expected the change but I did not expect to see such a massive change in the short four-year timespan of the Great War.Even though the textbooks roughly estimates that Modernism began before the Great War on the other hand authentic Modernism did not appear until the war began. That is because most Modernism literature questioned actions that occurred during the war. Actions like use of poison gas, trench warfare, and imperialism. Modernism was also a decline in the patriotism that was apparent in Victorian literature. The Great war made writers break from caring about the entirety of the countries issues and focus only on what interests them.For Wilfred Owen it was war, Joseph Conrad focused on imperialism and questioning morality. To answer the question I posed in my introduction the Great War played apart in making the differences between Victorian era and Modernism because it gave authors a new topic to discuss and new moral to question. Pre-war authors did not have to question the acts of their countries soldiers if they were morally acceptable or not. The last question I posed – was it because of the Great war that Modernism appear or was it bound to be another literary movement with or without the war.After doing this paper I believe that it was bound to be another movement without the war i t is Just that the war gave authors the push needed speed up the movement. In the end I can say that war does affect literature.

Internship in an Investment Bank Essay

Internship is a system of on-the-job training for white-collar jobs. It is a work related learning experience for individuals who wish to develop hands on work experience in a certain occupational field. Most internship is temporary assignments. As such my intern too was temporary for a period of one month. My association with Goldman Sachs was during my semester vacation. To me internship is to combine theory with practical work experience. As such my intern period was of great help in that sense. Generally the objectives of internships are: * Develop skills in the application of theory to practical work situation. * Aptitude test for a particular career. * Develop and pursue business ethics. * Increase on the sense of responsibility. * Opportunity to understand informal organizational interrelationships. * Enhance employment opportunities * Develop skills and techniques directly applicable to their careers. * Provides inside exposure to the structure, operations and decision process within the organization without a commitment to a permanent employer. Some of the obvious advantages an internship offers include strengthening written and oral skills, helping to make contacts to gain future employment, to enhance and strengthen the intern’s resume. Gain an increased awareness of skills, attributes, personal qualities and values. Guides a student to find out what it is to like to work in a business environment. However duties which aren’t structured either not enough to do or random office work or nothing to do with the supposed internship may result in just a waste of time and valuable resources. Sometimes the intern may not have enough time to learn the nuances of the industry and no proper guide or a mentor to guide the individual through the process. It may also result as a burden financially and mentally. About Goldman Sachs History 1869–1930 Goldman Sachs was founded in New York in 1869 by the German-born Marcus Goldman. The company made a name for itself pioneering the use of commercial paper for entrepreneurs and was invited to join the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in 1896. In the early 20th century, On December 4, 1928, it launched the Goldman Sachs Trading Corp. a closed-end fund. 1930–1980 In 1930, Sidney Weinberg assumed the role of senior partner and shifted Goldman’s focus away from trading and towards investment banking. It was Weinberg’s actions that helped to restore some of Goldman’s tarnished reputation. On the back of Weinberg, Goldman was lead advisor on the Ford Motor Company’s IPO in 1956, which at the time was a major coup on Wall Street. Under Weinberg’s reign the firm also started an investment research division and a municipal bond department. It also was at this time that the firm became an early innovator in risk arbitrage. 1980–1999 On November 16, 1981, the firm made a move by acquiring J. Aron & Company, a commodities trading firm which merged with the Fixed Income division to become known as Fixed Income, Currencies, and Commodities. J. Aron was a player in the coffee and gold markets, and the current CEO of Goldman, Lloyd Blankfein, joined the firm as a result of this merger. In 1986, the firm formed Goldman Sachs Asset Management, which manages the majority of its mutual funds and hedge funds today. Since 1999 One of the largest events in the firm’s history was its own IPO in 1999. The decision to go public was one that the partners debated for decades. In the end, Goldman decided to offer a small portion of the company to the public, with some 48% still held by the partnership pool 22% of the company was held by non-partner employees, and 18% was held by retired Goldman partners. Goldman Sachs Overview The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients. Goldman Sachs was founded in 1869 and is headquartered at 200 West Street in the Lower Manhattan area of New York City, with additional offices in international financial centers. The firm provides mergers and acquisitions advice, underwriting services, asset management, and prime brokerage to its clients, which include corporations, governments and individuals. The firm also engages in market making and private equity deals, and is a primary dealer in the United States Treasury security market. It is recognized as one of the most prestigious investment banks in the world. As of 2009, Goldman Sachs employed 31,701 people worldwide.Goldman Sachs is divided into three businesses units: * Investment Banking * Trading and Principal Investments * Asset Management and Securities Services Investment banking Investment banking is divided into two divisions and includes Financial Advisory (mergers and acquisitions, investitures, corporate defense activities, restructuring and spin-offs) and Underwriting (public offerings and private placements of equity, equity-related and debt instruments). Goldman Sachs is one of the leading M&A advisory firms, often topping the league tables in terms of transaction size. The firm gained a reputation as a white knight in the mergers and acquisitions sector by advising clients on how to avoid hostile takeovers, moves generally viewed as unfriendly to shareholders of targeted companies. Goldman Sachs, for a long time during the 1980s, was the only major investment bank with a strict policy against helping to initiate a hostile takeover, which increased the firm’s reputation immensely among sitting management teams at the time. The investment banking segment accounts for around 17 percent of Goldman Sachs’ revenues. The firm has been involved in brokering deals to privatize major highways by selling them to foreign investors, in addition to advising state and local governments – including Indiana, Texas, and Chicago – on privatization projects. Trading and principal investments Trading and Principal Investments is the largest of the three segments, and is the company’s profit center. The segment is divided into four divisions and includes: * Fixed Income – The trading of interest rate and credit products, mortgage-backed securities, insurance-linked securities and structured and derivative products * Currency and Commodities – The trading of currencies and commodities * Equities – The trading of equities, equity derivatives, structured products, options, and futures contracts * Principal Investments – merchant banking investments and funds This segment consists of the revenues and profit gained from the Bank’s trading activities, both on behalf of its clients known as flow trading and for its own account known as proprietary trading. Most trading done by Goldman is not speculative, but rather an attempt to profit from bid-ask spreads in the process of acting as a market maker. On average, around 68 percent of Goldma n’s revenues and profits are derived from trading. Asset Management and Securities Services As the name suggests, the firm’s Asset Management and Securities Services segment is divided into two components: Asset Management and Securities Services. The Asset Management division provides investment advisory and financial planning services and offers investment products (primarily through separately managed accounts and commingled vehicles) across all major asset classes to a diverse group of institutions and individuals worldwide. The unit primarily generates revenues in the form of management and incentive fees. The Securities Services division provides clearing, financing, custody, securities lending, and reporting services to institutional clients, including hedge funds, mutual funds, and pension funds. The division generates revenues primarily in the form of interest rate spreads or fees. About Operations Division Operations is at the core of Goldman Sachs. For every trade agreed, every new product launched or market entered, every transaction completed, it is Operations that enables business to flow. Operations is a dynamic, multi-faceted division that partners with all areas of the firm to deliver banking, sales and trading and asset management capabilities to clients around the world. In addition, Operations provides essential risk management and control, preserving and enhancing the firm’s assets and its reputation. The Operations division represents approximately 14% of the firm, with more than 4,500 employees across the globe. Operations spans across all product lines and markets where business is conducted. Each area of business offers diverse opportunities that leverage a common core skill set. While there may be a group that interests you, it is not necessary to identify the group you would like to join when applying. †¢Clearing Operations provides clearing, execution and custody services for all major trading products across 75 exchanges. Our goal is to deliver superior client service, broad product offering and scalable technology to our global client base and franchise trading businesses, while minimizing operational risk. Our clients include hedge funds, asset managers, governments, corporates, broker dealers, Goldman Sachs franchise traders, other professional investors and market markers. †¢Derivatives Operations is responsible for ensuring efficient and accurate transaction processing across a broad range of products. Generally, the products supported are complex instruments that require close alignment with the business. A key focus for the organization is establishing strong risk management procedures and controls to ensure the firm and our clients are properly protected. Derivatives Operations is at the forefront of shaping and driving change in the industry with the ultimate aim of delivering greater accuracy, control and efficiency for our clients and our business. †¢Investment Management Operations delivers asset management and wealth management capabilities to clients around the world. We are a multi-faceted group that partners with all areas of the Investment Management Division to support evolving markets and business requirements. Alongside that vital service delivery role, Investment Management Operations provides essential risk management and control. †¢Liquidity & Collateral Operations (LCO) manages the operational elements for daily funding and liquidity of the firm, oversees the firm’s payment strategy and overall cash flows and positions, and also performs key functions related to counterparty risk management, client transparency, and product and pricing data. In addition to the traditional line functions, LCO is home to Operations Technology Strategy and Reference Data Strategy, both of which focus on strategic process and technology solutions for the division and often the broader firm. †¢Regulatory & Tax Operations is responsible for over 500 non-financial reporting and monitoring functions to over 400 regulators and exchanges. The group enhances the firm’s regulatory and tax transaction and position data and operational controls and develops best practices and standards for processing, infrastructure, and change management. The group aims to leverage expertise consistently across regions and entities in order to demonstrate supervision to regulators and provide efficiency, data accuracy, and transparency around controls. †¢Risk & Control Operations supports the firm by ensuring the integrity of books and records, assessing regulatory requirements, and interfacing with regulators frequently. In addition, the group provides the firm with critical control indicators that assess economic, regulatory, and operational risks, while providing oversight of the Operations Division Risk Framework. †¢Securities Operations supports the Securities, Investment Management and Investment Banking Divisions of the firm. This group manages key relationships for the bank and infrastructure providers, on boarding of institutional and prime brokerage clients, and assists in the coordination of issuance of new financial product. Work Done and Experience I did my summer internship in the Operations Division of Goldman Sachs. My project was primarily based on corporate card reconciliation process. Being an intern to the office, there was a lot to be learnt and a lot more to be implemented, but the people at GS were really accommodating and willing to give the interns the required space and time. Goldman Sachs has, a completely flat organizational structure and everyone is very helpful and you can reach out to almost anyone and he/she will be more than willing to help. The Program is very efficiently carried out and there’s a lot to learn. The firm has its own In-House University where there are innumerable courses on Financial Markets, Corporate Finance, Investment Banking that we needed to learn from. Everything you do and suggest mostly goes into Production i.e. LIVE so obviously you will be having a hands-on experience on things which are actually going to be implemented. All things said, there is deadline within which the work needs to be done. Goldman Sachs was a good shot to achieve out of this internship – improved Problem Solving, Industrial Exposure, Understanding of Financial Markets. At Goldman Sachs, everyone is encouraged to take on more responsibility and stretch themselves. People are very professional and are always there to help when needed. This makes it a fun place to work even though the nature of work is very challenging.