Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Rap And Violence Essays - African-American Culture,

Rap And Violence Since the late 1980's rap music has been known as the Anti Christ in our way of life, due to it's alleged impact in individuals' life. Individuals swear here and there that the music is the reason individuals, uniquely the young hotel to fierce wrongdoings. I think by saying this they are attempting to conceal the genuine truth by offering basic responses. Rap is characterized as a style of well known music comprising of ad libbed rhymes performed to a cadenced backup. The first rap tune was made in the late 70's, the melodies were seven to eight minutes in length furthermore, was generally utilized in little clubs to move to. It didn't generally get well known until the mid 80's. Throughout the years it has become standard music, everybody is tuning in to it. Over the most recent four years rap made up 60% of music purchased in stores in the United States. In 1989 a neighborhood bunch called N.W.A.(Niggaz Wit Mentalities) originated from out of L.A. what's more, changed rap, which was the beginning of Gangsta Rap. In their verses they discussed wrongdoing, road viciousness and slaughtering. Once they were a colossal hit, it got on, and actually that is the point at which this franticness begun. Everybody began rapping Gangsta style. An ever increasing number of individuals began rapping about police ruthlessness and murdering individuals and with that wrongdoing rose to elevated levels. As I would like to think it's not the specialists or the record organization's issue that wrongdoing rose. It's not their duty to take care of each individual who tunes in to their music. In every one of these long periods of rap however there are three individuals who took the most analysis from general society. Dr. Dre was one, after N.W.A. broke up he proceeded to do whatever him might want to do, and after he discharged The Chronic he turned into a star. He took rap to a more significant level where it never been and I believe that frightened many individuals. He was rapping about drive by's, engaging in sexual relations with several ladies, drinking liquor the entire day, etc. At this point the crime percentage was high as can be and many individuals where searching for simple answers. It was for the most part those rare sorts of people who simply didn't care for rap from the beginning that stood up and attempted to boycott it. Most rappers adored the style Dr. Dre made, thus they attempted to take the style and make something of their own. Alongside Dr. Dre he helped a rising star Snoop Doggy Dog to turn into a major star by visitor gazing on his The Chronic collection. Sneak discharged Doggy Style and it was a hit. His style like Dr. Dre made it a hit. It was his top rated collection to date. Congress attempted each way they could to shield youth from tuning in to this music since they felt it was causing them to perpetrate violations. Sneak was charged not to long after his discharge for homicide which he before long was found not liable. They made a mark for CD's and tapes that said Parental Advisory Unequivocal Lyrics which very my conclusion didn't do excessively. Along these lines guardians could know about the sort of music their children tune in to and could pick on the off chance that they might want to permit them to hear it out. In the event that you plunk down and consider it, when you purchase a CD you by it since you need to hear it out, you don't generally focus on that little mark. Other than you see little children no more established then 11 strolling around tuning in to Lil' Kim, Tupac, and all other rap specialists cussing up a tempest . . . what's with that? For what reason didn't the guardians state anything about that, they have command over their youngsters, yet pundits and congress accuse the rappers. The third man to take the most warmth who still keeps on being Tupac Shakur. They state he was the best rapper alive and the most effective which I additionally accept is valid. He experiences been in difficulty with the law and open since his first collection to even now after his passing. He was captured for various charges, for example, battery, endeavored murder, and assault. In 1994 two 17-year-olds shot some cops and said they did on the grounds that they heard it in Tupac's music. Pundits accused him from the beginning with his to unseemly verses. Why accuse him he didn't instruct them to go shoot cops? For the past three years, C. Delores Tucker has been talking and fighting rap verses

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Newspaper article on the events at Deir Yassin.

Paper article on the occasions at Deir Yassin. What truly occurred in Deir Yassin? Who was capable? What has its impact been? Peruse on to discover out...Early in the first part of the day of Friday, April ninth, 1948, commandos of the Irgun, headed by Menachem Begin, and the Stern Gang assaulted Deir Yassin.Deir Yassin was a town with around 750 Palestinian inhabitants. The town lay outside the territory that the United Nations suggested be remembered for the future Jewish State. It had a tranquil notoriety and had even determined out some Arab activists. It really had a harmony settlement with Givat Shaul, the leader of the Arab division of the Haganah knowledge. Yet, it was situated in a hallway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and a few gatherings needed it devastated so it could turn into a little airfield.The assault went ineffectively, on the grounds that, as Haganah insight detailed, the two nonconformist gatherings had no preparation, no coordination and no information on the most proficient method to give spread fire or c omplete jump frog assaults in which crews give each other spread in turn.Map indicating Deir Yassin corresponding to Jerusalem i...However, by early afternoon more than 100 individuals, half of them ladies and youngsters had been efficiently killed. Four commandos passed on account of opposing Palestinians utilizing old Mausers and black powder rifles. Twenty-five male residents were stacked into trucks, strutted through the Zakhron Yosef quarter in Jerusalem, and afterward taken to a stone quarry along the street between Givat Shaul and Deir Yassin and shot to death. The rest of the inhabitants were headed to Arab East Jerusalem.There was a last body check of 254 was accounted for by the New York Times, however the number was contested and is supposed to be somewhere in the range of 120-254.People regularly ask what was the Stern and Irgun's motivation for slaughtering an entire town was, and it is considered by some that they fundamentally needed...

Monday, August 17, 2020

Together.

Together. This was supposed to be a happy post. It was supposed to be one of those after-CPW posts, celebrating three straight days of liquid nitrogen ice cream, Tetris hacks, and a campus-wide show of unity to welcome prospective students.  It was supposed to be about my first time celebrating Patriots Day in Boston, about my first time watching that most unifying of sports, the marathon a sport that doesnt even have a side to cheer for or root against. And then todays tragic events happened.  In a few seconds, a day ripped apart two explosions, three deaths, and a casualty rate in the triple digits.  The wailing of sirens and the steady chop-chop-chop of helicopter blades overhead filled the air. We were very fortunate to have no immediate members of the MIT community directly injured by the bombs.  Yet it was still horrifying beyond words to witness.  All thoughts of that happy blog post about MIT went out the window. But what happened next was inspiring.  Ive always thought that you can tell a lot about a community by how it reacts to a tragedy. As the news broke, students immediately began asking where they could donate blood. Prefrosh frantically messaged and emailed their hosts to check if they were okay people they had briefly met just days ago.  People texted, and emailed, and tweeted, and posted on Facebook, spreading the warnings to avoid public transit and large crowds. So perhaps this can still be a happy post.  A post about a different kind of unity, a different kind of community.  Because the people of Boston are a tough and resilient crowd.  The celebration of a 26.2 mile run might have been shattered today.  But the marathon will be back, and make no mistake next year, we will roar twice as loudly at the finish line.  No cowardly act of terror can break this spirit. After spending one too many hours listening to reporters endlessly analyzing and reanalyzing todays attack, I took a walk outside.  I jogged across the Mass Ave bridge, as I often do when I want to clear my thoughts.  I reached the 300 Smoot mark.  And then I turned around. To the city of Boston, our neighbor across the river: our hearts go out to you. Today and always, we stand with you.  Together.

Sunday, May 24, 2020

Politics Dissertations - Culture Contested Concept - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 11 Words: 3263 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Statistics Essay Did you like this example? More than a half century ago noted American poet T. S. Eliot eloquently expressed the complexity of the term culture, a term that is used so freely and with so little aforethought today. As Eliot learned, culture is quite difficult to define. He succeeded in describing the term, as Lord Evans (2001) noted, but a definition eluded even someone with Eliots gift for words. But Eliot was not alone in wrestling with defining culture; experts in a variety of disciplines have yet to agree on a consensus definition and some even contest the concept of culture itself. As this essay will demonstrate, controversy surrounding the concept of culture can be attributed, to a large degree, to the failure by those who study the topic to adopt a widely-accepted definition that adequately captures the complexity of the term. After presenting the results of a literature review on various definitions of culture and the topic of culture as a contested concept, the focus of the essay turns to the significance of culture in conflict resolution, demonstrating that culture is a critical factor in successfully resolving conflicts and, further, that a consensus definition for culture that reflects the realities of modern society would facilitate the conflict resolution process. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Politics Dissertations Culture Contested Concept" essay for you Create order Culture Defined Experts may not be able to agree on a definition for culture, but they apparently experience no difficulty in agreeing that culture is a difficult term to define (Edensor 2002; Hall 1980, cited in Park 2005). Susan Wright (1998) reports the existence of at least 164 definitions for culture. Noted sociologist and anthropologist Clyde Kluckhohn (1949) defined culture eleven different ways in his book Mirror for Man, and he and his colleagues (1952) catalogued more than 160 definitions for culture into six categories descriptive, historical, normative, psychological, generic, and incomplete. Raymond Williams writes that, in the term culture, history has bestowed one of the two or three most complicated words in the English language, adding that culture can be used to refer to a wide range of phenomena and that the concept of culture has produced major political and philosophical disagreement (Williams 1983, cited in Chay 1990). Kluckhohn (1954) developed one of the most often cited definitions for culture in writing that it consists in patterned ways of thinking, feeling and reacting, acquired and transmitted mainly by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievements of human groups, including their embodiments in artifacts. Culture has also been defined as that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society (Tylor 1871, cited in Kluckhohn 1952); the human-made part of the environment (Herskovits 1955, cited in Earley and Randal 1997); shared meaning systems (Shweder and LeVine 1984, cited in Earley and Randal 1997); the sum total and organization of the social heritages which have acquired a social meaning because of racial temperament and of the historical life of the group (Park and Burgess 1921, cited in Kluckhohn 1952); the mode of life followed by the community or the tribe [including] all standa rdized social procedures (Wissler 1929, cited in Kluckhohn 1952); the sum of mens adjustments to their life-conditionsattained only through the combined action of variation, selection, and transmission (Sumner and Keller 1927, cited in Kluckhohn 1952); and a product of human association (Groves 1928, cited in Kluckhohn 1952). In the aggregate, the various definitions just presented express the theme of shared meanings acquired then passed from generation to generation. They also describe culture at group and societal levels. Other experts describe the term from the perspective of the individual or otherwise provide for differences in cultural attributes within a group or society. Hofstede (1980, cited in Earley and Randel 1997) defines culture as a set of mental programs that control an individuals responses in a given context. Park (2005) describes culture as a marker for difference in society. And Rohner (1984, cited in Earley and Randel 1997) defines the term as the totality of equivalent and complementary learned meanings maintained by a human population, or by identifiable segments of a population, and transmitted from one generation to the next. The phrase equivalent and complementary learned meanings is critical to an understanding of Rohners definition, according to Earley and Randel, because it p rovides for individual variances in interpretations of learned meanings within a culture. Although these definitions represent only a small portion of those revealed from a review of the literature, they provide some insight into the range of thought on the topic of culture, especially perspectives on assessing culture at various levels societal, group, and individual. As will be suggested, the difficulty experts have experienced in defining culture helps to explain why culture is a contested concept and why a solution to the definitional problem is important to resolving the debate about the role of culture in conflict resolution and, ultimately, to facilitating the conflict resolution process. Culture as a Contested Concept Fantasia and Hirsch (1995, cited in Ellis and Thompson, 1997) write, with a hint of sarcasm, that cultural theorists can take pride in their creation of a contested terrain in the study of culture. The literature review indicated that most experts who contest the concept of culture base their disputes on the belief that, in the modern world, there is no all-embracing culture in which everyone in a given society blindly holds precisely the same shared meanings, which is suggested by most traditional definitions of culture. The concept of culture has long been contested (Cooper and Denner 1998; Mathews 2000). Bhabha (1993) writes that, as people have increasingly migrated to other lands in modern times, they have only taken part of their total culture with them. The culture of these migrants becomes a mixture of the cultures from their native societies and those found in the society in which they entered. Heath (1997) writes that experts no longer consider culture to be a viable concept in a world of volatile, situated, and overlapping social identities, contending that various disciplines have taken issue with culture as a concept for various reasons. She writes that educators protest the concept on the basis of its transmission of connotations of objectivity, discreteness, essentialism, and ahistoricism; sociologists challenge the concept on the grounds of production, mass consumerism, and popular entertainment; and experts from the human sciences contest the totalizing universalizing perspectives of culture, replacing these arbitrary constructions with permeable membranes that are not predictable or deterministic. Heath (1997) also points to the fuzzy boundaries of culture, arguing that specific cultures are hard to isolate and claiming that variations are becoming apparent within groups that have been traditionally viewed as possessing unique cultures. Edensor (2002) writes that popular culture is having a major cross-cultural effect on traditional cultures. Childs and Storry (1999) claim that cultures are changing so quickly that a snapshot of current cultural practices is inevitably going to be blurred. Mathews (2000), in noting that even anthropologists are increasingly avoiding the term culture, poses the question as to whether in todays world of global flows and interactions cultural labels are appropriate and claims that individuals personally select which elements of a given culture to apply in their behavioural decisions. Brightman (1995, cited in Mathews 2000) notes t hat some experts are enclosing culture in quotation marks to indicate their ambivalence, self-consciousness or censure about the term. In closing, perhaps Earley and Randel (1997) offer the one of the more revealing insights into the controversy over the term culture: We suggest that while the romance of culture as a grand concept capturing the complexity of society and life is tempting, this conceptualization is both limiting and misleading. The Significance of Culture in Conflict Resolution Conflict resolution and culture are intrinsically intertwined. Rubin and colleagues (1994, cited in Bjrkqvist and Fry 1997) define conflict as perceived divergence of interest, or a belief that parties current aspirations cannot be achieved simultaneously. Hopmann (1998) contends that, in a complex world, conflict is unavoidable. Conflict is an inevitable consequence of the interdependence inherent in human interaction (Bjrkqvist and Fry 1997). Processes used to resolve conflicts must be considered within a larger cultural context (Just 1991). Conflicts are cultural events in every sense of the word, according to Lederach (1991). Bjrkqvist and Fry (1997) write that conflict resolution is a cultural phenomenon. Avruch (1991) refers to conflicts and conflict resolution approaches as cultural events. Various studies have confirmed that conflict resolution processes are culture-specific (Avruch and Black 1991; Avurch, Black and Scimecca 1991, cited in Bjrkqvist and Fry 1997). Ross (1993 , cited in Bjrkqvist and Fry 1997) originated the term culture of conflict to describe the norms and institutions that a society applies in conflicts. Beliefs, attitudes, and patterns of behaviours about conflict are internalised by people in their cultural settings and, in turn, strengthened by cultural norms and institutions. And, because conflict is a cultural phenomenon, the methods used to perceive and respond to conflict are typically transparent to those involved because these methods are based on assumptions that they do not question. (Bjrkqvist and Fry 1997) Bjrkqvist and Fry (1997) urge caution in applying conflict resolution approaches across cultural lines. For instance, they recommend that generic manuals prescribing conflict resolution procedures to be used in all cultural settings should be avoided (Avruch 1991). People involved in conflict resolution should be flexible and sensitive to cultural differences, according to Lederach (1991, cited in Bjrkqvist) and Benvenisti (1986, cited in Avruch 1991). Benvenisti chastises conflict resolvers who believe that communal conflicts are like a chessboard where one can think up the best arrangement of chess pieces and move them all at once. Cultures vary in the mechanisms they use in resolving conflict with some applying formal mechanisms such as court systems and others using informal approaches such as gossip, teasing, and exclusion (Black 1993; Fry 1992, 1994; Hollan 1988; White 1991, cited in Bjrkqvist and Fry 1997). Versi (2002) suggests that if you know where the other person is coming from culturally, you can develop a more effective approach to resolving conflict. Rubin (1994, cited in Bjrkqvist and Fry 1997), articulates four generic strategies used in conflict resolution: (1) contending, which involves a high level of concern for ones own results and a low level of concern for the others results; (2) problem solving, which involves high levels of concern for ones own results and those of the other party; (3) yielding, which involves a low level of concern for ones own results and a high level of concern for the others results; and (4) avoiding, which involves low levels of concern for ones own results and those of the other party. Of these, the authors argue that problem solving is the most effective strategy because it permits both contenders to win. Fortunately, the problem solving strategy is effective across a broad spectrum of cultures. In problem solving, the use of a non-partisan th ird-party facilitator has also been found to be effective across cultures (Black 1993, cited in Bjrkqvist and Fry 1997). The Culture Definition Dilemma and Its Effects on Optimal Conflict Resolution Outcomes The debate about culture, specifically the controversy surrounding the validity of culture as a concept, is important to the field of conflict resolution because cultural factors are so inexorably linked to conflicts and their effective resolutions. Results of the literature review of definitions for the term culture and the review of literature on culture as a contested concept suggest that definitions describing culture as a group or societal phenomenon without allowing for variance within the group or society may be at the root of the cultural concept validity dispute. As Bhabha (1993), Childs and Storry (1999), Edensor (2002), Heath (1997), and Mathews (2000) proffer, modern societies are increasingly integrating and, as this occurs, their members are mixing their unique cultural attributes with one another thereby blurring the distinctions that once defined individual cultures. But does this mean that the concept of culture is invalid? The answer to that question lies in the definitions of culture that allow for individual variance in cultural attributes. For instance, the definition offered by Rohner (1984, cited in Earley and Randel 1997), who defines the term as the totality of equivalent and complementary learned meanings maintained by a human population, or by identifiable segments of a population, and transmitted from one generation to the next, provides for individual variances in interpretations of learned meanings within a culture. This definition seems offer the flexibility to adequately define culture within the context of modern inter mingled societies, thus revalidating the concept of culture. How, then, would a definition for culture that provides for individual variance relate to conflict resolution? Although a definition that considers everyone within a particular culture to share precisely the same cultural attributes would help to make conflict resolution a much more predictable process, such a definition does not reflect the realities of modern societies. However, knowing that members of a culture share equivalent and complementary learned meanings, as proposed by Rohner, permits a certain degree of predictability whilst simultaneously providing needed flexibility to accommodate individual variance. There may even be an additional benefit in this condition for practitioners in conflict resolution. Individual variance may actually serve to weaken strong cultural barriers that have, in the past, obstructed successful conflict resolution. For instance, as cultures integrate more fully, their members typically become more understanding of each others cultural attributes . This understanding should provide an enhanced common basis for resolving conflicts and may even reduce the incidence of conflicts themselves. Conclusion In the modern global village, as opportunities increase for people and their cultures to interact, the need for effective conflict resolution has never been more critical or more difficult, yet experts in a variety of disciplines are engaged in seemingly endless philosophical arguments about the validity of culture as a concept, diverting their energies from what seem to be more productive endeavours such as developing new techniques for conflict resolution that could lead to a more peaceful world. Adopting a more flexible definition for culture one that recognises individual variances and the realities of the modern world would be a first step in achieving this worthy goal. References Avruch, K. (1991) Introduction: Culture and conflict-resolution, in K. Avruch, P. W. Black, and J. A. Scimecca, eds., Conflict Resolution: Cross Cultural Perspectives, Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood. Avruch, K., and Black, P. W. (1991) The culture question and conflict resolution, Peace and Change 16. Cited in Bjrkqvist and Fry (1997). Avruch, K., Black, P. W., and Scimecca, J. A., (1991) Conflict Resolution: Cross-Cultural Perspectives, Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. Cited in Bjrkqvist and Fry (1997). Benvenisti, Meron (1986) Conflicts and Contradictions, New York: Villard Books/Random House. Cited in Avruch (1991). Bhabha, Homi K. (1993) Cultures in between, Artforum International 32:1, September 1993. Bjrkqvist, Kaj, and Fry, Douglas P. (1997) Cultural Variation in Conflict Resolution: Alternatives to Violence, Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Black, D. (1993) The Social Structure of Right and Wrong, San Diego, California: Academic Press. Cited in Bjrkqvist and Fry (1997). Brightman, R. (1995) Forget culture: Replacement, transcendence, relexification, Cultural Anthropology 10:4. Cited in Mathews (2000). Chay, Jongsuk (1990) Culture and International Relations, New York: Praeger. Childs, Peter, and Storry, Mike (1999) Encyclopedia of Contemporary British Culture, London: Routledge. Cooper, Catherine R., and Denner, Jill (1998) Theories linking culture and psychology: Universal and community-specific processes, Annual Review of Psychology 49. Earley, P. Christopher, and Randel, Amy E. (1997) Culture without borders: An individual-level approach to cross-cultural research in organizational behavior, in Cary L. Cooper and Susan E. Jackson, eds., Creating Tomorrows Organizations: A Handbook for Future Research in Organizational Behavior, Chichester: John Wiley Sons. Edensor, Tim (2002) National Identity, Popular Culture and Everyday Life, Oxford: Berg. Eliot, T. S. (1949) Notes Towards the Definition of Culture, New York: Harcourt Brace and Company, 62. Ellis, Richard J., and Thompson, Michael (1997) Culture Matters: Essays in Honor of Aaron Wildavsky, Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press. Evans, Lord (2001) The economy of the imagination, New Statesman 130:4544, July 2, 2001. Fantasia, Rick, and Hirsch, Eric L. (1995), Culture and rebellion: the appropriation and transformation of the veil in the Algerian Revolution, in Hank Johnston and Bert Klandermans, eds., Social Movements and Culture, Minneapolis, Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press. Cited in Ellis and Thompson (1997). Fry, D. P. (1992) Female aggression among the Zapotec of Oaxaca, Mexico, in K. Bjrkqvist and P. Niemel, eds., Of Mice and Women: Aspects of Female Aggression, San Diego, California: Academic Press. Cited in Bjrkqvist and Fry (1997). Fry, D. P. (1994) Maintaining social tranquillity: Internal and external loci of aggression control, in L. E. Sponsel and T. Gregor, eds., The Anthropology of Peace and Nonviolence, Boulder, Colorado: Lynne Rienner. Cited in Bjrkqvist and Fry (1997). Groves, E. R. (1928) An Introduction to Sociology, New York. Cited in Kluckhohn (1952). Hall, S. (1980) Cultural studies: Two paradigms, in F. E. N. B. Dirk and S. B. Ortner, eds., A Reader in Contemporary Social Theory, Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. Cited in Park (2005). Heath, Shirley Brice (1997) Culture: Contested realm in research on children and youth, Personality and Social Psychology Review 1:3. Herskovits, M. J. (1955) Cultural Anthropology, New York: Knopf. Cited in Earley and Randel (1997). Hofstede, G. (1980) Cultures Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values, Newbury Park, California: Sage. Cited in Earley and Randel (1997). Hollan, D. (1988) Staying cool in Toraja: Informal strategies for the management of anger and hostility in a non-violent society, Ethos 16. Cited in Bjrkqvist and Fry (1997). Hopmann, Terrence (1998) The Negotiation Process and the Resolution of International Conflicts, Columbia, South Carolina: Columbia South Carolina Press. Just, Peter (1991) Conflict resolution and moral community among the Dou Donggo, in Kevin Avruch, Peter W. Black, and Joseph A. Scimecca, eds., Conflict Resolution: Cross-Cultural Perspectives, Westport, Connecticut: Praeger. Kluckhohn, C. (1949) Mirror for Man, New York: Wittlesey House. Kluckhohn, Clyde (1954) Culture and Behavior, New York: Free Press. Kluckhohn, Clyde et al. (1952) Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Peabody Museum. Lederach, John Paul (1991) Of nets, nails, and problems: The folk language of conflict resolution in a Central American settting, in Kevin Avruch, Peter W. Black, and Joseph A. Scimecca, eds., Conflict Resolution: Cross-Cultural Perspectives, Westport, Connecticut: Praeger. Mathews, Gordon (2000) Searching for Home in the Cultural Supermarket, London: Routledge. Park, R. E., and Burgess, E. W. (1921) Introduction to the Science of Sociology, Chicago. Cited in Kluckhohn (1952). Park, Yoosun (2005) Culture as deficit: A critical discourse analysis of the concept of culture in contemporary social work discourse, Journal of Sociology Social Work 32:3. Rohner, R. R. (1984) Toward a conception of culture for cross-cultural psychology, Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 15:2. Cited in Earley and Randel (1997). Ross, M. H. (1993) The Management of Conflict, New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. Cited in Bjrkqvist and Fry (1997). Rubin, J. Z., Pruitt, D. G., and Kim, S. H. (1994) Social Conflict: Escalation, Stalemate and Settlement, New York: McGraw-Hill. Cited in Bjrkqvist and Fry (1997). Shweder, R. A. and LeVine, R. A. (1984) Culture Theory: Essays on Mind, Self, and Emotion, New York: Cambridge University Press. Cited in Earley and Randel (1997). Sumner, W. G., and Keller, A. G. (1927) The Science of Society, New Haven, Connecticut. Cited in Kluckhohn (1952). Tylor, E. B. (1871) Primitive Culture, Boston. Cited in Kluckhohn (1952). Versi, Anver (2002) Coping with culture clash, African Business, May 2002. White, G. M. (1991) Rhetoric, reality, and resolving conflicts: Disentangling in a Solomon Islands society, in K. Avruch, P. W. Black, and J. A. Schimecca, eds., Conflict Resolution: Cross-Cultural Perspectives, Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood. Cited in Bjrkqvist and Fry (1997). Wissler, C. (1929) An Introduction to Social Anthropology, New York. Cited in Kluckhohn (1952). Williams, Raymond (1983) Keywords, London: Fontana. Cited in Chay (1990). Wright, Susan (1998) The politicization of culture, Anthropology Today 14:1.

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

The Purpose Of This Project Is To Introduce A Possible

The purpose of this project is to introduce a possible approach and solution to address inequality in the United States public education system through the implementation of the Initiatory Public Education Policy. As such, it presents evidence to support the claim that academic outcomes improve when children participate in school-readiness programs prior to entering primary education. Moreover, the emphasis of this project is to present an exploratory analysis using the constructionist approach and basic framework of the social problem process by Joel Best (2008, pp. 33-40). First, it introduces the claim that educational outcomes are dependent on socioeconomic status, advocates for universal compulsory early childhood education, and†¦show more content†¦Successful primary education attainment is imperative for entering college, embarking on a career and participating in civil society (Garcia Weiss, 2015). To be sure, there are studies which suggest that successful ou tcomes for children depend on their readiness for entry into primary school – therefore, mandating early childhood education is paramount to addressing the inequality within the United States public education system. Overview, Background and Justification Addressing the issue of inequality in education requires an evaluation of the claim that preschool (Pre-K) education is fundamental to readiness for primary education and beyond. The end goal of this project is to provide evidence that compulsory Pre-K education is required in order for all socioeconomic classes to be at parity with learning outcomes through the implementation of policy. Since key foundations for learning are established beginning at birth, starting school behind makes it likely that early disadvantages will persist as children progress through school, and last into their adult lives (Garcia Weiss, 2015, p.1). According to the Office of the Administration for Children and Families (2015), former President Lyndon B. Johnson was compelled to implement policy to address concerns regarding child development after consulting withShow MoreRelatedThe High Tech Industries Have A Revolutionary Approach Towards Technology Essay1124 Words   |  5 PagesGoogle embarked on a revolutionary project named â€Å"Google Glass† which was a start for the high-tech companies to think about wearable gadgets. Google glass was an optical head-mounted display designed in the shape of a pair of eyeglasses. Likewise, Nike, the biggest sports footwear and apparel company in the world, introduced its new product named â€Å"Nike+ FuelBand† trying to find its ways into the IT and technology world. Fitbit is also another competitor in this market. The wearable bands producedRead MoreSocial Business Is The Ability For An Organization1561 Words   |  7 Pagescommunity to improve its performance. Using th e community introduces collaboration in the company, which encourages employees to work together to produce a collective goal. Businesses should consider implementing internal social networks, because it is likely that by introducing a collaborative culture into firms will lead to greater success in productivity and employee retention. Although this new concept of collaborating will be difficult to introduce to companies with a less receptive work force, withRead MoreCost Overruns708 Words   |  3 Pages2014 Abstract Project management is to forecast and track costs to avoid cost overruns. Poor management leads to rising cost. Effective project management identifies such possible sources of cost overruns early and mitigates their effect. This paper explains the underlying causes of project cost overruns and provides some cost estimating methods used to avoid the overruns in the project. 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Motivation 1.0 worked well until societyRead MoreThe Issue Of Legal Issues914 Words   |  4 PagesLegal Issues There are far more opportunities for the decrease of legal issues with this conflict implementation plan. With tiered meeting being conducted on a daily basis, the project status is addressed and issues with schedule, cost, scope and quality can be brought to the forefront and addressed. If negative issues were not addressed in this matter, negative impacts on the project would likely occur – such as: (a). Teams making unethical decisions (b). Adversarial contractual relationships (c)Read More How a Bill Becomes Law Essay1153 Words   |  5 Pagesdifficult. The Constitution settles how bills become law in the United States. The procedure is operose and can take significant time to complete. The course materials of week three offer more than enough information on how the procedure works. This essay will, mainly, use the course materials to describe the process of how a bill becomes a law. The process of transforming a bill into a law requires the participation of both the Legislative branch and Executive branch of government. BeforeRead MoreGlobal Government And Business Leaders Forum1455 Words   |  6 PagesGlobal Government and Business Leaders Forum (GGBL) Project Charter 4/5/2015 QUT Mandeep Gandhi CONTENTS 1. Project Purpose 3 1.1 Project Scope 3 2. Project Objectives 3 3. Project Requirements 4 4. Project Milestones 4 5. Assumptions 4 6. Constraints 5 7. Risks 5 8. Summary of Budget 5 CONTACT INFORMATION FOR KEY INDIVIDUALS NAME ORGANIZATION CONTACT NO. EMAIL Mr. J Manger Events coordination and Co (Project Manager) jmanger@eventcoordination.co.au Mr. MandeepRead MoreBsbadm504B Plan and Implement Administration System1689 Words   |  7 Pages |Time/s | | The assessment task is due on the date specified by your assessor. Any variations to this arrangement must be approved in writing by your assessor. Submit this document with any required evidence attached. See specifications below for details. Performance objective In this assessment task you will demonstrate skills and knowledge required to plan or review administration systems and implement new or modified administration

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

RSA Guideline Free Essays

â€Å"Establishment of Operational Road Safety Engineering Units in the Road Authorities (Pads) of 2 Southern – States of India† Slash Chancre Triad, International Road Safety Specialist It is recognized that the in order to improve road safety it is vital for institutional strengthening, capacity building and reform to urgently take place in the road sector. The Tasks of Technical Assistance Services under two assignments as already addressed in Kraal-India (the World-Bank financed EST. I Project for PAD) ND are currently being addressed in Karakas-India (DAB financed PRAM Project for PAD) are: Road safety tools and techniques vital for roads to be safe and sustainable; Institutional strengthening and reform by providing adequate on and off training; and introducing well-proven and appropriate proactive and reactive engineering approaches / measures and educational aspects to improve road safety. We will write a custom essay sample on RSA Guideline or any similar topic only for you Order Now The author will briefly address regarding various activities performed and topics addressed. Such as Safe Road Management System, 5 Pillars, Crash Data Collection, Database, Analysis and Reports for dissemination; Road Safety Engineering; Economics; Low Cost Counter – Measures and Program; Vulnerable Road Users; History of Road Safety Audit with Stages, Checklists and Report; Road Safety Review and Inspection; Operations Processes, Procedures, Manuals and Guidelines; Strategies and Policies; Road Safety Co-ordination and Action Plan; International Practices; Road Safety Engineering related Awareness Campaigns; Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building: Organizational structure, Training Need Assessment, Job-descriptions; On and Off – the Job-Training and Standards; Monitoring and Evaluations; Innovations and developments In Traffic Control Devices (signs and marking materials); RAP; Procurement of road safety tools (such as book, code, software and equipment); Crash Barriers; School Zone Treatments; Case studies. Also discussions on the most up-to-date concepts, principles and practices for Institutional reform In the road safety. How to cite RSA Guideline, Papers

Monday, May 4, 2020

Discussion about marketing plan and launch strategy

Question: Analyze Keurigs marketing plan and launch strategy. Is the current plan sound? Answer: From the case study, it has been found that after the incredible achievement of Keurig Single Cup browser in Office Coffee Services (OCS) away from home market in late 1990s, the company is about to commence their innovative product named as B100 for the home customers in the year 2013 (Boone Kurtz, 2013). It has been seen that the vice president and the CEO of the concerned company after preparing extensive market surveys as well as testing have been able to finish with the assistance of the specialized services and investigating new marketing approach have been facing some of the serious issues. It has been seen that the addressed issues have not been solved yet by the senior management of Keurig Inc. It has been found that Keurig Inc. required following straight sales approach for their new at home brewer system B100. However, to keep the sales margin same and control over the OCS market of the authorized distributors, the company has introduced a new K cups called Keurig-cup for the at home customers (Hollensen, 2015). Secondly, it has been stated that there is a costing concern because the market review has shown that the satisfactory price to be $149 but after counting all the variables and the permanent costs of B100 scheme the cost acquiring is $220 (Wilson Gilligan, 2012). Therefore, there is a dilemma related to the pricing strategy of the selected company. The third identified issue was the pricing of the K-cups that maximizes their marketplace chances and would be sensible enough for both the customers and the producer (Morgan, Katsikeas Vorhies, 2012). Hollensen (2015) has mentioned on his work that U.S. coffee market is constantly mounting where specialty coffee is the main emphasize whose sales share is 8% and this has jumped from 8% to 20% each year. After discussing the marketing plan of the concerned company, it is important to analyze the launch strategy of the company. Some of the financial experts have stated that the new brewer scheme for the at home customers id absolutely a superior idea and has the potentiality to prosper in the current economic trends as well as the consumer expectations (Santos-Vijande et al., 2012). It can be stated that new technology is one of the important factors that keep the on evolving and if the company is properly as well as technologically sound, it would tough for the company to maintain competitive advantage in the strong competitive market (Wilson Gilligan, 2012). At this part, it is important to suggest some of the effective recommendation to the company, so that they can deal with the addressed issues in the company. Initially, it can be suggested that the company must utilize direct marketing approach with their new B100 Brewer system (Santos-Vijande et al., 2012). Apart from that, it can be said that Keurig Authorized Distributors are required to maintain a proper relationship with the office managers as well as take their feedbacks. This might help the company to deal with the company issues (Santos-Vijande et al., 2012). References Boone, L., Kurtz, D. (2013).Contemporary marketing. Cengage Learning. Czinkota, M., Ronkainen, I. (2012).International marketing. Cengage Learning. Hollensen, S. (2015).Marketing management: A relationship approach. Pearson Education. Morgan, N. A., Katsikeas, C. S., Vorhies, D. W. (2012). Export marketing strategy implementation, export marketing capabilities, and export venture performance.Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science,40(2), 271-289. Santos-Vijande, M. L., Lpez-Snchez, J. ., Trespalacios, J. A. (2012). How organizational learning affects a firm's flexibility, competitive strategy, and performance.Journal of Business Research,65(8), 1079-1089. Wilson, R. M., Gilligan, C. (2012).Strategic marketing management. Routledge.

Sunday, March 29, 2020

Social Cultural Environment of Kazakhstan Essay Example

Social Cultural Environment of Kazakhstan Paper The process of shedding the Soviet Union and starting anew as the democratic Republic of Astrakhan is made difficult by the fact that a large percentage of Astrakhan is not Khaki. According to the 2009 census there are two dominant ethnically groups in Astrakhan, they are ethnic Khakis (63. 1%) and ethnic Russians (23. 7%) with a wide array of other groups represented, including Ukrainians, Cubebs, Germans, Chinches, Koreans, and Ushers that is, virtually any group that has ever come under the Russian peer of influence. Many of the Nan-Khaki people of Astrakhan have met attempts by the Khaki government to make Khaki the central, dominant culture Of Astrakhan with great disdain and quiet, nonviolent resistance. Cultural values, symbols and norms. Khakis are historically a nomadic people, and thus many of their cultural symbols reflect nomadic life. Khakis are Muslim by history, and even after seventy years of Soviet atheism, they incorporate Islamic symbols in their everyday life. The traditionally Muslim tar and crescent can be widely seen, as can small Muslim caps and some traditionally Muslim robes and headscarves in the villages. The Khakis developed a patriarchal view of the world. They banded together in extended family groups to battle the hardships of the environment and to protect their cattle and their families. This was officially called ATA-balsas, which means the joining of a grandfathers sons into one tribe of extended family. The husband plays the primary role in family life and is ultimately responsible for the familys survival. Astrakhan is the only Central Asian republic that experienced no ethnic conflicts since independence. We will write a custom essay sample on Social Cultural Environment of Kazakhstan specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Social Cultural Environment of Kazakhstan specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Social Cultural Environment of Kazakhstan specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The cultural characteristics of Astrakhan are different from the West, yet capable of creating a stable and reliable system of internal networking and support. Astrakhan is rich in social capital, which for centuries served well to ensure the survival and peaceful cohabitation of multiple social and ethnic groups Business Culture and Etiquette: Protecting relationships and peoples honor is important. As a result Khakis finesse what they say in order to deliver information in a sensitive and diplomatic manner. They tend to speak in a roundabout fashion rather than a linear fashion. They respond more favorably to gentle probing rather than direct questioning. At the same time, many Khakis have a somewhat volatile demeanor and can raise their voice to get their point across. They are known for their fierce arguments. You may wish to retaliate in kind, but do so cautiously as there is a fine line between standing up for yourself and appearing overly aggressive. Astrakhan is also an extremely hierarchical society. Everyone has a distinct place in the hierarchy based upon family relationships. People are respected because Of their age and position. Older people are viewed as wise and therefore they are granted respect. The ways of the elders is a popular expression that is used to explain why things are done in prescribed ways. Khakis expect either the eldest or the person with the highest position to make decisions that are in the best interest of the group. An indirect style of communication tends to be more effective than being overly direct, although Soviet influenced bluntness still remains strong-?your weight and level of attractiveness tend to be fair game for comments. Celebrated Holidays: Some of the principal secular celebrations are 8 March, Womens Day, a very important day in Astrakhan and celebrated by all. Women are honored on this day and showered with flowers and entertained with skits and jokes by their male coworkers and family members. Narrow, Khaki New Year-?a holiday mainly celebrated by Khakis on 22 March, but also observed by Gorky, Cubebs, Tureen, Iranians. It occurs on summer solstice. Khakis cook traditional foods, have horse races, and set up many yurts. Victory Day on 9 May commemorates the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany. Day of the Republic, 25 October, was the day independence was declared. This day is a day of Khaki nationalism, with many speeches, songs, and performances in Khaki. Independence Day is celebrated on 16 December-?this date Was chosen to remember the riots in Almost on 1 6 December 1986. The riots were the first display of Khaki nationalism and solidarity. Independence day is celebrated much like the Day of the Republic. People are always happy to host-?even if it puts a lot of pressure on them. Most Assistants will just show up to a friends house without alerting them beforehand. Conclusion: When under conditions of political and economic transition, political institutions proved incapable of establishing a stable and predictable system of support and protection, people turned to national traditions that code certain helping types of behavior as appropriate. The old codes of behavior and moral norms serve to ensure stability within groups and between groups as well.

Saturday, March 7, 2020

The Case of White River Health System †Alternatives of Management Essays

The Case of White River Health System – Alternatives of Management Essays The Case of White River Health System – Alternatives of Management Paper The Case of White River Health System – Alternatives of Management Paper Hospital management is faced by multitude of jigsaws that requires critical analysis, appropriate planning, accurate implementation, and adequate evaluation criteria. Such conditions are needed in order to ensure the stand of the hospital in various fields of importance. Healthcare depends on the managerial systems that interact with its subordinating members and wide scale contributing factors. Management of such firm is absolutely different from business proposals or legal confinements such that, hospitals deal with real life care management and critical health care supervision. However, the factors of business and legal protocols are also part of hospital founding, which interacts with essential qualifications that are required as well in hospital managing. Financial matters, relationship managements, and interaction with community itself are the fundamental requirements of hospital funding since, this firm ought to serve community itself hence, the data of funding needs to be assessed through this channels (Haux, Brigil Winter, 2004 p.12). In the course of the case study, the strategically reopening of the Eastern Ozarks Regional Health System (EORHS) under the management of Executive Officer, Gary Bebow, of White River Health System (WRHS) is elaborated and analyzed under principles of management.   There are a total of five alternative management approaches that are presented to Gary Bebow in aid of hospital management. The factors included in the case are scrutinized and categorized according to characteristics and functions. The main issue involves the opening of EORHS and its best placement in the society in order to function under maximum effectiveness in response to the people living in the community and nearby areas. Scope and Limitation The case shall revolve under the issue of EORHS opening under the leadership of Gary Bebow of WRHS together with the support systems and community citizens. We shall focus on detailed and objective approach in analyzing data and sequence of the problem. In the end of our case study, we shall determine five best possible management schemes for the reopening of the said hospital. As the goal for this paper is the achievement of the best possible managerial approach for the management of the reopened hospital through the use of critical analysis. The following objectives should be attained by the end of the paper: a.  Ã‚  Ã‚   To be able to present, define and evaluate five alternatives or strategies of management for the opening of EORHS hospital under WRHS b.  Ã‚  Ã‚   To be able to provide analysis and justifications for the strengths and weaknesses including the political and economic issues involved in these alternatives proposed c.  Ã‚  Ã‚   To be able to present one final recommended alternative accompanied by short-term and long-term financial impact on WRHS The whole course of study shall move under assessments of data gathered and planning phases only; since, implementation and evaluation are to be done after an organized actual proceedings. Note as well that the whole problem analysis and interpretations shall only revolve under these objectives and goal imposed. Moreover, the case shall provide hypothetical alternatives supported by basis from the case itself. II. Assessment Essentially, the initial phase of the case discussion is the assessment of data gathered and cues involved. It is important to determine this data in order to formulate the appropriate planning of the sets of alternatives. Data cues that have been gathered are sorted according to their categories, namely support systems, community needs, financial database, and patient projections (Geisler, Krabbendam Schuring, 2003 p.157). Various categories involve the appropriate information that serves as the basis of presented alternatives.

Thursday, February 20, 2020

Lawyering for a social change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Lawyering for a social change - Essay Example ome aspects of economic, social or/and political status quo believing that the societal conditions hinder the participation and adequate benefits for the subordinate people. According to Professor Martha Minow, defines political lawyering as an art that involves exacting efforts by using the law to alter the allocation of power or change the society. She connotes law to encompass both the customs of opposition and authority arising from the public institution and the formal rules promulgated by the different branches of government (Loewy, 2009). Social connotes the important links between culture and politics where people shape their ambitions and awareness for the society. The change includes both the discrete alterations and the processes of continuing and refurbishing constant challenge. The first contention is the impact of political lawyering on the relationship between a lawyer and the client. The contention focuses on how the political lawyers can influence their clients and how they may elevate the advantages of the cause of the individual client. The institutional role of a lawyer is to immerse himself in the position of his client and forcefully represent that interest in a legal way as soon as possible. The state of being a legal advocate in the legal system where the causes are not chosen encourages a non-evaluative, non-critical and uncommitted condition of mind. Client-centered lawyering is a traditional model of the relationship between a lawyer and the client where the clients have to bear all the consequences of their decisions suggesting the best position in understanding both non-legal and legal importance of their choices. The lawyer always has a duty of counseling his or her clients in an efficient manner by assisting them to explore the results of their actions where they can be able to make best decisions, which will serve their needs. The second contention is the anti-majoritarian use of the courts. The contention is based with an idea

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Other Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Other - Assignment Example While buying the television, the seller will have spent on something else thereby boosting the local economy. Therefore, in the perspective of the observer of these events, the ill behavior of the man’s son or breaking of the television set has stimulated the economy; however, according to Bastiat, the entire understanding exposes a fallacy. Looking at the concept brewed in this case, breaking of the television reduces the man’s disposable income that he may not be able to purchase; for instance, a new shirt or commit to other luxuries. Nonetheless, the breakage of the television is helpful to others; for example, the seller or the person repairing the television. It should be noted that despite the breakage of the television set being helpful to others; it robs industries and reduces the spending on other goods and or services. Replacing an item that was already bought is regarded as the maintenance cost as opposed to buying new items or items that the owner has never had (Rockwell and Ludwig Von Mises Institute, 2008). ... in Making Financial Decisions The most significant means in decision making including financial decision-making are the application logical and systematic decision-making processes. Application of application logical and systematic processes helps in time value analysis since they provide systematic and planned analysis. Therefore, it is vital that health care organizations to deploy organizational approach that incorporates application logical and systematic processes in making vital financial decision (Skousen, 2009). Applying this concept will ensure that they never miss profound factors in their decision-making. Six steps and practices can help the health care organizations to curb their challenges in financial decision-making. Creating a constructive environment for financial decision making A constructive environment for decision-making incorporates the establishment of objective of such decision making process. In other words, it is vital that the management of such health car e organization to define the parameters the health organization could achieve with their desired financial decision. Additionally, the management must thereafter agree on a working process to be deployed and this will call for the incorporation of the significant stakeholders in such decision-makings. Generating applicable and relevant alternatives This process shall provide the decision makers with more options to choose from towards comprehensive financial decisions. Generation of alternatives allows the management or the decision makers to have numerous ways of solving financial challenges. Therefore, unreasonable alternatives will only worsen the problem. Finally, generating alternatives will help organizations of ideas. Exploration of the alternatives This process ensures that only

Monday, January 27, 2020

The Iron Giant By Ted Hughes English Literature Essay

The Iron Giant By Ted Hughes English Literature Essay By using literary devices and humorous events to connect with children, Hughes kept  The Iron Giant  from being too frightening. For example, his beginning with a giant clumsily stepping from the side of the cliff exemplifies his methods of creating a childrens story because this beginning sets a comical, non-threatening tone as the foundation of the story. For instance, by using similes such as, tearing the wire from the fence post, rolling it up like spaghetti, and eating it, Hughes creates a humorous picture of a giant creature. Viewing a giant in this light-hearted way contrasts giants in typical childrens stories, such as ones present in Jack stories, where the giants are menacing creatures. By using comical situations, Hughes enables himself to address serious issues without being unbearable to children. This humorous depiction of the giant also strays from the portrayal normally seen in classic fairy tales and other fantasy stories. For instance, although in the story Hogarth is a small boy who wants to help save humanity, the giant ultimately saves the day. Because the giant takes on the hero role, it is very different from classic tales, where the giant normally portrays the bad guy. For instance, in classic Jack stories, such as  Jack the Giant Killer,  the giant plays the role of a wicked antagonist outsmarted by the boy. Contrary to this, Hughess giant poses virtually no threat to humanity, save the fact he eats all the metal that he sees; the giant does not fit the stereotypical giant role. This atypical character, an important development in recent fairy tales, shows itself in works such as  The Reluctant Dragon, where the dragon refuses to be a dragon. Zipes explains the reason for including atypical characteristics. He does not fit the stereotypical dragon that fights against men while breathing fire, but instead the boy and he work together to find a solution. This partnership effort of defeating an enemy also presides in  Jack and the Devils Daughter,  when Jack is able to outsmart the Devil with help from the Devils daughter. Likewise, there is a similar partnership shown in the end of  The Iron Giant  when the giant, after being persuaded by Hogarth, uses his intelligence and non-human capability of withstanding fire to defeat the space bat angel dragon. Therefore, the giants portrayal creates a non-traditional giant story allowing for a deeper meaning. For example, Hughes uses the giant to address heavy issues that delve into meaningful subjects. These meaningful subjects include ones such as nuclear power, hidden beneath the complex story of a giant that appears bad but turns out to not be that way at all. Hughes excels in presenting the giant as a strong hero character. Hughes uses the giant to create an intelligent character, enabling the story to have the capacity to reach into profound subjects addressing threats to humanity. While Hughes used the giant as a hero, the space-bat-angel-dragon seems at first to act as the ultimate enemy; although, this character turns out to cause paranoia more than threatening situations. In his first showing in the story, for instance, the dragon fits the stereotypical adversary in classic tales, such as  Red Riding Hood  where the wolf seeks to devour a small girl and a helpless grandmother. This storys character reaches deeper than his apparent devastative actions of ruining humanity, though. The space- bat-angel-dragon possesses a deeper character than the typical shallowness of the bad guys in classic fairy tales.   For instance, the dragon, after being defeated by the giant, breaks down, revealing he wasnt always a menacing monster the space-bat-angel-dragons ambivalent name suggests his complex character. For example,  space,  bat, and  dragon  paint a haunting or sinister character, while angel  implies kindness and helpfulness. In the story, the dra gon evokes feelings around both these types of characters. For example, at first he was threatening, but he eventually became helpful to humanity. This personality allows Hughes to suggest strong points concerning the use of power, The confrontation of serious topics and suggestions about society carries through the ending of  The Iron Giant. Because the space-bat-angel-dragon realizes he does not need to be destructive and can benefit humanity, the anti-war and environmental protection theme jumps out.  The Iron Giant  concludes with a typical fairy-tale, happily-ever-after ending, but the story also presents strong statements about humanity and the way Hughes thinks humanity should exist. The former intimidating dragon causes peace on earth with his singing, Hughes ends his childrens story with his personal wish for all humanity-that humanity will live peaceable together without destructive motives. By using this message he sets his tale apart from other childrens tales by addressing these serious issues. While this message appears frightening, it is an important message that remains poignant and relative to todays society. Through its story-line and message,  The Iron Giant  presents itself as an entertaining story for children and adults. Its methods of making the story a childrens story, giants and space-bat-angel-dragons portrayals, the purpose, and the ending intermingle with ideas of the world and humanitys actions in the world. Hughes believed that children deserve to know the truth about the world they live in, which he accomplished in this story, while not frightening people of young ages.   With this belief, Hughes used strong overtones to create a meaningful childrens story about a desire for peace that is pleasing for many ages of people to read, while keeping the traditional fairy tale happily-ever-after conclusion.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Blackstone Group Essay

The Blackstone Group (Blackstone) is a private equity firm founded in 1985 by two former employees of Lehman Brothers. In May 2007 the firm had $88.4 billion under management and had grown 41% annually since 2001. The firm operated in several business groups but distinguished itself from other firms by extensive collaboration across divisions. It was divided into Corporate Private Equity, Real Estate Funds, Marketable Alternative Asset Management, Corporate Debt Funds, and Advisory Services. In 2007 Blackstone started to evaluate the option of taking the firm public. Reasons why the firm should do an IPO, outlined by the firm’s internal project group, included: †¢Permanent pool of inexpensive capital and a wider group of investors †¢Long-term orientation in compensation package to employees †¢Shares could be used as currency in transactions †¢The firm would become more reputable †¢Partners could monetize their ownership in the firm The firm also identified several drawbacks with going public, including: †¢Quarterly reporting requirements leading to higher costs and more insights in the firm from the market †¢Risk that the market is unable to tolerate the variation of earnings in the firm due to long-term focused investments †¢Changing the firm’s structure and compensation system from a partnership to a corporation includes several challenges In 2007 the firm announced that it will go public and I will in the following five sections elaborate on some of the challenges the firm has to overcome and other implications following the IPO. 1.What are the built-in tensions with a public private equity firm? How does Black Stone’s structure attempt to reconcile them? Openness vs. private governance A challenge for private equity firm when going public is that it looses the benefits associated with being private. In the case of Blackstone, the firm’s management mainly described the need for maintaining the current governance, where the partners manage the firm, in order to ensure the firm operates in the interest of its limited partners. To handle the tension between maintaining governance and comply with the rules for listed companies the firm chose to adopt a Master Limited Partnership (MLP). Fortress Investment Group, that went public during 2006, has used this structure and considering the share price of that firm, it seemed like the investors appreciated the structure. MLP is a limited liability company with units of the firm that can be traded on the stock market. The structure allows the firm to retain the limited partnership form of governance and hence, allow the management team to continue manage the firm. The unit holders (share holders) only have limited voting rights and cannot influence the management team in the firm. By choosing this structure the firm can maintain the decision power in the same way as when being a private company. There is however a risk that the firm should be aware of, the investors can use other form of pressure (media, etc.) to influence the managing partners. Short-term vs. Long-term perspective One of the advantages of being a private firm is that the firm only has to disclose limited information about its operations. Blackstone operates its investment on a long-term basis why the firm has a lot of variability in its earnings. As an example, a fund usually has a return that can be visualized in a â€Å"J-curve†, meaning that the fund is basically loosing money in the beginning due to management fees but catches up in the long run. The stock market is known to be short-term focused and may interpret the fluctuation as negative news and therefore causing a fluctuation in the stock price or an undervaluation. Blackstone is basically using two ways to approach the problem. First, they are aligning the compensation to its employees so it serves the interest of both the limited partners (long-term) and the stock market (short-term). This is further elaborated in the fourth question in this paper. Second,  they are informing the potential investors through a prospect that holding a Blackstone unit (share) is different from other shares in the market. Third, to further smooth out potential fluctuations in the share price the firm guarantees a dividend during the first years after listing. The fact that the stock market tends to be short-term focused further shows the importance of having the MLP structure. To maintain the long-term focus on investments the firm needs to separate the governance of the firm from the shareholders and the limited voting rights will ensure this. 2.If you were a limited partner in Blackstone, how would you view the structure Blackstone has put in place to go public? As a limited partner in Blackstone I would consider the structure as chosen to ensure my interests. Given the fact that the firm chose to go public for the opportunities that a listing brings, it seems to be the best way of doing it. I would be most worried about that the firm would try too much to stabilize the share price and fulfil the interest of the shareholders by focusing on short-term profits. Many of the limited partners in a private equity fund are pensions funds or similar and do not mind to lock their money over a longer time period and, by doing so, seek the long-term profit that the private equity firm can offer. I will highlight the two things that make me confident that my interests as a limited partner will be maintained with the structure that the firm is implementing. First, the structure allows the governing rights of the firm to remain with the partners and therefore the firm avoids that the short-term oriented market gets direct influence over decisions. Second, according to the firm, the suggested compensation package should align the interest of the managers in the firm with the limited partners, or at least maintain it similar to before. However, I am slightly sceptical to this since the only thing that seems to change for them is that a part of their compensation comes in shares. Depending on how the stock market will turn out to react to news from the firm it might be so that the managers realize that they can earn more money by being short-term  focused and that would not be aligned with my interests. In addition, there are a few things that I am worried about as a limited partner despite the measures the firm has taken. The fact that the firm is a public firm is probably more prestigious for the managers than being private. Therefore I am afraid that the focus will gradually turn towards the interest of the shareholders. The firm does not want to have an underperforming or fluctuating stock in the long run and, if this seems to be the case, I am afraid that the limited partners long-term interest may be down prioritized. Another thing that is also worrying is the risk of losing competent people due to the changed compensation package. 3.Would you rather be a unit-holder in Blackstone or a limited partner? Everything taken into account I would rather be a limited partner in Blackstone. If the structure turns out to work the way that Blackstone says it will, the limited partner will be better off. From its history the firm has the competence and procedures to operate in the interest of the limited partner, i.e. long-term focused. Being a shareholder does in general include some aspects that should be considered. The stock price may fluctuate due to information, lack of information, and speculation. Therefore the market may act inefficient and in worst case it can destroy the value of the stock. In the case of Blackstone, where the firm intends to leave less information to the market than a normal firm, the risk of under- or overvaluation of the stock is even higher. By being the limited partner you avoid the fluctuations in share price and if the firm manage to keep its focus and strategy, you can continue to expect a good return. The main problem, which is outlined above, is that there is a risk the managing partners will gradually become more short-term focused so it is good as a limited partner to follow the development of the firm closely. 4.As a potential employee, how would you evaluate the Blackstone compensation package against a commensurate offer from a similar large-scale PE firm that was not public? The suggested compensation package from Blackstone has several intentions behind it. Some of the concerns that are mentioned in the case: †¢The employees should not be worse of than before †¢Their interests should be aligned with both the limited partners and the shareholders †¢Partners and managers ownership should not be too monetized in order to retain competence in the firm The firm therefore decided on multi-phase approach where the compensation includes a combination the management fee, the carry interest, and a number of units (shares). If I would consider starting working for Blackstone after the IPO, i.e. I would not receive any of the shares that the firm initially planned to give to its employees; I would prefer an offer from a non-public firm. The reason is mainly that a part of the salary comes in shares. There are several drawbacks with this. First, a part of your salary will be exposed to fluctuations in the stock market and as outlined in the previous question, these fluctuations may not always be justified. Therefore, since part of the salary will be exposed to risk an employee should request a higher salary compared to if he/she would get it in cash. Second, even though I would, as a private person, want to hold a part of my capital in stocks, I would prefer something else than the firm that I am working for. By having the same shares I am exposed to the success of the firm not only with my salary (risk of losing my job), but also with my savings. I would as a private person prefer to have most of my savings at least in another firm and even better, in another industry. If I would considering becoming an employee before the IPO I might reconsider my decision above depending on how much extra shares I would get initially and see if that outweigh the risk I see with being paid in shares. 5.The question outlined in the case Even though it is not part of the assignment I would shortly like to comment  on the offer Blackstone receives from China where they express interest in buying $3 billion of the offering. As Schwarzman outlines in the case, it would give Blackstone a great advantage if the firm whish to expand its business to China. In today’s more global world this could be a strategic important move and even if the firm does not buy a Chinese firm, it can establish local knowledge and through that better handle deals involving U.S. firms with operations in China. However, by selling 75% of the initial IPO offering to China they may not satisfy the U.S. stock market. Schwarzman therefore considered increasing the offering to 20% of the firm. This would have implications on several levels. The firm would experience an even higher pressure to give out information and it is likely that the managing partners will be influenced by the more involved stock market. Also the suggested compensation package would likely change to a situation where a bigger share of managers’ salary is coming in units (stocks). The risk with this is that the limited partners’ interests will be seen as less important and the firm might become more short-term focused than it is today.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Global Soy Commodity Chain

Brazil is the second largest producer ot soy in the world Brazil's soy production mirrors the US and ADM's agribusiness production model. Genetically modified plants are used and pesticide protected. The soy industry has been profitable helping to strengthen Brazil's economy. However, soy production in Brazil has been the source of contention from groups like Greenpeace due to the destruction of Amazon Rainforest lands to grow soy as a commodity crop. Numerous active protests by Greenpeace to draw attention to forestation losses have led to laws in Brazil directed at this problem. PPA†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœs or Permanent Preserve areas have been instituted as Sustainability Law requirements for soy farms in Brazil. Europe was Brazil's top soy buyer until protests and attention came to the fact that the Amazon was affected by this industry. Ships carrying soy to Europe from Brazil were blockaded by Greenpeace. The European market for Brazil's soy also hinges on the use of Monsanto's geneticall y modified product. European soy consumers have banded against these products outlining their case against genetically modified soy. Their purpose is to keep Brazil's soy products GMO free.Increasingly, Brazilians do produce Monsanto GMO soy products and can sell this product easily to China. European response to this is to partner with farmers in Brazil, who do not produce GM products, much like fair trade organizations. Soy and Agribusiness have come under a great deal of criticism. Much of this is environmental, political, economic, and social. ADM's founders formed the industry with seemingly good intentions. â€Å"Solving the world's hunger† and â€Å"Supermarket to the World† are motto's that demonstrate the intention of the corporation.They have enjoyed a great deal of success and profitability churning out products that do, in fact, feed the world. However utilizing genetically modified plants and pesticides reduce the gamble a farmer makes; degrading the envir onment and employing less people to care for plants. Due to agro-industrialization â€Å"soybean production is almost entirely mechanized†. People are not employed in the task of farming but rather the science of genetic modification in the US and Brazil. ADM manages almost every part of the soy commodity chain their corporation constitutes over 70% of US soybean production.They work with US soy farmers and are involved with Latin American soy production. They have more than two hundred sixty five processing plants for raw materials like soy. Soy is sold and shipped by ADM, but it is also processed into many component products. Novasoy, a trademarked product of ADM, is a non GM derivative. Clarisoy is a protein product also marketed to manufactures like General Mills etc†¦ In their cosmetic marketing of soy ADM describes: â€Å"Nature provides some of the world's best personal care ingredients.ADM taps that potential, offering vegetable-based lipids, natural antioxidant s and soy ingredients that can give your products enhanced erformance†. Scientific advancements with agricultural products like soy are American staples of industry. Genetic modification for better or worse was an early advance and became successful economically. Now the science for agricultural products is geared to sustainability issues. Industry support for education and scientific advancement led to the development of the soy crayon that is better for the environment. Soy is a more sustainable resource than petroleum.The same can be said of soy derived fuels. This lessens the use of petroleum. Ford has a history of interest in plant derived resources for industrial products in the forties Ford built what is sometimes reterred to as a â€Å"soy car†. Soy ?ber was part ot a polymer ne developed for the body of this vehicle. It was not popular at the time, due to taxpayer dollars being invested in this type of research, and WWII insured that his agricultural industrial plans were put aside, however the modern day company picked up on this cue and developed foam for car seats that are used in new models.They have also egun using soy in place of petroleum on tires and expect to have a more sustainable car tire. The social trend and movement in soy agriculture is opposition to genetic modification and agribusiness. ADM has responded with organic and non GM products, they are a business and their success is contingent upon consumer demand. For those who consume soy products packaging and advertising like that of Silk soymilk products announce that they are free of GMO. The market for this type of product is growing as the issue of agriculture and agricultural products becomes more prominent.The historical context of the development of the soy commodity chain is interesting because the plant is Chinese in its origin and had little place in the Western world until this century. Currently, it is almost entirely produced in the Americas and exported in l arge quantities to its place of origin. As a Northern American, I am familiar with agribusiness. I saw ADM's â€Å"Supermarket to the World† commercials every Sunday in my childhood. I accepted that that this was a wholesome company, after researching this I understand the criticisms and consequences although I do elieve the founders of this system had good intentions.

Friday, January 3, 2020

Argumentative Essay On Child Support - 1203 Words

Child support is by far the most common thing in America. Families which include both parents are slowly dying out. Although raising a child in a single family home might be easy to some, it is actually pretty stressful for those who aren’t financially stabled. I could go into many details and situations regarding child support due to the fact that my siblings are either on the supporting side or the one who needs the support. Child support is a very big deal to me because I do feel that if the other parent doesn’t want to be in that child’s life then the least they could do is give money to the care giver so that child is not going without, especially in the infant stage. So to start out, what is child support? Child support is a court†¦show more content†¦When you think about child support, many people immediately think the father is the one not paying it. Little do we know a father can defiantly file child support to the child’s biological moth er. The problem with child support is the courts don’t really enforce it the way they should. If the parent who is being asked to pay the child support is financially stabled, they should not be able to hire a lawyer, go to court and try to appeal. I do not feel that it is fair to the parent who is actually with that child twenty-four seven, and it is definitely not fair to the child, because they did not ask to be here. If it took two people to lie down and conceive the child then it should take two people to actually take care of the child. Another problem is the fact that since the courts is not enforcing the parent to pay child support; the parent thinks that they can continue blowing it off and living their life as if nothing happened. 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