Artificial Sweeteners Are Really Bad Essay

Artificial sweeteners are chemicals or natural compounds that replace the sweetness of sugar, without all of the calories. But sometimes the label ‘sugar-free’ masks calories present in the food or drink. Aspartame, which is in Equal is a common chemical sweetener with crazy possible side effects. Effects include hallucinations to seizures and brain tumors; it is hardly worth consuming for the sake of saved calories in my opinion. Then you also have Sucralose, which is known as Splenda. Recent research suggests that Splenda can enlarge both the liver and kidneys and shrink the thymus glands. Splenda reportedly can cause skin rashes, panic, diarrhea, headaches, bladder issues, stomach pain, and those side effects don’t even sum it up. In addition to all of this, consider the waste involved in the industry of artificially sweetening. Ever stepped into a coffee shop and noticed a mound of sugar substitute packets building on the counter or in the trash? We’ve been wasting one of our most precious resources for the sake of a sweetener that can harm our bodies and prevent weight loss. So what you can do instead to get your sugar fix? Turn to natural sweeteners for your drinks and food alike. Honey, agave nector, organic maple syrup, brown rice syrup, and stevia are just a few natural sweeteners you can turn to. Not only will they wreak your body less, but your support of these sweeteners instead will, eventually, help to slow the production of toxic artificial sweeteners. I am interested in this topic because so many people that I know use artificial sugar. My mom however, has never let us use things like sweet and low or splenda because she was always aware of the bad things that happen in your body because of these artificial sugars. I want to be able to answer the question â€Å"well why is it bad?† when people ask me why they shouldn’t use splenda and sweet and low. I will approach this as an informative paper, letting the audience know why it is bad, but also trying to convince people not to use it at the end.

Illusion and Identity in Atwood’s Essay

Identity in Atwood’s â€Å"This is a Photograph of Me† In her poem â€Å"This is a Photograph of Me,† author Margaret Atwood uses imagery and contrast to explore issues of illusion versus reality as well as identity. The poem is split into two halves. The first half contains descriptive words about scenery and natural objects, and the second half, surrounded by parentheses, begins with the unnerving surprise that the narrator is dead. The poem opens with a description of a picture that at first seems blurry but slowly comes into focus, like a photograph slowly developing, that even resembles a written poem itself (â€Å"blurred lines and grey flecks/blended with the paper. †) The second and third stanzas go on to describe objects in the picture, including a â€Å"small frame house,† a â€Å"lake,† and â€Å"some low hills. † The first half has a reminiscent and descriptive tone, falsely leading the reader along with serenity. But even here, there is a shroud of mystery, with a description not just of a â€Å"branch,† but of â€Å"a thing that is like a branch,† and the house is â€Å"halfway up/ what ought to be a gentle slope,† not halfway up a gentle slope. What could this mean? The calm albeit mysterious peacefulness of the first half ends with the fourth stanza’s jarring declaration, beginning with an opening parenthesis, that the photograph the narrator is describing â€Å"was taken/ the day after [she] drowned. The pace of the poem after this revelation seems frantic, searching for the narrator in the lake, which was in the first half described as being â€Å"in the background† and now â€Å"in the center/ of the picture. † The narrator tells the reader that what can be seen is distorted and one must look intently, playing with the themes of illusion and identity. Perhaps the ambiguity of the poem and the exploration of illusion and identity are hinting at a feminist perspective that a woman’s true spirit is overcast by a male-dominated society. Or perhaps the poem’s focus is eluding to a more universal human search for identity, a with a narrator who is unsure and obscured, but â€Å"just under the surface,† about to break out – previously dead but now reborn, to find a new path. Or perhaps the author is talking about poetry or literature itself and the author’s hidden intentions lurking in the work. As noted earlier, the description of the â€Å"photograph† at the beginning resembles a description of a poem: â€Å"blurred lines and grey flecks/ blended with the paper,† like lines of writing and the letters comprising words. The author dies with the birth of her poem, when the piece lives on its own; but the author is still there, somewhere, her intentions a key part of the text. The photograph in the poem, in the first half, is described as â€Å"smeared† and â€Å"blurred† and in the second half there is still â€Å"distortion. † So instead of disclosing the narrator’s story and identity, no resolution is apparent. On the contrary, the photograph creates illusion and obscures identity. The reader is left with uncertainty, just like the blurred and distorted photograph of the poem.

The Current Crisis Sheds More Light on Macroeconomics than vice-versa Essay

The Current Crisis Sheds More Light on Macroeconomics than vice-versa - Essay Example On a personal stand, it would be said that indeed the current crisis sheds more light on macroeconomics and that the various macroeconomic conditions practiced across the globe could greatly be attributed to why the global economic state has not seen any impressive growth over the few years. Indeed, instead of amassing the overall aim of instituting various macroeconomic policies to alleviate poverty and make the economic conditions of countries and its populaces better, certain critical misplaced priorities and mismanagement on the part of regulators of macroeconomic conditions have led to a total failure of the ambition. Today, the whole world seems to be in a shamble and economists continues to argue on which line of action is the best – whether macroeconomic conditioning or microeconomic conditioning. In the following text, specific macroeconomic condition, the roles they were expected to play in influencing global economic growth, and how they have failed and created cris is will be looked at. Again, specific contributing factors to why dependence on macroeconomics could not help but led to global economic crisis will be discussed. Finally, recommendations shall be made on how to revive the crisis through macroeconomics. Assessing Specific Macroeconomic Conditions and how they relate to Economic Crisis National Output and Income The output and input of a country is a major indication of the performance of the country economically. Given any period of time; mostly over one year, each nation produces certain about of viable product. Some of these viable products are goods whereas others are services. To find the national output of a particular country, the total production of viable products is summed up. The reason for using the national output to determine the macroeconomic performance of a country is the reason that the viable products, be they goods or services are considered to be tradable products that can yield the country economic income and re venue. National output is therefore considered to be an economic value. In light of this, Riley (2006) posits that the national output can be used to determine the value added to the economy of a particular country. He defines value added as â€Å"the increase in the value of a product at each successive stage of the production process.† This is where the need for using the national output to create wealth and thus alleviate a country from economic crisis and hardships come in. This assertion is made against the backdrop that the value added is expected to improve all aspects of a country’s production process and thus make the economic lives of the citizenry at all levels better. It is for this reason that the value added and national output are used to determine the gross domestic product of a nation. Again, the national output is closely related to national income because it is expected that the production rate and production proceeds of a country would determine how much the country will earn on the global economic market. For each sale made, there is an added income to the national economic coffers. This is one reason why the national output is easily used to determine the gross domestic product of a country. According to Riley (2006),†this measure of GDP adds together the value of output produced by each of the productive sectors in the economy using

Morning warm-up, QA and QC procedures for Varian Linear Accelerator Research Paper

Morning warm-up, QA and QC procedures for Varian Linear Accelerator System - Research Paper Example In this paper Morning warm-up, QA and QC procedures to be broadly considered within any organization/hospital in relation to the Linear Accelerator System are discussed. It is stated â€Å"Daily, monthly, and annual quality control (QC) of linear accelerators are part of the major tasks of the medical physicist to verify that patients are receiving proper radiation treatment."1  The control tests consist of the measurement of beam output, verification of the beam energy, and determination of the beam flatness and symmetry in a linear accelerator parlance. However, QA and QC procedures cover wide areas aiming all- round quality in the system Introduction In a computer assisted Varian radiation therapy machine, â€Å"a computer controls the operations of the machine to automatically set the position of the gantry relative to the couch for treatment of a patient. The automated motions of the gantry and the couch are simultaneous for decreasing the setup time. In addition, the comput er includes a collision avoidance program which averts collision between the couch or patient, and the gantry†. 2 A linear accelerator (LINAC) device is used for external beam radiation treatments for cancer and other radiation therapies such as Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT).... It is stated â€Å"To overcome the problem of differential heating, it is important to slowly increase the heating of a cold tube insert. The warm-up process must be carried out first thing each morning and repeated during the day if the workload is insufficient to keep the tube warm. The manufacturer’s guidance should be followed, but in general the warm-up period will be between 10 and 20 min. "3(p146)   However, in a Varian machine, automatic warm-up program is in-built and gets activated when the temperature falls below the operating temperature. However, standard QA and QC procedures with regard to morning warm up in general is essential for quality in operations and service. Warm-up tests are carried out by the morning warm-up therapist by following standard procedures as laid down with reference to several factors and the tolerance levels. Quality Control and Quality Assurance Quality Control or Quality Assurance is a comprehensive and ongoing exercise. According to ISO definition, â€Å"Quality control  is a set of activities intended to ensure that  quality requirements are actually being met.† and â€Å"Quality assurance  is a set of activities intended to establish confidence that quality requirements will be met† .4 Both Quality Control and Quality Assurance are the parts of Quality Management which includes direction, control and coordination in relation to quality. The efficacy of the system could be ensured through proper maintenance of records, review of the activities with reference to the objectives, periodical preventive maintenance programs and continuous monitoring of the safety measures. QC/QA Procedures for Varian linear accelerator system Varian states5 that

Impact of media such as video games, film and TV on the behaviour of Essay

Impact of media such as video games, film and TV on the behaviour of teenagers - Essay Example The way the media has captured the hearts and the minds of young people has made people think that it will impact not only their routine but also their behaviour patterns and thinking patterns. It is feared that violence in media will make young people become violent in nature. Many people believe and are convinced that children and teenagers will become more aggressive and will indulge in unlawful activities if they are exposed to violence in media on a continuous basis (Freedman, 2002, p. ix). These beliefs and fears about media violence impacting the young people negatively have been fostered by claims of scientific research conducted by psychologists and health organisations. However, the fact that media violence does not cause aggression has been proven by many research studies in field of social psychology (Freedman, 2002, p. ix). Many shortcomings, like poor measuring of aggression, lack of appropriate methodology and failure to control the important third variable, have been found in the pieces of research that claimed that media violence causes aggression in teenagers (Holder, 2012, p. 77). However, the negative impact of violence in media, especially in video games and television shows, has been hyped so much by the media that it has created fear in the minds of people. People need to understand that there are several positive effects of video games and television shows that have been recorded through reliable research studies. It is the need of an hour to get deep into the topic. Instead of believing just half the story, people should make efforts to know the whole truth. The fear that media violence causes teenagers to behave in aggressive manner is baseless as research studies have proved that media can be useful not only in developing certain physical skills but can also help in the development of social and moral values. The impact of video games Video games are considered to be one of the most harmful screen based media of all. The fact that one of the most popular media among teenagers and young people is the video game has increased the concern of adults. It was understood that regular playing of video games have led to negative physical, psychological and social effects on players (Gunter, 1998, p. 15). It was also thought that the unhealthy level of pre-occupation with video games and computers can lead to development of addiction in children (Gunter, 1998, p. 15). In their study, Linn and Lepper (1987) have reported that teachers have found observably more impulsive and aggressive behaviour in boys aged 10 to 12 years, known to be regular video game players, and with whom they had regular contact in school (as cited in Gunter, 1998, p. 96). According to Anderson et al. (2010), a meta-analysis showed that aggressive behaviours in players across culture, and gender is found to be increasing with playing of violent video games (as cited in Holder, 2012, p.77). However, contrasting claims were made by various research stu dies on the impact of media on teenagers. The relationship between aggressive behaviour and video games is not established in all the researches (Gunter, 1998, p. 96). In a study of individuals aged 12 to 34 by Gibb et al. (1983), no relationship was found between the measures of hostility or self-esteem in the subjects with the amount of indulgence in the video games they played (as cited in Gunter, 1998, p. 96). In fact, a study by Kestenbaum and Weinstein (1985) has

Discuss the possibility that hamlet never encountered the ghost of his Essay

Discuss the possibility that hamlet never encountered the ghost of his father, that the ghost was all a figment in the imagination of a troubled mind - Essay Example There is a possibility that Hamlet was inspired by Martin Luther, the initiator of the Protestant Reformation. In Denmark, people follow the Catholic faith and are very religious. In Hamlet’s days, Catholics faced many problems. In those times, the Roman Catholic Church was rapidly gaining absolute power. The priests said that our sins can be condoned from God’s punishment by buying tickets to heaven. However, since Hamlet studies in Wittenberg in Germany and not in Denmark; he is little influenced by the Catholic school of thought. In Germany, Luther is epochal. Luther confronts the tenets of Roman Catholicism in the Ninety-Five Theses. Hamlet is surrounded by Protestantism, in mind as well as in spirit. Hamlet says, â€Å"O all you host of heaven! O earth! What else? And shall I couple hell?† (Act 1 Scene 5). He starts to doubt Purgatory as it is a Catholic concept. As his father comes from Purgatory and asks him to avenge his murder; Hamlet questions himself about the existence of Purgatory. He thinks that the Devil himself has disguised as his father’s ghost and has descended to test him. Therefore, the ghost might be his imagination. Hamlet is caught between the conflict of two opposite forces, so he tries to save his sanity and sense of reason. He has strong moral integrity. Since his father’s death remains a sudden occurrence; the next king of Denmark is supposed to be Hamlet. His uncle’s readiness to take his place makes Hamlet wonder how his father passed away. To make things worse, his mother marries him right after her husband’s death. Shakespeare writes, â€Å"Thrift, thrift, Horatio. The funeral baked meats did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables† (Act 1 Scene 2). Hamlet doubts his mother ever loved his father, and asks himself how in a short time she could overcome the grief and get married to her brother-in-law. Hamlet is disturbed by the happy demeanor of his mother. Shakespeare states, â€Å"How weary, stale,

Fair Trade Coffee Industry in Britain Research Proposal

Fair Trade Coffee Industry in Britain - Research Proposal Example Coffee itself has a profound relationship with the British culture and economy. The industry has grown rapidly and in the recent years it is now almost impossible to walk down a British high street without being mesmerized by the scent of freshly roasted coffee beans. The coffee culture has created a new and unique social space in Britain. Neither work nor home, nor the pub, the coffee shop has survived criticism of being over- subscribed to become, at least for now, an integral part of everyday life. It is worth noting at the outset that Fair Trade is still considered a niche in the commercial world since as of the year 2002 it has only represented 0.24% of the coffee marketplace. The relations with customers under a Fair Trade approach establish channels of communications so that the producers can better understand the needs of its customer base .The two economic forces that coincide to create the FT marketplace is a two way relationship between developing and developed nation in w hich the emerging markets or developed entities act as the producers of the valuable commodity while the population in the developed worlds act as the consumers and distributors of FT coffee. During its inception FT coffee used to be specialty premium products whose availability was limited to specialty gourmet shops or special food item stores. (Plunkett Research. 2007) . The market structure of the FT segment of the coffee industry has change a lot in scope and the amount of opportunities for players that desired to capitalize by becoming a member of some part of the supply chain of the business which includes the farmers, international commodity distributors, or the final sales point distributor which may be involved in the business of selling pounds of coffee prepared or hot drinks that fit the needs of customer of consuming a great tasting coffee product. It is worth noting then the scope of Free trade coffee on this lucrative market and predicts a way ahead for marketers and corporate giants eyeing this segment of the market share. The nature of Fair Trade in coffee has been classified as"a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade.. Fair Trade organisations (backed by consumers) are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness raising and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional international trade". (official definition adopted by the European Fair Trade Association (EFTA)) This conception of the Fair Trade definition is thus meant to engulf the ambit of welfare objectives of higher incomes; improved working conditions; support for local craft traditions; and greater security through guaranteed prices (Hines, Charlotte and Ashley Ames. 2000.) The last factor relates to the economic aspect here as the high fluctuations in commodity prices cause problems for the growers by leading to incomes insufficient to repay loans and subsequent eviction from the land (Hines, Charlotte and Ashley Ames. 2000.) The coffee crisis dates back to the Coffee agreement of 1989.

Research in Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Research in Practice - Essay Example Individuals can access knowledge which helps in communication and reflection. Research in practice also leads to development of new information about devising processes and procedures that may make great contributions in theatre and also assist other theatre artists, pedagogues and scholars. Art is not only regarded as a means of communication but also of processing, gathering and identifying new knowledge (Beauchamp, 2010 p 3). This concept has led to the development of a new method of research where by the issues faced in theatre and artistic practice are investigated using methods that have been developed in the boundaries of the practice itself. This has made art to develop into a point of departure and it is no longer regarded as an object of research only. Development of theatre research in practice has led to a growing interest in tacit knowledge. Tacit knowledge is identified as knowledge of an artist which can be seen in skills and unformulated knowledge that emerge from the work of an artist. Research in practice is especially applied in arts practice in academic settings and it entails a wide category of research activities. Research in practice is carried out with the aim of achieving an arts related output, a research process which is entirely framed as an artistic practice or an arts project as an element of a research process drawing on various methods of research (Arlander, 2009 p 15). Research may usually begin or end in a form of arts practice. It may also draw on various art practices as a part of the process of research or may even be integrated as a whole into the changing forms and outputs of an art project. Practices of art incorporate various creative methodologies that may be used in different disciplines of research projects as methodological innovations therefore coming up with new information and providing new perspectives on the available knowledge. Research in practice will also make use of a different kind of knowledge practice th erefore improving the creativity of artists and other individuals in art practices. Research in practice enables individuals to understand processes, functions and roles that various practices play in the field of art. An understanding of the cultural, political as well as philosophical practices will enable individuals to explore art through practice. Practicing art is an important way through which individuals can understand art and other forms of cultural practices in different countries. The process of making art plays a huge role in generating new ideas and perspectives that will enable in understanding of a wide range of cultural and social phenomena which involves community, narrative, identity, space, transformation, time as well as testimony. Research in practice therefore privileges action as an important aspect of learning and developing new knowledge. In theatre, research in practice usually involves various artist researchers who explore, test and also spread different creative methodologies in different contexts. This makes it possible to explore how different interventions relate with each other. Research in practice can therefore be said to be a creative intervention of understanding the world. Artistic research has various effects on individuals as it may change their views and perspectives regarding important aspects about art. Research in practice is identified as a term that was developed to describe knowledge production that originates from the concerns of different artists. Artistic research

Coursework 8 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

8 - Coursework Example For example, the inhabitants could have cooperated and authorized this as a rule to be followed by all. 6.1: A top down hierarchy came up, under a king’s supervision. Common-pool resources were managed according to tradition and rituals as a means of avoiding overexploitation. However, the traditions did not materialize. 6.2: Group cooperation among societies disintegrated into competition and mutual suspicion. For instance, the reciprocity and trust among tribes disintegrated just like the king’s autonomy to give orders and enforcing them (Diamond, 1995). B. 1. Due to overpopulation, there was deforestation, which in turn led to soil erosion and nutrient leaching, soil evaporation, wind damage, and final crop yield reduction. This meant that food was insufficient to sustain the population as a result of low harvest and competition for the same. There was also class conflict, where the king was accused of the incapability to avert environmental collapse. Power was then assumed by the warrior class. Jointly, destabilization and inadequate response to circumstances as well as the deterioration of resources combined to cause collapse. 2. Just like Islanders, the current human population struggles to balance between preventing the harmful effects of practices like deforestation, soil erosion, and energy conservation. Most societies in the developing world are overpopulated and this continues to be a challenge to the limited amount of food produced. The historical account of Easter Island serves as a warning sign in regard to the need to address environmental issues in such a way that, it illustrates how lack of thoughtful environmental stewardship and careful planning can lead to failure of sustainable management of

A Votre Sante Teaching Note Essay Example for Free

A Votre Sante Teaching Note Essay Additionally, the case questions require both quantitative and qualitative analyses of the business issues faced by AVS. AVS has been used in a graduate-level managerial accounting class for MBAs, and would be most appropriate for an advanced undergraduate or a graduate-level accounting or MBA course. The detail in the case is rich enough to support a variety of analyses. Alternative uses could be to have the student construct a cost of goods manufactured statement or a traditional financial statement, both of which reinforce the differences between product and period costs. Additionally, alternative decision analysis questions could be developed using the variable and fixed cost structures described in the case. Case question number two is only one example of a potential decision analysis question. The contribution margin income statement (Teaching Note Exhibit 1) is fairly straightforward, with the following concepts or calculations causing the most difficulty: The inclusion of liquor taxes and sales commissions in variable costs: These are both period expenses, but are clearly based upon the number of bottles sold, and therefore are included in the variable costs. Where to include the wine master expense: Since the wine master is paid according to number of blends, not number of bottles, this expense is listed as a fixed cost. Arguably, it could be listed as a variable cost, given that the cost will be based on the number of wines produced. As part of the discussion we will examine the rationale behind listing wine master as a fixed or a variable expense. Barrel expense: The case states that the barrels produce the equivalent of 40 cases of wine. A case of wine is post-fermentation/bottling and therefore after the 10% loss has occurred. The barrels contain the wine at the start of the process. Therefore, there have to be enough barrels to hold all the wine at the beginning of the process, not at the end. This factor results in 63 (62.5) barrels being required for the harvest2. Teaching Note Exhibit 1: Contribution Margin Income Statement Part b asks, â€Å"What is the maximum amount that AVS would pay to buy an additional pound of Chardonnay grapes?† There are three parts to calculating this answer: the benefit from the additional Chardonnay wine to be sold, the relevant costs related to producing this wine and the opportunity cost of not producing as much Blanc de Blanc wine. Teaching Note: Exhibit 2 displays the calculations relevant to this decision. Chardonnay regular wine requires a 2 to 1 mixture of Chardonnay and generic white grapes. Therefore, the 18,000 pounds of Chardonnay grapes will be combined with 9,000 pounds of generic white grapes. The 27,000 pounds of grapes will result in an additional 9,000 bottles of new Chardonnay regular wine being produced. However, it will also result in a 3,000-bottle decrease in the amount of Blanc de Blanc wine produced, since some generic grapes will now be used for the Chardonnay-regular wine. Recall that only Chardonnay wine is processed in barrels.

State Of Nature Would Be State Of War

State Of Nature Would Be State Of War Thomas Hobbes set out to account for political authority with the use of the State of Nature. He illustrated what life outside of society without any overall authority keeping anyone in check would be like. Hobbes identified the State of Nature with a State of War but used war in an extended sense, to include not just armed hostilities but any situation where there is no reasonable expectation that hostilities will not erupt. He argued that the known readiness to engage in acts of aggression amounts in itself to a State of War. Specifically there are three principal causes of quarrel (lev) which throw people into hostilities. These causes are competition, diffidence and glory (Lev p. 88) and together they ensure that the State of Nature is a State of War. The State of Nature put simply is a situation in which human beings have no government, no political institutions and the feelings that they engender and no executive forces such as a police force or army in other words, it is a condition of anarchy. The State of Nature is an idealisation, a model. (Engaging P.19) Hobbes uses the State of Nature to justify political authority, or as Hobbes calls it, the commonwealth. He does not describe literally everything that would be the case in the absence of political arrangements, but only those things that matter for explaining political authority. What Hobbes did, was to identify features of human nature and the human condition that are universal, that in no way depend upon political authority relations, and that are relevant to explaining political authority causally. The State of Nature can be considered as a condition from which people are to escape if political authority is to be justified. So the sole alternative to political authorit y is the State of Nature, however according to Hobbes, the State of Nature is unbearably nasty as what is crucial to the state of natures justificatory role is the fact that life in it is pretty grim. Therefore the sole alternative to political authority is unbearably nasty, hence imposing political authority is justified. Hobbes attempted to illustrate that subjection to authority is vastly preferable to anarchy the State of War; he held the view that if we had reasons to believe that political authority is much better than the State of Nature, then imposing political authority is justified. Hobbes attempted to demonstrate that the State of Nature is a State of War in order to justify political authority. He depicted the State of War as a place full of insecurity and uncertainty in order to further substantiate his claim. The State does not necessarily consist in actual fighting, but a known disposition thereto, during which there is no assurance to the contrary. (page 86 Leviathan). Hobbes depicted the State of War as a condition in which civilisation and its benefits are absent. Only through the organisation of society and the establishment of the commonwealth can civilisation be attained. One thing that Hobbes recognised about the natural condition of mankind was the relative equality of individuals within it. When Hobbes spoke of equality he did not mean equality in a moralised sense, but more the distribution of physical and mental endowments. Nature has made men so equal that, although some humans are manifestly stronger in body or of quicker mind, these endowments are distributed in such a way that even the weakest, slowest and dumbest among them can kill the strongest, fastest and smartest. Hobbes claimed that when all is reckoned together, the difference between man and man is not so considerable, all human beings are, in other words, vulnerable to assault at the hands of all others. Equality, for Hobbes, is based upon the equal ability to kill or conquer others so inevitably equality leads to conflict, a State of Nature will be a war of all against all.(leviathan p. Vii) In the State of Nature, there are three causes of conflict: competition, distrust and the desire for glory. Competition leads to fighting for grain, diffidence to fighting to keep what has been gained and glory to fighting for reputation. These sources of conflict arise from what Hobbes calls the equality of ability (lev) in men. This natural equality of men is not equality of rights or of worth but an equality of ability, which leads to equality of hope in attaining ones ends and so to competition. The right of each to all things invites serious conflict, especially if there is competition for resources, as goods -are in relatively short supply in the State of Nature.(Stamford) So if any two men want a single thing which cannot be attained by both, they will become enemies (page 84 Leviathan) Conflict can occur for example when someone has come to possess a better piece of land. If an invader would have nothing to fear but that one mans individual power, then it is more than likely that someone will choose to invade this estate and attempt to deprive the owner of his possessions. But then the successful invader will then be in similar danger from someone else. It is an endless cycle of conflict in the State of Nature, which inevitably creates hostile conditions. However, Hobbes claim that all men are equal is false. The very young, the very old and the infirm generally pose no mortal threat to able bodied persons in the prime of life and therefore there would be no competition in some circumstances. Whilst it was not Hobbess aim to describe what is literally the case, this does demonstrate that not all of his reasons were convincing when explaining why the State of Nature would be a State of War. Hobbes further illustrated a State of as a State of War as it is a place where nobody feels secure, each person has a reason to attack any other person, for fear of being attacked first; this is what Hobbes referred to as diffidence. Because of this distrust amongst men, the most reasonable way for anyone to make themselves safe is to strike first, so attack can be seen as the best form of defence in a State of War. And, because each person has roughly equal killing power, everybody is both a potential killer and a potential victim. The fact that each of them is liable to aggression from others means that each person has to treat every other person as an enemy. People dont just regard everyone as possible enemies, in the State of War everyone is an enemy. Hence diffidence makes people invade one another for safety. Hobbes quite rightly held that the State of Nature would be a State of War therefore as people would fear that others may invade them, and may rationally plan to strike fi rst as an anticipatory defense, a natural human instinct to preserve their own safety. Hobbes also said that The State of War arises from the nature of some people, mainly those who want others to value them as highly as they values themselves. Glory drives people to attack others to raise their value in the eyes of others. Glory is therefore a source of unwarranted aggression and when there is no common power to keep people at peace, conflict will occur which Hobbes quite rightly said. Hobbes had a particularly good reason for believing that the State of Nature would be one of war as morality has no place in this pre-political world that Hobbes created. Everyone has an interest in killing everyone else pre-emptively, whenever possible, and this is acceptable as nothing holds any individuals back from committing any immoral acts, humans would merely act as their interests dictate. In a State of Nature, by definition there are no rules, not even unenforceable ones that might deter some from committing such acts. Therefore even moral restrictions to do or withhold from doing certain things for example, not to kill have no effect in a State of Nature. Hobbess view was that in the natural State of War there are no objective moral distinctions. In this State of War of every man against every man nothing can be unjust. The notions of right and wrong, justice and injustice, have n place. Where there is no common power, there is no law, where no law, no injustice. Hobbes assumed that the state of nature would be a state of war as taking people as they actually are, if you were to remove all political institutions, the natural proclivities that would ensue would lead to a state of war. Notably, without political institutions, the natural impulses to self-preservation are doomed to failure. In the state of nature, that is our unhappy predicament. Natural right of self-preservation (ch. 14): the liberty each one has to use her/his own power for self-preservation. A central claim of Hobbes: It is rational to give up ones right to self-governance to a sovereign, if everyone else agrees to do the same. (See chapter 17, section 13) The natural state of war, therefore, is the state of affairs in which the individual is dependent for his security on his own strength and his own wits. In such conditions there is no place for hard work, because there is no assurance that it will yield results; and consequently no cultivation of the earth, no navigation or use of materials that can be imported by sea, no construction of large buildings, no machines for moving things that require much force, no knowledge of the face of the earth, no account of time, no practical skills, no literature or scholarship, no society; and-worst of all-continual fear and danger of violent death, and the life of man solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. Perhaps we would imagine that people might fare best in such a state, where each decides for herself how to act, and is judge, jury and executioner in her own case whenever disputes arise-and that at any rate, this state is the appropriate baseline against which to judge the justifiability of political arrangements.

Finding Morality and Unity with God in Dantes Inferno Essay -- Alighi

Finding Morality and Unity with God in Dante's Inferno Throughout the fast-paced lives of people, we are constantly making choices that shape who we are, as well as the world around us; however, one often debates the manner in which one should come to correct moral decisions, and achieve a virtuous existence. Dante has an uncanny ability to represent with such precision, the trials of the everyman’s soul to achieve morality and find unity with God, while setting forth the beauty, humor, and horror of human life. Dante immediately links his own personal experience to that of all of humanity, as he proclaims, â€Å"Midway along the journey of our life / I woke to find myself in a dark wood, / for I had wandered off from the straight path† (I.1-3). The dark wood is the sinful life on earth, and the straight path is that of the virtuous life that leads to God. Dante’s everyman, pilgrim character represents all of humanity, and endures much adversity and temptation through squalid conditions in a nightmarish vision of hel l, in his search to find the soul’s true path in life. While he stands in peril, Dante wishes that each individual would put themselves in the same position as the aforementioned, as all of mankind knows some form of sin, and also wanders lost in a dark wood. Before achieving moral redemption, an individual must take a hard look at evil both in the world and in himself. Only by confronting inner evil can people achieve self-knowledge, which is the first step toward redemption. Dante feels hell is a necessary, painful first step in any man’s spiritual journey, and the path to the blessed after-life awaits anyone who seeks to find it, and through a screen of perseverance, one will find the face of God. Nonetheless, Dante aspires to heaven in an optimistic process, to find salvation in God, despite the merciless torture chamber he has to travel through. As Dante attempts to find God in his life, those sentenced to punishment in hell hinder him from the true path, as the city of hell in Inferno represents the negative consequences of sinful actions and desires. Though the punishments invariably fit the crimes of the sinners and retributive justice reigns, the palpable emphasis of fear and pity that Dante imbues on the transgressors illustrates his human tendency to feel sympathy towards one who is suffering. For example, when Dante approaches the gat... ...a vice. The virtue of courage, then, lies at the mean between the excessive extreme of rashness, and the deficient extreme of cowardice. Reason often calls for us to take sides on moral issues, however, Dante illustrates the extremity of moral demands that Christianity makes on human beings, who are perpetually fallible. He reflects that the world beyond the present one, is, like reality, rational and orderly, and the poem allows us to view this certain, orderly world. Dante makes himself everyman, and the journey that God decreed through hell is one man’s personal transcendent journey from deep intellectual moral confusion to a sound and steadfast faith and hope, in which Dante renews his faith. Dante awakens our hope, and warns against moral complacency by peeling away the dangerous illusions of adequacy, leading one upward, toward the eternal heart of reality. Dante compels the reader to share his growing abhorrence of sin and his obligation to uphold God’s will. The poem’s purpose is to re-awaken Dante, and, by extension, the reader, to the reality of sin and the accompanying need for confession and repentance, to return to the straight path that leads to eternal salvation.

An Overview of Aging and Existing Cultural Differences Essay -- essays

An Overview of Aging and Existing Cultural Differences Society predetermines a specific life course for each person of their community. Missing any stage of this course is detrimental to the development of the human life. But not all societies have these stages of life; ergo different cultures define stages differently. The stages of the life course are childhood, adolescence, adulthood, young adulthood and middle adulthood, old age and death. Society thinks of childhood as the first twelve years of life. In most cultures it is known as the time of autonomy from the weight of the grown-up world. But in other societies, such as Taiwan and Indonesia, childhood is seen as another occasion to send someone to work. The children do not have a normal childhood life of playing house and Barbie’s; instead they are in factories making shoes for approximately fifty cents an hour. In our society, ‘our concept of childhood is grounded in significant biological differences that set the young from the old’ (Macionis & Gerber, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The next stage of the life course is adolescence. This is the time where kids are in between childhood and adulthood. The preteen and teenage years comprise the stage of life when young people establish some independence and learn specialized skills required for adulthood (Macionis & Gerber, 2002). Adolescence is related with social and emotional confusion; young people have conflicts with their parents, and try to develop their own sense of identity. Adolescence is a product of culture. A study that was done in the 1920’s by Margaret Mead on the Samoan Islands shows that there was little stress among teenagers; their children appeared to move easily into adult standing. Our society, however, defines childhood and adulthood more in opposing terms, making transition between the two stages of life more difficult (Macionis & Gerber, 2002). The experience of adolescence also varies according to social standing and background. Following adolescence comes adulthood which is made up of young adulthood and middle adulthood. ‘Adulthood is the period during which most of life’s accomplishments typically occur, including pursuing careers and raising families’ (Macionis & Gerber, 2002). Young adulthood goes from age twenty to about age forty. This is generally a time of engaging in many goals set earlier ... ... & Gerber 2002). On the other hand, the prevalence of depression & dementia in Japan may be lower than in the West, which implies that culture may exert a protective influence (Dein & Huline-Dickens, 1997). Social isolation may be less likely in the Japanese culture because children often live with their elderly parents; whereas in Canada, elderly parents are often housed in nursing homes or assisted living accommodations. References AFS. (2000). Where in the World. Retrieved April 5, 2003, from http://www.afs.org.au/ where_detail.html?cou_code=JPN Dein, S. & Huline-Dickens, S. (1997). Cultural aspects of aging and psychopathology. Aging-and-Mental-Health, 1(2)112-120. Macionis, J.J & Gerber, L.M (2002). Sociology (4th ed.) Toronto, Ontario: Prentice Hall. Masud, Chika. (1999) Elderly Welfare in Japan. Retrieved April 5, 2003, from http://user pages.umbc.edu/~cmasud1/sowk.html Rosenberg, Matt. (2000). World Life Expectancy Chart. Retrieved April 5, 2003, from http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa042000b.htm Traphagan, J.W. (2000). Reproducing elder male power through ritual performance in Japan. Journal of Cross Cultural Gerontology, 15(2)81-97. An Overview of Aging and Existing Cultural Differences Essay -- essays An Overview of Aging and Existing Cultural Differences Society predetermines a specific life course for each person of their community. Missing any stage of this course is detrimental to the development of the human life. But not all societies have these stages of life; ergo different cultures define stages differently. The stages of the life course are childhood, adolescence, adulthood, young adulthood and middle adulthood, old age and death. Society thinks of childhood as the first twelve years of life. In most cultures it is known as the time of autonomy from the weight of the grown-up world. But in other societies, such as Taiwan and Indonesia, childhood is seen as another occasion to send someone to work. The children do not have a normal childhood life of playing house and Barbie’s; instead they are in factories making shoes for approximately fifty cents an hour. In our society, ‘our concept of childhood is grounded in significant biological differences that set the young from the old’ (Macionis & Gerber, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The next stage of the life course is adolescence. This is the time where kids are in between childhood and adulthood. The preteen and teenage years comprise the stage of life when young people establish some independence and learn specialized skills required for adulthood (Macionis & Gerber, 2002). Adolescence is related with social and emotional confusion; young people have conflicts with their parents, and try to develop their own sense of identity. Adolescence is a product of culture. A study that was done in the 1920’s by Margaret Mead on the Samoan Islands shows that there was little stress among teenagers; their children appeared to move easily into adult standing. Our society, however, defines childhood and adulthood more in opposing terms, making transition between the two stages of life more difficult (Macionis & Gerber, 2002). The experience of adolescence also varies according to social standing and background. Following adolescence comes adulthood which is made up of young adulthood and middle adulthood. ‘Adulthood is the period during which most of life’s accomplishments typically occur, including pursuing careers and raising families’ (Macionis & Gerber, 2002). Young adulthood goes from age twenty to about age forty. This is generally a time of engaging in many goals set earlier ... ... & Gerber 2002). On the other hand, the prevalence of depression & dementia in Japan may be lower than in the West, which implies that culture may exert a protective influence (Dein & Huline-Dickens, 1997). Social isolation may be less likely in the Japanese culture because children often live with their elderly parents; whereas in Canada, elderly parents are often housed in nursing homes or assisted living accommodations. References AFS. (2000). Where in the World. Retrieved April 5, 2003, from http://www.afs.org.au/ where_detail.html?cou_code=JPN Dein, S. & Huline-Dickens, S. (1997). Cultural aspects of aging and psychopathology. Aging-and-Mental-Health, 1(2)112-120. Macionis, J.J & Gerber, L.M (2002). Sociology (4th ed.) Toronto, Ontario: Prentice Hall. Masud, Chika. (1999) Elderly Welfare in Japan. Retrieved April 5, 2003, from http://user pages.umbc.edu/~cmasud1/sowk.html Rosenberg, Matt. (2000). World Life Expectancy Chart. Retrieved April 5, 2003, from http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa042000b.htm Traphagan, J.W. (2000). Reproducing elder male power through ritual performance in Japan. Journal of Cross Cultural Gerontology, 15(2)81-97.

Animation Essay -- essays research papers fc

Animation My personal enjoyment with animation has inspired me to write this essay, pertaining to animation. Since I was a child I have been fascinated with cartoons; from when they started out to be black and white, and until now with full colour and computer effects. To better perceive what my personal feelings about animation are, I must first discuss in full detail, a general overview of how animators bring traditional animation alive with motion. Animation seems like a smooth movement of drawn sequences of artwork, pasted together to form a single sequence of animation. This is the basis of animation, but animation is far simpler than it may seem. "The true meaning of animation is that it is a series of drawings strung together to create the illusion of smooth fluent movement."1 But the process of creating this so- called illusion, is a pain staking process during which artists must spend tremendous hours of agony to produce only seconds of animated film. Before an animator goes about creating an animation he or she must have the knowledge of several rules of animation, which animators around the world follow. The first rule of animation is that an animator must hold the understanding of the techniques used to produce single cells of animation. Second rule, and one of the most important ones is that, the animator must have great patience, so that his or her piece of artwork is not rushed, to prevent the animation from looking choppy and not as smooth as it should look. Finally what is required from an animator is "it takes commitment and effort to make the basis of animation come alive with fresh ideas."2 The following is not a rule of animation, but is often taught to animators around the world. "Animators were often taught that animation is only limited by the imagination and skills of its creators."3 Using these rules animation companies hire artists who are familiar with the rules previously discussed, but to create a feature full-length animation you need more than just these rules. Below the process of creating a feature full-length animation will be discussed in further detail. To create a traditional animation requires a team of cooperative artists and editors. It also demands a collective, c... ...r generated graphics and animation, I believe that the true admirers of the art of animation will always have a nostalgia for the techniques first used by the pioneers of animation. Reference 1.Compton's Encyclopedia, 1991 edition, Vol.3, "Cartoons." 2.Randy McCallum, Cinemation (British Columbia: Motion Works Inc., 1992), p. 19. 3.ibid., p. 23. 4.Edward Desmond, "Beyond Mickey Mouse," Time (Nov.1.1993), p. 32. 5.Toolworks Encyclopedia, 1992 edition, CD ROM, "Animation." 6.ibid., CD ROM. 7.Compton's Encyclopedia, 1991 edition, Vol.3, "Cartoons" 8.Toolworks Encyclopedia, 1992 edition, CD ROM, "Animation." Bibliography 1.Brown, Robert. "Cartoons." Compton's Encyclopedia, (1991), Vol.3, pp. 163-165. 2.Desmond, Edward W. "Beyond Mickey Mouse." Time, Sept.27,1993, pp. 42-47. 3.Elmer, Philip. "Video Game Boom." Time, Nov.1,1993, pp. 16-20. 4.McCallum, Randy. Cinemation. British Columbia: Motion Works Inc., 1992, pp. 1- -193. 5.Redmond, John R. "Animation." Toolworks Encyclopedia, (1992), CD ROM. 6.Young, Harvill. "3D Imaging Technology." MacWorld, Sept.1,1992, pp. 276-285.

Dmitri Mendeleev Essay

I have chosen to write about Dmitri Mendeleev. What was Dmitri Mendeleev know for? Dmitri Mendeleev was a Russian chemist who developed the periodic classification of the elements. In his version of the periodic table, Mendeleev left gaps in places where he believed unknown elements would fit in and he predicted the likely properties of three of the potential elements. The proof of many of his predictions within his lifetime brought fame to Mendeleev as the founder of the periodic law. So who was Dmitri Mendeleev? Mendeleev was born on February 8, 1834 in the village of Verkhnie Aremzyani, near Tobolsk in Siberia. Mendeleev is thought to be the youngest of 17 siblings. His father was a teacher of politics, philosophy, and fine arts. Unfortunately for the family’s well being, his father became blind and lost his teaching position. His mother was forced to work and she restarted her family’s abandoned glass factory. At the age of 13, after the passing of his father and the destruction of his mother’s factory by fire, Mendeleev attended the Gymnasium in Tobolsk. In 1849, the Mendeleev family relocated to Saint Petersburg, where Mendeleev entered the Main Pedagogical Institute in 1850. Sometime after Mendeleev graduated, he contracted tuberculosis, causing him to move to the Crimean Peninsula on the northern coast by the Black Sea in 1855. While he was there he became a science master of the Simferopol gymnasium. Later he returned with fully restored health to Saint Petersburg in 1857. Between 1859 and 1861, he worked on the capillarity of liquids and the workings of the spectroscope in Heidelberg. In late August 1861 he wrote his first book on the spectroscope. In April of 1862 Mendeleev became engaged to Feozva Nikitichna Leshcheva, and they married on 27 April 1862 at Nikolaev Engineering Institute’s church in Saint Petersburg. Mendeleev became a professor at the Saint Petersburg Technological Institute and Saint Petersburg State University in 1864 and 1865. After becoming a teacher, Mendeleev wrote the textbook, Principles of Chemistry. As he attempted to classify the elements according to their chemical properties, he too noticed patterns that led him to postulate his periodic table. Mendeleev was also unaware of the earlier work on periodic tables going on. In 1863 there were 56 known elements with a new element being discovered at a rate of approximately one per year. Mendeleev made the following table, and by adding additional elements following this pattern, developed his extended version of the periodic table. In 1865 he became Doctor of Science for his dissertation on the combinations of water with alcohol. He achieved tenure in 1867, and a few years later by 1871 Mendeleev had transformed Saint Petersburg into an internationally recognized center for chemistry research. Later on in 1876, Mendeleev had become obsessed with Anna Ivanova Popova and began obsessed with her. In 1881 he proposed to her and threatened suicide if she refused to marry him. His divorce from Feozva Nikitichna Leshcheva was finalized one month after he had married Anna in early 1882. Even after the divorce, Mendeleev was technically a bigamist. His divorce and the surrounding controversy contributed to his failure to be admitted to the Russian Academy of Sciences. Mendeleev was widely honored by scientific organizations all over Europe, including the Copley Medal from the Royal Society of London; he resigned from Saint Petersburg University in August of 1890. In 1893, he was appointed Director of the Bureau of Weights and Measures. It was in this role that he was directed to formulate new state standards for the production of vodka. As a result of his work, new standards for vodka were introduced into Russian law and all vodka had to be produced at 40% alcohol by volume. Mendeleev also investigated the composition of petroleum, and helped to found the first oil refinery in Russia. In 1907, Mendeleev died at the age of 72 in Saint Petersburg from influenza. The crater Mendeleev on the Moon, as well as element number 101, the radioactive mendelevium, are named after him. Referances: E.Babaev. February 20, 2012. http://www.chem.msu.su/eng/misc/mendeleev/welcome.html http://www.biography.com/people/dmitri-mendeleyev-9405465 http://www.chemistry.co.nz/mendeleev.htm http://chemistry.about.com/od/famouschemists/p/mendeleevbio.htm http://www.famousscientists.org/dmitri-mendeleev/ Reflection, I decided to write about Dmitri Mendeleev because I thought he sounded the most interesting. I also wanted to learn more about him and his life. Chemistry is very entertaining to me and Mendeleev basically wrote the periodic table.

A Long Walk to Freedom – Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela in his book, Long Walk to Freedom argues through the first five parts that a black individual must deal, coop, and grow through a society that is hindering their lives† with apartheid and suppression of their rightful land. Rolihlanla Mphakanyiswa or clan name, Madiba was born on July 18, 1918 in a simple village of Mvezo, which was not accustomed to the happenings of South Africa as a whole. His father was an respected man who led a good life, but lost it because of a dispute with the magistrate. While, his mother was a hard-working woman full of daily choirs. His childhood was full of playing games with fellow children and having fun. In school, Mandela was given his English name of Nelson. After his father†s death, he moved to love with a regent, who was a well-off individual and owed Nelson†s father for a previous favor. The next several years were full of schooling for Nelson. These schools opened Nelson†s eyes to many things, which we will discuss later. He and the regent†s son, Justice decided to travel to Johannesburg and see what work they could find. They left on their journey without the regent†s permission, but eventually escaped his power and settled down in the town. In Johannesburg, Nelson settled down in a law firm as an assistant and went to University of South Africa and Witwatersrand University to further his law education. Witswatersrand University brought many new ideas to Nelson and awakened a spirit inside of him. The next several years, Nelson met many new political friends and began his involvement in the ANC. Also during this time, he met Evelyn and they became married. Gradually Nelson†s political involvement grew and his family life declined. Nelson and his good friend, Oliver Tambo opened a law firm, which took up most of Nelson†s time. Evelyn mothered two of Nelson†s children, but the gradually grew apart. Now, Nelson was an influential political individual and bans and jailing began to follow him around. One day, a young woman came into his life by the name of Winnie and they got married. Winnie gave birth to two more of Nelson†s children. As time passed, Nelson†s spirit for freedom grew more and more each day. Though his life was full of bannings and jailings, he never gave up his fight, but he knew that the south African government was becoming agitated with him and the ANC. The South African government became ruthless and strict and this forced Nelson to leave his family. After he left his family, he went underground. Nelson†s life has been full of hardships and decisions, but his heart for the struggle has never faltered. Now let us examine Nelson in closer detail. Nelson is an individual who fought through many hardships, but was also faced with decisions that affected his future, his family, and his livelihood. As we look at Nelson deeper, we can see many interesting points. He was opened to new ideas and beliefs through his experiences in the schools of Heraldtown and Fort Hare, but knew there was something better. He decided to travel to Johannesburg to find new and greater opportunities. While, in Johannesburg, he believed education would be a key asset. While working for a small firm, he took classes at University of South Africa and eventually Wits University. Here is where his mind and social life flourished. He interacted with great minds and influential political individuals. He talked to many Africans without proper education, who contained more knowledge and better social skills than many Africans with education. But, he still persisted in acquiring his B. A. Wits University brought his life to new extents. He was also talking to Indians, Coloureds, and whites for the first time in his life and Becoming friends with many more prominent African individuals. Nelson soon joined the ANC and became very prominent in the fight for freedom. Nelson was always open to listening to new ideas, but when his was just starting his fight. He believed that just Africans should fight the struggle and that the Indians, Coloureds, and communists would hinder their fight. As the ANC grew, Nelson also became well known. He was part of the Youth League, another beneficial part of the ANC. Nelson was not president yet, but was powerful enough to voice is opinions, which many people listened to and believed in. As Nelson†s political involvement grew, the police became more aware of him. Nelson received ban after ban, which ranged from months to years. He also experienced jail time constantly. Eventually, the police†s pursuit of him forced him to go underground. Nelson was also becoming more open-minded. He now believed that the fight should involve the Indians and the Coloureds. He also believed that Communism did have some good points, but he would never accept the whole communism aspect. There were many freedom fighters in South Africa. One that stood out was Dr. Xuma. Dr. Xuma was friend of Nelson and the president of the ANC, but the struggle forces many hardships on one†s life. Nelson gave everything up to pursue his fight for freedom. He left his family, his prospering law firm, and his past for the struggle. Dr. Xuma believed in the same ideas as Nelson, but would not give up his prominence with the whites and his wealthy occupation for the struggle. This decision had to be made by many freedom fighters. Nelson gave his life for the fight. While, Dr. Xuma thought his career was more important. Now let us look closer at some issues seen through Mandela†s book. Through this paragraph, I will compare foreign influence seen in Long Walk to Freedom to foreign influence seen in Mexico through Professor Hornibrook†s lectures and notes. As I have seen through your lectures, South Africa was affected by foreign influence from the British and the Dutch. Mandela†s autobiography helps give more detailed accounts of the European influence seen in South Africa. Ever since Mandela was born, the European†s power affected his people. European influence could be seen through every aspect of life. In Mandela†s school, he was given an English name and this was because â€Å"this was the custom among Africans in those days and was undoubtedly due to the British bias of our education. â€Å"(14) Also, â€Å"the education I received was a British education, in which British ideas, British culture, British institutions were automatically assumed to be superior. There was no such thing as African culture. â€Å"(14) This shows that it was difficult to get away from the British influence even for children in school. The British and the Dutch governments passed several acts that were instituted to fight against the Africans freedom struggle. The Africans struggle for independence was slowly growing and this scared the government. A new term was being seen and it was called â€Å"apartheid. † The government enacted laws and acts that prohibited Africans from doing Many things that were vital to their fight and survival. The Group Areas Act was one example. This act called for each racial group to be separated into separate areas. Another act was the Population Registration Act, which showed that race had become the most important and influential aspect of South African law and society. Another act was the Suppression of Communism Act. This act called for all communists to be brought to trial. The police could arrest anyone they believed were trying to overthrow the government by violence and communist ways. Lastly, the government put bans on individuals who were becoming to involved in the struggle and finally the government banned the ANC and all other liberation groups. This ban now made freedom fighting was illegal in South Africa. The effect of foreign influence was drastic. Africans lost sense of African culture in schools. While, the foreign government tried everything to break down the Africans chance for liberty. The foreign influence seen in South Africa crushed the African†s hope and survival. While this was occurring in South Africa, Mexico was also seeing the effect of foreign influence. Americans and Europeans came into Mexico and gained much power. Haciendas helped their rise and foreign investment in many minerals and oil. But, Mexico did not approve of this and changed it. In 1917, Mexico created a new constitution, which limited foreign investment and promised land reform. This showed that Mexico did not want an overpopulation of foreigners and would not allow it. While, in oil, the foreigners controlled much of the oil, which Mexico had an abundance of. In 1938, oil workers went on strike and the companies would not give in, but instead of allowing foreign influence to become too powerful. The Mexican leader, Cardenas sent in arbitrators. The arbitrators called for the one/third pay increase, but the companies refused. Therefore, Cardenas nationalized oil and limited the power of foreign influence in Mexico. Now, Mexican oil was controlled by PEMEX, which is controlled only by Mexico. Mexico become a large influence in the oil market during the oil crisis, but also went though hyperinflation and eventually needed some foreign help. But, the Mexicans would not allow foreign influences to dominate the Mexican state as foreigners have affected South Africa. Now I will examine another issue seen in the book. In this paragraph, I will examine the movement seen in Long Walk to Freedom to the movement seen in China during the 1900†³s. In South Africa, the movement I saw was the Africans fighting for freedom. In their time of struggle, they had little help from those with power. The liberation movement involved peasants, educated, and well-off Africans. But, the government did what ever they could to put down this struggle. They set up organizations, such as the ANC, Youth League, and others, but as seen in other places the wealthy and powerful would not help the struggle. Many people were blind to the struggle. â€Å"Most of these wardresses had no idea why we were in prison, and gradually began to discover what we were fighting for and why we were willing to risk jail in the first place. (249) Many individuals did not realize what the Africans were really fighting for and why the government was harassing them, but slowly they were learning. â€Å"Seeing prominent and educated white women discussing serious matters with a black man on the basis of perfect equality could only lead to the weakening of the wardresses† apartheid assumptions. â€Å"(249) The government tried to separ ate whites from blacks so whites would not turn sympathetic towards the Africans fight. This scared feeling made the government acts and laws stricter and harsher towards the African struggle. Therefore, in South Africa, the movement received little help from the people who had influence in the country and the help they truly needed. While, in China, their movement involved their peasants and they had help, which truly helped their struggle. Mao stated that â€Å"In a very short time,†¦ several hundred million peasants will rise like a mighty storm†¦ They will sweep all the imperialists, warlords, corrupt officials, local tyrants and evil gentry into their graves†¦ â€Å"(Mao, 24) Here Mao stated that the peasants would destroy the landlords and corrupt individuals. He helped the peasants by making some reforms. He gave peasants land and made marriages a free choice. He also instituted the 100 Flowers Campaign. This campaign allowed peasants to speak out and have freedom of speech. We see here that the peasants had help in their struggle, while the Africans had very little. This assistance helped the peasants to get the things they were fighting for. Mandela†s Long Walk to Freedom, helped show the rise of an incredible individual, who fought with many of his countrymen against the oppression and apartheid of white supremacy in South Africa. Throughout the book, I have seen Nelson†s open-mindedness. Nelson always listened to communist ideas and Indian goals, eventhough he did not agree with them. Nelson faced many hardships through his struggle and this had to cause some resentment against his oppressors. But if anyone would not be bias in his writing, I would say it would be Nelson Mandela. He has showed in his book that he is great individual and that he will not let his past feeling cloud his writing. You can see his feelings in his book and that is what makes it so good, but I believe he does not hide anything from us on both sides of the stories. In conclusion, Mandela†s autobiography is a brilliant book written by an incredible individual. I wish I could of read the whole book for this essay, but that was not possible. It is hard to write an essay on the first 5 parts when I know some things that happened further in the book. I did not know if I should include that information in the essay, but I did not involve it. This book helped to show the other side of the story. We always hear the victor†s story and in this class we got to hear the other side of the story.

Clyne’s Revision of Grice’s Maxims Essay

Grice’s Maxims have been criticised for being too Anglo-centric. Michael Clyne proposes revisions to the four maxims in his 1994 book Intercultural Communication at Work. Do Clyne’s revisions of this model go far enough in universally accounting for intercultural conversation? Why or why not? Grice’s General Cooperative Principle has been under continuous debate for the past three decades. It is mainly through the maxims that Grice’s paradigm has been challenged as highly ethnocentric, however such readings may tend to take the maxims too literally rather than as â€Å"reference points for language interchange† (Allan as cited in Clyne, 1994, p. 11). There is some agreement in this, but as suggested by Mey (1994, p. 74), the principle and maxims are â€Å"always defined relative to a particular culture†. It is this idea of cultural values underlying communication that has caused the contention of Grice’s cooperative principle and its subordinate maxims. Many linguists (Keenan, 1976; Wierzbicka, 1985; Clyne, 1994; Bowe & Martin, 2007) have criticised Grice’s Maxims for being too ethnocentric – claiming that its assumptions are based on Anglo-Saxon norms and culture. This Anglo-centric nature is problematic for intercultural communication as the maxims are inapplicable to many cultural values systems; namely European and Southeast Asian cultures where harmony, respect and restraint play a key role (Clyne, 1994, p. 192). In an attempt to better reflect intercultural conversation, Clyne (1994) has proposed a set of revised ‘maxims’ to make Grice’s principles more universal. His revision of Grice’s model certainly accounts for a wider variety of contexts and cultures, however it cannot be said to universally account for intercultural conversation. As conversation is unique to its context and participants, in reality no single theory could universally embody real life language use. Although people of all backgrounds generally do attempt to facilitate successful communication (if it doesn’t conflict with their purpose or cultural values), factors unique to each participant can affect any given conversation. Thus, it c an be said that while individuals are conditioned by their culture and environment, discourse patterns will always be influenced by personality factors (Watts, 1991) and pragmatic and intercultural competence. On the surface, Grice’s cooperative principle seems to provide little  difficulty for intercultural analysis; its degree of uncertainty is certainly appropriate for discussions of cultural diversity. Making a contribution â€Å"such as is required, at the stage at which it occurs, by the accepted purpose or direction of the talk exchange in which you are engaged† (Grice, 1975, p. 45) seems to allow for the acceptance of different purposes and requirements in different contexts, and does not exclude the influence of norms associated with a variety of different speech communities. Although intercultural analysis was not Grice’s main concern, he has defined the discourse of his cooperative principle as â€Å"concerted enterprises† that allow â€Å"a high degree of diversity in the motivations underlying quite meagre common objectives† (1989: 369). Grice himself makes no explicit claims of universality, using characteristically modest language to refe r to a â€Å"first approximation of a general principle† (1989: 26). He is extremely careful not to overstate the case for ‘cooperation’; suggesting that â€Å"each participant recognizes in them (talk exchanges), to some extent, a common purpose, or at least a mutually accepted direction† (1989, p. 26). It should be pointed out however, that Grice’s maxims depict an idealised and simplified language use, whereas reality is much more complex and multi-dimensional. In everyday conversations, telling the entire truth might be seen as impolite or inappropriate in certain cultures. There also tend to be intercultural differences that do not always follow a universal principle. Some cultures and languages (i.e. Chinese) often dictate that their speakers use indirect speech in conversation, which means they are unable to follow Grice’s maxims of quantity and manner. In such cases, there is a clash between Grice’s maxims and the pragmatic rules of conversation, which are culturally sensitive. For example, when being offered a drink, a typical Chinese person would automatically say no the first time, while expecting the offer to be made at least two or three times more. This resembles a kind of phatic language communication; saying no, but not really meaning no. In this sort of situation, if someone doesn’t adhere to the cultural norm – choosing to follow Grice’s maxims instead, then they would sound odd and out of place. The above example demonstrates that Grice’s maxims aren’t relevant in all contexts as they clash with certain cultural values systems. Many linguists  (Clyne, 1994; Hymes, 1986; Loveday, 1983; Walsh, 2009) have picked up on this discrepancy between theory and data, claiming that the maxims are only relevant to the English speaking Western world. In particular, Clyne (1994) has pointed out that they have limited relevance to cultures where content and knowledge are core values. For example, speakers of Malagasy, â€Å"whose form of co-operation seems to consist in making their contributions as opaque, convoluted and non-perspicuous as possible† (Keenan as cited in Mey, 1994, p. 74) could be seen as flouting the Maxim of Quantity. This is because information, especially ‘new’ information gives the holder a certain amount of prestige, thus Malagasy people tend to use indirect, evasive language. It is obvious then, that environmental factors, social interaction and cultural norms need to be considered when interpreting conversational implicature. This is reinforced by Hymes (1986), who notes that Grice was correct in assuming that any culture will have some sort of orientation towards telling the truth (quality), being informative (quantity), staying on topic (relation), and being clear (manner), but that this orientation and how it is articulated cannot be assumed to be the same in all cultures. It is necessary then to recognize that each language and/or culture will have its own settings for each of the maxims (Bowe & Martin, 2007). In an attempt to reduce the cultural bias of Grice’s maxims, Clyne (1994) has proposed revisions to the four maxims (quantity, quality, relation, manner) by considering different cultural norms and expectations. An example of this is the modification of the maxim of quality so that it reads ‘do not say what you believe to be in opposition to your cultural norms of truth, harmony, charity, and/or respect.’ This revision accounts for situations in which the hearer may not want to respond truthfully in order to preserve face or harmony (Lakoff, 1973). This cultural value of harmony is especially prevalent in Chinese and Vietnamese cultures. Nguyen (1991) claims that communalism and collectivism has enforced harmony as a central cultural value in the Vietnamese people. Because of this emphasis on harmonious relations, Vietnamese frequently utilise ambiguous communication behaviours in order to avoid conflict. Although this language use could flout one or more of Grice ’s maxims, by introducing cultural parameters such as truth, harmony and face, Clyne’s (1994) revisions can better account for  intercultural conversation. Clyne’s (1994) revised maxims for intercultural analysis certainly have more regard for the communicative patterns of non-English cultures; however, they don’t altogether meet the needs of intercultural communication. In intercultural communication a high level of pragmatic competence is central to an interlocutors performance. As Thomas (1984) points out, it is commonly the differences in pragmatic competence that are problematic in intercultural conversation. Furthermore, it is possible to have achieved a very high level of linguistic proficiency, while having a relatively low level of socio-pragmatic proficiency. This can result in speakers using a language, which for some reason is deemed inappropriate, incomprehensible or even offensive (Thomas, 1984). This will be demonstrated by the following example: An Australian manager has been reassigned to the Athens office of his organization and is assigned a Greek secretary. On a daily basis, he assigns work to her by using conventional indirect requests such as ‘Could you type this letter?’ One day, she complains to a colleague, ‘I wish he would just tell me what to do instead of asking me. After all, he’s the boss and I’m here to do what he wants.’ In the above example, we have a mixture of assumptions about the rights and obligations of two parties in a relationship characterized by asymmetrical distribution of power, and the way this power will be exercised and acknowledged. The Australian boss attends to the face wants of his secretary by attempting to minimize the power distance between the two. This is done by the use of politeness strategies that seemingly give the subordinate the option not to perform a requested act – ‘Could you type this letter?’ Thomas (1995, p. 161) observes that ‘allowing options (or giving the appearance of allowing options) is absolutely central to Western notions of politeness’. An Australian secretary would presumably know that a direct, on-record refusal of this request would be face threatening to her boss – as well as threatening to her own job. She could potentially employ indirect refusal strategies (i.e. hints), which would avoid on record refusal and  sustain the appearance of harmony. As Green (cited in Thomas, 1995, p. 147) points out â€Å"the speaker is really only going through the motions of offering options or showing respect for the addressee’s feelings. The offer may be a facade, the options nonviable, and the respect a sham. It is the fact that an effort was made to go through the motions at all that makes the act an act of politeness.† It is clear that in this example the two parties have not yet negotiated a shared set of norms. The secretary acknowledges and accepts the power difference between herself and her boss. She is dependent on him for work, and she accepts that he has the right to tell her to carry out various secretarial duties. To her, the Australian boss seems insincere when he requests her to do something for him, because as far as she is concerned, the power relationship admits no options. That is; she does not interpret the deference that her boss displays towards her as an act of politeness. There are obviously socio-pragmatic differences between the two parties. The Australian boss has carried his socio-pragmatic norms into the Greek setting, where they violate the expectations of his Greek subordinate. Each party is defining and acting within the situation differently. Despite this, their encounters are not entirely unsuccessful: the boss makes requests for work that the secretary completes. However, the Greek secretary feels dissatisfied with her boss’s politeness strategies. It can be said that neither party is completely interculturally competent. That is; communicating in a culturally competent way requires interlocutors to learn about the ways culture influences communicative utterances of individuals concerned. After all, if the secretary constantly doubts the sincerity of her boss, the relationship is threatened. And if the boss is unaware of the effects of this, he may experience a rude awakening in the near future. Based on what has been discussed, it can be concluded that Grice’s maxims cannot be taken as absolute rules; this would be neither right nor practicable. Language is not as clear-cut as mathematical formulas; it frequently integrates with culture and society. Thus cultural and pragmatic considerations are vital to successful intercultural communication. Moreover, linguistic competency may not always cause a breakdown in  communication; very often when language form and cultural norm clash, culture supersedes language form. Clyne’s (1994) revisions of the conversational maxims better reflect cultural variation, however they do not universally account for intercultural communication. The examples aforementioned demonstrate that factors such as pragmatic and intercultural competence also play a key role. Intercultural communication then becomes something that is negotiated at local level by participants, involving mutual adaptation. Difficulties may arise, of course, in the process of negotiation through limitations in the socio-pragmatic and strategic competence of some or all participants. After all, there are individual differences in these competencies, and as Agar (1994) points out, we have to remember that in any intercultural conversation, ‘it’s persons not cultures that are in contact’. References: Agar, M. (1994). The intercultural frame. In International Journal of Intercultural Relations 18/2:221-237. Bowe, H. J. & Martin, K. (2007). Communication across cultures: Mutual understanding in a global world. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Clyne, M. (1994). Inter-cultural Communication at Work: Cultural Values in Discourse. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Grice, H. P. (1975). Logic and Conversation. In P. Cole & J. Morgan (Eds.), Syntax and Semantics 3: Speech Acts. New York: Academic Press. Grice, P. (1989). Studies in the Way of Words. London: Harvard University Press. Hymes, D. H. (1986). Discourse: Scope without depth. In International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 57, 49-89. Keenan, E. O. (1976). On the universality of conversational implicatures. Language in Society 5.67-80. Lakoff, R. (1973). The logic of politeness, or minding your p’s and q’s. In Papers from the Ninth Regional Meeting of the Chicago Linguistic Society. 292-305. Loveday, L. (1983). Rhetoric patterns in conflict: The sociocultural relativity of discourse organizing processes. In Journal of Pragmatics, 7, 169-90. Mey, J. (1994). Pragmatics. An Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell. Thomas, J. (1984) Cross-cultural discourse as â€Å"unequal encounter†: Toward a pragmatic analysis. In Applied Linguistics, 5(2), 226-235. Thomas, J. (1995). Meaning in Interaction. An Introduction to Pragmatics. Harlow /Munich: Longman. Walsh, M. (2009). Some neo-Gricean maxims for aboriginal Australia. Retrieved from http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/research/docs/alw/Walsh09.pdf (accessed 22/10/2013) Watts, R. J. (1991). Power in family discourse. Berlin: Mouton. Wierzbicka, A. (1991). Cross-Cultural Pragmatics. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter Wierzbicka, A. (1985). Different cultures, different languages, different speech acts. In Journal of Pragmatics 9.145-78.

Race, Ethnicity, & Prejudice

Race, Ethnicity, and Prejudice-Online Project At one point in time the U. S. Census defined someone as a â€Å"negro† if they were one-sixteenth black. That is, if one of your sixteen great-great grandparents was of African descent (and the other fifteen were of â€Å"white† European descent), you were defined as â€Å"negro†. In Jamaica, people believed to be of â€Å"pure† African descent are described as black. People who are bi-racial are usually described as â€Å"colored†. In Brazil, there are even more differentiations of those believed to be of African descent.The point of all this is that our definitions are culture-bound and socially constructed. They are, therefore, not particularly scientific and change over time. This does not mean that race and ethnicity have no real meaning. They have meaning because we give them meaning. 1. What method do census enumerators use to classify people according to race? A census enumerator is a person who collects census data. Before 1960, census enumerators were themselves responsible for classifying people according to race. However, in 1960 there was a switch to self-reporting.From this point on, individuals were in control of classifying themselves. It was no longer the census enumerators who classified individuals, but individuals who classified themselves. Census enumerators would just compile the results. 2. Which categories of ethnicity are used by the census bureau? The categories of ethnicity and race used by the census bureau have undergone numerous changes over the years. At first, from 1790 to 1880, the census recorded only â€Å"color. † During this time period it was a person’s skin color that was of importance and there were three categories: White, Black, and Mulatto.The categories expanded in 1890 and consisted of five gradations: Black, Mulatto, Quadroon, Octoroon, and White. It was in 1900 that the word â€Å"race† actually appeared in the ce nsus. The question now asked for each person’s â€Å"color or race. † At this time the census used only two categories: White and Black. It wasn’t until 1950 that the word â€Å"color† was completely dropped and the census only asked for the person’s race. In 1960 people were able to classify themselves. Shortly following the census added the category â€Å"other. In 1977 there were four racial categories established: American Indian or Alaskan Native, Asian or Pacific Islander, Black, and White. Plus there was the â€Å"Other† category. Also, the census added two ethnicity categories: Hispanic origin and Not of Hispanic origin. 3. How have categories changed for the 2000 Census? Since 1977, the racial and ethnic makeup of the country changed significantly. There were no questions as to whether the previous standards still reflected the diversity that was present in the United States. So, with that, the categories for the 2000 census were r evised.The categories now consisted of: American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Black or African American; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; and White. The category of â€Å"Some Other Race† is also included. In regards to ethnicity, there are two categories: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino. Aside from changes in the categories, another significant change for the 2000 census is that respondents are allowed to check off multiple â€Å"race† boxes. 4. What problems do you see with the Census definitions? The diversity in our society is increasing.Putting people in categories is becoming more problematic because the categories are arbitrary; none of the groups have clear or unambiguous boundaries. Classifying people into a certain category is restrictive and doesn’t take into account that â€Å"people classified as â€Å"Asian and Pacific Islander† represent scores of different national and linguistic backgrounds, and â€Å"America n Indian or Alaska Native† includes people from hundreds of different tribal groups† (Healey 13). The census definitions are very limiting and they don’t do diversity justice. Also, there is still no place for a number of groups among the categories listed. For example, where should we place Arab Americans and recent immigrants from Africa? † (Healey 13). I understand that it is unrealistic to have a category for every single group, but we should realize that the definitions used by the census, the classification schemes, have limited utility and application. In addition, there is a growing number of mixed-race individuals for whom there are no categories. Although currently that number is relatively small, it is projected to increase rapidly due to a growing number of marriages across group lines.How should those individuals be classified? Sources: Healey, Joseph F. (2010). Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Class: The Sociology of Group Conflict and Change. (5th Ed. ). Pine Forge Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc. Sweet, Frank W. (2011, Feb. 25). A Brief History of Census â€Å"Race†. Retrieved from http://knol. google. com/k/a-brief-history-of-census-race U. S. Census Bureau, Population Division. Racial and Ethnic Classifications Used in Census 2000 and Beyond. Retrieved from http://www. census. gov/population/www/socdemo/race/racefactcb. html

Comparative International Marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Comparative International Marketing - Assignment Example It is a well known fact that the famous and well known brands make use of multiple brand elements. For instance, Nike makes use of the ‘swoosh’ logo, ‘Just do it’ slogan and the legendary ‘Nike’ name based upon ‘winged goddess of victory’ (Wrenn, Kotler, & Shawchuck, 2009). Therefore, in this regards, it can be stated that the most recognized global brands tend to possess the various brand elements such as name, logo, and slogan as well as brand story. The six main parameters for choosing the brand elements are that they need to be meaningful, likable, memorable, adaptable, transferable and protectable (Wrenn, Kotler, & Shawchuck, 2009). Reasons for Preferring Global Brands In particular, the brands that operate across international borders and are widely recognized all over the world are generally categorized as global brands. Researches on global brands such as Adidas, Zara, and Nokia among others have established their benefits i n comparison to other brands. It is often assumed that the global brands tend to provoke greater favorable affect. They are perceived to be of considerably superior quality and thus enjoy greater recognition as well as trust. They have also been found to be evoking luring global myths and tend to have greater advantages in comparison to the local brands. Global brands demonstrate positive impact on brand esteem. Global brands are generally preferred by the customers because of their wide accessibility. These brands are well known, standardized, more multi-ethnic, and highly authoritative and are also observed to be depicting more social responsibility in comparison to other brands (Dimofte, Johansson, & Bagozzi, 2010). Role of Global Branding To Firms One of the significant advantages to the firms from global branding has been economies of scale. The companies are likely to benefit from huge economies of scale that can be generated in all parts of the business methods. Large economi es of scale can be created with a comprehensive focus on Research & Development (R&D) efforts in a few of the international locations, the rationalization of the production methods and the standardization of the marketing program. The second most significant benefit to the firms from the global brands is the generation of the unique global image. This helps in the reduction of the costs in the communication area. The other benefit of the global brands to the firms is that there will be increase in the sales of the companies since the travelers will view their preferred brands being available at other markets as well. The trade channels are likely to accept a global brand that has been advertised in their market (Girboveanu, n.d.). It can be stated that the global brands tend to be beneficial for the firms as they are largely driven by a single focused strategy in their globalised operation. Benefits of Standardization For Certain Brands Even though there is high demand for the local products owing to the economic growth taking place as well as anti-globalization sentiments, it has been observed that the global brands and products are generally standardized. A few of the international products that have been standardized are Gillette razor blades along with other brands such as Sony and Benetton. The significant pros of

International Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

International Management - Essay Example Accumulating precious metals like gold and silver were considered to be one of the most important indicators of wealth. As a result of this, heavy duty was imposed on exports of gold. Thus the aim of nations is to accumulate more and more precious metals. Trade in the modern world is entirely different from those centuries. Economists had understood that precious metals cannot be set as a benchmark as their reserves are limited. Moreover, colonialism which was one of the major strategies of wealth creation cannot be practiced in the present world. Imports cannot be controlled in the present economy. Nor can the exports be penalized with heavy duties. For an effective balance of trade, a proper import and export level is required. The assumptions of mercantilism are totally against globalization without which economic development cannot happen in the modern world. Mercantilism also involves forceful sales of goods to consumers leaving them no better option. Such practice cannot be ado pted in the modern world. Therefore, it can very clearly be concluded that mercantilism is a bankrupt theory. Falling dollar and rising exports A falling dollar means that dollar is being undervalued against other major currencies. Such a phenomenon will have a huge impact on the export figures. In the case of exporting, dollars are received for the goods that are exported. â€Å"A lower dollar increases the price competitiveness of US exports.† (Economics Help, 2011) When dollar is devalued, more dollars will have to be paid for transactions. Therefore, from the US perspective more dollars will be received in terms of the payments made by importing countries. As a result of this, there will be a temporary increase of revenue for the exports sector. This scenario is highly beneficial for the manufacturing and exporting companies and a little unfavorable for the importing companies. â€Å"A weaker dollar makes it easier for foreign investors to acquire key U.S. assets, such a s manufacturers.† (Duesterberg, 2008) The weak dollar makes American goods cheaper in the global markets. As a result, American exporting companies will reap huge benefits. Companies can generate more profits in this scenario and thereby accumulate more greenbacks in their reserves. This will help the US manufacturing companies to be highly competitive against their Peers. For example, Proctor & Gamble, which produces majority of its products in US, will see an increase in profits when the dollar falls. At the same time, its archrival Unilever, which belongs to Europe, will see its profit diminishing. Therefore, a series of decline in dollar value will benefit the US companies while at the same time hitting the importing companies. Importing companies will have to pay more greenbacks for the goods that are imported into US. This will lead to low profitability for them. Organizational issues of transnational of transnational strategies A transnational strategy is defined as a c ommon strategy that is suitable or acceptable for various markets. â€Å"When employing a transnational strategy, the goal is to combine elements of global and multidomestic strategies.† (Enotes.com, 2011) Transnational strategy was being introduced in order to eliminate the limitations of global strategy. A global strategy may not be suitable for

Toy store investigation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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