Monday, September 30, 2019

Blank immigration notes

Industrial Revolution Effect replace cheaply unhygienic living conditions, â€Å"Their standard way of life was one of slow starvation. † Population increased; on the rise. More people competed for fewer resources, land. Food, Jobs Political & Religious Persecution Eastern Europe Jews could not move beyond the Pale† Stripped of their legal rights, (1/3 of Europe. Pop) The Lure of Life in America Newspaper articles & letters painted USA as a â€Å"Lollipops on every corner† American businesses 1 OFF â€Å"Gold on the sidewalk†, and †¦ Why? Hardships – Used all of their savings (Getting from interior lands to coastal port cities was The Journey Across the Atlantic Steamship Accommodations ; 8-14 days; steel hull ships First & second class was unaffordable for MOST immigrants – no windows, no ventilation, cramped On Average: Living Conditions in Steerage Uncomfortable at best, inhumane at worst No sunlight, no fresh air, smell unbearable Con tagious diseases ( Cabin Class Replaced steerage after it was removed This is where 1st and 2nd class were accommodated We Have Arrived! Arriving in America 75% of all immigrants Passengers crowded the decks to see their new homeSkyscrapers to the northeast, to the west. Most memorable moment, immigrants seeing Lady Liberty â€Å"l Looked with wonder on this miraculous land of our dreams. † Who can quote the plaque at the base of the Statue of Liberty? â€Å"Give your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door. † After Just passing the Statue of Liberty, lay the , legal and medical inspections 1st & 2nd Class Inspections 1st & 2nd Class passengers simply prepared forArriving at Ellis Island and entered the USA Steerage passengers Most passengers boarded crowded barges ; Separated into Hope, fear, excitement, uncertainty O n the whole, it was an † † policy Weed out weak and mentally defective exam and then a more thorough exam Escorted to holding rooms for additional examinations shoulder with chalk † for heart problems † for hernia † for lameness † for mental difficult , looking for and Mark your right Upon completion of medical inspections, the Legal Inspections: The Registry Hall After medical inspection, immigrants faced a iron railings was next in tight lines shaped by Match answers from ship manifest with face-to-face answers Name Change? Schoolbooks = Smith The Final inspection Lasted only Asked to confirm answers from manifest If immigrants passed all the inspections†¦ They were free to go – Ethnic Enclaves Leaving Ellis Island After approval, immigrants sought the next step of their Journey. After arriving in US, New York City, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia By 1920, 75% of foreign-born residents lived in cities Settled in † † or ethn ic neighborhoods Living Conditions City Tenement Buildings Cities ill-equipped to handle massiveStreets filled with waste due to inadequate sewage systems , run-down, low-rent apartments clustered together in poorest areas of cities Some examples from a city worker in New York City Building with People 3 room apartment people Perils of Tenement Living Toilets in yards; coal stove for heat One social worker could not locate a single bathtub in more than three city blocks in tenement housing 40% of immigrants developed Rural Living Conditions 60% of immigrant (HIGH MIR) Some settled in California, Midwest, Florida Relatively Midwest Blizzards, , dust storms Working Conditions The Immigrant Workforce Mostly American industries were growing rapidly Desperate, wanting leave agricultural Jobs in Europe Worker exploitation, intolerable working conditions work hours per week Dangerous, unsanitary, uncomfortable Improved Standard of Living? Despite horrible conditions, most were better off t han they were in Europe $ per year in Europe, in US for farm laborers.America's Treatment of Immigrants American Natives Native-born Americans viewed new immigrants with fear, hostility, suspicion belief was based on new immigrants posing a threat Deep-seated Americans of northern/western Europe looked down on southern/eastern Europeans British, German, Scandinavian people were considered â€Å"free, energetic, progressive† Slavic, Mediterranean, Jews were viewed as â€Å"historically down-trodden, atavistic [inbred], and stagnant Natives worked to restrict the number of immigrants Literacy tests, preventing † Asked for laws restricting number of immigrants allowed to enter 1921, Established for the number of immigrants the US would accept from each country Dialing Bill marked the end of the immigration † in US history. Greatest † policy, ending the

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Measuring and Managing Customer Relationships Essay

Some companies have highly sophisticated analytic systems that allow them to estimate these parameters based on the demographic characteristics of a potential or newly-acquired customer. The analytics help guide the companies’ promotion strategies and campaigns to attract customers with the highest expected lifetime value. For example, RBC Financial Group in Canada uses an analytic model of a customer’s future profitability based on age, tenure with the bank, number of products and services already used at the bank, and the customer’s potential to purchase additional products and services, grow account balances, and generate fee-based income. 1 The bank assigns a personal account representative to its estimated high lifetime value customers, ensures that their phone calls get picked up quickly, and provides them with ready access to credit at attractive terms. 6-31The net promoter score is likely to have the greatest predictive power for repeat purchases and growth in business-to-customer settings where customers have frequent interactions with companies. The score is likely to have the least predictive power in business-to-business settings where purchasing decisions are made by highly sophisticated professionals. In this case, it is better to ask, â€Å"How likely is it that you will continue to purchases products or services from Company X? † CASES 6-32The responses below are based on â€Å"Survival Strategies: After Cost Cutting, Companies Turn Toward Price Increases,† by Timothy Aeppel, The Wall Street Journal (September 18, 2002, p. A1). (a)Jergens’ president based the price on what he determined to be the cost of producing the order of 10 odd-sized fasteners from scratch. The cost included setup for the odd size and overtime labor. The company actually produced the odd-sized fasteners by producing full-size fasteners and then shortening 10. This method was less costly than setting up the equipment to run a small batch of the required odd size. (b)Goodyear had been rewarding its sales force based on volume, providing an incentive for the sales force to deeply discount prices to large distributors. The discounts were so substantial that the large distributors could resell the tires to smaller distributors (even with transportation costs to other regions), reducing Goodyear’s sales at higher prices to smaller distributors. Goodyear responded by cutting the discounts to large distributors, removing discount approval authority from the sales force and transferring it to a â€Å"tactical pricing group† that determines whether Goodyear can profitably match a competitor’s prices. Goodyear also modified its sales force bonus scheme to include a â€Å"revenue per tire† metric. (c)Emerson discovered that customers were willing to pay about 20% more than Emerson’s initially proposed cost-based price of $2,650 for a new compact sensor. Emerson priced the sensor at $3,150. Note that the article does not provide information on how Emerson determined product costs that it used as a basis for its markups. A traditional cost system is more likely to undercost a low-volume or customized product because it allocates manufacturing support costs to products based on unit-level drivers. An activity-based costing system more accurately assigns costs based on resource usage. (d)Wildeck, â€Å"a maker of metal guard rails, mezzanines and material lifts for factories and warehouses,† promoted packages that included installing its products. The installations bring higher profit than parts catalog sales. Wildeck responded to a competitor’s lower-priced storage-rack protector by developing its own â€Å"lite† version and pricing it much lower than the competitor’s price. When customers called about purchasing the lite version, they were informed of the benefits of the original version, and most of these customers bought the original version. An accurate costing system, such as a good activity-based costing system that includes both manufacturing and nonmanufacturing costs of providing goods and services to customers, provides reasonably precise information to managers for making decisions about the mix of products and services to offer to customers and prices to charge in order to generate the desired level of profitability. (e)Union Pacific introduced a minimum price that was higher than a third of its customers paid. The company was not concerned if it lost these customers because customers who were paying higher prices would fill up the newly free space. Dropping unprofitable customers will not lead to an immediate increase in profit if the associated capacity-related costs are committed costs and the resources cannot be put to other profitable use.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Bank Role in a Nations Economy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Bank Role in a Nations Economy - Research Paper Example Nevertheless, a discussion of a short history of banking would provide a good background on the role of this financial institution two centuries ago. As mentioned before, storehouses were considered banks Nevertheless, even when barter was replaced by currency, the existence of a bank as a financial institution was not yet fully established. In fact, Hildreth ( 1837) wrote that the first bank in Genoa, Venice came into being only after the Republic ended. Hildreth recounts : â€Å"The Republic is engaged in war, and falling short of funds, had recourse to a forced loan. The contributors to that loan, were allowed an annual interest of four percent on the sums they had been obliged to lend; certain branches of the public revenue were assigned for the payment of that interest; and a corporation, entitled the CHAMBER of LOANS, was created for the express purpose of looking after this business, managing those branches of the revenue assigned to the lenders ; and attending to, and securing the punctual payment of the interest, as it fell due†( Hildreth, 1837,p.5) The Chamber fulfilled some of the roles that modern-day banks do such as selling and exchange, lending money, circulating money, and accepting deposits. Later the Chamber was known as the Bank of Venice. From then, banks sprouted into different cities such as Genoa and Barcelona since they engaged in so much trade too. In our current time, banks have played roles not much differently from the Bank of Venice. Only, the banking industry has become more complicated as international trade became dynamic and currency exchange from different countries have grown.  

Friday, September 27, 2019

Ethical Theories. Punishments For Acting Unethically Essay

Ethical Theories. Punishments For Acting Unethically - Essay Example In the corporate world, ethics would relate to the manner in which businesses conduct themselves in relation to societal moral principles. Every business should ensure that it conducts itself within the precepts of ethical standards available. Fieser and Moseley in their book, ‘Introduction to Business Ethics’ describes three fundamental theories in ethics under which businesses should be able to run their activities (Fieser & Moseley 4). 1. Summary of the ethical theories The first theory identified in the chapter is the theory of moral objectivism as championed by Plato - a Greek philosopher – who related morality to spiritual realities. This theory categorizes morality into three components, which are: morality is objective, moral standards are unchanging and moral standards are universal. According to the first category, moral standards exist in higher spirit realms completely distinct from the physical world and not creations of human beings or human societie s. The second category perceives moral standards as eternal as they apply regardless of where one is on the world. This aspect doe not recognize changes in location or time as having effects on the moral standards practiced by human beings. The third category identifies the universality of moral standards as not considering issues such as race, gender, or even social status of individuals. Based on Plato’s views, the universe is two-tiered – lower physical level and higher spiritual level (realm of forms) and has nothing permanent on it. Moral standards also exist in a realm of forms that are highest. This appeal gives the sense of moral stability. The first theory is contrasted by the second theory – theory of moral relativism – having three features, as well including morality is not objective, moral standards change, and that the moral standards are not universal. The first feature categorizes moral standards as pure inventions by human beings while th e last feature argues that the application of the moral standards depends on the preferences of individual human beings and not eternal truths. Defenders of this theory are skeptic of the existence of similar views as those of Plato’s higher realm of forms. The third theory is known as the divine command theory, which answers YES to the question whether God is the creator of moral values and standards. According to the theory, God creates the values based on no prior reasoning or logical standards but pronounced based on pure acts of will. However, this theory is faced by two main challenges. First, non-believers would reject the theory’s presumption on the existence of God. Furthermore, believers themselves hold on the belief of the existence of God from an aspect of personal faith and not having any absolute proof. Second, the moral standards if not based on any prior reasoning standards would imply that they are arbitrary having been made purely from scratch. 2. Con structing companies based on these theories In the business field, companies may be more motivated to act moral basing on the three theories above mainly on the desire to avoid tarnishing the name of the company, avoiding heavy fines and to avoid lawsuits. A company may choose to base their operations on one or all of the above theories. One significant approach by which companies can practice this is through the adoption of a utilitarianism theory of morality. A utilitarianism moral theory in normative ethics is based on the acknowledgment of an individual’

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Corporate Social Responsibility (Environmental Science) Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility (Environmental Science) - Essay Example It has been reported that in the last 30 years, nearly 1/3 of world's natural resources have been lost because of corporations' industrial activities. (Friends of earth) The aim of the social responsibility is to effect a higher and higher standard of living while at the same maintaining the profitability of the corporation (Hopkins) Therefore corporate social responsibility involves community, environment, ethics, human rights, responsibility in the market, vision and values, and workforce. We are immediately concerned with the environment. This involves management decision making in respect of production processes that minimise negative impacts on the environment and the costs. Environmental problems have been with us for quite a long time as a result of interaction between man and nature. In modern times, scale of the problems is unique arising from two aspects. One, rapid expansion of the world population and second ever-increasing consumption of energy and material per person in addition to the past-accumulated damage. Environment encompasses all components of our surroundings i.e. the air we breathe, the habitat we dwell in and the food and drinks we take. The energy of milk we drink originates from grass and crops driving force behind which is the solar energy, converted to chemical energy by photosynthesis. In effect the ecology around us has to be preserved. In ecologic point of view, all are interconnected i.e. the waste produced by man pollutes meadows and returned to the mankind by food chain. Different organisms i.e. man and cow compete for the same resources (crops) and one organism (man) acts as predator for another (cow). Environmental care d oes not stop at the national boundaries. Air circulation and river flows having no boundaries and migration of people and animals and large scale import and export of food, impact the environment. Pollution is the direct cause of environmental damage. The pollution may be defined as "addition by man of any substance (solid, gas or liquid) or energy to parts of the ecosystem that ultimately harm or damage man" (Boeker, Grondelle) Global warming and Ozone layer Depletion Global warming is the most dangerous threat to our environment. It occurs due to heat-trapping gases that are sent to atmosphere from our industries (factories), cars and homes. The gases sent up form a blanket forcing more heat to stay trapped near the earth's surface. More heat produces more energy in the atmosphere resulting in extreme weather conditions like droughts, storms and floods. Elsner James, Professor Florida State University on researching the past 135 years of records of Atlantic Sea surface and air temperatures, found a direct link to the intensities of hurricanes and many hurricane researchers affirm that the intensity increased 10 years ago could last for the next 25 to 40 years. (Loney Jim) Another phenomenon now coming under control after two decades of remedial measures is Ozone layer depletion, though it will be by 2049 when the 1980 levels will be restored. (Reuters) Ozone layer being part of the

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

ORGANISATIONAL RESEARCH METHODS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

ORGANISATIONAL RESEARCH METHODS - Essay Example According to psychological studies, individual behaviour and mental development can be determined through different activities performed by individuals (Cash, 2013). These activities can be very simple, such as the way people enter or exit from buildings through opening doors. Contextually, the objective of the current study is to reveal the psychological aspects relevant to the manner in which individuals enter or exit buildings through their doors. It is difficult to identify a specific manner or way in which people across the world use to open doors in order to enter or exit buildings. However, there are some common phenomenons among people, which are widely notable throughout the world. In this regard, Cash (2013) commented that several psychological factors, which influence individuals to conduct a definite pattern or manner of action while opening doors while entering buildings. Usually, individuals prefer to push doors in order to enter buildings or rooms. Mayer (2011) commented that the pushing of doors is considered as a significant physiological factor. Most of the people throughout the world attempts to push the doors, instead of pulling it towards their end. Bekerian & Levey (2012) conveyed that this phenomenon is largely because of the motor sensory of the individuals. This are considered as reflexive actions, which occurs simultaneously without the influence pre-meditated or pre-decided thoughts. Brain (2012) also suggested that these reflexive actions among the individuals are an influence of the motor nerves present in the human body that compels people to push doors in order to enter buildings. Brain (2012) also conveyed that there are certain individuals who prefer to pull doors instead of pushing it. This is also because of the physiological factors. In this regard, Sporrle and Stich (2010) commented that the psychological state of the individuals influences them to conduct

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Plain English Movement Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Plain English Movement - Term Paper Example Some of the features that differentiate plain language document from traditional ones are: properly organized format, effective wordings, and simple sentences. Plain English (PE) offers several advantages to us over traditional form of English. PE gives information to the readers in the form that is easy for them to understand. It uses straight small sentences and commonly understood words. The core objective is to communicate with clarity and precision. The communication has been a necessity ever since people came on this planet. Hundreds of languages evolved over time for the needs of communication across different parts of the world. Many languages died down for the varied reasons. One of the prime reasons for the death of some of the established languages has been its complexities that are difficult to grasp by the masses. Sanskrit, the ancient language of India and the mother of more than 20 current Indian languages, is a glaring example that proves my point. The language died o n its own and gave birth to several modern Indian languages. The question may come to our minds that why so it happened? The reasons are not far and wide. People naturally tend to choose a language for communication that is easy, simple, straight and concise. Precisely for these reasons, language naturally evolves over time to meet above criteria. Compare the Shakespearean English with the English that evolved during last century. Nobody prefers to speak and write in the classic style of English now, which was in vogue during a few centuries back. The phenomena still continues and the English is still evolving for people neither have time nor an inclination to read long complex sentences. It is a common experience that given the long sentences quite often we need to read them twice or more to extract the gist. If the same sentences are broken into smaller versions then those can be understood in less time and efforts. The term plain language was first used in the US in the early 195 0s. In 1998, Bill Clinton issued a memorandum to the heads of executive departments and agencies asking them to use plain language in government Writing. The objective was to make government more responsive and understandable in its communication to the public. He clearly stated that plain language saves time, effort and money. He informed that plain language informs public with clarity that what the government is doing. Plain language texts have simple everyday words except necessary technical words, the active voice and short sentences. Kimble, Joseph (2005) has been highly critical of federal statutes drafting which just does not serve the purpose for which they have been made. Currently, PE is used by many Federal departments and agencies use plain language in their communication with public. Some of them are Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Federal Register, Health and Human Services (HHS), Veteran’s Benefits Administration (VBA), National Institutes of Health (NIH ). Not only government but private sector also is taking deep interest in spreading plain language. The countries such as UK, Canada, and Australia are also taking keen interest in plain language implementation programs. The stark differences between PE document and traditional business documents are clarity, understandability, conciseness in conveying the information without beating around the bush. Common people are able to grasp the information at their level without taking help from others. Plain Language

Monday, September 23, 2019

Discuss the difference between Aristotle and Kant Essay

Discuss the difference between Aristotle and Kant - Essay Example In philosophy classes, one is likely to learn about Aristotle’s system of propositional logic where the concepts of premises and conclusions are used as a structure of reasoning. Contrarily, Kant lived in the 18th Century in the years 1724 - 1804. Kant was a paradigmatic philosopher who played a central role in the structuring of modern philosophy. Unlike Aristotle who was active in medieval era, Kant emerged as a key figure in the European Enlightenment periods (Graham, 23). Conventionally, Kant is alleged to have laid the foundation of empiricism and eradicated any remaining traces of medieval reasoning in philosophy. Each of the two philosophers discussed comprehensively on the concepts of moral propriety, commonly referred to as ethics. Aristotle asserts that there is an extricable connection between psychological and physiological nature in human beings. The consciousness of sensation perceived by the body in the material world serves the purpose of clothing the senses of thought and reasoning. In this context, Aristotle claimed that material knowledge perceived by the body influences immaterial thoughts, thus developing a scale for comparison between distinct objects and thoughts (Sherman, 127). This interaction between psychology and physiology experienced by human beings gives rise to the opposing concepts of virtue and vice. In this case, practical experiences coupled with sensitive existence leads to distinct realization and subsequent differentiation of good from bad. Unlike animals, human beings are in an intrinsic pursuit of favorable experiences manifesting as universal happiness. Acc ording to Aristotle, actions and thoughts that lead to happiness are called virtues, while contrary actions and thoughts are vices. According to Aristotle, the opposing concepts of virtue and vice serve as a scale for measuring extremes. Excess vice lies on one end while deficient vice lies on another end. In this case, virtue is a mean or

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Law of Property Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Law of Property - Essay Example 25). When a mortgager of residential property fails to repay his mortgage, he will find it difficult though not impossible to prevent the mortgage from recovering the property and selling it (Blackstone, 2009 p. 35). Fillipo and Gianni should understand that Mortgage in property law results from two different influences. Its form and origin belong to the law in that the constraints by which it is made to act as security only belong to the courts equity. Therefore, if the mortgagor did not pay on the contractual date, he at one time can forfeit the mortgagee. This can be sued in contract to for money repayment. Accordingly, the legal right to redeem the property is very limited, and that they may end up losing the property to HBSB bank (Clarke & Kohler, 2005 p. 36-7). In this case, Fillipo and Gianni as mortgagees have a right to possess the residential property. By virtue of how legal mortgages are created, the lender is considered as having an estate in the residential land thus he is given an immediate right to possession instantly the ink dries on the mortgage. Notably, the mortgagee may possess the property at any moment even when the mortgage is not in default basing only to the provision contrary in statute or in the mortgage itself (Serkin, 2012 p. 38-9). In the usual course of events, this right will not be exercised by the mortgagee and will be content to permit the mortgagor to continue possessing the property so long as the terms of mortgage are followed and payments are done as agreed. Indeed, the mortgagee could have promised in the contract not to seek possession except if the mortgagor breaches any other obligation or defaults repaying. If this happens, possession may be granted in virtue of the mortgagee’s right not in virtue of a solution to be requested from the court. In this context therefore, mortgaged property can only be taken and sold basing on the procedure of mortgage creation, the rights of the lender, and the rights of the mor tgagor (Vook, 2011 p. 59). Before property is taken and sold Fillipo, Gianni and the HBSB bank should consider the way this mortgage was created. The first step is to involve a mortgage advisor to offer an agreement in principle or approval. This illustrates what the provider will likely be willing to lend basing on specific terms and conditions. Such a step can be helpful when a mortgagor has chosen his mortgage and the property is to be offered. Fillipo and Gianni clearly stated their income and they are a position to service the mortgage (Hill, 2009 p. 61-4). In order to make this mortgage legal, the parties involved in the transaction included a licensed conveyance or a conveyance solicitor who assisted in drawing the contract, making local searches, and carry out other legal paperwork. Some lenders may refer a mortgage to a specified solicitor but a personal recommendation may be a choice. After this, it is important that the property is valuated. The lender will often have the prosperity valued to ensure that it is worth the agreed upon price. If it is not, then it will affect the amount to be lent. It is therefore advisable for a mortgagor to get his own survey done as well or to upgrade the valuation of the lender’s survey into a more detailed one. After mortgage offer, the mortgagor’s solicitor can set a date for contract exchange with the seller’

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Example of Bullwhipp Effect Essay Example for Free

Example of Bullwhipp Effect Essay The Barilla company, a major pasta producer located in Italy provides a demonstrative of issues resulting from the bullwhip effect. Barilla offered special discounts to their customer who ordered full truckload of their goods. Such marketing deals created customer demand-patterns were highly peaked and volatile. The supply chain costs were so high that they outstripped the benefits from full truckload transportation. The Barilla case was one of the first published cases that empirically supported the bullwhip phenomenon. The 5 major reasons leading to the bullwhip effect according to Lee: Demand signal processing is the is the practice of decision makers adjusting the parameters of the inventory replenishment rule. Target stock levels, safety stocks and demand forecasts are updated in view of information or deviations from targets. Another major cause of the bullwhip problem is the lead-time, which is caused by two components. The physical delays and also delays in cause of information. The lead-time is a key parameter to calculate safety stocks. The third bullwhip creator is the practice of order batching. Economies of scale in ordering, production set-ups or transportation will quite clearly increase order variability. The fourth major cause of bullwhip is highlighted by Lee has to do with price fluctuations. Price discounts and quantity discounts are often offered by retailers. So the retailers buy goods in advance and quantities and store them. This do not reflect their immediate needs. The fifth cause of bullwhip is connected with rationing and shortage gaming. Inflated orders placed by supply chain occupants during shortage periods tend to boost the bullwhip effect. Possibilities to minimize the bullwhip effect (in order to avoid costs): improve communication in the supply chain simultaneousness of actions (therefore time delays and reaction times can be avoided) centralization of disposition establish strategic alliances reduce the variability

Friday, September 20, 2019

Emergence Of The Digital Firm

Emergence Of The Digital Firm Introduction: The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency. -Bill Gates (http://www.saidwhat.co.uk/topicquote/technology) Over the past two decades Technology has come to become an inseparable part of business activities. The modern era of dynamic and discontinuous change requires continual reassessment of organizational routines to ensure that decision-making processes, keep pace with the dynamically changing business environment. The adoption of advanced technology, to maintain a digitally enhanced firm, is necessary, especially for small and medium sized companies, to ensure their viability in the future. With the onset of globalization, the wide presence of digitally equipped firms has intensified international competition, and digital capabilities also provide small and medium sized enterprises with new potential for participation in the international market. Inevitably, a structural change is brought about by all the technological equipment in the companies as the need for new skills are created, which are accompanied by the constant need for training and information sharing, and assessment of tec hnological issues by the management. Emergence of the Digital Firm: The first use of information systems in enterprises was in the form of card processing machines which were used in the accounting departments and focused on historical information reporting. The early 1960s, marked the onset of mainframe computers, which when compared to todays desk top computers and PDAs, were miniscule, in processing power. In the coming decades, the advancements in technology gained speed with management reporting, transaction processing, decision support and forecasting enabled by information technology. The presence of Information technology is now widely significant in every business activity of the modern enterprise. Most recently, information systems transcended departmental, divisional and organizational boundaries in order to link the firm electronically, often instantaneously, to its customers, suppliers, and distribution partners .(Ives, 2002) With the development of technology and internet, modern enterprises have embraced Information and communication technology (ICT) and several e-business applications that have provided many benefits across many intra- and inter-firm business processes and transactions. With the use of ICT applications, information and knowledge management inside the firm has considerably improved reducing transaction costs and increasing the speed and reliability of transactions for both B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) transactions. They have also proved to be effective tools for improving external communications and quality of services for established and new customers. (http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/6/9/31919255.pdf)Most small and medium sized enterprises use information and communication technologies. Research has shown that the use mainly of computers serves administrative and functional uses, such as the rendering of accounts, payroll, the drawing up of a budget, inventor y, and other similar functions (Bridge and Peel 1999). The basic condition that arises for the use of computers, but also for all technologies, old or new, electronic or not, is not only their acquisition by the SMEs, but also their correct and functional use (El Louadi, 1998). There are a large number of different ICTs, which makes identifying them and their functions difficult. Below is a classification of Information and communication technologies which includes the ICTs used by enterprises and comprises of five main categories, within which the technologies-systems comprising the category are distributed individually. Classification of ICTS: (Source: Papastathopoulos, Beneki (2009)) Intranet: Intranets are inexpensive, scalable to expand or contract as needs change, and accessible from most computing platforms. Whereas most large companies must support a number of computer platforms that cannot communicate with each other, intranets help to provide instant connectivity, uniting all computers into a single, seamless, network system. Electronic Commerce: Although most commercial transactions still takes place through conventional channels, rising number of consumers and businesses are using the Internet for electronic commerce Buyer Retailer Information Orders Service and support Manufacturers, Suppliers and Distributors Purchases Bids Banks -Credit checks -Payment authorization -Electronic payment transfer Illustration: Electronic Commerce Information Flows Business environment: The modern business environment is characterized by a dynamic continuous change. For the firms to thrive and benefit from ICTs, a healthy business environment is necessary. This includes a transparent, open and competitive business framework, clear independent rule of law for all firms, easy set up and dissolution of businesses, transparent, simple and accessible corporate regulation, and equal and stable legal treatment for national and cross-border transactions. (http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/6/9/31919255.pdf) Organizational Forms: The concept of organizational forms was quickly accepted and vouched for by management scholars who have already accepted concepts such as the `knowledge economy or the new information economy ( Halal 1998) and who had believed that the emergence of the Internet would change the way business transactions business functions are performed (Tapscott , 1999). shift to new forms: According to Drucker (1997), businesses of the new age have not only led to advancements in technology and provided an atmosphere of stiff competition, but have also contributed to the promotion of change in the organizational forms. This is why, New Organizational Forms that respond to the need to align strategy-structure- direction processes are influenced by the dynamic changes in the environment. New transaction management modes from new organizational forms. The following illustration gives a clear picture of the increase in the use of new organizational forms, where internet and e-commerce plays a significant role. (Illustration sourced from: http://www.labs-associados.org/docs/OCDE_TIC.PDF) Increase in the use of new organizational forms: With every passing year, more and more firms are adopting new organizational forms in an attempt to stay competitive in the market. The benefits of incorporating ICTs and other e-business activities are now widely recognized. In the research conducted by Christina Beneki on Organizational forms based on information and communication technology adoption (http://www.aabri.com/manuscripts/09362.pdf), an empirical study was carried out among 54 Greek SMEs to identify the emerging forms of organizations based on ICTs. Personal interviews were conducted with people recognized as being the most knowledgeable about the developments of ICTs within the firm. Hence, the interviewees ranged from director or owner-manager and IT personnel to general managers. The results of this study reveal that the SMEs journey towards ICT adoption-use can be classified into three levels: Level 1: Basic Use of ICT or ICT-beginners SMEs. On this level the ICTs used by SMEs support the monitoring of basic-elementary activities, transactions and communications of the enterprise Level 2: Advanced Use of ICT or ICT-based SMEs. On the second level the ICTs used by the SMEs serve specialized activities of the modern enterprise, such as programming operations, transaction monitoring, and decision making and auditing. Furthermore, they combine data and advanced analytical models or data analysis tools so as to support the making of semi structured decisions or unstructured decisions. Finally, they allow business and commercial digital transactions as well as the transmission of information with electronic means even to geographically remote places. Level 3: Superior use of ICT or ICT-Driven SMEs. The ICTs used by the SMEs on the third level contribute to the integration of the informational and business processes of the enterprise, and they support the long-term planning activities as well as the digital exchange of information, the carrying out of commercial transactions and collaborations with the external environment of the enterprise Figure: The Three Levels of ICT-Adoption Process The figure shows that a very small percentage of SMEs use basic ICTs (7%), about 22% percentage use ICTs serving specialized business activities, while for most of the SMEs (70%), technology does not constitute the basis but rather as a guide to their business activities. This clearly demonstrates the steep rise in the use of Internet communication technologies. Opportunities for the management in a digitally enabled firm: New organizational forms comprising of Information and communication technology (ICT) and e-business applications provide many benefits across a wide range of business processes and transactions. (http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/6/9/31919255.pdf) With the use of computer terminals, e-mail, internet and its applications, several types of businesses can improve information and knowledge management within the firm, leading to more efficient business processes and better firm performance. Transfer of information through shared electronic files and networked computers significantly improves the efficiency of business process like documentation, data processing and other functions like organizing incoming orders and preparing invoices. Business-to-Business and Business-to-Consumer transactions are now conducted with increased speed and reliability, using ICT applications. Sophisticated ICT applications like Decision Support System (DSS) helps firms to analyse large amounts of data in quick time, enabling swift decision making. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) helps to integrate various departments of a firm effectively. Internet and e-commerce have drastically reduced the cost of business transactions. Internet-based B2B interaction and real-time communication help to reduce information asymmetries between buyers and suppliers and build close relationships among trading partners. (Moodley, 2002) ICT applications also increase labour productivity and have a positive impact on firm performance. The following illustration helps to identify the positive effect of ICT applications in Canada. Sourced from : (http://www.labs-associados.org/docs/OCDE_TIC.PDF) Challenges faced by the management and organization in a digital firm: Requirement of internal ICT and managerial knowledge: Since SMEs focus on day to day operations, they are less aware of the benefits of new technologies and would tend to lack the human technological resources needed for a digital firm, when they decide to investment in advanced technologies. Even when they are aware of the potential benefits of adopting e-commerce, they would need qualified personnel to carry out the operations. The firms that adopt Internet and e-commerce are likely to have personnel within the firm who have a reasonable knowledge of the incorporated technology. A study of small ICT companies with 3-80 employees suggests that the Internet was adopted by firms with personnel who understand the technology used (Mehrtens, 2001). The study found that these were not necessarily ICT professionals, but simply people interested in technology. If firms have the resources to access or outsource skills, then scarcity of technologically skilled personnel would not be a hindrance. However, presence of internal technological capabi lities is still vital because adoption of internet communication technologies cannot succeed without an understanding of the e-business model. Without internal technological capabilities, dependence on outside support services for system maintenance can be dangerous because firms that conduct e-business activities have to bear the risk of occasional system failures and computer viruses. If ICT support services, especially in an emergency, are needed to minimise the loss from a system malfunction, the e-business system of the firm may be vulnerable if they are not immediately available. The existence of local ICT services is thus an important consideration for the management, especially for small offices in remote areas or emerging economies, where ICT services are scarce and expensive. Skills and understanding of e-business models is also vital for the managers. Successful integration of e-business requires many firms to restructure their business processes, to change organisational structures and to redefine their core competence and positions in the value chains. So, e-business tools cannot be successfully introduced and implemented without the visionary power and strategic decisions about how to apply ICT technologies for business processes. (http://www.aabri.com/manuscripts/09362.pdf) Cost of developing and maintaining e-business systems : For small and medium sized firms, sometimes, the cost of adopting e-business systems and their maintenance outweighs the benefits received from them. Budget constraints and uncertainty of return on investment may sway the managements decision to adopt e-business systems. Thus, gathering the capital for investing in sophisticated and expensive internet communication technologies is an issue that the management needs to counter. The management needs to decide, depending upon its size and capacity to bear the cost, how far they can extend their arms over the latest technologically advanced business systems. Some small businesses, especially micro-enterprises with 1-9 employees or the self-employed, may adopt a simple Web site without any e-commerce function if the cost of basic Internet use is well within their marketing budget. (http://www.aabri.com/manuscripts/09362.pdf) Viability of Business Models: The advancements in internet have changed the business models in a number of key industries including media, financial services, travel and automobile retailing. But although internet technology provides great prospects, not all Internet business models have been successful. Conducting business over the internet is not always cost effective and efficient. For some companies, resorting to traditional methods is more viable. Of course, retailers on the internet may not need to pay for attractive outlets and employees, but they would need to use a large proportion of their budget for web site maintenance, customer service call centres, supply chain management and customer acquisition. There are also challenges to be faced for firms that try to use the web for supplementing or enhancing traditional business models. Businesses that are unclear about their e-business strategy may end up wasting a lot of money in building and maintaining websites that fail to deliver results. Successful web sites may also incur high costs. For instance, Equipment Inc., popular seller of indoor gear, has large payroll expenditures to pay for skilled technical staff supporting the website and additional shipping expenses to ensure web orders are delivered on time. Thus, the management needs to consider the viability of e-business models for its firm before deciding to invest. Business Process Change Requirements: Even if a firm does have a viable business model, it can still fail due to bad management or poor execution of the business model. Many dot-com firms like Garden.com, Productopia.com, Pets.com, Chinese Books Cyberstore etc. have closed down. The implementation and working of an electronic business model requires successful management of a firms divisions, production sites, sales offices and also maintaining close relationships with customers, suppliers and business partners. All important business processes need to be restructured and closely integrated. Firms will need to have well designed policies and procedures for sharing data. There are also traditional boundaries existing between a firms divisions and departments, customers and suppliers which can be barriers to collaboration and relationship building. Thus, the management needs to ensure a complete transformation of the firm and the ways in which it conducts business. Channel Conflicts: A channel conflict is a competition between two or more different distribution chains used to sell products or services of the same company. ( Laudon Laudon, 2006)When a company uses the web for selling its products, it creates a channel conflict with the firms traditional methods of selling. This is especially true for products that are less information sensitive and require a physical intermediary. In such a case, a companys revenues may drop as customer make purchases directly from the web. Channel conflict is a major issue for business-to-business business models, where the consumer purchases directly from the manufacturer through the Web. Milacron Inc., a machine tools company with extensive websites, minimizes the negative impact of channel conflict by paying full commissions to reps making online sales in their territories, even if they do not work on the sale or meet the buyer. Other companies have devised solutions, such as offering only a portion of thei r product line on the web. Legal Uncertainities: Conflicting regulatory environments and legal uncertainties for cross-border transactions, especially B2C, may affect small and medium scale firms. There is no harmonised legal framework with rules pertaining to the determination of jurisdiction and applicable law nor are there mechanisms that ensure the cross-border enforcement of legal rulings. The internet is global and is used by numerous organizations in different countries. Suppose a product were offered on sale in China, but the purchaser lived in the United States, whose law would apply? (Laudon Laudon, 2006)Small businesses can risk being due to inconsistent laws. Trust, Security and Privacy: For e-commerce to flourish there needs to be an atmosphere of trust among buyers, sellers and other partners involved in the transactions. Consumers will be wary of the security and confidentiality of credit card details and other personal information supplied over the internet. Internet based systems are at a risk of being penetrated by outsiders, as the internet is open to everyone. Any information, including e-mail passes through many different systems before it reaches its destination. It can be monitored and hacked into at any of these points resulting in loss of confidential data. Valuable data such as sales contracts, marketing plans, product development and pricing strategies, etc. can be intercepted causing significant risk to the company. Thus, the management needs to be extremely cautious and maintain stringent security systems to safeguard their business models. (Laudon Laudon) Opportunities and Challenges for Employees in a digital firm The rapid shift in trends in the market is seeing more and more companies undertaking a full scale adoption of technology that has in turn created an array of opportunities for the employees. Some of them are: Better job prospects. The emergence of digital firms has opened up attractive avenues for IT employees all over the world. With advancements in every area springing up, those equipped with specific technological expertise are also gaining demand with attractive bonuses rewarded. According to the research methodology used by Ricardo Parez Garrido on New Organizational Forms for knowledge transfer (http://latienda.ie.edu/working_papers_economia/WP05-03.pdf), the company Alpha was founded with the idea of uniting the best programmers in Spain interested in the internet and e-business and create for them an environment where they could work freely. Alpha experienced a tremendous growth of 400% from 1998-1999. But the success had attracted another telecommunication giant in the country which offered better incentives for employees. As a result a majority of the Alpha taskforce moved to the competing firm. Employees empowered in decision- making. With the onset of the digital era, many firms are now approaching a change in work attitudes. The system of bureaucratic is now being replaced by independence for different roles in an organization. With more space for employees to work, an atmosphere of ownership of the company results, providing better results and incentive for staff to work. The case study on the Royal Bank of Scotland (Currie Willcocks, 1996) provides an insight into the new philosophies of work practice being adopted by the bank. Senior managers were aware that customers were intimidated by the bureaucratic image of the bank and felt a change was necessary. The traditional emphasis on geographical splits was done away with and a different structure was established with three inter-related businesses- Retail, Commercial and Corporate. This way, individual departments are given complete responsibility and independence to run their functions. Employees play a greater part in the company The information systems sector is now recognized as a chief part of any firm. The days of technological expertise playing an underdog are over. It is now realized that those equipped with the technology side of the firm are better positioned to understand their part and hence are now increasingly given more ownership and responsibilities. Despite the fact that modern advancements in e-business have created opportunities for employees, they have also had a negative impact on them. Some of the drawbacks are: Outsourcing of technological expertise. With the wide availability of IT skills and restructuring of organizations, most companies now prefer to outsource technical expertise which may be better suited in terms of cost and quality of technical skills. As a result the existing employees are difficult to accommodate because of the drastic changes brought about by adoption of advanced technology that renders their skills incompetent. This is especially true for companies do not primarily rely on technology for their core business functions. The case study of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and their Business Process Re-engineering project (Currie Willcocks, 1996) shows how a complete restructuring of the banks activities resulted in many job losses. Also the technology unit was perceived by the business units as a support function, not therefore core to the business. Some senior managers were keen to outsource a major portion of the technical sector altogether. This also reflects a growing trend among organization seeking IT outsourcing as an alternative to in-house operating. Obsolescence of work. Because most companies are undergoing changes in their functioning process by incorporating advanced information systems that help to better integrate various departments within the organization, traditional forms of work are now losing a place. More and more employees are now faced with job losses because their work has been rendered useless with current business systems. The case study documenting the Columbus project undertaken by RBS (Currie Willcocks, 1996) gives evidence that due to the complete restructuring of the banks activities and how banking services were offered to customers, many manager were worried about a large staff redundancy. Communication problems Inevitably, communication problems between business units and technological units will tend to occur. Since technology department supplies the applications for various business functions, sometimes friction might arise over what is supplied and what is actually needed. Due to the complexities involved in business functions, the tactics and strategies used might change from time to time, causing the technological department to swiftly adapt to the changing conditions, which is not always simple. The case study documenting restructuring of RBS (Currie Willcocks, 1996) indicates the prevalence of communication problems. Business units complain that computers have been imposed on them with little relevance to the business context. However, the technology unit argued that business users change their mind regularly as to what is required from them. This miscommunication may lead to high costs, failure to meet delivery dates, loss of management control, low morale, etc. Conclusion: The emergence of new organizational forms according to the level of use of information communication technologies gives rise to new research opportunities in the sensitive sector of SMEs. In addition, the need for the emergence of new organizational forms stems also from the fact that technology no longer constitutes a mere link in the chain of businesses processes but rather the driving force behind this chain both in the internal and in the external business environment.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Developmental Profile :: Teaching Education

Developmental Profile Developmental Profile for Adolescents Physical Characteristics 1. Concerning boys in this period, in general the penis and scrotum get much larger, hair appears in the axillae and in the pubic area, the voice begins to deepen, and the spurt of height and weight begins. This period, for girls, is a time of rounding out and completing major changes in the secondary sex characteristics. For example, most have begun menstruation and the weight and height gains have slowed down (Babcock, 1967). 2. Puberty is set into action by the increase of the hormone testosterone in males and estrogen in females (Rathus, et al., 1986). 3. The primary sex characteristics enlarge and mature: in males--the testes, prostate gland, penis and seminal vesicles, in females--the ovaries, uterus and vagina (Papalia, et al., 1998). 4. Acne develops in some adolescents, due to the change in hormones, and can last well into adulthood (Edelman, et al., 1994). 5. Toward the end of puberty, menarche in girls and ejaculation in boys signals reproductive potential. Puberty that is early or late can be stressful, although the specifics depend on gender, personality, and culture (Berger, 1998). Intellectual Characteristics 1. According to Piaget, adolescents enter the highest level of cognitive development--formal operations--when they develop the capacity for abstract thought (Papalia, et al., 1998). 2. An adolescent may be adult in his ability to reason and vote, but he's more childish in his attitude toward sex and marriage (Babcock, 1967). 3. Adolescent egocentrism, along with feelings of uniqueness and invincibility, can cloud judgment, as well as make them extraordinarily self-absorbed (Berger, 1998). 4. The specific intellectual advancement of each teenager depends greatly on education. Each culture and each school emphasizes different subjects, values, and modes of thinking, a variation which makes some adolescents much more sophisticated in their thoughts and behavior than others (Berger, 1998). 5. Erickson's Theory of identity vs. identity confusion emerges. This is involves the adolescent determining his/her own sense of self or experience confusion about roles (Edelman, et al., 1994). Socio-Emotional (Behavioral) 1. Some young adolescent girls, more so than boys, are dealing with eating disorders such as Bulimia and Anorexia (Papalia, et al., 1998). 2. Sexual activity rises for a variety of reasons, such as, seeking affection, peer pressure, as a symbol of maturity, spontaneous experimentation, to feel close, and because it feels good (Edelman, et al., 1994). 3. Given the restrictions placed on adolescents, their yearning for independence, and a sex drive heightened by high levels of sex hormones, it is not surprising that many adolescents report frequent conflict with their families (Rathus, et al.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The Federal Reserve System: Modern Fascism And Absolute Power Essay

Most Americans feel the United States of America is a beacon of democracy and raw capitalism, the leader of the â€Å"free† world. The founding fathers had every intention of turning the new world into a full fledged democracy, devoid of any monarchy or source of totalitarian power. The constitution itself demands that our government be â€Å"of, for and by the people†, and be divided into complex units of checks and balances, designed to thwart any potential power struggle by one specific branch. In essence, the constitution of the United States is a perfect blueprint for democracy in its purest form, with power and control in the hands of its citizens. Unfortunately, this is not the case today. By giving up the right to print its own currency in 1913, the US Government bequeathed its powers to a select few, who have owned and operated this country ever since. They are the true masters of US domestic and foreign policy. Just like a corporation issues shares of stock to function as a productive entity, a country has to issue currency in order to fund its operations. This currency is the lifeblood of a nation, creating wealth for its citizens by fostering economic development and providing public infrastructure and services. In a true democracy, the government is owned by the citizens and operated by representatives of the population as a whole, who control and more importantly regulate the issuance of this currency. This is a critical point to remember. Just like a public company [that issues too much stock] can be punished by the public markets for diluting its share structure, a nation’s currency can suffer the same effects through inflation if the government prints too much money relative to the value of the economy. This can be co... ...al well into the 21st century and beyond depends on it. Thanks to innovations like the Internet, the public’s ability to access information that was once kept hidden from view is now possible. This instills the hope that much like the Fellowship in LOTR was eventually able to thwart the efforts of Sauron, we as citizens of the United States can succeed in abolishing the Federal Reserve System and help restore this nation to the democratic vision of our Forefathers. http://www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/frseries/frseri.htm Delaware Corporation No. 0042817, https://sos-res.state.de.us/tin/GINameSearch.jsp http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/jfkeo/eo/11110.htm DiLorenzo, Thomas J. 1994. Economic Fascism, The Freeman DiLorenzo, Thomas J. 1994. Economic Fascism, The Freeman http://www.house.gov/paul/legis/106/hr1148.htm http://www.ronpaulinstitute.org/

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Nanotechnology :: essays research papers

Nanotechnology is an anticipated manufacturing technology giving thorough, inexpensive control of the structure of matter. The term has sometimes been used to refer to any technique able to work at a submicron scale Molecular manufacturing will enable the construction of giga-ops computers smaller than a cubic micron; cell repair machines; personal manufacturing and recycling appliances; and much more. Nanotechnology Broadly speaking, the central thesis of nanotechnology is that almost any chemically stable structure that can be specified can in fact be built. This possibility was first advanced by Richard Feynman in 1959 when he said: "The principles of physics, as far as I can see, do not speak against the possibility of maneuvering things atom by atom." (Feynman won the 1965 Nobel prize in physics). This concept is receiving increasing attention in the research community. There have been three international conferences directly on molecular nanotechnology as well as a broad range of conferences on related subjects. Science said "The ability to design and manufacture devices that are only tens or hundreds of atoms across promises rich rewards in electronics, catalysis, and materials. The scientific rewards should be just as great, as researchers approach an ultimate level of control - assembling matter one atom at a time." "Within the decade, Foster or some other scient ist is likely to learn how to piece together atoms and molecules one at a time using the STM ." (Referring to John Foster of IBM Almaden labs, who spelled "IBM" by pushing xenon atoms around with a scanning tunnelling microscope.) Eigler and Schweizer at IBM reported on ".the use of the STM at low temperatures (4K) to position individual xenon atoms on a single- crystal nickel surface with atomic precision. This capacity has allowed us to fabricate rudimentary structures of our own design, atom by atom. The processes we describe are in principle applicable to molecules also". Drexler has proposed the assembler, a device having a submicroscopic robotic arm under computer control. It will be capable of holding and positioning reactive compounds in order to control the precise location at which chemical reactions take place. This general approach should allow the construction of large atomically precise objects by a sequence of precisely controlled chemical rea ctions, building objects molecule by molecule. If designed to do so, assemblers will be able to build copies of themselves, that is, to replicate. Because they will be able to copy themselves, assemblers will be inexpensive.

Monday, September 16, 2019

A Marketing Memo

First, I will suggest to Mr. Dickson to begin with a distribution approach that basically matches his capability. He must analyze the pros and cons of finding an effective distribution pattern and this heavily depends on his finances and production ability.Some ways are producing a small display of his products at local stores and advertising over telephones. Second, Mr. Dickson should learn how his product sells. In conjunction with the first step, he now has to weigh his options regarding where and how his product sells—whether through local stores or any other way that he can think of.Which ever way he may pursue, he should bear in mind which approach can him more support. Thirdly, Mr. Dickson should think about his options in promotions to his intended market.Since Mr. Dickson had already established a connection with the local stores and he believes that his product is more superior to the other brand, one way to introduce and spread his product is through attending local conventions and feature shows wherein he can introduce his sauce to bigger and more established distributors and retailers.Through this, he can have contacts to bigger supermarkets and a wider audience. The last step is that for Mr. Dickson to consider his alternatives before making the concluding decision. Mr. Dickson should at first establish a distribution network and this network should sell enough to sustain his product without too much attempt on his part. (Debelak, 2004)The main problem of Mr. Dickson is the limited distribution that his product achieved despite his attempts to sell it to local markets. But since he has the support of his restaurant clientele and a massive confident on his product, I think that he should continue on doing from the basic—which is promotion. The constraint now is how and where he promotes.As I see it, since he has a small connection to local supermarkets, he should start from there. He should set up small displays in the supermarkets an d attend local feature shows so that people will be introduced to his sauce.And I think that he should not stop advertising in his restaurant. He should also set up small displays on his restaurant and should continue utilizing it in his recipes. Through this, the confidence of his clients and the greatness of his product can even reach other people through word of mouth, which is little on his part.REFERENCES:Debelak, D. (2004). Spread it around: find the best way to distribute your product, and you'll rake in the profits [Electronic Version]. Retrieved September 2, 2007 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0DTI/is_6_32/ai_n6066217. Â  

Moral Fragments and Moral Community: A Proposal for Church in Society Essay

Devil’s Playground Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The film â€Å"Devil’s Playground† is considered as one of the films ever produced that is more of a psychological thriller that is developed in a church setting, schools as well as the upper levels of power which exist in the Catholic Church, specifically, Australian when there was change in late 1980s. The film has various stars including Simon Burke who plays the role of Tom Allen. The other characters in the film include Don Hany, Jack Thompson, Toni Collette, John Noble, Andrew McFarlane, Anna Lise Phillips, Leon Ford, UliLatukefu, Matt Levett, as well asJarinTowney (youtube.com).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Form this film, it can be noted that the Amish youths, when they reach the age of 16 years, they are allowed to make their personal decisions and take other ways apart from following the set Amish rules. The youths sample the outside life from the routine life of the Amish which is often under strict rules (Rasmussen, 9-20). The youths get to have modern life whereby they do things as they please and engage in all manner of activities that comes with modernism. In the year 1988, Tom Allen was still recuperating from the loss of his wife as well as the love affair that he had with Alice. One boy goes missing from a Catholic School and there are a lot of questions which are asked by the community. Desperate search by Andrassi as well as Brother Warner to find the boy that has gone missing. In the second episode of film, there is a body which is discovered as well as a note, cryptic, which gives the suggestion that the death of that has occur red is not a normal death or as a result of accident(Rasmussen, 9-20).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The film is quite clear on the lessons that it tries to pass through to the society at large. As it is depicted in the film, the youths are left to make their choices in life, whether to follow modernism or to follow the Amish rules(Beaty, Carlton, and Mark, 107). The film is all about freedom in the society to make choices and live according to what the world offers. From the film, the concept of change is eminent in the film whereby the youths, at the age of 16, are left to do what they want(Rasmussen, 9-20). The film depicts the society as weak and lacks the control that it needs to have on young people. For example, Faron, who is the son of a preacher, gets involved in drugs and leaves the teachings of his father.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is a lot of disrespect for authority that is depicted from the picture of Faron getting in to drugs and other social vices(David, n.p). The producer of the film tries to show the society that when people are left without any rules, there are high chances that things will definitely go wrong. However, it is ironical that the son of a preacher is ardent drugs user, something that the society greatly believes can only happen to those that do not go to church.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this film, there are several characters that have been used, which includes students, clergymen, as well as person in authority. The use of the different characters helps in bringing out the themes in the film as well as the development of the film. The use of the clergy and having church settings as part of the film helps in bringing out the religious aspect that people have in the society (Beaty, Carlton, and Mark, 107). However, despite there being the aspect of religion and beliefs, the society is full of vices, some of which are associated with the church. The clergy are expected to perform the role of teaching morals to the followers and the society as well as offer the much needed support for the people. However, in the context of the film, the church is seen as one that is riddled with politics as well as social vices, although these are not outwardly displayed(Beaty, Carlton, and Mark, 107). The use of the clergy in the film he lps in supporting the theme of religion whereby people get hope from religion, as it is seen through the various youths that decided to get back to their communities instead of continuing with their reckless life(Rasmussen, 9-20). The church is the source of hope and future in the society. It is important that in society moral values should be supported by all the relevant authorities so that the young people can have some form of guidance since they are naà ¯ve and inexperienced.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Contrary to the moral values that are expected, the authorities have instead turned around and became symbols of immorality in the society, as this can be seen in the film. The clergymen fail in their responsibility which in turn leads to the death of a boy, and some form of note claiming that the death is not an accident(David, n.p). From the tile of the film, the Devil’s Playground†, it is symbolic since the events that take place in the film such as the way the youths have left the ways of the Amish and instead engaged in modernism, depicts the title of the film.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The producer of this film managed to bring out the title of the film since there are a lot of social vices which are depicted throughout the film. The vices cover up the religious beliefs that exits leaving in the film, and the church seems not be effective in carrying out its duty of ensuring that the moral values that are expected in the society are upheld by everyone. The schools are not left out as it is depicted in the film (Brooks, 125). The students are the victims that are greatly affected by the vices in the society. The film is a clear indication of what modernism has on a society that does not hold on to its cultural values. The students are presented as intelligent and are aware of what is happening in their surrounding and from observation, they try and practices what they see(Beaty, Carlton, and Mark, 107). The use of the students as part of the characters in the film the producer of this film were simply trying to show that there is no one in the society that is immune to vices which are in a society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is the responsibility of everyone in the society to ensure that moral values are upheld. Furthermore, it is not just the responsibility of the clergy, as they are not as perfect as they may be viewed to help maintain moral values in the society. Parents have the first responsibility of instilling moral values in their children. In the film, parents are seen to be strict to their children and want the children to follow what they want (David, n.p). However, as the children reach the age of 16 years, they are left to make their choices without the guidance of the parents. The effect of this laxity on the side of the parents result in the death of a boy, many of them getting involved in drug abuse as well as sexual relationships, things they are not supposed to do. The whole aspect of religion and parental guidance is lost as it is depicted in the film, and instead, evil is left to prevail(Rasmussen, 9-20). Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In conclusion, the use of the different characters in the film is quite accurate and matches the title of the film, bringing out the clear theme that was intended by the producers of the film. In addition to the characters, the use of different settings, that is, the church, schools and homes, helps to support the theme of the film and the development of the film, something that is a plus to the film. The whole aspect of the film is to help people understand the behavior of human beings when faced with changes, that is, the psychological impacts of different events in the life of an individual(Beaty, Carlton, and Mark, 107). In a society, there it is important that moral values should be maintained and young people should be taught how to live morally upright lives. Furthermore, it is the responsibility of everyone in the society to help and support each other in ensuring that cultural values are not lost. References Beaty, Michael D, Carlton D. Fisher, and Mark Nelson.Christian Theism and Moral Philosophy.Macon, Ga: Mercer University Press, 1998. Print. P.107 Brooks, Thom. Ethics and Moral Philosophy. Leiden: Brill, 2011. Print. P.125 David Dale, Catholic church is in the spotlight for Devil’s Playground TV series viewed from http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/catholic-church-is-in-the-spotlight-for-devils-playground-tv-series-20140902-10b5hx.html on 23rd November 2014 Rasmussen, Larry L. Moral Fragments and Moral Community: A Proposal for Church in Society. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993. Print. P.9-20 The Devils’ Playground viewed from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMmf-20w5IA on 23rdNovember 2014 Source document

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Life in the New England Colonies

The American way of life has changed throughout the centuries. Our views of life have changed dramatically in many ways. History has changed the way we look at American values in general. Such things as our drive for hard work and value of education have evolved from specific types of people during the growth of this great nation. But who were these mysterious people that so drastically changed the way we think today? These â€Å"wonderful† people were called puritans and settled in the New England colonies. They ran their society with a strong hand, and valued their land. When it came to work and education they put forth 110% effort. The puritan values have been carried through the centuries and are still alive and kicking today. In today†s society hard work holds as much of an importance as it did during the puritan times. We hold this American value in high regard when it comes to most things. The puritans viewed hard work as a necessity to survive. We know this partly by the fact that some where around 80% of the puritans were farmers and in order to keep up a good farm you must put your nose to the grindstone. As time has evolved the American views it has been reluctant to change this one. After all if you let any slack out in today†s society you are likely to be replaced. And therefore we always strive to be the best, this in return forces us to work harder day by day. The puritans viewed materialist things much the way we do today. What this means is that in America today you are judged by what you have and the way you look. If you are dressed like a homeless person going in for a job interview, your never gonna get the job no matter what qualifications you have. See in today†s society you are judged by what is on the outside instead of what is in the inside. The puritan†s were much this way about land. As we see in the Crucible Mr. Proctor is accused of making false accusations so that he may buy the land of the people that are on their way to jail. It might be argued that the land was the main source of profit during these times, however it also was a sign of how important you were to God. If you had 300 acres of land you were considered one of Gods chosen few. In the Crucible we also see that Reverend Parris asks for golden candlesticks to place in the church. Now one may not forget that the church was nothing more than a beat up old shack, far from any of the Cathedrals of today. They would do anything to be viewed as being closer to God much way we would do anything to make people like us and accepts us. From the time of the puritan†s to generation-X education has always been a important value. Although some today view school as another place for teens to kick back and just talk to each other. Most however are in school to do more than just learn, they are there to succeed. 97% of all high school students have plans for a higher learning in college. And where are the best colleges located? Most are located on the East Coast. Such schools as Harvard and Yale were founded by our strict ancestors, the puritan†s. They viewed education as a tool. With it you will succeed. Who knows, back then with a good education you might end up in office. In fact many great men attended school on the East Coast. Thomas Jefferson for instance attended Harvard. The tradition of a great education has survived through the passing years and will most likely live on. Values of such people as the puritan†s have continued on in the world today and have changed the course of history, as we know it. Education, hard work, and materialism are just three of the many influences that have been handed down from our great ancestors. However, the question still at hand is â€Å"Have these values, that have been handed down to us so generously, been for the better or the worse? This is one question I feel must be answered by ones heart. It is after all, a matter of opinion.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Personality and temperament of children Essay

In the past several years, day care has become the norm in most American families especially that more and more women are joining the workforce and this has become integrated into the welfare system (Davies, 1998). Over the years, research has been active in determining the positive and negative effects of day care to the mental health and cognitive functioning of young children. Results at best have provided evidence that good quality day care is a positive experience for young children (Davies, 1998). On the other hand, proving that day care can significantly affect the mental health and cognitive functioning of the child has remained ambiguous. Establishing causality between use of day care and child mental health and cognitive functioning is difficult because of several variables that might confound the results of the research study. First of this is the inherent personality and temperament of children, measuring child temperament of very young children is cumbersome and difficult coupled with the fact that valid instruments might not be available at this time. It is a fact that mental health and adjustment and cognitive functioning in young children are influenced by their traits and individual differences, hence one could not absolutely say that use of day care would lead to better mental health adjustment and cognitive functioning. Second is the parenting styles of the child’s parents, the child in day care might have involved, authoritative parents or they might have detached and autocratic parents. Although parenting style can be assessed through parenting instruments but it does not clearly provide an explanation as to how a child behaves or how prepared he/she is to interact with children and other caregivers. It is therefore possible that a child that attends a day care center would be socially adept and well adjusted but this could be easily a product of his/her family set-up and parenting style rather than being in day care. Lastly, establishing causality means that the research must prove that the use of day care causes the betterment or deterioration of the child’s mental health and cognitive functioning, this alone is a methodological challenge since day care is made up of several elements lumped into the concept of day care and one factor such as playing with children may have an effect in cognitive functioning but not in mental health. Meanwhile, measuring mental health and cognitive functioning in young children would entail that the research be a longitudinal study since these variables are not manifested in very young children, hence following original research participants for a period of 10 or 15 years might be a more valid design, but one also has to account that children through the years are shaped by their educational experiences in formal schooling and this may inadvertently influence the results of the study in favor of day care when in fact what has been measured was educational experiences in later years. References Davies, C. (1998), Assessing outcomes in child care: An international perspective. Children & Society,12; 3, pp. 155-160. Harvey, E. A. (1999). Short-term and long-term effects of early parental employment on children of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Developmental Psychology, 35, 445-459. Available at http://euryale. sbs. umass. edu/users/eharvey/devpsycharticle. pdf

Friday, September 13, 2019

The Analysis of Immediate Souths Secession from the Union Essay

The Analysis of Immediate Souths Secession from the Union - Essay Example The essay "The Analysis of the Immediate South’s Secession from the Union" talks about the rationality of the South actions during the years preceding the Civil War. One cannot ignore the fact that if the South did not declare succession, Lincoln would not have to declare war in the south. James McPherson, an expert in this subject and author of The Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era insists, â€Å"In July 1861, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution, by a nearly unanimous vote, that affirmed that the North was not waging the war to overthrow slavery but to preserve the Union.†. Clearly, the focal point of the war was to keep the unity of nation for the sake of peace and security. By March, during Lincoln’s inauguration speech, states such as South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas had already declared to secede. From the South’s perspective, it is clear that that nation was interested in its own political and economic pursuits. Clearly, the soldiers understood that the North had little or no interest in South’s domestic affairs. Slavery was vital towards the success of South’s economy. The failure for the North to acknowledge the idea motivated the Southern soldiers to pursue their own version of the â€Å"American Dream.† The major political and economic interests between North and South continued to reflect the justification for separation for the Southern soldiers. Hence, Lincoln’s reaction to impose force to unite the nation escalated the tensions. between both sides. Hence, the advantages of the South declaring secession centered on their economy. Without constraining the burden of supporting the North with its financial burdens, the South enjoyed the dire success of enhancing and revitalizing its own economy. The justification for the secession revolv ed around the fact that the South had many grievances. Since the colonies also fought the revolutionary because they had a list of grievances, it only seemed fair that the South had the equal right to repeat history. The Republican tariffs that were imposed and the free homestead in the west were vital towards the southern states to rebel. The disadvantages of the South declaring secession was the fact that no country regarded the South as its own union. The South was economically strong, but ideologically weak. It clearly lacked the foundation of unity that it once enjoyed while being with the Union. In addition, it had a weak foundation of government and did not possess a strong leader as Lincoln himself. Without a leader to take in charge, the South had no channels to unite for a war. the South did not It had no power to engage any international relations or ask its neighboring allies to finance its war. Although one may think that the secession was a rapid move, the South did ac t in a rationale way. The south at this point was to break away and enjoy the bounties of being an independent nation. With its full economic and financial power, the South was even turning heads in the European front. The South at this point realized the scrutiny they were in and did not want to suffer any longer from North’

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Senior and middle managements communication and leadership style Literature review

Senior and middle managements communication and leadership style influence on employees satisfaction and motivation in case of Airport of Thailand (AOT) company - Literature review Example The landscape of literature reviw offers the analysis of relevant information concerning leadership, internal communication, employees and management acquired through several years of management and several researches caried ut by various scholars. It is a process where leaders interrelate with their followers and try to persuade their followers in realizing intended goals. Previous studies have identified different types of leadership. Among the common forms of leadership styles are transformational and transactional. Transformational leadership put emphasis on the personal growth and intrinsic motivation of their followers. This type of leadership tries to align the aspirations and needs of their followers to that of the organization. By doing like that, transformational leadership nurtures the loyalty of their followers to that of the organization and inspires them to enhance their performance. In current dynamic and complex environment, transformational leaders are seen as ultimate agents of change who can steer their followers successfully in times of high risk taking and uncertainties (Shah, 2004). On the other hand, transactional leadership gain legitimacy by maximizing the use of promises, praises and rewards so as to meet the pressing needs of their supporters. They engage their supporters by rewarding them so as to achieve certain desired goals. Although transformational leadership is seen as more suitable than transactional leadership, it has been realized that such argument is deceptive. Burns (1998) argued that all leadership is transactional, though such transactions are not limited to short term rewards only. An effective leader has to appeal to the personal interest of the followers and make use of both short term and long- term rewards in order to lead supporters towards the realization of organizational objectives. This subject is very relevant to the study as it offers critical insight on types

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Boeing and airbus Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Boeing and airbus - Research Paper Example The Boeing 787 series was grounded after this episode in the United States. All these incidences concerned the battery and the airplane’s electrical components. It is also reported that the airplane has two major issues within the first 52,000 of flight while it was supposed to last for up to 10 million flight hours without any problems. The solution to this problem would be to change the battery so that it would be able to contain fires better and thus become more efficient and work for longer periods. However, the causes of the battery failures are still not known and therefore the solutions given may not cover the entire problem. Therefore, as the CEO of the company, there is a need to find out the cause of the failure of the batteries in order to find suitable solutions to the existing problem (Harress). The competitors of the Boeing include the airbus and Lockheed martin. The airbus is one of the biggest passenger airplanes known worldwide. However, it has some issues that need to be dealt with. For instance, one major problem of the airbus is its sensitive warning system. The software is not able to handle manageable tolerances and, therefore, the system can be set off even with very minor problems in the aircraft. The warnings and alarms can set off an alert and even shut down a well-functioning plane (Flight Global). There is a need for the algorithm to be set straight so that it is less sensitive and to prevent further breakdown of the airbus. The issue of false alarms has made the plane unreliable and therefore many passengers avoiding it. The rest of the citizens may not be in a position to understand the defects and react accordingly and thus the loss of confidence among many customers. There is a need to come up with a better software to deal with the false alarms and to make the airplane more

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Academy Honesty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Academy Honesty - Essay Example Academic honesty is crucial in promoting original ideas and interpretation on issues and topics that are socially, economically and politically relevant. Besides being ethically correct, academic honesty fosters a new breed of innovative thinkers who have the power to influence the critically sensitive paradigms of our time which is fraught with conflicting ideologies and unholy alliances of the vested interests.The purpose of academics is to generate knowledge which is multiplied through interpretation in various formats by scholars. The existing database of knowledge is explored, modified, corrected or even expanded with more fresh inputs by other scholars, thus promoting academic honesty, which relies on acknowledging the efforts of other people. Hence, academic honesty is an important tool to safeguard not only one's works but also to encourage originality and innovative writing in academia.One can use academic honesty by acknowledging the efforts of other scholars and people thr ough proper citations. The ideas and writings of other scholars are duly recognized by having a detailed bibliography, in one's work.Academic honesty is critical to the advancement of knowledge and development of fresh ideas and perspectives on wide ranging issues.

Monday, September 9, 2019

Hispanic Last Names Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hispanic Last Names - Essay Example Hispanic surnames are always two. Balbastro Ajuntas is the womans’ real name referred to as ‘nombre.’ Ajuntas is part of her first name, not her middle name.Berrera is her fathers’ name or Apellido paterno. It is what we call her last name. Maria is her mothers’ name or Apellido materno and it is used with her fathers’ name. It is not only her last name but it completes her last name. If Balbastro was to marry Ramon Gonzalez Gomez, she would take Ramons’ last names in that pattern. Most Hispanic countries however, have the additional conjunction ‘de’ to show that the added name is a married one. It is worth noting that women in todays world do not change their names on personal or professional reasons. Women in Hispanic culture never changes her first sir name in marriage. This is different from other cultures like US, where a woman assumes the husbands’ name after marriage. It is therefore important to note that, the naming system of Spain has the traditional personal surname of the farther followed by that of the mother and that a woman does not have to change her surnames in favor of her husband’s name because Spanish naming system does not entail the maiden name

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Global history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Global history - Essay Example Additionally, the end of the Cold War has had important implications for the already precarious states of Africa and has coincided with the emergence of Asian economic â€Å"Tigers†: a global economic shift towards emerging East Asian powerhouses. Our current wave of globalization will be traced back to the late 1960s, beginning with the â€Å"social revolution† of that decade, and will end with today’s international state of affairs. The social revolution of the 1960s was also a cultural revolution. In fact, the â€Å"rise of a specific, and extraordinarily powerful youth culture indicated a profound change in the relation between generations† (Hobsbawm 324). Leading this cultural revolution were the young: teenagers started wearing jeans – prior to that only farmers wore them – and rock music became the voice of a generation (Hobsbawm 324). In fact, industries saw the potential of this young and increasingly powerful generation and catered to it through the â€Å"flourishing industries of cosmetics, hair-care and personal hygiene† (Hobsbawm 326). Hobsbawm asserts that the social revolution of the 1960s was as much a capitalist venture as a social and cultural revolution. The result of this â€Å"concentrated mass of purchasing power† (Hobsbawm 326) was the development of a sort of cultural hegemony, with blue jeans and rock music the identifiers of modern youth. Cultural symbo ls of identity thus perpetuated an Anglo-American global cultural hegemony. Additionally, "the cultural revolution of the latest twentieth century can thus best be understood as the triumph of the individual over society, or rather, the breaking of the threads which in the past had woven human beings into social textures" (Hobsbawm 324-330). Planned capitalism, expressed through governmental economic intervention and the Bretton Woods Agreements of 1944, exploded during the 1970s. Bretton Woods, which established

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Holding employees accountable Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Holding employees accountable - Essay Example Moreover, the company keep to an open inside communication policies and seriously addresses such issues as corruption, unethical behavior and similar cases. All these words create an idealized image of the company and it is interesting to look at how others estimate their success in leadership and ethics. According to Roth (2013), UTC is one of the best examples of how one company can make the business environment change. The company successfully keeps their internal processes in good order and achieves high performance rates as a result. The author states that the company keeps its focus on internal collaboration, learning and development in order to progress together. Obviously, this feedback about the company makes it possible to say that it selects and trains successful leaders who know what they do. Overall, UTC is a great success case and it creates a role model for other industries to follow. The company invests in its employees and keeps them committed and motivated. Special people are in charge of ethical issues; regular corporate trainings and collaborations are conducted to make sure that all employees are accountable. This example can serve as an inspiration for other smaller businesses where people struggle to keep everything clear and

Friday, September 6, 2019

Global Wine Essay Example for Free

Global Wine Essay 1. How were the French able to dominate the worldwide wine trade for centuries? What sources of competitive advantage did they develop to support their exports? The French wine production essentially dates back to the time when it was part of the pioneering niche market for high quality premium wine. The factor conditions such as land and climate were pertinent attributes of the France, compared to other European countries. Cross border shipping costs surged in the early 19th century. However, France was able to amalgamate the relevant industries that supported wine production, within their borders. Therefore, France was able to raise the level of its competitive advantage throughout the various sources, absent any relative impact from other countries. Eventually, the wine industry proliferated and became the second largest export segment for France. This was combined with an extravagant culture of rich food, whilst making the customers more demanding, with respect to a certain quality of wine produced. In the aftermath of such demand shifts, the French government created the classification system, which raised the barriers to entry so that foreign competition can be limited. This classification system also aided the consumers in making easy decisions through the complexity of a fragmented market. It was essentially a depiction of standardization of quality measures to maintain industry standards of French wine worldwide. Much was relied on the vintner with respect to other operational capacities such as marketing and research. Due to a fragmented market, most small scale farmers relied on the wine maker for most market activities. 2. Given the longstanding dominance of Old World wine producers, how were the New World producers, such as the Australians, able to expand their market share so rapidly in the 1990s? 3. What changes in the global industry structure and competitive dynamics led the France and other traditional producers to lose market share to challengers from Australia, US, and other New World countries? 4. What should be done for France to restore its position?

Gay marriage should be legalized and accepted Essay Example for Free

Gay marriage should be legalized and accepted Essay Gay marriage (also known as same-sex marriage) generally refer to the marriage between two people with same sex can be either both male or both female. Imagine this, you and your beloved person walking on the street, everyone look at you in a strange way and mumble about you. How will you feel? That is how homosexual people feel these days. Remember this, they are just human beings like us but have different sexual orientation and that is the one and only difference. They can feel pain, happiness, sadness and lost just like how we feel, both physically and psychologically. It is one of our liberties to pursue happiness, which homosexual people are not able to chase, because they cannot marry the person they love. Who give you the right to take away others’ happiness? The happiness which did not and will not harm you. Are you racist? Are you sexist? Reasonable people will know that discriminate against anyone for any reason is rude and uneducated. And denying same-sex marriage sends the message of it is acceptable to discriminate against them. Some people may say that the institution of marriage has traditionally been defined as between a man and a woman, and allowing gay marriage will weaken the institution of marriage. This is absolutely nonsense. To not to change the institution is like to tell the court to not to change the law even when the law does not fit the modern world anymore. Nowadays, everything is changing as time passing by, so why not the institution of marriage. The legalization of gay marriage will also make it easier for same-sex couple to adopt, and provide stable home for children who otherwise be left in orphanage which hardly makes kids feel like home. Even gay marriage will lead to children being raised in same-sex household that lots of people may refer as not an optimum environment because children need both mother and father. However, according to a research by University of Melbourne lead by Doctor Simon Crouch which surveyed 315 same-sex parents and 500 children. The research shows that children who were raised in same-sex parents scored an average of 6% higher then general population on both health and family cohesion. Clearly the evidence shows that the children who grown up in same-sex couple family won’t grow unhealthily, in fact sometimes it is even better for kids to gain more resilience, because all the kids need is no more than two loving parents. So how many lives should be ruined, how many happiness should be  taken away before we take actions?