Western Humanities

It is no exaggeration to say that the Romans have made profound impact on almost all civilized nations of the world and their culture is the cradle of many cultures of today (Rao, 113). The manner in which the Romans pick their girls has a whole lot to do with the laws governing marriage at that time. Before a marriage could be considered legal, both couples must be matured; for the girl twelve years and for the boy fourteen, the parents of the couple have to be fully aware; that is it has to be with the consent of both families of the bride and groom. During the Augustan age, families were forbidden any refusal of marriage without given any valid reason as to why they refused a marriage. Marriage between a close relation likewise ascendant and descendant marriage were also unlawful. There were two social classes during the early Roman period; the patricians who were the citizens and the plebeians who were the free non-citizens. During that time, the patricians only marry the patricians and the plebeians only the plebeians respectively as there was no inter-marital relationship between these two social classes. Marriage by the Patricians was considered a sacred institution which cannot be done just by merely saying it. Some manners of consideration have to be taken before a marriage could actually take place. With the direct consent of the gods, the patrician takes his bride from her father’s house to his own residence in the company of a representative of his clan. In this form of marriage, the bride is put under the authority of her husband and her husband in a way becomes her master. The plebeian marriage however consist essentially the cohabitation of a man and woman as husband and wife. Plebeian marriages were not recognized by the patricians as they were not considered citizens and even when the plebeians became citizens and their marriage were legalized, inter-marriage between the plebeians and the patricians were still not allowed because of the religious differences between them. But as years past, their laws were amended and the marriage between the social classes now became possible. The early Romans married at a relatively early age as a girl was considered ready for marriage between the ages of fourteen and seventeen. Her father would choose a husband and perform the required arrangements. Though young Roman children were not forced into marriage, very few children were able to refuse an arranged marriage (Mellor). Betrothal before marriage was considered a good form although it had no legal obligation attached to it. Betrothal involves a girl been promised solemnly by her family to the man or his family. This process in most case is represented by the man giving the prospective wife a ring. The ring is worn on the third finger of the left hand which the Romans believed had a direct link with the heart, as they believed that the finger had a connection with the heart by a nerve. It was customary point of pride with the Romans for the bride to bring her groom a dowry which was provided by her family if she is still dependent on them or by herself. The bride is dressed by her mother on the morning of her wedding day; one of the most significant parts of the dressing was the â€Å"knot of Hercules† who was considered the guardian of wedded life (Rome exposed – Roman Children). The groom is the only one permitted to loose the knot once it is tied and this is done after the wife has been accompanied to her new home. After the marriage ceremony, there is usually a dinner (reception) in the house of the bride after which she is then accompanied to her husband’s house by her family members. On entering into her new home, the bride is carried into the house so as to prevent any bad omen that may result if she stumbles upon her first entrance into the house. Until the first child is born, marriage itself is not regarded as having been consummated. This is because the Romans believe that children are of paramount importance in order for a marriage to be considered blissful. However husbands and wives could tend to love each other as time goes on. The Roman women enjoy social freedom as they could attend both public and private banquets in the society. After marriage, the social status of a Roman woman increases as she is raised to the rank of her husband and is considered equal with him sharing the same religious and civil status with him. Her responsibility however is to govern the home and being the mistress of the house, she oversees the education of her children as well as the slaves. During the Augustan age women had more encouragement to bear more children because of the privilege associated with it. The moment a woman has three children, she would be released form all supervision and was free to conduct business by herself (Bierkan, Sherman & Stocquart, 303-327). One could safely say that the Roman woman was vast and sophisticated when compared to her counterparts like the Greeks and this was due to the privileges given to her by the society.

Advanced Research Writing Essay

The topic of online education, specifically relating to teaching writing in a distant learning environment was covered by Professor Kate Kiefer. Kiefer is a Professor and Writing Integration Coordinator at Colorado State University. She has a PH.D in rhetoric from Carnegie Mellon University and has written numerous published articles, including three textbooks. In the book â€Å"Brave New Classrooms†, Professor Kiefer writes a chapter titled, â€Å"Do Students Lose More Than They Gain In Online Classrooms?† Professor Kiefer tackles the difficult questions of just how much are students getting out of online writing classes. What is the goal of an online student? Kiefer clearly has an issue with distance education and voices her opinion of its inferiority to a classroom environment. Her numerous assertions of distance learning students not getting the complete education experience must be taken for what it is, an instructor’s point of view and not a student’ s. Online education is becoming more prevalent every day, because not everyone has the time or funding to get to and from a college campus. This method should be embraced by instructors and not talked down on, simply because there is no other option for so many. Professor Kiefer wholeheartedly states in her article, that she believes taking an online writing class is inferior to a traditional structured classroom environment. She states that she is not in the majority on this issue, but she speaks of the many difficulties that face a student and teacher online. One of Professor Kiefer’s most adamant points against online writing classes is the true lack of interaction a student can have. She talks of how so many online classrooms have students who do not participate and do only what is needed to pass the class. Kiefer suggests that on-line classes are often full of students who are looking to check a box and get that next check mark, which will take them to finish line and a degree. She also states how not having peer to peer interaction robs the online student of so much valuable education. In a writing class it is pivotal she states to have your fellow  students peer review your work and not just have the teacher looking at your assignment. She covers the issue of how universities are trying to add more and more students online, because when it all boils down to it, money is what they are after. Professor Kiefer goes over a few ideas of how to make an online writing class better, such as requiring participation in discussions, but eventually she feels that online instruction in writing classes, leave the student short of what a teacher would like them to learn in a class. Professor Kiefer is very adamant on the loss of personal interaction in online writing classes and how it diminishes the importance of personal interaction, which to some extent is very true. In a recent article published by the â€Å"Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks†, documenting over 125 traditional face to face classes, it found â€Å"very strong support for the existence of a community of inquiry that is shared within each class section†. (Fernandes, Oct 2013) While It may be almost impossible to capture the same type of peer to peer interaction in a distance learning course compared to a traditional classroom, the study does not take into account that many online students have a network of support they are able to bounce ideas off of. While the journal study names student networking as a weakness to online classrooms, it does not really mention the fact that many physical classroom environments have students that do not want to participate. Professor Kiefer also addresses the high dropout rate of online students. This makes me wonder if the dropout rate is due to non-flexibility within the school offering the classes of if it is students just not taking it seriously. A recent study published in â€Å"Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks† by the Dean of Online Education at Dallas Baptist University noted that â€Å"their university offers thirty-four online degree programs and Dallas Baptist University has maintained a 92% cou rse completion rate† (Shelton, Oct 2009). I would have liked to have seen professor Kiefer give the standard dropout rate of traditional classroom students at a university. It is very possible that online education is still in such an evolving state, that there are many different factors leading to a high dropout rate. Many schools have not properly trained their faculty in correctly dealing with online education, while some of it is definitely the daily lives of online students that get it in the way. Professor Kiefer makes many valid points on her topics, however the reasons  she gives regarding why students take online courses, are the exact reasons they must continue. People with jobs and forty hour work week can’t take time out to drive to the university every day. Online classes have been going for a number of years now, but it is still in its infancy compared to classroom instruction. There are still so many ideas created each day that can make this learning environment better. Professor Kiefer makes a good argument regarding the negative impacts of online writing classes, but the reason we have online classes to start with are why they can’t stop. The goals of online students are the same as other students, they want to better their lives and further educate themselves. That lifeline cannot be taken away, because there are doubts about its effectiveness. It is up to everyone to keep making strides and improving the experience of online education. Bibliography Fernandes, B. R. (Oct 2013). Measuring the Community in Online Classes. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 17(3), pp 115-136. Kiefer, K. (2007). Do Students Lose More than They Gain in Online Writing Classes? In Brave New Classrooms. (Vol. 37, pp. 141-151). New York, NY: Peter Lang USA. Shelton, K. (Oct 2009). Does Strong Faculty Support Equal Consistent Course Completion?: It Has for Dallas Baptist University. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 13(3), pp 63-66.

Real Estate Bubble in China: the Present and the Future

The concern over whether China is experiencing a real estate bubble has increased, especially after Dubai crisis happened. The construction area of both residential and commercial properties has increased by almost 6 times since year of 2000. China has enjoyed a sharp increase in property price since 2006. Especially, after 2009, due to the large stimulus package, majority of the money went to construction and real estate industry. It further pushed up the property price, leading to a lot families became the â€Å"slave of the property† who were struggled to pay the mortgage. Not only the high price has affected most people‘s lives in China, it could also greatly affect Chinese economy and even the global economy. Domestically, the prosperity of real estate industry is fuelled by local investment and easy band loan. According to MSN Money, there is an increase of 38. 2% from 2010 in property market , mainly from developers and speculators. The scale of loans goes to property market is even more scary, up to $1. 3 trillion. People have compared the real estate bubble of China to the United States. The question is will Chinese property bubble has the similar effect? Fortunately, the difference between China and the United States are quite striking. The factors lead to the collapse of property market in United States will unlikely to happen. In China, a country with high saving rate, people used to buy property in cash 4 or 5 years ago. Even in the heyday of residential mortgages, the loan is not as easy as in the U. S. Down payment amount is much higher than in the U. S. A decline of 20 to 30 % in prices will not let the bubble burst in China. In conclusion, the burst of real estate bubble is not easy in China and, if happened, will have limited effect to the world economy. In this paper, I will try to present the whole picture of Chinese real estate market from the current situation to how it evolves, and will touch on the future as well. This will be achieved with the help of some data and the explanations of ratios. Section II: A Real Estate Bubble in China? The first question needs to be answered is that is there a real estate bubble in China? Since government tries to avoid this sensitive word â€Å"bubble†, and data are not reliable. People have to figure them out and estimate how large the bubble is. Bubble is believed to exist in many major cities of China. For example, in Beijing, real estate prices rose by 350% to 900 % only in 7 years from 2003 to 2010(Figure 1). Other indicators of real estate bubble have reached an alarming status in China in many major cities, including Beijing, Shanghai , Nanjing , Hangzhou and so on. The even striking fact in China is that you can hear stories about â€Å"empty cities† very often. China has the second largest mall empty in southeast China, and modern empty city in Ordos. These are only the cases that you know and easy to identify. However, more empty streets or blocks are in the cities, waiting for people to move in. Ghost City Ordos: the famous empty city in China is Ordos, which is located in the north part of China. Ordos is the second richest city in China, followed by Shanghai, even richer in term s of per capita than Beijing. The city is rich because of abundant natural resources. One –sixth of China‘s coal reserve, one –third of it is natural gap reserves. The GDP has increased at 25% per year, much higher than the national level. With such a huge amount of money, local government wants to attract more people to stay in Ordos. This is how the empty city comes from. The new city was designed to accommodate 300, 000 people, with a capacity of holding 1 million people. Currently, you can hardly see any people on the street, even though most of the properties have been sold out. Surprisingly, the city is still under construction. The local government still believes that they can fill in the new city soon. Unfortunately, the stories about empty cities have been repeated on and on in China. This has been interpreted as a sign of over investment and real estate bubble. In the case, the apartments have all been sold out, even though nobody moves in. ecause most people believe that property will grow definitely. For investment purpose, most of them prefer to buy one. This kind of behavior has contributed to the high vacancy rate in China, High Vacancy Rate: since official data are not reliable, the concrete number of vacancy rate is not available from official sources. The reason for this has been that government officials said that, they don't know what vacancy rate means. Obviously, government is trying to avoid knowing the fact. Somehow, people have provided a rough estimate on the vacancy rate. They are using how many electric meters that have no readings for 6 months as an indicator of vacancy rate. Overall, we got a number of 65. 4 million apartments. It is estimated that the vacancy rate is as high as 36%. With such a high vacancy rate, people are wondering how large the real estate bubble in China will be. James S. Chanos, one of the first foresee the collapse of Enron and earn large profit from hedge fund, gave the answer, it will be Dubai times 1000. A growing number of economists and hedge funds managers have been believed that Chinese economy is a big bubble. Others argue that China is definitely not a bubble, the development is real. There is overheating in some area, but infrastructure construction is still necessary to a country like China with such a huge population. Still, a lot people live in area without roads. The demand of properties is still more than the supply of apartments, due to the urbanization and economic growth. The pent up demand from city dwellers for better living condition, in the future, will convert to real development in economy. Even in 2009, when residential property prices enjoy a high fluctuation, the construction area has increased by 40. 7%, largely due to the central government‘s stimulus financial package. Figure 4 Section III , What are the forces that push up the price? In China, it is more than market demand and supply that determine the price . Local government, individual investors, and central banks are also involved, which make the issue more complicated. Recent years’ increase in property price has created an impression that real estate market will keep growing in the future. Unfortunately, this is also the belief in the U.  S. real estate market which, ultimately, results in economic recession. Thus, almost everybody bet on the future of real estate market. In this section, I will analyze both the market reasons and social factors that contribute to present situation in China. In terms of market demand, the demand for property comes from two kinds of groups. One is from the new migrants from rural places in China. Another is from local residences who want better living condition. Due to the urbanization process and economic growth in recent years, the demand will increase in the long term. This has been part of the reason why investors bet on the market growth. At the same time, governments and real estate developers have made an effort to supply enough apartments to meet the increasing demand. According to Macroeconomic principle , it seems that these have been enough to explain the fact. In an emerging country, political issues are unavoidable in any sense. Land sales have become an essential resource of local government’s revenue which means high property price shares the burden of high land-use right. In China, people don't buy land instead they are renting land for a certain amount of time. Normally, it is 70 years. In this sense, you are renting the land or buy the right to use the land for 70 years. Because of the conflict of interest, local governments are not enthusiastic in applying the central government’s price control policies. In order to facilitate the transaction, local governments even requires very low upfront. Question concerning this will be further mentioned in the next part. It has shown that in Beijing and Hangzhou, land sales have accounted for more than 30% of tax revenue. Thus , local authority has less incentive to tackle the problem. Only average home buyers bear the cost of high property price. Individual investors and state-owned companies made things worse as well. Since state-owned companies normally have much solid financial foundations than private companies, they are more likely to win the land sales bid. It was shown in Beijing that 82 % of land auctions are won by SOEs. These large firms are owned by central government, so in turn, if SOEs didn't win the auction or real estate market suffer a big crisis , both the SOEs and central authority will be affected. This has encourage local government to cooperate with SOEs. For individuals, they store apartments, waiting for a moment when real estate price goes even higher. Earning quick money is all their purpose. High vacancy rate can explain the situation. Section IV, How Real Estate bubble will affect China’s economy? Unlike other industries, real estate industry affects not only the industry itself but also social safety, political stability and financial stability in China. There are mainly two types of risk that will threaten the development of China’s economy, namely, loose mortgage policy for individuals and corporate. Mortgage loans are relatively new to Chinese residence. Most people pay cash to buy property instead of real estate loans. However, it grows almost 50% per year. The proportion of mortgage loans in nominal GDP has increased by 5 % in just one year. When big fluctuation of property price happens, it is likely that majority of property owners’ benefit will be affected from two perspectives. First of all, it will mean the shrink of the value of lifetime saving. As property is the largest investment of most families, the decline of price is also the shrink of their wealth. Secondly, households will become more conservative in investing in the future. People will spend less money on consumption and put more money into banks instead. On the other hand, individual and corporate mortgage loans will also pose a threat to the banking system. For individuals, mortgage loans are relatively new. Chinese used to pay cash for their properties. Nowadays, mortgage loans have enjoyed a 50% increase in just one year. When property price declines, the majority of loan owners will have difficulty in paying the mortgage. When it comes in a large scale, private banks can go bankrupt. Due to some negotiation between different groups, real estate developers don't need to pay the full amount of bidding price, instead they only need to pay a small portion to get the right to use the land. To be specific, if a firm wins a bid which worth 5 billion RMB, only one-tenth of the full amount need to be paid initially. What‘s more, firm can get a loan from banks by using the land as a collateral at the amount of 2. 5 billion. It is clear that firms don't take as much risk as we thought and they can use the extra money to invest in biding for more land. Whenever there is market fluctuation or crisis, these firms and banks will definitely have a difficult time. Conclusion: Opinion diverts in interpreting overheating in construction industry. Some believe that China has a real estate bubble and it will burst soon. Others disagree, thinking this is an exaggeration of the problem of overheating investment in real estate industry in some areas. Personally, with the evidence mentioned above, real estate bubble does exist in China. However, the real demand is there as well. Most of the problems come from over investment in some areas. Resource misallocation leads to the unreasonable increase in property value. More market liberalization and less state-owned companies compete in the industry will help solve the problem. The importance of property even relates to marriage. There is an article in New York Times, titled† In China, Money can buy Love†. Owning a property has become the condition for marrying to somebody. If property price jumps dramatically, not only the economy will be affected, but also social well-being.

Week Two Assessing the Goal of Sports Products, Inc Essay

Week Two Assessing the Goal of Sports Products, Inc - Essay Example For any organization the main aim should be maximization of the shareholder’s wealth, not just profit maximization of the organization. The shareholders can benefit in two ways; either by receiving dividend or by the internal growth of the company. From last 20 years the company hasn’t paid any cash dividend, so they can only be benefited by rise in stock price. At present the company’s shock price is going down although the company is making a good profit. This clearly indicates that the main goal of company is to just maximize profit as much as possible, because this directly affects the pay of managers. But on the same time company is losing its reputation in market which is evidenced by the declining stock price. Hence the management of Sports Products Inc. should change their present goal of profit maximization and should pay more emphasis on the shareholders’ benefits which can be only achieved if the stock price increases. As a company receives all its resources from the society, hence they also have some responsibility toward the betterment of the society. They should take care that any of their activity should not degrade the environment. At present the stock prices are doing down even when the financial report indicates a continuous rise in profits. This clearly indicates that there is some problem in the management. At present the management is emphasizing merely on profit maximization. Basically there are two ways for profit maximization- either increase the revenue or decrease the expenditure. The company is following the second one. They are trying to reduce their expenditure at all possible ways. Even they overlook the pollution norms for reducing cost. They dump their waste products directly into the adjacent stream. This not only pollutes the surrounding environment but it lead to highly hazardous diseases by polluting

Family Law - case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Family Law - case study - Essay Example In this case, there is no adultery. Dorothy can get divorce by consent if George agrees to it. It is the easiest way as there are a few problems in this divorce. George is not of incurably unsound mind. The 1937 Act allowed divorce for misfortune and 1964 decision of the House of Lords allowed cruelty as a ground for divorce. George cannot be divorced under cruelty, adultery and physical and mental violence, and hence, mutual consent would be the best way for the divorce. According to Divorce Reform Act 1969, provided that "the sole ground on which a petition for divorce may be presented to the court..shall be that the marriage has broken down irretrievably" (11-008, p.275). Desertion for a continuous period of at least two years cannot be a ground here. Nor George 'has behaved in such a way that the petitioner could not reasonably be expected to live with the respondent.' Parties have not lived apart for two years. According to the Act, court has to grant a divorce decree "unless it is satisfied on all the evidence that the marriage has not broken down irretrievably." If Dorothy insists that marriage has broken down, it is impossible for George to prove otherwise. There are no children under the age of 16 in this case. Marital breakdown becomes the main issue, as Dorothy believes that her marriage cannot be saved. If she makes a statement under section 5(1)(a) on the marital breakdown, she has to state that: 1. The party is aware of the reflection and consideration period under section 7; 2. Wishes to make arrangements for the future. If both make the statements, each of them have to state the above. Dorothy has to prove that George spends all his time and money on his hobby, neglecting her and home. She has to prove negligence on his part and also that she is shouldering all the responsibility on her own. Another point in Dorothy's favour is that she should be able to prove that George's financial contribution to the family home had been inadequate for years. Meeting with the marriage Counsellor becomes an important prerequisite of divorce. According to Family Law Act, 1996, there is no point in allowing the 'empty legal shell' of the marriage to continue, when the actual marriage has already broken down completely. With the divorce, Dorothy will also be entitled to the share of the property, if any. She is also entitled for retirement benefit sharing, pension sharing and Cretney et al (2002), Principles of Family Law, (Family Law Act, 1996, 11-043 to 11-057, pp. 297 - 309). Ancillary relief can be made to either of the party, as in the eyes of law both are equal. In spite of that, Ancillary orders mostly are made in favour of the wives, mainly because their need and closeness to children is thought to be more important. No doubt, every case is weighed according to

RETIREMENT ASSIGNMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

RETIREMENT ASSIGNMENT - Essay Example The benefit is based on the ending salary. This means that the real dollar value of the retirement benefit will reduce during retirement. Imagine the same situation as above, but now you work for two employers during your career: You work for Employer A for the first 24 years, and Employer B for the second 24 years. Everything else in the problem is the same. Calculate your retirement salary from Employer A, from Employer B, and the total of the two retirement salaries. (Note that throughout your career, you receive a raise of 5.0% every year, even if you change employers, and you never loose salary when you change employers. Is a defined benefit a good plan if you do not stay with the company for your whole career? A defined benefit is not good if you do not stay with the company for your whole life because once you leave before the benefits are they vested, you may even lose the whole benefits or part of it if you worked for less than five years. If you work at a company for a whole career, you retire on your defined benefit salary, and the firm goes bankrupt, can the firm’s obligation to retirees like yourself be lowered, i.e. can retirees be left with a lowered retirement salary by the bankruptcy judge? Once the employer decides to offer the defined befits the company has no obligation to take back the benefit since it belongs to the retirees, hence incase the company goes bankruptcy, the retirees retirement benefits will not be

REFERENCE Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

REFERENCE - Article Example His clients also have the utmost esteem for Mr X. They consider Mr X the consummate professional, an exemplar of the vocation, and they are struck by his affability and graciousness during what must be a time of considerable stress. Mr X is extremely liberal with his valuable time. For example, he has attended at my pharmacy once a week for over six years. Considering the enormous distances he must travel to do so it heartens me that he always treats both my customers and myself with enthusiasm and vigour; more so as he does this without any monetary recompense whatsoever, such is his enthusiasm to return to the register. Mr X is fervent in his desire to gain valuable experience under my tutelage – something that I actively encourage. Mr X, while obviously on restricted duties, performs a variety of valuable tasks while working in the pharmacy. These include providing homeopathic remedies as well as dispensing conventional medicines. Mr X also enjoys working at the counter as it allows him to interact with patients as well as allowing him to keep up to date with changes in regulations regarding many over the counter medicines. Mr X is very active in preventive care. He encourages customers to engage in healthy lifestyle pursuits - advising patients about the potential dangers associated with cigarette smoking for example – and is fully versed in all the smoking cessation programs that our pharmacy offers. Indeed, Mr X’s customer service is outstanding. He is always engaging and energetic when dealing with patients. Moreover, Mr X explains in clear simple English exactly what each prescription does, whether there will be any complications or potential side-effects, and whether there are any better or cheaper generic medications available. Overall, Mr X’s customer service skills are exemplary. I rely on Mr X’s discretion and professionalism at all

'ONLINE BASED COMPANY ANALYSIS AND BENCHMARKING' assignment Essay

'ONLINE BASED COMPANY ANALYSIS AND BENCHMARKING' assignment - Essay Example It is for this reason that companies specialized in making bride dress; have resorted to the internet to market and hence sell their products. This report’s main focus is develop a benchmark for examining the best features and practices of bride’s dresses related information web pages so that they can be implemented in the existing company (1K Bride company). However, before developing the benchmark for the analysis, the report offers a detailed literature review on the importance of internet-and particularly online communication- to the companies that specialize on bride dresses. In relation to the predetermined set of analytical criteria, the evaluation of similar websites will be undertaken (Clegg 1997, pg71). Both the strengths and weakness of each and every website will be highlighted, thereby giving much needed direction towards how the website of ‘1K Bride Dresses’ can be improved from its current status to a much improved one. It is worth noting that: 1K Bride Dresses falls under fashion and design industry in Australia therefore much of the information gathered will be generalized with t he assumptions that it fits well with 1K bride Company. This incredible growth of the digital universe means that more than simply the fact that individuals will be facing information explosion on an unprecedented scale. This has implications for organizations concerning security, privacy, content management, intellectual property protection, data centre architecture, technology adoption and information management. According to the prediction made by IDC; while almost 70% of the digital universe will be created by individuals, fashion and design firms will be responsible for the security, privacy, compliance and reliability of at least 85% of the same digital universe (Chung 2003, p11). In fact, according to IDC, information and privacy protection has become a boardroom

Cross-Cultural Awareness Research Project Diary Method Essay

Cross-Cultural Awareness Research Project Diary Method - Essay Example Thus it is imperative that new skills and strategies are evolved to meet the emerging challenges with efficiency and unmatched proficiency. Interestingly, in the current environment of multicultural societies, reflective practices through diaries have become vital links to understand and improve outcome. One is able to reflect on issues and factors that have impacted the person. I have used the entries and content of my diary in discussing the various perspectives of the changing society, especially vis-a-vis international marketing. Various authors have also claim that diaries provide vital clues and techniques to improve and improvise productivity (Nadin, Sara and Catherine Cassell, 2006; Bolger, Niall, Angelina Davis, and Eshkol Rafaeli, 2003). I feel that cultural competency has emerged as a major issue within and outside the businesses community that impacts relationship building. Various authors Ghauri, Pervez and Cateora (2010) strongly contend that changing cultural dynamics are strong facilitator of change and significantly impact international businesses. Indeed, it can be described as the need to understand cross cultural values and adapt to the changing societal pattern of globalization. ... Communication is one of the most important skills that must be developed for long term sustainable professional and personal relationships. The need to develop a bond that is mutually beneficial as well as fruitful in the long run is inherent part of social contact paradigm. Everyone needs to communicate with one other, in one way or the other but mastering it ensures that one is able to convey his thoughts and ideas to the other with clarity and with ease. Indeed, a person, who makes effort to develop and improve inter-personal communication, is able to strengthen his professional relationship. He also helps facilitate a better understanding that paves way to a success which promises productive outcome. Better communication mode through cross cultural understanding has also the advantage of creating and fostering new associations with people who contribute to the personality development and help widen the area of knowledge and skills. This characteristic is particularly beneficial t o people who need to interact with public and new persons on a daily basis. The leaders and market and sales professionals need to develop this skill. They must be able to effectively communicate with other so as to motivate and inspire others towards their intended issues and goals. A good leader is not only able to inspire but he is able to diffuse a volatile situation and turn it into an advantage for himself and his organization. In the rapidly developing environment of global competitiveness, it is essential that people must make efforts to cultivate this skill. In the age of globalization and multicultural societies, it is important that they develop the right communication skills to interact with people of other race, cultures

History of the International Association of Fire Fighters and their Research Paper

History of the International Association of Fire Fighters and their influence today - Research Paper Example IAFF has played a crucial role in managing human resources in the fire fighting industry. The union has managed to improve the working conditions of fire fighters to an extent that it is a reliable and dependable profession. The safety of the fire fighters has been at the fore of the objectives of the union. It has focused on fighting for better wages, compensation benefits for occupational deaths and enhancing fire fighters’ skills in fighting fires. IAFF has elevated itself to a position of great influence in today’s society. This report will cover the progress made by the union since its inception in 1918 and show how such progress has changed the fire fighting profession for better. In this report, two major issues are discussed – the history of IAFF and its influence today. In discussing the history of IAFF, the milestones the union has made since its inception are highlighted. The union has been quite active and has succeeded in making great achievements. This report only highlights a handful of the achievements. On the second section, the influence of IAFF is discussed. IAFF’s influence is discussed from two perspectives – the policies it has necessitated to be enacted, and the programs and services it offers to its membership. These two have greatly changed the face of fire fighting profession and made it an integral part of the society. The history of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) is long and one that bears witness to the benefits of a continuous improvement of human resources. This association has its headquarters in Washington, DC. The association membership is more than 300, 000. The association has greatly influenced advances in the fire fighting industry and is highly credited for tremendously securing the working conditions of fire fighters. It has continuously done this by lobbying the legislature to pass laws that protect fire fighters and developing training for the fire fighters (IAFF,

Moving from organisational employment to self-employment Assignment

Moving from organisational employment to self-employment - Assignment Example Therefore, Deborah and Yasmin’s career could be described as internal, that is, subjectively constructed by the individuals themselves. For instance, in the case of Deborah, she envisioned a career that she would be able to attain professional growth and at the same time provide high-quality medical care and personal attention for her patients. However, after the hospitals became more focused on financial gains than on quality service provision for patients she became disheartened. As a result, she decided to start her own nursing home where she could practice what according to her is ‘real nursing’. Hence, her career decision was based on the feelings, opinion and perspective about the value for high-quality healthcare and personal attention for patients as opposed to business-like healthcare. Similarly, Yasmin did not actually plan where she would work or what she would do, but all she envisioned was a continuous career development process that would involve acq uiring knowledge, a range of skills and experiences, and the applying these to various employment contexts. This is why she got fed up with her position at the local authority when she realized that there was no room for development and enhancement of her career, for example, she felt marginalized and powerless to make any policy changes. Therefore, her decision to go enroll for Masters course and eventually start her own consultancy firm was all based on her feelings and opinion that as an employee of the local authority she was not gaining any professional growth and career achievements. Moreover, she felt deskilled instead of gaining a range of skills, and the reason according to her perspective was that the local authority was highly politicized. Question 2 Career anchor is an individual’s self concept that consists of his/her basic values, talents and abilities, and perception of needs and motives with regard to their career. Schein identified 8 career anchors, which are security, independence, technical-functional competence, entrepreneurial creativity, service to cause, general managerial competence, pure challenge, and finally, lifestyle (Schein, 1996). It is clear these career anchors to some extent apply to Yasmin and Deborah’s accounts. For example, Deborah’s career is driven by service/dedication to cause. This is because she is determined and believes in provision of quality healthcare service, as well as personal attention of patients. Thus, her career is fulfilled by helping and satisfying the needs of other people. Deborah’s career is also driven by independence/autonomy whereby she would prefer to work under her own steam and rules to attain career achievements. Likewise, Yasmin’s career is also driven by Schein’s career anchors to some extent, for example, she could be described as general managerial competence. This is because she is the kind of person who likes to deal with other people, thrives at responsibility and problem-solving. In addition, she values the concept of home-life balance, as well as personal time, thus, her career is driven by lifestyle career anchor. This can be clearly understood by her statement, â€Å"I mean there is work life, and there is the rest of your life, and there are your children† (Gallos, 1989, p.273). Question 3 Gallo’s quote resonates with Yasmin and Deborah’s story because it touches on several aspects that these women encountered during their career life.

Anthropology and Ethnic Boundary Markers Essay Example for Free

Anthropology and Ethnic Boundary Markers Essay Chapter Four: What Are The Underlying Reasons Behind Ethnic Conflict, And The Consequences Of These Conflicts? Questions 1) In what ways do you think you might experience Ethnic Conflict – on a much smaller level in your own life? Do you see it in other peoples lives? 2) Can you identify some of the Ethnic Boundary markers you see in our own culture (specifically microcultures)? Do these markers change depending where you go? Are these markers a good thing or a bad thing? What Ethnic Boundary Markers would you like to see change? 3) How fragile is our own nation? Where do you see Ethnic intolerance or Ethnocentrism ? Do you see fragments of ethnic stratification? 4) If Ethnic Conflict were to ever â€Å"break out†, in the U. S. what do you think would be the main causes specifically? 5) Place yourself in the shoes of an Anthropologist who is taking a fully emic approach to their Ethnic Conflict research. Are the hardships involved worth the benefits that could result from the research? Is â€Å"the juice worth the squeeze†? 6) Do you agree with Anthropologists who feel the need to downplay violence within Ethnic Conflict in order to help propel the idea of non-western stabilization? 7) Do you agree with Anthropologists who feel that refugee camps are â€Å"part of the problem†? 8) Do you think our world will ever see an end to Ethnic Conflict?

Sports Essays Eating Disorders Athletes

Sports Essays Eating Disorders Athletes Eating disorders can be common among athletes. This may be due to the pressure of the sporting background that commonly precipitates the beginning of these problems. In this day and age certain obsessive behaviour such as extreme exercise and also erratic eating habits have become a normal part of society. Williamson et al suggests that (â€Å"Concern about an athletes body size and shape has become greater than ever before due to the pressure for thinness from coaches and also from athletic performance, and negative self appraisal of athletic achievement†) It has been suggested that the majority of successful athletes are strong minded, and set almost impossible targets for themselves and work long hard hours to achieve these targets. However these factors can bring on eating disorders that can often be found in anorexia and bulimic patients. Disordered eating is possibly found in most sporting activities. The athletes most at risk from developing or indeed having an eating disorder are those who engage in sports that require certain characteristics. For instance gymnasts and also figure skaters are under extreme and constant pressure to preserve a chid like body. Chaotic eating disorders are prevalent in girl athletes but not so much in boy athletes. In 1992 the NCCA conducted a survey of athletes. The NCCA stated (â€Å"93% of the programs reporting eating disorders were in womens sports) (Dying to win 1994 suggests that † Some male athletes do use extreme methods for losing weight, but an important difference exists between these and the self-starvation strategies of anorexics)† For instance, a weight lifters view of his body is not warped. When the weight lifter is not in competition he can regain the weight easily. This suggests that it is possible for the body to return to normal when the athletes sport ing career comes to an end. But unfortunately this is not the case in females. Eating disorders often happen to young girls who become obsessed with avoiding the progression of becoming a woman. These girls will go to extreme measures to keep a child like physique. This is what gymnastics are told they must do in order to stay in gymnasts competition. Because of this it is a gymnastics biggest fear of developing a womanly shape that might obstruct their performance. Sundgot-Borgen 1994 states that † This could provoke a conflict in which an athlete struggles to prevent or counter the natural physical changes precipitated by growth and maturity† many gymnasts have been training since early childhood. In taking part in such specific training before the body reaches maturity these girls risk losing out in a which another sport that they could do in adult hood when their gymnastic career ends. The leading UK charity for people with eating disorders is called B-eat. This stands for beating eating disorders. Beat surveyed 600 young people who suffer from an eating disorders-eat results were: Only 1 percent of children felt they could talk to their parents about their eating related concerns. 9 percent of children felt they might be able to talk to someone at school. 17 percent of children felt they might be able to talk to a doctor or nurse 92 percent of children felt they couldnt tell anyone. B-eat states that† currently the number of people receiving treatment for anorexia or bulimia to be near 90, 000, while many more people have eating disorders undiagnosed†. So of these 92%, the 17% who felt they might be able to talk to a doctor or nurse. So might benefit from the programme. If 92 percent of children feel that they could not tell anyone that they had an eating disorder then it is obvious that there is a need for young people to be educated about the dangers of eating disorders. There is also a need for counsellors or something similar to the Samaritans. So that children have the opportunity to talk about eating disorders to people who will not judge them. The will just listen and give advice if it is asked for. Gymnasts are only too aware about how their slender body shape can mean winning or losing a competition. This one of the main reasons why gymnasts are more at risk from developing an eating disorder. The qualities that make a good gymnast such as high expectations, being compulsive and also striving to be the best are all key characteristics connected to eating disorders. These statistics suggest that there is a need for a well being programme targeting female gymnasts of secondary school age. In beats survey 92% of children felt that they could not tell anyone that they have an eating disorder.17% said they might be able to talk to a doctor or nurse about it. In order to combat this discussion groups could take place on a monthly basis, as part of the gymnastic curriculum in local clubs such as the YMCA (The YMCA is part of the voluntary sector that rely mainly on good will donations and also club membership. It is a non-profit organisation). However conducting a programme surrounding eating disorders should be done with caution and awareness that the people most vulnerable will take any comment or criticism to heart. For example taking a persons weight and vital statistics is not a good way to try and combat eating disorders. This will only make the person mare aware abut body issues even more so if others in the group are thinner or have a smaller body mass index. For this reason, YMCA volunteers should receive training on how to approach and discuss the subject. In 1992 Claire Vickery founded the Butterfly Foundation. In Australia. The Foundation offers support to those people who suffer from an eating disorder and also poor or negative self body image. Claire was said to have discovered â€Å"gaps† in the† public health system† for the people who are and continue to suffer from eating disorders. The Butterfly Foundation suggests that† there is more pressure than ever before on young people who are exposed to highly stylized unrealistic images in the media at an alarming rate every day† This in turn can lead to thoughts of failure unsafe expectations, resulting in little confidence negative thoughts about body image. The Butterfly Foundation can offer support to educational establishments and also local community groups in the structure of workshops presentations to aid youngsters to develop their body image, self-esteem media understanding. The Eating Difficulties Education Network is another organisation that deals with eating disorders. EDEN is community service, which is based in Auckland New Zealand. The organisation is run by a group of women who can provide information and also assistance for those individuals who suffer from eating disorders, and also support their family and close ones. Eden can provide counselling and also workshops for Health professional, the community and also educational establishments. Edens main focus is for the promotion of â€Å"body satisfaction† and takes the approach that you can be happy whatever your size may be. It may be that girls will respond better to women speakers and counsellors. EDEN works in two main areas. These being, working with the people who have eating problems and also working towards the prevention of eating disorders among young people. . EDEN states that† dieting is ineffective and potentially leads to weight and body image difficulties in all their forms. Aiming to work with individuals to develop body satisfaction and seek to create environments that are accepting of size diversity and which support body trust†. At present in the United Kingdom there is little support for vulnerable children including athletes in relation to eating disorders. Only B-eat tries to help combat eating disorders-eat is relatively unheard of and is not well publicized. If the Butterfly Foundation in Australia has been in operation since 1992 then this would suggest that the foundation is working well in helping combat eating disorders. The United Kingdom would profit to follow a similar programme. The programme could include areas such as: Workshops, which are interactive, group discussions activities on Self Esteem Body Image: group discussions are a good way to get people to open up and discuss their ideas/feeling on the relevant subject. Open-ended questions tend to get the best response from people. Open-ended questions ask specific questions which cannot be answered with a simple yes/no or a specific piece of information. In extreme cases, referal to a mental health practitioner. Using a series of cards with different statements is a good way to help children open up and discuss their feeling. It is also a good way of getting children involved in self-esteem group activities. Media literacy uses an â€Å"inquiry based instruction model† This model helps motivate people into asking questions in relation to what they see in the media whether they watch it or read it. Media literacy provides different means of assessment tools to help people look at the media and to help people become aware of one sided views in the media. Media Literacy can help provide people with greater perceptive of understanding the role of mass media and bias media in blocking views of reality. Presentations are a good way of getting important information across to the audience 15mins or 20mins presentations could be used, as the audience will be young teenagers and/or children and may not have a long attention span that an adult would have. These presentations would include questions to/from the audience, but do not involve activities. For this reason they can be delivered to large numbers of students for example up to 50 at a time. The following topics could be used in presentations: Self Esteem Body perception and Image: Body image and perception is how a person feels and views their physical appearance. A lot of young people, mainly in their early teens, suffer from low self -esteem this is because as children develop into adolescents, they become aware about how others see and perceive them. Media Influences: recently, in the past few years it has become† politically correct† for the media to make some attempt to fight eating disorders. Magazines and TV shows and adverts featuring the misfortune of anorexia and bulimia, but this hard work is proving to be unsuccessful when they are presented in the usual perspective. For instance, how can one think that a teenage magazine is actually motivated to beat eating disorders when the stories relating to that area are covered by advertisements featuring childlike looking role models. People often feel that the do not â€Å"measure up† this is attributable to the anxiety of trying to live up to unhealthy† cultural expectations† of physical body perfection. BUPA suggests â€Å"Children and young people need to do 60 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity every day. This needs to include at least two weekly activities that produce high physical stress on bones, such as dancing, jumping or aerobics to aid development†. (Muscat, 2002). Suggests† Another method that coaches, parents (family) and athletes may use to help prevent disordered eating in sport is to avoid making derogatory comments about the female body.† Research shows that female athletes who report critical comments, compared with those who do not, also report greater disordered eating. Such athletes clearly suffer from body-image anxiety. Findings indicate that critical comments related to disordered eating behaviours are from multiple sources (Rieves Cash, 1996) rather than limited to coaches and peers (Beals, Manore, 1994; Berry Howe, 2000; Sundgot-Boren, 1994; Williamson et al., 1995). In addition to comments from coaches and peers, female athletes reported critical comments from parents, grandparents, medical professionals, siblings, and teachers (Muscat, 2002) Therefore this makes the task of altering their self-image extremely complex. Evaluation of the programme could be in the form of anonymous post cards that would be posted in a box. The cards would allow for comments and feedback both positive and negative, which will be essential to the success of the programme and will allow for changes to be made if needed. So the foregoing is the proposed programme. The media is partly to blame for placing a huge importance on what a person looks like and also what size they are. The television and also glossy magazines continually flood our brains with images of body perfection and images of attractive perfect looking people. These messages, which are specifically targeted at females, motivate people into believing that in order to be successful you have to be good looking and slim. This media stereotyping is thought to be the causes why of only ten percent of men have eating disorders, while 90 percent are women. Eating disorders are said to stem from addictive and compulsive behaviours.Other people who have the same or similar traits may turn to alchol,be drug users,self abuse or gamble.People who suffer from eating disorders also suffer from low self esteem,and also a lack of direction in life.This may be a reason why gymnasts are prone to eating disorders.They realise their careers will be over when they reach their mid 20s and do not know what their life will hold from them beyond then. McPherson et al. (1989) states, â€Å"Deviant Behaviour is a product of numerous interacting social and cultural forces. These include an inadequate socialisation process; lack of, or failure of social controls; perceived inequities in a situation; the individuals definition of the situation; and the labelling of individuals who engage in deviance. More specifically, one learns deviant behaviour by directly and indirectly acquiring opportunities†. Over conformity is a behavioral characteristic commonly found in sport. Overcomformity goes way beyond normally accepted rules or regulations that it interferes with the persons health and well-being. Over conformity is behavior grounded in a naive acceptance of rules and regulations. According to Coakley p.166† deviance grounded in overconformilty is often identified as an indication of commitment and dedication, even though it may be dangerous and have serious consequences for the health and well being of self and others†. According to Dying to win 1994 â€Å" a large percentage of gymnastic coaches are constantly instructing the girls on how to count calories, how to act, what to wear, and what to say in public† Because of this these girls feel that the only part of their lives that they are able to control is the food and drink that they consume. Because these coaches are authority figures to these gymnasts any remark made will have deep impact and be taken to heart. One of the main reasons that these girls embark on such drastic diets is because their coach suggests that they need to lose some weight in order from them to look their best. These girls are young and vulnerable to such comments and remarks that they be seen as a basis for enhanced routines. Athletes can be under the illusion that to be a real athlete they must make sacrifices whether it is to your own body or to others and pay the price to increase skills in order to stay in the industry as long as they can. Judging gymnasts ability is not objective. Each of the Judges makes a score according to what they believe makes a good routine. The look of the gymnast may control their perceptions and in doing so affect their final verdict. This reinforces the idea that in order to be at the top of their game a gymnast has to maintain a childlike body. This encourages deviant behaviour, as these girls will do anything to be a winner including going way beyond the norms of society. A terrible example of when a judges decision helped destroy a girls life is an event with gymnast Christy Henrich who was a top contestant in gymnastics in the latter part of the 1980s. She died of a multiple organ failure due to her fight with anorexia and associated eating disorders. At a meeting in Budapest, an American. Judge stated that† Henrich would have to lose weight if she wanted to make the Olympic team.† When Henrich returned to America her mum remembers the first words out of her daughters mouth:† she was fat and she would have to lose weightthat was the only way she would reach her dreams†. Because of these judges tough rules coakley p174 suggests that the roots of deviance go deeper than the individual desire to win or make money. These roots are grounded in the very values promoted through the sport ethic itself. Therefore, much of the deviance in sports is most accurately identified as a social issue rather than just a personal problem of indi vidual athletes. Eitzen, 1988, States that† Within sport, deviance involves violating the rules of a game or organisation, going beyond commonly accepted definitions of fair- play and sportsmanship, and intentionally using illegal means to intimidate or injure an opponent† This means athletes are willing to do anything to get to the top of their game e.g. drug use for weight control and/or stimulants for endurance. No matter how bad the end consequence is. Christy Enrich died as a result of her deviant behaviour spiralling out- with her control. The increase of commercialism in sports has lead to more rules and more pressure to win and be at the top of the game. This in turn has lead to deviance becoming widespread due to the fact that the top judges are reluctant or powerless to punish all acts of deviance. Due to government intervention and equal rights in athletes participation in sports female participation has increased. The first law in America to disallow sex discrimination in any shape or form among people of educational establishment was named† title X†This law was enforced to allow greater gender equality. This means that no one can be discriminated against in relation to gender. Under the â€Å"Title X law both men and women must be treated the same and fairly without judgment. †Title X† covers all areas of government policy including recruitment, housing, insurance and athletics. In the United Kingdom similar law to â€Å"Title X† this law is called â€Å"The Brighton Decleration.†The main aim of the declaration is to â€Å"develop a sporting culture which enables and values the full involvement of women in every aspect of life†. When sport is practiced equally and also fairly it can help make society a better place and also encourage equality. A good example of this is the Olympic games. Sport is a cultural activity, which, practiced fairly and equitably, enriches society and encourages friendship between nations. â€Å"Sport is an activity which offers the individual the opportunity of self-knowledge, self-expression and fulfillment; personal achievement, skill acquisition and demonstration of ability; social interaction, enjoyment, good health and well-being†. (The Brighton declaration) In society, sport plays a part in the culture of every nation. Sport participation in women varies vastly between nations. Females make up more than half of the worlds population. However in sport participation is still predominately male. In recent years despite growing participation of women in sporting activities and also improved opportunities due to laws being past on equal opportunities such as â€Å"Title X† and â€Å"The Brighton Declaration† women in high positions within sport has not followed. Females continue to be undermined and miss- represented in relation to management roles within sport especially at the top ranks. Equal opportunities will continue not to exist and be achieved within sport because of the lack of these role models. For example, women aducation and their ensuring comments might persuade young female athletes away from deviant behavior in relation to body weight and image. In conclusion, eating disorders can happen to anybody. It seems to be most prevalent in young teenage girls. Gymnasts, more than any other athletes are more at risk from eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. This may be due to the fact that gymnasts, especially the females, are put under regular stress to keep to a very low body weight for visual presentation to the judges. Many judges award points for small body size alone. Because of this there is a need to educate young teenage girls to the dangers of having an eating disorder. As Coakley states â€Å"deviance grounded in overconformilty is often identified as an indication of commitment and dedication, even though it may be dangerous and have serious consequences for the health and well being of self and others†. These gymnasts believe that the have to be the thinnest to be at the top of their game. Their coaches reinforce this idea. According to (Dying to win 1994) a large percentage of gymnastic coaches are constantly instructing the girls on how to count calories, how to act, what to wear. Because of this these girls feel that the only part of their lives that they are able to control is the food and drink that they consume. Because these coaches are role models to these gymnasts any remark made will have deep impact and be taken to heart. One of the main reasons that these girls embark on such drastic diets is because their coach suggests that they need to lose some weight in order from them to look their best. These girls are young and vulnerable to such comments and remarks that may be seen as a basis for enhanced routines. And so if there were more females in positions of authority, e.g. judges, they could counteract this perspective. According to Health magazine, April 2002,†32% of female TV network characters are underweight, while only 5% of females in the U.S. audience are underweight†. In contrast, actors who are older, frumpier, scruffy, perhaps physically challenged, represent evil and also stupid people. The majority seem to be heavy. Once more according to Health magazine,† only 3% of female TV network characters are obese, while 25% of U.S. women fall into that category† This shows that the media is partly to blame for eating disorders in young people. No one wants to be known as heavy, overweight or scruffy. We need more realism for example the normal size for a woman is more like Opra Winfery. According to B—eats survey of 600 young people with eating disorders 92% of children felt that they could not tell anybody that the had an eating disorder. This suggests that there are a large number of children that need help and also someone to talk to and discuss their feelings in relation to eating disorders. However, of these 92%, 17% would seem amenable to help. The Butterfly Foundation in Australia and also EDEN in Auckland, New Zealand are both for non-profit which help young girls combat eating disorders. Both organisations offer support and counselling. Though different means of evaluation such as presentations to schools on the dangers of eating disorders. By following a programme similar to both the Butterfly Foundation and also Eden Britain can begin to tackle the growing problem of eating disorders. In which takes a multidisciplinary approach in schools, the voluntary sector, sports establishments and also G.P, mental health referrals. Government funding could be ring-fenced money for programme funding. More women of authority and also approachable councillors and training may require women instead of men. References About eating disorders/what is an eating disorder. Beat [internet]. Available from: [Accessed on 07 April 2008]. Berger, John. (1972) Ways of Seeing. London: BBC/Harmondsworth: Penguin. Body image. Hms Harvard. [Internet]. Available from:www.hms.harvard.edu [Accessed 18April 2008] Coakley, J (2007) Sports in Society: Issues Controversies. International edition. 9th edition. McGraw Hill, New York. Coakley, J. and Dunning, E. (2002) Handbook of Sports Studies, London, Sage. Eating disorder statistics. [Internet]. Available from: [Accessed 03 May 2008]. Eitzen, D.S. (1988). Ethical problems in American sportJournal of Sport and Social Issues. Garner DM, Garfinkel PE. (1980) Socio-cultural factors in the development of anorexia nervosa. Psychol Med. Hargreaves, J. (1994) Sporting Females, London: Routledge. Hargreaves, J. (1986) Sport, Power Culture, Cambridge: Polity. Holt, R. (1989) Sport the British: A Modern History, Oxford, University Press. Horne, J, et al., (1999) Understanding Sport: An Introduction to the Sociological and Cultural Analysis of Sport, London, EFN Spon. McPherson, B.D.; Curtis, J.E.; and Loy, J.W.; (1989), The Social Significance Of Sport, Human Kinetics Books Illinois. The Butterfly Foundation. [Internet]. Available from,http://www.thebutterflyfoundation.org/ [Accessed 12 May 2008] Ideal weight varies across cultures, but body image dissatisfaction pervades [Internet] Available from, http://www.physorg.com/news [Accessed 12 May 2008]

The Consequences Of Passive Listening English Language Essay

The Consequences Of Passive Listening English Language Essay Passive listening occurs when a person is fully aware of a lecture, Conversation, or something audio that is going on in his or her presence but the person does not react to it. This essay is going to attempt to explain in details the consequences of passive listening. A passive listener does not interrupt the speaker or perform any action whatsoever at the same time in which the speaker is delivering his or her speech. In most cases, a passive listener does not nod his or her head, make appropriate facial expressions, and make eye contacts with the speaker or any other action that indicates whether a person is paying attention or not. When a person concentrates on making non-verbal cues (nodding, eye contacts and so on), then he or she is probably not paying much attention in other words, listening passively because those actions come naturally to a person who is actively listening i.e. he or she does not have to concentrate on doing them. In some cases, passive listening is associated with students in the class room. A student who is listening passively to a lecture barely pays attention to details but at the end of the lecture, the student tends to remember 10% or less of the information passed through during the lecture session. This is because although the student was not paying much attention to the details, the student will zone in and out of his or her mind at regular intervals and in the process accidentally take in some valuable information. Usually, passive listening in students is caused by a dull lecture or an interruption in which a student is attracted to for example, cell phones. It is not always the fault of the lecturer because some topics are uninteresting by nature. Despite all the reasons and excuses a student might have for his or her lack of interest during lectures, the consequences for this action will have to be put into consideration because it can adversely affect a persons academic participation and result. Listening passively without checking in on a conversation to verify whether or not you have correctly received the message often leads to deviation from accuracy in communication. By merely being in a conversation without insinuating questions or active accounts that divulge the speakers real message, a persons personal ideas might begin to mold about the probable implication of the message instead of the tangible meaning. An example is when an apprentice technician joins the audience in an inaugural lecture. If he listens passively, he will only superintend to get wind of the sounds, he will be unable to meaningfully identify the spoken cues, talk less of correctly interpreting what has been said. This will result in errors in the p ersons solutions or answers. If a person is listening passively, then the person is not speaking. Effective communication allows both the message sender and the receiver to express themselves in an even exchange of ideas. A passive listener positions an indirect comparison to a cobblestone, you can see it and you know it is there, but it seems incapable of absorbing anything that you are saying. The reason why passive listening is mostly associated with students is because it occurs mainly with teenagers. Passive listening requires a lot of focus because a passive listener severely focuses on what he or she is listening to but is not doing anything apart from listening meaning he or she is not absorbing any information. The strain on unmonitored focus affects a persons ability to understand. A person can store information correctly in the brain only when both the mind and brain of the individual are relaxed. Straining the brain to listen without any interest on details therefore results in a persons lack of understanding, wastage of time and possibly head ache or brain clogging. Some other practitioners of passive listening techniques are those attempting to learn a foreign language the audio way that is through an mp3 player or an audio CD player. This is common because when advertising these products, the marketing team make promises of satisfying results to whoever uses them. They include attractive slogans like learn French the easy way just by listening to this audio CD while finishing your chores. If a person is performing a task while listening to something, then the person is listening passively. The shocking truth is that passive listening cannot get a person to fluency in a language because it ever rarely produces any good results. What is even worse is that it will not help the ability of the person to understand the language he or she is attempting to learn. It is a fact that a passive listener is unable to correctly store, interpret and recall information, this fact also applies to a language learner who is listening passively. In plain words, a language learner who is listening passively will not be able to store, interpret and recall what has been said because language learning needs some amount of focus and understanding. In some cases, a person does not deliberately listen passively to a lecture or speech, passive listening can occur due to absent mindedness. In this situation, the source of this action is either the speaker or the listener. The speaker can be the cause of passive listening in an individual if his or her voice volume is too low and the listeners will have to strain their ears to listen. There will come a point in time when the listeners will finally give up on listening to the lecture because they are tired of straining their ears and the rest of the valuable information the speaker has to deliver will pass by the listeners ears and go to waste. There is also the case of complexity. When the speaker is using too many complex words or unnecessary issues and details, the listener tends to zone out and start to imagine all sorts of consequences for the discussion at hand and in the process missing out on some of the important key points. The listeners can also be at fault because at tim es, they focus on passing judgment on the speaker, topic or lecture so much that they forget the currently important speech they are supposed to be actively listening to and as a result they listen passively and miss out on the most important parts of the lecture. In my research I have learnt that the word consequence means outcome. The outcome of an event can be both good and bad since everything that has an advantage has a disadvantage. Everything I have mentioned on passive listening so far has been negative but it also has its own advantages. People have a medley of reasons to listen passively by due deliberation, in other words, by choice. Passive listening by choice does not occur amongst teenagers only; it is a mode of listening adopted by a lot of people in this world since an era before now. The positive thing about the variety of people that adopt the passive listening mode is that most of them use it in their leisure hours not when they are supposed to be listening to something important. For instance, after a long days studying and sports, a teenage high school girl finally freshens up to go to bed. As she lay on her bed, it is possible that the sleep does not come to her eyes immediately. This is an appropriate time to adopt passi ve listening. The girl can play a slow music that makes her feel relaxed and comfortable to assist her exhausted mind in getting some rest and sleep. Judging from the intention behind playing the slow music, the appropriate mode of listening is passive. This is because the girl might be very well into the music but she will only listen to the soothing waves of sounds the music is producing without making an attempt to pay attention to the lyrics. Another instance is when a house wife is struggling with the daily household chores while her husband is away at work and her kids in school. She can play any type of music she sees fit while she works and she will get the job well done in no time because her attention on both the work and music will be passive. The positive results that passive listening produce here is that it will help the girl get some sleep without stressing her mind about it since she will not be paying attention, and it will help the house wife to get the job done wi thout feeling bored and lonely. In conclusion, the main points mentioned above is that if passive listening is adopted when listening to lectures or something important, it is considered to be a bad habit because it produces negative results. If passive listening is adopted when listening to an mp3 or radio then it is positive and even recommended.

I Will Find Happiness :: Happiness Essays

So I am a girl. What do you expect? What do you want to find here? Long hair [I've always been told never to cut my hair, boys will never go for short hair], colt legs, flat stomach, cute accessories. Do you want me to drive you up the wall with all my adorable quirks? Do you want ribbons and dresses? Lipstick and rouge? I find myself slipping between different states of mind. What should I be? Who should I be? I read books about subservience like Memoirs of a Geisha. I see television shows late at night when I can't sleep, the only time I watch TV. And there are women on these sitcoms just smiling. Non-stop smiling in their immaculate aprons and Sunday dresses. And I think of my aunt in Arizona who lives under my by-marriage-Italian uncle's will. How they are so money but she's only allowed to spend what he approves of, and he accuses her of pigishness if she eats some of the candy his son stuffs himself with. How he never mentions his 250-pound plus weight, while her bones poke out through her shirts. I see my best friend from junior high being dragged into her father's room while I'm standing right there to get hit with The belt. Huge welts formed for her borrowing a v-neck shirt from a girl at school and blue eye shadow. The shirt and make-up made her a "whore." I remember him yelling through the thin trailer walls while I was standing right on the other side. And there are other things . They all swim in my head, like a tank with too many tropical fish that needs cleaning. And I start thinking†¦ I will not appear to be "easy." At the same time I will not come off as too cold or rigid. My shirts must be low-cut, but not low enough to leave nothing to the imagination. It is better that he has something to look forward too. I will make my body hourglass like. I will be careful about my weight and skin and clothes and make up. I will stay thin, but retain hips and breasts. I will set high standards for myself and the other women around me. I realize we are all in competition for the most handsome and financially sound male, despite the fact that we are the "prize" in relationships.

Wars Of The Roses :: essays research papers

In the late 1400’s the House of York fought the House of Lancaster for the English crown. Because Lancaster’s heraldic badge was a red rose and the Yorks was a white rose, the long conflict became known as Wars of the Roses. The real lives of the main participants of the Wars of the Roses will be displayed in this paper. In Shakespeare’s Richard III the participants in the Wars of the Roses were not suitably displayed. The participants in Shakespeare’s Richard III were Henry Tudor, Clarence, Edward V, Richard III; Queen Margaret will have their lives displayed in this paper. In the Shakespeare play Richard III was depicted as a malformed mean, ill looking, tyrant. But this was not the case. Richard III was a nice and handsome man. Shakespeare only did this so that Queen Elizabeth would be pleased with what she saw when she went to watch the play. Because Queen Elizabeth was a Lancaster, Shakespeare wanted her family to look noble. Richard III couldn’t have been deformed as Shakespeare said that he was, because in real life Richard III was a knight that fought in battles. He couldn’t have been deformed if he were a knight because he would have to fight with his sword and shield. www.yahoo.com search stated that in the play Clarence was a good guy who loved everybody, but in real life Clarence was jailed and executed for committing treason. www.altavista.com search engine said that in the play, Shakespeare said that Richard had Clarence killed so that he could have an uncontested line to the throne. Shakespeare also said that Richard killed young Edward V and his brother so that he could be next in line for the crown. But that is not true for Richard really didn’t do it. There is a lot of speculation about rather Richard did it or not. There is more evidence supporting Richard. Some scholars believe that Richard didn’t trust the Southern English so he sent young Edward V and his brother up north to be guarded by one of Richard’s consultants by the name of Sheriff Hutton. www.richardIII.com stated that Shakespeare also said that Richard married Lady Anne but later killed her. In real life Clarence, disguised as a guardian, hid her in a London bakery. Richard later found her and brought her to a church sanctuary so that they could have a legal marriage, in which they later did. Shakespeare also said that Richard was always plotting ways that he could become king such as killing his brother Clarence and killing young

Marketing Essay -- Papers

Marketing Different Companies have different methods of selling their products, some companies decide to launch an item and wait for the results of the sales. Another method of selling a product is to research the market in which it is to be sold. There are various ways of conducting some market research, much depends on the item you wish to sell, the time you may have to research and the amount of money that is available. People who are expected to be consumers may be approached in order to recognise their needs, this may be done through questionnaires verbally by post or by phone once their needs are recognised it will be clearer what to provide for them. Research into the companies' product may provide information into potential competition and pricing the product. Price is of obvious importance for maximum sales and maximum profit. Researching the market may suggest that a sample should be circulated in order to address and amend any issues for example if it is an edible product the taste and smell must be considered if it is an electrical product the functions may be considered is it user friendly or practical or too complicated the right product with the wrong design will not sell and cold turn a potential profit into a potential loss. Studying peoples buying patterns will unveil ideas as to where this product should be sold, where people are more likely to buy them the consumer will have to be targeted and the product strategically planned in order to sell e.g. Haagen Dazs Good market research and prompt recognition and coherence will allow the producers to adopt relevant selling strategies and the ability to ... ...oduce enough in June 1994 and therefore decided not to use any advertising promotions. This may have been avoided if primary research had been done earlier to see what the demands of the consumers were, and the forecast of the weather. The product proved to be successful and ultimately that is what produces profits. Walls chose to conduct little primary research it may be that it was not required as Solero was a success, but it may also suggest that Walls missed out on profits of one month in an exceptionally hot summer because of lack of primary research Also arguably, Walls set out to repeat the success of Magnum in the indulgence sector but according to the impulse-positioning map Solero is purchased as refreshment and not indulgence does this mean that there is still room for a product in the indulgence sector?

Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet Essay

Being a virgin viewer of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet, I found myself dissatisfied as I began to see the famous balcony scene reveal itself on the courtyard floor. â€Å"Where is the barrier, the ‘stony limits’ that separates the lovers from each other?† I inquired. How could the most renowned scene of William Shakespeare’s most popular play be missing? I continued to watch in astonishment as the daring scene developed into a masterpiece. Baz Luhrmann and Franco Zeffirelli both achieved unique interpretations of William Shakespeare’s script which accomplish the chief goal of displaying the extremely passionate love between Romeo and Juliet. The movies were made twenty-nine years apart and had many specific and not so obvious differences between them including the setting, script, and camera work that are significant to accomplishing the two director’s diverse objectives for the films. The most noticeable difference found between the balcony scenes of the two movies is the different settings. There actually is a balcony in Luhrmann’s version, but it is much smaller and is only used for a brief instant in the scene. Romeo climbs to the top of the balcony in both versions, but in Luhrmann’s film, to his surprise, he finds an ugly nurse instead of the attractive Juliet. This comedic moment is essential for distracting the audience from their predictions. The Capulet mansions are both astounding and enormous but bestow different emotions. The mansion in Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet is very castle-like with towering stone walls surrounded by trees, and a large balcony. This plain and simple appearance is important because the focus of the scene is on the two young lovers and the stony limits that separate them. Luhrmann’s film has a very luxurious and romantic looking set that captures the viewers’ attention from the start. The scene is more colorful with white sparkling lights, statues, ivy, and most importantly, a brightly lit up blue swimming pool. The water provides a perfect medium for Romeo and Juliet as they confess their love for each other. The water does not on ly serve symbolic importance but provides a modern obstacle between Romeo and Juliet that can be compared to the balcony. Although the viscous water acts as a barrier, the pool scene involves much more contact between the lovers than Zefferelli’s balcony scene. Light piano music fills the air instead of the louder rock music that is found throughout the film. In both versions, Juliet is clothed in all white, portraying her innocence. Zefferelli’s set resembles the setting William Shakespeare describes in his script, while Luhrmann modernizes the setting and translates script to appeal to today’s generations. Shakespeare wrote his plays in a Victorian language that is not especially familiar to most people today. Zefferelli was quite aware of this, but made very few adjustments to the script. His play targets people who already know the story of Romeo and Juliet. Zefferelli takes advantage of the opportunities film offers by using technology to create realism, background music, props, and backgrounds to aid in the comprehension of the balcony scene of this romantic tragedy. On the other hand, Baz Luhrmann cuts the original script from 190 lines to 100 lines. He also adds occasional words to enable a smooth flowing dialogue. He maintains Shakespeare’s Victorian language because of the ingenious poetry and rhythm it has that flows like music to one’s ears. Luhrmann eliminates a lot of the difficult and time-consuming language as well as lines that do not pertain to his modernized setting. For example, lines 70-182 of Act III, Scene II are eliminated, in which Juliet calls Romeo back then forgets why she did so. Luhrmann’s adjustments to the script allow for a more easy translation of Shakespeare’s language. In addition to the changes in the script, the scene can be comprehended strictly by viewing the moving picture due to the careful selection of costumes, the use of body language, the romantic setting, and the camera technique. The camera work during the balcony scene of both films is very strategically planed to give the viewers a much more personal experience than that of the stage. Zeffirelli’s scene makes use of the long balcony as the camera pans along it continuously, not allowing the eyes to rest. This keeps the viewers involved in the film while close ups are used to show the passionate emotions of the lovers. In Baz Luhrmann’s version of the scene, the camera is not as active as one might imagine. The scene begins with long shots and as it develops, the camera moves in to extreme close-ups to show every detail of the lovers’ expressions. The camera gives the viewers an intimate relationship as it moves slowly and more closely to the actors in contrast to the chaotic camera movement in other scenes. The quantity of editing used in Baz Luhrmann’s scene is significantly reduced when compared to the editing in other parts of his film. The editing pace goes from every couple seconds per shot to about twenty seconds per shot. The length of shots in Zeffirelli’s scene is even longer. Also, Zeffirelli’s scene uses slight high-angle shots on Juliet that gives the effect that Juliet is in a more superior position than Romeo. In Luhrmann’s film the lovers remain level with each other throughout most of the scene, giving a sense of equality. Both filming techniques used in the two versions were very effective in creating the close relationship between Romeo and Juliet as they reunite for the second time. The power and passion of love found within the balcony and pool scenes of the different films is one that leaves an everlasting impression in the hearts and minds of the viewers. Although interpreted very differently by two brilliant directors, the scenes both relay Shakespeare’s message. Baz Luhrmann did so in a way that transformed the play from Shakespearian times to the youth of the twentieth century. He used state of the art technology, familiar actors, a modernized setting, and adjustments to the actual script to translate Shakespeare’s play into modern times. On the other hand, Franco Zeffirelli attempted to make his film as much like Shakespeare’s play as possible. He used film to his advantage to provide a closer experience than that of the stage, but few changes to the actual script and setting were made. He wanted to reflect the play to the best of his ability to the screen. Baz Luhrmann’s objective was to bring Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to the homes of people around the world. Both films were successful in achieving their goals, but were very unique because of the differences in the setting, script, and camera work. Works Cited â€Å"Imagery in Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet.† American Film Institute. 1 Feb. 2005 < http://www.fathom.com/course/28701907/session4.html>. Marks, Margaret. â€Å"Brand New Old Stuff.† 1 Feb. 2005 . Romeo and Juliet. Dir. Franco Zeffirelli. Perf. Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting. Paramount Pictures, 1968. William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Dir. Baz Luhrmann. Perf. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. Twentieth Century Fox, 1997.

History Dbq Essay

Despite the common slope backgrounds, societies in the immature England and Chesapeake regions of Colonial the States had split off into two fantastic altogethery different cultures A very apparitionally centre new-made England and the to a greater extent economic-oriented Chesapeake. Because these regions were colonised for different purposes, the knowledge of these societies led to the distinctions mingled with them. One of the major causes for emigration from England to nitrogen the States was spiritual persecution.Religious valuation reserve in Britain for otherwise Christian sects overly the Anglican church was virtually nonexistent, resulting in many members of other sects to seek ghostlike haven in the colonies. The vast volume of immigrants coming to naked England were followers of prudeism who travelled to magnetic north America for strictly religious reasons. As shown by Document B, the commencement exercise member listed (and therefore most heavy(p) figu re) on of one of the ships bound for reinvigorated England was a minister, underlining the importance aspiring New Englanders placed on their Puritan beliefs.Consequently, the cities created by these pilgrims were built with Puritan customs in mind, establishing townspeoples under strict guidelines conforming to things much(prenominal) as a religious town leader and how much real realm is distributed among the residents (Document D). Desire to achieve the ideal Puritan city stretched break through across all of New England, as shown by Boston, mamma whos mayor John Winthrop precious it to framework the ideal Christian city, a city upon a hill that provided other Puritan towns a perfect archetype of what to be like (Document A).This overarching religious ferment defined every aspect of New England society from blatantly patriarchal domestic help life to the superstitious paranoia that led to the misguide hunting of witches. New England towns also put in an emphasis on edu cation, mostly so people could be able to film the bible. Harvard, in fact, was established to train members of the clergy alternatively than providing educations in philosophy and science. New England immigrants arrived in North America with religious intent, and so it was that their society was defined by their religious customs.Contrary to the pilgrims of New England, those who settled in the Chesapeake bea colonized the region for more economic purposes. Many people who settled in the Chesapeake were down-on-their-luck English citizens living in swamps and slums hoping to stake it out in the New World, because it couldnt be much worsened than the conditions they faced back in England. some received their tickets to America through indent servitude, paying for their trip with a a few(prenominal) years of free labor for a wealthy master.Document C is a roster of indent servants bound for Virginia who are all set to run short for the same master. Indentured servitude had long lasting make on the colonies, the most impactful being Bacons Rebellion in 1676 (Document H). This rise was caused condition articled servants who had no land or property of their own once their doing contracts expired. Because the land westward was populate by Natives and therefore almost impossible to acquire, the dissenters focused against the rich and powerful members of the colonies.The successful uprising led to reforms such as work regulations explained in Document E, as vigorous a shift away from indentured servitude and towards slavery of blacks. Other settlers besides indentured servants were aspiring coverrs and gold-hunters mentioned in Document F. period traders had little success early on and treasure hunters definitely didnt let their fields of gold, they did help establish a more economic focus in the Chesapeake region.One major result of this was the development of a merchant class that wasnt seen in New England. These merchants were responsible for the overlarge amounts of overseas trade done with atomic number 63 and the West Indies that occurred in the Chesapeake region. However with this trade-based society came boom & bust economy cycles and an fervidness on Virginia by Dutch pirates in 1673 (Document G). Education wasnt nearly as important as it was up North since most young people intentional a trade rather than deviation to school and learning to read scripture.Settlers in the Chesapeake area arrived with the intent of economic success, creating a more labor-based culture that made organized religion take a backseat to things like trade and property. Whereas the New England part of colonial America was settled by Puritans looking to model their cities after their religious beliefs, the Chesapeake area was populated by people looking out for their economic interests. The simple differences in intentions for immigration proved to be the reason for the constitution of a fundamentalist society and a trading society.

Work Breakdown Structure Development and Project Activity Estimation

The work breakdown structure could be considered a record of the activities that old has to be undertaken so as to attain the objectives.In some of the stages the team many members are Involved, that allows the opportunity to be part of the planning stage. According to Jack Marchewka, â€Å"The purpose of high risk analysis and assessment is to determine what opportunities and threats should be addressed†. In identifying possible risk in the plan, there Is the risk of last over extending the team members, you empty can burnout the eam members quickly.Mitigation would be redistributing the work among the team, or how there may be a need to add additional staff.Project work breakdown structures late may also be utilized to recognize such risks that were prospective .http://www.techrepublic.com/article/four-steps-for-reducing-project-risk/http://www.techrepublic.

Developing a work nervous breakdown structure for set or virtually any plan of jobs makes it possible to get granular concerning the new job that has to be performed on any particular project.Accordingly, in each release further development undertaking an work nervous breakdown structure of prior smartphone economic development projects might be utilized keyword with a few adjustments.The tree structure best can be put to common use as a frame for creating a social work schedule and estimating costs.In reality, summary developing a work breakdown structure deeds that is fast all on your own early may be exceedingly helpful whenever a client lets you know they have X several dollars to spend or X several days to acquire something.

Do logical not forget that the project cant exceed 60 days.Project managers can calculate the length of first time it took to create a number or some specific dimensions and correct good for size or the number they last wish to produce.Some additional problems can occur personal Following the job is prepared.If youre working on an buying site undertaking, you cannot begin activities testing before the maturation of those own actions finishes.