Saturday, August 31, 2019

Life Goes On Essay

Life experiences bring knowledge to people. Having a lot of good and bad experiences helps us improve our way of thinking; it opens our minds and teaches us unforgettable lessons about life, lessons that we have to apply in the future. My parents taught me to be independent and self-motivated by providing me opportunities to learn by trial and error. I was given a remarkable amount of freedom at a young age. When I was 6, my parents bought me an old computer for $25 from a local yard sale with the intention of letting me loose on it . I was thrilled .Motivated by curiosity. I delved into it at once and learned how to use each and every feature of the computer. My intellectual curiosity is the result of a unique combination of early influences and childhood experiences which have fueled my passion for learning inside and outside of the classroom—learning from everything I do . I hope to apply this curiosity to all aspects of my life. I have lived such a life experience in my last high school year. Along with 12th grade and turning up eighteen years old, I was going to become independent, ‘on my own feet’ as some would say. Time has taught me how to take fast decisions. Some of them were bad decisions, some were good. It was a very difficult period for me, as I was forced to fight against time, stress, hidden emotions and most important, I had to choose the road to follow for my career. The final exam was a hard challenge. There were times I felt I would quit; times of weakness when I searched peace in a cigarette without thinking it can make me dependent, all these times I was teaching a great lesson: maturity! I realized I wasn’t a kid anymore and that my own destiny can be influenced by a simple decision. This experience made me learn what truly means making sacrifices for achieving your goals. I gave up to my free time to replace it with hard working, interminable tiredness and meditations. It wasn’t an easy sacrifice, as desperation said her word in some moments. But the most important thing is the positive lesson it taught me, that is, never gives up fighting, no matter what happens because there is a hope for everything in life, and loosing it doesn’t bring you close to your goals. I have lost some of my friends for being able to reach on top, and this thing taught me what true friendship really meant and that some people we see as friends can turn out to be our worst enemies. To me, change is something new and you experience changes throughout your life. However, I learnt that telling everything about yourself can only bring bad things,  because you can never know how a relationship can turn out between people. I can say I found myself again in this last high school year, rediscovered my ambition and passion for the things I do.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Immigration Reform: Impacts at the State and Federal Levels Essay

Texas has a reputation throughout history of differing views from the federal government in laws and politics pertaining to social, fiscal, and educational issues. On the whole, Texas operates as a largely conservative state. Because of this, policy-making is often right wing. With the institution of a Democratic, liberal president, the State’s dissent from the Federal government has only increased over certain issues. One hot topic of the 2012 Presidential election was immigration. With the major increase in immigration, it is no surprise that the issue was so emphasized. Between 2000 and 2011 there was a 30 percent increase in the foreign-born population. The immigrant population grew from 31.1 million to 40.04 million. (americanprogress.org) Texas has a special interest in this subject due to the fact that they have a population of over 4 million immigrants. Texas is among the top three states with foreign born individuals living within its borders, giving the state a veste d interest in the nation’s immigration policy. (Orrenius et al., 1) Historically, Texas has differentiated from the National government in regards to immigration. One example is the Supreme Court case Plyer v. Doe. In 1975, the Texas Legislature allowed public schools to deny enrollment to children who could not provide documentation that they were â€Å"legally-admitted† to the United States. In 1977, the Tyler independent school district adopted a policy that required foreign-born students who were not â€Å"legally-admitted† to pay tuition to attend. A group of students from Mexico who could not establish their â€Å"legal-admittance† filed a class action suit which challenged the policy. The Supreme Court ruled that the policy violated the Equal Protection Clause, stating, â€Å"If states provide a free public education to U.S. citizens and lawfully present foreign-born children, they cannot deny such an education to undocumented children without ‘showing that it furthers  some substantial state interest.’â₠¬  (immigrationpolicy.org) Being a right-wing state, Texas has a strong belief in state autonomy in policy making, therefore the decision in this case was not well-received by the majority of individuals in the state—despite it being the morally and legally correct decision. Texas has also long supported an increase in border security. In 2006, Gov. Rick Perry announced a plan that assigned Department of Public Safety personnel as well as other resources to the border to assist in law enforcement. He also added an additional $3.8 million in grant funding for state criminal justice planning funds to the Texas Border Sheriff’s Coalition. (Texas House of Representatives) The state’s legislative policy has been one of strict anti-immigration. In Texas’s 81st Legislative session, the issue of Voter ID arose. The Voter ID bill would require photo identification or two forms of other identification in order to vote. During the 81st session, Democrats filibustered to prevent the issue from being voted upon, it is very likely this is the only reason the bill did not pass and it likely will pass should it reappear in the 82nd session. Despite its history of harsh policies towards foreign born immigrants, two bills have been introduced into the Texas Legislature which provide some leniency toward immigrants. The first is a proposal would grant undocumented immigrants the ability to legally drive and obtain insurance if they pass a background check and a driving test. Texas Rep. Byron Cook said about the subject, â€Å"That’s much better policy than what we have right now, where we have undocumented workers that are driving without a license and without insurance, and we don’t know who they are or where they live.† (Harper) Despite the reason behind it, the policy definitely shows an unprecedented favor towards illegal aliens within Texas borders. The second bill would prohibit law enforcement from asking the immigration status of witnesses and victims of crimes. Though neither of these bills has made it to debate, they do demonstrate a shift from previous anti-immigration sentiment. In June of this year, the Senate passed immigration reform bill S.744, containing several provisions including: increased border security, a feasible path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, creates a new category of merit-based green cards for individuals who meet certain criteria which might benefit the national interest, and mandates that all employers in the country use E-Verify—a government work-authorization  system—within five years of employment (americanprogress.org). While the provisions of this bill are largely in line with the beliefs of the Texas Legislature and policies of the state, they do bring certain issues to light. Although the idea of stricter Federal immigration policies seems to be beneficial for the states, often the federal government passes legislation and leaves the states to handle the cost. For example, from October 2011 to September 2013 Texas county jails spent $156.6 million on incarceration of undocumented immigrants. (Su, 23) Ultimately, immigration policy on both the state and federal level will continue to be a dynamic topic. While certain aspects of immigration reform will likely have major benefits for the nation such as boosts to the economy with an estimated 121,000 jobs being added yearly and an increase in the GDP over 10 years, others are fundamentally flawed. For instance, the E-Verify system is viewed by some as the first step towards a national identification system for all US citizens. This is viewed by many as an invasion of privacy. In addition to this, according to research the system misidentifies about 1% of applicants as undocumented. (Against The Current) Forcing employers to use E-Verify could also lead to a decrease in State and Federal payroll taxes because it could cause employers to move their undocumented employees â€Å"off the books† to avoid having to incur the cost of training new employees and offering more competitive wages. Although both state and federal governments have good intentions with their immigration policies, both have serious issues to consider. Solving the immigration problem will require Federal and Local governments to work hand in hand. Border security is something both sides advocate heavily, spending millions on walls, electronic equipment, and increased border patrol. The cost has not just been limited to dollars, however, as increase border security leads to an increase in casualties. Immigration reform has the potential to boost the economy as well as increase the relations between the United States and foreign countries. By continuing to advocate for a path to citizenship and work towards getting the 11 million undocumented immigrants citizenship, the government can achieve these goals. In addition, continued movement towards bipartisanism on both the state and federal levels can create an overall better, more effective nation. Works Cited: â€Å"Facts on Immigration Today.† Center for American Progess. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2013. . Orrenius, Pia M., Madeline Zavodny, and Melissa LoPalo. Pia M. Orrenius Madeline Zavodny Melissa LoPalo Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Agnes Scott College Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas DALLAS FED Immigration and the Transformation of the Texas Economy. Nov. 2013. Print. â€Å"Public Education for Immigrant Students: States Challenge Supreme Court’s Decision in Plyler v. Doe.† Immigration Policy Center. American Immigration Council, n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2013. . Texas House of Representatives. House Research Organization. The Role of States in Immigration Enforcement. Feb. 2006. Print. Harper, Karen Brooks. â€Å"Immigrant Driving Permit Bill in Legislature Raises Tough Issue for GOP.† Dallas Morning News [Dallas] 2 May 2013: Print. SU, RICK. â€Å"The States Of Immigration.† William & Mary Law Review 54.4 (2013): 1339-1407. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Dec. 2013. â€Å"Organizations and Leaders’ Critique of S.744.† Against The Current 28.4 (2013): 11-12. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Dec. 2013.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Chapter Outline Chapter 2

Chapter Outline Chapter 2 I. Developmental theories and the issues they raise A. The Importance of Theories 1. Guides the collection of new information a. what is most important to study b. what can be hypothesized or predicted c. how it should be studied B. Qualities of a Good Theory 1. Internally consistent– its different parts are not contradictory 2. Falsifiable– generates testable hypotheses 3. Supported by data– describes, predicts, and explains human development C. Four Major Theories (psychoanalytic, learning, cognitive developmental, contextual/systems) D. Nature/Nurture 1. Nature– genetic/biological predisposition . Nurture– emphasis on experience/environmental impact E Goodness/Badness of Human Nature 1. Hobbes– children are selfish and bad and society must teach them to behave in a civilized way 2. Rousseau– children are innately good and society must not interfere with innate goodness 3. Locke– child born neither go od nor bad, but like a tabula rasa or â€Å"blank slate† F. Activity and Passivity 1. Activity– control over one’s development 2. Passive– product of forces beyond one’s control (environmental or biological) G. Continuity/Discontinuity 1. Continuity– gradual change (small steps) 2.Discontinuity– abrupt change 3. Qualitative or quantitative change a. qualitative– changes in a degree b. quantitative– change in kind c. developmental stages part of discontinuity approach H. Universality/Context-Specificity 1. Universality– developmental change common to everyone 2. Context-specific– developmental changes vary by individual/culture II. Freud: Psychoanalytic theory A. Sigmund Freud: Viennese Physician and Founder of Psychoanalytic Theory 1. Emphasis on motive and emotions of which we are unaware 2.. Theory less influential than in the past B. Instincts and Unconscious Motives 1.Instincts– inborn biological forces that motivate behavior 2. Unconscious motivation– instinctive and inner force influences beyond our awareness/control 3. Emphasis on nature (biological instincts) C. Id, Ego, and Superego 1. Id a. all psychic energy contained here b. basic biological urges c. impulsive d. seeks immediate gratification 2. Ego a. rational side of personality b. ability to postpone pleasure 3. Superego a. internalized moral standards b. perfection principle (adhere to moral standards) 4. Id, ego and superego conflict common/inevitable 5. Problems arise when level of psychic energy unevenly distributed D.Psychosexual Development 1. Importance of libido– sex instinct’s energy shifts body locations 2. Five stages of psychosexual development a. oral stage b. anal stage c. phallic stage d. latency period e. genital stage 3. Conflict of id and social demands leads to ego’s defense mechanisms defense mechanisms– unconscious coping mechanisms of the ego i. fixationâ⠂¬â€œ Development arrested at early stage ii. regression– Retreat to earlier stage 4. Phallic stage– Oedipus and Electra complexes (incestuous desire) resolve by identifying with same-sex parent and incorporating parent’s values into the super ego 5.Genital stage– experienced during puberty a. conflict and distance from parents b. greater capacity to love and have children in adulthood c. teen pregnancy due to inability to manage sexual urges because of childhood experiences E. Strengths and Weaknesses 1. Difficult to test and ambiguous 2. Weak support for specific aspects of the theory (e. g. , sexual seduction by parents) 3. Greater support for broad ideas a. unconscious motivation b. importance of early experience, especially parenting III. Erikson: Neo-Freudian Psychoanalytic Theory A. Neo-Freudians– Important Disciples of Psychoanalytic Theory 1.Notable neo-Freudians: Jung, Horney, Sullivan, Anna Freud 2. Erikson is most important life span ne o-Freudian theorist 3. Erikson’s differences with Freud a. less emphasis on sexual and more on social influences b. less emphasis on id, more on rational ego c. more positive view of human nature d. more emphasis on developmental changes in adulthood B. Psychosocial Development 1. Resolution of eight major psychosocial crises a. trust versus mistrust– key is general responsiveness of caregiver b. autonomy versus shame– terrible twos c. initiative versus guilt– preschool sense of autonomy d. ndustry versus inferiority– elementary age sense of mastery e. identity versus role confusion– adolescence acquisition of identity f. intimacy versus isolation– young adult commitment g. generativity versus stagnation– middle age sense of having produced something meaningful h. integrity versus despair– elderly sense of life meaning and success 2. Personality strengths â€Å"ego virtues† developed during stages 3. Stage develop ment due to biological maturation and environmental demands 4. Teen pregnancy explained as due to weak ego or super ego (management of sexual urges rooted in early childhood) C.Strengths and Weaknesses 1. Its emphases on rational, adaptive nature and social influences easier to accept 2. Captures some central development issues 3. Influenced thinking about adolescence and beyond 4. Like Freud, vague and difficult to test 5. Provides description, but not adequate explanation of development IV. Learning theories A. Watson: Classical Conditioning 1. Emphasis on behavioral change in response to environmental stimuli 2. Behaviorism– belief that only observed behavior should be studied 3. Rejected psychoanalytic theory and explained Freud using learning principles 4.Conducted classical conditioning research with colleague Rosalie Rayner Watson and Rayner condition infant â€Å"Albert† to fear rat a. loud noise was unconditioned (unlearned) stimulus b. crying (fear) was uncon ditioned (unlearned) response c. white rat became conditioned (learned) stimulus producing conditioned response of crying after it was paired with loud noise 5. Classical conditioning involved when children learn to â€Å"love† caring parents 6. Reject stage conceptualization of development 7. Learning is learning B. Skinner: Operant Conditioning 1.In operant (instrumental) conditioning learning thought to become more or less probable depending on consequences 2. Reinforcement– consequences that strengthen a response (increase probability of future response) 3. Positive– something added a. positive reinforcement– something pleasant added in attempt to strengthen behavior b. positive reinforcement best when continuous 4. Negative– something removed a. negative reinforcement– something unpleasant taken in attempt to strengthen behavior 5. Punishment– consequences that suppress future response a. positive punishment– something unp leasant added in attempt to weaken behavior b. egative punishment– something pleasant taken in attempt to weaken behavior 6. Extinction– no consequence given and behavior becomes less frequent 7. Skinner emphasized positive reinforcement in child rearing 8. Physical punishment best used in specific circumstances like†¦ a. administered immediately following act b. administered consistently following offense c. not overly harsh d. accompanied by explanation e. administered by otherwise affectionate person f. combined with efforts to reinforcement acceptable behaviors 9. Too little emphasis on role of cognitive processes C.Bandura: Social Cognitive Theory 1. Humans’ cognitive abilities distinguish them from animals– can think about behavior and anticipate consequences 2. Observational learning (learning from models) most important mechanism for behavior change 3. Classic experiment using â€Å"Bobo† doll showed that children could learn from mode l 4. Vicarious reinforcement– learner changes behaviors based on consequences observed being given to a model 5. Human agency– ways in which humans deliberately exercise control over environments and lives self-efficacy– sense of one’s ability to control self or environment 6.Reciprocal determinism– mutual influence of individuals and social environments determines behavior 7. Doubt the existence of stages 8. View cognitive capacities as maturing over time 9. Learning experiences differentiate development of child of same age D. Strengths and Weaknesses of Learning Theory 1. Learning theories are precise and testable 2. Principles operate across the life span 3. Practical applications 4. Doesn't show that learning actually causes observed developmental changes 5. Oversimplifies development by focusing on experience and downplaying biological influences V. Cognitive developmental theoryA. Jean Piaget Swiss Scholar Greatly Influences Study of Intelle ctual Development in Children 1. Emphasizes errors in thinking (wrong answers) 2. Argues that cognitive development is qualitative in nature B. Piaget's Constructivism 1. Constructivism– active construction of knowledge based on experience 2. Stage progression due to interaction of biological maturation and environment C. Stages of Cognitive Development (sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operations) 1. Sensorimotor stage a. birth to age 2 b. deal with world directly through perceptions and actions . unable to use symbols 2. Preoperational stage a. ages 2 to 7 b. capacity for symbolic thought c. lack tools of logical thought d. cling to ideas they want to be true 3. Concrete operations stage a. ages 7 to 11 b. use trial-and-error strategy c. perform mental operations in their heads d. difficulty with abstract and hypothetical concepts 4. Formal operations stage a. ages 11 and later b. think abstractly and can formulate hypotheses c. can devise â€Å"g rand theories† about others D. Strengths and Weaknesses 1. Pioneer with long lasting impact 2. Many of Piaget’s concepts accepted (e. g. children active in own development) 3. Influential in education and child rearing practices 4. Too little emphasis on motivation and emotion 5. Questioning of stage model 6. Underestimated children’s cognitive skills VI. Contextual/Systems Theories A. Changes Over Life Span Arise from Ongoing Transactions and Mutual Influences Between Organism and Changing World No single end-point to development B. Vygotsky: A Sociocultural Perspective 1. Russian psychologist who took issue with Piaget 2. Sociocultural perspective– development shaped by organism growing in culture 3. Tools of a culture impact development . Cognitive development is social process 5. Children co-construct knowledge through social dialogues with others 6. Paid too little attention to biology C. Gottlieb: An Evolutionary/Epigenetic Systems View 1. Some conte xtual/systems theories have arisen from work by evolutionary biologists a. influenced by Darwin’s work b. genes aid in adapting to the environment 2. Ethology– study evolved behavior of species in natural environment a. birdsongs in the wild b. species-specific behavior of humans 3. Evolutionary/epigenetic systems perspective of Gottlieb a. evolution has endowed us with genes . predisposition to develop in certain direction genes do not dictate, make some outcomes more probable c. Gottleib’s emphases: i. activity of gene ii. activity of neuron iii. organism’s behavior iv. environmental influences d. interaction between genes and environmental factors e. instinctive behaviors may not be expressed if environmental conditions do not exist i. duckling vocalizations ii. baby rats seeking water f. normal development is combination of normal genes and normal early experience g. experience can influence genetic activity and change course of development i. ice che wing and impact on genes ii. lactose tolerance higher in cultures with dairy farming tradition h. difficult to predict outcome (multifactor influence) i. view people in continual flux and change is inevitable D. Strengths and Weaknesses 1. Complex like human development 2. Cannot predict outcome (wide range of paths) VII. Theories in Perspective A. Stage Theorists: Freud, Erikson, Piaget 1. Development guided in universal direction 2. Influenced by biological/maturational forces B. Learning Theorists: Watson, Skinner, Bandura 1. Emphasis on influence of environment 2.Deliberate steps taken by parents to shape development C. Contextual and Systems Theorists: Vygotsky, Gottleib 1. Focus on dynamic relationship between person and environment 2. Focus on impact of both biology and environment 3. Potential exists for qualitative and quantitative change 4. Developmental pathways depend on interplay of internal and external influences D. Changing World Views 1. Our understanding of human d evelopment is ever changing 2. Contextual/systems theories prevalent today 3. Less extreme, but more complex positions  © Copyright 2006 Thomson. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 7

Technology - Essay Example Although keeping up with the high cost that these tools require places a heavy burden upon the system as well as upon the bottom line, the fact of the matter is that in order to continue to integrate with business and the patient, the new applications and software packages are demanded (Chunhau et al, 2009). Moreover, the industry standards that must be met also demand a level of standardization that goes beyond convenience and cost equations. Accordingly, one can understand that the information needs that a given health care organization may have relates to the storage of patient data, the encoding of insurance paperwork, billing in all forms, transcription needs, recording of changes to patient health and treatment, as well as a litany of others (G. L., 2012). It can be definitively said that the flow of information across HIT within my given organization greatly increases and supports evidence based practice due to the fact that it allows the healthcare professional ease of access to a great deal of patient information with regards to any single given case. Of course the downside to this is that the training curve to integrating these approaches with new staff is oftentimes long and involved; however, the rewards are manifest in a higher quality of care and treatment that such a proliferation of HIT can provide. Reddy, M., McDonald, D. W., Pratt, W., & Shabot, M. M. (2005).Technology, work, and information flows: Lessons from the implementation of a wireless alert pager system. Journal of Biomedical Informatics, 38(3),

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Does the implementation of the PI program improve the performance of Research Paper

Does the implementation of the PI program improve the performance of Reseda High school students - Research Paper Example te the research such as the curriculum of the schools that are chosen in the research and the control variables which are issues that can be controlled by the researcher such as the program improvement and types of students who are sampled during the research. The variables play a large role in the research and thus it should be noted that the researcher should do their best not to influence them in a way that the end results are affected (Lopez, 2008). The study of whether implementation of the PI program will help improve the performance of public schools is an issue that needs to be determined clearly in order for the government to decide on if they should introduce the program to more schools or if the designers need to go back to rethink in a bid to work out the kinks if any before spreading to other schools in the country (Kate, 2010). 2. Research Design and its Justification The research design that is used in this study is also another important issue that needs to be determi ned in order to ensure that accurate results are achieved at the end of the research. The research design refers to the method that the researcher chooses to carry out his study in terms of attaining the answer to the question that has been posed. The method chosen has to be applicable to the particular study and should suit the environment in which it is used. This implies that the method undertaken should not be forced into action but should fit seamlessly into the activities that are involved which include the collection of the data required and its analysis in the final stage of the study to determine the results. Choosing the wrong research design may add unneeded complications for the researcher during the study and in the worst case scenario even result in inaccurate results... Does the implementation of the PI program improve the performance of Reseda High school students? The performance of public schools has become a reason for concern as the results of children who attend these schools have shown little advancement over the years. There are a number of reasons that have been given for this trend with the most popular being the transfer of the brighter children in the public school systems to private institutions once their high IQ is discovered. The method chosen has to be applicable to the particular study and should suit the environment in which it is used. This implies that the method undertaken should not be forced into action but should fit seamlessly into the activities that are involved which include the collection of the data required and its analysis in the final stage of the study to determine the results. Choosing the wrong research design may add unneeded complications for the researcher during the study and in the worst case scenario even result in inaccurate results. There are a number of advantages that the use of Quasi-Experimental Designs brings to the table of the study; some of these include factors such as they are easier to put up than true experimental designs which simplify the procedure for the researcher. These designs also reduce the risks to external validations as they are held in natural environments, which also allows for generalizations on certain topics to be made about the population that is being studied.

The Tiebout Model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Tiebout Model - Essay Example The main finding included the fact that inter-jurisdictional competition is a vital element of the mechanism. The key players in Tiebout’s model are individual citizens and governments. business firms are not an explicit part of the model (Brueckner 2004, p 138). It was meant to be applied to local governments and to a lesser degree, to state governments. The model assumes citizens have full knowledge of government revenue and expenditure packages, that there are a large number of communities among which individuals can choose to live, and that people will opt for the community that best satisfies their preferences. Moreover, the model assumes that government services exhibit no spillover effects (Billings 2008, p 45). Tiebout’s model made three additional assumptions; one, that jobs impose no locational constraint on individuals; two, that a community’s optimal size, meaning the size for which the average cost of producing a particular packages of public service s is minimized, can be determined; and three, that each community seeks to attain its optimal size (Feiock 2004, p. 76). The model envisions citizens sorting themselves out among available communities so that demands for government services within any particular community would become homogenous. In theory, Tiebout concluded that to the extent these rather restrictive assumptions are met, good and services provided by the local public sector will exhibit both allocative efficiency (the right amounts of the various good and services are produced ) and productive efficiency (they are produced at least cost) (Rivkin 2001, p. 206). In Tiebout’s model, community taxes would be benefit taxes, or proportional to the benefits citizens receive form public services, rather than taxes based on the ability to pay. Tiebout’s model implies that any redistribution of income is taken care of by the federal government (Rivkin 2001, p. 207). Despite all the pros of the Tiebout model, va rious changes in the finance systems of local governments over the last three decades, such as fiscal centralization, work against the establishment of Tiebout effects. This uniformity is undesirable and future reforms should target to encourage a greater diversity of service provision. Competition among local governments, cities and municipalities, as depicted in Tiebout’s model, most at times serve to improve efficiency and delivery of service and goods to the citizens. Based on Tiebout’s model, where there is competition, citizens will come together to take care of all types of demands for public goods and service (Widmer & Zweifel 2008, p. 5). Moreover, individuals will relocate to communities that best meets their demand for public goods and services and the productivity is improved and more efficient since shady and/ ineffective providers of public services and goods will not get any clients. Tiebout model has all the benefits of a competitive market (Feiock 2004 , p. 97). According to Tiebout, it is clear that decentralization of provision of public goods and services results in a positive influence on performance. The rationale is that citizens will procure from the providers who give them the best quotient between public service and tax paid. In a study on fiscal equalization, where disparities among local

Monday, August 26, 2019

Letters of credit have been described as the lifeblood of Essay

Letters of credit have been described as the lifeblood of international commerce. (Kerr LJ in RD Harbottle (Mercantil) Ltd v N - Essay Example The slightest delay can lead to huge loss due to exchange fluctuations during the period delay. There are instances of huge losses in the international trade by way of exchange fluctuations alone. This paper will examine the indispensability of the instrument so as to be called the life-blood of international commerce In RD Harbottle (Mercantil) Ltd v National Westminster Bank Ltd,2 the court has emphatically stated that there should not be the least interference of the courts in the letter of credit transactions as it is indispensable for the smooth flow of international commerce. Except in cases of frauds of which banks have notice, the irrevocable obligations under a letter of credit cannot be undone by the parties for reasons of any dispute between them. Court are not concerned with their difficulties however great they may be as they can always settle their disputes in a different forum without disturbing the operation of letter of credit which is a banking system at a different level. This is the essence of the court’s ruling in the above case. ... The issuing bank has just to make sure the documents submitted by the beneficiary are in strict compliance of the credit terms and nothing more. In view of this, neither the applicant (buyer) nor the beneficiary (seller) can frustrate the letter of credit payment under some pretext or other. It is because the credit is a stand -alone document like a legal tender 3 and its validity cannot be questioned lest the international commerce will lose confidence in the system with the resultant collapse of the international trade. This, Donaldson LJ characterizes as ‘thrombosis will occur if , unless fraud is involved, courts intervene and thereby disturb the mercantile practice of treating rights thereunder [of letter of credit] as being equivalent to cash in hand’4 (foot note 5 begins) Further, letter of credit is part of commercial law to facilitate commerce. The rules must therefore be consistently followed by the courts without giving way to the idiosyncrasies of individuals though courts’ view of the will change overtime. Only then, outcome of a dispute can be predicted with a law that is clear and consistent so that litigation is avoided. If it is unavoidable, it should be quickly resolved especially in a price/exchange fluctuation market. The court’s approach in RD Harbottle is to ensure certainty for documentary credit which is an assurance from bank for payment against presentation of documents. Though the term UCP needs to be incorporated in a documentary credit contract, courts have the liberty to view it as impliedly incorporated even in the absence of the express provision of the UCP.5 Therefore principles such as doctrine of strict compliance, party’s autonomy and fraud

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Why should we drink alcohol Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Why should we drink alcohol - Essay Example It makes one feel better after a hard day at office, in the playgrounds, at theatres, in shopping malls and even when standing before the teetotaler. There is nothing specifically that can happen in a neighborhood. Well, if this is the way you have been thinking on consuming liquor and avoiding academic statements, it is fine to the extent that you have been consuming liquor moderately and not more than 3-4 times a week (Who should not drink alcohol). Obviously irrespective of what scientists and doctors say, alcohol is a pleasant drink. Scientists have now veered to the view that drinking is all right as long as it is done within limits and the frequency maintained. There is no point in binge drinking during weekends and staying sober the rest of the week. This does more harm than good according to research conducted on drinking (Alcohol: Our Favourite Drug). However, moderate drinking which consists of consuming two to three drinks has health benefits. It stops heart attacks and improves blood circulation. It does the work of an appetizer inside the human body and it boosts digestion. On the other hand, people say that the benefits of alcohol are highly one sided. There may be some benefits to the heart. But it still leaves the kidneys and liver vulnerable to attacks by alcohol. So in spite of all the benefits discovered to be present in alcohol there is still the nagging doubt if the drink or two you consume every evening could be irreversibly problematic to your precious liver. There is nothing clear about the benefits or disadvantages of alcohol. Nowadays, scientists are quite clear that alcohol is beneficial to the heart. But it is silent when it comes to the kidneys and liver. Hence, we are back to square one where consuming alcohol is concerned. Therefore, the teetotaler is better off as he quietly battles the possibility of heart attacks by means other than alcohol. Thus, the debate

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Summarize then compare and contrast Research Paper

Summarize then compare and contrast - Research Paper Example attack the Mexicans capturing many of them as prisoners including their general and this forces them to surrender, retreat and they finally withdraw from Alamo leaving it to Texans (Howard, Johnson and Hancock, 2004). This is a documentary about how the rights of the African Americans were repressed by groups such as the Ku Klux Klan in the South (who are referred to an Jim Crow) even after there was promise to grant them freedom as it was between the period of Civil Rights movement and Civil rights war. There was an order to lynch the blacks and the black activists revoking that order and insisting on their freedom as this even echoed the voice of the Northern whites. There is also referral to the Supreme Court ruling on the equality in schools as blacks refuting the school segregation policy that was previously present. The rise of the black activists such as Dubois and their contribution to the fall of Jim Crow is also reflected in the documentary (Jersey and Wormser, 2002). These two films are quite different and yet very similar in some ways. Even though one is a film (The Alamo) and the other a documentary (the rise and fall of Jim Crow), they both talk about the efforts by the citizens to seek and fight for what is rightfully theirs and not allow others to take over and tramp over them completely. The two are therefore battlegrounds (literally and otherwise) for their rights and hence an end to their misery. The two are based on real life events one being the civil rights movement and war and the other being the Texas –Mexicans war which is also historical as well (Howard, Johnson and Hancock, 2004). In the end, the results in both the film and the documentary are such that the minority win and their efforts, struggles and war have not been in vain as they finally get what they have been struggling for: Texans get Alamo and the Blacks get their freedom. They are based on two different time zones and one is a film and the other a documentary. One is a

Friday, August 23, 2019

Movie All the President's Men Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Movie All the President's Men - Essay Example All the Presidents Men Order No. 669256 â€Å"All The President’s Men† (1976) is a scintillating movie that weaves together the Washington intrigue and monument of journalism into the fabric of film making by changing the face of journalism and politics. Undoubtedly, this film is considered to be one of the best and is so captivating, as it was two decades ago. The Academy Award winning screenplay of ‘All the President’s Men’ was written by William Goldman who hacks through the maze of interlocking relationships to unveil the truth in the mire of politics. The protagonists of the film were Robert Redford who also happened to be the producer of the film, and Dustin Hoffman who play the parts of two Washington Post Reporters who had the responsibility of taking down the No. 1 resident on Pennsylvania Avenue by making use of journalism as well as politics to do so, in a spellbinding story. (Vincent Canby, 1976) The director of the film was Alan J Pakula whose mastery over shadows and mazes brings to light the menacing paths and hidden truths encountered by reporters in the daily lives in this captivating 2 hours 16 minute movie released by Warner Brothers. The opening scene of the movie shows a typewriter that hammers out the date when president Nixon came back from China which was 1st June, 1972. The riotous break – in takes place just sixteen days later after the President returned. The scene includes ancient dial telephones and old typewriters. The Watergate scandal that took place over 25 years ago is believed to be the most famous political scandal ever to take place in the history of America. ‘All The Presidents Men’ (1976) served to offer public absolution to the Washington Post which was unceremoniously dragged down by the economic downslide and public ridicule by the Nixon White House. This movie also served to bring about an institutional self –consciousness to the once free spirited men and wo men who belonged to the fourth estate. Journalism, as portrayed in the movie, is a humorless profession devoid of all glamour that attracts like minded humorless people. Though the movie ‘All The President’s Men’ is considered to be a Classic, it has its moments of factual deficiencies. Ken Ringle, (1992) who is on the staff of the Washington Post, sheds light on some of the flaws in the movie. He explains that the reporting was over – glamorized while editing which is a serious job was over simplified. Ringle (1992) also tells us that many facts and names were changed, crucial historical key figures were eliminated while other characters were mythologized. According to him power appeared to be the only significant subject for the pen of the journalist because it details and unmasks the deceit of a President in a Byzantine era. Ringle (1992) sheds light on how ‘All the Presidents Men’ helped change so many things within the walls of the Washin gton Post. Certain parts of the film are quite discomforting as it serves to remind journalists that they were not chroniclers of events but major players in the field of journalism. The author tells us that the film helped to bring about drastic changes in the field some of which were good but some of them were not always in their favor. One of the blatant factual deficiencies spoken of by Ringle (1992) is the absence of City Editor Barry Sussman who played pivotal role in guiding Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein the reporters, to solves their puzzles into a meaningful pattern, was left completely out of the film. Ringle (1992) describes how many of the events were conveniently rearranged, some of the characters were fictionalized while some of the incidents and dialogues that were gathered were exaggerated or concocted. Ringle (1992) points to one of the blatant visual inaccuracies in the film which is the repeated depiction of Newsmen Bernstein and Woodward who are shown working a ll alone in a vacant newsroom. Roger Ebert, in his review on ‘All The President’s Men’ tells us that it is a compelling blend of investigative journalism and

Thursday, August 22, 2019

The american dream Essay Example for Free

The american dream Essay The American dream, isn’t this what everyone is chasing? Isn’t this why people work so hard and go to extreme lengths just to achieve this â€Å"Dream†? Owning a home, having a family, and basically living care free is the â€Å"dream† that is projected, but is this goal that so many people are told to strive for even obtainable? There is a belief that once this goal is achieve all the troubles will some how fly out the window, but sadly that isn’t true. The American dream itself is nothing easy to gain, and the quest for this dream can tear anybody that isn’t ready apart. Through Jackson’s â€Å"The Residue Years† and Diaz’s â€Å"This Is How You Lose Her†, they were able to show how difficult it is to achieve the â€Å"dream† and how the journey could affect not only the person striving for it but also the people around them. With both of their unique writings styles they are able to let the reader feel connected with the person on a personal level. Champ from â€Å"The Residue Years† and Ramon from â€Å"This Is How You Lose Her† are two characters that are working towards the American dream, but don’t see how everyone around them is affected by their actions. At times chasing a certain dreams can cause a person to neglect the people and situations around them. The odds are already stacked against anyone who is not white, especially when trying to achieve the American dream or should i say White Dream. The problem with a lot of people are they are trying to obtain something that is not for them, for example the American dream is a belief that has been already thought out for everybody, and if this dream isn’t met then a person is considered unsuccessful. Why chase a dream that was only meant for certain people, like Champ said â€Å"You’re right, not everything’s about race. But what if this is? (Jackson 80)†. Champ is trying to reach this goal and keep his family from falling apart while trying to provide for his girlfriend, mothers, and two little brothers by selling the same drugs his mother is hooked on. He wasn’t good enough at basketball to go pro and doesn’t believe furthering his education will give him what he wants. Champ, an African American male, couldn’t play basketball so he sell drugs, fits the stereotype doesn’t it. Ramon on the other hand, a Latino male, been in America for ten years working at a bread factory trying to achieve the American dream with his wife back home and his mistress in the states supporting him. Although Ramon desires a house, but understand that he is already at a disadvantage because of his race, Hes been talking about the house he wants to buy, how hard it is to find one when youre Latino. (Diaz 30). Both characters believe that a house is the answer to their problems and doing everything in their power to get it. This land of opportunity but limits those opportunities to the ones who desire it the most, isn’t that funny? As a reader all you can do is cheer for or hate the decisions these two characters to beat the In this world where there is barely any options or opportunity, at times love is your strength and your weakness. On Both characters journey to the American dream the same people that they have envisioned living the dream with are the same one’s who are holding them back, their loved ones. Ramon and Champ we not trying to prove society wrong, but also the people they loved. Champ feels like he can’t let his family down and he has to do everything in his power to assure that he doesn’t, but as I said for my family for all of us, I cant let this dream defer, wont let it fall apart. (Jackson 281). The same people who Champ is trying to take care of are the ones holding him back, his mother relapsed, his little brother is becoming a problem, and his girlfriend is on his case. Champ also gets robbed at a drug deal gone wrong and even by his so called â€Å"real estate agent†. Champ sees everything he has worked hard for crumbling before his very eyes and it’s all thanks to the family that he wants to save. Ramon on the other hand just wants that house because he believes it’s the gateway to a better life. The woman he is trying to bring into this better life is the same person who doesn’t believe in him, He rubs at his stubble. What if i find the place? You want me to make the decision myself? I dont think it will happen. (Diaz 32). With no one by their sides and their backs against the wall, you just start to feel for these characters. If their loved ones aren’t behind them, then who is? The sad thing about the American dream is not everyone will see it. Ramon hard work paid off, he was able to make his dreams come true, Look, he says holding up the paperwork. Look. He is almost pleading. Im truly happy for him. You did it mi amor. We did it, he says quietly. Now we can begin. Then he puts his head down on the table and cries(Diaz 38). This emotional scene in the book is heartwarming and touching, just to see a hardworking hispanic male have the ability to make his dreams into a reality in American is something that should be applauded. Sadly the same thing can’t be said for Champ. Champ’s hard work and huge heart wasn’t enough,â€Å"He digs into my jeans and lifts the sack into view, my work rocked up and wrapped in clear plastic. They toss up cuffed into their hard back seats and boom the door shut(Jackson 340). Despite everything he tried to do for his family, at the end the person who he was trying to save is the main reason he got arrested. Champ was part a business he didn’t belong in because he wanted the better life for his family, he selling drugs so that he could provide for his loved ones ,not keep the money. Champ may have been a criminal in some peoples eyes but would you label someone who just trying to provide a criminal? Sometimes you make it or you go down trying and sadly, the guy that everyone was counting on couldn’t come through. Through both Jackson’s and Diaz’s works they were able to show how difficult chasing the american dreams can be, and make the reader feel for the characters and what they’re going through; and also how hard times can get when trying to pursuit ones true happiest. After reading both stories the question that was left to be answered is, do the ends justify the means?

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Political Philosophy and Human Beings Essay Example for Free

Political Philosophy and Human Beings Essay Freedom is generally term we use to talk about politics in our society nowadays. Eudaimonia is not a freedom but it betrays a more general difference in the way Aristotle approaches different societies. Eduaimonia is a biological concept with â€Å"your life going well† With your naturally attributes being fully developed. It is not a matter of your mood. If you ask if someone is flourishing it is more than if they are happy it is are they becoming everything they can be. Are they exercising all of their abilities? Freedom doesn’t have anyting to do with success. Freedoms for Aristotle is part of eudaimonia. Eudaimonia is a collection of goods. You need material things and good luck and freedom and food and water. Pg. 258 Aristotle says eudaimonia is a STATE OF ACTIVITY. VERY IMPORTANT. It is not just well being but also well doing. You’re a Eudaimonistic person only if you enact the activities of a eudaimonistic person. You cant be a good citizen or a happy citizen if you just have rights. You have to exercise these rights. Some kind of activity. Different activities in different cities because different cities have different rules and constitutions. Citizenship is a kind of doing. Citizens have function. The activity of citizens is that which supports the constitution of the city or state or polis which they are apart. The point of the polis is not just living but to have a good life. A good life that combines the success of the individual with the success of a whole. It is always in motion and an activity. Book 3 chapter 9 a polis is not the same thing as an alliance. You cant take any political agreement between 2 or 3 cities and make them one city. Only human beings because they have language Aristotle says can make moral judgments. Not like animals judge where the food is but more complex judgments. Page 10 and 11. Our language is capable of making distinctions that aren’t only physical. Aristotle claims animals don’t make moral judgments. Language and justice are immediately linked to the function of the polis. Our capacity to speak to one another is what makes us political. It is one function of the polis to define good and evil. To come to collective understanding of what is good and what is bad. Human beings have the capacity to debate and judge differently which also means judge badly and judge well. This judging is a kind of activity. It is the business of cities. Even households do in their choosing how to live together. Aristotles discussion of households and cities. Human beings in two principle ways. The member of a lesser whole the household and the member of a larger whole which is the polis Both having ruling parts and ruled parts. Polis Definition of a citizen :one who shares in the administration of justice in the holding of office. He doesn’t say what the office is to incorporate all the states in the Greek world. Some monarchies where people who don’t hold office who are still considered citizens. NOW-A citizen is someone who is a legal candidate for office even if they don’t hold an office at that specific time. Aristotle says if you have that one person who is qualified to be king either you have to make him king or get rid of him. When Aristotle gives the best govt he says different kinds of government are beter for some circumstances. If city is under attack it may be smarter to give control to one person to make all the decisions so there is no confusion. The circumstance of the not so rich not so poor with some allies and some opponents. BEST THING in this situation is to have a middle class that can alternate from ruling and being ruled. He means people who aren’t to rich and aren’t to poor. The poor are to desperate and greedy so they don’t want to consider what is good for everyone. The rich just want to boss everyone around and want charge. The polis is the one compound that can be self-concious about its situation and a ruled and a ruling element. If were ruling we might enjoy it to much so this could be a problem. If we are part of the ruled we might resent being ordered around. Human organization is like animal organization but it also has a special problem and a special solution. The best thing is someone who can understand both ruling and being ruled. That is why the middle class would be best for the position. They understand both sides. Aristotle thinks even in a family they are not totally conscious of their situation. A bee hive has a quen bee but the bee doesn’t know she is in charge and the other bees don’t mind not being in charge it just is what it is. Polity like the Athenian system is best because everyone takes a share in ruling and being ruled. They drew names out of a hat for rule and you were part of ruling if you were pulled in the hat. The city was small enough so over the course of your lifetime almost everyone could be assured to be the ruler of the city. Most of your life you were in the other position of being ruled. This is the best in most condition or the average condition. If one person comes along and seem the best to rule and will give eudaimonia for everyone then they should rule but it happens very rarely. HOUSEHOLD AND SLAVERY The household for Aristotle is another form of social compound like the polis but on a smaller scale. Will have a ruling and a ruled element. Aristotle knows in advance because there is always a ruling and a ruled element he knows what to look for so it is not surprising when he looks in a household he finds these two things. Aristotle’s perspective the adult male in a household rules and everyone else is subordinate to that position. All of the households Aristotle could see were dominated by men and for the most part were slave holding. Some period when individuals are not best in charge of their own lives. (children) Discussion 2/7/14 Aristotle is more concerned with the practical sort of things plato was thinking about how it should be. Aristotle sees the ruler and ruled everywhere. Phone- Sound and voice or pleasure and pain which pertains to animals like a cat screeching or a wolf howling. Logos- is speech and reason and judgment and language. Language and judgment go hand in hand. This is A PART OF BEING HUMAN. 4/10/14 Lecture Notes Hobbes considered by many to be first modern political theorist. Hobbes in politics in conservative for his time and place but his methods are very very radical. HOBBES AND ARISTOTLE Hobbes is opposite of Aristotle. Aristotle learned about politics through observation. He observed nature and looked at how it was replicated towards ourselves. Aristotle thinks all natural beings have a telos which is a natural end. A TELOS is something you are destined for not just death. Hobbes participated in scientific debate when he moved to paris. Attempt like aristotles to approach politics through nature. HOBBES IDEA of what nature is and how you study are so different from aristotles. The state is an artificial animal says hobbes. What you learn about the natural world will not tell you everything and not the most important things about politics and state. The art of man is like the art of god. Look on the political world as a creation but as a human creation making an artificial animal. Study human beings alongside other animals. To Hobbes the state is something radically different from animal congregations and it DOESN’T HAVE TO BE MADE unlike animals. If it is unmade it is chaos and war. Like the England he had to run away from because of civil war. States are not a part of nature. Aristotle says the state is a natural formation and is suppose to be there. For Hobbes this is not true. WHEN HUMAN BEINGS ENTER INTO A STATE NATURE IS WHAT WE LEAVE BEHIND. Human beings were in an unpolitical state before the state which to Hobbes is the state of nature. We were in a previous condition before the state which is nature to hobbes. To Aristotle everything is nature and human beings are always part of the natural world. Aristotles method is human beings are natural and politics and states were natural so he was going around to all different ones to figure out what they had in common. This makes no sense to Hobbes. No state of any kind is natural to Hobbes. Human beings Hobbes says clearly are made by nature and have natural characteristics that human beings have. To Hobbes the people inside the artificial state still have those natural characteristics. You cant leave your body behind to make the state. If states are artificial we can make them how we want. Not aristotles naturally idea of 3-6 types. Hobbes’s theory is sort of liberating but also terrifying. No guarantee we are safe. We are not born into a natural order. If there isn’t an order that we make we wont make it very long. Hobbes’s modern science including distrust of the senses. Hobbes is skeptical of our sensory perception and the ability of our senses to tell us the truth. Sensations clearly come from the natural world but we don’t know exactly where it is coming from. If we know our senses deceive us in some cases we cant be sure they don’t always deceive us. PLATO ALSO DISTRUSTED THE SENSES AND ALSO LIKED GEOMETRY LIKE HOBBES AND EUCLIDIAN GEOMETRY. Plato thinks we can reach some sort of reason and perceive it correctly. Hobbes is not interested in this. Pg. 4(chapter 1) Deviathlon Information we get through introspection can be trusted. Whoever looks into himself and considers what he does when he thinks of reasons hopes and fear. The only way to know humans and to have secure knowledge is to look into yourself. What you find when you look into yourself is good information to everybody else. When I understanding what im doing when I hope then I understand what youre doing when you hope even if they are different hopes. Same thing with fear. THAT FOR HOBBES IS SECURE STARTING POINT FOR SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE TO START POLITICS. Chapter 11-No Telos meaning no teleology don’t study human beings or any part of nature by postulating there is some final ending for them and thinking we can find a way to get them there. Hobbes sees once you get something you want you find something else you want and so on and so on. Like calicles. (from another reading calicles is) Hobbes found this through his own introspection. Hobbes knows his desires are different others but he knows their desire for those things are the same. And he knows that he isn’t satisfied when he gets what he wants so he knows others are the same way. Hobbes doesn’t mean human beings all seek political power but like calicles the power to get what you want. Being able to arrange the world the way you like it. This for hobbes is what is natural. Not a natural ending but a natural beginning. Putting things into motion. Sees it as a physicist. Putting the world into motion. Hobbes says individuals have desires those desires set them in motion and once they are set in motion they don’t tend to stop. Humans are particles seeking what they want with other particles (people) in the way not always getting what we want. Its not just politics to Hobbes that are artificial. Many other things are artificial that aristotles thought was natural. MOST IMPORTANTLY IS SPEECH. (ARISTOTLE SAID SPEECH WAS THE DEFINING NATURAL CHARECTERISITC OF HUMAN BEINGS. HUMANS ARE THE ANIMALS WITH THE NATURAL QUALITY OF SPEAKING AND REASON FOR ARISTOTLE. ) Just about everything except our desires are artificial to Hobbes. Speech is an invention. Hobbes says almost every moral conclusion you want to make you will make it through speech which human beings made up so it doesn’t tell us anything. Chapter 4. All moral truths from Hobbes sense are well constructed senses. We have arranged the terms to lineup. The definition the words line up and make sense so it is true and we can define it. CHAPTER 6- GOOD AND EVIL People disagree not because they make mistakes about reasoning which plato would say they disagree because they have different preferences. They see good and evil through their own preferences. You nor I will worship to persuade each other to what we see fit. What does this mean for politics? Calicles who also thought good and evil were words that people made up. Calicles also thought people were better than others. He thought letting nature work itself out was letting the powerful people dominate the weak. HOBBES THINKS PEOPLE ARE NATURALLY EQUALLY. That doesn’t mean they are equally smart or large or strong or weak. We don’t have equal desires wehave different desires. All Hobbes means by natural equality is that everyone of us is vulnerable to being killed by others. No human being is strong enough by themselves to secure themselves physically to secure themselves from others. WE ARE PHYSICALLY VULNERABLE MOST ESPECIALLY TO ONE ANOTHER. Human beings are born with physical desires and need power and security to help you get your desires. We live in a world with no system we are destined to be apart of like Aristotle thought. We don’t settle our differences by appealing to a natural order or moral principles through reason that plato thought we could all agree on. Moral conceptual political conflicts make the world a dangerous place because if you want catholocism you want it for others not just like chocolate which is for you. Fundamentally human beings are bodies in motion. We will not stop unless we come up against counterveiling force. The state of nature is the war of everyman against everyman. Chaos terror and war. We cannot look to nature to solve our problems because nature is the problem. We are each born with set of desires which are not in agreement with others. THIS IS POLITICAL PROBLEM WHAT IS THE SOLUTION. Reason and justice are just words we need a counter force. Something to bring order to a naturally chaotic system. We need something to make all the particles move in the same direction. The sword signifies the power of the state for Hobbes. There is a solution that has to be imposed just because we are so different. Hobbes understand just how different everyone is and that is a problem. How can you handle the individuality of everyone and make them stop killing eachother when they are left in their natural condition. MUST SET UP A RULE AND GET THEM TO OBEY. We need an incentive that is greater than our natural impulsion of our own desires. Everyone should have their greatest desire being staying alive. So we can enjoy the chocolate or vanilla. We will never enjoy anything in this world unless we are alive. LECTURE 2/12/14 Hobbes In nature there is a lack of agreement, trust and language. Life at the state of nature is solitary or nasty brutish and short to hobbes. The problem is fear and the solution is fear. We fear our own death that is good because then we all know we have that in common. It is rational to want to cooperate with other people but you can be tricked or betrayed. We also fear that other people wont perform their contracts. The solution will have to be some sort of unity. Pg. 132 chapter 17 You want to do whats right and you want to agree with other people but they may not cooperate. If you fear other people the leader will take that fear away and make you fear him. You will know everyone equally fears the sovereign and the consequences for non-agreement so they all have reason to agree. Now you fear death from the sovereign but maybe not as much from other people so now you can make agreements with one another. The sword hangs over all your covenants with one another. No conflilct for hobbes about being afraid and being free. You are in a position to be liberated from the fear of fellow human beings and the state of nature by entering the commonwealth or the artificial state. All you have to do is give up your will to one man or one group of men. Hobbes thinks its more efficient to have one man do it but it can be a group. Where there is disagreement there is distrust and when there is distrust there is violence and war. By all of us agreeing to let one person speak then when he speaks that’s it he has spoken for all of us. Even if we have disagreements it doesn’t matter politically he has spoken and that is it. The existence of the leviathan allows us to make deals and agreements with one another about property etc†¦ We need a form of agreement that ends the problem so we can live in a fundamentally functioning artificial state. We can create an object of mutual equal simultaneous fear. If you can create a state that equally and simultaneously threatens everyone with terrible penalties when they break the law you create the possibility of law which doesn’t exist in the state of nature. It is not a social covenant that protects your rights. It is about a govt protecting your body and your life. Not your rights. You fear govt because it has tremendous power but you are glad it does because it keeps everyone else in line and for yourself you know what to do. If you are a good person in the first place nothing is necessarily being taken away. Yes there is a sword over your head but it brings a situation you wanted anyway. Pg. 170 â€Å"liberty of the subject lies in the silence of the laws† In nature you had the right to anything as far as hobbes was concerned. By placing everybody’s rights in one central place you get back security. Law for hobbes is prohibition. Thou, shall, not kill steal etc†¦ Law and rights are opposite. The more rights you have the less law the more law the less rights. Punishments don’t need to be frequent and laws don’t need to be harsh. Whatever the leviathan does not prohibit you are as free as the state of nature to do what you want to do. The sovereign needs to equally enforce in fear the violation of the law across a wide range of territory. The sovereign does need to be absolute. Pg. 132 ch. 17 – If the sovereign is not absolute the problem is not solved. Without a unity of will the problem isn’t solved that’s why the sovereign needs to make all the laws. Also the sovereign needs to control all doctrines. Leviathan doesn’t care what you think or believe it only cares what you say because it gets them riled up and people think they know whats right which leads them to cause problems. Is it bad to have gov’t control whats printed and distributed? Hobbes thinks its better than civil war. Hobbes thought everyone who had experienced the terror of civil war and everyman against everyman would take the leviathan. The foundation of this is the fact that we all want to live. What threatens leviathan? Competition, diffidence and glory. Diffidence is hobbes word for distrust. Glory and what hobbes sometimes calls vain glory is different because it pertains to a different type of good. Some materially desires can be solved without much difficulty like air and water. If we all want land that is a bit of a problem. We can solve that problem with a law telling us what land we get. It is a clear solution it solves the problem if we have a sword that is good enough. Being famous, being important, being well known, being socially eminent and prominent. Those are things that cannot easily be settled by law. Although laws can help them. Land food water air can be distributed but winning cant be distributed. Only one person can win. Only one person can be prime minister etc†¦ Not everyone can be a movie star because if everyone was nobody would be. Most people are happy with air water and food and land but some people want to be special and these for hobbes are the most dangerous people because some want glory so bad they will risk their lives for it. Some people want what they want even to the point of death. Antigone is someone who cares about something to the point where she is willing to give up her life for it. The antigones to hobbes are the most dangerous people. They are dangerous and make all of us insecure because the point of his threat was not to induce the fear in the law abiding person but to get you to understand everyone else in the state will abide and will be trustworthy. If the threat is not going to deter all then the system is going to break down. That’s what Hobbes thought happened in the English civil war about religion. Leviathan is a plea for rationality. The rational caculation to value your own life above all other things. There is no natural cure for nature. Letting people do their own thing will not turn into some spontaneous social agreement mostly because they cannot trust each other even if it is in both of their interest to do so. A common fear is a sharing experience. You also experience ruling and being ruled at the same time. There is also a sense that the sovereign is all of us. (a bunch of little bodies that make up the leviathan) Hobbes is serious when he says it is a unity. Yes you give up in your rights to the sovereign but you also partake in the sovereign. The sovereign did not exist until you and I agree to give in and make it so. The body of the sovereign is our collective bodies. For hobbes our bodies are what we have in common. We are free to disagree about everything so long as we don’t have a single person to speak for us. The sword is a dictionary or a set of meanings that are legal and illegal not right and wrong. The sword hangs over our head but in our hand we get a dictionary which tells us whit is legal and illegal. Leviathan is also a solution to the moral and linguistic chaos in the state of nature where we don’t agree on anything We can also have freedom and liberty as hobbes understands these terms. Not rights. Rights are what you have to give up to have the practice and experience of liberty. Febraury 19th, 2014 ROUSSEAU – THE SOCIAL CONTRACT Often appointed to a reason for the French Revolution. Pg. 53 on slavery- We are not going to look anymore at gov’t nature but we are going to assume all people are equal in nature. Force can create something but it cant create anything right. If there is going to be something in charge it has to be a covenant. (similar to Hobbes) Gov’t remains with ROUSSEAU something artificial. Rosseau hates hobbes and Aristotle because they are theorists of slavery. Rosseau says there cannot be any such thing as legitimate slavery. If politics isn’t going to have a moral function for Rosseau than it isn’t worth talking or arguing about. Aristotle theorized a natural slavery but for rosseau hobbes theorized an artificial slavery. Slavery under the sovereign. Rosseau says human beings would never consent to slavery by contract. Government has to be by consent and government has to n some sense respect the equality of every person. How to we avoid Hobbes problem of individuals having problems with everyone? Rosseau is not interested in devising a science of politics. Rosseau resembles plato because he wants to work directly in the language of reason. The book is full of historical examples. Comparative lessons on political institutions that have worked in the past. Human beings have a special moral capacity which is another reason why slavery is intolerable to him. HOW IS ROSSEAU GOING TO CREATE A SOCIAL CONTRACT THAT IS MORAL AND IS BASED ON CONSENT? Pg. 60 – if each of us takes individual rights against the state then we will end up back in a state of nature. Rosseau says the only thing that can work is the total alienation of every individual. The alienation of ones rights to the whole community. Hobbes said one gave himself to one man or an assembly of men. A contract that is completely neutral. We are all equal before and after but the nature of our equality has changed. After we are equal beings in this community or new being and we all remain as equal as we are before. The difficulty with this is how does anyone decide what to do. We haven’t solved the problem of how we decide. Pg. 69- beginning of book 2 – If we are going to give everything up to the community rosseau thinks there must be a reason to do it. â€Å"common interest† or the general will. It is not just a series of desires that we happen to share. When there is no love there is no family. Love sustains a family. Even though ‘families’ go through the motions and confide with legal forms there is no love so there is a difference. The general will is to the state what love is to the family. The animating spirit that sustains it and creates and and without it there can be no such thing as a state. Being a member of a family doesn’t mean you don’t have your own opinions or interests that may conflict with other members of the family. But being members with a real loving family there is a time you set those interests and opinions to one side because you care about the fundamental well being of the others in your family so you set those things aside. The development of your reason and your realization of your common interest go together naturally as proto human animals what you lack is not a set of interest but a rational capacity to understand the overlap of your interest with everybody else’s. Our interest don’t change but we realize those interests can be realized beter collectively than they can be singly. The general will exists so long as we continue to believe and support and develop these common interests in the same way the family continues to exist as they believe and support and develop the common view of that family. When you think you are better off without another person it is over even if you go through the motions for a decade after this thought. (likewise for rosseau with a state if we are not committed to them it will not exist even if there is parliament it will be an empty form with no general will. ) Standing behind the social contract is an animated spirit that makes the contract possible but it is only possible for a human being. Animals cannot share in a general will because they don’t have language and cannot reason together. The general will is meant to be at one in the same time a product of reason and a product of some kind of spirit. You cant see it like love in a family you just kind of know that it is there. Rosseau tended to idealize smaller communities. This kind of political community he is proposing is not well suiting for larger states. Rosseau thinks this is what it takes to actually have a state in which people remain free. You do what you need to do because you are happy to be a member of that organization. No one is holding a gun to your head. Even if you are not thrilled to perform the task when you want to do it you understand the non-performance would be letting down your fellows in the community and you don’t want tthat to happen because you value the community and the members in that community. All of us have some communities in which we are willingly apart. The only way a community of equals can be governed is if it is governed by the general will. It will be governed by voting by a community that rosseau imagines. It is very different from majority rule. There is in rosseaus republic majority decision making but not majority rule. The point of the assembly is to discover what the general will is to rosseau. You agree to be bound by the majority because it is the only practical decision role. You go along with the decision of the majority because you think they share the same interest of the common good. When you lose that feeling that you are all there for the common purpose then the state is gone and then you don’t have a good reason to go along with the majority anymore. The shared purpose is gone and you are back to the state of nature where shared individuals have nothing in common. States can fall apart because people don’t have common interest they can also fall apart because there is not constant interaction. Liberty is what you get when you have the general will in place. The general will is not the same thing as love or patriotism but it is similar to it. The spirit that animates you as you act as a citizen as oppose to a private individual.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

The History Of The Family Systems Theory Sociology Essay

The History Of The Family Systems Theory Sociology Essay The definition of Family has become increasingly controversial over the past few decades. Family in the twenty-first century is different to everyone; all families have different structures and functions, beliefs and parental attitudes. The term family refers to a unit consisting of people who are related to each other either biologically by notions of blood relations, or alternatively by legal means such as by marriage (Kirby, et al 2000, p45). The definition of a family has changed a lot over the years; there are several reasons for the definition to change. The view of the typical nuclear family is no longer the norm within society. Nowadays there are more families of divorce, stepfamilies, and extended families, rich and poor families. There is not a single definition for what a family is; people have their own view of what a family is. There are many factors that make families different, such as ethnicity, religion, and economics. Levine (N.D) suggests that families have three basic goals for the children; survival, economic self-sufficiency and self-actualization (Enrique, et al, 2007) Family structure and family functioning can affect a childs development in many ways. Family structure is the way in which a family is set up, for example, single parent families, extended families and nuclear families. Family functioning refers to how family members are emotionally attached, how well they communicate emotions and information and respond to problems (Freistadt and Stohschein. 2012). Everyone has a different view of what family is and how families should be structured. Some make the assumption that children can only be brought up successfully in a two-parent family structure involving a heterosexual relationship. Others take the perspective that children can function well in any family structure, provided certain basic conditions are met (Wise, 2003). According to Schaffer family structure plays less importance part in a childs development than family functioning. The family is a social system endorsed by law and custom to take care of its members needs (Kepner, 1983). The emotional bondings and relationships between the members of the family, and their responsibility to the family unit hold them together through the changes of transitions and the complicated connections. Family Systems Theory Murray Bowen developed the family systems theory, he recognised that the family was an emotional unit and any changes to the family functioning would influence all members of the family. The family systems theory emerged from the general systems theory by scholars who found that it had a lot of relevance to families and other social systems. http://web.pdx.edu/~cbcm/CFS410U/FamilySystemsTheory.pdf The family systems theory refers to a family as a system in which each member can never be considered in isolation without reference to the roles, responsibilities and behaviours of other members of the family. The family is seen a dynamic unit according to the family systems theory. Changes are constantly occurring and each member of the family takes on new roles and responsibilities, and internal patterns are adopted. The relationships between the individuals in the family unit are mutual and constantly changing. The family is an example of an ongoing, self-regulating, social system that has certain features such as its unique structuring of gender and generation set it apart from other social systems. Each family system has their own structure, the psychobiological characteristics of its individual members, and its sociocultural and historic position in its larger environment (Broderick, 1993, p37). The family as a system links all individuals together and understands that things going on in the environment can influence all individuals even if not all of them are actively engaged, for example parents workplace. The family system theory recognises that small things can impact the family system, for example, the loss of a parent can affect the relationship the child has with the other parent and/or siblings. http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/papers/family.pdf According to Bowen each member of the family system has a roles and boundaries. Individuals in the system are expected to engage with each other in a certain ways according to their role and their relationship with other members. There are four main principles of the family systems theory; wholeness, integrity of subsystems, circularity of influence and stability and change. Wholeness refers the family as one unit however each member of the family have certain attributes of their own. Integrity of subsystems means that each relationship is a subsystem, for example; mother and father relationship or mother and child relationship or vice versa. Relationships between relationships are also subsystems. Circularity of influences means that the subsystems and relationships depend on each other and if there is a change in one subsystem it has an impact on other systems. Stability and change refers to external influences that can affect the individual or subsystems, for example parents workplace. The wellbeing of the child, therefore, can be conceived of as dependent upon the functioning of elements of the entire family system (McKeown and Sweeny 2001: 6) Family systems are different in all families. Parental attitudes are important in setting up an environment in which their child can flourish. Campion (1985) says that if a child grows up in a stable and loving environment, the child will usually develop a sense of self-respect and self-discipline. The child understands what is expected of him and However it can be argued that a child who has been brought up in a family system where the parents attitudes lack maturity, the child is more likely not to flourish in the environment and not understand what is expected of them, therefore cannot develop a sense of their own competence. Campion (1985) suggests that children take on the roles, which have a function in their family system. It is believed that if children see themselves as the disobedient one in the family setting, they may carry out their difficult behaviours in school. Likewise a child who is obedient may also carry out this behavior at school. The ecological systems theory Bronfenbrenners ecological systems theory states that the environment is reflected in an individuals development. Bronfenbrenners ecological approach refers to layers of environmental influences that impact an individuals development. The interactions with people and the environment are key to development. This theory can apply to individuals at any stage of development. The theory identifies five environmental systems in which the individual interacts with; microsystem, meosystem, exosystem, macrosystem and chronosystem. The microsystem refers to each setting, which the individual is an active participant, such as; family, school, community, friends. This layer has the most immediate and earliest influences on the child. The relationships in the microsystem can be bi-directional; this means that the childs behaviours can be influenced by the family and vice versa. The meosystem refers to the relationships between the settings in the microsystem and the individual; an example of this would be the relationship between home and school. The exosystem refers to a setting or setting where an event happens, which affects or is affected by what happens in the setting that the developing person is in. The child is not an active participant in this system. The structures in the exosystem can affect a childs development by interacting with the structures in the microsystem, for example; mothers work place can affect the amount of time the mother spends with the child. Although the child is not directly involved with the structures in the exosystem, they do feel the positive and negative impacts that are involved with the interaction between the systems. The Macrosystem refers to the wider social systems, for example; government legislations and economic factors. These things affect the child indirectly however it has an impact on the developing childs life. An example of this could be that the childs family is living in poverty therefore this can cause social exclusion and the child might not have access to school trips or community play areas. The chronosystem refers to how things change over time as it relates to the childs environment. There are various elements within this system that can be internal or external. An internal influence could be the physiological changes that occur while the child gets older. An external influence could the timing of their parents getting a divorce. The older the individual gets might impact how they react to environmental changes and may be able unders tand how the change will influence them. External influences

Technology: Friend or Foe? Essay -- Argumentative Technology Essays Pa

Technology: Friend or Foe? There are many differing opinions on the advancement of technology but there are really two main sides to the issue. One side is enthusiastic and ready for new progress and change, while the other side can see the value of technology but is more cautious and wary of the changes technology brings to society as a whole. These sides are simplified but useful for looking at the extreme ends of the issues in order to see the balance between the two. What is technology and why the fuss? Technology consists of something as basic as a calculator to something as complex as the newest secrets in military defense. Technology is applying the new and innovative discoveries in science to everyday tasks. The biggest concern about technology expressed in a growing number of articles and books has to do with computer technology. People are scared of the many advancements in computer technology such as the internet and the World Wide Web. Currently, information capabilities are growing quickly with few regulations. Some of the dispute comes from misunderstanding but the other half comes from experience. Younger people tend to have a more liberal and open view about the advancements, while older generations have seen the fast paced changes in this world and are more leery and hesitant to accept new technology without caution. It is useful to look at the two main sides and evaluate where the arguments can come together to form a medium and balanced view. In searching for arguments expressing hesitancy about the progress of technology one source is found through a man named Neil Postman. He is a well respected and accomplished professor and writer. Postman has devoted an entire book, Technopoly, to the subject ... ... from and where it is going. From this wider perspective people can begin to understand the pros and cons of technology better. Works Cited Downie, Peter. Transcript from a TV-interview for Progress and Prophesy. http://www.myna.com/~davidck/postman.htm. 1991. Lewis, Peter. "Anarchy, a Threat to the Electronic Frontier?" New York Times. 11 May, 1994: C1, C5. Postman, Neil. Informing Ourselves to Death. Speech. http://www.uni-frankfurt.de/gnomic/postman.html. October 11, 1990. Postman, Neil. Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology. Vintage Books. New York: 1992. Turkle, Sherry. "The Human Spirit in a Computer Culture." The Second Shelf. Simon and Schuster, 1984. Verity, John W. "The Information Revolution." Business Week. June 13, 1994: 10-18. Wiener, Jon. "Free Speech on the Internet." The Nation. June 13, 1994: 825-828.

Monday, August 19, 2019

America Needs Some Gun Control Essay -- argumentative, persuasive, gun

Gun control is the effort to restrict or limit the possession and use of guns. The gun control debate may be one of the most important issues in our society. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that the 2nd Amendment restrains the government’s ability to ban handguns. Some politicians are passionate about gun control and make voting decisions based upon on this issue alone; hence, the people we elect into office directly affect our lives. A few republican politicians have a strong belief in the right to own guns. This battling contradiction can sometimes make it difficult to approach the issue reasonably. The arguments have different statistics and facts regarding how firearms can impact society. It is important to realize that there are strong and valid points to be made for both sides of gun control issues. With that in mind, is there a â€Å"right† or â€Å"wrong† side to this issue? Gun right advocates believe that the 2nd Amendment, â€Å"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed† guarantees the right to own guns and that gun control laws are a violation of their constitutional rights.(constitution) Sarah Palin, Alaska’s former governor, believes that gun control is taking away the rights from the citizens in which the 2nd Amendment has granted them. She is in favor of the constitution and expresses that gun control laws are unconstitutional; â€Å"I support our constitutional right to bear arms†¦You start putting more and more laws on guns and you take away a second amendment right.† (Romano 2) The government is constantly proposing legislation for more and more gun control. However, they cannot be so naive to think criminal... ...ent, and More - Newsweek. 30 Jan. 2011. Web. 09 Feb. 2014. http://www.newsweek.com/2011/01/30/sarah-palin-s-gun-control-warnings-at-safari-club-international.html Romano, Andrew. "Sarah Palin's Gun Control Warnings at Safari Club International - Newsweek." Newsweek - National News, World News, Business, Health, Technology, Entertainment, and More - Newsweek. 30 Jan. 2011. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. http://www.newsweek.com/2011/01/30/sarah-palin-s-gun-control-warnings-at-safari-club-international.html Souter, David. "David Souter on Gun Control." OnTheIssues.org - Candidates on the Issues. 09 Feb. 2010. Web. 17 Feb. 2011. . United States. The U.S. Constitution - The 2nd Amendment. By James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton. Web. 10 Feb. 2011. .

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Importance Of Dream in Black Boy by Richard Wright :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The author of the story â€Å"Black boy†, Richard Wright, expressed the theme, the importance of dream by making readers relate to the situation in â€Å"Black Boy†. â€Å"Black Boy† is about this little boy who writes a story and the story’s title causes this uproar because it has the word hell in it. â€Å" The Voodoo on hell’s half acre† is the title of the story. The theme is importance of dream, and this theme relates to the story because the main character had a dream. Stayed with that dream, and he didn’t let what others said about him bother him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The theme importance of a dream relates to â€Å"Black Boy† because the boy decided to go for his dream. His dream was to become a writer, as seen on page 431, the narrator expressed that the boy woke up one day wanting to be a writer, and he then picked up his composition book and he wrote the story. He showed a way on how go with that dream and he had also had the courage to stay with that dream.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Also, The character had stayed with his dream; this is shown on pages 432-434. He had put so much time into that story that he took it to the editor himself. Once the editor got it he wanted a response immediately. That shows that he stuck with his dream, he wanted an immediate response from the editor. After that he wanted to know what was he going to do with the story. The main character had a dream, and he didn’t care what others said.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lastly, the main character in the story â€Å"Black boy† didn’t care what people said about his 3part story. He even was hurt by his own grandmother, (as seen on pages 432-

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Value of Higher Education

Abstract This paper shall argue that despite the costs of a higher education, a college or university education is of great value to every individual. Higher education prepares an individual for the working world through the imparting of specialized knowledge. A Higher education allows individuals to earn more at the end of their degrees, making up for the cost incurred during the pursuit of the degree. College education helps to provide students with critical thinking and communication skills that lasts a lifetime.A higher education helps an individual grow as a person, by exposing them to a wealth of knowledge and resources. College education helps students establish interpersonal networks, which include peers as well as professionals. Higher education teaches students about discipline and hard work, as well as about success and challenges. This paper shall conclude by noting a number of things students can do to get more value from their college or university education and by outl ining some of the ways I as a student wish to further my career in accounting by graduating from the University of Phoenix.The Value of a Higher Education Higher education requires a considerable investment of time and money, as wall as a considerable lifestyle change. Those entering college or a university must not only be willing to pay tuition cost and school fees, and study for many years to get a degree, they must also arrange the rest of their lives around classes, exams, semesters, and summer breaks. Given the gargantuan effort it requires to secure a higher education, some may reasonably question the value of a college degree. It is well known that many successful and affluent people in our society†¦

Friday, August 16, 2019

Sales and Distribution

GMSI 409| Sales and Distribution | World Wide Equipment | Kunjalik Balwani 3/4/2013 | Introduction – World Wide Equipment is UK based multinational in the heating air conditioning and ventilation industry, it has been rated as one of the most innovative companies in the particular sector, and the company majorly deals in B2B, like hospitals shopping malls, hotels. As mentioned above World Wide Equipment is a multinational company so it has one of its branches situated in China and the firm has had an enormous growth in the span of 20 years going from an ordinary US$6 million to a staggering US$ 70 million.World Wide Equipment relished a premium brand image in China and had priced its chillers on a higher note , not only were they selling higher than the local manufactures and the joint venture companies ,but 10% higher than their international counterpart. The unique selling point of the products are they are the most energy efficient products amongst all its major competitors both locally and internationally and to its advantage company had a much larger customer base as compared and the reason being that they were early entrant.World Wide Equipment China was part of the Asia –Pacific area office located in Hong Kong and within China they had three sales offices in mainland china namely Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Frank Wang the regional sales manager of the Beijing office had received a fax of the half yearly sales performance for the three offices and it was seen that Beijing office ranked third in the list and it was a reason to worry as the Beijing office had always been rated as one of the most consistent out of the three.The Decision Dilemma – Frank Wang the regional sales manager has a task in front of him, and those are the decisions that he has to come up with in order to put his sales team right on track. Wang has a few immediate and long term issues that have to be addressed. The immediate issue that he has to address is th e low sales performance of his employees, the drop in the sales performance was due to loosing large tenders on trot and it was just not about losing, it was about coming very close to the deal and losing it out at the last moment, this was somehow tampering the morale of the whole sales team.Generally there are two options for any team which loose the close calls, either they are motivated to do better or their morale go down like in the case of sales team in World Wide Equipment. If the reports are to be believed, the major cause of failure has been courtesy Li Weimin. Li Weimen was suggested by Frank Wang’s boss Frank Yu and was recommended because of his experience in the textile industry since textile was the genre that the company wanted to venture into.However the inclusion of Weimen was less on his merits and more because of recommendation, Weimen had more of contacts rather than skills and his inclusion was not much of help as it was witnessed later on, that the incl usion had taken a toll on the overall performance of the sales team, though it would be unfair to blame him all alone, because one individual does not create a sales team, but one individual is enough to spoil a going on deal, which was the case with World Wide Equipment.Weimen was one of the, major reasons for the failure of two of the most important deals. One of the major decisions that Wang has to make here is that what he does with Weimen, who was a recommendation from his boss, what Wang needs to decide here whether he would want Weimen to shift to Guangzhou where actually all recourses can be put to work because of his influence in that region, where as he had no influence in Beijing what so ever.Since Wang had never got the need of firing any of his sales persons, so he would want to shift Weimen out of the Beijing office, as it had been bothering the rest of the staff as well. So his first major decision is to get Weimen not fired but shift him to the office where he would have been of some use, because losing him could cost the firm potential resources and business in other part of mainland China because the bonus system of the company depended on the overall performance, so that would mean if the influential side of Weimen worked that would also benefit the employees of Beijing.After solving out the problem above the next issue that has to be addressed is the long term issue, that is of how to get into the Textile industry market and according to Yu, World Wide Equipment does not really have any hold or influence in the market situation, the reason why Textile industry was being target was because it was the new industry that was coming up and that too with a good potential, whereas on the contrary the electronic industry did not have any room for growth. So the task here is to develop a strategy a long term strategy which would actually help them capture the market as soon as possible.Another Decision that Wang needs to address that too an immediat e is related to the Textile industry, whether to train his sales team in the textile industry or hire someone who had knowledge about the industry. Core Competencies for Textile Industry – The textile industry was considered to be the next big thing in the Chinese market and was a potential market. Wang had estimated that out of the 2000 odd textile firms at least one third were looking out for an up gradation and in order to achieve that certain skills are very important to possess.It is important for the sales team to build up their Core Competencies which would eventually help them achieve their targets in the new growing textile industry. Since it was noticed that the textile companies were not looking out for expensive chillers, they rather focused on creating better products, so chillers from joint venture companies were preferred over the imported ones, even though knowing the fact that World Wide Equipment chillers were more efficient, people hesitated on paying a 30% premium one time price.So in order to overcome this situation the sales force team has to develop some skills in order to tackle these circumstances. Knowledge In Textile Industry – the employees need to develop and grasp knowledge about the textile industry, since the industry is growing and the company is targeting a major chunk of it, so a good idea is very important because eventually it is the knowledge about the industry which would help them crack the deals.Presentation – A good presentation is backed by the fact that first impression is the last impression, so the employees should develop the skill of putting up a good presentation in front of the client. As mentioned in the case study Weimen wore a suit and with that sport shoes, so this kind of impression spoils the firm’s image resulting into losing potential clients.So very important it is to make a good Presentation Negotiation Skills – all the employees were technically very good and did ha ve the knowledge of what they had to with their product and they were the best in their jobs, but one thing that they lacked as the sales people was on their negotiation front, they rarely know how to negotiate a price or even try to put a price according to the orders, so it was important to learn how to negotiate with the client, because a good negotiator can always get a good business to the firm.Decision Making – Another important skill that the employees need to render to is that of decision making, it is very important for any employee to learn how to be decisive about the deal, as we know the quicker the decision the quicker it is for the deal to go through and as there is more delay in the decisions, there are higher chances of the client to move away. So it is important to know the decision making process.Quoting Tenders – As we know that in the textile industry there was an important element of quoting tenders , so to develop the skills of quoting tenders , t he better the quoting then the competitors the better are the chances of getting the deal through. The above are few of the skills or the Core Competencies that the sales force team has to develop in order to capture the textile industry.The sales team of World Wide Equipment is not one of the easiest to join, the recruitment procedure of the company has been a very rigorous one and it s task to get into the job, the sales team of the company has to cover a lot of ground and do a lot of various things in order to continue the selling.Overall the sales force has been an effective and an efficient one for the company, before entering the textile industry the employees have been efficient with their work, getting continues sales effectively putting them in a consistent second position, but however they were not the most effective sales team as compared to the three offices as, Shanghai as been in top all the years , though one added advantage that it had was of being the first office i n Mainland China, but if we notice the sales , year on year Beijing has tried to come close to Shanghai , that means that year on year the performance of the sales team in Beijing has been very consistent, but something more needs to be added in order to beat the leading sales team in Shanghai. So if we overall look at the performance of the sales team, we an say that they are not the most effective out of the three, but they are on their way on becoming the most effective team, a few alterations in their approach or a little amount of prior learning about their future ventures could account for a considerable change in their future performances. Frank Wang was a regional sales manager; joined World Wide Equipment in the year 1995, Wang had been a very impressive sales person and has been a very fast growing employee for the company, after 18 months he was promoted to the senior sales manager and in further 16 months he was promoted to the post of regional sales manager making which made him the first Chinese national to hold a managerial position. Wang was accountable for 1) Creating the region’s sales forecast and budget fulfilling that budget 2) Sales engineer recruiting ,training and organizational development 3) Sales performance evaluation and coaching ) Daily sales /sales leads management and job assignment 5) Contract negotiation and management of contract execution Looking at the responsibilities of Wang, it can be said that he did have a lot of task and had to cater to all the different departments in the organization in order to keep the firm fit and fine. Commenting if Wang has been a good sales manager , what we can see in the case study is that he has both pros and cons in his approach to run the Beijing sales team. Wang had created a very effective sales team under him, educating his sales team how to go about their business, It was under his supervision that sales team of Beijing started inching closer to the shanghai sales team. He had helped create two of the promising employees under him Liu Hongyuan and Jiang Li. Wang had another impressive characteristic of being the person who saves the company’s money and he was successful in installing this behaviour in his other employees.When all the other offices would spend money lavishly and bill it on to the company where as Beijing office was a complete contrast of the situation, they would look out for the minimum way possible this feature was instilled by Wang into his employees. Wang what it seemed was a very honest person when it came to recruiting, he would recruit the best out of the lot, his eye for the talent has always been an accurate one. Wang somehow felt that owed his success to Yu that is what made him go against his policy of not recruiting people on the basis of recommendation, but he had to take Weimen in the firm. This somehow showed that he could not stick to his hiring policy and even after repeated failure from Weimen; he could not report his senior to take him off the Beijing office, so yes Wang did have some cons.Overall Wang was a valuable asset to the firm and he was some or the other way a good regional sales manager and he did create some good business for the firm, one bad half yearly result does not prove that he was bad manager, he had the rest of the other years of sales to prove that he has been a success in the Beijing office and had cultivated a great sales team a good environment for them and has made them perform consistently. If put under such circumstances what I would have done is that, taken a few measures in order to shake things a little bit and take it uphill from the recent downfall it has gone through, I would have to make some stern decisions in order to put things back to action. Weimen Situation – Instating Weimen had caused somewhat of a headache to the World Wide Equipment Beijing branch and some or the decision had to be made.If the onus was on me I would go for Weimen’s ba ckground check and with the contacts and influence that his uncle was a very resourceful individual in the city of Guangzhou, so loosing Weimen would mean that losing good business in the city that has always been number three in the list and would be over all bad for the business, so what I would do is shift Weimen to Guangzhou, a city where he would have some influence in the market causing and could bring in a lot of business to the firm and eventually making an overall profit, though still a little bit of training would be required too and a little bit counselling on how to go about the whole situation, but losing him would actually mean that losing somewhat of a potential chance of losing out a chance of enhancing the business in laggard place in like Guangzhou. Textile Industry Entry – The next issue would be of entering the upcoming textile industry and entering the industry in a convincing manner, so what I would do is train the staff in the textile industry or even r ecruits a few people who would have expertise. The chunk of the textile industry is quite big to let go off.Look Into Sales – As the sales have been dipping down, I was a regional sales manager I would actually get into the sales myself and handle the big clients myself and by the senior sales managers who are the cream of the company, because it is the 80 – 20 in every business, which means that 80% of the business comes from the 20% of your clients. Boosting Morale of the Employees – If the onus would be on me I would try and increase the morale of the sales team, because that is a very integral element, without a good morale or state of mind it would not be possible to conduct sales in the best possible manner. In a company it’s always the sales team which brings in the money and it is important to have them maintain a healthy morale.