The Rise of the Cognitive Perspective - 1123 Words

Rise of the Cognitive Perspective Throughout the history of modern psychology there has been no greater breakthrough than the development of the cognitive perspective. From the beginning of the late 1950 s, the cognitive perspective has dominated all other forms of psychology, but to better understand why this perspective rose so quickly one must first understand what it is. The cognitive perspective can best be described as a genre of psychology concerned with how people acquire, store, transform, use and communicate information. Its rise in popularity and usage can be best attributed to four main historical and cultural factors: it was the first challenge to the learning perspective, the beginning of World War II, the computer and†¦show more content†¦After it has been inputted , it goes to the brain to be processed, like the keyboard sends what is being typed to the computer itself to be dealt with. Finally, after the brain process the information, it tells the body what to do, the output; just like a c omputer starts to print. As the Information Process Model shows, the human mind works in exact correlation to the way a computer works, which is why it gained so much popularity; scientist were finally able to explain how the mind works into easy understandable terms. As stated before, the main approach to psychology by the learning perspective was that if we can t see it we can t measure it. But this was about to change with the development of brain scan technology. With this device scientist and psychologist alike were at last able to see and measure which parts of the brain were working while information was processed. It provided psychologist with the ability to actually see the physiological process within the brain which are related with Cognition. For instance, if they gave a person a set of pictures to look at while having the device being placed on them, they would be able to see that the back of the cerebrum was the area in the brain which was used to process the images. This finally gave them an idea of what part of the brain was being used as different types of information were being processed. This even more proved that humans are actually information processors rather the justShow MoreRelatedPsychology of Drug Abuse Essay1495 Words   |  6 PagesUnderstanding the Psychology of Drug Abuse Drug abuse is on the rise. While the use of drugs like cocaine and heroin is in a state of decline in certain parts of the world, prescription drugs abuse is on the rise (UNODC, 2013). Prescription drugs that were prescribed with the intention to do well are now one of the leading causes of self-harm. Drug abuse has no gender or social class, it can affect people regardless of social status and wealth, and now more than ever we need to understand theRead MoreAfrican American Women Living With Hiv Aids1576 Words   |  7 Pagesinfection with a steady increase over the years. Extreme poverty, unemployment, underemployment and mental health issues are contributing factors to the rise of the disease in the African American community. Those living with HIV/AIDS, primarily African American women, deal with stigmatization, depression and issues with lack of family support. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), is an evidence-based intervention used to enhance the well-being of these wom en and provide them with skills to enhance theirRead MoreCognitive Dissonance in Employment658 Words   |  3 PagesCognitive Dissonance in Employment: In a practical sense, cognitive dissonance reactions generally originate from the peoples perspective of themselves, especially as intelligent and nice people. Generally, the concept or theory of cognitive dissonance helps to understand how people attempt to make sense of the world they live in. However, the theory does not precisely forecast what a person will do minimize or get rid of disagreement. This theory mainly states that a person will be stimulatedRead MoreThe Pathophysiology And Etiology Of The Disease1420 Words   |  6 Pagesnumber of individuals being affected, not much is known about the pathophysiology and etiology of the disease. Through the use of pharmacological models such as ketamine and amphetamine, it allows us to purse the dopamine and glutamate hypothesis. The rise of these hypotheses is due to the nature of the disease, hence heterogeneous disorder not all patients exerts all the symptoms of the disease. As a result there is different ways in attaining sch izophrenic animal models. One way is through ketamineRead MoreEvaluation Of The Cognitive Tool Kit752 Words   |  4 Pagesthree I was introduced to the cognitive tool kit. First thing I did was looked up cognitive. I have seen and heard the term before however wanted to ensure I had the correct meaning of the word. Business Dictionary defined cognitive as psychological process involved in acquisition and understanding of knowledge, formation of beliefs, and attitudes, and decision making and problem solving. After reading the definition I came up with my own definition. Cognitive- Having the ability, skills andRead MoreSnapshot1702 Words   |  7 Pagesor the mind. Founded in the early 20th century by American psychologist John B. Watson, behaviorism was embraced and extended by Americans Edward Thorndike, Clark L. Hull, Edward C. Tolman, and later B.F. Skinner. Behaviorism differs from other perspectives in a number of ways. Behaviorists focus on behavior-environment relations and analyze overt and covert (i.e., private) behavior as a function of the organism interacting with its environment. Behaviorists do not reject the study of covert or privateRead MoreAbnormal Psychology - Behaviour That Is Not Socially Acceptable962 Words   |  4 Pages Stated and unstated rules for proper conduct in a given society or culture Distress According to many clinical guidelines, behavior must be personally distressing before it can be labeled abnormal Breakdown in cognitive, emotional, or behavioural functioning Example: Personality Disorders Eating Disorders Psychosis Dysfunction Abnormal behavior tends to be dysfunctional – it interferes with daily functioning Read MoreDiscuss Reasons for the Increased Interest in Cognitive Psychology and the Decline in Behavioristt Approach, in Addition Describe the Field of Cognitive Science Noting the Discipline That Are Included in This Field.1302 Words   |  6 Pages403 COURSE TITLE: HIGHER ORDER COGNITION DATE SUBMITTED: 29th SEPTEMBER, 2011 DISCUSS REASONS FOR THE INCREASED INTEREST IN COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY AND THE DECLINE OF BEHAVIORIST APPROACH ,IN ADDITION DESCRIBE THE FIELD OF COGNITIVE SCIENCE NOTING THE DISCIPLINE THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THE THIS FIELD. Behaviorism also called learning perspective is defined by Wikipedia ‘ as a philosophy of psychology based on the proposition that all things that organisms do-includingRead MoreThe Correlation Between Major Differences, Education Standards, And The Ident Factors?820 Words   |  4 Pagesembraces three theoretical perspectives: behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism (Tinio, 2002). On the other hand, technology has demands on society forcing it to change to keep up with the dynamic nature of technological change. To prepare students for 21st job market then modern strategies such as experiential-based learning and active learning have to be embraced, making the changing technology a valid theoretical framework to this study. In the cognitive perspective, the study advocates forRead MoreThe Five General Perspectives On Human Behavior Shape And Mold1110 Words   |  5 PagesThe five general perspectives on human behavior shape and mold every relationship we have with other people. An excellent example is evident in a loving relationship between a husband and his wife. The obvious medium in which Biology affects a spousal relationship is through the natural urges and tendencies that are dictated by our biology. This happens by way of the bodily organs, endocrine glands, genetics and other natural systems that are inherently part of human beings. Together they form the

Diagnosis Of Stage 4 Alzheimers Disease - 1517 Words

The writer of this case study met with client Maria Sanchez on February 16th, 2015. This client was referred to this writer after a recent diagnosis of stage 4 Alzheimer’s disease by a clinician to assist with planning for her future. Upon initially meeting with this client, this writer could determine her demographic information. Maria Sanchez is married; however her husband is currently residing in Mexico City. This client is 68 years old. Sanchez has been living in the United States for the last 20 years. She is a legal permanent resident (LPR). Client has spent 17 of these 20 years in the work force, and paid into social security. Currently this client’s only income comes from social security and from her daughter for child and household care (100 dollars per month). Client is currently receiving a social security check of 356.12 each month. Client has saved up 4500 dollars in the last couple of years. This client currently has no health insurance. Sanchez has been given a probable diagnosis of stage 4 Alzheimer’s disease. Through the initial assessment signs of depression can be seen were seen by this writer. Client Sanchez has a very close bond with her family, and uses them as her support system. She will be going through the assessment process and interventions with the assistance of her daughter. This client has come into the office seeking help, empowerment and interventions in order to get control over her situation. This case study will go through her assessment,Show MoreRelatedThe Stages and Treatments of Alzheimer’s Disease Essay925 Words   |  4 PagesThe Stages and Treatments of Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disease with many different stages that slows one’s lifestyle and has no real cure. Alzheimer’s disease is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer. The disease first appears around the age of sixty. Studies have concluded that as many as 5.1 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease. A person with Alzheimer’s loses connections between neurons in the brain (1). Scientists do not know exactly what causes Alzheimer’s, butRead MoreEssay on Alzheimers Disease1503 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia that gets worse over time. It leads to nerve cell death, and tissue loss throughout the brain. Over time, the brain shrinks dramatically, affecting nearly all its functions. It gradually destroys a persons memory and ability to learn and carry out daily activities such as talking, eating, and going to the bathroom† (What Is Alzheimer’s). Early symptoms include personality changes, memory impairment, problems with language, decision-making ability, judgmentRead More Alzheimers Disease Essay1733 Words   |  7 Pages Alzheimers Disease Alzheimer ¡Ã‚ ¦s disease is a slow, progressive, and degenerative disease of the brain. This disease is marked by a gradual loss of memory and other cognitive functions. quot;Alzheimers Disease is also known as the most common cause of dementia--a general term referring to the loss of memory and the ability to think, reason, function, and behave properlyquot; (Medina,1999). It primarily affects adults in their 60s or older and eventually destroys a persons ability to performRead MoreAlzheimer s Disease Is The Most Common Form Of Dementia1684 Words   |  7 Pages Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, which slowly and steadily impairs the mental function and psychological competence. Even though there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, current treatment patterns and research aim to delay the progression towards dementia and the associated symptoms. The strongest risk factor for this disease is increased age, typically seen in individuals over the age of 65, but it must be noted that Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of the aging process. AlzheimerRead MoreAlzheimer s Disease And Its Effects Essay1402 Words   |  6 Pagesused to describe a disease or disorder that affects brain functioning by a decline in metal ability that can progress enough to interfere with daily life. There are different forms of dementia, such as Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, Vascular, and Frontotemporal, but the number one type of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, one in nine Americans older than the age of 65 currently have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversibleRead MoreA Research Into Decision Making For Alzheimer s Disease Essay1454 Words   |  6 PagesIntelligence refers to the ability to obtain information and apply skills and consists of different functions, memory, reasoning, logic; these are all controlled by different areas of the brain. Alzheimer’s Disease inhibits short term memory first, before it conti nually moves throughout the brain, eventually affecting part of the brain that controls involuntary functions. With this in mind someone with MCI would not be able to make clear judgments and recall memory stored in long term memory. TheRead MoreAlzheimer s Disease : A Progressive Disease1667 Words   |  7 PagesAlzheimer’s Disease is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. Brain cells in Alzheimer’s disease dies and degenerate causing the loss of memory and mental functions. Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S.A. Alzheimer’s Disease is named after Dr. Abis Alzheimer. In 1906, Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes in the brain tissue of a lady who had died of an unusual mental illness that was very unknown. The woman s’ symptoms included memoryRead More Alzheimers Disease Essays1089 Words   |  5 PagesAlzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s disease is a complex illness that affects the brain tissue directly and undergoes gradual memory and behavioral changes which makes it difficult to diagnose. It is known to be the most common form of dementia and is irreversible. Over four million older Americans have Alzheimer’s, and that number is expected to triple in the next twenty years as more people live into their eighties and nineties. (Johnson, 1989). There is still no cure for Alzheimer’s but throughoutRead MoreSmri Case Study919 Words   |  4 Pagesa whole the promise behind the uses of both fMRI and sMRI as biomarkers for determining and testing brain activity in individuals at risk for Alzheimer disease or already suffering from Alzheimer’s disease is great. Separately neither sMRI nor fMRI hold an advantage over the other when it comes to being used as biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease. This is because they really measure two separate things within the same structure. sMRI measures the anatomy and pathology of the brain where fMRI measuresRead MoreEssay on Alzheimers Disease1236 Words   |  5 Pagesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia, is a disease that afflicts more than 4 million older citizens in the US. Alzheimers is a degenerative neurological disorder that leads to impairments in memory, thinking and reasoning. AD is the most common cause of dementia in older people, and mainly affects people 65 and over. Within the last few years, there have been drugs that can temporarily treat the patients, but it remains a form of dementia that is irreversible. The disease is very

Media Waves and Moral Panicking †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Media Waves and Moral Panicking. Answer: Introduction: Bribery and financial scams are one of the most common and frequent issues being emerging from the business organizations recently. There are various reasons for the increased rate in origination of the financial scams in the recent time. One of the key reasons is the greed and inclination towards the initiation of the unethical business policies by the upper level management and another reason is the ineffective organizational rules and regulations. The case related to FIFA is being emerged due to the reason of ineffective business practices along with ineffective organizational regulations. This is due to the reason that, it is being discussed in the case that, the president of FIFA had also been accused in the case of bribery. Though, he came out clean and won the presidential ballot but still he is considered as one of the key accused in this case. This is due to the reason that, the large scale corruption being emerged in FIFA is not possible without the involvement of the upper level management. Moreover, the recent arrest due to the case of scam involved the top officials of FIFA, which further prove the fact that the upper level management are also involved in this case. Thus, it can be concluded that, due to the ineffective and unethical business environment and organizational conditions in FIFA, this bribery got the chance to enlarge and continued for so many years. Moreover, it is can also be concluded that, due to the use of unethical business practices by the top officials, all other executives in FIFA got the chance and motivation to involve in unethical business practices. Thus, the internal organizational culture was ineffective and unethical enough to motivate the executives in involving in bribery and scams along with maintaining it for a long time. The fifa scandal that took place in 2010 regarding the bribery influence came a long way. It was accused that the president of fifa and BH were involved in the monitory transaction that heavily influenced the decision regarding 2022 FIFA World Cup. It is believed that this transaction was the influential factor that played important role in choosing Qatar as the host country for the FIFA 2022. However, both the allegation was later lifted and the court of justice accused innocent by rejecting every allegation made on them. This led many to assume a high level of corruption in the FIFA board. The decision of lifting all allegations from the accused was highly influenced and based on the statements of the board members. It can be deduced from the incident that every members were involved in the corruption that led them to vote in favour of the alleged for proving them innocent. It can further be assumed from the above that the board members may also have received a lump sum from the ac cused to hide the corruption. Hence, both the power and monetary influence in this case can be noticed for the outcomes for the individuals. Furthermore, the incident may also lead the world to believe not only the high level of influence, both also the active involvement of each and every board member in the scam that finalized the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar regardless of its incapability for hosting the football in such unfavourable circumstances. Furthermore, assuming the power and influence of the individual board members also points at the court of justice. By judging their monitory and social influence might have directly influenced the court of justice. It is not the first time that someone with this level of accusation has left the court of justice this easily. The case study reflected various allegations that were brought in when Qatar was selected for hosting the FIFA 2022 world cup. These events can be categorized in a PEST framework, which is explained below There were political repercussions from other nations such as Britain. This is because of the high level of political insecurity that is placed by the Arabic countries. Qatar is prone to various terrorist attacks and hence such negative influences could also trigger political unrest among the citizens. There are also damages to the brand image of FIFA as this incident caused negative reputation of the brand. The specific incidents have incurred great financial loss for the economy of Qatar. This is because of the fact that the there was considerable loss of the accommodation as well as travel expenses as far as the presidency campaigns were concerned. This created much pressure on the cash payments of the FIFA. There was also transfer of the funds from Qatari bank accounts, which impacted the overall economic scenario of the country. There was immoral transfer of funds from Qatari bank accounts to FIFA account holders, which reduced the economic strength of the country. There was a great deal of bad reputation of Qatar as well as FIFA among the general public. The public assumed that Qatar as a country had dishonest people like BH who do not like to work in an ethical manner. There were several ethical issues that impacted the brand name of FIFA. The countrys professionalism was challenged and it was assumed that all the employees are similar to BH, who engages in unethical practices. This event also affected the technological framework of the country as the bank accounts and other technological infrastructure was used to carry out this scandal. This not only affected FIFA but also challenged the lack of safety issues of the Qatari bank accounts. People started to doubt their privacy and security in their bank accounts. Bibliography Emser, M., Francis, S. (2014). Media Waves and Moral Panicking: The Case of the FIFA World Cup 2010.Strategic Review for Southern Africa,36(2), 169. Stefnisson, S. How and why FIFA got so corrupt.

Perry Benson Essays (279 words) - Culture, Stock Characters

Perry Benson Journal #3 Professor Brushaber Movie Analysis Breakfast Club https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkX8J-FKndE Stereotyping, one of the biggest and most important psychological concepts occurs even in the trailer for the breakfast club. When introducing the five major characters in the movie they are introduced as their respective stereotypes instead of by name. Brian the "brain" is accurately portrayed as a stereotypical nerd throughout the entirety of the movie and when is introduced in the trailer. Stereotypical nerds are seen as intelligent but physically awkward, with the inability to fit in socially, he is all these things. His license plate even reads EC = Mc2 and he acquires a fake ID just for the opportunity to vote. Jocks are stereotyped as athletes who are unintelligent, arrogant, and unkind but nevertheless popular within their own clique and hold high social status in the environment around them (school). Andrew is portrayed as unkind when he gives his reason for attending Saturday attention, but is obviously popular because he is associated with Claire who fits the stereotypes similarly as well. In the movie he is also often seen wearing his Letterman jacket which highlights his affiliation with sports. Fundamental Attribution Error https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOUQFY3kDn0 John Bender correctly falls under the FAE. The FAE is the tendency to attribute behavior to internal causes without regard to situational influences. Bender is harshly judged by his classmates without putting any thought into what his home life is like. In the movie it is later revealed he is treated poorly, constantly being verbally and physically abused, which is shown by the scars on his skin and how he talks about his mother and father. It is unfair to judge someone without knowledge of their home life, which his classmates do.

mark and luke paper

mark and luke paper mark and luke paper Religion 200 9/23/2013 Mark and Luke Reflection Paper In the Access Bible there are many stories included in the New Testament. The stories of Mark and Luke are similar stories written about Jesus. Mark and Luke both talk about the birth and death of Jesus Christ. They also talk about the stories of Easter and Christmas. Although, the book Luke is based on Mark the stories are altered from one another in some way. In the book of Mark, it starts off talking about John the Baptizer. People from all over Jerusalem went to get baptized so their sins were forgiven. When he baptized Jesus he recognized him as him being the son of God. After Jesus was baptized, he went out to the wilderness where he was tested by Satan for forty days. Jesus then goes and performs miracles and heals people. Eventually Jesus and his ministry reach the ruler of Galilee, King Herod Antipas who was against the work that Jesus was performing. The priest also did not like his works and eventually arrested him. The Roman governor agre es that they can crucify him. After being killed Jesus appears to resurrect from the dead. I find this story interesting because Jesus was the son of God and performed many miracles however, still some people failed to see that he was the son of God. They instead thought he was a threat to the Christian religion. I also, think that it’s weird that Jesus can perform some miracles, but not others. I feel that since he was the son of God that God would have saved him from being crucified. Although the book of Mark and Luke are similar they start off in different ways. The book of Luke begins with the birth of John and Jesus. First, it explains how Zechariah and Elizabeth had been trying to conceive a child and were unable to do so. One day an angel named Gabriel came to Zechariah and told him his wife was going to conceive a baby. However, Zechariah did not have a lot of faith in the news that was given to him. Since he did not trust Gabriel’s word, the angel made it so h e could not speak until their child was born. The angel then visited the Virgin Mary and told her she was going to give birth to the son of God. After Jesus was born he was presented at the temple the Jewish prophets, Simeon and Anna knew he was sanctity of Christ. This book also included John baptizing Jesus and the unsuccessful test by Satan. After returning he begins his ministry by preaching about God and performing miracles. Some things emphasized in this book but not the other was Jesus’s forgiveness to sinners, the Passover and the explanation to the disciples that giving is better than receiving. Just like the book of Mark Jesus was crucified and resurrected. However, the story of resurrection is not the same in each book. I think it is interesting that people can tell

Statistical Measures of Unemployment

Statistical Measures of Unemployment Most data regarding unemployment in the United States is collected and reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The BLS divides unemployment into six categories (known as U1 through U6), but these categories dont line up directly with the way that economists categorize unemployment. U1 through U6 are defined as follows: U1 Percentage of labor force unemployed 15 weeks or longerU2 Percentage of labor force who lost jobs or completed temporary workU3 Percentage of labor force who are without jobs and have looked for work in the last four weeks (note that this is the officially reported unemployment rate)U4 U3 plus the percent of the labor force that counts as discouraged workers, i.e. people who would like to work but have stopped looking because they are convinced that they cant find jobsU5 U4 plus the percent of the labor force that count as marginally attached or loosely attached workers, i.e. people who would theoretically like to work but havent looked for work within the past four weeksU6 U5 plus the percent of the labor force that counts as underemployed, i.e. part-time workers who would like to work more but cant find full-time jobs Technically speaking, the statistics for U4 through U6 are calculated by adding discouraged workers and marginally attached workers into the labor force as appropriate. (Underemployed workers are always counted in the labor force.) In addition, the BLS defines discouraged workers as a subset of marginally attached workers but is careful not to double count them in the statistics. You can see the definitions directly from the BLS. While U3 is the main officially reported figure, looking at all of the measures together can provide a broader and more nuanced view of what is happening in the labor market.

Documantry on Congo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Documantry on Congo - Essay Example Throughout the Congo, families were held as hostages, and the families would be subjected to death-causing hunger, in the case that the working members did not cooperate in producing sufficient wild rubber. Further, the hands of the children held as captive were chopped off as punishment to the parents, in the case that they delivered the rubber late (Bate, Elie and Roger). The King is accused of killing more than 10 million people during his era of exploitation. This paper will explore the lessons taught by the documentary and also explore the classes of people that played a central role during the colonial era. The documentary gives an account showing that the colonialists went to Africa among other colonial nations, not for the good of the citizens of the colonized countries, but for their selfish interests of making more wealth for themselves and their countries (Bate, Elie and Roger). This reality is very evident from the experiences of the Congolese, during the 1880s, noting that they were subjected to forced labor and slavery at their own country. The selfish interests of the colonialist Belgium are evident from the death of the millions of the people that did not work towards meeting the rubber hunger of the King. Further, to conceal his plans and his strategies of exploiting the people of Congo, the king acted as a prototype of colonialists, by hiding under the veil of protecting Africans from slave trade (Bate, Elie and Roger). Unfortunately, it turned out that his system and model of slavery was much worse than that of the Arabs; it included the brutal treatment of the Congolese. For example, the documentary cites that the hands of the children, whose parents could not deliver rubber as expected, were chopped off. Therefore, the colonial operations of King Leopold II, which were similar to those of many other colonial nations, show that the colonialists went to Africa and other

TAXATION POLICY AND TAX REFORMS IN VIETNAM Assignment

TAXATION POLICY AND TAX REFORMS IN VIETNAM - Assignment Example The taxation policy of an economy has a major impact on its economic condition. Understanding the taxation policy of a country helps in assessing the role of income taxes on the economic growth. Countries constantly engage in debate to strike the right balance of taxes for the planned economies progress (Miller, & Oats, 2009). Economic analysts suggest that economic policies are very important for the growth of an economy. Taxes are important sources of finance for the governments. Governments implement combination of direct and indirect based to generate effective results and higher revenues for meeting capital and public revenue expenditure (Jones, Rhoades-Catanach, & Lemler, 2010). The governments which have more opportunities for generating finance from revenues of public enterprises besides tax implementation attempt to design the lenient taxation policies which attain effective results. Vietnam was a developing economy and it had shown dramatic development over the years. This dramatic growth of the country with the passage of time is centrally attributed to its economic policies. One major component of these is the taxation reforms. ECONOMIC OBJECTIVES AND TAXATION STRUCTURE OF VIETNAM After the war in 1954-1975, Vietnam adopted a market oriented strategy for development. The process of the reforms was initiated during the mid 1980’s. Before these reforms were proposed, the state was playing a very important role in the economic development of the country. The government’s revenue collection from the enterprises was linked to profit sharing with the organizations. For achieving the objectives of efficiency in government organization, it was mandated for the managers to abide the directives and the policies proposed by the state. This was aimed at improving the performance of the economic performance of the government and private enterprise in local and international market (Yui, n.d.). New legislations were enacted and the promulgations of the company law were also implemented. The changes were made to the foreign Investment Law, Private Enterprise Law and the Company law. During this time the first phase of the reform was implemented. At this time th e government was in dire need of implementing the policies and overcoming the economic challenges such as controlling the effect of hyper inflation. Implementations of the policies were forced with reforms in the import and export taxes, special consumption taxes and profit taxes etc. The enterprises that were non state owned were levied with registration tax, excise tax and agricultural taxes. This in result had direct impact on the FDI and increased the overall productivity of the economy. These reforms were considered for contribution in the economic improvements and these practices made the tax system more transparent. The overall series of measures of growth contributed to the economic development significantly and growth of the Vietnam economy over the years. Through these reforms the overall growth in the revenue of the economy increased by more than five times. The report here after focuses on the reform in the taxation policies of the Vietnam (Yui, n.d.). REFORMS IN THE TAX ATION POLICY OF VIETNAM The taxation system plays a very important and critical role in structuring the macroeconomic conditions of the economy. . The initial measures mentioned above had significant impact on the economy of Vietnam. It contributed towards the success of Vietnam with its social and economic developm

Battle of Thermopylae Essay Example for Free

Battle of Thermopylae Essay 300 is a fictionalized depiction of the 460 B. C. Battle of Thermopylae. Adapted from Frank Miller’s graphic novel 300, director Zack Snyder evidently aimed for this cinematic spectacle as historical as the Spartan’s glory. Led by King Leonidas (Gerard Butler), the 300 best Spartan soldiers fought to death against the Persian King Xerxes’ (Rodrigo Santoro) campaign of ruling the world of men, save the last one named Dilios (David Wenham) who lived to proclaim the glory of the 300 and of course, recount the story from the birth of King Leonidas to the rigors of a Spartan soldier’s life. Through this narrative technique, we are brought to the world of grotesque-faced warriors, beautiful and cursed oracles, sex orgy, 460 B. C. political evil and gigantic fantastical beasts that made the whole movie an action historical fantasy instead of a classroom historical documentary. Created by CGI visual effects technology, the movie is an image duplication of the original comic book. The unworldly creatures came to life, a mere number of casts looked a hundred thousand or so, the amazing panoramic dark clouds added much drama to the dark scenes and the rain of gores and blood were clearly meant for action suckers rather than the sandal supporters. Indeed, human slaughter never looked so pretty. But you do not need to be a comic book or a computer animation fan to admire this cinematic landmark. The cinematography is what grabs your attention in a different way as Gladiator or Lord of the Rings or Troy ever did. Although I have to add that incorporating some of the said movies’ best shots like the Gladiator’s sunny wheat field scene, the olliphant-like creatures from LotR and the bird’s eye view battalion shots from Troy, gave us some moments sort of deja vu but over-all, Snyder did his homework pretty well in making this 460 B. C battle unbelievably believable. From the angles to the color schemes, the 300 movie looked like a technically polished storyboard. Every frame is beautiful and every panel is a cinematic feast. Unlike the technically benchmarking combat between Hector and Achilles in Troy, the combats in 300 are taken NOT from a vantage point of a spectator, but from an eye level of somebody who belongs in the battle†¦ somebody who moves in the battle. Filled with slow motion shots, the frame almost freezes to give a further zoom of the amazing sequences. The effect? Well, the audience were brought face-to-face to the thrill of the Battle of Thermopylae than they could ever imagine. The way the film flowed gave us a comic book feel to almost every scene but freed us from the eye candy gloss of the comic book. The chained giant Persians, the leprosy looking elders and warriors, the outrageously choreographed combats and the spear-causing blood showers looked wildly more spectacular than what paint brushes or video game film-making could ever do. The irony of the special effects’ impact on creating a scene of the past while setting a cinematic future gained 300 its wider acceptance. The incredible visuals were bloody mad and ferocious, which is exactly what that era is all about and what our era tries to relive, technically. We know how this is made. Shots were indoors against a blue screen and the backgrounds were added using CGI techniques. (Movie buffs get the hang of this technique after Twilight produced an exclusive documentary of the CGI behind their movie). Lacking of an all star casts and expensive shooting locations, we can say that the movie’s visual effects stole the spotlight. Even Gerard Butler’s commanding voice will not be given that much awe without the tiny acoustic touch. However, the visual techniques which so prodigiously employed didn’t just become the movie’s success but as well the movies failing. Having it overpower the substance made critics less indulged and more complaining. Many said that whatever the movie tremendously have in style, it lacks in human emotions and thus fall short in portraying the historical Battle of Thermopylae as a human history, not an epic from another world. Save Queen Gorgo’s (Lena Headey) shot to rally support for her husband, all those battle speeches sounded vain for lacking frame supports. But then again, the R rating could well make us understand that it’s the bloody, violent stunts that made us pay for the two-hour beautifully-generated tortures. To quote King Leonidas, â€Å"a new age has come, a new freedom†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ I guess, we just have to embrace it.

The Theme of Carelessness in The Great Gatsby :: Great Gatsby Essays

The Theme of Carelessness in The Great Gatsby      Ã‚   The idea of carelessness plays an important role in The Great Gatsby. Daisy, Tom, Jordan, Gatsby and Nick were all careless at some points throughout the book.   Daisy and Tom were careless about their relationship, their money, and many of their daily activities.   Gatsby was also unconcerned with his money. Jordan was blasà © about the way she treated other people.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "They were careless people, Tom and Daisy - they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back to their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made. . . ."(189)   This was an accurate description of the way Tom and Daisy acted.   They were constantly neglectful of the way they behaved and when they realized they were wrong, they would retreat back to their money.   It was always other people that had to pay for Tom and Daisy's careless mistakes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Daisy also admitted that she was careless in a dialogue with Nick.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "I am careful."   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "No, you're not"   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "Well, other people are," she said lightly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "What's that got to do with it?"   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "They'll keep out of my way," she insisted. "It takes two to make an accident."   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "Suppose you meet somebody just as careless as yourself."   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "I hope I never will," she answered.   "I hate careless people."(63)      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   She quickly responded to Nick that she doesn't need to be careful. Daisy implied that it is the other person's responsibility to be mindful of her. She also said that she hates careless people right after she admitted that she was careless.   Daisy was indifferent about her relationship with Tom.   She knew that her husband was having an affair with another women but Daisy did not do anything about it.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Tom was careless in a much more obvious way.   He was brutal as well as destructive.   Tom felt that he could do anything he wanted and get away with it. He would never admit that he was dispassionate because he was egotistical.   Tom was careless in his relationship with Daisy, his wife, and Myrtle Wilson, his lover.   He allowed Gatsby to win his wife's love.

Do You Exist Because You Think, or Do You Think Because You Exist, or Neither? Essay

In order to consider â€Å"I exist because I think† or †I think because I exist†, I would define the â€Å"I exist because I think† as â€Å"I think† is the cause of â€Å"I exist†. This implies â€Å"I think† appear before â€Å"I exist† and cause â€Å"I exist† to happen. In the other side, â€Å"I think because I exist† would be â€Å"I exist† is the cause of â€Å"I think†. This implies â€Å"I exist† appear before â€Å"I think† and cause â€Å"I think† to happen. In terms of logic, I would say â€Å"I think because I exist â€Å" is more appropriate. It is because I must exist first, therefore I can think of my existence. Things about me or myself are impossible to happen before my existence and cause my existence. In the following paper, I would like to explain why â€Å"I exist because I think† is false and explain â€Å"I think because I exist† is true. Let me first explain why ‘I exist because I think’ is false. If ‘I exist because I think’ is true, every time when I think I exist and when I do not think, I do not exist. As I mentioned, â€Å"Think† seems to be the cause of my existence in this case. How can my thinking exist before my existence and cause my existence. Therefore, I must exist first, then I can think about â€Å"I exist† or not. In fact, every minute whatever I am conscious or not, I am existing in this world, If my body physically is existing. For example, a person whose body functionally works but loss his conscious. He is still alive but he cannot think, we cannot say he is inexistent, because he is not dead. In other word, I can exist without â€Å"I think†, but â€Å"I think† cannot be without I exist. Furthermore, as Descartes said â€Å"I think, therefore I am† to prove the indubitable truth of self-existence. He suggested that every time when we doubt that â€Å"I† exist or not, we can absolute certain that â€Å"I† am existing by this act. Then he said that the evil genius could not deceive us â€Å"I exist† because before the evil genius’s deception, â€Å"I† must exist first, then I can be deceived in some way by the evil genius. So â€Å"I exist† is indubitable truth. Similarly, to say â€Å"I think because I exist† is true, The first criterion is I ust exist first. Therefore, I can think about my existence. So â€Å"I think† must base on â€Å"I exist†. In contrast, if â€Å"I exist† is based on â€Å"I think†, this is impossible that â€Å"I think† appear before â€Å"I exist†. How can my mind and thinking exist dependently? Although some scientists may argue that brain wave w hat we call ghosts can exist after life, they may be the other forms of human thought â€Å"I think† appearing without â€Å"I exist†. However, who have seen ghost in this world? At least until today no one can prove ghosts exist in this world. So â€Å"I think† is not the cause that I can exist. However, â€Å"I exist† is the cause of I can think. To conclude, â€Å"I think† cannot exist without â€Å"I exist†. It should be â€Å"I exist† first then â€Å"I think† â€Å"I exist†. As the following diagram shows: If it is â€Å"I exist because I think†, it would be missing I exist in the first place, as below diagram shows: Nothing can exist before itself, so before I think, I must exist. In other word, â€Å"I exist† does not dependent on â€Å"I think†, but â€Å"I think† do dependent on â€Å"I exist†. Therefore, â€Å"I think because I exist† is true.

Optimization of portfolio risk Essay

This paper is a critique one the article entitled â€Å"Post-Modern Portfolio Theory† by Swisher and Kasten (2005). The framework for this critique is to determine whether there ground to agree or disagree on the claims of the authors as against the evidence they presented. Swisher and Kasten asserted about the unreliability of Modern portfolio theory (MPT) and its mean-variance optimization (MVO) model for asset allocation in the financial services industry particularly on building portfolios. They instead suggested the use of post-modern portfolio theory (PMPT) which presents a new method of asset location that optimizes a portfolio based on return versus downside risk (down side optimization, or DRO) instead of MVO. What makes PMPT different from PMT as explained by the authors is its recognition that standard deviation as a poor proxy in relation to humans experience on risk. They are therefore arguing on the basis of behavioral finance which appears to be not evident under PMT in addition to mathematical implication of the model. They explained that risk is an emotional condition which may be â€Å"fear of a bad outcome such as fear of loss, fear of underperformance, or fear of failing to achieve a financial goal. † (Swisher and Kasten, 2005). They simply cannot equate risks with variability as they argue that risk is â€Å"more complex than simple variance† although they admitted that it (risk) may be modeled and described mathematically. The authors explained that downside risk (DR) is risk definition taken from three sub-measures which include downside frequency, mean downside deviation, and downside magnitude. They added that each sub-measure must be defined with reference to an investor-specific minimal acceptable return (MAR) (Swisher and Kasten, 2005) . In translating their mathematical analysis, Swisher and Kasten (2005) stated that â€Å"people like to make money, not lose† and the chance of making above-average amounts to money frequently is given a heavier weight as against a tiny chance of success in lottery. In other words, the investors would go where there are more chances so that it will be accepted as part of the chance when an investment may turn out to perform poorly but they would hope that it will not to perform very poorly or as often. Swisher and Kasten, (2005) acknowledged the elegance of the mathematical mode for describing the perfect investment although incidentally they found the model called modern portfolio theory (MPT) wrong. They acknowledged that the defect is the provision of inefficient portfolios which goes without saying the it is contradicting what it is supposed to accomplish, that is efficient asset allocation or building of portfolio. The same authors took courage in declaring that the primary reason why MPT produces inefficient portfolios is the erroneous act of equating standard deviation with risk. They explained that risk is something else, and there is a need to have a better mechanical framework to describe it. Their paper therefore suggested a better framework for building of better portfolios through downside risk optimization (DRO). They of course defined DRO as â€Å"optimization of portfolio risk versus return using downside risk as the definition of risk instead of standard deviation. † (Swisher and Kasten, 2005). To be more convincing in their proposed model for through the use of DRO under PMPT, Swisher and Kasten (2005) asserted that DRO is superior to MVO under MPT as an asset allocation tool using the following arguments in support: The first one is the possibility that standard deviation can lead to ridiculous results when used as a measure of risks while downside risk (DR) does the same more closely in capturing the human conception of risk as earlier defined. The second argument is the reality that financial asset returns do not behave as what a normal distribution tries to paint and assume, thus even if for the sake of argument volatility is taken as a perfect representation of risk, the result will still not work. The third one, which strengthened more their position, is the better performance of DRO over MVO when they demonstrated head to head comparison of portfolios (Swisher and Kasten, 2005). More importantly the result of the comparison the performance of the two produced conflicting results hence one could only be correct. This was in fact the authors’ basis in declaring that MPT produces inefficient portfolios. It can be concluded that there is basis to the claim of the authors that PMPT works better than MPT in building portfolios. They were able to demonstrate with evidence about their assertion by using DRO as against MVO in their comparison. There is basis to agree with the authors claim that PMPT points the way to an improved science of investing that incorporates not only DRO but also behavioral finance as against MPT. Given this reason and a number of failures caused by MPT in the past there is basis to give due credit to the proposal of the author for PMPT which justifies its use by investors and analysts as a better alternative in asset allocation. Reference: Swisher and Kasten (2005) Post-Modern Portfolio Theory, Journal of Financial Planning, {www document} URL http://www. fpanet. org/journal/articles/2005_Issues/jfp0905-art7. cfm, Accessed January 22,2008.

South African Music †Aspects of African Life

South African Music – Aspects of African Life Free Online Research Papers In the world of African music, numerous uniquely distinguished sounds let music symbolize many aspects of African life. Generally speaking, Westerners have perceived African music as a primitive sound with wild and unorganized beats, but this is a sad misconception. As one can observe from black South-African culture, music has developed into a symbol of the people’s suffering due to white oppression in South Africa; one of the only ways its people could express defiance of their worsening living conditions in their country was through complicated beats and chants in a mellow tone chorus. While their music demonstrates the hope and defiance of the poor social situation in South Africa, the whites still maintain control of the mainstream African music in radio stations. African music business mainly records foreign hits with a more pop sound in the African language; thus, it imposes western views on Africans. The film expresses this through the performance of Malombo. The group incorporates rhythms of the street into their music to create an up-tempo and lively sound. They perform with two drums being played at different tempos; one drum plays a four-beat tempo while the other alterna tes from fast to slow tempos. Additionally, the guitar plays melodically as a backup to the drums and the long, low-pitched vocals of the chorus. Zulu music has an array of music styles that all incorporate their living situation in South Africa. All of the music presented of the Zulu culture in this video has very important ties within their current living situation. Black South African groups produce music that is meaningful to their everyday lives, dealing with their living conditions with different types of music, and have a constant theme of struggle. The Zulu culture in South Africa produces a type of complicated music that demonstrates correlation to everyday life. The film provides the personal experience of a musician by the name of Zipo from the Zulu tribe and the hardships he faces as a musician in South Africa. Zipo produces music that entails his rejection of the system empowered by whites, as he works as a gardener for whites but is not allowed to remain in the whites’ area without his boss’ written consent. His song â€Å"Don’t Run from the Gun† is a slow and melodic with soft guitar strums; he sings in a low tone and holds out notes, expressing his anguish while also invoking a feeling of hope. Furthermore, the guitar solos with a soft sound emphasize the emotion of Zipo’s pain because of the song’s melodic range and monophony. In addition, South African music unifies blacks and whites. For example, Zito and Jonathan’s joint music performance had to be sone privately beca use it is not socially accepted. Jonathan produces a steady tempo with the Kora, while Zipo plays the guitar in the backdrop and sings in long high-pitched notes at high volumes for long durations of time. The melody produced is repetitive, but the singing provides the variation in this unique sound. Thus, Zipo still practices his Zulu music in a white controlled music business. Black South Africans deal with their living conditions with the production of different types of music. Take, for example, the protest of some of the Zulu South-African tribe, their war songs have developed over time some anti-war resentment. In the war marching song, â€Å"March Against Enemy†, a musical environment full of symbolic dancing and chanting is heard; many men assemble to perform the warlike dance as if directed at the whites. The base drum is played on a two-beat repetition and a high-pitched whistle sound simultaneously being played. Soon, the chants in the song are spoken in the serious manner of militaristic fashion. The South-African tribes have incorporated in their chants their disgust with the racism that occurs to them, a burden they must live with in their everyday lives. The segregation of the blacks makes it hard for them to travel to their jobs considering the fact that 1/2 of the blacks live in black only townships. This aggression on the streets all ows street performers to channel their anger and frustration in the music; the street performances are very special since every Sunday black South Africans gather to sing, meanwhile conveying frustration directed at whites. Moreover, some of the South Africans choose deal with the social pressures of the whites through humor and laughter in their music. Many blacks are paid very low wages in townships and are forced to migrate to look for jobs. Accordingly, some unnamed male groups in a competition sing about getting up to do the same lousy job everyday and other troubles they have in a jokingly manner. Humor in the music is used as a tool to help them cope with their daily struggles. Zulu tribes produce different music that varies in rhythm depending on what feeling they want to produce as a result of their defiance to their current situation. Although the Zulu culture developed many types of music, the theme of the black’s struggle in South African society in music remained the same. Most of the songs usually consisted of complicated melodic motions with polyrhythm. Though some of the sounds were distorted by censorship, the feeling of hope of better living conditions remains the same. Likewise, we observe this when the groups come together to compete against each other. The Black Mambazo create an intriguing sound with their humming chords in harmony with variation, vocals with a lead singer, and the message of god taking away their sins. Also, the group’s consistent chanting and stomping of feet breaks up the normal flow of the song. Throughout the competition we repeatedly observe varying compositional Zulu music being produced by Zulu tribes, but being judged by an ignorant white male in order to be neutral. The winning group get paid with the symbol of wealth, which is a goat and closes the competition with a call and response lullaby. As the competition ends, it is easy to understand that the music brings them together because they all are going through the same struggle. African music from the Zulu tribe is unique because the music portrays their feelings they have towards the horrible conditions they have to endure in their society. Black South Africans have made music part of their everyday lives and it is important we understand the meaning of the music. As observed, the polyrhythm, vocals, harmonization and many other things like dancing show a feeling of joyous humor or frustration in their sounds. If we could understand the message their music gives, we as humans can make a change in the racism of this world. The major misconception of westerners is that African music is primitive, but we have seen otherwise in the music produced by the Zulu tribe. Research Papers on South African Music - Aspects of African LifeHip-Hop is ArtBringing Democracy to AfricaWhere Wild and West Meet19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoThe Hockey GameThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andThe Spring and AutumnHonest Iagos Truth through Deception

Code Name Jane - Abortion Counseling Service 1969-1973

Code Name Jane - Abortion Counseling Service 1969-1973 Jane was the code name of a feminist abortion referral and counseling service in Chicago from 1969 to 1973. The official name of the group was the Abortion Counseling Service of Womens Liberation. Jane disbanded after the Supreme Courts Roe v. Wade decision legalized most first and second trimester abortions in the United States. Historical Context Prior to the  Roe v. Wade  decision, abortion was illegal nearly everywhere in the United States, although women had been terminating unwanted or dangerous pregnancies for centuries.  Thousands of women had died from illegal, back-alley abortions in the United States and around the world before the procedure was legalized. For women wishing or needing to end a pregnancy, options were scarce and gruesome: sketchy doctors in unsanitary conditions, risking being caught in a sting, or physical or chemical DIY abortifacients. Underground Abortion Service The leaders of Jane were part of the Chicago Womens Liberation Union (CWLU). Women who called seeking help spoke to a contact code named Jane, who referred the caller to an abortion provider. Like the Underground Railroad of the previous century, the activists of Jane broke the law in order to save womens lives.  Jane helped an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 women obtain abortions without fatalities. The group began in 1969 in Chicago, advertising with simple ads in alternative and student newspapers. At first, the Jane activists tried to find reliable doctors and arranged for callers to meet the abortionists in secret locations. A caller would leave a message on the networks answering machine, and a Jane would call her back, collect the necessary information, and pass it along to a Big Jane who handled the logistical aspects. The patients would first be taken to one place for counseling before being secretly led to a facility for the procedure itself. Eventually, some Jane women learned to perform abortions themselves. Since many of the male doctors who performed illegal abortions charged astronomical prices, the Janes learned medical skills and would charge as little as 10% or even less of a male doctors fee. As detailed in the book The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service by Laura Kaplan (New York: Pantheon Books, 1995), one of Janes goals was to give women a sense of control and knowledge in a situation that otherwise made them powerless. Jane sought to work with the women, not do something to them. Jane also tried to protect women, who were often in difficult financial circumstances, from being exploited by abortionists who could and would charge any price they could get from a woman who was desperate for an abortion. Counseling and Medical Procedures The women of Jane learned the basics of performing abortions. They also induced miscarriages for certain pregnancies and brought in midwives who could assist the induced women. If women went to a hospital emergency room after inducing a miscarriage, they risked being turned over to the police. In 1972, the worst did happen. Chicago police raided one of the apartments used as a base of operations for the Janes. Seven women were arrested and charged for their roles in facilitating the illegal abortion procedures. Even then, the Janes worked to protect the identities and safety of the women who had trusted them. While in the police van itself, the arrested women ripped up the cards with their patients identifying information and swallowed the bits of paper that contained the most crucial details.   Jane also provided counseling, health information and sex education. Following the  Roe  decision, the network disbanded, as its services were no longer needed. In the 21st century, however, as local governments have chipped away at access to abortion services, similar networks of women helping women have popped up across the country, this time with access to modern medicine. The Women Jane Helped According to Jane by Laura Kaplan, the women who sought abortion help from Jane included: Women who could not care for a childWomen who became pregnant even though they used contraceptionWomen whose male partners forbade them to use contraceptionWomen who thought they were no longer fertileGirls who did not (yet) understand how reproductive biology works Women who came to Jane were of various classes, ages, races and ethnicities. The feminist activists of Jane said they had helped females from age 11 through age 50. Other Groups Nationwide There were other small abortion referral groups in cities across the United States. Womens groups and clergy were among those who created compassionate networks to help women find safe, legal access to abortion. The story of Jane is also told in a 1996 documentary film called Jane: An Abortion Service. Sources: Haberman, Clyde. Code Name Jane: The Women Behind A Covert Abortion Network.  The New York Times  14 Oct. 2018,  https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/14/us/illegal-abortion-janes.html. Kaplan, Laura.  The  Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service.  New York: Pantheon Books, 1995.

Individual Counselling Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Individual Counselling - Assignment Example Social work and human services should translate into viable solutions for the clients and user of their services. The role of the counsellor is to facilitate the process of unlocking the doors of the prison caused for a great variety of reasons. O'Connor et al state that "The challenge of social work practice lies in its complexity and diversity. On a daily basis social workers engage with people, groups and communities who are most damaged by social and economic structures and by the consequent ways of living and coping. Social workers often feel limited in their roles because of the particular policies of government or the organizations that employ them and many are overworked because of staff shortages or lack of funding." (O'Connor et al, 2006, p. ix). So the role of a counsellor has to be aligned with the role of social work practice that "seeks to promote human well-being and to redress human suffering and injustice. Practitioners aim to mobilize the forces of the individual, community and state to address the processes by which individuals and groups are marginalized or diminished in their capacity to participate as citizens. Such practice maintains a particular concern for those who are most exclude from social, economic or cultural processes or structures." (O'Connor et al, 2006, p. 1). On the other hand, as Chenoweth and McAuliffe advise to the social work students the following remarks are pertinent in the context of acquiring fundamental counselling skills: "Prepare yourself to be challenged about your views of the world and your morals and values. You will learn to articulate your position on many importan tareas of social interest as you become more immersed in the learning experiece and more exponed to the viewpoints of others. "Be prepared to challenge others and learn to do so in a constructive way, mindful at all times that differences in the cultural experiences of others must be respected. Listening to different experiences and perspectives helps you become more aware of cultural sensitivities and to clarify your views and opinions." (Chenoweth and McAuliffe, 2005, p. 3) As it can be seen from the statements below individual counselling is a real challenge that has to be tackle with an open mind and flexibility in order to be of help to the clients and users of human services: "Clients and users of social services will teach you the most you will do in the future. It is only through listening to the stories of those who have experienced loss, trauma, disability, alienation, discrimination or isolation that you can ever hope to respect the uniqueness of an individual's experiences. These people will also share their experiences of hope, optimism, resilience, survival and growth, giving you an understanding of the importance of people realising their potential and the power of change processes. Not only are clients to be found in hospital wards or in homeless shelters -they are within reaching distance of all of us, in our social circles, our familias, our workplaces. Learn to listen, and listen to

GLOBAL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 67 Essay

GLOBAL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 67 - Essay Example Similarly, not having a good distribution infrastructure would cause difficulty in the product reaching the consumer and thus result in a decline in demand for the product. Also, demand for expensive goods in a poor country is very low. Black practices also affect the demand for products adversely. 2. First, Kodak aimed at making the Russian citizens aware of its products and for that it communicated with them through various forms of media; television, radio, print, etc. Promotional campaigns and sponsored events were carried out for this purpose. 1 All the marketing tactics that Kodak implemented were the right measures to take in order to encourage demand in a country that posed numerous challenges otherwise. The measures taken proved to be favorable for both Russia and Kodak and hence were the right tactics to employ. 3. Adjusting its marketing mix for digital photography in Russia should be thought of at a later stage. Since the concept of photography on the whole is new to the nation, it may be a long time before digital photography can be introduced in the market. Kodak needs to first research on whether or not the market for traditional film photography is saturated. Once it has reached the maturity stage in the product lifecycle, it will be a favorable time for change. It is only then that Kodak's digital photography can be launched in Russia. 1.

How Well Do We Know the Arab Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How Well Do We Know the Arab Culture - Essay Example All Arabs are Muslims because there are Arab Christians found in many places of the Arab world, and only between 15-18% of Arabs are Muslims. Certain beliefs in culture and tradition are found to be untrue in a document presented by the OFDCSI. For instance, for a long time, I held on to the idea that Arab males are wealthy oil magnates, terrorists, and mad dictators and any association with them are dangerous. These are types of perceptions that are most common with lack of understanding. Facts from research disprove this and showed that Arabs have diverse economic segments of the population and there are also poor people among them. Because of terrorism that relates to Arabs, I perceived them to be mad dictators and have nothing in mind but bring chaos to the western world. Readings from OFDCSI again proved me wrong as madness cannot thrive in different political system adhered to by Arabs; they could not be terrorists because a majority of the citizens are law-abiding, keep famili es and employed in the variety of occupations. Arabs are concerned about modesty, and that is the reason why Arab women are clothed in full-length cover, and most devoted women could be seen covering even their faces. Traditional garbs for men are robes, but headdresses indicate the tribe from which they belong. Today, according to OFDCSI, Arab men wear a mix of western clothing because now they wear t-shirts and jeans along with traditional garb. Arab women differ with western culture when it comes to subordination to men. OFDCSI refers to this culture as being subordinate to men in varying degrees; for instance, it is very restrictive in Arabian Peninsula and undisturbed in urban areas of Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt. It is expected that foreigners respect the privacy of women role in the Arab world.  

Importance Of Oligopolistic Characteristics

Importance Of Oligopolistic Characteristics This paper focuses on the importance of oligopolistic characteristics in the global container shipping industry. It is difficult to examine this market although containerization has standardized the shipping industry. My approach to meet this controversial issue is to divide between three levels: the industry, alliances and the trade level. In my investigation I also use a graphic explanation, the concentration level of the industry, the cobweb model and the kinked demand curve. The results allow us to determine how influential is the concentration level, the competition and alliances in the container shipping industry. Michail Archontakis (377602) Economics 7 December 2012 INTRODUCTION The global container shipping industry can be characterized as an oligopoly. Moreover, we can say there are few sellers and the provided services or products are quite similar. It is necessary to examine the market structure in three main levels: the industry, the alliances that exist and the trade level. The market is characterized by globalization. As a result, there is a need to satisfy customers demands and invest in resources as well as in the development of the new technology. So we can see the growth of the world economy and the world trade. Shipping companies have two choices, form an alliance or the other one is mergers and acquisitions. I will also use a graphic explanation to describe the way and how the industry has developed over the past years. Lastly, the purpose of this assignment is to introduce the importance of the oligopolistic characteristics in the global container shipping industry. THE INDUSTRY The market has mainly consisted by containers and containerization has developed it in a more standardized approach. In the global container shipping industry, we could meet collusions which are called as shipping conferences. We all know that their main interest is to fix freight rates in certain routes and form barriers, in the entry of new firms. Pricing in the industry means under the table agreements between shippers and carriers. By this way, they can achieve economies of scale which can lead to a small number of firms (Marlow and Nair, 2008). As stated by Haralambides in 2000 two factors are crucial in the understanding of conference freight rates: unit values and stowage factors. After the abolition of the anti-monopoly privilege of freight conferences (18 October 2008, Regulation 4056/86), and due to the trend of growing consolidation. The market is developing into a more collusive market, where operational agreements becoming more and more vital. The market has become more concentrated, and the smaller operators conduct a market share of less than 1% per each. As we can observe from table 1 above top 10 carriers, have a market share of 63.5% (www.alphaliner.com). The market share of the top ten carriers was 49.3% in 2000 (www.alphaliner.com). There is a tremendous increase in market share as well as in total TEUs. Moreover, few firms fit most of the market power and probably can determine in a high level the industry and the chief shipping routes. They can create entry barriers and also make agreements on the freight rates. It is especially valuable for firms to cooperate and some state acting like monopolists. As a result, each firm must be aware of the other players actions. World Ranking of Maritime Shippers, by Shipping Capacity Source: Alphaliner This oligopolistic characteristic makes the industry more complex and needs to cover many factors. Moreover, to deal with customers international requirements, the development of ever larger container ships, upgrades in technology, increasing competition and high consolidation. Leading to globalization where few firms dominate the leading trade routes and to the event of multi-trade strategic alliances. This change is also notable for the customers. Furthermore, they can now have more requirements and benefits. Nowadays, they can request faster shipping, more frequent services and lower costs as well as to know at any time the exact location and condition of their cargo. Container shipping companies have become more unified with new technologies and also have improved the contribution significantly quality. We now have larger vessels, and they can benefit from economies of scale. Surely, the oligopolistic environment has raise competition and has expanded world economy as well as world trades. ALLIANCES Shipping companies have two choices form a strategic alliance and the other one are the acquisitions and mergers. In order to reach economies of scale, scope and network alliances have developed in two ways. Moreover, there are core alliances with international partners and the other one is multi-consortia networks of slot. This is a general connection in oligopolistic markets and of considerable importance. An alliance helps to gain greater market shares and contain more effectively the trade routes as well as, the capacity. There are five key ideas in the movement of alliances in the global container shipping industry. Furthermore, it can do more effective wider geographically routes. Secondly, they can create their ships in a more global scope. The risk is less because it is shareable now. They can provide more repeated services to their customers, meaning more frequent schedules. Lastly, economies of scale become more apparent, and there is also an increase in the size of the ships (Sato, 2002). It is noteworthy to analyze the three of the most powerful alliances over the past years. Furthermore, these three alliances started with an agreement on collaboration for east-west trades and then extended to north-south services. The first alliance we will examine is New World Alliance. It includes mainly APL, MOL and HMM. Its overall capacity in TEUs is 1.161.468 and owns 282 vessels (alphaliner.com). Imagine that in 2000 the capacity of this alliance was 325.487 and the number of vessels 90 (Midoro and Pitto,2000). As we can see, it right increased its market share, and this is highly influential in oligopolistic markets because it can alter the market as well as conduct more properly the capacity. Another notable alliance is the Grand Alliance. In February 2006, after PO exodus the new Grand Alliance formed by Hapag-Lloyd, OOCL, and NYK Line. Its overall capacity in TEUs is 1.187.607 and owns 288 vessels (alphaliner.com). In 1996, it owned only 255.705 TEUs and 72 vessels (Midoro and Pitto,2000). Grand alliance manages twelve services in the transpacific trade. Lastly, this alliance has showed the most reliable configuration comparing to the other two alliances. The greatest alliance is CKYH with key partners Hanjin, Yang Ming, K Line and COSCO. It counts 1.548.508 TEUs and 400 vessels (alphaliner.com). It manages eight services on the Europe Asia route which has the largest capacity in TEUs. Surely, this alliance has a significant market share and also is highly competitive. Of course, alliances have a significant impact in the market share, but it is difficult to cooperate as the size of the group increases. They choose to act like monopolists because they can affect the price. Competition makes contrary to other firms to play or join in the market. This characteristic is of particularly importance in order to survive in this tough market where overcapacity and decreasing demand may be serious problems. Firms may find many reasons why to join an alliance: strategic reasons, operational reasons, in order to increase or decrease connectivity and capacity, to raise or remove a service, to merge or demerge services and to provide slots for charter. (Panayides, 2011) TRADE LEVEL We will examine the trade level of two routes, Black Sea Far East and US trade. Moreover, we will focus on the trade lines with port ranges at both ends (Brooks, 2000). In the route Black Sea Far East the top seven firms have a market share of total 89%, so the other firms contain only the rest 11%. Surely, there is an exceptionally high percent of concentration in this trade route. Moreover, MSC holds 23,15%, Maersk Line 20,33%, CMA-CGM 13,81%, Zim 13,55%, CSAV Norasia 11,64%, Hapag Lloyd 4,99% and K Line 1,53% (www.americanshipper.com). We can conclude that a tight oligopoly exists in the trade line of Black Sea Far East. The production rose, and the price decreased because the firms now hold strong shares and perform more like monopolists. Furthermore, it is difficult for new firms to enter this lane. The other trade line that we will examine is US which is more complicated than the previous one. Moreover, the top ten firms fit nearly a 65% of the total market share. So we can speak also that in the trade line exists an oligopoly, but the firms are much more and carry less market shares. Maersk Line market share is 15,27%, Evergreen 7,67%, Mediterranean Shg Co 7,20%, Hanjin 6,54%, APL 6,18%, Hapag Lloyd 6,05%, COSCO Container Lines 4,28%, OOCL 4,26%, NYK 4,04% and China Shg C.L 3,90% (www.americanshipper.com). A close exam of this market shows us that competition is greater, but the market is larger and remarkably attractive to new firms. As a result, if we operate efficiently the oligopolistic characteristics firms will increase their market shares, and it will be more difficult for new firms to enter the market. Of course, it is difficult to cooperate efficiently when the size of the group increases, but can handle more reasonable the capacity and the competition something that is particularly powerful. After analyzing these two different trade lines, we understood the meaning of the existence of the oligopolistic characteristics. Moreover, capacity can be handled more efficiently and control competition by increasing your shares. GRAPHIC EXPLANATION OF THE IMPORTANCE OF OLIGOPOLISTIC CHARACTERISTICS IN THE GLOBAL CONTAINER SHIPPING INDUSTRY Table 2I think a better explanation can be given by using a graph to indicate the importance of the oligopolistic characteristics in the global container shipping industry. Moreover, we know from theory that in perfect competition demand curve intersects Marginal Cost curve at the market price P* and it supplies quantity Q* (Mankiw, 2011). The firms in this graph are price takers because there are no entry barriers. Now let see what an oligopolistic firm will make. It will reduce quantity to Q0 and at the same time will increase the price P0 until Marginal Cost equals Marginal Revenue. However, a deadweight loss (consumer and producer) can be created, meaning welfare losses to the economy. Lastly, we can observe a surplus for the firm as an oligopoly profit. This result can be represented in the global container shipping industry by selling at greater prices and offering lower services. They can use smaller containers, slower services as the market becomes more oligopolistic. Secondly, firms may try to increase their market power or insert entry barriers. These two can cause to collusion practices. Moreover, greater concentration can create collusions and contract coordination costs. Nevertheless, there are also benefits from the increase in concentration. A firm may increase its profits by taking market power from its opponents. This action can cause sensitive to the firm to provide a better product or service. In the shipping industry, a better product or service means to provide larger containers or to invest in research and development. Moreover, a firm may invest in order to keep consumers loyal to her. So companies can behave more competitively. A better explanation for the price and quantity can be given by the cobweb model. The cobweb model or cobweb theory can explain the cyclical demand and supply the container shipping industry. Moreover, when the price is high P1 the quantity is low Q1 and lower than Q2. In the next period (Q2-Q1) will reduce the price to P2. However, now Q2 is greater than Q3 meaning (Q2-Q3) will raise the price to P3. So we can conclude that when there is excessive demand price will increase and fall when there is excessive supply. Concluding, demand and supply, are both quite flexible in the global container shipping industry, specifically in an annual base. The importance is that freight rates are flexible and negotiable between shippers and carriers. Marginal cost can be considered remarkably low. Lastly, in short-run when a rapid growth may occur in the demand can be faced sufficient. The kinked demand curve can describe the behavior of the firms in oligopoly market. Moreover, the model predicts that firms do not compete in price and try to keep the price stable over time. However, in short-term there may be price fluctuations and firms may try to gain some extra market power. The importance is that firms will use other methods to increase market share than price competition. Furthermore, they can provide higher quality, more frequent services and other upgrades to keep their costumers loyal. As the market is acting like an oligopoly, it has resulted in two main trends. First, there has been an increase in container ship sizes. Secondly, there has been an important advance in container throughput. Lastly, it has reduced the costs of transportation and local economies have been transformed to global economies. CONCLUSION The global container shipping industry is primarily an oligopoly (few players which offer similar services or products). I tried to introduce the importance of the oligopolistic characteristics in this market. Moreover, I noticed that large alliances control the majority of the total market share and also high concentration exists even in the trade routes. Highly concentrated markets experience in many occasions to collusions or cartels. It is particularly dangerous due to anti-trust laws, especially after the abolishment of the anti-monopoly immunity. However, such agreements are extremely valuable for the participating firms. Moreover, economies of scale can develop by using larger vessels and also provide superior quality of services. It is better off to combine, but it is extremely difficult especially when the size of the group increases. From the graphic explanation, we concluded that it is helpful to produce relatively small quantity and push prices above marginal cost. Nevert heless, it is up to the firms if they are going to have negative or positive results. In my opinion, the oligopolistic characteristics in the global container shipping industry led the market to grow and become competent to handle the occurrence of overcapacity and increasing fuel costs. Probably in the future stronger alliances and fewer firms will occur in the market, which is extremely influential in order to thrive and remain in such a demanding industry.

Saddam Hussein :: essays research papers

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein, an Iraqi political leader, was born to a poor Arab family on April 28, 1937. Hussein studied law in Egypt after his attempt to assassinate the premier of Iraq, Abdul Karim Kassem, in 1959. In the summer of 1968, the Baath party returned to power and named Hussein as deputy chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council. Hussein has been described by many as the most powerful person in Iraq because of his intimidation of enemies, careful control of his political power, and his military purges. Saddam finally gained control of the Iraq presidency in 1979. His many goals as President included attempting to increase industrial production, reorganizing government policies in agriculture, and improving education and the status of women. Hussein first began a successful development program of Iraq’s huge petroleum resources. However, this development and economic and social advances were at risk when Iraq went to war with Iran from 1980 to 1988. Hussein started this war to control Arab-inhabited areas and especially for oil resources. Hussein is also known as a ruthless leader who used chemical weapons on Kurdish people seeking freedom in the 1980’s. In August, 1990, Hussein invaded and annexed Kuwait for violating oil production laws set by the Organization of Petroleum Exports Countries(OPEC). (Kuwait had lowered the price of oil.) The Iraqi forces killed many Kuwaiti people and stole or destroyed much property. Hussein apparently wanted to use Kuwait’s vast oil resources to help Iraq’s economy. Many people believed that Iraq would next invade neighboring countries such as Saudi Arabia. Some of the countries that opposed Iraq’s invasion and that sent forces to this region were the United States, Canada, and several Arab and Western European nations. These countries formed an allied military coalition that caused a worldwide embargo against Iraq. The United Nations Security Council condemned Iraqâ€℠¢s occupation and approved the use of military force on Iraq if their troops did not withdraw from Kuwait by January 15, 1991. Hussein ignored this demand and refused to withdraw. The consequence of this decision was to go to war. On January 16, 1991, the allies bombed military targets in Iraq and Kuwait. Iraq, in return, launched missiles against Saudi Arabia and Israel. The U.S.-led military coalition drove Iraq’s armies out of Kuwait. This war, called the Persian Gulf War, lasted only six weeks. On April 11, 1991, the U.N.

Deception Point Page 71

Despite the late hour, Gabrielle was not at all surprised to see the building's foyer filling with people, an apparent convergence of excited media crews and even more excited NASA personnel. Gabrielle hurried inside. The entryway resembled a museum, dominated dramatically by full-size replicas of famous mission capsules and satellites suspended overhead. Television crews were staking claims on the expansive marble floor, seizing wide-eyed NASA employees who came through the door. Gabrielle scanned the crowd, but did not see anyone who looked like PODS mission director Chris Harper. Half the people in the lobby had press passes and half had NASA photo IDs around their necks. Gabrielle had neither. She spotted a young woman with a NASA ID and hurried over to her. â€Å"Hi. I'm looking for Chris Harper?† The woman eyed Gabrielle strangely, as if she recognized her from somewhere and couldn't quite place it. â€Å"I saw Dr. Harper go through a while ago. I think he headed upstairs. Do I know you?† â€Å"I don't think so,† Gabrielle said, turning away. â€Å"How do I get upstairs?† â€Å"Do you work for NASA?† â€Å"No, I don't.† â€Å"Then you can't get upstairs.† â€Å"Oh. Is there a phone I might use to-â€Å" â€Å"Hey,† the woman said, looking suddenly angry. â€Å"I know who you are. I've seen you on television with Senator Sexton. I can't believe you would have the nerve-â€Å" Gabrielle was already gone, disappearing into the crowd. Behind her, she could hear the woman angrily telling others Gabrielle was here. Terrific. Two seconds through the door, and I'm already on the Most Wanted List. Gabrielle kept her head down as she hurried to the far side of the lobby. A building directory was mounted on the wall. She scanned the listings, looking for Chris Harper. Nothing. The directory showed no names at all. It was arranged by department. PODS? she wondered, scanning the list for anything that had to do with the Polar Orbiting Density Scanner. She saw nothing. She was afraid to glance over her shoulder, half expecting to see a crew of angry NASA employees coming to stone her. All she saw on the list that looked even remotely promising was on the fourth floor: EARTH SCIENCE ENTERPRISE, PHASE II Earth Observing System (EOS) Keeping her head turned away from the crowd, Gabrielle made her way toward an alcove that housed a bank of elevators and a water fountain. She searched for the elevator call buttons, but saw only slits. Damn. The elevators were security controlled-key card ID access for employees only. A group of young men came hurrying toward the elevators, talking exuberantly. They wore NASA photo IDs around their necks. Gabrielle quickly bent over the fountain, watching behind her. A pimple-faced man inserted his ID into the slot and opened the elevator. He was laughing, shaking his head in amazement. â€Å"The guys in SETI must be going nuts!† he said as everyone boarded the elevator. â€Å"Their horn carts traced drift fields under two hundred milliJanskys for twenty years, and the physical proof was buried in the ice here on earth the whole time!† The elevator doors closed, and the men disappeared. Gabrielle stood up, wiping her mouth, wondering what to do. She looked around for an interoffice phone. Nothing. She wondered if she could somehow steal a key card, but something told her that was probably unwise. Whatever she did, she knew she had to do it fast. She could now see the woman she'd first spoken to out in the lobby, moving through the crowd with a NASA security officer. A trim, bald man came around the corner, hustling toward the elevators. Gabrielle again bent over the fountain. The man did not seem to notice her. Gabrielle watched in silence as the man leaned forward and inserted his ID card into the slit. Another set of elevator doors slid open, and the man stepped on. Screw it, Gabrielle thought, making up her mind. Now or never. As the elevator slid closed, Gabrielle spun from the fountain and ran over, sticking her hand out and catching the door. The doors bounced back open, and she stepped in, her face bright with excitement. â€Å"You ever seen it like this?† she gushed to the startled bald man. â€Å"My God. It's crazy!† The man gave her an odd look. â€Å"The guys at SETI must be going nuts!† Gabrielle said. â€Å"Their horn carts traced drift fields under two hundred milliJanskys for twenty years, and the physical proof was buried in the ice here on earth the whole time!† The man looked surprised. â€Å"Well†¦ yes, it's quite†¦ † He glanced at her neck, apparently troubled not to see an ID. â€Å"I'm sorry, do you-â€Å" â€Å"Fourth floor please. Came in such a hurry I barely remembered to put on my underwear!† She laughed, stealing a quick look at the guy's ID: JAMES THEISEN, Finance Administration. â€Å"Do you work here?† The man looked uncomfortable. â€Å"Miss†¦?† Gabrielle let her mouth fall slack. â€Å"Jim! I'm hurt! Nothing like making a woman feel unmemorable!† The man went pale for a moment, looking uneasy, and running an embarrassed hand across his head. â€Å"I'm sorry. All this excitement, you know. I admit, you do look very familiar. What program are you working on?† Shit. Gabrielle flashed a confident smile. â€Å"EOS.† The man pointed to the illuminated fourth floor button. â€Å"Obviously. I mean specifically, which project?† Gabrielle felt her pulse quicken. She could only think of one. â€Å"PODS.† The man looked surprised. â€Å"Really? I thought I'd met everyone on Dr. Harper's team.† She gave an embarrassed nod. â€Å"Chris keeps me hidden away. I'm the idiot programmer who screwed up voxel index on the anomaly software.† Now it was the bald man whose jaw dropped. â€Å"That was you?† Gabrielle frowned. â€Å"I haven't slept in weeks.† â€Å"But Dr. Harper took all the heat for that!† â€Å"I know. Chris is that kind of guy. At least he got it straightened out. What an announcement tonight, though, isn't it? This meteorite. I'm just in shock!† The elevator stopped on the fourth floor. Gabrielle jumped out. â€Å"Great seeing you, Jim. Give my best to the boys in budgeting!† â€Å"Sure,† the man stammered as the doors slid shut. â€Å"Nice seeing you again.† 84 Zach Herney, like most presidents before him, survived on four or five hours of sleep a night. Over the last few weeks, however, he had survived on far less. As the excitement of the evening's events slowly began to ebb, Herney felt the late hour settling in his limbs. He and some of his upper level staff were in the Roosevelt Room enjoying celebratory champagne and watching the endless loop of press conference replays, Tolland documentary excerpts, and pundit recaps on network television. On-screen at the moment, an exuberant network correspondent stood in front of the White House gripping her microphone. â€Å"Beyond the mind-numbing repercussions for mankind as a species,† she announced, â€Å"this NASA discovery has some harsh political repercussions here in Washington. The unearthing of these meteoric fossils could not have come at a better time for the embattled President.† Her voice grew somber. â€Å"Nor at a worse time for Senator Sexton.† The broadcast cut to a replay of the now infamous CNN debate from earlier in the day. â€Å"After thirty-five years,† Sexton declared, â€Å"I think it's pretty obvious we're not going to find extraterrestrial life!† â€Å"And if you're wrong?† Marjorie Tench replied. Sexton rolled his eyes. â€Å"Oh, for heavens sake, Ms. Tench, if I'm wrong I'll eat my hat.† Everyone in the Roosevelt Room laughed. Tench's cornering of the senator could have played as cruel and heavy-handed in retrospect, and yet viewers didn't seem to notice; the haughty tone of the senator's response was so smug that Sexton appeared to be getting exactly what he deserved.

State of Racism and Gender Discrimination

?State of Racism and Gender Discrimination What is discrimination? Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of a different person or groups of people based on certain characteristics. In the United States there are seven protected characteristics or classes that are defined by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination Employment Act, and the American Disabilities Act that can not be discriminated against: race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, and disability. This paper focuses on two of the protected classes: race and gender discrimination. What is racism? Racism (also known as discrimination against a race or races) is a belief that all members of one racial group have superior characteristics or abilities specific to that group; it allows the ranking of races based on superiority and implies the importance of one race over the others (â€Å"Racism† 2008). Supremacy ideology is core to racism. In the 20th century, the face of racism was largely black and white; however, in recent times there have been examples of racism against Native Americans, Asian Americans, African Americans, Latin Americans, and some other immigrant groups (â€Å"Racism in the United States† 2008). Today, racism has become multi-colored and multicultural. Racism and racial discrimination are very powerful forces which unfortunately harm the whole economy. Racism can take place in many areas such as the job market, housing market, educational system, and health care services. Even today, racial discrimination against minorities (especially African Americans) can be found in the housing market (i. e. making renting apartments, taking out mortgages, and buying houses extremely difficult or even impossible in some areas). This is not to say, that there has not been significant attempts and progress made, in order to eliminate racial discrimination. Racial discrimination and segregation used to be legal across the southern states of the United States (â€Å"Martin Luther King and the fight against racism in the US† 2008). Many people have tried to stop racial discrimination throughout the history of the United States. One extremely influential and pivotal leader that many people are familiar with is Martin Luther King. While this paper is not a historic telling of Martin Luther King, his ideals are as influential today as they were then. He did not want people to be judged by the color of their skin but by the capability of their character. He tried to revive the Civil Rights movement in the mid 1950s. However, he was tragically assassinated on the balcony of his hotel in Memphis, Tennessee (â€Å"Martin Luther King and the fight against racism in the US† 2008). After his passing and after many fundamental changes in the constitution, African American communities are no longer limited in their rights from society (â€Å"Martin Luther King Jr. † 2008). Today, the eyes of ethics and the highest laws of the land bids society to stop racial discrimination in all its forms, along with other types of discriminations defined under title VII, ADA, and ADEA. Gender or Sex Discrimination is the belief that one gender is more valuable than the other, and can also create doubts in the abilities of a certain sex and exacerbate stereotypes (â€Å"Sexism† 2008). In most countries around the world, gender discrimination is illegal in most circumstances (Manohar 2008). In the United States, Title VII protects against gender and sexual discrimination. There are two types of gender discrimination: disparate treatment and disparate impact (â€Å"Gender or Sex Discrimination† 2008). Disparate treatment is treating people differently because of his or her sex (â€Å"Gender or Sex Discrimination† 2008). The other is disparate impact, when the company policy does not include certain individuals or does not include everyone equally (â€Å"Gender or Sex Discrimination† 2008). The fire department is a good example of disparate impact. The qualifications of the fire department are extreme (i. e. he ability to carry and lift a lot of weight), which makes it hard for women to qualify for a job as a firefighter (â€Å"Gender or Sex Discrimination† 2008). These requirements are important to becoming a fire fighter and many argue that they are more than necessary. However, this does not mean that the fire department does not want to work with women. It is just the policy to set the standards high. Another interesting example: A male employee was fired by his employer because he refused to work at night (â€Å"Small Business Encyclopedia† 2002). This company had a policy saying that women did not have to work at night because the company was located in a high crime area. The male employees had to work the night shifts for the company, while the women employees did not. The male employee in question filed a suit under Title VII against his employer claiming sexual discrimination. The company claimed that several female employees would quit if they were forced to work at night. The company also claimed the policy was a bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ). This case is interesting because BFOQ can be used as a defense to allow certain discrimination. BFOQ is an exception provided by Title VII for jobs that require a specific religion, sex, national origin, or age as a reasonable necessity for normal operations of a business. Although BFOQ applies to the fire department qualifications, the courts deemed that the company who asked only its male workers to take the night-shift was could not use BFOQ as a valid defense (â€Å"Small Business Encyclopedia† 2002). In the workplace, sexual discrimination usually involves sex becoming a factor in deciding on who gets a job, promotion, or other benefits. Many researches have shown that women are treated unfairly compared to men in hiring, promotions, and benefits (â€Å"Small Business Encyclopedia† 2002). For instance, a young man, who dropped out from high school and does not have a degree, gets a job in a high position over a young woman who has her master’s degree. While the young woman is better qualified for the position than the young man, the man gets the job. This paradigm illustrates gender discrimination. The reverse has also held true. There have been cases where men have been discriminated against, as discussed above. There is also a particular form of sexual discrimination called sexual harassment. Sexual harassment includes inappropriate words or actions of a sexual nature to the opposite sex (â€Å"Small Business Encyclopedia† 2002). Courts expect managers to understand that sexual discrimination may exist in the workplace and companies to take proactive measures to ensure that the environment is free from sexual discrimination. The first law of any federal importance in the United States regarding discrimination was The Civil Rights Act of 1871, also known as the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871; it was mainly established to protect Southern African Americans from the abuse being delivered to them from the Ku Klux Klan. Although the Act had been interpreted by the courts many times, it had very little effect. For one, the Act was loosely defined and provided loopholes for state officials, who did not get litigated under the statue. However, this hole was patched up in 1961, when the Supreme Court of the United States decided Monroe v. Pape. The decision included several provisions to close the inadequacies found in the Civil Act of 1871. The Act is now one of the most powerful statues, in which the State and Federal courts may protect those whose rights are being violated. In particular, Section 1983 of the Civil Rights Act enforces the prohibition of public sector employment discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, and religion, but it rarely applies to the private sector. Eventually, the first Federal law to promote equal opportunity and prohibit employment discrimination in the United States was passed. The law is called the Executive Order 8802, also known as the Fair Employment Act. It was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941. The law promotes and ensures that all Federal agencies and departments involved with the defense industry were administered without discrimination to race, color, or nationality on the vocational and training programs being offered to its employees and contractors. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited racial segregation in schools, public places, and employment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, or nationality. Originally conceived to help protect African Americans, it also explicitly included sections to protect women in the bill; as a result the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was founded as well. At the time of its creation, this law was seen as one of the most important legislations that abolished all forms and respects of discrimination. During its time at the House Judiciary Committee, the bill was expanded and strengthened to include bans against racial discrimination in employment, segregation in all public facilities, and protection of the rights of black voters. The bill was later passed out to the House Rules Committee, at which the committee’s chairman Howard W. Smith expressed his intention in canning the bill. But after pressures from civil rights groups and movements, Chairman Smith finally let the bill pass through and it was brought to a vote. It passed in the House on February 10, 1964 and was sent to the Senate. During the bill’s stay at the Senate, a group of southern state Senators launched a two month filibuster trying to prevent its passage through the Senate. In compromise, a revised weaker bill than the House version was brought to the tables for Senate vote on June 10, 1964 and was passed. Originally conceived to help protect African Americans, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 also explicitly included sections to protect Women’s Rights in the bill. Added by Howard W. Smith of the House Rules Committee Chairman, it was first seen as a guise to prevent the bill from passing (since at that time it was normally conceived that some groups of men within the House and Senate would oppose Women’s Rights). The Bill was later successfully passed and marked the first time legislation was put into effect to protect women. The Civil Rights Act was later followed by the Civil Rights Act of 1968, commonly known as the Fair Housing Act of 1968; which expanded the prohibition of discrimination to include the housing sector. It specifically prohibited discrimination on the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, nationality and later gender, and the protection of families with children and of the handicapped. The next important anti-discrimination law to pass was the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978. With more than 70% of women with children in the U. S. work force, the law was setup to protect women against discrimination due to their pregnancy (or intentions of becoming pregnant). Employers with prejudices against working mothers (due to the fear of lost productivity, extra costs, expenditures and accommodations associated with pregnant women) who might have been likely to discriminate against them were deterred. The Act also enables the distribution of a monetary pay-out as a result of discrimination against pregnant women. In 2006 alone, The U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission handled 4,901 claims with monetary amount awarded totaling about $10. 4 million (EEOC 2006). The Civil Rights Act was amended again for the last time in 1991, in an effort to address various limits imposed by past United States Supreme Court’s decisions on the rights of employees who had filed law suits against their employers. It was basically setup to bring forth the emotional distress damages caused by employment discrimination while setting a limit on the amount the jury could award (â€Å"List of Anti-Discrimination Acts† 2008). Before the 1991 Act was put into effect, a plaintiff could only sue their employer for discrimination and recover lost wages or salary, lost benefits, attorney fees, court fees, other legal fees, and other costs associated with reinstatement. To prevent from unreasonable court settlements, the punitive damages awarded was capped at $300,000 for most cases (excluding ethnic and/or racial discrimination) (â€Å"List of Anti-Discrimination Acts† 2008). The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission still handles thousands of discrimination cases every year. There is statistical evidence that suggests racial discrimination in the workplace is still commonplace. In 2000, the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) reported a study in North Carolina that states accusations of racial harassment on the job nearly quadrupled between 1996 and 2000. Mindy Weinstein, attorney at the EEOC office in Charlotte, North Carolina, says, â€Å"There's a new generation of workers today who were not raised in the civil rights movement, who may not have been aware of the laws that came about because of that time†¦ We think it's largely a reflection of what's going on in society as a whole† (â€Å"Racial Discrimination† 2008). Since Barack Obama’s win the 2008 presidential election, people would like to believe that racism has seen its last day; unfortunately this is not the case. According to the research of Brown University, during 1970 to 1994, when America liberalized their uncompetitive banking markets, it reduced the wage gap between blacks and whites. Economists call the wage difference between black workers and white workers the â€Å"racial wage gap† (most of which comes from bias). Gary Becker, a Nobel-prize winning economist, argued that prejudice of employees was economically inefficient. Brown University found that deregulation of the American banking industry increased competition and lowered interest rates on loans. People found it easier to start their own business. They found that in an initially high degree of racial bias, the black-white wage gap declined the most. This evidence shows competition itself can not eliminate racial discrimination. Competition can only reduce the bias from employers. Changing attitudes takes a lot of time and effort; even though Obama’s election victory denotes a change in history, there is still a long way to go (â€Å"Race and Red Tape† 2008). Wage gaps can be seen in between genders as well. Though a wage gap between white men and white women may be expected, it is surprising to see this is not the only wage gap that exits between the sexes. In other racial groups, such as African Americans, Latinos, and Asian/Pacific Islanders, men earn more money than women within their own respective race (U. S. Census Bureau 2000). According to a study, women working 41 to 44 hours per week earn 84. 6% of what men earn working similar hours; women working more than 60 hours per week earn only 78. % of what men earn working the same hours (Bureau of Labor Statistics 2002). More over, women tend to work longer before they receive promotions and get a higher pay. Most people think a higher education may increase women’s salary, but the evidence suggests otherwise. The data does not show a narrow gender gap in wages at higher levels of education. On the contrary, at the very highest levels of education, the gap is at its largest (Hilary M. Lips 2008). Racial discrimination is an important issue in the business world and is a genuine problem that still exists—and in some cases it’s getting worse. According to a study published in 1998 by the nonprofit group Catalyst called â€Å"Women of Color in Corporate Management: A Statistical Picture,† it was shown that minority women, while now accounting for almost a quarter of all women in the workplace, occupied only 15 percent of the management positions held by women. The study verifies that a combination of racial discrimination and the glass ceiling was a differentiating factor in those numbers (Racial Discrimination 2008). Glass ceiling is a symbolic phrase referring to an invisible cap preventing qualified women and minorities from progressing into key higher level management positions, or in some cases any management positions. These individuals describe the cap as a â€Å"glass ceiling† because they can see the opportunity that should be theirs through the glass, but due to the ceiling, they can not go any higher. In 1995 the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission described the American labor force as being segregated by gender and race, where â€Å"white men fill most top management positions in corporations† (Glass Ceilings: The Status of Women as Officials and Managers in the Private Sector 2004). The report affirms that the percent of women officials and managers in the private sector used to be 29% in 1990 and had increased to 36. 4% in 2002. Although this is an improvement, women embody 48 percent of all employees, but only 36. 4% of them are in key power positions. In the National Employment Summary released in 2005 by the EEOC, the average salary reported was $40,325. This report indicates that the median income of men is above average ($44,090) and the median income of women is below average ($36,417) (â€Å"National Employment Summary† 2005). The median salary for White and Asian employees was above average as well ($41,525 and $50,762 respectively); whereas Black, Hispanic, and Native American employees had median salaries below the average income (â€Å"National Employment Summary† 2005). When graphed, these findings show that White male population has an income graph that is skewed towards the right, whereas most minorities and women have a normal income distribution. The data here supports the idea that more White men are employed in higher paying jobs. The Federal Glass Ceilings Commission argues that: â€Å"The successful elimination of glass ceilings requires not just an effective enforcement strategy but the involvement of employers, employees and others in identifying and reducing ttitudinal and other forms of organizational barriers encountered by minorities and women in advancing to higher level management positions in different workplace settings. † (Glass Ceilings: The Status of Women as Officials and Managers in the Private Sector 2004) Racism and gender discrimination hurt not only the people discriminated against, but also the economy as a whole. It prevents good, qualified individuals from progressing and attributing to the market. As a result, l ess qualified or poorly qualified people get placed in key positions. This prevents business’ from reaching their potential, and thus prevents the nation from reaching its. These issues are not restricted to the United States. Racism can be found in all countries across the globe, and its effects can be devastating. Africa suffers from constant political unrest where attempts at genocide are commonplace. Will racism and gender discrimination ever come to an end? It is a difficult question to answer, especially since it is human nature to differentiate between â€Å"us† and â€Å"them† (â€Å"So stereotypes persist because we want them to† 2000). The hope and desire for America is that the definition of â€Å"us† truly changes to encompass all Americans (â€Å"from all walks of life†). Works Cited EEOC (U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission). 2006. Retrieved November 29, 2008, from: http://www. eeoc. gov/index. html Feinberg, Mark PhD. â€Å"So Stereotypes Exist Because We Want Them to†. American Psychological Association Public Interest Directorate. Retrieved November 29, 2008, from: http://www. apa. org/pi/oema/racism/contents. html â€Å"Gender or Sex Discrimination†. 008. Retrieved November 29, from: http://www. discriminationattorney. com/lawyer-attorney-1287322. html â€Å"Glass Ceilings: The Status of Women as Officials and Managers in the Private Sector†. 2004. U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Retrieved November 29, 2008, from: http://www. eeoc. gov/stats/reports/glassceiling/index. pdf Lips, Hilary M. â€Å"The Gender Wage Gap: Debunking the Rationalizationsâ € . Retrieved November 29, 2008, from: http://www. womensmedia. com/new/Lips-Hilary-gender-wage-gap. html â€Å"List of Anti-Discrimination Acts†. 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2008, from: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/List_of_anti-discrimination_acts#United_States Manohar, Uttara. â€Å"Gender Discrimination at Workplace†. October 24, 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2008, from: http://www. buzzle. com/articles/gender-discrimination-at-workplace. html â€Å"Martin Luther King and the fight against racism in the US†. 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2008, from: http://www. socialistworker. co. uk/art. php? id=14531 â€Å"Martin Luther King Jr. . November 30, 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2008, from: http://www. 123HelpMe. com/view. asp? id=42718 â€Å"National Employment Summary†. 2005. Retrieved November 29, 2008, from: http://www. eeoc. gov/stats/jobpat_eeo4/2005/jobs/UnitedStatesSummary. html â€Å"Race and Red Tape†. November 13, 2008. The Economist print edition. Retrieved November 29, 2008, from: http://www. economist. com/finance/displaystory. cfm? story_id=12597512 â€Å"Racial Discrimination†. November 29, 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2008, from: http://www. nswers. com/topic/racial-discrimination â€Å"Racism†. 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2008, from: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Racism â€Å"Racism in the United States†. 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2008, from: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Racism_in_the_United_States â€Å"Sexism†. 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2008, from: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Racism_in_the_United_States â€Å"Small Business Encyclopedia†. 2002. Retrieved November 29, 2008, from: http://www. answers. com/topic/gender-discrimination