It Is Better to Be Ruled by a Philosopher King Essay

If one wishes to perfect one’s soul and reach enlightenment, then it is definitely better for that one to be ruled by a philosopher-king; however, if one’s main goal in life is to live happily and securely without worries, then it is arguably better for that one to be ruled by a prince. One should, however, seek to perfect one’s soul rather than seek for happiness and security alone, hence, it is better to be ruled by a philosopher-king. This paper will first lay out the reasons why one should be governed by either a Machiavellian prince or a philosopher-king, and point out that the different benefits between the two rulers depends on the different sets of priorities in a citizen’s life. Then, the paper will argue why one should pursue the values under the rule of a philosopher-king rather than that under the rule of a prince. Finally, it will look at some counter argument, analyze and assert why the thesis is still superior. If one’s main wish is to live happily and securely, then it might be better for that one to be ruled by a Machiavellian prince, since a Machiavellian prince’s main goal as a ruler is to secure his state. The perfect prince would appear to be â€Å"merciful, faithful, humane, honest, and religious†, but â€Å"know how to enter into evil, when forced by necessity† to â€Å"maintain his state. † Consequently, the people living under this prince would benefit in the peace that comes with his reign. Moreover, the people are free to pursue whatever materialistic goals they want, so long as they do not violate the laws of the prince. The prince is also neither â€Å"rapacious and a usurper of the property and the women of his subjects† nor is he trying to â€Å"maintain a name for liberality† so much that he â€Å"burden the people extraordinarily, to be rigorous with taxes. † Hence, the people living under a prince’s reign will enjoy a sufficient life with stability, security and freedom to pursue their materialistic wants. If ones seek to perfect their souls, to come out of the cave and â€Å"into the sunlight†, then life under the rule of a philosopher-king is ideal. Under the rule of a philosopher-king, the king will try to â€Å"[turn] the whole soul until it is able to study that which is and the brightest things that is, namely, the one we call the good. † To do this, one must first â€Å"rid of [feasting, greed, and other such pleasures]† that one â€Å"had been hammered at from childhood†, and then â€Å"[turn] to look at true things. The philosopher-king, whose visions and knowledge is true and wise, will help educate the people by changing theirs desires, â€Å"[try] to redirect it appropriately. † A life under a philosopher-king will benefit one’s soul rather than one’s materialistic life. It is obvious as explained previously that the key to the desirability of the two different systems, one under the Machiavellian prince and one under the ph ilosopher-king, lies in how the people prioritize what they look for in life; hence, different sets of values will be satisfied by different political systems. Thus, at first look, it seems impossible to determine which system is better because they are based on completely different sets of values. However, as one set is arguably better to pursue than the other, consequently, one political system will be more desirable than the other. The set of criteria in question is that under the rule of the philosopher-king. It is better for a person to pursue a knowledgeable, true, and rational life that a philosopher-king promises to provide than a materialistic and secure life alone that the Machiavellian prince promises. First, it needs to be pointed out that Machiavelli also seems to see there is of little value for a prince to pursue materialistic desires, unless it serves a bigger purpose, such as the acquirement of â€Å"abundance of either men or money† serves to â€Å"put together an adequate army and fight a battle against whoever comes to attack them. † Machiavelli seems to imply that a prince seeks not just power, but also seeks to be more glorious, excellent, and virtuous than ordinary men. He states that as a commander, a prince should have â€Å"no other object, nor any other thought, nor take anything else as his art but that of war and its order and discipline†; and when a prince â€Å"have thought more of amenities than of arms, [he has] lost [his state]. † This seems to imply that a prince should not seek trivial contentment, but only that of commanders; and as a leader, a prince should desire to be esteemed, feared, and loved, and avoid to be viewed as â€Å"variable, light, effeminate, pusillanimous, irresolute. Hence, Machiavelli seems to say that even though not everyone has virtues, thus, those who do will rise and become princes while the rest will be ruled over, it is desirable that one should aspire to become a prince, seek virtues, prove one’s excellence with his prudence. Socrates, hence, also seems to agree with Machiavelli that one should seek more in life than the satisfaction of one’s instinctive desires. However, Socrate s disagrees with Machiavelli on two points. First, Socrates disagrees that only a few has virtues but everyone is capable of achieving more in life but rather everyone is capable of pursuing virtues. Second, he believes that there is only the â€Å"virtue of reason† that, unlike others that â€Å"aren’t there beforehand but are added later by habit and practice,† has always been there intrinsically inside of everyone. He states that this virtue â€Å"never loses its power but is either useful and beneficial or useless and harmful, depending on the way it is turned. † Socrates, thus, might argue with Machiavelli that the virtues that he assigns for the perfect prince are derivatives of this single virtue of reason, which is â€Å"forced to serve evil ends. † Hence, the perfect prince is capable of horrid things, but still very clever to maintain his image. Socrates perhaps can conclude that the prince described by Machiavelli is a case where the virtue of reason is turned to the wrong way. Thus, Socrates reasons that everyone is capable of pursuing this virtue of reason, and hence, capable of greatness, but they need guidance and education to â€Å"[turn] around from darkness to light. † Machiavelli then might agree that everyone might be capable of greatness, but he still disagrees as to why any person with the virtue of reason should not become a prince to dominate others, but agree to be governed by the philosopher-king. Now, assume that Socrates’ model of the human soul is correct and sufficient; it might give an answer to this problem. Socrates reasons that a human’s soul consists of three parts, a human who represents our virtue of reasons, a lion which represents our beastly power and aggression, also courage and nobility, and a multicolored beast with â€Å"a ring of many heads that it can grow and change at will† which represents our various desires, â€Å"some from gentle, some from savage animals. With the previously established argument that Machiavelli and Socrates may agree that the satisfaction of materialistic desires holds little value, hence, the scenario that the multicolored beast is in control can be eliminated, and so, the argument may be narrowed down to Machiavelli wanting the noble and courageous lion to dominate, while Socrates remains that the rational human should be in control. The initial description of the lion seems to match the dominant characteristics of that of the Machiavellian prince; however, as Machiavelli says himself, a prince needs both natures of man and beast, since â€Å"one without the other is not lasting. † The prince, hence, is still governed by both the man with virtue of reasons and the lion with courage and nobility. He uses the virtues of reason to acquire other virtues to become a prince, but he is still driven by the instinct of the noble lion to achieve glory and conquer others. As the human is the â€Å"best part of [a human soul]† it is still best to have the human part be in control over the bestial parts, because then, the â€Å"entire soul settles into its best nature, acquires moderation, justice, and reason. † Thus, people should seek to achieve this state of the soul where the human part is in control, it then takes care of the multicolored beast â€Å"as farmer does his animals†, and tends to the lion so that â€Å"the lion’s nature [becomes] his ally. This form of goodness of the soul is â€Å"the last thing to be seen, and it is reached only with difficulty. † Hence, the people will want and need the help of a philosopher-king. Since â€Å"a democratic man like a city ruled by a democracy, and similarly with the others†, the life under the rule of a philosopher-king will be similarly to the life which the philosopher-king rules himself. He will ensure by laws or otherwise, that his subject citizens will b e â€Å"the slave of [the philosopher-king] who has a divine ruler within himself. A philosopher-king does not wish to enslave the people to exploit from them, but only to help nurture and bring out the best of the people. When the people are ready, are equipped with â€Å"guardians and ruler similar to [the philosopher-king],† then the people will be set free. It will be ideal for everyone to be ruled by his own divine reason within himself. In conclusion, it is better to be ruled by a philosopher-king because one should goes after the values that the philosopher-king promotes. That is, one should find the virtue of reasons, and by the power of this virtue and the help of the philosopher-king, pursue the ideal balance of the soul, where the human part governs his consciousness and reins in the beasts. The Machiavellian prince is still governed by both the lion and the human, and he lets the people indulge themselves in their desires, hence, the prince is not the best choice of ruler, for himself and for his people alike.

Economic Growth in Nigeria Essay

The agriculture sector was the focus of intense development interest during the 1990s, with food self-sufficiency the goal. In 1990, agriculture was the subject of a separate three-year development plan involving public and private spending targets concentrating on the family farmer. The program  included price stabilization plans and schemes to revitalize the palm oil, cocoa, and rubber subsectors. The Agricultural Development Projects continued through the decade, but implementation of goals was difficult. The country still imports most of its wheat from the United States. An integrated petrochemical industry was also a priority. Using the output of the nation’s refineries, Nigeria produced benzene, carbon black, and polypropylene. The development of liquid natural gas facilities was expected to lead to the production of methanol, fertilizer, and domestic gas. Nigeria’s refineries operated at less than optimal rates throughout the 1990s. In the manufacturing sector, the government was backing a policy of local sourcing whereby locally produced raw materials were converted into finished products. By 1999, manufacturing accounted for less than 1% of gross domestic product (GDP). By the beginning of the 2000s, the government was more concerned about halting corruption and reigning in the state budget than economic development. Nevertheless, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) was created to coordinate economic and social development in the oil-producing region. Nigeria’s foreign debt stood at around $28.5 billion in 2001, a large portion of which was interest and payment arrears. The Obasanjo administration in the early 2000s was supporting private-sector-led, market-oriented economic growth, and had begun economic reform programs. Privatization of state-owned enterprises continued. A Stand-By Arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), approved in 2000, lapsed in 2001 as the government’s economic reform program went off track. There were indications a new IMF program for the country would be negotiated in 2003–04. Read more: http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Nigeria-ECONOMIC-DEVELOPMENT.html#ixzz2HUrqN4ZB

Banking System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Banking System - Essay Example When it comes to wire transfers, the most annoying thing in it is with regard to the lengthy and painstaking procedures involved in authentication and also the cost factor is a major concern. The cost of initiating a wire transfer of money say, between America and England would cost a minimum of $15, which is quite costly. Another major factor of concern is the accessibility. Even today, the common man has to go to any branch of a bank even if there are cases where there is only a single branch in most of the cities. Such a limitation makes it difficult for effective and smooth business, when other modern technologies are at hand. The modern era has seen an increase in wireless communication along with the advent of the age of the Internet and the WWW (world wide web). As such, banks today feel the need to take advantage of these developments and modify their current operations in order to incorporate such new technologies and practices. 1) System Startup: The system is started up when the operator turns the operator switch to the "on" position. The operator will be asked to enter the amount of money currently in the cash dispenser, and a connection to the bank will be established. Then the servicing of customers can begin. 2) System Shutdown: The system is shut down when the operator makes sure that no customer is using the machine, and then turns the operator switch to the "off" position. The connection to the bank will be shut down. Then the operator is free to remove deposited envelopes, replenish cash and paper, etc.3) Session: A session is started when a customer inserts an ATM card into the card reader slot of the machine. The ATM pulls the card into the machine and reads it. (If the reader cannot read the card due to improper insertion or a damaged stripe, the card is ejected, an error screen is displayed, and the session is aborted.) The customer is asked to enter his/her PIN, and is then allowed to perform one or more transactions, choosing from a menu of possible types of transaction in each case. After each transaction, the customer is asked whether he/she would like to perform another. When the customer is through performing transactions, the card is ejected from the machine and the sessio n ends. If a transaction is aborted due to too many invalid PIN entries, the session is also aborted, with the card being retained in the machine.The customer may abort the session by pressing the Cancel key when entering a PIN or choosing a transaction type. 4) Transaction: A transaction use case is started within a session when the customer chooses a transaction type from a menu of options. The customer will be asked to furnish appropriate details (e.g. account(s) involved, amount). The transaction will then be sent to the bank, along with information from the customer's card and the PIN the customer

We spend too much on education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

We spend too much on education - Essay Example Assuredly, the returns to education are currently higher than they were a few years ago. However, to acquire this education, the government is seemingly spending more when compared with the efficiency it derives. Indeed, various costs relate to the acquisition of education. Nevertheless, the amount we spend on education does not seem to correlate with the value of the resulting credentials. As such, this paper shows that we are currently spending too much on education. The federal government and the American taxpayers are already feeling the pressure of financing education in America (Whybrow, n.y). Indeed, in its quest to provide education to its citizens, the federal government using taxes subsidizes costs on research, tuition, offers student’s loans, and scholarships (McArdle, 2012). In the recent years, these costs have been increasing as seen in the country’s education budget. Indeed, the education sector currently takes one of the biggest chunks of the national budget as the federal government, the taxpayers struggle to keep up with the increasing number of students, and the costs related to education. Notably, the eminent struggle to finance education shows that the results of previous financing have no capacity to support modern education. As such, we can confirm that the federal government and the taxpayers are spending too much on education. At the same time, Americans seeking to acquire higher education at the universities and colleges are currently paying a lot of money towards this venture. Indeed, such students or their parents have to pay accommodation, library, transport, alumni donations, tuition, research, private scholarships, and other costs related to quality education (McArdle, 2012). In fact, by 2011, an average college student would spend about $ 17,000 a year while those who opt to take the government’s education loans accrue about $ 23,000 a year (The New York Times, 2011). These figures have risen in the recent past and

Sage 50 vs Lawson ERP Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sage 50 vs Lawson ERP - Research Paper Example As described in its website, the major Sage 50 Apps include Tracker App, Mobile Sales App, Foreign Trade App, and Construction Industry App. The Tracker App provides businesses a secure access to their accounts through the smartphone. The Mobile Sales App assists businessmen to work on the move using tablet. Foreign Trade App is really beneficial to make the work of trading in multiple currencies easier. Similarly, the Construction Industry App provides all the facilities needed to manage industry specific tax (Sage). The Sage 50 Accounting is a comprehensive software capable of managing VAT, sales, expenses, and profits more efficiently. In addition, this accounting software allows businesses to access their accounts remotely using the Sage Drive. The company offers annual pricing as well as monthly pricing options. It charges $269 annually and $29.5 monthly for the subscription of this accounting product (Sage 50 products). The Sage 50 Accounting software does not require any speci al hardware or software, and therefore it is easy for businesses to implement this software. Lawson is the world’s leading Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software company having strength of over 4,500 customers, 4,000 employees, and offices in more than 40 countries around the globe (Lawson Software). The company has well-expanded operations worldwide, and it offers a wide range of ERP applications and industry-specific solutions to meet the needs of small, medium, and large scale enterprises. The company was acquired by Infor recently, and currently the combined organization is the world’s third largest enterprise software company behind Oracle and SAP (Lawson Software). The two major product offerings of Lawson are branded as S3 and M3. Here, the letter S stands for service and this product (S3) was introduced to â€Å"help service industries ‘staff, source, and serve† (Lawson

Political and economic developments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Political and economic developments - Essay Example The American political scene has for a long time been dominated by two major political parties despite the constitution allowing the existence of as many parties as the citizens would deem fit. These two parties are the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. These two parties differ in policies and fundamental political ideologies. However, having only two political parties is a show of political maturity. This has contributed to the country’s economic prosperity. With the attainment of independence of most countries, the notion of self rule brought with it the possibilities of the countries liberating their citizenry from poverty and even bad governance. This new system of self governance took a myriad of forms with most of the colonies taking after their colonial masters (Michael & John, 2000). This made early European civilization receive much acknowledgement. Most of these types of governance were based on democracy which is a system that allows the populace the author ity to elect their leaders. According to varying preferences, some countries opted for the presidential system in which the president would be directly elected by the populace. The United States is a classical example of this kind of governance. Others opted for a parliamentarian system in which the elected legislatures elect the president. ... Factors that lead to the creations of these nations differ; these are such basic factors as the size of the country, the population size, the religious beliefs of the populace, and multiple others. These are responsible for the formulation of the laws that the legislators deem relevant. What is of relevance in one region is never relevant tin another. The relativity in legal relevance thus explains the difference in regional legislations. The economic growth of a country is determined by a number of factors. Most of these factors are politically instigated. A country that is politically stable like the United States attracts investors. With investors coming to such demography’s, the implication would imminent economic progress (Hill, 2010). The American currency The dollar is the most traded currency globally. This is a clear show of how strong the country’s economy is. The strong economy is sustained by fundamental economic concepts which suit its economy as well as po pulace. There are deliberate moves made by the American government to sustain its economy and safeguards its interests in the world market. These are highlighted in the proceeding part. The American economy has over the years projected manageable rates of inflation due to sound financial policies. This implies a strong economic prospect for the country. Furthermore, this also ensures that the currency retains a strong presence in the financial markets globally. The second factor that has led to the strong currency is the high interest rates that characterize the country’s banking and lending sector. When interest rates are high, the market becomes attractive to investors who would in turn take part in the investments in the securities such as bonds (Stefan, Christopher & Jochen, 2008). This

The Heineken Marketing Dispute Over Product Cost Essay - 2

The Heineken Marketing Dispute Over Product Cost - Essay Example Heineken refused to supply Forty Foot, a newly owned pub of Wetherspoon’s. Heineken could lose a lot of profits if it ends its relationship with the pub chains of Ireland. Wetherspoon’s chain is well known for selling food and drinks at cheap prices in the UK. It’s an entry into the Irish market would mean that competition would increase and prices would be driven down; Heineken is not happy with this, so it has demanded its distributors in Ireland including Wetherspoon’s and Dublin to sell its products at high prices (Pogatchnik 2014). Wetherspoon’s has a plan of opening 30 pubs in Ireland by buying failed businesses in the country as an entry strategy. This article is relevant to the concept of marketing channels. The types of marketing channels are direct selling, selling through intermediaries, dual distribution, and reverse channels. The method used by Heineken in this article is the dual distribution mechanism whereby the company uses more than one channel simultaneously in the same market. For example, Heineken sells to Whetherspoon’s and Duplin at the same time to reach the market of Ireland. The concept of marketing channels suggests that the dual distribution channel may cause conflict among channels (Venugopal 2001, p.67). This is what happened with Heineken as some of its distributors rejected its products. The company also utilizes intermediaries and agents to sell its products which involve Manufacturer-Agent-Wholesaler-Retailer-Consumer. This marketing channel is used to reach the market indirectly to target markets (Venugopal 2001, p.130). For example, Heineken sells to the market through pubs such as Duplin and Whetherspoon’s which in turn sell to retailers or sell directly to consumers.

The Role of Leader Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Role of Leader - Essay Example Leadership even motivates the people to improve their performance related to work and creates a positive change within an organisation. Leadership provides a new way of thinking as well as generate new ideas for effectiveness of the organizations in relation to the attainment of the organisational objectives. Leadership generally aims to bring out the best in people to make them work better and achieve a common goal (The ASPIRA Association, n.d.) In addition, leadership can also be referred as a function of creating a vision in order to obtain the desired objectives of the organisation successfully by guiding the workforce, communicating and even building trust among them and the leader so that they can work better (Oklahoma State University, 2006). The main aim of this paper is to understand different theories of leadership and their application in the organisation. Furthermore this paper will also describe the different role and style of leaders. Theories of Leadership The role of every leader is different from one another. Leaders are often observed to develop their own style of leadership and follow different leadership theories according to the requirement of the situation that they need to face in their organisations. In this regards, various theoretical frameworks or theories have been developed which explains some of the major leadership traits possessed by leaders. A few of the theories are Great man theory, Trait theory, Contingency theory, Transformational theory, Behavioural theory, and Transactional theory. According to great man theory, it is believed the people are born to lead. Leaders develop their own leadership qualities. This theory includes the members of high personality, industrial heads. On the other hand, trait theory is quite similar to the great man theory. The theory emphasizes on physical traits, tasks assigned to the leader, and social as well as personal ability of the leader among others in order to explain the leadership style. However, the contingency theory is more progressive. As per the contingency theory, leadership style should be consistent with the situation faced by the organisation to achieve the goals and objectives. In transformational theory the leaders are often observed to build a trust amid the organisational participants, motivate and engage with subordinates to increase the morality of the followers as well as the leader. The leaders also help the followers to develop their potentials and satisfy their needs with the aim to attain the desired organisational goal (Transformational Leadership, 2010). In the similar context, behavioural theory attempts to highlight the effectiveness of a leader. The behavioural theory mainly focuses on the perceptions, actions, and activities of an individual while performing any task, based on previous experience. This theory is a type of mental understanding which facilitates the actions of an entity. This theory also helps an individual or leader to take accurate decisions, which would be beneficial in accomplishing the assigned duties. It measures the confidence level and loyalty of the leader that how well they can lead and execute strategies into actions. In this theory it is believed that one has to learn effective leadership as human beings are not born with the required qualities of a good leader and thus need to develop the leadership qualit

Tacit Knowledge, Idiosyncratic Knowledge, Path Dependence Essay

Tacit Knowledge, Idiosyncratic Knowledge, Path Dependence - Essay Example In other words, tacit knowledge is hidden knowledge, as opposed to explicit knowledge, which is its opposite, woven into the very processes that some organizations have developed through the years, and woven into the very fabric of the way people carry out their work. It can be surmised that the more knowledge intensive the work is, the greater the role that tacit knowledge plays in making the products and delivering the services tied to that work. b. Idiosyncratic Knowledge As the name suggests, idiosyncratic knowledge is knowledge that is specific to one particular situation, organization, or group of people, and not available elsewhere. There are many kinds of idiosyncratic or specific knowledge for one kind of firm, and like tacit knowledge idiosyncratic knowledge is very much embedded into the very fabric of the organization and of the members of that organization, not easily surfaced and discovered, and very difficult to codify. As the name further suggests idiosyncratic knowledge is something very intimate, and something that cannot be had overnight, for one organization or firm. It is rather something that takes a long time to develop, and something that has to be born and bred in one organization from its daily operations, not easily ported and transferred to other organizations or groups. Moreover, the nature of the idiosyncratic knowledge and of its use has far-reaching implications for competitive advantage and the long-term viability and suc cess of organizations.

Smart Guys In the Room Complete Essay Example for Free

Smart Guys In the Room Complete Essay The documentary film, the Smartest Guys In the Room was written and produced by Alex Gibney, who is also the writer and producer of Eugene Jareckis â€Å"The Trials of Henry Kissinger†. This documentary is mainly and exanimation of the way a corporate giant rose and fell due to financial and accounting malpractices by the executives of the company, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. This film documentary is based on a book written by the Fortune Magazine reporters namely Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind. It starts in the scene whereby Enron executive Cliff Baxter is re-enacted after which the films takes the viewer through a flashback whereby the chairman of Enron, Mr. Kenneth Lay is described as a person from a humble background with his father being a preacher hence the reference of him, as a son of a preacher. The film also depicts the life of Mr. Kenneth and how he managed to rise up in his career in the corporate world, the development of various business strategies which he applied in the natural gas business and also the kind of relationship which he had with the family of the then president Bush. From the film, one is able to observe that the financial and the accounting malpractices started long time as early as the year 1987. During this period, various outrageous and risky practices and profit skimming were encouraged by Lay of two traders involved in oil trading in Enron’s office at Valhalla. This was due to the reason these traders used to bring a lot of money to the company through the oil trade with the company. The arrival of the CEO Jeff Skilling brought extensive and aggressive form of accounting philosophy which became part of the practices of the company. From this documentary, The Smartest Guys In the Room, it can also be observed that the company went to great lengths through various malpractices so that it could appear to profitable yet it was not. The true financial situation and position of the company was worse although the investors were made to believe that the company was performing well. The executives applied crude ways of ensuring that they win at any costs. The executives of the company bare portray as ones who are more concerned with creating an image for the company and do not care whether the practices which they apply are acceptable and beneficial to the shareholders and even other stakeholders such as the employees of the company. The executives employed illegal ways of doing business which included offering huge contracts for their financial analysts so that they could not portray the true picture of the firm. Furthermore, the executives as observed in the documentary decided that the company could loan money to itself hence hiding the huge debts of the company, giving the wrong impression to investors and other stakeholders of the company. It is also observed that the company made use of the deregulation of the state of California to control and manipulate the market for electricity therefore affecting the supply of electricity. The use of characters such as Mr. Kenneth who was known as a son of a preacher brings contradiction to the film, since a preacher’s son is never expected to involve in wrong practices but that is not the case. This shows the viewer that the face value of something may never always be the exact value of that particular item hence there is need for extensive and further investi8gation. In the film, the executives are also shown as greedy since they manage to keep for themselves riches at the expenses of everyone else who were involved with the company. The employees lost their jobs as a result of the actions and the malpractices of the executives in addition to the investors who lost their money in the company. The general depiction of the film is about capitalism which is demonstrated through the actions of the executives of Enron. The film, Smart Guys in the Room is a demonstration that financial and accounting practices should be regulated and closely mo0nitored to avoid adverse effects on the economy. Giving a free hand to a company and allowing a lot of freedom for the executives of a company may lead to practices which cause the failure and even death of a company. Capitalism has had great negative impacts on the economy of the United States since the companies were allowed to run as they please and not stringent measures and financial reporting and regulations were put in place. The documentary, Smart Guys in The Room, clearly brings out the importance of the various accounting and financial reporting standards which have been set for companies to follow. The executives of any given company must be held accountable for their actions and must always know that their priority goal is to provide true financial position of the company they manage. It is the duty of the investors also to take control and monitor the practices within the companies they invest in to avoid issues such as that if Enron. References Enron-The Smart Guys In the Room, (2005), viewed from www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxzLX_C9Z74 on 28th June 2014. Source document

What Is The Irrigation System History Essay

What Is The Irrigation System History Essay Irrigation system consists on taking water from the main water source and diverting it with artificial channels where it used for agriculture needs. This system is dictated by the geographical and geology position. As we know Nile valley civilizations have depended by getting the best use of this river. As Herodotus said Egypt is the gift of the river.The efficiency of these irrigation systems made possible the fertility of the land , so irrigation schemes were not only built, but even maintained. The Nile being one of the most predictable rivers in the world, and has a flood period nearly to one hundred days. There for the agriculture was based in winter crops after the annual floods had subsided. Being only one water source which was hard to control, the irrigation works were based to deal only with peak of the flood along the river bank. In order to descend the water into several basins in succession , they made large flat-bottomed basins. Water, after being drained off to the crops and back into the river at the right time of the growing cycle after it stayed for several days in the fields. Herodotus wrote that the Egyptians get their harvests with less labor than anyone else in the world. The irrigation system got even better after they knew in advance the height of the annual flood. The fluctuations of the Nile floods made the irrigation system quite primitive and food was not stored efficiently. Their irrigation system was primitive and they depended on one winter crop per year. They were not capable to dam the river as a consequence there was no attempt at water storage. The big centers of ancient Egypt civilization, which lay along the river had the possibility for a second crop. The Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom were periods in Egyptian history when strong central government flourished in times of prosperity. Its not clear whether strong central government resulted in effective irrigation and good crop production, or whether strong central government broke down after climatic changes resulted in unstable agricultural production. Dams It was more a giant weir, to hold back some of the annual flood waters coming down the valley, and to divert some of that water, under control, out of sluices and into a canal system. Perhaps the earliest successful technique was to build a diversion dam. The structure is built right across the bed of the stream, and is not merely a cut in the river-bank that takes off some of the water into a canal. Stream valleys with only seasonal flow are the best places to learn dam-building. The dam can be built during the dry season, allowing engineers to learn how to build a successful dam, without having to master also the technique of diverting the stream. The dam can also be maintained or repaired during dry seasons. If the dam fails in flood, it does no more than restore the old flow, and is not catastrophic. Its probably not a coincidence that all the most ancient dams are built across intermittent streams, or wades. So, the daily life could continue its routine. Making good use of all these works they use these as highways to transport all kind of things through water. Not only this, but they could dominate the floods and use it at their favor and take the maximum of their land. The Nile gift enmark beside this was used for food storage in good times. They perfectioned their tools to made all these architechtual wonders for the time. As early as 5000 B.C., nomadic hunter-gatherers of northeastern Africa began to settle by the Nile. They took up a farming life regulated by the riverà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s seasonal rise and fall, growing cereal crops such as wheat and barley. The Nile also provided these Neolithic farmers with ducks and geese in its marshlands and fish in its waters. The early Egyptians harvested papyrus growing wild along the banks of the Nile, using the long, thin reeds to make rope, matting, sandals, baskets, and later on sheets of paper like writing material. Body paragraph 2 Ancient Egyptians had to contend with enormous temperature swings. They looked for a place not only to protect them from heat and cold, but even to storage the food. Because rainfall was in frequent, the main construction material was plentiful sun-baked mud . The basic Egyptian house consisted of a high rectangular enclosure wall and an entry door faced north at the narrow end, a central pool of water just past the entry door, a roofed area raised on columns open at the front. In general these three elements were the main points of all Egyptian houses. In order to feel breezes not possible at ground level, they added stairs leading to the roof. Windows were placed higher in rooms in order to drop the heat down. They were small in size as the Sun shinned brightly all day. Bedrooms incorporated raised alcoves for sleeping and adobe benches along one or more walls for sitting and supporting objects; niches in the walls held small oil lamps. In size, Egyptian homes were comparable to th ose of our time. The workers were needed to built the monumental works. During the spring the Nile flooded, so for three months the workers were taken in their villages by a represented of the pharaoh. While he shouted : In the name of the pharaoh , the soldiers gathered the people and putted in a navy to be transported in the work place and they had to be in the navy for several weeks. After these, they were settled in their provisory homes, where they would stay there for the rest of the time needed to finish the work. The recruits were compesed with food and cloth. They were divided into 500 divisions with 20 men per division. Women made supplementary works for the workers. In their monuments and other architectonic works they represented even the matriarchal and patriarchal system. They showed in statues woman hanging the shoulder to their man. In the Old Kingdom we can see that some columns have the face of a woman. Egyptian temples were placed where spiritual work was done. An arch with a wing disk was always found to the entrance of the temple. They were created with the form of a snake, snake is the maschilism form and Feminism. The feminism and maschilim have to be in balance, so that the ego of every day world has to be left aside in order to enter the cosmic world. The efficient functioning of the temple was made possible by a large staff of priests and other support staff. They served in one lunar month in rotation and during three months of free time after service, they worked in other temples. Every temple was the residence of gods, but there were even libraries, so the priests had to do great work. After entering the temple they were excluded from their social life goods . Body paragraph 3- Many great mysteries surround their vast architectonic works. Their time of building, the way of building is still a main topic of discussion among Egyptologists. They think how it was possible to transport massive blocks through ramps or in which way. A new theory is that of internal ramps. Further more they say the grand gallery served as a high complex to transport the marble stones. Till today the most known theory is that which states the building the pyramid according to the Sirius constellation. Even this theory has some contradictions if we compare the geologic structure, the river base as it was in different years. Putting together lines and marks, which usually helped the workmen keep balance and edge during the groundwork, full size sketches were from time to time used to lay out relatively scale, small-scale architectural details. Egyptians not solely used the 3-4-5 triangle to shred right angles, but that they were also sensitive that identically triangles could be acquired by varying the dimensions, but keeping fixed the proportions between the sides. This is an notable point, which might have had a notable function in the project and construction of pyramids. We have information that the period between The Middle Kingdom square grids were used for two dimensional scenes. Modern studies have proved that the dimensions of mud-brick in ancient Egypt varied from a smaller size used in the early Dynastic Period to larger versions adopted from the Old Kingdom onwards, but their proportions remained more or less the same, with a ratio of about 2:1 between length and width. The surviving drawings barely provide enough information about the two-dimensional layout of the plans, and do not seem to have been the principal instrument to take decisions about the three-dimensional aspects. This gap between the schematic drawings and the actual buildings may have been filled by architectural models, which might have been used to visualize in advance the real appearance of the construction. without the distortions and illusions produced by the adoption of the graphic conventions necessary to reproduce a three-dimensional reality on a two-dimensional surface. Among the mass of votive objects, there are a few architectural models that can be related to the planning and building process. A temple is much simpler by the geometrical aspect compared with a temple. Even their geometry is simple, mathematical knowledge is used during the calculation process. Body paragraph 4- During the Archaic Period it was the peek of good relations between Greece and Egypt. It was the perfect time to transfer artistic and architectural notions between the Egyptians and Greeks This period in Egypt was a time of great artistic and architectural revival. The Rhoikos temple labyrinths clearly associates it with the Egyptian marvel. Significant innovations in Ionian temple architecture of this period greatly resemble long established and commonly implemented elements of the Egyptian colossal architectural tradition. In Naukratis below the astragal on the uppermost part of the column shaft is the Egyptian lotus flower and bud. Similarities are found with the Egyptian colonnade and the Ionic peristyle. the difference being that the central columns of the Egyptian hypostyle hall are far more massive than Ionic. Egyptian architecture has stimulated the imagination of architects in modern times. An interesting similarity is Burnham Root`s Monadnock Building for having heavy sloping lines of an Egyptian pyramid. Not even that, but many modern buildings in Las Vegas and not only are trying to rebuild pyramid like structures. These attract people`s curiosity. Still today the Egyptian architecture opens debate and is still functional. Conclusion The good architecture of dams and the irrigation system made possible that the daily life flows normally. Not only this, but they could dominate the floods and use it at their favor and take the maximum of their land. They used their architectonic knowledge in their favor to build good houses. But the most impressed impact of building the magnificent architectonic marvel from sketch to reality was the slaves daily life in the work place. The life changed even for the temple personnel, which it has not been mentioned in many history books. The most impressed thing was their knowledge used in architectonic buildings. Still today the mystery, debate cover the ancient architectonic works. Even that many centuries have passed, even now days we are fascinated by their architectonic.

Engine Efficiency Essay -- physics internal combustion engine

Ever since the invention of the internal combustion engine, scientists and engineers have worked to increase its efficiency. As it stands now, the average internal combustion automobile engine only converts roughly 20% of its energy into useful motivational power. Most of the rest is expended through heat loss in various locations. The cooling system in an automobile is used to remove heat from all the moving parts so that they can still function properly without melting, seizing, or overheating. If an engine was ideal, it would release no heat because all of its energy would be converted into the power transferred to the wheels, but no such engine exists in reality. With all the many moving parts that must remain in contact with one another (in order to maintain compression and prevent various other leaks), friction is inevitable and thus, so is heat. Therefore, the cooling system in the car is exceedingly important. The way it works is basically a simple matter of heat transfer. Water cooled vehicles use a combination of air and liquid cooling mechanisms, routing coolant hoses past the hotter parts of the engine so that heat can transfer from the engine parts into the coolant, which then goes back into the radiator to be cooled off by the incoming air. Air cooled vehicles typically have large fans installed strategically on the engine and heat dissipating fins on the heads. What may come as a surprise to some is that the heater in the cab of your car is actually a part of the car's cooling system. Heat that is removed from the engine is simply piped into the cab so that the driver doesn't freeze to death in the middle of winter. The removal of this heat draws colder air into the engine compartment... ... rather have clean air, myself... Conclusion It may seem as though there are no significant benefits to the inefficiencies of internal combustion engines. After all, they waste fuel, resources and money; they pollute the environment and create potential health risks; and to some people, too much can go wrong with them to ever make them worth trying to understand. I, however, will always stand by my love of the painstakingly choreographed dance that takes place within a combustion engine; all the parts working in time to create a glorious, gas-guzzling, ozone depleting, peace disturbing chunk of steel, rubber, glass and aluminum that can go 0-60 in a matter of mere seconds. And I would like to hear anyone curse the inefficient heat loss of their engine when it is pumping 70Â ° air into a -40Â ° cab at 6 a.m. in the middle of Fairbanks' frigid winter.

Aristophanes Assemlywomen and Lysistrata Essay -- Athenian Athens Gen

Aristophanes' Assemlywomen and Lysistrata Typically in Athenian society, women took care of the things in the household while men, although still retaining the final say over matters of the household, focused most of their attention on the world outside the home. In the plays Assemblywomen and Lysistrata, Aristophanes explores roles of men and women in society, specifically what would happen if women were to take on the roles of men. Looking at these two plays about Athenian society as metaphors for marital life, it shows that men and women were incapable of having balanced power in their relationships. In both of these plays, the men were unable to keep their own sense of power when the women took over politics, and they eventually moved into the submissive role of women. In Lysistrata, the women used their seduction to gain power. Similarly, in Assemblywomen, the women came into power through deception and clever planning. This paper explores why women rarely stepped up to take power; how they would gain power when they would step up to claim it; and how the men would respond once confronted with a woman in power. This all serves to show that in Athens, a marriage of man and woman could not exist with mutuality of power – rather, one (typically the man) would dominate, while the other (typically the woman) took the submissive role. Throughout both Lysistrata and Assemblywomen, both the men and women were convinced, to varying degrees, that the women were incapable of handling any kind of authority or challenging task. In fact, only the dominant, leader women (Lysistrata and Praxagora) of the two plays had enough confidence to handle a position of power. These women have been brought up i... ...brought this power imbalance to the open, however, by exploring what would happen if women took the initiative to claim the dominant rold in society. The women, when able to successfully overcome the men and take power in the city, left the men with no choice but to either fight to regain the power, as they attempted to do in Lysistrata, or succumb to the women’s plans, as they did in both Assemblywomen and, eventually, Lysistrata. In relinquishing their power to women, the men forfeited their masculinity and became stereotypically feminine while the women also forfeited their gender norms to stay in power. Athenian unions, therefore, subsisted on a constant inequality of power kept carefully balanced by each partner staying in their designated role in the marriage – the husband the strong moneymaker living outside of the house, the wife the submissive homemaker.

Wedding Speech Delivered by the Groom -- Wedding Toasts Roasts Speeche

Wedding Speech Delivered by the Groom I was really, really nervous about standing up here and speaking. I did prepare a few lines for today and having snorted them I now feel absolutely fine. I did have a great speech worked out for you today, but as I am now married, my wife has told me what to say instead. I'd like to start by thanking you all on behalf of my wife and I being here with us today, especially those who have travelled some distance to be here. We would also like to thank you all very much for your cards, kind thoughts and wonderful presents. I was afraid that putting a dinner service on the wedding list was not such a good idea, when I discussed it with Mary I suggested that we should get a dishwasher, but she told me not to worry , and that she was going to get one when we got married, Me! In all seriousness when Mary and I where planning this wedding we had considered getting married abroad, however with a bit of gentle persuasion from June(Bride's mom) consisting of her tightly gripped fist and my wedding tackle, we decided to give it a miss. Somebody once asked me when Adam & Eve were together how did we know that they lived in paradise? well in view of the fact that my new Mother-in-Law is so close, I don't want to say much, other than this- Adam had no Mother-in-law, that's how we know he lived in paradise. But seriously I would like to thank June for all her... ...e is that it was Berlin's the pub, Cairo Jax the nightclub, Iceland the freezer shop and Texas the DIY store. Finally I asked Mary's mom in the Church, how did Mary look in her wedding dress, she said she looked wonderful, but that didn't prepare me enough for when I saw her walk down the aisle. I was overwhelmed to say the least by how beautiful Mary looks today. So, to my wife, my bride and joy – thank you for everything you have done and making me the happiest man alive. you know everything about me and love me just the same, I have my faults, yet you still agreed to marry me. I am extremely lucky today to be the one to marry you - and I hope this is the start of many happy years together. Wedding Speech Delivered by the Groom -- Wedding Toasts Roasts Speeche Wedding Speech Delivered by the Groom I was really, really nervous about standing up here and speaking. I did prepare a few lines for today and having snorted them I now feel absolutely fine. I did have a great speech worked out for you today, but as I am now married, my wife has told me what to say instead. I'd like to start by thanking you all on behalf of my wife and I being here with us today, especially those who have travelled some distance to be here. We would also like to thank you all very much for your cards, kind thoughts and wonderful presents. I was afraid that putting a dinner service on the wedding list was not such a good idea, when I discussed it with Mary I suggested that we should get a dishwasher, but she told me not to worry , and that she was going to get one when we got married, Me! In all seriousness when Mary and I where planning this wedding we had considered getting married abroad, however with a bit of gentle persuasion from June(Bride's mom) consisting of her tightly gripped fist and my wedding tackle, we decided to give it a miss. Somebody once asked me when Adam & Eve were together how did we know that they lived in paradise? well in view of the fact that my new Mother-in-Law is so close, I don't want to say much, other than this- Adam had no Mother-in-law, that's how we know he lived in paradise. But seriously I would like to thank June for all her... ...e is that it was Berlin's the pub, Cairo Jax the nightclub, Iceland the freezer shop and Texas the DIY store. Finally I asked Mary's mom in the Church, how did Mary look in her wedding dress, she said she looked wonderful, but that didn't prepare me enough for when I saw her walk down the aisle. I was overwhelmed to say the least by how beautiful Mary looks today. So, to my wife, my bride and joy – thank you for everything you have done and making me the happiest man alive. you know everything about me and love me just the same, I have my faults, yet you still agreed to marry me. I am extremely lucky today to be the one to marry you - and I hope this is the start of many happy years together.

Quality Assurance Essay

Quality assurance is based on setting agreed quality standards at all stages in the production of a good or service in order to ensure that customers’ satisfaction is achieved. It does not just focus on the finished product. This approach often involves self-checking by workers of their own output against these agreed quality standards. The key differences between the two methods are that, quality assurance: a.puts much more emphasis on prevention of poor quality by designing products for easy fault-free manufacture, rather than inspecting for poor-quality products – ‘getting it right first time’ b.stresses the need for workers to get it right the first time and reduces the chances of faulty products occurring or expensive reworking of faulty goods c.establishes quality standards and targets for each stage of the production process – for both goods and services d.Checks components, materials and services bought into the business at the point of arrival or delivery – not at the end of the production process by which stage much time and many resources may have been wasted. The quality-assurance department will need to consider all areas of the fi rm. Agreed standards must be established at all stages of the process from initial product idea to it finally reaching the consumer: †¢Product design – will the product meet the expectations of consumers? †¢Quality of inputs – quality must not be let down by bought-in components. Suppliers will have to accept and keep to strict quality standards. †¢Production quality – this can be assured by total quality management (TQM) and emphasizing with workers that quality levels must not drop below pre-set standards. †¢Delivery systems – customers need goods and services delivered at times convenient to them. The punctuality and reliability of delivery systems must be monitored. †¢Customer service including after-sales service – continued customer satisfaction will depend on the quality of contact with consumers after purchase. For example: Nissan car factories have predetermined quality standards set and checked at each stage of the assembly of vehicles – by the workers accountable for them. First Direct, a European telephone banking organisation, sets limits on waiting times for calls to be answered, average times to be taken for meeting each customer’s requests and assurance standards to monitor that customer requests have been acted on correctly. Quality assurance has the following advantages: i.It makes everyone responsible for quality – this can be a form of job enrichment. ii.Self-checking and making efforts to improve quality increases motivation. iii.The system can be used to ‘trace back’ quality problems to the stage of the production process where a problem might have been occurring. iv.It reduces the need for expensive final inspection and correction or reworking of faulty products. v.To gain accreditation for quality awards − these can give a business real status or kudos. The most widely recognized quality award within the European Union is ISO 9000. Reference: http://classof1.com/homework-help/operations-management-homework-help View as multi-pages

Hemingway alleges

In this work I’m going to examine and compare two stories wrote by Hemingway â€Å"A clean well-lighted place† and Faulkner â€Å"The rose for Emily†. This two stories touch upon the same theme-loneliness, but despite this fact the old man (from Hemingway story) and Emily (from Faulkner story) act in different ways towards the society.As for the old man (from Hemingway story) both symbolically and physically, he finds refuge in drinking brandy in this pleasant atmosphere of the coffee. The younger waiter doesn’t understand neither psychological nor spiritual dimension of the problem; hence, he cares only about not getting to go home in time. But the older waiter is like the old man, he understands him, has stared into the Great Nada, the â€Å"nothing he knew all too well.†This completely nihilistic ideology celebrates individuals, like the old waiter and the man, who find a method of coping with life’s obstacles in exquisite, majestic way.   However the old man drinks, he isn’t harsh or naughty, but considerate and civil.   Despite the obvious sufferings in his life (since he attempts felo-de-se), he doesn’t lose his serenity, he controls himself, showing dignity under compression.   Such grace, Hemingway alleges, should be the aim of every human being.I think that the main idea of this story is unity and solidarity of people. The older waiter utters his solidarity with the old man. But the young waiter doesn’t understand this problem at all he is rather self-sufficient and selfish person. The eldest waiter and the old man seem very lonely and sick and tired of life. He comprehends his severities and protected him; he also prefers to a clean, well-lighted cafà ©, to the bar; he is also looking for such place to prevent his own hopelessness at night.The climax of the story agrees closely with the climax of the solidarity theme. It comes in its final line: ‘‘He disliked bars and bo degas. A clean, well-lighted cafe was a very different thing. Now, without thinking further, he would go home to his room. He would lie in the bed and finally, with daylight, he would go to sleep. After all, he said to himself, it's probably only insomnia.Many must have it.†Ã‚  Hemingway wanted to say in â€Å"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place† and this idea runs through all of his literature: there is no God, no significance to this world, and man must step by step find something to bewilder himself from this terrible truth.At the end of the older waiter attempts to convince himself that may be this terrible futility     is such an escape in â€Å"a clean well-lighted place†.   This is a synthetic light, which was made by one man for another man, yet it is the only method to escape the darkness of real life, which is filled with nothing significant.As for the style of the story, from my point of view, this novel is rather brief and facile so this style is called â€Å"minimalism† in its aesthetics (the word aesthetics refers to how the author tells his story). In this style one uses the concept of the minimum building blocks, which are necessary to realize the process of telling a story. Hemingway uses simple poetic diction, usually monosyllabic words of Anglo-Saxon, as antagonistic to Latin, origin.As for Grammar, he uses simple sentences; actually this is his style of writing. The story is lack of figurative language – no metaphor or simile, for example. Character and plot are minimized. These three characters do not even have names. All that happens is that the two waiters talk, the old man drinks, and then they all go home. There is little figurative language—no metaphor or simile, for example.

Societies have evolved a variety of structures for settling disputes

Settling disputes is a major part of politics and social control, which are vital for the harmonious function of any society. Different societies achieve this in different ways. In western state society formal offices are held and people given authority to judge and implement punishment or resolution. At the other end of the spectrum are the egalitarian societies, where authority is non-existent, no-one has any power to make anybody do anything, and inequality is very actively discouraged. There are a vast array of structures that come between the two extremes for example those that have a mixture of formal offices and informal methods. This essay examines first the structured court system of western state society, and then the less structured but still formal method of dispute settlement used by the Zapotec people of the Ralu'a village (or pueblo) in South America. This comparison shows that even though there are formal institutions in place in both societies, which may initially seem a poor comparison, however the objective with which they are used varies greatly and they are used to very different effect. The essay concludes that although we may initially think the more personalised approach of the Zapotec may have a more favourable outcome regarding social cohesion, it has to be recognised that such methods may not be practical or necessary in our western state society. First to consider is our own Western system for settling disputes. Western state society has a regulatory court system in which there are an extensive number of laws and sanctions that are formally codified (Peoples & Bailey, 2003). Our formalised system of regulation courts allows the use of physical coercion and the use of sanctions should people deviate from the norms that are ascribed to society. Different courts deal with differing types of disputes. The ability to settle a dispute is left almost exclusively to authority, and authority is central to the system's success. We have many appointed offices of people in authority to the general public, for example judges, police officers, which have power to manipulate and coerce others legitimately. The extensive set of depersonalised laws prevents the settling of disputes in ways that violate the legal principle of the culture, such as violence. Even verbal arguments in public may be considered breach of the peace, an offence for which people can be arrested and reprimanded. Disputes are turned into a very formal depersonalised matter, with the onus on discovering fault, placing blame and punishment; provocation for an act may be somewhat taken into account, but at the end of the day if you were provoked into doing wrong you still did wrong, and are still punished. Western state society court systems also serve as a preventative measure by making acts that could result in dispute illegal. For example, a person's property is protected through procedural laws regarding theft; laws against violence deter physical fights; people can even be fined for noise offences. Thus the system has a preventative element by not allowing things that aggravate or are even an expression of a dispute. Disputes can also be avoided through the use of restraining orders decreeing that a person may not go within a certain distance of anyone else; anything considered as breaching the peace or any law is a punishable offence regardless of the consequences. It is the consequences of individuals actions, not social disharmony, that motivates individuals toward a peaceful society. There is a great emphasis on power, control and authority. Breaking a law, however trivial, are still punished simply because they are forbidden. Recent emphasis on a ‘zero tolerance' strategy, a strategy where any act that potentially threatens authority, control and peace in society is punished. Punishment is not solely aimed at providing compensation, but importance is placed on punishment and reprimanding those in breach of the law, the idea of justice is paramount. Laws are in general absolute and universal; there is little room for movement in light of factors leading up to an act. Consider the murder convictions- there is a murder classified on a number of levels according to intent, intention and so on. Even the extenuating circumstances are formally codified. This is perhaps because of the size and anonymous nature of society- the idea of controlling a vast number and variety of people is more important than harmony and future relationships; a dispute does not have the same potential impact as in a small close knit society for societal relations. The only way to maintain harmony is via numerous substantive and procedural laws, and having total control over dispute settlements. How effective is the Western system? Through such extensive substantive and procedural laws we accept we are not in control of situations. There is an authority that can sort out disputes without things escalating too dangerously, and responsibility is removed from both disputants. However, I would consider it very rare if one person were to pass another person in the street that they had sued and they're to be any chance of a friendly exchange. The onus on placing blame means that one party is exonerated and the other incriminated, which can breed resentment. There is a clear cut line between right and wrong defined and decreed in the written procedural laws. Punishment for crimes are universal and there is clear legal principle that individuals are expected to adhere to. Deviance is punished regardless of its impact on society, instilling a code of conduct and the power of authority, which can work as a preventative measure. Punishments such as incarceration and fines may instil bitterness and a desire for revenge. The dispute is not really settled; more that blame has been officially placed and the plaintiff compensated. In comparison are the Zapotec Indians of Ralu'a village in South America studied by Laura Nader (Spradley & McCurdey, 2003). The Zapotec have a number of levels for settling disputes. They have a mediation court system, but a number of more informal methods that are encouraged before court is reached. There are a number of implicit procedural laws, but settlements are usually made on a case-by -case basis with no formalised codifying. Their basic legal principle is â€Å"to make the balance†. Our western legal systems focus primarily on placing blame, finding fault, and a relevant punishment for going against the culture's legal principle. The Zapotec are more concerned with maintaining the balance, finding a peaceful resolution, and the future relationships involved. Their aim is not to punish potential threats to the control of the state government but to maintain a harmonious, cohesive community. If someone has wronged another the aim of the Zapotec system is to provide a solution that suits all, so people do have to pay fines and there are consequences for actions, but they work to find a balance between justice and resentment. There are formalised institutions, of which there are a number of levels, for which disputes in Ralu'a can be settled, depending on the extent of the dispute and its seriousness. The first port of call is to take the dispute to the town hall, or municipio, to go before a group of principales and the presidente. The principales are a group of 13 nominated men that form an advisory group. Each year 3 men are nominated for the position of village chairman, the presidente. Although the system is technically a formal system, informality is maintained through the positions in the municipio being democratically decided and member being nominated. This way individual's taking their case to the municipio are more likely to respect the final settlement as those who are mediating are respected individuals, chosen by the community. The Zapotec have an interesting way of reining in the most problematic individuals by way of making them members of the town police, the head of which is the sindico, who is also responsible for running the communal work program of the pueblo. The policia consists of 12 members under two lieutenants and one chief of police. The chief of police is generally the roughest most disruptive man. This is the opposite of how western society works- responsibility, authority and influence is removed from troublemakers. Together, the sindico and presidente are able to settle the majority of disputes. The next level in the chain is the alcalde that presides over the justice of the peace, and settles the more serious disputes. The final port of call is the district court, which is seen as a last resort. Taking a dispute the municipio is more of a last resort as social pressure attaches shame and dishonour to those who resort to such measures. This social pressure encourages people in the community to sort out their own disputes before they reach a level requiring such intervention. Such an example is of a dispute regarding washing stones at a well. One female had chosen a washing stone next to her friend which was not her usual washing stone, when the owner arrived they angrily asked the woman to move, even though there were other free washing stones available. Tension increased and insults exchanged; eventually the whole village became involved taking sides, and other similar disputes arose. Water began to dry up at this well, and villagers believed this was a consequence of the women's dispute, and action had to be taken. A meeting of the Well Association was called in order to find a solution. The next time the women went to the well all the washing stones had been removed and replaced with concrete basins specifically allocated to no-one, and their use strictly based on a first-come-first-served basis. This way of settling the dispute was aimed at restoring the balance, at maintaining cohesion and harmony. The facts of the case were irrelevant, as was who was right or wrong and where the blame lay. However, the dispute was settled in a way that there would be no resentment between the women, and their relationships could be restored. The solution also provided a preventative measure to prevent such a dispute reoccurring. It will be interesting to compare the resolution of such a dispute in Zapotec society and western society. In Western state society it is likely that the second of the women who felt her washing stone had been taken unfairly would have employed a solicitor and lodged charges against the other women for stealing her washing stone. Assuming the case reached court lawyers would be employed to describe the facts to a judge, each side aiming to place blame on the other side. The judge would consult the various laws in order to decree who was at fault, or if any laws were broken. Blame would be ascribed and the dispute would be resolved by fines and punishments, however whether steps would be taken to prevent such a dispute re-occurring is debateable. Of course, such a dispute is unlikely to happen in western society due to the cultural differences. It is somewhat naive to suggest that the Zapotec's ways of settling disputes are more effective than our own, as we have to consider the vast differences in our societies. Cohesion is not nearly as vital to everyday life here as it is in smaller communities- disputes are resolved in a very individual way, which is impractical for larger populations- we could not consider intricately every detail of why someone may have hit someone else- we have to have definite boundaries. Hitting is thought of as wrong and not desirable for a peaceful community, thus the fact it is against the law simply prohibits violence regardless of the reason. This is a simple black and white law, and has consequences of which everyone is aware. The depersonalised system is consistent with the impersonal nature of our society. To conclude there are clear differences in the way each society tackles dispute settlement. There is the authoritative Western system that seeks prevention through a vast number of procedural and substantive laws with the primary aim of ensuring ‘justice' and punishment. Then there is the more informal system of the Zapotec Indians, who regard restoring the balance and future relationships as more important than placing the blame. I cannot see either system working in the other's community due to the vast cultural differences, and differences in population size, however they seem to prove effective for each individual society.

Effective Teaching and Learning Essay

Teaching is not just one way, giving information to students and expecting them to draw from the information! A teacher (to be professional and effective) also needs to know all the different theories, models and learning styles. Embedding models to enable best practice in each session and allow students to absorb valuable information. The tutor is to reflect on each session, for example look at what went well and what didn’t go so well. Differentiating between different students abilities and learning styles. Teachers are constantly reflecting, not only if the students are learning from the tutor but the tutor should be constantly learning best practice and not become stagnant! Petty, G states â€Å"It is not an admission of weakness to seek advice and support; it is a measure of your active professionalism† The author explores the different theories associated with teaching of learning and assessment, demonstrating how she uses them in her confidence and self esteem course. The main ones that will be looked at in detail are behaviourist, cognitivists and humanist, Transactional analysis and types of assessment. Androgogy and Pedagogy, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the three main ego states and Temporal and Boydell’s (1977) Barriers to learning. There are three main theorists; behaviourist, cognitivists and humanist. Behaviourist theory was based on stimulus response from a dog. To see and measure how it learns. Pavlov (1927) states that what can be measured is classed as learning. Pavlov did an experiment with a dog. This to me is more like conditioning rather than learning. Pavlov was primarily a physiologist and very interested in how the mind works. If a person was hungry they could be conditioned to salivate by the ring of a bell if they were conditioned to have food straight after. Starving a person and getting it to do something (ring a bell) to enable it to eat is a strange way to analyse a human is learning! To treat humans in this way and relate it to humans is barbaric, just look at the year it was printed. This was also the time when electric shock treatment and locking people in straight jackets was acceptable! Skinner (1938) also did some work with animals and called it operant conditioning. His findings were the reward that the animals were working towards not the stimulus e. g. not the bell but the food! Reward is good and has been proven by theorists that this keeps the students interested (although these findings were tested on animals and humans). The reward could be learning new skills to change and overcome a barrier, gain the qualification in confidence building. Getting a pat on the back for good work handed in! The students will repeat behaviour if they are gaining a reward. The reward can also be the achievement of learning new skills for life, as in the confidence course. Skinner also believed that negative feedback was demoralising and stopped learners learning which the author fully backs up. One has to be very sensitive with feedback, especially when dealing with students with low self esteem. Most of the learning is self reflective and many self awareness exercises are done, rather than criticising or not passing a certain grade. Most learning is done through discussion and self reflection Piaget (1926) had a different view from Pavlov, he believed that the persons thought process was more important and learning was developmental. Meaning they learn and add to what they already know or have learnt. It is about linking information Knowledge is constructed though interaction with the environment. A cognitive process which requires new information, allowing the learner to evolve and transform their existing knowledge and apply this to new situations. (Armatage, 1999 Pg62) On the confidence course a cognitive approach could be to ask the learners to describe how you have used the goal setting to achieve a happier life? I am asking the students to work on a deeper level, not just retaining the information but also demonstrating how to develop it into their own life and past experiences. The cognitivists and the behaviourist are more to do with controls and being tutor led, the Humanist theory looks more into the nature of the learner and the learners’ actions that create the learning situation. The direction is for autonomy, development and growth, the search for meaning and setting goals for themselves. This is very relevant in the goal setting stage of the confidence building course. When the students goal set for a happier, healthier and more positive future. This is looking at and building on the skills that learners already have through life experiences. The role of the tutor is to encourage the students to reflect and to increase the range of experiences for the students to move on with their individual goals that are not dictated by the tutor (myself) The two major writers in this field are Rogers (1974) and Maslow (1968) Rogers viewed this as a series of drives towards adulthood, autonomy, responsibility and self direction. This is all about empowering oneself rather than being told what to do. Maslow looks at a whole hierarchy of needs (please see graph below) Maslow believes that one has to move up the pyramid of needs before they can self actualise. For example one wants their basic needs to be met Biological and Physiological needs – air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sleep. This then moves on to look at safety and security. Safety needs – protection from elements, security, order, law, limits, and stability. Belongingness and Love needs – work group, family, affection, relationships. The learners on the confidence course are encouraged to continue as a group to support each other with future goals once the ten weeks are up. This continues to have a positive effect on the learners’ future goals and encourages positive relationships. Esteem needs – self-esteem, achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, managerial responsibility. This comes from the achievement of attending and finishing the course. Cognitive needs – knowledge, meaning, making sense of things. Understanding why they come to have low self esteem and understanding there are many ways to change this. Self-Actualization needs – realising personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences. This definitely comes on the last session when the learners feel so empowered to move on with goals that have been set. Making a vision board that is related to a persons self actualisation. Up until 1970 teaching strategies were known as pedagogy which is Greek and means â€Å"to lead a child† Knowles who is a huge figure in the humanist school challenged this as he didn’t think it appropriate for adults. Knowles (1970 Pg 57) believes â€Å"Once an adult makes the discovery that he can take responsibility for his own learning, as he does for other facets of his life, he experiences a sense of release and exhilaration. He then enters into learning with a deep ego involvement, with results that are frequently startling to both himself and the tutor† Hanson (1996 pg 99) argued against a clear dichotomy between adult and compulsory education. He believed that adults are not necessarily more experienced because they have lived longer! This can be true as some of the students I come across have no literacy skills which will be classed as a major intellectual barrier (see the five barriers below) and come on the course with a support worker. This does not mean they don’t have articulate skills in other areas, such as time management and people skills. There is no point taking only an androgogical approach until students acquire the ability to learn the basic study skills. This leads onto the barriers that adult learners may face. Temporal and Boydell (1977) highlighted five barriers to learning which were: perceptual, cultural, emotional, intellectual and expressive. Perception could be a huge barrier that students face. Most that come on the course have had a bad school experience and this maybe the last time they studied. Students are worried if they will feel comfortable in the class, worried if they don’t understand what the tutor is talking about, concerned if they know someone in the class from their local area, or have concerns about feeling stupid. Perception is a huge barrier to overcome and nothing the tutor can do if the learner does not start the course. Cultural pressure could be family and friends not wanting the learner to do courses to progress, especially when they see time is being taken from the family. Temporell and Bordell (1977) have identified low self esteem as a barrier to learning. This is very difficult as there are many potential learners that phone up to do the course but then don’t have the self esteem to walk through the door. When the learner finds it difficult to express themselves, they can still learn from the course by listening to group activity. It has been noted on many courses when introducing another person to the group the learner finds it easier to talk, rather than introducing themselves they can talk for a longer period of time about their colleague. This is useful on this type of course (self esteem building) if this is not the first course the student does as a mature learner I am not sure how they will cope if they are moving onto more academic courses. Overcoming personalities and ego states can also be classed as a huge barrier, getting the student to the adult- adult ego state. They may only have had the experience of critical child ego state. One of the students commented on their childhood school memories, of standing in the corner and made to feel stupid because dyslexia wasn’t recognised then! The critical teacher (ego state critical parent). Transactional analysis (D Childs, 2004) describes three ego states Parent, Adult and child. The parent ego state falls into two categories, critical parent and nurturing parent. The nurturing parents function is to nurture themselves and others. Critical parent function is to control the behaviour of themselves and others. This can show as a critical teacher putting their students down and being condescending. The first class is entered by most students in the adapted child ego state, helpless and hurtful. Facial expressions looking scared and tearful. All students are treated as adults with a lot of nurturing parent in the first session. This is to put the students at ease and in a relaxed state with myself the tutor and their peers. The scene is set together writing boundaries as a group for the group to bond, be comfortable, respected and respectful. Once this is done the students are aware that they are being respected. This is overcoming the first barrier to allow learning to take place. The author strongly believes that if a student is not at ease they will not absorb valuable information. Also putting the students in the adult ego state. This agreement is done in unison, with the students taking ownership of their actions and behaviour with others. This can be done through setting their own boundaries. The last group agreed to switch off mobiles, only allow good gossip, no dumping (talking about personal problems), have fun, respect on another, what’s said in the room stays in the room, listen if someone is talking, not hog the conversation (give everyone time to talk), not to give opinions unless they are asked for, support one another, no swearing. This could be a Eureka moment as some students may have never been aware of how they come across nd wonder if they have been respectful to people in the past. Learnt behaviour is very hard to change in just one session. This is a huge self awareness exercise. A student may write â€Å"no swearing† (as a boundary) as it is offensive; another student may challenge this as this is challenging how that student has been reared. Where swearing is part of everyday language. They are bewildered to find that this would offend another person. Due to another student being brought up in a house full of arguments and fighting he feels threatened whenever he hears swearing. This could be the first course students have done out of their comfort zones. Other students can be from other classes, cultures and backgrounds. Being made aware what is acceptable and what is not acceptable can sometimes come as a shock. Some students complain to me of other students not washing and smelling unclean. This is a very sensitive issue and has to be dealt with very carefully, especially when working with people with mental health or very low self esteem. Some students wonder why they should bother washing as they have come from a family with no hygiene. How would a person know this if it wasn’t taught at home? We don’t learn from people sniggering behind our backs! When looking at why the students have chosen the victim path, their eyes widen as discussion unfolds. Especially when looking at critical parent. Most of the students have got or had a parent, partner, friend (so called), sibling or even a child that tries to control their behaviour. For the student looking at this in black and white is a real Eureka moment. What they find hardest is when they change ego state to adult. They find that the person that plays critical parent in their life becomes angry and resentful. Critical parent usually trying to make the student feel guilty for their â€Å"adult† state. The student then becoming the victor not the victim. When reflected upon the student can see how this relationship no longer serves a purpose. Unless the critical parent changes their behaviour the student sees the relationship as negative and will no longer want to pursue it. Learners generally come onto the course with some negative attitudes about the world or people around them. Empowering learning and research and overcoming barriers they may have encourages the students to challenge their own behaviour. When the tutor contradicts learner’s attitudes and values, class discussion can become heated. Students can become angry. This is very much a part of the learning journey in confidence building. Self assessment and self awareness exercises come in very useful, enabling the student much self reflection allowing students to overcome their own barriers through their own assessment. Initial assessment is used to see what level the student is at if the learner can cope with the work load. Do they need an individual learning plan or see if extra support is needed with numeracy, literacy or ICT. Petty, G does agree â€Å"If the needs of the learners are met, the chances of success are greatly increased† backing up how important an initial assessment can be (2009, pg 530) Curzon, L argues that examinations on many courses can be different, so can sometimes not have legitimate weighting (2006 Pg385) meaning they can have repressive or restrictive influences on teachers and students. It is thought that an initial assessment (numeracy or literacy) could startle a student at the beginning and make them feel inadequate. This could be because they were academically inadequate at school, the same fear could return, with no return of the student on the next session. Petty, G also states that just because a student has their math’s GCSE doesn’t mean they can do algebra or percentages. This won’t help in the science lab. (2009, Pg 542) One argument would be that this has separated the wheat from the chaff. Teachers now have to teach to individual learning styles, instead of blaming the learners for not learning or gaining the qualification, the tutors are looked upon! Petty believes all students can learn, given the help and support that is needed, the author being agreeable. Assessment is very important to know where the learners are at the beginning, middle and the end of the course. This is to reflect and measure where they are at the beginning of the course in terms of self esteem. This is done by a scaling questionnaire, which also measures where the learner is in terms of happiness, self esteem, confidence, relationships, communications skills, health, social skills and social activities. The author would prefer to empower her students, instead of giving the students fish, she would prefer to give them a fishing rod to eat for life. It is about empowering students to move on with their life positively. The students don’t need to be spoon fed or hand held. They just need to learn the tools and skills for a happier and productive healthier lifestyle. This is why the tutor is in favour of the Humanist theory. Skinner believes that positive feedback gets students motivated whilst negative feedback stops students in their tracks, demotivating. The behaviourist teacher is in charge and is a good role model to her students giving the students rewards which are positively reinforced with praise, smiles and positive comments on work done. This is very useful as it also activates growth in self esteem. This theory is very successful with students who lack self esteem, therfor very apt in the confidence course. The learners work more effectively as they are encouraged to reflect and self evaluate where they are in terms of self esteem and confidence. Students work well interacting and challenging negative self fulfilling ideas as a group and overcoming barriers together. The students finish the course still on a learning journey of positive self discovery through meetings and recommended reading. The role of the tutor is to encourage the students to reflect and to increase the range of experiences for the students to move on with their individual goals that are not dictated by the tutor (myself) The two major writers in this field are Rogers (1974) and Maslow (1968) Rogers viewed this as a series of drives towards adulthood, autonomy, responsibility and self direction. In conclusion the author believes teaching is not directive and one way, It has to be two way for it to be effective. Tutors need to be reflective and differentiate between all students learning styles and abilities. The author strongly feels that Pavlov’s theory is inhumane and out with the ark. Taking responses from animals is very old hat and I’m sure if you starved any animal or human they would ring a bell to get food, as this is our primary need to live. Humans are much more intelligent than rats and dogs. Pavlov was firstly a psychologist and would be looking at animal responses rather than learning. The author backs up Skinners theory and has seen it work in the confidence course. Once the student is told they are actually good at something (not just a mother, father or sibling) it encourages them to want to do better and have a happier, healthier life style for all their family. This has a huge knock on effect on their friends and people around them. They usually signpost their friends and partners on to the course. Negative feedback is demoralising, what the tutor finds useful is asking the student how they would do it next time if they wanted a positive outcome. This allows the student to self reflect and learn by experience, which is a far great learning curve. This theory links in with what Paignent, 1926 believes, that a persons thought process was more important and learning is developmental, linking information and learning what they already know. The cognitivists and behaviourist are more to do with being tutor led. The author prefers the humanist theory which looks more into the nature of the learner and their actions that create the learning situation. Maslow looks at the whole hierarchy of needs and backs up the belief of the author. Maslow believes that one must move up the pyramid before they can self actualise. Maslow’s theory is used and demonstrated on the confidence course. The tutor wants the students to see what is needed to move up the pyramid. One student came in the following week and told me she had moved house because her safety needs were not being met due to having ASBO neighbours. The student had been complaining to the council for many years. After seeing Maslow’s hierarchy the student decided to take herself out of the situation! Using the Maslow model in class, students can see in black and white why they have no self esteem and cannot self actualise and why their social or safety needs are not being met. For example fuel your body with healthy food like a car would use the best oil. Safety needs, live with people that you feel happy and safe with. Look at the positive people and negative people in ones life. Associate with positive people more rather than the negative ones. Belonging and love. Students start measuring who is respectful and positive in their life. Teporal and Bordell (1977) have identified low self esteem as a barrier to learning. One believes that overcoming barriers and having self esteem is much wider spread than one thought. It would be beneficial for students to have a self esteem test as part of their initial assessment. This would be invaluable efore the students go on to do literacy and numeracy. Looking into how ego states come into learning is very interesting; the humanist would welcome the adult to adult state. Whereas the cognitivists would play a more critical parent role when teaching. Whilst doing this essay the author has really looked into all the theories and models and it is apparent that these ideas were put forward many year s ago. We have moved on so much in seventy years, it would be interesting to see new theories or updated old theories that are based on more realistic activities and research.

Expensive Books At University Wisconsin Milwaukee Assignment

Expensive Books At University Wisconsin Milwaukee - Assignment Example The current situation in the university is that there are many items in the library but the students find them beyond their reach due to their expensive nature. The affordability of the textbook is beyond the reach of many students and the situation is accelerated by the current economic inflation. This means that learning is jeopardized and improvement of education in the school will lag behind. The price of books and supplies in the university is $1000. This contributes to a larger part of the school fee making it the costly factor in the student's life. For resident students, the total cost for one academic year totals up to $18775 whereas a non-resident student pays up to $28504. From this figure, tuition for resident students totals up to $8091 and tuition fee for nonresident student totals up to $17820. This shows how the high costs of the books affect the student’s fee, which may be costly to some and will be a great hindrance to effective learning. Estimates of the Number of Students to Buy Books The number of students in a particular institution is important in establishing the value of books to be bought. It also is important in estimating the limit to which students may be added to enable them to afford the books. The books should be adequate to facilitate each student to be in reach of the books anytime they are required to use them. Evaluation of Price against Potential Students to Buy Books The prices of books strongly depend on the number of students willing and able to buy the books.

Greed Field Ventures Limited Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Greed Field Ventures Limited - Essay Example Allison Madison has been in agricultural production since 1980s. He inherited a vast land at different locations. All together he inherited about 1150 acres. Only about half of the total farm land was cultivated at the initial stage. Farming was highly seasonal. Hence there the capital base was small. The turnover was about $89,500.00. Only the farm lands close to villages were cultivated. Labour was provided by villagers and seasonal migrants. There were no built structures except small round-shaped mud warehouses scattered in the village settlements. The crops produced were crops produced in the neighbouring village settlements. They were all cereals: maize, millet and guinea corn. Although production was above subsistence level, farm produce were largely sold in the village market. Thus prices were highly variable and unpredictable. There was no proper record of the inputs and outputs in the production process. Except for the processing of maize stalks into fence, there was no val ue added to the production process. By late 1990s Allison has settled down. The acreage inherited was fully utilized. The types of crops produced have increased. Ground nuts, soya beans and rice were produced. Manual labour was complimented by tractors. Two tractors were hired. The size and type of crops produced were not for village market. Two warehouses were consequently built, where farm produce were stored and sold when prices are favourable. A truck with capacity of conveying 3 tonnes was bought purposely for transporting produce to distant markets and buyers. Allison was assisted in the management of the farms by his son, with a degree in business administration, and his nephew with a diploma in agricultural economics.