Culture and Cognition Essay

Culture may be defined as a combination of different traits of a social group. These traits or ways of life can be language, arts, sciences, thoughts, spirituality, social activities, interactions, and many more (â€Å"Definition†, n. d. ). The world has many peoples and thus many cultures, thus each has their own beliefs, traditions, and customs. Another characteristic of a certain culture may be cognition. Because of human diversity in traditions and customs, there is also diversity in intelligence. According to Cole, Gay, Glick, and Sharp (as cited in Sternberg, 2004), certain behaviors may be smart in one culture but plainly stupid in another (1971). Culture and Intelligence According to Robert Sternberg in his article entitled â€Å"Culture and Intelligence†, intelligence cannot be fully measured, developed, and conceptualized when it is outside the cultural context. This creates an impression that intelligence is a norm and being a deviant from that norm would mean less intelligence (2004, p. 1). An example given by Sternberg about intelligence tests shows an evidence of his argument. Any intelligence test created in one culture may not be valid in another culture. Sternberg also constructed models in order to determine if the culture has a significant effect on intelligence. On the third model, the dimensions of intelligence are the same as with the other models. However, the instruments used are different from the other models. The measurement process was therefore derived from the culture being studied and not from outside it. As this is done, the psychological meanings of the scores of the assessments change from one culture to another. Culture and Cognition Intelligence is just one of the cognitive characteristics of man. Culture, as well as social systems has a role in developing the people’s system of thought. This is according to Richard Nisbett, Incheol Choi, Laiping Peng, and Ara Norenzayan, when they studied the difference between easterners and westerners in terms of cognitive processes (2001). They stated that east Asians are holistic in their cognitive processes, focusing on an entire field and its causality. On the other hand, westerners such as Americans are analytic because they pay more attention on the object and the categories, making use of rules such as formal logic. The authors of this article suggest that the origin of these differences is traceable to different social systems (p. 291). They were able to conclude that there is still a very great difference between cultures. It is because of the circumstances brought about by these cultures that one process will always be different from another. Furthermore, the norms or the normative standards for though will differ across cultures (p. 306). The influence of culture has many implications in cognition. This insight may change the very definition of intelligence as related to different social systems. This also has a great effect in cognitive assessment since one measuring tool may not be appropriate for all cultures. Although international communication is already established, this information would give more understanding to people as to how others with different cultures are different to them in terms of learning styles, perception, and other aspects of cognition. It would also change the perception on people who are considered as intellectually inferior since intelligence no longer focuses on a dominant or normative standard set by those perceived as superior. References â€Å"Definition of Culture†, (n. d. ). Roshan Culture Heritage Institute. Retrieved 24 May 2010 from http://www. roshan-institute. org/templates/System/details. asp? id=39783&PID =474552. Nisbett, R. E. , Peng, K. , Choi, I. , & Norenzayan, A. (2001). â€Å"Culture and Systems of Thought: Holistic versus Analytic Cognition†. Psychological Review. 108(2), pp. 291-310. Sternberg, R. (2004). â€Å"Culture and Intelligence†. American Psychologist. 59(5), pp. 325- 338.

Disney’s Hercules and the Heroic Code

Disney’s Hercules Disney’s Hercules, while not entirely true to the scripture he was first conceptualized in, is rife with the same heroic traits as his definitive counterpart. Throughout the course of the film, Hercules faces a series of challenges and events which test his strength and ability. Subsequently these events fulfill the majority of his heroic archetype. By Hercules’ masculine nature, divine parent, divine helper, trip to the underworld, and fulfillment of kleos (his immortal quest for glory), Hercules would have been considered a hero in Ancient Greek society despite the archetypical traits left unfulfilled in the film. Hercules’ masculinity becomes majorly evident as a physical aspect after undergoing training with Philoctetes (Phil). His muscular personage is representative of man in a direct way. While he does not dominate his relationship with his love interest, Megara (Meg), by physical means he overshadows her and asserts masculinity. Hercules is also masculine in his bravery by the way he confronts challenges head on. In one instance, Hercules literally bashes the centaur, Nessus, with his head. In Hercules’ muscular build and his courageous albeit headstrong tendency, he is personified as a masculine hero. Hercules actually has two divine parents, Zeus and Hera, in Disney’s rendition as opposed to only one in Greek myth. In this way the heroic notion of having a divine parent is fulfilled perhaps to a greater extent. Hercules’ father, Zeus, also plays a role as his divine helper, another trait of the hero archetype. Zeus fulfills this by revealing Hercules’ past to him and his relation to the gods, setting him off on his journey to heroism. In addition to Zeus, Hercules’ winged horse, also serves as a divine helper throughout the film. Pegasus assists Hercules in nearly all of his battles and takes his abilities to new heights. Hercules makes his trip to the underworld in an attempt to rescue Megara from death itself. Hercules’ immortal quest for glory or kleos is fulfilled in many instances of the film. On multiple occasions Hercules slays fantastic creatures such as the Hydra and achieves his glory through the admiration of others. While enchanting the people of Thebes and creating some lasting effect in their continual praise, Hercules’ immortal quest for glory is cemented at the conclusion of the film when Zeus creates a constellation of him in the night sky.

Leadership Appoach – Mahinda Rajapaksa

Mankind Chanting† (Mankind Vision, 2005), a document that reflected his villous was welcomed by thousands of fellow citizens In 2005. This Is an example of his valorously leadership style. â€Å"My dream Is that of a free nation, a land In harmony with nature, a prosperous tomorrow, and a virtuous man†; these words of his was able to maintain high popularity and public approval as his villous appealed to the core values of the Sir Lankan public. Being a charismatic leader, Rajahs paid close attention to his image in the public.He portrayed an optimistic outlook and charismatic personality to draw the attention of the public. Moral leadership accompanied with high emotional intelligence was another dimension of Arkansas leadership. He placed strong trust in his team and prioritize morally correct decisions over presidential popularity. This biography about Mankind Rajahs will highlight the practical use of relevant leadership concepts and theories. Rajahs is a visionary l eader. Awakening Sir Lankan from the challenges of 27 year civil war, he set out his vision for Sir Lankan in his very first presidential election speech.Harper (1991 characterizes visionary thinking as a process whereby executives are encouraged to extend their time horizons beyond the typical planning cycle. Rashness's speech appealed to the masses and presented an idealized view of what the future of Sir Lankan beholds. His patriotism to the country is always reflected in his speeches. â€Å"This earth and its vegetation are yours. But they should be protected not only for your benefit but also for the benefit of future generations. A ruler is only a temporary trustee not an owner of your children's heritage† (Rajahs, 2005).These words set a wave of national pride and belonging in the country and developed a Sino in every Sir Lankan mind. Thousands of individuals Joined Sir Lankan forces to save the country from terrorists. Through his vision, Rajahs was able to connect wi th the core values of the Sir Lankan public such as defending freedom and hope. As he promised, early in the fourth year of his first six-year term, Rajahs etched his name In the records of Sir Lankan history as the national leader who ended a thirty year long war against the forces of separatist terrorism that threatened the sovereignty and territorial Integrity of the country.He united the country under the ingle national flag by withstanding International pressure for a ceasefire with terrorists. He gave leadership to defeat the most ruthless terrorist organization In the world, bringing a new political vision that seeks both development and reconciliation to build a â€Å"New Sir Lankan† nation. Since, Rajahs fulfilled the dream January 2010. Souses & Poster (2009) stated that to be a successful leader it is necessary to create a shared vision. Rajahs further extended his vision of developing the country with â€Å"Thru Washstands† (Northern Spring) project.It is a special initiative after the war to expedite development in the North. This program allowed northern Tamil partners to Join in the country's progress. Rashness's vision gave Sir Lankan a direction into the future. The multiple dimensions of his vision statement set a benchmark for a good vision. Rashness's vision statement reflects that a good vision must be simple and direct, must be flexible, inclusive and optimistic and consistent with the intended audience's values. Rashness's visionary leadership is a defining characteristic of his success in politics as president of the Sir Lankan.To emerge as a popular leader of the country, Rajahs further exhibited harmonistic leadership to instill belief of the people in his abilities. Sandburg and Norman (2011) describe charismatic leaders as people who possess an unusual power of attraction. Rajahs is a charismatic leader. Throughout his parliament career, until appointed as minister, he continued his law practice in southern province of Sir Lankan. This kept him in the public eye and managed to gain a reputation amongst the community as a lawyer. He was a strong believer in the art of public relations.John, Marina, & Sue (2011) suggest that charisma can be taught and that it has an effect on leader outcomes. Rajahs used various techniques to build his charisma. Rajahs projected himself with an optimistic outlook to draw fondness from the Sir Lankan public. Rajahs appeared in public as a son to all mothers and as a friend to all citizens. He always has an optimistic smile, enthusiasm and almost casual yet serious demeanor. Other factors that contributed to his charisma are his dressing style and his personification in the media. He is usually dressed in Sir Lankan traditional dress even when attending international meetings.This is to show his patriotism towards the nation and portray Sir Lankan culture to international community. Sandburg and Norman (2011) as well as the lessons learnt from Rashness's careers refl ect that charisma can be learnt and plays an important role in the success of a leader. They suggest that all charismatic leaders emerge in times of crisis and present their followers with a mission and a path to achieve it. Being charismatic is a leadership trait that allows leaders to attract people and create a following with an almost supernatural authority (Sandburg & Norman, 2011).Apart from being charismatic, Rajahs also exhibited moral leadership. Moral leadership accompanied by his high emotional intelligence made Rajahs a popular leader. He was able to achieve intense devotion from his subordinates by ‘being a friend, but not a pal'. He placed a lot of trust in his team and believed that the team you put together to surround and advice you said a lot about your leadership. Following his election, Rajahs personally interviewed some of his staff to ensure he had the best people for the Job.As mentioned in Economist (2010), he put blinded trust in his brothers and belie ved that to maintain power he always need people whom he can unconditionally trust. His brother lieutenant Colonel Gotcha Rajahs greatly supported him to win the civil war and now manage many development projects throughout the country as the Defense Secretary of Sir Lankan. Rajahs constantly uses his emotional intelligence and moral leadership to make understanding your own and other people's emotional makeup, what motivates them and how to work cooperatively with them.Strong following and support from his team and the Sir Lankan public is a clear example of Rashness's high Emotional I. Q. Standing up to the rights of Sir Lankan Tamil amidst the civil rights movement is an example of Rajahs practicing moral leadership at risk of his presidential popularity. In addition, while defining Sir Land's vision to unite under one flag, Rajahs practiced moral leadership by refraining from high power weapons such as air strikes in last stage of Civil war against the terrorists. This decision of his saved thousands of civilian lives and also lives of terrorists.These key incidents are a clear reflection on Rashness's high emotional intelligence and moral leadership traits. His leadership sends a message that moral and intelligent leadership can create strong following and guide the leader in difficult situations. Rashness's leadership traits made him a successful leader with the highest presidential approval from the public in his tenure. His visionary leadership style is in alignment with my personal leadership traits. I regularly use techniques such as visualization to personally motivate myself and achieve my personal goals.Vision provides inspiration and in the case of Rajahs provided him the ability to connect with the public that was in need of a new peaceful future. Rashness's charismatic leadership is noteworthy. Followers seek someone they can idealize Road, Brown, Terrine, & Finniest, 2013) ND through the techniques used by Rajahs this can be achieved. Emotiona l Intelligence is really important in the success of a leader. From the stories of Rashness's regime, practicing moral leadership with high emotional intelligence can be beneficiary in guiding the leader in difficult situations.Rashness's emphasis on the power of words is an important aspect of leadership that I had not previously considered. It has become evident through his biography how important words of a leader can be. Although mostly agreeing and learning from the biography of Rashness's, his approach to challenge the international pressure seems a bit Hellenizing for my personal beliefs. Uprising against the existing system can be harmful to the reputation of the leader and must be managed carefully. Overall, I have discovered many leadership techniques and traits, which I can emulate from Rashness's biography and grow myself as a strong leader.In conclusion, Mankind Rajahs was a revolutionary leader. He was a true visionary guiding Sir Lankan during and after civil war whil e being able to assure Sir Lankan populations need through his vision. Rashness's speeches appealed to the masses and presented an idealized view of what the future of Sir Lankan beholds. Mankind Rajahs possessed an unusual power of attraction. His charismatic leadership with a closely monitored public image was an important factor in his approval as the president.

Construction contract Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Construction contract - Essay Example 3 contract gives special emphasis to creating a spirit of mutual trust and cooperation between the parties of the contract and this has been added as the first clause of all NEC3 contracts, giving it a legal value. Another major difference between NEC3 and other forms of contract is the ability of NEC3 to warn the parties of contract about possible risks like increase in cost, delay in completion etc making possible the assessments of risks and timely mitigation through mutual consultation. Under the clause 61.3 the contractor is bound to notify the project manager about any compensation event within 8 weeks otherwise the burden of compensation will lie on the contractor, this clause is partly in conflict with prevention principle and can create legal complexities. NEC3 contract ensures risk management during the very beginning of contract through distribution of responsibilities and creating a ‘legally bound’ mutual trust. By creating an atmosphere of trust and cooperation and through proper documentation NEC3 contract removes the communication deficit between parties of the contract which is a very common reason behind the failure of various projects. The JCT05 or the FIDIC cont ract are more detailed as compared to NEC3 however the simplicity offered by NEC3 is the key to better understanding and grasp by all parties of contract and thus ensuring a collaborative, efficient and good management of the

How do employees survive in the current economy Essay

How do employees survive in the current economy - Essay Example Basically when a person is employed, one may ask himself, â€Å"whether or not he is qualified for wages and benefits that support a quality standard of living?† The answer depends on his salary. â€Å"Is his salary enough to send his children to school?† Or â€Å"is his salary enough to afford the hospital bills in case his children meet an accident, disease, or any kind of sickness or disability which requires hospitalization or confinement to the hospital?† If the answer is in the affirmative then we can safely say that a person is qualified for wages that support a quality standard of living. In case, of benefits, the employer must provide his employees the benefits required by the labor code. Non-observance of which means the diminution of employees’ benefits which the latter may take legal action to enforce their statutory rights. Anything short of the above-mentioned circumstances may well mean that a person is receiving a salary/wage which is not e nough to make his family live in comfort and quality standard of living. As mentioned earlier, the only resort of such employee is to have another job, so that he can have two - paid checks every pay day. In this way he can cope up with the dreaded challenges to which an employee and his family encounter each and every day of their lives.day of their lives. As to workingmen's security of tenure is concerned, we are all aware that downsizing, done in good faith, due to serious business reverses, or redundancy, is the scheme used or resorted to by the employer to minimize his expenses so that he can

Sociology. Active Listening Steps Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sociology. Active Listening Steps - Essay Example I was so happy because she got that same award when she was in grade 4. I told her we should pray about it and hope she gets the award. A week after, my daughter came to my room crying. I was watching TV at that time so I turned it off so that I could find out why she was crying. I wanted to give her my 100% attention. I asked her the reason why she was crying. I listened intently to her and looked at her straight in the eye. At the same time I was hugging her too. She told me that she did not get the award. At that instant, I felt the pain that she was feeling. I held her hand and asked her if she asked her class adviser why she did not get the award. She said she inquired and was informed that she was however, the second in contention. Her class adviser told her that she could have gotten the award if only she participated more in class recitations. Her teacher said that she should be more assertive next time. My daughter felt really bad. I felt sorry for her but at the same time I knew that I had to talk to her about it. I hugged her tightly and wiped her tears away. I just embraced her for a few minutes without saying a word. I wanted her to feel my love and concern for her. At the back of my mind, I was trying to gather my thoughts and trying to think of the right words to say so I could pacify her and make her still feel good about herself.

Censorship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Censorship - Essay Example The act of censorship is now done more for the benefit of children, yet many people believe it should be the responsibility of the parent to monitor what their children read or watch, and not the responsibility of the government or a stranger from an organization. After all, Cleland’s novel was proven to be harmless. However, this might be different if the book were in the hands of a child. It has been brought up of whether or not media should be censored since times and opinions have changed, and if media is censored, if adults should also face censorship to strengthen the protection towards children. The practice of censorship has evolved to protect children more than anybody else, though adults are also effected by this as it becomes difficult for them to access their own mature media. Books and movies that are considered inappropriate are kept out of reach from younger children. These pieces of media contain subject matter that are too advanced for children, such as excess ive violence, sexual activity, drug and alcohol use, or other topics that are thought to be taboo or else unsuitable for young eyes. This is perhaps the main reason, if not the only reason, why books and movies, as well as many video games, are censored from children. Censorship is not done out of a need to deny children of their entertainment, but to ensure that younger children are obtaining entertainment that is right for them. This may also prove to be overly paternalistic to parents since it may mean difficulties in obtaining their own entertainment, but they still need to play their part in making sure that children cannot access their adult material. On the other side of the argument against censoring media is that it causes many people to cross the line between protecting and overprotecting a child. By censoring certain material, children are being denied glimpses into many of the ideas and concepts of the real world. Censorship tends to go too far, sheltering children from the real world around them. They become unaware of all that the world has to offer in way of unique, independent, and creative thoughts and experiences. Censorship also teaches children that, in regard to media, there is an undue concept of good and evil, which can cause a child to continue to censor themselves as they become adults. They begin to be judgmental at a very young age when growing up in a censored environment, never allowing themselves to open up to everything that the world has to offer to their growing minds. Censorship should be used, but implemented in a way so that children cannot gain access to media that is deemed inappropriate by parents, teachers, and other adults that have authority and influence over children. While many schools, families, and even libraries acknowledge media that is inappropriate based on a common standard of decency, such as media involving graphic sex, drugs, and violence, they still make it readily available for young children to have acc ess. This is because a lot of it remains accessible to adults, but still within grasp of children. The material that should be censored should be done so because the material is too advanced, and oftentimes harsh and graphic, for children. Not only can they be negatively impacted by some of what they read

Implementation Challenges and Methodology for ERP Implementation Essay

Implementation Challenges and Methodology for ERP Implementation - Essay Example The researcher states that the major benefit associated with the implementation of ERP within organizations is its ability to increase the productivity of the organizations, through increasing the timely, continuous and widely applicable real-time business information. This enables organizations to plan well for their different operations. Nevertheless, the implementation of the ERP can be marred by varied challenges, which combine to reduce the chances of the implementation success. This, therefore, requires that the implementation of ERP should apply a methodology that minimizes such challenges, and thus delivers the expected benefit of the ERP system to the organization with minimal associated costs. The methodology applied to implement an ERP should, therefore, be loaded with the essential critical success factors, to ensure that the organization is able to start enjoying the benefits of an ERP system from the very beginning and that such benefits are sustainable. The discussion analyses ERP implementation as a global technology transfer project, which can enable Roll-Royce to transform from its initial legacy system into enjoying the full benefits of the ERP thought its multinational operations. Technology Transfer refers to a process by which the knowledge and information that is embedded within a technology by the technology creator are put into practical use by the user of the technology. Therefore, the implementation of the ERP system in Roll Royce does not only entail the application of the ERP equipment, but also the know-how. Therefore, the challenge facing the global implementation does not only entail the challenges of the conveyance process from the vendor/creator of the ERP system to the organization, but also the subsequent challenges involving the adoption, possession, and promotion of the ERP by the organization.

The Internal Business Process Perspective SLP Essay

The Internal Business Process Perspective SLP - Essay Example In a bid to move towards attaining its vision of being the leading world class financial institution, Octawise Inc. has put in place quality standards that ought to guide its internal operations. This in turn leads to lower complaints and dissonances by the customers, increased satisfaction, growth of the company in the long run and increased return on investment. As spelt out in its strategy, its attainment of market leadership position within business areas, and focus on excellence is enhanced by its efforts to put in place quality standards and measures. (B) Internal Communication Lines: Internal communication structures and processes are of critical importance in the success of any organization. Open communication lines enhance faster permeation of communication, ideas and opinions. Open communication structures also result in little distortion and misinterpretation of communication. Any organization that takes customers to be the center for its success ensures that communication lines and structures support quicker permeation of information through open communication structures, which also support innovation within an organization. Octawise Inc. encourages open communication throughout the company. This portrays Octawise Inc. as receptive to customers’ ideas and easy to work with Organization. Organizations with complex and closed communication lines are perceived by customers as bureaucratic and less receptive to ideas and to a greater extent hinder innovation due to likely blockage of ideas. (C) Employment and Recruitment Processes: It means little to have excellent communication lines and standards and yet have a leaking employment and recruitment process and structures which results in having wrong people in the organization. Whitwood (2011) identifies the significance of indirect processes (recruitment and placement processes) in supporting direct operations performance. Octawise Inc. has all its stages of

Case Study # 2 Lounge Talk Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

# 2 Lounge Talk - Case Study Example The way each of them handled issues were different and aligned to the leadership styles they used as stated earlier. A classical example presents itself when Dr. Werner helps Delores with planning skills and classroom management unlike Mr. Calbo, who covered the teacher up. For a fact, Dr. Warner is more interested with the professional development of the teachers and the students, which is coupled to the realization of the schools goals and objectives. Essentially, the students and teachers expect a different kind of treatment from the principles. Some of the teachers and students expect to have a loving and caring principal while the others expect the principles to be very decisive and dynamic. The differences in the way the teachers expect the principal to react bring about the difference in reaction to Dr. Werner. The teachers demonstrating excellence in their fields have a problem with the principle for the fact that they do not get the praises and reward as it were before with Mr. Calbo. Instead, the principle spends more time with the students and teachers with a few shortcomings. The approach is important and advantageous for the fact that there is development of the individuals involved. They gain better skills and self-management which works towards achieving the goals of the institution. For instance, the fact that the principle took time with Delores, there has been improved performance and increased productivity. At the same time, the students attending the trip with the teacher are likely to change their character and work towards excelling. This wholesomely works towards the individual level development and achieving of the organizational goals (Yang, 2008 P2 L 26-36). Mr. Calbo used the transactional leadership style while Dr. Werner used transformational leadership style. Mr.Calbo promoted the rewarding of the staff member. The staff members were paid for any activity they were involved in. Moreover, he lacked the vision and

Stace & Dunphy Essay Example for Free

Stace Dunphy Essay Five dilemmas that have characterised decisions about organisational change: 1. Adaptive V rational strategy development 2. Cultural change V structural change 3. Continuous improvement V radical transformation 4. Empowerment V leadership and command. 5. Economic V Social goals Having discussed the five dilemmas, Dunphy and Stace (1996) differentiate them in terms of `soft and `hard approaches to managing change: Soft approaches are characterised by: adaptive strategy, cultural change, continuous improvement and empowerment. while hard approaches are characterised by: rational strategy, structural change, radical transformation and leadership and command. Introduction to Cultural Change Structural Success in business is often determined by how effective an organization manages cultural change. That is success is not achieved by an executives skills alone, nor by the visible features the strategy, structure and reward system of the organization. Every organization has an invisible quality a certain style, a character, a way of doing things that may be more powerful than the dictates of any one person or any formal system. This invisible quality the corporate culture dictates how effective the organization is in the marketplace. Achieving cultural change to maintain a prime market position has to be a key preoccupation of every chief executive. To understand the soul of the organization and the cultural change required necessitates us probing below the below what is visible, e.g., charts, rule books, machines and buildings and into the underground world of peoples feelings, beliefs, perceptions, attitudes, behaviors, only then can the corporate culture be defined and cultura l change initiatives be identified. To provide meaning, direction and mobilisation, i.e., the social energy that moves the corporation into either productive action or destruction requires constant cultural change to keep abreast of current management thinking and technology. Many organisations however simply do not recognise the need for cultural change and therefore this social energy has barely been tapped; whether diffused in all directions or even deactivated, it is not mobilised to help the company. Most members seem apathetic or depressed about their jobs and no longer pressure one another to do well. Even cultural change pronouncements by top managers that they will improve the situation fall on the deaf ears of employees who have heard these promises before. Consequently, without cultural change being itself part of the culture, the soul of the organisation slowly dies. The crucial role of corporate cultural change in shaping behaviour, and the especially powerful effects of group norms, one way to turn around a maladaptive company is to effect cultural change by managing its norms. Even cultural norms that dictate behaviour, opinions style and attitudes, etc., can be brought to the surface, discussed and altered by cultural change initiatives. Experience of corporate consulting work, has revealed it helpful to have all group members (generally in a cultural change workshop setting) list the actual norms that currently guide their behaviour and attitudes. This can be done for one or many cultural change groups, departments and divisions. Sometimes, it takes a little prodding and a few illustrations to get the process started, but once it begins, cultural change group members are quick to suggest many norms. In fact, they seem to delight in being able to articulate what was never written in any document and rarely mentioned even in casual conversation between themselves. What is Structural Change Structure is the place where culture grows. The structure of the organization, its physical structure, its work processes and systems support and create the behavior of the people who work there. Often organizations distribute new mission statements, beautiful posters with new values on them, but since the structure of the workplace does not support the mission or values, they are doomed to disappear. The networks of an organization function as culture maintainers organization members who communicate in predictable ways about predictable things based on history. Fundamental and lasting change requires the transformation of the networks that are the foundation for communication and relationships within the organization. By changing the way people sit, the processes they use, the structure of relationships between departments new networks form and old ones fade away. The structural changes should be small, many and high leverage. The changes should be small so that small numbers of volunteers can implement them quickly. Changing many things at the same time destabilizes the old, out-dated systems and processes. High leverage changes have a profound impact on the whole system. New structure forces new behaviors, just as changing the position of a wall in a room, or taking it away all together, causes people in the room to move and to change their focus. (Ref: Johnson Gerry and Scholes Kevan, (2002), exploring corporate strategy, 6 e/d, Printice Hall, UK) Structural change is enduring and difficult to undo. Once new walls, new systems and new processes are built to replace old structures, it is hard to return to the old way of doing things. Remember when the typewriter and the computer sat in side-by-side in the offices and how the people continued to use their typewriters? As soon as the typewriters were gone, people switched to computers. A test for structural change is an econometric test to determine whether the coefficients in a regression model are the same in separate subsamples. Often the subsamples come from different time periods. CNN has picked up on a report by the New York Federal Reserve Bank that suggests that the recovery is jobless because there is a restructuring beginning to happen. In a recent report, economists at the New York Fed suggest that what is happening is structural. In past recessions job losses were far more cyclical: The economy turned down, your company laid you off, but as soon as things got better you got hired back. Lets discuss an issue on structural and cultural change on The causes of Poverty in U.S. There are many competing theories about the causes of poverty in the United States with mountains of empirical evidence to justify support for each. The debate among theorists and policymakers is primarily divided between advocates who support cultural/behavioural arguments and those who support structural/economic arguments. This debate tends to manifest itself across political party lines with republicans supporting the cultural/behavioural thesis and democrats looking more to structural causes. (Ref: http://www.canberra.edu.au) Structural Causes Supporters of the structural school of thought argue that most poverty can be traced back to structural factors inherent to either the economy and/or to several interrelated institutional environments that serve to favor certain groups over others, generally based on gender, class, or race. Of the various institutional environments that tend to sustain a multitude of economic barriers to different groups, it is discrimination based on race and gender that create the most insidious obstructions. The disproportionately high rate of poverty among women may be viewed as the consequence of a patriarchal society that continues to resist their inclusion in a part of society that has been historically dominated by men, and as a consequence, welfare programs have been designed in ways that stigmatize public support for women as opposed to marital support; both arrangements tend to reinforce patriarchy. In this regard, the rise in poverty among women is an important structural level variable t o consider, but the lack of reliable data going back to 1947 makes testing difficult. This view is in part analogous to spatial mismatch theory, which generally hypothesizes that the location and relative access to jobs of the disadvantaged group is more operable than race per se. In a comprehensive literature review, Holzer concludes that spatial mismatch has a significant effect on Black employment and is primarily due to the low availability of well-paying jobs in the inner-city; a situation brought on by job decentralization and increasing commute times to distant jobs. However, Holzer suggests that the root cause of higher unemployment among inner-city Blacks may not be clearly distinguishable between the characteristics of the people who reside in each place as opposed to the problems created by location per se.. Structural economic factors include the level and variation in unemployment, median income, and measures of income inequality. The effects of unemployment and rises in median income are well documented and their relationship to poverty is intuitive. The rate of poverty tracks very closely with median income and in general, rises in median income has positive benefits for all classes, including the poor. Over the last half century, as median income has risen, the rate of poverty has decreased in close correlation. This relationship lends credibility to the argument that work is the best mechanism for lifting people out of poverty. Indeed, one of the clearest strategies for fighting poverty should be to focus on ensuring a strong and growing economy. However, for individuals to take full advantage of a strong and changing economy, they need education. Rises in income are positively correlated with educational attainment. Yet education is not equally accessible by all members of the pop ulation. Since property taxes represent the largest share of local school funding, the quality of education will necessarily vary relative the economic wealth of the locality. Federal and State funding represent smaller shares and are meant to level the playing fields somewhat, but they do not. It is education that allows people to adapt to changes in the economy and by extension changes in the demand for labour. During the latter half of the 20th Century, the American economy shifted from one based on manufacturing to one based on services. The gains in wages and working conditions that were made in the manufacturing sector have been weakened by the service economy. For example, Wal-Mart offers its employees one of the weakest wage/benefits packages of any corporation of its kind and continues to fend off unionization; it is now one the most powerful corporations with a huge market share and monopsony power over its suppliers. The gains in US GDP are in part due to the success of a consumer economy that rewards Wal-Mart and its cousin conglomerates, but at what cost to the Americans working low wage/benefit jobs. The barriers created by these trends are difficult for the poor to overcome. How is the poor parent supposed to take care of his/her family based on a near minimum wage job with poor and/or expensive health coverage and child care? A publication by the Institute of Womens Policy Research demonstrates that many among the poor rely on several sources of income in order to get by, including government assistance, income from other family members, child support, and job income. These multiple sources of income along with the stresses inherent to the pursuit of each would not be as needed if sufficient employment were available for livable wages and benefits. Economic Vs Social goals Some obstacles to the development of new forms of work organisation have been recently reported : low level of awareness, poor access to evidence-based resources, ountervailing trends, distribution of the relevant competencies. When thinking of the impact of industrial relations on organisational innovation, another sociological factor may be stressed: Whatever the necessary roles of the collective social actors in the work organisation, employees are now definitely the key actors in this respect. However, in many countries, the history of industrial relations systems, the actual balance of power between employers and employees in companies and the growing social insecurity based on flexibility, lead many employees to wonder about the aim and the effects of the new forms of work organisation. They consider that companies are asking them for more efforts in their single interests (productivity, quality of product) without any evidence that it may improve employees ones ( working conditions, job security, wages, industrial democracy). For them and for some of their unions, closing the gap with stakeholders is an illusion, and improving workers involvement requires a real balance between economic and social goals in organisational innovation. Therefore, in some industrial relations systems, even more than technical tools, learning processes, used rhetorics or formal provisions, this balance is a basic precondition for most employees to implement and develop new forms of work organisation. In order to meet this precondition, i.e. to ensure both economic and social goals in work organisation, a major tool is employee representatives participation in the decision making, the monitoring and the evaluation of organisational changes at every regulatory level. Proposals are already on the table that actors should build coalitions or should have a proactive role in developing these changes. But in many countries, such proposals cannot be implemented if employers or managers remain the only decision makers in work organisation. Confirming this approach, the EPOC results (Employee Participation in Organisational Change, a programme including a survey on 5800 European companies) reported that, from most managers point of views, the more employee representatives are involved in the regulation of direct participation, the more this participation is efficiently implemented, with a good impact on cost reduction, improvement of quality of product/service, absenteeism. In the same way , in France, reducing working time by law finally was, in many companies, the best way for actors to co-operate in changing work organisation. The deal was clear, with advantages for both partners. Such a social actors involvement in regulation of work organisation is now converging with a more general trend in industrial relations systems towards what may be called a multilevel model of regulated autonomy, involving social partners in co-producing rules at most interlinked levels of work regulation, from the European level to the workplace one. Moreover, this model itself between deregulation and old top-down regulation- is clearly aimed at introducing regulatory flexibility at local levels while common rules may be kept at upper levels. The Auroux Law was the first example in France of such a model. So, in order to establish balanced goals and advantages in organisational change, and more generally in order to co-produce work regulation, employees representatives are or should be at the core of the system. But a major problem then appear. Their weakness in many countries, specially at company level, is often leading to u nbalanced situations in which they dont have the power to play their roles of counterpower. In the long run, the results of the bargaining between unbalanced partners often look unbalanced and not satisfactory for workers, for instance about employment, precariousness or working conditions. (Ref: Lynch Richard, (2000), corporate strategy, 8 e/d, Prentice Hall, England.) Empowerment Leadership and command Empowerment evaluation is part of the intellectual landscape of evaluation. It has been adopted in higher education, government, inner-city public education, nonprofit corporations, and foundations throughout the United States and abroad. A wide range of program and policy sectors use empowerment evaluation, including substance abuse prevention, HIV prevention, crime prevention, environmental protection, welfare reform, battered womens shelters, agriculture and rural development, adult probation, adolescent pregnancy prevention, tribal partnership for substance abuse, self-determination and individuals with disabilities, doctoral programs, and educational reform (the Accelerated Schools Project a national educational reform movement). Descriptions of programs that use empowerment evaluation appear in Empowerment Evaluation: Knowledge and Tools for Self-assessment and Accountability (Fetterman, Kaftarian, and Wandersman 1996). Foundations of Empowerment Evaluation presents a complete description about how to conduct an empowerment evaluation (Fetterman, 2001). The definition of a leader is someone who has followers. To gain followers requires influence but doesnt exclude the lack of integrity in achieving this. Indeed, it can be argued that several of the worlds greatest leaders have lacked integrity and have adopted values that would not be shared by many people today. Empowerment evaluation has three steps. The first step is establishing a mission or vision statement about the program. Some groups do not like the terms mission or vision and instead prefer to focus on results. They state the results they would like to see, based on the outcome of the implemented program and map backwards endash;- specifying activities required to achieve those processes and outcomes. The second step, taking stock, involves identifying and prioritizing the most significant program activities. Then program staff members and participants rate how well the program is doing in each of those activities, typically on a 1 (low) to 10 (high) scale, and discuss the ratings. This helps to determine where the program stands, including strengths and weaknesses. The third step involves charting a course for the future. The group states goals and strategies to achieve their dreams. Goals help program staff members and participants determine where they want to go in the future with an explicit emphasis on program improvement. Strategies help them accomplish program goals. These efforts are monitored using credible documentation. Empowerment evaluators help program staff members and participants identify the type of evidence required to document progress toward their goals. Evaluation becomes a part of the normal planning and management of the program, which is a means of institutionalizing and internalizing evaluation. Empowerment evaluation is fundamentally a democratic process. The entire group not a single individual, not the external evaluator or an internal manager is responsible for conducting the evaluation. The group thus can serve as a check on its own members, moderating the various biases and agendas of individual members. The evaluator is a co-equal in this endeavor, not a superior and not a servant; as a critical friend, the evaluator can question shared biases or group think. Conclusion on Dilemmas While measurement issues remain, including the applicability of a national level analysis to various regions and cities each with potentially differentiated forms and causes of poverty, the final Model V of this analysis provides a useful framework for understanding the general causes of poverty at the national level. Contrary to the hypothesis of the paper, the cultural variables employed could not be integrated with the structural/political variables into a larger model that demonstrated the dynamic interrelation between the structural environment, cultural processes, and behavioral outcomes as theorized by Orlando Patterson Empowerment evaluation has three steps. The first step is establishing a mission or vision statement about the program. Some groups do not like the terms mission or vision and instead prefer to focus on results. They state the results they would like to see, based on the outcome of the implemented program and map backwards endash;- specifying activities required to achieve those processes and outcomes. The second step, taking stock, involves identifying and prioritizing the most significant program activities. Then program staff members and participants rate how well the program is doing in each of those activities, typically on a 1 (low) to 10 (high) scale, and discuss the ratings. This helps to determine where the program stands, including strengths and weaknesses. The third step involves charting a course for the future. The group states goals and strategies to achieve their dreams. Goals help program staff members and participants determine where they want to go in the future with an explicit emphasis on program improvement. Strategies help them accomplish program goals. These efforts are monitored using credible documentation. Empowerment evaluators help program staff members and participants identify the type of evidence required to document progress toward their goals. Evaluation becomes a part of the normal planning and management of the program, which is a means of institutionalizing and internalizing evaluation. Empowerment evaluation is fundamentally a democratic process. The entire group not a single individual, not the external evaluator or an internal manager is responsible for conducting the evaluation. The group thus can serve as a check on its own members, moderating the various biases and agendas of individual members. The evaluator is a co-equal in this endeavor, not a superior and not a servant; as a critical friend, the evaluator can question shared biases or group think. As is the case in traditional evaluation, everyone is accountable in one fashion or another and thus has an interest or agenda to protect. A school district may have a five-year plan designed by the superintendent; a graduate school may have to satisfy requirements of an accreditation association; an outside evaluator may have an important but demanding sponsor pushing either timelines or results, or may be influenced by training to use one theoretical approach rather than another. Empowerment evaluations, like all other evaluations, exist within a context. However, the range of intermediate objectives linking what most people do in their daily routine and macro goals is almost infinite. People often feel empowered and self-determined when they can select intermediate objectives that are linked to larger, global goals. In addition, a self-evaluation is more meaningful when linked to external requirements and demands. Empowerment evaluation also empowers external evaluators. Specifically, the external evaluators role and productivity is enhanced by the presence of an empowerment or internal evaluation process. Most evaluators operate significantly below their capacity in an evaluation because the program lacks even rudimentary evaluation mechanisms and processes. The external evaluator routinely devotes time to the development and maintenance of elementary evaluation systems. Programs that already have a basic self-evaluation process in place enable external evaluators to begin operating at a much more sophisticated level. References * Lynch Richard, (2000), corporate strategy, 8 e/d, Prentice Hall, England. * Channon Derek f., (1999), Encyclopedic Dictionary of strategy management, Blackwell Business, UK. * Lynch Richard, (2000), corporate strategy, 8 e/d, Prentice Hall, England. * Channon Derek f., (1999), Encyclopedic Dictionary of strategy management, Blackwell Business, UK. * Johnson Gerry and Scholes Kevan, (2002), exploring corporate strategy, 6 e/d, Printice Hall, UK. * Robson Wendy, (1997), strategic management and information system, 2 e/d, Prentice Hall, England. * http://www.canberra.edu.au * http://www.drew-associates.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

Honor Thy Children Essay Example for Free

Honor Thy Children Essay Overall the book Honor Thy Children by Molly Fumia was great. There were points in this book that just tugged at my heart. For example when the Nakatani’s found out that their middle son Greg was shot and killed. There were also points in this book that I felt if I had been in their position, I would be in a great deal of pain and misery and would not know how to work through all that had happened. I thought that Al and Jane were brave parents to endure the deaths of their three sons. This book by far was the most interesting non-fiction book I have read. This book would move the heart of any person that read it. The best thing about this book by far is how the parents have persevered throughout all these events that has happened to their family. From the running away of Glen, the murder of their son Greg, the finding out that their sons Glen and Guy were gay and their contraction of HIV, and also the death of them. They had to have heavy hearts after all of this happened, and yet they still go through all the HIV campaigning to show us how dangerous this disease is. A thing I did not like about this book is that there were very little happy things that happened to this family. I also thought that it was hard to keep track of the Nakatanis children because all of their names were so similar. If I were to grade this book, I would give it an A++ because this is a very good book and shows that humans have the will to push through any obstacle. Even though they have gone through all of that God did not give them a break and show them mercy. Despite their hard troubles, they pushed through all the sadness and despair and turned it around to help other people not make the same mistakes as them. This would definitely be a book I would recommend to people because there are very good life lessons in it. For instance, there is a limit to strict parenting, choosing your words correctly (Greg), and when faced with the worst of situations there is always something you can do about it. It also demonstrates that when a child is is pain and dying, parents always want to try and help to do what’s best for them, even at the expense of their own self. I think this book would be for ages 15 and up because there are things that would be hard to understand for someone of a young age. Also I feel that the person reading it should have some respect for gays, lesbians, etc. otherwise reading this book would be pointless. The book and movie were great to say the least. It taught me to accept who you are and that death is not the end. Memories can carry on and teach others how to deal with the loss of your loved ones. This book allowed me to take a glimpse into the Nakatani’s life and how they dealt with the loss and the grief that followed. Honor Thy Children taught me that no matter what life throws at you there are always ways to overcome these challenges. The thing I thought was most interesting was Guy will to go out to speak even while confined to a wheelchair. He had the courage to go out in the state he was in and speak. The person I identify most with in this story would be Greg. I identify with Greg the most because he was the middle son, a macho, speak his mind kind of person. The person I would identify least with would be Guy. I identify least with him because if I had gotten HIV and knew I was dying I would probably hate the world and seclude myself and not really try to do anything. This book did not really impact my life because even though it was a great book, it did not really apply that much to my life. I think that, because I have not had something similar happen to me, I have no gay or lesbian friends and I also do not know anyone with a serious disease. I think that the only things that would apply to me would be the Asian/Hawaiian culture, the dealing with the death of a loved one, and parenting. Their culture is exactly like mine because I am Japanese and I was born and raised in Hawaii. In our culture we are taught to respect your elders and listen to them. I also felt that the Nakatani’s dealt with the death of their sons better than I would have. When my brother and grandparents died I had a hard time and at some points I went through a period of depression that lasted a month in which I did not attend. It made me feel that I should have been a better grandchild and brother because I caused them a lot of trouble. The parenting part got to me because I was lucky that my parents, who were somewhat strict, were not as strict as the Nakatani’s. This helped me learn to appreciate my parents more.

The Electoral College An Outdated System Politics Essay

The Electoral College An Outdated System Politics Essay Every fourth calendar year the citizens of the United States participate in one of the greatest displays of Democracy in human history, the election of the President and Vice-President of the United States. However, it is not truly democracy. Instead, the democratic election of the President of the United States is tainted by the current use of the Electoral College. The Electoral College system of electing the President and Vice-President of the United States is an outdated system that needs to be replaced with a method that better represents the will of the American people. In the budding days of the United States of America, the Founding Fathers faced a difficult problem, the election process for the President of the United States. There were numerous factors that needed to be taken into account by the Founding Fathers as they debated the optimal election process. The largest factor taken into account by the Founding Fathers was that the nation was comprised of thirteen states which had only recently joined together to create a singular government and were jealously guarding their individual rights and powers, making them apprehensive to any centralized government ideas. The United States also contained four million citizens whom were separated by thousands of miles of land which was scarcely connected by either transportation or communication. Furthermore, the founders believed that political parties were destructive and counter-productive, an idea borrowed from the British (Kimberling 1). After considering these issues and proposing several options, the Founding Fathers developed the Electoral College which can trace its roots to the Catholic Churchs College of Cardinals and the Roman Republics Centurial Assembly (Kimberling 2). The Electoral College as defined by Article Two, Section One of the Constitution, comprises of six points. First, each state is allotted Electors equal to the number of its U.S senators plus the number of its U.S Representatives. Second, the individual State legislatures are allowed discretion in choosing their electors with the constraint that members of Congress and other Federal Servants are prohibited from serving as Electors. Third, States Electors must meet in their States rather than in a national meeting. Fourth, Electors are required to cast two votes for president, one of which had to be from a different state than the Elector. Fifth, the Candidate who obtains an absolute majority of the electoral votes becomes president with the run ner-up becoming Vice-President. Finally, if no Candidate obtains an absolute majority than the U.S. House of Representatives would choose the president from among the top five. In this case, each state would be allotted only one vote. If a tie was reached in the House than the top two would be voted on by the Senate (Kimberling 3). The Electoral College was both elaborate and appropriate at the time that it was created. However, after two hundred years and an amendment, the 12th (1804), the Electoral College has greatly changed. Currently, the election of the President of the United States and the Electoral College functions as follows. The number of each States allotted Electors is equal to the number of States Senators plus the number of the States Representatives. At the beginning of an election, political parties in each State submit a list of individuals whom will act as the States Electors if their candidate wins. Political parties then meet to nominate their presidential and vice presidential candidates, whom are then added to the ballot. On the Tuesday following the first Monday of November, the general populace of each State then votes for the electors representing their presidential and vice-presidential choice. It is a Winner-Take-All System in nearly all States. In a Winner-Take-All System, whicheve r candidate gets the most votes gets all the Electors. The exceptions to the Winner-Take-All System are Kansas and Maine which allot two Electors based on popular vote and the rest to individual Congressional districts. The winning set of electors then goes on to represent the State in the Electoral College. On the Monday following the second Wednesday of December the States Electors meet in their individual capitals and cast their votes for both president and vice president. The Electors still must use at least one of their votes on a candidate from outside their home State. All of the Electoral Votes are then opened by the President of the Senate on January 6th before the houses of Congress. Whichever candidate gains an absolute majority in the Electoral College is declared president. The same is true for the vice-president. If no candidate gets absolute majority for president the top three contenders are voted on in the House of Representatives which each State getting one vote. Similarly, if no vice-presidential candidate gets an absolute majority, the Senate chooses between the top two contenders. Finally, at noon on January 20th, the elected president and vice-president are sworn into office. The Electoral College system is neither fair nor balanced. However, there are many proponents of the Electoral College. They claim that the Electoral College is the only feasible system for fairly electing the president of a nation as large and diverse as the United States. That is not a true statement. Instead, there are is a multitude of alternative ways that the election of the president and vice-president of the United States can occur. The most commonly referred to alternative to the Electoral College is a simple direct majority election in which whoever gained absolute majority in the United States would become president. A simple direct majority vote is greatly beneficial because it better represents the will of the United States as a whole than The Electoral College. Under the Electoral College, the presidency has gone to the candidate with fewer popular votes in one out of every sixteen elections (National Popular Vote). The most noticeable of these cases occurred in the 1824 election between Andrew Jackson and John Q. Adams. Andrew Jackson obtained 60% of the popular vote and yet lost to John Q. Adams whom had gained the necessary electoral votes. Similarly, under the Electoral College, not everyones vote is equal. National Popular Vote gives a fantastic example of this: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Gore won five electoral votes by carrying New Mexico by 365 popular votes in the 2000 presidential election, whereas Bush won five electoral votes by carrying Utah by 312,043 popular votes-an 855-to-1 disparity in the importance of a vote(National Popular Vote). It is clear that a simple direct majority vote is a far better representation of the will of the American people than the currently implemented Electoral College. There are a multitude of problems with implementing a simple direct majority election. Perhaps the greatest of these problems is the increased likelihood and affiliated problems of a candidate not being able to gain the majority vote (over 50%) that would be associated with a direct majority election. There are however many solutions to this potential problem. The most promising of these solutions is Direct Election with Instant Runoff Voting which is presented by Fair Vote. Under an Instant Runoff Voting system, each voter would rank their presidential preferences versus the standard choosing of only one candidate. National Popular Vote is a bill that suggests each State simply

Scarlet Letter :: essays research papers

Love, affair, disowning! One may think that this is a soap opera, but one is fairly mistaken. In the novel, The Scarlet Letter written by, Nathaniel Hawthorne, love, lies, mistrust are a few of the many situations that confront his characters. In Boston Hester Prynne commits a sin of adultery landing her the punishment of wearing the scarlet letter â€Å"A† for the rest of her life. The man whom with she has an affair with is Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Roger Chillingworth is Hester’s husband, and he will do anything in his power to make Dimmesdale repay for what he has done. The physical and metal guiltiness that Dimmesdale undergoes for not confessing the truth of being Pearls father leads him to death. The theme of the novel is sin, isolation, and reunion. Through out the novel Nathaniel Hawthorne uses setting, plot, and the characters to develop these themes. Hawthorne uses the setting to develop the theme of sin, isolation and reunion. In the market place one of the guards opens the jail cell and announces to all the spectators and to Hester shouting, â€Å"Open a passage; and I promise ye Mistress Prynne shall be set where man, woman, and child may have a fair sight of her†¦ Come along! Madam Hester and show your scarlet letter in the marker place† (Hawthorne 52). Hester is being displayed on the scaffold, which Hawthorne uses to show sin. While Hester is walking out of the jail a woman murmurs to one of the other women, â€Å" This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die!† (Hawthorne 49) This scene clearly shows isolation between Hester and the community. The setting of the scaffold scene also illustrates the reunion between Dimmesdale, Hester and Pearl. When Dimmesdale admits on being the father of Pearl to all the townspeople, this scene reunites Pearl with herself by making her normal. The forest is as well as a major setting that instigates sin. Isolation in the forest occurs when Hester meets Dimmesdale to achieve some reunion, but instead drives them selves further into isolation. The use of the settings greatly structures how the theme of sin, isolation and reunion came about. The plot is utilized to support the three themes. There are five basic parts to the plot: conflict, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution. On top of the scaffold Dimmesdale interrogates Hester’s in revealing the identity of Pearl’s father.

Political Conflicts in Washington :: Poltical Conflict, Obama

Political conflicts regarding oversight are becoming a common occurrence in Washington, but have you stepped back and analyzed why this is? These unnecessary strangle hold on the democratic process are due to a few common practices, party politics, a deference to the Executive Branch, and prioritizing voter concerns with wasteful government spending. Some cause more problems than others, but overall these are the three biggest causes. Party politics prevents Congressmen and Senators alike from rearing off the path of their political party stance. We also see voters own ignorance as a big part of the government waste problem. Many like to complain about problems in our laws, but then are supportive of the laws when they go through Congress. This makes it very easy to pass laws with waste because they know the general population most of the time will let it slide. If your party holds the presidency, but that president does something that is unconstitutional that party will most likely stand its ground supporting the president. While the Executive Branch is an office that deserves respect, respect cannot get in the way of the Constitution and the laws of the land. No one is above the law, especially people in high office if anything they should be held more accountable due to their importance in American life. Congressional oversight is a major part of the checks and balances system, and if these major problems continue to occur we will see more and more people abuse the American democratic process. As long as there has been a two party system there has been party politics. This phenomena by definition is a Congressmen (Be him or her Democrat or Republican) is so loyal to the party that they will vote for those bills, or resolutions, or whatever just because their party supports it. This becomes problematic when you want to express what is best for your constituents, but may not be what the party is pushing for. This makes a very lazy Congress no matter the party, bills can go through that are not what are best for his or her distract but for the good of the party. Out of the three factors, this is the one that hinders Congressional oversight the least. While this is a problem it doesn’t hit the factor of oversight hindrance as much as the other two. This practice is becoming more common every year, and because of that it’s almost unheard of for Democrats or Republicans to vote outside of their party lines.

The History and Evolution of the Juvenile Justice System Essay

The history of the juvenile justice system is a mixture of the criminal justice system, family court, child protective services, social services, orphanages, adoption and humanitarian growth. (Schmalleger, 2007) Where a child fit into the system would depend on the crime, family pedigree, financial standing, color and social status. Children of color would be treated harsher than whites, Indian children were treated worse than African American Children, and status was determined by the color of your skin. Children of color would be given a death sentence before a white child and those with financial means could buy a pardon or parole. (Hopkins, 2008) From America’s beginning we modeled our criminal codes and punishments after England’s. England did not make allowances for the age or maturity of an offender, punishments ranged from flogging, mutilation, branding, public humiliation (stockades), work houses, exile and other forms of torture and every person was subject to them no matter the age; we carried this tradition with us to the colonies. (Roberson, 2007) In the nineteenth century we began what I feel is more of a social services program that was in fact an attack on the poor but the juvenile system calls the child-saving movement. This movement focused on the dangerousness and immorality that was believed to go hand in hand with being underprivileged. The â€Å"House of Refuge† that were privately or community funded opened in New York in 1825; (Larry J. Siegel, 2008) it was believed to be a family environment but was in fact a work house and functioned much like the later industrial prisons (1890-193 5) that fell out of favor because of the economic impact on the U.S. economy. (Schmalleger, 2007)pg. 490) Americans were mu... ...ved January 2, 2011, from ExecutedToday.com: http://www.executedtoday.com/2008/12/20/1786-hannah-ocuish-age-12/ Larry J. Siegel, B. C. (2008). Juvenile Corrections. In B. C. Larry J. Siegel, Juvenile Delinquency The Core, third edition (pp. 336-368). Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth. Larry J. Siegel, B. C. (2008). The History and Development of Juvenile Justice. In B. C. Larry J. Siegel, Juvenile Delinquency The Core, third edition (pp. 259-283). Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth. National Orphan Train Complex. (n.d.). Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved January 9, 2011, from National Orphan Train Complex: http://www.orphantraindepot.com/FrequentlyAskedQuestions.html Roberson, W. S. (2007). Procedures in the Justice System. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall. Schmalleger, F. (2007). Criminal Justice Today, ninth edition. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Kumdo in Korea

This martial art technique rooted way back 2000 years ago at the time of the early Three Kingdoms period – Shilla, Plahae, and Koryo.   In those times, sword bearing is a way of life, they follow every rules religiously and conduct their daily lives with strictly disciplined and moral manners. Through the use of sword the above dynasties have expanded their respective territories especially during the 7th to 15th century.   Specifically, the Palhae Dynasty was found and ruled by the ex-Koguryo warrior class after the fall of Koguryo in 668 A.D. After the fall of the unified three Kingdoms, the warrior class was just limited to state military who refined and developed the art under the name of â€Å"Ghihuck-Gum.† In 1896, Ghihuck-Gum was chosen to be the compulsory training requirement for the newly founded police academy.   From there on, Kumdo, the modern amalgamation of â€Å"the art of the sword† and â€Å"the way of righteousness† from the Taoist philosophy, was developed to be practiced by some as a sport and by others as a means of character development or spiritual refinement (U.S. Hwa Rang Kwan, 2006). In the 20th century, Kumdo used the bamboo sword and lightweight armor used in Japanese Kendo.   The population of people studying this technique grows very fast as the availability of the practice armor and sword made Kumdo flooded the market.   It made the technique more popular. What is Kumdo â€Å"Kumdo† means â€Å"sword way†.   It is the Korean counterpart of Japanese Kendo.   The current technique uses â€Å"juk do†(4 split bamboo sword) and the â€Å"ho goo†(the head and body gear), which began in 18th century. With â€Å"juk do† and â€Å"ho goo† the art of Kum Do took a surprising turn in its style. Allowing more experimentation without injury, the style became more effective by allowing stronger and deadlier blow without a considerable and extensive swing of the sword. The present form that combines of the inner strength (much signified by a scream from within â€Å"ki†), the absolute and unbounded swing of the sword(â€Å"kum†), and use of one's lower back and body(â€Å"chae†) was recently perfected. This is known as â€Å"ki-kum-chae.† Thus in tournaments one does not receive a point, although striking the opponent successfully, if the blow is not accompanied by all three components of â€Å"ki-kum-chae.†(Chang, 2006) The purpose of Kumdo can be summarized as: Mental and Physical Discipline Spiritual Discipline and Awakening Improved Technique Through Practice Discipline Based Upon the Spirit of Hwarang (Hwarang Ogae) Kundo practioners wear the same uniform as those who practice Kendo.   But there are many who are willing to use or vary the uniform including the color and accessories.   In Korea, practioner wear black trim and stripes on theur hakama instead of blue and this became popular in many dojos around the world. Like Kendo, Kundo has also 10 forms, removing sonkyo bow and using Korean names and terminologies instead.   Kumdo practitioners can compete in kendo tournaments.   There are a total of 400,000 practioners of Kumdo in Korea alone and is ranked as second most popular martial arts in Korea, next to Taekwondo. Origin Of Kumdo This technique originated in Korea but these art was admitted to be a direct interpretation of its Japanese counterpart – Kendo (â€Å"Ken† means sword and â€Å"do† means way) In fact, some of the early founders of this technique says that there is totally no difference between the two form of art. It should be understand that these similarities in technique in the two techniques can be rooted to the history of Korea. The annihilation of Japan to all the documents and historical artifacts of Korea including all the written documents about Korean Martial Arts have made it difficult for the Korean people and martial arts practioners to trace the original techniques of the Korean sword that originated way back in 4th century.  Ã‚   It is said to be composed of twenty-five poses and postures that would result in the immediate defeat of the opponent. Kumdo as an Art Just like any other martial arts techniques, Kumdo can be considered as an art because it has a very rich and deeply rooted technique that was developed because of the interesting classical traditional, religions, philosophies and meditation techniques from Korea. A martial art like Kumdo is an art but not an art form.   It is a skill acquired by experience, study and observation.   Also, it is something that can be enjoy and participate of any people from all walks of life.   But again, it is, first and foremost, an art of self defense. Although there are people that are motivated to study this because of the self-defense benefit of the technique but to appreciate the beauty and art that is inextricably intertwined in this (Orlando, 1997) It is an art because it has so many different artistic aspects. Just like dances, it has timing and rhythm. It has movements that can be used in dancing.   Just like in painting where artist mixed colors to produced art, it is the same thing with Kumdo, it is an infusion of classical traditional, religions, philosophies and meditation techniques. Spiritual Aspect of Kumdo Kumdo has three level of mastery and one of them is the spiritual alignment of a person.   Under this the limitations of physical body and mind merges through meditation techniques.   The mind is silenced through the refined focus and the sword is used solely as a tool to link the body and the mind with the infinite. (Shaw, 2000) It brings peace of mind and self-confidence and a disciplined and healthy mind. Through training, a person will have an honest self-examination or spiritual awakening. Ranking System and Ability Level Ranking in Kumdo Kyu from 10 to 1: jukyu, kukyu, hachikyu, nanakyu, rokyu, gokyu,yonkyu, sankyu, nikkyu, ikkyu.   Dan from 1 to 9: shodan, nidan, sandan, yondan, godan, rokudan,nanadan, hachidan, kudan.   Teaching certificates from lowest to highest: renshi, kyoshi, hanshi. The older schools (koryu) did not have dan ranks – they are a moderninvention. Instead, they used certificates ofmerit. There is virtually no standardization or commonality. Two common termsare menkyo-kaiden, referring to†graduates†, and kirigami for a first rank. Many ryu consider the ranks aslevels of initiation which have noparallel to dan and kyu. Still others broke the ranks down simply as studentand teacher, of possibly various levels. There are three levels in Kumdo 1.Physical Mastery – The students becomes expert in the physical aspect of the art.   These include understanding correct sword etiquette, mastery of the stances, and proper techniques in drawing and moving with the sword. 2.Mental Mastery –   The second level witnesses the Kumdo practitioner beginning to rise above the objective techniques of the sword. The Kumdo technician no longer needs to contemplate whether or not he is in the correct stance or unsheathing the sword efficiently. Through long periods of practice, all movements have become natural and there is no unnecessary thought given to them (Shaw, 2000) 3.Spiritual Alignment –   in this level the practitioner learn to make his physical body and mind work as one through the use of meditation technique. References Chang, Soon (2006) What is Kumdo?. U.S Hwa Rang Kwan. Retrieved on December 17, 2006 http://www.kumdo.com. Shaw, Scott (2000) Kumdo the Korean Art of Sword. Retrieved on December 17, 2006. http://www.scottshaw.com/kumdo.html Orlando, Bob (1997) Martial Arts America: A Western   Approach to Eastern Arts. California. Frog Ltd. ;

Economic Issues Essay

Castor Collins Health Plans, a regional health maintenance organization (HMO), in the state of Pantome provides HMO health insurance and health care services to enrollees through its statewide network of physicians and hospitals. E-Editors, a company with 1600 employees has asked Castor Collins to find an employee health insurance plan that accepts preexisting conditions at a maximum premium of $4,500 per person. Caster has two plans, which may fit the client’s demands. This paper converses the selection method including risk factors as compared to premiums that the company is willing to pay. In addition, the paper also considers the selection method of Cigna as a comparison to data available for Castor Collins. Economic Issues Simulation Paper Castor Collins Health Plans is a regional HMO founded in 1999 in the state of Pantome (University of Phoenix, 2011). Using a capitation model to pay its network of health providers, the HMO provides health insurance and health care services to enrollees statewide (University of Phoenix, 2011). Caster Collins currently has 100,000 enrollees throughout Pantome and is actively pursuing to increase this number. On January 2006, E-Editors, which comprises 1,600 people, approached Castor Collins with a need for employee health insurance plan. Currently E-Editors does not have health insurance, which means that the individuals will pay for their own insurance (University of Phoenix, 2011). The people at E-Editors are willing to pay a maximum annual premium of $4,500 per person (University of Phoenix, 2011). Caster Enhanced Minor covers preexisting conditions, but risks under this plan are lower than under Caster Enhanced, because this plan covers fewer services (University of Phoenix, 2011). For E-Editors, the premium charged for this plan is $4,491, and earnings are $7. 19 million. Because a good decision made by excluding Vision Screening, Hearing Screening, Male/Female Sterilization, and Custodial Care, the premium paid and the earnings barely cover the risks of insuring the group (University of Phoenix, 2011). If the goal were to minimize risks, one may consider not providing insurance to this group, which would mean a reduction in earnings (University of Phoenix, 2011). By including substance abuse treatment in Castor Enhanced Minor for E-Editors, the costs of providing this service are not too high and a comparison of the expected utilization of this service with average utilization shows that the risk of covering this service is low (University of Phoenix, 2011). Castor Collins has two plans suitable for this company – Castor Standard, which does not cover preexisting conditions, and Castor Enhanced, which covers preexisting conditions (University of Phoenix, 2011). In addition, Castor Collins can mitigate its risk by customizing Castor Enhanced to remove a few services that may have high utilization (University of Phoenix, 2011). Castor Collins might not insure any of these plans if the risks outweigh the profits (University of Phoenix, 2011). E-Editors will pay $4,500 as a maximum annual premium with preexisting conditions covered. Because Castor Standard does not cover preexisting conditions, the choices for E-Editors are Caster Enhanced and Caster Enhanced Minor. Caster Enhanced costs $4,556, which is $56 over the price of $4. 500. Therefore, this choice is not the optimum choice. Moreover, the Caster Enhanced Minor priced at $4,556 is also over the $4,500, but there is the option of electing to exclude some services. This tactic is exactly what E-Editors chose. Vision screening, hearing screening, male/female sterilization, and custodial care excluded from the Caster Enhanced Minor Plan lowering the total cost to $4,491. Thus, this plan covers preexisting conditions, but risks under this plan are lower than under Caster Enhanced, because this plan covers fewer services (University of Phoenix, 2011). For E-Editors, the premium charged for this plan is $4,491, and earnings are $7. 19 million (University of Phoenix, 2011). For E-Editors, the premium charged for Castor Standard is $3,485 and earnings are $5. 8 million (University of Phoenix, 2011). The risks and returns in this plan are low (University of Phoenix, 2011). A comparison of the expected utilization and the returns from providing Castor Standard to this group shows that the risks are quite high, and earnings from this plan are not sufficient to cover them (University of Phoenix, 2011). This plan is not the best choice of plan for E-Editors because one could mitigate risks by providing a different plan or by not insuring the group (University of Phoenix, 2011). Risk adverse customers buy health insurance to avoid losing income or wealth when indisposed (University of Phoenix, 2011). The insurance company in this case Castor Collins bears the risk in return for the premium and takes care of enrollees’ medical expenses (in part or full) when indisposed (University of Phoenix, 2011). The premium that Castor Collins receives is a source of revenue (University of Phoenix, 2011). It is compensation for bearing risk and for bearing expenses such payment to health care providers (University of Phoenix, 2011). If Castor Collins or any other similar company knows that a particular group of enrollees is more susceptible to a particular disorder, its risks for providing coverage for that disorder are higher (University of Phoenix, 2011). Thus, Castor Collins should charge a higher premium for covering that disorder. As in the case of E-Editors, there is a group of people not willing to pay a higher premium to cover greater risks (University of Phoenix, 2011). Therefore, Castor Collins would not provide coverage for greater risks (University of Phoenix, 2011). Castor Collins must weigh various considerations concerning the premium that enrollees pay. For example, these considerations are the risks of providing a particular plan or service, the expected utilization and hence, the costs of providing various services in the plan and the premium Castor Collins needs to charge to maintain profitability (University of Phoenix, 2011). For example, Cigna, like Castor Collins, tries to find health plans that fit the needs of the company by evaluating network strength, offering transparency and guidance, offering integrated products and services, and tailoring solutions to the size of the business (The Cigna Advantage, 2011b). Cigna recognizes that companies come in all sizes and face unique challenges and tailors solutions for businesses. Furthermore, Cigna solutions combine effective cost management, health advocacy and award-winning customer service by lowering health care costs, offering easy-to-use plans, improving health and productivity, and enjoying flexibility and choice (The Cigna Advantage, 2011a). Cigna believes in healthy, engaged employees and a healthy bottom line (The Cigna Advantage, 2011c). Improving health is the only sustainable way to lower costs. Cigna can help an organization achieve better overall health – and a healthier bottom line, through (The Cigna Advantage, 2011c): * Exceptional customer experience and engagement * Health and well-being solutions driven by integrated technologies and delivered by caring experts and coaches * Cost management that looks beyond networked discounts and into the future of consistent, high quality, affordable care Caster Collins provides health insurance and health care services throughout the state using an HMO model with capitation to pay its network of health providers (University of Phoenix, 2011). Caster Collins currently has 100,000 enrollees throughout the state and hopes to increase the number. Recently E-Editor approached Castor with a need for a health insurance product without preexisting conditions. E-Editor is willing to pay a maximum annual premium of $4,500 per person. Caster has two products that may fit the bill of which the customized Castor Enhanced Minor with modifications is the best fit for E-Editors.

Different Views On Native Americans

Anne Nichols Rochester College I chose to write about these two authors because their views on the Native Americans are both very different and I think it is interesting as to why. Benjamin Franklin who writes (Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America, p. 244-248) seems to have a much more positive and understanding outlook towards the Indians, where Mary Rowland who wrote (From a Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs..Mary Rowland, p. 27-143) is much more negative. Mary was a captive of the Indians for a period of time so her opinion of them is a bit more personal and biased. It seemed as if Franklin wanted people to understand that even though the Indians where different from them that that was okay. All cultures are different, and within those cultures people's lives are different, but that doesn't make them evil. His opening line says it perfectly, â€Å"Savages we call them, because their Manners differ from ours, which we think the Perfection of Civility.The y think the same of theirs† (IPPP). He starts off by going over the gender roles in their society explaining how the young men are hunters and warriors and at old age provide council. The women till the ground and bring up the children. He also examines how it is a rule of politeness to the Indian people not to answer a public request the same day that it is made, as to not send the wrong message that what is being considered is not important. He goes on for a bit to really emphasize the Indians politeness at all times.Franklin generally has a warmness toward the Indians and is able to sit back and appreciate them for their culture rather than criticize them because they have different views on the world then the Colonists did. Franklin makes a very interesting comparison when he takes the government in the Indian council and the British House of Commons. He first states about how when someone is going to speak in the Indian council everyone remains quiet and listens, then eve ryone waits after he is done for him to collect his thoughts and make sure he did not miss anything.He then speaks about how in the British House of Commons people are usually screaming over another and house speaker has to yell for order. This is a good example by Franklin to show in a way how the Indians where more civil than the Europeans. Mary Rowland does not have the same attitude. Rowland narrates her story in first person and it is about the things she witnessed and the experiences that occurred to her during her time as a captive with the Indians. During an Indian attack she witnessed friends and family being murdered ferociously.When she was captured she traveled with her youngest gather, battling injury starvation and depression while being moved from Indian village to Indian village. She constantly refers to them as heathens and inhumane creatures along with many other negative terms. Along her Journey her youngest dies and she is separated from her remaining children. H er captives give her a Bible they retrieved from a raid and she quickly turns to her faith to give her the strength she needs to make it through this situation.Mary throughout her writings is extremely passionate, her tone is generally despair but she remains hopeful that she will be reed eventually. Apart from the tragedy that Mary had to live with I think the two writings are also different because of Marry dedication to her puritan lifestyle. You have these puritans who live and breathe the bible clashing with this culture of people who don't. Everything about the Indians probably looked heathen to them. Mary draws many references from the Bible which helps her keep hope, I find it ironic that with such a heavy Christian faith that she keeps a negative outlook towards the Indians.This Puritan way of life has almost lead her to be ignorant of the Native Americans. Rowland fails to ever place the natives in a positive view. On many accounts, Rowland questions why God would allow th e natives to prosper off their brutal ways: â€Å"But now our perverse and evil carriages in the sight of the Lord, have so offended Him that instead of turning His hand against them, the Lord feeds and nourish them up to be a scourge to the whole land†. She finds it hard to understand that her culture had invaded the natives' land and in reality they are Just defending themselves and their way of life.As if stated before the main difference I see between these two authors portrayal of the Native Americans seems to come straight from their personal interactions with them. Franklin had more of a diplomatic view of them while Rowland had to live through a tragedy. Franklin shows a kind attitude towards them and therefore looks at their culture with a much more open mind where Rowland is fearful and angry with the Indians for the deaths of her friends and family, part that with the close mindedness of the puritan way and it's no wonder she never shows any good will towards them.

Longevity

Whether it is or not people's decision how long they live is one of the most important debates nowadays. There are many factors that can affect someone's longevity, some of them are choices people make like smoking, drinking or keeping a healthy diet, but some other aspects Like socio-economic situation and genetic background may not be anyone's election. Penthouse this circumstances might affect the longevity of a certain person, this essay will argue that lifestyle choices are In fact the most relevant factor when It comes to life expectancy.Lifestyle choices like smoking and drinking, affect strongly a person's longevity. Penthouse not every smoking or drinking case ends In death, this lifestyle choices can lead to serious health Issues that can reduce the life expectancy of an Individual. A study held by L. Wilhelmina and other scientists, shows that there are many factors that can affect someone's longevity, and they conclude that non-smokers have a higher possibility of survivi ng.This is because smoking causes injuries in the immune, circulatory and respiratory systems and this further leads to diseases like anger and osteoporosis. But smoking is not the only threat to someone's health, drinking alcoholic beverages is extremely harmful, both mentally and physically, and can result with mortal consequences. According to Patrick M. Krueger, suicides, accidents, cancers and other diseases are the main causes of death in heavy drinkers. Drinking and smoking affect directly someone's life expectancy due to its health and mental consequences.In contrast, some socio-economic circumstances clearly impact on someone's longevity and lifestyle choices. Government interventions like the minimum wage, effect directly somebody's socio-economic situation, and economic instability can influence someone's lifestyle choices and longevity. For example, if the minimum wage decreases, and so does the price of fast food, a worker that earns a basic salary won ‘t be able to choose between fast food and healthy food because his budget only lets him spend in the cheapest food in the market.These can be In many ways someone's decision, penthouse aspects like the ones mentioned In the previous paragraph might Influence an Individual's choices. Obesity and sedentary can reduce someone's life expectancy. A study held by Kelly et al from The university Cambridge on the Impact of obesity In fife expectancy, predicted that overweight would reduce It by 0. 28 years. Longevity By militaries like socio-economic situation and genetic background may not be anyone's election. Say will argue that lifestyle choices are in fact the most relevant factor when it Penthouse not every smoking or drinking case ends in death, this lifestyle choices can lead to serious health issues that can reduce the life expectancy of an individual. Lets him spend in the cheapest food in the market. In countries like The United States income the lower the mortality, making it evident that income might be a method to identify the lifestyle situations, that lead to the health contrast within people of different economic groups (Marmot, 2002).On the other hand, overweight and the lack of physical activity alter negatively a person's life expectancy. These can be in many ways someone's decision, penthouse aspects like the ones mentioned in the previous paragraph might influence an individual's choices. Obesity and sedentary can reduce someone's life expectancy. A study held by Kelly et al from The University Cambridge on the impact of obesity in life expectancy, predicted that overweight would reduce it by 0. 28 years.

Financial Statement Review Essay

What is the net income for the current fiscal year? Is it up or down from the prior year? Why would this information be important to investors? The total consolidated net income for Fiscal Year 2015 is $17,099 million dollars. This is amount is up from the previous Fiscal Year (2014) which had a consolidated net income of $16,695 million dollars. This information can be found on page 38 of the Walmart 2015 Annual Report. This information would be of importance to investors because it indicates whether the company is prospering financially and generating revenue. What is the ending balance in stockholders’ equity? Why would a labor union potentially be interested in this information? The ending balance in stockholders’ equity is $323 million dollars. This information can be found on page 40 of the Annual Report. This information would be of potential interest to a labor union because it provides information that could be used in determining labor rates, work salaries, and employee benefits. What is the total value of assets? Why would this information be important to a potential creditor? The total values of assets is $101,381 million dollars which can be found on page 60 of the Annual Report. This information would be of importance to a potential creditor because it provides an indication of whether the company would be able to repay any accumulated debt. It also provides a picture of how liquid those assets might be. What is the total cash flow from operation? The total cash flow from operations is $17,099 million dollars which can be found on page 41 of the Annual Report. What financial statement user would find this information most important?

Globalization and sport especially world cup in Qatar 2022 Research Paper

Globalization and sport especially world cup in Qatar 2022 - Research Paper Example It would not be wrong to say that with the intensive mediatization of sports and the technology facilitated broadcast of sports across nations and cultures, sports has emerged to be a common platform of interest and a vehicle for the exchange of values and political influences (Grundy 71). In the light of this fact, one simple can not underestimate the links existent between sports and the facilitation of democracy in today’s globalized world (Jay 51). Qatar being a Gulf nation, the impact of sports and globalization on the nation needs to be considered in the light of the emerging global network of interdependencies and influences and the still fresh Arab Spring. This approach gets even more imperative when one accommodates the fact that Qatar happens to be the host of 2022 FIFA World Cup. Globalization, Sports and Democracy- A Literature Review Globalization is a process that happens to be complex and controversial in its ramifications. Globalization has not only enhanced in terstate interdependencies, but also given way to a range of changes in the world (Mott IV 119). There is no denying the fact that democracy and globalization happen to be two of the most profound developments of the contemporary age. Globalization has led to the advent of democracy in many nations. Thereby one is many a time tempted to believe in the premise that globalization and democracy happen to be interrelated and symbiotic and one favors and promotes the other (Kuper 116). It could certainly be believed if one takes into consideration the opening up of economies and the commensurate democratization of the nations of Eastern and Central Europe after the fall of communism (Volten 66). One may readily believe in the veracity of this premise if one considers the opening up of the Latin American nations with the unraveling of the wave of democratization in the 70s (Harrison 166). The international transactions that define globalization do tend to benefit the societies as a whole, it is logical to assume that democracy that makes the political class more accountable to people is a sure shot way to remove the impediments that hinder such transactions. Also, one simply could not shy away from the fact that there exists a positive correlation between the eventual objectives of globalization and the socio-political environment facilitated by democracy (Ringen 262). The exchange of goods and services stimulated by globalization is invariably accompanied by the exchange and sharing of ideas and a sharing of ideas does make the societies politically more comparative and competitive (Henry & Springborg 16). Thereby globalization is indeed poised to pose much of a challenge to the nations that are traditionally non-democratic or autocratic (Archibugi 159). When one considers the political unrest unraveling in the Gulf in the wake of the Arab Spring, one is bound to assume that the influx of ideas in the hitherto closed societies and political systems has indeed motiv ated people to be politically more aspiring and has facilitated them with the courage to stand against autocratic regimes (Laqueur 175). Thereby such political developments inspire one to acknowledge that