What Is the Best Way of Explaining Football Hooliganism?

What is the best way of explaining football hooliganism? â€Å"Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence. In other words: it is war minus the shooting. † (Oswell, 1945) The best way to explain football hooliganism is to perceive it in the same context as war. Like war, football hooliganism has different factors that all contribute to the overall goal.Although the goal of each is initially considered as overtly different – war, to some, is demonstrated as a positive thing, especially within the social movement of futurism, while football hooliganism is, as a whole, a negative as portrayed mostly by the media – there are however, similarities among the two that have yet to be further explored. To demonstrate this I will gain further insight into, what I believe are, the similarities of war and football hooliganism. I will do this by studying and explaining the three main attributes of each, which are; Territory, masculinity, and the moral codes each social group follows.With territory I will compare how the two groups defend and protect their ‘homelands' and how they achieve a sense of pride by claiming someone else's land. Although they conduct this in different ways, I will hopefully be able to present how similar their process of achieving this are. Through the study of masculinity, I will explore the symbolic meaning that each present, in order to achieve a high status of being a ‘real man'. How they vilify their rivals is also studied, in order to make them feel less worthy or ‘manly', including how fashion and uniform play an important role.Before concluding my findings, I will explore how moral codes set internal ‘laws' within each social group, to which each must abide in their realms of fighting, focusing specifically on the rule that non-combatants or ‘civilians' are not to be ha rmed during combat, and how each group distinguishes combatants and civilians from one another. I will support my claims by using my own methodological research – in which I interviewed an anonymous football hooligan, who we will name as ‘Darren' – I will also use Anthony Kings' The post-modernity of football hooliganism (1997) journal article, T. W.Reesers Masculinities in theory: An introduction, and Michael Byers' Understanding international law and armed conflict – War Law (2005). By using the various sources, as said above, I hope to be able to support my claim that football hooliganism can be explained in the same context as war, through three important components – Territory, masculinity and moral codes – in which I have identified similarities among the two social groups. â€Å"†¦ Hooliganism's central confrontation involved the ‘taking of the ends', where fans would seek to infiltrate the opponent's terrace and assert the ir claim to the space.This ritualistic combat was hyperbolically described as war (between nations) by many fans, but rarely involved the conquest of a complete terrace. † (King, 1997) The above quote – taken from Anthony Kings' article on the post-modernity of football hooliganism – shows us that the idea of hooliganism has similarities with the concept of war. This is not only shown through my own evidence, but also by football hooligans themselves. During colonisation, the British army would claim other territories in different countries and claim them as part of Britain.They would do this by capturing towns and cities, and forcing the surrender of the national people. The ultimate aim was to protect Britain and also show the world that we were a strong, independent country, with a powerful army, that could take over other nations with ease. Today, war is conducted differently. Colonisation is a thing of the past, instead of taking over and claiming other nati ons, the British army demonstrate their presence in other countries, and set up base camps within foreign towns as their own to claim these as part of their territory.Football hooligans use a technique similar to that of the colonisation period. On a match day, hooligans will show their strength and power by attempting to claim something of the oppositions. This varies from terraces to pubs, and sometimes to streets. During my interview with ‘Darren', he supported this claim by stating, when asked for an explanation of football hooliganism, â€Å"†¦ Just taking liberties, going to other people's manors, in their pubs, taking over, calling them out, defending our territory, and taking over theirs†¦ †(Darren, personal interview, Jan 2012).Most hooligans will confirm that the method of taking ‘enemy' territory is trashing the place they have ‘captured'. This is significant to the process of claiming territory as it places a mark on the oppositions nam e, letting them and other ‘firms' know that they the ability to control, sometimes with the use of specialised stickers with the perpetrators signature (which is usually the clubs emblem and a short message). In terms of similarities with war, when the British army would claim a territory for their own, they would mark it with the union jack flag, showing that they were now ‘in charge' so to speak.As shown above, in terms of territory, we can see the similarities between war and football hooliganism through the way in which they both mark their territory and set about claiming oppositions territory. Within both social groups, soldiers and hooligans both have the belief that they are fighting for something, a higher being than themselves: for soldiers it is for Queen and country; for hooligans it is for their team and local area. They both organise, plan and prepare for the execution of their actions, both knowing the risks of their actions, and are willing to take the ri sks to fight for what they believe is the ultimate cause.According to T. W. Reeser (2010), one way in which to view masculinity is to look at it as an ideology, instead of an individualised creation. Observing masculinity within this context allows us to see various concepts of masculinity within different institutions and groups. This theory can work on many levels and can be associated with many institutions such as the army, sports and the business world. If we view the ideology of masculinity within the army, it shows us that the state needs the army to present themselves as the best they can be, an example being the army's slogan – ‘army, be the best'.The way in which soldiers are disciplined and taught how to present themselves is all part of their training in masculinity. As a soldier, the uniform is what sets you apart from the public. It is the symbolic meaning of the uniform and weapon that a soldier possesses that is important in showing others their ideology of masculinity. When we, as the public, see a male soldier, in camouflage uniform holding a gun, we instantly see what is meant to be a ‘real man'. The uniform, particularly honorary medals, shows us that the person has served his country and fought against others in battle.The uniform represents the country that the soldier is fighting for and the gun is his weapon that he uses against the opposition, to disarm and hurt them. They affirm their masculinity through organised and planned attacks, when they succeed in disarming the opposition, or a bullet that reaches its target, is a soldiers way of removing the oppositions masculinity and building on their own. Football hooligans follow the same ideology of masculinity that soldiers do. They learn from their peers how to behave and act, and have a ‘uniform' to abide by, which, like soldiers, is a symbol of their masculinity.The uniform football hooligans wear is not as much a statement of authority, but a statement of fa shion. The uniform is known as the ‘casual look', which involves wearing top brand names of polo t-shirts, jumpers, jeans and trainers, and in some cases what is known as the goggle coat, a coat which disguises your face but allows the hooligan to see through a pair of inbuilt goggles. They use this uniform to tell each other apart, a way of knowing who is there to fight and who is not. â€Å"The casual look, its a way of telling people apart, you know who is who. (Darren, personal interview, Jan 2012) Darren supports this in the above quote. The casual look is a uniform which symbolises their masculinity to others around them. As soldiers will use their guns as another sign of masculinity and to vilify their opponents, hooligans instead will use their chants and songs. The chants and songs are specifically created to vilify their rivals, and mostly speak of the opposition as being sexually perverse, diminutive phallic references and mocking their sexual performance.This is s upported by Anthony King in his article on the post-modernity of football hooliganism. â€Å"Through the support of a football team, the male fan affirms his status as a man (in the eyes of his peers and himself) and also articulates the nature of that manhood. A central practice in the re- constitution of manhood in football is the communal chanting in which fans participate. Through these songs, male fans re-affirm and re-negotiate the partially sub-conscious idea of their masculinity. † (King, 1997)In terms of masculinity within the army and football hooliganism, we can see that the similarities are, the way each uses a uniform and weapon as a symbol of their masculinity. Although the uniform and weapons are different, the way each presents themselves within their uniform and the way they use their weapon to vilify and remove their rivals masculinity is similar. It is a way in which each know who their rivals are. Which also links in with the moral codes that each social g roup abides by. Any armed conflict involves two broad categories of individuals: Combatants and non-combatants (who are also referred to as civilians). International humanitarian law protects both categories of person, though non-combatants are shield more than those who take up arms† (Byers, 2005) In the above quote, Michael Byers explains the humanitarian law that armies around the world are expected to follow. The British army abide by these and use them as a moral code as well as a law. The harming of civilians is prohibited, and only other combatants can be return fired at.As said in terms of masculinity, the army uses uniforms and weapons as a means of telling combatants and non-combatants apart. The harming of an innocent civilian can prompt an official prosecution of the soldier who open fired, unless there is reasonable evidence to claim that they believed the individual was in fact a combatant. Football hooligans also follow a strict moral code similar to that of the army. Football hooligans distinguish each other through the clothes they wear and the chants they use.It is an unspoken rule that if someone is not part of the hooligan culture then they cannot be harmed or made to participate in the battles that take place. This is shown in a quote from Darren's interview â€Å"The casual look, its a way of telling people apart, you know who is who – We don't just kick the f**k out of a random person, only people who want to have a row back. †(Darren, personal interview, Jan 2012) This sets football hooliganism apart from just random street fights. With the presence of moral codes, we can see that football hooliganism is more developed and strategically balanced then first thought.It is not simply about fighting like primitive men in the streets, but about the preparation and planning that surround it, the certainty that where you are going will not be surrounded by civilians who do not want to be part of this culture. The consequenc es of a civilian being harmed is most likely the shame that will be burdened upon you by your peers, and in some cases, ‘taught a lesson' in that you will be expected to receive punishment through violence by your peers who are ranked more superior then you.Continuing on the theme of similarities, the humanitarian laws and moral codes that both social groups follow is similar in the way that each are expected to abide by rules that prevent them from harming civilians who are not involved in their particular conflict. The consequences of their actions, should they breach this, is the prosecution of themselves through court marshals and/or violent punishment from their superiors. As presented above, we can see that war and football hooliganism have various similarities.This shows us that we can explain football hooliganism in terms of war using three attributes; Territory, masculinity and the humanitarian law/ moral codes that both must abide by. Although the ultimate goal can b e seen as directly different, it is the way in which both of these social groups plan and participate in their battles. The taking of territory and confirming their presence is similar in that both mark the territory claimed with the use of a flag or sticker.The uniform and weapon is symbolic for both, in the way it presents and confirms their masculinity, whilst causing a negative impact on their oppositions masculinity. When fighting, both will abide by the same rules that civilians are not to be harmed in any way, or face the consequences of going against these rules, which involves being persecuted by others superior than themselves. Although soldiers fighting in wars are labeled as passionate heroes, whilst football hooligans are vilified as thugs, we can notice the similarities of the two social groups when placed in the context of war.The addictive adrenaline buzz associated with each group during battle is what spurs them on, gives them the power to keep fighting, and is wha t keeps them going back for more. ‘Darren' describes this buzz as â€Å"Better than sex. † (Darren, personal interview, Jan 2012) Throughout this essay, masculinity has made a continuous appearance, in some cases it is more disguised, but still apparent. This shows us that masculinity, and proving they have an adequately sized manhood, is the real connection behind war and football hooliganism.Overall, the best way to explain football hooliganism is in the same context as war through territory, humanitarian law/ moral codes and of course, masculinity. BIBLIOGRAPHY Byers, M (2005). War Law: Understanding international law and armed conflict. London: Atlantic books. p. 9. King, A. (Dec 1997). The Postmodernity of Football Hooliganism. The British Journal of Sociology. 48 (4), p. 576-593. Orwell, G (1945). The Sporting Spirit. London: Tribune. Reeser, T. W (2010). Masculinities in theory: An introduction. London: Blackwell Publishing. Chapter 1.

Do Auditors Need to Have in-Depth Knowledge of Information Technology Essay

Yes, auditors need to have in-depth knowledge of information technology. Networks and computers deliver the most information needed for auditing to work. For it to be effective, auditors have to use the computer as an auditing tool, audit automated systems and data, and understand the business purposes for the systems and the situation in which the systems operate. The other important uses for networks and computers by auditors are in audit administration. By pursuing new uses for computers and communications, auditors can direct their activities more effectively and improve their skill to review systems information. Automated tools give auditors the chance to increase individual productivity and audit function. The development of auditing in the fast growth of technology, which directly contributes to information technology auditing, internal control standards and guidelines explained by Yang (2004). Technology, electronic data processing, and information system have altered the way organizations handle its business, endorsing operational efficiency and assist decision-making. American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA), have provided standards to allow and deliver required guidance to auditors. In SAS No. 48, â€Å"the effects of computer processing on the examination of financial statements,† explained and suggested auditors to consider the methods of computer data processing and other important factors such as planning and supervision, study and assessment of internal control, evidential matter, systematic review procedures, and requirements of the audit team. It also underlined the individual characteristics of information technology systems that should be measured by the auditor when directing the assessment process. In SAS No. 94 recognized the types of systems, controls and evidence auditors faced. The author also explains the Statement Of Information System Auditing (SISA), which express the needed requirements for information system auditing and reporting Tucker (2001). Staciokas (2005) have directed to understand internal audit functions, search effect of information technology and analyze advantages of internal audit in the organizational governance. Also did research on the definition of internal audit has continually changed and revised over the past few decades, and are still faced with certain issues understanding of internal audit function and it position within the organization. At the time the function of internal audit includes the internal control effectiveness, assistance to external auditors, or fraud investigations, but also identification of organizational risks, discussions to the senior management on risk management, develop improvement or global operations. Ruud (2001) explains, â€Å"it is important to understand needs and expectations of internal and external decision makers towards internal audit function† but also explained that there is some problem faced by internal audit being as an important part of organization. Auditors assisted by information technology based application; Computer Assisted Audit Tools increased effectiveness of internal audit in the organization. The author has underlined the purpose of internal audit function is to monitor, evaluate and improve risk management, controls, and governance process, but has not provided enough analysis on how different corporate governance’s approaches can influence internal audit process in the organization. Coderee (1993) has explained how computer assisted audit tools and techniques (CAATT) based programs can automate certain audit function in the organization. The benefits of CAATT is it can be used to increase audit coverage, improve the combination of audit skills, increase independence of auditing from information system functions, and adopt greater reliability and increase cost effectiveness through the progress of reusable computerized techniques. The author demonstrates and suggests how automated tools and techniques have improved the value, efficiency, and effectiveness of audit. This has been stated in internal control over hazardous material where the critical audit’s objective was to review controls over the procurement, distribution, storage, and disposal of hazardous materials. But another standpoint, the author gives an example of workforce reduction program where CAATT used to review the efficiency and effectiveness of this program, personnel information system, and payroll system, the audit was successfully provides senior management with an assessment of the effectiveness of the program. Also how auditor inspected the controls over the closure process of a production plant. In one situation, an audit team helps the organization to determine whether equipment and inventory items were sold at an appropriate price, and properly safeguarded to prevent theft or loss. The CAATT developed for this closure were successfully used and reduced timing of the planning phase generally by more than 50%. And determine the benefits and effectiveness of CAATT in automating audit functions in the organization and allowed improvement of efficiency and effectiveness of auditing process be established. But the author has not provided any research survey and reports to support and justify his statements. The analysis of how CAATT automating of audit function are only based on survey and suggestion of unverifiable sources. As audit tools are growing more powerful and sophisticated, they are also becoming easier to learn and use but they also have to adapt into a difficult and always changing environment. Types of audit software can easily clash with features of other software on the network or computer, and must be thoroughly managed. As tools become more influential, auditors may use features or services provided in the software that command large amounts of system resources such as processing cycles, communication bandwidth, and storage, and to compete with other users of those resources. One good example, an auditor can request access to a file with a program that will scan each record in the file and can lock other users out until the process is complete. The processing could also require large amounts of network storage space at a time when it is in short supply and could cause a server to crash. It is important to schedule this kind of processing at times when other system users will not be behind or stop them from performing their work. Instead, many audit organizations perform their audit analyses using files copied or archived from the live production files. It is important to understand there is no general model for technology tools appropriate to all organizations. It is also important to understand the increasing dependence on technology to accomplish or support almost all auditing activities. Technology topics make up an increasing percentage of the auditor’s professional knowledge and skills set. While technology background is important in understanding new developments and directions, it is important to continue obtaining new knowledge. Effective use of audit technology tools is important to the achievement of audit activity, but is only a step toward understanding the changes technology in business and the auditing profession. Developing technologies will continuously change the shape of and approach to business controls, and audit approaches and techniques must change appropriately. Another important role for auditors and the auditing profession, is to reassure and support the efforts of providers of systems and new technologies to boost the built-in monitoring and assurance features of systems without considering them as processing overhead or as essentials that contribute to decreased performance. An important role for auditors is just to understand and change with the technologies, but to also explain the effects of this changes to others that are being effect by this.

Characterization of Hadley

Characterization of Hadley Ernest Hemingway remembers his time in Paris fondly in his memoir A Moveable Feast. The book tells about his writing process and other fond memories in Paris with his wife, Hadley. Hemingway often refers to Hadley strictly as his wife, but he eventually makes a transition from calling her his wife to Hadley. Throughout the book, Hemingway characterizes Hadley as a fun-loving, supportive wife. While Hemingway’s book has no chronological order, he uses this subtle transition to mark a divide in his and Hadley’s relationship. Hemingway tells the reader about his experiences in Paris and about his encounters with other famous authors. The first chapter of the book starts out with Hemingway describing his cafe where he prefers to write. At the end of the chapter, he mentions a brief conversation with his wife about a vacation that they want to take. He describes her, â€Å"She had a lovely modeled face and her eyes and her smile lighted up at decisions as though they were rich presents† (Hemingway 19). With a simple description of his wife, Hemingway allows his dialogue to be the center focus rather than elaborately describing his wife. The imagery Hemingway uses to describe the way she responds to a decision to go on a vacation shows how she sees the vacation; she thinks of the vacation as a rich present that she does not often get. Since Hemingway is so set on going on this trip, his wife delights in going. She supports Hemingway’s decision to leave Paris, so he may write about Paris. Hadley also supports Hemingway when he decides to grow his hair out long. She even decides to cut her hair to the same length as Hemingway has his, so they may grow their hair out together. One of the bigger decisions Hemingway makes during this Parisian time is to bet on horse races. Hadley asks Hemingway, â€Å"Do we have enough money to really bet, Tatie?† (42). At this point in Hemingway’s career, he is still writing for newspapers, and he has submitted some short stories to be published. The Hemingways are nowhere near being rich, but they do not think themselves poor either. They certainly do not have the spare money to gamble on horse races, but Hadley supports Hemingway anyway: â€Å"I think we ought to go†¦ We haven’t been for such a long time† (43). Hemingway even says that he has been tight with any income that they have, so when he wants to gamble what little surplus, if one could call it that, that they have, Hadley still supports him. Hemingway conveys how deep his and Hadley’s relationship is in a specific scene, â€Å"It was a wonderful meal at Michaud’s after we got in; but when we had finished and there was no question of hunger any more the feeling that had been like hunger when we were on the bridge was still there when we caught the bus home† (49). He shows in this scene that their hunger was not only a physical feeling, but it was a longing for something more. Hemingway knew his wife so well that he could tell that she felt hungry in the same way he did. Hemingway shows with this scene that he and Hadley had a strong bond which only makes their divorce more tragic. In the sixth chapter of the book, Hemingway uses Hadley’s name for the first time instead of referring to her as his wife. While this may seem insignificant, it has a deeper meaning behind it. The chapters of A Moveable Feast are not in chronological order, so this switch in reference to Hadley could symbolize the beginnings of how Hemingway and Hadley’s relationship started to deteriorate. In chapter sixteen, Hemingway closes the chapter with a discussion about the end of his relationship with Hadley. He states, â€Å"Hadley and I had become too confident in each other and careless in our confidence and pride† (123). He starts this brief discussion with saying that they had grown too relaxed in their relationship. Later on he states, â€Å" Hadley †¦ came well out of it and married a much finer man than I ever was or could hope to be and is happy and deserves it† (123). Hemingway intimately knows Hadley, and he recognizes that she was not to blame fo r their marriage ending. He still cares for her happiness because she was his wife and mother to his first child. From chapter six to chapter sixteen, Hemingway rarely calls Hadley his wife. These chapters take place during the time that they had â€Å"become too confident in each other.† Hemingway distances himself from Hadley through work, and his marriage falls apart. How does Hemingway see Hadley completely? He sees her as a dedicated wife who supports him in his writing career, someone with whom he can relate to on a deeper level, and ultimately as a woman who deserves someone better than Hemingway himself. He captures her true personality through the conversations he includes in A Moveable Feast. Since his marriage to Hadley ended in divorce, Hemingway could have skewed the reader’s perception of Hadley into a spiteful woman, but he chose to remain mostly unbiased in his characterization of her. Hemingway remembers his time in Paris with Hadley as a mostly happy time in his life, and he wants the reader to experience Paris as he did. He approaches his memories with Hadley free of noticeable bias, and he provides the reader an accurate description of his first wife. Hadley Hemingway was incredibly supportive of Ernest during his years as a struggling author, and she appreciated the simpler life they led compared to the richer lives that s ome of Hemingway’s friends lived. Ultimately, Hemingway knew Hadley deserved better than he was or could provide for her at the time. He still cherished their time together, and he did not want to taint those memories with the bitterness a divorce can bring. He loved Hadley and only wanted to show his readers how much life she helped him lived in Paris during those five years of marriage.

What does the use of the Term Equality infer to in the Context of Essay

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Other - Essay Example However, Tough’s portrayal of Geoffrey Canada’s passion to change the prevailing perspective that I share with millions of other people in America made me sit up in awe, curious to find out if his grand plans for Harlem’s children will work. His promising idea begins with very early interventions, even as early as from the womb, and to empower parents with the right skills to raise their children well. Canada is interested in combining educational, social, and medical services to help all children to grow up with the right foundations regardless of their family’s socio-economic status (4). He envisions that the only way to solve the problem of poverty in America is to â€Å"transform every aspect of the environment that poor children were growing up in; to change the way their families raised them and the way their schools taught them as well as the character of the neighborhood that surrounded them† (19-20). It would seem like a tall order, but com e to think of it, it does make sense to start a-fresh with people who are appropriately trained to combat poverty as they grow up to be intelligent, compassionate and productive citizens. My mindset before reading this book was that it is society’s fault that poverty is so widespread. The cause of the deterioration of morals is mainly due to people’s need to acquire their basic needs from a society that does not give them enough opportunities to live a high quality of life just because they are poor and uneducated. This book has caused in me a paradigm shift that problems should be addressed from the grassroots level, in this case, from childhood or earlier on. To be dependent on society or government would only be setting oneself for failure if one does not do anything out of his own initiative. Children should develop their skills early on so they can be self-reliant. Tough echoes this: â€Å"Skill begets skill; learning begets learning. Early disadvantage, if left

Target Market Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Target Market - Coursework Example The advertising target refers to a group of people to which an advertisement would be aimed at. This could be the whole target market or a portion of it. Communications Platform in marketing refers to the tool of delivering the message to the target audience (Armstrong & Porter, 2003). It gives the capability of personalizing and distributing marketing content based on the profile of the target market guided by some rules in business that could be adapted for various scenarios. Once the target market has been identified, available media vehicles should be evaluated based on their capability to deliver an audience that would match the target. Of importance to consider when selecting the media to use include frequency, reach, continuity and gross rating points (Brumfitt, Barnes, Norris & Jones, 2001). In this case, the message should communicate the effectiveness of MaxEmail products and services. It should justify the perceived expensiveness of its products and services by conveying the value offered. The message should also portray the company’s corporate identity as it targets the government and business enterprises. Social media and search engines would be the two most appropriate platforms for communication at MaxEmail. Since MaxEmail delivers services and products that largely depend on the internet, it would be realistic to consider that most of the targeted users access the internet during their daily operations (MaxEmail, 2012). Brumfitt, Barnes, Norris and Jones (2001) observed that social networking has become a popular marketing strategy for most blue chip companies since 90% of internet users would subscribe to these networks. Search engines such as Google.com and Yahoo.com experience massive hits daily and therefore provide a large market for MaxEmail to target. Therefore, as MaxEmail targets users of fax to email and email to fax, particularly those drawn from the government, business

Summative Assessment In Education Research Paper

Summative Assessment In Education - Research Paper Example Why is it important to use authentic materials when teaching the English language? (3 marks) 2. Name six of the materials that can be used to supplement a course book when teaching English. (3 marks) 3. Discuss four methods which can be used to make a lesson more lively (4 marks) 4. Mention five advantages of using a course book while teaching (5 Marks) 5. Mention five best practices associated with the use of a course book (5 Marks) 6. Discuss the four options for use of a course book (8 marks) 7. Give four reasons why it is important to plan a lesson (2 marks) Section B: Lesson plan (30 marks) 1. With the news article and blank lesson plan provided, devise a lesson plan that can be used to teach a certain aspect of grammar. You are free to choose any aspect of your interest, but the lesson plan should include all the stages. Make sure all spaces are filled. Teacher: Room: Observer: Expected numbers: Date & Time: Class Level: Context: Teaching Aids: Learner Objectives: Personal Aims : Anticipated problems for students: Solution: Anticipated problems for teacher: Solution: Procedure Phase Timing Interaction (â€Å"Online TESOL / Online TEFL ITTT Answers†, 2009) Section C: Essay questions (40 marks) Write an essay of about 500 words to discuss one of the following concepts 1. Use a course book in lesson planning to maximize effects. 2. An ideal lesson plan. 3. Benefits of using a lesson plan. Note: your essay must contain a brief introduction and a conclusion. An assessment Triangle and cognitive Learning model In creating my summative assessment, I relied on the concept of the assessment triangle and the cognitive learning model. According to Selah & Khine (2011), the mentioned can provide a guide which helps, when an assessment instrument to support reasoning from evidence is designed, which is my objective. At this point, I feel that it is necessary to apply the concept of an assessment triangle where I considered all its elements. One of the elements o f an assessment triangle that I critically analyzed is cognition. Cognition refers to the theory, data, and a set of assumptions about how student present their knowledge and develop competency in a subject matter domain (Bernholt, 2012). Using the concept I try to align my summative assessment in the best possible way to make it test the level of competency my students have developed during the learning process. To understand this cognitive behavior fully, I decided to use the cognitive learning model. According to Busemeyer & Diederich (2010), this model has a goal of scientifically explaining processes used by the human brain to accomplish complex tasks. Using this model, I was able to understand the cognitive behavior of my students. This has helped me a lot in designing this summative assessment by showing me how the students behaviors interact with the goals we want to achieve through this summative assessments. Another element of as assessment triangle that I have considered is the beliefs element.

Shia Islam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Shia Islam - Essay Example At the same time, Islam asserts that while in the Gospels and in Torah there originally were correct messages, with time they were misinterpreted and wrongly edited by people. Thus, Koran corrects all those wrongs. Speaking about the other essential characteristics of Islam Sharia should be mentioned, which is the Arabic term for Islamic law interpreted by Islamic scholars, and it is also called the law of Allah. One of the main features of law in Islam is that there is no separation between religious and secular aspects of life. Indeed, Sharia regulates not only religious practices, but as well different aspects of life, like business, economics, general matters of political governance and international relations, social matters, and daily goings-on of people. Again, the Quran is the main source of law in Islam. The second such source is the sunnah, which is the compilation of words and deeds of Mohammed and the early community of Muslims. As the third source of law serves consensus of the Muslim community called Ijma, and the fourth source is the principle of reasoning by analogy, also termed Qiyas. Islamic laws that are explicitly formulated in the Quran are known as hudud laws. Among other things, they ban homicide, non-marital sex, consumption of alcohol, and engagement in gambling. The Quran also spells out laws of marriage, principles of inheritance and compensation for inflicted harm, and of course rules of immediate religious application like prayer, fasting, and charity. At the same time, it should be noted that the mentioned regulations often leave quite a lot of room for interpretation, so their practical realizations may differ. To help with practical utilization of postulates of Islamic law, Muslim scholars, also named the ulema, explicate systems of Muslim law that stem from these general rules, and to exemplify them often refer to the ways in which Mohammed and other religious authorities interpreted the principles of Islamic law. Taking into consideration the fact that today not all Muslims can read the original Arabic Quran, the need in such interpreters is increased (Schimmel 1992). On the basis of what we have discussed, we can see that Islamic law is absolute, because it covers almost every aspect of life of a Muslim, and requires a strict observance of its regulations and instructions. While what we have generally outlined is the common religious ground for all the Muslims, there are still different denominations within the Islamic religion. The largest Islamic denomination is the group professing what is known as the Sunni Islam. In fact, approximately 85% of all the Muslims in the world are of the Sunni denomination, and are called Sunnis. At the same time, a significant portion of followers of Islam, known as Shiites, belong to the denomination of Shia Islam. Actually, around 15% of the wolrds Muslims are of this denomination, and in some countries they constitute the Muslim majority, such as for instance in Iran with its 90% of Shia population and in Yemen, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, and Iraq, where Shiites form a less prominent majority (Esposito 1998, ch.5). Let us concentrate on the exploration of the differences between Shia and Sunni denominations, including the initial divide between them, with the aim to obtain a better understanding of the less numerous Shia group. In order to comprehend the roots

Nestle Strategies Essay Example for Free

Nestle Strategies Essay Four competitive advantages In recent years the Nestle 4x4x4 Roadmap has helped us build both a strong alignment within our Company and a deep understanding of what we want to achieve, strategically and ? nancially, and how to go about it. Our people are better able than ever today to pursue our ambition to be the recognised and trusted leader in Nutrition, Health and Wellness. That trust is re? cted in the hundreds of millions of purchase decisions – made by consumers every day – enabling them to enhance their lives and those of their families by providing tastier and healthier food and beverage choices for all stages of life, and at any time of the day. True to our values and principles, and our commitment to environmental sustainability and compliance along every step of our value chain, we also seek to Create Shared Value in communities where we operate. We believe that this is the only way to secure long-term value creation for our shareholders. Our commitment is to provide Good Food, Good Life. Nestle’s product and brand portfolio ranges from global icons to local favourites. It is supported by an unmatched research and development capability, with clear priorities, focused on driving innovation and renovation that is relevant and attractive for consumers. Our Group has an unmatched geographic presence, due to the depth of our roots in countries all over the world, which often stretch back many generations. This has created strong relationships between our brands and their consumers, as well as an unrivalled understanding of consumers, enabling us to anticipate their needs and improve the quality of their lives. Our people, culture, values and attitude are our greatest strength. The Nestle culture, with its natural openness to diversity, binds our people together all over the world with a shared set of behaviours and values into a single way of doing business. Our culture combines a long-term mindset with shortterm action. It encompasses a passion for quality – in products, in relationships, in everything we do. It is focused on competitiveness, calculated risk-taking and an unswerving determination to deliver our goals, while creating value for society as a whole. Four growth drivers Leadership in Nutrition, Health and Wellness means offering tastier and healthier choices to consumers throughout the day; it means responding to speci? c nutritional needs through Nestle Nutrition; and it means pioneering ways to address critical illness through nutrition at Nestle Health Science. Emerging consumers are consuming our Popularly Positioned Products (PPP). We bring all our nutritional know-how to these consumers, the same brand promise and quality, and we strive to add the extra plus – such as forti? cation against nutritional de? ciencies. With premium products, consumers want an indulgent moment of pleasure, an everyday reward. Our premiumisation strategy, incorporating systems, services and products, is enhancing consumers’ lives, whilst creating additional value per consumption moment: many consumers are not looking to eat and drink more; they are looking to eat and drink better. Out-of-home consumption is a fast growing part of our industry. This covers leisure, from roadside kiosks in Asia to gourmet restaurants in the capitals of the world, and institutional catering, from schools to hospitals. Our focus here is on added-value branded food and beverage solutions and services. Four operational pillars We want to be the leader in innovation and renovation, whether of products, systems or processes. Some products will be entirely new, some will have a refreshed aspect. Regardless, we take an invigorating point of view to keep our consumers excited about our brands. We also need to have the most ef? cient supply chain – from farm to fork and beyond – to ensure that we have the best raw materials, the best processes and the freshest products on our customers’ shelves. Nestle Continuous Excellence is our approach to operational ef? ciency, with its objectives of eliminating waste, increasing ef? ciency and effectiveness, and improving quality in all operations. It is not enough, however, just to make the most innovative products in the most ef? ient way; we also need to ensure that our products are available sustainably whenever, wherever and however consumers want to buy them. And, of course, we need to engage with our consumers in a dynamic way: both to keep them abreast of all that is new and exciting, but also to learn from them, so that we can bring their experiences to bear on our new and updated products – helping us to achieve our ambition to be a leader in innovation and renovation. You will ? nd some of these aspects brought to life on the following pages.

Sophocles Antigone Essay Example for Free

Sophocles Antigone Essay In the Sophocle’s play, Antigone, there are a many tragic characters in which some face death, and others watch as their loves ones die all around them. There is nothing more tragic than to be surrounded by the dead, especially when it may be one’s own fault. Therefore, Creon is the most tragic character of this play. Aristotle would agree that Creon is the main tragic character, as he makes many decisions which could have led him either towards his tragedy or away from it, but ultimately he led himself to his tragedy. This keeps the audience guessing and heightens catharsis, while Antigone’s fate was quite obvious from the beginning where she says, â€Å"As for me, I will bury him; And if I die for that, I am content† (60-61). Creon’s fatal flaw is his stubbornness and reluctance to see anyone else’s view. He begins, like Opideus, as a character that is easily admired and portrayed as an open, caring king, â€Å"Zeus, who sees all things, be my witness that I will not be silent when danger threatens the people; nor will I ever call my country’s foe my friend† (147-149). This shows that Creon is willing to go far and beyond for his country. However, these words also foreshadow his tragedy since he puts the State too far before his family, and as a result, he loses his wife and son. Creon is left alive to watch the death of many: the death of Antigone, of his wife, and of his son. He wanted to look after the state rather than his family and so the consequences came tumbling down and turned his once happy and wondrous life into that of a chaotic one. Creon did not realize the importance of his family until they vanished into the darkness of death all because he was a fool, â€Å"nor have I any regard for him who puts friendship above the common welfare† (145-146). Therefore, Aristotle would agree that because it is Creons fault that all these events took play it makes him a greater tragic character. Antigone is dead, his son falls on his own sword before his eyes and the discovery of his wife’s death is reported by a messenger. All this shows that Creon is a greater tragic character than the rest for most have taking the easy way out while he lived to see it all happen before his eyes. Creon form Sophocle’s play, Antigone, is by far the greatest tragic character, and Aristotle would have to agree. Creon is left alive to watch the death of many: the death of Antigone, of his wife, and of his son. All these death happened because he cared far more about his country than his family. He overlooked their value, and therefore, it led to their deaths. This further shows that he is the most tragic character than the rest since he had to endure the deaths of hi loved ones.

Is The Concept Of Physician Assisted Suicide Ethical Philosophy Essay

Is The Concept Of Physician Assisted Suicide Ethical Philosophy Essay Is it ethical for a physician to participate in physician-assisted suicide when this practice clearly defies what is stated in the Hippocratic Oath? People look at their personal physician as a healer or lifesaver but what if the physician gave you the option to end your life in the situation of chronic, painful illness or injury? Would this cloud your opinion of them or would you still consider them to be helping us? Is it ethical to train physicians to assist in suicide? These questions are what I want to discuss throughout this paper. I would like to discuss the beliefs and opinions on the topic of physician-assisted suicide through the eyes of medical professionals, the Hippocratic Oath, states countries that have legalized this practice, various religious beliefs, and different moral theories such as Kant and Utilitarianism. The background of this practice will also be discussed. In the areas of the world where it is legalized, should there be certain criteria in place in order to receive it? What about the perspective of insurance companies on the matter? Is this truly devaluing human life? This is a very controversial topic that I hope to make more understandable. 2. Background Physician-assisted suicide is a form of euthanasia in which the physician does not actually give the patient a life-ending drug, but provides the patient with the drug that they can take themselves. It is a form of suicide, with the doctor providing the materials used to carry it out (Mackinnon 141). The Netherlands and Great Britain have legalized physician-assisted-suicide. This practice has not been legalized in every state in North America. Montana and Oregon currently allow the practice with no legal consequences for the physician who participates. Thirty five states currently have laws making it a crime to assist in a suicide. Oregon was the first state to pass the Death With Dignity Act, which allowed physician-assisted suicide to be practiced, but there are certain criteria that must be met for it to be considered legal. Two doctors must examine the patient and come to the conclusion that he or she is mentally stable and has less than six months to live. This must then be certified by a third doctor. The patient has to submit a written request as well as an oral request. A few days following, the patient is given a barbiturate: secobarbital or pentobarbital, and they must take the medication on their own (Mackinnon 143). When researching among patients the reason for requesting physician-assisted suicide, it was not to relieve pain or financial problems, but to preserve autonomy and personal control. Using Kants moral theory to view this situation, others would look at the motives behind the action. Why are they doing this? For what reason? Some may even view it as a selfish act. Family and friends would be put through much sadness if a loved one were to have their live ended, but they need to consider the true reasoning behind the request for physician-assisted suicide. They want control of their own lives. One physician, Dr. Jack Kevorkian, was a well known right-to-die activist, who in the 1990s, assisted in more than 100 suicides. He believed that people who were suffering from an illness or injury and that wanted to end their life, had the right to die. He believed these people deserved control of their own bodies and lives. He created a euthanasia device consisting of a metal pole that had containers of medications attached to it. The medications were then connected to a line going into the persons vein. The patient would push a button, starting a flow of simple saline into their bodies. Anesthesia would then run into their bodies, causing them to become unconscious. About a minute following, potassium chloride would then start to flow, causing cardiac arrest, and death. Kevorkian was brought to trial in numerous cases but never convicted of what many considered homicide. After allowing the euthanasia of one of his patients to be videotaped and aired on television, it was seen that Kevorkian directly administered the deadly medication himself to this certain pat ient. He was then arrested and found guilty of first-degree homicide, sentenced to spend ten to twenty-five years in prison. When asked if he believes physicians should offer the option to end life to their patients, Dr. Kevorkian solemnly stated This is a medical service. It always was (Almeder, Humber, and Kasting 100). Are physicians not trained to improve our health or save our life? This leads to much debate on the subject. The Hippocratic Oath The Hippocratic Oath, believed to have been written by Hippocrates in 5th century B.C., is recited by physicians upon graduation from medical school. This oath states that as a physician these new graduates swear to practice medicine ethically. When applying this to the subject of physician-assisted suicide, we should focus upon this quote taken from the Oath: I will not give a lethal drug to anyone if I am asked, nor will I advise such a plan; and similarly I will not give a woman a pessary to cause an abortion. Physicians are trained in medical school to do what they can in any given situation to save a life. They are taught about various treatments and medications that work to preserve human life, not end it. Physicians do have obligations to their patients, which include relieving pain and suffering. When looking at the subject of physician-assisted suicide through the eyes of terminally ill patients who request this service, the negative viewpoints change. Emmanuel Levinas, a Jewish philosopher, closely researched ethics and morals related to the topic of physician-assisted suicide in comparison to the Hippocratic Oath. One immediate objection to assisted suicide can be raised from within a Levinasean perspective. That is, if what constitutes u s primarily as human are our obligations to one another, and not to our rights as individuals, then what of the obligations of a terminally ill person to their community. The obligations (or value) of such a person to their community cannot be measured simply in terms of economics or active contributions. Instead, the drawing together of a community or of family members in service to the needs of a terminal patient could serve to deepen and increase their own humanity. Does the terminal patient have the right to take this possibility, this response-ability, away from society (Degnin 12)? Are physicians preserving a terminally ill patients autonomy and human dignity when fulfilling their request to end their life? Most of the medical schools in todays society use updated versions of the Hippocratic Oath. Only one school, The State University of New York Upstate Medical School in Syracuse, NY, continues to use the traditional version of the Oath at their graduation ceremonies. Dr. Antonio Grotto, from Weill Medical College of Cornell University, admitted that students did laugh when reciting the original version of the famous Oath. [Students] would laugh at certain parts, Dr. Gotto said. Then Id give them dire threats that I wouldnt graduate them the next day if they laughed during the ceremony (OReilly 1). The majority of students graduating from medical schools today no longer are required to say that they will not recommend the idea of ending a persons life. Does this mean the idea is open for actual consideration and should be legal in situations that meet certain criteria in the entire United States as well as other countries throughout the world? There are still many ethical theories and personal beliefs from physicians that object to this idea. 4. Ethical Principles Utilitarianism, the ethical principle of bringing the greatest good to the greatest number of people, is one principle that could be used as a looking glass to view the topic of physician-assisted suicide. Many physicians feel like they were educated to bring relief to those who are suffering from illness or injury. The state of Montana has most recently joined the states that legalize physician-assisted suicide, but they are having trouble finding physicians who will end peoples life upon their request. One patient is upset by the fact that her final wish cannot be carried out due to so many objections. I feel as though my doctors do not feel able to respect my decision to choose aid in dying, said Janet Murdock. Access to physician aid in dying would restore my hope for a peaceful, dignified death in keeping with my values and beliefs. Dr. Kirk Stoner, president of the Montana Medical Association, said assisted suicide goes against the groups code of ethics. Our reason for being is to care for our patients, he said in the AP report (Baklinksi 1). Is good truly being brought to the greatest number of people by allowing the right to die? It may be, if the thing that is good for that person is to end their suffering. There will always be objections to this theory, such as physicians are doing harm by ending life rather than doing good by saving or prolonging it. Kants moral theory focuses on the morals behind an action. Why are we wanting do we want(?) to end this life? What is the true motive? This theory also discusses acting out of duty. or doing what we know is right in our eyes. A doctor finds it right to end suffering or pain, and if this includes ending the persons life for that reason, then they will/should want to do it. Th e belief that people should have the highest intrinsic or monetary value to us also comes into practice (Mackinnon 76). Are we devaluing human life by allowing physician-assisted suicide? Human life is supposed to be regarded as something that is very precious. By allowing physicians to take life away so easily, this could make others feel that it really does not have high intrinsic value, since it can be ended so quickly and easily, with no questions asked. If you are a physician who wants to end a life because you do not like a persons personality or attitude, then this would be considered homicide, at which you would face criminal charges. On the other hand, if you want to end life to end pain, suffering, or to let someone die with dignity from a terminal illness then this would be legal in the eyes of authority, and no criminal charges would be brought against you. This is how Kants followers would view the subject. The end result is not important, but the motives used to get to the end are! Another viewpoint is that of virtue ethics. A person has certain virtues or strengths built into them through the influence of those around them. You become the kind of person you would want to be. Our social interaction with authority figures throughout our upbringing form how we ought to be, or our virtue ethics. Aristotle states that there are two types of virtues: intellectual virtues and moral virtues. Intellectual virtues help us reason and judge well, while moral virtues dispose us to act well (Mackinnon 112). He was most well known for his idea that virtue is the means between the extremes. Our virtues are a middle between deficiency and excess. Physicians or medical students show virtues towards their patients. They want to care for them, give them relief, and/or make them better if they are sick or injured. Are they going against their inner virtues if they participate in physician-assisted suicide? Physician-assisted suicide isnt about physicians becoming killers. Its abou t patients whose suffering we cant relieve, and about not turning away from them when they ask for help. Will there be physicians who feel they cant do this? Of course, and they shouldnt be obliged to. But if other physicians consider it merciful to help such patients by merely writing a prescription, it is unreasonable to place them in jeopardy of criminal prosecution, loss of license, or other penalty for doing so (Rogatz). A physician should be able to bring relief to their patient in any way they see if, and if includes helping someone end their life, then so be it. The physicians obligations are many but, when cure is impossible and palliation has failed to achieve its objectives, there is always a residual obligation to relieve suffering. Ultimately, if the physician has exhausted all reasonable palliative measures, it is the patient-and only the patient-who can judge whether death is harmful or a good to be sought. Marcia Angell, former executive editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, has put it this way: The highest ethical imperative of doctors should be to provide care in whatever way best serves patients interests, in accord with each patients wishes, not with a theoretical commitment to preserve life no matter what the cost in suffering. . . .The greatest harm we can do is to consign a desperate patient to unbearable Suffering or force the patient to seek out a stranger like Dr. Kevorkian (Rogatz).' When applying virtue ethics, we should look as what our own personal beliefs (virtues) are and examine them closely. 5. Physicians, Medical Students, Families, Insurance Companies-Their Views Physicians may never see eye to eye on this highly controversial topic. Some think it is a doctors right to end suffering while others see the practice as going against what the Hippocratic Oath directly states. An organization called Physicians For Compassionate Care Education Foundation is dedicated to preserving the traditional relation of the physician and patient as one in which the physicians primary task is to heal when possible, comfort always, and never intentionally harm. The view of physicians that take part in this practice is help, not harm. You are helping the person by ending their pain and suffering. However, objectors to the practice feel that ending a life is harmful. You are devaluing the potential of that person. Taking them away physically from their family, creating sadness, and ultimately taking away what they have to have to society before it is even fully experienced. That is a very solid argument. Anyone who loses a loved one is going to feel grief, it is natural. I feel that everyone on this earth has a special talent to offer society but how can they offer it fully if they are in constant suffering? The association promotes the health and well being of patients by encouraging physicians to comfort patients and to assist those who are dying by support systems, minimizing pain, and treating depression. The association affirms the health restoring role of the physician and works to educate the profession and the public to the dangers of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. As physicians, they come from primary care specialties as well as subspecialties. They work to support each other and to speak out for the inherent value of human life (http://www.pccef.org/whoweare/index.htm). These physicians focus on the belief that the solution to pain and suffering is not death, but good palliative care. The disciples of the cult of euthanasia and assisted suicide would have society believe that the logical solution for pain and suffering is death. They may even see the infliction of death or the provision of assisted suicide as part of hospice palliative care. They pursue with mission ary zeal their gospel of death. Further, they often succeed in getting mainstream media to support their cause. The legalization of euthanasia would remove a patients autonomy and put it into the hands of professionals with potential control issues; who may be angry, sadistic and abusive. In Oregon, people see the legalization of euthanasia as giving autonomy to the person who requests it. They are able to have complete control of their life, give permission to a physician to end it, and once the procedures to approve the action are in place, it is carried out. As was discussed earlier, there are exact criteria that must be met for physician-assisted suicide to be carried out legally. It is a slippery slope where we must retain caution. If we allow euthanasia for someone who is suffering, and we continue to do so, then we may end up allowing it in a case where the criteria are not met. Is there a high likelihood that we would slip? This question is the center of many arguments over this subject. We have all seen colleagues both at the bedside and in health care management who have significant personality flaws, and, lacking compassion for the pain and suffering of others, feel they can take the law into their own hands (Echlin 3). Medical students are now reciting the updated version of the Hippocratic Oath, as we discussed earlier. Does this mean that the subject is becoming okay? Should families be allowed to make this decision for their child who may be on life-support, with little chance of remaining function or should the government take over? It is very expensive to keep someone on life-support when they have a poor prognosis. Is it ethical to end their lives in order to save money? If physician-assisted suicide is legalized throughout the world or the United States, insurance companies may begin to support it. Why spend millions of dollars of palliative or comfort measures, if the person can end their life quickly and easily. Why would we need to spend money to research cures for cancer or other chronic diseases if a persons suffering can be ended this way? Many factors play a part in making a decision of this magnitude. 6. Argument and Conclusion When addressing my ethical question, Is it ethical for a physician to participate in physician-assisted suicide when this practice clearly defies what is stated in the Hippocratic Oath?, I have been influenced by various opinions to believe it can be an ethical practice when closely monitored. Physicians have said that they are trained to care for people, to be a healer. They must examine their own morals when they first take the Hippocratic Oath and begin direct patient care. They do not want to see continual suffering of their patients. To many, it would be more humane to give relief this way than allowing suffering to remain until death. The judgment to allow physician-assisted suicide would give those diagnosed with chronic, debilitating illness hope that their suffering can be relieved when all other methods of relief fail. The patient would also be able to maintain autonomy, having a voice throughout the process. I believe that the system of meeting certain criteria must remain in place if this practice were legalized throughout the country. If it were not, then the motive behind the means (Kant) could not be justified, leading to easy cover-up of homicide. In others views, this practice does devalue human life. I feel if someone is in a state of constant struggle and suffering, what true value does their life have. To them, they may feel as if they are a burden to family and friends. When does life become less precious? These subjects are where this practice sits on a fine line. Life is something that should be nurtured and cared for, event in the event of serious illness or injury. There are holistic ways to provide comfort that can be used on a trial basis, with euthanasia being a last resort. The use of medications, counseling, massage, diet change, and activity level changes. These have all been used to provide relief for those suffering with chronic illnesses and have been shown to be successful. If these practices fail to bring long-term relief and improve quality of life, they should be documented in the criteria when under consideration for physician-assisted suicide. The major objection would be that a physician is trained to make us feel better, and if that means ending life to end pain, then they have failed as a healer. Family and friends never want to see someone they love die. They also not want to see them suffer. They should come together with the afflicted family member to research other methods of relief, while letting the person maintain control of their own life and the situation surrounding it. Overall, physicians should be allowed to participate in this practice when the patient is meeting the criteria that were originally discussed. Many will feel that legalizing physician-assisted suicide completely goes against what medical professionals stated in the Hippocratic Oath, do no harm. They are helping to relieve someones suffering, which is what a physician is trained to do. This practice could be beneficial to many if controlled and used under a watchful eye. For future physicians, they must look inside themselves, and personally examine their own beliefs. They also need to maintain their autonomy. When involved in an ethical dilemma so personal and controversial as this one is, they should have every right to not participate. We control our own actions. In the end it is our choice. In the case of physician-assisted suicide, there are two major participants: the physician and the patient. They must always be heard! If our court could work to lay proper criteria into a groundwork for this practice, I believe it would be beneficial to those who are plagued with chronic pain. The criteria being met would provide proof to others that the situation was closely monitored and it was the persons decision, with no persuasion from the doctor. It is controversial ethical decision, but one that I feel physicians as well as their patients should have voice in. We have a right to be heard!

Separate Peace Essay: Boys to Men :: A Separate Peace Essays

A Separate Peace: Boys to Men World War II influenced the boys in the novel A Separate Peace, written by John Knowles, by making them grow and mature more quickly than they would have had there not been a war. The war makes some boys stronger and more ready for whatever life would bring, while in others it disables them to the point that they cannot handle the demands of life. The maturing influence of the war on Finny is a considerable one, even though it does not seem to the other boys that he is growing up at all. Gene's jealousy leads him to the point where he has to destroy Finny's greatest asset, his skill in sports, just so that he does not have to be the "popular guy's friend.† Gene knocks Finny off the tree limb and he breaks his leg. Everyone at Devon, except for Finny, suspects that Gene, and not Finny’s loss of balance, caused him to fall off the branch. Finny's outlook on the whole situation is very grown up. He does not blame anyone but himself, even though the accident is not his fault at all. Finny seems as though he will never grow up; his immaturity is shown through his silly denial of the war's existence and his habit of always coming up with strange things to do just for fun. Inside he is suffering with the anger and hurt of being excluded from the one thing that he wants to do most: fight in the war. This is an excellent example of how the war suddenly makes the boys grow up into men. They have to face adulthood, and in order to do that, they have to become adults. ***I think you could develop this more. You say that Finny began as immature, but his reaction to his accident is very grown up. Discuss specifically how the accident has made him become an adult. Why did he not react immaturely this time? Another boy in the story who was matured by the war was Leper. When he sees the movies about the ski troops, he thinks that it looks fun and he surprises everyone by enlisting. Leper does not quite know what he is getting into when he enlists. He thinks that it looks like a fun ski trip; he can serve his country and ski around the world at the same time.

Symbols and Symbolism - Light and Dark in Hemingways Indian Camp Essay

Light and Dark Symbolism in Hemingway's Indian Camp The thematic usage of light and dark throughout "Indian Camp" symbolizes racial prejudice as well as the personal growth of the protagonist. The narrative showcases a world of Indian oppression and bigotry that degrades Indians to the role of dark ignorant stereotypes. The white men, on the other hand, seem to live in a self-made utopia of light and understanding. This concept of the lighter skinned white man holding supremacy over the darker skinned Indian permeates throughout the entire narrative. These themes of light and dark are not merely limited to the skin tone of two clashing cultures, but are also symbols of understanding and unenlightenment that affect both the Indians and the story's young protagonist, Nick Adams. "Indian Camp," much like the boat that takes Nick Adams to shore, starts "off in the dark" (1). This dark engulfs Nick Adams as he begins his journey on an unknowing night that parallels his own lack of awareness. Not sure of where he and his father are being led, Nick is rowed toward his future by an I...

The Status of Africa :: Politics Economics Geography African Essays

On October 7 1999, Arizona Daily Wildcat published a remarkable article by Lora Mackel, a history Junior in the University of Arizona. In the article, Mackel expressed her views about the current state of the African continent as follows: We have all seen the images before: Children with bloated bellies, rebels with assault weaponry, shanty towns that spread as far as the camera can pan. These images reflect our own modern conceptions of Africa, for it seems that these wretched conditions and the continent itself are permanently linked. (4) Mackel’s article reminded this writer of a little anecdote told by a fellow countryman of mine named Kagiso, who is from northern Botswana and is currently studying in Alabama. Apparently, one of his American classmates innocently asked him how he had escaped from the civil war going on in Africa. According to Kagiso, this particular classmate of his has this notion that Africa is just one big country. Although it was easy for my countryman, Kagiso, to dismiss his classmate’s question as emanating from an individual on the lower side of the I.Q. scale, the point is that it connects to Mackel’s views and summarizes the perceptions of some Americans about Africa. Their perception is that the whole African continent is a basket case. On the other hand, there are some Americans who – unlike some of their countryman – may not dismiss Africa entirely out of hand. Such Americans may hold the view that Africa is a serious cause for concern. Once in a while , a sympathetic soul who holds the latter view more strongly may arise. Unfortunately, most of the time, such people feel so sorry for Africa that they end up being apologists for the African continent, never mind the fact that the continent is home to 61 countries with varying economic successes (â€Å"Atlas† 122). The generalized descriptions of Africa by writers such as Mackel fail dismally to present a true image of the continent. Africa’s critics may single out the political instability prevalent in some African countries as a cause for their dismissal of Africa. These critics may use Rwanda to plead their case. In 1994, approximately 250,000 Rwandans crossed into neighboring Tanzania as refugees. This was after their village leaders forced them out just because they belonged to a different ethnic group (Shawcross 4). It is easy for Africa’s critics to gloat over these reports. However, one need not be reminded that political strife is not uncommon in this day and age.

Ford Case Study Essay

Executive Summary Ford is one of the leading companies in the auto industry. The director of Supply Chain Systems at Ford was put in a tough position to make recommendations with regards to the company’s supply chain strategy. There are two groups within Ford that have two different opinions on how Ford should be using emerging information technologies and ideas from high tech industries, such as Dell, to change the way it interacts with suppliers. The first group argued that Ford should adopt Dell’s business model to improve efficiency and increase profits. This group emphasizes that Ford’s virtual integration should be the blueprint for what ford should attempt. On the other end, the second group believes that Ford and Dell operate in two different industries and it is not feasible to adopt Dell’s business model. This case study will demonstrate the toot causes of the problem and will present the reason why Ford should pursue with the mixed approach. Some of the solutions in the mixed approach are based on Dell’s business model, while the rest are not. These solutions are costly and time consuming, but Ford will eventually harvest the benefits of this approach. Issue Identification Teri Takai, Director of Supply Chain Systems, is about to make critical recommendations to senior executives on Ford’s usage of emerging information technologies and ideas from high tech industries to alter the methods Ford interacted with suppliers. There are two different views on this matter. The first view, which is in favor of virtual integration, argues that technology became a major player in supply chain, and Ford needs to redesign its supply chain by adopting new technologies to prosper. Supporters of this view used Dell as an example of virtual integration. Dell utilized new technologies to cut down working capital and risk of inventory obsolescence. The other view was more conservative. Supporters of this view argued that the auto industry is much different the computer industry with regards to layers of suppliers, complexity of parts, and history. Ford supplier network is massive and has many layers and a lot of companies. The growth of Ford resulted in growing the supply base to reach several thousands of suppliers in the 1980s. Even though Ford started reducing its supply base in the 1990s, there were still too many suppliers. In comparison to Dell, Ford needed thousands of parts to manufacture a vehicle, whereas Dell need few hundreds to manufacture a computer. This shows how complicated Ford’s supply chain versus Dell’s. Ford also has to controls the supply chain for its dealerships that are spread around the globe. The longer the supply chain is, the more problems would arise. For Dell, the supply chain is shorter and customers buy directly from Dell without going through dealerships or retail stores. Ford has no direct feedback from customers due to the fact that many of the dealerships were independent and not owned by Ford. Many Ford dealers were competing against each other’s instead of the real competition. For Dell, the situation was vice versa, Dell dealt and interacted directly with customers with no dealership involvement. While Ford’s first tier supplie r has moderately developed IT infrastructure, they cannot afford to invest in new technologies to keep up with Ford’s pace. The lower tiers of suppliers have very weak IT infrastructure and technological advancements, which would limit Ford’s supply chain and increase lead time and cost. In Dell processes, demand forecasting is important, where changes are shared with suppliers instantly. This is not the case for Ford. Before the Order to Delivery project, Ford never involved dealers in the forecasting process. Environmental & Root Cause Analysis: With returns of $144 billion, and 370,000 employees in 200 countries, Ford became the second largest industrial corporation worldwide. Ford’s main business is design and manufacturing of automobiles. Since 1903, Ford had produced more than 260 vehicles. The auto industry has been growing, at the same time some of the international automakers entered the US market and are competing fiercely with the US automakers: Ford, GM & Chrysler. With this tight competition, Ford and many automakers felt the need to move industry consolidation to reduce cost and improve quality. In 1998, Ford had profits $6.9 billion, and 3.9% return on sale. Ford has a huge supply based which was picked primarily based on cost. A lot of these suppliers lacked the IT infrastructure. Although Ford has good relationships with some of its suppliers, they aren’t treated as a part of Ford. On the other side, Dell’s suppliers have a very developed IT infrastructure and they are treated as part of Dell, and they acted like one. Ford’s suppliers are unique with nature and complexity. For Dell, suppliers own inventory until it is used in production, whereas the situation is opposite for Ford. This affects Ford’s cash flow and turnover rate and puts a lot of pressure on Ford’s production facilities. It also makes Ford hold the risk of holding sizable inventories to produce end products. Ford is lacking on demand forecasting, changes are not shared with the supply base immediately. Dell utilizes new technologies to share changes with its suppliers. Ford’s organizational structure is another challenge, where Ford’s purchasing is independent of product development, even engineers cannot discuss pricing with suppliers. At Dell, the purchasing function works collaboratively with the product development team. With all these challenges in the US market, Ford initiated a restructuring plan called Ford 2000. This plan was aimed to reduce costs by reengineering and globalizing organizations and techniques. Ford introduced the Order to Delivery (OTD) where it aimed to reduce the cycle time from 60 days to 15 days. Ford also created the Ford Production System (FPS) which is similar to the Toyota Production System, and it was intended to streamline Ford’s operations and make it more productive. Another initiative Ford took was the Ford Retail Network (FRN), and the goal was to deliver a high level of customer service and maintain customer satisfaction. Alternatives & Options Ford has some options with regards to using emerging information technologies and ideas from high-tech industries to change the way it interacts with suppliers. The first Alternatives to adopt Dell’s business model of virtual integration, where Ford would share information and systems with its supply base to coordinate inventory and streamline production. Ford would promote online customer shopping experience to receive orders and feedbacks and integrate them into Ford systems and its suppliers. This option has some advantages and disadvantages. It would improve the relationship between Ford and its suppliers, where information are communicated instantly between both of them. It would help in forecasting demand based on the information received and shared. It would also connects Ford directly to its suppliers and customers. This virtual integration would help Ford reduce its cycle time and costs dramatically, which would be reflected on the end products prices. The major disadvantage of this option is the high cost and lengthy process to execute it. It does not involve Ford only, but its suppliers as well. Ford and Dell operates in two different industries, and each industry has its own features. There is a big chance that virtual integration might not work as well as it does in the auto industry due to the complexity of manufacturing process, consumer behaviour, and history. The second alternative is to maintain the status quo and wait for the new Ford 2000 plan to start giving results. This recent initiative proposed solutions for a lot of Ford problems including suppliers and usage of new technologies. The advantages of this alternative are that Ford has already in the middle of executing the Ford 2000, and it should be long enough until the results are revealed. It is a comprehensive plan where there was an initiative for almost every aspect of the supply chain. The main disadvantage of this alternative is that it overlooks the instant communication between Ford and its suppliers. The third alternative is the mixed approach. Ford would adopt some of Dell’s business Model, at the same time introduce other changes. Ford would pick the feasible and applicable operations of virtual integration that best fit the automobile industry. On the other side Ford would narrow down its supply base and increase tier 1 suppliers. Ford would encourage and coordinate with suppliers of sub-system components. This alternative would allow Ford to tailor the best practices for its needs, but it would be costly, time consuming, and changes would affect different parties of the supply chain. Recommendations & Implementation Ford and Dell operate in two different industries that have different characteristics. Ford cannot copy Dell’s business model and expect positive results, but Ford can benefit from Dell’s experience. Based on the analysis of the above information and the study of this case, I would recommend to proceed with the third alternative. Ford has the organizational infrastructure to adopt and execute this alternative. Ford has a very well developed IT system and the resources to move on with these changes. Ford would update its IT system to share information with its supply base including tier 2 and tier 3 suppliers, where supplier would have access to Ford’s central data. Ford might have to team up with some of these supplier to develop their IT systems to ease the transformation and synchronization of information. Ford would reduce its supply base as much as it could, by short-listing suppliers and encouraging sub-systems suppliers through incentives. Ford would re-discuss terms with its suppliers to pay for inventory only when parts are used in production. Ford would adopt new technologies to share real-time information with all its supply chain members. Ford cannot skip dealerships before reaching end users, but can use dealership as a demand forecast channel and to deliver high customer service. These changes would ensure the smooth flow production and eliminate bottlenecks , which would in turn increase efficiencies and revenues and reduce lead times. Monitor & Control Ford must monitor that actions that it would take to measure the success of changes. Ford would have to assign a team of IT specialists to monitor the transition of suppliers IT systems and to help with any challenges. Ford would monitor lead times for customer orders regularly to see if lead times are improving and to check for bottlenecks. Ford to create an interactive website to answer and address customers concerns and suggestions. Form to create a committee of different supply chain members to lead these changes and direct them. This committee would meet semi-annually to discuss the changes and to address any problems or concerns. Conclusion Ford is one of the biggest car companies in the world. To overcome the challenges and to enjoy continuous success , Ford must adopt the above recommendations. The process is costly and time consuming, but it would pay off on the long run.

Anti-Social Media: the Role of Technology in Creating Superficial Ties

ANTI-SOCIAL MEDIA: THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN CREATING SUPERFICIAL TIES INTRODUCTION: The general topic that I would like to explore is communication and relationships through social media. In particular I am interested in the way that social media affects the way that we create or maintain relationships and different identities, and if this alienates us from human understanding in relationships. This topic is connected to the concepts of online communication and personal relationships, the concept of self-disclosure and the construction of identity (Duck & McMahon, 2012).Is the bite-sized world of social media leading to bite-sized and unsubstantial personal relationships? This was a question I asked myself recently when looking at some of my own relationships — friendship, romantic, professional, and family alike. Social media plays a role in many of those relationships these days, and what I noticed is that it isn’t always for the better. The main academic articles I will reference are written by; Pavica Sheldon (M. M. C. , Louisiana State University), a graduate teaching assistant and Ph. D. tudent in the Department of Communication Studies at Louisiana State University, Xin-An Lu, an Associate Professor in The Department of Human Communication Studies at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania, USA, and Sally Dunlop, a professor at University of Australia, school of public health, and her two co-authors, Eian More and Daniel Romer, both professors at the University of Pennsylvania. This paper will first outline the main points of the aforementioned articles. I will then draw upon their themes to help answer my research questions, and I will conclude with the derivations that can be drawn.THEORY REVIEW: In the Rocky Mountain Communication Review, Sheldon (2009) looks at the motivations for the use of social media, Facebook in particular, and the difference in use between genders. She examines 260 university students across four common factors f or logging onto Facebook; relationship maintenance, passing time, entertainment, and virtual community. She finds through these parameters that â€Å"Females used Facebook to maintain their relationships, to be entertained, and to pass time. Males, on the other hand, used Facebook to develop new relationships† (Sheldon 54).Specifically, she found through her focus groups that those who frequent the social networking site more are doing so out of loneliness (Sheldon 55). This links directly with Xin-An Lu’s paper published in Proteus 27 (2011). Lu takes a much broader approach; looking at the affects of social media on the creation of identity and the modern formation of non-geographical communities. Lu argues that online community helps to reduce and remove social restraints and gives the user the ability to experiment with different identities, coming together based on shared and meaning (Lu 53).However, these new text-based relationships may not have existed before a nd we cannot use them to replace face-to-face interactions as they are ‘media-poor’, which is defined by Lu as â€Å"possess[ing] less immediate feedback, fewer cues and channels, and weakened personalization and language variety† (Lu 52), because â€Å"relationships formed in this environment may be weak, superficial, and impoverished, as compared with those formed in [face-to-face] communication† (Lu 52).We must be wary as we read through this review of the comparisons of studies conducted years apart with different conclusions, and we must remember that technology advances at such a rate that should be taken into account when looking at conclusions of past scholars. Finally, Dunlop, More and Romer discuss the positive aspects for having an enlarged network of support, especially for adolescents who have been exposed to, or are thinking of suicide, stating that â€Å"social networking sites may provide both greater exposure to such information and also greater social support to those who obtain this information† (Dunlop et al. 078). This article, published in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, suggests that online forums, which are often anonymous and have no connection back to the user, are â€Å"more strongly related to increases in [suicide] ideation† (Dunlop et al. 1078) than social networking sites. Nevertheless, the study shows that social networking sites increase exposure to stories of other suicides, and increased exposure causes increased suicide ideation, and increased curiosity to research and find forums and blogs.This is important to an article discussing youth and the internet, as new innovations are taking place at an alarming rate, and there are new ways to communicate and receive information every day. This article is succinct and fact based, studying the different uses for the internet and social networking sites, and identity creation and anonymity on the World Wide Web. DISCUSSION: Co mmunication is more than just the exchange of words, it involves a transaction between two people that results in a shared meaning and understanding (Duck and McMahon 82).This greater level of communication involves more than the sending or exchanging of symbols, but more the negotiation of the shared meaning between people based on their personal connections. A key element to creating this understanding is engaged listening which allows the listener to move beyond the words said for a greater understanding of the overall message. Usually, this involves the richness of face-to-face interaction. Online communications lack this richness due to the lack of incorporation of non-verbal communications, such as facial expressions and tone of voice, with the words being said (Duck and McMahon 228).The ease with which online communications become asynchronous cause concern for the development of understanding of social cues that are present in face to face interactions that hinder those who use the failsafe of online interaction to save face and to compensate for their own perceived shortcomings. Duck and McMahan state that online media has significantly increased the number of significant ties that people maintain, while the number of core ties remains the same.We can become so seduced by the ease of connecting with others online that we begin to think that these relationships are more intense, more committed and more complete than they really are. We run the risk of alienating the people who populate our daily lives in pursuit of intimacy with our online friends. Another downside of social media relationships is that we are potentially subject to emotional contagion effects, as illustrated in research by John Cacioppo, a researcher at the University of Chicago. His studies show that loneliness is transmitted via social networks.Cacioppo’s findings suggest that if a direct connection of yours is lonely, you are 52% more likely to be lonely; if the connection is a friend of a friend, 25% more lonely, if the connection is 3 degrees out (a friend of a friend of a friend), it’s 15%. While this research looked at offline social networks, it may have some implications for online social networking as well. If someone in your online social network is angry, lonely, or hostile, and takes it out on you, you are more likely to transmit this mood yourself.This means that even though you may never have met this person or interacted with them in real life, their â€Å"bad behaviour† can still influence yours. I have personally noted people interacting in mean and critical ways that, I imagine, they would find more difficult to do in real life. This is a problem, because any kind of negativity and bad manners has the possibility to multiply exponentially. The Internet is an amazing tool. Even as it is shrinking the world and brought us closer together, it is threatening to push us further apart.Like any useful tool, to make technology serv e us well requires the exercise of good judgment. For whatever reason, the restraints that stop most of us from blurting out things in public we know we should not seem far weaker when our mode of communication is typing. Unfortunately, typed messages often wound even more gravely, while electronic messages of remorse have little power to heal (Lickerman). Perhaps we just do not think such messages have the same power to harm as when we say them in person. Perhaps in the heat of the moment without a physical presence to hold us back, we just do not care.Whatever the reason, it is clearly far easier for us to be meaner to one another online. CONCLUSION: Social networking websites provide tools by which people can communicate, share information, and create new relationships. With the popularity of social networking websites on the rise, our social interaction is effected in multiple ways as we adapt to our increasingly technological world. The way that web 2. 0 users interact and talk to each other has changed and continues to change. These users now socialize through the Internet and it takes away from the in person socialization that has been around forever.Social networking websites effect our social interaction by changing the way we interact face-to-face, how we receive information, and the dynamics of our social groups and friendships. Communicating through the Internet and social networking websites is quite different than communicating in person. When users communicate through these websites, they use things like IM and chatting as well as status or Twitter updates to talk to friends and express themselves. Chatting online is quick and easy and allows you to connect to an almost unlimited amount of people from all over the Earth. Although theInternet connects millions of people and allows them to chat, it changes the traditional in person conversation that is important to our social lives and friendships. This change to our social interaction is not nece ssarily positive or negative. The change expands the different outlets through which we can communicate and as long as we remember the importance of face-to-face contact in our social lives, we can find a healthy balance between the two. These social networking websites also affect the way we receive information and news. The sites open up different portals through which we get information and create a more diverse news outlet.Rather than reading the newspaper or hearing the news on TV, we rely on our â€Å"friends† on the sites to give us updates on the world around us. Through Facebook or Myspace statuses, posts, comments, etc. , web 2. 0 users find new information that is most likely relevant to them. These new diverse outlets lead to users discussing world news or other information on the sites and can remove the need to discuss these events in person. Another way that web 2. 0 sites affect the way we socially interact with one another is by changing the dynamics of our s ocial groups and friendships.Social networking sites create a new model of social interaction and friendships. As people’s social circles grow, the ties of the online friendships are not always as strong as in person close friendships. Although these sites can alter the dynamics of friendships in that way, it also creates lots of new friendships and increases our social interaction. The many effects of social networking websites on our social interaction with one another can be both positive and negative, all that is sure is that there is a definite effect. We must embrace the increasing use of web 2. 0 sites and the different roles they play in our social lives.There is not really a need to focus on the positive or negative effects of these sites because whether the effects are good or bad depends upon the things in society that you value, and that is different for most every person. These sites will most likely continue to grow in popularity and continue to alter the way we socialize with one another and we must embrace it. SOURCES: Duck, Steve & McMahon, David T. The Basics Of Communication: A Relational Perspective. Los Angeles: Sage 2012. Print Dunlop, S. , More, E. , & Romer, D. (2011). Where do youth learn about suicides on the Internet, and what influence does this have on suicidal ideation?Journal o Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 52:10 pp 1073-1080. Landau, Elizabeth. â€Å"Loneliness Spreads In Social Networks. † CNN. 4 December 2009. Turner Broadcasting System Inc. 1 March 2012. . Lickerman, Alex. â€Å"The Effect Of Technology On Relationships. † Psychology Today. 8 June 2010. Sussex Publishers, LLC. 1 March 2012. . Lu, X. (2011) Social Networking and Virtual Community. Proteus 27, 1, 51-55 Sheldon, P. (2009). Maintain or Develop New Relationships? Gender Differences in Facebook Use. Rocky Mountain Communication Review. 6-1, 51-56.