Ancient Africa and the Present Slavery Essay

The book â€Å"Segu† is a novel written by Maryse Conde. Set in 1797, the novel a story of the Africans during that era. Interestingly, Conde was able to create a novel that makes the lives of her characters as the most evident proof of the life experienced by people who lived in Mali during the ancient times. Clearly, the issue of religion, norms, and traditions are depicted as important aspects of society that affected the people of Old Mali. Due to the astounding narration of Conde, I was attracted to the characters as well as the history of Mali. I specifically became interested in the detailed narration of the African culture as well as the slavery experienced by the black Africans at the hands of the colonizers. It is interesting to note that, although the Africans were subjected to slavery over 300 years ago, the controversies and issues surrounding slavery still persist. It seems like the wounds caused by slavery are still engraved in the minds and personal history of every individual. Hence, I can only assume that there is still inequality happening not only in Africa but also in the world. Noting that the current African nations are one of the poorest in the world, I have come to conclude that Africans are still subjected to slavery today; only this time, they are now slaves of the current world, as most of the resources mined or produced within the African nations are not utilized and enjoyed by the Africans themselves but acquired by foreigners to serve their own self-interests. Hence, Africans are not given what they deserve to attain and enjoy. It is saddening that after more than 300 years, the African nations in general are still experiencing various conflicts in terms of religion, norms, and traditions. During an era of globalization and international cooperation, one must bear in mind that there is a need for change and development not just in the economic or political aspects but also in the social and cultural outlook. Work Cited Conde, Maryse. Segu. New York: Viking Penguin Inc. , 1987.

Differences between country and city living

Do you want to live in country or city? These two options are very dissimilar, although in both you can learn a lot. These differences include style of living, benefits and social life. The first difference is style of living. In the city, the buildings are high and land is scarce and expensive, so city people have to build many houses in a small space. Also, there are buildings with many houses on top of each other.In contrast, in the country, the houses tend to be for a family as there are more houses that are built on the ground next to each other. Another difference between city and country living are the benefits. In the city there are more services offered of all kinds, including the entertainment. Compared with the country where services are limited and there are fewer people, there are often fewer services.In the cities, there re many more benefits than a people who live in the country, such as career advancement opportunities. Work is concentrated in trades such as fishing, farming, mining and timber. While in the city, there are very many different types areas of work and a person can perform many trades. The last difference is the social life. The social life in the city is very diverse because it has many options. Young people have friends getting together to go to the movies, to go to dancing or to play sports.Children have opportunities to shave whit classmates, going to the park, to the movies and playing at home. On the contrary, the children's country plays in the river with animals and with the few neighbors who have around your farm. In conclusion, both the life of the country as well as the city have something that attracts and somewhat discouraging. It is not easy to say which is the best or the worst place to live all depends that you want to make and that type of life you want to lead.

Questions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Questions - Research Paper Example These good social habits will not only benefit the student but the society as a whole. Moral education will therefore help students know how to interact with the society. In order to curb the growing incidents of depreciation of moral values among students, a moral educational curriculum should be rolled out. Although, moral education is taught under different subjects, it is high time to develop a moral education curriculum that will deal with moral decay among students. A moral education curriculum will among other things, give the teacher a clear way of manipulating their student’s moral values. The moral education will aid in the holistic development of students physical, mental and social aspects. Finally, a moral education curriculum should be rolled out as it is an integral part of the learning process. It will help students become better people in the society. One of the major barriers to curricula is developing teacher assessment tools. There has also been an issue of nurturing leadership at the student level. The universal design for learning is a great tool to assist in student expression, representation and engagement. These form the primary pillars of the universal design for learning. The pillar of representation accepts the fact that different students have different ways of comprehending information. Therefore, information should be presented in different ways to increase learning opportunities. The pillar of expression accepts the fact that students have different ways of expressing themselves. It is therefore important to broaden impact of teaching by accepting this natural diversity. The third pillar accepts the fact that students will give maximum attention to the task at hand. It is therefore important ensure that individual interests of students are incorporated into teaching to broaden the impact of teaching. The three pill ars enhance student engagement, representation and

Saudi Arabia water problem Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Saudi Arabia water problem - Term Paper Example According to Bragg and Bragg (2005), the oceans contain about 97% of the entire water on the earths’ surface; in Saudi Arabia, water has been supplied in three forms, mainly surface water, which accounts for about 10%, the underground aquifers that provide the majority percentage of more than 80%, and the various desalination plants, which provide about 5% of water. The availability of essential water supply continued to deplete and the water resources become limited, prompting the adoption of desalination plants. Natural resources define all the resources that occur freely within the environment that exist in a natural form, such as natural forests, minerals, water, and natural gases. 1. Background Desalination refers to the several processes of conversion of salt water to fresh water through the removal of salt and other minerals. Several approaches are used to treat seawater including thermal evaporation of seawater and use of modern desalination plants, osmosis in reverse. Nanomembranes are filters made from organic polymers with less thickness that are used to separate the liquids and gases at the molecular levels. Such technology is also used in desalination of seawater, purification of polluted water, and the removal of carbon dioxide and other pollutants from exhaust gases. The modern technology adopted in Saudi Arabia has enabled the exploitation of underground water by companies such as Saudi Aramco, an oil company, and hence increasing availability of water in the country. 2. Desalination process In Saudi Arabia, there has been water scarcity because of the rising population, which led to the adoption of desalination technology through the development of modern polymer materials producing semi-permeable membranes, which allow selective passage of water and other ions. The technology is categorized according to content extracted (water or salt from the main stream), separation process, and the energy used in the entire process (Anon, 1997). Eva porative processes have been used for extraction of fresh water from the mainstream. Such evaporative desalination processes consist of various methods. Multi stage flash (MSF) method involves the evaporation of seawater in chambers with low pressure as compared to the vapor pressure. The low-grade steam from the turbines heats the tubes within the distiller, which heat the seawater intake. The heated seawater then passes into low-pressure vessels, and boils into steam. The steam is condensed on heat exchanger tubes, which are cooled by the incoming water, feed to the heater. The conversion of seawater to steam depends on the pressure maintained within the vessel. In multiple effect distillation (MED), condensing steam heats tube bundles, resulting into evaporation. The vapor produced is used as steam in the next chamber operating at low pressure and temperature (Micale, Cipollina and Rizzuti, 2009). B. Nano membrane technology

Research and Study Skills for Managers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Research and Study Skills for Managers - Essay Example ad finished and our department submitted the proposal, along with a demo of the software application we had suggested as a strategy for overcoming the geographic factor in the outsourcer-outsourcee relationship. It was subsequently accepted by the organisation’s leadership and, in acknowledgement for our efforts, members of the department received rewards. The financial rewards we were given had been determined by our position and hence, within my department, I received the highest bonus. The financial differentiations, although standard practice in the company aroused the anger of one of my colleague, following which he lodged a complaint stating that he had carried much of the responsibilities which had been assigned to me in the design of the stated solution, in addition to which, he often has to step in and execute my departmental responsibilities. Following receipt of the complaint, the HR manager called me in. He informed me that, upon subtle investigation, he ha discovered that the complaints were baseless. He also advised me that there were two possible approaches to the problem at this stage. The first was for the HR department to step in and officially investigate the claim, following which the outcome f the investigation will determine actions to be taken against either my colleague or myself. The second option was for me to resolve this obviously personal problem on an intra-departmental level. After considering the two options, I decided that the second one was the better of the two. In the first place, this was a problem which was rooted in personality clashes and differences. In the second place, were it not resolved on an intra-departmental level, department cohesion and unity will be jeopardised and, naturally, so will the department’s ability to work as a tram. Thinking over this particular problem, I realised that the key to the solution lay in both my academic and experiential learning. The extent to which this realisation

Teacher Faculty meeting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Teacher Faculty meeting - Essay Example Keeping this in mind, I attended a teacher faculty meeting taking place in Jonas Salk Elementary School on October 16, 2014. The meeting was organized for kindergarten teachers working in this school. There were four professional female teachers: Mrs. Thompson, Mrs. Swift, Mrs. Jackson and Mrs. Jones. The meeting was initiated and organized by Mrs. Swift who considered it to be necessary to discuss and solve several issues concerning professional activity. Participants gathered to discuss relevant issues and challenges they faced. First of all, a lot of attention was given to the issue of special needs of random children and meeting them. General consent was reached in this point, as all the teachers stressed the importance of establishing and developing learning centers that would work as additional educational venues assisting children in their special needs. Moreover, teachers debated on setting unified one-level curriculum or multiple level curriculum for these centers. Although opinions ran 50:50 at first, the teachers eventually agreed upon multiple level curriculum as Mrs. Jones provided a reasonable argument. The argument was that a curriculum including several levels would enable adjusting to children’s needs more accurately, taking their level of cognitive and psychological development as well as their background and interests into account. Emphasis was also made on the problem of working with newly admitted Spanish children who have very poor English skills. The teachers discussed ways to approach such children with whom they aren’t able to communicate. As such children need to be taught equally, yet require special approach, the teachers made an attempt to solve a problem and develop a set of methods. For instance, it was suggested to organize a course of qualification improvement and training including Spanish classes for teachers. Furthermore, as one of the teachers, Mrs. Jackson, proved to have some primary language

History Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

History - Term Paper Example The imperialistic world has been replaced by the ideals of sovereignty and self determination, where a nation-state is more powerful than anything else. The international political scenario has transformed into a nation-states system where every state has a defined territory and any breach in the territory of one`s state is considered as illegal and unlawful. The governance of the empires has been replaced by concepts like Mutually Assured Destruction and the governance of democratic states as all states are under the oath of UN. As for the economy, earlier the colonizers were the sole resource owners of the world, and to fulfill their industrial appetite, resources were being transferred to the hegemonic states. As for now, no state has the right to the resource of any other state. The barter system has been exchanged by monetary reserves which define the financial state of any nation. The cultural variables have also been re-defined to a great extent. The white man burden implied t hat the colonial white masters were the superior race and they had the burden of civilizing the inferiors they were ruling. Nowadays, the ethical concerns are of huge importance and every global citizen irrespective of their race, caste or origin is equal to any other citizen of the world. Thus, it is only sane to say that the world of 2015 is definitely in every sense better than the world of 1500`s. To prove the point that the world of 2015 is better than the world of 1500`s in many aspects, the era needs to be discussed in detail to understand the ideals followed during that time as opposed to those found in the recent times. 1500`s was the era when the trade routes were recently discovered by the European travelers like Vasco da Gama and Christian Columbus. These trade routes opened way towards Asia, Africa and even America where colonies were explored and due to the naval superiority and higher development owned by Europeans, they claimed to right to the resources of the world. This was the time when the Europeans believed that their white skin color owed much to the higher intellect and better culture due to which it was their responsibility to teach the non-whites and train them by ruling them. Thus, they started forming colonies where they were the sole land owner as well as the human resource owners where the locals of the area were being treated like aliens and inferiors. This way the colonizers started attaining right over all resources and these lands started becoming rich. The world system was being governed by the rule of â€Å"might is right† (Currie 2001). Since the Europeans were the first to explore the far off lands and had the naval superiority to rule the colonies, they claimed right over the resources of the world. Thus, economy and politics was interlinked during that era as the colonizers attained resources like silk, gold, silver, coal, cotton, spices etc from the colonies and developed their economies accordingly. Moreover, the y developed the strategy of â€Å"divide and rule†, and by virtue of this rule they destroyed the cultures of the locals. Thus, the principles of self rule and ethics were absent from the mindsets of the colonial masters. Religion was thougwh the supreme power by virtue of which the pope controlled the power of the state, and inflicted political power by virtue of

An analysis the service marketing issues affecting JD SPORTS within Essay

An analysis the service marketing issues affecting JD SPORTS within the SPORTING retail sector - Essay Example It is the intangibles of the business’ operational model that provides JD Sports with its current number two position amongst competition. However, in a market environment in which services are highly homogenous amongst competition, JD Sports must emphasise quality in order to maintain a proper brand reputation and build long-term brand equity. Interaction with staff members within the organisation and the service environment (servicescape) will dictate the depth of relationship with the brand that is perceived by customers (Berry and Carbone, 2007; Grace and O’Cass 2004). This is one of the fundamental challenges for JD Sports: establishing a relevant service marketing model that will enhance long-term brand loyalty which translates into higher profitability and better opportunities for brand expansion into other product lines. Chaudhuri and Holbrook (2001) iterate that brand loyalty is the foundation of being able to establish premium pricing models and also generates essential word-of-mouth advertising needed to gain ground with important target markets. Gounaris and Vlasis (2004) iterate the benefits of achieving brand loyalty to include higher revenues, less vulnerability to a variety of different competitor-generated marketing rivalry, and favourable word-of-mouth advertising. JD Sports, however, has not been able to successfully translate its service marketing model into a viable service methodology to enhance brand loyalty. In this market, it is quite simplistic for competitors to replicate existing service models and merchandise offerings, making it an intricate process of determining an appropriate service quality standard that will not be easily replicated by competition. â€Å"A strong brand is the only asset a company maintains that cannot be copied† (Nandan 2005, p.271). Further, empirical study results illustrate that brands which focus on establishing a brand image generate more loyal

The dangers of BPA (Bisphenol A) in Plastic bottles or containers Speech Presentation

The dangers of BPA (Bisphenol A) in Plastic bottles containers - Speech or Presentation Example I. Introduction How many of you have taken drinks or food products packed in plastic bottles? How many times do you stay for a day without using a plastic bottle or container? How many plastic containers do you use in your kitchen every day to warm food and store left over’s? Most of us in college always pack their sandwiches in plastic containers because it is the most convenient packaging material. Plastic bottles or containers are cheap and easy to carry around because they are light. Plastic containers and bottles are used world wide. Take a walk into a supermarket one day and you will be amazed at just how many food products are packaged in plastic bottles or containers. Just take a look in your refrigerator and count how many food products are packaged in plastic cans or bottles. Today we are going to look at a component known as Bisphenol A (BPA) found in plastic bottles and containers, specifically the effects of Bisphenol A. We are also going to look at samples of pla stic bottles that are safe or unsafe to use. We always use plastics because they fit our convenience. Plastic containers are most convenient when it comes to packing our drinks or food. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a toxic material found in the hard plastic containers or bottles. Usually, Bisphenol is used to harden plastic bottles or containers. Bisphenol A is located in the lining of plastic beverage and food plastic cans. The most disturbing issue is that plastic bottles used to feed children have been found to have Bisphenol A. II. Body. Bisphenol A is a chemical material found in polycarbonate resins and plastic materials or bottles; it possesses a health hazard to animals. A. Chemical compound of Bisphenol A. 1. Bisphenol contains phenol chemical components known as acetone 2. When acetone is highly ingested, it causes irritations that will depress the central nervous system. 3. Acetone can cause irritations in the eyes when it comes into contact with the eyes and the respiratory syst em. B. Health hazards of Bisphenol A. 1. Bisphenol may be dissolved in foods and drinks that we take. 2. Although Bisphenol is highly digestible, high exposures of low plastic levels of Bisphenol in the plastics can lead to several health complications in animals. 3. According to the National Institutes of Health, Bisphenol can cause interference with the body’s estrogen production (endocrine Disruption). 4. Many studies conducted by scientists have shown that rodents exposed to high levels of Bisphenol show change behaviors and brain structure. 5. Rodents exposed to Bisphenol exhibit cancer, difficulty in breathing and diabetes. 6. Although effects of Bisphenol on human beings is inconsistent, recent studies have shown that exposure of human beings t to low levels of Bisphenol can inhibit the production of a hormone known as Adiponectin. 7. Adiponectin is used to regulate levels of insulin 8. Studies have also shown that Bisphenol A can cause obesity in human beings. 9. Bisp henol A can also cause negative effects on the pregnancy. C. Research Studies 1. The Food and Drugs Administration in United States has come under fire for claiming that BPA is not harmful by the Natural Resources Defense Council in 2008. 2. The National Institute of Health in 2008, raised concerns about the safety of BPA on plastics used in storing beverage and food products as allowed by the Food and Drugs Administration in United States. III. Conclusion. Since it is impossible not to use plastic containers and bottles, it would be advisable to

Woman in the Life of African Essay Example for Free

Woman in the Life of African Essay The life of nineteenth century African American women was marred by an unfortunate social practice called slavery. While such unjust living condition affected both men and women, the harmful impact was more on women. This is because in the context of slavery, it was the women who suffered worse and the ones who were subjected to more damaging treatment than men. Coupled with race-related burdens, it was slavery and all its harmful manifestations which forced women to perform roles inside their homes and within the society that definitely opposed their supposedly conventional roles in an ideal American community. Simply put, it is their being a woman that determined and played a more important role in their lives than being an African American. This is because it was their very gender which caused them to become slaves and to experience other sex-related injustices. Therefore, it is ironic that while being a woman was supposed to protect the African American women from slavery and to provide them with dignity, it was specifically their womanhood that made their lives miserable and painful — as explained and illustrated by Deborah Gray White in her book, â€Å"Ar’n’t I a Woman? : Female Slaves in the Plantation South. † In challenging the stereotypes concerning African-American women, the book creates a bigger and more in-depth representation of the real existence of women. That is, it was not only their race or their being African-American that made them as work and sex slaves, but it was more their being women that caused them to suffer. Through the exploration and analysis made by the author on the daily ways of life, jobs, as well as roles and relationships within the family and society of 19th century women, the book allows the readers to realize that being a woman has a great significance in the kind of life that they experienced. Female Slavery White, through the book, presents that it was being a woman that played a more relevant function in the life of 19th century African-American women. This is the premise explained and emphasized in the book as it effectively provides an analysis of the overdue existence of women slavery. In fact, the title itself is a clear reflection of the underlying meaning that the kind of living experienced by the female population in the Plantation South was rooted in the fact that they were female. The shortened statement â€Å"Arnt I a Woman? † actually signifies a kind of objection as to how and why women were subjected to slavery considering they are important members of a society which is supposed to take care of them, protect them, and assure them of their rights. With slavery however, it unfortunately turned out otherwise as it was their very sense of being a woman that was considered to be the reason why they were made into slaves. This is because their being a woman indicated their susceptibility to slavery and other forms of inhumane treatment, which thereby affected the manner in which they struggled and eventually survived. Most importantly, female slavery emerged because they were seen and regarded as one whose sexual and employment rights may be violated. This explanation is justified in the book when the author concludes that â€Å"Slave women were the only women in America who were sexually exploited with impunity, stripped and whipped with a lash, and worked like oxen† (White 162). Thus, they were made into slaves and were sexually abused not because they were African American, but because they were African American women. Not Protected While White’s book depicts a general representation of 19th century African American women in the light of their race and gender, personal experiences became the foundation of the concept that it was the reality of being a woman that created a stronger impact in their lives. This was due to the fact that female slaves, as illustrated by the characters of the sexually abused â€Å"Jezebel† and loyal slave â€Å"Mammy,† showed how their womanhood caused them to be utterly neglected and abused by the society, particularly by the men. As White stresses: â€Å" only slave women were so totally unprotected by men or by law women had their womanhood so totally denied† (162). Further, it was through the demeaning stereotyping of black women that the personalities in the book practically came alive. This is because they supposedly represented the apparent promiscuous persona and conduct of African-American women which, in turn, served as a justification for their slavery, discrimination, and sexual abuse in the hands of both black and white men and the community in general. The stereotyping or negative characterization of â€Å"Jezebel† and â€Å"Mammy† aggravated the already unguarded condition of being a woman. This is shown by how â€Å"Jezebel† supposedly manifested a natural sensuality and sexual drive that it became inevitable for slave owners to sexually abuse the â€Å"lustful† women slaves (White 36). Both characters affirmed that being a woman led one to be susceptible to slavery and sexual abuse. Such was the condition as their respective womanhood created a notion that black women were forced to domestic slavery and into becoming sex objects. Most of all, their being female did not protect them from any kind of violation because their gender or stature in the society made them as mere human properties particularly created for their masters’ desires such as sexual satisfaction and forced labor. Conclusion The blatant and unacceptable realities presented in the book â€Å"Arnt I a Woman† by Deborah Gray White only confirm the idea that it was the fact that they were female that brought much suffering and misfortunes into the lives of 19th century African American women. More than this however, â€Å"Arnt I a Woman† also presents an unlikely condition that being a woman during a period when slavery existed had its rewarding side. This is because despite the abuses, it was their optimistic sense of being a woman that enabled them to create strong personal relationships and female groups within the society. Work Cited White, Deborah Gray. Arnt I a Woman? : Female Slaves in the Plantation South. New York: W. W. Norton Company, Inc. , 1985.

Analysing The Effects Of Voting Apathy In Democracy Politics Essay

Analysing The Effects Of Voting Apathy In Democracy Politics Essay What is apathy and does it threaten our democracy? During the course of this investigation, I argue that ones understanding of apathy is dependent entirely upon ones interpretation of the term democracy. Beginning with an explanation of the ways in which apathy is apparent within politics, I then attempt to address its causes, concluding that feelings of disconnection and disenchantment with political parties, along with social status and education, are the main determinants of political participation. After doing this, I examine elitist and participatory attitudes towards democracy, finding the concept of apathy within both schools of thought to be radically different. The phenomenon of apathy within politics is usually seen to be expressed through a lack of participation during elections, a failure to engage in discussion and failure to contribute to matters of local significance. It is often measured by examining electoral turnout. Since the middle of the twentieth century many established liberal democracies have experienced declining electoral participation. Indeed, during the 2001 general election, the UK experienced its lowest level of turnout since the introduction of universal suffrage  [1]  . This situation has also been experienced throughout much of the Western world. As Hay (2007) suggests, democratic systems of government clearly require some form of participation in order to appear legitimate, with turnout rates having now fallen low enough to give considerable cause for concern  [2]  . Figure 1 (p.11) represents the average turnout during European and American elections since 1945, whilst figure 2 (p.12) displays the maximum and minimum levels of turnout over a similar period. As the figures show, to experience turnout of below 50% in any election raises many questions about the health of a democracy and the legitimacy of electoral results. How can a government which claims to represent the people be seen as legitimate if more than half of those eligible to vote did not do so? Political apathy as represented through non-voting would seem to have created a crisis of legitimacy. However, to concentrate on electoral participation as the only measure of a healthy democracy is to ignore the many other measurements which characterise a democratic state, such as access to free elections, freedom of speech, or the independence of the judiciary. The way in which one views the significance of participation depends entirely upon which democratic theory is found more convincing, and is an issue which is addressed in greater detail later. So why have participation rates declined so dramatically over recent decades? The Power Inquiry, a 2006 study into political disengagement within the UK, found the most significant factors to be a sentiment amongst voters that their views are simply ignored by politicians and that their opinions are not taken sufficiently into account by the process of political decision-making  [3]  , along with the widely held belief that the main political parties are too similar in character and lacking firm beliefs. Further to this, it was discovered that a lack of understanding or knowledge of political debate and the workings of democracy also increased non-participation  [4]  . A growing distrust of politicians and of politics in general within Western populations has also fostered apathetic sentiment. Within Britain especially, this corrosive cynicism  [5]  has been fuelled by decades of sex and political scandals, corrupt practices and abuse of the parliamentary system. Indeed, the 2010 British Social Attitudes survey found severe distrust of politicians had risen from only 11% in 1987 to 40% today  [6]  . It is perhaps no coincidence that declining participation has occurred during a period where distrust of politicians has risen. Social status and education also play significant roles in determining political participation. Lower class identifiers have historically felt less inclined to participate, either electorally, through conversation with peers, or through membership of an organisation. The link is confirmed by Beeghley (1986), who provides data suggesting a positive correlation between income and participation  [7]  . However, Hillygus (2005) finds that it is education which plays the decisive role as a determinant of future political participation  [8]  . She suggests that in the majority of analyses, education remains the strongest determinant of participation even when measured against other socio-economic factors such as class, gender or race  [9]  . Figure 3 (p.13) demonstrates the relationship between verbal SAT scores (US) and expected future levels of political participation, whilst figure 4 (p.14) shows the pattern repeated, but concerning voting only. We have outlined some possible causes of apathy, finding that non-participation has increased dramatically over recent decades. But is this phenomenon harmful to democracy? As touched upon earlier, the answer to this question depends entirely upon how one understands the meaning of the term democracy. The elitist theory of democracy, centred on a faith in the merits of representative democracy, is rooted in the belief that an enlightened few should control public policy- elitist theorists believing that the masses are too uneducated or uninterested to exercise judgement. Indeed, Bachrach (1980) states that the elite is enlightened, thus its policy is bound to be the public interest  [10]  . Rather than concentrating upon participatory opportunities to assess the health of a democracy, elitists view access to elections and the responsiveness of those elected as the key measure of a democracy  [11]  . All that is required to validate an electoral result is at least some degree of participation (voting). A degree of apathy is to be welcomed, as it is assumed that those who do vote are those with enough knowledge to do so. Elitist theorists such as Schumpeter argue against the classical conception of mass participation, believing that [m]any decisions of fateful importance are of a nature that makes it impossible for the public to experiment with them  [12]  . Matters of national importance, then, are better resolved by elites. Direct participation is not necessary, or desirable, from the public. A central argument of the elitist school is the belief that some measure of apathy within a society actually helps strengthen democracy by stabilising the system of elitist rule. Bachrach (1980) provides a succinct critique of elitist thinking regarding apathy; the ordinary man still plays a role in the system since he has the freedom to vote, to bring pressure upon political elites, and to attempt himself to rise to an elite position. But by and large he does, and is expected to, remain relatively passive in fact the health of the system depends upon it. For if he becomes too activeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦political equilibrium is thrown out of balance  [13]  . Berelson, Lazarsfeld McPhee (1954) add to this by suggesting that low participation rates help established political parties (elites), by preventing the fragmentation of votes towards smaller parties, which would otherwise gain popularity as a result of greater participation. Additionally, low interest provides manoeuvring room for political shifts necessary for a complex society in a period of rapid change  [14]  . Underpinning this is the belief that all societies will inevitably come to be dominated by small minorities, even those which have experienced proletarian revolution (such as the post-revolutionary Soviet Union). As Michels would have it, society cannot exist without a dominant or political class  [15]  . Further to this, Dye Zeigler (2009) believe that a strong democracy does not depend upon mass participation, stating that the masses tend to hold antidemocratic beliefs. They contend that an increase in participation would undermine democracy  [16]  , claim ing it to be à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the irony of democracy that democratic ideals survive because the masses are generally apathetic and inactiveà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦all that is necessary is that they fail to commit themselves actively to antidemocratic movements  [17]  . Elitists, then, see apathy as essential as a means of shoring up their dominant position over the masses they certainly do not see it as a threat to our democracy. Contrary to the position of the elitists, participatory democrats champion the concept of direct democracy as opposed to the representative system present in liberal democracies today. They see existing institutional structures as being designed to discourage mass participation, wishing instead to foster a situation whereby citizens actively attend meetings, deliberate, discuss and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦participate in the executive arm of government and the workplace. For participatory democrats, The process of taking part becomes integral to democracyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the decisive test of a democracy is its capacity to encourage its population to play an active role in its government  [18]  . This is clearly in stark contrast to the elitist understanding of democracy, which views any form of direct involvement by citizens, with the exception of voting, as unnecessary and potentially dangerous. Pateman (1970) believes that it is a lack of participatory institutions which prevents political engagement in a representative system. Citing empirical studies, she argues that political efficacy and an increased willingness to participate are best fostered through direct participation at a local or workplace level, arguing that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the experience of participation in some way leaves the individual better psychologically equipped to undertake further participation in the future  [19]  . Bowler Donovan (2002) confirm this link, by suggesting that American states which make use of direct citizen initiatives help to increase the efficacy of their populations  [20]  . Barber (1984) and Pitkin Shumer (1982) see the main component of a strong democracy as active participation by citizens rather than through a reliance on representatives  [21]  22. Barber argues that citizens should be free to make political decisions not necessarily at every level and in every instance  [23]  , but often enough and in areas where significant issues which may affect them are to be considered. He advocates the creation of institutions designed to facilitate a civic participation, with the aim of fostering discussion, deliberation and eventually the formation of legislation the process of which he refers to as common work. He goes on to suggest that under the present form of liberal democracy, voters do not participate in the governing of a country at all the act of voting simply serving as a method by which to select various elites. It is only once masses start deliberating, acting, sharing, and contributing, they cease to become masses and become citizens. Only then do they participate'  [24]  . It is evident that apathy is certainly not a desirable feature within the participatory democrat interpretation of democracy. Any amount of apathy within a polity would create a situation whereby those who did actively participate would find themselves becoming a form of elite- those unwilling to contribute simply pass their responsibility to another, trusting them to make the right decisions. Evidently, this is not much better than the representative status quo. Apathy, then, is a symptom of a weak democracy, as the role of participation is paramount to its success. But should participation be defined as active involvement by the public, as participatory democrats argue, or is the simple act of voting enough? If participation is taken as meaning direct citizen involvement, then apathy is certainly a threat to legitimacy. If democracy is government by the people, how can a result hope to be considered legitimate in a situation where less than fifty percent of a population express an opinion? If however the elitist approach is followed and participation is limited to voting only, then to a degree the public does indeed take part in the democratic process via the choosing of the elites which are to lead them. It is through the act of voting during elections that a government can claim legitimacy. As long as there is some degree of participation, this is all that matters. As such, apathy should not be seen as a threat to the legitimacy of a result. Clearly, the gulf between elitists and participatory democrats is vast. They hold diametrically oppose d ideas as to the consequence of apathy within a democratic society. As we have seen, the phenomenon of apathy within democracies is a highly contentious subject perhaps essentially contested  [25]  . We have found that apathy presents itself within democratic societies most significantly in the form of non-participation, noting that turnout rates have declined dramatically since their peak in the middle of the twentieth century. Weve looked at the causes of apathy, discovering that social status and education along with a cynicism and distrust of politicians and the sense of remoteness and disconnection from the legislative process also strongly contribute to apathetic sentiment within a population. In regards to whether or not apathy threatens democracy, it is possible to conclude both ways by differentiating between both representative and participatory democracy. Representative democracy is strengthened by the existence of apathy and relies upon it to maintain political stability. Conversely, direct or participatory democracy is threatened by apathy, as it requires widespread interaction from the public. Because elitist theorists are describing the present state of liberal democracies, it is hard to conclude that apathy can be seen as a threat to the legitimacy of government a party still wins, regardless of turnout. It is only once democracy is viewed in terms of public participation that the issue of apathy becomes a threat, undermining the very meaning of the word. In short, apathy threatens the concept of direct democracy, but it doesnt threaten the existing system of representative democracy, it merely strengthens it. The answer to this question depends solely upon whic h theory of democracy one finds more convincing.

Teaching Children Respect Essay -- essays research papers

Teaching Children Respect Americans has placed too much responsibility on schools and teachers. Parents need to take command of the moral development of their children, starting with the issue of respect. Respect starts at an early age. You teach a child to say thank you, no thank you, and please. These are normal and common first steps to respect and are considered being manner able. Most parents expect there children to use these courteous phrases to them, their selves, the parent. Teachers and schools should not have to be responsible for teaching your child manners, common courtesy, nor respect. It is hard enough for teachers to maintain a learning curriculum on general studies let alone moral, ethics and values. Teachers must deal with these different personalities and attitudes everyday and it is quiet stressful. This type of behavior should be confronted at home before the child is of age to go to school and maintained throughout. The Parents should start demonstrating these ethics, morals, and values, by showing respect those around them, whether it is family, friends or neighbors. Here are a few comments from actual teachers from different background and different states, they have been directly quoted from the book â€Å"I am a Teacher† Marquis, Sachs (1991). Here is what they have to say about â€Å"Respect† and the role of a teacher: â€Å"I am tough as nails. But they know I love them†¦They don’t have to love me, but they do have to respect me. And have to respect themselves. They have to learn something that they cam take with them because they can’t take me with them, and they can’t take mom with them and they can’t take the neighbor with them. They can only take what’s inside their head. (Johanna Brown, M... ...ingle mother working two jobs, yet I always managed to try and teach my children to have respect for themselves and others. The teachers and school system can only support you and your child throughout their learning experience. Also, as a last note don’t leave it up to the daycare or babysitter to raise your child and teach morals, ethics, values and most of all respect. References Griffin, G. M.D. (1999). It takes a parent to raise a child. (pp. 82, 99-101) New York, Golden Books Publishing [Book] Marshall Marquis, D., Sachs, R. (1991) I am a teacher. (pp.24, 51, 115) (First Fireside Addition) New York, Simon & Schuster Publishing [Book] Baldrige, L. (1997) Lithia Baldrige’s More than manners: Raising kids to have kind manners and good hearts. (pp.67) Library of Congress Cataloging-In- Publication New York, Simon & Schuster Publishing [Book]

Richard Wagner :: essays research papers fc

Richard Wagner TIME LINE: Wagner’s Life 1813: Wilhelm Richard Wagner is born on May 22. Wagner’s father dies on November 23. ;1814: Wagner’s mother remarries  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1815: Wagner’s mother has a daughter Cacilie  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1821: Wagner’s step-father dies  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1829: Wagner composes his first music: two piano sonatas and a string quartet  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1830: Writes a piano arrangement for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1832: Begins work on first opera, Die Hochzeit  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1833: Begins work on Die Feen  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1836: Marries Minna Planer  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1839: Flees to London to avoid creditors, then to Paris  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1847: Takes an interest in Greek plays  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1857: Begins work on Tristan & Isolde  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1858: Minna finds love letter Richard wrote to Mathilde  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1859: Moves to Paris with Minna and completes Tristan & Isolde  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1862: Richard and Minna separate and Wagner moves to Vienna  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1864: Wagner begins affair with Cosima Von Bulow  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1865: A daughter Isolde is born to Richard and Cosima and he moves to Switzerland  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1867: A second daughter, Eva, is born to Richard and Cosima  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1869: A son, Siegfried, is born to Richard and Cosima  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1870: Richard and Cosima finally get married  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1878: Begins writing a series of reactionary essays  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1883: Richard Wagner dies of a heart attack in Venice on February 13. The funeral   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  was held at Bayreuth on February 18. WAGNER’S WORKS OPERA  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  COMPLETED Die Feen  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  6 Jan 1834 Das Liebesverbot  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dec 1835 Rienzi  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  19 Nov 1840 Der fliegende Hollà ¤nder  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  30 Oct 1841 Tannhà ¤user  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  13 Apr 1845 Lohengrin  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  28 Apr 1848 Das Rheingold  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  26 Sep 1854 Die Walkà ¼re  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  23 Mar 1856 Siegfried  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5 Feb 1871 Gà ¶tterdà ¤mmerung  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  21 Nov 1874 Tristan und Isolde  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  6 Aug 1859 Die Meistersinger  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  24 Oct 1867 Parsifal  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  13 Jan 1882 RICHARD WAGNER   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Richard Wagner was one of the most influential and controversial classical composers of all time. Most of his works were operas and they addressed many aspects of his personal feelings: society, politics, religions, etc. Though many hated (and still hate) him and his work, most revere him to be a multitalented genius that brought 19th Century music to higher levels. Wagner’s Life Wilhelm Richard Wagner was born on May 22, 1813 in Leipzig. At six months old, Wagner lost his father Frau Karl Friedrich to typhoid, which he caught from the corpses lying unburied in the streets after the Napoleonic War in Leipzig. Less than a year later, Wagner’s mother married Ludwig Geyer, who Wagner believes is his real father, even though nothing was ever proved. Geyer, like Wagner had an artistic gift. He was an actor a painter, dramatist, and singer. As a child, Geyer was determined â€Å"to make something† of Wagner (Jacobs 3). He failed at drawing and painting. Wagner did not realize he had a talent until Geyer was on his deathbed with collapsed lungs.

Just War Theory as Applied to Operation Just Cause Essay -- American F

Since its inception as a country in 1776 the United States has carried a tainted record in conducting just operations involving regime changes to achieve the goal of timely creating a minimally just political community. For example, on one hand the U.S. has been a part of one of the most just, successful, and commendable regime changes in history when they helped defeat and reconstruct Japan and Germany after World War II. On the other hand the U.S. has been a part of one of the worst and unjust operations conducted in history involving Cuba and the Bay of Pigs invasion. Between these two extremes there are many other operations which focused on the goal to change a regime where their rightness has been called into question based on one or more aspects of the just war theory. Just war theory is explained best by author, Brian Orend, and states that, â€Å"sometimes, it is at least morally permissible for a political community to go to war and features a goal to restrain both the in cidence and destructiveness of war† (Orend, 31). One of these operations where the rightness of the invasion was called into question is Operation Just Cause. Operation Just Cause was the invasion of Panama by the United States in December of 1989. The operation was spearheaded by President George H. W. Bush and its goal was to replace the current leader of Panama, General Noriega, with the rightfully elected new leader, Guillermo Endara. Manuel Noriega had close ties with the United States throughout the years by serving as an informant and asset to the U.S. against the Soviet Union during the Cold War. His efforts included sabotaging the Soviet supported governments in both El Salvador and Nicaragua, which helped reduce Soviet control in Central America (... ... to war under jus ad bellum, the question must be answered as to whether the United States followed the principles of jus in bello, which is adhering to the right conduct in the midst of battle (Orend, 105). Jus in bello is divided into two types of rules—internal and external, and the responsibility of following these rules rests in the hands of a state’s armed forces, rather than its political leaders. Internal rules concern how a state during war should treat its own citizens, while external rules concern how a state should conduct itself in the midst of war regarding the enemy state and its civilians (Orend, 106). In assessing if the U.S. followed the principles of jus in bello, a focus will be placed on the external rules rather than the internal rules because the invasion was not a serious war and was ultimately limited to one day that was limited to Panama.

Describe the “Sharp Differences” Dividing the Leadership of the Revolutionary Generation. Essay

In January of 1790, Hamilton submitted a financial plan to Congress in order to help the country with its debt. James Madison, leader of the southern congressmen did not like Madison’s ideas and he blocked approval of the plan. Hamilton sought help Jefferson to help him with his problem. Jefferson arranged dinner with Hamilton, Madison and himself to discuss the issue. However the three men disagreed upon many things. They had different ideas and methods on how to fix the economy, how many people should have economic power, and contributions to society. Read Also:Â  Descriptive Narrative Essay Topics Hamilton believed that for the economy to grow, economic development had to be created and managed. He wanted to collect resources located all around North America and sell them to make a profit. Moving all these resources around would require management at a national level. Both Madison and Jefferson disagreed with Hamilton’s idea. Doing this would cost money and the country would be losing money instead of making a profit. They believed that the economy should recover and grow on its own. Hamilton thought putting economic power in fewer hands was necessary for the economy to grow. Madison believed the power should be dispersed and then checked by different interest groups. Hamilton was convinced that if the power was spread out, money would just be money. If it were concentrated on a only a few people, the money would be worth more. Hamilton had more of an economic way of thinking. Madison, however, saw things in a more political way. Hamilton saw certain people to be contri butors to America. These people were those who handled money such as merchants and bankers. Hamilton would use their skill to serve the public interest. Both Madison and Jefferson disagreed with him. These people make no real contribution to American society. They considered land to be a main contributor to capital. Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison all wanted to help their country. They were faced with a massive amount of debt and it was their main priority to fix their economy. While their goal was the same, the way they tried to approached was different. Their methods of fixing the economy was completely opposite of each other. Hamilton’s economic mind set and Madison’s and Jefferson’s political way of thinking contradicted each other. This made it difficult for them to see eye to eye in order to rectify the national debt the country faced.

Mao Zedong

Alyssa Franco 11/28/12 Mao Zedong is considered to be one of the most controversial political leaders of the twentieth century. He has been known both as a savior and a tyrant to the Chinese people. From his strategic success of the Long March, to his humiliating failure of the Great Leap Forward, to the Cultural Revolution that shocked the country and took countless lives, Mao has significantly influenced the result of what China is today. From humble origins, Mao Zedong rose to absolute power, unifying with an iron fist a vast country torn apart by years of weak leadership, imperialism, and war.This astute and insightful account by Jonathan D. Spence brings to life this modern-day ruler and the tumultuous era that Mao Zedong did so much to shape. Mao Zedong was born on December 26, 1893 in Shaoshan village in Hunan. He experienced a middle peasant upbringing that was â€Å"rooted in long-standing rural Chinese patterns of expectation and behavior† (Mao, 10). Mao went to Shao shan village school where he learned the customary Chinese curriculum as well as studied the â€Å"time-honored texts from the Confucian canon† (Mao, 11).At this time in his childhood, the whole country could foresee the fall of the previous dynasty, the Qing. Mao studied to be a teacher at The First Provincial Normal School, in Changsha, which influenced his future thinking and beliefs. He believed that the Chinese way of thinking needed reform, therefore fixated on younger people and peasants to build his political career. In 1912 Mao decided to go to Wuhan. For five years he studied and received an education in academics, as well as politics. When Mao graduated in 1918, he was a political writer with a notable following.He had studied Marxism and other communist ideas and by 1919 considered himself to be a Marxist. For several years Mao wrote on his views and even began establishing groups that shared the same political opinions as he did. Mao had organized a group of Comm unists in Changsha and in 1921when he went to Shanghai to participate in the First National Party Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. He rose to absolute power when he survived the Long March, a military retreat undertaken by the Red Army to escape the attacks ordered by Chiang Kai-Shek.This began his ascent to power because of the leadership displayed during the retreat. It gained him the support of many members of the party. Through the years Mao had many successes as well as failures as a leader. He put into actions two 5 year plans, established the Hundred Flower Movement, launched the Great Leap Forward, and set the groundwork for the Cultural Revolution, forever leaving his mark in Chinese history. The Great Leap Forward, what was supposed to be one of Mao Zedong’s greatest achievements, in turn actually became his most prominent failure.By 1957, to Mao at least, following the Soviet Union example no longer seemed sufficient. Growth was too slow, too reliant on tec hnical experts, and too controlled. He believed that China had to find a way to use their labor power to revolutionize more rapidly. Mao began to introduce the idea of the Great Leap Forward. In Mao’s mind the Great Leap â€Å"would combine the imperativeness of large-scale cooperative agriculture with a close-to-utopian vision of the ending of distinctions between occupations, sexes, ages, and levels of education† (Mao 143).Through the concentrated work of hundreds of millions of people laboring together, China would convert itself from a poverty stricken nation into a mighty one. Mao believed that China as a whole would procure the â€Å"benefits of scale and of flexibility† (Mao, 143). The peasants and workers performed large amounts of labor, working with â€Å"almost no respite in the fields† (Mao, 144). Trusting Mao, the Chinese Communist party, as well as the people of China got caught up in the idea of a â€Å"utopian† type society and full y supported the plan.This ideal however, did not transfer over to reality. The Great Leap became one of Mao’s biggest failures as the ruler of China. Many officials were surprised at Mao's naivety, especially since Mao used to be a farmer himself. Some Great Leap projects were successes, although all too often they were disasters. These projects were undertaken with too much haste and with so little methodical knowledge that serious mistakes were made. After Mao had realized that his plan was deteriorating he quickly called for a slower pace and more attainable goals.Mao’s faulty economics ended up creating a famine of massive proportions. The Great Leap Forward ended up killing approximately 30 million people as a result of starvation and diseases related to poor supplies and dearth of food, this time period is known as the Three Hard Years. Not surprisingly the Great Leap Forward strained the connection between China and the Soviet Union. Mao was never partial to Khr ushchev, Stalin’s successor, their relations were never affable. The countries continued to grow apart till their political split in 1960.The Great Leap Forward as well as the preceding intellectual Hundred Flowers Movement presented Mao being increasingly detached â€Å"from any true reality check† (Mao, 145). He appeared to be less and less concerned for the consequences that might transpire from his own â€Å"erratic utterances† (Mao, 145). Another notable event that took place during the control of Mao was the Cultural Revolution, 1966-1969. Mao, now 70, was still overly enamored with revolutionary continuity.He told his nephew, what he believed were the five essential elements in his succession: â€Å"One must be a genuine Marxist-Leninist; one must be willing to work for the masses wholeheartedly; one must work with the majority and accept their criticisms, even if the criticisms seemed to be misplaced at the time; one must be a model of obedient discipli ne under the strictures of democratic centralism; and one must be modest about oneself, always ready to indulge in self-criticism† (Mao, 168).Mao then posed this question, â€Å"You grew up eating honey, and thus far you have never known suffering. In future, if you do not become a rightist, but rather a centralist, I shall be satisfied. You have never suffered, how can you be a leftist? †(Mao 168). This question obsessed many of China’s youth during the infancy of the Cultural Revolution. Mao’s answer was to be founded on the idea that â€Å"wanting leftist revolutionary activism could be regenerated by identifying the enemies correctly and then using all one’s ingenuity in rooting them out and destroying them† (Mao, 169).It was a power struggle between Mao and the older officers in the government. Mao used youth and freedom to rally against the older powers in an attempt to show the people that he was really the one with the best idea of Ch inese thought. He did not specifically coordinate the coming of the revolution, â€Å"but he established an environment that made it possible and helped to set many people and issues in place† (Mao, 170). The army became involved because Mao could not control the followers by words alone.Since Lin Biao, in charge of the military, thought that the army would keep the newfound power it had gained through the Cultural Revolution, he decided he would change Mao's power. The army took care of gathering youth from around China to produce the Red Army. This displayed that Mao was still in power and had the Army behind him. Mao left behind him a legacy that cannot be easily forgotten. He reformed the thoughts of the Chinese people from very reserved and old fashioned, to a new age of thinking. Being in power for such a long period of time, and uniting China to make it stronger was a great accomplishment.Mao Zedong should be considered to be a tyrant because of his lack of compassion during the Three Hard Years; although he did manage to capture the hearts of many, especially the youth of his time. Mao did demonstrate extreme perseverance and leadership, controlling China until it was physically not possible for him to do so. Spence does a good job of placing Mao in history, but it's the private man with whom he is most sympathetic. Spence creates Mao as clever and foolish, harsh and loving, practical and naive. Yet Mao's deepest motivations remain mysterious. This book is a satisfactory introduction to the enigmatic life of Mao Zedong.

Minocycline and Public Misinformation

The potential role of minocycline in limiting neurological stroke damage is a widely studied arena, as evident by the numerous studies conducted on the topic and the implications of these findings are widely circulated in the scientific and public community using the print and broadcast media. But, it is highly unlikely that the common media would religiously reflect the findings based on the scientific research as potentiated by the ‘knowledge gap’ that exists between them. In the light of this statement, there is a general aim to investigate the â€Å"knowledge gaps† that may have been loss from information transfer of the technical work to that of the more popular broad print media. The Recent Study Conducted on Minocycline Minocycline, a tetracycline derivative is more popular for its an anti-inflammatory activity rather than its antibiotic effect. Minocycline alleviates the blood brain barrier disruption by decreasing the activity of microglia and metalloproteinase, reduction of edema and hemorrhage and reduce ischemia. The specificity of mitocycline as inhibitor of microglial activity by limiting p38-mitogen-activated protein kinase makes it a potential drug for neurological disorders. Lampl et al. (2007) conducted an open label, evaluator blinded study on the monocycline treatment in acute stroke. This scientific approach diverted from the normal â€Å"animal models† and the â€Å"in vivo and the in vitro approach† classic method of studying drug medication effect by using actual human models. One hundred fifty two stroke patients were used for the study; 74 received minocycline treatment [(200 mg/day/5 days; start: 6-24 hr after stroke onset)] and 77 received placebo. The NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS), modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and Barthel index were assessed for day 7, 30 and 90 (7 and 90 for NIHSS). Data analysis (covariance and two tailed   t-test) were carried out using SPSS statistical analysis software. Results indicate that there was significant reduction NIHSS score at day 90 for monocycline patients compared that of the placebo patients. The reduction was apparent from baseline up to last day of treatment. Barthel index was significantly reduced at day 7 till the end of the treatment and mRS difference started at day 2 onwards. Covariance (co-variance: age, presence of peptic ulcer, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) , sulfonylurea(SU) were performed again for NHSS test and results show significant difference between the groups with mean difference increase for covariates. The study indicates that the administration of minocycline at acute stage of stroke using five day treatment therapeutic onset window of 24 hr is effective in alleviating stroke damages. The â€Å"24 hr therapeutic onset† is based on results of previous studies stating that edema peaks at 24 to 48 hr following ischemia and inhibition at this timescale of apoptopic pathway is most effective. The limitations of the study are the six hr post-stroke administration, the oral medication, and small sampling units. Confirmation is still needed for this study. The Public Mis-Conveyance of the Minocycline Efficacy Last October 27, 2007, Thomas H. Maugh II of Los Angeles Times wrote â€Å"[Minocycline] taken within 24 hours, the drug is found to help reduce disabling effects in a patient’s body and brain.† Thomas H. Maugh based his article on the aforementioned study above. However there are discrepancies that can be found between the article and the actual study which he allegedly used as the fountain of information on minocycline efficiency. First, he intimated that the drug should be administered within the first three hours. He also forgot to mention that the dosage administered was 200 mg.There was nothing in the journal that said that the drug must be administered at within 3 hr. In fact, the therapeutic window indicated in the scientific journal was â€Å"within 24 hr† and the experimental method involved â€Å"six hr post stroke†. Second, he elicited the â€Å"secondary† opinion from the scientific community specifically Dr. Steven Pacia of Lenox Hospital, Dr. John Marler of National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and Dr. Raymond Swanson of University of California. There is nothing wrong with eliciting opinions from known field experts on neurology. But the fact is that he should have elicited ‘primary’ source of information from the Israeli scientists and not from those who are not really involved the conducted study. Maugh also wrote that subjects for the study excluded â€Å"those who had already shown signs of recovery.† There was no line on the methodology of the paper mentioning this. He also failed to indicated chronic renal failure as a category in the exclusion of study. (This is very important since there is strong association of inefficacy of oral administration in chronic renal patients). He also wrote that Lampl said that the improvement was apparent within a week. It is a misnomer of information; there was ‘significant’ improvement from Day 90 and not Day 7. He also wrote that the minocycline receivers did ‘4x’ times better. He forgot to mention if at what scale this 4x is. Is it from the baseline or is it a comparison to the placebo group? Lampl’s group cited that the study must be performed on a larger scale to attest its efficacy. Maugh’s misnomers and some information deletions may have mislead the reader into believing that the minocycline is proven and tested as effective. Health information to the public should be delivered as precise as possible. Journalist should be more careful about what they write because they are open to misinterpretation by the public. What would happen if a desperate stroke patient took this information seriously and drank more than 200 mg per day? Results are inconclusive on this. However, it should be deeply noted that, in the end, the public is the one who suffers from this misinformation. Works Cited Lampl, Y., Boaz, M. Gilad, R., M. Loberboym, Dabby, R., Rapoport, A., Anca-hershowitz, M., and M. Sadeh. â€Å"Minocycline Treatment in Acute Stroke.† Neurology.   1609 (2007): 1404-1410. Maugh, H. Thomas. â€Å"Antibiotic Limits Stroke Damage, Study Finds.† Los Angeles Times. 2 October 2007.      

Postmodernism and Feminism

Ailene Brukman-Stivi Professor: Haim Deuel Lusky Postmodernism and Feminism The question of what happened to feminism during the postmodern times is not easily encapsulated in one phrase or idea as it is actually an amalgam of often purposely ambiguous and fluid ideas. One would have to start researching about postmodernism and what it means, let alone search about the history of feminism and its development. After one would research a little bit about postmodernism he or she would realize the knowledge about modernism is also extremely crucial to understand fully about postmodernism and feminism.Therefore this writing will conclude a few words about modernism. How did we as a culture develop into a postmodernist era? And of course how does this era have to do with feminism? This research paper will include different critiques about the subject of postmodernism and feminism as well. Before starting the writing on reviews, critiques and more in depth research of our subject I would li ke to give a general description, and background research, I would like to start with the two main terms: Feminism and postmodernism. FeminismRozen Tali, the writer of the book, What Is Feminism Anyways. Opens her book saying that she never really understood what feminism is exactly. She says people just call her a feminist every time she speaks her opinion about â€Å"differentiating her and a floor rag. † She writes about a sentence that was said in 1913 by a woman, was a British reporter, by the name Rebecca West, saying that if you are waiting for a current and modern definition of feminism, you have nothing to wait for. There is no definition. It is not that a definition does not exist, it exists and that is a for sure thing.It’s just that, there are so many definitions that there is no specific one. (Rozen) Rozen writes that the word ‘feminism’ actually was born about one hundred years ago. In the beginning this word was used as a medical term for a man that has female characteristics. As time passed the word feminism turned in to a term in the psychological world; also got a negative connotation to it, but this time not a male with female characteristics, but as a description of a woman with male character. Examples of a diagnosis for â€Å"feminism† would be like desire to study, courageous, and ambition.Tali Rozen gives a great example of this psychological diagnosis; thirty years ago, people said about the governor of the state of Israel, Golda Meir, that she is â€Å"the only man in the government† and until today the best way to describe a great woman in business is to say â€Å"she got balls. † The reincarnation of the term feminism indicates and highlights the problem of the actual term itself. Not only it was used in negative connotation but also millions in the past and even today have a hard time to define feminism.In the dictionary feminism is written to be the ideology of the emancipation of wo men. According to this definition, there is something in common to all the definitions and ideas that is, the one important belief that women suffer from injustice because of their sex. Rozen Suggests that instead of getting confused with the actual meaning of the word we can agree on the definition: Feminism is a theory that is based on the point of view of a woman, and that point of view give new light to knowledge that already exist.This knowledge could come from anywhere, film, literature, history, everything. But that does not mean that every woman that analyzes a specific subject, is doing a feministic act. To look and analyze something from a woman’s perspective means to put a woman in the center of the discussion. Bottom line is that, the question of what is feminism is not one answer. Rozen asks and answers: is feminism a woman who stands and fight for their right, yes. And is feminism a movement of freedom? Yes!Is it the history of half humanity? Also yes. And there is much more to what is feminism. Postmodernism Postmodernism represents the converge of three distinct cultural trends. These include an attack on the austerity and functionalism of modern art; the philosophical attack on structuralism, spear-headed in the 1970s by poststructuralist scholars such as Jacque Derrida, Michel Foucault and Gilles Deleuze; and the economic theories of postindustrial society developed by sociologist such as Daniel Bell and Alain Touraine. Callinicos 1989) In the book of Jean-Francois Lyotard, The Postmodern condition, where he summarized postmodernism as above all maintaining â€Å"an incredulity toward metanarratives† (1984:xxiii-iv, 5). Postmodernists, he argues, questions the assumption of the modern age, particularly the belief that rational thought and technological innovation can guarantee progress and enlightenment to humanity. They doubt the ability of thinkers from the West either to understand the world or to prescribe solutions for it.T he grand theories of t past, whether liberal or Marxist, have been dismissed as products of an age when Europeans and North Americans mistakenly believed in their own invincibility. The metanarratives of such thought are no longer seen as â€Å"truth,† but simply as privileged discourses that deny and silence competeing dissident voices. (Merchant & Parpart) Michel Foucault, one of the leading postmodernist (and poststructuralist) thinkers, has emphasized the inadequacies of metanarratives and the need to examine the specificities of power and its relation to knowledge and language (discourse. He dismisses â€Å"reason† as a fiction and sees â€Å"truth† as simply a partial, localized version of â€Å"reality† transformed into a fixed form in the long process of history. He argues that discourse- a historical, socially and institutionally specific structure of statements, terms, categories, and beliefs- is the site of where meanings are contested and powe r relations determined (Scott 1988:36. ) The ability to control knowledge and meaning, not only through writing but also through disciplinary and professional institutions, and in social relations, is the key to understanding and exercising power relations in society.According to Foucault, the false power of hegemonic knowledge can be challenged by counter-hegemonic discourses which offer alternative explanation of â€Å"reality† (Foucault 1972; 1979; 1980. ) The search to understand the construction of social meaning has led postmodernists/ poststructuralist scholars to recognize the contingent of the subject. As Judith Butler points out, â€Å"No subject is its own point of departure† (Butler, 1992; 9) Jacque Derrida (1976) emphasizes the crucial role played by binary opposites.Indeed, he argues that Western philosophy largely rests on opposites, such as truth/falsity, unity/diversity, or man/woman, whereby the nature and primacy of the first term is also superior to the second. These pairs are as embedded in the definition of their opposite as they are I the nature of the object being defined, and they shape our understanding in complex and often unrecognized ways. In order to better understand this process, Derrida and others have alled for the critical deconstruction of texts (both written and oral) and greater attention to the way differences, particularly those embedded in binary thinking, are constructed and maintained (Culler 1982) To conclude, postmodernist thinkers reject universal, simplified definitions of social phenomena, which, they argue, essentialize reality and fail to reveal the complexity of life as a lived experience. Drawing on this critique, postmodernists have rejected the search for broad generalizations.They emphasize the need for local, specific and historically informed analysis, carefully grounded in both spatial and cultural contexts. Above all, they call for the recognition and celebration of differences, the impor tance of encouraging the recovery of previously silenced voices and an acceptance of the partial nature of all knowledge claims and thus the limits of knowing. (Marchand &Papart) Postmodernism/feminism Today in the postmodernism era, the women’s identity is not stable, it changes.Postmodern researchers are against this idea, because the â€Å"I† is an autonomic identity that is disconnected from the social conversation. Also feminists and feminist writers, that identify themselves with the postmodernists, are objecting the enlightenment period; because there is an existent subject and because there is a possibility to reach the objective truth through the â€Å"bina† and the straight mind. (Zaken) Zaken claims that feminism is actually leaning on postmodern values, and it exists today to breakdown and defragment in a new way the idea or word â€Å"the woman. Simone de Beauvoir, a French writer, intellectual, existentialist philosopher, political activist, femin ist, and social theorist. While she did not consider herself a philosopher, de Beauvoir had a significant influence on both feminist existentialism and feminist theory. She had claimed that a woman is not born a woman, she is made a woman. Female traits are built through social influence and not biological destiny.She sees the social construction of femininity, which in it exists the subject; isn’t she a woman, the woman who thinks of herself as a woman, in a specific situation that her environment creates. A great example is the fact that most girls and boys play with their gender’s toys, girls with Barbies and dolls while boys with trucks and cars. From her article, The Ethics Ambiguity, comes up that women have internalized their gender hierarchy, to the point where it is hard for them to disconnect from their hierarchal position.Simone de Beauvoir came to a conclusion, in which the female subject had suffered from suppression- the woman is ‘different,’ lower, inferior in relation to men, and because of this suppression, the independence of a woman is destroyed in social situations. With that, there is an argument between postmodernism and feminism, which due to a postmodern claim, that power does not control and there is no axioms like private/public, or motherhood. If there is no category â€Å"woman,† then woman can be anything. She is free from the stereotype and the coercing.That being said, there is no general and unified identity for women. Feminists have responded to postmodern ideas in a number of ways. The strongest opposition has come from feminists working in the liberal (modern) or Marxist traditions, both of which are embedded in Enlightenment thinking (modern era). Liberal feminists, who have been preoccupied with policy formulation and the improvement of women’s statues within the structures of western thought and society, generally write as if postmodern critiques have little or no applicability for their own work.The possibility of â€Å"modernization† and â€Å"progress† may be unobtainable and undesirable goals in a postmodern world have rarely been considered by liberals working within these structures. (like World Bank, United Nations, and the International Labor Organization) Mackinnon Catherine’s influence on shaping feminism is extremely deep in the 80s and the first years of the 90s, so deep that the different â€Å"post-feministic† currents, in many ways are â€Å"post-Mackinnon,† and to be exact, â€Å"anti-Mackinnon. † Therefore whoever wants to become familiar with the feministic thinking there is no better place to do so with Mackinnon’s variables.The starting point of Mackinnon’s feminism is that the group of women are discriminated against and oppressed by the group of men, which are first and foremost caused by the way sexuality is built by society. According to Mackinnon, sexuality is the subject that its social patriarchal meaning changes the men to be in control and the women to be controlled. Dr Yaakov Gorbitz, in his book, â€Å"Postmodernism- Culture and Literature in the End of The 20th Century,† writes on the issue of feminism that modernism and postmodernism needs to remind us of two main phases: the first, the woman who tries to stand and tries to fortify herself against the en. -This is the model where women rebel against men and say we are not going to take of hair from our legs, we will not give you the pleasure of wanting a â€Å"feminine† woman. In the postmodern stage the woman understands that the seed of the problem is that she is always looking at herself in relation to men, and contrary to them, and so she says; â€Å"I am allowed to put makeup on and take care of my beauty- and not for the man but for me or for my friends. † When a woman stops being just an opposite model of a man she can internalize some new heterogeneity.Some feminists beli eve feminist theory has always dealt with postmodern issues and indeed, has more to offer women than male-centric postmodern writers. Feminist anthropologists, Frances Mascia-Lees, Patricia Sharpe and Colleen Cohen (1989), attack postmodern anthropology for it's profoundly sexists nature, nothing that studies such as George Marcus and Michael Fischer's Anthropology as Culture Critique, ignore feminist contributions to the discussion of the â€Å"other† and long-standing feminist critiques of Western notions of â€Å"truth. † Michel FoucaultContrary to liberals and Marxists, Foucault did not see the mechanisms of power in society, as something held by groups or institutions in society, and which does not exist for others; distribution that enables the control of a group of other parts of the society. Foucault referred to †political power†, as network relationships, imaginary strings interwoven within the community, and he saw no, one dominant factor, such as the state or economic elite. This means that in a society there are power centers that are not subject to economic relations (such as madhouses, for example).Foucault goes on to argue with the liberals and the Marxists. According to them every relationship, in which forces, is characterized by imposing restrictions and denial of freedoms. He argued that this approach stems from the fact that they recognize the political power with the legal system and enforcement. But for him, it is only one of the forms of expression of political power, embodied throughout history. Foucault examines the relationship between institutions (social) and the body (human). He opposes the very concept of â€Å"sexuality. According to him, in the 19th century, when sexuality was taboo, it increased desire to break the taboo and talk about sex, that also created behaviors which were categorized as social deviance. For example, sex between men, were â€Å"homosexual. † This was a setting, which has reference for those people, people who were born different. This is one of Foucault's contributions to understanding the relationship between sexual orientation and identity. According to Foucault, identity is created as part of a dialogue, in particular power relations in society.He demonstrates the change in sex ratio from permissiveness of the Middle Ages, where words related to sex revealed associations of â€Å"pleasures† and â€Å"alliance†, and the language of the 19th century, which has the sex talk not allowed or shameful to talk about. Hence, definitions of â€Å"heterosexual† and â€Å"homosexuality† are the product of modern times, from the 19th – century. As someone who has studied the sexual discourse in society, Foucault argued that the discourse on sexuality limits and defines the sexual content and created a social pattern. Once we understand how we talk about sex, we understand sexuality.That is, language reflects the thinking and perception also on sex and sexuality. The mechanisms of power in sexuality, expressed the distinction between what and what is not acceptable in society. Namely, that the discourse on sexuality is a society regime (as expressions of political power mechanisms); language created a situation, when the subject of sex is brought up, the person might feel sinful (sexual). Feeling which helps to suppress the desire for sex, because that person did not want to feel a sinner. The goal behind this repression is, to get the â€Å"different† forms of sex out of the people.That is, except for the non-reproductive sex. The society defines normal sexual norms, from early childhood to old age. Whoever goes beyond the norm, is placed under the situation of the â€Å"controlled mechanism† in order to create helpful sexual drive economically and politically beneficial to society. These mechanisms determine what is allowed and what is not right in society and what is wrong. Foucault arg ued that since the 18th century, the deviation began to violate the law (courts could, not so long ago, to convict homosexuals or partners who betrayed their spouse).By, new sexual settings, to different sexual behaviors (that were always there but never received cultural significance) changed the face of society. This means social definition creates the identity. The new terms â€Å"gay,† â€Å"lesbian† and â€Å"straight†, are the result of modern discourse, which created categorization and sub-categories of conversation. The term â€Å"homosexuality† has two interpretations, one, sexual preference. Second meaning is social labeling. This labeling is the concept of the rule of the person which identifies himself or herself, as †gay†. That is, each character turns shades of defining sexual identity.Experts (such as pedagogues, psychologists and psychiatrists), can be social power, which determine the legitimate content – normal and ide ntify the pathological contents of a person. Their power, according to Foucault, is due to their proximity to the dominant group in society, the bourgeoisie and the political elite. Extreme conclusion is that gender regime serves the interests of those groups, and that by using the institutions of marriage and heterosexuality. (Zaken) Conclusion Society is the cause of sexual identity and what makes the difference between sexual orientation, and how we identify who we are; A woman or a man.But there is change occurring and there could be more change as soon as we, as a society start â€Å"unlabeling† and just living with all types of sexual orientation, genders, and labels that are not labeled. This is all through a social process, of course. A note, it is extremely crucial to know the difference between sex and gender, because then we are giving legitimacy to popular belief, commemorating the situation in which women are subject to male social order. This follows the histori cal tradition of the patriarchal family and society.This approach considers the biological differences between the sexes, as the distribution of the different roles. In other words, gender inequality is prevailing social perceptions. Ultimately, the goal is to get into a relationship of equality between men and women in society, there would be no more women who are discriminated against on the basis of sex and / or gender. For, as de Beauvoir said, man and woman, depend on each other for sex and continuity of human society. Thus, each and every one will be able to shape their identity in accordance with their wishes and needs, and not according to social codes dictated and dried. ———————————————— Work Cited * Ankersmith, F. R. (1990) â€Å"Reply to Professor Zagorin,† History and Theory 29, 3: 275-96 * Beauvoir de Simone. The Ethics of Ambiguity. 1949. Translated by Bernard Frechten: Citadel Press, 2006 * Beauvoir de Simone. The Second Sex. 1949. Translated by Parshley, Penguin 1972. * Butler, J. (1992) â€Å"Contingent Foundations: Feminism and the Question of Postmodernism,† in J. Butler and J. W. Scott (eds) Feminists Theorize the Political, New York and London: Routledge. * Collinicos, A. (1989) Against Postmodernism, Oxford: Polity Press. Culler, J. (1982) On Deconstruction: Theory and criticism after structuralism, Ithaca, NY: Cornell university Press. * Evans, Judith. Feminist Theory Today: An Introduction to Second-Wave Feminism. London: SAGE publication, 1995. * Foucault, M. * † (1972) The Archaeology of knowledge and the Discourse on Language, New York: Tavistock Publications & Harper Colophon. * â€Å"(1979) (published in French, 1975) Discipline and Punish, Translated by S. Sheridan, New York: Penguin Books. * † (1980) Power/Knowledge: Selected Interviews and Other Writings, 1972-1977, translated by C. Gordon, New York: Harvest Press. Jameson, F. (1990) Postmodernism or, the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, Durham, NC: Duke University Press. * Mackinnon A Catherine, â€Å"Sexuality, Pornography and Methods- Pleasure under Patriarchy,† Towards a Feminist Theory of the State, 1990. Translated and Permission of Harvard University Press. Reprinted by Permission of Catherine A Mackinnon, Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, Copy Right c 1989 by Catherine Mackinnon. * Marchand H. Marianne and Parpart L. Jane. Feminism/Postmodernism/Development. London: Routledge, 1995. * Mascia-Lees, F. Sharpe, P. and Cohen, C.B (1989) â€Å"The Postmodernist Turn in Anthropology: Cautions from a Feminist Perspective,† Signs 15, 1: 394-408. * Palmer, I (1990) Gender and Population in the Adjustment of African Economics; Planning for Change, Women, Work and Development Series No. 19, Geneva: International Labour Organization. * Rozen, Tali. What is Feminism Anyway? And Why don’t we know anything about it. Tel Aviv: Zmora Bitan, 2000. * Scott, J. W. (1988) â€Å"Deconstructing Equality – versus Differences: Or the Use of Poststructuralist Theory of Feminism,† Feminist Studies14, 1: 33-50. * Sylvester Christine. Feminist Theory and International Relations in a Postmodern Era.Cambridge University Press, 1994. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Some western scholars, most notably Marxist reject postmodernism as dangerous and naive (Callinicos 1989; palmer 1990. ) Others , while sympathetic to Marxism, see Postmodernism as an outgrowth of the culture of late capitalism. Fredrick Jameson, for example, endorses an approach which draws on the strength of postmodernism without abandoning political action (Jameson 1991. ) Some scholars find postmodernism’s emphasis on difference and multiplicity useful for their work and not necessarily inimical to other app roaches (Ankersmit 1990; Parkash 1990)

Sicko Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sicko - Assignment Example After seeing how well the universal healthcare programs worked for the people in Canada, England, France and Cuba, I would have to say that the program should become a norm for the United States as well. I truly believe that if it is implemented in the same manner as in those countries, then the system would actually work for us. Since we are already paying one of the highest taxes in the world, why not actually make that money work for the people paying for it by covering their healthcare costs? Granted that the cost subsidies would put the health insurance companies out of business and maybe the doctors will earn less under the system, but isnt the idea of healthcare to â€Å"help† people become well or prevent their illnesses? Isnt it the job of doctors to â€Å"do no harm† under the Hippocratic Oath? None of that is happening under the American system of healthcare at the moment so yes, it may not be cost-effective for the bottom line of the insurance companies and doctors who are used to fleecing their clients, but it is what will be in the interest of their patients and should therefore be done for them. I would definitely like to initiate the British form of universal healthcare in America. That is because nobody is turned away from the hospitals, the care is given without question, and the medicine is subsidized at a flat rate cost that is affordable to the working class and free to the retirees and jobless who do not stop needing medical care or medicines just because of their age or situations. That is why I would definitely be willing to sacrifice the quality of the healthcare for the quantity of the healthcare. Imagine, being able to get the tests that you need albeit in a schedule in Canda, while you need to wait for health insurance approval for the test in the United States and most likely get denied the procedure anyway. It seems like a no-brainer in that instance. The test will get done, you just need to wait your

Starting and Developing a New Venture. Nature of Entrepreneurship Essay

Starting and Developing a New Venture. Nature of Entrepreneurship - Essay Example Improving further the existing ideas using creativity and innovation seems to be the most appropriate way of coming up with such ventures. In spite of this, some entrepreneurs still find opportunities around them, which they develop as new ideas. A new venture does not necessarily have to mean a new business altogether. It could be a new idea in a big company’s department, or a new product developed by an existing company. Improving on an existing product still encompasses entrepreneurial skills and innovation. However, starting a small business entity requires patience and strong entrepreneurial skills. The development of an idea to a big venture requires patience and courage. Big and established businesses in the same industry will try to push the new entrepreneur out of the business through packaging and price battles. Additionally, the giants will try to prove of experience in the industry which they already have their customers. To win customer confidence, the entrepreneu r should ensure quality in their products and competitive pricing. Waging such a tough war requires commitment and dedication by the entrepreneurs. In exploring this topic of starting and developing a new venture, this paper will look at the entrepreneurial skills and careers of two of the worlds’ most successful entrepreneurs, Stelios Haji-Ioannou of Easyjet and Richard Branson of Virgin. Many scholars have written about entrepreneurship. According to oxford English dictionary an entrepreneur is a person who attempts to make profit by taking risk through an initiative. Richard Cantillon is credited to be the originator of the word â€Å"entrepreneur† in the year 1755 in his book â€Å"Essai sur la nature du commerce en general.† Stokes & Wilson (2010, p. 1) believes that entrepreneurship is more than just the business of making money. According to Sjovoll & Skogen (2010, p. 8), the creativity and innovation exhibited by the members of a society and at family le vel are forms of entrepreneurship. Hardly do these talents get noticed however, until an idea is put into action. A visible entrepreneurial idea is called a venture. The different skills and attributes portrayed by a person makes them entrepreneurs, while the ability of a person to see an opportunity where other people cannot see one defines the person’s entrepreneurial skills (Sarasvathy 2004, p. 521). There exists a distinction between entrepreneurship and Intrapreneurship, which is a rather new term in the corporate world. While entrepreneurship defines both the act and the art of undertaking innovations that include introducing new things especially in the business acumen, Intrapreneurship is the act and art of entrepreneurship in large organizations. Employees who undertake to develop their organizations through creative ideas such as product development are referred to as intrapreneurs. Nature of Entrepreneurship A lot of arguments have been raised regarding the nature of entrepreneurship. While some experts believe that great entrepreneurs are born, others believe that the best entrepreneurs are trained (Pittaway & Cope 2007, p. 212). However, the argument of whether entrepreneurial skills are an inborn talent or are a learned and acquired through the process of experience and education, different accounts of the careers of successful entrepreneurs provides answers to this. According to scholars though, the best entrepreneurs are trained. Greene & Mole (2007,  p. 14-20) strongly believes supports this. According to them, entrepreneurship as a process does not end in a person’

Home Depot Case Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Home Depot Case - Research Paper Example Further research reveals there is a top management challenge to develop a good Strategic Plan, one that will retain the accomplishments of the previous CEO in terms of process and at the same time add missing ingredients. HD needs a Strategic Plan that will provide the finest customer services across all branches and that will convince the financial analysts in the stock market to recommend HD shares so as to push up the prices of its shares of stock. To win in that challenge without much experimentation, it is advisable for the new CEO to tap one expert financial adviser who is familiar with the stock market and has contacts with financial analysts, and another expert in the field of Retail Management and Customer Relations for the industry wherein HD belongs. With these two experts, and with good relationship and coordination with the Board, the right performance indicators can be agreed upon. Once people are all directed towards the accomplishment of action plans in the Strategic Plan, Home Depot value of shares will soar to the satisfaction of the Stakeholders. II. Background A.Problem Statement After the resignation of Home Depot’s CEO, Robert Nardelli, who had served the organization from the years 2000-2006, the new CEO, Frank Blake, has to decide what to do in order to satisfy Home Depot Stakeholders who wanted the value of the corporation to increase. Re-stated in a question, what should be the strategies of the company to achieve desired results? B.Symptoms Although the profit margins and sales increased during the term of office of CEO Nardelli, and the number of store outlets grew yearly, the Stakeholders were not impressed and were in fact dissatisfied. The cumulative shareholders’ returns in 5 years was reported in the case to be at negative (-13%). This obliged them to tie up the income of the CEO to the share prices of Home Depot which have been down. In terms of financial performance, more details are in the Appendix Figure 1B. In one article by Simpson, Stephen D. (2006), the author noticed how sales growth of Lowe was much faster than that of Home Depot. He said: â€Å"All that said, it is clearly true that Lowe’s is the pluckier and faster growing of the two concepts. Sales in the 4th quarter climbed over 26%...and earnings per share rose nearly 36%. Certainly those numbers outstrip what Home Depot managed to accomplish.† Stephen furthermore added that it was generally known that Lowe’s had â€Å"better customer service†. Compared to Lowe in 2006, Home Depot was growing in sales by only 11.14%. C.Critical Factors The experiences of both CEOs Robert Nardelli and Frank Blake were not in the Retailing or Marketing Industry. Both came from GE or General Electric. Nardelli came from the Power Systems Division while Blake was a lawyer. Thus, the former CEO was good at cost cutting and improvements in the process, but weak in customer handling and probably even marketing. The new CEO, on the other hand, was faced by circumstances he did not have expertise on. Shareholders were dissatisfied by the relatively poorer performance of the share prices of Home Depot in the stock market. The graph showed HD shares declining in value. Checking on the financial side, it can be seen that Nardelli actually did a fine job of providing the profitability, growth in sales, and liquidity. Further research revealed the presence of an aggressive competitor, Lowe, which was penetrating the market of HD since it opted to expand by