American dream Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

American dream - Essay Example The early colonists took religion very seriously and believed it defined their individuality. The Puritans along with the Pilgrims and Quakers all wanted to leave England to re-establish their religious practice. England and the Puritans had different beliefs about how Christianity should be practiced and this difference of opinion is what drove the Puritans to head for America. England wanted to make changes and give a new lease of life to Christianity. The Puritans perceived things entirely differently and believed that the modifications England wanted to make to their religion would bring about great misfortune. The New World would bring great blessings from God to the Puritans if they dug their heels into the American soil. One of the things that is not made known by many history books is that a lot of people that came to America eventually went back to their homeland. "Given that people generally came to this country because of intolerable conditions in Europe, this implies that they found life here, whether in the teeming slums of New York or the freezing prairies of North Dakota, even worse" (Locke, 2002). The American dream has not changed significantly in view of the fact that, everyone is still seeking that perfect life. Although, since the early 1900's there have been many alterations to the American dream.

Comparing and Contrasting Essay Example for Free

Comparing and Contrasting Essay Comparing and Contrasting The man with the twisted lip with Front  There are many similarities and differences in both Front and Twisted lip, but the most apparent relation between the two stories is the keeping up appearances (or keeping down appearances in the case of Twisted lip) theme, meaning they are about someone or something trying to conceal the truth or simply the truth isnt so obvious in the case of Front, the other less prevailing similarities/differences will be analysed later on in the essay. The beginning of both stories differ quite strongly, Front begins with a narrator describing her experiences of seeing something that she would compare to as one of the seven wonders of the world and there some definite references to class Five streets down the comma after the word down brings emphasis towards it and sets the impression that the narrator feels (or later on in the story, felt) that she is in a sense not worthy, or in awe with her surroundings, as the story shows that she is quite concerned about class, and the economic standings of her and her family as this will be pointed out later on in the essay, and becomes quite obvious when reading the story. The Writer also gives the reader the impression that this girl thinks very highly of this place, and although she imagines it to be so far above the town she feels she is not good enough, I wanted to be forced to leave, the writer portrays the girl to be intimidated by this site she is seeing as it reads that she did not mention the crescent to anyone afterwards as if I had been trespassing, and needed to conceal the fact with all of these displays of almost worshipfulness and the fact that she thought back on it with great nostalgia the impression the writer has given the crescent would be hard to top. In Twisted lip however, a character (although not a very substantial one) is introduced as the first word in the story, with a short background on his dead brother and how he died of an opium addiction. This being quite pointless at first is quite a cunning trick the writer has introduced here, as for the next few paragraphs the reader thinks that this Isa Whitney is what the story is based on, the trick being the writer has made the story out to be something it is not, which is intentionally ironic as the story is based on a man trying to conceal the truth. A more close up view to Twisted Lips construction there a few references to class, like dregs of the docks and a vile alley, these let the reader understand Dr. Watsons train of thought and how he considers himself to be, within the very thick walls separating class at this time. When Watson reaches the opium den he refers to it like it was a tomb, a glimpse of bodies lying and using words like lacklustre, the writer sets a very dark, dreary place and referring to the smoke as gloom. Soon after Isa makes his way to the cab Sherlock Holmes inevitably makes an appearance, after a brief introduction Isa and his troubles have left the picture and Watson and Holmes take the limelight of the story. This point is quite a major difference as it shows the authors different style of writing compared to Front, as Front has quite a few characters and even less are properly introduced with past family history, whereas Twisted Lip portrays a much larger world to the reader and even though Isa Whitney is key to the irony and depth of Twisted Lip the reader wont realize that until approaching the end of the story, this just shows how similar and quite different the two stories I am comparing are. When the introduction in Twisted Lip is over and the complication of the story begins to unfold, it seems like another introduction to the actual story (or so it seems) and the previous little fiasco (that to an untrained eye could seem like the baseline of a story) was almost completely irrelevant to the complication of the main plot. This brings the reader to Watson and Holmes sitting in a cab heading to the home of the missing Neville St. Clair and as they travel Holmes tells Watson the story so far. Sherlock Holmes narrative lasts about fourteen paragraphs long, and describes the events passing and it becomes quite obvious that Holmes has been working on this case for some time. Holmes tells Watson what sounds like a murder inquiry and starts to explain the life of a successful man with a lot of money in the bank, no reason there-fore, to think that money troubles have been weighing upon his mind which facilitates the irony of Twisted Lip as it says later in the narration that the beggar that actually is Neville St. Boone put all his coins from begging that day into his coat to weigh it down. Another hint is when Holmes mentions the cripple looking a powerful and well nurtured man. The writer is obviously dropping these clues for a reason and an intelligent reader may pick up on these tell tale hints, but they are still very discreet and the impression of a murder story still sets the theme. The lack of references to class in Holmes narrative shows to the reader that Holmes is quite a different man to Watson, and that he doesnt really care about where he stands economically or anyone else, unless it has some relevance to his case for example; he has 220 standing to his credit. The writer portrays the villa and Nevilles wife to be definitely well off, using the mousseline de soie as a direct indication of the financial security of the missing mans wife and in doing so, adds to the eagerness later on of why Neville had became a beggar if he had all this wealth in the first place, but it is to the readers surprise that his begging money paid for the house as well, this gives the reader the motive to Nevilles begging addiction, the vast amount of money he could make. Showing the characters motives in stories give the characters depth, that is why this was an important point to make.

Legal and ethical issues of discrimination

Legal and ethical issues of discrimination In an effort to curtail discrimination, implementing new strategies and proposing these new hiring practices are vital. It is not a good ethical policy for employees to be able to screen and pick and choose who gets to be interviewed, as in this case. Company hiring practices if done with good judgment and a strong moral and ethically correct agenda, can benefit the organization as a whole. Furthermore, discrimination in the workplace is disruptive and harmful to the effects on business operations and its culture, whether in the present or the past. By getting rid of old outdated policy and allowing for more diverse interaction with employees, we can create a multi-cultural environment. Also reciprocating this is the fact that managed correctly, the atmosphere will cause increases in retention rates and reduce turnover. Because our time was put into defining specific goals of the organization, that needed to be met to receive consideration for employment. Therefore, this organization needs a more efficient way to determine the necessary steps in the hiring procedure. The current process of hiring prospective employees is based on a biased view that too much diversity is a bad thing. New employee assessments are needed to help predict whether potential hires are motivated by the factors associated with a particular job. It is true that companies have to be cautious and should be concerned about negligent hiring but outright discrimination is an undesirable practice. Making sound hiring decisions and performing detailed background checks on qualified potential employees can decrease employment risks later caused by premature termination. (Berris, 2009) This company is small but can benefit from forming a streamline, non-negligent hiring process, by setting up a structured, non-discriminatory process for existing and new hires. Negligent hiring means the company can be put into legal trouble if it could have foreseen a potential issue but acts negligently by not d oing a thorough check of the new employee, before hiring. This company had a tendency to overlook steps to reduce the likelihood of a hiring mistake. This company looks past a lot of qualified employees due to its biased hiring practices and may hire problem employees unknowingly. This potential failure is heightened because management chooses to hire off of appearance and fails to accurately assess a potential employees way of thinking and handling situations or their particular skill needed for the job. Quality, knowledge and skill sets need to be the reason for hiring/not hiring someone, not their appearance and this is how you decide who to hire. (Aly Shields, 2010) When individuals are discriminated against because of defining characteristics such as their race, gender or age, this is some of the most blatant forms of discrimination. Personally, I believe the most qualified person should receive the job, regardless of race, ethnicity. If discrimination does not exist, it certainly has a solid historical foundation for its existence. As evidenced in this scenario, a potential employee is shut out of the hiring process, based solely on his ethnicity. When employers violate workplace discrimination laws, legally they can be sued by the person or persons and receive bad publicity and other consequences. Discrimination occurs when an employee suffers from unfair treatment due to their race, religion, national origin. Proving discrimination is difficult as is can occur in a number of work-related areas, during your initial hiring phase, during training or even after you get the job and have to participate in job evaluations. According to Smith, unfai r treatment does not necessarily equal unlawful discrimination, treating a person differently from others violates Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws only when the treatment is based on the presence of a protected section under discrimination, rather than on the job performance. As far as ethnicity goes, Americans come in every colour shape and size and a successful business is one that understands its customers and knows how to meet their needs. (2010) The more diverse an organization is, the more likely it becomes a center piece of the community. Affirmative action helps to cut down on discrimination, past and present, but it is not a complete solution. The objective of its policies include the elimination of hiring and advancement discrimination; ensuring multicultural employment and to achieve a diverse and much more representative workforce. The results guide a prospective manager about how best to motivate, manage and develop potential employees in a new role. It has helped but the effort to increase the number of minorities in upper management and leadership roles in educational institutions is still a struggle and needs to continue. Needless to say there is a long history of racism and discrimination against blacks and minorities, which went unnoticed. Where was the need to strive for equality then as it is now? The evidence of all types of discrimination against minorities led to a decisive need for action, ethics and morals were the same then as they are now. Ethics are the societal application of what is right and wr ong while morals are an individuals belief of what is right and wrong. Is one to say that the U.S lacked morals and good ethical practices and this is why the need for affirmative action gave rise? Morals are instilled in every man woman and child, it is a sense of what is right and wrong and good ethical behavior builds off of good morals. There is no doubt that affirmative action has helped with the vast gap between blacks and whites in areas such as education, employment. Those that do not share positive views on affirmative action will state that it is discrimination to harbor or give away special considerations and benefits on the foundation that people have certain characteristics. Affirmative action programs that benefit minorities have been under attack in the halls of Congress and scrutinized for reverse racism against the whites. This is a valid argument but how can one ignore the imbalance of societal benefits that are obviously lacked by minorities. (Devata Kappelman 20 10) Ethically this is thesible but morally this argument should have never existed. For years the morality of America went unquestioned in the treatment of minorities, years beyond slavery and what individual or group has a right or an ethic ground to stand against affirmative action. Legally government has tried to mandate it and courts have tried to uphold its presence but to no avail. Again I ask where the outrage was when affirmative action was white. The opposition to affirmative action argues that the foundation that the U.S is built upon requires that government treats all of its citizens as individual persons without regard to their ethical status, and again I ask where this creed was during slavery and years after. This is truly a divisive issue and one cannot employ the constitution when needed and dismiss it when not.

Hamlet and His Home Essay examples -- William Shakespeare Hamlet Essay

Hamlet and His Home Hamlet begins at the open mouth of the Void. Barnardo and Francisco call out to each other and into darkness; they stand atop a guard platform that is naked to the open air and to the night. Every character's entrance is marked by a series of interrogatives, as characters already on stage try to ascertain the identity of those who are newly arrived and yet unseen. Darkness isolates these men from each other as they stand on the edge of civilization, the place where the solid stones of Elsinore castle open up into the world of night and the supernatural. The nature of the ghost remains debatable: Horatio has initially insisted that the guards' delusions have conjured the phantom (1.1.21), and, even accepting the reality of the apparition, Catholic teaching (ghosts are spirits of the dead coming up from purgatory) and Protestant doctrine (all ghostly apparitions are demons in disguise) hold divergent opinions on the nature and source of phantoms (Garber 12/15). The men have gather ed together on the guard platform, which has become a kind of stage within a stage. They have come to see a visitor who is a creature of hallucination, purgatory, or hell. This ghost is coming out of the open maw of night above and around the platform; what is known clings to the battlements, and all else in existence hails from the empty, the unknown, the imagined, the demonic. When Barnardo reports to Marcellus, "I have seen nothing" (1.1.20), the word "nothing" takes on a number of meanings. He has not seen the apparition; gazing out into the dark, he has barely seen anything at all. But "seeing" is still phrased in the positive, and so "nothing" becomes something to see. It is more than absence: emptiness itself exists as an ... ...st famous moments deal with a nothing that is the absence of what is known: as Hamlet asks what it would be not to be, the ultimate opaqueness of death is fearsome enough to make him go on living. It is too much for the prince to stare Nothing in the face. Later, in the play's most famous tableau, Hamlet literally stares at an embodiment of Nothing as he holds Yorick's skull. The skull's eye sockets are without subjectivity, empty of their tenant organs and the mind that saw through them; they contain, in a word, "nothing." But from their hollows something maddeningly elusive stares back: simultaneously a presence and an absence, as haunting as Hamlet's own dead father, and opaque as the darkness that envelopes Elsinore. Part of the play's power is in this substantive "nothing," a portal of slippage that relentlessly destabilizes what is known and what is knowable.

Hippies and the Revolution of a Culture Essay

â€Å"Tune In, Turn On, and Drop Out† was the motto of the hippie movement, a significant countercultural phenomenon in the 1960s and early 1970s that grew partially out of young America’s growing disillusionment with U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Hippies were mainly white teenagers and young adults who shared a hatred and distrust towards traditional middle-class values and authority. They rejected political and social orthodoxies but embraced aspects of Eastern religions, particularly Buddhism. Many hippies also saw hallucinogenic drugs, such as marijuana and LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), as the key to escaping the ties of society and expanding their individual consciousness. The immediate precursor to the hippies was the so-called Beat Generation of the late 1950s, including the poet Allen Ginsberg, who became a hippie hero. But where the coolly intellectual, black-clad beats tended to keep a low profile and stay out of politics, the hippies were known as much for their political outspokenness as for their long hair and colorful psychedelic clothing. Their opposition to the Vietnam War became one of the most significant aspects of the growing antiwar movement throughout the latter half of the 1960s. To express their protests, and to â€Å"turn on† others, the hippies used art, street theater and particularly music. Folk music and psychedelic rock-the Beatles album Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was a prime example-were both crucial aspects of hippie culture. This culture reached its peak in the summer of 1967, when a concert in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park kicked off the start of the so-called â€Å"Summer of Love.† The event introduced the music and aesthetic of the hippies to a wider audience and inspired thousands of young people around the country to head to San Francisco, some wearing flowers in their hair, a reference to Scott McKenzie’s version of the John Phillips song â€Å"San Francisco,† a ubiquitous hit and a kind of hippie theme song. In 1969, more than 500,000 people attended the Woodstock Music and Art Festival in Bethel, New York, an event that for many epitomized the best aspects of the hippie movement. There was a dark side to hippie culture, however, and it went beyond the panicked disapproval expressed by conservatives about the â€Å"immorality† of the hippie way of life. A Time magazine article in 1967 quoted San Francisco’s public health director as saying that the city was paying $35,000 per month for treatment for drug abuse for the city’s 10,000 hippies. To Joan Didion, who wrote about her time in San Francisco for her acclaimed 1968 essay â€Å"Slouching Towards Bethlehem,† the hippies were â€Å"missing children† who were the most conclusive proof that â€Å"the center was not holding† in American society. To the hippies, their behavior was the one truly authentic reaction to the oppressive forces of consumerism, imperialism and militarism embodied by America in the 1960s. By the mid-1970s, the hippie movement was on the wane, though many aspects of its culture-particularly music and fashion-had worked their way into mainstream society. The fraught atmosphere of the 1960s that had created the hippie counterculture no longer existed, particularly after the Vietnam War ended, and with the advent of punk and disco music the earnest hippies were often seen as ridiculous. Still, their ideals of peace, love and community became the enduring legacy of the hippie movement, and even today there are a few â€Å"neo-hippies† to be found on college campuses and communes across the country and around the world. The Tet Offensive The Tet Offensive was a large-scale series of battles launched by the Vietnamese Communists (or Viet Cong) against American and South Vietnamese troops during the Vietnam War that resulted in both a military failure and a psychological victory for the Communists. The multi-part campaign was known as Tet because it was scheduled to start on January 31, 1968, the Vietnamese New Year holiday known as Tet. As a diversionary tactic, North Vietnamese units attacked the Marine base at Khe Sahn shortly before Tet and approximately 50,000 U.S. and South Vietnamese forces were involved in defending the base and other sites nearby. Subsequently, the Americans and South Vietnamese were surprised by the Tet Offensive, in which over 100 cities and towns and several dozen airfields and bases throughout South Vietnam were attacked. However, the U.S. and its ally quickly fought back and the Viet Cong, who suffered massive casualties, were unable to hold most of the captured territory for long. In the United States, people were stunned by the intensity and widespread nature of the attacks. Graphic images of the fighting were shown on American television and for the first time, criticism of the war mounted on a national scale. General William Westmoreland, commander of U.S. military operations in Vietnam, requested over 200,000 more troops, believing it would be possible for the U.S. to finally wipe out the enemy in their weakened condition. However, President Lyndon B. Johnsons new defense secretary, Clark Clifford, convinced the president to reject Westmorelands request and in March 1968, Johnson stated that the United States was committed to a de-escalation of the conflict. Johnson also announced he would not seek a second term as president. The Viet Cong and North Vietnamese launched additional Tet campaigns in May and August of that same year. American combat units finally withdrew from Vietnam in 1973 and South Vietnam fell to North Vietnam in 1975. Vietnam War Protests Opposition to American involvement in the Vietnam War began slowly but grew steadily throughout the second half of the 1960s, eventually becoming the largest and most powerful anti-war movement in American history. By the time U.S. planes began regular bombings of North Vietnam in February 1965, liberal public opinion had begun to question the government’s assertion that it was fighting a democratic war to liberate the South Vietnamese people from Communist aggression. The anti-war movement then began in earnest, mostly on college campuses, as members of the leftist organization Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) began organizing â€Å"teach-ins† to express their opposition to the way in which it was being conducted. Though the vast majority of the American population still supported the administration policy in Vietnam, a small but outspoken liberal minority was making its voice heard by the end of 1965. This minority included many students as well as prominent artists and intellectuals and members of the hippie movement, a growing number of young people who rejected authority and embraced the drug culture. By the end of 1967, the Vietnam War was costing the U.S. some $25 billion per year, and disillusionment was beginning to reach greater sections of the taxpaying public. More casualties were reported in Vietnam every day, even as U.S. commanders demanded more troops. Under the draft system, as many as 40,000 young men were called into service each month, adding fuel to the fire of the anti-war movement. Heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali was one of the more prominent Americans who resisted the draft system, declaring himself a conscientious objector and earning a prison sentence (later overturned) and a three-year ban from boxing. On October 21, 1967, one of the most prominent anti-war demonstrations took place, as some 100,000 protesters gathered at the Lincoln Memorial; 30,000 of them continued in a march on the Pentagon later that night. After a brutal confrontation with the soldiers and U.S. Marshals protecting the building, hundreds of demonstrators were arrested. One of them was the author Norman Mailer, who chronicled the events in his The Armies famous book of the Night, published the following year to widespread acclaim. By early February 1968, a Gallup poll showed only 35 percent of the population approved of Johnson’s handling of the war and 50 percent disapproved (the rest had no opinion). Joining the anti-war demonstrations by this time were members of the organization Vietnam Veterans Against the War, many of whom were in wheelchairs and on crutches. The sight of these men on television throwing away the medals they had won during the war did much to win people over to the anti-war cause. After many New Hampshire primary voters rallied behind the anti-war Democrat Eugene McCarthy, Johnson announced that he would not seek reelection. Vice President Hubert Humphrey accepted the Democratic nomination in August in Chicago, and 10,000 anti-war demonstrators showed up outside the convention building, clashing with security forces assembled by Mayor Richard Daley. Humphrey lost the 1968 presidential election to Richard M. Nixon, who had promised in his campaign to deal with the extreme elements of the population-namely the radicals and the hippies-more effectively than Johnson had. Nixon’s war policies divided the nation still further: In December 1969, the government instituted the first U.S. draft lottery since World War II, inciting a vast amount of controversy and causing many young men to flee to Canada to avoid conscription. Tensions ran higher than ever, spurred on by mass demonstrations and incidents of official violence such those at Kent State in May 1970, when National Guard troops shot into a group of protesters demonstrating against the U.S. invasion of Cambodia, killing four students. By the time the war finally ended, after North Vietnamese troops captured Saigon in 1975, the plaintive anti-war slogan â€Å"What are we fighting for?† seemed a prophecy come true, as veterans returned home from Vietnam to find their own nation still bitterly divided. My Lai Massacre On March 16, 1968, a group of U.S. soldiers attacked the South Vietnamese village of My Lai, believed to be a Communist stronghold, and killed between 175 and 400 civilians as well as committing rape and other crimes. U.S. helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson and two crewmen, who were flying a reconnaissance mission over My Lai, saw the dead bodies and stopped to investigate. In the process, they managed to rescue a group of Vietnamese civilians from American troops. Although Thompson reported the incident to his superiors, the American public didnt learn about it until over a year later, after a former soldier named Ronald L. Ridenhour wrote letters about what happened at My Lai to President Richard Nixon and other government officials. Ridenhour had found out about the events a month after they occurred from soldiers who were there. The Army eventually launched an investigation that led to the conviction of platoon leader Lt. William L. Calley, Jr., for the murder of 22 unarmed men, women and children. In 1971, Calley was sentenced to life in prison, which was later reduced to 10 years. Ultimately, he served three years under house arrest. The My Lai massacre left many Americans further disillusioned about the Vietnam War. People were horrified that U.S. soldiers had committed atrocities against innocent civilians and were angered at the potential military cover-up, as well as the fact that Lt. Calley was the only person convicted for the murders. Music and Hippies The American music scene during the first part of the 1960s was dominated by male vocalists such as Elvis Presley, Motown artists like Diana Ross & The Supremes and folk performers such as Bob Dylan with their acoustic-based protest songs. By the mid-1960s, though, psychedelic rock had taken root as an intrinsic part of the growing hippie movement. The Flower Power generation was interested in freedom and self-expression and the kind of mind-altering experiences that could be achieved through the use of psychedelic drugs such as marijuana and LSD. Psychedelic rock, which often used electronic sound effects and was sometimes influenced by music from India, attempted to recreate and enhance the feelings resulting from hallucinogenic drug use. Groups including Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin and Big Brother & the Holding Company were pioneers of psychedelic rock. They all lived in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, which became the epicenter of the hippie scene. The Beatles were at the height of their popularity throughout the 1960s. After bursting onto the scene in their native England in 1962, the band made its first appearance on American television in 1964, on The Ed Sullivan Show, and generated a massive audience. By the second half of the decade, the band’s pop rock sound had become more experimental and psychedelic. In June 1967, the Beatles released their eighth album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band, considered one of the most important records in rock history. Many of the album’s hit songs, such as â€Å"With a Little Help From My Friends† and â€Å"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds† were allegedly filled with drug references. One non-musician who was an important part of the ’60s music scene was concert promoter Bill Graham, whose San Francisco auditorium, The Fillmore, became a major venue for psychedelic rock groups such as Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Grateful Dead and Big Brother & the Holding Company, among others. In 1968, Graham opened the Fillmore East, which became a showcase for counterculture musicians in New York City. In June 1967, the Monterey International Pop Music Festival, the first widely promoted rock fest, took place in California. Over 200,000 people attended the event, considered a highlight of San Francisco’s â€Å"Summer of Love.† Jimi Hendrix and The Who made their first big U.S. performances at the festival, which also showcased performers such as Janis Joplin, Otis Redding and Ravi Shankar. John Phillips of the Mamas & the Papas, who helped organize the festival, wrote a song, intended as a fest advertisement, called â€Å"San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair).† Sung by Scott McKenzie, â€Å"San Francisco† became a Flower Power anthem.Monterey was a precursor to the Woodstock Festival, which took place in August 1969 on a 600-acre farm in Bethel, New York. An estimated half a million young people turned up for the event, which featured the key musicians of the time, including Hendrix, Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, The Who, Joan Baez, Sly and the Family Stone and Crosby, and Stills Nash & Young, among others. Woodstock later came to be viewed as one of the ultimate events of the hippie era. 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City Controversy surrounded the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City before the Games even began. Athletes were concerned about Mexico City’s high altitude and thin air. Human rights activists were outraged when the Mexican military opened fire on thousands of college students during a campus protest in Mexico City shortly before the opening of the XIX Olympiad. After the Games began, one of the most notable events was the Black Power salute by two African-American athletes during their medal ceremony. On October 16, 1968, Tommie Smith, the gold medal winner in the men’s 200-meter race, and his team member John Carlos, the bronze medalist in the same event, stepped up to the podium shoeless and wearing black socks, civil rights buttons and one black glove each. The lack of shoes and black socks were meant to symbolize poverty among African Americans. When â€Å"The Star Spangled Banner† was played, Smith and Carlos bowed their heads and each raised a fist in the air, in a gesture of protest against racism in America. Australian Peter Norman, the 200-meter silver medalist, wore a human rights badge on the podium as a sign of solidarity. International Olympic Committee President Avery Brundage, who believed the political gesture was inappropriate for the Olympic Games, an event meant to be free of politics, suspended Smith and Carlos from the U.S. Track and Field team and barred them from the Olympic Village. Back home in America, Smith and Carlos faced criticism and even death threats for their actions. However, others praised the men, both of whom went on to graduate from San Jose State, play professional football and later become track coaches. Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy, the crusading U.S. attorney general, senator from New York and presidential candidate, was instrumental in helping protect and shape civil rights law in America during the 1960s. Kennedy, born November 20, 1925, in Brookline, Massachusetts, attended Harvard University and University of Virginia Law School and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He served as U.S. attorney general during the presidential administration (1961-63) of his elder brother John F. Kennedy. As attorney general, Bobby Kennedy championed social justice causes and later helped draft the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Kennedy announced his presidential candidacy in March 1968 and spoke out against urban poverty and the Vietnam War during his short-lived campaign. In the early hours of June 5, 1968, after giving a speech to his supporters at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, Kennedy, a father of 11, was shot by Palestinian immigrant Sirhan Bishara Sirhan. Kennedy died the next day and was buried near John F. Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery. Democratic National Convention Politics turned violent when local police clashed with anti-war demonstrators and journalists at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, which took place in Chicago from August 26 to August 29. The convention, held to select a Democratic nominee for the U.S. presidency, occurred during an already tumultuous year that had seen the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, as well as growing disillusionment with the Vietnam War by many Americans. During the convention, Democrats were divided over Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy, an anti-war candidate, and Vice President Hubert Humphrey, who was associated with President Lyndon Johnson’s Vietnam War policies. In a symbolic gesture, political activist Abbie Hoffman and his fellow Yippies nominated a pig called Mr. Pigasus for commander-in-chief. Humphrey won the nomination, but would go on to lose in the general election to Republican Richard Nixon. Following the convention, Democrats instituted reforms in the nomination process which overhauled the methods for delegation selection and put greater emphasis on primaries. hicago Mayor Richard Daley, a powerful, hardheaded figure known to dislike hippies, vowed to use whatever means necessary to control the crowds of demonstrators who had threatened to shut down the convention. Daley ordered a large police presence, instituted an 11 p.m. curfew and refused to grant permits for rallies and marches. The police took an aggressive stance, attacking and clubbing protestors and journalists on a nightly basis outside the convention hall and in nearby Lincoln and Grant parks. The violence was broadcast on national television, stunning Americans and leaving a black mark on the city of Chicago. Remarkably, no one was killed. A group of protestors that included Abbie Hoffman, Tom Hayden and Black Panther Bobby Seale and became known as the â€Å"Chicago Eight,† were arrested and charged with conspiracy to incite a riot. The men, later referred to as the â€Å"Chicago Seven† when Seale was tried separately, were ultimately acquitted or had their convictions overturned.

Luncheon on the Grass by Manet essays

Luncheon on the Grass by Manet essays Edouard Manet was a French painter who was born on January 23, 1832 and died on April 30, 1883. He was an expert when it came to approaching modern-life subjects in his work, filling the gap between the art movement's realism and impressionism. After painting "Luncheon on the Grass" (1863) Manet received a great deal of media attention. While a nude in a classical setting was considered acceptable, one nude in a contemporary setting was not acceptable. Savaged by the critics, "Luncheon on the Grass" caused a public scandal. Influenced by the painting "Judgment of Paris" by Raphael, Manet featured a naked woman with clothed men. The female's body appears luminous and her gaze is directed towards the viewer. Manet wanted the viewer's attention drawn directly towards the nude female's body. The meaning of this piece of art that Edouard Manet intended was that just because a nude female is casually sitting beside two fully clothed men doesn't mean that the two men's attention will be to wards the nude woman. The two men accompanying the woman seem to be ignoring the woman as they are engaged in a deep conversation. They seem to not be at all astonished at the woman's presence by their posture and facial expressions. Manet executed the characters in this painting like they were supernaturally present. The woman in the background bathing in the stream also seems ignorant or comfortable by the other nude woman sitting with the two men. She appears like she is floating. There is an atmosphere of informal familiarity in his work. Each character in this painting is sitting in a very relaxed manner. The men for example are reclining casually, while the way the women are sitting is also in an uninhibited manner, obviously not a way that a lady would regularly sit, especially in nude. She looks quite comfortable the way she is sitting though. She has one leg drawn up and the other leg relaxed, lying down. The woman's hand is holding her chin as...

Should Race be a Consideration in College Admissions essays

Should Race be a Consideration in College Admissions essays A compelling argument against using race as a consideration in college admissions is that everyone has something different about them, if one looks hard enough, and so anyone could claim minority status in some way. To use individual traits of arbitrary choice does not make sense, as this writer notes, "Individualism cannot be defined via individuating or important traits. The principle of individualism is really meant to capture the completely different idea that people should be judged only by traits they choose. That is why race, an involuntary, immutable trait, is an improper basis for judgment" (Levin, 1997, p. 338). One cannot choose one's race, but one can choose other traits to excel at, and so, traits that are chosen and agreed on should be used as considerations for college admissions, such as GPAs, athletic and social abilities, membership in extracurricular activities, and test scores. These are all attributes that students have some input and control over, and these, not traits that cannot be chosen and acted upon, should be used to ensure everyone gets an equal chance at education and advancement. The weakness here is that those students who do not choose to work on themselves may not gain admission; while the strength is that those students who work hard will have a better Eliminating standardized testing is also a way to eliminate race as a basis for college admissions. Standardized tests measure nothing but standard learning. Each individual is different, and should be evaluated on those differences, rather than what they have in common with everyone else. Standardized testing is also suspect as to really giving a balanced view of actual learning. Another writer states, "The overriding conclusion is neither new nor earthshaking: in crafting a college admissions policy, tests serve as useful, but far from perfect, tools" (Zwick, 1999, p. 320). ...

Getting Transcripts for Graduate School Admissions

Getting Transcripts for Graduate School Admissions An essential, often forgotten component to your graduate admissions application is your academic transcript. Your graduate application is not complete until your official academic transcript is received. What Is an Official Academic Transcript? Your official academic transcript lists all the courses that you have taken and your grades earned. It is official because it is sent directly from your college or university to the graduate admissions office and it bears the official college or university stamp, signifying its validity. How Do You Request Your Official Academic Transcript? Request your transcripts by contacting the Registrars Office at your university. Stop by the office and you can complete a series of forms, pay fees, and youre on your way. Some institutions allow students to request transcripts online. Visit the Registrars Office webpage to determine if your institution provides online transcript services. What Do You Need to Request Your Official Academic Transcript? Have the addresses for all the graduate schools to which you are applying on hand. Youll need to provide the Registrars Office with each address. Be prepared to pay a fee for each transcript that you request, typically $10-$20 each. When Do You Request Your Official Academic Transcript? Regardless of whether you request your transcript online or in person, you must process your transcript order early, well before the admissions deadline. What many applicants dont realize is that the official transcript is sent directly from the Registrars Office at their university to the graduate admissions offices of the schools to which they are applying. The Registrars Offices of most institutions require at least 10 business days or about 2 weeks to send official transcripts. It’s a good idea to check with your university well beforehand to ensure that you request your official academic transcripts on time. In addition, the admissions season is a very busy time, so it’s a good idea to request transcripts even earlier than the guidelines set by the Registrars Office. Allow for time to resend the transcripts if necessary. Sometimes transcripts are lost in the mail. Your graduate admissions application is not complete until your official academic transcripts are received, so dont let something silly like missing transcripts jeopardize your application.

With the on-going war against terror, now is not the time for the Essay

With the on-going war against terror, now is not the time for the government to reduce the size of the Air Force - Essay Example According to current plans, the American Air Force is set to be reduced in size by 20,000 personnel. Such a reduction would mean a decrease of almost 30% in numeric strength and weaken the Air Force considerably. The war we are fighting today means having the ability to drop soldiers into combat hot zones, provide them with terrain information, air cover and bring them back home once an operation is complete (Wikipedia, 2006). All these functions demand that we keep a capable and strong Air Force which would be very difficult to have with a third of the Air Force seeking jobs elsewhere. It can be said that a reduction in the armed forces overall would be good for peace and prosperity of the nation as a whole, but it is not correct to say that now is the right time to take such actions. The concept of war is indeed a concept of suffering and there is no argument on the point that when we are at peace we would have little need for a huge Air Force. However, at the present moment, we are not at peace therefore a reduction in the Air Force is simply illogical. Additionally, the war we are fighting is different from any other in our history and we have to develop new tools as well as techniques to take on a hidden enemy who strikes from the shadows. Without our Air Force at full strength, such a task would be difficult if not impossible. After the end of the cold war and the collapse of the Soviet Union, America barely had time to enjoy its status as the sole superpower in the world because of the changing geopolitical scenarios. In fact, the current situation shows that America is more involved in protecting its foreign interests than it has been at any point in history (Wikipedia, 2006). However, to expect that America can offer protection to its allies and friends by simply exerting diplomatic force is unrealistic. War is often inevitable and small

Health and Safety Executive Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Health and Safety Executive - Assignment Example The passers-by who use the main road are also in danger. The cattle and sheep may be potentially exposed to serious peril if the chamber suddenly explodes. (c.) Evaluation of Risks: Due to the impending peril of a potential explosion of the chamber brought about by the cracks, it is best that immediate remedy shall be effected swiftly. The toxic pollutants found in the sewer system can cause a critical threat to public health. In the event that it explodes, the water system shall be affected which can harm the community that uses the sewer system. (d.) Implementation: A simple solution to fix the cracks by applying a sealant to the cracked edges is just a temporary relief. There is a need to upgrade the sewer system management plan. In order to prevent sewer overflows, it suggested that some guideline should be followed: 5. Verify the wastewater collection system has adequate capacity to convey sewage during peak flows". Details on how to achieve a sewer system management plan can be found on this website http://www.ci.san-Luis-obispo.ca.us/utilities/download/ssmpgoal.pdf. (e.) Review of Assessment : The grave problem must be acted upon immediately. There is no need to wait for the operation to take place in June. The sewer system issue must be resolved in the soonest possible time as many people shall be exposed to the danger of spreading diseases and toxic pollutants in the water system which can be caused by a broken subterranean chamber of the sewer system. (a.) Hazards: The maintenance and upkeep of growing trees, grasses and hedgerows along highway and in the vicinity of a junior school in the suburbs of a small town has become a refuge of drug traders living in the area. The possible menace that the drug dealers can cause to the innocent children, the people who reside in the community, and the motorists who traverse the highway, should be prevented. (b.) Who may be harmed: The safety and well-being of the students attending the junior school and the entire school community are in jeopardy for they may encounter misfortune with the members of the drug syndicate.  Ã‚  

HCM427-0801A-01 Human Resource Management in Health Care-Phase 1 Essay

HCM427-0801A-01 Human Resource Management in Health Care-Phase 1 Individual Project - Essay Example In the United States, about 94% of the nurses are female out of the nations 2.7 million workers. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that more than one million new and replacement nurses will be needed by 2012. The reason for the shortage is described to be the added taxes they have to pay and the added pressure on health care facilities to cut corners by letting nurses go. The shortages created by these put extra pressure on the remaining nurses. According to the survey conducted by the American Nurses Association, nurses feel burnt out, stressed and unable to provide quality healthcare. (Uretsky, 2005) (Ginty, 2004) The solution to increase the supply of nurses lies basically with the government by adopting policies for funding. However at an organizational level, the managers should try to treat the nurses more professionally. Limiting mandatory overtime can be another way to reduce burnout of nurses hence increasing the standard of nursing which would lead to more students to come towards the nursing field. Offering high rewards and peace of mind as job characteristics would further attract nurses to join JPS rather than other hospitals. (Ginty, 2004) The American Medical Association in its newspaper (Jan. 5, 2004) claimed that there was a looming crisis of physician shortage which will inevitably increase. The reason for the shortfall is some cases isn’t really because of the unavailability or supply of physicians but because of an unequal geographic distribution. Due to the trends in urbanization, the distribution of physicians in certain areas of US has become asymmetric. The lack of appeal in certain regions of the country, lower pays as well as the inability of disadvantaged communities to support specialist care monetarily lead to a tendency for physicians to set themselves up in major cities where at least their income is satisfactory.

Critically analyse the problems involved in Police use of discretion Essay

Critically analyse the problems involved in Police use of discretion - Essay Example In simple terms the use of discretion by police refers to their action and ability to choose when to intervene and when not to intervene in the enforcement of law. Reiner regarded discretion as a particular tool in police organisation to be used by officers at the very ground level who are operating away from the immediate supervision of management This paper shall critically analyse the problems involved in the police use of discretion. It shall specifically discuss the practice of ethnic and other subjective considerations in routine stops and searches, the evaluation of domestic violence incidents, and similar police activities.The use of discretion is far greater in the police, even at their lowest levels, as compared to other organizations. This means that the constables in police enjoy more discretion than any other organisation even in police organisation. This is because the constables have direct interaction with the public while policing and patrolling2. Issues have now com e up in relation to police officers and their need to apply discretion in their activities. Various factors have to be considered in order for the police to decide how much effort is needed in order to enforce specific laws which help control lawlessness. It is also important to note how a comprehensive police guidance detailing the manner of discretion which may be applied in specific circumstances can actually be insufficient for police officers to apply in order to avoid abuse of discretion. In these cases, it is difficult to include all the scenarios where discretion may be utilized in a single book. Moreover, even racial discrimination against racial and ethnic minorities may lead to a misuse of discretion. Nevertheless, according to Goldstein, there are no set rules or even a rule-book to follow for police officers to follow in handling police encounters3. Police officers cannot also be instructed on how to handle specific situations because most of their activities are part o f routine policing where they often work away from supervisory authorities. Body There are various issues which are seen with the use of discretion. One of the issues is based on the fact that police officers may not have as much experience in policing and this may sometimes lead them to misuse their discretion in the apprehension of suspected criminals4. Moreover, their discretion may be affected by factors which include the inappropriate use of subjective and demographic factors to impact on their decisions as police officers. These factors may include racial or ethnic minority and in some cases, even gender. Newburn and Reiner discuss that the pattern of police discretion which lead to issues in its application is fashioned by different elements including class, race, gender, and age5. These factors often cause society to manifest various responses to police officers. Vulnerable people and the minority groups are often subjected to the unfair applications of police discretion. St udies establish that this discretion is often abused among young, black, lower class, and among males6. Patrolling among police officers on these individuals often include strict surveillance which often leads to abuse of discretion. This negative approach in the use of discretion often causes a very negative approach against the police. In a study by the Home Office, black people have a higher likelihood of being pulled over by the police officers for routine stops and searches7. Police officers seem to be highly influenced by the stereotypes about black people being criminals or offenders. In a discussion by author and criminal analyst Frank Remington, he acknowledged the fact that police officers must have a significant role in moulding and establishing a proper law enforcement process for the general population8. He compared the Federal Trade Commission, which is an administrative agency who has the responsibility of developing enforcement policies, and the local police departme nts

Knowledge Management at National Health Services Essay

Knowledge Management at National Health Services - Essay Example It also has 375 intensive care beds in total, and can accommodate a total of 2000 patients in the intensive care unit. The hospital aims to specialize in care giving for cancer and cardiovascular patients. it has employed around 200 doctors whose expertise includes breast cancer, cardiovascular diseases, musculoskeletal diseases and pediatrics. Reddix also employs nearly 400 nurses and other caregivers. The hospital has entirely integrated faculties for medical tests that are related to cancer and cardiovascular prognosis and diagnosis. One of the major problems that the hospital faces is the difficulty in the interoperability within the department systems. The hospital has different departments that cater to the different information needs. The hospital information system comprises the following six systems: Considering the number of systems it has it is evident that the hospital could have interoperability issues. Interoperability refers to the capacity of different and diverse systems and or physical components of a single system to work together through the use of agreed standards and specifications (Cetis, 2008). It helps the organization to create synergy in the organization. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, being inter-operable, the organization is able to work as a whole instead of working as separate entities. A recent report by the National Health Services criticized the Hospital Administration System of Reddix and said that it was extremely outdated and old and stated its concerns about the patient's files not being available to the concerned caregivers when it is direly required. This is because Reddix is unable to meet the IT needs that are needed so that the doctors, nurses and care givers can easily access all patients' files electronically whenever they nee d them. There are many strategies that the hospital can use in order to bring out a successful change process. In order to do that the Hospital needs to look at the problems individually and then come up with solutions. Specialists of management and healthcare were brought in to assess the current condition The major IT problem at Reddix is that they are using a centralized structured computing system to integrate all its IT applications and the software that is being used was developed nearly forty years ago using proprietary language which could only be used on limited software and did not have a very user friendly interface and there were problems relating to communication with other systems of Reddix such as clinical, diagnostic etc. It was also difficult to connect simple desktop applications such as word processing Reddix needs to develop a business plan that integrates a new IT system that will change its information processing in such a way that it benefits the organization as well as the people involved in it. As technology is progressing as we move into the next generation, there have been changes in the architecture of the information systems that are moving towards distributed computing systems. Distributed computing is a system of computer processing in which the system does not have a central server

Artist statement-lost wax casting Personal Statement

Artist -lost wax casting - Personal Statement Example For a top quality casting, one must use the finest materials in the market (Fred 11). The contrast of the poodle curving determination can be guaranteed by the carver’s skills (Richards 16). The poodles contrast should be appealing to everyone, and so it matters a lot. Careful and skilled curving will enhance the outcomes (Richards 18). The body posture in lost wax casting is supremely crucial because it also what determines of the poodles final looks (Richards 22). This simply means would you like the poodle to be in a standing, or lying flat position (Richards 22). The most challenging part in casting will occur in balancing, especially if the casting of the poodle is to occur in an upright position (Slobodkin 4). The reason behind this is that the feet are the one to hold all the body weight of the poodle reasoning that the feet are smaller compared to the body (Slobodkin 4). The feet base should be flat so as to enhance an upright position of a casted poodle (Slobodkin

Critically analyse the problems involved in Police use of discretion Essay

Critically analyse the problems involved in Police use of discretion - Essay Example In simple terms the use of discretion by police refers to their action and ability to choose when to intervene and when not to intervene in the enforcement of law. Reiner regarded discretion as a particular tool in police organisation to be used by officers at the very ground level who are operating away from the immediate supervision of management This paper shall critically analyse the problems involved in the police use of discretion. It shall specifically discuss the practice of ethnic and other subjective considerations in routine stops and searches, the evaluation of domestic violence incidents, and similar police activities.The use of discretion is far greater in the police, even at their lowest levels, as compared to other organizations. This means that the constables in police enjoy more discretion than any other organisation even in police organisation. This is because the constables have direct interaction with the public while policing and patrolling2. Issues have now com e up in relation to police officers and their need to apply discretion in their activities. Various factors have to be considered in order for the police to decide how much effort is needed in order to enforce specific laws which help control lawlessness. It is also important to note how a comprehensive police guidance detailing the manner of discretion which may be applied in specific circumstances can actually be insufficient for police officers to apply in order to avoid abuse of discretion. In these cases, it is difficult to include all the scenarios where discretion may be utilized in a single book. Moreover, even racial discrimination against racial and ethnic minorities may lead to a misuse of discretion. Nevertheless, according to Goldstein, there are no set rules or even a rule-book to follow for police officers to follow in handling police encounters3. Police officers cannot also be instructed on how to handle specific situations because most of their activities are part o f routine policing where they often work away from supervisory authorities. Body There are various issues which are seen with the use of discretion. One of the issues is based on the fact that police officers may not have as much experience in policing and this may sometimes lead them to misuse their discretion in the apprehension of suspected criminals4. Moreover, their discretion may be affected by factors which include the inappropriate use of subjective and demographic factors to impact on their decisions as police officers. These factors may include racial or ethnic minority and in some cases, even gender. Newburn and Reiner discuss that the pattern of police discretion which lead to issues in its application is fashioned by different elements including class, race, gender, and age5. These factors often cause society to manifest various responses to police officers. Vulnerable people and the minority groups are often subjected to the unfair applications of police discretion. St udies establish that this discretion is often abused among young, black, lower class, and among males6. Patrolling among police officers on these individuals often include strict surveillance which often leads to abuse of discretion. This negative approach in the use of discretion often causes a very negative approach against the police. In a study by the Home Office, black people have a higher likelihood of being pulled over by the police officers for routine stops and searches7. Police officers seem to be highly influenced by the stereotypes about black people being criminals or offenders. In a discussion by author and criminal analyst Frank Remington, he acknowledged the fact that police officers must have a significant role in moulding and establishing a proper law enforcement process for the general population8. He compared the Federal Trade Commission, which is an administrative agency who has the responsibility of developing enforcement policies, and the local police departme nts

Artist statement-lost wax casting Personal Statement

Artist -lost wax casting - Personal Statement Example For a top quality casting, one must use the finest materials in the market (Fred 11). The contrast of the poodle curving determination can be guaranteed by the carver’s skills (Richards 16). The poodles contrast should be appealing to everyone, and so it matters a lot. Careful and skilled curving will enhance the outcomes (Richards 18). The body posture in lost wax casting is supremely crucial because it also what determines of the poodles final looks (Richards 22). This simply means would you like the poodle to be in a standing, or lying flat position (Richards 22). The most challenging part in casting will occur in balancing, especially if the casting of the poodle is to occur in an upright position (Slobodkin 4). The reason behind this is that the feet are the one to hold all the body weight of the poodle reasoning that the feet are smaller compared to the body (Slobodkin 4). The feet base should be flat so as to enhance an upright position of a casted poodle (Slobodkin

Government Capital Punishment Essay Example for Free

Government Capital Punishment Essay Theories of punishment have significant role to play in the ongoing debate on capital punishment, especially for murder. Some retributivists appeal to the lex talionis, the law of retaliation, to determine the appropriate amount of punishment . This principle specifies that the punishment should inflict on offenders what they have done to their victims; â€Å"an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth†, and â€Å"a life for a life†. Capital punishment is therefore the only appropriate punishment for murder. But the lex talionis is deeply flawed. It focuses on the harm done by offenders without regard to their mental states. A life may be taken intentionally or accidentally; a person may be killed for personal gain or in order to relieve him or her of the agony of a terminal illness. Even if we restrict the scope of the lex talionis to cases in which the wrongdoing is fully intentional, there is still the problem about the level at which the punishment should imitate the crime (Singer, 1993). Should murderers be killed in exactly the manner that they killed their victims? In any case, it is impossible to apply the lex talionis to many offenders; the penniless thief, the tooth assailant who knocks out his victim’s teeth, the tax evader, etc. If conscious of the defects of the lex talionis, retributivists merely insist that the punishment should be appropriate to the moral gravity of the offence, then this requirement can be satisfied so long as the murderer is punished more severely than less serious offenders. There is no need for capital punishment. From the utilitarian point of view, capital punishment can only be justified if it produces better consequences than less severe forms of punishment. This condition would be satisfied if capital punishment is a superior deterrent to alternative forms of punishment such as long periods of imprisonment. So a utilitarian will try to settle the issue on the basis of the evidence about the effects of capital punishment. The statistical evidence is based on comparisons of murder rates in countries where there is capital punishment with those in socially similar countries where there is no capital punishment, and no comparisons of the murder rates in one and the same country at different times when it had capital punishment and when it later abolished it, or when it restored capital punishment after a period of abolition. The evidence does not show that capital punishment is a superior deterrent. However, the utilitarian approach is rejected by those who wish to place greater value on the lives of the innocent victims of murder than on the lives of convicted murderers. It is suggested that the evidence does not conclusively rule out the superior deterrence of capital punishment, and in the presence of such uncertainty, it is better to have capital punishment. If there is capital punishment, and it turns out that capital punishment is not a superior deterrent, then convicted murderers have been unnecessarily executed. If, on the other hand, we abolish capital punishment, and it turns out that it is a superior deterrent, then there would be additional victims of murder. But this argument is unacceptable because where there is capital punishment, it is certain that convicted murderers will die, but in the absence of capital punishment and in the light of available evidence there is only a remote probability that there would be more innocent victims of murder (Conway, 1974). In any case, there is a risk of a few innocent people being wrongly convicted of murder and executed if there is capital punishment. This has to put on the scales against capital punishment.

Changing The Competitive Landscape Of The Smartphone Industry Marketing Essay

Changing The Competitive Landscape Of The Smartphone Industry Marketing Essay Abstract Innovation can be defined as a process of converting opportunities into new ideas and of the wide application of these ideas in practice (Tidd, Bessant, Pavitt, 2005). The past decade saw constant innovations in ICT aimed at increasing self-efficacy of the end users of communication devices. Elements such as miniaturization and ubiquitous computing (Open Handset Alliance, 2007a) have literally brought the personal computer to the palm of the consumer, in the form of a smartphone. The smartphone is rich with features such as internet browsing, touch screens, mobile-camera, improved connectivity and entertainment with the capability to adopt new applications (Burgelman, Silverman, Wittig, Hoyt, 2009). Recent years witnessed an explosive growth in mobile subscribers, where in 2008 alone global shipments rose 28%, as the smartphone gained momentum in the mobile phone industry (Canalys, 2008). The next few years are predicted to show a compound annual growth rate of 13.5% in handset shi pments leading to 1.9 billion handsets at the end of 2012 compared to 1 billion in 2007 (DataMonitor, 2008). Today, due to its portability and versatility the smartphone is a key player that facilitates the integration of technology with modern consumerism as the end user is given the capability to engage many computational devices and systems simultaneously (Tsai, Wang, Hwang, 2008). Mark Weiser (1991) refers to this as Ubiquitous Computing. The demand for smartphone has been the key driver for innovations (such as the touch screen, internet browsing, Wi-Fi) in the mobile industry in the past decade and the Open Handset Alliance and the Android platform are recent products of such pursuits. This study analyses how the OHA and Android has and will alter the terms of competition in the mobile industry, with relation to Porters five industrial forces. The Smartphone Industry Industry Participants Analysing the industry value chain of the smartphone the key components can be identified as chipset manufactures (Intel) , infrastructure developers and platform manufactures (Microsoft, Palm, iPhone) who provide the hardware and software components for handset manufactures. Application developers produce the applications that run on the operating platform whereas content providers such as Google provide the information for these applications. Mobile operators such as ATT and T-Mobile distribute handsets and provide the subscribers with network connectivity. In 2006 the global handset market was an oligopoly dominated by 5 companies which accounted for 85% of the market where Nokia and Motorola together accounted for 58%. Traditionally manufacturers competed through design. The entry of iPhone 3G to the market in 2008 created a new standard by combining design, performance, utility and functionality (Burgelman, Silverman, Wittig, Hoyt, 2009). It is considered by some industry analysts to be a blockbuster where Apples market share increased from 3.6% in 2007 to 17.3% in 2008, making it the now second largest player. Googles Entry into the Smartphone Industry Established in 1996 as the brainchild of two Stanford University computer science graduates, Google is now considered to be a blockbuster concept that has expanded beyond its core business as a search engine to a portfolio of products and services (Bhattacharya, Gopal, Samad, 2009). Today, a vast majority of Googles revenue is generated through the companys advertising products, Adword and Adsense (99% in 2007 and 97% in 2007) (Burgelman, Silverman, Wittig, Hoyt, 2009) that provide targeted advertising on its search pages, by placing advertisements relevant to a search on the results page. Googles entry to the smartphone industry was facilitated by its acquisition of the start-up open source software firm, Android in 2005 (Business Week, 2005). This event was a result of Google identifying the future growth potential of the smartphone and its capacity for mobile advertising. Eric Schmidt, the Chairman and CEO of Google stated You carry your phone everywhere. It knows all about you. We can do a very targeted ad. Over time we will make more money from mobile advertising. (Schmidt, 2010). Open Handset Alliance and Android In November 2007 Google unveiled the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of 34 companies in the mobile industry representing the industry value chain (Fig 1), consisting of multinational companies such as T-Mobile, HTC, Intel, Qualcomm and Motorola. The objective of the alliance was to create an Open Software, Open Device and an Open Ecosystem (Open Handset Alliance, 2009b) fostering open innovation for development of mobile technology based on the open source platform. Today the OHA has expanded its membership to 65 companies. Fig. 1: The Wireless Value Chain (Hendrix, 2009) In November 2007 OHA released Android, an integrated software pack consisting of the Operating System, middleware, user-friendly interface and applications and the Android SDK free to the development community. Open Innovation and Open Source Open innovation is innovating through the collective creative input and knowledge of internal and external resources (Chesbrough, 2003). Open source technology is one method of open innovation (von Hippel von Krogh, 2006). It grants the developer the ownership of the source code without a cost of license fee or royalties giving them the freedom to further develop and distribute the product free or at a fee (Open Source Initiative, 2010). The openness of the platform creates more advance and cheaper innovations with shorter time-to-value, improving RD productivity and creating better value for money for the end user (Open Handset Alliance, 2009b). The OHA was a value network fostering open innovation by pooling of knowledge and Intellectual Property of the members. Android, was its first product built on the Linux open source kernel (Open Handset Alliance, 2007a). The Competitive Industry Forces Michael Porter (1979; 2008) defines five forces that define the competitive dynamics of an industry by shaping the interactions within that industry. These forces can be defined as bargaining power of suppliers and customers; the threat if new entrants and substitutes and established industry rivals (Fig.2). These are the figures that drive the profitability of the industry in the short and long terms (Porter, 2008). Analysis of these competitive forces and their drivers will provide insight into the basis of the industrys profitability and future growth potential. The entry of Android and Google into the smartphone industry has significantly affected its competitive landscape. Through the creation of an open ecosystem and a wide developer community it has created a sustainable competitive advantage against non-Andriods. Fig 2: The Five Forces that Shape Industry Competition (Porter, 2008) The Five Forces of the Smartphone Industry Bargaining Power of Suppliers There are a number of players in the smartphone Operating Systems (OS) market, led by Nokias Symbian, followed by Apples iPhone OS X, RIMs (Research in Motion) Blackberry, Microsofts Windows mobile, Linux and Palm (Hashimi Komatineni, 2009). These OS developers charged a license fee from handset manufactures, which was usually a variable cost of $0.50 to $25.00 per handset shipped. Further, in order to build applications on a specific OS, developers required SDK (Software Development Kit) and an API (Application Developer Interface), essential support tools for which they paid expensive certification and at times high membership fees (Burgelman, Silverman, Wittig, Hoyt, 2009). Due to the high bargaining power of these OS developers the cost to handset manufacturers was significantly high. Porter (2008) identifies standardization as an avenue of reducing the bargaining power of suppliers, and it is essential for innovation in the mobile telecommunication industry (Tilson Lyytinen, 2006). In the past collaborative RD and sharing of intellectual property were means of standardization in this industry (Bekkers, Verspagen, Smits, 2002). Android was developed to achieve an industry-wide standard in open source code making it freely available to all. By establishing OHA for this purpose creates an environment for open innovation reducing development, distribution and time costs of parallel innovation. The open nature of the Android platform makes it fully adaptable on any handset which triggers a high demand for the Android OS, which in turn reduced the bargaining power of the suppliers of OS. Bargaining Power of Distributers In the smartphone industry the distributers mainly consist of the network carriers who sell the phones to subscribers as a part of a mobile service plan. The bargaining power of the distributers is high since they have a large variety of handset manufactures with different features to select from. Although the failure of the Google Android may be due to a multitude of factors one key reason was their decision to sell the phone in their own web store independent of a carrier, in an attempt to shake up handset retailing . They changed this strategy by introducing the Nexus One in Vodafone (UK) in April 2010 (Parker Waters, 2010). Handset manufactures try to gain leverage through branding, networking and advertising to generate brand loyalty. iPhone for example has a very strong brand community. However the entry of the Android phone has created a new buzz word among subscribers, which gives members of the OHA a higher bargaining power over other handset manufactures. Another key aspect that affects carriers is the new avenue of voice communication that is available in the smartphones due to the Wi-Fi capabilities and applications that are provided such as Skype and Google Voice. With time this would reduce talk time over the carriers network impacting their revenue. Recently iPhone blocked Google Voice on its platform (Menn, 2009). Through collaborative innovation OHA has built a standard platform (Cusumano, 2010) and reduced RD costs of parallel innovation and increased time efficiencies. These economies will eventually flow to the end user creating higher value for money giving Android phone makers a better bargaining power over their subscribers compared to their competition. Rivalry between Incumbents Within a few years of entering into the market the mobile phone became a commodity due to the competition in the market and the fast innovations that resulted in similar phones competing on price. When the smartphone entered the market it required a premium price for the added functionality of the phones. Now the creation of a standardized OS platform through Android has the potential to commoditize the smartphone. Since it was introduced to the market Android has emerged as a strong brand whereby every smartphone running on the Android platform is co-branded as an Android phone. The very 1st Android the T-Mobile G1, Motorola Droid and the latest HTC Magic are few such examples. This creates a convergence in branding between the members of the OHA further consolidating the smartphone industry through the alliance. The value network and open ecosystem that is OHA has a large potential for future developments in the smartphone industry due to the knowledge pool they have created. This is a critical asset for the members of the OHA over the other players in the industry. Further, having Google as a strong leverage in terms of branding, information and human resources adds to the benefit of the OHA. By introducing a standard platform for smartphones Android has reduced any competition between handsets over the OS, opening a new avenue of competition, which is applications. One of the key issues that arise between incumbents in the industry is the Intellectual Property violations. Apple recently sued HTC for 20 patent infringements over HTCs Android phones (Gelles , 2010). Barriers to Entry The main barrier for the smartphone industry for a new entrant was the significant fixed costs of RD and advertising. The introduction of Android has reduced these barriers significantly. First, by freely providing the SDK to the development community any new entrant can use this OS without a cost. Further the applications that are developed for the Android phones are highly adaptable and open. Therefore they can be adapted by any new entrant. Similar Apples Apps Store, there are multiple applications that are available with no cost. Further the Android brand is a powerful platform upon which new entrants can leverage their marketing. References Aguero, J., Rebollo, M., Carrascosa, C., Julian, V. (2009). Does Android Dream with Intelligent Agents. In J. M. Corchado (Ed.), International Symposium on Distributed Computing and Artificial Intelligence 2008. 50, pp. 194-204. Berlin: Springer. Bekkers, R., Verspagen, B., Smits, J. (2002). Intellectual Property Rights and Standardization: The Case of GSM. Telecommunications Policy, 26(3), 171-188. Bhattacharya, M., Gopal, B. S., Samad, S. A. (2009). Googles Android A Threat to Mobile Giants. IBS Research Center. UK: ecch. Burgelman, R. A., Silverman, A., Wittig, C., Hoyt, D. (2009). Googles Android: Will it Shake Up Wirelss Industry in 2009 and Beyond? Standford Business School. USA: ecch. Business Week. (2005, August 17). Google Buys Android for Its Mobile Arsenal. Retrieved April 14, 2010, from http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2005/tc20050817_0949_tc024.htm Canalys. (2008, November 6). Global smart phone shipments rise 28%. Retrieved April 13, 2010, from http://www.canalys.com/pr/2008/r2008112.html Canalys. (2009, November 3). Worldwide Smartphone Market in Third Quarter. Retrieved April 13, 2010, from Canalys.com: http://www.canalys.com/pr/2009/r2009112.html Carter, N. M., Stearns, T. M., Reynolds, P. D., Miller, B. A. (1994). New Venture Strategies: Theory Development with an Empirical Base. Strategic Management Journal, 15(1), 21-41. Carton, P., Crumrine, J. (2010, January 4). New Survey Shows Android OS Roiling the Smartphone Market. Retrieved April 2010, 2010, from ChangeWaveResearch: http://www.changewaveresearch.com/articles/2010/01/smart_phone_20100104.html Cusumano, M. (2005, February). Google: What it is and What it is not. Communications of the ACM, 48(2), 15(3). Cusumano, M. (2010). Technology Strategy and Management The Evolution of Platform Thinking. Communications of the ACM, 53(1), 32-34. DataMonitor. (2008, December). Global Mobile Phones: Industry Profile. Datamonitor. Fortt, J. (2010, March 11). Top 5 moments from Eric Schmidts talk in Abu Dhabi. Retrieved April 15, 2010, from CNN Money: http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/03/11/top-five-moments-from-eric-schmidts-talk-in-abu-dhabi/ Gelles , D. (2010, March 2). Apple sues HTC over iPhone patents. Retrieved April 14, 2010, from The Financial Times: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/a49b2000-261b-11df-aff3-00144feabdc0.html Grotnes, E. (2008). Standardization as an Arena for Open Innovation. In G. Leon, A. Bernardos, J. Casar, K. Kautz, J. DeGross (Eds.), Open IT-Based Innovation: Moving Towards Cooperative IT Transfer and Knowledge Diffusion (Vol. 287, pp. 343-359). Boston: Springer. Hashimi, S. Y., Komatineni, S. (2009). Pro Android. New York: Springer-Verlag. Helft, M., Hansell, S. (2008, September 24). Google Introduces an iPhone Rival Open to Whims. The New York Times, p. C4. Hendrix, P. (2009). Research on Emerging Market and Disruptive Technology. Retrieved April 14, 2010, from IMMR Institute for Mobile Markets Research: http://www.immr.org/1/About/about.htm Menn, J. (2009, July 29). Apple Bans iPhone Applications based on Google Voice Service. Retrieved April 15, 2010, from The Financial Times: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/686dc586-7bd7-11de-9772-00144feabdc0.html Nuttall, C., Waters, R. (2010, April 8). Apple to battle with Google for mobile ads. Retrieved April 13, 2010, from The Financial Times: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9b1476de-434a-11df-9046-00144feab49a.html Open Handset Alliance. (2007a, November 12). Open Handset Alliance Releases Android SDK. Retrieved April 14, 2010, from Open Handset Alliance Press: http://www.openhandsetalliance.com/press_111207.html Open Handset Alliance. (2009b, November 12). Open Handset Alliance Press. Retrieved April 14, 2010, from Industry Leaders Announce Open Platform for Mobile Devices: http://www.openhandsetalliance.com/press_110507.html Open Source Initiative. (2010). The Open Source Definition. Retrieved April 15, 2010, from http://www.opensource.org/docs/osd Park, Y., Chen, J. V. (2007). Acceptance and Adoption of the Innovative use of Smartphones. Industrial Management Data Systems, 107(9), 1349-65. Porter, M. (1979). How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy. McKinsey Quarterly, 4(2), 34(17). Porter, M. (2008, January). The Five Competitive Forces that Shape Strategy. Harvard Business Review, 1-18. Schmidt, E. (2010, March 11). Innovation. In Keynote Speech at the Abu Dhabi Media Summit. Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GMjtOSvMDsfeature=PlayListp=DC59D0AB0DDD8478playnext_from=PLplaynext=1index=53. Schmidt, E., Tseng, E., Neven, H. (2010, February 16). Googles Vision of the Mobile Future. In Speech at the Mobile World Congress. Barcelona, Spain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClkQA2Lb_iE. Tidd, J., Bessant, J., Pavitt, K. (2005). Managing Innovation Integarating Technological, Market and Organizational Change. Chichester, West Sussex, England: John Wiley Sons. Tilson, D., Lyytinen, K. (2006). The 3G Transition: Changes in the US Wireless Industry. Telecommunications Policy, 30, 569-586. Tsai, S., Wang, C., Hwang, R. (2008). Ubiquitous Phone System. In F. E. Sandes (Ed.), Ubiquitous Intelligence and Computing (Vol. 5061, pp. 201-215). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer. Vance, A., Bilton, N. (2010, April 12). After iPad, Rivals Offer Variations on a Theme. The New York Times, p. B6. Waters, R., Menn, J. (2010, August 2009). Googles Schmidt quits Apple board. Retrieved April 13, 2010, from The Financial Times: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/33ed1d7e-802e-11de-bf04-00144feabdc0.html Weiser, M. (1991). The Computer for the Twenty-First Century. Scientific American, pp. 94-104. reprinted in IEEE Pervasive Computing, 19-25 (2002).

Kristina Laycock ICT and My Everyday Life :: ICT Essays

This report is going to be based on the different technologies I use at home, at school, with friends and at work. I am going to evaluate the extent of my needs for these technologies. Below is a list of the technologies I use at home, school and work: Home School Work Internet Internet Touch Screen Email Mobile Telephone Mobile Telephone SMS (Simple Message Service) Smart Boards SMS (Simple Message Service) WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) Lap top Mobile Telephone Email DVD’s SMS (Simple Message Service) Teletext PDA’s (Personal Digital Assistants) The Internet: I use the Internet to communicate with friends and family at home by visiting chat rooms on-line, it is very efficient and is cheaper than a phone call. I don’t just use the Internet for social reasons; I use it for schoolwork and coursework. The Internet helps adults as well as children; you can do research on just about anything by using search engines. I also use the Internet for revision there are many different sites you can visit that helps you with last minute revision. Email: emailing is another good way of communicating with people and having a laugh. I use my email account to contact teachers as well as friends to get some revision work sent to me, when I am not at school or during the holidays. I also use it to get coursework marked, it saves the waste of paper – I just print off the finishing copy! Mobile telephones: mobile telephones are a way of contacting family and friends when you are out and about; they are also great if you need to contact someone in an emergency, i.e. emergency services. However, there are a few disadvantages with mobile telephones; in certain areas (on top of hills, under bridges etc) you can loose reception on your mobile telephone, which means you are unable to make or receive calls. Also you have to make sure the battery is charged, because if it is not your mobile will go dead and therefore you will be unable to use it. I use my mobile constantly to make arrangements with friends and to keep in touch with family; I don’t know what I would do without it. My mobile also comes in use when I am at work on a weekend; I use it to contact my mum to tell her what time I need picking up. I also use it to keep in contact with my boss so she can tell me if she wants me to work extra hours or if I don’t need to work. SMS (Simple Messaging Service): SMS is a cost efficient service set up so the public can communicate with each other through text.

Frank Lloyd Wright :: essays research papers

" The greatest artist this country has ever produced seems to at last be coming into his own. America’s other great artists—our painters, sculptors, composers—don’t really rank with the tops of all time. They’re not Rembrandt or Michelangelo or Beethoven. Wright alone has that standing." (Robert Campbell) One of America’s most influential and imaginative architects was Frank Lloyd Wright. Throughout his 70 year career, Wright has not only designed nearly a thousand structures, but he has explored the ideas of living space, landscape, and the relationship between architecture and community. Frank Lloyd Wright left behind a legacy of beautiful houses and buildings, an American style of architecture, and an example of what it means to live life based on the way things should be, not the way they are. He created some of the most monumental and intimate spaces in America. He designed everything: banks and resorts, office buildings and churches, a filling station and a synagogue, a beer garden and an art museum. Frank Lloyd Wright’s life truly was a work of art. Wright was born on June 8, 1867, in Richland Center, Wisconsin. His early influences include his clergyman father's playing of Bach and Beethoven and his mother's gift of geometric blocks. Growing up, Wright spent much of his summers at a farm owned by his uncles; here, his favorite pastime was building forts out of hay and mud. In 1882, at the age of 15, he entered the University of Wisconsin as a special student, studying engineering because the school had no course in architecture. Wright left Madison in 1887 to work as a draftsman in Chicago. Wright worked for several architectural offices until he finally found a job with the most skillful architect of the Mid-West, Louis Sullivan, soon becoming Sullivan's chief assistant. Wright was assigned most of the firm's designing of houses, and to pay his many debts he designed for private clients in his spare time. Sullivan disapproved, and Wright set up his own office, which was located in Oak Park. Just before his twenty-second bi rthday, in 1889, Wright married Catherine Lee Tobin, the daughter of a wealthy businessman, and together with Sullivan as his former employer, she gave him the cultural background he lacked; she gave him social polish as well. Now, as an independent architect, Wright became the leader of a style known as the Prairie School, which is described as houses with low-pitched roofs and extended lines that blend into the landscape.

Memorable Vacation

Are you in the mood to relax, take in the sun, and have people treat you incredibly well? If so, you should take my advice on a great place to visit. Last summer on a family vacation I went to Aruba. â€Å"Vacation is a respite or a time of respite from something : intermission; a scheduled period during which activity (as of a court or school) is suspended; a period of exemption from work granted to an employee; a period spent away from home or business in travel or recreation; an act or an instance of vacating† (vacation). A vacation is a time of relaxation. I really enjoy vacation because I don’t think about school or any other problems. Almost everyone likes to take time out from a world of work and relax once in a while. One way of relaxing that has become popular amongst the people of today’s society is to take a vacation. This action has taken off with the people of today’s society. However, a vacation can mean several different things to several different people. For some people a vacation might be a chance to relax, while to others, a vacation might mean to leave their professional work for a while, only to do another different kind of work. An example of what a vacation is to me is a trip. The trip is a chance to get away from everything and see new sights. Vacations take several shapes, but the main purpose is to relax stays constant. Taking a vacation is a good way to break the monotony of everyday life. Everyone loves getting away and going somewhere new. Seeing new things is great, but if you only have a few days to get away, you must have a plan in order to see as much as possible. We planned our next vacation in advance, not only did save us money, but it also saved us time. In planning a vacation is obviously choosing when and where to go. Vacation time is quality time for you and your family. You must figure out when your family will have the maximum amount of time to spend away. Choosing when you are going first should help determine where you want to go, due to the seasons and the weather. If your vacation is in December and it’s twenty degrees outside you probably don’t want to go and spend the weekend at the lake. Choose a destination which is compatible with the season. We are only able to go away during the summer because it is not our busy season, so we planned our trip for July. Vacations should be a time for relaxation and solitude. Everything should be easy and stress less. However, n some cases vacations can turn into stressful times away from home. In an effort to make your next vacation as stress free as possible. Most stressful vacation scenarios arise because of reservations that have fallen through, flights that have been cancelled, or baggage that has been misplaced. To avoid situations such as these make sure to plan ahead as well as possible. Be sure to relax and remember that you are on vacation. If you are a person easily upset by small things try extra hard to let them go while on vacation. Do not let your kids get to you. Children can be anxious when it comes to vacations especially on the way there. Do not worry about things back home. When you are planning your vacation make sure not to schedule too many activities into one day. Although it is tempting to see as much as possible while on vacation, you should keep in mind that you do not want to tire yourself out after one day. â€Å"The vacations that prove to be disastrous, expensive, or simply not fun are those thrown together at the last minute. However, by spending a little bit of time, you can compare prices, check out many different destination options, and end up with a wonderful vacation that you will never forget. The following six tips are just a few that you could consider when planning the perfect vacation. 1. Options – The first tip to planning the perfect vacation is to keep your options open. Instead of zeroing in on a particular destination, think of the type of environment you are most interested in, as well as activities and culture. 2. Finances – Be realistic about the amount of money you can afford for the perfect vacation. Unfortunately, many people will go on vacation knowing they are spending way over their means, only to return home and find themselves in a financial mess. 3. Travel Agency – If you are unsure where to start in planning the perfect vacation, consider working with a reputable travel agency. 4. Pet Care – Some people will kennel pets or have someone pet sit while on vacation but today, we see a growing number of individuals who want to include this important member of the family in the vacation. 5. Traveler’s Checks – Altho ugh you would likely carry some cash on your perfect vacation, we strongly recommend that you purchase American Express traveler’s checks, which are accepted just about anywhere. 6. Travel Insurance – Typically, people traveling within the United States do not purchase travel insurance but you might consider it† (Warren). A memorable vacation is one that you can never forget. Sometimes it is even hard not to stop thinking about it. Many of the places I have been include Florida, Chicago, Bahamas, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Mexico. All these places are great but each has a non forgettable memory that I store in my head and in my heart. I have had several vacations that have brought good memories, but one that I will never forget was my trip to Aruba in 2009 with my family. There are plenty of other attractions besides the beach that make this place great. If you are into water sports such as windsurfing, skiing, fishing, or jet skiing they have these accommodations offered at most the hotels. If you are one who likes to snorkel or scuba dive, this is the place to be. There is a great variety of fish with bright exotic colors, and through a pair of goggles you can see a whole lot due to the clean water. I highly recommend going to this tropical island. The beaches are really cool; bright white sand, crystal clear water and extremely hot weather surrounds you. Since most of the islands income is through tourism, the hotel employees treat you like a king. The beaches in Aruba are not only a place for entertainment, food and shopping, but they are also an ideal place to watch the sunset. As we drove down to the beach, my nose picked up the salty scent of the sea breeze. I looked ahead and saw the gleaming beach in the far distance. As I stepped out of the car and walked towards to the beach, I saw that the shoreline went on for miles and miles. I immediately saw the ocean with beams of sunlight shining upon it and watched as the waves crashed upon the beach. The sun shining down on the water made it look like there were thousands of diamonds placed upon the surface of the water. Almost everyone likes to take time out from a world of work and relax once in a while. One way of relaxing that has become popular amongst the people of today’s society is to take a vacation. This action has taken off with the people of today’s society. However, a vacation can mean several different things to several different people. For some people a vacation might be a chance to relax, while to others, a vacation might mean to leave their professional work for a while, only to do another different kind of work.

Effects of Globalization in China Essay

When it comes to globalization people will ask some questions. What is globalization? It seems that people who know little about globalization are out of date and lag far behind modern trends. Simon Jeffery (2002) asserts that globalization is the mixing of cultural and economic influences from around the world that has been going on for the last five hundred years. With the development of the global market in China, globalization plays an important role that is undeniably because China has the fastest growing economy in the world. Globalization provides good conditions for expanding international exchanges and strengthening mutual communication between different countries. Although there are many facets to globalization, the increasing acceptance of this concept has resulted in a certain homogenization of views, both economic and political as well as in cultural systems, but most noticeably in economics. (Diane Perrons 2004) The most obvious impact of globalization is as an economic phenomenon, the promotion of free trade in goods, both exports and imports, accompanied by the exchange of labour and services. China has a long history of trade, from the Han Dynasty onwards the Silk Road was the artery of communication which extended across continents as far as Rome itself, then the capital of a world empire. However, throughout the Ming and Qing dynasties China pursued a policy of economic protectionism, leading to a long period of isolation that was brought to an abrupt end with the Opium Wars. The resulting economic degradation enforced by the victorious British had such disastrous consequences for modern China that it was not until the advent of Deng Xiaoping and his reform and opening up policy that China’s development was accepted as inseparable from the outside world. (George T Crane 1999) In recent years the extent to which globalization has been gaining in popularity has increased at an amazing rate in China. The benefits of modern economic globalization since opening up are indisputably reflected in the nation’s booming economy so that China can only be considered undeveloped in comparison to the most developed nations. However, globalization does not always pose equal benefits and risks to all nations. With the developing of the economy in China, the inequality between developing countries and developed countries has been increasing and the gaps between the very poor and the very rich are becoming wider. China has an overwhelming advantage compared with most of the developing countries in terms of finance and the level of technology, culture and science but it is still the superpower countries and other developed capitalist countries which control the main situation of economic globalization in the world. Many people believe that opportunists, both individually and nationally, use globalization purely as a means to increase their profits at China’s expense. The advent of globalization in its present form would not have been possible without adaptations in national politics. Some view globalization as the means to create a form of world government or a union of governments, for example within the World Trade Organization, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, which helps to regulate the relationships between different countries and provide guarantees for the rights of peoples affected by the increase of economic and social globalization. (Francesco Stipo 2007) Recently, it has become more noticeable how the Chinese political authorities regularly cite the advances in ‘socialist construction’ and the vitality of new economic growth as an indication of national success. The association with other powers has encouraged the Chinese government to open up in all directions, by lowering tariffs, opening services to foreign competition, promoting exports and welcoming foreign trade the government has allowed a free exchange of ideas in all directions and helped China to become a more prosperous, strong, democratic and culturally advanced socialist country. Unfortunately, these benefits may carry a hidden danger. Since the end of the Second World War the United States has held an overall position of supremacy amongst the other nations of the world, a position which is enhanced by the power and wealth of the American economy. Due to the influence of globalization and to some extent the assistance of the United States’ itself, the People’s Republic of China has enjoyed a period of incredible growth within the last ten years. Should this rate of growth continue at the predicted levels over the next twenty years, there is a strong possibility of a major redistribution of influence among the leading nations. China could become the main rival of the United States and challenge America’s position as the world’s leading superpower. (Charles E Hurst 2007) It will take great political skill from fundamentally opposed ideologies to avoid serious resentment and possible conflict as a consequence of such a drastic shift in the balance of power. Alongside the other developments in globalization, there has been an increasing change to the original culture of China. According to David Held & Anthony McGrew (2002), national societies developed during a long period in which people were mainly content to live within their own native cultures. Although the spread of the world’s major religions can be seen as an early form of globalization, which brought new ideas and made many social impacts, this was a relatively slow process taking decades and centuries in China. People migrating from other countries and holding different beliefs naturally find it difficult to adapt to local customs but China has a long history of absorbing whole populations with diverse ethnic backgrounds. As a result of the economic and political benefits brought by globalization, people have increased their standard of living and enjoy foreign products and ideas. Modern developments in communication are widely available even in the remotest regions and many people want to acquire the equivalent of a westernized urban lifestyle. On the other hand, those who are against this trend suggest that modern globalization creates an atmosphere where there is a possible danger of the original national culture disappearing and that it exerts a negative impact on the preservation of national characteristics. While globalization advocates an open face policy, many people see this as a threat leading to erroneous concepts and a lowering of ethical standards, a kind of selfish and individualistic lifestyle which is harmful. For example, the preference for Hollywood films, shoppers buying from international malls, more people eating western food and staying in luxury hotels. Increasingly, people want the chance to live in foreign countries where they can have this lifestyle but the resulting ‘brain drain’ is considered a problem since it is mainly the educated and skilled workers who are leaving China. Gregory Chow 2006) Globalization is changing an increasing number of people’s daily life in China and it is difficult to predict the eventual cost in cultural damage to such a traditional people. To sum up, from what has been discussed about globalization, how does this affect China and her position in the world? Globalization could be identified as the means to end any con flict between different interests because different groups of people hold different views, ideologies, perspectives and methodologies. Globalization might have the impetuous to resolve the complicated competition between China and other countries. However, China should take some measures to protect both the national and local culture and consider adjusting the economic pace in the rush to catch up with other countries. As to the result, it might be very difficult to safeguard against the worst aspects of globalization and to preserve China and maintain that unique heritage which is such a feature in the world.