ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BELOW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BELOW - Essay Example The author felt that choosing different organization in different industries and different sectors would give a good cross sectional overview for the report. According to the findings of the study it was apparent that depending on the type of the organization, marketing assistants were required to carry out many different tasks ranging from marketing planning, corporate communications and advertising copy writing. Based on the findings of the study and the author's knowledge, skills and abilities a curriculum vitae and covering letter were designed. The covering letter that was designed was of a generic nature to help the author to customize it with minimum effort to match specific marketing positions that she wishes to apply for in the next few weeks. The objective of this report is for the author to study the job of a Marketing Assistant from different angles and to assess herself in terms of the findings. In order to carry out this study the author chose five different organizations from different sectors and studied the specifications that have been set out by these organizations for qualifications that were necessary for role. In this report the author will describe the methodology that will be used to study the job of the Marketing Assistant, the manner in which the findings will be presented and the self assessment. Based on the findings and the self assessment the author will design and develop a generic curriculum vitae and a covering letter for herself, which she intends to use when applying for the position of Marketing Assistant. These two documents will also be included in this report. Methodology In order to carry out an in depth and meaningful study of role of a Marketing Assistant the author will collect information from five different companies in different sectors and industries on what these organizations look for in their potential candidates. The five companies that were chosen by the author are as follows 1. Coke Cola Corporation - Beverage Company - Private Sector 2. Tesco Supermarket - Retail Store - Private Sector 3. Axa Insurance Company - Insurance Company - Private Sector 4. HSBC - Financial Company - Private Sector 5. Salvation Army - Not for Profit - Non Governmental Sector The author studied the job descriptions of Marketing Assistants in the above companies and also interviewed individuals working in the marketing departments in the above companies before writing this report. In order to gain a good knowledge of the labour market and future prospects for individuals working as Marketing Assistants in these organizations, the author also interviewed former marketing assistants in these companies and asked them on how easy or hard it was for them to find jobs and if the experience they had gained while at the previous companies were sufficient. The author specifically studied the following areas pertaining to the job. 1. Tasks and responsibilities 2. Entry requirements 3. Training, development and future prospects 4. Terms and Conditions 5. Work environment and corporate culture 6. Labour market conditions and employment prospects Based on the findings the author then carried out a self-assessment and designed and developed a curriculum vitae

Political Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 17

Political Science - Essay Example The state has constitutional power of regulating prices through price floor and ceilings to protect the firms and the consumers (Tanzi 92-7). The government plays a central role in regulating the production and supply of goods services by firms in their different market structure with the focus of ensuring efficient allocation of resources. Taking the case of monopoly firms, the government gives them incentives through different methods to retain their status quo. However, the government still uses pricing policy to influence the monopoly firms’ behavior in terms of output to the consumers. The state set up various institutions that oversee the various economic activities in the country so that working of the economy is consistent with the manpower and resources potential available. Through improved partnership with private sector, the state undertake research and development on various socio-economic variables and the resultant findings are used to establish feasible economic policies that boosts the efficiency of the economy. This includes partnering to develop infrastructure which is an incentive to improved per formance of the market and economy at large. The state is mandated to form bilateral and multilateral trade relations with other countries so that there is labor mobility, exchange of technology and other input factors. This promotes the performance of the economy through increased input factor availability and expanded market for the final products. It is important that the country institute laws that protect local firms from stiff competition of the established multinationals by giving them incentives likes tax holiday, subsidies and infrastructure as this will boost the level of production and performance of the economy. The state needs to include other public welfare issues as part of the market operation processes. In regard to the emerging and ongoing debate on environmental care and

Management and Leadership Styles in Nursing Team Leaders

Management and Leadership Styles in Nursing Team Leaders This assignment will focus on the different management and leadership styles and the benefits and shortfalls will be discussed. Definition of the management and leadership styles will be included along with a brief discussion on trait theories This will be achieved by studying a working nurse team and concentrating on the nurse in charge and how she delegates, leads and organises the team. Firstly, this assignment will look at the different management and leadership styles followed by the analyst on how the nurse in charged relates these management and leadership styles in practice whilst managing a multi- disciplinary team within a hospital ward setting along with a conclusion of what I have learnt observing leadership style and how I was influenced from this form of leadership and how it may effect me in my future practice as qualified nurse According to Marquis Hudson (2000) leadership is a process of persuading and influencing others towards a goal as is composed of a wide variety of roles. .However Bowles And Bowles(2000) Define leadership as an interpersonal relationship of influence the product of personal characteristics rather than mere occupation of managerial positions. it is these personal characteristics which attract enthuse and motivate followers toward organizational goals. Each nurse has their own styles and leadership, their style depends on their values, traits. Characteristic, along with experience it is these individuals that changes began to come about. Trait theory of leadership is based on the assumption that people inherited specificate characteristics traits abilities and skills that make more suitable leaders than others Trait approach tries to identify traits and characteristics to distinguish leaders from followers Marquires and Huston (2006) suggested the great man theory is that people are born to lead and others are born to be led. Doyle and smith (2001) argues that Gandhi along with Napoleon inheritated the great man trait and highlight that they took control when needed .As suggested the term great man and not great woman ,This happened as in those times leadership was considered to be a males job only .Since trait theory was not enough to identify leaders from non leaders new theories of leadership began to appear such as are leaders developed through education and special training along with being learnt from observation and teaching creating the behaviour trait . A nurse leader must have a variety of leadership styles depending on the situation. Leaders are sought after for their expertise in their respective specialties and staff nurses look up to these individuals for guidance. Management is defined as a process about an improvement in knowledge skills, habits and attitudes of the employee in an organisation (sing 2008) Historically management has been given a greater importance in healthcare settings (marquis Huston 2006).However (McCallin2003) states The role of management in the time of Florence Nightingale was authoritarian and focused on rules, hierarchy and systems of punishment or reward to motivate workers. The characteristics of historic management would endeavour autocratic leaders. This type of management may of being accepting in the 19th century but today it no longer reflects the needs or values of the nursing profession Modern health care settings are complex and requires the registered nurse to have the ability to perform a multitude of roles and responsibility requires highly developed skills in decision making ,critical thinking along with the adherence to professional ,moral and legal standards .In addition to these skills leadership and management are considered essential for professional practice all are included in the Nursing Midwifery Council(2008) standards and are required for competent practice .the ability of register nurses to be effective leaders will impact on staff ,resources and setting and achievement of goals .this will in turn have implications for the quality of care Drucker (1999) cited in Weick and Evans(2003) stated todayà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s nurses are graduates who have been described as knowledge workers who want to be led not managed . The word management and leadership are often interchangeable this is based on that they use similar skills bowman1997 and greenwood 1997 effective leadership is critical in any organisation and the key to effective is having the staff focused and working towards achieving the desired goal Convey (2006) argues the view that management is about doing things right and leadership is about doing the right thing student hand book Leaders and managers are not the same though they act in similar ways. A manager is responsible for setting objectives and using resources efficiently. A leader is responsible for motivating a group of people (team) to use their individual skills; therefore leadership is a vital skill of any successful manager There are several different leadership styles Three will be chosen and the advantage and disadvantages will be discussed. Bureaucratic leadership- bureaucratic leaders work by the book and ensures they follow protocols and procedures in accordance to how they are set bureaucratic leaders, expect team members to adhere to the protocols and procedures and follow he rules perfectly . ,this form of leadership can demoralise staff as well as put up barriers when needing to use their own initiative in addition place restraints on any changes that are needed. In acute workplaces where procedures save lives, a bureaucratic management style can help enforce health and safety rules. Autocratic leadership- Autocratic leaders sets objectives and allocates tasks and demands obedience they make as many decisions as possible and seek to have authority and control in decision making .Autocratic leaders tend to respond quickly and effectively and give the task a direction .However research claims that autocratic leaders can be disliked creating lack of faith and trust along with demotivated staff leading to stress within the relationship with work colleagues Marquis and Huston (2006) Democratic leadership à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬democrat leaders encouraged participation in the decision making by consulting team members ,delegating where possible and explaining their decisions along with sharing the responsibility Adaire(2002) Democratic leaders tend to have a good rapour with their team as work colleagues will tell a democratic leader when something has gone wrong. While employees simply hide it from an autocrat .democratic leadership is effective in professional organisations where the emphasis on training, professional and leadership development needs to be optimistic.(tomey 2004) Laizzez-Faire leadership à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Laizzez faire leaders are ones that leaves the employee to get on with their work with little or no interference, By giving the employee freedom it gives them the opportunity to show responsibility and initiative Marquris and Huston (2006)suggest that laizzez-faire leaders only motivate others when requested to do so .This form of leading can be effective if the leader monitors what is being achieved and communicates it back to the team regularly .regrettably ,it can also refer to situations where leaders are not exerting sufficient control I have chosen a nurse that through her compassion and leadership style as inspired me throughout my transition from a healthcare assistant to a student nurse .For the purpose of the confidentiality of this nurse she will be identified as C.B C.B has being a registered nurse for 9 years working in a busy public hospital in many departments including orthopaedic and surgical wards and now currently is a band 6 in the Accident and Emergency Department (A/E) She has decided to advance her knowledge and has undertaken many course .This has enabled her to increase her knowledge to enable her to gain confidence in her leadership role, as a band 6 in the A/E department I was fortunate not only to know C.B as a work colleague but to have the honour to have her as my mentor whilst I was a student in the A/E department. In the A/E department one member of the nursing team is chosen by the ward manager to become co-ordinator .The role involves delegating teams , communicating jobs needed to done, organising bed state in accordance to admission and discharges performing ward round an organisation of staff such as break times .The event being analysed will be communicating jobs from the ward round to different team members and how the coordinator deals with them .Research evidence suggests that an effective manager should have a detailed knowledge of all patient in his/her care and one way to achieve this is by hands on nursing(Douglas;1992, Lles 1997) Prioritizing becomes part of a nurses routine in every day practice (Waterworth 2003 ). Using her management skill of decision making C.B looked at the skill mix of the staff to be able to decide how nursing skills are best used (Humphreys 1996). This can be done by using your clinical judgement of the staff and by looking at the grades of the staff available. McElroy et al (1996) agrees with the using clinical judgement to ensure you make the best use of a nurseà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s time. It should be recognised that skill mix research is vague. There is research on this area but it mainly looks at grade mix rather than skill mix (Spilsbury and Meyer 2005). One could question skill is more than just a grade, as the grade of the person does not always reflect the experience of the person. C.B had to break the tasks down. Ensuring she makes sufficient use of the skill mix available to ensure that adequate staff fulfils the tasks to ensure the quality of patient care give n is of the highest standard. From a management point this is a very important decision to make as it means that you can try to get the best out of your staff and that it is a way of ensuring all your tasks get complete and the management of clinical risk is not affected (Smith and Valentine 1999). This was achieved by using delegation skills. Delegation is the process from which responsibility for performing a task is transferred to another person who accepts responsibility for the task. Although Delegation is the process from which responsibility for performing a task is transferred to another person who accepts responsibility for the task. But although you have asked someone else to do the task overall the person delegating the task is still actually accountable (Sullivan and Decker 2005) NMC 2008 Delegation is an important management process and allow organization and leadership to function through others .Ellis and Hartley (2004) . Delegating a task to others have been found to be challenging for some nurses Hansen and Washburn (1996) As C.B has being allocated to be shift coordinator she needed to participate in regular ward round that occurred within the A/E department in addition to have control of any emergency situation that was happening within the A/E . During the ward round the C.B as the co-ordinator employs a bureaucratic approach as she is with the consultant and junior doctors In this situation she must ensure that everything is done correctly both by herself as well as the consultant and junior doctors After completion of the ward round C.B handed over to the relevant nurses the information that had been discussed during the ward round .There has been a lot of research on handovers which have looked at the contents Hesse (1983) Liukkonen (1993) and McMahon (1990), duration Matthews (1986), Sherlock (1995) Thurgood (1995). This literature all conclude that handovers. influences the delivery of care efficient handovers mean better patient care. Meisser et al (2007) suggested that leadership may be the one quality needed to improve handover Research conducted by Sexton et al (2004) argues that not all the relevant information is discussed during handover, preventing the delivery of care. Yet again C.B delegates ,jobs that have be ing requested on the ward round .in this situation she employs the transactional form of leadership style as she needs to ensure that all the correct information has been passed on and that the nurses looking after the appropriate team get the jobs done effectively and efficiently .This means the staff of the delegated teams agree to do the job request and do not changed any aspect of the job required .After delegating the new jobs to her staff the C.B than adopts a laissez-faire approach and allows the nurses to get on with their own jobs .However ,communication was still essential in the laissez-faire approach and the C.B regularly calls staff into an area to handover and update herself on the jobs being done ensuring the original job that was requested to herself on the ward round was being carried out. By means of discussing the handover with the delegated nurse C.B allowed them to put themselves forward for the patient Involving her work colleagues allow them to be involved in patient care this form of delegation can be highlighted from a democratic leader An emergency call came through to the A/E and C.B responsibility was to ensure the correct emergency team would be present for when the patient arrived C.B was in control due to her knowledge and was able to identify follow out this task as a leader of this emergency call C.B made decisions for the group .This type of leadership is autocratic and is appropriate when a dealing in emergency situations Research by Greenwood (1997 ) has found that leaders should adopt the style in which they find most comfortable to be an effective leader. Leadership styles vary according to various situations. One leadership style may be ineffective where another one is extremely successful. we are now able to see that leaders vary according to situations and their traits. Leaders are able to express themselves fully Bennis.(1998) they also know what they want and why they want it and how to communicate what they want in order to gain cooperation and support achieving goals to be met Bennis (1998) states leaders can find way to make a difference All nurse are in a position to become change agent but most importantly nurse leaders have the greatest influence on changed. The nurse act as the change agent when assisting patients in changing or altered behaviour .kozier et al (2000) states nurse often act to make changes in the system ,such as clinical care along with helping patient return back to good health. According to Marquis and Huston (2000) what distinguishes a successful changed agent is a person skilled in theory and implementation of planned changed to deal appropriately with these changes and connect all organisations that will be effected by the changed. This is achieved by means of good leadership and management skills

Krashen’s Hypotheses of Second Language Acquisition Essay -- Foreign L

Krashen’s Hypotheses of Second Language Acquisition For decades, foreign language teachers wandered in a scientific abyss. Until 1983, there had been little real research dealing with the ways in which someone acquires a second language. Teachers mostly used the audiolingual classroom model that had been in place for the past twenty years (or, even worse, the literally ancient grammatical translation model that had been used by civilizations millennia old). Clearly, language teaching methodology was in a poor situation. In 1983, however, Krashen published the results of an unprecedented body of research and paved the way for a revolution in our field. His five-point hypothesis focused on the difference between the acquisition of and the learning of a second language. Krashen has his detractors, of course, not the least of whom are American school districts, which have been reluctant to implement his teachings. Most experts agree, however, that his ideas are the most meritorious of the theories in circulation now, an d schools that refuse to incorporate them are doing their students a disservice. The first of Krashen’s hypotheses is the learning-acquisition hypothesis, which differentiates the two titular terms. According to Krashen, â€Å"acquisition† refers to the implicit knowledge we have of a language, whereas â€Å"learning† refers to explicit knowledge about a language. Implicit knowledge refers to command of a language as if it were one’s native language; explicit knowledge is what we unfortunately gain in most foreign language classes. One good example of this in Spanish is the phrase â€Å"me llamo,† which literally means â€Å"I call myself† but is usually translated by Spanish teachers as â€Å"my name is.... ... on teachers to find objective methods of evaluating students, which can be extremely difficult to do if they heed Krashen’s advice. The price that students pay for steady grading is, unfortunately, genuine competence in their chosen language, and it is far too high. The pending change in second-language teaching is often called an â€Å"incomplete revolution† because the educational establishment refuses to implement the system despite its acknowledged merits, choosing instead to languish in the mediocrity we face today. WORKS CITED Krashen, Stephen. Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. New York: Pergamon Press. 1982 Omaggio, Alice C. Teaching Language in Context. Proficiency Oriented Instruction. Boston: Heinle and Heinle. 1986 Sole, Yolanda Russino. â€Å"The input hypothesis and the bilingual learner.† Bilingual Review 19:2. 99-100.

Conflict and Functionalist Theory Differences Essay

Introduction The conflict theory originated from Karl max, the famous sociologist, during his original development of the theory and his fine-tuning work, he included the qualifications of other sociologists like Georg Samuel and Max Weber which he considered were necessary (Cliffs 1971: 12-16).   According to the theory, positivism does not necessarily answer everything contrary to believes of functionalists. In general, the conflict theory states that everything happens for reasons other than a general believe that it was just supposed to happen; there are causes and influences which cause such things to happen and the responsibility lies solely on the people and there main purpose is not to gain knowledge only as a functionalist but the transformation of the gained knowledge into action (Durkheim 1915: 23-27).   According to the theory even scientists should be activist with regard to their theories, not only explain why such things happen, instead, they are supposed to instigate the necessary changes in their theories in order to help resolve these issues (Cliffs 1971: 17-20). Read more: Functionalist and Conflict Perspectives The theory differences The believers of conflict theory and functionalist theory have clear differences in their beliefs, because when functionalist say that they do everything they do because ‘we love to do it’, the conflict theory belief that our societies are not guided necessarily by stability or anything of the sort, but it is possible to transformed the whole society into something totally new (John & Simpson 1951: 16-20). Karlmax, Simmed and Weber, and the believers of conflict theory belief that anything that can cause a difference has the capacity to cause a conflict also, be either in areas of competition, opinions, interests and even power, but to a functionalist these issues do not have any serious problems even though conflict theorists do believe that they exhibit other unseen reasons other than the issue of just because â€Å"we like it† (Merton 1968: 10-15). The way functionalists see the world All functionalists believers emphasize on the importance of value consensus in society and they do not expect any conflict to occur and if it occurs it is seen as being temporal which will be simply counteracted as the society continues to become better and their main concern of these conflicts is to accept them as small issues when compared to the need for consensus and stability in the society (Cliffs 1971: 20-26). An example of a functional analysis; Shils and Young notes how ceremonies and rituals are meant to serve the purpose of promoting social integration in their society; the rituals concerning monarchy, church, government leaders, are mainly involved in public promise while the family is seen as the role it plays for members of society, like personal stability and socialization (Parsons 1951: 19-23). Comparing it with conflict theory by Marx According to Marxists and his believers of the conflict theory, there exists a fundamental conflict between different groups in our society, because, the conflict continues to increase and persist and therefore it is not temporal as functionalists clam it to be:   For example, according to Marx analyzing the conflict theory, all societies are constructed in order to survive, and we enter into relationships with the sole purpose of production (Parsons 1951: 21-25). Therefore the combined forces of production and social relationship form basis for economic or infrastructure of any society, while other aspects, like superstructures are shaped by infrastructure, for instance education system is shaped by economic factors and therefore any changes in infrastructure will lead to eventual changes in the superstructure (Simpson 1964: 21-23). The Marxist theory states that all societies have contradictions; this means there is exploitation by one social group, which leads to the creation of conflict of interests because of the main reason that this one social group owns all the factors of production which only benefits them at the expense of others who are mainly the workers (Parsons 1951: 25-28).   They therefore, propose that this trend should be stopped.   For example; the society is comprised of classes, and in its simplest form, there are two main classes of classification. The main determination of an individual to these classes is their relationship to the means of production, which are land, labor and factories (Merton 1968: 16-18). This means that this class that owns the factors of production and therefore, the most powerful. The least powerful class is therefore the one which sells its labors in order to make a living out of it. To be more specific, let us consider wages versus profit achieved by the Bourgeoisie; according to the theory, all societies operate through class of conflict as mentioned; and in a capitalist society there are oppositions between bourgeoisie and the proletariat. The real wealth is only created by the labor power of workers, but low wages are paid to the workers below the profits made the owners and this creates the major contradiction (Durkheim 1915: 29-31). Conclusion In the recent past, workers have become more differentiated and this has eliminated homogeneity in terms of class-consciousness and thus they have increased their awareness of differences between themselves and this has made the above class groups to be split and not united (John & Simpson 1951: 21-23).   It is not important therefore for the society to be characterized by the competing interest groups who are in conflict; therefore we should have ties of the following; economic power and social and secondly political ties to the ownership of means of production (Simpson 1964: 24). Work cited Cliffs, E. (1971). The System of Modern Societies. NJ: Prentice-Hall: pp12-26 Durkheim, E. (1915). The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life: A Study in Religious  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sociology. Translated by Joseph Ward Swain. New York: Macmillan press:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   pp.23-31 John, A. S. and Tr. Simpson, G. (1951). Suicide: A Study in Sociology: New York IL:    Free Press: pp.16-23 Merton, R. K. (1968). Social Theory and Social Structure; New York: Free Press: pp.10-18 Parsons, T (1951). The Social System; Glencoe, IL: Free Press: pp.21-28 Simpson, G. (1964). The Division of Labor in Society; New York: Free Press: pp.21-24

Exploring the Myths of Minoan Bull Leaping

Fletcher, History 111B Minoan Bull Leaping Throughout Ancient History, many different animals are glorified and made â€Å"sacred† by cultures, often for religious reasons. We see everything from the ritual burials of cats in Ancient Egypt to the worship of Ganesha, the Elephant goddess of wisdom in Hindu traditions. The Bull is one of these historically revered animals, its use as a sacred symbol seen as far back as the Stone Age. Because it is such a common and useful animal, it was seen again and again in everything from astrology to folklore. Eventually, historical texts show reverence of the Bull reaching into Minoa.The Minoans were fascinated by the Bull, and created myths, symbols and religious ritual to give the Bull praise. One of the ways they did this was through â€Å"Bull Leaping†, a ritual in which an individual would stand head to head against a charging bull and proceed to vault over the animal using its own strength against it (Figure 1). Many researche rs have attempted to decipher what the ritual meant in context, but ultimately the rituals cultural significance has been lost to the ages. Assumptions have had to been made, and ultimately what is presented might be closer to hypothesized fantasies.To begin with, it is important to know why the Minoans became interested with the Bull in the first place. At the time, the Bull had been a sacred symbol for some 2300 years, and there are several possible explanations why the Bull continued to be so revered. One theory developed after examining the ancient mythologies and histories presented by Diodorus. Diodorus  hypothesized that some animal worship, including that of the Bull was a result of religious myth in which the gods, being threatened by giants, disguised themselves as animals.People then began to worship the animals that their god had transformed into, the Bull being one of these animals. Another theory deals with the religions of Minoa. The Minoans believed heavily in fema le goddesses, so much so as to referred to as a â€Å"matriarchal religion†. There was just one major male god represented in this society, known as the â€Å"earthshaker†. This god was astrological in nature, represented by a bull and the sun; He would die each autumn and reincarnate each spring. Through the astrological component of this theory, we can deduce that the Bull never stopped being revered since the finding of Taurus in the stars.Still, we cannot be sure why exactly the Bull was worshipped. There are dozens of theories, but many hinge on Greek mythology that might be embellished. German historian Walter Burket's constant warning is, â€Å"It is hazardous to project Greek tradition directly into the Bronze age. † With no absolutely definitive answer to explain the Minoan’s interest in the Bull, the next logical question to ask is what the jump signified, and why the Minoans did it. Some scholars seem to think that the jump was a religious rite , while others believed it to be a mode of entertainment and a show of superiority.The item in Figure 2 gives some context to both theories. Those supporting the religious motivation for Bull leaping cite the size of the bull, exaggeratedly large to show the Minoans’ respect for the power of the animals. Unfortunately, the same evidence works in arguments for the contrary. The exaggeration in size could be a display of how small the challenging human was compared to his counterpart, making the Bull leap an act of technical skill, displaying brains over mighty brawn. These two theories both fit, but ultimately the physical evidence discredits both of them. Both Figure 1 and Figure 2 display anatomically impossible vaults.In Figure 1, the Bull charging at full speed would never offer such a stable platform to vault from. When bulls charge they also lower one horn, aiming to impale. In Figure 2, the jump itself is impossible. The figure in the picture is perpendicular to the bul l, facing upwards, with arms stretched back. The physics of this vault are non-existent, and this clay piece was likely just an artist’s embellished portrayal. Bull Leaping, despite faulty evidences and no sure knowledge as to what it represented did occur in Minoan times. The actual event of bull leaping is still around today, in several European countries.From this, we know that at least the physical jump was possible. We must assume the idea to Bull leap came from somewhere, and Minoa presents the earliest depictions of the even. Frescos (paintings) can be found throughout Minoa, including the palace of Knossos, a well preserved port city in Minoa. One fresco (Figure 3) clearly shows a man leaping over a bull. The idea that it is a man doing the leaping is determined by skin color, as the Minoans, as did many ancient cultures of the time, color-coated males and females. That being said, there are two females in the picture.Scholars are perplexed as to what the women repres ent. They could indicate that women participated in the Bull leaping rite, or perhaps they symbolize some of the spectators. A personal suggestion is that the women are goddesses sent to protect the leaper. However, none of these hypotheses have any solid basis, and are all best-guess interpretations by scholars. In sum, there are many hypotheses to explain what Bull leaping was, what it meant in context and who participated in it. Many of these interpretations are loosely solidified in archeological evidence, but much of it is pure speculation.One thing we can know for sure is that because of the significance of the Bull in ancient culture, specifically to the Minoans, the Bull Leap was a true event to see. It would have been done with some skill, and perhaps with the grace of an athlete. It might have been a show of superiority over a wild animal, or perhaps a religious right to prove oneself to a god. Ultimately the true meaning of the event may be lost. Without more evidence, Mi noan Bull Leaping, a great spectacle once with a definitive reason behind it, may be reduced to just a few people jumping over bovines.Works Cited â€Å"A History of the World in 100 Objects. † BBC. 2010. http://www. bbc. co. uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/eU0DV7kOQ5inxmklD__YIw; (9/25/12) Brennan, Marie. â€Å"Bull-Leaping in Bronze Age Crete. † 2005. http://www. strangehorizons. com/2005/20050124/bull-leaping-a. shtml; (9/25/12). Bull-Leaping Diagram. â€Å"University of Kentucky Archives† , ND http://as-houston. ad. uky. edu/archive/Classics/aegean/fresco/fresco-Pages/Image31. html; (9/26/12) Burkert, Walter. Greek Religion. English Edition. Basil Blackwater Publishers. 1985 Lubbock, John.The Origin of Civilization and the Primitive Condition of Man. Kessinger Publishing Company. Whitefish, Montana. 2005. Mlahanas. â€Å"Bull Mythology†. 2005. http://www. mlahanas. de/Greeks/Mythology/BullMythology. html; (9/26/12) Marinatos, Nanno. Minoan Kingship and the Solar Goddess: A Near Eastern Koine. NP. 1993. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Mlahanas 2005, par. 3 [ 2 ]. Lubbock 2005,  252 [ 3 ]. Marinatos 1993, 167 [ 4 ]. Burkert 1985, 24 [ 5 ]. â€Å"A History of the World in 100 Objects† 2010, par. 1 [ 6 ]. Brennan 2005, sec. 4 par. 1

Politics of Globalization

Politics of Globalization Introduction Globalization has been viewed as the last resort to the economic hardship that is generally facing the nations of the world. Globalization is most pronounced in developed nations, however, the developing are catching up with this development. Globalization is characterized by formations of treaties, partnerships, unions and trading blocs among other many processes. In as much as globalization has opened up markets and enhanced free circulation of goods and services, there have been fierce protests against this movement.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Politics of Globalization specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Though globalization was only thought to affect the underdeveloped nations as goods from developed countries affected local industries, it has come to reality that even the developed countries share in some of these consequences. This article picks up England and examines the politics of gl obalization within that nation. England is an excellent example of the manifestation of globalization. Background Information As noted in the introduction section above, formation of trading blocs is a globalization process. The European Union (henceforth from now EU) is an excellent example of the manifestation of the globalization process in Europe. The EU bloc has amalgamated the nations of Europe so that they operate as one bloc. It is worth noting that the Great Britain (England is inclusive by default) is very much involved in the EU affairs and thus, in the opinion of Dr David Abbott[1], the effects of globalization are advanced in Britain (Abbott 1). Globalization, in the context of England and Great Britain in general, majorly has to do with the EU trading activities. Therefore, this article examines the globalization politics of England in reference to the EU. In order to effectively examine the politics of globalization in England the following sections are discussed in d etails: foreign policy, competitive advantage in the trade and struggle for rare resources such oil (Rucker 1). The England and Globalization Britain and therefore England is a strong and influential member of the EU. England supports all the efforts of the EU and thus globalization. Its foreign policy is accommodative of the efforts to create unified trading bloc. England has allowed without any reservation the forces of globalization within its markets. According to Abbott, this kind of foreign of foreign policy has led to more conflicts than good. Abbott argued that the people of Britain have given too much power to the government which has in turn turned it over to the EU. He argued against the EU claiming that â€Å"We have given away most of our freedoms to our government, to the European Union and other supranational bodies† (Abbott 1). Abbott claimed that all these events have dumped England in an awkward position whereby they are not only losing the political powers but also some natural resources which have been conserved over centuries of years.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Abbott also expressed concerns about Britain being subjected to trade in goods which highly priced. Abbott gave the following example to express his disappointment with the government’s miscalculated priorities: Twyford Down was a beautiful hill near my house in Winchester. The hill was in private ownership, and in addition was protected by various scenic, scientific, and historical designations, and was also designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Government wanted to make a road through the Down, rather than a tunnel. The tunnel would have cost $150 million more. (This incidentally is the amount we send to the EU in the space of three days.) They violated the private property rights of the Trust that owned the land by shoving through the road. This resulted in the areas desecration, and saw me racing in protest across the defiled landscape. (Abbott 1) Abbott was also quite bitter about the effect of common fisheries policy, an element of globalization, as it has negatively impacted on the people of Britain. He argued that: Increasingly Spanish and other foreign trawlers, often using illegally small net sizes, were devastating the fish stocks around Britain. Britain had 80% of EU fish stocks because the stocks had been carefully managed for hundreds of years. France, Spain, and Italy had virtually destroyed the fish stocks of the Mediterranean and around their coasts. Now they were destroying ours with the connivance of the British Government. (Abbott 1) Abbot further more revealed that the EU has gone further with this predatory action to seek the cooperation of some twenty African governments to allow the EU members carry out fishing along their coasts. Abbott viewed this as being exploitative and described it as â€Å"killing the native fishermen who fish in small boats and often at night† (Abbott 1). The EU, in the eyes of Abbott, is a bi threat to the England and Britain in general. Abbott does not view it lightly that there are so many people moving past the boundaries and flocking the country which is already the most populated in the Europe. He argues that the immigrants are a strain to the economy of the country as they take advantage of the generous welfare system.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Politics of Globalization specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Abbott believes that the signing of the European Charter for Human rights is quite disadvantageous to the Britain considering that the charter does not allow for the deportation of people even when they are in a country illegally. More foreigners will take advantage of the welfare systems in the UK taking into consideration the fac t that they cannot be deported even after accessing the country illegally (Abbott 1). There are many arguments which have been fired against the globalization of England especially in the context of being compliant with the EU. The issue of splitting up England has often proved to be difficulty. It should be noted that the other regions have already been split up: Brussels wants to divide up all the larger countries into bite-sized areas that they can control directly, by-passing the national parliaments. In Britain, it was easy to hive off Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, since they were the right size for independent regions. Then they took London, which was used to having an Assembly of its own. However, the rest of England has proved difficult.  The Government has created these regional bodies by fiat. They are private organisations that have not been formed by statute. They have never been discussed in Parliament. The bodies that run them are appointed, not elected. The y are supervising the destruction of England. (Abbott 1) The foreign policy which has been adopted by Britain policy makers can best described as hyperglobalists. However, it has been briefly shown that this policy has actually resulted to making England lose to the other states which form the EU. It is evident that the development of the EU has impacted negatively on England by the fact the relatively far ahead than most of the members of the EU who are mostly benefiting from England (Held and McGrew 1). Comparative advantage in the views of Kahn is a principle of specialization which, â€Å"posits that nations can be most productive through specialization in areas where they have a ratio advantage, relative to other nations, in the production of a good or service† (Kahn 1). England and the whole of UK adopted the spirit of industrialization earlier as described by Ye and Yin: Largely due to the legacy of the British Empire, early industrialisation, high levels of education, sophisticated consumer taste and vast accumulated wealth, the UK traditionally enjoys a comparative advantage in the production and distribution of such products in the international markets. (Ye and Yin 1)Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More England has the advantage of accessing a large protected market for its industrial products. Its advanced status in industries enables it to produce goods cheaply and export them to other members of the EU. England just like the rest of the EU members face challenges with respect to scarce resources such oil. Though England has substitutes for instance nuclear power plants it is nevertheless affected when there are shortages of the oil at the world market. Conclusion The effects of globalization in England have been much debated. Though there are benefits which have been accrued from the EU formation, it is felt that England and the UK in general will stand to lose in the long run. Abbott, David. Globalization in Great Britain. The August Review, 2005. Web. augustreview.com/issues/globalization/globalization_in_great_britain_200509198/# Held, David and McGrew, Anthony. Globalization. Polity, n.d. Web. polity.co.uk/global/globalization-oxford.asp Kahn, Alice. Globalization. Iowa Sta te University, n.d. Web. soc.iastate.edu/sapp/soc415Global.html Rucker, Martin. European Integration, Unplugged. Foreign Policy, 2004. Web. foreignpolicy.com/articles/2004/09/01/european_integration_unplugged Ye, Zhen and Yin, Ping. Economic Linkage and Comparative Advantage of the UK Creative state. University of Hertfordshire, 2007. https://uhra.herts.ac.uk/dspace/bitstream/2299/1401/1/S78.pdf Footnotes Dr. David Abbott was born and raised in Southampton, England. He is a medical doctor and active in politics. Spent 25 years in America, where he raised a family and practiced medicine in Oregon. In 2000, Abbott returned to Winchester, UK in order to join UKIPs campaign for the freedom, independence and prosperity of all Brits. He ran for MP (Member of Parliament) in the 2005 General Election in England.

Free Essays on History Of The Greek Theatre

Theater and drama in Ancient Greece took form in about 5th century BCE, with the Sopocles, the great writer of tragedy. In his plays and those of the same genre, heroes and the ideals of life were depicted and glorified. It was believed that man should live for honor and fame, his action was courageous and glorious and his life would climax in a great and noble death. Originally, the hero’s recognition was created by selfish behaviors and little thought of service to others. As the Greeks grew toward city-states and colonization, it became the destiny and ambition of the hero to gain honor by serving his city. The second major characteristic of the early Greek world was the supernatural. The two worlds were not separate, as the gods lived in the same world as the men, and they interfered in the men’s lives as they chose to. It was the gods who sent suffering and evil to men. In the plays of Sophocles, the gods brought about the hero’s downfall because of a tragic flaw in the character of the hero. In Greek tragedy, suffering brought knowledge of worldly matters and of the individual. Aristotle attempted to explain how an audience could observe tragic events and still have a pleasurable experience. Aristotle, by searching the works of writers of Greek tragedy, Aeschulus, Euripides and Sophocles (whose Oedipus Rex he considered the finest of all Greek tragedies), arrived at his definition of tragedy. This explanation has a profound influence for more than twenty centuries on those writing tragedies, most significantly Shakespeare. Aristotle’s analysis of tragedy began with a description of the effect such a work had on the audience as a â€Å"catharsis† or purging of the emotions. He decided that catharsis was the purging of two specific emotions, pity and fear. The hero has made a mistake due to ignorance, not because of wickedness or corruption. ... Free Essays on History Of The Greek Theatre Free Essays on History Of The Greek Theatre Theater and drama in Ancient Greece took form in about 5th century BCE, with the Sopocles, the great writer of tragedy. In his plays and those of the same genre, heroes and the ideals of life were depicted and glorified. It was believed that man should live for honor and fame, his action was courageous and glorious and his life would climax in a great and noble death. Originally, the hero’s recognition was created by selfish behaviors and little thought of service to others. As the Greeks grew toward city-states and colonization, it became the destiny and ambition of the hero to gain honor by serving his city. The second major characteristic of the early Greek world was the supernatural. The two worlds were not separate, as the gods lived in the same world as the men, and they interfered in the men’s lives as they chose to. It was the gods who sent suffering and evil to men. In the plays of Sophocles, the gods brought about the hero’s downfall because of a tragic flaw in the character of the hero. In Greek tragedy, suffering brought knowledge of worldly matters and of the individual. Aristotle attempted to explain how an audience could observe tragic events and still have a pleasurable experience. Aristotle, by searching the works of writers of Greek tragedy, Aeschulus, Euripides and Sophocles (whose Oedipus Rex he considered the finest of all Greek tragedies), arrived at his definition of tragedy. This explanation has a profound influence for more than twenty centuries on those writing tragedies, most significantly Shakespeare. Aristotle’s analysis of tragedy began with a description of the effect such a work had on the audience as a â€Å"catharsis† or purging of the emotions. He decided that catharsis was the purging of two specific emotions, pity and fear. The hero has made a mistake due to ignorance, not because of wickedness or corruption. ...

Renault FT Tank in World War I

Renault FT Tank in World War I The Renault FT, often referred to as the FT-17, was a ground-breaking tank design which entered service in 1918. A French light tank, the FT was the first tank to incorporate many design aspects which are now considered standard such as a fully-rotating turret and rear engine compartment. Small by World War I standards, the FT was intended to swarm through the enemys lines and overwhelm defenders. Used by French and American forces on the Western Front, the design was produced in large numbers and retained by many nations until the early days of World War II. Development The origins of the Renault FT may be traced to an early meeting between Louis Renault and Colonel Jean-Baptiste Eugà ¨ne Estienne in 1915. Overseeing the fledgling French tank corps which had been created during the early years of World War I, Estienne hoped to have Renault design and build an armored vehicle based on the Holt tractor. Operating with the backing of General Joseph Joffre, he was seeking firms to moved the project forward. Though intrigued, Renault declined citing a lack of experience with tracked vehicles and commenting that his factories were already operating at capacity. Not to be demurred, Estienne took his project to Schneider-Creusot which created the French Armys first tank, the Schneider CA1. Though he had declined the initial tank project, Renault commenced developing a design for a light tank that would be relatively simple to produce. Assessing the landscape of the time, he concluded that existing engines lacked the necessary power-to-weight ratio to allow armored vehicles to successfully clear trenches, shell holes, and other obstacles. As a result, Renault sought to limit his design to 7 tons. As he continued to refine his thoughts on a light tank design, he had another meeting with Estienne in July 1916. Increasingly interested in smaller, lighter tanks which he believed could overwhelm defenders in ways that larger, heavier tanks could not, Estienne encouraged Renaults work. While this support would proved critical, Renault struggled to gain acceptance of his design from Minister of Munitions Albert Thomas and the French high command. After extensive work, Renault received permission to build a single prototype. Design Working with his talented industrial designer Rodolphe Ernst-Metzmaier, Renault sought to bring his theories into reality. The resulting design  set the pattern for all future tanks. Though fully-revolving turrets had been used on a variety of French armored cars, the FT was the first tank to incorporate this feature. This allowed the smaller tank to fully utilize a single weapon rather than needing multiple guns mounted in sponsons with limited fields of fire. The FT also set the precedent for placing the driver in the front and the engine in the rear. The incorporation of these features made the FT a radical departure from previous French designs, such as the Schneider CA1 and the St. Chamond, which were little more than armored boxes. Operated by a crew of two, the FT mounted a rounded tail piece to aid in crossing trenches and included automatically tensioned tacks to help prevent derailments. Crew positions in a Renault FT-17 tank. National Archives and Records Administration To ensure that engine power would be maintained, the power plant was designed to operate effectively when slanted to allow the tank to traverse steep slopes. For crew comfort, ventilation was provided by the engines radiator fan. Though in close proximity, no provision was made for crew communication during operations. As a result, gunners devised a system of kicking the driver in the shoulders, back, and head to transmit directions. Armament for the FT typically consisted of either a Puteaux SA 18 37 mm gun or a 7.92 mm Hotchkiss machine gun.   Renault FT - Specifications Dimensions Length: 16.4 ft.Width: 4.8 ft.Height: 7 ft.Weight: 7.2 tons Armor Armament Armor: 0.86 in.Armament: 37 mm Puteaux gun or a 7.92 mm Hotchkiss machine gunAmmunition: 238 x 37mm projectiles or 4,200 x 7.62mm ammunition Engine Engine: 39 hp gasoline engineSpeed: 4.35 mphRange: 40 milesSuspension: Vertical SpringsCrew: 2 Production Despite its advanced design, Renault continued to have difficulty getting approval for the FT. Ironically, its chief competition came from the heavy Char 2C which was also designed by Ernst-Metzmaier. With the relentless support Estienne, Renault was able to move the FT into production. Though he had Estiennes support, Renault competed for resources with the Char 2C for the remainder of the war. Development continued through the first half of 1917, as Renault and Ernst-Metzmaier sought to refine the design. By the end of the year, only 84 FTs had been produced, however 2,613 were built in 1918, before the end of hostilities. All told, 3,694 were constructed by French factories with 3,177 going to the French Army, 514 to the US Army, and 3 to the Italians. The tank was also built under license in the US under the name Six Ton Tank M1917. While only 64 were finished before the armistice, 950 were eventually constructed. When the tank first entered production, it had a round cast turret, however this varied depending on the manufacturer. Other variants included an octagonal turret or one made from bent steel plate. French Renault FTs advance through Vaux, 1918. Library of Congress Combat Service The FT first entered combat on May 31, 1918, at Foret de Retz, south-west of Soissons, and aided the 10th Army in slowing the German drive on Paris. In short order, the FTs small size increased its value as it was capable of traversing terrain, such as forests, that other heavy tanks were incapable of negotiating. As the tide turned in the Allies favor, Estienne finally received large numbers of the tank, which allowed for effective counterattacks against German positions. The FT saw use at the Second Battle of the Marne as well as during the Saint-Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne Offensives. Widely used by French and American forces, the FT ultimately participated in 4,356 engagements with 746 being lost to enemy action. Postwar Following the war, the FT formed the armored backbone for many nations, including the United States. The tank saw subsequent action in the Russian Civil War, Polish-Soviet War, Chinese Civil War, and Spanish Civil War. In addition it remained in the reserve forces for several countries. During the early days of World War II, the French still had 534 operating in various capacities. In 1940, following the German drive to the Channel which isolated many of Frances best armored units, the entire French reserve force was committed, including 575 FTs. With the fall of France, the Wehrmacht captured 1,704 FTs. These were redeployed across Europe for airbase defense and occupation duty. In Britain and the United States, the FT was retained for use as a training vehicle. Additional FTs were retained by Vichy French forces in North Africa. These were encountered by American and British forces during the Operation Torch landings in late 1942 and were easily defeated by the Allies modern M3 Stuart and M4 Sherman tanks.

Are reason and emotion equally necessary in justifying moral decisions Essay - 5

Are reason and emotion equally necessary in justifying moral decisions - Essay Example A second way of knowing is through personal experience or self-witnessing. The media sources like newspapers and television may or may not always be trustworthy. One needs to use his or her own discretion elaborately before trusting the information. Sometimes we may believe in a certain aspect merely by our personal inspiration or intuition. This is the third way of knowing. Some concepts and ideas take birth in our brains and remain there as a piece of knowledge gained. Sometimes we might just rely on a feeling and an inner guidance that may lead us to the truth or the right path. A fourth way of knowing is by using reason and careful analysis. This is a powerful approach where knowledge may be gained by critically and logically analyzing the other three cases. (â€Å"Measurement, Evaluation & Research: Ways of Knowing†, 2008) Now, when we look at all the ways of knowing, we may conclude that finally each of them is flawed. As far as the first way is concerned, the book or text might consist of misprints and errors. There may be some information, which might differ from one book to another. Personal experience or eye witnessing is also dependent upon optical illusion or error of vision. Personal inspiration or intuition might also become invalidated or reason might not support this personal opinion. Again, reason might be right to one but wrong to another. Hence this way of gaining knowledge is not a valid one. However, Kerlinger provides a different angle to validate the four different ways. The first case, that is gaining knowledge by reading signifies a group’s belief and can be taken as the truth. This is the process of tenacity where the knowledge is common to a certain group. (Kerlinger 1973) In the second case, the personal experience one gains is at least true to the person concerned. The third method may be justified on the basis of personal intuition. Such a way of knowing may be justified on the basis of individual belief and

International Trade Simulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

International Trade Simulation - Essay Example These countries have decided to enter into international trade relations with each other. In the first round of the simulation I was exposed to deciding which imports and exports to choose and which countries to realized trade with. These decisions must be made based on comparative advantage. As an importer Rodamia should choose to import products they not good at producing. These products will cost more to produce at Rodamia than to import them from another nation. The ability of being able to lower the cost of consumer products for the local consumption of the citizens of a country is an advantage of entering into international trade activity. There were advantages and limitations to international trade which were revealed during the simulation. An advantage that was fairly obvious is that international trade increases the wealth of a country by increasing the purchasing power of the people. If the goods and services can be purchased at a lower price by importing, the quality of li fe of the people improves because they can buy more goods and services with the same amount of money.... Sometimes countries are forced to impose these restrictive measures in order to protect an infant industry. In the simulation the corn industry represented a new industry in Rodamia that needed protection. A limitation of international trade was that if a country imposes a tariff on another nation there is a possibility of a retaliation that creates a tariff on a different good or service that is imported. Comparative and absolute powers are two economic terms that were discussed in the simulation. For me comparative power means that one country has a clear advantage over another country in terms of production capability of a good or service. For example Iraq has a comparative advantage in comparison to the US in the production of crude oil. The United States has a comparative advantage in comparison with Iraq in the production of automobiles. Another term of interest is absolute power. Absolute power refers to the negotiation power one country has over the other. In the simulation R odamia was the country with absolute power that could negotiate the terms of any bilateral of multilateral trade agreement. In the global economy the nation that has benefited from absolute power the most in terms of international relations is the United States of America. Two factors that give the US influence over other nations are its military and economic power. In the real world currency is a very important element of international trade. The system that facilitates international trade is currency exchange. The value of the domestic currencies of the over 200 countries around the world change in value on a daily basis. The US dollar for example may appreciate or depreciate with relation to another currency which

Corporate Social Responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Corporate Social Responsibility - Essay Example Corporate Social Responsibility There are various potential conflicts in the method of preparing documents and construction of strong approach and business activities. Corporate Responsibility is just a relative approach and has an objective basis, which is also known as unsustainable development methodology (Aras, Aybars and Kutlu, 2010). It is also considered as a radical managerial approach. The various other CSR theories help in development of continuums with the focus on integration of business activities with community activities. Organizations have developed several measures for dealing with the strategic societal, environmental and community needs which have led to the incurring of huge amount of expenditure in the organizations. Small and medium enterprises do not have the necessary resources for developing or implementing the CSR tools and approaches (Burger, 2011). When a company wants to improve its social performance, it divulges itself through social activities like providing charitable donations, org anizing charitable associations and sponsoring activities. The study will deal with the concepts of CSR and its role in financial crisis along with its future prospects. The author of the study will also highlight the relevance of CSR and the guidelines for implementing CSR techniques developed by leading associations. Finally, the study will also incorporate the various legal requirements, regulations and guidelines related to the CSR concept. Evolution & History of Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is regarded as a technique which helps the organization in its evaluation of the business activities and its impact on the society and environment through ethical and transparent decision making (WBSCD, 2013). CSR has evolved as a challenge for the entire business and academic community as it involves a time consuming systematic approach and also a thorough knowledge of the existing sustainable issues (Chen, 2011). From the academic perspective, it ha s become one of the most relevant and purposeful research topics which have provided relevance to the functioning of the organizations (Chen, 2011). In the academic perspective, it has moved on to an overall new organizational level which already includes the impact on the organizational outcome. Theorist Carroll (1960, cited by Chen, 2011) has laid emphasis on the theoretical orientation of the normative and performance oriented ethics which have the ability to increase the organizational outcome. This in turn have a positive impact on the exiting business systems. The evolution of CSR concept has been associated with the inception of the subject of organizational behaviour. In 1919, the shareholders of Ford had decided to grant the request of the Dodge brothers for maximum dividends. This decision was made by the director of the company, Mr. Henry Ford whose main intention was to reinvest the accumulated gains of the company on plant expansion. He stated that one of the major obje ctives of Ford was to cater to the betterment of community development. William Clay Ford Jr had tried his best to convince the existing shareholders regarding the organization’s contribution towards the welfare of the entire society and community. Theorist Bowen (1980, cited by Chen, 2011) had regarded that organizations are vital fulcrum of power and the actions of the organizatio

Information Security Access Control Methods Assignment

Information Security Access Control Methods - Assignment Example Passwords are granted to the end user for accessing their accounts. User access can be managed locally or by policies defined by the organization. It is a method of strengthening the network security by limiting the accessibility of network resources to communicating devices that fulfill with a proposed security policy. Network Access Control method restricts the end users from accessing particular resources within the network. (Helfrich, Frahim, Santos, & White, 2007, p. 396-397) A well planned network access control strategy includes anti-threat applications like anti-viruses, intrusion detection systems, spywares prevention programs, as well as access control lists (ACLs). It also shapes the individual access to particular resources, once connected. Access control for an OS establishes the process of implementing access level policies of the system’s resources satisfying the security policies of integrity, availability, and confidentiality. This procedure authorizes processes/users to carry out certain operation different resources of the operating system. It is method of securing information systems. It converts the information to some language that is only understandable by the user for whom it was ciphered. This process starts by ciphering the plain text to a cipher-text for scrambling the information into some cryptographic language. (Peltier, Peltier, & Blackley, 2005)The individual who performs the encryption and decryption is named as

The Advantages and Trials of Effectively Introducing a VLE at a Assignment

The Advantages and Trials of Effectively Introducing a VLE at a University in Saudi Arabia - Assignment Example A Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is a software program devised to facilitate instructors in the management of courses for their students. It aims at helping students and teachers with course administration. It can also track the student’s progress which can be monitored by both the learners and instructors. VLEs are mostly viewed as being helpful in distance learning but in practice they are equally beneficial in supplementing face-to-face classroom. Typically, the application of VLEs enables the users to easily upload their materials and resources, offers an integrated set of internet tools and provides a consistent look and feel that can be customized by the user. Therefore, the employment of technology to support learning is largely prevailed by the use of VLEs. In this paper, the main concern will be how VLE has been used in EFL teaching and how it can be employed in EFL studies at the University of Ha’il. EFL (English as a Foreign Language) courses among a vari ety of other courses offered in institutions of higher education, have witnessed changes in the recent years which include high enrollment rates, increasing diversity of students and less resources. In addition, EFL courses are likely to be enrolling students who are mature, possessing other qualifications other than the already existing A-levels or at times studying part time (M.Owen, 2000). These students have different backgrounds, preferences and skills in the way they learn. Moreover, these students have expectations of studying current and new trends in technology. In the United States, for example, the EFL population has been raising over the past years (K. Sharma, 2010). Therefore, the language need of EFL and ESL students have prompted teachers to devise new and innovative methods of educating these students. The Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) have come up with accessibility standards that will apply to EFL and ESL students. They argued that all EFL students should have access to services provided by their institutions, should be given appropriate curriculum, and have equitable and fair assessments. They should also be offered a positive learning environment. Recently, a majority of EFL tutors have chosen VLE as an aid in meeting and satisfying the above standards. In EFL pedagogical issues are more common in the employment of technology. Pedagogical content knowledge focuses on the strategies used in teaching, that is, those strategies that bring about the best learning experience for every learner. It involves learning different teaching approaches that make the learning process more suitable to the students. In this case, the tutor should be flexible in adjusting instructions to cater for the various learning styles, interests and abilities. The major essence of pedagogical studies is to know how to best teach a concept so that the learners will receive the best learning experience. The different teaching approaches empl oyed may differ from one tutor to the other (Salmon, 2005). In EFL courses, teachers can use pedagogical studies and include technology knowledge. This is referred to as technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK). The development of TPCK by tutors is crucial to effective teaching with technology. EFL teachers are emphasized in TPCK since they are viewed as autonomous agents with the power to significantly

ITEC 9 activity Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

ITEC 9 activity - Assignment Example The essay will explain about one of the many known security breaches. There are various security breaches, which needs to be understood for one to be able to secure a computer system. One of the main security breaches includes physical breach. Physical breach regards the physical theft of equipments or documents that contains cardholder account data like files, cardholder receipt, and point of sale terminals or personal computers. The second type of breach is the electronic breach. Electronic breach denotes the deliberate attack or unauthorized access on a network or system environment where the cardholder data is stored, processed or transmitted. Electronic breach is as the result of gaining access through web sites or web servers to a vulnerable system via application level attacks. The final attack is Skimming. Skimming is the recording or capture of magnetic card stripe data with the use of an external device that is sometimes installed on the customer’s system point of sale. The data obtained from skimming is used in the manufacture of cou nterfeit debit and credit cards (Roebuck, 2012). Electronic breach is the common security breach as a result of the increased internet access. However, there are steps that can be used to prevent from electronic breach. The various ways of preventing from electronic breach includes the use of a secure database or web server. The use of secure database or web servers guarantees that all system, including database and web servers are regularly modernized with the present merchant security patches (Roebuck, 2012). The use of a strong, up-to-date anti-spyware or antivirus and anti-malware software is a way of preventing the security breach. Users should also use passwords that are not easily guessed to prevent from unauthorized persons (Dark, 2011). One of the physical security breaches that hit the news was the white house attack, which can be accessed via www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPU3ia7Zaog

The Advantages and Trials of Effectively Introducing a VLE at a Assignment

The Advantages and Trials of Effectively Introducing a VLE at a University in Saudi Arabia - Assignment Example A Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is a software program devised to facilitate instructors in the management of courses for their students. It aims at helping students and teachers with course administration. It can also track the student’s progress which can be monitored by both the learners and instructors. VLEs are mostly viewed as being helpful in distance learning but in practice they are equally beneficial in supplementing face-to-face classroom. Typically, the application of VLEs enables the users to easily upload their materials and resources, offers an integrated set of internet tools and provides a consistent look and feel that can be customized by the user. Therefore, the employment of technology to support learning is largely prevailed by the use of VLEs. In this paper, the main concern will be how VLE has been used in EFL teaching and how it can be employed in EFL studies at the University of Ha’il. EFL (English as a Foreign Language) courses among a vari ety of other courses offered in institutions of higher education, have witnessed changes in the recent years which include high enrollment rates, increasing diversity of students and less resources. In addition, EFL courses are likely to be enrolling students who are mature, possessing other qualifications other than the already existing A-levels or at times studying part time (M.Owen, 2000). These students have different backgrounds, preferences and skills in the way they learn. Moreover, these students have expectations of studying current and new trends in technology. In the United States, for example, the EFL population has been raising over the past years (K. Sharma, 2010). Therefore, the language need of EFL and ESL students have prompted teachers to devise new and innovative methods of educating these students. The Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) have come up with accessibility standards that will apply to EFL and ESL students. They argued that all EFL students should have access to services provided by their institutions, should be given appropriate curriculum, and have equitable and fair assessments. They should also be offered a positive learning environment. Recently, a majority of EFL tutors have chosen VLE as an aid in meeting and satisfying the above standards. In EFL pedagogical issues are more common in the employment of technology. Pedagogical content knowledge focuses on the strategies used in teaching, that is, those strategies that bring about the best learning experience for every learner. It involves learning different teaching approaches that make the learning process more suitable to the students. In this case, the tutor should be flexible in adjusting instructions to cater for the various learning styles, interests and abilities. The major essence of pedagogical studies is to know how to best teach a concept so that the learners will receive the best learning experience. The different teaching approaches empl oyed may differ from one tutor to the other (Salmon, 2005). In EFL courses, teachers can use pedagogical studies and include technology knowledge. This is referred to as technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK). The development of TPCK by tutors is crucial to effective teaching with technology. EFL teachers are emphasized in TPCK since they are viewed as autonomous agents with the power to significantly

Bonds and Their Valuation Mini-Case Essay Example for Free

Bonds and Their Valuation Mini-Case Essay Sam Strother and Shawna Tibbs are vice-presidents of Mutual of Seattle Insurance Company and co-directors of the companys pension fund management division. A major new client, the Northwestern Municipal Alliance, has requested that Mutual of Seattle present an investment seminar to the mayors of the represented cities, and Strother and Tibbs, who will make the actual presentation, have asked you to help them by answering the following questions. Because the Boeing Company operates in one of the leagues cities, you are to work Boeing into the presentation. a.What are the key features of a bond? Answer: 1.Par or face value. We generally assume a $1,000 par value, but par can be anything, and often $5,000 or more is used. With registered bonds, which is what are issued today, if you bought $50,000 worth, that amount would appear on the certificate. 2.Coupon rate. The dollar coupon is the rent on the money borrowed, which is generally the par value of the bond. The coupon rate is the annual interest payment divided by the par value, and it is generally set at the value of r on the day the bond is issued. 3.Maturity. This is the number of years until the bond matures and the issuer must repay the loan (return the par value). 4.Issue date. This is the date the bonds were issued. 5.Default risk is inherent in all bonds except treasury bondswill the issuer have the cash to make the promised payments? Bonds are rated from AAA to D, and the lower the rating the riskier the bond, the higher its default risk premium, and, consequently, the higher its required rate of return.

The Strengths and Weakness of Affirmative Action

The Strengths and Weakness of Affirmative Action Affirmative action was formed more than fifty years ago during the Civil Rights movement with the goal of everyone having the same chances in life. A lot has changed since then. So why are we still trying to make up for past sins? Are the people who are benefiting from affirmative action today the ones who were harmed and discriminated against in the past? No. The race card should not be used in an academic environment and diversity should not put a more qualified applicant on the side lines. Academics should be the determining factor for college admissions not race. According to Kristina Crawley and Tony Magart, Affirmative action is a program built on racial discrimination, all the while claiming to fight it. In order for a student to achieve advancement other students are unjustly discriminated against or punished. Colleges should be looking at the accomplishments of the students, not what ethnicity they were born. Colleges even post the percentages of each minority attending their schools on their websites. Is this supposed to sway students to attend specific colleges based on who their fellow classmates are to be? Does this guarantee diversity? Shouldnt students be looking at what the college can offer them to help them succeed in life? They have their whole lives ahead of them. The primary problem with affirmative action in colleges is it has failed to bring about a major goal to ease racial tension and lessen the color consciousness of college students. The actual results have had the opposite effect. According to Mr. Roberts, Affirmative action poses a conflict between two cherished American principles: the belief that all Americans deserve equal opportunities and the idea that hard work and merit, not race or religion or gender or birthright, should determine who prospers and who does not. How are students suppose to see each other as equals if they are not considered equals when applying to college? The message minorities are receiving according to Mr. Steele, Society now tells them that if they will only designate themselves as black on their college applications, they will probably do better in the college lottery than if they conceal this fact. The tensions continue to exist because the white student sees the minority student as undeserving and the m inority student sees the white student as racist and part of a group that works against furthering the minoritys ability to obtain a college education. Affirmative action creates reverse discrimination which is defined as Discrimination against members of a dominant or majority group, especially when resulting from policies established to correct discrimination against members of a minority or disadvantaged group. This is the case when colleges are allowed to consider race when accepting college applications. Arent colleges actually practicing what the country is trying to eliminate; discrimination? Colleges dont see themselves discriminating against other students. They call it diversification. There are many ways colleges can diversify without using race to achieve those goals. There are minorities who have qualifications to attend college without affirmative action. Not all minorities are in low income areas which have less than desired school systems. What about those students who break free from the Ghetto? There are many success stories from minorities who have risen above poverty and became very successful. We want students who will succeed in college and have something to contribute to our education, not a free pass. Advocates of affirmative action believe that for better learning classes must have a diverse student environment. This logic is flawed. According to Mr. McElroy, Racial diversity does not necessarily lead to diversity of opinion. Students with different interests and talents make a campus life vibrant and ensure that a variety of activities are pursued. Race is a purely external characteristic and has no effect on what a person brings to a community. To suggest that skin color determines ones attitude or what they might bring to the table is racism in itself. Why does skin color dictate ideas or activities a person may pursue? Diversity is not determined by skin color. Society has been unfair to minorities in the past. Yes, our ancestors did profit from using slave labor. Affirmative action does not make up for wrong doings. According to Mr. Steele, It is impossible to repay blacks living today for the historic suffering of the race, demonstrating the absurdity of trying to make up for what our ancestors did. Society is discriminating against a new group now in order to compensate for the discrimination of one group in the past. What has been accomplished when discrimination has yet to be conquered? Why does the need for diversity have to keep discrimination alive? At Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, despite the ban on affirmative action, the new admissions policy still has the ability to see color. Instead of checking a race box officials look at the students address. They are able to see if the student lives on an Indian reservation or in the heart of Detroit where the population is concentrated mainly with African Americans. What has changed? They still see color knowing who resides in these populace areas. It does not matter that the people voted for a ban on using race in the admission process. The colleges are finding new ways to continue to act in the old ways of admitting college students for the sake of diversity. According to Mr. Connerly, If black and Hispanic students are rare at selective universities, the solution is better academic preparation, not special treatment in admissions. Every individual should have the same opportunity to compete. The problem is not about the minority students who are excelling but about the minority students who are statistically failing in the public school system. Statistics show that blacks who were given preferential treatment failed at elite colleges at a much higher rate than other races and affirmative action gave those unprepared students admission to those colleges. When a college uses race in the admissions process and then the students later fail is a real disservice to those students. The color of a students skin should not be the deciding factor. Society is creating new problems for minority students all the while trying to bring diversity to their colleges. A popular belief about why minority applicants are less qualified to attend college is they have not been provided the same opportunities generally provided to white students. This is true. The system in this country does not give minority groups equal access to economic and educational resources. This does not mean that minorities should slide into college without the foundation to succeed. If they are unprepared they are more likely to fail. It would be more sensible to find the source of the problem. School funding should be changed. There should be a system where low income schools get the funding they need to rise above the issues they face every day. Better teachers need to be attracted to these areas to try and make a difference. Yes this is a large order and will take time. No one said solving discrimination would be an overnight process. Armstrong Williams, a black syndicated columnist stated, There is a very real danger that we are merely reinforcing the idea that minorities are first and foremost victims. Because of this victim status, the logic goes, they are owed special treatment. But that isnt progress, its inertia. By putting minorities into the role of victims, we are not helping them to advance, we are holding them in place. Affirmative action places students in situations where their efforts are not measured but the color of their skin is. What does this teach them? How does this give students confidence and control of their actions? Is it more important to bring minority students in the classroom no matter how prepared they are for the sake of diversity? If you believe in affirmative action you believe some people didnt get a fair shake in life and need help. Whats wrong with helping the little guy, the one who hasnt gotten a break in life? Many students live in poor segregated communities and the only hope they have to leave is to better themselves at colleges or universities outside their neighborhoods. These students are able to get to the front of the admissions list just by their heritage. This doesnt mean they arent hardworking students and are just as capable as their white counterpart. Affirmative action levels the playing field for them, but is this really fair? According to Peter Schmidt, Proponents of race-conscious admissions policies have yet to produce a study of their educational benefits without some limitation or flaw. Many focus only on benefits to minority students. Others define benefits in nakedly ideological terms, declaring the policies successful if they seem correlated with the adoption of liberal views. A large share relies on survey data that substitute subjective opinions for an objective measurement of learning. Advocates of affirmative action argue that it is unfair to demand more of the research. They feel no education policy has irrefutable proof of its effectiveness. There are other alternatives to achieve diversity without using affirmative action. In Florida, the public university system uses the method which admits the top twenty percent of each graduating class. Texas uses a similar program and admits the top ten percentage of each of their graduation classes. Colleges and universities must look further at both students and teachers if they want diversity. Checking off a race box on an application does not necessarily bring more diversity to the classroom. Using college entrance essays will tell the admissions official more than looking at his or her race. A student who has had extensive travels because one of his or her parents is in the military will bring more diversity to a classroom than the black student who has grown up in the suburbs. Teachers also can bring a wide range of diversity with more than their race. Even white teachers can have fascinating backgrounds that can contribute to their teaching styles. Maybe the teacher was in the Peace Corp for a period of time or was raised in another country. How do we know what a teacher can bring to the college by looking at race? There are many good and bad teachers in the educational system. The most important factor would be to find more qualified teachers to give the students a good e ducation and not put the emphasis on diversity. Affirmative action has made the admission system look too closely at race. Instead they should be looking at all the other characteristics about a person and their achievements. The color of ones skin should not define a student. If two students are raised in the same neighborhood and one is black and one is white how much diversity will the black student bring to campus? Both students grew up in the same environment but the only difference is the black student can check the race box. Race is an external characteristic and should not be used to push one student above the other in the admissions process. Affirmative action does not guarantee diversity. Nor does racial diversity automatically lead to diversity of opinion. Campus life is made up of students with different interests, talents and goals. Affirmative action does not bring diversity to colleges it brings discrimination. Students should be judged on grades, test scores, entrance essays and other achievements. Race should not become a factor because it is outside a students control. Works Consulted Marie, Gryphon. The Affirmative Action Myth. Fox News. July 14, 2004. http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,125729,00.html. Alexandra, Aggor. Affirmative Action Does More Harm Than Good. Daily Skiff. October 8, 2009. http://media.www.tcudailyskiff.com/media/storage/paper792/news/2009/10/08/Opinion/Affirmative.Action.Does.More.Harm.Than.Good-3796293.shtml. Lynne, Varner. This Affirmative-Action baby. The Seattle Times. January 21, 2009. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20030121HYPERLINK http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20030121slug=lynne21HYPERLINK http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20030121slug=lynne21slug=lynne21. Independent student. Editorial: Debating Affirmative Action. The Daily Free Press. April 5, 2007. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20030121HYPERLINK http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20030121slug=lynne21HYPERLINK http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20030121slug=lynne21slug=lynne21. Kristina Crawley and Tony Magart. Bulletin Debates Affirmative Action Cons. February 7, 2003. http://media.www.gonzagabulletin.com/media/storage/paper375/news/2003/02/07/Opinion/Bulletin.Debates.Affirmative.Action.Cons.part.2.Of.4-363725.shtml. Marie, Gryphon. The Affirmative Action Myth. Policy Analysis no. 540. April 13, 2005. http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=3722. Hugh, Price. Fortifying the Case of Diversity and Affirmative Action. https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/hschein/www/readings/Pascarella-myths.html. Peter, Schmidt. Americas Universities Are Living a Diversity Lie. The Wall Street Journal. June 28, 2008. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121460672212612067.html. Ilan, Wurman. Social Science and The Failure of Affirmative Action. December 13, 2006. http://media.www.claremontindependent.com/media/storage/paper1031/news/2006/12/13/Opinion/Social.Science.And.The.Failure.Of.Affirmative.Action-2598560.shtml.

The Impact of Work-Based Learning on Students :: Impact Cause Effect Education Essays

The Impact of Work-Based Learning on Students Recent educational approaches that have career and technical education (CTE) components, such as Tech Prep, career academies, and High Schools That Work, have striven to integrate work experience with traditional academics; similarly, school-to-work (STW) by definition is composed of school-based learning, work-based learning (WBL), and bridging activities. How have these approaches affected their student participants both academically and personally? This Digest brings together research on the effects of approaches involving WBL on students' educational outcomes, attitudes, and short- and long-term employment prospects. Students' Educational Outcomes As a general rule, studies and evaluations have found positive associations between participation in approaches involving WBL and students' educational outcomes at both the secondary and postsecondary levels. Positive effects have been reported throughout the whole range of high school experience, from attendance to coursetaking to graduation, whereas too little time has passed for the longer-term effects in postsecondary education to be investigated. Secondary Typically, approaches involving WBL proceed from the premise that learning set in the real-world context of work not only makes academic learning more accessible to many students but also—even more fundamentally—increases their engagement in schooling. Such fundamental effects have been found over and over. For example, a 5-year study of 3.4 million Texas high school students (Brown 2000) found that Tech Prep students had higher attendance and on-time graduation rates and lower dropout rates than both non-Tech Prep CTE students and the general population of secondary students. Similar positive effects have been reported in reviews of studies on career academies (Stern et al. 2000) and--in spite of wide variation in the levels and details of implementation--STW programs (Hughes et al. 2001). Studies of youth apprenticeship programs also found increased attendance and decreased dropout rates (Hollenbeck 1996; Silverberg et al. 1996). Furthermore, positive effects were not limited to persistence. Brown (2000) reported that Texas Tech Prep students completed more academic courses than non-Tech Prep counterparts. Comparing 4,700 Tech Prep and non-Tech Prep participants from eight selected Tech Prep consortia, Bragg (2001) found that in four consortia, Tech Prep students were more likely than non-Tech Prep counterparts to begin high school below the level of Algebra I; but almost all had completed Algebra I by graduation. Higher grades or grade point averages (GPAs) were reported in studies of community-based STW programs for high-risk youth (Adler et al. 1996), Rhode Island Tech Prep programs (MacQueen 1996), and youth apprenticeship (Hollenbeck 1996; Silverberg 1996).

Childhood Obesity is Preventable Essay -- Obesity in Children

Childhood obesity in America is a growing disease that has become an epidemic that has lasting psychological effects, because of advertisement of fast food, lack of physical activities, and parental control has made food become a major health issue in many young teenagers’ lives today. Overall, who is to blame? Obesity plagues America and threatens to seriously degrade our society in many ways. There are some that would argue to say that obesity is okay and that it is not that big of a deal, they are wrong. There are some variations pertaining to build but everyone’s body is designed to carry a certain weight, when you increase that weight you threaten the balance of your body and can expect your body to break down much sooner than expected. For example, think of a machine, a machine that was designed to lift 100 pounds could easily do the job and continue doing the job for a very long time before breaking down. Now, think of that same machine lifting 300 pounds instead, since it was designed for only 100 pounds, how much quicker will that machine break down? It is also in our nature to not desire obesity, we are genetically designed just like the rest of nature to desire the fit and healthy of society. This is the root cause of social dislike for obesity as well as personal dislike for obesity. Which brings us to the focus of how childhood obesity has become an enormous issue today. In order to truly understand the impact of obesity and why we should prevent it, we first need to look at the causes of obesity and what keeps people obese. The logical first step for us to look at is childhood obesity, even if children are merely o... ... of the blame. In conclusion, while childhood obesity is alarming, it is preventable and treatable. Works Cited 1."Parents, Kids Don’t Perceive Obesity as a Health Problem." Journal of the American Dietetic Association n. pag. Web. 20 Feb 2015. . 2.N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb 2015. . 3.N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb 2015. . 4. Rabin, Robin. "Child Obesity Risks Death at Early Age, Study Finds ." (2012): n. pag. Web. 20 Feb 2015. . 5. Levine, Susan, and Rob Stein. "Obesity Threatens a Generation." 'Catastrophe' of Shorter Spans, Higher Health Costs (2013): n. pag. Web. 20 Feb 2015. 6. Maine, M. (2012). Body Wars. Carlsbad: Gurze Books

Moscow Communist Party

Boris Yeltsin proved to be an invincible leader. In the year 1985 he was made the first secretary to the Moscow Communist Party by President Mikhail Gorbachev. In the succeeding year he was elected to the Politburo. Subsequently, he was made the chairman of the Russian Supreme Soviet. In June 1991, he became the first elected president to Russia. His efforts at separating the Commonwealth of Independent States secured complete independence for Russia. Yeltsin faced several administrative setbacks and his economic and market reforms resulted in unrest and parliamentary disagreement.In November 1993 internal conflicts in parliament led to the seizure of the Russian Parliament Building. Subsequently, he emerged victorious and obtained greater presidential powers. Yeltsin faced serious health problems, he had to frequently shuffle cabinet members and he had to countenance the armed conflict in Chechnya. Nevertheless, he was re – elected in 1996 (Yeltsin, Boris (1931 – ). In Andromeda Encyclopedic Dictionary of World History). Boris Yeltsin strongly believed in the socialist ideology of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union or the CPSU.The party’s ideals of economic progress and social equality had made him to join the CPSU in the year 1961. Gradually Yeltsin gained in importance in the party and became a member of the construction department of the party’s Sverdlovsk Oblast committee in the year 1968. His rise in this department was remarkable and by the year 1975 he became the secretary of the committee. In 1976 Boris Yeltsin was appointed the secretary of the Sverdlovsk Oblast committee by Leonid Brezhnev. This position enabled him to procure membership of the CPSU’s Central Committee in 1981.He became an important leader in the CPSU and openly criticized perestroika or the political reforms introduced by Gorbachev. Later on Yeltsin followed Gorbachev’s policies, in order to reduce strained relations with the Western na tions (Colton). President Yeltsin’s foreign minister was Andry Kozyrev favored a Western alliance. However, the Russian foreign policy did not change. Boris Yeltsin encountered his western counterparts on several occasions during international summits. He maintained friendly relations with US presidents George H. W.Bush and Bill Clinton. He solicited US backing in international platforms such as the International Monetary Fund. Yeltsin was friendly with the European economic giants. Accordingly he maintained cordial relations with Helmut Kohl the Chancellor of Germany and leaders of France and the United Kingdom (Colton). Yeltsin was disinterested in NATO’s plans and he reluctantly acceded to its proposals to admit former non – Soviet bloc countries. In the year 1999 the NATO waged a war against Yugoslavia. This measure resulted in strained relations with Russia.Subsequently, Yeltsin terminated all relations with NATO and this served to isolate Russia. However, Russia did not assist Yugoslavia to fight with NATO. Yugoslavia was compelled to agree to NATO’s proposals and had to accept foreign occupation of the Kosovo Province. Yeltsin ensured that Russia was included in the joint forces that occupied Kosovo. He made attempts to make an ally of China in Russia’s battle against the supremacy of NATO, further trade practices and mutual cooperation with China flourished in his era (Colton).The economic and market reforms implemented by Yeltsin were opposed by the parliament. In 1993 the free market reforms created internal conflicts and military intervention had to be resorted to, in order to control the situation. Yeltsin was successful in these military operations. During the period 1994 to 1996 the Chechnya crisis developed and Yeltsin’s response to it invited international criticism. Moreover, the parliament was dominated by communist members who opposed and disagreed with him.His power commenced to decline due to his i ll health and much of his authority was transferred to the parliament owing to the constitutional conflicts of 1998, which emerged due the serious financial crisis. Despite these setbacks, Yeltsin reclaimed his powers by dissolving the government four times in the period 1998 to 1999. In May 1999 the parliament made an abortive attempt to impeach him. Eventually, he submitted his resignation on the 31st of December 1999 and Vladimir Putin succeeded him (Yeltsin, Boris (1931 – ). In The Macmillan Encyclopedia).Boris Yeltsin had supported the Baltic States for independence. In order to achieve this he emphasized that there should be fundamental and radical reforms. Yeltsin relinquished his CPSU membership and contested in the presidential elections. He was elected president of the RSFSR or Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. Yeltsin had always demanded autonomy for the member republics of the federal USSR. He also persuaded the Russian parliament to enact legislations to give the republic’s laws precedence over the laws of the Soviet parliament.The congress bestowed emergency powers upon Yeltsin, which permitted him to rule by decree. This made him a popular president. After the futile coup, in 1991, against President Gorbachev, Yeltsin condemned the acts of the usurpers and demanded his reinstatement (Yeltsin, Boris Nikolayevich (1931 – ). In The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia including Atlas). Yeltsin’s leadership capability was severely tested during the economic crisis and subsequent deterioration of conditions in Russia. In September 1993 a coup attempt was made against him by the leaders of parliament, which was defeated.The conservative political parties won the December elections and this unexpected victory forced Yeltsin to review his economic policies (Yeltsin, Boris Nikolayevich (1931 – ). In The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia including Atlas). Yeltsin was criticized for taking the military initiati ve in Chechnya. Although, a peace treaty was entered into with Chechnya in May 1997, the war did not stop. Yeltsin dissolved the entire cabinet in March 1998, which surprised both Russia and the Western nations. He also appointed the fuel and energy minister Sergei Kiriyenko to the post of the prime minister of Russia.The Kiriyenko led government faced a major economic crisis, because of the sudden devaluation of the ruble in 1998. In the month of August in the same year, Yeltsin dismissed both Kiriyenko and the government. Yeltsin tried to appoint Viktor Chernomyrdin as the prime minister, but the Duma, which was dominated by communist members, rejected Chernomyrdin’s candidature for prime minister. This compelled Yeltsin to nominate Yevgeni Primakov as the prime minister. Subsequently, in May 1999, Yeltsin dismissed Primakov and his government.Yeltsin took this decision following a debate, in the Duma, as to whether Primakov was to be allowed to continue or Sergei Stepashin was to be made the acting prime minister. He appointed Stepashin as the acting prime minister after impeaching Primakov. The Duma approved of Yeltsin’s actions and confirmed Stepashin as the prime minister. However, Yeltsin was criticized all over the world for his failure to resolve the crisis in Chechnya (Yeltsin, Boris Nikolayevich (1931 – ). In The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia including Atlas).Yeltsin tried to continue the process of reforms but the conservative members of parliament opposed his initiatives. In order to evaluate the public’s attitude towards him, a referendum was conducted in 1993 in which he received a significant number of the votes. This prompted him to propose a new Russian constitution (Hough). Incidents like the confrontation with the hard core conservatives, which resulted in the dissolution of parliament and an armed conflict in which the Moscow parliament building was shelled, rendered Yeltsin’s political position very powerful.However, there was growing opposition towards him and economic instability and the war in Chechnya made it very difficult for Yeltsin. He emerged victorious but his ill health prevented him from participating in active politics. Yeltsin used to take sudden decisions, which would cause a great deal of astonishment to everyone and a very telling instance is that of his resignation as president in the year 1999 (Yeltsin, Boris (Nikolayevich) (1 Feb 1931 –). In The Crystal Reference Encyclopedia).In March 1998, President Yeltsin dismissed the government which included two prominent leaders, namely the prime minister and pro free market activist, Viktor Chernomyrdin and Anatoly Chubais, the first deputy prime minister. This action surprised the West which tried to improve trade practices with Russia. The sudden sacking of the government created tremors in the West. At this juncture, Yeltsin issued a communique that Russia would continue with the process of reforming the economy. This resulted in widespread disapproval in Russia, because of the economic setbacks that had lasted for years.Consequently, Yeltsin attempted to pacify the West and to secure their confidence he appointed Sergei Kiriyenko as the acting prime minister, who was considered to be a committed reformist. The Duma accepted his candidature as acting prime minister in its third round of voting. Kiriyenko formed the youngest cabinet in Russia (Russian Federation. In The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia including Atlas). Boris Yeltsin brought about the dissolution of the USSR. Scholars acclaim the contributions of Yeltsin in establishing the post Soviet order in Russia.Historians have named four men as having wrought change in this context, namely, Nikita Krushchev, Leonid Brezhnev, Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin. These four men constitute the four pillars of modern decentralized Russian politics. Krushchev attempted to reform the age old centralized political system, Brezhnev tried to consolidate and then adopt it, Gorbachev endeavored to transform it into a social democracy and Yeltsin attempted to destroy the whole system and replace it with a new system (Brown). Works Cited Brown, Archie.Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and Putin: Political Leadership in Russia's Transition. ISBN 0870031864: Carnegie Endowment, 2001, p45. Colton, Timothy J. â€Å"Boris Yeltsin . † Microsoft ® Student 2008 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2007, 2007. Hough, Jerry F. Democratization and revolution in the USSR, 1985-1991 . ISBN 0815737483, p405: Brookings Institution Press, 1997. Russian Federation. In The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia including Atlas. 2005. 7 November 2007 . Yeltsin, Boris (1931 – ).In Andromeda Encyclopedic Dictionary of World History. 2001. 7 November 2007 . Yeltsin, Boris (1931 – ). In The Macmillan Encyclopedia. 2003. 7 November 2007 . Yeltsin, Boris (Nikolayevich) (1 Feb 1931 –). In The Crystal Reference Encyclopedia . 2005. 7 November 2007 . Yeltsin, Boris Nikolayevich (1931 – ). In The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia including Atlas. 2005. 7 November 2007 .