Dispersed Team Dynamics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Dispersed Team Dynamics - Assignment Example Conflicts generally occur when there is difference in opinions and interest between individuals. According to a study by Lambregts (2011), there are more chances of conflicts in collective activities in which regular communications and interpersonal relationships are less feasible as in virtual teams (pp.10-11). The conflicts may be of different nature. In a virtual team frame, usually there are many independent groups working on a linear relationship with the management at the headquarters. Therefore there can be conflicts among groups, individuals in the same group or individuals across different groups. Different scholars have varying opinions about the category of conflicts in a virtual team. According to Kankanhalli, Tan and Wei (n.d.), conflicts within a team can either be relationship conflicts or task conflicts. Personal conflicts occur as a result of increasing tensions and frictions between employees due to mutual disagreement on a particular issue or due to egos and emotio nal clashes during the routines. Task conflicts generally arise around the methods and processes associated with the given assignments and the responsibilities to accomplish them. According to Professor Lindred Greer (as cite in Petersen (2014), the physical distances and the cultural differences among the team members can affect the quality of communication, and the responses to disagreements can reflect in the negative productivity of the team. The basic reason for this aspect is the unavailability of individuals for personal interactions at the required times of response to proposals and complaints in the process. Conflicts are capable of self-replication when they are not resolved promptly. Hence it is important for the leaders to create a mechanism to forecast the possibility of issues within the team. A typical analysis of the nature of conflicts can work as a measure to predict the possibility of

Impact Of Smuggling In The Philippines Economics Essay

Impact Of Smuggling In The Philippines Economics Essay Raymond Palatino (2008), reports The extent and impact of smuggling in the Philippines that Smuggling is a serious problem that hurts the country in many ways. It deprives government of revenues from uncollected taxes and customs duties. It affects local industries by distorting prices of commodities. Smuggling causes production slowdown, which leads to mass lay-offs, reduced consumer spending, bankruptcies, and lower tax collection. Smuggling has especially benefited from weak governance and chronic political instability. The author further added that when the government reduced the tariff rates on imported articles, many economists and merchants expected a decline in smuggling activities. They believed the tariff reduction would have discouraged illegal importation of goods since there will be fewer taxes to pay on the part of importers. But even with reduced tariff rates, smuggling persists up to this day. From used clothing to shoes, second-hand and luxury cars, agricultural products, garments, ceramic tiles and jewelries, cheap smuggled contraband are flooding the local market, which wipes out the earnings of small honest traders. The author compared the import-export data; Data show the disparity of import-export figures between the Philippines and its trading partners. In 2000, trading partners reported that they exported $45-billion worth of goods to the Philippines, but government figures registered only $34-billion worth of imports. This means that more than $10-billion worth of goods were unaccounted, undervalued or misdeclared. In 2002, China exported 3.9 million square meters of ceramic tiles to the Philippines, but only 600,000 square meters were recorded in the Bureau of Customs. The following year, 4 million square meters of ceramic tiles were exported to the Philippines, but only 300,000 square meters were recorded in the BOC. From January 2001 to June 2003, authorities confiscated a total of 1,517,387 bags of smuggled rice worth P1.18 billion. Since 2006, a total of 100,000 smuggled vehicles were shipped into Subic Bay Freeport. Last year (2007), 4 billion liters of oil were lost to smuggling. The author concluded that Smuggling clearly destroys the local economy and exacerbates poverty in the country as manifested by the closure of local industries, decline in agricultural production, uncompetitive agricultural products, loss of jobs, unfair competition, loss of government revenues, heightened corruption in the bureaucracy, and risks in consumer welfare. Milton Ayoki (2003), explained in his Paper The hidden costs of doing business in Uganda that the problem of smuggling has been particularly serious for goods like petroleum fuels, cigarettes, sugar and other highly taxed or potential revenue sectors such as steel, leather, wood, textiles, bicycles and chemicals as major deterrents. The author further added that apart from the huge revenue losses involved, smuggling is killing local businesses and causing great inequality and other effect is that illegally imported goods are steadily displacing some locally produced goods in the market place. This is adversely affecting both employment and profit margins in domestic industries. Luk Joossens (2003), written in his article Vietnam: smuggling adds value that Internal British American Tobacco (BAT) documents have been explicit about the knowledge of cigarette smuggling into Vietnam. 555 cigarettes is the major smuggled brand and there is no doubt it has a tremendous image and sales potential in the country. The author added that BAT documents describe in a detailed way the smuggling route for 555: cigarettes were produced in the UK, shipped to Singapore, sold to importers and traders in Cambodia, and then transported illegally across the border to Vietnam. Joossens argued that the industry has always claimed that smuggling is the result of taxes being too high. UNDP (1995) viewed the taxes on opium exports to the mainstay of Taliban income and their war economy. It revealed that Afghanistan-Pakistan drugs exports were earning some 50 billion rupees (US $ 1.35 billion) a year. Alongside the drug trade, the traditional Afghans smuggling trade through Pakistan and now the Gulf States, expanded under the Taliban, creating economic havoc for the neighboring states. This trade was estimated be the largest trade source of official revenue for the Taliban and generated an estimated US $ 3 billion annually for the afghan economy; UNDP disclosed that through the customs officials in Kandahar, Kabul and Herat refused to disclose their daily earnings, but with some 300 trucks a day passing through Jalalabad and Kabul to the north, daily earning were considerable. The illegal trade in consumer goods, food and fuel through Afghanistan crippled industries, reduced state revenues and created periodic food storages in all neighboring countries. The World Bank (1997) report on Afghanistan Pakistan Trade Relations as a part of its watching brief strategy for Afghanistan, accounts for the total trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan at $2.5 billion in which the unofficial re-export from Afghanistan to Pakistan has the loins share. The study assessed that the long and porous border between the two countries, the need for basic goods in Afghanistans warn-torn economy, weak border controls, high import tariffs in Pakistan on goods prone to smuggling and the low cost risks were important reasons behind the large and growing unofficial trade between the two countries. This report further added that there was an evidence of expansion of official and unofficial trade in locally produced goods between the two countries, which was likely to increase substantially if there was peace and post-war reconstruction in Afghanistan. In Pakistan, the imports competing industries have been harmed. The study also estimated that the government of Pakistan had been loosing substantial revenues due to tax evasion and fungibility of routes through which un-official imports enter the country. Rashid (1999) in his book Taliban, recorded that the smuggling trade to and from Afghanistan became the most devastating manifestation of the losses being sustained by the government of Pakistan during the Taliban regime. According to him, this trade, which now extends to central Asia, Iran and Persian Gulf, represented a crippling loss of revenues for all these countries, but particularly Pakistan, where local industry has been decimated by the smuggling of foreign goods. Rashid elaborates further, What is euphemistically called the afghan transit trade (ATT) has become the biggest smuggling racket in the world and has enmeshed the Taliban with Pakistani smugglers, transporters, drug barons, bureaucrats, politicians, police and army officers. This trade became the main source of official income for the Taliban even as it undermined the economies of neighboring states. Rashid also points out that the border post between Chaman, in Balochistan province, and Spin Boldak, in Afghanistan, is a prime location for watching the rackets at work. His estimates accounts for 300 trucks crossing from Afghanistan to Pakistan on a good day. The goods which these trucks carry, have no invoice and cross up to six international frontiers without having route permits, driving license or passports. The consignments on these trucks range from Japanese camcorders to English under-wear and Earl gray tea, China silk to American computer parts, Afghan heroin to Pakistani wheat and sugar, East European Kalashnikovs to Iranian petroleum and nobody pays custom duties or sales tax. Inter press service, a news agency (2001), found Indian drugs to have found ways to Pakistani markets, adding yet another dimension to the cross border illegal trade to and from Afghanistan. The agency named aspirin, Amoxiline, Ampiciline, Corimaxazole, Laxotanill, Cyprafloxine, Renitidine, Fametidine and Cemedtidine to be selling in prominent medicines shops of the province. The agency further disclosed that unlike the settled areas, where the sale of Indian drugs was banned and those found guilty of conduct were liable to severe penalties, the tribal areas were quite immune to such repercussions. Like all other duty free smuggled goods, Indian drugs were evaluated by the agency to be 10 times cheaper than the drugs of the same brand and effect, produced by multinational companies (MNCs) in Pakistan. Citing reasons for this price disparity, the agency added that unlike India, where the MNCs were bound to use raw materials from India, the government of Pakistan allowed them to import raw materials from their parent countries which entailed heavy tariff duties. Similarly, quoting the findings of international regional office for Asia and pacific, the agency counted 26 commonly consumed drugs to have very high prices in Pakistan as compared to India. The agency while discussing the transportation of drugs, revealed that along with other goods, Indian drugs were smuggled into Afghanistan, to Pakistans tribal areas and then finally to Peshawar. The report also disclosed that Afghanistan received thousands of US dollars worth of medicines, each month, from Indian, under a bilateral agreement, but some unscrupulous agencies in Kabul were apparently making huge profits from selling them in tribal areas. The report further discovered that due to the mutual collusion of the MNCs, health department functionaries, and other government officials, the measure of the government to import drugs from china, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Poland and Yugoslavia to counter the smuggled and low priced Indian drugs, has miserably failed. Awan (2001) put the Pakistan bound transit goods to Afghanistan at Rs 14.97 billion during 1998-99. Prominent among these goods were safety razors, worth Rs 120 million, cosmetics Rs 150 million, minerals water, Rs 200 million, electronics worth Rs 300 million and telephone sets worth 160 million. The report pointed out that this trade, which has been conducted for the last 50 years, fetched billions of rupees to the tribal traders, related to the afghan counterparts and as much to the Pakistani customs and other law enforcing agencies, who facilitated this black trade. Awan also disclosed that previously, for decades, these Afghanistan bound transit goods were leaked into Pakistani markets before reaching Afghanistan. Owing to strict regulations imposed on the transit trade, it was very recently that the Afghanistan bound goods, at least, started crossing the border and then re-exported illegally to Pakistan. Awan pointed out that due to the high financial stakes of various interest groups, law, customs and state machinery have lost their efficacy. Keeping the adverse fall out of the abuse of afghan transit trade agreement on the industrial sector of Pakistan, Awan suggested that other neighboring countries with sea-coast should also shoulder the responsibility of transit facilities to Afghanistan. The News, in its march 2, 2002 issue, reported that there has been an unprecedented increase in the smuggling of tea, spices and other utilities, through the afghan transit trade, during the last two years. This rise has been attributed to the massive under-valuation of these items at the countrys dry ports, especially Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Quetta and in other cities, which were basically established for providing facilities to the local traders at their door steps. The report added that these smuggled items are now openly sold at the Jodia bazaar, the traders from various parts of the country have opened their offices, which deal exclusively in smuggled items, mostly tea and spices through Quetta dry port into the city the dry ports established in various parts of the country have become a major source of smuggling, mis-declaration, under-invoicing, tax evasion and theft, detrimental to the government treasury, it alleged. The repot revealed that since 1988, the smugglers switched to smuggling of eatable products as they found this proposition to be highly lucrative. The smuggling of items originates from Dubai, via port Bandar Abbas in Iran, to Afghanistan and ends up into Pakistan. Probing the matter, the report discovered five percent increase in the custom duty during the 2001 budget, plus the total tax increase of 70 percent, to be the main reasons for the rise in smuggling. Daily Aaj, on 16 July, 2009 reported that during the year 2008-09, eight hundred million kg of tea is smuggled into the country, only 4.9 million kg smuggled tea is less then from the total imported tea. This year government losses Rs 5 billion in shape of tax evasion due to smuggling of tea. Through reliable sources, Afghan Transit Trade (ATT) is the main source of tea smuggling in the country. The total import of tea was 10 million kg during the period of July 2007 to June 2008. This was imported in one year from Kenya about 53.9 % while in previous year that was 61% from the same country. Which was 7% dropped in tea imports.

Terrorism, Patriotism and the Farce of the Pledge of Allegiance Essay

Terrorism, Patriotism and the Farce of the Pledge of Allegiance It is unfortunate that the terrorists did not attack and destroy the Pledge of Allegiance instead of the World Trade Center. But politicians and zealots have perverted "patriotism" to include a blind veneration of the United States based on an oversimplified conception that disregards current laws and social customs, a perversion evident in the idolatry performed regularly by most American citizens during the Pledge of Allegiance. When he authored the pledge in 1892, Christian Socialist and Baptist minister Francis Bellamy wanted to capture the spirit of indivisible union that the Civil War had validated a generation earlier. Bellamy was a radical of his time, however, and intended to emphasize the socialist principle of equality and a utopian, nationalist sensibility. This point has accumulated fine layers of irony with time, and I intend to show the extent to which the pledge is among the most ironic and troubling of texts. There are some intrinsic problems with Bellamy's original draft, which reads: "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." But to do Bellamy justice, it should be noted that in 1923 and 1924, the National Flag Conference changed his "my Flag" to "the Flag of the United States of America," and Congress, influenced by the Knights of Columbus, more curiously added "under God." I will analyze the Pledge as it currently exists with the spirit of a vivisection. I want to show the dynamic affect of the Pledge on American consciousness and vice versa, and as usual I offer no anesthetic. "I pledge allegiance to the Fl... ... form a disgraceful lie, you need only eyes and the capacity for thought. Did Amadou Diallo receive justice? How do Native Americans feel about the pledge's insistence of universal liberty? What have homosexual faculty members and their partners, who have been told by the University that their unions, however legal, only constitute three-fifths of a marriage, to say about the pledge's notion of equality? We would love to believe that "liberty and justice for all" is a reality, but it unfortunately fails to constitute even a priority; our reciting makes it real only in the imagination, a daily narcotic liturgy that blunts our reaction to injustice and the violation of liberty. The greatest service that we can provide for our country and our people is to utilize our critical faculties and to resist appropriately, regardless of how "un-American" this use of reason seems.

Leader More Feared than Loved: Evaluating Chapter 17

A leader is someone who is followed by others. All managers are not leaders, but good leaders can be good managers. Those who are not trusted or respected by their employees may fail when attempting to institute something new. They can tell everyone to do something, and even show them how, but the employees do not embrace the new program and it may not succeed. Employees, on the other hand, will embrace a new program (even if they don't particularly like it) simply because they trust the manager's judgment and vision.We have heard about military leaders who led their troops into dangerous, near-certain death situations. On the other hand, we heard about soldiers in Vietnam who assassinated officers rather than obey them. Why would soldiers in the first example follow the officer into battle knowing they would probably be killed, while those in the second case not only refused to follow, but actually went so far as to kill the officer? Was it because of the cause or because of the off icer?Niccolà ² Machiavelli wrote The Prince during the Renaissance in sixteenth-century Florence, Italy. It was one of the first texts on leadership. Machiavelli was a government official during a period of warfare and political intrigue between city-states vying for hegemony, and he had a cynical view of human nature, believing that people were motivated by very narrow self-interest.Most highlighted in the book is Machiavelli’s dictum, found in Chapter 17, which advised the leader or prince that it was better to be feared than to be loved by the governed because love is a fickle emotion, whereas fear is constant. In other words, survival is a basic human instinct that dominates other emotions. Machiavelli also suggested that a leader should engage in lies or deceptions for the good of society, as long as he appears to be virtuous to the people.The leader should be fair yet tough, harshly punishing disloyal subjects to discourage others from engaging in treason. Machiavelli believed that the aristocrats close in stature to the prince posed the greatest threat to his welfare and that the prince had to use cunning and intrigue to keep them off balance. Thus, he warned the leader not to trust his peers. He believed that an effective leader forms alliances of convenience with some enemies to keep more powerful enemies off balance.Summarizing Chapter 17At the beginning of Chapter 17 of The Prince, Machiavelli purports that there is no doubt that the leader must have compassion.   Similar to being generous, compassion is usually admired by everyone. However, Machiavelli warned that a prince must be careful that he does not show compassion indiscriminately. If a prince is too compassionate, and does not adequately punish disloyal subjects, he creates an atmosphere of disorder, since his subjects take the liberty to do what they please—even to the extremes of murder and theft. With this, Machiavelli envisioned that these crimes might harm the entire c ommunity, whereas executions harm only the individuals who commit crimes.Thus, Machiavelli suggested that some degree of cruelty is necessary to maintain order in a particular community. However, the prince must heed the warning of being judicious in terms of his decisions with regards to cruelty; it should be coupled with critical judgement, humanity and prudence.At this point, Machiavelli reflected on whether is it better off being feared or being loved. Ideally, a prince should be both loved and feared, but this condition is nearly perfect and difficult to attain. So Machiavelli deemed, when forced to make a choice, it is much better to be feared than loved. This is because men, by nature, are â€Å"ungrateful, fickle, dissembling, anxious to flee danger, and covetous of gain.† This decision is most applicable during times of danger or emergencies, it is easier to break a bond of love when the situation arises, but the fear of punishment is always effective, regardless of the situation.Yet, Machiavelli reminded that when choosing to generate fear, a prince must be wary to avoid inducing hatred. This is for the reason that the leader must make sure that every move he makes are properly justified and agreeable to majority of his people. Most importantly, leaders should not abuse his authority by taking the property of his subjects or take their women, since these actions are most likely to breed hatred. If a prince must confiscate property, he must make sure he has a convincing reason. With one’s army, however, there is no such thing as too much cruelty. Keeping an army disciplined and united requires cruelty, even inhuman cruelty.In a nutshell, Chapter 17 of The Prince argues that it is better for a prince to be severe when punishing people rather than merciful because severity through death sentences affects only a few, but it discourages crimes which affects many people. Moreover, Machiavelli ultimately recommended that it is better to be fea red than to be loved. But Machiavelli warned of the prince should avoid being hated, which he can easily accomplish by not taking away the property of his subjects: â€Å"people more quickly forget the death of their father than the loss of their inheritance.†Man of No Virtueâ€Å"The man of virtà º has no virtue.†Ã‚   This statement does adequately describe one of Machiavelli’s position in The Prince.   Machiavelli can be seen as a supporter of Remigio and Dante, rather than Aristotle. Throughout his treatise, Machiavelli most definitely strives to achieve peace, but he feels that virtue is not necessary.   Rather, Machiavelli suggests that peace should be the sole legitimizing factor of a ruler.   A good ruler should simply rule by whatever means necessary to achieve peace.   A good ruler ignores virtue and must be practical, rather than impractical.   The practical ruler is tightfisted, justly cruel, feared and respected, dependent on subject loyal ty, and able to use advisers as tools.First and foremost, what is the difference between virtà º and virtue?   A person who is said to possess virtue is commonly seen as a person who is of high moral excellence and upright goodness.   Common virtues include prudence, courage, and practicality.   Virtues are most often found in people who are seen as good.   Virtà º, while extremely similar to virtue, is not quite the same thing in terms of Machiavelli’s usage of the word.   On pages 103 and 104 in Appendix B of The Prince, virtà º is defined.   It is defined as having various senses, which include, â€Å"ability, skill, energy, determination, strength, spiritedness, courage, or prowess.†Ã‚   The common reader might interpret all of these senses as differing aspects of virtue.   Also, a good ruler is commonly perceived as having virtue or even virtà º.   However, Machiavelli had something a little different in mind.Normally, the term virtà º is most ly frequently used synonymously with the term virtue.   Machiavelli uses the term a little differently.   On page 104, it states that, â€Å"Machiavelli’s use of the word has overtones of ‘ruthlessness,’ which is not a characteristic of a good man.†Ã‚   Of course, the word which is being described is virtà º.   On the same page of Appendix B, virtà º is properly defined in Machiavellian terms.   It states, â€Å"Virtà º, then, in this usual sense (or set of senses) denotes qualities that may have been combined with ‘villainy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚   Therefore, Machiavelli is generally arguing that the man of villainy and ruthlessness has no moral excellence and upright goodness.   Since good leaders possess virtà º, good leaders must thereby be villainous and even nefarious.   This can be seen throughout the whole of The Prince.Throughout The Prince, Machiavelli argues that in order to be an excellent ruler, one must possess virtà º.   V irtue is definitely not necessary under a Machiavellian form of rule.   According to Machiavelli, a good ruler is one who is in control and will do whatever is necessary to be successful.   The most notable examples can be found in chapters fifteen through twenty-three.In chapter 15 of The Prince, Machiavelli gives his first argument as to why rulers should be ruthless.   On page 55, Machiavelli states, â€Å"Yet one should not be troubled about becoming notorious for those vices without which it is difficult to preserve one’s power†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚   On the same page, Machiavelli goes on to write, â€Å"†¦doing some things that seem virtuous may result in one’s ruin, whereas doing other things that seem vicious may strengthen one’s position and cause one to flourish.†Ã‚   Essentially, Machiavelli is saying that a superb ruler should not worry about possessing virtue.   A proper ruler should have no problem with making friends with vice, so l ong as in doing so the ruler is being practical and successful.   After all, there is no reason to be ruthless without practicality.   The only reason for a lack of practicality would be sheer and blatant ignorance.In chapter sixteen of The Prince, Machiavelli goes on to write that a good ruler should not be overly generous.   On page 57, Machiavelli states that the charitable ruler will rule while, â€Å"†¦being despised and hated; and generosity will lead to both.†Ã‚   This emphasizes the fact that a tight-fisted ruler will be more popular, and thereby, the better ruler.   A ruler who is parsimonious will have money when it is necessary.   Machiavelli stresses this on page 56.   Rulers who do not waste their money on building projects, artistic patronage, or friendly gifts, will have plenty of money when it is needed, say when a rival state rises up to attack.   A ruler who is tight-fisted also would not need to tax his subjects as much as a generous rule r.   A generous ruler would need constant high taxes due to his lavish expenditure or open-handedness.   Of course, generosity is a virtue; and in order to posses virtà º, and hence, a good rule, generosity must be left in the dirt.   Therefore, the man who is tight-fisted has no virtue.Machiavelli’s next argument as to why the ruler of virtà º can have no virtue comes in the next chapter, that is, chapter seventeen.   When comparing the cruel and feared ruler to the merciful and loved ruler, the cruel and feared ruler is the exceedingly better ruler.   After all, Machiavelli states on page 59, â€Å"†¦it is much safer to be feared than loved.†Ã‚   Cruelty is needed to maintain order. If a ruler is cruel to simply those who disobey the law, the lawbreakers alone will suffer.   Hence, the people under the ruler will learn not to break the law, due to fear of punishment.   Therefore, peaceful order will surely ensue.   However, if he is excessively kind and lets public order break down, everyone suffers from the increase in the excess of subsequent robbery, murder, rape, etc.   Cruelty is most definitely not a virtue; so therefore, Machiavelli agrees again that the man of virtà º lacks any virtue.  Next, on page 64 of chapter nineteen, Machiavelli argues that a ruler becomes despised when he acquires the reputation of being, â€Å"†¦inconstant, frivolous, effeminate, pusillanimous and irresolute: a ruler must avoid contempt as if it were a reef.†Ã‚   In order for a ruler to stay in the people’s favor, he must become none of these.   Rather, a good ruler would constantly try to be the opposite of these.   Thus, a good ruler must be usual and accepted, determined and motivated, masculine and rugged, dauntless and courageous, and resolute and unequivocal.If these qualities are necessary for the best possible ruler, that ruler should have no problem in trying to attain and maintain these qualities.   Again, the ruler should not bother with virtue.   Rather, he or she should attempt whatever in their power is necessary to achieve and preserve these qualities.   Also, although some people may view these qualities as virtuous, they are still to be attained through whatever means necessary.   This is a quality of a man of virtà º.   Virtue must be placed aside while attempting to gain these qualities.Following this argument comes one which involves the importance of a fortress.   On page 76, Machiavelli states, â€Å"†¦I criticize anyone who relies upon fortresses, and does not worry about incurring the hatred of the people.†Ã‚   Despite the great importance of military power, a ruler who bases his rule on building fortresses to intimidate and threaten his subjects cannot rule securely. The subjects would simply not tolerate it.   More than likely, they would look for assistance elsewhere, such as a foreign power, and overthrow the ruler.   Therefore, the single best fortress that a ruler can have is the loyalty of his or her subjects.Without subject loyalty a ruler is useless.   In order to maintain subject loyalty, a ruler must be good.   In order to be a good ruler he or she must be feared by the subjects, as well as be cruel and tight-fisted.   Again, this emphasizes the fact that the best possible ruler can posses no virtue.A final argument is brought forth in chapters twenty-two and twenty-three.   On page 80, Machiavelli states, â€Å"The choosing of ministers is a very important matter for a ruler: whether or not they are good depends on whether he is shrewd or not.†Ã‚   A prince needs able advisers.   If the ruler chooses wise advisors, the subjects of the ruler will take him or her to be wise as well.   Also, just like the subjects of the rulers, advisers should also be loyal and fearful of the ruler.   The ruler must act the same way towards his advisors as he or she does to the subjects.   This wil l show the people that they are no different from the advisors.   No jealously would ensue and no rights would be violated.   Although, there was no specific rule regarding rights at the time, the subjects would no doubt at least feel inferior.   Thus, rule would be maintained by virtà º and not by virtue, as was previously stated, because cruelty is needed to maintain peace.Machiavelli goes on in chapter twenty-tree to describe more specifically how a ruler is to properly use his or her advisors.   After a ruler has taken advice from the advisor, he must make up his own mind about policy decisions. A good ruler should not accept unsolicited advice, and he or she should not let the advisers talk the ruler into constantly changing his mind.   This would show everyone that the ruler possesses poor qualities of a ruler.   The ruler must rule, not the advisors.   Again, the ruler must do this by whatever means necessary.   Thus, virtà º is again favored above virtue.Ul timately, in Machiavellian terms, the man of virtà º most definitely does not possess virtue.   The man of virtà º, or the good ruler, must be cruel, feared, tightfisted, reliant on subject allegiance, and able to use advisors as tools.   The man of virtue would never be any of these.   Therefore, the man of virtue would not make a good ruler.   Therefore, Machiavelli definitely does not agree with Aristotle in his opinion that virtue can legitimize a ruler.   Rather, Machiavelli agrees with Remigio and Dante, in that peace can be substituted for virtue.   So long as peace is achieved, a ruler is successful and good.   Peace, through whatever means necessary, is solely legitimizing.ConclusionSome leaders nowadays are still taking their cues from Machiavelli's proposition in Chapter 17 of The Prince, believe that fear is more reliable than love as a means of influencing people. It is true that if someone hates and fears you, his or her behavior may be quite predictabl e. If you have the allies to back up your threats, it may not be necessary for you to get along with the people you work with. But power in public bureaucracy is often a temporary thing, like powerlessness. Yesterday's powerless subordinate may be tomorrow's powerful boss.Machiavelli proposed that it is better to be more feared than loved. You can lead by the force of high moral example. History and experience have proven that it could be done. But it's risky, because people are fickle, and they will abandon you at the first sign of failure. Fear is much more reliable, and lasts longer. Once you show that you are capable of dealing out terrible punishment to your enemies, your power will be far greater.In closer analysis, Machiavelli’s proposition is somewhat more troublesome to apply in today’s hierarchy. At present, it is unusual for any leader to have authority over every aspect of his or her job or status. For example, a supervisor might need the help of the person nel office, if he wants to hire someone. You need the help of the budget staff if you must obtain certain resources and need to move money from one cost center to another. Organizations operate informally, as well as through a formal hierarchy. In order to get things done, you must sometimes exchange favors and information.Thus, the effectiveness of a leader in any organization will be a direct reflection of his or her ability to get along with people. You will find it easier to get your work done if people want to help you because they like you or even because they feel sorry for you. If you are feared or hated, you may get cooperation when people have no choice, but the minute you turn your back, your colleagues will find a thousand ways to undermine your attitude.Working in organizations or leading a community involves a series of exchanges rather than power relationships. Like the rest of society, organizations are more complex in the twenty-first century.   As organizations c hange, downsize, and modernize, complexity does not decrease because organizations increase their use of advanced technology and knowledge. Machiavelli’s proposal that leaders should better be â€Å"feared than loved† would be definitely inappropriate and dangerous, if applied in our time. Just think about the people you step on as you climb up the career ladder might very well see you again on your way down the ladder. Effective leaders should take the long term perspective in considering their strategies.Aggressive leadership does not require you to disregard the feelings of subordinates or co-workers. Leaders who are committed to the long term perspective usually become quite skilled at influencing people and at stroking key individuals within the organization. Thus, as Machiavelli’s proposition might have some good points, it could not be well applicable, if we consider the fast-changing times that, more often than not, frown upon leaders who lash out fear o n their people.Works CitedMachiavelli, N. The Prince. (Anthony Grafton, Introduction; George Bull, trans.). London: Penguin Classics, 1999.

Alcohol Abuse Introduction

Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse Signs, Symptoms, and Help for Drinking Problems It’s not always easy to see when your drinking has crossed the line from moderate or social use to problem drinking. But if you consume alcohol to cope with difficulties or to avoid feeling bad, you’re in potentially dangerous territory. Alcoholism and alcohol abuse can sneak up on you, so it’s important to be aware of the warning signs and take steps to cut back if you recognize them. Understanding the problem is the first step to overcoming it. In This Article: * Understanding drinking problems * Signs & symptoms of alcohol abuse Signs & symptoms of alcoholism * Drinking problems and denial * Effects of alcoholism * Getting help for alcohol abuse * When a loved one has a drinking problem Understanding alcoholism and alcohol abuse Alcoholism and alcohol abuse are due to many interconnected factors, including genetics, how you were raised, your social environment, and your emotional heal th. Some racial groups, such as American Indians and Native Alaskans, are more at risk than others of developing alcohol addiction. People who have a family history of alcoholism or who associate closely with heavy drinkers are more likely to develop drinking problems.Finally, those who suffer from a mental health problem such as anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder are also particularly at risk, because alcohol may be used to self-medicate. Since drinking is so common in many cultures and the effects vary so widely from person to person, it’s not always easy to figure out where the line is between social drinking and problem drinking. The bottom line is how alcohol affects you. If your drinking is causing problems in your life, you have a drinking problem. Do you have a drinking problem? You may have a drinking problem if you†¦ Feel guilty or ashamed about your drinking. * Lie to others or hide your drinking habits. * Have friends or family members who are worried a bout your drinking. * Need to drink in order to relax or feel better. * â€Å"Black out† or forget what you did while you were drinking. * Regularly drink more than you intended to. Signs and symptoms of alcohol abuse Substance abuse experts make a distinction between alcohol abuse and alcoholism (also called alcohol dependence). Unlike alcoholics, alcohol abusers have some ability to set limits on their drinking.However, their alcohol use is still self-destructive and dangerous to themselves or others. Common signs and symptoms of alcohol abuse include: * Repeatedly neglecting your responsibilities at home, work, or school because of your drinking. For example, performing poorly at work, flunking classes, neglecting your kids, or skipping out on commitments because you’re hung over. * Using alcohol in situations where it’s physically dangerous, such as drinking and driving, operating machinery while intoxicated, or mixing alcohol with prescription medication ag ainst doctor’s orders. Experiencing repeated legal problems on account of your drinking. For example, getting arrested for driving under the influence or for drunk and disorderly conduct. * Continuing to drink even though your alcohol use is causing problems in your relationships. Getting drunk with your buddies, for example, even though you know your wife will be very upset, or fighting with your family because they dislike how you act when you drink. * Drinking as a way to relax or de-stress. Many drinking problems start when people use alcohol to self-soothe and relieve stress.Getting drunk after every stressful day, for example, or reaching for a bottle every time you have an argument with your spouse or boss. The path from alcohol abuse to alcoholism Not all alcohol abusers become full-blown alcoholics, but it is a big risk factor. Sometimes alcoholism develops suddenly in response to a stressful change, such as a breakup, retirement, or another loss. Other times, it gra dually creeps up on you as your tolerance to alcohol increases. If you’re a binge drinker or you drink every day, the risks of developing alcoholism are greater. Signs and symptoms of alcoholism (alcohol dependence)Alcoholism is the most severe form of problem drinking. Alcoholism involves all the symptoms of alcohol abuse, but it also involves another element: physical dependence on alcohol. If you rely on alcohol to function or feel physically compelled to drink, you’re an alcoholic. Tolerance: The 1st major warning sign of alcoholism Do you have to drink a lot more than you used to in order to get buzzed or to feel relaxed? Can you drink more than other people without getting drunk? These are signs of tolerance, which can be an early warning sign of alcoholism. Tolerance means that, over time, you need more and more alcohol to feel the same effects.Withdrawal: The 2nd major warning sign of alcoholism Do you need a drink to steady the shakes in the morning? Drinking to relieve or avoid withdrawal symptoms is a sign of alcoholism and a huge red flag. When you drink heavily, your body gets used to the alcohol and experiences withdrawal symptoms if it’s taken away. These include: * Anxiety or jumpiness * Shakiness or trembling * Sweating * Nausea and vomiting * Insomnia | * Depression * Irritability * Fatigue * Loss of appetite * Headache | In severe cases, withdrawal from alcohol can also involve hallucinations, confusion, seizures, fever, and agitation.These symptoms can be dangerous, so talk to your doctor if you are a heavy drinker and want to quit. Other signs and symptoms of alcoholism (alcohol dependence) * You’ve lost control over your drinking. You often drink more alcohol than you wanted to, for longer than you intended, or despite telling yourself you wouldn’t. * You want to quit drinking, but you can’t. You have a persistent desire to cut down or stop your alcohol use, but your efforts to quit have been unsu ccessful. * You have given up other activities because of alcohol.You’re spending less time on activities that used to be important to you (hanging out with family and friends, going to the gym, pursuing your hobbies) because of your alcohol use. * Alcohol takes up a great deal of your energy and focus. You spend a lot of time drinking, thinking about it, or recovering from its effects. You have few if any interests or social involvements that don’t revolve around drinking. * You drink even though you know it’s causing problems. For example, you recognize that your alcohol use is damaging your marriage, making your depression worse, or causing health problems, but you continue to drink anyway.Drinking problems and denial Is my drinking a problem? by Harvard Health Publications Denial is one of the biggest obstacles to getting help for alcohol abuse and alcoholism. The desire to drink is so strong that the mind finds many ways to rationalize drinking, even when t he consequences are obvious. By keeping you from looking honestly at your behavior and its negative effects, denial also exacerbates alcohol-related problems with work, finances, and relationships. If you have a drinking problem, you may deny it by: * Drastically underestimating how much you drink Downplaying the negative consequences of your drinking * Complaining that family and friends are exaggerating the problem * Blaming your drinking or drinking-related problems on others For example, you may blame an ‘unfair boss’ for trouble at work or a ‘nagging wife’ for your marital issues, rather than look at how your drinking is contributing to the problem. While work, relationship, and financial stresses happen to everyone, an overall pattern of deterioration and blaming others may be a sign of trouble.If you find yourself rationalizing your drinking habits, lying about them, or refusing to discuss the subject, take a moment to consider why you’re so d efensive. If you truly believe you don’t have a problem, there should be no reason for you to cover up your drinking or make excuses. Five myths about alcoholism and alcohol abuse Myth #1: I can stop drinking anytime I want to. Maybe you can; more likely, you can’t. Either way, it’s just an excuse to keep drinking. The truth is, you don’t want to stop.Telling yourself you can quit makes you feel in control, despite all evidence to the contrary and no matter the damage it’s doing. Myth #2: My drinking is my problem. I’m the one it hurts, so no one has the right to tell me to stop. It’s true that the decision to quit drinking is up to you. But you are deceiving yourself if you think that your drinking hurts no one else but you. Alcoholism affects everyone around you—especially the people closest to you. Your problem is their problem. Myth #3: I don’t drink every day, so I can’t be an alcoholic OR I only drink wine o r beer, so I can’t be an alcoholic.Alcoholism is NOT defined by what you drink, when you drink it, or even how much you drink. It’s the EFFECTS of your drinking that define a problem. If your drinking is causing problems in your home or work life, you have a drinking problem—whether you drink daily or only on the weekends, down shots of tequila or stick to wine, drink three bottles of beers a day or three bottles of whiskey. Myth #4: I’m not an alcoholic because I have a job and I’m doing okay. You don’t have to be homeless and drinking out of a brown paper bag to be an alcoholic.Many alcoholics are able to hold down jobs, get through school, and provide for their families. Some are even able to excel. But just because you’re a high-functioning alcoholic doesn’t mean you’re not putting yourself or others in danger. Over time, the effects will catch up with you. Myth #5: Drinking is not a â€Å"real† addiction like drug abuse. Alcohol is a drug, and alcoholism is every bit as damaging as drug addiction. Alcohol addiction causes changes in the body and brain, and long-term alcohol abuse can have devastating effects on your health, your career, and your relationships.Alcoholics go through physical withdrawal when they stop drinking, just like drug users do when they quit. Effects of alcoholism and alcohol abuse Alcoholism and alcohol abuse can affect all aspects of your life. Long-term alcohol use can cause serious health complications, affecting virtually every organ in your body, including your brain. Problem drinking can also damage your emotional stability, finances, career, and your ability to build and sustain satisfying relationships. Alcoholism and alcohol abuse can also have an impact on your family, friends and the people you work with.The effects of alcoholism and alcohol abuse on the people you love Despite the potentially lethal damage that heavy drinking does to the body—in cluding cancer, heart problems, and liver disease—the social consequences can be just as devastating. Alcoholics and alcohol abusers are much more likely to get divorced, have problems with domestic violence, struggle with unemployment, and live in poverty. But even if you’re able to succeed at work or hold your marriage together, you can’t escape the effects that alcoholism and alcohol abuse has on your personal relationships.Drinking problems put an enormous strain on the people closest to you. Often, family members and close friends feel obligated to cover for the person with the drinking problem. So they take on the burden of cleaning up your messes, lying for you, or working more to make ends meet. Pretending that nothing is wrong and hiding away all of their fears and resentments can take an enormous toll. Children are especially sensitive and can suffer long-lasting emotional trauma when a parent or caretaker is an alcoholic or heavy drinker. Getting help for alcoholism or alcohol abuseIf you’re ready to admit you have a drinking problem, you’ve already taken the first step. It takes tremendous strength and courage to face alcohol abuse and alcoholism head on. Reaching out for support is the second step. Whether you choose to go to rehab, rely on self-help programs, get therapy, or take a self-directed treatment approach, support is essential. Recovering from alcohol addiction is much easier when you have people you can lean on for encouragement, comfort, and guidance. Without support, it’s easy to fall back into old patterns when things get tough.Getting sober is only the beginning Learn about roadblocks to staying sober Watch 3 min. video: Roadblocks to awareness Your continued recovery depends on continuing mental health treatment, learning healthier coping strategies, and making better decisions when dealing with life’s challenges. In order to stay alcohol-free for the long term, you’ll also ha ve to face the underlying problems that led to your alcoholism or alcohol abuse in the first place. Those problems could be depression, an inability to manage stress, an unresolved trauma from your childhood, or any number of mental health issues.Such problems may become more prominent when you’re no longer using alcohol to cover them up. But you will be in a healthier position to finally address them and seek the help you need. Helping a loved one with alcoholism or alcohol abuse If someone you love has a drinking problem, you may be struggling with a number of painful emotions, including shame, fear, anger, and self-blame. The problem may be so overwhelming that it seems easier to ignore it and pretend that nothing is wrong. But in the long run denying it will be more damaging to you, other family members, and the person with the drinking problem.What Not To Do * Don't attempt to punish, threaten, bribe, or preach. * Don't try to be a martyr. Avoid emotional appeals that ma y only increase feelings of guilt and the compulsion to drink or use other drugs. * Don't cover up or make excuses for the alcoholic or problem drinker or shield them from the realistic consequences of their behavior. * Don't take over their responsibilities, leaving them with no sense of importance or dignity. * Don't hide or dump bottles, throw out drugs, or shelter them from situations where alcohol is present. * Don't argue with the person when they are impaired. Don't try to drink along with the problem drinker. * Above all, don't feel guilty or responsible for another's behavior. Adapted from: National Clearinghouse for Alcohol ; Drug Information Dealing with a loved one’s alcohol problem can be an emotional rollercoaster. It’s vital that you take care of yourself and get the support you need. It’s also important to have people you can talk honestly and openly with about what you’re going through. A good place to start is by joining a group such as Al-Anon, a free peer support group for families coping with alcoholism.Listening to others with the same challenges can be a tremendous source of comfort and support. You can also turn to trusted friends, a therapist, or people in your faith community. * You cannot force someone you love to stop abusing alcohol. As much as you may want to, and as hard as it is to watch, you cannot make someone stop drinking. The choice is up to them. * Don’t expect the person to stop drinking and stay sober without help. Your loved one will need treatment, support, and new coping skills to overcome a serious drinking problem. * Recovery is n ongoing process. Recovery is a bumpy road, requiring time and patience. An alcoholic will not magically become a different person once sober. And the problems that led to the alcohol abuse in the first place will have to be faced. Admitting that there’s a serious problem can be painful for the whole family, not just the alcohol abuser. But don†™t be ashamed. You’re not alone. Alcoholism and alcohol abuse affects millions of families, from every social class, race, and culture. But there is help and support available for both you and your loved one.What Not To Do * Don't attempt to punish, threaten, bribe, or preach. * Don't try to be a martyr. Avoid emotional appeals that may only increase feelings of guilt and the compulsion to drink or use other drugs. * Don't cover up or make excuses for the alcoholic or problem drinker or shield them from the realistic consequences of their behavior. * Don't take over their responsibilities, leaving them with no sense of importance or dignity. * Don't hide or dump bottles, throw out drugs, or shelter them from situations where alcohol is present. Don't argue with the person when they are impaired. * Don't try to drink along with the problem drinker. * Above all, don't feel guilty or responsible for another's behavior. Adapted from: National Clearinghouse for Alcohol & Drug In formation When your teen has a drinking problem Discovering your child is drinking can generate fear, confusion, and anger in parents. It’s important to remain calm when confronting your teen, and only do so when everyone is sober. Explain your concerns and make it clear that your concern comes from a place of love.It’s important that your teen feels you are supportive. Five steps parents can take: 1. Lay down rules and consequences: Your teen should understand that drinking alcohol comes with specific consequences. But don’t make hollow threats or set rules that you cannot enforce. Make sure your spouse agrees with the rules and is prepared to enforce them. 2. Monitor your teen’s activity: Know where your teen goes and who he or she hangs out with. Remove or lock away alcohol from your home and routinely check potential hiding laces for alcohol—in backpacks, under the bed, between clothes in a drawer, for example. Explain to your teen that this la ck of privacy is a consequence of him or her having been caught using alcohol. 3. Encourage other interests and social activities. Expose your teen to healthy hobbies and activities, such as team sports, Scouts, and afterschool clubs. 4. Talk to your child about underlying issues. Drinking can be the result of other problems. Is your child having trouble fitting in? Has there been a recent major change, like a move or divorce, which is causing stress? . Get outside help: You don’t have to go it alone. Teenagers often rebel against their parents but if they hear the same information from a different authority figure, they may be more inclined to listen. Try seeking help from a sports coach, family doctor, therapist, or counselor. Next step†¦ Find the right treatment for you. Many effective alcohol treatment options are available, including rehab programs. However, professional help isn’t the only way to get better. There are also plenty of things you can do to help yourself stop drinking and achieve lasting recovery.

Locke and Hobbes Views on State of Nature

Locke and Hobbes Views on State of Nature Introduction The state of nature, in political philosophy, is a term used in social contract theories to refer to the hypothetical condition that preceded governments.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Locke and Hobbes’ Views on State of Nature specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In a broader sense, state of nature can be described as the condition before rule of positive law comes into being, thus it is a synonym for anarchy (Schochet, 1967). State of nature is fundamental in social contract theory since people seek to be governed by persons in higher authority in order to maintain their social stability. Hobbes and Locke were among the few philosophers who contributed immensely to the concept of state of nature. They were both natural law and social contract theorists who lived in the same era but had different views and arguments on the state of nature, justification of governments and the motives to move out of the state of nature. All other natural law theorists, except Hobbes, assumed that man was a social animal by nature. On contrary, Hobbes assumed very different conclusions and was infamous for several other unconventional results in mathematics and physics. Differences Thomas Hobbes wrote in his greatest work Leviathan, that nothing could be as worst as life without the state protection. As a materialist he borrowed a lot from the principle of conservation in motion from Galileo’s theory. He noted, that an object is eternally supposed to be in motion unless someone disturbs it. Using the principle of conservation of motion, he argued that, human beings are perpetually seeking for new things (Macpherson, 1990). In addition stated that, life itself is in a state of motion and can never be enjoyed without desire to move. He argued that, it is only through the search of well-being that human beings go to war with one another and that the fear of death is the only leading factor to the creation of a state. The state of nature is pictured by Hobbes as a state where all are at war with each other. The search for felicity results to men constantly trying to aggravate their power. According to Hobbes, human beings are made equal by nature since what they possess is equal in terms of strengths and skills. He argued that the weakest has strength enough to kill the most formidable, either by secret maneuvers or by coordinating with others. Hobbes cited that in a state of nature three reasons motivate human beings to attack each other, which included the desire for safety, glory, reputation or for selfish gains. According to Hobbes’ theory, in a state of nature there is no room for the unjust hence there is no space for immorality, something that he referred to as the National Right of Liberty.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Individuals wit h collective rationality are contrasted by Hobbes. When explaining the peculiarity of â€Å"prisoner’s dilemma† Hobbes argued that it is difficult to achieve cooperation when individuals with collective rationality diverge. He believed that an individual’s rational behavior leads to attack of other people. According to him, it is our duty to obey the laws of nature just as other people around us are obedient to it. Incases where an individual feels endangered by other people’s standing, in just an occasion one is termed as acting jealously. According to Hobbes theory the level of collective suspicion and fear is very high such that we are excused for not obeying the law and that we only act in a morally upright way when others act the same way. Hobbes assumes that one concedes his rights to the government in return for life. To him, the role of the society is to direct creation of state and a reflection of the will of the ruler and that whatever the state does is just by definition. On the contrary, Locke’s views and arguments differ a lot when compared to Hobbes’. John Locke believed he could live in a state of nature and in a life without a state government. According to Locke, the state of nature is a state of perfect freedom and a state of equality that is only bound by the law of nature. In his theory, Locke adds a moral and technological aspect where he states that due to the fact that we are all creatures of God we should not harm others except for purposes of self defense. All people have a duty to protect and help others without doing harming themselves. On matters of liberty, we have the freedom to do what is morally upright. Here Locke’s view clearly contrasts Hobbes’ who cited that every one has a right over every thing in a state of nature, even the right over other people’s bodies. Locke advocated for equality among human beings and stated that everyone has the power to enforce the la w of nature within a state of nature. According to Locke, harming somebody is only allowed in self defense and those who break the laws of nature should face punishment as a natural right. He argued that each offense should be severely punished according to its magnitude so as to act as an ill bargain for the offenders and to make them repent, thus terrifying others who may be wanting to commit the same transgressions (Olivecrona, 1998).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Locke and Hobbes’ Views on State of Nature specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to Locke the most important right to be secured in a state nature is private property. He claims that God created us to own property and live in satisfaction but not to end up starving. Locke cited that there is a natural reason to own property in the sense that if man was to ask permission from another man to use the earth then it would amount to starvation. Locke’s picture of the state of nature is very optimistic. He argues that nature is not ruled by morality and individuals act for their best but not for the best of the community as whole. According to Locke, the reasons that led to creation of states were; increase in resource scarcity and the invention of cash that is a means of non perishable exchange. People could exchange land produce for money avoiding loss, creating wealth and imbalances that Hobbes termed as a state of war. According to him, the role of the society was to ensure justice was done. Similarities There are similarities between Hobbes’ and Locke’s views on state of nature. Both are political philosophers and their writings have influenced to a great extent development of modern political thought. Both refer to the state of nature in which man lives without a government and both point out risks in the state. Both, Hobbes and Locke talk about the dangers of the state of nature. Man is referred by both of them as being equal to the state (Macpherson, 1990). Locke describes nature as a state of perfect equality where superiority over one another is not exercised but despite the equality both warn of dangers of state of nature. For instance, Hobbes says that if two men cannot enjoy the same thing they turn out to be enemies, something that ends in a state of war. Locke points out risks in cases where the law of nature is lacking and everyone executes duties, this may result to what Hobbes refers to as a state of war. Both Locke and Hobbes somehow seem to agree on the law of nature. They seem to agree the concept of law to imply a law enforcer; otherwise the law would be an empty concept. Conclusion I tend to agree with Locke’s point of view in his argument, that in a state of nature there are moral codes which guide and inspire human beings (Macpherson, 1990). My reluctance to support Hobbes argument is supported by the fact that people may choose follow individual re asoning instead of a collective reason. However, Locke’s law of nature is somehow weak since it requires somebody to enforce it and his argument that everybody is empowered may not be true and may result to what Hobbes termed as state of war.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More References Macpherson, C.B.(1990). The political theory of possessive individualism. Oxford: Clarendon Press Oxford Olivecrona, K.L.(1998). Appropriation in the State of Nature: Locke on the Origin of Property. Journal of the History of Ideas,78(67),90-123. Schochet, G.J.(1967). Thomas Hobbes on the Family and the State of Nature. Political  Science Quarterly,90,78-80

buy custom The Menstrual Phenomenon essay

buy custom The Menstrual Phenomenon essay Assignment #1: Below are the more significant symptoms I have experienced in the past three months: 1) Indigestion or stomach problems: I believe that my stomach problems were mostly due to my excessive consumption of oily and chilly food, and then immediately followed by cold drink, especially beer, alcohol and wines. Sometimes, other than unhealthy food and drink, gloomy thoughts arising out of improper reaction to environmental challenges caused a lot of mental stress resulting in indigestion. 2) Feeling anxious or uneasy: Sometimes, in combating withpessimistic thoughts apparently coming from nowhere, I experienced anxious feelings and uneasiness. 3) Irregular sleeping pattern: This is most likely due to the restlessness and uneasiness of feelings that I experienced in the waking hours and later manifested as irregular sleeping pattern at bedtime. This is the most notable surprise to me as my sleep has always been sound, profound, and regular. Assignment #2: According to medical findings, Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is a more severe form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), characterized by both psychological and physical symptoms. A close young relative of mine living in my house seems to experience a variety of commmon symptoms such as depressed mood, anxiety or tension, and fatigue. She also seems to have insomnia and wake up tired in the morning. Her study seems to be temporary affected as her concentration is not good. Moreover, she likes to eat a lot typically before bedtime. Nevertheless, being a very active and socially outgoing person, she seems to be able to effectively and habitually carry herself through moments of depression, anxiety, and moodiness as commonly affecting most women. In other words, though she appears to experience more symptoms than the average woman, she is found leading a happy life in spite of the inevitable occurrence of the menstrual phenomenon. Buy custom The Menstrual Phenomenon essay

Definitions and Examples of Copular Verbs

Definitions and Examples of Copular Verbs In English grammar, a copula is a  verb that joins the subject of a sentence  or clause to a subject complement. For example, the word  is  functions as a copula in the sentences Jane  is my friend and Jane is friendly. Adjective: copular. Pronunciation: KOP-u-la. Also known as a copular verb or a linking verb. Contrast with a  lexical verb and a  dynamic verb. The primary verb be is sometimes referred to as the copula. However, while forms of  being  (am, are, is, was, were) are the most commonly used copulas in English, certain other verbs (identified below) have copular functions as well.   Unlike auxiliary verbs (also called helping verbs), which are used in front of other verbs, copular verbs function by themselves in the manner of main verbs. See Examples and Observations below. Also, see: Ascriptive SentenceDouble CopulaLinking VerbStative VerbVerb of BeingZero Copula Etymology From the Latin, link Examples and Observations These two very old people are the father and mother of Mr. Bucket. Their names are Grandpa Joe and Grandma Josephine.(Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 1964)The weather is horrible.That car looks fast.The stew smells good.I do feel a fool.She became a racehorse trainer.Its getting late.He spoke intelligently. (Intelligently is an adverb. It tells you about how the person spoke.)He looks intelligent. (Intelligent is an adjective in a predicative position. It tells you about the person himselfrather like saying He is intelligent. The look is a copular verb.)Common CopulasWe use a special kind of verb to join an adjective or noun complement to a subject. These verbs can be called copulas or copular verbs. Common copular verbs are: be, seem, appear, look, sound, smell, taste, feel, become, get.After copular verbs, we use adjectives, not adverbs. Compare: Note that some of these verbs are also used with other meanings as ordinary non-copular verbs.(Michael Swan, Practical Eng lish Usage. Oxford University Press, 1995)A copular (or linking) verb is complemented by a subject predicative in a sentence or clause structure. The most common copular verb is; others include become (my friend), feel (tired), get (ready), seem (happy). A copular prepositional verb is a prepositional verb (combination of a verb plus preposition) that is complemented by a subject predicative: sound like (you), turn into (a monster), serve as (mitigating circumstances).(Sidney Greenbaum, Oxford English Grammar. Oxford University Press, 1996) Describing some kind of state that the thing or person referred to by the subject is in; verbs of this sort include be, remain, seem and appear.Describing the result of some change affecting the thing or person referred to by the subject; verbs of this sort include become, turn, grow and get.Two Main Groups of CopulasCopular verbs fall into two broad groups: Copular verbs can occur in both main and subordinate clauses.James R. Hurford, Grammar: A Students Guide. Cambridge University Press, 1994

Alienation from others and process Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Alienation from others and process - Term Paper Example As a result, alienation results in the isolation and seclusion of the individual. This often deprives the individual the necessary social support system and making him more vulnerable to the vagaries of life and loneliness. Typical example would be a foreigner migrating to a new country with a different cultural and belief system. The foreigner, being different, is typically alienated or separated from the bigger group due to the difference of origin, belief system or sheer non-familiarity. Such, the foreigner is often left isolated and alone, and not included in whatever process that the bigger group may undertake. It is usual that in any conversation or social interaction, that particular foreigner is often left out. And even when he will have the chance to interact, his opinion or presence is often ignored being relegated to coming from a different person. If the person is part of an organization, he will have no control over decisions as to what the group would like to undertake. But is rather forced to abide due to his alienation from the process.

Sharing Your World Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sharing Your World - Coursework Example On the other hand, discrimination is an act that denies participation to groups or categories of people due to prejudice. It also includes the act of treating a member of a given group based on the fact that they’re from a given category of people in the society. My elder brother wanted to become a pastor when he was in college. My parents have used the same preconceived idea to judge me, thinking that I might also come up with the same thought of becoming a pastor when I reach college. I’ve felt so bad that my parents can use what happened to my brother to judge me. The prejudices in myself are such like, the fact that my elder brother passed so well in college and became the top in their class, I feel that I would also follow its footsteps and be the best in my class. I need to overcome this prejudice by believing in my own work and discovering that my brother and are two different

Analyse the marketing environment of Dominos Pizza (UK) (worth 60 per Essay

Analyse the marketing environment of Dominos Pizza (UK) (worth 60 per cent of mark) and Critically evaluate how this organisation is responding to its changi - Essay Example The company finally went public in 2004, and was able to reduce its $908 million debt. This paper will thoroughly discuss the SWOT analysis of a company along with other factors that vitally impact the organization’s quest to become a leader in its market. A comprehensive study of the company through the SWOT analysis indicates several things about the corporation. The company has a solid brand reputation, which enables it to have some advantage over its competitors. In addition, the company has an excellent marketing strategy that often displays the organization’s desire to improve in every aspect. Furthermore, the company has excellent operations management chain solutions, which allows it to allocate its resources effectively (â€Å"The pizza wars†). Moreover, with the advent of the technology, 21.8% of the pizzas in UK are delivered via the internet. Arjun Sen, manager of the Restaurant Marketing group stated some few harsh words of Domino’s stating, â€Å"Domino’s needs to define what it clearly stands in the minds of the pizza consumers.† (â€Å"The pizza wars†). Although it has met with recent criticism, the employees are motivated to work harder with the chefs to protect the companyâ⠂¬â„¢s brand. With that in mind, Domino’s decided to try cheddar bacon pizza melt to appeal to its burger lover customers. The company is able to serve decent-quality food at an affordable price with sanitary conditions, which gives it somewhat edge over its competitors(â€Å"The pizza wars†) Overall, the company is adapting well to the changes made by the head executives. The renovation of the recipe of the pizzas was a very successful approach towards bringing back customers. The company continues to adapt to new technology to serve its customers in a highly fashionable manner. Although the company does seem to have strengths, it also has certain weaknesses. The company constantly struggles to tackle the problem of

Warrant less wire tapping violation of rights Research Proposal

Warrant less wire tapping violation of rights - Research Proposal Example the United States, 389 U.S. 347 (1967) in which wire-tapping was identified as unreasonable search that should only be conducted with a warrant (Duke University 1). There are, however other legal provisions that warrant wire-tapping violation of rights that the fourth amendment provides for, based on the 1967 judicial interpretation. â€Å"Inevitable-discovery doctrine and the good-faith doctrine† are examples that compromise the fourth and fifth amendments’ protection of privacy and application of associated information as evidence against a subject (Hess & Orthmann 95). It is therefore necessary to investigate validity of such exceptions and the proposed study will investigate the following research question. The study will use survey design and collect data through focus group. The group will consist of two sets of people: defense layers with a minimum of ten years experience and experience in a wire tapping case, and professors in human rights law. Discussion will focus on the participants’ knowledge on wire-tapping violation of rights and their opinion on validity of existing and possible laws that allows for wire-tapping violation of rights. Data will be analyzed

Trends of societal role Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Trends of societal role - Research Paper Example The researcher was burdened to uplift the view of the paternal role in terms of his involvement with his child, thus bringing forth the present study which integrates both quantitative and qualitative research methods, and which could aid future investigations in both areas upon reviewing this literature. Kazura (2000) purposes to look into the father and child relationship through the latter’s involvement in attachment behaviors, play interactions, and social interactions (p. ?). The research conduction is brief, lasting only a few minutes including the Strange Situation procedure and the three play segments, or probably a few hours if we take into account the home visits conducted by the primary investigator. This may seem inadequate, but its cross-sectional design is acceptable as the same is used in other studies; however, we should not neglect the possibility of different results if there is alteration in the time frame. Kazura presents several information in her paper, w hich would allow other researchers to review on. She explains the basics of her study thoroughly, and provides enough statistical data, leaving this study open for future modifications. Using Kazura’s study, analytical skills will be demonstrated in understanding the components of her research and judging them according to the expected deftness achieved in this course. In the present research, Kazura studies both qualitative and quantitative father-child relationships by digging deeper in their attachment, play, and social interactions.... Prior to this, several other undertakings aimed to explore father involvement in child-rearing as women take part in the workforce. Although society noticed that fathers somehow started to be involved with the previously solely-mother role, there are still contentions about their involvement and the influence of their presence as caregivers, especially in the early years of their children, are questioned. Kazura presented previous literature that discussed the hindrances of father involvement to child-rearing in the first few years of life but these were not specifically typified. Providing evidences that the relationship between the quantity and quality of fathering behaviors are not firmly established and that the length of time parents spend with their children does necessarily affect the latter’s developmental outcomes, the researcher intends to collaborate both quantitative and qualitative methods in determining parental involvement with their children, and uses this to c ome up with her hypothesis and conclusions. Because one of the researcher’s goals is to compare paternal to maternal involvement, intact families were chosen to be a part of the sample, which were obtained by convenience sampling, recruited through newspaper advertisements and local child-care centers. The 27 couples with their children belong to the middle-class, composing of 24 Caucasian families, two African-American families, and one Eastern Indian family. The children ranged from 12 to 26 months, where there were 14 males and 13 females. The sample size is small, considering that results of the study would tend to generalize the father-child

Technologies for Treating Hazardous Waste Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Technologies for Treating Hazardous Waste - Essay Example Sanitary landfill is the used of an area as an isolation place of the solid waste until the danger of the waste is reduced. This kind of treating solid waste can be successful if the area is large and the isolation is good (â€Å"Solid Waste,† n.d.). Gasification on the other hand is the exposure to high temperature/extreme heat with the use of oxygen to decompose the waste. It has the advantages of lessening the size of waste and makes the transportation of waste easier. This is a type of incineration that has no contribution to air pollution. Composting is one of the oldest ways to treat solid waste. It is used specifically to solid wastes that decompose. It makes the area of decomposition very appropriate to the waste, so that decomposition occurs faster (â€Å"Solid Waste Management† n.d.). From the said technologies, gasification is the best. It can be observed that it has more advantages. It lessens the volume of waste in a shorter time because it reduces the waste on the spot. It also does not contribute pollution to nature especially to air unlike other thermal treatment. It brings back energy. And lastly it demands less space compared to sanitary

Trends of societal role Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Trends of societal role - Research Paper Example The researcher was burdened to uplift the view of the paternal role in terms of his involvement with his child, thus bringing forth the present study which integrates both quantitative and qualitative research methods, and which could aid future investigations in both areas upon reviewing this literature. Kazura (2000) purposes to look into the father and child relationship through the latter’s involvement in attachment behaviors, play interactions, and social interactions (p. ?). The research conduction is brief, lasting only a few minutes including the Strange Situation procedure and the three play segments, or probably a few hours if we take into account the home visits conducted by the primary investigator. This may seem inadequate, but its cross-sectional design is acceptable as the same is used in other studies; however, we should not neglect the possibility of different results if there is alteration in the time frame. Kazura presents several information in her paper, w hich would allow other researchers to review on. She explains the basics of her study thoroughly, and provides enough statistical data, leaving this study open for future modifications. Using Kazura’s study, analytical skills will be demonstrated in understanding the components of her research and judging them according to the expected deftness achieved in this course. In the present research, Kazura studies both qualitative and quantitative father-child relationships by digging deeper in their attachment, play, and social interactions.... Prior to this, several other undertakings aimed to explore father involvement in child-rearing as women take part in the workforce. Although society noticed that fathers somehow started to be involved with the previously solely-mother role, there are still contentions about their involvement and the influence of their presence as caregivers, especially in the early years of their children, are questioned. Kazura presented previous literature that discussed the hindrances of father involvement to child-rearing in the first few years of life but these were not specifically typified. Providing evidences that the relationship between the quantity and quality of fathering behaviors are not firmly established and that the length of time parents spend with their children does necessarily affect the latter’s developmental outcomes, the researcher intends to collaborate both quantitative and qualitative methods in determining parental involvement with their children, and uses this to c ome up with her hypothesis and conclusions. Because one of the researcher’s goals is to compare paternal to maternal involvement, intact families were chosen to be a part of the sample, which were obtained by convenience sampling, recruited through newspaper advertisements and local child-care centers. The 27 couples with their children belong to the middle-class, composing of 24 Caucasian families, two African-American families, and one Eastern Indian family. The children ranged from 12 to 26 months, where there were 14 males and 13 females. The sample size is small, considering that results of the study would tend to generalize the father-child

Answer questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 10

Answer questions - Assignment Example secured loans such as account receivables, freezing accounts of the business, placing a lien on property owned, in addition to filing a legal suit may well be recommended avenues to collect such loans. The law often prohibits creditors from taking/seizing certain types of properties. Such include collective family equity, furniture, and clothes. As such, first right to property with many interest involved fgalls to the collective owners other than the lender to a specific individual borower. A spouse and/or child cut out of a will can contest the will in a court of law. Such cases can be successful if the established laws or rules in a given state regarding family property are on their side. A prenuptial agreement only affect a will to the extent that its conflict with the terms of the will. One can donate part of her/his property through a written devise -- a gift of property made in a will. A lien is but a legal claim against the assets of a noncompliant taxpayer. If one receives an insurance policy with property tax lien, I file a "withdrawal" notice, notifying the public that I am not competing with other creditors for my property. Application for the Lien Withdrawal is also applicable for income tax lien. Easement is usually part of the deal and does need to be mentioned. For a mortgage and a mechanic lien, virtually impossible for you to sell a property with them, a law suit against such will be quite in order. Property lines are determined through a number of ways such as thorough checking of deed, visiting local assessors’ office for maps on the same or simply visiting the assessors’ official website for the same. One can also hire a surveyor to do the same work. Should problems be found, an agreement with the neighbors can as well resolve any issues arising from the

An Overview Of The Digital Divide

An Overview Of The Digital Divide This essay defines and addresses the significance of the digital divide providing evidence to support its existence in the United States. It analyzes findings from various research reports and case studies identifying factors that cause the divide. The digital divide is a technology gap between the haves and the have-nots. As a result of these gaps, 21st century learners will fall further behind and will not be able to reap the full benefits of our fast-growing technology driven society. The digital divide is the technology gap between people with access to digital and information technology and those with limited or no access (NTIS, 1998). The digital divide is often referred to as the technology gap between the haves and the have-nots. There are many factors that inhibit student access to computers and the internet. There is a digital divide among computer and internet access by race, income, education and location, as well as physical disabilities (Fourie Bothma, 2006). Research shows that Caucasian Americans access to digital and information technology at 46.1% nearly doubles that of African Americans at 23.5% and Hispanic Americans at 23.6%. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders exceed all racial/ethnic groups at 56.8% (Athena Alliance, 2001). Minority groups are at a disadvantage when it comes to having access to computers and the internet but it is not because they are minorities. Their limited access is because they are at a socio-economic disadvantage due to lower education levels and poorer incomes (Solomon, 2002). The technology gap by race seems to be closing significantly. This is due to the availability of computers and internet access at schools, libraries and community centers. Yet, there is still a technology gap in low-income and rural communities. Socio-economic factors play a major role in the technology gap between students. Poverty remains a major factor that limits students access to technology. Only 35% of households in lower socio-economic groups have internet access while 59% of middle income groups, 73% of upper middle income groups, and 83% of those in top income groups have access to the internet (Gartner Group, 2000). Now more than ever, unequal adoption of technology excludes many from reaping the fruits of the economy. Sectors of the population are excluded from the power and the economical benefits offered (Fourie Bothma, 2006). Divisions among the population are not just due to income but also location. There is a digital divide by geographical location. For students in high-poverty and rural areas, libraries can be the only way to get online (Barack, 2005). A digital divide separates rural America from the rest of the nation when it comes to broadband internet use and access. Only 24% of adults in rural America have high-speed internet access, compared to 38% of urban Americans and 40% of suburban Americans who have access (Perkins, 2006). Efforts are being made by the government and the private sector to increase connectivity in rural America. People with disabilities face a significant digital divide as well. Despite regular increases, both metro and non-metro people with disabilities have lower rates of internet use than their geographic counterparts with no disability (Dobransky, 2006). Surveys consistently report that people with disabilities have only half the rate of internet access of people without a disability (RTC, 2006). Obstacles that Americans with disabilities face include how costly adapted hardware and software can be, limited locations for internet access, workplace internet access maybe unavailable because of unemployment, and internet content may be frustrating because sites are not accessible to people using assistive technology (NTIS, 2000). Educators at all levels must keep up with the digital world inhabited by a new type of learner whose worldview is often developed through surfing the web, instant-messaging, and online activities like video games or social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace (Menard, 2008). To level the playing field for these 21st century learners or digital natives, we must bridge the technology gap that exists among these students by racial/ethnic, socio-economic, educational and geographical factors, as well as limited accessibility due to physical disabilities. According to Menard (2008), todays young people were born into the Internet era and face a life saturated by digital media. Their interaction with technology will deeply affect the way these learners interact with their environment. To be successful in todays technology driven society, students must have equal access to computers and information technology. References Barack, L. (2005). Gauging the digital divide. School Library Journal, 51(8), 21. Retrieved August 12, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 882387801). Dobranksky, K. Hargittai, E. (2006). The disability divide in Internet access and use. Information, Communication Society, 9, 3, 313-334. Fourie, I. Bothma, T. (2006). Addressing the digital divide in teaching information retrieval: A theoretical view on taking students from ICT access to knowledge sharing. The Electronic Library, 24(4), 469-489. Retrieved August 12, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 1142659581). Gartner Group (2000). The digital divide and American society. Available: http://www.3gartner.com Menard, J. (2008). Higher ed responds to the digital generation. The New England Journal of Higher Education, 23(1), 13. Retrieved August 12, 2009, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1529959711). NTIA (1998). Falling through the net: Defining the digital divide. NTIA No. PB99156614 Available: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ NTIA (2000). Falling through the net: Toward digital inclusion. A report on Americans access to technology tools. NTIA No. PB99144487. Available: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ NTIA (2000). Falling through the net: A survey of the have nots in rural and urban America. Available: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/net2/falling.html Perkins, B. (2006). Location spawned digital divide can cost you. Realty Times. Available: http://realtytimes.com RTC (2006). Disability and the Digital Divide: Comparing Surveys with Disability Data. Available: http://rtc.ruralinstitute.umt.edu Solomon, G. (2002). Digital equity. Its not just about access anymore. Technology Learning, 22(9), 18-26. Retrieved August 12, 2009, from ProQuest Computing. (Document ID: 115857641).

black people :: essays research papers

Some black people think everyone is messy! Others can't stand us. Yes I prefer to be called African American than black! Only once in a lifetime will a new invention come about to touch every aspect of our lives. Such devices changed the way we manage, work, and live. A machine that has done all this and more now exists in nearly every business in the United States. This incredible invention is the computer. Computers are one of the most important inventions ever. If computers had not been invented, technology would not be developed to its current state. Since the computer invention, society has changed severely. Computer technology is so helpful, that it is even used to create newer, better computer equipment. Almost everything today is linked in some way, to a computer. Until this decade, computer technology was non-existent in public school systems. Computers are valuable to schools for many reasons. They are good for studying and research, if the sites are indeed factual. Computers supply a way to type papers, they can be used for business classes, and it can provide children with something they may enjoy using. If students are interested in what they are doing, they will do it better. Computer programs are also very helpful to business classes. Accounting classes and computer related fields of study must have computers to be current with today's business. Accounting today is all computerized. It is necessary to familiarize students to the functions of various programs if they are going to go into one of those fields. Computers have also made communications easier than ever. Today, e-mail is beginning to replace the ordinary post office and telephone as a way to keep in touch. E-mail provides the best of both worlds; it is instant and free. Before e-mail, one would have to send a letter that would take days to arrive, or they would have to use the telephone, which would cost money if the calls were

Route March Rest by Vernon Scannell, Night Raid by Desmond Hawkins, :: English Literature

Route March Rest by Vernon Scannell, Night Raid by Desmond Hawkins, The Battle by Louis Simpson - How do the poets communicate emotional or moving responses to war? What do these poems tell us about wartime life and the thoughts and feelings of civilians and soldiers? How do the poets communicate emotional or moving responses to war? The following essay will try to answer the question above. Using references and quotes from three wartime poems I will explain what they tell us about wartime life and the thoughts and feelings of civilians and soldiers. I will also clarify how the poets communicate emotional and moving responses to the disturbing war. The three poems that will be analysed are: Â · Route March Rest - by Vernon Scannell, Â · Night Raid - by Desmond Hawkins, Â · The Battle - by Louis Simpson. I have selected these poems because they contain both similarity and contrast. These aspects are important in order to produce a high-quality essay as they provide a more balanced view of the poems. Both the contrasts and similarities will be shown to give the reader a clearer overview of the poems. The three poems, as mentioned above, have all been written during wartime and therefore display hatred towards the fighting. However, they demonstrate this dislike using different methods. Vernon Scannell's technique in Route March Rest is important as he uses contrasting images and descriptions to create an overall picture of death and dismay. Scannell does this by initially introducing a scene of harshness using such tough words as "skulls", "thumping", "crunched" and "clanked". He then smoothes the picture out by creating a more calmed and restful atmosphere using such soft words as "silent, cool" and "bright as buttercups". But this is short lived as the marching image is reintroduced and the word "die" is placed at the end. Desmond Hawkins technique in Night Raid is very unique as it is done using completely free verses. At the start, strange characters are introduced which immediately creates anxiety. Harsh sentences such as "If there's a bomb made for YOU, You're going to get it" highlight the feelings of distress and misery present in all of the various people. War is also displayed negatively using this sentence: "She was shivering and laughing and throwing her head back". People would not normally be doing this and so it makes the reader link disease-like behaviour with war. Louis Simpson's technique in The Battle is fascinating as he uses repetition, onomatopoeia, tempo and colours to produce an "anti-war" description. The three poems are similar as they are all about the negative aspects of war, but they differ in terms of

This Is My Playes Last Scene

How has Donne used characteristics typical of metaphysical poetry to convey his ideas in â€Å"Holy Sonnet: ‘This is my playes last scene’? † This is my playes last scene is one of Donne’s ‘Holy Sonnets’ embodying spiritual pain and struggling faith in Christianity. Numerous biblical allusions and morbid tone that are typical of metaphysical poetry, convey Donne’s fear of death and religious scepticism. The opening four lines depict the last moments of the speaker’s life through metaphoric comparisons. The comparison â€Å"playes last scene† suggests the speaker is searching for an end that is meaningful and fulfilling.Christian imagery in â€Å"pilgrimage’s last mile† places this envisioned end in religious context, as a pilgrimage to the site of treasured holy relics is representative of Donne’s path to unfaltering devotion, to God. A paradoxical phrase ‘idly, yet quickly run’ expresses t he speaker’s hesitance on the way to achieving this believed end to life. The addition of the comparisons â€Å"span’s last inch† and â€Å"minute’s latest point† enhances the cumulative listing of comparisons and dramatises the speaker’s fear of death.The startling personification â€Å"gluttonous death† portrays Donne’s morbid paranoia of the brief moment when body and soul become â€Å"unjoint†. The speaker’s life is dichotomised; his body shall â€Å"sleep a space†, his soul shall â€Å"see that face†, a Christian image of God’s omnipotence imparting judgement on the speaker. The ninth line witnesses a direct confidence in the speaker’s tone â€Å"as my soul, to heaven her first seat†. More prominently featured â€Å"So, fall my sins†, the immutable tone conveys a false reassurance, whereby the speaker actually pleas helplessly for God’s will and judgement.The i mperative voice in â€Å"Impute me righteous† forcefully channels the persona’s imploration to receive God’s judgement and have so-called righteousness imputed. The precise word â€Å"impute† makes another religious reference to the Christian understanding of attributing unearned qualities in an act of grace. The finality of the sonnet is epitomised by the poetic triplet â€Å"the world, the flesh and devil†, which alludes to the three sinful temptations as it was known in the context of Donne’s time.It enhances the prayer made by the speaker to be purged of sinful thoughts and acts, by godly intervention that would finally allow him to reach a transcendental state. Ultimately, Donne questions the Christian faith, and commands God’s mercy and judgement by Christian imagery and references to Biblical passages. He expresses despair about his salvation, and reveals his fear of death in a sensitive meditation. As such, the poem is an exem plary display of typical metaphysical characteristics.

Quality Improvement

Using the notion of correct process management can definitely influence the business operation of a company. Primarily, a single process in the manufacturing sector can predict whether quality can be achieved on products or services offered to the end consumers. That is why it is very important to monitor the quality process of each segment within an organization.The company in reference for process management is Wet Seal. The business is involved in the garments sector and in the distribution of apparel products for retailing and wholesaling. In line with this, the process to be analyzed is the Quality Control maintenance procedure. Primarily, this department is involved in making sure that the products meet the standards imposed by the company to designate customer satisfaction principles (Tech Target, 2006). Even though the main objective of the office is to induce customer satisfaction, the procedures do not have a formal platform which can be followed by all quality check person nel. In line wit this dilemma, an improvement in re-structuring the quality analysis program is needed.The first main process in the Quality Control (QC) department is to obtain the apparel products from the distribution department which must acquire products from different distributors. Since the products are all mixed up, the first task of the Q.C. team is to segregate the merchandises according to brand. This makes it easier to identify the distributor which could have delivered sub-standard items. The next procedure is to assign the items to divided teams within the department. Say for example team â€Å"A’ is assigned to Brand â€Å"A†, team B is assigned to Brand â€Å"B† and so on.This makes sure that each item from specific manufacturers is catered for quality check. On a team level, each of the members of the team will be distributed with at least 50 pieces of clothing styles. Each of the personnel will then conduct a thorough evaluation of each of the products’ integrity. Some of the most important aspects are identified in terms of seam strength, type of cloth material used, color saturation, and possible runs within the cloth. Once a piece of apparel is identified to be of good quality, it will then be marked with a sticker of approval.To have an illustrative identification of the proposed process, a diagram is provided below:Distribution Dept. à   Quality Control Dept à   Team Assignment (By brand) à  End User ß   Runs Check ß Â  Color Check ß Material Check ß Seam StrengthIf the strategic plan of the company is to be considered, the process involved within the Quality Check segment may have the most influential impact. This is so because primarily, the only investment that Wet Seal is involved with is the distributorship of the prodders to local market dealers. Because of such a case, it is directly involved on how each of its partner dealers will perform. Mainly, the process of quality check integra tes the notion of good investment value and customer satisfaction. For example, if the QC team was able to identify defective products or those that do not meet quality levels set by the company, Wet Seal can then send back the items to the manufacturers for possible replacements of refunds.This can save the business lots of money since it will be able to prevent the distribution of defective items from reaching the base market. Therefore it can save at least half of the chain process of sending the items back from the end-user to the manufacturer since Wet Seal stands as a â€Å"middleman†. On the aspect of passive profitability, if the processes in the Quality Department was able to send only items attuned to the demands of the consumers, then quality will result to greater customer confidence which in the long run can become a source of continuous market purchases. Of course, consumer satisfaction has a direct link to market performance (Hampshire, 2003).When it comes to p rocedure effect to the customers, the processes in the Quality Department affects both internal and external clients. Basically, internal clients are identified to be that of entities which have long been partners of Wet Seal in apparel distributorship. In some notions, external customers can also affect the satisfaction of internal customers depending on the business arrangement (Lewis, 2008).The main effects of quality assurance factors can be realized by being able to strengthen the bonds of business between a dealer and semi-distributor units. On the other hand, external customers can also benefit in the processes of quality checks since these newly established partners of Wet Seal will get a first hand experience of what the company can actually offer. There will be fewer chances for them to be involved in problematic business schemes since the quality assurance principles are already establishedBy the time all the members of the organization become aware of the improvement in the quality check procedures, Wet Seal can then delegate an approach to use a Quality Management Tool to see whether there is an effect (be it negative or positive) of doing the improvements within the department concerned. The most appropriate tool for measuring success is by conducting a survey study which will generate raw data for analysis. Wet Seal can invest a little more to study the direct patterns of consumers based on the supposedly â€Å"quality† items that have passed the Quality Check department. Dealers can be used to become channels in getting direct responses from their respective customers.A carefully structured satisfaction survey can provide enormous info for the company’s decision-making capabilities (Welsh Assembly Government). On the other hand, a time-framed monitoring process can also be used to see whether the personnel are actually doing the right checking procedures of the products. Upon completing the data representing the consumer satisfact ion ratings, amount of check errors and overall experience of the company, a statistical tool can then be used to analyze whether there was an actual progress in profitability after the improvement was made.Since statistical analysis scan provide a certain number level of correlation, what Wet Seal can do is to utilize the data to see whether the initiative for improvement directly relates to that of the company’s metrics. An opportunity to ratify the main quality check process is also possible if the main errors are identified in it as according to the surveyed data values.It would be good to at least estimate the level of improvement on profit margins based on the ratification of the Quality Control processes. One thing which can be realized is that a reduction of distributing defective products to the open market may increase sales values. Of course, it wouldn’t be feasible to provide a certain percentage value but most probably, customer satisfaction equates to gre ater credibility effects towards the products.Identifying the weakness of a process in business can greatly affect the overall productivity of the company. Since each procedure influences the totality of the organization’s management style, it would only be appropriate to find problematic units of the company to help it resolve posing dilemmas and maintain the stability of the operation. In line with using the principle of Quality Management, an organization can be relieved from the potential experience of encountering market problems.ReferencesHampshire, S. 2003. Customer satisfaction, loyalty and profit – understanding the links. Customer Focus Consulting. Retrieved January 26, 2008 from http://www.customerfocusconsult.com/articles/articles_template.asp?ID=3.Tech Target. 2006. Quality Assurance. Tech Target-The IT Media Experts. Retrieved January 26, 2008 from http://searchsoftwarequality.techtarget.com/definition/quality-assurance.