Evaluating Microfinance Research Paper

Introduction In last few years, the randomized program evaluation has become the gold basis for evaluating the development programs and also the bread and butter of many development economists.   The evaluations sometimes uncover the valuable new information, but are contentious, and can also be prohibitively expensive to implement, for small NGO’s. Appreciating how the microfinance affects clients is not straightforward for the reason that there are several possible explanations for why, say, a borrower is doing well as compared to her non-borrowing peers. The credit may be helping–or conceivably the borrower was already comparatively prosperous and would have fared better even without the loan. These new papers clarify cause and effect by performing controlled experiments, in which a few parameters are arbitrarily varied and the effects measured. The idea of ‘experiments’ sounds good because it gives scientific legitimacy to what are in actual fact social phenomena marked by complex correlations, multiple variables, and extraneous and often invisible factors. Let us look at these reports to see just how ‘controlled’ they are. No discussion of microfinance can start without congratulating the recent awarding of one of this year’s Four Freedom awards to Muhammad Yunus. Since 1982 these bi-lateral awards which celebrate the Four Freedoms – freedom of speech and expression, freedom from want freedom of worship, and freedom from fear have been organized in collaboration with the Roosevelt Foundation in Zeeland.   Professor Yunus was given this prestigious award in celebration of his work in championing for the Freedom from want. The United States government’s principal aid agency, the Agency for International Development, universally known as USAID, is the leading donor for microenterprise development.   This aid reaches more than 3.85 million households and entrepreneurs worldwide through the USAID’s support of NGOs, credit union networks, and financial institutions, and credit union networks. America and microfinance Both the Americans and the Dutch, are familiar from their experience in developing countries that microfinance can be successful in that it empowers the poor by creating higher incomes and more jobs, promotes macroeconomic growth and stabilization. It also encourages the economic and social inclusion and also distinguishes that societies face similar challenges of poverty and unrestricted economic opportunity.   But how, then, can both countries use microfinance in the developed market economies to help eradicate poverty in our own countries? This is a noble and complicated question and many of the sharpest economic minds, are applying their expertise and experience to devising more creative solutions.    To appreciate the current microfinance paradigm in the U.S. today, one needs to first distinguish how the market economy influences the development and relevance of microfinance programs.   But while both the Grameen Bank and the U.S. share the goal of alleviating poverty, eac h must meet that the difference of opinion under fundamentally different economic conditions. For the microfinance programs in the U.S. it means competing in the financial market which is dominated by the healthy commercial credit.   Banks and other lending institutions in the United States have been slow to develop the microfinance concepts because they face strong competition, they have lower profit margins, and carry greater risks than mainstream lending practices ( Fuglesang, 243)The very nature of microfinance is the small financial transactions, such as weekly collection, which needs more labor, thus resulting in higher costs per loan for the financial institution. For any institutions seeking profit and financial resources, they are not able to recoup these transaction costs through the higher interest rates which are regularly charged in the developing countries due to American regulations.  But profitability is fundamental to the future growth of the American microfinan ce as it must compete with the more established financial services such as the credit cards and check-cashing which targets those with lower wage earnings.  In addition to the commercial lending infrastructure, the U.S. presents other systemic market challenges to the function and growth of microfinance tools and the business licensing requirements and market saturation stops many of the poor from successfully launching their personal service businesses such as food preparation, childcare, or hair care.   These challenges are firmly entrenched in the American economy and so too, is the American Dream.  The pull of the American Dream is very tough and in response, many microfinance providers label their services as microenterprise and aims at the microentrepeneurs. But sadly, insufficient collateral, poor credit, and the lack of business education can discourage the poor and other minorities from engaging fully in building the American economy better.   The microfinance princ iples supplies the framework for larger economic inclusion of the socially and the economically marginalized. But unfortunately the government’s programs are not big enough to make available the funding for all who applies for it.   In such a vacuum, not-for-profit and private lenders have biologically proliferated and tended to diversify their services, together with the savings, technical assistance, and business training. Currently, there are about 650 organizations that define themselves as involved in microenterprise development or microfinancing.   However, the definitions differ, but in the U.S. the terms most frequently refer to services for a business with five or fewer employees needing less than $35,000 in start-up capital.  Private, for-profit lenders have also stepped in to make available microfinancing services and with the technology now connecting lenders and borrowers, websites such as Circle-Lending and Prosper.com have produced a market for themselves by linking the private individual lenders with borrowers.   Even though these are normally classified as personal loans, they are a creative response to the requirement to finance innovative ideas.  Ã‚   The assimilation into the bigger economy through the small business ownership is an essential pillar for the overall social cohesion since it combats the feelings of alienation and strengthens the feelings of social belonging.   Women report an increased feeling of independence from receiving a business loan from a micro-lender and thus ensuing in running their own business.   This feeling of economic empowerment normally spills into other areas of civic participation, as well as the deepening of the community networks and some increased political integration. But despite the well-developed financial fields in both countries, some groups, mostly recent the immigrants and minorities, still do not have access to the capital they need so as to launch or augment their small bus iness and fully integrate into mainstream markets.   These persons do not want charity, but instead want opportunities and through the targeted loans to the poor, microfinance promises to generate new livelihoods and enhanced capability for self-improvement. In spite of how much developed a country’s economy is, the microfinance tools can often make the difference required so as to move the marginalized persons and families out of poverty and into the mainstream (Bhatt, 345) Social Impact – Profit vs. Development Benefits First, there is an intrinsic tradeoff between microfinance as a business and as a development tool. Microfinance will predominantly benefit one of two stakeholders commercial enterprises and their shareholders, or poor borrowers. So, how might one test this assertion? By evaluating the interest rates presented by MFI’s and asking the following questions may offer a few clues: How do MFI rates measure up to with what a money-lender was offering? And how do they measure up to those of Grameen Bank – which says it can offer lower interest rates by being ‘non-loss, non-dividend’? Is there a trend towards the higher interest rates and the higher the commercial pressure on an organization? Do the banks offer higher rates than independent MFIs, than grassroots NGOs? Did an MFI’s interest rates go up after it partnered with a bank? Have aggregate interest rates gone up over time, as the need to prove development benefits has gone down? This is an essential test, because if true it lets us to categorize MFIs into two groups and then test for development impact across them and it might also show that most MFIs today embrace the rhetoric of a ‘market based development solution’, by ignoring the fact that development benefits mount up only when the solution is priced somewhat below the market rate as set by the money-lender. This is to say that the major benefit of these providers is to develop the market by bringing in external funds, not any development impact, per se ((Adams, 456) Generating Enterprise – Equity vs. Debt My second contention is that microfinance is intrinsically flawed as a tool to create any sustainable enterprise. Studies show that microfinance ends up funding consumption of individuals and this may well be commendable in itself. But if our goal is to create an enterprise for a long-term economic growth how then can microfinance be more effective? The problem is that the incentives of MFIs are not leaning towards generating sustainable enterprise, but they are oriented basically towards the repayment of loans. However, the latter is not an indication of success of the former and one way to generate private enterprise through the market might then be to use the equity, not debt, to fund the micro and small entrepreneurs. So, here is another test. Do these organizations which take equity stakes in micro and small enterprises (MSE) have a better incubation success rate than the microfinance providers? A good example of a success microfinance success is the Grameen Bank which is a Bangledesh organization that gives small loans to the poor and needy families in order to help those families establish themselves. And for its success story, the Grameen Bank and its founder Muhammad Yunus were recently awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on (Fuglesang, 167) Micro lending But is micro finance effective and does micro credit decrease poverty? The Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (or CGAP) points out that investigational evidence documents that micro finance can alleviate poverty, improve the status of women, increase their education, and maternal health. The empirical evidence shows that, among the poor, those who are in microfinance programs and had access to financial services were able to progress their well-being both at the individual and household level much more than those who did not have right of entry to financial services. Particularly they point to the statistical evidence of a spectacular positive effect on poverty. For instance, the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) clients increased their household expenditures by 28% and assets by 112 per cent and after more than eight years of borrowing. It was noted that 57.5% of Grameen borrower households were no longer poor as contrasted to 18% of non-borrower households (Ahmed, 45 ) In the city of Lombok, in Indonesia, the standard income of Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) borrowers amplified by 112%, and 90% of households moved out of poverty while in Vietnam, the organization called Save the Children customers condensed the food deficits from three months to one month. And at Kafo Jiginew in Mali, customers who have been with program for as little time as one year were extensively less likely to have experienced a period of acute food insecurity than those that had experienced the food shortage in the shorter period. But those with the need to evaluate the economic and social impact and the appropriately named â€Å"double bottom line† of micro lending CGAP’s need not look far, but in the microfinance organizations. References Fuglesang and D. Chandler, Participation as a Process what we can learn from Grameen Bank, NORAD, Oslo, 1986. Adams, Dale W. , â€Å"The economics of loans to informal groups of small farmers in low income countries,† (Columbus, Ohio: Agricultural Finance Program, Dept. of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, Ohio State University, 1978). Ahmed, M.U. â€Å"Financing Rural Industries in Bangladesh,† The Bangladesh Development Studies, Vol.12, No 12, Special Issue on Rural Industrialisation in Bangladesh, 1984. Bhatt, N. Microenterprise development and the entrepreneurial poor: including the excluded? Public Administration and Development, (1997). 17, 371-386.

Hate, Hate And Hate - 2973 Words

Hate is a harsh word that has been woven throughout the history of this country with such a ferocity that, no matter at what part of history one were to look, there could be found an example of some form of hatred showing through. Such particularly prominent attachments of hate include hate and crimes, speech and race. Hate crimes and hate speech seem to have a strong attachment to race and ethnicity within our country and have therefore been a legal topic for many years. Artist Eden Ahbez said that, â€Å"some white people hate black people, and some white people love black people, some black people hate white people, and some black people love white people. So you see, it’s not an issue of black and white, it’s an issue of lovers and haters.† For many years, hate crimes and hate speech have had a strong relation to the concern for hate crimes and speech intended towards blacks only. However as time has gone on, there have been issues with most every kind o f race within this country. 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Following Conditional Construction Following Conditional Construction Free Essays

ZERO CONDITIONAL A. Sample sentences If interest rates fall, company profits rise. If prices don’t go up, people buy more. We will write a custom essay sample on Following Conditional Construction Following Conditional Construction or any similar topic only for you Order Now B. Form (condition)(result) If sales increase,we make more profit. ZERO CONDITIONAL C. Uses The sentences of Zero conditional are general facts or things that are always true, i. e. the consequence always follows the event. Statements in this form commonly appear in factual discussions or scientific and technical material. In the condition clause there can be a variety of present forms. †¢When you fly business class, you get much more legroom. present simple)   Ã¢â‚¬ ¢If interest rates are rising, bank loans become more expensive. (present continuous) †¢When you’ve finished the course, you get a certificate. (present perfect). ZERO CONDITIONAL In the result clause there can be a present simple (last examples) or an imperative. †¢When you fly business class, don’t drink too much of the free alcohol. Notice that we can use either if or when(ever) where the meaning is every time. CONDITIONAL   I A. Sample sentences †¢If I do an MBA, I’ll improve my job prospects. †¢If our main competitor goes bankrupt, we’ll increase our market share.B. Form (condition) (result) †¢If you increase your order,we’ll give you a bigger discount. †¢If anyone from Head Officesay I’m in a meeting. calls, CONDITIONAL   I C. Uses 1. In Conditional I the speaker sees the event as a real possibility, i. e. , if-clause is used to talk about future events that are reasonably likely and their results. The if-clause states the condition, and the other clause states the result: †¢If sales don’t go well this year (condition), we won’t increase our profits. (result) With all types of conditionals the if-clause can come second. We’ll make more profit if sales increase. CONDITIONAL   I 2. if and unless Unless often replaces if †¦+ negative expression:†¢If you don’t wear a suit and tie, you won’t be allowed into the club. †¢You won’t be allowed into the club unless you wear a suit and tie. Conditional statements can function as either promises, warnings or threats. But note that unless cannot be used to make a promise. †¢If you order now, you’ll get a free gift. (promise) †¢We won’t be able to do business with you unless you comply with our ethical policy. warning) †¢Unless we receive payment by the end of the week we will be forced to consider legal action. (threat) CONDITIONAL   I 3. In Conditional I, the imperative, or modal verbs can be used in the main clause, e. g. may, can or must, instead of will + infinitive: †¢If you hear from Anne today, tell her to give me a call. †¢If the traffic is bad, I may miss the appointment with our supplier. †¢If we sign the contract today, we can start production at the end of next week. †¢If Mr. Porter rings, you must ask him to leave his number. CONDITIONAL   I 4. We do not use will in the if part of the sentence even when the meaning is future: †¢If the goods will arrive tomorrow, I will collect it. (? ) †¢If the goods arrive tomorrow, I will collect it. (? ) Will is only possible in such cases if it is used to express not future time but willingness or invitations (the style is formal), e. g. †¢If you will sign this agreement, I will let you have the money at once. †¢If you will come this way, Mr. Jones will see you now.CONDITIONAL   I 5. In formal written documents, e. g. egal contracts or agreements, one may find the following conditional construction in Conditional I: †¢Should the agent default on the contract, we will take legal action. †¢Should the unions accept new productivity agreements, the employers will meet their wage demands. †¢Should + infinitive is an inverted construction in place of â€Å"If the agent defaults†¦Ã¢â‚¬  or, â€Å"If the unions accept†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . †¢!!! Note that only should, never would, is used in this way. CONDITIONAL   II †¢Sample sentences †¢If trains were more reliable, more people would use them. †¢If I had as much money as Bill Gates, I would retire.B. Form †¢If you wanted a quantity    you would have to order discount,    at least 1,000 units. †¢If I knew her number,      I would send her a fax. CONDITIONAL   II C. Uses 1. We use the Conditional II to refer to an action or state we imagine, i. e. , the speaker sees the event as a remote possibility: †¢If these machines were not so expensive, we would buy them. (But they are expensive, and we are not going to buy them. ) †¢If he lost his job tomorrow, he would move to London to find another one. (He doesn’t think he will lose his job, but he understands the possible consequences. CONDITIONAL   II 2. It is also possible to use could or might instead of would: †¢If we hired a factoring agency, we could recover our debts more easily. †¢If every piece of mail was personalised with your company logo or message, your customers might be very impressed. CONDITIONAL   II 3. We do not use would in the if part of the sentence: †¢If trains would be more reliable, more people would use them. (? ) †¢If trains were more reliable, more people would use them. (? ) But, in the sentences †¢We would be very grateful if you would send us the information as soon as possible. I would be very grateful if you would put your address on the back of the cheque. would is not part of a conditional tense here. It is a modal verb, and represents a more polite form of will as used in conditional clauses in Conditional I. It introduces the idea of â€Å"yourâ€Å" agreeing, or being willing, to do what is suggested.CONDITIONAL   II 4. In formal written documents, e. g. legal contracts or agreements, one may find the following conditional construction in Conditional II: †¢Were the agent to default on the contract, we would take legal action. Were Alice to apply for the post, she would get it. †¢Inverted constructions are in place of â€Å"If the agent defaulted†¦ † and â€Å"If Alice applied for†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . Conditional II ?What would you say to a friend who asked you which faculty to go to? ?What would you do if you were ?the Prime Minister ?the Dean of the Faculty of Economics? CONDITIONAL   III †¢Sample sentences †¢If I had done an MBA, I would have had more opportunities. †¢If we had anticipated the crash, we wouldn’t have lost so much money. B. Form If the price had been lower,sales would have been higher.If we had made a better offer,we would have won that contract.CONDITIONAL   III C. Uses †¢We use Conditional III to imagine the opposite situation. If what actually happened was negative, we use a positive form, and vice versa. If what actually happened was positive, we use a negative form: ?We didn’t put up our prices (-), so we kept our market share (+). ?If we had put up our prices (+), we would not have kept our market share (-). ?We promoted him (+) and he didn’t give his notice (-). ?If we hadn’t promoted him (-), he would have given his notice (+).CONDITIONAL   III . In Conditional III the speaker recognizes that the event is an impossibility, i. e. cannot be fulfilled: †¢If we had waited a few more months, we would have saved a great deal of money on the new faxes. (But we didn’t wait a few more months; so, we didn’t save money on the faxes). †¢If you had sent the letter by airmail, it wouldn’t have been delayed. (But, you didn’t send the letter by airmail, so it was delayed). CONDITIONAL   III 3. We can use could or might instead of would: †¢The merger could have succeeded if the management styles hadn’t been so different. The presentation might have been better if she had felt more confident. CONDITIONAL   III 4. You may find the following conditional construction in Conditional III: †¢Had we made a better offer, we would have won that contract. †¢Had the shop packed the goods properly, they wouldn’t have got damaged. Inverted past perfect is in place of â€Å"If we had made †¦Ã¢â‚¬  and â€Å"If the shop had packed †¦Ã¢â‚¬ . !!! We do not use would in the if-clause. †¢If the interview wouldn’t have been a success, they would not have given me the job. (? ) †¢If the interview had not been a success, they would not have given me the job. (? ) How to cite Following Conditional Construction Following Conditional Construction, Papers

Evaluate The Cultural Difference Between China And Australia

Question: Discuss about the Evaluate The Cultural Difference Between China And Australia. Answer: In the current scenario, to achieve success the business owners tries to expand their businesses so that maximum profit can be gained in future. It is highly relevant for all the people to know the important consequences and outcome prior to start a business in different country. Mary, the owner of The Aroma Shop deals with varieties of chutneys, sauces, jams and pasta situated in Australia. It is highly important to identify the business etiquettes present in China before expanding the business. The essay will evaluate the cultural difference present between the two countries China and Australia. By doing so Mary would be able to get an idea if establishing her condiment business in China would be expandable or not. The nation has enormous population that have huge cash to spend and very debt. There are various cultural factors that should be in mind before making a strategy carrying the business activities operating outside the countrys border (Nyambegera, Kamoche and Siebers 2016) . Hofstedes model of cultural dimension would help in distinguishing the cultural difference between the countries. The culture dimensions represent the preferences of relating to one state of affairs with other countries that differences nation (Laitinen and Suvas 2016). The countries scores on the different dimensions are different due to the difference in personalities of the people. The Hofstedes model is made of six main dimensions. These are power distance index, masculinity versus femininity, individualism versus collectivism, uncertainty avoidance index, indulgences versus restraints and normative orientation (Eunson 2005). The power distance index (PDI) showcases the major fact that the people present in the community are unequal. It is the extent to which less powerful people of a company in the nation accepts and also expects the fact that power is unequally distributed. PDI rate in Australia is very low and the superiors relations with the firm are accessible. The superiors in the firm mostly depend on the team and people for expertise. The communication in the firm is also informal, participative and informal in nature. Whereas, in China the PDI rate are high as the society in China believes that inequality among the people is acceptable. The relationship between subordinate and superior is highly polarized (Engle and Nash 2015). The subordinate does not make any kind of defense against their superior and abused power. The people in China are influenced by the formal authority and sanctions. They are used to attend the meeting and business seminars in a hierarchical order for giving them respect. The first one to walk inside the meeting is the head of delegation. Therefore, it is advisable that Mary should show respect as in China people are not acknowledged by their names in China. Mr. Lau should be called with due integrity and respect. Title of courtesy is also given as regards to respect to the people in China. Mary should also be careful while using the words such as comrade. If Mary will use any Chinese words while doing the business than it would be appreciated by Mr. Lau. It is important for Mary to learn all these things to make the business process smooth and cordial. Individualism is the degree of interdependency that would help the community to maintain their relation among themselves. In collectivism environment, people are also defined as a group that guide each other as well as creates loyalty. In Australia, there is high rate of individualist culture with a score of 90. The people are expected to be very self-reliant and display initiative in the business world (Beugelsdijk, Maseland and Hoorn 2015). On the other hand in China, there is high collectivist culture with a score of 20. To do condiment business in China Mary should also emphasis on the overall group interest instead of individuals interest. It is important for Mary to keep a calm composure to do business in China. Mr. . Lau being a fifty year old man is also expected to very disciplined and sophisticated. Therefore Mary should be well-prepared for the meeting and make it successful. It is vital for Mary to use kind words and try to make the business deal as successful as possible . Gifts are not accepted positively by the Chinese people, therefore Mary should not carry any kinds of gift but make small talk with Mr. Lau before commencing the meeting. High Masculinity score means that the society s mostly driven by the rate of success and achievement. While low score on feminine approach means caring for other people and quality of life. China is a masculine society with a score of 66 and in Australia, the score is 61 and the people are proud of success and achievements (Putnam and Gartstein 2017). The masculinity score is always high in both the nations. In both the countries people are proud of their success, therefore it would not be a much problem for Mary to deal with the situation. Uncertainty avoidance is the process in which the society to deals with the important fact that future is uncertain. The uncertainty avoidance score helps in evaluating the fact that people of the respective culture therefore feels threatened by unambiguous and unknown situations. Australia has a score of 51 in this dimension while China has a score of 30. These people are also comfortable with ambiguity and the meaning is also difficult to follow for the individuals belonging from the rest of the world. The employees in China are very attentive and follow a disciplined timetable to be followed in the businesses (Mazanec et al. 2015). Greetings are also important and should be practiced in a very polite manner in the country. Handshakes are also common in China, therefore it is important that the gesture should be started by Mr. Lau. Long-term orientation is the procedure through which the society maintain the link in the past and should also deals with future and present challenges that is to be faced. In the normative society, the cultural dimensions are very low that views the changes in society with suspicions. The high cultural score means a pragmatic approach and should also adopt as per the tradition of the nation. China has a pragmatic approach with a score of 87 and the normative culture and should a maintain a score of 87 (Vitell et al. 2017). Mary should also be careful enough not to be use strong statements in negative manner that could lead to create an unfavorable impact on the business . Rather than using words such as no and instead use alternatives such as later on, may be and think about it. Similarly, if Mr. Lau thinks that there is no problem than Mary should be careful enough to analyze the problem as it means that there are various problems. Therefore, Mary should try to sort out the problem as soon as possible. Indulgence is the degree to which, the people would try to control their emotions and desires. Existence of weak control in the society is called restraint , therefore the culture is known as Indulgent and restrained. Australia is an indulgent country with a score of 71. On the other hand China is a restrained society with a low score of 24 in this cultural dimension. In China, which is a restrained society they does not focus on leisure or free time . The people living over there control their desires. While Australia, which is an indulgent country, the people mostly gives importance to spend time as per their wish. Therefore Mary should be well prepared and maintain a controlled and calm body posture. Punctuality is given very importance in China so Mary should be punctual to make the business deal with Mr. Lau. The dress code should be conservative suits and not any bright colors as it would be considered in appropriate (Kim 2017). Hence Mary should practice effectively the Chines e etiquettes to practice business in China as it is a restraint society. The essay therefore successfully showcases the fact that Mary should prepare beforehand and implement proper measures to establish the business in China. Chinas culture is completely different than from Australia. In China the individuals tries to maintain a cordial relationship with the client while making any kind of business deals. Mary has to maintain proper composure while doing the business and thus creating a positive impression. Chinese people also like to extend the deadlines so that they can gain competitive advantages.. Mary should definitely expand her business in China and also should maintain smooth relationship with Mr. Lau. The cultural dimensions between the countries are different. Therefore practicing few useful business etiquettes should help Mary to make the business dealing successful in an entirely different country. References: AlAnezi, A. and Alansari, B., 2016. Gender differences in Hofstede's cultural dimensions among a Kuwaiti sample.European Psychiatry,33, p.S627.] Beugelsdijk, S., Maseland, R. and Hoorn, A., 2015. Are scores on Hofstede's dimensions of national culture stable over time? A cohort analysis.Global Strategy Journal,5(3), pp.223-240. Brouthers, L.E., Marshall, V.B. and Keig, D.L., 2016. Solving the single-country sample problem in cultural distance studies.Journal of International Business Studies,47(4), pp.471-479. Engle, R.L. and Nash, B., 2015. Does it matter if researchers use individual dimension constructs or only aggregated constructs of cultural distance and cultural intelligence?.Journal of International Business Research,14(2), p.47. Eunson, B., 2005.Communicating in the 21st Century. John Wiley Sons Australia Ltd. Farivar, F., Cameron, R. and Yaghoubi, M., 2016. Work-family balance and cultural dimensions: from a developing nation perspective.Personnel Review,45(2), pp.315-333. Kim, S., 2017. National culture and public service motivation: investigating the relationship using Hofstedes five cultural dimensions.International Review of Administrative Sciences,83(1_suppl), pp.23-40. Laitinen, E.K. and Suvas, A., 2016. Financial distress prediction in an international context: Moderating effects of Hofstedes original cultural dimensions.Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance,9, pp.98-118. Mazanec, J.A., Crotts, J.C., Gursoy, D. and Lu, L., 2015. Homogeneity versus heterogeneity of cultural values: An item-response theoretical approach applying Hofstede's cultural dimensions in a single nation. Tourism Management,48, pp.299-304. Minkov, M. and Hofstede, G., 2014. A replication of Hofstedes uncertainty avoidance dimension across nationally representative samples from Europe.International Journal of Cross Cultural Management,14(2), pp.161-171. Nyambegera, S.M., Kamoche, K. and Siebers, L.Q., 2016. Integrating Chinese and African culture intohuman resource management practice to enhance employee job satisfaction.Journal of Language, Technology Entrepreneurship in Africa,7(2). Putnam, S.P. and Gartstein, M.A., 2017. Aggregate temperament scores from multiple countries: Associations with aggregate personality traits, cultural dimensions, and allelic frequency.Journal of Research in Personality,67, pp.157-170. Samaha, S.A., Beck, J.T. and Palmatier, R.W., 2014. The role of culture in international relationship marketing.Journal of Marketing,78(5), pp.78-98. Vitell, S.J., King, R.A., Howie, K., Toti, J.F., Albert, L., Hidalgo, E.R. and Yacout, O., 2016. Spirituality, moral identity, and consumer ethics: A multi-cultural study.Journal of business ethics,139(1), pp.147-160.

Old English Lyrical Poetry free essay sample

The second part allegorically represents that the troubles of the seaman are the troubles of earthly life and the call of the ocean is the call in the soul to go to its true home with God. The poem is remarkable for (as Legouis puts) The somber and violent pictures it gives of northern seas in which sufferings from cold mingles with the pains of water and wind. The Ruined Burg or the Ruin:- * It is an elegy not for the misfortune of a person but for a place. * The unknown poet laments for the vanished glory of a great city, probably the Roman built city Bath, which was turned into debris by the Anglo-Saxon aggression, Conquest and settlement. * The poem can be divided in three parts- ) First the poet describes the ancient gorgeous buildings now deserted and rootless and tottering. b) Next he goes to muse on its golden past and its adorned and crowded noble princess and warriors. We will write a custom essay sample on Old English Lyrical Poetry or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page c) Finally he contrasts the runions present with the pompous past. * The poem is remarkable for its nostalgic melancholy and for its descriptive nature. Deor’s Lament: * It is a poem of 42 lines, divided into stanzas and it is included in the Exeter Book. * It is the lamentation of Deor, a scop who after years of service has been supplanted by another minstrel, Herrenda.Finally he consoles himself by considering the misfortune of others. * It is written in strophic form throughout and each strophe ends with a refrain. * There are altogether seven sections in the poem. * In the first five sections, the mentions the adversities that befall others but ends with a note of consolation in the sixth section he speaks of the misfortune of mankind in general. And in the seventh section the poet mentions his own misfortune. In this way the poem is logically well-knit. It remains plainly heathenic in sentiment. The Wife’s Complaint: * It is a kind of monologue. * The narrator is a woman whose husband has left her and gone to the sea. She is forced to live in an old dwelling dug out of earth under oak by her husbands relatives. She sitting under the tree laments over her miserable lot all day. Friendless and fore shaken she bewails her loneliness and the vows of love that have come to nothing. * The poem is rich in melancholy feeling. The Husband’s Message: * It exists in fragments.A good many lines of this poem are lost for ever. * An exiled husband sends his message to his wife by means of letters carved on a piece of wood. The wood tells the wife its own life story and its journey in a ship. It tells her that though the circumstances let her husband out of home he has been able to gain a position of wealth and dignity. Finally it bids her to join with her husband in the place of exile. * To some critics the poem is a sequel to The Wifes Complaint but some would to see it as an independent poem.

Free Essays on Damned Human Race

Within his essay of The Damned Human Race, author Mark Twain powerfully declares that the human race is both flawed and corrupt, and that people actually should be classified as â€Å"lower animals† rather than the formerly known â€Å"higher animals.† Twain does not hold claim to a Darwinian or creation standpoint, but rather draws conclusions from his own observations in performed experiments. He states that â€Å"man is the cruel animal,† and that we can attribute this to his moral character. However, there appears to be another side which contradicts his findings. Perhaps man is indeed the â€Å"highest animal,† but possesses something which other animals do not. Twain claims that his observations are based on experiments executed in the London Zoological Gardens. With these examinings, he went on to state that humans displayed a variety of shortcoming not seen in other animals. His first point was that humans were cruel, while other animals were not. This was backed by the story of the hunter killing seventy-two buffalo, and eating only part of one. He contradicted this by experimenting with anacondas and calves. The anaconda only killed what it needed, as opposed to the Earl. This seemed to suggest to Twain that the man descended from the anaconda, and not the other way around. Perhaps the Earl did not respect the buffalo, which is true. But does it mean that all humans always kill to be cruel and wasteful? Or could some animals exhibit signs of Twain’s â€Å"cruelty?† Many individuals in the world today are very caring for each other, as well as other animals. They show the utmost kindness for one another and the planet they live on. On the other hand, there are many species of animals that kill just because they can. Part of the reasoning behind this is that numerous animals have tendencies of aggressiveness. There is no reasoning behind it, but is clearly found in their innate and learned behaviors. And what of war? The auth... Free Essays on Damned Human Race Free Essays on Damned Human Race Within his essay of The Damned Human Race, author Mark Twain powerfully declares that the human race is both flawed and corrupt, and that people actually should be classified as â€Å"lower animals† rather than the formerly known â€Å"higher animals.† Twain does not hold claim to a Darwinian or creation standpoint, but rather draws conclusions from his own observations in performed experiments. He states that â€Å"man is the cruel animal,† and that we can attribute this to his moral character. However, there appears to be another side which contradicts his findings. Perhaps man is indeed the â€Å"highest animal,† but possesses something which other animals do not. Twain claims that his observations are based on experiments executed in the London Zoological Gardens. With these examinings, he went on to state that humans displayed a variety of shortcoming not seen in other animals. His first point was that humans were cruel, while other animals were not. This was backed by the story of the hunter killing seventy-two buffalo, and eating only part of one. He contradicted this by experimenting with anacondas and calves. The anaconda only killed what it needed, as opposed to the Earl. This seemed to suggest to Twain that the man descended from the anaconda, and not the other way around. Perhaps the Earl did not respect the buffalo, which is true. But does it mean that all humans always kill to be cruel and wasteful? Or could some animals exhibit signs of Twain’s â€Å"cruelty?† Many individuals in the world today are very caring for each other, as well as other animals. They show the utmost kindness for one another and the planet they live on. On the other hand, there are many species of animals that kill just because they can. Part of the reasoning behind this is that numerous animals have tendencies of aggressiveness. There is no reasoning behind it, but is clearly found in their innate and learned behaviors. And what of war? The auth...

Ethical Analysis of Eight Mile Road Hearsay Accident Essay

Ethical Analysis of Eight Mile Road Hearsay Accident - Essay Example As a result, an engineer is under pressure to explain the causes and consequences of such actions. The incident has raised major concerns within the ECCS Analysis. The primary reason for this concern is the termination of High Pressure Injection, a situation that places the power plant in major trouble (Barbour 12). Facts A pressure valve opened so that it can relieve steam hence decrease pressure due to a minor over-pressurization passing. As a result, the pressure valve failed to close. When the plant operator noticed this inaccuracy, he terminated high pressure injection. It is worth noting that this was a faulty move from the operator because the system was on a two-phase state. High pressure injection is only applicable when the primary system stood in a sub cooled state. Within 20 to 30 minutes after high pressure injection was terminated, the pressurizer level collapsed showing that this was a wrong move. As a result, the operator was forced to reintroduce injection. Significa nt fluid inventory was lost in the 30 minutes that injection was terminated. The engineer reported back to superiors with the facts as required. However, the superiors did not take the nuclear engineer seriously. Instead, they dismissed this as hearsay. It is worth noting that nuclear engineering is governed by a strict code of conduct. ... The engineer ought to make sure that the power plant operations are smooth flowing. This is because the emotions from a nuclear power plant are harmful to the people around and environment as a whole. Residents of Toledo are also major stakeholders. This is because they are the key focus of my decision. The value of life is important to any ethical organization. Moreover, the operator had to know what to do in case of incidences. However, in this case, he took a wrong decision more than once. This risked the lives of all persons in and around the power plant. Moreover, the ethics of the top management are also at stake here because they failed to take action just because they believed that it was from an incredible source (Shrader-Frechette 84). Regulations and Laws Any nuclear power plant is complex. As a result, it ought to be well-designed and engineered to reduce incidences. It is worth noting that it cannot be deemed to be a failure proof. This is clearly seen in the Eight Mile Road nuclear power plant when the pressure valve failed to close. The accident exposed serious shortages in a scheme that was destined to safeguard public well-being and safety. Failure modes ought to be present in any nuclear plant. This is because a commercial nuclear reactor can explode like a bomb. It is worth noting that, in this case, the fail-safe mechanisms were evidently not present. Moreover, the location of nuclear power plants is critical (Maxey 123). This is because emissions from such plants are powerfully harmful to the public health surrounding it. In this case, we are not told where the plant was specifically located. As a result, we hope it was located in a place where its emissions

Art History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 12

Art History - Essay Example The Ramones was a rock and roll band formed in Forest Hills, Queens New York that started in 1974. In their song ‘Do You Remember Rock n Roll on Radio’, Joey sings ‘It’s the end, the end of the seventies/it’s the end of the century.’ In this context, the end of the 20th century can be termed to have come early with regard to art form expression. This can was seen in the new and bold approaches that artists sought to express their ideas and themes in art. What was regarded as contemporary in the 20th century world of art; was being replaced by romanticism and idealism that was before seen or witnessed in the art world. Art forms from the finals of the 20th and the first of the 21st centuries can be perceived to have been seemingly different from that of the 70s and late 80s. Despite these differences, the new art forms and their new ways of expression, there are similarities because they share the same themes of death, beauty, consumerism, ident ity and memorial. Of special interest and focus for this paper is the Chinese experimental art towards the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, which revolutionized the way that Chinese art got expressed both domestically and internationally. Towards the end of the 20th century, Chinese art was regarded as thoughtful and tightly focused on the exploration of certain themes including ruins, transience and demystification (Chilvers and Glaves-Smith 303).

Demonstrate Knowledge and Understanding of Legal, Ethical and Essay

Demonstrate Knowledge and Understanding of Legal, Ethical and Professional Frameworks for Safe Effective Patient-Centred Care - Essay Example The moral, ethical and legal issues tend to blur the differences between personal and professional boundary, especially when the nurses have to work within small community or rural areas with sparse resources. Julie’s is a case in point. Her professional boundaries would be discussed vis-a-vis confidentiality and conflict of interest. Julie is a practice nurse at a healthcare centre in small Scottish village which serves the people of the village and surrounding areas. Within the small community, local pubs remain the only outlet of socialization where they tend to meet the locals. Hence, there are opportunities for breaching professional boundary when casual acquaintances might require their professional expertise. Julie meets Sam when he comes for appointment with GP. He also shares his medical history. But when, she is asked by Sam to join his pub quiz team, she is confronted with the dilemma of nursing ethics. She knows he has a history of depression and she is also aware that there is high possibility of meeting Sam socially as there are only two pubs in the village. Sam has told her that he has felt suicidal in the past but manages his depression by socializing. Julie knows that Sam has not divulged his suicidal tendency to GP. Confidentiality and trust are intrinsic part of nursing paradigms. But, as Sam has shared the information of his suicidal tendency within the professional environment of health clinic, she must inform of the same to the GP. Suicidal tendency in a patient with history of depression is a serious issue. Thus, when Julie shares the information with GP, she is within her professional boundary of confidentiality as the information has serious implications for the patient (NMC code, 2008). Depression is a mental illness and suicidal tendencies could greatly risk welfare of the patient (Hope, 2004). At the same time, it is also in line with law and therefore disclosure of the information is absolutely right and do not breach the com ponents of confidentiality within nursing practice. The issue of conflict of interest is not applicable in the case when Sam asks Julie to join his pub quiz. Conflict of interest arises when therapist or nurse has personal interest or relationship that can adversely impact the professional judgment. Sam is not the patient of Julie. Moreover, casual relationships within small communities are normal. Being friendly is part of the professional relationship as it involves winning the trust of the patient. But it is equally important to know that Sam has problems of depression with suicidal tendencies. As such, even within casual relationship, there would not be equal distribution of power and consequently, it is advisable that she refrains from joining the pub of Sam even on casual basis. Even though, Sam believes that socialization helps his mental health, as a practice nurse, Julie must exercise caution and ensure that she maintains a strict professional client-nurse relationship with Sam. In a small community, especially when the socializing avenues are few, the casual relationship with local is normal. As practice nurse, Julie has more power as a nurse as she is better equipped with professional knowledge and skill. But in casual relationship, power distribution needs to be equal which would not be the case with Sam as he has history of depression that could seriously influence his power of decision making and judgment. (words: 629) Reference CRNNS. (2002) Professional Boundaries and Expectations for Nurse-Client

Community services over imprisonment for minor non violent crimes

Community services over imprisonment for minor non violent crimes As the Prison system is overburdened, judges are giving Community Service Sentences instead of imprisonment for Minor Non-Violent Crimes. Will this be good for the society in the long run? Offences that are defined as Minor Non-Violent Offences are those that are against the law but are not usually viewed as serious enough to be taken to the court if done once or twice (Notton, 2010). An example of non violent offence is burglary or motor vehicle theft. Community Service is an alternative of imprisonment imposed by the Court for minor non violent crimes. Community service is an unpaid work for the criminal so that he can repay the debt to the society for committing the offense (An tSeirbhis Phromhaidh The Probation Service, n.d.). Community service can also be a job for which any particular individual can volunteer for. An example of a community service is cleaning up the environment. Giving community service sentences instead of imprisonment for minor non-violent crimes would be good for the society in the long run because the criminal will get a second chance in life, it will reduce the burden on the prison system and society will benefit from community service. Howe ver individuals may take advantage of the system by taking too long to complete their community service work, although people might try to take advantage, if the work is done slowly then the criminals will be severely punished. Everybody makes mistakes, while others dont bother to make it right, some people want a second chance at life which means that people who have done wrong, will get another chance to right themselves and to be an active member to the society. Giving them something to do will also help them see the positives of life and become better citizens to the society as a whole. It will also give them a chance to right their wrongs. This can give them an improved life and can help them carry on with it. People that commit petty crimes such as stealing or drug dealing should not be locked up for good because they deserve a second chance at life again. Thats why community service is offered. Various programs are available such as SLAP, for Sheriffs Labor Assistance Program which help out local sheriffs in small towns all over (Worth, 1998). In Savannah, GA, Randall Moutrie was caught dealing drugs and was convicted to jail. He was given the option of doing community service which he did, and he sa id It made me get better and stronger in my life (Ruberti, 2010). This shows that community service does help someone figuring out what there is to life and how they can relive it. Another example is Berlynn Cottom who was a drug and alcohol addict. Being convicted, she was given the chance to right her wrongs and attend mental and physical rehab. In the process, she would have to complete hours of community service. After the intensive program she said that it had given her a new perspective on life and that she got more respect in the community. It also helped her realize that there is more to life than just doing drugs (Ruberti, 2010). Community service can be offered to non violent crime offenders because some dont have the money to pay for the fines. Rather than being imprisoned for small crimes, they can become active members of society by helping out the community. This can motivate them to becoming better citizens and also to have a brighter future. Other offenders could als o be motivated to show an interest to daily life. With having community service, they can find something that they want to do or keep up for the rest of their lives. It can keep them busy and also to become better role models to other offenders. With having completed the community service program, offenders can look forward to a better lifestyle by reducing the number of repeat offenders who return to jail after being unable to adapt to life outside of jail, said Moses Wright (n.d.). Jail time not only affects the criminals individually but also affects their families. As strange as it may sound, many of these criminals, when imprisoned have their children following their footsteps. This would help turn their lives around and look forward to an improved life with dignity and respect. The prison system is overburdened with the number of inmates they take in, most of which are charged and sentenced to jail for non- violent crimes. Keeping these inmates leads to an increase in the cost of the governments, as they have to provide them with place, food and sometimes required medical attention. As mentioned in the BBC news magazine With the prison population rising, along with the cost of keeping people locked up, ministers have indicated they want to see fewer people serving short jail terms (McFarlane, 2010). Sentencing to community service not only provides an individual with work to do but also gives them an opportunity to pay back the community. According to an article in the Harvard Crimson, the government costs for maintaining a prisoner is about $20,000 each year, the money tax payers give to the government provides these inmates with all the facilities and shelter. Prisons are congested; cells that are designed to hold one prisoner now hold more than one (Jose ph, 1986). Californias prison crises in August 2009 broke out a 11 hour riot, but causes where unknown, Barry Krisberg president of the National Council on Crime and Delinquency in California mentioned that overcrowding is the primary issue with hundreds of men moved into triple bunks which were used for gyms and cafeteria (Stateman, 2009). As stated by Florida Department of Corrections the daily cost of locking up an inmate is spent on protecting them and ensuring medical services, the residual is spent on garments, educating and feeding them (2009). Prison spaces are limited, they should be kept for criminals that are violent and a danger to society, with the population skyrocketing in these prisons the government cannot afford to build more cells particularly, due to the economic situation. Furthermore individuals convicted to non-violent offenses such as forgery, DUI, and robbery need not be sentenced to long jail times , there are alternatives; community service, house arrests and fines. The conditions in these cells are appalling, because of which most inmates suffer from ill health. Moreover there is a chance that individuals (inmates) will be affected psychologically and emotionally in an adverse manner. Professor Craig Haney of the University of California, Santa Cruz explains that When prison environments become unduly painful, they also become harmful, and prisoners carry the effects or consequences of that harm back into the free world once they have been released. Thus, bad prisons are not only unpleasant or uncomfortable; they can be destructive as well (n.d). In order to reduce the crammed situation, judges should decrease the number of non-violent prison inmates and parolees they sentence to jail. Prisons dont always reform prisoners. If anything, inmates become better criminals in prison, learning the tricks of the trade from the pros (Joseph, 1986). Society which is deteriorating with years and years passing by can benefit tremendously by the community services from these criminals. Community service will not only make them realise there mistake, but will also give them a chance to make it right by giving it back to society. This way government does not have to look for paid labour to do these community services when they can get it for free. Many non-profit organisations are always in the need of volunteers for their campaigns and community work. Government could use their services in renovating building, keeping society clean and construction work. For example During 2008, criminals performed 48,484 hours of free labour at various nonprofit organizations and on county road litter pick-up details, according to statistics compiled by the district attorneys office. The figure represents a 16.6 percent increase over the hours compiled in 2007(Hessler, 2009). During 2008, prisoners, dressed in orange jumpsuits, spent a total of 4,354 hours picking up litter along state, county and township roads. On Route 422, inmates worked 558 hours, while they worked 240 hours along Route 100. Inmates put in 87 hours on Route 363, about 60 hours on Route 29, 487 hours on Route 476 and 135 hours on Route 113, according to county records (Hessler, 2009). Governments waste millions of dollars and precious lifetime of these criminals by sending them to prison when they could be helping the society in many ways. Due to current recession it will also benefit the countrys economical status by decreasing the sentence of such criminals. Furthermore natural disasters like flood and earthquake leave devastating trails, help from these criminals could be taken in cleaning up and rebuilding the affected areas. Earthquake in Canterbury and flood in Cumbria are examples of such community services (TVNZ, 2010). These non-violent criminals when are exposed to the prison life become even more violent. In the long run it will benefit the society by reducing the number of violent crimes. Moreover community service for prisoner is no doubt a positive approach as it would help improve the living standard of society. As many of these crimes are minor so imprisonment would alienate them from society. However many individuals who have been given community service order might take too long to complete the number of hours of work, showing up late or not show up at all to their session. This means that they are trying to take advantage of the system. For example, in Scotland criminals have taken over 2 years to complete 250 hours of community service work (STV Group plc, 2010). If the criminals are caught violating the rules of the system they could be charged with high fines and severe consequences such as house arrest or they will be imprisoned. Giving community service sentences instead of imprisonment for minor non-violent crimes would be good for the society in the long run because the criminal will get a chance to undo their wrong and let them do something productive, it will reduce overcrowded prisons and will help the society improve without extra expenses. However the individual might violate the rules by taking too long to finish his quota of hours for community service work, if the criminal is found to be guilty of violating the rules he will be sent to the prison again or will be fined. Furthermore individuals convicted to minor non-violent offenses should not be imprisoned, there are alternatives such as community service or fines which are better than imprisonment and benefit the society more, this is why the governments should take the initiative to start giving out community service for minor non violent crimes rather than imprisoning the criminals.

Nerve Regeneration in the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) of mammals Es

INTRODUCTION Nerve Regeneration in the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) of mammals PNS neurons in mammals have a capacity to regenerate and re innervate the target. However functional recovery varies, depending on the type and location of injury, age of the neurons and other factors, but the recovery is never complete. An overview of the regenerative response Following an injury, in the distal nerve stump a series of degenerative processes prepare the right environment needed for an effective regenerative response. The degenerated axons and myelin debris are removed by the surrounding Schwann cells (SCs) and invading macrophages. SCs proliferate and their basal lamina forms the endoneurial tube, through which the new axonal sprouts find their way to the target. The cell body also undergoes dramatic changes, triggered by the lack of signals that are retrogradely transported from the target. Within the cell body, certain genes and proteins are up regulated, such as growth associated proteins (GAPs), tubulin, and actin. Most of the cues involved in axonal regeneration are simi...

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 18

Chapter 18 I have been out among you, eating and talking and walking and walking and walking, for hours without having to turn because of a wall in my way. The angel woke me this morning with a new set of clothes, strange to the feel but familiar to the sight (from television). Jeans, sweatshirt, and sneakers, as well as some socks and boxer shorts. â€Å"Put these on. I'm taking you out for a walk,† said Raziel. â€Å"As if I were a dog,† I said. â€Å"Exactly as if you were a dog.† The angel was also wearing modern American garb, and although he was still strikingly handsome, he looked so uncomfortable that the clothes might have been held to his body with flaming spikes. â€Å"Where are we going?† â€Å"I told you, out.† â€Å"Where did you get the clothes?† â€Å"I called down and Jesus brought them up. There is a clothing store in the hotel. Come now.† Raziel closed the door behind us and put the room key in his jeans pocket with the money. I wondered if he'd ever had pockets before. I wouldn't have thought to use them. I didn't say a word as we rode the elevator down to the lobby and made our way out the front doors. I didn't want to ruin it, to say something that would bring the angel to his senses. The noise in the street was glorious: the cars, the jackhammers, the insane people babbling to themselves. The light! The smells! I felt as if I must have been in shock when we first traveled here from Jerusalem. I didn't remember it being so vivid. I started to skip down the street and the angel caught me by the shoulder; his fingers dug into my muscles like talons. â€Å"You know that you can't get away, that if you run I can catch you and snap your legs so you will never run again. You know that if you should escape even for a few minutes, you cannot hide from me. You know that I can find you, as I once found everyone of your kind? You know these things?† â€Å"Yes, let go of me. Let's walk.† â€Å"I hate walking. Have you ever seen an eagle look at a pigeon? That's how I feel about you and your walking.† I should point out, I suppose, what Raziel was talking about when he said that he once found everyone of my kind. It seems that he did a stint, centuries ago, as the Angel of Death, but was relieved of his duties because he was not particularly good at them. He admits that he's a sucker for a hard-luck story (perhaps that explains his fascination with soap operas). Anyway, when you read in the Torah about Noah living to be nine hundred and Moses living to be a hundred and forty, well, guess who led the chorus line in the â€Å"Off This Mortal Coil† shuffle? That's where he got the black-winged aspect that I've talked about before. Even though they fired him, they let him keep the outfit. (Can you believe that Noah was able to postpone death for eight hundred years by telling the angel that he was behind in his paperwork? Would that Raziel could be that incompetent at his current task.) â€Å"Look, Raziel! Pizza!† I pointed to a sign. â€Å"Buy us pizza!† He took some money out of his pocket and handed it to me. â€Å"You do it. You can do it, right?† â€Å"Yes, we had commerce in my time,† I said sarcastically. â€Å"We didn't have pizza, but we had commerce.† â€Å"Good, can you use that machine?† He pointed to a box that held newspapers behind glass. â€Å"If it doesn't open with that little handle, then no.† The angel looked perturbed. â€Å"How is it that you can receive the gift of tongues and suddenly understand all languages, and there is no gift that can tell you how things work in this time? Tell me that.† â€Å"Look, maybe if you didn't hog the remote all the time I would learn how to use these things.† I meant that I could have learned more about the outside world from television, but Raziel thought I meant that I needed more practice pushing the channel buttons. â€Å"Knowing how to use the television isn't enough. You have to know how everything in this world works.† And with that the angel turned and stared through the window of the pizza place at the men tossing disks of dough into the air. â€Å"Why, Raziel? Why do I need to know about how this world works? If anything, you've tried to keep me from learning anything.† â€Å"Not anymore. Let's go eat pizza.† â€Å"Raziel?† He wouldn't explain any further, but for the rest of the day we wandered the city, spending money, talking to people, learning. In the late afternoon Raziel inquired of a bus driver as to where we might go to meet Spider-Man. I could have gone another two thousand years without seeing the kind of disappointment I saw on Raziel's face when the bus driver gave his answer. We returned here to the room where Raziel said, â€Å"I miss destroying cities full of humans.† â€Å"I know what you mean,† I said, even though it was my best friend who had caused that sort of thing to go out of fashion, and not a moment too soon. But the angel needed to hear it. There's a difference between bearing false witness and saving someone's feelings. Even Joshua knew that. â€Å"Joshua, you're scaring me,† I said, talking to the disembodied voice that floated before me in the temple. â€Å"Where are you?† â€Å"I am everywhere and nowhere,† Joshua's voice said. â€Å"How come your voice is in front of me then?† I didn't like this at all. Yes, my years with Joshua had jaded me in regard to supernatural experiences, but my meditation hadn't yet brought me to the place where I wouldn't react to my friend being invisible. â€Å"I suppose it is the nature of a voice that it must come from somewhere, but only so that it may be let go.† Gaspar had been sitting in the temple and at the sound of our voices he rose and came over to me. He didn't appear to be angry, but then, he never did. â€Å"Why?† Gaspar said to me, meaning, Why are you talking and disturbing everyone's meditation with your infernal noise, you barbarian? â€Å"Joshua has attained enlightenment,† I said. Gaspar said nothing, meaning, So? That's the idea, you unworthy spawn of a razor-burned yak. I could tell that's what he meant by the tone in his voice. â€Å"So he's invisible.† â€Å"Mu,† Joshua's voice said. Mu meaning nothing beyond nothingness in Chinese. In an act of distinctly uncontrolled spontaneity, Gaspar screamed like a little girl and jumped four feet straight in the air. Monks stopped chanting and looked up. â€Å"What was that?† â€Å"That's Joshua.† â€Å"I am free of self, free of ego,† Joshua said. There was a little squeak and then a nasty stench infused us. I looked at Gaspar and he shook his head. He looked at me and I shrugged. â€Å"Was that you?† Gaspar asked Joshua. â€Å"Me in the sense that I am part of all things, or me in the sense of I am the one who poofed the gefilte gas?† asked Josh. â€Å"The latter,† said Gaspar. â€Å"No,† said Josh. â€Å"You lie,† I said, as amazed at that as I was at the fact that I couldn't see my friend. â€Å"I should stop talking now. Having a voice separates me from all that is.† With that he was quiet, and Gaspar looked as if he were about to panic. â€Å"Don't go away, Joshua,† the abbot said. â€Å"Stay as you are if you must, but come to the tea chamber at dawn tomorrow.† Gaspar looked to me. â€Å"You come too.† â€Å"I have to train on the poles in the morning,† I said. â€Å"You are excused,† Gaspar said. â€Å"And if Joshua talks to you anymore tonight, try to persuade him to share our existence.† Then he hurried off in a very unenlightened way. That night I was falling asleep when I heard a squeak in the hall outside of my cell, then an incredibly foul odor jolted me awake. â€Å"Joshua?† I crawled out of my cell into the hall. There were narrow slots high in the walls through which moonlight could sift, but I saw nothing but faint blue light on the stone. â€Å"Joshua, is that you?† â€Å"How could you tell?† Joshua's disembodied voice said. â€Å"Well, honestly, you stink, Josh.† â€Å"The last time we went to the village for alms, a woman gave Number Fourteen and me a thousand-year-old egg. It didn't sit well.† â€Å"Can't imagine why. I don't think you're supposed to eat an egg after, oh, two hundred years or so.† â€Å"They bury them, leave them there, then dig them up.† â€Å"Is that why I can't see you?† â€Å"No, that's because of my meditation. I've let go of everything. I've achieved perfect freedom.† â€Å"You've been free ever since we left Galilee.† â€Å"It's not the same. That's what I came to tell you, that I can't free our people from the rule of Romans.† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"Because that's not true freedom. Any freedom that can be given can be taken away. Moses didn't need to ask Pharaoh to release our people, our people didn't need to be released from the Babylonians, and they don't need to be released from the Romans. I can't give them freedom. Freedom is in their hearts, they merely have to find it.† â€Å"So you're saying you're not the Messiah?† â€Å"How can I be? How can a humble being presume to grant something that is not his to give?† â€Å"If not you, who, Josh? Angels and miracles, your ability to heal and comfort? Who else is chosen if not you?† â€Å"I don't know. I don't know anything. I wanted to say good-bye. I'll be with you, as part of all things, but you won't perceive me until you become enlightened. You can't imagine how this feels, Biff. You are everything, you love everything, you need nothing.† â€Å"Okay. You won't be needing your shoes then, right?† â€Å"Possessions stand between you and freedom.† â€Å"Sounded like a yes to me. Do me one favor though, okay?† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"Listen to what Gaspar has to say to you tomorrow.† And give me time to think up an intelligent answer to someone who's invisible and crazy, I thought to myself. Joshua was innocent, but he wasn't stupid. I had to come up with something to save the Messiah so he could save the rest of us. â€Å"I'm going to the temple to sit. I'll see you in the morning.† â€Å"Not if I see you first.† â€Å"Funny,† said Josh. Gaspar looked especially old that morning when I met him in the tea room. His personal quarters consisted of a cell no bigger than my own, but it was located just off the tea room and had a door which he could close. It was cold in the morning in the monastery and I could see our breath as Gaspar boiled the water for tea. Soon I saw a third puff of breath coming from my side of the table, although there was no person there. â€Å"Good morning, Joshua,† Gaspar said. â€Å"Did you sleep, or are you free from that need?† â€Å"No, I don't need sleep anymore,† said Josh. â€Å"You'll excuse Twenty-one and I, as we still require nourishment.† Gaspar poured us some tea and fetched two rice balls from a shelf where he kept the tea. He held one out for me and I took it. â€Å"I don't have my bowl with me,† I said, worried that Gaspar would be angry with me. How was I to know? The monks always ate breakfast together. This was out of order. â€Å"Your hands are clean,† said Gaspar. Then he sipped his tea and sat peacefully for a while, not saying a word. Soon the room heated up from the charcoal brazier that Gaspar had used to heat the tea and I was no longer able to see Joshua's breath. Evidently he'd also overcome the gastric distress of the thousand-year-old egg. I began to get nervous, aware that Number Three would be waiting for Joshua and me in the courtyard to start our exercises. I was about to say something when Gaspar held up a finger to mark silence. â€Å"Joshua,† Gaspar said, â€Å"do you know what a bodhisattva is?† â€Å"No, master, I don't.† â€Å"Gautama Buddha was a bodhisattva. The twenty-seven patriarchs since Gautama Buddha were also bodhisattvas. Some say that I, myself, am a bodhisattva, but the claim is not mine.† â€Å"There are no Buddhas,† said Joshua. â€Å"Indeed,† said Gaspar, â€Å"but when one reaches the place of Buddhahood and realizes that there is no Buddha because everything is Buddha, when one reaches enlightenment, but makes a decision that he will not evolve to nirvana until all sentient beings have preceded him there, then he is a bodhisattva. A savior. A bodhisattva, by making this decision, grasps the only thing that can ever be grasped: compassion for the suffering of his fellow humans. Do you understand?† â€Å"I think so,† said Joshua. â€Å"But the decision to become a bodhisattva sounds like an act of ego, a denial of enlightenment.† â€Å"Indeed it is, Joshua. It is an act of self-love.† â€Å"Are you asking me to become a bodhisattva?† â€Å"If I were to say to you, love your neighbor as you love yourself, would I be telling you to be selfish?† There was silence for a moment, and as I looked at the place where Joshua's voice was originating, he gradually started to become visible again. â€Å"No,† said Joshua. â€Å"Why?† asked Gaspar. â€Å"Love thy neighbor as thou lovest thyself† – and here there was a long pause when I could imagine Joshua looking to the sky for an answer, as he so often did, then: â€Å"for he is thee, and thou art he, and everything that is ever worth loving is everything.† Joshua solidified before our eyes, fully dressed, looking no worse for the wear. Gaspar smiled and those extra years that he had been carrying on his face seemed to fade away. There was a peace in his aspect and for a moment he could have been as young as we were. â€Å"That is correct, Joshua. You are truly an enlightened being.† â€Å"I will be a bodhisattva to my people,† Joshua said. â€Å"Good, now go shave the yak,† said Gaspar. I dropped my rice ball. â€Å"What?† â€Å"And you, find Number Three and commence your training on the posts.† â€Å"Let me shave the yak,† I said. â€Å"I've done it before.† Joshua put his hand on my shoulder. â€Å"I'll be fine.† Gaspar said: â€Å"And on the next moon, after alms, you shall both go with the group into the mountains for a special meditation. Your training begins tonight. You shall receive no meals for two days and you must bring me your blankets before sundown. â€Å"But I've already been enlightened,† protested Josh. â€Å"Good. Shave the yak,† said the master. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised when Joshua showed up the next day at the communal dining room with a bale of yak hair and not a scratch on him. The other monks didn't seem surprised in the least. In fact, they hardly looked up from their rice and tea. (In my years at Gaspar's monastery, I found it was astoundingly difficult to surprise a Buddhist monk, especially one who had been trained in kung fu. So alert were they to the moment that one had to become nearly invisible and completely silent to sneak up on a monk, and even then simply jumping out and shouting â€Å"boo† wasn't enough to shake their chakras. To get a real reaction, you pretty much had to poleax one of them with a fighting staff, and if he heard the staff whistling through the air, there was a good chance he'd catch it, take it away from you, and pound you into damp pulp with it. So, no, they weren't surprised when Joshua delivered the fuzz harvest unscathed.) â€Å"How?† I asked, that being pretty much what I wanted to know. â€Å"I told her what I was doing,† said Joshua. â€Å"She stood perfectly still.† â€Å"You just told her what you were going to do?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"She wasn't afraid, so she didn't resist. All fear comes from trying to see the future, Biff. If you know what is coming, you aren't afraid.† â€Å"That's not true. I knew what was coming – namely that you were going to get stomped by the yak and that I'm not nearly as good at healing as you are – and I was afraid.† â€Å"Oh, then I'm wrong. Sorry. She must just not like you.† â€Å"That's more like it,† I said, vindicated. Joshua sat on the floor across from me. Like me, he wasn't permitted to eat anything, but we were allowed tea. â€Å"Hungry?† â€Å"Yes, you?† â€Å"Starving. How did you sleep last night, without your blanket, I mean?† â€Å"It was cold, but I used the training and I was able to sleep.† â€Å"I tried, but I shivered all night long. It's not even winter yet, Josh. When the snow falls we'll freeze to death without a blanket. I hate the cold.† â€Å"You have to be the cold,† said Joshua. â€Å"I liked you better before you got enlightened,† I said. Now Gaspar started to oversee our training personally. He was there every second as we leapt from post to post, and he drilled us mercilessly through the complex hand and foot movements we practiced as part of our kung fu regimen. (I had a funny feeling that I'd seen the movements before as he taught them to us, then I remembered Joy doing her complex dances in Balthasar's fortress. Had Gaspar taught the wizard, or vice versa?) As we sat in meditation, sometimes all through the night, he stood behind us with his bamboo rod and periodically struck us on the back of the head for no reason I could discern. â€Å"Why's he keep doing that? I didn't do anything,† I complained to Joshua over tea. â€Å"He's not hitting you to punish you, he's hitting you to keep you in the moment.† â€Å"Well, I'm in the moment now, and at the moment I'd like to beat the crap out of him.† â€Å"You don't mean that.† â€Å"Oh, what? I'm supposed to want to be the crap I beat out of him?† â€Å"Yes, Biff,† Joshua said somberly. â€Å"You must be the crap.† But he couldn't keep a straight face and he started to snicker as he sipped his tea, finally spraying the hot liquid out his nostrils and collapsing into a fit of laughter. All of the other monks, who evidently had been listening in, started giggling as well. A couple of them rolled around on the floor holding their sides. It's very difficult to stay angry when a room full of bald guys in orange robes start giggling. Buddhism. Gaspar made us wait two months before taking us on the special meditation pilgrimage, so it was well into winter before we made that monumental trek. Snow fell so deep on the mountainside that we literally had to tunnel our way out to the courtyard every morning for exercise. Before we were allowed to begin, Joshua and I had to shovel all of the snow out of the courtyard, which meant that some days it was well past noon before we were able to start drilling. Other days the wind whipped down out of the mountains so viciously that we couldn't see more than a few inches past our faces, and Gaspar would devise exercises that we could practice inside. Joshua and I were not given our blankets back, so I, for one, spent every night shivering myself to sleep. Although the high windows were shuttered and charcoal braziers were lit in the rooms that were occupied, there was never anything approaching physical comfort during the winter. To my relief, the other monks were not unaffected by the cold, and I noticed that the accepted posture for breakfast was to wrap your entire body around your steaming cup of tea, so not so much as a mote of precious heat might escape. Someone entering the dining hall, seeing us all balled up in our orange robes, might have thought he stumbled into a steaming patch of giant pumpkins. At least the others, including Joshua, seemed to find some relief from the chill during their meditations, having reached that state, I'm told, where they could, indeed, generate their own heat. I was still learning the discipline. Sometimes I considered climbing to the back of the temple where the cave became narrow and hund reds of fuzzy bats hibernated on the ceiling in a great seething mass of fur and sinew. The smell might have been horrid, but it would have been warm. When the day finally came for us to take the pilgrimage, I was no closer to generating my own heat than I had been at the start, so I was relieved when Gaspar led five of us to a cabinet and issued yak-wool leggings and boots to each of us. â€Å"Life is suffering,† said Gaspar as he handed Joshua his leggings, â€Å"but it is more expedient to go through it with one's legs intact.† We left just after dawn on a crystal clear morning after a night of brutal wind that had blown much of the snow off the base of the mountain. Gaspar led five of us down the mountain to the village. Sometimes we trod in the snow up to our waists, other times we hopped across the tops of exposed stones, suddenly making our training on the tops of the posts seem much more practical than I had ever thought possible. On the mountainside, a slip from one of the stones might have sent us plunging into a powder-filled ravine to suffocate under fifty feet of snow. The villagers received us with great celebration, coming out of their stone and sod houses to fill our bowls with rice and root vegetables, ringing small brass bells and blowing the yak horn in our honor before quickly retreating back to their fires and slamming their doors against the cold. It was festive, but it was brief. Gaspar led us to the home of the toothless old woman who Joshua and I had met so long ago and we all bedded down in the straw of her small barn amid her goats and a pair of yaks. (Her yaks were much smaller than the one we kept at the monastery, more the size of normal cattle. I found out later that ours was the progeny of the wild yaks that lived in the high plateaus, while hers were from stock that had been domesticated for a thousand years.) After the others had gone to sleep, I snuck into the old woman's house in search of some food. It was a small stone house with two rooms. The front one was dimly lit by a single window covered with a tanned and stretched animal hide that transmitted the light of the full moon as a dull yellow glow. I could only make out shapes, not actual objects, but I felt my way around the room until I laid my hand on what had to be a bag of turnips. I dug one of the knobby vegetables from the bag, brushed the dirt from the surface with my palm, then sunk in my teeth and crunched away a mouthful of crisp, earthy bliss. I had never even cared for turnips up to that time, but I had just decided that I was going to sit there until I had transferred the entire contents of that bag to my stomach, when I heard a noise in the back room. I stopped chewing and listened. Suddenly I could see someone standing in the doorway between the two rooms. I drew in my breath and held it. Then I heard the old woman's voice, speaking Chinese with her peculiar accent: â€Å"To take the life of a human or one like a human. To take a thing that is not given. To claim to have superhuman powers.† I was slow, but suddenly I realized that the old woman was reciting the rules for which a monk could be expelled from the monastery. As she came into the dim light from the window she said, â€Å"To have intercourse with anyone, even down to an animal.† And at that second, I realized that the toothless old woman was completely naked. A mouthful of chewed turnip rolled out of my mouth and down the front of my robe. The old woman, close now, reached out, I thought to catch the mess, but instead she caught what was under my robe. â€Å"Do you have superhuman powers?† the old woman said, pulling on my manhood, which, much to my amazement, nodded an answer. I need to say here that it had been over two years since we had left Balthasar's fortress, and another six months before that since the demon had come and killed all of the girls but Joy – thus curtailing my regular supply of sexual companions. I want to go on record that I had been steadfast in adhering to the rules of the monastery, allowing only those nocturnal emissions as were expelled during dreams (although I had gotten pretty good in directing my dreams in that direction, so all that mental discipline and meditation wasn't completely useless). So, that said, I was in a weakened state of resistance when the old woman, leathery and toothless as she might have been, compelled me by threat and intimidation to share with her what the Chinese call the Forbidden Monkey Dance. Five times. Imagine my chagrin when the man who would save the world found me in the morning with a twisted burl of Chinese crone-flesh orally affixed to my fleshy pagoda of expandable joy, even as I snored away in transcendent turnip-digesting oblivion. â€Å"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!† said Joshua, turning to the wall and throwing his robe over his head. â€Å"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!† I said, roused from my slumber by the disgusted exclamation of my friend. â€Å"Ahhhhhhhhhh!† said the old woman, I think. (Her speech was generously obstructed, if I do say so myself.) â€Å"Jeez, Biff,† Joshua stuttered. â€Å"You can't†¦I mean†¦Lust is†¦Jeez, Biff!† â€Å"What?† I said, like I didn't know what. â€Å"You've ruined sex for me for all time,† Joshua said. â€Å"Whenever I think of it, this picture will always come up in my mind.† â€Å"So,† I said, pushing the old woman away and shooing her into the back room. â€Å"So†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Joshua turned around and looked me in the eye, then grinned widely enough to threaten the integrity of his ears. â€Å"So thanks.† I stood and bowed. â€Å"I am here only to serve,† I said, grinning back. â€Å"Gaspar sent me to look for you. He's ready to leave.† â€Å"Okay, I'd better, you know, say good-bye.† I gestured toward the back room. Joshua shuddered. â€Å"No offense,† he said to the old woman, who was out of sight in the other room. â€Å"I was just surprised.† â€Å"Want a turnip?† I said, holding up one of the knobby treats. Joshua turned and started out the door. â€Å"Jeez, Biff,† he was saying as he left.

Gender Arguments Essays

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As Good As It Gets essays

As Good As It Gets essays In this essay review of As Good As It Gets I will discuss the genre of the film, the form of the film (narrative), and narrative elements within the film. One way to categorize a film is to determine what genre it is. Genres, by definition are various types of films that audiences and filmmakers recognize by their familiar narrative conventions (Bordwell et al. 503). The genre of the film As Good As It Gets would be classified as a romantic comedy. Genre conventions are common characteristics that reappear in a certain type of genre of a film again and again. In a romantic comedy one would anticipate a funny film with a romantic storyline between a man and a woman in a traditional sense. Genres can also be defined through conventional iconography, which are reoccurring symbols or images that carry meaning from film to film. Even certain actors can serve as iconography for a film. In this case, As Good As It Gets has many actors that are typically cast in comedies. Helen Hunt, who has been on a sit-com on television with Paul Riser, a real-life comedian, took her shot at the silver screen cast along side Jack Nicholson in the romantic comedy. Cuba Gooding Jr. who plays a small role in the film is best known for his comic roles. Nicholson who has an extensive resume in film has starred in many different roles from comedies, to drama, and horror. Therefore, one may associate certain actors with a specific type of genre of film. In addition to the genre of the film we can also consider the films form. As Good As It Gets is a narrative, or story where a chain of events takes place that are derived from a cause and effect relationship. The narrative will start with a certain situation and through a cause and effect relationship a series of events will take place in the film that brings about a new situation for the outcome of the film. In the film As Good As It Gets, the narrative begins with an obsessive-compuls...

Tesco Competitive Strategy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Tesco Competitive Strategy - Case Study Example echoes that, today the challenges for companies is not just providing high quality product but the ability to provide these products at a lower cost and price (Prahalad & Hamel 1990). These must be incorporated in the company's strategies. Against this background companies are in dear search for different ways and measures to remain competitive and consequently create values for their shareholders. (Hamel & Prahalad, 1994). Having said this, the paper focuses on TESCO. In section two I will provide an overview of the company, its products, people and resources, part two of the paper looks at its competitive position in line with the five forces model, while part three discusses its competitive advantage, and the last section provides the conclusion and recommendations. TESCO Plc is an international retailer founded by Jack Cohen in 1919 that has established itself as the largest super store in Europe (Report 2008). According to the company 2008 corporate report and the website, being an international retailer, its principal activities include food retailing, simple travel insurance, personal finance, TELECOM and recycling having over 2,000 stores in the United Kingdom (Company's Review 2008). The company also has stores and retail outlet in other countries like the Republic of Ireland, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Turkey, Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan and China (Tesco 2006 Review). In addition, it operates 165 International Express stores. In addition it operates 39 stores in China, 111 in Japan, 13 in Malaysia, 62 in South Korea, 6 in Taiwan, 219 in Thailand, 35 in Czech Republic, 87 in Hungary, 105 in Poland, 91 in Republic of Ireland, 37 in Slovakia and 8 in Turkey. (Tesco Annual Review, 2008). It therefore operates round the clock which demonstrates its commitment to create customer value which in turn generates superior value for its shareholders. The success of this international giant in the retail sector can be attributed to its aggressive global strategy of geographical diversification, product differentiation, cost focus and it use of umbrella branding. In its attempt to renew the brand and keep it in sync with changing customer tastes, Tesco follows an umbrella strategy including international diversification, providing value to customers, product diversification, innovation, acquisition and umbrella branding. (Tesco Annual Review, 2008). 2.0 Tesco and Porter's Five Forces Framework Through the below stated framework developed by Michael Porter we will identify the sources of competition in an industry. Here, according to Porter (1990), the sources of competition in an industry such as the grocery sector in the case of Tesco can be easily depicted. Figure 1: Porters Five Forces Framework adapted from Johnson et al (2007) Figure 1 above depicts the forces of competition in an industry. According to Porter (1990) enables market analyst and investors to asses the attractiveness and profit potentials likely to be in an industry. Using this framework an analyst gets to identify the sources of competition in an industry or sector (Johnson & Scholes 2005). The basis upon which this framework is built will serve to