Business Ethics (Part A) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Ethics (Part A) - Essay Example Often times our myopic approach does not allow us to see the long term possibilities of an ethical action, thus we up taking the shortest and easiest way to fulfil our immediate needs. Ethical dilemmas are prevalent in every aspect of our lifestyle, starting from social groups to work place environment. Velasquez et al (2010) mentioned that ethics cannot be defined by any single definition, as it is dependent on a person’s mentality. Some people define ethics as following their feelings, while other may believe that ethical practices are synonymous to religious customs. However, on closer inspection it has been identified that our feelings often deviate from ethical practices and although several religious customs dictate ethical practices, it may vary across different religions (Bucaro, 2007). Moreover, ethics applies to a theist and atheist alike. An ethical practice also does not fall under legal criteria, because an activity although legal may be unethical. Ethics can be d escribed as developing one’s behaviour based on certain standards which dictates him to do the right thing in a societal context, which will eventually yield a long term achievement or success (BBC, 2014). Running a business operation involves following a set of rules and regulations, which defines the governance of the company. The rules are set in such a way that the company can achieve its financial goals, while meeting the stakeholder’s interest at the same time (Rafner, 2014). Due to highly competitive marketplace, some companies create a competitive work environment, where the employees and workers are given steep targets to achieve. In such a competitive environment the employees often adopt certain unethical practices to achieve their target. In jobs involving direct sales, employees often fabricate and manipulate product related information to the

Catherines determination and is getting angry Essay Example for Free

Catherines determination and is getting angry Essay Now she has admitted to herself, not only to Rodolfo that she is afraid of Eddie. She is trying to escape Eddie and her feelings for him because she could picture what would happen if she stayed. It would be an awkward situation with Eddie and Beatrice keeping an eye on what she is doing. Although Eddie is not Catherines father, he is a very strong father figure to her and the man of the house. The immigrant community is very much a patriarchal society, parallel to Italy. The father and male is an authority figure. Eddie is very protective of Catherine in both positive and negative ways. Eddie really loves and cares for Catherine, and will do anything to protect and look after her, but his love for her is obsessive and possessive. Eddie feels he should choose her husband, as was the done thing in Italy, but Eddie cannot let go of Catherine. Up to the end of page 44 Rodolfo reassures her that they wont be living in Eddies house for much longer and tells her about his ideas for the future, to stay in New York legally, marry Catherine, have their own house and find a better job. Yet Catherine is still interested if he had to go and live in Italy because they had to, would he? Rodolfo, at this point, is getting quite aggravated by her persistence in wanting to go to the country he desperately left, to escape his problems. After they argue about this for a little, this makes the audience more involved in their fight. It makes the audience want the best for the couple but they cant solve their differences because they are only watching. Rodolfo is seemingly surprised at Catherines determination and is getting angry. Maybe this is a test to see if Rodolfo really does love her. If he does, he would marry her whenever, wherever. Rodolfo tries again to tell her. Rodolfo ~ No; I will not marry you to live in Italy. I want you to be my wife, and I want to be a citizen. Tell him that, or I will. Yes. And tell him also, tell him yourself, please, that I am not a beggar, and you are not a horse, a gift, a favour for a poor immigrant. I believe this small speech is very suspicious because first of all he says he wont go to Italy, he will only be her husband if he marries her in America probably because he wants to be a citizen. Then he jumps straight to Eddie, who hasnt been mentioned for a while. It is clear that Eddie lies behind the mood of Catherines. He wants her to tell Eddie that he is not a beggar, yet Rodolfo doesnt explain why he cant do it himself. Even though Catherine is trying to calm Rodolfo as the dispute continues, Rodolfo feels the need to get things off his chest, and Catherine doesnt make any attempt to defend her suggestion. This is because she knows deep down he is right and is making up an excuse for indicating it to Roldolfo. He speaks again about how bad poor Italy is compared to, the land of hope glory, America. Now Rodolfo, again, brings up Eddie. The audience are, at this time, very emotionally involved and might take sides to the characters. They might even relate to this situation making it even more dramatic and effective. When Rodolfo asks why she is afraid for him and her reply is I dont know, it shows that she is unsure of her feelings toward Eddie because Eddie cant explain his feelings for her. Catherine ~ Its only that I- He was good to me, Rodolfo. You dont know him; he was always the sweetest guy to me. He razzes me the time but he dont mean it. I know. I would just feel ashamed if I made him sad. Cause I always dreamt that when I got married he would be happy at the wedding, and laughin- and now hes- mad all the time nasty. Tell him youd live in Italy- just tell him, and maybe he would start to trust you a little, see? Because I want him to be happy; I mean- like him Rodolfo- and I cant stand it! This confession shows the audience how a usually private Catherine is truly feeling inside. Catherine finally explains to Rodolfo the real situation between her and Eddie and what happened before the cousins came. Catherine really wants the two important men in her life to get along so she tries to explain Eddies unpredictable character to Rodolfo. Catherine explains about him criticising her all the time because she really wants him to understand. She describes her dreams of her wedding and thinks of a way of gaining Eddies trust. But the idea of moving to Italy has changed, because originally it was meant for her and Rodolfo to have a new life but now it has been replaced as a way of satisfying Eddie. It could show minor feelings for Eddie. Rodolfo realises how this whole situation is really making Catherine miserable and I think Rodolfo feels really sorry for her so doesnt challenge her again. He knows she has had enough. Catherine says that she loves Rodolfo, but he then replies with comment, which again, has a hint of humour. Rodolfo ~ Then why are you afraid? That hell spank you? He dismisses her personal confession. This could be put down to him not taking Catherine seriously and might imply that he is using her. I think that Catherine at this point will be (secretly) at breaking point with Rodolfo because he isnt making any effort to understand her situation. He isnt taking her thoughts into consideration and is making it out to be some kind of a joke. But maybe it was just a nai ve, honest question. Catherine ~ You dont know; nobody knows! Im not a baby, I know a lot more than people think I know. Beatrice says to be a woman, but- With Catherine bringing up the subject of Beatrice its obvious that the conversation between Beatrice and Catherine earlier on in the play has been playing on her mind. She must have been thinking about what Beatrice said to her and tried to act on the advice given. It is Beatrice who is quick to keep the ball rolling in a conversation and to help gloss over and neutralise difficulties and reactions in the many conversations. Beatrice is very attentive and she develops as Catherines mediator in the play and it is very much as a pacifier how the audience sees her. Now she is absent from this scene Catherine might feel bitter towards her because she is not here to watch her. Maybe this is another sign of Catherines insecurity. Next, I think there is a slight bit of jealousy on Catherines part. She starts complaining about Beatrice and her cold nature towards Eddie. I believe that she is trying to change the subject so they dont have to talk about Eddie anymore. She says she knows Eddie inside out and she doesnt understand why Beatrice is told her to make a stranger out of him. She dont know why I have to do that? She is showing that she loves Eddie almost as deeply as she loves her. Maybe, again, her acting nai ve and it always gets used against her. But she might not be acting on it. Rodolfo tries to explain the situation to her by using a metaphor to help her understand. They stop fighting and decide to go to bed with each other. They both know they cant fight each other because neither of them can win, they dont know enough about each other. Now Eddie is in the apartment and drunk the audience gets a sense that something exciting yet unpredictable may happen. Eddie looks impatiently in the kitchen for Beatrice who is asleep and Catherine enters from a bedroom, the atmosphere must be very tense and quiet in the theatre making the play more realistic.

Releasing the Moment in Clampitt’s Poem Fog Essay -- Clampitt Fog Essa

The photographer sights, clicks, stops; the moment is captured; the vision settles. The poet sights, clicks, begins; the moment is released; the vision starts. Tess Gallagher says, "the poem is always the enemy of the photograph." The art of poetry demands more than external vision; a poem takes the reader outside and inside to see, hear, touch, and feel every detail. In Amy Clampitt’s poem "Fog," she immerses the reader’s senses in the entirety of the moment’s external grace and its secret inner core. Clampitt seeks out what is hidden to the eye. She wants what the camera cannot record. Her subject allows her to show off poetry’s distinct function and strength. Fog obscures, shrouds, limits, dissolves; it defeats sight. "Fog" reveals, illuminates, widens, and intensifies; it gives sight. There is a pleasing poetic irony in Clampitt’s ability to render so present to the mind’s eye precisely what the eyes themselves cannot see at all. "A vagueness comes over everything, / as though proving color and contour / alike dispensable" (Clampitt 610). As things disappear, "the lighthou...

Mahtab’s Story Essay

INTRODUCTION I1. Overcoming Obstacles shows a journey of where an individual is facing serious difficulties in life, and then finds ways to overcome their personal trials. (Thesis/Main idea) I2. Mahtab’s Story, a novel by one of Australia’s best-loved children’s authors – Libby Gleeson, is inspired by true events through the main character Mahtab and her family’s experiences of Overcoming Obstacles. (Introducing your texts) I3. Mahtab’s Story explores Overcoming Obstacles through the character’s events, such as (1) Mahtab being responsible in taking care and protecting her younger siblings, (2) accepting their loss of belongings in order for Mahtab’s family to travel to Australia and (3) being open to Australia’s culture in their life. (Arguments) BODY (FIRST) Point= Example= Technique: Explanation= Overcoming Obstacles: Overcoming Obstacles shows a journey of where an individual is facing serious difficulties in life, and then finds ways to overcome their personal trials. (Thesis) Mahtab being responsible in taking care and protecting her younger siblings 1. Topic Sentence: In Mahtab’s Story, the main character has the expectation of taking care and protecting her younger sibling which she Mahtab is a young girl who has two younger siblings, named Farhad and Soroya. It is her task to make sure that they are safe and entertain them. This is a large responsibility and expectation for a 12 years old girl. ‘Mahtab cuddled her and said, ‘dad would never let anything bad happened to you’. This is an example of direct speech where Mahtab lives up to her expectation as an older sibling by providing care and protection for her sister. 2. Link back to Introduction / essay question. 3. of leaving their loved ones and friends behind 4. Mahtab’s family were afraid of the Taliban and had fear in their country. They left in secret marking the beginning of their journey from Afghanistan and to Australia. (SECOND) Overcoming Obstacles shows a journey of where an individual is facing serious difficulties in life, and then finds ways to overcome their personal trials. (Thesis) accepting their loss of belongings in order for Mahtab’s family to travel to Australia P Mahtab and her family were forced to give away almost everything they had with them in order to safely travel to Australia. ‘Mahtab slid the bracelet into her hand. ‘Give them this, Mum.’ She pressed the bracelet into her mother’s hand. T: Kinesthetic Imagery E : This is an example of Overcoming Obstacles as Mahtab had volunteered to give up her beloved Grandmother’s bracelet in order to help her family travel overseas. (THIRD) Topic Sentence: P Mahtab and her family went to Australia knowing that they have to learn a new language, learn about their culture and to leave behind Afghanistan. Repetition is shown in ‘Stranger in a strange land. This is not my place. These are not my people.’ E – At first, Mahtab’s family thought that they will get the opportunity to have a better life and freedom. Overcoming Obstacles is seen as this quote accurately shows how Mahtab’s family escaped Afghanistan though they feel very sad, uncomfortable and unwelcome in Australia; instead of freedom, they are sent to a detention centre. Link back to question. CONCLUSION I1. Overcoming Obstacles shows a journey of where an individual is facing serious difficulties in life, and then finds ways to overcome their personal trials. Mahtab’s Story written by Libby Gleeson is based on by true events as the main character experiences of Overcoming Obstacles. Mahtab’s Story shows Overcoming Obstacles through events in the novel, such as Mahtab being responsible in taking care and protecting her younger siblings, accepting  their loss of belongings in order for Mahtab’s family to travel to Australia and being open to Australia’s culture in their life. Mahtab and her family members had seriously faced a lot of difficult challenges throughout them travelling from Afghanistan to Australia without being seen by anyone. This Overcoming Obstacle of what Mahtab and her family faced like Losing everything they got, more expectation from Mahtab and moving to another country are very strong and amazingly accomplished.

The Technology to Detect Counterfeit Currency

Currently it is quite easy to manufacture or produce money which is known as fake (Brain, 2007). This is because it is said that only the following are needed: â€Å"a personal computer, a scanner, an inkjet colored printer, as well as, time which is only ten minutes† (Brain, 2007). The first step is to place the bill on the scanner then setting the scanner in its highest resolution at 2,400 DPI before eventually scanning it (Brain, 2007). After that printing may already be carried out (Brain, 2007). Yes indeed, it is now very easy to do so.This is the reasons an individual should know how to distinguish a real from counterfeit money. The following may be of help: First of all, take a look at the picture (United.. , 2006). In the real money, the picture would be extremely realistic (United.. , 2006). The picture in the real money will also â€Å"stand out noticeably from the background† (United.. , 2006). In the counterfeit money, on the other hand, the picture in it lo oks exceedingly lifeless and unexciting (United.. , 2006). In addition to that, its features go along with the backdrop which is usually too shady, shadowy, gloomy, blotchy and speckled (United.. , 2006).Second is to be extremely mindful and check on the federal reserve and treasury seals (United.. , 2006). How? On the real money, it is exceedingly noticeable that the â€Å"saw-tooth points of the federal reserve and treasury seals are apparent, distinctive, as well as, jagged† whereas on the counterfeit money, â€Å"the saw-tooth points of the federal reserve and treasury seals have irregular, dull, or wrecked saw-tooth points† (United.. , 2006). Third is to be familiar with the money’s border (United.. , 2006).In genuine money, â€Å"it is extremely noticeable that the fine lines in the border are very clear and continuous† (United.. , 2006). In the counterfeit bill though, â€Å"the streak are so distorted and indistinguishable† (United.. , 2006 ). Fourth is to look deeper into the serial numbers (United.. , 2006). In the real bill, the spaces are even in between the serial numbers (United.. , 2006). In addition to that, it is set apart by its idiosyncratic style (United.. , 2006). Furthermore, the color of the treasury seal is also similar to the hue utilized in printing the serial numbers (United.. , 2006).On the other hand, in counterfeit bills, the color used in printing the serial numbers may not at all be the same with the hue of the treasury seal (United.. , 2006). Also counterfeit bills’ serial numbers’ spaces are not even (United.. , 2006). In addition to that, the serial numbers in counterfeit money do not make a straight line (United.. , 2006). Last but not least is to scrutinize the type of paper utilized (Indigo.. , 2002). In the real money, there are strands which are colored blue and red set in or entrenched in the entire paper (Indigo.. , 2002).Meanwhile, the counterfeit bill does not have stra nds or fibers, instead, red and blue lines are printed on the paper instead of being embedded on it (Indigo.. , 2002). Devices Utilized to Detect Counterfeit Money There are several devices utilized nowadays to find out if money is counterfeit or real. Some of these devices include the following: First of all is the counterfeit detector pen (How.. , 2007).

Effect of soapy water on plants Essay Example

Effect of soapy water on plants Essay Example Effect of soapy water on plants Essay Effect of soapy water on plants Essay n conclusion, the experiment was about the effect of soapy water on plants. The hypothesis was, If plant A is given 10 ml of plain tap water every other day for two weeks and plant B is given 10 ml of soapy water (5 ml softsoap and 5 ml plain water) for the same amount of time then, plant A will grow at least 3. 0 cm taller than plant B. The Hypothesis was supported. Plant A grew 13. 6 cm while Plant B grew only 5. 2 The Independent variable was water, food, plastic cup, sunlight and soapy water. The Dependent Variable was the length of the plant/ how tall it grew. One error that could have affected the experiment was that the water given to the plants was not exactly 10 ml. It was between 9-11 ml. Another error could have been that it rained during the week. Due to that, the soapy water plant got plain water. Change in type of water could have affected the plant growth. If this experiment was done again, the plants would be watered with exactly 10 ml of water/soapy water and they would be ept inside the house at night and when it rains. n conclusion, the experiment was about the effect of soapy water on plants. The hypothesis was, If plant A is given 10 ml of plain tap water every other day for two weeks and plant B is given 10 ml of soapy water (5 ml softsoap and 5 ml plain water) for the same amount of time then, plant A will grow at least 3. 0 cm taller than plant B. The Hypothesis was supported. Plant A grew 13. 6 cm while Plant B grew only 5. 2 cm. Effect of soapy wate r on plants By neelteJwani

Rise of Mass Society Essays

Rise of Mass Society Essays Rise of Mass Society Essay Rise of Mass Society Essay Rise of Mass Society Mass society arose in the Gilded Age in many ways. People moved back to the cities for many reasons. Farmers were forced to relocate because of the production of heavy machinery, the educational, medical care, and just sheer leisure that the city could offer. With the additional people who had moved into the city also came concern for sanitation. The population of New York City doubling each decade it created for an unsanitary condition as the infrastructure was not adequate to sustain the amount of people living in the cities. By the end of the 19th century the population had gotten to four million. Such extraordinary human overcrowding shared with a simple infrastructure made for the best conditions for an intense rise in widespread disease. Mosquito and tick borne diseases like malaria along with cholera, typhoid, typhus, and yellow fever festered. The citys death rate increase rapidly, and children died in great amounts. The city seemed to be coming apart. New York Citys substructure was dependent on horses. Between 100,000 and 200,000 horses was living in the city at any time (2008). Each horse gave off 24 pounds of feces and many quarts of urine daily. Even with the presence of animals, the city had no efficient street-cleaning techniques. Horse carcasses presented additional problems with the street cleaning, as the carcass can weigh as much as 1,200 pounds, much heavier than any person can lift and move (2008). When a horse did die it would have been left to rot then moved when it was manageable. With the invention of the electric and trolley cars the need for horse drawn transportation lessened. Eventually the horse would not be wanted within the city as a mode of transportation as the cable car and the electric trolley cars entered the city. The advantages assured by automobile supporters appeared to be realized. Streets were cleaner, pollution from manure and the diseases created were diminished, goods were moved economically and proficiently, and movement of people from crowded cities to suburbs was faster by the automobile. Actions seemed to validate the benefits of the automobile over the horse. Railroads during the Gilded Age was one of, if not, the most important discovery during the time because of its ability to transport people and their belongings to many places of the country where it would have taken days or weeks to travel with previous means of transportation. Railroads promoted economic growth towards civilization because trading within the country was more accessible than ever before and new businesses were created because of the creation. Railroads unlike horses during the time couldn’t travel at a high speeds for a long time without or little stopping. In 1862 the Pacific Railroad Act was established to help create the transcontinental railroad by authorizing grants and loans to companies who were involved in the making of the railroad. The transcontinental railroad was a combination of two railroad companies working together, the Central Pacific and Union Pacific. Millions of immigrants were accountable for most of the labor in the making of the transcontinental railroad. Most of the immigrants were of Irish and Chinese background. The transcontinental railroad was completed on May 10, 1869. The immigrants who helped created the railroads settled in the West because of the new industries being established in the West and all the opportunities the West presented itself. The transcontinental railroads expanded the population of the country instantly due to the discoveries towards the West. The railroads opened up many opportunities for people to start businesses and eventually created new industries. The railroads allowed the overcrowding of the East, due to the large amounts of immigrants, to minimize because of people moving towards the West in search for gold and better land for agriculture and ranching. The railroads provided jobs for many new settlers and immigrants in the West from the creation of the railroad itself, to the many jobs created because of the railroads. Since many people moved towards the West because of the new creation of the railroads, new towns formed into cities as the population of the West grew exponentially. With the farmers from the Great Plains and immigrants moving into the city there was a need for leisure time. The farmers had more time on their hands with the inventions of machinery for farming, they looked for things to do. Trains would bring spectators to watch the games several times a week. This was the beginning of the sport we call baseball. Post-civil war was an unsure time for everyone because of the change. Whether it was rebuilding their houses, towns or being equal with African Americans. Baseball was something that brought everyone together and made them forget about everything, it helped people enjoy themselves whether they were watching or playing themselves. It didn’t matter if one was white, black or purple it was part of their life. Baseball soon became known as Americas favorite past time for these reasons. At first baseball was segregated, as everything else was, there was even a Negro league. In 1888, the segregation ended and African Americans were allowed to play with whites. Some star players such as Cap Anderson refused to play with blacks. Even though the segregation had ended, blacks were still discriminated for over 60 years until Jackie Robinson signed with the Dodgers. The cultural phenomena during the Gilded Age developed in many ways. Farmers were forced to relocate into the cities due to not being able to expand their farms or from machinery. Immigrants moved into the large cities in order to obtain work. The city’s infrastructure was not adequate to sustain such a large population of people and horses alike. Many people died due to the unsanitary conditions of the city. Railroads assisted with migrating west, eliminating contaminate within the city, as well as transportation to spectator sports such as baseball.

Understanding the Key Events of World War II

Understanding the Key Events of World War II World War II, which lasted from 1939 to 1945, was a war fought primarily between the Axis Powers (Nazi Germany, Italy, and Japan) and the Allies (France, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and the United States). Although World War II was started by Nazi Germany in their attempt to conquer Europe,it turned into  the largest and the bloodiest war in world history, responsible for the deaths of an estimated 40 to 70 million people, many of whom were civilians. World War II included the attempted genocide of the Jewish people during the Holocaust and the first use of an atomic weapon during a war. Dates: 1939 - 1945 Also Known As: WWII, Second World War Appeasement Following World War I After the devastation and destruction caused by World War I, the world was tired of war and was willing to do almost anything to prevent another from starting. Thus, when Nazi Germany annexed Austria (called the Anschluss) in March 1938, the world did not react. When Nazi leader Adolf Hitler demanded the Sudeten area of Czechoslovakia in September 1938, the world powers handed it to him. Confident that these appeasements had averted a total war from occurring, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain stated, I believe it is peace in our time. Hitler, on the other hand, had different plans. Completely disregarding the Versailles Treaty, Hitler was ramping up for war. In preparation for an attack on Poland, Nazi Germany made a deal with the Soviet Union on August 23, 1939, called the Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact. In exchange for land, the Soviet Union agreed to not attack Germany. Germany was ready for war. The Start of World War II At 4:45 a.m. on September 1, 1939, Germany attacked Poland. Hitler sent in 1,300 planes of his Luftwaffe (German air force) as well as more than 2,000 tanks and 1.5 million well-trained, ground troops. The Polish military, on the other hand, consisted mostly of foot soldiers with old weapons (even some using lances) and cavalry.   Needless to say, the odds were not in Poland’s favor. Great Britain and France, who had treaties with Poland, both declared war on Germany two days later, on September 3, 1939. However, these countries could not gather troops and equipment fast enough to help save Poland. After Germany had waged a successful attack on Poland from the west, the Soviets invaded Poland from the east on September 17, per the pact they had with Germany. On September 27, 1939, Poland surrendered. For the next six months, there was little actual fighting as the British and French built up their defenses along France’s Maginot Line and the Germans readied themselves for a major invasion. There was so little actual fighting that some journalists termed this â€Å"the Phoney War.† The Nazis Seem Unstoppable On April 9, 1940, the quiet interlude of the war ended as Germany invaded Denmark and Norway. Having met very little resistance, the Germans were soon able to launch Case Yellow (Fall Gelb), an offensive against France and the Low Countries. On May 10, 1940, Nazi Germany invaded Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The Germans were heading through Belgium to enter France, bypassing France’s defenses along the Maginot Line. The Allies were completely unprepared to defend France from a northern attack. The French and British armies, along with the rest of Europe, were quickly overpowered by Germany’s new, swift blitzkrieg (â€Å"lightning war†) tactics. Blitzkrieg was a fast, coordinated, highly-mobile attack that combined air power and well-armored ground troops along a narrow front in order to quickly breach an enemy’s line. (This tactic was meant to avoid the stalemate that caused trench warfare in WWI.) The Germans attacked with deadly force and precision, seeming unstoppable. In a bid to escape total slaughter, 338,000 British and other Allied troops were evacuated, starting on May 27, 1940, from the coast of France to Great Britain as part of Operation Dynamo (often called the Miracle of Dunkirk). On June 22, 1940, France officially surrendered. It had taken less than three months for the Germans to conquer Western Europe. With France defeated, Hitler turned his sights to Great Britain, intending to conquer it as well in Operation Sea Lion (Unternehmen Seelowe). Before a ground assault was to begin, Hitler ordered the bombing of Great Britain, beginning the Battle of Britain on July 10, 1940. The British, emboldened by Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s morale-building speeches and aided by radar, successfully countered the German air attacks. Hoping to destroy British morale, Germany began bombing not just military targets but also civilian ones as well, including populated cities. These attacks, which began in August 1940, often occurred at night and were known as â€Å"the Blitz.† The Blitz strengthened the British resolve. By the fall of 1940, Hitler canceled Operation Sea Lion but continued the Blitz well into 1941. The British had stopped the seemingly unstoppable German advance. But, without help, the British could not hold them off for long. Thus, the British asked U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt for help. Although the United States was unwilling to fully enter World War II, Roosevelt agreed to send Great Britain weapons, ammunition, artillery, and other much-needed supplies. The Germans also got help. On September 27, 1940, Germany, Italy, and Japan signed the Tripartite Pact, joining these three countries into the Axis Powers. Germany Invades the Soviet Union While the British prepared and waited for an invasion, Germany began to look east. Despite signing the Nazi-Soviet Pact with Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, Hitler had always planned to invade the Soviet Union as part of his plan to gain Lebensraum (â€Å"living room†) for the German people. Hitler’s decision to open a second front in World War II is often considered one of his worst. On June 22, 1941, the German army invaded the Soviet Union, in what was called Case Barbarossa (Fall Barbarossa). The Soviets were taken completely by surprise. The German army’s blitzkrieg tactics worked well in the Soviet Union, allowing the Germans to advance quickly. After his initial shock, Stalin rallied his people and ordered a â€Å"scorched earth† policy in which Soviet citizens burned their fields and killed their livestock as they fled from the invaders. The scorched-earth policy slowed the Germans for it forced them to rely solely on their supply lines. The Germans had underestimated the vastness of the land and the absoluteness of the Soviet winter. Cold and wet, the German soldiers could barely move and their tanks became stuck in mud and snow. The entire invasion stalled. The Holocaust Hitler sent more than just his army into the Soviet Union; he sent mobile killing squads called Einsatzgruppen. These squads were to search out and kill Jews and other â€Å"undesirables† en masse. This killing started out as large groups of Jews being shot and then dumped into pits, such as at Babi Yar. It soon evolved into mobile gas vans. However, these were determined to be too slow at killing, so the Nazis built death camps, created to kill thousands of people a day, such as at Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Sobibor. During World War II, the Nazis created an elaborate, secretive, systematic plan to eradicate Jews from Europe in what is now called the Holocaust. The Nazis also targeted Gypsies, homosexuals, Jehovah Witnesses, the disabled, and all Slavic peoples for slaughter. By the end of the war, the Nazis had killed 11 million people solely based on Nazi racial policies. The Attack on Pearl Harbor Germany was not the only country looking to expand. Japan, newly industrialized, was poised for conquest, hoping to take over vast areas in Southeast Asia. Worried that the United States might try to stop them, Japan decided to launch a surprise attack against the United States’ Pacific Fleet in the hopes of keeping the U.S. out of war in the Pacific. On December 7, 1941, Japanese airplanes wreaked havoc on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In just two hours, 21 U.S. ships had either been sunk or badly damaged. Shocked and outraged at the unprovoked attack, the United States declared war on Japan the following day. Three days after that, the United States declared war on Germany. The Japanese, aware that the U.S. would probably retaliate for the bombing of Pearl Harbor, preemptively attacked the U.S. naval base in the Philippines on December 8, 1941, destroying many of the U.S. bombers stationed there. Following their air attack with a ground invasion, the battle ended with U.S. surrendering and the deadly Bataan Death March. Without the air strip in the Philippines, the U.S. needed to find a different way to retaliate; they decided upon a bombing raid right into the heart of Japan. On April 18, 1942, 16 B-25 bombers took off from a U.S. aircraft carrier, dropping bombs on Tokyo, Yokohama, and Nagoya. Although the damage inflicted was light, the Doolittle Raid, as it was called, caught the Japanese off guard. However, despite the Doolittle Raid’s limited success, the Japanese were dominating the Pacific War. The Pacific War Just like the Germans seemed impossible to stop in Europe, the Japanese won victory after victory in the early part of the Pacific War, successfully taking the Philippines, Wake Island, Guam, the Dutch East Indies, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Burma. However, things began to change at the Battle of Coral Sea (May 7-8, 1942), when there was a stalemate. Then there was the Battle of Midway (June 4-7, 1942), a major turning point in the Pacific War. According to Japanese war plans, the Battle of Midway was to be a secret attack on the U.S. air base on Midway, ending in a decisive victory for Japan. What Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto did not know was that the U.S. had successfully broken several Japanese codes, allowing them to decipher secret, coded Japanese messages. Learning ahead of time about the Japanese attack on Midway, the U.S. prepared an ambush. The Japanese lost the battle, losing four of their aircraft carriers and many of their well-trained pilots. No longer did Japan have naval superiority in the Pacific. A number of major battles followed, at Guadalcanal, Saipan, Guam, Leyte Gulf, and then the Philippines. The U.S. won all of these and continued to push the Japanese back to their homeland. Iwo Jima (February 19 to March 26, 1945) was a particularly bloody battle as the Japanese had created underground fortifications that were well camouflaged. The last Japanese-occupied island was Okinawa and Japanese Lieutenant General Mitsuru Ushijima was determined to kill as many Americans as possible before being defeated. The U.S. landed on Okinawa on April 1, 1945, but for five days, the Japanese did not attack. Once the U.S. forces spread out across the island, the Japanese attacked from their hidden, underground fortifications in the southern half of Okinawa. The U.S. fleet was also bombarded by over 1,500 kamikaze pilots, who caused major damage as they flew their planes directly into U.S. ships. After three months of bloody fighting, the U.S. captured Okinawa. Okinawa was the last battle of World War II. D-Day and the German Retreat In Eastern Europe, it was the Battle of Stalingrad (July 17, 1942 to February 2, 1943) that changed the tide of war. After the German defeat at Stalingrad, the Germans were on the defensive, being pushed back toward Germany by the Soviet army. With the Germans being pushed back in the east, it was time for the British and U.S. forces to attack from the west. In a plan that took a year to organize, the Allied forces launched a surprise, amphibious landing on the beaches of Normandy in northern France on June 6, 1944. The first day of the battle, known as D-Day, was extremely important. If the Allies could not break through the German defenses on the beaches this first day, the Germans would have time to bring in reinforcements, making the invasion at utter failure.   Despite many things going awry and an especially bloody fight on the beach codenamed Omaha, the Allies did break through that first day. With the beaches secured, the Allies then brought in two Mulberries, artificial harbors, which allowed them to unload both supplies and additional soldiers for a major offensive on Germany from the west. As the Germans were on the retreat, a number of top German officials wanted to kill Hitler and end the war. Ultimately, the July Plot failed when the bomb that exploded on July 20, 1944 only injured Hitler. Those involved in the assassination attempt were rounded up and killed. Although many in Germany were ready to end World War II, Hitler was not ready to admit defeat. In one, last offensive, the Germans tried to break the Allied line. Using blitzkrieg tactics, the Germans pushed through the Ardennes Forest in Belgium on December 16, 1944. The Allied forces were totally taken by surprise and desperately tried to keep the Germans from breaking through. In so doing, the Allied line began to have a bulge in it, hence the name Battle of the Bulge. Despite this being the bloodiest battle ever fought by American troops, the Allies ultimately won. The Allies wanted to end the war as soon as possible and so they strategically bombed any remaining factories or oil depots left within Germany. However, in February 1944, the Allies began a massive and deadly bombing attack on the German city of Dresden, nearly demolishing the once-beautiful city. The civilian casualty rate was extremely high and many have questioned the reasoning for the firebombing since the city was not a strategic target. By the spring of 1945, the Germans had been pushed back into their own borders on both the east and west. The Germans, who had been fighting for six years, were low on fuel, had barely any food left, and were severely low on ammunition. They were also very low on trained soldiers. Those that were left to defend Germany were the young, old, and wounded. On April 25, 1945, the Soviet army had Berlin, Germany’s capital, completely surrounded. Finally realizing that the end was near, Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945. The fighting in Europe officially ended at 11:01 p.m. on May 8, 1945, a day known as V-E Day (Victory in Europe). Ending the War With Japan Despite the victory in Europe, World War II was still not over for the Japanese were still fighting. The death toll in the Pacific was high, especially since Japanese culture forbade surrender. Knowing that the Japanese planned to fight to the death, the United States was extremely concerned about how many U.S. soldiers would die if they invaded Japan. President Harry Truman, who had become president when Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945 (less than a month before the end of WWII in Europe), had a fateful decision to make. Should the U.S. use its new, deadly weapon against Japan in the hopes that it would force Japan to surrender without an actual invasion? Truman decided to try to save U.S. lives. On August 6, 1945, the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima and then three days later, dropped another atomic bomb on Nagasaki. The devastation was shocking. Japan surrendered on August 16, 1945, known as V-J Day (Victory over Japan). After the War World War II left the world a different place. It had taken an estimated 40 to 70 million lives and destroyed much of Europe. It brought about the splitting of Germany into East and West and created two major superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union. These two superpowers, who had tenuously worked together to fight back Nazi Germany, became pitted against each other in what became known as the Cold War. Hoping to prevent a total war from ever happening again, representatives from 50 countries met together in San Francisco and founded the United Nations, officially created on October 24, 1945.

Ethical implications of Sixth Sense Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethical implications of Sixth Sense - Assignment Example As an inventor, Mistry did well. However, the invention might put the security and privacy of people at risk. This brings us, then, to the third dimension and third and fourth steps, which consider and link the principles to the associated applicable values (Backus and Ferraris 226). One ethical philosophy to be considered is the utilitarianism theory. Will the gadget bring happiness to the majority? The answer is most probably "no," because not everyone can afford such gadgets. Another ethical philosophy to be considered is the natural law. Will the SixthSense cause individual to respect others, or will the gadget cause an individual to do what is not naturally good and then suffer with his or her conscience? Owning such a powerful device can easily lure individuals to do things that could hurt another individual’s privacy and security. Finally, as according to the fourth dimension of the Potter Box, loyalties should be considered. Should one choose to be loyal to the majorit y? Is the public (majority) deserving of loyalty? The answer to both questions is â€Å"yes.† While it is true that progress should be supported, this progress should be for the betterment, and not the detriment, of the whole

I Am Legend Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

I Am Legend - Essay Example Neville keeps sending radio messages to track any survivors as he continues with his research, his only companion being his German shepherd. The vampires keep hunting for him but he eventually manages to trace two more humans that are normal and finds an antidote for the virus. This paper is a review of the film Am a Legend directed by Francis Lawrence and scripted from Richard Mathesons 1954 novel  bearing the same title. The film shows some unwillingness to venture preceding happenings and offers limited portrayal of issues like bioethics. The film somehow portrays the  dangers  that modern scientific research practices may pose to the future of humankind. Most current researchers especially in the medical division carryout a lot of drug trials using human subjects as guinea pigs believing that such actions cannot result in pandemic since the researches are meant to help people. To them, the film is mere fiction and full of utopian ideologies. However, the movie can be considered both utopian and dystopian at the same time. It is Utopian when it depicts Neville as a legend who is immune to the disasters that wipe out everybody else. The dystopian aspect is demonstrated by the unimaginable circumstances faced by the actors, or the entire New York (Matheson 22-30; Scott Web; Jolin Web). The movie somewhat puts forward the impacts that modern medical practices such as genetically modified crops which are susceptible to gene mutation could cause. Pandemics such food insecurity, which could result are capable of wiping out a large percentage of the population like in the film, which is not fiction (Adams Web). Other researches such as in biotech which entail experimenting with human genome in the attempt to create drugs aimed at altering human genome so as to cure diseases could result into a dystopian world (Adams Web). The film depicts a lot about our future. Human might not turn

Leisure Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Leisure Industry - Essay Example These are usually the amusement parks or theme parks such as Disneyland, casinos, Spas, entertainment and recreation, health clubs, restaurants and other activities that involve recreations (Leisure Industry Definition). The continuous influx of customers in leisure areas and the increasing growth of the industry in United Kingdom can be attributed to the following reasons: there has been increased time in the leisure time of the employees. They are required with lesser time in the office therefore increasing their time in leisure. Another reason is that employees have higher incomes thus they can pay for leisure activities from their extra money and spend to whatever leisure activities they want to engage with. Thirdly is the cheaper and more affordable transport. This makes the travel time lesser and going to more places during their holidays and vacations especially outside the city. And lastly, customers have the wider choice in leisure activities since the government is trying to put different leisure activities from all sectors (Leisure Industry Definition). The incessant growth benefited not only the companies but the government as well. The increasing demand meant increase in investment and revenues and employment industry. Alongside with the demanding nature of the leisure activities there had been increase in employment and job orders in the country. More and more job seekers prefer this kind of work because they get to be paid while enjoying what they wanted to do (Luque, 2002). This has lead also to increasing demand of courses and training in colleges. Based on the reports of the Institute of Sport and Leisure Management, The Institute of Sport and Recreation Management, The Fitness Industry Association and Sport England there are 1,000 students enrolled in leisure management or related courses that tackle this kind of industry. It was seen that the leisure industries involve a wide range of employees including permanent and seasonal paid staff, freelance workers, consultants and volunteers. It ranges from cook, hotel attendant, driver, tourist guide, sports analyst and trainer and among others who are connected to this leisure industry. As a result, there had been increase in the diversity of the labor force especially with this kind of industry. Since the employees come from different life experiences they construe things in different manners. This should be taken in action with the management team in order to guide the employees and make the company more competitive with other booming companies all over the world (Treven, 2000). Every person has the unique skills and capabilities as an individual. Working in a different environment with different people of different perspectives in life and dealing everyday with people of diverse culture can be stressing but this can be avoided if the management team of a particular company will address to this problem immediately. A skilled manager will be responsible in making a team work so that there will not be a difficulty in dealing with different types of persons in the workplace (Treven, 2004). The increasing competition of companies and influx of customers in a leisure industry developed strategies for managers to be highly competitive with others. One of the managers of UK's BT Global services said that there had been a slight decrease in the number of visitors and travelers in UK after the bombings but they had made their way to attract

Interpretation Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Interpretation Methods - Essay Example Scholarship and research are the basic requirements to achieve this goal.Many of England's museums were mainly established to promote learning. Although there are several other ways of learning but still, learning through objects is the most beneficial way. It is an interactive approach that can encourage the imagination stimulating an urge for discovery. The cumulative impact of museums on the lives of individuals as well as society is simply enormous. Many museums have already worked in partnership with a wide range of organizations in order to develop a better approach for learning programs. Most of the times, these activities take place inside the museum premises. But sometimes the museums take their collections and expertise out into public venues, residential homes, social gatherings, hospitals, prisons and schools. This can help us understanding the powerful impact of museum-based learning. In the last ten years, living history is becoming more and more popular not only among museum professionals but the historic house visitor. This process is well established and flourishing in the USA. The use of live interpretation in Britain is lacking both the status and methodology in comparison with the other side of the Atlantic. In short, it is in its infancy. The living history technique is still having a long way to go before its acceptance by many British museum professionals, as a valid and effective technique of Social History Interpretation, instead of a simple approach just for children or special events. This acceptance mainly depends on exploring the potential educational and learning experience offered to all the visitors. Living History Living history can be defined as being a direct form of live interpretation, first person interpretation. Drama and Theatre is excluded in the field of Education because that they do not necessarily require a factual or historical basis. Whereas guiding, demonstration of a craft and the third person interpretation are historically and factually based, but they do not require any mark able performance skills. Battle re-enactments are excluded because this form of presentation frequently has no educational object. It has no historical context and is not linked to any performance skills. It should be noted that only first person interpretation requires an interesting combination of historical knowledge, performance skills and educational objectives. History The first use of living history method was in Europe less than one hundred years ago. Artur Hazelius (1833-1901), who is remembered for the Open Air Museum, founded Skansen, the Museum of Scandinavian Folklore in Stockholm. It was started in 1873. Although the museum gained popularity, he

Hospitality Group Developing your Managerial Skills Essay

Hospitality Group Developing your Managerial Skills - Essay Example 10 Relate Management Skill 10 Compare and Contrast 10 Conclusion 11 References 12 Bibliography 15 Introduction This reflective essay aims to present a brief of my professional development with respect to international and cultural employability skills along with my team development and planning and organising skills which I believe to be quite helpful in deriving better career prospects in hospitality industry. The essay will cover a theoretical explanation of the employability skills I could develop from my previous academic experiences and draw towards a critical review of my learning in these particular areas. In the current phenomenon, diversity is often regarded as one of the vital aspects within the hospitality industry which creates a direct influence on the tastes and preferences of the customers along with the level of commitment and expectations of the employees. The presence of cultural diversity both the internal and the external market of hospitality industry is quite ap parent as compared to the other industry structures. Today, it has widely been argued that managing diversity within the workforce is important as well as a difficult task for managers in the hospitality industry by which organizations can generate greater cultural awareness while operating within international marketplaces. Contextually, the significance of generating cultural awareness and other intertwined employability skills such as team development and planning and organising have often been argued as a crucial facet of hospitality industry. Review of 3 Employability Skills Employability Skill 1: International & Cultural Awareness Literature Review According to Quappe & Cantatore (2005), cultural awareness imposes a direct impact on the communication system of an organisation which comprises the capability of creating consciousness towards the cultural values, beliefs and perceptions in different contexts. In this regard, it has been observed that different cultural groups eva luate and interpret situational components applying different perspectives, which further essentialists the obtainment of cultural awareness among modern day professionals (Quappe & Cantatore, 2005). As explained by Whitelaw & et. al. (2009) cultural diversity is quite apparent in the modern day hospitality sector in the both the dimensions of internal organisational culture (employees/workforce) and external organisational environment (customers/marketplaces). It is in this context that professionals need to continuously enhance and develop their efficiencies in this particular dimension so as to satisfy the contemporary needs of the hospitality industry (Whitelaw & et. al., 2009). According to Hall (2003), cultural awareness is often professed as an attitude which can be obtained from his/her learning experiences by an individual when interacting with various cultural groups. It has further been implied in this context that culture can be distinguished as the big ‘C’ of material culture and smaller ‘c’ of shared culture within an organisation (Hall, 2003). Based on a similar context, Moss (2002) revealed that when students and other academic professionals are engaged with the learning of cultural aspects, they will able to comprehend the

Interpretation Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Interpretation Methods - Essay Example Scholarship and research are the basic requirements to achieve this goal.Many of England's museums were mainly established to promote learning. Although there are several other ways of learning but still, learning through objects is the most beneficial way. It is an interactive approach that can encourage the imagination stimulating an urge for discovery. The cumulative impact of museums on the lives of individuals as well as society is simply enormous. Many museums have already worked in partnership with a wide range of organizations in order to develop a better approach for learning programs. Most of the times, these activities take place inside the museum premises. But sometimes the museums take their collections and expertise out into public venues, residential homes, social gatherings, hospitals, prisons and schools. This can help us understanding the powerful impact of museum-based learning. In the last ten years, living history is becoming more and more popular not only among museum professionals but the historic house visitor. This process is well established and flourishing in the USA. The use of live interpretation in Britain is lacking both the status and methodology in comparison with the other side of the Atlantic. In short, it is in its infancy. The living history technique is still having a long way to go before its acceptance by many British museum professionals, as a valid and effective technique of Social History Interpretation, instead of a simple approach just for children or special events. This acceptance mainly depends on exploring the potential educational and learning experience offered to all the visitors. Living History Living history can be defined as being a direct form of live interpretation, first person interpretation. Drama and Theatre is excluded in the field of Education because that they do not necessarily require a factual or historical basis. Whereas guiding, demonstration of a craft and the third person interpretation are historically and factually based, but they do not require any mark able performance skills. Battle re-enactments are excluded because this form of presentation frequently has no educational object. It has no historical context and is not linked to any performance skills. It should be noted that only first person interpretation requires an interesting combination of historical knowledge, performance skills and educational objectives. History The first use of living history method was in Europe less than one hundred years ago. Artur Hazelius (1833-1901), who is remembered for the Open Air Museum, founded Skansen, the Museum of Scandinavian Folklore in Stockholm. It was started in 1873. Although the museum gained popularity, he

Management and Organization in Financial Services Essay

Management and Organization in Financial Services - Essay Example The same theories and principles of motivation obtain in the workplace. The same problems confront management about how to motivate officers and employees to become more productive, more perceptive, intelligent, and creative in order to drive company objectives of gaining a competitive edge and obtaining better-than-average results. This paper aims to discuss the concept and theories of motivation and seek to analyze how they apply in the workplaces of the US financial services industry. An understanding of what motivates workers effectively is important for those who would like to tap the human resource component of a financial services firm to contribute towards synergy in the achievement of organizational goals. Motivation is defined as the process of inducing a person or a group of people, each with distinct needs and personalities, to achieve the organizations objectives, while also working to achieve their own objectives (Stoner and Wankel 358). Despite the fact that every individual is unique, certain underlying principles and theories of motivation can be applied by managers to enable them to understand as well as predict peoples responses to task challenges. In a specific organization, the principal objective is stimulate employees to work and produce more effectively. In addition, it should also be an important goal to encourage current employees, particularly the efficient ones, to remain with the firm. Because the company may from to time increase or replenish its personnel, a corollary objective is to encourage potential employees to join the organization. There is a lot of productivity potential in most workplaces as it is estimated that about 75 per cent of workers acknowledge that they are performing below their potential (Stoner 360). The challenge to management is therefore how to tap that reservoir of energy and talent. The ability to contribute value through work may be

Use of Literary Elements in Slaughterhouse-Five Essay Example for Free

Use of Literary Elements in Slaughterhouse-Five Essay Slaughterhouse-Five 1993. The true test of comedy is that it shall awaken thoughtful laughter. Choose a novel, play, or long poem in which a scene or character awakens thoughtful laughter in the reader. Write an essay in which you show why this laughter is thoughtful and how it contributes to the meaning of the work. English author George Meredith wrote, â€Å"The true test of comedy is that it shall awaken thoughtful laughter.† Slaughterhouse-Five would have been quite the comedy in Meredith’s eyes, because it is an extremely satirical work. Satire is writing that ridicules human weakness in order to bring about social reform. Ridicule, in this case, is humorous mockery of something, making people thoughtfully laugh about the situations which these characters find themselves in. In the Kurt Vonnegut novel Slaughterhouse-Five, the main character Billy wants only to have a normal American life, but his studies to become an optometrist are interrupted by his being drafted into the army during World War II and, as a prisoner of war, experiences the tragic bombing of Dresden. Then, he begins regular travels to the planet Tralfamadore. He also begins to become â€Å"unstuck in time;† he is time traveling. This essay discusses the use of satire in Slaughterhouse-Five to communicate to the reader the themes which are addressed in the book. In chapter four of Slaughterhouse-Five, satire is used through the comic depiction of a war film depicting the process of dropping bombs, all the way from mining the materials needed to make the bombs, to dropping them, to the planes landing back where they came from (74-75). This film, though, is described as it played backwards, as if somebody is rewinding a VHS cassette. Comic relief is the inclusion of something humorous often to heighten the emotional impact by means of contrast. The war film, when played backwards, conveys a very serious topic, but is lightened by the diverting and comical description of the reverse playing of the film. Comic relief is used to make the reader laugh and pay attention to what in other situations would be a very dry and boring scene, and likely think about it later. This part of the story addresses the destruction of war, a main theme  of Slaughterhouse-Five. By the use of comic relief, the reader is forced not to ignore the scene for fear of having to think about the destruction of war, satirically pointing out the reader’s distaste for tough topics such as the destruction of war. It also explicitly, yet not grossly, highlights the destruction of, specifically, dropping bombs as a wartime tactic. Farce is a comedy characterized by improbable plot situations, exaggerated characters, and broad satire. In Slaughterhouse-Five, one of the many instances of farce is the character Howard W. Campbell, Jr. (128-131). Campbell is an ex-prisoner of war who has turned his support to the Germans and is trying to form a unit of Americans who shift their allegiance to the Germans to fight against the Russian Communists. In his ridiculous and highly symbolic outfit, he tries to appeal to the American prisoners of war his ideas that the Germans are fighting for many of the same purposes as the Americans: against the Communists. Because of the outrageous and funny nature of Campbell, one is forced to think about the rash idealism which he stands for. Farce in this situation is used to denounce the metanarratives that are taught in war. It first emphasizes the craziness of the German ideal, and then the dogmatic wills of the Americans who do anything to reiterate their hatred for Communists. Then, when Edgar Derby, the leader of the American prisoners of war, stands up to speak against Campbell, the section is used to denounce the post-World War I anti-German metanarrative. Black comedy is the combining of morbid and serious topics with elements of low comedy to underscore the senseless futility of life. It is used as a form of comic relief in Slaughterhouse-Five while Billy is on a plane on the way to the convention of optometrists (155-156). His father-in-law asks the barbershop quartet to sing his favorite song. The song is quite comical and uses lots of low humor, such as cursing and parodying Polish accents. This reminds the author of a very serious time when Billy saw a Polish man being hanged in the street during World War II for having sexual intercourse with a German woman. The reader is pulled in by the funny song which is then related to the very serious topic of racial discrimination and hate. This connects to the theme of the terribleness of racial hatred. Irony is something that is opposite of what is meant, what is supposed to happen, or what makes sense. In Slaughterhouse-Five, irony occurs in the Kilgore Trout story about Jesus (109). He is a nobody, and for fun, the Romans crucify him. Then, they realize that he is the son of God and that he was an unfortunate person to kill. This causes the reader to rethink everything they have thought about the the gospel of Jesus Christ and free will, and also to laugh about their ignorance of this new idea of what really happened in the beginning of the New Testament. The theme addressed by this short story is that nobody is completely sure of what is going on, and somebody else such as God must be in charge, thus, there is no free will. Many themes are addressed in Kurt Vonnegut’s novel, Slaughterhouse-Five, like the denunciation of the metanarratives popularized during war, the disagreement with the legitimacy of the destruction of war, the horribleness of racial hatred, and the lack of free will. These topics are discussed in Slaughterhouse-Five through the use of humorous elements such as black comedy and farce. One may choose to think about these very important themes, and maybe they will affect one’s life.

Comparative Industrial Relations Between France Germany And Sweden Management Essay

Comparative Industrial Relations Between France Germany And Sweden Management Essay The European systems of industrial relations exemplified by France, Germany and Sweden are fundamentally similar. Furthermore, the Japanese and U.S. systems of industrial relations are fundamentally different from those found in the three European countries. What is your view of these statements? How do you justify your view? Table of Content Introduction 3 Main Body Systems of Industrial Relations in France, Germany and Sweden 4 Labour Market 5 Trade Union 6 Employers Association 7 Collective Bargaining 8 Employee Participation and Works Councils 10 Government and Regulation 11 Compare Systems of Industrial Relations between France, Germany and Sweden and in the United States and Japan 12 Labour Market 12 Trade Union 14 Employers Association 15 Collective Bargaining 16 Employee Participation and Works Councils 16 Government and Regulation 17 Conclusion 17 References 20 Introduction Industrial relations generally involve employment relations related issues in the past and present and how the changes happened. It is dynamic and changing all the time (Salamon, 1994, p.3). According to Dunlop (1958), systems of industrial relations include three main actors and their representations. The three actors are employers and their representatives, employees and their representatives and the government. Within these three parties, there is collective bargaining which is usually conducted between trade union and employers associations; and in some countries government can directly interfere collective bargaining while some cannot. Governments roles in systems of industrial relations are very significant. Dunlop also mentioned that there are factors which can affect the three parties relations, and these factors are market of labour force and power of parties. Industrial relations systems involve varieties of institutional structures beyond just employer-employee relationshi p (Hyman, 2000). Because different countries have their own unique ways of development, systems of industrial relations should be different among countries. However, from a macro point of view, it is claimed that there is a European systems of industrial relations. The creation of European Works Councils and the social partners agreement of 1991 are evidence of European industrial relations systems (Jensen et al, as cited in Hyman). In this essay, I will analyse the European industrial relations systems which demonstrate by France, Germany and Sweden which have some similarities, but differ a lot. This essay also addresses the issue that systems of industrial relations in Japan and the United States are fundamentally different from those found in the three European countries. This essay argues the following: in the three European countries, there are some similarities on aspects of labour market, employers associations structure, high coverage of collective bargaining and the decentralised bargaining level. However, they differ a lot because the difference of trade union confederation, union density, reason of high coverage of collective bargaining and decentralised bargaining level, works councils and government intervention. There are huge differences between these European countries as a whole and Japan and the United States. They are different in terms of labour market, trade unions, employers associations, collective bargaining, employee participation and works councils, and government intervention and regulations. In order to explain the above arguments, the essay concludes two main sections. In section one, I will explain the general European background for the three countries, followed by the systems of industrial relations in the three European countries. In section two, I will analyse differences between the three European countries as a whole and Japan and the United States. Within each section, the analysis is based on labour market, trade unions, employers associations, collective bargaining, employee participation and works councils, and government intervention and regulations. Main Body Systems of Industrial Relations in France, Germany and Sweden Firstly, there is one thing to be notice, and that is both these three countries are operating under a common community-the European Union. Within this European Union framework, they have some common regulation and organisations. For example, the Maastricht Treaty on Monetary Union and European Works Councils Directive of 1994 are breakthroughs of European industrial relations systems (Streeck, 1998, p443-445). Through Maastricht Treaty, member states began to have their European single currency which they can benefit a lot, such as a more stable currency, low costs of trade and European identity (Europa.eu, 2010). For the European Works Councils, they need to meet at least once a year to share information and consultation on issues such as economic and social development (Schulten, 1996). There is even a transnational employers association in Europe. Although there is a common framework for European countries, there are some similarities in the systems of industrial relations in France, Germany and Sweden; but they differ a lot. This is probably because of path dependency, countries develop towards different directions based on their own situation. I will analyse it from the aspects of labour market, trade unions, employers associations, collective bargaining and employee participation, and government roles and regulations. . Labour Market From the table below, we can see that unemployment rates of 2005 in France and Germany were quite similar and both are around 10%, while Sweden remained relatively low, at only 5.60%. The working time in these three countries are similar, around 40 hours per week. Unemployment rate (2005) Working time (weekly hours) France 10.10% 38.3 Germany 10.60% 39.9 Sweden 5.60% 40 Source: unemployment rate-Indexmundi; working time-eurofound Trade Unions About trade union confederation, according to Bean (1994), France, Germany and Sweden represent three different types of confederation. For France, confederation is considered as political unionism (p.20) because confederations are based on political affiliations and there are five main confederations in France. For example, CGT and CFDT affiliate with communist and socialist party separately (Labbe, 1994). Because the five confederations are not for specific industries or occupational groups, there are competitions among those five confederations (Freyssinet, 2003). The second type of confederation is the single dominant confederation (DGB) represented by Germany. Since there is only one confederation, confederation competition is not existed in Germany. The third type of confederation is confederations organised by occupational groups which is found in Sweden. There are confederations for blue collar workers, white collar workers and professional/ academic groups (Carley, 2002). Th is occupational division of confederations kind of follow the early union formation which was unions organised all workers, skilled and unskilled, who worked with a given material (Bean, 1994, p. 27). Union density also differs a lot through these three countries. The union density is 9.1%, 29.7% and 79% for France, Germany and Sweden separately (1999 Eurostat Labour Force Survey, as cited in Carley, 2002). What is worth notice is that although union density in France is very low, the mobilisation of French unions is quite high compared with its union membership (Gallie, 1980). Employers Associations Employers association is an organisation which is similar with trade union confederation, except that it is in favour of employers instead of employees. Employers associations structure is similar in these three countries. They all have a peak employers association which in France is SAF (SN), in Germany is BDA and in Sweden is CNPF (MEDEF); and those peak organisations cover their own entire countries in terms of geography and industries (Bean, 1994). In all the three countries, the peak employers associations do not conduct collective agreements and the member organisations that conduct collective bargaining and conclude collective agreements (Traxler, 2003; Wallerstein, et al, 1997). It is the sectoral employers organisations that have collective bargaining roles (Carley, 2002). However, the power of these peak organisations, control over member firms and the strength of affiliates are different for France, Germany and Sweden. As you can see from the table below (as cited in Traxl er, 1999), for France, the peak organisations power is above average; the control over member firms is average, and the affiliates are weak. For Germany, both peak organisations power and control over member firms are weak while the affiliates are strong. For Sweden, peak organisations power, control over member firms and the affiliates are all extremely strong. Although employers associations in Sweden are very powerful, the membership is in low level compared with membership in France and Germany (Traxler, 2000) C:UsersEllenDesktopà ¦Ã…“ ªÃƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ½Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ .jpg. Collective Bargaining Country Collective bargaining coverage (%) Key level of collective bargaining France 93 Industry towards company negotiations Sweden 90 Industry Germany 64 Industry (Source: Worker representation in Europe. Labour Research Department and ETUI-REHS: 2007, as cited in worker-participation.eu) As you can see from the table above, all the three countries have high coverage of collective bargaining. Both France and Sweden have high collective bargaining coverage which is above 80%. As discussed before, union density in Sweden is very high. So, we can say that the high coverage of collective bargaining is associated with high union density in Sweden. France has a high coverage of collective bargaining (but a low union density) is mainly because its government. Government in France encourages collective bargaining and provides some legislation for that (Bean, 1994, p.76). In Germany, compared with its collective bargaining coverage, its union density is relatively low; it is employers associations that ensure the coverage of collective bargaining is high (Waddington, 2009). The table also illustrate that the level of bargaining in the three European countries is at industry level. However, there is a trend of decentralisation of collective bargaining in these three countries. For France, it is the state that tries to drive collective bargaining downwards and there are legal frameworks to encourage bargaining at lower levels (Goetschy and Jobert, 1993, p.162). It is even towards company negotiations now. In Germany, there are agreed forms of opening clauses that allow decentralisation happens (Katz, 1993, p.7). Sweden moves from single framework agreement to industrial bargaining with more flexibility and bargaining leverage (Katz, 1993, p.5). For wage bargaining, Germany and Sweden mainly rely on sectoral level, while company level is the key bargaining level for France (Carley, 2002). In general, it can be concluded that collective bargaining is conducted mainly at industry level in those three countries; and the bargaining depends on state/ legislation, employers associations or union organisations for France, Germany and Sweden separately. Employee Participation and Works Councils The ways which employee participation and works councils operate in these three countries are different, but with some similarities as well. In Sweden, because most employees are union members (high union density), there is no works councils at workplace separately from trade unions to represent employees and it is trade unions and shop stewards that have similar roles of works councils in other countries (Hammarstrom, 1993). Works councils are available in both Germany and France, and works councils for both countries are in statutory form (Goetschy and Jobert, 1993; Fuerstenberg, 1993). In Germany, the participation system is considered as harmony of interest between management and labour. (Bean, 1994, p.167). In France, works councils have rights to be informed and consulted about general management of the firm, especially on issues related to employees; however, they seldom have decision-making power (Goetschy and Jobert, 1993, p. 158). For Germany, expect the rights to informati on and consultation, works councils also have the right of co-determination, such as on personnel selection and training; and for consultation right, worker representatives can also have some influence on outcome (Fuerstenberg, 1993, p. 186-87). For both France and Germany, work councils elected by employees which may or may not from trade unions lists (Carley, 2002). However, it is the dual system in Germany which is there is a formal separation between institution of workplace participation (works councils) and institutions engaged in collective bargaining (trade unions) (Hassel, 1999). For France, both collective bargaining and institutions of workplace participation (works councils) involve trade unions and trade unions have a formal presence within the workplace (Treu, et al, 1993). Government and Regulation Within these three countries, states play different roles on collective bargaining. In Germany, there is a very important constitutional principle about collective agreement-Tarifautonomie; it is about the state cannot directly interfere in the negotiation arrangement conducted by the employers associations and the trade unions; and parties conduct collective agreements are independent (Burgess and Symon, 2005). In contrast to Germany, state intervention is very important in France, and the French state plays some direct role in collective bargaining (Bean, 1994, p.155). The French government always tries to encourage conversation between employers associations and trade unions (Bean, 1994, p.76). The Swedish state is special because almost every economic and social policy issue is discussed between three parties-state, labour and business (Pontusson, 1991; Waddington, 2009). Compared with the other two countries, welfare provision in Sweden is huge with great public expenditure (Cas tles and McKinlay, 1979). Compare Systems of Industrial Relations between France, Germany and Sweden and in the United States and Japan From the analysis above, it can be seen that there few similarities among the three European countries-France, Germany and Sweden. However, when compare those countries with the United States and Japan, they are often considered as Europe and become quite similar. The Japanese and U.S. systems of industrial relations are different from those found in the three European countries. I will also analyse it in terms of labour market, trade unions, employers associations, collective bargaining and employee participation, and government roles and regulations. Labour Market Unemployment Rate France Germany Sweden Japan U.S. 2005 10.1% 10.6% 5.6% 4.7% 5.5% 2006 9.9 11.7 5.8 4.4 5.1 2007 8.7 7.1 5.6 4.1 4.8 2008 7.9 9.0 6.1 3.8 4.6 Source: Indexmundi.com Nickell (1997) once argued that there is no relationship between Europeans rigid job market and the relatively high unemployment rate. However, from the table above, we can see that compared with these European countries, the Unites States which has a more flexible job market has relatively low level of unemployment rate from 2005 to 2008. Japan also has a low unemployment rate. European countries Japan U.S. Maximum working time/week (by law) France/ Germany48 hours Sweden40 hours 40 hours (but usually extension ) No statutory maximum working week (but must receive overtime pay if exceed 40 hours) Average weekly hours by full-time workers (in 2001) France 35.7hours Germany 37.7hours Sweden38.8hours __ 42.8 hours Minimum period of paid annual leave (by law) France 25 days Germany 20days Sweden 25 days 20 days No statutory annual leave entitlement Actual annual work hours (in 2000) France 1589 hs Germany 1525 hs 1970 hs 1986 hs Source: EIRO; Carley, 2004, eurofound From the table above, we can conclude that compared with the three European countries, Japan and the United States generally work more and have less holiday time. It is also argued that Japanese and American workers are more tolerant and tend to accept overtime and irregular working time; and therefore European workers are considered in lower work ethic (Streeck, 1992, p.312). The characteristic and economic aspects of labour market between the three European countries and Japan and USA are also different. According to Streeck (1992), there are two distinction of labour market between European countries and the other two countries. The first one is the skilled level of labour. Labour in European countries is identified as high-skill workers, and they also have relatively high wages and social benefits. The high-skill workers have a strong relation with training schemes in European countries. This also illustrates the difference between LMEs (USA) and CMEs (France, Germany, Sweden and Japan). The apprenticeship system in USA is not strong and has no institutionalised links with the general education system; while the apprenticeship system is better in CMEs, and especially in Germany which has new apprenticeship programmes in both manufacturing and service sectors (Bosch and Charest, 2008, p.429). Bosch and Charest also mentioned that vocational training pro grammes have minor roles in USA while in Germany, employers, trade unions and government drive occupational training together (p.433). Japanese workers tend to be trained on-the-job (Hashimoto, 1979). Japanese workers skills are also in high level but with low transportability which is the second distinction Streeck mentioned. Labour can be easily transportable in European countries and USA but in Japan, labour is firm-specific (p.311); and the low transportability of Japanese workers is mainly due to lifetime employment (Hashimoto, 1979). Trade Unions As mentioned above, Germany has a single dominant confederation (DGB), and this is similar with the United States because it has unified confederal arrangements (AFO-CIO) (Carley, 2004). A noticeable feature of U.S. unionisation is business unionism which focuses on economic aspects of the members and collective bargaining instead of concerning social reorganisation and political activities; and it has little direct connections with political parties (Bean, 1994, p.21). For Japan, it is similar with France because its two main confederations are based on political affiliations (Rengo links with left party and Zenroren links with further left party) (Kuwahara, 1993). One similar trend for those five countries is the decrease on number of trade unions and the merging of trade unions (Carley, 2004). Generally speaking, trade union density is declining in all the five countries; trade union density in Japan and USA is lower than the average of it is in those three European countries, but higher than it is in France (see the table below). Country 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 France 8.4 8.3 8.2 8.4 8.2 8 8 7.9 7.8 Germany 25.3 24.6 23.7 23.5 23 22.2 21.6 20.7 19.9 Sweden 80.6 79.1 78 78 78 77.3 76.5 75.1 70.8 Japan 22.2 21.5 20.9 20.3 19.7 19.3 18.8 18.3 18.3 U.S. 13.4 12.8 12.8 12.6 12.4 12 12 11.5 11.6 Source: OECD.Statistics Employers Associations As mentioned above, all the three European countries have their own national peak employers associations and the subsections of the peak associations conduct collective bargaining. Japan also has a national employers association-the Japan Federation of Employers Associations (Nikkeriren) which does not engage in collective bargaining and collective bargaining is usually conducted at company level (Bamber and Lansbury, 1993). But, Nikkeriren do have formal conversation with the government and trade unions; although Nikkeriren cannot force companies to follow its guidelines, its member associations play a behind role which influence member companies (Carley, 2004). However, this is not the case in the United States. Employers organisations are less important in USA and no national employers confederations have ever been engaged in collective bargaining (Wheeler, 1993). Collective Bargaining Country Coverage of collective bargaining Level of collective bargaining France 93% Industry Germany 67% Industry Sweden 90% Industry Japan 20% Company U.S. 15% Company Source: Eurostat Labour Force Survey 2002 From the table, we can see that the coverage of collective bargaining in both Japan and USA are very low compared with the three European countries. As mentioned before, France, Germany and Sweden have high bargaining coverage depend on the government, employers association and high union density separately. For Japan and USA, the low bargaining coverage matches their low union density (Carley, 2004). The table also demonstrates the level of collective bargaining. For the three European countries, collective bargaining conducts mainly at industry level, whereas for Japan and USA, it happens at company level. It is noticeable that USA employers tend to oppose to unions since mid-1970s, and employers opposition to collective bargaining is more spread in USA than in other countries (Bamber and Lansbury, 1993). In Japan, both unions and employers organisations satisfy with company bargaining because firms rely mainly on internal market and employees tend to stay in the same company (Kuwahara, 1993). Employee Participation and Works Councils While in France and Germany, there is legislation for exchanging information and cooperation negotiations between employers and employees; by law, Swedish trade unions have the rights of information, consultation and co-determination; both USA and Japan, there is no legislation for works councils and employee participation, but Japan does have a high level of employee-management cooperation (Carley, 2004). Government and Regulation Because USA is a typical country of LMEs, government intervention is relatively less compared with it is in CMEs. In France, Germany, Sweden and Japan, there are clear legislations that support collective bargaining, but legislative support of collective bargaining in USA is very limited (Bean, 1994, p.124-26). For new forms of work, such as part-time work and temporary agency workers, European countries tend to regulate them with legislation; USA leaves them unregulated; and Japan is in between (Carley, 2004). Compared with Japan and USA , European countries provide high level of basic social rights for employees; and European industrial relations also provide publicly guaranteed status to strong, independent unions both in the industrial and the political arena (Streeck, 1992, p.314). Conclusion The systems of industrial relations are mainly about the three actors which are employers and their representatives, employees and their representatives and the state. When looking at systems of industrial relations in France, Germany and Sweden as a whole as European countries and comparing them with systems in Japan and the United States, it is believed that the three European countries are similar while fundamentally different from Japan and the United States. However, when compare the three countries separately, they have many differences. Trade union confederations in France, Germany and Sweden are under three different systems-political affiliations, single dominant confederation and divided by occupational groups separately. The high coverage of collective bargaining mainly depends on government, employers associations and high union density in France, Germany and Sweden. Sweden has a single channel system and has not works councils at workplaces while works councils are avail able in France and Germany; and in Germany, trade unions and works councils are separated from each other by law, but this is not the case in France; French trade unions involve in collective bargaining and have formal presence in workplace. For labour market, Japan and the United States tend to have lower unemployment rate than it is in European countries; those European countries workers work less and have more holidays compared with Japan and the United States; labour in European countries with wider range of training programmes is in high-skill level while in low-skill level in the United States; Japanese workers are also well trained, but the transportability in low compared with it is in European countries and the United States. Trade unions in European countries concern with social issues and have some relations with political activities, whereas focus on economic issues and has little relations with political activities. National employers associations are available in Japan and the three European countries, but absent in the United States. Legislative support of collective bargaining is placed in European countries and Japan (CMEs), but limited in the United States (LMEs). Both union density and the coverage of collective bargaining are high in the three European countries while low in Japan and the United States. The bargaining level in European countries is mainly at industrial level, but at company level for Japan and the United States. When there is no legislation on works councils in Japan and the U.S., it is available in European countries. European employees enjoy higher social rights than employees in Japan and the United States. Word count: 3661

Too Many People :: Populating Environment Papers

Too Many People Introduction Do people realize that there is a population problem? Can our earth support and sustain the incredible number of 5.6 billion people, constantly increasing at the rate of 1.7 percent each year (conservation 67). At this rate 95 million people are added to our world every year. To bring this into perspective, every month 11,000 new babies are born, every second, three new people are added to the already over populated planet (Ehrlich 14). Every person added to the world has a claim to the earth's food, energy and other resources. We must also realize that there is not a single factor that limits how many people the earth can support. The rising population will only aggravate the problems staring us in the face right now, such as food shortages, and damage to the environment. The Club of Earth, whose members belong to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, released this statement in 1988. Arresting global population growth should be second in importance only to avoiding the nuclear war on humanity's agenda. Over population and rapid population growth are intimately connected with most aspects of the current human predicament, including rapid depletion of nonrenewable resources, deterioration of the environment and increasing international tensions. (Ehrlich 18). The human population has drastically increased in the last couple of centuries. The earth will not be able to sustain the growing population due to increasing environmental and economic stresses. We must confront the issue and come up with workable solutions. Why Are People Not Scared. In order to come up with solutions, one must first realize the problem. Why are people not aware of the population crisis? Up until just recently, in Cairo, Egypt where a dialog and a Programme of Action was established to confront overpopulation by the United Nation International Conference, there has not been much talk on this issue. One of the main reasons people do not recognize overpopulation to be a problem is it's slow developing nature. Over two thousand years ago there was an estimated 250 million people. It took 1650 years before the population first doubled. Since then the doubling time of the population would shrink to 200 years, and continued to shrink to a time span of just 35 years. But even with these incredible increasing growth rates, it is impossible to notice these "slow motion changes" as compared to an every day event (Ehrilich 15).

The changes in ethnic cultures over the years in America

The USA is consists of a wide variety of cultural and ethic groups. Such diversity has variously been described as being a â€Å"melting pot†, â€Å"cultural mosaic† or evens still a â€Å"tossed salad†. Such ethnicities include Chicano, Afro-Latin American, Asian American, American-Indian and African-American. Such peoples exhibit different cultural elements through clothing, food, ceremonies and recreation. Native Americans have evolved from the interaction of typical US culture plus subjection to alien government structures, ideology, and social arrangement with different Native Americans’ traditional civilizations.Present Native Americans exhibit certain common features which, to some extent, may be a merger of conventional elements, adaptive tactics, as well as different acculturation levels to prevailing cultures. Such elements include: a persisting feeling of pride regarding cultural legacy; a conviction in spirit and body interrelatedness; dependen ce upon relationship networks and extended society and culturally unique communication methods (Amoko, 2000, 377). The communication style so depicted is less spoken and less direct compared to that of mainstream USA culture.It exhibits courtesy standards and suitable interaction standards. African Americans are in touch with some conscious knowledge of existing as an ingredient of a grouping having a specific historical position and some political association with different groups in the USA. Additionally, particular African Americans have common world viewpoints and affiliations which are based upon aspects of Protestantism, conventional African culture and indenturehood, subordination and slavery within United States society.Every African American does not embrace a black uniqueness. Possession of such identity implies that reference grouping functions within individual identity become grounded within an individual’s blackness (Tamase, 2007, 476). The values, cultural favo rites, artistic flavors, leisure actions, food preferences and cooking methods, religious and secular musical preferences, church association, group membership, plus social associations or close friends all are prejudiced by individual apparent relationship with black persons.Therefore, several or majority of the hope and meaning individuals have for leading purposeful lifestyle’s are related to personal self-perception as African-Americans (Azoulay, 1999, 364). Africentric viewpoints of the world are characterized by common responsibility, interdependence and cooperation. Protestantism within black civilization promotes collectivity and group unity. Extended families are the suitable examination for African American family studies. With no regard to revenue levels, African Americans exhibit more probability of living together with extended family relatives.African American place substantially more value to spiritual matters in treating and causing developmental plus other ph ysical disabilities. Rather that, or on top of, seeking medical help or consulting rehabilitation schemes, numerous African Americans greatly depend upon community assistance, especially church aid. Parents of African American children exhibit wider perceptions regarding normalcy plus they possess a broader variety of expectations regarding developmental landmarks in the behavior of children as compared to numerous educational experts (Pincheon, 2000, 273).The Hispanic culture exhibits high diversity as regards ethnicity, Culture, economic and education levels, and geographic source. However, certain commonalities as regards beliefs, customs as well as world viewpoints exist. Conventional Hispanics exhibit a culture founded on catholic philosophy with inextricable intertwining of native South American and central ideologies concerning the world.Characteristics identified from Hispanic cultures include: the dominance of the family concept having a obviously defined authority hierarch y; an individualized though ritualistic admiration based upon selfhood as opposed to achievement, and that which makes persons from conventional Hispanic civilization to feel at ease amid north American-type professionalism that accords respect based on a person’s possession of particular skills and devaluation of persons with darker skin and according of more value to social standing (Amoko, 2000, 376)Viewpoints regarding disability among Hispanics are prejudiced by convictions regarding the interaction of spiritual and physical realms. Families, acting as very influential support organizations, regard certain situations as being only reflections of personal differences as opposed to disability. They thus adapt work and family roles in order to put up with such differences (Anderson, 2004, 346). Nevertheless, extreme disability, particularly developmental types, is regarded as a shame within traditional Hispanic families.Numerous conventional families, despite the fact that they could look for aid from conventional health structures, also could look for assistance from traditional healers and clergy members. However, acculturated, urbanized Hispanics do not exhibit much utilization of traditional healers’ services. A 1991 survey involving seventy five Mexican women revealed that 97% were conversant with traditional healing and in excess of 50% had already been subjected to folk healing (Dernbach, 2005, 503).Thus, for numerous Mexican Americans, traditional medical services as well as folk therapy are crucial, with each tackling various requirements in various ways. The Asian American group is very difficult to explain owing to huge racial disparities among groupings and disparities regarding language, culture and religion. It comprises close to 5 percent of the American population. However, certain commonalities exhibit themselves because the core of eastern civilizations is harmony and collectivity.Such cultures exhibit characteristics such as: social regulation; harmony; regulations regarding propriety; benevolence; filial faithfulness; cooperation; loyalty; obligation and reciprocity. Such qualities exist in a structure of arranged relationships and roles which focus on interdependence and subordination. A conviction regarding the preeminence of the collective harmony over the individual is further exhibited in respect to history (Amoko, 2000, 382). American having Chinese lineage exhibit high levels of social harmony (collectivism) as opposed to individualism portrayed within mainstream USA culture.Such concern for harmony-within-hierarchy borrows heavily from Confucian ideology and usually persists to influence American with Chinese lineage. Such preoccupation with conventional Chinese culture regarding operation in structured and well-defined social linkages could result to certain Chinese Americans expecting similar well-defined system and function within a counseling (rehabilitation) relationship (Simon-Klutz, 2002 , 284). The client-oriented viewpoint employed by numerous USA rehabilitation therapists could be regarded as too ambiguous by clients of Chinese descent.Pacific civilization exhibits cultural observations like observing humility, respect, family involvement and choice and being and living with ones family. Conventional pacific Culture reveres family life plus the safeguarding of family respect. For instance, within conventional Samoan traditions, individuals are conferred identity only if they can illustrate their relationships to â€Å"alga† or the extended family (Tamase, 2007, 472). Individual requirements, eccentricities and objectives should be suppressed to benefit the family grouping.Within Samoa as well as in the greater Pacific region, strong restraints against exposure of family issues to outside parties exist. The language used among American Samoans originates from the Austronesian linguistic family. The subgroups are Tuvalu, Tokelu and Samoan. Residents of Ameri can Samoa speak both English and Samoan languages. Symbolism among Samoans exists in from of ‘the Samoan way† or ‘fa’samoa’. This includes beliefs, traditions and attitudes symbolizing a world viewpoint explaining suitable way of life, common through out the archipelago (Anderson, 2004, 349).Ancient Samoans cultivated taro and yams, kept chickens, dogs and pigs and practiced lapita pottery. They sailed using double-hulled sea vessels. Under United States navy government, Samoan culture was preserved when it was not counter to us regulations. Hereditary and talking chiefs had permission to continue assemblage forms to handle local politics. Up to the 1900s, Samoans practiced rural lifestyles and this still is the case within many villages out of Pago Pago Bay and outlying isles. Urbanization has been slightly attained near the airfield and Pago Pago bay.Up to the 1950s, ‘fale’ or traditional homes consisted of elliptical structures having corral pebble floors plus round wood prop underneath a beehive-like roof enveloped by sugarcane leaves thatch. Such open residences promoted contact with members of the public and offered little privacy (Esbenshade, 2004, 351). Many households had a sleeping plus a cooking house of smaller size located at the rear, several owned guest houses for hosting visitors. Starting in the 1970s, construction of ‘hurricane’ concrete houses having corrugated metallic roofs has been encouraged by the American administration to reduce tempest damage.Such rectangular houses exhibit increased privacy since they have windows, doors, and at times room dividers. Houses may also be constructed from brick or wood (Amoko, 2000, 385). Traditional homes had minimal furnishings consisting only of sleeping and sitting mats however, contemporary houses exhibit full furnishing with most having telephones and television. Parliamentary structures are of the conventional elliptical shape, as well as community school structures, sections of the airfield terminal and the growers market.Several business buildings at present depict American building designs. Staple foodstuffs in American Samoa include breadfruit, taro, coconuts, bananas, mangoes, papayas, chicken, canned corned beef, seafood and pork. Occasional foods include potatoes, onions, lettuce, carrots, cabbages, tomatoes and beans. Mostly foodstuffs found within us markets are in stock in supermarkets (Anderson, 2004, 356). Long ago, food was eaten during the mid-morning plus early dusk. Food gets cooked although it could be eaten raw. Majority of families sat on mats down on the ground in the traditional times.Guests and elders get served initially and children and women eat last. Owing to changing work cycle, now families have three mealtimes per day. Majority of Tutuila restaurants concentrate on American plus other alien foods, however several present more conventional Samoan foodstuffs (Pincheon, 2000, 277). Foods dis hed up during ceremonial functions include: entire pigs plus daily fare; potato salad; puddings; palusami; chop suey; ice cream and cakes. A lot of food is prepared and served during special occasions as guest may carry home excess servings.Kava, which is a slightly narcotic, none-alcoholic drink, is given to chiefs during ceremonial events. Majority of land is possessed by Samoans except for a little church and government owned land. Traditional communal land ownership was done through ‘aiga’ and was governed by ‘matai’ and this remains the case up to now. Several whites who were spouses to women from Samoa obtained land ownership prior to the 1930s at the time land selling was prohibited by the USA navy (Esbenshade, 2004, 351). Personal land buying is currently allowed only fro individuals having a minimum of 50% Samoan ancestry.Majority of business is related to trading in imported commodities and the American dollar is the exchange medium. Eating places are the most popular retail business ventures followed by grocery shops especially little family-operated general shops. Fish handling and canning is the biggest industry. Tuna is canned and exported to the USA. Age is crucial in determining work functions; young people undertake strenuous undertakings and elderly persons have more inactive, educational and supervisory roles. Children responsibilities are bases in the household while older and middle-aged people assume leadership functions.Formerly a number of persons possess special skills regarding making traditional houses and boats, medicine and fishing (Dernbach, 2005, 511). No real class systems exist within American Samoa. The titles of chiefs are classified to some extent on the basis of ancient traditions. Such titles are reserved to particular families, called ‘aiga’; however, a number of them are positioned higher and get more respect compared to others. Such ranking is basically important ceremonially becau se it decides membership to the ‘village council’ or ‘fono’ and the order of serving kava, however everyone gets a speaking opportunity (Azoulay, 1999, 369).Any man can vie to become a â€Å"matai, because titles get obtained through democratic elections held by the â€Å"aiga†. Prior to adoption of currency economic systems, men performed strenuous agriculture, house building and fishing. Young males prepared most of normal meals and cooked during ceremonial occasions. Women’ chores included weaving mats, sewing, child nurturing, laundry and afterwards preparing meals using contemporary appliances. Majority of such traditional chores persist to date, however, fresh alternatives are significant.Women and men currently work within banks, tuna factories, stores, schools and tourist ventures. Men are employed in transportation, construction, government organizations and shipping. Historically, men have dominated Samoan society with women exertin g much behind-the-scenes authority authoritative and professional posts are mostly held by males, however females occupy significant positions within government organizations and sometimes act as â€Å"matai† (Simon-Klutz, 2002, 282). The youth select wedding partners; however marriage remains basically a financial alliance joining families.Previously, chiefs’ children intermarried, while those having lower statuses usually eloped. Individuals may not marry or date close relatives. Almost all persons marry, often during mid towards late 20s, and marriages involve intricate exchange of gifts by two family units. Divorce cases are uncommon; however remarriages among the youth are quite common. Households average 7 persons consisting of a single or additional nuclear family units plus relatives. They involve 3 generations and exhibits flexibility as regards composition. Members are linked by blood, adoption and marriage.Following marriage, reside at the groom’s or bride’s household. Each household is led by a ‘matai’. All economic and social activities are governed by ‘matai’ (Anderson, 2004, 350). The biggest kin grouping remains ‘aiga’ that involves every person having a shared ancestor. Such extensive family could have family units in various sections of the village or within a number of villages. Such households’ matai exert different authority levels in the ‘aiga’. Matai resolves family disputes and decides regarding fiscal contributions of a family to funerals, church gifts and weddings.The complete aiga primarily intermingles during funerals, weddings, elections plus matai installation and emergencies within families (http://www. everyculture. com/A-Bo/American-Samoa. html). Infants are accorded much attention and affection and are carried or held in the initial year. Household usually have grandmothers who often act as key babysitters. Usually young kids are overseen by grandmothers or other household females and usually by elder siblings. Respect and reverence for authority and age are instilled from early ages.Educational programs for nursery kids plus universal community school schooling is in place. America Samoans exhibit meticulousness regarding courtesy, especially to chiefs and elderly persons. It is not proper to stand up when other people are sitting. In case an individual gets into a room and finds other persons seated on the ground, they ought to slightly bend and utter â€Å"tulouna† or ‘excuse me’. Respectful terms are employed when holding discussions with chiefs. Etiquette plus reciprocal politeness are used during political and ceremonial events.Prior to influx of missionaries by 1830, the maker of the isles plus the people therein was taken to be Tagaloa and religious headship from families was provided by matai (Tamase, 2007, 475). Initial missionaries were from the London Missionary Society and they establis hed the congregation of Christian Church of American Samoa to which 5% of Samoans belong. The Catholic Church has 20% of Samoan followers while the other 30% is taken by Methodist, Pentecostal and Mormon denominations. Western rites are involved during church proceedings with vocal music being a vital element.Devotion of fresh churches has supreme significance and vocal competitions and feasts mark it. Visitors from the USA and close by islands come for such celebrations. Death is regarded as the will of God and the customary conviction that when one dies at a far away location from their residence such person’s spirits trouble survivors continues. Up to the 1980s, funeral services were held one day after one died. Introduction of morgue services permits delayed interment to cater for elatives abroad. During burials, the deceased family is offered gifts.Interment happens on relations’ land (Dernbach, 2005, 515). April 17th Flag Day is marked by activities like customar y grouping singing and dancing, cricket matches, canoe races and speeches. This commemorates the time when the Samoan isles became part of the USA in 1900. Oratory remains a vital custom, and numerous mythology, poetry and legends have survived owing to usage by talking chiefs during village committee deliberation as well as during ceremonial events (http://www. ncddr. org/products/researchexchange/v04n01/cultures. html).The people of Samoa treasure bark cloth wall-hangings (siapo) plus finemats and regard them as family possessions for exchanging during ceremonial events. Finemat and siapo production increasingly is becoming rare. Formerly having tattoos was a prerequisite for being admitted into aumage or qualification fro the title of ac chief. Such art was outlawed within American Samoa a long time ago. However, fresh interest recently draws young males to previously Western Samoa to have the intricate knee-to-upper-abdomen tattoos done on them.Dancing and singing in groups rema in popular forms of art. Huge women or men dancing groups perform unified movements characterized by body and hand claps. Village ritual princesses (taupou) perform Solo dances at times accompanied by men prop dancers (http://www. everyculture. com/A-Bo/American-Samoa. html). The ‘face’ notion, originating from Confucian ideology, among traditional Pacific and Asian Americans makes people’s belief that â€Å"losing face† owing to mental diseases within families could subject families or the person to spiritual or religious crisis.Asians exhibit the least optimistic attitudes towards disabled persons. Numerous Asian Americans are convinced that metaphysical or supernatural forces have a function in disease and health and in misfortune and fortune (Anderson, 2004, 357). Such convictions greatly influence perceptions regarding reasons for disability, therapy of such disability and guilt feelings and shame or responsibility related to having a disabled family member. Conventional Asian Pacific citizens usually source for assistance from sources different from, or on top of, western rehabilitation or medical system.Families will usually desire to seek customary Asian therapies, like herbal medication, or perform particular actions with a view to restoring the equilibrium of the natural world. Asian Americans depend more upon casual social associations as compared to other minorities. American Indians comprise of in excess of five hundred tribal groupings that exhibit great diversity within. Majority of conventional Indian dialects have no word for disabled, handicapped or retarded. Instead of utilizing such classifications, phrases regarding persons descriptive of disabilities, for instance, â€Å"one-who-walks-with-a-limp† or â€Å"one-arm,† may be assigned.Convictions regarding spirit and body interrelatedness contrasts with mainstream belief systems. Strongly traditional American Indians could source for assistance form t raditional healers and also the typical rehabilitation and medical systems (http://www. ncddr. org/products/researchexchange/v04n01/cultures. html). Paradigm modifications happen within all disciplines as technology or knowledge advances. Key shifts within such cultural models are comprehensive, rare and significantly impact on cultural, social as well as political precedence within society.Industrial revolution’s second stage resulted to contemporary society which is characterized by capitalism, humanist principles, political democratic systems, Newton’s physics and transcendental romanticism. Contemporary regimes witnessed the appearance of bourgeoisie, contemporary art plus the conviction that it is possible to understand the earth by applying reason. Modern age also incorporated cultural, economic and political policies on the basis of freedom and equality ideals and progress. Postmodernism’s arrival within the 1960s led to slight alterations within contempo rary society.Despite the fact that postmodernism dislodged occidental theories plus numerous other ideals related to the contemporary period, it failed to offer the momentum needed to restructure society. This impetus required some circumstances which exposed social injustices prevailed within existing economic and political systems and at the same time offer alternative solutions (Anderson, 2004, 359). America has ceased to be a â€Å"melting point† because it does not incorporate minorities within majority cultures. Currently, there exists diverse pluralism of culture developed by way of acculturation.Such pluralism is described in regard to minorities’ liberties relative to prevailing culture. Minorities contribute within majority cultures while disregarding the threat of losing their sub-culture uniqueness. Racial minorities, religious groupings, and philosophical subcultures exist side by side and stand other groups’ customs. A non-hierarchical democratic p luralism supported through communication expertise is substituting the prevailing culture. The notion of regarding product utilization as being an end is dying away and focus is directed locally.The majority has discarded its fixation upon consumerism to embrace fresh attention to friends, family plus social groupings having comparable interests. Owing to divisions emanating from cultural wars and facing economic stagnation, the majority culture started self-realignment on the basis of sub-cultural schemes that offer belonging and equality (Amoko, 2000, 388). While America is enduring economic woes, fresh social systems are developing within the debris offered by disenfranchised cultures.Majority cultures are experiencing transition from a community of financial classes, credit expenditure and consumer principles to an extra group-centered society. Such shift involves change from getting cultural significance out of purchasing and possessing media-produced patterns’ consumer commodities, to promoting an extra individualized participatory and personality culture. Such change of priorities emancipates a stressed community and offers a feeling of dignity and authority to society (http://www.culturewars. org. uk/index. php/site/article/changing_cultural_paradigm/). The principal culture has ditched the business sponsored political programs, because of the wickedness within oppressive economic and social policies and also owing to the absence of prestige and gratification exhibited by buyer indulgence within the financial crisis. While the principal culture was losing confidence within consumer principles, the pluralism of culture metamorphosed to become pluralism free of hierarchies.Within such fresh systems, privileges and rights existent within a democracy get expressed within society with no oppression to lower castes. This seems to be a result of free market financial systems having their majority cultures being hierarchically- arranged. The divisions g enerated through culture wars merged the diverse and vast multicultural system of hyphenated citizens and subcultures to form a political grouping united through democratic principles, humanitarian standards, and the requirement to make the playing arena even.Pluralism, which necessarily is not liberal owing to its incorporation of every political viewpoint, also existed alongside the cultural war. Such a multicultural grouping became prominent when consumerism faded away from the principal culture, and assumed the role of acting as a representation of the fresh social arrangement (http://www. culturewars. org. uk/index. php/site/article/changing_cultural_paradigm/). Works cited Amoko, Apollo O. Resilient Imaginations: No-no Boy, Obasan and the Limits of Minority Discourse. Mosaic, vol.33. 2000; pp. 375-390 Anderson, Crystal S. Racial Discourse and Black-Japanese Dynamics in Ishmael Reed’s Japanese by Spring. MELUS, vol. 29, 2004; pp. 345-360 Azoulay, Katya Gibel. The New Col ored People: The Mixed-race Movement in America. African American Review, vol. 33. 1999; pp. 360-374. Crank, R ip. (April 17th 2009). Culture Wars. Changing Cultural Paradigm. Retrieved on 5th may 2009 from http://www. culturewars. org. uk/index. php/site/article/changing_cultural_paradigm/ Culture of American Samoa Forum. (2007).Culture of American Samoa History and Ethnic Relations, Urbanism, Architecture, and the Use of . retrieved on 5th may 2009 from http://www. everyculture. com/A-Bo/American-Samoa. html Dernbach, Katherine Boris. Spirits of the Hereafter: Death, Funeral Procession, and the Hereafter in Chuuk, Micronesia. Ethnology, vol. 44, 2005; pp. 502-517 Esbenshade, Jill. Codes of Conduct: Challenges and Opportunities for Workers Rights. Social Justice, vol. 31, 2004; pp. 340-355. Pincheon, Bill. â€Å"A Deeper Territory†; Race, Gender, Historical Narrative and the Recorded Field Blues.The Western Journal of Black Studies, vol. 24, 2000; pp. 270-283. Simon-Klutz, L ufuata. On Being Samoan, on Being Woman (E Au Pea Ina’ilau a Tama’itai) (1). Frontier- A Journal of Women’s Studies, vol. 23, 2002; pp. 275-291. Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. (2004). Descriptions of Ethnic Cultures in the United States. Vol. 4, no. 1. Retrieved on 5th may 2009 from http://www. ncddr. org/products/researchexchange/v04n01/cultures. html Tamase, Tui Atua Tupua. In Search of Tagaloa, Samoan Mythology and Science. Archaeology in Oceania, vol. 42, 2007; pp. 462-478.