Past and Future

The article â€Å"Missing the past, embracing the future† by Gayatree Siddhanta Sarma is about a women who has a long-last childhood. However, her beautiful memories were brought back through the vacation with her daughter at the county fair. In addition, reading this article reminds us how important our childhood is that can directly influences our thoughts and behaviors. Therefore, our childhood memories play an importatn role in our adult lives. Even though few of us have the same childhood as the author’s, we have our own one which is either idyllic or complicated. According to the article, the author had a very idyllic and precious childhood which was full of happy memories with her dad. They planted trees, took care of their garden such as growing flawless cauliflower, 12-inch dahlias and organic food. Moreover, she also had her own corner plot to grow kohlrabi and sweet peas with a passion like her father. Besides, the spring came turning the garden into a fragant bouquet of flowers. All of the details in the article give us an idea that the author’s childhood was full of fresh and fragant air. Likewise, my childhood was lots of fun. In Vietnam, our neighborhood is close and friendly. In addition, our houses were nearby, so I could come to visit theirs even everyday. When I was young, my neighbors and I usually went around the area playing traditional games such as jumping-rope, hide and seek, and chopstick-ball which you have to catch the chopstick while the ball is in the air. Furthermore, I missed our New Year which is in mid-Febrary. We always gathered in my grandparent’s house to celebrate, get lucky money from our aunts and uncles, and play cards. Overall, those sweet memories affected our way of living now. While the author grows flowers with her daughter to recall her childhood, I teach my nices to play those games. One way or the other, we all remember our childhood memories by showing them to others in different methods. Other than that, I do believe our behaviors are affected by the way we were treated, and educated. As an English literature professor, the author’s father not only had passion for teaching but also for growing trees and flowers. Gently, he showed her how to grow a garden with full of beautiful flowers. In other words, one can not do that without patient, so her behaviors were built up since she was young. As a result, the author now know how to build her family traditionally although it is in a diffrent country. Similarly, I was grow up in a poor country, so all the games we played were communion. We did not have our own toys, but rope, balls, and chopticks which was from each of us. We shared and played together. Therefore, I leanred not to be selfish and jealous, but love others. In addition, I had many activities in church to help the elders, the orphange and the poor. All of that, I were leanred from my childhood memories. Our childhood memories totally influenced our lives today. It was a base for us to build a new future. Overall, it inspired us to create a beautiful childhood not only for our beloved ones but also for other kids.

Love should grow up like a wild iris Essay

Since the beginning of human existence love has earned a meaning of pure bliss and wild passion between two people that cannot be broken. Through out time the meaning of love has had its slight shifts but for the most part, maintains a positive value. In the poem â€Å"Love Should Grow Up Like a Wild Iris in the Fields,† the author, Susan Griffin expresses that this long lost concept of love is often concealed by the madness of everyday life and reality. In the poem, Griffin uses many literary elements to help convey the importance of true love. The usage of imagery, symbolism, and other literary techniques really help communicate Griffins’ meaning that love is not joyous and blissful as its ‘s commonly portrayed but often broken by the problems in our everyday lives. Through out the whole entire poem, Griffin uses a metaphor comparing a wild iris to love. Just like a wild iris, love can grow into something so beautiful and flourish so quickly with no limits on stopping. In the start of the poem Griffin says, â€Å"†Love should grow up like a wild iris in the fields, unexpected, after a terrible storm, opening a purple mouth to the rain, with not a thought to the future, ignorant of the grass and the graveyard of leaves around, forgetting its own beginning†, meaning that love should grow with no domestication and no boundaries just like a wild iris after a terrible storm (1-5). By using this metaphor the reader can really understand the value that love should flourish beautifully with no worries about its surroundings just as a wild iris does in an open field. This really gives the reader a mental image to help really grasp the emotional significance of how spontaneous and wild love should be. In the second stanza Griffin introduces the reality of love. She uses symbolism and imagery to really portray how love is often neglected by the realities of everyday life. She starts the stanza with, â€Å"Love more often is  to be found in kitchens at the dinner hour, tired out and hungry,† which gives the reader a completely different feeling in comparison to the metaphor with the iris growing in the wild fields (8-9). Dinnertime is often portrayed as â€Å"time with family†, but Griffin follows that line with, â€Å"tired out and hungry† giving the reader gets a negative connotation (9). Griffin is suggesting that love is â€Å"more often† to be portrayed to be this feeling of bliss but is really over powered by the problems of everyday life such as exhaustion and hunger to name the simplest. Love is not just represented by a marriage; you must fall in love with one another and continue that feeling but often times that is forgotten due to the common roadblocks in life. In the second stanza, Griffin portrays love as â€Å"houses where the walls record movements†, while in comparison to the wild iris whose love blossoms uncontrollably which cannot even be kept in a place with confined space without overgrowing (9-10). This could symbolize that love cannot be suffocated or have boundaries and like an iris you must let love takes its course. The author continues to compare love to a house â€Å"while the cook is probably angry, and the ingredients of the meal are budgeted, while a child cries feed me now and her mother not quite hysterical says over and over, wait just a bit†, which really gives of a sense of turmoil after reading through it (11-13). Every situation the author talks about above is everyday stressor that couples in love commonly fight about whether it’s from budget to infants. For example, normally a happy wife enjoys cooking for the family and feeding the kids. Happy and joyous feelings are usually associated with this event. Griffin explains the cook as â€Å"angry†¦while the child cries feed me now†, giving off a very undesirable tone which can relate to how the burn for your partners love is often overpowered by the pandemonium of peoples everyday lives. In the first stanza Griffin really uses nature to explain love, where as in stanza 2 she uses the house and all the events that happen during â€Å"dinner hour† which really expresses the negative mood and tone while reading. It was a very abrupt change in the flow because it goes from a more free-flowing and positive tone to a fast-paced tone and sense of chaos towards the end of the second stanza. The author uses the line â€Å"Love should grow up like a wild iris in the fields† on four separate occasions from start to finish in the poem. Each time used, Griffin changes the word play following the line,  which each gives its own tone to it. The first time he used the line was in the first sentence that was quickly followed with the stanza that gave of a sense of beauty while comparing love to nature. The second time Griffin uses the line she follows it with â€Å"but does not† and then compares love to dinner hour, which portrays a tone of turmoil and sadness (7). The third and fourth time Griffin uses the line they are followed by â€Å"but never does† and â€Å"but doesn’t†, both giving off a very negative tone in comparison to the first time Griffin used the phrase in the first line (15 & 30). The author goes from explaining the ideal value of love and how it’s perceived in the first stanza and as each stanza passes she begins to reveal how love really is perceived. This literary technique definitely helps portray the reader grasp the meaning of the illusion of the ideal love versus reality. In the final stanza, Griffins symbol of the wild iris takes on a whole new meaning as the â€Å"iris† of an eye. In relationship to the function of an eye, the iris of an eye can be a symbolic meaning that love is going to be perceived differently through every ones own view. A couple must be able to adjust with everyday misfortune that arises just as an iris of an eye does when it becomes too bright and needs to adjust to the sunlight. An effective technique Griffin used to contribute to the meaning of the poem is when she left the words â€Å"love should† on its own line near the end of the poem so it really catches the reader’s eye (29). In doing so, it gives the reader a visual almost as if the sentence is incomplete and the one reading should fill in what they think love should be. This directly relates back to the symbolism for the iris, which represents how all humans will perceive love differently through their point of view. The society has always shaped the meaning of love as something so perfect and flawless that all must go through in there lifetime. Is there one universal definition for â€Å"true love†? Susan Griffins writing style plays a large factor in portraying the ideal meaning of love versus the truth behind love. Her use of metaphors to describe love is really effective, giving the reader a vivid image whether it was love flourishing wildly in the open or just confined in the walls of a house hidden by all the stress and everyday burdens of life. Love is in the eyes of the beholder. What do you think love should be?

Internal Environment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Internal Environment - Coursework Example The company diversified from being limited to computers to offer unique products like iPhone, iPod etc. In addition, Apple has strong R&D that has enabled create a competitive edge over its competitors, due to constant innovation resulting from the ability of perceiving trends in behaviors, gathering points and development of high quality products (Hitt, Ireland & Hoskisson, 2012). Further, Apple’s contemporary & unique design of its stores and excellent customer services from skilled and knowledgeable workers is another capability that has enabled Apple maintain a strong presence in the industry. That notwithstanding, Apple has internal weakness such as management changes, high products prices resulting from uncontrolled innovation, which does not consider consumer budgets, incompatibility of its OS with other OS etc. Therefore, to be able to maintain a strong position globally, Apple needs to incorporate consumer ability in terms of prices of products lieu of only focusing on satisfaction, when it formulates it R&D policies, which are the key pillars of innovation at Apple because in the past the company has only focused on developing high quality products which are too expensive for consumers to afford resulting to inability of the company creating customer

Bibliography on The Last Samurai Annotated Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

On The Last Samurai - Annotated Bibliography Example The book on The Last Samurai written by Ravina, an expert in Japanese History and an Associate Professor of History at Emory University, centers on the life and the battles fought by Saigo Takamori. The book describes the entire phase from the moderate origins of Saigo and his development to the stage of a deprived samurai. Then his eventual rise to powerful position as a national leader. Finally it shows how events unfold to bring on his death as a leader who died in rebellion. This book has been the base for the movie centering on Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe. Saigo’s significance has been revealed here especially in the context of the Meiji rule. He was the first to overthrow the feudal dominion and build the Meiji base in Japan. His battle was a fight to preserve the honor of a samurai and his consequent loyalty and service to the society. Hence he was against the idea of centralized country. The book gives an elaborate account of his deeds and his contribution, which turne d him into a folk hero, and gradually compelled the government to raise him to the position of national martyrdom. The spirit of the samurai captured here has given the inspiration to the movie and hence becomes useful to the paper.The book written by Turnbull, a historian specializing in the history of the samurai gives a clear account of the Satsuma rebellion with respect to the honor of the sword of the samurai. The author’s knowledge in military history has helped him frame the revolt with a cause to support it. He did not agree to the reforms led by the government and revolted with his army to preserve the pride of the samurai. The book contains quotes and opinions of experts and historians apart from reporters. The leader carried out several organizations and built schools in euphemistic style named as â€Å"Private Schools† the academics were rendered in military style training such that a private army could be formed. The students had to take an oath in blood t o be loyal to the purpose and this alarmed the Meiji government. These movements and tactics of the plan are interesting to note and compare to the movie with respect to its adherence to the facts. 3. Logan, John, Herskovitz, Marshall, Zwick, Edward and David James. The Last Samurai. Time Inc Home Entertainment, 2003 The book contains some parts of the script on which the Last Samurai is based and the making of the movie in general including some stills and comments form the acting team and director. The contributors to the book are all a part of the moviemakers’

Britain and the Euro Zone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Britain and the Euro Zone - Essay Example Economically, Greece is ranked 32nd largest in the globe at around 312 billion U.S. dollars by nominal gross domestic product going by world bank statistics for the 2009-2010 financial year. Greece is ranked the 15th largest economy in the European Union, an organization that has 27 members. Greece was formally admitted, in June 2000, as a member of the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union, commonly referred to as the Euro Zone. Amid reports of deliberate financial accounting records manipulation and misinformation practices, Greece has been subject to the worst crisis since 1974 (Lynn 2011). The Greece government revised its prediction of deficit from 3.7% to 12.7% of the GDP in 2009. In May 2010, the government’s deficit rose to a whooping 13.6% of the GDP – on e of the world’s highest. In November, 2010, Greece’s government deficit was estimated at close to 15.5% of the country’s GDP, public debt being set at close to 127% of the GDP (Ingrid and Papchristou 2009). Effectively, this is the largest deficit amongst the European Union member countries. As a result of this situation, international confidence in the country’s ability to pay back its debts got into a serious crisis. Following Greece’s deplorable and pitiable situation, the International Monetary Fund and the European Union offered an austerity package much to the fury of the Greek nationals. The situation has further led to public unrest and riots (Charter 2010). The European Central Bank in a bid to lift Greek back to its feet released a bailout package aimed at lowering the country’s public debt mountain (Lynn 2011; Castle and Ewing 2012). The measure was instituted after a balance was struck between the central bank’s adherence to EU laws and helping depressed EU governments. EU law forbids the central bank from offering monetary financing to the governments. In respect of the same, the ECB

Details of structural members in concrete and steel buildings Essay

Details of structural members in concrete and steel buildings - Essay Example Steel is not adversely affected by weather, easy to erect, strong and durable with low weight. Its main function is in the formation of a skeleton that holds the whole structure. The components for concrete, that is, cement, sand and aggregates are easily available and affordable worldwide making allowing preference for concrete structures. From research and studies, concrete has been realized to be brittle, strong in compression and weak in tension. From these properties, modalities of improving it have been designed. The most currently used modality is its reinforcement. Reinforced concrete therefore has been realized to withstand tension and compression leading to its durability and use in many structures. Literature review The study and test of steel for industrial construction has been done for many years. Its properties led to its popular use since the early 1990’s. Due to this demand, designs for steel structures have been implemented. The main factor that has driven the designs is earthquake disasters. Its design has evolved from stiffer approach to flexibility and ductility. During the 1970’s, proven formulas were used to design steel structures. Advanced technology through Computer Aided Design has improved designing work with building codes controlling the steel industry. Working stress design was the main factor for consideration in concrete members since 1960s. Strength design method was adopted by the International Building Code (IBC) in its 1956 edition. The concepts considered are strength needed inclusive of the load and strength of the design with an aim of achieving durable structures. The designs lead to increased costs in construction with reduced maintenance costs. Due t o low maintenance costs, projects like highway infrastructure and industrial buildings make use of reinforced concrete. Maintenance costs are likely to be incurred due to misuse of the structures and poor workmanship that are unpredictable (Berman, Gary 8). Details of structural members in concrete and steel buildings The success of concrete and steel structures is pegged on durability, economical factors and strength of structures. These attributes are achieved through proper design of structural members to support the weight of the structure and bear both the dead and live loads and lateral loads exposed to it. Live loads refer to inhabitants in the structure and dead loads are items attached to the structure while lateral loads arise from wind and or earthquakes. The purpose of members in steel and concrete structures is to unite and support all loads transferred in the structure via the allocated load paths to foundation members. Soil and or rock where the structure’s fou ndation is laid finally support the load. Structural members work as one unit using the joints to transfer bending moments, shear and axial forces. Structural members discussed in this article are; beams and one-way slab, two-way slabs, columns, walls and foundations. One-Way Systems In this type of floor or roof system, all members run in one direction with a common flexural

The Autonomous Value of Savings and the Marginal Propensity Research Paper

The Autonomous Value of Savings and the Marginal Propensity - Research Paper Example The marginal propensity to consume is the slope of the above curve, the marginal propensity to consume value determines how the consumption of a consumer responds to a change in income, the value of the marginal propensity to consume is greater than zero but less than 1, this means that when income increases all the increase is not used for consumption purposes but saved or invested in other income-generating projects, that is why the marginal propensity to consume is greater than 0 but less than 1. Savings is the amount of income that is not consumed and consumers prefer to save in banks or invest, when income increases then there is a possibility that savings will increase, Keynes stated that savings are a function of income, for this reason, therefore, the savings function can be stated as follows: S = F(Y). The savings function can be stated as follows: S = a1 + a2 (Y-T) Where a is the autonomous value which we expect to be zero or negative, a2 is the marginal propensity to save which is greater than zero but less than 1, Y is income and T is tax, we can calculate the marginal propensity to consume as the change in savings divided by the change in income. This value shows the responsiveness of savings level due to an increase or decline in the level of income. The relationship between savings and income: this section considers the relationship between savings and consumption, when income increases then the level of savings and consumption increases, income is either consumed or saved, for this reason, therefore, there is a relationship between consumption and savings.

Information Security Policy Document (ISPD) Assignment

Information Security Policy Document (ISPD) - Assignment Example Organizations are dependent on these digital communication channels for transferring and exchanging classified information such as confidential information, mission critical information and information that is published for the people. As information is a blood life of any organization, it is vital to protect information by implementing physical, logical and environmental controls. In the context of protecting information security, three fundamental factors must be considered to make use of digitized information in an effective manner i.e. Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability. As there is a requirement of protecting this digital information internally and externally, policy is a control that provides necessary steps, procedures and processes to protect information. These are also considered as high level statements derived from the board of the organization. â€Å"Information security policy is therefore considered an essential tool for information security management† (Ilvonen 2009). However, information security policy is customized by company to company and department to department. Different factor that may influence to tailor the policy includes organization size, dependence on information systems, regulatory compliance and information classification scheme. For addressing all issues related to information security via a single policy is not possible, however, to cover all aspects related to information security, a set of information security policy document focusing on different group of employees within the organization is more suitable. This paper will discuss different factors that must be taken in to account when constructing and maintaining an information security policy. However, there are many methods available for constructing an information security policy, the initial step before adopting any one of the methods is to identify the current maturity level of the policy construction process within the organization. The outputs will be either no information security policy development process in place or there is an extensive policy development process exists. As University of Wales has inaugurated a new bespoke digital forensic and information security laboratory, we will use a phased approach that will use a basic policy framework that will address key policies followed with the development of more policies. Likewise, the phased approach will also revise the existing policies that are already in place. In the current scenario there is no policy in place, as the laboratory is new. One key element for a policy development process is the process maturity level. For instance, a newly derived comprehensive and complex security policy cannot be successful because organizations need time for compliance. Common pitfalls for compliance are different organization cultures, lack of management buy-in, insufficient resources and many other factors. For a newly inaugurated forensic laboratory, the initial

Employee Satisfaction in Human Resource Management Research Paper

Employee Satisfaction in Human Resource Management - Research Paper Example Complaints are normal in any organization as people are not similar. The handling of conflicts by the management is what encourages or discourages employee satisfaction. Complaints should be handled according to the set rules, guidelines and principles of the organization meaning with all fairness and justice. If any party is favored, then the other party will be angry and remorseful preventing job productivity and may even lead to employee turnover due to lack of satisfaction of the level of justice in the company. Conflicts are almost similar to complaints and should be handled in a sensitive manner. Conflicts are normally between the supervisor and lower level employee and this situation demands listening to both parties before any final decision is made. Employees are satisfied where they are treated equally in cases of conflicts without regards to rank or job position. If the conflicts are handled wrongly, it means that one of the parties is underappreciated and this leads to lack of job satisfaction in the employee and may even lead to lawsuits against unfair judgment and treatment of lower level employees (Zeqiri, Aziri and Mazllami, 2010). Harassments in the work place are of numerous natures. The most common of all the harassments is sexual harassment where an employee harasses another based on their sex. In this type of harassment, the most common victims are the employees and the perpetrators the employers or supervisors. When the matter is handled internally by the human resource department, in most cases the case is settled by transferring the employee or merely suspending the perpetrator and no further action is taken. After this, the victim is victimized or even threatened by the perpetrator for reporting and may even give false allegations just to get back at the employee. The victim therefore lives in fear and anger and does not enjoy work at all and this is an example of lack of employee satisfaction. This is common where

All the Pretty Horses novel Essay Example for Free

All the Pretty Horses novel Essay The main character, John Grady Cole, faces plenty of hardships throughout his journey from his home in Texas to Mexico. On the other hand, McCarthy writes this award-winning book in a positive way, demonstrating the balance between optimism and pessimism in our world. He shows how John Grady Cole has matured and grown substantially because of this negativity he faces. The reader can clearly see the negativity not only in the first page of the novel, but also in the first paragraph. McCarthy begins the book with, â€Å"†¦ he looked at the face so caved and drawn among the folds of funeral cloth, the yellowed moustache, the eyelids paper thin. That was not sleeping†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (3). The funeral described in the first page is John Grady’s grandpa’s funeral. Starting a book off in this way (with a dead body) obviously points the reader towards the opinion that this book is a long, dreadful ride with much death and destruction. The image of the coffin, the yellowing moustache, and the deceased person clearly shows the negativity that fills this book. Throughout the book, John Grady Cole faces many challenges and much adversity and learns to live with it. After leaving their home in Texas, John Grady and his best friend Rawlins travel hundreds of miles deep into the heart of Mexico on horseback until they reach a ranch offering work called La Purisima. Both of these boys are skilled at working with horses and spend most of their time at the ranch taming and taking care of the many horses there. While working at La Purisima, John meets the ranch owner’s daughter, a beautiful girl named Alejandra, and falls in love. Alejandra’s father absolutely does not appreciate this; in fact, he orders for John Grady and Rawlins to be arrested because of John’s interactions with Alejandra. The hardships that these boys face are relentless, however, John Grady refuses to hang his head and give up. On their way to the jail, John Grady says to Rawlins, â€Å"I can’t back up and start over. But I don’t see the point in slobberin over it† (155). At this point, McCarthy reveals how John Grady has matured and has learned to live with the sorrows he faces. With this new found maturity, and as John Grady Cole overcomes this terrible journey of negativity, he has learned to live with the pessimism and has found out how the negatives go side by side with the positives. Nearing the end of the book John Grady Cole realizes that â€Å"the world’s pain and its beauty moved in a relationship of diverging equity† (282). John Grady has learned the skill of searching for the light in a dark room, constantly refusing to dwell on the negative aspects of his many horrible situations. He has a new wisdom of the world and has learned how it works. In conclusion, McCarthy writes All The Pretty Horses with much negativity and at the same time he delivers a lesson of how positivity is hidden in every situation, journey, and life. McCarthy demonstrates how John Grady Cole learns maturity the hard way: through hardships, sorrow and death. This book leaves the reader with a tear in their eye and a smile on their face, for they know that sorrow is sitting on the doorstep of happiness.

Impact of Chinas One Child Policy

Impact of Chinas One Child Policy China’s one child policy Maleka Rangwala Introduction It has become common to think in one mindset for a period of time before abruptly rethinking your outlook. This is known as a paradigm shift (Huntington, 1996). In recent times, democracy is a form of government sought for individual citizens.These citizens have the power and the right, to influence decisions made about how their country will be governed. It is portrayed as one of the best forms of government. But maybe democracy is not the answer towards better economic development. That is the null hypothesis of the paper that authoritarian rule is effective in achieving goals and regulating various imbalances’which is based on the uprising against dictatorships in various countries. I will use an example of china for an authoritarian regime. An authoritarian regime is where there is one ruler or small group of leaders that have the real power in political systems. The citizens have no voice in how they are ruled. Their leaders donnot give their subjects free choice. for example china has experienced this rule and experienced various effects. HISTORY OF CHINA In the second half of the twentith century population control became one of the most important growing problems, China chose to adopt an extreme measure of birth control known as the one-child policy. Two of the most consequential social experiments of the twentieth century were the Green Revolution which aimed at feeding the population and family planning programs were designed to curtail its growth. There were half a billion people starving or malnourished, and a billion who didnot have access to proper sanitation or education according to world population facts 1980. Also population increased from 1.7 billion to 3 billion in third world countries during 1950-1975. (rene). China could not keep up with the rapid demand for food and fuel for the increasing population having 8% fertile land and 20% of the world population. In the late 1970s, the chinese government had introduced various measures to reduce the country’s population growth rate. The most important measure which wi ll be studied in detail is the one child policy which said that couples in china could have only one child. In 1950 due to mao’s rule and his concept of increasing population to increase chinese workforce, the change in the rate of population was 1.9 per cent each year. (history of the one child policy) The governement had been encouraging people to have alot of children and nearly 4 children were born per household. At the same time, there was a food shortage that resulted in part from Mao’s failed economic-planning of the Great Leap Forward, where 30 million Chinese died of man-made famine and followed by a cultural revolution in 1966 leading to over a million deaths. (htt1).By 1970s the government realised that the current rates of population growth would soon become unstable and created the one child policy. In the begining malthus an economist whose theory will be discussed in detail later was viewed as an enemy and his theory was rejected by the soviets and chinese government. But as time progressed, they realised this and started propogationg the idea of late, long and few in 1970. By advising women to wait for a long time before having a baby and have few of them. As this change was going on a chinese scientist Song Jian took interest in the demographics and in Netherlands met Geert Jan Olsder who had recently worked on a game theory problem concerning population who saw population as an mathematical contraint problem and thought there could be optimum growth. listening to Olsder’s views and armed with The Limits of growth a 1972 malthusian work, Song took his findings back to the leaders in china and helped in influencing them to formulate this policy. A group of prominent social scientists which were put together by Deng Xiaoping who rose to power after the death of Mao Zedo ng and started a four fronted modernisation in agriculture, industry, national defence and technology, created an optimum solution for the population explosion taking into account the social costs and consequences. The chinese government also had signed an agreement with the united nations population fund in 1979 which gave 50 million to curtail population. This also influenced other western organisations to put their resources like Ford Foundation and International planned parenthood foundation. A theory which justifies this policy is the Lockean contractarianism which is a theory which covers the emphasis of the collective over the individual. While the policy may seem brutal to the induvidual, when a greater picture is taken into account it will benefit the community as a whole, hence benefiting the individual in a long run where one will live a life free from starvation and malnutrition without economic problems. This communitarian ideaology was from Jean Jacques Rousseau as the individual depends on the community for self identity, production of public goods, etc. (rene) POPULATION CONTROL Economic reasons From 1960 economic modules as well as social scientists have a great effect on policy making of various countries.Population needs to be kept in checked for various reasons. First being the orthodox view of supply of natural resources (non renewable) and capital being fixed, the demand would increase and the supply would not keep up and with and with increasing population development decreases. There is another theory formulated by Coale and Hoover in which they say that the economic growth could increase if their was low fertility than high fertility. Though this was later contradicted with saying that they assumed economic growth as a function of only capital growth and didnot take into account the changes in technology and labour quality through better schooling and health. (Hopkins). Social reasons Population overgrowth creates social problems like cultural conflicts. When a particular area is overpopulated, it leads to migration. Which not only puts pressure on land where people move in but also can start civil wars. One example of resource conflict is the case of the jordan river which passes through syria jordan and west bank israel where research showed that 37 actual military conlficts occured between the Arab neighbours and Jordan over the river and its tributtes water. (environment and social ills) It also puts pressure on basic facilities like medical and school. Political reasons and others Population expansion can also lead to political problems like curtailment of people, providing finance for the growing population by the government and growing taxes creating pressure on the poor and increasing the income gap. (htt) like Aristotle said that a large population would bring a â€Å"certain poverty on the citizenry, and poverty is the cause of sedition and evil†. He thought that with a population of over 100,000 people, most citizens would be excluded from having a voice in the goverment. (environment and social ills). To accomodate the growing population the green covers have been eliminated from the surface. This causes many environmantal as well as psychological problems like the Nature deficit disorder which is a hypothesis created by Richard louv in his book ‘Last child in the woods’ (2005) which says that children spend very less time outdoors and hence resulting in many bahavioural problems like attention disorders and depression, diseases like myopia and even obesity. Also a few common effects seen are cost of housing, length of your commute from home to work which wastes time and energy,etc. In order to accomodate the vast population various personal freedom of people are also taken away which become necessary like limits on water consumption, electricity, restriction on what people can do with their own land, etc. The environmental aspect also has dire need to be paid attention to as the extinction of species, habitat destruction, habitat fragmentation, ozone layer depletion due to pollution, straine on oceans, etc. Hence the need to contain the population in china was a necessary step but the various aspects of implementation of the policy were not entirely ethical which will be covered below. IMPLEMENTATION AND ASPECTS OF THE POLICY The one child policy was established in 1979 and various benefits were offered to those who followed this rule in form of education, healthcare etc. Malthus an economist observed that population increases but at a geometric rate while food production increases arithematically and made a conclusion that because humans havenotall starved, economic choices must be at work, and it is the job of an economist to study those choices His theory advocated welfare reform. He also stated that recent poor laws provided an increased amount of money for a system of welfare depending on the number of children which only encouraged the poor to give birth to more children and had no fear that increased number of children would make eating any more difficult. Increasing number of poor workers would reduce labour costs and ultimately make the poor even poorer. Hence the providing of a certain amount of money to every poor person would lead to rise in prices and value of money. Thus with increasing popu lation supply would be stagnant and demand and price would keep increasing. . He said that there can be many ‘positive’ and ‘preventive’ checks in reducing population expansion which ranged from contraception to famines. china’s one child policy can be considered under this type of a check. Imagine if the growth rate was not checked at that time, china is already heading with the highest populated country. The chinese government showed statistics that the one child policy has prevented over 400 million births (announced in march 2013) and over the last 4 decades have aborted 336 million children, performing 196 million surgical sterilizations and inserted 403 million intrauterine devices. (history of the one child policy) THE AUTHORITARIAN RULE Though the implementation of the policy was unequeal and had several flaws. Those who had more than one child were fined and didnot receive any benefits. There were a total of 22 exeptions where the chances of having more than one child was allowed but if on didnot fall into this category then they had to face consequences like loosing their jobs, confiscation of their belongings. There are also cases where the roofs of their houses were removes and their windows and doors walled in. There were cases which claim that some women who were pregnant were forced to have an abortion and many women were forcibly sterilised. In 1983, 14 million women had abortions organised by family planning committees( many of them coerced). In 2009 there were 6 million. There were cases where the rich had paid off and were able to have a second child. If the poor were not able to pay the fine and had a child then they would be forced in an abortion. the policy was more strictly enforced in the rural regio ns. This policy was also partially responsible for the reduction in fertility rate which fell from 2.63 births per woman in 1980 to 1.61 in 2009. (unitedexplanations) Also the traditional preference of a boy child which exists still in many places even in India caused gender imbalances. There were large number of female babies who ended up homeless or in orphanages and killed in some cases. In 2000 it was reported that 90 percent of foetuses aborted in china were females. Today men outnumber the women by more than 60 million with the sex ratio being 118 boys to 100 girls. The one child policy put pressure on the rural households where families desire one son, who not only assist in household and difficult task but also in a broader perspective continue the male lineage. Also there is a theory where women who suffer from some sort of discrimination will try and prevent their child to undergo the same and hence avoid girl childs, instead of actually developing a more feminist perspect ive. DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION One of the major drawbacks of this policy was the acceleration of the demographic transition. The mid 20th century saw fertility decline and prolonged life expectancy, population reproduction in china transformed from phase of high fertility, low natural growth and high mortality to the modern pattern of population growth i.e. a phase with low fertility, low natural growth and low mortality. In developed countries this process was smooth and spontaneous when they experienced urbanization and industrialization was completed within less than 40 years in china which usually takes a century. (Dewen) The introduction of the one child policy was affected by the suggestion of the malthusian theory and has sped up the demographic transition since 1970s. Even though the demoraphic divident can be put to high utilisation it increases development at a diminishing rate and a stage in future will result in decline development and become a demoghraphic debt causing the 4-2-1 problem. As the first generation of law enforced only children came of age for becoming parents themselves one adult child was left to provide support for his parents and grand parents. Hence called the 4-2-1 problem leaving the older generation dependent on various funds, policies and savings. But there are various economists which say that this change was inevitable and would have occured at this pace without the policy also as seen in some East Asian countries like Korea, Thailand and Indonesia whose birth rates have also significantly declined just as fast as china’s with reasons being rising incomes and living standards which in turn lead to improved health services and reducing infant and child mortality. People have a perception that having many children leads to higher income for more education and dont necessarily help in their old age. It is true these are not the factors that governed the people in china, it was the policy but even if the policy was not implemented then maybe they would be following a similar pattern. EFFECT ON SOCIAL NORMS The one-child policy seems to have changed social norms. There are some norms which exist in the country which govern the birth process. According to a research placed in kenya there are certain barriers to family planning like how the men should be the ones to decide if they want to have a child and the females have to oblige and not protest, A family is complete when they have a child, a man is the one who earns and hence should be the one to make decisions. These were what governed the family plannings before the policy. Later the policy governed these rules. Another impact of the policy was that even after two generations of growing up alone, people expect to have only one child. In 2003 and 2008, the city’s family-planning bureaucrats (the Shanghai Municipal Population and Family Planning Commission) asked 38,000 men and women aged 20-45 about how many children they wanted. (Wilcox., 2013) They found the average ideal family size was just 1.07, with 81% of respondents say ing they wanted only one child and just 15% saying they wanted a second. Thus changing the social norms too. Lewin’s research suggests that an individual cultural habits are more pliable to change through group discussions and decision than through an approach to an individual. Hence he says that the success of the importance of family planning was due to the higher degree of personal involement than a passive recepient of information, the placement of weight behind two conflicting alternatives for or against, one displacing the other and following the norm and restricting deviation. This change could be achieved by unfreezing the old perspective and moving to the new change and freezing it there. He says that the leader need not impose the idea or authoritarian rule rather skillfully steer the group towards the idea. This is one theory which says that their could be various other checks and measure that the government could have implemented instead of this policy. CONCLUSION Hence when we look at the above theories and the various aspects of the policy we can say that the policy could be avoided or thought more carefully about the various social political and economic effects to it before implementing it and the various economic and social theories also suggest that this policy sped up various changes which could be changed gradually. Hence the use of the authoritarian rule could be avoided making the null hypothesis void as the changes required for population reduction could be acquired by various other methods and the authoritarian rule just added to speeding up the process which cause more ill than gain. The authoritarian rule not only changes the demographics but also affected the country socially and politically. Economic theories can be applied to non economic policies and should be added to a few as for overall developement and sucess of the policy one needs to see the various social, political and economic aspects and how the policy would affect it in its particular field. BIBLIOGRAPHY http://www.ushistory.org/gov/13a.asp http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/population/managing_population_rev3.shtml http://www.unitedexplanations.org/blogs/china/2012/08/28/one-child-policy-in-china-pros-and-cons/ http://thinkingchinese.com/preference-of-a-son-a-tendency-preserved-mainly-by-women social norm reduced http://www.economist.com/blogs/feastandfamine/2013/03/chinas-one-child-policy prefernce theory http://psych.cf.ac.uk/esrcfertilitynetwork/pubs/PDR-Hakim.pdf china background useful for why policy implemented http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1116810/ lewins theory http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1653319/?page=6 malthus http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/bios/Malthus.html http://geography.about.com/od/populationgeography/a/malthus.htm http://cgge.aag.org/PopulationandNaturalResources1e/CF_PopNatRes_Jan10/CF_PopNatRes_Jan108.html demographic transition http://iple.cass.cn/upload/2012/03/d20120305105846273.pdf http://carnegieendowment.org/2012/03/05/china-s-one-child-policy-should-be-ended-quickly one child policy step by step http://geographyfieldwork.com/ChinaDemographicTransition.htm http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/15/us-china-reform-idUSBRE9AE0BL20131115 social norms https://www.c-changeprogram.org/sites/default/files/Gender_Norms_FP_Decision-Making_in_Tanzania_Oct_2009_FINAL.pdf https://www.spi.ox.ac.uk/fileadmin/documents/PDF/WP_61_Childbearing_preferences.pdf http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/lost-girls_593650.html?page=2# http://freakonomics.com/2011/11/04/the-academic-origins-of-chinas-one-child-policy/ http://howmany.org/environmental_and_social_ills.php social reasons for formulating policy http://www.bpastudies.org/bpastudies/article/view/21/50

Was Christianity the key to the downfall of the Vikings :: Essays Papers

Was Christianity the key to the downfall of the Vikings When I think of the words that describes Vikings I would think of barbaric, having no mercy, and great explorers. Words that describe a Christian to me are trustworthy, considerate, helpful, and peaceful. The descriptions of words I described for Viking and Christians have basically opposite meanings. So as Christianity was implemented on the Vikings they became more civilized. The process of conversion of Christianity happened slowly. (? Book has two authors for the book and then two different authors for this story?)(Roesdahl and Wilson 187). The strength of the Viking was having no fear of death also no right or wrong with the way death was committed. The Bible was began to be followed at the end of the Viking era.(The total structure of this sentence is messed up.) I wonder how much Christianity affected the downfall of the Viking’s, below I did some research on the topic. The Viking era existed from 800 BC to 1200 BC (â€Å"From Viking to Crusader†). (This is supposed to be cited with the author name and page in brackets.) The Vikings have three main religions throughout there period of existence. Each of the religions affected the character of the Vikings in a big way. Polytheism was the belief the Vikings had in the beginning of there existence. Paganism and Christianity came towards the end of the Viking era. Christianity arrived during the 10th and 11th BC (â€Å"The Viking to Crusader†). Polytheism was the most heavily practiced religion the Vikings had. The main god of the Vikings was Odin who was the god of war wisdom and poetry (â€Å"Viking Fury†). There isn’t much documentation from history about Odin and other gods of the Vikings. Odin was mirrored by the Vikings to be a great warrior, and be poets. Vikings felt it was an honor to die in battle because Odin would be grateful (â€Å"Viking Fury†). Paganism was another religion of the Vikings. Through the writing on Rune Stones Viking women appeared to have followed paganism before the Viking men did.(The Viking woman are thought to have mixed views on Nordic Paganism since they were looked down upon according to some researcher other researchers said that Viking men followed paganism first. Since the belief of who followed paganism in the Viking culture first, men or woman is highly debatable among researchers I left this out.

coraline :: essays research papers

Coraline Have you ever wanted to read a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat and at the same time you will be scared of what’s going to happen next? Well if the answer is yes then Coraline is the right book for you. This wonderful book was written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Dave McKean. I chose this book because I had never read a good scary story in my entire life. This book is supernatural fiction. This story mainly takes place in another world that looks exactly the same as Coraline’s home. Although it looks the same, to Coraline it feels much different. The love and happiness from her real home is missing. This other world is not a bright and happy place like Coraline expected. It is gray and boring. In fact, not only is this unknown world dull and unhappy, it is also full of scary creatures. Coraline is very sad in this strange, horrible world. Although the the author did not give a detailed description of what Coraline looks like, I imagined that she was about my size, but thinner, with dark brown hair, beaming black eyes and a narrow face. I thought Coraline was a very brave girl. She showed her courage in the story when she went down into a dark cellar and found herself being chased by a frightening, button-eyed creation of the â€Å"other† mother. I liked the fact that even though she was scared, Coraline never stopped trying. She believed in herself and knew that some day she was going to get out of this miserable place. The story begins with Coraline finding the door to another world. Ready for adventure she goes inside, and what she finds amazes her at first but after a while things start falling apart and everything turns into a total and complete nightmare. Her real parents are missing and she is trapped inside this other place. Coraline must find her parents and her way out before the â€Å"other† mother changes her. During her adventure she finds many lost souls that she also must save. They were once children like her but never escaped. My favorite part in the story was in the beginning when Coraline found the door and went right through into the other world.

There Is No Frigate Like a Book

In the poem â€Å"There is no Frigate like a Book†, Emily Dickinson uses words with particular connotations to give her poem a more rich and meaningful aspect. Her belief that literature is powerful enough to allow one’s mind to distance itself from reality and its immediate surroundings is enforced in the poem throughout her use of words like â€Å"frigate† â€Å"traverse† which connate a sense of journey or adventure.Dickinson compares books to means of transportation to emphasize this idea of the power of imagination. â€Å"There is no Frigate like a Book; To take us Lands away† Here the word â€Å"frigate† though its literal meaning is a warship, is used to connote a sense of adventure and exploration while â€Å"land† gives off an intriguing idea of exotic and unknown. By selecting these words and comparing them to books Dickinson expresses how powerful literature is over one’s mind for it to can take us to distant places.T he poem follows by expressing the spirituality and joyfulness that can be found in literature â€Å"Nor any Coursers like a Page; Of prancing poetry† Dickinson substitutes â€Å"coursers† for horses in this passage to conveys a stronger emphasize of majestic, beautiful and elegant also describing poetry as â€Å"prancing† thus giving it a sense of spiritual, harmony and energetic. The connotations implied by these words and their comparison to poetry in this line help imply the beauty that Dickinson beliefs to find in literatureIn the following line Dickinson reminds us how books are able to touch anyone no matter from what stratus they come from. â€Å"This Traverse may the oppress may the poorest take; Without oppress of Toll† Here â€Å"traverse† which literal term means to travel through is used to express a sense of danger and mystery, while â€Å"oppress† connotes a sense of a powerlessness, something that holds us back or keeps us dow n and â€Å"toll† suggest a meaning of a limit or burden that one must suffer through.The words in this passage work together to give the idea off the idea of the troubles that goes with traveling by comparing it to books, Dickinson is able to show how literature can do take us away without any of these burdens. In the last lines Dickinson again reinstates her idea how powerful books are, in that they can take us away. â€Å"How Frugal is the Chariot; That bears the Human soul. † By comparing books to a chariot she gives books a more magical, romanticizes tone for â€Å"chariot† connotes a sense of fantasy and fairytale, Dickinson uses â€Å"frugal† to describe the how economical book are while implying a aspect of moral goodness to them.Her use of â€Å"bear† in this passage also suggests the importance of the human soul for bearing something connotes an idea of carrying something with great significance or meaning this works with the final word à ¢â‚¬Å"soul† for soul connotes an idea of beauty and one’s whole self by using soul instead of mind Dickinson emphasizes how literature is able to take its readers and transport them not just mentally but also emotionally and spiritually into a completely different world.Dickinson uses connotation powerfully in her poem to give it a more elegant and magical feel to it, by carefully selecting her words Dickinson’s focuses more on their connotations than their denotations to give the poem the sense of power and adventure she wants to express about literature.

Food Allergies

Food allergy is a reaction from the response of the immune system. It is a reaction to fight the harmful ingredient in the food. Food allergies vary between infants, children, and adults. The sign and symptoms for food allergies can show reactions that are minor to severe. Treatment for food allergies depend on the signs and symptoms. In infants and young children, they have reactions to milk or soy milk if they are allergic to it. Allergies to milk or soy formula (a milk substitute made from soybeans) sometimes occur in infants and young children. These early allergies sometimes do not involve the usual hives or asthma but rather can cause symptoms resembling infantile colic, and perhaps blood in the stool, or poor growth† (Stoppler). The reaction of food allergy in infants is monitored to see if there are any changes in the infants’ diet. The symptoms for children and adults are somewhat similar but with a different pattern.According to Stoppler: In adults, the most co mmon foods that cause allergic reactions are shellfish, such as shrimp, crayfish, lobster, and crab; nuts from trees, such as walnuts; fish; eggs; and peanuts, a legume that is one of the chief foods that cause serious anaphylactic reactions. In children, the most common foods that cause allergic reactions are eggs, milk, peanuts, and fruits, particularly tomatoes and strawberries. Children sometimes outgrow their allergies, but adults usually do not lose theirs. Food allergies happen when the body takes in food with an ingredient that the body cannot handle. It occurs when the body mistakes an ingredient in food – usually a protein – as harmful and creates a defense system (antibodies) to fight it. Food allergy symptoms develop when the antibodies are battling the â€Å"invading† food† (WebMD, Feb 2009). Some people form allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, milk, eggs, soy products, wheat and other products. Food allergies can be mistake for food intolerance. Food intolerance is a response by the digestive system. â€Å"It occurs when something in a food irritates a person’s digestive system or when a person is unable to properly digest or breakdown, the food.Intolerance to lactose, which is found in milk and other dairy products, is the most common food intolerance† (WebMD, Feb 2009). Food intolerance somewhat resembles to food allergies. â€Å"Food intolerance, however, is far more prevalent, occurs in a variety of diseases, and is triggered by several different mechanisms that are distinct from the immunological reaction responsible for food allergy† (Stoppler). Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening reaction for food allergies. â€Å"Anaphylaxis is a severe, whole-body allergic reaction to a chemical that has become an allergen† (MedlinePlus).The signs and symptoms for food allergies vary from minor to severe reactions. It also depends on how much food was consumed for it to trigger the reacti on and time. â€Å"All of the symptoms of food allergy occur within few minutes to an hour of eating† (Stoppler). Some symptoms are rashes, hives, nausea, stomach pain, diarrhea, itchy skin, shortness of breath, chest pain, swelling of the airways to the lungs, and anaphylaxis. The allergic reaction occurs in various ways. â€Å"A food allergy can initially be experienced as an itching in the mouth and difficulty swallowing and breathing.Then, during digestion of the food in the stomach and intestines, symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain can start. Incidentally, the gastrointestinal symptoms of food allergy are those that are most often confused with the symptoms of different types of food intolerance† (Stoppler). The symptoms for food intolerance are nausea, stomach pain, gas, cramps, or bloating, vomiting, heartburn, diarrhea, headaches, irritability, and/or nervousness. One of the severe reactions is anaphylaxis. It is a life-threatening type of allergic reaction. Anaphylactic reactions are severe even when they start off with mild symptoms, such as a tingling in the mouth and throat or discomfort in the abdomen. They can be fatal if not treated quickly† (Stoppler). The symptoms occur from within seconds or minutes. The symptoms are abdominal pain or cramping, abnormal (high-pitched) breathing sounds, anxiety, confusion, cough, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing, fainting, light-headedness, dizziness, hives, itchiness, nasal congestion, nausea, vomiting, palpitations, skin redness, slurred speech, and wheezing.The signs for anaphylaxis are abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia), fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema), hives, low blood pressure, mental confusion, rapid pulse, skin that is blue from lack of oxygen or pale from shock, swelling (angioedema) in the throat that may be severe enough to block the airway, swelling of the eyes and/or eyes, weakness, and wheezing. Treatment for food allergie s are based on the signs and symptoms if the reaction is mild or severe. One needs to start with avoiding the food that triggers the allergen.If the food is avoided, the allergic reaction is avoided. â€Å"Avoiding the offending allergen in the diet is the primary treatment of food allergy. Once a food to which the patient is sensitive has been identified, the food must be removed from the diet† (Stoppler). For those who have mild allergies, nonprescription antihistamine could possibly control the symptoms. If nonprescription antihistamine doesn’t work then a prescribed antihistamine may need to be taken. For severe reactions, one could be treated in the emergency room or be treated by an epinephrine shot.According to WebMD, â€Å"Food Allergies-Treatment Overview†: If you have a severe allergic reaction, your initial treatment may be done in an emergency room or by emergency personnel. You will be given a shot of epinephrine to stop the further release of hista mine and to relax the muscles that help you breathe. You will then be prescribed an allergy kit that contains a syringe of epinephrine and antihistamine tablets. Epinephrine is administered through an auto-injector. It is also known as EpiPen. It is also a treatment to anaphylaxis.According to Stoppler: These individuals also always should carry a syringe of adrenaline (epinephrine [EpiPen]), obtained by prescription from their doctors, and be prepared to self-administer it if they think they are developing an allergic reaction. They then should immediately seek medical help by either calling the rescue squad or having themselves transported to an emergency room. Food allergies can be rated mild to severe in reaction. The reactions can be similar in children and adults but it depends on the time and what food was eaten and how much of it was eaten. Signs and symptoms vary from each person.Food allergies can be mistaken sometimes for food intolerance, food poisoning, and toxic reacti ons. The treatment as well depends on the severity of the reaction if it is a mild reaction to a severe reaction.Works Cited â€Å"Anaphylaxis. † MedlinePlus. 02 May 2010. Web. 22 Oct 2010. <http://www. nlm. nih. gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000817. htm>. â€Å"Food Allergies-Treatment Overview. † WebMD. 09 Mar 2009. Web. 1 Nov 2010. <http://www. webmd. com/allergies/tc/food-allergies-treatment-overview>. â€Å"Is It a Food Allergy or Intolerance? † WebMD. 05 Feb 2009. Web. 22 Oct 2010.

Independent Study Unit

HRE 4M1: INDEPENDENT STUDY UNIT This -A clear explanation of the issue -various ethical positions in society. (minimum -> 2 opposing positions) -consequences of each position (results of adopting this position) -underlying beliefs of each position (why this position is right) -explain why some positions may be stronger than others -quotes(or paraphrase) from the Catechism of the Catholic Church -includes a mix of at least 4 examples (case studies or questions to stimulate discussion. -any multimedia that enhances the presentation) Students must inform the teacher of needs at least one week before the presentation. Essay:The essay requires the author to adopt a position on the issue (researched for the presentation) and defend it with a logical and well researched argument. The argument should involve principle and practicality. The essay will be 4-5 pages long excluding title page, bibliography etc. A bibliography and referencing must be included or the essay may receive a grade of Z ERO. Topics: 1. Is capital punishment moral or immoral? 2. Is euthanasia moral or immoral? 3. Can child labour ever be ethical? 4. Is there such a thing as a just war? (Just War Theory) 5. What is the general population’s moral responsibility to the poor/homeless? . Can doctor assisted suicide ever be moral? 7. Is genetic engineering in human beings ever moral? 8. Are there any circumstances where abortions are justifiable? 9. Is animal testing moral justifiable? (medical/industrial) 10. Is genetic engineering of plants and animals justifiable? 11. Is stem cell research morally justifiable? 12. Is poverty in developing nations the moral responsibility of developed nations? 13. Is pornography (making/viewing) moral? 14. Is censorship ever morally correct? 15. Is prostitution ever moral? ( legalization of) 16. Is homosexuality a moral issue? (Why do some make it one? 17. Should there be limits on reproductive technology? (IVF) 18. Who is morally culpable for the use of performa nce enhancing drugs in sports? Is this practice justifiable? 19. What is our moral responsibility to the environment? 20. Is surrogacy morally permissible? 21. Is in vitro fertilization morally permissible? 22. Is food consumption a moral issue? (ie. Vegan/vegetarianism) 23. Other topic (rarely approved) Topic Selection: -must provide 3 sources (for websites print a page that demonstrates relevance) (5 Marks) -complete a sheet listing sources and a preliminary thesis. Essay |Presentation | |Outline *15 |Conference | |First Submission * (10) |Note Submission* (30) | |Conference |Presentation * (50) | |Final Submission * (100) | | * for marks Topics and Seminar Dates HRE 4M1-01Period 3/4 |Topic |Student(s) |Date | |1. Capital Punishment | | | |2. Euthanasia | | | |3.Child Labour | | | |4. Just War | | | |5. Resp. to the Poor | | | |6. Doc Assisted Suicide | | | |7. Gen. Eng. Human | | | |8.Abortion | | | |9. Animal Testing | | | |10. Gen. Eng Plant/Animal | | | |11. Stem Cells | | | |12. Poverty Dev. Nations | | | |13.Pornography | | | |14. Censorship | | | |15. Prostitution | | | |16. Sexual Orientation | | | |17. Reproductive Tech. | | | |18. Perf. Enhance drugs | | | |19.Environment | | | |20 Surrogacy | | | |21. In Vitro fertilization | | | |22. Food Supply | | | |22. Other | | | Topics and Seminar DatesHRE 4M1-04Period 6 |Topic |Student(s) |Date | |1.Capital Punishment | | | |2. Euthanasia | | | |3. Child Labour | | | |4. Just War | | | |5. Resp. to the Poor | | | |6.Doc Assisted Suicide | | | |7. Gen. Eng. Human | | | |8. Abortion | | | |9. Animal Testing | | | |10. Gen. Eng Plant/Animal | | | |11. Stem Cells | | | |12. Poverty Dev.Nations | | | |13. Pornography | | | |14. Censorship | | | |15. Prostitution | | | |16. Sexual Orientation | | | |17. Reproductive Tech. | | |18. Perf. Enhance drugs | | | |19. Environment | | | |20 Surrogacy | | | |21. | | | |22. | | | |23. | | Religion ISU Seminar Name: _____________________ |Note |Level R |Level 1 |Level 2 |Level 3 |Level 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |The note is poorly |The note is poorly |The note is organized |The note is well organized|The note is well organized and | |Comm. |organized and laid out. |organized and laid out. The|and laid out with some |and well laid out. The |well laid out. | | |The important info is |important info is not |competence |important info. is easily |The important info. is easily | |Org. |not available. easily accessible |The important info is |accessible |accessible and well highlighted | | | | |not easily accessible| | | | | | | | | | |/10 | | | | | | |Knowledge |The note contains |The note contains some |The note contains most|The note contains all |The note contains all information | |Content |little info. on most |info. on most aspects of |info. on most aspects |info. on every aspect of |on every aspect of the i ssue | | |aspects of the issue. |the issue including the |of the issue incl. the |the issue including the|including the Catholic view. | | |Some of the info. is |Catholic view. Some of the|Catholic view. The |Catholic view. All the |Every point is accurate and | |/20 |correct |info. Is correct |info. is mostly correct|info. s correct |presented in detail with | | | | | | |underlying beliefs and | | | | | | |consequences of each position | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Presentation | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Knowledge |Lacks 3 or more of the |Lacks 2 or more of the |-Opp. Viewpoints Church|-Opp. |-Opp. Viewpoints/ | |Content |following: |following |view are presented with|Viewpoints are presented |Church view are presented in | | |-Opp. viewpoints |-Opp. iewpoints |some detail |in detail |detail with accurate analysis | | |-detail |-de tail |-Questions/ Case | |-Questions/Case studies are | |/10 |-Church view |-Church view |studies have some |-Church view |relevant to the topic and serve to| | |-Questions |-Questions/ Case studies |relevance | |illuminate the aspects of the | | |-Case Studies |are not relevant | |Questions/Case studies are|issue | | | | | |relevant and insightful | | |Communication |Voice is monotone. |Voice is monotone. |Voice is clear and |Voice is clear and |Voice is clear and confident. | | |Reads the pres. with |Pres. |confident. |confident. |Speaks with clarity with | | |clarity with a lack of |lacks focus & clarity & an |Speaks with clarity |Speaks with clarity with |appropriate vocabulary | | |under. |understanding of the issue |with an appropriate an appropriate vocabulary |Use of different media to engage | |/10 |Uses little to no media|Use different media to |vocabulary |Use different media to |the class in the presentation | | |to engage the class in |engage the class in the |Use diffe rent media to |engage the class in the |Little to no checking of notes | | |presentation |presentation |engage the class in the|presentation | | | |Reads notes |Frequently reads notes |presentation |Infrequently checks notes | | | | | |frequently checks notes| | | |Application |Student is unable to |Questions are answered |Questions are answered |Questions are answered |Questions are answered with | |Questions |answer any questions |without clarity and with a|with little clarity and|with clarity, with little |complete clarity, without | | | |great deal of hesitation |little attention to |hesitation, and in some |hesitation, and in great detail | | | | |detail |detail | |/10 | | | | | | DUE DATES: Outline: First Essay: One week after the outline is returned Final Essay: December 19, 2008 Submit Outline/ 1st Essay as well Presentation Date: Essay Outline: Genetic Screening Ian Gogolek: While there are possibilities that genetic screening procedures could provide great insight into def ects and disease in humans, the process (who has control and access to the information) needs to be very tightly controlled. The way genetic screening is currently used and promoted is immoral. Point One:Pre-birth genetic screening, how it is currently used is immoral because it leads to abortion based on gender and prejudice towards those who have special needs. Abortion based on gender: 7999/8000 abortions performed in the Bombay area between 1978-82 were on female fetuses. (Kimbrell, pg. 122) Abortions based on disabilities: Poll in New England 1% based on gender 6% based on Alzheimer’s in old age 11% based on obesity (Rifkin, pg. 147) -can lead to a genetic-based eugenics program (sterilization of those deemed unfit to have children) -violation of the integrity of the human being and a child as a gift (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2344) Point Two:Genetic Screening has the strong possibility of being used by corporations to determine hiring practices and insurance pre miums. Example: Reggie Lewis: Boston Celtics died of a genetic heart dysfunction Eddy Curry: Chicago Bulls had heart problems. Bulls wanted him to undergo genetic testing before signing him to a new contract The Bulls had insisted that Curry take a DNA test to determine whether he's a potentially fatal heart problem. Curry, who missed the final 13 games of the regular season susceptible to and the playoffs after experiencing an irregular heartbeat, balked, saying it violated his privacy. (www. nytimes. com/2005/10/03/sports/basketball/04curry) Employers may demand the right to genetic tests before hiring or promotion 981, the Bureau of labor statistics reported that occupational illness costs private sector employers 850,000 lost workdays. (http://www. scu. edu/ethics/publications/iie/v4n2/genes. html) Corporations looking to improve their profits could demand that genetic tests be applicable to reduce waste. This could create a permanent underclass of the unemployable. predispositi on to genetically-based disease is often associated with race or ethnic background. For example, the sickle cell trait is found in 1 out of 12 blacks, but only in 1 out of 1,000 whites. (http://www. scu. edu/ethics/publications/iie/v4n2/genes. html) Insurance companies could deny access after a genetic screenGenetic screening may be performed on current or prospective employees when it is clear that the genetic trait directly affects job performance (http://www. acoem. org/guidelines) Point Three: Genetic Screening can be useful but most genetic diseases are untreatable or not properly diagnosed. Gen. screening often only demonstrates a predisposition or susceptibility to a certain disorder not a definitive Results can be misinterpreted Problems in diagnosis – both parents must have the gene Tay Sachs disease Cystic Fibrosis Sickle Cell Anemia Useful to inform couples concerning marriage (accepted by the Catholic Church) Conclusion: While there are some possible benefits to g en. screening, many of its current uses are unethical.For genetic screening to be ethical, access to results must be seriously restricted and must not be used to deny people health care, employment or other basic rights available to all people. Tips On Writing an Argumentative Paper Step One: Choose a Topic Choose a topic that is of interest to you. This will make the process of research much less painful. Step Two: Find Research Materials Gather information from as many sources as possible. You will need information(arguments, statistics) from different perspectives. Do not completely decide what your full argument will be before you complete your research. Step Three: Develop a Thesis Determine your stand on the issue. Be sure your stand can be defended by logic and/or statistical analysis.All your arguments for your essay must flow logically from your thesis. The claim in your essay may be a positive or negative claim. Step Four: Make An Outline Before you start writing it is imp ortant to make an outline. The outline should sketch out all your arguments and the structure of your paper. Each argument should logically flow from the argument before it. Expect to encounter problems with logic and flow. You will most probably have to revisit this more than once. Step Five: Take a Break Take a break from the work for a few days. This is important to gain some perspective on your arguments. Step Six: Revisit Your Argument With a Critical Eye Look at your argument from an opposing viewpoint.What objections would they raise to your arguments? Also, seek someone who has a skeptical mind who can evaluate your arguments objectively and without prejudice. Step Seven: Write Your Paper Write your paper following a revised outline. Write in a concise and formal manner. Your introduction should include your thesis and your reasoning behind your argument. Be sure to avoid common problems in language use, spelling, grammar etc.. Ex: tense agreement Step Eight: Proofread Your Paper After you finish writing your paper let it sit until the next day. Proofread it orally. Do not be afraid to rewrite sentences and restructure paragraphs to improve clarity. |Level 1 |Level 2 |Level 3 |Level 4 | |Thinking |This paper is unclear, or reflects |A clear position, but may not |A clear position, responding |A strong well articulated position, | |Soundness of |partial understanding or some |articulate it very clearly; |competently and comprehensively |responding precisely and | |Argument |distortion of the topic; exhibits |responds in a general way to the|to the topic, showing some depth|comprehensively to the topic: | | |faulty logic and/or stereotypical, |topic, showing broad |of thought; some claims may not |demonstrates excellent understanding | |30 |superficial thinking in some of its |understanding of major issues, |be strongly supported but this |and depth of thought supported by | | |supporting arguments, analysis and |but may address some ideas more |only sli ghtly undermines the |compelling and logically sound | | |examples; little or no effort to |effectively than others; support|main argument; some success at |arguments, analysis and examples; | | |anticipate and address problems |of main points is inconsistent, |anticipation of counter |Anticipates and addresses problems and| | | |sometimes adequate; minimal |arguments |counter-arguments effectively | | | |anticipation of counter | | | | | |arguments | | | |Comm. |This paper reads poorly, exhibiting a|This paper reads well showing |This paper reads well for the |This paper reads very well, exhibiting| |Focus, Organization |lack of control of focus and/or weak |some control of focus, |most part, exhibit control of |command of focus, organization and | |and Development |organizational and developmental |organization and development; it|focus, org. nd dev, but its |development | | |patterns; may ramble, be repetitious,|may rely to some extent on |elements are not as well managed|Its int roduction draws the reader into| |15 |hard to follow in places, or locked |formulaic devices for its |as at the command level (eg. The|the discussion, which presents a | | |into an organizational formula |structure, and it may wander or |intro. /concl. may be |sustained and logical progression of | | | |shift topics abruptly at times. |ineffective, or the argument may|ideas leading to an effective | | | | |not flow consistently) |conclusion. | |Comm. This paper exhibits a lack of control|This paper exhibits some control|This paper exhibits control of |This paper exhibits command of | |Clarity of |of expression, grammar, punctuation, |of expression, grammar, |expression, grammar, |expression (word choice, tone, | |Expression |and mechanics; many and significant |punctuation, and mechanics; may |punctuation, and mechanics; some|sentence structure, and sentence | | |errors, some of which interfere with |contain numerous errors, but |minor errors |sense), grammar, punctuation, and | |15 |the reader’s understanding or require|they are not such that they | |mechanics; no errors, or at most a few| | |the reader to supply meaning to make |interfere with the reader’s | |minor ones | | |the text intelligible |understanding | | | |Knowledge |Referencing |Referencing |Referencing |Referencing | | |Bibliography |Bibliography |Bibliography |Bibliography | |30 |Evidence |Evidence |Evidence |Evidence | | |Catholic Church |Catholic Church |Catholic Church |Catholic Church | Seminar Presentation Sign-Up | | | | | | | |Sun |Monday |Tuesday |Wednesday |Thursday |Friday |Sat | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Preliminary Sheet Name: __________________ Thesis: | | | | | | | | Sources:Include title/author(website)/ how info is relevant to the topic at hand/ pages that are relevant | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

Fair Value Accounting Essay

This paper attempts to answer the question: â€Å"Is it reasonable to blame fair value accounting for any of the Wall Street mess? † This paper in effect settle whether the use of fair value accounting by listed companies in the major stock exchanges in the US, particularly those found in Wall Street, which the caused fall in prices of the stocks of these companies, was required of companies without justification; hence, it should be blamed for the mess. 2. Analysis and Discussion Any mess in the Wall Street is defined for this paper as one causing the stock prices of companies list in major stock exchanges of the US to fall and that it resulted to losses to investors. To have reasonable basis to blame fair value accounting for any Wall Street mess, does not simply mean that fair value accounting was the necessary cause of fall in the prices of corporate stocks but that the requirement of fair value accounting must not be fair. The question that must be decided therefore is whether fair value accounting is fair as basis of valuing corporate assets, liabilities and equity. A situation or condition is fair if it gives what is due to a person. If the concept of fair value is used in the context of an asset purchased or liability assumed in business, fair value implies that said asset or liability must neither be overpriced nor underpriced whether perceived or otherwise. The law of economics would have fair value as one representing that market price or that equilibrium price of a product or service (Samuelson and Nordhaus, 1992) which is also the value of something from a seller that is not forced to sell or from a buyer that is not forced to buy. Investors, creditors, and other persons expect to be treated fairly as they enter into transactions in terms of value that they will give in exchange to what they will receive. To illustrate, a person or company planning to invest in stocks will appreciate what is fair if the said person or company will earn sufficient return above cost of capital in exchange for the risks being faced by such person or company (Brigham, 2002). To have what is fair, the investors must know the accurate and reliable information about of the company to guide them about their chances of gaining or losing money. These users deserve to have the opportunity to have the true or accurate value of asset, liability or equity being dealt with in a business transaction as basis for valuing the stocks that they will invest with. Financial reports prepared companies, as guided by Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) accounting standard under fair value accounting, will provide these users the opportunity. Specifically, fair value accounting was made pursuant to FAS 157 as issued by US FASB for companies to reflect the accounting information on the real values of assets, liabilities and equity in the balance sheet as contrasted with presenting the information using the historical cost accounting (Meigs and Meigs, 1995). A group of analysts and portfolio managers actually formed part of those who influenced the passage of the fair value accounting for more relevant information in decision making (Chasan, 2008). Under FAS 157 defines fair value is defined as the price that would be received â€Å"to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants in a measurement date† (Sortur, 2007). If companies have restated their financial statements from historical cost accounting to fair value accounting, the purpose was laudable since in simple terms, the intention is to make the information more relevant, more accurate and more reliable for decision makers. If stockholders got affected in terms of lower price of stocks as a result of restatement of financial statements, the error was when they were made the purchase of their investments under the historical cost accounting. Since fair value accounting may also increase the value of the stocks if fair value is higher than cost, it could not be asserted that it should be blamed for the fall of prices but not praised for increased in price increase of stock prices. 3. Conclusion It can be concluded that it is not reasonable to blame fair value accounting for any of the Wall Street mess since fair value accounting is only bringing out what is fair to investors who deserved to know accurate and reliable information for making decisions. Fair value accounting is an accounting standard made by FASB that was made as a requirement from the corporation which must present truthful and reliable information for investors. As an alternative to historical value of accounting, fair value is expected to have present company more reliable information about their assets and liabilities in accordance with market prices. Its implementation may have caused companies to present their financial information and if the information presented were more truthful, the consequence of causing problems to companies should only be secondary to the purpose of providing objective and more reliable financial information. Any fall in stock prices from Wall Street may in fact have been caused by companies having to restate their financial statement pursuant to fair value accounting but the intention was to reflect to truer value of assets and liabilities of the corporations whose stocks got affected. Losers should not blame fair value accounting since the latter is just a guide to have more truthful information and they would have a change also of higher stock prices under fair value if warranted by market forces. If there was no basis for such more truthful information, then restatements of financial information using fair value would not have been made in the first place. If buyers and sellers are not being compelled to complete their transaction, fair value accounting must be held as fair and cannot be blamed for the mess. In fact, fair value accounting should have been introduced years ago for it could have saved some abuse and a lot of problems (Rees-Mogg, 2007). References: Brigham and Houston (2002), Introduction to Financial Management, Thomson-South Western, USA, 2002 Chasan, Emily (2008), Is fair value accounting really fair? {www document} URL, http://www. reuters. com/article/reutersEdge/idUSN1546484120080226, Accessed November 21, 2008 Meigs and Meigs (1995), Financial Accounting, McGraw-Hill, Inc, London, UK Rees-Mogg (2007), Why FAS 157 strikes dread into bankers, {www document} URL http://www. timesonline. co. uk/tol/comment/columnists/william_rees_mogg/article2852547. ece, Accessed November 21, 2008. Samuelson and Nordhaus (1992), Economics, McGraw-Hill, Inc, London, UK Sortur (2007) Fair Value Measurement, The Chartered Accountant {www document} URL, http://icai. org/resource_file/96471564-1574. pdf, Accessed November 21, 2008

Leadership, values, and the bible Essay

The Bible is a book that refers to collections of canonical text and religious writings that has its origins in Judeo-Christian traditions. The Bible is not a mere bulk of texts, but in fact a collection of books that process within it various historical traditions and accounts of the religion of Christianity. Now, it is important for us to understand that referring to the Bible does not necessarily point towards the Bible we all know of. In fact, there is a Jewish version of the Bible which is often referred to as the Hebrew Bible, a collection of 39 books which is the foundation of the said religion. According to believers, it is God’s direct word transcribed through human hands but inspired by divine means. The Christian tradition divides the Bible into two parts, the previous consisting of 46 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament. The Bible had been originally written in Greek and many versions exist as of today, but all claiming that it has preserved the original essence in order to hold the argument that it has been inspired by God and in fact are the transcribed words of the divinity. Now the question of having the Bible as our main and central point of reference for this paper is how authoritative it really is. Is it merely a collection of fictional works or indeed something that could be attested to by many of its authorities to be direct words and transcriptions of divinity? And the more important and pressing question is can it still be relied on after almost 2000 years of existence and could the stories and works found inside still be applicable for modern setting? First, the argument of time. Although it is also true that the Bible could be dated as long as 2000 years old for the King James version – more or less the same version that we are reading now if we are Roman Catholics – the totality of the Old Testament had been written much more before that. In fact, the Jewish religion, perhaps dating as long as 3000 years ago, claims that most of the text of the Old Testament were one of the most earlier writings second only to Zoroastrianism. The first books of the Bible had been written in Egyptian papyrus, ended its only much later that it had been translated into Greek. When it comes to academic text, time is indeed a valuable factor in considering its impacts to modern society. In order to reaffirm its importance, perhaps it would be wise for us to look back at that time and realize that most of the books that were written and created in that eon of human history had indeed profound effects and how our society and our thoughts as a collective society had been affected. Just take Plato’s book the Republic for example. It is basically one of the oldest texts of political philosophy. However, even if that holds true, the Republic still stands as one of the most basic examples of democracy and how it is applied. Just a few decades later when Aristotle wrote his first books, his collections of metaphysics and the many other contributions to science had been the building blocks of other studies even to the modern day. In many such areas like literature, physics, chemistry, and the many other disciplines of the modern world, it is through old texts that modern scholars look towards and reaffirm the believe that even the oldest of books hold much grain of truth compared to those which are new. In fact, on argument by most writers is that most of the books written today are merely copies or modifications of the old books of our society. They have merely been rephrased in order for us to understand better, but the same ideas and essence still remain. If this is not proof enough, one merely needs to look at authoritative leadership books as of the present and TrackBack their reference until one reaches the Bible. The second is the argument of content. Many scholars are in direct conflict with theologists because the latter group claims that the Bible had been written by some divine assistance. Academic scholars who values science more claim that it is only humans who had conceptualized and read the books of the Bible. if you were to discuss and reflect upon this debate, we would be biting more than we can chew, for this argument has existed as long as the Bible itself has existed. For our academic purpose, let us at the least reliant the fact that either way, it is not problematic for us on the source of the Bible as long as it is able to maintain the same basic truths that we consider essential to our review. Even if it’s true that it is not God who had written the Bible but a collection of imaginative man, since we are discussing the lessons of leadership that could be learned from the book, we are at a certain advantage because both theories could prove useful to us. If it is indeed written through divine inspiration acting through human tools, then perhaps we could authoritatively claim that the Bible’s leadership styles are indeed universal leadership styles that are not merely human but divine. On the other hand, having an argument that it is men who had written the contents, this our study could benefit from that idea because even in the early stages of our history, leadership signs had been detected in humanity in their heights of civilization, and these leadership styles and values still exist as of today. Having had qualified or major source, let us now proceed to our paper and identify the various leadership styles that could be found in the Bible.

Organizational Changes in the Movie Patton (1970) Review

Organizational Changes in the Patton (1970) - Movie Review Example The movie is able to show not just the character of the main protagonist as being resistant to change, but also his actions that made or broke his career (Schaffner, 1970). Such differential responses to changes within the organization are valuable learning tools for the study of changes. It is very pertinent to study the need for changes inside organizational structures, in this case the military organization as well as within each of its members. This is because more often than not, being unable to respond quickly to changes could result in numerous life-threatening situations that might sway towards defeat (Davies, 2001). The consequences of the protagonist, General Patton reflect the importance of the leaders being flexible and open for changes, as well as accommodating suggestions from other sources such as people with a higher authority. In the movie, there are three key moments that show an organizational change. The first one is when General Patton has to share the command of troops in North Africa with a member of the British Army, General Montgomery, and the former had to outwit and outperform the British General so that he would be recognized as the better man for the job (Schaffner, 1970). The second one that showed an organizational change is when instead of putting General Patton out in the front lines of the German army, he and his troops were sent to England to act as decoys so as to give enemies other ideas of their tactics, not to mention keeping Patton out of the way (Schaffner, 1970). ... With the world war already ended, Patton ended up doing nothing else to do but walk his dog, with him becoming a resounding name in the US military history. In all of the three organizational changes, the main protagonist was rather reluctant to adjust according to the changes needed in the tactics that the military had to undertake. As a result, there had been restructurings within the chain of command, even cutting him out of this link just so that the allies could implement their own military strategy. It has been a resounding theme in the movie that Patton is very insubordinate with his superior officers, even defying them blatantly (Schaffner, 1970). His strong resistance to changes may have been effective in some areas, but not to others. Also, such resistance could become a liability in the long run because when it comes to tactics, more often than not those that are able to make minor adjustments stay ahead of the game. Becoming stagnant within a military organization could p rove fatal, especially when many lives are at stake (Farrell & Terriff, 2002). Thus, it is just that the superior officers of Patton, President Eisenhower and the former second-in-command, General Bradley initiated changes because aside from keeping the chain of command as structured as possible, by removing factors that could add up to the unpredictability of their tactics the groups could carry out their missions as planned. However, because Patton was undeniably a skilled tank tactician, he was not kept out of missions that much, and in fact Bradley even recommended for him to return to the force and have his services enlisted (Schaffner, 1970). This shows the capacity

China's top economic challenges to maintain as one of the fastest Essay

China's top economic challenges to maintain as one of the fastest growing economies - Essay Example GDP has grown swiftly at an average of 10 percent a year whereas over 500 million people have risen above the poverty line. A gradual shift from a centrally-planned to a market-oriented mixed economy, which is based on the market demand and supply mechanisms, has largely contributed towards China’s economic boost. Since the economic liberalization began in 1978, China’s economy has grown around a hundred times. China has recently emerged as an investment-driven, export-led economic giant. Factors leading towards this enthralling progress include salient economic reforms. Foreign trade structure has been de-centralized and efforts have been made to integrate into the international trading system. China became a member of  Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation  (APEC) group in November 1991, a step believed to promote liberated two-way cooperation in the economical, regional trade and technological fields. The induction into trade organizations such as World Trade Organiz ation (WTO) in 2001 was also a healthy move to escalate China’s trade figures as WTO required the Chinese government to further liberalize and deregulate trade. Fostering foreign-invested industries has also lent a helping hand towards China’s export growth. All these reforms aggregated into China becoming the fastest paced growing major economy not only in the region but also in the world. ... Today, the government and the policy makers of China have concerns regarding many issues which have arisen as the by-products of intense economic expansion in the country (Zhang 2003). Firstly, one of the major challenges faced by the Chinese economic growth is the prominent US accusation of ‘manipulating’ the Chinese currency. Over the past few years, the official currency of China, Yuan, has been held in a floating exchange rate system, though only allowed a very narrow margin to fluctuate. Many in the US however urge for a more flexible exchange rate which pivots around the market equilibrium determined by the market forces of currency demand and currency supply. Despite of the fact that Yuan has been allowed to fluctuate more liberally and has even risen by 20% in value against the US Dollar since 2005, Japan, European Union and US yet accuse China that it manipulates its currency by deliberately keeping it at a low exchange rate in relation to the US Dollar with a v iew to make the US products less competitive and, simultaneously, the Chinese goods and services more competitive and relatively cheaper than the US goods. This lowered currency rate leads to a rise in Chinese exports whereas US exports decline. A large amount of trade deficit suffered by the US in trade with China adds to the gravity of the accusation. Concerns for China regarding this issue are that the US, World Trade Organization or APEC might impose trade sanctions on China for its ‘problematic’ currency exchange rate. These sanctions may prove very costly for the growing Chinese economy as the world’s second largest economy is principally led by mass amount of exports to its