Saturday, August 31, 2019

Shi Huang Di

He built new palaces to keep them content. Each of the new palaces were an exact copy of the ones they had to leave behind. He also divided the conquered land into 36 commentaries (areas), and commanded 3 officials to run each commandeer. They received orders from the emperor, and might be sacked if they did not obey. He also ordered citizens to give up all weapons to prevent rebellion. He then melted down these weapons and crafted them into giant statues to â€Å"scare away twelve giants†, which were set up outside his palace.In addition to all these changes, he also ordered the walls around towns and cities to be knocked down. Before Shih Hung Did unified China, each f the states used different kinds of measurements, language etc. So, to make things simpler, he set common standards. Everybody now had to use Gin weights and measures. They also had to use round one-ounce gold coins and half-ounce copper coins with holes in the middle, which were standard Gin money. However, th ese changes paled in comparison to the changes made to the written language.The prime minister at the time, Lie Is, was given the role to standardize all the characters of the language, as Chinese is written with characters that represent pictures and ideas, instead of the alphabet. Once he job was completed, the language was modernized and simplified into 3000 characters. He also set rules for handwriting so everybody that needed to write, such as scholars and government officials could communicate easily with each other. During the period of warring states, there weren't many roads.Even those roads were hard to go across since heavier carts created uneven ground on the soft earth. Many carts were damaged and got stuck in the roads. Shih Hung Did created a law so that all wheels and carts must be the same distance apart. He also built 5 major roads, which he named â€Å"speedways†. These speedways connected the capital with the northern, eastern and southern parts of the emp ire. During his 1 1 years of reign, Shih Hung Did built 6800 km of road. Meanwhile, in the eastern empire, the Romans only built 5984 km of road.When Shih Hung Did became the emperor of China (in 221 BC), all the rules of Gin became the rules of the entire empire. According to Gin law, everybody was responsible for each other's good behavior. And so, Shih Hung Did organized everybody into groups Of 10, and if anybody committed a crime in that family, they had to report it to the authorities, or they would get punished along with the wrongdoer. Not only that, but their father, mother, families, wife/husband and their family would also receive the same punishment.Therefore, lots of people would be punished just because one person committed a crime. Many Mongolia's, named Signing, lived to the north of the empire. They often attacked parts of the empire, so Shih Hung Did ordered many slaves to build the Great Wall. Although this original structure has not been kept in condition until t oday, a renovated version now stands in Beijing. This version follows much of the same route as Shih Hung Id's. Shih Hung Id's Great Wall was made of tightly sacked earth, which was reinforced by bamboo matting. Behind the wall stood watch towers-?3 every kilometer.An artist's impression of Shih Hung Did. None of the paintings of him at the time have survived, so this painting is based on written descriptions. Hero or Villain? Gave himself the new title of Shih Hung Did-?supreme ruler of China. He only ruled for dictator. L, Georgian Lounge will discuss both sides of the Story. Villain On the other hand, many people believe that Shih Hung Did was cruel and merciless. For one, he forced many citizens to become slaves to work on his major projects such as the Great Wall. Thousands died from hunger, exposure or ill-treatment.If they tried to rebel against him, or not follow his orders, he would kill captives publicly without a second thought. Shih Hung Did also increased taxes to pay f or materials that were used in his many projects (for example, his grave, or the Great Wall). These taxes were 20 times of their previous taxes. If the taxes were not paid, the family would all have to endure slave labor. He also took half of all the food that farmers grew as tax. This resulted in extreme poverty and hunger. As a result, many citizens turned to cannibalism, and millions died. Shih Hung Did also set many draconian laws.If these strict laws were not followed, depending on the severity of the crime, wrongdoers were set harsh punishments such as hard labor, mutilation of a person's body, being boiled alive, cut into two at the waist, torn apart by 4 horses, strangled or beheaded. In 213 BC, at a banquet hosted by Shih Hung Did, a scholar openly criticized Shih Hung Did. Shih Hung Did immediately ordered that all scholars could not criticize anything in the present or praise anything in the past. He also ordered all the scholars to hand their books to government official s. These were burned in a huge bonfire.However, some scholars still continued their ways. These scholars were found by the emperor and were executed. 460 scholars were presumably buried alive. According to an extract from SIAM Quinn's â€Å"Records of the Historian†, Shih Hung Did discouraged jobs such as scholars, thinkers and philosophers, because many of these people were against the king, and they could easily influence others to go against the king. In conclusion, Shih Hung Did could be considered a hero because he was the first man to have ever united China. However, his road to success can be perceived as a cruel and violent one, which is why some people think he is a villain.

Friday, August 30, 2019

“Bisy Backson” representing Western Society Essay

In the novel, The Tao of Pooh we are introduced to â€Å"Bisy Backson† who represents the most misguided of Western Society, as well, we are shown that Western societal thinkers/philosophers/writers represent, in their own way, the Tao. â€Å"Bisy Backson† confuses exercise with work and activity with creativity. â€Å"The Bisy Backson is almost desperately active,† (p. 93) says Benjamin Hoff. He adds, â€Å"Let’s put it this way: if you want to be healthy, relaxed, and contented, just watch what a Bisy Backson does and then do the opposite.† Often, in Western Society, we focus on the final product before we have begun the journey. When Pooh considers what he likes best in the world, he decides the â€Å"†¦moment just before you begin to eat [honey]† was what he enjoys most. In effect, it is the journey, or the process, that we most enjoy. This, of course, goes against the typical person’s attitude toward a task, in Western Society. The goal is to get the task done (much like this journal assignment). The process is often seen as punitive. Pooh would say to enjoy the process – to see it as an opportunity to create, to develop, and, above all, to understand the central role of change and growth in life. Western societal thinkers/philosophers/writers represent, in their own way, the Tao, because†¦ actually, I do not think they represent Taoism, at all. Taoism, I think, is basically just to enjoy life in its simplest form, and not to worry too much – take life as a gift and just enjoy it. Again, I think. After reading this book, (I still have two or three more chapters to go†¦), I still cannot manage to understand a simple meaning of Taoism. I have looked on the internet, and it is nothing like P’u, because everything I have come across is all so complex. Anyway, if Taoism is that, Western societal thinkers/philosophers/writers do not represent it, at all! They question everything, want to know answers, and usually they question their own existence. Would someone who is†¦ someone like, Pooh, question their existence? I don’t think so. In addition, Western societal thinkers/philosophers/writers do not learn how they should question, they do not learn these theories, they do not learn about Taoism, they just merrily think and their answers of their questions may just so happen to fall under Taoism. They do not study Taoism to think like a Taoist. They do not read The Tao of Pooh, to learn about how they should think†¦ though many  philosophy courses, such as Theory of Knowledge, may be text based, which I find, is ironic. For direct reference to the text, â€Å"What does Christopher Robin do in the mornings? He learns. He becomes educated. He integrates†¦knowledge† Of course, all this said with some words capitalized for no reason, and other random words to get to the point. Philosophers do not learn, they teach themselves.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Creon and Aristotle Essay

This paper will primarily concern itself with the comparison of the two approaches to politics from Creon in Sophocles’ play Antigone and Aristotle in his Politics. The basic argument here is that Creon and Aristotle have very little in common in terms of basic political ideas, especially in terms of the role and power of the state in the moral lives of the population. In terms of political ideas, the Antigone concerns itself primarily with the distinction between the state and the unwritten law of custom. The argument of the play itself is that Antigone has every right to bury her slain brother in that it is an ancient custom to please the gods by burying the dead and showing them respect. The central concept here is the rule of tradition and religion, represented by Antigone herself. On the other hand, Creon, who has just emerged victorious in a civil war where Polynices, the true heir, and Eteocles killed each other, leaving Creon as sole ruler of Thebes. Hence, without a real claim to power, Creon stresses the power and interests of the state over all. The written law is central. For Aristotle, the nature of politics is far more complex than the simple state-centered ideas of Creon. For Aristotle, property, classes and the relations between the sexes all have a law and custom of their own, which, when followed, lead to virtue and the good life. Ultimately for Aristotle, to flourish in the intellectual arts is the key to happiness, while for Creon, obedience to a well-ordered state, based solely on written codes, is the key to order and hence, to social peace. In Antigone, there are two ways of looking at the dead Polynices. The first is Creon’s view, that of a dead traitor that deserves nothing but humiliation in order to justify Creon’s own claim to power as well as prevent any further warfare (Sophocles, 585). Second, which is Antigone’s view, that Polynices is a dead Thebian, regardless of the politics involved. Ultimately, the chorus at (Sophocles, 673) holds that Creon is making a major mistake since he is basing his policy on a passing political struggle, while Zeus is immortal and hence, transcends all this politics. Creon, in other words, is letting the specifics of political power interfere with his duty as monarch of Thebes. The smaller picture of the civil war has blurred the more general vision of the nature of political power, that is, the reverence of custom as the ultimate in democracy: Thebians have â€Å"voted† for generations to maintain the old traditions, not to worship the state (Sophocles, 745-750). On the other hand Aristotle writes: â€Å"When several villages are united in a single complete community, large enough to be nearly or quite self-sufficing, the state comes into existence, originating in the bare needs of life, and continuing in existence for the sake of a good life† (Aristotle, bk I, pt 1) Several things are important here. First, that the smaller villages predate the state, and as a consequence, have a certain precedence over the state itself. Putting this differently, the state is the product of already existing villages and other communal organizations, and hence, is dependent upon them. Therefore, Aristotle, early on in the Politics, is arguing for a decentralized political regime where the building blocks of the polity, the villages (or a group of â€Å"households†), maintain their autonomy under the general guidance of the state. Second, Aristotle is clear that the state exists not for itself, but for a further end, that of the good life, the life devoted to the intellectual virtues. The state, in other words, exists in order to maintain the customs of the villages–the traditions of the people–so long as they lead to virtue, the good life itself, the end of all political activity, the end that exists in and for itself. The state is merely an instrument, contra Creon, that sees it as an end in itself, ore more accurately, that his own power exists as an end in and for itself. The very act of deliberation in Greek thought is itself an end, in that it assists in the mental development and contemplative abilities of the individuals involved. The good life, it can be argued, is manifest in political life in that it is essentially an intellectual form of work, the highest that a man can consider. Hence, deliberation is central to the good life and therefore, is beyond the purview of the state. If Aristotle is going to argue that the state is â€Å"according to nature,† then he must also hold that the villages, the ancient customs of the people that go into creating the state, also exist by nature. While Aristotle holds in Part II that the state is â€Å"prior to† the family and individual on the logical basis of self-sufficiency, this is hardly holding to a monolithic state in the sense that Creon holds. The state has no control over such customs, represented by Antigone and the blind prophet in the play. The basic argument then, is that the state comes into existence in order to create a certain level of self-sufficiency, not to destroy the customs of the more ancient forms of village life. Aristotle, in short, would have sided with Antigone. Even more, the question of precedence of the villages vis-a-vis the state shows that the state, though logically prior, must take into consideration the ideas and history of its component parts. Hence, Aristotle has deliberation at the center of his state’s idea. It should be noted that the main source of friction here is the concept of political deliberation. The Antigone sees a number of intelligent and well meaning people, such as Creon’s son, Haemon and his wife, all seeking to reason with Creon over the question of the fate of Antigone and the nature of the civil war in general. But since Creon holds that the monarch is the state, and the state is the monarch, deliberation would be a sign of weakness. Aristotle holds clearly that the citizens of the Greek state, regardless of its location, must be engaged in deliberation and discussion. This is the more practical sense of his state, in that it is an aggregate of pre-existing parts. These pre-existing parts, such as families or individuals, do not disappear when the state is formed, but take their rightful place as parts of the state, and hence, need to be involved in political discussion. The blind prophet Tiresias is, like Antigone, the voice of the â€Å"villages,† the ancient tradition of a people upon which the authority of the state rests. Among other things, Tiresias holds that Creon is â€Å"living in a tomb. † What he means is that Creon has become so obsessed with political power that he has forgotten the purpose of this power. Even more, this power has become radically personalized, centering on Creon himself, rejecting the testimony of his own son, and now, the prophet, the voice of the gods, who has never been wrong. He holds that Creon has placed himself in grave danger in his behavior. Worst of all, none of this will assist Creon in holding on to power or convincing the population that he deserves this power. His approach to politics is contradictory and self defeating (Sophocles, 1185-1205). It is contradictory because he refuses to see the state, as Aristotle did, as a series of component parts united for the good life under the ruler. Creon sees the state in purely personal, and hence, non-deliberative, terms. By the time the blind prophet has left Creon’s presence, politics has ceased to be institutional and now has become personal and autocratic in the literal sense of the word. Creon is the state, and is the power of Thebes, Creon says â€Å"What? The city is the king’s–that’s the law† (Sophocles, 825). This is precisely what Tiresias warned him of. For Creon to listen to the prophet, a man who he clearly respects, would be a sign of weakness. In his confusion, Creon decides to set Antigone free, yet, by the time this is done, she is already dead, as well as his own son Haemon. Creon has listened to nothing but his own insecurity, and now he is paying the price. When Creon says â€Å"the city is the king’s,† he is rejecting the concept of deliberation and democratic discussion. He is placing his interests and possible illegitimacy at the center of law, revealing its weaknesses. What are the major issues, therefore, of contrast? This is a struggle precisely with the question of precedence as Aristotle has stated it: tradition and custom over the â€Å"prior nature† of the state. Aristotle leaves the exact nature of this precedence vague. The state is the first by nature, but this is not a chronological movement, but a logical one. The whole must be prior to its parts, but Aristotle is not thereby claiming that the state existed prior to the family or individual. He is just holding that the only way families can reach true happiness is in a well-ordered state aiming at self-sufficiency. Therefore, Aristotle leaves the exact power of the state rather vague. For Aristotle, the scientist, he is not going to impose a blueprint for happiness for every society, but will show the bare outlines of the nature of the good life. The key passage can be found here: For man, when perfected, is the best of animals, but, when separated from law and justice, he is the worst of all; since armed injustice is the more dangerous, and he is equipped at birth with arms, meant to be used by intelligence and virtue, which he may use for the worst ends. Wherefore, if he have not virtue, he is the most unholy and the most savage of animals, and the most full of lust and gluttony. But justice is the bond of men in states, for the administration of justice, which is the determination of what is just, is the principle of order in political society (Aristotle, bk 1, pt 2). The fact is that the state exists to promote virtue and hence, must give way to it. Virtue is not abstract, but can be found in the customs of the Hellenes, as Antigone herself holds. Justice comes into existence when the various parts of the society come together in harmonious relations, not when the state stamps its demands upon all. What Sophocles might be holding is that the polis only has its legitimacy insofar as it protects the customs and moral foundation of the Greek people. Without this, there can be no virtue and hence, no good life. But where Sophocles and Aristotle differ is in the nature of the state in terms of security. It seems that Sophocles holds that the traditional life of the Greek family is true and right. It brings security in the ancient customs of an elite people. It is the state that provides insecurity, especially when severed from its moral foundations. There is not a moment where Antigone doubts the correctness of her actions, yet Creon exists in a storm of confusion. State power is parasitic on the traditions of a people according to Sophocles. Aristotle might agree with this with strong reservations, but still concede that the state must have a moral foundation on the one hand, and a purpose beyond itself, on the other (Davis, 1996, 27-28, an excellent discussion on the relation between the household and the state). Creon cannot see either. Even more, Sophocles is making the more general point between the two different kinds of order, the cosmic and the human. He holds that it is the former where truth and happiness are to be found. The human order is insecure and based on chance, the outcomes of wars, political factions, etc. (this is the whole thesis of Book 5 in The Politics, cf. Davis, 1996, 102). The cosmic order is permanent, even superior to the gods, the gods themselves are subject to it. The human order is what Creon demands, namely, his order over and above the divine one. Sophocles is holding to an early version of natural law. The customs of the Greeks are not arbitrary, but they are part of a cosmic order. Creon is arbitrary in his decisions, and even the very basis of his power is based on chance. The human order can never be the basis of society, and certainly the state as the supreme (but not only) power in society. The law, to conclude, as it is promulgated by human beings at any time, is a highly limited instrument. It does not change the order of nature, or even the traditions of the Greek mind, which are based on nature, the law of the cosmos, held by all Greek peoples. The citizens must be engaged in deliberating not what the natural law is, but how it can be best manifested under present conditions. Antigone holds to the eternal, while Creon holds to the temporary. Politics is an inferior state of mind than that of the eternal law of the cosmos. Death and the order of the gods will always trump the merely human law, and hence, the human law must partake of the divine order or it is an arbitrary decree, the very essence of Creon’s world. Bibliography: Aristotle (250 BC). The Politics. Trans. Benjamin Jowett. Internet Classics Archive (http://classics. mit. edu/Aristotle/politics. html) Davis, Michael. (1996) The Politics of Philosophy. Rowman and Littlefield Sophocles (442 BC). Antigone. Trans. Robert Fagles. Penguin Classics

The Significance of the Vietnamese Boat People in Canadian Immigration Research Paper

The Significance of the Vietnamese Boat People in Canadian Immigration History - Research Paper Example These people have impacted Canadian culture and its economy greatly. This paper will focus on the migration of Vietnamese people to Canada during the Vietnam War. The paper will discuss the importance of the event and the role of government in the immigration of Vietnamese people. Vietnam War started in 1955 between the communist North Vietnam and the non-communist South Vietnam. The United States of America was also supporting South Vietnam. Vietnam’s People army (Northern Vietnam military) was getting help from communist countries like the Soviet Union. The war was actually a cold war battle between the then two superpowers of the world. They were fighting; the difference was that the battle was not fought directly. The war ended after 20 years of bloodshed and many lives were lost in the process. It is very important to understand the plight of the Vietnamese people in order to understand their reasons for migration to other countries. They were left with no option but to find shelter in foreign countries due to the conflict. They were desperate to leave their homeland. It was not for a better future only that these people were migrating to other countries. They were migrating to save their lives! Canada was not militarily involved in the conflict but its role was very important. It was always with the western capitalist countries but it was not directly aiding the United States in war. But Canada was heavily affected by the influx of thousands of Vietnamese settlers from the war region.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Media and Child Welfare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Media and Child Welfare - Essay Example (concerning digitization) and cultural shifts (towards a more individualistic consumer society) appear to have handed new media technologies a competitive advantage over their predecessors† (Freedman, 2006, 275). With more and more people utilizing the new forms of disseminating relevant issues and information for various purposes, critical issues on child welfare are increasingly being criticized. Children at very young ages are solely dependent on their parents for support – physical, emotional, financial, spiritual, and in other developmental aspects. Parents usually devote quality time and effort to assure that their kids experience a wide spectrum of developmental and socialization skills needed to prepare them for the future. Issues that affect children’s welfare are scrutinized for violations of ethical codes of conduct in terms of research and manner of dissemination to the public. Ethical issues in research involving children range from concerns affecting children directly and the areas involved in undertaking the research. Those critical ethical issues that emerge affecting children are giving informed consent, competencies of children, environmental and social context, and controversial issues such as child abuse, neglect and all forms of aggression, among others. Issues affecting child welfare take into consideration the sensitivity of the topic, the aims of the research, methodologies, sources of funds, and participants to the study, to name a few. According to the UNC – Chapel Hill School of Social Work (2005), â€Å"on the face of it the effectiveness of rural child welfare social workers and the media do not appear to be related, but they are. Indeed, any agency’s ability to ensure the safety and well-being of children is significantly influenced by the way that agency is perceived by families and the general public. And the media is a very powerful player when it comes to educating citizens and shaping public opinion† (par.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Excerpt from Declaration of Independence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Excerpt from Declaration of Independence - Essay Example In a dramatic presentation of the American plight against the backdrop of the abuse that they were exposed to, this excerpt captures the origin of the right of the American people to send the government packing. Additionally, the mandate on the civilian American to form a new government in the instance was triggered by the explanation of the incapacitation of the colonial leadership. The ultimate explanation of the American Cause was incompetence of the government, right of the people and the mandate to deliver happiness and safety to the American people. Apparently, the founders of the American nation had deep conviction of provision of a democratic environment as a partial responsibility of the government of the day and the civilian force. To this end, the leadership of the American nationalism behind the call for independence from Britain had their best feet forward with a complete case having overwhelming evidence on the incompetence of the colonial government (Armitage, 2007). Ostensibly, the case was sandwiched between the mandate of a model American government formed to cater for the plight of the American citizenry and the clear incompetence of King in several accounts where his discretion was called to question. The creation of such a perfect case to the American people was enough to obtain the most appropriate backing in form of a revolution that would overthrow the colonial government in case the grievances fell on deaf ears. Declaration of Independence meant that the American people had come to the end of the road for a difficult era in the hands of the insensitive government. A litany of the incompetence of the leader of the colonial government claimed in this excerpt follows making the case a strong weapon against the authority of the government. Such an attack on the mandate of the government to protect the unalienable and self-evident rights of the American people was a well protracted move to

Monday, August 26, 2019

Marketing report for mercedes benz Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Marketing report for mercedes benz - Assignment Example With the increase of market size of luxury car segments, Mercedes Benz has increased their profit margin across the world. But tough tariff regulations and high input cost of the raw materials have led to increase in price of the cars. It is true that the organization is considered as one of the leading organizations within the luxurious automobile industry. Mercedes Benz needs to revise its marketing plan and objectives as the market demand is changing at a rapid pace. Introduction of fuel efficient cars in reasonable price will help the organization to develop potential client base. The organization mainly focuses on urban market. The organization cannot increase its business network all over a specific country if the organization does not increase its supply chain network. Introduction Mercedes-Benz is a German automobile manufacturer company. In the fall of 1998, Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler merged forming Daimler-Chrysler AG. This made Daimler-Chrysler the world’s third lar gest car manufacturer in terms of sales. Daimler-Chrysler is best known for making luxury sedans. The company also manufacture commercial vehicles, aerospace products and sports utility vehicles. Today Mercedes-Benz USA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler-AG. Presently Mercedes-Benz has their headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. Mercedes-Benz cars were first sold in United States in the 1950s.These cars were mainly known as a symbol of status for high class consumers (Mercedes-Benz. 2013). Vision Statement The vision of the company is to become the number one in quality, Image and Profitability in the Automotive Sector (Mercedes-Benz, 2012) Mission Statement The mission statement of Mercedes Benz is to delight their customers in everything the company does. The company also want to make a continuous improvement in their Quality Management System and in their business processes. It follows an open minded corporate culture in their company where the employees wi ll work in a team oriented approach and the company will have to accept their responsibility and perform to their optimum level. The company want to improve their quality of products and services. Another mission of Mercedes Benz is to be aware of the external environment and act accordingly. The company must maintain a professional relationship with their business partners who will help them in increasing more revenues and creating strong corporate connection worldwide (Mercedes-Benz, 2012). Goal The Goal of Mercedes Benz is to achieve a sustainable profitable growth and by doing that increase the value of the company. The company strive to achieve the leading position in their business through their operational excellence and efficiency. The company want to achieve this with the help of their high-performing and inspired set of employees. Another goal is to minimize the impact their cars have on the environment and climate. Their focus is to provide comfortable driving experience through alternative fuels (Daimler, 2011). Objective

Sunday, August 25, 2019

U.S War on Afghanistan Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

U.S War on Afghanistan - Term Paper Example Americans truly understand that the question concerning Afghanistan is not about winning the war but whether it leads to national security. The Obama administration should speed up troop withdrawal and turn over combat to the Afghan Army. The Obama administration should speed up troop withdrawal and turn over combat to the Afghan Army. Getting rid of al Qaeda does not need a large scale and long term military presence in Afghanistan for several reasons. First and foremost, we must bear in mind that the military does very well in killing bad people, bombing command centers, destroying enemy troop formations, but not able to find hidden killers. The close cooperation with agencies that enforce foreign law and the scalpel of intelligence sharing has done more in rounding up suspected terrorists as compared to the military force. Whether we choose to stay or withdraw, al Qaeda can capitalize on our choice to remain victorious. If we happen to withdraw, we may appear weak despite the fact that the U.S is responsible for about a half of the military spending in the world. Its power can be projected to the most unreachable places in the word and come up with one of the largest nuclear arsenals globally. The United States of America also seems to be weak if it remains in Afghanistan for a longer period of time. Our military will appear weak, with aimless strategies and irrespective of our efforts; continued military operations will kill more Afghan civilians thus reducing the support we have among the population. Our policy towards Afghanistan has undermined the main U.S. interests in Pakistan. Operations have managed to kill quite a number of high value targets, and this may have gravely degraded al Qaeda’s international capabilities. Unfortunately, our policies are pushing the region’s jihadist insurgency over the boundary into Pakistan. In the year 2007, tribal based groups referred to as the Taliban started emerging in the Pakistan border region in re sponse to frequent Pakistan army incursions. The current U.S. policy is continuously pushing militants into Pakistan cities, thus strengthening the jihadist forces that we are seeking to defeat, therefore, pressing the nuclear armed country into war (Adam 34). Nevertheless, the most terrible thing we can do is concentrate in this region entirely. This is the same thing we did some time back when we funded the mujahedeen, but there were costs for being in the region for a long time. We accomplished very little but gave al Qaeda the chance to push the conflict into Pakistan. America should speed up troop withdrawal; continue with open relations and sharing of intelligence with all countries of the region. It should also deploy Special Forces for operations against particular targets and engage in rigorous surveillance (Schmitt 25). For the last few years, violence in Afghanistan has been dubbed an â€Å"insurgency† which requires the application of a counterinsurgency strategy. This has risen to prominence in the U.S defense force and national security thinking that relies on theology. Counterinsurgency has become common in the present and future wars. It has thus become a new way of war for the Americans. The challenge of counterinsurgency theory and doctrine is that it hinders our ability to apprehend the nature of our predicament in Afghanistan accurately. This theory gives emphasis on the population meeting its needs, developing economies and establishing governmental legitimacy (Cooley 72). According to the theory, most of the population is not sure on whose side they should be on, we should capitalize on this to influence them to choose us. The U.S should withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by using a public timetable. They should negotiate with the government of Afghanistan and other key partners. The U.S public is against the war in Afghanistan thus the war should be brought to an end. Even

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Water policy in the western USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Water policy in the western USA - Essay Example According to the 2000 population census, the population of western United States including cities like California continues to rise and this increases the pressure on water. As the demand for the precious commodity increases, the need for the state governments to develop policies that can protect and ensure its equitable distribution also increases. This paper will discuss the elements of water policies and the process of developing the same policies in western United States especially in the states of California (Von der Portena & De Loà «, 2014). The process of developing water policies is affected by a number of factors, which vary from one state to another, and is influenced by the extent of water demand and use in the region. The terrain and geographical position of California makes it vulnerable to water problems and conflicts and these have been solved through the development of water policies. The enactment of federal laws and regulations has also acted as a way of mitigating the conflicts and bringing together different economically warring factions. The development of water policies in the west especially in California is influenced by a number of factors which are intrinsic to California only. The constant earthquakes and catastrophic events that are common in California have continuously disrupted water supplies to different parts of the state. As a result, the formulation of policies has been influenced by these events and how they have affected the normal water use in the state. According to the United States geological survey, there is a 99% likelihood of a major earthquake in the southern parts of the state according to information from the last three decades. It is only in northern California that the risk is a bit lower but still disrupts the normal water supply and use in the state (Von der Portena & De Loà «, 2014). Earthquakes results into damage and the disruption of water

Friday, August 23, 2019

Competitive Analysis of General Motors Case Study

Competitive Analysis of General Motors - Case Study Example The tools like PESTLE, porter's five force and SWOT analysis are used in this report in order get a better result. The report is designed in such a way that, first there is an introduction followed by PESTLE analysis, porter's five force analysis and SWOT analysisetc. Automobile industry was always a topic of discussion in the field of business and environment. The development of a country by avoiding the automobile industry is impractical or in other words it is ineffective. The main problem the industry is having is that the influence of micro and macro financial environment in the industry. The recession or any other downtrend the economies badly affect the automobile industry, especially car industry. At the same time any boom or overall economic development of an economy creates a positive impact in the automobile industry by way of increased sale of motor vehicles. Different financial and economic tools help in studying the automobile industry in a better way. Tools like PESTLE analysis, SWOT analysisetc. are extensively used in the market study of automobile industry. Here, automobile industry in the United State is studied by focusing on the company General Motors. General Motors held the top position among the car industry of the world for a long period. The great leadership of the company was one of the main success factors. But this was past and now the sales of the company are showing a diminishing trend. By looking at the present position of the company, nobody will believe that this was such a company, which was making a huge profit. Due to different reasons the company is now running into losses. One of the main reasons was the present financial crisis. The crisis not only affected the business of General Motors, but also it affected the business of other automobile companies in /the United States and other parts of the world. As crisis reduced the purchasing power of the people, it caused a drastic reduction in the sale of automobiles. Majority of People will not go for luxurious items and car is considered as the luxurious item. The reduction in sale of the car caused to have a negative impact on the reputation of the company. The pri ce per share of the company declined and the debt of the company increased. Now the company is facing it difficult to run the business in a balanced way due to different factors, especially poor management. The poor management led to ineffective use of funds, increasing of debtetc. The company lost its position in markets where the company is considered as holding top position. Another reason for the failure was that the company's attitude. The company focused on marketing and financing activities instead of focusing on customer requirements. The company forgot the basic of the business activity that is consumers are the king in the market (Ramakrishna, 2006) GM which once controlled about half the US market is now struggling to maintain its leadership position. This is not the case of GM alone. Even Ford Motors (Ford) and Chrysler, the other carmakers from Detroit, have been losing their market shares in recent times. In the late 1990s, the "big three" had a combined market share of more than 70%. Now, their combined market share in the US is 58% and it is declining continuously (Domestic trends, 2008, p. 3). GM

Thursday, August 22, 2019

John Stuart Mill Essay Example for Free

John Stuart Mill Essay Moral theories try to explain what distinguishes right actions from wrong ones. The theory of utilitarianism tries to do the same by incorporating several aspects that set up a moral standard to help investigate the balance between right and wrong. John Stuart Mill, a British philosopher of the 1800’s defends the utilitarian school of thought by pointing out what it is that makes utilitarianism the standard theory for morality. According to Utilitarianism as explained by Mill in his essay â€Å"In Defense of Utilitarianism† the fundamental principle of morality is the promotion of happiness on a scale that benefits an individual and the ones around him; also to promote pleasure and to prevent pain. Several major objections are raised towards the moral theory of utilitarianism some examples can be the idea that the theory asserts too much emphasis on pursuing pleasure which makes it a doctrine worthy of swine (â€Å"Defense†). Another objection is that in everyday circumstances it is impossible for humans to make a morally just decision (â€Å"Defense†). An additional counter-argument that struck me the most was the statement that utilitarianism sets standards that are deemed too high for humanity (â€Å"Defense†). What this objection projects are the predisposed and unwarranted capabilities of the human race. According to this statement humanity is made comparable to other (lower ranking) species that lack the intrinsic values that make us humans human; like thinking faculties that are much superior to other animals or the ability to have languages or develop intricate cultural systems, just to name few. Therefore, making this objection a weak one and one that displays an inferior and subjacent view towards the principle of morality. Mill on the other hand deduces the true motives of these objections and labels these ideas as being of such nature that promote actions in accordance with one obliging to a certain duty. If that is the case then individuals can be comprised of nothing but a niche in society. He argues that ethics holds the responsibility of outlining our duties, fulfilling them is dependent only on factors that promote the larger well being of a society. Mill states such objections as misapprehensions and transcribes an important point which nonetheless reconstructs and fabricates the idea of utilitarianism; he states this affirms that the motive has nothing to do with the morality of the action, though much with the worth of the agent. † (â€Å"Defense†).

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Economics Practice Problems Essay Example for Free

Economics Practice Problems Essay 1. Which of the following would most likely cause equilibrium quantity and price of x to rise? (a)a fall in income when the income elasticity of demand for x is positive Wrong. This will cause a drop in demand and thus a fall in quantity. (b)a fall in the price of complementary product y Correct. A fall in a complementary product will cause a rise in demand for that product â€Å"y† and thus a rise in demand of product â€Å"x† (see graph). (c)a fall in the price of substitute product Z Wrong. A fall in a substitute product will cause an increase in the demand for product Z and thus a fall in the demand for product x. (d)an increase in the cost of producing x Wrong. The increase in production cost will decrease supply (see graph). (e)a fall in the price of product A which is jointly produced with x Wrong. A fall in price of a jointly produced product will give the incentive to produce more A. If this incentivizes the producer to also increase the supply of x, the effect would be opposite as in (d): less price and more quantity. 2. Which of the following is not characteristic of a cartel situation? (a)While disagreement over production quotas may occur, once set, there is little incentive for cheating. Correct answer. In a cartel there are incentives to cheat (all other are characteristics of a cartel). (b)There is an incentive for some producers not to join. (c)Entry of new producers is a threat to the cartels viability. (d)Long-run demand elasticity can pose an obstacle to success. (e)Output must be less than the competitive case for the cartel to be effective.

The Great Sphinx Of Ancient Egypt English Language Essay

The Great Sphinx Of Ancient Egypt English Language Essay Over 4, 500 years ago, an impressive creature was carved out of limestone on the Giza Plateau, Egypt. This large animal is called the Great Sphinx, complete with a lions body and a humans head. After being buried in the sand for many years, it was uncovered, and its grandiose height and width were revealed (Dunn 2, 3). The sphinx was also given many other names found in the earliest forms of Egyptian writing (Butler 3). The Great Sphinx is a stone figure surrounded by loads of history, myths and characteristics that make up its meaning. What is the Great Sphinx? The body is about 65 feet tall and 200 feet in length. The face of it is 13 feet wide and its eyes are 6 feet high (TourEgypt 3). In comparison to Ancient Greek sphinxes, who were females with wings, Egyptian sphinxes were males. There are small traces of red paint on the cheeks; evidence of its once bright color. Although the nose and beard are missing and its face is battered, the expression is able to be read. The watchful eyes and smile are easily seen (Berg 8, 10). The possible reason for the missing nose and beard is stated in Christopher Bergs article. There are several stories explaining the Sphinxs famous missing nose; one is that it fell off when Napoleons archaeologists were investigating the statue; another is that the Mameluke army used the Sphinx for target practice, and a lucky artillery shot blew it off. Neither of these tales are true. The nose was probably removed in the 8th century AD by a Sufi who considered the Sphinx a blasphemous idol, but all that can be said for certain, based on the tool marks that remain, is that it was deliberately pried off with chisels. The face is possibly that of Khafre, a pharaoh from the fourth dynasty who built one of the largest pyramids on the Giza triad. Its face could also be that of Khafres older brother or another pharaoh down the line of ancestors. Different names given to the Sphinx back in the ancient Egyptian times include Hor-em-akht (Horus in the Horizon), Bw-How (Place of Horus) and Ra-horakhty (Ra of Two Horizons). Horus was one of the oldest and most significant gods in the religion of ancient Egypt. This deity was the patron god of living Pharaohs, rulers, law, war, young men and others. Horus was often depicted as a falcon-headed man (most commonly), a falcon, a lion with the head of a falcon or a sphinx. Horus was worshipped widely throughout Egypt and there were many stories and myths told about him. The sphinx ages back to the kings of the 4th Dynasty, maybe even to an older time (Gray 10). The Sphinx Stela, an inscription on the Sphinx that dated back to 1400 BC, is the oldest evidence that is given for the date. What is the history and origin of the Sphinx? People in that time period represented their pharaohs as lions because of their physical strength. The Sphinx was developed as a result of this high view they had of their leaders (Trifter 1). Also, a lot of other Egyptian kings worshiped the Great Sphinx because they didnt know where it came from (Berg 2). It lived most of its history covered in sand. The first uncovering of the Sphinx was by Thutmose IV, as it was stated on the Sphinx Stela. The pharaoh Thutmose IV, sleeping beneath the head of the statue, was told in a dream to dig up the body of the Sphinx. In reward he was told he would be made a great king. Thutmose immediately began digging up the Great Sphinx, restoring it to its former glory. The next time it was restored was not until the 20th century (Butler p. 2, para. 4, 5). As for the origin of sphinxes in general, it is suggested that they came from the Babylonians or other races before the idea was adopted from the Egyptians. Another theory suggests the Babylonians took it from the Egyptians. The Babylonians believed of a flood from the Persian Gulf that marked the beginning of the world and was ruled by the great creatures called sphinxes. Because of the Niles annually flooding, it is believed that the Babylonians could have had a similar flood. That would raise this theory in both places, Egypt and Babylon. Besides the Great Sphinx, other statues and sculptures of different types of sphinxes were found. This leads to the theory that the Sphinx of Giza was not the first of its kind (Nichols 108). Underneath the Great Sphinx is a series of tunnels, doorways, stairs and even a circular temple. The passageways into the tunnels are outside and to the side of the Sphinx, possibly meaning the Sphinx was built after the underground construction, or perhaps even before. Also, a secret subway is thought to be snaked underground, connecting Khafres pyramid and the Sphinx. Because Khafre built the pyramid close by with chambers and passageways, the Sphinx was thought to be built similarly. These interior chambers and tunnels inside the Sphinx were searched for, but only a few passages with dead ends were found. Erosion is a popular discussed piece of information over the Sphinx. The head of the creature is disproportionate to its body. This definitely has something to do with the erosion because the Egyptians always made their sculptures and statues with as much perfection and symmetry as possible. Some parts of the body give evidence for wind erosion. Other parts look as if it was eroded by water. In addition, its body is very much so eroded, whether in natural occurrences or not. Its head on the other hand, is not. This suggests rain fall that pooled around its upper body while covered in sand. Also, a flood could have had a part in the erosion, but this is not for sure. It is also made up of different kinds of sandstone and limestone which affected the rate and kind of erosion (Orcutt 7). Whatever the reality of the results of erosion, the Sphinx has surely been altered in its form over the many years of its life. The mystery of the Great Sphinx is a debated subject as it involves why, how and for who it was built. The exact purpose for its existence is not known. It was possibly a guardian statue, or a memorial to a Pharaoh or god, or in some cases, it was even thought to be an astronomical observation device (Gray 15). In the book The Sphinx Mystery, the author, Robert Temple, talks about the purpose for the Sphinx. He believes that originally, the Sphinx was a statue of the ancient Egyptian deity called Anubis. Instead of a lion, it was shaped like a dog. Anubis was the protector of the underworld, which the author believed was right at Giza. This information would link to the location of the Sphinx, as it sits in that same area (Coppens 3). The Sphinx was also thought to be the image of a god or even goddess, representing the worshiped idol of the place and time period. Since other sphinxes of different kinds have been found, the theory is that each of them represented a god of their own p lace and time (Hastings 768). Not only this, but some believe it was guarding a tomb or tombs from evil forces. This theory is not as known and used as other ones, but still, a possibility. Some researchers have even suggested that the Sphinx originated from Africans living in Egypt and did not originate from Egyptians at all. As for the builder, the common theory is that it was Khafre, the builder of a huge pyramid close by. Other theories suggest Khafres father, brother or older kings building it. During the reign of Khafre, Egypt was a prosperous place and many things were developed including the Sphinx. This time period could easily tie in with the construction of this great creature. Also, the time of Khafres older brother (another possible builder of the Sphinx) was in similar condition. As for the construction, the Sphinx was carved right out of the limestone bedrock by many workers of the Pharaoh of that time. Considering the lack of modern tools, this project would have required many laborers and very challenging work. The leftover rock was most likely used for other projects such as temples or pyramids (Butler p. 2, para. 1, 2). The Great Sphinx was an incredible creature built long ago, during ancient Egyptian times. Sitting in the Giza Plateau, it watches over the surrounding pyramids and in some theories, acts as a guardian. Representing a pharaoh and his deities, it was worshiped as a god itself at times. The builder and the date of construction are not valid facts, but many ideas are presented. Even though this great creature lived most of its life being eroded and covered by sand, it stands proud and tall, continuing to watch over its land. Many continue to marvel at its awesome form and mysterious origins. Works Cited Butler, Allen. A History of the Great Sphinx of Giza. Associated Content Associatedcontent.com. Allen Butler, 2 Feb. 2006. Web. 2 Oct. 2010. a_history_of_the_great_sphinx_of_giza.html?cat=37>. Dunn, Jimmy. The Great Sphinx. InterCity Oz, Inc Interoz.com Web Publishers, Marketers and Designer Where the Web Leads. 1996. Web. 2 Oct. 2010. http://interoz.com/egypt/sphinx.htm. Gray, Martin. Great Sphinx. Sacred Sites: Places of Peace and Power. 1983-2009. Web. 13 Oct. 2010. http://www.sacredsites.com/africa/egypt/great-sphinx.html. AKNsolutions.com. The Great Sphinx. Egypt Travel, Tours, Vacations, Ancient Egypt from Tour Egypt. 1996-2010. Web. 13 Oct. 2010. . Ghaz, Mr. The Long Lived Lion: How The Great Sphinx Survived The Sands of Times | Trifter. Trifter | Travelers Sharing Hotel, Travel, Flight and Destination Tips. 28 Mar. 2010. Web. 13 Oct. 2010. . Berg, Christopher. The Sphinx. Mazes, Educational Puzzles at Amazeing Art. 2001-2004. Web. 12 Oct. 2010. . Bayuk, Andrew. Guardians Sphinx. Guardians Egypt Main Gate. 1995-2005. Web. 12 Oct. 2010. . Coppens, Phillip. The Sphinx Mystery. Philip Coppens.com. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. . Orcutt, Larry. A Chamber Beneath the Sphinx? Catchpenny Mysteries of Ancient Egypt. 2000. Web. 30 Oct. 2010. . Nichols, John. The Gentlemens Magazine. Vol. 92. 1822. 2 Nov. 2010. Hastings, James. System of Synthetic Philosophy. Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics. Vol. 22. Edinburgh: [s.n.], 1908. Print. First Rough Draft Abbie Dennett Over 4, 500 years ago, a creature was crafted out of limestone on the Giza Plateau, Egypt. This large animal is called the Great Sphinx, complete with a lions body and a humans head (Dunn 3). After being buried in the sand for many years, it was uncovered, and its grandiose height and width were revealed (Dunn 2). The sphinx was also given many other names found in the earliest forms of Egyptian writing (Butler 3). The Great Sphinx is a stone figure surrounded by loads of history, myths and characteristics that make up its meaning. What is the Great Sphinx? The body is about 65 feet tall and 200 feet in length. The face of it is 13 feet wide and its eyes are 6 feet high (TourEgypt 3). Although the nose and beard are missing and its face is battered, the expression is able to be read. The watchful eyes and smile are easily seen (Berg 8, 10). The sphinx ages back to the 4th Dynasty, maybe even to an older time(Gray 10). Different names given to the Sphinx back in the ancient Egyptian times include Hor-em-akht (Horus in the Horizon), Bw-How (Place of Horus) and Ra-horakhty (Ra of Two Horizons). These facts are simply characteristics of the Sphinx, not yet getting into the deeper meanings. What consisted of the history during the time of the Sphinx? The people back in that time represented their pharaohs as lions because of their strength. Because of this, the sphinx was invented (Trifter 1). The Great Sphinx lived most of its history covered in sand. The first uncovering of the Sphinx was by Thutmose IV. The pharaoh Thutmose IV, sleeping beneath the head of the statue, was told in a dream to dig up the body of the Sphinx. In reward he was told he would be made a great king. Thutmose immediately began digging up the Great Sphinx, restoring it to its former glory. The next time it was restored was not until the 20th century (Butler p. 2, para. 4, 5). A lot of Egyptian kings worshiped the Great Sphinx because they didnt know where it came from (Berg 2). The construction of the Great Sphinx is obviously the base of the entire project. The purpose of the Sphinx is not known, but there are many ideas as to what that might be. Possibly a guardian statue, or a memorial to a Pharaoh or god, or in some cases, it was even thought to be an astronomical observation device (Gray 15). As for the builder, the common theory is that of Khafre, the builder of a huge pyramid close by. Other theories suggest Khafres father or older kings built it (Bayuk 4). The process used to make the Sphinx was carving. It was carved right out of the limestone bedrock, brick by brick. The leftover rock was most likely used for other projects such as temples or pyramids (Butler p. 2, para. 1, 2). The Great Sphinx was an incredible creature built long ago, during ancient Egyptian times. Sitting in the Giza Plateau, it watches over the surrounding pyramids and in some theories, acts as a guardian. Representing a pharaoh, it was worshiped as a god at times. The builder and the date of construction are not valid facts, but many ideas are presented. Even though this great creature lived most of its life being eroded and covered by sand, it stands proud and tall, continuing to watch over its land. Comments: For only being this far in your writing, the number of citations seems to be disproportionately large.Organize your writing; some paragraphs are very disjointed and discuss several different topics. In several places you start to repeat yourself. See the comments in the margin. Works Cited Butler, Allen. A History of the Great Sphinx of Giza. Associated Content Associatedcontent.com. Allen Butler, 2 Feb. 2006. Web. 2 Oct. 2010. a_history_of_the_great_sphinx_of_giza.html?cat=37>. Dunn, Jimmy. The Great Sphinx. InterCity Oz, Inc Interoz.com Web Publishers, Marketers and Designer Where the Web Leads. 1996. Web. 2 Oct. 2010. http://interoz.com/egypt/sphinx.htm. Gray, Martin. Great Sphinx. Sacred Sites: Places of Peace and Power. 1983-2009. Web. 13 Oct. 2010. http://www.sacredsites.com/africa/egypt/great-sphinx.html. AKNsolutions.com. The Great Sphinx. Egypt Travel, Tours, Vacations, Ancient Egypt from Tour Egypt. 1996-2010. Web. 13 Oct. 2010. . Ghaz, Mr. The Long Lived Lion: How The Great Sphinx Survived The Sands of Times | Trifter. Trifter | Travelers Sharing Hotel, Travel, Flight and Destination Tips. 28 Mar. 2010. Web. 13 Oct. 2010. . Berg, Christopher. The Sphinx. Mazes, Educational Puzzles at Amazeing Art. 2001-2004. Web. 12 Oct. 2010. . Bayuk, Andrew. Guardians Sphinx. Guardians Egypt Main Gate. 1995-2005. Web. 12 Oct. 2010. . Second Rough Draft Abbie Dennett Over 4, 500 years ago, a creature was carved out of limestone on the Giza Plateau, Egypt. This large animal is called the Great Sphinx, complete with a lions body and a humans head. After being buried in the sand for many years, it was uncovered, and its grandiose height and width were revealed (Dunn 2, 3). The sphinx was also given many other names found in the earliest forms of Egyptian writing (Butler 3). The Great Sphinx is a stone figure surrounded by loads of history, myths and characteristics that make up its meaning. What is your thesis statement? What is the Great Sphinx? The body is about 65 feet tall and 200 feet in length. The face of it is 13 feet wide and its eyes are 6 feet high (TourEgypt 3). There are small traces of red paint on the cheeks; evidence of its once bright color. Although the nose and beard are missing and its face is battered, the expression is able to be read. The watchful eyes and smile are easily seen (Berg 8, 10). The possible reason for the missing nose and beard is stated in Christopher Bergs article. There are several stories explaining the Sphinxs famous missing nose; one is that it fell off when Napoleons archaeologists were investigating the statue; another is that the Mameluke army used the Sphinx for target practice, and a lucky artillery shot blew it off. Neither of these tales are true. The nose was probably removed in the 8th century AD by a Sufi who considered the Sphinx a blasphemous idol, but all that can be said for certain, based on the tool marks that remain, is that it was deliberat ely pried off with chisels. The face is possibly that of Chephren, a pharaoh from the fourth dynasty who built one of the lagest pyramids on the Giza triad. Different names given to the Sphinx back in the ancient Egyptian times include Hor-em-akht (Horus in the Horizon), Bw-How (Place of Horus) and Ra-horakhty (Ra of Two Horizons). The sphinx ages back to the kings of the 4th Dynasty, maybe even to an older time(Gray 10). Sphinx Stela, an inscription on the Sphinx that dated back to 1400 BC, is the oldest evidence that is given for the date. These facts are simply characteristics of the Sphinx; not yet getting into the deeper meanings. What is the history of the Sphinx? People in those days represented their pharaohs as lions because of their physical strength. The sphinx was developed as a result of this high view they had of their leaders (Trifter 1). Also, a lot of other Egyptian kings worshiped the Great Sphinx because they didnt know where it came from (Berg 2). It lived most of its history covered in sand. The first uncovering of the Sphinx was by Thutmose IV, as it was stated on the Sphinx Stela. The pharaoh Thutmose IV, sleeping beneath the head of the statue, was told in a dream to dig up the body of the Sphinx. In reward he was told he would be made a great king. Thutmose immediately began digging up the Great Sphinx, restoring it to its former glory. The next time it was restored was not until the 20th century (Butler p. 2, para. 4, 5). The mystery of the Great Sphinx is a debated subject as it involves why, how and for whom it was built. Chambers and tunnels underneath the Sphinx were thought to exist, but this is also a mystery. Its purpose is not known. Possibly a guardian statue, or a memorial to a Pharaoh or god, or in some cases, it was even thought to be an astronomical observation device (Gray 15). In the book, The Sphinx Mystery, the author, Robert Temple, talks about the purpose for the Sphinx. He believes that originally, the Sphinx was a statue of the ancient Egyptian deity called Anubis. Instead of a lion, it was shaped like a dog. Anubis was the protector of the underworld, which the author believed was right at Gizeh, which would also make sense for the location of the Sphinx (Coppens 3). As for the builder, the common theory is that it was Khafre, the builder of a huge pyramid close by. . Other theories suggest Khafres father or older kings built it. Because of Khafres pyramid, which contains two cha mbers, the Sphinx was also thought to have an entrance or a chamber. Only three entrances were found, but they were dead ends (Orcutt). The Sphinx was carved. It was carved right out of the limestone bedrock. The leftover rock was most likely used for other projects such as temples or pyramids (Butler p. 2, para. 1, 2). The Great Sphinx was an incredible creature built long ago, during ancient Egyptian times. Sitting in the Giza Plateau, it watches over the surrounding pyramids and in some theories, acts as a guardian. Representing a pharaoh, it was worshiped as a god at times. The builder and the date of construction are not valid facts, but many ideas are presented. Even though this great creature lived most of its life being eroded and covered by sand, it stands proud and tall, continuing to watch over its land. Comments: Looks like you are still having an issue with getting to a full five pages. In your works cited, I dont see any reference to hard (library) books, nor to a National Geographic magazine. Again, suggestions to lengthen this would include comparing to other sphinxes around the world (I believe I have heard of something similar somewhere, but the location escapes me just now), and further relating it to one of the nearby pyramids. Try Googling Babylonian Sphinx for starters.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

The Many Infectous Diseases Caused by Streptococcus Pyogenes Essay

Streptococcus Pyogenes: Multi-Purpose Monsters Streptococcus pyogenes is a type of group A streptococci that causes many infectious diseases. This bacteria is commonly found in a variety of organisms, but is usually harmless unless the organisms defenses are compromised. When detrimental, group A streptococci cause infections such as impetigo, ecthyma, scarlet fever, and necrotizing fasciitis. Each of these infections displays different symptoms and requires different treatment. These treatments are primarily by antibiotics, because antibiotics are still the chief cure for GAS bacterial infections. One of the most interesting, rare, and fatal infections caused by streptococcus pyogenes is necrotizing fasciitis, and though it can cause some severe symptoms, a simple dose of antibiotics can prevent or even cure this dangerous infection. Streptococci are a large, diverse group of bacteria that are gram-positive cocci (Sharma). Streptococcus Pyogenes, a group A Streptococcus, is a universal organism that can cause many different diseases in humans (Sharma). Group A Streptococci are commonly referred to as GAS and they are commonly identified on blood agar plates as white or gray colonies (Sharma). They commonly appear in pairs or short chains that are non-motile and non-spore-forming (Sharma). Additionally, they have a fermentative metabolism, and are facultative anaerobes that require blood to grow (Todar). For this reason, GAS bacteria are often found in mammals. It is estimated that 15%-20% of all healthy individuals harbor this pathogen in their bodies, specifically their respiratory tract—without signs of disease (Todar). However, it is believed that the bacteria can cause harm if the organism’s defenses are compromised or th... ...July 2008 . DeLeo, Frank R., and Michael Otto. Bacterial Pathogenesis Methods and Protocols. Methods on Microbiology 431. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press, 2008. â€Å"Necrotizing Fasciitis (Flesh-Eating Bacteria).† WebMD. 6 Dec. 2007. Healthwise Inc. 14 July 2008 . Rene, Caravano. Current Research on Group A Streptococcus . Paris, France: Excerpta Medica Foundation, 1968. Sharma, Sat, MD. â€Å"Streptococcus Group A Infections.† eMedicine. 5 May 2006. WebMed. 24 July 2008 . Todar, Kenneth. â€Å"Streptococcus Pyogenes.† Todar’s Online Textbook of Bacteriology. 2002. University of WIsconsin-Madison. 14 July 2008 .

Monday, August 19, 2019

Fake IDs :: essays research papers

Fake ID Just like many college students, Dana and her friends decided to go to a bar one Saturday night. The problem: Not everyone in their group was old enough to enter. The solution: Use fake ID obtained through a friend. So Dana and her friends used fake IDs to enter the bar without a problem, or so they thought. Later that night, police raided the bar. Dana's ID was confiscated and she was later arrested. It seems like everyone wants to be a different age. Many teenagers want to be either 18 or 21 so they can buy cigarettes or alcohol. And I’m sure everyone has heard their parents say they wish they were 18 again. For the most part people can’t change how old they are, but by using fake identification, someone could pretend to be an age older than what they are. More and more people are using fake ID’s. There have been many new advances in technology in recent years. Because of these advances, such as computers and internet, fake ID’s are becoming easier to get, and their quality is improving. Not too long after states find ways of making ID’s harder to duplicate, the counterfeiters are finding a way to make them. Fake ID’s no longer consist of scratching an 8 into a 3. These advances make it hard to tell apart fake ID’s from the real thing. Some websites sell fake ID’s from $50-5,000. Selling fake ID’s over the internet has increased greatly over the past few years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The internet makes fake ID’s readily available, but according to the article â€Å"Forged in Plastic† in Missoula, most underage clients buy phony driver’s licenses from local manufacturers who use computers, scanners, laser printers, laminators, and special programs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to the San Diego Union Tribune An estimated 10 million fake ID’s are confiscated each year. During spring break last year in Florida, 10,000 fake ID’s were confiscated by using a handheld ID verification device made by Logix Company of Colorado.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are different types of people who use fake ID’s for different reasons. Many people who use fake ID’s are just teenagers who want to buy alcohol. 18, 19, and 20 year olds generally use fake ID’s to drink in bars, while high school students with fakes just go to grocery stores to find beer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are different consequences of owning or selling fake ID’s. Under-aged drinkers that go to bars and are caught with fake ID’s are usually ticketed for minor consumption and for carrying false or altered identification.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Major Theoretical Perspectives in Psychology Essay -- Psychology Paper

Major Theoretical Perspectives in Psychology INTRODUCTION In this assignment I will be describing the five major schools of psychological research. These are Behaviorism, Biological, Cognitive, Humanist and Psychoanalytical. I will then attempt to evaluate the pros, cons and practical applications of the Behaviorist and Psychodynamic approaches. BEHAVIORISM The earliest origins of behaviorism can be stemmed from the philosopher John Locke (1632-1704). He believed that the human being is born as a 'tabula rasa'. This effectively means a neonate is a blank slate with no prior knowledge or ideas. According to Locke it is experience through senses, which provides the mind. The modern founding father of behaviorism is John Watson (1878-1958). He believed that ÃŽÂ ¨ should be about the study of observable behavior and that behavior is molded by experience. Behaviorists believe that however complex a piece of behavior might be, it is possible to break it down and analyze it in basic STIMULUS-RESPONSE units. This theory also relates to Reductionism, where psychologists attempt to understand behavior by looking at the most basic parts. This S-R theory can be best demonstrated in the work of a Russian psychologist called Pavlov (1849-1936). His theory of Classical Conditioning centred on his study of dogs and his attempt to artificially condition a natural response. The sight/smell of food leading to salivation is an unconditioned S-R. He introduced a neutral stimulus when food was presented so the dogs associated the two. After this conditioning was complete the dog salivated when presented with the neutral stimu... ...ed from one subject. So if the basis for the research is in doubt the results must also be brought into question. In modern research a large sample is demanded to give room for error and individual differences. The main theme is that we are controlled by our past, this is true to an extent but it implies that we have no control over our lives. All our actions are pre-determined by past experiences. This has also brought reservations about the merit of Freud's theories. Flawed though it is, without it the world of psychology would be a different place. BIBLIOGRAPHY Printed publications: Perspectives in psychology Wadeley and Birch 1997 Macmillan Psychology in perspective Hayes 2002 Palgram Mind watching H and M Eysenck 1994 MMB Internet Sites: www.psychclassics.yorku.ca www.psychology.org

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Enterprise rent a car

Enterprise Rent-A-Car has defined its service much differently than that of the typical national car rental companies. Their idea and technique of personal service, by treating the customers like neighbors more so than clients is what makes this company so unique and successful. They are industry leaders in fleet size and market presence. The company's president, Andy Taylor, stated in his motto â€Å"if you put the customers first they will be satisfied and come back, followed by employees who are well informed and part of a team atmosphere.If you put the customers and employees first the bottom line will happen†. The company's service concept focuses on three key benefits for the customer. The first benefit is their enormous form of convenience due to nearby locations. Second, the luxury of being picked up and dropped off at one's own home, office, or repair shop – free of charge. Third, are their outstanding rates that cannot be beat, as well as their exceptional sel ection of vehicles. 2. Enterprise Rent-A-Car possesses several advantageous features that give hem a leg up on the competition.Since the beginning, their market focus has been on the replacement segment. This includes customers who need a car because of an accident, routine maintenance, or theft. In addition is the discretionary segment, which includes people who use their services for short business, leisure, and other special occasion trips. The company's â€Å"pick up and drop off' feature is what sets them above their competition. Enterprise Rent-A-Car has offices located within 15 minutes of 90% of the U. S. opulation – a highlight of their extreme focus on convenience.Although Enterprise Rent-A-Car offers a lot of the same choice in car selection as other companies, their main objective is to keep the customer entirely satisfied. As it was from the start according to Andy Taylor, their loyalty to customers is the key reason why so much of the Enterprise's energy goes i nto recruiting, hiring, and training a well-informed and helpful staff of personnel. 3. The service profit chain model can be used to emphasize the success of Enterprise Rent-A-Car as a whole.The first part of the model is the internal service quality, which describes the environment in which employee's work, the selection and development, rewards and recognition, access to information to serve the customers' needs, and Job design. This goes back to Taylor's idea of keeping a happy, well-informed staff that will provide the best service possible. The employee's loyalty to the company will shine through in their service and output quality by tending to the customers' needs in an efficient and effective manner.The result is satisfied customers and an overall increase in profitability for the company. Enterprise Rent-A-Car's technique in hiring practices targets the young college student; one who generally has been a part of an organization such as a sporting team or fraternitysorority . This is primarily because of hisher ability to be a â€Å"people person†: someone able to speak well to service managers in addition to calm down a customer who has Just been in an accident. A strong devoted group of employees is what makes up the internal service of the ompany.According to the service profit chain model, this subsequently leads to the service value, which drives customer satisfaction. Customer value is measured by comparing results received to the total costs incurred in obtaining the service. The all time high – increasing their service value and lowering their costs. The staff of Enterprise Rent-A-Car exudes hospitality, which is necessary when performing a service and expecting satisfied customers. Despite their highly personalized service,Enterprise Rent-A-Car offers rates that are often 30% lower than those of its competitors. The service concept and the company's ever growing success is causation of their customer loyalty. Their service to mee t the targeted customers' needs is what results in lifetime value, retention, and referrals. As of today, the company has over 12 million vehicles and annual revenue of $14. 1 billion. This fact in itself displays how the service profit chain model has worked for this company throughout their many years in existence.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Siemens Violation of Ethics

Volume 12 Issue 13 Version 1. 0 Year 2012 Type: Double Blind Peer Reviewed International Research Journal Publisher: Global Journals Inc. (USA) Online ISSN: 2249-4588 & Print ISSN: 0975-5853 Global Journal of Management and Business Research A Case Study of Siemens’ Violation of Business Ethics in Argentine Based On Stakeholder Theory By Zhu Wenzhong & Fu Limin Guangdong University of Foreign Studies (GDUFS) Abstract – Hand in hand with prosper of International business brought by globalization, many ethical problems have been surfacing in the past decades: bribery, corruption, human rights issues, etc.Business ethics, as an academic discipline as well as a business practice, is becoming the focal point of waged and animated debate. The increasing attention on it generates many relative theories, among which Freeman’s stakeholder theory stands out. This paper, backed by Freeman’s stakeholder theory, conducts a case study of Simens’ violation of busi ness ethics by analyzing its recent bribery scandal in Argentina. After a detailed analysis of the interests of Siemens’ stakeholders, it draws a conclusion of Siemens’ severe violation of business ethics, and thus suggests some solutions.Keywords : Simens Telecommunication; Business Bribery; Stakeholder Analysis. GJMBR-A Classification : FOR Code: 150303,150301 JEL Code: M21 A CaseStudyofSiemensViolationofBusinessEthicsinArgentineBasedOnStakeholderTheory Strictly as per the compliance and regulations of:  © 2012. Zhu Wenzhong & Fu Limin. This is a research/review paper, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3. 0 Unported License http://creativecommons. org/licenses/by-nc/3. /), permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. A Case Study of Siemens’ Violation of Business Ethics in Argentine Based On Stakeholder Theory Zhu Wenzhong & Fu Limin Abstract – Hand in hand with prosper of International business brought by globalization, many ethical problems have been surfacing in the past decades: bribery, corruption, human rights issues, etc. Business ethics, as an academic discipline as well as a business practice, is becoming the focal point of waged and animated debate.The increasing attention on it generates many relative theories, among which Freeman’s stakeholder theory stands out. This paper, backed by Freeman’s stakeholder theory, conducts a case study of Simens’ violation of business ethics by analyzing its recent bribery scandal in Argentina. After a detailed analysis of the interests of Siemens’ stakeholders, it draws a conclusion of Siemens’ severe violation of business ethics, and thus suggests some solutions. ? ? Keywords : Simens Telecommunication; Business Bribery; Stakeholder Analysis.II. Literary Review usiness ethics is a form of applied ethics or professional ethic s that examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that arise in a business environment. To put it in a simple way, business ethics involves the application of standards of moral behavior to business situations. Despite the fact that the concept â€Å"business ethics† was firstly proposed in 1970s and hailed as oxymoron, it witnessed a waged and animated debate as well as increased public awareness ever since.On one hand, there is a huge growth of number of businessmen who realize that pure profit-oriented corporate operation can not stand permanently in a global market where customers’ ethic awareness is increasing; on the other hand, more and more companies find themselves time and again stuck in ethic dilemmas. For instance, bribery, as one of the notorious business ethical problems, has surfaced as important issues in an increasingly interdependent world economy. The increasing attention on business ethics not only takes place in business practices, b ut also in Author ? PhD, Professor of School of English for International Business, research member of Research Center for International Trade and Economics, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies (GDUFS), No. 2, North Baiyun Avenue, Guangzhou 510420, China. E-mail : [email  protected] com Author ? : Student of School of English for International Business, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies (GDUFS), No. 2, North Baiyun Avenue, Guangzhou 510420, China. B I. Introduction a) Concept of Stakeholder The term â€Å"stakeholder† was first used in a 1963 internal memorandum at the Stanford Research Institute.It was originally detailed by R. Edward Freeeman in the book Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach in 1984. What is a stakeholder? The earliest definition offered by an internal report of Standford Research Institute in 1963, they define it as those groups that directly influence the organization’s existence. Freeman continues to employ this term by further defining it as those groups that are so vital to the organization that they dominantly affect the organization’s survival and success and can also be affected by the actions of the business (Freeman, 1984).The term â€Å"stakeholder† is a variant of the familiar and traditional idea of stockholders—the investors in or the owners of business. It has experienced an evolution and progress in its scope and range. In the traditional view, the stockholders or the shareholders are the owners of the firm, therefore, a firm has binding fiduciary duty to give the top priority to stockholders by satisfying their needs in the first place and increasing their output. It is based on the inputoutput model in which firms have to only address wishes and benefits of parties closely pertinent to its operation: investors, mployees, suppliers, and customers (Donaldson and Preston, 1995). However, along with the growth of corporation, the scope and range of stakeholder also expand, w hich  © 2012 Global Journals Inc. (US) Global Journal of Management and Business Research Volume XII Issue XIII Version I academic fields. Scholars’ study on business ethics also gave birth to a famous theory: stakeholder theory, put forward by R. Edward Freeman, which in turn serves as the theoretical foundation of business ethics study. The theory attempts to address the â€Å"Principle of Who or What Really Counts† by identifying the stakeholders in business ethics practices.Based on business ethics and stakeholder theory, this paper proposes to conduct a case study by analyzing Siemens’ latest business ethics violation—the Bribery Scandal in Argentina. Following the analysis, suggestions pertinent to this issue are also put forward. 75 Year 2012 A Case Study of Siemens’ Violation of Business Ethics in Argentine Based On Stakeholder Theory is typically presented in Freeman’s stakeholder theory. 76 theory of organizational management and business ethics that addresses morals and values in managing an organization.It identifies and models the groups which are stakeholders of a corporation, and both describes and recommends methods by which management can give due regard to the interests of those groups. In short, it attempts to address the â€Å"Principle of Who or What Really Counts. In Freeman’s stakeholder theory, stakeholder are not only those people who have direct stakes in the firm but also those who are equivalently influential as well, especially in affecting reputation and public image, but their stake is more representational of public than direct.Stakeholder theory argues that every legimate person or group participating in the activities of a firm do so to obtain benefits and that the priority of the interests of all legitimate stakeholders is not self-evident. From this perspective, the groups of stakeholders expand to government and social institutions etc. In his book Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach, Freeman outlines groups of stakeholder in both internal and external environment. Internal stakeholders are as follows: employees, managers, and owners.External stakeholders are: suppliers, customers, society, government, creditor, shareholders, competitors, communities, academics, NGOs or activists, environmentalists, media, etc. As in Freeman’s Strategic Management: a Stakeholder Approach, the stakeholder theory is a theory of organizational management and business ethics that addresses morals and values in managing an organization. It identifies and models the groups which are stakeholders of a corporation, and both describes and recommends methods by which management can give due regard to the interests of those groups.In short, it attempts to address the â€Å"Principle of Who or What Really Counts. In Freeman’s stakeholder theory, stakeholder are not only those people who have direct stakes in the firm but also those who are equivalently in fluential as well, especially in affecting reputation and public image, but their stake is more representational of public than direct. Stakeholder theory argues that every legitimate person or group participating in the activities of a firm do so to obtain benefits and that the priority of the interests of all legitimate stakeholders is not self-evident.From this perspective, the groups of stakeholders expand to government and social institutions etc. In his Strategic Management-Analytical Methods for Stakeholder Management, Freeman (1984) clearly comes out with the stakeholder management theory which refers to the management activities  © 2012 Global Journals Inc. (US) b) Freeman’s Stakeholder Theory As in Freeman’s Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach, the stakeholder theory is a Global Journal of Management and Business Research Volume XII Issue XIII Version I management of an enterprise carries out to balance the stake requirements of stakeholders.Compar ed to the traditional shareholders supremacists, this theory holds that the development of any enterprise is closely related to the investment and participation of each stakeholder and the pursuit of an enterprise is the entire stake of all stakeholders instead of some major stakes. Stakeholders not only include the shareholders, creditors, employees, consumers, suppliers etc. of the enterprise, but also pressure groups such as government, local residents, local communities, medias, environmentalists etc. even the natural environment, future generations etc. who may be directly or indirectly affected by the operation of the enterprise.These stakeholders are closely related to the development of the enterprise, they share the operation risk of the enterprise, some pay a cost for the operation of the enterprise, some supervise and constrain the enterprise, and the decisions of the enterprise must take their stakes into consideration and accept their constraints. In this sense an enter prise is the institutional arrangement of intelligence and management professionalization investment, the development of an enterprise relies on the quality of responses to the requirements of each stakeholder instead of only shareholders.This corporate management idea explains the corporate performance appraisal and the core of management, which lies foundation for the later theory of performance appraisal Year 2012 c) Stakeholder Theory and CSR CSR The Effect of Stakeholder Theory in the Study of The are many common grounds between CSR and stakeholder theory as both are concerned about the relatioship between the enterprises and their shareholders and the enterprises and individuals and social group apart from their stareholders; however the two are different concerpts. What they study and care are problems of different levels and categories.CSR considers the influence of enterprises on society from the perspective of the whole society and care the relationship between enterprises and the society; while stakeholder theory care more about the relationship between enterprises and stakeholders from the perspective of the enterprises. Ever since the establishment of CSR its supporters spread from various institutions, scholars and ordinary people, which helps in the development of CSR. However this theory encountered lots of problems in practice, and needs further study and improvement.In the process of seeking solution to these problems, we usually introduce stakeholder theory to help to resolve those problems. i. Modification of Shareholder Primacy Theory by The biggest barrier to the implementation of CSR is the Shareholder Primacy rule to some extent, Friedman et. holds that the only purpose for the Stakeholder Theory A Case Study of Siemens’ Violation of Business Ethics in Argentine Based On Stakeholder Theory Economic Social Quality Investors Social Welfare Suppliers Legal Customers Enterprises Moral Environment Resources EmployeesWorld Sustainable Development Cultural Figure 2 : 1 Theoretical Model of CSR Source : Freeman, R. E: Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach [M]. Boston, Pitman Press, 1984  © 2012 Global Journals Inc. (US) Global Journal of Management and Business Research Volume XII Issue XIII Version I existence of enterprises is to maximize the profit and shareholder benefits. Their three interrelated propositions are a. shareholders should reserve the right to control the enterprise; b. managers are entrusted the responsibility to singley serve the interest of shareholders; c. he object of enterprises is to maximize the wealth of shareholders; while stakeholder theory holds that i, stakeholders who are affected by the enterprise have the right to participate enterprise decision-making; ii, managers are entrusted with the responsibility to serve the interests of all stakeholders; iii, the object of enterprises is to enhance the interests of all stakeholder not just shareholders’. Stakeholder theory holds that enterprises are ‘contract unities’ consisted of many a stakeholders and the investment comes not just shareholders but also employees, suppliers and creditors of the enterprise.Shareholders provide the material captial and other stakeholders provide not only material capital but also human capital which is equivalent to material capital in term of significance particularly in today’s knowledge economy. And in some aspects the siginificance human capital exceeds the siginificance of material capital. Enterprises are not simply the ‘aggregation’ of material capital any more but a kind of ‘institutional arrangement of goverance and management of professional investment’ and in essence they are the aggregations of various contracts.The risks of enterprises should not just be bore by shareholders ii. Indentification of Subjects for Shouldering Social Viewing from the various definitions of CSR, it is easy to conclude that the benef icaries of enterprises’ shouldering social responsibilities are people of the society including investors, employees, clients, creditors and beneficiaries of environement and resources, social security and welfare etc. Through shouldering corresponding social responsibilities and taking social benefits as target range, enterprises can maximize their contributions to the sustainable development.And the responsibilities they take are legal, economic, moral, cultural aspects, however today there still lots of people stand against CSR. Responsibility and Defining Responsibilities 77 Year 2012 and other stakeholders should also share the risks, as a result the owners of enterprisers should not be confined to shareholders and all the stakeholders are the owners of enterprises. The rights of stakeholders are equal and independent, they jointly own the enterpises.While challenging the shareholder priamcy principle, stakeholder theory clears the way for the development of CSR theory i n that CSR theory has long been holding that the only mission of enterprises to increase shareholder interests should be changed and thinks that enterprises should view problems from a higher ground and consider their relations with all the stakehoders, the entire society and shoulder some social responsibility. A Case Study of Siemens’ Violation of Business Ethics in Argentine Based On Stakeholder TheoryYear 2012 They start from the point where the subjects and contents of obligations of corporate social responsibility are vague and think that enterprises should not shoulder social responsibilities. Some business and law scholars even think there is not subjects for corporate social responsibility in that there are no satisfactory answers for questions such as the whom should enterprises responsible for, whom can be the subjects that urges enterprises to shoulder responsibilities?To vaguely say that customers, ordinary people and the social communities these enterprises belo ng to is not enough because the groups can hardly be obligees to exist meanwhile they also hold that the content of social responsibilities is also vague. Currently the understanding of stakeholders generally include the first class stakeholders that affect the existence of enterprises, and the secondary stakeholders who do not affect the existence of enterprises or are affected by the enterprises.Though the definition is extensive, it indentifies stakeholders as shown in the following basic framework: investors, employees, customers, suppliers, creditors, trade associations, local communities, political groups etc. Government Investors Creditors 78 Global Journal of Management and Business Research Volume XII Issue XIII Version I Suppliers Customers Enterprises Trade Associations Employees Communities Figure 2 : 2 Theoretical Model of Stakeholder Theory Source : Freeman, R. E: Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach [M].Boston, Pitman Press, 1984 Many foreign scholars studying CSR and stakeholder theory holds that stakeholder theory can be introduced to the study of CSR, Carroll (1991) thinks that stakeholder theory should be applied to the study of CSR and it can be used to identify the orientation of CSR, and by the identification of each relevant stakeholder group the range of CSR can be identified. Clarkson (1995) stakeholder theory can provide a ‘theoretical framework’, in which CSR can be identified as the relations between enterprises and stakeholders, for the study of CSR.Just as Evan and Freeman (1993) had it that ‘though it cannot replace CSR, stakeholder theory can be regarded as an important condition for the study of CSR and it can specify the subjects the enterprises should be responsible for’. In this stage when the theoretical research of CSR still needs to be carried further, we can adopt stakeholder theory to  © 2012 Global Journals Inc. (US) define the range of responsibilities enterprises should carry. This is both possible and necessary and enterprises can be responsible for each stakeholders in the framework of stakeholder theory. ii. Case Description Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. Siemens and its subsidiaries employ approximately 420,800 people across nearly 190 countries. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company with activities in the fields of industry, energy and healthcare. It is organized into six main divisions: Industry, Energy, Healthcare, Equity Investments, Siemens IT Solutions and Services and Siemens Financial Services (SFS).A Case Study of Siemens’ Violation of Business Ethics in Argentine Based On Stakeholder Theory For government, iv. Case Analysis Bribery has been defined as â€Å"the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of something of value for the purpose of influencing the action of an official in the discharge of his or her public or legal duties. â⠂¬  (Fritzsche, 1998). The bribe is the gift bestowed to influence the recipient's conduct and the outcomes of decisions wherein the nature and extent of the influence are not made public. The item of value may be direct payments of money or property.It may also be in the form of a kickback after a deal has been completed. It may be any money, good, right in action, property, preferment, privilege, emolument, object of value, advantage, or merely a promise or undertaking to induce or influence the action, vote, or influence of a person in an official or public capacity. Based on Freeman’s stakeholder theory, the first step in the analysis of this case is to identify the a) Stakeholders of Siemens Firstly, the bribery would reduce freedom of choice by altering the conditions under which a decision is made.Its appeal of additional gains for some government officials would lure them to select the less attractive alternative which provides less total satisfaction. By doing so, i t adversely would disrupt the official’s decision and undermined fair competition among the industry. If the De La Rua administration’s doubt that the cost of each electronic ID reported by Siemens was twice what the government estimated is true, then the government has to pay the price for the hidden payment with more governmental expenditure, which leads to a greater loss of money of the government.Secondly, it would damage the authority, prestige and force of laws and regulations. The bribery circumvented the legal system and obtained illegal interest, which is a contempt against laws and is detrimental to the implementation of laws. Thirdly, it would undermines attempts by governments to improve the overall wealth of the nation, diminish the image of government and governing party, and further lose people’s trust.  © 2012 Global Journals Inc. (US) Global Journal of Management and Business Research Volume XII Issue XIII Version I On Dec. 3, 2011, The Securi ties and Exchange Commission charged seven former Siemens executives with violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) for their involvement in the company's decade-long bribery scheme in Argentina to retain a $1 billion government contract to produce national identity cards for Argentine citizens. According to the SEC's complaint filed in U. S. District Court in Manhattan, the scheme lasted from approximately 1996 to early 2007. Initially, in the 1990s, Menem government planned to implement all national electronic ID cards, known as Documentos Nacionales de Identidad (DNI) for every Argentine citizen.In order to obtain the contract which is total of 1. 26 billion U. S. dollars, Siemens bribed Argentine government officials with 70 million U. S. dollars through intermediary. Menem government finally signed the contract with Siemens in 1998. But a change in Argentine political administrations foiled the contract: after the next President Fernando De La Rua came into office, som e officials questioned the contract on the ground that the cost of each electronic ID reported by siemens was twice what the government estimated. Therefore, the government announced the suspension and cancellation of the contract.In a political change and economic crisis, Duhalde succeeded De La Rua as the president. During his term of office, Simens was told by the intermediary that a 27 million U. S. dollars bribery could â€Å"resurrect the contract†. In order to revive the contract, Siemens paid additional bribes in a failed effort to Kirchner government until 2004. When the company later instituted an arbitration proceeding to recover its costs and expected profits from the canceled contract, Siemens paid additional bribes to suppress evidence that the contract originally had been obtained through corruption. elevant stakeholders and determine the positive and negative impacts on the stakeholders. The stakeholders affected by Siemens’ bribery in this case include Simens’ stockholders; Siemens’ employees; Siemens’ supplier; Local community; the Argentine government; Argentine community; Simens’ competitor; Siemens’ competitors’ employees and stockholders. For Siemens’ stockholders, the contract with the Argentine government would increase profit and gain market share for them. Even though bribery was needed to win the contract, the profit yielded in the contract can not only cover the bribery but also trigger more.For Siemens’ employees, the profit yielded from the contract would also benefit themselves a lot. It is likely that their pay got increase, bonus and allowance met a growth, working environment had much improvement etc. For Siemens’ suppliers, the growth of Siemens means the growth of themselves as long as they are in a cooperative business relationship. The increase of Siemens’ business would lead to more orders to Siemens and more profit for them. For the local community, the contract would bring cascade effect: it would create more jobs for local people.The local community would benefit from the employment of its citizens which would bring money into the community and provide additional tax revenues. The prosper of Simens’ business can also cast a positive influence to relative industries. b) Impact on stakeholders 79 Year 2012 A Case Study of Siemens’ Violation of Business Ethics in Argentine Based On Stakeholder Theory For Argentine community, 80 Global Journal of Management and Business Research Volume XII Issue XIII Version I From the perspective of whole economy system and environment, it would: ?. inder fair and just competition and disrupt the order of the whole economic system. Instead of gain market share with quality, businesses would turn to shortcuts like relationship with government officials ?. Result in allocating more resources to a less desirable alternative. The failure of the allocation system would lead to stagnation of technology, service and the whole industry structure. ?. Increase the cost of transaction, and do harm to public’s interest. The higher cost would result in higer prices or even monopoly. From the whole society, it would: ?. Cast damage to social redit and rot the social conduct. On one hand, the prevalence of bribery destroys the mutual trust and equity of businesses; on the other hand, businesses with good compliance to laws are suppressed and discouraged. ?. Violate code of ethics. ?. Breed more and more relative crimes. Bribery is always accompanied with business secret theft, deception and evasion of taxes. For Argentine people, the greater expense on the ID project would result in more outflow of taxpayers money from their pocket in that the misconduct and wrongdoings of officials would be shared by all the community.The bribery would harm taxpayers as well as undermine public support for governments. For Siemens’ competitors, Siemens’ bri bery would deprive them of fair competition in this project, and further distort trade The loss of the competitors is invisible, though, but solid. For Siemens’ stockholders, employees and local community, the loss of the contract would provide lower profits for the stockholders, fewer jobs for the employees and less money in the competitors’ local community.Taking the interest of all stakeholders into account, Siemens violated business ethics seriously, even though it brought some illegal benefits to its own stockholders. V. different actions of organization. The four stages are: ethical awareness, ethical reasoning, ethical action, and ethical leadership. i. Ethical awareness Ethic Awareness is the foundation of an ethical climate. Through ethical awareness, employees learn how to identify problems and how to resolve them. In this stage, code of conduct must be established to support ethic awareness.Formal statement that defines how the organization expects and requi res employees to resolve ethical questions must be delivered. A code of conduct typically addresses issues pertaining to; preferred style of dress, avoiding illegal drugs, following instructions of superiors, being reliable and prompt, maintaining confidentiality, not accepting personal gifts from stakeholders as a result of company role, avoiding racial or sexual discrimination, avoiding conflict of interest. ii.Ethical reasoning Since codes of conduct cannot detail a solution for every ethical situation, so corporations provide training in ethical reasoning. Courses in Ethical Reasoning teach employees to reason in a principled way about moral and political beliefs and practices, and to deliberate and assess claims for themselves about ethical issues. Students examine the competing conceptions and theories of ethical concepts such as the good life, obligation, rights, justice, and liberty with a focus on developing the ability to assess and weigh the reasons for and against adopti ng them to address concrete ethical dilemmas.Employees in these courses may encounter a value system very different from their own that calls attention to their own ethical assumptions. iii. Ethical action Ethical action involves helping employees recognize and reason through ethical problems and turning them into ethical actions. It takes preparing, assessing, deciding, implementing, and reflecting. Whenever employees encounter ethical dilemmas or problems, Siemens should help them out by applying their code of conduct to practice: identifying the issues, assessing them, deciding solutions, implementing solutions and reflecting them.The current Siemens’ bribery scandal is good example for its employees to review and retrospect the ethical problems concerning bribery, and encourages them to probe into the hidden reasons and seek more proper solutions. iv. Ethical leadership In this stage, executives must demonstrate ethical behavior in their actions. Leaders are first and for emost members of their organizations and stakeholder groups. Since they hold most of the senior positions and are decision makers, their values, vision and ethical standard case great impact on subordinates and thus impact the whole organization. To shape Year 2012 Suggestion organizational ethicalSiemens’ bribery scandal is by no means the first violation of business ethics. Back to 2008, its decades-long bribery scheme with 1. 3 billion U. S. dollars shocked the world. Subsequently, it was accused of posting business secret of competitors. Its continuous scandal is an indication that Siemens fails to form an ethical corporate culture and ethical environment. To make a change of the current scandal and prevent any further ones, shaping organizational ethical environment should be Siemens’ top priority. Shaping organizational ethical environment goes through four stages, each of which demands  © 2012 Global Journals Inc. (US) ) Internally: shaping environment A Case Study of Siemens’ Violation of Business Ethics in Argentine Based On Stakeholder Theory ethical conduct in an organization, leaders’ behavior, actions are needed to demonstrate their support and determination. In Siemens’ bribery scandal, most of the unethical behaviors were conducted by senior executives, which attribute the frequent news of its violation of business ethics. Thus, in Siemens, to shape ethical conduct and maintain ethical culture, leaders must firstly own their ethical criteria and behave ethically accordingly. Apart from the internal improvement, external supervision is also in need.The external supervision involves first and foremost the initiatives aiming to combat bribery. These initiatives include: †¢ Foreign Corrupt Practices Acts †¢ The OECD Anti-Bribery Convention †¢ The UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) †¢ Transparency International To counter bribery, wider cooperation must be conducted between countries and these conventions and organizations. Under the globally accepted guidance and principles, Signatories countries must adopt national legislation to fight against bribery. Government should take regular review of business’ and officials’ compliance to these laws by establishing stricter supervision system.Secondly, external supervision involves power of media. Media is the oral power of reining any unethical behavior. Thus, media should pay more close attention on business ethical issues, track and make more exposure of unethical firms, and encourage those ethical ones. Thirdly, the whole society should also participate in this campaign. When the whole society establish a common principle of â€Å"zero tolerance† to bribery, and monitor it ceaselessly, businesses dare not commit bribery because of their consideration of corporate image.The more and more serious social attitude towards bribery would make businesses think twice before they leap. VI. References Refer ences Referencias 1. Carroll, Buchholtz (2002). â€Å"Business& Society: Ethics and Stakeholder Management†. Mason. Thomson Learning. 2. Freeman. R. E (1984). â€Å"Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Theory†. Boston, MA: Pitman. 3. Freeman. R. E (1991). â€Å"Business Ethics: The State of The Art†. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 4. Fritzsche. D. J (1998). â€Å"Business Ethics: A Global and Managerial Perspective†. New York: McGrawHill. 5. Li, Y.H (2011). China Coporate Citizenship AntiCorruption and Anti- Bribery Research Report. The Coporate Social Responsibility. 6(1), pp. 42-51. 6. Mitchell. C (2009). â€Å"Internatinal Business Ethics†. Petaluma: World Trade Press. 7. Mitchell. C (2000). â€Å"Internatinal Business Cultures†. Petaluma: World Trade Press. 8. Weiss. J. W (2003). â€Å"Business Ethics: A Stakeholder and Issues Management Approach†. Beijng: China Renmin University Press. Conclusion This paper conducts a case study of Siemens’ violation of business ethics by employing Freeman’s stakeholder theory.Based on Freeman’s theory, stakeholders of a firm should not only include its stockholders, instead, it covers a wide range from its internal employees to external suppliers, government, society, and even competitors. In the case of Simens’ bribery scandal in Argentina, the present author outlines its stakeholders and conducts a detailed analysis of the impact of Simens’ bribery on each stakeholder. The conclusion follows the analysis is that Siemens seriously violated business ethics by terribly detrimenting the interest of its stakeholders.  © 2012 Global Journals Inc. (US)Global Journal of Management and Business Research Volume XII Issue XIII Version I Year 2012 b) Externally: strengthening supervision The analysis of Siemens’ unethical bribery scandal also triggers the author’s further discussion about an international issue: bribery Bribery, as one of the notorious business ethical problems, has surfaced as important issues in an increasingly interdependent world economy. No longer seen purely as a morality play, the accepted world view of corruption and bribery today is that they hinder competition, distort trade and harm consumers and taxpayers as well as undermine public support for governments.Therefore, to fight against bribery, suggested solutions are also provided. On one hand, internal ethical environment shaping is of urgent need; Simens should immediately follow the four stages of the structure of ethical environment from ethical awareness to ethical leadership to improve its current ethical predicament. on the other hand, external supervision and cooperation from international and 81 national community to media is also in demand. Although business ethics is in an actual fact as old as business, however, it didn’t got enough attention until 1970s.As the ethical problems keep surfacing and disrupting the b usiness order, business ethics, as an academic discipline as well as a business practice, is on its way of gaining momentum. To probe into it and make this oxymoron a better guide of business code of conduct, more and more efforts are still in much need. A Case Study of Siemens’ Violation of Business Ethics in Argentine Based On Stakeholder Theory Global Journal of Management and Business Research Volume XII Issue XIII Version I Year 2012 82 This page is intentionally left blank  © 2012 Global Journals Inc. (US)