Readings In Social Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Readings In Social Science - Essay Example Through adapting these works toward the social commentary of the day, we find that in the same article of work by The Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy is that â€Å"Mill's defense of the view that we ought to pursue happiness because we do pursue happiness, has been the object of savage attack by, among others, F. H. Bradley in his Ethical Studies 1874 and G. E. Moore in Principia Ethica 1903.† This would be aptly served by the situation of today’s social policies in that it seems quite apparent in how his insight many years ago would have been a service to those governing today. â€Å"But others have argued that on this particular point, Mill was misinterpreted by his critics. His insistence that happiness was to be assessed not merely by quantity but by quality - the doctrine that a dissatisfied Socrates is not only better than a satisfied fool but somehow happier, too - has puzzled generations of commentators† (Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy). Taking the abo ve statement into consideration, it would be evident that the social system of governance that is clearly applicable today has been influenced partly in what Mill parlayed in his writings. It is a mandate of the social reformists to make society economically grounded through necessity and not indulgence. Adding to the fears of the time and how America was starting to engage in over-indulgences brought on by the industrial revolution, â€Å"Mill feared that it was also a society that cared nothing for individual liberty.†... Adding to the fears of the time and how America was starting to engage in over-indulgences brought on by the industrial revolution, "Mill feared that it was also a society that cared nothing for individual liberty." (Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy). This thinking would lead to a lack of "civil liberties" as Mill quoted in his writings On Liberty written in 1859. Through the lack of civil liberties "Mill lays down "one very simple principle" to govern the use of coercion in society - and by coercion he means both legal penalties and the operation of public opinion" (Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy) and through this analogy Mill points out that society needs to follow the utilitarian viewpoint on self-discretion and self-denial. Utilitarianism and Its Impact Utilitarianism is defined by the Bentham ideology a "a moral theory according to which an action is right if and only if it conforms to the principle of utility." (Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy) This basically means that an action is only correct in its definition if it relates to the consequences of that action. It is perceived that happiness of self applies to the welfare of self and utilitarian law implicates that happiness equates to the welfare of those best affected. The application of the word utilitarianism has been replaced by consequentialism by devotees of the movement. Mill's Theories of Influence It is apparent early philosophers had a great deal of influence over Mill and his social rhetoric on his viewpoints about social reform, but, there are those who have been guided by Mill themselves which include such individuals as: John Rawls, Robert Nozick, Karl Popper, Ronald Dworkin, H.L.A. Hart, Peter Singer. One such individual, John Rawls, was such a profound philosopher with respect

Themes in Romeo and Juliet Essay Example for Free

Themes in Romeo and Juliet Essay The story of Romeo and Juliet continues to interest and engage viewers and readers to the present day. One of the reasons for this may be that it explores universal themes which are still of interest and concern to everyday people. The play makes us think about issues, such as love, loyalty to one’s family and friends, authority, and fate. Each of these themes is discussed below in relation to the play. Loyalty Romeo and Juliet contains many examples of loyalty of one person or group to another person or group. Loyal actions in the play do not always have positive results and cannot always be seen to have been the best course of action. At times, as we see in the opening of the play, loyalty can lead to violence and people behaving dishonestly or wrongly. Student Tasks 1. In your groups, discuss and decide on a definition of loyalty. In your answer consider the following: What is loyalty and how does a loyal person behave? Where does loyalty start and stop? 2. Think of at least three examples of when a person or group shows loyalty in Romeo and Juliet. Write down: a. Who was loyal to whom? b. How they were loyal—what did they do that showed loyalty? c. What the result of their actions—did their loyalty have positive or negative outcomes in the end? 3. Using the scenes of Romeo and Juliet that we have studied in class, find three quotations that show that a character is feeling torn or pulled in two directions by their loyalties. Write down the quotation and explain what it shows about the character and to whom they are loyal. Authority Authority is illustrated and explored in Romeo and Juliet. In Shakespeare’s time, authority was very closely linked in people’s minds to the natural  order of the world and to the will of God. For example, the authority of the king or queen was believed to be given to them by God. Therefore, anyone who went against the authority of the king or queen would be considered to be committing a crime or sin against the wishes of God. People who went against authority were seen as going against the natural order and many people believed that this could only end in disaster. Student Tasks 4. There are many other words related to the word ‘authority’. For example: authoritarian, authorize, authoritative. Look up each of these words and find out what form of word that they are, for example, noun, adjective, adverb. Write a brief definition for each of the words including the word ‘authority’. 5. Find and write down three examples from the play where one person or group has authority over another group. 6. Describe three situations in the play when a person or group disobeys authority. What is the end result in each situation? Which of these examples of disobedience are the most serious ones in your opinion? 7. Are there any situations in Romeo and Juliet where people in authority do not do their jobs properly? For example, do the people in authority always carry out their jobs as carefully and as well as they should? 8. What message or idea do you think Shakespeare might have wanted to say in Romeo and Juliet about the nature of authority and about obeying authority? Love Love in Romeo and Juliet is presented almost as a disease that makes you physically ill and that makes you behave in a foolish way. Student Tasks 9. Read the two statements about the theme of love in Romeo and Juliet. As  a group, choose the statement that you agree with more and find quotations and examples from the play to support your opinion. Be prepared to contribute your ideas to a class discussion. a. â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† is one of the greatest love stories of all times.† b. â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† is more about passion, hate, and the importance of obedience than it is about love.† Fate versus free will In Shakespeare’s time, fate was seen as your personal fortune or destiny that was predetermined by God. You could escape or avoid it. Your fate was said to be aligned with the stars (that is why astrologers have such importance for some people). On the other hand, there is free will. This is where a person takes control and makes his or her own destiny thereby changing the will of God. This was seen as a sin. Student Tasks 10. Write down three examples of fate or free will from Romeo and Juliet. 11. What message was Shakespeare trying to convey about fate and free will?

The Ancient Concept Of Diplomatic Immunity And Relations Across Borders Law Essay

The Ancient Concept Of Diplomatic Immunity And Relations Across Borders Law Essay INTRODUCTION Diplomatic immunity is considered as an ancient concept concerning relations across borders. It even dates back to Ancient Greece and Rome. Today, it is a principle that has been codified into the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961 and this regulates past customs and practices. Indeed, as the ICJ indicated in US v. Iran  [1]  , a large number of the provisions of the Convention reflect customary international law. Moreover, it was found that almost all disputes relating to diplomatic law could be resolved by referring to the Convention or the obligations contained in it. The term Diplomatic immunity and privileges connotes a form of legal immunity and a policy held between governments. This aims at ensuring that  diplomats  are safe in the host State and that they are not liable to  lawsuit  or  prosecution  under the laws of the receiving State. It is noteworthy to state that there is a distinction between an immunity and a privilege but these are known to have been used interchangeably  [2]  . Various authors like Morton, Stefko and Makowski have tried to distinguish between the meanings. Although each of them described the terms in his own words, they basically have a common denominator. Privileges can be defined as benefits or rights that other persons do not have while Immunities can be considered as exemptions from the jurisdiction of the law of the receiving State.  [3]   The traditional tasks of the diplomats can be summarised as follows: analytical assessment of the receiving State, protection of citizens of the sending State who are present in the host State and relation building between the two States. However, today, diplomats also deal with issues such as the promotion of trade, peacemaking, environmental concerns, nuclear weapons and drug abuse across borders amongst others. According to Brownlie, diplomacy exists to create and maintain communication between States so that objectives regarding commercial, political and legal activities can be pursued.  [4]  It can be argued that, today, instantaneous communication can be made via modern devices. Yet, long-distance communication can in no way rival the personal and confidential meetings between the representative of the sending State and the Government of the receiving State. As such, diplomats are granted some immunities and privileges to perform the tasks to which they are accredited efficiently.  [5]   Unfortunately, diplomats started overusing or abusing of the immunities and privileges they were benefitting from. Indeed, immunities ranging from personal immunity from jurisdiction to the inviolability of the diplomatic bag led to abuses of the protection afforded by the VCDR. Furthermore, since the staff and families of diplomatic officials also enjoy privileges and immunities, there were abuses by them also. Hence, members of diplomatic missions and their families are immune from local punishment and they seem to be above the local law. Although the VCDR provides remedies against diplomats, staff and families who commit abuses, it seems that these are not enough to suppress wrongdoings. Nevertheless, the receiving States are not left to their misfortune without remedies. Indeed, certain measures are provided for in the VCDR to hinder the condemnable acts of the diplomats such as the declaration that the diplomat is persona non grata. Additionally, various acts in the UK, the US and the Republic of South Africa will be analysed in order to show which measures were taken by a few Governments to try to curb diplomatic abuses. Without any doubt, the VCDR did not prepare for some eventualities and measures to deter the unwarranted acts by diplomats are lacking. Although it would be difficult to totally eliminate the abuses, measures can be taken to reduce them considerably. It is to be noted that only selected articles of the VCDR which deal with immunity, privileges and abuses will be dealt with in this dissertation. Moreover, for illustration and analysis purposes, some cases prior to 1961 will be used throughout the dissertation. This dissertation will firstly explore the history behind Diplomatic Relations and the theories which moulded diplomatic immunity and privileges (Chapter 1). Secondly, the different types of immunities and privileges granted to diplomats will be elaborated upon (Chapter 2). Next, abuses by diplomatic agents and their families will be dealt with (Chapter 3). Furthermore, an overview on existing measures to curb abuses will follow (Chapter 4). Finally, several suggestions have been put forward to hinder such abuses (Chapter 5). Ó Ãƒâ€œÃ‚ Ãƒâ€œÃ‚ Ãƒâ€œÃ‚ Ãƒâ€œÃ‚ Ãƒâ€œÃ‚  Ó Ãƒâ€œÃ‚  CHAPTER 1: HISTORICAL ORIGIN AND SOURCES OF LAW OF DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY Modern Diplomatic Law was shaped by events and ideas since time immemorial. According to some authors  [6]  , diplomatic immunity existed since the era of cavemen -who would probably communicate with one another to draw the limits of their hunting grounds. This chapter will deal with the most important parts of the historical development of diplomatic relations (1.1). Then, the VCDR will be analysed (1.2). Eventually, an overview will follow on other important sources of Diplomatic Law (1.3). HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS There were many stages of development of diplomatic relations in the past (1.1.1). As from antiquity itself, modern forms of protection were given to envoys. It is found that diplomatic relations were also influenced by Natural Law from the 12th to the 17th century and positivist writers after the 17th century.  [7]  Finally, there were also theroies which shaped diplomatic immunity (1.1.2). DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS IN THE PAST The preamble of the VCDR states that: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Recalling that peoples of all nations from ancient times have recognized the status of diplomatic agentsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Building on this statement, it is affirmed that Diplomatic Immunity has undeniably been a facet of diplomatic relations for countless years. In fact, it is regarded as one of the oldest branches of International Law. Indeed, since time immemorial, envoys were selected and sent to forward messages, obtain replies and give report on news from receiving States. Necessity was a principle which forced most States to give diplomats protection, both within the host State and in States of transit.  [8]   In Antiquity, diplomatic immunity was regarded as a divine right. The main factors ensuring immunity and privileges were culture, language and religion. The ideas and customs of the Roman community concerning immunity have been categorically established and these created the foundation of modern practices. The earliest record of organised diplomatic law is found in Ancient Greece whereby the Greek Government gave special status to foreign representatives.  [9]   During the Renaissance, scholars and others laid emphasis on the idea that Natural Law gave a strong argument for the protection of envoys during their official functions.  [10]  The most important principle of the Naturalist doctrine was that of necessity; it was necessary to protect ambassadors because of the importance of their functions.  [11]  Grotius, a naturalist writer, arrived at the conclusion that immunity was based on Natural Law; he argued that the safety of diplomats was far more important than any advantage which could be derived from the punishment of his crimes. His security would be challenged if he were to be prosecuted by States other than the sending State.  [12]   By the 19th century, Natural law declined and there was a shift to positive law. One positivist theorist, Van Bynkershoek, pointed out that the law of Nations was based on the common consent between Nations through international customs or through treaties. He continued by expanding the concept of immunity and justifying it, whether there were questionable acts or not, by saying that an ambassador acted through wine and women, through favours and foul devices  [13]  . Certainly, the evolution of diplomatic relations did not stop here. Immunities and privileges developed partly as a result of sovereign immunity and the independence and equality of States.  [14]  Further, as there were more and more permanent missions as compared to ad hoc ones, Sovereigns accepted the importance of ambassadors to negotiate and collect information.  [15]  In 1815, it is found that Vienna was the first site of a Congress for diplomatic agents. Next, the first international attempt to codify the Diplomatic Law was in 1895 with the Draft Convention of the Institute of International Law.  [16]   In 1927, the League of Nations Committee of Experts for the Progressive Codification of International Law made a report analysing existing customary law of diplomatic privileges and immunities. This aimed at providing a temporary instrument until a more comprehensive codification could be written.  [17]  Eventually, Diplomatic Law further progressed with the Havana Convention on Diplomatic Officers 1928. According to its preamble, diplomats should not claim immunities which were not fundamental in performing his official tasks. THEORIES WHICH SHAPED DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY With a further step towards modern immunity with the creation of resident or permanent embassies, three theories were developed and these moulded diplomatic law since the 16th century.  [18]  These theories are Exterritoriality, Personal Representation and Functional Necessity. Each played a prominent role during different periods in history. (a) PERSONAL REPRESENTATION The basis of this theory was that diplomats received immunity as if they were the foreign sovereign. This was out of respect and avoided any form of conflict as the sending State was pleased. In other words, a diplomats immunity arose because he was an extension of the ruler sending him. The representative was treated as though the sovereign of that country was conducting the negotiations, making alliances or refusing requests  [19]  . The great theorists of the 16th and 17th century like Grotius, Van Bynkershoek, Wicquefort, Montesquieu and Vattel supported the use of this theory  [20]  . In The Schooner Exchange v McFaddon  [21]  , the Court held that, by regarding the ambassador as the sovereigns representative, it ensured their stature. If they were not accorded exemptions, every sovereign would cast a shadow on his own dignity when sending an ambassador to a foreign State. (b) EXTERRITORIALITY This theory is based on the Roman law principle whereby a man took his own lands law with him when he went to another land  [22]  . The crux of this theory is that the offices, property and homes of diplomats and even their persons were to be treated, throughout their stay, as though they were on the territory of the sending State. Any crimes committed by the members of that embassy could not be lawfully prosecuted in the receiving State. This theory soon developed and extended to the staff and family of diplomats. Authors like Emmerich de Vattel and James Lorimer emphasised that an ambassadors house and person are not domiciled in the receiving State, but in the sending State  [23]  . In King v Guerchy  [24]  , an English Court did not prosecute a French ambassador for an attempt to assassinate another Frenchman. The Court held that an ambassador owes no subjection to the Courts of the country to which he is sent. He is supposed, by a fiction of law, to be still resident in his own country  [25]  . In Taylor v Best  [26]  , Jervis CJ declared that the basis of privilege is that the ambassador is assumed to be in his own country. The Attorney-General in Magdalena Steam Navigation Co v Martin  [27]  expressed similar opinions. (c) FUNCTIONAL NECESSITY Functional necessity aims not only at allowing the individual diplomat to function freely and effectively, but also ensuring the efficient functioning of the diplomatic process as a whole. This requires the fullest protection be given even if the diplomat goes beyond his function  [28]  . This is based on the idea that immunity is necessary and recognised for the efficient functioning of the diplomat. This theory gained impetus due to the expansion of permanent resident embassies. It is incorporated in the VCDR as the dominant theory in the preamble. Functional necessity limits immunities and privileges to those functions performed by the diplomat in his official capacity. When performing an official task, diplomats need to be able to move freely and not be obstructed by the receiving State. They must be able to observe and report with confidence without the fear of being reprimanded  [29]  . This immunity may be understood to mean that diplomats may break the law of the receiving State in order to fulfil their functions. Grotius stresses that an ambassador must be free from all coercion in order to fulfil his duties  [30]  . Vattel placed the greatest emphasis on the theory in order for ambassadors to accomplish the object of their appointment safely, freely, faithfully and successfully by receiving the necessary immunities  [31]  . In the 18th century, the Lord Chancellor in Buvot v. Barbuit  [32]  declared that diplomatic privileges stem from the necessity that nations need to interact with one another. Similarly, in Parkinson v Potter  [33]  , the Court observed that an extension of exemption from jurisdiction of the Courts was essential to the duties that the ambassador has to perform. THE VCDR  [34]   Further along the time-line, in 1961, an international treaty was born to codify the past practices: the VCDR. This is the main source of Diplomatic Law and which is embodied into a comprehensive and widely accepted international treaty which was signed by 179 parties. It was adopted on 18 April 1961 during the UN Conference on Diplomatic Intercourse and Immunities held in Vienna. This Convention bears testament to the efforts of States to reach agreement for the common good. Its provisions marked progression of custom into settled law and resolved areas of contention where practices conflicted  [35]  . The Convention contains 53 articles that govern the behaviour of diplomats, 13 of which address the issue of immunity. Due to the comprehensive formulation of a wide range of aspects of diplomatic law, the VCDR met with a lot of success. Indeed most states were satisfied because of the presence reciprocity  [36]  which renders each state both a sending and a receiving state. It is to be noted that diplomatic immunity should not be confused with Consular immunity  [37]  , State immunity, UN immunity  [38]  and international organisations immunity  [39]  . Importantly, the VCDR focuses only on permanent envoys and does not deal with ad hoc envoys which are covered by another Convention  [40]  . This section will deal with working towards the VCDR (1.2.1). For a better understanding of the VCDR, a brief study on the provisions of the VCDR will follow (1.2.2). 1.2.1 WORKING TOWARDS THE VCDR Before 1961, Diplomatic Law was, to a large extent, customary and it was accompanied by some attempts to codify certain rules  [41]  . None of those attempts addressed the field in sufficient detail. In 1957, following the General Assembly Resolution 685, the ILC accepted to prepare a draft Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The drafters had the burdensome task of incorporating the concerns of all countries involved in the early 1960s and a history dating as far as the first civilised settlements. The ILC requested information and opinions from governments so that a worthy document could be drafted. This was necessary in order to eliminate diverging views and customs. While formulating the Convention, the drafters also considered the absolute immunity granted to diplomats since ancient times. In 1961, the Conference was organised to discuss the draft and this was attended by 81 States and several international organisations as observers. These States were able to reach consensus on many issues. The VCDR, based on a series of draft articles, was agreed upon. It solved dissensions concerning State practice, made available additional rules and agreed that customs would govern field which were not dealt with in the VCDR  [42]  . It is to be noted that although the VCDR successfully codified several practices, not everyone got what they wanted. For instance, the US argued unsuccessfully for retaining many diplomatic privileges while other States like Italy and Argentina wanted limited immunity. Colombia, Egypt, India and Norway amongst others proposed the prohibiting of diplomatic personnel from engaging in commercial activity. 1.2.2 PROVISIONS OF THE VCDR  [43]   The VCDR provides certain immunities and privileges to different levels of diplomatic officials, their staff and families. For example, diplomats benefit from inviolability of their person, immunity from the law of the receiving state and inviolability of their property. Furthermore, the missions premises and documents are also protected from violation. The VCDR also grants many fiscal privileges and limited customs exemptions. Next, the VCDR gives definitions of some typical functions of the diplomatic mission such as representing the sending State in another state  [44]  . The VCDR also lays importance on the duties and rights of the receiving State. Examples are the rights to disapprove a potential head of mission, to decide that a member of the diplomatic mission is persona non grata and to limit the size of the mission amongst others. Additionally, the host state must protect the premises of the mission as well as its communications. Furthermore, the receiving state has to provide adequate facilities so that the mission can function smoothly. It is noteworthy to stress that an accredited person is not exempt from the obligation to obey local law. In fact, he is under an express duty to do so. OTHER IMPORTANT SOURCES OF DIPLOMATIC LAW Apart from the VCDR, Diplomatic Immunity is regulated by other sources of law. Indeed, they deal with aspects which are not covered under the main Convention. As such, there are Optional Protocols (1.3.1), a Convention covering the prevention and the punishment of internationally protected persons (1.3.2) and Municipal Law which is very important for States which are not directly influenced by International Law (1.3.3). 1.3.1 OPTIONAL PROTOCOLS During the UN Conference on Diplomatic Intercourse and Immunities held in Vienna, 2 Optional Protocols were also adopted. Countries may ratify the main treaty, that is, the VCDR, without necessarily ratifying these optional agreements. These are the Protocol: Concerning Acquisition of Nationality which mainly dictates that the Head of the mission, the staff of the Mission and their families shall not acquire the nationality of the receiving country. Concerning Compulsory Settlement of Dispute. In brief, disputes arising from the interpretation of the VCDR may be brought before the ICJ. As such, article 1 of that Protocol states that: Disputes arising out of the interpretation of the Convention shall lie within the compulsory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice and may accordingly be brought before the Court. 1.3.2 THE  UN CONVENTION ON THE PREVENTION AND PUNISHMENT OF CRIMES AGAINST INTERNATIONALLY PROTECTED PERSONS, INCLUDING DIPLOMATIC AGENTS 1973 (CPPCPP) The CPPCPP provides that States parties must consider attacks upon diplomats as crimes in internal law and obliges them to extradite or prosecute offenders. Also, in exceptional cases, a diplomat may be arrested or detained on the basis of self-defence or in the interests of protecting  human life in the receiving State. A series of kidnappings of senior diplomats occurred in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The object of the kidnappings was always to extract a particular demand from a government. The threat of the execution of a diplomat and the failure to fulfil the demand leads to the refusing government being held responsible for his death. As a consequence of the high incidence of political acts of violence directed against diplomats and other officials, the General Assembly of the UN adopted the CPPCPP. The foreseen offences are primarily murder, kidnapping, attacks upon the person, violent attacks upon official and private premises, and any threats or attempts to commit any of the above offences.  [45]   Nations ratifying the Prevention and Punishment Convention make these crimes punishable with appropriate penalties, which take into account the gravity of the offence and either extradite offenders or apply the domestic law. Where there is a threat to the safety of a diplomat, such as a mob attack or kidnapping, the receiving State should provide special protection, like an armed guard or bodyguards. 1.3.3 MUNICIPAL LAW Many states are not bound by international law. Indeed, there are rules that treaties made do not have direct effect in national law. As such, it is necessary that those provisions of the Conventions be transformed into municipal law. There are, therefore, a number of Acts of parliament which mirror the VCDR and which also complement it or substitute some of its provisions. In the UK, these include the Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987, providing that the consent of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs is required before land can become diplomatic or consular premises and giving him certain powers in respect of disused premises and the Diplomatic Privileges Act 1964 which reflects the provisions of the VCDR. In the Republic of South Africa, there is the Diplomatic Privileges Act  [46]  which repealed the Diplomatic Immunities Act of 1932 and the Diplomatic Immunities Amendment Act of 1934. In the Republic of Mauritius, the Constitution is the supreme law of the land  [47]  and International Law has no effects without ratification. As such, laws must be passed at parliamentary level, for example, the Consular Relations Act  [48]  reflecting the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations 1963 and the Diplomatic Relations Act  [49]  which reflects the VCDR. Ó Ãƒâ€œÃ‚ Ãƒâ€œÃ‚ Ãƒâ€œÃ‚ Ãƒâ€œÃ‚ Ãƒâ€œÃ‚  Ó Ãƒâ€œÃ‚ 

color purple :: essays research papers

Power of the Word While reading The Color Purple I was shocked by the development of Celie’s inner-self. Her entire being was defined by those around her. It appeared as if Celie had no hand in creating who she was. I could picture Shug, Mr., and Her father molding Celie’s body like a piece of clay until Celie truly believed she was an ugly, dumb, and worthless servant. It was shocking to see the destructive power of something as simple as words. Words seem to have the single handed ability to destroy life itself. The power of the word in The Color Purple particularly struck me because I was simultaneously reading The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. The Four Agreements is about the wisdom of the ancient Toltec. The Toltec is a way of thinking about life, and of filling ones life with happiness and love. According to Ruiz, the problem with most of us is that we have allowed the world around us to create our agreements for us. Our parents instilled beliefs—agreements—into us from the time we started trying to make sense of the world around us. And what we are—who each of us is as an individual human being—is determined by our agreements. Ultimately, who we are is defined by what we believe and our beliefs shape the world around us. In order to redefine ourselves the Toltec teaches that there are four agreements which we must learn to live by. The first and most important agreement is to be impeccable with your word. The word gives the power to create. The word creates the world around us and is therefore a tool of magic. However, as Ruiz says our word is a double-edged sword, and we can use it to create a beautiful dream, or we can use it to destroy everything around us. Misusing the word creates a living hell. Being impeccable with our word creates beauty, love, and heaven on earth. Ruiz continues to explain that the human mind is a fertile ground where opinions, ideas, and concepts are constantly being planted. Because the word is magic, humans are like magicians, and they are capable of casting spells. If the parents tell a child repeatedly that she is not very pretty, or that he is not very smart, the child will accept this as true. It will become an agreement in the mind of the child.

School Violence In Virgin Islands

School violence poses a great risk in the development of any nation but not only in the US as a whole or the Virgin Islands. School violence is a very serious problem especially in the public schools and it is both found in urban and sub urban areas of the Virgin Islands. It would a wasted effort to try to improve the quality of education without taking school violence as a serious problem, thus looking for ways to solve it no matter the quality of teachers we employ or the curriculum since violence makes learning difficult. School violence comes in very different forms which include; o Intimidation o Gang activity Use of guns and other dangerous weapons o Theft of lockers o Assault or o Anything that will cause a victim Victims of school violence could be teachers, students and members of non teaching staff and ranges from planned attacks to unintentional murders of by standers. There are nearly three million robberies and acts of violence happening in or in the neighborhoods of sch ool campuses yearly according to the National Crime survey of May 2001. This is about sixteen thousand occurrences per school per day and also almost all crimes against teenagers happen in schools or in the neighborhoods (Hurwitz, Menacker, Weldon, 1987 p5). The chances of a violent incident occurring in a school are increased if there is a student with a gun. Possession of guns by students while in school is a common occurrence and many parents are constantly worried about the safety of their kids who are in school. Around 15% of students in the Virgin Islands report the presence of gangs in their schools and many fear of being attacked while in school or on their way to the school and 61% of all crimes are committed by students (Boyer, 2008, p334). There is various prevention measures put in place in the Virgin Islands for controlling school violence. School safety is treated as a priority within each campus and the neighborhood. Programs encompassing parents, students, teachers, police officers, religious leaders, the courts and any other leader who is in charge of ethnic and racial balance in the community. These people help in determining case of planned violence and also setting up plans for stopping acts of violence before they happen. The school environment is set up in such a way that it creates a positive climate for the students. All employees in each school are encouraged to participate in creating this welcoming environment so as to eradicate any negativity in the students, since this goes a long way in reducing cases of violence. Schools have also established a procedures for tracking crimes and for record keeping, it records crime types, when, where and why they happened and any other important data. The data is then examined to determine the trends, the persons involved and any new patterns so as to come with measures of countering it (Furlong, Bates, Smith, 2004 pp240-263). Establishment of communication centers using the latest technologies for that is capable of getting in touch with the appropriate administrators in case of an emergency. These allows for quick response so as minimize chances of aggravating the injuries which might occur during the violence. Students who have the tendency of bringing weapons to school should be counseled, given the necessary support or referred to the suitable resources in the community and where necessary transferred to other schools. Probation officers are placed in campuses in communities experiencing severe cases of violence so as to give the students thorough supervision. Some of the above programs might fail to work in some communities but work in others because school settings are different from one school to the other. Students have formed groups which report any violence acts and the culprits. The youth contact patrols in their campuses and neighborhoods and are provided with adequate security without causing confrontations with those they find engaging in crime (United States District Court (Virgin Islands), 1982 pp290- 296). There is amicable solution of grievances which is done by using dialogue to end conflicts thus making sure that cases of revenge are minimized. This is because if some of these problems are not solved once and for all it might cause planned attacks which can happen even outside the school. Students are encouraged to engage in extra curricular activities during their free time so as to reduce the chances of getting themselves in to drugs, since this is a major cause for violence. Students who are found to be in drugs are counseled and advised to visit rehabilitation centers so that they quit these habits. Some of the traditional methods for crime prevention particularly in cases of indiscipline are limited either by the legislature or the judiciary but parents have the powers to determine the types of punishments to be administered to their children even if it is corporal punishment. It is also difficult to establish the measures that work best due to the fact that schools are of different settings. Some of these measures are limited in public schools since the government has the mandate to ascertain that power is not abused in cases where learning is a must and attending given schools is compulsory. This limitation on public schools makes them more violent as compared to private schools and this encourages the establishment of the private schools since most parents want the best for their children. Some of the legislations are kind of encouraging violence in public schools. But it is advisable for school administrators to keep on innovating new methods for countering this problem and to keep on trying the old ones as well as the established. Parents are also encouraged to take an active role in the up bringing of their children so as top ensure that they grow up in to responsible adults. It is also advisable to break up large schools in to small ones because supervising a small number of students is easier. There should be different schools for boys and girls since there seems to more violence in mixed schools than there are in boys or girls’ only schools. The government should also relax some of its legislations so as to allow teachers and parents of public schools to make their own measures for different types of indiscipline in the students (Preventing School Violence: Top Five Ways To Build Stronger Student-adult Relationships, available online).

Financial Ratios and Stock Return Predictability

The results indicate that DY and EY ratios has direct positive association with stock return where as B/M ratio has significant negative relationship with stock return. Therefore we can say that the above mentioned ratios are able to predict stock returns, furthermore it can be seen that as compare to dividend yield and earning yield the ratio of book to market has the highest predictive power. Moreover when we combine these financial ratios the predictability of stock returns will enhance. Keywords: Financial ratios, Stock return, Karachi Stock Exchange, Dividend Yield, Earning Yield. 1.Introduction Stock Market plays a very significant role in the economic growth of a country. According to A. Schrimpf (2010) there is significant economic aftermath of the existence of stock return predictability. S. Kheradyar et al, (2011), â€Å"The Analytics of Economic Time Series†, states that in stocks market share prices move randomly i. e. on certain day share prices are like to go dow n as they were like to up. Such random behavior worried some of the financial economists and followed by further research. Hence such random movement of share prices lead to a hypothesis called Random Walk Hypothesis.Random walk hypothesis suggest that it is difficult to predict share prices because stock prices evolved, now it will be showing upward trend but after some time such might be showing downward trend. Hence predicting 100% accuracy of stock return is almost impossible. In contrast to Random Walk Behavior is efficient market hypothesis. According to efficient market hypothesis share prices are fairly priced in the stock market or prices of stock demonstrates information in the market is widely and equally available to all and no one in the market can outperform or can beat the market.With the passage of time researchers tries to find out most accurate variables for predicting stock prices, some were tend towards financial and some were towards profitability ratios i. e. b ook to market ratio, price to earnings ratio, 1 Research Journal of Finance and Accounting ISSN 2222-1697 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2847 (Online) Vol 3, No 10, 2012 www. iiste. org dividend yield, etc some were tend towards cash flow ratios like price to cash flow ratio, cash burn ratio, etc and some focused on macroeconomic variable like interest rate, law and order situation and inflation rate etc.In this research article we have investigated 3 above mentioned ratios to determine whether they predict stock returns. This research study has used the stock return and the above mentioned financial ratios association at two samples as the foundation for the formulation of Eight hypotheses. On the grounds of their appropriate regression models the eight hypotheses are divided into two sets. In this study we have used the two models of simple and multiple regressions to apply Predictive regression; it is an important tool for predicting stock returns. A set of panal data is used for the formulat ion of these two models.For tackling the problem of heteroskedasticity and non-normality distributed residuals, we applied generalized least squares method. 2. Literature Review Campbell and Shiller (1988) stated in their study that as dividend yield has the ability to confine expected return and expectation about growth in dividend yield so dividend yield is good predictor of stock return. Chan, L. Hamao, Y. Yakonishok, J. (1991), found that in Japanese market fundamental variables like dividend yield, price to earnings ratio, book to market ratio and firm’s size have significant impact on expected earning/returns of stocks.They notify that there is indirect relationship between earning yield and stocks returns in Japan. In comparison of the size of the firm and earning yield, B/M and dividend yield (cash flow yield) are significantly related with returns of stocks. They further added that an important variable both economically and statistically is book to market ratio and this need to be observe because either the afterward half of the sample is judged or for the first time test is applied the book to market ratio shows it continuation. Mukerji, S. Dhatt, M. Kim, Y. 1997), on Korean Stock market for a period of 1982-1992 establish a direct relationship between return of stocks and D/E, S/P and B/M, moreover an indirect relationship between size of firm and return of stocks. They demonstrated that P/E ratio is less trustworthy indicator than B/M and S/P. Beta is a week proxy for assessment of risk when compare with debt to equity ratio. B/M and S/P are responsible for the direct relationship between return of stocks and debt to equity. However a P/E and B/M ratio becomes the base for indirect relationship between return of stocks and size of the firm.Kothari and Shanken (1997) found for US market that dividend yield and book to market ratios have dependable proof for expected real return over a period 1926-1991, and there lies a track of time series v ariations. Pontiff and Schall (1998) stated that as for predicting power is concerned book to market ratio has some predictability power for predicting stock returns. Lewellen (2002) conducted his study in US he found that predictability power of dividend yield for predicting stock returns is more than P/E and B/M ratios.Ang, A. , and Bekaert, G. , (2006), in their studies tried to forecast interest rate and stock returns with the help of predictive power of dividend yield. They found for short term forecasting, dividend yield predictive power is more than the long term forecasting. But as for the expected growth of cash flow prediction is concerned than dividend yield is a good predictive variable. Akyol, A. (2006), â€Å"analyzed the effect of firm’s size, beta, and book-to-market value on the stock returns in Istanbul stock exchange.He used data from July 1993 to December 2005 for Istanbul Stock Exchange and used Fama and French (1992) methodology to construct portfolios represented accurately by size-beta and then size-book-to-market, he found that book to market and Beta of a firms have no effect on the stock return’s in Istanbul stock exchange. Size of the firm was the only variable which was negatively related to the stock returns in Istanbul stock exchange. He also found that book to market, size and beta is not related with January effects. Hjalmarsson, E. (2004), in his study tried to find out Global stock returns predictability.He took twenty thousand monthly observation form forty international stock markets. In which 24 were of developed economy and 16 were of developing economy. However his study showed that dividend yield and price to earnings ratio has little power of predictability and defends his conclusion by adding that international result is showing deviation from traditional view because the method use internationally may not count for determination of variables. 2. 1 Hypotheses H1: return of stock and DY has no associatio n in time (t) and (t-1) respectively in sample one.H2 return of stock and EY has no association in time (t) and (t-1) respectively in sample one. H3: return of stock and B/M has no association in time (t) and (t-1) respectively in sample one. H4: return of stock and DY has no association in time (t) and (t-1) respectively in sample two. H5: return of stock and EY has no association in time (t) and (t-1) respectively in sample two. H6: return of stock and B/M has no association in time (t) and (t-1) respectively in sample two. 2 Research Journal of Finance and Accounting ISSN 2222-1697 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2847 (Online)Vol 3, No 10, 2012 ww. iiste. org H7: return of stock and DY, EY, B/M combination has no association in time (t) and (t-1) respectively in sample one. H8: return of stock and DY, EY, B/M combination has no association in time (t) and (t-1) respectively in sample two. 3. Research Methodology In order to check predictability power of earning yield, dividend yield and book t o market ratios for predicting stock returns the study has taken a sample of 100 firms for a period of 2005-2011. We have applied certain screening criteria’s for companies to be included in the sample.First, the firm must be listed on the KSE before Jan 1st 2005. 2nd, for more than twelve months a stock must not be deferred. 3rd, for the study period of seven years a company stock must not be delisted. 4th, data must be available for all sample firms and variables. Finally, for a period of more than twelve months the dividend yield of firms must not be zero. The study has divided the selected firms into two equal samples, which will reduce the effects of random sampling errors and for the predictive regression two samples produce different estimation.The study is based on secondary data, which is collected from, â€Å"State Bank of Pakistan†, company’s annual reports, business recorder and from â€Å"Karachi stock exchange†. Following S. Kheradyar et al, (2011) this study includes stock returns as dependent variable while dividend yield, earning yield and B/M ratios has been taken as independent variables. 4. Measurement of Variables 4. 1 Stock Return Following Lewellen (2001) and S. Kheradyar et al, (2011) we have used stock return as dependent variable.Stock return is measured by dividing capital gain along with dividend per share on market price per share. Following is the formula for stock returns. SRi = DPs + capital gain/market price 4. 2 Book to Market Ratio For finding value of company by comparison of market value of a share to its book value, study tends towards book to market ratio. For finding book value of a firm the study divide equity of a firm by its total number of outstanding shares. As for market price is concerned study tend towards the ongoing price of share in stock market.If a firm offer high return and having high book value than its market value, the firm is riskier and in future returns of stock will be lo wered than today. The following formula is used for calculating book to market value: B/M = Book Value per share Market value per share Lewellen (2001) states that as compare to P/E ratio B/M has higher predictive power for predicting stock return. But when study compare B/M ratio with dividend yield than dividend yield is good forecaster than B/M ratio. 4. 3 Dividend yield Following S.Kheradyar et al, (2011) second independent variable in this study is Dividend yield which is calculated as dividing dividend per share on market price per share. If market price is lower than dividend yield will be higher and give a riskier signal for investment. Contrast to higher dividend yield is low dividend yield; such happen when market price per share is higher than dividend yield and gives an optimistic view for investment.The following formula demonstrates how to calculate dividend yield: Dividend Yield (%) = (Dividend per Share / Market rate per share) x 100 4. Earning Yield The empirical li teratures lay foundations of the predictive power of earning yield on stock return, and find out the association between earning yield and stock return is considerable, because earning yield plays as a risk factor in relation with stock return. Moreover, the earning yield can demonstrate the efficiency of market that has an important role in emerging markets, thus this study uses earning yield as the empirical predictor of stock return. Following S. Kheradyar et al, (2011) we have measured earning yield as earning per share divided by price of share. 5.Regression Model In this research article we have investigated three financial ratios EY, DY and B/M to determine whether they predict stock returns. This research study has used the stock return and the above mentioned financial ratios association at 3 Research Journal of Finance and Accounting ISSN 2222-1697 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2847 (Online) Vol 3, No 10, 2012 www. iiste. org two samples as the foundation for the formulation of Eight hypotheses. On the grounds of their appropriate regression models the eight hypotheses are divided into two sets.In this study we have used the two models of simple nd multiple regressions to apply Predictive regression; it is an important tool for predicting stock returns. A set of panal data is used for the formulation of these two models. For tackling the problem of heteroskedasticity and non-normality distributed residuals, we applied generalized least squares method. Following S. Kheradyar et al, (2011) we have used panal models to formulate predictive regressions. Hence we have used simple regression model to test the first 6 hypothesis which are formulated on the basis of association between each financial ratio and future stock returns.The simple regression model has the following form: SR it = ß0 + ßi Xi (t-1) + eit Where, SR it= in time period t, the return of ith stock, ß0= the estimated constant, ßi= ith stock predictable coefficient, Xi (t-1) = in period t-1 financial ratios of the ith stock, eit = error term. Similarly following S. Kheradyar et al, (2011) we have used multiple regression model to test the other two hypotheses H7 and H8, these two hypotheses are formulated on the basis of relationship between combined financial ratios and future stock returns.The model has the following form: SR it = ß0 + ßi1 DYi (t-1) + ßi2 EYi (t-1) + ßi3 B/Mi (t-1) + eit Where, SR it= in time period t, the return of ith stock, ß0= the estimated constant, ßi1= for DY the Ith stock predictable coefficient, ßi2= for EY the Ith stock predictable coefficient, ßi3= for B/M the Ith stock predictable coefficient, DYi (t-1) = is ith stock DY factor in period of time t-1, EYi (t-1) = EY factor of ith stock in period of time t-1, B/Mi (t-1) = B/M factor of ith stock in t-1 time period, eit = error terms. 6.Results and Discussion For the first 6 hypothesis the predictive regression results are summarized in Table 1. The coefficient of di vidend yield in Table 1 demonstrates a positive relationship of dividend yield in period (t-1) and stock returns in period (t) in both samples that is when dividend yield increases by one unit it will cause an increase of 0. 021 and 0. 010 units in stock returns of two samples respectively. As for the p-value of coefficient of Dividend yield is concerned it is 0. 016 in sample one which is less than 0. 5, so the relationship is statistically significant and the null hypothesis H1 is rejected, however in sample two the association is insignificant so hypothesis H4 cannot be rejected.The coefficient of earning yield in Table 1 demonstrates a positive relationship of earning yield in period (t-1) and stock returns at period (t) that is when earning yield increases by one unit it will cause an increase of 0. 013 and 0. 008 units in stock returns in the two samples respectively. As for the p-value of coefficient of earning yield is concerned it is 0. 19 and 0. 010 in the two samples resp ectively which is less than 0. 05, so the relationship is statistically significant, therefore we will reject hypothesis H2 and H5. The negative coefficient of Book to market value in table 1 notifies an inverse relationship of B/M and stock returns in both samples that is if B/M ratio increasing the stock return will be decreasing and vice versa. The p-value of coefficient of B/M value 0. 000 indicates that the relationship is statistically significant in both samples, so hypothesis H3 and H6 have been rejected.S. Kheradyar et al, (2011) found that DY has negative influence on stock return, and a positive association between EY and stock return. He also found a positive impact of B/M on stock return in (2) (1) 4 Research Journal of Finance and Accounting ISSN 2222-1697 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2847 (Online) Vol 3, No 10, 2012 www. iiste. org sample 2 but a negative one in sample 1. It can also be noticed by looking at the adjusted R-square that B/M has the highest predictive power, and th is result is also supported by S. Kheradyar et al, (2011). Insert Table 1 Here) Now we will test to see whether stock return predictive power increases with the combination of EY, BM and DY. We will reject H7 and H8 because it can be seen in Table 2 that the predictive regressions are statistically significant. Thus we can say that stock return can be predicted by the combination of EY, BM and DY. Also we can say that as compare to the other two ratios, the variations of the ratio of book to market has greater impact on stock return, because in both samples it has the highest coefficient.Similarly by looking at the adjusted R-square we can say that in the two samples stock return predictive power increases when the combination of EY, BM and DY increases. (Insert Table 2 Here) 6. Conclusion Literature regarding predictability of stock returns has changed over the last 20 years. With evolution researchers and economists separated price to earnings ratio, dividend yield, inflation, and book to market ratio, beta, industry returns, interest rate, and size of firms from amongst other variables which were considered important for predicting return of stocks.Presently strong evidences are present regarding variables for predicting stock returns. Analysis showed that financial ratios have significant power of predictability for forecasting returns of stock and they predict future stock return of Pakistani market, and B/M has higher predictive power as compare to other ratios. Similarly the predictability of stock return is enhanced by the combination of financial ratios. References A. Schrimpf, (2010). International Stock Return Predictability under Model Uncertainty. Journal of International Money and Finance, 29: 1256-1282. S. Kheradyar, I. Ibrahim, and F.Mat Nor, (2011). Stock Return Predictability with Financial Ratios. International Journal of Trade, Economics and Fiance, 2(5): 391-396. J. Y. Campbell, and R. J. Shiller, (1988). Stock Prices, Earnings and Expecte d Dividends. Journal of Finance, 43(3): 661-676. Chan, L. Hamao, Y. Lakonishok, J. (1991). Fundamental and Stock Returns in Japan. The Journal of Finance, 17391764. Mukerji, S. Dhatt, M. Kim, Y. , (1997). A Fundamental Analysis of Korean Stock. Financial Analyst Journal, 53: 7580 Kothari, S. P. , Jay A. Shanken, (1997). Book-to-Market, Dividend Yield and Expected Market Returns: A TimeSeries Analysis.Journal of Financial Economics 44: 169-203. J. Pontiff, and L. Schall, (1998). Book-to-Market Ratios as Predictors of Market Returns. Journal of Financial Economics, 49: 141–160. Lewellen, J. , (2002). Predicting Returns with Financial Ratio. National Bureau of Economics Research, MIT working paper no. 4374-02 Ang, A. and Bekeart, G. , (2006). Stock Returns Predictability. The Review of Financial Study, 651-707. E. F. Fama and K. French, (1992). The Cross-Section of Expected Stock Returns. Journal of Finance, 47: 427-465 Lewellen, J. , (2001). Predicting Returns with Financial Ra tios. Journal of Financial Economic, 209-235.

the best years of our lives essays

the best years of our lives essays The Best Years of Our Lives aims to draw people ¡Ã‚ ¯s attention towards the efforts made by those World War II veterans to reintegrate themselves into the civilian society and the difficulties confronting them during that process. Thanks to William Wyler ¡Ã‚ ¯s subtlety and delicate touch, this film successfully defines the sensitive problems facing veterans: unemployment, ostracism, alcoholism. Furthermore, this film pulls no punches in telling an important story that many would have stayed away fromD the effects of war on the people. The very first difficulty is unemployment, best exemplified by Fred ¡Ã‚ ¯s experience. The post-war era sees a readjustment of orientation towards the civilian life. The enormous government spending is cut and job opportunities shrink. Without appropriate skills, veterans can not compete with other civilians in the struggle for the shrinking pie of job opportunity. They can not even get across the threshold of society, let alone integrate themselves into it. Through the loan program Al is in charge of, the film reflects the reality that the government is taking some measures to help veterans begin a new life, such as easing restrictions for college. But such efforts are far from enough. Fred ¡Ã‚ ¯s experience in the place full of old planes suggests that nobody but veterans can save themselves. In addition to unemployment, estrangement from their family members and misunderstanding of the civilian people leave them with an unequivocal sense of ostracism. The feeling of being m arginalized by the society exists throughout the whole movie, best represented in the beginning when three men unexpectedly gather at the Butcher ¡Ã‚ ¯s bar after they return home. The cruel reality shatters their dreams. Alcoholism turns out to be a by-product of disillusion and that sense of ostracism, even becoming a barrier between them and their family members. It is pretty daring for Wyler to treat alcoho ...

Organizational Metaphor Definition and Examples

Organizational Metaphor Definition and Examples An organizational metaphor is a figurative comparison (that is, a metaphor, simile, or analogy) used to define the key aspects of an organization and/or explain its methods of operation. Organizational metaphors provide information about the value system of a company and about employers attitudes toward their customers and employees. Examples and Observations [M]etaphor is a basic structural form of experience by which human beings engage, organize, and understand their world. The organizational metaphor is a well-known way in which organizational experiences are characterized. We have come to understand organizations as machines, organisms, brains, cultures, political systems, psychic prisons, instruments of domination, etc. (Llewelyn 2003). The metaphor is a basic way in which human beings ground their experiences and continue to evolve them by adding new, related concepts that carry aspects of the original metaphor.(Kosheek Sewchurran and Irwin Brown, Toward an Approach to Generate Forward-Looking Theories Using Systemic Concepts. Researching the Future in Information Systems, ed. by Mike Chiasson, Ola Henfridsson, Helena Karsten, and Janice I. DeGross. Springer, 2011)What we may discover in analyzing organizational metaphors are complex relationships between thought and action, between shape and reflection.(Dvora Yanow, How Does a Pol icy Mean? Georgetown University Press, 1996) Frederick Taylor on Workers as Machines Perhaps the earliest metaphor used to define an organization was provided by Frederick Taylor, a mechanical engineer interested in better understanding the driving forces behind employee motivation and productivity. Taylor (1911) argued that an employee is very much like an automobile: if the driver adds gas and keeps up with the routine maintenance of the vehicle, the automobile should run forever. His  organizational metaphor for the most efficient and effective workforce was the well-oiled machine. In other words, as long as employees are paid fairly for their outputs (synonymous with putting gas into a vehicle), they will continue to work forever. Although both his view and metaphor (organization as machine) have been challenged, Frederick Taylor provided one of the first metaphors by which organizations operated. If an organizational employee knows that this is the metaphor that drives the organization, and that money and incentives are the true motivating factors, then this e mployee understands quite a bit about his organizational culture. Other popular metaphors that have surfaced over the years include organization as family, organization as system, organization as circus, organization as team, organization as culture, organization as prison, organization as organism, and the list goes on. (Corey Jay Liberman, Creating a Productive Workplace Culture and Climate: Understanding the Role of Communication and Socialization for Organizational Newcomers. Workplace Communication for the 21st Century: Tools and Strategies That Impact the Bottom Line, ed. by Jason S. Wrench. ABC-CLIO, 2013) Wal-Mart Metaphors The people-greeters give you the feeling that you are part of the Wal-Mart family and they are glad you stopped by. They are trained to treat you like a neighbor because they want you to think of Wal-Mart as your neighborhood store. Sam [Walton] called this approach to customer service aggressive hospitality. (Michael Bergdahl, What I Learned From Sam Walton: How to Compete and Thrive in a Wal-Mart World. John Wiley Sons, 2004)Lawyers representing these women [in the court case Wal-Mart v. Dukes] . . . claimed that Wal-Marts family model of management relegated women to a complementary yet subordinate role; by deploying a family metaphor within the company, Wal-Marts corporate culture naturalized the hierarchy between their (mostly) male managers and a (mostly) female workforce (Moreton, 2009).  (Nicholas Copeland and Christine Labuski, The World of Wal-Mart: Discounting the American Dream. Routledge, 2013)Framing Wal-Mart as a kind of David in a battle with Goliath is no accident al moveWal-Mart, of course, has worn the nickname of the retail giant in the national media for over a decade, and has even been tagged with the alliterative epithet the bully from Bentonville. Attempts to turn the tables of this metaphor challenge the person-based language that otherwise frames Wal-Mart as a behemoth bent on expansion at all costs. (Rebekah Peeples Massengill, Wal-Mart Wars: Moral Populism in the Twenty-First Century. New York University Press, 2013) Think of Wal-Mart as a giant steamroller moving across the global economy, pushing down the costs of everything in its pathincluding wages and benefitsas it squeezes the entire production system.   (Robert B. Reich, Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life. Knopf, 2007)After experiencing the flaws of having someone in Bentonville make decisions about human resources in Europe, Wal-Mart decided to move critical support functions closer to Latin America.The metaphor it used for describing this decision is that the organization is an organism. As the head of People for Latin American explains, in Latin America Wal-Mart was growing a new organism. If it was to function independently, the new organization needed its own vital organs. Wal-Mart defined three critical organsPeople, Finance, and Operationsand positioned them in a new Latin American regional unit. (Kaihan Krippendorff, The Way of Innovation: Master the Five Elements of Change to Reinvent Your Products, Services, and Organization. Platinum Press, 2003) The Big Tent Metaphor In what many observers will see as the de facto expression of mainstream U.S. Jewrys outlook on J Street, members of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations voted 22-17 (with three abstentions) to reject the membership application of the self-labeled pro-Israel, pro-peace lobby. . .   J Street said in a statement, This is a sad day for us, but also for the American Jewish community and for a venerable institution that has chosen to bar the door to the communal tent to an organization that represents a substantial segment of Jewish opinion on Israel. Jewish leaders have used a big tent metaphor to describe which views on Israel and U.S. foreign policy are encompassed within the communitys consensus. Since its formation in 2008, J Street has been a frequent subject of debates on how far that tent stretches, and the groups bid to join the Conference of Presidents proved no different. Alina Dain Sharon and Sean Savage, J Street Rejected by Umbrella Group. (Heritage Florida Jewish News, May 9, 2014) Football as a Flawed Organizational Metaphor for Fire Fighting A metaphor seeps deeply into organizational narratives because the metaphor is a way of seeing. Once established it becomes a filter through which participants both old and new see their reality. Soon enough the metaphor becomes the reality. If you use the football metaphor you would think that the fire department ran a series of set plays; finite, divisible, independent actions.You could also assume that at the end of these short segments of violent action, everyone stopped, set up the next plan and then acted again. A metaphor fails when it does not accurately reflect core organizational processes. The football metaphor fails because fires are extinguished in one, essentially, contiguous action, not a series of set plays. There are no designated times for decision making in firefighting and certainly no timeouts, though my aging bones might wish that there were.(Charles Bailey, Metaphors Mask Realities of Firefighting. FireRescue1, Feb. 16, 2010)

Power of E-Commerce over Traditional Mall Shopping POWER OF E-COMMERCE OVER TRADITIONAL MALL SHOPPING

i.Most people with different ages can easily browse the internet for several reasons; however, the online shopping considered being one of the most amazing motives. Internet revolution and growing of online marketing shifted most of consumers’ preferences to rely on online shopping instead of the usual traditional mall shopping especially when it comes to convenience, easiness, and globalization. ii.Convenience a.Convenience is the key motivation for most online shoppers. Save gas & time during shopping. Also, online store never close! b.Life is busy! Going for shopping malls is a hassle. It is difficult to compare prices as well as rigid working hours. iii.Easiness a. When it comes to people with special need, such as older or handicapped, they might suffer while driving, parking, and walking to the targeted store, or they will ask for assistance during shopping. Extra merits go to online shopping, such as future reordering, which is allowing customers to place the same previous order over and over again. Also, since all purchasing is processed electronically, all transactions and receipts will be emailed to the customer, so there is no need to worry about losing receipts ever again. On the other hand, most stores will never accept to return and/or exchange without receipts. Unlike the boring approach of waiting in long lines to checkout or dealing with customer service in the retail shops (mainly during holidays and special occasions), the online stores are always ready to check a customer out whenever he/she is ready. When it comes to globalization, online shopping broadened the market to be between customers’ hands and makes shopping available for everyone. Nowadays, anyone can shop from foreign stores outside USA, such as European, Asian, or just any online store in the world. A person can shop and ship the desirable item(s) witho ut obstacles right to his/her door using reasonable shipping methods and rates. In fact, traditional stores do not have the ability to bring something from outside of the country. Stores, no matter how luxurious they are, they are still local stores. Definitely, the United States keeps theFrench Revolution : The Main Effect Of Enlightenment Ideas... France in Middle Ages era was ruled by the arbitrary monarch. Besides the king, the clergy and the nobility, which were the officials of the church and the group of aristocrats respectively, had supreme power than the society. In the way it ran, there were many problems in the social and economic section, such as poverty and taxation issues. Thus, French Revolution is one of the turning points of French public life. It is popular with the slogan â€Å"liberty, equality and fraternity† that brought French to be a new revolutionary country. While many people are still arguing whether French Revolution is the main effect of the Enlig htenment ideas emergence or social economic disruption, I will argue that this revolution was an ultimate outcome of the social and economics disarray by looking at the details of foreign and internal aspects. To begin with, the French production method that outdated towards other countries, predominantly turned into the root of the French Revolution. As in 1789, French economy laid on peasants and artisans (Soboul 1974, p. 27). At the same time, there were many developments of overseas trade and big industries in other parts of the world, especially Britain, which was France’s rival to achieve the authority in Europe. As a result, the French economic agents intended to transform their approach, as it happened in Britain. In fact, France just responsive to modernize in the transportation and communication section. It seemed less willing to change the

Management Information Systems of TESCO Assignment

Management Information Systems of TESCO - Assignment Example Tesco is a huge British retailer having a strong business operation around the globe. It is considered the third largest retailer globally based upon the revenue that it generates. It was started in the year 1919 by Jack Cohen as a simplified grocery store until 1924 when the Tesco brand was initially launched in 1924. Its first store was opened up in 1929 in Burnt Oak, Edgware, Middlesex. In 1947, it was introduced into the London Stock Exchange and made public and this floatation started the great success story of Tesco plc which has now emerged as one of the tops most renowned supermarket chain is not just the United Kingdom but the entire world. The first supermarket under the name of Tesco was opened in 1956 in Maldon. Since that time period, the company has operated such smoothly that it has created standards and is nowadays considered as a benchmark for many of its industry competitors. Over the years, the company took over many other supermarkets to make itself a leader in th e United Kingdom region (TESCO 2010). The immediate business environment of firms producing similar goods is called the industry. Microenvironment considers factors which are within the industry. The supermarket industry requires huge capital investment but that alone cannot be used as a barrier to entry. Competitors usually respond by counter-attacking to new entrants. Wal-Mart planned to open 4 small-format grocery stores in Arizona in response to TESCO’s entry to the U.S.A with their Fresh and Easy format. This threat is across or within an industry, close substitutes reduce the profit margin of the competitors e.g. Petrol for Diesel, etc. TESCO has many different competitors which can pose such threat to them, like Sainsbury in the UK, Trader Joe’s in the U.S.A alongside Wal-Mart.  

MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY - Essay Example the organizations to achieve this goal there is need for the managers to break down bureaucratic structures to allow close interaction between workers and managers at various levels, recognize the potential of employees, capitalize organizational teams and organization of projects. Management can be viewed as a form of idea and a structure of values based on the perception that it can secure a limitless growth of expansion in the creation and exchange of human significance across the globe (Smith) Customers want their orders processed as fast as possible and with greater efficiency. This requires organizations to be fully prepared to respond to emergency requests of the customers while maintain continuous improvement of products and services they deliver to the customers. It is apparent that organizations must make a profit in order to survive in the market. The efficiency of management is achieved at four levels namely; natural, social, individual and ethical level (Alain, 2006). The management should have a limitless predisposition towards a systematic in addition to the occasional regulation of nature and boundless accumulation and capitalisation of knowledge for governing nature. Managers require skills to address issues at all levels from individual, social, organizational and global levels by establishing a clear link of how various things interact at all levels across the globe. The new management style involves focusing on short-term financial performance. Just as aforementioned, organizations must make a profit on a daily basis in order for them to survive. Investors use returns of their investments as a yardstick to measure the efficiency of management (Alain, 2006). This puts managers under intense pressure to put in place concrete measures to achieve short-term finance performance. There is an increasing urgency in production and consumption of products and services mainly as a result of increasing use of information technology. These aspects have

Final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 5

Final - Essay Example He was also among the first philosophers to believe that kings did not have any rights over commoners. Hobbes had a strong conviction that no man has a natural right to dominate another man (Hobbes, 2013:21). He was also among the first people to express – in writing – that he trusted that all men were created equal. This seems to have been the genesis of the two ideologies of liberalism and conservatism. Hobbes represented the latter (Lieberman, 2013:54). At face value, Hobbes’ views appear to lean towards liberalism, but a closer look reveals a deeply entrenched conservative mindset that does not waver in the face of the strongest winds of liberalism. The fact that Hobbes often features – constantly – on the conservative side in liberalism versus conservatism debates shows that he was a conservative thinker (Mannheim, 2013:14). He is the epitome, the embodiment, the perfect example of what a conservative should be. Hobbes, while employed as an instructor to a young King Charles II, exerted so much influence on England’s throne that the king had to agree to be the first monarch to divide his ordained power over Britons with the British Parliament. In spite of this, there was a malicious angle to Hobbes’ views (Gert, 2013:34). For example, his theory of human n ature was that the inherent state of man was to be in conflict. In fact, Hobbes held this view so strongly that he termed the theory of peaceful times as nothing more than the absence conflict. In other words, his opinion was that the perpetual clashes between men, households and governments was as inherent and natural as sunset (Gert, 2013:14). Hobbes’ opinion was that mankind, by his true nature, is evil, conceited and ready kill another man because that is what mankind does. This notion resulted in what ultimately became the foundation of today’s contemporary conservative philosophy (Bunce, 2013:16). With this in mind, how can

Critique of Research Studies Part-3 Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Critique of Studies Part-3 - Research Paper Example The research had two groups, with one on the self-management services program while the other one was Non-SMS. The researchers assumed that the differences between the two groups were the result of the self-management services program. The research used Statistical Package for Social Sciences for Windows (version 16; SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL) as the main statistical analysis tool. Comparison of the two groups in the study relied on the v2 test and variance analysis. In order to estimate the time and ratings of the dialysis process, the researchers opted for the Kaplan–Meier method. These methods successfully helped control for the occurrence of confounding variables. The researchers minimized the occurrence of both type 1 and 2 types of errors by ensuring a careful calculation of a significant p-value that served as a guide in the rejection of either the null and the alternate hypotheses. The nurses charged with the role of data collection and entry did a diligent job because th ere was no issue of missing data since data was available for the 54 patients. Findings The researchers present comprehensive finding from the two groups with emphasis accorded to the statistical significance. In all cases, the p-value is provided and there is evidence of effect size as the researchers focused on establishing the differences between the two groups of patients suffering from chronic kidney disease. There is good user of tables and figures in the representation results. The confidence intervals seem reasonable in addressing the parameters for an unknown population. Moreover, the presented findings from both groups and variables considered suffice to allow a meta-analysis in comparison to different sets of data obtained from related studies. Discussion Interpretation of Findings It is evident that the researchers embarked on an extensive process of interpreting the presented results. There is an elaboration of the meaning and significance of measuring all the variables highlighted in the report. Apparently, the researchers have discussed the results within the framework described in the introduction. Therefore, the discussion exhibits relevance to the context of chronic kidney disease and the effect of the self-management services. The researchers have made a point of justifying all the causal inferences inherent from their findings. Evidently, all interpretations provided in the discussion section have a good basis contextually, making them well founded. In addition, there is evidence of consistency of the discussions offered and the research limitations. As expected, the research presented its unique limitations especially in definition of the effect size that highlights the difference between the SMS and Non-SMS groups. The researchers also paid attention to the generalizability of the findings to a greater population. Implications/recommendations The researchers highlight the implications of their study in accordance to the presented findings . It becomes apparent that the self-management services program designed to address the issues that the patients consider as critical effective in reducing the rate at which the

Impact of Generation Y on Management Effectiveness in Organizations Thesis

Impact of Generation Y on Management Effectiveness in Organizations - Thesis Example EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF GEENRATION Y Strategies used for Generation Y employee management Managerial Problems with Generation Y Strategies to improve performance CHAPTER 5. RESEARCH DESIGN Research Question/Problem Statement Research Approach Research Methodology Secondary Analysis of Data – Significance and Relevance to the Research Objective Basis for Data Analysis CHAPTER 6. FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS Key findings of the study Interpretation and Analysis of Research Findings Discussion of Main Issue CHAPTER 7. CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND AREAS REQUIRING FURTHER RESEARCH Research Summary Conclusion Recommendations and Suggestion Areas Requiring Further Research APPENDIX REFERENCE LIST DETAILED OUTLINE CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION The chapter presents a concise overview to the entire research study. It introduces the topic of the dissertation and the approach selected for exploring the mentioned topic. The chapter allows having quick look at the whereabouts of the research study by describing the background of the issues selected for the study. The chapter explaining the main motive behind the research, the research objectives, methodology and the research approach. In this chapter the background of the research study is explained to provide an understanding about the topic of the dissertation. Moreover the problem definition and the research objectives further explain the intentions of the research study. The scope and limitation of the research, the significance of its topic and the expected contribution of the research study are also describes to explain the importance and scope of the research study topics. Furthermore the key concepts and terms are defined at the end of the chapter so that the reader can have understanding of all the related issues and concepts before going through the other chapters of the dissertation Statement of the Problem The statement of problem concisely tells about the main issue going to be explored in the study. It introduce s the main objective and rationale of the research in single sentence to prove that the research work is well directed towards the attainment of a well defined objective. The statement of problem informs that the dissertation aims to have an insight over the issues and problems that the managers face in attaining satisfying level of employee performance due to increased dependency of generation Y upon the technological advancements. Purpose of the Study The section clearly states the main objectives of the research by listing out the specific purposes. It tells that the study aims to achieve three specific purposes including identification of the management problems in dealing with generation Y employees, identification of the alternatives that could resolve the issues and development of strategies for improving the performance of Generation Y employees. Research Design The section provides brief overview to the research design selected for conducting the study. It tells that resear ch study is based upon qualitative approach where the information and data has been collected from different resources and analyzed to have detailed understanding and explanation of the issue. Importance of the Study The

Final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 5

Final - Essay Example He was also among the first philosophers to believe that kings did not have any rights over commoners. Hobbes had a strong conviction that no man has a natural right to dominate another man (Hobbes, 2013:21). He was also among the first people to express – in writing – that he trusted that all men were created equal. This seems to have been the genesis of the two ideologies of liberalism and conservatism. Hobbes represented the latter (Lieberman, 2013:54). At face value, Hobbes’ views appear to lean towards liberalism, but a closer look reveals a deeply entrenched conservative mindset that does not waver in the face of the strongest winds of liberalism. The fact that Hobbes often features – constantly – on the conservative side in liberalism versus conservatism debates shows that he was a conservative thinker (Mannheim, 2013:14). He is the epitome, the embodiment, the perfect example of what a conservative should be. Hobbes, while employed as an instructor to a young King Charles II, exerted so much influence on England’s throne that the king had to agree to be the first monarch to divide his ordained power over Britons with the British Parliament. In spite of this, there was a malicious angle to Hobbes’ views (Gert, 2013:34). For example, his theory of human n ature was that the inherent state of man was to be in conflict. In fact, Hobbes held this view so strongly that he termed the theory of peaceful times as nothing more than the absence conflict. In other words, his opinion was that the perpetual clashes between men, households and governments was as inherent and natural as sunset (Gert, 2013:14). Hobbes’ opinion was that mankind, by his true nature, is evil, conceited and ready kill another man because that is what mankind does. This notion resulted in what ultimately became the foundation of today’s contemporary conservative philosophy (Bunce, 2013:16). With this in mind, how can

Impact of Generation Y on Management Effectiveness in Organizations Thesis

Impact of Generation Y on Management Effectiveness in Organizations - Thesis Example EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF GEENRATION Y Strategies used for Generation Y employee management Managerial Problems with Generation Y Strategies to improve performance CHAPTER 5. RESEARCH DESIGN Research Question/Problem Statement Research Approach Research Methodology Secondary Analysis of Data – Significance and Relevance to the Research Objective Basis for Data Analysis CHAPTER 6. FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS Key findings of the study Interpretation and Analysis of Research Findings Discussion of Main Issue CHAPTER 7. CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND AREAS REQUIRING FURTHER RESEARCH Research Summary Conclusion Recommendations and Suggestion Areas Requiring Further Research APPENDIX REFERENCE LIST DETAILED OUTLINE CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION The chapter presents a concise overview to the entire research study. It introduces the topic of the dissertation and the approach selected for exploring the mentioned topic. The chapter allows having quick look at the whereabouts of the research study by describing the background of the issues selected for the study. The chapter explaining the main motive behind the research, the research objectives, methodology and the research approach. In this chapter the background of the research study is explained to provide an understanding about the topic of the dissertation. Moreover the problem definition and the research objectives further explain the intentions of the research study. The scope and limitation of the research, the significance of its topic and the expected contribution of the research study are also describes to explain the importance and scope of the research study topics. Furthermore the key concepts and terms are defined at the end of the chapter so that the reader can have understanding of all the related issues and concepts before going through the other chapters of the dissertation Statement of the Problem The statement of problem concisely tells about the main issue going to be explored in the study. It introduce s the main objective and rationale of the research in single sentence to prove that the research work is well directed towards the attainment of a well defined objective. The statement of problem informs that the dissertation aims to have an insight over the issues and problems that the managers face in attaining satisfying level of employee performance due to increased dependency of generation Y upon the technological advancements. Purpose of the Study The section clearly states the main objectives of the research by listing out the specific purposes. It tells that the study aims to achieve three specific purposes including identification of the management problems in dealing with generation Y employees, identification of the alternatives that could resolve the issues and development of strategies for improving the performance of Generation Y employees. Research Design The section provides brief overview to the research design selected for conducting the study. It tells that resear ch study is based upon qualitative approach where the information and data has been collected from different resources and analyzed to have detailed understanding and explanation of the issue. Importance of the Study The

Educating Rita Essay Example for Free

Educating Rita Essay Willy Russel’s 1985 play Educating Rita is a story of a women’s struggle escape her repetitive boring working class life and move into a wider, educated world. Russel uses characters, settings and many techniques to effectively explore this potentially difficult topic in an interesting and entertaining way. ‘Into the world’ is a potentially difficult topic in that it involves person, life-changing events that may become hard for the audience to relate to or understand. Russel avoids these problems by challenging stereotypes and melodrama by using characters in an interesting way. The play is a two-hander which means that only two characters are speaking in the play. By having only these two characters, it keeps the audience engaged and they become more familiar with the characters and can relate to them easier, engaging the audience. Other characters are mentioned, but are never seen in the actual play. The outside world is only seen through Franks and Rita’s eyes, which interests the audience into learning the characters struggles and experiences. Russel uses very good stage settings to make the play more interesting. The whole play being set in one room, Frank’s office, is not very common in theatres or plays. Having this shocks the audience and instantly becomes more interesting because of its difference. On a symbolic level, the furniture is very interesting. The squeaky door represents a Frank’s barrier, and isolation from the outside world. The window, although transparent, represents a weaker barrier he has with his students. However, Rita finds her way in; showing her determination from Frank’s lost spirit. This struggle of becoming a more educated person becomes interesting for the audience as they can compare it their own struggles Since the play has only two characters involved, the audience becomes very close to these characters, which makes it more interesting and entertaining. Rita is a working class person who has a strong desire to learn â€Å"everything†. Her character is very entertaining because of how real and believable her character is. Her passion and very ‘out there’ personality drives her into pushing frank to teach her. This is seen when she oils the door, making it easier for her to enter into Franks office, or in a symbolic sense, remove and barriers. Humour is seen very much throughout the play. Rita, being very outspoken, says what is on her mind and speaks the truth about what she thinks. Coming from a lower class then Frank, her understanding of certain things adds humour to the play, making it entertaining for the audience. This type of humour is displayed in the opening scene â€Å"Is it supposed to be erotic This was the pornography of its day, wasn’t it? when Rita is referring to a religious nude painting. Although being very outspoken, Frank realises her truthfulness and laughs. It is entertaining for the audience for someone from the working class to say their opinions on a religious artwork without taking into any consideration of what it might represent or what value it might be worth. Humour is also seen through Frank to make this play more entertaining. Frank, being a grumpy old teacher, is sick of his boring life. He constantly hides his whisky behind books , â€Å"Dickens† which can symbolise his shame. Frank uses a lot of sarcasm which makes this play more entertaining for the audience: â€Å"Yes, that’s it, just pop off and put your head in the oven†. Another aspect of this play which makes it interesting is that fact that the characters challenge stereotypes. Russel has portrayed Frank as a smart, sophisticated teacher who would not do much wrong. However, he hides alcohol behind high-level education books. By challenging a stereotype like this, it keeps the audience on their toes in wondering what he will do next. Characters of his knowledge are stereotypically portrayed as happily married, however he is not. This is seen by him constantly going to the pub and drinking throughout the play. The plot of Educating Rita is a potentially difficult topic to make interesting and entertaining to the reader. The overall plot is Rita learning as much as she can from a grumpy old teacher who isn’t happy with his life, but thinks that Rita is a fresh breath into his office. This story is very interesting because it makes a potentially difficult topic into a comedy, which makes it entertaining. Rita’s accent fits very well with the plot of a lower class person trying to achieve a better education, but is very unusual to see in a theatre play. However, because of the accent, the audience becomes interested in the difference. Another aspect that Russel focuses on is avoiding melodrama. In many plays and shows seen today, the drama in the story is blown up and over exaggerated. However, in educating Rita it is completely opposite. This is seen when Rita and Denny fight. Frank says â€Å"Let’s leave it for tonight. Let’s go to the pub and drink pots of Guinness and talk. † Rita then replies with â€Å"I’ve got to do this Frank. I’ve got to. †Her strong passion motivates and interests the audience because they may have faced similar struggles. Although Into the World is a very difficult topic to achieve, Russel has managed to make it both interesting and entertaining. Two-hander plays are difficult to capture personal changes however through plot, characters, symbolism and the idea of challenging stereotypes, Russel is able to turn it into an engaging story.

The Causes Of Eating Disorders Psychology Essay

The Causes Of Eating Disorders Psychology Essay An eating disorder is a psychological illness where the subject has an abnormal relationship with food, and has a distorted view himself or herself. Particularly in those who suffer from anorexia and bulimia, there is an obsession with weight loss and food intake. They are also unable to see how self-destructive their behaviour is, and view themselves as too fat even when underweight. (Tighe, 2011)This essay will examine the causes of eating disorders and the psychological explanations that go along with them. Three psychological models will be looked at the cognitive approach, the behavioural approach and finally, the psychodynamic approach. The basis of the Cognitive approach is the theory that the human brain works like a computer. Processed outside information becomes our thoughts and our output is our behaviour. Cognitive psychologists would explain that the causes of eating disorders are due to faulty cognition (thoughts) and having distorted perceptions of self. A. Beck was the pioneer of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which can help eating disorder sufferers challenge their faulty thinking and change their perceptions. (DK, 2011)It is easy to see then, how CBT could be very useful in treating those with an eating disorder, as many symptoms of eating disorders are to do with faulty perception of the self. Fallon and Rozin (1985) also did research based on the cognitive model. They gave a chart of nine images of body types to both men and women. On the chart the silhouettes were either very slim to those of a higher weight. On the chart they placed how they perceived their own weight, how they perceived what weight was attractive to those of the opposite sex and their own, ideal weight. Women tended to place both their ideal weight and the weight they thought men would be attracted to on the lower side of the scale. Their perceived current weight placed at a significantly higher point on the scale. The men however, placed both their ideal weight and current weight close together but the weight that they perceived women to find attractive was higher on the chart*. This research is useful at seeing the difference between how male and female perception of self and ideal weight differs. However, there are some problems with it. For example, all the people asked were American and between the ages of 18-19 and all went to a private college, which suggests that they were, upper to middle class. This means that this piece of research is highly ethno- centric; it is not applicable to those who are exempt from that background and culture. The research in itself also lacks a certain amount of objective, as even though it shows peoples perceptions of their body it does not mean they are all suffering or will suffer from an eating disorder. The research also now lacks historical validity as it was carried out in 1985. Ideal body image was different to how it is now. (Adler, 1992) The cognitive approach can have positive appraisal as it backed up scientifically. Its face validity reflects in the success rate for CBT, which is often very high. The downside is that is seems to de-humanise people. It does not place any bearings on the patients emotions or their individual circumstances. A patient also seems to face large amount of blame and responsibility. In contrast with the Cognitive, approach is the psychodynamic approach; Sigmund Freud was the main trailblazer and the first person to study the mind. He believed that Mental Illness and mal -adaptive behaviour was due to repressed memories and emotions held in our unconscious mind and that, causes of emotional pain can be bought out through psychoanalysis (DK, 2011). This quote also links into another part of what Freuds theory was on how the human mind worked. He believed that the human psyche had three main parts: the id, ego and the superego. Freud believed the id is responsible, for our basic animal instincts, such as wanting food, or sex. There was also the ego was the part of the mind that was connected with the reality of the situation you are in. Finally, the superego is the moral part of the psyche. It is the voice that tells us was is good and right to do regardless of what the id wants. Freuds belief is that if the id, ego and superego are unbalanced then it is one of the pre- cursors to mental illness, such as an eating disorder. Freud also put a strong emphasis on early childhood experiences. He concluded that poor parenting or difficulty bonding with parents as a child could lead to mental illness and abnormal behaviour as an adult. A psychodynamic view of the cause of someone having an eating disorder if a younger women for example, would be that in her unconscious mind she fears becoming an adult. Due to this fear, she tries to revert to being a child by losing weight, causing her to lose her feminine figure and to stop herself menstruating. H. Bruch also believed that this aspiration of wanting to become a child might also be to do with having a poor relationship with parents who did not help her to develop any sort of identity. * There are some definite criticisms about the psychodynamic approach. One of the biggest problems with it is its very difficult to test as it is based on case studies, not scientific testing. In fact, the only way you could test it is by using identical twins by putting one through a trauma and the other one not; this of course, is greatly unethical. You also cannot duplicate the exact result on any other patient. What more, the approach has a huge bias against parenting and the role it could play in mental illness. However, numerous case studies back up the psychodynamic approach and the use of psychoanalysis; so it could work for some people. The last and final approach analysed is the Behavioural approach. The theory of it is that all behaviours learned are due to experience. In addition, those behaviours can then be unlearned. Ivan Pavlov, research the theory of classical conditioning by using dogs. He used a stimulus such as a bell ringing and giving the dog food at the same time to condition the dog to expect food whenever it heard the bell ring. The dog would even start to salivate before it saw the food but still heard the ringing of the bell. (Youtube, 2008) B.F Skinner expanded on Pavlovs research and called his theory Radical Behaviourism. He started by using mice. He would place the mice in a box; whenever the mouse pressed a lever or bar, it food was given. Skinner explained that this wasnt operant conditioning like Pavlovs as there was no preceding stimulus; the behaviour of the mouse was continued by the positive reinforcement of getting food. He continued his research by then wiring up the floor of the box t o an electric source. The mouse would then get a shock when performing certain behaviour. The mouse then learned the behaviour and shock were linked .This is negative reinforcement. (DK, 2011) The behavioural approaches explanation of the causes of an eating disorder in an individual would be due to either positive or negative reinforcement. An example of operant conditioning, that led to someone developing an eating disorder would be, that if a teenage girl kept losing weight and got continuous praise from friends, but then also receiving negative criticism from her parents for saying she was greedy whenever she ate. She would learn that if she lost weight and did not eat much her friends would complement her and her parents in turn, would accept her. Criticisms of the behavioural approach are that scientific testing is possible. It also gives quick results when it comes to treatment. Unfortunately, it does not focus on the patients emotions or their current personal circumstances. Neither, is it suitable to treat all illnesses, with eating disorders in particular a downside of it would be, that it changes the behaviour but has not influence of the cause, of that behaviour. In conclusion, it is widely acknowledged that eating disorders do not have one overruling cause but have a complex mixture of disordered thinking and negative perceptions of self. Poor interpersonal relationships and past trauma may also play a part. Eating disorders may also run in social groups and behaviours associated with eating disorders may be picked up/learned through peer pressure. (National Eating Disorders Association, 2004)It is safe to say then that all of the psychological approaches: cognitive, behavioural and psychodynamic are all perfectly valid in explaining why someone may suffer from an eating disorder and it is wise to keep an open minded approach to treating an eating disorder, as all of the approaches work in a highly interwoven and harmonious way. *Allen. C (2012) Lecture notes: Studies on eating disorders. [Access to HE, 24th October] References: Adler, L. D. (1992). Female and Male Perceptions of I deal Body Shapes. Retrieved October Wednesday 24th, 2012, from Lillianmcmaster.com: http://www.lillianmcmaster.com/resources/ideal%20body%20image%20study%20on%20caucasians.pdf DK. (2011). The Psycholgy Book. London: Dorling Kindersley. National Eating Disorders Association. (2004). What Causes Eating Disorders. Retrieved October Thursday 25th, 2012, from National Eating Disorders.org: http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/nedaDir/files/documents/handouts/WhatCaus.pdf Tighe, J. (2011, May). Eating Disorders. Retrieved October Wednesday 24th, 2012, from BBC Health: http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/emotional_health/mental_health/mind_eatingdisorders.shtml Youtube (Director). (2008). Classical Conditioning- Ivan Pavlov [Motion Picture].