Other Objects Like Lines (roads) And Polygons (areas, Minefields) Ar

? Other objects like lines (roads) and polygons (areas, minefields) are more complicated to handle and will need trained personal (if they're entered and maintained within the GIS). ? If data concerning the state of roads and bridges is necessary to be easily retrieved it might be necessary to create a special form for handling such information. It shouldn't be in the existing reports, because they are snapshots of progress and are being used for documentation ? The base coordinate system for displaying and querying geographical data at the GIS Lab in (and probably in general) is Longitude, Latitude. This is mainly because using GPS Receivers can easily collect data. Within Somalia there are no exact maps available and the GIS Lab of at mainly produces the maps used by the international organizations. When maps are available deminers tend to work with the grid of the map being used. It is necessary to convert this local system into Longitude, Latitude. There is a freeware called available. ? There are two different approaches to work with data in GIS: a) Data is entered into a "database" through the GIS. An example is inserting a village through clicking onto the map and then entering the data associated with this village to the point on the map. The GIS is building up its own data structure in the background and the retrieval of this data can then only be done through the GIS. b) The GIS is used for displaying data stored in an external database. The GIS can query (through ODBC, with SQL) the underlying database and retrieve the necessary geographical information (Longitude, Latitude) to display the points on a map. ? When showing our hierarchy of provinces, districts and cities, was skeptical if this is the right way. He fears, that the survey team would not know in which province they are or they cannot know because the borders are not defined and therefore wrong information is saved in the database. ? The discussion with suggested it feasible to build up our own structure for provinces, districts and cities, because we cannot rely upon people defining this structure on a GIS. ? The GIS Lab of the is playing a big role in sharing the collected data. It will probably come to the point when they want to import data gathered through the Field Module and display it on their maps. As long as we're using longitude and latitude, they will surely not face problems working with our data. ? An idea for the Field Module is a cut and paste function of map pieces, into the sketch maps of the minefields (through the clipboard and e.g. paintbrush). The user can then draw the minefield directly on the screen. This might be another approach, compared to

The sumerian civilization Essays

The sumerian civilization Essays The sumerian civilization Paper The sumerian civilization Paper The world without its greatest invention-the wheel-is a world that does not exist. Imagine what it would be like if such an important invention as the wheel did not come into being? Or, just think how it would be if the concept of writing had not been introduced? I believe that such integral inventions make much of our lives today. The Sumerian civilization was not just a civilization, but also a foundation for many civilizations that followed, which adopted and implemented many of its developments and inventions. What I find ironic is that being one of the first civilizations ever, having existed from 4000 BC to 2000 BC1, it was also the innovative catalyst that first introduced certain inventions, such as those mentioned above, that are used in the everyday life of almost every human being today. It was one that had to struggle for its existence owing to the many floods that often overwhelmed the city of Sumer, which was located between the Tigris River and Euphrates River. However, regardless, life did not cease to exist owing to these deluges for they brought vegetation and agricultural abundance, which attracted its many inhabitants. 2 The skills of the Sumerian-speaking farmers also rouse awe in me for they formed small communities to drain the swamps, and direct the water from floods into irrigation canals. Each community culture had its protector god who supposedly would favor them, and also each community was dominated by the gods rectangular brick temple. A special class of priests conducted rituals and controlled agriculture, crafts, and trade, which was carried on in sailing vessels on the rivers. Gradually, the Sumerians expanded to different regions of Mesopotamia. 3 As time passed, the Sumerians innovative developments also furthered. They began to organize irrigation and flood control on a much larger scale and to use wood plows. This proved to be a smart idea for they extended the area of their cultivated land and increased their production. Such an organization lead to larger units of government. Simultaneously, with the abundance of food, population also became larger. The Sumerians experienced a revolution in urban areas, in which their small farm villages became great cities of specialized workers. Although floods perpetually destroyed many cities, they were rebuilt and flourished for many hundreds of years. That period shaped the Sumerian civilization. 4 Not much has changed from the time of the Sumerians to this day regarding the composition of the cities since the Sumerians lived in a number of city-states that were each composed of a main city with its own towns, villages, and farmlands surrounding it. The only difference, I think, is just that each city-state was thought to belong to a god, who supposedly owned all property that was headed by a hierarchy of priests. Many men formed an assembly that conducted several local affairs. The assembly was guided by a council of richer, older men. In times of crisis like war over water rights or against invaders, a powerful individual had command as a kind of temporary king. He might be the chief priest, a man chosen by the assembly, or one who took over power by military force. This temporary king was believed to be chosen by the city god to represent him. At different times different kings were recognized as lords of all of Sumer according to what was interpreted as the changing will of the gods. 5.

Discuss the key roles of the central bank in an economy. Should Essay

Discuss the key roles of the central bank in an economy. Should central banks be independent - Essay Example The institution, which is the chief regulator, is called the central bank. The 17th century money was dominated by gold and silver, with verbal and written promises also being a form of payment. Paper money and attempts to control money flow were first used in China. European form of central banks came in existence in form of Knights Templar’s promises of payment. The modern precursor of central bank was the bank of Sweden, the Sveriges Riksbank, which acted as the source of funding for government operations and was answerable to the political leadership. Modern central banks operate on the model created by Charles Montagu, which operated in the Bank of England. Montagu’s model operated on the subscription of people to the government’s loan, which would guarantee the subscribers incorporation as attracted certain privileges like banking notes. Central banks evolved with increasing public outlook and monetary functions to be what they are today. Central banks operate on the cumulative process that creates quantity theory. This theory wa s developed by Henry Thornton, to explain the England’s monetary crisis of 1797, with reference to the bank withholding withdrawal of notes from the bank (Rosaveare 34). The Bank Charter of 1844 gave the Bank of England the monopoly over issuance of banknotes and the reserves which any financial institution should have in the bank before issuing a certain value of banknotes (â€Å"The Bank† n.pag).19th century witnessed the spread and growth of central banks spread in many European countries. The Banque de France was established in 1800, the U.S. Federal Reserve in 1923, Australia, Mexico, Chile and Colombia established in 1920, 1925 and 1923 respectively. Prior to the Great Depression, only a few countries like New Zealand, China and Brazil had not established central banks. All central banks are government owned entities. The central banks

A report on highest priority program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A report on highest priority program - Essay Example Also, the Department of Defense feels that the State has to bring back the allied forces so that the cost of maintaining such a high degree of expenditure n the troops can be minimized. Let us focus on the expenditure on the war on terror. The Department of Defense has spent an estimated amount of 4 Trillion USD. This is the highest amount of money spent by the Unites States of America upon a single agenda. The war on terror in Afghanistan and Iraq has cost us a lot of money and the results of the same have not been any fruitful. Even though the companies based out of USA have got the chance and opportunity to built industries in the areas which have been inflicted by the war, the Department of Defense in consultation with the Department of Commerce feels that the economic spending has outgrown the income received by the US based companies from doing business in the war inflicted areas. The highest priority for the United States of America is to control the high level of external exp enditure of the state. The international debt has increased dramatically in the past 3 years and the Department of Commerce in consultation with us have concluded that the war on terror has had dramatic consequences on the purchasing power parity of the Government. There are thousands of troops who have been lined up in Iraq and Afghanistan and it is imperative that we should start cutting down on the supply of our troops in those countries. â€Å"The President spent $850 billion on defense in his first year. This included $530.1 billion for the DoD base budget, and $152.7 billion to fund other departments, such as Homeland Security and the Veterans Administration.† Understanding from the above observations, it is imperative that the State is spending a lot more amount on external security than it has to. The State must recognize the fact that the spending is going out of bounds and it might become difficult to grapple with it. We must be vigilant with our money and it is cru cial that we do not allow the spending to escalate our economic debts. The Department of Defense has made this report in consultation and advises from the Department of Commerce. Moving forward, the Department of Defense categorically state that the States and the President should remove 50% of the troops from the war affected areas by 2015. By the time the country enters a safe economic zone period, it is imperative that the troops are then brought back to the country. We plan to put in a system in place where the interior troops of Iraq and Afghanistan shall be trained and provided with ammunition to counter any insurgency. We shall start the training method by July 2014 and hope to accomplish the training of at least 100000 troops in those countries so that we can then start to remove our troops gradually and place their troops instead. This will also allow those nations to manage any insurgency or attacks and shall make them self-sufficient. Once we send out our troops from the war affected areas, we shall then create a system of checks and balances which will make sure that the process of replacing our troops with their troops is seamless. By 2016 end of the year we hope to have taken away all the allied forces away from the war-ridden areas and reduce our expenditure on war by 80%. This will give the economy the much-needed impetus in terms of monetary strength. The economy will be face

Ernest Hemingway Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Ernest Hemingway - Annotated Bibliography Example He sees Mr. Shirtlet as an empty man emotionally who only wants the car that Mrs. Crater possesses. He also points out that Mrs. Crater is also empty. The point of the story in his idea is that both people are willing to trade their humanity for something material. Desmond, John. F. â€Å"The Lessons of History: Flannery O’Connor’s ‘Everything that Rises Must Converge’. The Flannery O’Connor Bulletin, 1, Autumn, 1972. Gale Literary Database. Blinn Library. 6 March 2012. This article provides an understanding of O’Connor’s point of view as to whether this work is religious or not. She does not feel that the work is religious because she does not thinkit is right for her to put her religious views into her stories. Desmond states that he feels that it is religious and because of who she is, she cannot get away from influencing her characters in some way through religion. The article is a short critical essay about this short story and how the women in the story are under the delusion that they are better than everyone because of their wealth. The problem is that the males in the story have all the power, although the main female characters do not understand this fact. Here, there are two women, Mrs. Prichard and Mrs. Cope. One is savvy and the other one is seen as dense. The criticism is very short and interesting because the boys eventually set fire to the woods and are in some ways redeemed because of it. Paulson, Suzanne Morrow. "Male/Female Conflicts." Flannery OConnor: A Study of the Short Fiction. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1988. 28-45. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Schoenberg, Thomas, J., and Lawrence J. Trudeau. 82. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center. Web. 8 Mar. 2012. Gale Literature Resource Center. Blinn Library. 6 March 2012. This article compares several of O’Connor’s short stores with the theme of male-female conflicts. Most of the stories were listed that were read for this research paper. The

Culture Is Separated Into Two Aspects Management Essay

Culture Is Separated Into Two Aspects Management Essay The Oxford Dictionary defines culture as ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society; the attitudes and behaviour characteristic of a particular social group. Culture cannot be precisely defined, but it may be sensed and felt. Mobley, Wang and Fang (2005) also states that culture provides direction to peoples behaviours, in visible and sometimes unnoticeable ways; and it deeply influences decision-making. Culture is separated into two aspects which are visible and invisible. Visible aspects include the appearance of a person or what food does he consume. While invisible aspects include the importance of religion, beliefs in a society or the thoughts and feelings people have about certain issues. In the global market today, culture is an important aspect to multinational companies (MNCs). Apart from serving a diversified marketplace, MNCs would also be consisting of different nationalities. As such, companies are faced with the challenges of serving and managing a culturally diverse workforce. In addition, doing business on a global basis requires a good understanding of different cultures. Failure to understand cultural differences can lead to serious consequences such as an impact on the companys business relationships with overseas customers, clients and employees and bad public relations. Culture also shapes the way people do business across international borders. Same organizations of different nationalities may operate differently due to their culture and this impact on policies, communication strategies, organizational structure, and human resources management. Organizations particularly MNCs can no longer afford not to consider the culture of the countries where they operate in. Thus, the main objective of this essay is to critically evaluate that culture is the most important factor in shaping and accounting for international differences in employment relations. The essay will be evaluating culture through national culture and organisational culture. In national culture, it will begin by comparing and contrasting three different countries (France, China and Japan) with their distinct national cultures in employee relations using the Hofstedes six cultural dimensions with case studies of Danone Vs Wahaha and Renault Vs Nissan. The two case studies will then illustrate the importance of national culture to organizations and employment relations. In the second part, the essay will be evaluating the importance and the need of an organisational culture. It will further evaluate organisational culture by using Edgard Scheins Three Levels of Culture with an example of Google as a case study. Lastly, it will end of by discussing the other underlying factors that also help in shaping and accounting for international differences. It will also conclude with recommendations and the rationale why culture is the most important factor. National Culture Hofstede (1991) de ¬Ã‚ ned national culture as the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or people from another. It implies that the people share a collective national character that represents their cultural mental programming which is a set of norms, behaviours, beliefs and customs that exist within the population of a sovereign nation. Hofstede also claims that every national population shares a unique culture. However, in the recent years, many MNCs have not yet grasped the culture of the country which they are operating or selling their products in. By using case studies of Danone Vs Wahaha and Renault Vs Nissan in this essay, it will attempt to compare the vast differences in national culture between France, China and Japan using Geert Hofstedes 6 dimensions of defining and interpreting culture. First Case Study: Wahaha Vs Danone In 1996, Chinas Hangzhou Wahaha food group, Frances Danone group and Hong Kongs Bai fu qin corporation decided to form a joint venture named Wahaha. In this joint venture, Danone attempted to enter the china market using Wahaha brand that is well-received by the Chinese. However, problems surfaced when Danone became the biggest shareholder in 1998; thus producing resentment from the Chinas Wahaha group as they felt that Danone misled them from the beginning. To worsen the problem, Hangzhou Wahaha food group that is managed by Chairman Zong was accused of breaching the contract by establishing non-joint ventures which infringed the interests of Danone, claiming that the Hangzhou Wahahas establishment of the non-joint ventures and the illegal use of the Wahaha trademark has violated the clause in the contract. After which Wahahas Chairman Zong was sued by Danone in California and Italy, he created a series of small companies producing the same products as the joint venture. The Wahaha Vs Danone case has significantly depicted a dispute between ownership rights. Conflicts between Danone and Wahaha may be caused by unawareness of the cross cultural differences between France and China. Second Case Study: Nissan Vs Renault Nissan, a Japanese company and Renault, a French company decided to come together to work on a joint project. Both companies were well known for their distinct corporate cultures and brand identity. The joint project was formed as both companies shares a single joint of strategy for profitable growth and community of interest. However, Nissans management style strongly encouraged group performance while Renault focuses on individual performance. Communication between the top management and employees were unclear and indirect, therefore resulting in misunderstanding within the company. The conflict between the 2 partners was due to Nissans employees assuming that Renault was similar to them that encourage group performance. However, Renaults management style belongs to a much more individualistic approach, making the Nissans employees felt uncomfortable of having the feeling of losing their family atmosphere. Communication between the Nissan employees and Renault employees broke down; Nissan did not understood what were Renaults main objectives and their company goals in their partnership with Nissan. Some of the Nissans managers felt frustrated and opposed to the entry of Renault representative on Nissans board. The managers were old employees, and they felt that employees should be promoted according to their seniority instead of individual performance. The breakdown of communication is also caused by the differences in their language. With such a significant difference in their management style, there is a need in cross cultural awareness for the business joint venture to be a successful one. Geert Hofstedes Six Dimensions According to Geert Hofstedes cultural research studies, culture can be classified into six different dimensions; Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism Vs Collectivism, Masculinity Vs Femininity, Long term orientation Vs Short term orientation. The table below illustrates for France, China and Japan. France China Japan Power Distance 68 80 54 Uncertainty Avoidance 86 30 92 Individualism Vs Collectivism 71 20 46 Masculinity Vs Femininity 43 66 95 Long Term Orientation Vs Short term Orientation 39 118 80 Figure 1.0 Scores allocated to the different dimensions for France, China and Japan Power Distance Power distance can be defined as all individuals in societies are not equal it expresses the attitude of the culture towards inequalities among us. Power distance can be defined as to the extent to which the less powerful expects and accepts that power is distributed unequally. (Geert Hofstede,2001 ) In comparison of France, China and Japan, China belongs to a society where the people believes that inequalities is acceptable, there is a presence of a powerful employer-subordinate relationship which the subordinate will abide all rules and regulations set by the employer. France on the other hand may be prone towards a more hierarchical organization system where the attitude towards managers are more formal. Japan belongs to a more hierarchical society where the Japanese should be conscious of their hierarchical position in any situations. All decisions must be reviewed by each level of the management and finally the top management. Individualism Vs Collectivism Individualism can be identified as the high degree of independence a society maintains among its members. It relates to peoples self image in terms of I while Collectivism can be identified to be the opposite. In a individualist society, people tends to only look after themselves and their direct family while a collectivist society consists of people belonging to a group that takes care of them in exchange for their loyalty.(Geert Hofstede,2001) Comparing the 3 countries, there is a significant difference; China belongs to a highly collectivist country where people act at an interest of a group. In this norm, personal relationships prevail over the task and company. However in France, there is a certain degree of independence a society maintains among its members. The French prefers individual and private opinions and work relationships between the employer and employees are contract based where everyone focus on the task itself. Communication within an individualist company would be direct where everyone gives their opinions freely if they do not agree. Referring back to the Nissan Vs Renault case, it has clearly shown that Renault (France) encouraged a more individualist approach by promoting individual initiatives and hoped that the employees are promoted through individual performance. Direct contacts between the top management and employees were encouraged in their individualistic approach. Japan similar to China; belonging to a highly collectivist society, this can be shown through putting their harmony of group above the expression of individual opinions and the Japanese have a strong sense of shame for losing face. In the Nissan Vs Renault case, Nissans employees feel that it is important to have a family atmosphere in their working environment. The managers of Nissan felt frustrated and opposed to the entry of Renault as they felt that promotions should be done according to seniority, not individual performance. Masculinity Vs Feminity Masculinity Vs Feminity is another dimension where we can infer that a masculine society will be driven by competition, achievement and success. It is a value system that starts in the school and continues throughout organizational behaviour. On the contrary, a feminine society will be driven by caring for others and quality of life. It is one where quality of life is sign of success and standing out from the crowd is not admirable. (Geert Hofstede, 2001) In China, leisure time is not as important compared to the status and better salaries. Such examples can be found in students as they care very much about their exam scores and ranking as the main criteria to achieve success or not. France belongs to a relatively feminine society. It may be due to their famous welfare system, securità © sociale where the French are only required to work 35 working hours per week and entitled to 5 weeks of holidays per year. France cares greatly for their quality of life and focuses more on work in order to live the reverse. Competition in the working environment is usually not encouraged and flashy signs of success should not be shown in the public. In the Renault Vs Nissan case, Nissan is shown to treat males and females equally. Some of the female employees were offered several managerial positions in the company. Japan, a total opposite from France has a highly masculine culture. It is usually shown through competitive situations between groups, not individuals. Their famous workaholism is another expression of their highly masculine culture. In Japan, women find it difficult to climb the corporate ladder due to their masculine norm of long working hours. Contrasting Renault in the case study, Nissan belongs to a masculine company which managerial positions are only offered to the male employees, not the female workers. Uncertainty Avoidance Uncertainty avoidance has to do with how the society deals with the fact that their future will not be known. The unknown elements will bring about ambiguity and different cultures will react to the ambiguity in different ways. The uncertainty avoidance can be defined as the extent to which the members of a culture feels threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations and have created beliefs and institutions that try to avoid these. (Geert Hofstede, 2001) High degree of ambiguity can be seen from the Chinese as their language is often full of ambiguity that can be seen as confusing for the westerners. It is shown that the Chinese are comfortable with ambiguity and seem to be adaptable and entrepreneurial. 70% 80% of Chinese businesses tend to be small to medium sized and family owned. France on the other hand tends to have their training done in a deductive approach. In the management level, rules and securities are ensured to create a stress free working environment and a certain level of expertise are welcomed. A change of policies can also be seen as a stressful event. Japanese is one of the few countries that have the highest uncertainty avoidance score. It may be due to the fact that Japan is constantly threatened with natural disasters such as earthquake, volcanoes eruptions that most Japanese are always prepared in any kind of situations. In the business environment, a lot of time and effort are put into feasibility studies and all the risk must be worked out before the project can proceed. Long term Vs Short term orientation In the Long term Vs Short term orientation, a long term orientation can be seen closely related to teachings of Confucius and can be separately interpreted as dealing with societys search for virtue. Long term orientation can be defined as the extent to which a society shows a pragmatic future orientated perspective while Short term orientation shows a conventional historical short term point of view. (Geert Hofstede, 2001) China belongs to a long term orientated society whereby persistence and perseverance is normal. The Chinese are thrifty and tends to invest in long term projects such as real estate. They also recognized that the government is by men rather than being influenced by external factors such as god or the laws. France on a contrary is a short term oriented society; there is a great respect towards traditions, cultures and their language. In business related issues, the French tends to focus on short term results and therefore, companies are usually driven by quarterly results. They do not focus on saving and the management style is based on self-reliance, personal achievement, hard work and managers are judged based on short term results. In Japan, people lives their lives guided by virtues and good examples in life. There is a hint of long term orientation in the constantly high rate of investment in RD, even through difficult times. This is for the sake of a steady growth for market share instead of a quarterly profit, thus increasing durability of the company, serving the stakeholders and the society for many generations to come. Figure 2.0 Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions table for France and China From the graph above, it shows that the cultural differences between France and China are distinctly different in the different dimensions. The graph implicates the importance of focusing on the awareness of cross cultural differences between the 2 country in order for the joint venture between Wahaha and Danone to be a successful one. In the case study, Danone, the French company may not understand the ambiguity in how the Chinese operates in Wahaha and thus misinterpreted their good intentions. Likewise, for Hangzhou Wahaha, it is founded by the Chairman Zong who started the company from a small company which may be very much more family-owned. Chairman Zong may not have a vast understanding of how international joint ventures works and can end up leading to bigger misunderstanding and conflicts which results in failure of the joint venture or business attempts. An example from the case study; Zhang Cheryl(2001) stated that the interpretation of losing control is different between the western society and china. In the western society, losing control may not be treated at a personal level. However, losing control in china is meant as losing face, which would refer to losing the power to make decisions which puts Chairman Zong of Wahaha in a disrespectful situation among his employees. Wahaha therefore insist to runs normally in their daily operations in order to keep their face. To worsen the situation, Wahaha perceived it was losing face when Danone established other IJVs with their competitors resulting in Wahaha being less motivated to settle their conflicts and disputes between each other. From the case study, we have seen how important cross cultural awareness is in shaping and cultivating a good business attempt. Figure 3.0 Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions table for France and Japan In comparison of France and Japan, there is a significant difference in the 6 dimension index from Hofstedes theory. In the Nissan Vs Renault case, the difference in management style, breakdown of communication, different cultural values and language barrier are factors which may have caused a conflict between the two companies. One of the major problems may be the different management style; where Nissan is works in a family like atmosphere. However, Renault focuses on individual performance where an individual only cares about their own results. Nissan can also be seen as a more masculine society which managerial positions are only offered to male employees while Renault treats all employees as equal and it can be shown that several managerial positions were taken up by female employees. In such a different cultural environment, it is important that both companies should have cross cultural awareness for the business venture to be successful. Therefore, it is crucial for MNCs to be exposed to the different international cultural differences as in their daily operations they are exposed to multiple national cultures. This suggests that managing across borders introduces substantial complexity because it forces multinationals to attune their practices and approaches to each and every cultural context they operate in. Edgard Scheins Three Levels of Culture Apart from Geert Hofstedes 6 dimensions of defining culture, there is another famous culture theorist, Edgard Schein that devotes all his effort into comparing and identifying the organizational cultural differences. According to Edward Schein(1992), Organizational learning, development, and planned change cannot be understood without considering culture as the primary source to change. Schein has categorized culture into 3 different levels: Artifacts, Espoused Values, Basic assumptions and values. Figure 4.0 Three Levels of Culture (Schein, 2004, Organizational culture and leadership, 27) Schein defined that culture is first seen through artifacts such as visual organizational structures or tangible items. Underlying artifacts is the values such as strategies, goals and philosophies. The core of the 3 levels would be assumptions such as taken for granted beliefs, perceptions, thoughts and feelings through experience. Through the case studies, it has implied that each country has a unique cultural perspective and approach to certain situations and hence it is important for companies to strive to understand and support relevant programs or strategies in each region. Failure to appreciate and account for them can lead to issues like strain relationships in employment relations, communication breakdown between management team and drag down business performance. Newman Nollen (1996) also state that there is no one best way to manage a business. Differences in national cultures call for differences in management practices. One of their conclusions also states the importance of the congruence between management practices and the national culture should be in harmony in order to produce better performance outcomes, therefore pinpointing in another way the importance of cultural differences. Therefore, the management of a company should pay extra attention to national cultural differences as it may influence the effectiveness of the strategies and decisions that the company makes. Based on Geert Hofstedes research on national culture, he has demonstrated that organizations can also no longer ignore the impact of national cultures on organizations cultures particularly for MNCs. Therefore it is clear that in current times, the implementation of positive organizational cultures and effectively merging of national cultures into organizational culture is critical for positive business performance. Therefore as a start, MNCs should understand and be aware of the different types of national culture as well as adopting a fitting organizational culture themselves to account for international culture differences in employment relations. Organisational Culture Greenberg and Baron (1997) define organizational culture as a cognitive framework consisting of attitudes, values, behavioural norms, and expectations. These values stated have a strong influence on employees behaviours, thinking, and behavioural patterns which in turns encourages diversity and adaptability to support its performance. Organizational culture is also an effective control mechanism for managing employee behaviour. In an organization with different nationalities, the company would need to foster a common diversity culture in the company to create a mutual respect for each and every different employee; which may in turn enhance their full potential. A strong organizational culture is a primary generator of real motivation and commitment and has a unique absorptive power to congregate people (Mobley, Wang and Fang, 2005). Therefore, this is a need for an organizational culture that fits to the needs of the company and its employees. Now, using a case study on Google in this essay, it will attempt to evaluate how Google makes use of national culture and their organizational culture to account and shape for international differences using Edgard Scheins Three Levels of Culture theory. Third Case Study: Google Google is a worldwide company that has strong practices in diversity. Google culture revolves around their mission: to organize the worlds information and make it universally accessible and useful. (Corporate Information, 2011) Google consists of a diversity of staffs, supporting various cultural norms. Through this cultural norm, they encourage and support the diversity of its customers and employees. Google consist of bilingual employees catering to their diverse consumer base. In fact, Statistics shows that more than half of the results Google provides to its customers are outside of the US. (Corporate Information, 2010). Diversity is distinct in Google such as their employees, offices, products, and customers. By understanding national culture and accepting the different nationalities differences, Google leverage and make use of the different skill sets of each employees. Googles Culture As Google consist of a diverse staff group, it shows the importance of having a strategically appropriate culture, a culture which will fits the needs of the organization, its employees and the marketplace. At Google, we dont just accept difference we thrive on it, we celebrate it, and we support it for the bene ¬Ã‚ t of our employees, our products, and our community. (Google Annual Report, 2010) Google has embraced diversity and integrated it into their culture and into their core culture statement. The manifestations of Googles culture are analyzed by evaluating the artefacts at Google (Gagliardi, 1992). Through looking at the various aspects of Google, it is shown that Google has an integrated and informal culture (Martin, 1992), which comprises of four key elements. Mission Innovation Fun Reward Using Edgard Scheins Three Levels of Culture, it is first defined and seen through the artefacts such as visual organizational structures or tangible items. Google supports diversity of norms in each office by utilizing their office and cafes. They are designed to encourage interactions between employees within and across teams, and to spark conversation about work as well as play. Social interactions stimulate knowledge and learning breakthroughs. Without communication, there is no way to express thoughts, ideas, manage differences and feelings. Communication plays an important role in keeping and maintaining values and relationships necessary to keep the system of the organisation united. The next level of culture would be the exposed values which are the strategies, goals and philosophies. Daft (2003) stated that managing a global environment requires managers to have the ability to manage change through innovation and creativity. Therefore, the employees in Google are motivated to contribute their suggestions and ideas. Most of Googles work are project based hence employees are required to team up and pursue the project. The team may consist of a diverse group of members. Through the concept of a group project, members would then need to learn to accept one another and work together. This enhances the communication between Googles employees and hence they share a unified common goal and vision. However, conflicts between the employees are bound to happen in project based work. Therefore, conflict management between employees and respect for cultures must be structured and organized for the many cultures and diversities. One strategy that Google implement is to create awareness of international national differences is by organizing national cultural events such as The 6th Sense: Diversity Week in India and Diwali and Google Mela to develop cultural intelligence to the employees and international cultural competence. The purpose of these cultural events is that the employees would generate a culture-specific understanding of the other and positively regard of the other. Through these events, it will groom and educate the employees on cultural awareness. During such events, Googles employees are able to interact and appreciate each others culture; consequently, an accommodating culture and organizational behaviour is then established within the organization. The next level of culture would be the assumptions such as taken for granted beliefs, perceptions, thoughts and feelings through experience. Googles employees are passionate and self-motivated, and the company empowers them to a certain degree to make responsible decisions. Therefore, employees could get an equal and fair opportunity to innovate and unleash their imagination and ideas through their meetings. After analyzing all of Google culture characteristic, using Deal and Kennedy model of organizational culture (Deal and Kennedy, 1982), Google most likely falls into the work hard/play hard culture. Characteristics of the culture include high levels of activity and where employee has to take few risks and these characteristics are clearly reflected in Google. Through the concept of organizational culture on how they are establish and reinforce, it will make a big difference in the way employees act and in the way the organization act as a whole when ethical dilemmas are faced. Through cultivating a fitting culture from the start, the organization and the employees will have a shared set of understandings about what is correct behaviour and how ethical issues will be handled. Therefore, if a company would to embrace and be accepting to international culture from the start, this will account and shape the employees to be more accepting to cultural differences and hence improve employment relations. Therefore, it is proposed that companies should ensure mentoring their employees through guidance coaching of the culture and encourage bonding and communication between levels of management and their employees. Also managers that have to work across different countries are required to understand the importance of national culture and organisational culture as well. Gabriel (1999) states that managers have to also recognise and build on cultural particularities, adapting organisational products and policies to local cultures and managing employees in a manner appropriate to their culture. It is beneficial to understand the country culture and the organisations culture. The country may have its own set of framework and culture in which they operate in. This will impact and forces multinationals to attune their practices and approaches to each and every cultural context they operate in. Different companies may operate things differently due to their home countrys culture and thus causing an impact on policies, communication strategies, organizational structure, and human resources management. By understanding and managing these cultural differences, it will be a vital ingredient of organisational success. Other Factors In this essay, it has stated the importance of national culture and organisational culture in how they account and shape for international differences in employment relations. However, other factors such as economic, social, political, and technological factors may also constitute an impact on international cultures. Amongst the different factors, economic, political and technological factors are identified to be one of the most important factors that affect international differences. Economic Factors Economic factors like globalization are one of the factors affecting international employee relations. Through effects of globalization where companies may become more advance, the management has to ensure that the skills processed by the employees are compatible with those required in the market to meet the customer needs. Globalisation will increase the competitiveness and inequality among the countries. Under globalisation, industries and services move from one country to another, thus restricting opportunities for permanent employment relationships to the benefit of economic performance. To improve their competitiveness, many MNCs sought to relocate their business operations to countries where labour is cheaper and workers are less protected and hence neglected employment relation to focus more on the performance of the company. Technological Factors Sometimes companies that undergo technological developments have destroyed jobs as they undergo aggressive growth and rapid expansion. This may make it necessary for its human resources department to focus on recruitment and staffing internationally and locally. Therefore a company may have its problems to expand and recruit new employees, as it may need to focus its recruiting efforts outside the region if the labour pool is not large enough. Companies may also make specific requirements for a job where the applicant is required to possess a certain degree of skills or nationality and this in turn affect employment relations. Political Factors These reg

Gone With the Wind : Born Survivors Essay examples -- Gone With the Wi

Gone With the Wind : Born Survivors  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Gone With the Wind is a novel written by Margaret Mitchell which focuses on the life of a Southern belle during the Civil War. The underlying focus in Mitchell's Gone With the Wind is that only those who are born survivors will really prosper during times of true hardship. A born survivor is one who will do anything to survive, at any cost. They will get down in the dirt and work like a dog just for a day's meal; they will take something from someone else just so that they and their own can live. These people may have social advantages or they may be poor farmers. The key element in their make-up is that they want to survive, they need to survive. Not only do these people live, they prosper as well. They take whatever they can find and mold it into something that will help them get ahead in life. These are the born survivors. Those who are not born survivors are lacking that one key element; they don't have the need or the want to get down and dirty and get the job done. Most of these people will either fall through the cracks or they will live out the rest of their lives on a hand to mouth basis. They aren't able to look ahead, to plan, to scrimp and scavenge and do whatever it takes to survive. Most of the Southern gentlemen in Gone With the Wind are not born survivors. "And raising good cotton, riding well, shooting straight, dancing lightly, squiring the ladies with elegance and carrying one's liquor like a gentleman were the things that mattered " (4). One such gentleman is Ashley Wilkes. While Ashley is adept at the things that matter, he " was born of a line of men who used their leisure for thinking, not doing, for spinning brightly colored dreams that had in them ... ...tt observes of Rhett, " ' All you ever do is finance Carpetbaggers in their thieving and take half the profits and bribe Yankee officials to let you in on schemes to rob us taxpayers ' " (763). Rhett knows that there is money to be made during the building of a civilization and during the fall. Rhett is willing to risk his neck participating in "unscrupulous" activities to survive an get ahead in the new South. Some of the characters in Gone With the Wind are born survivors and some are not. Ashley is lost without his world of hazy dreams while Scarlett and Rhett take things and use them to their advantage. Scarlett and Rhett, born survivors, will live and prosper, and Ashley will simply fall by the wayside because he is not a born survivor. Works Cited "Gone With the Wind" Mitchell, Margaret. The Macmillan Company, New York Seventy-ninth printing, 1968.

Original Writing Essay

A boy wearing spectacles who was very fat and dressed in what looked like a school uniform, found himself lying on a long white beach. He sat up rubbing the back of his head, which he must have bumped. He looked out to the ocean wondering where on earth he could be. The last thing he could remember was looking out the plane window and seeing the wing on fire. He must have blacked out then. He wiped the sweat away from his brow, as it was the hottest weather he had ever been in. After a while of sitting there and looking out into the ocean, The fat boy pulled himself up, and looked around. Behind him all he saw was thick forest, with palm trees and weird looking plants which he had never seen or heard of before. He felt starving hungry, so he decided to go and look for something to eat. As he started to venture into the forest, He saw weird looking fruits that were just in arms reach, so he picked a few down, and started to eat them. He liked the taste, so he picked some more. He then heard a rustling in undergrowth next to him. Someone was coming! He thought that it could be another person from the plane crash so he shouted out into the undergrowth, â€Å"Hi!† He stood there with a fruit in his hand, and a load of it round his mouth and then another boy about the same age as him (about 13) crawled out of the undergrowth. He looked up at him, looked down again, picked himself up and carried on walking straight past him. â€Å"Hey!† the fat boy shouted after him. He ran to catch up with him and he asked him his name. â€Å"Ralph,† he said. Ralph did not make the acquaintance of asking the fat boy’s name. Ralph was taller than he was, but thin and he looked like he could make a boxer because of the heaviness and width of his shoulders. He was very fair too. â€Å"Where’s the man with the megaphone?† the fat boy asked him. He shrugged his shoulders. â€Å"Perhaps there aren’t any adults anywhere.† â€Å"What about the pilot?† The fat boy said, and Ralph replied, â€Å"the planes not here, so he must’ve flown off.† â€Å"No, I saw flames coming out of the wing.† Ralph grinned, suddenly realising something to himself. â€Å"What?† I said. â€Å"No grownups,† he said quietly to himself. â€Å"No grownups!† This time he shouted it joyfully. But the fat boy felt daunted by the fact that there were no grownups. The two of them carried on walking in the blistering heat along the white sand and beside them was what looked like miles of jungle. â€Å"I think we’re on a island.† Ralph said to the fat boy. â€Å"I climbed up on a rock and looked around and all I could see was the ocean.† â€Å"So were stuck here.† The fat boy muttered to himself. Ralph did not hear. They both carried on walking along the beach, half looking for anybody else that survived the crash (or at least they thought it was a crash). â€Å"There must be others here, you haven’t seen any have you?† the fat boy said to Ralph. Ralph shook his head. â€Å"We ought to make a list of everybody, know all their names. We ought to have a meeting.† The fat said this hoping Ralph would ask him his name, but Ralph did not take the hint, so he was forced to continue. â€Å"I don’t care what everybody calls me, as long as they don’t call me what they used to call me at school.† Ralph was suddenly interested, â€Å"what was that?† The fat boy leaned towards Ralph and whispered in Ralph’s ear, â€Å"they used to call me Piggy.† Ralph jumped up with a howl of laughter, â€Å"Piggy!† he screeched. â€Å"Piggy, piggy, piggy!† â€Å"Ralph don’t.† â€Å"Please!† â€Å"Piggy, Piggy, Piggy!† Then Ralph fell on the sand in fits of laughter. â€Å"Okay as long as you don’t tell the others.† Ralph was still laughing. Piggy decided to go back into the forest and get some more fruit, so he went, picked some and when he came back he found Ralph swimming in a pool of water with little shoals of fish, darting back and forth. Piggy felt green with envy to how Ralph was swimming as he wished he could swim like that. His auntie had told him he wasn’t allowed to swim because of his asthma so he had never swum before. Ralph swam very graciously and well. Ralph had taken his clothes off, so, with a decision Piggy decided to as well. â€Å"There!† Piggy said to himself, when he had finished. â€Å"Aren’t you going to swim then?† Ralph asked Piggy demandingly. Piggy explained to him about his auntie. â€Å"Sucks to your auntie!† Ralph replied. Piggy hesitated but eventually got into the water and he stood waist deep and stayed there. Piggy watched Ralph dive under and swim about on the surface. â€Å"How can you swim so well?† Piggy looked at him with bewilderment on his face. â€Å"My Dad taught me. He’s in the navy and he’ll come and rescue us.† Ralph said undoubtedly. Piggy thought for a moment then said, â€Å"how does he know where we are?† There was a pause then Ralph said, â€Å"I just know he’ll come,† and he dived under water. When they had both got out of the water, they sat down on a rock and they put on their clothes. â€Å"We got to do something.† Piggy said to Ralph. He said nothing. â€Å"We have to get everybody together. Do you know how many of us there are?† â€Å"No.† Piggy sat there trying to think. â€Å"What’s that?† Ralph pointed to a creamy object laying among some weeds.† â€Å"It’s a stone.† Piggy replied. â€Å"No, it’s a shell.† He ran over to it and picked it up. Piggy followed. â€Å"I seen one of them before!† Piggy said excitedly. â€Å"That’s a conch. I know somebody who had one exactly the same on his back wall. He used to blow into it and it would make a loud trumpet noise and then his mum would come. It’s very valuable.† Ralph admired the beautiful colour of the conch that was a deep cream touched here and there with fading pink. The conch was about eighteen inches long and had a spirally twist in the middle. At one end the shell wore down to a small hole and at the other end were some pink curved out lips (presumably where the sound came out). Ralph stroked the gentle curves of the shell. It was very smooth. Piggy suddenly got a very excited look on his face. â€Å"We could blow down it to call the others! They’ll come when they here this!† â€Å"How did your friend blow down it?† Ralph asked Piggy. â€Å"He sort of spat. My auntie said I couldn’t do it because of my asthma, but he showed me. It moo-ed like a cow. You blow from here.† He placed his hand on the end with the small hole. â€Å"You do it Ralph. You call the others.† So Ralph lifted the conch to his lips and He blew. The noise of the conch filled the air with a piercing bellow. Once Ralph had stopped blowing you could hear the squawks of the birds fluttering out of the treetops. â€Å"Gosh.† Ralph said surprised. He brought the conch to his lips again. The noise sounded even louder than the last time. â€Å"That could be heard from miles around!† Piggy shouted when the noise had stopped. The noise was deafening. â€Å"Look!† Piggy shouted. There was a little boy appearing out of the trees. He made towards them. Meanwhile Ralph continued to blow. The little boy reached them. Piggy leaned down to him. â€Å"What’s your name?† â€Å"Johnny.† More people were now appearing out of the trees, some about the same age as Piggy, some a lot smaller like Johnny. They all came to Ralph and Piggy, and Piggy went around asking all their names and trying to remember each of them while Ralph was still blowing the conch. Soon there was a crowd. Piggy was still trying to remember their names and Ralph then ceased blowing because there was no more people coming out of the trees. But then Ralph noticed coming along the beach from quite a distance, what looked like a large black creature, but as it drew nearer he could make out clothing and he worked out it was a group of boys wearing black uniform. By now everybody else had seen them and was watching them steadily march towards them. They were all marching in a line and all had black cloaks and black square caps. One of them was walking in front. They came into the group, and the one standing at the front shouted â€Å"Who’s the man with the trumpet!† â€Å"There’s no man with the trumpet, only me.† Ralph replied to him. He turned to Ralph who was sitting down on a rock holding the conch in his lap. The boy turned away from Ralph and examined the rest of the group. This boy had ginger hair, was quite tall and skinny and his face was plastered with freckles. â€Å"Where’s the ship?† â€Å"There is no ship.† Ralph looked up at him. The other boys that came with this boy were standing still in formation. They were all fully clothed and looked pale and giddy from the heat. â€Å"Where are the adults?† â€Å"There are none.† Ralph replied. â€Å"Were having a meeting, join in.† After, Jack (the ginger haired boy (he had told them his name)) had finally let his choir break from the formation. They decided that they needed a chief, to sort out how they were going to be rescued. Immediately Jack sprung up his hand and said â€Å"I should be chief!† But one of the choir boys said they should have a vote. Everybody agreed much to Jacks disappointment. Piggy knew that Ralph would be voted for, just because Jack was so arrogant and Piggy knew they wouldn’t vote for him because he was so fat. Ralph then said, â€Å"who wants to vote for Jack?† His choir slowly raised their hand with obedience. Nobody else did. â€Å"Who wants to vote for me?† the crowd raised their hands. â€Å"That’s sorted then. I’m chief.†

James Parkinson

James Parkinson first described Parkinsons disease in England in 1817. Parkinson wrote a description of six patients suffering from a slowly progressing disease characterized by involuntary tremulous motion, which lessened muscular power in parts not in action even when supported, with a propensity to bend their trunks forward from a walking to a running pace (Health s disease) in his honor. Parkinsonism, also called paralysis agitans, is defined as a disorder of the brain characterized by shaking and difficulty with walking, movement, and coordination. The disease is associated with damage to part of the brain that controls muscle movement. The term parkinsonism refers to any condition that involves a combination of the types of changes in movement seen in Parkinsons disease, which happens to be the most common condition causing this group of symptoms. Parkinsonism may be caused by ! other disorders or by external factors (secondary parkinsonism). (Yahoo.Health). These symptoms include adverse reactions to prescribed medication, carbon monoxide poisoning, stroke, head injury, and brain tumors. In Parkinsons disease dopamine, which is important for transporting signals from one cell to another within your brain is lost. Resulting in impairment of walking, arm movement, and facial expressions. Parkinsons disease manifests itself in various manners. These may include 1) only one side of the body, 2) both sides, 3) both sides with mild postural imbalance, 4) both sides with critical postural instability and 5) severe and fully developed disease so that you may be restricted to a bed or chair (Family Health Book, 1990). When present, it appears to be due to decreased sensitivity of the nerves (post-synaptic) to dopamine rather than deterioration of the area of the brain that produces dopamine....

The Concept of Self-Transcendence Essays

The Concept of Self-Transcendence Essays The Concept of Self-Transcendence Essay The Concept of Self-Transcendence Essay Essay Topic: The Metamorphosis Wallace Stevens Poems Life is full of obstacles that thwart one’s ability to discover the true meaning of existence. In The Unheard Cry for Meaning, psychologist Viktor Frankl explains that â€Å"An eye with a cataract may see something like a cloud, which is its cataract; an eye with glaucoma may see its glaucoma as a rainbow halo around the lights. A healthy eye sees nothing of itself – it is self-transcendent. † The concept of self-transcendence requires one to overcome the different â€Å"cataracts† of life, and ultimately view the world through an altruistic perspective. When one conquers the notion of seeing â€Å"nothing of itself†, one can comprehend the true meaning to living a full and healthy life. In Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, the main character Gregor Samsa has lost himself in his continuous world of routine, in which his grueling profession takes away from his ability to recognize the components that make life meaningful. Thus, his job is the â€Å"cataract† that disables him from truly living, and keeps him from establishing relationships with those around him and wholly expressing his creativity. Gabriel Conroy experiences similar feelings of disillusionment in James Joyce’s The Dead. Gabriel lives in a â€Å"cloud† of misperceptions, and constantly suffers from obsessive misinterpretations of how others perceive him. As a result, Gabriel possesses a close-minded and defensive attitude, which affects his ability to experience true love and wholly appreciate his life. Gregor’s obsession with his job, and Gabriel’s constant fear of being judged by others, hinder their abilities to reach self-transcendence. Once they break these barriers, they learn to possess this theory of self-transcendence, and ultimately seek to espy the true essence of life. Gregor’s physical transformation â€Å"into a monstrous vermin† (Pg. 3) frees him from the distractions and obligations that permeate his mindset, such as his responsibilities to earn money, pay off his parent’s debt, and support his family. Prior to his metamorphosis, Gregor is so preoccupied with his â€Å"grueling profession† (Pg. 4), that it prevents him from â€Å"ever becoming anything closer than acquaintances† (Pg. 4) with the different individuals in his life. After his metamorphosis, Gregor is able to build a relationship with an object to create a link with humanity that his life is lacking. The picture of the beautiful woman exemplifies Gregor’s desire to create a relationship to feed his hunger for love, and the picture’s frame symbolizes the amount of creativity that Gregor possesses within himself. The picture, which Gregor â€Å"had recently cut out of a glossy magazine and lodged in a pretty gilt frame†¦showed a lady done up in a fur hat and fur boa, sitting upright and raising up against the viewer a heavy fur muff in which her whole forearm had disappeared† (pg. 3). Gregor is frustrated that his job never allows â€Å"relationships to last or get more intimate† (Pg. ), and is distressed that the individuals in his life come and go without making any sort of impact on his life. Therefore, the woman in the photo may depict Gregor’s desire for love, and his desire to form a meaningful relationship with someone that is important to him. Gregor spends â€Å"Two or three evenings† (Pg. 11) carving a â€Å"gilt† or g old lined frame for the picture because it temporarily relives him from his desolation. The care that Gregor expresses toward the frame is shown by the degree to which he pays attention to every minor detail while crafting it. In addition, the time he spends carving the frame also reveals how important the picture is to him. Though he is not conscious of the reason why he values the picture so much, Gregor deeply cherishes the picture because it momentarily enables him to escape his solitude, and experience the love and creativity that he longs for. Music is the creative art form that enables Gregor to rekindle his love for his sister Grete, and also provides Gregor with unknown nourishment that satisfies the need for beauty in his life. Grete’s violin playing â€Å"forces Gregor out of his confinement, and moves him to show his appreciation for the beauty of her violin playing that no one else could express. † (Pg. 46) Gregor’s persistence to â€Å"inch himself farther onto the immaculate living room floor† (Pg. 46), despite being physically soiled and â€Å"completely covered with the dust that blanketed his room† (Pg. 45), suggests his dire craving for human love, and his determination to further draw himself to the splendor of his sister’s music. Gregor’s exposure and admiration to music temporarily moves him from his depression, and his metamorphosis serves as the medium through which he feeds his longing. After Gregor’s metamorphosis, Gregor undergoes dejection in which he finds himself uncomfortable, uncertain, and lost due to the lack of compassion that others express toward him. Once transformed, Gregor realizes that music is the â€Å"food† that satisfies his hunger for comfort and hope, qualities of humanity that he has regained after being transformed into a vermin. In pursuing Grete’s music, Gregor understands that he can cure his melancholy by showing a livelihood that reflects hope in the realization that love and beauty still exist in the world. Through his actions, Gregor triggers the yearning to escape his solitude, and discover his â€Å"soul† by pursuing the music that comforts him. At the novel’s end, Gregor’s family comes to the conclusion that they must abandon the notion that the monstrous bug is Gregor. Grete reasons that if the bug were really Gregor, he would have gone away on his own and spared them the torment of caring for him. In his deathbed, Gregor agrees with his sister and dies while thinking of his family with love and affection. Gregor’s interaction with Grete’s music dissolves the anger he felt in his depression, and allows him to pass from his life with a peaceful and serene mindset. Gabriel’s encounters with Miss Ivors and Greta reveal his habit of misinterpreting how others perceive him, and how this embeds Gabriel with an insecure and defensive attitude. Miss Ivors is introduced as, â€Å"a frank-mannered talkative young lady† (Pg. 187), who, at the onset of her encounter with Gabriel states, â€Å"I have a crow to pluck with you. (Pg. 187) She proceeds in their conversation by addressing Gabriel’s job with â€Å"The Daily Express†, and claims in a jokingly manner that Gabriel is a â€Å"West Briton† (Pg. 188) who is too pompous to handle her criticism. This initiates Gabriel’s immediate belief that Miss Ivors dislikes him, though there is no direct evidence of this contempt. Gabriel reflects a solicitous attitude that instantly takes offense toward any statement that threatens his self-image. Flustered by her bold statements, Gabriel’s does not â€Å"know how to meet her charge† (Pg. 88), and simply â€Å"continues to blink his eyes trying to smile and [murmurs] lamely that he sees nothing political in writing reviews about books. † (Pg. 188) This initial incidence exemplifies Gabriel’s constant consciousness toward how others judge him, and his tendency to take offense toward any remark against his social status. Miss Ivors continues to â€Å"pluck† at Gabriel’s vulnerability through questioning his desire to leave Ireland for vacation, and criticizes Gabriel’s disregard to explore beautiful areas of his own native country. Gabriel becomes extremely frustrated by Miss Ivors’ frank statements and exclaims, â€Å"To tell you the truth†¦I’m sick of my own country, sick of it. † (Pg. 190) Gabriel immediately feels the need to cover â€Å"his agitation† through such a remark, because he fears that Miss Ivors will see his anxiety and look condescendingly upon him. After the party, Gabriel continues to misinterpret his interactions with others, demonstrated by resentment in his failure to physically and mentally connect with his wife. Gabriel’s superiority, shown through desires such as longing to be â€Å"the master of Gretta’s strange mood† (Pg. 18), feels threatened after learning that Mr. D’Arcy’s performance of The Lass of Aughrim reminds Gretta of a â€Å"gentle boy† named Michael Furey. An initial â€Å"dull anger begins to gather at the back of Gabriel’s mind† (Pg. 220) to hear that this is the source of her morbid state, and he begins questioning his wife in an ironic and detached tone. Gabriel feels emotions of jealousy, humiliation, and anxiety; spurred on by the menace that Michael Furey poses after hearing that he may have influenced Gretta in the past. Gabriel’s reaction reveals that his â€Å"socially polished† way of life feels threatened by the thought of Michael Furey, no matter how â€Å"delicate† of a young boy he had been, and Gabriel resumes to question Gretta’s past and present intentions in a satirical and subtle manner. Gabriel does not understand how a dead boy manages to disrupt his ability to become closer to his wife. Gabriel’s insecurity and defensive attitude evaporates when he begins to see the world outside himself, and acknowledges his shame in feeling threatened by a young, passionate boy in the gasworks. Gabriel felt humiliated by the failure of his irony and by the evocation of this figure from the dead† (Pg. 221), and suffers from a â€Å"shameful consciousness of his own person that assails him† (Pg. 221). Whereas his initial tone of interrogation was cold and ironic, his new tone changes to one of humility and indifference. Gabriel sees the senselessness in h is original motives of sexual advancement, and goes on to comfort his wife by â€Å"caressing† her hands, and empathizing with her sadly over Michael Furey’s memory. Though it is evident that Gregor’s prior tendencies of insecurity and defensiveness exist, demonstrated by his initial reaction of jealousy upon hearing that Michael Furey died for Gretta, he learns to repress this emotion through reason and compassion. Whereas Gabriel had originally expressed a type of superiority complex about him, he diverges into feelings of generosity and friendly pity for his wife. Gabriel also expresses respect toward Michael Furey’s bravery, and honors his memory by commenting that it is â€Å"better to pass boldly into that other world, in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age. (Pg. 224) As Gabriel reflects in the hotel room, he sees his soul â€Å"approaching that region where dwell the vast hosts of the dead†¦His own identity fades out into a grey impalpable world: the solid world itself which these dead had one time reared and lived in was dissolving and dwindling† (Pg. 225) In such a way, Gabrie l’s soul is leaving the â€Å"solid† world he is used to, a world of disillusionment and self-gratification, and is beginning to view the world in a more sensible manner. Within the Holy Bible, archangel Gabriel is known for expressing a gentle and caring nature, and is also known for serving alongside archangel Michael during the birth of Jesus Christ. Also following the theme of birth, Michael Furey’s story of relentless passion serves as the message sent to rebirth Gabriel from his life of solicitude, and enables him to see how his close-minded attitude paralyzes his ability to connect with others. Gabriel begins to view the world through humble eyes, without his own personal facade blurring the image as it once did. He states, â€Å"Yes, the newspapers were right: snow was general all over Ireland†¦It was falling, too, upon every part of the lonely churchyard on the hill where Michael Furey lay buried† (Pg. 225) The snow serves as a recurring symbol throughout The Dead to reflect the purity that Michael Furey’s passionate love represented. Gabriel views the snow as a facet that unifies elements of the dead, such as Michael Furey’s story and the memories of all those deceased, with the lives of the living. He finally understands that the distance between life and death is closer once an individual accepts the constant messages sent by the dead, and self-transcendence can only be reached by living a fervent life such as the life of Michael Furey. Both Gregor and Gabriel reach self-transcendence by breaking down the barriers that permeate their abilities to see the meaning of life. The moment their characters learned to disregard prior obsessions, they were able to see the world in a way that appreciated qualities of love, passion, and beauty that they never took the time to notice before. In the same way, Emily Dickinson created this feeling of awareness in many of her poems by describing ordinary objects in an extraordinary manner to reveal their significance. In â€Å"This was a Poet†, Dickinson indicates that poetry compels readers to break through the barrier of ordinary thoughts, and remove the â€Å"film of familiarity† (Coleridge) on all aspects of life by exploring the significance of everyday happenings. This â€Å"film of familiarity† can also refer to the â€Å"cloud† of obstruction that Frankl discusses in his metaphor comparing a non-healthy eye to a healthy eye. By viewing the world through non-healthy eyes, this â€Å"cloud† creates a hazy perception of the world and distances one from finding out the meaning of life. External or internal forces push individuals to reach a state of self-transcendence, which like poetry allows them to lift the â€Å"film of familiarity†, and dispel the clouds that once obstructed their vision and view life in an altruistic manner. Wallace Stevens once said, â€Å"Let’s see the very thing itself and nothing else, let’s see it with the hottest fire of sight. † When an individual sees the world through healthy eyes, they are able to see the very qualities of life that make living meaningful, and in turn focus their full attention toward pursuing these qualities. For both Gregor and Gabriel, a submissive revelation saves both their lives, and leads them to see the importance of love and passion with the hottest fire of sight because of the self-transcendence that has transformed them.

Ideology and Social Movement in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ideology and Social Movement in China - Essay Example This interrelationship is of great significance in the development of Chinese culture, social movement and modernization. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to investigate what happens to ideas and ideologies when they are transplanted to settings other than their own original time and context. The main focus will be on Confucianism applied to the challenge of modernization in China, modern western liberalism in pre- and post- May 4th era, and Marxism in both pre- and post- 1949 China. Until 1917, Chinese literary language was regarded as the key cultural domain or â€Å"the national essence†, and was one of the few elements of China’s tradition that did not succumb to the challenge of modernization presented by western imperialism4. The Chinese Civil War (1927 to 1949) drew to a close with the Chinese revolution of 1949, and later led to the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). By this time, traditional Chinese culture was believed to have expired, though the decline began soon after 1895. However, Mao Tse-Tung, the Chinese communist leader and others believed that modernization was â€Å"a self-renewal of China’s inherent tradition†¦of thought and culture,†5 and this was the basis on which Western sciences and technologies were transplanted into China, while rejecting the socio-political and ideological culture of the West. From the end of the 1970s, contemporary and modern western philosophical trends were gradually incorporated into Chinese ideologies, eliminating dogmatism and old traditional thought hardened by lack of reform. Confucius (551-479 BCE), the Chinese philosopher, thinker and educator, established various guidelines towards living human life optimally. Confucianism has deeply influenced Chinese philosophy and ideologies. One thousand years before the conceptualization of humanism in the West, Confucianism stressed on the value of humanity, the

Living on campus and living off campus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Living on campus and living off campus - Essay Example Living on campus was really fun as I stayed in one of the best dormitories on campus. I had the opportunity of living with students in my class as some of them lived in my dormitory. I live far from campus due to the accommodation problems in the city and I do not have the opportunity of living close to my fellow colleagues. Life off campus was really good socially as I had the freedom to jive as I wanted to, which would not have been possible if I was still staying on campus. Living on campus really benefited my academics as I would easily interact with my lecturers and fellow students. When I was living on campus, we usually organized a discussion class, where we shared knowledge and ideas on some courses taught in class. This is not possible living off campus as there are no students around me, not to talk of organizing a discussion class. Now that I live off campus, I have to go to the campus when I need some vital materials for my course and this has not made my academic experience worthwhile. Living on campus has benefited me more academically than living off campus. Though, I now have privacy staying off campus as I know that there is nobody watching my steps, but the fact remains that there is distraction living off campus, which was not the case when I was living on campus. The primary aim of everybody that lived on campus was their academics, but students that lived off campus had different aims and motives. For me to achieve academic success living off campus, I have to wade off these distractions and concentrate more on my studies. I now have to deal with the problem of paying the bills of social utilities off campus as I was not bothered by these problems when I was living on campus. I would say from my experience that life off campus has been more interesting than life on campus and would want to go back to living on campus if I have the opportunity. But I have also