The Atlantic And East Asian Colonization - 1074 Words

When you think about the resources and animals in our country do you realize that they are mostly not native to our country. If they re not native, where do they come from. The answer is the European colonization. We all know about Christopher Columbus and the Columbian exchange, the most infamous exploration of the world. But, we must dig deeper. It all first began in Portugal who wanted a quicker way to access East Asia by going around Africa, but who would know that this would change the world entirely forever. Bringing animals, a new wave of people, and almost wiping out entire populations with diseases. It opened the door for the world to communicate interpersonally. Two fundamentals players in European colonization was the Atlantic†¦show more content†¦In the Andes, they found out how to purify silver and when Potosi was found the Europeans colonists were at their peak. However, severe problems with the Spanish colonies and China when the Spanish tried to sell opium to China. China refuses the trade and the Opium wars begin. In consequence, Spanish win and China is forced to openly trade with the Europeans. This has affected our world today especially in the East Asian countries because opium is one of the major drugs used there. It also has a negative impact in their society such as Thailand and Vietnam because opium sellers know the land well enough to sneak it into nearby countries without a trace. Furthermore, political controversy begins because of the Europeans getting to greedy of the resources and wealth the colonies provide. For example, Brazil had 15 different captains and when Jesuits (foot soldiers of Christ) come in they kick Brazilians out. Instability between the rulers and the people arise because they believed that even if the land was their home, they were still required to pay them which resembled feudalism. They also were a Laissez Faire establishment in which they developed a hierarchy for the church which determined political and social status. In Haiti, their government had terrible and brutal rulers in which the subjects only had a three-month life expectancy on the island. They followed their own rules andShow MoreRelatedtools of exploitation analysis Essay examples938 Words   |  4 Pagesthe themes the documentary covers was the false pretenses that Europeans claimed to justify the Colonization of Africa. During the early 20th century (1900’s), N orthern and Eastern Africa still had a pervasive slave culture. In the North, the remnants of the Ottoman Empire still practiced slavery, while the Muslims were the responsible figureheads in the East. Following the centuries of trans-Atlantic slave trade between Europe, Africa, and the â€Å"New World†, Europe had abolished the practicing ofRead MoreChristopher Columbus : An Italian Explorer And Navigator757 Words   |  4 PagesWorld†. Columbus is credited with the discovery of the Americas because of his expedition across the Atlantic from Spain. His hope with this expedition was to find a new route to India instead of the long voyage around Cape of Good Hope. Columbus made a total of four voyages to the Caribbean and South America, between 1492 and 1504. He has credited for opening the Americas up to colonization of the Europeans. Christopher Columbus was born on October 31, 1451 in the Republic of Genoa which isRead MoreEffects Of Imperialism On The Indian Economy1449 Words   |  6 Pagesby a massive increase in the countries labor force and the emphasis on education and self-governance. An exposure to both the Western economic systems during the imperial age until their independence in 1947 and their subsequent involvement in the Asian, Middle Eastern and African trade routes from the late 15th century placed India in an economic equilibrium where they were able to benefit from both worlds and become one of the fastest growing economies. The global economic depressionRead MoreA Brief Note On The Early Modern Period1523 Words   |  7 PagesPax Angeliene Professor Daniel Johnson History 162 12 October 2014 Midterm Essay During the Early Modern Period, International trade routes reached from the Indian Ocean/Mediterranean Sea to the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean, and for the first time created a global exchange. Although Europe, Africa, Asia, Islamic Empires, and the Americas vary politically, socio-culturally, and economically, they all were forging new global economies and new biological and socio-cultural exchanges. The Europeans wantedRead MoreEssay on The Columbian Exchange1075 Words   |  5 Pageson ottoman trade for spices and eastern goods it allowed Portugal and Spain to break the grip by finding an Atlantic route. Portugal took the lead in the Atlantic exploration because of the reconquest from the Muslims, good finances, and their long standing seafaring traditions. In dealing with agriculture, The Portuguese discovered Brazil on accident, but they concentrated on the Far East and used Brazil as a ground for criminals. Pernambuco, the first area to be settled, became the world’s largestRead MoreColonization and the First Globalization2299 Words   |  10 PagesClayton Partridge World History to 1750 Professor Schultz Colonization and the First Globalization In order for one to gain a better knowledge of how terrestrial and ocean colonization unfolded in the Americas, Siberia, Africa, and China, a person must first understand the definition of colonization. Simply put, colonization is an ongoing process of control by which a central system of power dominates the surrounding land and its components. This means that a foreign government moves intoRead MoreThe Columbian Exchange : The Connection Between Europe, Asia, And The New World753 Words   |  4 PagesWorld brought many new economic opportunities to the countries willing to explore and conquer. With Portugal and Spain’s explorations to the new world, inspired the world to explore in search of riches. The Spanish and Portuguese sailed across the Atlantic, Indian, and the Pacific Ocean. The English, French, and Dutch would follow in footsteps of the Spanish and Portuguese in the sixteenth century. By 1500, many discoveries led travel across the globe. The connection to the Ind ian Ocean led to newRead MoreThe Country Of Brazil : Brazil1694 Words   |  7 PagesParaguay; To the east, the Atlantic Ocean; And to the west, Peru and Bolivia. The capital of Brazil is Brasilia. Brazil occupies almost half of the South American territory. Brazil has borders with all South American countries except Chile and Ecuador. The most important cities in Brazil are Sà £o Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. (theapricity.com) Landforms of Brazil Brazil is divided into five primary geographic areas: The Southern Highlands, the Norther Guiana, Brazilian Highlands central and east, the massiveRead MoreSummary of People and Empires844 Words   |  3 Pagesin the west and a Muslim sultan in the east. The European and Asian empires had all been linked to large, well-trained, and highly mobile land forces. Charles v created a roman and holy empire in the center but, for many years the glob had continued a single landmass divided into three linked continents, Europe, Asia, and Africa. In the fifteenth century, however, this vision of the world began to change. After discovery of America and mastery of Atlantic and pacific, Europe became the strongestRead MoreCCOT And CC Essay1549 Words   |  7 Pagescontrast life in foraging societies with life in agricultural societies after the Agricultural Revolution Identify two key changes in early African history that resulted in a new period in the history of the region The Middle East Analyze the political changes in the Middle East from the Agricultural Revolution to 600 c.e. Compare and contrast the basic features of TWO of the following religious systems prior to 600 c.e. Polytheism Judaism Christianity Asia Compare the origins and tenets of TWO

A Report On The Food Industry, Target Market And Swot...

This purpose of this report is to provide detailed Situation Analysis for new business in healthy food industry. The report presents the overview, competitors in the industry, target market and SWOT analysis. The aim of this report is to help you in designing market plan. There is rising potential business opportunity in this Industry because consumers are showing greater concerns over eating healthy. Therefore the numbers of potential and existing direct competitors are on rise too. However, tactical and strategically marketing plans could be used to neutralise the threats and build on strengths. The brand strength and inside knowledge will allow brand equity to pass to the new product improving its initial appeal. Price skimming,†¦show more content†¦Given the industry is larger in number of known certified primary producer operations (by an additional 40%), and taking into consideration the informal market, the overall value of the industry market could be closer in value to $0.4bn.Internationally there has been growth year on year of organics. Growth has ranged from 11% to just over 2%. So there is wide scope for healthy food market in future. The market has many competitors also like Subway, Lite n Easy, boost juice nationally and locally based competitors. Canberra has great potential for healthy food industry. Competitors The healthy food cafe will face pure competition. -Subway is an American fast food restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches (subs) and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor s Associates, Inc. Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world, with 42,673 restaurants in 108 countries and territories as of September 13, 2014. It is the largest single-brand restaurant chain. It has 10 franchises in Canberra in all major suburbs and is the major direct competitor in local market. Subway is the

Rosa Lee Story Free Essays

The Rosa lee story Rosa Lee gave dash full access to her and her family life for four years, because she thought someone could learn from it. Rosa was born in Washington and was living a low class life, and often looked down up on for it . Rosa lee was brought up in a single parent house hold and when she entered jr. We will write a custom essay sample on Rosa Lee Story or any similar topic only for you Order Now high her dad died. Rosa mom often struggled to take care of her and her siblings. Her mother gave birth to twenty-two kids, but only eleven survived. Rosa and her mom never saw eye to eye and when she got pregnant at the age of thirteen it didn’t make their relationship any better. At the age of fourteen she had her first prostitution experience for five dollars, she told her customers at work that if they were going to have sex with her, they had to pay because she had eight kids at home. After Rosa third child she married into an abusive relationship with a man who was twenty one which made her sixteen she couldn’t take anymore so she moved back in with her mom. Rosa and her mom relationship was filled with conflict. At a very young age Rosa started stealing from people. She stole to basically buy her some friends, she would take her friends to the movies and buy them candy. At the age of twenty Rosa had moved to the North East with her six kids and was on welfare by the time she was twenty one she had two more kids. Rosa just wanted to make sure her family was ok and that they had some of the things they needed. Rosa also did other jobs that paid under the table so she could still get her welfare check. So she became a dancer at night clubs and got paid for sex. Being brought up in a neighborhood like Rosa had several down falls. Her and her sibling didn’t really have anyone to motivate them to do the right thing. The girls were supposed to be domestic but Rosa rebelled against it. Rosa started selling drugs in the seventies and in fifteen years she was in jail a dozen times. Until Rosa was twenty-nine she got away with stealing, she tried to steal a fur coat and had to do eight months in jail. Most of Rosa lee brother and sisters made it out of poverty and became middle class. They had honest jobs like bus driving and had their own cab services. Her brother and sister choose a different path because they seen and knew the struggle that their mom and sister Rosa had to deal with. Seeing Rosa life its self made you want to do right. Eight kids, having to steal, selling and using drugs and being back and forth in jail made you want to do right. Rosa didn’t start selling drugs with the intent to use them, it just happened, she thought selling marijuana and heroin was a quick way to get money and keep her welfare, but when she started she couldn’t quit she was using two fourty dollar bags a day. She said that when she used the drug it gave her courage. Rosa could do and say anything when she was high. Rosa and her siblings used drugs and broke the law because they were not taught any right from wrong . They had such a rough childhood and at this time they didn’t know any better, they were young when they started. Even Rosa kids started taking different paths at very young ages. They didn’t go to school because she didn’t make them. Rosa did drugs in front of her kids and it made them want it. Her one and only daughter Patty started using drugs at the age of thirteen and was rapped several times by relatives while Rosa was incarcerated, which is why she said she hated males and on top of that she was prostituted by her mom. Her son Ronnie started using drugs at the age of fifteen, she told him if he wanted to drugs he had to support his own habit, so he started selling marijuana with his mom. Her oldest son Bobby died of aids cause they all shared needles. At a very young age Rosa stopped going to church and didn’t start going back until she was about forty. She didn’t seek for religious ways to help her in her situation she thought that what she was doing was right for her and her kids. Even with Rosa taking the path she did she could have taught her kids the right from wrong. I think that Rosa had a choice to do well she just choose a different path. She lived in a single parent household, where drugs were being sold and welfare was the way to live. She wasn’t getting the attention that she needed so she explored and ended up finding out the hard way that wasn’t the life she wanted to live. If Rosa stayed in school and maybe had a better a male figure in her life she probably wouldn’t have been in all the trouble she was in. How to cite Rosa Lee Story, Essay examples

Balancing Your Work Essay Research Paper For free essay sample

Balancing Your Work Essay, Research Paper For the working grownup, being a full clip college pupil can be rather nerve-racking. It can besides be disputing, merriment, and honoring. In order to go a successful pupil you must larn to equilibrate and form the different elements of your life. Three of the major elements will be work, analyzing and loosen uping. If you can larn to equilibrate these elements, you will happen that success will be easier to accomplish. As grownups, most of us must work a full clip occupation in order to back up ourselves. Often employers and coworkers expect us to give excess clip and attempt to our occupations. You must maintain in head that there is merely so much clip in each twenty-four hours and you have other duties. Make non be afraid to state no to an extra work load that is non your duty. Another manner to assist equilibrate your work is to work from your place. We will write a custom essay sample on Balancing Your Work Essay Research Paper For or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Many companies offer this type of employment. Working from place can let you to better equilibrate your twenty-four hours. You will non merely cut out driving clip but you will besides be able to concentrate your attendings on your work instead than office distractions. Finding clip for analyzing can be hard. You should recognize that in order to be a successful pupil you will necessitate to pass many hours analyzing. In order to carry through this you should be organized. Set aside specific times for analyzing. Whether you study several times a hebdomad in short increases or a few times a hebdomad for several hours, the of import thing is that you schedule the clip in progress. Having a particular topographic point that is rather and put up for analyzing will besides assist you go organized. Keeping all the things you will necessitate for analyzing stopping point at manus will salvage you clip from seeking for them when they are needed. The concluding portion of the reconciliation act is relaxation. With so much work and analyzing to make this portion of your life can go unmarked. Relaxation is of import for non merely your physical wellness but besides your mental wellness. Relaxing can be accomplished through a assortment of activities every bit long as you are making something that is delighting to you. Some people find that exercising or physical activities bring relaxation while others prefer quiet walks, conversation, or entirely clip to weave down. No affair which sort of activity, or inaction for that affair, you prefer retrieve to put aside clip for merriment. Bing a full-time pupil while working a full-time occupation can be overpowering. The key to being successful is balance. Learning to equilibrate work, analyzing, and relaxation will maintain your head and organic structure tantrum. You will happen the attempts are worth the wages.

Othello Essay Essays - Othello, Iago, Michael Cassio, Roderigo

Othello Essay In Shakespeare's Othello, the character Iago, Othello's lieutenant, is the cause of all the tragedy which comes to pass as the play progresses. Iago is the antagonist of the play, but rather than being the direct opponent to the tragic hero, Iago is a manipulator, opposing Othello not directly but through other characters whom he tricks into acting for him. In the first scene of the play, Iago gives the audience warning that he is not all that he seems when he says, I am not what I am. (I,i,65) He is first seen in this scene appearing to help Roderigo, a suitor to Desdemona, who has run off with Othello, the Moorish general of the Venician army. Iago hates Othello for another reason. Instead of choosing him to be his lieutenant, Othello chose Cassio, another foreigner, and relegated Iago to the position of his ancient. When Roderigo asks why Iago continues to serve Othello, in spite of how the general has treated him, Iago replies, I follow him to serve my turn upon him. (I,i,42) He goes on to give an example of how he intends to serve him, by acting like the perfect servant, while secretly enriching himself, and later says, In following him, I follow but myself. (I,i,58) From this, one might think that he is still fairly straightforward in his plans, that he merely intends to betray Othello at some later date. However, in the third scene, he shows the audience his ability to manipulate people, when he convinces Roderigo to follow him to Cyprus and to bring all of his money, presumably to win back Desdemona. After Roderigo has left to do what Iago has suggested, Iago says, Thus do I ever make my fool my purse. (I,iii,37 y9) Later, in Act IV, we find that Roderigo has been giving jewels to Iago to give to Desdemona, which Iago, it is implied, has sold for his own uses. Thus, it is seen that Iago is merely using Roderigo to further his own ends, just as he said he was only serving Othello to serve himself. Also at the end of the third scene, Iago sets forth his plan to take Cassio's position, by telling Othello that his lieutenant . . . is too familiar with his wife. (I,iii,402) It also comes out in this speech that he suspects Othello of committing adultery with his wife. Near the end of the first scene of the second act, Iago convinces Roderigo, who was observing Cassio's enthusiastic greeting of Desdemona, that Cassio and Desdemona have something going on between them. Thus manipulating Roderigo through his passion for Desdemona, Iago convinces him to provoke Cassio to anger, so that the lieutenant will be discredited in Othello's eyes and Iago can take his position. At the end of this scene, he again makes reference to his role not being what it seems: Knavery's plain face is never seen till us'd. (II,i,324) In the last scene, after Othello has killed Desdemona, all of Iago's schemes are revealed by his wife, who was his unwitting accomplice in his schemes. After she has betrayed him, he kills her and flees, only to be caught and brought to justice. Othello's flaw, as Iago pointed out, was that he was ? of a free and open nature,/That thinks men honest that but seem to be so,/And will as tenderly be led by the nose/As asses are. (I,iii,405-408) Thus, Iago's scheming and roleplaying character made it easy for him to manipulate Othello, which led to Othello's fall. From his actions in the play, one sees that Iago is a gifted manipulator of other people who uses underhanded schemes, manipulation of others, and betrayal at appropriate times. Thus, one could say that the whole play is a parable showing the vile success such tactics bring, and also showing the reward awaiting those who use them. Hence, Iago in Othello is a schemer and manipulator, who causes the deaths of all of the virtuous characters in the play while attempting to advance his position and revenge himself upon Othello for a rumoured affair with his wife. He is portrayed by Shakespeare as a completely unsympathetic character. Book Reports

Misinterpretation of Correlation Essays

Misinterpretation of Correlation Essays Misinterpretation of Correlation Paper Misinterpretation of Correlation Paper Correlation in statistics is the measure of the association between two variables. The number computed in correlation is known as the correlation coefficient. The correlation coefficient’s value ranges from -1 up to +1. The -1 value means that there is a perfect negative association between two variables. The +1 value means that there is a perfect positive association between two variables. A coefficient of zero means that there is no association between two variables (Agresti Franklin, 2007). The next paragraph will analyze the scenario regarding John’s computation of correlation coefficient and Tom’s interpretation of the correlation coefficient. One often misinterprets the use of correlation in statistics. In the scenario, Tom made a misinterpretation of the correlation coefficient. Correlation measures the level of association between two variables. Association does not demonstrate causal relationship between two variables. The correlation coefficient stated in the scenario is 0.85. This means that there is high association between the medication and the stomach upset. This high association can be a ground for testing the causation between the medication and stomach upset. In order to test for causation, two variables must be associated to each other. The 0.85 correlation coefficient is not enough to say that the medication is the cause of Tom’s stomach upset. Thus, Tom’s statement is incorrect. If would be more correct if Tom states that there is an association between the medication and his stomach upset. Misinterpretation of data is one of the usual problem people encounters. Data can be seen everywhere, from newspapers up to the television sets. Statistics is a powerful tool used in interpreting data. Without proper knowledge in statistics, many data misinterpretation may rise. These give a hint about how important statistics is in one’s everyday life. References Agresti, A. Franklin, C. (2007). Statistics : The art and science of learning from data. Upper Saddle River, N.J. Pearson Prentice Hall.

Compare and Contrast two different architectural structures that have Essay

Compare and Contrast two different architectural structures that have similarities and differences - Essay Example The dome covers the 3025 m2 of the base and has a height of around 35 meters. The dome is decorated with tall spires and lotus design providing a blend of Persian architecture with Hindustani decorative element (DuTemple).i The spheres of the Sydney Opera House which form the roof of the structure are the most extravagant attribute of the building. The spheres depict the earliest advancements in structural engineering as the irregular shape of each sphere was subjected to numerous asymmetrical forces (Shofner). The amazing appearance of the spheres was achieved by covering them with glossy white and matte-cream colored tiles imported from Sweden. ii Although there is an evident difference between the ways the two structures appear, but the roof designs in the form of domes and spheres have marked similarities as well; both the structures have curved roofs with a pleasant white appearance. The marble domes of Taj Mahal were constructed using the traditional Mughal construction technique with massive brick scaffolding, whereas precast concrete members were used to construct the spheres of Opera House. The exterior and much of the interior of Taj Mahal has been decorated with gemstones embedded in bronze. Large calligraphy panelsiii run from ground up to the arches and Islamic calligraphic inscriptions have been manually inscribed on the stone panels with astonishing precision.iv The magnificent arches and the intricate jalis are the other outstanding features of the interior.v Interior of Taj Mahal is an exemplary piece of work of Mughal architecture, similarly the interior of Sydney Opera House with its plain and topaz tinted glass, birch plywood and aluminum panelsvi is a perfect depiction of modern architecture in which prime importance is given to the function of the building (Murray). Wood cladding has been used in much of the interior of the Opera House in order to

Christian Counseling Ethics By Randolph Sanders Essay

Christian Counseling Ethics By Randolph Sanders - Essay Example From this research it is clear that  in the first section of the book, The Christian Practitioner, chapters included are ‘Essential Elements for Ethical Counsel’ by Horace C. Lukens Jr., ‘Qualifications of the Christian Mental Health Professional’ by Richard E. Butman, ‘Pastors Who Counsel’ by Bill Blackburn, ‘Sexual Misconduct & the Abuse of Power’ by John F. Shackelford and Randolph K. Sanders, and ‘Christian Responses to the Unethical Healer’ by Ioma L. Hawkins and Colleen K. Benson. In his article, Horace C. Lukens Jr. deals with various significant elements of ethical counseling including confidentiality, informed consent to treatment, documentation, ending treatment, and dual relationships. Richard E. Butman, in his article, makes a reflective analysis of the various essential qualifications of the Christian mental health professional and he defines competence of the Christian counselors.  This study outlines that  more significantly, he offers ten guidelines for improving the competence of Christian clinicians. In the chapter ‘Pastors Who Counsel’, Bill Blackburn deals with topics such as pastoral counseling in context, the Pastor as Shepherd, integrity of the Pastor, the ethics of referral, and boundary issues, etc and provides general guidelines for pastoral counseling.  Business Ethics in Mental Health Service’ which gives revealing ideas of the business of mental health, truth in advertising, payment for services, and interactions inside and outside the workplace.... opics such as 'Ethics' versus 'Christian Ethics', professional ethics, ethics in context and as content, ethical theory, and social ethics, public policy and consensus. According to Alan C. Tjeltveit, psychotherapy is an extremely and pervasively ethical endeavor and the Christian ethics dynamically supports as well as sharply challenges the ethical positions represented in various forms of therapy. He also maintains that Christian ethics have much to learn from psychotherapists and it is essential for the Christian clients and therapists to engage in substantive reflection on the ethical dimensions of therapy. In the first section of the book, The Christian Practitioner, chapters included are 'Essential Elements for Ethical Counsel' by Horace C. Lukens Jr., 'Qualifications of the Christian Mental Health Professional' by Richard E. Butman, 'Pastors Who Counsel' by Bill Blackburn, 'Sexual Misconduct & the Abuse of Power' by John F. Shackelford and Randolph K. Sanders, and 'Christian Responses to the Unethical Healer' by Ioma L. Hawkins and Colleen K. Benson. In his article, Horace C. Lukens Jr. deals with various significant elements of ethical counseling including confidentiality, informed consent to treatment, documentation, ending treatment, and dual relationships. Richard E. Butman, in his article, makes a reflective analysis of the various essential qualifications of the Christian mental health professional and he defines competence of the Christian counselors. More significantly, he offers ten guidelines for improving the competence of Christian clinicians. In the chapter 'Pastors Who Counsel', Bill Blackburn deals with topics such as pastoral counseling in context, the Pastor as Shepherd, integrity of the Pastor, the ethics of referral, and boundary issues, etc

The Origins Of The Cold War Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Origins Of The Cold War - Assignment Example The orthodox approach blames the Soviet Union for its expansion into Eastern Europe, thus triggering tensions with the US. The USSR believed to be the initiator of the Cold War due to "the intransigence of Leninist ideology, the sinister dynamics of a totalitarian society, and the madness of Stalin". On this situation, the US found itself involuntarily involved in this game. The Korean War, American McCarthyism with its communist hunt and the fact that China chose the path of communism also contributed to the orthodox understanding of the Cold War. McCauley writes: â€Å"however, internal Soviet events had a decisive impact on relations†. Supporters of the orthodox view claim that Stalin tried to solve internal problems of the country by acting aggressively on the international arena. However, this claim that is not entirely accurate. Indeed Stalin’s aggressive domestic policy terrorized the nation: people were massively sent to prisons and Gulag; spies were seen at eve ry corner, ideas of conspiracy rocketed. Constant fear of getting arrested did not contribute to the stability. In this regard, the US represented an "external enemy," which needed to be eradicated. At that point, Stalin was losing grip over the nation and tried to get it back by implementing those extreme measures. Image of â€Å"external enemy† was maintained by political elites. Can this negative perception of the US be explained in terms of Marxism-Leninism with its ideas of class struggle and a world revolution? Or there was a different explanation and the orthodox approach simply omitted it? Do Stalin’s actions represent and internal reaction to â€Å"American imperialism,† as revisionists would claim? Soviet Union was very fragile and devastated after the long exhausting war. The country barely had any resources for expansion into Eastern Europe; it did not have enough power to fight the new war at this point. In this regard I would agree with McCauley st ating that ruined Soviet economy

Challenges And Prospects: Bangladeshi Foreign Policy

Challenges And Prospects: Bangladeshi Foreign Policy Globalization has at present become a pervasive phenomenon of international relations, and in the process, is compelling developing countries like Bangladesh to assess its impact on its security and foreign policy. The traditional way of dealing with the security (which is basically state-centric and emphasizes military security), appears to have become inadequate for the task of formulating a policy that would be capable of effectively tackling the prospects and challenges of the dynamic and technology-dominated milieu. The question is how much of traditional security concerns remains relevant to policy-making, how and what to discard from the past to enable foreign policy successfully meet the opportunities and challenges of globalization. While globalization has, to some extent, eroded the power of the nation-state, the latter has not been rendered absolutely impotent. Bangladeshs security concerns will need to be addressed through correct policies, taking into account the fact that it is multifaceted and comprehensive. In general, Bangladesh could expect to face problems in the following areas: military, political, economic, environmental and societal. Before embarking on the actual analysis of Bangladeshs security and foreign policy, a brief review of the concept and process of globalization and security will be provided. Its impact on Bangladesh will be studied, focusing on both positive and negative aspects. Finally implications for policy will be discussed. Globalization The term globalization has become a buzzword in the present-day world. Although the term has attained extraordinary popularity in recent years, it was in evidence even a hundred years ago. In the last 25 years or so, the concept of global has transformed itself from a mere reference to mean total to an emphasis on the globe as a unit of analysis in its own right. Without claiming the world to have become a single society or that it is bound to become one, globalization refers to a process or trend.  [1]  Simply, the term globalization describes the increased mobility of goods, services, labor, technology and capital throughout the world. (http://canadianeconomy.gc.ca/english/economy/globalization.html). Or it can be described as, identity related to globalization processes seem unrelated to traditional boundaries of social groups, transcending territorial, religious and other boundaries.  [2]   It was actually in the 1980s and 1990s that the world witnessed the revolutionary impact of the process of globalization. It was primarily due to unprecedented technological innovation in the fields of communication and transportation that international relations became radically transformed, especially in the realm of trade and investment, and diffusion of information. Despite fact that there is a growing concern about dealing with the complexities and changes generated by the phenomenon of globalization, the term itself is still imprecise, and means different things to different people. To simplify matters, globalization essentially refers to the process of worldwide spread of six kinds of objects and activities: i) goods and services; ii) people; iii) ideas and information; iv) money; v) normative orientation; and vi) behavioral patterns and practices.  [3]  Of these, the flow of goods and services has had the most tangible impact: it has been instrumental in raising the level of material prosperity unprecedented in human history. Besides, the free flow of information and ideas is making it possible for the full flowering of human potentials. Proponents of globalization are optimistic that increase in global prosperity would usher in a stable and peaceful world. Critics of globalization however, are not so convinced that it is an unmixed blessing. They dispute the argument that as a result of the process of globalization, the nation-state is losing it significance due to the erosion of its functions which are increasingly being performed by non-state actors like multinational cooperations, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). And it is the poor countries who faces the challenges of globalization more as, globalisation is not seen as transcending the role of the state, but rather as a consequence of the powerful role of rich countries poor countries find it difficult to devise policies to deal with the crisis, especially since none of them boasts strong multinational companies that may function as influential global players.  [4]  The focus of their criticism is that the process of globalization seeks to promote the economic at the cost of the social and political. They are concerned about the deleterious effect of unbridled market operations, which could destroy communal and social unity. Although globalization is very much a fact of life, it cannot be denied that the territorially organized nation-state continues to remain significant and capable of providing the necessary (perhaps not all) services to it s citizens. Again the resistance of globalization may assume the form of ultra-nationalism and racism. It is asserted that ethnic nationalism is much more deep-rooted and less time-bound (than modernists prefer to believe), therefore, better equipped to overcome the challenge of both globalization as well as regionalization.  [5]  Critics however, point out that, globalization contains the threat of a new form of hegemony, which would thus create social conditions conducive to new doctrines of civilizational superiority.  [6]  Thus, globalization tends to strengthen nation-states in some respects and weaken in others. Security- from individual to diverse and comprehensive approach Security itself is now regarded to have become comprehensive as far as its meaning and definitions are concerned, as a result of which there is a tendency to over expand and widen the security agenda. Traditionally, a public issue is deemed to have been securitized when it is presented as an existential threat, requiring emergency measures and justifying actions outside the normal bounds of political procedure.  [7]  But the non-traditional approach to security tends to make it all inclusive and comprehensive, thereby, making it analytically unwieldy. Park defines comprehensive security in terms of policies designed to protecting the peoples life not only from traditional forms for military threat, but also from various other forms of threats such as hunger, poverty, environmental disaster, scarcity of energy, etc.  [8]  Or it can be viewed as Security measures that starts from the assumption that dialogues at the level of the state and elsewhere contribute to the formulation of mutually acceptable definitions of common threats. The threats do not necessarily emanate from rival states, but also comprise threats to internal stability in the area of economics, social unrest, ethnic divisions, or serious environmental damage.  [9]   Transnational economic and financial forces at work possesses the capacity to wreak havoc with national economies- something that cannot be tackled by military means, but only with appropriate policies adopted primarily at the national level, but would also include international and regional cooperation. Hansen viewed it Now approaches towards security can only succeed with the cooperation of the main actors on the global stage which includes not only governments, but companies, banks and, at the political level, national political parties as well.  [10]  So, in this era of globalization, to deal security measures, the most pressing need for any country like Bangladesh is to take cognizance of the magnitude and complexity of the changes now sweeping the world. Bowman describes, New technologies are making the world much more interdependent. These technologies are accelerating the movements of goods, services, ideas, and capital across national boundaries. They are displacing trad itional security threats with nontraditional worries like international terrorism, organized crime, drug trafficking, and environmental degradation while strengthening the capacities of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to influence policy.  [11]   Foreign Policy of Bangladesh The basic objectives of Bangladeshs foreign policy are to promote its security, protect its territorial integrity, achieve socio-economic development, uphold its ideology and maintain its cultural identity and national dignity (http://www.bssnews.net/about_foreign_policy.php) -goals that are challenged in various forms by the process of globalization. The security interests of Bangladesh are said to lie in the consolidation of its hard-earned independence by accelerating the process of economic development and modernization. It is argued that the basic goal of its foreign policy should be the ensuring of diplomatic and economic cooperation and assistance from external sources. Bangladeshs foreign policy has been deeply informed by the dire need to achieve socio-economic progress through the optimum use of its abundant human and other resources, which, in turn, could be instrumental in maintaining national cohesion, as well as international prestige and influence.  [12]   Again the main constraints of Bangladeshs foreign policy are its geographical location, underdevelopment and overpopulation. In the era of globalization, Bangladesh, like other developing countries, is confronted with threats emanating from both external and internal sources: terrorism, drug trafficking, circulation of light weapons, poverty, political instability, environmental degradation, etc. The Security Agenda of Bangladesh External The geographical location of Bangladesh makes it obvious that India and Myanmar are the two immediate neighbors who are the potential threats to its territorial security. However, chances are that India (aware of political costs involved in such a move) would prefer not to threaten Bangladesh militarily, if its major strategic and economic interests are served without such efforts. Myanmar, too could pose such a threat to Bangladesh, but so far it has been limited to the influx of Rohingya refugees  [13]  in the 1990s in the South-Eastern part of Bangladesh, Coxs bazar, that caused considerable security problem and socio-economic burden for the country. Although these two neighbors are potential threats to the territorial security of Bangladesh, the problematic question is how could minimize its vulnerabilities in this regard. Some analysts make suggestions, that Bangladesh does indeed possess strategic value, which it can and should exploit  [14]  but reality does not seem to support such an assessment. In this era of globalization, it appears unlikely that either or both China and the United States would seriously court Bangladesh as ally against India, since both are now more interested in improving relations with India rather than antagonizing it. So, Bangladesh does have a big concern as far as the external sources of threats to its security are concerned, but they can be best dealt with and neutralized through astute diplomacy rather than the use of force, for which it is ill equipped. Bangladesh may resent the predominance of India, but there seems to be very limited options available to it deal with it in a truly effecti ve manner. No matter how disadvantaged Bangladesh may be vis-à  -vis its immediate neighbors, it must nonetheless be in a position to oppose policies on their part that could increase tension, create instability, or otherwise run against broad interests of Bangladesh. Prospects for the proliferation of the weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in South Asia are another security concern of Bangladesh. With the testing of nuclear devices by India and Pakistan in 1998, possibilities of nuclear war occurring in the region has become a possibility. So, Bangladeshs security has been adversely affected by the development of nuclear devices and their delivery systems in South Asia. Bangladesh should, therefore, strive to play an active role in regional forums since the development of WMD transcends the barrier of distance and could affect Bangladesh too. Internal Military Military force, although being marginalized in the era of economic globalization, has not been rendered obsolete. Military forces continue to retain their coercive and deterrent power, functions that economic instruments are still unable to perform with as much as effectiveness  [15]  . Military power, it must be born in mind, is fungible, that is, can be used for purposes other than dealing with only internal and external threats. In the Bangladesh context, apart from deterring external military aggression and tackling internal political threats, Bangladesh armed forces are of considerable help for reconstruction and rehabilitation in the aftermath of natural disasters which the country faces frequently. Economic Economic security is a term that is fraught with controversy, since in an interdependent global economic system it is difficult to achieve absolute security. In this era of globalization economic security is an inseparable element of comprehensive security, and the impact of both private sector economic activities and governmental economic diplomacy are treated as two sides of the same coin.  [16]  As a least developed country (LDC) Bangladesh has certain in-built problems, (the most glaring being wide-spread poverty), that severely constrain the effective and independent conduct of its foreign policy. At present, the country is further disadvantaged by the stiff competition that it has to face in the outside world especially with India. As has just been discussed, the globalization process offers both opportunities and poses challenges for the world, particularly for the developing countries. But Bangladesh, although poor in most respects, is not entirely without resources: it h as manpower (cheap labor), water resources, and mineral resources (coal, oil and gas). If mobilized effectively, its vast but homogeneous and resilient population could take advantage of the information technology. The liberal international trade has led to an increase in the level of employment creating about 1.5 million jobs in the export sector. Therefore, there is an urgent need for Bangladesh to conduct its economic diplomacy, with vigor and vision. Among the challenges being faced by Bangladesh are how to promote its economic prosperity in the dynamic, complex and highly competitive world, and domestically to provide the foundation for the satisfactory performance of its economy. And how to attain this goal in an environment where major decisions affecting national life are often determined by the international market. For instance, interest rates are determined more by global trends than by national ones. Another salient feature of the globalization phenomenon involves migration. So, it becomes imperative that Bangladesh make diplomatic efforts to make it possible for Bangladeshi people to work in other countries where there are better opportunities. In this era of competition, Bangladesh will not necessarily get what it deserves, but only what it can negotiate. Bangladesh needs to take the advantage of the opportunities that globalization offers through the free flow of information and the use of English as an international language. This would help produce a better trained workforce capable of competing at the international level. It also has to negotiate preferential access to the markets of the Western countries, as well as those of India and China. In the case of India, asymmetry in the bilateral trade relations has to be redressed. It would, to some extent, depend on the negotiating skills of Bangladesh officials, as, to what extent they can ensure market access. (c)Environment In the environment sector Bangladesh faces a number of challenges concerning the control of the flow of the Ganges waters by India, desertification, deforestation, global warming, etc. Most of these problems originate or are caused by factors that are external to Bangladesh. Global warming, for instance, is a truly globalized phenomenon. It is estimated that a sea-level rise of 1 meter could lead to the submergence of as much as one-third of the coastal areas of Bangladesh, and in the process, may give rise to what is called the problem of environmental refugees, and threaten the territorial integrity of Bangladesh. Although the above-mentioned problems do not appear to pose any immediate threat to security of Bangladesh, these may do in the long run. After all, it must be borne in mind that, The environment, modified by human interference, sets the conditions for socio-political-economic life: when these conditions are poor, life is poor.  [17]   (d) Socio-Political A major focus of the new thinking in security studies is the socio-political conditions of the nation. Societal security is basically about identity of a group or community, and the political security is more about institutions and organizational security of the state. There can be a number of ways in which societal security could be threatened, for example, through migration and horizontal competition.  [18]  In the case of Bangladesh, its cultural identity could be diluted through the powerful cultural influence from foreign sources, especially from closest neighbor India. Bangladesh faces a dilemma in this regard, since modernization involves adopting ideas and practices from more developed societies, while at the same time protecting its own cultural values and identity. Political threats like terrorism, which is becoming increasingly lethal, for instance, could pose a serious challenge to the viability of a nascent democracy like Bangladesh, which is already assailed by a host of other problems.  [19]  This is a particularly negative aspect of globalization that is having a damaging impact on the security of Bangladesh, which may be subjected to what is termed as cultural militarization- that is, to the transformation of culture in ways that rather render violent responses to social problems normal and unexceptional. Cultural militarization marginalizes non-violent strategies for conflict resolution, ultimately leading to the brutalization of society and the weakening of human security institutions.  [20]   Bangladesh is also moving in that direction. Terrorism and the proliferation of light weapons are a dangerous combination, the incidence of which is increasing in Bangladesh due to the free flow of goods and porous borders. Poverty is another source of insecurity for Bangladesh. But whether globalization as such would alleviate poverty is debatable. In the final analysis, it depends on the capacity of the government to mobilize resources in an optimum way. That is something that can be achieved is there is political stability inside the country. Inability to achieve political stability would not only result in Bangladesh failure to take advantage of the positive aspects of globalization, but its foreign and economic policy agenda would be set outside the country. Discussion: Globalization- Prospects and Challenges? It is amply clear that Bangladesh has vulnerabilities in practically all areas: territorial, economic, environmental, and socio-Political. Bangladesh appears to be constrained as far dealing with its immediate neighbors are concerned, which means that it will need to cooperate with them despite the fact that its internal security and stability could be adversely affected by them. However this is not to deny the value of military power, which can always act as a deterrent. No matter how remote the possibility of aggression from the outside, Bangladesh should formulate a sound defense policy. While there are both external and internal sources of threats, on balance the latter are perceived to be posing more serious challenges for the security, stability and prosperity of the country. The main objectives of Bangladeshs foreign policy, viz., upholding its sovereignty, cultural identity, ideology are challenged by the forces of globalization. At the same time, while these factors do pose threats, it is difficult to determine exactly when and how they will evolve into threats to national security. The most pressing task before Bangladesh is to achieve political stability; otherwise, it will not be possible for its diplomats to project a positive image of the country. Foreign policy is, after all, is an extension of its domestic policy; therefore, as long as Bangladesh is domestically not in order, it would not be realistic to expect it to have a credible and effective foreign policy. Despite the challenges confronting the security and foreign policy of Bangladesh, it is yet possible to hope for a prosperous future. The tragedy would be that, if it cannot compete and negotiate with the outside world from a position of strength, if cannot take advantage of the positive aspects of globalization, and if it fail to peacefully resolve its own domestic social and political problems, the process of development would be retard- taking perhaps several more costly decades, instead of one. Bangladesh needs to deal with challenges like transnational economic and financial forces, cross-border terrorism, arms and drug trafficking, climate change and environmental degradation through cooperation and coordinated efforts at both regional and international levels. The main purpose of Bangladeshs foreign policy in the present era should be minimizing the degree of vulnerabilities and reducing threats to its security, as well as possessing the ability to shape its security environment through an effective and realistic assessment of its national interests, and the production thereof through pragmatic and active diplomacy. Conclusion It can therefore be argued that despite globalization, the real sources of Bangladeshs insecurity would continue to remain mainly domestic (which could be exacerbated and exploited by external sources), that demand attention from within the state. The basic challenge facing Bangladesh is to comprehend the nature of changes taking place in the international economy and to deal with them through creating conditions and institutions necessary for coping with a dynamic environment. Only the constructive efforts of a dynamic and modern state could achieve success in eliminating the main sources of insecurity. Otherwise, chances are that, widespread and endemic social and political conflict would reduce it to the status of a failed state, with people becoming more concerned with personal security than with national security. MAP OF BANGLADESH

Evaluation of Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon Essay -- Deforestat

Nowadays deforestation is the one of the most destructive and controversial environmental issues. Deforestation is defined as cutting down, clearing away or burning trees or forests. Particularly tropical rainforests are the most destructed type of forests because of its location in developing countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, India, central African countries and Brazil. Deforestation rate in those places is high enough to worry about, because of good economic potential of forests. As the result of causes such as agriculture land expansion, logging for timber, fire blazing and settling infrastructure there might be serious impacts in future, for instance, extinction of endemic species of animals and plants which will be feral, increase of greenhouse gas emissions which may lead to global warming and consecutive catastrophes, destruction of home for indigenous dwellers which is considered as violation of human rights. Some people can argue with this drawbacks telling that deforestation have more valuable benefits such as growth of economics, production of food and providing better opportunities for life for poor families. However, government of that countries and world organisations tries to stop deforestation proposing several solutions. Deforestation problem is especially acute in Brazilian Amazon, where its rate is much high comparing with other regions. This paper will rigorously describe causes and effects of deforestation, and evaluate possible solutions of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Tropical rainforests which is located between tropic of Capricorn and tropic of Cancer covered 12% of land surface few thousand years ago. However, today is it covers only 5% of planet. In spite of this small area, it is... ...ious environmental problem with some significant ecological consequences such as global warming and loss of rich biodiversity and with some economic benefits which are just temporary. These actions against nature must be stopped, and I am recommending that all of us, starting from simple people and ending with government must solve this problem together. Simple human can donate some money which is not sufficient at the moment, businessmen again can help with money, global organisations can provide volunteers and donated money and government can make huge investments, enforce more strict laws, cleared from corruption and try to strictly secure whole Amazon with strict punishments for criminals. In addition, there are recommendations of further research in improving agriculture and finding more sustainable nutrients which would allow using lands for longer period.

Community Psychology Essay

1. UNDERSTANDING INDIVIDUALS 1.1 Ecological principles There are four key ecological principles proposed by James Kelly et al in understanding human environments and they are interdependence, cycling of resources, adaptation, and succession. Interdependence- As with biological ecosystems, any social system has multiple related parts and multiple relationships with other systems. Changes in one of these parts can affect the others; they are interdependent. A corollary of the principle of interdependence is that any change in a system will have multiple consequences—some of them unanticipated and perhaps unwanted. An example of interdependence could be, when the primary caregiver gets the flu, meal preparation, washing, transportation, and a host of other daily operations for every other member of the family are affected. Cycling of Resources- It specifies that any system can be understood by examining how resources are used, distributed, conserved, and transformed. Personal resources include individual talents, knowledge, experiences, strengths, or other qualities that can address challenges in a setting. Social resources occur in relationships among members of the setting, including shared beliefs, values, formal rules, informal norms, group events, and shared sense of community. Even physical aspects of a setting are resources: a library with rooms for group study, quiet nooks for individual study, and a place to take a break. Adaptation- this principle concerns the transactions between person and environment. This is a two-way process; individuals cope with the constraints or demands of an environment and environments adapt to their members. While starting a new job in order to adapt, you probably learned new skills without losing your unique identity. Some jobs require changes in appearance, changes in relating to people, or changes in schedules. Environments also adapt to their members. Think about the changes in a family triggered by such events as the birth of a child, a parent starting a new job, or children moving away from home. Succession- Settings and social systems change over time. Interdependence, resource cycling, and adaptation must be understood in that perspective. An implication of understanding succession in settings is that psychologists need to understand a system’s history before they plan an intervention in that system. In trying to make a neighbourhood a safer place, what have people tried to do in the past? What worked? How did the problems develop? Psychologists should also carefully consider the likely consequences of the intervention, including possible unintended consequences. How can the community continue the intervention after the formal involvement of the psychologist ends? Social Climate Dimensions The social climate approach to understanding environments is based on three primary dimensions that can characterize any setting: how they organize social relationships, how they encourage personal development and their focus on maintenance or change in the setting. Relationships -This dimension of settings concerns mutual supportiveness, involvement, and cohesion of its members. The social climate approach looks for evidence of relationship qualities in each setting. Personal Development -This dimension of settings concerns whether individual autonomy, growth, and skill development are fostered in the settings. System Maintenance and Change- This dimension of settings concerns settings’ emphasis on order, clarity of rules and expectations, and control of behaviour. Social Regularities Social regularities, defined as the routine patterns of social relations among the elements (e.g., persons) within a setting. The patterns of social relationships in communities can affect distribution of resources, access to opportunities, and authority to address social issues. To discover social regularities, search for patterns of behaviour that reveal roles and power relationships among setting members (e.g., teacher-student, therapist-client, employer-employee, parent-child). Roles are enacted in a specific setting in ways that affect power, decision making, resources, and inequalities. A historical social regularity is that U.S. schools have been a sorting mechanism for separating students by achievement or test scores and then preparing them for different roles in society. Segregated schools once also sorted students by race. When the courts mandated an end to segregation, communities brought Black and White students into the same schools. Ecological psychology Behaviour Settings- this concept is the primary unit of analysis for ecological psychology. A behaviour setting is defined by having a place, time, and a standing pattern of behaviour. It is important to note that a behaviour setting is not simply a physical place. The sanctuary of the Methodist church in Midwest was a physical setting but not a behaviour setting. Instead, several behaviour settings occurred within it, each with a time and standing behaviour pattern (e.g., worship services, choir practices, and weddings). Activity Settings While similar to ecological psychology in focusing on settings, activity setting theory takes subjective experiences and cultural social meanings into account. An activity setting is not simply a physical setting and not just the behaviour of persons who meet there but also the subjective meanings that develop there among setting participants, especially intersubjectivities: beliefs, assumptions, values, and emotional experiences that are shared by setting participants. Key elements of an activity setting include the physical setting, positions (roles), people and the interpersonal relationships they form, time, and symbols that setting members create and use. Environmental Psychology Environmental psychology examines the influence of physical characteristics of a setting (especially built environments) on behaviour. A major focus of environmental psychology is the study of the psychological effects of environmental stressors, such as noise, air pollution, hazardous waste, and crowded housing. Environmental Design- Environmental psychologists also study the psychological effects of architectural and neighbourhood design features. Examples include studies of enclosed workspaces, windows, and aspects of housing design. 1.3 The importance of understanding individuals within a context From a community psychology perspective, a better understanding of what contributes to problems forms the basis of choosing where to intervene. Community psychologists do not believe that interventions that change environmental conditions of settings are necessarily sufficient to address social issues. Rather, they place an emphasis on understanding environmental factors of social problems because they are so often overlooked. If the ecological context of social issues is left unaddressed, the interventions chosen will likely be limited in their effectiveness. 2. UNDERSTANDING COMMUNITY 2.1 Community refers to relationships that are multidimensional and are valued in their own right, not just as a means to an end. But society refers to relationships that are based on a specific transaction. The relationship is instrumental in the sense that the participants view the relationship fundamentally as a means to an end, not as something that has value in its own right. This is a relationship you engage in solely because you expect to benefit in some way from the interaction, and the same is true for the other person. 2.2 Types of community Locality-Based Community- This is the traditional conception of community. It includes city blocks, neighbourhoods, small towns, cities, and rural regions. Interpersonal ties exist among community members (residents); they are based on geographic proximity, not necessarily choice. Relational Community -These communities are defined by interpersonal relationships and a sense of community but are not limited by geography. Internet discussion groups are communities completely without geographic limits. Mutual help groups, student clubs, and religious congregations are defined by relational bonds. Levels of community ââ€" ª Microsystems (e.g., classrooms, mutual help groups) ââ€" ª Organizations (e.g., workplaces, religious congregations, civic groups) ââ€" ª Localities (e.g., city blocks, neighbourhoods, cities, towns, rural areas) ââ€" ª Macro systems (e.g., the Filipino community, political parties, nations) 2.3 Sense of community According to Sarason (1974) he defined it as the perception of similarity to others, an acknowledged interdependence with others, a willingness to maintain this interdependence by giving to or doing for others what one expects from them, the feeling that one is part of a larger dependable and stable structure. There are four elements identified in sense of community: Membership: it refers to the sense among community members of personal investment in the community and of belonging to such as Boundaries, Common symbols, Emotional safety, Personal investment, Sense of belonging, Identification with community. Mutual influence between individual and community: It refers both to the power that members exercise over the group and to the reciprocal power that group dynamics exert on members. Integration and fulfilment of needs among members: Integration is concerned with horizontal relations among members such as Shared values, Satisfying needs and Exchanging resources. Shared emotional connection: it refers to the shared dramatic moments, celebrations and rituals among members of the community. 2.3.1 Social Capital Social capital refers to connections among citizens and reciprocity and trust based on them. It may be formal or informal and involve bonding or bridging. 2.3.2 Social Support Social Support refers to the help provided by others to promote coping with stress. 2.4 How communities are built In order to build a strong community, members should develop a set of common symbols, celebrations, and narratives that describe and reflect the meaning they assign the community and also set norms that support a sense of personal safety that ensures all members have a level of influence over the community. 3. UNDERSTANDING DIVERSITY 3.1 Key dimensions of human diversity CULTURE The term culture has been stretched to refer not only to ethnic and cultural groups but also to nation-states, religious groups, racial groupings, and corporations (Betancourt & Lopez, 1993). Cultural influences can be seen in the functioning of individuals and families, organizational practices, and norms of local communities and societies. Community psychologists have sought to understand how settings have layers of cultural influences that impact the composition, functioning, and interactions of its members. A contextual, ecological understanding of cultural influences on communities seeks to understand how cultural influences structure community norms and processes for how decisions are made, how conflict is addressed, and how resources are distributed. RACE Race does have psychological and social meaning in many societies: as a socially constructed set of categories related to inequalities of status and power. Even as racial categories shift over time and across locations, race remains important because racism makes it so. No terminology is entirely satisfactory to describe the racial diversity. Use of almost any terminology and definition of race reflects and perpetuates racial oppression in some way. Yet community psychology cannot ignore race, despite the drawbacks of vocabulary for discussing it. ETHNICITY Ethnicity can be defined as a social identity, based on one’s ancestry or culture of origin, as modified by the culture in which one currently resides and it could also be defined by language, customs, values, social ties, and other aspects of subjective culture GENDER Gender refers to our understanding of what it means to be female or male and how these categories are interpreted and reflected in attitudes, social roles, and the organization of social institutions. SOCIAL CLASS Social class comprises a key dimension for community psychology. While often studied only as a demographic descriptor, social class actually marks differences in power, especially economic resources and opportunities. It influences identity and self-image, interpersonal relationships, socialization, well-being, living environment, educational opportunities, and many other psychological issues. ABILITY/DISABILITY It refers to the tendency of members in a society to discriminate based on ableism which leads disabled individuals to many barriers for participation in community life as a valued and contributing member. SEXUAL ORIENTATION This is best understood as a spectrum from exclusively heterosexual to exclusively homosexual, with intermediate points. It refers to an underlying orientation, involving sexual attraction, romantic affection, and related emotions. AGE Children, adolescents, and younger and older adults differ in psychological and health-related concerns, developmental transitions, and community involvement. Similarly, aging also brings changes in relationships and power dynamics for families, communities, workplaces, and societies. SPIRITUALITY AND RELIGION Spirituality and religion often interrelate with culture and ethnicity. Moreover, many religions and spiritual traditions are multicultural, and many cultures contain multiple religious and spiritual communities. Therefore it is impossible to understand many cultures without understanding their religious institutions and spiritual practices. SOCIAL INEQUITIES Social inequities occur when the lack of social and economic resources available to particular groups lead to reduced opportunities for education, health care, or work. In more extreme cases, a group’s reduced social status can lead to group members having their property rights, voting rights, freedom of speech and assembly, and citizenship challenged.

Greek and Roman Mythology Depicted in Daily Life

Greek and Roman Mythology Depicted in Daily Life Did you know youre already familiar with some of the main gods and goddesses from Greek mythology and some of the main mythical creatures, as well? [See if you can guess who the gods represented by letters are before checking the bottom of this article for answers.] You probably dont need to know Greek mythology. I mean, its not very likely that youll be in a life or death situation where youll have to veer your spaceship away from the Titan (a) and King of the Gods (b) planets and back towards the Love (c), War (d), and Messenger (e) deities in order to find your way back to Earth. Nor will it make very much difference if you fail to recognize the mythological figures behind the name of your car (Saturn or Mercury). However, Greco-Roman mythology is pervasive in Western culture and you probably already know a lot about it: The love goddess Venus, whose name is synonymous with beauty, is featured in song and art. Her name was lent to what used to be called social disease. Adonis, one of her lovers, is synonymous with male beauty. The narcissus flower was originally a vain young man. The laurel was a young nymph who preferred to be turned into a tree to the embraces of Apollo. The space mission Apollo is named after the god of music and prophecy. There is a petroleum company whose logo is the winged horse Pegasus. An automobile muffler company is named for the original man with the golden touch (f). A moving company is named for the Titan who was punished by having to carry the weight of the world on his shoulder (g). One brand of running shoes was named after the goddess of victory (h). A sink cleanser was named for a second-best Greek hero in the Trojan War (i) after Achilles had died. The number one hero gave his name to the word for a long, difficult trip or odyssey. Odysseus also devised the origina l gift that gave us the expression beware of Greeks bearing gifts (Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes). A chocolate candy company is named for the Roman god of war (d). Cereal is named for the Roman goddess of grain (j). The panic button is named for a son of Hermes (k). The list goes on and on. It may not make an appreciable difference to your quality of life, but knowing something about Roman and Greek mythology will give you insight into our cultural heritage, an understanding of the naming of space and exploration missions, and it may help you solve a crossword or two. Mythmans Mythological Influence on Modern Society Etymological Dictionary Classical Cliches Mythological References: (a)Saturn (b)Jupiter (c)Venus) (d)Mars (e)Mercury (f)Midas (g)Atlas (h)Nike (i)Ajax (j)Ceres (k)Pan Famous People BiographiesAncient / Classical History GlossaryMapsLatin Quotations and TranslationsPrimary Texts /Literature and Translations

brit and patriot soldiers essays

brit and patriot soldiers essays Red Dawn at Lexington is a book that tries to present different points of view of the Revolutionary War. Even though it is non-fiction, the book reads like a novel and that is how Birnbaum intended it to be. Red Dawn.... begins by describing a British soldier's journey with his family by ship to Boston, in the American colony of Massachusetts. It goes on to describe the hardships the British soldiers endured during their stay in Boston. This was because many of the colonists were no longer supporters of Britain being in control of the colonies. They didn't like that the British soldiers were there to keep an eye on them, and they made this very obvious. The book talks about the mounting tensions between the whigs and the soldiers, and how some members of the British parliament were trying to help the colonies. Birnbaum goes on to describe how General Gage chose to attack the towns of Lexington and Concord. Gage sent out spies to check out different areas around Boston. These spies were to survey the towns or villages and make up maps. Although there was usually trouble concerning the expeditions of the spies,(townspeople frequently spotted them entering the homes of loyalists, etc..) many of the spies' missions were successful. There is also a chapter concerning the states of the British and colonial armies in Concord preparing for the fight there. This chapter describes the events leading up to Paul Revere's famous ride, and William Dawe's role in the ride. The book also gives new evidence and testimonies as to who fired "the shot heard 'round the world." The excerpts of testimonies given by many witnesses lead to the conclusion that it was the militia-men who fired the first shot, but that is still being debated over to this day. Even though the colonial army suffered more losses at the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the unwounded men quickly regrouped. More and more militias began sending troops to support the coloni...

Project mangment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Project mangment - Essay Example The ideal required wind energy can be found at high altitudes where continuous wind speeds occur. In general the sea coastal areas and / or hilly areas are more preferred locations to establish the wind mills because of uninterrupted flow of wind. Wind – movement of air is called wind. The wind moves everything whatsoever comes in its way. Wind turbines or wind generators, like propeller blades of aircraft, turn and power electric generator generates an electric current. In more simplified it is stated that a wind turbine is opposite of a home fan. Instead of using electricity to make wind in fan, a wind turbine uses wind to make electricity. The wind turns the blades on the tower and spins a shaft which is connected to a generator to generate electricity. This production of electricity mainly depends on the velocity of the wind. Only higher wind velocity throughout the year makes the wind mill project viable. The wind turbine system consisting of blades, shafts, gears and generator is operated through a sophisticated computer controlled system installed at the base of the tower which also have sensors to sense the wind speed and its direction to switch on and off the wind turbine generator. Generally the user company gives a time limit or schedule for building and operation of wind mill project and the supplier (s) and / or contractor (s) should abide by the given time table as much as possible. However in certain cases the delivery time of many materials is long which delays for completion of project. Prevalent circumstances like human factors, whether or other natural calamity also sometimes create late completion. Ideal time for completion of project could be 3-4 months. Most countries maintain whether, oceanic and atmospheric records for different purposes including future prediction, study, educational research, etc. These information are

Tanzanie Experiment Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Tanzanie Experiment Paper - Essay Example While some people argue that the curriculum should allow use of Kiswahili in secondary school, the policy makers argue that students should learn English to be able to participate globally. This paper explains how to set up a randomized control trial to obtain a solution for the challenge. 2. How to set up a randomized control trial in Tanzania. Deciding which language to be used for learning would be the most appropriate solution for the learning challenge in Tanzania. The criteria to decide on the most appropriate language would include ensuring that the language used for learning in school increase the students ability to learn and achieve global competitiveness. Tanzania, which is a former protectorate of British, has adopted English. English language is widely used in the globe while Kiswahili is a local language. Moreover, students can utilize books written by diverse authors across the globe without requiring a translation from English into Kiswahili. Selecting English as a le arning language in primary school would enable students to be empowered using English for communication, encourage a positive attitude in learning and familiarize students with basic expressions. There are two possible outcomes of the randomized controlled trial. Use of English as a learning language in primary school may improve the performance of student in secondary school. ... will ensure that the subjects of study will involve two clusters where one will receive early intervention of English language while the other cluster will use Kiswahili to learn in primary school. A follow up on the eligible or recruited subjects will be done to compare the outcomes. Jadad and Enkin (12) mention that randomized controlled trial reduces bias by selecting the subjects randomly. The trial will provide answers on weather introduction of English for learning in primary school would enable students increase their learning abilities in secondary school. The subjects will be randomly selected from different schools to include private and public schools in rural and urban setting. Classes of thirty to sixty students in two hundred and seventy schools will be randomly selected. Students will be introduced to English language for learning, in one hundred and thirty five schools. Teachers in the cluster that will use English for learning will be required to be proficient in Eng lish. The teachers can be trained while others can be employed. Students will be taught all subjects in English and be required to speak in English in their social setting. The measurement of their performance will be obtained regularly at the end of each semester. The results will be compared with that of the cluster that used Kiswahili in their primary school. Oral and written tests will be administered to students in the two clusters after every four months. Follow up will be extended in secondary school where students who learnt using English in primary school will be compared against those who learnt in Kiswahili. All subjects will be taught in English by teachers with competent English skills. The teachers will be required to use English when talking to the students within and

Critically evaluate Susan Brownmillers (1975) assertion that ' war Essay

Critically evaluate Susan Brownmillers (1975) assertion that ' war provides men with a tacit license to rape - Essay Example Brownmiller feels that rape perseveres as a way for men to perpetuate their historic societal dominance over women on the whole. Assault laws have evolved over recent decades with respect to different classes of rape; harsher sentencing for wartime rapists has also been achieved where once it was nearly impossible to convict a man. Wartime continues to be the most difficult scenario for the control and subsequent punishment of rape. Brownmiller and her colleagues agree that because of the relaxed morality of a battlefield or a war-torn country, men feel free to not only take advantage of their baser instincts to fight and kill, but also to rape. Brownmiller explains rape as a purely human issue; she notes how zoologists will not address rape since it is believed to be nonexistent in the animal kingdom. To Brownmiller and many other researchers, â€Å"human beings are different† (1975, 1) in that their males are capable of rape and their females are capable of succumbing to violent sexual acts. In nature, the sexual act of animals is governed by the female’s fertility cycle: in essence, animals will not have sex unless the female is fertile and the male senses this. With humans, however, the female fertility cycle does not govern sexual acts nor does it have any effect on the sex drive of males; this is the fundamental difference between people and animals on which Brownmiller bases her distinctions of rape. Instead of being based on the fertility cycle, people copulate based on their individual urges. As Brownmiller says, â€Å"our call to sex occurs in our head† (ibid.). With animals, the male of the species will not attempt to copulate with a female unless she is clearly fertile; therefore the fertility cycle governs not only sexual urge but the act itself. Since humans do not behave based on this fundamental principle, women are always able to be viewed in a sexual way, men are always able to become aroused

Enron And The Decision Making Factor Essay Example for Free

Enron And The Decision Making Factor Essay Introduction – Students, analysts and critics of modern business practice will always consider the colossal Enron collapse as an important text book case about how a lot of different things inside the company can trigger a nearly overnight downfall of a once prestigious company. If there was any Cinderella story in the world of blue chip trading and high portfolio business, Enron was the ultimate opposite, if not the witch herself who was killed by her own lethal potion. The Enron collapse resulted in the formulating of many different opinions pointing to the many different possible reasons why Enron – with all the promise and potential that it has a few years before it went south – made the nosedive that made it one of the worst disasters in the history of trade, commerce and business. There is no doubt that most of the opinions that surfaced explaining the reason why such an eventuality befell Enron placed the blame on the wrong things that the top management echelon did for the company; they are after all the one which is responsible for the present and the future of Enron. Critics looking at the Enron debacle scrutinized what happened leading to the collapse using many different perspectives and considering many different factors, both in the professional capability of the company’s leaders as well as the impact of the surrounding factors beyond Enron’s control. One of the most important facets in the debate regarding the fall of Enron is decision making. Evidently, a lot of wrong decisions were made, with one every wrong decision acting as a building block that eventually became an insurmountable wall of consequences all borne out of wrong or faulty decision making processes that yielded results that did the company more harm than good. Indeed, the decision making linchpins significant to the establishment of the case that the Enron collapse was due in some extent to the decision making aspect of the leadership strata of the company can be identified easily as it is scattered throughout the timeline of Enron’s very near and not so distant past leading to the eventual fall of the company that hid behind the facade of the building the ugliness created by the qualities of its leaders that caused the chaos that burned down Enron down to meager, worthless ashes. This paper will pick the significant moments wherein the decision making capabilities and abilities of its top management leaders were at play and use these moments to establish the ethical and other considerations coming to play during the analysis of the decision making efforts of the leaders and why the outcome of such exercises led to the fall of Enron and not towards the company’s betterment, which is the main task of the company’s top executives. The paper will utilize these occasions to stress its argument regarding the role of effective, ethical and sound decision making of top executives leading to either the success or bankruptcy of companies, in this case that of Enron, and discuss key aspects of this line of thought. The paper will not criminalize the actions of the executives of Enron; rather, it will infuse inputs from other professionals regarding important aspects in the discussion of corporate decision making (ethics, result-orientation, etc). Background – Various angles have already been explored by many different individuals every time the topic of analysis is Enron and its collapse. Because of this, the paper is moving to focus on an aspect that is focused more on Kenneth Lay and the rest of his top executive clique’s personal characteristic that could have played an important role in the outcome of Enron’s operation. Decision making is both a personal characteristic as it is a professional credential, even an asset. Some people are being paid handsome amounts of money for their ability to transform decision making moments into an opportunity that provides a positive result and expected outcome for the company. Ehringer (1995) puts it simply: The ability to make good decisions is the defining quality of our lives (Ehringer, 1995, p. 1). When Lay, Skilling, Fastow and other Enron bosses were placed in their respective positions, they were expected to exercise a high level of intuitiveness, business acumen and professional foresight so that every decision making opportunity is met with the company’s best interest long term and short term in mind. They were where they were because those who placed them there believed that they can make decisions to which the company can benefit from. When Enron collapse, many people and organizations criticized the questioned the decision making capabilities of the top executives – was the collapse an effect of the result of the decision that they made? Was the decision made putting the benefit of the company and the employees first, or are the decisions shaped so that it benefited them first? How bad was the breach in the ethical considerations that a professional should take every time he or she makes a decision that puts the future of the company on the line? These are just some of the questions that may also be present in the minds of those who followed the Enron case. Sure there were varying degrees of deception and fraudulent acts from the part of many select individuals who sinned against Enron and its employees, but these cases would have been minimized or even averted altogether if the important decision making privileges was limited to a select few, or if the future-altering decision making capability is disseminated largely among a huge group of people that can provide a check and balance system for Enron. Roberts (2004) explained that if it is possible for others to make the decisions for a unit, then new options arise to design the decision-making process as well as the incentive schemes to get better performance on both dimensions. For example, the design might specify that a decision about a project arising in one unit that affects another would be implemented if and only if both units agree to it, (Roberts, 2004, p. 51). Enron is an energy trading firm which was performing well in the early part of its existence. By the start of the 21st century, the problems that the bosses were trying to hide from the public and from the employees started to stank. Soon, events unfolded like dominoes falling one after the other as a consequence of information spilling out into the public’s attention. Before 2004, the public already had a clear idea about how Enron bosses were supposedly the one responsible for the defrauding of the employees and their company shares and other benefits, as well as the one responsible for the bankruptcy of Enron. One by one, key company officials stepped out of the light and implicated a new name, which will in turn implicate a much bigger name, until the dragnet sent out to see who was accountable for the fraudulent acts in Enron caught its top bosses, including Lay, Skilling and Fastow. Many individuals faced criminal charges, and many more simply went home not just jobless but are robbed of lifetime investments which Enron bosses manipulated and soon lost because of the wrong decisions they made on how to run the company and make it prosper and grow. Examples of how Enron management made wrong decisions during decision making moments abound in the history of the company. Take for example what happened in 1987 instead of declaring the $190 million loss the company experienced, they concealed it instead, leading to criminal charges. This habit of Enron for opting to conceal losses instead of declaring it became a dangerous vice; when Fastow was aboard Enron, the same outlook affected the decision making of Enron, leading to increase in pile of cases wherein Enron through its top management consciously made actions that defraud the employees and the public. There was also the case of poor public relations by Enron which fanned the flames of panic that removed any possible opportunity for Enron to remedy the financial situation without creating hysteria that saw many stockholders selling their stocks due to the continued falling of the stock value of Enron. Statement of Problem – The most important decision that Enron’s executives faced was not the decision on whether or not to publicly announce about the bankruptcy; in fact, there was no decision making factor during that instance since the predicament of the company has already been decided regardless of what the top executives might have opted for: they were flat out broke and the public needs to know about this, that was the situation. The true decision making moment for Enron’s bosses was the time when they were deciding what the best option to take is with regards to the financial aspect of the company, including taxes, earnings and financial loses. It was a matter of facing a decision making task that provided the Enron bosses with two options – to do the right thing, or to opt for something that is morally and ethically inappropriate. The decision reached in this particular decision making instance was laced with the hope that the option they took would be free from serious repercussions and give them enough time to fix it all up again. Unfortunately for Enron, things did not work out as planned, and the criminal liability of the Enron bosses stemmed from the fact that they decided to do something which they consciously knew was detrimental to the welfare of the Enron company and its employees. During that particular instance, Lay could have opted to do the right thing and faced the consequences by coming clean, he may have a more sympathetic public to support him in whatever efforts he may wish to undertake to revive Enron, and not be faced with the collapsing stock value since those who can sell theirs sell it in a frantic phase to rid themselves of the stock of the company which is nearing imminent bankruptcy. This showed how the people do not give second chances to those who squander their decision making privileges by making decisions bereft of the consideration of the good of the greater many. Decision making John Hintze (2006), in his discussion about making smart decisions during decision making, used the case of the Enron collapse to open his discussion and establish the fact that problems are something that is foreseen, something that happened nonetheless owing to bad decision making. Hintze wrote, should we have seen 9/11 coming? What about the Enron collapse? The Signs were there; people pointed them out, but the appropriate steps were not taken by those in a position to do something. Why is this? Politics? Greed? Those certainly contributed, but there was something else at work here, too: A failure of common sense in decision making (Hintze, 2006, p. 123). Enron: Bad decision making Nothing can prove more about how bad the decision making went inside Enron camp more convincingly than the fact the company transformed from prosperous to poor overnight. This was the general characteristic of Enron through the traits shown by its leaders that reflect the Enron personality. There were earlier discussions in the paper about snippets on instances pointing to Enrons penchant for making bad decision or for going to the resolving of a problem utilizing an option that is more questionable. Fox (2004) explained that Enron believed that its expansion into international projects were positive initiatives simply because they put the company in more potential markets. In truth, Enron made bad business decisions that werent supported by the deals economics. The bad business decisions piled up, stretching from India to Brazil, pressuring the company to do something about its finances’ (Fox, 2004,p. 307). At least at this point, Fox is not pointing at the unethical aspect of the Enron decision making machinery, just the fact that they made decisions that were bad for the future of the company, but not to the extent of deliberately sabotaging the company or putting the company in danger with all known risk for personal gain. For Fox, it was a bad call plain and simple. But the matter of the fact is that not everyone sees it the way Fox does, and there are those who believe that there were ethical breaches in the decision making in Enron among its top bosses. The (absence of) Leaders in decision-making – Decision making in retrospective is one of the common line of thinking used when investigating events that led to growth or debacle. It is because decision making played an important part in shaping the future of the company; it is here where the foundation, or lack of it, was created via the decisions the bosses made or failed to make. To trace the problems or mark significant actions resulting from decision making which eventually resulted to either the success or failure of the company, it is not only the decision making events that are looked back to; the persons that made them were also put under the microscope, and among the qualities scrutinized is their decision making ability and their other characteristics that affect their decision making attitude and behavior. Professionals debate about the idea of a good decision, a bad decision, good intentions and bad intentions and how the good and bad effect that comes into play afterwards account for the overall accountability of a person wielding the power to make decisions that will have a tremendous impact on the future of the company, something which happened in Enron via Lay, Skilling, Fastow and the rest of the top figures of the company. Acuff (2004) explains that ‘if they make a decision that might not have been the decision I would have made, and they come and talk to me about it, we look at it and discuss it. There are a lot of different ways to skin the horse. I don’t go saying my idea is the only one that will get you where you want to go. I hold people accountable for good decision-making. If a bad outcome results from a bad decision thats a problem. But if a bad outcome results from a reasonable decision, then thats business, and it could happen to anyone (Acuff, 2004, p. 87). This was the predicament of those who are trying to evaluate the decision making actions of Enron top executives did they make decisions, even bad decisions with the sake of the company in mind, and gambled with their careers because they know that if their plans and actions go well, it is extremely beneficial for the company, in a very Machiavellian approach towards getting things done regardless of the means by which th ey did it, or were they just plain guilty of fraudulent actions? People who are burdened by the decision that impacts a lot of people is not always amenable to taking the high and moral grounds, that is why the adage about the end justifying the means, about getting things done at what ever cost, about delivering against the odds became popular because of people like the Enron bosses who (probably) acted upon their decision making duties by risking what can be a popularly bad decision. Indeed, it may be easy or even convenient for most people adversely affected by the Enron collapse to attribute the colossal corporate debacle to the top management figures of the company by criticizing their decisions as well as their faculty for sound decision making. While it is true that Enron’s top executives are responsible for the collapse of the company, it is not that easy to measure the level of ethical decision making attributes of Enron’s top brass. Goethals et al (2004) pointed out that â€Å"the complexity associated with ethical decision making and behavior, especially as it applies to leadership and the workplace, makes the construct extremely difficult to research†, adding that â€Å"Measuring an individual’s level of ethical decision making is challenging, particularly because the measurement instruments that are available have problems with priming and social-desirability effects; that is, questionnaires or other similar modes of data collection cue respondents to give answers that they believe are socially acceptable rather than answers that truly reflect their own actions or opinions (Goethals et. al. , 2004, p. 461). † Proof of which is the fact that all of these executives in question are career corporate leaders even before they joined Enron; their credentials played an important role regarding their selection for a corporate position as high as theirs. Because of this, as well as the factors that affect the credibility of the ability for identification of the real public pulse regarding the persons involved in the issue, ethical decision making levels of the persons involved is hard to ascertain, making claims for questionable ethical decision making consideration of the people lose important ground and stand on insufficient set of stable legs for proof and justification. Still, there are those who believe that the level of ethics that influences the decision making capabilities of the Enron bosses are without a doubt questionable, and this includes Mimi Swartz and Sherron Watkins who was quoted in the book edited by Kathy Fitzpatrick and Carolyn B. Bronstein. In the article, it mentions about how Swartz and Watkins â€Å"blame Ken Lay, former CEO of Enron, and other company executives for privileging greed and arrogance over ethical business decisions† (Fitzpatrick and Bronstein, 2006, p. 79), the gist of the published work co-authored by the two individuals. Nalebuff and Ayres (2006) wrote that the problem often arises because people ignore the costs and benefits that their decisions have on other people. We call this approach Why dont you feel my pain? The more technical term for these effects is externalities. Decision makers who ignore externalities are bound to make bad decisions (Nalebuff and Ayres, 2006, p. 67). This explanation greatly tarnishes the ethical value of the decision making ethics of Enron bosses because it shows that they are prone or inclined to make decisions even if the result of such decisions lead to negative effects that other people will experience. Niskanen (2005) believes that Lay, one of the top bosses of Enron, â€Å"should be judged on the basis of his personal actions, directions to subordinates, or the actions of subordinates that he implicitly condoned by knowing about it without attempting to correct not on the basis of what he should have known† (Niskanen, 2005, p. 6). Lays condoning of actions is a result of a personal and professional decision that he made or failed to make and because of that, Niskanen believes that Lay is answerable for any criminal charges that would result from that particular action (or inaction). Watkins was thinking of the company and its employees and their future and hers as well, when she made the decision to let her superiors, particularly Lay, know about the possible accounting problems and the making public of the current and real financial and trade status of the company. This clearly illustrates the difference in ethics when it comes to decision making. Decision making, ethics and public perception Decision making in business is not merely a power or a privilege that one can use at will without thinking of the consequences that might happen should the decision resulted into something that is considered as adversely negative and detrimental to the welfare of the employees, their jobs and the company they work for. Those who are provided with such amenity to go along with their job description should consider that it is also their responsibility to make sure that their employees and subordinates do not think that they are squandering away their decision making privilege and everything that goes along with it. This was the prevailing attitude or outlook of the Enron employees especially nearing the imminent collapse of the company. The absence of ethical consideration resulted to the losing of the credibility of the bosses of Enron because they were not careful with how they undertake their decision making tasks. While bankruptcy is something that is very difficult to accept and impacts greatly in the lives of the employees especially the rank and file blue collar workers, there is a sense of adding insult to injury during occasions wherein the employees are starting to realize that all of the unfortunate things that happen in the company and in their careers are all a result of the faulty, incompetent and unethical decision making of the top management echelon and not because the company was helpless in the onslaught of a devastating economic problem, like how companies closed down during the Great Depression despite the efforts of American businessmen to keep the different industries alive and breathing. During the collapse of Enron, the US is experiencing a very stable economy far from that which characterized US economy during the Great Depression, and is shielded securely from the impact of whatever it was that was happening in the global economic and business landscape, and so during the Enron collapse, the collective finger was pointing an accusing index digit to Enron bosses and majority of the cause of their indignation originates from the sloppy decision making capabilities of Enron bosses who lost their credibility the moment they lost Enron. Brazelton and Ammons (2002) wrote in the book they co-wrote: â€Å"The Ethics Resource Center conducted a survey in 2000 in which it learned that 43 percent of respondents believed that their supervisors are generally poor examples of honest managers, and the same number were pressured to compromise their own integrity or that of their organization during decision making. The survey also identified a strong connection between employees perceptions of their supervisors and their own ethical behavior (Brazelton and Ammons, 2002, p. 388). † Enron decision making: the two-pronged factors It can be pointed out that one of the problems that happened to Enron is the ineffective of decision making among top executives first, their top executives failed to make correct decisions when they are required to do so, and second, Enron was not fully complimented with a set of professionals which could have contributed to the decision making process, and in the process provided the possibility of infusing new or different ideas that could have altered the outcome of the decision making process. Fitzpatrick and Bronstein (2006) did not look exclusively on Enrons bosses and the decisions they made in the management of Enron and the companys money and asset, rather, the two editors focused on the absence of a key top management personnel and took the presence of such a void as a sign that Enron is not even prioritizing the welfare of the company and its employees. The book Ethics in Public Relations: Responsible Advocacy, which includes the Enron case as one of the important case studies to point out the importance of the role of public relations, explains that perhaps the governance of these companies was such that they did not care about their publics, and did not want the advice of senior-level public relations officer playing an active or dominant role in organizational decision making (Fitzpatrick and Bronstein, 2006, pg 179). Conclusion – Niskanen (2005) summed up the Enron case on its characteristic of thriving in bad decisions made by its corporate leaders by saying in the book that the most important lesson from the Enron collapse, however, is that Enron failed because of a combination of bad business decisions, not because its accounts were misleading adding that the major business decisions that most contributed to its collapse were a series of bad investments, most of which were in the traditional asset-rich industries; the failure to reconcile two quite different business models; and the decision to focus management objectives on reported revenues and earning rather than on the present value of future cash flows (Niskanen, 2005, p. 6). Are they poor in decision making, or was the decision making adversely affected by other concerns and priorities outside of Enron that the results of the decision made for Enron looks like those who made the call did not even think about how this course of action will affect Enron? There are no sufficient proofs to point that the case was the latter; for a company that became seventh all in all in the Fortune 500 at least once, it is unthinkable how there will be conscious efforts to sink the company by making wrong decisions, deliberately or not. The point of the paper is not the assertion of the guild of Skilling, Lay or even Fastow, it’s the establishing of the point that decision making, when not handled properly, can turn even the most profitable company into a nose-diving wreck in a short period of time, that decision making plays an important role in how a person defines his or her life and how he or she leads a company and that because of these factors, no one should have an excuse why decision making was taken lightly and without much thought or care. All the people can see is a group of people who made wrong decisions several times, the resulting web and how they got trapped in that web, that is assuming that there was no malice or hidden agenda that the bosses perpetrated in lieu of Enron’s collapse. In the end, only Lay (now deceased) and the elite circle of the Enron executive clique will be the ones who would really know about the truth regarding ethics and the decision making in Enron leading to the collapse of the company. Many would ask, and some would presume, the reasons as well as the level of guilt of these leaders when it comes to breaching the ethical requirements needed when undertaking decision making for a company. Regardless, the decisions they made created far reaching ripples and altered the lives of many individuals who invested not just their time, strength and lifes savings into the company but as well as their but as well as their faith and trust, which are not in shattered pieces because of the bad decisions that Enron executives made. Crawford (2006) further elaborated on the pointed by explaining that bad decisions by a major company, however, cause major disruptions for all of the companys stakeholders’. He pointed at the case of Enron as one of his examples, saying that ‘the Enron disaster, as one example, certainly had devastating impacts on the lives of most of Enron employees (including the middle managers and professionals who invested in the company-sponsored Enron 401[K] plans) and also caused suffering for many individual investors who purchased Enron stock on the open market. Thousands of other Enron stakeholders, including Enrons suppliers and customers, also suffered, (Crawford, 2006, p. 26). Indeed, Enron’s decision making had a hand in how the company turned out to be.