Sales Manager

In order to use the full potentials of the employees, the organization needs to motivate and encourage them. By motivating the employees, their performance level increase that results in better achieving organizational goals. However, according to Maslow’s theory, the organization needs to cater to employees five basic needs: physiological, safety, belongingness, esteem and self-actualization (Jones, George, Hill, 1998). Among them, physiological need is the most basic and important one. In this need, all employees need is an ample pay scale in which they fulfill their basic survival needs such as food, residence, clothes etc. Now analyzing the problem faced at NL&C, the management needs to find the reasons for the lethargic attitude of the employees toward their work. The most probable complaints that the employees at NL&C do is that their basic stipend is low. The employees do not feel motivated towards their job that affects to the organization’s performance. The HRM needs to review the employee policy and ask the top-management to make an increase in their salary. Besides that, the management also needs to introduce the scheme of rewarding the employees with bonus rewards in which, if the employees are able to achieve a certain sales target, they would be given additional pay. In this way not only will they get intrinsically motivated, but will also show their interest in their job tasks (Kreitner, Kinicki, 2004). In order to motivate the employees more, the top few employees of the month should also be awarded with perquisites. In this way, a sense of competition among employees will arouse and they will work harder and inclined towards their achieving the goals. Besides monetary motivation, the employees can be motivated by providing them with good job environment and ambience. The employees should also be given of certain level of delegation which triggers their decision-making power. The employees should also be given the sense of promotion on the basis of their performance. Thus the management needs to address to all those motivating factors in order to encourage them and make them work to their full capabilities. Once the NL&C management would take this initiative, there is definitely going to be a change in the employee’s attitude and will try to perform at their utmost level, which will result fruitful for NL&C for both short and long-term basis.

Good life Essay

At the end of our lives, we all want to be able to feel as though the life that we lived on earth was a good and happy one. This seems like the ultimate goal that we strive for every day. However, the question arises as to how we can meet this goal by the way that we live our daily lives. If you were to ask random people on the street how they live a good and happy life, each person would give you a different answer. This is because everyone has a different perspective of what is important to make this life a good and happy life, and everyone has the control to make this life possible. What would I say if someone asked me how I plan to live a good and happy life? Personally, my answer would be that living a good and happy life would be living virtuously and living a meaningful life through my passion for helping others through nursing and also through my faith. There are many people that have studied these aspects of what a good and happy life would look like and have different views on what really defines what it means to live in a virtuous and meaningful way. According to the Stoics, their idea of virtue was moral goodness, doing what is right, just, honorable and wise, but I believe that being virtuous goes beyond being morally perfect. So, what does being virtuous actually mean to me? Being virtuous means consciously striving to do what is right, and learning from our mistakes, and continually growing to be a better person. In Joel Kupperman’s book, Six Myths About the Good Life, there is a quote that reads â€Å"There has to be a learning process; part of this inevitable will involve moral decisions, made by someone who is still inexperienced and who may be under pressure. I believe that making mistakes is part of our human nature, but that does not mean that we cannot be virtuous people. We can still live a virtuous life by learning from the mistakes that we have made. So, how does this view of virtue ensure that I live a good and happy life? Living a virtuous life require us to do what is right, and feel good about those decisions that we have made. It is important to learn from our mistakes, because in return, we will grow as people, and hopefully not continue to make those same mistakes. A life full of doing bad things, will only leave us with a life full of regrets at the end, but living virtuously will prevent us from living a life of regrets and in return will ensure a good life. Someone might disagree by saying that virtue is not important because anyone could live a good and happy life by doing bad things and stomping on the people around them for their own good. But, what is this person going to think at the end of their lives? What good did they do here on earth? That person would not look back at their lives as a good life and would ultimately not end up happy with it. Yes, I am sure this person was happy at certain points throughout their life, but the ultimate goal here is to end up with a good and happy life. A good and happy life means doing good things, and feeling joy through those good things that we have done. Aristotle believes that the most pleasant life, and presumably the happiest, is a life of virtuous or excellent activity. (Haybron p. 48) This means that a life of just doing good acts is just a part of the big picture. Doing good and also living a life full of meaningful and worthwhile activities is the key to a good and happy life. This leads into my second aspect of a good and happy life, which is living a meaningful life. How does one live a meaningful life? I believe that living a meaningful life means living beyond yourself, working towards something that has value to you and also to other people, and doing something that is worthwhile in the end. It means not just existing on this earth, but living a life that you would be willing to live over again. A quote from Haybron’s book reads â€Å"Any life devoted to worthwhile ends is meaningful. This means that doing something that will have worthwhile end results for not only you but the people around you is doing something meaningful. How does living this meaningful life make our lives good and happy lives? Living a meaningful life is ultimately living an emotionally fulfilling life. We will find pride and happiness in doing things that are valuable and meaningful to us, and will ultimately lead to a good and happy life. Haybron goes as far to say that â€Å"The full measure of happiness requires that we connect, in our lives, with what seems to us to matter. This means that we will not even experience our full potential happiness if we do not engage in meaningful activities. So, if a key part of a good and happy life is just doing something that is meaningful, then someone may argue that any useless activity that someone finds meaningful will lead to a good life. For example, someone who sits on the bathroom floor counting tiles because that is something that they find very meaningful and valuable, would not be viewed as someone who is living a good and happy life to most people. This concept of doing meaningful things then must go farther than just doing things that are meaningful to us personally. This is where Haybron talks about finding something that is not only valuable to oneself but also other people. A quote from his book reads, â€Å"The most meaningful lives will combine subjective and objective meaning: appreciative engagement with what genuinely matters. † The most meaningful life then must mean engaging in activities that have an equal balance between personal meaning and also meaning to others. Through my 20 years of age, I discovered what this meaning is for me. I plan to live a meaningful life by helping others through my nursing practices and also through my faith. Helping others and making a difference in their lives through the nursing skills that I have acquired, and also the knowledge that I share about my faith, is my passion in life. According the studies done my Mihaly Csikszentmehalyi people find the most pride and joy in doing activities that they can get caught up in. He refers to them as flow experiences, and explains that these flow experiences are important to our happiness. I completely agree with what this stands for. I find that my true happiness comes from when I am engaged in situations of helping other people; not only physically but also spiritually. The feeling that I receive by giving others a better life, is a feeling of happiness that I do not find in anything else I do. I could not fill my life with enough pleasures, relationships, or belongings to ever feel as though I would be living as good and happy of a life as I plan on living, without living out my mission and passion for helping others physically and spiritually. Although this is my plan to secure a good and happy life, this may not be applicable for everyone, but living a good and happy life is most definitely achievable. Like it states in our constitution, we have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This does not entail that our happiness is given to us, but rather it is something that we have the freedom to strive for, and find the things that will ensure us this good and happy life. In regards to my own life, I find this attainable by living virtuously and by living a meaningful life through my passion for helping others through nursing and also through my faith. By living in such a way, I can live happily knowing that I am doing good and making a difference in people’s lives that will end in something that was worthwhile. Drawing from other readings and other’s opinions, I have been reassured that it is possible to live a good and happy life through just these two aspects of virtue and meaning. I plan to live in this way in hopes that when my life comes to an end I can believe that it was a good and happy life.

Studying Abroad Helps Improve Language Skills

Studying abroad is always a memorable experience, especially if you choose to live in a country where you don’t speak the language. It will be the best way to learn foreign language. In fact, most students choose to study abroad in the first place for the opportunity to gain proficiency in a foreign language. Despite the difficulties, it’s important to really focus on improving your language skills while you have the chance to live in a country with native speakers. If you want to get the hang of a foreign language while studying abroad, don’t hesitate to make local friends.Your language skills may not be good enough to speak with them comfortably in the native language, but you will still pick up quite a bit of phrases and vocabulary words from being around young locals that you would not have access to otherwise. And I think wandering around alone will also help you improve your language skills. You will have chance to make friends with strangers, speak to the grocer or waiter, eavesdrop on the bus, and do all the other things that help you improve your basic communication skills. So go out alone, do your own communicating and listening.And don’t forget reading magazines interview. The local papers and magazines sold on every corner will offer a wide array of inexpensive reading material in the language you’re learning. Also, reading interviews, specifically, helps improve communication skills. When studying a language, students are not always given examples of real conversations that involve unique questions and answers. Magazine and newspaper interviews capture nuanced words and phrases that aren’t in the typical textbook. In short, studying abroad is the best way to improve your language skills.

Economics for Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Economics for Business - Essay Example Non economists believe in the existence of giffen goods which have an up-ward sloping curve, Veblen goods are the ones whose demand decreases with decrease in the prices and the inferior goods demand decreases with increase in income. Depending on where the VM products lie, this will determine the likely shift on demand. Loyal consumers of VM products will have the services delivered on demand. Demand is the economic want backed up by purchasing power, demand curve represents the amount of a good that buyers are willing to purchase at various prices assuming all other non price factors remain constant i.e. at ceteris paribus. In a free market, quantity demanded and quantity supplied depends on the market price. In our case the decrease in demand is likely because shifts in the demand curve towards the left.1 In our case of VM the demand of the services will be affected by the non price factor. For the consumers to continue demanding its services, they have to improve their terms with them. As the VM claims that the SkyB is coerce with its customers, meaning that they are competing firms and therefore it's a substitute for the VM consumers. To mitigate these consequences of the likely decrease in demand, it can lower the prices for the customers who demand for their services and this is likely to increase its demand against that of its competitors if there is free market a d therefore has a bigger market share. It can also improve the quality of its services that it delivers to its customers; this is because the demand of a normal good is likely to increase with its increase in its quality. VM can also promote isits products through public awareness, this can be done through advertising, sales promotion, offering free services at certain time, and it can also use road shows. 2 Question two Market is a group of buyers and sellers exchanging goods that are likely substitutable for one another. Markets are defined by the demand conditions that exist; they embody the zone of consumer's choice for the goods or services. Markets exists in two dimensions- a. Product type b. Geographical area Market structure refers to the selected number of organizational characteristic of the market that establishes the relationship between buyers and sellers of a certain product; market structure analysis is therefore the study of organizational features of market that is believed to have significance for conduct behavior and performance of firms comprising the market. In simple theoretical analysis, the concept of market was traditionally defined as consisting of buyers and sellers of a homogenous good who have insufficiently close contact with each other that o single price prevails The major market structures are: Perfect competition: This is where the market has very many firms producing homogenous product. Monopolistic competition: This is also called competitive market, this is where there are very many firms and each commands a small share of the market share.] Oligopoly: This is where the market is dominated by many small firms which own more than 40% 0f the market share. Oligopsony: This is where the market is dominated by a few buyers with many sellers Monopoly: This is where there is only one provider of a certain product. Natural monopoly: This is a monopoly in which economies of scale cause efficiency to increase as the firm

Multivariate Techniques Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Multivariate Techniques - Assignment Example This technique actually examines the relationship between a single dependent variable and more than one independent variable. It is the most common type of method used. It shows a linear relationship holding the lowest sum of the squared variances. The assumptions such as normality, equal variance and linearity and finely and clearly examined by the researcher. A coefficient knows as beta are taken which is the marginal impacts of each variable. This technique is usually used by the firm for its forecasting. This technique is actually the variation of multiple regressions and allows the firms to predict different events. The technique used non-metric dependent variables and the actual objective of the technique is to achieve eve probabilistic assessment of binary choice. The independent variable used by the researchers is either continuous or discrete. Later, a contingency table is formed holding the classification of observations and the observations and predicted results are matched. Then the researcher sum the events that are predicted to occur and they actually occur and sum the events that the researcher predicted not to occur and they actually do not occur. These two sums are added and divided by the total number of events. This shows the effectiveness of the model and helps to predict the choices.

Is there a role for Trade Unions in the new employee relations Essay

Is there a role for Trade Unions in the new employee relations - Essay Example Current paper focuses on the examination of the role of trade unions in the new employee relations developed in businesses across Britain. The studies published on the above issue will be critically analysed; the studies will be identified using the following two criteria: a) studies published in Britain will be preferred by those published in other countries and b) recent studies - of the last 3 years - will be preferred - aiming to represent the actual interaction between the trade unions and new employee relations in firms across Britain. It is proved that the value of trade unions in supporting the rights of employees in Britain is quite high; however, in certain cases trade unions in Britain fail to respond to their role-mistakes in their strategies and their management style seem to be the main reason for this failure. On the other hand, the support of the state towards the unions has been limited - a fact that led to the further limitation of the importance of trade unions in representing employees in Britain. ... In fact, these unions have helped towards the improvement of the terms of employment in Britain - even under difficult political and social conditions. The development of trade unions in Britain has been extensively examined in the literature. Different approaches have been used in order to evaluate the role of trade unions in the specific country; all these approaches seem to have a common point of reference: the importance of trade unions for the improvement of employment in Britain is not doubted; however, it is assumed that the policies used by trade unions should be updated in order to meet the needs of current employee relations. 2.1 History of trade unions The history of trade unions is an issue that is often given less attention than required. In fact, most commonly, trade unions are related with their role - as intervening bodies in the resolution of employment disputes; the specific view is supported by Howell (2007, 5) who notes that 'trade unions often appear to exist only in order to solve collective action problems for employers having little independence existence or history'. Through a different approach is stated by Upchurch et al. (2009, 26) that 'trade unions in Britain have been less integrated into the post war body politik than in more corporatist countries like Germany'. The above view focuses on the relationship between trade unions and politics rather than on the importance of the history for the evaluation of the role of trade unions in British employment relations - like in the study of Howell (2007) mentioned above. In their first appearance trade unions were considered to be in opposition with law; for this reason, the participation of a person into these unions was punished. In accordance with the Combination Acts

Outline summary Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Outline summary - Assignment Example ck of differentiation between the political and social spheres in non-Western societies, he implies that such a differentiation exists in Western societies. Diamant asserts that a strict segregation between the Western and non-Western political process will, as Rustow states in â€Å"New Horizons for Comparative Politics† (qtd. in Diamant 123), be dangerous as it would imply that the data and ideas of Western politics cannot contribute much to the non-Western systems. There is, Diamant states, no strict dichotomy between the two. He illustrates his point by quoting from Pyre’s paper, for instance, he quotes Pye’s example of a non-Western system where changes in one’s political affiliation lead up to changes in a person’s social and personal relationships, then he debunks it by stating how this is true of a Western political system as well – in the Democratic vs. Republican scenario of the US, for instance. Diamant asserts that the non-Western political process is not new and in this regard the Western political process, specifically that of Europe, in dealing with concepts such as industrialization could afford much help and guidance. The changes caused by industrialization in Western political process, â€Å"can serve as a guide for assessing the effects of a similar process on non-European traditional societies† (Diamant 125). Diamant proposes that if the typical Western ideal-type political process, based on the British political system and society, is abandoned, and in its stead some continental political system is adopted as the ideal-type, â€Å"[n]on-Western political systems would become more comprehensible and less remote† (Diamant 125). Finally, Diamant discusses and examines five of the seventeen characteristics of the non-Western model presented by Pye, and shows how these characteristics are not typically non-Western, but are in fact present in the Western political process just as much. One such characteristic is that, according to Pye, in

Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Music - Essay Example and ran up to 1000A.D. Gregory, a Christian pope who served for 14 years, from 590 A.D. is believed to have largely contributed to the type of music. One of the major characteristics of the medieval period music is the monophonic feature that developed a single melody line for a piece of music. Polyphonic types of music however developed late in the period, after the 12th century, but this music type remains unique and cannot be confused with music from other periods (Thinkquest, n.d.). The renaissance period, a two-century long duration, marks the second phase of music’s history. Even though the period’s developments were engineered from the church, secular artists soon took centre stage and significantly dominated music. The basis of transition from the medieval period to the renaissance period was emotional attachment that was associated with words in music. The initiative that was developed by a church bishop was then followed by more advancement such as use of instruments in music. The polyphonic type of music in the period also differed from the one that developed in the medieval period (Thinkquest, n.d.). The end of the 17th century marked a transition from the renaissance music period to the baroque period that lasted for about a century and a half. It marked significant developments in music’s history with development of art that was â€Å"highly ornate, colorful and richly textured† (Thinkquest, n.d., p. 1). The period also incorporated other forms of art such as poetry into music’s presentation and involved higher-level application of instruments in music besides establishment of homophony as a music style. Polyphonic style of music also advanced besides other approaches such as orchestra, opera, and vocal music approaches (Thinkquest, n.d.). Classical period marked the end of baroque period in the year 1750 A.D. It involved transitions into a more balanced, proportionate and principled approach that marked a

Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 131

Discussion - Essay Example Such practices are uncontested for their influential nature in provoking intelligence in its audiences. The modernism culture was important in its creation of sound and sight effects through the painting practices that indicated the use of a wide range of colors. Further, the use of dimensions in the geometrical facets inclined the level of influence; hence, inclining abstraction as a vital artistic movement. Different scholars in the profession have embraced the movement citing to its comprehension of various factors of the impressionist and romanticism movements. The diversity of the art movement elevates its abundance in delivering knowledge to different groups of audiences despite the variations shown in preferences. It is apparent that the artistic approach enabled for the inclusion of multilingual aspects, for example, artists could include Chinese or Islamic calligraphy in their painting. Therefore, an intelligent academic in the field of art would complement the artistic movement of abstraction for its diversity in the use of decorative styles from different cultures for the benefit of the modern and contemporary

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Case Study Example But there was internal problem of equity shareholding. The funds were limited and they wanted the company to grow. For this Chase approached investors and not bank as there was less cash in their banks. There was positive feedback from the investors. The pricing strategy was the important factor with promotional activity in the US market. The target audience for the company was different in North America. The pricing strategy was difficult. Chase adopted the European model pricing strategy for a while and then customized the pricing strategy to attract more customers. Financing was done from own resources along with convertible loan into shares and this helped to develop the business. They used low cost tactics of marketing. Through word of mouth, free media coverage, public relations and personal guerrilla marketing efforts, tactics were implemented. They used the internet source and website to build huge online customer base for booking in advance from different locations. The conc ept of ownership feeling with the right target customers developed the business in the US. B Business Model The business model has been developed from the Swiss concept of renting the vehicle. The concept was adopted from European market as well. Chase and Danielson had researched in 1999 about the European market, the UK market, the US market and other markets as well to develop its Zipcar business model. Taking the vital aspects of the international markets, Chase and Danielson developed their model which was the US car sharing based model. The operation was conducted first in one city. The successful running of this operation made Chase and Danielson operate the business in 14 cities. This way, they expanded their business. Changes between December 1999 to May 2000 The planning and research was completed in December 1999 and the venture was started in January 2000. There were funding from Chase’s own resources along with that of Danielson. There was limited funding and the overhead costs were to be minimized as they attempted to deliver the service at low cost than the competitors. To expand the business and its operations in other cities, funding was required. For this Chase and Danielson prepared the financial investment plan and were able to attract the investors for financing the business. The business did well during the phase of January - February. After February, finance was provided and their liquidity position was strong enough to manage various overheads, operating costs and they were able to expand the business. Chase developed the infrastructure to launch the operations that were significant to develop the business. Revenues were increased through the membership and there were increase in the customers. This continued even in the month of May 2000. Implications of Actual Operations in September The overhead expenses were increasing and there were problem with the increase in the fuel prices, which increased the operating costs. They were still in the development phase with additional costs in the technical advancement for the service. This increased the cost. There were certain convertible loans raised during this period for the business operations. Comfort or Concern The prevailing scenario was a major

Eastern Philosophy Essay Example for Free

Eastern Philosophy Essay Compare and contrast the Hindu doctrine of Atman-Brahman with the Buddhist notion of non-atman. What was the Buddha reacting against? Is Buddhism to be considered a religion or a philosophy? Hindus strongly believe that in an uncreated, eternal, infinite, transcendent, and all-embracing principle, which, comprising in itself being and non-being, is the sole reality, the ultimate cause and foundation, source, and goal of all existence. This sole magnanimous reality is called brahman. As the All, brahman causes the universe and all beings to emanate from its core and morphs itself into the universe, or assumes its guise. Brahman is in every matter in this world and is the â€Å"Self† (atman) of all living beings. Brahman plays crucial roles such as the creator, preserver, or transformer, and â€Å"reabsorber† of all matters. Yet it is Being in per se, without attributes and qualities, hence impersonal, it may also be conceived of as a personal high God, usually as Vishnu or Siva. This fundamental belief in and the essentially religious search for ultimate reality which implies â€Å"The One that is the all† have continued almost unaltered for more than 50 centuries and have been the central focus and core of Indias spiritual life (www. rystalinks. com/hindu). Siddhartha Gautama also called the Buddha, and Vardhamana called Mahavira â€Å"the great teacher of Jainism† . Several heterodox teachers who organized bands of ascetic followers. Every group mandated itself to follow a certain code of conduct. They received generous support from prominent families and merchants. The latter were growing in wealth and influence, and most of them were searching for alternative forms of religious activity that would give them a more significant role than did orthodox Brahmanism or that would be less expensive to support. Which, in a way, was considered an opposition to doctrines and teachings of Brahmanism. It is suffice to say that Buddhism has similarities with Brahmanism yet at odds with one another (www. crystalinks. com/hindu). Buddhism is considered as a religion for Buddhists yet a philosophy for some. It is a set of doctrines and teachings that is usually describe as a religion. Compared to other religions, other Buddhists allege that Buddhism is not a religion per se, which is a contradiction of their faith to their chosen religion. Other sects say that it is a mere philosophy that are bounded by the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, the one who founded Buddhism. Buddhism is called Buddha Dharma and Dhamma as well, which is defined as the â€Å"Teachings of the Awakened One† in Pali and Sanskrit which are ancient Buddhist texts. This was the reaction of the Buddha during his spiritual quest: experimented with extreme asceticism, which at that time was seen as a powerful spiritual practice such as fasting, holding the breath, and exposure of the body to pain e found, however, that these ascetic practices brought no genuine spiritual benefits and in fact, being based on self-hatred, that they were counterproductive. After renouncing the principles of asceticism and concentrating instead upon meditaion and Anapanasati as well Gautama is believed to have discovered what Buddhists call the Middle Way which is path of moderation that lies in between the extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification. It lead s to the Four Noble Truths and eventually to the Eight Fold Path which will constitute the attainment of Nirvana. Discuss the Buddist teachings on the nature of the Middle Way as a strictly moral doctrine. What constitutes the path of virtue. What are the Four Noble Truths and how does one obtain Nirvana through the cessation of desire? The main principle of Buddhist doctrine is the called the Middle Way which was discovered by the Buddha prior to his bodhi or enlightenment. The Middle Way or Middle Path has a handful of definitions. Usually it is charaterized by the practice of non-extremism and a path of moderation away from the extremes of self-indulgence and opposing self-mortification. It is considered in taking a middle ground between specific metaphysical perspectives as well. Which things ultimately either exist or do not exist. An explanation of the state of Nirvana and ultimate enlightenment where all dualities amalgamate and cease to exist as separate entities. The essence of the Middle way as a strictly moral doctrine is bounded by the path of virtue which is called as the Eight Fold Path as well. Buddhist doctrine, stated by the Buddha in his first sermon near Benares, India. The path is regarded as the way for individuals to deal with the problems named in the Four Noble Truths The path consists of right understanding (faith in the Buddhist view of existence), right thought (the resolve to practice the faith), right speech (avoidance of falsehoods, slander, and abuse), right action (abstention from taking life, stealing, and improper sexual behavior), right livelihood (rejection of occupations not in keeping with Buddhist principles), right effort (development of good mental states), right mindfulness (awareness of body, feelings, and thought), and right concentration (meditation). It is also called the Middle Path, because it steers a course between sensuality and asceticism. Following the Path leads to escape from suffering and attainment of Nirvana (Britannica. com). The Path of Virtue if imminet will lead to the emergence of the Eight Fold Path after the cessation of the Four Noble Truths, which after it culminates will eventually lead to the attainment of Nirvana The Buddhist doctrine of the Middle way guides this conviction and belief by an apt understanding of The Eight Fold Path as a means of attaining the state of Nirvana. Furthermore, The doctrines are essential and crucial in order for a being to not only understand the very essence of Nirvana but what culminates after the attainment of such state as well. The Buddhist Doctrine implored by the Buddha in his initial teachings are significant towards the road to Nirvana. The four noble truths constitute a means of attaining nirvana which is not plausible for some. Dukkha or the nature of suffering is actually the noble truth of suffering that implies that birth is suffering per se and other physiological notions are suffering as well. An amalgamation from what is displeasing is suffering, thus separation from what it pleasing is suffering and not to achieve what one desires is suffering. A sufferings origin or Samudaya is the noble realization of the origin of suffering. This yearning leads to a renewed existence that will be accompanied by delight and lust which leads to the craving of sensual pleasure then craving for existence and eventually, the craving for destruction. Cessation of suffering or Nirodha is the noble truth for the abrupt cessation of suffering. It is regardless of the cessation of the similar crasving, te giving up, and finally the relinquishing of it, the freedom and not the non-reliance from it. The fourth noble truth is The Way or Magga which leads to the cessation of suffering. It is the noble truth of the way which leads to he cessation of suffering. The Eightfold Path namely: that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration as well. These are the four great truths of Buddhinsm. Dukkha implies that all existence is afflicted with suffering. Second, Samudaya identifies desire, thirst, or craving as the source of suffering, which intangibly binds beings to samsara or the cycle of existence. Nirodha asserts that cessation of craving will bring suffering to a halt. Finally, The Eightfold Path which culminates the four noble truths implies he omission of suffering and the escape from samsara. These Four Noble Truths are bounded to the idea of Nirvana in which one can attain a state of â€Å"finitude that will lead to absolute reality of positive and negative efforts that may lead to the attainment of Nirvana. Discuss the Buddist doctrine of non-atman (non-substantiality). How does it comprise the three Marks of Existence and what does it mean to say that all form is emptiness. Hint:`There is Nirvana but no-one attains it. In order to achieve Nirvana, one must endure the three marks of existence namely: Dukkha, Anicca, and Anatta. These three are bounded by the Buddhist notion that after meditation they will conclude all the physical and mundane matters. Dukkha, for its part, is striving for what a person desires while enduring suffering and torment yet after an ordeal you might find happiness in achieving what one desires. Eventually, boredom which is a form of suffering will divert a person from such boredom by indulging in a pursuit of new forms of pleasure. Boredom is a result of a ramification of our interest in a matter which a person desires which captivated us at first. Anicca is the inconstant and impermanent per se. Each person can undergo by the use of our senses which is dependent on the right conditions for its existence. Everything is constantly changing and is always in sporadic influx. Matters are constantly coming into being as well as ceasing to be. The crucial point is that a phenomena may arise and cease due to complex states and conditions that do not occur within our whims. Though we have a finite ability to generate a change to our possessions, previous experience tells us that our feeble attempts have no guarantees that the outcome of the efforts will also be according to our â€Å"liking†. Lastly, Annata is the unceasing change of permanent essence which is conceived through the virtue of existence. A human beings personality is an orthodox appelation applied to the consortium of physical and mental components which each is mandated to a constant influx yet there is not central essence or core which is similar to a â€Å"bundle theory† of mind and soul. Nirvana is the finite state of the Mahayana ideology. It the state in which the attempt to grasp reality is halted in a holistic way, by means of the realization of its impossibility. Evidently, it is and preposterous and absurd to presume that nirvana per se as a state to be achieved. Nirvana is not the state of coming to terms with reality due to the fact that such state cannot generate either a positive or negative aura. In its negative nature, Nirvana is said to be as â€Å"no waves† and â€Å"blowing out†, implying that achieving such state would mean tranquility of ones existence. Yet these statements offer minimal attributes of nirvana. Nirvana as â€Å"finite† is an anti-thesis to positive attributes and words such as eternal and omnipresent though its positive comprehension is bound by intellect. Buddha, for his part, will never answer question in a postive manner regarding the notions of nirvana. Considering it is not out of sheer prudence but practicality as well. Coming into terms with â€Å"finitude† eventually concludes nirvana that is an absolute reality. By directing awareness away from finitude and towards the intuitive core of the brain, an individual consciously grips reality. The negative part of the effort are not sufficient enough to realize Nirvana. Nirvana is not present and will not be realized by grasping finitude yet the Buddha suggested that it is possible and effortless to achieve Nirvana by the means of directing awareness and channeling its energy internally through positive efforts. There is a deliberate mistake in which the belief of the right motivation culminates the achievement of nirvana, in which samsara or finitude is part of nirvana which s infinitude and coming into terms with samsara will embody achieving nirvana in an apt manner. The notion of renouncing Nirvana is a deliberate and evident contradiction because it obviously contradicts it very purpose. Such misguided attribute is a sheer reflection of the Buddhist meditation practice of sitting without being occupied by preconceived notions. Renouncing nirvana with the apparent purpose of eventually realizing nirvana is a deliberate contradiction.

Pros and Cons of Obama Care Essay Example for Free

Pros and Cons of Obama Care Essay The Affordable Care Act withstood many trials on its way toward becoming reality, from epic congressional battles, to a pivotal Supreme Court ruling, to — finally — yesterdays Presidential election. Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images Obamas reelection means his health-care reform act has dodged its last bullet, and the age of universal mandates, penalty taxes and tax credits will almost certainly go into effect, although probably not exactly as scheduled on Jan. 1, 2014. What do you need to do to get your business ready? (Read more: Warby Parker CEO: Startups Focused on Health-Care Costs, Immigration Reform) Inc. put the question to health-care policy expert Henry J. Aaron, a senior fellow at Washington think tank Brookings Institution. Aaron offered three key ideas for entrepreneurs facing the enormous changes scheduled for health care during Obamas second term. 1. Weigh the Costs The key decision you will face is whether to sponsor a health-care plan, if you dont already have one, or to drop a policy you may have and leave employees to buy insurance on the exchanges themselves. The pros and cons of either route will depend on the size of your payroll, both in people and dollars. Do you have 50 or fewer employees? Then you arent subject to penalties for not providing an employee plan. On the flip side, helping employees pay for insurance affords tax advantages. If you have fewer than 25 full-timers on your payroll and their average pay is less than $50,000, the law affords you a tax credit of up to 35 percent for providing insurance today, rising to 50 percent in 2014. (Read more: Disaster Loans Soar as Businesses Struggle After Sandy) Theres a calculation to be done, said Aaron, if your employees are below the threshold (which tops out at 400 percent of the poverty line) for getting a federal subsidy to buy insurance on their own. In such a case, it might make sense to drop insurance and add the savings to your employees cash compensation. The question you should ask, Aaron said, is, If my employees are going to be eligible for subsidies, why should I leave that money on the table? If you have more than over 50 on staff, its a different story. If just one employee qualifies for insurance subsidies, and you dont provide insurance, that means tax penalties. 2. Check Your States Approach In theory, you should be able to buy insurance for your employees on the new health-insurance exchanges. However, states differ in how they plan to administer the exchanges. If youre running a small business, what prospects you face depend sensitively on where youre doing business, Aaron said. Some states, like Vermont, will take an active role, making sure a broad range of insurance plans will be available on the exchange. Many others leave it to the federal government to run the exchange for individuals and will leave employer-sponsored plans alone. The complexities are likely to create a mini-boom in the services of insurance brokers. Aaron suggest that you are likely to find them even more necessary than they are now in navigating the explosion in new options and rules. 3. Take Your Time Enrollment in the new health-care exchanges wont begin until October 2013 at the earliest. Legal requirements — and the accompanying fees for disobeying them — wont take effect until January 2014. Washington red tape probably could push those dates out even further into the future. Its a complicated bill, and its not drafted in a way to facilitate implementation, said Aaron. Delays could become inevitable and necessary. That might suit many business owners just fine.

Internal System Unit Components Computer Science Essay

Internal System Unit Components Computer Science Essay The processor or the CPU Central Processing Unit is the brain of the computer. The processor carries out the instructions in a program and controls all the work in the computer. Each of the separate components of CPU on its own is relatively simple. The key components of a CPU are the arithmetic logic unit (ALU), control unit and registers. Control unit control the flow of the information through the processor. This component receives, decodes, stores the result and manages the implementation of the data that flows through the CPU. It decides what actions it has to take and ensure that the data is sent to the appropriate components in the computer. Arithmetic Logic Unit is the part of CPU where all calculations are made. ALU performs the mathematical functions of addition, subtraction, multiplications, division and the logic operations. These include timing, number system and instructions. Registers is basically controlled by control unit and a necessary part of the CPU. Registers are temporary memory where it used to keep the data and other information while the program is running. Another type of registry is to accumulate, which is responsible for storing the next value that will be processed by the CPU. Processors also communicate in different ways. Like AMD and Intel; AMD is using the chipset hyper transport and Intel is using the front side bus to communicate. Motherboard Motherboard allows all the computer parts to communicate to each other and it also the primary hardware component inside a computer system. The main components of motherboard are: CPU Chip: The CPU is Central Processing Unit which controls all the calculations and decisions inside the PC. The CPU have all the control over the work is running on PC. RAM: Random Access Memory provides the working area for the CPU. Its keep all the temporary memory of the running programs and stores the data or informations as temporary. Floppy Controller: Is the hardware responsible for interfacing the floppy drives on your computer. It manages the flow of information from floppy to system processor. IDE Controller: Integrated Drive Electronics is connection for you hard drive or CD/DVD drive. It has the responsible for controlling the hard drive. PCI Slot: PCI slot can be used for components such as Ethernet cards, sound cards and modems. The PCI bus is used to connect I/O devices to the main logic of the computer. CMOS Battery: This is motherboard battery. This battery is used to allow the CMOS to keep its settings. AGP Slot: Stand for Advance Graphic Port and this is to connect the graphics card in to the motherboard. Power Supply Plug In: This is the component that supplies power to the other components of the computer. It communicates with other parts of the computer and supplies the power to it. BIOS Basic Input Output System is a chip located on all the computer motherboard which contains instructions and setups for how the system should boot and to make sure that all the other chips, hard drives, memory and CPU functioning together. The BIOS chips are a ROM (Read Only Memory) that means that you can access the information and read it by the user, but not modified it. Some main functions of BIOS are: Its ensures that the hardware on computer is properly functioning before starting the process of loading operating systems. Allow you to configuration against the configuration data. Hardware settings and other system settings you can use the diagnostic tool and fix the problem. BIOS also give the computer basic information about how to interact with some critical components. Power supply Power supply is the component that supplies power to make the computer and components work. It provides all of the different voltages your computer needs to operate properly. The power supply needs to produce enough wattage to allow the motherboard processor and other component to work properly. There are two different types of power, internal (Alternating current) and external (Direct current). The power supply also referred as switching power supplies. The power supplies pull the required amount of electricity and convert the AC input current to DC voltages. The typical voltages supplied are: 3.3 volts 5 volts 12 volts Fan and heat sink or cooling Its a physical device to keep the processor cool from the heat. Keeping processor is a major part of PC performance. Without them the components on your computer can get damage or even crash the system. The fan extracts the hot air from the case and keeps the components cooled down all the time. Heat sink is another device which sits over the CPU and keeps the CPU cooled down. The CPU is the one of the most important chip and to make the system more efficient the CPU most work properly. Some components generate a lot of heat and these can affect other chips close to them. Like 3D video cards and graphics cars generates a lots of heat. Hard drive configuration and controllers (e.g. SATA, IDE, EIDE, Master, Slave) Hard disk is a computer component where you can save large amount of data and other information that you need on it. You may also be used as a backup device. It is also called as Non-Volatile memory. There are three main hard drive controllers which is SATA, IDE and EIDE SATA: Serial Advanced Technology Attachment is a mass storage device where you can save your data and information on it. Its the next generation drive interface from the traditional Parallel ATA. The main function of SATA is to send data in serial mode. IDE: Integrated Drive Electronics have two different types of IDE controller, a primary IDE controller and a secondary IDE controller. It is a standard electronics interface between a computer motherboard and the computer disk. IDE is used to connect different drives to the computer but the main function is to send and receive data to and from the drive. The secondary IDE controller can be used on CD, DVD drivers and floppy drives. EIDE: Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics is a standard electronics interface between your computer and storage device. EIDI is an improved version of IDE which provides much faster data rates than the original one and make it easy when you are working with computer hardware. The EIDE is also knows as ATA-2. There are two IDE controller, primary and secondary controller. You can assign master and slave to the primary and secondary drives to them. This allows one drives controller to tell the other drive when it can transfer the data or from the computer. The slave drive makes a request to the master drive if the information or the data can be sent. Its up to master to decide what action it has to take. If the master drive is not communicating with the computer it allows to send the information otherwise it tells the slave drive to wait. Communication ports e.g. USB, parallel, serial A communication port allows you to transmitting the data between a computer and peripheral device. A communication port is also called serial port and uses a transmitter to send data, one bit at time. Most computer has communication port because no extra or other hardware is needed other than a cable to connect. Internal memory (RAM, ROM, cache) Specialized card e.g. network, graphics cards Peripherals: Output devices eg monitor, printer, plotter; (11) input devices eg camera, scanner; (12) cabling eg coaxial, optical, twisted pair; Backing Storage: Portable and fixed drives types eg disks, pen drives, optical media, flash memory cards;

US Change From Isoltaion to Involvement Essay -- United States America

From the ideas of isolationism of the 1930's, between 1940 and 1962, the United States went from a country that did not want anything to do with the rest of the world to a country that was involved all over the world. Isolationism was caused not by an unwillingness of the American people to help those in need, but by the thought process that it was more important to help ourselves. During the 1930's, the United States was in the midst of the "The Great Depression". The "Great Depression" began with the stock market collapse of 1929. Prior to the collapse, the United States had enjoyed a long economic boom in which individual wealth had blossomed. That all ended on October 29th 1929. Losses were unbelievable. By the end of 1929, two months after the initial crash, stockholders had lost 40 billion in paper values, or more than the cost of World War 1 to the United States. The stock market collapse heralded a business depression at home and abroad that lasted longer than anything we or the rest of the world had seen. No other industrialized nation suffered so severe a setback. By the end of 1930, there were more than 4 million workers who were jobless. By 1932, that number had risen to 12 million. Jobs were non- existent. Over five thousand banks collapsed in the first three years of the depression, carrying down with them the life savings of tens of thousands o f ordinary citizens. Thousands of people lost their homes. Bread lines formed, soup kitchens dispensed food and apple sellers stood on street corners selling their wares for 5 cents. It was the economic system that had broken down, not individual initiative. Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected to the presidency in 1932. During his inaugural address, he declared that the gov... ...rs the United States wanted to contain and then eradicate communism, today it is trying to contain and destroy terrorism. Today, the United States is the only major super power in the world and is asked for many things. From the use of our military to try to rid the world of terrorism, to providing million of dollars for Third World country AIDS research, to providing food for starving countries, to providing a new home for millions of immigrants, the United States is trying to do much for the world. We unfortunately have a most difficult time because other countries do not like our president or what he stands for. Whether that is true or not is open to debate. What is not open to debate is that the rest of the world looks to the United States in times of need. We have lead and will continue to do so because we know that the survival of this planet depends on it.

Abuse of the Innocent :: essays papers

Abuse of the Innocent Is it right to force a mouse to live it's live in a laboratory cage to test anti-cancer drug? How would you like to be squeezed in a cage with many other animals, not being able to touch the grass, run around and play,smell the flowers, or go for a walk in the warmth of the sunshine? Animal cruelty is wrong because we are hurting the Innocent. Animals experience and feel pain, fear , anxiety, stress, depression, boredom, joy and happiness. Animals are very intelligent, some ever learn our own language. Most people experience their first bond with an animal. Not only do they bring a companion and a friend into our lives, but also unconditional love and comfort. Pet shops and puppy mills mass produce, kennels are overcrowded and dirty, with very little nutrition. Cats/dogs are held in metal cages and lead miserable lives breeding continuously. Animals suffer and are neglected, some are sold to research laboratories. A large number of animals are raised for slaughter each year. A cow "has a natural life span of twenty- five to thirty years, but only survives for an average of five".1 An estimated "seventeen million raccoons, beavers, bobcats, lynx, coyotes, muskrats, nutria, and other animals are trapped each year in the United States for fur".2 They suffer from unbearable pain for several hours before their lives are ended by the trapper's club. Is the price of live worth the price of fur? Psalm 104, 27-30. All creatures depend on you to feed them throughout the year: you provide the food they eat, with generous hands you satisfy their hunger. You turn your face away, they suffer. You stop their breath, they die and revert to dust. You give breath, fresh life begins, you keep renewing the world. Disections have been practiced in biology classes for many years. Critics accuse some teachers of killing and argue that disection teaches nothing but cruelty. Nothing is learned by cutting up an animal that cannot be learned from photographs or drawings. Children do not learn about the human body by killing and disecting a person, they learn from diagrams and textbooks. Vivisection means "cutting alive". It is a worldwide practice involving millions of animals. Scientists say that vivisections may not necessarily be painful. Every living being with a brain, spinal column, and central nervous system feels pain. Animals were not created for entertainment. What do zoos really teach children? Abuse of the Innocent :: essays papers Abuse of the Innocent Is it right to force a mouse to live it's live in a laboratory cage to test anti-cancer drug? How would you like to be squeezed in a cage with many other animals, not being able to touch the grass, run around and play,smell the flowers, or go for a walk in the warmth of the sunshine? Animal cruelty is wrong because we are hurting the Innocent. Animals experience and feel pain, fear , anxiety, stress, depression, boredom, joy and happiness. Animals are very intelligent, some ever learn our own language. Most people experience their first bond with an animal. Not only do they bring a companion and a friend into our lives, but also unconditional love and comfort. Pet shops and puppy mills mass produce, kennels are overcrowded and dirty, with very little nutrition. Cats/dogs are held in metal cages and lead miserable lives breeding continuously. Animals suffer and are neglected, some are sold to research laboratories. A large number of animals are raised for slaughter each year. A cow "has a natural life span of twenty- five to thirty years, but only survives for an average of five".1 An estimated "seventeen million raccoons, beavers, bobcats, lynx, coyotes, muskrats, nutria, and other animals are trapped each year in the United States for fur".2 They suffer from unbearable pain for several hours before their lives are ended by the trapper's club. Is the price of live worth the price of fur? Psalm 104, 27-30. All creatures depend on you to feed them throughout the year: you provide the food they eat, with generous hands you satisfy their hunger. You turn your face away, they suffer. You stop their breath, they die and revert to dust. You give breath, fresh life begins, you keep renewing the world. Disections have been practiced in biology classes for many years. Critics accuse some teachers of killing and argue that disection teaches nothing but cruelty. Nothing is learned by cutting up an animal that cannot be learned from photographs or drawings. Children do not learn about the human body by killing and disecting a person, they learn from diagrams and textbooks. Vivisection means "cutting alive". It is a worldwide practice involving millions of animals. Scientists say that vivisections may not necessarily be painful. Every living being with a brain, spinal column, and central nervous system feels pain. Animals were not created for entertainment. What do zoos really teach children?

Middle Eastern Religious Perspectives on Software Piracy :: Computers

Middle Eastern Religious Perspectives on Software Piracy Introduction Illegal software (pirated, illegally copied, etc) in the Middle East is a rampant problem. It is estimated that 74% of software in Lebanon is illegal, while 37% of software in Israel is illegal1. The lack of intellectual property laws has been sited for the problem; even with these laws being introduced it might not resolve the issue. Though joining the World Trade Organization (as many Middle Eastern countries have recently done) forces the countries to officially recognize copyright law will this affect the citizen’s view of copyright? Religion is a fundamental part of the Middle East with some countries laws derived from religious text. I believe by analysis of religious texts and law I can hope to gain perspective into the views on software piracy. I will focus on Jewish law and Islamic Fatwas. Once the religious perspective on copyright is derived I will analysis if the religious perspective holds up to general ethical analysis. My goal is not to judge (e.g. say co pying of software is wrong therefore those who copy software are bad), but rather gain insight into the religious perspectives towards software piracy. Jewish Law (Torah) 'Torah' has the following meanings2: 1. A scroll made from kosher animal parchment, with the entire text of the Five Books of Moses written in it by a sofer [ritual scribe]. This is the most limited definition. 2. More often, this term means the text of the Five Books of Moses, written in any format, whether Torah scroll, paper back book, CD-ROM, sky-writing or any other media. Any printed version of the Torah (with or without commentary) can be called a Chumash or Pentateuch. However, one never refers to a Torah Scroll as a Chumash! 3. The term 'Torah' can mean the entire corpus of Jewish law! This includes the Written and the Oral Law, which includes the Mishna, the Midrash, the Talmud,

A short back ground history of Ibn Battuta Essay

At a time when most men traveled by animal, the ability to travel 75,000 miles over a span of 30 years during the 14th century remains a remarkable achievement. When asked to name the historic individual who covered such a great distance, most will first mention Marco Polo, the legendary traveler who recorded his exploits in The Adventures. There was, however, another person who traveled longer distances far earlier than Marco Polo. In fact, he traveled 75,000 miles and visited 44 different countries and, due to the strict westernized recording of history, Ibn Battuta’s travels have been all but forgotten. Even Battuta’s visit to China is virtually unknown while Polo’s journey to China remained historically revered despite the fact that even to this day there remain lingering, unresolved questions as to whether or not Marco Polo truly visited China. However, if the myth sounds interesting enough, it will eventually be reported as fact. Marco Polo’s status as a mythical folk hero eliminates much criticism and scrutiny regarding his travels. Yet, Marco Polo’s travels remain famous regardless of the controversy that surrounds his journeys and the equally lengthy debate among scholars. It is not uncommon for influential non-western people to be seemingly erased from historical accounts. In the United States, history is chronicled from a western perspective with Western Europe being presented as the epicenter of the world. As such, individuals from other cultures are often viewed in a peripheral manner and not provided with the same depth of historical coverage. Marco Polo was a hero whose birth origins are in the Western World; because of this, his feats are given great credibility. In the case of Battuta, a Moroccan by descent, his achievements are glossed over despite spending 17 years in China. It will be the goal of this essay to shift scholarly and historical attention from Marco Polo to Ibn Battuta by examining his travels in China in comparison to Marco polo’s. Additionally, this essay will prove that two travelers definitely visited China. A short back ground history of Ibn Battuta Muhammed ibn Abdullah ibn Battuta or Ibn Battuta was born in Tangier, Morocco to a Muslim family in 1304. He started his travels when he was around 20 years old and continued to travel for almost 30 years. (Dunn 14). Battuta, according to Francis, belonged to the religious upper class of the Mohammedan community and received a traditional religious and scholastic education from theologians (Francis 2). His travels commenced in 1325 when Ibn went on a pilgrimage to Mecca that continued on until he had crisscrossed 75,000 miles of the world (Kegan 1). He stopped in most Muslim cities along his route and paid homage to holy sites in Damascus, Syria, Hebron, Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the face of many obstacles he met along the way (Monteil 30). A short back ground history of Marco Polo Marco Polo was a famous Silk Road traveler in 1254-1324 has surpassed the fame of all other world travelers because of his well regarded writings claimed he reached beyond Mongolia and China (Polo, 1854: B). Marco Polo was born of a family of nobles and was a Venetian by origin with a high degree of education that included a basic knowledge of theology derived from Latin principles. At the young age of 18, Marco Polo also set forth in his journey to China with his father Nicolo and uncle Matteo. They continued on their journey until they reached the dwelling of Kublai near the present day Peking in 1275 where the Mongol Great Khan Qubilai or Kublai was delighted to see them (Jackson 82). Ibn Battuta and Marco Polo’s travel in China Both travelers recorded their personal observations of the various societies they discovered in the Far East. These observations display their fond interest in the salient issues concerning the society, religion, treatment of women, and cultural habits and practices. Acquiring the experiences for these observations were not without problems, however, as both Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta encountered many adversities on the way to their respective destinations. For example, Ibn dealt with a number of obstacles and this prompted the redirection travels and circumvented his original plans to remain in the Middle East region of the Maldives (Spectrum 26). This ultimately led to his traveling to China and, it must be noted, that his travel to China was far from an easy journey. Specifically, Battuta’s journey to China was difficult, lengthy and arduous, but he ultimately succeeded and reached Sumatra and Vietnam before finally arriving in the Fujian Province in China sometime between1345-1346 (Francis 235). According to Wolfe, the rulers of China during the period were the descendants of Genghis Khan and the Mongol Dynasty (Wolfe 68). Jackson also supported Marco Polo’s verifiable account that the descendant of Genghis Khan, Kublai or Qubilai Khan was the head of the Mongol empire during this timeframe (Jackson 85). Muslims and other foreigners were welcomed into China during that time where an â€Å"open door† policy was exercised (Dunn 260). As such, Battuta recorded the fact that Chinese cities like Quanzhou and Guangzhou in the southern coast and sea ports welcomed him (Donkin 135). Other ports along the Malay Peninsula were also open to Muslim travelers and traders and Malay rulers encouraged these Muslim traders to settle in their ports and bring the advantages of a strong trading economy with them (Wolfe 68).

An Analysis of the Correlation Between Socioeconomic Status and Obesity Essay

Conflict theory is based entirely in power and how those in power do all they can to hold the majority of the population down and to keep them from gaining power, so as to secure their own position. Conflict theorists would say that obesity is a product of the living conditions, stress and poor quality of food and health education. Obesity is seen as deviant and problematic and therefore conflicts with the ideal society of being fit and thin. The more obese the less power and stature you have in society. Conflict theorists might say that those that are in power, law makers, Fortune 500 CEO’s, for example, make cheaper good, make goods more unhealthy, and so the poor might only be able to afford cheap, unhealthy bulk food and become susceptible to obesity. Conflict theorists might say that food education might be controlled by larger government forces, for example the Food and Drug Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture. These are the members of society who look out for their own bottom line and corporate interests from sponsors and lobbyists. They might limit education about food intake and what is healthy and unhealthy, they might suggest certain foods like beef or milk is healthy to appeal to the dairy industry, to keep our politicians funded with billions of dollars in donations. There is also the argument that by keeping people obese it allows for discrimination at work, in which they must work harder at getting raises because they cannot keep up with their thinner counterparts. Obese people have difficulty with their social lives and early death and numerous health complications that might further ensure the status of the powerful few at the top of the food chain. The Structural Functionalism theory argument is that obesity is a necessary part of society. Functionalist’s major argument is that everything that exists must have a meaning and must be useful towards society as a whole. Functionalists might argue that obese people will bring attention to the problems in health care and obesity might help in teaching those in power more our emotional connection to food and to further explore man’s relationship with eating and nourishment. The obese population might inspire others to be healthier and might inform and educate society as a whole about the dangers of obesity and its overall impact. Functionalist would say that to the obese would be bring an overall benefit to society. The symbolic interactionist theory demonstrates the effects towards obese people when they feel they are being perceived in a negative or unflattering way. The verbal and nonverbal cues that a fit or thin person demonstrates might create an obese person to withdraw even further from society and or turn to food as a coping mechanism thereby increasing weight. Obesity is most correlated to social discrimination and a feeling of being unworthy or weak due to the inability to resist food, for personal and emotional reasons. Obesity in society is a symbol of unhealthiness and unattractiveness which produces feelings of disgust, but obesity is a symbol in and of itself because our society makes us associate those things with obesity. There are cultures and societies around the world where being obese means status and power and it was seen as sexy and desirable. Everything we do is socially constructed as is our reactions and treatment of obese people.

Andre’s Mother

1. Discuss the many symbols in the play and what they represent. Andre loved to play the role of Hamlet, a character in Shakespeare’s play. This symbolizes Andre’s character. In Hamlet, Prince Hamlet struggled in deciding whether or not to avenge his father’s death. This situation was similar to Andre’s. Andre, as a homosexual, had personal struggles regarding gender issues. Specifically, he struggled in terms of whether or not to tell his mother about his conditions. Cal provides a direct symbolism of the balloons he brought to the scene. The balloons represent the souls of departed loved ones. As the balloons rose in to the sky, the souls of the departed loved ones were slowly unbound from their earthly ties. Arthur, Cal’s father, called Andre â€Å"Mensch† which means a person of integrity and honor (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, 2008). Andre may have AIDS or be homosexual, but still he is a good man. In Yiddish, it also means â€Å"nice guy. † This symbolizes that Arthur has accepted Andre’s condition. He sees Andre as a family. 2. Who is to `blame` at the end of the play? Andre’s mother has to be blamed for her son’s agony. Andre died in grief and pain, knowing that her mother would never accept his condition. Being homosexual and having AIDS, Andre suffered the tremendous disapproval of the society. The only person left for Andre to ask for help is his mother. In the play, McNally, Andre’s mother, seems to be a person of few words. In Cal’s monologue, he described Andre’s mother as someone like Lulu’s mother, anonymous in her remoteness. Her remoteness severed her relationship with Andre. Her silence messed Andre’s thoughts. Andre died in fear of her mother’s disapproval, and death was the only way for him to be accepted. 3. What are McNally’s themes about friendship, unconditional love, and respect? McNally provided a concrete description of love through Cal and Andre’s relationship. McNally’s theme of friendship, unconditional love and respect, was shown through Cal’s attitude towards Andre. In the play, Andre had AIDS and was homosexual, a condition which was not easy for Cal to accept, but he still did. It surpassed the love a mother could give her son. It is hard for Andre to gain any respect from anyone, but Cal respected him unconditionally. As the play reached its end, the monologue given by Cal proved that he was not just a friend but family to Andre. He was enraged by the silence of Andre’s mother. This emotion heightened the theme of unconditional love.

How Prisons Can Save Money

How Prisons Can Save Money On July 10th, 2003, a fire was started just east of Farmington Utah. The fire consumed over 2000 acres of land, threatened dozens of homes, and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight. The following day a thirty three year old man named Josef Heinz Bruhl confessed to starting the blaze, when asked for his motives he said it was to because he wanted to be sent to prison. Now I’m not trying to suggest that anybody with normal mental capacity would ever do something like this, obviously this guy has problems. But the fact that anybody would ever want to go to jail to better there situation says volumes on what is wrong with our prison system. Part of the problem is that each year the government spends about 25,000 dollars per inmate per year (in 2007), someone with a life sentence costs about 1. 5 million dollars, and it ends up costing over 30 billion dollars each year most of which falls onto us, the tax payers. This is because people that are put into prison aren’t doing enough and they can basically just sit around all day if they want to. They get a bed to sleep in, three square meals a day, television (usually with cable), a recreation room, and many other things that they can waste their time doing as they wait out their sentence. I’m not trying to say that prison is all peaches and cream, but we could do a lot to make prison a much less inviting place. By doing so we could save the government millions, if not billions of dollars. Prison needs to be a deterrent not just a consequence for breaking the law. It should be the last place anybody would ever want to go. And rather than just â€Å"doing your time† you should literally be â€Å"paying your debt to society†. First off the prisons need to start making cuts. Prison needs to become less of a waiting area where people pass the time watching T. V. waiting for their return to the real world. We could start be cutting the cable cord, prisoners shouldn’t be allowed to enjoy a luxury that many in the country don’t have. A few states have decided that cable is fine as long as the prisoner or their family pay for it. States could generate a lot of profit by charging more for these services than what the cable company is already charging. Also prisons are employing people that they don’t really need. Right now the state of Washington is offering three jobs for a Recreation and Athletics Specialist. This position pays around 3,500 dollars every month. If we could eliminate just two jobs like these from every prison the federal system alone would save over ten million dollars annually. The last thing these people need is some P. E. eacher setting up some basketball game between two rival gangs, I’m sure they’ll manage on there own. The Department of Corrections needs to continue using the prisons to save money in other branches of the government. Right now prisoners do a number of things to keep the inmates productive and occupied while providing them a small source of income. They do things such as make license plates, T. V. stands, chairs, and dressers. They cannot sell these items because it would compete with local business, but they give it to government buildings and the military. Prisoners also do a lot of community service especially with tasks like road clean-up that saves the community thousands of dollars. Another thing they could do is create gardens right next to the prison where inmates could grow their own food. Think of how much money a prison could save if they only had to buy half the fruits and vegetables that they are buying now. I’ve actually heard of one prison having a prison gift shop where people could buy things made at the prison. Another problem is that it’s hard to force inmates to work. We need to find a way to motivate these people to work for there one to two dollar an hour salary. I read that one prison is going to start charging for basic items such as toilet paper and toothpaste. Unfortunately members of the inmate’s family usually pay for these items, but if we were to not allow outside support we could almost guarantee that almost everyone would work. Just think of the dilemma that prisoners would have to face, they would have to decide if they don’t go to work they won’t get toilet paper, toothpaste, or deodorant. If it were me I would work, and it would probably deter people from crime by turning prison into more of a work camp than a waiting area. I’m sure there are plenty of other things we could do to start generating a profit in the prison system, we just need to start thinking of new more profitable ways we could use this work force. I had an accounting professor who once said that if you can’t generate a profit with free labor, you have a serious problem. We have a huge amount of people who work for next to nothing, let’s use this to our advantage. Now with all this money that the government could potentially save, besides going to lower the national deficit, they need to a lot of this money back into the public educational system. Right now the government spends about 1,600 dollars per student in the U. S. Only 47 percent of inmates have high school diplomas (in 2003). If we were to put more money into the schools we could better the situations of many people who would drop out and get out into the streets where they get involved in crime. So by better educating the people we have less crime because they can go out into the world and get better jobs and contribute to society. By doing this less people would go to jail and we would end up spending less money. Our prison system is out of control. We actually are letting people go so that we can fit others inside. Prison has to be the ultimate deterrent from crime, if it’s not then our prison system is literally failing. We need to decrease the amount of people coming back into jail, and we need to focus on keeping people off the streets in the first place. If people go to jail they need to learn there lesson and never want to come back again. I have a good friend who when she was little she had a serious biting problem. It became so bad that her dad went out to IFA one day and bought a cattle prod. After trying it on himself, to make sure it didn’t hurt to bad, he told his daughter that if she bit again she would get a taste of the cattle prod. Needless to say, she did it again and was cattle prodded, after one time she learned her lesson and she never bit again. Prison should be like that, after one stay in prison there should be no reason why you would want to go back to a life of crime, because prison should be the worst possible place in the world. If we could do these things we could keep people out of jail and we could you use the money to keep people out of jail rather than using it to keep people in. I know that this isn’t just about the money; we need to focus on the people, and making this country better for them and us. But I believe that if we do these things to save our money we can achieve the goal of helping our communities and society by keeping people out of prison.

Assessment Care Adult

Assessment Care Adult The purpose of this assignment is to discuss the approaches and models of assessment, which can provide possible insights and better understanding to the presenting issues in the case study. The essay will begin by giving a brief overview of the issues that are present within this family. It will then outline the purpose of an assessment and critically evaluate models of assessment. For the purpose of this essay it will explore two concepts namely abuse and memory loss focussing mainly on Ted. This essay aims to critically evaluate the research and theory that underpin the concepts. It will define abuse and elder abuse; discuss risk factors for elder mistreatment. Various causes of memory loss will be discussed. The issues of discrimination that older people endure will be highlighted. The issues presented in the case study are; Queenie has moved to long-term care in a residential home. She was Ted’s carer for over 18 months. Ted is in need of care and has asked his daughters to share looking after him. Ted is reported of having an authoritarian approach to parenting. He suffers from chronic arthritis in his legs, has suffered from a mild stroke and has weakness in one of his arms. Ted has been reported of presenting as being confused and is experiencing forgetfulness. He has bruises on his arms and chest; there is a possibility that he is undernourished and dehydrated. Regan is an informal carer and looks after her father Ted. She has moved in with Ted. Regan is experiencing increased difficulties in balancing her 25 hours part time bar work and looking after Ted. She has been drinking heavily and has increased her involvement with her father’s financial affairs. Regan has declined offer from her sister Cordelia in looking after her father, she also discourages her from visiting Ted. Regan is a victim of domestic violence. McDonald (2006, p31) defined assessment as â€Å"a perceptual, analytic process of selecting, categorising, organising and synthesising data†. This means gathering of information, evaluating it to identify areas of strengths and difficulties and explore plans in order to achieve preferred scenario. Thompson (2005, p64) highlighted that assessment is a â€Å"holistic process† that takes into account all relevant and interactive domains. Trevithick (2006) stated that the purpose of an assessment is to assist people sustain their livelihood and decrease deterioration. Stepney and Ford (2000) suggested that choosing the right model of assessment determines the quality of the assessment. Coulshed and Orme (2006) described two approaches to assessments namely positivists and constructivists. Positivist approach is on the assumption that undertaking an assessment requires a person to have good â€Å"administrative† and interpersonal skills. This helps people to address, identify and respond appropriately to issues that are affecting them. Berger and Luckman cited in Coulshed and Orme (2006) highlighted that the constructivist approach is based on the notion that individuals are able to identify their problems and can contribute to recognizing their needs or solutions. Therefore it is important that social workers are open and honest to service users in what can be offered.

Types of War and Terrorism and the Root Causes of War and Terrorism Essay

Types of War and Terrorism and the Root Causes of War and Terrorism - Essay Example The researcher states that the last two and a half decades have witnessed a tremendous growth in statistical research conducted in war. However, the significance and meaning of war are still not clear due to certain inconsistencies in the research. The world has witnessed major conflicts and on they can be classified based on the reasons for conducting war. State building wars are those conducted in a bid to expand the territories and examples are the creation of Italy and Germany. Imperial wars are those wherein war wedged against the weaker countries by stronger nations Wars by major power; but limited in numbers like Franco-Prussian war and Crimean war. Terrorism is a new form of war and research has emphasised on problems related to practical deterrence or normative meaning. Terrorism is further grouped into three classes. These are: When the terror is in the centre: this kind of terrorism is found when a particular state or nation witnesses collective violence resulting in the severe crisis. In other words, there is infighting between various groups in a particular state or nation. Struggle against oppression: The emergence of terrorist groups in the borders and semi borders of local governments and their consequent attacks are known as the struggle against oppression. Transnational terrorism: This kind of terrorism develops in a particular region of the world but these groups divide labour in order to conduct terrorist attacks in major outposts worldwide, important people, governmental or civilian areas or destruction of architectures worldwide.   The 9/11 terrorist attack in the United States of America is a perfect example of this type of terrorism (Lizardo & Bergesen, n.d.) The U.S. government’s entire strategy towards disaster capitalism has been revamped in the year 2004 – 2005 and the American policies have witnessed major revision to witness incorporation of disaster capitalism as an important element. Previously, after a war was waged on a particular nation, ad hoc strategies were made in accordance with the situation prevalent at that time. Nowadays, the U.S. government, has made a watch list and keeps an eye at all times of high risk nations in coordination with the National Intelligence Council. This is done in order to plan before a war and deploy personnel at a moment’s notice after a clash has broken out. The post terrorism attacks of 9/11 saw a revision in strategies by U.S.A. and three military operations have been initiated. a) Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) – This was launched mainly in Afghanistan and other small countries like Philippines and Djibouti in order to counter the immediate terrorist infiltrations which began post 9/11 and exists even now. b) Operation Noble One (ONE) – Security was tightened in home and military bases in the United States of America. c) Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) – This was commenced with the U.S.A. – Iraq war conducted in March 2003. This was renamed as Operation New Dawn and U.S. military now acts as a helper and advisor in Iraq (Belasco, 2011). It has been alleged that the crisis followed by the aftermath of a severe earthquake is being used as an opportune moment to gain profits by the International Monetary Fund, U.S. Corporations, Washington and private army. They have made unpopular neoliberal policies in order to gain economic and military control over this nation. The U.S. is deploying scores of armed troops and has managed to take control of the Haiti capital airport. In fact prominence is given to U.S. international flights over other airlines at this airport. In fact, this nation is trying to rule this nation undercover and is giving the name of sending and deploying aids to

Religious Experiences and Text, Critical Analysis of Mark 10 4256 Essay

Religious Experiences and Text, Critical Analysis of Mark 10 4256 using Text Foccus Narrative Method - Essay Example Everything claimed has been inferred and interpreted by comparing what we know of the early Christian communities generally against the text itself. There are, however, broad lines of agreement on quite a few matters based upon clues found both in the text and in references to this gospel found in other exists. But undoubtedly, Mark is evidently true, being included in the most authoritative fourth-century early manuscripts (Codex Vaticanus) ( The World Book Encyclopedia , 1989). Before I go into the critical analysis of this particular passage, I will be discussing the method employed by this narrative. First, we must keep in mind that any literary analysis requires a concrete understanding of the genre it belongs to. The genre of gospels is one of the most difficult to interpret because almost all text represents both a literal and a spiritual meaning (Telford, W.R. 1995). Some gospels such as this one written by Mark, are intended to be read aloud as in a church sermon, rather than carefully studied in written form like a philosophy text ( Malbon, E. S. ,2002). This makes interpretation difficult because Biblical analyses are usually done by using written texts and typically attempt to identify large patterns of structure. For a text that is meant to be read aloud, however, what matters most are the connections that listeners make from one passage to the next. The material found in the texts of Mark must have been passed down, retold, and rearranged by mu ltiple people, but in the end someone put it into a final written form, something close to what we currently have, which bears the imprint of their own legacy skills. The author of Mark likes to use rhetorical devices, for example, repetition to highlight important ideas and a "sandwiching" technique that interweaves two different stories together in a manner that allows each to interpret and explain the other. This sandwiching technique is also called inclusion. There were two stories of healing the blind in Mark, the other story is in Mk 8:22-27. (Musso, A, Chapter 9, pg 2-3). The Gospel of Mark utilises the narrative style or method, if it will be studied according to the methods of literary critics. The narrative style or text consist of three elements namely, plot, setting, and the characters. These elements formed the basis of the narrative style of writing. In analyzing the passage of Mark 10:46-52, the plot of the story goes around a blind man named Bartimaues whose sight had been restored because of his faith. Characters in the passage includes Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, Jesus Christ who restored his sight, and the crowd present who try to silence Bartimaeus when he shouted for mercy so that Jesus would notice him. The setting of the story was a very public place in outskirt of Jericho, a town close in Jewish territory. (Musso, A, Chapter 8, pg 1, 9). Ultimately, though Mark represents the introduction of a new type of literature because nothing quite like it can be identified before early Christianity (Telford, W.R. 1995). It is very different from the collections of sayings or proverbs that can be found in other early Christian literature. Also, Mark is not meant to be a historical record of past events; instead, it is a series of events - structured in a manner to serve specific biblical goals and

Ellis College Admission Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ellis College Admission - Essay Example Ellis College believes in delivering superior education to the students. I can take the first major step towards achieving my career goal at Ellis. I do not have an American diploma but what I know is Ellis values the experience gained by the individual over the years, which will help me as I have plenty of experience in the profession. I am planning to join another organization because right now I have a decent job, but with not much of growth potential. I firmly believe that to grow up, there must be opportunities for capable persons, which in turn provide motivation to perform still better. 5. As you advance in your career, what are your priorities related to advancement? For example, these priorities may include finding a stable position, reaching a certain salary level, fulfilling a personal interest, using specialized skills, being challenged intellectually, or providing benefits to others. You may have other priorities than the examples listed here, and you are encouraged to discuss them. My short-term goal is to gain credentials as a qualified learner, who’s ready to accept the challenges and learn from them. Therefore my first priority is to reach a stable position using specialized skills. Ellis College will help me in polishing my skills. I’ll do all my sincere efforts to consolidate my position thereafter. And after reaching a certain salary level I’ll consider having my own enterprise. Having received so much from the society, I consider it my solemn duty to pay my due share back to the society as well. I’ll, therefore, do my bit to help in reducing the agony of orphan kids by providing them with toys and books. Ellis College is certain to provide me the edge in interpreting the challenges arising out of globalization and competition. I am sure Ellis can help me in restructuring my knowledge and broadening the knowledge base.

The World of Teachers - Child Protection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The World of Teachers - Child Protection - Essay Example The behavior of students is largely influenced by the community from which they come from. It is important to understand the connection between the students and their cultural background, which is among the factors that influence student behavior. To accomplish this understanding, communities need to be involved in developing strategies regarding child protection, which are important in promoting diversity in schools as well as a supportive environment for learning. Schools have been brought into the child protection landscape. This essay is a critique of the factors that have contributed to this development. It presents the school as an institution where children spend most of their life time. Teachers are described as the most appropriate professionals to identify the needs of children since they have the necessary skills that enable them to associate effectively with students. Schools have also been highlighted as significant institutions through which the government can channel resources for child protection. The essay also describes the key elements of good practice whereby guidelines for protection of children are viewed to be significant. Professional training of teachers regarding child protection has been highlighted as a significant element amongst others. The value of a whole school approach has also been discussed. The fact that students spend less time with their parents than they do in schools justifies the integration of child protection in learning institutions. The teachers have regular contact with students and therefore they are in a position to learn the needs of students than parents can. This is one of the factors that generated the interest of incorporating child protection in schools (Chris 2007). There is also a possibility of child abuse in school by people who are directly involved in the student’s life, such as other students, teachers as well as subordinate staff. Incorporating child

Geography of water and energy resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Geography of water and energy resources - Essay Example In effect, Kuwait has a per capita income of approximately $60,541, which is higher than the per capita income in all G7 countries. Qatar has a per capita income that is over $93,000 because it has a low population and a very high GDP (Central Intelligence Agency, n.d.). In a summary, the Middle East OPEC members with low per capita income are the nations with a large population of Iran and Iraq. Despite the fact the G7 countries register high GDP that are above the $1 trillion mark, the Middle East OPEC members rival them on the distribution of wealth due to their small population and large revenue from oil. In most cases, Middle East OPEC members are viewed a struggling nations with no power to rival to the G7 countries. The reality is that citizens of small countries like Kuwait, Qatar, and UAE enjoy higher per capita income more than most G7 members. The only OPEC member that is considered poor is Iraq. It has per capita income that is lower than ten thousand dollars, which is the most inferior in all Middle East OPEC

Health Care and Aging Policy Analysis Research Paper

Health Care and Aging Policy Analysis - Research Paper Example This may also include the failure to satisfy the needs of the elders or protect them from harms. It is unfortunate, that most of the times mistreatment is being caused but the people are unaware of it (Falk, 2012). Elder mistreatment is most of the times not reported because of the lack of training given to professional who miss it out. It has been reported that about 1.2 million elders are mistreated every year by self or others. 450,000 cases are new every year which are identified, yet the awareness and control has been sparse. These alarming figures have lead to the immense need to address and assess the mistreatment caused to elders through abuse, neglect or exploitation. There is no definite cause for elder abuse as it varies on situations and there can be a number of reasons why elders are mistreated at home or at nursing care homes (Stiegel, 2010). Historical background of the policy: The Elder Justice Act was introduced in 2003 to improve the conditions of this social proble m in America. The act was initially introduced by Senator John Breaux. The act was not only designed to address the elder mistreatment but also to address to the message of human rights for freedom from exploitation and abuse. The Elder Justice Coalition was formed which brought together all advocates who were committed to the social policy of elder protection. After 2003, the coalition fought and ensured that the Elder Justice Act was signed (Mellor, 2013). In 2010, the Elder Justice Act was signed into law by President Obama. It was passed in the Patient Protection and Affordability Act which was a health care reform. This act was addressed as the identification and recognition of the problem which had marked the beginning of the end of elder mistreatment. This act covered a large area which included the administration of the health care and the streaming of the problem by creating provisions to make proposals and alternatives for the problem. The act is now a law and it covers an d authorizes the dealing of the funds which are necessary to implement and provide benefits to those elders who are mistreated nationwide (Pampel, 2008). Bases of Social Allocation: It is important to analyze the group of people who come under the Elder Justice Act (EJA). This act is selective as it is for those people who are eligible and who need the services the most. This group of people is the elders who are above 60 years of age and are through any means being abused, tortured, mistreated or exploited. Research has concluded that elders who are disabled, demented or the ones who live in nursing homes suffer more abuse and mistreatment. Approximately 14 million of elders over 65 years of age are disabled in the U.S. These elders are more likely to be a subject of abuse by family members, care takers, service providers or other people associated to them. Such mistreatment causes risk to the activities and health of the elder (Brown, 2011). It was concluded that female elders are abused more than males and this is why they tend to die earlier. Elders who have dementia are also at the risk of being abused because of their attitudes and behaviors. They might become a burden or a responsibility on the family members or the care takers. About 5.1 million elders in America have some kind of dementia. Other elders who are at risk are the ones who live in private homes or nursing homes. These elders are the ones who are mostly unemployed and are dependent on

Worldwide trade.The advantages and disadvantages of free trade and the Research Paper

Worldwide trade.The advantages and disadvantages of free trade and the relative comparisons to fair trade - Research Paper Example Free trade is an economic concept in which trade between nations is opened up so that regulatory issues are minimized and equal opportunities for imports and exports can be experienced. The concept of free trade is dependent upon the idea that fairness will be established for those involved. However, there is a difference between free and fair, corporations finding ways to best exploit the lack of regulation in order to achieve the highest level of profit from the exploitation of resources. Free trade opens up the borders so that the movement of goods can flow back and forth so that maximum growth of a nations industry can be achieved. Free trade is established with the idea that fair competition exists, a mythological economic model in which all parties act in the best interests of all the stakeholders. However, free trade does have genuine benefits in creating an increase in industry in nations that are struggling to establish growth. When trade exists in a state where resources ar e more well utilized and allocated for the exchange on a global level, a healthier overall economy can be achieved. There are controversies, however, that come from the realities of free trade. People in the United States who are not in support of free trade fear it because they believe it represents losses in jobs and in industry through competition with nations who do not hold the same wage and environmental standards that are expected within the U.S. Defining Free Trade Free trade exists when respective governments allow trade across borders with very limited governmental interference. In a mutually beneficial agreement, the traders will find that they have comparative advantage and will achieve gains from the trade that have benefit for both parties. Supply and demand are the barometers from which the measurements of the amount of trade is divined. Free trade is a reflection of a global economy, each of the regions of the world benefiting from open borders where the exports and imports create better pricing. While this is the hope of free trade, this is not always the result. According to Irwin (2009), â€Å"Growing world trade has helped lift standards of living around the world, and yet today†¦free trade does not win many popularity contests† (p. 1). Free trade creates fears and insecurities about the availability of jobs and the sale of goods. When Japan rose in prominence as a dominating force in manufacturing during the 1980’s, there was a fear that the competition would wipe out a consecutive stream of businesses within the United States. Japan was competing successfully in the sale of everything from automobiles to super computers, diminishing the power that the United States had gained over innovation and industry in the previous decades. In the 21st century, that worry has been shifted to India and China. India is dealing in labor as industry is taking white collar jobs into that country due to the lower wages while China is exc elling at manufacturing, creating product that is far cheaper than can be created in the United States. One of the primary agreements that frames free trade in association with the United States is NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement. This agreement allows for free trade among Mexico, Canada, and the United States. The fears that were most associated with the agreement when it was signed in 1993 was that jobs would flow south into Mexico. However, the advantage to NAFTA was in abolishing the high tariffs that Mexico had imposed on exports, while the low import tariffs that the United States had maintained were insignificant (Irwin 2). This allowed for products to be exported from the United States into Mexico and increase trade flow southward. NAFTA According to Hufbauer and Schott (2005), NAFTA has been a tremendous success, trade