International Financial Accounting and Social and Environmental Theory Essay

International Financial Accounting and Social and Environmental Theory - Essay Example The primary issue concerning social and environmental theory is the way the society determines developments, goals, and innovations in accounting practice. It is generally agreeable that the society and environment in which accounting practices are applicable affects its development to some extent. However, the extent and the framework with which the social and environmental theory has influenced current accounting practices is a matter of dispute. Actors in this theory are the members of society being users, accountants, and generally stakeholders of accounting practices. Development of Accounting Practices Stakeholders in the society are considered to have control over accounting practices, their developments, and the directions in which such developments take place, to some extent within a given social setting. The influence of practices and developments is referred to as agency, where stakeholders in the society have the ability to influence accounting practices toward attaining some end. The level of accounting practices largely depends upon the kind of environment those stakeholders come from. Social and environmental structures are the interactions of stakeholders with societal cultures and norms that define them. The structures range from those of family setting, organizational and a country in general. It is agreeable that developments, innovations, and the general progress of accounting research varies from one country to another with respect to social, cultural and environmental differences. International financial accounting places its current practices on the heterogeneous aspect, despite globalization and efforts of researchers towards standardizing the practice (Humphrey, 2007, p.74). Institutional, family level and country structures are to some extent the result of stakeholders using and maintaining their use in accounting through a combination of purposive actions and their beliefs. Social and environmental efficacy is the ability of stakehold ers to cause changes in accounting practices, with respect to corporate social responsibilty. Although it is generally considered that people are to some extent products of the society and environments, this consideration does not imply that individuals will possibly decide to resist societal and environmental influences, either collectively or individually. Corporate social responsibility thus brings up treatment of accounting practices as activities of conventional accounting researched with universal preconceptions and assumptions to mainstream financial accounting. This approach assumes that the community is the main user of information and accounting practices in general. More to this approach, corporate social responsibility places environmental and social reporting at the epicenter of an examination of the purpose of information in agreement between the society and organization (Gray, Kouhy and Lavers, 1995, p.48). Accounting practice stakeholders in the social circle encompa ss researchers, teachers, practitioners, and academicians as influential thinkers who are concerned with social and environmental accounting. Current practices can be generally tied to high level of interactions and discussion

Discuss Nationalism in the ERa of Good Feelings Essay Example for Free

Discuss Nationalism in the ERa of Good Feelings Essay Nationalism, not sectionalism, was the driving force during the era of good feelings. Nationalism became the leading ideology of the American republic. While sectionalism proceeded in bringing the nation into turmoil and constant bickering among the politicians, as in the case with dealings leading to the Missouri compromise, nationalism was able to unite the nation into a headstrong body, led by an ever-increasing, more powerful central government. Nationalism, many can argue, was a guiding light that helped the populous in Europe unite. As early as the late great Roman Empire, it was that notion of being a part of a uniform body of civil, governed people who helped these places flourish. In early 19th century America, during the Era of Good Feelings as one newspaper put it, Americans began to root themselves in all that the nation stood for which helped them in turn begin to think about moving the United States into a respectable position among the worlds super powers. For example, Stephen Decatur toasts the country and acknowledges that it is our country, for better or for worse. This is a sharp contrast to the views of our founding fathers because George Washington himself, the father of our nation, saluted king George although he was a part of the attempt to establish a separate nation. Poets and writers also began to capture the nations spirit. In her Address to the New York State Legislature, Emma Hart Willard, explains how America has no problem in setting precedents and taking risks for the benefit of the country. For example, did the country take a risk in having a democracy instead of a monarchy? The answer to this question is yes, because no one in the history of the world before America, was able to successfully run a government the way that new nation ran. Although they had to switch from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution, this just proved that the nation could adapt with its people, thus setting precedents. Sectionalism only succeeded in dividing the country. This is because sectionalists always had their own agendas, which often clashed with that of their opposition. The division of votes on the tariff of 1816 was a pretty noticeable one, although the final vote was not really affected by  non-tariff votes. Sectionalism can be found here in the numbers of each region. The majority of New England Votes were cast against the tariff. This should be of no surprise because New England, which at the time was largely federalist, was against the whole war of 1812 effort from the get go. If it were not for the nationalistic pride of the western and southern regions, this protective tariff would have not been passed. Nationalism creates an atmosphere which attempts to propel the nation forward instead of becoming entangled in issues which cause a separation of agendas, thought, and eventually causes a rift in peoples beliefs. The nationalism brought about by the Era of Good feelings helped the United States get on track to becoming what it is today. If you look at current events, you can see that the United States operates with more fluidity when we have a common enemy instead of creating enemies out of our brethren because of our ideals.

Colin Powell :: essays research papers

My Written Report is a Short Biography of Colin Luther Powell. He was born on May 5, 1937 in Presbyterian Hospital. He was born, and grew up, in the South Bronx, New York. There was a big influence of drugs and gangs where Powell lived but, he seemed to steer away from all of that (source 1, page 23). Powell's parents were immigrants from Jamaica. His mother's name is Muad Ariel McKoy. In Jamaica the McKoy fammily watched over sugar plantations. She came to America with her mother (Colin's grandmother). Powell's father's name is Luther Theophilus Powell. In Jamaica the Powell families were peasant farmers. Muad and Luther while in New York not in Jamaica (source 1, page 20, 21). Colin Powell is a smart man. Surprisingly when he was in fourth grade he was in the slow class. When he attended Junior High School, he went to an all male school. He did well academically but he was over looked by his parents because his sister, Marilyn Powell, always did better. He attended Morris High Scho ol in 1950. He was good in high school; he never got into any fights or any sort of trouble. He completed High school in 1954 (source 1, page 29, 30, 32). Powell applied to two colleges City College of New York (CCNY) and New York University (NYU). Both accepted him but he went to CCNY because it only ten dollars a semester as opposed to seven hundred and fifty dollars a semester at NYU. Powell majored in Engendering. He finished college in 1958 (source 1 pages 32, 36). While in college Powell joined the Recruit Officer Training Corps (ROTC). Powell said he joined ROTC because of the discipline and "The sense of comradery among a group of young men who were similarly motivated. Maybe it was the uniform." Another reason he said he joined is because of the association with the military [source 2 (interview page 1) (biography page 1)]. While Powell was in ROTC, he was in the Pershing Rifles. The Pershing Rifles showed that a cadet was more serious about ROTC than a regular ca det. The Pershing Rifles had to stay in ROTC their whole college career. They were distinguished through a yellow wrap worn on their right shoulder (source 1, page 40). In 1987 Powell was the Nation Security Advisor to Ronald Regan. Two years later in 1989 he became the first black officer and the youngest officer to hold the nation's highest military office, the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Retorhical Argument

Zoe Mojica Ryan Grandik English Comp. II February 27, 2013 Rhetorical Analysis (why violent video games are good for girls) Student Carmen Tieu, in her opinionated article, â€Å"Why Violent Video Games are good for Girls† expounds upon the idea that violent video games are good for girls. Tieu explains that violent video games boost confidence in women. She goes further on to say that it makes aware of the different socialization processes of men and women. Tieu begins by telling a short story about her gaming life. She is attempting to give you a peek into her mind about being a girl playing first person shooting games.She begins to reveal that men and women are socialized differently by using the aggressive chatting being done before the game begins. Tieu speaks to us in this manner to help us experience what it is like to be a girl and to be playing the violent first person shooting games. The way she is saying this makes it seem as though all males playing these games all act in such ways. The way that Tieu tells her story in the first paragraph gives us a more biased or more sympathetic affect to her cause. After Tieu finishes her first person perspective of the shooting games, she begins to say that girls are socialized into more docile activities.The language of the text that the writer is using is trying to make you more sympathetic towards her goal of this paper. Her word choice is meant not only for you to be sympathetic but to cause vexation. Tieu illustrates how society thinks that women shouldn’t and can’t play video games by saying they â€Å"objectify women† and the â€Å"violent† nature â€Å"repulses† girls. Tieu creates this tone by saying â€Å"Girls are socialized into activities that promote togetherness and talk, not high intensity competition involving fantasized shooting and killing. † Tieu continues to explain that women can play, and be just as good as men in violent video games.Carmen Tieu says that playing first person shooting games are empowering because it gives girls a chance to beat the boys at their own game. Her overall tone is meant to excite and make you want to play first person shooting games such as her quick and instinctual reactions using both joysticks. The author creates a very powerful environment when she explains how she gets an adrenaline rush beating testosterone driven men at something they are supposed to â€Å"excel† at. The writer creates a passionate diction when she uses the â€Å"savor† and â€Å"horror† and â€Å"completely destroys them†.The author furthers the goal of her paper by making her victory seem so empowering. Tieu proceeds in this paragraph by elaborating on how women can be made more confident in other aspects of life by playing violent video games. She says that when women play video games they are freed of the stereotype that women are meant to be soft and motherly figures. She claims that s he doesn’t reject these because she is a vegan and a tree hugger, but by saying she understands the opposing view makes it easier for the reader to stay on her side as to why video games are good for girls.She goes into further detail by saying it has psychologically helped her because she is aware that she can beat males at â€Å"their own game† claiming that it gives her more confidence in the male dominated academic field of math and science. Tieu says in this paragraph that playing video games has given her a different way of bonding with guys. She uses the example that a man gave her his respect for playing video games but goes on to say that he didn’t really respect women in general but we can’t really tell if he’s that kind of man just by one sentence.Showing the â€Å"lack of respect† he had towards women, she goes on to say since she started playing video games men have a different way of talking to her. Her way of saying â€Å"You get joy from perfecting your skills so that your high-angle grenade kills become a thing of beauty. † makes it seem as though it becomes a boost of confidence much like winning in a physical game. Tieu begins this paragraph by saying violent video games give girls an insight to a disturbing part of the male subculture. She uses words like â€Å"homophobic† and â€Å"misogynistic† to describe how the men react when they are playing such violent games.She describes them in a way that makes all men who play video games seem as though they downgrade any player who is below or even above them. She goes on to say that when she beats her male friends they are embarrassed by it which turns them into â€Å"testosterone driven macho men. † Tieu suggest that when men are around a female one on one a softer side of them comes out. She also over uses the word â€Å"macho† which creates a dual reality of how men can be a lot shallower when playing first person s hooting games. By her using the words to be a real man† she gives the claim that when men are around other men they have to pretend to be far more manly versions of themselves then what they really are. In contrast though, men are able to act like their true selves when they are one on one with women. When she uses those words to create the dual reality between a real man and a fake man she’s creating a tense environment and leaves us with an open question: Which man is the real man? In this opinionated article, â€Å"Why Violent Video Games are good for Girls†, Carmen Tieu argues how women should play violent video games.She uses diction and tone to help promote her argument. Throughout this article, she lets the reader know how much she has learned about the two natures that men display. Her words show how proud she is that she is able to recognize this difference in behavior and that she did not succumb to this, â€Å"ugly phenomenon†. The overall tone of the paper was persuasive and led you to be sympathetic to her cause. The type of language that the author uses helps to further enhance the argument. Through rhetoric devices Carmen Tieu solidifies that video games can boost confidence in women and that men and women are socialized differently.

Safety on Public Transportation

One of the major features of any developed society is mass mobility. In order for man to fulfill his obligation put food on his table, man has to move around. Thus mobility is an essential aspect of human life. Man has to move from one destination to another. Elementary Science has described this as a natural feature of human beings. Over the years, the growth of technology as made for variables when it comes to human transportation. One of such means of transportation is public transportation. Although transportation is a necessity to most people in America, it will be alarming to note that Americans spend more trying to meet up with their daily needs. Compared to other countries in the world, an average American spends more to move around. As part of the government’s efforts to ensure a better standard of living for the citizen, the public transport system is an initiative of the government tailored towards reduction of the price incurred on transportation by Americans. Therefore, Americans now have a choice which provides a greater freedom. However, as commendable as this initiative is, Public Transportation has its good and bad sides. There are some dangers that one is open to when one takes a public transport. To begin with, the security and privacy one enjoys when one is moving around in one’s private car is better than when we are moving around in public transport. Statistics have shown that people moving around in public transportation are susceptible to insecurity than those transporting privately. On the issue of crime in public transportation, the police department and other organizations have given tips on how to avoid crime in public transportation. For all I care, the next person to you might be a serial killer or the lousy old woman might actually be planning to steal your wallet. At this point, one will be unfair not to admit that public transportation has had a lot of positive impact on the pockets of Americans. With the insistent rise in the prices of gasoline in America, public transportation has being a good alternative for the people of America. At least it has helped save more money that should have been used in the purchase of gasoline. It is also effective and reliable. The next time you are about to meet an appointment and you want to go by public transportation, make sure you have it at the back of your mind that although some dollars will be saved, there is the risk of falling a victim. Therefore, be vigilant and alert!

A Short History of the Rwandan Genocide

A Short History of the Rwandan Genocide On April 6, 1994, Hutus began slaughtering the Tutsis in the African country of Rwanda. As the brutal killings continued, the world stood idly by and just watched the slaughter. Lasting 100 days, the Rwandan Genocide left approximately 800,000 Tutsis and Hutu sympathizers dead. Who Are the Hutu and Tutsi? The Hutu and Tutsi are two peoples who share a common past. When Rwanda was first settled, the people who lived there raised cattle. Soon, the people who owned the most cattle were called Tutsi, and everyone else was called Hutu. At this time, a person could easily change categories through marriage or cattle acquisition. It wasnt until Europeans came to colonize the area that the terms Tutsi and Hutu took on a racial role. The Germans were the first to colonize Rwanda in 1894. They looked at the Rwandan people and thought the Tutsi had more European characteristics, such as lighter skin and a taller build. Thus they put Tutsis in roles of responsibility. When the Germans lost their colonies following World War I, the Belgians took control of Rwanda. In 1933, the Belgians solidified the categories of Tutsi and Hutu by mandating that every person was to have an identity card that labeled them either Tutsi, Hutu, or Twa. (The Twa are a very small group of hunter-gatherers who also live in Rwanda.) Although the Tutsi constituted only about ten percent of Rwandas population and the Hutu nearly 90 percent, the Belgians gave the Tutsi all the leadership positions. This upset the Hutu. When Rwanda struggled for independence from Belgium, the Belgians switched the status of the two groups. Facing a revolution instigated by the Hutu, the Belgians let the Hutus, who constituted the majority of Rwandas population, be in charge of the new government. This upset the Tutsi, and the animosity between the two groups continued for decades. The Event That Sparked the Genocide At 8:30 p.m. on April 6, 1994, President Juvà ©nal Habyarimana of Rwanda was returning from a summit in Tanzania when a surface-to-air missile shot his plane out of the sky over Rwandas capital city of Kigali. All on board were killed in the crash. Since 1973, President Habyarimana, a Hutu, had run a totalitarian regime in Rwanda, which had excluded all Tutsis from participating. That changed on August 3, 1993, when Habyarimana signed the Arusha Accords, which weakened the Hutu hold on Rwanda and allowed Tutsis to participate in the government, which greatly upset Hutu extremists. Although it has never been determined who was truly responsible for the assassination, Hutu extremists profited the most from Habyarimanas death. Within 24 hours after the crash, Hutu extremists had taken over the government, blamed the Tutsis for the assassination, and begun the slaughter. 100 Days of Slaughter The killings began in Rwandas capital city of Kigali. The Interahamwe (those who strike as one), an anti-Tutsi youth organization established by Hutu extremists, set up roadblocks. They checked identification cards and killed all who were Tutsi. Most of the killing was done with machetes, clubs, or knives. Over the next few days and weeks, roadblocks were set up around Rwanda. On April 7, Hutu extremists began purging the government of their political opponents, which meant both Tutsis and Hutu moderates were killed. This included the prime minister. When ten Belgian U.N. peacekeepers tried to protect the prime minister, they too were killed. This caused Belgium to start withdrawing its troops from Rwanda. Over the next several days and weeks, the violence spread. Since the government had the names and addresses of nearly all Tutsis living in Rwanda (remember, each Rwandan had an identity card that labeled them Tutsi, Hutu, or Twa), the killers could go door to door, slaughtering the Tutsis. Men, women, and children were murdered. Since bullets were expensive, most Tutsis were killed by hand weapons, often machetes or clubs. Many were often tortured before being killed. Some of the victims were given the option of paying for a bullet so that theyd have a quicker death. Also during the violence, thousands of Tutsi women were raped. Some were raped and then killed, others were kept as sex slaves for weeks. Some Tutsi women and girls were also tortured before being killed, such as having their breasts cut off or had sharp objects shoved up their vagina. Slaughter Inside Churches, Hospitals, and Schools Thousands of Tutsis tried to escape the slaughter by hiding in churches, hospitals, schools, and government offices. These places, which historically have been places of refuge, were turned into places of mass murder during the Rwandan Genocide. One of the worst massacres of the Rwandan Genocide took place on April 15 to 16, 1994 at the Nyarubuye Roman Catholic Church, located about 60 miles east of Kigali. Here, the mayor of the town, a Hutu, encouraged Tutsis to seek sanctuary inside the church by assuring them they would be safe there. Then the mayor betrayed them to the Hutu extremists. The killing began with grenades and guns but soon changed to machetes and clubs. Killing by hand was tiresome, so the killers took shifts. It took two days to kill the thousands of Tutsi who were inside. Similar massacres took place around Rwanda, with many of the worst ones occurring between April 11 and the beginning of May. Mistreatment of the Corpses To further degrade the Tutsi, Hutu extremists would not allow the Tutsi dead to be buried. Their bodies were left where they were slaughtered, exposed to the elements, eaten by rats and dogs. Many Tutsi bodies were thrown into rivers, lakes, and streams in order to send the Tutsis back to Ethiopia- a reference to the myth that the Tutsi were foreigners and originally came from Ethiopia. Media Played a Huge Role in the Genocide For years, the Kangura newspaper, controlled by Hutu extremists, had been spouting hate. As early as December 1990, the paper published The Ten Commandments for the Hutu. The commandments declared that any Hutu who married a Tutsi was a traitor. Also, any Hutu who did business with a Tutsi was a traitor. The commandments also insisted that all strategic positions and the entire military must be Hutu. To isolate the Tutsis even further, the commandments also told the Hutu to stand by other Hutu and to stop pitying the Tutsi. When RTLM (Radio Tà ©là ©vison des Milles Collines) began broadcasting on July 8, 1993, it also spread hate. However, this time it was packaged to appeal to the masses by offering popular music and broadcasts conducted in a very informal, conversational tone. Once the killings started, RTLM went beyond just espousing hate; they took an active role in the slaughter. The RTLM called for the Tutsi to cut down the tall trees, a code phrase which meant for the Hutu to start killing the Tutsi. During broadcasts, RTLM often used the term inyenzi (cockroach) when referring to Tutsis and then told Hutu to crush the cockroaches. Many RTLM broadcasts announced names of specific individuals who should be killed; RTLM even included information about where to find them, such as home and work addresses or known hangouts. Once these individuals had been killed, RTLM then announced their murders over the radio. The RTLM was used to incite the average Hutu to kill. However, if a Hutu refused to participate in the slaughter, then members of the Interahamwe would give them a choice- either kill or be killed. The World Stood By and Just Watched Following World War II and the Holocaust, the United Nations adopted a resolution on December 9, 1948, which stated that The Contracting Parties confirm that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or in time of war, is a crime under international law which they undertake to prevent and to punish. The massacres in Rwanda constituted genocide, so why didnt the world step in to stop it? There has been a lot of research on this exact question. Some people have said that since Hutu moderates were killed in the early stages, then some countries believed the conflict to be more of a civil war rather than a genocide. Other research has shown that the world powers realized it was a genocide but that they didnt want to pay for the needed supplies and personnel to stop it. No matter what the reason, the world should have stepped in and stopped the slaughter. The Rwanda Genocide Ends The Rwanda Genocide ended only when the RPF took over the country. The RPF (Rwandan Patriotic Front) was a trained military group consisting of Tutsis who had been exiled in earlier years, many of whom lived in Uganda. The RPF was able to enter Rwanda and slowly take over the country. In mid-July 1994, when the RPF had full control, the genocide was finally stopped. Sources Semujanga, Josias. The Ten Commandments of the Hutu. Origins of the Rwandan Genocide, Humanity Books, 2003, pp. 196-197.

A Temperature Effect essays

A Temperature Effect essays Enzymes are protein catalysts that speed up the rate of specific biological reactions. The first thing to notice in enzyme characteristics is that enzymes are almost all proteins, often globular proteins. They are long chains of amino acid units held together by peptide bonds. Enzymes are much more specific than simple catalysts. Numerous reactions occur within a cell and it is the enzymes job to assist by reducing the activation energy required to set a reaction going. The name enzyme was suggested in 1867 by a German physiologist Wilhelm Kuhne. It was later, in 1894, a German biochemist Emil Fischer found the lock and key hypothesis of enzyme action. (chem.wsu.edu 1) A catalyst is defined as a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction without itself being permanently changed during the process. (chem.wsu.edu 2) In this experiment the purpose was to see if temperature has an effect on the activity of catalysts. METHODS Starting the experiment, a drop of the liver extract and a dropper of tap water were placed into four tubes. Number each tube 1A, 2A, 3A, and 4A for reference. Next, with different test tubes, place 1 dropper of hydrogen peroxide into each tube, labeling them 1B, 2B, 3B, 4B for reference. Corresponding tubes were placed together so both would be at the same temperature. In a cup of crushed ice, place tubes 1A and 1B into the cup. Tubes 2A and 2B place in the test tube rack at room temperature. In a beaker of water measuring 70 C, place tubes 3A and 3B. In a beaker of boiling water, tubes 4A and 4B were placed together. After each tube is in its designated place, let them sit for five minutes (enough time for the reactions to occur). After time has passed, place corresponding tubes into ...

Circular Reasoning Definition and Examples

Circular Reasoning Definition and Examples In informal logic, circular reasoning  is an argument that commits the logical fallacy of assuming what it is attempting to prove. Fallacies closely related to circular reasoning include  begging the question  and petitio principii. The fallacy of the petitio principii, says Madsen Pirie, lies in its dependence on the unestablished conclusion. Its conclusion is used, albeit often in a disguised form, in the premises which support it (How to Win Every Argument: The Use and Abuse of Logic, 2015). Examples and Observations The circular argument uses its own conclusion as one of its stated or unstated premises. Instead of offering proof, it simply asserts the conclusion in another form, thereby inviting the listener to accept it as settled when, in fact, it has not been settled. Because the premise is no different from and therefore as questionable as its conclusion, a circular argument violates the criterion of acceptability. (T. Edward Damer, Attacking Faulty Reasoning. Wadsworth, 2001)Circular argument: A sentence or argument that restates rather than proves. Thus, it goes in a circle: President Reagan was a great communicator because he had the knack of talking effectively to the people. The terms in the beginning of the sentence (great communicator) and the end of the sentence (talking effectively) are interchangeable. (Stephen Reid, The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers, 5th ed., 2000) Mental Illness and Violent Crimes The assumption that people with mental health issues are violent is deeply entrenched (cleaver-wielding lunatic costumes,  anyone?). It often leads to circular reasoning. How often have you heard people claim that committing a violent crime is proof of mental illness? Only a mentally ill person would kill someone, so anyone who kills someone is automatically mentally ill. Leaving aside the  vast majority of homicides  which aren’t committed by people with mental problems, this isn’t evidence based. (Dean Burnett, Stop Blaming Mental Illness for Violent Crimes. The Guardian [UK], June 21, 2016) Circular Reasoning  in Politics Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota offers a perfectly circular argument: we cant have the public option, because if we do, health care reform wont get the votes of senators like him. In a 60-vote environment, he says . . ., youve got to attract some Republicans as well as holding virtually all the Democrats together, and that, I dont believe, is possible with a pure public option. (Paul Krugman, Health Care Showdown. The New York Times, June 22, 2009)Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan are banging at the doors, and the political establishment, consisting of both politicians and the media, seems determined not to let them in on the grounds that they have no public support. This is a circular argument; one of the reasons they have so little support is that they are generally ignored by the press and will most likely be barred from the presidential debates, which require a base support of 15 percent of the electorate. (Lars-Erik Nelson, Party Going. The New York Review of Books, August  10, 2000) Going in Circles Circular reasoning can be used fallaciously . . . in arguments which require the use of premises that can be shown to be better established than the conclusion to be proved. The requirement here is one of evidential priority . . ..  Arguing in a circle  becomes a fallacy of petitio  principii or begging the question where an attempt is made to evade the burden of proving one of the premises of  an argument by basing it on the prior acceptance of the conclusion to be proved. . . . So the fallacy of begging the question is a systematic tactic to evade fulfillment of a legitimate burden of proof . . . by the proponent of an argument in dialogue by using a circular structure of argument to block the further progress of dialogue, and, in particular, to undermine the capability of the respondent, to whom the argument was directed, to ask legitimate critical questions in reply. (Douglas N. Walton, Circular Reasoning.  A Companion to Epistemology, 2nd ed., edited  by  Jonathan Dancy et al. Wiley-Blackwell, 2010)

Analyse the data sets provided and report the results of the data Essay

Analyse the data sets provided and report the results of the data analysis in the most appropriate format - Essay Example Given that there are three dependent variables that are known to interact with each other (Bandura, 1989); the MANOVA was chosen as the ideal test of analysis. The MANOVA is best used when the dependent variables are moderately correlated; and are liable to affect each other. The omnibus test ensures that there is reduced chance of a Type I error by taking shared covariance of dependent variables into account. The null and alternative hypotheses postulated for this study are: Null Hypothesis 1: There is no significant difference in the mean cognitive anxiety between the winning positions. Alternative Hypothesis 1: There is a significant difference in the mean cognitive anxiety between the three winning positions. Null Hypothesis 2: There is no significant difference in the mean somatic anxiety between the three winning positions. Alternative Hypothesis 2: There is a significant difference in the mean somatic anxiety between the three winning positions. Null Hypothesis 3: There is no significant difference in the mean self confidence between the three winning positions. Alternative Hypothesis 3: There is a significant difference in the mean self confidence between the three winning positions. Data was collected from 83 athletes of both genders (40 male and 43 female participants) within the age range of 18 to 43 years. The participants were not evenly distributed across the three categories; and data was available on 36 first place holders, 29 second place holders and 18 third place holders. The mean scores, standard deviations and Standard error are noted in Table 1.1 Table 1.1 Descriptive Statistics of Psychological Variables Relative to Winning Positions Dependent Variables Wining Position N Mean SD SE Cognitive Anxiety 1 36 24.17 5.316 0.886 2 29 22.93 6.035 1.121 3 18 24.11 5.040 1.188 Total 83 23.72 5.487 0.602 Somatic Anxiety 1 36 23.56 6.068 1.011 2 29 22.69 6.077 1.129 3 18 23.28 6.515 1.536 Total 83 23.19 6.106 0.670 Self Confidence 1 36 22.61 4.777 0. 796 2 29 19.17 4.489 0.834 3 18 18.67 3.970 0.936 Total 83 20.55 4.817 0.529 The data was analyzed using MANOVA, and was tested using all four tests. The F value using the Wilks' lambda was 3.488 which was significant beyond the 0.01 level of significance [Wilks' = 0.777; F (6,156) = 3.488; p

Peace and Conflict Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Peace and Conflict Studies - Essay Example ric. To misquote from one of George Orwell’s lesser-known sayings, where the British press is concerned, the facts and the rhetoric do not logically connect. Particularly where Britain is concerned, it will be necessary to disregard the rhetoric (as both sides of what is politely called the debate are equally guilty of distortion) and take the facts and form a picture from them, accepting that what passes for the accepted wisdom is not so much a tissue of lies as a tissue of invention. On the other hand, it has proved most interesting to try and find out the real reasons for the (2003) Iraq disaster and make the most of this opportunity to set the record straight. Hypothesis The fundamental hypothesis that the author wishes to put forward for the 2003 Anglo-American intervention in Iraq is that the ‘intervention’ (disaster would be a better word) took place for internal political reasons. In other words, nothing the Iraqis themselves, UN, EU, Russians, Chinese etc ., etc. would or could have done would have prevented the war, as both the British and U.S, metropolitan elites were completely impervious to any outside persuasion. We will start with Todd’s (who, despite his Anglophone name and ancestry, is French) analysis. He cites the main American internal political factors [2004, Pp 207-211 inclusive) as â€Å"economic mystification, ideological crisis and denial of reality†. He also introduces â€Å"evil, as a central concept†. If the author understands Todd correctly, the Americans (or at least their metropolitan elite) intervened in Iraq in order to perpetuate the actual (as opposed to stated) ideological and psychological aims of using American military power (which, it must be said, looks impressive, even if it isn’t in reality) to ensure that international investment (chiefly the purchase of U.S. Treasury bonds) is then channelled into U.S. domestic consumption. The mechanism appears to be that the funds gene rated by the bond purchases are used to fund the American imperial military, the money then being channelled through equipment purchases, salaries and base maintenance into the American economy at large - much of the money then being channelled back to the U.S. government through federal taxes. The ultimate expression of this is that wars (what Todd calls â€Å"theoretical micro-militarism†) against small countries such as Iraq are much more effective than peaceable military commitments in achieving this, as otherwise the purchasers of U.S. Treasury bonds might start asking awkward questions about where all the money is going. So much for economic mystification. We will now examine Todd’s concept of ideological crisis. Since the end of the â€Å"Cold War† (the author prefers the term ‘Grand Area Planning‘

Monetary Policy of the FED during the Economic Crisis Essay

Monetary Policy of the FED during the Economic Crisis - Essay Example et operations by engaging in aggressive purchase of treasury securities and in December 2008, they extended the operations to the purchase of agency debt and mortgage-backed securities. By the end of 2008, the FED reported to have purchased agency mortgages backed securities worth US $1.25 trillion, and it increased its purchase of agency debt by up to US$ 200 billion. Thirdly, by mid 2009, the FED had purchased long-term treasury securities worth US $300 billion in order to improve the level of liquidity in private credit markets (Brezina, 123-127). The result of the open market operations is demonstrated in the chart below, which show that increase in the purchase of securities resulted in the increase of cash supply in the U.S economy. Figure: Impact of open market operations Reserve requirement In the writings by Timberlake, he stated that the reserve requirement is a method of credit control that is normally applied by the FED to control the money market by determining the level of cash that is available within the economy (89-95). The reserve requirement draws its basis from the fact that commercial banks keep cash reserves with the FED and then this reserve is maintained for the purpose of liquidity and for providing the means for credit control. Brezina stated that as a way of responding to the economic crisis between 2007 and 2009, the FED through the reserve requirement policy decreased the minimum reserve ratio that all commercial bank and other financial institutions offering the service of deposit taking keep at the FED’s reserve (198-202). This action was aimed at increasing the power of credit creation by the commercial banks so that the general economy can access more credit and therefore, plunge out of the economic recession. Discount rate According... This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the monetary policy of the Federal Reserve System, carried out to mitigate the negative impacts of the financial crisis and to restore the economic growth in the United States. The three monetary policies are discussed and they are deemed effective in ensuring the increase in the circulation of money in the general economy, thereby resolving the liquidity crisis and facilitating more economic activities to continue or kick-start. One of the key functions of the Federal Reserve Bank (FED) is the regulation of currency or credit in order to reflect the needs of the business community and the general economy and for the purpose of carrying out the broad monetary policy adopted by the U.S government. Monetary policy is the action of a Central Bank, which influences the size and rate of growth of the money supply. The open market operations as the purchase or the sale of securities that include long-term and short-term in the open market by the FED. The reserve requirement is a method of credit control that is normally applied by the FED to control the money market by determining the level of cash that is available within the economy. The discount rate is the rate at which the FED normally discounts the first class bills or will advance loans to commercial banks. This discount rate affects the cost and availability of credit and in particular, a change in the rate of the discount leads to a corresponding change in the money market rate

Strategic Dependency Model and Strategic Rationale Modeling Assignment

Strategic Dependency Model and Strategic Rationale Modeling - Assignment Example The train driver opens the train door of the train only when the speed of the train is equal to zero. Platform signage, queue lane and gates have been designed to ensure that passengers disembark and embark the train within the given time limit. The system has to be efficiently designed so that all the movements take place in the prescribed time limit so that the train does not get delayed. The performance of the of the system can be measure by the timely performance of these actions : The system should be effectively networked so that an effective management can also be done at the station so that passengers are well aware of the arrival of the train and they manage themselves in front of their platform signage in the queue lanes. The point to be noted about the performance reliability is that when referring to system here refers to a centralized system. This system would help to send a message to the arrival station about the arrival of the station 5 minutes prior to its arrival, So that passengers gather themselves according to their platform signage in the queue lanes in front of the gates. The train driver opens the door when he records the speed of the train to be zero. ... So that all the passengers disembark and embark the train. Type Performance Measurable fit criterion The train driver opens the train door of the train only when the speed of the train is equal to zero. Platform signage, queue lane and gates have been designed to ensure that passengers disembark and embark the train within the given time limit. The system has to be efficiently designed so that all the movements take place in the prescribed time limit so that the train does not get delayed. The performance of the of the system can be measure by the timely performance of these actions : The system should ensure that an appropriate announcement is made 5 minutes prior from train making it to station so that passengers planning to disembark the train can gather near the train gates. The train door should open when train reaches the station and its speed becomes equal to zero. The system should be effectively networked so that an effective management can also be done at the station so that passengers are well aware of the arrival of the train and they manage themselves in front of their platform signage in the queue lanes. The point to be noted about the performance reliability is that when referring to system here refers to a centralized system. This system would help to send a message to the arrival station about the arrival of the station 5 minutes prior to its arrival, So that passengers gather themselves according to their platform signage in the queue lanes in front of the gates. The train driver opens the door when he records the speed of the train to be zero. This all is done to enhance the performance of the system to be designed so that all the movements including the disembarking and embarking the train takes place in 2

The Benefits of Emergency Manager Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

The Benefits of Emergency Manager - Assignment Example The roles are explained in detail below. Ethics include enforcing justice and fairness, doing no harm, confidentiality among others (Coppola, 2010). Include a reflective section with a focus on the WMDs; what you knew about bioterrorism, WMDs, and nuclear or radiological terrorism; what you wanted to know about WMDs; and what you learned through this entire process. I have not specialized much in the in-depth knowledge about the WMDs especially the radiological terrorism as well as bioterrorism but I know a bit about the others such as chemical weapons and the nuclear weapons. I have known that these are the two most common weapons of mass destruction most likely to cause a wide impact of mass casualties and the effects are longer lasting than the other WMDs. They are also the most common ones manufactured and produced in many nations and a cause of concern by many governments (Wecht & Okoye, 2007). The information I seek the most about the WMDs is on the regulations being made by our government both the federal and state governments on containing these weapons and ensuring the protection of the people (Wecht & Okoye, 2007). This might be easy for the nuclear weapons but not so much for the chemical weapons as the chemicals can be obtained in labs including school labs or even in the black market in large quantities without knowledge of the government and this is a cause for concern. In my research and from the information provided by the interview, it is obvious that the government has put so much effort in trying to contain the WMDs from harming the people through liaising with several departments as well as universities and company laboratories among other different organizations to prevent mass destruction. I have also learned of the numerous safety measures put in place to tackle such emergency disaster in case it was to occur.

Strategic Dependency Model and Strategic Rationale Modeling Assignment

Strategic Dependency Model and Strategic Rationale Modeling - Assignment Example The train driver opens the train door of the train only when the speed of the train is equal to zero. Platform signage, queue lane and gates have been designed to ensure that passengers disembark and embark the train within the given time limit. The system has to be efficiently designed so that all the movements take place in the prescribed time limit so that the train does not get delayed. The performance of the of the system can be measure by the timely performance of these actions : The system should be effectively networked so that an effective management can also be done at the station so that passengers are well aware of the arrival of the train and they manage themselves in front of their platform signage in the queue lanes. The point to be noted about the performance reliability is that when referring to system here refers to a centralized system. This system would help to send a message to the arrival station about the arrival of the station 5 minutes prior to its arrival, So that passengers gather themselves according to their platform signage in the queue lanes in front of the gates. The train driver opens the door when he records the speed of the train to be zero. ... So that all the passengers disembark and embark the train. Type Performance Measurable fit criterion The train driver opens the train door of the train only when the speed of the train is equal to zero. Platform signage, queue lane and gates have been designed to ensure that passengers disembark and embark the train within the given time limit. The system has to be efficiently designed so that all the movements take place in the prescribed time limit so that the train does not get delayed. The performance of the of the system can be measure by the timely performance of these actions : The system should ensure that an appropriate announcement is made 5 minutes prior from train making it to station so that passengers planning to disembark the train can gather near the train gates. The train door should open when train reaches the station and its speed becomes equal to zero. The system should be effectively networked so that an effective management can also be done at the station so that passengers are well aware of the arrival of the train and they manage themselves in front of their platform signage in the queue lanes. The point to be noted about the performance reliability is that when referring to system here refers to a centralized system. This system would help to send a message to the arrival station about the arrival of the station 5 minutes prior to its arrival, So that passengers gather themselves according to their platform signage in the queue lanes in front of the gates. The train driver opens the door when he records the speed of the train to be zero. This all is done to enhance the performance of the system to be designed so that all the movements including the disembarking and embarking the train takes place in 2

The current strengths and weaknesses of sterling Essay

The current strengths and weaknesses of sterling - Essay Example The latter part of the essay deals with some measures that the bank of England could adopt so as to be able to resolve the particular problem that the United Kingdom is facing due to its weak currency. The value of the currency is important for any country because it determines, as Vlaar (2007) states, the position of the country in the world market. The exchange rate (the ratio between the local and foreign currencies) takes into account the present value of the currency of a particular country and ascertains the differences with respect to other currencies. This comparison is necessary because this way the effect of the exchange rates on the import and the export growth can be studied. Exchange rates are a critical determinant of the success of countries in terms of economic development. The impacts of the exchange rate on the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) are far reaching and so it is pertinent to study the values of currencies with respect to other currencies. In this paper, I would focus on the current value of sterling, the currency of the United Kingdom, and compare it to the values of the other major currencies thereby determining its strengths and weaknesses. For the purpose of research I have analyzed a few literature reviews. From the study of the value of sterling in the past two to three years one fact that is quite evident is that the value of sterling has been falling continuously. Although there have been minor deviances from the overall downward trend, for instance the value of the pound sterling rose by one penny against the Euro in February 2009, the value of pound has fallen by 16% with respect to the American Dollar and by 21% with respect to the Euro since early 2008, as Hyde (2010) states. There was a point in September 2009 according to Steiner et al. (2009) when the value of the sterling was even less than 1 â‚ ¬. The rate at which the sterling was exchanged to the Euro was just 0.99. The falling

Catholic Church so successfully in the years 1517-1525 Essay Example for Free

Catholic Church so successfully in the years 1517-1525 Essay Why was Luther able to challenge the Catholic Church so successfully in the years 1517-1525? Various reasons contributed to Martin Luther’s success in challenging the Catholic Church from the years 1517-25. The five key reasons behind Luther’s success were his protection by Frederick the Wise, the fact his ideas were appealing and popular, his passion and determination, the failures of the Church itself and finally, the timing of his challenge. Some of these factors also affected each other and these links provide the strength which allowed Luther’s revolt to be so successful. This is because one of these factors alone would not have been sufficient in preventing Luther gaining the same fate as those who attempted a reformation before him. Conversely, some reasons can also be considered as having a larger and more widespread effect than others, meaning they were more significant in contributing to the final outcome. Frederick the Wise, Elector of Saxony and founder of the University of Wittenberg was the most powerful early defender of Luther. He played a large role in helping Luther keep his message spreading and on several occasions used his authority to benefit Luther’s revolt. For example, The Papal Bull of Excommunication was never carried out in Saxony and neither were the terms of the Edict of The Worms. Also, Frederick persuaded Charles V to carry out the Diet of Worms in German, instead of Rome, so that Luther could defend himself safely. Another way Frederick defended Luther was in 1521 when he had him ‘kidnapped’ on his way back from Worms and taken to the Wartburg for his safety. The significance of Frederick the Wise’s protection is that he ultimately prevented Luther from being killed or persecuted by those who disagreed with his motives. This in turn allowed his message to carry on spreading and to be developed. Therefore, Frederick the Wise had a fundamental effect on the Lutheran movement because although he never converted to the religion, he contributed to its development and influence over Saxony. The main reason Wise supported Luther was because Luther was a teacher at his University and Wise did not want it to gain a bad reputation. However, other reasons can also be considered such as the fact that Luther’s ideas proved popular and therefore Frederick was happy to support him. Essentially, Luther’s success relied upon his ideas being popular and the reason for this was due to the fact his ideas appealed to people of all classes. He addressed his message differently to both the princes, in Address to the Christian Nobility, and the peasants, by creating sermons and woodcuts. This allowed his message to spread among everyone. His ideas appealed to the different classes; peasants interpreted his message of ‘priesthood of all believers’ as supporting social equality and used it as a basis for the Peasants War in 1525 thus showing they supported Luther up until this point. The nobility also joined the reform movement as they believed it would strengthen their political position and remove papal influence in their territories. His popularity is shown by the fact his publications were of the most popular at the time. The fact his ideas were popular were vital to his success as his argument had to be seen as valid for him to gain support. Moreover, the fact he had support from a variety of everyday Germans was crucial for keeping his message spreading. A significant reason for his ideas proving popular is due to the church’s failures which at the time was becoming increasingly less tolerated and gave a clear example of the faults he was trying to highlight. The lack of tolerance towards the church was due to the fact that many Germans saw the Pope as a foreigner who did little to benefit Catholics, despite the high papal taxes they had to pay to him. These taxes were used to pay for the rebuilding of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome thus not being advantageous to the Germans who were paying the tax. However the intolerance was not only towards the papacy but also parish priests who were not fulfilling their pastoral duties. Many also committed clerical abuses such as pluralism and simony. As a result, people generally had the growing feeling they were being exploited for their money and faith. This feeling over anticlericalism was further developed from Luther’s ideas. It is also a reason for the fact Luther’s ideas were popular, because they could be related too and agreed with. Failures of the Church were not a directly significant reason for Luther’s success, it allowed him to gain more support but only because his ideas were popular. Anticlericalism had been around for a long time, and only enhanced the popularity of his message as it coincided with a time when intolerance towards church failures was increasing. Another reason for Luther’s ideas proving popular was due to his personality and passion for making a change. This passion is seen through his obsession with finding salvation. In addition, he was fearless in putting his point across regardless of consequences such as in 1519 in his debate with Johann Eck where he argued his ideas confidently and 1521 at the Diet of Worms, where he claimed that by recanting, he would be promoting tyranny and his conscience would not allow him to do so, therefore he would not be silenced. Luther’s determination also relates to why his ideas proved popular, he had the power to make people believe and support him. This determination meant he was the catalyst for the reformation in Europe. He not only believed there was corruption in the Catholic Church, but spoke out publicly about his ideas that salvation would be found through faith alone. It also links to Frederick’s choice to defend him because his passion earned him the role as a lecturer at Wittenberg University which meant Frederick was more willing to support him. Luther’s personality was important for his success, he was determined to change the system of the Church and this prevented him from giving up, and instead keeping his message extending across the Empire. The final factor that can be considered and linked to the others is the timing of Luther’s movement. It coincided with the return of the Renaissance era which invited new thinking about education and society that came from ancient Greek and Roman teachings. These secular, humanist ideas believed that the Church should not rule civic matter but only give guidance in spiritual matters, which Luther also emphasised in his teachings. In other words, he agreed with the Renaissance way of thinking, focusing on the present, and seeing that change was desperately needed in the Catholic Church. This was significant as it ran parallel to his beliefs and helped in the development of his own ideas, as well as making them more relatable to everyday Germans, therefore having a similar effect to that of intolerance towards anticlericalism. In addition, his ideas were spread quicker by the invention of the printing press. His Ninety Five Theses was printed, meaning his word was spread rapidly. Previous to the printing press, people with ideas had no effective way to spread them. Therefore, the printing press also links to the fact his ideas were seen as popular because they could be seen by many. On the contrary, the fact that less than 10% of the population could read or write was a limiting factor to the spread of his message. Therefore, the fact his revolt began at a time when society and technology was also changing means it was carried along with the flow of new, revolutionary ideas, which helped his message to be heard by more people. In conclusion, many of these factors link together to produce the same outcome – that Luther’s revolt was a successful one. However, the most important factor was that his ideas proved popular. This was because they, to an extent, were radical, new and well-liked. Martin Luther was one of the first to think outside of what the church taught him. He began to question the church’s authority and what was going on inside the Church – what he found was corruption, greed and malpractice. But this alone would not have made him so successful. His personality played a role by making him determined to speak up about it and therefore gain more support, making his ideas even more popular. Without these two factors working together, he never would have gained strong enough support to form a fully fledged reformation. However, more importantly than his personality was the protection he acquired from Frederick the Wise; this kept him from Harm’s way and allowed his message to carry on spreading. Additionally, to this was the significance of the timing of his actions. It turned what would have been a small rebellion into a national reorganization of the Church, due to the printing press and Renaissance era. Finally, but with less slightly less importance, was the Church’s own failures. On one hand it was important to his success because it emphasised the corruption he was describing, making it more relatable. On the other hand, anticlericalism had been around for a long time, it only emphasised his message but did not contribute to its successfulness. In summary, all five factors played an important role however the most important were that his ideas proved popular , due to his personality, and his protection by Frederick the Wise. The other elements played lesser roles but were still important in helping his message spread to a wider audience.

General motors core business

General motors core business INTRODUCTION GENERAL MOTORS General Motors was known as one of the worlds best automotive, started in 1908 with 76 years of management and leadership at its best. Its global headquarters located in Detroit, with employees of 204,000 people all over the world and operates business in 140 countries. General Motors core business of producing cars and trucks operates in 34 countries and selling and servicing these vehicles through the following brands: GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Buick, Cadillac, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. It has the largest market in United States followed by China, Brazil, Germany, U.K, Canada and Italy. GMs main element, in which it is industry leader, is its vehicle safety, security and information services. As of 2008, General Motors is the ninth largest publicly traded company in the world. Recently the company has endured major financial confusion, including a 38 billion dollar loss in 2007. GM needs a sense of urgency regarding revising a strategic plan that incorporates the next generation of vehicles. In todays global economy and highly competitive auto industry GM has no time for delay. Factors affecting General Motors and other car industry. Industry involved in the design, development, manufacture, marketing and sale of motor vehicles are known as automotive industry. More than million of motor vehicles, including cars and commercial vehicles were produced worldwide in 2007. Figures show that in 2007, around 71.9 million new automobiles were sold worldwide in which 22.9 m sold in Europe, 21.4 m in Asia-Pacific, 19.4 m in USA and Canada, 4.4 m in Latin America, 2.4 m in the Middle East and 1.4 m in Africa. Though the markets in North America and Japan were inactive but in South America and Asia markets grew very strongly. Russia, Brazil and China were the one who showed rapid growth compare to others. In 2008, automotive industry were experiencing a combination of pricing pressures from raw material cost and changes in consumer buying habits due to rapid rise in the price of oil. G.M and other automotive industries were also facing external competition from the public transport sector, as consumers re-evaluate their private vehicle usage. U.S is the worlds largest consumer market for light vehicles, passenger cars and light trucks which are conquered by big three companies i.e. General Motors, Ford Motors and Daimler/Chrysler. But recently these three industries were started to lose their market share to other rivals within the industry. General Motors are facing huge competition by domestic company such as Ford Motors and Daimler/Chrysler and also by foreign companies such as Toyota Motors and Honda Motors who are able to produce car much cheaper cost than General Motors. In 2006, General Motors has been bankrupted and has been avoiding a filing for years. For years it has been using cars as razors to sell consumers a monthly package of razor blades- in the form of highly profitable car loans. And the reasons for its bankruptcy are because they were focusing mostly on their finance division rather than it vehicle design operation. GM cars were poorly designed and build, took long time to manufacture as compare to its toughest competitor Toyota who has better designed and high quality and cheaper. In past GM controlled half of North America vehicle market but presently it has only 19 percent control as GM has been ignoring competition due to which Toyota and other industry took over the market share. Since General Motors were focusing on making profit from finance they did not care about building better vehicles. It was managing in bubble as GM rewarded those employees who followed the old way of doing things and those who praises CEO wisdom and carry out his orders. PEST Analysis Political: Since 1960, there were more powerful and strict laws and Government intervention that has affected GM and other car industries. Mostly, all regulation was related to consumer increasing concern for environment and concern for the safer automobiles. Economical: Automobile Industries plays an important role on every countries economy. As Automotive industry are major user of computer chips, aluminium, textiles, copper, steel, iron, lead, plastics, vinyl and rubber. Research and study had shown that for every autoworker there are seven other jobs created in other industry which include aluminium to lead to vinyl. Sociocultural: Todays people are mostly concern about their status and society judges on the basis of what type of car one drives. Manufacture takes advantage of this thought and target the market. Every one want attractive and nice car which other people admires. Consumers feel better when they driving nice and new car. Technology: Internet had played a significant role in automotive industry. A study showed that about 60 % buyers referred to internet before making their purchase and out of that 60 percentage. 88 % buyer went to auto website before going and taking test drive. Strength and Weakness of General Motors. Strength: Huge Market Share: Although General Motors market shares has dropped in United States but it still has very much competitive at 26 percent. On the other hand, it is increasing its share in Chinese market and world wide. They still believes that they have an opportunity to become automotive leader once again as it was before. Global Experience: Although General Motors share have decline recently but they have capability of becoming leader once again due to vast experience of almost 100 years. As GM current opportunity is to expand globally and it has got experience to do so. Variety of Brand names General Motors had been leaders in the past and reason for that is wide variety of quality brand names that differentiate it from other automotive manufacturer. Its current brands include GMC, GM Daewoo, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer, Saab, Holden, Buick, Cadillac, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. GMAC Customer Finance Program Since, General Motors Acceptance Corporation establishment in 1919, it has proven to be GMs most reliable source of revenue. On Star Satellite technology Star Satellite technology was developed in1996 with a subscriber of more than 3 million and it is the standard of all GM vehicles. The benefit of this technology is that vehicle can be easily tracked at the time of emergency or theft. On the other hand, it allows the driver as well as passengers to communicate with On star personnel just in one click of button. Weakness: Behind on Alternative Energy Movement: This is one of the biggest weaknesses of General Motors. The alternative energy/hybrid technology has already taken place in the automotive industry and GM has been one step behind the competition in terms of alternative energy vehicles. As a result, GM faced lots of problem including loss of market shares and fall in company profit. Now days for any automotive company looking for success must be Hybrid friendly and fuel efficient. Poor Organizational Structure: This is the second and significant weaknesses of GM. Its organizational structure seems to be too vertically integrated. As a result, there is lack of communication between top level management and bottom level management and may have played a part in GM falling behind on the alternative energy movement. Stagnant Profitability: General Motors profit has been certainly falling and they are struggling with respect to the size of their company. General Motors profit margin was about 1.5 % and the ROE has dramatically decreasing by dropping to 10 % in 2004. At this situation shareholders are not happy and they are becoming less interested. Fully Based on US market: For any one who is concentrating on one particularr market cant be successful. This is what happened to GMs case, it fully dependent on the US market. It must take advantage of the opportunity to expand globally. Due to high competition, it is becoming too strong to focus on just one country. Over Dependent on General Motors Acceptance Corporation (GMAC) Financing: The other important weakness of General Motors is that it is too dependent on its financing program. Although, it is accepted that it is a great strength for GM, however it will be a problem if it solely rely on financing and cant turn profits, in order to compete with Honda and Toyota who are rapidly growing. Poor Credit Status: GMs credit status is steadily declining same as everything else. It is losing credit in market and amongst the customer. Its current ratio is merely above 1 and its acid test is even lower. Poor strategies and lack of Foresight: Due to increase in oil prices, consumers began to turn away from SUVs, but still General Motors predicted much of its operating success on its ability to sell newly unpopular vehicles. While companies like Toyota, were concentrating on light vehicle and in improving efficiency where GM assumed sales would continue in future. ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF ORGANISATION DEVELOPMENT Organizational Development is a system which differs from other systems of organizational change by putting stress/focusing on process rather than problems. In fact, change system focuses on identifying problems in an organization and then trying to alter the behaviour that creates the problem. OD is a methodology intended for use in complex situations to provide intervention strategy for change management. OD finds the behavioural interactions and the pattern that creates or sustain problem. In fact, OD does not change the behaviours, but they focus on creating a behaviourally healthy organization that will automatically solve and prevents the problems. OD generally considered long term effort that is of at least one to three years in most cases. In addition, it mostly focuses on combined management where manager and workers of different level communicate and unite to solve the problem. OD understands the fact that all organization is different and same solution cant put in every co mpany. The other feature of OD is that it gives importance to team work and small group. The important features of OD programs is the change agent, that is group or individual which makes OD process much easier. Almost all change agent are consultant from outside who are experienced in managing OD programs but sometimes companies may utilize its inside managers. The benefits of consultant from outside are that they provide a different outlook and have a less biased view of the organizations problems and needs. The disadvantage of outside change agents is that its lack an in depth of understanding of main issues mainly one specific organization.

Alice Walker and Everyday use :: essays research papers

February ninth 1944, it was a dark and stormy night†¦ well maybe not. Regardless of the weather this is the date of Alice Walkers birth in Eatonton Georgia. Born to the sharecroppers Willie Lee and Minnie Grant Walker, who had already been blessed (cursed) with seven children, Alice was their eighth and final bundle of joy. She led a fairly normal life till she was eight years old and her elder brother accidentally (or was it?) shot her in the eye with a BB gun. This unfortunate incident caused Alice to lose the use of one eye. An interesting by product of this event was that she ended up with one blue eye and one brown eye. An excellent student, Alice graduated valedictorian of her class and then in 1965 she graduated from the Sarah Lawrence collage for women with a Bachelor of Art degree. During the 1960’s Alice was deeply involved in the civil rights movement. In 1967 Alice married a white human rights lawyer, Mel Leventnal. In 1969 the happy, socially controversial couple were blessed with a daughter, whom they named Rebecca. A year later Alice published her first novel; she was twenty-six years old. But alas, bliss does not last forever, she divorced in 1977. Although, this low point in her life did not keep her from writing. In 1983 she won the Putzler Prize for her novel The Color Purple. Cultural heritage was important to Alice Walker. This is shown repeatedly through out her story Every Day Use. Much of Alice’s own life and heritage can be seen in this excellent example of cultural pride and knowledge. She illustrates quite well that objects cannot define ones culture nor heritage, only attitude, experience, and an understanding of the past can tell where a person comes from. Dee's interest in her heritage can only be described as a passing fad. Only the monetary value of the things she wishes to take mean anything to her. She does not have the skills to use the churn top nor make quilts, such as the ones Mama wishes to give to Maggie. Mama and Maggie have, cherish and use these skills every day, using their heritage. Dee does not see the practical uses of the churn top and the quilts; she sees dollar signs and a rise in social status. She knows virtually nothing of the families past and doesn’t really care.

Healthy Grief Essay

Feeling and expressing grief is unique to each individual and it depends on the nature of their loss. People experience all kinds of emotions, pain and sadness that are considered normal reactions to a significant loss. While there is no right or wrong way to grieve, there are healthy ways to cope with the grief (helpguide.org). Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, a Psychiatrist invented the â€Å"five stages of grief†, based on the grieving process when negative life changes and loses happen, such as death of a loved one. The five stages of grief according to Kubler-Ross are responses that many people may go through, but there is not a typical response to loss as there is no typical loss and everyone grieves differently (helpguide.org). The five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. The story of Job in the Bible is an example that displays all the stages of grief set forth by Kubler-Ross’s grief model. Job was a Christian man who followed the path of God’s will in His life. Kubler-Ross was not a Christian, and formulated the grief model from observing patients in a hospital who were dying from terminal illness. Job suffered great loss in his life and endured different stages in his grieving process but never denounced God. The five stages of grief compared and contrasted with the life of Job Denial The first response of grief according to Kubler-Ross is denial and isolation. This is a stage of shock and numbness and a time when a grieving person is trying to grasp the situation that something tragic has just happened in their life. Job is grieving at his tremendous loss., he lost his children, his wealth and health. It seemed unreal to Job that he tore his clothes, shaved his head and fell on the ground. Job 1: 21 reads â€Å"Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord â€Å"(The Christian Life Bible). Job mourned and lamented at his loss but did not reject God. In contrast to the grief model where the patients knew they were going to die, Job even in his loss knew that he had life. Job maintained total submission to God’s plan in his life. The things of this world can become overwhelming and meaningless to those who are grieving a great loss but knowing God can help to overcome all difficulties of life. Anger Anger is the second stage of grief. According to Kubler-Ross when a patient can no longer maintain the denial stage, they enter into the stage of anger, rage and resentment and start questioning everyone and everything (Roy,A.). Job cursed the day he was born. Job3:16 illustrate his frustration and he felt that death would be easier to endure than his grief. Job is angry and felt betrayed by God. Job’s anger becomes obvious and can be seen in Job 7:11-15. According to Kubler- Ross, anger is a defense used against the primary feelings of hopelessness and helplessness (grief.com). Job is defending himself by showing his anger to ease his pain of loss. But even in his anger, Job maintains communication with God. The feeling of anger may be towards anyone, may be a person who didn’t attend the funeral, doctors, other family members, loved one who have passed (grief.com). It is natural to feel pain and deserted in this stage and finds it hard to accept the loss. Bargaining In this stage, feeling of guilt is common and trying to blame it on ourselves and questioning selves for things that could have been done different to prevent the loss. A grieving person may bargain or try to negotiate a compromise to ease their pain and try to do anything to not feel the pain of loss. For example, a Hindu friend of mine once wrote a letter to Billy Graham indicating to heal her dying mother from cancer and if the mother lives then she will convert to Christianity. That was a bargain and it did not work. Job is bargaining with God in chapter 13:20-21,† Only two things do not do to me, and then I will not hide myself from You. Withdraw your Hand far from me. And let not the dread of you make me afraid† (The Christian Life Bible). For Job, blaming God and everyone seemed natural due to the fear of taking responsibility for what has happened (faiththerapy.org). Job wants to put an end to his suffering, but instead he bowed down in humility and trusting more in God. Job did not listen to his wife’s plea to curse God and to die, but he remained in submission to God’s plan in his life. Depression According to Kubler-Ross, grief becomes deeper in this stage and feelings of emptiness and intense sadness and loss of hope invades life. When bargaining does not help, the reality of depression sets in. This is a noticeable stage as people are down and uncertain about their future. The loss of a loved one is heart breaking and a stage of depression is considered normal and appropriate in a healthy grieving process by Kubler-Ross (grief.com). It shows that the person has at least begun to accept the reality. Job 7:6 reads,† My days are swifter than a waver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope.† (The Christian Life Bible). Job is facing sadness about the situation that he is facing which is not under his control. Even though Job was depressed he never ran from God’s presence. Job 42:5-6 reads â€Å"I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes (The Christian Life Bible). Acceptance During this stage according to Kubler-Ross, the person has accepted the reality of the loss of their loved ones and realizes that fighting is not going to make any difference. The loved one is no more physically present and that it is a permanent loss. Past is gone and a new future is set in front to run the race in the absence of the loved one. Job is also finally accepting the fact of his total loss and tries to resolve and come into a trusting relationship with God. In chapter 38 of Job, it displays the fact that Job finally heard from God again. This is an essential step in the grief process to restore relationships and to come in terms with life and meaning to move on with life. Through acceptance, God blessed Job again with more blessings than before and ultimately he regains his strength back. Job 42:10 reads† And the Lord restored Job’s loses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.†(The Christian Life Bible). Conclusion From the grief model of Kubler-Ross and the story of Job from the Bible it is clear that grief is a natural process that everyone endures at some point of their life. From the theory of Kubler –Ross, the author points out that a person may or may not go through all the stages during a grieving process and the duration may not be the same and will depend on how one handles grief in their life. The component of faith is not central to Kubler-Ross’s grieving process. Job responds to his grieving situations as a normal person would respond but his tremendous faith in God enables him to overcome all obstacles and regain his joy in life. His faith alone in God carried him through such devastating times. This understanding can become a tremendous source of strength when we find ourselves facing the unthinkable. Job was a man of great integrity who loved the Lord deeply and his faith was genuine, personal and deep. Grieving is a personal experience and how a person grieves depends on their coping style, faith and the nature of loss. It is important to take care of the physical and emotional needs during a grieving process. Unresolved grief can lead to serious consequences in life that can create health problems such as depression, anxiety and substance abuse (helpguide.org). The grieving process takes time and healing happens gradually. Whatever grief a person experiences, it is important to be patient and allow the process to unfold naturally and not to be forced or hurried. References Biblical Answers for Grief. Faith Therapy. Retrieved from http://www.faiththerapy.org/Grief%20Topic.html Coping with Grief and Loss. Understanding the Grieving Process. Retrieved from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/grief_loss.htm Kubler-Ross Five Stages Model. Retrieved from http://www.change-management-coach.com/kubler-ross.html Roy, A. (1991). The Book of Job: A Grief and Human Development Interpretation. Journal of Religion and Health, 30(2). Retrieved from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF00988704 The Five Stages of Grief. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross & David Kessler. Retrieved from http://grief.com/the-five-stages-of-grief/ The Christian Life Bible (1998). Thomas Nelson Publishers.

The Oort Cloud

The Oort Cloud The Oort cloud is a vast swarm of some 2 trillion comets orbiting our star in the most distant reaches of our solar system, extending from beyond the orbits of Neptune and Pluto out to 100,000 times the Earth-Sun distance. Almost one-third the distance to the nearest star. While the planets are confined to a flattened disk in the solar system, the Oort cloud forms a spherical shell centered on the Sun, which gradually flattens down to an extended disk in the inner region, called the Kuiper belt.Bright comets observed through telescopes or with the naked eye get thrown out of the Oort cloud or Kuiper belt, and become visible when they get close to enough so that the Sun's energy can transform the surface ices into gases. These gases drag off the embedded dust, and we see the light reflected from the dust as a tail. Comets are the leftover icy building blocks from the time of planet formation, which formed in the region of the outer planets. Essentially thesecomets are d irty snowballs, composed primarily of water ice, with some carbon monoxide and other ices, in addition to interstellar dust.When their orbits passed close enough to the giant planets to be affected, some were thrown toward the Sun and some were tossed outward toward the distant reaches of the solar system, the spherical swarm we now call the Oort cloud. Some of the comets sent inward hit the inner rocky planets, and probably contributed a significant amount of ocean water and organic material, the building blocks of life, to Earth. Comets that live in the Oort cloud are especially important scientifically because they have been kept in a perpetual deep freeze since the formation of our solar system 4. 6 billion years ago.This means that they preserve, nearly intact, a record of the chemical conditions during the first few million years of the solar system's history, and can be used to unravel our solar system's origins much like an archaeologist uses artifacts to decipher an ancient civilization. The Oort cloud is thought to occupy a vast space from somewhere between 2,000 and 5,000 AU (0. 03 and 0. 08 ly)[12] to as far as 50,000Â  AU (0. 79Â  ly)[3] from the Sun. Some estimates place the outer edge at between 100,000 and 200,000 AU (1. 58 and 3. 16 ly). [12] The region can be subdivided into a spherical outer Oort cloud of 20,000–50,000 AU (0. 2–0. 79 ly), and a doughnut-shaped inner Oort cloud of 2,000–20,000 AU (0. 03–0. 32 ly). The outer cloud is only weakly bound to the Sun and supplies the long-period (and possibly Halley-type) comets to inside the orbit of Neptune. [3] The inner Oort cloud is also known as the Hills cloud, named after J. G. Hills, who proposed its existence in 1981. [13] Models predict that the inner cloud should have tens or hundreds of times as many cometary nuclei as the outer halo;[13][14][15] it is seen as a possible source of new comets to resupply the relatively tenuous outer cloud as the latter's nu mbers are gradually depleted.The Hills cloud explains the continued existence of the Oort cloud after billions of year The outer Oort cloud is believed to contain several trillion individual objects larger than approximately 1Â  km (0. 62Â  mi)[3] (with many billions with absolute magnitudes brighter than 11—corresponding to approximately 20Â  km (12Â  mi) diameter), with neighboring objects typically tens of millions of kilometres apart. Its total mass is not known with certainty, but, assuming that Halley's comet is a suitable prototype for all comets within the outer Oort cloud, the estimated combined mass is 3? 025Â  kg (7? 1025Â  lb or roughly five times the mass of the Earth). Earlier it was thought to be more massive (up to 380 Earth masses), but improved knowledge of the size distribution of long-period comets has led to much lower estimates. The mass of the inner Oort Cloud is not currently known. If analyses of comets are representative of the whole, the vast majority of Oort-cloud objects consist of various ices such as water, methane, ethane, carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide.However, the discovery of the object 1996Â  PW, an asteroid in an orbit more typical of a long-period comet, suggests that the cloud may also contain rocky objects. Analysis of the carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in both the Oort cloud and Jupiter-family comets shows little difference between the two, despite their vastly separate regions of origin. This suggests that both originated from the original protosolar cloud,a conclusion also supported by studies of granular size in Oort-cloud comets by the recent impact study of Jupiter-family comet.

Why Women Should Not Be Assigned to Combat Positions

Throughout history, women have played a role in the defense of their nations. In 1429, Joan of Arc successfully led the French Army into battle against the English at age 17. In 1588, Queen Elizabeth I traveled to Tilbury, Essex to fight beside her Army during the Spanish raid. And in 1788 at the Battle of Monmouth, Mary Ludwig Hayes, also known as â€Å"Molly Pitcher†, took over her husband’s cannon position and continued to engage the enemy after he had fallen in battle. While these are extraordinary accomplishments made by these most admirable women, should this level of close combat be expected, or possibly even required of women in the military? Many will argue that the ban on women in combat is a discrimination issue, and that it creates a structural barrier that can hurt their chances of promotion or advancement. The Defense Department Advisory Committee on Women in the Services actually found that â€Å"women serving in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan have had a positive impact on mission accomplishment. But these women were not assigned to an actual combat position in a unit that has a primary mission of direct ground combat engagement of the enemy. They were either assigned to a combat support unit that was engaged by the enemy, or they were attached to the combat arms unit. There is a vast difference, and this essay will explore why placing women in direct combat roles in the military would have a negative impact on combat readiness. All male units in the field experience bonding that enhances readiness and cohesion. When women are introduced, men stop relating to each other and begin trying to attract the women. This puts them in direct competition with each other and becomes a severe distraction from the mission at hand. Morale cannot be maintained if accusations of harassment are a threat, and Commanders are unable to keep the males focused on the mission when they are at war with each other over a female unit member. â€Å"Helen of Sparta was perhaps the most inspired character in all literature, ancient or modern. A whole war, one which lasted for ten years, was fought over her† (Bell, 1991, p. ). King David of Israel ordered Uriah the Hittite into battle to fight in order to commit adultery with Uriah’s wife in his absence. He would even wage war against another nation in order to eliminate any competition for his women. But a relationship with a supervisor or a co-worker is detrimental to teamwork and fairness in the workplace. A lack of trust or possible resentment toward another soldier can possibly result in poor judgment in the heat of battle when someone decides they are mad at the man that got the girl. Disrespect among the ranks, mistreatment of fellow unit members, and destruction of professional reputations will surely affect the career progression of everyone involved. And what happens to the effectiveness of the unit when a female combat soldier gets pregnant? Naval ships at war must return to shore because of the pregnancy of female sailors, thus hindering the combat mission. Infantry units must evacuate the female soldier out of the war zone and reassign her to a support position back in the States. The disruption to combat readiness is extreme and can be costly. Chivalry is not dead. The basic, instinctual nature of males is to protect females. This is true of any species of animal. Parents raise their sons to protect women, and to ensure their safety because they are less capable of protecting themselves. While this may not be true of all women, it is certainly true of all men. In the New York Times article, Female POW is Abused, Kindling Debate, by Ellaine Sciolino, Army Major Rhonda Cornum was interviewed regarding her captivity during the Persian Gulf War. She said â€Å"Everyone's made such a big deal about this indecent assault,† she said, in her first interview since the war. But the only thing that makes it indecent is that it was nonconsensual. I asked myself, ‘Is it going to prevent me from getting out of here? Is there a risk of death attached to it? Is it permanently disabling? Is it permanently disfiguring? Lastly, is it excruciating? ‘ If it doesn't fit one of those five categories, then it isn't important. † But the male so ldier that was with her had a different opinion. The 22-year-old specialist from Fort Rucker whom Iraqis slapped and beat during interrogations said he had not changed his opinion that omen should not be in combat, despite what he described as Major Cornum's stoicism. â€Å"I worried about her all the time,† he said, â€Å"and being a P. O. W. and going through the torture, the pain, you shouldn't also have to worry about what's happening to the female soldier all the time. † While the women may be able to endure such atrocities that come with war, the men are not psychologically prepared to deal with listening to the screams of their women being raped, sodomized, and tortured by the enemy. Then there is the moral question behind women in combat units. The question isn’t necessarily whether a woman can do it, but whether she should do it. Assigning them into these positions would â€Å"require training men and women to regard the brutalization of women, and a woman’s brutalization of others, as normal and acceptable† (Kirkwood, 2003, p. 1). According to Vietnam War hero Ron Ray, â€Å"Women should only be used in combat if national security depends on it. † This means that all of our men have been killed or captured, and the only possibility of survival is left with the women and children. Even then it should be a last resort. There is something unsavory in the mouths of society in turning a woman into the kind of person that is capable of performing such heinous actions that are required in close ground combat against another human being, while being expected to nurture our children once she returns from such brutal actions. Women by nature are the nurturing gender. What will this do to our society of civilized humans if we turn our women into barbaric warriors? Women certainly play a significant role in today’s armed forces. On a grand scale they have been instrumental in improving the readiness of their organizations, better enabling them to perform on the asymmetrical battlefield. But placing them into close ground combat positions will not improve the readiness or performance of the armed forces. The presence of women in combat units creates sexual tension that eventually puts one man against another in direct competition for her, thus affecting morale and cohesion. As prisoners of war, women will put their male counterparts at risk because a man’s instinct is to protect the woman rather than complete his mission and overcome the enemy. As a civilized society, it is morally wrong to place a woman into a position where she could be brutalized, or where she would have to brutalize another. They simply are not emotionally or psychologically equipped to do that, and nor should they be. But in the quest for equality of the sexes, placing women in combat units isn’t the answer. It should still remain more important to maintain military tradition and combat effectiveness than it is for social experimentation.

Complete Computer Network Infrastructure for a Real or Ficticious Research Paper

Complete Computer Network Infrastructure for a Real or Ficticious Business - Research Paper Example After defining the specification, we will address network devices along with switch and router deployment. Moreover, we will define all the associated servers that will play a vital role in synchronizing data with remote offices in this scenario. Furthermore, a proposed network diagram will be represented for each site i.e. site 1 and site 2. Sub netting will play a dominant role in breaking down global IP addresses into local IP addresses for each node on the network. For the WAN architecture, we will discuss the technologies, protocols and services that will be used for connecting these sites together. Moreover, for maintaining and monitoring the network, we will discuss network security features that will be implemented in this proposed network. The RADIUS access server will provide synchronization of data between both sites operating on a Virtual Private Network. In addition, Domain name Service will also be discussed. 2 Introduction Organizations associated with health care need s to acquire up to date technological trends in delivering patient care at the optimal level. Medical information systems developed for supporting health care, facilitate organizations to align with best practices and quality and to make these health organizations successful in the market. However, acquiring and maintaining computer networks can be a difficult task along with its alignment with the goals and objectives of the organization. Moreover, along with the alignment with organizational objectives, involvement of all stakeholders in the implementation of a network is vital for understanding the purpose and benefits. Likewise, customization of network design is a requirement for supporting organizational goals and objectives, which can be a complex task. 3 Network Architecture 3.1 Topology We will apply star topology, as the network design will follow a centralized server / client architecture. Star topology will provide centralized administration and configuration of all the nodes on the network. Moreover, star topology initiates low broadcasts on the network, consequently, consuming low bandwidth and at the same time making the network capacity on optimal levels. 3.2 Workstations The minimum hardware specifications of the workstations that will be installed in the current scenario are: System Specification Processor Intel Dual Core E5400 2.7GHZ (2MB cache – 800MHZ FSB) Motherboard Intel DG41RQ (LGA775-SND+AGP+GIGA LAN-800MHZ FSB) Memory 1GB DDRII (800 Bus) Hard drive 320GB 3.5" SATA-II 7200RPM Optical drive DVD Drive 16 X Chassis Thermal HT Support 3.3 Network devices Network devices are the objects for any network. The network functionality relies on the network devices .The dependability of the network devices emphasizes on the requirements of the organization. For example, an organization dealing with 3D animation and rich media may require a Gigabit Ethernet rather than Fast Ethernet. This is because the subordinates share the animated data among themselves for various purposes. The 3D animation contents are large in volume and require gigabit Ethernet for moving files at a high speed within the network. Hospitals may share high quality medical images with remote offices, resulting in a consideration of bandwidth requirement of the Internet or site to site VPN as well. 3.4 Switch Implementation Fast Ethernet switches will be implemented instead of hubs. Switches are more powerful and intuitive as compared to hubs.

Deuteronomy 1-18 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Deuteronomy 1-18 - Essay Example It is therefore the Lord has declared man to be His image and glory (1 Corinthians 11:7). As a result, man’s relation to God looks for worshipping the Lord exclusively and complying with all the commandments manifestly described in the Scriptures. Book of Deuteronomy manifestly recounts the bounties of the Lord upon the Israelites, throughout the discussion, and in return requires His worship on the one side, and instructs them to be committed, dedicated and loyal towards Him on the other. Hence, the Biblical teachings in general and the Book of Deut in particular, clearly believe in monotheism, and preach the same to the Israelites that the Scripture does not allow having even the least suspicion about the singularity of divinity or monotheism altogether. The Old Testament (OT) reveals the very reality that since the House of Jacob is the favorite nation of the Lord, the Israelites should be the spiritual leader of the entire world in order to spread the holy message of the Lord to all human beings. Moreover, Almighty God had multiplied them many times from the era of their patriarchs onward (Deuteronomy 1:10-11); consequently, they became equivalent to the stars of heaven for multitude. He is the Lord, Who is actually the God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward (Deut10:17). Thus, since Almighty God is the God of all the gods and lords, all creatures are bound to worship Him only, and for seeking His support for obtaining worldly and eternal bliss eventually. In addition, God had promised the Israelites of blessing the wise men among them with power to rule over the world (Deut 1:13-15). As a result, the generations of the Israelites, beginning from King Joseph, ruled over Egypt for several decades till they turned their backs to the word of God, and thus were deprived of their previous