Religion and Ecology Essay

Every thread of the problems faced by the present human society can be traced back to first industrial revolution of late 18th century and early 19th century that took place in Britain and from where it was embraced by the entire world. The industrial revolution set in motion the process of changes that have since then subsequently transformed the character of not only human society but of entire earth (Gatta, 7). Air, water, land and sky, all bear the effects of the changes inflicted by human march through industrial revolution and the effects have not been pleasant by any order. The modern society is the product of new-classical theory of economics and the anthropocentric view of environment, both of which advocates completely human centered progress and development utilizing all the resources and potentials of the nature and the environment around them (Nassar, 40-46). This view has been at the core of all the human activities and development planning taking place since more than 200 years now and it has encouraged massive rate of consumption and utilization of all the natural resources at an ever increasing scale. As almost a direct evidence of the expanding human footprint on earth, our population has increased from 1 billion to around 7 billion in past 150 years (Gatta, 20). This growth is based on the foundation of an efficient but brutal system that mastered the art of misusing the full spectrum of available natural resources, causing their widespread destruction, contamination, and debilitation. Examples of this destruction can be seen in extensive deforestation around the world, rapid destruction of rainforests in Brazil and Africa, fertile soil erosion, severe contamination of several important rivers of world due to continuous effluence of industrial and municipal sewage, air pollution, ozone layer destruction, depletion of non renewable energy resources especially oil and natural gas, global warming and climatic change. The extensive damage to the natural resources and ecology has deeply imbalanced the natural system, creating a disharmony and conflict with human development and its environment. The destruction of ecology and nature have caused unprecedented rise in extinction rates of animals and plants, who have found their ecological niches disappearing due to human activities. The emergence of massive urban centers around the world where millions of people live within few square kilometers of area exert tremendous pressure on the environmental sources which has put earth’s biodiversity and consequently humanity’s own survival chances at risk (Gatta, 62). The threat that human development is causing to the entire living world, including its own self, has not remained unnoticed and there many global social and political movements have started during past 30 years, with sincere intentions and efforts to create and implement an alternative system of social and economic model where human interests and development share a symbiotic relationship with nature, environment and ecology; where advancement and development have mutual linkage across the entire natural continuum (Nassar, 68). These efforts have been so far varyingly successful, where some countries and regions have adopted one set of selective steps for ecological integration, while others have adopted different set of steps, all determined by their economic convenience and financial constructs (Gatta, 65-69). This has led to an inward analysis and evaluation process in ecology and environmental thinking, which looks at the very basics of our social development and structure and try to re-align them with many old and yet existing religious and community view of social development, which is embedded in ecology and environment. But the question of human pressure and influence on its ecology has several parallel sides, each of which poses its own crucial question. The first question that comes up is that, is human species is constrained by any limiting factor- does its growth and expansion has a maximum attainable size, or can it continue to swell indefinitely, maximizing the resources for itself, for its need for infinite consumption and consequently infinite growth? If this is not possible , then is it possible for human beings to exist and thrive in exact optimum conditions, where population growth, consumption requirements, and growth needs are exactly balanced with the ecosystem, and stay in this balance forever? If the attainment of this balance is not possible then does it mean that for its own survival humanity is causing destruction of other species, destabilizing the ecosystem, and tripping the biosphere? (Gatta, 141-147) Religion and Ecology While all the religions of world have a strong foundation in ethical learning and teachings, with distinct emphasis on concepts of good and bad, divine presence, and determinism, the ancient cultures and indigenous traditions have taken this concept much further to include divinity and God as a part of their local environment and daily living system. The essential principle is same in all the religions, which states that God has created the entire world, including all the nature features, plants and animals, and human beings. However, as it is seen, some of the earlier interpretations of modern religions, such as Christianity, took a rather human centric religious approach (Gatta, 208). In essence, they popularized the notion that man is designed to be the ultimate consumer of all the natural resources, or in other words, the whole natural world exists in order to serve and meet human needs and requirements. This view in considered as one of the acting principle behind neo classical theory of economics as well as anthropocentric world view as discussed earlier. The view of ancient and traditional cultures and religions does not take such an exclusive view of human influence. For example it does not recognize human beings as isolated and separated from their surrounding environment and ecology, neither it sees humans as controller of the natural resources and final arbitrator of their destiny (Nassar, 71). The learning that we receive from these traditional cultures and religions is that we must recognize ourselves as parts of a widely distributed and ranging biotic communities and ecosystems, each of which has its own important role to play in design and creation of God and nature. Human beings occupy a very important niche in nature, but yet its only one of the numerous niches, while the complete scope of the ecology goes much beyond the human considerations and interests (Gatta, 219). Then, there are many internal and subtle relations present between man’s interaction with nature and vice versa. Ecology is not only a biological function of our existence but it also regulates the cultural gradient, the behavioral landscape and the social outlook of people. Therefore, when we deeply disturb the ecosystem through persistent and determined set of harmful activities- acidification of natural resources, toxifying land and water bodies, resource depletion, modification and destruction of habitats and unintended or deliberate elimination of native species, then we destroy our cultural tie from the ecosystem. Howe we act and when we act should always remain attuned to our environmental and ecological perspective. The lessons from the past, and the ecological wisdom of ancient religions should form our guiding principles at every stage of intervention or interference in the ecosystem. Taking a step ahead, it should create a pro-active approach to look into the possible avenues of meaningful interference and interaction to search for, identify and implement the ways in which our impact on our own ecosystem is as free of protuberance as possible (Gatta, 223-232). Our actions should be well reasoned out and their consequences considered in all the possible ranges. The ecosystem balance is dependent upon a vast number of factors, many of them yet unknown or improperly understood, and therefore even an unintended disturbance on our part produce enormous and unexpected ecological backlash. These backlashes symbolize the failure of man’s relation with nature, failure of the understanding and appreciation of ecosystem’s intrinsic value in defining the human niche, and a failure to secure corrective steps to improve the interaction. The ancient and indigenous cultures, such as Inca, red Indians, Buddhism and Chinese culture, took a very different view of the role of humanity in the nature’s order. They did not see nature and its bountiful gifts as resources that require taming, mastering and exploitation. Quite contrary, they viewed man in a wholesome, nurturing and co-dependent relation with the nature, where every aspect of nature, whether it’s a tree or an animal, shares a relationship with the man. Explaining the meaning and depth of this relationship, the older religions and cultures state that as the entire nature is a creation of the God, therefore it’s every part is a close a representation of God, and hence their destruction or violation is a direct violation of God’s own creation (Gatta, 237-241). This idea is further developed in eastern religions where man is viewed as just one part of the infinite range of nature’s creations, with no superiority or ascendency accorded to him over other forms of life or natural features. Human being hold a place in the continuum of natural order, but apart from their wisdom, there is nothing to distinguish them, or accord them the status of master of other resources. The implications of this view cut deep and profound, even for the standard of modern environmentalism and ecological movements. A majority of these movements still see the issue from the point of saving earth and nature from human desire and want of growth-insinuating a weak and fragile nature and a powerful human civilization which is threatening the vulnerable nature (Nassar, 91-96)! This is Older traditions, cultures and religions, take quite an opposite view on this issue, where they see human beings as fragile, vulnerable and dependent upon the nature for their own survival. Nature, on the other hand is all powerful, protean, strong, and controlling lives and deaths-in fact nature is deemed so powerful that it is worshipped in many ancient civilizations and we can see why- the human survival is impossible if the nature dies around (Nassar, 107-111). We have always considered the nature and ecology as taken for granted in our environment; however, if we once stop to consider the situation when all the standing forests have been cut down, all the rivers polluted and turned into industrial sewage, all the natural diversity in animal and vegetation life lost on account of human exploits then it is not difficult to see that the this situation signifies the end of humanity as well-with no resources left, no natural cover to fall back, and left in a barren and dry world, human beings would run out of their capacity to struggle and survive (Gatta, 151-156). Thus the teachings of the indigenous cultures and older religions is towards ingraining humanity into a natural system that is based on mutual benefit, organic growth and interdependent development. This is a holistic, broad, and profound approach, which makes man a factor in the nature’s grand design of world, brining understanding, compassion, humbleness and realization of the coherence and integrity that is pre-requisite for our existence. Reference Gatta, John. Making Nature Sacred: Literature, Religion, and Environment in America from the Puritans to the Present. Oxford University Press, 2004. 291 p. Nasar, Sayyed Hossein. Religion & the Order of Nature. Oxford University Press, 1996 . 312 p

Agriculture Insurance in India , Problems and Prospectus Essay

Agriculture production and farm incomes in India are frequently affected by natural disasters such as droughts, floods, cyclones, storms, landslides and earthquakes. Susceptibility of agriculture to these disasters is compounded by the outbreak of epidemics and man-made disasters such as fire, sale of spurious seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, price crashes etc. All these events severely affect farmers through loss in production and farm income, and they are beyond the control of the farmers. With the growing commercialization of agriculture, the magnitude of loss due to unfavorable eventualities is increasing. The question is how to protect farmers by minimizing such losses. For a section of farming community, the minimum support prices for certain crops provide a measure of income stability. But most of the crops and in most of the states MSP is not implemented. In recent times, mechanisms like contract farming and future? s trading have been established which are expected to provide some insurance against price fluctuations directly or indirectly. But, agricultural insurance is considered an important mechanism to effectively address the risk to output and income resulting from various natural and manmade events. Agricultural Insurance is a means of protecting the agriculturist against financial losses due to uncertainties that may arise agricultural losses arising from named or all unforeseen perils beyond their control (AIC, 2008). Unfortunately, agricultural insurance in the country has not made much headway even though the need to protect Indian farmers from agriculture variability has been a continuing concern of agriculture policy. According to the National Agriculture Policy 2000, â€Å"Despite technological and economic advancements, the condition of farmers continues to be unstable due to natural calamities and price fluctuations†. In some extreme cases, these unfavorable events become one of the factors leading to farmers? suicides which are now assuming serious proportions (Raju and Chand, 2007). Agricultural insurance is one method by which farmers can stabilize farm income and investment and guard against disastrous effect of losses due to natural hazards or low market prices. Crop insurance not only stabilizes the farm income but also helps the farmers to initiate production activity after a bad agricultural year. It cushions the shock of crop losses by providing farmers with a minimum amount of protection. It spreads the crop losses over space and time and helps farmers make more investments in agriculture. It forms an important component of safety-net programmes as is being experienced in many developed countries like USA and Canada as well as in the European Union. However, one need to keep in mind that crop insurance should be part of overall risk management strategy. Insurance comes towards the end of risk management process. Insurance is redistribution of cost of losses of few among many, and cannot prevent economic loss. There are two major categories of agricultural insurance: single and multi-peril coverage. Single peril coverage offers protection from single hazard while multiple –peril provides protection from several hazards. In India, multi-peril crop insurance programme is being implemented, considering the overwhelming impact of nature on agricultural output and its disastrous consequences on the society, in general, and farmers, in particular. Agricultural Insurance market is on the threshold of a spectacular growth. The support measures proposed by the government in the horticulture sector; potential of organic farming; growing clout of aromatic and medicinal plants; Bio-diesel plants; contract farming; corporate farming and integrated insurance (supply chain and ware housing) etc are likely to put agricultural insurance on high pedestal. The government underlined its priorities for agriculture in 2004 by setting a target of doubling agricultural credit in next three years. A large chunk of credit for agriculture would be supported by insurance collateral. Considering consumers? preference for branded agricultural products; big corporate houses too have taken up corporate farming, increasing the demand for insurance. Agricultural insurance in future though is likely to be largely demand driven, the efforts of the government to support and finance insurance products and / or facilitate congenial environment as meaningful risk management tool would further enhance the potential and credibility of agricultural insurance. Despite progress of irrigation and improvement in infrastructure and communication the risk in agriculture production has increased in the country. The risk is much higher for farm income than production, as is evident from lower risk in area and higher risk in production. State wise results show that only in the states where irrigation is very reliable, it helped in reducing the risk. Those states where irrigation is not very dependable continue to face high risk. In some states farmers face twin problem of very low productivity accompanied by high risk of production. As, with the passage of time, neither technology nor any other variable helped in reducing production risk, particularly in low productivity states, there is strong need to devise and extend insurance products to agricultural production. Despite various schemes launched from time to time in the country agriculture insurance has served very limited purpose. The coverage in terms of area, number of farmers and value of agricultural output is very small, payment of indemnity based on area approach miss affected farmers outside the compensated area, and most of the schemes are not viable. Expanding the coverage of crop insurance would therefore increase government costs considerably. Unless the programme is restructured carefully to make it viable, the prospects of its future expansion to include and impact more farmers is remote. This requires renewed efforts by Government in terms of designing appropriate mechanisms and providing financial support for agricultural insurance. Providing similar help to private sector insurers would help in increasing insurance coverage and in improving viability of the insurance schemes over time. With the improved integration of rural countryside and communication network, the Unit area of insurance could be brought down to a village panchayat level. Insurance products for the rural areas should be simple in design and presentation so that they are easily understood. There is lot of interest in private sector to invest in general insurance business. This opportunity can be used to allot some target to various general insurance companies to cover agriculture. To begin with, this target could be equal to the share of agriculture in national income. Good governance is as important for various developmental programmes as for successful operation of an agriculture insurance scheme. Poor governance adversely affects development activities. With the improvement in governance, it is feasible to effectively operate and improve upon the performance of various programmes including agriculture insurance. Crop insurance program works as collateral security, therefore also benefit banks. When claims are paid, banks first adjust the claim against their outstanding dues, and balance if any is credited to the farmers. Therefore, the Crop Insurance Scheme also benefits the banks. In Philippines, banks are made to share a part of the premium burden. For rice where the premium is 10. 81 per cent, borrowing farmer pays only 2. 91 per cent, while the government pays is 5. 90 per cent and the lending institution, 2. 00 per cent. A similar arrangement can be recommended for participating banks in India. Such arrangement would also bring non-loanee farmers into the fold of banking network, thus institutional lending of crop loans. Remote sensing is the emerging technology with potential to offer plenty of supplementary, complimentary and value added functions for agricultural insurance. The present technology available shall not only provide the insurers with tools like crop health condition, area-sown confirmation, yield modeling which are very important, but also strengthen the position of insurers vis-a-vis re-insurance market. Some of the possible applications of for agricultural insurance could be as follows: 1. Estimating actual acreage – sown at insurance unit level to check the discrepancy of „over-insurance? (area insured being more than area sown). 2. Monitoring crop health through the crop season, and investigation on ground for advance intimation of yield reduction. 3. To check adequacy and reliability of CCE data. 4. Developing satellite based crop productivity models for cereals and other crops. There is a need to promote private sector participation in agriculture insurance. First license for the private sector, was issued in October 2000. As of today, there are ten private sector insurers in the general insurance business: Reliance, Tata-AIG, Royal Sundaram, IFFCO-Tokio, Bajaj-Allianze, ICICI-Lombard, HDFC- Chubb, Cholamandalam, ECGC and Star Health. The latter two, are limited to only a few lines of general insurance. The fact remains that these insurers have not yet undertaken agricultural insurance to a significant extent. Only two companies in the private sector have initiated crop insurance, albeit on a small scale. ICICI-Lombard was the first company to experiment with rainfall insurance in 2003. The concept is further extended to weather insurance since 2004. IFFCO-Tokio General Insurance (ITGI), the second company in private sector, started piloting rainfall insurance, since 2004. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) has stipulated that every new insurer undertaking general insurance business, has to underwrite business in the rural sector to the extent of at least 2 per cent of the gross premium during the first financial year, which is to be increased to 5 per cent during the third financial year of its operation. Crop insurance is included in the rural sector insurance for this purpose. The business targets stipulated in rural insurance apparently are very small. Those who do not meet even these small targets, are getting away by paying penalties of nominal amounts. If private insurers are to be spurred to enter the rural insurance market in a significant manner, the business targets have to be raised substantially by IRDA. The experience of government supported and subsidized crop insurance and the recent entry of private insurers, raise questions about the co-existence of government and private agriculture insurance. One view is that the private sector will be unable to compete with government insurance, given the subsidies and access to the administrative machinery for delivering insurance. An alternative view is that given only 15 per cent coverage by government insurance, the private sector can carve out a reasonable market for itself based on improved efficiency, better design and superior services. Here one can even think of public-private partnership in providing agriculture insurance as against public-private competition. However, it is possible only when crop insurance can be run in a more professional manner with clear objectives. Providing Government help to private sector insurers would help in increasing insurance coverage and in improving viability of the insurance schemes over time. There should also be insurance provided by seed companies so that farmers who paid high prices for seeds such as GM crops did not suffer in case of crop failure. In order to promote public – private participation in agriculture insurance GOI should follow the USA model to work out premium rate through an exclusive technical agency, and offer the product to all insurers. Insurers can implement the product, enjoying the same level of support and subsidy. As a variation from the USA method, the government would not provide reinsurance support and reimbursement of administrative and operating expenses, as these costs would be loaded in the actuarial rates. The government can decide whether or not different insurers compete in the same area, or allocate specific crops and areas to a particular insurer (Planning Commission, 2007). With increased commercialization of agriculture price fluctuations have become highly significant in affecting farmers? income. Accordingly, market risk is now quite important in affecting farmers? income. We feel that implementation of market insurance to cover price risk is much easier than yield insurance. This can be done by requiring interested farmers to register their arketable surplus with insurance agency or market committee at the time of sowing of crop. The insurance agency should offer insurance cover to include price guarantee which could be minimum support price in some cases or market based price from the past. Farmers should pay premium for this kind of price insurance and initially government should share some burden of the premium. During harvest if price in the notified market falls below the guaranteed price then insurance agency should pay indemnity. Modalities to be worked out for implementation of this kind of model. The farming community in India consists of about 121 million farmers of which only about 20 per cent avail crop loans from financial institutions and only three fourth of those are insured. The remaining 80 per cent (96 millions) are either self-financing or depend upon informal sources for their financial requirements. Most of the farmers are illiterate and do not understand the procedural and other requirements of formal financial institutions and, therefore, shy away from them. Therefore, while the institutional loanees are insured compulsorily under the NAIS, only about 15 per cent of the non-loanee farmers avail insurance cover voluntarily. This is quite indicative of the enormous insurance potential that exists for addressing the needs of the farming community and enhancing the overall efficiencies as also the competitiveness of the agriculture sector. This also signifies the tremendous potential of agriculture insurance in the country as a concept, which can mitigate the adverse impacts that such uncertainties would have on the individual farmers.

Adoption Essays - Family Law, Family, Human Development, Free Essays

Adoption Adopting a child is an experience that promises to bring great joy as it changes a couple or individual?s life forever. But what happens if the mother of that child wants to endorse their child? Those are the issues that many adopting parents and birth-right mothers are facing today. Many biological mothers want their child back. There are many concerns for adopting parents to know- that there is the possibly that the birth mother may file for the child. As a birth mother or the adopting parent one must realize consequences that could lay ahead. The legal and social transfer of all parental right, responsibilities, and roles from one parent or parents, usually biological, to a nonbiological parent or parents is the definition of adoption. In such a transfer, adoptive parents accept the same rights and responsibilities as the child?s birth parents would have had, while the child becomes a member of a family that provides the social, emotional, and physical nurturing that children needs to grow up to be healthy, functioning adults. But there are some legal issues or opinions that can lead to a halting backfire in the adoption process. But, as the biological parent(s) and adopting parent(s), they must be ready for the quickly, approaching pros and cons. Throughout the adoption journey, the gardein must be prepared and know what is best for them and their child. There are many positive feedbacks to adoption. Children are in need of adoption because some birth parents are unable or unavailable to provide adequately for the needs of their child. Birth parents may feel they cannot take on the responsibility of an unplanned child because they are too young or because they are financially or emotionally unable to provide proper care. They do not feel ready or able to be good parents. Most adopting parents, although, feel confident that most birth-right mothers will not seize their child back. Chris Intagliata, a mother of two adopted children advises that ? It [is] important to ask yourself what you can handle. If you feel you can handle everything, that?s a good attitude.? Those are important notions adopting parents must do. Most of the time adopting parents can handle the task but some times it backfires when the biological mother or c ouple want the baby back. Statistics show that the vast majority of independent adoptions in California are completed without a hitch; less that 2 percent are even contested. But when an adoption is contested, the anguish felt by both the adoptive and birth parents is unimaginable. Linda Ribordy, a family specialist who represented a birth mother in a legal case says that ?if a birth mother changes her mind, it?s automatic that they get the baby back.? But the adopting parents feel furiously and emotionally different. ?We have no legal status, no legal rights, none,? says Inger Bischofberger. ?But he calls me Mama. The only thing that keeps me going is that I can?t turn my back on him, I can?t just walk away from him because all the grownups in his life have messed up.? Birth mothers shouldn?t gain their child back if they are not financially ready. Usually greed and emotions will stand in there way and they will want their child back. But many children as they grow older question, asking - ?Why me or ?Why did my mom put me up for adoption Sometimes the biological mother might fell that her child will hate her as he/she grows older and never visit her. The birth mother should really think about adoption seriously before putting the child up or before trying to regain their child back. The process is both financially and emotionally critical. The lesson learned in the issue of adoption is not to have a child. Whether it is premarital sex, age, or financial or emotional problems- one must be prepared for the consequences ahead.

How Classical Music Infulence Human Lives Research Paper

How Classical Music Infulence Human Lives - Research Paper Example Most homes had at least a musical instrument that was played with lesser or greater skill. Concerts were big events and the people who liked attending them were mostly the rich ones. The pieces prepared for the concerts were longer since people were merely dying to listen to the music. The people could not miss the concerts and wait to pick the cds from music stores the following day. A story is told of J.S. Bach who walked several miles to listen to a performance by a great organist called Buxtehude. Symphonies structured into works of many movements exposed listeners to a variety of intellectual experiences and moods. Music involving dance invited listeners to enjoy. Concerts were great events and these works were not performed all at the same time as they are these days. Originally, symphony movements were separated by other kinds of performances or pieces of music altogether. Today, the cultural, social and aesthetic realities are very different. The time constraints, needs and m usic availability are all different. One can easily turn of or change what they are listening to literally at any time of the day or night. There is need for a totally different approach. The music of today is neither worse nor better, but rather fits this place and time in history. Fortunately, there is always great classical works to return to for inspiration and pleasure. What's the Connection between Classical Music and People's Lives? Classical music has attracted varying perspectives worldwide. During the times of Bach and Mozart, classical music flourished, but today some people, especially the young, perceived it as boring and old fashioned. However, they are missing out since this music is beneficial for the human body and brain. Classical music makes humans... This essay approves that classical music continually developed and evolved from the time of Mozart and Beethoven. It is not about to stagnate anytime soon, but it is continually pushing the sound and music boundaries. Other genres are on constant influence by the advancements in classical music. For instance, Stockhausen's music greatly influenced the Beatles. Many contemporary composers of jazz have employed freedoms and techniques that originated from classical music. Modern classical music has had influence on pop, rock and other genres of music. Rather than blocking the creative ability of contemporary musicians, classical music fertilises and enriches it. The music provides the tools necessary in innovation of other kinds of music. Out of this kind of music come many innovations like the twelve tone method and the ubiquitous staff notation system. This report makes a conclusion that regardless of whether or not one is classical music fan, he/she can always find something that inspires. It could be a specific piece of music, the music of specific composer, the passion and power of musicians performing collectively in perfect harmony or the heartbreaking drama of a particular opera. One can find his/her connection to this kind of music by listening with an open mind. A listener can also perform classical music. Several schools have orchestras and bands. Some cities have municipal bands or youth orchestras. Classical music is the backbone of music, although nowadays people do not appear to really appreciate or enjoy it as they should. People lose out on the benefits the music has on the human body. They need to embrace change and attempt new things, and they could realize that they love classical music. Classical music is among the oldest and most-loved music genres of all times, which can make people smarter.

The Goddess Tara in Buddhist Art Research Paper - 1

The Goddess Tara in Buddhist Art - Research Paper Example Though not explicitly mentioned anywhere, Tara’s rise did pave the way for more active involvement of women in Buddhist society. Women began to find a say in matters that up until then had primarily been the dominion of men. Goddess Tara was considered as an enlightened role model within the Buddhist tantra. According to folklore, â€Å"Tara was born out of the tears of Lord Buddha†(Santhanam, 2005) In tantric literature, she is the first female Buddha. Tara follows a tradition of strong female role models, starting in the ancient Vedic period and continuing through early Mahayana times. Some of the duties that Tara performs are similar to those of her contemporaries like Goddess Prajnaparamita. Goddess Tara is also associated with an ancient star cult that provided help to seafarers lost at sea. It is also interesting to note that ‘Tara’ means star in Sanskrit. She is also considered to protect humans from nature’s fury including ocean waves, floods , fires, epidemics, etc. With time she has also come to be regarded as a guide to achieve Moksha, which is the Sanskrit word for enlightenment. Tara emerged as Goddess during a time when Buddhist society was mainly patriarchal. Her manner of presentation was similar to those of male bodhisattvas of earlier times. Tara is unbiased in guiding all â€Å"motherly† sentient beings and helps extricate them from the ocean of suffering. She has got rid of all actions deemed morally wrong and has also gotten over her attachment towards worldly pursuits. â€Å"As a Bhagavati, Tara is a female Buddha who is spontaneously present, totally living in the moment without getting bothered by thoughts of the past or the future†. (Landesman, 2008)Tara has many dimensions to her state of being, and this is visually depicted in paintings on cloth and powdered colours on flat surfaces. She is at times a golden goddess who showers prosperity on her worshippers and also protects

Volly 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Volly 2 - Essay Example In this touch ten drill the defenders run hitting line with all the hitters. The coach will toss the ball to the setter and the setter sets the ball to any of the hitter he likes. The hitter will try to avoid all the defenders while smashing the ball. The defenders can start from anywhere in the court for effectively blocking the smashes (X-hitters, C-Coach, D-Defender, S-Setter) (Volleyball.com). The figure given below is another form of touch ten defensive drill. This drill teaches aggressiveness along with improving reflex reaction times. Reflexes and reflex reactions are important in every sports and volleyball is also not an exception. Here X stands for defenders and C for the coach. Coach hit the ball repeatedly to any of the three defensive players. There will not be any clue about who is going to receive the ball from the coach. All the defenders should be ready to receive the ball every time when the coach hit the ball. The coach on the other hand mixes his shot with less power, more power, less accurate, more accurate, and also he uses variety of swings also in each of the shots he make (Volleyball.com). This drill is intended for strengthening of offense. This is intended for closing the hole between the blockers by the smasher. It requires blockers at one side and the setter and the hitters on the other side. The ball tossed by the coach to the setter, sets to an outside hitter. The hitter should try to smash the ball between the blockers. The middle and the outside blocker start the drill by standing next to one another so that the timing is not an issue. This drill can be practiced using two and three blockers. Initially the drill starts with two blockers and then in order to increase the difficulty level in hitting the ball, instead of two, a third blocker is also used (Volleyball Plays and

Reflective for personal worldview Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reflective for personal worldview - Assignment Example The world remains subjective to human beings, hence, the need for human to always have an objective in life. It is also evident that human beings are controlled by what most of them consider being inexorable laws. This keeps humans on toes to always know that each of their deeds have an effect which could be either ruin or make them. This can easily be related to the Biblical views of many individuals in the world. Yes, I am able to perceive different world views in family, friends, acquaintances and most importantly, fellow students both in my country and Canada. All these different individuals have different views on the seven basic questions that Sire uses to explore his views on the book, The Universe Next Door. Sire’s categories fit especially into my personal experiences and critically others individuals too. The world view attempts to infiltrate the main Christian beliefs and even go to the extent of opposing Biblical worldview. This has continuously created war between the hearts and minds of the humans. Lack of self awareness of the media, friends and family has contributed greatly to the different

Write a letter to your first-year roommate at Babson. Tell him or her Essay - 1

Write a letter to your first-year roommate at Babson. Tell him or her what it will be like to live with you, why you chose Babson, and what you are looking forward to the most in college - Essay Example I tend not to get worked up about things, and am fairly relaxed, so I would be surprised if much of what you did bothered me. I’m also fairly direct and honest, so if there is something that I think we need to talk about I’m just going to bring it up instead of letting it simmer or being passive aggressive – you never have to wonder if your pile of dirty gym clothes is bothering me – if it is I’ll come out and tell you right away, so if I say nothing you will know it’s not. I’m not especially neat nor especially messy, but a bit of a mess won’t bother me – if it will bother you ten I can definitely keep cleaner. So those are all the ways I’m pretty easy to live with. One of the reasons I might be a pain is my sleep schedule – I tend to alternately be a very early riser or a night owl, and I tend to work best early in the morning or late at night. So my schedule is pretty erratic and might shift significantly throughout the year. If you’re like me, then this won’t be a problem, but if it is I’m sure we can work something out! I decided to come to Babson for several reasons. One is definitely its spirit of entrepreneurship – I love the idea of starting your own business, of creating ideas and capitalizing on them, and competing with others to try to win market share, and, of course, profits. The school obviously has a very good reputation as one of the best business schools in the country, and this reputation is something that drew me to it as well. Location also played a part in my decision to come to Babson – I love the huge, beautiful campus (especially the globe!) and the small town feel you get there. But I also like that it is close to Boston and other big cities in New England, so you don’t feel like you’re stranded in the middle of nowhere – you can always find something to do. The thing I’m most excited about next year is meeting and making connections with new

Commercial and financial management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Commercial and financial management - Essay Example Financial accounting focuses on providing information for people outside the firm like creditors and outside investors. Management accounting on the other hand focuses on giving internal decision makers information which aids them in making financial and operational strategies (Horngren, et al. 2002). Accounting and business finance are closely interrelated. The business arena often refers to accounting as "the language of business" implying that a better understanding of the accounting language will aid making better financial decisions (Horngren et al. 2002). Thus, in general, accounting is a prerequisite in understanding the important concepts used in financial accounting. Basic knowledge in accounting is imperative in understanding finance. As stated earlier, concepts which are commonly used in accounting appears in financial management. For instance, a company which needs to determine the profitability of an investment needs to be acquainted with the effects of different transactions on the income statement of the business organization. ... Thus, decision makers need to be adept in speaking the language of business in order to be able to come up with financially efficient business decisions geared to help in attaining the financial goals of a firm. In the early part of this paper, the classification of accounting according to users has been discussed. It should be noted that these two different fields of accounting has different relationships with business finance. Financial accounting which is more concerned with the reporting of historical financial information becomes a reflection of the how the financial aspect of business is managed, while managerial accounting is almost identical in function with business finance as it directed toward the future of the firm (Finance 2006). The company's financial statements are the product of financial accounting. These documents clearly show how the business organization is performing in terms of income, capital structure, asset growth and other numerical information (Horngren et al. 2002). It should be noted that the company's financial performance is a direct result of how business finance is conducted by decision makers. The profit or loss in the financial statement, the growth in total assets, and how they resources are financed becomes an indication of how well a business organization is attaining its financial goals. Financial accounting is a yardstick revealing how business finance is achieving its goal of maximizing shareholder value. With this, financial accounting is very important in ascertaining the efficiency of financial decisions in a company. Business finance can be further modified or improved by looking at a firm's various financial statements. Management accounting takes a step further by having a

History final in-class essays Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

History final in-class essays - Essay Example These empires are one of the most important empires because they provide a lot of information and important documents concerning the Islamic culture and beliefs (Bryce, 2013). To begin with, the Ottoman Empire was formed around the beginning of 14th century and was the first empire to be formed among these three empires. It covers areas such as the North Africa region, Egypt, Syria, Arabia, Iraq, and the Balkans region. It was founded by a sultan known as Sultan Selim in 1512 and its boundaries covers Atlantic Ocean region to the whole Persian Gulf (Dinc & Yetim, 2012). The empire went in first battle of the Lepanto at around 1571 and later went in a battle where it was defeated in 1683 in Vienna. In addition, the empire is remembered as one of the great Islamic empires that brought modernization in the late 19th century that. Although it failed to improve the economic, political, and social process in its regions, it was seen to provide bigger impact on the cultural Islamic historic al life (Carnegie, 2013). The empire ruled until around 1600, where it reached its peak and later started to decline due to some internal lack of organization. Again, the decline was due to enemy pressure that was inflicted to the empire by the Europe and Asia enemies of the empire. Although the empire faced various challenges, it was it came to an end in 1918 after World War I. The empire is remembered as one of the great Islamic empires that gave rise to the present day country called Turkey. Again, the empire is also remembered as one of the empires that provided the link between the medieval revolution and the current Islamic historical information (Guidetti, 2013). The second great Islamic empire is known as the Safavid Empire that was founded in 1501 as a result of political changes in Persia. The empire is come from the name Safavid that was the name of Sufi order formed by the Sunnite mystic. Although Safi-ad-Din died in around 1334 the empire name was passed to Shiism at ar ound 1400 hence the name the Shiite Safavid Empire. Ismail became the head of Safavid in 1487 and ruled up to 1501 where he declared himself the Shah of Iran and established a dynasty that united and brought together Iran people and ruled them up to late 1722. Iran became more influenced by the western culture in the early 19th century leading to modernization, which brought about the Islamic religion of today. Besides the empire although formed in 1501was one of the great Islamic empires that was originated as a result of religious sect and acquired most of political as well as military characteristic. This empire was officially the empire of Shiite and some of the religious diversity he has led to conflict between it and the Sunni neighbors. Besides this is one the empires that ruled within the shortest time and was greatly affected by the invaders such as the Afghans which attacked them in around 1722. The empire is greatly remembered for its nationalism and it led to the formati on of the present day Iran country (Behbudi, 2013). The third empire is the Mughal Empire that was based in India and was founded in 1526 (Garcia-Rivero, 2013). The empire faced many challenges and was affected British empires. In addition, the empire gained from the succession of strong rulers that gave him the Hindu population

Hear My Cry Essay Example for Free

Hear My Cry Essay Big Ma took Stacey, T. J. and Cassie to Strawberry to the market and also to take T. J. to the Barnetts Mercantile. While they were in the market field Cassie pointed out to Big Ma that they were all the way at the end of the field and no-one would be able to see them. The white peoples wagons were right at the front and if anyone wanted to come to the Logans wagon, by the time they got there they would have bunions on their soles and corns on their toes. Additionally in Strawberry, when Cassie was in the Barnetts Mercantile Mr Barnett was taking a long time to see to T. J. s list. He kept on going to help white people and then came back and didnt even put in another item when he started to help a little white girl. When Cassie saw this she became slightly angry and thought Mr. Barnett had forgotten about T. J. s list. Cassie went to tell Mr. Barnett of T. J. s list and tugged at his sleeve. He recoiled and told her to wait. Then she got even angrier and told him that he had taken ages for their turn. Thats when Mr Barnett screamed, Whose little nigger is this? Stacey dragged Cassie out of the store and told her to shush. Mr Barnett was not being fair to the children and was treating them horribly. Once Cassie was outside she accidently bumped into Lillian Jean. She didnt want to create a fuss so when Lillian Jean asked her to apologize she did. But Lillian Jean wanted more; so she ordered Cassie into the road. Of course Cassie wasnt going to do that. When Lillian Jean went to grab Cassies arm, Cassie pulled it back but someone caught it and held it tight so it hurt. This was Mr Simms. He shoved her into the road and Cassie fell on her bottom. He told her to listen to Lillian Jean when she asked Cassie to get in the road. He asked her to apologize and Cassie said she had. When Mr Simms jumped into the road Cassie got really scared and thought her would hit her but he didnt. Then she got up and ran to the wagon but somebody caught her, it was Big Ma. Then Big Ma told Cassie to apologize but Cassie still argued. Once again Big Ma told her and this time Cassie did. But Mr Simms demanded her to say Miz before his daughters name. And with a painful tear Cassie did. You can tell how upset she was because in the book it says; No day in all my life had been as cruel as this one. Lastly, in the final chapters T. J. had become friends with R. W. and Melvin. But the Simms boys used this to their advantage. They would laugh behind T. J. s back but not in front of him. Then one day they forced him to break into the Barnetts Mercantile and stole the pearl handle pistol. Also Mr and Mrs Barnett were left for dead. T. J. got all the blame and the Simms stood there watching when the Wallaces came for T. J. , T. J. got sent to jail and was to go to court while the Simms boys were left free. In conclusion, all white people had superiority over the black community. They didnt treat them with respect, except a few (example; Jeremy and Mr Jamison). Blacks had to call white people Miss or Mr. And white people made the law not blacks. They could hang a black for any reason, or no reason at all and no questions were asked. Black people were treated unfairly and unjustly. Saimah Sarwar 10a English GCSE Coursework Roll Of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our  GCSE Mildred Taylor  section.

The effects of osmosis Essay Example for Free

The effects of osmosis Essay Introduction: Osmosis is a movement of water across a semi-permeable membrane. This may only happen when there is a difference in concentration between the two sides of the membrane. The water moves from low concentrations to high concentrations. That is because the low concentrated area tries to dilute the opposite via osmosis. The effects osmosis has on a cell are either that it becomes turgid and hard as water enters the cell or it becomes dehydrated (this is called plasmolysing in plant cells) as water leaves the cell and the solution enters. There is a change of mass, volume, texture and length. Aim: The aim is to investigate the effects of varying concentrations of a salt solution on the amount of osmotic activity between the solution and a potato of a given size. Osmosis: Process of Osmosis Osmosis is the process of the flow of one constituent of a solution (in this case salt) through a membrane while the other constituents are blocked and unable to pass through the membrane. Experimentation is necessary to determine which membranes permit selective flow, or osmosis, because not all membranes act in this way. Many membranes allow all or none of the constituents of a solution to pass through; only a few allow a selective flow. That is why I have chosen potatoes as my semi-permeable membrane. In osmosis, a solvent (often water) moves from a region of low concentration to a region of high concentration through a semi-permeable membrane. Here,  water molecules diffuse into the concentrated salt solution because the water molecules are small enough to move through the semi permeable membrane. The larger salt molecules are unable to move through the membrane into the water solution because the membrane acts as a net. Osmosis will stop when the two solutions reach equal concentrations on either side of the membrane. Hypothesis: The hypothesis is that as the solvent, the water enters the potato cell to dilute the concentrated salt solution in side the cells. As the salt solution gets weaker more water will enter the cell. This is because more water is needed to dilute the stronger salt solution concentration in the potato cells. The water will try to flow in and out of the potato continuously until it will reach an isotonic equilibrium. The potato cells become turgid and hydrated. However the potato is a plant therefore it has a cell wall that means that at some point the cell wall will stop letting in water or slow it?s flow down. If the plant cells did not have a rigid cell wall they would burst, like in animal cells which have soft cell walls. In this particular investigation I intend to prove that the lower the concentration of the salt solution in the petri dish, the greater the mass of the potato will be. This is because the water molecules pass from a high concentration, i.e. in the water itself, to a low concentration, i.e. in the potato chip. Therefore, the 4 cm core bored potato ?chips? in higher water concentrations will have a larger mass than in higher salt concentrations. If the concentrated salt solution is stronger than the isotonic solution then the cell will lose water. Water will leave the cell and dilute the strong salt solution outside the cell. It will make the concentration gradient equalize. As the strength of the concentrated solution increases the more water will leave the cell. The potatoes cell wall will only shrink because it is only the cell wall that will dehydrate or plasmolyse, but only up to a certain extent because it is only the vacuole that will seriously shrink. The plasmolysed plant cell can be seen under a microscope. My prediction for this particular investigation is at about 0.4 / 0.6 [molar] concentration the salt solution there will be an increase in both mass and length of the potato. The weaker the salt solution the further the solution the quicker will cause decrease in mass and length in the potato. To examine and create an appropriate range of results. For this experiment six petri dishes were used each with five 4 cm core-bored pieces of potato. As evidence of osmosis occurring I used the difference of weight before (after being blotted for six minutes) and after being in the salt solution. The control is five core-bored potatoes in a distilled water solution. Here nothing anomalous should occur. To make the results valuable the experiment is replicated five times in each petri dish. Any anomalous results in the potatoes it will be noticed and recorded To ensure reliability of results, the whole experiment will be replicated to increase the accuracy of the results. Further information on potato plant cells: Plant cells always have a strong cell wall surrounding them. When they take up water by osmosis they start to swell, but the cell wall prevents them from bursting, unlike animal cells ie. cheek cells, which explode if they take up to much water. Plant cells become turgid when they are put in dilute solutions. Turgid means swollen, stiff and hard. The pressure inside the cell rises and eventually the internal pressure of the cell is so high that no more water can enter the cell. This liquid or hydrostatic pressure works against osmosis. Turgidity is very important to plants because this is what makes the green parts of the plant stand up into the sunlight. When plant cells are placed in concentrated salt solutions they lose water by osmosis and they become flaccid. This is the exact opposite of turgid. The content of the potato cells shrinks and pulls away from the cell wall. These cells are said to be plasmolysed. When plant cells are placed in a solution, which has exactly the same osmotic strength as the cells they are in a state between turgidity and flaccidity. We call this incipient plasmolysis. Incipient means, about to be.

Importance Of Cross Cultural Leadership

Importance Of Cross Cultural Leadership In the 21st century, many companies operate in international markets and leadership has to deal with the cross-cultural differences. Most researchers and practitioners are saying that the leader of tomorrow is someone who can jump across boundaries and disciplines and analyze cultural differences in global (Shinn, 2011).The leaders have to learn how to get along with the employees and leading a good team of different cultural backgrounds. And some researchers have been predicting that globalization, increased technology and changing demographics would create new challenges for leaders who must manage in a diverse workforce. All of those factors have increased the possibly that workers are from various nationalities, different culture backgrounds and a variety of religions will be required to work together. The problem of Leadership seems to be particularly important in international and cross-cultural market where they run business. The leaders of these companies need to consider not only the countrys economic, political and environment, but also the cultural differences between their country and the international country. So the controversy is the leaders can successfully lead the team in the cross-cultural background or not. Different people hold different views. In my opinion, I think cross-cultural leadership will be success. The purpose of this paper is to briefly introduce the importance of cross-cultural leadership in the international business. Then it will discuss the challenges and problems of the cross-cultural leadership and also will analyze the situation and applications with appropriate theories. Finally, the essay will end with a synthesized conclusion. Importance of cross-cultural leadership There are two kinds of understanding of cross-cultural leadership. One is from the point of view of the organization to understand the cross-cultural leadership, cross-cultural leadership is the leader in the implementation of an organization constituted by the staff of different nationalities, different values and different cultural backgrounds to guide and coordinate the behavior. From this perspective, cross-cultural leadership is present in among the multinational and transnational organizations. In addition, an understanding from the perspective of cultural exchange and cultural changes, the cross-cultural leadership as to adapt to a new wave of globalization and services worldwide wave of cultural leadership activities. From this perspective, cross-cultural leadership is a unique phenomenon to test the ability of leaders is able to lead and adapt the cultural challenges. Because the cultural variances are knowledge so important for the multinational companies leadership activities, it is significant for the leaders to develop good understanding about the key of different cultural variances (Rupp, 2011). Furthermore, nations specific cultural attributes play an important role in determining the selection of leadership style. Challenge and application Based on the previous studies, most of the suggestions for global leaders are relatively brief and generalized, such as understanding and respecting other cultures or fulfilling the cultural gaps. They fail to guide leaders in detail on how to behave and achieve these responsibilities. With the acceleration of business globalization, more and more academics have growing concerns about the way cultural differences impact on leadership behaviours (Littrell, 2002). Grow up of cross-cultural leadership cause of the business internationalization and globalization, on the one hand, it led to the spread of the advanced leadership concepts, but on the other hand, has also led to some of the countrys leadership values began to decline. For example, in the process of internationalization of Japanese companies, Japans traditional values in life is difficult to tune with the wave of global leadership; In India, Nigeria and other developing countries, the concept of leadership has become increasingly complex, the evaluation also shows the diversity of leadership performance and leadership structure; even understanding of the leader is different in different countries. Global Leadership and Robert House (2004) argue that as the globalization of business continues to increase in the 21st century, organizations must consider the cultural differences. He also states that as economic borders come down, cultural barriers go up, thus presenting new challenges a nd opportunities for culture-cultural leadership. The challenge of cross-cultural leadership is difficult in the world because of its diverse work force. Different national cultures play a critical role in success effective leadership in international businesses. The organizations are thus challenged by the cross-cultural leadership and needs to address the increasing culture diversity. One of the major barriers in any cross-cultural leadership situation is for the members of each cultural group to develop a full understanding of what leadership means to the other group. Some people thought that the cross-cultural leadership would destroy their original leadership style and rules. Hofstede (2003) has conducted a great number of empirical researches on the cultural differences and summarized his six cultural dimension theory, which systematically examines the cultural variances. Hofstedes theories give an important guideline to the leaders let them to know the different cultures and decide how to lead in the cross-cultural country in order to avoid the culture conflict in the international leadership and success leading the teams. The other challenge is in the different nations culture, the way of communication between leaders and employees is also different. An example is the leader of the United States is usually directly, they will point out the errors facing you directly, but the Japanese leaders tend to convey to indicate through pass the notes. If there are any negative reviews, the leader just through colleagues to pass that. Sometimes, if the leader doesnt know the culture and leadership style in that country, it will engender the culture conflict and problem. Todays multinational corporations requires leaders who have good ability to adapt the cross-culture environments rapidly, and can effective work with partners and leading employees of other cultures (Service and White, 2012). As a result, the company changed the system of rationalization proposals to the collective recommendation system, bonuses to the team, and it achieved good result. Visible, cross-cultural leadership is a high reward demanding activities. According to Morrison (2000), the leaders should share the information and knowledge about their own culture, and also need to know how to adapt to the other cultures. Moreover, the leaders need to identify the gaps between different cultures and need to learn how to bridge them to avoid the conflict. To improve leadership performance, cross-cultural leader must be able to get all kinds of information in a timely and smooth flow of feedback in order to adjust their behavior. GLOBE is a large research effort offering useful tools for understanding cultural effects and developing the sensitivity to achieve leadership effectiveness in a global context. It was designed to investigate the intricate effects of culture on business leadership and effectiveness, and the human impacts of societies studied (House Javidan, 2004). It aims to fulfill the substantial gap on cross-cultural factors affecting organizational and leadership practices, by examining the roles of societal and organizational values. The strengths of GLOBE research are giving leaders a good starting point to explore the knowledge of cross-cultural leadership. More importantly, it also helps leaders to know effective behaviours in leadership implementation and how to behave properly across cultural contexts. QQà ¦Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ªÃƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ¾20130420125751.png Source: House Javidan (2004). Conclusion According to Service (2012) indicated that, the global venture problems occur because lack of leadership skills and knowledge in relating with the people in different culture backgrounds. Integration of technologies, nations, cultures, relationships, and interests continues to characterize the twenty-first century workplace (Potoker, 2011). Leading across cultures requires specific skills, and organizations should provide formal training along with expatriate assignments to develop leaders who can achieve results in this demanding environment (Mathis and Jackson, 2013). From the above analysis, in the 21st century, cause the globalization, the demand of cross-cultural leaders will be more and more, and for leaders of todays and tomorrows businesses, the ability to connect people and leading successful teams in a cross-cultural environment is an important competency. The organizations need to become more effective when they are able to identify and foster the appropriate leader behaviors for the relevant cultural situation. The leader should know well about the difference of the culture background in order to avoid the culture conflict and leading more effectively.

When We Dead Awaken: Writing as Re-Vision and In Search of Our Mothe

  Ã‚  Ã‚   Women.   Adrienne Rich says we have our work cut out for us.   Alice Walker says we could do so much given the artistic chance.   Patricia Williams says that we are not sleeping.   I listen and relate to these women.   And I wonder what do I say?   I am a woman.   I don't know what it means for me to be a woman.   I just am.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Be Insatiable.   Be insatiable and still a woman.   Stand for your beliefs, be a bitch and yet stay soft and sexy and agreeable.   I feel like a lousy commercial for some perfume, "I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in the pan, and never let you forget you're a man, because I'm a woman."   I am caught in the crossfire of who I am and who I ought to be according to everybody else.   Is this what Williams' dream at the end of her essay was about? The red dress, the hair and she is loud.   She is the "her that she had always dreamed of being, fascinating."   What I find "Fascinating" is that even she is watching herself from the outside.   I do this.   I watch myself play each role.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I am not black, or Hispanic.   I am heterosexual.   I want to be a wife.   I want to be a mother.   I can look at society and see myself staring back at me, white, Christian and content.   Does this make me unqualified to read and understand the meanings in the texts of Alice Walker, of Gloria Anzaldua?   What about Adrienne Rich?   These women have stared into the face of society and they are not reflected.   But I do relate.   Sometime I feel like the silent minority within the majority.   The one that thinks and feels and understands and yet is overlooked, ignored.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I feel ignored because of the majority view that the because of the majority view that the minority has.   I hear about the "Mormon" in this area, the ... ...s the words of her fascinating self say, "Voices lost in the chasm speak from the slow eloquent fact of the chasm.   They speak and speak and speak, like flowing water" and she wakens strong, single hearted and completely refreshed.   Florida Scott Card said" you do not need to claim all the events in your life to make them yours, but when you do, you are fierce with reality."   It is not always easy o reality."   It is not always easy or notable to be a woman.   Being a woman speaks from the chasm, it speaks from the walls, and it speaks from voices within, some chiding some soothing, like flowing water.    Works Cited Rich, Adrienne.   "When We Dead Awaken: Writing as Re-Vision,"in Ways of Reading, 4th ed., (Boston: Bedford Books, 1996). Walker, Alice.   "In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens," in Ways of Reading, 4th ed., (Boston: Bedford Books, 1996).   

The Merchant Of Venice :: Free Merchant of Venice Essays

The Merchant Of Venice Act 1 In the fist act, Antonio is introduced as the Merchant of Venice. A friend of him, Bassanio, desperately needs money because all of his money is on his ships and he wants to go to Belmont to visit the woman of his dreams, Portia. Therefore he goes to Antonio to ask if he is willing to go to Shylock and ask him if he can have 3000 ducats. Antonio agrees and goes to Shylock and explains that he has to pay it back within 3 months. If he doesn't do this, he may cut one pound of his fair flesh... Act 2 In Belmont, the casket bond proceeds: with two already rejected, news comes that Bassanio is at Portia's gate. Meanwhile, Shylock is left bewailing the loss of his ducats and his daughter that has run away with Lorenzo and the treasure. Shylock doesn't like this at all because he really doens't like the Christians and Lorenzo is a Christian Act 3 Jessica is now together with Lorenzo. She is a Jew and he's a Christian. Jessica is embarrassed to be a Jew is planning to change religion for Lorenzo. Shylock is still looking for them and is very mad when he finds out that she has sold a ring, that was given to Shylock by his wife, for a monkey. Meanwhile Bassanio is picking one of the caskets and takes the correct one; the leaden casket. He may now marry Portia. Because Antonio hasn't paid back the 3000 ducats he had lend from Shylock, Shylock may have one pound of his fair flesh. Shylock takes it to court... Act 4 Still in the court of law, Portia and Nerissa have disguised themselves as doctor and clerk. Shylock wants his revenge on the Christians because they treat him like a dog and spit on him. He wants his bond and the one pound of the flesh of Antonio. Portia very smartly knows how to trick him by saying that it doesn't say in the bond that any blood can be spilt and that he has to take exactly one pound of the flesh. No more and no less. Shylock has to give up because he can't deny this. Antonio is safe! Bassanio has given the ring that he had got from Portia to the doctor and Gratiano has given the ring that he had got from Nerissa to the clerk... They had said to their women that they would never give the rings away.

Location and Description of the Algonkian Indians Essay -- Algonkians

Location and Description of the Algonkian Indians - Algonkian lived in Quebec and Ontario; starting from the Ottawa valley, beneath Hudson Bay and above lower Ontario - the areas in which they lived in were dense woodlands with trees, such as, birch and evergreen; and snow covered the land most of the year. Adaptation to the physical Environment Home - Algonkian homes were called Wigwam, there frames were built out of saplings of tall, young tree trunks which were tied together with narrow strips of bark or root fibers, to form a dome shape - the frame was covered with woven mats or barks, then was firmly tied to the frames - light birch bark were used as covers in the summer and heavy elm or walnut bark was used in the winter Changing Climate - tribes lived in one designated location, but it was common for them to move within that region, depending on the season - during the spring and summer they would shift their homes closer to the water so that they may be able to fish with more ease - while in the autumn and winter they would move near the forest so they would be able to hunt for animals Transportation - on land Algonkians generally walked, but they traveled by canoes in the water - they had two types of canoes - the dugout and birch bark, which were made from hollowing whole trees Clothing - clothing simple yet sturdy - during summer men wore only a deerskin loincloth - women wore an apron or a long wraparound skirt made form the same material - when weather became colder the Algonkian added skin shirts, fur robes, leggings and feather clocks - they also greased the bodies to ward off insects in the summer and keep warm in winter Mode of Substance - Algonkians lived too far north and outside the rice ring for agriculture - they were mainly semi-nomadie bands of hunter -gathers - some southern bands began growing crops in 17th century - they hunted animals using the nich of projectile points made from flints - they were best identified for their skills as hunters who made the best traps and snares, the traps and snares come in many different forms and changed with each season - among the animals hunted were deers, moose, beavers, cariboues, elks and bears. - during the summer groups would gather to fish and socialize - when winter came they separated into small hunting camps of extended families - due to ... ...ench Firearms in 1610 - in exchange for the fur the Algonkians received steel weapons from the French which they used to drive the Mohawks far south of the St. Lawrence River - by 1614 the French shifted their interest on the fur trade from the Algonkins to the Hurons and the Algonkians were reduced to second partners, though they remained in business with the French - Algonkians after the Mohawks gained support of the Dutch and had access to European's weapons lost battles and pretty much went out of site as far as the French concerned - eventually Algonkian set fur trading post along the north end of the Ottawa Valley - the Algonkian remained important allies to the French until the French and Indian war (1755 - 63) - once French were defeated and the British took over, they choose made allies with Iroquosi over the Algonkian - although Algonkians fought along side with the British in the American Revolution in (1775 -83), following the war they were moved out of their homelands to make room for new communes. - finally the Canadian government established ten reserves for the Algonkians to live in but this was only a tiny portion of what once was their original homeland,

Video Guide Questions NOVA: World in Balance “The People Paradox”

1. What will be the worldwide trend for population growth of industrialized countries of the world in the future? The world population of 7.2 billion in mid-2013 is projected to increase by almost one billion people within the next twelve years. It is projected to reach 8.1 billion in 2025, and to further increase to 9.6 billion in 2050 and 10.9 billion by 2100. This assumes a decline of fertility for countries where large families are still prevalent as well as a slight increase of fertility in several countries with fewer than two children per woman on average.2. What will be the future population growth trends for developing countries in the future? Almost all of the additional 3.7 billion people from now to 2100 will enlarge the population of developing countries, which is projected to rise from 5.9 billion in 2013 to 8.2 billion in 2050 and to 9.6 billion in 2100. Much of the overall increase between 2013 and 2050 is projected to take place in high-fertility countries, mainly in Africa, as well as countries with large populations such as India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines and the United States of America.3. What are some of the societal/cultural reasons why Indian families often desire multiple male offspring? How do you think this influences population growth rate trends in India? Naturally society prefers the male child, as he is the ‘superior’ child. Economics plays a large part here. The son is expected to earn and ‘pay back’ by looking after the parents in old age. Usually he does. And in many parts of India the male child grows up and commands a large dowry. This influences population growth rate trends in India by having a greater male to female ratio.4. Describe India’s age structureThe age structure in India is 0 to 14 years 31.7% (male 173,869,856; female 164,003,915) 15 to 64 years 63.5% (male 349,785,804; female 326,289,402) 65 years and over 4.8% (male 25,885,725; female 25,235,905)5. How had the cultu ral practice of dowry endowment affected women’s rights and health in India? In certain communities in South Asia, the low status of girls has to be compensated for by the payment of a dowry by the parents of the girl to  the husband at the time of marriage. This has resulted in a number of dowry crimes, including mental and physical torture, starvation, rape, and even the burning alive of women by their husbands and/or in-laws in cases where dowry payments are not met.6. How have educational and vocational programs for Indian women influenced birth rate and infant mortality? How have India’s population growth trends influenced access water and food production? Several scholars have linked birthrate decline to female education. Educated women, they reason, generally prefer smaller families, allowing them to pursue their own interests while investing more resources and time in each child. As it turns out, the map of female literacy in India does exhibit striking simil arities with the map of fertility.7. Why is the â€Å"2 child rule† so important in terms of global population and its impacts? Using a 2-child rule, we will eventually, yet very slowly, reduce the population. By reducing the population we will have more access to benefits for the entire population.8. Describe some of the population growth characteristics of Japan There is a very low infant mortality rate, 2.8 in a thousand, and a relatively low birth rate as well, at 7.41 births in a thousand.However, the death rate, 9.83 deaths in a thousand, is higher than the birth rate, which means 2 more people are dying in a thousand than being born. Thousands of children are being born on a daily basis. 2.8 in a thousand and a relatively low birth rate as well, at 7.41 births in a thousand. However, the death rate, 9.83 deaths in a thousand, is higher than the birth rate, which means 2 more people are dying in a thousand than being born.9. What is a â€Å"parasite single†?  P arasite single is a single person who lives with their parents beyond their late twenties in order to enjoy a carefree and comfortable life. In Japanese culture, the term is especially used when negatively describing young unmarried women.10. How do you think the increase of education and employment opportunities for women have influenced reproductive patterns in Japan? The increase of education and employment opportunities for women has declined reproductive patterns in Japan. There is very low infant mortality rate, which may have  occurred as a result of the increase and education and employment opportunities in Japan.11. How has the relative proportion of older Japanese changed over the last 20 years? What implications might that have for elderly people in Japan?12. Describe the immigration and employment trends for the U.S. and Japan.13. Describe the birth rate of sub- Saharan Africa, and some of its implications.14. Describe how death rates and life expectancy has changed in Kenya over the last decade in particular.15. How does the use of birth control compare in the developed vs. developing countries? How would this affect HIV transmission?16. What is the concept of demographic transition?17. Given that we live in a an affluent country, do you think we have an ethical responsibility to help fund programs that will stabilize population growth in developing countries, and encourage sustainability of species and resources globally? Why or why not?

Marketing Strategy In General Motors Essay

  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   General Motors Corporation was founded in the year 1908 with its head quarters based in the United States of America. It’s the world’s largest automaker manufacturing over 35 different brands and generally ranked the fifth largest company worldwide with a work force of over 280000 employees the world over. As part of corporate social responsibility G..M has given millions of dollars in computers to Engineering colleges. It has also created joint ventures dedicated to quality of life needs of employees through offering of medical care and other social services. In terms of marketing strategies, the company has embarked on large scale productions to minimize capital under utilization. Secondly, its diversity on automobile make also spreads the risks thus lowering chances of totally risky ventures. Branding has also been the secret behind their prosperous undertaking mostly with the introduction of trendy sports utility makes. Not to be left behind technologically, G.M has also kept up with the technological advancements with the manufacture of electric vehicles as well as the G.M auto racing models. INTRODUCTION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Marketing strategy is when an organization designs the best combination or package of the traditional 4ps and extended 5ps in an attempt to influence the target market appropriately. There is need to review the current marketing strategy as the marketing environment is dynamic. An effective strategy requires a rich and current database.   An organization should therefore invest in continuous marketing research. General Motors has used various strategies in its growth. Among them are the generic strategies and grand strategies as discussed below.   DISCUSSION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The General motors company has used the above strategies to maximize diversification. The company has used a strategy of using new technology in the market so that it can be competitive in market for better performance and facing new challenges coming up in the world market, like, before the 1970s the motor vehicle manufacturing companies in Europe regarded themselves as competing largely in a home market in which they were dominant. However, the subsequent changes in the motor vehicle industry were dramatic. The motor vehicle industry in general was faced with the problems of an increasingly competitive market in a changing business environment; the need was to match the organization’s activity to this environment in such a way as to   take advantage of such opportunities that might be provided and overcome the   many threats that could arise. Since the environment is continually changing the company makes strategic decisions for better growth of the organization.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Strategic decisions often have major resource implications for an organization. These may be decisions to do with the disposal or acquisition of assets of substantial value. The company decides as part of the rationalization of its operations to close a plant that is not doing well. Also the company adopts strategy of using new technology so as to achieve economies of scale in production. In other words, strategic decisions may result in major changes in the resource base of the business. Strategic decisions are likely to affect operational decisions, to set off waves of lesser decisions. For example, if the firm decides to rationalize its operations and cut back on manufacturing capacity and the workforce, this may give rise to industrial relations problems. Similarly, strategic decisions about rationalization, which lead to a revised product or manufacturing plan, will inevitably mean that the sorts of day-to-day problems faced by a production manager, or a sales manager, in the company turn out to be different. Again, then, it is important to understand that strategic decisions have wide ramifications across the organization. The strategy of an organization will be affected not only by environmental forces and resource availability, but also by the values and  Ã‚   expectations of those who have power in the organization. According to M.E. Porter (1980) corporate strategy is concerned with impact of external environment on the firm. In some respects, strategy can be thought of as a reflection of the attitudes and beliefs of those who have most influence in the organization. Whether a company is expansionist or more concerned with consolidation, or where the boundaries are drawn for a company’s activities, may say such about the values and attitudes of those who most strongly influence strategy. Making organization mission clear to member, this will serve as strategy.   The company uses its mission statement as a strategy which states that it will stand the best in producing motor vehicles, standing against competition, in terms of technological advances and in terms of its role in society. The company uses this strategy with specific aims as to where the organization is conceived to be throughout. Strategic decisions are likely to be concerned with the scope of an organization’s activities: does the organization concentrate on one area of activity, or does it have many activities? For example, should the firm focus? On a small range of products or, as in the past, have a very diverse range? To what extent should it be integrated backwards into manufacturing or forward into distribution? And should it attempt to compete widely in international markets, indeed would it survive without a wider international role?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   General Motors uses a strategy of matching organization’s activities with its resource capability. It also uses a strategy of countering environmental threats and taking advantage of environmental opportunities; by matching organizational resources to threats and opportunities. Before the company takes any strategy it looks at the long term implication it will bring to the firm before implementation is done. The decisions taken now by the management of the company will have long-term implications on the health of the business in later decades, for instance, a decision to close a plant that is not doing well or to move into another area of activity. Strategic decisions therefore tend to have long term horizons and or implications, strategic decisions are often complex in nature. General Motors has managers who look cross-functional and operational boundaries to deal with strategic problems and come to agreements with other managers who, inevitably, have different interests and perhaps different priorities. This problem of integration exists in all management tasks but is particularly problematic for strategic decisions. Strategic decisions are likely to involve major changes in organizations. The company has a team of experts who make sure that before a strategy is implemented, it has to be developed, and that there should be a strategic vision. The strategic vision is a view of an organization’s future direction and business course. The task involves visualizing the firm’s future position in five to ten years. The task is to inject sense of purpose into a firm’s activities, provide long-term direction, give the firm a strong identity and decide, who we are, what we do, and where we are An example of a strategic vision of an airline business us â€Å"We want our airline to be the worldwide airline of choice.† The strategic vision of General motors is communicated and shared by all those working for the company. After strategy vision has been done, organization move to the next level that is developing organization’s mission.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The company mostly uses its mission statement so that it does not get out its main aim. An organization’s mission represents management’s customized answer to the question; â€Å"what is our business?† A mission statement broadly outlines the organization’s future direction and serves as a guiding concept to what the organization is to do and become. (Cole, 1996). It reflects management’s vision of what the firm seeks to do and become, provides a clear view of what the firm is trying to accomplish for its customers, indicate the intent to stake out a particular business position.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Developing an organization’s mission as the strategy which will involve defining: who, what and where.   According to Thompson and Strickland (1990) who suggested that there are tasks of strategic management which they see as bringing together: setting of the overall mission or goals of organization, the establishing of business objectives and the strategy required to achieve the two above. It helps managers avoid losing focus on the firm’s direction to achieve what its aim that to expand and to grow in the market. Another strategy is setting objectiveness of the organization. The purpose of setting objectives is to convert the mission into performance targets, create yardsticks to track performance, establish performance goals and push the firm to be inventive, intentional and focused. Setting challenging but achievable objectives guards against the following: complacency, drift, internal confusion and status quo performance. Objectives provide a direction to the firm in its quest for realizing the vision and mission and benchmarks for judging organizational performance. The company employs qualified staff as strategy since qualified staff can be able to increase production and high quality hence making the firm to grow and increase its market share. It uses lower costs than its rivals as a cost leadership which will assist to reduce expenses charged against profit, making a firm to have high profit comparing with other firm, by increasing profit the company grow and increase the market share. The company does a thorough research as strategy that is becoming the leader in new product introduction to the market, this will assist to increase sales since no other firms will be selling such new product in the market. When one firm is selling a product in the market and no competitor, this means the firm will be selling at abnormal price hence making super profit and this will lead the firm to grow and increase market share. Overtaking rival firms on quality or customer services strategy will make business to grow. Customer service as strategy involves treating customer with very high respect and integrity, making customer to feel cared for and given good service, this will make the firm to increase the number of customers comparing with other firms and retaining those who have visited the firm, this will increase sales hence organization growth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The company uses the satisfaction of customer needs as its main strategy. Total Quality Management is used as strategy for organizational growth and increase of the market share to achieve this. Once customer requirements have been identified, they need to be translated into standards which can be interpreted and understood easily by employees and clients. One of the major quality difficulties facing service organizations is the defining of service quality standards. According to Ansoff (1984) redefined strategic management as a systematic approach for managing change which consists of positioning of the firm through strategy and capability planning, real time strategic response through issue management and a systematic management of resistance during strategic implementation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Once client requirements have been identified and standards of service defined, it is necessary to define systems which will enable the standards to be translated into achievable processes. To provide a service which satisfies and even delights clients, professional firms need to recruit and train their staff to achieve the required standards throughout the service process. The recruitment and selection of appropriate staff can be used has strategy by organization, as these are the foundation of any quality-conscious firm. The client-centered firm should take into account all relevant criteria and consider recruitment as the first stage in retaining loyal, well-motivated and happy employees. Proper training can also be a good strategy to organization. A professional employee, like any other member of staff, has a limited set of skills which require continual updating in the face of changing market demands and technology. Only by updating these skills using well-developed programs, can professional firms ensure that they equip their staff with the skills needed to respond to future client expectations. Internal communication methods is another important strategy organization can not do without. To ensure that staff members are aware of the importance of clients, it is essential that management communicates, on a regular basis, the need for continuous and organization-wide quality improvement to their staff. To achieve this, there are various internal communication methods available, which include: newsletters; team briefings; meetings; internal customer-supplier workshops; and training key interfacing departments in the main processes and procedures of the supplier and customer activities. To modify client interaction behavior, professional firms can introduce performance-related rewards and recognition systems as strategy to beat their rivals, which encourage client-satisfying behavior, recognizing and praising employees for work well done is not superfluous, but rather confirmation of accomplishments and a reinforcement of commitment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The company also uses financial objectives as strategy. Financial objective are those outcomes that relate to improving the firm’s financial performance such as: – a) Increase earnings growth from 10% to 15% per year.   b) Boost return on equity investment from 15% to 20%. For the objectives to have values as a management tool, they must be stated in quantifiable or measurable terms and specify a deadline for achievement. Objective-setting process should be a top-down process in order to achieve unity and cohesion throughout the organization. Because all managers need objectives the process should be top-down and should follow the following pattern: Start with organization-wide objectives, next, set business and product line objectives. Then, establish functional area and department objectives, individual objectives come last. Strategy-making concerns how to achieve desired strategic and financial, objectives out-compete rivals and win a competitive advantage, respond to changing industry and competitive conditions, defend against threats to the firm’s well-being, grow the business, among other things. A firm’s strategy will actually consist of making decisions about the following: How to satisfy customers, how to grow the business, how to respond to changing industry and market conditions, how to best capitalize on new opportunities, how to manage each functional piece of business and how to achieve strategic and financial objectives. Ansoff suggested a matrix of product market alternatives which has become widely used in basic terms the matrix offered the following alternatives: market penetration, product development, market development, and diversification any strategy to work it has to be implemented. Implementing strategies involves creating fits between the way things are done and what it takes for effective strategy execution, executing strategy proficiently and efficiently, and producing excellent results in a timely manner.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Proficient strategy execution will depend greatly on competent personnel, adequate skills and effect internal organization. There are three types of organization actions that are very important: Selecting able persons for key positions, making certain that the organization has the skills, core competencies, managerial talents, technical expertise, and competitive capabilities it needs and developing an organizational structure that is conducive to successful strategy executioner can be done by: allocating ample resources to strategy-critical activities. Organizational units need enough resources  Ã‚   to carry out their part of the strategic plan. This includes having enough of the right kinds of people and sufficient operating funds for them to do their work successfully, instituting best practices and programs for continuous improvement. A strong commitment to adopt best practices, especially for those activities where the potential for better quality performance or lower costs can translate into a sizable impact on the bottom line, is integral to effective strategy implementation, installing support systems that enable company personnel to carry out their strategy execution. Strategies cannot be executed without a number of support systems to carry on the business operations. For instance, an airline may not hope to provide a world class passenger service without a computerized reservation system, a system for accurate and expeditious handling of luggage and a strong aircraft maintenance program, tying reward structure to achievement of results: the company needs to enlist commitment, throughout the organization, to carrying out the strategic plan by motivating and rewarding people for good performance, creating a strategy-supportive corporate culture. The beliefs, goals and practices called for in a strategy may or may not be compatible with a firm’s culture. When they are not a company finds it difficult to implement strategy successfully. The management should stay focused as to what they are trying to achieve in the face of a changing environment and customer needs; otherwise they will not remain competitive in the industry, lowers management’s threshold to change. The management are made to understand that the environment is changing and thus the need to do things in a different way so as to have a competitive advantage in their area of operation, provides basis for evaluating competing budget requests and steering resources to strategy-supportive, results-producing areas, unites numerous strategy-related decisions of managers at all organizational levels. The managers are made to stay focused on one objective and not to make conflicting decisions, creates a proactive, rather than reactive, atmosphere; with the environmental scanning the organization is aware of changes in the environment and hence will take action to take advantage of the changes and prevent any adverse effects on itself, enhances long-range performance; the organization is always to plan for the long-term and its performance is focused on the achievement of long-term objectives and fewer resources and less time devoted to correcting erroneous or ad hoc decisions; this is because all the managers will be making decisions aimed at achieving the set objectives only and there will be enhanced coordination among them due to the existence of strategic management process. CONCLUSION The role of strategic management cannot be downplayed, given the need to align the organization with the changing environment with a view to realizing the long term objectives of the organization to the future with success. It is critical that all departments in the organization be involved in strategy formulation to ease the implementation process. Proper communication of the vision and mission serves to inspire challenge and motivate the workforce hence making organization grow and increase the market share. The General motor company as used the above strategies to grow by obtaining its objectives, increasing market share and market it to stay in the market. No company can grow or stay in the market if it does not use strategies to face challenges which face market industries RECOMMENDATIONS From the above we can say that due to changes in the environment it necessary to change ways of carrying out business. Any company to continue in business it has to change to new strategies, which will include ways of marketing, using latest technology, for example marketing using internet, having qualified staff in business that will be in appositions to employ new skills. It is very important for any company to look the welfare of employee since this will promote employees morale towards the work. Strategy should be seen as the continuous improvement of accompany so it should not forgotten at all costs, it should be seen as the backbone of the company. Since the company is seen as going concern it must be able to implement all strategies for it survive, this can be seen from the above company that General motors. Last but not least every company to compete in the industry must have clear vision and mission statement for its reference when doing business so that the company can stick to them. REFERENCES 1)Cole, G.A. (1994), Strategic Management, DP Publications. Chandler, Alfred D. (1962), Strategy & Structure, MIT press. Andrews, Kenneth R. (1987), The concept of corporate strategy, 3rd edition, Richard D. Irwin. Ansoff, H.I. (1965), Corporate Strategy, McGraw-Hill. Ansoff, H.I. (1964), Implanting Strategic Management, Prentice Hall International Porter, M.E. (1980), Competitive Strategy: Techniques for analyzing industries and competitors, The Free Press. Thompson, Arthur & Strickland, A.J. (1990), Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases, Richard D. Irwin.