Film Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner Essay - 1750 Words

Film: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner Joanna Drayton returns unexpectedly from Hawaii to announce her engagement to an intelligent, accomplished, world traveling doctor. The only problem with the intended union is that he is African American and she is white. The Drayton’s come face to face with their own principles and realize that their daughter is the way they brought her up to be – non-prejudicial. Turmoil and anxiety ensue as Joanna insists that her parents give their approval by the end of the night. A dinner with both sets of parents follows, where the parents must come to terms with the bi-racial marriage. This film gives an insightful look into the realities of interracial marriage and proves to be useful in examining the†¦show more content†¦Parents, religious groups, as well as peer groups can all be teachers of culture. Tillie, the housekeeper, had a surprising reaction to the situation at hand. When she hears the news of the marriage she pulls John aside and makes several disturbing comments. The first was about, â€Å"a member of my own race getting above hisself,† and â€Å"civil rights is one thing, this something else.† Her behavior depicts that she could of been brought up to believe that the white race was above the black race. Her response was different from that of the two sets of parents, whom only seemed concerned due to the external problems the union would induce. Interpersonal communication tends to be a series of punctuated events. Punctuation is the tendency to divide communication transactions into sequences of stimuli and responses. Usually people punctuate continuous sequences of events into stimuli and responses to make a situation more convenient. How a person punctuates, or interprets a situation is crucial to interpersonal understanding. John is a practical, intelligent man and foresees the problems that may arise from their interracial marriage. He understands Joanna’s parents fears and concerns for their daughter’s welfare. He agrees not to go through with the marriage unless they approve. He loves Joanna and desires to marry her, however he doesn’t want her to do damage to her relationship with her parents in the process. The twoShow MoreRelatedEssay on Film Analysis Guess Who and Guess Whos Coming to Dinner1188 Words   |  5 PagesThe Hollywood movie Guess Who (2005) is a remake of Guess Whos Coming to Dinner (1967). Both films premises are about the same situation of an interracial marriage. The original revolved around a daughter bringing her black fiancà ©e to meet her white middle class family. This was a touchy and even controversial subject in 1967 but the film became an award winner. The 2005 update switches the roles around and with a stroke of genius we now have a white fiancà ©e meeting a black family. PersonallyRead More Film analysis Guess Who and Guess whos comming to dinner Essay1136 Words   |  5 Pages The Hollywood movie â€Å"Guess Who† (2005) is a remake of â€Å"Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner† (1967). Both film’s premises are about the same situation of an interracial marriage. The original revolved around a daughter bringing her black fiancà ©e to meet her white middle class family. This was a touchy and even controversial subject in 1967 but the film became an award winner. The 2005 update switches the roles around and with a stroke of genius we now have a white fiancà ©e meeting a black family. PersonallyRead MoreGuess whos coming to dinner2087 Words   |  9 Pagesï » ¿Equality for All Stanley Kramer’s film, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, is about an interracial marriage between a black man and a white woman as well as the generational divide between the alarmed parents of both races and the optimistic young couple. There are aspects of the film that can be construed as progressive and influential for the era, the film more accurately serves as a reflection of the larger socio-political context of 1960’s America in regards to both attitudes of antagonism and acceptanceRead MoreGuess Who s Coming At Dinner Directed By Stanley Kramer1310 Words   |  6 PagesGuess Who’s Coming to Dinner directed by Stanley Kramer is a controversial movie from the late 1960’s. The premise of the film is a young white woman named Joey Drayton (Katharine Houghton); who falls in love with an older African American Doctor John Prentice, (Sidney Poitier). The new loving couple meets in Hawaii and after ten days of knowing each other are engaged. Joanna D rayton sees no difference between her and John, she is in love and ready to marry her new fiancà ©, She insist he meet herRead MoreAmericas Reaction to a Mixed Race Couple517 Words   |  2 Pagescame into its own. The 1967 film, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, produced by Columbia Pictures and directed by Stanley Kramer, depicts Joey Drayton (Katharine Houghton) and Dr. John Wade Prentice (Sidney Poitier) as a mixed race couple who leave Hawaii to go back to her family’s home to surprise her parents, Mr. Matt Drayton (Spencer Tracy) and Mrs. Christina Drayton (Katharine Hepburn) in San Francisco, California. Joey later invites Dr. Prentice’s parents to dinner who then fly in from Los AngelesRead MoreThes View Of Reality1500 Words   |  6 Pagesthat Sidney first encountered cinema (PBS.org). It is stated that, â€Å"even at a young age, Sidney recognized the ability of cinema to expand one’s view of reality† (PBS.org). It was in an interview th at, â€Å"Poitier later told Frank Spotnitz in American Film that his father had a wonderful sense of himself. Every time I took a part, from the first part, from the first day, I always said to myself, This must reflect well on his name (Notablebiographies.com). While living in the capital, Nassau, PoitierRead MoreThe Black Of Black And 70s1188 Words   |  5 Pagescharacter and culture has not always been a predominant figure in films like they are today. The display of the African American culture in film has progressed through the years. It has progressed by the change of racism displayed on screen, the character roles, and the emergence black figures and society in motion pictures. (How racism is depicted in the films- Black face-we would see it again) With movies such as Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, Shaft, Do The Right Thing, and Madea’s Family Reunion. PeopleRead MoreEvolution Of Racist Portrayals Of Film And Television1644 Words   |  7 Pages Prof. Eye. EN 101B November 27, 2014 Evolution of Racist Portrayals in Film and Television. 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Throughout this paper, I will argue that films like the aforementioned reflect America’s c hanging social attitudesRead MoreRacism : A Social Problem And Controversial Issue Around The World Essay2108 Words   |  9 PagesYue Zheng Prof. Aili Bresnahan PHL 324 12/10/2016 Racism in Film Racism is a social problem and controversial issue around the world, which defines the different cultures, ethical principles, and values. These bring some deviances and conflicts to the different classes of people in the society. Also, a racial difference created an inherent superiority for a particular race and was a major factor to determine a person s traits and capacities including skin color, inherent culture, religion and

How Cryptography Is Defined As A Major Factor During Wars,...

The â€Å"Ignominious Tribe,† the worlds â€Å"second oldest profession,† these are both describing the same thing, the mysterious profession that lives in the shadows of history. Espionage. Governments fear it, yet it is always a major factor during wars, and it isn’t very well known by the general public. Men and women throughout history who have fought in secret positions during wars, often placed into positions of great danger. Why were they willing to risk so much for their countries? Profit? Honor? Adrenaline? There are many aspects of the art of espionage, from the necessary grunt work of field agents to the solid determination of cryptologists. Cryptography is defined as the art of writing and solving codes, a necessary practice for all sides involved in any major battle or power struggle, an example being World War II, where coding and cipher script were integral parts of the conflict, main factors of every win or loss. Without cryptography, some estimat e that the war would have lasted at least two years longer than it did, thus proving the necessary function of cryptography. In the following pages, the reader will learn a brief history of the evolution of cryptography, and how it was important in such major recent struggles as WWII. This form of espionage has been an integral part of history. Espionage has been recognized as an important part of all military affairs since the beginnings of recorded history. It began with, and still heavily relies upon, the various forms of

Implementation of Artificial Intelligence at Woolworths Limited

Question: Discuss about the Implementation of Artificial Intelligence at Woolworths Limited. Answer: Introduction: Artificial intelligence has showcased exponential development in the past two decades capitalizing upon the development in computer science, operations research, nanotechnology and neuroscience. The convergence of several fields with an technology driven approach has presented with overwhelming possibilities in terms of benefits derived by end users along with high growth potential as an business opportunity. Woolworths Limited has the largest market share in retail sector of Australia with encapsulating nearly 80% of retail consumer base. Global retail giants such as Amazon tends to emphasize upon numerous sets consumer based researches in order to improvise upon the deliverables to be offered to its online visitors. The implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) at Woolworths will improvise upon the companys comparative advantage both in terms of retention of Australian retail market along with overseas consumer base. The case study seeks to highlight different sets of AI applications that can potentially benefit the company in terms of improving retail experience for its consumers. The current sets of applications deployed by the company focuses towards presenting products online to a consumer based upon his/her sales history. However, AI can add numerous dimensions towards such recommendations through undertaking sentimental analysis and shifts in trends to come up with relevant searches. Problems addressed by Artificial Intelligence: The online retail experience of consumers tends to get affected owing to a large number of product alternatives available along with different sets of variant in each product segment. The paradox of choice results in aggravating of confusion of prospective consumers about to get their initial sets of retail shopping. Moreover, the search engines are not fine tuned in order to provide search results based upon consumers preferences. Consumers seek assistance progression of the kind that are not fully addressed by the present sets of measures available at Woolworths online retail sites. The marketing campaigns undertaken by the company currently employs large number of employees entrusted with promotional activities or outreach programs for its consumers. Moreover, the prevalence of non alignment between the actual tangible form of the product and its online representation through photographs and product details results in high rate of dissatisfaction amongst aggrieved clients. This is owing to the fact that such non alignment results towards the products not reaching the initial benchmark that has been set up by the clients. In terms of search engine optimization process inside the Woolworthss online stores, the company has to improvise upon bringing out relevant searches based upon the search term entered by the consumer coupled with his/her browsing history. AI can improve the search processes through personalized searches for each consumer that equates with their previous transactions with Woolworths Limited. In case of brick and mortar stores by Woolworths, the dissemination and communication of different sets of offers provided by the company towards targeted consumers requires precision in terms maintaining databases. AI can have positive implications both in terms of augmenting the consumer experience and streamlining the degree of sustainable growth in revenue for the company through error free maintenance of different sets of company operations. Potential benefits that can be derived using Artificial Intelligence: From the initiation of product search in the retail website to resolving of issues pertaining to logistics and delivery of such products to its end users, AI can function upon numerous set of parameters. Moreover, in order to optimize the transactions made by the consumers and assist the company towards improving its revenue generating capabilities through elevating the degree of customer satisfaction, the role of AI tends to be crucial. Through deployment of machine learning algorithm based programs that evolves based upon the data sets made available to it, better sets of predictions as regards to changing consumers preferences and online activity can be undertaken. Wenger (2014) states that machine learning programs are not application specific and tends to modify itself in accordance with the data made available to it and analyses the data structure in order to decide upon the degree of optimization. Artificial intelligence, through Reinforcement Learning can also contribute towa rds upgrading the security profile of the online site of Woolworths through heightening the degree of surveillance on suspicious activities on its network. Figure 1: Machine Intelligence (Source: Celent.com, 2016) Online retailing encompasses dissemination of sensitive financial information while putting forward a transaction for billing purposes. Thereby, the bank and credit card details has a significant probability of getting compromised with the advent of sophisticated malware. Artificial intelligence optimizes the existing security to such an extent through multilevel encryptions that malware and unwarranted programs ceases to persist (Bond Gasser, Eds, 2014).Moreover, through constant evolving of data functions and detailing of operational and infrastructural problems based upon the consumer grievances, help desk incidents and computer logs AI can significantly reduce probability of potential threats. AI has the potential to replace human shopping consultant through customizations of product options based upon the consumers behavioral analytics, sensitivity towards the different sets of products offered and up-gradations regarding emerging consumption trends. In terms of recruitment of employees by Woolworths, AI can improvise upon short listing of candidates based upon pre-programmed metrics such as previous work experience, reasoning skills, experience in sales. Further, due to the quantum of training procedure involved for sales staff along with progressive sets of skill acquired by an employee, turnover costs remains high. Implementing AI in recruiting reduces the probability of employee turnover owing to optimizing the selection process (Seibt, Hakli Nrskov, 2014).. Supply chain management remains an issue even for the global leaders in retailing, through algorithmic SCM technologies using data from machine learning both the inventory management and distribution can be automated in tune with the sales forecasts. Further, the stock out rates along with backorders that tends to affect the consumer retention rate significantly can be minimized efficiently through AI based forecast modeling. The effectiveness of different sets of market ing strategy can be gauged with precise sets of event timings and keywords that were used for such marketing campaign using machine learning techniques . Implementation of data modeling procedures in order to compute sales and revenue returns from different sets of discount offerings and promotional events pertaining to Woolworths and its market competitors can be undertaken using predictive analytics tools. Figure 2: Life cycle of AI installation (Source: Bond, A. H., Gasser, L. Eds., 2014) In case of decision making with regards to opening up of stores, data regarding demographics, income distribution amongst the local population, proximity to community events and proximity to nearby competitors can be evaluated by AI algorithmic game theory and data modeling. The recent success of AlphaGo, an AI developed by Google, over a professional player in a five match strategy game showcases the fact that AI can excel through Reinforced Learning and even excel human in terms of strategizing skills (News Blog | DeepMind. 2016). Thereby, implementation and developing a separate AI division that caters to different sets of retail management, supply chain configuration and customer relationship management through Deep Learning, Reinforced Learning and Natural Language Processing is imperative for Woolworths. Strategic plan: The initiation of implementing AI based technology requires reconfiguration of online metrics to facilitate merging of AI based resources onto the site metrics. The initial alignment between AI and the online site requires installation of additional sets of servers that tends to accommodate addition sets of random access memory reconfiguration. The high growth prospects in artificial intelligence along with the applicability in terms of collecting and synthesizing behavioral analytics data results towards exponential augmentation of revenue generating capability. The investment scaling taking into consideration the demand and sales estimates can be implemented through AI applications that will seek to evaluate probable constraints to such escalations. Moreover, the scaling of information network security through implementing machine learning into the system servers will aggravate the detection rate of malware previously undetected into the system. Figure 3: AI installation into corporate lifecycle (Source: News Blog | DeepMind., 2016) The company should initially undertake installation of IBM Watson on to its networks, prior to which it requires to recalibrate its existing IT infrastructure. The installation of bandwidth extension has to be initiated for peripherals coupled with expansion of cloud based services in order to provide the basis augmentation. The recruitment of system engineers and computer science doctorates on to the AI team shall facilitate towards dissecting different the underpinnings of neutral networks that tends to operate the AI. Further, only cost minimization of existing facilities cannot be the sole source of covering installation costs. There ought to be a source of cash inflow in order to further capitalize upon the RD and AI expenditures that are to be incurred by the company. Figure 4: Global revenue forecasts from Artificial Intelligence (Source: Artificial Intelligence for Enterprise Applications | Tractica. 2016) Thereby, the company should outsource its cloud based services onto other minor companies that are technology driven but do not have the adequate infrastructure to utilize the latest developments in the field of Artificial Intelligence. For instance, the company may seek to provide AI services to the different sets of transportation and healthcare companies for which AI system can provided larger breakthroughs in terms of providing cutting edge healthcare facilities coupled with improvement in the success rate of surgeries followed up gradation of transport routes or streamlining the logistical system in order to facilitate better returns for both the companies. Moreover, the insights gained from such a large consumer bases that Woolworths presently encapsulates in the 14 different economies that the company operates in. The company, owing to high degree of market exposure, can improvise towards providing highly valuable behavioral, preference and consumption patterns to different se ts of consumables and beverage manufacturers. Further, such insights can also be valuable towards providing highly consumer driven AI inputs. The above table showcases the fact that Asia Pacific region- the region where the majority of Woolworths business operations are undertaken has been forecasted to generate highest revenues by providing AI services. Thereby, Woolworths can capitalize heavily upon its access to consumers decision making metrics in order to facilitate cash inflows into the project. Project Analysis: CoCComputation of Total Expenditurempu Particulars A$ ('00) IBM Watson Installation 20,000 Development of AI Prototype 65,000 Recruitment of Software Engineers for AI Division 20,000 Development of existing IT Infrastructure 35,000 Expansion of cloud computing services 18,000 Installation of machine learning peripherals 7,500 Total Expenses 165,500 Table 1: Computation of initial cash flow (Source: As created by the author) Computation of NPV Cash Flow Cumulative cash flow Disccunted cash flow Year 0 -165500 1 Year 1 42000 (123,500.00) 0.892857 37,500.00 Year 2 47000 (76,500.00) 0.797194 37,468.11 Year 3 53000 (23,500.00) 0.71178 37,724.35 Year 4 64000 40,500.00 0.635518 40,673.16 Year 5 72000 112,500.00 0.567427 40,854.73 194,220.36 NPV 28,720.36 Table 2: Computation of Net Present Value (Source: As created by the author) The overall table mainly helps in depicting the NPV of the project, which might be helpful in making adequate investment decisions. In addition, the NPV of the project is mainly derived at 28720.36, which mainly indicates the efficiency of the project. In this context, Seibt, Hakli Nrskov (2014) mentioned that with the help fop NPV companies are able to determine the current value of the future cash flows by eliminating the time gap. On the other hand, Glymour, Scheines Spirtes (2014) criticizes that NPV valuation mainly loses its friction during an economic crisis, where the income projected from a project could be reduced and hamper liquidity of the company. Furthermore, the discounting factor is mainly taken at 12%, which helps in depicting the adequate income, which helps in discounting the cash inflows generated from the project. In addition, the overall cumulative cash flow mainly presents that at the fourth year the investment money will be collected by the company. Furthermore, the main cash inflows are mainly projected from the data sales that will be conducted to the retailers regarding the purchase behavior of their customers. This software might help in generating higher predictive analysis for the retailers, which in turn might reduce the excess storage of inventory conducted by retailers. Conclusion The application of artificial intelligence in retailing operations can be multifaceted with the presence of different approaches presented through Machine Learning, Language Processing and Retention Learning. The different sets of approaches resolves issues pertaining to separate domains of the retail operations. The presence of large consumer base tends to bring newer sets of challenges in the realm of customer retention and CRM activities. The different sets of issues with regards to network security, security in terms of transactions and the issues pertaining to supply chain bottleneck followed by logistical delays can be mitigated through the process optimization activities undertaken by AI. Moreover, Machine Learning evolves over time in order to improvise upon the data sets provided in terms of consumer preferences that it could utilize over time to mitigate the different sets of activities. The company can provide the insights derived from continuous data up-gradation with regards to changing consumer preferences to facilitate better access to AI driven data that minor or small scale companies do not have the means to procure. Thereby, the cash inflow through sourcing of such insights lead towards resolving the issue pertaining to installation costs. The overall NPV of the project is mainly depicted at 2872036, which mainly helps in evaluating the viability of the project. In addition, with the help of NPV the company might effectively continue with the project and increase return from income. References: Artificial Intelligence for Enterprise Applications | Tractica. (2016). Tractica.com. Retrieved 26 September 2016, from https://www.tractica.com/research/artificial-intelligence-for-enterprise-applications/ Bond, A. H., Gasser, L. (Eds.). (2014).Readings in distributed artificial intelligence. Morgan Kaufmann. Brodie, M. L., Mylopoulos, J., Schmidt, J. W. (Eds.). (2012).On conceptual modelling: Perspectives from artificial intelligence, databases, and programming languages. Springer Science Business Media. Celent.com. (2016). Retrieved 26 September 2016, from https://celent.com/system/files/ai_buyside_0.gif Cohen, P. R., Feigenbaum, E. A. (Eds.). (2014).The handbook of artificial intelligence(Vol. 3). Butterworth-Heinemann. Faggella, D. (2016). Valuing the Artificial Intelligence Market, Graphs and Predictions for 2016 and Beyond. TechEmergence.com. Retrieved 26 September 2016, from https://techemergence.com/valuing-the-artificial-intelligence-market-2016-and-beyond/ Glymour, C., Scheines, R., Spirtes, P. (2014).Discovering causal structure: Artificial intelligence, philosophy of science, and statistical modeling. Academic Press. Helgason, H. P., Thrisson, K. R. (2012). Attention Capabilities for AI Systems. InICINCO (1)(pp. 281-286). Hovy, E., Navigli, R., Ponzetto, S. P. (2013). Collaboratively built semi-structured content and Artificial Intelligence: The story so far.Artificial Intelligence,194, 2-27. News Blog | DeepMind. (2016). DeepMind. Retrieved 26 September 2016, from https://deepmind.com/blog/ Seibt, J., Hakli, R., Nrskov, M. (2014). Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence and Applications. Sotala, K. (2015, April). Concept learning for safe autonomous AI. In1st International Workshop on AI and Ethics, held within the 29th AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI-2015). Michalski, R. S., Carbonell, J. G., Mitchell, T. M. (Eds.). (2013).Machine learning: An artificial intelligence approach. Springer Science Business Media. Wenger, E. (2014).Artificial intelligence and tutoring systems: computational and cognitive approaches to the communication of knowledge. Morgan Kaufmann.

The Harm Principle Essays - Philosophy, Ethics, Classical Liberalism

The Harm Principle The Harm Principle was first expressed by John Stuart Mill in his essay On Liberty, which sought to explain the circumstances in which the government should be able to administer punishment, and enforce the law. The principle seems very simple and attractive at first, however it may be this simplicity which is the principle's downfall. As a Utilitarian, Mill thought that through the freedom of expression and personal liberty that accompany the Harm Principle, we can produce the most happiness for the most number of people. However, because of its oversimplification and ambiguous themes, the Harm Principle can easily be used to sidestepped many actions most of us would assume to be immoral. It is because of these reasons that I will argue the Harm Principle does not properly account for the limits of the law without some crucial restrictions being placed on how it can be applied. The Harm Principle, in its most basic form, states that it is only permissible for the government to interfere in the actions of individuals when those actions cause harm to other individuals. This is a very brief explanation however; the principle becomes much more complicated when we start asking questions like "how do we define harm?", or "how should we enforce laws surrounding potential harm?" Mill includes some exceptions to the principle, for example, it does not apply to anyone who does not have "mature faculties," as Mill puts it. This group would include children, the mentally disabled, and any "non-civilized" societies. Mill also describes a few other conditions to the harm principle. He states that we are able to consent to harm, to a certain extent, with activities like boxing or dangerous professions. This consent to harm only extends to a certain degree however; if we consent to having our liberty taken away (i.e. slavery), Mill thinks that this deprivation of freedom would inhibit people from living as they wish. This freedom to live life however one pleases, so long as it does not interfere with anyone else, would lead to different ways of living, different ways of thinking, and ultimately, the production of the most good for the most amount of people. This individuality is what makes us humans; it is what compels us to try new and different things and allows us to broaden our horizons of the world. Aside from actions, Mill also argues that individuals should be free to think however they choose to, and believe whatever they wish to believe. He maintains that the truth itself is "living" or dynamic, and that by allowing people to question things and have right or wrong opinions, we can better hone in on the absolute truth. According to Mill, by allowing for multiple competing opinions, we can debate, reason, and modify the truth in order to produce the most happiness. By learning which ideas are correct and which are incorrect, we can better understand the issue in question. Mill believed humans are not infallible, and that the truth and human error go hand-in-hand. Mill also discussed the harm that can be caused by inaction and claimed, "[a] person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his inaction, and in either case he is justly accountable to them for the injury." Mill believed that it is our duty to save other's lives and protect those who cannot protect themselves. He argued that we should be held responsible by society for not doing so, even though we are not directly harming them. This idea sheds light on the ambiguity of the Harm Principle. To what extent can we say that individuals have a duty to prevent others from harm? Is someone who spends their dollar on a coffee rather than donating it to a trustworthy charity causing indirect harm? This is a problem for the principle and seems to suggest that Mill favours a version of the theory that prevents harm, rather than one that prevents someone from doing harm. Most people agree, excluding Devlin, that there are principled and substantive limits to the law. The law can only extend so far before it becomes counterproductive. According to Mill, the law should be limited to cases

How to Reduce Academic Stress

How to Reduce Academic Stress Amidst all the aspects of college that students deal with on a daily basis finances, friendships, roommates, romantic relationships, family issues, jobs, and countless other things academics always need to take priority. After all, if you dont do well in your classes, the rest of your college experience becomes impossible. So how can you deal with all the academic stress that college can easily and rapidly put into your life? Fortunately, there are ways even the most stressed-out student can cope. Take a Good Look at Your Course Load In high school, you could easily manage 5 or 6 classes plus all of your co-curricular activities. In college, however, the entire system changes. The number of units you take has a direct connection to how busy (and stressed) youll be throughout the semester. The difference between 16 and 18 or 19 units may seem small on paper, but its a big difference in real life (especially when it comes to how much studying you have to do for each class). If youre feeling overwhelmed with your course load, take a look at the number of units youre taking. If you can drop a class without creating even more stress in your life, you might want to consider it. Join a Study Group You may be studying 24/7, but if youre not studying effectively, all that time spent with your nose in your books might actually be causing you more stress. Consider joining a study group. Doing so will help hold you accountable for getting things done on time (after all, procrastination can be a major source of stress, too), help you better understand the material, and help you combine some social time with your homework. And if there isnt a study group you can join for any (or all) of your classes, consider starting one yourself. Learn How to Study More Effectively If you arent sure how to study effectively, it wont matter if you study by yourself, in a study group, or even with a private tutor. Make sure that all of your efforts to study are matching up with what your brain needs to retain and truly understand the material. Get Help from a Peer Tutor Everyone knows those students in class who clearly are mastering the material and not having a problem doing so. Consider asking one of them to tutor you. You can offer to pay them or even deal in some kind of trade (maybe you can help fix their computer, for example, or tutor them in a subject theyre struggling with). If you arent sure whom to ask in your class, check with some of the academic support offices on campus to see if they offer peer tutoring programs, ask your professor if he or she can recommend a peer tutor, or simply look for flyers on campus from other students offering themselves as tutors. Utilize Your Professor as a Resource Your professor can be one of your best assets when it comes to reducing the stress you feel in a particular course. While it may at first be intimidating to try to get to know your professor, he or she can help you figure out what material to focus on (instead of feeling overwhelmed by thinking you have to learn everything in class). He or she can also work with you if youre really struggling with a concept or with how to best prepare for an upcoming exam. After all, what could be better for helping you reduce your academic stress than to know that youre super prepared and ready to ace the upcoming exam? Make Sure You Always  Go to Class   Sure, your professor may just be reviewing the material that was covered in the reading. But you never know what additional snippets he or she might put in, and having someone go over material you may have already read will just help to solidify it in your mind. Additionally, if your professor sees that youve been in class every day but are still having problems, he or she might be more willing to work with you. Reduce Your Non-Academic Commitments It can be easy to lose your focus, but the main reason you are in school is to graduate. If you dont pass your classes, you dont get to stay in school. That simple equation should be motivation enough to help you prioritize your commitments when your stress level begins to get a little out of control. If you dont have enough time to handle your non-academic responsibilities in a way that doesnt leave you stressed all the time, take a moment to figure out what needs to go. Your friends will understand. Get the Rest of Your College Life in Balance   Sometimes, it can be easy to forget that taking care of your physical self can do wonders for reducing your stress. Make sure youre getting enough sleep, eating healthy, and exercising on a regular basis. Think about it: Whens that last time you didnt feel less stressed after a good nights sleep, a healthy breakfast, and a good work out? Ask Upperclassmen for Advice With Difficult Professors If one of your classes or professors is greatly contributing to, or even the main cause of, your academic stress, ask students who have already taken the class how they handled it. Chances are you arent the first student to be struggling. Other students may have already figured out that your literature professor gives better grades when you quote lots of other researchers in your paper, or that your Art History professor always focuses on women artists on exams. Learning from the experiences of those who went before you can help reduce your own academic stress.

Teenagers and Tattoo Essay Example

Teenagers and Tattoo Essay Example Teenagers and Tattoo Essay Teenagers and Tattoo Essay On Teenagers and Tattoos Youth likes to be heard, and they ensure that it is in so many ways. The article on On Teenagers and Tattoos by Andres Martin, published by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, explains how youth use tattooing and body piercing to express their way of thinking and how they feel. It also explores the various key reasons that lead to the decisions of youth to tattoo. Youth and tattoos is a growing trend in the US and parents of these teens that decide to have tattoos and piercings are concerned with their decisions. In this article Dr. Martin views tattoos in a positive way. This is shown in the last paragraph where he mentioned, they (tattoos) can often be understood self-constructive and adorning efforts, rather than prematurely subsumed as mutilatory and destructive acts (Para 12). He does not view youth having tattoos as a negative thing; instead he feels that it may be a form of symbolism for these youth. The intended audience of this article is to the psychiatrists, exhorting them to have another way of analyzing youth, and secondly for people who view youth having tattoos in a discriminating way. Dr. Martin brought up three main good reasons why youth get tattoos. The first eason that teenagers get tattoos and peircings can be subject to single them selves out and be unique. Secondly, tattoos can be treat as a tool to help cultivate the memory bringing back memories of a relationships or even an object. And last, is that teenagers get tattoos to symbolize their own experiences and get a tattoo that is showed on their skin to permanently have a relationship with that tattoo. Some youth might get tattoos to last them a lifetime rather than something that comes and goes. Like what Dr. Martin commented, tattoos, unlike many relationships, can promise permanence and stability (Para 9). The purpose of this article is to allow the intended audience understand the key reasons of youth tattooing and perhaps, change their Judgmental views on youth with tattoos. I feel that Dr. Martin has covered some reasons and has come to his clinical conclusions on why youth choose to have tattoos on their bodies, but I also feel like something might have been left out. Perhaps some youth might get tattoos for the simple Joy of the body art or because they like art and want it tattooed on their own bodies. I feel that most of the points are accurate by Dr. Martin in this article. For example, he mentioned, tattooed dolescents can become unambiguously demarcated from others and singled out as unique (Para 4). I strongly agree with this point because youth are always trying to find a way to make them-selves stand out and some try to start a new trend Just to be unique or to be looked in a different way by their own peers and society. It may Just be what they need to feel unique and trendy in their own way rather than following a same kind of trend that other youth follow. Their peers may have the same clothes or even hairstyles, but what sets them apart from their peers would be the tattoo or ven piercing that they have on their bodies. Being different helps youth develop their own identity weather it is on tattoos or even clothing that they choose to wear. Youth may also mark out their identities by having tattoos of certain designs, colors and areas they choose to have tattoos done on their bodies. Dr. Martin pointed out that, tattoos and piercings can be subject to fad influence or peer pressure in an effort toward group affiliation (Para 1). Youth are often peer pressured into doing things and one thing they dont do is reject any type of challenge their peers put on them. Being influenced and around their own peers with tattoos might make them feel like they need to fit into the fad or trend in order to be accepted by their peers. However, I do not agree with Dr. Martins view on tattoos being self constructive. On the contrary, I strongly view it as a form of destructive act. This is because youth may get tattoos simply because they want to experience the pain or thrill during the process. According to Dr. Martin, youth may feel that they have no control over the changes in their bodies, and by indelibly marking their bodies, adolescents can strive to reclaim their bearings (Para 5). For this reason, by tattooing, these youth may feel that they are in control of the pain weather it be inner pain caused by family issues they can feel like they are in control of their own bodies by conflicting bodily pain, which can be an act of self-harm that they can actually control. And in conclusion these youth take a destructive act towards their own bodies. Dr. Martin commented, Ata time of normative uncertainties adolescents may maladaptively and all too readily commit to a tattoo and its indefinite presence (Para 11). I agree with this statement because some adolescents get tattoos ot taking in consideration that tattoos are markings that stay with you for the rest of your life. Some regrets come after years of choosing a particular design or a particular symbol that they got at a younger naive age. Youth seek fashion and trends not only in tattoos and piercing but also in styles of clothing, make up for women and some on men. And as with these trends comes a sense of uniqueness they also seek. These differences in dressing or fashion bring out the different outlooks, views or even cultures in youth. The different trends youth look for reflect on their cultures nd some start a new trend to create their own identities. My final thought is since tattoos will remain with a person for a lifetime, I feel that youth must take into considerations several factors before tattooing themselves. Especially in a conservative society like my country, El Salvador, many people are still not very opened minded with the idea of tattoos. People with tattoos in my country are often being portrayed as troublemakers or heavily involved in gangs and crime, and by having tattoos they portray themselves as criminals and get looked in a wrong way by society.

Identify and discuss all of the relevant employment law issues raised Research Paper

Identify and discuss all of the relevant employment law issues raised in the above scenario. What advice would you give to Chris Be sure to substantiate your answer by reference to decided cases - Research Paper Example However both the employer and employee are governed by and have different rights, duties and responsibilities under various laws concerning health and safety, discrimination etc. Benefits such as salary, overtime and other compensation must also be worked out and paid. The case at hand will focus on the rights and duties of Chris and Bill under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 & 2005 and the Equality Act 2010, also referring to decisions in related cases as to the remedies available for both employer and employee. A contract of employment is a written document given by the employer to the employee governing the terms of employment. The general terms often relate to nature of work, duties and responsibilities, place of work and compensation and benefits etc. If there is no written contract of employment, the terms of employment are then governed by the law of the land and the general conditions of employment as applicable in that specific sector of industry that the employee is working under. It is important that the employee know his rights and duties and wherever possible insist that the terms of employment be in writing. This helps in the quick resolution of disputes should any occur later on. The employee can demand that the terms of employment be put in the form of a written agreement after two weeks of commencing employment at a new workplace (www.direct.gov.uk). Previously there was hardly any written law governing the terms of employment in the UK. Cases used to be decided by precedent or in the light of the particular individual circumstances applicable to the case as deemed by the Judge presiding over it. However certain extenuating circumstances demanded that the law be codified. For example, the right to serve notice or terminate an employee, the right to claim rights and damages for unfair dismissal, keeping trade secrets, not joining certain competitors and so forth all called for the laws

Compare & contrast Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Compare & contrast - Essay Example y are worthless and this is mainly due to the fact that teachers no longer care to find out whether their students have received the knowledge they have been taught or not. It looks at the various ways through which students can be motivated to get interested in their studies so that their education can be beneficial not only to them, but also to the society in which they will work. Education is one of the most important things in the world today; in fact, it is considered a basic human right by most international organizations. In this paper, we shall look at two articles with different approaches to education and we shall compare these approaches to each other. In this paper, we shall compare the different approaches that these two authors have suggested as a remedy for filling up the gaps in education both in the workplace and at school. We shall look at the following: an approach to education, failures in the education system, and finally, the actions to be taken to ensure that education is beneficial. Feuer and Sherry have suggested very different approaches to ensure that people get the necessary education to be able to excel in life. Feuer states that there are so many books on sales each having its own approach that it can be confusing for those who would like to learn more about it. He suggests that it is always best to ensure that those people who are learning about sales are taught only the most important points which they may use when doing their work. There is no need to overeducate them because this will only lead to their confusion during the sales process. Sherry, on the other hand, states that teachers are no longer paying attention to their students’ educational welfare and instead tend to pass them along to the next class even though they have not learned anything in the previous class. This results in the failure of the education system because many of those who receive high school diplomas tend to be practically illiterate and this is all

The Political Theory of Alexander Hamilton and Its Reflection in American Political System Essay Example for Free

The Political Theory of Alexander Hamilton and Its Reflection in American Political System Essay Alexander Hamilton was one of those political thinkers whose theory shaped the political profile of the young American nation. A theoretician of republicanism, author of about a half of the Federalist papers, signatory of the Constitution, friend of Washington and somehow an aristocratic idealist, Hamilton left a legacy, which continues to influence America until now. This legacy can be found in Hamilton’s works on political philosophy and state building. In turn, these works were written not only by a Founding Father, but by a man, thus every piece of Hamilton’s political writing is deeply personal, reflecting not only abstract mediations, but practical experience. In this paper, I will attempt to analyze certain Hamilton’s ideas to prove that his theory had a strong relation to drafting, adoption, application and interpretation of the basic American constitutional instruments. In this theory, Hamilton managed to reconcile such controversial matters as liberalism, aristocratism, democratic values and political centralism. This complex theory became a practice of American government and American people. Accordingly, America is still affected by Hamilton’s individual reflections, insights and mistakes. Review of Literature on the Subject Hamilton’s personality and Hamilton’s political views have attracted scholars ever since 1800-s, this, for the purposes of this paper I will review only certain landmark works presenting various approaches to the subject. An example of Hamilton’s comprehensive biography is â€Å"Alexander Hamilton† (2004) by Ron Chernow. This book presents a classical view of Hamilton as a national hero and a founding father. Another classical approach is demonstrated in â€Å"Alexander Hamilton and the Idea of Republican Government† (1970) by Gerald Stourzh. The book offers an image of Hamilton as a patriot of the Republic and influential theoretic of centralized government. Another approach to research on Hamilton’s heritage is presented in classical â€Å"Alexander Hamilton† by Henry Jones Ford first published in 1900. The book presents Hamilton as occasional figure torn by inner controversies, admirer of Britain and a latent monarchist. A contemporary view of a famous conflict inside the federalist movement, including conflict between Hamilton and Jefferson is available in â€Å"Burr, Hamilton, and Jefferson: A Study in Character† (2000) by Roger G. Kennedy. Hamilton’s view of human nature Even the most perfect political system would not work in case it contradicts human nature. A government and a people consists of individuals sharing all virtues and weaknesses peculiar to human species. Thus, Hamilton’s starting point was understanding of human nature, including nature of those men who are vested with authority. As put by Hamilton himself, principles of human nature â€Å"are as infallible as any mathematical calculations† (Stourzh 76). Rosano argues that Hamilton’s â€Å"predominately and radically liberal conception of human nature is based on Locke’s concept of liberty, Hobbes’s concept of power, and Machiavelli’s concept of the â€Å"effectual truth. † (Rosano 61). This rather tricky combination was a result of Hamilton’s controversial views formed by demonstrative superficial idealism and deep inner skepticism. This controversy, probably, has never been resolved by Hamilton himself. His nature was profoundly aristocratic, what he proved by his duel with Burr. Hamilton chose to die as a nobleman in spite of submitting a dispute for judicial consideration as a profound democrat would do. On the other hand, Hamilton admired the ideas of European Enlightenment with their call to democracy and self-government. Perhaps, Hamilton would be happy to see a free community of noble individuals without vices; however, he realized that such vision is practically impossible. This antilogy made Hamilton skeptical about human nature itself. He pessimistically noted that, â€Å"A vast majority of mankind is entirely biased by motives of self-interest† (Stourzh 78). Later Hamilton claimed such views openly when he wrote of â€Å"deductions for the ordinary depravity of human nature† (Federalist No 78). These Hamilton’s position corresponds to Hobbes’s concept of corrupted human nature which has to be oppressed by the government in order to preserve peace and stability (Stourzh 73). Surprisingly, Hamilton simultaneously managed to admire the theory of Hobbes’s eternal opponent Locke, who worshiped the natural state of man as a supreme value. To what extent has Hobbes advocated power, to the same extent had Locke strived for recognition of human rights. Hamilton shared the ideas of the latter when he wrote: â€Å"The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for among old parchments or musty records. They are written, as with a sunbeam, in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power† (Stourzh 14). According to Hamilton, implications like love, liberty, desire of happiness, and public good are deeply rooted in every heart (Rosano, 63). This makes a contrast to his early writings of human corruption. It appears that Hamilton suffered from mismatch between that what he wanted to see and that what he actually saw. This should be taken into account when analyzing Hamilton’s political heritage. For him the government was an instrument for bettering human nature and prevention of its corrupted manifestations. Deep understanding of Hamilton’s political theory is impossible without consideration of this peculiarity. Hamilton’s Political Theory Theoretical views on politics shared by Hamilton are best reflected in the Federalist papers, about a half of which were authored by Hamilton personally. Seemingly, there is no crucial issue which Hamilton would not touch, yet his primary concerns were necessity of Consitution, separation of authority between the federal government and the states, powers of the central government, as well as issues concerning national bank, national debt, national armed forces and navy. Hamilton venerates the people as a source of national will, yet this will has to be presented by someone, and this â€Å"someone† is likely to be corrupted. Hamilton’s response was a system of direct ties between the people and the central government, which would not be interrupted by intermediaries in the person of local authorities. In his letter to governor Morris Hamilton wrote: â€Å"it has ever appeared to me as sound principle to let the federal government rest, as much as possible, on the shoulders of the people, and as little as possible on those of the State Legislatures† (Chernow 774). This view caused Kapstein to assert that â€Å"No other American statesman has personified national power and the rule of the favored few so well as Hamilton† (Kapstein 36). And indeed, in his most influential theoretical work reflected in the Federalist papers Hamilton speaks as an advocate of a stronger union between states which is likely to secure rights of the people inside this state. According to his idea, a slimsy confederation of half-independent states is likely to sink in inner conflicts, thus making the rights of the people insecure and the entire union vulnerable to foreign invasions. To justify this view Hamilton once more referred to the corrupted human nature by observing that â€Å"to presume a want of motives for such contests as an argument against their existence, would be to forget that men are ambitious, vindictive, and rapacious† (Federalist No 6). Envy, national conflicts, territorial disputes, apportionment of national debt, senseless scholastic debates, disputes upon private contracts: all this, According to Hamilton, is likely to ruin a Union (Federalist No 7). Thus, the Confederation appeared to be insufficient to preserve the union. Powers of states had to be strongly limited for the common good. Central government could impose such limitations only. Hamilton’s idea of the central government is quite authoritarian, causing allegations of monarchism and betrayal of ideals of freedom. Hamilton’s views on this subject were strongly affected by his personal experience during the Revolutionary war. The work of a procurement officer performed by Hamilton during the war was not heroic but very necessary. During this period Hamilton desperately fought against Congress’s foot dragging in every matter of supplying the army (Kennedy 36). This pretty logical idea has been reflected in the Constitution and the American Bill of Rights, although there are at least two basic problems with it. Firstly, elimination of state authorities with aim to reduce the influence of human corrupted nature is a two-edged sword. The problem is simply raised from the state level to the federal level. A federal government controlled by unworthy people was probably Hamilton’s nightmare, especially in a situation when the states have no considerable opportunities to oppose the corrupted central government. The second problem is in delegation of powers. Mutual consent may be a good theory; however, it is never practically achievable. Thus, there exists a notable problem of defining those powers which have to be delegated to the central government and which should not. One more criticism of Hamilton’s theory came from his opponents like Jefferson. A strong central power will have a strong army and police to enforce its decisions and protect the union. These institutions are likely to be used by the central government to expand its powers against defenseless states (Stourzh 198). As regards matters of finance and taxation Hamilton, surely, advocated centralized taxation and centralized banking system based on national debt. According to Hamilton, this would enable to centralize and effectively apply the resources of a nation (Federalist No 30). Yet this idea, as understood by Hamilton himself, would bring about the issue of inequality, since those who borrow assets to the central government would tower over the rest of the people (Kapstein 37). Some response was provided by Hamilton when he wrote that â€Å"The loans it might be able to procure would be as limited in their extent as burdensome in their conditions. They would be made upon the same principles that usurers commonly lend to bankrupt and fraudulent debtors, with a sparing hand and at enormous premiums† (Federalist No 30), however, it appears that Hamilton simply tried to escape the problem. As a Secretary of the Treasury, he obviously realized the need for centralization of assets through banking and taxations system, however, as a freedom idealist, he could not have avoided the view of national indebtedness as a burden imposed on every free person. Current situation with national debt demonstrates that Hamilton simply chose the bad from between bad and worse. Centralized financial and taxation system did enable to preserve the Union in hard times, however, currently America faces the negative consequences of such preservation. This is Hamilton’s theory where the roots of the present situation are found. In his conclusive remarks to the Federalist Papers Hamilton notes that â€Å"there would appear still to remain for discussion two points: the analogy of the proposed government to your own State constitution, and the additional security which its adoption will afford to republican government, to liberty, and to property. But these heads have been so fully anticipated†¦that it would now scarcely be possible to do anything more than repeat† (Federalist No 85). However, American national history proves that these crucial issues were far from explained both in the time of Hamilton and in the following decades. Hamilton has not offered a universal solution; he simply suggested one of the possible models which, as any models, had its strong and weak points. Perhaps the USA survived thanks to these strong points. However, this does not mean that the weak points never revealed themselves. Practical Application of Hamilton’s Theory The most notable practical application of Hamilton’s political teaching is the Constitution of the United States of America, whose most furious advocate Hamilton was. The Constitution follows a model for division of powers proposed by Hamilton, including a single legislative body consisting of representatives of the people, a unified executive system, unified judiciary. Exclusive right of the central power to solve the issues of taxation and public debt. In accordance with Hamilton’s idea, the Congress has a militia under its command. Thus, Hamilton’s political model was eventually reflected in the organic law of America. Application of this organic law appeared to be more complicated. Not less important than the adoption of the Constitution were sharp debates about its application in the late 18th and early 19th century. Perhaps the most controversial issue around these debates was Hamilton’s doctrine of implied powers, contrasting Jefferson’s idea of strict interpretation of the Constitution (Kapstein 37). The doctrine of implied powers began to flourish already after Hamilton’s death in the judgments of John Marshall, Hamilton’s confederate, who served as Chief Justice. Centralization of American government was completed after several rulings rendered by Marshall in such landmark cases as Marbury vs. Madison (1804) and McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) and Cohens v. Virginia (1821). At that, the Constitution shaped by Hamilton was used as a mighty tool for centralization. In Marbury vs. Madison Marshall determined that the judicial power of the United States is extended to all cases arising under the Constitution. To support this Marshall created a pretty logical construction pointing out that as long as the Constitution is a supreme law, the Supreme Court is empowered to review all cases where the Constitution is concerned. This was the first application of Hamiltons implied powers doctrine, but far not the last. Another direct reference to the doctrine was the Supreme Court judgment in McCulloch v. Maryland, where Chief Justice Marshall put a period to application of Hamilton’s idea of centralized power and centralized banking. By determining that the Constitution grants to Congress implied powers for implementing the Constitutions express powers, in order to create a functional national government and that the State action may not impede valid constitutional exercises of power by the Federal government (Smith, 89) the Supreme Court made the states entirely dependent on the central government in every matter related to the Constitution. Deserves noting that by referring to implied powers Marshall laid grounds not only for application of Hamilton’s political heritage, but for subsequent violations of Constitutional rights. Thus, just few years after Marshall’s death, his theory proved to be a double-edged sword. Conclusions Rosano fatefully observes that Americans are happy and â€Å"the founders are celebrated because they had the chance to prove their virtue; they were virtuous because they loved liberty and the public good as well as fame† (Rosano 72). This passage is very much applicable to Hamilton. A revolutionary hero and a prominent author, he presents a perfect set of virtues admired in America. It is hard to find another figure which would be so momentous for America as Hamilton was, perhaps with exception only for Washington. However, being a momentous figure, Hamilton gave America not only liberty and virtues, but a sense of helplessness against central government, as well as long-lasting problems such as national debt. The controversies of Hamilton’s theory made American political system controversial. Numerous attempts to fix this by subsequent amendments and court decisions prove that Hamilton’s model is viable, but far from ideal.

Stem Cells: What How and Why? Essay -- essays research papers

Stem Cells: What, How and Why? Stem cells are infinitely valuable when considering their potential applications in the medical profession. While current legislative restrictions have halted the development of new ?stem cell lines? to any agency or company that receives any form of governmental grants, there is no question that the medical profession is standing at the brink of a new era of technological advancements in healthcare and research. Stem cells are valuable due to the fact that they are ?non-designated,? (have no specifically assigned task in the body, i.e. liver cells, brain cells, skin cells, etc.) and they also have the ability to divide indefinitely. Thus, theoretically stem cells could replace any damaged or lost specifically designated cells within the body. However, this is just a brief mention of the potential applications of stem cell research, which will be discussed at a later point in this essay. Stem cells are categorized into three genres based upon their potential developmental capability, total to limited. (NIH PRIMER http://www.nih.gov/news/stemcell/primer.htm) Totipotent stem cells are stem cells whose potential is total, thus totipotent. Totipotent stem cells are derived from embryonic tissue and fertilized ovarian eggs. This type of stem cell is of particular importance to researchers due to its ability to ?specialize into extraembryonic membranes and tissues, the embryo, and all postembryonic tissues and organs? (NIH Primer). However these type of cells are extremely difficult to come by and only occur in certain places at certain developmental times. Pluripotent stem cells are stem cells in which their potential is large but not total as in Totipotent stem cells. These cells lead to the development of many cells, but cannot derive certain types of fetal cells necessary for the development of a fetus as do Totipotent stem cells. These cells undergo further assigment into cells that are designed to derive specifically assigned cells. Pluripotent stem cells are somewhat easier to come by comparatively speaking to totipotent stem cells. The final genre of stem cells is that of multipotent stem cells. These cells are more specialized than the other two categories and thus are more restricted in their capability. Multipotent stem cells are derived from pluripotent stem cells. While pluripotent stem cells are least in their po... ...if a republican president is elected following Bush. Some might say these restrictions are necessary as technology and knowledge expand. However, by allowing the government to limit was scientist can and can?t do; we?re only doing one thing. Making the most brilliant minds our country has to offer leave. It seems as though America is one of the last overly conservative strongholds left in the modern world. If we allow our government to restrict what scientist can research in the United States, the scientist will simply move somewhere where the research isn?t illegal. I regard science as a passion. I can say with absolute certainty it is not my passion, however to many who make it their career choice, it is. I offer you this example. My passion is writing, if the government made it illegal to write about what I desired, I would do whatever necessary to allow myself to follow my passion. Moving across that big pond we call the Pacific Ocean would be a small price to pay to follow my passion and practice it freely. It should be noted that by restricting research of nearly any kind (yes I do have some morals) would simply result in the loss of America?s greatest thinkers.

Computing project using Microsoft Access Essay

One of the administrative tasks in a hospital is to keep a record of loans to patients of equipment such as wheelchairs and crutches. The patients borrowing the equipment may still be in hospital or they may have been discharged. Records have to be kept of what equipment has been borrowed, by whom and when, and also if any equipment is not available because it is being repaired. You have been asked to create a computer application to replace the present manual one to record the necessary details to enable greater control to be kept and so cut down on loss and wastage. Design For this project, I am going to use Microsoft Access. The table below shows my design tasks list for the hospital patient and equipment database. Task Number Object Task Description 1 Patient Table Design the Patient table and the properties of its attributes 2 Equipment Table Design the Equipment table and the properties of its attributes 3 Equipment Status Table Design the Equpstat table for the Equipment Form Drop-down box 4 Patient Titles Table Design the Titles table for the Patient Form Drop-down box 6 Equipment Report. Design a Report to show current equipment status 7 Equipment Return Letter Design a report, in the style of a letter, which is sent to patients who have overdue equipment. 8 Patient Entry Form Design a form to provide a â€Å"front end† for the patient entry table 9 Equipment Booking Form Design a form to book equipment out to patients 10 Main Menu Form Design a form which can execute the other forms and records 11 Autoexec Macro Design a Macro that executes automatically on database open and opens the main menu 12 Security Implement some kind of security into the database. Design of Equipment Loaning System There are several types of equipment, ranging from wheelchairs to neck collars, and each type of equipment is available in different sizes, there are also several of each type and size of equipment. When deciding how to input and store the equipment into my database, I decided that their was two potential paths that I could follow: to place the equipment into my database with one record for each type and size of equipment, and having a â€Å"number in stock† field to represent multiples of equipment types with the same size. The second way of representing the data would be to let each individual piece of equipment have its own record. I elected to take the second route, although it would take more space, it would mean that if an item was damaged in someway, a note of the problem could be made in a â€Å"notes† field in the items record. The second problem I discovered was coming up with a way of having a code for each individual piece of equipment. Again, I found two main ways of doing this: An auto number system, or a system which would allow a user to determine what the equipment is just by looking at the code. I felt that the second way would be a better way of doing this, so I devised a system that fulfils this requirement (shown below). Item Codes Code Explanation WC Wheelchair CR Crutch EC Elbow Crutch NC Neck Collar -J Junior Size -S Small Size -M Medium Size -L Large Size -A Adult Size To get the individual items code, you simply add a number onto the end of the code. E. g. Junior Wheelchair number 1 would be WC-J1. Using this system, new pieces of equipment can be added with ease, whereas with an auto number system, it would mess up the order of the numbers. Equipment Booking Form Design Security This database holds confidential information about patients, and should therefore be kept secure from illegitimate access, both physically and electronically. As stated in the data protection act, it would be the hospitals responsibility to keep the data secure. I have employed a basic password protection system into the database, with only one user, as I feel that a multi user password system with different levels of access for each user would be inappropriate in this instance because the only users would be the desk staff, and occasionally the administrator for backup purposes. To provide security on an electronic level, I would recommend making sure there is an appropriate firewall system installed if the terminal the database is running on is connected to any network external to the hospital. I would also recommend a weekly backup to a removable media, kept in a fireproof safe, with back copies kept for as long as possible, in case the system is infected with an undetected Trojan. On a physical level, I would recommend that rooms where terminals have access to the database are kept locked. Implementation Task Number Object Screen Dumps from Access 1. Design View of Patient Form 13 Patient Form Data View of Patient Form 14 Main Menu Form Design View of Main Menu Form 15 Main Menu Form Data View of Main Menu Form 16 Main Menu Form Show Visual Basic Code used 17 Autoexec Macro Screen Dump of Autoexec Macro Patient Table Equipment Table Equipment Status Table Patient Titles Table Entity Relationship Diagram Equipment Report Customer Letter Report Equipment Form Patient Form Main Menu Form Main Menu (Vb Code) For the main menu, I decided to incorporate a clock, as it provides a purpose (to tell the time), and also looks good on the form. Equipment Form (Vb Code) For the equipment booking form, I used two visual basic sub forms; the first sets the return date and the out date when the â€Å"loan out† button is pressed, and the second sets the return date and the out date to zero when the combo box which controls the status of the item is changed. I used this last bit of code because it saves the user having to delete the date manually when the equipment is returned from loan, but it has the downside of having to set the status before pressing the â€Å"loan out† button, otherwise it undoes this action.

Social Networking Addiction

The last decade witnessed an explosion of social networks such as Myspace and Facebook, which added a new social dimension to the web. While such networks have made people, communities and groups with shared interests stay more â€Å"connected,† Internet addiction and social network addiction in particular also started being recognized as psychological disorders all over the world. While several 90? studies focused on Internet addiction, the next decade saw the growth of a new addiction related to all manner of social networking sites, especially the current king of the jungle: Facebook. In a recent study from the University of Athens, Greek psychiatrists argued that a woman who had gone as far as losing her job on account of her compulsion to check and update her Facebook, could be identified as a â€Å"social network addict. † Of course, there are different levels of social network addiction. Another recent study carried out at a Czech University analyzed Facebook-related academic procrastination. Though based on a sample too small to draw any general conclusions, one interesting finding of the research was that people tended to be unaware of just how much time they really spent on Facebook, and the effect this might have on their academic performance. On the other hand, it has been noted that there may be a correlation between low self-esteem and a sense of social inadequacy and social network addiction. It seems that many types of social interaction which would present great challenges in the real world for certain types of individuals have been rendered much easier for them in the virtual world, thus putting them at a higher risk of becoming addicted to Facebook and the like. A Mexican study found that Facebook addicts (a category defined by reportedly spending over four hours everyday on Facebook) had a higher incidence of depression and lower physical and general self-esteem levels than less frequent Facebook users. There are many factors that determine the characteristics of Internet and social network addictions in different parts of the world. The nature and scope of these problems are not only affected by technological advancement and the number of computers connected to the Internet per capita and other such quantitative data, but cultural factors are also key in determining the local incidence of these addictions. While social network addiction is not included in the DSM IV, many researchers advocated its inclusion in DSM V, which is currently under way. For example, in a 2008 editorial for the American Journal of Psychiatry, IAD (Internet Addiction Disorder) inclusion advocate Dr. Jerald Block cited the case of South Korea, stating that: After a series of 10 cardiopulmonary-related deaths in Internet cafes  and a game-related murder, South Korea considers Internet addiction one of its most serious public health issues. Using data from 2006, the South Korean government estimates that approximately 210,000 South Korean children (2. %; ages 6–19) are afflicted and require treatment. About 80% of those needing treatment may need psychotropic medications, and perhaps 20% to 24% require hospitalization. Since the average South Korean high school student spends about 23 hours each week gaming, another 1. 2 million are believed to be at risk for addiction and to require basic counseling. In particular, therapists worry about the increasing number of individuals dropping out from school or work to spend time on computers. As of June 2007, South Korea has trained 1,043 counselors in the treatment of Internet addiction and enlistedover 190 hospitals and treatment centers. Nevertheless, the DSMV V draft released earlier this year revealed â€Å"work group members decided there was insufficient research data† to include Internet addiction in the newly created â€Å"behavioral addictions† category. It has been over 13 years since pioneer Kimberley S. Young adapted the DSM IV criteria for gambling addictions to define Internet addiction. While her proposed diagnosis criteria have virally spread (to use a familiar term related to social networking) all over the world, it seems that the scientific community is not yet ready to reach a consensus as to what this type of addiction entails. Social networks have changed the ways we interact with each other enormously. One thing that has changed dramatically is the concept of meeting people. This was brought to my attention a couple of weeks ago, when I met a musician for the first time, whom I had casually crossed online a couple of times. Oddly enough, none of us acted as if this were a â€Å"first meeting. † Another thing that called my attention was when another musician said from the stage â€Å"thank you for coming; because a lot of people say they are attending on Facebook but they never show up. † This also made me think about how much time we are devoting to talking about Facebook, even when we are offline, and how many times we log on to Facebook to show our friends something, even during actual person-to-person meetings or social gatherings. Every drug has a gratification component, and, if social networks are causing an addiction, they must have one too. A very interesting study from the University of Bath tried to identify these gratifications, concluding that: Users derive a variety of uses and gratifications from social networking sites, including traditional content gratification alongside building social capital, communication, surveillance and social networking surfing. The different uses and gratifications relate differentially to patterns of usage, with social connection gratifications tending to lead to increased frequency of use, and content gratifications to increased time spent on the site. While the incidence of social network addictions in other parts of the world may not be as dramatic as Internet gaming addictions, for example, seem to be in some Asian countries, the rapid growth of social networks both in reach and in the number of interaction possibilities, poses new problems everyday for the elaboration of solid diagnostic criteria. From academic procrastination to social impairment as far as real physical interactions are concerned, diminished productivity at work and physical problems associated with a sedentary lifestyle; there seem to be enough problems related to Internet and social network addictions to give researchers enough to work on for many years to come. References Karaiskos, D. , Tzavellas, E. , Balta, G. , & Paparrigopoulos, T. (2010). P02-232 – Social network addiction : a new clinical disorder? European Psychiatry, 25, 855-855 DOI:10. 1016/S0924-9338(10)70846-4 Holbova, P. Academic procrastination on Facebook. Masaryk University, Czech Republic. Herrera, M. , Pacheco, M. , Palomar, J. , Zavala, D. Facebook Addiction Related to Low Self-Esteem, Depression and Lack of  Social Skills. Psicologia Iberoamericana,  Vol. 18 No. 1 (2010). Block, J. (2008). Issues for DSM-V: Internet Addiction  American Journal of Psychiatry, 165(3), 306-307 DOI:  10. 1176/appi. ajp. 2007. 07101556 Report on the American Psychiatric Association’s revisions for DSM V. YOUNG, K. (1998). Internet Addiction: The Emergence of a New Clinical DisorderCyberPsychology & Behavior, 1  (3), 237-244 DOI:  10. 1089/cpb. 1998. 1. 237

Pivotal Talent Pools and Role Challenges Essay Essay Example

Pivotal Talent Pools and Role Challenges Essay Essay Example Pivotal Talent Pools and Role Challenges Essay Paper Pivotal Talent Pools and Role Challenges Essay Paper Pivotal Talent Pools and Role Challenges Davis Young provides a wide array of litigation support products and services. Its core business is tied to the insurance defense industry. The primary customer base includes regional and national insurance companies. The key strategic elements that the Firm uses for differentiation are superior customer service, high product quality, and a solid reputation (brand). I can only assume you have revamped your Deliverable 1 to support this part. I am a bit concerned that you have yet to get a handle on strategy ececution. They are owned by 13 practicing Senior Attorneys, all responsible for maintaining a full trial docket. Various subsets of this group provide strategic leadership, handle or lead large accounts, and act as management for the Firm. A large percentage of the daily work load falls to the eight Associate Attorneys. These Junior Attorneys cost less than the Senior Attorneys and are relied upon to provide a wide range of deliverables such as legal research, brief writing, and daily interaction with the clients (customers) with minimal supervision. Other administrative duties are handled by the support teams. This talent pool consists primarily of Legal Assistants, Paralegals, Office Administration and Accounting. From a value chain perspective, Let’s break this down to the components of the value chain primary and support activities. It is likely that with the size of the firm that each position will serve multiple roles. The Value Chain helps us to find the pivotal Talent pools. the Owners, Associate Attorneys, Office Manager, Paralegals, and Legal Assistants would primarily be classified as Operations. They are running the operation and creating the â€Å"product† on a daily basis. However, in small organizations such as this, parts of the team will multitask into other value chain components. For instance, the Owners will manage sales and marketing by continuous client maintenance, as well as searching out new clients and landing new accounts. The Office Administrator and Office Manager do an excellent job of handling the HR function. Technology is a support function that is wholly outsourced. Three talent pools are readily identified as critical to the strategy (service, quality, reputation); the Owners, the Associate Attorneys, and Support Staff. The question to be answered in identifying which of these three is most pivotal is as follows: â€Å"for a given investment in either training of or recruiting in the talent pool could be any component of the HCA but you are getting ahead of yourself. , which would yield the largest improvements in the strategic elements? † Figure 1 illustrates the findings. Figure [ 1 ] The Owners are all senior, experienced Attorneys. They have demonstrated the ability to be effective at building relationships with the clients, delivering quality product, and protecting the brand. As such, the performance versus strategic value curve is fairly flat (once you get to the acceptable threshold). The Associate Attorneys vary in experience. There are junior Attorneys here that can show significant improvement through hands-on training programs (internal), continuing legal education (outside training programs), and active mentoring. Also, consider that these Associate Attorneys are responsible for a significant percentage of the work and client interactions. This is where the product quality and service elements are visibly manifested. Consequently, an investment in this pool has a significant payback. This can be illustrated by the higher slope on the yield curve. The support function includes a wide range of specific positions but most of them have a much higher level of supervision, less interaction with the customer, and their final work is screened by one of the attorney groups. As such their yield curve is dampened. There is still significant potential, but it is much less than that of the Associate Attorneys. This analysis identifies the Associate Attorneys as the Pivotal Talent Pool. The positions within this pool are fairly standard so the pivotal position is that of â€Å"Associate Attorney. Would the performance of the firm as defined in the strategy execution and support of competitive advantage improve if a 20% increase in quant or qual? The Associate Attorneys are pivotal due to their significant amount of customer contact and their room for growth. To identify the pivotal role challenges, we must identify the strategic deliverables for the position. For superior ser vice, we have identified a number of elements including: responsiveness to client demands; developing personal relationships; positive attitude; and dependability (delivering on commitments). Are these critical outcomes to support strategy execution? Do you have these from Del #1? The Associate Attorneys work with the clients on a daily basis. This is a pivotal role challenge. How does this interaction go? Are the associates attentive and positive? Do they connect with the client on a personal basis such that they build durable relationships? Are they participating in social events designed to strengthen and build these relationships? Demonstrating these behaviors will be critical. The associate Attorneys can be developed and trained and certain metrics can be used for elements like responsiveness. Others such as relationship building and positive attitude will require work in recruiting the right people and assimilating the existing culture. Customer feedback mechanisms should also be developed and maintained. Some customers already provide individual and firm-wide â€Å"report cards. † In addition to the pivotal role challenge as it relates to customer interaction, another pivotal challenge exists with respect to Associate Attorney interaction within the legal community at large. It is the development of these relationships that ultimately serve as the underpinnings of the relationship between the Firm and its primary customers. This is also critical in maintaining the reputation of the Firm. Within this component, relationships with judges, court personnel, opposing attorneys, and competitors are critical. Metrics can be developed to monitor the Associate Attorneys’ development with respect to these other peer groups (by speaking with the judge, opposing counsel, other attorneys involved in a particular case during the course of or at the conclusion of a particular case. Most of these other peer groups are willing to share specific information concerning attorney development and this information can be analyzed to determine whether it conforms with existing reputation standards and Firm specific cultural norms. Table 1 provides a list of skills identified as critical to delivering product quality. Table 1: Attorney Skills critical to product quality| Reporting skills| | Interaction skills| | Specific skills| Writing| | Negotiating| | Mediation| Research| | Advocacy| | Trial| Analytical| | Persuasiveness| | Interrogation| | | Speaking| | | These really belong in Del #3 – performance drivers. All of these skills can be improved through targeted training. Many are best filled by good recruiting and hiring systems. The pivot role challenges occur when the product is delivered. Does it meet the Firm’s standards? These pivot role challenges can occur as the Associate Attorney is attending a pre-trial or in mediating, arbitrating or trying a case. It can happen when they are in front of a judge advocating a position on behalf of their customer. They can occur when a brief or report is being delivered to the customer. Product quality deliverables have some tangible elements that can be measured. Standards can be developed for brief writing and other report deliverables. Mediation, arbitration and trial protocols can be developed to set a standard. In summary, the Associate Attorney is identified as the pivotal position. Pivot Role Challenges center around; customer interactions in support of the Service and Reputation strategic elements, the interaction within the general legal community in support of the Reputation, and the state of the final product in support of the Product Quality strategic element.

Cats Cradle essays

Cat's Cradle essays The novel Cat's Cradle was published in 1963, the year of the Bay of Pigs invasion. It was the height of the Cold War, and most Americans lived in fear of a fiery nuclear apocalypse. However, the author presents an alternative apocalypse, one of the "great door of heaven being closed softly" (261). In this novel, Vonnegut presents a different but equally terrifying end - a world encased in frozen ice. One of the novel's themes is how human irresponsibility can contribute to this icy end. Though Vonnegut himself warned that much of the novel consists of strange plot twists and coincidences, the strength Cat's Cradle lies in its richly drawn characters. Throughout the novel, Vonnegut presented characters whose irresponsibility helped bring much of life on This novel examines how Vonnegut uses the main and minor characters in Cat's Cradle to reflect on the consequences of human irresponsibility. John, who calls himself "Jonah," acts as the novel's narrator. The reader is told of John's cynicism through other characters. His ex-wife, for example, paints him as "too pessimistic" (77). John is also content to believe in the concept of vin-dit. Because this Bokononist concept places God at the guiding helm of one's life, belief in vin-dit can also be read as a refusal to take responsibility for one's actions. Even when he recognizes the emptiness of Bokononism, John still decides to continue the religion's charade. By doing so, he indirectly contributes to the death of thousands of Bokononist followers towards the end of the novel, when many San Lorenzans commit suicide out of faith and despair. However, John is also effectively used as a foil to highlight the irresponsibility of the novel's other characters. For example, when Angela complains about her father being unfairly compensated for his work, John points out the selfishness of this statement in l...

Investment Decision Selection Hyundai Motors & Brazil Essay

Investment Decision Selection Hyundai Motors & Brazil - Essay Example In contrast, China, one of the fastest emerging economies in the world, tries to save its domestic industries from foreign competition by imposing operational restrictions to foreign businesses. However, today China is removing such operational regulations so as to attract more potential global investors. Balance of payments (BoP) is an accounting record that keeps all trade or monetary transactions between a nation and the rest of the world. Some economists opine that the concept of balance of payments would help to analyze the difference between a country’s total exports and total imports. It is considered that a country has positive balance if it maintains a surplus of exports over imports. According to the Brazil’s Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign trade, the country kept a positive balance in 2011 by maintaining exports of US$ 256 billion over its US$226 billion imports. Reports also indicate that this approximately 30 billion surplus achieved by the country is the highest since 2007 (EcoHouse). This positive balance of payments can be directly linked to international flow of goods, services, and capital. While analyzing the Brazilian offshoring sector, it seems that the country has a range of competitive advantages in the IT and software industries. He nce many foreign companies outsource their IT and software related projects to Brazil. In addition, the country has better human capital strengths. The Brazilian government provides industrialists with extensive subsidies for R&D activities because the government greatly enhances innovations. In short, it can be stated that the country’s domestic economic behavior is favorable for international trade, which in turn facilitates cross border flow of goods, services, and capital. As it is claimed, â€Å"international flow of goods and services and the international flow of capital constitute the sum total

The understanding financial data, and developing and making judgements Essay

The understanding financial data, and developing and making judgements on proposals against strategic objectives - Essay Example In this study the researcher observed the role played by the finance and accounting function in the operation of a business. The author of the study recognized the following main functions: †¢ The raise of funds or financial management †¢ The role of financial reporting and †¢ The budgeting and organisational objectives. Financial management is a division of the finance and accounting purpose i.e. concerned with the financing of an industry’s activities. Finance is usually raised through loan capital, share capital and state finance or through inside generated funds. This report is prepared for Roberta Kelly and providing good budgeting plan to her business. It is designed to give the learners a chance to investigate the principles that support the financial decision making procedure and how they are applied into business. International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) is a group of accounting standards build up by a sovereign, not-for-profit business called the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). â€Å"The goal of IFRS is to provide a global framework for how public companies prepare and disclose their financial statements. IFRS provides general guidance for the preparation of financial statements, rather than setting rules for industry-specific reporting†. Financial r eporting is the arrangement of financial data in a form that is helpful to interested parties. It includes the collection and presentation of data for utilize in management accounting and financial management. ... It includes the collection and presentation of data for utilize in management accounting and financial management. 3. Interpretation of Accounting Information – Public Limited Companies: For the comparison study and understanding of the Transportation sector we have chosen the two companies i.e. 1. MET Plc 2. KGL PTS. Both of the companies are well established in the transportation sector and they are diversifying their business worldwide. Marwyn European Transport Plc is newly established company in the transportation sector; it is formed by the leading Transport industry executives to exploit the opportunities in the European transport industry. They are now focusing on the German bus and coach industry and presently operating 250 buses in Germany. The MET is established as a wholly owned subsidiary company of the MMP (Marwyn Management Partner Plc.). The board of directors of the company has a belief on the attractive investment opportunities in the public transportation of the European countries and so they are willing to operate the business by keeping the favors of the stakeholders. Initially they are targeting the largest bus markets in the country. KGL Passenger Transport Services (KGL PTS) in Kuwait, a supplementary of KGL Holding, was recognized in 2005. Being the showpiece of KGL Holding’s Passenger Transport Management Company, the KGL PTS has developed themselves as one of the most important passenger travel service companies within Kuwait and Middle East. As they are offering different means of carrying to suit the necessities of customer both publicly and commercially, they are still leading the sector. The head quarter of KGL PTS is in Kuwait and they are operating in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and in the United Arab

English Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

English Research Paper - Essay Example In each chapter of the book Gardner illustrates a different philosophical theory. In an interview John Gardner (1974) said that the purpose of writing this book was â€Å"to go through the main ideas of Western Civilization ... and go through them in the voice of the monster, with the story already taken care of, with the various philosophical attitudes (though with Sartre in particular), and see what I could do." Grendel is based on Beowulf, a Danish epic, which tells the story of King Hrothgar who is subjected to repeated attacks from the monster Grendel. For 12 years Grendel wages a guerilla-style war with Hrothgar. The king is unable to ward him off. Finally Beowulf, a stranger comes from the land of the Geats and kills Grendel, as well as Grendels mother and the dragon. Gardner begins his tale from the twelfth year of Grendels battle with the Danes. Grendel in the novel narrates the story of his life as he looks back and reflects on his life. He is drawn by the poetry and beauty of the world of humans, but is unable to escape the monstrousness in him. As Steven Wu says (2002), â€Å"he is both beast and human and despises both his bestiality and humanity with equal bitterness†. When Shaper, a poet whose evocative poetry and music shape the Dane’s views first joins Hrothgars men, Grendel is inspired by his heroic ode to hope. He is inspired to join the human race but he is m isunderstood and turned out by the humans. This makes Grendel revert to his belief in nihilism which to him means there is no purpose to existence. He becomes vengeful but continues to be haunted by the Shapers words of hope. Grendel then meets the dragon and his hopes are dashed further. Grendel again becomes the destroyer. In his journey of life he constantly confronts â€Å"meaning†. He sees Hrothgar age and as Grendel repeatedly attacks him, he sees him becoming humble and noble instead of being bitter. Wealtheow, the beautiful young queen withstands with grace her

Evolvement of the international regime of refugee protection Essay Example for Free

Evolvement of the international regime of refugee protection Essay Many people today are inclined to distinguish refugees as a relatively new phenomenon that mostly occurs in countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and in rapidly disintegrating countries in the Balkans and the ex Soviet Union. Certainly during the past few decades the majority refugees have fled violent conflicts or persecution in the developing countries; but mass refugee movements are neither new nor exceptional to the Third World (Gil Loescher, ed., 1992). They have been a political as well as a humanitarian issue for as long as mankind has lived in structured groups where intolerance and domination have existed. The difference is that, before this century, refugees were regarded as assets somewhat than liabilities; countries granted refuge to people of geo-political, religious, or ideological views similar to their own; and rulers viewed organize over large populations, along with natural resources and terrain itself, as an index of power and national greatness (Michael Marrus, 1985). As most refugees of earlier eras found it probable to gain safe haven outside their country of origin, this has not been the case for numerous refugees in the twentieth century. After both world wars, Europe practiced refugee flows similar to those taking place in the Third World today. Like most modern refugee movements, people left their homes for varied and multifarious reasons, including the severe economic distraction and starvation that accompanied the violence and interference of war and the upheaval of political and social revolution that followed the disintegration of multiethnic empires and the creation of new nation-states. The majority of these people were members of unwanted minority groups, political escapees, or the victims of warfare, communalism, and haphazard violence. Fundamentally, the refugee problems of the period from 1921 to 1951 were political ones, as they are today. The international reactions to mass expulsions, compulsory transfers of population, mass exits, and capricious denial of return were often weak and contradictory. In circumstances related to those that exist in parts of the Third World and Eastern Europe today, mass incursions threatened the security of European states, particularly when numerous refugee crises became protracted affairs that surpassed the competences of humanitarian agencies and individual states to resolve. Organized international efforts for refugees began in 1921, while the League of Nations appointed the first High Commissioner for Refugees. Over the next twenty years, the scope and functions of supporting programs gradually expanded, as efforts were made to regularize the status and control of stateless and denationalized people. Throughout World War II and after it, two expensive and politically contentious refugee organizations the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Agency and the International Refugee Organization, each with a fundamentally different mandate further developed the international organizational framework. Since 1951, an international refugee regime composed of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and a network of other international agencies, national governments, and voluntary or nongovernmental organizations has developed a reaction strategy that permits some refugees to remain in their countries of first asylum, facilitate others to be resettled in third countries, and arranges for still others to be send back to their countries of origin. Though unevenly applied, international laws that delegate refugees as a unique class of human rights victims who must be accorded special protection as well as benefits have been signed, ratified, and in force for numerous decades. yearly, billions of dollars are raised and spent on refugees. Historians have argued that refugees are a definitely contemporary problem and that international concern for refugees is a twentieth-century fact (Malcom Proudfoot, 1957). Though refugees have been a trait of international society for a long time, before this century there was no global protection for refugees as we know it at present; for the most part, they were left to fend for themselves without any official support. Citizens enjoyed the security of their sovereigns or national governments, but once they broke with their home countries and became refugees, they were completely bereft of protection except as other states or private institutions or individuals might choose to provide it. Asylum was a gift of the crown, the church, and municipalities; and renegade individuals and groups could be expecting no response to claims of asylum or protection premised on human or political right. Refugees have been present in all era. Refugees from religious maltreatment propagated throughout Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries (Aristide Zolberg, Astri Suhrke , and Sergio Aguayo, 1989). Protestants, Catholics, and Jews were expelled by several regimes and admitted by others according to their beliefs, ideologies, and economic inevitability. By the late seventeenth century, with the attainment of a high degree of religious homogeneity in most parts of Europe, the age of religious harassment gave way to an age of political disruption and revolution, during which individuals were persecuted for their political opinions and their opposition to new radical regimes. New waves of refugees were prompted by these revolutionary conflicts. The nineteenth century produced many comparatively small refugee flows, mostly from other revolutionary and nationalist movements in Poland, Germany, France, and Russia. Europeans who feared persecution could move to one of the numerous immigrant countries in the New World still eager for an improved labor force and for settlers to fill empty territories. There they could merge with other migrant groups and neither regards them nor is labeled as refugees. therefore, before the twentieth century, there were no groups of homeless Europeans cast adrift in a world that rejected them. The refugee is significant precisely because the refugee is an exception; the refugee is outside of some overarching framework. Whereas to celebrate the incomparable position of the refugee beyond violent state constraints, lawyers and practitioners seek to put the refugee inside several type of regime to avoid the violence of the inter. For the lawyers and practitioners, refugees are exceptions, it is decisive to repeat, in the sense that there is no observable entity to protect them. Whereas, the legal refugee regime seeks to protect citizens who have fallen outside the borders of customary state responsibility. As Goodwin-Gill notes: Refugee law †¦ remains an incomplete legal regime of protection; wrongly covering what ought to be a situation of exception. It goes some means to alleviate the plight of those affected by breaches of human rights standards or by the disintegrate of an existing social order in the wake of insurgency, civil strife, or aggression; but it is incomplete so far as refugees and asylum seekers might still be denied even temporary refuge or temporary protection, safe return to their homes, or compensation. They are denied, that is, by states which are not gratifying their obligations. Goodwin-Gill assumes that if all states were satisfying all their obligations there would be no exceptions and hence no refugees. International lawyers and practitioners presume that the internal basis of the state system is non-violent and that violent eruptions are exceptions and hence cause exceptions called refugees. In Dillons terms, international lawyers try to find resolutions to the problem of the inter within the nation-state. Citizens are protected first by their governments as the primary obligation of states is to protect their citizens. Further, governments are organized by various treaties and organisations managing those treaties to make sure that states fulfill their legal obligations to their citizens. These organizations themselves do not protect citizens; they try to guarantee that states do. Refugees are exceptions simply in so far as either their citizenship is in question that is why statelessness is so significant and the determination of citizenship crucial or the accountable government is no longer capable of, or unwilling to offer, proper protection. The role of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) or the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is not to create new state compulsions in the normal function of states, but rather to see that states function in such a way that citizens will be secluded. As Arthur Helton has clearly stated: UNHCRs protection responsibility, which is commended to it by the international community, makes it distinctive among traditional organizations †¦ In a fundamental sense, protection means to secure the satisfaction of basic human rights and to meet primary humanitarian needs. In this sense, the protection of refugees is an conservatory of human rights protection taken in very specific and incomparable situations. The protection function is normal: it is the situation in which the function should operate that is extraordinary. Basic human rights have not changed. The postulation is that if all states respected their compulsions to their citizens in terms of human rights there would be no refugees or refugee flows, which are caused by violations, by exceptions to the rules of appropriate state behavior. Thus, norms dealing with refugees are expansions of the normal obligations of states in unusual situations: they are not extraordinary rules. International politics today displays behavior patterns which imitate the operation of competing ordering principles, including governance by communal self-regulation. Regime analysis attempts to make the point that international relations cannot be reduced to a state of anarchy in the sense that the allowance of goods among states (and their societies) results from the junction of their competitive self-help strategies which they pursue as relative-gains seekers ( Grieco 1990). Certainly, there can be no doubt that for parts of the world the pragmatist assessment of international relations as being in a state of anarchism still seems valid. The Cold War strategies of the United States and the USSR until the eighties or the conflict processes in the Middle East, especially between Israel and its neighbors, but also among Arab states themselves as confirmed by the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, are telling evidence of this observation. However, it would be an embellishment if it were suggested that international politics could be said to be nothing but the sum total of individual or communal self-help strategies by which states seek to attain relative gains (or to avoid or minimize relative losses). This realist evaluation turns a blind eye on a wide variety of interaction patterns which cannot be reduced to competitive self-help strategies. The image of competitive international politics formed by anarchy among sovereign states is most sturdily challenged by the observation of instances of hierarchically ordered supranational policy-making (including implementation). Take the following two examples. The Security Council of the United Nations consented collective sanctions against Iraq after its incursion of Kuwait and established monitoring and supervisory machinery; additionally, after Iraqs defeat the Security Council ordered the destruction of weapons, installations, etc. inside Iraq and had it carried out under its overall guidance. In this sense, the Security Council acted like a governmental body of an initial world minimal state. A less spectacular case is the European Community, where hierarchical, supranational policy-making is quite common in numerous policy sectors. In the field of agricultural policy, for example, policies are most often initiated in Brussels, while national governments are so strongly ensnared in the joint decision trap ( Scharpf 1985) that they have no choice but to seek to manipulate the Community policies there is no longer any way out option. However, neither anarchy-induced competitive global politics nor hierarchically ordered international policy-making fatigues the reality of politics among nations. An escalating part of international political interactions and processes has become the object of international collective self-regulation, i.e. the voluntary partaking by states and other international actors in collective action to accomplish joint gains or to avoid joint losses in conflictual or challenging social situations. Examples of this kind of cooperative self-regulation on the global level include the GATT based international trade regime, the nuclear non-proliferation regime, or the establishment for the protection of the stratospheric ozone layer. However, international regimes are simply one manifestation, perhaps the most prominent, of collective self-regulation by states (and other international actors): it also contains contractual arrangements short of a regime as well as formal international organizations which ease collaboration short of generating compelling obligations, e.g. by the production and diffusion of information. To put it in a different way: the growth of institutions governing international political life has been reasonably remarkable. Taking the best-documented separation of international institutions international governmental organizations (IGOs) the count stands at about 300. It goes almost without saying that this number involves a wide variety of this species of international institution. If one looks at another subset, international treaties formally registered with the United Nations, the number of cases is in the thousands. Even though research on international regimes has engendered a wealth of theoretical and empirical studies, it is as yet hard to assess the quantity and quality of international regime formation that has in fact taken place in the last few decades. There is no source for identifying existing international regimes comparable to the sources just cited for international organizations and international treaties. All kinds of organizations with the rationale of defending or promoting functionally defined interests in the international monarchy are in principle able to implement relatively established forms of co-operation in the pursuit of their interests. If international non-governmental organizations interacting in an issue area agree upon principles, norms, rules, and decision-making procedures in order to normalize their interactions, one can speak of global regimes. To be sure, this constituent of international order is still underdeveloped and under-researched. As one might, for instance, refer to the post-war arrangement of the seven big oil companies the first oil regime according to Frank (1985) , it remains uncertain whether cartels ought to be considered regimes. In short, while transnational regimes represent a subdivision of international order that may become more important in the near future, it is at present a minor component which nevertheless deserves more comprehensive st udy. Regime analysis acknowledges that its field of inquest does not cover the whole realm of todays international relations, even if we take into account both international and transnational regimes. It is restricted, on the one hand, by those competitive interaction patterns which are described by the pragmatist or neo-realist approaches in International Relations. On the other hand, regime analysis should give way to integration theory if, and to the extent that, supportive interaction patterns move into a transformational mode leading to the formation of a new layer of political authority beyond the nation state. Recognizing the practice of tolerant competition among states as well as the phenomenon of supranationalism, regime investigation seeks to avoid being tied down by the either/ or debate in International Relations between anarchists and govern mentalists. Complex international governance might be an proper label for this peculiarity of modern international relations, in which different kinds of partial orders, varying in local scope and function, coexist. As James Rosenau (1992: 13-14) has put it: Global order is conceived here to be a distinct set of arrangements even though these are not causally associated into a single coherent array of patterns. The organic whole that comprises the present or future global order is organic only in the sagacity that its diverse actors are all claimants upon the earthbound resources and all of them should cope with the same environmental conditions, noxious and polluted as these can be. It is very doubtful that one kind of social order will dominate international relations in the near future and thus will reintroduce a state of affairs which can be described as organic or harmonized. The coexistence of different partial orders each considered legitimate in its sphere might turn out to be a enduring feature of international politics. However, we suggest that the nonhierarchical normative institutions for dealing with conflicts or problematical social situations will gain in importance over time, whereas national governments as such will lose. The resulting institutional complexity will enhance the demand for cognitive capabilities of individuals and will put stress on democratic principles. Responses to this kind of pressure comprise an important field of inquiry for the social sciences in the future. Summing up non-hierarchical international institutions of the international and the international kind play, empirically as well as normatively, an significant role in international politics. They are required in order to meet the increasing demand for international governance and they normally govern issue areas. With the existence and the rise of those institutions international relations are ever more characterized by a complex blend of diverse kinds of social order. Moreover, the formula governance without government might stand for a more enviable vision for a shrinking world than its major alternative: hierarchical norm- and rule-setting (and enforcement) on the international level. Thus, it appears worth while ongoing research on the conditions and consequences of shared self-regulation and consolidating a research programme permitting for a cumulating of knowledge. References: †¢ Aristide Zolberg, Astri Suhrke , and Sergio Aguayo, Escape from Violence: Conflict and the Refugee Crisis in the Developing World ( New York: Oxford University Press, 1989). †¢ Arthur Helton, Editorial, 6 International Journal of Refugee Law, 1994, pp. 1 and 2 †¢ Dillon, Michael, The Asylum Seeker and the Stranger: An Other Politics, Hospitality and Justice (paper presented at the International Studies Association Conference, Chicago, 1995) †¢ Dillon, Michael, The Scandal of the Refugee: Some Reflections on the â€Å"Inter† of International Relations and Continental Thought (private paper, copy with the author) †¢ Frank L. P. ( 1985), The First Oil Regime, World Politics, 37: 568-98. †¢ Gil Loescher, ed., Refugees and the Asylum Dilemma in the Vest (University Park, Penn.: Penn State University Press, 1992), pp. 8-35. †¢ Goodwin-Gill, Guy, The Refugee in International Law (2nd edn, Clarendon Press Oxford, 1996) †¢ Grieco J. M. ( 1990), Cooperation Among Nations: Europe, America, and NonTariff Barriers to Trade ( Ithaca, NY). †¢ Malcom Proudfoot, European Refugees, 1930-1952: A Study in Forced Population Movement ( London: Faber Faber, 1957) †¢ Michael Marrus, The Unwanted: European Refugees in the Twentieth Century ( New York: Oxford University Press, 1985). †¢ Rosenau J. N. ( 1992), Governance, Order, and Change in World Politics, in Rosenau and Czempiel ( 1992), 1-29. †¢ Scharpf F. W. ( 1985), Die Politikverflechtungs-Falle: Europà ¤ische Integration und deutscher Fà ¶deralismus im Vergleich, Politische Vierteljahresschrift, 26: 323-56.