.

Monday, September 30, 2019

Company Representative Paper Essay

This letter is to express my interest in bringing my experience as a Technical Support Analyst to your organization. I possess excellent customer service skills and have the technical skills and abilities in desktop and network support that will be an asset to your organization. As you can gather from my attached resume, I have experience maintaining a help desk ticket system to log all software and hardware related issues. I am a hard worker and committed to personal and professional growth in the IT industry. I have demonstrated my ability to troubleshoot customer problems providing effective resolution to technical issues. I obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Information Systems at Simpson College and seek to contribute my formal education and professional experience to a challenging position with your organization. In addition to the skills noted on my attached resume, I can also offer your organization: †¢ Team Leader with proven ability to increase customer satisfaction by providing excellent technical support. †¢ An ability to work in a fast-paced environment and take on challenging IT tasks. †¢ Goal-oriented professional dedicated to quickly learning new tasks. It is my hope that my education and professional experience will convey to you that I have the qualifications to make a valuable contribution to your company. Should you have any questions, I can be reached at the number listed above.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

The Process of Conditioning

Florida Sahay Professor Griffin Psychology 1101 Fall 2009 The Conditioning Process It was raining when Sarah was driving home from work. Both she and the driver of the car in front of her were speeding. The car in front of her had immediately braked. There was not enough distance between that car and her own car to safely slow to a stop, so she had quickly switched lanes to avoid a car accident. Instead, the slick pavement caused her car to swerve out of control. When her car finally skidded to a stop, it was inches away from colliding into a tree.Two weeks later, Sarah noticed that she had become anxious every time she had to drive in the rain. Believe it or not, Sarah’s anxiety is due to an associative learning process called conditioning. According to Weiten (2008), conditioning involves learning associations between events that occur in an organism’s environment (p. 169). Although psychology has a grasp on how we learn through classical and operant conditioning, it is impaired by biological constraints.Classical conditioning, also referred to as Pavlovian conditioning (Weiten, 2008), was discovered by a Russian physiologist, Ivan Pavlov. This form of learning presents how an unconditioned stimulus (UCS), or a neutral event, is initially unable to evoke an unconditioned response (UCR), or a reflexive response, but attains the ability to do so by pairing with another stimulus that can elicit such a response. Sarah’s situation would be an example of classical conditioning. The UCS would be Sarah’s near-death experience. The UCR from Sarah was anxiety and fear.Now that she feels anxiety and fear every time she must drive when it rains, even if there is no chance of another accident, her reaction has become a conditioned response (CR) to the rain, which is now the conditioned stimulus (CS). Another type of conditioning is operant conditioning. Operant conditioning (Weiten, 2008) can be distinguished from classical conditioning in that classical conditioning explains how manipulations by events occur before the reflexive response, whereas operant conditioning explains how the response is influenced by the following result of an event.The response in operant conditioning is not reflexive, but rather, voluntary. Therefore, according to Weiten (2008), operant conditioning is a form of learning in which voluntary responses come to be controlled by their consequences. Operant conditioning occurs on an everyday basis. It can be identified when a child studies hard to earn good grades, an employee works hard to earn a raise in his/her salary, or even a dog performing tricks to earn a treat.Conditioning was assumed to be applied to any species that could respond to a stimulus. On the contrary, discoveries in recent decades have shown that there are limits to conditioning. These limits are due to an organism’s biological heritage (Weiten, 2008). Instinctive drift is one of the many biological constraints. Instincti ve drift was first described by the Brelands who were operant psychologists in the business of training animals for commercial purposes (Breland & Breland, 1966 as cited in Weiten, 2008).This occurs when the conditioning process is hindered by an animal’s response due to innate predispositions. For example, a dog can be trained to fetch a stick, but if the dog is presented with a bone, the dog would most likely run off somewhere to bury the bone. This is because of the dog’s innate food- preserving behavior. As stated by Michael Domjan (2005 as cited in Weiten, 2008), organisms have developed distinctive response systems to deal with vital tasks and survival skills over the course of evolution.The principal view of psychologists today on learning is that learning mechanism among different species are analogous, but some of these mechanisms have been altered due to the demands of the organism’s environment. Theories of conditioning did not allocate the role of co gnitive processes until recent decades. Edward C. Tolman and his colleagues (Tolman & Honzik as cited in Weiten, 2008) developed an experimentation in which they used three groups of rats. All three groups were to run through a complicated maze. Group A was rewarded food daily when they were able to get to the end of the maze.Group B did not receive any food and group C was rewarded food on their 11th trial. Group A showed a much improvement in a short course of time (approximately seventeen days) due to the reinforcement. Group B and C, however, showed little improvement over the course of 10 days. After the 11th trial, group C showed a drastic improvement and even exceeded group A. Tolman determined that the rats in group C have been learning the maze just as much as group A. The motivation of the reward seemed to increase group C’s potential.He termed this as latent learning, which is dormant knowledge that an organism has, but does not express until it is needed. Later on in the study of psychology, cognitive factors were integrated into the study of conditioning. A major theme during the study of conditioning was nature vs. nature (Weiten, 2008). Behavioral traits were thought to be explained through environmental factors, but the recent decades of evidence from the study of classical and operant conditioning has proved that the process of conditioning is impaired by biological constraints.Heritage and the environment once again challenge the theories of nurture when influencing behaviors in organisms. Child-care facilities, schools, factories, and major businesses have all been applied with principles of conditioning in order to improve. Classical and operant conditioning has been a significant contribution and has had a major influence to society.References Weiten, W. (2008). Psychology: Themes & variations briefer version (7th ed. ). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

‘Miss Havisham’ by Charles Dickens Essay

Havisham essay. ‘Miss Havisham’ is a bitter and twisted character from the novel ‘Great Expectations’ by Charles Dickens. Carol Ann Duffy takes this character and explores her tragic life in the poem ‘Havisham’. Duffy uses Dark themes, structure, symbolism and other poetic techniques to express Havisham’s hatred for men after her tragic wedding when she was rejected by her fiancà ©. Duffy’s use of these poetic techniques create a sinister character and makes Havisham feel real to the reader. To begin the poem Duffy uses a shocking short sentence, which contains contrasting word choice to convey an ironic tone from Havisham. The contradictory oxymoron also startles the reader and grasps our attention as we do not expect this beginning. ‘Beloved sweetheart bastard.’ This contrasting word choice grasps the reader as it suggests a menacing narrative voice. The plosive ‘b’ sound repeated throughout the sentence creates a sinister mood as it is aggressive and sounds explosive and angry. This also suggests that she is writing a twister love letter to her past lover expressing her hatred toward him. This menacing narrative voice and dark atmosphere created makes the reader think that Havisham is a very sinister character and Duffy’s use of narrative voice and tone makes Havisham feel real. Following this Havisham begins to show more of her self-pity and self-disgust as she feels she is an in-complete woman, un-wanted and left abandoned. She shows this to the reader when she reveals her disgust with her marital status. ‘Spinster.’ Duffy’s use of a menacing narrative voice suggests that she is spitting this word out and the reader, we can hear that she loathes her loneliness and her isolated life. This one word sentence is used not only to startle the reader but to emphasis Havisham’s bitter tone. The sharp hissing ‘s’ sound creates a sinister mood as it conveys feelings of hatred, anger and revenge from Havisham. This clear display of self-loathing makes Havisham a very sinister character and the menacing narrative voice makes Havisham feel real to the reader. As the poem continues Havisham starts to show her mental decay as her language degrades down to sounds that only she can understand. She even begins to make animalistic screams which are symbolic of darkness and death. ‘cawing nooooo’ this neologism of ‘no’ suggests an animalistic persona where her sense of language has broken down to a series of noises which highlight her extreme mental decay. This also suggests her self-pity but makes the reader feel sympathy for the narrator as she desperately screams at the wall showing how lost and pathetic she has become over time. The ‘cawing’ is also symbolic of death and darkness as it is resembling a crow which the reader links with death, darkness and the devil. This combination of neologism and symbolism creates a sinister mood. Duffy’s use of neologism to emphasis Havisham’s mental decay makes her feel real to the reader and her animalistic person adds to her sinister character. Duffy goes on to show Havisham’s layers of feelings as she expresses her exterior feelings of hatred, anger and revenge which contrast with her true feelings of love for her past lover. It is the rejection from her lover which sends her into this downward spiral which eventually results in her feelings of hatred for all men and desperate want for revenge. ‘love’s hate behind a white veil’ This oxymoron places love and hate side by side and conceals both emotions behind a symbolic white bridal veil, which is ironically white and contrasts with her hatful state. The veil also conceals her face, emotions and both her mental and physical decay which adds to the sinister mood. This menacing narrative voice continues to add to the sinister mood and Duffy’s use of the combination of symbolism and an oxymoron create a sinister character. The depth of feeling from Havisham through the use of this oxymoron also makes Havisham feel real to the reader. Eventually Havisham’s self-pity combined with her mental decay makes for a dramatic conclusion to the poem as her emotions collapse and she is un-able to contain her feelings. She leaves the reader on an anti-climax as we are left wondering what happened to her in her vulnerable helpless state. ‘Don’t think it’s only the heart that b-b-b-breaks.’ Duffy uses ambiguity to give several interpretations of the ending as we are un-sure as to how Havisham finishes. The repeated ‘b’ sound could be the last beats of her breaking heart, it could be her voice breaking as she remembers her fate, it could be her last words as she finally emotionally and physically breaks down. It is the uncertainty of Havisham’s end that creates a sinister mood and makes her feel real to the reader. In conclusion, ‘Miss Havisham’ a character from the novel ‘Great Expectations’ by Charles Dickens is further explored in the poem ‘Havisham’ by Carol Ann Duffy. In the poem Duffy reveals Havisham’s sinister character and makes her feel real to the reader. Duffy accomplishes this through the use dark themes to express Havisham’s sinister character and a menacing narrative voice is used to make Havisham feel real to the reader. Duffy also uses symbolism, word choice and other poetic techniques to emphasis Havisham’s bitter and twisted character. The sinister mood is created throughout the poem as Havisham exposes her hatred for men and shows her physical and mental decay as she has been isolated from the world for so long. 954 words. Calum Stephen.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Farm Credit System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Farm Credit System - Essay Example To present day, this system has continually serve the farmers and also prolonged its dominancy source in terms of long term farm debt. Statistics indicate that this dominant force has grown continually from 20 percent of real estate farm debt to 40 percent from a presided long period of time thus from 1960- 2006 (Bitter and Gordon 45). It is important to have knowledge of its consumer base which includes farmers, various producers of aquatic products, ranchers, select rural communications and energy companies, agricultural cooperatives, rural homeowners including other eligible entities as a whole. History The farm credit system can basically be described as a nationwide network of various cooperative banks including other associations that are capable of providing credit to farmers. They are also capable of attending agricultural concerns including various related business. It was created in 1916 by the United States parliament and the federal government supported it by funding it. This ensured that the American agriculture had at least a dependable source of revenue or credit. At the moment, it is now independent and self funding since it is owned by member borrower. The farm credit system has undergone several rounds changes in its structure that has dated back since its inception in Roosevelt era of administration. Trough creation of federal land banks in an estimated area of about 12 regions in the United States, the federal farm loan act developed a credit delivery system to the large agricultural sector. A kind of a fund chain was developed where the land banks provided funds to the regional banks including associations. The regional banks were then supposed to support farmers by providing them with long term mortgage thus financing them in their various projects. The farm credit act of 1933 born during the great depression period was imposed to booster agricultural production. This was by simply funneling short term credits thus by the 12 production cre dit associations incorporated by 13 bank capable of supporting agricultural cooperatives (Bitter and Gordon 48). The emergency farm mortgage act was mobilized to refund the FLBs to stand as a help package for farmers who were facing foreclosures including debt complications. In 1987, every credit agency existing was transformed to a farm credit administration. Economic Impact The farm credit system provides loans for a variety of purposes. This includes funding agricultural processing including other market activities, farm related businesses, rural housing initiatives, rural utilities including both foreign and domestic companies that are involved in the agricultural trade. It also provides access to various critically required rural areas where national including regional banks control. It has also abandoned it intended mission as it consolidates into one of the largest headquartered scores. This is through distancing itself from farmers including the ranchers they are supposed to primarily serve. In fact, the traditional notion of a cooperative which is member ran for the purpose of benefiting members gives away to one administration. This is through hired managers intends on structuring GSE empires as long as FCS associations continues to grow (Zachman 32). This empire building has led to the abandonment of the intended mission by the farm credit system instead led to a different direction of focusing on large borrowers. This is at the expense of serving YBS farmers thus termed as the little guy of the American culture. The farm system associations now consolidate a huge association which is directly more to their marketing efforts. This is intended towards making bigger and more profitable loans on large scale

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Nantucket Nectars Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nantucket Nectars - Essay Example Another source of short term finance is life savings. Tom and Tom with their lifetime savings of $17,000 were able to undertake some expansion. Like Nantucket Nectars, entrepreneurs like Tom and Tom did can borrow funds from local financial institutions or individuals. Short term borrowings may be in form of overdrafts with limits set by banks and interest charged at variable rates set by the banks. Short term loans may also extend up to a period of three years; such sources of cash do not require much collateral, hence easy access. Before short term lending is extended to firms’, factors such as purpose, amount, repayment period, term and security are considered and ascertained (Pride, William, Robert 2011). As a matter of urgency if deemed so, a company may welcome wealthy individuals who pump money into the business at the exchange of a percentage of shareholding. The sales director of Nantucket nectars advises that mike Egan be allowed to bring in $600,000 for the exchange with 50% of the company. Out of the companies profits it can decide to plough back some amount to grow the business in form of retained earnings. Though this means has a direct impact on dividends since it reduces the amount earned by shareholders hence they may complain (Pride, William, Robert 2011). Retained earnings are attractive sources of cashing in since managers think they don’t cost anything, it is at their discretion to make dividend decisions. Also retained earnings as opposed to issuing new shares help the firm to evade issue costs and this method also helps the management avoid change of control. Another factor which facilitates the consideration of retained earnings is the financial and taxation levels of the existing shareholders. If due to taxation, they would receive capital profit realizable only during taxation of shares sold than receive current income then retained earnings is preferred to other methods. Businesses can still cash in

The Theology of the Emerging Church Research Paper - 1

The Theology of the Emerging Church - Research Paper Example At the beginning of the 21st century, the emerging church arose characterized by a myriad of theological boundaries. Consequently, the emerging churches renamed their theological boundaries to represent their faith. Since many people consider the emerging church as a movement, various issues have come out about transcends of liberalism, conservatism and even modernism. The paper discusses how various transcends within the emerging church continues to affect theology. The paper will also discuss how emerging churches have led to the deconstruction of modern Christian worship, and the role of emerging churches in the postmodern society. Introduction Over the recent years, the world has witnessed the tremendous growth of faith-based and religious movements like never before in the history of the world. Across the dry land, millions of people streams into worship centers on selected days of the week to worship their creator. The newspapers have also carried the same stories since the est ablishment of the emerging churches that exhibit certain trends in the religious fraternity. The bookshops are full of books that speak about different religions and the same is true over the internet1. Undoubtedly, religious movements are second to political movements that sway people to follow certain customs and practices. To many people, the emerging churches have become the save haven of protection and many believe they are doing the right thing in their places of worship. Both print and broadcast media is full of coverage that highlights church activities and some even have gone ahead to stream live performances from churches. The speed at which the emerging churches spread is notable, and we can see movements in schools, universities, villages, and towns all professing inclination towards certain church. Each church has its own dogmas that differentiate it from the rest. However, it is important to note that these churches, no matter how diverse they are, they worship the sam e Creator—God. The proponents of the emerging churches believe that participants should support the movement as it draws heavily from the precepts of faith and thus, this is the foundation of worship. They continue to say that the emerging churches are like a new reformation that pulls people from headlong and headstrong and brings them into spiritual growth and intellectual lightness. The participants of the emerging churches are keen followers of the Bible. However, many of them do not understand the existence of the movement, and the foundations that formed their once-sound churches, seminaries or Christian Union movements in high schools and colleges. Consequently, a litany of sincere believers has fallen prey to a number of self-confessed church leaders who are out there to exploit them. This has led to a new trend in theology that goes against the set principles of the ministry of worship and praise. Some of these participants are men and women committed to diversify th eir choices of worship2. Moreover, these people are always ready to propel the movements they are part of up the theological spectrum for their own benefits. Then we have a question as to whether we really have inexplicable liberals and conservatives who are ready to cling to the old conventional labels that are not only genuine, but does not change theology even a piece. If we can define â€Å"emerging† in this context, it will mean something that â€Å"is budding, generative comradeship among Christians, that is, those committed towards a certain goal—achieving the love of Jesus Christ†. Thus, any emerging church has to base its doctrines of theology on this principle;

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Journal entry #8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Journal entry #8 - Essay Example tween the target language and the learners first language and the other sequenced according to increasing linguistic complexity of target language items† (1984, p. 691). A discussion on the syllabus design based on disparities between L1 and L2 structures were subsequently presented where the author identified that the most difficult phase was learning crucial elements in the target language that were absolutely absent in the student’s native language. Therefore, various guidelines and contributions were presented for syllabus design and proposed development on the complexity of the second language was appropriately delved into. Accordingly, the author noted that â€Å"recent findings from interlanguage research suggest several ways in which attention to certain aspects of traditional approaches to syllabus design-specifically, L1 transfer and L2 complexity-can be used in selecting, sequencing, and grading items for the syllabus† (Pica, 1984, p. 700). The article is most useful for teachers in the development and design of effective syllabus considering disparities and complexities in interlanguage instructions and learning. Through the guidelines provided in the discourse for syllabus design from the noted cross-linguistic research, educators are illumined on instructional approaches and methods that would facilitate teaching a second language more

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Comparative Analysis of Poetry Gwendolyn Brooks WE REAL COOL & Maya Essay

Comparative Analysis of Poetry Gwendolyn Brooks WE REAL COOL & Maya Angelou Phenomenal Women - Essay Example Gwendolyn Brooks and Maya Angelou are African-American women with strong personalities. The most dominant theme in Brooks works are the impact of ethnicity and life experiences on one's view of life. Angelou's, on the other hand, usually center on the themes of courage, perseverance, self-acceptance, and realization of one's full potential. "We Real Cool" depicts the climactic end of the battle of seven school dropouts and their struggles with personal identity. In this poem, Brooks speaks and feels for the seven school drop outs and sees the world through their eyes. The unfettered young men, though seemingly not concerned of their situation, as described in the first seven lines eventually turned out to have known the consequence of their actions. "At first, it seems like it is inadvertent, even an unguarded revelation but I think that both the poet and her hooligan narrator realize that the threat of death in the streets is an ever-present part of what makes life on the streets worthwhile. It's what gives that life vitality."1 There is no separation in the part of the writer and the characters. The writer speaks on behalf of the seven school drop outs. Perhaps, even feeling the uncertainties in their actions camouflaged by being "cool." Emphasizing it's tragic effect in the last line, "Die Soon." "Phenomenal Woman," on the other hand, describes a self-assured woman who has fully realized her self-worth that both sexes: "pretty women and men" did not fail to notice her existence. The words Maya Angelou uses show that the character is conscious of her actions and is in total control of the situation. There are no hesitancies on the part portrayed by the "phenomenal woman" in the poem. Only a self-assured "person". Notice the emphasis on the word "person." The character becomes phenomenal not because she IS a woman but simply because she has a full grasp of what she is and what she is not. A person created with equal importance with man. Not of lesser quality that she should worship him nor above him that she should lord over him, but a person that would complete the all of creation. For what is a woman, without a man and a man without a woman.. In conclusion, these works present the following: 1) male-female differences through the eyes of a woman; 2) employed rhythmic rhyming scheme with 3) pleasant tone ( lyrical: a feeling of dancing: Angelou's smooth, brooks' short but strong) in the use of 4) informal language (simple, crisp and powerful) which 5) appeals to the emotion (both are written based on what the writers feel) portraying the characters linked with a woman. The camouflage that a first

Monday, September 23, 2019

Gender inequality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gender inequality - Essay Example The cult of domesticity is a generic phrase for women to stay at home, clean the house, cook the food, and raise the children. In this model, the men are the bread winners. Since women rely on men for financial support, it is almost unorthodox for women to work outside the house. The idea of gender disparity in school, government and overall progression of women is clearly hindered in these cultures. These same issues have become the focal points that factored into gendered inequality for Malian Minianka women. These factors consisted of culture norms, sexuality, marriage and kinship. Without a doubt, one of the challenges for Malian Minianka women was to break the culture norms that dominated the perception of women. Culture in essence defines the dynamic components of family and social values. The idea of gender discourse was so prevalent throughout America that it sparked a cry for reformation. The ideology of the Republican Motherhood, was one of the original groups, that challenged the lack of development of female secular education because it dramatically sifts away from the traditional mindset (Week 6, Lecture 2). The second aspect that challenged women were child rearing and birth. Mothers, in their aspect of nurturing are responsible for showing the ropes of behavior to their children in this culture. Malian Minianka sheds some key highlights on how political domesticity has impacted the true notion of the evolving role of women (Week 7, Lecture 3). Although women were induced at home, they created a strong environment that harnessed and cultivated growth. I think one of the aspects that people fail to acknowledge is the fact that mothers have strong emotions. The mutual connection between mothers and children is awe-inspiring. One can only imagine the hardships that each mother undergoes during pregnancy and birth (Week 6, Lecture2). From this context, Spocks book represents an advance in salutary counsel for care of

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Management Information System Essay Example for Free

Management Information System Essay Organizations and Information Systems * Information technology and organizations influence one another * Complex relationship influenced by organization’s structure, business processes, politics, culture, environment, and management decisions The Two-Way Relationship between Organizations and Information Technology This complex two-way relationship is mediated by many factors, not the least of which are the decisions made—or not made—by managers. Other factors mediating the relationship include the organizational culture, structure, politics, business processes, and environment. What is an organization? * Technical definition: * Stable, formal social structure that takes resources from environment and processes to produce outputs. * A formal legal entity with internal rules and procedures, as well as a social structure * Behavioral definition: * A collection of rights, privileges, obligations, and responsibilities that is delicately balanced over a period of time through conflict and conflict resolution The Technical Microeconomic Definition of the Organization In the microeconomic definition of organizations, capital and labor (the primary production factors provided by the environment) are transformed by the firm through the production process into products and services (outputs to the environment). The products and services are consumed by the environment, which supplies additional capital and labor as inputs in the feedback loop. Figure 3-2 The Behavioral View of Organizations The behavioral view of organizations emphasizes group relationships, values, and structures. Figure 3-3 * Features of organizations * All modern organizations share some characteristics, such as: * Use of hierarchical structure * Accountability, authority in system of impartial decision-making * Adherence to principle of efficiency * Other features include: Routines and business processes and organizational politics, culture, environments and structures * Routines and business processes * Routines (standard operating procedures) Precise rules, procedures, and practices developed to cope with virtually all expected situations * Business processes: Collections of routines * Business firm: Collection of business processes Routines, Business Processes, and Firms All organizations are composed of individual routines and behaviors, a collection of which make up a business process. A collection of business processes make up the business firm. New information system applications require that individual routines and business processes change to achieve high levels of organizational p erformance. Figure 3-4 * Organizational politics * Divergent viewpoints lead to political struggle, competition, and conflict * Political resistance greatly hampers organizational change * Organizational culture: * Encompasses set of assumptions that define goal and product * What products the organization should produce * How and where it should be produced * For whom the products should be produced * May be powerful unifying force as well as restraint on change * Organizational environments: Organizations and environments have a reciprocal relationship * Organizations are open to, and dependent on, the social and physical environment * Organizations can influence their environments * Environments generally change faster than organizations * Information systems can be instrument of environmental scanning, act as a lens Environments and Organizations Have a Reciprocal Relationship Environments shape what organizations can do, but organizations can influence their environments and decide to chang e environments altogether. Information technology plays a critical role in helping organizations perceive environmental change and in helping organizations act on their environment. Figure 3-5 * Organizational structure * Five basic kinds of structure * Entrepreneurial: Small start-up business * Machine bureaucracy: Midsize manufacturing firm * Divisional zed bureaucracy: Fortune 500 firms * Professional bureaucracy: Law firms, school systems, hospitals * Adhocracy: Consulting firms * Other Organizational Features * Goals * Constituencies * Leadership styles * Tasks Surrounding environments How Information Systems Impact Organizations and Business Firms * Economic impacts * IT changes relative costs of capital and the costs of information * Information systems technology is a factor of production, like capital and labor * IT affects the cost and quality of information and changes economics of information * Information technology helps firms contract in size because it can reduce transaction costs (the cost of participating in markets). Outsourcing expands * Transaction cost theory Firms seek to economize on cost of participating in market (transaction costs) * IT lowers market transaction costs for firm, making it worthwhile for firms to transact with other firms rather than grow the number of employees The Transaction Cost Theory of the Impact of Information Technology on the Organization Firms traditionally grew in size to reduce transaction costs. IT potentially reduces the costs for a given size, shifting the transaction cost curve inward, opening up the possibility of revenue growth without increasing size, or even revenue growth accompanied by shrinking size. Figure 3-6 * Agency theory: * Firm is nexus of contracts among self-interested parties requiring supervision * Firms experience agency costs (the cost of managing and supervising) which rise as firm grows * IT can reduce agency costs, making it possible for firms to grow without adding to the costs of supervising, and without adding employees The Agency Cost Theory of the Impact of Information Technology on the Organization As firms grow in size and complexity, traditionally they experience rising agency costs. IT shifts the agency cost curve down and to the right, enabling firms to increase size while lowering agency costs. Figure 3-7 * Organizational and behavioral impacts * IT flattens organizations * Decision-making pushed to lower levels * Fewer managers needed (IT enables faster decision-making and increases span of control) * Postindustrial organizations * Organizations flatten because in postindustrial societies, authority increasingly relies on knowledge and competence rather than formal positions Flattening Organizations Information systems can reduce the number of levels in an organization by providing managers with information to supervise larger numbers of workers and by giving lower-level employees more decision-making authority. Figure 3-8 * Organizational resistance to change * Information systems become bound up in organizational politics because they influence access to a key resource information * Information systems potentially change an organization’s structure, culture, politics, and work * Most common reason for failure of large projects is due to organizational amp; political resistance to change Organizational Resistance and the Mutually Adjusting Relationship between Technology and the Organization Implementing information systems has consequences for task arrangements, structures, and people. According to this model, to implement change, all four components must be changed simultaneously. Figure 3-9 * The Internet and organizations * The Internet increases the accessibility, storage, and distribution of information and knowledge for organizations * The Internet can greatly lower transaction and agency costs * E. g.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Analysing Regeneration Of Newcastle Upon Tyne Tourism Essay

Analysing Regeneration Of Newcastle Upon Tyne Tourism Essay Urban tourism has, in one form or other, been with us since Mesopotamia and Sumeria were spawning the phenomenon of urbanization. People with the means and inclination to do so have been drawn to towns and cities just to visit and experience a multiplicity of things to see and doà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦These (towns and cities) were the melting pots of national culture, art, music, literature and of course magnificent architecture and urban design. It was the concentration, variety, and quality of these activities and attributes that created their attraction and put certain towns and cities on the tourism mapà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Karski, 1990 A. Karski, Urban Tourism: A Key to Urban Regeneration?, The Planner 76 (13) (1990), pp. 15-17. View Record in Scopus | Cited By in Scopus (7)Karski 1990, p. 15). Newcastle Upon-Tyne played a great part in the industrial revolution the period between the eighteenth and nineteenth century where there was major change in Western Europe, changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining and transport had adverse impacts on the social economic conditions, Newcastle was prominently dominated by chemical, iron and steel industries.  [1]  (LAW 1993) cites In the last 15 years or so urban policy-makers have sought to develop tourism in an attempt to compensate for the contraction of those economic activities, such as traditional manufacturing industry, which have undergone a structural crisis in many West European and North American cities. In order to compete in the new environment created by the process of economic restructuring, urban policy-makers have created new, or enhanced old, tourist attractions and facilities. State ownership, although originally conceived as a means of safeguarding These provided the ground work for a new approach, in whic h towns and cities were regarded as multi-functional areas, meeting the demand generated by urban tourists and, indeed, stimulating some of that demand themselves (Page et al., 2001, p336-7).g employment, had become a mechanism of retrenchment and restructuring. Privatization of the basic industries, as part of the Thatcherism free-market policies of the 1980s and 1990s signalled the final run-down of these industries (e.g. Hudson, 1989; Robinson, et al, 1987; Tomaney, 2003; Tomaney, et al, 1999). Today tourism is one of the largest consuming industry consuming substantial amounts of space within the urban destination with Gospodini 2001 stating that large attractions e.g. theme parks/ museums contribute to this consumption. Urban tourism is distinguishable from other forms of tourism by a number of features which, while they are not applicable to all urban destinations and may be applicable to some non-urban destinations, characterize urban tourism destinations as a whole. Significant numbers of tourists in urban areas are visiting for a primary purpose other than leisure, including business, conferences, shopping, and visiting friends and relatives. Local residents (and commuters) are also significant (often majority) users of attractions and of infrastructure which has generally been developed for non-tourism purposes within urban destinations often the number; variety and scale of primary and secondary attractions are large. Men make their own history, according to Karl Marx, but they do not make it just as they please; they do not make it under circumstances chosen by themselves, but under circumstances directly encountered, given and transmitted from the past. Newcastle like many European Cities has seen terrible time with high levels of unemployment in the 1970s in the context of increasing national economic difficulty there was a great decline in the manufacturing industry in the North, demographic trends resulted in a huge influx of young people on to the labour market and the labour force employed in manufacturing continued to decline there were other contributing factors for the decline for example de-industrialisation and technological advancement, the growth of manufacturing in low-cost countries, the outcome was raising unemployment. De-industrialisation The term de-industrialisation has come into common usage in recent years to describe (and perhaps emotionally charge) what is perceived as Britains manufacturing decline. As the volume of the employed population engaged manufacturing declined, technological advance served to alter the occupational composition of remaining employment by reducing the number of manual tasks required in production while simultaneously increasing the number of employees in non-production functions, concerned with the processing, compiling and communication of information (CRUM and GUDGIN, 1978; STEPHENS and HOLLY, 1981) Technological advancement As the volume of the employed population engaged in manufacturing declined, technological advance served to alter the occupational composition of remaining employment by reducing the number of manual tasks required in production while simultaneously increasing the number of employees in non-production functions, concerned with the processing, compiling and communication of information (CRUM and GUDGIN, 1978; STEPHENS and HOLLY, 1981). This growth in information related activities in manufacturing may be related to both substitution of information for non information labour arising from changes in labour cost differentials, and the substitution of capital for non-information labour (OECD, 1981). Thus technological change may be conceptualised as requiring a rise in skill levels and a technologisation (TOFT JENSEN et af., 1983) of the workforce as the remaining jobs become increasingly specialised and technical in nature. However, at the same time as new technologies have led to a shif t towards jobs with a high technological content (which we may expect to see reflected in an increasing proportion of employees in managerial and professional occupations), Manufacturing in low-cost countries The threat of competition from many of Asias manufacturing countries has been a growing concern for many European and Western countries since the early 70s with the decline of the manufacturing industry in the UK, politicians and policy-makers, and CEOs and line employees have all focused on the perception that Asias competitive advantage is based on low wages and an undervalued currency, and that this Juggernaut is overwhelming, leaving small European manufacturers with no chance or ability to Compete against them, Asia has various cost advantages:- Asias ready access to cheap labour enables Chinese companies to pay on average 76 cents per hour (1/36th the average labour rate of the E.U.) With nearly 1500 million inhabitants in Asia seeking a better way of life in the East, manufacturing plants provide improved pay and living conditions, including free housing, food, and medical care. This nearly inexhaustible supply of labour is bound to keep wages low for many years. Low cost of materials and components, stemming from the low labour rates of local suppliers, companies producing in Asia benefit, in some cases, from lower cost of materials and inputs. Undervalued Asias aggressive currency policies have kept the currency artificially low, not allowing it to float freely compared to foreign currencies. The result is that goods exported from Asia to the U.S. or EU is artificially low in price. Government incentives and less regulation. An example of Asias competitiveness is the Chinese government who offer tax breaks and other financial incentives to multinational corporations (MNCs) that engage in joint ventures in China. These MNCs are also often attracted by the opportunity to do business while being subject to little or no environmental, health or safety regulations. Newcastles revival and mechanisms used for this. The emergence of a state managed region, the strengthening of regional policy aimed at tackling the problems of industrial regions like the North East included restrictions on development in efforts to shift investment to development areas and meant that the region became a focus for mobile forms of manufacturing investment, especially for labour intensive forms of investment from UK and US companies. Alongside the restructuring of manufacturing, the North East also participated in the general growth of service industries which emerged as the most important provider of employment. The growth of services in the North East (when compared to other regions of the UK) rested disproportionately on the expansion of the public sector (often through state-directed relocations of civil service jobs) while business services, for instance, tended to be under-represented (Robinson,1987 and Marshall, 1982). The physical regeneration of some parts of the region, notably the Newcastle-Gateshead quayside area, was a significant development at the turn of the 21st century. Property development and culture-led regeneration in the urban core helped to alter the image of the region, but such developments tended to divert attention from the chronic underlying weakness of the regional economy (Byrne and Wharton, 2004; Robinson, 2002). Tourism can be placed high on the list of impacts that have helped the North East to revitalise itself, from the last decade investment in the regeneration of the inner city, the West End and East End. The Citys reputation as a regional shopping centre has been enhanced by the development of shopping precincts such as Eldon Square (opened in 1976), Eldon Gardens (1989), Monument Mall (1992) and pedestrianisation of Northumberland Street, upper Grainger Street, Blackett and Grey Street (1998). In the 1990s and through in to the 21st century Newcastle has been underg oing regeneration to re-establish the city as a vibrant and stylish regional capital and halt the population decline. The local councils and forming bodies published a regeneration strategy for fifteen year the regeneration strategy gave a flavour of the broad remit of regeneration these included:- Strengthening the economy Improving transport and connectivity Providing the right choice of homes Transforming education and skills Ensuring wellbeing and health Promoting inclusion and social cohesion Newcastles councils overall aim was to create a vibrant modern, safe, inclusive European City by building on the heritage, cultural and economic strengths of Newcastle plus improving the quality of life all people and communities in Newcastle and playing a leading role in the sustainable growth and prosperity of the region. Between 1970 and early 1980 the inner city was declared an industry improvement area (the first in Newcastle) in response to change in government policy to revive derelict areas through industry i.e. creating business opportunity around the region engineering, import on construction material and tourism industry, there was a large emphasis with the local council on improving local infrastructure to support local businesses with upgrading local roads and highways plus ensuring that business awards were granted in 1982 the metro bridge was opened by Queen Elizabeth II the metro bridge links the metro light railway systems on each side of the river metro trains ran from Haymarket to Gateshead and Heworth later to Sunderland plus South Shields the metro system allowed both sides of the Tyne to better connected enabling a far greater experience for visitor and residents allowing easier access to the town centre the hub of business services in Newcastle, Grainger Town which is considered t he historic heart of Newcastle Upon Tyne between the 80 and early 1990, this once prosperous area which was on the decline was taken over by a new centre of retail and commercial activity the area has had an investment of  £120 million poured into it from both public and private investment. The region also embraced its emergence as a party city heavily promoting the leisure opportunities available at the city most of which revolved around the nightlife and social consumption of alcohol (Newcastle City Council, 2008). Indeed this fame reached international levels with US travel consultants Weissmann Travel rating Newcastle as the eighth best party city in the world (Nayak, 2003: 66), the major investment associated with the NewcastleGateshead Initiative has seen a number of iconic cultural projects materialize in recent years. The BALTIC which opened in 2002 was a  £50 million project which saw the conversion of a disused 1950s flour mill into an international centre for contempo rary art. This was followed in 2004 by the Sage Gateshead a  £70 million music and performance centre located on the Gateshead Quayside. The Gateshead Millennium Bridge, which opened in 2001 at a cost of  £22 million, is a pedestrian and cycle bridge which gained international fame as the worlds first tilting bridge. The NewcastleGatesHead Initiative was established in 2000 to develop a regeneration strategy for the area the river Tyne provided the focal point for a variety of iconic culture-led flagship regeneration programmes and projects one of many famous culture lead land marks that the NewcastleGatesHead Initiative made possible was the 65 foot high sculpture done by Antony Gormley the angel of the north which brought great publicity to Newcastle and changed consumer perception of the region. For the Conservation and regeneration of this region funding from both public and private finance was invested into the region from various sources, some are identified below; Gateshead Council The ERDF The heritage lottery fund Public funding Single regeneration budget Challenge fund Private sector Learning and skills council From the regeneration over the last 3 decades Newcastle has improved on all primary elements of tourism (Figure 1) especially additional elements and secondary as a result of tourism development in the region other industries are attracted to Newcastle for business Tourism has helped to enhance the physical, economic and social regeneration of the region (Figure 2) Figure 1urb036 Figure 2 law Conclusions to enable to you to make a critical appraisal of applicability of Laws model Newcastle upon Tyne is defiantly a city which can be sold as a product on the Tourism market, since the 1980s there has been increasing recognition of the importance of tourism to UK cities (Law, 1993). The growing emphasis on urban tourism as an area of economic growth for cities has come about through realisation that urban tourism acts as an important catalyst for the economic, social and physical regeneration of the city, creating benefits for residents of the city as well as for industries located there. Moreover, tourism is perceived as an environmentally friendly, yet labour intensive, industry which can benefit cities through income and job creation, particularly in the wake of the decline of traditional economic activities (Law, 1993) . The localism model proposed by the Tories in the 80s and early nineties gave way to New Labours regional development plans and the establishment of the regional development agencies (RDA). As Deas Ward (2000, p.279) state the aim of the RDA programme was to provide effective and properly coordinated regional economic development by managing land assembly, physical regeneration, local economic development and inward investment. These provided the ground work for a new approach, in which towns and cities were regarded as multi-functional areas, meeting the demand generated by urban tourists and, indeed, stimulating some of that demand themselves (Page et al., 2001, p336-7). It was in such an era of change that Law (1993, p. 24-31) drew up what could be called a strategy for urban tourism, constructing a model whose various component parts were interlinked and crucial to the physical, economic and social regeneration of the urban environment it is a complex of activities that are interlinked in a particular milieu and enables cities to attract tourists (Law, 2000, as cited in Thomas, 2004, p.241. Key elements in current urban policy, as he noted, involved an emphasis on economic policies; an emphasis on obtaining private investment; an emphasis on property development; public sector investment in infrastructure; a focus on the city centre and finally, the creation of flagship projects whose scale and impact generate a positive public image of the new urban landscape. This idea of image, although it may sound somewhat vague and theoretical is regarded by a number of commentators as of crucial importance as negative perceptions can undermine regeneration and destroy the confidence of local communities leading to the idea of a lost city with no clear identity or brand (Trueman, et al., 2007, p.20) Law took the view that tourism provides an over arching framework which involves the provision of a physical environment and infrastructure conducive to the development of facilities and the generation of activities which will be of benefit to the local community, but will further involve the projection of the city as an area suitable for industrial and commercial activity. Those elements which may be termed primary attractors are museums, art galleries, concert halls, conference centres, exhibition halls and other ancillary elements. A city, however, must also be a place which attracts not just tourists, but those who want to live and work there on a permanent basis; as such, it must persuade potential residents, business professionals and executives that it is capable of providing a lifestyle in keeping with their tastes and needs, to con clude Newcastle upon-Tyne has managed through its regeneration to comply to Laws 1993 book Urban Tourism attracting visitors to large cities.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Big Game Hunting Should be Allowed :: Benefits of Hunting

When a Minnesota dentist killed a prized African lion named "Cecil" he received an onslaught of criticism and reignited the debate concerning big game hunting.  Is big game hunting wrong? Should big game hunting continue? Big game hunting has been a very controversial topic for some time and these types of questions are being asked daily. There are a lot of people for it and a lot of people against it. This issue causes a lot of extreme behaviors and ideas by both sides. Those who oppose it believe it to be morally wrong, unfair to the animals and damaging to the environment. Those individuals for it believe that it is the citizens' rights and a way to be involved in the environment. Hunting is the law and shall not be infringed upon. In defense of the hunters' I believe that there are five main issues of concern. The first big issue concerning big game hunting is that it is considered to be the citizens' rights. Anti-hunters would believe that there is no right for anyone to take the life of another living creature. It would be morally wrong. The thought of going out and killing an animal for fun is just appalling to these individuals. Maybe they believe hunters will rear a generation of killers. They would argue that there are many other things in this world that could bring that sort of excitement to a person. The right to hunt is the law. The twenty-ninth Article states, "...securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others..." If this is the law then it can not be infringed. With this there really is no question of big game hunting. These rights are personal rights of the citizens of the United States. Parents can choose what they want for there own children and let them do what they desire, and if that desire is hunting then let it be. When other people who oppose hunting try and stop this freedom then they are the ones at fault and are doing wrong by infringing on the rights of others. These actions are illegal and should be taken care of. In C M Dixon's article, "The Banning of Hunting is an Affront to Freedom," he stated that, "He has never heard of hunters violating the just requirements of public order or general welfare" (2). From the hunting experiences that I have had I agree with this statement one hundred percent.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Reason Why Elections Are Less Democratic :: essays research papers

Reason Why Elections Are Less Democratic The reason why elections are less democratic is because some people say that money is taking away from our well known democracy, but in other instances we have the greatest democracy compared to other countries of our vast magnitude. Throughout the nineteenth century campaigns were ran and geared toward the party. Instead of voting for a person you were voting for an individual party either federalist or democratic-republican. Today, in the twentieth century, we vote for the candidate and their true character or what they have to offer us. To run a successful campaign now-a-days you need money, a good pollster, well organized debate, direct mail, and positive publicity. â€Å"Money is the mother's milk of politics† if you don't have you aren't going to go any where. Campaign money is received part from federal and part from private donors in a presidential election, but congressional elections are all private donors. Most of the money for a congressional leader comes from individual donors, but they also have political action committees (interest groups) that raise money for their campaign. Presidential candidates also raise money from individual donors because the federal government will match them dollar for dollar. Reform has been successful in the fact that it minimizes some fat cat buying his or her own pet politician, but it also takes away from the parties, provides an advantage to wealthy challengers, gives advantages to candidates with high ideological appeal, penalizes those who start late in the campaign, and helps incumbents and hurts challengers. The Democratic Party has more registered voters so logically the democrats should win. The reasons why they don't always win is because those who are democrats are not firmly stuck with their party like republicans are, republicans also do better with the independent voters, and more republicans actually come out and vote than democrats. Realigning elections are also known as critical elections. It happens when a major party suffers such a defeat (because of a major issue that comes about and separates the party) that it disappears or it is the shifting of voters between major parties. There has been three major realigning elections: 1860, 1896, and 1932. In 1860 it was the slavery issue, in 1896 it dealt with economic issues, and in 1932 it occurred because of an economic depression. Some people say we are getting ready to have one because of the effects of the New Deal, but others say it won't happen again because party labels have lost their meaning. For any given party to win an election you must retain your old voters, but

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Humbert the Pedophile Essay -- Essays Papers

Humbert the Pedophile Lolita, the novel by Vladimir Nabokov, tells the story of Humbert Humbert, who is a perfect example of a pedophile. Although the character Humbert Humbert describes his feelings toward the twelve year old Lolita as love, in actuality, it is obsessive lust. Nabokov does an excellent job displaying the characteristics of pedophilia through this character. Reading Lolita makes us conscious of the need to be more aware that pedophilia is alive and well in our society today. In developing this point, I will examine pedophilia and its clinical characteristics as they relate to Humbert Humbert and our society. While America sits smugly in front of it's televisions and computers, somewhere a pedophile fantasizes about fondling and holding a beautiful child in his arms. According to David Finkelhor's research in A Sourcebook on Child Sexual Abuse(43), pedophiles are adults, both male and female, who have a sexual preference toward prepubescent children (generally aged 13 or younger). It is important to realize that pedophilia does not always include child sexual abuse. The pedophile must act upon his desires before it is considered sexual abuse. Humbert, in fact, does act upon his urges by looking, fantasizing, and actually holding Lolita on his lap. In Aristos Bouius's essay, Pedophilia Versus Abuse, it is suggested that a real pedophile loves children and doesn't want to hurt them in any way, but rather wants a relationship with the child which can be an enjoyable and loving experience on both sides. Pedophiles often take on a parental role toward the child, and the child, craving love and attention, accepts the touching, holding or even the act of sex. Most likely, the child has never experienced "normal" par... ... 1970. 2) Briggs, Freda. From Victim to Offender. Australia, Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd. 1995 3) Finkelhor, David. A Sourcebook on Child Sexual Abuse. Newbury Park, Sage Publications Inc. 1986. 4) Ferguson, Donna. The Assault on America's Children. Newport Beach, CA., Harbor House Publishers, Inc. 1994. 5) Bouius, Aristo J. Pedophilia Versus Abuse. Simplex. 1996. Http://www. Simplex.nl/users/aristos/engels.htm 6) Medinger, Alan P DSM-IV and Pedophilia: What Did the APA Do? 1995 Http://www.messiah.eduthpages/facstaff/chase/h/articles/regene ra/dsm.htm 7) Medinger, Alan P. Pedophilia No Longer a Disorder Psychiatric Association Decides. 1994. Http://www.messiah.eduthpages.facstaff/chase/h/articles/regene ra/dsm.htm 8) Pedophilia Symptoms Mental Health Net and CMHC Systems, 1995- 1997. Http://www/cmhc.com/disorders/sx63.htm Humbert the Pedophile Essay -- Essays Papers Humbert the Pedophile Lolita, the novel by Vladimir Nabokov, tells the story of Humbert Humbert, who is a perfect example of a pedophile. Although the character Humbert Humbert describes his feelings toward the twelve year old Lolita as love, in actuality, it is obsessive lust. Nabokov does an excellent job displaying the characteristics of pedophilia through this character. Reading Lolita makes us conscious of the need to be more aware that pedophilia is alive and well in our society today. In developing this point, I will examine pedophilia and its clinical characteristics as they relate to Humbert Humbert and our society. While America sits smugly in front of it's televisions and computers, somewhere a pedophile fantasizes about fondling and holding a beautiful child in his arms. According to David Finkelhor's research in A Sourcebook on Child Sexual Abuse(43), pedophiles are adults, both male and female, who have a sexual preference toward prepubescent children (generally aged 13 or younger). It is important to realize that pedophilia does not always include child sexual abuse. The pedophile must act upon his desires before it is considered sexual abuse. Humbert, in fact, does act upon his urges by looking, fantasizing, and actually holding Lolita on his lap. In Aristos Bouius's essay, Pedophilia Versus Abuse, it is suggested that a real pedophile loves children and doesn't want to hurt them in any way, but rather wants a relationship with the child which can be an enjoyable and loving experience on both sides. Pedophiles often take on a parental role toward the child, and the child, craving love and attention, accepts the touching, holding or even the act of sex. Most likely, the child has never experienced "normal" par... ... 1970. 2) Briggs, Freda. From Victim to Offender. Australia, Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd. 1995 3) Finkelhor, David. A Sourcebook on Child Sexual Abuse. Newbury Park, Sage Publications Inc. 1986. 4) Ferguson, Donna. The Assault on America's Children. Newport Beach, CA., Harbor House Publishers, Inc. 1994. 5) Bouius, Aristo J. Pedophilia Versus Abuse. Simplex. 1996. Http://www. Simplex.nl/users/aristos/engels.htm 6) Medinger, Alan P DSM-IV and Pedophilia: What Did the APA Do? 1995 Http://www.messiah.eduthpages/facstaff/chase/h/articles/regene ra/dsm.htm 7) Medinger, Alan P. Pedophilia No Longer a Disorder Psychiatric Association Decides. 1994. Http://www.messiah.eduthpages.facstaff/chase/h/articles/regene ra/dsm.htm 8) Pedophilia Symptoms Mental Health Net and CMHC Systems, 1995- 1997. Http://www/cmhc.com/disorders/sx63.htm

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Ethical Issues Essay

Different people have different understandings of what constitutes ethical behavior. There are laws that help define what is legal and what is not, but the differences between moral ethics are not always clear. These types of moral ethics often lead to ethical dilemmas. According to Trevino & Nelson (2007), â€Å"it might surprise many people to learn that there were few laws protecting consumers before the 1960s. At the turn of the last century, consumers didn’t even have the right to sue a manufacturer for defective equipment. † (p. 17) No matter what type of business is run, there are ethical and moral dilemmas attached and in some cases, legal issues arise from unethical-based decisions. Berry`s Bug Blasters is no exception to the rule. Berry`s Bug Blasters is a local company that terminates any type of pest including, armadillos, rodents, and bees. The friendly workers at Berry`s work with their clients to design a customized pest control plan. Berry`s mission statement states that they will use the safest methods for your family, home, and environment. One of the top ethical issues among pest control companies surrounds the controversy of the types of chemicals that are used while executing the termination of pests. Most of the pest control companies are known to use toxic, synthetic, and chemically-based pesticides. These types of pesticides have been known to be the most effective in the extermination of pests. However, they are not safe for people or the environment. The most common chemical used in pest control is Diazinon. Diazinon is used for household pests inside the home, or outside on the lawn. It kills a variety of insects and is classified as an acute and chronic health hazard. Diazinon is very toxic to wildlife and can be fatal if ingested. Recently, EcoSMART pest control was created. The scientists wanted to find a pesticide that will not harm a family. The scientists had a challenge on their hands. They had to discover natural ingredients that: â€Å"effectively kill pests, could be used around the home, family, and pets, and leave no toxic residue or run-off† (Meehan, 2010). The scientists found a way of creating the organic pesticide by using â€Å"essential oils that trees and plants use in nature as insect defense. They found all-natural plant oils which target the octopamine receptors in insects† (Meehan, 2010). The management of Berry`s Bug Blasters faced the ethical decision each time that they make a service call. Should they use chemicals that they know are not good for the environment and could potentially cause an individual a lot of health issues, or should they research and use a much safer chemical that may not be as effective as other pesticides. Other benefits of choosing Berry`s Bug Blasters is they are offering a monthly special to all customers for the first month and offer monthly extermination plans. There are ways to make sure that decisions that are made within a business are ethical. A business-person may ask him or herself how they would feel if his or her actions were publicized throughout the community. If the individual would not mind his or her family, friends, and community learning about the actions, then the decision is most likely ethical. However, if the individual did feel bad about others known the actions, the decision is probably unethical and should be reconsidered. The employees and management of Berry`s Bug Blasters will do whatever is in their power to protect a family as well as the environment. Although new ‘green’ pesticides may not seem as effective as older ones, more laws are coming out that prevent pest control companies in using anything toxic in order to protect the community. Berry`s Bug Blasters will face this ethical dilemma constantly as clients insist on using a chemical that will rid the pests once and for all without a doubt rather than take a risk with something not as strong.

Monday, September 16, 2019

How does the writer create suspense in the Tell Tale Heart? Essay

The Tell Tale Heart is an extraordinary horror story. It was written by Edgar Allan Poe. His horror story keeps you interested, builds a lot of tension and creates suspense. I am going to write an essay on how Edgar Allan Poe creates suspense by explaining thoroughly all the techniques he uses. These techniques are, use of repetition, punctuation, how he uses first person, sound, imagery, tension, his use of time and finally in addition, how Poe uses italics and similes. I will also use quotes from the Tell Tale Heart to explain my points fully. Firstly, Poe uses lots of repetition or repeated words. For example, â€Å"I moved it slowly- very, very slowly.† Poe does this because he wants you to imagine how slowly and carefully he thrust his head in, so the man would not wake up. Also, he keeps repeating this because he is saying that it wasn’t just slowly. It was much slower than that. This quote was shown on the third paragraph, already this soon he has used a repetition. My next example is he uses or repeats the words â€Å"madness and mad† a lot. This has the effect of you believing that the main character is actually quite mad, even though he is repeating he isn’t. This is said throughout the story, starting from the first paragraph and the reader starts to understand what the murderer is really like. My final example is â€Å"it grew louder- louder- louder!† This adds to the point of how loud it really was and by repeating it exaggerates how it was. It also gives you a clear image of this, as it is repeated throughout the paragraphs. As a last point, I would like to explain the effect of using repetition. Repetition exaggerates the point and gives you a clear image of how it was. It adds to the suspense, for example â€Å"carefully, very, very carefully.† This shows he took it over the top because he had to be very quiet. Secondly, I will explain how Poe uses a variety of punctuation, for a greater effect. He uses punctuation to speed up and slow down the pace, which is much better than reading normally. My first example is â€Å"they heard! – They suspected! – They knew!† In this quotation, Poe has gripped the audience using dashes and exclamation marks. As this speeds up the pace, so therefore you can feel the murderer is frightened, worried and terrified. Poe speeds up the pace here because there is a lot of tension at this point. If he never used this you would read it normally and wouldn’t feel the suspense in this piece of text. My next example is â€Å"I foamed- I raved- I swore!† Here dashes and exclamation marks are used again. The punctuation shows he was angry and shouting. This is especially shown by the exclamation marks. To finish with punctuation have a good effect on the reader. It speeds up and slows down the pace and is more interesting than reading normal. This is also a very good hooking technique and adds to the suspense quite well. Finally, he uses a lot of punctuation throughout the whole story giving a good result. Next, Poe uses first person because it lets the reader see the story from the murderer’s point of view. This makes the story more interesting, as you can find out all the feelings and emotions of the murderer along the way. Where as, in 3rd person you wouldn’t get to know as much. My first example is â€Å"I have told you that I am nervous: so I am.† This quotation shows how the murderer feels when he is going through killing the man. My next example is â€Å"I heard a slight groan, and I knew it was the groan of mortal terror.† This quotation gives a very good effect, as it shows what he heard and saw right up to slaughtering the man. Also, from first person narrative you can share what is happening in some ways. Poe makes out the murderer as to be the following things, very secretive as you don’t know the sex, name, appearance and very little of his background. Next, he is incredibly mad, as he killed a man and cut his arms and legs up. The quotation to show he is mad is â€Å"I heard many things in hell.† This example shows he isn’t exactly normal. The murderer is also very obsessive as he can’t stop talking about they evil eye. He is crazy and gets very nervous around people, especially when the officers of the police come in near the end. You can also see he is disturbed and very unusual. Furthermore, the murderer has a routine and is in some ways organised because he plans out everything on what he is going to do step by step. Poe makes the murderer different and crazy in his own way. This is because it adds to the horror and suspense of the story. In addition, the murderer being first person uses a hooking technique which is to directly address the reader. This keeps the reader involved and keeps them paying attention to what’s happening. My first example is â€Å"how then, am I mad?† In this quotation, when he talks to the reader he uses rhetorical questions (questions that shouldn’t be answered). This includes the reader in the story, as they are being talked to. My next example is â€Å"I smiled – for what had I to fear?† This does the same again using rhetorical questions to the reader. This is almost like the murderer is sharing his worries with you, which has a good effect overall. To conclude this section, using direct address and talking to the reader, gets them involved on what is happening and is a great result, as sometimes you can relate to the story. Poe does this by using the word â€Å"you† and question marks from rhetorical questions. Another unique way Poe creates suspense is describing a lot of sound in the Tell Tale Heart; this has an exceptional effect on the reader. My first example is â€Å"for the hinges creaked.† This phrase reminds you of old scary horror films and makes you wonder, who is behind the door? It is also a creepy noise that relates to old abandoned houses. My second example is â€Å"It was the low stifled sound.† This quotation shows that in some ways he is paranoid as he is hearing things. It gets the reader more into suspense, as he believes the murderer is not alone and something is going to happen within this. Also, the sound gives you an idea of how it sounded. An additional example is â€Å"the old man sprang up in the bed, crying out- whose there?† In this example there is a lot of tension, you can almost hear the old voice of the man. A last quotation is â€Å"I fairly chuckled at the idea.† This shows that you can imagine the murderer laughing in an evil way; also he is amused that the man has no idea about what is going to happen. As a final point, sound gives the idea of how something sounded – so maybe quietly. It gives an idea of the surroundings and creates atmosphere. Poe has used this at the right moments in the story when he is describing something. A further reason Poe creates suspense is the use of descriptive words (imagery). These describe a lot of things throughout the story, these things are – evil words, the description of the eye and murdering the elderly man. A lot is used at certain points to emphasise his ideas. Also, it keeps you imagining and gets you hooked. Some examples of evil words he uses are â€Å"corpse†. This gives the reader the idea of a murdered body; it gives a scarier effect as it is more horrifying than just saying a dead body. My next example is â€Å"the evil eye†. This shows the eye was not exactly normal and it wasn’t nice looking. It was something that made his blood run cold and make him shake with fear. So you can imagine what it was like, also it suggests the centre of the story. My final example for this point is â€Å"the mortal terror.† It shows the feelings of the man and he wasn’t just frightened he was absolutely terrified. Additionally, he makes the ‘eye’ sound disgusting, here are some examples â€Å"his eye resembled that of a vulture.† This shows his eye was repulsive as it looks like a vulture (not a very nice creature). It also lets you imagine what the eye looks like. Another example is â€Å"a pale blue eye†. This describes how the eye looked and that it was unusually pale, which makes the reader feel the same way, as the murderer. Poe also makes ‘death’ sound disgusting, as all the tension builds up in a horrible way. The man gets killed astonishingly, which is quite scary. He gets suffocated by the bed covers and the way it is revolting is that, it says â€Å"the heart beat on with a muffled sound.† So he suffocated and his heart carried on beating a few minutes after. He also â€Å"shrieked† just before he was murdered. Finally, a last point that was terrifying is that when he pulled back the covers â€Å"he was stone dead.† So you can imagine how horrible he looked while dead. To conclude this, Poe uses descriptive words all throughout the story. This is to emphasise how horrifying something looked and it shows that the murderer looks at everything from the dark side. Next, Poe’s use of tension right through the story increases and decreases. This is done to not get the reader bored, whilst reading. It usually starts low, and then builds up more and more until it is really high. The parts where the tension is high is when: he is about to murder the man, when he is trying to hide the body under the floorboards and when the police has come round and he is about to confess. The parts when there is a low amount of tension is when: they are at the start and the murderer is explaining why he wants to kill the man and when he is waiting long time for when it is the right time to kill. Poe has made the tension go up and down because it is more exciting and keeps you in suspense. If I was to draw a graph for this it would go up and then down all the way through, so in other words it would go zigzag. A next point is how Poe uses time in the Tale Tell Heart, in some sections time goes slowly and some times it goes fast. When Poe makes time go slowly the character is doing something important or the murderer is describing something in detail. The evidence for this is â€Å"slowly so not to wake the man up†. Here this is a part where time goes slowly as it is telling the audience he has to be very quiet – to not cause any suspicion. Another example for time going slowly is when he is killing the man. The example for this is â€Å"yet for some minutes longer I stood still.† Here everything is going slow because he is about to murder the man. Poe makes time go fast when he is describing his actions over a period of time. My example for this is â€Å"every morning when the day broke.† Here he is describing time fast and over a period of time. Poe has made time go fast and slowly, so there is more tension and pace. A final point, to how Poe creates suspense in the Tell Tale Heart, is using italics and similes. To start with italics emphasize what is said, or something repeated. So it could emphasize something horrible that has happened, for a scarier effect. My example for this is â€Å"I now grew very pale.† This is said when the police officers have come in, to show he is nervous. The italics give emphasis to how pale he looked, so the murderer was looking really colourless. Italics are used a lot in The Tale Heart for many different reasons. Next, similes are used to describe something towards something else. My first example for this is â€Å"his room was as black as pitch.† This quotation gives you a clear image of how dark it was, as it is being referred to a pitch. Another example is â€Å"a low dull quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton.† This gives you another image of what the sound was like being referred to something else. As a final point, Poe uses italics and similes because they stress the point clearly. In conclusion, Poe uses a variety of techniques to create suspense in the Tale Tell Heart. These are – use of repetition, punctuation, how he uses first person, sound, imagery, tension, his use of time and italics and similes. These techniques create a good effect on the reader and are mostly successful hooking techniques. Poe keeps you reading the story by making you want to know what happens next using these skilful ways, without those ways The Tell Tale heart wouldn’t be as good. I think that the use of tension is most effective because it covers just about all the areas and it makes the story more exciting and interesting to read. The part of story I think is the best, is where all the tension increases when he is going to murder the man. This is because at that point you don’t want to put it down, as there is a lot of suspense. Overall, I would rate The Tale Tell Heart a very good horror story, with impressive techniques used throughout.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

An Analysis of Globalization: Constructivism, Commercial Liberalism and Marxism Essay

Globalization is perhaps the most defining characteristic of the 21st century. The American push for free market ideals, facilitated by the advent of the Internet and other communication technologies, has led to the increased interaction and interrelatedness of people. Therefore, globalization also raises interesting implications for the field of international relations. How can this monumental event be analyzed? Globalization and its consequences can be interpreted and dissected through three major schools of thought: constructivism, commercial liberalism, and Marxism. A modified Marxist view can explain the starting causes of globalization but not modern day causes, international liberalism can explain the resulting global â€Å"macropeace†, and constructivism can explain counter-reactive â€Å"microwars† prevalent in the international system. To begin, Marxism is based on a critique of capitalism and normative commitment to communism. Marxism has various strains, but Marxism-Leninism and neo-Marxism deliver the most cogent analysis of globalization. Robert Gilpin, in his article â€Å"The Political Economy of International Relations† identifies four components of Marxism-Leninism; Marx conceived three of the points, and the final is Lenin’s own modification. First is the law of disproportionality which attacks the idea of supply and demand. Since capitalists can produce goods easier than consumers can purchase them, free market economies will always over-produce certain goods. Next is the law of capital concentration. Since competition forces capitalists to produce efficiently or face extinction, capital eventually accumulates in the hands of a select few. This disparity will ultimately fuel the anger of the proletariat and lead to social revolution. Third is the law of falling profit rate. Marx predicted a complex chain reaction, where labor-saving devices would fuel under-consumption, overproduction, and mass unemployment. However, when the social revolution did not occur in the post-World War I era, Lenin revamped Marx’s communist ideology with his fourth law, the law of uneven development. Lenin asserts that the revolution failed to occur, because capitalists had used imperialism as a metaphorical release valve. Developed nations had managed to dump their goods and capital in colonies and simultaneously acquire cheap raw materials. This outlet and source of inputs relieved the pressure on capitalism, allowing it to continue for the time being. The second variation of Marxism pertinent to globalization is neo-Marxism, specifically Wallerstein’s piece, â€Å"Core and Periphery. † Core states occupy power positions in the international system and can perpetuate a system where they remain in power over the periphery. Core states have two defining characteristics: â€Å"strong state machinery, coupled with a national culture†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The periphery states are characteristically weak, and could even exist as merely a colony. They lack unity through a national cultural and have very weak state mechanisms: either a corrupt and bloated bureaucracy or a virtually non-existent one. Wallerstein alleges that the current international system is one of core states exploiting periphery states. In the article, â€Å"Globalization and the Trade in Human Body Parts,† Harrison attributes the causes of globalization to a massive crisis of both â€Å"capital accumulation and of state legitimacy† in the 1970s. According to him, capitalist states of the West faced an inability to produce the correct quantity and distribution of goods, consistent with Marxism. Furthermore, the push for efficiency led to advent of labor-saving devices and the accumulation of capital in the hands of the few. All of these occurrences caused the high unemployment and inflation characteristic of the mid-1970s. As goods and capital piled up with high levels of joblessness, â€Å"compromises that had underpinned the post-welfare state gave way once more to conflict between labor and capital. † This conflict embodies the final death rattle of capitalism before a revolution topples it. However, globalization utilized the Leninist â€Å"release valve† and stabilized the developed countries’ free market system. According to Harrison, cheap inputs and vast new markets for consumption allowed Western nations to resolve its crises of capitalism and legitimacy. He defines globalization as â€Å"the establishment of world-wide exchanges in labour, trade, technology, and capital between nations possessing different economic, military, and political powers. † Since globalization has an inherent pro-liberal, capitalist bias, it creates unfair exchanges. Harrison argues that the market for human body parts follows this pattern and mimics other unequal exchanges between developed and developing countries. In this particular market, the organ donors tend to originate from developing nations like India, Argentina, and China. The recipients tend to live in developed nations, with the most transplants performed in the US with Europe closely behind. Harrison defines this flow of organs and transplants as exploitation. All in all, the causes of globalization rest in capitalism’s desperate bid for viability. However, Harrison’s proposed causes for the start of globalization do not completely make sense. His explanation through the Marxist paradigm correctly pinpoints economic incentive as the overarching objective for globalization. Developed nations, full of goods and capital, perpetually search for outlets for their goods and for natural resource sources. This assumption fundamentally underlies the theory of the free market. However, Harrison looks to the 1970s, to the start of visible globalization, and links a crisis of capital accumulation to the economic turbulence of the 1970s. But, from the perspective presented in Kirshner’s article â€Å"Keynes, Legacies and Inquiries,† the problems instead stem from supply-shocks, creating cost-push inflation and recession. A supply shock results in inadequate levels of aggregate supply to meet aggregate demand. The OPEC oil embargo of the mid-1970s, starting in 1973, delivered this effect and caused the intense stagflation of the time. Therefore, macroeconomics is partially in conflict with the Marxist view of globalization. Developed nations did not face â€Å"a crisis of capital accumulation;† instead, they faced a crisis of productive capabilities. Due to the lack of crude oil, producers could not create enough goods to meet the demand. Therefore it makes more sense that developed nations pushed for a global economy to secure cheap natural resources, rather than look for more sources of demand. The idea of capital accumulation crisis must be abandoned, along with the ominous predictions of violent revolution. After such considerations, a theory of macroeconomic Marxism succinctly locates the starting origins of globalization. However, this explanation delivers an increasingly poor explanation for modern day globalization and its progression past initial causes. The economies of developing nations have gone through a tertiarization process, defined as the transition of an economy into predominantly service-oriented jobs. This change has led to decreased manufacturing and decreased American exports. Marxism offered a convincing argument in the 1970s and early 1980s, when America had a large trade surplus and a minor trade deficit. However, America’s trade deficit has ballooned to astronomical proportions as the shift away from manufacturing has become more pronounced. Therefore, the idea of developed nations, or core states, exploiting and preying upon developing nations, or periphery states, for markets no longer makes sense. What can explain globalization in the 1990s through the modern day? With the rise of East Asian NICs, as Steven Haggard’s article names them, and developing nations like India and China, wealthy nations have grown increasingly dependent on their cheap goods. As these poorer manufacturing-based powers rise, they hold much more power on the world stage. Huntington supports this assertion in his article, â€Å"The Clash of Civilizations,† stating that â€Å"non-Western civilizations no longer remain the objects of history†¦but join the West as the movers and shapers of history. † This non-Western empowerment deeply contradicts all strains of Marxism, which contain some rich-poor exploitative element. Neo-Marxism and Harrison’s fundamental argument places globalization in the context of wealthy nations using capitalism and unequal exchanges to take advantage of poorer nations. However, core states of economic power no longer completely dictate the rules of the game, and use periphery states as dumping grounds for goods. Instead, the opposite has occurred; rising periphery states have begun to rapidly manufacture goods and export them to the core. This inversion of Marxism explains the continued push of globalization, now fueled by the flow of goods from developing to developed nations. This interaction can even be exploitative in the opposite direction. For example, America has accumulated an enormous trade deficit with China. This burgeoning trade deficit is very advantageous to China, strengthening the value of its currency. However, Kishner describes the deleterious effects of this occurrence in his article, stating that it â€Å"forces the burden of international adjustments on deficit countries†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The disproportion also weakens the dollar and erodes confidence in its ability to store value. Gilpin also alludes to the positive and negative effects of a trade surplus in â€Å"Politics of Transnational Economic Relations,† mentioning how America tolerated the 1. 5 billion trade surplus that Japan enjoyed in the 1970s. America has tried to use rhetoric and diplomacy to resolve this issue but does not dare to use any stronger tools due to its dependency on China as a trading partner. In this example, China gains economic power at the expense of the American dollar. Developing countries sometimes occupy the throne of power on key issues; this reversal deeply contradicts Marxism. Finally, commercial liberalism can be used to understand the effects of globalization. According to commercial liberalist Richard Rosecrance’s article â€Å"The Rise of the Trading State,† trade, capitalism, and free markets are forces of peace. Commercial liberalists believe in the use of trade to forge communication and connections with other nations. Eventually, a net of economic interdependence will form, which discourages war. War in this environment destroys trade opportunities, and therefore, increases the political consequence of declaring war. These strains of thinkers in turn consider imperialist interests to be in utter conflict with trading interests. A country either chooses to embrace free markets and trade or impose heavy mercantilist restrictions. According to this theory, peace occurs when a country trades autonomy and the quest of national power for more extensive access to resources of the world. Markets further facilitate peace by allowing the spread of culture and understanding. This trading and cultural exchange eventually leads to a peaceful world of trading states, rather than various imperialist nations competing for hegemony. In â€Å"Jihad vs. McWorld,† Barber identifies two occurrences closely linked to globalization that ironically oppose and engender each other simultaneously. First is the argument of a global â€Å"macropeace,† facilitated by global trade. Barber makes the argument that no nation is truly independent, connected by everything from the environment to pandemics. Barber further postulates that â€Å"positive economic forces that have globalism as their conscious object† act to bind nations together. These forces have also deeply eroded national sovereignty as multinational corporations and international banking systems lack any national identity and do not reflect any particular nationhood. These global economic devices do not exist under the jurisdiction of any individual nation, which according to Barber, has renewed efforts for international peace through an international economy. Concurrently, this system has also turned â€Å"religion, culture, and ethnic identity† into â€Å"marginal elements of a working identity. † This erosion of differences facilitates a peace throughout the world, with the pursuit of wealth undermining any war like tendencies. Furthermore, Barber talks about the mingling of culture as well as trade, describing this concept as â€Å"a product of pop culture driven by expansionist commerce. † The idea of globalization also refers to the cultural imperialism of the West. More youth around the world idoloize American pop culture figures, like Michael Jackson or Lady Gaga. Foreign children drink Coco-Cola and salivate over Harley-Davidson motorcycles and Cadillac cars. American culture has permeated the entire world from pop icons to the golden arches of McDonalds; this fact is undeniable. This intermingling of culture again facilitates cooperation and understanding between nations, decreasing the chance of war. Barber’s argument is a convincing argument of commercial liberalism. The essence of this paradigm’s argument is the idea of commerce breeding interdependence. This fact could not be clearer now, during the most devastating economic collapse in over eighty years. As Eurozone nations flounder, the American stock markets dip and rise, based on news of their actions. This certainly smacks of a deep, systemic structure in which consequences for one nation affect many other nations as well. In such a system, a broad scale war would be most disadvantageous, as damage to one nations’ economy would impact the whole. Furthermore, cultural exchanges between nations certainly seem to have brought people closer, as the world becomes an increasingly smaller place. This two-pronged event has created a world where all-out war between states is now politically unattractive and economically unfathomable. Barber’s analysis explains both the market independence and the increased level of cultural mixing in the world; it also explains why wars between two nations have grown rare in the post-Cold War era. Nevertheless, a significant counterargument can be made through to this idea. Many argue that although much of the conflict is not between states, war does still exist. The whole world has not entered Barber’s â€Å"future in shimmery pastels, a busy portrait†¦with fast music, fast computers, and fast food†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Even more would argue that much of the world abhors the cultural influence of the US, citing it as immoral or hedonistic. Huntington mentions a return-to-roots sensation among non-Western states, with states starting to turn in and focus on their own regional identities. With many nations like Saudi Arabia and Iran still practicing religious law passionately and pockets of ethnic warfare still existing in Africa, it sometimes seems counterintuitive to talk of a global peace. However, the identification of a counter-reaction to the globalization can explain all these seeming contradictions. Barber identifies this point through the use of constructivism. Constructivism makes the argument that knowledge of the event does matter in truly understanding an international occurrence. In Henry Nau’s article, â€Å"Why We Fight over Foreign Policy,† he strongly focuses on the political, economic, social identity of a state or states when defining constructivism, emphasizing â€Å"the ideas, norms, and values†¦that shape their discourse and identity. † Constructivists believe that ideas and ideology drive nations to act in certain ways, often creating positive relationships with similar countries and harboring hostility toward those different. Constructivism does have one major disadvantage: it cannot make a policy prescription for a problem. However, it does often prove poignant in analysis of current events and in prediction of future events. This perspective is immensely effective in understanding Barber’s argument and refuting the aforementioned criticism. His argument is bipartite; after identifying the macropeace, he identifies a phenomenon that he nicknames â€Å"jihad,† referring to any violence motivated by â€Å"dogmatic and violent particularism. † This form of conflict relates to the construction of one’s identity, whether by ethnicity, language, religion, etc. According to Barber, violence stems from people of differing identities resisting the homogenizing influence of globalization. It can be seen as a reactionary event to the growing uniformity of the world to Western cultural norms and ideas, facilitated by the unification of national markets. This return-to-roots search for identity eventually takes a violent form against those who have differing identities. This causes the various â€Å"microwars,† defined as most regional conflicts between two groups, rather than states. Barber cites examples of many people, fighting identity-based war on the pretext of self-determination, including Jews, Kurds, Arabs, and Ossetians. These conflicts are the essence of constructivism, isolating identity-based differences as a major source of international conflict. However, Barber’s constructivist theory is not without detractors. Samuel Huntington, author of the â€Å"Clash of Civilizations,† has a different idea of the world. He describes vast swaths of land as individual civilizations and describes conflict on two levels: the micro-level where small groups in different civilizations struggle and the macro-level where states from different civilizations for hegemony. He does not define terrorism as a reaction to American globalization and the erosion of Islamic identity, but instead as conflict between Islamic and Western civilizations. Barber contrastingly defines conflict as intracivilizational, rather than transcivilizational, between people â€Å"without countries inhabiting nations that they just cannot call their own. † Huntington also predicts that future conflict will grow bloodier, due to increasing awareness of civilizational divides and these conflicts â€Å"will occur along the cultural fault lines separating civilizations. † In opposition, Barber portends a future in which the macropeace will ultimately win out; although, â€Å"jihad† will continue to be seen spontaneously. Despite the intuitive nature of Huntington’s theory and predictions, it is simply too reductionist and parsimonious to adequately explain the complex world of international relations. He omits whole continents in his argument and completely assumes homogeneity within civilizations. These criticisms are eloquently expressed in Katzenstein’s article â€Å"A World of Plural and Pluralistic Civilizations. † He voices the same fundamental disagreement as Barber, that civilizations are not internally uniform. He describes them, not as simply larger nations, but as â€Å"loosely coupled† and â€Å"internally differentiated. † This idea of differentiation supports Barber’s assertions, agreeing with the idea of major clashes occurring within civilizations, rather than between civilizations. Katzenstein also references that this fact has been proven with both qualitative and statistical means. In this regard, Huntington seems rather flippant, disregarding empiricism for an intuitive, simple theory. Despite a smooth and logical premise, Huntington’s opinions about the world can be quickly refuted. Huntington’s predictions about the future also seem less accurate than Barber’s, because Huntington neglects an important facet of the world. Huntington does not mention economic interdependence at all in his piece, despite its overwhelming influence in every facet of life. Utilizing Rosecrane’s theory of trading states, economic self-interest will cause the macropeace to win out, consistent with Barber. Globalization is unavoidable. Its methods and consequences are ubiquitous, from the food one eats to the job prospects one faces. It has had both negative and positive effects on the world, facilitating both economic prosperity and global terrorism. The initial causes of globalization can be analyzed with a modified Marxist viewpoint. However, as the phenomenon has progressed, Marxism no longer provides a convincing argument. The intricate economic web connecting the nations of the world through globalization can be understood through commercial liberalism. The contrasting sectarian violence also resulting from globalization can be understood through constructivism. As globalization changes and as America’s role on the world stage grows, these analyses will mostly likely grow and develop as well.