Into the Wild vs. Catcher in the Rye - 1479 Words

WHY HAPPINESS IS ESSENTIAL TO LIFE: â€Å"Happiness is not something already made. It comes from your actions† –Dalai Lama J.D. Salinger’s world-renowned book The Catcher in the Rye and director Sean Penn’s dramatic feature film Into the Wild both give us a unique perspective of society through a collection of descriptive imagery and riveting plot development. Both materials present us with protagonists Holden Caulfield and Chris McCandless, whom are deeply encompassed by self-introspection and who seem to be on a quest to find true happiness and meaning to their bland, corrupt lives. A recurring theme in both works is the process of discovering one’s true identity, which can only be achieved through a journey of spiritual self-discovery.†¦show more content†¦Chris shows his discontent for materialism as he reacts with futility and disgust when his father offers to buy him a new car. Chris exclaims that: â€Å"[This car] runs just fine!â⠂¬ , once again justifying his lack of care for materials. Holden similarly sees the human attachment for materialism in a comedic style when he observes his roommate’s actions as stated in this quotation: â€Å"The day after I put [my suitcase] under my bed, he took them out and put them back on the rack...he wanted people to think my bags were his† (Salinger, 108). What society fails to realize is that while materials might go away, wear out or disappear, happiness is something that will never expire. Thus in an attempt to show that materials are not advantageous to life, Chris and Holden abandon their homes and go on an adventure in search for something much greater; happiness. Another key similarity between the two protagonists is the refusal to enter the stage of adulthood because of the lack of happiness that one can enjoy in this point of life. Chris’ rejection of adulthood is based on disappointment; Chris believes that he cannot discover the full essence and pleasure of life by entering into a stage of life where freedom is limited, which in this case is adulthood. Chris’ negative impression on adulthood is probably at the cause of the memories of his abusive father fighting his mother; this is portrayed in a disturbing, fast-paced scene in which Chris’ parent’s boiling argument turns intoShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Salinger s The Catcher Rye 3756 Words   |  16 PagesSummer Reading-TASIS 2014 Rising 9th Grade Mainstream English The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and Fahrenheit 541 by Ray Bradbury Please write a typed or handwritten response (200 words each in the language relevant to your course) to each of the following prompts on each of the works assigned for the course(s) you will be taking in 2014-2015: The Catcher in the Rye Initial Understanding: What are your thoughts and questions about the story? You might reflect upon characters, theirRead MoreBanned Books On The American School System1824 Words   |  8 Pagessexual content and unagreeable topics because this restriction prevents young readers from developing a better understanding of the society they live in, and could counter act a new change and lessons to be learned. The Island Trees School District vs Pico was a court case that traveled all the way to the supreme court due to the violation of the students first amendment rights. In 1975, the Parents of New York United, an organization known for their conservative ideals, hosted a conference in whichRead MoreAdolescence in the Bell Jar and Catcher in the Rye6395 Words   |  26 PagesAdolescence in the Bell Jar and Catcher in the Rye Adolescence in the Bell Jar and Catcher in the Rye Adolescence is the period between puberty and adulthood. Every teenager experience this moment in life differently some sail through happily to carry on with a peaceful life where as others are less fortunate and find that this moment is much more harder and stressful then they thought. Esther Greenwood and Holden Caulfield are one of the less fortunate and have bad experiences through theirRead MoreBrief Survey of American Literature3339 Words   |  14 PagesRevolution(1789—1799) Romantic vs. Neoclassic (1) Neoclassicism: - reason, order, elegant wit - rationalism of enlightenment in 18th-cent. Romanticism: - passion, emotion, natural beauty - imagination, mysticism, liberalism (freedom to express personal feelings) Romantic vs. Neoclassic (2) Innovation: - subjects: common life; the supernatural; the far away and the long ago - style: common language really used by men; poetic symbolism Romantic vs. Neoclassic(3) Good poetry

Should College Athletes Be Paid - 1809 Words

TJ Arellano Alyson Dickerman English 101-17 December 12, 2014 Should College Athletes Be Paid? Last year ESPN announced that they had reached a deal with the NCAA over the football playoff system; this deal was reportedly worth up to 500 million dollars per year, over twelve years. As most will say football and basketball are the most prominent sports in the collegiate level, and with all the money being made from March Madness (basketball) to the Rose Bowl (football), college athletes will see none of this money. College athletes should earn some compensation for their efforts on and off the field and or court; they are basically working full time with their sport, along with going to classes during the week. As the debate of whether or not athletes should be paid grows, it is understandable why some people would say they shouldn’t. For example it would basically be an unfair playing field as you will have teams such as Alabama worth approximately $683 million dollars compared to a much smaller college like a Missouri State at $66 milli on. This will cause a major problem and only further the uneven gap that bigger schools already have over smaller ones. Another argument is the benefits the athletes receive from scholarships. Some will argue that athletes who are attending school on scholarships will say that they are basically getting a free education, including free books, and sometimes free or reduced living through the dormitory system provided by the universitiesShow MoreRelatedShould College Athletes Be Paid?1578 Words   |  7 PagesAshay Mehta Nou Per 8 Should College Athletes Be Paid? One of the hottest debates in the sports industry is if college athletes should be paid. If you want to pay these athletes, how would the college determine the dollar amount that should be paid? Should the basketball team make more than the football team? Should the the soccer team be paid as well? Cheerleading? Chess team? Should everyone on the team get a salary? What if your college is good at football and your basketball team is awfulRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid?1398 Words   |  6 Pagesbelieve that college athletes at the highest performing schools are better treated than others. Although they do not get paid, they do receive some benefits for being athletes that other students would not get. One advantage for playing a sport is access to scholarships that some schools reserve for their athletes. Depending on the school and the athlete’s performance, money towards tuition is often given. Only some schools are willing to grant â€Å"full-ride† scholar ships for certain athletes. AccordingRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid?1289 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout the years college sports have been about the love of the game, filled with adrenaline moments. However, the following question still remains: Should college athletes get paid to play sports in college? Seemingly, this debate has been endless, yet the questions have gone unanswered. The National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) plays a vital role in this debate. The NCAA is a billion dollar industry, but yet sees that the athlete should get paid for their hard work and dedicationRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid?1334 Words   |  6 Pagesrising to the surface is â€Å"Should college athletes be paid?†. This has become a burning question. The NCAA is a multibillion-dollar industry, that makes millions, if not billions, in revenue. Yet it’s still maintains the non-profit status meaning that the industry is not set on making a profit and none of the revenue that is made is distributed to its members, managers, or officers. While most players who play in college sports are under a scholarship, that pays for the college tuition, books, and housingRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid?1364 Words   |  6 PagesHave you paid attention to all of the news that has been surfacing about collegiate sports lately? It is a big topic now days in the world of sports on weather college athletes should be getting paid to play sports. College athletics have gained great popularity of the past few decades, and have brought schools lots of revenue. A lot of college athletes think they should be getting paid for their services they do for their school. College sports like basketball and football generate over six billionRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid?1130 Words   |  5 PagesWhat college athlete would not want to be paid to play the sport that he or she loves? The real question is, though, should college athletes be paid fo r their roles in a college’s athletics? They are many points to each side of this recent controversial topic, which is why this has been made into such a hot debate in the past couple of years. As of right now, these athletes are not getting paid, but many of them truly believe that they should. Others believe that they already are being paid throughRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid?986 Words   |  4 PagesPaying the College Athlete The college athlete has steadily grown in popularity in the United States over the span of the past decades. Monetarily speaking, this increased publicity has been extremely beneficial for National Athletic Association (NCAA) and all the colleges involved in athletics which has sparked the dispute of whether or not the athlete should be paid for their hard work and dedication on the field and to their school or if the athletic scholarship is more than enough. College athletesRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid?1239 Words   |  5 PagesLindsey Simmerman Speech 102 T/Th 1:00-2:15 October 25, 2016 Should college athletes be paid to play? Specific Purpose: To persuade the class to agree with my stance on paying college athletes to play sports Thesis: College football is the hours players spend practicing and performing, the number of injuries the players face, and the persona these athletes must portray every day all the while watching their schools, coaches, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) get all the compensationRead MoreCollege Athletes Should Be Paid1254 Words   |  6 PagesSome college athletic departments are as wealthy as professional sports teams. The NCAA has an average annual revenue of $10.6 billion dollars. College athletes should be paid because of the amount of revenue that they bring to their college. Each individual college should pay its athletes based on how much revenue they bring to the college in which they attend. The colleges that win their Division title, their Conference title, or the National championship, give bonuses to the Head coach of thatRead MoreCollege Athletes Should Not Be Paid1558 Words   |  7 Pagesstudent-athletes participate in a variety of different s ports, and currently they do not receive paychecks for their performances. College athletics have attained an extensive popularity increase among Americans over the past few decades. This has resulted into increased revenues for the National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA] and the participating colleges, which has fuelled the debate of whether or not college athletes should collect an income. College athletes should not be paid to play

Literatur review Free Essays

Correspondence to this article should be addressed to Christian Magallon, Department of Psychology, University of California, Merced, CA 95348. Email: cmagallon2@ucmerced. edu Abstract In the contemporary world, inequality between males and females in the workplace is becoming a critical issue. We will write a custom essay sample on Literatur review or any similar topic only for you Order Now This has been often considered a part of our past and yet now in modern times men and women are entering into the workplace in equal numbers but women still face gender discrimination in their occupations, especially in managerial positions. There are certain limitations and restrictions that women encounter while in workplace. There is a common idea that people firmly believe, hat women are not suitable for upper division positions because they do not have the characteristics suitable for those positions. It is very important to understand the basic biases and factors which are deterring women from reaching their goals and creating inequality in a male dominated workplace. The main factors affecting gender inequality in the workplace which have been studied here are leadership, power and perceptions. Keywords: gender bias, sexual discrimination, workplace segregation Fiction This research seeks to support the fictive notion that gender equality exist oday and gender biases are a thing of the past regardless of current efforts to create equality among genders in the workplace. To increase understanding of factors affecting women this study focuses on: leadership, power, and perceptions. Throughout history there has been a struggle for equality. The suffrage movement and later affirmative action were efforts to increase equality among genders. As the economy of the nation changed to a more industrialized one it demanded more workers. While Men were at war, the demand of workers needed for war production increased. Women decided to do their part to help with the war efforts: taking over the Jobs left by men. This was a huge step for women, and the realizing of women’s potential in the workforce. Women were now becoming more and more present in the workforce, diversifying the population of employees. The introduction of women brought with it new theories through research, assessing and further supporting the existence of inequality for women in the workforce. To further assess and support the existent inequality between men and women; research was obtained through a search on the University of California, Merced’s library data base. Over 278 studies preceded using key descriptive words: women, power, perceptions, and leadership. Studies found support the differences within gender and the workplace. Looking in detail at studies like Roos and Brook (1981) that assessed data from the 1974-1977 that showed that women have a large earning gap compared to men due to sex segregated characteristics at an occupational level. The research showed, women mostly work at low paying Jobs and they are less likely to exercise authority in those jobs. In a related study on economics, Mano-Negrin (2004), showed a significant ncrease in participation of women in the labor market without a parallel decrease of gender wage gaps. Adler (1994) research results showed that men hold higher position, higher supervisory, and authority compared to women. Women have less access to power and authority at work. Policymakers and supervisor make equal rules for them but women exercise less power than men. Aviolio (2009) results showed a significant difference in the effect sizes for leadership interventions conducted with all-male and majority-male participants versus all-female and majority-female participant studies. Bosak (2008) showed in their study that women perceive themselves less suitable for high positions because the perceived notion that they do not associated with masculine characteristics of men. Research has served as evidence for change. Major developments include formation of new associations and legislations. The Association for Women’s Rights in Development purpose is to strengthen movements that advance women’s rights and promote gender equality worldwide (AWID). The Equal Pay Act was signed into law by President John F. Kennedy in 1963 (EEOC). The Equal Pay Act was a law against reduction of wages that iscriminates due to sex. President Kennedy emphasized : â€Å"Adds to our laws another enter the labor force they will find equality in their pay envelope. â€Å"(EEOC) However, regardless of efforts it is clear that subtle biases of gender still contribute to discriminate against women in the workplace especially in male dominated workforce. Existential biases affect the prevalence of women in leadership, Job performance, and male dominated careers. It is important to understand underlying biases and factors in the work place that may hinder woman from reaching a state of equality among men in the workforce. Factors studied across genders in the workplace: leadership, power, and perceptions. Leadership and Power Let us first observe the two omnipresent notions that are leadership and power. It has long been understood and accepted albeit bias, that leadership and power are traits commonly associated with the male sex. Also, positions of power and of authority are linked to such generalizations. For example, this can be seen in the workplace where women are often segregated into professions that ultimately reduce the possibility of exercising autonomy and supervisory authority Oaffee, 1989). We see time and time again that women, when being considered for a position are subject to a bias comparison that subjugates their attempts at equality and fair judgment. The majority of the time the employers that are doing the considering prefer masculine gender characteristics to feminine characteristics (Goktepe Craig, 1989). In their study, Goktepe and Craig found that interpersonal attractiveness and sex role orientation are both associated with the emergent candidate for the position. In this, we can see that it is of the utmost importance to understand what influences he emergence of a leader and note any difference between genders. So persistent is this notion of a gender bias that even women themselves cannot escape acknowledging it and even falling susceptible to its ideas. We see this recurring problem in several common patterns, one being that of women feeling vulnerable and out of place because they have no female role model in a position of power to revere. This lack of stimuli results in a reduction in chances of women to take on a leadership role (Carbonell Castro, 2008). In Carbonell and Castro’s study we see when confronted with a female leader model, for more than half the time women ake the leadership position, but when faced with a male leadership model the results are underwhelming. And, the men in that study felt indifference when faced with either model, signifying a common acceptance of male superiority or dominance. Other studies have also supported this disparity of ideas concerning the similarity between women and managers. In a study conducted by Brenner , Tomkiewicz and Schein (1989), we observe that men perceive successful middle managers as having those characteristics, attitudes, and temperaments more commonly ascribed to men in general than to women in general. Although the omen in this study Judged both male and female characteristics equally viable, it was only a function of change in the perception of women in general rather than a change in the perceived requirements for managerial success or even any perceptions of men in general. In other words, what has been perceived as approved managerial characteristics in the past has not changed. What has changed is how forward in positive and equally thinking is in truth very misleading. Yes behaviors have changed but sadly male managers still hold onto their original attitudes which involve a skewed sense of what the proper qualifications may be. It seems that blind ignorance may also affect aspects of occupational labor in the workplace. In the study by Cann and Siegfried (1990), there is a strong indication that the behaviors people recognized as indicators of a successful leader included those that are viewed as feminine. Leaders must be â€Å"behaviorally androgynous,† they must have the flexibility to exhibit both male and female characteristics. Thus, effective leaders are those that can appease an assortment of demands, and yet we witness the constant reminder of a societal gender bias implicating female characteristics as weaker and even less desirable. One can only wonder why some choose to ignore a possible fine addition to a firm because of a commonly held notion of gender superiority. Presumed notions of gender superiority in leadership qualities can easily be ascertained from many studies that have been conducted in the past, involving commonly held societal beliefs. But, these same bias notions of leadership qualities can be enhanced by certain workplace organizational climates. The atmosphere in which business involving the hiring of future employees or any upper level position is conducted, can be greatly affected by the pressures that are applied during that time. In a study done by Katz (1987), when put into a discriminatory setting the test subjects preferred to hire males. In the same study test subjects were put into a nondiscriminatory setting and the results proved to be quite interesting, the preference levels were almost equal between male and female candidates. From this information we can gather that a significant catalyst for discriminatory thinking is in part caused by the organizational climate that someone is in. Currently, sexual discrimination and gender bias in the workplace is alive and well. It is a widespread problem that is inhibiting many women’s rights and allowing or an unfair advantage for the opposite sex. Most of todays research concerning this notion is focused on investigating the debilitating effects that negative stereotypes have on the targets of said stereotypes (Hoyt Blalscovich, 2007). In order to move forward and overcome this bias and discrimination we must discover new avenues in which to employ a politically correct attitude towards those individuals of the fairer sex. Perceptions Understanding perceptions of society, focusing on perceptions of women in the workplace, helps increase understanding of the existent gap between genders at work. There are many factors that may contribute to the differentiation in treatment and appointment to leadership between genders in the workplace. Trentham, and Larwood (1998), examined the effects of power and willingness to discriminate in the workplace. Results show that people have a predisposition to discriminate against women. This study found that people in top positions of organizations had higher tendencies to discriminate against women than people with lower positions of authority. Individuals in power affect the disposition of a person of lower status to act in a discriminating manner often times going against own personal beliefs. The importance of this study is that biases exist against women due to perceived (1993) analyzes perceptions and attitudes of past events, and future measures implemented to reduce gap between genders in the workplace. Results show that men feel that past measures affected their careers more negatively, however both genders showed equal dissatisfaction with past measures. Men agreed with eliminating systemic barriers that limit advancement for women but where against preferential treatment. This clearly states that both gendrs have self interest in mind. Women want help to go up the ladder, men see that as a threat, therefore isapprove. Self interest conflicts held by men may hinder women from reaching equality in the workplace. Another study that looked at perceptions of leadership qualities in groups of similar gender was done by Prime, Jonsen, Carter, and Maznevski (2008). This study looked at managers perceived qualities associated with leadership and gender. The study hypothesized that the qualities associated with leaders was more prominent in men than in women. Results show that in women respondents perceived women as more effective than men in: planning and role modeling, providing intellectual stimulation, and problem solving. Men on the other hand attributed that men were better at delegating than female leaders. Both men and women perceived and stereotyped women leaders as being more competent in supporting. The study indicated that both genders were attributing more positive ratings to their gender than the opposing gender. This study indicates that self perceptions also affect beliefs of self and others in ability in the work place. Perceptions of the meaning of equality are different among individuals according to their self interest. Other studies examine perceptions of gender and leadership oncerns in the workplace over time. The study done by Koch, Loft, and Kruse (2005) takes a look at changes in perceptions of women in leadership. With an increase of women in leadership the study compares the amount of change in beliefs now to the beliefs held 20 years ago. Results showed a tendency for gender association that went along with social perceptions; men were associated with terms: hard, strong, and aggressive. Women were Judged as soft, sentimental, and delicate. Although data shows a shift towards associating women with leadership; it is not significant as the orrelation between men and leadership. Despite efforts to close the gap of inequality it still exists in positions of leadership, small shift seen of women in leadership, is not dismissed. Perceptions of femininity in leadership Johanson (2008) seeks to find if prior conceptions of leadership exist between genders in perceived: conception, structure, masculinity, femininity, androgyny, and overall leadership ability. Results support the hypothesis that leadership ratings were associated with masculinity and structure; the positive correlation between consideration and femininity was clearly supported. Leadership positively correlated with structure and not conception. The study indicates the importance of beliefs and associations of leadership without environment influence on perceived individual leadership style. This study proves that individuals still show a predominant belief that leadership is more closely associated with masculinity and structure than femininity and conception. Individuals overall continue to think of leadership as male oriented. For women characteristics associated with femininity are still not seen as positively affiliated with leadership characteristics. A study that demonstrates the effects of on the perceived suitability of women and men in leadership of failing or succeeding organizations. This study looks at the inequalities that women encounter when trying to advance in the workforce. The study hypothesized that women are appointed to leadership positions when risk of failure and criticism are high. Results show that in general women are preferred over male candidates. The results state that the male was selected over a female when the company performance was improving. Women where often selected as the suited individual to take a leadership position in a ompany that was declining. This study shows that there is a clear preference of men to successful companies. This may be due to perceptions and beliefs of the individuals who appoint leaders toa position. This study looked at the suitability of both men and women in a management position Ted H. Shore (1992). The study focused on the potential of performance in managerial positions by assessing cognitive ability, Job advancement, interpersonal and performance skills. Despite women rating higher than men on performance style dimensions, they received lower ratings in management potential. Management ratings of both genders were comparable. The study results serve as evidence of subtle gender bias within the workplace. Stating that despite higher performance rates in women the actual advancement in the Job is the same as men of lower performance rates. The study analyzes perceptions of woman’s interpersonal skills compared to men. Assessors deemphasized the fact that women outperformed men; giving more credit in interpersonal skills. A mismatch is perceived of women and attributes associated with management due to stereotypical and perceived views of women. Finally a tudy done by Wolf, and Fligsteing (2009)looks at factors that contribute to the unequal distribution of women compared to men in positions of authority focusing on education, experience, tenure, marriage, children, that help map how and why some individuals are in positions of authority. The study looks at composition of the workplace and situational beliefs of employers and women in notions of authority. The study assesses factors that influence Job characteristics and allocation of male/ female in authority. The study concluded that men are given more authority than women in the workplace. The importance of this study highlights factors like traditional gender roles, personal choices, and self perceptions that affect the prevalence of women in authority. Conclusion According to McTavish and Miller (2009) there are both pros and cons to the modernization agenda. Reform and structural change have led to greater opportunities for women. Reform and modernization in organizational procedures have led to somewhat gender friendlier environments. However, there are paradoxes in the modernization agenda. It seems like women have to conform to masculinist styles of management. Many of the reforms are actually leading to re-gendering of job roles and procedures. (McTavish and Miller, 2009, p. 361-362). In the article Women’s Leadership Development Strategic Practices for Women and Organizations Hopkins, O’Neil, Passarelli, and Bilimoria (2008) propose seven areas of leadership development practice along with recommendations in each of these categories for consultants and human resources professionals working with individual women and organizations. They state that leadership development positive outcomes at both the individual and organizational levels. They assert that esponsibility for developing the human, social, and political capital of women resides at the individual and the organizational levels. They also state that leadership development of women employees is a major business advantage to organizations. Also stressed is that principal importance must be placed on women feeling connected to the goals and objectives of the greater organization and conceptualizing a comprehensive picture of themselves as vital organizational partners. They also emphasize that consulting psychologists and human resources professionals have an essential role in helping women and organizations. They conclude that the assembly of leadership development that appreciates and addresses women’s unique contributions will result in women fulfilling their individual potential and in organizational transformation, the two principal goals of effective, sustainable leadership development. How to cite Literatur review, Papers

Strategic and Objective Marketing Plan †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Strategic and Objective Marketing Plan. Answer: Introduction: I believe that my marketing plan is a successful marketing approach because it can be measured using the SMART marketing acronym (Zacharakis, Spinelli, Timmons, 2011). It is specific because the two primary objectives are to be achieved one at a time each with its plan. The plan is also measurable in that the goal is to attain brand awareness by 60% and 20% within one year. It is achievable in that its implementation in spread within a period and the goal of reaching the entire dog owners in Singapore is realistic because I have segmented the population on a behavioral basis. Furthermore, the marketing plan is realistic because based on the resource planning the projected growth in sales is in line with our sustainable competitive advantage and within the current distribution network. Lastly, the plan is timed because every projection has a timeline, budget, and the respective responsible department. While writing my Marketing plan, I have learned to be strategic and objective with my ideas; issues that I previously was struggling with. For instance, I can now be able to plan and summarize the primary points of my strategy irrespective of the distractions from the daily routine. Also, I have learned to monitor and measure my success objectively. I have also learned that even with such a promising marketing plan, I need a like-minded adequate team to make it successful. I would like to conduct a public survey the dog owners in Singapore namely German Shepherd Dog Club etc, and analyse the existing indirect competitors if I had extra time. I would undertake this by using a tool like open site explorer to run a competitive link analysis, to get content ideas from my competitors by putting the competitor URLs into ad words. Additionally, I would monitor the brand names of my competitor, shop the offerings of my competitor secretly and track the referral links of my customers on the twitter account (He, Zha, Li, 2013). References He, W., Zha, S., Li, L. (2013). Social media competitive analysis and text mining: A case Small Business 2/E. McGraw Hill Professional. study in the pizza industry.International Journal of Information Management,33(3), 464-472. Accessed on 2nd October 2017. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6e96/7447486fc04a0f23df54e5f8499901604900.pdf Zacharakis, A., Spinelli, S., Timmons, J. (2011).Business Plans that Work: A Guide for

Religion in Ancient Rome, the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire

Religion in the Different Phases of Roman History More than 1500 years had passed after the decline of the Roman Empire. But the whole world is still in awe of what the Romans had done. They changed the course of human history. There are commentators who will undoubtedly point to Rome’s military might in order to explain their success. However, it can be argued that religion played a major role in shaping ancient Rome, Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire and in the process help transformed their respective political landscape, culture and traditions.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Religion in Ancient Rome, the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Background Anthropologists and archaeologists were able to trace Rome’s early development in obscurity (Morris, p. 4). What they lacked in numbers they made up in resourcefulness, tenacity and the willingness t o adopt the culture and practices of neighbouring tribes, taking the best that they could find and incorporated it into their belief system. Even their early religious system was not complicated. According to noted historians religion played an important part in ancient Rome (McKay et al., p.133). Nevertheless, the simplicity of their religious belief system made the early Romans practical in all their dealings whether in politics or in warfare. In a particular commentary one can read the following: â€Å"The gods of the Romans were not loving and personal †¦ they were stern, powerful, and aloof† and â€Å"The Romans honoured the cults of their gods, hoping for divine favour† (McKay et al., p.133). In these two statements alone one can easily surmise the kind of impact religion had had on ancient Rome. It can be argued that the early Romans feared and honoured the gods for the simple reason that they wanted to receive favour and nothing more. This view was strengt hened by a commentary made by a famous Roman poet named Ovid who wrote: Not greedy are the gods who haunt the Styx below. A roof tile covered with a sacrificial crown,Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Scattered kernels, a few grains of salt, Bread dipped in wine, and loose violets – These are enough (McKay et al., p.14). It can be said that their religious views made ancient Rome a very practical society. This enabled them to pursue nation building at an accelerated pace and viewed their religion with a utilitarian purpose (Adkins Adkins, p.274). Their gods are there to help them secure the needed victory and the necessary resources as well as favourable weather to increase the nation’s strength. The personality of their gods as being stern, aloof, and powerful reflects how Romans see themselves and it gave them the correct platform needed to build an empire. In additi on, the Romans believed that they descended from a war god named Mars (Morris, p.4). The worship of this war god was an important contributor in shaping their identity. This is an added impetus for them to consider themselves as warriors destined for greatness. It is very clear that ancient Rome is affected by a religious system that influences the behaviour of the people. But more importantly their religion, in conjunction with their myths, played an instrumental role in developing a fierce warrior-culture that empowered a small association of people to build an empire.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Religion in Ancient Rome, the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Byzantine Empire Christianity was a persecuted sect during the early years of the Empire and Rome was a difficult place for Christians until the 4th Century (Adkins Adkins, p.276). In the same period, Chr istianity became the official religion of the empire. Constantine established Constantinople and this new seat of government paved the way for the creation of the Byzantine Empire. During this period, religion is not a mere after thought to more pressing matters of politics and warfare. In the Byzantine Empire, religion is the foundation of everything that they do. Religious principles, religious doctrines and dogmas guided religious leaders, politicians, and the rest of the people. In ancient Rome religion served a utilitarian purpose as seen in the following statement, â€Å"Official Roman religion was never a matter of belief or ethics but of publicly celebrated rituals linked to the good of the state† (McKay et al., p.170). But the same thing cannot be said in the Byzantine Empire. In the East Roman Empire Christianity is the reason for existence. Christianity played a central role in policy making and the Emperor of Byzantine acted on the basis of his religion. In fact, the reason why an Eastern Roman Empire was established was a reaction to the way Christianity was practised in Rome. The decision to create a second Rome is the most compelling evidence that in the Byzantine Empire religion comes first. The most important impact of religion on the Byzantine Empire is the belief that the emperors are Christ’s representative on earth. This is a radical idea as far as Christianity is concerned because spiritual and temporal power rests in one man. This is also a problematic issue when it comes to absolute control and checks and balances. In the greater scheme of things the question remains, to whom will the emperor answer to? This is of course a non-issue for the most part of ancient history and even mediaeval Europe, but now the emperor does not only have control over land, taxes and armies but now he has even the power over people’s souls. It is a terrifying prospect especially if someone is under the authority of an evil emperor. The i mpact of this doctrine was immediately felt in the Byzantine Empire especially for the members of the clergy, the priests, and the bishops who knew what it felt like to be in Rome wherein the Church had a great degree of independence from secular powers. In the Byzantine Empire they knew fully well that the emperor is absolute ruler.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More John Chrysostom, a popular figure in Christian history, spoke against the excesses of the empire but his criticisms was not heard and instead he was banished twice (McKay et al., p.201). If this type of treatment was levelled against a man of God, there is no need to imagine what could have been done to those who dared speak against the emperor. Religion therefore has given the emperor the justification to assume dictatorial powers. It is not what was said in official language but the mere fact that he is a representative of a heavenly being is enough to demonstrate his claim on absolute control over his domain. This is a bad sign for those who have dissenting ideas; however, it was a good set-up in terms of creating an empire that is united under one God and under one emperor. This is perhaps the reason why the Byzantine Empire withstood repeated attacks while Rome fell so easily. In contrast to ancient Rome, religion’s role in the Byzantine Empire is more pronounced. This i s made more evident when one looks at the court of the emperor. An eyewitness will be surprised to find out that the court also looks like a shrine because religious icons are present. It is not hard to imagine that the emperor does not look like Julius Caesar with his battle dress, in Byzantium the emperor’s outward appearance denotes that he is also a representative of the heavenly realms. Holy Roman Empire When it comes to the Holy Roman Empire, religion also plays a central role in people’s lives. Religion is also a major influence when it comes to politics. Religion in the Holy Roman Empire was a far contrast to the religion in ancient Rome. Religious beliefs are part of the political and social arena. Religion becomes the driving force that allows for the establishment of a society that obeys God. Religion is not utilized to appease the anger of the gods. Religion is seen as a way of life. Aside from the fact that religion is the justification to attack and defen d the empire, religion is seen as a tool to unite people. In fact, religion is seen as mechanism to rule over a large domain. In contrast to religion’s role in the Byzantine Empire – wherein the emperor dominates the ecclesiastical and civil realms – the Holy Roman emperor stands in equal footing with the pope. This is of course the source of conflict between the Pope of Rome and the Holy Roman emperor. But as far as Christianity is concerned the issue of checks and balances had been resolved. There are cases wherein the pope led in the creation of strategies and schemes to stymie an emperor and force him to consider his ways. Religion is the law of the land. The emperor can be seen as an executive officer but the real source of authority comes from religion. This is made clear in the very beginning when an emperor is not recognised as a legitimate ruler without the approval of the pope. Religion during the time of the Holy Roman Empire is no longer part of the superstitious beliefs and the simple by-product of mythology. In this era, religion is seen not just a mere belief system but a source of authority as well as knowledge on how to govern nations. It is indeed important to see the evolution of religion from the days when it was just affecting the spiritual aspect of the community to the time when it has become the most powerful and significant force in the land. Religion in the time of Holy Roman Emperors is part of the political and social spheres. There is nothing that is not affected by religion. Religion occupies a central role. Everything finds meaning in the idea that the religion is indeed the reason why everything is in existence and allowed to perpetuate. God is in all things and that it is the duty of the Holy Roman Emperors – to expand the kingdom and domain of God. Conclusion The reason for the success of the Roman Empire can be attributed to how religion was viewed and utilised by the people as well as the politica l leaders. In the early phase, religion was seen as the means to sustain a good life, bountiful harvests and the protection from natural disasters. But when Christianity became the official religion of Rome, religion broke through the line that separates mythology and politics. In the Byzantine Empire religion is the lifeblood of the whole society. Rules and regulations were derived from religion. Everything existed because of religion and in fact the emperor is believed to have been the representative of Christ on earth. In the time of the Holy Roman Empire, religion was seen as a bridge to connect the glory days of Rome and what has remained in the Holy Roman Empire. Religion gave meaning and colour to everything. If one will take out religion then the empire will collapse because it finds no motivation and no meaning to continue. Works Cited Adkins, Lesley and Roy Adkins. Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome. New York: Facts on File, 2004. McKay, John et al. A History of Western Soci ety. 10th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. Morris, Ting. Ancient Rome. MN: Smart Apple Media, 2007. This essay on Religion in Ancient Rome, the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire was written and submitted by user Darw1n to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Child Care

Abstract An important question for child care researchers today is how characteristics of the home and the child care setting together affect children’s development. There is mixed opinion on how differences and similarities between professionals’ beliefs, values and practices for raising children impact their development. There is strong theoretical support for the idea that continuity in children’s experiences from home and child care settings promote optimal development, and that major differences pose developmental challenges, especially for children in very early childhood. However, research that is available suggests that children from families with lower educational and economic resources can benefit from different environments if the care setting is more advantageous than that provided by the family. This paper examines early child care settings and the effects, whether they are good or bad, on the developing child. Also, different factors and variables will be presented in relation to the quality and promotion of congruence across care settings. This paper details different studies done on early child care from accredited literature and institutions, as well as magazines that focus on the topic of children and their development. Early Child Care and Effects on the Developing Child Recently there have been different viewpoints concerning the child care question, with assertions that non-parental care of young children is detrimental to their development. However, despite these assertions, research suggests that, given high quality care, the experience of child care is not harmful and can be beneficial to children. The simple question, â€Å"Is child care good or bad?† can be thrown out the window. In order to ensure that all children receive good quality care one must ask questions that revolve around what makes up good quality care, and how it meets the requirements of the children involv... Free Essays on Child Care Free Essays on Child Care Abstract An important question for child care researchers today is how characteristics of the home and the child care setting together affect children’s development. There is mixed opinion on how differences and similarities between professionals’ beliefs, values and practices for raising children impact their development. There is strong theoretical support for the idea that continuity in children’s experiences from home and child care settings promote optimal development, and that major differences pose developmental challenges, especially for children in very early childhood. However, research that is available suggests that children from families with lower educational and economic resources can benefit from different environments if the care setting is more advantageous than that provided by the family. This paper examines early child care settings and the effects, whether they are good or bad, on the developing child. Also, different factors and variables will be presented in relation to the quality and promotion of congruence across care settings. This paper details different studies done on early child care from accredited literature and institutions, as well as magazines that focus on the topic of children and their development. Early Child Care and Effects on the Developing Child Recently there have been different viewpoints concerning the child care question, with assertions that non-parental care of young children is detrimental to their development. However, despite these assertions, research suggests that, given high quality care, the experience of child care is not harmful and can be beneficial to children. The simple question, â€Å"Is child care good or bad?† can be thrown out the window. In order to ensure that all children receive good quality care one must ask questions that revolve around what makes up good quality care, and how it meets the requirements of the children involv...

Human Resource Management Is Radically Different From Personnel Essay

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Folio paper-cloud computing foe E-learning - Assignment Example In the recent day context, the concept of cloud computing has gained significant amount of interest due to the advantages that the companies are able to acquire by the utilisation of cloud computing. Certain recent survey reports state that in the global market, about 74 percent of the companies are utilising cloud computing services (Sharma, 2012). These companies include several hotel groups which utilise the cloud computing techniques to enhance their Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems (Babcock, 2011). Apart from hotels, there are several other companies which utilise the cloud computing techniques for their business operations. A few of the major companies among them have been mentioned below: It is worth mentioning that Amazon has introduced the latest version of cloud computing application known as the EC2 cloud compute. The EC2 is a quite efficient in providing web services that enable the user to utilise the available resources effectively (PRLOG, 2011). Microsoft, which is one of the giant IT companies, has been providing certain cloud computing services to the business enterprises as well. These services, provided by Microsoft to the business enterprises give security to stored data of the enterprises (PRLOG, 2011). Another significant company that provides cloud computing services is Apple. The icloud services rendered by Apple to its customers provide facilities to the user to store files and documents which can be accessed quite easily (PRLOG, 2011). Several research groups have been formed by different companies for carrying out the research works on cloud computing. It is worth mentioning that Microsoft is one of the major companies which has formed a research group for cloud computing. The research group of Microsoft includes Sameh Elnikety, Allen Galler, Christian Geuer-Pollmann, Yuxiong He, Navendu Jain, Jim Larus, and Ravi Pandya. Apart from Microsoft, another significant research group has been developed by IEEE Computer

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The Business of Beer - Essay Example It must be stated then, that beer has a prominent place both in history and the present culture. Given its popularity and significance in society, it was only a matter of time before the profit-driven human being made a business out of this widespread drink. According to Wikipedia, the first breweries in history were actually the brewers' homes, specifically their kitchens.1 When brewing became industrialized, breweries were built as a different construction from the house. The brewery, Weihenstephan (in Germany) is believed to be the longest-standing brewery. While in Manhattan, Adrian Block and Hans Christiansen were the ones who established the first brewery in the New World. The year was 1612. Today, there is a long list of the current top breweries of beer. The Webtender index cites the following in its top 5: Aldaris, Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc. (brewer of Budweiser, Michelob and Busch beers), UK's Aston Manor brewery, BO's Brewery and Bistro and Brewerania. The success of beer companies in the U.S. shows how the country is a favorable market for the beer industry. Paul Gatza, director of Brewers Association, states: "The craft beer segment has grown steadily over the past ten years, but in 2004 it showed its biggest increase since 1996. The strong growth in craft beer sales shows American consumers' continuing interest in flavorful American beers." Below is the table2 of the Top 10 craft brewers in the United States: We can see the Boston Beer Co leading the pack of the top breweries. Headed by Jim Coch, the Boston Beer Company is the award-winning brewer of the popular Samuel Adams Lager among its many styles of beer. The Success of Samuel Adams The company's interactive annual report in 2003 gave us a preview of the tactics used by a powerful beer brewery to further solidify its place in the industry. First, it is important to establish what kind of beer does the company specialize in. In the case of the Boston Beer Co, the answer is Better Beer. Simply put, the Better Beer category is defined as the opposite of the regular, mass-produced beer. We can identify Better Beer by its contrast from the rest of the market-usually it is imported, highly advertised and more expensive. The Boston Beer Co aims to lock the top position in this product category. Innovation, commitment and meticulous evaluation have paved the way to success of the company. The company put fervent focus on its products and its marketability. Its flagship brand, Samuel Adams Boston Lager and Sam Adams Light are the company's standards, already guaranteed to appeal to the consumers because of its reputation and having passed the test of time. Then like a special treat, the company also came up with its "Limited Edition Beers", this includes Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock, Samuel Adams Triple Bock and Samuel Adams Utopias. These products were sold at a higher price due to its "in short supply" appeal. These strategies, along with venturing to other innovations (i.e. Twisted Tea), have helped the Boston Beer Co guarantee its place in the Better Beer competition. Having established its standard products (Samuel Adams Bosto

What Location Influences Foreign Direct Investment?

What Location Influences Foreign Direct Investment? Chapter 1 Introduction This chapter offers an introduction to the research, with paragraph 1.2 detailing the problem it focuses on, leading to the research question in paragraph 1.3. Paragraph 1.4 discusses the relevance of the research. The chapter ends with an outline of the thesis. The next paragraphs contain the various purposes and the general research design, and finish with the disposition of the study. 1.1 Background Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is an important source of capital and economic growth in recent business. It provides a package of new technologies, management techniques, finance and market access for the production of goods and services. However, attracting FDI is a major challenge for most host countries as they face the challenge of identifying the major factors that motivate and affect the FDI location decision. Nowadays, regions try to attract Foreign Direct Investments to stimulate their economic development (OECD, 2002a). Certain regions consider the ecological issues as well and promote sustainable FDI. Recently, while working at AgentschapNL, an agency of the Dutch secretary of Economic Affairs, the awareness for sustainable investment rose. AgentschapNL promotes sustainable development and innovation, both in the Netherlands and abroad. One region that is engaged in an initiative to attract FDI is the Swedish province Jà ¤mtland. This initiative is called Midscand and it involves stimulating business investments and cooperation (joint ventures, business development, acquisitions, strategic alliances, outsourcing and new start-ups). One of their target countries is the Netherlands. The activities that are discussed are the sectors: cleantech, tourism, mechanical industry, forestry and call centres. The scope of this research is limited to the cleantech sector. This sector deals with sustainable innovations and investments in Jà ¤mtland, with special focus on wind and bio energy. The main goal of this project is to attract new investments from the Netherlands to Swedish regions. 1.2 Problem Indication The literature dealing with FDI can be classified in two main streams, as pointed out by Agiomirgianakis, Asteriou and Papathoma (2003): the first explains the effect of FDI on the process of economic growth, while the second one goes in depth into the study of the determinants of FDI. This thesis focuses on the second part of literature. Among all the factors influencing the location decisions of FDI, the location-specific determinants need particular exploration, since they can help the host governments to attract and increase FDI inflows using several instruments (Chakrabarti, 2001). Location-specific factors will always influence the decision to enter or exit a location for investment purposes (Audretsch and Fritsch, 2002). FDI is a key element of the international economic relations as it is an engine of employment, technology transfer and improvement of productivity, which ultimately leads to economic growth. The need to attract FDI forces governments to provide a favourable climate for business activities (Nordstrom, 1991). The foreign firms can be influenced by the political and economic institutional framework of the host country, which could affect the choice of where to invest their capital (Makino and Chan, 2004). The challenge of this research is to explore which location determinants make a region attractive for FDI. The definition of the problem is: What should Swedish regions do to positively influence FDI? By presenting a thorough overview of FDI and the determinants that could influence the location choice for a company, this research aims to provide a framework, tested in interviews for the applicability of investments. 1.3 Research questions To solve the problem the following research questions are answered: What is FDI? Based on a literature review that provides theoretical information on this phenomenon. What are the location factors? Galan and Gonzales (2007) are used as basis for the location factors. Several other papers on location factors are evaluated and criticized. What does Sweden have to offer? This final question deals with the application of the theoretical framework to Swedish region as case study and the relationship between the factors they possess and the factors they need to stimulate to influence FDI. 1.4 Purpose and Objective The purpose of this thesis is to examine which regional factors influence foreign direct investments. Theories regarding FDI and location-specific characteristics will be reviewed and analysed in the theoretical framework. A thorough overview of the location factors will be part of the framework that can be used by regions, willing to attract sustainable investments. But first of all, the objective as described in the definition of the problem is to give recommendations to Swedish regions regarding the factors they should highlight to attract or influence direct foreign investment. 1.5 Research Design The literature framework is based on relevant papers. According to Ghauri (2005), theoretical data will be used to understand and interpret the research question, and it will help to â€Å"broaden the base from which scientific conclusion can be drawn†. The relevance of the papers will be based on quality. To reach the goal of collection qualitative data for the research question, a phased selection is made. The emphasis of the courses Corporate Level Strategy and Research Methods of Strategy within the master Strategic Management is on testing all data on quality. By examining the relevance, publication form and impact factor of the information, the quality of the paper will be showed. The research is divided into two parts: (1) the literature research and (2) a case study. The first part of the research is explorative, because it is intended to gain more information on the situation and to get familiar with the research area. Qualitative studies -observations and interviews- are used to gain more knowledge of the research topic (Sekaran, 2003). The research mainly relies on secondary data; books and articles by various authors are considered. Literature is compared and new insights are gained. Interviews are conducted for the verification of the interests, which are characterized as primary data. In this research, qualitative data is the main source. The time dimension of this research is cross-sectional, which implies that the research is conducted at one particular moment in time. For useful literature, the data will be collected on acknowledged databases (e.g. ABI/Inform, JCR, Web of Science). The keywords that will be used during the search period are â€Å"FDI†, â€Å"entry modes†, â€Å"choice of country†, â€Å"region†, and â€Å"location determinants†. All literature sources can be found in the list of references. The theory will be examined by a qualitative case study. Case studies are used to understand a specific case under particular circumstances (Patton, 2002). 1.6 Disposition In chapter 2 the contemporary theory that has been evaluated and reviewed is presented. An introduction will be followed by a presentation of FDI and the factors that influence the location choice, followed by the location factors that are important for wind and bio-energy. In chapter 3 the methodology is elaborated and provides a description of the way this thesis was written and the choices that are made. In the second paragraph the data and sample size are explained. Theoretical and empirical frameworks are discussed, as well as the reliability and validity of this study. In chapter 4 the participating respondents are interviewed, which leads to an analysis and concludes the empirical results. Chapter 5 includes the results of the findings and the discussion that compares the theoretical statements that were researched and found necessary for this research presented in chapter 2. The mode of procedure is explained and the model of the empirical results is presented in this part. Chapter 6 includes the answers of this research by modifying the analysis model. The conclusion is based on the discussion in chapter 5. The answers serve as a proposal for further research in a broader context and give an opportunity of generalization. Chapter 2 Theoretical framework The literature review provides the foundation for this research, through discussions of previous studies on FDI and international business. Section 2.2 offers a review of studies regarding FDI. Next, it is essential to identify the location factors that influence that move, as it contains the answer to the second research question: What are location factors? The third paragraph contains a detailed overview of the location factors. An overview of the selected factors can be found in table 1. The list contains determinants to measure the impact on the location factors and their impact on FDI. The last paragraph contains a summary of the findings and a conclusion. 2.1 What is FDI? Modern day literature increasingly concentrates on subjects covering the globalization of markets and the internationalization of companies. Governments contribute to this situation by opening their regulations with the intention to profit from a more open economy (Dunning and Nurala, 2002). The growing number of liberal policies is a driving force for companies to go abroad and make FDI (Galà ¡n and Gonzà ¡lez-Benito, 2001). There are several definitions of a foreign direct investment presented by a number of researchers. A central theme of the definitions available on FDI, with the one illustrated by Moosa (2002) as a typical example, is that the companies undertaking such a venture aspire to gain a controlling stake in the asset or entity purchased. An FDI is not to be confused with an international or portfolio investment, where the aim merely is to diversify the holdings of the firm and make a financially sound investment (Buckley, 1998). FDI is defined as a firm based in one country (the home country) owning ten per cent (10%) or more of the stock of a company located in a foreign country (the host country). This amount of stock is generally enough to give the home country firm significant control over the host country firm. Most FDI is in wholly owned or nearly wholly owned subsidiaries. Other non-equity forms of FDI include: subcontracting, management contracts, franchising, and licensing and product sharing .In view of the above, FDI can be either inward or outward. FDI is measured either as a flow (amount of investment made in one year) or a stock (the total investment accumulation at the end of the year). Outward FDI can take various forms, home country residents can: purchase existing assets in a foreign country; make new investment in property, plant equipment in a foreign country; participate in a joint venture with a local partner in a foreign country (Dunning, 1976). 2.2 Location factors 2.2.1 Introduction There is considerable literature on the determinants of location factors for multinational Corporations (MNCs) when they choose their foreign market location, but very little on the relative importance of the location factors for FDI in a specific country and industry. It is widely believed that the trend towards globalized production and marketing has major implications for the attraction of developing countries to FDI inflows. The relative importance of FDI location determinants have changed. Even though traditional determinants and the types of FDI associated with them have not disappeared as a result of globalization, their importance is said to be on the decline. More specifically, one of the most important traditional FDI determinants, the size of national markets, has decreased in importance. At the same time, cost differences between locations, the quality of infrastructure, the ease of doing business and the availability of skills have become more important (UNCTAD 1996). Li kewise, Dunning (1999) argues that the motives for and the determinants of FDI have changed. Buckley and Ghauri (2004) point to the limited attention researchers have given to the FDI location factors in the literature. They suggest that international business strategy is distinct from main stream or single country business strategy only because of differences of location. Hence, location specifics are essential to the possibility of international strategy having a distinctive content. They, too, suggest that a focus on location, and possibly the question of why locations differ, could be a response to the issue of what forms the next big question in international business research. Dunning (2008) suggests that the more recent lack of attention to location by IB scholars could have arisen from an assumption that the location decision principles are the same for both international and domestic locations. Thus, scholars were either satisfied with existing explanations or as Dunning (1998) points out maybe theywere just not interested. In attempting to determine the relevant set of location factors, Michael Porters (1990) work cited in Hodgetts (1993) offers a valuable starting point. Porter notes that success for a given industry in international competition depends on the relative strength of that industry with regards to a set of business-related features or drivers of competitiveness, namely factor conditions; demand conditions; related and supporting industries; and firm strategy, structure, and rivalry. Government and chance are seen to influence competitiveness through their impact on the above four basic drivers. This framework the drivers of competitiveness has been used in a number of studies of industries and individual economies. Porters competitiveness framework has been the subject of major criticisms. Paul Krugman (1994) specifically criticized the idea that nations, or locations, compete in the same way as firms do, and his wide-ranging critique attacks this concept. Also, the empirical evidence for national competitiveness and the policies that follow are what Krugman (1994) describes as a dangerous obsession. Another criticism is that Porter places government involvement in international business outside of the core determinants. Many authors have claimed that Porters framework pays insufficient attention to relevant specific location factors such as globalization (Dunning, 1993), multinational companies (Dunning, 1993; RugmanVerbeke, 1993), technology (Narula, 1993. Several authors have questioned the validity of the model, and the conclusions drawn from the model, for countries such as Austria (Bellak Weiss, 1993), Canada (Rugman dCruz, 1993), Hong Kong (Redding, 1994) and Mexico (Hodgetts, 1993). A lot of research interested in providing the determining factors for FDI loca tion decisions is seen to be done by managers. Some of the major studies are the following (Dunning, 2000): theories of risk diversification (Rugman, 1979); agglomeration theories (Krugman, 1993; Porter, 1994, 1996); theories related to government-induced incentives (Loree and Guisinger, 1995); and theories of location (Dunning, 1997). All these new theories are certainly insightful, but they are all context-specific, and interested solely in stressing the relevance of certain factors to the detriment of others that may be equally significant. None of them has yet provided a satisfactory explanation of the relative importance of specific factors that lead managers to locate their investments via FDI in a specific country and industry (Dunning, 2008). Dunning (2008) believes that â€Å"it is not possible to formulate a single operationally testable theory that can explain all forms of foreign-owned production any more than it is possible to construct a generalized theory to explain all forms of trade or the behaviour of all kinds of firms.† Cohen (2007) believes that location factors for a specific location and industry that affect the location decision are based on the perceptions of a small group of senior managers, not a scientific formula. Furthermore, Buckly et al(2007) argue that studying a single firm or group of firms in the same industry is the best way to identify the most important factors, because firms in the same industry usually follow a systematic process for location choices, and seek to prioritize certain location factors as they become more internationally mature. Cohen (2007) argues, â€Å"No standard set of attributes, each with an assigned relative weight of importance, exists in the many lists of what matters in location published by business groups, international organizations, and scholars. Determining where to invest is a case-by-case decision†. Cohen (2007) also suggests that no single formula exists because specific strengths and weaknesses of a country or region might receive high priority by one team of corporate evaluators and can be ignored by another, depending on what kind of investment is contemplated, which in turn will determine a subsidiarys objectives and operational needs. Furthermore, individual corporate cultures will assign a different relative importance to what attributes they require in a country, what they would like to see, what negatives they can work around, and what is unequivocally unacceptable. Calculating trade-offs between positive and negative location characteristics is an art, not a science. Galan et al (2007) conducted an empirical research into location factors that has been researched by several theorists. This list provides a detailed overview of the main location factors and sub factors considered by several empirical studies that have examined their positive or negative influence on the location decisions of MNE managers in both DCs and LDCs. All these factors are usually included in the analyses made via the eclectic paradigm (Galan et al, 2007). They recognise that MNE managers motivation to eventually choose either or both groups of host countries will depend on the specific location factors available in them. These location factors are classified in the following categories: Cost factors Market factors Infrastructure and technological factors Political and legal factors Social Cultural factors The order of this list is random. According to Noorbakhshs, Paloni and Youssef (2001), foreign investors are attracted to regions that offer a combination of the location factors. The location factors are discussed separately in the next paragraph. 2.2.1 Cost factors This paragraph contains theoretical information about the cost factor as one of the location factors. The determinants that are criticized are labour costs and cost of materials. 2.2.1.1 Labour Cost The costs linked with the profitability of investment are one of the major determinants of investment (Asidu, 2002) . The rate of return on investment in a host economy influences the FDI decision. Asiedu (2002) noted that the lower the GDP per capita, the higher the rate of return and, therefore, the FDI inflow. Charkrabarti (2001) claims that wage as an indicator of labour cost has been the most arguable of all the potential determinants of FDI. There is no unanimity even among the comparatively small number of studies that have explored the role of wage in affecting FDI: results range from higher host country wages discouraging inbound FDI, to having no significant effect or even a positive association ( Dunning, 1989). Goldsbrough (1979) and Shamsuddin (1994) demonstrate that higher wages discourage FDI. Tsai (1994) obtains strong support for the cheap-labour hypothesis over the period 1983 to 1986, but weak support from 1975 to 1978. Charkrabarti (2001) stated that empirical res earch has found relative labour costs to be statistically significant, particularly for foreign investment in labour-intensive industries and for export-oriented subsidiaries. However, when the cost of labour is relatively irrelevant (when wage rates vary little from country to country), the skills of the labour force are expected to have an impact on decisions concerning FDI location. This is not the case for the investments in this case study, which is more knowledge based than labour intensive. Cheap labour is another important determinant of FDI flow to developing countries. A high wage-adjusted productivity of labour attracts efficiency-seeking FDI both aiming to produce for the host economy and for export from host countries. Studies by Wheeler and Mody (1992), Schneider and Frey (1985), and Loree and Guisinger (1995) show a positive impact of labour cost on FDI inflow. Countries with a large supply of skilled human capital attract more FDI, particularly in sectors that are relatively intensive in the use of skilled labour. 2.2.1.2 Cost of Materials The analysis above leads to two variables that can be measured to determine the importance of the cost factor that is labour cost (wages). The availability of raw material and cheap labour can be of crucial importance in the choice of location. The return on investments is not important for this study, because this is not region-constrained, so it is not an important factor for a location choice. FDI uses low labour costs and available raw materials for export promotion, leading to overall output growth. 2.2.2 Market Factors This paragraph contains theoretical information about the market factor as one of the location factors. The determinants that are criticized are market size, openness of the market, labour market and economic growth. 2.3.2.1 Market size The size of the host country market is a relevant determinant to the extent that the FDI is destined to serve the host market and not merely to set up an export platform. Larger markets should attract FDI because firms face economies of scale as FDI entails sunk costs (for example, in terms of adapting management to local conditions or getting familiar with host country legislation). Market growth should work in the same direction. Nunnenkamp (2002), Chakrabarti (2001) Campos and Kinoshita (2003), Braga Nonnenberg and Cardoso de Mendonca (2004), Addison and Heshmati (2003), Kolstad and Villanger, (2004) all find market size and/or growth to be relevant determinants of FDI. An economy with a large market size (along with other factors) should, therefore, attract more FDI. Market size is important for FDI as it provides potential for local sales, greater profitability of local sales to export sales and relatively diverse resources, which make local sourcing more feasible (Pfefferman and Madarassy 1992). A large market size provides more opportunities for sales and profit to foreign firms, and in doing so attracts FDI (Wang and Swain, 1995: Moore, 1993; Schneider and Frey, 1985; Frey, 1984). FDI inflow in any period is a function of market size (Wang and Swain, 1995). However, studies by Edwards (1990) and Asidu (2002) show that there is no significant impact of growth or market size on FDI inflows. Further, Loree and Guisinger (1995) and Wei (2000) find that market size and growth impact differ under different conditions. Artige and Nicolini (2005) state that market size, as measured by GDP or GDP per capita, seems to be the most robust FDI determinant in econometric studies. This is the main determinant for horizontal FDI. Jordaan (2004) mentions that FDI will move to countries with larger and expanding markets and greater purchasing power, where firms can potentially receive a higher return on their capital and by implication receive higher profit on their investments. Charkrabarti (2001) states that the market-size hypothesis supports an idea that a large market is required for efficient utilization of resources and exploitation of economies of scale: as the market-size grows to some critical value, FDI will start to increase with its further expansion. This is a questionable conclusion, because there are firms who are looking for niche markets for their products and a large expanding market is a disadvantage to them. Concluding the size of the market and the GDP of a region are not important determinants for the location choice. 2.2.2.2 Openness of the Market There is mixed evidence concerning the significance of openness, which is measured mostly by the ratio of exports plus imports to GDP, in determining FDI as well (Charkrabarti 2001). Jordaan (2004) claims that the impact of openness on FDI depends on the type of investment. If the investments are market-seeking oriented, trade restrictions (and therefore less openness) could have an impact on FDI. The reason stems from the â€Å"tariff jumping† hypothesis, which argues that foreign firms that seek to serve local markets may decide to set up subsidiaries in the host country if it is difficult to import their products into the country. In distinction, multinational firms involved in export-oriented investments may choose to invest in a more liberal economy since increased imperfections that accompany trade protection generally imply higher transaction costs associated with exporting. Wheeler and Mody (1992) observe a strong positive support for this theory in the manufacturing s ector, but a weak negative link in the electronic sector. Kravis and Lipsey (1982), Culem (1988), Edwards (1990) find a strong positive effect of openness on FDI and Schmitz and Bieri (1972) obtain a weak positive link. Trade openness generally has a positive influence on the export-oriented FDI inflow into an economy (Edwards (1990), Gastanaga et al. (1998), Housmann and Fernandez-arias (2000), Asidu (2001)). In general, the empirical literature reveals that one of the important factors for attracting FDI is trade policy reform in the host country. Theoretical literature has explored the trade openness or the restrictiveness of trade policies (Bhagwati, 1973; 1994; Brecher and Diaz-Alejandro, 1977; Brecher and Findley; 1983). Investors in general prefer big markets to invest in and they like countries that have regional trade integration, as well as countries with greater investment provisions in their trade agreements. Theory does not give any clear-cut answer to the question how trade barriers affect the level of FDI flows. â€Å"Horizontal† FDI tends to replace exports if the costs of market access through exports are higher than the net costs of setting up a local plant and doing business in a foreign environment. Traditionally, governments have used trade barriers to induce â€Å"tariff-jumping FDI†, i.e. horizontal FDI that takes place to circumvent trade barriers. On the other hand, â€Å"vertical† FDI relies on a constant flow of intermediate products in and out of the host country and therefore benefits from a liberal trade environment. In that case, trade barriers should encourage â€Å"horizontal FDI† and discourage â€Å"vertical FDI† and its effect on the aggregate level of FDI depends on which type of FDI dominates. Empirical studies, however, support a positive effect of openness on FDI. Chakrabarti (2001) finds the sum of imports and exports as a share of GDP to be the variable most likely to be positively co rrelated with FDI besides market size in an extreme bounds analysis. Braga Nonnenberg and Cardoso de Mendonca (2004) and Addison and Heshemati (2003) also find this variable to be positively correlated with FDI. The problem with using trade as a share of GDP as a measure of trade policies is that it reveals a trade policy outcome, rather than trade guidelines. The openness of a market is clearly linked with the policy regulations of the potential market. Pà ¤rletun (2008) finds that trade openness is positive but statistically significant from zero. Moosa (2002) states that while access to specific markets is important, domestic market factors are predictably much less relevant in export-oriented foreign firms. A range of surveys suggests a widespread perception that â€Å"open† economies encourage more foreign investment (Moosa, 2002).Therefore, the openness of a market is relevant to the appeal of a region. Restrictions will decrease the appeal of the region. 2.2.2.3 Labour market Labour is also a determinant for market factors according to Majocchi and Presutti (2009), they investigated whether entrepreneurial culture plays a role in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI). Multinationals are a network of distributed assets that contain entrepreneurial potential and are highly innovative to increase competitiveness (Rugman and Verbeke, 2001). Firms and entrepreneurs are valuable in gaining access to local knowledge. However, entrepreneurial culture may also rely on resources in the local environment, which is not mentioned in particular by Majocchi et al. (2009). In this respect, natural resources are taken for granted. The availability of a cheap workforce (particularly an educated one), personnel policy, female participation and ageing influences investment decisions and in doing so are a determinant that influences the FDI inflow. A negative effect of these determinants will lead to an increase in wages and a decline in the return of investments in the future. Due to the static framework of this thesis, these determinants are not investigated. 2.2.2.4 Economic Growth If the host countrys market has a high-growth rate, it attracts more investors on a long-term basis (Chen, 2007). Economic environment growth in a country serves underlying factors when company decide which country to enter (Erramilli 1991).The role of growth in attracting FDI has also been the subject of controversy. Charkrabarti (2001) states that the growth hypothesis developed by Lim (1983) maintains that a rapidly growing economy provides relatively better opportunities for making profits than the ones growing slowly or not growing at all. Lunn (1980), Schneider and Frey (1985) and Culem (1988) find a significantly positive effect of growth on FDI, while Tsai (1994) obtains a strong support for the hypothesis over the period 1983 to 1986, but only a weak link from 1975 to 1978. On the other hand, Nigh (1985) reports a weak positive correlation for the less developed economies and a weak negative correlation for the developed countries. Gastanagaet et al. (1998) and Schneider and Frey (1985) found positive significant effects of growth on FDI FDI has the ability stimulate economic growth only in the short run while the economy is shifting from one short-lived equilibrium to another. The only source of long-term economic growth is technological progress, which is considered to be independent of investment activities. This factor is discussed in the next paragraph. However, in endogenous growth theory, the diminishing returns on investment can be avoided if there are positive externalities associated with investments (Oxelheim, 1996). If investment brings enough new knowledge and technologies, it can lead to long-term economic growth. As, typically, FDI brings new technologies and knowledge, in accordance with endogenous growth theory it can be viewed as a catalyst of long-term economic growth in a host economy. Economic growth will improve the ability to compete with other regions and this will increase the quality and ability of other location factors. The relevance of economic growth for FDI is not very clear: it depends on the distribution of the new capital. The analysis above leads to four validated variables that determine the relevance of market factors: (a) market size, (b) openness of the market, labour market and (c) economic growth. Market size is the only variable that is less important. The openness of a market and the economic growth are very important, these variables are positively linked with political, infrastructural and technological factors. An open market as well as a positive economic growth will lead to more FDI in a region. 2.2.3 Infrastructure Technologic

The Lord of the Flies as Social Commentary Essay -- Lord Flies Essays

The Lord of the Flies as Social Commentary    The Lord of the Flies is an ultimately pessimistic novel.   In the midst of the cold war and communism scares, this disquieting aura acts as a backdrop to the island.   The Lord of the Flies addresses questions like how do dictators come to power, do democracies always work, and what is the natural state and fate of humanity and society, getting at the heart of human nature in a very male-dominated, conflict-driven way.   The war, the plane shot down, and the boys' concern that the "Reds" will find them before the British, shows Golding's intention of treating the boys' isolated existence as a microcosm of the adult military world. I am plunged into Golding's imagined island world from the first sentence.   He uses lush description to build a setting that will contrast and reflect the boys' primitive descent.   The word "scar" describes the natural feature of the land, conjuring images of redness and blood from the first paragraph. The beautiful, yet often odd, descriptions help serve as a contrast between humans and nature.   The use of words like "scar" and "blood" foreshadows the future interaction between the boys and nature - the pigs, the hunt, the storm.   At the same time, the beauty and the order of the natural surroundings contrast with the decline of society developed throughout the book.   Integral to this setting is the fair-haired boy climbing the rocks, Ralph.   When Ralph meets Piggy, we notice the obvious differences between the two - the attractive and the fat, the daydreamer and the thinker. There is a moment when Piggy looks up at Ralph and sees the shadows on his face reversed.à ‚   This reverse of shadows seems to signify the missed initial connection between Piggy an... ...but ultimately signals a Navy cruiser. The fire, once signifying rescue and later used for destruction, becomes both. The novel ends in the adult perspective.   The officer is uncomfortable thinking about the savagery of the boys, and looks off to his cruiser in the distance while Ralph weeps for "the end of innocence, and the darkness of man's heart."   Golding is making a point about the hypocrisy of the civilization.   In reality, the world is just a larger version of the island.   The officer's comment on "the Coral Island" is also ironically significant in elevating The Lord of the Flies from a book about a group of lost boys on an island to a beautifully symbolic work of social commentary.   The view presented is dark and pessimistic, making its readers look deep inside their own human nature and at the structure of society in a frighteningly different light.