Korematsu V United States Essays - Japanese American Internment

Korematsu V United States U.S. Constitutional Survey Korematsu v. United States (1944) Korematsu v. United States (1944) actually began December 7, 1941 with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The attack on Pearl Harbor then began the conquering of Wake, Guam, Philippines, Malaya, Singapore, Dutch East Indies, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Burma. With the attack on Pearl Harbor, racism, which was hardly unfamiliar, became an even greater problem. The Japanese Government's attacks on Americans including; torturing, raping, and murdering was an excuse for Americans aversion towards the Japanese. Public officials began to lock up the Japanese people simply for their own good, for protection against the hate crimes. Economic interest also encouraged the racism against the Japanese. Tough Japanese work ethics made Japanese businesses competition for Americans. Interest groups and individuals demanded legislators take action against all Japanese. All persons of Japans ancestry, including American citizens of Japanese ancestry, called Nisei, were reported to concentration camps. In reading American Constitutional Interpretation, it states, General DeWitt explained, it was legitimate to put the Nisei behind barbed wire Page Two while allowing German and Italian aliens to remain free because a Jap is a Jap and World War II was a war of the white race against a yellow race. (pg., 89). In 1943 a student Gordon Hirabayashi disobeyed a report for evacuation and curfew. Hirabayashi v. United States (1943), was the first judicial test of the statute that was signed into law by Franklin Roosevelt to make it a crime to remain in a military zone, that was put to use towards an American citizen. Hirabayashi was convicted of both counts, evacuation and curfew, in Federal District Court. In the Court of Appeals he lost, and then received certiorari from the United States Supreme Court. Chief Justice Stone affirmed Hirabayashi's conviction on both counts, meaning Gordon Hirabayashi would have to serve the full sentence. Fred Korematsu also an American citizen of Japanese descent was convicted of not reporting to his concentration camp. His reason was that he was unwilling to leave his sweetheart, Endo. Fred Korematsu was arrested, convicted and also obtained a certiorari of the Supreme Court just like Gordon Hirabayashi. The Korematsu v. United States (1943), case was seen as a case of racism from General DeWitt, interest groups and particular members of the Supreme Court. Justice Black delivered the opinion of the court. Concerns pressing public necessity justified the existence of the legal restriction, which curtailed the civil rights of an American Citizen Page Three of Japanese descent, Fred Korematsu. Justice Black stated in American Constitutional Interpretation, In light of the principles we announced in Hirabayashi v. United States (1943), we are unable to conclude that it was beyond the war power of Congress and the Executive to exclude those of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast war are. (pgs.1383-1384). Also, as in Hirabayashi, it could not be without reason that there were disloyal members of the Japanese ancestry population. In summary, Justice Black confirms that Korematsu was not absolved from the military area because of hate towards him or against his race. Korematsu was absolved because the United States was at war with the Japanese Empire and there were proper security measures. Justice Frankfurter, also affirming the decision by stating the provisions of the Constitution, which discuss the President and Congressional power to wage war. The military order given to Korematsu is under the provision of the Constitution to wage war. Therefore, Korematsu is the business of the military and not for the decision of courts. Justices Robert, Murphy, and Jackson disagreed with this decision agreeing the decision was a violation of Constitutional rights. Justice Roberts believed that the military command given to Fred Koramatsu was a trap taken out on Fred Korematsu because of his Japanese background. There were two conflicting orders one to stay and one to go for the entire purpose to lock him up in a concentration camp. Page Four Justice Murphy dissented with obvious racial discrimination. Justice Murphy stated the military order sending Japanese, even American citizens to concentration camps went against the Fifth Amendment of equal protection. Justice Murphy's opinion is of pure racism, referring to the Commander General's final report on the vacating from the Pacific Coast area. The Commander General suggests that

The Falklands War Essays

The Falklands War Essays The Falklands War Essay The Falklands War Essay I am going to choose to do the Falklands War, which started in April1982. The Falkland Islands are situated just off the east coast of Argentina in South America. The cause of the war was when the Argentine Junta invaded the island encountering little or no resistance from people living on the islands. They did this while the British and Argentineans where still in peace negotiations about who owned the islands. After this Britain sent over a task force consisting on planes, ships and men to take back the islands and did successfully and were victorious by 15th June the same year when the Argentine forces surrendered to the British command. The Jus In Bello issues One of the conditions of a just war is proportionality, which in this conflict has not been kept to because during the bombing of Port Stanley the British Harrier Jets used cluster bombs. These bombs annihilate anything over a greater distance than a normal bomb because lots of little bombs break off and all go in different directions increasing the surface area of which the bomb affects. Some people would say is disproportionate because it may spread and get a civilian building as well as a military target. Also these bombs were far more powerful than any thing the opposing Argentines had to offer and because a less powerful bomb would have been more proportionate and would have still done the job. Also the British used phosphorous munitions, which are poisonous. This is disproportionate because it may cause a painful death, which is not usually caused by a normal bullet. The Argentines had lots of Napalm bombs; these are bombs that create fires causes a large area to be totally burned and destroyed which is disproportionate because it inflames a massive area when it may be disproportionate compared to the size of the military target which could be a lot smaller. Also in war the countries have to keep to targeting military targets and not civilian buildings and that only military people be involved and not civilians in the fighting. In the Falklands War this was kept very well with only three civilian deaths during the whole conflict. This is good because it means that the accuracy of any bombs dropped on the Falkland Islands was on target or very close to the target because there would have been a considerable amount of more deaths if the accuracy were bad. Another reason that this war was fought under the right conditions was because the prisoners taken on each side were kept and treated very well. One incident however that happened at Goose Green went against the conditions of war. Some Argentine forces were fighting and raised a white flag to surrender. Subaltern Jim Barry moved towards the Argentine troops in order to take them as prisoners. As he moved though he was shot and was instantly killed by an Argentine soldier. Although this thought to have been a mistake rather than a meaningful act it angered the British troops who immediately launched 66mm rockets and aimed concentrated machine gun fire at the building. The building was set ablaze and no survivors emerged. This action is very disproportionate as it is killing many Argentiness to retaliate for the death of one British soldier. The Falklands war did nonetheless prove that in this modern era there could be such a thing as a just war because the modern weaponry can be proportionate. Jus ad Bellum issues There was a just cause for war because when Argentina took over the islands it was because Britain gave up any land in South America or the islands near it to some Spanish Colonists and the Argentines claimed they were the successors to the Spanish colonists. However Britains claims was that they had never fully given up interest in the Falklands Islands and after Spain quit the islands in 1811, and Argentina took control until 1933 when they were evicted from the islands by an American warship after a dispute between them. After this Britain became the owners of the Islands again until Argentina invaded. It was a just cause to go to war because Britains islands were attacked without reason and they are doing so in self-defence of their islands. It could said however, that Britain did not feel under any immediate pressure by the invasion of the islands because they are so far away from Britain. Another condition is that there must be a reasonable chance of success which, from Argentinas sided was kept because they were right next to the Falklands Islands and as Britain is such a long way away they did not think that Britain would bother to reclaim the islands. Whereas on the British side that sent a task force against an unknown opposition because they did not know how many troops, planes or ships the Argentines had and so they did not know there probability of success. Also was war the last resort? -In this case it wasnt as Argentina invaded while the talks were still ongoing between the two governments. However Argentina had between debating for 150 years for the return for the islands and had been in negotiations with Britain for the last few years. Another condition in war is proportionality. Was it kept in a war in which 1000 men were sent to enable 1800 half citizens to give them a choice of government? Many people do not think so. However is it not right to protect your citizens if they belong to you despite them being thousands of miles away from the British homeland? Argentina did have a right to own the Falklands Islands but not the right to go to war with Britain because the British had not committed a fault to Argentina to have a just cause for going to war. Britain did have a right to go to war in self-defence but did the war bring less suffering to the islands than the war itself would cause. From a pacifists of principle point of view it would not be a just reason to go to war as the British government did not try and make war a last resort even thought they were attacked. From a selective objectors point of view they would agree with the war, as it is an act of self-defence but could not justify the moral issues of the war.

The Times & Music of Johann Adolf Hasse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Times & Music of Johann Adolf Hasse - Essay Example Hasse was fortunate to have achieved considerable fame in his own lifetime- a fate reserved for very few composers in classical music (Millner, 1974 & 1979). Johann Adolf Hasse (1699-1783) was born in Bergdorf, one of the largest boroughs in Germany. He came from a family of church singers, organists and musicians. It was natural that he was to follow in their footsteps. Hasse’s father belonged to a musical family, and his great-grandfather Peter Hasse had been employed as an organist in Lubeck where had gained some fame as a composer in his heyday (Degrada, 1975). Hasse’s father and brothers subsequently were given the position of organists at the local church. His father was the head of a local charity organization which facilitated Hasse study in Hamburg. Hasse began displaying great musical talent at the age of fifteen. In fact during the very next year, in 1721 Hasse was hired by the Hamburg Opera Company as a tenor on the recommendation of Johann Ulrich Konig, who was the private secretary and poet to the Saxon Court at Dresden. Konig subsequently recommended Hasse for a position in the opera of the Duke of Brunswick. Hasse sang the operas of Caldara, Conti and Schumann. In 1721 Hasse’s creative talents came to the fore when he composed and sang his very own first opera role, Antioco. In fact, it was Hasse who gave life to the title role while Schumann sang the part of Seleuco. At the time, Italy was a burgeoning point for singing and operatic talent. After travelling through Venice, Bologna, Florence and Rome, Hasse eventually decided to settle down in Naples for some time (Grove, 1992). While in Naples, he met both Nicolo Pompora and Alessandro Scarlatti and he studied under both of them by 1725.

Interview with a Health Professional Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Interview with a Health Professional - Essay Example There are increasing numbers of people who pursue careers in the health care industry. The reasons for delving into this challenging, yet rewarding array of health professions are diverse – which could be distinctly unique for some or universal as encompassing themes of care for others. The paramedic, in particular, is a dynamic and evolving career that interests people with genuine desire to provide immediate response to health dilemmas. The Australasian Council of Paramedic (ACP) (2008, p. 1) defines a paramedic as â€Å"a specialist health care professional who responds to requests for assistance and attends people suffering acute health crises of any nature†. Their roles and responsibilities encompass providing assessment, diagnoses and treatment to patients in health crises outside of the hospital setting. The paper hereby aims to initially conduct an interview with a health professional: a paramedic, specifically for this purpose; to summarize, reflect and evaluate on the findings and eventually to link specifically identified issues to related relevant literatures on the subject. To achieve the objective, the health professional interviewed is Peter Broadbent, a 30 year old paramedic based in Beverley Uranium Mine. The discourse would therefore summarize details from the interview and to provide a reflection with link to health literatures based on three issues: the concept of enjoyment in one’s profession, the frustrating instances, and the significant factors that impact his profession. ... The discourse would therefore summarize details from the interview and to provide a reflection with link to health literatures based on three issues: the concept of enjoyment in one’s profession, the frustrating instances, and the significant factors that impact his profession. Findings and Evaluation 1. Profile of the Interviewee With approval sought to cite his name and details provided from the interview in the current paper, Peter Broadbent has indicated that he has been working as a paramedic for four years with main responsibilities revealed by him as: provision of pre-hospital medical care in a remote location, health promotion, and testing employees for alcohol and other drugs, among others. His working hours on a weekly basis total 168 hours, with 84 hours on-duty and 84 hours on-call. Prior to delving into the details of the three specific issues identified that influence and impact his profession, Broadbent averred that from his experience, the two main issues he co nsidered prominently facing and affecting paramedics in their working life are fatigue and â€Å"burn-out†. 2. The Benefit of Enjoyment When asked â€Å"what do you enjoy most about your job?†, Broadbent’s reply was: (1) diagnosis and treatment of various illnesses; (2) interaction with patients and other members of the workplace population; and (3) the magnificent scenery in the Australian outback. Further, he clearly emphasized that having genuine enthusiasm for one’s career choice is the secret to satisfaction and enjoyment. The ability to provide enjoyment, satisfaction or pleasure in one’s job is linked to the theory of motivation in the work place, specifically Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, where people have varieties of needs that manifest

No subject Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

No subject - Essay Example On the other hand, baby girls prefer nurturing, cooperative, and dolls play. In school, most boys excel in math and science subjects while girls in art and literature. Girls read, write, and talk earlier than boys do. Girls are also more empathetic and emotional with other people than boys. However, boys are physically active and more aggressive than girls. According to Kimmel (22), the hormonal and genetic factors define gender differences. This research assumes that biological sex determined behavioural differences. This research shows that, the variation in gender is explored in the definitions of femininity and masculinity. Biologically, men carry different levels of testosterone and brain structure than women. This explains why most men are sex driven than women. It also explains why most women are more emotional, moody, and sensitive than men. Still, newborn girls are sensitive to sound and touch than newborn boys. They also show more interest in holding eye contact and communi cating with others than boys. Girls with CAH, which is an enzyme deficiency that produces male hormones in girls’ foetus, may show interest in sports activities and become more muscular in future. However, other studies reveal nature plays a crucial role on gender stereotypes. ... In most cases, girls are more pampered than boys and this makes them to be more emotional than boys. Children learn some behaviour from the media. For instance, the media portrays female characters as emotional, romantic, and fragile. On the other hand, the media portrays male characters as more bold, enterprising, and active. Most commercials for boys are loud and stimulating while those for girls are quiet and soothing. With this in mind, children who watch more TV shows exhibit more gender stereotypes about boys and girls. At a tender age, the child begins to understand how he or she should behave in the society as dictated by nature. In the society, certain human traits are socially specialized of only one sex. For instance, boys are expected to be muscularly strong while girls are not. Girls are also expected to be emotional, sensitive, caring, loving, and submissive. In some instances, the society expects women to nurture, cook for their spouses, and go for shopping. It is impo rtant to note that, culture plays a vital role in gender differences. In most cultures, women perform household chores and responsible for child care. However, most cultures demand men to provide for their family. In African countries, men are more empowered than women. With this, it is evident that traditions and social customs contribute to the gender ideologies and differences. Most muscular men participates more on body building competitions while women participate more in the public sector because of the nature of performing child care duties. Several theorists have attempted to explain gender inequality and division of labour. For instance, Kimmel (56) points out that, the impact of property owning, the demand of winning in the war, and the

Impact of Bank Consolidation on Small Business Lending

Impact of Bank Consolidation on Small Business Lending Review of literature According to the big bank barrier hypothesis large banks provide the credit facilities for larger clients or larger corporate businesses. Large banks are more likely headquartered in metropolitan cities near to large corporate businesses. Large banks may not able to get adequate information because the distance between large banks and small businesses are at large. It is frequently determined the credit facilities to them. Large banks do not have local based environment for relationship lending to small businesses. They are more frequently offered transaction loans for well equipped, larger and financially secure firms. (Hayes and Berney (1999)) Banks relationship lending may be based on local knowledge of small business. Large banks relatively associates with large clients. They are provided loans with high interest rates and high collateral requirements to large businesses. Small customers may not able to get loans from large banks with this high collateral requirements and high interest rates. (Berger and Udell 1996) Small banks are most likely associated with low interest rates and low collateral requirements for transaction loans to small customers. They also do have local based knowledge about small firms. Informational distance between the small banks and customers are frequently helped to small businesses. Hauswold and Marquez (2000) suggest that informational distance between the banks and small clients more often reduces relationship lending of the banks to firms. The consolidation process and bank size frequently have in significant results for small business lending. Some MAs process between the financial organizations slightly raises and rather than frequently reduces small business lending. The evidence from the China, shows that total assets of banks is partially insignificant variable for banks to take decision for small and medium business lending. Frequently, the bank’s lending power has been stimulated by the banks’ lending authority, special incentives schemes form government and powerful law enrichments that gives more credit facilities for small and medium scale businesses. Yan Shen et.al (2009) According to De yang et.al (1996), U.S banking industry has been splinted two primary groups based on asset size of banks through the changes of deregulation, technological and consolation process of banks. They are viz. very large banks and small banks. Large banks are specialized to create normalized loans with the use of hard information of small business. Small banks are specialized to give non-normalized loans with the use of soft information and development relationship lending between the small customers. In the period of 1993-2001 performance of small business lending is based on relationship lending and non-standardized loans of small banks. Smaller banks performance with small customers are more likely better than larger banks performance in the market of small business lending. However, large banks are also slightly involved to make roadways for the small business loans. They are very consistent to lend credit facilities to small business due to informational distance. (Berger et.al 2004) Consolidation process between the small and large banks slightly improves small business loans rather than more frequently reduces lending opportunities to them. After this process large banks credit facilities declines due to high interest rates and lack of informational collateral requirements. Small banks offer more credit than large banks. After the consolidation process, small banks becomes big with large banks and their credit facilities to small customers has been splinted and shared by non-bank financial institutions of the regions. Consolidation process between the small and large banks reduces small business credit positively. The large portion of small businesses credit has been lent by small banks. Small banks are after receives comparative advantage in relationship lending to small customers. As evidence from the sample of U.S at 1913 from national survey of business finance shows that probability of small firms credit facilities does not reduces in long run. However, in short run may occur disruptions to small firm lending. It explains that same firms in areas are likely to return credits lately with small banks. There are no more credit constraints available with small banks to such firms. According to Klien (1971) competition raises between the banks that are more likely to give loans on low interest rates to small customers. Competition among the banks raises that they have a less ability to lend more credit to small firms with their surplus share of funds. Banks more likely makes decision of credit facilities for small firms on period by period basis. They are less likely extended credit to small firms with their asymmetries information of banks. Rajan et.al (1995) According to Berger et.al (1998) the credit availability for small businesses are not negatively intervened by banks MAs. However, some MAs process between the large banks and bank holding companies (BHCs) have an inverse effect on small firms lending. Furthermore, small business lending has been more likely raised by MAs process among small banks. Gobbi et.al (2007) has conducted a study on Italian corporate borrowers, MAs between the banks negatively effect on small businesses lending process. Particularly, lending relationship between the banks and firms has been more likely reduced after the MAs process. Bill Francis (2008) explains that in short run the overall effect of bank consolidation is inversely related to the small business lending. This negative relationship is initially initiated by large acquirers with consolidation process. Furthermore, consolidation activity between the small and medium size banks have a positive significant effect on small business lending and new business formation. In the long run, consolidation process have a significant positive impact on small business lending that has been initiated by large or well-equipped acquiring banks. Peek and Rosengren (1997) analyze the relationship among small business and bank lending performances and bank consolidation. It argues that small business lending depends upon the banks’ capital and assets size. It is mentioned that particular mismanagement and dis-economies of scale may raise the cost expenditure of small business lending when the bank size and complexity rises. Most of the mergers and acquisitions of banks generate the welfare affects for borrowers and also rescheduled their loan portfolio for small customers. It is positively correlated with the market power and negatively impact on the credit availability for small borrowers based on the relationship lending. Peek (1997) study also gives that the other borrowers get benefit from mergers when their efficiency raises for credit availability to small customers. The larger sample of private firms has given the negative impact of credit availability to small borrowers when the bank merger rises. It suggests that small, medium banks have served more credit risk to small borrowers because they have the regional knowledge and information relationship between them. Some study also argued that relationship lending for the target bank borrowers slightly raises, but the acquiring bank borrowers frequently declines when the merger announces. (Smith et.al 2002) The above mentioned review of literature is shown that mergers and acquisitions between the small and large banks have a positive insignificant effect on the small business lending of the different nation in the world. As Concerns from India, Indian banking sector has not been well equipped to foreign banks. Small business lending of the Indian commercial banks are not been satisfactory due to more outreach section of the regions. However, small customer are not able to contact with financial institutions and their credit availability has been captured by non-bank financial institution of the regions like Marvadi, Money Lender and Jeminthar. (Hayes and Berney (1999)) (Berger and Udell 1996) Hauswold and Marquez (2000) Yan Shen et.al (2009) De yang et.al (1996) (Berger et.al 2004) Klien (1971) Rajan et.al (1995) Berger et.al (1998) Gobbi et.al (2007) Bill Francis (2008) Peek and Rosengren (1997) (Kerceski, Onegena and Smith 2002) References: Shen, Yan Shen, Minggao Xu, Zhong Bai, Ying, 2009. Bank Size and Small- and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) Lending: Evidence from China† World Development Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 800-811. Yildirim, H. Semih Philippatos, George C., 2007. Restructuring, consolidation and competition in Latin American banking markets’’ Journal of Banking Finance Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 629-639, March. Berger, Allen N. Rosen, Richard J. Udell, Gregory F., 2004. Does Market Size Structure Affect Competition? The Case of Small Business Lending† CEI Working Paper Series, 2005-8, Center for Economic Institutions, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University. Steven G. and Craig Pauline Hardee (2007), the impact of bank consolidation on small business credit availability.’’ Journal of Banking Finance., pages12-63 Joe Peek and Eric S. Rosengren, 1997. Bank consolidation and small business lending: its not just bank size that matters.’’ Working Papers. 97-1, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. (Kerceski, Onegena and Smith 2002). Klein, Michael, 1971. A theory of the banking firm. Journal of Money, Credit and Banking 3 (2), 205–218. Petersen, Mitchell A., Rajan, Ragjuran G., 1995. The effect of credit market competition on lending relationships. Quarterly Journal of Economies (May), 407–443. Berger, A.N., Saunders, A., Scalise, J.M., Udell, G.F., 1998. The effects of bank mergers and acquisitions on small business lending, Journal of Financial Economics, 50(2): 187-229. Peek, Joe, Rosengren, Eric S., 1998. Bank consolidation and small business lending: It’s not just bank size that matters. Journal of Banking and Finance 22, 799–819. Strahan, Philip E., Weston, James P., 1998. Small business lending and the changing structure of the banking industry. Journal of Banking and Finance 22, 821–845. Bill Francis, Iftekhar Hasan, Haizhi (2008) Wang Bank consolidation and new business formation’’. Journal of Banking Finance 32, 1598–1612 Allen N. Berger, Leora F. Klapper, Gregory F. Udell (2001) The Ability of Banks to Lend to Informationally Opaque Small Businesses’’ The World Bank Development Research Group Finance. policy research working paper 2656 Hauswald, R., Marquez, R., 2000. Relationship banking, loan specialization and competition, Indiana University working paper. Haynes, G.W., Ou, C., Bemey, R., 1999. Small business borrowing from large and small banks, in Business Access to Capital and Credit, edited by J.L. Blanton, A. Williams, and S.L.W. Rhine, A Federal Reserve System Research Conference, 287-327. DeYoung, R., Nolle, D.E., 1996. Foreign-owned banks in the U.S.: Earning market share or buying it? Journal of Money, Credit, and Banking 28(4): 622-63 6. Berger, A.N., Udell, G.F., 1996. Universal banking and the future of small business lending, edited by A. Saunders and I. Walter, Financial system design: The case for universal banking, Burr Ridge, IL, Irwin Publishing, 559-627. Bonaccorsi Di Patti, Emilia, Gobbi, Giorgio, 2007. Winners or losers? The effects of banking consolidation on corporate borrowers. The Journal of Finance LXII (2), 669–695.

Dishonor in Antigone and Chronicle of a Death Foretold Essay -- Greek

The belief and concept of dishonor in the Greek and Colombian culture of ‘Antigone,’ by Sophocles, and ‘Chronicle of a Death Foretold,’ by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, is a deciding aspect that blinds characters moral values. It is evident that in both societies Greek and Colombian, a family or an individual without honor is an outcast to the community. As honor plays a drastic role in outlining the culture of the society. Therefore the belief that a perpetrator has brought dishonor upon the family, or community foreshadows punishment for the individual, often conveyed through death. Sophocles provides a setting in his play, Antigone, where the honor code of rules and principles that govern the Greek community, are based upon Creon’s patriarchy of immoral natural law. Where the worst death is a ‘clouded’ (97) one whose foggy setting brings dishonor upon the individual, and his family. Polynecies is an example; Sophocles uses to highlight the significance of a burial, in the Greek society. Polynecies is a victim of Creon's code of honor, which through grotesque diction, Sophocles describes his body as being immorally exposed the â€Å"vultures† left â€Å"unwept and unburied’ (29) after miserably fighting turning against his brother in a battle for Thebes, in which he turned against him. Causing him to ’[die] outside the law’ (59) bringing great dishonor to the corpse as it is with a lack of respect, left unburied due to tyranny, but also damns it for all time and dishonors his family. Creon’s laws are flaw, harsh and immoral, they take on the ‘gods who live forever’ (788), up to the point were his actions ‘seize [his] good mind,’ (791) and deprive him of moral thought. Creon’s restrictive democracy motivates Polynecie’s sister Antigone, who... ...reshadow a death through the blinding process of moral values and actions taken by an individual that has, or whose family has been dishonored and wishes to regain their dignity. Sophocles in Antigone portrays the theme of dishonor through the cultural value of burial in the Greek society; Gabriel Garcia Marquez on the other hand, condemns the legate of marriage to honor in Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Both cultural norms manage in context to inflict with the character’s family honor, which leads them into taking immoral and ruthless actions that lead to the innocent death of Antigone and Santiago Nasser, both innocent individuals. Works Cited Garcà ­a, Mà ¡rquez Gabriel, and Gregory Rabassa. Chronicle of a Death Foretold: A Novel. New York: Vintage International, 2003. Print Sophocles, and Paul Woodruff. Antigone. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub., 2001. Print

Minds Are Opened Only When Hearts Are Opened Essay

â€Å"Minds are like parachutes. They only function when they are open.† James Dewar To create the life that you want, growing as a human being and regularly experiencing a prosperous lifestyle, you will need a mind open to other people, possibilities, ideas and opinions around you. When you have an open mind you allow yourself to attract and follow up on opportunities. When you work with the power of the conscious and subconscious mind you will attract opportunities that will bring you what you need; for what you radiate you will constantly attract. When you are prepared to become creative you will create a vibrant life, while eliminating negative and unwanted situations. Most people think they already listen to others with an open mind, merely by paying close attention to what is being said. In fact, keeping an open mind is not easy to do if you are happy with the way you are doing things and do not see the point of changing. We all have moments, however, when we do listen with an open heart and mind, for example, we are more open to listening to someone we trust. An open mind is an understanding mind which will develop a genuine appreciation for people. When you take the trouble to think of other people’s feelings, their viewpoints and their desires you are saying â€Å"people are important†. An open mind will accept other people unconditionally. It requires the letting go of likes and dislikes and other similar emotions. When you do this you discipline your emotions and you allow people to be who they are with all their idiosyncrasies, differences and irritations. When you are communicating with others there can often be misunderstandings and these can lead to failure in your relations with others. We expect others to react and respond and come to the same conclusions we do over a given set of facts. Unfortunately, no one reacts to things as they are but to their own mental images; they are responding appropriately to what they see as the truth about the situation. An open-minded person will ask themselves â€Å"How does this appear to that person?† or, â€Å"How does that person interpret the situation?† and they will try to understand why someone might act differently to the way they expected. Many small business owners have faced extinction because they thought they knew it all and were not prepared to have an open mind and listen to others who had been down that path before them. When you are open minded you are always prepared to be teachable, to learn something new and take advantage of opportunities that present themselves. An open mind is the doorway to expansion of ideas. When you open your mind you are not compromising your ethics and values. It just means that you begin to practice a greater sense of awareness and in doing so you are prepared to look at your world a little differently. Test opportunities that are presented to you and examine where the message is coming from. It may be from a friend, a neutral party or from a source about which you are sceptical. If you are not sure, instruct your subconscious mind to guide you by simply saying, â€Å"I am making the right decision.† Focus on what you want, not on what you don’t want. A Closed Mind â€Å"A closed mind is like a closed book; just a block of wood. – Chinese Proverb. We have all been given the power to develop ideas and exercise free will. Unfortunately too often those ideas die as a seed and people use their free will to close their mind to the tremendous opportunities surrounding them. This stubbornness prevents them from achieving the goals that they want for themselves and so the opportunity for success is greatly decreased. In our formative years we grow and develop egos that maintain very particular ideas about ourselves in relation to the world around us. Your ego is your conscious mind, that which controls your behaviour and tries to give meaning to your external, material reality. It is powerful and can control your life if you allow it. Your external reality is a direct result of your mental and spiritual self so if the latter two are not where you want them to be your external and material self will suffer. The ego cannot improve the quality of your mental and spiritual life. When you close your mind you essentially become stubborn and become a victim of the ego mind which says, â€Å"My attitude is right despite what anyone else has to say†. The ego mind, although it thinks it knows better than anyone else, is never prepared to leave its comfort zone and so is not open to new ideas nor will it welcome others into its world. This kind of attitude shuts you off from the process of life and nature which is about growing and experiencing new possibilities. Think about how many times you were resistant to trying something new only to eventually give in and discover that you really enjoyed the process. Limitations are the jail of the mind so if you can throw off the shackles and open your mind to new and exciting ideas, your possibilities become limitless. When the mind is shackled and limited it affects every part of your life, for example, work presentations can lack innovation and impact and even every-day conversations are less productive and rewarding. Conversations often become defensive as the mind closes off to what is being said by others. Society today gives out a negative message that everyone is out to ‘take you down’ and that if it ‘looks to good to be true, it probably is’. This causes many to close their minds to everything beyond their current knowledge. An open mind is a mind that is aware that the current knowledge is not all there is to know and will eagerly investigate possibilities. When you have a closed mind to new and exciting possibilities you essentially tell yourself that you are not willing to go the extra mile – that you are not willing to grow and experience new things. You have now switched off the power within you and there can be no change and no progress in life and things will never improve. Such people become very introspective and weak. The old recordings of the past can, however, be changed. If you choose, you can wipe the old record clean, put on a new record and make a decision to activate the positive thoughts which lead to a relaxed and open view of the world. Remember, the past explains how you got to the present but where you go from here is your responsibility. In his book A Vision of Power & Glory, John Kehoe gives a Zen parable about two monks who are on a journey together when they come to a river. By the river there is a beautiful woman. The woman asks them, â€Å"Please will one of you monks carry me across the river? The river is too wide and the current too swift.† The two monks look at one another, because they have taken a sacred vow to not so much as even touch a woman. Then, abruptly, the older monk picks up the woman, carries her across the river and puts her down on the other side. They continue on their journey. The younger monk is flabbergasted. He can’t believe it. An hour goes by and not a word is spoken between them. Two hours. Three hours. And finally, after four hours, he turns to the older monk and blurts out, â€Å"How could you have done that? How could you have carried that woman?† â€Å"Oh?† responds his companion, â€Å"Are you still carrying her? I put her down four hours ago.† John Kehoe goes on to say, â€Å"How much are we still carrying around inside us that should have been put down a long time ago? Disappointments; regrets; failures; grudges. How much junk are we carrying around inside us and how long are we going to carry it? All our life?† If you want to change and improve your attitude to life then it is imperative that you keep an open mind. That is not to say you will be taken in by every ‘fly-by-night’ scheme that may be put before you. An open mind is curious and investigative and examines new things. Your creative power system uses your conscious and subconscious mind to attract, explore and check out new opportunities so that you can begin achieving your goals and creating the life you want. Don’t limit yourself; learn how to attract new possibilities and make the right decisions by developing the power of your mind and heart. If you move in your community with an open mind and an open heart you can learn to accept others. You don’t have to agree with them, but accept who they are and feel free to express yourself. I remember a friend of ours who has passed on now, who was well-known and well-liked in community affairs. He met many people as he moved around and sometimes in a gathering he would be heard to say, â€Å"There’s a fellow over there I met recently and I didn’t like him; I must go over and get to know him better†. He would always come away with a new-found friend; now that’s an open mind and open heart.

Reflective diary The WritePass Journal

Reflective diaryï » ¿ Abstract Reflective diaryï » ¿ ). Focussing on an area of development, namely agriculture was useful at this stage to see how international development can apply in specific regions. Session 6 Looking at transnational migration was interesting but academically challenging. I found the mobility of individuals to be a particularly informative way of understanding international development and also understanding why certain regions, such as the UK, seem to be more prone to migration than others. It did however result in me questioning preconceived ideas of international development and to take a more liberal view of people migrating out of developing regions. This was linked with other theories such as how agriculture impacts on international development (Wedman and Martin, 1986). Conclusions: By looking at the facts associated with transnational migration, it became apparent that this issue was actually much more widespread than I had originally thought, as money was often being remitted back to countries where the workers were not actually working, thus creating a movement of finance which was not readily obvious, yet was potentially crucial to the development of those regions that do not have their own internal finances. Session 7 Session 7 was, to a certain extent, an extension of session 5 which dealt with agricultural policy and considered the way in which climate change can work and is relevant to international developments, which I perceived to be closely linked to any country which relied on the climate or natural resources, to gain income. As this is an area of interest to me I became heavily involved in the discussions and as the actual seminar was run by Oxfam an element of reality was also presented from a practical point of view. This was similar to the ERM seminar and brought the theory together with practice (Winter, 1995). Conclusions: I found this very interesting, as I had not previously thought of climate change as being such an important factor in the developing regions. This encouraged me to think about wider issues when looking at a specific international problem. Session 8 This session was also very enlightening, as it focused on the role of non-government organisations, something which I had previously overlooked. My preconceived ideas relating to international development were very much based on government interference and ideas however this seminar made me think on a wider basis about non government organisations. By listening to a non-governmental organisation, a much more proactive understanding emerged, as it looked at ways in which it was motivating individuals to increase their knowledge and how the project could have a direct impact on the finances of a particular group of individuals. Conclusions: This is the first seminar where individuals were looked at in detail, and this gave it a really good human feeling which I found useful to put previous theory into context (Keenan Gilmore 2011). Session 10 Finally, we had the opportunity to look at all of the above issues, in the context of Malawi, and how poverty in this region is being dealt with, as well as identifying the key factors which affected the wider region, such as financial problems (Mulholland Turnock, 2012). This session was the most interesting I found as I had the background knowledge to put into practice and I fully participated in doing so.. Conclusions: Having studied the previous session, this session enabled me to pull together the ideas and also to use statistical data to analyse the level of poverty, in more detail, with a much broader background understanding than had been gained in the earlier sessions. Conclusions My original expectations of this course was that it would be heavily focussed on economics and trade yet there was in fact a much broader range of issues to be looked at. In particular I enjoyed the area of human interactions such as poverty in Malawi and the work of Oxfam in particular as this enabled me to understand the theories that I had previously grasped. I am looking forward to using these theories in more detail for international development studies in the future and in particular for looking at ways in which these different theories can come together to improve development in the poorer regions. References Brockbank, A. McGill, I. (2007) Facilitating Reflective Learning in Higher Education, McGraw-Hill International. p.169 Carbonnier, G (2012) International Development Policy: Aid, Emerging Economies and Global Policies, Palgrave Macmillan Keenan, F Gilmore, C (2011) International Development: A Casebook for Effective Management, iUniverse. Kolb, D. A. (1984) Experiential Learning: Experience as a Source off Learning and Development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Moon, J, A. (2000) Reflection in Learning Professional Development: Theory and Practice. Kogan Page Moon, J (2006) Learning Journals: A Handbook for Reflective Practice And Professional Development, Taylor Francis. p.81 Mulholland, J. Turnock, C. (2012)Â   Learning in the Workplace: A Toolkit for Facilitating Learning and Assessment in Health and Social Care Settings, Routledge. p.75 Wedman, J and Martin, M. (1986) ‘Exploring the development of reflective thinking through journal writing’, Reading Improvement, 23, 1, 68-71. Winter, R (1995) ‘The assessment of professional competences:the importance of general criteria’ in The Assessment of Competence in Higher Education, eds A Edwards and P Knight, Kogan Page, London.

Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) Practices and the Performance of a Nigerian Small and Medium Size Enterprise (SME). The WritePass Journal

Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) Practices and the Performance of a Nigerian Small and Medium Size Enterprise (SME). Introduction Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) Practices and the Performance of a Nigerian Small and Medium Size Enterprise (SME). IntroductionObjectives of the Study Research QuestionsResearch OutlineLiterature ReviewResearch Methods and DataDataReferencesRelated Introduction The contribution of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to the economic growth and development has been enormous. This contribution is significant for both the developed and developing world. Many governments acknowledge the fact that SMEs play a significant role in the growth and development of their economies. Consequently, a number of government investment projects are geared towards fostering the growth and development of local SMEs. The institution of policies geared towards the facilitation and empowerment of SMEs as well as improving the performance of SMEs remains a major objective of many economic policy makers and governments. In addition, international economic and financial bodies such as the IMF, World Bank, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the International Financial Corporation (IFC) have invested heavily in making SMEs robust and vibrant in developing countries. Furthermore, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in developing countries such as Nigeria have employed advocacy and capacity-building campaigns to promote the growth of SMEs. Despite the importance accorded to SMEs as well as their contribution to economic growth, Onugu (2005) argues that the performance of SMEs in Nigeria has been below expectations. Unlike SMEs in other countries, the contribution of Nigerian SMEs to economic growth has not been very impressive (Onogu, 2005). Following from its independence, the Federal government of Nigeria has invested significant sums of money to promote entrepreneurial and small business development projects (Mambula, 1997, 2002). However, results from these projects have not been very impressive. In order words, most of these projects have often been unable to yield their expected returns. Despite the country’s endowment with raw materials and other natural resources, there has been little progress towards the development of the manufacturing sector, which could have increased the production of value added products thereby substituting imports, increasing exports and increasing employment (Mambula, 1997, 2002). Business failure often comes as a result of a number of factors. This could be as a result of poor customer service, poor management and poor human resource management. While the poor performance of SMEs in Nigeria can be attributed to a number of factors, human resource management could be a major factor in determining this poor performance. Human resources are a principal source of economic growth. Like other resources, human resources require effective and efficient utilisation so as to ensure maximum contribution is achieved from them. Approximately 50 per cent of people work in small and medium sized enterprises. Despite this high proportion of human resources in SMEs, most studies that study human resource management have focused on large corporations with very limited attention to SMEs. Moreover, most studies on the practices of human resource management have been carried out in the developed world with very limited attention paid to developing countries like Nigeria. This study is one of the few studies that focus on the management of human resources in SMEs in a developing country. The country that has been chosen for the study is Nigeria. The paper examines the factors that affect the practices of human resource management in an SME in Nigeria and how these practices can affect the performance of the SME in particular and its contribution to the overall growth of the economy as a whole. Objectives of the Study The objective of the study is to examine the SHRM practices of an SME in Nigeria. The study will also examine how those practices affect the performance of the SME and provide policy implications of the findings for future strategy development. Research Questions The paper will be providing answers to the following questions: What are the Strategic human resource management practices of the SME? How do these practices affect the performance of the SME? What are the implications for future development of strategic human resource management practices at the SME? Research Outline The paper is going to follow the following areas: Section one will cover the introduction; section 2 will be dealing with the literature review; section 3 will be discussing the methodology and describing the data; section 4 will provide the results and analysis; and section 5 will present conclusions and recommendations. Literature Review Strategic human resource management (SHRM) practices refer to those activities that are specifically developed, executed and implemented on a deliberate alignment to a firm’s strategy (Huselid et al., 1997). The phrase â€Å"strategic human resource management is an indication that people in the firm are regarded as strategic resources (i.e human capital) that must be managed and leveraged when implementing and executing the strategy of the firm. In early years, efforts made to develop a conceptual framework on strategic human resource management were based on the assumption that in order to promote human behaviour that would fulfil the strategic objectives of the firm, the firm had to implement specific human resource management practices (Fisher, 1989; Schuler and Jackson, 1989; Snell, 1992). A strategic approach to human resource management is an approach that links the human resource management policies with the strategic objectives of the firm. There has been significant debate over the term SHRM as has been the case for human resource management (HRM). Many researchers argue that SHRM lacks conceptual clarity (e.g., Bamberger and Meshoulam, 2000). Three competing frameworks on SHRM have emerged: the contingency, universal and configurational perspectives (Miles and Snow, 1984; Schuler and Jackson, 1987; Delery and Doty, 1996; Pfeffer, 1998; Youndt et al., 1996; Boxall and Purcell, 2000, 2008). According to the universal perspective, all HR practices in all firms have a positive impact on firm performance (Delery and Doty, 1996). The configurational perspective suggests that firm performance depends on unique HR practices while the contingency perspective suggests that a firm’s HR practices are a function of its strategy (Miles and Snow, 1984; Schuler and Jackso n, 1987). A number of studies have tested the different frameworks and found contradictory results. For example, Youndt et al. (1996); and Chang and Huang (2005) argue in favour of the contingency perspective while Tackeuchi et al. (2003) favour the configurational perspective. The frameworks suggested above are mostly relevant for large organisations. Little effort has been devoted towards the development of SHRM in SMEs. For example, Saini and Budhwar (2008) in a study of SHRM practices in SMEs in India argue that bounded rationality tends to constrain the willingness to implement innovative HR practices in SMEs in India because most owners of SMEs tend to believe that they are doing their utmost best. Barber et al (1999) observe that HRM practices that work well in large organisations do not work properly in small firms. As a result, Heneman and Tansky (2002) stresses the need to develop different HRM models for SMEs rather than simply extending existing models that are suitable for large organisations to SMEs. The literature on Human resource management in SMEs suggests that a strategic approach to HRM in SMEs is yet to be developed. Conceptual models that relate human resource management practices in SMEs to the strategic capabilities of these organisa tions need to be developed in order to enable SMEs achieve the full benefits of their human resources. As can be observed, most of the studies of HRM practices in SMEs have been limited to SMEs in Western Europe, U.S.A and India with very limited attention given to Africa in general and Nigeria in particular. In the light of the above limitations, this study aims at contributing to the literature by studying the SHRM practices of SMEs in Nigeria. The study does not intend to test any hypothesis. Rather it intends to focus on providing an in-depth analysis and discussion of the HRM practices of a Nigerian SME. Research Methods and Data Research Methods are the approaches taken to achieve the objectives of a research project (Saunders et al., 2009). There are two main approaches to research including the inductive and deductive approaches. The inductive approach is an approach that aims at developing testable hypotheses while the deductive approach focuses on testing existing hypotheses. The inductive approach can use a single case study to multiple case studies while the deductive approach depends on the use of multiple cases. Moreover, the inductive approach can use either qualitative or quantitative methods whereas the deductive approach relies heavily on the use of large data sets and quantitative research methods. The inductive approach is advantageous over the deductive approach in that it does not generalise its results to all cases. It aims at providing an in-depth analysis of a small number of cases. Therefore, it is the approach that will be used in this study. In other to achieve the objective of this study, this paper will use a case study approach. In order to do this, a Nigerian-based SME will be selected. An in-depth analysis of its SHRM practices will be examined and related to its performance. In order to gain detailed understanding of the approaches, the â€Å"Interpretative phenomenological Analysis (IPA) will be used to gain an in-depth analysis of the HRM practices of the SME.   The Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) is an experimental qualitative approach to research in psychology and the human, health and social sciences (Smith et al., 2009). The human resource practices that will be investigated include recruitment, selection, training, remuneration, leave of absence, interpersonal communication, sick pay, and promotion. The practices of these variables will be analysed and an evaluation of how they affect the performance of the SME will be conducted. The performance measures that will be used include profitabil ity, liquidity, management efficiency and leverage ratios. The ratios will be analysed in relation to the SHRM practices identified along with the Nigerian economic environment in which the SME is based. Data The research will use both primary and secondary data. Data for the SHRM practices will mainly be primary data. This data will be collected using survey questionnaires issued to the employees of the SME and interviews conducted with key management staff. Performance data will be collected from the financial records of the SME. Data on the performance measures will be gathered from the financial records of the SME. References Boxall, P., Purcell, J. (2000). Strategic human resource management: Where have we come from and where should we be going? International Journal of Management Reviews, 2(2), 183−203. Boxall, P., Purcell, J. (2008). Strategy and Human Resource Management. Hampshire: Palgrave MacMillan. Chang,W. J. A., Huang, T. C. (2005). Relationship between strategic human resource management and firm performance: A contingency perspective. International Journal of Manpower, 26(5), 434−449. Delery, J. E., Doty, D. H. (1996). Modes of theorizing in strategic human resource management: Tests of universalistic, contingency. Academy of Management Journal, 39(4), 802−835. Huselid, M.A., S.E. Jackson, and R.S. Schuler. 1997. â€Å"Technical and Strategic Human Resource Management Effectiveness as Determinants of Firm Performance,† Academy of Management Journal 40(199), 171-188. Miles, R. E., Snow, C. C. (1984). Designing strategic human resources systems. Organizational Dynamics, 13(1), 36−52. Schuler, R.S. and S.A. Jackson. 1989. â€Å"Determinants of Human Resource Management Priorities and Implications for Industrial Relations,† Journal of Management 15(1): 89-99. Snell, S.A. 1992. â€Å"Control Theory in Strategic Human Resource Management: The Mediating Effect of Administrative Information,† Academy of Management, Journal 35(2), 292-327. Schuler, R. S., Jackson, S. E. (1987). Linking competitive strategies with human resource management practices. Academy of Management Executive, 1(3), 207−219. Pfeffer, J. (1998). Seven practices of successful organizations. California Management Review, 40(2), 96−124. Onugu, B. A. N. (2005) Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria: Problems and Prospects, St. Clements University Smith, J. A., Flowers, P., Larkin, M. (2009) Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: Theory, Method and Research, Sage Publications. Heneman, R. L., Tansky, J. W. (2002). Human resource management models for entrepreneurial opportunity: Existing knowledge and new directions. In J. Katz, T. M. Welbourne (Eds.), Managing people in entrepreneurial organizations, vol. 5 (pp. 55–82). Amsterdam: JAI Press. Barber, A. E., Wesson, M. J., Roberson, Q. M., Taylor, M. S. (1999). A tale of two job markets: Organizational size and its effects on hiring practices and job search behavior. Personnel Psychology, 52, 841–867. Saunders M, Lewis P and Thornhill A (2009) Research Methods for Business Studies, 5th edition, Prentice Hall FT Harlow Saini, D. S., Budhwar, P. S. (2008) Managing the human resource in Indian SMEs: The role of indigenous realities, Journal of World Business, Volume 43, No. 4, Pages 417-434 Takeuchi, N., Wakabayashi, M., Chen, Z. (2003). The strategic HRM configuration for competitive advantage: Evidence from Japanese firms in China and Taiwan, Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 20(4), 447−480.

Civil engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Civil engineering - Essay Example d maintenance of natural and physical built environment as roads, bridges, buildings, canals and dams A degree in civil engineering covers subjects in mathematics, physics, design, project management and specific topics in civil engineering. Civil engineers possess an academic degree with a major in civil engineering whose length of study varies from three to five years. After completion of the certified degree program, the engineer must satisfy the exam requirements and have work experience before being certified as a professional engineer. Certification means that the certified engineer may prepare, sign and submit engineering plans and drawings to a public authority for approval while abiding by the code of ethics set by the certifying bodies. The field is concerned with rocks, soils, highways, sewers and underground water systems, foundations of buildings and bridges. The professional engineer studies technical information obtained from material testing, sciences of geology and hydraulics to design foundations and structures while ensuring safety and economy of the project. This discipline is concerned with the science of waste management, water purification, cleaning of contaminated areas, industrial ecology and reduction of pollution. Policy makers rely on technical data obtained through environmental engineering to make environmentally related decisions. It deals with the management of quality and quantity of underground water and above ground water resources, like rivers, lakes and streams. It involves analyzing geographical areas to forecast the quantity of water that is likely to flow into and out of a water source. It deals with the design of structures to ensure that they are economical, safe for the users and serve the desired function. Loads acting on the structures and the stresses created due to these loads are identified in order to design a structure that withstands these loads. The structures include bridges, tunnels, highways, steel

Mission Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mission Statement - Essay Example The style of the company itself is to work with the energy present throughout our value chain and the passion of individuals within the organization to give our clients exactly what they demand. The researcher then presents the beliefs of company's team, such as belief that without passion and energy, no work and no task can ever be satisfactory and for that purpose, belief that all partners and stakeholders should have the same level of energy and the same level of commitment as the company do when it comes to making sure that the clients are satisfied and that there is no gap between what the company promise and what the company deliver. The researcher then analyzes several fields of business to fully describe values that are important to the company. Such values presented make improving the reputation of the business a primary focus of the company and it includes continually finding ways in which the team can serve their clients better. The issues and values mentioned in the essay add together as a mission of the successful company which drives the business forward and gives the company strength to remain in the race. In effect, it makes them the best company to do business with since such team not only speak their mission clearly but also live it and stand by it when it comes to making business decisions and looking at the competition with the right attitude. In conclusion, the researcher states that the energy and passion of the company and it's employees feeds into the mission they have developed.