European Union Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

European Union - Essay Example European Union In this respects, each countries specializes in the production of good or services that are relatively economical and cheaper to produce then exchange their surplus with those of other countries with resources for the production of the alternatives. One of such trade groupings is the European Union (EU). The EU was formed with the aim of coordinating and regulating then economic and trading activities of the main European countries. Through this agency, all the trading and economic activities of the member countries are regulated by this body. This body was formed to oversee the leading economic growth and development of Europe. However, the formation of this body has impacted on the economic and industrial performance of many countries within Europe. Even with the growth and growth potential in Europe, the formation of this trade regulatory body has negatively affected the infant industries of the developing countries in Europe, with no economic bargaining power. This has limited their growth and trade development potential. Free trade refers to a government policy that helps to avoid discrimination against imports or any kind of interference with imports through application of tariffs to (imports) and/or subsidies to (exports). It aims at getting rid of unfair trade barriers in the global market plus aims at helping to raise the economy in both developed and developing countries. Free trade has highly devastated European industries and jobs at large. Free trade leads to adverse working conditions.

Nutrition Final Exam Study Guide Essay Example for Free

Nutrition Final Exam Study Guide Essay Understanding Disease Risk Factors Describe the differences between a chronic disease and infectious disease. What leading causes of death are nutrition-related? A) heart diseases, cancers, strokes, diabetes Describe the concept of a risk factor. A) Factors known to be related to diseases, but have not yet proven to be a cause. We say that a certain factor puts us at increased risk for a disease, but does not cause it. How does one use risk factors? Review the basics of cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis. Be ready to identify the risk factors for cardiovascular disease (especially diet-related risk factors!) A) High LDL blood cholesterol, low HDL blood cholesterol, high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes, obesity (central obesity), physical inactivity, cigarette smoking, diet: high saturated or trans fats, low veggies, low fruits, low whole grains Describe the dietary strategies to reduce risk of CVD through diet. A) Decrease saturated and trans fat, increase soluble fiber intake, increase fruits and veggies, increase whole grains/ decrease refined grains, increase fish intake (2 servings/week) What is the TLC diet and what does it entail? A) TLC = Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes. From the NIH, designed to help decrease cholesterol through diet and lifestyle changes: the same changes we saw in table 11.6, also recommends 2 grams per day of plant sterols What do plant sterols have to do with high blood cholesterol? A) Plant sterols – the plant form of cholesterol. Slightly chemically different, prevent us from absorbing cholesterol in the intestines, currently only recommended for those with high cholesterol Weight Management What is meant by the concept of ‘energy balance’? A) Intake = output ïÆ'   weight maintenance Intake output ïÆ'   weight loss Intake output ïÆ'   weight gain What is the significance of BMI? See chart on page 3 of (Module 10 Part 1) What is the risk of being overweight or obese? What are the ranges of BMI? (Know the numbers. What is healthy? Underweight? Overweight?) A) Underweight 18.5 Normal = 18.5 – 24.9 Overweight = 25 – 29.9 Obese (class I) = 30 – 34.9 Obese (class II) = 35 – 39.9 Extremely obese (class III) 40 What are the alternatives to BMI for predicting health status? A) Men 12-20% ‘normal’, 5-10% for athletes, 22% 35%

Imperialism in America Essay -- American History Politics Essays

Imperialism in America At the turn of the century, America and the views of its people were changing. Many different ideas were surfacing about issues that affected the country as a whole. The Republican Party, led by William McKinley, were concentrating on the expansion of the United States and looking to excel in power and commerce. The Democratic Party at this time was led by William Jennings Bryan, who was absorbed in a sponge of morality and was concerned with the rights of man. The nation’s self-interest was divided into different ideas between the two parties. At this time imperialism and anti-imperialism were the dominant topics regarding America’s destiny.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One argument backing U.S. imperialism is by naval strategist, Alfred Thayer Mahan. At this time, Great Britain had the strongest sea power. Mahan states that America’s navy must be as strong to compete in trade and war. Expansion would aid exports, and more naval power would grant the ability to overcome obstacles such as a dispute between the U.S. and another country. Most importantly, Mahan states that the world is in struggle and the U.S. must protect itself to survive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another argument in favor of U.S. imperialism was that of Albert J. Beveridge. Beveridge argued that it was the duty of Americans to govern others, he felt that if Britain and Germany could, then why not America as well. In response to the opposition that stated that people should not govern those who do not wish to be governed Beveridge responded that, â€Å"†¦applies only to those who are capable of self government,† (Beveridge 1898), and as he and many others saw it, foreign lands were not capable of self- government. Additionally, Beveridge argued that there was too much in America. He stated that there are too many employees and not enough jobs, too much capital and not enough investment; he felt that all the U.S. needed was more circulation. Invading and taking over foreign lands was just the way to do it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An additional argument in favor of U.S. imperialism was that of Charles Denby and his explanation of why we should not give up the ‘foothold’ we have in the Philippines. According to Denby, commerce was the most important factor to a nation’s well-being. Denby felt that by keeping hold in the Philippines China’s market was much more easily accessible. China having a very profitable market and t... ...lists wanted to do was to make the nation better and stronger, which was all in the best interest of the U.S.. The United States became an extremely strong military power due to the decisions at this time. Due to the drive of the development of America at the present time, our nation was a dominant power in World War I in 1916. Furthermore the U.S. has been a dominant world power for years to come all the way to present day. Finally, the imperialist view at the turn of the century was a movement to stabilize the economy, improve trade among other nations, and offer protection to make the lives of Americans better and easier. Sources Cited Albert J. Beveridge Endorses Imperialism. Speech, September 16, 1898. Modern Eloquence, v.11(Philadelphia: John D. Morris and Co., 1903), pp.224-243. The Siren Song of Imperialism: McKinley Prays for Guidance. Report from an interview, January 22, 1903. C.S. Olcott, The Life of William McKinley, v.2 (1916), pp.110-111. â€Å"Find the Constitution† Philadelphia, North American, 1901 Address to the Voters of the United States. National Liberty Congress of Anti-Imperialists. Indianapolis,IN,August 15-16,1900.(http://www.boondocksnet.com).

Control immigration Essay

Every now and then, especially in periods of crisis, the argument of restricting the access of immigrants to one’s own country resurfaces. Whether a country is flourishing or struggling, there is never enough for all: there’s always someone else which is too many and comes to steal your air, particularly if he is poor, dirty, not speaking well your language, and so different from you. The fear and suspicion toward the immigrants is the easiest instinct an unscrupulous leader could incite in an ignorant undiscerning crowd. The grounds proposed to restrict immigration, and persecute or throw out foreigners, are the most selfish, vile and oblique, or specious and exploitable are its supports in any case. It is said that immigration policies must be tightened because many â€Å"illegal† immigrants enter the country day by day, but there does not exist a man or woman which is â€Å"illegal† outside a human artifice: a person can not be â€Å"illegal†. It is a universal right for people to stand and inhabit the land they want when doing no harm; men and women have no other home than the one that they choose. The nationalists (and the like) want to believe or make believe that the country has reached its limit of reception, but a land, unlike a field, it is not a private property: you cannot claim its possess just because you arrived first and declare who could come in and who cannot. Nation are fictitious, borders are drawn. It is being said that the immigrants come into the country to â€Å"steal† jobs and resources to the natural citizens, and profit from their welfare system, but the vast majority of newcomers come with the hope and the intent of building a living and keep themselves with fatigue, contributing to the wealth of their new country all along, whereas they undertake all the sort of jobs the so-called natural citizens don’t want to do anymore. There is no â€Å"natural† citizen (especially in the case of Americans): everybody came from somewhere, and all have always moved, and always will. There is no right of  first-class people with precedence over second-class ones; the class is one: the humankind. The fear gets spread professing that the immigrants bring crime with them, but the crime level they raise it is the one caused by the laws that consider them â€Å"illegal† from the beginning, simply because they are considered undesired by an authority that doesn’t grant them the right to stand where they have arrived with great difficulties and fatigue: instead of pursuing the duty of integration the states fill up their jails with whom escaped the toils of the rejections relegating these people to the fringe of society, where the crime is a means to survive, and the worst tendencies find the worst companies. Anti-immigration laws create illegality. Nearly every emigrant flees from backgrounds of intense poverty, maladies, scarcity, violence, persecutions, hopelessness and wars (or they are simply trying to achieve a better life), and trying to stem with force an inevitable social process, byproduct of that same globalization system promoted by who opposes to fluxes of migrants, can just produce a climate of terrorism. In the meantime, the dread and the hate toward the foreign and the diverse, and the battle of the poor against the poor(er), keep a population distracted from the real causes and persons responsible for its penalties. Beware of a society where goods and financial capitals have more freedom of the people themselves.

A Pen and A Paper: The Beauty of Life Essay

When can a person say that he or she finally learn what is life and what life offers? It is such a hard question and maybe not all people can answer it but when can we really give a proof that we were able to fulfill our mission in life? Life is a mystery and not all of the things happening in us have an explanation. Yes, maybe science can answer our question but can it lead us into understanding that life is a matter of taking choices and doing something worthy of our endeavors? One person’s life can be different to other and so it tells us that there are differences and one situation can be the same with hundred more all over the world. Thus, the power of a pen and a paper, magnificently performed its ultimate purpose, and it is to tell the whole world what it there in your world, no restrictions but just plain storytelling of something different or something common but made you who you are and changed the lives of many others. The perfect medium for intercultural communication that will unite several cultures from all over the world, literature is the key to understanding one’s roots and environment. Hidden Magic of Pen and Paper One of the best things in this life is the ability of the people to tell their own stories despite of it passing already. There are some things that can never be done again. However, through literature, we can go back to those days or we can simply learn about the great things in life, whether the story is sad or happy, in the end, we were able to give happiness in this life and we were able to share a piece of paper that holds down someone’s thought about everything in life. There could be several ways on how a person can share his or her thoughts, but a story that can last over a lifetime can be achieved when we decide to write down everything that we wanted to share to others. Although it is not the kind of medium that everyone can understand and everyone can learn on an instant, it is the medium that can be passed to several generations and can reach several nations. Traditional will always be more admired than what the present offers us. Perhaps we can simply say that as we use pen and paper in sharing magnificent stories about life and touching the lives of other people we do not know, we certainly understand that books, pen and paper have the ability to let other know about something associated with us. A Brave Thing It is indeed brave enough to hold an event that each and every one of the people around the world can participate into especially those who prefer to hold a paper and write down their thoughts. Not everyone can come out from their shell and simply let go of their creativity but some are good enough to take the risk. When you finally decided that in writing you can provide others help and enlightenment, then probably you can try to work on something that can help authors and others. Emirates Airline international festival of literature although is new was able to become successful and bring authors and fans together for a conversation, a debate, a dialogue which probably was a good part of the itinerarium. As the festival brings sixty-five authors and poets, they aimed to help others wherein poverty is one of the issues they have to tap. Organizing such events have deep reasons and the organizers were really intelligent to let something like this happened which will link other people from each other especially when we are talking about the boundaries of culture already. Although most of the participants came from one country to another which has different cultures and different environment, the festival served as a stepping stone towards uniting the field, the industry and the people who can understand that there should be no boundaries but the freedom to explain what they feel about. Although the festival seem to be a small gathering well, it is not and that the people have their own ways on how will understand what this festival wanted to convey. There are problems before the festival happened but because of the good intention of this event, it was not stopped and it was able to continue and perform its goal which is to bring writers together and also to bridge between cultures and differences.

Free Essays on Colors Of War

â€Å"Colors of a War† Thick layers of golden-white fog smothered the mesquite trees encircling Jp and Chris. It was only around 5:30 A.M. and the tip of the sun was rising over the mountains that trapped the endless view of farmland and small cities making up the large area. Summer had just emerged through spring at the end of ninth grade for the two. It was their forever-been opponent, Dave Griffon’s birthday. The time had come for them to show Dave how grateful they are that it’s his birthday in their own special way. A crackling sound rang through Chris’ ear from the headset he was wearing. It was how everyone who plays paintball interacts in the area, even the people on the north side had them, but more advanced types. Jp’s voice came through the sound, â€Å"We aren’t far from his house now. I’m already going down the hill in front of his house, climb that tree to your right and find a sniping spot.† Chris looked beside him and couldn’t make out much of anything through the fog. After staring blindly and inching closer, slowly, he reached out with his left hand; right hand clutching his sniper paintball gun. It used paintballs half the size of standard ones, to excel their trajectory and have a faster arrival. He felt the base of a more-over young oak tree. That resulted in the fact that they were out of the paintball field. He had seen it before and knew its anatomy, he slung his gun over his shoulder with the strap that clung to it. Chris reached up with his right hand and held a branch, half-palm width firmly. Then picked up his right leg and stuck it onto a stump that had been a branch, trimmed from the base. He pulled and pushed then stepped onto the sapling he had held. After reaching that checkpoint, Chris scaled to the tallest point of the tree he could, without stepping on a weak and younger branch. He had to hold onto it with both, his feet and hands; then got the courage to stand straight up and l... Free Essays on Colors Of War Free Essays on Colors Of War â€Å"Colors of a War† Thick layers of golden-white fog smothered the mesquite trees encircling Jp and Chris. It was only around 5:30 A.M. and the tip of the sun was rising over the mountains that trapped the endless view of farmland and small cities making up the large area. Summer had just emerged through spring at the end of ninth grade for the two. It was their forever-been opponent, Dave Griffon’s birthday. The time had come for them to show Dave how grateful they are that it’s his birthday in their own special way. A crackling sound rang through Chris’ ear from the headset he was wearing. It was how everyone who plays paintball interacts in the area, even the people on the north side had them, but more advanced types. Jp’s voice came through the sound, â€Å"We aren’t far from his house now. I’m already going down the hill in front of his house, climb that tree to your right and find a sniping spot.† Chris looked beside him and couldn’t make out much of anything through the fog. After staring blindly and inching closer, slowly, he reached out with his left hand; right hand clutching his sniper paintball gun. It used paintballs half the size of standard ones, to excel their trajectory and have a faster arrival. He felt the base of a more-over young oak tree. That resulted in the fact that they were out of the paintball field. He had seen it before and knew its anatomy, he slung his gun over his shoulder with the strap that clung to it. Chris reached up with his right hand and held a branch, half-palm width firmly. Then picked up his right leg and stuck it onto a stump that had been a branch, trimmed from the base. He pulled and pushed then stepped onto the sapling he had held. After reaching that checkpoint, Chris scaled to the tallest point of the tree he could, without stepping on a weak and younger branch. He had to hold onto it with both, his feet and hands; then got the courage to stand straight up and l...

Understanding the Darkness of Writer Edgar Allan Poe

Understanding the Darkness of Writer Edgar Allan Poe When trying to get into the mind and works of 19th century American writer Edgar Allan Poe, it is important to first consider his biographical implications – his life experiences – which the influence the work of all artists. His darker works, like the short stories â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† and â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher,† as well as his famous poem â€Å"Annabel Lee,† all deal with death, sickness, the grotesque, the macabre, even insanity. He is a subject studied by many literary scholars, mostly due to his deeply impressionable and penetrating works that are still read and discussed at length today. One can examine Poe’s life experiences, as well as his obsessions and fears, to better understand the meaning behind his most famous works. He experienced death and loss throughout his life, starting from a young age with the untimely death of his mother just a short time after Poe’s father abandoned the family. Also, years later, his young wife, Virginia Poe, died at the age of 24 due to Tuberculosis. Quite naturally, these horrific events had a definite impact on his life and how he related to people, got close to them, and how he saw the life experience, and this naturally seeped into his creative life: his famous writings. Very little of Poe’s life was pleasant, it seems. After achieving literary success with his famous poem â€Å"The Raven† in 1845, Poe – then 36 years of age – seemed to head downhill. He became a literary celebrity quite young, only to die a few years later a broken, ill, lonely and pathetic man on a rainy, empty street one night in Baltimore, Maryland. He was just 40 years of age. Poe was thought to be a drunk, a womanizer, drug addict and a madman. His life was, unfortunately, one of pain, heartache, and suffering – mostly due to the loss of many of his dearest loved ones. Take a look at his most popular works. They are filled with death and horror, tales and stories that even today demonstrate the work of an insane man – maybe even a brilliant one, both of which are often hard to distinguish in Poe’s works. His poem â€Å"Annabel Lee,† tells of a young couple so deeply in love that even the angels in Heaven were envious. They marry but she ultimately falls ill and is taken away from him, she dies too young, and the narrator is left with the cruel memory of the powerful love they shared. This tragic, though famous, poem is evidently the result of losing his young bride, Virginia. It follows the exact same storyline of Poe’s life, and the famous poem was published just a few years after the untimely death of his young bride. This theme of loss, death, and pain runs in other Poe works, as well. In examining â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† his famous, horrific short story, the reader sees the other side of Poe’s dark tendencies. This time, instead of a person losing a loved one, the narrator becomes â€Å"mad† and plays God himself: he kills another person in cold blood because the narrator is obsessed with the man’s frightening â€Å"vulture† eye. Nothing in Poe’s life provides any insight as to this particular tale and this particular indication of mental illness, but one can point to his assumed madness and depression in order to further understand exactly why Poe wrote it. Perhaps he enjoyed the thought of taking the life of another perhaps because God took the life of his closest loved ones. It may have been a revenge fantasy or a defense mechanism. To conclude, writer Edgar Allan Poe was a dark soul who wrote even darker works of English literature. More than 150 years after his death, Poe is still talked about and highly read in classrooms all across the world. In just a short life, he accomplished so much. And it should be acknowledged that he was at least able to turn such a painful experiences into beautiful works of art. His legacy will endure as long as people experience pain and suffering.

Senate Seats up for Election in 2016

Senate Seats up for Election in 2016 Republicans had a huge year in the 2010 elections following the rebellion by conservatives over President Obamas big government push. As a result, Republicans have a big task ahead of them in defending many competitive seats. The Democrats faced a similar situation in 2014 after having more than 20 seats to defend thanks to the success of the party in 2008. In that cycle, many toss-up and red-state Democrats faced re-election for the first time since casting a ballots for Obamacare, and lost. Will Republicans avoid the same fate? (Senate seats are up for election every six years, with approximately 1/3 of the seats up every two years.) Safe Republican Seats Up for Re-election The GOP should have 24 seats to defend out of the overall 34 seats up for election. Luckily, 18 of those seats will start in the likely Republican column. While many of these seats were held by Democrats before 2010, they were still red seats at heart and Obamacare helped end the myth of the blue dog Democrats. The likely safe seats include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Utah. While Iowa is the one state on this list twice won by President Obama, popular US Senator Chuck Grassley should have little trouble winning re-election. With the right recruit, Democrats can be competitive in any number of these seats, but they start off in the safe zone for the GOP. (See a complete breakdown of all 24 Republican seats up for re-election.) Big Races for Republican Incumbents These are the six seats that Democrats will likely target in 2016 as many of them featured some surprising and unexpected results in 2010. Democrats will be hoping to ride the coat-tails of a possible Hillary Clinton Presidential run to propel big victories in the states. Florida - Marco Rubio is running for President. He has opted not to try to simultaneously run for the Presidency and the US Senate, and current state laws would have prevented him from doing so. The field is wide open on the both the Republican and Democratic sides.Illinois - Moderate Mark Kirk won a close election (2 points) over close Obama friend Alexi Giannoulias in 2010. Illinois is a fairly blue state, but Kirk has had plenty of success there. Democrats have rallied around congresswoman Tammy Duckworth who will provide a very stiff challenge.New Hampshire - Kelly Ayotte had a blowout, 24-point victory in 2010. She will probably be a strong bet for re-election and at least one early poll showed her in a strong position even against one of the states top Democrats. The Democrats have recruited Governor Maggie Hassan to challenge Ayotte.Ohio - The good news for Republicans is they had huge victories in three of the five most competitive seats for 2016. Ohio follows Florida and New Hampshire as a state where the incumbent will be coming off big double-digit victories. Here, Rob Portman cruised to a 57-39% victory over his Democratic opponent in 2010. The Democrats have rallied around former Governor Ted Strickland and polls have showed a tight race. Pennsylvania - Like Illinois, Pennsylvania will be a big question mark. Pat Toomey had a 2-point victory in 2010 and will need to rely on his work over the previous six years to improve that. A strong Presidential run by a Democrat could give the potential challenger significant coat-tails in this race.Wisconsin - The big surprise of 2010 was Ron Johnsons 52-47 victory over progressive US Senator Russ Feingold. Johnson has proven an odd state to handicap given its support for both President Obama and constitutional conservative Scott Walker as Governor. Russ Feingold has decided to try and win his seat back, and early polls show he might be able to do it. Safe Democratic Seats Up for Re-election The Democrats should only have 10 seats up for election in 2016. Luckily for them, most of these will be safe. After all, these Democrats are the lucky few who survived the tea party sweeps in 2010. The early safe bets are California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. Most of these seats should survive incumbent retirements as well. (See all 10 Democratic Senate seats up or re-election in 2016) Big Races for Democratic Incumbents Colorado - This is one of the seats that got away from Republicans in 2010 and it will be one of two real shots at a pick-up in 2016. A large field has yet to be whittled down.Nevada - Democrats went all in to save US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Nevada. Reid will be nearing 80 years old in 2016 and has opted to retire. Republican Congressman Joe Heck will make the open seat immediately competitive.

Typical Marketing strategies Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Typical Marketing strategies - Research Paper Example In such a strategy, companies ensure that there, no excess cost being incurred. In the case of products, companies source raw materials from suppliers at the lowest possible cost and still maintain the necessary quality required. This aggressive concept to remaining the market director requires the firm to expand the entire market by seeking new consumers, new product uses and encouraging current consumers to use more of the service or product. All of these strategies will serve to boost quantity demanded resulting in lower costs through proper economies of scale permit the firm to reinforce its supremacy in the industry.  Wal-Mart  is the perfect example of this strategy. Wal-Mart has been flourishing using this strategy of daily low prices to attract consumers. The plan of daily low prices is to offer goods at a lower rate compared to competitors, relatively than relying on sales. This company attains this due to its great scale and resourceful supply chain. They get products from cheap local suppliers and low-wage overseas markets. This allows the corporation to sell their things at low prices and to profit off thin margins from very volume sales. Therefore, based on this approach, Wal-Mart has been a ble to acquire and control the vast market share. This Strategy is based on exploiting recognized weakness in the place of the cost leader or other companies in the market. These weaknesses might be customer dissatisfaction with the products available, consumer services or value of the product obtainable by the Cost-Leader.  Target  is an outstanding example of this approach countering with lesser, friendlier stores easier for the purchaser to navigate when in a rush. Differentiated products gain a competitive advantage as the customer derives satisfaction from the product, which is not accessible to other products. Companies that employ such a strategy can end being a monopoly in the

Canada Risk Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Canada Risk Analysis - Essay Example In the last decade party leaders have sought to remedy this situation. To remain an attractive partner in multilateral economic arrangements, Canada must struggle to stay competitive (Zimmerman, 2008). Legal environment is favorable for international companies, thus Canada is a US oriented companies with strong cultural and economic relations with the USA partners. Among the major federated states, Canada is the most loosely organized. Constitutionally, the provinces have jurisdiction over matters related to education, culture, and natural resources, and so they have a voice in foreign policies affecting these concerns. Because Canada lacks the equivalent of the "interstate commerce" provision of the U.S. Constitution, even trade between the provinces is not entirely free of encumbrances; thus in trade matters, also, Ottawa is somewhat fettered in dealing with other governments. Furthermore, because Canada lacks the equivalent of the principle that treaties override other domestic legislation (embodied in the U.S. Supreme Court decision Missouri vs. Holland, 1920) Ottawa's diplomatic authority is weak (Zimmerman, 2008). Exchange and repatriation of funds risks In Canada there is no currency restrictions placed on the repatriation of funds. Thus, in some cases, the repatriation may have tax consequences. In Canada, exchange rates are stable, so a foreign company will avoid these risks. Competitive risk assessment In Canada, the international and domestic competition is fierce. Canada has gained from the succession of tariff-cutting rounds, but with its fairly high tariffs has had to make large concessions in return. Furthermore it can be the subject of actions taken against it for allegedly breaking a GATT rule. GATT has no sanctions, but an injured state can impose countervailing duties in retaliation for the offense or take some other action for compensation if a specially-appointed panel rules that a GATT provision has been violated (Zimmerman, 2008). Taxation and double taxation risks The main legal regulations for international companies are Tax rate for resident companies and tax rate on long-term capital gains. VAT rates are based on standardized procedures: 'there is a Goods and Services sales tax (GST) which rate varies depending on the states between 6 and 14%" (FITA 2008). In some cases the threat has been enough to induce the Canadian government to change its regulation. Although Canadians share the U.S. preference for the freest possible global trading system, and indeed cooperate with the United States in GATT and elsewhere in pressing for policies favoring openness, Canada's much smaller economy is especially vulnerable to U.S. moves. Canada's trade is overwhelmingly with the United States; its imports from and its exports to the United States amount to well over 70 percent of the respective totals ()FITA 2008. Market Risks (4 Ps) Canada is also the largest foreign market for U.S. trade, even though U.S. exports to Canada account for no more than 25 percent of total U.S. exports. In fact, the two economies are so integrated that if one country tries to retaliate for a perceived trade injury to some segment, another segment is likely to be harmed in return. Product - Canada is the

Stakeholders and their role in(selected organisation) Essay

Stakeholders and their role in(selected organisation) - Essay Example Tesco is highly performance driven company and this is reflected in their outstanding financial performance with a reported growth of over 15% growth in its revenue reaching  £ 34 billion in year 2005 and a widely publicised operating profit of  £ 2 billion. Organisations differ in their key aims and this can be noted by contrasting the key aims of Tesco Plc. with another organisation. Hilton Group Plc is a widely diversified UK based multinational. Its operations include Hilton & Scandic Hotels, LivingWell Fitness Centers and the Landbrokes & Vernon betting & gaming operations. In contrast to Tesco Plc., the Hilton Group Plc. is a widely diversified operation with several core operations instead of the single core operation of Tesco, which is retailing. Hilton Group Plc.’s key aims are split across its three core business areas and includes: Comparing the two company’s key aims, it can be seen that depending on different industry conditions as well as company structures and operations, their key objectives will vary. If the industry outlook is bright and offer high potential for growth as in the case of retailing, then the firm may have key aims of aggressive expansion and market share increasing. However if market outlook is dull with sluggish growth conditions as in the current case of hotel and leisure industry, then key aim will be to consolidate and sustain while divesting some of the unprofitable operations. In conducting its operations, companies cater to the needs of many stakeholder groups. An organisation’s Stakeholders are persons, groups or institutions with an interest on the company’s operations and are affected by its operations. These key stakeholders include company, suppliers, competitors, marketing intermediaries and the Publics (Armstrong & Kotler 2000). The company comprises of its shareholders, employees as well as the top management. Objectives of these stakeholders

Financial Reporting and Analysis Week 7 'Downgrade Warning Assignment

Financial Reporting and Analysis Week 7 'Downgrade Warning - Assignment Example This is because the analyst has the obligation to portray the company that is paying him his salary in a positive limelight. The analyst has a lot of power in their hands. The meaning of this statement is that the analysis and the grading of the company actually guides the investors and helps them to decide whether to buy the stocks of the company. This is the reason that no company would want an analyst to portray them negatively because that would affect the behavior of their investors. Further a company who is paying an analyst to analyze their situation would never want the analyst gives them negative ratings. Thus, this is the pressure that the analysts face which reduces their independence. No, a â€Å"buy† recommendation on a stock after its price has fallen does not always mean that the independence of the analyst has been compromised. This is because the market may be under pricing the stock due to some other factors, which it did not understand. However, an expert an alyst might be able to forecast the correct price of the stock, may see it increasing in future, and may recommend buying. Well the current position of the technology stocks after its crash in the past is not so stable. However, from the crash the technology stocks and the broader stock market have evolved a lot. Therefore, it cannot be conclusively stated that the analysts who are currently recommending investing in tech stocks and broader stock market lack independence. Peter Houghton’s memo says that the analyst has the responsibility towards the company either to incorporate the changes requested by the company or to communicate to the company clearly, why the changes requested by the company cannot be incorporated. The memo does not clearly express the curb on analyst’s independence but it hints towards it because the responsibility either to

The threat of cybercrime is rising sharply, experts have warned at the Essay

The threat of cybercrime is rising sharply, experts have warned at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Online theft costs $1 tril - Essay Example The final section is the conclusion and recommendations, in which the issues are wrapped up and the recommendations are put forth. The recommendations are basically that more countries need to be a part of the treaty, the countries that are a part of the treaty need to have their law harmonized, and businesses need to take security measures more seriously. Introduction The advent of the Internet has brought a variety of threats, and the biggest threat is that of cybercrime. Cybercrime can be anything from hacking to copyright infringement to possession of child pornography. The European Council has attempted to address the threats by implementing a treaty that was signed by some 22 countries and ratified by 23 more. Known as the Convention on Cybercrime, this treaty sought to harmonize domestic laws for the member states, while making prosecution of cybercriminals ostensibly easier, as the offenses became extraditable and the nations agreed to work together to help one another fight these crimes. While this treaty has done some good, in that it has served as a model for other countries that were not signatories to the treaty, it has its flaws as well. One of the major flaws is that it does not encompass countries that have the most problems with cybercrime. Another flaw is that the countries that have signed the treaty or ratified it have not implemented the provisions in a uniform fashion, or at all. What this means is that cybercrime is still a problem. How much of a problem it is will be examined by looking into the UK, and assessing the damage that cybercrime has done to its economy. As the UK is a developed country that should be able to combat cybercrime better than most countries, it is a good bellwether as to how serious cybercrime still is. And the numbers are not good. 1.0 The Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime – What it is, what it does, and its limitations 1.1 What it is The Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime (hereinafter â₠¬Å"treaty†) was a treaty that was signed in 2001 that essentially internationalized cybercrime law.1 The treaty was necessitated by the fact that computer crime was not pursued vigorously by many countries, and this treaty attempted to address this problem by harmonizing criminal law regarding cyber crimes and commits the signatories to use their domestic laws to more vigorously pursue these crimes. 2 The provisions of the treaty were enacted in 2004, with 22 countries signing the treaty and another 23 countries ratifying it.3 While it was prepared by the Council of Europe, it was prepared with the participation of the United States, Japan, Canada and South Africa.4 It has also served as a model law for countries that are not signatories to the treaty, as these countries are using the provisions of the treaty as a guidelines for their own legislation.5 Title I of the Act essentially forces the member states to use their domestic laws to make certain actions criminal. It requir ed the parties to the convention to use their domestic laws to criminalize an individual accessing a computer without having the right to do so. It also stated that a member may require that the individual accesses the computer by breaching security with the intent to steal data or another dishonest intent.6 Hence, the treaty left it open to the signing countries – if they wanted to make their laws state that any kind of unauthorized access is

Business plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Business plan - Assignment Example Halifax is an ideal location to open this venture, given the vibrant nature of the summer months. The long term vision for SW&D is to expand as an outlet chain across Canada and the Municipality of Halifax will offer the ideal expansion grounds initially. c. Norva Scotia region where Halifax is located is one of the most promising of Canadian tourism attractions with over 2 million visitors in recent years. Halifax tourism and own population are growing steadily (398,000 in year 2009), providing an expanding customer base. Ice-cream industry in Canada has experienced slow yet steady growth, despite its non operational nature during winter months. The Canadian production of ice cream is 400 million liters of hard and approximately 20 million liters of soft ice creams (Sector Profile, 2006) Other items as sundaes and shakes account for 175 million liters. Out of this production Canada also exports around 15 thousand tones over the previous year, mainly to USA and Arab countries (Consumption of Dairy Products, 2010). Total ice cream sales in Canada reached almost $2.1 billion in sales value. The industry is not fragmented and two giants, Nestle and Unilever holds over 60% of the market share (Euromonitor, 2006). Rest of the market is fragmented with regional chains, vendor franchises and chart sales. Direct competition for SW&D will come from the other ice cream parlors in the region such as Dairy Queen, Black Bear Ice Cream Parlor, Cows Homemade Ice Cream, Kendales Ice, Cows Halifax, Cold Stone Creamery to name a few. In addition to these well known outlets, there is a host of other outlets which capitalize on the growth of impulse purchases (Dairy market.com, 2008). Indirect competition to ice creams comes from other deserts and confectionaries that will compete for customers’ share of spend on impulse indulgent foods. However, in this business scenario, SW&D is planning to counter this by incorporating a wide desert

The threat of cybercrime is rising sharply, experts have warned at the Essay

The threat of cybercrime is rising sharply, experts have warned at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Online theft costs $1 tril - Essay Example The final section is the conclusion and recommendations, in which the issues are wrapped up and the recommendations are put forth. The recommendations are basically that more countries need to be a part of the treaty, the countries that are a part of the treaty need to have their law harmonized, and businesses need to take security measures more seriously. Introduction The advent of the Internet has brought a variety of threats, and the biggest threat is that of cybercrime. Cybercrime can be anything from hacking to copyright infringement to possession of child pornography. The European Council has attempted to address the threats by implementing a treaty that was signed by some 22 countries and ratified by 23 more. Known as the Convention on Cybercrime, this treaty sought to harmonize domestic laws for the member states, while making prosecution of cybercriminals ostensibly easier, as the offenses became extraditable and the nations agreed to work together to help one another fight these crimes. While this treaty has done some good, in that it has served as a model for other countries that were not signatories to the treaty, it has its flaws as well. One of the major flaws is that it does not encompass countries that have the most problems with cybercrime. Another flaw is that the countries that have signed the treaty or ratified it have not implemented the provisions in a uniform fashion, or at all. What this means is that cybercrime is still a problem. How much of a problem it is will be examined by looking into the UK, and assessing the damage that cybercrime has done to its economy. As the UK is a developed country that should be able to combat cybercrime better than most countries, it is a good bellwether as to how serious cybercrime still is. And the numbers are not good. 1.0 The Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime – What it is, what it does, and its limitations 1.1 What it is The Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime (hereinafter â₠¬Å"treaty†) was a treaty that was signed in 2001 that essentially internationalized cybercrime law.1 The treaty was necessitated by the fact that computer crime was not pursued vigorously by many countries, and this treaty attempted to address this problem by harmonizing criminal law regarding cyber crimes and commits the signatories to use their domestic laws to more vigorously pursue these crimes. 2 The provisions of the treaty were enacted in 2004, with 22 countries signing the treaty and another 23 countries ratifying it.3 While it was prepared by the Council of Europe, it was prepared with the participation of the United States, Japan, Canada and South Africa.4 It has also served as a model law for countries that are not signatories to the treaty, as these countries are using the provisions of the treaty as a guidelines for their own legislation.5 Title I of the Act essentially forces the member states to use their domestic laws to make certain actions criminal. It requir ed the parties to the convention to use their domestic laws to criminalize an individual accessing a computer without having the right to do so. It also stated that a member may require that the individual accesses the computer by breaching security with the intent to steal data or another dishonest intent.6 Hence, the treaty left it open to the signing countries – if they wanted to make their laws state that any kind of unauthorized access is

Deontologists vs. Consequentialists Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Deontologists vs. Consequentialists - Essay Example If someone were to do his moral duty and perform an action consistent with ethical principles, then it would not matter if it had negative consequences. Such is the view that deontologists hold -- decisions are made and actions done on the merit of the rightness or wrongness of an action and not on the rightness or wrongness of its outcomes. Simply put: certain actions or rules are regarded as appropriate, regardless of the consequence they have. Euthanasia, or mercy-killing, may be cited as an example of such principle put into action. Putting an end to one’s agony by cutting off a patient’s life support is a fundamental reasoning to such an action. Consequentialists, on the other hand, believe the ends always justify the means. Its assumption of morality is derived from what is good or desirable as an end to be achieved. Though it may seem rational to end another person’s misery who, at the moment, is not capable of doing anything about the situation, still the consequence of such action is unjustifiable. What if that person who is in agony or lies in a comatose state is still fighting for his life, though this is impossible to perceive because of his current state? What if the patient’s will is stronger than his fate? What if for a matter of day his life will be sustained had the respirator not been removed from him? To the consequentialists, these outcomes should be examined first to determine moral responsibility. As the previous example points out, both the deontologist's and consequentialist's points of view are based on ethical norms. The only difference is the issue on what norm is considered. While deontologists focus on the action, the consequentialists consider the effect of the action. But what makes an action or its consequence morally right Is there an absolutist' view of what is morally right If there is why is there conflicting views on it If not, how should the issue on morality be addressed These questions are what we will try to answer using the arguments of advocates of these two views. Peter Singer's "All Animals Are Equal" and Mark Vuletic's "Deontological Objections To Consequentialism" will be explained in detail. Later in the analysis, I will propose a different view on the construct of morality and its implication on humans as well as animals. First, let us establish some fundamentals that may guide us in evaluating the ethics of a particular decision (in this case, determining whether an action or a consequence is morally right). Perhaps it is important to note the term used "right" may still be unclear. Consider the following questions. Is the acceptance of a specific thought purely based on the perception of its readers or receivers Or is it based on a more logical, more concrete perception governed by specific laws adjudging such as "right" Is it based on a general acceptance or on a universal General may not mean universal in the sense that the former has a may still be perceived a bit exclusive that the latter. I believe it is a recognized fact that an individual has the right to self-govern in certain areas. Relative to this is that individuals are free to decide what, how, when and in what manner he should act. Having a free will does not mean an individual's decision to act is not restricted whatsoever. If that would be the case, no society might have been formed. Hence, the decision to act is guided by perceived and accepted norms and rules, which are aimed at creating harmony within the person and the society. Needless to say for both to exist in a harmonious relationship, the decision to act should be directed at the promotion of the well being or the benefit of everybody. In effect no decision should be regarded as anything that will inflict other individual. This kind of reasoning puts every person on equal footing; no one is above them, of course the Law, which, as earlier pointed out becomes the universal basis for in considering what is right and what is wrong. Now that we have established the fact that human beings on

Horror Story Example Essay Example for Free

Horror Story Example Essay The girl stumbled and rolled down the grassy hill, pulling her fiance with her. For a few minutes they fell, rolling on top of each other before landing in a heap on the soft sand below. The woman looked at the man below her, affection filling her eyes as she smiled subconsciously. â€Å"What are you smiling at? † He inquired flipping her over so he was on top of her. â€Å"Just wondering if why on earth I’m marrying someone as ugly as you; do you think it’s too late to pull out? † The girl answered giggling. â€Å"Oh really!† Her fiance answered standing up, grabbing the girl’s waist and spinning her around. â€Å"And yes, it is too late to pull out. The wedding is in two days whether you like it or not. † He added defiantly, placing the dizzy woman on the ground. She hiccupped, trying to gain her balance. Her fiance let out a thunderous laugh, she glared at him. â€Å"Don’t laugh at me! It’s your fault! † She groaned, folding her arms across her chest. â€Å"The alcohol’s got to your head then? Oh well, more fun for me! † He said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. She rolled her eyes and ran in the direction of the sea. â€Å"Race you to the water! † She called over her shoulder childishly. She heard her fiance chuckle from behind her as she reached the water. She started walking further out to sea; her heart skipped a beat as her fiance tackled her to the ground. She yelped, a sudden spark of pain running through her foot. â€Å"Ow! Adam, you’ve made me cut my foot! Thanks! † The woman complained, playfully slapping Adam’s chest. He looked at her, a mischievous glint in his eye. â€Å"Oh, I’m sorry Nicky. Should I kiss it better?† Her fiance asked, grabbing her leg with tender hands. â€Å"No you should not! Help me up and let’s swim! † Nicky said excitedly. Adam lifted her out of the shallow water and carried her the rest of the way out, before very carefully dropping her back into the water. Together they swam around in the salty, inky black sea. Nicky felt a strong force knock her left foot from below her. â€Å"Adam, did you just knock my foot? † She asked him, worried something was under her. â€Å"Nope wasn’t me! I wouldn’t worry about it my love. Nothing out here can hurt you.† He swam over to her, grabbing her hand in his. All thoughts and worries disappeared from thought as they kissed passionately in the moonlight. â€Å"I love you Nicky foster. † Her fiance stated truthfully, gazing into her eyes. â€Å"I lo-â€Å"Suddenly they were pulled under water. Nicky let go of Adams hand and swam to the surface, looking around her frantically for her fiance. She quickly regained her breath before going back under water but he couldn’t see a thing in the murky, dark depths of the sea. Nicky resurfaced. Panic clouding her mind. Unexpectedly a hand rose out of the water, she let out a gasp of shock as she pulled at the hand and screamed, pure horror now coursing through her veins. The object in her hands belonged on her Adam’s arm. The bone was exposed, muscle and flesh was ragged and torn, fresh warm blood was dripping onto Nicky’s hand. Salty tears ran down her face, mixing with the gentle current. She threw the hand into the sea and tried to swim for shore, but her left leg was searing with pain. A wave of nausea passed over her as Nicky, teary eyed and heartbroken felt down her leg. To her utter terror, her leg had been ripped to shreds, blood pulsing from the stub. She panicked, thrashing around in the cold water. Swiftly a great force pulled her under. She could feel her bones being crunched, her organs being squished. The sea around her turned red with her blood. She screamed, only small bubbles of precious oxygen escaping her bloodless lips. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine Adam, the sweet loving man she was going to marry. Instead all she could think of was images of his ripped, lifeless body. These images haunted her to her death.

Deadly Outbreak :: SARS Health Medical Essays

Deadly Outbreak It is March 2003 and my life-long dream of traveling around the world is finally coming true. It seems like since I was born I have longed to visit the far corners of the world, and finally, now that I finished college and I have some time to travel I get to visit Europe and Asia. Yet somehow my visit to Asia is not exactly what I imagined it would be. It is not the diverse culture; it is not the unusual food; it is not the remarkable atmosphere or the people that are marring my trip. It is a deadly outbreak of a disease that only emerged a few months ago. They call it SARS, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. I am in Hong Kong, one of the world's most demanding and most interesting places in the world, yet I am trapped on the 19th floor of my hotel, staring at the busy sidewalks from my window. The busy sidewalks that I see are not nearly as busy as they should be. People are afraid. The World Health Organization says the disease symptoms mimic those of influenza, starting with fever, headaches, cough, and body aches that are hard to distinguish from other respiratory illnesses. That is why this disease went undetected for some time. SARS is a virus from a family of viruses that cause a small percentage of common colds. The average time from when the patient gets infected to when he/she develops the disease is five days; however, the incubation period lasts anywhere from two to ten days. The worrisome fact about this new disease is that it is highly contagious. Studies done at universities in the Netherlands and China say that SARS may even be transmitted through contaminated food and water, sweat, and any other body fluids. Thus, the reasons for my watching the busy sidewalks instead of walking the busy sidewalks. I want to live to travel the rest of the world, so I would rather enjoy the view at this particular moment, rather than join in the cultural activities. It was only a few days ago that I joined the crowds in the swarming subway stations and walked the vendor-filled sidewalks. Nonetheless, the face-masks, gloves, scarves, glasses and other protective gear that are the fashions of the moment made me feel like the best precaution may be to stay away.

The Gulf War: An Abuse of Science :: Science Scientific Papers

The Gulf War: An Abuse of Science I know of a country that tested 250,000 of its citizens with an experimental drug without its citizen's consent. The drug that was given to these citizens was not a new drug, but one that had been tested for this use. This drug, pyridostigmine bromide, or PB as we will continue to refer to it, was given to these people with the idea that some people with far more importance and intelligent on these matters knew what was best for the masses. This attitude of hubris had entered into the daily lives of these citizens. These unfortunate people taking PB were ordered to, and in fact, they were watched to make sure they took the drug. If they refused to take it, they were subject to imprisonment (CNN 1). Remember reading Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein"? A story of how one scientist thought he could achieve sciences' greatest feat, to create a human life. Without any thoughts of consequences this fictional character secured various body parts as if his venture was no greater than finding a new fender for his Chevrolet. As the story continues, Dr. Frankenstein created a life form, only to become appalled by this creature. Dr. Frankenstein thought of his experiment only in the narrow scientific terms without any thoughts of possible repercussions. Is the mentality of the fictional character Dr. Frankenstein alive today? (Shelley) What a horrific story about a drug being given to people without their knowledge of the drug being experimental. Could this take place in today's world of freedom and free will amongst people? I am sorry to say yes, and it happened to the citizens of the United States of America. The drug called PB was given to our soldiers. PB was an FDA approved drug for the use in Myasthenia Gravis disease, a disease that attacks the nerve impulses. The government had tested this drug in laboratory animals as an inhibitor against the effects of some known chemical weapons such as Saren, Soman, Tabun and VX8(The Daily Fed 1). Some of these chemical weapons are known to be in the Iraqi's inventory. John Flanagan's article, "Gulf War Illness and Pyridostigmine Bromide, Neurological Effects and Detoxification" states that "The Iraqi army's use of the nerve agents during the 10 year war with Iran gave Pentagon planners reasonable cause to believe U.S. forces would be exposed to chemical weapons agents if war arose with Iraq.

Political and Social Development in Malaysia Essay

It is difficult to picture, whilst analyzing the political and social development of Southeast Asian countries, how this region was completely dominated by European colonialist powers, even six decades ago. Southeast Asia was among the 84 % of the surface area of the earth that stood colonized at the beginning of the Second World War, a process that began in the 16th century and carried on steadily during the next three centuries (Chadda and Others, 1971). European colonialism in the region ended mainly in the decade after World War II, its greatest result being the birth of nine new nations, including Malaysia (Chadda and Others, 1971). Political and social developments in the region, from the mid 1950s, when independent sovereign states emerged after the withdrawal of colonial powers, to the current day, have to essentially be viewed through the prism of colonialism to understand the broader issues that face the countries of the region, and the internal ethnic, social, religious, and political forces that play important roles in the shaping of their social and political progress, and in the choice of their structures of governance. For more than a thousand years before the arrival of the armies from Europe, from A. D. 200 AD to 1500 AD, the complexity and thoughtfulness of Hindu and Buddhist influences from the Indian subcontinent provided the people of Southeast Asia with some commonality and cohesion in areas of politics, governance, religion, arts, and literature (Cunningham, 1990). Numerous developments in the region, like alliances, royal marriages, wars, trade, and population movements brought the people of this region, including the Burmese, the Thai, the Vietnamese, the Khmer, and the Malays into multifarious relationships. Such harmony, commonality, and communication was disrupted and eventually lost after the establishment of colonial hegemony by the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, British, French, and Americans was established in separate parts of the region (Cunningham, 1990). Colonies became connected to their American or European rulers, which competed with each other, economically, culturally and politically, and became distant from each other. Despite their forced oneness with their colonial conquerors, the countries of Southeast Asia retained their unique ecological, cultural, and ethnic diversity (Cunningham, 1990). Whilst the region’s geographical dimensions and population are similar to that of West Europe, it is far more diverse in culture and traditions. â€Å"Southeast Asia’s population and land area are similar to those of Western Europe, but the region has far greater cultural variety. Hundreds of different societies speak mutually unintelligible languages. Many have proud civilizations stretching back over a thousand years. The people grew irrigated rice, traded overseas between and with India and China, and developed many small states and larger empires that allied and warred. From about A. D. 200 to A. D. 400, these societies reshaped Hindu-Buddhist cultural influence from India in statecraft, law, religion, art, architecture, and literature. † (Cunningham, 1990) Malaysia Malaysia, the subject of this essay, is an integral part of Southeast Asia and is a striking representation of the region’s ethnic and religious diversity. A narrow peninsular land mass, Malaysia as it is now known, was ruled from the 9th to the 13th century AD by the Buddhist kingdom of Srivijaya. Control of the kingdom passed to the Javanese Hindu kingdom of Majapahit in the 14th century and thence to a local Muslim prince in the 15th century (Gomez, 2004). The peninsula attracted the attention of the Portuguese in the 15th century, who conquered Malacca in 1511, an event that marked the beginning of four centuries of European rule (Gomez, 2004). With control of the area passing from Portuguese and Dutch hands to those of the British in the early years of the 19th century, its first consolidation took place in 1826, when the British settlements of Malacca, Penang, and Singapore were combined to form the Colony of the Straits Settlements (Gomez, 2004). Occupied by the Japanese from 1941 to 1945, the territories of peninsular Malaysia came together to form the Federation of Malaya in 1948 and obtained freedom from the British in 1957 (Gomez, 2004). The present-day Federation of Malaysia came into existence only in 1965, when Sarawak and Sabah joined the Federation of Malaya (Gomez, 2004). Evolution of Regional Democracy in Southeast Asia The beginning of post colonialism in Asia witnessed a significant social, intellectual and political endeavour to establish democracy and make it function in line with Anglo-American thought. Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru in India, U Nu in Burma and Ramon Magsaysay in the Philippines, who had receive much of their formative and political education in the west, sought to draft constitutions, form political parties and hold elections (Crouch, 1996). Democratic processes were, during this time, under attack in all of Asia and it is not difficult to imagine the tremendous obstacles that confronted them year after year. Societies were being reconstructed after the devastation left by European and American colonialism, and a devastating war that had nothing to do with the people of Southeast Asia; the leadership was in the hands of inexperienced and untested administrators, there were a myriad social problems like poverty, illiteracy, and disease to tackle, and nations needed to be moulded from confusing and disparate ethnic puzzles (Crouch, 1996). The ideological confusion was even greater. Political leaders in Malaysia and other countries of Southeast Asia needed to choose from the democratic processes that were alive and thriving in the countries of North America and West Europe, and in countries like the UK, the state run communism that controlled the Soviet Union and East Europe, the banana republics of South America, paternal leftist dictatorships like those in Castro’s Cuba and Tito’s Yugoslavia, and the monarchical kingdoms and emirates of the Middle East (Crouch, 1996). The pressures of social reconstruction, nation building and ideological confusion in the region had joined hands, by the 1970s, to remove the essence of democracy from most of Southeast Asia with strongmen like Suharto in Indonesia, and Marcos in the Philippines disregarding democratic norms and consolidating personal power bases (Hill, 2002). The relegation or subversion of democracy in Southeast Asia was however accompanied by the rise of the Asian Tigers, with countries like South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan growing faster than all other countries in the world for over a decade (Hill, 2002). Such astonishing growth was also accompanied by the need for strong governments, which incidentally were headed by small groups of predominantly male leaders, who took decisions in all areas of public life, on issues as diverse economic subsidies, university admissions, foreign worker entry, working conditions and liberation of women (Hill, 2002). Democracy came back strongly into the political picture only in the 1990s, after the end of the Cold War, the deconstruction of the Soviet Union, and the economic crisis in Asia (Hill, 2002). The fall of â€Å"democratic† regimes in East Europe along with the acceptance of the superiority of the market system within a liberal democracy brought home the message to the people of Southeast Asia that economic growth built on political repression was ultimately unsustainable (Hill, 2002). Objective Malaysia has by and large experienced a stable political atmosphere, riding on the back of coalition one party rule and the political dominance of Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad for more than 20 years (Johnson, 2003). Malaysia’s society is multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religious. The Malays, who comprise a just over 50% of the population form the majority community, all of them, by constitutional definition being Muslim. About 25 % of the population (down from 31 % at independence) is ethnic Chinese, a group which historically played an important role in trade and business. Malaysians of Indian descent comprise about 7% (again down from 11 % at independence) of the population and include Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and Christians. Non-Malay indigenous groups combine to make up approximately 11% of the population. While national unity as continued to elude the country, its extremely successful industrialisation drive, (since the mid-1980s), has made it into one of the world’s important trading nations. Malaysia has experienced astonishing economic growth in the last two decades. The national poverty rate has fallen from 49. 3% in 1970 to 5. 1 % in 2004, with corresponding improvements in education, literacy, child mortality and disease control (Kershaw, 2004). The country’s political progress has to be viewed in light of the phenomenal economic growth achieved by it as well as the social and political processes of the region. This study aims to study the political and social development of the country, including issues like the process of holding elections, the level and genuineness of political competition, freedom of speech and media, official and unofficial abuse of human rights, punishment regime, the strength of the judiciary and other institutions, the relationship between economic and political development, and the capacity of the state to politically administer its sovereign territory.

Maker

Fees Payment System of Red Link Institute of Science and Technology: A proposed study toward computerized Payment System Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION Background of the Study The technology today plays a vital role in our society. It makes man work easier and fast. It lessens error of work by using machines. It reduces costs to an organization from paper works up to computerized working system. Many manual transactions can be computerized by using software applications or computer systems to make work easier and efficient.It also helps human to solve and understand complex problem and analysis such us the computational need of humans. Payroll is an example of a complex transaction because it is a critical business operation dealing with numerous accounts and produce plenty and confidential files. Applying manual procedure on a Payroll transaction involving the vast beat answer in that problem would be computer because computers can simulate enormous data and can process complex transaction in a fast and efficient way.It can generate numerous accounts and data accurately. A Computerized Payment System will not only provide accurate calculation and fast process of Payroll transaction but it will secure data through security implementation and accordingly arrange files provided by a well designed database that will produce a paperless environment. Statement of the Problems The common problem of the study is how to improve the manual processing system of monitoring of student fees payment of The Red Link Institute of Science and Technology. 1.Time consuming process for the payment The Red Link Institute of Science and Technology still using the manual method of fees payment process. A lot of jobs are assigned to the payroll maker and accounting clerk, with cause’s inconvenience to their services. In this method, it will need more time and manpower to complete the payroll of each employee. 2. Laborious payment process Nobody could admit the inescapable fact that wha t makes the manual procedure take a long time to finish the task is due to the many steps and processes to undergo.There is the collection of data such as DTR, REMITTANCES, and individual manual calculation of payroll. Individual data is transferred through sheets, encoding and double checking after calculating. All this process requires labor and effort to complete the task. 3. Misposting and understating of employee’s data The logical process of manual procedure result to too much time consumption. It often times result in misposting and understating of each employees data of plenty of files that is hard to accommodate. Objectives of the StudyThis study is intended to design and develop a Computerized Payment System for Red Link Institute of Science and Technology. Specifically, this study aims: 1†¢ To minimize the effort of the User in processing the Payment Form. 2†¢ To make an efficient and accurate computation of Payment. 3. To create a well-arranged database and to implement strong security of the system for data security. Significance of the Study The proposed system will help the accounting section. It will help to lessen the time and effort of the School staff preparing payments of Students.The System develop can accommodate changing figures and produce a paperless environment through well design database. To Proponents This study will help the proponents to enhance the ability on how to create an understandable computerized system in an easy way. This will serve to the proponents as a challenge to do a better system. To the other Researcher This study gives knowledge to the researcher on how to create a Computerized System in understandable way. This will serve as a fresh ground for the researcher whose study will be related in the field of Information Technology.

The Nativist’s Response to Immigration

Immigrants have been seeking salvation or just new opportunities in America for hundreds of years. Even Americans originally started off as immigrants. They came to settle in this New World to seek opportunities. These types of immigrants were white, strong, leaders and felt they were superior. In the mid nineteenth century, the â€Å"new† immigrants were also welcomed. According to President Grant, these â€Å"new† immigrants were the weak, broken, and crippled people who had nowhere else to go. Grant thought these â€Å"new† immigrants would ruin the tone of the American life into a more vulgarized tone now that these immigrants are filling up the jails and asylums (Document 4). They mostly came from Southern and Eastern parts of Europe and were poor, ignorant, and illiterate. They were needed for working power and employers liked to use them because they were able to give them cheaper wages. Soon there was an economic boom when machines came to replace the workers. Resentment soon arose since job offers were scarce and immigrants received the jobs over the Americans. Certain groups of Americans opposed open immigration. Many of these people did not want new arrived immigrants to have the right to vote until they have lived in the United States for 21 years. These were often referred to as the Nativist groups. These Nativists were the old type of American immigrants who looked down on these new immigrants and wanted to shield America from them. Nativism did speak out against the Chinese immigration on the West Coast. Nativist arguments say that Chinese immigration would create race antagonism throughout the entire public. This means there will be hostility among the races so there would be separation among the country. In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act suspended Chinese immigration for ten years and prohibited the naturalization of the Chinese. The Chinese were once a great asset to America. They came over from China and helped build the railroads. After the railroads were finished, the Chinese were supposed to leave. Instead, they stayed in America for good. The Chinese immigrants now wished to assimilate their own culture and ideas with the American ideas. Americans, mostly Nativists, were extremely bothered by this because the Americans did not want the Chinese to bring their alien culture to America (Document 1). Other groups, who resented other races from assimilating, organized classes so the immigrants can learn the American language and way. They said immigrants should become citizens by learning the â€Å"American language. † They thought if the people that come to America and don’t learn the way of the Americans, then this country will soon be just like the old country, the country which they have already left (Document 3). Resentment over immigration still arose within the United States. Many writers began to blame immigrants for problems regularly occurring throughout time. E. A. Ross wrote that immigrants had a strong influence on American politics and government. He said that the simple minded foreigner is the tap-root to the main issue. The tap-root is the source of the problem. Ross said that once that simple minded foreigner unleashes his ideas, the foreigners get a stronger grip on the situation. They soon broaden and entrench their power by intimidation at the polls; they have ballot frauds, saloon influence, and much more. This will all start from one foreigner and will soon increase till the foreigners have a larger vote (Document 7). Other writers like Rev. Josiah Strong blamed certain â€Å"diseases† on immigrants. These were not actual diseases but more like problems in the country. He blamed immigrants on the lack of holiness in the Sabbath and how it is now a holiday. He also blames the liquor traffic on the immigrants too (Document 2). Whether the immigrants came to America or not, these problems would still be here. It’s human instinct to attack a different race or religion when a problem comes about. That is exactly what the Americans were doing to the immigrants. There was always a large amount of immigrants arriving into the United States. The greatest danger of unrestricted immigration is that the immigrants can overrun the master race and they can have more control then the Americans (Document 5). When a lower race mixes with a higher race in sufficient numbers, history proves that the lower race will prevail. If the Americans continue to let unrestricted amounts of immigrants enter the United States, their thoughts and believes would soon alienate the Americans and the Americans would soon become the strangers in their own country (Document 6). Once Americans began accepting that there is no way to completely stop the flow of immigrants into America, they began to find ways to limit the amount arriving. In 1921 the National Origins Act was put into effect. It looked at the immigration record to find a base year. They looked at the year that the fewest immigrants arrived and called that the base year. They used the base year as the quota for immigrant arrival. Illegal immigration continued and the immigration and Naturalization office spent a good deal of time tracking down and deporting illegal immigrants. Finally the immigration Act of 1985 was passed which said that an illegal immigrant who has been in America for at least five years, and who can prove it, can apply for citizenship and become an American citizen. As long as the flow of immigrants is carefully regulated then immigration should be no problem, maybe even beneficiary.

Jews Christians and Muslims Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Jews Christians and Muslims - Essay Example Thus, wealth and/or influence may not be utilized under Jewish Law, to provide an advantage prior to judgements. Jews refer to Leviticus 19:15 for the right way to judge any case. (Spiro, K. 2012) Even the king is not above the law. A king should be a good example for the fulfilment of the law. 1.2 For Christians From the point of view of Catholics (Knight, Kevin 2009), charity is a supernatural virtue given by God for the soul seen whenever a person gives to the poor or needy believing in the Words of Jesus who said in Matthew 25:40 â€Å"Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.† For those who have never heard of these biblical words or who do not know Jesus and his teachings, the act is recognized as natural charity. For other Christians, charity can simply mean love or compassion for the poor, and the calling to show the way taught by Jesus Christ, through acts of kindness and generosity (All About God 20 12) Justice, to many Christians, is the obligation of the church to inform the people about the proper criteria for judgements based on â€Å"the divine standards to which man and society must conform if civilization is to endure† (Mouw, R.J. 2010, p.3). For the individual, however, justice is taking the right stand based on the understanding about church teachings and the laws. There are times when man’s justice will not conform with God’s justice, in which case, divine retribution will follow at an unknown time. 1.3 Muslim Charity and Justice Benevolence of Muslims to others by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and educating the ignorant constitutes charity of â€Å"zakat†. With reference to the Koran, giving a part of a person’s wealth to specific persons is a way to cleanse one’s self. Ibrahim, R. (2009) cites Koran 9:103 to defend this statement. However, the giving should be to fellow Muslims in order to be called â€Å"zakatâ⠂¬ . There has been a question of funding to terrorists who were identified as jihadists. Will that constitute a qualified â€Å"zakat†? This is presently being clarified to the Muslim world as misguided charity, because the Koran does not promote terrorism. Baig, K.(2002) teaches that prophets were sent precisely to â€Å"establish justice† and to end injustice. He even states justice as â€Å"the sole purpose of sending the prophets†¦Ã¢â‚¬  For Muslims, justice is simply giving whatever is due each person or group of people based on what is right and wrong, fair and unfair, characterized by no hatred or favouritism for relatives, loved ones, or neighbours. Justice, in Islam, requires retribution calling for the eye of the evildoer for the eye of the victim. Judgements should be based on the truth even if the truth favors the enemy. 1.4 Differences Of Ideas In Each Tradition For the Muslims, charity involves giving to fellow Muslims, whereas for Jews and Chris tians, charity refers to any poor and needy regardless of religion or no religion. Justice is based on the truth for all three religious traditions. Impartiality is also a common factor for all three. The difference in defining justice is in a very narrow interpretation understood by Muslims by their belief that the only solution or right thing to do to establish justice is to practice the tradition of retribution—â€Å"an eye for an eye†. Christians believe in forgiving although the law should be enforced and the corresponding punishments should be imposed. Jews also believe in the

Feasibility of Various Techniques of Providing Fresh Water Essay

Feasibility of Various Techniques of Providing Fresh Water Accessibility in Arid Regions - Essay Example However it is now estimated that by the year 2025, 3.4 billion people would be having to deal with chronic water shortage (Calzolaio 5). And if that happens, the global community is going to witness great fighting over control of water resources unlike ever before, though water resource-related conflict has a marked history going back to medieval times (Gleick 105). Hence the focus must now shift towards addressing the causes and remedies of the fresh water availability issue. The unfortunate fact is that the need for conservation and preservation of water is present mainly in the underdeveloped regions of the world, not only because raising awareness about the problem among illiterate populations is hard but also because these areas are densely populated and require establishment of water sources in very high concentrations. Environmental factors continue to play their role in exacerbating the problem. For instance global warming is having a profound impact on the average temperatur e of the earth’s water body causing it to be more prone to evaporation and speeding up the transfer of fresh water into sea water (Vorosmarty et al., 284). Anyhow, the society must continue to look for solutions; and to continue the march towards civic sustainability. It is encouraging that in the last decade there has been many an information drive towards raising awareness among the general public about the issue of water conservation. Water management is going up the stairs of multi-national political agendas as well. Water management is the exploration of strategies for improving the quality and quantity of utilizable water while minimizing potential negative impacts on human health and environment (Drechsel et al., 14). 2. Water Situation in Arid Regions Aridity of a land implies perennial scantiness of rainfall and scarcity of inland surface water. Most of the severely arid regions of the world are found in close proximity to the line of equator. Arid and semi-arid area s comprise about thirty percent of the total land area of the earth (Joana Rosado & Maria M. Morais, 8). While it was known that mainly deserts and semi-arid areas would bear the brunt of the dip in global water security, it was not anticipated that the impact would be this great (UNEP 66). The urban centres fare relatively well in arid regions; it is the rural areas that are hit the hardest. Often availability of safe drinking water becomes a problem in rural areas because the water supply in these areas is heavily dependent upon natural availability of fresh water unlike urban centres which have public water supply mechanisms (Hauschild & Doll). Thankfully late advancement in technology has provided for effective management of fresh water supply in arid regions, diminishing dependence on natural sources by employing various water management practices such as water reuse, rainwater harvesting, enhanced groundwater recharge and inter-basin transferring etc. 3. Inter-basin Transfer T he practice of forced flow of water from one basin to another is at least a century old. It has often been done for political reasons but now there is impetus for transferring water for civic purposes. The impetus is recent development of cheap methods of moving the water. This way inland water from a region of high availability can be moved to a region of shortage. The viability of this method has been proven by its use in long-distance schemes in different areas, most notably in the recently constructed Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna system

Stragetic Management in Restaurants Research Paper

Stragetic Management in Restaurants - Research Paper Example This is an analytical research as the topic is analyzed based on the information that are already available and based on the analysis the conclusion has been formed. It has been found that all the three restaurants have several departments and each department has its own role in the business operation. It is a challenge for every restaurant to maintain cooperation with each department. The good team performance has helped the restaurants to attain high level of customer satisfaction and expansion of outlets. In literature review, the brief understanding about different aspects of team management in restaurants has been provided. In analysis chapter, the broad analysis of impact of different managerial departments and teams of Pizza Hut, KFC and Burger King have been described and in conclusion chapter the major findings about the research problem are presented. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Introduction 5 Opening Paragraphs 5 Thesis Statement 6 Purpose 6 Literature Review 7 G reat Team of Management in Restaurant 11 Team Development 12 Threats in Developing Management Team 15 Good Management Team of Burger King 16 Analysis 17 Analysis of Pizza Hut 17 Management Team Structure 19 Kitchen Management Team 19 Impact of Great Team of Management 21 Analysis of KFC Management Team 22 Impact of Great Team of Management 24 Analysis of Management Structure of Burger King 25 Impact of Great Team of Management 27 Conclusion 29 Summary 29 Discussion 29 References 33 Appendix 39 Introduction Opening Paragraphs The thesis will provide an understanding of the importance of great team of management in restaurant business. This thesis will provide an insight about how a team impacts on a restaurant’s performance. In every restaurant there are several departments e.g. marketing, finance, operation, front office and kitchen and every department plays a vital role for making a restaurant successful. To offer great customer service, good team spirit is needed which can work efficiently towards a common goal. There are several factors that make a good team, which are clear and precise objectives, selection of right employees, allocation of right tasks, and support from managers or leaders. Failure of any of these aspects can result in disagreement between team members. Thus, managers or leaders must ensure to maintain all divisions and team members effectively to increase the business. To accomplish the goals of the restaurant, the team must work efficiently. Thus, it is the responsibility of the leader to set the standard appropriately to encourage team performance. A proper performance appraisal and reward can motivate individual employee as well as the whole team to perform well. Big restaurant companies such as McDonald’s, KFC and Burger King have good management structures and have great teams which help to provide good customer satisfaction. In 2008, McDonald’s and Burger King were the two most preferred restaurants of America. At the present time, the restaurant business is regarded as one of the biggest industrial sectors. People prefer to eat fast food more than ever before, in the lunch as well as during breakfast. Thus, good customer satisfaction can lead to improvement in business. In a restaurant, a customer expects quality food, quick delivery, cleanliness and good behavior from employees. To meet these expectations, a good management team is needed. Effective teamwork produces greater performance; good management helps to maintain

Production Scheduling and Control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Production Scheduling and Control - Essay Example A simulation is a made-up world run by a user (student) within the conditions and parameters set by the programmer (instructor) (Saskatoon Public Schools). It is designed to allow students to think critically and practice their decision making skills with very minimal risks involved. The simulation offered an insight on the benefits that batching could do for a business, particularly a restaurant business like Benihana. Batching or letting clients in by groups or â€Å"batches† (Shim & Siegel, 1999) is greatly effective during the peak hours. This is so because restaurant space is maximized by having clients stay at the bar and wait to be seated until there are enough to be seated on a free table. Because of this practice, all the seats for a particular table are used and no excess space is wasted. When this happens, costs for running two to three separate tables are reduced because one table would be enough for two to three small groups of diners. In addition, clients would not wait too long, lessening the chances of them walking out of the restaurant. All these would eventually translate to higher throughput, or sales per hour (Meredith & Shafer, 2007). On the â€Å"human† side of the experience, clients get to meet new people as they may be seated with diners whom they do not know at all. Still, computer based simulation, particularly the Benihana simulation system, is a great way t o practice one’s theoretical learnings in operations management.

Teaching Process Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Teaching Process - Research Paper Example The researchers chose this problem because they have observed that the constant reminding and disruptions caused by talking out of turn interrupt and often deviates the flow of the lesson. It is time-consuming on the part of the teacher as s/he must focus on discipline rather than teaching the class. This constant reminding also depletes the energy levels of the teacher, which could be used for teaching instead. The researchers’ observations are reinforced by research from Fred Jones who found that 80% of the misbehavior in the classroom is comprised of talking out of turn. This proves that this particular behavior is a problem in the classroom and that there is a need to address it. Using the clip system created by the researchers will enable the teacher to remind and praise the student for raising his or her hand without disrupting the class or deviating from the lesson, thus encouraging decorous behavior and reducing out of turn talking.The study is significant because it p rovides teachers with a tool to teach students better classroom behavior through self-regulation without the need for constant reminders from The respondents of the study are the morning students of the preparatory class of the Raya School. For the scope of the study, the students will only be given clips during storytelling time. Storytelling time includes Genuine Love for Reading (GLR) and Critical Thinking (CT) time. GLR is the introduction of the book, the storytelling proper, and questions asked by the students before, during and after storytelling.

The Hound Of The Baskervilles Essay Example for Free

The Hound Of The Baskervilles Essay Mr and Miss Stapleton claim to be brother and sister and as they live in Merripit House. These are some of the prime suspects as they lived right near Sir Charles- or now sir Henry. At first they seem pleasant folk although when Watson first meets them Mr Stapleton becomes distracted at one point and Miss Stapleton thinking Watson is Sir Henry Baskerville warns him at there first introduction. Go back Go straight back to London instantly This obviously makes Watson of both of them. Even though Holmes knew all along Watson only found out near the end when Holmes told him that Mr and Miss Stapleton werent brother and sister they were married, but Watson must have got the impression before hand because Sir Henry in the end fell in love with Miss Stapleton but every time they went to meet etc Mr Stapleton was always there. As we know Mr Stapleton killed Sir Charles with his hound and he nearly got away with it if it werent for Watson and Sherlock Holmes. Throughout this Miss Stapleton was helpless because when she was going to try and stop the killing of Sir Henry, Mr Stapleton tied her up so she was totally helpless. This creates suspense throughout the novel, as no one knows if they really are what they say they are. Mr and Mrs Barrymore were suspects in this as they were Sir Charles servants and Watson found out while he was staying with Sir Henry that Barrymore went to a room every few nights and gave a signal. In the end they followed Mr Barrymore and found out that the escaped convict on the moor was Mrs Barrymores brother and they were signalling to him so they could go out and give him food. Eventually the hound killed Seldon as he was mistaken for Sir Henry as he was wearing some of his old clothes Mrs Barrymore had given him. Mrs Laura Lyons father is Mr frankland but because she married without his consent he wouldnt have anything to do with her. Sir Charles and her were very close; he helped Laura and lent her money. Laura fell in love with Mr Stapleton though as she thought he wasnt married, he tricked her into saying to sir Charles to meet her at 10 oclock instead Mr Stapleton went there with the hound and Sir Charles died. A few clues were Sherlock Holmes and Watson got all this information from is from a missing boot which was used by Mr Stapleton to find Sir Henry on the moor because it had his scent, Talking to Miss Laura Lyons a lot and obviously there general Knowledge. In conclusion to Conan Doyles- Hound of the Baskervilles I think it was a good book with lots of ups and downs and a whole load of suspense and Dramatic Tension.

Literature review of work and family conflict

Literature review of work and family conflict This chapter introduces and explains the important theoretical and practical resource for an understanding of the conflict between work and family among married female teachers in Malaysia. This chapter consists of two sections namely; section I: Theoretical framework of work-family conflict from Western and Islamic perspectives. For section II: Literature Review on Work-Family Conflict. Focus of the study is to examine the impact of work-family conflict-efficacy WFC efficacy and religious coping (RC) on work-family conflict (WFC) and well-being among female teachers in Malaysia. The study also validates the instruments. Then, the researcher estimate the relationships. This chapter explained on theoretical perspectives that support the theoretical framework as foundation and background of the study that being conducted. Apart from that, this section also discusses the basis and background of the study of conceptual framework research on the perspective of theoretical background in Western and Islamic Perspectives. It involves on the development of a model on the relationships among the variables in WFC efficacy, RC, WFC and well-being. Many researchers have attempted to construct a single model for WFC conflict in connection with well-being. Theories and models discussed in this section were the relevant in work-family conflict, which provided significant contributions in the construction of the proposed theoretical framework. The model is based on the theoretical foundations and empirical evidences obtained from literature reviews, which consists of several elements. Overviews of Work-family Conflict Theories Role Theory by Kahn et al., Spillover Theory Conservation of Resources Model (COR)by Model of Work-Family Role Pressure Incompatibility Overview of the Theory of Well-being Model of Teachers Stress by Kyriacou Sutcliffe) Social Cognitive Theory by Bandura Religious Coping Theory by Pargement Moral Development Theory by Carol Gilligan OVERVIEW OF WORK-FAMILY CONFLICT THEORIES Several theories have been received a great deal attention in the literature throughout the past few decades. Most of the studies focused on six competing theories as a theoretical framework in work-family conflict research; role theory, spillover, compensation, segmentation, conservation of resources model (COR) and Integration. In this study, the researcher focuses only on several theories that related to WFC which are role theory, spillover and COR. The main focus of the study is to examine the relationship of WFC efficacy and religious coping (RC) on work-family conflict (WFC) and well-being (WB) of married female teachers in Malaysia. Work-family conflict is a type of inter-role conflict in which the role demands stemming from one domain (work or family) are incompatible with role demands stemming from another domain (family or work) (Greenhaus Beutell, 1985; Kahn, Wolfe, Quinn, Snoek, Rosenthal, 1964). According to Kahn, Wolfe, Quinn, Snoek, and Rosenthal (1964), roles are the result of expectations of others about appropriate behavior in a particular position. Role conflict is described as the psychological tension that is aroused by conflicting role pressures. Role theory suggests that conflict occurs when individuals engage in multiple roles that are incompatible (Katz Kahn, 1978). Based on the discussion of the work-family conflict and well-being model, Figure 2.1 provides the summary. Role Theory (Kahn et al., 1964) Spillover Theory (1980) Model of Work-Family Role Pressure (1985) Conservation of Resources Model (1989) Model of Teacher Stress (1978) The Relationship between Personality and Stress (Bolger and Zuckerman, 1995) Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1977) Religious Coping (Pargament, 1990) Role Theory (Kahn, Wolfe, Quinn, Snoek, and Rosenthal, 1964) Most of the research on the work-family interface has been guided by role theory (e.g., Kahn, Wolfe, Quinn, Snoek, Rosenthal, 1964; Katz Kahn, 1978). According to role theory, the demand of multiple roles has given an impact for well-being. This rationale basically fits the logic of a stressor-strain model (Karasek Theorell, 1990), with work-family conflict as stressor. Similarly, much of the research on WFC has been based on the premise that multiple roles inevitably create strain (e.g., Frone et al., 1992, Allen Grigsby, 1997) as suggested by role theory (Katz Kahn, 1879).Due to limited amount of time and energy that individuals have to fulfill their multiple roles at the same time, they tend to experience stress (Goode, 1960). Specifically, the role theory (Duxbury Higgins, 1991) postulates that expectations associated with work and family roles can lead to physical and psychological strain in two ways. First, the demand of multiple roles within the work and family domain can lead to overall increase in workload. Second, expectations surrounding either of these roles can evoke pressures that dominate the time of an individual and interfere with expectations associated with the performance of the other role. However, the usefulness of role theory as a basis for crossover research is that it underscores the inter-relations between a focal person and his / her role senders in the work and family setting. Spillover Theory According to the spillover explanation, it may refer to the impact that the satisfaction and affect from the work domain has on the family domain or the impact that the satisfaction and affect from family domain has on the work domain. Additionally, the relationship between work and non-work activities can be positive or negative. Positive spillover refers to situations in which the satisfaction, energy and sense of accomplishment derived from the work environment carry over into the non-work domain. Conversely, negative spillover occurs when problems, fatigue or frustration carry over from the work domain to the non-work domain (Bartolonme Evens, 1980). Other researchers have conceptualized spillover in a similar manner. For example, Zedeck and Mosier (1990) asserted that increased satisfaction (dissatisfaction) in the work domain leads to increased satisfaction (dissatisfaction) with life. Spillover is a process whereby experiences in one roles more similar. Research has examined the spillover of mood, values, skills and behaviors from one role to another (Edwards and Rothbard, 2000). Therefore, spillover is likely to promote work-family conflict when an affect like dissatisfaction with work consistently spills over in to ones family life, thus increasing role conflict. This role conflict stems from the difficulty associated with trying to maintain a satisfying home life when dissatisfaction from work continues to interfere. Therefore, the central premise of spillover is reciprocity or bidirectional relationship of affect in the work and family domains. In other word, conflict between work and family occurs because the affect from one domain (work) is incompatible with the other domain (family). In this study spillover theory explain the negative effect in dealing with work and family roles respectively. Model of Work-Family Role Pressure Incompatibility The model of work-family role pressure incompatibility (figure 2.3) which was proposed by Greenhaus Beutell (1985) encompassed the antecedents of interrole conflict and offered detailed explanations of the types of interrole conflict, which were used widely by researchers in the work-family interface. The model depicted two main areas, the sources of conflict in both work and nonwork domains and the role pressure incompatibility. The role pressure incompatibility reflected the interrole conflict construct in the present study; and was classified into three forms; time-based conflict, strain-based conflict and behavior-based conflict. However, in this study examined only two forms as defined by Netemeyer et al. (1996, p.401), that work-family conflict as a form of interrole conflict in which the general demands of, time devoted to and strain created by the job interfere with performing family-related responsibilities. Greenhaus Beutell (1985) proposed the model of work-family role pressure incompatibility (figure 2.3) encompassed the work domain and family domain that explained in detailed the types of interrole conflict, which were used widely by researchers in the work-family interface. The model depicted domains from work and family which affect from three forms of interrole conflict namely; time-based conflict, strain-based conflict and behavior-based conflict. However, in this study examined only two forms as defined by Netemeyer et al. (1996, p.401), that is work-family conflict as a form of interrole conflict in which the general demands of, time devoted to and strain created by the job interfere with performing family-related responsibilities. FAMILY DOMAIN Illustrative Pressures Time Young Children Spouse Employment Large Families Strain Family Conflict Low spouse support Behaviour expectations for Warmth and Openness Role Pressure Incompatibility Time devoted to one role makes it difficult to fulfill requirements for another role. Strain produced by one role makes it difficult to fulfill requirements of another role Behaviour required in one role makes it difficult to fulfill requirements of another role. WORK DOMAIN Illustrative Pressures Hour worked Time Inflexible work- schedule Shiftwork Role conflict Strain Role Ambiguity Boundary-spanning activities expectations for Behaviour secretiveness and objectivity Negative Sanction for Noncompliance Role Salience Figure 2.3. Work-Family Role Pressure Incompatibility (Adapted from Greenhaus Beutell, 1985: pp.78) The strength of this model was the conceptual distinctions made among the types of interrole conflict. Therefore, this model assisted in the development of the theoretical framework in the current study by suggesting the different types of interrole conflict to be evaluated in both work-and nonwork-domains. For instance, in work domain, if the amount of working hours were too much makes it difficult to fulfill the roles in family domain. Conservation of Resources Model (COR; Hobfoll, 1989) Often work-family researchers have not based their predictions on strong conceptual frameworks (Hobfoll, 1989). The field has been dominated by role theory (Kahn et al., 1964), which is undoubtedly the most cited theory by work-family researchers, together with spillover and segmentation theory (Zedeck Mosier, 1990). Although these theories offer a rationale for the consequences of work-family conflict, they are limited in explaining actual behavior, interaction between actors, or decision making or prioritizing in case of work-family conflict (Poelmans, 2004). Thus, to develop a comprehensive theoretical background for this research, the study also included conservation resources model by Hobfoll (1989) that can explain, predict, and help solve problems that individuals face when balancing work and home responsibilities (Clark, 2000, p. 749). Hobfoll explain that when an individual perceives or experiences environmental circumstances that threaten or cause depletion of resources, he or she psychologically responds in ways that minimize loss of resources. For example, resources might include self-esteem and employment (Hobfoll, 1989). In this study, WFC-efficacy and religious coping as resources of work-family conflict that hopes to reduce work-family conflict and increase well-being of married female teachers in Malaysia. Grandey and Cropanzano (1999) were among the first researchers to apply COR to examine work-family conflict (WFC). They argue that COR theory is an improvement over the use of role theory. Role theory is limited in its ability to explain work-family relationships because it fails to specify moderating variables that might affect the relationship between work-family stressors and stress outcomes. COR theory, in contrast, proposes that interrole conflict leads to stress because resources are lost in the process of juggling both work and family roles (p. 352). The role of work and family stress as an antecedent of work-family conflict can also be explained by the COR model as suggested by Grandey and Cropanzano (1999). The COR model proposes that individuals act to acquire and maintain a variety of resources, such as objects, energies, condition and personal characteristic. COR theory provides a framework for understanding the nature of stress, based on the belief that individuals seek to obtain, build and protect their resources. The theory has been applied to a variety of setting, including community psychology, disaster research, and organizational research. Furthermore, the COR model appears to be a promising perspective for advancing our understanding of work-family relationships. Overview of the Psychological Well-being Theories Associations between work-family conflict and psychological distress have been widely explored and suggest that increased conflict is associated with increased psychological distress ( Major et al., 2002; Stephens et al., 2001) Many different well-being conceptualizations have been provided but, as Gasper (2002), point out, the term well-being is a concept or abstraction used to refer to whatever is assessed in an evaluation of a persons life situation or being. In short, it is a description of the state of individuals life situation. In addition, Easterlin (2001), for example, goes so far as to equate explicitly happiness, subjective well-being, satisfaction, utility, well-being and welfare. Kathryn Dianne (2009) argued that employee well-being consists of subjective well-being (life satisfaction and dispositional affect), workplace well-being (job satisfaction and work-related affect) and psychological well-being (self acceptance, positive relations with others, environmental mastery, autonomy, purpose in life and personal growth). In recent years, researchers, educators, policy-makers and politicians have been directly concerned with well-being, which have been viewed variously as happiness, satisfaction, enjoyment, contentment; and engagement and fulfillment or a combination of these and other, hedonic and eudaimonic factors. It has also been recognized that well-being and the environment are intimately interconnected and may take different forms. Well-being is complex and multifaceted. It is considered as a state and a process. Well-being includes personal, interpersonal and collective needs which influence each other. Well-being may take different forms, which may conflict across groups in society, requiring an overarching settlement. Well-being may also take different forms over the life course of an individual. Interventions to enhance well-being may take different forms. They should be conducted at individual, community and societal level. In the 50 years since Jahodas (1958) seminal report outlining the complexity of defining mental health, significant progress has been made towards the definition and conceptualization of this concept. One noteworthy development was the turn away from definitions of health as the absence of disease (Keyes 2006). Later this was cemented by the work of authors such as Diener (1984), Ryff (1989), Waterman (1993) and Ryff and Keyes (1995). Essentially they argued that mental health should be defined as the presence of wellness rather than the absence of disease. Some speculation surrounds the causal ordering of these two constructs; some believe life satisfaction is a determinant of job satisfaction (whereby overall life satisfaction spills over into satisfaction with life domains) whilst others believe job satisfaction is one of the determinants of overall life satisfaction (Rode 2004). However, the title of the paper, Building a Better Theory of Well-being prepared by Easterlin (2007) shows that Western theories of well-being were inconclusive. Model of Teacher Stress (cf. Kyriacou Sutcliffe, 1978a, p.3) Kyriacou and Sutcliffe (1978a) adopted the theoretical conceptualization of Lazarus to predict school teachers stress reactions. Figure 2.4 presents a simplified version of the model. According to the model, potential stressors are seen as antecedents of teacher stress. Characteristic of the Individual Teacher Biographical personality e.g. support, self-efficacy Teacher Stress Negative effects Response correlates psychological physiological behavioural Chronic Symptoms Psychosomatic coronary mental Coping Mechanisms To reduce perceived threat Potential Stressors Physical psychological Figure 2.4 A Model of Teacher Stress (cf. Kyriacou Sytcliffe, 1978a, p.3) Kyriacou and Sutcliffe (1978a) make an explicit distinction between stressors which are mainly physical (e.g., many pupils in the classes) and those which are essentially psychological (e.g., poor relationships with colleagues). Coping attempts can help to deal with stressful situations, that is, to reduce the perceived threat of those situations. If coping mechanisms are inappropriate, stress occurs. Teacher stress is seen mainly as a negative affect with diverse psychological (e.g., job dissatisfaction), physiological (e.g., high blood pressure), and behavioral (e.g., absenteeism) correlates. In the long run these negative stress effects lead to physiological and biochemical changes accompanied by psychosomatic and even chronic symptoms like coronary heart diseases. Finally, characteristics of the individual teacher are assumed to influence the process. Based on this model, the present study examined WFC-efficacy as a characteristic of the individual teacher on WFC and well-being a nd religious coping as a coping mechanism considered as a predictors in dealing with WFC and well-being. To be clear, WFC is the main dependent variable and well-being as a second dependent variable. WFC-efficacy and religious coping are analyzed as predictors of WFC and well-being Furthermore, the study also integrate WFC as a mediator between both predictors respectively. Banduras Social Cognitive Theory Perceived self-efficacy is concerned with judgments of personal capability, whereas self-esteem is concerned with judgments of self-worth. People make causal contributions to their own psychosocial functioning through mechanisms of personal agency. Among the mechanisms of agency, none is more central or pervasive than peoples beliefs of personal efficacy. Perceived self-efficacy refers to beliefs in ones capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations. Efficacy beliefs influence how people think, feel, motivate themselves, and act. A central question in any theory of cognitive regulation of motivation, affect, and action concerns the issues of causality. Do efficacy beliefs operate as causal factors in human functioning? The findings of diverse causal tests, in which efficacy beliefs are systematically varied, are consistent in showing that such beliefs contribute significantly to human motivation and attainments (Bandura, 1992a). The substantial body of research on the diverse effects of perceived personal efficacy can be summarized as follows: people who have a low sense of efficacy in given domains shy away from difficult tasks, which they view as personal threats. They have low aspirations and weak commitment to the goals they choose to pursue. When face with difficult tasks, they dwell on their personal deficiencies, the obstacles they will encounter, and all kinds of adverse outcomes. Banduras social cognitive theory states that behavior, environment, and person/cognitive factors are all important in understanding personality. Bandura coined the term reciprocal determinism to describe the way behavior, environment, and person/cognitive factors interact to create personality. Behavior Person and cognitive Environment factors Figure 2.6 Banduras Social Cognitive Theory Banduras social cognitive theory emphasizes reciprocal influences of behavior, environment, and person/cognitive factors. The environment can determine a persons behavior, and the person can act to change the environment. Similarly, person/cognitive factors can both influence behavior and be influenced by behavior. Self-efficacy is the belief that one can master a situation and produce positive outcomes. Bandura and the others have shown that self-efficacy is related to a number of positive developments in peoples lives, including solving problems, becoming more sociable, initiating a diet or an exercise program and maintaining it, and quitting smoking (Bandura, 2001, 2006, 2007a, 2007b; Schunk, 2008; Schunk Zimmerman, 2006). Self-efficacy influences whether people even try to develop healthy habits, as well as how much effort they expend in coping with stress, how long they persist in the face of obstacles, and how much stress and pain they experience (Fisher, Schilinger, 2006). Researchers also have found that self-efficacy is linked with successful job interviewing and job performance (Judge Bono, 2001; Tay, Ang, Van Dyne, 2006). Making positive changes to promote our health can be challenge. But fortunately, we all have a variety of psychological and social tools at our disposal to help us in the journey to a new, healthier life. There are three powerful tools: self-efficacy, motivation, and religious faith. Self-efficacy is the individuals belief that he or she can master a situation and produce positive outcomes. If there is a problem to be fixed, self-efficacy-that is, having a can-do attitude-is related to finding a solution. Self-efficacy is the power of belief in you. Not only self-efficacy related to initiating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle; religious faith is, too (Krause, 2006; Park, 2007). Pargaments Religious Coping Theory (1990) Religious-coping responses may eliminate or resolve the stressful probe, thereby preserving or improving the health of the person. Such a hypothesis suggests a model of religious commitment that has both direct and indirect effects on health, with the indirect effects operating through religious support as well as religious coping. Religious coping is dealing with life effectively within the research for significance toward the sacred (Pargament, 1997). Pargament (1990, 1997) suggested a process through which religion plays a part in coping. The process of coping activities and coping outcome, and religion can be a part of each of the central constructs of coping. Religion can contribute to the coping process, shaping the character of live events. In addition, religion itself is shaped by the elements of this process. People bring with them a system of general beliefs, practices, aspirations, and relationships which affect how they deal with difficult moments. A number of studies have definitely linked religious participation to a longer life (Hummer others, 2004; Krause, 2006; McCullough others, 2000). Religious-coping responses may eliminate or resolve the stressful probe, thereby preserving or improving the health of the person. Such a hypothesis suggests a model of religious commitment that has both direct and indirect effects on health, with the indirect effects operating through religious support as well as religious coping. Religious coping is dealing with life effectively within the research for significance toward the sacred (Pargament, 1997). Religious coping is expressed in the cognitive construction of the triggering event, in the ends sought and in the methods used to reach these ends. Religious coping may be involved in the conservation or transformation of ends. Pargaments (1997) model is potentially useful in determining how this religious coping influence work-family conflict. Pargament (1997) proposed a model that integrates religion into Lazarus and Folkmans (1984) classic tripartite theory of coping consisting of primary and secondary appraisals of a stressor; cognitive or behavioral strategies to deal with the event; and sought-after outcomes of coping. Specifically, Pargament (1997) theorized that life events can be interpreted in religious term (i.e., religious coping appraisals), that religion offers people of all ages unique religious pathways to cope with s tress (i.e., religious coping processes), and that religion can imbue with sacred significance the destinations that people strive to reach by means of coping processes. In Pargaments model, religious coping is a broad construct, defined as a search for significance in times of stress in ways related to the sacred (Pargament, 1996, 1997). The term the sacred highlights what makes religion unique. The core of the sacred consists of concepts of God, the divine, and the transcendent, but virtually any object can become part of the sacred through its association with or representation of divinity (Pargament Mahoney, in press). And, unlike other personal and social institutions, religion connects the search for significance during times of stress with higher powers and beliefs, experiences, rituals and institutions associated with supernatural forces. In this frame of reference, spirituality is conceptualized as the heart of religion and defined as the search for the sacred (Pargament Mahoney, 2002). Issues on Feminism in Work-Family Conflict Carol Gilligans Moral Development Theory As human beings grow we somehow develop the ability to assess what is right or wrong, acceptable or unacceptable. In other words; we develop morality, a system of learned attitudes about social practices, institutions, and individual behavior used to evaluate situations and behavior as good or bad, right or wrong (Lefton, 2000). One theorist, Carol Gilligan, found that morality develops by looking at much more than justice. The following will discuss the morality development theory of Carol Gilligan and its implications. Carol Gilligan was the first to consider gender differences in her research with the mental processes of males and females in their moral development. In general, Gilligan noted differences between girls and boys in their feelings towards caring, relationships, and connections with other people. More specifically Gilligan noted that girls are more concerned with care, relationships, and connections with other people than boys (Lefton, 2000). Thus, Gilligan hypothesized that as younger children girls are more inclined towards caring and boys are more inclined towards justice (Lefton, 2000). Gilligan suggests this difference is due to gender and the childs relationship with the mother (Lefton, 2000). Kohlbergs theory is comprised of three levels of moral development becoming more complex. Kohlbergs moral development theory did not take into account gender, and from Kohlbergs theory Gilligan found that girls do in-fact develop moral orientations differently than boys. According to Gilligan, the central moral problem for women is the conflict between self and other. Within Gilligans theoretical framework for moral development in females, she provides a sequence of three levels (Belknap, 2000). At level one of Gilligans theoretical framework a womans orientations is towards individual survival (Belknap, 2000); the self is the sole object of concern. The first transition that takes place is from being selfish to being responsible. At level two the main concern is that goodness is equated with self-sacrifice (Belknap, 2000). This level is where a woman adopts societal values and social membership. Gilligan refers to the second transition from level two to level three as the transition from goodness to truth (Belknap, 2000). Here, the needs of the self must be deliberately uncovered; as they are uncovered the woman begins to consider the consequences of the self and other (Belknap, 2000). One study by Gilligan Attanucci (1988) looked at the distinction between care and justice perspectives with men and women, primarily adolescence and adults when faced with real-life dilemmas. The study showed that: a) concerns about justice and care are represented in peoples thinking about real-life moral dilemmas, but that people tend to focus on one or the other depending on gender, and b) there is an association between moral orientation and gender such that women focus on care dilemmas and men focus on justice dilemmas (Gilligan Attanucci, 1988). Gilligans theory has had both positive and negative implications in the field of psychology. One positive implication is that her work has influenced other psychologists in their evaluations of morality. Also, Gilligans work highlights that people think about other people in a humanly caring way. Gilligan also emphasized that both men and women think about caring when faced with relationship dilemmas, similarly both are likely to focus on justice when faced with dilemmas involving others rights. On the other hand, the most criticized element to her theory is that it follows the stereotype of women as nurturing, men as logical. The participants of Gilligans research are limited to mostly white, middle class children and adults (Woods, 1996. In general, literature reviews have provided that Gilligans work needs a broader more multicultural basis. In work-family conflict study, Gilligans theory can explain regarding the different between female and male in handling work and family domain as general. The moral orientations and development of women in this theory has shows that women is more caring or in other word more responsible in terms of handling family related condition compare to men. In summary, Carol Gilligan has provided a framework for the moral orientations and development of women. Gilligans theory is comprised of three stages: self-interest, self-sacrifice, and post-conventional thinking where each level is more complex. Overall, Gilligan found that girls do develop morality, differently than others. Gilligans theory holds particular implications for adolescent girls specifically as this is typically when they enter the transition from level two to level three. However, as do all theories Gilligans has advantages and disadvantages that should be considered when looking at moral orientations. The History of Work-Family Conflict Construct Since its early development, theoretical discourse in the field of work-family conflict has been confined to a few dominant theories, such as role theory (Kahn, Wolfe, Quinn, Snoek Rosenthal, 1964; Katz Kahn, 1978) and spillover theory (Zedeck Mosier, 1990). Since Zedecks (1992) call for the refinement and development of theory in the work-family field, a series of alternative theories have been suggested as a conceptual basis for explaining work-family conflict, such as Hobfolls (1989) conservation of resources theory (Grandey Cropanzano, 1999). Most research on the work-family interface has focused on work-family conflict (Allen et al., 2000). Conflict between work and