The 12th Imam The Mahdi and Iran Today

Iran is a fervently Shiite Islamic Republic with a 98 percent Muslim population and 89 percent of those Muslims identifying as Shiite according to the CIA World Factbook. Twelver Shiism is the largest branch of Shiite Islam, with about 85 percent of Shiite adhering to the belief in the 12th Imam. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the father of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, was a Twelver. So is the current Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Now, what does this mean? They believe that a series of Imams was appointed to carry on the Prophet Muhammads message and that these Imam rank above all other prophets except for Muhammad himself. The 12th, Muhammad al-Mahdi, is believed by these Shiites to have been born in present-day Iraq in 869 and never to have died, only gone into hiding. Twelvers—not other Shiites or Sunni Muslims—believe that al-Mahdi will return as a messiah with Jesus to bring peace to the world and establish Islam as the ruling faith across the globe. The apocalyptic catch? The Mahdi is expected to appear when the world is wracked by utter chaos and war. Many Sunnis also believe that the Mahdi will come in such a judgment day scenario, but believe that he has not been born yet. The Twelver beliefs have raised concern in conjunction with Irans steeped interest in furiously pressing forward with its nuclear program, combined with threats against Israel and the West. Critics of the Islamic Republic allege that Ahmadinejad and the Supreme Leader would even go so far as to hasten a nuclear showdown and cataclysmic strike—perhaps an attack on Israel and inevitable retaliation—to hasten the arrival of the 12th Imam. Ahmadinejad has even called for the reappearance of the 12th Imam from the podium of the United Nations General Assembly. During his speeches within Iran, Ahmadinejad has said that the main mission of the Islamic Revolution is to pave the way for the reappearance of the 12th Imam. When NBC News Ann Curry interviewed Ahmadinejad in Tehran in September 2009, she asked him about the Mahdi: Curry: In your speeches, you pray for God to hasten the arrival of the hidden Imam, the Muslim messiah. Would you tell us, as I know you will speak about this at the general assembly, as well: What is your relationship with the hidden Imam, and how soon do you think before the second coming? Ahmadinejad: Yes, that’s true. I prayed for the arrival of the 12th Imam. The owner of the age, as we call him. Because the owner of the age is the symbol of the—justice and brotherly love prevailing around the world. When the Imam arrives, all of these problems will be resolved. And a prayer for the owner of the age is nothing but a wish for justice and brotherly love to prevail around the world. And it’s an obligation a person takes upon himself to always think about brotherly love. And also to treat others as equals. All people can establish such a connection with the Imam of the age. It’s roughly the same as the relationship which exists between Christians and the Christ. They speak with Jesus Christ and they are sure that Christ hears them and responds. Therefore, this is not limited to us only. Any person can talk with the Imam. Curry: You’ve said that you believe that his arrival, the apocalypse, would happen in your own lifetime. What do you believe that you should do to hasten his arrival? Ahmadinejad: I have never said such a thing. Curry: Ah, forgive me. Ahmadinejad: I—I—I was talking about peace. Curry: Forgive me. Ahmadinejad: What is being said about an apocalyptic war and—global war, things of that nature. This is what the Zionists are claiming. Imam†¦will come with logic, with culture, with science. He will come so that there is no more war. No more enmity, hatred. No more conflict. He will call on everyone to enter a brotherly love. Of course, he will return with Jesus Christ. The two will come back together. And working together, they would fill this world with love. The stories that have been disseminated around the world about extensive war, apocalyptic wars, so on and so forth—these are false.

I Want A Career As A Mythology Teacher - 1792 Words

The Japanese have a saying,† The nail that sticks up will be hammered down.† The nail, of course, being someone out of the ordinary and unique, while the hammer is everything in your way and everyone trying to manipulate you into what they want you to be. Teaching mythology is no different than that nail that sticks up. People think it’s weird and not important to learn mythology so it gets taken out of schools and is forgotten, but they are wrong. Being a mythology teacher allows you to open your students eyes to a world of lore and imagination, introducing them to new ideas and beliefs to help them better understand the world we live in today. They teach their children about the monsters, gods and goddesses, and epics to show them why we believe in certain things and why our world works the way it does. Mythology teachers are fantastic story tellers and amazing listeners when it comes to presenting and answering questions, but they are also very open-minded and d etermined people. I want a career in mythology because it will involve me to do something I absolutely love and will allow me to share and learn new ideas. I have given myself responsibility to work hard in school and go to college so I am at my peak performance for my students to learn everything they need. I am willing to be the nail that sticks up and I am willing to go ageist the hammer if it means I can do what I love and empower future generations with this knowledge in mythology. Now, in order to do that IShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Rick Riordan s The Kane Chronicles, And The 39 Clues1594 Words   |  7 Pageshis love of history, mythology, and his son. He loves to share his opinion and craft with other people, writers and non-writers alike. Riordan says, â€Å"I come to writing the same way I come to teaching, which is that my goal is always to create life-long readers.† Riordan grew up in Texas and attended Alamo Heights High School, graduating in 1982. 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Through skillful narrative in a broad-ranging oeuvre of essays and books, McPherson has succeeded in telling both stories, combining social, politicalRead MoreMassive Open Online Courses1349 Words   |  6 Pagesindigenous knowledge. 16 Currently in Africa, educational programs typically adopt traditional Western models of education, with an emphasis on math, science, language, and social studies. 11 These programs allocate scarce resources to topics like Greek mythology, prime numbers, or tectonic plate movement—topics that may provide intellectual stimulation, but have little relevance in the lives of impoverished children. 11 While many scholars hold that indigenous education and knowledge has a transformativeRead MoreThe Effects Of Video Games On Children2629 Words   |  11 Pagesone can begin to understand how this form can further develop our children. From confidence building to creativity, video games can be brought on as educational as well as just for fun and relaxation. 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Shakespeare has written histories, comedies, tragedies, poems and tragic comedies. He has been distinguished as one of the first professional writers and the second most quoted after the holy bible. He is an influential artist and a play writer. He has written 37 plays and 154 sonnets

Government Business Regulations

Question: Discuss about the Government Business Regulations. Answer: Introduction: Trade protectionism refers to a set of government directives and policies established to restrict unfair trade practices and competition by foreign business organizations. It is basically a politically motivated defensive measures implemented by countries to protect the interest of home grown businesses (Ghibutiu 2013). Various policy instruments used for protectionism are discussed below: Tariffs: These are assortment of various taxes that are imposed on import of goods. It is one of the major forms of protectionism tool intended at protecting local businesses and acts as a source of revenue for the government. The higher tariffs results in the increase in price of imported goods. The elasticity of demand determines the level of success of tariffs because greater the elasticity, more effective the tariffs (Osabouhien Efobi and Beecroft 2014). Quota: It refers to a limit imposed on quantity of imported goods. This is imposed mainly with an objective to promote local businesses and discourage competition from foreign players. Imposing of quota restriction affects neither the price of goods nor it increases the revenue for the government. Embargo: In laymans term, embargo means a hindrance. In business terminology, embargo is defined as a partial or blanket ban on trade and commerce with a particular country or some countries. Embargo is generally imposed as an outcome of hostile economic or political conditions between two countries. Embargo aims to isolate the targeted country and create obstacles for its governing body, obliging it to take action on the core issues that led to embargo. For example, embargo imposed by Australia on Indonesia on livestock due to their brutal techniques of slaughter in their country. (McGovern 2016). Subsidies: It is a payment that is paid by the government to a business or individuals for exporting the goods to another country. Export subsidies offer traders and manufacturers an incentive for exporting, making it more rewarding for them to sell goods abroad and thereby increasing the prices of goods in the home country Exchange Control: This method is used to put restrictions on the amount that can be brought in by the importers. The main objective behind having an exchange control mechanism is to curb the ability of an importer (Cavusgil et al. 2014). Product Standards: Restriction on the basis of product standards are levied for various reasons such as usage inferior raw materials, sub-standard products, product safety and labeling issues. Limiting imports through implementation of such regulations promotes growth of home businesses. Environment Standards: In the current business environment, where climate change and global warming has become a major issue globally, each and every country is taking proactive measures the tackle the effect by implementing stringent environmental laws for the businesses to discourage them from using harmful chemical that affects the environment. Further, such laws also encourage the businesses to use environment friendly business practices and corporate social responsibility for sustainable development (Matsushita 2015). Policy instruments used in competitive market model can be classified under two heads i.e. competition laws and government policies which are discussed below: The government of any country sets regulations and laws to monitor and control unfair trade practices in the market. Competition laws and government policies includes the following aspects Anti-Competition Agreement (Collusion) and Cartels: In order to boost the economy and have a fair competitive market, the government of any country aims to take control over the leading players in any specific industry to restrict them from using their position to discourage other players in the market or increase their prices through the process of cartel and price fixing. Market Liberalization: It involves the introduction of fresh competition in various monopolized markets such as telecommunications, air transport, and many others to support competition and to encourage other small players to enter the market (Feenstra 2015). Merger Control: The government should closely monitor and investigate various mergers and acquisitions that take place between two large firms within the same industry which may be intended at dominance in the market and discourage smaller firms. Foreign Direct Investment: In order to boost the source of revenue for the government and make the economy more flourishing and competitive, the government may choose the method of foreign direct investments by making attractive and flexible policies to attract various multinational conglomerates through to establish new projects (greenfield projects) or acquisition (brownfield investment) in the home country. Consumers Safety: The government of any country through a regulatory body monitors the usage of quality of the raw materials and semi-finished goods used by the businesses operating within the economy that the product is safe for by the consumers. The safety standards by the regulatory authority states various requirements that a business is obliged to follow such as product description, ingredients, date of expiry, labeling issues. The various policy instruments in a competitive market are imposed by any government of any given economy to prevent market inequality through implementation of various laws to regulate the market and promote home grown businesses through subsidies. These instruments intervene in the market to support general economic equality. These instruments aim at raising social wellbeing by disrupt monopolies and regulate adverse external factors. Through the implementation of such instruments, the government makes the businesses provide better services to the consumers. Increased competition gives way to innovation due to increased competition (Bowen Hollander and Viaene 2012). The increased competition due to stringent regulations in the market, business is encouraged towards identifying their strengths and weaknesses as well cultivates the habit of creative thinking as well as it helps them to identify their key customers. The stringent regulations in the competitive market environment enable the businesses to generate new ideas for their products or services through learning and knowledge management and help the employees to be for efficient and productive due to increased competition. It further helps the businesses to grow and expand by focusing on innovation and learning and bring about solution to common problems that are prevalent in that specific industry they operate by working together with the other businesses and the government and all the above activities and efforts leads to better and healthy business environment where all the stakeholders i.e. business, society, customers, government and investors get benefits from it (Cavusgil et al. 2014) . References Bowen, H.P., Hollander, A. and Viaene, J.M., 2012.Applied international trade. Palgrave Macmillan. Bown, C.P., 2014. Trade policy instruments over time.World Bank Policy Research Working Paper, (6757). Cavusgil, S.T., Knight, G., Riesenberger, J.R., Rammal, H.G. and Rose, E.L., 2014.International business. Pearson Australia. Feenstra, R.C., 2015.Advanced international trade: theory and evidence. Princeton university press. Ghibutiu, A., 2013. Trade protectionism: An increasing threat to global economic recovery.Knowledge Horizons. Economics,5(3), p.166. Matsushita, M., Schoenbaum, T.J., Mavroidis, P.C. and Hahn, M., 2015.The World Trade Organization: law, practice, and policy. Oxford University Press. McGovern, E., 2016.International trade regulation(Vol. 2). Globefield Press. Osabouhien, E., Efobi, U.R. and Beecroft, I., 2014. Free trade, protectionism and the balance of trade: New empirical insights.Beggar-Thy-Poor-Neighbour: Crisis-Era Protectionism and Developing Countries, pp.13-24.

Over The Past Fifteen Years A Powerfully Charged Drama Has Essays

Over the past fifteen years a powerfully charged drama has unfolded in New York's Broadway venues and spread to the opera houses and ballet productions of major cities across the country. Its characters include angry college students, aging rock stars, flamboyant B-movie queens, society matrons, and sophisticated fashion designers. You can't buy tickets for this production, but you might catch a glimpse of it while driving in Bethesda on particular Saturday afternoons. If you're lucky, Compassion Over Killing (COK), an animal rights civil disobedience group, will be picketing Miller's Furs, their enemy in the fight against fur. These impassioned activists see the fur trade as nothing less than wholesale, commercialized murder, and will go to great lengths to get their point across. Such enthusiasm may do them in, as COK's often divisive rhetoric and tacit endorsement of vandalism threaten to alienate the very people it needs to reach in order to be successful. The animal rights idealogy crystallized with the publication of philosophy professor's exploration of the way humans use and abuse other animals. Animal Liberation argued that animals have an intrinsic worth in themselves and deserve to exist on their own terms, not just as means to human ends. By 1985, ten years after Peter Singer's watershed treatise was first published, dozens of animal rights groups had sprung up and were starting to savor their first successes. In 1994 Paul Shapiro, then a student at Georgetown Day School, didn't feel these non-profits were agitating aggressively enough for the cause. He founded Compassion Over Killing to mobilize animal rights activists in the Washington metropolitan area and "throw animal exploiters out of business." Since then, COK has expanded to over 300 members with chapters across the country, including one at American University, which formed in the fall of 1996. COK organizes protests as a primary activity of the group, although some chapters may choose to expand into other areas if they wish. COK's focus on direct-action protests and demonstrations is just one way that the animal rights movement has mobilized to end the fur trade. The larger animal rights organizations have conducted attention grabbing media blitzes with the help of stars like Paul McCartney, Melissa Etheridge, Rikki Lake, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington. Lobbying efforts by animal advocacy groups have resulted in trapping restrictions in numerous states and an end to federal fur industry subsidies. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has persuaded several fashion designers including Calvin Klein and Donna Karan to stop using fur in their clothing lines. In addition, anti-fur concerts, videos, compact discs, t-shirts, drag revues and award ceremonies have been used by animal rights groups to advance their cause. Each side of the conflict over fur coats has an entirely different way of conceptualizing and talking about the issue. Animal rights groups bluntly describe fur as "dead...animal parts" and emphasize that animals are killed to produce a fur garment. Those involved in the fur industry consistently use agricultural metaphors and talk of a yearly "crop of fur" that must be "harvested." Manny Miller, the owner of Miller's Furs, refused to describe his business in terms of the individual animals; "I don't sell animals. I sell finished products. I sell fur coats." These linguistic differences extend to the manner in which both sides frame the debate over fur. COK refers to the industry in criminal terms; fur is directly equated with murder and those involved in the industry are labeled killers. Industry groups like the Fur Information Council of America (FICA) always describes fur garments as objects and clothing; it is "the ultimate cold weather fabric" that is "your fashion choice." On Saturday, April 12th, Compassion Over Killing demonstrated outside the White House, protesting the Clinton administration's opposition to a European Community ban on the importation of fur coats made from animals caught in the wild. In addition, the demonstration called for the release of several Animal Liberation Front (ALF) members imprisoned for vandalizing property and liberating animals from research labs and factory farms. Several dozen high school and college students turned out for the event, but the protest attracted a handful of thirtysomethings and an elderly woman as well. Most of the young people there seemed to dress in a similar style; baggy pants, piercings and t-shirts advertising obscure "hard-core" rock bands adorned most of the activists. The organizers of the protest provided more than enough signs for everyone to carry. Each sign had a slogan stenciled on the cardboard in boxy black letters, including "Abolish the Fur Trade," "Fur is Murder," "Stop Promoting Vanity and Death," and "Fur is Dead- Get It In Your Head." Some of the

ToK presentation Essays

ToK presentation Essays ToK presentation Paper ToK presentation Paper The result of these different perspectives in media and other sources is a stretching of information, so that it is uncertain where the real accurate stories lie. The best we can really do is to scan all the pieces of information, and compare them to each other to collect the common facts. This is why it is very hard to sieve through the false predictions on global warming to find the true answer. (change slide) A large influence in our understanding of global warming is the way in which Global Warming is presented in the media. The first theory is most often in the media, partly because it is the easiest idea to understand and it gives hope that there is a way to save the planet from its fate. Plus, its just generally better known. The other two theories are less well known as the media chooses not to advertise it as much. Even among the scientific world, these two theories are given little credit however given the evidence that there is from studying the earths past and the changes and the global events that took place, it is more creditable to believe that global warming is a natural occurrence. The majority of the people in developed countries refer to the media for information in one way or another; newspapers, news on the television or radio, the internet, and despite many media sources are supposed to be realistic, many of them are biased to one point of view over another, effecting our own opinions. The Media is a dangerous thing. It can highlight different perspectives, or project false information into societies. For example one of the key tools of a dictator, or a similar state, is to use media to indoctrinate the public onto their side. Schoolbooks were given an anti-Jewish spin under Goebbels propaganda campaign. Radio stations played Hitlers speeches over and over again; books that argued with any of his views of policies were burnt; and the Olympic Games hosted during his time were even meant to emphasize Aryan superiority. The point is that when media is blackened by propaganda and indoctrination, the result is a complete eclipse of truth and fact, so that even the most basic of your knowledge could turn out to be wrong. The scientific facts presented before us may emphasize mans part in global warming and make us feel bad for polluting, however, it is still the most comforting idea because we have a chance (however small) to change the fate of our world. The other theories are less publicised by the media because they are harder to believe, as it is very scary. It means that even though the world has been going through this cycle for an untold amount of centuries, we will still probably change our lifestyles drastically. It may include having to not only move into places such as Antarctica, but also having to watch our greatest cities, monuments, military bases etc. being destroyed by either rising tides, or scorching climates. (change slide) There are other sources from which scientists can learn about Global Warming, for example from studying the ice in the Artic and Antarctic we can tell how much oxygen, nitrogen and carbon there was in the atmosphere millions of years ago by just looking at how much of these elements there are in the ice. An example of what can be learnt by looking at the ice is that scientists have learnt of ancient tropical forests that lie fossilised below the ice from about 50 million years ago. Also by studying rock and land formations we can learn of major natural disasters, such as the rock formations left behind from an ancient volcano in southwest China tell us what was happening in the climate 250 million years ago. The evidence found from looking at the earths history suggests that global warming is not a new concept but is perhaps a reoccurring event, and from studying the land formations we can suggest what the future holds for us. These resources for predicting the planets future are both more scientifically believable and reliable. Unlike natural resources, human records are much more unreliable because the records we have made on the climate only stretch back to the late 1650s so cannot be seen as very reliable resources as they do not account for changes before this date. From looking at the records it may seem that the hottest summers have been over the passed few years, but what about the climate before records began? Had summer temperatures increased then? We also dont know what has been missed out from these records, for example if a river flooded regularly, then this may have been thought unnecessary to be recorded, whereas this could be very important information now to aid our understanding in Global Warming. However nothing is certain and scientists may be wrong, as science is forever advancing, but one thing is certain, that the world is changing and that it can not be escaped, but to what extent the world will change scientists can not be sure. (change slide) Global warming is of increasing importance because if effect us in our everyday life. Many of us have cars (glare at Ben, India and Lottie), we also use computers and watch televisions and have a range of electrical appliances is our houses and in school. These all require electricity, or oil for cars, which our made in a non-environmentally friendly manner. (Burning fossil fuels produces high amount of carbon emissions, increasing green house effect). Rolos conclusion!!! Its violent =) Changing perspectives are difficult to accept fully, as many people have a set point of view and have difficulty exploring different theories and admitting that they might be true as well. This is often because of human nature and isnt consciously our fault. However its important to broaden our horizons? and to look into alternative reasons as this allows us to learn more about ourselves and our planet. Different perspectives allow us to explore different solutions and outcomes to a situation, enabling us a better understanding of the knowledge issue. This helps us predict the most likely future as it shows we have considered all possibilities. However it is often hard to know what to believe with all the theories available. One theory can sound more logical and safe to believe but can be less scientifically correct, for example it is generally believed that the greenhouse effect is the cause of global warming, however if we dig a little deeper the more scientific, harder to understand theories begin to emerge, for example that it is actually the sun or past atmospheric changes which may be the cause. These theories are more difficult to accept because they are not the reasons we would expect or predict to be the cause, not necessarily because they are more complex science. The media also has an influence in what we believe because it exploits some ideas more than others. The more comfortable theories and narrow mindedness can often cause our perception of truth to blur. Fear can also so play on our emotions, as fear has a large influence on our actions and beliefs. The idea that the end of the world, as we know it, is nigh is, in reality, a terrifying idea. That fact there is nothing we can do about it is even scarier. Blame can be a way of softening the condemned future, as if we blame ourselves, from using too much CO2, climate change is a lot easier to accept. By blaming ourselves it is easier to say I dont care and we can say its our fault and we will get what we deserve. But to say it is actually the suns ever increasing temperature and the result of the recession of an ice age, is scary and leaves us with a sense of helplessness and a loss of hope. Just because there is proof for a theory doesnt necessarily mean it is true. If you correlate the number of crimes and the number of policemen in a number of towns, and crime increases as does the number of policemen, does it mean it is the increased number of policemen that cause the extra crime? No. Just because there is a relationship between two sets of data, doesnt mean they are directly related. Therefore just because temperature increases as does the amount of CO2 emissions, doesnt prove it is actually the increase in CO2 which is causing the temperature rise. Despite the fact we arent certain of what is causing global warming, there is strong evidence to suggest that the climate is getting warmer and that there is no escaping some climate change. It is inescapably clear that this is happening, however the reason and our part in it is not clear. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledge section.

Spiracles Aid in Breathing on Fish, Whales, and Insects

Spiracles Aid in Breathing on Fish, Whales, and Insects Spiracles are breathing openings found on the surface of insects, certain  cartilaginous fish  such as certain species of  sharks, and stingrays. Hammerheads and  chimeras dont have spiracles. In fish, spiracles are composed of a pair of openings just behind the fishs eyes that allow it to draw oxygenated water in from above without having to bring it in through the gills. The spiracles open into the fishs mouth, where water is passed over its gills for gas exchange and out of the body. Spiracles aid fish in breathing even when they are lying on the ocean bottom or when theyre buried in the sand.   Evolution of Spiracles Spiracles likely evolved from gill openings. In primitive jawless fish, spiracles were simply the first gill openings behind the mouth. This gill opening eventually separated as the jaw evolved out of the structures between it and the other gill openings. The spiracle remained as a small, hole-like opening in most cartilaginous fish. Spiracles are useful for the types of rays that bury themselves in the ocean bottom because they allow them to breathe without the aid of exposed gills. Primitive bony fish with spiracles include the sturgeon, paddlefish, bichirs, and coelacanth. Scientists also believe  that spiracles are associated with the hearing organs of frogs and some other amphibians. Examples of Spiracles Southern stingrays  are sand-dwelling sea animals that use their spiracles to breathe when they are lying on the ocean bottom. Spiracles behind the rays eyes draw in water, which is passed over the gills and expelled from its gills on its underside.  Skates, cartilaginous fish  that have a flat body and wing-like pectoral fins attached to their head, and stingrays sometimes use spiracles as their primary method of breathing, bringing oxygenated water into the gill chamber where it is exchanged for carbon dioxide. Angel sharks are large, flat-bodied sharks that bury themselves in the sand and breathe through their spiracles. They lie in wait, camouflaged,  for fish, crustaceans, and mollusks and then lunge to strike and kill them with their jaws. By pumping water in through their spiracles and out through their gills, these sharks can absorb oxygen and eliminate carbon dioxide without constantly swimming, as more mobile sharks must do. Insects and Animals  With Spiracles Insects have spiracles, which allow air to move into their tracheal system. Since insects dont have lungs, they use spiracles to  exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide  with the outside air. Insects open and close their spiracles through muscle contractions.  Oxygen molecules then travel via the insects tracheal system. Each tracheal tube ends with a tracheole, where the oxygen dissolves into the tracheole fluid. The O2  then diffuses into the cells. The blowhole of the  whale  is also sometimes called a spiracle in older texts. Whales use their blowholes to take in the air and dispel carbon dioxide when they surface. Whales have lungs like other mammals rather than gills like fish. They have to breathe air, not water.

Does culture play a significant role in Business Essay

Does culture play a significant role in Business - Essay Example He defines culture as the patterns of feeling, thinking as well as the acting programs of the human brain. Though definitions may be numerous, they get united at a certain point where they imply beliefs, patterns and human behaviors which are made and then transmitted. (Barger, 2007) This study is therefore, set out to discuss culture and more particularly in the context of business. To this, a vivid answer will be given in the pursuit of answering the thesis question, â€Å"Does culture play a significant role in business?† Culture is vital to economies, organizations and societies alike. This is since it ensures a competitive edge to all these stakeholders. Thus, no single business organization can sideline the significance of culture especially where the aspects in context make the management successful. The understanding of the role of culture has especially been of high importance where the given business desires to carry out international operations. Though, culture was a non-issue in business in the past, it has become a core factor in business focus. A major challenge befalls the management while building the synergy of both the cultural differences setting people apart and at the same time anchoring their competitive edge. To enhance change, it calls for the functioning of small work groups of persons with an influence, vision as well as determination. As a team, the individuals help in implementing and furthering the cultural competence in the workforce of a business in entirety. There are essential cultural variables, though. Firstly, there is self-awareness. There is need to concentrate upon the development of knowledge and self-awareness of a people’s preferences of culture. Here there is the importance of understanding one’s cultural attitudes, values and beliefs, how these aspects reflect in one’s behavior, how they impact on the

How Raising a Child with High Self-Esteem Leads to Raising Narcissism Essay

How Raising a Child with High Self-Esteem Leads to Raising Narcissism - Essay Example On the hand, narcissism is a feeling of indifference, selfishness, egoism, or elitism to the disadvantage of others. There have been various definitions of the relationship between self-esteem and narcissism. This essay will show how raising a child with high self-esteem leads to raising narcissism. It will also show how high self-esteem leads to a lousy performance and the fact that they cannot combine well. The essay will achieve this by focusing on the article’s effective argument. There is a link between high self-esteem and narcissism. While having self-esteem is very fundamental in the growth of any child, parents know that egoism that closes relates to narcissism is detrimental. It is arguably true that people with high self-esteem are generally narcissist. This is because, most of the people with high self -esteem show it and would like everybody to recognize them. Indeed the issue is always about them, their achievements, character, their well-being, their interests, and such. Actually, raising a child with high self-esteem will always lead them to show their ego, elitism, indifference, and selfless as they believe they are the best and such everybody should praise them. Indeed, high self-esteem promotes narcissism. However, this correlation does not exist explicitly since in countries like Asia issues of self and ego do not surface from childhood. However, in America, where the children feel they are superior to other children in the world, raising high achievers will high achievers will create narcissist. Indeed, a survey from San Diego State University notes that too much self-regard/high-esteem has resulted in college campuses full of narcissists. On the contrary, people with low self-esteem will value themselves less in the society and as such will not have the guts to brag, remain indifferent, or exercise selfless since they would fear critics.  Ã‚  

The Smoking of Tobacco Essay Example for Free

The Smoking of Tobacco Essay The smoking of tobacco became prevalent early in this century. The production of flue-cured tobacco, the development of cigarette rolling machines, and a public health concern over tuberculosis germs being spread through the cuspidors associated with snuff and chewing tobacco, all contributed to an increase in cigarette smoking. As smoking became more common, health problems emerged which seemed to be related to smoking. In the 1950’s, sir Richard Doll, a British researcher, studied the smoking habits of more than 34,000 physicians and found a strong correlation between smoking and disease. Throughout the 1950’s, research data on the effects of tobacco on human health hazard of sufficient importance in the United States to warrant appropriate remedial action. Since then, each Surgeon General has spoken out against smoking; the current Surgeon General proclaims smoking to be the number one preventable cause of disease and death. Medical science is in general agreement that use of tobacco endangers one’s health. Lung Cancer was the first health effect to be linked to smoking. Subsequent research has linked tobacco usage to heart disease, emphysema, and several other forms of cancer. Recent research has even suggested harmful effects to unborn children of smokers and to those non-smokers exposed to the side-smoke of smokers. One of the benefits of a free society is the freedom of choice for adults, so long as this freedom does not deprive other persons of their freedom The decision to smoke might appear to be one of those choices, since it is usually through that the health risks of smoking are borne largely by the individuals making the choice. Factors that complicate the simplicity of this argument are: 1) Smoking is a social custom and when one person smokes, other persons in the area are exposed to the smoke. 2) Adult smoking habits provide a powerful modeling which affects the habits of children and youth. 3) Society must bear some of the social cost (increased insurance premiums and various tax burdens) of death and disability brought about by the use of tobacco. The tobacco plant  is believed to have originated in the Western Hemisphere. The cultivated species most often grown for North American and European tobacco products is Nicotiana tabacum. The leaves of the plant are prepared for smoking, chewing, or sniffing. In addition nicotine tobacco contains over 19 known carcinogens (most collectively known as tar) and more than 2,000 chemicals. Prior to European influence in the Americas, tobacco was used by the Indians of Mexico and Peru for ceremonies, medicinal purposes, and to alleviate Error! Bookmark not defined. pangs during famines. Columbus is credited with introducing tobacco into Europe. Tobacco use became widely accepted by the Portuguese, Spanish, French, British, and Scandinavians. Explorers and sailors who became dependent upon tobacco began planting seeds at their ports of call, introducing the product into other parts of Europe and Asia.

Roller Coaster Physics :: physics amusement theme park

Undoubtedly roller coasters are the kings of amusements parks. Whether you enjoy a older, rickety wooden roller coaster with its thrill of positive and negative G's and a fairly wobbly feeling. Or, you prepher something newer, a tube steel roller coaster. A coaster that is faster, one that includes death defying speeds, hairpin turns, and of course the crï ¿ ½me de la crï ¿ ½me, loop de loops. However, regardless of you personal tastes and preferences, through exploring this page you will find that all roller coasters are indeed bound by the same fundamental laws. Laws that govern everything in our daily lives, the laws of physics. While exploring this paper, please remember this simple fact: Roller coasters are fast, they're fun, they're exciting, but above all, they're PHYSICS! The basic physics that apply to roller coasters can be seen when we examine some of the simple thrills of roller coasters: * The relation between Height and speed * Positive and Negative G's * The corkscrew * The loop de loop Some of you out there might be wondering, what exactly I mean that when I say that there is energy associated with roller coasters? And the answer is very simple, although roller coasters don't produce, or use energy as most people today would define it--electricity. They do posses what physicists call kinetic (or mechanical) energy, which is the energy of motion and is defined with the equation: K= ½mv ² which is read: ï ¿ ½Kinetic Energy equals one-half mass times velocity squared.ï ¿ ½ However, there is another type of energy associated with roller coasters, and that is gravitational potential energy, which is simply the energy that the roller coaster has due to its position above the earth, and has the formula: U=mgh which is read: "Potential Energy equals mass times velocity times height." Then, when we take into account the First law of thermodynamics (also called the conservation law), seen below: The First Law Of Thermodynamics: ï ¿ ½Energy can be changed from one form to another, but it can not be created or destroyed.ï ¿ ½ click here to see the source page. So, after taking thermodynamics into account we see that at any given point during the roller coasters ride, (granted we are using a traditional roller coaster in which there are no extra chains, or engines to lift it other than the first hill, and that friction is negligible) we see that:

Oliver finds happiness and security Essay

Through Fagin, Oliver is made to work for Bill Sikes. Oliver is shot helping Sikes to burgle the house of a Mrs Maylie, Sikes escapes but Oliver is cared for by Rose and Mrs Maylie. Bill Sikes is another major bully within the novel, Oliver Twist. Nancy who is his mistress is also a victim of Sikes. Bill Sikes character is brutal, aggressive and violent. One major event when we see Sikes as a brutal bully is when he murders Nancy. Dickens shows this hatred by using these words ‘there was a fire in the eyes of both’ this is a metaphor it suggests a burning passion of hatred. Throughout the chapter when Nancy is murdered, Sikes is referred to as ‘the robber’, the housebreaker and the murderer’. As Sikes arrives at his house ‘Without one pause, or moments’ consideration; without once turning his head to the right or left, or raising his eyes to the sky, or lowering them to the ground, but looking straight before him with savage resolution his teeth so lightly compressed that the strained jaw seemed starting through his skin, the robber held on his headlong course, nor muttered a word, nor relaxed a muscle until he reached his own door.’ During this section, Dickens uses no full stops, but internal punctuation effectively. Sikes is apprehensive to what may be on the other side. By using this type of text, Dickens builds up speed, tension and anticipation for the reader. Dickens does this again when describing in detail when ‘he opened it softly ‘lifting a heavy table against it’ double locked the door.’ This makes the reader want to know what is about to happen. Dickens highlights bullying by using commands ‘Get up, Get up’ this is a command, which suggests aggression and violence. The word ‘murderer’ is used which suggests he has already killed Nancy, but Sikes again,’ seized a heavy club and struck her down’. Sikes striking Nancy with a club seems to be unnecessary as she is already dead. This is the climax of Sikes bullying he has resorted to murdering. Bill refers to Nancy as a ‘She Devil’. In her dying moments she shows her innocent side by praying, by ‘on her knees and ‘as high towards heaven as her feeble strength.’ The reader gets a sense of goodness against evilness. The reader again sympathises with Nancy as she is murdered while Dickens emphasises Sikes evil ways. Bill Sikes runs away from the scene of the crime which shows that ultimately he is a coward, and his conscience finally dawns on him. After Nancy’s death Dickens uses superlatives to show the reader how cruel Sikes crime is, he uses powerful words like ‘worst’, ‘foulest’ and ‘most cruel’. Bullying is again highlighted throughout this section. Here though, Dickens has highlighted a different type of bullying. It is immediate bullying that is used. Sikes performed a nasty and brutal murder. Dickens uses a metaphor of the weather to contrast the murder, it is an ironic contrast though, as sun brings new life but it can not bring Nancy back to life. ‘The sun, the bright sun’ shows Bill Sikes truly as a vicious bully.  Towards the end of the novel both Bill Sikes and Fagin die, while Oliver finds happiness and security.  The book makes the reader aware of Victorian society, the sheer terror of the workhouse and bullying within that society. Charles Dickens uses a range of techniques to present the bullies within the novel. He uses a wide range of language, sarcasm and irony throughout. Charles Dickens emphasises many types of bullying and throughout his novel highlights episodes of violence and bullying which most of Victorian society accepted.

Moral Dilemma

Amy is a sweet six year old girl from our neighborhood and she had always played with my dog when she got home from preschool. I was friends with her mother and she was already familiar with me which meant that I did not have to establish rapport to interview her. I sought permission from the parents if I may use her responses to a moral dilemma in my course assignments and they gave their consent. Amy is a precocious child, she likes to play with the neighborhood kids and she can argue even with those older than her when she wants to prove a point. I was trying to devise a moral dilemma that was fitted for her age and reality and I thought of using my dog in it so she would be more able to relate. One afternoon, right after school, I asked Amy the following: Suppose you were playing in this yard, and you saw that Boo had been wandering in the neighbor’s lawn and you saw him made a mess in the lawn. You know that the neighbors might get angry with it but since you really love Boo and he might get in to trouble if you tell the neighbors that he made a mess in their lawn you do not say anything. Now that the neighbors had found out about it and they suspected that the other neighbor’s dog did it and they were actually going to have the dog arrested. What would you do? After some thought, Amy asked me whether the police would really arrest the dog after making a mess in the neighbor’s backyard and although I was actually trying hard not to laugh, I told her that in this city they do. Amy fell silent and thought for a while, and then she said, I  guess I have to tell because the police will find out and I might get arrested too. I then asked her, what if the police question you; will you tell then or not? Amy replied that she would not lie  because God would be angry with her. I also told her, what if the neighbor’s won’t be angry, will she still tell? Amy replied that she would not because no one had asked her and she would not want Boo to get into trouble. I also asked her whether what Boo did was bad and does she not think not telling I bad? Amy said that what Boo did was not wrong or bad because dogs are really like that and she did not think that not telling was bad either because no one asked her. I must admit that Amy’s responses had me confused and I was reading Kohlberg’s moral stages of development and I tried to determine at what stage Amy was, even if she was just 6 years old, she had some pretty logical responses like when she said that Boo was not bad because dogs really do mess on lawns and that she was not bad because she did not lie at all, it was that no one asked her. She made it clear that if someone asks her, then she would tell the truth because she would not want God to be angry with her. Using Kohlberg’s stages of moral development, I will try to examine Amy’s responses fully. According to Kohlberg, moral development proceeds in a successive pattern and each moral reasoning is distinct from the other, although some people may resort to an earlier moral reasoning stage to examine a moral dilemma (Boyd & Bee, 2006). For example, a child is said to be in the first stage of moral development which Kohlberg calls precoventional morality and wherein the child’s moral reasoning is determined by punishment and authority. An older child  may be oriented towards conventional morality where a certain amount of goodness is ascribed to actions that benefit family members or society would still use the authority and punishment orientation if the situation presents itself. With Amy’s responses it is clear that she was still in the first stage. She was not going to lie because God would be angry with her, this to her meant that God punishes all children who lie and since God is all knowing and sees her actions then God would be able to tell whether she was saying the truth or not. This clearly indicates the orientation to think in terms of authority and punishment. Amy was more likely to have been told numerous times that lying is bad and even if no one would know that one is lying, God is able to tell who is lying or not thus it does not make sense to lie at all. It is also noteworthy that Amy uses the word lie to not saying the truth but to refer to not saying anything as not telling. This implies that Amy is able to distinguish to a certain degree when a wrong is committed, lying is bad but not telling is not bad. An older child might argue that not telling is the same as lying but then it is probably an influence of Amy’s environment and the people she interact with. On the other hand, when Amy said that Boo was not wrong at all because he was a dog and dog naturally make messes in the lawn tells me that she actually has a fairly good idea about how man and animals are different and how dogs are not governed by the moral reasoning of man (Sandstrom, Martin & Fine, 2006). This is actually reflects the second stage in Kohlberg’s reasoning, although the subject is Boo, it still shows that Amy is able to discern that punishment is a risk that one has to avoid. For example, she said that she did not want Boo to get into to  trouble so she would not tell. This meant that she did not want Boo to be punished and she has a role in it, but if she was going to be the one punished or someone else’s dog then that would not be right and therefore she just have to say the truth so she won’t get punished. Amy also was probably in the outset of the third stage of moral development, she was trying to protect Boo and had given Boo a sense of identity and feelings by saying that Boo would be in trouble and arresting Boo would not be right. Amy was maintaining good interpersonal relationships, she thought that by protecting Boo she was being good to Boo and since she liked Boo she was obligated to protect Boo’s welfare. However, since she argued that if someone asked her about Boo’s crime, she would not lie is still in the obedience stage. The whole exercise had made me think that Kohlberg was probably right in saying that moral development proceeds in distinct patterns. But I would argue that it is not as strictly hierarchical as Kohlberg claim it to be. We know that stage theories presuppose that one stage leads to another and that a person cannot be able to proceed to the next stage if he/she does not go through the first one (Crain, 2005). This is actually true, but the stages are more fluid and a person can gravitate from one stage to another. It does not indicate moral maturity or highly ethical principles but it just shows how people progress in their moral thinking. Amy at 6 years old is quite adept at making her point about lying and not lying and about being punished and God being angry with her. But it also revealed that she is capable of higher thinking processes  that are actually rational even for a 6 year old like her. Kohlberg also said that the stages of moral development is influenced by the socialization process (Kohlberg, 1986), and in effect is merely a product of how a child is socialized into thinking about what is wrong and what is right. Amy comes from a very religious family and God is an ever present element in their house that it is no wonder that Amy think of God like that. It could also be that because Amy is still young, and her parents might think that she would be more obedient to God than to other authority figures and therefore has inculcated in her mind that God punishes liars. In the end, moral development is actually more a function of how a child is reared and trained, it is the parent’s role to instill moral values and train them into thinking morally right. References Boyd, D. & Bee, H. (2006). Lifespan Development 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Crain, W. (2005). Theories of Development: Concepts and Applications 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Kohlberg, L. (1986). The Philosophy of Moral Development. San Francisco: Harper and Row. Sandstrom, K., Martin, D. & Fine, G. A.   (2006). Symbols, Selves, and Social Reality 2nd ed. Los Angeles: Roxbury Press   

Global Communications Generic Benchmarking Paper

Global Communications Generic Benchmarking Paper Benchmarking: Global Communications PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 1Running head: GENERIC BENCHMARKING: GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONSGeneric Benchmarking: Global CommunicationsUniversity of PhoenixGeneric Benchmarking: Global CommunicationsAnalysisGlobal Communications is one of many companies facing tremendous economic pressure in today's market. Many companies are looking for ways to decrease costs, and increase their profits. A common practice used today is looking at the best practices of other companies to find creative ways to improve your own. This process, called generic benchmarking, has proven to be very effective. In this paper, the six companies that were examined to find solutions for Global Communications were NEC Corporation of America, Nitsuko Corporation, Sears Holding Corporation, Pier One Imports, Fed EX, and Whirlpool. Each company had their own unique issues, but was similar in the fact that they all recognized the need for change, and found creative ways to overcome their problem s, and the result was a stronger, more efficient business.Sears (Water) TowerIn trying to find the best practices of each of these companies, each one had to be closely examined. This paper will focus on the issues each company was facing, how they overcame them, and how the solutions used by these companies could be beneficial to Global Communications as well.Company SynopsisFederal Express by Ernest Adams IIIThe importance of open communications is underscored by the fact that business leaders cited good communications as the single most important factor in improving workforce productivity in another survey conducted by Watson Wyatt Worldwide (2001, Best Practices). More companies are beginning to find that people are the foundation of a company's success and FedEx is no exception. By communicating with their employees, FedEx has built a company with employees who are well informed and, in turn, perform well as a result.After earnings...

Learn How to Conjugate Tourner (to Turn) in French

Learn How to Conjugate Tourner (to Turn) in French If you guessed that the French verb  tourner  means to turn, you would be correct. The similarities between the English and French make it easy to remember. French students will be happy to know that this is a regular verb, so conjugating it isnt too difficult, either. The Basic Conjugations of  Tourner Among all the French verb conjugations you can study, tourner falls into the largest category. As a regular -er verb, the conjugation pattern you see here is the same for the majority of French verbs, including retourner (to return), tomber (to fall), and countless others. Consider studying a few at a time to make each just a little easier to remember. To begin, the indicative mood includes the basic forms of  tourner. Here you will find the present, future, and imperfect past tenses, which you will use frequently in French conversations. Start by recognizing the verb stem (or radical) as  tourn-. From there, use the chart to learn which ending is applied that corresponds to both the subject pronoun and the tense of your sentence. You will get results such as  je tourne  (I am turning) and  nous tournerons  (we will turn). Present Future Imperfect je tourne tournerai tournais tu tournes tourneras tournais il tourne tournera tournait nous tournons tournerons tournions vous tournez tournerez tourniez ils tournent tourneront tournaient The Present Participle of  Tourner As with all regular -er  verbs, the  present participle  is formed by adding  -ant  to the radical. This produces the word  tournant. Tourner  in the Compound Past Tense You will use the  past participle  tournà © and an auxiliary verb when forming the  passà © composà ©Ã‚  of  tourner. This is the compound past tense used often in French.   To form it, conjugate  avoir  to the present tense, then add  tournà ©. This results in things like  jai tournà ©Ã‚  (I turned) and  nous avons tournà ©Ã‚  (we turned). More Simple Conjugations of  Tourner Your use of  tourner  in French conversations will have a good foundation if you concentrate on the forms above. It will be even better if you know  the subjunctive  and  the conditional  forms. Each has their use in further defining your meaning: the subjunctive questions the act of turning and the conditional says its dependent on conditions. In written French, it is very likely that you will find  the passà © simple  and  the imperfect subjunctive. While they may not be used frequently, they are still good to know. Subjunctive Conditional Pass Simple Imperfect Subjunctive je tourne tournerais tournai tournasse tu tournes tournerais tournas tournasses il tourne tournerait tourna tournt nous tournions tournerions tournmes tournassions vous tourniez tourneriez tourntes tournassiez ils tournent tourneraient tournrent tournassent When you want to tell someone to Turn! or use  tourner  in similarly direct sentences,  the  imperative  is used. This is where you can skip the subject pronoun and simplify it to Tourne ! Imperative (tu)              tourne (nous)     Ã‚  tournons​​ (vous)        tournez

HR AND LEADERSHIP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

HR AND LEADERSHIP - Essay Example DuBrin (2011) have pointed out that organizational change is organic in nature, which means that leaders and managers need to ensure that the change process includes the employees in the organizational rather than banking on resource and process deployment. Hence, it can be surmised that change management is direction oriented process, which means that, managers and in some cases leaders need to take the responsibility to move the organizational change. On the other hand, research work of DuBrin (2011) shows that organizational change can be three types, 1- strategic- which is relatively low human resource driven, 2- tactical- which is relatively high human resource driven and 3- operational- which requires extensive amount of human resource involvement. Careful observation of the research work of DuBrin (2011) shows that, whatever the strategic orientation of change management, one thing remains constant that is the involvement of managers and leaders for giving the direction to the change. Research works of previous research scholars regarding organizational change and role of leaders have forced the researcher to raise a pertinent question, is there any strategic relationship between leadership dimension and success of organizational change management process? Well, throughout the essay, the researcher will try to find answer of this question with the help theoretical argument of various research scholars and in some cases taking help of real world business cases. At this point of the essay, one thing needs to be clarified that the essay will not use any subjective view to establish the relationship between engagement of leaders and success of change management rather the study will take conjectural view on the research topic. In the next part, the study will try to understand different aspects of change management process. It is essential to know why an organization changes in order to understand how leaders and managers can help the organization to incorpo rate the change. Understanding the macro dynamics of change can help the researcher to understand why some organizations implement successful change management process while others fail to do so. The question may arise that is there any magic formulae or special skill which bifurcate winners from losers in context to change management process. Tichy (1983) has identified that leader’s capability to cope with macro environmental challenges and use organizational learning concept in order to change the existing system. According to the research work of Tichy (1983), leaders and managers need to identify three forces such as economic forces, cultural forces and political forces in order to incorporate organizational change in accordance with the magnitude of these three forces. (Source: Tichy, 1983) According to the above mentioned triangular model, organizations develop three types of systems such as technical systems, cultural systems and political system in order to incorpora te change. Gone are the days when organizations can expect that it would achieve competitive advantage by using age old technologies. Organizations have understood the fact that they need to integrate state of art technology in order to deliver better value proposition to customers, decrease cost of operation, and achieve economies of scale etc. The study will use the example of Toyota

Scientific method of colors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Scientific method of colors - Essay Example It is interesting to know that the human mind is closely associated to colors. In fact colors have an effect on human behavior as well which is termed as color psychology. Colors have negative effects Studies have confirmed that certain color such as red is highly distractive and arousal in nature and can cause avoidance behavior is people whereas people tend to feel drowsy and sleepy when associated with the color blue (Jalil et al, 2012, p59). It is not only the emotional mind which is affected by colors but color also affect ones memory as well. Studies have shown that both consistency of colors and the right color combination helps in enhancing memory (Dzulkifli and Mustafar, 2013, p.3) Color is also associated with the mood of a person. An angry person would show more preference to colors such as orange or red while a calm person would prefer blue or green. Thus color coding for products or advertisements is often used by marketing strategists to allure consumers. Procedia-Social and Behavorial sciences, 2012,35:54-62. Retrieved from http://ac.els-cdn.com/S1877042812003746/1-s2.0-S1877042812003746-main.pdf?_tid=3b696f3e-582e-11e4-8f22-00000aacb35e&acdnat=1413791811_90d18bbb7bf2382abfcd1578c3788340 on 19 October,

English - reading and writing assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

English - reading and writing assignment - Essay Example Reading it helps us grow intellectually and emotionally. If we are learning a language, reading helps us learn new words and discover different ways of using them. Reading literature also expands our horizons, as it brings us to different places, cultures, and time, and introduces us to diverse characters that we would have not known within our own lifetime. Literature enables us to respond to human struggles and dreams. At the same time, reading literature also helps us learn more about ourselves, our culture, and the society we live in. Roberts underscores that our interpretations of literature reveal our innermost desires, values, and goals too. It also makes us more aware of our society and the ills and good in it. Indeed, literature â€Å"makes us human† (2). Writing about literature entails an active engagement with the text. It requires following the work and identifying meaningful details and implications. We use our own knowledge and experience to check the authenticity and meaning of the plot and dialogues. Writing down notes is one way of responding to the text while reading it. These notes can be the spring of our thesis and supporting arguments. Writing about literature basically means explaining what the text means through a focused argument. The analysis shows the reader’s thought process, as well as how he/she plans to describe and defend his/her ideas and arguments. Writing requires having an argumentative position and supporting details from the text and sometimes, even other sources, to effectively show that all our points lead to our thesis. In a sample essay about â€Å"The Necklace,† Roberts explains how de Maupassant uses setting to describe and explain Mathilde’s character. The thesis stresses that Mathilde grows as a person and this growth can be seen through descriptions of her apartment, dreams about elegant rooms in a mansion, and her attic flat. Three topic sentences are presented, which support the

Green Banking: An Evaluation on Rupali Bank Limited

Green Banking: An Evaluation on Rupali Bank Limited Green Banking- Way to Sustainable Development: An Evaluation on Rupali Bank Limited Introduction Background of the study Green banking is a process of promoting environment friendly practices by different banking activities. Bangladesh is a most climate change vulnerable country in the world and green banking is a tool for acquiring reputation. Green bankers are concerned about sustainable development and it is a special agenda to take care of environment of the earth. Green banking is a proactive and effective step with a vision for future sustainability. Green banking activities are sustainable banking, ethical banking, green money market account, mobile banking, waste management, remote deposit and green financing. Green banking focuses on green transformation of internal operations of all banks. Bangladesh falls into the group of most climate change countries in the world comparison with other developing and developed countries. Bangladesh Bank issued green banking policy guideline in February 2011 to conduct environment friendly banking activities in the country. According to these guidelines, all financial institutions and banks need to take effective measures to conduct environment friendly banking activities in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Bank issued a common reporting format to all commercial banks to report green banking activities in a structured way. Banks and other financial institutions have to submit a quarterly report to Bangladesh Bank on their performance of green banking activities. According to green banking policy of Bangladesh bank, banks have to determine vision, mission and strategic planning covering in house green banking activities like follow green architecture, use energy saving technologies, reduce dependency on grid power and green financing practices l ike providing green loan to promote solar energy, bio gas plants, develop green banking products for clients, increase online and mobile banking etc. Rupali Bank Limited performs several green banking activities like in house environment management, green financing like installation of EFT, Bio gas plant, establishment of solar panel etc. Rupali Bank Limited also involves in green marketing activities to ensure environment friendly activities like plant tree, finance in environment friendly projects, pay bill via online, be paperless etc. Objectives of the study There have been some objectives set forward in doing this report. These objectives help to determine Bank’s green banking activities to maintain sustainable development growth. The objective of the report can be divided into two parts- Broad Objective: To identify the degree of green banking activities of Rupali Bank To identify the further scope of green banking activities for Rupali Bank Specific Objective: To get an overall idea about the green banking policy and green banking unit To identify funds for green banking activities of Rupali Bank Limited To identify others green banking activities like online banking, in house environment management activities, incorporation of ERM, CSR activities, green financing, green marketing etc Rationale of the study Climate change is the most complicated issues in global world and Bangladesh is one of the most climate change vulnerable country in the world. Climate change has compelled us to think about protection of environment and conservation of energy. To reduce pollution and save energy, green banking activities are very important in Bangladesh as well as in the whole world. I have chosen the topic titled â€Å"Green Banking- Way to Sustainable Development: An Evaluation on Rupali Bank Limited† for providing overall ideas about green banking activities, green banking policy, green banking unit of Rupali Bank Limited. This study topic is very worthy of study because it provides guidelines of green banking activities, procedures and ways to sustainable development in Bangladesh. Scope of the study This report has been prepared for determining green banking activities of Rupali bank and how it helps to increase sustainable growth. Overall knowledge of green banking activities of Rupali bank limited has been determined by this study. Several procedures and ways of sustainable growth are found by determining appropriate green banking activities of Rupali bank Limited. Further scope of green banking activities of Rupali bank ltd also critically analyzed in this study. Limitations of the study Almost every study report has to face some limitations in its completion. I also face some constraints to make this report. These constraints are described here. Time constraints Covering the entire Green Banking performance of the bank was a difficult task within the time allowed for the internship program. I have to complete this report within 5 to 6 weeks. So I have not included all aspects of green banking activities in this report. Lack of published materials I do not get available information about green banking activities in Rupali bank in their websites and personally contracted with their office. As a result this report is in lack of some specific information about their green banking activities. Lack of experience To make a comprehensive report of green banking activities and determine ways to sustainable development, I require a great deal of experience and banking knowledge. As a BBA student, I do not have that kind of knowledge and experience. Organization of the report This report will be described about overall activities, scope, problems and some possible solutions of green banking activities of Rupali bank limited. Introduction part describes rationale of the study, scope of the study and main limitations of this study. 2nd part is literature part and literature part is evaluative report of information found in the literature related to my selected area of the study: Green banking- Way to sustainable development: an Evaluation on Rupali Bank limited. In Methodology part of the report, I will be provided an accurate description of the materials and procedures used to develop this study. This study will be both quantitative and qualitative study because different facts and figures are needed to discussed and analyzed here. Organizational overview is the next step of developing this study. In this stage, descriptions of Rupali bank limited like history, mission, vision, present conditions of bank will be provided. In Findings and discussion stage, the results of this study will be found in summary basis and this result will be presented descriptively by using tables, graphs or figures. In discussion section, I critically evaluate my findings and assess the accuracy, representativeness and significance of findings. Conclusion and recommendation part will be described the outcomes of this study and given some suggestions for further research action to be taken. 1 | Page What Is Game Based Learning? An Evaluation What Is Game Based Learning? An Evaluation Many people believe that gaming is addictive and can lead to violence, a belief that is not substantiated by research. Researchers have shown that the source of behavioral problems of young people who play video games comes from elsewhere. One study found that people who play video games spend just as much time reading, doing homework or participating in other social activities as people who do not play games at all. This raises the question: can video games be used for learning in the classroom and would they have positive results? When education starts to feel dull, we are not being engaged or motivated, which means we are not really learning. According to Foreman we can look at the lecture as an example. With all the technology being thrown at young people today, they are going to say, why am I sitting in this lecture listening to this person? Learning is just not memorization; it means the act or process of acquiring knowledge or skill. Students do not need to spend more time in the classroom to learn how to think and perform. They need effective, engaging experiences that can motivate them in the learning process. Educational games can be a powerful tool for teaching and learning. These games are used to reinforce learning, they offer immediate feedback, recurring gratification and prolong the interest of learners. Why it works Game-based learning is a simple concept, where games are used as a learning tool to engage students. In Jane McGonigals book, a game is defined as an activity that has goals, rules, a feedback system, and voluntary participation (pg 100). Some pedagogical considerations that are derived from game based learning are that content and/or skills can enhance learning vs. traditional methods; Students can build their own games in order to learn and develop skills; They can use game mechanics in the learning environment, for example using levels instead of grades, coined gamification of the learning process. In 2003 author, James Paul Gee wrote the book, and in it he described the impact of cognitive development with game play. Gee developed 36 different learning principles that games being used in education should have. From these principles we can look at game based learning from two perspectives. The first is learning effectiveness. The second is engagement. When considering learning effectiveness, we can consider whether the game provides meaningful learning activity or whether the game is just a fun activity and does not necessarily lead to learning. We can look at what the learning outcomes are including memorization, knowledge, understanding, synthesis and creativity. For all these various learning outcomes, games can provide an enriched learning experience. The second perspective, the elements of engagement from Games Based Learning (GBL); we can ask does the game enhance learner motivation, does the game provide a fun learning experience? Is it interesting or is it a very tedious, boring learning experience? Does it add to learner concentration? Does it get the learners full attention? And finally learning by doing, games can provide an experience where the learner has to intensely engage in various activities. Where is it going? Over the last decade, research and interest in GBL has increased, as has the diversity of games themselves. Serious games and computer simulations offer an interesting context for learning because they both reinforce student motivation. Researchers found that students playing serious games or who participated in computer simulations were a lot more active as they manipulated objects. Students also had control over their actions and were more engaged in their learning. Researchers found that animation in the games increased motivation, and that students were more likely to return to activities that included animated graphics. They also found that serious games support inductive, experiential learning, with a genuine constructivism approach. Online gaming provides a context for adaptive learning, because they allow for multiple personalized paths or itineraries. Communication among players also introduces a social aspect that opens doors to knowledge acquisition with peers. Challenged- based and collaborative games are an emerging category of games that seem particularly appropriate for higher education. These games allow students to use skills for research, collaboration, problem solving, writing, leadership, digital literacy and many more. They are open-ended and occur in both online and non-digital forms. Games will undoubtedly evolve in the future and therefore GBL will also need to evolve, we are seeing new types of gaming, such as alternate reality games, social/mobile games, we are also seeing innovative new ways to use GBL. Conclusion Game-based learning has gained more traction in recent years and is becoming more accessible with many benefits. Game-based learning can make learning more situated, contextualized and personalized. GBL can be used for learning content and skills, including 21st century skills like innovative problem solving and collaboration. GBL can even be used for practicing and honing existing skills. Game based-learning engages students, and if students are engaged they will embrace learning rather than view it as a tedious boring learning experience. AC Voltammetry: Principles, Advantages and Disadvantages AC Voltammetry: Principles, Advantages and Disadvantages Name TEH YU JIE (K) NOOR HASIRA BINTI SAMSUDIN NUR NADIAH BINTI ABU BAKAR NUR NIQMAH BINTI MUSA NUR SYAHIRAH BINTI KHAIRUDDIN KHANG EE WEN INTRODUCTION Nobel Prize winning chemist Jaroslav Heyrovskà ½ facilitated voltammetry by the discovery of polarography by in the year of 1922. Alternative current voltammetry was invented in 1950s and developed intensively by D.E Smith. Alternative current (AC) voltammetry is an accurate electroanalysis method and combination with preconcentration will enhance the sensitivities of this analytical techniques. AC Voltammetry generally involves in the application of a sinusodially oscillating voltage to an electrochemical cell. The AC experiment is used in conjunction with a fixed amplifier or frequency analyser which will increase sensitivity considerably over the early described techniques. AC voltammetry can also reveal the important of mechanistic and kinetic information which is not easily available when using the tradition voltammetric techniques. Measurement of AC voltammetric is usually used in an electrochemical cell and the dominate mode of transport is diffusion. A steady DC signal or voltage sweep will often combined with the AC voltage. The following figure shows a cyclic voltammetric signal with an AC perturbation. Alternating potential usually has a frequency of 50-100Hz and 10-20mV amplitude. The AC signal causes a perturbation in the surface concentration and DC potential ramp maintained the concentration. The resulting AC current is plotted against the potential. For example, voltammogram appears a peak, the potential of which is the same as the polarographic half-wave potential. At this region, the sinusoid has maximum impact on the surface concentration like on the current. For a reversible system, such a response is actually the derivative of the DC polarographic response. The concentration of the analyte is proportional to the height of the AC voltammetric peak and for a reversible reaction to the square root of the frequency (ω), the term is the amplitude. WORKING PRINCIPLE AC Voltammetry typically involves the application of a sinusodially oscillating voltage to a electrochemical cell. When used in conjuction in the ac experiment with a lock in amplifier or frequency analyser. It offers a considerably increased sensitivity compared to the early described techniques. It can also reveal necessary mechanistic and kinetic information that are not easily available by using some other tradition voltammetric techniques.Usually, diffusion is perfomed as it was the dominate mode of transport. The AC voltage is often combined with either a steady DC signal or voltage sweep. There are three component steps involved in an electrochemical process, mass transport,chemical and adsorption steps and electron transfer. They all are actually contribute to the total potential drop across the cell. If an AC current flows, it will be necessary to distinguish purely ohmic resistance from non-ohmic,complex and normally frequency dependent resistance(often term impedance).Besides,treatment of the AC response of electrochemical cells will follow the pathway with initially a general treatment. The treatment of the two simpler cases of purely diffusion controlled and purely electrochemically controlled reactions will be conducted. Under AC measurements,there are 5 methods: Influence of transport processes on the ac impedances of an electrochemical cell. Equivalent circuit for an electrode-diffusion-limited reaction.(the circuit elements describing the flow of ac current through an electrode comprises an electron transfer resistance,Rà ¡Ã‚ ´Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ and Warburg impedance,Zà ¡Ã‚ ´Ã‚ ¡ in series. AC impedance of an electrode where the electron transfer process is rate limiting. Logarithmic or bode plot representations. Electrode reactions under mixed control Alternating current bridges use the principle of balance between the variable impendance, ZS and an electrochemical cell under study. An electrode process normally consists of a resistance RS in series with a capacitance CS. The resistance includes the resistive components of the electrode process of the solution and the capacitance is due to the working electrode. A combination of capacitance and resistance has been used in parallel. The analysis is more carried out in these conditions in terms of admittance Y=1/Z Potentiostat is more convenient to use when it is important to apply a d.c potential to the cell in addition to the a.c perturbation. Potentiostat is simultaneously applies the d.c potential and the detection rather than conventional detector. It is good stability in the applied potential and accuracy for wide range of frequencies while the electronic component of the potentiostat is only limited by these characteristics. This arrangement is known as a potentiostatic bridge. The accuracy of bridges at high frequencies are depends on cell design. This is due to the ions are moving faster than the time needed for rearrangement of the ionic atmosphere and occur above 10 MHZ . The technique is actually very similar to the normal frequencies but it was also time consuming. This technique also has a disadvantage such as the impendance of the whole cell is measured. In the investigation of electrode process the disadvantage when one is interested in the properties of one of electrode. By using an auxiliary electrode with an area large relative to that electrode, it is possible to reduce the contribution of the unwanted components. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES AC Voltammetry is one of the techniques based on the analysis of faradaic impedance. A low-amplitude sinusoidal voltage is given to the working electrode, which is also established at some DC voltage with regard to the reference electrode. Because of the difference in the time scale, the AC component of the total current can be readily differentiated from the DC component. The kinetic parameters can be carried out either from the amplitude of each current or from the phase angle between the AC current and AC voltage (C.G Zoski, 2007). The significant advantage of AC Voltammetry is that it allows relatively easy evaluation of the solution resistance and double layer capacity. Without simplifying assumptions the analysis of faradaic impedance even for a simple response is quite complicated. The commonly used assumption is that the DC and as components of the total current can be uncoupled is reasonable because AC Voltammetry is typically applied to measure fast electrode kinetics. The other advantage of voltammetry as quantitative method of analysis is its capability for analyzing two or more analytes in a single sample. As long as the components behave independently, the resulting voltammetry for a multi component mixture is a summation of their respective individual voltammograms. Voltammetry has been used for the quantitative analysis of a wide variety of samples, including environmental samples, clinical samples, pharmaceutical formulations, steels, gasoline, and oil. Some advantages and disadvantages are specified in the form of accuracy, precision, sensitivity and selectivity. The accuracy of a voltammetric analysis usually is limited by ability to correct for residual currents, particularly those due to charging. For an analyte at the parts-per-million level, an accuracy of  ±1–3% is routine. Accuracy decreases when analysing samples with significantly smaller concentrations of analyte. Precision is generally limited by the uncertainty in measuring the limiting current or the peak current. Under most conditions, a precision of  ±1–3% is reasonable. One exception is the analysis of ultratrace analytes in complex matrices by stripping Voltammetry, in which the precision may be as poor as  ±25%. In many voltammetric experiments, we can improve the sensitivity by adjusting the experimental conditions. For example, in stripping voltammetry we can improve sensitivity by increasing the deposition time, by increasing the rate of the linear potential scan, or by using a differential-pulse technique. One reason that potential pulse techniques are popular is that they provide an improvement in current relative to a linear potential scan. Lastly, selectivity in voltammetry is determined by the difference between half-wave potentials or peak potentials, with a minimum difference of  ±0.2–0.3 V for a linear potential scan and  ±0.04–0.05 V for differential pulse voltammetry. We often can improve the selectivity by adjusting solution conditions. The addition of a complexion legend, for example, can substantially shift the potential where a species are oxidized or reduced to a potential where it no longer interferes with the determination of an analyte. Other solution parameters, such as pH, also can be used to improve selectivity ( D.Harvey,2000). COMPARISON OF AC VOLTAMMETRY WITH OTHER TYPES OF VOLTAMMETRY Voltammetry is a category for electro analytical method mostly used in analytical chemistry and various industry processes. Consist a lot of example of voltammetry that been used such linear sweep voltammetry, staircase voltammetry, square wave voltammetry. Others example like cyclic voltammetry consist of method that can be used to determine diffusion coefficient and half-cell reduction potentials. Anodic stripping voltammetry are also the example of voltammetry that are quantitative analytical method for trace analysis of metal cations. Then, cathodic stripping voltammetry are also as example of this voltammetry that are quantitative analytical method for trace analysis of anions. Other than that, adsorptive stripping voltammetry is a quantitative and analytical method for trace analysis. Alternating current voltammetry and polarography in example of voltammetry that polarography is a subclass of voltammetry where the working electrode is a dropping mercury electrode that useful for its wide cathodic range. Lastly, rotated electrode voltammetry is a hydrodynamic technique in which the working electrode. This technique is useful for studying the kinetics and electrochemical reaction mechanism for a half reaction. Then, the normal pulse voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry and chronoamperometry. RESEARCH IN AC VOLTAMMETRY Ac voltammetry is a method that seldom used on the determination of elemental elements. In general principle, the determinations are usually done is a more conventional way, that is by connecting two electron reversible electrochemical process. During the process, the mercury is oxidized to form mercury (II) ions and the electrode surface will formed at the electrode surface. In this research, we will be analyzing elemental sulfur with AC voltammetry. Generally speaking, the elemental sulfur will undergo the chemical pretreatment. For example, the process with solvent such as ethanol and toluene-methanol or methanol-pyridine. The process involved mostly organic solvent. Why the process is carried out with pretreatment but not direct determination? This is because the aqueous solutions mostly contain too less elemental sulfur to be determined. To overcome the problem, some scientist suggest that using acidification of sample to pH 5 and then with electrochemical treatment. The method itself has a higher detection rates compared to the previous one, but actually still too low for economical values.According to Batuna (1992), they try to determine the elemental sulfur by using direct determination method. And the source is natural water. The researchers are conducting the research using phase sensitive ac voltammetry because the instrument is easier to be found in the laboratory in the author’s lab. The research continues with using a PAR Model 303A static mercury drop electrode from EG G Princeton Applied Research. It was connected to a BAS-100A electrochemical analyser from Bioanalytical System that located in the West Lafayatte. They used a reference electrode of Ag/AgCl and an auxillary electrode of platinum. The instrument takes the measurement at 80 Hz and a modulation scan rate of 1 mV s-1. The temperature of the conditions was at room temperature. The solutions were deaerated for 15 minutes by using nitrogen gas and then doubly distilled and filtered with the Milli-Q filter. All measurement was actually made at the pH 10 to prevent the formation of volatile H2S. The stock solution was prepared from using the reaction between elemental sulfur and toluene. The solutions have to be prepared just before the measurements were made. This is because to prevent contamination and more complete reaction can be conducted. PAR Model 303A static mercury drop electrode RESULTS The determination of sulphide in aqueous solution are based on the insoluble mercury (II) sulphide during the accumulation period at potential more positive than ca- 0.58V. Hg + S2- à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   HgS + 2e A and B were showing the typical ac voltammogram of sulphide in 0.5 moldm-3 NaCl-NaOH. C is a negative going scans of 110-6 moldm-3 after 0-300s accumulation at a potential 0.5V. D shows that positive going scans of 110-4 moldm-3 sulphide after 0-120s accumulation at a potential at 0.8 V. The difference between the peaks obtained using negative- and positive-going scan directions are more favor to the negative direction. It is also important to note that there is actually no effect of accumulation under conditions on the peak height obtained with a positive-gong scan . This agrees well with the explanation that during the positive-going scan, the anodlc dissolution of mercury occurs, which is proportional to the adsorbed sulphlde on the mercury electrode. REFERENCES Zoski,C., (2007), Handbook of Electrochemistry, Elsevier Publication, Amsterdam Netherland, pg 645.,Retrieved at 15/3/2014. Retrieved from http://books.google.com.my/books?id=2g5GJtBFwo0Cpg=PA645lpg=PA645dq=difference+between+ac+and+dc+voltammetrysource=blots=0PAeXF0kMSsig=ops4MLGzE7IfXoO2lN1p73jt4Aohl=ensa=Xei=XQknU_PeJsnIiAfXx4CQCgredir_esc=y#v=onepageqf=false Harvey, D., (2000), Modern Analytical Chemistry, McGraw Hills, United States of America, pg 508-527. Jurgen, (2003). Cyclic Voltammetry-Electrochemical spectroscopy. Angewandte Chemie 23(11),831–918.Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/anie.v23:11/issuetoc Carl,H, Andrew,V., (1998),Electrochemical Methods, Fundamental and application(2 ed.) pg 236-242 Brett,M. ,Oliveria,B.(1993),Electrochemistry Principles,Methods and Applications pg 225-227. Nikola , B. ,(1992)., Determination of elemental sulphur, sulphide and their mixtures in electrolyte solutions by a.c. voltammetry. Analytica Chimica Acta, 267(1), 157-164. Retrieved at 5/3/2014. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0003267092850182 Wang J. (2006).,Analytical Electrochemistry (3rd ed.). Hoboken, United States : John Wiley Sons, Inc AC voltammetry. (n.d.)., from University of Cambridge. Center for research in electrochemical science and technology: Retrieved March 9, 2014.,Retrieved from http://www.cheng.cam.ac.uk/research/groups/electrochem/JAVA/electrochemistry/ELEC/l6html/cvac.html

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Introduction I never knew John B. Thompson is a writer in the field of social science and sociology until I read one of his books. He is the author of the book: The Media and Modernity: A Social Theory of the Media. As a professor of sociology and a fellow of Jesus College in Cambridge, he brings out the aspect of social science in the media through in his book. The book is among the most interesting books I have ever read because Thompson explains the relationship between media and modernity using the social theory of the media. As I went through the contents of the book, I could easily see how he uses his study of communication in social contexts. Summary and Analysis In the book, Thompson makes it easy for the reader to understand mass communication in depth. He focuses on the application of mass communication in the contemporary times. He begins by defining the word ‘mass’ in which he argues that the media today does not target the mass but niche markets. I agree with him on the fact that the term ‘mass’ is misleading. It appeals to a vast audience composed of millions of individuals. He uses the most popular day newspaper as an example to illustrate this argument. I see it in films and television programs too. The society that I live in has several categories of audiences. In all social gatherings such as church meetings and cases where the target group of distinct information consists of specific character traits, I normally observe what Thomson refers to as ‘undifferentiated individuals’ (Thomson13). As I read the book, I got some insight on the use of the word ‘communication’. At first, I could not understand what Thomson meant by â€Å"overwhelmingly one way† (Thomson 14), until he contrasted it with face-to-face communicatio... ...n to me. Through the book, one can easily see himself of herself in the description of the society today. Conclusion This is a resourceful book that I would highly recommend to individuals who desire to understand the original theory of the media and how it has affected the modern world. Security agencies and managers in the information departments can learn a lot from the book. It also shows the developments in the media industry from the emergence of printing to the recent media characterized by cutting edge technology. Thompson’s book is a perfect remedy for media-related challenges in the modern world because it explains with real-life examples how mass communication has developed over time. Even though the book offers a few suggestions about the future development of mass communication, a reader can certainly tell that it can only get better and more personal.