Part IV: Condensed Version

As an overview, Cleanthes is described as a philosopher that has a calm disposition. Demea is the one more concerned in the cause of religion. Philo is the arbiter or mediator between the ideas presented by Cleanthes and Demea. Cleanthes was wondering why Demea was insisting that the Deity had no resemblance to humans in terms of human mind and understanding. For Cleanthes, the Deity has powers that humans cannot comprehend, for that is its nature––unexplainable. Though incomprehensible, Cleanthes recognized the Deity as a supreme being.Cleanthes also questioned Demea what was the difference of those who believed in the Deity and those who were Sceptics or Atheists. Atheists believed that the first cause of all was an unknown being. Atheists do not recognize the existence of a Deity. Atheists have boldness. Not only they had rejected the production by a mind, they also pretend to assign intelligible cause. Demea replied and commented that Cleanthes had presented his tho ughts concerning the Deity with criticism instead of reasoning.Demea presented the comparison between the Deity and humans since Cleanthes said that the Deity is similar to the way humans think and understand. A human mind is filled with ideas, feelings, passions, and different faculties. And the human mind varies from one person to another. Though they vary from one another, the ideas they presented have form or order. The Deity has a perfect nature. He is able to see into the past, into the present, and into the future. Also, unlike the human mind that can change from one instance to another, the Deity has a fixed and firmed decision.The presence of the Deity is felt by those who believe in it. He is present everywhere, unlike humans who can only exist in one place at a certain point in time. Cleanthes again commented based on Demea’s words. With the way Demea explained, Cleanthes said that those â€Å"who maintain the perfect simplicity of the Supreme Being† were co nsidered Atheists, yet they were unaware of it. For if we recognized the existence of the Deity, and since we know that his characteristics are incomprehensible, humans must give the Deity the respect he deserves.As humans, it is but natural to give due respect to the Deity. However, humans who do not give due respect to the Deity are diverging to the accustomed way of the Deity’s nature. It all bois down to human mind and the way it perceives things. Those who do not respect the Deity have restricted their minds to think of ways to give glory to the Deity. A mind that thinks with simplicity cannot think of creative reasoning and normally inclined to what is common, or to something that has no uniqueness at all.Demea chose to believe in the â€Å"perfect simplicity† of the Deity. The way we defined simplicity does not describe the true nature of the Deity, for the Deity’s mind definitely does not think simply. Same with humans, the Deity’s way of thinking is complicated yet creative. Philo, upon hearing the exchange of ideas between Cleanthes and Demea, argued that in order to know â€Å"the cause of that Being whom you suppose the Author of Nature,† they could judge the matter by reason or by experience. With reasoning we are able to explain the cause of every idea we thought of.We explain things based on reasoning that involves a whole lot of mind thinking. With experience we are able to explain the cause based on what we had experienced or what others had experienced. And because experience differs from one person to another, no two individual can think exactly alike. In reasoning, the mental world and the material world both need a cause. In experience, the material world is much easier to comprehend than the mental world because the material world is tangible unlike the mental world or the world of ideas.Philo continued to argue that in order to understand the cause of the Author of Nature why not consider focusing on th e present material world. What is beyond the material world is vague and unknown. It is like saying to be contended on what we presently know about the Deity or God and do not worry ourselves on what is incomprehensible to us. The most important is that we know that there is a God. Philo added that some philosophers were ignorant and yet they disguised to know explanation to some matters.Such philosophers were called Peripatetics they would reason out and yet they were not really knowledgeable of the matter. They took advantage of those who were unaware of the matter. The matter on having an order in the ideas of the Supreme Being was an example. Some philosophers explained that having order is just one of the natures of the Deity. Cleanthes commented that Philo’s arguments were easy to answer. Cleanthes gave an example that if he were assigned cause for an event, would there be a problem if he could not tell the cause of that cause?For Cleanthes, knowing the Deity is the mos t important. He had stopped his inquiries and settled on the fact that there is a Deity. He did not push to knowing the cause or the order of the ideas of the Deity. For him, the existence of the Deity is what is more important. Believing on this fact is already enough. He would not busy himself on discovering what else should be known about the Deity. However, Cleanthes also said that those who would want to know what is beyond the existence of a Deity may do so.Philo said that he pretended not to be like Cleanthes who stopped thinking what lies ahead or what is beyond the existence of the Deity. Philo also pretended not to be like those who go and explore beyond to inquiry more of the existence of the Deity. Philo said he should have not attempted to expound on his arguments. Philo stressed that naturalists, with regard to the matter about the Deity, normally explain their ideas by giving out general causes.

Influences of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty in Restaurant Industry in Malaysia Essay

Malaysia is a rapidly developing country in Asia and economic growth is projected to moderate to 5. 2% in 2011 (Suzy, 2011). According to the World Bank Group, Malaysia GDP per capita is 14,215 USD, which is adjusted by purchasing power parity. This shows that the purchasing power and standard of living of the Malaysians is growing adequately. Consequently, Malaysians allocate largest amount of household expenditures to their food budgets (Nezakati et al. , 2011). In today’s fast changing social and lifestyle trends, more and more Malaysian households are eating outside due to time constraints. More women are involving in the working force. Parents are working all day long and they are no longer willing or able to spend some time in preparing dinner for the family at home after a tiring working day (Nezakati et al. , 2011; Jangga et al. , 2012). This is especially true in the big cities like Kuala Lumpur where the people spend most of their time working. Besides, the number of people dining out is increasing due to movement away from extended family hosueholds (Nezakati et al. , 2011). In addition, some families spend their weekend gathering with other family members in restaurants (Jangga et al., 2012). On the other hand, Generation Y (Refers to those who were born from 1979 to 1994 and under the age groups between 16 to 33 years old) prefers to eat outside or involve in social gathering activities at the restaurants (Kwek et al. , 2011). In the Chinese culture, restaurants are a common venue for social gatherings and business entertainment. Food consumption in restaurants provides an experience of excitement, celebration, and establishing social connections (Feng, 2003). The best option is to get a pleasant restaurant that could provide quality service and good dining experience. All these factors contribute to the great potential of the Malaysia’s restaurant industry in terms of profitability and economic growth. The restaurant industry is one of the key contributors for the service sector in Malaysia. The restaurant industry is relatively competitive in nature with stiff competition within the industry due to the arising of more local and foreign full service restaurants as well as the increasing number of new entrants offering differentiated food products and services (Voon, 2011). On the other hand, customers are becoming more demanding and their needs are rather diverse (Stevens et al., 1995; Kueh and Voon, 2007). With increasing competition within the restaurant industry, attracting new customers can no longer guarantee profits and success, but retaining existing customers is more vital to the success of the restaurant businesses (Shoemaker et al. , 1999; Anderson and Narus, 2004; Gee et al. , 2008; Haghighi et al. , 2012). Parasuraman et al. (1985) and Zeithaml et al. (1990) stated that the key strategy for the success and survival of any business is the delivery of quality service to customers, and this especially important in the service sectors like restaurant industry. The quality of service offered to the customers will influence customer satisfaction and attitudinal loyalty, which will then lead to success of the businesses (Ravichandran et al. , 2010). 2. 0Background of Research Customer service quality is a crucial source of distinctive competence and is often considered as a key success factor in sustaining competitive advantage in service industries (Palmer, 2001). Thus, the delivery of a higher level of service quality is a very important strategy by which service organizations can position themselves more effectively in the market place. The success of restaurant businesses relies on providing superior service quality, value, and customer satisfaction, which in turn enhances customer repeat patronage (Heskett et al. , 1997). The important relationships between service quality, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty have thus been an important area of research (Zeithaml et al. , 1996; Pettijohn et al. , 1997; Dabholker et al. , 2000; Sivas and Baker-Prewitt, 2000; Kueh and Voon, 2007; Qin and Prybutok, 2008). Parasuraman et al. (1994) emphasized that SERVQUAL is a lasting and reliable scale of service quality and it is applicable in an extensive spectrum of service domains such as financial institutions, libraries, hotels, medical centers and restaurants. Many researchers have tried to use SERVQUAL in different service domains such as medical services (Swartz & Brown, 1989; Lam, 1997), tourism (Tribe and Snaith, 1998; Atilgan et al. , 2003), libraries (Nitecki, 1996; Coleman et al. , 1997), banks (Angur et al. , 1993), restaurants and hotels (Hokey et al., 2002), and government services (Donnelly et al. , 1995). Past researches in the restaurant industry has identified several factors that determine the level of satisfaction experienced by customers when they visit full service restaurants. The factors are such as quality of food, service and physical environment (Han and Ryu, 2009), atmosphere of the restaurant (Ladhari et al. , 2008), service and delivery (Goyal and Singh, 2007), cleanliness and service quality (Lockyear, 2005), and appropriate cost and attentive service (Namkung and Jung, 2010). Most restaurant quality related studies have focused mostly on the ambience and service delivery as a core competency of a restaurant (Namkung and Jang, 2007). Ladhari et al. (2008) mentioned that service quality has the most significant effect on dining satisfaction, followed by product quality, hygiene, menu diversity, price-value and convenience. 3. 0Problem Statement What are the key service quality dimensions influencing the customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in Malaysia’s restaurant industry? 4. 0Research Objectives The main objectives of the study are: 1. To identify the key dimensions of service quality that affect customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in Malaysia’s restaurant industry. 2. To study the importance and impact of service quality on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in Malaysia’s restaurant industry. 3. To determine the current customer satisfaction and customer loyalty levels in Malaysia’s restaurant industry. 4. To recommend some guidelines for improvement of service quality from the customers’ perspective in Malaysia’s restaurant industry. 5. 0Justification of Research There is a lack of researches in measuring the service quality with the five generic dimensions of SERVQUAL in Malaysia’s restaurant industry. This has spurred on the interest of the study in identifying the importance of service quality from the customers’ perspective in Malaysia’s restaurant industry especially on the full service restaurants. This study will offer important practical implications especially in service quality for the Malaysia’s restaurant industry. This will provide the restaurateurs with detailed information in service quality to help them to identify the key service quality dimensions for success and competitiveness. This can help the restaurant managers and staffs to focus their efforts on improving customer perceptions of service quality and enhancing the dining experience of their customers. Due to the intensive competition in the restaurant industry, therefore, there is an urgent need to identify the key service quality dimensions influence the customer satisfaction and customer loyalty to their preferred full service restaurants which in turn increases patronage rates of their preferred restaurants. The focus of the study is mainly on the role of service quality adopted from SERVQUAL in the full service restaurants in Malaysia.

Black Swan Green Letter to a Poet

Through reading excerpts from Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke and Black Swan Green by David Mitchell, Rilke's counsel to the young poet applies greatly to the main character in David Mitchell's story, Jason Taylor. Both of the works are to poets from someone who is giving advice, however, Jason Taylor does not seek advice, while the young poet does. The advice given to the poets is similar and helpful to their cause.In Rilke's letter to the young poet, Rilke tells the poet that his poetry must be unique in style and words, â€Å"Don't write love poems; avoid those forms that re too facile and ordinary: they are the hardest to work with, and it takes a great, fully ripened power to create something individual†¦ â€Å"( from Letters to a Young Poet 34-36). This advice applies to Jason because Jason tries to make his poetry â€Å"pretty' with beautiful words to try and make them better. â€Å"Beautiful words ruin your poetry.A touch of beauty enhances a dish, but you throw a hill of it into the pot! † (Black Swan Green p. 147). Rilke's advice that beauty is within him and surrounding him by nature also applies to this. Instead of using beautiful words, work from things in nature, â€Å"For the creator must be a world for himself and must find everything in himself and in Nature.. † (LTAYP 6162) Rilke explains to the young poet in his letters that you need to be yourself in your poetry and bring yourself into it. If you're everyday life seems poor, don't blame it; blame yourself; admit to yourself that you are not enough of a poet to call forth its riches.. † (LTAYP 41-43). This advice to be yourself and find things within your life is advice that also applies to Jason Taylor. Jason already expresses ome emotion in his poetry, but he hides behind a pseudonym. Rilke's advice of being yourself in your poetry would assist Jason. By putting his real name on his poems and becoming more personal, his poetry will become better.Oth er advice Rilke gives to the young poet is that in order to write good poetry, you need to find yourself and work of experiences, for the things that you have dealt with personally, make better poetry. Rilke also says that someone's best piece of art comes from when they were lowest in life in a dark place, like if you were placed in prison. This is ecause you still have all your experiences and childhood and your home is always within you, therefore, you'll always be able to find the inspiration within yourself to write great poetry. â€Å"†¦ ecause for the creator there is no poverty and no poor, indifferent place. And even if you found yourself in some prison, whose walls let in non of the world's sound -wouldn't you still have your childhood, that Jewel beyond all price, that treasure house of memories? Turn your attention to it. Try to raise up the sunken feelings of this enormous past; your personality will grow stronger, your olitude will expand and become a place where you can live in the twilight, where the noise of other people pass by, far in the distance† (LTAYP 43-50).This advice applies to Jason and his writing because Jason needs to work on being himself in his poetry, being honest, and finding inspiration to make his poetry better. Rilke using words such as ‘price, treasure, riches, and Jewel' to show how important one's own childhood and memories are. This is important to Jason because he is still in his childhood so he could make a beautiful work of art out of these years. To Jason, these ut his peers won't accept him if they found out about his poetry or his stammer.Rilke would tell him that in this moment of life, if he was true and honest, his best poetry would form. Rilke most important piece of advice that would apply to Jason is his emphasis's that writing poetry needs to be something more than what you want to do, but instead writing should be something a poet needs to do, â€Å"Go into yourself. Find out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread roots into the very depths of your heart; confess to yourself whether you would have to die if ou were forbidden to write.This is most important of all: ask yourself in the most silent hour of the night: must I write? † (LTAYP 24 – 28). This is important to Jason and his writing because Jason is embarrassed about his writing and hides behind a misnomer. If Jason realizes he MUST write, he needs to be true and start putting ‘Jason Taylor' on his poems instead of ‘Elliot Bolivar'. If he looks within himself and realizes he doesn't have to write and he could live on without, Rilke suggests to â€Å"renounce becoming a poet† (LTAYP 64).Jason uses his poetry because he does not tammer and â€Å"Hangman† does not come out in his writing, but if he can live without it, Rilke would tell him to set down the pencil. Jason Taylor would find Rilke's advice and mentoring very beneficial. In Black Swan Gr een, Jason get's similar advice from Madame Crommelynck but I think Rilke's advice would have helped Jason more. Main pieces of advice that would help Jason are that he needs to be true and himself and fgure out if he needs to write, and to remember, that no matter where he is in life, his home and inspiration is within him. He will always have what he needs to write inside of him.

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Neural basis of game theory - Essay Example Various neurobiologists’ research employs the use of game theory to investigate the neural foundation of decision making; and proposes that the social characteristics of social decision making mirrors the purposes of the brain areas that responds to reward evaluation and reinforcement learning. The game theory appears as having evolutionary and growth stages that end up affecting the reasoning of different groups of people (Glimcher, 288). Game theory situation involves the process of decision making, where the results depend on the choice made by the players in question. The word game comes from any occurrence with negative or positive outcomes influenced by the choice made by the player; while sometimes the decision is based on chance (Glimcher, 290). The game theory evolved from different studies done by different researchers over a period of time. In 1921, a French mathematician named Emile Borel, issued numerous papers tackling the theory of games using poker as exhibition. Later in the year 1928 another paper by John Von Neumann was published. Subsequently, the year 1944, John Von Neumann and Oscar Morgenstern collaborated and discovered the theory of games and economic behavior. There appears a significant level of growth in the theory of games when, Prisoner’s dilemma comes into play in the year 1950, which introduced the dominant strategy theory. The 1953 marks the introduction of the answer to non cooperative games which comes in play as a result of evolution of Nash equilibrium. In the years 1970, the theory gains extensive application and biology with the growth of evolutionary game theory. The year 2007 marks its extensive use in almost field for decision making intentions; the software that tracks down terroris ts uses the theory of games (Glimcher, 305). The theory assumes that the player appears rational;

Reconstitution of a Partnership Essay Example for Free

Reconstitution of a Partnership Essay Partnership is the relation between persons who have agreed to share the profits of the business carried on by all or any of them acting for all. An essential element of partnership is to have an agreement and wherever a change takes place in this relationship it results in reconstitution of the partnership firm. Reconstitution of the firm may happen under any of the following circumstances and as a result there will be a change in the profit sharing ratio: 1) Change in the profit sharing ratio amongst the existing partners; 2) Admission of a new partner; 3) Retirement of an existing partner; 4) Death of a partner and 5) Amalgamation of two partnership firms Change in the profit sharing ratio of existing partners: The partners of a firm may decide to change their profit sharing ratio and in such eventuality, the gaining partner (i. e. the partner whose share has been reduced) unless otherwise agreed should be paid some compensation and the compensation is the value of goodwill represented by the gain because the change in profit sharing ratio means that one partner is purchasing from another partner of the profits. For example; James and Jones, two partners of a firm are sharing the profits of the firm in the ratio of 3:1 and if it is decided that in future both will be equal partners, it means that James is selling to Jones  ¼ th (3/4-1/2) share of profits. Therefore, Johns will pay to James an amount equal to one fourth of the total value of goodwill. In concrete terms, suppose, the profit is $20000 previously James would get $15000 and Jones would get $5000. After the change in the profit sharing ratio, each would get $10000. James, therefore, loses annually $5000 and Jones gains $5000. If the goodwill is valued at $40000, Jones must pay James one fourth of $40000 namely $10000. This adjustment is usually made by passing an adjustment entry. In this case, Johns capital account will be debited and James capital account will be credited with $10000. In addition to the adjustments for goodwill, the change in profit sharing ratio also requires the adjustment of profit/loss on revaluation of assets and reassessment of liabilities, accumulated reserves and profit (or loss) etc. Sacrificing ratio and gaining ratio: Change in the profit sharing ratio of existing partners will necessarily mean that one or more partners are surrendering a part of their share in the profits in favor of one or more other partners. A part of share being so surrendered is termed as sacrificing ratio while the share gained by each partner is termed as gaining ratio. Sacrificing ratio is computed by deducting the new ratio from the old ratio. Gaining ratio is computed by deducting the old ratio from the new ratio. References: http://classof1.com/homework-help/accounting-homework-help/

Causes and Solutions to Prison Overcrowding

Causes and Solutions to Prison Overcrowding Introduction The purpose of this paper is to look at the overcrowded prisons that are plaguing the U.S. The prison system that we have is constantly evolving, but seems to circulate through the same prison philosophies. An overcrowded prison does not lend itself to a productive environment for inmates. Many would not care about the environment that the inmates encounter as they feel the inmate has brought this upon himself through his deviant behavior, however not all inmates will stay in prison forever. We will examine some possible solution to curb the overcrowding that is prevalent in prisons today. Solutions to Prison Overcrowding Prison overcrowding has been a problem that has plagued the U.S. prison system since its inception. The solution to this problem for many has been to build more prisons to house the additional prisoners that have been sentenced there. Those who advocate building additional prisons fail to look at what is behind the overcrowding in the first place. Research has found that crime rates are decreasing. It has also shown that prison populations are increasing. Much like the Kevin Costner movie Field of Dreams with the infamous quote, If you build it, they will come that by building more prisons, we will only seek to put more prisoners into them. To fully understand our current overcrowding issue, we must look at the history of the U.S. prison systems and the philosophies that drove them. Then we must look at the sentencing practices that have increased the number of inmates that are incarcerated. This will include the truth-in sentencing laws, the impact of the war on drugs and the enforcement and the increasing of the length of prison terms for certain offenses. We will also take a look at the cost of building a prison and the daily costs of housing an inmate. Then we will look at solutions for reducing prison populations which include rehabilitation and the release of aged offenders and inmates with minor offenses. The U.S. derived many of its ideas about the prison system from England. In the Middle Ages, prisons were used for housing criminals as well as debtors. Juvenile delinquents also began to be housed in prisons. As prisons developed and emerged, the purpose of them changed as well. Drawing from the ideas presented in Essays on Crimes and Punishment by Cesare Beccaria in 1764 a move towards less physical punishment for crimes was made. Beccaria was also responsible for the idea that a punishment should be severe enough to deter crime, but not too extreme. In 1557, England began the use of workhouses. Initially, they were to remove the homeless and vagrants from the streets during the day. During this time, many believed that most criminals were lazy and committed crimes as a result of that. This allowed inmates to work, however they did not learn any useful skills and were not kept in the workhouses overnight. In 1790, the Quakers from Pennsylvania reformed the Walnut Street jail into a prison. The Quakers drew from their religious background and sought to use the prison as a place for an inmate to perform a penance and to make amends for their actions against society. Also, known as the Pennsylvania System, the prison layout allowed for solitary cells. The inmate was placed in the cell, so that they could think about their actions and gain remorse. Work was completed in the cells as well, so the interaction with others was limited to an hour of exercise a day. Although the prison sought to reform the inmates through solitary work, some prisoners could not handle the solitary times and reform did not occur. There was also a high cost involved in maintaining this type of prison. In an effort to improve the prisons, the Mass Prison Era was implemented in 1825. Also known as the Auburn system after the first facility in Auburn, NY, this prison featured areas where inmates worked in groups. However, prisoners still maintained solitary cells when they were not working. When in work groups, silence was enforced. This was done through corporal punishment to maintain order and obedience as well as a strong code of silence at all times. The Auburn prison was also the first to experiment with solitary confinement as a punishment for not following the rules of the prison. One huge difference which produced negative results when compared with the Pennsylvania system is that inmates were not allowed any exercise and they were not given any work to complete. In this system, many inmates went insane, were suicidal and classified as unfit for re-entry into society. Unhappy with their current prison system, The Reformatory Era was developed next. This was the first to introduce the concept of indeterminate prison sentences in the U.S.. This concept came from two European counterparts. The first leader who emerged during this time was Captain Alexander Maconochie who was a warden at Norfolk Island, a prison off the coast of Australia. Maconochie was alarmed at the condition of the prison and sought to reform it. He developed a system where prisoners could earn an earlier freedom with good behavior. Ultimately, it placed the inmates freedom in the hands of that inmate. This was the introduction of the concept of indeterminate sentencing. Another leader during the Reform Era was Sir Walter Crofton who was aware of Maconochies progress and adapted it to the Irish Prison system. Crofton was able to set up a four stage system. In the first stage, prisoners stayed at Mountjoy Prison in Dublin. They were restricted in their activities and movement. In the second stage, they were in Spike Island where they were to begin work. In the third stage, the prisoners were placed in the community on public-service projects. The fourth stage was called the ticket of leave where inmates were allowed to live and work in the community under mild supervision. The response to this was positive until there was an increase in crime which resulted in longer sentences. Crofton did not have the citizens support and could not keep it up. Back in the United States, the indeterminate sentence was introduced by Gaylord Hubbell who was impressed by the Irish Prison system. The indeterminate sentencing was started with approval from The New York Prison Association. Hubbell worked to implement the reformatory practice where prisoners who showed themselves as reformed could earn an earlier release. There were criteria that needed to be met in order to qualify for the indeterminate sentencing: the offender had to be between 16 and 30 years old and it had to be his first offense. Unfortunately, the reform prison era did not last too long as offenders would reoffend. Similar to Ireland, society was not willing to risk the higher crime rates and did not lend its support. It still was the basis for many of the ideas that we hold regarding parole, training and education today. As well as emphasizing the reform of a prisoner over the punishment of a prisoner. In 1890, the Industrial Prison era was sparked. This era brought to light an option to profit from the increasing prison population. There were several systems that utilized inmate work to bring an income into the prison system. The inmate labor systems were: contract system, lease system, piece-price system, state- use system, public-account system and public works system. In contract system, labor was contracted out to private businesses through the prison. Work took place in the prisons, but supplies were provided by the private businesses. In lease system, inmates were taken out of the prison facility and leased out to a private contractor for the day. Piece-price system was similar to the contract system, but inmates produced products that were sold to private businesses. The state-use system had inmates producing products for state offices. The public-account system was a combination of contract, piece-price and state-use systems where inmates produced, managed and sold product s in the free market that was fully run by the prison. Finally, the public-works system had inmates working on roads, highways, cleaning public areas like parks, and restoring other building in the community under the supervision of prison officials. During this time, inmates produced furniture, clothing, cleaning products and other items. The Prison Industry Era was running quite smoothly and making a substantial profit until workers from society like mechanics complained that inmates were taking over their jobs and with cheaper labor. Workers could not compete with them and felt it was unfair. These protests lead to the Ashurst-Summers Act of 1935 where Federal legislation which specifically prohibited the interstate transportation and sale of prison goods where state laws forbade them. (Schmalleger, 2007). This limited the sale of inmate produced products. In conjunction with the Depression, the once profitable Prison Industry ended. The Prison Industries Era lasted for over 40 years and was followed by the Punitive Era. The focus moved back to an age of confinement where the prisoner was to be locked away for their crimes. During this time, larger maximum security facilities were built like Alcatraz. Prisoners who were released from these types of facilities did not receive any education, valuable skills or treatment. The rate of recidivism was high. Luckily, this type of prison systems only lasted about 10 years. The Treatment Era began in 1945. This era relied on treating the inmates like patients versus inmates. Based on a medical model where a therapeutic perspective on correctional treatment that applies the diagnostic perspective of medical science to the handling of criminal offenders. (Schmalleger, 2007) One-on-one therapy was introduced as well as group therapy helped to get an understanding of the emotional and psychological reasoning for crime. There were drawbacks of this era, too. Some inmates fought against being forced to participate in these programs. Prison guards were not properly trained in how the medical model functioned and were also not trained in how to handle the inmates. In 1967, the Community-based Era arrived. In this era, prisons were again faced with overcrowding and coming off of the medical model with the optimistic view that inmates could be rehabilitated. This time they would move them back into the communities where they had committed their crimes to serve their time. The belief was that inmates would not be able to fully rehabilitate in a prison setting. The halfway house was reintroduced and gave the inmates the opportunity to work and reside in the community while being watched at the same time. However, lack of programs caused the inmates to be returned to society the same as they were before committing their crimes. The U.S. watched as recidivism rates and prison populations soared as they entered into the Warehousing Era. Deterred by the crimes that were committed by those inmates who were on work-release or residing in a halfway house, the U.S. decided to limit the liberties that the inmates had once enjoyed. The Warehousing focused on imprisonment for inmates to remove them from society to avoid the possibility of further crimes being committed. In 1970, a new treatment model emerged call the nothing works doctrine which was popularized by Robert Martinson that correctional treatment programs have had little success in rehabilitating offenders. (Schmalleger, 2007). This doctrine helped to implement the mandatory minimum sentencing provision and truth-in sentencing requirements. Calls for truth-in sentencing occurred when the average inmate was serving one third of their time that was handed out by the judge at sentencing. Victims and other citizens were dismayed to learn that the full sentence was not being fulfilled. In the 1990s another popular law was developed called the three strikes and youre out in California and was soon adopted by many other states. The premise for the three strikes law is that if someone was to commit a felony three different times, then the only option was to sentence them to life in prison without the possibility of parole. This has also contributed to a dramatic increase in prison populations. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 1985 there were approximately 550,000 inmates in the U.S. prison and this figure jumped to 1,400,000 by 1995 (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2011) Opponents of this law argue that this law costs too much with the increased number of inmates, that it unfairly targets minority offenders, does not help to decrease crime and that not all who were convicted under the three strikes law were convicted of serious, violent crimes. Besides the sentencing guidelines, there was also a war on drugs that was taking place. Sentences for drug-related offenses became more severe and more of the sentence that was handed out by a judge was actually being served. The current era that we are in is the Just Desserts Era which started in 1995. Prisons had now become essentially warehouses for inmates who were receiving longer sentences for the same crime. Rehabilitation was not working, so the inmates are essentially being held. When we look at the past prison systems of the U.S., it is important to look at the goals that each of the systems advocated. Starting with the Penitentiary Era the focus was on rehabilitation and deterrence. The Quakers utilized their religious belief that time alone would lead a person to become remorseful for their actions. The Mass Prison system focused on deterrence as well as incapacitation. The Reformatory Era was focused on rehabilitation. The Industrial Era reverted back to incapacitation and restoration. The philosophy of retribution was strong in the Punitive Era. Not surprisingly, the Treatment Eras philosophy was on rehabilitation. In addition to rehabilitation, the Community-based Era also looked at restoration. The Warehousing Era looked at incapacitation. Finally, the Just Desserts Era looks at retribution, incapacitation and deterrence. The task before us is to find the right balance for todays society of rehabilitation, retribution and deterrence to decrease our pri son populations. One strategy to reduce or stop the increase in our prison populations comes from the sentencing phase. It is important to know the different goals of sentencing. They are: incapacitation, retribution, deterrence, rehabilitation, vindication, and punishment. In incapacitation, the offender is sentenced to a prison with the goal of not allowing them to commit further crimes. In retribution, which was popular in the early ages of history, the goal is to seek revenge against the offender. An example of this is the eye for an eye mentality. Deterrence refers to stopping criminal behavior and there are two types: general and specific. General deterrence refers to the ability stop the criminal behavior by the public. An example, would be watching someone getting their hand cut off for stealing. The hope is that it serves a general deterrent to the public to not commit that crime as you have seen what happens to a person when they commit that crime. In specific deterrence refers to the offen der specifically in order to stop them from committing that crime again. Rehabilitation is means to change a persons behavior, so that they no longer commit criminal acts. Vindication refers to the making and enforcing of the law and punishment that goes along with a criminal act. Finally, punishment is the punishment of an offender fairly and equally. The consequences of the punishment for the offender are not taken into consideration. Currently, the determinate sentence law is used throughout the U.S. This started when the government and citizens gave up on the idea of rehabilitating prisoners. Its goals were to have a punishment in proportion to the crime and eliminate the disparity in the prison terms. There are three levels of a term that is ordered by a judge depending on the facts of the case. The terms are called: presumptive, aggravated and mitigated. Presumptive terms are the middle of the road terms. In an aggravated term, there may things that occurred that made the crime a little more severe when compared with similar crimes. In a mitigated term, the offender may have had a limited role in the crime or the crime was not as severe. Another caveat in determinate sentence law is that there is typically not any parole. Once the inmate has served their time, they are released automatically. Also, inmates may work to earn days off their sentence. Prior to 1970, the indeterminate sentencing law was used. This law felt that rehabilitating inmates was the number one priority. Known for parole which released inmates into the community after part of their time was served in prison, indeterminate sentence law failed in the successful rehabilitation of the inmate. In indeterminate sentence law, judges were handing out a minimum and maximum time for a sentence. Then a parole board would complete an annual review of the inmate to determine if they were ready for release. The process was not consistent which caused many to become upset with the unfairness. Another important factor to consider is what do we hope to achieve with those individuals who have proven that they are not able to follow the rules of society? If our goals come from retribution, then we are not looking at deterrence, reformation and economic considerations. We are only looking at public safety. If our goal is to rehabilitate, then will we risk public safety in releasing supposed rehabilitated inmates. While we have increased our prison capacity we have also increased our prison populations. We have now learned that we cannot hold all these inmates as our prison are becoming overcrowded which is unsafe for the prison guards and staff who run them as well as to the inmates who reside in them. One major contributor to the increasing population is the mandatory drug laws. It is not uncommon to find stories of inmates who received a mandatory minimum sentence for their minimal parts in drug offenses. According to Family Against Mandatory Minimums, there are many stories those affected by the strict sentencing laws that were created during the war on drugs. Here is one of them: Stephanie dated several men who were involved in selling drugs. At times, they would help Stephanie support her family. In exchange, she occasionally delivered and sold drugs and took messages for them. On October 26, 1993, police arrested Stephanie after she was found sitting on the front porch of a house next to a bag that contained cocaine residue. She confessed she had crack in her possession and surrendered it to the officers. She received probation. On November 10, several weeks after her arrest, police sent a confidential informant (CI) to make a controlled drug buy from Stephanie. On November 15, the CI purchased two crack rocks for $120. On December 8, the CI bought $40 worth of crack from Stephanie and several codefendants. After this final controlled buy, officers searched Stephanies residence and found four pieces of crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia. Stephanie was fined and sentenced to nine months in jail. Nearly three years later on August 16, 1996, police raided Stephanies residence after a CI reported that he had seen crack in the house.   Officers found 500 grams of powder cocaine and $13,710 in an attic safe belonging to Stephanies former boyfriend, Michael. In the master bedroom, police found utensils that tested positive for drug residue. Michael had the key to the safe, along with $797 in cash in his pants pocket. He confessed to police that the money, the cocaine and the paraphernalia belonged to him and that the $797 was from 500 grams of crack he had already sold. Later, Michael would testify that he paid Stephanie to let him reside and store crack at her house. At the time of her arrest, Stephanie had no cash, no bank account and owned no other property besides her car, valued at $2,500. She depended on food stamps and welfare to provide for her children. Stephanie went to trial. She was held accountable for 500 grams of powder cocaine found in the attic safe as well as 500 grams of crack that Michael said he sold.   Several of Stephanies codefendants who dealt drugs with Michael testified against her. Because of their uncorroborated testimony, Stephanie was held accountable for an additional 290 grams of crack, for a total of 1,290 grams (about 2.84 pounds). Stephanie received a sentence enhancement for obstruction of justice because she testified that she had no knowledge of and did not participate in Michaels drug activity.   Because of her 1993 drug offenses, Stephanie was categorized as a career criminal, an enhancement which mandates a life sentence. Despite his objections, Judge Roger Vinson was forced to sentence 26-year-old Stephanie to life in prison without parole.    At sentencing, Judge Vinson said to prosecutors: Theres no question that Ms. George deserved to be punished.   The only question is whether it should be a mandatory life sentence I wish I had another alternative. He told Stephanie, Even though you have been involved in drugs and drug dealing for a number of years your role has basically been as a girlfriend and bag holder and money holder.   So certainly, in my judgment, it doesnt warrant a life sentence. Stephanie received the longest sentence of any of her five codefendants. Over a decade ago, the young mother of three was led out of the courtroom quietly crying. She has now been incarcerated for over 14 years. Her children have grown up without her and her older relatives have aged and passed away. Stephanie has been a model prisoner, actively participating in vocational and educational training and working hard at her prison job. She has completed drug treatment and is sober. Unfortunately, the mandatory minimum life sentence prevents Stephanie from ever having another chance (Families Against Mandatory Minimums, 2011). Stories like Stephanies are not uncommon. Like the judge stated Stephanie needed to be punished for her actions, however it seemed extreme to be sentenced to life in prison for such a minimal role. In many of these cases, the person who was more invested in the illegal activities seems to get away with less time in prison as they were able to make deals with the prosecution. The reason that this occurs is that the person with the most information is in a better position to help prosecutors out and may bargain smaller time in prison for themselves while the person who may have had the smaller role is left holding the bag. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics from a report in 2009, crime rates have remained the same or decreased since 1994 in areas of rape, burglary, property crimes, robbery, motor vehicle theft, and homicide (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2011) In contrast, the number of inmates in the corrections system which include probation, prison, jail or parole, has increased. The trend remains that prison populations are slowly increasing as well. In 2009, the FBIs Uniform Crime Report (UCR) reported a 1.9 percent decline in violent crimes and a 0.8 percent decline in property crimes reported in 2008. This drop in crime came at a time when the prison and jail growth rates fell from previous years (2008). This data shows that while crime rates were decreasing in contrast the incarceration rates had increased. There should also be guidelines when determining who should be sentenced to prison instead of community service orders. A person should be sentenced to prison or jail if any lesser punishment would depreciate the seriousness of the crime that was committed, imprisonment is needed in order to deter them from crime, and if the person has had other sanctions applied to them. The cost of building a new prison is rather staggering. The estimated cost to build a new prison is $250 million and another $45 million a year to run it. In todays economy, it would be unwise to not consider economical factors when debating the construction of new prisons. It is not a mystery that a majority of inmates that were sentenced to prison will one day be released back into society. It is important to remember that once a person has spent time in prison, the chances that he will return are quite high. In a two year time frame, it was found that 70% of inmates committed another offense and were returned to prison. Since we know that many of these offenders will be returning to society (some for a shorter amount of time than others), it is important to ensure that are prisons provide inmates with opportunities. One opportunity that is a win-win situation for all is prison industries. Federal Prison Industries (FPI) emerged during the Prison Industries Era, but was limited by the Ashurst Sanders Act. Today prison industries are in place making license plates, office furniture and other items. However, they are limited as to who they may sell things to. This seems to be a resource that is not fully appreciated. If we were to implement additional trades to provide inmates with some skill upon leaving the prison system, then they would be better able to make the transition into society. Many inmates have an 8th grade education. If they were appropriately trained, they would be able to pay compensation to the victim of their crime, assist in supporting their family while in prison and build confidence in knowing that they have a skill that would allow them to work on the outside. Some examples of valuable skills would be to teach welding skills, automotive skills, electrical skills, farming techniques and other technical skills. Also, the profit that the prison industry makes could go to costs of running the prison facilities, provide education to the inmates, and other rehabilitative programs. There are those that against the prison industries who say that the inmates are being paid unfair wages, however the inmate is currently being housed, fed and clothed which are huge expenditures by a citizen out in society. It appears to balance out. There are others who dont think that the skills being taught are not useful; however it is a skill that they did not have prior to arriving at prison. It also gives the inmate something to do while incarcerated. Boredom in a prison is not a good thing; it could lead to violence and riots. Lets look at some other solutions or alternatives to building additional prisons. It is clear that in order to avoid building new prisons, the inmate population will need to either decrease or remain the same. An alternative to imprisonment would be day fines. Day fines are successfully being collected in both Germany and Sweden. The day fine process has two steps. First, you need to consider the severity of the crime. For example, the more serious the crime the higher the fine will be. Second, you need to look at the income of the offender. Currently, in the U.S. day fines have not completely caught on. Many times, day fines are not enforced or collected. This is the result of fines handed out that a lower income person could not afford, so they dont put utilize resources in collecting them. The day fine could be used as a better deterrent for someone who is rich as they would feel it the same as a person who does not make as much. For example, if you get a $500 speeding ticket and you are someone like Paris Hilton that will not really deter you from speeding again. Now if the fine was raised to $50,000, it could deter you from speeding in the future. An idea that stirs up great controversy is the release of inmates prior to the term deemed by a judge. However, we should remember the war on drugs and many of the sentences set forth by the judge were mandated to the judge. There are many cases where judges at the sentencing stated their unhappiness with being bound to the sentence. Discretion should be given to judge when making sentences, so that the punishment is fitting to the crime. The judge is present at the trial and has access to the pre-sentence report. Having seen the full picture, the judge should be able to hand out the best sentence for the offender. The mandatory minimum sentence law should be replaced with flexible guidelines. We should also look at the idea that not all who are convicted of a crime should go to prison. There are other alternative besides sending someone to prison for committing crimes. These are often cheaper when compared with housing an inmate in a correctional facility. According to the state of Georgia, it costs $28,936 a year for a minimum security prison to house an inmate compared with $1,434 for an offender with intensive probation (FY2009 Costs of Adult Offender Sanctions, 2008). Community corrections is the when punishment involves more community supervision and activities and less confinement. Probation is one of the most commonly used sentences that are applied. There are two types: general and specific. General probation is just that, these are the rules that many offenders must abide by. They direct that the offender must obey all laws, stay within the jurisdiction of the courts, stay employed, allow access to their homes by a probation officer or police officer and not be i n the possession of a firearm. In specific probation, the judge may add specific limitations and rules that pertain specifically to that offender. For example, if the offense was drug-related perhaps mandate drug tests and rehabilitation programs in addition to the general probation guidelines. Intermediate sanctions or alternative sentencing strategies are sentencing alternatives that cover a variety of options. Split sentencing is usually completed in a jail versus a prison. Then there is shock probation where the offender is sentenced to prison, but serves only a short amount of time, they are then released with probation. The goal of this is to surprise the inmate with a shorter prison term. Shock incarceration has the offender in a boot camp like setting for about 90-180 days to shock the inmate into better behavior. It is more commonly used for young offenders and first time offenders. Community service is a common punishment where the offender must dedicate some of their time to a community organization. Some pick up trash on the side of the road or volunteer in soup kitchens; this is usually reserved for minor offenses. Home confinement is another alternative to prisons. This is beneficial as it allows the offender to remain in his community, has the ability to keep his employment, and with his family. They utilize an ankle bracelet which is equipped with GPS to know the location of the offender. This is easily monitored 24 hours a day. Some monitoring devices are able to detect alcohol in the offenders system which would be useful in settings where alcohol or drug use was forbidden. Today satellites assist with detecting the location of the offender. This technology is constantly evolving and is sure to develop some other useful tools in monitoring large amounts of offenders. These are also done at a lower cost compared with incarceration. The Irish System that was created by Sir Walter Crofton is a good basis for the parole system. Under this system, inmates would be able to demonstrate that they have changed their behavior and are ready to enter back into society. It would be a system where they would have to work to be able to move into the next level and are rewarded with additional freedoms. Communities would benefit from the free labor that they receive from inmates through their trash pick-up and the fixing of buildings that are in disrepair. The ticket of leave inmates could be monitored with a

Approaches to Responding to Discrimination

Approaches to Responding to Discrimination People with mental illness are one of the most marginalised groups in society. Stigma and discrimination affect tangata whai ora’s (TWO) quality of life, prevent them from full access to education, employment, and housing, contribute to lower incomes, increase relapse, and result in exclusion from the society. This damaging effect on the person is often persisting even after resolution of the symptoms. The evidence shows that a combination of approaches and intervention methods at different levels times and in range of settings is the most effective in reducing stigma and discrimination (Gale, 2004). The effective approaches ensuring sustainable change take account of education, promotion, respect, and have to be supported by policy and legislation as essential parts of building a successful, integrated society. (Sayce, 2000) â€Å"Raising awareness and changing attitudes are not enough on their own – because attitudes are not necessarily a reliable predictor of behaviour. Effective approaches also require work to promote social inclusion and empowerment, creating an environment of intolerance to prejudice and ensuring change is sustainable and supported by policy and legislation† (Gale, 2004). Public Policy The New Zealand Government laid its expectation from mental health and addiction services in Te Tahuhu: the second mental health and addiction plan 2005-2015. Te Tahuhu is the policy on mental health and addiction that identifies challenges, ascertains outcome the Government strives to achieve, and provides direction for the continued development of the sector. The main focus is on improvement, recovery and wellness of tangata whai ora. Implementation of the plan, on the other hand, and improving mental health outcomes for TWO is the focus of Te Kokiri. It (Ministry of health, 2006)ascertains specific actions and responsible organisations for achieving them. â€Å"Understanding mental illness and addiction in the general community is critical to reducing stigma and discrimination, both of which can reduce an individual’s sense of belonging and participation in society† (Ministry of health, 2005). The outcomes include full participation of tangata whai ora in society and have the same opportunities as everyone else. Among Ten leading challenges are inclusion and support on the part of employers and effective support, protection and redress for TWO who are discriminated against. The action plan contains promotion of social inclusion, implementation of the next step of the ‘Like Minds like Mine’ project as part of a multi-agency plan to reduce discrimination, develop activities to address the discrimination by addiction users. Mass media campaigns A well-known anti-stigma and discrimination public education campaign in New Zealand â€Å"Like minds, like mine† (Like Minds) started in 1997, funded by the Ministry of Health and the Health promotion Agency, and implemented by 26 regional providers. The campaign is directed at reducing discrimination associated with mental health and increasing social inclusion through advertising, community activities, research, events, education, helpline, newsletters, website, and training. It has been proven by international research that sustained mental health antidiscrimination programs is the best practice in achieving behavioural change. The National Like minds campaign invested a great deal of time and energy in programs aimed at tackling stigma and discrimination, yield improvement in public attitudes towards mental health. â€Å"Advertising involving the stories of well-known and famous people who have experienced mental illness has created significant interest, awareness and improved attitudes among the general public. Local community education and other follow-up activities have also contributed to this success† (Vaughan, G Hansen, C, 2004). For years campaign has challenged public stereotypes, attitudes, demonization and alienation of tangat whai ora. The effective approaches that underpinned the campaign are: Its nature: robust, multileveled, evidence-based and responding to a changing environment The involvement of tangata whai ora in the campaign has been critical to its success. They personally leading the work and dispelling stereotypes and prejudice through their personal experience and knowledge. Amplifying social contact with TWO. â€Å"Face to face contact and community engagement are often the most effective ways to reduce stigma and discrimination† (Alexander, L.A Link B.G, 2003). Famous and everyday people with mental illness spoke to media and employers about their experience made the campaign human and personal. Focus on the positive: emphasising abilities, supporting development of the TWO’s capacity to contribute Modelling social inclusion Education about human rights The new National â€Å"Like minds, like mine† plan for 2014-2019 states that â€Å"the Ministry of Health will continue national efforts to reduce stigma†¦ providing direction for the continuation of the journey towards social inclusion for people with mental illness in New Zealand† (Ministry of Health, 2014). It identified that to this day disrespectful attitudes (stigma) and unfair treatment (discrimination) are among the biggest barriers to social inclusion for tangata whai ora. The role of the programme is to ensure that public demonstrate socially inclusive attitudes and behaviours towards TWO and in so doing, increasing their opportunity to fully participate in community life. Health promotion Mental health promotion refers to the actions taken to strengthen mental health and is a powerful resource with significant potential. Research is showing that its initiatives can have concrete, positive outcomes for the entire population. Building on strength: A guide for action is a practical mental health promotion document designed for the service providers, communities and government bodies of the country that focuses on wellness, healthy populations and the community taking control. Building on strength promotion is consistent with a vision for recovery and participation. Its aims are to: build (inclusive and supportive) healthy communities; work across sectors (i.e. social services, education, housing, employment, ext.) to address the broader determinants of wellbeing; improving skills of the workforce; leadership through policy; to encourage research, innovation and development that can affect mental health and wellbeing of different population groups. One of the principles of the New Zealand health strategy is to promote active involvement of tangata whai ora and communities at all strata of policy development. â€Å"People who have experience of mental illness have vital contribution to make to our understanding of illness prevention and as advocates for mental health promotion† (Ministry of Health, 2001). A central theme for tangata whai ora is their experience of the stigma and discrimination, and the denial of their rights of citizenship. Hence ‘Building on Strength’ supports participation of tangata whai ora in the development and delivery of programmes and continue to work to eliminate stigma and discrimination. The examples of mental health promotion given in the Building on strength guide include Te Pae Mahutonga: a model for Mà ¤ori health promotion, and the Fonofale Model. Both holistic models highlight views of their respective communities on wellness and relational harmony of different elements. Te Pae Mà ¤hutonga is, the Maori name for the Southern Cross constellation of stars, â€Å"used as a symbolic map for bringing together the significant components of health promotion, as they apply to Maori health†¦ Te Pae Mà ¤hutonga model suggests that health promotion is about creating a climate within which human potential can be realised† (Durie, 1999). The four central stars reflect the four key goals of health promotion: Mauriora (security of cultural identity), Waiora (environmental protection and connectedness), Toiora (a shift from harmful to healthy lifestyles), Te Oranga (increasing the extent of participation in society). The two pointers – prerequisites for the effective health promotion are Nga Manukura (leadership) and Te Mana Whakahaere (the level of autonomy and self-determination). Service development and educational measures Service development measures are intended to improve education and training for people coming into the mental health professional services. Support workers who are showing respect and kindness towards tangata whai ora, have the right skills, values and attitudes make an enormous impact on their recovery process. The Ministry of Health developed the programme with the focus on putting the TWO’s needs and lives first. Let’s get real: Real Skills for people working in mental health and addiction builds workforce’s resources and knowledge to provide qualitative and effective service delivery. The framework has seven Real Skills which are underpinned by the essential values and attitudes across the sector to achieve Te Tahuhu outcomes. One of them is challenging stigma and discrimination. â€Å"Every person working in a mental health and addiction treatment service uses strategies to challenge stigma and discrimination, and provides and promotes a valued place for service users† (Ministry of Health, 2008). The latest include understanding, recognising, minimising and challenging of the impact of stigma and discrimination on TWO; using non-judgemental language; promoting and facilitating inclusion; modelling non-discriminatory behaviour; and using non-discriminatory practices.

Late Anglo-saxon Period Kings :: essays research papers fc

Late Anglo-Saxon Period Kings of Wessex By the time Edward the Martyr took the throne in 975, Christianity was widespread throughout England and the rest of Britain. Edward was born in 963, and was just entering his teenage years when his father, Edgar, died. He made a claim to the throne, as the first son of the king. His half-brother Aethelred, son of the third wife, made another claim (qtd in Britannia 1). Edward was murdered when he rode to visit Aethelred at Corfe is Dorset. Aethelred’s vassals pretended to welcome Edward, and in doing so, stabbed him. It is safe to assume that Aethelred would not have instigated this incident, being a mere seven years of age at the time. Edward was later canonized by his brother and was known as King Edward the Martyr.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Following the assassination of his brother, Edward, Aethelred was forced upon the English throne at the age of ten. Aethelred was married twice. His first wife, Elfigfu of Mercia, bore him no less than eleven children. His second marriage to Emma of Normandy produced three children. Throughout his reign as King, he was hindered by the fact that he could not fully trust the support of his generals at a time when the Danish invaders were a constant threat to the English. In an act of futile appeasement, Aethelred attempted to stop Danish cravings by paying what was known as Danegeld. Danegeld was an annual tax believed to have been imposed originally to buy off Danish invaders in England (m-w 1). In 1009, however, the King of the Danes, Sweyn, decided that as well as keeping the territory, and monies he had taken from the English, that he would now take the whole country. Four years later, in 1013, Sweyn had control of England and Aethelred had fled to Normandy to s eek protection from Emma’s brother, Robert the Good. Sweyn died in 1014 and Aethelred reclaimed the English crown for another 2 years before his death at the age of 48 in 1016.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Following the death of Aethelred, there was a bloody war of succession expected to take place between Sweyn’s son, Cnut, and Edmund II, Aethelred’s son. This war, didn’t take place, however, simply because Cnut figured he could made do with Denmark and Norway.

Soviet historians hold the view that the period ranging from 1905 to 19

Discuss the reasons why the Bolsheviks had achieved so little by 1914 Despite being the main opposition to the Tsar in Russia at the time, the Bolsheviks failed to make any significant progress in their aims to overthrow the Tsarist autocracy, due to many problems throwing the party in to crisis, with their efforts to influence the proletariat to revolt against the Tsar proved to be failed attempts. In order to come out with a fair and balanced conclusion, it is necessary to look at the opinions of historians from both ends of the spectrum: from the sympathetic Soviet historians, to the more critical opinions of the Western historians, and then lastly looking at the more balanced and neutral views of revisionist historians. Soviet historians hold the view that the period ranging from 1905 to 1914 was chosen by the Bolsheviks as a time to reorganise and strengthen their party, keeping in mind that the oppressive character of the Tsarist system caused too many obstacles for them, thus making it nearly impossible for them to make much progress in achieving there goals. Along with this, this body of historian also hold the Mensheviks responsible for lack of success, arguing that their awkwardness and co-operation with the bourgeoisie was undermining key Bolshevik beliefs, inadvertently destroying any opportunity the Bolsheviks may have had to create an alliance with the working classes and peasantry. They are seen as contradictors to Marxist ideals for these actions. Soviets believe that the 1905 revolution was both inspired and led by the Bolsheviks, with the Mensheviks co-operation with tsarist authorities being held responsible for... ...ar that there are several reasons that stand out as key in answering the question put forward. Firstly, the Bolsheviks faced the problem of the Okhrana and the autocracy, as this meant that there was always a threat from the secret police and therefore a small party was the only solution. Secondly, Lenin was partly to blame as he played hardly any role in the revolution of 1905 and also he failed to realise the potential of the Dumas. His ideology would not help him either as he constantly changed it in order to adapt and fit in with his surroundings. Finally, the Mensheviks were also a key obstacle as their larger party and co-operation with their bourgeoisie meant they were undermining key Bolshevik beliefs, thus destroying any opportunity the Bolsheviks may have had to create an alliance with the lower classes.

Arfa Batik Essay

From the backyard of the founders house, our exclusive hand drawn batik is now a multi million ringgit industry with markets as far ranging as Europe and the Middle East. Our batik fashion house or haute couture combines contemporary design and traditional Malay motifs into batik of simple elegance, and are very much sought out by discerning customers from around the world. WHAT WE DO We are involve in various batik production processes from manufacturing from printing, colouring/dyeing, designing and tailoring, wholesaling, exporting to retailing of our batik products. We seek to open a chain of Noor Arfa Batik retail throughout the world through franchising. Noor Arfa is Malaysian’s largest commercial Batek producer. Noor Arfa has built a reputation as the leading manufacturer of superior hand – drawn fashion items and accessories. We also train and develop master craftsmen that consistently produce quality with excellence. We stand out as leader in our industry in the way we have perfected the art of combining distinct colour with classic designs and traditional Malay motives, to create Batek of simple elegance. The Market Noor Arfa Franchise operates in a dynamic and evolving marketplace. Consumers are presented with many options for batik textile and we see a growing interest in fashionable and contemporary batik that address the need to be trendy and yet unique in identity. We find our customers desiring the look that is Malaysian and yet global in application. Noor Arfa addresses this gap in the market by providing a more comprehensive product range that addresses the various needs of the different segment of the market for batik wear and textile. Our customers would also not have to worry about quality as we provide a consistent buying experience with our quality policy which is to produce excellent quality product that satisfy our customer needs. We also believe there are other areas of the market that would benefit from our products which we have not yet targeted. For example we see huge potential in offering our product to the trendy and fashionable young market which is looking for cool and â€Å"in† fashion wear. This is an area of the market that is fully aware of the benefits of self identity and yet contemporary.

Foreign Direct Investment Essay

There has been a rise tide of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the world’s economy. In the past decade businesses have become global due to the increased liberalization, changing capital markets and changing technology. With easy and effective communication systems investment of companies in foreign countries has been made easy. Foreign direct investment benefits the two countries, the host and the company investing. A high percentage of investment made through FDI involves building and fixtures or machinery and equipment. (www. oecd. org) Growing trade has caused an increase in FDI. Globalization has resulted to broadened markets that call for increased production of goods and services to match the demand. Production levels across the globe have also risen precipitating large corporations to invest in foreign countries. Corporations have the capital and resources to move their production bases to foreign countries. The service sector has also expanded. With technology advancement, skills and expertise have been developed. Corporations have adopted strategies that will increase active global investment and this is evident in the recent cross-border mergers. Strong corporate profitability has enabled corporates invests in the developing countries promoting FDI. Low interest rates and high real estate prices have also led to the underpinning of FDI. With the low US dollar value investors with other currencies gained the comparative advantage in investing in foreign countries. General macroeconomic growth in major economies has been reason behind increased FDI. (www. oecd. org) Countries prefer FDI as a strategy for entering foreign markets to exports and granting foreign entities the right to produce their products under license. Patent disclosure can occur when a local firm is given the product under license. It could give important information about invention and imitation could occur. The MNC’s could lose their workers to imitation product companies. Through FDI, the MNC’s can access larger market and can produce at reduced costs. These will ensure that their profitability levels are higher. FDI provide grounds under which future trade barriers can be countered. Exportation is constrained by transportation costs and trade barriers like tariffs and quotas. Licensing hinders the company from direct control and this creates loopholes that lead to reduced profitability. (Kreinin M. and Plummer M, 2002) Firms based in the same industry can undertake foreign direct investment at the same time when the local demand in the new area can support local supply. They can also locate such firms when there is price competition and cost pressure. Some areas have a comparative advantage over others and this makes them more favorable. They could be endowed with resources that the investors exploit using their technological and managerial capabilities. They reduce their costs as regional manufacturing plants serve regional markets. Political ideology influences government policy towards FDI. Some countries view MNC’s as tools of imperialist domination out to exploit their resources. MNC’s exploits the developing countries and creates dependency in terms of jobs and technology. They contribute to their continued backwardness, as they do not give back valuable output in return to the resources they exploit. Developing countries provide cheap labor and raw materials. Another view is the comparative advantage where countries benefit from FDI. This view is beneficial as host countries allow FDI and gain from it. They acquire products they do not produce and at lower costs. In this view countries produce what they can at least cost. Governments can restrict or promote FDI. If a government protects its domestic industries producing the same output as a foreign corporation, FDI will be discouraged. (Anderson K. and Blackhurst R, 1993) Governments can make policies on the location of multinational corporations (MNCs) that are favorable and that would increase FDI’S. They can also promote or put in place proper infrastructure like good transportation systems, education and transparency all of which works to encourage FDI. Peace and stability are very important factors in influencing FDI. Government must therefore ensure that they maintain law, and order political unrest deters FDI. Grants subsidies and tax concessions encourage inward FDI. There are economic and political agreements that favor regional economic integration like EU, NAFTA and MERCOSUR all of which have implications for business. Economic integration between nations could be though preferential trade area (PTA) where countries are offered tariff reduction and discrimination is reduced to member countries. Free trade area (FTA) could also be offered where countries eliminate tariffs between themselves but maintain their own external tariff on imports. Custom unions eliminate tariffs between themselves but set a common external tariff for instance the EU. Countries could also adopt a common market, economic union or monetary union level. (Kreinin M. and Plummer M, 2002) Economic arguments for economic integration. There is increased trade as countries produce what they have comparative advantage in. Foreign supply is reduced and trade diversity is promoted leading to economic growth. Member countries enjoy the economies of scale Political argument for economic integration is that it promotes peace and stability among member countries. Arguments against economic integration. Dumping of products can occur due to the eradication of barriers. Some countries tend to benefit more than others. Countries may feel as they are losing their sovereignty, which is their sense of pride. (Hoekman B. and Schiff M, 2002. ) The European Union is an economic union where member countries permit free movement of good, services and people and it uses a common currency it was initially known as the European Economic Community or common market. The North America Free Trade Agreement is a free trade agreement of Canada, US and Mexico. It eliminates barriers to trade and promotes fair competition and increased investment opportunities. MERCOSUR- comprises of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. It transformed from a custom union to a common market in 2006. The Asia pacific economic cooperation comprises 21 members. It was formed in 1989 through informal dialogue it promotes trade and investment and economic co-operation. The future of this great economic integration is promising. Businesses that are inherent in regional economic integration agreements will thrive if conditions in their regions are favorable. They will respond to the forces of demand and supply. Competition will be high and this will ensure that quality products are produced. References: Peter M. Suranovic. Trends and recent developments in FDI. Retrieved on 22nd January 2008 from http://www. oecd. org/dataoecd/62/43/38818788. pdf. Anderson K. and Blackhurst R. 1993. Regional Integration and the Global Trading System, London and New York, Harvester Wheat sheafs. Hoekman B. and Schiff M. 2002. Benefiting from regional integration. In Hoekman B. , Mattoo A. & English P. Development, Trade, and the WTO: A Handbook, Washington, DC. World Bank. Kreinin M. and Plummer M. 2002. Economic Integration and Development: Has Regionalism Delivered for Developing Countries? Cheltenham, Edward Elgar.

Ozymandias and the Grecian Urn Paper

Even though â€Å"Ozymandias† by Percy Shelley and â€Å"Ode to a Grecian Urn† by John Keats sound like very different types of poems, they still share some of the same characteristics. In â€Å"Ozymandias,† Shelley tells a story of how a man found a ancient statue of a king, with the words â€Å"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings,/ Look on my Works, ye Might, and despair! † The statue was broken into pieces, and the land was bare, with nothing to â€Å"look on† (11).In â€Å"Ode to a Grecian Urn,† Keats is speaking to an ancient urn and describing the unchanging pictures that are on it. These poems are very different in how their objects interact with the passing of time and in the feelings that they invoke in the reader, but very similar in the romantic characteristics that they represent. â€Å"Ozymandias† and â€Å"Ode to a Grecian Urn† are very different in how the statue and the urn interact with the passing of time. In â€Å"Ozymandias†, Shelley shows how a manmade object is destroyed in time by nature.Not only is the statue destroyed, but it is also obvious that the town has also been destroyed when Shelley states that, â€Å"Nothing beside remains. Round the decay/ Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare† (12-13). Nature has the ability to destroy everything that a man can make, anything from a simple statue to an entire town. However, â€Å"Ode to a Grecian Urn† is an entire poem about a manmade object that has withstood the passage of time and anything nature threw its way.Keats states that even â€Å"When old age shall this generation waste/ Thou shalt remain† (46-47). Keats does not even acknowledge the fact that nature could destroy the urn in a split second. Since the urn is a â€Å"Sylvan historian,† it has been around for a while, meaning it has probably been through some version of a natural disaster or at the very least a rough storm, and nature st ill has not chosen to destroy it (3). Shelley’s poem and Keats’s poem also differ in the feelings that they invoke in the reader. â€Å"Ozymandias† has a very off-putting sound to it.Shelley puts words that have negative connotations to them; like when he is describing the king with a â€Å"frown/ And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command† (4-5). The poem gives the reader a feeling of loneliness and emptiness by using lines like â€Å"The lone and level sands† and â€Å"boundless and bare† (14, 13). In â€Å"Ode to a Grecian Urn†, the connotations of the words that Keats uses are completely opposite. Keats even describes the urn as being able to tell â€Å"A flowery tale more sweetly than [their] rhyme† (4).Keats then goes on to state that the melodies â€Å"unheard/ Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on† (11-12). These lines are so light and pretty especially compared to the harshness of Shelley’s poem . Keats describes the beautiful pictures on the urn throughout the rest of the poem, even making a sacrifice sound peaceful. Even though the way the poems’ objects interact with the passing of time and the feelings the poems invoke in the reader differ greatly, the romantic characteristics that both poems symbolize are very similar.Ironically, the opposite parallels of the two poems have a way of representing a romantic mindset. For example, the romantics believed that nature is supposed to teach. In â€Å"Ozymandias†, nature destroys a statue and a town that had arisen from greed and the abuse of power. The king is stated to have a â€Å"sneer of cold command† and a â€Å"heart that fed† his own desires (4,8). The â€Å"trunkless legs of stone† and â€Å"a shattered visage† makes it sound like nature was not very happy with the king’s show of authority (2, 4).In â€Å"Ode to a Grecian Urn†, the manmade object not being destroy ed by nature can still teach the reader. The urn was not made for power and greed, but to show beauty and love. The urn depicts many scenes of nature and peacefulness. Another similarity that both poems share is that they show the insignificance of something that is supposed to be great, like a king, and the value of something that is supposed to be ordinary, like an urn. Once again, in â€Å"Ozymandias†, the king and his great town are destroyed.This seems like Shelley’s way of rooting for the revolutions, of making a king not so important anymore. After all is said and done, the â€Å"lone and level sands stretch far away† (14). No matter whether one is a king or a peasant, everyone dies, and in the end, being a king does not make you greater than a peasant. In â€Å"Ode to a Grecian Urn†, Keats glorifies the common urn. He makes the urn, which could have probably been found in many homes, seem special to the reader. Like many romantics, he took an ordi nary item and turned it into an extraordinary one.Shelley’s â€Å"Ozymandias† and Keats’s â€Å"Ode to a Grecian Urn† differ in the ways that the statue and the urn interact with the passing of time and in the feelings that they invoke in the readers; however, they still ironically share similar romantic characteristics. The poems may not seem very comparable at first, but once the reader considers what each poet is trying to convey, they do not seem so different after all. Again, it is the ironic and opposite parallels that actually add up to express the same beliefs of both poets.