Car Pollution Essays - Air Pollution, Smog, Engines, Exhaust Gas

Car Pollution Air Pollution According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, driving a car is the single most polluting thing that most of us do. This is not a new problem. In the 1950s the Los Angeles smog made head-line news. Car exhaust causes health problems. There are many solutions to the problem. Laws were enacted as long as twenty years ago to control pollution caused by cars. Since then laws have been made, such as special nozzles on gas pumps that prevent vapor from getting into the air. We also have more tests on cars to make sure cars are maintained in a way that protects our environment. In cities, laws ask that more people ride on buses, and employees that drive company cars should limit the time they drive and the number of trips that they make. Cars emit several pollutants that are toxic. This causes many problems. One problem it causes is cancer. Most cars generate hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide. Hydrocarbons cause eye irritation, coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and lung damage. Nitrogen oxide causes acid rain and leads to water quality problems. Carbon monoxide prevents oxygen from going through the lungs properly. All of these problems can be serious and effect the health of the people who live in the United States. Some solutions to the problem are: cutting down on the number of cars, traveling at steady speeds, and keeping your car in good shape. You should never over fill your gas tank. You should always use clean gas. People should buy newer cars because they are made to create less pollution. In summary, the problem of pollution from car exhaust is not new and is the single most polluting thing we do. The situation is so serious that many laws have been enacted to protect our environment. The pollutants that are emitted in car exhaust are very dangerous to our health. There are solutions to the problem if we just pay attention. Environmental Issues

An Overview of the Declaration of Pillnitz

An Overview of the Declaration of Pillnitz The Declaration of Pillnitz was a statement issued by the rulers of Austria and Prussia in 1792 to try and both support the French monarchy and forestall a European war as a result of the French Revolution. It actually had the opposite effect and goes down in history as a terrible misjudgment. The Meeting of Former Rivals In 1789, the French Revolution had seen King Louis XVI of France lose control of an Estates General and a new citizen government form in France. This didnt only anger the French king, but most of Europe, who were monarchies less than pleased about citizens organizing. As the revolution became more extreme in France, the king and queen became practical prisoners of the government, and calls to execute them grew. Concerned about both the welfare of his sister Marie Antoinette and the status of brother in law King Louis XVI of France, Emperor Leopold of Austria met with King Frederick William of Prussia at Pillnitz in Saxony. The plan was to discuss what to do about the way the French Revolution was undermining royalty and threatening family. There was a strong camp of opinion in western Europe, led by members of the French aristocracy who had fled the revolutionary government, for armed intervention aimed at restoring the full powers of the French king and the whole of the ‘old r egime’. Leopold, for his part, was a pragmatic and enlightened monarch who was attempting to balance his own problem-riven empire. He had followed events in France but was afraid intervention would threaten his sister and brother in law, not help them (he was completely right). However, when he thought they had escaped he rashly offered all his resources to aid them. By the time of Pillnitz, he knew the French royals were effectively prisoners in France. The Aims of the Declaration of Pillnitz Austria and Prussia were not natural allies given recent European history, but at Pillnitz they reached an agreement and put out a declaration. This was couched in the diplomatic language of the day, and had a double meaning: taken at face value it issued a rebuke to the revolutionary government, but in practice was meant to produce a limitation on calls for war, restrict à ©migrà © princes and support the royal party in France. While it stated that the fate of the French Royals was of â€Å"common interest† to Europe’s other leaders, and while it urged France to restore them and made threats if harm came to them, the subtext was in the section saying Europe would only take military action with the agreement of all the major powers. As everybody knew Britain would have nothing to do with such a war at that point, Austria and Prussia were, in practice, not tied to any action. It sounded tough but promised nothing of substance. It was a piece of clever wordplay. It was a total failure. The Reality of the Declaration of Pillnitz The Declaration of Pillnitz was thus designed to assist the pro-royal faction in the revolutionary government against the republicans rather than threaten a war. Unfortunately for the state of peace in Europe, the revolutionary government in France had developed a culture that did not recognize subtext: they spoke in moral absolutes, believed that oratory was a pure form of communication and that cleverly written text was disingenuous. Thus the revolutionary government, especially the republicans agitating against the king, were able to take the Declaration at face value and portray it as, not just a threat, but a call to arms. To many scared Frenchmen, and to many agitating politicians, Pillnitz was a sign of invasion and contributed to France engaging in a pre-emptive declaration of war and the mirage of a crusade to spread liberty. The French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars would follow, and both Louis and Marie would be executed by a regime made even more extreme by Pillni tz.

Campaign evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Campaign evaluation - Essay Example Due to the importance of this function it is no longer acceptable for companies not to evaluate the effectiveness of its public relations efforts. The purpose of this paper is to discuss and analyze evaluation of public relations in the corporate world. The public relations of a company are divided into five primary functions. The five functions of public relations are: press relations, product publicity, lobbying, counseling, and corporate communication (Kotler). Public companies spend millions of dollars each year on public relations. A manager is supposed to evaluate the performance of the company and optimize the utilization of the resources of a firm. When a manager is faced with an investment decision for a new project the professional evaluates the viability of the project utilizing qualitative and quantitative techniques such as return on investment, payback period, and net present value. After the project is selected the manager monitors the performance of the project throughout its lifetime. If this is done for production project it seems absurd that the marketing profession is not placing any importance in evaluating a business function that represents a significant expense and utilization of company resources. According to McNamara (2006) the three primary reasons companies are not performing evaluation of public relations are lack of budget, lack of time, and lack of managerial demand. In the marketing profession there is a debate on what should be generally accepted ways to evaluate the effectiveness of public relations towards the results of a company. This debate seems a bit unfair because public relation is not an exact science. I don’t believe that public relation needs to have a framework such as other business disciplines have established. The accounting profession depends on the generally accepted accounting principles for accounting information to be consistent and

Knowledge Economy in The UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Knowledge Economy in The UK - Essay Example Knowledge as a 'product' has acquired many management executives to research it in a broad spectrum where its governance has become a major concern in building international strategy, innovation and performance. Knowledge as a 'tool' examines the outcomes of knowledge processes, and what we mean by knowledge economy is to make the best out of this 'tool'. Knowledge economy is a product of strategical organisational fields that possess the capability to fulfill human capital inputs by increasing number of technologies (Brusoni et al, 2001). At an institutional level knowledge economy defines various levels to which regional or organisational policies are shaped in context with economic regimes. With knowledge comes innovation and a knowledge-enabled organisational environment adopts and implements knowledge strategies and develops knowledge culture in order to sustain competitiveness in the long term. However, the extent to which a knowledge economy is possible depends upon the organisation's primary levels of knowledge and innovation it can sustain (Hyde & Mitchell, 2000). Under the heading of knowledge economy lies increasing competitive pressures which are the outcomes of deregulation and internalisation. Governing knowledge under strategic management has bee... of knowledge not limited in a specific cultural context, but entails cross-cultural origins where integrating effects within and between organisations are managed. Gratton et al (1999) suggests that various research measures on a knowledge economy are dependent upon the influences that are acquired through appropriate use of knowledge with expertise that brings credibility to the HR department (Gratton et al, 1999: 13). Strategic HRM Perspective of the Organisation The SHRM focuses on four main perspectives that question existence of the organisation for resource allocation, in-house limitations governed through market relations, internal organisation and labor markets and competitive advantage (Foss, 2005: 24-25). Though performance management (PM) initiates knowledge management (KM) by controlling and aligning the most competent individuals to deploy other workforce in the interests of organisations, but it follows some views to regulate performance. Firstly, it closely monitors employee performance and competencies to specify behaviors, skills and knowledge for employees. Then there are monitoring outputs that allows employers to decentralise control and finally there are high-velocity environments to assess employees contribution in various components of the PM system like goal setting, evaluation, training and development etc (Gratton et al, 1999: 61). The resource based perspective of SHRM is to visualise the capabilities of organisation in the light of a bundle of tangible and intangible resources required to sustain in the market competition. It is the management that analyses the accumulated stock of knowledge, skills and abilities that the organisation possess in terms of human resource (Mabey et al, 1998: 76). Since KM varies according to spatial

Colin Powell Address the Nation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Colin Powell Address the Nation - Essay Example He had often fought with the hawks in the administration, who were allegedly planning an Iraq invasion even before the September 11 attacks-an insight supported by evidence by former terrorism czar Richard Clarke in front of the 9/11 Commission. The main concession Powell wanted before he would offer his full support for the Iraq War was the participation of the international community in the attack, unlike the one-sided approach some of the hawks were championing. He was also thriving in convincing Bush to take the case of Iraq to the United Nations, and in moderating other initiatives. Powell was placed at the vanguard of this diplomatic campaign. Powell's main role was to gather international support for a multi-national alliance to increase the invasion. To this end, Powell addressed a plenary session of the United Nations Security Council on February 5, 2003 to bicker in favor of military action. Quoting "numerous" nameless Iraqi defectors, Powell declared that "We know that Saddam Hussein is determined to keep his weapons of mass destruction, is determined to make more." (Cockburn, online) Powell also remarked that there was "no doubt in my mind" that Saddam was working to acquire key components to produce nuclear wea pons. There was a general rejection of the proof Powell offered that the regime of Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

Assessing Pain in in Post Operative Breast Cancer Patients

Assessing Pain in in Post Operative Breast Cancer Patients Comparison between Brief  Pain  Inventory (BPI) and Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) for post-operative pain assessment in Saudi Arabian  breast cancer patients. Questions Does  BPI assess  post-operative breast cancer pain  more  accurately than NRS? Summary: Effective pain assessment is one of the  fundamental  criteria  of the  management of  pain. It involves  the  evaluation of pain intensity, location of the pain and response to treatment. There are  a  number  of multi and one-dimensional assessment tools  that  have already been established to assess cancer pain. Among these  are the  Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) and  the  Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), Breast cancer is  a growing public  concern in Saudi Arabia  as rates continue to escalate, with patients  also  suffering multiple problems after surgery. Therefore, my research aim is to  conduct a  comparative study  of tools  used to  assess post-operative breast cancer pain  in  Saudi Arabian  patients  and determine which is the most effective. In this process I will use questionnaires for both nurses and patients to collect data,  followed by statistical analysis and  a  comparative  study between  the  BPI and NRS. Research Hypothesis: BPI assesses  post-operative breast cancer pain  in Saudi Arabian  patients  more  accurately than NRS.   Null hypothesis: There is no significant difference between BPI and NRS  as tools for  assessing post-operative breast cancer pain  in  Saudi Arabian  patients Background: Pain is defined as  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœthe normal, predicted physiological response to an adverse chemical, thermal or mechanical stimulus related with surgery, trauma or acute illness’ (Carr and Goudas, 1999).  Pain assessment is a crucial component for the effective management of post-operative pain in relation to breast cancer. The patient’s report is the main  resource  of information  regarding the  characterisation and evaluation of pain; as such, assessment is  the ‘dynamic method of explanation of the syndrome of the pain, patho-physiology and  the basis for  designing a protocol for its management’  (Yomiya, 2011). A recent survey  questioned almost 900 physicians  897 and found  that  76% reported substandard  pain assessment  procedures  as the single most important barrier  to  suitable  pain management (Roenn  et al, 1993). Breast cancer is characterized by  a  lump or thickening in  the  breast, discharge or bleeding,  a  change in colour of  the  areola, redness or pitting of skin  and a  marble like area under  the  skin (WebMD, 2014[A1]). Breast cancer  has a high prevalence rate globally and is the second most diagnosed cancer in women. Approximately  1.7 million cases were reported in 2012  alone  (WCRFI, 2014). In 2014,  just over  15,000  women  have  already  been  diagnosed with breast cancer: this figure is predicted to rise to around 17,200 in 2020 Breast cancer  has also been identified  as one of the major cancer related problems in Saudi Arabia, with 6,922 women were  assessed[A2]  for breast cancer between 2001-2008 (Alghamdi,  2013[A3]). D  Pain assessment tools Polit  et al  (2006) conducted  a systematic review of the evidence base  and  recorded a total of  80 different assessment tools that  contained  at least one pain item. The  tools were then  categorised into pain tools  (n=48)  and general symptoms tools  (n=32) . They were then  separated into uni-dimensional  tools  (which measure the pain intensity)  and multi-dimensional tools  (include more than one pain dimension). 33%  of all pain tools  (n=16) were uni-dimensional, and  50% of all  general symptom tools  (n=16)were uni-dimensional. 58% of the uni-dimensional tools  employed  single  item scales such as  the  Visual  Analogue  Scale (VAS), Verbal Rating Scales (VRS)  and NRS (Numerical  Rating  Scale). The most common dimension  included  was pain intensity, present in 60% of  tools. In  the assessed tools, 60% assessed pain  in a  multi-dimensional  format. Among  pain tools,  67% were found   to be  multi-dimensional  compared with 50% of the general symptom tools.  38% of all multi-dimensional tools were two-dimensional.  The most  commonly used  dimension was  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœintensity’,  present  in 75% of  all  multi-dimensional tools. Other common  dimensions  include  interference, location  and beliefs. All the dimensions were specifically targeted by two particular tools which were disease-specific tools and tools that measure pains affect, beliefs, and coping-related  issues[A4]. Multidimensional Pain assessment tools: F  The  adequate measurement of pain  requires  more than one tool. Melzack and Casey (1968)  highlight that  pain assessment  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœshould include three dimensions which are sensory-discriminative, motivational-affective and cognitive-evaluative’.  This builds on the  earlier  proposal of  Beecher (1959)  who considered that all tools should include the  two dimensions  of  pain and reaction to pain. Cleeland (1989)  considered that  the  two dimensions  should be classified  as sensory and reactive. Sensory dimensions  should record  the intensity or severity  of pain  and the reactive dimensions should include accurate measures of interference  in the  daily function  of the patient.   Multi-dimensional pain assessments generally consist of  six  dimensions: physiologic, sensory, affective, cognitive, behavioural and sociocultural (McGuire, 1992). Cleeland (1989)  interviewed patients and  found  that  seven items could effectively measure the intensity and effects of the pain in daily activities: these  comprise  of  general activity, walking, work, mood, enjoyment of life, relations with others and sleep. These elements were later subdivided  into two groups: ‘REM’  (relations with others, enjoyment of life and mood) and  Ã¢â‚¬ËœWAW’  (walking, general activity and work). Later, Cleeland  et al  (1996) developed  the  Brief  Pain  Inventory (BPI) in both  its  short and long form.  It was designed  to capture two  categories  of interference such as  activity and affect on  emotions.  The  BPI provides  a relatively  quick and easy method  of measuring  the  intensity  of pa in  and the  level of  interference  in the  daily activities of the  sufferer. With the BPI  tool, patients are graded  on  a 0-10 and it  was  specifically  designed  for the  assessment of  cancer related pain. Patients  are  asked  about the intensity of the pain that they are experiencing at present, as well as the pain intensity over  the last 24 hours as  the  worst, least  or  average  pain (also  on a scale of 0-10). Each  scale is bound  by the words ‘no pain’  (0) and  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœpain as bad as you can imagine’  (10). Patients are also  requested  to rate the degree to which pain interferes  with their  daily activities within the seven  domains  on a scale of 0-10.  that comprise general activity, walking, mood, sleep, work, relations with other persons, and enjoyment of life using similar scales of 0 to  10[A5]. These scales are only confined by the words ‘does not interfere’ and ‘interferes  completely[A6]’ (Tan  et al, 2004).  Validation of BPI across the world among the different language people has already been justified.  [A7]Additionally, the localization of the pain in the body  could be  [A8]assessed and details of current medication are assessed (Caraceni  et al, 1996). Uni-dimensional pain assessment tool:   Previous studies  have  shown  that  the  Numerical  Rating  Scale (NRS) had the power to assess pain intensity for patients  experiencing chronic pain and was also an effective assessment tool for patients with cancer related pain. The  NRS consists of a numerical scale range between 0-100 where 0 was considered as one extreme point represented no pain and 100 was considered other extreme point which represented bad/ worse pain  (Jensen et al, 1986). Turk  et al  (1993) developed  an  11 point  NRS (scale 0-10) where 0 equalled  no pain and 10  equalled  worst pain. Though cancer pain differs from acute, postoperative and chronic  pain experiences, the most common feature is its subjective nature. [A9]  In this regard a consensus meeting on cancer pain assessment and classification was held in Italy in 2009  with the  recommendation that  pain intensity should be measured  on a  scale  of  0-10 with  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœno pain’à ‚  and  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœpain as bad as you can  imagine[A10]’  (Hjermstad  et al.,  2011). Krebs  et al.  (2007) categorised NRS scores as mild (1–3), moderate (4–6), or severe (7–10). A rating of  4 or 5  is  the most commonly recommended lower limit  for moderate pain and 7 or 8 for severe pain. Aimed at moderate pain assessment,  For the purpose of clinical and administrative use the  recommendation for moderate pain assessment on the scale is a score of 4. Importance of post- operative pain assessment: Post-operative pains  is  very common after surgery  and  the  use of  medication  often  depends  on the intensity of pain  that the patient is experiencing  (Chung  et al, 1997). Insufficient assessment of post-operative pain  can have a  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœsignificant detrimental  effect on raised levels of anxiety, sleep disturbance, restlessness, irritability, aggression, distress and suffering’  (Carr  et al,  2005). Additional  physiological  effects can include  increased  blood pressure, vomiting and paralytic ileus, increased adrenaline production, sleep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolus (Macintyre and Ready, 2002). Effective post-operative pain assessment ensures better pain management  and can significantly reduce the risk of the symptoms listed above, giving minimal distress or suffering  to patients  and reducing  potential complications (Machintosh, 2007). References: Alghamdi IG, Hussain II, Alhamdi MS, El-Sheemy MA (2013) Arabia: an observational descriptive epidemiological analysis of data from Saudi Cancer Registry 2001-2008. Dovepress. Breast cancer: Targets and therapy; 5: 103-109. Caraceni A, Mendoza TR, Mencaglia E (1996) A validation study of an Italian version of the Brief Pain Inventory (Breve Questionario per la Valutazione del Dolore). Pain; 65: 87-92. Carr D and Goudas L. C. (1999) Acute pain. Lancet 353, 2051-2058. Carr EC, Thomas NV, Wilson-Barnet J (2005) Patient experiences of anxiety, depression and acute pain after surgery: a longitudinal perspective. International Journal of Nursing Studies. 42(5): 521-530. Chung F, Ritchie E, Su J (1997) Postoperative pain in ambulatory surgery. Anaesthesia and Analgesia 85: 808-816.   Cleeland CS (1989) Measurement of pain by subjective report. Issues in pain measurement. New York: Raven Press; pp. 391-403. Cleeland CS, Nakamura Y, Mendoza TR, Edwards KR, Douglas J, Serlin RC (1996) Dimensions of the impact of cancer pain in a four country sample: new information from multidimensional scaling. Pain 67 (2-3): 267-273. Hjermstad MJ, Fayers PM, Haugen DF, Caraceni A, Hanks GW, Loge JH, Fainsinger R, Aass N, Kaasa S (2011) Studies comparing numerical rating scale, verbal rating scale and visual analogue scales for assessment of pain intensity in adults: a systematic literature review. Journal of pain and symptom management. 41 (6): 1073-1093. Jensen MP, Karoly P, Braver S (1986) The measurement of clinical pain intensity: a comparison of six methods. Pain 27: 117-126. Krebs EE, Carey TS, Weinberger M (2007) Accuracy of the pain numeric rating scale as a screening test in primary care. Journal of general medicine. 22(10): 1453-1458. Machintosh C (2007) Assessment and management of patients with post-operative pain. Nursing Standard. 22 (5): 49-55. Macintyre PE, Ready LB (2002) Acute pain management. Second edition, WB Saunders, Edinburgh. McGuire DB (1992) Comprehensive and multidimensional assessment and measurement of pain. Journal of pain and symptom management; 7(5): 312-319. Melzack R and Casey KL (1968) Sensory, motivational and central control determinants of pain: a new conceptual model. In: Kenshalo DR, editor. The skin senses proceedings. Springfield IL: Thomas; pp. 423-439. National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF): 2014;  http://www.nbcf.org.au/Research/About-Breast-Cancer.aspx Polit JCHC, Hjermstad MJ, Loge JH, Fayers PM, Caraceni A, Conno FD, Forbes K, Furst CJ, Radbruch L, Kaasa S (2006) Pain assessment tools: Is the content appropriate for use in palliative care? Journal of pain and symptom management, 32 (6): 567-580. Roenn JHV, Cleeland CS, Gonin R, Hatfield AK, Pandya KJ (1993) Physician attitudes and practice in cancer pain management. A survey from the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group. Annals of Internal Medicine, 119(2): 121-126. Tan G, Jensen MP, Thornby JI, Shanti BF (2004) Validation of the brief pain inventory for chronic non-malignant pain. The Journal of Pain. 5(2): 133-137. Turk DC, Rudy TE, Sorkin BA (1993) Neglected topics in chronic pain treatment outcome studies: determination of success. Pain (53):3–16. WebMD (2014)  http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/guide/overview-breast-cancer. World cancer research fund international (WCRFI): 2014;  http://www.wcrf.org/cancer_statistics/data_specific_cancers/breast_cancer_statistics.php. Youmiya K (2011) Cancer pain assessment. The Japanese Journal of Anesthesiology. 60(9): 1046-1052. [A1]I would consider using a more reputable source for describing medical symptoms themselves (Grey’s Anatomy, WHO guidelines etc) [A2]and treated? [A3]Is it worth commenting that breast cancer reporting rates in SA might be different from actual prevalence? Lack of awareness regarding certain cancers often results in late diagnosis or misdiagnosis. [A4]This sentence is unclear. I am assuming that you are stating that all dimensions are present in two particular tools? [A5]I’ve deleted this as you have highlighted the same domains in the previous paragraph and the reader will already be familiar with this term. [A6]Sentence shows up on copyscape / turnitin but it’s fine as a directly referenced quote. [A7]Is this sentence stating that the BPIs valid internationally because it has been adjusted culturally / linguistically for all groups? [A8]Are you making a suggestion that it could be assessed, or stating that sometimes people do assess localised pain in the body? [A9]Deleted as the next sentence deals with this already. [A10]Again shows up in turnitin: any quotes must be in inverted commas so that tutors / markers will not downgrade or suspect plagiarism.

The Tatler and the Spectator :: Tatler and the Spectator Essays

During the early part of the 1700's Joseph Addison, the Tatler and Sir Richard Steele, the Spectator, came together to write The Tatler and the Spectator. Through their hardships of life they came about understanding what others were feeling and the actions that they took. They documented five hundred and fifty-five essays that were depicted from the world around them. They used the feeling of  Ã‚   love to show about human nature and what it did to achieve its goals. Through stories, such as "Jilts and their Victims", "Country Festival", "For Whom the Bell Tolls", "Knowledge and Time", and "Reasons" Addison and Steele show what they know about life and the power they had publishing it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The two men met at a young age at the Charter House School in England where from their they became the best of friends. Through their hardships they ended up going separate ways. Addison went into politics where he became a popular figure in society.(World Book Addison) Steele went to the military where he later got knighted. In 1710 they were united when Steele asked Addison to join him in writing in the "Spectator".(World Book Steele) Addison gladly excepted and the two men would go out and view the world around them. The two men would write about any occasion, but whenever they wrote they were really in depth of their feelings and thoughts. Their was one   topic in particular that fashioned their writings and that was the topic of love. Love was portrayed as being good and bad throughout the writings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Love was used repetitively due to it is a constant in every bodies life and they could easily relate to the characters. Allowing others to relate to their writings helped make them popular. Addison and Steele gave love a good and bad side to show the readers that love is not cracked up to what it really can be. It was good in the way that it showed people having a good time together and enjoying the presence of   another. It also demonstrated those relationships that everyone dreads getting into. Love is bad in a way that in a way that it could be used as a possession, or a gold-digger. Steele himself was a god-digger and in his two marriages he had never dealt with the true meaning of love.

Organizational Culture: the Case of Turkish Construction Industry Essay

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/0969-9988.htm Organizational culture: the case of Turkish construction industry Ela Oney-YazÄ ±cÄ ±, Heyecan Giritli, Gulfer Topcu-Oraz and Emrah Acar Department of Architecture, Division of Project and Construction Management, Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey Abstract Purpose – The main stimulus of this study is to examine the cultural proï ¬ le of construction organizations within the context of Turkish construction industry. Design/methodology/approach – This study is a part of a cross-cultural research, initiated by CIB W112 (Working Commission W112 of the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction), concurrently ongoing in 15 different countries. Data were collected from 107 contracting and 27 architectural ï ¬ rms, by means of a questionnaire based on OCAI (Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument), a well-known and widely used measurement tool developed by Cameron and Quinn (1999). Findings – The ï ¬ ndings show that the Turkish construction industry has been dominated by ï ¬ rms with a mixture of clan and hierarchy cultures. In addition, the analysis reported here indicates cultural differences at organizational level in terms of ï ¬ rm type, size, and age. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the understanding of organizational culture in the construction industry by providing empirical evidence from the Turkish construction industry. As future research direction, it highlights the need of a cross-cultural comparison among different countries, and an investigation of the effects of cultural proï ¬ les of the organizational members on organizational culture. Keywords Organizational culture, Construction industry, Turkey Paper type Research paper Turkish construction industry 519 Introduction Understanding of organizational culture is fundamental to examine what goes on in organizations, how to run them and how to improve them (Schein, 1992). Organizational culture is deï ¬ ned as the shared assumptions, beliefs and â€Å"normal behaviors† (norms) present in an  organization. Most organizational scholars and observers recognize that organizational culture has a powerful effect on the performance and long-term effectiveness of organizations. Cameron and Quinn (1999) propose that what differentiates successful ï ¬ rms from others is their organizational culture. With the worldwide globalization trends, special attention has been given to the study of organizations and their cultures. Empirical studies of organizational culture have been carried out across various countries and industries (Hofstede, 1997; Trompenaars and Hampton-Turner, 1998; Cameron and Quinn, 1999; see among others). In comparison there seems to be a limited number of published studies related The funding for this study was provided by the Istanbul Technical University, Turkey and is gratefully acknowledged. After reviewing research on organizational culture, Ankrah and Langford (2005) have concluded that there is a need to become more aware of the importance of this phenomenon and its impact on organizational performance in the construction industry. The main reasons for the growing importance of the organizational culture can be explained by the internationalization of the construction markets (Low and Shi, 2001), and the fragmented nature of the industry (Hillebrant, 2000). It is a well-known fact that international construction ï ¬ rms have faced many problems due to conï ¬â€šicts, confrontations, misunderstandings, and the differences in ways of doing business with other cultures (Gould and Joyce, 2000). On the other hand, the adversarial relations between different project participants are assumed to be inï ¬â€šuenced by the cultural orientations of the stakeholders (Phua and Rowlinson, 2003). Thus, the study of cultural issues should be addressed when considering the globalization of construction markets. Additionally, it is a common belief that organizations that have developed within similar environments usually have similar cultures and related mindsets with regard to ways of doing business. For this reason, the research reported in this paper, aims to contribute to an understanding of organizational culture in the construction industry using data from a developing country, such as Turkey, where there is no study in this ï ¬ eld. Findings of the study may also have implications for other cultures with a similar make-up. Background study Despite different deï ¬ nitions of organizational culture, there is a consensus among organizational researchers that it refers to the shared meanings or assumptions, beliefs and understandings held by a group. More comprehensively, Schein (1992) deï ¬ ned organizational culture as: [. . .] a pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration that has worked well enough to be considered valid and therefore to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think and feel in relation to those problems.  ´ Similarly, Deshpande and Webster (1989, p. 4) proposed that organizational culture is: [. . .] the pattern of shared values and beliefs that help individuals understand organizational functioning and thus provide them with norms for behaviors in the organization. There is an extensive body of knowledge in the literature that deals with organizational culture. Many researchers have proposed a variety of dimensions and attributes of organizational culture. Among them, Hofstede has been very inï ¬â€šuential in studies of organizational culture. Drawing on a large sample of 116,000 employees of IBM in 72 countries, Hofstede identiï ¬ ed four dimensions of culture. These four dimensions used to differentiate between cultures are: power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity/femininity and individualism/collectivism. Beyond these, Hofstede (1997) also identiï ¬ ed the process/results oriented, employee/job oriented, parochial/professional, open/closed system, loose/tight control and normative/pragmatic dimensions of culture. These dimensions have been commonly adapted and applied in studies of organizational culture  (Sà ¸dergaard, 1996). Other comprehensive studies into organizational culture have been carried out, notably by Trompenaars and Hampton-Turner (1993), who conducted an extensive research into the attitudes of 15,000 managers over a ten-year period in 28 different countries. They proposed ï ¬ ve cultural dimensions: (1) universalism/particularism; (2) collectivism/individualism; (3) neutral/affective relationships; (4) diffuse/speciï ¬ c relationships; and (5) achievement/ascription. When dealing with a multitude of dimensions, typologies are usually considered as an alternative to provide a simpliï ¬ ed means of assessing cultures. In this regard, typologies are commonly used in the studies of organizational culture. Notable contributors to these typologies include Handy (1993, 1995) who identiï ¬ ed the club, role, task and person typologies, and Quinn (1988) who identiï ¬ ed the market, hierarchy, adhocracy and clan typologies of culture. Since the culture is regarded as a crucial factor in the long-term effectiveness of organizations, it becomes important to be able to measure organizational culture. Accordingly, a range of tools designed to measure organizational culture have been developed and applied in industrial, educational, and health care settings over the last two decades. All these tools examine employee perceptions and opinions about their working environment (the so-called â€Å"climate† of an organization) but only a few, such as the Competing Values Framework and the Organizational Culture Inventory (OCI), try to examine the values and beliefs that inform those views (Scott et al., 2003). The majority of the existing studies in the Construction Management ï ¬ eld mostly attempt to appropriate the theoretical models and measurement tools of the management literature. For instance, Maloney and Federle (1991, 1993) introduced the competing values framework for analyzing the cultural elements in American engineering and construction organizations. Focusing on the relationship between the organizational culture and effectiveness, Zhang and Liu (2006) examined the organizational culture proï ¬ les of construction enterprises in China by means of OCI and Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI), the measurement tool of the Competing Values Framework developed by Cameron and Quinn (1999). Rowlinson (2001), using Handy’s organizational culture and Hofstede’s national culture frameworks, investigated the cultural aspects of  organizational change in the construction industry. Ankrah and Langford (2005) proposed a new measurement tool after analyzing all cultural dimensions and typologies developed in the literature and highlighted the cultural variability between organizations in the project coalition. Literature review shows that despite the growing importance of organizational culture in construction research, there are few cross-cultural, empirical studies. This may be due to the difï ¬ culties of conducting research in several countries. The study reported in this paper forms a part of a cross-cultural research, initiated by CIB W112 on â€Å"Culture in Construction†, concurrently ongoing in 15 different countries. The aim of the research project is to develop an international â€Å"Inventory of Culture in Construction†. It continues to stimulate new participants from Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and America. Research methodology Measurement of culture represents difï ¬ culties, particularly in respect of the identiï ¬ cation of cultural groups and boundaries. This is further complicated by the nature of the construction industry in which projects are temporary and participants are subject to the values and beliefs of their employing organization, professional groups and project organizations. There is an ongoing debate concerning the study of culture among construction management scholars. However, it is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss the methodological aspects of studying culture in the construction industry. In order to be compatible with the studies conducted in other countries participating in the CIB W112 research, Cameron and Quinn’s (1999) â€Å"Competing Values Framework† (CVF) as well as their measurement tool named â€Å"Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument† (OCAI) are adopted as the conceptual paradigm for analysis in this study. The CVF was originally proposed by Quinn and Rohrbaugh (1983) to understand organizational effectiveness, and was later applied to explore different  issues relative to organizations (Al-Khalifa and Aspinwall, 2001). The CVF is based on two major dimensions. The ï ¬ rst dimension emphasizes the organizational focus (internal versus external), whereas the second one distinguishes between the stability and control and the ï ¬â€šexibility and discretion. These two dimensions form four quadrants (see Figure 1), each representing a major type of organizational culture: (1) clan; (2) adhocracy; (3) market; and (4) hierarchy. Figure 1. The competing values framework Theoretically, these four cultural typologies exist simultaneously in all organizations; therefore, archetypes may be used to describe the pattern of the organizational culture (Paperone, 2003). Sampling and data collection Unit of analysis for this study were the contracting and architectural ï ¬ rms operating in the Turkish Construction Industry. A number of 351 ï ¬ rms were contacted, and 134 of them participated in the study giving a response rate of 38.18 per cent. The ï ¬ rms were selected by judgmental sampling procedure. The judgment criteria used for selection were: . origin of nationality, with emphasis on local ï ¬ rms; . size based on number of employees, with emphasis placed on medium and large ï ¬ rms; and . industry position based on market share, with the focus on the 12 largest ï ¬ rms. Sample consisted of a total of 826 respondents (74.9 per cent male, 25.1 per cent female) including both managerial and non-managerial professionals. The questionnaire comprised two parts. Part I included questions regarding the demographic characteristics of the ï ¬ rms and respondents, which are presented in Table I. Although the analysis conducted in this study was at ï ¬ rm level, the characteristics of the respondents are also provided in Table I to reï ¬â€šect a better proï ¬ le Frequency Characteristics of the ï ¬ rms (N  ¼ 134) Number of ï ¬ rms: Contracting Architectural Firm age (years): ,15 16-25 .25 Size of ï ¬ rms (number of full-time employees): Small Medium Large Characteristics of the respondents (N  ¼ 826) Number of respondents: Contracting Architectural Gender: Female Male Age of respondents (years): 30 and under 31-40 41-50 51 and above Percentage  of the sample. As is seen in Table I, contracting ï ¬ rms are representing the 79.9 per cent of t he sampled organizations and 87.5 per cent of the respondents. For the purpose of this study, organizations with less than 50 employees were classiï ¬ ed as small (46 per cent), those with 51-150 as medium (28 per cent), and those with more than 150 as large (25 per cent). The contracting ï ¬ rms in the survey were generally medium and large-sized whereas the architectural ï ¬ rms were small in size. Searching for the cultural orientations of the ï ¬ rms, Part II was adopted from the â€Å"Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI)† developed by Cameron and Quinn (1999). OCAI consists of six different questions which are relevant to the key dimensions of organizational culture: (1) dominant characteristics; (2) organizational leadership; (3) management of employees; (4) organizational glue; (5) strategic emphases; and (6) criteria for success. Each question has four alternative statements representing different cultural orientations making a total of 24 questions. All respondents were asked to rate their organizations’ culture on a ï ¬ ve-point Likert scale. In this scoring system, for each of the ï ¬ ve response categories (completely true, mostly true, partly true, slightly true, never true) a score of 1-5 was assigned, with the highest score of 5 being assigned to â€Å"completely true†. The overall cultural proï ¬ le of an organization was then derived by calculating the  average score of all respondents from the same ï ¬ rm. Reliability coefï ¬ cients (Cronbach alpha) were calculated for each of the different culture types being assessed by the instrument. Coefï ¬ cients were 0.89 for the clan and adhocracy cultures, and 0.86 for the market and hierarchy cultures, which indicate the fairness of all culture types. Results and discussion A cultural proï ¬ le score for each organization was obtained by averaging the respondent’s rating for each cultural type across the six dimensions. This provided an indication of the cultural orientation of sampled ï ¬ rms based on the four cultural types. The average scores for all the participating ï ¬ rms are shown in Table II. As is seen from the table, the dominant culture of the sample is clan culture. Respondents identiï ¬ ed hierarchy type as the next most dominant in their organizations. These predominant cultures were followed by adhocracy and market, respectively. The sampled ï ¬ rms tend to have values consistent with employee focus or clan culture and internal process or hierarchy culture. The values consistent with external orientation and results focus are emphasized to a lesser extent. This ï ¬ nding contributes to our understanding of the alignment between national and organizational cultures. According to Hofstede’s (1980, 2001) model of national culture, Turkey has been described as being high on the collectivism and power distance value dimensions. This suggests that organizational cultures in Turkish ï ¬ rms are characterized by both unequal (or hierarchical) and harmonious, family-like (clan) relationships.

Malinche, Mistress and Interpreter to Hernán Cortés

Malinche, Mistress and Interpreter to Hernn Cortà ©s Malinali (c. 1500–1550), also known as Malintzà ­n, Doà ±a Marina, and, most commonly, Malinche, was a native Mexican woman who was given to conquistador Hernan Cortes as a slave in 1519. Malinche soon proved herself very useful to Cortes, as she was able to help him interpret Nahuatl, the language of the mighty Aztec Empire. Malinche was an invaluable asset for Cortes, as she not only translated but also helped him understand local cultures and politics. She became his mistress as well and bore Cortes a son. Many modern Mexicans see Malinche as a great traitor who betrayed her native cultures to the bloodthirsty Spanish invaders. Fast Facts: Malinche Known For: Mexican slave, lover, and interpreter to Hernan CortezAlso Known As: Marina, Malintzin, Malinche,  Doà ±a Marina, MallinaliBorn: c. 1500 in Painala, in present-day MexicoParents:  Cacique  of Paynala, mother unknownDied: c. 1550 in SpainSpouse: Juan de Jaramillo; also famous for her relationship with Hernan Cortez, the famous ConquistadorChildren: Don Martà ­n, Doà ±a Marà ­a   Early Life Malinches original name was Malinali. She was born sometime around 1500 in the town of Painala, close to the larger settlement of Coatzacoalcos. Her father was a local chieftain and her mother was from the ruling family of the nearby village of Xaltipan. Her father died, however, and when Malinche was a young girl, her mother remarried to another local lord and bore him a son. Apparently wishing the boy to inherit all three villages, Malinches mother sold her into slavery in secret, telling the people of the town that she had died. Malinche was sold to slavers from Xicallanco, who in turn sold her to the lord of Potonchan. Although she was a slave, she was a high-born one and never lost her regal bearing. She also had a gift for languages. Gift to Cortes In March 1519, Hernan Cortes and his expedition landed near Potonchan in the Tabasco region. The local natives did not want to deal with the Spanish, so before long the two sides were battling. The Spanish, with their armor and steel weapons, easily defeated the natives and soon local leaders asked for peace, which Cortes was only too happy to agree to. The lord of Potonchan brought food to the Spanish and gave them 20 women to cook for them, one of whom was Malinche. Cortes handed the women and girls out to his captains; Malinche was given to Alonso Hernandez Portocarrero. Malinche was baptized as Doà ±a Marina. It was around this time that some began referring to her by the name Malinche rather than Malinali. The name was originally Malintzine and derives from Malinali tzin (a reverential suffix) e (possession). Therefore, Malintzine originally referred to Cortes, as he was Malinalis owner, but somehow the name stuck to her instead and evolved into Malinche. Malinche the Interpreter Cortes soon realized how valuable she was, however, and took her back. Some weeks before, Cortes had rescued Gerà ³nimo de Aguilar, a Spaniard who had been captured in 1511 and had lived among the Maya people ever since. In that time, Aguilar had learned to speak Maya. Malinche could speak Maya and Nahuatl, which she learned as a girl. After leaving Potonchan, Cortes landed near present-day Veracruz, which was then controlled by vassals of the Nahuatl-speaking Aztec Empire. Cortes soon found that he could communicate through these two translators: Malinche could translate from Nahuatl to Maya, and Aguilar could translate from Maya to Spanish. Eventually, Malinche learned Spanish, thus eliminating the need for Aguilar. Malinche and the Conquest Time and again, Malinche proved her worth to her new masters. The Mexica (Aztecs) who ruled Central Mexico from their magnificent city of Tenochtitlan had evolved a complicated system of governance that involved an intricate combination of war, awe, fear, religion and strategic alliances. The Aztecs were the most powerful partner of the Triple Alliance of Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tacuba, three city-states close to one another in the central Valley Of Mexico. The Triple Alliance had subjugated almost every major tribe in Central Mexico, forcing the other civilizations to pay tribute in the form of goods, gold, services, warriors, slaves, and/or sacrificial victims for the Aztecs gods. It was a very complex system and the Spaniards understood very little of it; their rigid Catholic worldview prevented most of them from grasping the intricacies of Aztec life. Malinche not only translated the words she heard but also helped the Spanish grasp concepts and realities that they would need to understand in their war of conquest. Malinche and Cholula After the Spanish defeated and aligned themselves with the warlike Tlaxcalans in September 1519, they prepared to march the rest of the way to Tenochtitlan. Their path led them through Cholula, known as a holy city because it was the center of the worship of the god Quetzalcoatl. While the Spanish were there, Cortes got wind of a possible plot by Aztec Emperor Montezuma to ambush and slay the Spanish once they left the city. Malinche helped provide further proof. She had befriended a woman in town, the wife of a leading military officer. One day, the woman approached Malinche and told her not to accompany the Spaniards when they left as they would be annihilated. She was urged to stay and marry the womans son. Malinche tricked the woman into thinking she had agreed and then brought her to Cortes. After questioning the woman, Cortes was convinced of the plot. He assembled the citys leaders in one of the courtyards and after accusing them of treason (through Malinche as an interpreter, of course) he ordered his men to attack. Thousands of local nobles died in the Cholula Massacre, which sent shock waves through central Mexico. Malinche and the Fall of Tenochtitlan After the Spanish entered the city and took Emperor Montezuma hostage, Malinche continued in her role as interpreter and advisor. Cortes and Montezuma had much to talk about, and there were orders to be given to the Spaniards Tlaxcalan allies. When Cortes went to fight Panfilo de Narvaez in 1520 for control of the expedition, he took Malinche with him. When they returned to Tenochtitlan after the Temple Massacre, she helped him calm the angry populace. When the Spaniards were nearly slaughtered during the Night of Sorrows, Cortes made sure to assign some of his best men to defend Malinche, who survived the chaotic retreat from the city. And when Cortes triumphantly reconquered the city from the indomitable Emperor Cuauhtà ©moc, Malinche was at his side. After the Fall of the Empire In 1521, Cortes definitively conquered Tenochtitlan and he needed Malinche more than ever to help him govern his new empire. He kept her close to him- so close, in fact, that she bore him a child, Martà ­n, in 1523. Martà ­n was eventually made legitimate by a papal decree. She accompanied Cortes on his disastrous expedition to Honduras in 1524. About this time, Cortes encouraged her to marry Juan Jaramillo, one of his captains. She would eventually bear Jaramillo a child as well. On the Honduras expedition, they passed through Malinches homeland, and she met with (and forgave) her mother and half-brother. Cortes gave her several prime plots of land in and around Mexico City to reward her for her loyal service. Death Details of her death are scarce, but she likely passed away sometime in 1550. Legacy To say that modern Mexicans have mixed feelings about Malinche is an understatement. Many of them despise her and consider her a traitor for her role in helping the Spanish invaders annihilate her own culture. Others see in Cortes and Malinche an allegory for modern Mexico: the offspring of violent Spanish domination and native collaboration. Still, others forgive her treachery, pointing out that as a slave given away freely to the invaders, she certainly didnt owe her native culture any loyalty. And others remark that by the standards of her time, Malinche enjoyed remarkable autonomy and freedom that neither native women nor Spanish women had. Sources Adams, Jerome R. New York: Ballantine Books, 1991.Diaz del Castillo, Bernal. Trans., ed. J.M. Cohen. 1576. London, Penguin Books, 1963. Print.Levy, Buddy. New York: Bantam, 2008.Thomas, Hugh. New York: Touchstone, 1993.

The Objectives of Women in the International Community

The Objectives of Women in the International Community Introduction International relations continue to re-shape feminism by its increased articulation of the ideology through an enhanced global discourse that pursues the embodiment of human rights. The global community continues to take cognisance of the fact that justifying feminist action is a humanitarian cause that seeks nothing but the good for all humanity (NGO Working Group on Women, Peace, and Security 2015, p. 1).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Objectives of Women in the International Community specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In recent times, there has been tremendous progress in recognising and addressing the lopsided impact of conflict on women and girls generally. Women’s leadership pursues the full and equal participation of both girls and women in an effort to establish a lasting global peace and security. Opportunities for women as Lene (2000, p. 78) notes will not be easy to achieve without the promotion and recognition of their human rights. The global community must be imperative to avert conflicts and build peace across the world to make the feminine objectives achievable. Achieving the objectives of women demands that the international community address the following: Women’s participation Often, the society tends systematically exclude women from meaningful participation. This scenario characteristically threatens the sustainability of engagements hence forcing women to push for greater representation and fairness. The international community has a duty to pull together all peace-making initiatives to include women to the process systematically (NGO Working Group on Women, Peace, and Security 2015, p. 2). The need to increase the participation of women and the girl child in the civil society organisations must aim to strengthen women human rights. Increased participation of women must hasten women’s ability as decision makers both at national and loc al levels. The contribution of women is critical as it ensures that women’s rights and priorities are enshrined in the political processes to bring sustainable peace. National and regional integration Local, national, and regional gender balance can pave the way for increased participation of women in the mainstream society and institutionalise women’s leadership in decision-making processes. Women have what it takes to transform almost every sector of society, including health, education, leadership, and business (Mayoux 2010, p. 583). Integration of women in the mainstream activities in the society must aim to enhance gender perspective as pillars of institutional work in the development of these efforts. The international community has a duty to work as a united force to develop, implement, and evaluate the existing global gender strategies that seek embody women affairs.Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Expanding public leadership to involve women Over the past thirty years, there has been a widespread revolution in the concept of governance and public administration generally (Riccucci 2010, p. 167). Public administration continues to be a challenge in most parts of the world hence how to improve it becomes a necessity for the harmonious continuity and transition in different societies. The society is fast moving past incremental changes and improving public leadership is part of the process in transforming the government into fundamentally useful entity. Governments of the world have a duty to give an era to women’s voices. Improving public leadership to conform to the ideals of women involves change that must come with acceptance from all stakeholders of the community. This change has to be in the right direction capable of answering to the aspirations of the women in general. Expanding public leadership to invo lve women is a transformation process, which in turn act as process of adjustment in structure, form, and character in the concept of community. Change as Alison (2004, p. 448) opines denote a break from the old unnecessary habits a conversion or a revolution of some sort. Improving public leadership styles constitute a fundamental consideration of program design and a tour into the preferred business processes that an organisation must nurture as part of its tradition (Capper Ginter 2002, p. 156). Organisations or governments have unique footprints of the trajectory of their administrative reforms to guarantee women’s agenda. The leadership reform movements in several parts of the world have footprints of great leaders that had a distinctly ideological zeal attached to them. The need to downsize and decentralise government led to the conceptualisation of more palatable leadership styles that were popular with the masses. In many cases the urge to improve public leadership, stemmed from economic crises that sought to meet the demands of the changing trends to help finance growing economies. The urge to expand public leadership to involve women covers many areas of government such as the need to improve service delivery and increase management output and accountability. Improving public leadership according to MacKenzie (2009, p. 212) relate directly to civil service reforms, performance matrix, use of information technology, strategic planning, contracting, and structural streamlining to accommodate broader managerial perspectives. Democratisation process The Truman Doctrine promulgated a noble policy that meant to support free people who were subdued by armed dynasties or external aggression. President Truman however, observed that the aid America was volunteering would be in handy, yet in the form of fiscal aid given that economic strength and organised political structures were the foundations of stability, which essentially was after all, what the newly independent nations yearned for. The word democracy emanates from two Greek terms ‘demos’ meaning the people while ‘Kratos’ refers to a form of Aristocracy denoting a leadership that is decided upon by the people (Bostdorff 2008, p. 156). In the American context, democracy refers to a people chosen government, a concept of governance that cannot subjugate its people. Democracy by any means is the preserve of an equal opportunity society where everyone has a say in the concept and nature of governance.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Objectives of Women in the International Community specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a concept in public opinion making, democracy makes sovereignty worth its while. The logic of civic competence and the drive to have an impact in the concept of political life and shape the democratic process of a people delves essentially on the ability to grasp th e political tenets that defines a people. Elements such as the logic of civic participation as Vyas (2003, p. 444) notes are essential ideals of democracy that are instrumental in public opinion and decision-making. Clearly, high levels of self-expression, values, and political participation are essential for a healthy public opinion making today. Financing The international community need to direct equal access to women to reach out to direct funding to implement their decision-making. Clearly, the body has a task to provide multi-faceted financial support to women leagues through existing global funding bodies and civil society organisations working at national, regional, and global levels to ensure continued funding to the dedicated efforts for women in different parts of the world (Kiran 2012, p. 572). Gender proficiency is a fundamental across the communities in the world today and the international community should relent to allow a few individuals to make it an optional proce ss. Redefining the roles of the military to limit conflicts across the globe The military are usually the largest division of armed forces authorised to use excessive force in support and protection of the interests of state. Military role is primarily to defend the state and the citizens in prosecuting war external aggression by another state (Parashar 2011, p. 297). The military roles includes but not limited to promoting political agenda, participating in social activities, construction of infrastructures, public health programs, humanitarian and disaster relief operations. Within the wider global politics, militaries collaborate to promote regional stability, and for that matter global world peace. This paper looks at the importance of the military in a wider nationalistic and the broader global geopolitical aspect. Deterrence of external aggression Within the military, the deterrence theory became an issue that captured the imagination of several militaries during Cold War (Zuc kerman Greenberg 2004, p. 267). This was mainly due to the increasing concern by world militaries as the nuclear arms race ragged in.Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The presence of an army helps in deterring external aggression and in the process this assist in maintaining regional and global security. As a military practice, the concept of deterrence has been instrumental as a convenience in instigating the other party to refrain from aggression that might result in a counter attack. All these aspects of deterrence seek to nurture Regional Corporation by solving conflicts through consensus. Humanitarian operations and effective disaster relief aid The use of the army for humanitarian and disaster relief operations is a long established military tradition in geopolitics. Within the geopolitics, a clear association exists between disaster outbreak and military relief. The civilian population often looks upon the military to come to their aid whenever disaster strikes or in the event of full-blown wars, and emergencies (Newell 2002, p. 50). Militaries of the world have rapid response teams that coordinate with regional authorities to deliver reli ef and aid to populations under threat of natural disasters or civil wars. Within geopolitics, these operations not only seek to secure regional power balance and world tranquillity, but also to give the military an abstract humanitarian outlook. Promotion of regional stability The logic of regional stability is clear within the geopolitics matrix. Militaries of the world believe that the first step in the promotion of regional stability is by pooling their resources together while enhancing corporation to reinforce the security structure of a region. Within the wider geopolitics, regional Military Corporation allows armies to scale economic boundaries to acquire military equipment necessary in securing regional stability. Military Corporation is therefore, instrumental in geopolitics because it multiplies the military might of a single country’s armed forces. NATO is a typical example of a military alliance that seeks to secure regional stability in the geopolitics of the No rth Atlantic region (Shepherd 2014, p. 345). Within this understanding, militaries find it easy to detect and disrupt terrorist operations and networks in all corners of the world. Discussion The military is a necessary aspect in striking a balance between geopolitics and regional governments within their realms. From the strenuous history of geopolitics, it is clear that the world can only exist in cohesion with itself when there is a robust military in force. Nations of the world are often suspicious with one another hence the need to keep external aggression in check. Militaries defend states and their citizens to avoid unnecessary subjugation by foreign force (Newell 2002, p. 53). In times of natural disasters and civil strife, the army provides humanitarian aid to civilians thus securing lives. National stability and regional stability constitute global peace hence militaries of the world collaborate to disrupt regional conflicts. Human rights movement The quest for human right s creates a mental picture that draws the audience’s assumed knowledge of human beings as horrific entities judging from acts of history that caused and continues to cause unprecedented human sufferings such as colonisation, slave trade, apartheid, torture, and abortion. Human rights as a concept thrived under several concepts before the reigns of King John Lackland of England. For some reason, Lackland violated the laws and customs that governed England and he was compelled to sign the Magna Carta (the Great Charter) in 1215 (Albertone 2009, p. 45). The Magna Carta was a binding document that sought to ensure the King followed the laws of the land while guaranteeing the rights and freedoms of his subjects against his wishes. These ancient developments were the offshoot of the chronicles of the human right movements in history. The then society’s religious mentality is perhaps among the most referenced mind-sets in the ancient international diplomatic ties in the conti nental Europe. In the years following the Second World War, the world turned its focus from the contest between democracy and totalitarianism to emerging threats such as the global balance of power. The power vacuum in the years following the post-war history greatly troubled the United States, especially in the oil opulent and war ravaged Middle East. In the 1960s, much of the Middle East was a deep preoccupation and this was mainly because its inclination to communistic thinking. The foundations of the Truman Doctrine were premised on the justification of the theory that Communism thrived on sheer determination to destabilise world economy. Conclusion Societal ethics as explored in the traditions of old parochial societies and embedded in the origins of the agreeable social relations and attitudes cherished by the society have brought humanity this far. The interplay between human rights and public policy making relationships usually express themselves in the patterns or forms of behaviour that the society considers to bring about ethical symbiosis between its key cogs. In the past, these prototypes were stipulated in the decorum of the customs of the day, and were idealised, analysed, and inferred upon the people by the moral thinking standards of the time. However, with increased democratisation of the society and enhanced acceptance of human rights, everyone has the right to influence public opinion and policymaking. References Albertone, M 2009, Rethinking the Atlantic world: Europe and America in the age of democratic revolutions, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, Hampshire. Alison, M 2004, ‘Women as Agents of Political Violence: Gendering Security’, Security Dialogue, vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 447–463. Bostdorff, D 2008, Proclaiming the Truman Doctrine: The Cold War Call to Arms, A M UP, USA. Brooke, A Jacqui, T 2008, ‘Reflexivity in Practice: Power and Ethics in Feminist Research on International Relations’, International S tudies Review, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 693-707. Capper, S., Ginter, P 2002, Public health leadership Management cases and context, Thousand Oaks, Sage Publications. Kiran, G 2012, ‘Reclaiming the Voice of the ‘Third World Woman’, International Journal of Postcolonial Studies, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 569-590. Lene, H 2000, ‘The Little Mermaid’s Silent Security Dilemma and the Absence of Gender in the Copenhagen School’, Journal of International Studies, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 285-306. MacKenzie, M 2009, Empowerment boom or bust? Assessing womens post-conflict empowerment initiatives, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, vol. 22, no 2, pp. 199-215. Mayoux, L 2010, ‘Reaching and Empowering Women: Towards a Gender Justice Protocol for a Diversified, Inclusive, and Sustainable Financial Sector’, Perspectives on Global Development and Technology, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 581-600. Newell, C 2002, The framework of operational warfare, Routledge, Lo ndon. NGO Working Group on Women, Peace, and Security 2015, 2015 Civil Society Women, Peace and Security Roadmap. Web. Parashar, S 2011, ‘Gender, Jihad, and Jingoism: Women as Perpetrators, Planners, and Patrons of Militancy in Kashmir’, Studies in Conflict Terrorism, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 295-317. Riccucci, N 2010, Public administration traditions of inquiry and philosophies of knowledge, Georgetown University Press, Washington. Shepherd, L 2014, Gender Matters in Global Politics: A Feminist Introduction to International Relations, Routledge, London. Vyas, A 2003, ‘Empowering Women through Information and Knowledge’, Gender, Technology and Development, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 443-445. Zuckerman, E Greenberg, M 2004, ‘The Gender Dimensions of Post-Conflict Reconstruction: An Analytical Framework for Policymakers’, Gender and Development, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 4-34.

Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Discussion - Essay Example Bazarov is a nihilist and believes that everything in this world is only true on the basis of basis of scientific proof. He only believes that everything that is old and traditional has no meaning in it until and unless it is proved scientifically. According to the words of Uncle Pavel in chapter 5, Bazarov is a nihilist â€Å"who respects nothing†. In responding to his uncle, Arkady, Bazarov’s friend informs his uncle, The personality of Bazarov that is explicit from this introduction about his being a nihilist shows him as a person who keeps faith in nothing and believes on experimentations and scientific results. Pavel’s idea that Bazarov respects nothing is somehow right as one who shows distrust in everything will have no reverence for it. Therefore, Bazarov is critical about the things and believes around him. He regards art as somewhat time wastage, which shows that he lacks the sensuousness of life. Bazarov is a character that is somehow ironic about everything around him. He believes in nothing. He is himself a doctor and feels that his profession and work is far more effective than the work of a poet. He also shows disregard for many concepts as he says, According to Bazarov, aristocracy, liberalism and other concepts are of no meaning as they are not useful in any aspect. He regards all these words as a waste of time. He is not a Russian but considers himself such because of his negligible linkage to Rome. He further explains himself, Hence, according to Bazarov, usefulness of objects and principles is an important aspect that cannot be negated. He feels that he is in benefit by negating the existence and reality of everything. Bazarov informs that Romans do something by recognizing its importance. As related to Romans, he also keeps acceptance for performances that are useful. He even negates any feeling for his country. When

Should schools help students think indiviually Essay

Should schools help students think indiviually - Essay Example The argument whether school’s should teach uniformity or encourage to think individually was settled in the character of the new teacher Mr. Keating who was unlike other teachers who does not stick to the syllabus whose teaching style is different. He instead use poem and encourage his students take risk even that means breaking rules to make their â€Å"lives extraordinary†. He even introduced the idea of Carper Diem of letting the students decide what is good for them. There are two philosophers who encouraged independent thinking – they were Thoreau and Emerson. Both delved into transcendental philosophy through the exploration of the higher dimension of the self through non-conformity (Emerson) and simplicity (Thoreau). Self-reliance as put forth by Emerson and Thoreau is the independence of the self that does not subscribe to the â€Å"foolish consistency [which] is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines† (Emerson) and independence which is free from any unwarranted neediness that enables one to appreciate existence better as articulated by