Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Is Ham correct that connection between science and naturalism is Thesis

Is Ham correct that connection between science and naturalism is arbitrary - Thesis Example Nye supports science by citing evolution theory to prove that creationism or naturalism is not connected to science. Scientists based their evidence on evolution theory that explains the origin of flora and fauna. Nye also confirms the arbitrary connection between science and naturalism when he says in the debate that creationism should not be offered in school alongside the scientific theory coursework. While Nye argues that the scientific theory is false, Ham arguments are based on religious beliefs that have been captured in the book of Genesis. Additionally, Ham’s interpretation about the creationism in Genesis shows that the earth was created 6,000 years ago through supernatural powers. On the other hand, Nye describes the earth that was formed 4.5 billion years ago by using proof such as homologies, fossil, and distribution of time and space. The disparities in Earth’s age brought forward by Ham and Nye confirms further that the link between naturalism and science is a random occurrence (Etchells). Scientific theories are essential because they are used to explain the historical origin of the phenomena under study. The criteria debunk myths when they provide consistent results to the public. Scientific theory is used in creating awareness through education about the essence of science as a whole. Students use the theories as point of reference when they are given scientific-based prompts. Additionally, scientific theories promote lessons of intelligence and research. Observations that are made are based on theories brought forward by ancient scientists. There would be limited knowledge about natural phenomena if there were no existing theories such as evolution. Ham makes his remarks by quoting importance of science and creationism in school. He reveals that researchers such as Stuart Burgess have embraced both science and creationism as separate entities. However, the professor uses scientific

Monday, October 28, 2019

New Testament Essay Example for Free

New Testament Essay â€Å"This weakness is displayed in the special terms that are employed by the theory —innocent, combatant, aggression, authority and so on. These terms are subject to the slipping and sliding of deconstructive analysis and forever need further, technical definition. For example, what constitutes an act of ‘aggression’? Is it Ð ° physical assault on one’s territory? An insult to the national pride? Ð  trade embargo, an attack on one’s ally? Osama bin Laden justifies his attack on 9/11 as an act of self-defense against American ‘aggression’, which has destroyed the ‘religion and life’ of his people. For over seven years the United States has been occupying the lands of Islam in the holiest of places, the Arabian Peninsula, plundering its riches, dictating to its rulers, humiliating its people, terrorizing its neighbors, and turning its bases in the Peninsula into Ð ° spearhead through which to fight the neighboring Muslim peoples. If some people have in the past argued about the fact of the occupation, all the people of the Peninsula have now acknowledged it. The best proof of this is the Americans’ continuing aggression against the Iraqi people using the Peninsula as Ð ° staging post, even though all its rulers are against their territories being used to that end, but are helpless†¦ All these crimes and sins committed by the Americans are Ð ° clear declaration of war on Allah, his messenger, and Muslims. And ulema [religious leaders] have throughout Islamic history unanimously agreed that the jihad is an individual duty if the enemy destroys the Muslim countries. This was revealed by Imam Bin-Qadamah in ‘Al-Mughni’, Imam al-Kisa’i in ‘Al-Bada’I’, al-Qurtubi in his interpretation, and the shaykh of al-Islam in his books, where he said: ‘As for the fighting to repulse [an enemy], it is aimed at defending sanctity and religion, and it is Ð ° duty as agreed [by the ulema]. Nothing is more sacred than belief except repulsing an enemy who is attacking religion and life’. In fact, this same justification is not so remote from what we hear in our own country, where the left-wing often blames American imperialism and the international system of capitalism for raping the cultures of third world countries, exploiting the people, producing poverty, and sowing the seeds for Ð ° violent response. The criteria do not seem to help the special problem at hand. Most scholars seem to think that just war theory allows for pre-emptive strikes, but the conditions and details are not so clear. The Bush administration and the ‘National Security Strategy’ contend that pre-emptive strikes against Iraq are consonant with just war theory, international law, and Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. Legal scholars and international jurists are said to sanction the right of Ð ° pre-emptive strike based on the condition of an imminent threat. † (Gabriel 2006 27-33) â€Å"However, the Vatican seems to interpret its own codes as Ð ° justification for fighting Ð ° defensive war against Ð ° particular act of aggression, and most scholars seem to agree with its interpretation of the tradition. Jeff McMahan, Ð ° professor at the University of Illinois, says that the theory has Ð ° strong aversion to pre-emptive war. Normally we prefer to punish Ð ° crime already committed, rather than speculate over future possibilities. Just war theory does not like to exchange its certitude for Ð ° more problematic or sordid enterprise. 18 William Gaston, professor at the University of Maryland, finds it necessary to create more criteria to justify his opposition to the administration’s policy, he concedes that ‘anticipatory self-defense has Ð ° place in international law and just war theory’, but he does not concur with the current application of this most difficult step. His criteria would involve Ð ° consideration of the enormity, probability and imminence of the threat, as well as the cost of delay, According to these criteria, the Bush policy is unnecessary in the present circumstance—at least for the time being. Saddam Hussein is not Ð ° present danger (imminence); other options for Ð ° number of months could prove fruitful (cost of delay); and it is unlikely that Saddam would hand WMD to terrorists based on his past actions and present interest. The conclusion is that ‘the case for Ð ° pre-emptive strike has not been made’. Those who list criteria often cast Ð ° negative vote toward an action. Just war treatises often demand fulfillment of all of its conditions. Thomas Aquinas, when he composed his conditions for just war (proper authority, just cause and right intention), insisted that all three conditions must be met as Ð ° necessary apologia for war. The scholastics went on to develop the maxim bonum ex integra causa, malum ex quocumque defectu. â€Å"However, with the United States issuing Ð ° â€Å"with us or against us ultimatum after September 11 and simultaneously dangling the carrot of long-term economic and military assistance in return for logistic support for Americas war effort, each Central Asian state rushed to strike unilateral deals with the United States based on its own self-interest, thereby allowing the United States to establish Ð ° strategic foothold in Central Asia with little or no thought for Chinas concerns. For Central Asians, it was Ð ° golden opportunity to lessen the overbearing influence of their neighboring giants (Russia and China). They view the expanded U. S. military presence in the region as an insurance policy against any future bid by Russia and China to reassert control. However, the lack of strategic policy coordination post-September 11 among the SCO member states left the multilateral forum seriously weakened, undercut the groups solidarity, and represented Ð ° â€Å"major failure for the fledgling group† established to provide Ð ° regional response to terrorism in the region. 65 It also highlighted the tenuous nature of Chinas â€Å"strategic influence† in Central Asia where local ethnic and religious rivalries and conflicting interests present formidable obstacles to Beijings desire to knit the regions governments into Ð ° solid security partnership to further Chinas grand strategic objectives. â€Å" (Mohan 2002) This meant that an action cannot have any moral defect if it is to find justification before God. Ð  war must involve the perfection of God, or it cannot proceed under his blessing. The conditions of war is wholly good, universal and absolute. They do not serve as simple rules of thumb, which may have tensions and become subject to compromise between them. However, this preference for absolute, deontological ethics does not allow the tradition to meet the changing needs of the human condition. It becomes Ð ° pretext for doing nothing because it is based upon past concerns and does not relate to modern times. Its view of the world comes from the Greek philosophical notion of kosmos, not the biblical concept of history, Its world is Ð ° closed shell of eternal laws that contain no openness to the changes of history or the historical nature of humankind. It often strait-jackets its proponents into following rules and failing to take the best course of action in the present circumstance. It limits itself to Ð ° past set of rules that are composed without the prescience of future, historical constellations. The absolute dogmatic claims of the system are somewhat surprising since so much of the analysis depends upon the power of human reason. Its basis of authority does not reside in scripture so much—maybe because the questions it asks are removed from the basic message of the New Testament. † (Elizabeth 2004 6)

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Nietzsches Revaluation of All Values Essay -- Philosophy Nietzsche Es

In the nineteenth century, popular philosophy - particularly the Hegelian dialectic - professed that mankind was developing in an upward direction, becoming more angelic as it were. Man's moral laws were more advanced, as support for democracy and equal rights were beginning to become popular. However, Friedrich Nietzsche believed that mankind was entering a downward spiral towards complete decadence. Modern man, with its 'advanced' morality, was, in truth, decaying on the inside. Claims of morality merely masked modern man's decay: he is veiled behind moral formulas and concepts of decency?. [not] to mask human malice and villainy?. [but] it is precisely as tame animals that we are a shameful sight?. The European disguises himself with morality because he has become a sick, sickly, crippled animal that has good reasons for being ?tame?. [GS 352] Nietzsche believed this to be a form of nihilism because mankind valued precisely what was halting his advancement. With this in mind, Nietzsche began his bold movement towards the revaluation of all values. We need a critique of moral values, the value of these values should itself, for once, be examined?. [What if] morality itself were to blame if man, as a species, never reached his highest potential power and splendour? [GM P 6] In this essay I will first look at several reasons for the necessity of a revaluation of all values. Then I shall look at Nietzsche?s conception of the ?noble? and how through egoism, they can undertake the revaluation of all values. Nietzsche?s most famous statement is, without a doubt, that ?God is dead? (GS 108/125, Z P 2, etc.). Through many years of being quoted, contemporary society seems to have lost the significance of such a profound statement. Perhaps the most frightening aspect of this statement is that ?we have killed him - you and I. All of us are his murderers? (GS 125). It is important to remember that Nietzsche did not believe this to be a literal event. Instead, he explains ?that the belief in the Christian god has become unbelievable? (GS 343). Such disbelief has begun to cast morality, indeed mankind?s meaning, into doubt. Without God, how can universal moral truths be justified? Where is the meaning of man? What were we doing when we unchained this earth from its sun? Whither is it moving now? Whither are we moving? Away from all suns? Are we not plung... ...ss that of all, all! [GS 335] Nietzsche believed that the ego is very important for the revaluation of values. It provides a person with the proper attitude to look within himself and determine those values that are in accordance with personal well-being. The ego also gives the person the conviction to act upon them. In the end, Nietzsche began to perceive that his ?wicked thoughts? on the revaluation of all values were themselves becoming eternal truths: ?you have already taken off your novelty, and some of you are ready, I fear, to become truths: they already look so immortal, so pathetically decent, so dull!? (BGE 296) Nietzsche implies that his views on issues might not be correct, such as when he claims ?assuming that it is now known at the outset how very much these are after all only - my truths? (BGE 231) before beginning a sad tirade on women. The danger of stating a method of creating truth that is indefinite is that certain aspects will be cast into truths in the future, much against the spirit of Nietzsche. While his elitist views might seem extreme, perhaps he is only offering his truth to creating meaning, and it is our individual duty to come up with our own.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

The Lais of Marie de France

The Adulterous Medieval Times Since the beginning of written history, marriage is portrayed as a sacred vow by almost all religions and peoples throughout the Earth while adultery is almost always looked upon as wrong. Marie de France was one of the few female writers in medieval times which made her very influential and well respected. In her book titled â€Å"The Lais of Marie de France,† she gives the reader a look into the affairs and adultery that was going on in the medieval courts. It seems Marie de France does not particularly agree with adultery, but her style of writing leads the reader to see that it is not so bad, depending on the situation. It is almost as if she separates the lais into two distinct groups. The first of which are the stories where Marie tries to make the reader feel compassion and sorry for the lovers like in â€Å"Lanval† and â€Å"Yonec. † The other group is where the reader is made to feel anger and displeasure toward the couples like in â€Å"Equitan† and â€Å"Bisclavret. IN the lai â€Å"Yonec,† there is a young woman who has been locked away by her much older husband. By the end of just the first page, the reader is meant to feel this woman’s pain and how hard her life must be to be marries to this horrible man. She really cannot do anything about her terrible situation though since she is married to him which means that she is basically his property. The thing that makes this lai different from the others is that this woman prays to God to have someone come and save her. God answers her prayers by sending a hawk that turns into a courtly knight that lovers her. These two become adulterous lovers but it seems respectable since it was God, Himself, that sent this woman a new lover. The affair is not just about sex, rather that these two share a spiritual connection and relationship which makes the union even more respectable with the standards of the time. When her husband realizes what is going on he sets a trap and mortally wounds the knight. The lady is very sad until the knight tells her that she is pregnant. The knight tells the lady that she is to name her son Yonec and that he will avenge their love. As the boy grows up though the rest of the story, he learns the truth about his father. His mother finally reveals the whole truth to Yonec and dies while she is doing so. Yonec then goes and takes his real father’s sword and chops off his stepfather’s head. Even though this lai ends on a somewhat gruesome note, the reader is left with a sense of relief and happiness because the true lovers were finally avenged from the cruel tyrant that tore them apart. In the lai â€Å"Lanval,† King Arthur is shown as a great king who is giving out land and wives to all the knights that serve him, all of them except Lanval who is all but forgotten. Lanval was very distraught by this so he left the castle to clear his mind. He happens upon two very beautiful women who take him back to their maiden. Once Lanval meets this maiden the love affair begins but it is very pure of heart and shown as true love. This makes the reader very happy for the loving couple, but that feeling is false because this is a carnal relationship out of wedlock which is wrong. The reader then learns that Lanval can tell nobody about her or she will leave him that same instant. This puts the woman into the lord role over Lanval giving him a wife and land as long as he obeys her. :anval soon boasts about his lady and insults Queen Guinevere at the same time. Lanval must stand trial for what he has done and prove to the court that his lady is more beautiful which is impossible since he spoke about her and now she is gone. As the trial is ending his lady comes to his rescue and the ride away to Avalon. The reader is left with a satisfied feeling even though they are not married. This lai lets the reader put their own morals to suit themselves in each situation. The first two lais were very similar in showing adultery as being a pretty good thing. The next two are totally opposite. â€Å"Bisclavret† shows an adulterous relationship in a very negative way. In this lai, there is a happy couple that seem to enjoy each other but end up as enemies. The man is a werewolf but does not immediately share this information with his wife until she keeps bugging him and he feels guilty about not letting her know. After the wife learns of his secret, she refuses to sleep with him anymore and becomes the lover of another man. She then knows that all she has to do is hide his clothes when he is a werewolf and he will then stay as a werewolf. This is where the reader starts to feel true hatred toward this woman because she planned this betrayal on her husband only after he shared all his secrets with her. This lai is different because it is the woman who is being terrible to her husband. He told her all his secrets and instead of trusting him, she ultimately betrayed his trust. Bisclavret does get his revenge though. The King takes him in as a pet until he sees his wife and her new lover and bites her nose off. He gets his clothes back so he is human again, and the greatest revenge that Bisclavret gets is that his former wife’s children are all born without noses. The reader never feels any pity toward the woman even though she does get hurt by her husband because she had nothing but malicious intent against Bisclavret through the entire story. The ending is also like a moral to a fable to show that this behavior is not something anyone should ever do. The lai â€Å"equitant† has many similarities to Bisclavret’s story. The king in this story wants to marry his seneschal’s wife which is of course wrong. Nothing seems so bad because the king is letting her think about what she might want to do. Then it turns ugly because the wife and the king then plot to murder her husband. She plans for the king to betray her husband so that he will die in a very hot, scalding bath. The seneschal comes to the room where this is supposed to happen and he finds the king and his wife in each others arms. The king accidentally jumps into the scalding bath and dies. The seneschal then throws his wife into the burning water as well for the betrayal that she plotted. The seneschal gets the revenge he deserved by being able to kill the main person who plotted against him with his own hands. Again, the reader feels no remorse or mercy towards the king and the seneschal’s wife because they betrayed him. Marie also ends this story with a moral showing that betrayal can easily backfire on the impure people that plot it. Marie de France presents adultery in a way where the reader can form their own opinions. She definitely does not approve of adultery in and way, shape, or form. The reader is led to feel hope and understanding about the lovers in some of the lais while in others, the reader can only feel hatred and displeasure towards the betrayers of love. The hope and understanding comes to the read during the cruel things that happen to prevent true love from happening. The hatred that the reader develops is when the betrayal and evil deeds are brought into the story.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Presence of Others’ Effect on Behavior & Interpersonal Attraction

1- The presence of others can impact people’s behavior in many ways. For example, social facilitation is a process where the presence of others causes you to perform better, but only on tasks that are easy for you; during tasks that are difficult, the presence of others causes you to perform worse. Another way people’s behavior is impacted by the presence of others is social loafing, when people are put into a group to complete a task, each individual will perform less than they would if they were working alone.Deindividuation is another example, where being part of a group causes a person to lose their sense of individuality and have a reduction of constraints against deviant behavior. 2- Three factors that increase interpersonal attraction are the matching hypothesis, reciprocity, and the hard-to-get effect. The matching hypothesis states that people are attracted to those who are equal or similar in physical attractiveness; having this balance allows both people to f eel deserving of the relationship and stable in it.Reciprocity is an equal exchange of what we give and receive, for example, we like those who like us; if someone is attracted to you and always very nice to you, you’ll like and respond to that by being nice back and potentially being attracted to them as well. The hard-to-get effect is having the tendency to prefer people who are more closed off and selective with their social choices, rather than those who welcome everyone; so if one person is very picky with whom they date and only date few people, and another person will date anyone and everyone, we will try to date the person who is picky so that we feel that sense of accomplishment.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

How to Figure Out If You Should Work for Yourself

How to Figure Out If You Should Work for Yourself Have you ever thought about whether or not you should work for yourself? Maybe you’re tired of the 9-5 grind. Maybe you feel underutilized by your boss. Maybe you’d like to fulfill yourself creatively. Or maybe you’d just like to make more money. Whatever the case may be, setting up something on your own is a big decision and you need to think very carefully about the pros and cons before you decide to take the plunge.  Source:[The Business Backer]

Monday, October 21, 2019

Legalize or Unlegalize Gambling essays

Legalize or Unlegalize Gambling essays What role does the government have in legalizing or not legalizing gambling? State lotteries date back to Colonial America. In that time lotteries were used to pave streets and to fund other public work. However, in the 1870s, gambling scandals involving bribery of state and federal officials led to lotteries being outlawed altogether. Most other forms of gambling were outlawed as well. In 1960, New Hampshire paved the way with the first legalized state lottery. Of the fifty states 47 states and The District of Columbia followed shortly after in a lottery. When voters in New Jersey authorized casinos for Atlantic City in 1976, many felt that the lid of restriction of gambling had blown off. Some form of gambling is legal in 48 states. Forty-seven state governments now conduct lotteries (Thompson). Unless these states are willing to give up all the money they get from these lotteries they will still be legal. Yet, has the state government really looked at the benefits and liabilities of legalized gambling? Legalized gambling is a liability to states and local communities. Many reasons support this threat of moral downfall in America. There are benefits and liabilities of legalized gambling. Some benefits include state tax revenues and jobs among others. However, the liabilities are much greater. A few of the liabilities include moral decay of the family, increased crime, and severe addiction. Casinos offer quality jobs, economic development and capital investment in their communities. Some jobs a casino creates are dealers, servers, parking, maintenance, and security. This in turn drops the communities unemployment rate. According to the National Gambling Impact Study Commission (NGISC), in Mississippi, the casino industry pays about 3% of the states entire work force. The commission found that "destination type resorts" such as casinos, offer major economic advantages over what they called "convince type gambling." Co...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

3 Clarifications Thanks to Commas

3 Clarifications Thanks to Commas 3 Clarifications Thanks to Commas 3 Clarifications Thanks to Commas By Mark Nichol The omission of commas in a sentence can damage its comprehensibility. Employed according to the statement’s structural requirements, they clarify the syntax and therefore the meaning. Here are three sentences repaired with the assistance of one or two of these punctuation marks. 1. â€Å"Egyptian boys held posters of Ahmed Hussein Eid who was fatally stabbed by three bearded men during his funeral procession.† One might misread this photo caption and come away with the impression that the victim was stabbed during his funeral procession. However, the subject of the image is boys in a funeral procession carrying posters of the victim; the explanation of the victim’s fate is parenthetical nonessential to the sentence and should thus be set off by commas: â€Å"Egyptian boys held posters of Ahmed Hussein Eid, who was fatally stabbed by three bearded men, during his funeral procession. 2. â€Å"Several job schedulers like Quartz and Flux are available on the market.† This sentence reads as if Quartz and Flux have already been mentioned, which is not the case. Because they are being introduced, the phrase in which they are mentioned should be parenthetical: â€Å"Several job schedulers, like Quartz and Flux, are available on the market.† Better yet, though like is often interchangeable with â€Å"such as,† in this case, the latter choice is the preferable one. 3. â€Å"The State Senate voted 29 to 5 to approve a revised version of the deal, and a few hours later, the State Assembly also passed the updated legislation by a vote of 54 to 12.† This sentence is contradictory: It states that that one legislative body passed a bill by a particular vote, and then adds that another group did the same thing passed a bill with a certain split of yes and no votes but then provides a different vote result. The statement thus needs to be amended to indicate that the simple outcome passage of the bill was replicated, but that the initial vote was not. The solution? Insertion of a comma that changes the meaning by setting the second vote count off from the rest of the sentence: â€Å"The State Senate voted 29 to 5 to approve a revised version of the deal, and a few hours later, the State Assembly also passed the updated legislation, by a vote of 54 to 12.† Or, more elegantly, transform the appended parenthetical phrase into an interjected one by moving it to an earlier position: â€Å"The State Senate voted 29 to 5 to approve a revised version of the deal, and a few hours later, the State Assembly also passed, by a vote of 54 to 12, the updated legislation.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Useful Stock Phrases for Your Business EmailsConfusing "Passed" with "Past"Epidemic vs. Pandemic vs. Endemic

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Summary of the Patterns Movie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Summary of the Patterns Movie - Essay Example On the other hand, Ramsey was compelled to enter into an agreement with Staples due to the situation that made him kill Brigg. However, his moral grounds were based on what was best in accordance to nature in the prevailing circumstances. Rationale for Epictetus response to the proposed strategy adopted by Staples The main teaching of Epictetus is on ethics. On his discourse, he lays out his ethical principles, which were formulated in forms of arguments in order to cure human souls (Guthrie 122). In the case of Staples’ proposed strategy, Epictetus could have argued that one has to abandon the attitude of a private individual and fulfill the ideal of a man in a moral progress. In this regard, it is true to argue that Staples ought to have stood on his morals and do what was right without compromising it with the job offered to him by Ramsey. This should also have been in line with what Aristotle argued to be the practice of good actions. Although Staples could have decided to take Ramsey’s offer basing his take of the position by reasoning as a means to living a life of virtue, his caveats seemed to contradict his morals. However, his decision to warn Ramsey about what he felt concerning the death of Brigg was such a good move, which shows his virtues. Nevertheless, Staples can be argued not to be fully committed to his moral virtues. According to Aristotle, moral virtue is constituted by correct action and emotion (Guthrie 130). Although Staples’ emotions symbolizes his true moral virtues, that is, his caveats about his feelings towards Brigg’s death and what he felt about what Ramsey did, his actions were not compatible with that. He was offered a job by Ramsey, and this could have acted as a bribe, which compromised his moral virtues. Aristotle’s point of view on individual change of heart in the business environment was that individuals must make choices that have consequences. For example, these choices should be in line with their impact on the society, if the consequences of bad behavior remove the individual further from achieving and contributing ‘good’ which, by endowment, yields a positivity to humanity, then that choice is uncalled for. It is further believed that ne person’s action can infuse the whole society. It can be argued that Staple’s action to take the job offered by Ramsey could play two major roles. Firstly Ramsey’s deeds could be encouraged as long as Staples accepted the offer of taking the job. This has an implication in that, since the offer was a kind of a deal; Staples could not disclose what happened. This, therefore, means that a culture of impunity would gradually be developed. Secondly, Staples could be compelled to sealing of such deeds even in the future as long as there is a reward offered. According to Aristotle’s concept of telos (end purpose), which articulates on the professional practice of public administration, the good life for each person is based on the move towards the perfection (Haskins 120). In this regard, it can be argued that both Ramsey and Staples were trying to move towards perfection of their good life. However, the bone of contention is on the end results of their move towards perfection of their good life. That is, the evaluation of their human soul and if their actions brigs them joy, hope, grief, or fear. The summary of the twelve angry men In the case of the young man charged with the crime of patricide, the

The Effects of Japanese Colonialism to Korea Essay

The Effects of Japanese Colonialism to Korea - Essay Example Korea is a country with a long history of foreign invasions. The most recent invasion of Korea was unwanted annexation of Korea to Japan in 1910. The Japanese were in control of Korea between 1910 and 1945, and during this time the Japanese colonization was so brutal that most of Korean thinks Japan as an eternal enemy who only gave negative effects to Korea. Most of Koreans have a tendency to think that Japan is always bad because there are unforgivable conducts in history. Koreans are objective on the theory that Japanese colonialism effected positively on Korea's modern development, furthermore, majority even argues that the effect of Japanese colonialism is just obstacle on Korea's growth; " The nationalist point of view, well represented in Korea, is that there's no such thing as a good colonial legacy, and therefore the contribution of Japanese imperialism to growth was really minus zero. There are anything good or useful deriving from imperialism as incidental to ruthless pursuit of Japanese interests" (Cumings, 1997, pp. 34). According to Cumings, he agrees that it is hard to argue that Japan developed Korea without placing Koreans' feelings against Japanese cruel colonialism, but it needs 'long-term view' (Cumings, 1997, pp.34). However, Koreans shouldn't deny the fact that Japanese colonialism introduced "modernization", and effectively brought Korea into the global economy. This can be a challenge to the reputation and the evaluation of colonialism in modern globalization that it effects just negatively. The annexation of Japan in Korea was cruel and hostile like others, but it is unique because it actually effected positively in Korea's modern globalization unlike others. 1. What is colonialism 2. How was Japanese colonialism system in Korea 3. What are some positive effects of Japanese colonialism in Korea Colonialism The definition of colonialism from dictionary is "The practice by which a powerful country directly controls less powerful countries and uses their resources to increase its own power and wealth" (http://eedic.naver.com). And colonialism was one of the systems in history of globalization. The history of globalization dates back to colonial and even ancient time periods; when strategic and monetary aims were first being seen from an intercontinental perspective and were usually achieved to increase the power and wealth of the state: "The essential feature of the new economic system was the monopolization of land. This by itself was sufficiently important to shape the social and political relationships of the colonial civilization, since in a predominately agricultural economy one's livelihood depends almost entirely upon access to land," (Griffin, pp. 79). In other words, relatively early in the history of civilization, more powerful groups saw it as advantageous to exploit the land a nd labor of their neighbors for their own betterment. Cecil Rhodes, in the 1890s, summarized the notion almost perfectly: "We must find new lands, from which we can easily obtain raw materials and at the same time exploit the cheap slave labor that is available from the natives of the colonies,"

Friday, October 18, 2019

Music Education And Therapy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Music Education And Therapy - Essay Example The literature will be collected from books, journal, newspaper articles, websites, etc. Research plays an important role in education and teaching. As other professionals in the health and social care sector, there is a need to understand the importance of evidence-based practice in the field of education and teaching. Rather than working in a particular way because that is the standard, traditional or historical practice, or because of a feeling or instinct, it is now common practice to mix a number of research methods to achieve the desired outcomes. Research evidence could be from primary research that has been conducted by the practitioner, perhaps action research such as trialing different teaching methods and assessing results, or by literature searches of current educational research. These different types of research methods will be helpful in professional education practice (Johnson & Onwuegbuzie, 2004). In order to understand the subject better, I will study four areas aca demic research that includes cognitive change and development along with strategies to encourage change where required, music therapy, music education and the relationship between the three concepts. Cognitive Change and DevelopmentChild development has been theorized and researched extensively over centuries but until the most recent decades (Piaget, 1951; Vygotsky, 1933). Early theories regarding the way people develop and behave focused on biological and cultural models (Darwin, 1859).... The literature will be collected from books, journal, newspaper articles, websites, etc. Theoretical Overview Research plays an important role in education and teaching. As other professionals in the health and social care sector, there is a need to understand the importance of evidence-based practice in the field of education and teaching. Rather than working in a particular way because that is the standard, traditional or historical practice, or because of a feeling or instinct, it is now common practice to mix a number of research methods to achieve the desired outcomes. Research evidence could be from primary research that has been conducted by the practitioner, perhaps action research such as trialing different teaching methods and assessing results, or by literature searches of current educational research. These different types of research methods will be helpful in professional education practice (Johnson & Onwuegbuzie, 2004). In order to understand the subject better, I will study four areas academic research that include cognitive change and development along with strategies to encourage change where required, music therapy, music education and the relationship between the three concepts. Cognitive Change and Development Child development has been theorized and researched extensively over centuries but until the most recent decades (Piaget, 1951; Vygotsky, 1933). Early theories regarding the way people develop and behave focused on biological and cultural models (Darwin, 1859). On the other hand, Piaget and Vygotsky studied development in terms of cognitive change, with Vygotsky emphasizing the cultural influence and asserting that the child’s mind requires social interaction to develop, an ‘outside-in’ model (Vygotsky, 1933), while Piaget

The Sexualization of Disney Charaters Research Paper

The Sexualization of Disney Charaters - Research Paper Example The problem, is that Disney has began marketing itself as a brand that reaches out and entertains family members of all ages. The company also uses unrealistic depictions of the physical image of their princess characters in the sense that rather than having a little girl playing a role, the character is always a young woman whose figure and actions depicts that of an unrealistic fashion model rather than that of a real world child dealing with image issues. In other words, Disney sexualizes their characters to the point that instead of inspiring little girls to love themselves, they instead learn to self-loathe because they do not meet the standards set by the Disney characters that they admire the most. They do not learn to love themselves as they are because the Disney characters are not depicted in a realistic manner. The problem with this situation is that Disney princess characters carry a tremendous amount of influence over the minds of little girls. Peggy Orenstein explains that: â€Å"The company’s wares reflect the changing taste of their demographic and it’s the change that’s disturbing. â€Å"Think of their memory as a blank slate that is ready to be written upon. Little girls know nothing about demographics, what is right or wrong, or even how a girl should perceive herself. That is something that is influenced by the mass media marketing that is controlled by Disney. That writing becomes the impression by which the child leads her life afterwards. In the case, Disney, through its artists rendering influences the little girl into believing what they want her to believe in order to move their products and sell their movie tickets and videos. Previous Disney incarnations of their princesses were mostly passive females who looked to men in order to be saved. However, D isney decided to go a different route in an effort to keep up with the feminist cause. Hence the empowered and sexually charged portrayal of their current crop of princesses (Greenfield, Beth â€Å"Disney Princess Makeover Sparks Outrage: Merida Petition Goes Viral†). Let us remember that starting with Ariel, the little mermaid, Disney began serving up young women who are basically self-centered and with a knack for getting themselves into trouble. Ariel as a princess of the sea thought only of herself and her dreams and her ambitions. When she came across her prince charming, she then set her sights on snagging him to the extent of endangering herself in the process.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Efficiency Market Hypothesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Efficiency Market Hypothesis - Essay Example Efficient markets do exist in theory. For example according to financial theory there are efficient stock markets that especially don't permit market manipulation by investors. However the practical scenario negates this proposition very often. For instance the rally of the stock could be attributed partially to the equity issue and not to the efficiency of the markets. The stock market crash of 2008 can be identified as a situation in which a stock market experiences a sudden and major decline in value of its underlying stocks. However crashes can occur mainly due to the rising stock prices and excessive economic optimism (Cuthbertson, 1996). Further it can be caused by the collapse of a speculative bubble, financial crisis or economic crisis. A substantial change in stock markets and price behavior can be caused by psychological influences that often lead to bubbles. Thus EMH is flawed to a certain extent because there is no such grantee that share prices would be solely determined by a pure interplay of market forces, i.e. demand and supply. In fact the crash in 2008 occurred due to structural deficiencies that in turn were characterized by a flurry of activity in which overvalued shares were traded hectically during the immediately preceding period before the crash. Stock market influences on the investors' policy decision making process and corporate strategy have been discussed against backdrop of an evolving environment of change. This is because of the fact that business organizations are becoming more popular because their survival is directly proportional to the size of the market rather than the manageability (Elton, and Martin. 2003). Compact small business organizations have been described as economically unproductive in times of financial recessions because their excessive dependence on internal organizational capabilities leads to poor decisions. Therefore it's essential now to discuss the various theoretical underpinnings of the optimal capital structure in order to determine how efficiently the stock market would be able to function in the absence of the above mentioned shortcomings such as bankruptcy costs and information asymmetry. In addition, there are some highly influential theories. With the help of them it's possible to discuss how best an efficient stock market can be brought into existence (or not) thus rendering both capital structure and dividend policy of the firm irrelevant. However the extent to which those stock market imperfections can be overcome would determine the degree of perfection of the stock market in a given situation.On the other hand the success of big firms has been attributed to their ability to raise both debt and equity capital and the relative size of the market. In the first place financial recessions dependents on the firm's ability to raise capital. Since the market value of the firm is affected by the way in which the capital is structured, managers might prefer to raise debt instead of equity thus bringing down the value of the firm in the eyes of the investor (Copeland, and Fred, 1988). Subsequently shareholders might be compelled to sell their shares at lower prices. In such a scenario big corporate entities are able to survive on pre commitments made by institutional lenders who will not

Preservationist and liberationist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Preservationist and liberationist - Essay Example Looking at this solution with regards to the sedan issue, making moral decisions using the preservationist mode seems to be both plausible and reasonable. As stated by Unger, majority of persons would aid the birdwatcher in spite of any loss financially in order for him not to lose his limb. There is further proof for this sentiment from the class discussion as the majority of the class agrees that, helping the man would be the best solution in spite of the damage that would befall the sedan. Most people would not think twice with regards to aiding the man who is admitted to the hospital; if the man is bleeding in front of them in utter agony. However, when considering the UNICEF envelope, the preservationist solution will not fare so well and the liberationist view is the best. As stated by Unger, many people are likely to throw the envelope away sans any second thoughts. This would be their initial instinctive response, and they would not have any second thoughts (Nadelhoffer et al 42). However, majority would agree that, through the use of moral standards, it is imperative to help those who are hungry in the same way as one would help the man who is about to lose a limb. Human nature pushes people to respond to problems that are right in front of them, whereas duties that are more abstract in their responsibility, especially moral are shunned and fall by the wayside. People are not bothered by the images of children dying from starvation when they make a decision, which looks seemingly easy not to help the starving children. While the first reaction and intuition has the ability to influence one’s decision, they do not count as wholly responsible for the manner in which people are able to make their moral decisions (Nadelhoffer et al 42). Peter Unger has liberationist tendencies, and it is clear to see his point that everyone has moral obligations to aid other people (Nadelhoffer et al 45). However, I tend to agree with the liberationist model more. I n my opinion, people are not wholly able to ascribe to a single uniform code of morality. Morality is a subjective issue and different individuals possess various reasons for behaving in the manner in a manner that they deem to be morally responsible. When considering what being moral really entails, as well as the specific reason that human beings need to a ct in a way that is moral. Every person has a philosophy of his or her own (Nadelhoffer et al 45). While the liberationist model specifically addresses a particular manner of behavior, the preservationist model addresses the differing opinions regarding morality. The preservationist view refers to the idea that ideas that differ are the morals of the individual, whereas the liberationist view states that there is a certain way of behavior that is the same in all situations (Nadelhoffer et al 46). In reality, it is my opinion that humans all react in a preservationist manner because they are a species that is selfish. Therefore, in making an analysis of the puzzles that Unger presents, the liberationist view is the best and most moral way of responding, although most people do not choose to respond in this manner. While looking at the two scenarios, it is best to explain why a person using the liberationist view is the one who is most moral and respectful of basic and fundamental human rights. Without any hesitation, the immediate reaction was to

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Efficiency Market Hypothesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Efficiency Market Hypothesis - Essay Example Efficient markets do exist in theory. For example according to financial theory there are efficient stock markets that especially don't permit market manipulation by investors. However the practical scenario negates this proposition very often. For instance the rally of the stock could be attributed partially to the equity issue and not to the efficiency of the markets. The stock market crash of 2008 can be identified as a situation in which a stock market experiences a sudden and major decline in value of its underlying stocks. However crashes can occur mainly due to the rising stock prices and excessive economic optimism (Cuthbertson, 1996). Further it can be caused by the collapse of a speculative bubble, financial crisis or economic crisis. A substantial change in stock markets and price behavior can be caused by psychological influences that often lead to bubbles. Thus EMH is flawed to a certain extent because there is no such grantee that share prices would be solely determined by a pure interplay of market forces, i.e. demand and supply. In fact the crash in 2008 occurred due to structural deficiencies that in turn were characterized by a flurry of activity in which overvalued shares were traded hectically during the immediately preceding period before the crash. Stock market influences on the investors' policy decision making process and corporate strategy have been discussed against backdrop of an evolving environment of change. This is because of the fact that business organizations are becoming more popular because their survival is directly proportional to the size of the market rather than the manageability (Elton, and Martin. 2003). Compact small business organizations have been described as economically unproductive in times of financial recessions because their excessive dependence on internal organizational capabilities leads to poor decisions. Therefore it's essential now to discuss the various theoretical underpinnings of the optimal capital structure in order to determine how efficiently the stock market would be able to function in the absence of the above mentioned shortcomings such as bankruptcy costs and information asymmetry. In addition, there are some highly influential theories. With the help of them it's possible to discuss how best an efficient stock market can be brought into existence (or not) thus rendering both capital structure and dividend policy of the firm irrelevant. However the extent to which those stock market imperfections can be overcome would determine the degree of perfection of the stock market in a given situation.On the other hand the success of big firms has been attributed to their ability to raise both debt and equity capital and the relative size of the market. In the first place financial recessions dependents on the firm's ability to raise capital. Since the market value of the firm is affected by the way in which the capital is structured, managers might prefer to raise debt instead of equity thus bringing down the value of the firm in the eyes of the investor (Copeland, and Fred, 1988). Subsequently shareholders might be compelled to sell their shares at lower prices. In such a scenario big corporate entities are able to survive on pre commitments made by institutional lenders who will not

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Need a management theory and explain it Research Paper

Need a management theory and explain it - Research Paper Example In this paper communication has been discussed within the context of helix and structuration theories. Globalization has exerted more pressures to operate efficiently and effectively and has pushed organizations to employ skillful means to enhance efficient organizational functions. The effectiveness of an organization’s employee is grounded on organizational culture, effective communication and solid leadership at the workplace. From the case study provided, it is evident that Ford clearly lacks these important elements that can motivate employees and hence increase productivity. It is obvious from the excerpt that there is a complete lack of leadership from the supervisors employing old school tactics to manage new age problems. Culture, communication and leadership are critical elements of an effective homogenous work force that is bent of increasing productivity. These three elements are intricately linked and must be continually sought by the dynamic and high achieving organisation out to make a competitive edge in business. the role of the leader with an organizational s et up is to steer the firm towards realization of a common objective goal. In the case study, Bob through application of this principles management to successfully meet and surpass his quotas daily, much to the chagrin of other supervisors. Communication enjoys a crucial place within organizations and its importance is not in doubt; in fact it is the lifeblood of any organisation that seeks to gel and improve as a unit. The success of an organization can be partly attributed to the degree of communication within an organization as it serves as an essential link for any formal organization, thereby linking the mutual objectives that people within the familiar setting seeks to achieve. In the case provided, communication between the management and the hourly employees has completely broken down and their mode lacks the essential elements that define

Monday, October 14, 2019

Climate Change Term Paper Essay Example for Free

Climate Change Term Paper Essay Are we a burden to the society or a blessing? , We are the ones who will choose our own way, but we must see to it that the path that we are heading will not lead us to destruction. Many youth of today are engaging in worthless things like vices: smoking, drinking, alcohols, using drugs and etc. we are not aware that those things are just a waste of time, money and most of all it will ruin our future. We became a burden to our family and to our surrounding instead of being a blessing to them, as a child to their parents our responsibility is to make them happy as our payment for their sacrifice and efforts to raise us, we owe out lives to them. Make yourselves worthy to live the life that is given to you by the creator, don’t waste it, for our lives are precious. Let us open our eyes and mind and focus on the things that have worth and not on things that have worth and not on things that will destroy our lives. True happiness can only be found in our precious creator Jesus Christ, if you are searching for peace and love goes to him and he will give it all, and you’ll realize that this world will not give you satisfaction, it will only be found in him.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

The Portrayal of Women in James Joyces Dubliners Essays -- Dubliners

In Dubliners, women are victims indeed. They are victims of home, of the recognized virtues by society, of classes of life, of religious doctrines, and of women themselves. In this essay, we are going to analyze the portrayal of women in Dubliners in terms of the aforementioned aspects, namely home, the recognized virtues by society, classes of life, religious doctrines and women themselves. The selection above is provided to make student aware of focus of the essay.   The complete essay begins below. "My mind rejects the whole present social order and Christianity – home, the recognized virtues, classes of life, and religious doctrines†¦. My mother was slowly killed, I think, by my father’s ill-treatment, by years of trouble, and by my cynical frankness of conduct. When I looked on her face as she lay in her coffin – a face gray and wasted with cancer – I understood that I was looking on the face of a victim and I cursed the system which had made her a victim." (Letters, II, 48) In Dubliners, women are victims indeed. They are victims of home, of the recognized virtues by society, of classes of life, of religious doctrines, and of women themselves. In this essay, we are going to analyze the portrayal of women in Dubliners in terms of the aforementioned aspects, namely home, the recognized virtues by society, classes of life, religious doctrines and women themselves. Women are victims of home. They suffer being confined to their homes. They are somehow isolated from the external world. They have little, if not no at all, freedom. Their chief roles are to be good wives to the menfolk, to be good mothers to their children, and to look after their families well. They are not expected to take care of those affairs out... ... by masculine authority by virtue of the fact that they are inferior to and should be subservient to men. Worse still, women are often discriminated by society, which is largely monopolized by men. Sex discriminations find their way to home, the workplace and even the public life by and large. Furthermore, they are victimized by religious orthodoxy as well as their own acts and psychology. But anyway, who is to blame for the sufferings of women – the circumstance or women themselves? Works Cited: Benstock, Bernard. Critical Essays on James Joyce. G.K. Hall & Co. Boston, Massachusetts: 1985. Joyce, James. Dubliners. Washington Square Press. New York, New York: 1998. Selected Joyce Letters. Ed. Richard Ellmann. New York: Viking Compass, 1975. Seidel, Michael. James Joyce: A Short Introduction. Blackwell Publishers, Inc. Oxford, UK: 2002.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Creative Story: My Golden Age :: essays research papers

Creative Story: My Golden Age Many people have their own Golden Ages. It is like a dream that a person would like to live out. Many of these dreams tend to be similar to a utopia, or a perfect world. Due to the fact that their Golden Age is a perfect world, most of these dreams are a little bit on the unrealistic side. Most of them never come true. However, I am not so picky. I would make the best attempt to make my life the best it could be, and also knowing that it could come true, and still be on the realistic side.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  You have to understand that when people come up with their own Golden Age, he/she usually takes their life and alters it to a stage where there is no similarity between reality, and their utopia. I would do something a little bit different. You see, I would take my pre-existing life, and just make changes to that. If I were to come up with my own Golden Age, this is what I would do.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I would start with my present standing in life. That would be a tenth grade student in high school. Then to make it dream like, I would analyze to see what I could do to make my life better. I would find out what things were important to me at that time and what things I could change to make my future life better. For example, I would probably start out with school, since that is very important to most people at my age. There are pretty much two things that are important to kids around my age, the social aspect and the academic aspect. I would not change my personality, but I would rather like to be friends and get to know other people I don't know now. Maybe it would be neat to be the King my senior year. Also, because I am turning sixteen real soon, I would have this really neat car that not many other people had. Than the next thing I would do would be to adjust my grades, so that I would graduate a valedictorian. Then would probably wish to be an athletic star so I could play on any team I wanted. All of this would lead up to me graduating very successfully. Since I was so successful, I would be able to attend any university I wanted. I would not worry about paying for anything because I would have a full ride scholarship. Than I would pass college with flying colors, playing for the team, and having a

Friday, October 11, 2019

Adu E-learning system Essay

Introduction: In today’s modern society, computer has become a way of life especially by means of communication. Mostly, people nowadays have their own internet connection so they can freely use the internet. There are many websites site that focuses on facilitating the building of social networks or social relations among people who, for example, share interests, activities, backgrounds, or real-life connections, these websites are sometimes we call â€Å"Social Networking-Sites†,most famous example of this are facebook and twitter Most social network services are web-based and provide means for users to interact over the Internet. There are kinds of social networking sites that was used for educational purposes in Schools, Colleges and Universities,these are what we call â€Å"LMS(Learning Management System) or E-learning System,it enable students to learn anytime and anywhere and can be also used in terms communication, with the use of internet. Example of this was our own Adamson University E-learning System that enables us to see the announcements, updates of our school events, lessons(updated by some of our professor), see grades online and other things. It also serves us as a communication for the professors and students or students to students because we can send messages, we can chat in room section.professors can give assignments and We,students can pass assignments online. In this study, We hope that we can see the effects of AdU E-learning System in terms of communication with students’ and professors because nowadays We, researchers see and also experienced the usage of Also E-learning System and many Adamsonian students often use it in terms of communication purposes. Statement of the Problem: Major Problems: What are the effects of Adu E-learning system in the communication of students and professors. Minor Problems: 1.Demographic Profile of respondents in terms of: a.Age b.Course c.Often usage of E-Leaning System d.Time Spent in using E-Learning System 2.What are the effects of Adu E-learning system in the communication of students and professors in terms of? a.Study lessons b.Reminders of school events c.Announcement of grades Scopes and Limitation of the study In general, the focus of this study is directed towards learning of effects of AdU E-learning System in terms of communication with students’ and professors and for Adamsonian College Students who uses E-Learning System for communication purposes. Significance of the study Adamson University College Students. In this study, students can benefit a lot on this study for they can learn the effects of E-learning System in terms of Communication of students’ and professors. Know the Importance of AdU E-learning System. Lesson/Updates Researchers. The researches have developed their writing and analysis skills needed to make a good thesis Definition of terms LMS (Learning Management System)-systems that enable students to learn anytime and anywhere and can be also used in terms communication by the use of internet.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Critque Essay

In the story â€Å"The Operation,† by Pensri Kiengsiri , a story that has a third persons’ point of view. The reader learns that Kamjorn, the father of the kid, don’t have much affection to Danu because Danu is a victim of polio which made Danu a crippled kid. Its conspiracy leads the reader into having a feeling of sympathy for the boy. And the story’s setting, contributes well to the growing sympathy of the readers to Danu, as Kiengsiri’s treatment of timing cause the readers to anticipate a shocking things that’s to unfold.The time at which â€Å"The Operation† is set introduces an element of tension between the parents. Kamjorn informed the readers that when he taught about going to Bangkok he first wanted to see his best friend, rather to go to the hospital which is his main reason of going to Bangkok; it is â€Å"his mind strayed to other days in Bangkok, student days and to the old school mates, he would have a chance to look u p. † As the reader already knows that Kamjorn intends to catch up with his old friends, the very mention of â€Å"strayed to other days† evokes the sense of a plan that will certainly make sadness to the boy’s feelings.The added suggestion of â€Å"chance to look up† introduces an atmosphere of uncertainty: that planted to the reader’s mind is the notion that all is not normal and right to the world. The sense of uncertainty to Kamjorn that he will not go to his son and doesn’t show to his son it is a big factor to his son operation. Just as the time in which â€Å"The Operation† is set infuses the story with an atmosphere of sadness, so do the physical surrounding in which the bulk of plot unfolds. â€Å"When Kamjorn reached Bangkok, he went to meet his friend and to actually catch up with them.When his daughter haven’t seen any sign that either one of their parents arrived, she was worried and called to their house and someho w convinced her mother to travel. † Both things added to the reader’s sense that there’s something is not right and that something imminent is about to occur. This atmosphere of imminence increases as their mother went to the train and hasn’t heard anything from her until the operation is almost finished â€Å"an accident on an express train†¦fatalities†That’s the only words Kamjorn’s mind ever digested before he fainted. For it is only in the final conversation of the story. The imminence that happened to Kamjorn’s wife that caused him to faint. It has successfully concealed the true sense of Kamjorn tears last before he fainted. Hence, the manner Kiengsiri described the time and setting of â€Å"The Operation† serves to greatly enhance the effect of this tale upon the reader.In accompanying the story’s characters into a world thet grows steadily more gruesome at every turn, the reader’s feeling of sad ness and foreboding increases, the reader is doubly troubled the disturbing revelation made in the story’s final conversation. Kiengsiri’s use of setting and timing in this story mirrors the special effects employed in dramatic movies-effects that have the viewers wiping their tears, totally absorbed in plot and atmosphere. It is good that a 6 page short story can evoke with words the same response that movie makers use millions of dollars, efforts and truckloads of technology to create.

Levi’s Strauss: a case study from an organizational plan point of view Essay

Levis is undoubtedly one of the most recognizes brand of jeans on the planet. The business found by the Strauss family in 1875, initially manufactured jeans for miners out of tent fabric and canvas. However they later shifted to manufacturing jeans from denim which gained popularity amongst miners during the California gold rush. Strategic elements of an organisational plan The process of developing strategic elements of an organisational plan involves three broad categories. Analysing: Levi’s Strauss analysed its visions, mission objectives and external environments. This meant evaluation of the current market share and its segmentation, product range of competitors and what the company may want to do about it. Decision: From the findings of the analysis, the company had to decide on two main factors. What industries to try and expand into and how to be competitive in those industries. As such Levi commissioned market research agencies to carry out survey and research on the habits and attitudes of its customer base. This was all done with the idea of moving into the higher price clothing market since up until now Levi has mostly produced casual wear of the low price category. After such quantitative surveys the target market was selected. This target market comprised of Independent consumers with expensive tastes looking for classic designs which are not massed produced and rely on individual styling and fitting. It was then decided by Levi to carry out analysis of its target market in order to study their attitudes and behaviour in details so that further plans to enter the specific market segment can be made. It was decided by Levi to avoid direct price wars and as a result Levi decided to charge 10% above the prices of it closest competitors. In order to cater to the classic independent nature of the target market segment, Levi also decided to distribute through quality departmental store chains. The final stage of the decision making process involved carrying out tests for acceptability. This was done through the use of consumer discussion panels led by psychologists and were targeted at seeking out the real motivations behind the way the target market behaved. This led to the understanding that Levi was not just ready to produce classic suits because of the affiliation of its brand identity and value with casual standardised clothes and its strong ties and origins to jeans related clothing. This in turn led to the marketing team to focus on jackets and trousers rather than suits so that it can first overcome its image for casual apparel. Actions : The final step in the process for developing strategic elements for organisational plan involved the process of bringing all that planning and decision making to reality. The decision was made by levi to emphasise mainly on jackets and trousers in its new Tailored Classics line and so the initial idea of suits was dropped before the new line was launched. The organisational plan developed by Levi in order to move into new market segments, mainly the higher priced clothing market when put into effect, showed signs of underperformance. This was mainly because of the decision to abandon the manufacturing of suits based on its acceptability test findings. Those findings convinced the marketers in Levi to accept that Levi was too closely associated with casual only wear and customers were not favourable of the idea of Levi producing classic natured suits of non standardised but custom shape and taste. It was later evident that Tailored Classics failed to achieve its sales targets in the consequent months after its launch. Strategic effects on an organisational plan The implementation process of the organisational plan drawn up by Levi involved implementing its various quantitative and behavorial reseach findings in its final execution of the organisational plan. This meant moving away from its initial decision to produce what the target customer segment wants and manufacturing jackets and trousers instead. The decision was made on the basis of accpetability test results. In order to overcome the underperformance of the Tailored Classics line in its inital few months prices were reduced to meet sales targets which failed critically. The effects of these on the stakeholders was reduced returns for the investors, and a lack of faith in the brands ability to cater to the custom independent classic demand andconseuquential underperformance of the brand hindering its brand expansion. Strategy to communicate organisational plans to key stake holders To come up with an workable plan, the Levi public relations had to work through a sequence of steps. The first of such steps was setting out a communication objective. Ideally, whatever the objective is , it is best effective if its specific, measurable,achievable and realistic. The communications objective for Levi was to convey to the customer that levi is able to make a good suit when they put their mind to it despite its origins being in the jeans manufacturing industry and its past history of mostly casual only clothes. Secondly The Levi staff had to come up with a key message to its stake holders. The most important stakeholders group, the consumers themselves were made aware of the message with the help of the name for the new line â€Å"Tailored Classic†. This conveyed the idea that Levi is engaging in the manufacturing of non standardised custom classic wear that were more tailored to the customers individual need. Having decided upon the overriding key message each seprate group of stakeholders were prioritised and a seperate key message was set for them in order to make sure that most of the stakeholders were addressed and no one felt left out despite the aim of targetting the new line at the higher prices market. Different communications tactics had to be developed for each of the stake holders groups, ranging from the consumer, the media, the investors and the donors and volunteers involved with Levi. Finally the budgets and responsibilities were decided upon by the Levi directors based on their surveys and were allocated amongst its different departments and staff. Evaluation: Following all the steps regarding implementation of the strategic elements of the organisational plan and the process of communicating with the various stakeholders, Levi had to ensure that it was wrking to achieve the objective set. And depending on the results of the various surveys and research, starting from the consumer behaviour patterns and spending habits, the analysis of its target customer segment and finally the acceptability test of its new line before its launch all in term one by one allowed levi to review and change its key messages, communication tactics and finally its objectives. Ths led to the final decision to focus mostly on the jackets and trousers market rather than the tailored suits market because of the lack of the consumer confidence in Levi’s ability to produce tailored suits that meets individual reuqirements. Overall the assessment and evaluation process contributed to a great extent in the final decision to introduce the new line in a much differ ent form than intitally percieved.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Marketing Campaign for a Business Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Marketing Campaign for a Business - Dissertation Example The company is also planning to form a strategy that is physical handing business card to the client which can offer several deals to the regular users of the cab service. Tools which the firm aims to use have been analyzed in terms of their effectiveness through research. After research of these techniques used, the report aims to analyze and identify the most efficient technique. This will then be compared to the strategy of the competitors. The competitors are in the business from a longer period so their marketing strategies are fiercer as compared to that of A2Z minicabs. The firm will have to form the strategies which can cover the marketing objectives of the firm. The offering which the firm gives to the drivers is unique. This increases the efficiency of the drivers. The company only takes 25% of the sales from the drivers for the rent. This benefits the drivers in the slow season and it benefits the company when the sales are high. This is why the firm wishes to increase the customer base of the company. Higher sales mean higher return and profitability for the company. The online tools which the firms will use for the marketing of the services are Google Ad Word, Google Ad Sense, Google Analytics and the Search Engine Optimizer (SEO). These tools will prove to be sufficient for the marketing practices online. These techniques will help in saving the cost and in generating business for the firm. The physical mode of marketing and offering of the business cards will also prove to be efficient. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 5 Company Description 5 Scope 5 Objectives 6 ANALYSIS AND DESIGN- USER STORY 6 RESEARCH 7 TECHNICAL & NON TECHNICAL RESEARCH 8 Secondary Data 8 Advantages of Secondary Data Analysis 8 Disadvantages of Secondary Data Analysis 9 COMPARE AND CONTRAST SIMILAR WEBSITES/ CAMPAIGNS 9 SWOT ANALYSIS 10 Strengths 10 The strength of A2Z mini cab is the availability of the resources and an efficient management which is increasing the outcome of the company. The major strengths of the company are: 10 Weaknesses 11 Opportunities 12 Threats 12 BUILDING THE MARKETING CAMPAIGN 13 Establishing the goals and objective 14 The objective of the company must be interlinked 14 Target market of the business must be defined 14 Value proposition and its consistency 14 Proper promotional tools 15 Measurement of the cost incurred 15 Integrated marketing 15 Internet marketing 16 TESTING OF THE MARKETING ACTIVITIES 17 Testing methods 19 COSTING- SUMMARY AND EVALUATION 20 GANTT CHART 21 MARKETING 22 Statistics Related To Online Marketing 22 Online Mode of Marketing 22 Google Ad Words 23 Google Ad Sense 23 Search Engine Optimization (SEO) 23 Google Analytics 24 Physical Tools for Marketing 24 INTRODUCTION Company Description An A2Z Minicab is a small firm owned by Jason Devlin. It is located in Croydon which is situated in the South of London. The firm is facing fierce competition in the industry. This is a small scale business which only has 50 drivers. The business is steadily growing in terms of sales. The business is operating since the last three years. The firm plans to establish and grow by increasing the customer base. The workforce of the firm is smaller comparatively to other firms operating in the same business but the pay structure is unique. The cabs are offered to the drivers on the agreement of charging 25% of the daily sales. This relaxes the drivers because they only have to pay 25% of the sales to the employers. In the days when

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Globalization and human resource management practice 03191 Essay

Globalization and human resource management practice 03191 - Essay Example The increasing relevance of globalisation is influenced by numerous factors including talent shortage in developed countries, low cost labour accessibility and technological development. The aim of the study is to draw attention to the key issues relating to the global management of people, significance of human resources management in international organizations, globalisation leading to convergence in human resource management practice and the human resource impact relating to various changes (Paik, Chow and Vance, 2011). The objective is to conduct an in-depth study on globalisation and its impact on human resource management and then derive a conclusion to the study. In the developing countries, globalization has a giant impact on the human resource management (Rowley and Benson, 2002). It has led to unionisation and homogenization of the strategies of an organization. It led to the convergence in the structures and processes of an organization as well as in the consumer’s choice. In the increasing stage of globalization, the organizations felt the need to change and the new trends came into existence in the management of the human resources. Globalisation resulted in changing the organizational structure improving competence but the negative result is that the staff numbers had to be reduced (Edwards and Kuruvilla, 2005). The employees have been minimised in various sectors such as telecommunications so that the organizations can gain a competitive advantage. The human resource planning strategy is focussed on having limited workforce in the core areas which enabled the organization run profitably. The organizations outsourced for the no ncore jobs which led to increase in independent contractors in the service industry. Globalisation hence can be said to have an extraordinary impact on the developing countries

Sunday, October 6, 2019

The 1968 Theft Act Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The 1968 Theft Act - Assignment Example This research will begin with the statement that the 1968 Theft Act was supposed to come with simplified rules and policies that were meant to eliminate the many dilemmas and confusions that criminal lawyers had faced earlier. Unfortunately, soon after its introduction into the legislation more complexities started to arise. It appeared that most of the concepts that were designed to bring out clarity in theft cases turned out to bring more confusion following the various proceedings that advanced from there henceforth. The most controversial concept being appropriation which had been introduced into the law to simplify things by replacing taking and carrying away. The term was defined in partiality by section 3 (1) of the Theft Act. Lack of further explanation on the term by the legislative is what caused more problems. Two issues arose:Â  one is what the relationship between consent and appropriation was and the second, the possibility of appropriating property that was acquired i n a transaction impeccable at civil law. This essay tries to analyze these facts using issue raised in two important cases R v Hinks and DPP v Gomez. The researcher of this essay also utilizes Shute’s views from his article Appropriation and the law of theft. The purpose of this research is to investigate the following: consent and appropriation; unimpeachable transfers and appropriation and evaluation of arguments Hinks case.... 41). There are other valid reasons where a transaction is censured at common law on a number of certain defined grounds. These can be where the transaction is a product of duress, and it may have been through deception, undue influence, fraud, or misrepresentation (Horder & Shute, 1993, p. 549). Sometimes the transaction can be vitiated to have occurred because there was enough reason to believe one party was unconscious. In the event that any of the above occurs then the transaction should remain valid until the transferor repudiates it successfully. Unimpeachable Transfers and Appropriation This issue arises where a transfer of property is unimpeachable at both equity and at common law. This matter arose in Mazo (1997) case where a house cleaner took advantage of her employer’s mental incapability to dishonestly receive and cash cheques made payable to her by her boss. The house cleaner was sentenced to Jail after being found guilty for five counts of theft and one count of attempted theft. On her appeal, the court held it that the case was consistent with that of Lawrence v Metropolitan Police commissioner (1972) where the House of Lords decision was that in the event a valid gift was made then there could be no theft. However, it was not clear as per Viscount Dilhorne’s speech in the Lawrence case whether the House of Lords could not charge the receiver of the gift with theft, which was consistent with the ruling in Gomez case. This decision was later addressed in the case of Hinks that happened two years later after the Gomez and Lawrence cases. In Hinks case, he was convicted of five counts of theft despite his argument that the sums received were gifts and loans therefore could not be appropriated

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Salary packaging and Taxation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Salary packaging and Taxation - Essay Example Fringe benefits tax will apply to both Chris and his employer for this agreement during the FBT year that begins in 1st April 2011 up to 31st March 2012. Superannuation is money put in for a person's retirement. Strict government policy prevent untimely access to conserved benefits except in extremely limited and constrained circumstances, as well as severe financial adversity or on a compassionate basis, such as for medical cure not obtainable through Medicare. Usually, superannuation benefits are in three categories: conserved benefits; restricted non-conserved benefits; and unhindered non-preserved benefits. Mainly superannuation is concessionary taxed at a level charge of 15% at two key points: on contributions, and on salary. Capital Gain Tax inside the fund though is taxed at a charge of 10% if the properties held for longer than twelve months. Contributions whether in the type of employer superannuation, or associate salary sacrifice are levied at this rate. In the majority of the industry funds, the salary tax is paid prior to profits are disbursed to associates so it appears as a lesser level of interest on the worker’s statement. From the time when it was introduced, employers have been obligated to make compulsory contributions to superannuation in place of the majority of their workers. ... Superannuation contributions made by Chris are not treated as fringe benefits but as employer contributions. The initial contribution that Chris was making was $17,000. He however, decided to increase it by $15,000. This contribution has to meet three conditions, which are; it must be an arrangement before service there should be an agreement between West Gate Pty Ltd and Chris and Chris should not have an access to the sacrificed salary (Marsden, 2010). According to the Australian tax office ruling, the superannuation contributions are taxed in the superannuation funds such as 15% (Australian National Audit Office, 1999). West Gate Pty Ltd will therefore, pay the following amount in tax for contribution: 15/100 x $32,000 = $ 4,800 Chris has salary packaged other items apart from the superannuation contributions. The first item is a laptop that one of his children requires for school. It is worth $3,300. This is a fringe benefit for Chris. According to the Australian tax office rulin g S23, the tax is levied at 46.5% for the FBT year ending 31st March. West Gate Pty limited will pay the following amount for the benefit; 46.5% x $3,300 = $1,534.50 Under this, the income test will take into account the fringe benefit received. This fringe benefit is not included in the employee’s assessable income. The employer will be giving a benefit directly to a relative of the employee. Anything is accomplished by the employer in any agreement, arrangement or transaction so as to award any benefit upon any individual other than the member of staff, whether directly or obliquely. The benefit would have been taxed if it had been contracted to the employee. The next item that Chris has packaged is a new car. A taxable benefit is be

Friday, October 4, 2019

Chp 26 dis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Chp 26 dis - Essay Example This is because the lawnmower by Sears was a non-inventory collateral because the debtor (Cosmo Fiscante) retained the good. This therefore automatically perfects the PMSI of Sears and hence the Sears have the legal obligation to regain the lawnmower and take it back and not the other creditors who claim it. A Purchase Money Security Interest (PMSI) is a type of legal guarantee for a seller against other creditors in case the debtor becomes bankrupt or is unable to meet his or her obligation. The PMSI is only considered valid if it is perfected by the seller. Perfecting of the PMSI depends on whether the good sold is an inventory or non-inventory collateral. Inventory collateral has to be followed by a notification to the debtor in order for the PMSI to be considered perfected. In the case of non-inventory collateral, no notification is required and once the good is given to the debtor, then the PMSI is considered to be perfected (Miller and Jentz,

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Nuclear Energy Essay Example for Free

Nuclear Energy Essay There are many advantages and disadvantages of using nuclear power. Nuclear power is said to prevent power outages that happen in areas without nuclear power. For an example, if we were using hydroelectricity and the dam suddenly malfunctions, then we won’t have electricity until someone fixes the dam, and that would be difficult if it happened in the middle of the night. However, on the other hand, nuclear power is also considered toxic and it pollutes the Earth with harmful and deadly waste. Here are a few reasons why we should and should not use nuclear power. One of the reasons why we should use nuclear power is that it doesn’t pollute like coal and other fossil fuels. Scientists have said that using nuclear power is used to power electricity in most homes. They have also been saying that nuclear power tend to work better than using fossil fuels, gas power, and hydroelectric power. Since scientists are saying it works better, than we can use more nuclear power than using fossil fuels, gas power, and hydroelectric power. Another reason why we should use nuclear power is that scientists have said that it is possible to generate a high amount of electrical energy in one single nuclear power plant unlike coal, gas, hydroelectric power plants since they need a few to power electricity. This is important because it costs more to build a nuclear power plant than to build a coal, gas, or hydroelectric power plant. That way, we can save money by building one nuclear power plant instead of a few coal, gas, or hydro electric power plants. One more reason why we should use nuclear power is that scientists have been saying that the affect of global warming because of nuclear has been relatively little compared to coal, gas, and hydroelectric power. If we keep using nuclear power for electricity and other good uses, then there would be less global warming, but if we start to use more and more fossil fuels, then global warming will keep increasing in the future, so to prevent this, we can use nuclear energy. One of the reasons why we should not use nuclear power is that nuclear power is that nuclear energy releases radiation such as alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. Alpha particles can cause skin injuries similar to severe burns, beta particles can travel into the body and damage cells, and finally, gamma rays can deliver intense energy to the cells and cause severe damage. Radiation  from nuclear energy can wipe out the human generation, since mutation usually occurs when a person is affected by radiation. In order to prevent this from happening, we shouldn’t take chances and use nuclear energy. Another reason why we shouldn’t use nuclear power is because it takes many years for it to decay. Unlike coal, gas, and hydroelectric power, once you use it, it is not done. After a point where it has no more nuclear power, there are still radioactive waves in it that will still damage your cells. After the half-life of the radioactive element occurs, which could take a long time , only half of it has decayed. Nuclear energy can help, but later on we would have to dispose the nuclear waste to decay in a remote location. If we need remote locations to dispose nuclear waste, then one day we would run out of those areas, and possibly half of the world will be not be accessible to humans due to nuclear waste occupying the areas. One more reason why we shouldn’t use nuclear power is that one of the types of nuclear energy, nuclear fission produces high amounts of nuclear waste. Scientists have been saying that if we use nuclear energy, then we should be disposed off at a safe place since they are extremely hazardous and can leak radiation if not stored properly. If the wastes somehow get into the freshwater and saltwater systems, then all the sea animals will get affected, and we won’t be able to drink the water from the freshwater. Another type of nuclear energy, nuclear fusion doesn’t produce any nuclear waste unlike nuclear fission, but it is really hard to make, so since it is hard to make, it won’t be helpful for everyday electricity. In conclusion, there are many advantages and disadvantages against nuclear energy, but I think that as long as we keep the nuclear power plant is in a remote location where no one can go and get affected, we can use nuclear energy. When the nucle ar waste is produced, then we can dispose it off at a safe place since it’s extremely hazardous and can leak radiation if not stored properly. If we are going to use nuclear energy, then we should handle it carefully even if it is for electricity because if it is misused, then people who are affected by the radiation from the energy will have mutations or possibly even die.

Impact of Chinas Joining the WTO for SSA Countries

Impact of Chinas Joining the WTO for SSA Countries INTRODUCTION 1. INTRODUCTION For China, the worlds 7th largest and most populous economy, November 2001 was a momentous period when it made a giant leap into the much quested free market by becoming a member of the world trade organisation (W.T.O). Although, China had embarked on market liberalization policies since the 1970s membership into the W.T.O. was a compelling opportunity to standardise its trade principles and practices in accordance with those of other free market economies and assimilate into the new era of globalization. The implication of this great milestone is remarkable not only for China itself, but also for the global market system. However, for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the accession of China into the W.T.O. marked a new era of economic milieu, due to the fact that, conventionally, the western powers were the countries with substantial interest in trade, aid and economic partnership and, unfortunately, due to recent domestic challenges facing these western nations, or what some policy analysts would call the marginalization of Africa, the attention given to SSA has been fast declining. However, the last ten years have brought China closer to the need of African countries. As observers would note; this increasing role does single-handedly invalidate the growing marginalization of Africa by the much traditional European and American powers (Mandy, 2005). In contrast to the western powers, by offering aid with fewer preconditions, China has presented a more attractive alternative to conditional W estern aid and debt cancellation together with a boom in Sino-African trade, while gaining valuable diplomatic support to defend its international interests. It should be noted that in 2001, China was the 7th largest economy in the world, although, this status has presently changed, however it is pertinent to state that the researcher takes into account Chinas status when it became a W.T.O member in 2001 (See: UNCTAD, Global Investment Report 2002). While the continuous engagement of China with SSA has continued to spawn important policy implications for growth and investment distribution, there are growing concerns about its adverse effects on key developmental areas such as manufacturing, inward foreign direct investments, production and other key sectors. In fact, its much advertised benefits for commodity boom for African countries is ambiguous since this apparent benefit is inextricably linked with erratic exchange rates and institutional corruption. Thus, the aim of this study is to contribute to literature on the implication of Chinas accession into the WTO for Sub-Saharan African countries. This study assesses both its positive impacts and negative implication for trade, manufacturing and FDI, while it also explores the underlying factors behind the growing involvement of China in SSA. In order to achieve these aims; this research has identified a number objectives which will inform its scopes and direction. 1.1 Research Aims and Objectives The overarching aim of this study is to critically explore the impact of Chinas accession into the WTO for SSA countries and identify the specific channels through which this impact manifests. Objectives: Identify andanalyse the specific vector channels through which the impact of Chinas accession into the WTO is transmitted to SSA countries. Examine the overall impact of Chinas accession into the WTO on Sub-Saharan SSA countries Investigate into the primary drivers of Chinas increasing interest in SSA Conduct a case study analysis of two SSA countries aimed at illustrating and understanding the extensive influence of China on SSA 1.2 Background There is mounting evidence in literature to suggest that while Sub-Saharan African economies are economic winners on one hand. They are losers on the other, from Angola, to Nigeria; SSA countries have been reaping the enormous gains of commodity boom during the past ten years. In fact Chinas demands for these commodities have in many cases been less fulfilled and thus its growing interest for more and more imports. Stevens and Kennan (2005) noted that economies which are endowed with natural resources demanded by China will continuously record an exponential growth in their export and consequently earn more money. While countries that produce what china produces like (apparels and garments) will see a huge decline in exports and consequently earn less money. This concept from both perspectives points to the SSA example: while on one hand, individual countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have enjoyed huge financial gains from commodity exports. On the other, these huge gains are in turn use d to purchase manufactured goods from China, thus, killing the local industries and genuine small scale manufacturers. Stevens and Kennan (2006) in their further examination of the impact of China on developing economies proposed a method which was subsequently termed as the typology of â€Å"winners† and â€Å"losers† (Goldein et al, 2006). â€Å"winners† are those economies for which the number of sectors recording trade gains are associated with lower costs of imports or where higher prices for exports is greater than the number of sectors incurring losses due to increased competition from China or higher import prices resulting from higher Chinese demand for a given product. Regarding the winners, Stevens and Kennan assess the gains from trade to check whether the gains arise primarily from lower import costs, from greater export revenue, or from both; and conclude that all the SSA countries (except South Africa) gain primarily from lower import costs. Other empirical studies (see e.g. Razmi, 2006; Qureshi and Wan, 2006) have explored the phenomenon of lower import costs and interestingly, their results shows that SSA countries have indeed enjoyed importing more products from China due to the lower import costs involved and even if SSA countries do not import from China, their local industries will not be as competitive as it should be because of stiff competition from china. 1.3 Problem Discussion Africas quest for a more cordial relationship with China is grounded in its depth of poverty and genuine need for foreign direct investment as an incentive to accelerate economic development and consolidate recent democratization efforts. However, the increasing interest of China in Africa is questionable and in fact has been the focus of several policy and research studies during recent years. The possibility that the biggest economy of the 21st Century will not be a democratic or western state serves to challenge conventional â€Å"international relation theories† that have emanated since the culmination of the World War II through the pre-eminence of the western economies in global affairs. Chinas current friendship with Africa are not traditionally restrained to the post Cold-War era, but China admits, it is more dynamic and influential to international politics and indicate a new background for South-South collaboration. China insistently advocates, that its considered af fairs with African economies has stemmed from a common history and is based on bilateral understanding and fairness in a climate that ensures fair-play and mutual benefits. The EU, US and an array of important observers, voice concerns about the real objective of China in Africa. London and Washington however, considers Chinas new affairs with Africa as a long term obstruction to their interest and a threat to their strategic-partnership with African countries. On top of these growing opposition and concerns, there are more worries that the risk-adverse keenness of China to parley with corrupt African governments can undercut democratic reforms and conflict resolution on the continent where the west have keen interest. The questions remain, whose claims have more validity and legitimacy and how can the truth be substantiated? Should the neo-realists proposition which is well grounded in empirical positivism be relied upon in coming to terms with the corrupt leaders of Africa? Or do we rely on the theories of the west whose well grounded postulation provides a combination of free-market experience, albeit with little self-interest. Or do we simply put forward unconventional epistemologies that will provide an expanded collection of truth possibilities about Sino-African engagement? This study theoretically explores these extant perspectives and seeks to bridge existing gaps in literature within the context of the current study. 1.4 Motivation During the last ten years, policy observers have noted that China and Sub-Saharan Africa have become more cordial such that Beijings interaction with Africa has significantly increased and as such spawned impressive growth in bilateral trade. This relationship has been demonstrated by the establishment of 700 Chinese firms with an investment of around  £1 billion in SSA over the last ten years, (Bejing Times, 16. December, 2003). As evidence to this growing relationship, the UNCTAD investment report of 2008 shows that Chinese FDI stock in Africa has grown from under  £35 million in 1990 to over  £1.5 billion in 2006. This translates to 30% growth in annual trade and investment since the late 1990s between Africa and China. However, in spite of this growing and impressive development, there is consensus amongst policy makers in SSA that key sectors of the economy have been declining since the engagement of China. These sectors usually include the manufacturing, the textile indus try, productive sectors and the Small business sectors (UNCTAD, 2004; ANIP, 2005). Notwithstanding the negative implications, Chinas engagement with SSA have been growing exponentially and by 2010, China is forecast to be the number one trading partner of SSA, ahead of the United States, France and the United Kingdom. This study therefore, seeks to examine why in spite of the adverse implication for SSA, the Sino- African relationship is still growing, in addition to the investigation of what specifically underlies Chinas continuous interest in Africa. The Non-Aligned movement gave meaning to the concept of south-south cooperation as a concerted effort by developing states (often newly independent) to avoid being sucked into the dichotomy of the Cold War power struggle (Murray, 2008). 1.5 Research Questions The research question for this study was inspired by the definition of (Rea and Parker, 2005) who defined it as a question or set of questions that can help in bringing out evidence based facts which provide answers to research problems. As they further suggest, it not only provide answers to research problems but also helps in the development process of new research ideas (Rea and Parker, 2005). Primary Research Question RQ1: What are the inherent economic implications of Chinas increasing engagement with Sub-Saharan Africa? Secondary research questions RQ2: What are the channels through which the impact of Chinas accession into the W.T.O transmits into SSA countries? RQ3: What specific sector(s) does the Sino-African relationship play the highest positive role? RQ4: What is the underlying factor behind the interest of China in Africa? RQ5: Is there a significant relationship between economic development and Chinese investment in SSA countries? 1.6 Research Outline Following the first chapter where the objectives and research problems have been rightly identified, the subsequent chapters are ordered with the following sequential arrangement. Table 4: Chapter Mapping Source: Researchers Conception Chapter 2 is the review of extant literature relating to the present investigation and conceptualization of empirical framework with an identification of theoretical support for the previously established facts. This chapter is followed by Chapter 3, which is the research methodology where the research approach, strategy and data collection methods were discussed and explained. In this section, the researcher provides an explanation for the case study approach and introduced the Complimentary-Competitive impact framework. This was followed by Chapter 4, where the case studies presented were analyzed. This chapter further considers the impact of China on SSA countries using the earlier introduced Complimentary-Competitive framework; this was followed by a critical discussion of the impact. Chapter 5 is the conclusive part where the researcher considers the implications of the result for SSA countries and the future of Sino-African relationship.. LITERATURE REVIEW 2. INTRODUCTION Existing literature offers a reasonable amount of information about the scale and size of bilateral-trade between China and SSA. We learn for example that trade between these two regions have increased tremendously, particularlyfollowing the years after2001. Available data-records can be explored to give us more information as to what is traded and by whom. The literature, nonetheless, is ambiguous about how this bilateral trade and relationship actually affects Africa or how the impacts of FDI manifest. Which particular SSA economies benefit and in what particular sectors? Who are the winners and who are the losers? Why? It is so apparent that trade is not the only vector channel between China and SSA, and that other channels may also create positive or negative implications. The aim of this chapter is to identify and explore other vector channels through which the impact of Beijings interaction with Sub-Saharan Africa manifests. Following this identification is a conceptual framewo rk developed by the researcher in order to deeply understand the inherent research issues and broad problems with the Sino-African relationship. 2.1 Previous Research The accession of china into the WTO and its rise as a great economic power-house is one of the defining events of the 21st century. Consequently, there has been a rising interest of literature studying its impact on various factors. But notwithstanding this considerable attention, there is relative dearth of systematic research on the Sino-African relationship impact especially relating to Chinas accession into the WTO (Geda, 2006). Notable exceptions of this trend are the IMF qualitative research of (Wang 2006) which finds that Africas needs for trade, road and rail networks including foreign direct investment are the prominent factors drawing the continuous interest of china. Another study by World Bank (2004) examined the limitations and policy restraints for increasing Sino-African trade and investment. Since these two prominent studies, more and more studies have been investigating how Chinas engagement affects Africa in one way or the other. The study of Mayer and Fajarnes (200 5) conducts a comprehensive analysis of the advantages that Africa can anticipate from Chinas increasing trade engagement and finds that, while the advantages are liable to be modest, the predilections have been considerately adapted to African export capabilities. The quantitative study of Eichengreen et al(2008) analysed the competitive issue between China and some African countries using a gravity model. Their results indicate that countries at different level of development are affected very differently. Whereas an increase in Chinas output positively affects the exports of high-income African countries. However, it negatively affects those of the less-developed countries in the East African region of SSA. In another study, Stevens (2005) identified possible winners and losers among African countries as China becomes more prominent in world trade; they found that while African countries are winning on one hand, they are losing on the other. Shafaeddin (2002) studied the impact o f Chinas accession into the WTO on exports of developing countries. He found that Chinas accession into the WTO will increasingly give its industries a better domestic value leading to more competitive advantage over other exporters and this could be a threat to the local industries of those developing economies. In 2008 another study exploring the growing relationship between China and Africa observed that â€Å"A key factor underlying Chinas recent rapid expansion in Africa is Beijings desire to gain secure access to supplies of oil, gas, and key minerals. As a late entrant to the global oil market, Africa perhaps represents the last major sources of oil reserves that are not primarily managed by major Western energy companies, and hence available for Chinese corporations to invest in, and ultimately resulting in partial control† (Besada et al, 2008). (Kaplinsky, McCormick and Morris, 2006) studied the impact in four vector areas; Aid flows, trade flows, FDI flows, technolo gy transfer and integration. Other recent studies have also explored the specific vector areas through which the impact of Chinas accession into the WTO manifests on SSA using GDP growth, income distribution, governance, competition, diversification and many others. (Geda, 2006; Tull, 2006; Goldstein et al, 2006; Palley, 2003) 2.2 Assessing the Impact of China on Sub-Saharan Africa As aforementioned, there is a growing body of evidence in literature to suggest that the Sino-African relationship is manifesting through different specific channels. Within each of these channels, it is possible for the Sino-SSA relationship to either be competitive or complementary (Geda, 2006; Kaplinsky et al, 2008). Looking at the trade channel, for instance, China may provide SSA with appropriate capital goods and cheap consumer products and SSA may in turn provide China with the commodities it requires to fuel its continued economic expansion. Both economies gain from this relationship. On the other hand, Chinas export of consumer goods to SSA may displace local producers leading to competitive impacts on workers and entrepreneurs in these sectors. (Kaplinsky et al, 2006) The impact of these relationships for Africa has been both significant and positive. Growth rates have been elevated, with a positive impact on poverty alleviation. These flows provide substantial and largely untied development finance for Africa (in contrast to present conditional OECD flows). The continent may therefore present only a small part of a rapidly changing global economic structure in which China is centrally involved, but for Africa this will likely prove to be of high significance (Besada et al, 2008). What lies behind this development are a number of factors and motivated by chinas need to secure natural resources to sustain its economic boom at home. More so, there are little doubts that natural resources are at the core of Chinas economic interests in Africa and also Chinas share in the increase in global demand for some mineral resources such as aluminum, Nickel, copper and mostly oil consumption (Besada et al, 2008). This increasing development also reflects a high-level Chinese decision to contribute to South-South cooperation via mutually beneficial commercial relationships with the African continent. But at the same time, it also reflects commercial decisions made by individual Chinese enterprises (ibid). One claim that is supporting this theory is that Chinese firms have been successful in delivering comparable infrastructure projects at prices in the range of 25 percent and 50 percent less than those which other foreign investors charge (Besada et al, 2008). In assessing the impact of China on SSA, various studies have employed several empirical measures. However, prominent amongst this is the method devised by Kaplinsky (2008) who integrated a three vector channel of this impact into one synthetic framework; called the complementary-competitive and direct-indirect impacts. As shown in the (table 1) this framework shows that complementarity and competitiveness is easily understood. By contrast the distinction between the direct and indirect impacts is less obvious, and its significance is less widely recognized. The direct impacts are relatively simple and clear. Both complementary and competitive impacts occur as a result of direct bilateral relations between China and SSA. These impacts can be measured, by charting the direct trade flows between China and SSA, breaking these down by sectors and countries, and over time. The indirect impacts occur as a result of Chinas relations with third countries, working their way indirectly through to SSA. Staying with the trade example, Chinas demand for commodities may raise their prices at a global level, and even though a country like Ethiopia does not export animal feed to China (a direct relationship), it sells animal feeds into a global market in which prices have been raised by Chinas growing imports (indirect impact). As we shall see below, and particularly in the case of trade, the indirect impacts of China on SSA are sometimes much more substantial than the direct impacts. However, almost all of the analysis of the impact of China on SSA focuses on direct, bilateral relations, and hence tends to miss some important issues. Table 5: Complimentary-Competitive Framework Source: (Kaplinsky et al, 2006) Since this study is focusing on other vector channels as the one seen above, it might be pertinent therefore to have a specific framework in analyzing the impact China on SSA. Thus, the need for the next section 2.3 Conceptual Framework Figure: 3 Conceptual Framework Source: Authors conception This conceptual model shows the four conceptualized vector channels through which the impact of china transmits on SSA. Theoretical explanation is further given in support of each of these vectors channels. 2.3 TRADECHANNEL There is evidence to suggest that trade between China and SSA since 2001 is a small percentage of each regions total trade. However, its rapid growth suggests that the trade channel is a momentous source of impact (Kaplinsky et al, 2008). The volumes of Trade more than quintupled from over  £5 billion in 2002 to over  £25 billion in 2005 and more than  £50 billion as at 2006 (ibid). The basis for Chinas rising trade links with SSA has been its particular impressive growth since its accession into the WTO. One of the main features of this growth has been its deepening trade orientation, with the trade-GDP ratio in excess of 70 percent, well above the â€Å"norm† for large countries. Within this, China has become a major exporter of manufactures and a significant importer of commodities (Zafar, 2007). In 1990, SSAs total imports from China were less than 1.1% of its imports from industrialized economies, but by 2006, it had risen to over 8 %. In the same vein, SSA exports to China were less than 1% of its total exports to industrialized economies, but by 2006 the proportion had risen to eleven percent. However, Since 2002 after china joined the WTO, imports from China have been expanding more slowly than exports, allowing SSAs trade balance with China to turn from negative to positive ( Kaplinsky et al, 2008) Figure 4: Sino-SSA: Balance of Trade Source: (IMF Dots: Kaplinsky et al, 2008) For some SSA economies, the importance of China as a direct destination of exports grew particularly rapidly. In the case of oil, for example, exports to China account for almost around 86 and 100 percent of all oil exports for Angola, Sudan, Nigeria, and Congo. A similar picture is true for the DRC, which sends 99.6 percent of its basic metal exports to China. On the import side, only seven SSA countries source a significant share of their total imports from China. Sudan, which has growing and policy-related energy links with China stands out, with 14.2 percent of its imports coming from China, followed by Ghana and Tanzania (9.1 percent), Nigeria (7.1 percent), Ethiopia and Kenya (6.4 percent) and Uganda (5.1 percent) (Jenkins and Edwards, 2005). Almost all of these imports were manufactured products. With that historic picture as background, we look forward to areas of potential bilateral trade between China and SSA. 2.4 EXPORT CHANNEL Positive impact for SSA is sufficiently provided in the literature assessing when assessing export links between China and Sub-Saharan Africa. However, unlike this present study, most authors have assessed this vector as an indirect trade channel. Several studies has however, attempted to explore the impact of this indirect trade channel. For example, the study of (Kaplinsky and Santos-Paulino 2006) investigated the similarity between China and SSA exports (Jenkins and Edwards 2006) classified losers and winners and from exports with China, The losers are those economies which export products which China exports or import products which China imports (Stevens and Kennan (2006). All these empirical investigations have provided constructive insights into the export impacts of Chinas trade on SSA. Kaplinsky, McCormick and Morris (2008) noted however that, the fact is apparent that only a small amount of engagement exists between China and SSA in intermediate products thus, it appears th at there exists little Sino-African integration in coordinated global value chains. More so, owing to the reason that most if not all of the previous analysis have been conducted at fairly high levels of trade aggregation they have tended to impede the severity of Chinas indirect trade impact on SSA exports. Thus, it is better if the real impacts are examined sectorally or through particular products (Kaplinsky, McCormick and Morris, 2008). Table 9 Share of particular commodities in exports to China Sources: IMF, Direction of Trade Statistics Each of this graphs shows how Chinas trade has grown over the years, figure 9 shows the share of exports to China by particular natural resources while figure 10 shows how the exports of Africa has grown notably since 2001 at the inception of China into the WTO. Figure 11, shows that Sino-SSA trade, although is increasing but relatively small in the global perspective: 16% of total African exports is accounted for by china (19 percent of exports from SSA) in 2006, a proportion well less than that of the U.S.A and the E.U. The graph also shows that while U.S.A. and the E.U have persistently contributed significantly to the growth of Africas export, China is playing a fast catch. 2.5 FDI CHANNEL FDI is one of the notable channels through which many extant researchers have assessed the impact of China on SSA. Interestingly, this channel has proven positive for SSA from the perspective of many studies. See e.g. (Kaplinsky, McCormick and Morris, 2008; Zafar, 2007; World Bank, 2007). This is so because FDI inward into SSA has apparently increased considerably in the last 10 years since Chinas accession into the WTO. According to Morris (2009): â€Å"As China began to emerge in the international global scene, its outward FDI flows remained small; equivalent to just $916mIn 2000, not much higher than the $830m registered in 1990. However, post 2001; FDI outflows have been rising, reaching $17.8bn in 2006. The flows are expected to continue to increase and to reach $72bn by 2011 (Morris, 2009) According to Kaplinsky, McCormick and Morris (2008) there literally exists little FDI inflow from China into SSA before the 1990s. Then from less than  £15 million per annum for Africa as a whole, FDI from China climbed to over  £200 million in 2002 and reached  £1 billion in 2008 (Zafar, 2007). According to UNCTAD (2007) this growth represents higher FDI inflow into SSA than anywhere in the world. More so, it is a notable FDI stock in contrast with inflows from Europe and America particularly because it has come from fully or in some measures state owned corporations who have more access to very low-cost capital, and hence can operate with much longer time-horizons. According to UNCTAD (2007) most FDI from China usually comes in the variety of equity joint ventures with local business partners of SSA or state and national government agencies. The most recent and instances are those of the big energy and transport investment in Angola, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Sudan and Mali amongst many. Other areas of Chinese interest driving FDI growth is the import of oil, manufacturing and investment in other local businesses. For example: China have made Investments valued at $757m in Sudanese Oil and $2.7bn in Nigerian oilfields in the past few years (Africa Frontier Advisory March, 2008) Table 7: FDI Flows to Africa, 2002-05 and the Top five FDI spots The World Bank (2004) observed that in spite of the usual picture of China as a resource hunger and raw material driven investor in SSA. The reality is that almost 48% of the amount invested in SSA since the 1980s till 2001 was in the productive and manufacturing sector. Slightly over (18%) of investments went into services and construction business. Agriculture (7.1%), Resource development accounts for just over one quarter of the investments, slightly over (27 %), though and other (.9%) claimed the balance. Although, this figures has slightly increased, (ibid). According to UNCTAD (2007), by 2005, chinas investment had grown into 48 African nations. Table 8: Distribution of Chinas Outward FDI Stock in Africa, 1990, 2005 (%) Source: UNCTAD (2007a) Consistent with several empirical perspectives, Kaplinsky, McCormick and Morris (2008) also suggest that the increasing account of FDI into SSA is due to its involvement four major economic areas: Although, this study will be looking at only two of these areas, the first and second as they tend to have more significant impact on FDI Increasing investments in the energy and resource sectors Participation in infrastructural projects Integration to production systems globally Small scale entrepreneurial investments 2.7 Investments in the energy and resource sectors Owing to the increasing energy quest of China to fuel its own economic growth, inter