A report regarding the attractiveness of alternative countries Research Paper

A report regarding the attractiveness of alternative countries Research Paper A report regarding the attractiveness of alternative countries – Research Paper Example Prospects of FDI in China Inserts His/Her Inserts Grade Inserts Contents Contents 2 Potential return on FDI in China 3 Tax benefits 4 Special Economic Zones 4 FDI confidence index 4 Bibliography 5 Potential return on FDI in China China’s persistence in attracting FDI is one good reason why future investors are attracted to its large market. Economies of scale make it better for the multinationals in China to be located in same areas and share information. China provides a lot of incentives to companies that plan on investing. According to some statistics, in 2008 china was the most attractive country for FDI. China is a country with where cheap labor is easily available giving a cost advantage to the companies investing. (Diego Quer, 2008) Moreover, China is largely a buyer’s market keeping in mind the country’s population of 1.3 billion people. And with time there is an expectation that the purchasing power of Chinese residents is likely to increase sharply because of the lower rates of inflation and a good annual GDP growth rate of 8 % for the country. To top it all China’s government recently has eased down the regulations and laws concerning foreign investment in China. As a result of these incentives a lot of companies invested in China and as according to research FDI flows into china were of about 83.5 billion dollars which grew to 108.3 billion in 2008 with continued investment announcements and a positive investor outlook. (Jianhong Qi, 2008) The trend of FDI in China has changed since 2001 after it joined WTO. Since then until now foreign investors who have invested in China have formed companies entirely owned by foreign capital. Other than industry and hi-tech foreign investment is also allowed in the financial services, insurance and banking sectors. (Jianhong Qi, 2008) Tax benefits Most of the benefits that the Chinese government offers to foreign investors investing in China are in the form of tax benefits. These include customs and income tax benefits which are given for investing in a particular special economic zone. Also value added tax benefits are offered. These benefits are approved mostly depending on the nature of investment. (Diego Quer, 2008) Special Economic Zones Talking of the Special Economic Zones in China, there are 5 zones in the south of China here tax benefits are offered. These tax benefits include a corporate tax of 15%, a tax exemption for the first two years of operation along with a tax rate of 12.5% for another three years, a 6 years tax exemption for projects in environment protection, infrastructure and energy. (Kandil, 2011) There are similar benefits offered for investment made in Shanghai where there are 5 development zones specializing in agriculture, financial services etc. FDI confidence index The foreign direct investment confidence index provides a unique look for companies intending to invest internationally giving them an insight of the present and future prospects. This survey is conducted by A.T. Kearney Since the year 2002 China was a top ranked destination for foreign investors. Also according to the 2010 FDI confidence index China holds the top position among the 25 countries with high confidence of investors. This index and optimism of investors is an indication of a strong economy. (Kandil, 2011) Bibliography Diego Quer, E. C. (2008). Foreign Direct Investment in China: Beyond the Representative Office. Journal of Asia Business Studies , 50. Jianhong Qi, H. L. (2008). Spillover effect of FDI on Chinas knowledge creation. Chinese Management Studies , 50. Kandil, M. (2011). Financial flows to developing and advanced countries: determinants and implications. International Journal of Development Issues , 50. homeworkgenie@hotmail.com

MLA 7 is finally here! Our new release.

MLA 7 is finally here! Our new release. MLA 7 is finally here! Our new release. – Blog We’re proud to announce that we’ve finally updated with the MLA 7th edition guidelines. It’s taken us a greater part of 6 months and we’ve added a lot of new stuff in the process. So what exactly did we update? Here’s what’s new: MLA 7 guidelines   – you may notice   lots of changes to your citations for MLA. First, titles are no longer underlined and instead are italicized. Secondly, citations now display the medium in which they originated (e.g. Print, Web).   If you omit certain pieces of information, like publisher or pages, an abbreviation will be inserted in their place (n.p., n. pag.). Although the new MLA guidelines no longer require URLs in your citations, we have not removed them from your website citations, as we understand their importance to a lot of our users. There lots of other changes, but they are too long to list here. Which leads me to our next big change†¦ Revamped Citation Guide page – you can now review specific guidelines and citing situations for each source type for each formatting style. And we give you lots of example citations to guide you. Additionally, we’ve included Turabian formatting guidelines into the Citation Guide for the first time!   This new design is much more user friendly and conducive to learning in the classroom. New form fields and citing possibilities – we’ve added a bunch of new fields to each source type to expand our citing capabilities†¦ Book – you can select whether you are citing an entire book or just a chapter, and you can now enter a specific edition of the book. Magazine – you can now cite magazines that you found from a database. Newspaper – you can enter the location of the newspaper (city/state/country), indicate if the newspaper is nationally well-known, and cite newspaper that you found from a database. Website – you can now enter a sponsor/publisher and a version number. Film – you can select whether you are citing an entire film or just a chapter/commentary, and you can now indicate whether the film is a re-release. Interview – you can now cite interviews from books, magazines, and magazines. Lecture – you can choose what type of lecture you are citing. Radio/TV – you can choose whether you are citing an episode, a series, or an individual broadcast, as well as if you are citing a transcript of the program. Encyclopedia – you can now choose whether you are citing an encyclopedia or a dictionary, as well as if you are citing a specific article or the entire reference book. You can also indicate whether the encyclopedia is well-known and if entries are alphabetically arranged. Photograph – you can now choose a file type for a self-taken digital photograph, and you can also cite photographs from books, magazines, and newspapers. Print-friendly pages – we have gotten a lot of requests to make our pages printable and in response, we’ve formatted our pages, particularly our Bibliography Maker and Citation Guide pages, to be print out well for users. Internet Explorer compatibility – we identified some visual bugs that we’re occurring in Internet Explorer and we’ve fixed a lot of those. Various bug fixes – many bugs that you emailed us about have been fixed. Website citations can now be edited properly. ISBN book searches now accept hyphens and still return the proper search results. New help topics – we’ve gotten a lot of emails and questions about certain topics and in response, we’ve added new questions to our Help FAQs page.

Questions Week 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Questions Week 5 - Essay Example f literature include the understanding related with the topic under discussion, the literary settings under which the piece of literature is written and lastly the era in which the author or poet hailed from. This is an amalgamation of a number of different attributes – all of which contribute to the wholesome basis that we know as literature. It would not be wrong here to state that literature is dependent on a number of different variables, most of which belong from the correct narration styles and the manner in which characters relate with the story or poem. If there is a catch within the literary piece, it is most likely that the entire piece of literature could be termed as flawed right from the onset, which would essentially mar the fundamental basis of penning down and thus analyzing the authenticity of genuine literary works and indeed the concept of literature. Secondary sources are a useful tool of measuring the quality of literary works. This is because they relate to the quality literature time and again in different quotations and citations which are placed within these secondary sources. Thus there is a lot of room for understanding what exactly qualifies as a piece of literature that is of the highest quality possible and what is otherwise. One must comprehend the fact that secondary sources give a somewhat correct measure of the comparison that is done between these literary works as the choice of narrations is made pertinent all this while and the words that have been used are more or less in line with the demands of the events, happenings and situations within the poem or story so to speak. This essentially marks the make-up of the literature that we are discussing here. Since secondary sources are themselves a good judge of describing literature over non-literary and un-qualified work, they provide a better yardstick when it come s to comparing one piece of literature over another and vice versa. Secondary sources always depict the authenticity

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

Film Analysis - Essay Example Other, preferably due to the desire to achieve their ambitions and goals in life, overlook the advices and warnings they receive in their day-to-day life, causing suffering to themselves and their families – they fail to shine. The film actual meaning is so twisted and open for a number of interpretations. The film heavily employs symmetry to evoke the mind of the audience in an interactive manner. To convey the intended messages, symmetry is heavily employed. Images, events, and characters in the film appear in twins and doubles. Additionally, in both scene-to-scene and person-to- person dialogue is increasingly repeated throughout the film. During the caretaker interview, Stutart Ullman, the manager of Overlook hotel informs Jack Torrance the probability of contacting cabin fever and that his family would be snowbound throughout winter. In addition, Jack Torrance is told of a former caretaker – Charles Grady who contacted cabin fever, went insane, and killed his two d aughters, his wife, and himself. Stutart Ullman to Jack Torrance about Charles Grady â€Å"†¦killed his family with an axe. ... Ullman but opts to overlook the warning and hence failing to shine as he previously thought when he accepted caretaker position to reshape his life (Crewe). We see Jack progressing deep and deep in the wilderness with his Volkswagen, an implication of a dark future ahead of him. The lighting in this scene is dark. The double effect in the film is evident upon Jack’s family arrival at the Overlook hotel when Danny encounters Dick Hallorann, the hotel’s head chef who realizes that Danny is a psychic just like him. Danny Torrance and Dick Hallorann are able to communicate mentally or telepathically. Dick Hallorann communicates with Danny telepathically and gives Danny a chocolate. Hallorann explains to Danny that he would communicate with his grandmother in a similar way. The ability to communicate telepathically is the ‘Shining’ gift possessed by Danny and Dick Hallorann in the film. The representation of most scenes between Danny and Dick in the film uses br ight lighting. This is arguably an implication that Danny is able to learn from Dick the bad things that have happened in the hotel in the past and that he has to rely on the shining talent to survive. Through the shining talent, Dick who is in Florida is able to learn of what is happening in Overlook hotel and comes to rescue Wendy and Jack. Other scenes in the novel duplicate as a result of the mirroring effect. One of the reflections with a moral lesson in the film is that of the encounter of Jack Torrance with a beautiful woman in the hotel room 237. When Danny claims to have encountered a weird woman in room 237, Wendy request Jack to explore the room. In his exploration of room 237, Jack sees a beautiful woman who he starts to kiss. However, Jack pulls back horrified when he sees the mirror

Business strategy in Chinese restaurant Assignment

Business strategy in Chinese restaurant - Assignment Example Several other outlets of Hai Di Lao Hot Pot were also started and the business operations were carried through this chain of restaurants. The restaurant reached a stable growth rate over time and this enabled it to open multiple outlets and marketing stores in Nanjing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Beijing and other locations of China. The company employs about 15,500 employees (Hai Di Lao hot pot, 2014). Political: The business operation of the restaurant, Hai Di Lao Hot Pot is subject to some political constraints. In emerging nations like China, the government often impose several extensive policies for maintaining a stable and competitive market. Sometimes due to political wars and corruption in bureaucracies, the expansion plans of the company get hampered. The restaurant also has to abide by foreign tax policies in order to expand its business globally (Griffiths and Tenenbaum, 2004). Economical: The distribution centre, warehouse and factories of the restaurant mainly operate in the Chinese market and thus, it does not have to worry about risks associated with the exchange rate. Economic productivity of China, as measured by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), is quite stable which implies that there is an increase in the per capita income level of the population. Consumers have high demand and increased purchasing power which enables them to avail speciality dining in restaurants like Hai Di Lao Hot Pot. Social: Globalization has helped businesses to conduct integrated operations that would help improve standard of living. Hai Di Lao Hot pot offers its customers with traditional dinning habit with a blend of modern styles. The restaurant values the social and cultural aspects that are associated with Chinese food. This ensures that the restaurant maintains a stable growth (Chow, Lau, Lo, Sha and Yun, 2007). Technological: Food making techniques are essentially subject to innovations. Several innovations in cooking techniques are practised by the

Growing Up in s Christian Family

Growing Up in s Christian Family Being raised up in a spiritually oriented family has its mix of blessings and curses. The blessings are certainly the security and stability of a family whose foundation is strongly well planted in the Word of God. The curses are the problems that come as a result of being swept along the river of the faith of the parents. I am writing this paper with intentions of highlighting the readers with these problems in mind. As one deal with considering the faith of the pre-adolescent children from within the congregation or from the family prospective, one ought to ask the question, When are children ready to make the faith commitment of their life? Therefore, before I draw my ideas from other various sources, I would like to start with a personal experience of a friend of mind whom I came to know during my basic combat training in Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and whom we are stationed together in Camp Robinson, North Little Rock. Andrew is chaplain assistance for my army unit and my close battle buddy whom I thought would be a best candidate to interview for my research paper. Based on his responses to my curiosity about his spiritual life, he informed me that his family was deeply involved in the life of the church way before he was born. His father was a church leader. Among his best friends, was the son of the church chairman and another was the pastors son. According to Andrew, he spent much of his time with his friends both at the church and at each others homes. Each of their parents played a role in their formative years. This was our extended family. We were more like cousins than friends, for each of our natural extended families were hundreds of miles away, he said with a serious look on his face. He went further by saying that they were no different from the other kids, but evidently the bond that they had, held them closer to the influence of the church. So, when it came to making a decision for Christ, there really was no decision, he said. In the case of Andrew, one is left to believe they had no other choice other than go with the flow. So, as early as the age of five, the three of the best friends would respond to the request of their childrens chapel teacher and prayed that Jesus would come into their hearts without having a firm cognitive sense of their prayers. Was there a change in their lives? No, they were simply following the natural order of events for children in the church. Furthermore, Andrew stated that when they were twelve, after several years later, their Sunday school class met in the pastors study for baptism and membership class. Again, expectations dictated that by this time in their lives it was time to take this step. So, one Sunday evening the three friends, along with others in their class, stepped into the water and were baptized. Were we demonstrating to the world that we were now dead in our sins and transformed into new life in Christ? he wondered. No, we were following the sequence of events of all the church kids that went before us. It was a right of passage into the next level of life in the church. Were we forced or coerced into doing this? No, we desired to take these steps because it was the proper thing to do. Andrew confessed that as he grew in his understanding and faith, he came to resent both the actions of the church and home. He perceived the events as irresponsible and meaningless. He felt that he had been misled and was given a false sense of his position in Christ. I concluded that I was not saved during those early years and I objected to the practice of child evangelism, he protested. This state of hostility toward his church lasted for about three years during his late teens as he struggled with his own identity and his relationship with God. Now, Andrew is a married man and Chaplain assistance in the military unit. His wife and he are planning to have children in the nearest future. Therefore, in light of his own spiritual development he is left to wonder how he would measure a childs spiritual readiness or more explicitly, how would he know when a child is ready to make a decision for Christ and for baptism? It is with this question that every parents out there should bear in mind when considering spiritual formation of their preadolescence children. Another point one would want to put extra emphasis on is the psychological development theory. Those of us who went through adolescent stage and the parents who work or live with adolescents know first-hand that they are at once impossible to live with and a joy to have around. They are moody, critical, combative, and absent-minded; they are also creative, energetic, and impassioned about the world and their place in it. However, research on pre-adolescents development has shown clearly that the surface behaviors of early adolescents provide poor clues as to what is really going on inside them, in their minds and souls. The common perception of students in middle schools is that they are constantly in storm and stress, peer driven, rebellious toward adults, moody, uncommunicative and unpredictable. Unfortunately, these views are popular myths and have resulted in generations of misunderstanding and inappropriate attention to the needs of 10 to 14 years old. Early adolescents are rarely perceived as being deeply thinking, caring and valuing individuals who are greatly influenced by loving adults. They are in the final stages of developing the character and personality that will distinguish them as adults; difficult, serious and personal questions and inquiries into the meaning of life and death are very important, for they play a crucial role in their faith development. In his theory of cognitive development (Table 1), Jean Piaget put forth the intellectual counterpart of biological adaptation to the environment. He said that as we adapt biologically to our environment, so too we adapt intellectually. Through assimilation, accommodation and rejection, the external world is organized and given structure. Adaptation begins at birth with the exercise of sensory-motor reflexes. Differentiations via reflexes are the first adaptations that are of eventual importance in cognitive development. As the child develops, the adaptations he makes are increasingly less related to sensory and motor behaviors alone, and may be less clearly seen as adaptations by the untrained eye. Each successive stage is built upon the one before in an accumulating, orderly, sequential and hierarchical manner. Yet the cognitive structures are developed in an invariant sequence. That is, the course of cognitive development, marked by the development of structures, is the same for all children, although the ages at which they attain particular structures may vary with intelligence and the social environment (Piaget and Inhelder, 1969, p. 153). Erik Erikson, in his theory of psychosocial stages (Table 2), similarly stated that an individuals personality develops according to predefined steps that are maturationally set. Society is structured in a way that invites and encourages the challenges that arise at these particular times. Each stage presents the individual with a crisis. If a particular crisis is handled well, the outcome is positive. If it is not handled well, the outcome is negative. The resolution of each stage lays the foundation for negotiating the challenges of the next. Lawrence Kohlberg views the development of morality in terms of moral reasoning (Table 3). The stage of moral reasoning at which people can be placed depends upon the reasoning behind their decisions, not the decisions themselves. He believes that the stages are sequential and that people do not skip stages, although they enter and leave them at varying times. Implications on Spiritual Development Using Piagetian, Eriksonian and Kolbergian theory, James Fowler set out to explain the process of spiritual development in his description of several stages that occur in the development of faith in a persons lifetime (Table 4). He called the stage of most pre-adolescents to be mythic-literal faith. This stage is consistent with Piagets concrete operational stage and Eriksons industry vs. inferiority stage. It is at this stage that children develop their sense of position relative to others in the peer group by mastering the academic and social skills. Their individuality is defined by their position in the group. They become less egocentric and begin to understand complex concepts like conservation. The child still has difficulty though with abstract terms such as freedom and liberty. Children at this stage understand the world on a basic concrete level. Fowler states that most adolescents are at synthetic-conventional faith. This stage correlates to Eriksons identity vs. role confusion stage and a more mature level of Piagets concrete operational stage. They develop a sense of who they are and where they belong. A strong emphasis is placed on being part of the group. There is an even more intense need for conformity and the approval of the community. Their identification and expression of faith are an extension of their family, their church and their peers. During childhood, religious beliefs and behaviors are greatly influenced by ones parents. Children tend to imitate their parents beliefs and behaviors. In adolescence, however, there is a change and a questioning of many of these religious beliefs. David deVaus looked at the importance of parental influence in relation to religious values and behavior in Australian teenagers. The results showed that, at least for religious activity (behavior), both parents and peers were about equal in importance. However, when asked who had been most influential in development of their religious feelings, the most common answer was the mother (51 percent), followed by father (42 percent). According to Fowler it is not until a child reaches the next stage, individuative-reflective faith, that individuals begin to assume personal responsibility for their own commitments, life-styles, or beliefs. As this takes place, adolescents are forced to address unavoidable tensions between the person they want to be and what others expect of them. This stage is associated with Eriksons intimacy vs. isolation and the beginning level of Piagets formal operational stage when children begin to develop close interpersonal relationships, showing a willingness to commit to others. They begin to develop the ability to test hypotheses in a mature, scientific manner and can understand and communicate their positions on complex ethical issues that demand an ability to use the abstract. They can think about thinking that is they become aware of the processes where by they come to hold a particular opinion. They begin to own the beliefs they hold. They are becoming adults. Understanding the Implications and the Dangers A girls body can begin to take on the shape and features of a woman. She can speak with the sophistication associated with adolescence or even adulthood. Social and legal arrangements can permit new freedoms simply because a person reaches a certain age. But until the evolution of meaning becomes interpersonal, there is a very real sense in which the person is not yet an adolescent. If those around her should mistake physiology, calendar age, or verbal ability for psychological age and expect her to function inter-personally, they create a situation which is dangerous for the developing teenager. In his discussion on the dangers of applying developmental theory to spiritual growth, John Ackerman states that we can make three grave mistakes. First, we may have a tendency to rank individuals according to their development. Second, we may think that because we have labeled them, we know them. Third, we may take the groupings and define an absolute relationship between psychological and spiritual growth. We need to know where people are developmentally, but the focus is on God, in the persons perception of God. (Ackerman, 1994, p. 111) I will venture to say that most churches, mine included, proceed with the expectation that chronological age defines spiritual readiness with respect to issues such as faith commitment and baptism. Within the structure of our institutions we have rituals that are performed, with some regularity, with children entering puberty. The Jewish Bar Mitzvah, Catholic and Lutheran Confirmation, and Baptist and Brethren Baptism are examples of ordinances that the church observes when children have reached their pre-teen years. Tradition dictates that at this age a child is ready to begin the transition to adulthood. They need to begin taking the faith they have been taught since infancy and make it their own. But are our children really ready for such a step? Do they really understand the steps they are taking? The most common argument I hear in favor of child conversion are based on verses like the following: At that time Jesus said, I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Matt 11:25. And he said: I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matt 18:3. Jesus said, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. Matt 19:14. Reasoning that God accepts the faith of a child, parents and teachers do their best to help the child to make these life decisions. But unfortunately, in the well-intentioned adults attempt to hurry up and save the children from eternal damnation, they have misunderstood the concept Jesus was teaching. Taken in their proper context we see that Jesus teachings were pointing not to the childish faith as being the characteristic he was seeking, but to the humility and trust of a child as being the characteristic he was seeking in his followers. This teaching is not for the children but for the adults to follow. At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Matt 18:1-6 In each case, where Jesus speaks of the faith of a child he is using this attitude to offset the tendency for his followers to become proud and self-sufficient. One needs to see how helpless we really are without God and how our faith must grow out of ones trust rather than ones achievements. So how then do one assess childrens readiness to make these life changing decisions? One needs to consider each child as an individual and measure their spiritual readiness based upon their understanding of who God is and what he has done for them. Faith is a response to a need and if the child does not perceive the reality of the need then there cannot be true faith. Measuring Spiritual Readiness During a recent Texas Baptist evangelism conference held in Fort Worth, leaders of a Bring the Children to Jesus workshop said Children should come to Jesus just like grown-ups freely. Parents should neither push them into premature professions of faith nor neglect their spiritual nurture. Teach parents that they have a responsibility to God in the stewardship of their childrens spiritual development, said Karen Cavin, minister of childhood education at Mimosa Lane Baptist Church, Mesquite, Texas, who led the workshop with Wayne Shuffield Jr., pastor of Royal Haven Baptist Church, Dallas, and co-author of Bring the Children to Jesus, a resource published by the Baptist General Convention of Texas evangelism division. The gospel plan of salvation can be explained in terms an older child a fourth-, fifth- or sixth-grader can easily understand, they noted. Realize children think in literal terms, so avoid figurative language, they suggested. Shuffield and Cavin advised parents and church leaders to look for signs of readiness in children such as: Questions. Listen carefully to a childs questions about spiritual matters. If the child is asking who the guy was that climbed the sycamore tree, hes probably just asking for factual information about Zaccheus, Shuffield said. Just because you know the verse follows about the Son of Man coming to seek and save that which was lost, dont assume the child is making that leap. On the other hand, if a child begins to ask serious questions about sin, death and eternity, that could be a sign the Holy Spirit is drawing the child. Explore the level of interest and understanding by asking probing, open-ended questions, not queries that could be answered yes or no. Focus. Watch for a child who suddenly becomes focused on religious instruction. Unusual attentiveness in Sunday school or during worship could be a signal a child is ready to make a faith commitment. Behavioral changes. Anything from a sudden interest in Bible-reading to expressions of guilt over wrongdoing at home could mean God is working in a childs heart. Shuffield said that while some young children genuinely are converted, that is the exception, not the rule. Pastors, teachers and parents can help young children by distinguishing between the natural desire of a child to express love for Jesus and the life-changing decision of receiving him as Lord and Savior. At another workshop, Childrens Church A New Way, leaders suggested a combination of small-group sessions, self-guided activities and large-group time for childrens worship. Life development pastor Charlie McAllister and childrens worship leader Karen Lewis from the Houston-area Fellowship of The Woodlands said they incorporate lively music with a lot of hand motions, drama and secular videos with spiritual applications into their Adventure Zone childrens church service. We make it fun for the kids, Lewis said. Kids tell their parents, I want to go back to that church where they sing, dance and have donut holes.' We try not to make it like school, McAllister said. We want it to be fun. We involve the kids in worship. Our goal is to raise up a generation of worshipers. Kids learn by doing. Theres no altar call and no scare tactics. We let the Holy Spirit convict. In conclusion, taking the information presented by developmental psychology one might conclude that pre-adolescent children are simply not capable of making a decision for Christ. Maturely[ speaking, they have not developed the cognitive tools they need to come to this decision. Their thinking processes are still governed by mythical, literal understanding of their environment. They are more interested in fitting into the group than making individual decisions. But this conclusion would be flawed. Indeed, John Ackerman states that most adults within the church would possibly fall into this same category. Rather, when we look more closely at the evidence we come to the conclusion that there is no magical age at which a child suddenly becomes able to understand spiritual matters. It seems quite clear that the only way to assess the spiritual readiness of a child is on an individual basis. And the real problem exists not with the children but the adults who are trying to teach them. In our sometimes over-zealous attempts to bring children to a decision for Christ we forget what that decision is. First, it is the job of the Holy Spirit to convict the heart of the individual, to open their eyes to the truth, to help them understand the eternal significance of the decision. Only God knows when the time is right but we can watch for the signs to know when to open the Word to these children. Second, tradition and ritual can be quite meaningful in helping us define our relationship with God, but it cannot create that relationship. Only through teaching and discipleship can a child begin to define his or her own relationship with God. It is through good biblical teaching that the child will understand why he needs the relationship and through godly Christian modeling that the child will understand how he develops that relationship. In many ways our traditions have made it so much easier to deal with issues pertaining to the spiritual development of children. They define the quantifiable standard and make the decision easy. They excuse us from the difficult job of working closely with each individual, to assess his or her specific spiritual needs. But in order to achieve the desired result a life-changing decision for Christ we must break free from our tradition and begin working to develop the spirituality of children in the only way that is truly effective individually. Table 1 COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT PIAGET A. Four Factors Determining Development 1) Maturation the gradual unfolding of the genetic plan for life. 2) Experience the active interation of the child with the environment. 3) Social Transmission the information and customs that are transmitted from parents and other people in the childs environment. 4) Process of Equalibration the process by which the child seeks a balance between what they know and what they are experiencing. When thay are faced with information that calls for a new and different analysis or activity, children enter a state of disequalibrium. When this occurs, they must change the way they deal with the information and establish a new, more stable state of equalibrium. B. Concepts and Processes 1) Scheme a method of dealing with the environment that can be generalized to many situations. 2) Adaptation can be understood in terms of adjustment. As the forces in the environment change, so must the individuals ability to deal with them. Adaptation involves two complementary processes: a) Assimilation In this process, input is filtered or modified to fit already existing structures. When we assimilate something, we alter the form of the incoming stimulus to adapt it to our already established actions or structures. b) Accomodation The process that involves modifying internal existing schemes to meet the requirements of the new experience. When we accommodate, we create a new scheme or modify old ones. C. Cognitive Development Stages 1) Sensorimotor Stage Birth to about Two years. Infants progress through their world using senses and motor activity. The develop object permanence, the understanding that objects and people do not disappear merely because they are out of sight. Their abilities are limited by an inability to use language or symbols to communicate. Intelligence during this stage involves organized systems or schemes of actions and behaviors that become increasingly complex and coordinated. 2) Preoperational Stage Age Two to Ten Children can use on thing to represent another. They can use language to go beyond their own direct experience. But their understanding of the world is still limited. They oftem believe that inanimate objects have a life of their own. They are egocentric, believing that everyone sees a situation the wat they do. Preschoolers do not understand conservation, the idea of something remaining the same despite changes in appearance. 3) Concrete Operational Stage Age Ten to Fifteen Children progress through this stage where many of the preoperational deficiencies are slowly overcome. Children begome less egocentric and begin to understand conservation. The child still has difficulty though with abstract terms such as freedom and liberty. Children in this stage understand the world only on a concrete level. 4) Formal Operational Stage Adolescence to Adulthood Children entering this stage now develop the ability to test hypotheses in a mature, scientific manner and can understand and communicate their positions on complex ethical issues that demand an ability to use the abstract. They can think about thinking that is they become aware of the processes where by they come to hold a particular opinion. Table 2 PSYCHOSOCIAL THEORY ERIKSON A. Eight Psychosocial Stages 1) Trust vs. Mistrust The positive outcome of the stage of infancy is a sense of trust. If children are cared for in a warm, caring manner, they are apt to trust the environment and develop a feeling that they live among friends. If the parents are anxious, angry or incapable of meeting a childs needs, the child may develop a sense of mistrust. Trust is the cornerstone of the childs attitude toward life. 2) Autonomy vs. Shame or Doubt Toddlers are no longer completely dependent on adults. They practice new physical skills and develop a sense of autonomy. If they are not allowed to do the things they can do or are forced to do things they are not ready for, they may develop a sense of doubt and shame about their own abilities and fail to develop self-confidence. If encouraged to do what they can for themselves, they are helped to acquire a sense of autonomy. 3) Initiative vs. Guilt At age four or five, children begin to formulate plans and carry it through. If encouraged to form their own ideas, the child will develop a sense of initiative. If punished for expressing their own plans, the child develops a sense of guilt, which leads to fear and a lack of assertiveness. 4) Industry vs. Inferiority During middle childhood, children must learn the academic skills of reading, writing and math, as well as social skills. If they succeed in acquiring these skills and if their accomplishments are valued by others, the child develops a sense of industry. If they are constantly compared to others and come up a distinct second, they may develop a sense of inferiority. 5) Identity vs. Role Confusion During adolescence, children must decide their own vocational and personal future. They develop a sense of who they are and where they belong. The child who develops a strong sense of identity formulates a satisfying plan and gains a sense of security. Those who do not develop this sense of identity may develop role confusion, a sense of aimlessness and being adrift without an anchor or plan. 6) Intimacy vs. Isolation The positive outcome of the psychosocial crisis of young adults, involving development of close interpersonal relationships, most often typified by marriage. The negative outcome of this stage is the unwillingness or inability to commit to others. 7) Generativity vs. Stagnation The positive outcome of the psychosocial crisis of middle age involves giving of oneself and ones talents to others. It is primarily concerned with establishing and guiding the next generation, investing something of oneself in the future. The negative outcome of this stage involves absorption in ones own personal needs and an inability or unwillingness to give to others. 8) Integrity vs. Despair The positive outcome of this last stage involves the realization that ones life has been worthwhile. After a life time of facing challenges and problems, they can look back on a productive life. Mature adults have a different perspective on life and see their lives as having a purpose. People who see only missed opportunities may become bitter and depressed. Table 3 STAGES OF MORAL REASONING KOHLBERG A. Preconventional Level The child is responsive to cultural rules and labels of good and bad, right and wrong, but interprets these either in terms of the physical or hedonistic consequences of action( punishment, reward, exchange favors) or in terms of the physical power of those who enunciate the rules. The level is divided into two stages: Stage 1: Punishment and obedience orientation. The physical consequences of action determine its goodness or badness regardless of the meaning or value of these consequences. Avoidance of punishment and unquestioning deference to power are valued in their own right, not in terms of respect for an underlying moral order. Stage 2: Instrumental relativist orientation. Right action is that which instrumentally satisfies ones own needs and occasionally the needs of others. Human relations are viewed in terms of the marketplace. Fairness, reciprocity, and equal sharing are present, but are always interpreted in a physical, pragmatic way. Reciprocity is a matter of you scratch my back and Ill scratch yours, not of loyalty, gratitude, or justice. B. Conventional Level Maintaining the expectations of the individuals family, group, or nation is perceived as valuable in its own right, regardless of consequences. The attitude is not only one of conformity to personal expectations and social order but also of loyalty to it, of actively maintaining, supporting, and justifying it, of identifying with persons or group involved in it. This level has two stages: Stage 3: Interpersonal concordance or good boy / nice girl orientation. Good behavior is that which pleases or helps others and is approved by them. There is much conformity to stereotypical images of what is majority or natural behavior. Behavior is frequently judged by intention he means well becomes important for the first time. One earns approval by being nice. Stage 4: Law and order orientation Orientation is toward authority, fixed rules, and the maintenance of the social order. Right behavior consists of doing ones duty, showing respect for authority, maintaining the social order for its own sake. C. Postconventional, Autonomous, or Principled Level The person makes a clear effort to define moral values and principles that have validity and application apart from the authority of the groups or persons holding these principles, and apart from the individuals own identification with these groups. This level has two stages: Stage 5: Social-contact, legalistic orientation Generally with utilitarian overtones. Right action is defined in terms of general individual rights and standards that have been critically examined and agreed upon by society. The person is clearly aware of the relativism of values and opinions and so emphasizes procedural rule for reaching consensus. Aside from what is constitutionally and democratically agreed upon, right is a matter of personal values and opinions; emphasis is thus on the legal point of view, but with the possibility of changing law in terms of rational considerations of social utility rather than freezing law for the sake of social order. Outside the legal realm, free agreement and contract is the binding element. This is the official morality of the American government and Constitution. Stage 6: Universal ethical principle orientation Right is defined by the decision of conscience in accord with self-chosen ethical principles appealing to logical comprehensiveness, universality, and consistency. These principles are abstract and ethical; they are not concrete moral rules. At the heart, these are universal principles of justice of the reciprocity and equality of human rights and of respect for the dignity of human beings as individual persons. Table 4 STAGES OF FAITH DEVELOPMENT FOWLER Stages Description of Characteristics Pre Stage: Primal Faith * Undifferentiated faith (Infants to 2 years) * Embedded in reflexes, sensing, sensor motor skills Stage One: Intuitive-Projective Faith * Reflection of parental /family faith and religious traditions (Pre-school childr

And Then there were none. :: essays research papers

Two policeman, Sir Thomas Legge and Inspector Maine, discuss the perplexing Indian Island case. They have reconstructed much of what happened on Indian Island from diaries kept by various guests. It is clear to them that the murderer was not Blore, Lombard, or Vera. When they arrived, the police found the chair Vera kicked away to hang herself mysteriously set upright against the wall. We learn that Isaac Morris, who hired Lombard and Blore and bought the island in the name of U. N. Owen, died of an apparent sleeping-pill overdose the night the guests arrived on the island. The police suspect that Morris was murdered. The police know that the people of Sticklehaven were instructed to ignore any distress signals from the island; they were told that everything taking place on the island was part of a game being played by the wealthy owners of the island and their guests. The rest of the epilogue takes the form of a manuscript in a bottle, found by a fisherman and given to the police. It is written by Judge Wargrave, who writes that the manuscript offers the solution to an unsolved crime. He says he was a sadistic child with both a lust for killing and a strong sense of justice. Reading mysteries always satisfied him. He went into law, an appropriate career for him because it allowed him to indulge his zeal for death within the confines of the law. Watching guilty persons squirm become a new pleasure for him. After many years as a judge, he developed the desire to play executioner. He wanted to kill in an extraordinary, theatrical way, while adhering to his own sense of justice. One day, a doctor mentioned to Wargrave the number of murders that must go unpunished, citing a recently deceased woman he felt sure was killed by the married couple who worked as her servants. Because the couple withheld a needed drug in order to kill her, the murder could ne ver be proven. This story inspired Wargrave to plan multiple murders of people who had killed but could not be prosecuted under the law. He thought of the â€Å"Ten Little Indian† rhyme that he loved as a child for its series of inevitable deaths. Wargrave took his time gathering a list of victims, bringing up the topic of unpunished murders in casual conversations and hoping someone would mention a case of which they knew.

Managerial Economics and Its Application in Banking Sector a Case of NMB Essay

Is a branch of economics that applies microeconomic analysis to specific business decisions. It bridges economic theory and economics in practice. Managerial economics provides a set of tools, techniques, methodologies, guidance and insights that can help in making better and value-adding decisions in business and for analyzing decision problems and developing criteria for choosing the best possible solution to problems. Consumer Behavior Is the study of how individuals, groups, and organizations select, buy, use and dispose of goods, services, ideas, or experiences to satisfy their needs and wants (Kottler, P; Keller, K. L. 2009) Consumer Behaviour Referred to as the study of when, why, how, where and what people do or do not buy products. It blends elements from psychology, sociology, social, and anthropology and economics. it attempts to understand the buyer decision making process, both individually and in groups. It studies characteristics of individual consumers such as demographics and behavioural variables in an attempt to understand people’s wants. It also tries to assess influences on the consumer from groups such as family, friends, reference groups, and society in general. Belch and Belch define Consumer Behaviour as the process and activities people engage in when searching for, selecting, purchasing, using, evaluating, and disposing of products and services so as to satisfy their needs and desires. Demand Is the willingness and ability to purchase a product. Consumer’s total demand for a product for a product is reflected in the demand curve Demand Curve Is a line showing the relationship between the price of a product or factor of production and the quantity demanded per time period. The demand curve is usually downward sloping, since consumers will want to buy more as price decreases. Shift in demand curve Is a movement of the demand curve from one position to another (left or right) as a result of some economic change other than price. A given demand curve is always drawn on the ceteris paribus assumption that all other factors affecting demand (income, taste, etc) are held constant. If any of these changes, however, then this will bring about a shift in the demand curve. For example if income increases, the demand curve will shift to the right, so that more is now demanded at each price than formerly. Application of managerial theory in the place of work a case of National Microfinance Bank Managerial Economics theories are also applicable in banking sectors, National Microfinance Bank as a case study. Some of the theories which are applicable to National Microfinance Bank are pricing theories, Demand Analysis and theory of consumer behavior. Pricing theory National Microfinance Bank has always maintained a pricing strategy for its products that keep them affordable to the general public. The bank’s aim is to remain at the same level or below the key competitors, mainly CRDB and NBC. This strategy has worked well and resulted in a significant growth of NMB Personal Accounts as well as NMB ATM Cards. For some products, price influences consumers’ perception of overall quality (Kerin R. A; et al 2004) Penetration Pricing National Microfinance Bank used penetration pricing in setting a low initial price on a new product to appeal immediately to the mass market, for example NMB Internet Banking, has started for Corporate Customers with free registration, compared to other Banks which have registration and transaction fees, this has caused many corporate customers to convinced to join this service and hence increase the deposits for the bank during this hard time of Economic Crisis. Also with launching of Mobile Banking which came with low initial pricing for money transfers services, balances and bank statement enquiries, has encouraged many customers to register for the service to its affordability, with now over 150,000 customers have registered for NMB Mobile Banking. There were also no charges for ATM’s in balances and bank statements enquiries while other Banks do have charges in balances and bank statement enquiries. From 1st February, 2010 National Microfinance Bank has introduced new tariff guide whereby for the first time NMB charges Tshs 50/= for Teller withdrawal fee and Tshs 100 for ATM mini statement. Demand Analysis Refer to the demand theory as want, need or desire for a product backed the money to purchase it. Due to high demand of consumers, the bank has been forced to add some products to meet the consumers’ demand. Up to 1st January, 2010 the bank has over 134 branches all over the country, 276 ATMs and different product and services. Some of the new products and services which introduced to meet the consumers demand were as follows. NMB Junior Account Is the account whereby a customer can get extra bonus above normal interest rate, no service fee, quarterly interest payment and it encourages savings for future use. NMB student Account As the bank seen the high demand of students to save their money they decided to open NMB student Account. By looking in their earnings they put affordable opening balance of Tshs 2,000/= only. Many students now opt for this type of account. Money Transfer Is the transfer of money through mobiles phone. As today world is more advanced in technology, bank decided to introduce this service to meet the customers demand. Customers can be able to view their balances, recharge their mobiles phone, transfer of money through ATM and Mobile Banking. This product is of high demand nowadays as many customers enrolled in this programme. Internet Banking Through this service the consumers can easily have the access to their bank account, National Microfinance Bank has introduced this service starting with Corporate Customers, where in next phase will be able to do transactions through this service. No registration fee at 1st phase where corporate customers can view their account transactions and print their bank statement online. Demand for NMB Internet Banking has been increasing due to many of the corporate customers has a lot of operations and vast network country wide, and many requires online statement to simplify their operations including selling of different products after making collections through NMB. Demand function As it is a form of notation that links the dependent variables, quantity demanded with various independent variables that determine quantity demanded such as price of a product, income, price of substitute products and advertising. Changes in any of these independent variables will affect quantity demanded differently. As to relate with our case study, this demand function will also apply. Price is an independent variable that determines quantity demanded of some product. In order to penetrate the market NMB offered free of charge in checking balance, mini statement and cash withdraw. It only charges Tshs 400 per month for personal accounts as service fee regardless of how many times someone use that service. NMB introduces charges for withdrawal of Tshs 500 through ATM per month previously it was Tshs 400, balance check cost Tsh 50, ATM mini statement cost Tshs 100. This rise in price charges affects the quantity demanded. This shows that price is an independent variable to quantity demand. As the price rises the quantity demand goes down. Advertisement is another independent variable that determines quantity demanded of some product. Advertisement is an art of keeping people aware with some product or service you need people to know. NMB Mobile Banking launched September, 2009, up to October, 2009 few customers were registered to this service and few were aware of this service, so NMB decided to engage in advertisement for this service through posters, Television, Radio, Brochures, Newsletters, promotions, the records shows high response of people to use NMB Mobile Banking from November till to date as over 150,000 customers have registered to this service compared to 100,000 registered in previous months. This shows that advertisement affects quantity demanded as many customers were able to use that service due to awareness of that service advertisement. Moreover, price of a substitute product is another Independent variable that determines quantity demanded of some product. NMB offers free charges in registration for Internet Banking for Corporate Customers compared to other banks such as NBC and CRDB which have registration fee, and due to its large network country wide, these caused many corporate customers to be convinced to join NMB Internet Banking services and hence quantity demanded of this service to be high due to the above factors. Determinant of Demand Demand for a good or service is determined by many different factors. In relation to our case study, they also applied as follows The price of the Commodity The amount one buys will depend on the price. The lower the price of the commodity the greater the quantity they will buy. In NMB there is no charge for opening account for government salaried workers, this plays a high demand for government employees to open account with NMB, after they enroll with NMB they enjoy using other products such as NMB Junior, NMB Bonus account and NMB mobile which have initial price, this tend to increase number of customers. As the lower the price of the commodity, the greater the quantity he will buy, this also cause many government employees to open account with NMB, this is where ceteris paribus and vice-versa will apply. Consumer Income As consumers Income change, the demand for goods and services will change. For most products, demand Increase when consumers have larger incomes. In relation to our case study, NMB main customers were from government salaried workers. This tends to increase the demand for them to save due to surplus they have. Price of Related goods When the prices of related goods change; demand may Increase or decrease, ceteris paribus. This also applies in NMB as many people were in belief that DECI SACCOS pays higher Interest, they withdraw their money from their accounts and transfer to DECI SACCOS accounts, and quantity demanded for NMB services decreased during that period. Taxation levels on goods Higher taxes on goods causes rise in their prices and hence cause the demand for the products to fall and vice versa. Due to high tax on the machines imported and experts operating those machines, NMB rises the ATM charges that causes a slightly fall in demand of that service due to those charges. Theory of consumer behavior and its applications in NMB Consumer behavior is how consumers allocate their money incomes among goods and services. A consumer is a unit of consumption and one of the agents in the commodity market. A consumer has a certain amount of income he can use to buy goods and services from the market. Given the fixed income and fixed prices of the goods, the consumer has to decide whether to buy a particular good and what amount of it to buy. So, the consumer faces the problem of choice of commodity. This problem can be solved on the basis of the economic theory of consumer behavior – consumers choose the best bundle of goods they can afford. This applies also in our case study as how people allocate their money in the different services offered by NMB example they choose to use ATM services, mobile banking services, internet services and different bank accounts offered. This theory helps bank to improve in their strategies by looking in the psychology of how consumers think, feel and select between different alternative products offered. They sometimes conduct a survey to know how customers perceive their services. Surveys can be in different groups users example to students, farmers, government employees, individual person and different organizations used NMB services. The results obtained help to improve some services and sometimes to know what they need and introduce new product according to their needs. They tried to compare their services offered with other banks they offer. Moreover the psychology of how consumer is influenced by his or her environment e. g. culture, family, signs, media etc. This also applies in our case study as NMB has many branches all over the country compared to other banks. When they win to get customers they tried to offer good services to them as being attracted to convince their families and other co-workers to join with their bank. They use also media to advertise their products as they have advertisement which shows the importance of mobile banking. When people saw that advertisement and compare with the really life they saw the importance of it and engaged in that mobile service. As they see they can buy LUKU even in late hours, they can transfer money at any time they wish using their mobile phones, check balance and mini statement without going counter.

Nuclear warfare

Introduction.John Hersey’s article entitled Hiroshima was an account of six residents in the city of the same name who survived the bombing on August 6, 1945. The six survivors consisted of a physician, a personnel clerk, three small children and their mother, a young surgeon, a pastor and a missionary priest.Compared to other accounts of the Hiroshima bombing, Hersey’s account dryly described the experiences of the survivors, beginning from the time they woke up until the time the bomb went off. While it made considerable noise within and without the publishing world, Hersey’s account was not intentionally written as a call to action, nor did it eventually give rise to a mass action. Rather, it was intended to be a mere impassive report of the impact made by the bomb on the lives of many.Ethical Theories.There are many reasons for the opinion that nuclear warfare is not morally justified, the most familiar and popular of which is the opinion that nuclear warfare involves an intention to use nuclear weapons, where such use would be immoral (McMahan, 1985).  Moral philosophy has several positions on the issue of nuclear warfare. One such position falls within the deontological position (McMahan, 1985). This position consists of three claims, the first of which is that the use of nuclear weapons is not morally justified (McMahan, 1985).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This first argument is rationalized by the theory that use of nuclear weapons would lead to a violation of at least one criterion of the traditional â€Å"just war† theory (McMahan, 1985).The just war theory refers to justice in war or moral support for war (Moseley, 2006). This theory has two aspects, namely, the theoretical and historical traditions (Moseley, 2006). The former discusses the justifications and reasons for engaging in war; while the latter focuses attention on the body of rules and agreements entered into by international bodies that are supposed to be applied in t imes of war (Moseley, 2006).The just war theory has two criteria, namely, the criterion of proportionality and the criterion of discrimination (McMahan, 1985). The first one mandates that â€Å"the level of force employed must be proportional to the good it is intended to achieve (McMahan, 1985).† On the other hand, the latter criterion provides that â€Å"force should be used in a way which respects the distinction between combatants and noncombatants (McMahan, 1985).Applying the two criteria, one can arrive at an opinion as to whether the dropping of the bomb in both Nagasaki and Hiroshima was justified. The first criterion demands that an act be justified by the good consequences achieved by the act be able to outweigh the negative consequences it may have caused (McMahan, 1985). Moreover, there must be a direct proportion between the degree of force used and the positive consequences produced (McMahan, 1985).Considering that both bomb attacks had caused the loss of numer ous lives, mostly those of innocent citizens, there is no way that they could have been justified by any positive consequences. Whichever motivation led to the decision to set off the attacks, it could never be enough to justify the killing of countless innocent lives. The brutality of the acts involved in both bombings negate any argument that there is a direct proportion between the act committed or the degree of force used and the consequences it produced.The second criterion cannot also be used to justify the bombings, since it forbids the killing of noncombatants in war (McMahan, 1985). A distinction should be made between people who are combatants and not (McMahan, 1985). However, based on numerous accounts on the effects of the bombings, including that written by Hersey, it is apparent that many people who were noncombatants died during the attacks. This is a clear violation of the second criterion of the just war theory (McMahan, 1985).Again applying the deontological tradit ion, any future use of nuclear weapons in war cannot be justified. The use of that kind of weapons is a deliberate choice made by those who lead the war. They know that such use necessarily involves the killing of man innocent people.As argued by one study, deaths occurring in nuclear attacks are neither incidental nor unintentional results of lawful military action (McMahan, 1985). Rather, such deaths are deliberate aims made by those who chose to act using nuclear weapons (McMahan, 1985).Thus, the same argument would negate any justification that would be put forward by a country that intends to retaliate using nuclear weapons. Retaliation can be exercised in various forms and it is recognized under international law to be valid means of protecting a country’s interests and sovereignty. Nevertheless, even through a good reason exists for retaliation, doing the same through nuclear weapon still cannot be justified because of the consequences involved in such action, which wo uld cost thousands, if not millions, of lives. Indeed, nuclear warfare is no room for the ancient adage â€Å"an eye for an eye.† Other means of retaliation, like demanding reparation or using economic measures, should instead be used rather than resorting to nuclear warfare.Conclusion.Nuclear warfare cannot be justified under any circumstance. The deliberate use of nuclear weapons is equivalent to deliberate killing of numerous innocent people. Such an act cannot be considered proportionate to the aim involved; nor would such act discriminate between people who engaged in war or not. These consequences obviously violate criteria of the just war theory, which negates any morality in the acts.ReferencesHersey, J. (1946). Hiroshima. The New Yorker.McMahan, J. (1985). Deterrence and Deontology. Ethics 95(3) Special Issue: Symposium on Ethics and Nuclear Deterrence, 517-536. Moseley, A. (2006). Just War Theory. Retrieved October 31, 2007, fromhttp://www.iep.utm.edu/justwar/ Nuclear warfare Introduction.John Hersey’s article entitled Hiroshima was an account of six residents in the city of the same name who survived the bombing on August 6, 1945. The six survivors consisted of a physician, a personnel clerk, three small children and their mother, a young surgeon, a pastor and a missionary priest.Compared to other accounts of the Hiroshima bombing, Hersey’s account dryly described the experiences of the survivors, beginning from the time they woke up until the time the bomb went off. While it made considerable noise within and without the publishing world, Hersey’s account was not intentionally written as a call to action, nor did it eventually give rise to a mass action. Rather, it was intended to be a mere impassive report of the impact made by the bomb on the lives of many.Ethical Theories.There are many reasons for the opinion that nuclear warfare is not morally justified, the most familiar and popular of which is the opinion that nuclear warfare involves an intention to use nuclear weapons, where such use would be immoral (McMahan, 1985).Moral philosophy has several positions on the issue of nuclear warfare. One such position falls within the deontological position (McMahan, 1985). This position consists of three claims, the first of which is that the use of nuclear weapons is not morally justified (McMahan, 1985). This first argument is rationalized by the theory that use of nuclear weapons would lead to a violation of at least one criterion of the traditional â€Å"just war† theory (McMahan, 1985).The just war theory refers to justice in war or moral support for war (Moseley, 2006). This theory has two aspects, namely, the theoretical and historical traditions (Moseley, 2006). The former discusses the justifications and reasons for engaging in war; while the latter focuses attention on the body of rules and agreements entered into by international bodies that are supposed to be applied in times of war (Moseley, 20 06).The just war theory has two criteria, namely, the criterion of proportionality and the criterion of discrimination (McMahan, 1985). The first one mandates that â€Å"the level of force employed must be proportional to the good it is intended to achieve (McMahan, 1985).† On the other hand, the latter criterion provides that â€Å"force should be used in a way which respects the distinction between combatants and noncombatants (McMahan, 1985).Applying the two criteria, one can arrive at an opinion as to whether the dropping of the bomb in both Nagasaki and Hiroshima was justified. The first criterion demands that an act be justified by the good consequences achieved by the act be able to outweigh the negative consequences it may have caused (McMahan, 1985). Moreover, there must be a direct proportion between the degree of force used and the positive consequences produced (McMahan, 1985).Considering that both bomb attacks had caused the loss of numerous lives, mostly those of innocent citizens, there is no way that they could have been justified by any positive consequences. Whichever motivation led to the decision to set off the attacks, it could never be enough to justify the killing of countless innocent lives. The brutality of the acts involved in both bombings negate any argument that there is a direct proportion between the act committed or the degree of force used and the consequences it produced.The second criterion cannot also be used to justify the bombings, since it forbids the killing of noncombatants in war (McMahan, 1985). A distinction should be made between people who are combatants and not (McMahan, 1985). However, based on numerous accounts on the effects of the bombings, including that written by Hersey, it is apparent that many people who were noncombatants died during the attacks. This is a clear violation of the second criterion of the just war theory (McMahan, 1985).Again applying the deontological tradition, any future use of n uclear weapons in war cannot be justified. The use of that kind of weapons is a deliberate choice made by those who lead the war. They know that such use necessarily involves the killing of man innocent people.As argued by one study, deaths occurring in nuclear attacks are neither incidental nor unintentional results of lawful military action (McMahan, 1985). Rather, such deaths are deliberate aims made by those who chose to act using nuclear weapons (McMahan, 1985).Thus, the same argument would negate any justification that would be put forward by a country that intends to retaliate using nuclear weapons. Retaliation can be exercised in various forms and it is recognized under international law to be valid means of protecting a country’s interests and sovereignty. Nevertheless, even through a good reason exists for retaliation, doing the same through nuclear weapon still cannot be justified because of the consequences involved in such action, which would cost thousands, if n ot millions, of lives. Indeed, nuclear warfare is no room for the ancient adage â€Å"an eye for an eye.† Other means of retaliation, like demanding reparation or using economic measures, should instead be used rather than resorting to nuclear warfare.Conclusion.Nuclear warfare cannot be justified under any circumstance. The deliberate use of nuclear weapons is equivalent to deliberate killing of numerous innocent people. Such an act cannot be considered proportionate to the aim involved; nor would such act discriminate between people who engaged in war or not. These consequences obviously violate criteria of the just war theory, which negates any morality in the acts.ReferencesHersey, J. (1946). Hiroshima. The New Yorker.McMahan, J. (1985). Deterrence and Deontology. Ethics 95(3) Special Issue: Symposium on Ethics and Nuclear Deterrence, 517-536.Moseley, A. (2006).Just War Theory. Retrieved October 31, 2007, fromhttp://www.iep.utm.edu/j/justwar.htm

BTEC Health Sciences Health and Safety Essays

BTEC Health Sciences Health and Safety Essays BTEC Health Sciences Health and Safety Essay BTEC Health Sciences Health and Safety Essay Health and Safety- Potential Hazards in Health and Social Care Task 1: A hazard is something that is considered to be dangerous and has the potential to harm an individual or others around them. A risk has two separate explanations, how likely it is for something dangerous to hurt an individual, and the severity of harm that it can inflict upon someone. Usually the severity and likelihood of a risk is dependent upon the age of the person as older people and younger people are the most vulnerable, for example it is very likely that a young child may insert their ingers into a plug socket, but the likelihood of an older child or adult taking that risk is very unlikely and the harm of being electrocuted has a very high severity. Task 2: An environmental hazard is something within the area an individual works that has the potential to harm them. In a hospital, an environmental hazard could be the transfer of an infection which would cause ill health to people within that environment, and it also would have the potential to spread further than a hospital ward depending on how quickly it noticed and dealt with. This hazard can cause a lot f harm depending upon what type of infection is being spread, as something such as MRSA would need but there are procedures put into place that control the spread of infections such as contamination units and wards within the hospitals. This type of hazard could affect both the patients and the workers within the health care setting. Another example of an environmental hazard that could occur within a hospital is spilled substances, whether it be a knocked over drink, leaking intravenous fluids or even urine spillages from bedpans. A spillage is a common hazard within the orkplace, and it can cause a lot of harm though the severity would depend on how bad the fall or slip on the wet surface is. This type of hazard would mainly affect staff but it could also be a potential threat to patients, especially if they have broken limbs and would not be able to support their falls properly. Task 3: An example of an equipment hazard is the use of needles within a hospital as they are sharp objects that carry risks when being used, especially when using them on other people. There is a chance that a member of staff could be harmed or injured by needle as it may accidently be inserted into their skin if for example a patient was being aggressive or fidgety, and this needle may have already been used on a patient. The needle would be injected at the wrong angle which could potentially cause serious harm to blood vessels, the needle may have specific medicine in it which could have a severe effect, especially if the person is allergic to the medication. However, one of the major risks would be if the needle had been previously used on someone else, as infections could be spread and if the person are HIV positive, then hey would have exchanged bodily fluids with them causing them to develop the life- threatening illness. A machinery hazard present within a hospital environment would be the wires on machines and the lines on the drips, this is because someone could trip over the wire which may cause harm to themselves and the person it is attached to. Loose and dangling wires cause trip hazards, and if this were to happen then a member of staff may fall over and become injured depending on the way they fall and if it was a drip line they tripped over, the drip would probably be ripped out of blood vessel gets torn when its pulled out. Task 4: Within a health setting such as a hospital, there are a variety of ways in which people can cause harm to themselves and the people around them. One example of a hazard involving someone is to do with poor hygiene, and this is because within a hospital infections can be spread very easily, so if someone does not have good hygiene they are putting members of staff, patients and visitors at risk. MRSA is something that is commonly spread in hospitals, though procedures have been put nto place to deal with this matter. The severity of the hazard is low as major illnesses would not usually be spread. Within hospitals, some patients tend to be very aggressive mainly because they are scared of the unusual environment they are in and they can be classified as hazards. If someone is acting aggressively, then they could harm the member of staff that is trying to treat them by using physical force, or they could even harm themselves -some people may get so frustrated that they pull out drips and act violently around equipment that could hurt them.

What The Word 'Green' Means In Architecture Today Definition of Green Term Paper

What The Word 'Green' Means In Architecture Today Definition of Green Architecture - Term Paper Example While there is a specific association with the environmental living, there is also a question of the relevance to the architecture and whether it is truly eco-friendly. The systems and the aesthetics have both been altered to represent the idea of being environmentally conscious. However, many are also associating this with the trends in society, politics and in terms of the economic needs which need to be met. The result is a variety of innovative looks and materials which are being used with the statement of one living in an eco – friendly way. However, many of the structures and developments are only slightly altering the true changes that are a part of the environment and which are associated with the living that is a part of the eco – friendly associations currently in demand both politically and socially. This research paper will examine the essence of the Green Movement and the effects on architecture as well as whether this is a coined term or is being pieced in to action through the new buildings and structures created. Introduction The concept of green architecture is one which is now beginning to rise with different approaches to how buildings should match with the social priority of creating environmentally friendly buildings. The ideologies which are associated with this are inclusive of changing the internal and external structures so they match with the demands of the environmental changes for eco-friendly solutions to living. The structures and changes which are being created in response to this have built and established a variety of points that are associated with how one is able to create the right terms and approaches in response to both ecology and the social movement for green living. Examining the key term of green architecture and understanding the approaches which are associated with this have then developed a different approach to how architecture is being developed and what the associations are in terms of building the co rrect options for green living. Definition of Green Architecture The concept of green architecture has begun because of the push to take more responsibility toward the environment and the associations which have been created in terms of the Green Movement. The Green Movement is one which has taken place both socially and politically with the belief that ecological sustainability needs to be integrated into homes, lifestyles and public places. The concept of politics is one which is stating that the environment needs to be protected. However, there is also a vested interest in the economics of the green movement and the ability to buy green and live green that both politicians and individuals in society are looking toward. The concept is now one which is associated with the need and desire to live green and to state that one is in an ecofriendly area. This changes the attitudes of those in society with many that are associated with the beliefs of needing to save the environment and m ake an individual contribution to the associations which are in society (Soper, 1995). The political concepts associated with the green movement began in the 1970s with President Nixon stating that there were detrimental problems with the environment. However, the current changes began to accelerate in the 1990s when Al Green began to make statements associated with the ozone layer and how each citizen was responsible for changing the environment. This particular concept is one which was directly associated with the changes in society and the sociobiological approach associated with how one was developing within the green movement. The concept is one which is based on building a signifying system that would be able to help with those in society going green and having a better understanding

Faculty of Business Environment and Society Essay

Faculty of Business Environment and Society - Essay Example I began by explaining to the producer what the requirements and contents of a legally binding agreement actually are, and how they apply specifically to this case. I also gave a general summary of what the show could expect, as per liabilities and legal redress, if the hostess backed out or tried to renege on the deal. The conversation was long and extensive, covering the main points of the legal issues as outlined herein. The first issue I advised Simon on was the need to be careful in what he might assume to be small talk or simple, informal negotiations, because one needed to consider that oral and written contracts are considered to be on the same standing when it comes to law. In order to take this into account, I advised, the director should be explicitly clear with Davina when they were negotiating informally, and in the best case scenario, to have a legal advisor present at all formal negotiations. This is not to say that if the two had drinks together and Simon promised the moon to Davina while under the influence all would be binding, but simply the need to be clear and careful in all communications. At this point, I decided it was a good time to explain that the common law accepted both objective and subjective proofs of legal contract agreements. As Mindy Chen-Wishart explains in Contract Law: â€Å"The subjective approach, which favors what a party's actual intention is, regardless of appearances; and The objective approach, which refers to how a reasonable person would interpret a party's intention from his conduct in all the circumstances.† (Chen-Wishart, 2007) Chen-Wishart also quotes Smith vs. Hughes (1871) as the main case law precedent related to the objectivity test, which posits a test of â€Å"reasonability† to determine how the average person would interpret a party’s intention in negotiation in forming a contract as decisive. (Chen-Wishart, 2007) When Simon asked how he could make sure he was not bound by informal ag reements or understandings when talking with business clients, I reiterated this was the overriding need for keeping legal representation present at all times when officially discussing business terms. While the handshake agreement remains popular in some circles, it is a dangerous way to conduct business in modern times, I concluded, precisely because of the lack of witnesses and clarity of situation involved in private, two-party negotiations. After this, Simon asked exactly what requirements were considered most important to make a contract legally binding for all parties following the initial negotiation. While there is a broad corpus of case law referencing contracts, I replied, the main factors could be considered: 1. â€Å"Agreement - where one party makes an offer and the other accepts it; 2. Consideration - where one party gives something in exchange for something from the other party; 3. Intention - where both parties intend to abide by the contract; 4. Capacity - where b oth parties are mentally capable of understanding a contract; 5. Genuine consent - where both parties agree to the contract of their own free will; and 6. Legality - where all of the parts of the contract are legal.† (Victorian Law Foundation, 2011) The principle of agreement, I said, could be applied to either the verbal or written contract and was based on mutual