Analysis of the Argument Culture Essay

â€Å"The Argument Culture† is a persuasive essay written by Professor Deborah Tannen. As a professor of linguistics at Georgetown University, Tannen experience in language leads her to write many books in this field. Tannen uses â€Å"The Argument Culture† essay to persuade her audience that this society’s way of looking at debate encourages an â€Å"adversarial frame of mind† (Tannen, 305). Three of Tannen’s main points include; polarized views in the news, the use of â€Å"war metaphors’ by media to catch the readers eye, and even in the language mankind uses in everyday life. Tannen’s essay also includes different ways to look at these each of these situations that may help reduce the debate language that this society uses every day. The first example Tannen shares is how this society assumes the best way to solve anything is through debate. Tannen explains, this society believes â€Å"the best way to cover news is to find spokespeople who express the most extreme, polarized views and present them as ‘both sides’ [of the story]’ (305). In some circumstances these interviews turn into very heated debates with both sides yelling over the other to make their point heard. These heated debates only divides the audience into ‘sides’ and closes minds to the facts on the other side of the debate. Most Americans do not have these strong opposing viewpoints on an issue until they are influenced by the debates in the news. Instead, Tannen encourages newscasters to ask â€Å"What are the other ‘sides’?† (308) Asking this question will get them thinking about all of the different points of view they can report on. Then the newscasters can invite guests from multiple differing viewpoints to discuss the issue. Having a group discussion with differing less extreme viewpoints can help defuse opposition, encouraging a discussion format instead of debating the issues at hand. The audience can then develop their own opinion on the issues at hand. The next example Tannen shares is how the media uses war metaphors to â€Å"shape our thinking.† A few of these war metaphors are: â€Å"the war on drugs, the war on cancer, the battle of the sexes† (305). These metaphors are used to catch the attention of the reader and to get the reader to pick a side. This is not always a good thing. Sometimes these metaphors are a great way to get support; such as â€Å"the war on cancer,† because the more people that help fight this war the better chance cancer can be defeated. The media needs to decide to use war metaphors where it will encourage support insteadof encouraging debate. An example of a war metaphor that encourages debate is â€Å"the battle of the sexes,† because this metaphor only pits the sexes against each other. There is enough struggle for equality between the sexes without the so called ‘battle.’ Men and women should be working together to reach their goals instead of competing against each other to reach their own goal. . A walk down the magazine isle at any store will prove Tannen’s point that â€Å"nearly everything is framed as a battle or game in which winning or losing is the main concern† (305). Another important point Tannen brings up is â€Å"the power of words to shape perception† (306). It is amazing how easy it is to change how things are perceived by just changing one word in a sentence. The example she shares to prove this point is from an experiment Psychologists Elisabeth Loftus and John Palmer performed. In the experiment two groups of people watch the same movie of a car accident. The two groups are asked essentially the same question except one sentence uses the word â€Å"bumped† and the other uses â€Å"smashed† to describe the collision. Tannen explains â€Å"those who read the question with ‘smashed’ tended to remember that the cars were going faster† (306). Americans need to be aware and on the lookout for these circumstances because that one word can mean the difference between dialogue and debate. Everyone needs to understand how easily language can change a person’s perception of a situation because, as Tannen shares, â€Å"[language] invisibly molds our way of thinking about people, actions and the world around us† (306). In â€Å"The Argument Culture† essay Tannen tries to open eyes to the â€Å"American tradition† of debate. This is very important because â€Å"the argument culture pervades every aspect of [American’s] lives today† (305). As Tannen’s first main point informs the reader, the argument culture is especially evident when watching the nightly news and being bombarded by debate. Through Tannen’s examples of war metaphors she proves that the media uses these metaphors to encourage disputes. War metaphors can also be found in American’s everyday conversations; it is particularly used to emphasis or even exaggerate a point in a conversation. This also shows how the language that is used in describing a situation changes one’s perception of the said situation. Tannen’s essay should be read by everyone living in this argument culture so their eyes will be open to the â€Å"adversarial frame of mind† (305) that can be found in this society. Then maybe this â€Å"argument culture† can find creative â€Å"ways of resolving disputes and differences† (305) without debate. Works Cited Tannen, Deborah. â€Å"The Argument Culture.† The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers. Ed. Stephen Reid. 10th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2014. 305-09. Print.

Gertrude’s as Shakespeare Essay

Where a twenty-first century audience would express sympathy for Hamlet’s loss and would understand his hesitation in taking vengeance, an Elizabethan audience would not sympathise towards him for avenging his father’s death, and would question why Hamlet is showing inaction. As Dori Ripley suggests, ‘The church advocated God’s vengeance, while the state demanded justice through God’s chosen representative(s)’ (Ripley, 1), meaning it would be Hamlet’s duty to avenge his father’s death in the eyes of the Elizabethan Church, for God’s cause. Therefore, this would certainly contribute to Hamlet’s turmoil, with the added pressure to ‘exact God’s vengeance on the wicked’ (Ripley, 2), and become King of Denmark. However, in the eighteenth century, Thomas Hanmer drew attention to Hamlet’s delay in avenging his father’s death, suggesting that ‘Had Hamlet gone naturally to work there would have been an end of our play’, meaning Shakespeare’s play would not have been as dramatic for his intended audience of his era. Ernest Jones suggests that Hamlet refrains from killing Claudius earlier in the play because he had already committed the deed Hamlet himself subconsciously wished to carry out; ‘The long â€Å"repressed† desire to take his father’s place in his mother’s affection is revealed in unconscious activity by the sight of someone usurping this place exactly as he himself had once longed to do’ (Jones, 99). This is evident in the play when Hamlet has the opportunity to kill Claudius, however he decides to wait for when he is in ‘th’incestuous pleasure of his bed’ so he is guaranteed to suffer the same pain Hamlet’s father did when he was in purgatory. Eliminating his competition in the most torturous way suggests Hamlet’s hatred towards Claudius for marrying his mother. As an extension of this Hamlet is somewhat hostile to his mother throughout the play, shown through the language Shakespeare uses when Hamlet is alone with her. His anger towards his mother’s sexuality is expressed, thus: O shame, where is thy blush? Rebellious hell, If thou canst mutine in a matron’s bones, To flaming youth let virtue be as wax (3. 4. 82-4) Hamlet demands to know how young people can be expected to control their passions if mothers cannot control theirs. In the same scene, Hamlet pleads with Gertrude not to sleep with Claudius that night and to, Refrain tonight, And that shall lend a kind of easiness To the next abstinence (3. 4. 166-8) After that until she no longer wishes to sleep with Claudius. Whether this is right must be considered in psychoanalytic terms because abstinence stores up emotions that leads to a later emotional explosion. In the context of the play as a whole, this is symbolic because throughout Hamlet stores up his confusion, anxiety and turmoil until he explodes in the final scene, ending in death and destruction of the dynasty. Recent developments in Hamlet criticism suggest Hamlet’s attitude towards his mother can be explained in terms of Freudian psychoanalysis, in particular the Oedipus Complex where ‘unconscious ideas and feelings centre round the wish to possess the parent of the opposite sex, and eliminate that of the same sex’ (Rycroft, 118), according to Charles Rycroft in ‘A Critical Dictionary of Psychoanalysis’. Although this is a modern theory which did not exist during the Shakespearean period, Shakespeare unconsciously reflects this possible interpretation of character in the play. Hamlet seeking to avenge his father by eliminating Claudius, his mother’s husband, could be one of his motivations and subsequent causes of his emotional turmoil. His confusion is, therefore, redirected onto Ophelia who experiences Hamlet’s anguish. Rycroft also suggests that this is symbolised in Hamlet as ‘persons who are fixated at the oedipal level that are mother-fixated or father-fixated reveal this by choosing sexual partners with obvious resemblances to their parents’ (Rycroft 119). However, Ophelia’s qualities are not representative of Gertrude’s as Shakespeare suggests Gertrude tends to sexually dominate men in the play whereas Ophelia is obedient to them, suggesting she is vulnerable. Therefore, whether Rycroft’s analysis is related to the play must be considered because it does not directly link to Hamlet’s situation, choosing to have a relationship with Ophelia because she resembles his mother he has sexual desires for. In Gertrude marrying Claudius, Hamlet’s jealousy is provoked, which eventually contributes to his rage when alone with his mother, ‘You are queen, your husband’s brother’s wife’. Here, Shakespeare shows Hamlet’s confusion within his complex situation, that his mother has become queen by incestuously marrying her husband’s brother. Combined with Hamlet’s oedipal fantasy and his mother’s new marriage, therefore, he is bound to show rage and confusion towards his mother and hostility towards her new partner. In conclusion, Hamlet is a character whose mind is in turmoil, which is subliminally presented through Shakespeare’s use of soliloquies. This turmoil could exist due to Hamlet’s life experiences, whether they were his father’s death or his mother’s hasty marriage to his uncle, who murdered his father. These occurrences may have caused Hamlet’s confusion between mothers and lovers, his contemplation of suicide and his hostility towards others, resulting in catastrophe at the end of the play. An Elizabethan audience would not sympathise with Hamlet’s hostility towards other and his delay in taking vengeance and so could argue that his mind is in turmoil, the reason why he is inactive.

Andy Warhol and His work on the Contemporary Art Essay Example for Free

Andy Warhol and His work on the Contemporary Art Essay Andy Warhol (1928-1987) of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, less commonly known as Andrew Warhola, was a central figure in the pop art category. He is an American artist who reigned around the world as a painter, author, avant-garde filmmaker and as a public personage for his connection to many people of different fields of work and status. Warhol studied in Carnegie Institute of Technology (now known as the Carnegie Mellon University) to hone his artistry (www. artgallery. com, 2008). Warhol unify his works through the Keatonesque style which is aritistically and personally affectless. In his work s a Pop artist, conceptual aspects were always there as a key factor. His art was known for its irony, in most of its sense. Campbell’s soup cans was probably his most famous work. The mundane images he made were turned to the so-called ironic art through enlargement, hand-painting or silk-screening. He always mentioned that the idea of his work is always at the surface of his work, obvious, apparent. Other attributes of his work were slight color changes using ink spots (www. pbs. org, 2007). His work reveals contemporary art in such a way it concerns some human desires that never ceases to revolve around. He even made his film where he was an international celebrity and a pop artist. His experiences with many people brought him the ideas of what is contemporary, and made sure that no traces of the artists can be recognized from his artwork. Andy Warhol and His work on the Contemporary Art. (2017, Feb 14). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Harvard Reflection Paper - Job Sculpting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Harvard Reflection Paper - Job Sculpting - Essay Example James Waldroop on the other hand, is a business school graduate with expertise in entrepreneurship and human resource management. The experience of the two authors was relevant to write on human resource management. From the publication, I learnt that every person has the power of having an employee expertise required by an organization. I learnt that like everyone else I have the urge of having the opportunity of serving in the top management of an organization. The difference is that some people have the required expertise while others lack the level of education required (Harvard Business School Press, 2008). However, this does not hinder people from having a dream. It is human nature that we want to be the chief commanding officer in any organization. Not just for the job description but for the rewards that come with it. Every human has the hope and faith that they will be successful in life. The human nature is fashioned in a manner that it is never satisfied with its current achievements. The urge of having more makes the world competitive and developing. According to Harvard Business Review (2011) all humans under an organization have the hop e that one day they will move a step from their current job description. Job sculpting revolves around human nature, and the will of individuals to succeed. The will of individuals to succeed creates the difference in the way employees are devoted to their work. When sourcing for employees, personal will to succeed should be considered as an added advantage. In an argument by Harvard Business School Press (2006) personal attributes should make the most of the requirement needed by employers. In terms of retaining employees, employers should satisfy the employee need for rewards and incentives. Rewards and incentives make employees more inclined to working and achieving an organizations goal. In any organizational setting, employees are required to be devoted to achieving the goals of the organization. It is

American Constitution Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

American Constitution - Research Paper Example The details of this amendment make it necessary for a search warrant to be issued before the personal life of any American citizen is subject to view. These search and arrest warrants also have to abide to certain requirements to make them plausible and usable. Not only do they require judicial approval but the warrant must also have a suitable cause initiating the search or arrest. Thus, these warrants are created according to the knowledge of a specific person, mostly a law enforcement officer, who have sworn to it and are therefore responsible and accountable for it to the issuing court. In 1885, the Murray v Hoboken land law determined that the fourth amendment applied only to criminal law and not any kind of civil law (Encyclopedia Britannica). The federal government then ensured that areas like narcotics were also included in the realm of criminal jurisdiction. However, the Supreme Court soon ruled that some searches and seizures were violating the Fourth Amendment despite the warrant carrying a probable cause and a limitation in scope (US Supreme Court 1967). Yet, at the same time the Court has also allowed innumerable seizures and searches to be carried out without any form of warrant, only because they feel a probable cause to exist that a criminal offense has been or is being committed (US Supreme Court 2004).This a clear portrayal of how the reasonableness and issuing of the warrant are often vastly different. The ACLA v NSA case relates back to the creation of a classified foreign intelligence program, now known as the Terrorist Surveillance Program. This agency could intercept international telephone and internet communications from numerous persons and organizations without needing to issue a warrant. The plaintiff in this legal case included, ACLA, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and Greenpeace along with five individuals who are authors and journalists. These included Christopher Hitchens, James Bamford, Tara McKelvey Larry Diamond: a democracy scholar of Stanford University and the Hoover Institution, and Barnett Rubin: an Afghanistan scholar of New York University. All these individuals claimed to have a history of communicating with people located inside or from the Middle East. They held the opinion based on a secure belief that their communications had been targeted by the TSP. This idea was because of the public kn owledge that had been attained by the workings of this program. ACLA v NSA was one of the first lawsuits produced that challenged the Terrorist Surveillance Program (Hibbits 2006). The District Court presented its own opinion. Judge Taylor wrote a forty-four page and eleven part opinion which was responsible for examining the defendant's claims over the part played by the NSA in this movement. It was discovered that according to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act the NSA violated that laws that had been decided. According to FISA, the Terrorist Surveillance Act was passed in 2006 through which President Bush gave additional power to the authorities to conduct electronic surveillance on suspected terrorists in the United States subject to the view of the Congress. Judge Taylor also felt the NSA responsible for violating not the fourth

Social, Economic, And Political Changes Caused By Globalization Essay

Social, Economic, And Political Changes Caused By Globalization - Essay Example Global wealth is currently shifting from less heavily populated American and European regions to the more heavily populated Asian region because of globalization. According to Lieber and Weisberg (2002, p.274), globalization helps people all over the world in the creation of a stronger and stable world. Supporters of globalization believe that globalization benefits the world through the promotion of such ideas like human rights, democracy, and freedom and that it enhances the success of the world through free trade, free investment, and better technology. According to Dharam Ghai (2003), free market and private enterprise are extremely important in determining the success of globalization. Cross-cultural businesses have been increased a lot as a result of globalization. Imports and exports between different countries were also increased because of the liberalized rules affected in many countries as part of globalization. Despite all these arguments in favor of globalization, some pe ople believe that globalization is nothing but imperialism. It should be noted that imperialism is the process of taking over of a weaker nation by a stronger nation (What is imperialism, n.d.). Critics of globalization believe that capitalist countries like America and UK are trying to loot the wealth of developing and underdeveloped countries in the name of globalization. Globalization is labeled as Americanization by the opponents. They pointed out that instead of globalization, glocalization is necessary for a country to progress properly. It should be noted that glocalization is the process of integrating local markets into world capitalism. It refers to a concept in which individual, group, organization, product or service upholds the local standards even while operating internationally.

Group Post Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Group Post - Research Paper Example s not just about English being the first or the second language of the employees of a company, customers associate stereotypes and underestimate the foreign employees’ ability to understand their culture, and thus only want service from their local employees. Customer build their perceptions of a company’s corporate social responsibility based upon â€Å"all the information about a company that a person holds† (Brown and Dacin, 1997, p. 69). Drop in the number of American students that study Information Technology is a shocking fact and a strong reason for companies to stop outsourcing. This shows how deleterious outsourcing is for our society in the long run. I seriously doubt that outsourcing plays a role in increasing the quality of work. With outsourcing, employers have least control over the products’ quality since everything is being made abroad. Especially, when we talk about quality control, it means much more than just meeting the specifications to include the level of creation and innovation, and uniqueness in every item. It is so hard to keep all employees on one platform in outsourcing that such aspects are often neglected. To say that the talent employers get through outsourcing is not available in the local market is underestimation of American local workers. Had foreign graduates been more capable, thousands of students would be going from America to those countries for studying every year rather than the other way round. Outsourcing is a fundamental reason for unemployment in America (Converse et al., n.d.). It cannot be said with utmost surety that the outsourcing company would always maintain competitive advantage . These days, when economy has become very volatile and the value of currency is rapidly changing in different countries, if the value of currency of the foreign country starts gaining weight, the opportunity of outsourcing might eventually turn out to be a risk. While that is the definition of outsourcing, this definition is not

Lack of Water in Zambia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Lack of Water in Zambia - Essay Example Further, most of the activities that man has undertaken require water to the extent that water may form a part of the energy production through electricity. However, the wider concept remains on whether a majority of the world population has access to clean water rather than water for any other designated purpose. On the contrary, economic analysts have foreseen water becoming the next sought after commodity after oil due to scarcity especially in arid areas of the world. Essentially, an arid land region is one characterized by intense water shortages that tend to facilitate slow development and nurturing of plant cover or animal life. Tentatively, they are mostly desert areas that surround the equator and commonly present in Africa. Subsequently, the purpose of this report will delve on the assessment of practical techniques for providing clean water to arid regions like Zambia. 2. Current situation in Zambia By 2010, a shocking 61% of the Zambian population had privileged access to improved water supply sources while 48% of the same population had access to sanitary options. Further, the challenges in water supply and access tended to vary depending on whether the population was in an urban setting or whether in rural places (Mc Intyre, 2012: 90). For instance, a UN survey indicated that at least 87% of the urban settler had access to water while only 48% of those residing in rural settings had access to the same. Additionally, access to water in the Zambian urban population indicates that 41% had running water or house connection while a significant 49% accessed water through water kiosks or vendors. Over time, the number of those accessing water through water kiosks has been on a steady increase trend while that of those enjoying house connections has been plummeting. However, the Zambian council for water and sanitation insist that the country has achieved water provision as a millennium development focus, but sanitation has proved elusive (Mutale, 2004). As many would say, lack of clean drinking water presents a number of significant implications that are mostly social especially for women and girls, a situation that is no different in Zambia. In turn, this raises the poverty levels within Zambia. 3. Consequences of water shortages in Zambia Annual precipitation levels in Zambia The graph above show the effect of percentage of class attendance throughout the year due to water shortage Arguably, the declining rainfall in the Zambian republic forms the basic reason as to why the country has continued to experience water scarcity. Two organization echo this sentiment, which are the System Network for Famine Early Warning and the world bank where they insist that the trend is worrying. Moreover, Zambia is a nation that has no access to the sea hence rendering this state as a landlocked country in the South African region. These two factors have facilitated the nation to have food insecurity as their government may not assure the over th irteen million Zambians with adequate food. According to water aid organization present in Zambia, for every three people, two have no access to clean water nor sanitation facilities. In turn, this has influenced the mortality rates for children within this country to be at an alarming ten thousand children annually. Ideally, the children tend to suffer from diarrhea and other sanitation related diseases like cholera, bilharzia among many others (Waters, 2008). These diseases tend to be water borne and treatable but access to quality health care facilitates an increase in the mortality rates. Sequentially, children and infants become prime victims of these

Child eyewitness testimony Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Child eyewitness testimony - Research Paper Example Six to eight year olds’ testimonies have also been proven vulnerable to suggestion. These researches help with the obtaining of accurate information from children, without pressuring them in any way. Goodman and his colleagues studied the link between abused children and their eyewitness testimonies while considering a few other factors. They split children with similar backgrounds, abused and non-abused, into the age groups of three to six and seven to ten year olds. The children were paired up according to common factors like their age, gender, abuse status etc. The first part of the experiment was that the children were paired with a stranger (with whom they were encouraged to engage) and then busied in things like reading, photography or blowing bubbles. After a two week interval, an interview was conducted, questioning the children about the various aspects of the social-interaction and asked fallacious questions about the play session. Then the memory and vulnerability of the abused and non-abused children was compared. The group’s initial prognosis was that the older children would have more confident recollections; the non-abused would have display a higher aptitude than the abused children and that an abused child would be easier to influence and his memory more imprecise. From the experiment, the researchers established the older children’s recollection to be more precise and detailed. Age had little impact on the boys’ answers but it was an effecting factor for the girls. The younger girls were inaccurate in comparison to the older girls and the younger boys. The younger boys were found to have the best accounts. However, older children in general gave more noncommittal responses than the younger ones and abused boys gave more noncommittal responses than non-abused boys. The influencing agents in the precision of recollections, age, gender and abuse status, were interconnected. Younger non-abused boys had

Robin Hoods Band as an Example of Financial Control and Authority in Assignment

Robin Hoods Band as an Example of Financial Control and Authority in Resolving Disputes between People - Assignment Example Imposing a fixed tax on the route through the forest would make Robin unpopular with the band which in turn could lead to a revolt against Robin and his supporters (Burke, Lake and Paine). It is also important to mention here that a fixed transit tax would have Robin lose the support of the villagers. Expanding into new territory would allow Robin and his band to generate greater revenue than they are currently generating. This would not only solve financial problems of the band but would also make it harder for Prince John and the Sheriff to track down members of the band and interrogate them regarding the whereabouts of the entire band. Expanding into new territory would also provide the opportunity to hide their loot in different more secure places. Killing the Sheriff would not yield the result of Robin’s financial problems and there is a good chance that killing the Sheriff would create more troubles for him than it would solve. Killing off the Sheriff might help Robin get the authorities off his back temporarily but Prince John and the Sheriff’s political allies would be even more determined to apprehend Robin. Furthermore murdering the Sheriff would not be an easy task. The Sheriff would probably be guarded by his men at all times and getting close to him would not be an easy task. The Barons’ proposal has a lot of advantages but there are also a large number of disadvantages to the acceptance of their proposal. The greatest advantage of helping the barons ensure the return of King Richard would not only get rid of Prince John and the Sheriff but it would also put Robin and his band in King Richard’s good books. However, there is a chance that a plan this big would grab the attention of Prince John before it can be carried out. The participation of Robin in such a plan could increase the determination of Prince John to capture Robin and his band of men. The best course of action for Robin would be to opt to expand into new territories.     

How Psychological Research Has Helped in the Understanding of Criminal Behaviour Essay Example for Free

How Psychological Research Has Helped in the Understanding of Criminal Behaviour Essay Albert Bandura created the bobo doll experiment in 1961, the aim of this experiment was to show that if children where witnesses to aggressive displays by an adult of some sort they would imitate this behaviour when given an opportunity. The tested group contained 36 young girls and 36 young boys all aged between 4 and 5 years which was then divided into 3 groups of 24 – the aggressive condition, the non aggressive condition and the control group. The first group involved the children watching aggressive models, where the children where then subdivided by sex of the role model they were exposed to. The second group involved the children watched non aggressive models, where the children were also subdivided by the sex of the role model which they were exposed to. This left the two conditioned groups subdivided into eight experimental groups each containing 6 subjects. They were 6 boys with the same sex model, 6 boys with opposite model, 6 girls with the same sex model and 6 girls with the opposite model. With 3 different groups, Bandura had created a complicated design for the study which resulted in 3 independent variables; the conditions the children were exposed to, the sex of the child and the sex of the role model. Each child was then tested individually and the findings where then recorded. The experiment was done in an artificial environment and the researcher manipulated the independent variables into the conditions. In stage one of the experiment, the children were brought into the experimental room by the examiner. The room was set out as a nursery play room since that was the appropriate setting for the age of the children. One corner of the room had been arranged as a child’s play area consisting of a small table and chair and picture stickers. In the opposite corner of the room was where the adult models would be followed by a small table and chair, tinker toy set and a five foot bobo doll. In the aggressive condition the model began by playing with the tinker toy set but after a couple minutes the model turned its attention to the bobo doll and was aggressive towards the doll in a very distinctive way. Were as in the non aggressive condition the model ignored the bobo doll and played with the tinker toys in a gentle manner. After 10 minutes the children where then taken into new room. In stage two of the experiment the children were brought into a room with relativity attractive toys. In this room the children were to be subjected to mild aggression arousal. Once the children started to play with the toys, the experimenter took them off the children claiming they had been reserved for the other children. The children were then taken into the last and final room for stage three of the experiment. In this room the children were told they could play with any toys in there, the toys in stage three consisted of both non aggressive and aggressive toys. The children were kept in the room for 20 minutes where observations were made through a one way mirror by judges. With the observation and findings of this experiment, three measures of imitation were obtained. For this study the observers’ looked specifically for responses from the children that were very similar to the display by the adult model. They included; imitation of physical aggression, imitation of verbal aggression and imitation of non verbal aggression. With these observations, the researchers were able to consider which children imitate the models, which models the children imitated and whether the children showed a general increase of aggressive behaviour. The main findings of this study were that the children in aggressive model condition made more aggressive responses than the children in the non aggressive condition. They also found that the boys made more aggressive responses than girls, as well as the sex of the children being more aggressive if the model was of the same sex. These findings support Bandura’s social learning theory that children learn social behaviour through observation learning, which children learn through imitation. This study has helped in the understanding of criminal behaviour as children learn through imitation and the environment which they grow up in have an effect on their behaviour. If a child has been brought up around abuse, criminal activity or consistent aggression then the child is most likely to offend by imitating their role model which could be a parent, sibling or even just a role model which they look up to. Philip Zimbardo (1971) Stanford prison experiment – Dr Philip Zimbardo created the Stanford prison experiment in 1971, the aim of this experiment was to find out the psychological effects of prison life, and to what extent can moral people be seduced to act immorally. The study consisted of 24 students selected out of 75, the roles of these 24 men were randomly assigned, 12 to play prison guards and 12 to play prisoners. The prison set up was built inside the Stanford’s psychological department, doors where taken of laboratory rooms and replaced with steel bars in order to create cells. At the end of the corridor was the small opening which became the solitary confinement for the ‘bad prisoners’. Throughout the prison there were no windows or clocks to judge the passage in time, which resulted in time distorting experiences. After only a few hours, the participants adapted to their roles well beyond expectations, the officers starting displaying authorisation and subject some of the prisoners to humiliation and torture whilst the prisoners developed passive attitudes towards the guards and accepted the physical abuse that was given to them. On the second day with surprise an unexpected rebellion broke out, reinforcement was called and more guards where to be on duty however the prisoners refused to leave their cells, barricading themselves in. This early in to the experiment the prisoners had already felt a loss of identity to the extent they started to refer to themselves as their inmate number rather than name. Even Dr Zimbardo himself started to lose sight of his role in the experiment believing he was in fact a ‘prison superintendent’ rather than a psychologist. Due to the extent of the rebellion the guards were forced to show more authority over them which led to the creation of the ‘privileged cell’. In order to break down the ‘superior’ inmates the guards placed the good prisoners in the privileged cell for a few hours, then placed the good prisoners back into the bad cells causing confusion within the inmates, breaking the trust and isolating them. Within a week the study was abandoned as the experiment was no longer a simple simulation, instead the guards saw the prisoners as troublemakers they were made out to be. In response to this they began stepping up control, surveillance and aggression whilst the prisoner started breaking down emotionally being unable to handle the situation anymore. From the observations and information given by Dr Zimbardo’s reports, this study has helped in the understanding of criminal behaviour as it relates to imitation and conformity. The guards imitated the behaviour of real guards adapting the role quiet quickly. The prisoners also adapted the role quickly falling into depression and conforming to each other. This also helps how a person mental state can change their behaviour, with the prisoners they soon became depressed and mentally unstable, and this shows that when put into a certain disciplinary situation the mind adapts causing them to act immorally. Solomon Ashce (1951) Conformity experiment- Solomon Ashce conducted the conformity experiment in 1951. The aim of this experiment was to investigate the extent of social pressure from a majority group can affect a person to conform. For this experiment Ashe used a lab experiment. Ashe used 8 participants for this experiment, 7 confederates and 1 naive participant. The 7 confederates had previously agreed to what their responses would be when presented with the line task. However the real participant had no knowledge of this and was led to believe that the other 7 participants were also real. With this experiment each person had to state aloud which line was most like the target line, (A, B or C). The answer was always an obvious one. The real participant always gave his or her answer last in order to see if they conformed or not. In some trials, the confederates gave the wrong answer whereas in some they gave the correct obvious answer. In the experiment there was 18 trials altogether and the confederates gave the wrong answer 12 out of the total 18. Ashce main observation was to find out if the real participant would end up conforming based on the majority views given by the other 7 participants. The results were then drawn up and out of the 18 trails, around 75% of the trials the real participant conformed even though he or she knew the answers were wrong. From the observations, this study has helped in the understanding of criminal behaviour as it explains that criminals may have previously been highly exposed to such aggressive behaviour causing them to conform. This shows that publicly any source of aggressive behaviour or criminal activity can lead to conformity causing more criminal behaviour. Anderson and Dill (2000) – Violence in video games study- Both Anderson and Dill conducted the relation between violence and video games study in 2000. The aim of this study was to find out how violent video games relate to aggressive behaviour. Their first study consisted of 227 students which were given a questionnaire in order to get data on their aggressive behaviour patterns. This study looked at the long-term exposure to video games and what effect it has on aggression towards people. The findings of the first study relating to the questionnaire came back with positive relations between the violence portrayed in video games and aggressive behaviour. The second study which Anderson and Dill conducted was to approach the impact that video games have on aggressive thoughts, social view and mood of a person. This study consisted of 210 students which were given a choice of 2 video games a non violent game ‘Myst’ or a violent interactive video game ‘Wolfstein 3D’. With the non violent game the objective was to travel the island of Myst, finding clues and making your own ending depending on the journey you took. With the violent game the objective was to eliminate the enemy ‘Adolf Hitler’ choosing your own hero and variety of weapons. With each game the students were allocated 3 slots for a period of 15minutes each. The findings of this study concluded Anderson and Dills knowledge and opinions that those exposed to the violent video game gained more aggressive behaviour than those who were not exposed to violence. From the observations, this study has helped in the understanding of criminal behaviour as it states that playing video games may increase aggressive behaviour because the violent acts are continually repeated throughout the game. Video games also encourage players to identify and interact through role play of their favourite characters causing them to imitate the character they are playing. Referring to first person in a game, it causes lead players to make their own decisions in the game affecting the actions of the character. Anderson and Dills studies show that after a limited amount of time playing violent video games, a player can start to automatically prime aggressive thoughts which can lead to aggressive behaviour. This shows that continually playing violent video games can affect a person’s thought patters leading to automatic aggressive behaviour through imitation of their favourite characters which could lead to criminal activity. Jahoda name study (1954)- Jahoda created the name study or as it is also called the self fulfilling prophecy. Jahoda studied the Ashanti tribe people who gave their boys ‘soul names’ depending on what day of the week they were born. For example, boys born a Monday were expected to be peaceful and full of good, whereas boys born on Wednesday which were called ‘Kwaku’ were expected to be aggressive and quick tempered. Jahoda found that when looking at prison and court records 13. 5% of boys that had been referred to court to court where from boys that were born on Wednesday, yet they were responsible for over 22% of violent crimes which was significantly higher than would be expected and shows that Wednesdays boys tended to live up to their reputation. However as for the boys born on Monday, they found that only 6. 9% of all juvenile cases where of minor offences. This implies that stereotypes of the boys behaviours depending on which day of the week they were born caused them to live up to expectations of their names. Jahoda concluded from all this that there was indeed nothing magical about the day of the week the boys were born on but of effect of expectations has on a person’s behaviour. From the observations and findings, this study has helped in the understanding of criminal behaviour as it links to the effect of rehabilitation and the study of the self fulfilling prophecy. If the offenders have the expectation that they should behave in such a way, rehabilitation may be more difficult. Overall the psychological theory of criminal behaviour suggests that negative expectations cause curtain’s to behave towards others in a specific way because their stereotypes – self fulfilling prophecy. Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) – Self fulfilling prophecy- Both Rosenthal and Jacobson also conducted a self fulfilling prophecy study and the way that people behave according to profiling or being stereotyped in 1968. Their study was conducted on students in a classroom which was also known as the ‘Pygmalion in the classroom’. The students were then put into groups of what the students think they will achieve, where they were then treated in a way that their ability group could achieve. All students completed an IQ test before the study. The findings of this study concluded Rosenthal and Jacobson’s theory that when people are put into groups or have been stereotyped into a group can cause people’s behaviour to change as they will live up to the expectations of the stereotype. The findings found were that after two years the students that were put into the group for higher levels achieved higher than the other students in any other group. These students were known to have been given additional feedback and extra attention so the finding expected had were correct. From the findings, this study has helped in the understanding of criminal behaviour as it shows that when categorised into a stereotype, people soon learn to live up to that expectation, behaving in a certain way. This also has an impact on a person’s self esteem, causing them to act undesirably and maybe even lead them to turn to crime. Eden (1990) – Self fulfilling prophecy- Eden also conducted the self fulfilling prophecy study in 1990, this study explains why some people turn to crime due to the way they have been stereotyped or labelled into a certain group. For this study, Eden looked at the training of 1000 Israeli soldiers and had them organised into 29 platoons. Some platoon trainers were told their groups were above the average potential but other trainers were told nothing. The findings of this study showed that after 10 weeks the performance of all soldiers were assessed and was found that on both the written exam and weapon test, the soldiers who had been told they were above the average potential did overall better than others, even though all soldiers were at an average level. These findings concluded Eden’s expectations that when labelled into a certain group, a person can adjust to behave according to expectations within the labelled group. This study has helped in understanding of criminal behaviour as it shows the stereotypes and labelled groups can influence a person’s self esteem leading them to behave in a certain way and if the stereotype is negative it can cause a person to turn to crime. Sheehan (1983) – TV violence and aggression Sheehan conducted the TV violence and aggression study in 1983. This study consisted of a group of middle class children aged between 5 and 10 to help find the link between children’s TV viewing and aggressive behaviour. Throughout the study data was gathered about the participants’ parents and the researchers also asked about the children’s aggressive fantasies to whether it would physically injure a person. Sheehan found that there were correlations between viewing violence and peer rated correlations for children that were aged between 8 and 10, with the correlations being stronger for the boys than the girls. The results were recorded by looking whether the child injured of irritated another person. These findings can relate to the social learning theory as he found that boys were more likely to imitate male models but overall looking at the data Sheehan collected, those who watched violent TV and films became more aggressive towards others than those who did not. This study has helped in understanding of criminal behaviour as it shows that continuously watching violent and aggressive TV programmes can affect a person’s thought patterns leading to automatic aggressive behaviour and imitation of their favourite characters which could lead to criminal activity.

History of the Old Testament Essay Example for Free

History of the Old Testament Essay Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken. I. Historical context of Isaiah 7:14-16 The historical setting is critical to the account since the prophet supplies it and the oracle draws on its timing. With a close study of the events referred to we may date the oracle in this chapter to 734 B. C. (Ross,Allen) It was when the ruthless Assyrian conqueror, on the throne is Tiglathpileser III, a ruthless and powerful king was terrorizing the all other nations, and Judah, unwilling to join in a coalition against him, was attacked by Israel and Syria, the ancient Aramaea , with its main city in Damascus, and Ephraim, the northern Israelite state, with its main city Samaria and therefore, King Ahaz when he heard of this coalition was thinking seriously of inviting Assyrian help(Tiglathpileser III). It must be pointed out that the whole purpose was to dissuade King Ahaz from embarking a wrong course of action, namely, that of relying upon Assyria rather than upon the Lord. In the name of Jehovah, it was this moment the prophet commences with a historical announcement. Isaiah 7:1 says It came to pass, in the days of Ahaz son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Aramaea, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, and could not make war against it. The Syrian king Rezin had come up against Jerusalem and with him was Pekah of Israel. Their purpose was to wage war, but unable to besiege it the prophecy of the chapter is amazingly accurate. The sign that a boy was about to be born is the pivotal point. Before he would be old enough to tell right from wrong, that is, about 12 years old, the enemies would not only be defeated but cease to exist. According to history, Shalmaneser V (the successor to Tiglathpileser) campaigned against the land and besieged Samaria. He died in the duration and was succeeded by Sargon II who completed the destruction of the northern state in 722 or 721 B. C. So the oracle in Isaiah 7 could be dated about twelve years before that destruction in 722 B. (Ross, Allen ) II. Literary Context of Isaiah 7:14-16 Therefore the Lord Himself give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. The word therefore signifies that something had taken place before the incident forwarded here in verse 14, and inasmuch as the wicked king in hypocritical fashion rejects the opportunity of asking for a sign, then he lost the privilege of asking a sign in his own favor. Instead the Lord Himself will give a sign, and this one of His own choosing, announcing the birth of a wondrous Child as the sign of deliverance, and making the infancy of that Child the measure of the time that Judah is yet to suffer affliction, before the time of deliverance will come. Yet as we have seen because of Ahaz unbelief after the comfortable promises made to him as a branch of the house of David, what took place was a terrible threatening against him, as a degenerate branch of that house; for though the God was patience and His loving kindness shall not be utterly taken away, for the sake of David and the covenant made with, yet his inequity shall be dealt with the rod, and his sin with stripes. In fulfillment of the prophecy, the Egyptians and the Assyrians filled the land in their war with each other. Devastation from this war severely tested the people, so that nothing grew in the fields, and the survivors had to rely on curds and honey. This led up to and included the invasion of 701 B. C. under Sennacherib, the next Assyrian king, when Hezekiah was on the throne in Jerusalem, and 200,000 people from Judah were carried off into captivity. As we shall see, the details of the Assyrian crisis are very accurately prophesied in these oracles (Ross, Allen_______ Young, E. J. 1993). III. Commentary on Isaiah 7:14-16 Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Since the King did not ask for a sign that the land shall be delivered from the enemies, Yahweh will furnish one unasked. Yahweh will not withhold it because a proud and contemptuous King refuses to seek it. The LORD himself, He will do it and not hindered though it is rejected and despised; he will do it because of its necessity for the welfare of the nation, and for the confirmation of his religion, to furnish a demonstration to the people that he is the only true God. It is clearly implied here, that the emphasis is that the sign should be such as Yahweh alone could give. If this refers to the birth of a child, then it means that this was an event which could be known only to God, and which could be accomplished only by his agency. If it refers to the miraculous conception and birth of the Messiah, then it means that that was an event which none but God could accomplish. Shall give you, primarily refers to the house of David; the king and royal family of Judah. It was especially designed to assure the government that the kingdom would be safe. Doubtless, however, the word you is designed to include the nation, or the people of the kingdom of Judah. It would be so public a sign, and so clear a demonstration, as to convince them that their city and land must be ultimately safe. A sign, a pledge; a token; an evidence of the fulfillment of what is predicted. The word does not, of necessity, denote a miracle, though it is often so applied; see the notes at Isaiah 7:11. But rather it means a proof, a demonstration, a certain indication that what he had said should come to its fulfillment. Behold this interjection serves to designate persons and things; places and actions. It is used in lively descriptions, and animated discourse; or when anything unusual was said, or occurred; it means, that an event was to occur which demanded the attention of the unbelieving King, and the regard of the people-an event which would be a full demonstration of what the prophet had said. A virgin, it is used in its obvious natural sense, to denote a young, unmarried female. The derivatives are applied to youth; to young men; to young women-to those who are growing up, and becoming youths. This virgin as used in his word properly means a girl, maiden, virgin, a young woman who is unmarried, and who is of marriageable age. And shall call his name, it was usual for mothers to give names to their children. The idea is, it is the appropriate name that would be given to the child. Although another name was also given to this child, expressing substantially the same thing, with a circumstantial difference. Immanuel a Hebrew name which means God with us the name is designed to denote that God would be with the nation as its protector, and the birth of this child would be a sign or pledge of it. The name, Immanuel, denotes nothing more than divine aid and protection. Others have supposed, however, that the name must denote the assumption of our nature by God in the person of the Messiah, that is, that God became man. The true interpretation is, that no argument to prove that can be derived from the use of the name; but when the fact of the incarnation has been demonstrated from other sources, the name is appropriately expressive of that event. ( Barnes, 1997). Isaiah 7:15 He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. (NASV) Young( ), showed that the infancy of the promised Messiah is made the measure of the time that Judah will be in danger from her two enemies. This thought namely, namely the duration of a period of difficulty, is expressed symbolically in that Immanuel iws pictured as subsisting during His infancy on curds and honey, which was symbolical royal diet. From the time of His birth, supposedly, the Child will eat this peculiar food, and at the time when He can discern between good and evil, rejecting the one and choosing the other, He will be eating these things. At an early age a child learns to reject evil and to choose good, or at least to distinguish between the two. Thus, by means of this measure, we learn that the affliction or desolation of the two enemy kings is short-lived, possibly only two or three years. The reference may be to what is injurious or useful in life but in the light of the usage of this phrase in Genesis 2, it clearly refers also to what is morally good and evil. Isaiah 7:16 For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken. (NASV) The land that you dread, the land concerning which thou art so much alarmed or distressed; that is, the united land of Syria and Ephraim. Refers to one land, because they were united then in a firm alliance, so as to constitute, in fact, or for the purposes of invasion and conquest, one people or nation. The phrase, which you dread, means properly, which thou loathes, the primary idea of the word being to feel a nausea, or to throw up. It then means to fear, or to feel alarm; and this, probably, is the meaning here. Ahaz, however, evidently looked upon the nations of Syria and Samaria with disgust, as well as with alarm. The meaning of the land is that the kings themselves were the objects of dislike or dread; and not merely that the two kings should be removed, but that the land itself was threatened with desolation. This construction is an exegetical kind which agrees with the idiom of the Hebrew. (Barnes, 1993) IV Summary of Isaiah 7:14-16 As a summary of these three verses it was shown that in verse 14 Isaiah made a proclamation that the Lord will give a sign. This seeing of the virgin is not with with the physical eyes, Isaiah have not seen the Messiah in His physical birth, but in vision. In vision, then, the prophet beholds the virgin with child. An in the birth of this son, the presence of God is manifest in a most unique way. The fourteenth verse constitutes a sure and a definite fulfillment of the prophecy of the birth of Immanuel. With verse 15 the prophet proceeds to show that the infancy of the Messiah a symbolical representation of the fact that the threat which overhung Judah would be short-lived. This he does by picturing the child in vision eating royal food (according to commentator Young which I prefer to use in this summary). The child will eat this food, symbol of threat and desolation; yet before He reaches the age where He knows the difference between good and evil, the two kings which Ahaz dreads will forsake the land of Israel, and there will be nothing more for him to fear from them. The prophetical naming of this child having thus had its accomplishment, no doubt this, which was further added concerning him, should have its accomplishment likewise, that Syria and Israel should be deprived of both their kings. One mercy from God encourages us to hope for another, if it engages us to prepare for another. BIBLIOGRAPHY Barnes Notes, Barnes and Nobles Commentary. Electronic Database. (Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft) Ross, Allen. â€Å"A Call for Faith and the Sign for Emmanuel†. Bible. Org http://www. bible. org/page. php? page_id=2088 Young, E. J. â€Å"The Book of Isaiah: A Commentary†. (Michigan:William B. Eerdsman Publishing Company, 1993)

Report on the Strategic Approaches of BNP Paribas

Report on the Strategic Approaches of BNP Paribas The objective of this report is to critically evaluate and analyze the strategic approaches in the operation of a financial institution of our choice. The chosen institution of study is BNP Paribas. This report will include a PESTEL analysis, an evaluation of the Singapore environment examining the political, economical, social-cultural, technological, environmental and legislative aspects of the environment and an application of the theory to BNP Paribas. In addition, we will look at the organizations products, target market, strategies and critical changes, the application of Porters five forces model, and conduct a SWOT analysis looking at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats presented to the organization. This will be followed by a STP analysis, looking at the segmentation, targeting and positioning of the organization, as well as a financial statements analysis and recommendations for future development strategies for the organization. Introduction of the Company BNP Paribas has been at the forefront of the banking sector with a 10 year history and deep-rooted traditions in innovation banking which has led them to the success they are today. They have earned the title of being Frances premier bank and are known for their strong market positions and robust risk management. They have risen to become a global leader in the provision of financial services and its brand is the companys major asset, ranking 6th most valuable banking brand according to Brand Finances 2010 rankings (Brand Finance, 2010  [i]  ). This ranking is largely due to the Groups financial strength and part due to its success brought about by Michel Pà ©bereau former CEO who led BNP to merger opportunities that transitioned the company (SP, 2010  [ii]  ). With such noted growth and success, the company truly lives up to its motto the bank for a changing world, incessantly evolving and adapting successfully to the ever-changing environment, seizing opportunities that come along with a strong focus on achieving its goals, carefully planning and managing its business activities and ensuring effective cost-cutting measures. Nature of the business BNP Paribas is a universal bank providing a diverse range of banking services predominantly offering and specialising in three core business areas: corporate and investment banking services, investment solutions services and retail banking which includes services for personal finances and equipment solutions. Its financial services are offered to a variety of customers both individuals, corporate businesses and other financial institutions (BNP Paribas, 2010  [iii]  ). Present situation On 23rd July 2010, Fortune Magazine had presented its annual global rankings of Americas largest corporations. Achieving a modest improvement from 2009, BNP Paribas placed 18th in this years rankings and 7th largest Banking Corporation in the banking sector based on revenues and sales (CNN, 2010  [iv]  ). Such positive results achieved by the Group can be attributed to its strong Board of Directors who possesses the skills, leadership, performance and experience required to lead the way into the future. BNP Paribas success also stems from the effectiveness of their diversified and integrated business model and their committed focus on investment strategy and innovation. Mission BNP Paribass mission is to achieve its goal to become the bank for a changing world. In order to achieve this, they plan to provide diversity, creativity and efficiency that generate performance gains and to value differences among people in various countries.  Respecting and promoting differences among employees are major assets when it comes to the bank for a changing world (BNP Paribas, 2010  [v]  ). See Appendix 1 for its core values. Vision BNP Paribas is determined to be a benchmark banking group with focus placed on customer satisfaction and the active pursuit for improvements in its earning capacity. BNP has adopted the motto of bank of the changing world from its core values and it is their core values which motivate and direct them towards their vision (BNP Paribas, 2010). Goals Technological development, globalisation, environmental issues are challenges that face both businesses and individuals today. BNP Paribas is committed to assisting its customers to confront these rapid changing issues. Therefore, the Groups goal is to constantly seek out new sources of progress by developing innovative ideas and initiatives (BNP Paribas, 2010). An Application of PESTEL to Singapores environment BNP Paribas Singapore A PESTEL analysis is essential in every organization as certain factors within the macro-environment will have significant impact on the organization and the decisions it makes. There are various political, economical, social and cultural, technological, environmental and legislative factors that need to be taken into consideration (Kotler, P Armstrong, G, 1999  [vi]  ). Each will be discussed further below in context of Singapore and its impact on BNP Paribas. P- Political The Peoples Action Party (PAP) dominated the political scene since 1959 (Janus Corporate Solutions, 2010  [vii]  ). The partys choices of action, ideas, policy-making and planning proposals are well supported by the community and the integrity and effective leadership demonstrated by the PAP secured economic growth and political stability. With the adoption of a collective leadership style with its corrupt free-government image, Singapores government has maintained a strong sturdy political framework. It is Singapores political stability and corrupt-free environment that banks like BNP Paribas see Singapore as an opportunity to venture into the Asian markets. Their success in Singapore was led by Singapores aim to liberalize the banking sector which they followed in 1999. This move was rewarded as they became one of the pioneering foreign banks. E- Economical  [viii]   The hustle and bustle economic scene of Singapore is part due to its geographical location. Its strategic location which houses an industrious population though it lacks physical resources and has a relatively small domestic market has given the country an economic importance in Southeast Asia. Singapore carried out an economic strategy to overcome its problems and achieved an average of 7.8% growth from 1965 to 2009 (US Bureau of Public Affairs, 2010  [ix]  ). Though its economy has suffered setbacks due to pandemic outbreaks, the economy bounced back each time. See in Appendix 2 on GDP and Government Debts. BNP Paribas must firstly identify the relevant economic factors that would influence their company. Singapores tourism scene is an opportunity to target those tourists needs financially. In addition, economic growth is tied with profits made as such it is another motivating factor to operate in Singapore. S-Social Cultural Social factors are the demographic and cultural aspects of the environment such as age and gender distribution, religion and employability rates, which can impact the demand for a firms products and the availability and motivation/willingness to work. See Appendix 4 on analysis of GDP and employment rates. BNP Paribas has contributed much to the employability in Asia. According to an article in Forbes Magazine titled; BNP Paribas Wealth plans Singapore hiring spree (2010), BNP plans to increase its employees count in Singapore from 300 as of 2008 to 500 employees, while other banks like DBS and Deutsche Bank plans job cuts. This increase in employees is a result of BNPs involvement in the wealth management business and their aim to be the largest most profitable and attractive for its clients and their assets as explained by Serge Forti (BNP Chief Executive for Asia Pacific Wealth Management) (Forbes, 2010  [x]  ). T-Technological Singapore has sophisticated state-of-the-art Telecommunications and Internet facilities which cater to the needs of its users, providing them with high quality communications accessible worldwide. Innovation is a strong differentiating factor in the banking sector. It is a core tenet of the BNP Groups strategy. Innovation will enable them to adapt quickly to the ever-changing environment and to deliver the best quality products and services to its clients. An example of innovation demonstrated by BNP Paribas is in its photovoltaic loan  [1]  (BNP Fortis Bank, 2010  [xi]  ). E- Environment The leading researcher on Global Warming, an American government scientist Hansen (2007) believes that the speed of the natural changes is dwarfed by the changes that humans make to the atmosphere and surface (Hansen 2007)  [xii]  . This scientific evidence has created greater environmental awareness among individuals and businesses. Since then, there has been a growing desire to protect the environment. Singapores Government environment commitment extends to the ecological footprint of business organizations and could accelerate the potential environmental leadership role that transnational corporations can play. The greatest challenge in the climate change action is to make people aware of the consequences of our actions. As such, BNP Paribas has launched programs to raise their awareness of the impacts of Climate Change. L-Legislative According to Singapore Academy of Law (2006)  [xiii]  , there are specific laws that banks are required to abide to. As such BNP Paribas must follow the common laws and principles as stated in relevant Acts passed by Parliament  [xiv]  . The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) who publishes and administers Acts and Subsidiary legislation governs legislation in the financial industry. Changes in legislation can affect a firms cost for adaptation and demand of goods and services. Singapores economic policy is to promote wealth through sustained and stable economic growth, guided by the free market economic system which allows market forces to determine the pattern of trade (ADB, 2010  [xv]  ). In addition, Singapore does not have any sector-specific policies; this freedom within the policies could provide BNP Paribas with an advantageous opportunity to manipulate this area. Financial Analysis A financial analysis uses financial performance indicators to judge the performance of the company. It looks at 5 categories of ratios which are; Profitability, Liquidity, Efficiency, Investor and Financing. The tables below are the summarized results for BNP Paribas from Year 2005 to 2009 (5-year performance analysis); Profitability Ratios Ratios Year 2005 Year 2006 Year 2007 Year 2008 Year 2009 Gross Profit 100% 100% 100% 100% Gross Profit à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬27,648miilion à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬29,823miilion à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬22,105 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬31,909 million Revenue/Sales à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬27,648miilion à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬29,823miilion à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬22,105 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬31,909 million Net Profit 26% 26% 14% 18% Net Profit à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬7308 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬7822million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬3021million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬5832million Revenue/Sales à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬27,648 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬29,823miilion à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬22,105 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬31,909 million Return on Capital Employed (ROCE) 15.8% 5.7% 9.5% Profit before Interest Tax à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬7308 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬7822million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬3021million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬5832million Average Capital Employed à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬45,065+53,799/2 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬53,228+53,799/2 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬53,228+69,501/2 million Return on Assets (ROA) 0.51% 0.46% 0.15% 0.28% Net Income à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬7308 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬7822million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬3021million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬5832million Total Assets à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1,440,343 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1,694,454 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2,075,551 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2,057,698 million (Source: Created for the purpose of this assignment) The table above shows that for every sales dollar, the same amount will be available to cover its expenses and profits. This is relatively bad for the company if there were any fixed expenses that require payment after the gross profit has been calculated. The return on assets (ROA) tells the efficiency of the company in using its assets to generate profits. The table above shows that ROA has a decreasing trend reaching as low as 0.28%. The net profit is a result of deducting all expenses from gross revenue. In this case, the net profit over the 4 year period has decreased to 18%. Therefore this suggests that the companys widely known success does not match with its actual financial performance. Liquidity Ratios Ratios Year 2005 Year 2006 Year 2007 Year 2008 Year 2009 Current Ratio 87c 73c 81c 53c (Source: Created for the purpose of this assignment) Current ratio gives an indication of the companys ability to pay its short term liabilities and debts with its short term assets. A low ratio below 1 suggests that the company will have trouble paying its debts and liabilities. This shows the companys efficiency in its operating cycle in turning its product into cash is weak. As such, the company is financially unhealthy and they would need to develop strategies to go about providing more financing for the company or they may run into liquidity issues. Efficiency Ratios (Source: Created for the purpose of this assignment) Ratios Year 2005 Year 2006 Year 2007 Year 2008 Year 2009 Debtors Collection Period 276 days 282 days 431 days 313 days Trade Receivables à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬20,919 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬23,008 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬26,079 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬27,379 Revenue/Sales à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬27,648 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬29,823miilion à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬22,105 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬31,909 million The debtors collection period ratio is an indicator of the period of time taken for money to be collected from debtors. The figures above suggest that the debtors collection is relatively slow, especially in 2008. This could have been caused by the Global Financial Crisis which caused worldwide panic and market fluctuations. By 2009, BNP Paribas was able to reduce its debtors collection period by 313 days. Although this figure is an improvement to 2008, it is still considered to be slow for debt collection. This will have an impact on the liquidity issues faced by the company. If the company can reduce its debtors collection time, it will have the necessary funds to resolve its liquidity issues and raise its current ratio above à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1 or even à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2 which suggests the company has more than enough assets to cover its liabilities. Investor Ratios Ratios Year 2005 Year 2006 Year 2007 Year 2008 Year 2009 Earnings per Share (EPS) 6.77 7.81 8.25 5.20 2.99 Dividend Cover 2.68 2.59 2.53 5.36 2 EPS à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬6.77 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬7.81 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬8.25 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬5.20 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2.99 Dividend per Ordinary Share 2.53 3.01 3.26 0.97 1.50 Price/Earning Ratio (P/E Ratio) 8.50 9.24 8.12 5.52 18.13 Current Share Price per share à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬57.56 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬72.13 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬66.97 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬28.71 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬54.20 EPS à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬6.77 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬7.81 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬8.25 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬5.20 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2.99 (Source: Created for the purpose of this assignment) The EPS is the core tenet in determining a shares price. It shows the companys ability to generate income which is allocated to each outstanding share of common stock. A positive increase in EPS suggests that the company is finding more ways to earn profits. However, it does not seem to be the case in 2008 and 2009 where EPS fell sharply. There is no stability in the EPS pattern. BNP Paribass dividend cover fell sharply in 2009. However, a low dividend cover may be acceptable if a companys profits are at a stable level, while a company with fluctuating profits indicates dividends are at risk. The difference in the market price and earnings movement will cause the price earning ratio to fluctuate. BNP Paribass P/E ratio in 2009 shows that there is a disconnection between the market price and the profits as such, it has caused the P/E ratio to rise. A low P/E ratio is potentially good for investors as there is a chance for making profits. Financing Ratios Ratios Year 2005 Year 2006 Year 2007 Year 2008 Year 2009 Debt to Equity Ratio 7.83 8.80 11.98 8.29 Total Debt à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬352,918 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬473,504 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬637,592 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬568,130 million Total Equity à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬45,065 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬53,799 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬53,228 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬69,501 million Debt Ratio 0.31 0.28 0.26 0.28 Total Debt à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬352,918 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬473,504 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬637,592 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬568,130 million Total Assets à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1,440,343 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1,694,454 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2,075,551 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2,057,698 million (Source: Created for the purpose of this assignment) A high debt equity ratio is a result of high debt usage in financing operations. This is particularly true for Year 2008 with a debt/equity ratio of 11.98. However, each year from 2006 show a high debt/equity ratio. This shows BNP could potentially generate more profit without outside financing. If this were to increase earnings by a greater amount than debt cost, then the shareholders of BNP Paribas would benefit from receiving more earnings. However, there are greater costs involved which may outweigh the return the company generates on debt through investment and its operations. BNP Paribass debt ratio from Year 2006 to 2009 is below 1 as such, this indicates that the financial institution has more assets than debt as evident in the Statement of Financial Position. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) BNP Paribass corporate social responsibility plays a major role in its environment and forms an integral part of its business ethics and embedded in its core values. They have taken charge of leading companies in implementing environmental friendly practices by signing up to the United Nations Global Compact in 2003 and in its financial sector initiatives, BNP has encouraged companies to include climate change issues in their investment decisions and have brought together companies to promote responsible behaviour by companies within the community. BNP has also signed up for Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) which provides assistance to companies in incorporating environmental, social, and corporate governance concerns into their mainstream investment decision making practices (BNP Paribas Annual Report, 2009, p.118  [xvi]  ). See Appendix 5 on CSR as a management duty. Porters Five Forces Model Analysis Diagram 3: Porters Five Forces Model Source: Porter, M 2008 Threats of New Entrants (Strong) Singapore is relatively lenient when it comes to foreign businesses operations set up in Singapore since the country has a pro-business environment with rich cultural diversity and stable politics. We can also suggest the threats of new entrants may be strong because financial institutions are becoming universal, providing a diverse range of financial services and not just restricted to banking services. The new entrants are exploring innovative banking as such BNP Paribas adopts innovation as a key driver to outshine its competitors. Bargaining Power of Suppliers (Weak) The power of suppliers in influencing BNP Paribas is considered to be weak. The customers being the depositors do not have control of the interest rates set by the bank or on any internal operations, whereas for corporate clients, the bank still holds a greater power in the offering of services and package deals to its larger clients. The Credit Market provides the source of raw materials and liquid assets which is unmeasurable. Lastly, the Central Bank being MAS is responsible for the issuance of currency, supervision of financial services and stability surveillance and who is of last resort and provider of liquidity in the markets. Therefore, the Central Bank who controls the liquidity in the markets has some power in its influence on BNP Paribas as a whole than in day to day operations (Ackerman, J 2008  [xvii]  ). Bargaining Power of Buyers (Medium) The buyers of BNP Paribass products are the customers themselves; the depositors whom have some power in deciding which bank they would settle for. However, for the corporate clients, it is difficult to determine the differences in the services provided/offered by each bank as there is no specific service offer to each bank. Threats of substitute products or services (Strong) There are a variety of financial services being offered from various banks in Singapore who specialises in different business lines and have various experiences and successes. BNP Paribas Singapore faces greater threats towards its Corporate Investment Banking as well as Asset Management services. However, though various banks offer similar services to them, like its threats from new entrants, innovation is their key to compete with substitute products, to set themselves apart from its competitors (Bernet Partner, 2008  [xviii]  ). Rivalry among existing firms (Strong) There is intense rivalry among the financial industry. BNP Paribas competes with money centre banks, super regional banks and institutional asset management providers and financial planners. In Singapore, there are 113 competitive commercial banks, 49 merchant banks and 3 finance companies and three local banks; DBS, UOB and OCBC , the three largest banks in Southeast Asia (MAS, 2009  [xix]  ). BNP Paribas faces strong competition from in the area of asset management as Singapore is the premier asset management locations in Asia (MICA, 2009). A central location for the provision of risk management, insurance broking and offshore insurance services in which BNP is engaged in. It is BNPs innovative strategic plans and its prime financial attention to serving customers needs which sets them apart from its competitors.

Essay --

Chis passed away 3 days later at the age of 41. Chris died naturally, and that was the way he wanted it. Today, people have options in death. Physician assisted suicide is defined by Merriam Webster, as â€Å"suicide that is carried out with the help of a doctor† (Merriam Webster). It is usually carried out by a lethal dose of medication which makes you fall asleep and then stops your heart. The process usually takes about 30 minutes. It could look something like this, and you would drink it from a straw. Show the glass with the mixture and a straw. It takes about this much to kill a grown man. Physician Assisted Suicide is currently an option offered in four states and has been considered in forty six others. Today, I am here to talk about Physician Assisted Suicide, and how it should not be legal in any state. Most of us, especially at our age, don’t really don’t think too much about terminal illness and death, but a terminal illness could happen to anyone of us, or someone we love or care about. Physician assisted suicide is not legal in Minnesota, but it is legal in Oregon, Vermont, Washington and Montana. This is a hotly debated issued because there are such strong opinions on both sides. Those in favor of Physician Assisted believe that each person when faced with their own inevitable death, deserve the right to end their lives on their own terms without pain and suffering. Those that oppose any legislation to believe it violates the physicians fundamental Hippocratic oath which is to â€Å"Do No Harm,† and that it is a dangerous and slippery slope. Jane St. Clair who founded an organization called The Compassionate Choice, lost her mother, father, and sister to cancer. She wrote that Physician Assisted Suicide ... ...a life, the caregiver is able to offer medications, treatments, as well as a willingness to listen and provide support and guidance through a very difficult time. This can make the experience much easier for the patients and their families. Even though Physician Assisted Suicide is currently not being considered in Minnesota, there are ways we can support the efforts to not have this be legal in any state. Please consider becoming a part of the pursuit of ending Physician Assisted Suicide by joining the many established national disability organization that oppose assisted suicide. They include: The National Council on Independent Living, The National Spinal Crd Injury Association, The Disability Right Education and Defense Fund, and the National Council on Disability. By becoming involved you can help each state be free of Assisted Suicide. Thank you!

Olympic Controversies :: Political Politics

Olympic Controversies The most important thing at the Olympic Games is not to win, but to take part, just as the important thing about life is not to conquer but to struggle well. The words spoken by Pierre de Coubertin, father of the Modern Summer Olympic Games. Baron Pierre de Coubertin may have intended for the new Olympic Games 'to be a period of concord in which all differences of status, religion, politics and race would be forgotten' but unfortunately as the Games have progressed, so too have the political overtones associated with them. Baron Pierre de Coubertin, by reviving the ancient Olympic Games hoped that competition in sports would 'lead to a new international friendship and better cooperation amongst the nations, whilst also allowing athletes to be exposed to different values than those of their own.' It is with misfortune that the Olympic Games have taken an unexpected turn and are used time and time again as another measurement for the ultimate victory, the ultimate dominance, the ultimate triumph on the world stage. In the commotion of the promotion of the Olympic Games, it is often forgotten that the original principles of the games included that individuals were to be contested against one another, and that countries played no part. In fact, in the first Olympiads, there were no formal teams of nations, rather an assortment of individuals who came to Athens on their own expense for their own purposes. As the Olympic Games progressed, it became more and more apparent for participating nations that it was an excellent opportunity to promote their country. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the Olympic Games is relayed to countries all over the world, exposing it onto a world audience. Even before technological advances of television, the Olympic Games were used by the countries to elevate themselves amongst one another. Even in the first Olympiad of 1896 in Athens, the realisation of the chance or promotion was evident, the Greek royal family of George I 'used the games as a device to build its power.' In addition, when television was initially introduced, the prospect of exposure was heightened. Although television was first used to transmit images from one country to another in the Summer Olympic Games of 1960 in Rome, it was further intensified in 1964 in Tokyo. The mayor of Tokyo announced that "without the Olympics, Japan would not have risen to its high position so fast.

Truman Capotes In Cold Blood Essay -- In Cold Blood Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many writers traditionally use their imagination to fabricate an interesting yet fictional story. Only their creativity and vision limit their writing. They can afford to neglect minor details because they do not base their stories on factual information. There existed a period when this was the only practiced style when writing a novel. However, Truman Capote pioneered the 'nonfiction novel', as he called it, when he undertook the writing of In Cold Blood. His book described the well-known murders of the Clutters, a model American family. Due to the fact that Capote was writing a factual account of the crime, he thought it necessary to make his novel correct in even the smallest details. This proved to be a very difficult project, but his perseverance paid off. Capote made use of many literary techniques in order to grab the interest of his readers. He wanted his novel to be more than just a newspaper description of the crime. Finally, In Cold Blood was a great s uccess because it told a true story in an interesting way. Capote overcame a big milestone by discovering a way to write a nonfiction novel, which appealed to everyone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, Capote knew that he was creating a new art form when he wrote his greatest work, In Cold Blood. He was a writer for the New Yorker, which gave him good practice in gathering important facts It took him six years to complete this book because that is the amount of time that passed from the time the Clutters were murdered to the time the criminals were put to death. Truman Capote wanted his novel to be as close to the true facts as possible. He painstakingly gathered information from Holocomb, Kansas, the site of the murders, and various other settings. In reference to Capote?s obsession for accuracy, Gerald Clark wrote   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Cold Blood may have been written like a novel, but it is accurate   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  to the smallest detail, ?immaculately factual? Truman publicly boasted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although it has no footnotes, he could point out to an obvious source   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  for every remark uttered and every thought expressed. ?One doesn?t   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  spend almost six years on a book, the point of which is factual accuracy,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  and then give way to minor distortions.?(358) Because Truman had to devote much of his time to the research and writing of this novel, he wanted to be thorough. He was so proud of his work that he dubbe... ...nent   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  to every event, and the creative vision of an artist who can arrange his   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  materials in such a manner that the reader is moved to pity, terror, joy,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  and sorrow.(237) Capote proved his excellence in writing by maintaining a firm grasp on his reader?s attention.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, In Cold Blood was a pioneer novel because it combined journalism with fiction techniques. It was very difficult for Truman Capote to write this novel because he had to gather massive amounts of data in order to make the book factual. Next, he needed to organize that data in such a way that it would be interesting to the reader. Secondly, Capote used many literary techniques such as flashback and dramatic irony to make his novel more interesting. Finally, this novel was very appealing to all people because it was based on a true crime. Edward Weeks wrote ?he is providing the readers with a high-minded aesthetic excuse for reading about a mean, sordid crime.(160)? This means that Capote provided people with an artistic account of the Clutter murders rather than a straightforward, newspaper one. Works Cited: Capote, Truman. In Cold Blood. New York: Vintage, 1965.

Mt. Lemmon

Mt. Lemmon towers 9000 feet above sea level starting at the foot of the Catalina Mountains in Tucson, Arizona. This unique eco-environment can be compared as a trip from Mexico to Canada in 25 miles with regards to vegetation distribution (Dotucson). On the base of the mountain range, the dominant vegetation resembles that of a desert landscape, all the desert plant and wildlife co-exist among the ever creeping metropolitan city limits. Saguaro cactus abounds standing tall against the backdrop of the enormous mountain range (Azentertain, 2006). As one treks to go upward from the wide base, bushes and smaller plant varieties and grasses are observed to flourish. This vegetation is relatively widely distributed among wind blown rock formations. Going further up to the peak of the mountain, the scenery drastically changes to become a dense forest of aspen trees, pine and fir, which cover the upper portion of the huge land mass. These forest landscapes predominantly occupy regions up to the snow covered areas during winter seasons. The very unique environment characteristic of Mount Lemmon may be attributed with the physical factors of the mountain. Apparently, the lush vegetation in the upper part of the mountain receives adequate amounts of rain water to support its forest. However, some related factors in the form of boulders and contour variations may have trapped the water in the upper part, making the base areas dry and scarce with water. This causes the bottom landscape to have a desert ecosystem. The Aspen fire in 2003 may be seen as a factor in changing the vegetation of the mountain. A good number of remaining trees may not be able to support the watershed in a certain time segment since many trees and animals have died of the fire. However, the burned forest materials will serve as elements to further nourish the soil. This will eventually give better vegetation conditions for other plants and animals in the future. References: AZentertain. 2006. Mt. Lemmon, AZ-the long drive into another world. Retrieved May 13, 2007 from http://emol.org/tucson/mtlemmon/information.html. Dotucson. Mt; Lemmon. Retrieved May 13, 2007 from http://www.dotucson.com/visit.asp?qry=431. Â   Â  

Effective Treatment for Drug Addiction Essay

either year, one 100s of thousands of Americans bear preaching for nerve centre work dis assemble, also c solelyed dependence (stag & Ksir, 2013, p. 409). medicate colony is a Gordian consciousness infirmity beca wont the crime of medicines leads to changes in the structure and snuff it of the reason. It is a condition char wagererized by an elicit and uncontrollable desire or pr 1ness to continue taking a medicine to which one has become habituated through re vomit up forward consumption. It also produces a particular doing, norm each(prenominal)y an alteration of intellectual status.Drug dependance is usually accompanied by a compulsion to obtain the dose, a endeavor to increase the dose, a psychological or physical dependence, and detri rational consequences for the individual and society. For umpteen muckle, dose dependance becomes inveterate, with practical relapses eve after expectant fulfilments of abstinence. stag & Ksir (2013), for example , state Substance dependence is often a chronic illness that sh atomic number 18s me very characteristics with other(a)wise chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma attack (p. 22).The pathway to medicate dependency initiates with the act of taking medicates, and over a occlusive of check, an individuals ability to select not to do so becomes compromised, and as a result, seeking and consuming the dose becomes compulsive. This behavior results mainly from the effects of unforgiving drug motion-picture target on virtuoso function. Addiction affects multiple brain circuits, including those knotty in reward and motivation, learning and memory, and inhibitory control over behavior (Huffman, 2010, p. 201). nearly individuals be much vulnerable than others to suitable solicited, depending on genetic bemuseup, age of exposure to drugs, other milieual influences, and the interplay of all these factors. Huffman (2010) argues that mind-altering d rugs influence the nervous system (and our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors) in a material ashes of ways (p. 186). interference for drug make fun or dependance is not simple or comfy because drug abuse or dependence has so many an(prenominal) another(prenominal) dimensions. Effective handling broadcasts typically incorporate many circumstancess. colour (2010) stigmatizes thatEach component essentialiness be directed to a particular facial expression of the illness and its consequences. For example, addicted preaching moldiness(prenominal) help the individual tour of duty exploitation drugs, maintain a drug-free lifestyle, and make fecund functioning in the family, at work, and in society (p. 148). Because addiction is a illness, addicted people cannot simply stop using drugs for a few days, months, or thus far geezerhood to be cured. The nigh part of the patients require long-term or repeated episodes of c ar to achieve the last goal of sustained abstine nce and convalescence of their lives.Indeed, scientific research and clinical entrust direct demo the value of go along carry off in treating addiction, with a variety of approaches having been tested and integrated in residential and community cometings such as yard bird and revealpatient community programs. The use of 13-step principles is crucial for addiction dis way of life to be powerful and/or fruitful. 13 Principles for Effective sermon 1) Family and the drug addict must signalise and conduce in that drug addiction is a complex but treatable illness that affects brain functioning and behavior.They enquire to be conscious(predicate) that the abuse of any drug alters the brains structure and function. The alterations provide result in changes which will continue for a long time even after the drug use is stopped. It also will make the family and the drug addict to understand wherefore drug abusers could relapse at any time even if s/he still in interpositio n, has experienced potential differencely devastating consequences, and/or has had long periods of abstinence. Hart & Ksir (2013) note Drugs work on the body to cause a mood-altering effect by the chemical impact they induce on the brain. Through the blood supply, the drug is carried to the brain. erst the drug is released to the brain, the drugs effect begins because the brain concent evaluate on the drug (p. 88). 2) Family and the drug addict must understand that no genius discussion is sufficient, adequate, or allot for everyone. Each intervention differs depending on the characteristics of the patient. For example, the sheath of drug being apply, the period of time that the drug has been used, the age and race of the individual, surroundingsal conditions, genetic influences, behavior, the wiliness and ability to fight to the interposition, life style, and the broader health of the individual, and so onThe topic Institute of Drug Abuse notes that Drug addiction sh at omic number 18s many features with other chronic illnesses, including a tendency to run in families (heritability), an onset and course that is influenced by environ rational conditions and behavior, and the ability to respond to appropriate manipulation, which whitethorn consent long-term lifestyle modification. adult male studies of addictive behaviors realize clearly implicated both environ rational and genetic influences, as well as interactions between the two. epoch genetics play a major(ip) role in defining who we are, the environment in which we are raised is neertheless as influential (NIDA, n. d. ). The good fit intervention setting, such as interventions, therapies, and others function designed except to the individuals particular problems and take, is crucial for that person to victory to return to his or her normal and productive life. 3) discussion must be easy addressable. Many qualified individuals struggle even when they decide to entering treatmen t.This step is precise for them, so the program should be right onward available for them in order to take full advantage of the available function. When the treatment program is not slowly accessible, potential patients will be lost, and the likelihood of overconfident outcome for those patients will diminish because as with other chronic diseases, when the treatment is offered prior in the disease functioning, the probability of controlling outcomes will be greater.If the treatment is easily available, Overall, it will be considered to be legal because it will help many people to abstain often for many years The benefits far exceed the cost of providing the programs (Hart & Ksir, 2013, p. 423). 4) An effective treatment shouldnt include only the recognize of drug abuse, but the divers(a) needs of the individuals as well. Hart & Ksir (2013) control that Substance dependence is often a chronic illness that shares many characteristics with other chronic illness such as d iabetes, hypertension, and asthma (p. 422).A treatment to be considered effective, it must address the individuals drug abuse issue and all the related issues surrounding the addiction, for example, checkup, psychological, physical, environmental, biological, neighborly, vocational, and legal problems, among others. Also, age, gender, ethnicity, cordial status, and culture should be taken into account. 5) Staying in treatment for a well-founded period of time is crucial. Long-term treatment of more than three months tends to create more cover habits, as well as allows the thickening more time to develop etter methods to interdict relapse (Shewood, 2013). A long-term treatment is especially good for those individuals recovering from using drugs for a very long period of time. The appropriate length for a particularised individual will depend on the lawsuit of drug used and the dot of his or her problems and necessities. Many studies lay down demonstrated that most addicted individuals will need at least three months in treatment to greatly reduce or stop using drugs. In addition, the studies have showed that the best results take buttocks with monthlong durations of treatments.Recovering from any type of drug addiction is not an easy business to do, but with a long-term extremity and sometimes the requirement of multiple episodes of treatment, the recuperation is possible. Sometimes relapses could occur. To prevent this, individuals should not hand the treatment prematurely. A treatment program should include a set of strategies to engage, motivate, and intimidate its patients in treatment. 6) behaviour therapies should be included. way therapies such as counseling (individual, peer, and/or group) are very effective forms of treatment for drug abusers.These therapies whitethorn include motive the patient to change, providing incentives for abstinence, building skills or abilities to gybe drug use, substituting drug-using activities for pos itive, helpful, and rewarding activities, maturation or improving problem-solving skills, and facilitating better social relationships. The participation in those therapy programs (individual, peer, or group) during the treatment will greatly help drug addicted individuals to maintain drug free. 7) medicinal drug is a fundamental part for the treatment of numerous patients.To obtain better result, they whitethorn be combined with behavioral therapies. Hart & Ksir (2013) state the following An intense nitty-gritty of research efforts have heightened on developing medications to treat substance abuse and dependence Some medications that have been used to help substance abusers deal with withdrawal symptoms and maintain abstinence from alcohol, nicotine, opioids, cocaine, and cannabis are Benzodiazepines, Disulfiram, Naltrexone, Acamprosate, Bupropion, Varenicline, Metha do, Buprenorphine, Naltrexone, Modafinil, and Dronabinol (pp. 414-415).As with all complex diseases, the environ ment plays a vital role in the life of the individual to determine the course and outcome of the disease. 8) The individuals architectural blueprint such as his or her treatment, resources, and services must be evaluated constantly. The constant evaluation of the treatment plan is a very important thing that should be done to ensure the program is meeting his or her present or changing needs, if not, it should be modified right away. The modification could include a combination of services and treatments during the process of treatment and recovery.Those changes can be counseling, medication, psychotherapy, medical services, social skills, parenting education, vocational training, and legal services, etc. The continue evaluation and changes during the treatment will provide very positive outcomes to the patient. 9) subject individuals should be treated for other mental disorders too. Because many drug abusers beside their drug addiction fill from other mental illness, they mus t be evaluated and treated for the specific mental illness as well.The treatment should focus on both the addiction and the mental disease with the inclusion of medications if they are needed. The subject area Institute of Drug Abuse note that When two disorders or illnesses occur at the same time in the same person, they are called comorbid. Surveys show that drug abuse and other mental illnesses are often comorbid. Six out of ten people with a substance use disorder also suffer from another form of mental illness. in effect(p) the high prevalence of these comorbidities does not inculpate that one condition caused the other, even if one appeared first.Patients with mood or anxiety disorders are about twice as promising to also suffer from a drug disorder. In addition, patients with drug disorders are close to twice as likely to be diagnosed with mood or anxiety disorders. The rates of specific comorbidities also vary by gender. Among men and women in drug treatment, unsocia ble personality disorder is more harsh in men, while women have high rates of major depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and other anxiety disorders. 10) Detoxification medically support should be just the first phase of drug addiction treatment.Detoxification can be viewed as an initial and immediate goal during which medications are administered to alleviate unpleasant withdrawal symptoms that may appear following abrupt termination of drug use (Hart & Ksir, 2013, p. 415). Medically assisted detoxification can securely manage the not bad(p) physical and psychological symptoms of withdrawal. 11) Any type of drug use during the whole treatment should be monitored constantly to prevent relapses. For many patients, the alertness that their drug use is monitored all the time is a powerful incentive, and many times it also helps them to stay away from drugs.Moreover, supervise is helpful to prevent possible returning to drug use. If the continuously monitoring shows that the client is using drugs again, the treatment plan for that specific individual should be change to better meet his or her needs. 12. Treatment programs must assess its patients for sexually genetical diseases such as HIV, AIDS, chlamydia, hepatitis, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases as well. Counseling to help drug-addicted patients to modify or change their behaviors which place them at risk of contracting or spreading any infectious disease is a very important tour of the treatment.If the counseling is focused specifically on how to reduce sexually transmitted diseases that put the patients at risk, it could help those patients to reduce or avoid substance-related and other high-risk behaviors. If a patient is already infected, s/he will manage with more office his or her disease, and also it will help oneself adherence to other medical treatments. 13) The addiction treatment plan should be hundred percent ethical. Counselors, as mental authorities, have a lot of po wer, so they never should use this power for personal reasons or beliefs (such as bias) or to reject a patient.Counselors always must follow the NAADAC set of ethical codes when working with patients. According to the NAADAC, counselors have the power to do great, good, or great harm. Counselors always must remember Today, let me remember my power and take care to use it wisely. In addition, the counselor should lead the fact that the patient has the right to accept or refuse any treatment plan when s/he is aware of the pros and cons of the treatment. The counselor is not supposed to go against the patients will. ConclusionDrugs have been a part of our society for many years now. Every year, hundreds of thousands of Americans receive treatment for substance abuse. Drug addiction is a complex illness that is considered a brain disease. Many drug-addicted individuals in order to become drug free, they must undergo an effective treatment program that typically incorporate many compon ents. Each component must be directed to a particular aspect of the illness and its consequences. The use of 13-step principles is crucial for any addiction treatment to be effective and/or fruitful.They are (1) Family and the drug addict must recognize and understand that drug addiction is a complex but treatable illness that affects brain functioning and behavior (2) Family and the drug addict must understand that no single treatment is sufficient, adequate, or appropriate for everyone (3) Treatment must be easily available (4) An effective treatment should include the issue of drug abuse, and also the diverse needs of the individuals (5) Staying in treatment for a reasonable period of time is crucial (6) Behavior therapies should be included (7) Medication is a fundamental part for the treatment of many patients. 8) The individuals plan such as his or her treatment, resources, and services must be evaluated constantly (9) Drug-addicted individuals should be treated for other ment al disorders too (10) Detoxification medically assisted should be just the first phase of drug addiction treatment (11) Any type of drug use during the whole treatment should be monitored constantly to prevent relapses (12) Treatment programs must assess its patients for sexually transmitted diseases and (13) The addiction treatment plan should be hundred percent ethical.