Value Pluralism and Absolute Moral Judgments Essay

Widespread and deep moral disagreements are persistently resistant to rational solutions and thus allow for continuing debate over the validity of moral judgments. This paper will discuss prominent positions regarding whether moral judgments may be true and false in an absolute sense or a relative sense, in light of the diverse and intense disagreement in moral judgment. This paper will defend the pluralistic conclusion that if there are not specific universal values, there is at least a minimum value of humanity without which a society could not survive. Moral judgments may be true and false in the absolute sense of this minimum. There are two main categories to classify different positions regarding moral judgments. Normative Moral†¦show more content†¦In her â€Å"Non-Relative Virtues: an Aristotelian Approach†, Martha Nussbaum examines different daily and universal human experiences in which most people must participate. Through this examination Nussbaum defends a version of Moral Objectivism, this one heavily supported by Aristotle, that there is indeed a single objective account of the human good based on our common humanity. However, it is Isaiah Berlin’s version of pluralism in his â€Å"Pursuit of the Ideal† that fully encompasses the nature of moral judgments, calling for a base level of absolute moral judgment and then allowing for relativism in other areas of moral judgment. Throughout this essay, we will assume that there is a world of objective values, that is to say, there is a world of those ends to which individuals strive simply for the sake of those ends, to which all other things are merely means. We also assume that some problems may be solved, but that every solution generates a new situation with new needs, problems, and complications. 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The Civil War Was A Long Term Issue - 1622 Words

The Civil War was a momentous time in American history. America was a country divided with two regions waging war on each other. The north and the south were split apart into the Union and the Confederacy. South Carolina was the first to secede from the Union and was followed by ten more states. The complexity as to why eleven states seceded from the Union has been a question that historians have explored for years. Explanations such as political and economic issues have been uncovered. Slavery has also been an explanation as to why the Civil War was caused. Historians have looked into the years before the Civil War to discover that slavery was a long term issue that caused many disputes and compromises. From how to give power to slave†¦show more content†¦The first time an issue appeared was at the Philadelphia Convention of 1787. There, delegates argued over how to count African Americans in a state’s population for apportionment in the House of Representatives. Th e north, who had already abolished slavery in some states, proposed to only count free persons. This idea would hurt the south because the majority of their population were enslaved African Americans. The resolution provided was called the three-fifths compromise; every five slaves would count as three people. This solution worked for about two decades until the United States doubled its size with the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 (Earle 9). Since the United States had more territory to settle after the Louisiana Purchase, the north and south were both attempting to add free states and slave states to the country. There was an equal amount of slave states and free states in the Union until Missouri applied to be a slave state. The addition of Missouri would make for twelve slave holding states and eleven free states. The disproportion of slave states to free states caused an uproar in the nation over the expansion of slavery into the new territory. The compromise to this issue was comp osed by Speaker of the House, Henry Clay. Clay proposed, â€Å"†¦and the said state, when formed, shall be admitted into the Union, upon an equal footing with the original states, in all respects whatsoever.† (Transcript of Missouri 1). The state of Missouri

How Laughter Benefits Our Health Free Essays

It is a known fact that laughter is advantageous and useful to our health. Many specialists agree that laughter brings to numerous positive effects of psychological nature, and also it improves our physical condition. For example, according to a recent study of medical researchers from the University of Maryland, laughter helps to keep our facial muscles in tonus, lowers the risks of heart attack, improves our immune system, etc. We will write a custom essay sample on How Laughter Benefits Our Health or any similar topic only for you Order Now Besides, it was discovered that laughter can play the role of an analgesic, relieve pains, increase pain tolerance threshold, and this effect is a psychological one, because no prove of a related chemical reaction was found (Reader’s Digest, 2005). At the same time, there are other psychological outcomes of laughter. Elisabeth Scott, a stress management and family therapy specialist, points on various positive effects of laughter as one of the most effective tools to control and manage our stresses. Those include opportunities to distract and to divert one’s attention from anger, depression, tension, or other distressing emotions to funny and joyful things, and this way to avoid possible harmful aftereffects of stresses. In addition, â€Å"..laughter provides a physical and emotional release,† it helps to relax, feel more comfortable and hopeful (Scott, 2007). Finally, laughter can be a good exercise to improve own self-perception and abilities to interact, because it helps us establish good contact and socialize more effectively. Undoubtedly, laughter is very healthy for human psychology and mind, because it helps to develop positive and enthusiastic disposition, forms optimistic perspectives, as well as stimulates good and cheerful mood. Specialists found out that young children laugh about 400 times a day, however, adult people laugh only about 17 times a day (Scott, 2007). That is why it is vital to incorporate into our daily routine more and more of good but controlled laughter, which will help to take this life less seriously and focus on positive or encouraging ideas. References Laugh Your Way to Good Health. (2005, September). Reader’s Digest. The Reader’s Digest Association Inc. Retrieved January 19, 2008 Scott, E. (2007, November 7). The Stress Management and Health Benefits of Laughter. About. About Inc., The New York Times Company. Retrieved January 19, 2008, from ;http://stress.about.com/od/stresshealth/a/laughter.htm;. How to cite How Laughter Benefits Our Health, Essay examples

Youth Gang Problem in the United Kingdom

Question: Critically assess the argument that there is a youth gang problem in the UK? Answer: Gang problem was always a concerning issue in the different areas of the United Kingdom. But, according to the recent statistics data, one astonishing fact came out that, gang violence and criminal activity rates among the youth population of the United Kingdom is gradually increasing. The youth population of any country is considered to the future human resource and asset of the country. Destructive factors like gang violence, harm and damages that the youth population, resulting in the stalled economic growth and social structure. According to a statistical data, more than 35% of all the people in gangs are juvenile (Batchelor, 2009). This is one of the most concerning fact for both the government and general citizens. According to a study, researchers have pointed out five main reasons for what youth tends to join gangs. The first reason is that a young individual thinks that he belongs to such community. This is more like a psychological aspect. The second most predominant reason is that they join gangs for the protection from violence caused by other gangs. Thirdly, one of the major reasons is the poverty. To earn huge amount money in a very short span of time, Youth of the United Kingdom join gangs and commit different criminal activities. Fourth reason scholars pointed out is the lack of engagement in schools and other education systems (Brown, 2005). It is a known fact that knowledge provides wisdom. Youth who do not afford education, is influenced to join criminal groups and gangs. Lastly, lack of parental supervision is one of the reasons pointed out. Twelve to eighteen is the age, where youths tend to divert on the wrong path. If there is any absence of proper parental guidance, the youth will join criminal groups, commit criminal activities. The primary goal of this essay is to highlight the issues regarding the youth gang problem with proper evidence, the causes of such phenomenon and provide an adequate notion of gangs. This essay will also assess the evidence and historical prospects of gangs in the United Kingdom. Finally, this essay will provide, whether there is a youth gang problem or not (Cohen, 2002). Generally, a gang is noted as a play group that exists parallel with the family and neighbourhood. On criminal activity, a gang is considered to be a group of individuals, working together and participating in different criminal activities. A fascinating fact regarding gangs is that different individuals work co-ordinating and co-operative in different criminal activities. These groups comprising of recurrently associated individuals with a properly identified leadership and organizational structure try to control the criminal activity in a particular territory. According to an article by Hallsworth and Young, there are mainly three kinds of youth gangs, first are Peer groups that are involved in petty and unorganized crimes. The second one is Gangs, which uses different deadly violence acts and the third one is Organized Criminal Groups, which operate in black market dealings. In these organizations, youth population works as a part of the entire adult organized group. The researche rs of USA use terms such as group identity, controlling territory, wearing distinguishing colors, hierarchies of power and leadership to categorize gang activities. The scholar belonging to the United Kingdom primarily focuses on factors like youth subculture, delinquent youth groups, and groups of young people who spend time together (South and Brisman, 2013). There is also a strong belief among general people is that all gangs are associated with criminal activities. There is also a huge argument in both aspects of this phenomenon. Some researchers like Pitts, suggest that gangs are purely and solely associated with crimes and criminal activities. He also noted that gangs generally operate within dealing and controlling drug markets, realty and housing estates, and they also use the tool of violence to coerce people into membership of their gang (Smith and Bradshaw, 2005). Current political parties also support and affiliate the fact that there is a gang problem in the UK. The United Kingdom coalition Government is also blamed for the UK riots that took place in the year of 2011. The 2011 United Kingdom gang riots are considered to be the stoutest example of the fact that there is a rising gang problem in the UK. One of the major aspects of these riots is that it escalated anxieties among the authorities about the gang culture in the United Kingdom. The aftermath of the riot was so severe that current Prime Minister David Cameron announced a concerted all-out war on gangs and gang culture. He also put the demolition of the gang culture as the national priority. The United Kingdom acted spontaneously and appointed the gang expert Bill Bratton as the Advisor on gang warfare. The government arranged a fund of 10 million pounds for the diminution of the gang problem in the United Kingdom. (Davies, 2008) There are some reports suggesting the fact that the blame of the 2011 riots falsely associated with the name of gangs by the Government. According to the Government report, only one of the four arrests made had a connection with gangs. The statistical data shows that ten percent of the all arrests were reported to be gang affiliated. This emphasizes the fact that, involve of gang members were in a minimal level. It was also proved that the gang members involved did not play a pivotal role (Goldson, 2011). To understand the overall concept of the youth gang crimes. It is important to evaluate the historical prospect of gang culture. Psychological studies suggest that troublesome youths have a higher affinity towards criminal gangs. Geoffrey Pearsonss Hooligan concept offers the reminder regarding the existence of delinquent youth groups. Famous examples of 19th-century gangs are like Scuttlers, Hooligan, Peaky Blinders (Councils and via, 2010). There also a phenomenon of girl gangs in the United Kingdom. This phenomenon was highlighted from the time of the 1990s. In a newspaper In British media, Girl gangs were termed as the most violent in the world. Statistical data show that nearly 30% of the English and Scottish girls aged between eleven to fifteen had been in a fight in the previous year. It is found in different studies that gangs of the United Kingdom are not structurally similar with the gangs in the United States of America. Statistical data suggest that people self-defining themselves as a gang member is nearly about 3% to 5% of the total youth population. The involvement of youths in gangs is about fourteen to fifteen, and the percentage is about twelve percent. These youths drop away at the age of eighteen to nineteen and about two percent of the total population. In the United States of America, police department estimates that there are a total number of $881 gangs and approximately 249,324 gang members in the country. According to reports of the London police department, there is a total number of 160 gangs are currently present and operating in the London region. The data also suggest that nearly 600 to 700 young people are estimated involved directly in the region of London Borough of Waltham Forest region. It is calculated that around 8,100 people are affected by the criminal activities of the gang in London (Laidler and Hunt, 2001). Some it is mistaken that any sort of criminal activity is considered as a gang act. There are many cases like the murder of eleven-year-old Damilola Taylor and (2000), and murder of Toni Anne Byfield (2007) was mistakenly considered to be a gang act. Another term that is used is postcode wars that are used for describing gang activities. It mainly refers to the territorial control in the areas of Liverpool, London, Manchester and Birmingham. It is also used as the evidence of gang problems. However, before the evidence of gang culture, working class people were victimized of gang activity. According to recent studies, there evidences of burgeoning gang culture present in Britain. Media and newspapers often exaggerate the gang concept. The fundamental problem is the street-based urban violence acts. Violent street crimes are the most vital problem and sometimes it is associated with gang activities (MacDonal and Marsh, 2005). Recent time has witnessed growing concern around the presence of youth gangs and engagement of the members in a conflict involving weapons like knifes. However, there lie some discrepancies regarding the reliable and useful evidence that relate to nature, prevalence and form of youth gangs and knife carrying in the United Kingdom. In spite of this, the concept of the gang and the harm caused by them has been in the speculation of the media, research and the government policy. This has led people to blame the youth for being the reason for the downfall of the society by taking part in a gang. However, this cannot be considered as new phenomena (Vasquez, Osman and Wood, 2012). Since the 1960s, research on British society has put the focus on groups like punks, rude boys, skinheads and chavs. According to the NARCO, youth offence fell between the year 1993 and 2001. Britain has been one of the lowest youth crime rates in Europe. However, the media does not take into consideration this a spect, and makes young people folk devil'. Moral panic is created due to his. Around 1.5 million people in Britain consider moving home due to young people hanging around in their neighbourhood. It is significant to discuss the issue regarding the problems caused (gov.scot, 2016). The importance of youth gangs in the United Kingdom relates the issue they cause about community cohesion and society cohesion. Although NACRO said that the youth offending has fallen, young people getting involved in gangs are disproportionately involved in severe crime (londonfunders.org.uk, 2016). An important issue that comes up in this regard is reluctant gangsters'. They do not have the wish to be an active part of a particular gang, but they are not able to gain any other form of employment. Therefore, they are left with no other option but to get back to the gang lifestyle. Those who make a deliberate attempt to leave the gang they are a part of usually are at the risk of victimisation. This issue is also an impact for the family as they have a tendency to fall a victim of retaliation attack. Mental and physical harassment are immense. Police raids and stigma are the concerns they are bound to face. Since many youths join gangs at a young age, the impact of the actions is usu ally not apparent before some steps can be taken (Goldson, 2011). Ethnic minorities are usually over-presented in the media and British police lists of youth gangs. Since such youth gangs are more commonly found in sectors populated by ethnic minorities, people have a tendency to avoid consciously such areas and move away from such areas that allow the area to get worse. Ethnicity may not be such a robust predictor of taking part in a gang in the United Kingdom. Researches done on British youth gangs give support for this view. Gangs found in Manchester are ethnically mixed when ethnicity mixture is found in the neighbourhood. On the contrary, in Edinburgh, where there is more ethnical homogeneity, gangs are mostly of white origin. The ethnic composition of such youth gangs is therefore not separate from the ethnic composition of other youth groups in Britain (Smithson, Ralphs and Williams, 2013). Police actions taken up against the gangs are described as intelligence-led. However, the quality, nature and ethical deployment of information are still in controversy. Studies have stated that youth is being targeted solely by the association they have with known gang members along with proof of exclusionary experiences. Some examples are uncertain employment prospects, school exclusion, and excessive attention from police that attribute to erroneous labelling (Coid et al. 2013). More than 80 youngsters died as a result of violence caused by gangs in Britain in 2008. In London, around 25 people were stabbed to death. More than 170 gangs, having their members as young as ten-year-olds, have been brought under notice by the police team of London alone. Many are thought to be the loose affiliations of friends from the similar area intent of having control over a turf or a territory. Postcodes define such territories. The penalty that is levied when there are cases of straying in the wrong area is being beaten, robbed or stabbed. Many of these teenagers are now found to be carrying with them knife due to fear. Such weapons are used for defending themselves when attacks happen. Experts put down the opinion that the blame is to be placed on the breakdown of the family and social life and raise of e certain gang culture. The gang has been found to be replacing the family unit, and the youngsters are provided a sense of belonging and structure that in built within th em pride. Such pride often lead to murder. Concern around gang culture is rapidly increasing, but certain myths are constantly revolving around such issues. Gangs have the potential to lead youngsters into situations that are dangerous. Their lives are filled with fear and distrust. They find the security, friendship and support in the gang. But for the society, it becomes a threat. Youth crime is a social problem. We cannot deny the fact that youth gang and youth crime are an integral part of consumer culture. Young people living in groups and gangs are marked as antisocial, and they are much more prone to do the crime (by.uk, 2016). Much has been done by the government in this regard and some significant steps have been put forward. In the year 2007, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom held summits that were dedicated to guns and knife crime. The government had announced a three point plan for tackling gang and gun crime. The focus was on courts, policing and community prevention. Across the broad spectrum of politics, amendments were called for to have protection schemes for safe houses' and escaping gangs (Croall, 2011). The recent research works have shown that the gang members are involved in various anti-social activities. The gang members tend to perform various criminal activities like drug dealing, killing, robbery, snubbing. Some of the gangs even commit other types of horrendous crimes like sex offending, rape and even homicide. The research work that was conducted by Bullock and Tilley's has found that the Southern part of the Manchester have arrested an average of 12 people who belong from a specific gang and groups (Belknap 2014). Apart from this, the OCJS statistics has provided insight into the actual conditions in the streets of the United Kingdom where the gangs and criminal groups dominate the streets and lanes. OCJS statistics also showed that six percent of the people have self-reported that they have been involved in any criminal gangs or groups in the United Kingdom. This report is phenomenal as it has provided a huge figure that has provided insight about the fifth of the core of fences and over 45 per cent of burglaries and criminal activities have been conducted by the majority of the gang members (Van Houdt et al. 2011). Apart from this, it has been found that the gang membership has provided a direct impact on the individual's offending. Moreover, the OCJS report also highlighted that 65 percent of the gang members has somewhat agreed of committing the horrendous crime and also involved in gangs. However, various research statistics has shown that in the past there was the prevalence of sub cultures which has contributed immensely to the modern gang system of the United Kingdom (Buonanno et al. 2011). However, the old concept of the subcultures differs considerably with the modern gang ideologies in the United Kingdom. The sub cultural groups are highly motivated, and they promote the ideologies of the social movement within the territory of the British Crown. Some researchers also consider this sub culture groups as the street corner groups of the United Kingdom who draws similar ideologies from the gangs of the American inner city. However this sub cultural gangs in the streets of Old United Kingd om has no leaders, and the boys seem to enjoy each other's company, and even they commit less number of social crimes (Lynch and Pridemore 2011). However, various researchers and analysts have proposed that the street gangs are primarily the youth and young population of the country of United Kingdom. These people have selected a life of vagabond, restless and criminality because of various related factors. It has been found in the recent statistics that the area within the United Kingdom which has the less number of job opportunities has resulted in such reckless and horrific groups (Duke 2013). Moreover, in the United Kingdom, most of the people are busy in earning money, and most of the parents in the family have very less time in properly nurturing and supervising their children. This less time with the parents and family have forced and motivated the children who are mostly home alone to come out of their den (Walsh 2011). This bold gesture from the side of the children often assists them in mixing up with the spoilt brat' and criminal and offensive minded youths in the society. This is the first and the foremost step whe re the children move in the world of criminality. Now, if we just concentrate and highlight the hierarchy of the United Kingdom's society, we would found that the society is distributed into three social classes. These three classes are the Higher or sophisticated class, middle class and finally the lower class. This lower class or under class people are the people who are living a life of extreme poverty and are spending their livelihood in the streets of the United Kingdom . The youth that belong from this underclass and under privileged people of the United Kingdom has the higher tendency to perform a deviant sub cultural solutions'. Moreover, this deviant ideology of the underclass youths of the streets of the United Kingdom has shown to create their values and attitudes. This attitudes and behaviour often lead the particular youth to commit social crimes and other anti-social activities (Christopher 2015). Apart from this, it was also surveyed that most of the under privileged people who are living the life of extreme poverty reside from the refugee groups. In the United Kingdom alone there are more than 1,00,000 refugees. This refugee (especially Blacks) has a natural tendency of robbery and criminal activities. It has been observed that the Blacks in the United Kingdom has the higher percentage and chances to construct a gang based on the anti-social ideologies and anti-government activities leading to the formation of a social criminal gang and increase in crime rates within the nation of the United Kingdom (Farrell et al. 2011). Other researchers and social workers have suggested and verified various families with a dysfunctional are seem to get marginalized from the main stream society and the people. However, it has been found and researched that the people who search for money and status and inevitably inclined to the crime and anti-social activities within a country. Moreover, there is a major base of people who are unemployed and are struggling in their daily life to earn a single day food are seem o have the higher criminal mindsets. The youth who belong from these strata of people are found to possess greater tendency and aspirations to break their economic shackle and want to be a modern-day' Robin Hood. For this inspirational mindset, they tend to change the social hierarchy and want to commence their ideologies in the society. Being youth, they have a rebellious set of mind, and they try to change the social and society's policy. This all inflict a sense of social crime and gangs in the streets of the United Kingdom. However, it is wrong to state that all unemployed people in the streets of the United Kingdom are not influenced by these criminal activities, however, it is also observed that various low incoming people have a trait of law-abiding persons and are very much in love of their nation of United Kingdom . On the other hand, it is also argued that it is very much difficult to explain the past and foremost explanations that are leading the modern phenomenon of youth gang culture' in the United Kingdom. However, most of the researchers believe that the culture is a dynamic thing, and it is not in a static position (Heidensohn and Gelsthorpe 2012). This dynamic nature of the society has helped the youth of the society to grab various ideologies that are commonly shown in the movies, media and depict the same in their daily life that has ultimately led to the formation of the youth gang culture in the United Kingdom. This is the conclusive reasons that contribute to the higher rise of criminal activities in the streets of the United Kingdom committed by the youths (Munice and Wilson 2013). It is true that prevalence of youth gang is a problem in the modern society in the United Kingdom. But some controversy is present regarding this issue. Some aspects of youth gang are a matter of controv ersy, especially the topic of the minority community. The government must look into the matter that over speculation does not happen regarding the topic, and there is no unnecessary harm caused to the general people. References Batchelor, S., 2009. Girls, gangs and violence: Assessing the evidence.Probation Journal,56(4), pp.399-414. Belknap, J., 2014.The invisible woman: Gender, crime, and justice. Cengage Learning. by.uk,(2016).[online]Available at: https://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelpsubject/socsci/topbib/gang/knifecrimeitalics.pdf [Accessed 11 Jan. 2016]. Brown, S., 2005.Understanding youth and crime: listening to youth?. McGraw-Hill Education (UK). Buonanno, P., Drago, F., Galbiati, R. and Zanella, G., 2011. Crime in Europe and the United States: dissecting the reversal of misfortunes.Economic Policy,26(67), pp.347-385. Christopher, D.P., 2015.British culture: an introduction. Routledge. Cohen, S. (2002) Folk devils and moral panics: the creation of the mods and rockers, Revised edition, Abingdon: Routledge Coid, J.W., Ullrich, S., Keers, R., Bebbington, P., DeStavola, B.L., Kallis, C., Yang, M., Reiss, D., Jenkins, R. and Donnelly, P., 2013. Gang membership, violence, and psychiatric morbidity.American journal of psychiatry,170(9), pp.985-993. Councils, L. and Viac, C., 2010. Confronting London's violent street world. Croall, H. (2011).Crime and Society in Britain. Pearson, pp.178-180. Davies, A., 2008.The Gangs of Manchester: The Story of the Scuttlers, Britain's First Youth Cult. Preston: Milo Books. Duke, K., 2013. From crime to recovery the reframing of British drugs policy?.Journal of drug issues,43(1), pp.39-55. Farrell, G., Tilley, N., Tseloni, A. and Mailley, J., 2011. The crime drop and the security hypothesis.Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, p.0022427810391539. Goldson, B. (2011).Youth in Crisis: gangs, territoriality and violence. Abingdon: Routledge. Goldson, B. ed., 2011.Youth in crisis?:'gangs', territoriality and violence. Routledge. gov.scot, (2016). [online] Available at: https://www.gov.scot/resource/doc/324191/0104329.pdf [Accessed 11 Jan. 2016]. Heidensohn, F. and Gelsthorpe, L., 2012.Gender and crime(pp. 336-369). Oxford University Press. Laidler, K.J. and Hunt, G., 2001. Accomplishing femininity among the girls in the gang.British journal of criminology,41(4), pp.656-678. londonfunders.org.uk,(2016).[online]Available at: https://www.londonfunders.org.uk/sites/default/files/images/LondonGangsfinal.pdf [Accessed 11 Jan. 2016]. Lynch, J.P. and Pridemore, W.A., 2011. Crime in international perspective.Crime and public policy, pp.5-52. MacDonald, R. and Marsh, J., 2005.Disconnected youth? Growing up in Britain's poor neighbourhoods. Palgrave Macmillan. Muncie, J. and Wilson, D., 2013.Student handbook of criminal justice and criminology. Routledge. Smith, D.J. and Bradshaw, P., 2005.Gang membership and teenage offending. University of Edinburgh, Centre for Law and Society. Smithson, H., Ralphs, R. and Williams, P., 2013. Used and Abused The Problematic Usage of Gang Terminology in the United Kingdom and Its Implications for Ethnic Minority Youth.British Journal of Criminology,53(1), pp.113-128. South, N. and Brisman, A., 2013. Critical green criminology, environmental rights and crimes of exploitation.New directions in crime and deviancy, pp.99-110. Van Houdt, F., Suvarierol, S. and Schinkel, W., 2011. Neoliberal communitarian citizenship: Current trends towards earned citizenshipin the United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands.International sociology,26(3), pp.408-432. Vasquez, E.A., Osman, S. and Wood, J.L., 2012. Rumination and the Displacement of Aggression in United Kingdom Gangà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Affiliated Youth.Aggressive behavior,38(1), pp.89-97. Walsh, C., 2011. Youth justice and neuroscience: A dual-use dilemma.British journal of criminology,51(1), pp.21-39.

William Bradford Analysis Essay Example For Students

William Bradford Analysis Essay A. Background on the AuthorWilliam Bradford was born in 1590. He was a very smart child, and taught himself how to several languages. He also studied the bible quite frequently. When he turned 18, he was in a separatist group and they broke away from the church. They went to Holland so they wouldn’t be killed. He then was one of the members on the Mayflower heading to America. He made it there in December 1620. Bradford became the governor of the Massachusetts colony. He was there a very long time because he was re-elected thirty times. We will write a custom essay on William Bradford Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now He then died in 1657.B. Authors Major Works and AwardsThe History of Plymouth PlantationC. Title and Genre of the Selection ReadThe history of Plymouth Plantation D. Brief Plot Summary This story was about believing in god. What I got out of the story was this†¦if you do good things and are true to god, you get rewarded. Your reward was life. If you do bad things you die. John Howland was a good man and did good things to show god that he appreciated him. Therefor when he was in trouble and feel off that ship, god saved him and made it possible for him to hold on to something to pull himself up. That other man that didn’t do things to show god that he appreciated him got sick and died. E. SettingOn the sea heading to Cape CodF. Main CharactersSquanto, Samoset, John Howland, William BradfordG. Theme/Purpose The puritans were very religious. They wanted to show everyone what happens if you are good and believe in god and the heavens. If you do bad things you would be punished or be killed. If you do good things you can be hand chosen to go to heaven. H. Literary Terms or DevicesAllusionI. Personal Response SectionI think that believing in god is a great thing. I believe in god and the heavens with all of my heart and soul. I want to believe that it is all true. I think the puritans were great people, but their beliefs were too strong for me. I agree with some of their beliefs, but others are in my opinion are dumb. I strongly disagree with their belief that everyone is born evil. I think that everyone is born pure and empty. I think that society and parents put evil and even good in people. I don’t believe that god gives you favors either. I think that everything happens at the spur of the moment. God doesn’t have say in everything that happens. I really believe in accidents and the puritans didn’t. I think that god has nothing to do with accidents. They just happen, but I do think that god allows accidents, but doesn’t create them. Along with the puritans I believe that god handpicks you to go to heaven, but the puritans believed that only 1-2 people made it to heaven. Well I partially agree except I think everyone is allowed in heaven unless they do something to make people unable to go there. I think that god handpicks the ones that don’t get to heaven. Back to the story, I think the guy dying in the beginning was an accident. I think that accidents happen and this was one of them. And for the guy in the beginning, I think it was a common known miracle. Stuff happens and he just got really lucky. I also don’t think that people like the puritans shouldn’t base their whole lives upon 2 incidents. History Essays

Has Globalisation Led To Economic Growth

Has Globalisation Led To Economic Growth Globalization is the increased interdependence of nations due to increased integration of individuals, finance and trade (Ritzer 2011, pp. 2). It is characterized by increased integration and interaction of individuals, governments and companies (Scholte 2005, pp. 2).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Has Globalisation Led To Economic Growth? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More International trade and investment are the key factors that drive globalization. These two elements are the essential components of globalization. Additionally, advances in information technology allow the process of globalization to occur. Globalization affects the environment, political systems, culture and the economy. This paper seeks to determine whether globalization has resulted into economic growth in various countries. The process of globalization began after the end of World War 2. However, in the 1980s, technological developments and lib eralization of the capital markets and trade accelerated the process of globalization. Improvements in technology resulted into a reduction in transportation, computation and communication costs. The reduction in these costs enabled firms to undertake different phases of the production processes in different countries. Liberalization of trade has made many governments not to offer protection to their domestic industries. Therefore, industries in such countries face foreign competition. Hence, firms must produce high quality goods and services to be able to compete globally (Anwar 2002, pp. 411). This promotes economic growth of different countries.Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Globalization increases the market that a country’s producers can access. Notably, countries that participate in globalization benefit from unrestricted trade with other countri es (Phelps 2007, pp. 371). Producers in a country are able to market their produce worldwide. In addition, a country’s economy can benefit from global division of labour. International division of labour makes domestic producers specialize in lines of production. This results into efficiency in the production processes. The result of efficiency, specialization and international competition is increased variety of products in the domestic market due to domestic and foreign production (Gup 2005, pp. 155). Additionally, consumers in a country that participates in globalization enjoy goods and services of high quality at lower prices. This is likely to result into economic growth of that country. Furthermore, countries that trade internationally due to globalization benefit from technological developments that occur in other countries. A country can benefit through acquisition of knowledge used in the manufacture of imported products (Breckenridge Moghaddam 2012, pp. 600). The c ountry can then use this knowledge to begin the production of products that it normally imports. Moreover, the country will create more employment opportunities for its citizens due to domestic production of formerly imported products. Certain governments prefer to protect domestic industries from foreign competition. In many cases, these governments argue that domestic industries require protection until they develop competitive advantages (Thoumrungroje 2004, pp. 2).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Has Globalisation Led To Economic Growth? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The views of such governments are that foreign competition makes domestic firms collapse since most of them have inefficient production processes and have inadequate capital. Governments of third world countries usually reduce quantities of imported goods and services through the imposition of quotas and tariffs. However, protection of domestic i ndustries makes domestic firms produce substandard goods and services. The result of inefficient production processes and production of low quality goods is economic stagnation of a country. In contrast, globalization allows international competition and results into improvement of production processes of domestic firms hence economic growth (Arndt 1998, pp. 480). Attempts by a country to isolate itself can be detrimental to its economy. International trade enables a country to access more goods and services at lower prices. Therefore, it is appropriate for a country to participate in international trade. International trade enables a country to profit from international specialization (Arnold 2010, pp. 300). A country has to determine its comparative advantages. This enables it to survive and improve its economy. However, in case a country does not determine its comparative advantages, its economy is likely to be affected in case there is sudden unfavourable change in terms of trad e. However, international trade, which has resulted due to globalization, has risks. International trade is linked with strong market competition (Gaston 2010, pp. 3). Therefore, firms that are less adaptable and competitive internationally may collapse.Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Additionally, certain industries are critical in a country’s security. Therefore, reliance in other countries to supply it with certain products may be inappropriate. This shows that globalization may not lead to economic growth. However, the benefits of globalization in promotion of economic growth outweigh the negative effects that it has in economic growth of a country. Empirical evidence has shown that globalization contributes immensely towards economic growth. East Asian countries have tremendously benefited from globalization. China and the Republic of Korea are a few examples of countries that have benefited from globalization (Greenberg 1996, pp. 1). China is the fifth largest economy that trades internationally (Welfens 1999, pp. 13). It has maintained a yearly growth rate of about 9.3% in the last 20 years. Currently, it is the sixth largest economy in the world (Peixin 2003, pp. 1). Globalization enabled China to achieve these results. Globalization enabled Korea to improve the effectiveness of market intervention strategies. This enabled Korea to improve the performance of firms such as Hyundai and Samsung (Wen-Heng 2000, pp. 1). Conversely, some countries have not benefited from globalization. Many third world countries have not managed to mix with the international economy. The share that Sub-Sahara Africa has in international trade has declined persistently. Increased association of third world countries with international trade has contributed to slow economic growth through corruption and corporate exploitation. Corporate-led globalization has led to poverty and environmental destruction in Ghana hence lower rate of economic growth (Ofosu 2010, pp. 1). The goal of this paper was to find out whether globalization has led to economic growth. Based on the arguments presented, the benefits of globalization outweigh its costs. Thus, globalization leads to economic growth. It increases the quantity of products that consumers in a country can access. In addition, it makes firms produce goods and services of high quality since they face international competition. However, not all countries have benefited economically from globalization. List of References Anwar, S 2002, Globalization and national economic development: Analyzing benefits and costs, Journal of Business and Management, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 411-423. Arndt, S.W 1998, Super-specialization and the gains from trade, Contemporary Economic Policy, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 480-485. Arnold, R. A, 2010, Economics, South-Western Cengage Learning, Australia. Breckenridge, J Moghaddam, F 2012, Globalization and a Conservative Dilemma: Economic Openness and Retributive Policies, Journal of Social Issues, vol. 68, no. 3, pp. 559-570. Gaston, N. G, 2010, Globalization and economic integration: winners and losers in the Asia-Pacific, Cheltenham, UK. Greenberg, M 1996, Globalization in Korea and Asia. Web. Gup, B. E, 2005, Capital markets, globalization, and economic development, Springer, New York. Ofosu, V 2010, The Effects of Globalization on Ghana. Web. Peixin, Z 2003, China and Globalization. Web. Phelps, A 2007, â€Å"Gaining from Globalization? State Extraterritoriality and Domestic Economic Impacts-The Case of Singapore†, Economic Geography, vol. 83, no. 4, pp. 371-393. Ritzer, G 2011, Globalization: The Essentials, Chichester, West Sussex. Scholte, A 2005, Globalization: A Critical Introduction, Palgrave Macmillan, New York. Thoumrungroje, A 2004, The effects of globalization on marketing strategy and performance, Washington State University, Washington. Welfens, P. J. J, 1999, Globalization, economic growth and innovation dynamics, Springer, New York. Wen-Heng, C 2000, Impacts of Globalization on Asian Developing Economies: Lessons from the Experience of Taiwan and South Korea. Web.

Finanical Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Finanical Management - Essay Example (Investing, 2005) For instance, the US government is the seller of the bonds. When you buy bonds, you become an investor, and they are practically lending money to the US government. The bond bears a promise of the seller to repay the principal amount of the loan at a specified time. When the US Treasury issues a bond, the government guarantees to pay back your principal known as the face value plus interest on maturity. When the investor buys a bond and waits until it matures, he will know exactly how much he is going to receive at the maturity period of the bond. It also called a fixed-income investment as a steady payout is given annually, or semi-annually. For example, you purchase a bond at $1,000 with a fixed rate of 6%, with 4 years of maturity, your income ($60/1000) is $60 which is payable to you every year for 4 years, then you receive the face value of the bond. The coupon rate in bond is fixed and is carried until the maturity of the bond, but the quoted price of the bonds varies because of the interest rates fluctuation. Fluctuations in interest rates values bonds higher or lower than its original value. So when an investor buys a bond and the interest falls, the value of the bond rises, and when the interest rises, the price of the bond falls. Price changes in bonds occur in choices of bonds. Longer term bond prices are more changeable than short term bond prices and more risky. Longer term bonds are more exposed to interest rate risks because the long stream of interest payments to investors does not match the current market interest rates. (AAII) Coupon interest rates vary and changes because it is caused by the fluctuation of rates of interests. Interests in bonds may be fixed, floating or payable at maturity. Interest rates vary because some sellers and buyers of bond want to have an adjustable interest rate which is related to the prevailing market rates. This is called a

American fast food in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

American fast food in China - Essay Example However, McDonald's is the easily recognizable Fast-food brand in China. KFC has got the largest chains of fast-food restaurants in China with approximately 4000 fast-food restaurants. These restaurants are both domestic and foreign brands. The founder of this fried chicken chain of restaurant, Colonel Sanders, is one of the most recognized American faces among the Chinese. There have been emerging scandals that have been aired in relation to the excessive levels of antibiotics that have been used by American fast-food restaurants in China. Brands like KFC and McDonalds have been held responsible for claims that they have led to an epidemic of obesity in China. This weight gain can also be linked to the Chinese breakneck development. Other developing nations are rapidly undergoing an economic transition but China seems to be dragging behind as a result of a large majority of people gaining weight thus cannot manage to work properly to build the nation.The number of obese people in Ch ina grew from 18 million to 100 million in 2005 and 2009, whereas its national GDP doubled at that same period. However, it is quite surprising that even though China is known to have a population that eats a lot, the situation tends to be worse because China is considered to have another problem of having a malnourished nation. Other nations that experience the same are Vietnam and India. Diseases that are caused by consumption of excess sugar and fat have become popular in China. These diseases include high blood pressure, heart diseases, and Type 2 diabetes. An estimate of 9.7 per cent of Chinese country have diabetes especially, Type 2. This data is close to the findings of America which are 11 per cent of the total population. These findings were from a study conducted by New England Journal of Medicine. There are various reasons which have made the contribution towards the realization of massive profits by American fast food restaurants in China. This paper concentrates on the reasons as to why these changes have occurred and why they happen as they do. A lot of research has been done in an effort to investigate this phenomenon and Smith (2006) notes that localization of meals is what has contributed to the attraction of native customers in the foreign country. Localization of mea

Financial Systems and Auditing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial Systems and Auditing - Essay Example The auditor's responsibility is to form and express an opinion on the company's financial statements, while the entity's management is responsible for the preparation and presentation of financial statements. Audit in general may include the entire examination of the unit's organization, the system as well as the function including the evaluation if the audit complied with significant laws, its rules and regulations. The audit must also be in compliance to the applicable policies of University, there should be internal controls' adequacy and the operations' efficiency and its effectiveness. The focus of the audit is to determine the adequacy of procedures and the company's internal control. The adequacy in procedures is indeed a great help for the purpose of ensuring the system's objectives, the function of the company and to achieve the unit's effectiveness and efficiency. The adequacy of control is also preventing the outcome of occurrence and therefore unwanted. The available financial records in an audit are audit statements, bond issues, budget, the annual comprehensive financial reports and other financial reports. The audit statements should be selective in terms of the statement's type, not just only with the objects of specific schema where the company operates but the options must be broad in terms of the use of auditing and the consideration with the options of related actions. The audit statement must be for users' selection for the purpose of tracking several statements. Bond issues maybe through underwriting which is usually the common process. The underwriting of bonds includes one or more securities of firms and banks forming the syndicate buying the bonds' entire issue coming from the issuer then reselling to the investors. The bonds of government are said to be auctioned.Another record of the company that needs to be audited is the budget. Budget is the detailed plan, expressed in quantitative terms that specify how resources will be acquired and used during a specified period of time. Budget should be audited in order to find the most profitable direction which the operations can take and in order for the company to develop in detail the balanced and coordinated program in direction and to assist in controlling the operations in the execution of the said programs. Budget must have the complete support of top management and it must be realistic and the goals must also be attainable. The Financial Report is the statutory basis that must be prepared for audit purposes wherein this can be meeting the requirements of state finance law in order to present fairly the results for computing and certifying the Stabilization Fund' balance and the fund for Tax Reduction to report and disclose the aspects pertaining to the financial performance. The importance of other financial r

Rewards Management Incentives For Employees

Rewards Management Incentives For Employees Reward management is whereby organisations distribute different types of incentive to employees both in the form of direct and indirect monetary and non-monetary rewards according to their contribution (Armstrong 1999). It is also an essential part of encouraging employees to work as you want, so that those goals are met. The goal of the reward management is to improve the overall organisations output and performance by developing a system aimed at rewarding employees of the organisation based on their contribution to the organisation (Armstrong Murlis 2007). In doing so, the employees will feel that they belong part of the organisation as their works are being recognised by their superiors. This will at the same time, create a sense of belonging and improve employees loyalty to the organisation. What are the exact roles played by the reward management in the organisations? Firstly, it allows the organisations to attract and retain suitable employees by paying the employees based on their excellent performance and ensuring direct and indirect rewards thus implying the organization recognises and values manpower. Therefore organisations are able to control labour costs so they can remain aggressive in the competitive market. Secondly, rewards improve employees work performance and keep them motivated. As all organisations want to improve productivity and enhance profit, effective reward management systems which lead to a more committed workforce will certainly play an important role. In addition, by having an effective rewards system, it will motivate employees to showcase their skills and abilities to obtain effective performance. Lastly, comply with employment legislation and regulations as employment laws changes occasionally in the UK and European Union hence the need make some modification (Bratton Gold 1999). What kinds of recognition and rewards do employees want most (Nelson 2003)? Nelson (2003) stated that employees value managerial support and involvement in organisation future projects. Being part of decision making, support them when they made mistakes and giving them trust and authority in doing their job. There are different types of praise employees wants, mainly personal praise, written praise, public praise and electronic praise. In this essay, I will mention about how rewards are seen as a powerful tools for driving cultural change in organisation in Singapore using Singapore Airlines, as an example, to show how rewards can drive cultural change. I will also mention whether rewards play a role in managing cultural and change in firm operating internationally with specific example from Pakistan. Also, some negative impacts of the reward system will also be discussed. Rewards system in Singapore During the 1960s-1980s, incentives such as rewards, benefits and recognition are not highly practice in the labour force. As the people then were poorly educated and the lack of family planning resulted in a large family, the heads of the family (mainly the fathers) most of the time do not have much bargaining power as they have only one think in mind, that is to support their family member at all cost. In order to feed their, they have to do whatever the company want them to and they would take on any jobs that were available to them. They did not expect any bonus and incentives from the company and they were easily satisfied as long as they can support their family. However as the government shift from labour intensive industry to knowledge base industry people are getting more highly educated than before, (people no longer stop at A or Diploma) more people will pursue higher education such degree. They no longer have the burden to support the family, like what their parents used to experience thus they no longer have the sense of loyalty and have more tendency to job hop whenever better opportunity comes about. They will tend to be fussy about the job they work in, choose jobs that they fancy or a better organisation who can give them higher benefits. Therefore organisations now have to come up with effective reward and recognition scheme to attract employees. It is proven that highly motivated employees will come up with high quality performance and by rewarding them it will also lead to employee job satisfaction. Singapore Airlines (SIA) is one organisation in Singapore who promotes motivating their staffs through rewards and recognition. Singapore Airlines adopt a series of rewards and recognition which include interesting and varied job content, symbolic forms of recognition and performance-based share options (Heracleous, Wirtz Pangarkar 2006). Recently SIA introduced a new benefit scheme rewarding their crews monetary whereby the company associated many types of variable components to the organisation financial performance such as salary according to the individual employee contribution to the organisation and profit sharing incentive (Wirtz, Heracleous Pangarkar 2008). A non-monetary form of motivation and recognition which the organisation came up with is by awarding the best crew with best cabin crew service award. By obtaining this award, it will boost the morale of the crew thus stimulate them to work harder. Another form of recognising service excellence is by communication. The a nnual Deputy Chairmans Award, Mr Sim stress the importance of recognition, We know that a pat on the back, a good ceremony, photographs and write-ups in the newsletters can be more motivating than mere financial rewards, hence we put in a lot of effort to ensure that heroes and heroines are recognised for their commitment and dedication (Heracleous, Wirtz Pangarkar 2006 p.165.) With such attractive reward scheme, the crew are highly motivated hence producing high quality service. All these factors helped SIA to build and sustain excellence service consistently for over few decades therefore Singapore Airlines was being crowned one of the best airlines in the world. Reward system in Parkistan Pakistan is developing into one of the more developed country in the world therefore in order to be kept up to date, the working environment is becoming more and more competitive. Organisation productivity is dependent on the employees hence employees request for extra training, skills and attractive package such as incentives, working conditions, recognitions and fringe benefits (Warsi, Fatima Sahibzada 2009). In every organisation, the performance of employees plays a crucial role in the organisation accomplishment. The success of an organisation is how an organisation keeps its employees motivated and shows how they value their employees. Nowadays people do not want to stay or work in an organisation for long, they will see there is any better opportunity outside and get better job prospect for that reason the relationship between organisation commitment and rewards and recognitions plays a crucial role in retaining good employees. In the recent year, many organisations hope that, through different types of incentive and performance recognition, to improve employee commitment and their performance in the organisation as rewards are being identified as the most important tool in recognising their contribution and performance (Danish Usman 2010). Rewards are deemed as a motivational tool for employees today as it able to motivate them thus increasing job performance and satisfaction. By motivating employees organisations can also increase their productivity by giving them recognition which will eventually lead to increasing organisation performance. There are many types of incentive, in the form of financial rewards (improved pay and performance bonuses), promotions and incentives (parental leave for sick children and family day) that satisfy employee to a certain extent. It has also been showed that rewards are required to ensure committed employees feel appreciated and to keep them motivated and committed (Dan ish Usman 2010). Rewards and recognitions is a form of communication with employees. It is a way to acknowledge their hard work, appreciate, motivate and to keep them committed. Thus employees feel that what they have done is being recognised and this will ultimately lead to increased employees loyalty and job satisfaction. Despite all the advantages of reward system, there is an also a disadvantage side of reward system. Although the reward system can motivate employees to do better in their work, it can also have a negative impact of the organisation. This is because rewards are usually very limited and precious, and as a result, this reward system has increased the competiveness of the employees in the organisation. As only a few employees out of the whole organization are entitled, this will lead to unhealthy competition between different departments of the organisation and even within the department itself. This will eventually lead to lower productivity because people no longer willing to share their knowledge with one another as they are afraid that others might have the upper hand to obtain the reward. In order not to lose out, they will no longer share their knowledge so in long term, this might not be beneficial as what they initially thought. In the commercial bank of Pakistan, they agree that rewards and recognitions play a significant role in helping the organisation achieving organisation efficiency. Employee motivation is identified as one of the main issues in the commercial banks. In todays competitive world, the organisation has to work closely together with the employees in order to remain competitive among peers. As the banking industry contributes to a large extent to the economy of the nation, it is important to ensure that employees are motivated since employees play an important role in todays highly competitive banking sector. The management of the bank have to come out with different ways to attract and motivate the employees since for most of the commercial banks, employee loyalty and motivation are important issues as it is not an uncommon scene to see a promising employees joined to a rival bank. As the employees play an important role in the banking industry to provide good service to the customers, their enthusiastic, commitment and determination towards job completion play essential role in the success of the bank (Khan, Farooq Ullah, cited in Cheng 2010). By providing excellent service, customers will have a good impression and developed a positive perception in their eyes. This is especially important for the banking sector. According to Khan, Farooq Ullah (cited in Petcharak 2010), maintaining employee satisfaction with their jobs has been included as one of the job scope for the human resource manager. This strongly suggests the importance of employee motivation. To improve the productivity of the organisation, it is important to have a pool of highly motivated employee. In order to achieve that, reward and recognition system plays an important role. This system not only provides financial rewards but also it encourages their morale and consciousness with regard to their job, resulting in improvement of individual performance which eventually benefited the entire team and even the organisation. It has also been reported that poor employee and organisation performance is usually caused by workplace displeasure. Conclusion From the example taken from both domestically and international firms, we can see a strong relationship between reward and organisations productivity. This strongly highlights the importance of reward system in todays labour market. Therefore rewards play an important role in ensuring that an organisation remains competitive and productive. Rewards lead to increasing employees motivation and job satisfaction which in turn lead to organisation profitability. Reward systems come from theories of motivation and experimental research evaluation strategies to motivate employees will affect job performance. Two most common of theories which discussed work motivation includes Maslow and Herzberg. Maslow states that higher-order needs become progressively more important as lower-order needs are satisfied (Bratton Gold 1999). Herzberg demonstrated that motivation of employees play a significant source of satisfaction when it comes to a form of reward (Bratton Gold 1999). Even though rewards might have some negative impacts on the organisation, with proper planning of the reward and recognition system I strong believe that the advantages of this system will surely outweigh the disadvantages. Therefore it can be seen that rewards do play an important role in managing cultural changes in firms operating domestically and internationally. Word Count: 1916 words References List Armstrong, M 1999, A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, 7th edn, Kogan Page Limited, The Bath Press, Bath. Armstrong, M Murlis, H 2007, Reward Management: A Handbook of Remuneration Strategy and Practice, 5th edn, MPG Books Ltd, Great Britain. Bratton, J Gold, J 1999, Human Resource Management Theory and practice, 2nd edn, Macmillan Press Ltd, Great Britain at The Bath Press, Avon. Danish, RQ Usman, A 2010, Impact of Reward and Recognition on Job Satisfaction and Motivation: An Empirical Study from Parkistan, International Journal of Business and Management, February, vol. 5, no.2, pp. 159-167, viewed 9 August 2010, Proquest Database. Heracleous, L, Wirtz, J Pangarkar, N 2006, Flying High in a Competitive Industry Cost-Effective Service Excellence at Singapore Airlines, Mc Graw-Hill Education (Asia), Singapore. Khan, KU, Farooq, SU Ullah, MI 2010, The Relationship between Rewards and Employee Motivation in Commercial Banks in Parkistan, Research Journal of International Studies, issue 14, pp.1-18, viewed 16 August 2010, Proquest Database. Nelson, B 2003, Five Questions About Employee Recognition and Reward, Harvard Management Update, September, vol. 8, issue 9, p. 3, viewed 9 August 2010, Proquest Database. Wirtz, J, Heracleous, L Pangarkar, N 2008, Managing human resources for service excellence and cost effectiveness at Singapore Airlines, Managing Service Quality, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 4-19, viewed 9 August 2010, Proquest Database. Warsi, S, Fatima, N Sahibzada SA 2009, Study on Relationship Between Organizational Commitment and its Determinants among Private Sector Employees of Parkistan, International Review of Business Research Papers, April, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 399-410, viewed 9 August 2010, Proquest Database.

Business Model of Toyota :: essays research papers

Business Model of Toyota As one of the leading automobile manufacturers in the world, Toyota ranks within the top three worldwide. Due to their unique business model, they are now have a market share of 14% in the first four months of this year. That is an astonishing 2.3% jump from the previous year. According to Autodata.com, the Toyota City based automaker ranks fourth in United States sales. We have determined that their business model is an Integrated Low Cost – Differentiated Strategy. It involves finding the lowest operational cost along with a unique niche or strategy that separates them from the competition. Toyota’s new statement â€Å"Moving Forward†, reflects their plans and expectations for the future. This includes the known and the unknown factors that a business must face. In 2000, Toyota launched a new cost effective strategy called CCC21 (Construction of Cost Competitiveness for the 21st century), for Low Cost operational expenses. With this aspect Toyota plans to advance such initiatives globally, based on its policy of purchasing the world’s best parts at the lowest cost with the shortest lead times. According to Toyota, they have undertaken a manufacturing revolution that has fundamentally changed established practices; all the way back to the product development and design. They have done this by integrating four areas: design, production engineering, procurement, and component supply. They have achieved higher quality at lower costs by creating standardized, multipurpose components. Also the reduction in cost has heightened the value and fortifies the competitiveness of product. To do this, Toyota has required intensive coordination with its suppliers. Another factor of their Integrated Low Cost is that Toyota steadily feeds cost improvements back into the product to raise their value along with the fact that four Toyota’s seven corporate auditors are outside corporate auditors. Toyota’s Integrated Differentiated Strategy is very unique to the automotive industry. Its main focus, according to the president of Toyota, is that Toyota is not trying to rival other automakers; Toyota is trying to conquer customers with great products and service to obtain high customer satisfaction.

Narrator of Moby Dick Essay

1.In this video, we immediately learn of an obsessed captain who wants revenge. Why does he want revenge and against whom or what? The captain wants revenge because he lost his leg to Moby Dick. 2.Who is the narrator of Moby Dick and what is the first line of the novel? The first line of the novel is â€Å"Call me Ishmael† and the narrator is Ishmael. 3.There are two significant Biblical allusions mentioned in the film. To whom do these allusions reference? How are the names significant? The two significant Biblical allusions are Captain Ahab which is the King Ahab in the Bible and the whale, which is a symbol of God or the Devil. 4.The narrator states that Moby Dick symbolizes three different meanings for three different characters. List the characters and the meaning which Moby Dick symbolizes for each of them. Captain Ahab sees Moby Dick as the devil. Starbuck sees Moby Dick as just a fish and Ishmael accepts both of them. 5.Why did Melville choose to write about whaling? Why was the industry significant? At that time whale oil was very popular and it made the whale industry a hit, therefore; Melville wrote about whales. 6.What did Melville do when he was 21? He set sail towards the South Pacific, but after four years he returned and wrote about his visit with everyone on the island 7.What established writer did Melville befriend while he was writing Moby Dick? While he wrote Moby Dick he befriended Nathaniel Hawthorne. 8.Comment on the four harpooners of the Pequod; politically, why were they significant? The four harpooners were of different races and represented different cultures. 9.What happens to the Pequod towards the end of the book? Ahab? Ishmael? They were out at sea, and noticed that deep in the ocean a whale was giving birth, but that all of it was terrorized because of other whalers that set in. Ahab is killed and Ishmael is the only survivor of Pequod. 10.What were the final years of Melville like? Melville’s final years were filled with personal tragedies and failure. 1.Ahab, do you think if you killed Moby Dick, your life would be better? 2.Ahab, do you want revenge because of the loss of your leg or because he took something more than your leg, like your pride? 3.Ahab, what would you have done if the whale didn’t bite your leg? 4.Ahab, why don’t you every mention your wife or son? Is a whale more important than them? 5.Ahab, how do feel about yourself knowing that you let people die for your obsession with Moby Dick?

The Klu-Klux-Klan During Recon essays

The Klu-Klux-Klan During Recon essays The Ku Klux Klan During Reconstruction The Ku Klux Klan and other intimidators like the Louisiana Knights of the White Camellia, spread rapidly throughout the south as an answer to radical reconstruction. Nathan Bedford Forest formed the Ku-Klux-Klan in Tennessee during 1866. Forest, a former Confederate general and slave trader, was the Ku-Klux-Klans first Imperial Wizard. This essay will weigh the evidence supported by the traditional view, that is, the Ku Klux Klan was an organization of white Southerners who resisted the horrors of reconstruction and halted the northern encroachment. This traditional view can also be dubbed the, white is right or racist view. The other popular view is called the revisionist view and it deems the Ku Klux Klan a violent and disrespectful organization set on overthrowing rule by negros, scalawags, and carpetbaggers. This essay will look at the horrific acts committed by the Klan during the period of radical reconstruction, question the morality of such acts, and conclude that it is indubitable that the Ku Klux Klan was in fact a terrorist organization which hindered social and political integration: that if these evil men had let congress win the new south would have been a better place. In 1866 congress was battling with President Johnson over reconstruction policy and congress was winning. The 10 per cent policy and admittance of state governments comprised of former confederates made some think the war was fought in vain. The Black Codes, laws enacted to repress the black man, had been struck down by the Radical Republicans. The radicals believed they should not accept the enemy back as prodigal sons. The passing of the fourteenth amendment as a stipulation of re-admission to the Union and the erecting of barbarous black governments; many southern whites hung up their gray uniforms and put on white hooded cloaks. The Ku Klux Klan was forme...

Henard, Learning Activity 5 Essays - Montessori Education

Henard, Learning Activity 5 Essays - Montessori Education Henard, Learning Activity 5 Montessori Program The Environment It is an open concept area that is warm and inviting to children. All of the centers are age appropriate and child size and in order according to area of the center, and that the children do not feel over-whelmed. Each area is structure to engage the child to master certain skills, while enjoying a bright happy place to play. (Intro to Early Childhood Education, 7e. pg.122). The Children Children range in different ages. They Montessori Programs encourage individual activities (p. 123) in which encourages self-motivation and independence in each child. Montessori Programs gear towards children ages 3-6 years of age. The Teachers The teachers more or less observe children as they go about different activities at the center. They never praise the children as the activities are geared to self-rewarding (pg. 123). The teachers also learn the curriculum and the methods of the program through a very intensive course study on the graduate level (pg. 123). The Materials The Montessori Program offers different didactics to challenge the children to problem solve and receive the immediate feedback on how it works and satisfaction on a job well done when the job is complete (pg. 123). The Curriculum It helps the children to refine their fine motor skills, self-help and learning, while playing, the everyday activities they see or do at home. While they are doing all of this, the sensory part comes into play. The children will use their five senses to do the activities at hand and include the gross motor skills (pg.123). Maria Montessoris plan was to incorporate learning skills in order to help the children to build self confidence in their self-esteem. The reason why I choose the Montessori Program is that the centers are open, warm and friendly to all who enter. It encourages children to explore and learn on their own with self-rewarding satisfaction, of knowing that they can accomplish anything they set their mind to. But, I also think that teacher involvement and creativity should be included in this, along with, language comprehension, reading, play acting, and encouraging the imagination. Resources: Intro to Early Childhood Education, WSCC ECED 1010, 7e. Essa. Pages 122-124.

Ethical Argument Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ethical Argument Paper - Essay Example These nations may and may not have set strict reasoning rule for abortion but al of these nations have accepted that a women is the only one who can decide in favor or against abortion of her child. Body Those against abortion have taken a stance that a fetus or an unborn is a human life and he should have all the privileges and rights that a human being has (Farrell 12). Undoubtedly, fetus is human according to the definition of a human in scientific terms and is expected to grow up as a human being after a certain period. Although, fetus is expected to transform into an individual, there fore there is a probability that he/she will transform into a human being and cannot enjoy the rights bestowed on humans. Since a fetus does not have the ability to exercise and enjoy the rights of a human, his rights should not conflict with the rights of a woman as she is already a fully grown human being. The debate whether abortion is ethically and morally right or wrong is dependant on the deb ate of personhood and rights of fetus and others involved (Garfield 81). It is essential for the debate as it helps in deciding the correct time when a fetus obtains the status of personhood. The issue of abortion has no end as there are conflicting views about the definition of person. According to United States, a fetus is only recognized as a person in accordance to the definition of a person provided by the constitution. The common law exercised in the areas of UK and US realizes that a fetus transforms into a human being or person as soon as he enters the world but not before that (Cave 2). This view point was exercised in the case of R v Tait during the period of 1989, within United Kingdom’s jurisdiction (Chadwick 115). Those who support the concept of pro-choice, state that no rights are bestowed on a fetus until and unless it seems feasible. In the case of United Kingdom it is 24 weeks, the concept of feasibility is very important to this argument because an individu al is not recognized as a person until and unless the society accepts him as a person (Simons 142). During the Roman era, a child used to gain the rights as soon as he was born and laid at his father’s feed, he used to gain rights only if his/her father picked him/her in his arms (Youssef 123). As soon as the father holds the child, the child gains acceptance into the community and gained all the privileges and rights of a person. If the father did not pick of the child, the child was considered as illegal and unwanted and was killed or if he was allowed to live, he used to have little or no rights at all and he was not acceptable to the society. It is very hard to decide when a fetus or a person is actually recognized as a person and allotted the rights that come with this acceptance. Those who are not in the favor of abortion use pro-life debate to support their arguments against abortion. According to them, the probability that an individual will end up being a person is e qual to an individual who has already been recognized as a person and should have similar rights. David Boonin states that the actual possession of personhood rights and the expected possession of the rights is one and the same thing (Oehlschlaeger 145). He further states that a fetus is going to transform into a person in future, thus he should and already has similar rights. An act is only considered as unethical of an

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How the media portrayed Trayvon Martin - Essay Example Zimmerman reported that he shot him after Trayvon attacked him, and had done it in self defense. He was not charged for shooting Trayvon after the police concluded that there was no evidence demonstrating that the reports he had given were false. This paper will explore the portrayal of Trayvon by the media, explaining his case, and whether he deserved such portrayal. Mandel reports that immediately after the shooting of Trayvon, members of public and the media developed a narrative explaining why Zimmerman had killed the unarmed teenager, during the night of 26th February (1). The account reported that he had pursued the teenager and killed him in a brutal manner, due to Trayvon’s race. After the incidence, the media’s portrayal of Trayvon was that he was a young, innocent teenager who was victimized and killed in cold blood, for no good reason or cause. The media reported that the security guard had reported the questionable behavior of the teenager, which was supported by the audio of Zimmerman’s report to the police over 9-1-1. The audio report indicated that he suspected Trayvon, simply because he was an African American boy, which indicated that the case was largely one of racial violence. The audio recording of Zimmerman’s call, as given by NBC, reported, â€Å"Trayvon looked as if he was out to do something wr ong, and added that he looked black (Mandel).† The reports demonstrating Trayvon’s innocence were compounded by ABC’s release of video footage during the arrest of Zimmerman, claiming that, as he reported to the police – he did not have any injuries on his body. That report discredited the report that Trayvon had slammed Zimmerman’s head against the sidewalks. Later, ABC reported that they had edited the videos, eliminating the images showing Zimmerman walking to the police station, with fresh blood and wounds on his head. This time, different from earlier reports – like NBC and CNN – they reported that Trayvon attacked

Reaction paper on David Cole Interviews Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reaction paper on David Cole Interviews - Essay Example I tried to remain objective while listening to the interview because ideas in my head were contradicting the facts presented by Mr. Cole. Over-all, the investigation presents a very strong argument and Cole has definitely created a big question in the minds of people like me. I asked the question to myself† What would I be telling my children about the Holocaust one day?† If pesticides were cyanide, then it could be unethical for argument sake but not entirely homicidal on the part of the Germans. I am completely perplexed about what happened during the Holocaust. Nevertheless, I would still recommend to fellow students to listen to this controversial interview. In a way, a person would learn how to think critically about the issue and make sensible judgment about the issue. One thing to remember though, make sure emotions are kept at bay. In short, I liked the interview because this is the most sensible thing I have ever watched.

Jonestown and Jim Jones Essay Example for Free

Jonestown and Jim Jones Essay Jonestown and its leader, Jim Jones Behind every religious or social movement is the leader that created it. James â€Å"Jim† Warren Jones was the father of the â€Å"People’s Temple† turned â€Å"Jonestown†. The lifetime of the movement created by Jim Jones started with bright beginnings and concluded with a dark end. It was filled with impressive expressions of faith and sinister examples of control. One cannot help to ask what it was that created the man who started it all and how did it arrive at its abrupt end? Jim Jones was born on May 13, 1931 in a rural area of Randolph County, Indiana. His mother, Lynetta Putnam Jones, believed she had in fact given birth to a Messiah, foreshadowing Jones’ future as Reverend of the People’s Temple. She claims that her dead mother appeared to her in a dream telling her that she would bear a son who would right the wrongs of the world.[1] In order to keep her dreams of her son claiming his messiah-ship alive she raised him with Methodist beliefs. However, due to the economic difficulties of the Great Depression the Jones family had to move to nearby Lynn, Indiana where Jim grew up in a shack void of any indoor plumbing. With little else to do to ease his situation, Jim became an avid reader and studied the works and life of individuals such as Joseph Stalin, Karl Marx, Mahatma Gandhi and Adolf Hitler.[2] Shortly after graduating High School and marrying Marceline Baldwin Jones he became a member of the Communist Party of the USA in 1951. In 1960, Indianapolis Democratic Mayor Charles Boswell appointed Jones director of the Human Rights Commission. Jones however was not shy about trying to share his views on integration with the public. Some examples of his radical integrationist theories include Jones helping to integrate churches, restaurants, the telephone company, the police department, a theater, an amusement park, and the Methodist Hospital in his area.[3] Moreover, included in his efforts, was an incident occurring after swastikas were painted on the homes of two African American families in the surrounding neighborhood. Jones personally walked the area, comforting African Americans and counseling white families not to move out. Similarly, he set up variousstings to catch restaurants refusing to serve African American customers. He also wrote to American Nazi leaders then proce eded to leak their responses to the media. Finally, when Jones had accidentally been placed in the black ward of a hospital after he had collapsed, he refused to be moved and began to make the beds, and empty the bed pans of black patients in the ward. Boswell had advised Jones to keep a low profile, but he ignored these warning by finding new outlets for his views on local radio and television programs. When he was asked to cease his actions, he resisted and was cheered on at a meeting of the NAACP and Urban League.[4] Jim Jones became the subject of incredible amounts of criticism because of his beliefs.[5] For example, white-owned businesses and locals were very critical of him. Accounts of vandalism and terror inflicted on Jim Jones include a swastika being placed on the Temple, a stick of dynamite being left in a Temple coal pile, and a dead cat being thrown at Jones house after a threatening phone call. There is speculation that Jones himself may have been an accomplice to several of these acts.[6] It is clear that whether these acts were self-perpetuated or not, Jones met incredible amounts of opposition in his early years when trying to voice his views and opinions. He posed the problem to himself of how to demonstrate his Marxist views. His decision was to infiltrate the church when he had witnessed multiple faith healing ceremonies at a Baptist church. In 1952, Jones became the student pastor of Sommerset Southside Methodist Church. To his surprise, he was not only allowed in the church but was given a leadership position despite his political views.[7] Jones saw how the church drew in massive numbers of people no matter their current social situation or background. He also realized the need these people had for some sort of reassurance from whatever oppression they felt. Jim Jones would later feed on that weakness he saw in people to create his Temple. Jones sought to embody the characteristics that would appeal to the most people looking for comfort. He used his views of socialism, integration, and perceived oppression to gather a rather substantial  following. One way he embodied these views, especially of integration, was the creation of his so called â€Å"rainbow family†. Jim and Marceline Jones adopted several children of at least partial non-Caucasian ancestry. The two adopted three children of Korean-American descent. They were Lew, Suzanne and Stephanie. Jones had long been encouraging his Temple members to adopt orphans from war ravaged Korea. In 1954, he and his wife also adopted Agnes Jones, then 11 years old and partially of Native American descent. Suzanne Jones was adopted at the age of six 5 years later. In June 1959, the couple had their only biological child, Stephan Gandhi Jones. The couple also adopted another son, who was white, named Tim. Tim Jones’ birth mother was a member of the Peoples Temp le, was originally named Timothy Glen Tupper. Two years later, in 1961, the Jones family made history by becoming the first white couple in Indiana to adopt a black child, who they named James Warren Jones, Jr.[8] This act brought Jones’ integrationist views to complete embodiment. He said to his people that integration had become much more of a personal issue to him and his family; that it was a matter of their future in this world. Jones even translated this term over to the Temple as well by referring to them as a â€Å"rainbow family in their own way.[9] The People’s Temple was started in Indianapolis in the mid 1950’s. Some members recall that the Temple purported itself to practice what it called apostolic socialism.[10] After Jones had received a considerable amount of criticism in Indiana for his integrationist views, he journeyed to Brazil looking for a safe haven to move his Temple; this trip was also the first time that Jones had been to Guyana. After his return, Jones made wild claims that the world would soon be engulfed in a nuclear war. He even went so far as to predict a date. This would all happen on July 15, 1967. These events would inevitably then create a new socialist Eden on earth, and thus the Temple must move to be alive in order to take part in this wonderful utopia that was to come. Jones read in esquire magazine that the rural Redwood Valley of California was to be safe from nuclear war.[11] As a result of Jones’ instance, the members left their lives in Indiana behind and the Temple moved to Redwood Valley, California in 1965. The Temple’s popularity grew and in the early 1970s, the Peoples Temple opened other branches in a number of cities including San Fernando and San Francisco. In the mid-1970s, the Temple officially moved its headquarters to San Francisco, CA.[12] After the Temples relocation to San Francisco, it became increasingly more active in politics. For example, the People’s Temple is credited with a large part in the mayoral election of George Moscone in 1975. As a result of their efforts, Moscone appointed Jones as the Chairman of the San Francisco Housing Authority Commission.[13] Unique to Jones from other figures considered as cult leaders by the public is that Jones held the public support and had contact with some of the highest level politicians in the United States at the time. A few of these influential politicians include Vice President, later Presidential candidate, Walter Mondale and First Lady Rosalynn Carter. In September of 1976 Governor Jerry Brown, Lieutenant Governor Mervyn Dymally, and Assemblyman Willie Brown, among others, attended a large testimonial dinner, in which Willie Brown served as the master of ceremonies, held in honor of Jones. Brown is quoted as saying, â€Å"Let me present to you what you sho uld see every day when you look in the mirror in the early morning hours†¦ Let me present to you a combination of Martin Luther, Angela Davis, Albert Einstein, and Chairman Mao.†[14] What was life like in the Temple that drew in such a large number of followers? For most members the life inside the Temple represented exactly what they wanted the world to become. Blacks and Whites were freely worshipping together. Jones’ son, Stephan Jones, said â€Å"You saw every walk of life†.[15] Everyone had their own reasons for joining the Temple; individuals each heard their own message. Another ex-member, Laura Johnston Kohl, stated her view as â€Å"People came to make a dramatic change in their lives, to make a dramatic change in the world†.[16] Terri Burford, yet another ex-member, recalls her first encounter with the temple. She says, â€Å"I had $20 to my name and I was hitchhiking up between Ukiah and Redwood Valley, where the Temple was. Somebody picked me up who was a member of the Temple and he said, ‘You know if you’re looking for a place to stay, a place to sleep, we’ll get some food, I’ve got the place for you. I belong to this wonderful church and they feed the hungry, they take care of the sick. Furthermore, the person who runs this thing is God’†.[17] This view of Jones as God was more than likely self-perpetuated and his followers latched on to it. In a recording of a sermon at the Temple Jones says, â€Å"Some people see me as the representative of the I am†¦ Some people see a great deal of God in my body. They see Christ in me, a hope of Glory.† Jones also asked his members to refer to his as â€Å"Dad† or â€Å"Father†. Members claimed that Jones had a special gift that no one else possessed, they were enchanted by him.[18] Even outsiders that visited the Temple found their own kind of sanctuary. Harvey Milk, who spoke at political rallies at the Temple and wrote to Jones after his visit to the Temple: Rev Jim, It may take me many a day to come back down from the high that I reached today. I found something dear today. I found a sense of being that makes up for all the hours and energy placed in a fight. I found what you wanted me to find. I shall be back; for I can never leave. The mentality so evide nt from Harvey Milk’s writing was not unique to him; it was shared among the members of the temple.[19] Life in the Temple was not as perfect as it was portrayed to be. The faith healings that were central to his ministry that Jones put on were a hoax. The individual’s that experienced these healings and claimed to have never met Jones had actually set up the whole act. Jones even played on the emotions of new members to strengthen his claims. Hue Fortson, JR. recounts the process of how these healings on new members were set up by Jones, â€Å"We had greeters at the front door and every time one entered the service they would take their name supposedly for the mailing list. But lo and behold they staff workers would take that same name on the card. They would go by people’s houses; sometimes they looked at trash cans, sometimes they’d knock on the doors, if they weren’t there they’d break a window and they’d go in. So when that person came back to church, if they decided, they would use that person as one of his healing services. But, basically that was part of the set up to get people into the room. That he had some kind of extra special gift that no one else had.†[20] Save for a few members that played a role in Jones set ups, everyone truly believed in these healings. â€Å"I didn’t know the healings were phony. I believed in spiritual healing and I am not the only person in the room that believed in it. A lot of people believed in spiritual healing† said Tim Carter.[21] When Chronicle reporter Marshall Kilduff got wind of the People’s Temple he made it his mission to write an exposà © on the group. Little did he know the kinds of stories and the number of people he would encounter. What Kilduff would come to find out stood with incredible contrast to the humanitarian image that Jones had created for his Temple and its members. Ex-members relayed stories of systematic abuse within the Temple. Terri Buford commented, â€Å"There were a lot of beatings in the Temple. People who strayed from the path one way or the other, talked to an outsider or had a relationship with an outsider or something like that. Or did something that was considered Capitalistic, they would get beaten in front of the church. You couldn’t just get up and leave; people would drag you back in. There wasn’t the choice of walking out and saying, ‘this isn’t tolerable’. You didn’t have that choice.† [22] A number of recordings from Temple services depict Jones as saying that individuals that were experiencing these beatings were getting exactly what they deserved; that they deserved it all. Jones is on record as telling his followers that he was the only true heterosexual. Yet, there is at least one account of his sexual abuse of a male member of his congregation in front of the followers, ostensibly to prove the mans own homosexual tendencies existed. Jones is also recorded as laughing during the proceedings of the abuse. He claims that it was something he needed to do in order to control the group, he deemed it necessary. In his mind and in the minds of the Temple members experiencing this, it was the idea that the end justified the means. It was all with the goal of a perfect utopian society in mind. Kilduff was taken aback by the number of accounts he had received. He reported that in the beginning it was hard to discern who was telling the truth and who was lying but by the end when multiple individuals came to him with the same stories of abuse he could no longer question its legitimacy. When Kilduff had compiled his findings into the exposà © of the decade he tried to go public with it. However, his magazine wouldn’t touch it and neither would many other magazines or newspapers. This was thanks to Jones’ political support from years of his humanitarian image. It wasn’t until Nine West magazine made the decision to pick up the story that Jones made the decision to uproot his entire Temple to the Guyanese land.[23] In the fall of 1973, Jones and an influential Temple member Timothy Stoen prepared an immediate action plan in order to respond quickly to a police or media scandal based on the acts of the Temple. The plan listed included many options for escape, one of which was a Caribbean missionary post. For this post, the Temple quickly chose Guyana because of its socialist politics and after it researched the Guyanese economy and extradition treaties with the United States. In October 1973, the directors of the Peoples Temple voted to pass a resolution to establish an agricultural mission project there. Former Temple member Tim Carter, who also traveled to Guyana with the migratory group, stated that the reasons for choosing Guyana were â€Å"the Temples view of creeping fascism, the perceived dominance of multinational corporations on the government, and perceived racism in the U.S. government.† Carter also said the Temple concluded that â€Å"Guyana, a predominantly Indian, English-s peaking socialist country, would afford black members of the Temple a peaceful place to live†. This peaceful life for all members but especially the black members of the Temple was central to Jones’ appeal. Later, Guyanese Prime Minister Forbes Burnham stated that what may have attracted Jones was that he wanted to use cooperatives as the basis for the establishment of socialism, and maybe his idea of setting up a commune meshed with that†.[24] Jones also thought it was important that Guyanas leadership consisted of several black leaders and that the country was small and poor enough for Jones to easily obtain influence and official protection just as he had done in the States. An initial group of approximately 500 members began the construction of Jonestown in their new Guyanese home. The Temple encouraged some of its members to move to Jonestown, formally named the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project. Jones and his Temple members viewed Jonestown as both their own socialist paradise and a sanctuary from the increasing media scrutiny they were under saying, â€Å"He believed we’re the purest communists there are†. His wife described Jonestown as â€Å"dedicated to live for socialism, total economic and racial and social equality. We are here living communally†.[25] The relatively large number of immigrants to Guyana overwhelmed the Guyanese governments comparatively small immigration system. Jones reached an agreement to guarantee that Guyana would permit Temple members mass migration. In order to accomplish this, he told officials that Temple members were skilled and progressive†, he also reportedly showed off an envelope that held a half of one million dollars. He told the officials that he would invest the majority of the churchs assets into Guyana. The Guyanese immigration procedures were also corrupted to inhibit the departure o f Temple defectors. Just like the emigration policies of the Soviet Union, Cuba, North Korea and other communist republics that the Temple wished to emulate, Jones did not permit members to leave Jonestown. He also bribed the officials to delay processing of the visas of any Temple opponents wishing to visit.[26] In the summer of 1977, Jones and several hundred more Temple members uprooted and moved to Jonestown with the hopes of escaping the building pressure from San Francisco media investigations like the exposà © from Kilduff. In fact, Jones is reported to have left the same night that the editor at New West magazine read Jones the article to be published by Kilduff that recounted the allegations by former Temple members.[27] An unprepared Jonestown quickly became overcrowded, buildings fell into disrepair and weeds encroached on fields after the arrival of Jones and his Temple members. The people’s lives in Jonestown significantly changed. Like many socialist countries, propaganda shorts detailing Soviet life given by the Soviet embassy as well as documentaries on the problems of the United States policies were viewed in place of the entertaining movies that the first group of Jonestown members enjoyed before Jones’ arrival. School study and night time lectures for adults became a discussion time about revolution and enemies for Jones. For the first several months, Temple members worked all but one day a week, from 6:00 in the morning until 6:00 at night, with only an hour for lunch in the midst of this 12 hour day. Thankfully In 1978, after Jones health took a turn for the worse his wife, Marciline, began managing more of Jonestowns operations. As a result, the work week was reduced to eight hours a day for only five days a week.[28] After the days work ended, Temple members would attend several hours of activities in a main pavilion. Among these activities were classes in socialism. Hugh Fortson, Jr. remembers these hours of studying simply, â€Å"It was always ‘America is going to fall’ and Armageddon is coming’’ he said.[29] Jones thought this system copied that of North Korea’s; 8 hours of work immediately following 8 hours of intensive study. This was combined with the Temples practice of gradually subjecting its followers to mind control and behavior-modification techniques. Jones would often read news and commentary. Jones recorded readings of the news were part of the majority of the constant broadcasts over Jonestowns speaker system in order for all members to hear them no matter the time. Jones news readings typically portrayed the United States as a capitalist and imperialist villain, meanwhile casting socialist leaders in a positive light. Terri Buford recalls, †Å"From 6 in the morning until 10 at night, we heard him†.[30] Evidence of Jim Jones’ knowledge of what he was doing to his followers is clear in his comments during an interview about an ensuing custody battle with one defector. Speaking of the child and if he was taken away he said, â€Å"That he’d be deprogrammed, that his mind be taken and used by their evil means and whatever chemicals to try to drain his mind.†[31] Among some of the controlling things that Jones subjected his followers to were the â€Å"White Nights†. Mass suicide had been previously discussed in simulated events on a regular basis. During at least one such prior White Night, members drank liquid that Jones falsely told them was poison. Grace Stoen recalls one such event. She states, â€Å"I can remember we were in a planning commission meeting and Jim says, ‘You know I really love you guys. I’m going to let you guys drink wine. You don’t think I love you.’ So we were all given this wine that was from the ranch. Jim said, ‘Has everybody drank their wine?’ And some people had said, ‘Well, I don’t want any.’ Then Jim said, ‘No everybody is going to drink this.’ So we all drank it and Jim asks, ‘Has everybody drank that wine?’ We all said yes. He says, ‘Okay, you all have 10 minutes to live.†[32] Laura Johnston Kohl, who was at that same meeting, finishes the account by saying, â€Å"Jim said, ‘That was poison, because we need to commit revolutionary suicide.’ We needed to be totally committed to this cause, period. And you can’t be part way; you can’t do it part way.†[33] Yet another example of Jones’ controlling nature is in his â€Å"special privileges†. While Jones banned sex among Temple members outside of marriage, he himself voraciously engaged in sexual relations with both male and female Temple members. Jones claimed that he detested engaging in homosexual activity and did so only for the male temple members’ own good, purportedly to connect them symbolically with him.[34] The majority of Jones political allies in the States severed their connections after Jones departure, however, some did not. Willie Brown spoke out in support at a rally at the Peoples Temple in San Francisco. More importantly though for Jones and the Temple, Moscones office issued a press release stating that Jones had broken no laws during his time in the US.[35] In the fall of 1977, relatives of Temple members in Jonestown formed a Concerned Relatives group. The group ventured to Washington D.C. in the winter of ‘78 to address their concerns for their family in Jonestown. The groups’ efforts raised the curiosity of Congressman Leo Ryan. There was growing pressure in the States to investigate the Temple. On April 11, 1978, the Concerned Relatives distributed documents, including letters and affidavits, that they en titled an Accusation of Human Rights Violations by Rev. James Warren Jones to the Peoples Temple, members of the press and members of Congress. In June 1978, escaped Temple member Deborah Layton provided the group with a further affidavit detailing alleged crimes by the Peoples Temple and substandard living conditions in Jonestown.[36] In November 1978, U.S. Congressman Leo Ryan led a venture to Jonestown to investigate allegations of human rights abuses from the documents distributed by the Concerned Relatives. Ryans traveling companions included relatives of Temple members, Don Harris, an NBC network news reporter, an NBC cameraman and reporters for various newspapers. The pack arrived in Georgetown on November 15. Then on November 17, Ryans delegation traveled by airplane to Jonestown. The delegation left hurriedly with a number of temple defectors on the afternoon of November 18 after Temple member Don Sly attacked Ryan with a knife. Congressman Ryan and his people succeeded in taking fifteen Peoples Temple members out of Jonestown to the airstrip where their planes were waiting. At the time, Jones had made no attempt to prevent their departure.[37] As members of Ryans delegation boarded two planes at the airstrip, Jones Red Brigade, his armed guards, arrived in a trailer and opened fire on the group of escaping individuals. Simultaneously, one of the supposed defectors, Larry Layton, drew a weapon and began firing on members of the party that had already boarded a small Cessna. Among those that the guards killed were Congressman Ryan; Don Harris, a reporter from NBC; Bob Brown, a cameraman from NBC; San Francisco Examiner photographer Greg Robinson; and Temple member Patricia Parks. Those that managed to survive the attack were future Congresswoman Jackie Speier, then a staff member for Ryan; Richard Dwyer, the Deputy Chief of Mission from the U.S. Embassy at Georgetown; Bob Flick, a producer for NBC News; Steve Sung, an NBC sound engineer; Tim Reiterman, a San Francisco Examiner reporter; Ron Javers, a San Francisco Chronicle reporter; Charles Krause, a Washington Post reporter; and several defecting Temple members.[38] Later that same day, 909 inhabitants of Jonestown, 303 of them children, died of apparent cyanide poisoning, mostly in and around the main pavilion. This became the single greatest loss of American civilian life in a non-natural disaster; that is until the September 11, 2001 attacks.[39] No video was taken during the mass suicide, although the FBI did recover a 45 minute audio recording of the suicide in progress. On that tape, Jones tells Temple members that the Soviet Union, with whom the Temple had been negotiating a potential exodus for months, would not take them after the Temple had murdered Ryan and four others at a nearby airstrip. Jones justified his actions by saying, â€Å"So my opinion is that we be kind to children and be kind to seniors and take the potion like they used to take in ancient Greece, and step over quietly because we are not committing suicide. Its a revolutionary act. We cant go back. They wont leave us alone. Theyre now going back to tell more lies which means more congressmen. And theres no way, no way we can survive.† Jones and several members argued that the group should commit revolutionary suicide by drinking cyanide-laced grape-flavored Flavor Aid. Jones put into his followers’ minds that there was no hope for anything anymore. This was their only way out; they might as well do it on their terms. He furthered the hopelessness of the situation by telling them that people were going to parachute in on them. They were going to shoot the bab ies and torture the members. Jones continually says how he has tried to prevent this from happening for months, how he has always had the people’s best interest in mind, and how he has never lied to them. He told them that this was the time to die, to die with some dignity. In the 45 minute recording a member, Christine Miller, opposed Jones’ radical proposition toward the beginning of the tape.[40] According to escaped Temple members, children were given the drink first and families were told to lie down together. Jones was later found dead in a deck chair with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head. An autopsy of Jones body also showed levels of Pentobarbital, which may have been lethal to humans who had not developed physiological tolerance. His drug usage which included LSD and marijuana was confirmed by his son, Stephan Jones and their family doctor in San Francisco.[41] Jones can be compared with other radical religious leaders. One example of these leaders is David Koresch; the leader of the Heaven’s Gate group situated in Waco, Texas. Their time as a community also ended in tragedy. While Koresch had a set world view that he would not have compromised for anything in the world, Jones had more of an eclectic world view. His theology could be tailored to fit his social motivations. He picked the aspects of religions that he thought would favor the growth of a socialist society. He also viewed himself and his followers as the purest form of their kind. This purist society has apocalyptic undertones. The creations of their own utopia would lead to the ultimate utopia to come. Jones and Koresch were also the only individuals allowed access to outside information. As previously stated, Jones read the news and discussed the social issues of the day with his followers, but he was the keeper of knowledge. Both leaders spent hours on end with their followers conversing about their views on the world. Also, each leader was granted special privileges. Koresch and Jones shared their views of sexual relations; for the members it was restricted and for them it was unregulated. The apocalyptic nature of the Jonestown community is also very clear. The most notable is the constant pressure from outsiders. In their world they were oppressed for their beliefs and sought refuge with like-minded people. That brought them to Jonestown and the next example of their apocalyptic nature. The members of the Temple wished only for the purest of societies and they worked hard to achieve that utopia in Guyana. The move to Guyana was a result not only of the perceived persecution they were under but also on Jones’ play on social anxiety of the end of the world due to nuclear warfare. All of these situations exemplify the apocalyptic nature of the People’s Temples and Jonestown. In the years following the massacre the view of Jonestown has skewed from a religious group to a cult. The interest and investigation of the so-called cult has also weaned. A member of the Concerned Relatives group has said, â€Å"As soon as we label a religion a cult, we dismiss it. We no longer have to investigate it, what did they believe? It doesn’t matter.†[42] [1] Reiterman, Tom; Jacobs, John, The Untold Story of Rev. Jim Jones and His People (Dutton: Raven, 1982) [2] Hall, John R., Gone from the Promised Land (Transaction publishers, 1987) [3] Wessinger, Catherine , How the Millennium Comes Violently: From Jonestown to Heavens Gate, (Seven Bridges Press, 2000) [4] Reiterman; Jacobs, Untold Story [5] Wessinger, Millennium Comes Violently [6] Reiterman; Jacobs, Untold Story [7] Wessinger, Millennium Comes Violently [8] Reiterman; Jacobs, Untold Story [9] Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple People Events PBS.org. 8 December 2012 [10] Dawson, Lorne L., Cults and new religious movements: a reader, (Wiley-Blackwell, 2003) [11] Witness to Jonestown. 2008. Film. 8 Dec 2012. [12] Layton, Deborah. Seductive Poison. (Anchor, 1999) [13] Jonestown: Life and Death [14] Reiterman; Jacobs, Untold Story [15] Witness to Jonestown. 2008. Film. 8 Dec 2012. [16] Witness to Jonestown. 2008. Film. 8 Dec 2012. [17] Witness to Jonestown. 2008. Film. 8 Dec 2012. [18] Witness to Jonestown. 2008. Film. 8 Dec 2012. [19] Reiterman; Jacobs, Untold Story [20] Witness to Jonestown. 2008. Film. 8 Dec 2012. [21] Witness to Jonestown. 2008. Film. 8 Dec 2012. [22] Witness to Jonestown. 2008. Film. 8 Dec 2012. [23] Witness to Jonestown. 2008. Film. 8 Dec 2012. [24] Reiterman; Jacobs, Untold Story [25] Reiterman; Jacobs, Untold Story [26] Reiterman; Jacobs, Untold Story [27] Witness to Jonestown. 2008. Film. 8 Dec 2012. [28] Reiterman; Jacobs, Untold Story [29] Witness to Jonestown. 2008. Film. 8 Dec 2012. [30] Witness to Jonestown. 2008. Film. 8 Dec 2012. [31] Witness to Jonestown. 2008. Film. 8 Dec 2012. [32] Witness to Jonestown. 2008. Film. 8 Dec 2012. [33] Witness to Jonestown. 2008. Film. 8 Dec 2012. [34] Reiterman; Jacobs, Untold Story [35] Reiterman; Jacobs, Untold Story [36] Reiterman; Jacobs, Untold Story [37] Witness to Jonestown. 2008. Film. 8 Dec 2012. [38] Witness to Jonestown. 2008. Film. 8 Dec 2012. [39] Witness to Jonestown. 2008. Film. 8 Dec 2012. [40] Jones, Jim. Death Tape, Jonestown, 8 12 12. Speech. [41] Wessinger, Millennium Comes Violently [42] Witness to Jonestown. 2008. Film. 8 Dec 2012.