Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 117

Case Study Example The facility had always kept daily production records, but from what Helen could tell, no one ever consulted them or did anything with them other than to put them in file cabinets at the end of each reporting period. She thought that in principle she should be able to monitor production rates for the types of machines, identify any machines that seemed to be in need of adjustment, and characterize the amount of downtime to be expected. Accordingly, she extracted one days production records for 116 presses at her facility. The machines were scheduled for a shift of 7.75 hours each day. The operators recorded the hours of operation manually on clipboards kept near each machine. The actual quantities of parts produced were determined from automatic counters on the machines. The data on the next two pages (and in file PROD) were derived from these logs. Based on the statistics above, we can advise Jane for a machine type to be considered as being effective, it must be able to produce parts that are between 5084 and 320242 in number. The machine type must also be able to operate a minimum of 0.58 hours and a maximum of 7.75 hrs. From the statistics of central tendency, machine type 2 is the best for producing parts and also uses minimum time. When the press was down, machine type 2 is the best since it has the minimum standard

Human Trafficking Essay Example for Free

Human Trafficking Essay What is human trafficking ? It is the illegal trade or smuggling of human beings for forced labour. It’s the fastest growing criminal industry in the world and second largest after the drug trade. It differs from people smuggling. After reaching their ultimate destination, the smuggled people are usually free to do their own thing and find their own way in the country they have been smuggled into. However, in human trafficking, the victims are not permitted to do so. They are held against their will and are forced to work or be engaged in unlawful activities by the traffickers and others. The work may include anything from bonded or forced labour to sexual exploitation. Forced labour is a situation where the victims are compelled to work against their will, under the threat of violence or some other form of punishment. Their freedom is restricted and most often they are compelled to work in appalling conditions. Child labour which is in force interferes with the education of children and also affects their health and physical, mental, spiritual and social development. Most people think that trafficking occurs only in poor countries. It happens in many parts of the world and some of the countries to which these people are taken include America, Japan and Singapore. Many organisations and antitrafficking groups have come forward to prevent this from happening. The International Organisation for Migration, and the United Nations are just two organisations fighting to stop human trafficking. One of the best ways to stop or minimise human trafficking is to educate the public, especially the uneducated society in remote villages, about the dangers of human trafficking. The Government should impose stringent laws and take necessary steps to stop it. I would like to say: â€Å"Let’s fight together and stop human trafficking. †

Buddhism versus Bartleby the Scrivener Essay -- Buddha Religion Herman

Buddha Bartleby Buddhism is currently the fourth most popular religion in our society today, following Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. Its major ideologies are based on the philosophies of Siddhartha Guatama, also known as â€Å"Buddha†, who began his teachings in 598 BCE at the age of 35, according to Buddhist texts. A Buddhist’s foremost aspiration is the obtainment of Bodhi, or enlightenment through meditation and Anapana-sati (awareness of the breath). Buddhism shares many ideologies with India’s Hinduism and Yoga such as non-harming, non-violence, and self-awareness. In many instances, people regard Buddhism as a way of life rather than a religion, for it has no clear belief in the idea of a God or Gods. Its structure is built upon a hierarchy much like Christianity where superior orders such as Lamas or the Dalai Lama are said to be chosen by nature through the process of reincarnation rather than by a council like Christianity’s Pope. Though these â€Å"higher level† Buddhists are rare (not everyone is a reincarnation of an ancient Buddhist â€Å"priest†), all are permitted to follow â€Å"The Middle Way† either as a Buddhist monk or the simple attendance of a weekly teaching session from time to time. Throughout the last few hundred years the Buddhist population has blossomed into a healthy 381,611,000 and over fifteen different sects including Zen, Mahayana, and Theravada. For decades scholars and writers have attempted to find the historical analogies and symbolic figures that created Herman Melville’s short story â€Å"Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street†. The story describes the setting of a small â€Å"law-copyists or scriveners† office on Wall Street and the unexpected arrival of an unknown character named Bartleby (Melville... ...ningful demise. So this Buddhistic view simply gives us an ideal understanding of Bartleby’s perplexing, meaningless actions and helps us realize that Bartleby might not be as crazy as he seems. He’s just trying to find his way†¦ Works Cited Melville, Herman. â€Å"Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street.† Melville’s Short Novels: Authoritative Texts, Contexts, Criticism. Ed. Dan McCall. New York: Norton, 2002. 3-35. Franklin, H. Bruce. "Bartleby: The Ascetic's Advent." Melville's Short Novels: Authoritative Texts, Contexts, Criticism. Ed. Dan McCall. New York: Norton, 2002. 176-85. Sten, Christopher W. "Bartleby the Transcendentalist: Melville's Dead Letter to Emerson." Modern Language Quarterly 35 (1974): 30-44. Emerson, Ralph Waldo. â€Å"The Transcendentalist†. EmersonCentral. Nov. 27, 2007. .

Organizational Behavior – Jean Lewis at Staples Case Study

LDP1 July 17, 2007 The interchange between task behavior, relationship behavior, and follower readiness is the foundation of situational leadership. Different focus on relationship or task behavior is applied to followers on different readiness levels. Task behavior is the degree of detailed direction given by a leader to a follower or a group for them to perform a task. Included in these directions are specifics of the methodology to perform the task as well as the place and the parties involved.Relationship behavior is the grade of interaction between the leader and the follower or group. Readiness is the degree of willingness and capability that a follower demonstrates. â€Å"The two major components of readiness are ability and willingness† (Hersey, Blanchard, & Johnson, 2001) Ability is composed of the follower’s qualifications for a particular task. Hersey (2001) catalogs these qualifications as knowledge, skill and experience. Willingness is the level of confiden ce, commitment and motivation that someone shows.Willingness is not a personal attribute as it varies from a task to another. Confidence is the expressed belief that one is able to perform a task. The fact that an individual is confident does not necessarily make him capable of completing an assignment, as it is a mental state rather than a measure of skills. Commitment is an established dedication to undertake a responsibility, and motivation is the expressed desire to do it. Based on the degree of ability and willingness an individual can be classified into four levels of readiness as follows: R1 – Unable and UnwillingR2 – Unable but Willing R3 – Able but Unwilling R4 – Able and Willing R1 individuals do not have either the necessary level of skill or the commitment to perform a task. R2 individuals are not qualified, yet have the willingness to undertake the responsibility. R3 individuals have the ability to perform the task but are reluctant to execut e it. Finally, R4 individuals have the ability and the willingness to complete a task. The situational leadership model institutes four different leadership styles to pair with each of the four readiness levels.These styles are characterized by the different combinations of relationship and task behavior and are defined as follows: Style 1 or S1 – This style of leadership characterized by a high amount of task and low amount of relationship behavior should be used on individuals on the first level of readiness. It is also known as crisis leadership as it is a good practice on a critical situation when the leader doesn’t have the time to explain the â€Å"whys† of the objectives to the followers or research the readiness level of the group.For instance during a fire the fire department personnel is likely to use this type of leadership to evacuate a building. Style 2 or S2 – Typified by high levels of both, task and relationship behaviors, this style shoul d be used in individuals on the second level of readiness. These individuals lack the skills to complete a task, therefore a great deal of direction (task behavior) is needed. Since they are trying, it is important to encourage them to continue their progress (relationship behavior).Style 3 or S3 – Low task and high relationship behavior set this leadership style apart, and should be used on followers on readiness level 3. These individuals have the skill level necessary to complete a task, therefore high amounts of direction are unnecessary. However, since they are unwilling the leader must spend time participating in bilateral communication to encourage them and facilitate decision making. Style 4 or S4 – Characterized by low levels of both relationship and task behaviors. Hersey (2001) describes this leadership style as delegating.R4 individuals are able and willing to undertake a task, reducing the leader’s participation to monitoring progress. As we can see in this model, the readiness level of an individual is what determines the leadership style to be applied. Consequently, it is the follower and not the leader that establishes the leadership style. In her time at Staples, Jeanne Lewis applied different leadership styles to accommodate the different readiness levels of her employees. Until she started working in the marketing department she experienced different levels of rejection from her staff that translated into unwillingness.Jeanne describes her experience in operations as â€Å"managing a group of people who had ‘been there, done that’ for years. † And yet, she continues, â€Å"we had a situation where the stores weren’t performing well, and I had to tell them to make money and grow sales. †(Jeanne Lewis at Staples, Inc, 2001) From her words we can perceive that her staff was in a R1 readiness level. Unwilling because they did not think Jeanne had the experience necessary to run the departmen t, and unable at some level because the stores were not performing well.Jeanne used a S1 leadership style to match the readiness level of her staff. This leadership style, characterized by high task and relationship behavior, has been described as crisis leadership. Jeanne made many changes in the department in a short period of time, so abundant clear and concise direction was necessary. Also due to the reluctance of the operations staff, high levels of multi-way communication were needed. This leadership style is used to help followers advance in their readiness levels, and should only be used in times of crisis.We can presume from her direct report’s description of Jeanne’s management style that she did exactly that. â€Å"She tended to manage tightly at first,† he said, â€Å"then loosened the reins† I think it is safe to assume that her â€Å"loosening the reins†(Jeanne Lewis at Staples, Inc, 2001) was caused by an upwards variation of her sta ff’s readiness level which in turn we can attribute to her management style, and personal charm, and hard-working attitude to elevate follower’s willingness, and clear direction and new training programs to raise ability.A similar situation happened in merchandising. We can learn much of Lewis’ progression of management style by her report’s statement that â€Å"at first impression he worried that Lewis might be a micro-manager, but he soon realized that she liked to inspire dialog and debate to ensure that they dug deeply in their decision making† (Jeanne Lewis at Staples, Inc, 2001). We cannot discard that his first impression was correct, and it is not his erception of Jeanne’s personality that changed, but her management style. When Jeanne was transferred to the marketing department, she found a different situation. She found a talented staff, able and willing to do the job that was requested of them, so she took the passenger sit and le aded them using low task and low relationship behavior (S4). Much to her surprise the followers started experiencing a regressing in their readiness level, going from an able-and-willing group to an able-but-insecure state.Perhaps the distress of the failed merger caused the insecurity. Jeanne needed to adjust her leadership style to include more participation and multi-directional communication (relationship behavior), but running between floors and â€Å"changing hats† all the time did not leave her enough time thus she insisted that her replacement in merchandising be appointed in order to free her schedule. I think Jeanne Lewis is a perfect example of a situational manager.During the whole time I spent reading the case study I could not help but see how she adjusted her management style precisely as the situation required it. Works Cited: Hersey, P. , Blanchard, K. H. , & Johnson, D. E. (2001). Management of organizational behavior: Leading human resources (8th ed. ). New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Pp. 171-203. Suesse, J. M. (2000). Jeanne Lewis at Staples, Inc. (A) (Abridged). Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing. Pp. 1-14 (78-91).

Censor Ship of a High School Newspaper

Censoreship of a High School Newspaper Students at Central High School have written an article called â€Å"Underage Drinking Rampant at Central High†. The article is in the High School newspaper called The Tiger’s Eye†. The article is about teenagers from the high school are underage drinking and it is out of control. The students want to distribute the news paper to the school. The School’s Administration is against the distribution of this article. The principal and superintendent believe the article should be censored from the school.But the students believe that distributing the article will inform younger teenagers about underage drinking, and will prevent them from drinking. Although the Administration believes that the newspaper should be surpressed, it should still be distributed. The first reason the article should be distributed is because it’s the law. The Constitution contains all the laws of the United States. The First Amendment of the U. S. Constitution guarantees the right of freedom of speech and freedom of the press. According to the First Amendment â€Å"Congress shall make no law†¦ abridging the freedom of speech or of the press†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (134).Freedom of speech means that the students can write and publish whatever they want. In addition, the editor of â€Å"The Tiger’s Eye† pointed out that the principal and super intendent â€Å"want a community in which everyone obeys the law. Everyone but them† (134). In other words, the administration should also obey the law. However, the law does apply in some circumstances. For example, the U. S. Supreme Court decided that High School Administrations have the right to censor or forbid topics that can be sensitive to students.The Administrators believe that underage drinking is a sensitive topic and that they should forbid the distribution of the article. But everyone knows about underage drinking, so it is not a sensitive topic. There fore, the right of freedom of the press should be respected. The second reason the article should be distributed is so the students learn about the what happens when you drink. The consequences that underage drinking can affect you are serious. Almost everyone at the high school kows about drinking. An anonymous person stated â€Å"First you drink a little. Then you dance a little. Then you find a quiet bedroom somewhere or go out ang nto your car. Everybody knows this. †(133). He or she clearly satets the a majority of the high school students knows what happens. Furthermore, Juanita C. says â€Å"Sure I drink. Not a lot. Everyone I know does. †(132). She has friends that drink and she stated that everyone she knows does. However, Trisha M. was one of the many people who said â€Å"I’m not ready to drink yet. Maybe when I get a lot older. †(133). She and the other teens that answered a similar way don’t really know what’s happening with the drinking. Nevertheless, informing people about the serious consequences can save lives.

10 Animal Sounds in Japanese Words

10 Animal Sounds in Japanese Words In different languages, there is little consensus about what sounds animals make. This holds true in  Japanese as well as other tongues. In English, for example, a cow says moo, but in French, its closer to meu or meuh. In Japanese, the bovine says moo moo. American dogs say woof, but in Italy, mans best friend makes a sound more like bau. In Japanese, they say wan wan. Below are the sounds various animals say in Japanese. Japanese Animal Sounds The table displays the name of the animal in the left column, with the transliteration of the animals name in bold and its depiction in Japanese letters below. The English name for the animal is listed in the second column. The third column lists the sound the animal makes in bold with the Japanese letters for the sound below that. The sound an animal makes in English is included below the Japanese spelling in the third column, allowing for easy comparison to the animal sound in Japanese. karasu㠁‹ã‚‰ã â„¢ crow kaa kaaã‚ «Ã£Æ' ¼Ã£â€š «Ã£Æ' ¼ niwatorié ¶  rooster kokekokkoã‚ ³Ã£â€š ±Ã£â€š ³Ã£Æ'Æ'ã‚ ³Ã£Æ' ¼(Cock-a-doodle-doo) nezumi㠁 ­Ã£ Å¡Ã£  ¿ mouse chuu chuuãÆ' Ã£Æ' ¥Ã£Æ' ¼Ã£Æ' Ã£Æ' ¥Ã£Æ' ¼ nekoçÅ' « cat nyaa nyaaãÆ'‹ãÆ' £Ã£Æ' ¼Ã£Æ'‹ãÆ' £Ã£Æ' ¼(meow) umaé ¦ ¬ horse hihiinãÆ'’ãÆ'’ãÆ' ¼Ã£Æ' ³ butaè ±Å¡ pig buu buuãÆ'â€"ãÆ' ¼Ã£Æ'â€"ãÆ' ¼(oink) hitsujiç ¾Å  sheep mee meeãÆ' ¡Ã£Æ' ¼Ã£Æ' ¡Ã£Æ' ¼(baa baa) ushi牛 cow moo mooãÆ' ¢Ã£Æ' ¼Ã£Æ' ¢Ã£Æ' ¼(moo) inuçŠ ¬ dog wan wanãÆ' ¯Ã£Æ' ³Ã£Æ' ¯Ã£Æ' ³(woof, bark) kaeruã‚ «Ã£â€š ¨Ã£Æ' « frog kero keroã‚ ±Ã£Æ' ­Ã£â€š ±Ã£Æ' ­(ribbit) These animal sounds are usually written in the katakana script, rather than kanji or hiragana. The Bowwow Theory The bowwow theory  posits that language began when human ancestors started imitating  the natural sounds around them. The first speech was onomatopoeic and included words such as moo, meow, splash, cuckoo, and bang. Of course, in English especially, very few words are onomatopoeic. And around the world, a dog might say au au in Portuguese, wang wang in Chinese, and as noted, wan wan in Japanese. Some researchers have suggested that the animals a culture is most closely aligned with will have more versions of the sounds they make in their respective languages. In American English, for example, a dog might say bowwow, woof, or ruff. Since dogs are beloved pets in the U.S., it makes sense that American-English speakers would want to have a menu of sound words for this pet. The Dog in Japan Dogs are also quite popular as pets in Japan, where they were domesticated during the Jomon period in 10,000 B.C. Though katakana script is most common, you can write the Japanese word for dog,  inu,  in either  hiragana  or  kanji - but since the kanji character for dog is quite simple, try learning how to write it in kanji. Phrases referring to dogs are as common in Japan as they are in the West. Inujini  means to die like dog, and to call someone a dog in Japenese is to accuse him of being a spy or dupe. The sentence  Inu mo  arukeba  bou  ni  ataru  (when the dog walks, it runs across a stick) is a common Japanese saying, meaning that when you walk outside, you could possibly meet with an unexpected fortune.

Free Essays on Hypnotism

Edward Bach (1886-1936) was not a hypnotherapist and so his work is not well know in some hypnotherapy circles. Nevertheless, his philosophy is consistent with that of modern hypnotherapy and we have found that the flower remedies that he developed provide an excellent adjunct to hypnotherapy. Dr. Bach entered medical school in London in 1906 at the age of 20 and graduated five years later. He practiced conventional medicine from 1912 until 1919 when he joint the staff of the London Homeopathic Hospital as a pathologist and bacteriologist. Impressed with the work of Hahnemann, the father of homeopathic medicine, he developed seven nosodes from the seven types of bacteria that he had associated with chronic illness. At the same time he noted that patients with the seven different types of intestinal bacterial pathogens exhibited particular personality types or temperaments. He began to prescribe his nosodes solely by observing the patients’ personality types and temperaments. Bach did not like using pathogen-based nosodes and began to use herbs and plants in place of intestinal bacteria in homeopathic remedies. After using flowers as the basis for developing several homeopathic remedies he sold his medical practice and in 1930, at the age of 43, he left London for the English countryside. Over the course of the next six years he developed 38 flower remedies (discussed below) and the more well know Rescue Remedy. Dr. Bach died at the age of 50 in 1936. Dr. Bach’s Philosophy Dr. Bach’s philosophy about healing and life are set forth in his short book, Heal Thyself. The crux of his philosophy is summarized in two statements: â€Å"The main reason for the failure of modern medical science is that it is dealing with results and not causes . . . Disease is in essence the result of conflict between Soul and Mind, and will never be eradicated except by spiritual and mental effort.† (Centre, 1997, 9-10) As hypnot... Free Essays on Hypnotism Free Essays on Hypnotism Edward Bach (1886-1936) was not a hypnotherapist and so his work is not well know in some hypnotherapy circles. Nevertheless, his philosophy is consistent with that of modern hypnotherapy and we have found that the flower remedies that he developed provide an excellent adjunct to hypnotherapy. Dr. Bach entered medical school in London in 1906 at the age of 20 and graduated five years later. He practiced conventional medicine from 1912 until 1919 when he joint the staff of the London Homeopathic Hospital as a pathologist and bacteriologist. Impressed with the work of Hahnemann, the father of homeopathic medicine, he developed seven nosodes from the seven types of bacteria that he had associated with chronic illness. At the same time he noted that patients with the seven different types of intestinal bacterial pathogens exhibited particular personality types or temperaments. He began to prescribe his nosodes solely by observing the patients’ personality types and temperaments. Bach did not like using pathogen-based nosodes and began to use herbs and plants in place of intestinal bacteria in homeopathic remedies. After using flowers as the basis for developing several homeopathic remedies he sold his medical practice and in 1930, at the age of 43, he left London for the English countryside. Over the course of the next six years he developed 38 flower remedies (discussed below) and the more well know Rescue Remedy. Dr. Bach died at the age of 50 in 1936. Dr. Bach’s Philosophy Dr. Bach’s philosophy about healing and life are set forth in his short book, Heal Thyself. The crux of his philosophy is summarized in two statements: â€Å"The main reason for the failure of modern medical science is that it is dealing with results and not causes . . . Disease is in essence the result of conflict between Soul and Mind, and will never be eradicated except by spiritual and mental effort.† (Centre, 1997, 9-10) As hypnot...

Hurricane Etymology

Hurricane Etymology Unlike most words that Spanish and English share because of their shared history with Latin, hurricane came to English directly from Spanish, where it is currently spelled huracn. But Spanish explorers and conquerers first picked up the word from Taino, an Arawak language from the Caribbean. According to most authorities, the Taino word huracan meant simply storm, although some less reliable sources indicate that it also referred to a storm god or an evil spirit. This word was a natural one for the Spanish explorers and conquerors to pick up from the indigenous population, since winds as strong as the hurricanes of the Caribbean were an unusual weather phenomenon for them. Use of ‘Hurricane’ and Huracn The fact that the Spaniards introduced the word to the English language is the reason that our word hurricane generally refers to tropical cyclones that have their origin in the Caribbean or Atlantic. When the same type of storm has its origin in the Pacific, it is known as a typhoon (originally a Greek word), or  tifà ³n  in Spanish. There is a slight difference in the way the storms are categorized in the languages, however. In Spanish, a  tifà ³n  generally is considered to be a  huracn  that forms in the Pacific, while in English hurricane and typhoon are considered to be separate types of storms, even though the only difference is where they form. In both languages, the word can be used to refer figuratively to anything that is powerful and causes turmoil. In Spanish,  huracn  can also be used to refer to a particularly impetuous person. At the time the Spanish language adopted this word, the h was pronounced (it is silent now) and was sometimes used interchangeably with f. So the same word in Portuguese became furaco, and in the late 1500s the English word was sometimes spelled forcane. Numerous other spellings were used until the word was firmly established at the end of the 16th century; Shakespeare used the spelling of hurricano to refer to a waterspout. The word huracn is not capitalized  when referring to named storms. It is used as in this sentence: El huracn Ana trajo lluvias intensas. (Hurricane Ana brought heavy rains.) Other Spanish Weather Terms in English Hurricane isnt the only Spanish weather term that has found its way into English. The most common of them, tornado, is especially interesting because of the way the two languages played off each other. The Strange Story of ‘Tornado’ and Tornado Although English got its word tornado from Spanish, Spanish surprisingly got its word tornado from English. Thats because the Spanish word that English borrowed wasnt tornado but tronada, a word for a thunderstorm. As is common in etymology, words often change form when imported into another language. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the change of -ro- to -or- was influenced by the spelling of tornar, a Spanish verb meaning to turn. Although tornado in English originally referred to various types of whirlwinds or rotary storms, including hurricanes, in the United States the word eventually came to refer primarily to a type of funneled windstorm common in the U.S. Midwest. In modern Spanish, tornado, borrowed from English, can still refer to various kinds of storms and whirlwinds, including hurricanes. A windstorm on the scale of a tornado, or smaller such as a whirlwind, can also be called a torbellino. Derecho Another type of storm phenomenon is known as a derecho, a direct borrowing of the Spanish derecho, which can, confusingly to foreigners, mean either right (as an adjective) or straight. In this context, it is the second meaning that matters. A derecho refers to a cluster of thunderstorms that travels in a straight line and is capable of causing great destruction. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, Gustavus Hinrichs of the Iowa Weather Service started using the term in the late 1800s to avoid confusing a certain type of storm system with tornadoes. Key Takeaways The English word hurricane started out as an indigenous Caribbean terms that was adopted into Spanish and then spread to English via Spanish explorers and conquerors.Because the word hurricane came from the Caribbean, a different term is used for the same type of storm when occurring in the Pacific Ocean.The weather terms tornado and derecho also come from Spanish.

Operations Management wk1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Operations Management wk1 - Essay Example A poor operations management can always result in poor quality of the final products. Q.1 (b) Specialization in production activity is the basic strategy to be established. That is when a product like vehicles are produced every person or group must be specialized in performing certain activities. A particular group must be assigned the duty of production of Chassis, another group or individual must be specialized in electric works, etc. Similarly, after each and every activity it must be checked for perfection. That is the any component of the vehicle should be transferred to the next section only after detailed examination. Q.2 One of the major strategies that made Coca Cola to gain competitive advantage is its branding strategy. Coca Cola popularized its brand image through different advertising modes. They also opened food houses. â€Å"Some of Coca-Cola’s latest domestic marketing strategies include Coke dominating fountain sales.† (Coca Cola Marketing strategy, 2008). Excessive consumer oriented approach is what made Pepsi to be obtain competitive advantage. It even reduced prices of the product during great depression in order to make it available to the consumers. Later on it popularized the brand as a new generation drink. The strategies of both companies were good as both resulted in gaining market advantage through different methods. The three factors that have resulted in the success are better knowledge of the market, strong brand building strategy and uniqueness in the product. Similar strategy adopted by Apple and Dell would also work as consumers are always impressed by extr emely popularized and branded products. Both are retail stores that sell goods to the final consumers. Operation optimization is not possible in the case of Mom and Pop Stores. Goods are not purchased directly from the manufacturers in the case of Mom and Pop Stores. Staff motivation is very high in case of Wal-Mart but it is absolutely

Imperial Crusades Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Imperial Crusades - Essay Example Instead, following the rise of nationalism in the  nineteenth  century, imperialism gives rise to a struggle between competing empires  (German Empire,  British Empire and Imperial Russia).  Today the term is used broadly to refer to any report  domination  established by a nation or a country or other countries. Imperial crusades refer to modern wars which took place between Muslim and Christian states. Prominent wars which are termed as imperial crusades are the war in Iraq, Afghanistan and Yugoslavia (Cockburn and Clair, 2004). These three wars affected millions of people worldwide and their economic costs were huge. The paper compares and contrasts the causes and impacts of the imperialistic wars of Afghanistan and Iraq. Both wars are termed as imperialistic because they are perceived as a US design to gain control over global resources. The paper discusses similarities and differences between these two wars to gain meaningful insights. Discussion To compare and con trast the two wars termed as imperialistic wars of US – Afghanistan War and Iraq War, it is essential to evaluate the key facts of the two wars. Iraq War The  Iraq war began in  March  2003  with the invasion of Iraq. The war was termed by the coalition  led by the  United States as â€Å"Operation Iraqi Freedom  " against the Baath Party of  Saddam Hussein  and ended in December 2011 with the withdrawal of the last U.S. troops.  The invasion led to the rapid defeat of the Iraqi army, the capture and execution of Saddam Hussein and the establishment of a new government.  President  George W.  Bush  formally declared the completion of the fighting  on May  2003, under the banner  Ã¢â‚¬ËœMission Accomplished’ (Israeli, 2004).  However, violence against coalition forces rapidly led to an  asymmetrical war  involving several groups of insurgents, militia, members of Al Qaeda, the U.S. military forces and the new Iraqi government.   Iraq Body Count, which bases its analysis on data published in the media, estimates that 114,731 Iraqi civilians have died in the violence, mainly composed of attacks, and at least 250,000 Iraqi civilians were wounded (Murray and Scales, 2003). The war led to the exodus  of two million Iraqis fled abroad mainly to Syria Syria  and  Jordan  but also to Europe and United States.   War in Afghanistan The  Afghan War  to the military insurgency of the  United States  along with coalition forces and with the military contribution of the  Northern Alliance against  the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. This war was part of the "  war against terrorism† declared by the  Bush administration  following the  attacks of September 11, 2001  in  New York and Washington (Fiscus, 2004).  The purpose of the invasion according to the United States and its allies was to capture  Osama bin Laden, destroy the organization  Al Qaeda  which allegedly had bas es in the  country with the support of the  Taliban. The  initial attack  drove Taliban out of power, allowing the establishment

COMPANY LAW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

COMPANY LAW - Essay Example And when this problem occurs, Black Books may find itself enmeshed in huge debts owing to corporate inactivity; (iii) loss of control on the company—this means that in the event of incurring huge debts due to poor performance, the lenders may request that the current management at Black Books be replaced by receivership or administration that are external and has little knowledge of how Black Books has been run (Mead and Sagar, 2006). The major problem associated with incurring huge debts or going insolvent is that it may destroy a company’s brand image that had been developed for years. And if this condition occurs or left to persist, it would be difficult for Black Books to regain the loyalty of its long- 2 time customers who may have begun to boycott the company’s books for another one (Omar, 2004). However, the main advantage of sourcing operating capital through loan or borrowing from lenders is that Black Books could claim tax relief on the interests payabl e to service the loan (Mead and Sagar, 2006). ... But using share capital appears safe for Black Books (if the company has chosen this method earlier on) because there would be no fear of going bankrupt owing to the restrictions on the utilization of Black Books’ assets placed under the lenders as collateral securities. Hence, Black Books can continue to operate and protect its brand image from being sullied due to insolvency and the take-over of the company’s administration by a new set of managers, who may lack adequate information about the true state of the company (Omar, 2004). 3 (ii) Black Books is expected to create debentures, which are the documents detailing the terms of borrowing capital loan from the lenders. Black Books has also indicated in the debentures some floating charges on some or all of its assets so as to fulfill the requirements stipulated by the lenders. However, some formalities must be strictly followed in order to draw up the appropriate debentures necessary for Black Books to get the loan. And each of the formalities has legal consequences as explained in the series of processes below: (a) Black Books approaches Lender to borrow ?500,000; the formality here is offering a legal mortgage of the company’s land as a security for the loan in favour of the Lender. This entails that the Lender has powers on the property—it could either restrict Black Books’ access to the land or sell it off when the company failed to pay the loan interests (Dakin et al., 2002). (b) Black Books wants to issue a first floating charge over the company's assets to the extent of ?100,000 in favour of the company's major trade creditor, Supplier, and include a "negative pledge" clause—the essence of a negative clause is to give the

Wedding Planning Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Wedding Planning - Research Paper Example The most important is to make a checklist consisting of all the factors to prepare for. Before actually going for the actual interview, the interviewee should be aware of each and every detail of the service to be offered. These includes ideas for venues, photographers, wedding ceremony music, details and procedure of the marriage license, advice for the wedding reception including the time of the reception, other reception activities. As a wedding planner, one should know each and every detail of the wedding and should have proper contacts in the right places. It is obvious that the interviewing couple or family would ask a lot of questions related to the experience of the planner as well as all other minor details of the wedding preparations. Therefore, the interviewee should also have all the necessary documents, brochures of photographers, hotels, caterers etc. It is advisable to also carry pictures of previous weddings planned by the interviewee. This would give an idea to the family of what to expect from their own contract. The interviewee should also be able to give advices on hotel accommodations, photographers, suitable locations etc. The wedding planner should also give details about the packages offered by him for the couple including details of the wedding planning services, wedding day coordination plans, wedding consultations and other services offered. Other important details should include the pricing of the services, significant features of the client contract and every major as well minor detail of the services provided for the wedding. The wedding planner should be able to convince the couple that he would take all the responsibility for the wedding and would make sure that the wedding takes place in the best way possible and according to the wishes of the bride, the groom and their families. The planner should be able to convince the family that he would be responsible for each and every thing and would make sure

To what extend the bretton woods institutions have functioned to make Essay

To what extend the bretton woods institutions have functioned to make the world economy less prosperous and less stable - Essay Example Global financial institutions were put up such as the World Bank (WB), International Monetary Fund, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The ideas behind Bretton Woods were open and free markets to prevent trade blocs. Before World War II, countries competed against each other in an unhealthy manner in economic nationalism. Trade discrimination resulted in few countries getting rich while countries that did not belong to blocs were left out of the bandwagon. This paper will discuss how institutions of the Bretton Woods Conference, namely the World Bank (WB), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the successor to the GATT which is the World Trade Organization failed their mandates of improving the international economic order. The present economic order is based on a biased system in which strong nations imposed their preferences on other countries. The number of trade disputes pending at various arbitration bodies a re ominously increasing. These arbitration courts are perceived as favouring stronger nations in interpreting WTO rules although all members are bound to abide by the rules. The noble idea that free trade and open markets will raise the living standards of everybody, in the concept of â€Å"a rising tide raises all boats,† did not happen. Richer nations deal with weaker neighbouring countries by bilateral trade agreements (BTA) and free trade agreements (FTA) like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and Asean Free Trade Agreement (AFTA). These agreements practice discrimination by the grant of most-favoured nation status (MFN) to countries in exchange for political or diplomatic considerations. These agreements violate the non-discrimination rule in the WTO charter. Discussion The great Industrial Revolution took place in imperial England 200 years ago. Foremost among these inventions was the steam engine. This propell ed many industries such as coal mining and the iron ore and steel industries. A number of factors made England the right environment for which the Industrial Revolution took place. It has a primitive form of capitalism (in lieu of the existing feudal system in much of Europe back then), a melting pot of the greatest minds at that time which discussed novel ideas, the rise of the manufacturing and textile industries and efficient ways of raising relatively-cheap capital at that time (at 5% only versus 20%-30% in Europe). England was the right fertile ground for capitalism. Karl Marx himself believed England favoured the growth of capitalism because it had all the ingredients. Its novelty as an economic system was attractive to many sectors because England had an excess population which needed to be re-deployed from farms. Capitalism provided the saving grace for the government because people can be employed in factories in large urban areas by capitalists. The old feudal system gave way to new ways in the creation of wealth through manufacturing and exports. Capitalism became entrenched with the right combination of political and social changes (Hindess & Hirst, 1975:288). The Industrial Revolution and capitalism are being discussed here to give the reader an overview of today’s global order which is based on the economic system of capitalism. Before

Optional Technologies Adopted in the Construction of Building Elements Essay

Optional Technologies Adopted in the Construction of Building Elements - Essay Example Design professionals significant role in the quality of the built environment cannot be denied. Buildings in the contemporary world are a complex undertaking that require many different skills and materials. In this regard, the capabilities of the engineers and architects on the integrated design team are critical for the overall success of the design. In order to carry out the design and propose various alternatives, some background data is often required. This is usually with reference to the location of the proposed project and its various jurisdictions. The design process is then guided onwards by the knowledge of such project information. It is based on this that the relevant safety factors can be applied in the design so that the proposed methods and constructional technologies are safe and appropriate (EMMITT, BARRY & GORSE, 2010, p. 14). With the layout plan given for a proposed four-storey commercial building, with its components and the boundary conditions, different optional building technologies can be used to come up with the most appropriate designs. The building elements considered are as follows: Basements in commercial buildings are in most cases constructed to serve as foundations for the superstructure of the building, and in others to increase its utility to provide space that can be used by occupants of the building (FLEMING, 2005, p. 33). When adequately and properly constructed, they can be used for the following purposes: The intended use of the basement must be determined first before any design decisions are made. This will also have an impact on the quality of the basement. The level of performance of the basement areas is to be determined from the onset of construction to help in cost estimations and the material choice for the basement and its surrounding features.

To what extend the bretton woods institutions have functioned to make Essay

To what extend the bretton woods institutions have functioned to make the world economy less prosperous and less stable - Essay Example Global financial institutions were put up such as the World Bank (WB), International Monetary Fund, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The ideas behind Bretton Woods were open and free markets to prevent trade blocs. Before World War II, countries competed against each other in an unhealthy manner in economic nationalism. Trade discrimination resulted in few countries getting rich while countries that did not belong to blocs were left out of the bandwagon. This paper will discuss how institutions of the Bretton Woods Conference, namely the World Bank (WB), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the successor to the GATT which is the World Trade Organization failed their mandates of improving the international economic order. The present economic order is based on a biased system in which strong nations imposed their preferences on other countries. The number of trade disputes pending at various arbitration bodies a re ominously increasing. These arbitration courts are perceived as favouring stronger nations in interpreting WTO rules although all members are bound to abide by the rules. The noble idea that free trade and open markets will raise the living standards of everybody, in the concept of â€Å"a rising tide raises all boats,† did not happen. Richer nations deal with weaker neighbouring countries by bilateral trade agreements (BTA) and free trade agreements (FTA) like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and Asean Free Trade Agreement (AFTA). These agreements practice discrimination by the grant of most-favoured nation status (MFN) to countries in exchange for political or diplomatic considerations. These agreements violate the non-discrimination rule in the WTO charter. Discussion The great Industrial Revolution took place in imperial England 200 years ago. Foremost among these inventions was the steam engine. This propell ed many industries such as coal mining and the iron ore and steel industries. A number of factors made England the right environment for which the Industrial Revolution took place. It has a primitive form of capitalism (in lieu of the existing feudal system in much of Europe back then), a melting pot of the greatest minds at that time which discussed novel ideas, the rise of the manufacturing and textile industries and efficient ways of raising relatively-cheap capital at that time (at 5% only versus 20%-30% in Europe). England was the right fertile ground for capitalism. Karl Marx himself believed England favoured the growth of capitalism because it had all the ingredients. Its novelty as an economic system was attractive to many sectors because England had an excess population which needed to be re-deployed from farms. Capitalism provided the saving grace for the government because people can be employed in factories in large urban areas by capitalists. The old feudal system gave way to new ways in the creation of wealth through manufacturing and exports. Capitalism became entrenched with the right combination of political and social changes (Hindess & Hirst, 1975:288). The Industrial Revolution and capitalism are being discussed here to give the reader an overview of today’s global order which is based on the economic system of capitalism. Before

Analysis Of Business Environment For Coca-Cola Company Research Paper

Analysis Of Business Environment For Coca-Cola Company - Research Paper Example The company can minimize weaknesses and fight threats to improve financial and training systems and undertake staff motivational initiatives to minimize risks associated with new markets and increase competitive advantage as well as constantly build expertise in the firm to minimize chances of the firm undertaking risky business internationally such as the experiences seen during the global financial crisis. Also, technological advancements in the industry may be useful to increase competition. Using SWOT analysis, the company should be able to focus on its strengths, curtail threats, and take the utmost possible gain of opportunities available, and trigger aggressive strategy formulation. The firm has a better understanding of its competitors which can provide insights to craft a coherent and successful competitive position. To maintain and/or increase customer loyalty, the company should employ strategies that jealously guard its existing market share and also explore ways of expan ding the customer base to grow revenue and increase business performance. Product differentiation based on customer segments is one of the strategies the company can use. The company should also explore the strengths and limitations of its competitors by interrogating the soft spots of alternative products to strengthen its products. Other strategies may include going an extra mile to know its customers better, meet and exceed customer expectations, increase value derived by customers from its products.

A Christmast Surprise for Gramma Essay Example for Free

A Christmast Surprise for Gramma Essay A Christmas Surprise for Grandma by Gloria J. Shuttleworth Grandma lived on Sugar Creek Mountain all alone. It was a beautiful mountain, with tall cedar trees all over the mountain top. In the middle of the mountain was a crystal clear lake. The water in the lake was the prettiest blue youve ever seen. When the water was calm, you could see the fish swimming around in the lake. I loved sitting by the lake when I was a little girl. Grandma would pack us a lunch, and we would sit at the lake for hours on end. Hour after hour, grandma would tell me stories about her life on the mountain. I remember the day that grandpa drowned in the lake. My parents had tried to talk grandma into moving into town, but she wouldnt hear of it. My parents knew not to argue with her, because they knew that grandma was set in her ways. Ive been on this mountain for so long that Ive forgotten which is the oldest, me or the mountain, grandma had said, with a twinkle in her eyes. I knew my parents worried about her being alone, because grandma was the only person who lived on Sugar Cliff Mountain. Today I was going to visit grandma, and the excitement grew inside me at the thought of spending time on the mountain once more. After all, it had been ten years since I had seen grandma. Its hard to believe that my career had kept me away for so long. As I approached the top of the mountain, I could see grandma staring out the window of her little log cabin home. Grandma greeted me at the door with a big hug. I am so happy that you could come to visit with me, said grandma. This Christmas is going to be so wonderful! I have a special surprise for you dear. Little did grandma know that I had a very special surprise for her as well. Well, we cant stand around here all day, said grandma. Theres a lot of work to get done. I have invited the people from the village to come to my Christmas party on Saturday evening. After I had freshened up a bit, we spent the day baking all sorts of cookies and candies. Grandma had a story to tell as we baked the goodies for the party. She told me about how she used to bake apple pies for grandpa. He loved apple pies, said grandma. Those were his favorite. She said that after the pies would cool off, that grandpa would send her into the living room, under the pretense that he would clean up the kitchen. Grandma knew what he was really up to, but she never let on that she knew. Grandma would go into the living room and sit in her rocking chair. She would sing some of the songs that she knew grandpa loved. About an hour later, grandma would wander back into the kitchen. Why Henry! she said kitchen, grandma retired for the evening. I made myself a cup of tea and sat down in front of the fireplace. Sitting alone in the quiet house, I pondered my childhood memories of my grandparents. They had always been such a fun loving and happy couple. Shortly after they were married, grandpa built the log cabin home for his Little ole Emmy, as he called her. Just before Christmas, almost twelve years ago, grandpa was outside gathering firewood, when grandma heard a horrible scream and a terrible noise. She ran outside to find that an area of the ice on the lake had fallen through. She yelled for grandpa over and over but no reply ever came. They searched the lake for over a week, but no trace of grandpa could be found. Finally, they called off the search. One of the men who had helped in the search said theyd probably never find grandpa now. Just then, as my thoughts were still racing around in my head, my grandmother brought me back to reality. We have to be up very early in the morning dear, so off to bed now, she said. I slowly walked to my grandmothers room, and kissed her goodnight. Morning came early at grandmas house. As I entered the kitchen I could smell the homemade biscuits and gravy cooking on the stove. Whats on our list of things to do today? I asked. The men are coming from the village this morning to put the lights on the trees, and we have lots of presents to wrap for the children, she said. Just then, there was a knock at the door. It was the men from the village ready to start putting up the lights. Grandma was so excited as she stepped back to watch them. Lets wrap those presents now Laura, said grandma. As I watched grandma wrap the presents and tie the ribbons, I knew that so much more was being placed around them. With each piece of wrapping paper grandma was also wrapping them with love. After the last present was wrapped, we realized that wed been wrapping presents all day! It was now getting dark outside and grandma wanted to go outside to view the lights. As we stepped out onto the porch, we gasped. The sight that met our eyes was so beautiful to behold! The snow was glittering and the reflection of the lights on the snow was beyond words! It was breathtaking! That night I went to bed with a heart full of love for my grandmother. I knew that someday I wanted to be just like her, full of love for others. Saturday evening the village people started arriving just after dark. Grandma always waited until evening to have her Christmas party, because she loved the lights. All the guests gathered around in the front yard and began to sing Christmas carols. Oh, how grandma loved that! Ole Ben was a jolly fellow who worked at the village store, and he was chosen to help Santa hand out the presents. The children shouted with glee, as they unwrapped their gifts. Grandma said, Laura, come here dear, I have a surprise for you. As she handed me the present, I could see the love and pride in her eyes. I love it grandma, I said, as I bent down to kiss her cheek, I will cherish it forever. Grandma had made a quilt out of some of my dresses that I had worn as a little girl. Grandma, if you could have just one special gift for Christmas, what would it be? I asked her. Without even stopping to think, she replied, I would like t o see your grandfather just one more time, so I could feed him the apple pie that the horses quit snatching when he left us. Just then grandmas face lit up like the lights on the Christmas tree! Everyone turned to see what grandma was looking at. Walking slowly toward her, with an apple pie in his hand, was grandpa! There was two slices missing from the pie that he was holding. The village people were speechless, as they thought they were seeing a ghost. Grandpa chuckled, as he yelled out, Emmy, those darn horses snatched the pie and got away with two pieces. Difference to me, but slowly my memory started to return. I remember now going out to gather firewood. There was a nice piece of wood on the lake. I thought the lake was frozen over so I stepped out on the lake to get the piece of wood. I remember hearing the lake crackle and thats the last I remember about the accident. Laura, how can I ever thank you for bringing grandpa home to me? asked grandma. Laura replied, Seeing the happiness and the love you have for each other is all the thanks I need. As Laura retired to bed that night, she couldnt help but think about the surprise that she had given to grandma for Christmas. She knew in her heart that it was the best surprise present that grandma would ever get. What a warm and wonderful feeling came over Laura as she fell asleep, thinking of her grandparents.

Political System Of Vietnam

Political System Of Vietnam In every class society, the power of the ruling can be carried out by a system of institutions and certain political organizations. It is the political system. By political system we mean the system of government in a nation (Hill, 2007). The political system in our country is a tool made à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹ownership of the working people under the leadership of the Party. The political system in our country today, including: Communist Party of Vietnam, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the socio-political organization. The politics of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam  is a law-governed state. The President of Vietnam is the head of state and the Prime Minister of Vietnam is the head of government, in a one-party system led by the Communist Party of Vietnam. The CPV was founded on February 3, 1930. Over 75 years of its existence, the Party has been renamed several times: the Vietnam Communist Party (February 1930), the Communist Party of Indochina (October 193 0), the Vietnam Workers Party (February 1951), and the Communist Party of Vietnam (December 1976). The current political system in Vietnam included these components of political power: Communist Party of Vietnam, People in the political system, State Socialist Republic of Vietnam, National Assembly, President, Government, Peoples courts, Peoples Procuracy, Socio-political organizations and mass. Each component of power has the own function in the political system. In terms of Communist Party of Vietnam, it is the faithful representative of the interests of the working class, the working people and of the nation. Regarding to People in the Political system, they make their power mainly through the State; management of society by the State law under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam. On the subject of State Socialist Republic of Vietnam, it is a central organization and is a pillar of the political system. It takes the responsibility for managing all activities of socia l life and performs the function of internal and external. In relation to National Assembly, it is the highest representative body of the people, the highest state power bodies of Vietnam. As regard to the President, he is considered as the head of state and is elected by the National Assembly from the National Assembly to act on behalf of Vietnam in terms of internal and external. Concerning to Government, it is the highest state administrative agencies of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The role of Government is managing the implementation of the tasks of political, economic, cultural, social, defense, security and foreign policy of the State. Last but not least, the Socio-political organizations and mass is the organization representing the interests of different social communities to participate in the political system according to the principles, purposes and characteristics of each group officials. A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. This is one of the three main parts of the political system in Vietnam. Legislature have many different names, most commonly Institution and the National Assembly (parliament). In Vietnam, Legislature is considered to have the equivalent power and to be independent of law with the executive. Legislative power is the power to make laws, legislation and enacted laws are applied in all fields of social life. According to the Constitution, in addition to through the law, the Legislature has the right to raise taxes through the budget and other expenditures. The delegates of the Constitutional Convention argued that if the two separate groups one group representing the federal government, a group representing the people must approve any draft law, it is almost not also the risk of the National Assembly passed the law in a hurry or carelessness. However, there are some specific prohibitions f rom Constitution to the activities of the National Assembly. For example, Congress is not allowed to put any tax on exported good from any states, to suspend command demanding arrests. At the side of Executive, it is one of three main rights in the State power structure. Executive power is exercised by the State administrative agencies executed to ensure completion of their functions and duties. Executive power consists of two rights: the right to establish rules and administrative rights. Despite being a one-party state, Vietnams political system has often been responsive to peasants, workers and others pushing for better economic, social and political conditions. Although Communist Party of Vietnam has acquired many success in the these nearly years, it is not sure that Vietnamese Communist Party and its government are now responding appropriately to mounting demands to further improve a majority of peoples lives. To improve the political outcome of the country, not only the Government but also all the components of power should be reconsidered about the role and the functions. Are authorities listening attentively to these and other public political criticisms; are they responding sympathetically and responsibly? Some are, but national surveys and other sources of information indicate that a larger proportion of authorities are not. There is still hope that the Vietnamese Communist Party government will again become more responsive and less repressive, although the outlook is less optimistic now than it has been in the past. To meet the requirements of the new stage of development, it requires the entire of the political system in our country must be integrity. The basis of our political system of our country is the working class. That means the organization of the political system both take stand on the view of the working class. As the result, the tasks, functions, orientations of the political system are to ensure ownership and benefit of the working class. In the socio-political system today, notable new features compared to the structure of the political system as it is the presence of large social institutions of the people, especially the association in the field of economic and social organizations, professional associations, business and social services Although not directly implement political tasks of the Party and the State, but in terms of socialist democracy, to protect the rights and legitimate interests of the members, these o rganizations have a growing impact to major political and economic life of the country. Therefore, the legal and political mechanisms to operate the link between the political system and social system as stated also been identified as a basic element in the structure of the Vietnamese socio-political system today. Introduction Socio-political system of Vietnam is a system of political institutions, the socio-political and other social institutions, including the Party, the State, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, mass andsocio-political organizations, social organizations large people; mechanism of operation of the institutions under the leadership of the communist Party of Vietnam for the purpose of a prosperous people, a strong country, social justice,democratic and civilized. The concept of socio-political system like that is formed on the basis of the link between the two systems of social institutions of the political system (the system of grassroots direct exercise of power politics) and System society. In terms of building institutional practices and ensure peoples power in our country today, the binding of these two systems into a larger system is the socio-political significance and should be deeply research focus in both theory and practice. Conclusion In conclusion, in the socio-political system today, the social organizations play a more positive role than a centrally planned economy. The social organization is not a channel independent of the political system that increasingly strong participation, a great impact on the performance of the political system. Therefore, the role of the political system is to ensure consistency of the will, aspirations and power of the people and to ensure human social systems and the diversity of social life.

Potential Impact of Blogs on Communication Essays -- Internet Online C

The Potential Impact of Blogs on Communication The advent of weblogs as instruments of Web-based conversation shall surely increase the exchange of news-related and academic information; probably not to the extent that books or newspapers have, but certainly in an open and accessible way. Gradually as they gain in popularity, blogs shall transform the field of journalism from one of complacent reporting to a more competitive and less elitist industry. Motivated individuals, with the use of their personal blogs, shall weigh in on important and controversial topics related to politics and social issues. Similarly, separated networks of academics shall benefit from more convenient access in communicating their ideas across long distances, giving them greater opportunities to organize large collaborative projects. Although books and libraries shall continue to be the preferred and overwhelming choice of students, educators, and interested persons as a place for acquiring knowledge, weblogs, through the global network called the I nternet, shall bring people ever closer together to inform the general public and to exchange technical and academic ideas. The influence that blogging shall have on the news industry and on academia should, for the sake of objectivity, be placed in comparison with the advent of mechanized printing. Both these technologies (i.e. blogs and printing) have made general news coverage and advanced scholarship related to professional and academic disciplines more readily available than what was the case before their creation. Prior to the invention of moveable type and the printing press, only a small number of trained scribes and privileged aristocrats knew how to write. Books took painstaking effort ... ...ve understanding about the social and physical sciences shall be fostered by this new on-line forum. Works Cited Mumford, Lewis. "The Invention of the Printing Press." Communication in History : Technology, Culture, Society. Ed. Crowley, David and Paul Heyer. Pearson Education. pp. 93-97. Lasica, J.D. "Blogging as a Form of Journalism." We've Got Blog. Ed. Rodzvilla, John. USA: Perseus Publishing, 2002. 163-71. Pryor, Larry. "A Weblog sharpens journalism students' skills." Nieman Reports. Vol. 57, Iss. 3. pg. 97. Regan, Tom. "Weblogs threaten and inform traditional journalism." Nieman Reports. Vol. 57, Iss. 3: pg. 68. Reynolds, Glenn Harlan. "Weblogs and journalism: Back to the future?" Nieman Reports. Vol. 57, Iss. 3: pg. 81. Duke University. Center for Instructional Technology.

New Heritage Doll Company Essay

1. Describe and compare the business rationales for each of the two project proposals under consideration. Which do you feel is the more compelling? Project 1: Match My Doll Clothing Line Expansion Expand the successful Match My Doll Clothing Line to include matching all-season clothing for tween girls and their dolls. Pros: Current popularity will enable company to maintain premium prices. Company could take advantage of off-peak discounts offered by some suppliers and contract manufacturers. Would help reduce the seasonality in New Heritage’s sales and earnings. Project poses moderate risk – about the same as the production division’s existing business as a whole. Cons: Company has to exploit the opportunity without delay to be able to exploit the current popularity of the original Match My Doll Clothing line. Large outlays for R&D, market research and marketing are needed. Project 2: Design Your Own Doll Targets existing customers and will offer customized dolls that the customer could customize to create one-of-a-kind addition to their existing collection of dolls. Pros: Market research with focus group indicates that there is a lot of enthusiasm for the product concept. Company will be able to charge premium prices for this product. Will improve customer loyalty. Will create a unique experience for customers. Cons: Increased manufacturing complexity and expense, involves higher risk. Low production runs and volumes would mean higher fixed costs per unit. Therefore, higher breakeven volume for project (longer payback period). Would require the company to make significant changes to its existing technology infrastructure, expand its webhosting capacity and involve legal measure to implement new third party service agreements to provide better service quality. Longer development time (including product testing) – up to 12 months. Much larger initial investment required than the first project.  The Match My Doll Clothing Line expansion project uses existing infrastructure and technology/ products. It will also fill the â€Å"gap† in the year-round revenues that occur due to the seasonality of demand. This project requires a smaller investment and has a shorter payback period. The Design Your Own Doll project requires a larger investment and will require new equipment, technology and third-party agreements. The business plan and process will become more complicated. This project also has a longer payback period. On the other hand, this project will earn higher returns. Both the projects will require some continuing capital expenditures. However, the Design Your Own Doll option will require higher capital expenditures compared to the Match My Doll Clothing Line project. Design Your Own Doll project is expected to make higher returns according to the projections. It also carries a higher risk due to the complexity of operations involved. See attached sheet for detailed calculations. 2. What are the free cash flows that are relevant to analyzing the two projects? 3. Match My Doll Clothing Line Free Cash Flow (without TV) = $2,091.54 Match My Doll Clothing Line Free Cash Flow (with TV) = $16,344.40 Design Your Own Doll Free Cash Flow (without TV) = -$1,019.8 Design Your Own Doll Free Cash Flow (with TV) = $24,732.06 4. What are the NPVs of the two projects? What decision should Emily Harris recommend? 5. NPV Calculation Match My Doll Clothing Line: NPV = $7,148.35 Design My Doll: NPV = $7,285.68 Based on the calculations in the above steps, it is determined that Design My Doll project has a higher NPV and hence would be a better choice, but the first project is less risky and has a shorter payback period and therefore might be more attractive to the board.

Changinng Life Style Essay

Indian Culture is time tested and represented the progressively refined way of life, that had unfortunately suffered a set back, a sub culture process as it were, drifting from its salutary ways of living. Did not Lord Mecaulay say in the UK parliament how the Indians had such a perfect social harmony and faith in their way of life, that they can not be subdued unless they were weaned from their prestige and made to adore the alien way of life, to feel subordinated to a †superior culture†, wherefore they could be easily subdued and dominated for the best advantage of the colonial rule! That was perfectly achieved and Indians forgot their own merits in a strange infatuation with alien culture! Foreign culture was best for them, unique to them, deserved respect, but not fit for absorption into our own way of life! Apart from an initiation into new unfolding findings of secular science and technology – which was absent in our nation under colonial subjugation – we had gained least in other spheres, particularly in the social and ethical qualities. We became divided, in the names of religion and castes losing the force of harmony that united us under the princely states! The increasing divorce culture, night clubs and pub culture, promiscuity and desertions etc among youth, the divide and rule policy among the politicians, the aggressive conversions (against more benign missionary activities a century ago) are the only major impacts in the social domain. So except the technological inputs, even economic exploitations under free trade or repressive regimentation under socialist govts that came from the west, have least served the society to achieve equality. Social impacts have been worse. The break down of joint family system due to new life styles, uncontrolled deviancies in the name of liberty etc have made youth defy control of society and family in a big way. In a chapter on †Consequences of Innovations† in the book by Rogers and Shoemaker entitled, †Diffusion and  Adoption of Innovations†, it is discussed how any change made in any aspect of social sphere – agriculture or medicine or arts or whatever – may end up in unexpected †side effects† as well. The chaos in the aborigins of Australia after replacement of traditional stone tool etc make interesting reading! In India itself, the introduction of rural TV programme for education of people in modern agricultre, health care etc was studied in UP state when Indiraji was Minister of Broadcasting, in 100 villages. The study revealed significant increase in knowledge and attitude of people in modern techniques and the project was cleared for large scale introdcution across the country. After govt project was ended, many behavioural scientists took up studies in change of life pattern in the villages. They came across many critical adverse changes traceable to exposure of untreated †entertainment† programmes given by TV apart from the educatinal inputs! Like that our adoration for the modern knowledge gained from the west, had made us adopt their other life styles as well to the detriment of society. So the demerits have been devastating as we see from the increase of family courts to deal with increasing divorce cases, the skewed development of trade and industy at the cost of other primary enterprises, policy of social divide by politicians for vote bank advantage etc! In my opinion, we had paid a heavy price for all the technological good we received from the west, by our own unwise emulation of their social perceptions and political strategies as well! have a good day! TRADITIONAL CULTURE AND MODERNIZATION R. BALASUBRAMANIAN BACKGROUND This paper focuses upon three issues. First, I want to show that the perennial elements in traditional cultures like those of India and China are  relevant even today as they play an important role in the achievement, on the one hand, of harmony between the individual and society at the social level, and, on the other hand, of harmony of spirit, mind, and body at the individual level. Second, we should not lose sight of the distinction between knowledge and information, between wisdom and knowledge, and more importantly between life and living. The perennial elements in the traditional culture have helped us to care for life, knowledge, and wisdom, which are essential for spiritual development. Third, modernization as interpreted by the West has a narrow connotation and is, therefore, a distorted concept. Through science, it brings in the colonial attitude, the imperialism of the West. It is possible for one to be modern without accepting all that is implied by modernization. Culture, which comprises philosophy and religion, art and literature, science and technology, social organization and political administration, is the mirror of the theory and practice of a people. It is originated, developed and sustained by the people over a period of time. In turn, the perennial elements which constitute its core inspire and sustain the posterity to whom it is transmitted from time to time. Traditional cultures like those of China and India are undoubtedly ancient, but not antiquated; their ideals and practices, which are relevant in any situation, help the people to meet the new challenges which surface from time to time. As a result they not only survive, but are admired, adored, and accepted by the people. There cannot be a better explanation of the way a culture is able to hold the people and sustain them than the one given by Sri Aurobindo: The culture of a people may be roughly described as the expression of a consciousness of life which formulates itself in three aspects. There is a side of thought, of ideal, of upward will and the soul’s aspiration; there is a side of creative self-expression and appreciative aesthesis, intelligence, and imagination; and there is a side of practical and outward formulation. A people’s philosophy and higher thinking give us its mind’s purest, largest, and most general formulation of its consciousness of life and its dynamic view of existence. Its religion formulates the most intense form of its upward will and the soul’s aspirations towards the fulfillment of its highest ideal and impulse. Its art, poetry, literature provide for us the creative expression and impression of its intuition, imagination, vital turn and creative  intelligence. Its society and politics provide in their forms an outward frame in which the more external life works out what it can of its inspiring ideal and of its special character and nature under the difficulties of the environment. We can see how much it has taken of the crude material of living, what it has done with it, how it has shaped as much of it as possible into some reflection of its guarding consciousness and deeper spirit. None of them express the whole spirit behind, but they derive from it their main ideas and their cultural character. Together they make up its soul, mind, and body.1 Of the various components of culture the role of philosophy and religion is significant. Philosophy and religion can never be separated though they can be distinguished. It may be that in a particular culture, philosophy is in the forefront and religion in the background. It can also be the other way with religion at the surface and philosophy in the background. The point to be noted here is that philosophy and religion interact with, and influence each other. Philosophy is made dynamic by religion, and religion is enlightened by philosophy. If it is admitted that there is the need for a unity of theory and practice, p hilosophy cannot remain merely as a view of life; it must also be a way of life. In other words, philosophy has to become religious if it is to mold, organize and regulate life. Religion is not an untouchable; its need for life can neither be ignored nor underestimated. It will be helpful to contrast the pursuit of philosophy in Europe with that in India and China. Unlike the Europe of the Enlightenment where philosophy did not touch life at all, there was a tremendous impact of philosophy on life both in India and China. In the words of Sri Aurobindo: Philosophy has been pursued in Europe with great and noble intellectual results by the highest minds, but very much as a pursuit apart from life, a thing high and splendid, but ineffective. It is remarkable that, while in India and China philosophy has seized hold on life, has had an enormous practical effect on the civilization and got into the very bones of current thought and action, it has never at all succeeded in achieving this importance in Europe. In the days of the Stoics and Epicureans it got a grip, but only among the highly cultured; at the present day, too, we have some renewed tendency of the kind. Nietzsche has had his influence, certain French thinkers also in France, the philosophies of James and Bergson have attracted some amount of public interest; but it is a mere  nothing compared with the effective power of Asiatic philosophy.2 There is no doubt that the average European who draws his guidance not from the philosophic, but from positive and practical reason, puts â€Å"the philosophical treatises on the highest shelf in the library of civilization.† The situation is entirely different in India. Sri Aurobindo says: The Indian mind holds . . . that the Rishi, the thinker, the seer of spiritual truth is the best guide not only of the religious and moral, but [also of] the practical life. The seer, the Rishi is the natural director of society; to the Rishis he attributes the ideals and guiding intuitions of his civilization. Even today he is very ready to give the name to anyone who can give a spiritual truth which helps his life or a formative idea and inspiration which influences religion, ethics, society, even politics.3 The phenomenon known as modernization is a product of the one-sided pursuit of both philosophy and science — philosophy purely as an intellectual affair without any bearing on life and science as the most effective instrument for the possession of unlimited power, eliminating the sacred. I shall take up the problem of modernization later. It may be added here that what is said about the Indian mind is equally true of the Chinese mind. Confucius, Mencius, and others are the great Rishis of China, the seers who exhibited the most uncommon insight into men and matters, into the moral and social problems of human beings. Drawing a distinction between two kinds of philosophers, systematic and edifying, Richard Rorty characterizes Wittgenstein as an edifying philosopher, like Kierkegaard, Heidegger, and others. In a brief analysis of the spirit of Western civilization which is fully manifest in the industry, architecture, and music of our time, in its fascism and socialism, Wittgenstein openly admits that he has â€Å"no sympathy for the current of European civilization, that he does not understand its goals, if it has any,† and that â€Å"it is alien and uncongenial† to him.4 He goes on to say: A culture is like a big organization which assigns each of its members a place where he can work in the spirit of the whole; and it is perfectly fair for his power to be measured by the contribution he succeeds in making to the whole enterprise.5 Wittgenstein’s brief explanation of culture requires some elucidation. He says that culture is a whole, that every individual has a place in it, that every individual has to function as a member of the whole, and that what he does is significant socially as well  as morally. The two traditional cultures, Chinese and Indian, have recognized the importance of the ideas embedded in Wittgenstein’s explanation of culture. While the Indian culture appears to be predominantly spiritual and religious, the Chinese culture seems to be basically humanistic, with a clear emphasis on the moral and social dimensions of life. It must be pointed out in this connection that the difference between these two traditional cultures is only at the surface. Since the traditional culture comprehends the total life of a person, it provides a place for the different dimensions of life — spiritual, religious, moral, and social — which can be distinguished, but not separated. The spiritual and religious dimension of life presupposes the moral and social realm ; and the moral and social sphere of life points to the religious and spiritual goals. That the two realms, ethico-social and religio-spiritual, are complementary, has been recognized by both these cultures, even though the Indian culture lays emphasis on the spiritual and religious side of man while the Chinese culture focusses on the ethical and social side of man. The motif of the two cultures is the harmony of spirit, mind, and body; and it is to achieve this harmony that they take care of both realms of life. Once again what Sri Aurobindo says in this connection is worth quoting: A true happiness in this world is the right terrestrial aim of man, and true happiness lies in the finding and maintenance of a natural harmony of spirit, mind, and body. A culture is to be valued to the extent to which it has discovered the right key of this harmony and organized its expressive motives and movements. And a civilization must be judged by the manner in which all its principles, ideas, forms, ways of living work to bring that harmony out, manage its rhythmic play, and secure its continuance or the development of its motives.6 There is need to harmonize the eternal and the temporal, for the spirit works through mind and body, which belong to the temporal; and this is what every great culture has aimed at. There are four components in the traditional culture associated with India and China. They are: (1) the primal Spirit which is the source and support of the universe may be viewed both as transcendent to, and as immanent in, the universe; (2) this Spirit which is immanent in all human beings can be realized by every human being; (3) it lays down a discipline which is both moral and spiritual for realizing the Spirit; and (4) it has provided an organization of the  individual and collective life not only for the sake of the harmony between the individual and society, but also for the sake of the harmony of spirit, mind, and body. Each one of these components needs some explanation in the context of these two cultures. INDIAN CULTURE Though Indian culture as it is today is composite in character, comprising Hindu, Jaina, Buddha, Islamic, and Christian elements, it can be characterized as Vedic culture since not only Hinduism, which is predominant, but also Jainism and Buddhism, which originated in protest against Vedic ritualism, have been influenced by the Vedas, the basic and oldest scriptural text in the world. Islam and Christianity entered the Indian soil consequent on the invasion of India by the foreigners — by the Moghuls in the former case, and by the English, French, and Portuguese in the latter case. Though they try to retain their identity, the followers of these two religious traditions have been influenced by the Vedic culture. Kabir (1398-1518 AD), for example, who is a greatly respected personality in the religious history of India, is a product of both Hinduism and Islam. In recent times, Indian Christians talk about and practice inculturization, which is a new and growing phenomenon. The predominant Hindu culture which has a long and continuous history is the Vedic culture; and the Vedic culture, which has its beginning round about 2500 BC, may be characterized as primal culture, since it traces everything in the universe to the primal Spirit, which is variously called Brahman, Ä€tman, Being, and so on. Spirit or Being is the primal reality. It is that from which all beings arise; being supported by it, they exist; and all of them move towards it as their destination. In the language of T.S. Eliot, the beginning is the end. The Upanisad says: That, verily, from which these beings are born, that by which, when born, they live, that into which, when departing, they enter. That, seek to know. That is Brahman.7 Spirit or Brahman is primal in the sense that it is foundational. It is the sole reality; it is one and non-dual; and there is nothing else beside it. It is spoken of as the First Cause, Unmoved Mover, of the entire manifest universe. With a view to bring o ut the independent nature of the primal Spirit on which the manifest universe is dependent, it is referred to as the Ground. That which is independent is real; what is dependent is an appearance. The ground-grounded  relation brings out the reality of Spirit and the appearance of the universe. Ordinarily we distinguish the material cause from the efficient cause; the one is different from the other. The wood from which a table is made is the material cause; and the carpenter who works on the wood and makes a table according to a certain design is the efficient cause. The carpenter is different from the wood. What makes the primal Spirit unique is that it is both the material and efficient cause of the universe, because it alone existed in the beginning and nothing else beside it. Like wood, it is the material cause of the world; and like a carpenter, it is the efficient cause of the world. So, the Vedic culture traces all beings, living as well as non-living, to one source, viz. Spirit or Being. It may be pointed out here that in recent times quantum physics attempts to trace everything in the manifest universe to one source which is non-material or spiritual. Einstein declared: Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the Laws of the Universe — a Spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we, with our modest powers, must feel humble.8 That Spirit or Brahman is the source, support, and end of everything in the universe, is the major premise of the Vedic culture. Derived from the major premise are two minor premises, one relating to living beings called jÄ «va and the other, to non-living beings called jagat. Since Spirit or Brahman is immanent in jÄ «va and jagat, neither jÄ «va nor jagat is isolated from the primal Spirit. It means that all living beings, whatever the y may be — humans, animals, birds, reptiles, and so on — are spiritual or divine. Non-living beings which are material constitute the physical universe. They are the products of the five elements — ether, air, fire, water and earth — which are material. The divine principle is present not only in living beings, but also in non-living beings, and so they are also divine. Characterizing Brahman as the indwelling Spirit (antaryÄ min), the BrhadÄ nrayaka Upanisad says that Brahman is present in all beings — the sun, the moon, and the stars, the elements which constitute the physical universe, and the organs of the jÄ «vas. Just as our body does not know the Spirit inside it, even so the beings, whatever they may be, do not know Brahman, the indwelling Spirit in them. The following text is relevant here: He [Brahman or Spirit] who dwells in all beings, yet is within all beings, whom no beings know, whose body is  all beings, who controls all beings from within, he is your Self, the inner controller, the immortal.9 That which dwells in material objects and controls them also dwells in all living beings and contr ols them. Just as all living beings are essentially divine, even so the entire physical universe is essentially divine. Whatever may be the differences among the species and within the individual members of a species, all are essentially one, because one and the same divine Spirit is present in all of them. The message conveyed by these two minor premises of the traditional culture deserves careful consideration. First of all, if the land and the water and the sky of the physical universe are divine, then we should take care of them in the same way as we take care of our body. The claim that human beings are rational, that they are superior to the physical world, and that they are, in the words of Descartes, the â€Å"masters and possessors of nature† resulted in the unscrupulous, cruel, and destructive despoliation of nature in the name of the quest for knowledge, scientific development, and technological progress. It is not nature that is red in tooth and claw, but the human being who is unabashedly selfish and blatantly aggressive and makes nature bleed and scorch. Fortunately for us, there is a global awakening to the significance of the earth and the water and the sky as sources of sustenance and nourishment. Secondly, the application of this principle of the oneness to the human realm is of great consequence. The understanding that all human beings are essentially one and that differences of color and caste, of gender and race, of sharpness and dullness of mind, and so on are due to the mind-sense-body adjunct by which the Spirit is enclosed will help us to tackle the universally rampant problem of discrimination of all kinds — social, religious, economic, and political. VedÄ ntic philosophy, which is an important component of culture, tells us what a human being is, does, and should do in order to achieve the harmony of spirit, mind, and body. A human being (jÄ «va) is a complex entity consisting of Spirit and matter. The term used in VedÄ nta for Spirit is the Self or Ä€tman. Matter which is totally different from the Self i s referred to as not-Self, as other-than-the-Self. According to VedÄ nta, the not-Self, which is the material outfit of the human being, is made up of the mind, the senses, and the body. The Self in the human being requires a physical medium for its involvement in the day-to-day life as the subject of knowledge, the  agent of action, and the enjoyer of the consequences of action. The mind and the senses are the cognitive instruments. With the help of the mind, the five senses give us knowledge of the things of the external world. The work of the mind does not stop with the cognitive support it gives to the senses. As the internal organ (antahkaraa), the mind generates the knowledge of the subjective states such as pleasure and pain. It also does something more, which is very important from the moral and spiritual perspectives. It gives us knowledge of the right and the wrong, dharma and adharma as they are called. When chastened by the moral and spiritual discipline, it is the mind which helps us to realize the primal Spirit or Brahman. So the work of the mind is manifold. The mind is the most marvelous instrument that a human being possesses. The emergence of the mind has not only accelerated the evolutionary process in its upward movement, but also has given enormous powers to the human being, making him/her the crown of creation, unique among all living beings. In the course of his commentary on the scriptural account of the creation of the world, Sankara raises the question about the preeminence of the human being among all creatures and answers it by saying that the human being is preeminent because he alone is qualified for knowledge and the performance of prescribed duties (jnÄ na-karma-adhikÄ rah).10 Why is it that he alone has this competence? Sankara justifies the supremacy of the human on three grounds. First, he has the ability for acquiring knowledge not only of the things of the world, but also of the supreme Being, the primal reality. This is because he is equipped with the mind which, being inspired by the Self or Spirit in him is capable of comprehending everything including the highest reality. Secondly, he has the distinctive quality of desiring certain ends as a result of discrimination, deliberation, and choice. Thirdly, when he has consciously chosen an end, he is earnest about it, finds the right means for achieving the end, and persists in it till he reaches the goal. A scriptural text which is quoted by Sankara in this connection says: In man alone is the Self most manifest for he is the best endowed with knowledge. He speaks what he knows; he sees what he knows; he knows what will happen tomorrow; he knows the higher and the lower worlds; he aspires to achieve immortality through perishable things. He is thus endowed (with discrimination) while other beings have consc iousness of hunger and thirst only.11 According to  VedÄ nta, the Self in the human being is eternal, whereas his material outfit, the mind-sense-body complex, is temporal. The birth and death of a human being are connected with, and because of, the body. They are illicitly transferred to the Self with the result that we think of it as perishable and finite. The human being is caught in the cycle of birth and death because of ignorance (avidyÄ ) whose beginning is not known. The empirical journey of the Self through its association with the material adjunct is due to avidyÄ . It is avidyÄ  that pulls down the trans-empirical Self into the empirical realm, superimposes on it, which is non-relational, a relation with matter, and is thus responsible for the â€Å"fall† of the Self. What is above categorization is now categorized and made an object of knowledge; what transcends relation is now explained through the logic of relation; and what is beyond the scope of language is now brought within the grammar of language. Thus, just as a tree and a table are known through perception and other means of knowledge, even so Brahman or the Self, we claim, is known through the scriptural text called Sruti. The trans-relational reality is viewed as characterized by omniscience and other qualities and also as the cause of the world. What is trans-linguistic is now spoken of as real, knowledge, infinite, and so on. In other words, we employ the categories of substance and attribute, cause and effect, whole and parts for the purpose of understanding the highest reality. It will be of interest in this connection to refer to the views of two influential thinkers from the West — one belonging to the pre-sixth century and the other our own contemporary. Pseudo-Dionysius, who occupies an important place in the history of Western spirituality, observes: [The supreme reality] is neither perceived nor is it perceptible. It suffers neither disorder nor disturbance and is overwhelmed by no earthly passion. . . . It endures no deprivation of light. It passes through no change, decay, division, loss, no ebb and flow, nothing of which the senses may be aware. None of all this can either be identified with it nor attributed to it.12 Again, he says: It falls neither within the predicate of non-being nor of being. Existing beings do not know it as it actually is and it does not know them as they are. There is no speaking of it, nor name, nor knowledge of it. Darkness and light, error and truth — it is none of these. It is beyond assertion and  denial. We make assertions and denials of what is next to it, but never of it, for it is both beyond every assertion, being the perfect and unique cause of all things, and, by virtue of its preeminently simple and absolute nature, free of every limitation, beyond every limitation; it is also beyond every denial.13 Pseudo-Dionysius conveys in the most unambiguous terms the VedÄ ntic conception of Brahman or the Self. Instead of terms such as Brahman or the Self used by the VedÄ ntin, Wittgenstein uses terms such as the â€Å"metaphysical subject,† the â€Å"I,† the â€Å"philosophical ‘I’ † and contrasts it with the â€Å"body.† The human body, he says, is a part of the world among other parts, but the Self or the philosophical â€Å"I† is not a part of the world; it is outside the space-time-cause world. In the words of Wittgenstein: The subject does not belong to the world, but is a border of the world.14 The philosophical â€Å"I† is not the human being, not the human body, or the human soul of which psychology treats, but the metaphysical subject, the border — not a part — of the world.15 What is obvious from the foregoing account is that we have to make a distinction between two concepts, Brahman-in-itself and Brahman-in-relation-to-the-world, for the purpose of analysis. The latter concept is meaningful only on the presupposition of the fall of Brahman or the Self. When did this fall take place? No one knows, and no one can answer. Once there is the fall, the empirical journey of the Self goes on in different forms, conditioned by the space-time-cause framework. However, the promise of VedÄ nta is that the empirical journey of the lÄ «va can be put an end to, that the vicious cycle of birth and death can be broken by destroying avidyÄ  through knowledge of one’s Self. That is why there is the scriptural instruction of â€Å"Know thy Self.† Not only does scripture say that the Self should be realized or seen, but it also suggests the means for realizing it. It will be difficult to understand the full significance of the distinction between Brahman-in-itself and Brahman-in-relation-to-the-world without a reference to the principle of standpoints which is enshrined in Indian culture. There are two sets of features, perennial and temporal, in Indian culture which contribute to its continuity as well as its change. While the basic doctrines constitute its perennial dimension, religious practices covering a wide range are temporal and transitory. Decadence sets in when the temporal and transitory features gain importance almost to the point of ignoring or sidetracking the  perennial features. Historical, social, and political changes call for modification, sometimes radical, sometimes minor, in the religious practices and social norms of the people, while the basic doctrinal side remains intact. Continuity of the essentials amidst the changing flow of life helps to preserve the cultural tradition. The essential structure which has endured through the vicissitudes of time contains the basic doctrines as stated in the major premise and the two minor premises to which reference was made earlier. The three basic doctrines are: primal Being or Spirit is the source, support, and end of everything, sentient as well as non-sentient; all living beings are divine; also, the physical universe which has originated from the primal Spirit is spiritual. The monistic vision, which is pervasive in the Vedic corpus, is a notable feature of Indian culture. The doctrine of levels or standpoints skillfully adopted by Indian culture helps to reconcile monism and polytheism as well as monism and pluralism. Though each pair contains two extremes in the religio-philosophical thinking, they have been accommodated as different standpoints at different levels. They are irreconcilable only when they are placed together at the same level. For example, one of the oft-quoted hymns of the Rg-veda provides a clue for reconciling the problem of one Godhead and many gods and goddesses. It says: â€Å"What is but one, wise people call by different names — as Agni, Yama, MÄ tarisvan.†16 Reference to gods, such as, Agni and Yama may be replaced by the well known gods of the Hindu pantheon such as Siva, Visnu, Sakti, and so on. Sankara explains the distinction between the supreme Godhead and its various forms such as Siva, Visnu, and so on, as the distinction between the â€Å"unconditioned† reality, what we referred to as Brahman-in-itself, and its â€Å"conditioned† forms such as Siva and Visnu, all of which can be brought under Brahman-in-relation-to-the-world. _iva, Viu, and other gods are conditioned beings endowed with a name and a form and other qualities, whereas the One is unconditioned, devoid of name and form, specifications and qualities and is, therefore, trans-empirical, trans-relational, and trans-linguistic. This mode of drawing the distinction between the supreme Godhead and its many forms for the purpose of worship and other religious practices of the devotees, which is unheard of in other religious traditions of other cultures, is of great consequence in the religious practice of the people.  Since it is the one reality that is worshipped in many forms such as Agni, Siva, and so on, one who worships Agni or Siva, should not quarrel with one who worships Yama or Visnu, because Agni, Yama, Siva, and Visnu are the conditioned aspects of the same reality. This significant idea of the Rg-Vedic hymn was accepted, fully elaborated, and further deepened by the Upanisads. It provides a theoretical framework for religious harmony, which is one of the characteristic features of primal culture and which has received special emphasis right from the beginning till this day. What makes primal culture valid for all times and in all places is its inclusiveness. It includes everything by providing a place for it in the whole. Religious, social, economic, scientific, and political activities are necessary and meaningful; but they must be made subservient to, and must be viewed and judged in the context of the spiritual goal of life. A culture which is mainly concerned with the bare economic necessities of life, social institutions, and political organization will be neither enduring nor elevating; it may look energetic and enterprising, but it is not worth the name, if it is not geared up to the spiritual side of life. Once again, what Sri Aurobindo says is worth quoting here: A mere intellectual, ethical, and aesthetic culture does not go back to the inmost truth of the spirit; it is still an ignorance, an incomplete, outward, and superficial knowledge. To have made the discovery of our deepest being and hidden spiritual nature is the first necessity and to have erected the living of an inmost spiritual life into the aim of existence is the characteristic sign of a spiritual culture. 17 The VedÄ nta philosophy solves the problem of monism versus pluralism on the basis of the distinction between two levels or standpoints called pÄ ramÄ rthika and vyÄ vahÄ rika, or absolute and relative respectively. The Upanisads make use of this distinction in the explanation of the epistemological, metaphysical, axiological, and soteriological problems. What is true at one level may not be so at another level. A dream-lion which is accepted as real in dream experience loses its reality at the waking level. What is accepted as a value at one time may turn out to be a disvalue at another time. The pluralistic universe which is accepted as real may cease to exist in the state of liberation following the spiritual ascent. The pÄ ramÄ rthika or absolute standpoint is higher, whereas the vyÄ vahÄ rika or the relative standpoint is lower. It must be borne in mind that the  higher standpoint which transcends the lower does not invalidate it. One who has moved from th e relative to the absolute standpoint knows the truth of the former; but one who is tied to the relative standpoint cannot understand the truth of the absolute standpoint. Consider the case of two persons who attempt to climb up a mountain in order to reach the highest peak. While one of them reaches the top, the other, due to some disability, is not able to proceed beyond the foothill. The person who has reached the summit knows what kind of experience is available to one at the foothill; but one who is at the foothill does not understand the kind of experience one has at the top. We have to apply this logic to the different kinds of experience without subverting the pÄ ramÄ rthika-vyÄ vahÄ rika hierarchy. The Upanisads describe the two levels as signifying higher wisdom and lower knowledge. Experience of plurality is quite common; it is quite natural; we have it in our daily life. No special effort or discipline is required for such an experience. But experience of oneness is uncommon. One does not get it without special effort or appropriate discipline. The transition is from the common to the uncommon. A text of the BrhadÄ rayaka Upanisad describes the two levels of experience as follows: For, where there is duality as it were, there one sees the other, one smells the other, one knows the other. . . . But, where everything has become just one’s own self, by what and whom should one smell, by what and whom should one know?18 Without disregarding the pragmatic value of day-to-day empirical knowledge, primal culture emphasizes the importance of higher wisdom. It will be of interest to quote Wittgenstein in this connection. He says: In religion every level of devoutness must have its appropriate form of expression which has no sense at a lower level. This doctrine, which means something at a higher level, is null and void for someone who is still at the lower level; he can only understand it wrongly and so these words are not valid for such a person. For instance, at my level the Pauline doctrine of predestination is ugly, nonsense, irreligiousness. Hence it is not suitable for me, since the only use I could make of the picture I am offered would be a wrong one. If it is a good and godly picture, then it is so for someone at a quite different level, who must use it in his life in a way completely different from anything that would be possible for me.19 The teaching of the VedÄ nta philosophy is positive. According to it, life in this world is meaningful  and purposive — meaningful for the reason that it serves as the training ground for one’s spiritual uplifting through the proper use of the objects of the world by the mind-sense-body equipment of which one is in possession, and purposive as one has to achieve freedom or liberation by overcoming the existential predicament. Freedom or liberation which is projected as the goal must be understood in the spiritual sense. It is true that human life is made difficult by economic constraints, political oppression, social hierarchy, and religious discrimination; and a situation of this kind points to, and calls for, freedom of different kinds so that a person can exist and function as a moral agent enjoying economic, political, social and religious freedom. However, the goal of life remains unfulfilled in spite of these different kinds of freedom. Though they are necessary, they are not sufficient. The highest freedom which is eternal and totally satisfying is spiritual freedom, which is called moksa in Indian culture. A socio-political system may ensure political freedom, social justice, economic satisfaction, and unrestricted religious practice; but still there is no guarantee of harmony of spirit, mind, and body which one can achieve only through the teaching of philosophy and religion. The socio-political machinery cannot be a substitute for religion and philosophy, though it can and should maintain a system of rights and obligations in which alone a human being can lead a moral life as formulated in religion and can pursue the goal of liberation as projected by philosophy. Sri Aurobindo says: The whole aim of a great culture is to lift man up to something which at first he is not, to lead him to knowledge though he starts from an unfathomable ignorance, to teach him to live by reason, though actually he lives much more by his unreason, by the law of good and unity, though he is now full of evil and discord, by a law of beauty and harmony, though his actual life is a repulsive muddle of ugliness and jarring barbarisms, by some law of his spirit, though at present he is egoistic, material, unspiritual, engrossed by the needs and desires of his physical being. If a civilization has not any of these aims, it can hardly at all be said to have a culture and certainly in no sense a great and noble culture. But the last of these aims, as conceived by ancient India, is the highest of all because it includes and surpasses all the others. To have made this attempt is to have ennobled the life of the race; to have failed in it is better than if it had never at all   been attempted; to have achieved even a partial success is a great contribution to the future possibilities of the human being.20 Excepting the CÄ rvÄ ka, which advocates a thoroughgoing materialism, all other philosophical systems in India accept the ideal of moksa. The Indian mind, right from the beginning, has accepted a hierarchy of values, ranging from the bodily and economic values at the bottom to the spiritual values of which liberation is at the top. The human being leads his life at two levels — organic and hyper-organic. Bodily and economic values which he pursues belong to the organic level. In so far as the pursuit of the organic values is concerned — values which are necessary for life preservation — his life and activities are in no way different from those of animals; at this level, hunger and sleep, shelter and sex are common to man and animals. Endowed as he is not only with the body, but also with the mind, he also lives at another level, pursuing higher values such as truth, beauty, goodness. The life-activity of man which is fully reflective of his cognition, desire, deliberation, and choice cannot stop short of the highest value called moksa. It is not necessary here to discuss the broad scheme of values accepted in the Indian tradition. Suffice it to say that, though artha and kÄ ma, which emphasize the importance of the material and hedonistic side of life, have been accommodated in the scheme of values, the moral and spiritual side of life has received special attention in Indian culture. That is why it has accepted two higher values, dharma and moksa, the former functioning as a moral guide, and also as a regulative principle of artha and kÄ ma pursued in our secular life, for the realization of the latter. All the philosophical systems, Vedic as well as non-Vedic, hold the view that moksa as the highest value is both ultimate and all-satisfying — ultimate since there is nothing else to which it can be the means, and all-satisfying since it comprehends all the higher values. Sankara says that one gets the feeling of the fulfillment of all values when one attains moksa.21 There are three questions that we have to consider in connection with the ultimate value. The first one is whether it can be realized at all. There is the view that the ultimate value is only an ideal to inspire and regulate our conduct and that it can never be attained. We can regulate our life so as to come nearer to it from time to time, from stage to stage; but we can never reach it. Suc h a view is untenable. Also, it goes against the spirit of Indian  culture. Realization of one’s true nature is liberation. We have already pointed out that the human being is a complex entity consisting of Spirit and matter. Spirit by its very nature is ever free and never bound. But it appears to be bound because of the material adjunct with which it is associated in the empirical life. Overwhelmed by ignorance, the human being does not realize that he is essentially Spirit and therefore free. When he attains the right knowledge and knows his real nature, he is no more under the limitation or bondage of the psycho-physical material outfit, because ignorance which conceals his real nature is removed by knowledge. It means that the ideal of moksa has a basis in the very constitution of the human being; also, the human being, not being satisfied with the material achievements, what the Upanisad calls preyas, longs for spiritual freedom, which is called Sreyas. The Upanisad says: Both the good and the pleasant approach a man. The wise man, pondering over them, discriminates. The wise chooses the good in preference to the pleasant. The simple-minded, for the sake of worldly well-being, prefers the pleasant.22 One cannot have both Sreyas and preyas. The pursuit of the former requires the renunciation of the latter. Spiritual illumination follows purgation. Speaking about the importance of the ideal and its close relation to human nature, Hiriyanna observes: Ideals are rooted in needs inherent in human nature. It is their reality that constitutes their true charm. Take this charm from them, and they reduce themselves but to pleasant fantasy. The reality of such a value may not be vouched for by common reasoning. But we should remember that neither is there any adequate proof for denying it. Not to admit the ideal would therefore be to be dogmatic in the sense that we deny it without adequate proof for the denial.23 The second question is wheth er the ideal of moksa can be realized by all. Here also the great philosophical traditions, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, are unanimous in their affirmative answer. There is nothing in human nature which either disqualifies or incapacitates him from attaining this ideal. Whatever may be the differences among human beings at the bodily, vital, and mental levels, everyone has the right and duty to aspire for the highest value by virtue of what he/she is. As every human being is endowed with the mind, the most precious and unequalled instrument through which one can look before and after, know the things given to him, and choose from them after  discrimination and deliberation, he is not in any way incapacitated from pursuing the ultimate value. Indian culture looks down on the doctrine of the chosen few. Since ignorance is the obstacle that stands in the way of realizing one’s divine nature, realizing one’s Spirit, which is liberation, it can be removed by knowledge which anyone can acquire through moral and spi ritual discipline. The philosophy of VedÄ nta, according to which every human being is divine, is opposed to the theory of privilege — of birth, intellect, spirituality, etc. It is anti-hierarchical. In everyone there is a sleeping Buddha, a hidden Brahman, to which everyone can have access. That the doors to the spiritual realm do not remain closed to anyone is conveyed in a forthright manner by Sri Aurobindo: A wider spiritual culture must recognize that the Spirit is not only the highest and inmost thing, but all is manifestation and creation of the Spirit. It must have a wider outlook, a more embracing range of applicability and, even, a more aspiring and ambitious aim of its endeavor. Its aim must be not only to raise to inaccessible heights the few elect, but to draw all men and all life and the whole human being upward, to spiritualize life and in the end to divinize human nature. Not only must it be able to lay hold on his deepest individual being, but to inspire, too, his communal existence. It must turn, by a spiritual change, all the members of his ignorance into members of the knowledge; it must transmute all the instruments of the human into instruments of a divine living. The total movement of Indian spirituality is towards this aim. 24 The third question, whether the ultimate value can be realized here in this life or only hereafter, is answered in two different ways. Some philosophical systems maintain that the proper preparation that a person undertakes for achieving this end will help him to realize it only after death, whereas some other systems hold the view that it can be realized in this life itself, if one follows the prescribed moral and spiritual discipline. The former view is called the eschatological conception of moksa while the latter is known as lÄ «van-mukti. â€Å"LÄ «van-mukti† means liberation-in-life. The person who has attained enlightenment or wisdom is free even while he is in the embodied condition. It is not necessary to discuss these two views of moksa in detail. It may be pointed out here that the view that it is possible to overcome bondage and attain liberation here and now deepens the significance of the present life. A  lÄ «van-mukta does not run away from society. He l ives in society for the benefit of others; when he is engaged in activities, he has no sense of â€Å"I† and â€Å"mine†; his activities, that is to say, are impersonal. Also, he imparts spiritual instruction to others, for, having realized the truth, he alone is competent to do this. The life of a lÄ «van-mukta, as portrayed in the Hindu tradition, is comparable to that of a Bodhi-sattva as explained in the MahÄ yÄ na tradition. The ideal of life goes beyond self-perfection; it also includes work for the universal good. According to the Indian tradition, knowledge is different from information, and wisdom is different from knowledge. We may say that information, knowledge, and wisdom constitute a hierarchy. To know a thing is to know it in a determinate way, as such-and-such — as a substance possessing qualities, as a whole consisting of parts, as the cause or effect of something, and so on. Every object has two kinds of relations, internal and external. A lump of clay, for example, is internally related to its color, its parts of which it is made. It is also externally related to the ground on which it is placed, its immediate surroundings, and so on. No object remains isolated from other things; on the contrary, it has a network of relations with other things in such a way that it is what it is because of other things. When the poet says that, to know a flower seen in a crannied wall, one must know the plant, root and all, and also the wall, its location, and so on, he draws our attention to the fact that every object is an integral part of the cosmic system and that, to get an insight into the nature of a thing, one must know the whole of which it is an integral part. Bits of information do not constitute knowledge. Piecemeal information about the roots, the trunk, and the branches of a tree cannot be viewed as the knowledge of a tree. Just as knowledge is different from information, even so wisdom is different from knowledge. Though knowledge is superior to information, it cannot be a substitute for wisdom. The Vedic tradition draws a distinction between two kinds of knowledge, higher (parÄ ) and lower (aparÄ ).