How Democratic Is the Uk?

How democratic is the UK? Democracy is a difficult concept to define, but as a simplification and a conventional definition, it is the people's right to choose and the right to say how the country is run. Democracy falls into many categories and comes in various different forms. One form is when power is in the hands of the population as a whole and political decisions are made themselves, this is known as direct democracy. An example of a direct democracy currently present in the UK is a referendum.Another form is representative democracy; in this case citizens will vote for representatives to create decisions for them and the responsibility is handed over to the representative to make decisions for the country. The representatives are also accountable to the electorate. The democratic elections are a crucial part of UK democracy. A core feature is free and fair elections. They are based on universal suffrage, which is when anybody eligible to vote has their own freedom of choice on which party to vote for without any influence.Your elected vote is also kept secret; this process is called the secret ballot. This prevents intimidation from other people and it prevents judgments made on your electoral choice. However there are four groups of people who are ‘unenfranchised’, these people are the homeless, imprisoned convicts, the mentally incapable and the lords. If you aren’t in any of those categories and you satisfy the requirements established by the law, you are then eligible to vote with the free rights of your own electoral choice. Under First Past The Post (FPTP) voting takes place in single-member constituencies.Voters put a cross in a box next to their favored candidate and the candidate with the most votes in the constituency wins. All other votes count for nothing. It’s clear and simple with clear choices and a simple outcome. It allows the voter to clearly express a view on which party they think should form the next govern ment. However, FPTP can be questioned, as it’s not entirely democratic. Representatives can get elected on a small proportion of public support as it doesn’t matter by how much they win, only that they get more votes than the other candidates which in effect wastes uge numbers of votes, as votes cast in a constituency for losing candidates, or for the winning candidate above the level they need to win that seat, count for nothing. FPTP is also disproportionate and biased towards labour or conservatives. This means the votes are of unequal value. Labour votes are inflated and Liberal Democrats votes are deflated. This therefore means the smaller parties have a significantly depleted chance of winning the votes and it will therefore tend to produce a two-party system, which in turn tends to produce single-party governments.Encouraging two party-party politics can be good, but in a multi-party culture, third parties with significant support can be greatly disadvantages, w hich means that it goes against the democracy of the UK. Consensus politics is when two major political parties, for example, the Conservative Party and Labour Party, are in agreement, or consensus, over certain basic government policies. The two parties still have small variations but they aren’t significant. They do this to gain voters from the middle ground. It reduces electoral choice because both parties share similar ideologies; it makes everything too similar without distinct variation.UK citizens have shown an obvious enthusiasm to vote for third parties and to clinch a form of political pluralism, which runs directly against the way FPTP operates. FPTP tends to produce a two-party system, which in turn tends to produce single-party governments. However, in a multi-party culture, third parties with significant support can be greatly disadvantaged. This is why FPTP doesn’t work as well as it used to have done. As the UK is changing in terms of politics, more par ties are getting involved however these parties have little or no chance in gaining support because of the unequal voting value.This is why I think the UK needs to improve on the FPTP system because it’s restricting it’s full democratic potential. The UK Parliament is built up of two Houses – the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The House of Commons has 646 MPs. The political party with the majority of MPs in the House of Commons forms the Government. The House of Lords has approximately 700 unelected members who examine the work of the House of Commons. The UK Parliament is the main democratic body in the UK and is comprised of three parts: the House of Commons, the House of Lords nd the Sovereign. The UK is a parliamentary democracy and unlike many other democracies it does not have a written constitution. A deliberative assembly is an organization comprising members who use parliamentary procedure to make decisions. A mass meeting, which is an unorgan ized group meeting open to all individuals in a sector of the population who are interested in to engage in long and careful concern about a subject proposed by the meeting's sponsors. This can include meetings to discuss common political concerns or community interests.This helps towards the democratic process of UK parliament because it in cooperates everybody’s opinion. Parliament is essential to the democratic process in the UK because it is elected by the popular vote, which is therefore democratic, however it has been criticized for being undemocratic because the 2nd Chamber is entirely unelected. This weakens the representative role of parliament. Party discipline also prevents MP’s from using their own judgment in representing their constituents; it also restricts freedom of debate and voting in the House of Commons.Also Parliament’s ability to scrutinize the executive is weak because the government of the day usually has majority control of the House of Commons. Overall, Parliament is strength because it does solely represent the population. However the 2nd chamber is entirely unelected, which does weaken the representative role of parliament but that can be an improved. However, parliament does not govern, its role is to check or constrain the government of the day and it also discusses the policies. Parliament calls the government to account on policies.For those reasons it’s not entirely significant that the 2nd chamber is unelected. Another core feature of UK democracy are pressure groups. They enhance democracy in the UK, because they give a political voice to minorities that are ignored by the majoritarian parliament system. They also provide a way in which citizens can exert influence between elections and they also enhance political participation. However pressure groups don’t have legitimacy and since pressure groups are unelected, they aren’t representative of the majority of the population. Some pre ssure groups have owerful, but unrepresentative leaders who may not be representative of anyone but themselves. Some leaders do not reflect the opinions of their organization’s members. However, pressure groups are enormously enhancing of the UK democratic system because it gives a political voice to minorities. They allow the population to politically participate and put pressure on the government on issues, which they may turn a blind eye to. This in my opinion is strength of the UK democratic system. Other parts of the UK democratic system enhance democracy in the UK, such as referendums, devolution, the E.U and civil rights. A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire population is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This increases political participation and involves the whole population. However, they can be non-binding. This means the government may not have to do what the results show. Devolution is also another feature of the UK democratic sy stem that increases democracy in the UK. Devolution is the transfer of power from central government to subordinate regional institutions.This means they pass down the powers or duties down from a higher authority to a lower one. This gives the constituent nations of the UK their own political voice. It refined representative democracy by allowing voters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland separately to express their views about national issues. It also widens the opportunities available for political participation. However the effectiveness of devolution in promoting democracy can be questioned because it has limited powers. Devolution stops well short of ‘home rule’ or full self-government.Although the powers of devolved bodies have, in some cases, widened, major economic and foreign policy decisions are still made at Westminster. Devolution has also done nothing to advance representative democracy in England, which is where 84% of the UK’s population lives . In my opinion referendums are effective in enhancing democracy in the UK because it increases political participation and it allows for a raw opinion on what the public think about particular issues. However, the government can’t be held accountable because they’re not the ones making the decision in a situation where a referendum is used to decide a particular proposal). Devolution however is ineffective in some cases because it doesn’t advance democracy in England, where 84% of the UK’s population lives. However, it does allow for the smaller areas of the UK to focus on particular issues that may be affected by local problems rather than national problems (for example rural areas in Wales). To conclude I think the UK is democratic to a certain degree. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and everyone has the right to free and fair elections.However the UK is being limited by certain blockages in the democratic system such as FPTP. Issues with FPT P can be resolved to allow the UK to reach its full potential of democracy. In a multi-party culture, third parties with significant support can be greatly disadvantaged. This is why FPTP doesn’t work as well as it used to have done. As the UK is changing in terms of politics, more parties are getting involved however these parties have little or no chance in gaining support because of the unequal voting value.Strong points in the UK democratic features are pressure groups. They enhance the democracy in the UK, they allow the population to politically participate and put pressure on the government on issues, which they may turn a blind eye to. This in my opinion is strength of the UK democratic system. Referendums are also effective in enhancing democracy in the UK because it increases political participation and it allows for a raw opinion on what the public think about particular issues. So, to a certain degree, I think the United Kingdom has a strong democratic system.

The Heroic Journey of Aladdin: the Diamond in the Rough

The same hero wearing a different mask appears throughout great literature and films. The â€Å"hero’s journey† motif, as Joseph Campbell, the acclaimed American mythology professor and famous author identified, has been present in all cultures since the first documented stories. From Odysseus and the other great figures of the ancient Greek myths to the more modern character of Frodo in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the audience essentially accompanies the same hero throughout a series of stages and obstacles that compose the original heroic journey.The hero’s journey can be particularly followed in the various animated Disney films that give existence to some of the most loved heroes of all time. For instance, the successful film, Aladdin, released in 1992 and directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, brings to the public the interesting journey of a young man on a quest to find himself. The character of Aladdin fits the profile of the hero as he embarks in th e hero’s journey unintentionally but proves to have undergone a complete maturation of character while attaining valuable insight about his true nature and worth by the end of the adventure.The film Aladdin narrates the emotive love story of a poor young man who falls in love with the beautiful princess Jasmine and begins a meaningful journey to conquer her love. Aladdin, a â€Å"street rat,† as he is often called by those who know him, is a true â€Å"diamond in the rough, whose worth lies far within† that has great potential but has not been given the opportunity to shine yet (Clements, Musker). Because of this reason, he is the only one who can enter the Cave of Wonders.He does so to retrieve a magic lamp for Jafar, the Sultan’s evil vizier. This event initiates the departure of the hero’s journey as Aladdin’s encounter with Jafar disguised as an old prisoner signifies the call to adventure. Even though Aladdin is not aware that this is t he beginning of his journey, from this point on everything will change. The young man becomes trapped inside the cave with his inseparable pet monkey, Abu, where they encounter one of two supernatural aids, a magical carpet that becomes their close friend.Inside the cave they also find the lamp and its friendly magical inhabitant, the Genie, the most important supernatural aid, who also becomes Aladdin’s essential guide. The moment Aladdin makes the first wish out of the three the Genie grants him; he crosses the first threshold. Simultaneously, he enters the belly of the whale since from this point on Aladdin abandons the life of poverty and crime, which he is accustomed to for a life of wealth and royalty. This begins his adventure into new territory as playing prince becomes more complex than expected.At first Aladdin embarks in the heroic journey’s initiation merely for the material rewards and the opportunity to abandon his difficult life in the streets of Agrabah , but along the way he learns to appreciate his true self and comes to fit Campbell’s prototype of the hero. Aladdin’s objective for going on the journey is to win the heart of Jasmine, who he has deeply fallen in love with since their first encounter at the marketplace or the meeting with the goddess. The love Aladdin and Jasmine share motivates him to begin and continue on the journey in hopes of marrying her.Once Aladdin has already initiated the journey, the evil Jafar becomes â€Å"the woman as temptress† in his life. Jafar continues to place obstacles in Aladdin’s path physically by: first trying to kill him in the Cave of Wonders, then by attempting to drown him in order to stop him from courting Jasmine as Prince Ali, and finally attempting to murder him as a giant cobra. Most importantly, Jafar psychologically tempts Aladdin to give up several times and interferes with his mental quest by recurrently making degrading comments that obstruct Aladdi n’s ability to recognize his strength and value.The initiation phase in Aladdin continues with the atonement with the father. In this step, Aladdin has an argument with the Genie, who has become a mentor, much like a father figure. The Genie criticizes Aladdin’s change in character. He feels that Aladdin’s transformation into Prince Ali has altered his personality. Aladdin has become arrogant and selfish. This argument results in Aladdin’s realization and reawakening of his true self as he recognizes he must stay true to his convictions. This epiphany allows Aladdin’s true self to focus on the ultimate boon, which is marrying Princess Jasmine, what he originally begins his journey for.Aladdin concludes his journey with the return, which successfully brings him to the freedom to live. Aladdin experiences the refusal of the return earlier in the story when he lets his insecurity overcome him. After he has had the chance to experience life as Prince A li, Aladdin says, â€Å"the last thing I want to be now, is be myself† (Clements, Musker). He refuses to return to his normal life where the Genie cannot wish all his troubles away. The Genie is also an important part of the rescue form without stage in Aladdin’s journey. At this point Aladdin’s vulnerability as well as the Genie’s appreciation for him are evident.Aladdin is captured by Jafar and thrown in to the bottom of the river with a rock tied to his feet. Without the Genie’s aid this would have been the end of the hero’s journey. Most importantly soon after this incident the Genie rescues Aladdin from himself and his selfishness when he makes him realize that he is only concerned about his own well being. Finally, Aladdin’s quest ends with his attainment of the freedom to live. By this point the young hero has learned to accept himself and is willing to renounce to his own happiness for the joy of others.The protagonist of Alad din experiences the many stages of the hero’s journey in order to realize his true potential as well as come full circle in terms of character. In the beginning of the film, the viewer meets Aladdin and can immediately recognize his innate good nature. Early on in the movie, Aladdin’s generosity and compassion become evident when he gives up his only meal of the day to two poor children he finds rummaging though the garbage for something to eat. Not late after this, he saves the same two children from Prince Achmed’s whip.At this point, Aladdin does not realize his worth and this is why he must â€Å"take off on a series of adventures beyond the ordinary to discover some life giving elixir† (Campbell 127). The life giving elixir, as Campbell puts it in The Power of Myth, is Aladdin’s realization of his self worth, which becomes essential for his happiness. The journey tests Aladdin’s physical abilities numerous times, but it is from the psyc hological trials that Aladdin gains the most insight. Aladdin’s experiences along the journey affect his good character but eventually lead him to the ultimate level of maturity.Before going on the quest Aladdin does not know himself, and thus, â€Å"he is that mystery which he is seeking to know† (Campbell 15). However, Aladdin is not successful in staying true to his nature along the journey. Aladdin becomes caught up in the life of luxury and comfort that the Genie grants him. He begins to live in a lie and adopt an arrogant and selfish attitude. Aladdin had promised the Genie earlier that he would utilize his third wish to free him from his life as the lamp’s slave, however he becomes unable to stay true to that romise because of his selfishness and insecurity. He is afraid to be himself and feels he needs the Genie to maintain the fantasy life he has created. This is why the hero’s journey ultimately represents the â€Å"pattern of life, growth, and experience† (Harris) for Aladdin. The journey serves as a revelation for accepting one’s self and renouncing to one’s own satisfaction for the interest of others. As Aladdin follows the steps in Campbell’s hero’s journey, he ends the adventure by reaching the ultimate realization.The tale comes full circle as the journey polishes the diamond in the rough that embarked on the journey to produce a man who is aware of his potential and utilizes it for the benefit of others. At the end of the story, Aladdin’s complete maturation of character becomes undeniable as he gives up his happiness by renouncing his third wish to marry Jasmine for the Genie’s freedom. Of course, Disney could not end the adventure with the young man’s disillusionment, the Sultan changes the law, and Aladdin is able to marry the Princess because of his merit.

Charlie Hedbo

The two men killed twelve people, which inch duded the editor Stephan Char bonnier, seven other employees, and wounded eleven others. This was France's deadliest terrorist in at least two decades. More than 700,000 people took to the streets across France in tribute to the p people killed by Salamis extremists.The slogan in French â€Å"Jew sues Charlie† (â€Å"l am Charlie†) was widely used following the January 7 attack on the magazine, as people showed their support. Almost 40,000 people were seen holding up signs that read, â€Å"I am Charlie† with a large banner in the front of the e rally saying, â€Å"We are all Charlie†. Charlie Hoped will release its first issue since the attack Wednesday ay, January 13, but only a few hundred copies of the first printing are set to reach the United States ova err the next few days.This issue was created by the surviving employees using equipment and workspace e provided by other companies. It is set to print near ly one million copies, which is much greater t an its normal 60,000 copies. If necessary, there is an option in place to print two more million copies Editorship Gerard Board told reports: â€Å"We are happy to have done it and ha app to have been able to do it, to have achieved it.It was tough. The front page†¦ Was com placated to put together, because it had to express something new, it had to say something relating to the event that we had to deal with. † The front cover of the issue is said to be a Islamic male holding up a sign that reads their slogan, â€Å"Jew Sues Charlie†. The magazine's lawyer, Richard Malta, said yesterday (January 1 3):

Child Abuse and Neglect in the State of Ohio Assignment

Child Abuse and Neglect in the State of Ohio - Assignment Example Child abuse is regarded as a national tragedy that is annually affecting more than three million children and causing the death of three children every day. Statistics indicate that, in the state of Ohio alone, the practice is quite prevalent and it is reported that about 20 children are reported as neglected or abused every hour and with the total number of reported neglected or abused children averaging at around 480 cases per day. It has been noted that most cases involving the neglect and abuse of children in the state are not reported (Congressional Record, 1999). Children are increasingly being maltreated, neglected or even abused in many different forms of ways in the different communities, countries or even social strata. The types and nature of child abuse and neglect can be subdivided into five basic broad categories, these categories are sexual abuse, physical abuse, abuse for commercial purpose, psychological/emotional abuse and neglect (Deb, 2006). In the state of Ohio, the term â€Å"child abuse† refers to exposing a child to victimization via sexual activity. This activity can be informed of enticing, compelling, hiring, permitting, employing allowing a child to act or even model or participate in any production, photograph, presentation, advertisement or any other presentation that the offender knows to be sexually oriented or obscene (Lau, Krase & Morse, 2009). A caregiver or parent committing an action that causes nonaccidental death or physical injury to a child is regarded as having physically abused the child. Physical abuse can be defined as any nonaccidental injury occurring to a child as a result of the actions of a caretaker. The abuse includes the frequent, punching, slapping, beating shaking, burning, biting and kicking of a child (Deb, 2006).

Monetary Policy Framework in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Monetary Policy Framework in the UK - Essay Example This essay stresses that there are a number of guiding principles like price stability, exchange stability, full employment and maximum output and a high growth rate etc, in framing the Monetary Policy for an economy. This paper declares that the monetary policy of any country refers to the regulatory policy, whereby the monetary authority maintains its control over the supply of money for the realization of general economic objectives. This involves manipulating the supply of money, the level and structure of interest rates and other conditions affecting the availability of credit. However, in the context of developing economies monetary policy acquires a wider role and it has to be designed to meet the particular requirements of the economy. This involves not merely the restriction of credit expansion to curb inflation, but also the provision of adequate funds to meet the legitimate requirements of industry and trade and curbing the use of credit for unproductive and speculative purposes. The monetary policy of an economy operates through three important instruments, viz. the regulation of money supply, control over aggregate credit and the interest rate policy. Economic growth is dependent on m obilizing savings and directing them into productive channels. In this process, money supply can only play a limited role. However, the role establishes an important connection between money supply, output and price level (ICFAI Center for Management Research (ICMR)). These relationships cannot be ignored even if the primary concern of the government is mobilization of real factors that ultimately lead to economic growth. UK Monetary Policy regime A principal objective of any central bank is to safeguard the value of the currency in terms of what it will purchase. Rising prices - inflation - reduces the value of money. Monetary policy is directed to achieving this objective and providing a framework for non-inflationary economic growth. As in most other developed countries, monetary policy operates in the UK mainly through influencing the price of money - the interest rate. In May 1997 the Government gave the Bank independence to set monetary policy by deciding the level of interest rates to meet the Government's inflation target - currently 2% (Bank of England). The 1998 Bank of England Act made the Bank independent to set interest rates. The Bank is accountable to parliament and the wider public. The legislation provides that if, in extreme circumstances, the national interest demands it, and the Government has the power to give instructions to the Bank on interest rates for a limited period (Bank of England). In the period from the floating of the exchange rate in June 1972 to the granting of operational independence to the Bank of England in May 1997, UK monetary policy went through several regimes. These included the period in the 1970s when monetary policy was considered subordinate to incomes policy as the government's primary weapon against inflation; an emphasis on monetary targeting in the late 1970s and early 1980s; moves from 1987 toward greater management of the exchange rate, culminating in the UK's membership of the Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) from

The Influence of Social Media on Activism and Revolution on the World Essay

The Influence of Social Media on Activism and Revolution on the World Stage - Essay Example Occupy Wall Street was a protest movement where individuals conducted a large-scale sit-in at a park near Wall Street. The widespread popularity of this movement was made possible through social media, most notably Facebook. In these regards, it’s noted that, â€Å"The best way to get people away from their computer is through the computer; you cant organize thousands of people in New York City without the web† (Kannally). Ultimately, then social media directed facilitated the Occupy Wall Street protest. Social media has also had a profound impact on revolution. Undoubtedly the most prominent recent example of this is through the Arab Spring. The Arab Spring revolts emerged in Tunisia when an individual committed suicide after an injustice was committed against him by the government. Rapidly individuals over social media were able to share their experiences of oppression and organize widespread revolts throughout the Middle East. It’s noted, â€Å"The movements throughout the Arab world appeared to have imbued social media with an irrevocable sense of legitimacy as a tool for fomenting change† (Killinger). In this way social media allowed forms of organization to occur in this region that previously had not been possible under the stringent governmental oppression.

Compare and contrast two Indian states Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Compare and contrast two Indian states - Essay Example These states are good exporters and active in production of goods and commodities which have significant export value The Indian state of Gujarat speaks Gujarati and Maharashtra has the regional language of Marathi. The capital of Maharashtra is the ultra- modern city Mumbai whereas Gandhinagar, the capital of Gujarat is a mediocre city.Even though Gujarat is an industrialized state in comparison with Maharashtra it is way behind latter.Gujarat is self sufficient in agriculture while Maharashtra is not. However, the capital of Maharashtra is the most modern and sophisticated city of the country. The educational ratio of Maharashtra is higher with 78% than that of Gujarat which is only 70%.The infrastructure of Maharashtra is more sophisticated and developed than that of Gujarat. Moreover, the transportation system of Gujarat is not developed as Mumbai as the latter possess quality railway and roadway

Whole Foods Market in 2008 Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Whole Foods Market in 2008 - Case Study Example e firm realize that provision of nutritious food products to the consumers would enhance consumers’ preferences of its products and in turn would generate competitive position in the market. The strategy for Whole Foods Market has great compatibility with the present conditions prevailing in the section of organic and natural foods in the retail food industry. This compatibility can be proved from the huge success that the firm has generated over the previous two decades or so. One of its main strategic elements i.e. the people has accepted its performance across the world and the firm is now bestowed with both satisfied customers and satisfied team members (Thompson, 2008). John Mackey, the present CEO of Whole Foods Market is deemed to hold strong strategic vision for the firm. He has kept his performance level in line with his strategic vision throughout the several years of his reign in the organization. His achievement by maintaining high level of performance is evident from the firm’s products of higher quality, firm’s stores across the home country (US) and certain locations outside the country and enhanced incentives being offered to Whole Foods’ team members operating all over the stores chains (Thompson, 2008). Company’s success is heavily dependent on the perceptions and notions of the people within an organization and the core values play the most important role in motivating the people towards achieving success. It is important for an organization to effectively design its core values. The core values determine the path to be followed by the organization’s personnel and it is the core values which creates one common goal in the minds of every person within an organization. Core values are at times so effective that they lead the organization towards framing the long term strategic vision (Collins & Porras, 1996). Considering the financial performance of Whole Foods Market, during the year 2008, it can be stated that the firm was not in

Literature Search - Mental Illness Research Paper

Literature Search - Mental Illness - Research Paper Example A stressful home or job makes some individuals more vulnerable. It is important for nurses to have this understanding in order that they may develop the ability to assist mentally-ill persons. A larger number of people struggle with mental illness. According to studies, one in five people suffers mental illness in United States. Therefore, I chose mental illness as it is among the most common issues that nurses are likely to face. It is important for nurses to be acquitted with it so that they can offer assistance. There are various search strategies for uncovering pieces of information required in the web. The use of an appropriate strategy improves the results greatly. Most search engines have forms for entering keywords, a button for beginning the search, links to advanced search tools, special options, and features, and subject categories. Depending on the characteristics of the search tool, different search strategies can be used. They are the simple searching, complex searching, phrase searching, natural language searching, and default Boolean logic. I used different search strategies in the activity. In the search for an article in EBSCO host database, I used simple searching strategy. EBSCO host database has a platform for keywords. For example, when I was a searching for information about mental illness, I clicked the EBSCO host Web button, which linked me to others buttons. When I clicked the Academic Search Premier Button, I was given the platform to enter my keyword. On the form, I entered the words ‘mental illness’ and then clicked the search button. The search tool gave me 30 results out of a total of 534,497 results. However, when I scrolled through the results, I could not find the specific information I required. In order to get specific information, I placed the words ‘mental illness in children’ in the form. The search tool gave me 30 results from 236,889

Does the responsibility to protect satisfactorily address the moral Essay

Does the responsibility to protect satisfactorily address the moral and political dilemmas posed by humanitarian intervention consider with reference to various perspectives - Essay Example The responsibility to react dimension stipulates that different situations compelling human need should be answered with appropriate measures such as military intervention. Further, the responsibility to rebuild dimension requires the provision of full assistance in situations of crisis. In most cases, the undertaking of these dimensions necessitates the need for humanitarian intervention. Many human rights activists see humanitarian intervention as a good thing since it appears to enact a commitment to the emancipatory ideals of freedom from oppression, respect for human dignity and valuing of human life (Orford 2003, p.34) However, humanitarian intervention brings in some moral and political dilemmas such as the possibility of infringement of sovereign rights of a given state and its national interest or the justification for the need for such intervention (Chesterman, 2001). In general, humanitarian intervention does not meet all of the requirements of a just war doctrine, lending credence to the argument that the legitimacy of this intervention in its totality questionable. However, the observance of discrimination and proportionality principles, the prohibition of use of armed force against another sovereign state except for self defense and enforcement measures endorsed by the Security Council in Chapter VII of the Charter; and the goal of stopping grave violations of human rights satisfactorily address the ethical and political dilemmas posed by humanitarian

The Most Influential Person in This Era Essay Example for Free

The Most Influential Person in This Era Essay The world in gradually evolving day by day and it is us, the people from all over different countries, who make it happens. But like always, there are those people whose influence, despite the distance, affect others across the nations and whose names stick forever in the history. On the contrary, there are also people who individually change our life. Bill Gates, for instance, has brought us to the whole new level of technology with his invention of Microsoft, which is known to be the most dominated software for computers. Microsoft also became the name of the largest software corporation. There is no doubt that without his role there would not be any work done, there would not be any lists completed. As an ordinary person himself, I believe Bill Gates grew up with the same thing we have today. But what made him what he is today, are inevitably his determination to cross the boundaries, his intrepidity to take a risk, his perseverance to keep trying to reach his goal, and last but not least, his luck. Other experts at that time might time he was doing such an empty gesture, but knowing the truth that he eventually succeed, they might have a bitter pill to swallow. Even today, his name is widely spread. He even made it to the top list of the most influential people all over the world. Despite the fame, he is still willing to care for the needy. His investment in The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation means not only immediate advances for some, but also a ripple effect to many others. Improving life means a better living condition and a new hope for the future. By his work and donations, he has encouraged people of great and lesser wealth to be more considerate and to work for the good of the world community. We always think that it is formidable to be successful. We think that we should be the number one at school, we have to master some special skills, and whatsoever. But a matter of fact, those things are not really necessary. We do need to learn a lot but our success is not always determined by how many books we read and how adroit we are in certain subjects. I ever read something really interesting about Bill Gates where he quoted â€Å"I failed in some subjects in exam, but my friend passed it all. Now he is an engineer at Microsoft and I am the owner of Microsoft.† You can never predict when you will actually be the future most influential person.

Teachers Day Essay Example for Free

Teachers Day Essay Madam Aishath Adam, Senior Assistant Principal, Supervisors, members of the staff, Teachers and Dear Students. Assalaam Alaikum and Good afternoon. Today, we are here to celebrate great teachers and great teaching. As a fellow teacher, I find awkward to speak about teachers or for teachers. But, first, let me convey to all the teachers, my personal greetings and best wishes on the teachers’ day. Dear Teachers: Though a fellow teacher, I want to say I am proud of you. I am proud of your dedication to the profession and for the personal sacrifices you make to teach our children. I am delighted of your devotion to train their questing minds, and for your inspiration of their hopeful hearts. I am proud that you take this responsibility seriously —that you see it as sacred trust. We celebrate teachers’ day, because we value you. I want to remind you that all the parents, students and the wider community deeply appreciate your commitment to teaching and to the children. There is no substitute for education. Firstly, because it’s the most precious gift we can give our children. Secondly, because it’s the most critical investment in our future. And thirdly, because it’s the most effective strategy which will enable us to survive and to thrive in a changing world. Dear Students: I became a teacher because of some of the happy experiences I had in school. There were teachers who touched my soul; who helped me realize my own potential. I decided to become a teacher because I want to help change someone’s life. Sometimes, it is hard. We have our own families, financial life and life problems that challenge us, like everyone else. Sometimes we are exhausted by our workload and responsibilities. This is why teachers need encouragement and support. So that in turn, we can devote ourselves to our students. Dear staff and students; On Teachers’ Day every year, we remember our teachers, we remember our children’s teachers. We recognize these very dedicated people. People who give of themselves and take a personal interest in their students. Teachers who have touched our  lives, moulded us into what we are today, and are helping to shape tomorrow’s people, tomorrow’s students. Just as a country is as good as its people, so its citizens are only as good as their teachers. Therefore a great deal depends on you, teachers, and I salute you, all of you, those here today, and those absent, for your passion, dedication, commitment and contributions. I wish to all the teachers a successful career in teaching — a career in which you find happiness, health, friendship and love. Happy Teachers’ Day and thank you.

The Origins Of Nike Commerce Essay

The Origins Of Nike Commerce Essay Nike was founded by Mr. Phil Knight and his past coach Bill Bowerman in 1964 and they started Blue Ribbon Sports. Knights first shoe was called Tiger and then began distribution of shoes. Blue Ribbon got great success in 1971 and Knight changes the company name Nike. In 1971 it introduced Nikes first brand line. Nike launched its product line in 1979. The new version of its Air shoe which was very successful and it was known as Air Jordan; introduced in 1985. Nike opened its first retail outlet in Portland, Oregon in 1990. In 1991 the company was very successful and its revenue reached USD $3 billion. In 1999 company started selling its products directly to customers from its website. Nike is the worlds leading sports and athletic shoes. Nike is the major manufacturer of sports equipment with $18.6 billion USD in the year of 2008. Nike has 30000 employees in worldwide. (Nikebiz:company overview, 2010) Nike had generated profits of $97.4 million and its profit dropped down by 50% in February 2001. Nike said that it was because of the failure of supply chain software produced by i2 technologies. Both companies blamed each other. This failure also effected Nikes reputation. The supply chain software was the first segment of NSC (Nike Supply Chain) project from SAP and also customer relationship management software from Siebel System. Analysts pointed out the fault of customization of the software and over demand forecasting. (Koah, 2004) Company successfully implemented (NSC) Nike Supply Chain project by 2004. The (NSC) Nike Supply Chain project is centralized planning moving and manufacturing. At last Nike got success in Implementing ERP and it became the desired approach for those who want to implement the ERP systems in their company. Christopher Koch (Editor of CIO Magazine) stated that If it was easy, everyone would just do it. In the late 1990, most companies avoided to adopt ERP because of the huge cost of ERP systems. (Koch, 2004) The lesson of Nikes failure and subsequent rebound lies in the fact that it had a sound business plan that was widely understood and accepted at every level of the company. Given that resiliency it afforded the company, in the end the i2 failure turned out to be just a speed bump. (Koah, 2004) Products Range Nike has wide range of sports equipment, running shoes, and jerseys and may other products as shown in figure 1. Figure Nike Products (nike, 2010) ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) ERP entitles a companys information system which can bring more closely the companys departments and functions like human resources, finance and inventories. It also creates the link between customers and producers. 1.1 Introduction of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) Enterprise Resource Planning is the enterprise system tool which manages demand and supply. It has the ability to make link between customers and suppliers. ERP also provides the high degree of integration between purchasing, manufacturing, marketing, sales, logistics and marketing. ERP is the tool which can provide high level of customer services and productivity and also lower the cost. (Wallace Kremzar, 2001) Enterprise Resource Planning is a company which increase it sales by 20% because of ERP. The vice president states that ERP has provided the key to becoming a truly global company. Design can be made with the accurate data and with the process that concretes demand and supply across border and oceans. This change is worth billion to us in sales worldwide. (Wallace Kremzar, 2001) The Director of ERP For the first time ever, we have a good handle on our future requirements for components raw and materials. When our customer demand changes, we-ourselves and our suppliers-can manage changes to our schedules on a very coordinated and controlled basis. I dont see how any company can do effective supply chain management without ERP. (Wallace Kremzar, 2001) 1.2 Origin of the Term ERP The Enterprise Resource Planning ERP developed from Manufacture Resource Planning (MRP). The ERP was introduced by an analytical firm Garner. Enterprise Resource Planning has all the functions of an enterprise except organisation business or charter. Many organisations like IBM, Dell and HP Microsoft, Intel and many other organisations are now using ERP systems. The ERP systems are typically for large and more broadly based applications although it is also used in small and medium sized businesses. The ERP systems provide standardization, lower maintenance and it can store all data in one database. So, we can say that it has greater reporting capabilities. ERP includes other applications like Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP), Financials Resource Management (FRM), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Human Resources Management (HRM). (Leon , 2008) Figure : Information integration through ERP (ERP, 2010) 1.3 Overview of ERP Many organisations choose to implement one part for ERP systems and stand-alone systems for the other ERP applications need to develop an external interface to the other ERP system. Because in an organisation one vendor choose to use human resource management system and the financial system choose another and integration between those systems. It is very common in midsized retailer and the retail sector will have a point of sale (POS) and financial application then they have a specialized application to handle other business requirements like logistics and merchandising. (Leon , 2008) The quality of ERP system is that it provides a single database which contains all the data for the software module also shown in figure 3: Manufacturing   Supply Chain Management   Financials   Projects   Human Resources Customer Relationship Management   (Leon , 2008) Figure ERP Database (google, 2010) 1.4 Reasons for Buying ERP Software In these days when the business environment is increasingly complex and highly competitive then the organisations need the IT system which is highly competitive with time management. The organisations need the outstanding performance in their business by utilizing the time in the correct way. Enterprise system utilize the company time correctly. Enterprise Resource Planning is the planning in which the business resources like material, employees and customers moved from one state to another state. An ERP system maintains the data which connects with the business functions like manufacturing, supply chain, Management, finance, human resource, customer relationship management. (Leon , 2008) 1.5 Reasons of ERP projects Failure Sometimes ERP projects fail if you do not implement them well. There are some of the reasons for the failure of ERP failure. The company selected the wrong software of ERP for the company. The training of employee is also very important and some organisations dont train well their employees. Some software is heavily customized and if these are not match with the companys IT infrastructure then there can be problem. If we do not implement the effective change management strategies then it can be the result of failure of the project. If the business merger leaves out the work in the process then it can be also a big loss.(Glenn, 2008) There are also some factors from where we can achieve the successful ERP projects by selecting the right software for the company. Give the right training to employees. For implementing the ERP we have to manage each approach and utilize the best practices for implementing ERP software. (Starinsky, 2001) I found some important realities about ERP are that there is no perfect ERP system exists. We cannot say that any ERP implementation is ever perfect. If two companies have the same ERP software but the implementation cannot be the same because every company has its own style of implementation. (Leon , 2008) SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT Supply Chain Management is a network that is involved buying, making, moving, selling and distribution. (Hugos, 2006) A supply chain is a network of facilities and distribution options that performs the functions of procurement of materials, transformation of materials into intermediate and finished products and the distribution of these finished products to customers. (Hugos, 2006) Buying Making Moving Ware housing Selling Selling Buying Making Movin Ware housing Figure Supply Chain (Supplychain, 2010) 2 Nikes Supply Chain Nikes supply chain theme is centralization. All products designs, making and delivery is centralized from Beaverton, Oregon in the US. Nike operations were divided into five regions USA, Middle East, Africa, Asia and America which included Canada, Mexico and Latin and American countries. In 1975, Nike launched one program which is known as future program for managing its footwear products. In this program Nikes retailers placed their orders before six months. Then these orders moved manufacturing units around the globe. The supply chain worked nicely at that time. Nike Company became spreading more and more globally. Nike felt that its supply chain needed rapid changes. The manufacturing process also became very complex because some models like Air Jordan Sneakers required 130 steps to manufacturing. In 1998 Nikes profit dropped down by 50% also shown in figure 5. Nike mentioned that they had problems with the existing supply chain systems. To overcome this problem Nike launched one project known as NSC (Nike Supply Chain) project. (Koch, 2004) Figure : Profit dropped down by 50% (investment, 2010) This was a massive project in which the global operations were operated centralization to implement ERP, supply chain and customer relationship management on a single SAP system as shown in Table 1. Many changes were made various times to fix the supply chain and these changes created serious problems and in the result Nike had to move a whole new system. (Royal, 2001) Table : ENTERPRISE APPLICATION IMPLEMENTATION AT NIKE (CGT, 2010) Company Solution SAP ERP i2 Planning Siebel CRM PeopleSoft Human Capital Management (HR Systems) PTC Product Data Management, Product Life Cycle management See Beyond Application Integration Marc Globe Warehouse Management Systems HP Unix Serves Supporting all supply chain systems IBM Systems integrators other professional services 2.1 i2s Software Implementation 2.1.1 Background Nikes supply chain theme is centralization. All products designs, making and delivery is centralized from Beaverton, Ore. The problem was that the supply chain was built for six months cycle which is also called future program. This future program was developed in 1975. At that time Nike made its market space because people at that time did not much care about the style or looks. Their attention was that they need technically advanced shoes which were steady and fit. (Koah, 2004) 2.1.2 Need the i2 software for better supply chain Nike got the global demand and its supply chain broken down because of the high demand from all over the globe. By 1998, Nike had 27 order management systems all over the globe which were poorly linked with Beaverton. Another problem with these systems was that these were highly customized. At that point Nike needed the ERP system which can handle the manufacturing cycle for up to six months. Nike also decided that the needed the systems which were centralized. For that reason the ERP software like SAPs R/3 software were better for the Nikes supply chain strategy. The software was included with i2 supply, demand and collaboration planner software applications. In the beginning of 1999 Nike decided to implement i2 software. I2 software implementation was the first part of NSC project. The cost of this project was US $40 million. (Koch, 2004) Table i2 SCM Proposed Benefits (Industrial Supply Chain management Solution -i2-Planning, 2010) Solution Objective Challenge Capability Benefit Strategic Planning Maximize profitability by optimally allocating resources Unclear parameters Optimization Long term profitability Demand management Anticipate and influence demand Accurate demand estimation is difficult Demand planning, channel collaboration Improved customer service Supply planning Determine what to make and when and how to profitably distribute supply Size and complexity of problem Collaboration, optimization, Speed Global visibility and coordination , fast reaction to changes Production Determine what to produce and when Managing material capacity tradeoffs is complex Fast finite material capacity planning scheduling Reduced inventory, Improved due date performance 2.1.3 Reasons of i2 software failure There were many reasons for i2 failure. Nike did not show patience during the implementation of the first part of its NSC (Nike Supply Chain) project. Nike decided to install its i2 software while Nike was using its legacy systems. The legacy systems were highly customized. The i2 software also needed to be highly customized because they have to be operated by Nikes Legacy systems. Even one entry took too much time to be recorded by the i2 software. This problem was the unexpected setback. The main fault was that the system ignored some orders and made duplicate the other orders. The ordered data was also deleted after six to eight weeks when it was entered. It was impossible for the company to recall the order had asked to produce. The complications of NSC project are also one of the reasons of the failure. The i2 software failed in demand forecast as shown in the figure 6. In some places Nike has excess inventory and in shortage of inventory in other places. Because of i2 software failure Nikes profit dropped down by 50% from USD $798 million to US $399 million. (Koah, 2004) Figure i2 software failure (Koah, 2004) 2.2 IMPLEMENTING SAP APPAREL AND FOOTWEAR SOLUTION (AFS) Nike had decided to implement the SAP Apparel and footwear solution. AFS is a part of SAP ERP project. This software is based on SAP r/3 and especially for footwear industry. Nike chose to implement other SAP applications like SCM and (B/W) Business information warehouse. Nike is also considering the SAP Net weaver platform in near future. Figure 7 shows the sample structure of SAP Net Weaver Implementation. (Koah, 2004) Figure SAP Net Weaver Implementation (Koah, 2004) Nike did not implement the first version of AFS although Nike had purchased SAP AFS in 1998. This new version of SAP AFS was the base of NSC Project. The SAP module implementations at Nikes were Financial Control (FICO), Sales Distribution (SD), Material Management (MM) and Production Planning (PP). These interfaced fully with Nikes i2 demand-planning and Siebel CRM software. (Koah, 2004) 2.2.1 Strategy for implementing ERP system Nike adopted the Big Bang approach for implementing ERP software by installing all SAP components like planning order entry financials etc. all at once. This task had a high degree of integration between its footwear and apparel sectors. Because of SAP (AFS) the company took full control on both area footwear and apparel of supply chain from raw material until delivery. (Sussman, May 2004) In 2000, Nike Canada became a company which implemented SAP (AFS) along i2 applications and Siebel CRM. The software was used multiple HP enterprise servers because on HP-UC (1) 11 operating environment. HP was chosen because it had experience in SAP and i2 applications. (Sussman, May 2004) 2.2.2 Benefits NSC Project allowed the company to make build-to-order supply chain. Before implementing NSC project Nike purchased products from manufacturers about 9 to 10 months before and on the other hand Nikes retailers ordered for only 6 months. The project enabled Nike to shorten the time for footwear products from nine to six months because of implementing this NSC project. Now Nike can buy from partner factories on the base of actual requirements rather than forecast alone. Another benefit of this project was that it had directly benefited on the financial management. This project gave better integration between departments. (Barrett, 2003) According to Shelley Dewey, Vice president, Nike Supply Checain, The transition of business team members into IT savvy individuals and IT team members into business process experts was an unexpected bonus of the project effort. We are a much stronger team for having done this work. (Clark, July 2004) Recommendations During late 1990 most companies avoided to implement ERP systems because of the huge cost and the project was time consume. But Nike has invested on ERP system and they proved that although they paid a huge cost for implementing ERP system but it worth a lot. We can also observe the complex of implementing ERP system from that if it was easy to implement ERP system then everybody did it at that time. Nike has implemented the NSC (Nike Supply Chain Project). But for this success Nike has paid a huge amount and time. Although the company has implemented SAP system but there was still problem that it did not accept direct point of sale (POS) data in integration with retailers data. The forecasting function is also less accurate because company knew only about the retailers buying and not have any information that what the customer buying. Nike has invested a lot on this project and now Nike has to make this system perfect because small bugs became a huge problem to fix. In the beginning of ERP implementation Nike had faced difficulties but now Nike has those approaches that many companies to follow that approach. But Nike has to aware consistently about the problem in ERP sectors and also makes changes its strategy in the future with market environment.

Social Welfare Past and Present Essay -- Papers History Aid Welfare Es

Social Welfare Past and Present Social welfare is an expansive system proposed to maintain the well being of individuals within a society. This paper will explain the progression from the feudal system and church provisions for the poor before the Elizabethan Poor Law to the gradual assumption of the responsibility for the poor by the government. A responsibility assumed not out of humanity and concern for the poor, but as a process of standardizing the ways in which the poor were to be managed. The history of social welfare reflects differences in values as they relate to social responsibility in taking care of the needy. Our society has been influenced by values like Judeo-Christian humanitarianism and the economic doctrine of laissez faire. Our present social welfare structure is also influenced by these values. Our English heritage has greatly affected social welfare today. Some of the standards set in England include: indoor relief; a national policy for the poor; the provision of serving the poor by placing them in institutions; and the categorization of the poor into two basic categorizes, the worthy poor and the able-bodied poor (unworthy poor). The Elizabethan Poor Law also set precedents which include: clear government responsibility for those in need; government authority to force people to work; government enforcement of family responsibility; responsibility for carrying out programs at the local level; and strict residence requirements. In England during the late 1700's there were other efforts that led to shaping the United States social welfare policies that address poverty. The Speenhamland Act of 1795 was one such effort. It "provided for the payment of minimum wages to workers and their fam... ...ed that health problems and lack of affordable health care were barriers for many of the AFDC recipients to get off welfare. Clinton also wanted the states to play a wider role in the design of federal welfare programs. State and federal legislation now focused on personal responsibility, limiting stays on public assistance and imposing far more strict work requirements. These efforts to limit the federal role in services to the poor and to shift the responsibility to the states means that there are now fifty-one different welfare programs in the United States. "Social welfare development in America has been fragmented and lacks comprehensive conceptual framework for its development. It continues to be in a constant state of evolution as the United States struggles with mitigating the effects of a market-based economy on certain segments of the population."

Causes of the French Revolution :: essays research papers

Causes of the French Revolution The statement citing the essential cause of the French Revolution as the "collision between a powerful, rising bourgeoisie and an entrenched aristocracy defending it's privileges" has great pertinence in summarizing the conflict of 1789. The causes of the French Revolution, being provoked by this collision of powers, was the Financial debt of the government and the long-standing political differences in the government. Over the course of twenty-five years after the Seven Years' War, the government of France--the Bourgeoisie royalty, could not manage it's finances on a sound basis. This was worsened when France aided the American Revolution against Great Britain. The Government had reached great financial debt. The problem lied and continued because of the government's inability to tap the wealth of the French nation by taxation. There was a great paradox in France being a rich nation with a government in poverty. The deteriorating finances of the government is what triggered the prolonged differences between the Bourgeoisie and the aristocracy. The political differences between the monarchy and the nobles came about after the Seven Years' war also. The increasing debt of the government escalated the hope for the monarchy to resume a "absolute power" status as it did with Louis XIV. However this could not be accomplished because of the doubt that the public had towards the present kings Louis XV and Louis XVI, and the public could not be swayed to help. The only result of the attempts for absolutism by the monarchy were a series of new and increase taxes on the nobles. The aristocracy immediately reacted to these taxes as declaring them unfair and would not accept them. Louis XV began with a series of Financial advisors chancellors which all had the intention of saving the monarchy from financial ruin. They made many attempts at taxation, such as a land tax, but each of these were defeated by the nobles -- the Parlements were even destroyed for a brief time, but were later restored by Louis XVI in attempt to gain public support. The government continued to become poorer and poorer and it seemed the only successful taxation was done towards the peasants, whom had the least money. The monarchy eventually fell and caused great unrest

A Handmaids Tale :: Handmaids Tale Essays

A Handmaid's Tale A new society is created by a group of people who strengthen and maintain their power by any means necessary including torture and death. Margaret Atwood's book, A Handmaid's Tale, can be compared to the morning after a bad fight within an abusive relationship. Being surrounded by rules that must be obeyed because of being afraid of the torture that will be received. There are no other choices because there is control over what is done, who you see and talk to, and has taken you far away from your family. You have no money or way out. The new republic of Gilead takes it laws to an even higher level because these laws are said to be of God and by disobeying them you are disobeying him. People are already likely to do anything for their God especially when they live in fear of punishment or death. The republic of Gilead is created and maintains its power structure through the use of religion, laws that isolate people from communication to one another and their families, and the fear of punishment for disobeying the law. The new law would follow God's law that all are brothers and sisters, and according to Aunt Lydia will cause women to live in harmony together and support each other. The wife of the commander, Serena Joy was an strong advocate for submissive female roles and gospel singer before the war and the formation of Gilead. Since the creation of Gilead, she was forced into the submissive role of a housewife. Serena spoke on television about the sanctity of the home and how women should stay in the home. After taking on her new housewife role, "She doesn't make speeches anymore. She has become speechless. She stays in her home but it doesn't agree with her. How furious she must be now that she has been taken at her word" (chapter 8, pg.46). Serena has failed in producing children which is the purpose of woman's life in the beliefs of the Gilead society. She is jealous of Offred because Offred serves as a constant reminder of her failure. She is also resentful of the sexual relatio nship that Offred must have with her husband. A Handmaid's Tale :: Handmaid's Tale Essays A Handmaid's Tale A new society is created by a group of people who strengthen and maintain their power by any means necessary including torture and death. Margaret Atwood's book, A Handmaid's Tale, can be compared to the morning after a bad fight within an abusive relationship. Being surrounded by rules that must be obeyed because of being afraid of the torture that will be received. There are no other choices because there is control over what is done, who you see and talk to, and has taken you far away from your family. You have no money or way out. The new republic of Gilead takes it laws to an even higher level because these laws are said to be of God and by disobeying them you are disobeying him. People are already likely to do anything for their God especially when they live in fear of punishment or death. The republic of Gilead is created and maintains its power structure through the use of religion, laws that isolate people from communication to one another and their families, and the fear of punishment for disobeying the law. The new law would follow God's law that all are brothers and sisters, and according to Aunt Lydia will cause women to live in harmony together and support each other. The wife of the commander, Serena Joy was an strong advocate for submissive female roles and gospel singer before the war and the formation of Gilead. Since the creation of Gilead, she was forced into the submissive role of a housewife. Serena spoke on television about the sanctity of the home and how women should stay in the home. After taking on her new housewife role, "She doesn't make speeches anymore. She has become speechless. She stays in her home but it doesn't agree with her. How furious she must be now that she has been taken at her word" (chapter 8, pg.46). Serena has failed in producing children which is the purpose of woman's life in the beliefs of the Gilead society. She is jealous of Offred because Offred serves as a constant reminder of her failure. She is also resentful of the sexual relatio nship that Offred must have with her husband.

How culture influences human development Essay

This essay is an attempt to show how culture influences human development and interpretation of the world. Therefore, to start with this essay will define culture by different scholars. It will then show the types of culture and give a brief account on what culture constitutes (characteristics of culture). Furthermore, the concept of human development will be discussed briefly to give the reader a more clear understanding of the topic at hand. With clear examples, the essay will then show how culture influences human development and their interpretation of the world. Finally, a conclusion summarizing what the essay will discuss will be drawn. The attempt to define culture is elusive as many may suggest. Nevertheless, there are certain paradigms that constitute the sum total of culture and underlie cultural images and identity construction. It is the close affinity between cultural image and human identity that makes the definition of culture complex. The most complex and yet comprehensive definition of culture is that arrived during the ‘Mondiacult’ in Mexico city which has continued to be the most operationalised definition of culture: ‘Culture is the whole complex of distinctive spiritual, material and intellectual features that charactorise a society or social group. It includes not only the arts and letters, but also modes of life, the fundamental rights of human beings, value systems, traditions and beliefs.’ Young Kate (1993) in a report said, culture is seen in the African social context as transcending the arts or artifacts, folklores, literatures, music, dance and other artistic paraphelia. According to Taylor (1996) culture refers to the patterns of behavior and thinking that people living in social groups learn, create, and share. Culture distinguishes one human group from others. It also distinguishes humans from other animals. A people’s culture includes their beliefs, rules of behavior, language, rituals, art, technology, styles of dress, ways of producing and cooking food, religion, and political and economic systems. Culture can also be defined as a set of values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors shared by a group of people, communicated from one generation to the next via language or some other means of communication (Barnouw, 1985). An American sociologist Ogburn has divided culture into two parts: Material culture which consists of tangible things and tools used to express the way of life such as machines, dwellings, manufacture of goods and transportation; and Non material culture which consists of non tangible aspects such as norms, values, customs and practices that are exhibited in social institutions such as the family, religion, economy and education. Some of the characteristics of culture is that it is symbolic, meaning it is based on symbols or abstract ways of referring to and understanding ideas, objects, feelings, or behaviors-and the ability to communicate with symbols using language; it is shared meaning people in the same society share common behaviors and ways of thinking through culture(Bodley ,1997); it is learned socially (Archer, 1996); it is adaptive, that is to say people use culture to flexibly and quickly adjust to changes in the world around them (Findely, and Rothney, 2006); it is social meaning culture does not exist in isolation; it is transitive as it is transmitted from one generation to another; and it is continuous and cumulative because it exists as a continuous process. Various people understand human development on a wide variety of aspects. Human development can be intellectual, biological, social, economical, and many others. Human development involves all the individual’s activities starting from birth, infancy, childhood, adolescence, through to adulthood. Therefore, human development and people’s view of the world during all these stages of a person’s life is influenced by people’s exposure to various cultures in so many ways. Usually when a child is born, it is born into a particular family that has a certain way of life. Members of this family will have a language they usually use, type of food they usually eat, religion or church they are part of, a way they dress, a type of people they interact with, types of social  activities they engage in, and so on. All this is part of their culture as a family. That child will grow up and adapt to that culture because the family is its first agent of socialization. As the child grows and develops into an adolescent, then into an adult, his or her view of the world will greatly be influenced by this socialization of the family. The way in which he or she will interact with others will depend on how he or she has been brought up to do. Some individuals are shy and reserved while others are talkative. In the past, the African culture socialized girls and women to maintain their place which was in the kitchen and to be respectful towards men. In as much as this was a form of gender inequality, this culture also brought some form of human development as the men went out to provide for their families as well as develop their communities, while the women stayed at home cooking, taking care of the children and doing household chores which is a form of human development (social) were socializing of the children is involved. So, in this type of way of life the women interpreted or viewed men as being superior over them and the men viewed the women as being their helpers. However, over the years this sort of view has changed (though not everywhere) due to the fact that culture is not static, it is an adaptive mechanism that constantly adjusts to satisfy human biological and social needs. Because of this dynamic tendency of culture, cultural communities continue to change as do individuals. A community’s history and relations are part of cultural process which intern lead to various human developments. A good example that can be cited is that of the Khoi Khoi and san people of the past who hunted and gathered food for their survival. It is very rare to find any kind of people in this day and age who still follow that kind of lifestyle. Culture is not the same everywhere, it varies greatly and this great diversity can sometimes be confusing to others. For instance, the thought of children handling knives makes many American parents very nervous, yet toddlers in some parts of Africa safely use machetes. Similarly, infants in middle-class communities in the United States are often expected to sleep  alone by the time they are only a few months old while many low and middle-class Zambian children typically share their mother’s bed through their toddler years. These striking differences in child rearing practices reflect the diverse range of what is considered developmentally appropriate for children around the world, depending on their cultural circumstances (Roggof, 2003). Therefore, people from, say, these two types of societies will interpret child rearing practices differently from one another. Another example by Barbara Roggof (2003) which results in a great difference in interpretation due to the diversity of culture is the comparison between the United States and Mayan community in Gautemala. The United States is a highly age-segregated society, with children spending much of their time away from activities of adults. That segregation removes children from important opportunities to observe and learn from elders by participating in valued community activities, said Roggof. In contrast, in the Mayan community in Gautemala, children often learn through the process of observation and supportive guidance as they engage in community activities. Young Mayan girls, for instance, regularly observe women weaving complicated patterns because weaving is a daily household activity. Experienced weavers watched for their daughters to express interest and then set up a simple project beside their own which allows them to offer, what Roggof calls ‘guidance embedded in activity’. So unlike in the United States community were learning is often pegged to age and managed in specialized child settings, instruction in this Mayan community is generally triggered by the child’s interest in becoming involved in valued family community activities. This shows that human development in some cultures is influenced by age, while in others by interest. Cultural diversity shows that there are different viewpoints and ways of interacting with the world as there are cultures (Young, 1993). However, cultural difference may sometimes become problematic. Because different people are part of different cultures and backgrounds, people tend to see or interpret things through their background. ‘That is, culture acts as a filter, not only when perceiving things, but also when thinking about  interpreting events.’ For example, Mary Banda may interpret Aisha Yusuf’s habit of over spicing her food whenever she is cooking as a sign that Aisha is not a very good cook as she uses these spices as a disguise of her lack of talent. Mary might even conclude that people from her own culture are better cooks than that of Aisha’s because she does not need spices to make her food taste good. Mary Banda, in this example, is interpreting someone else’s behavior from her own cultural background and based on her own beliefs of culture and behavior. This is an act of ethnocentrism, which is the viewing and interpretation of the behavior of others through one’s own cultural glasses (Giddens, 1989). This is a form of biasness which is also closely linked to stereotypes. For example, suppose someone is having a conversation with another person from a culture different from their own. While he is talking to this person, he notices that she does not really make eye contact with him when he speaks. Also, she does not really look at him when he speaks. On the few occasions when her eyes look his way, she quickly averts her gaze if their eyes meet. From his cultural background he may interpret that she does not feel very positive about his interaction. He may even put off and reject any attempts at future interactions. He may not feel trusting or close to her. But she may come from a culture were direct gazing is discouraged or even a sign of arrogance. She may actually be avoiding eye contact not because of any negative feelings, but because of difference and politeness to him. Of course these potential problems have real and practical implications in everyday life. Such scenarios may occur in a job interview, in a teaching or learning situation at an elementary school, at a business negotiation, or even in a visit with a doctor. It is always hard for people to separate themselves from their own cultural backgrounds and biases to understand the behaviors of others. However, this is not to say that all cultures are different or diverse. There are always cross-cultural tendencies or behaviors that are shared in most cultures. For instance, in most cultures people burry their dead, celebrate at weddings, mourn at funerals, name their children, wear clothes (do not  move naked), and many others. CONCLUSION In conclusion, culture is basically people’s way of life or way of doing things or even way of thinking. Be it how they comb their hair, dress, worship, eat, time they sleep at night, and so on. Culture is material and non material, and therefore, influences a great deal of people’s lives. This influence of culture can be on their human development from birth, infancy, childhood, adolescence, through to adulthood. Jean Piaget talked about four stages human beings pass through as they develop. These include the sensory motor stage (0-23 months old), pre-operational stage (2-7 years old), concrete operational stage (7-11 years old) and formal operational stage (11 years and above). Through all these stages, human development occurs in various ways. And this can be intellectually, socially, economically, and biologically. It can also influence how people interpret the world or other people around them as illustrated in the few examples in mentioned in the text. REFERENCES Archer, M. S. (1996). _The place of culture in social theory_. New York: Cambridge University Press. Barnouw, V. (1985). _Culture and personality (_4th edition_)._ Wales: Dorsey Press. Bodley, J. H. (1997). _Ethnology_ (4th edition). Mountain View cliff: Mayfield Publishers. Co. Dressler, D. et al (1976). _Sociology: The study of Human interactions_ (3rd edition). New York: Alfred A. Knopt. Findely, & Rothney, (1996). _Twentieth century world_ (6th edition). London: McMillan Press Ltd. Furedidi, F. (1997). _Population and development: A critical introduction_ (3rd edition). Britain: Polity Press. Giddens, A. (1989). _Sociology_ (6th edition). Britain: Polity Press. Rogoff, B. (2003). _The cultural nature of human development._ New York: Oxford Press. Taylor, (2006). _Principles and practice of stress management_ (3rd edition). New York: Guilford Press. UNESCO, (1982). _Cultural industries: A challenge for the future._ Paris: UNESCO. Valsiner, J. (2000). _Culture and human development: An introduction._ Britain: Polity Press. Young, K. (1993). _Planning development with women: Making a world of difference._ London & Basinstokei: McMillan Press Ltd.

A Technology of Life

The rising rate of technological development brings significant contribution to today’s ongoing fast pace of life. It has significantly impacted people’s lives that their ways of doing things as well as their means of doing things have already changed to conform to technological trends.Its powerful effect on almost every person’s life is remarkably manifested in the people’s enthusiastic acceptance and immersion to change brought about by technology. Indeed, technology influences people’s mode of thinking, behaving, and doing things. It has also directly and indirectly shapes certain behavior patterns and values among people especially the young generation. It has even become a guide for social interaction and thus, has already become part of everybody’s every day life.The rapid technological change brings both desirable and undesirable changes in our culture. Technology development can only be viewed as a cultural progression if its desirabl e impact to the culture and society is capitalized.Further, technology is considered a cultural progression if changes brought about redound to the highest interest of an organization and to the society as a whole. It should not only create convenience but should facilitate optimum outcome and productivity of anything where technology is used or applied. Some of the considerable beneficial effect of technology is it works to decrease business cost in the industry sector while, technology, particularly communication bridges the distance between individuals. Also, it must be noted that technology now promoted and encouraged continuous invention and innovation.However, one should always be reminded of the fact that too much of anything is dangerous, thus too much dependence to technology might also demean natural creativity and intelligence of people and foster a technology-dependent society.Technology has undeniably successfully change people’s values, beliefs, and ways of beha ving which are aspects that reflect the culture of the new society.The unstoppable development in technology and its affordability has triggered a domino effect that has changed how people and society behaves. It has created a cultural change as people in today’s environment has no option to keep abreast with the modern world but to embrace technology and its resulting change, and learn to use and live with it.Technology provides people with the tool to deal and live with the demands of the changing environment especially the industrial world. It creates competitive advantage that in the corporate world â€Å"technology now is power† (Coon).It is a fact that this rapid technological change creates convenience among people even in industrial organizations.   According to Hannagan (1998), â€Å"the introduction of technology has speeded up global communication and made possible for information to be transmitted immediately†   (p. 602) facilitating immediate tr ansaction.These developments have served to facilitate global business developments as well as individual relationship. In fact one of the most concrete examples of the beneficial use of technology to communication is well articulated in the statements of Davis and Meyer (1999) that â€Å"the development of mobile technologies have made connection available to anyone, anytime, and any place† (p. 9). Technology serves to speed up business and personal transactions maximizing productivity and usability of time.The communication revolution has a profound effect on the lives of people. This effect makes the new communication technology essential to people lives. To concretize this is to relate my experience with that of my mother when communication technology was not yet developed. During their time, distance can really create so much challenge as immediate communication was not available.However, in my time now, owning mobile phone is not a luxury but already a necessity. It hel ps one to receive important information immediately, facilitate immediate deals and decision making, communicate and â€Å"stay close† with the family and significant people, and socialize with friends. Its added attributes like calculator, calendar, camera and others can also help the owner or user in various ways making life easier and less complicated. Indeed, technology has really provided practicality and convenience to its user and to the modern society.Reference ListCoon, D. Technology’s positive effect on culture, class, and gender. Retrieved March 14, 2007from http://www.leon.leon.k12.fl.us/lion/dept/science/coon/Vita/techclass.htmlDavis, S. & Meyer, C. (1999). Blur: The speed of change in the connected economy. USA:Perseus Publishing.Hannagan, T. (1998). Management: Concepts and practices (2nd ed). Great Britain: PearsonEducation Limited.  

Small Scale Production of Yogurt

SMALL SCALE PRODUCTION OF YOGURT Yogurt is a sour milk product. Its sour taste is attributed to the presence of lactic acid yielded by bacteria through fermentation. Bacteria that are commonly used in yoghurt production are Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus. These bacteria have the ability to break down sugars in the milk producing lactate or lactic acid as by-product. Below is a step-by-step procedure in the production of yogurt. Find out from the procedure why yogurt has low fat content.Note: Practice aseptic technique. Wash hands before proceeding and wear lab gown, head cap, latex gloves and if necessary, facial mask to prevent unwanted contamination of the pre-yogurt mixture. Ingredients (good for one group) 1. 500 mL homogenized pasteurized milk (to be bought and brought as 1L pack good for two groups) to be provided: 2. 15 grams skim milk powder (SMP) 3. 50 grams refined sugar 4. 40 ml starter culture bacteria from natural yoghurt prepared as follows : % skim milk powder in distilled water, yoghurt or yakult, incubated at 43o to 46o for 3 to 4 hours till clotted Procedure 1. In a clean container, carefully transfer the milk and carefully dissolve the SMP and sugar. Cover with aluminum foil and heat the mixture at 90oC (water bath) for 10 minutes. 2. Cool down to 50oC in a bath of ice water. 3. Meanwhile shake the culture of the starter bacteria to free it from lumps and carefully add (inoculate) to the milk. Make sure that the temperature of the container is cool enough to touch.Mix to evenly distribute the starter culture. 5. Transfer the inoculated milk into the plastic container provided. Seal the lid with masking tape and label the container properly (group number, section and instructor). 6. Incubate the milk at 43oC to 46oC in an incubator overnight. At this point this will be taken cared of by the lab technicians and will be chilled at 4C thereafter. Reference: Davide, Clara L. 1996. Microbial Production of Yoghurt and Cheese . Training Seminar sponsored by PSM held at Ateneo de Manila, January 29-30.

Challenges in the Business Environment Essay

There has been no change to Apple Code of Conduct policy since 2014 when Apple started taking previous audit scores into consideration and conduct detailed risk assessments with suppliers who had not been audited in the past before awarding the new business. In 2014, we reviewed 459 suppliers, and factored their responsibility performance into our decisions. This engagement has allowed Apple to address over 700 findings related to labor standards, worker safety, permits, environmental hazards, and chemical management before production began (Apple – 2014 Supplier Code of Conduct). Apple has made significant progress, gaps still exist, and there is more work to do. Apple knows that workers are counting on them and they will not stop until every person in their supply chain is treated with the respect and dignity they deserve (Apple – Supplier Responsibility 2015 Progress Report). Apple believes that it is not enough to just set high standards they must work every day to make sure they’re upheld. Apple Supplier Code of Conduct is among the toughest in the industry. To track working conditions at suppliers’ facilities, we conduct regular, in-person audits deep into the supply chain. Audits remain essential to Apple work, but they’re only the beginning. Apple reports monthly on working hours for over one million workers with hopes that their openness will inspire other companies. But more important, Apple believe the feedback that transparency invites makes us even better (Apple – Supplier Responsibility 2015 Progress Report). Apple’s suppliers are required to provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, act fairly and ethically, and use environmentally responsible practices wherever they make products or perform services for Apple. Apple requires its suppliers to operate in accordance with the principles in this Apple Supplier Code of  Conduct (â€Å"Code†) and in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. This Code goes beyond mere compliance with the law by drawing upon internationally recognized standards to advance social and environmental responsibility. This Code outlines Apple’s expectations for Supplier conduct regarding labor and human rights, health and safety, environmental protection, ethics, and management practices. Apple assesses its suppliers’ compliance with this Code, and any violations of this Code may jeopardize the supplier’s business relationship with Apple, up to and including termination. This Code applies to Apple suppliers and their subsidiaries, affiliates, and subcontractors (each a â€Å"Supplier†) providing goods or services to Apple, or for use in or with Apple products (Apple – 2014 Supplier Code of Conduct). To show that Apple believes that it is not enough to just set high standards and that they must work every day to make sure they’re upheld. In 2014, over 2.3 million workers were trained on Apple’s Co de and their rights. Apple invested millions of dollars to expand our Supplier Employee Education and Development (SEED) program since it began. SEED now totals 48 classrooms in 23 facilities equipped with iMac computers, iPad devices, education software, video conferencing systems, and more. To make sure the standards were upheld Apple performed 633 audits covering over 1.6 million workers in 2014. Apple also audited suppliers in 19 countries and calls were made to 30,000 workers to make sure their rights were being upheld (Apple – 2014 Supplier Code of Conduct). Apple Suppliers Understanding of Their Standards, Responsibilities, and Company Relationship Apple is proud of the strong relationships they have built with their suppliers, many of whom have been working with them for years. Apple periodically reviews their relationships and adds new suppliers as needed. Apple requires each of its suppliers to meet the highest standards for all goods and services. Our requirements include a commitment to rigorous quality assurance. In addition, suppliers must be committed, as we are, to ensuring the highest standards of soci al responsibility. The ideal suppliers are those who understand our culture and expectations. We value suppliers who take the time to learn about and understand our business and who look for ways to add value. These suppliers know the importance of making and meeting commitments and delivering the highest quality goods and services (Apple – Apple and Procurement). Apple business environment is  competitive and fast-paced. Apple suppliers must understand this dynamic and be agile and flexible in responding to changing business conditions. All over the world, people are building Apple products and Apple has a responsibility to make sure that each person is treated with dignity and respect. It’s a massive challenge where Apple work is never done, but each year they implement meaningful, lasting changes across their supply chain. Because of this around the globe, Apple employees are united in bringing equality, human rights, and respect for the environment to the deepest layers of their supply chain. Apple goes deep into their supply chain to enforce their social and environmental standards by empowering workers through education, demanding that suppliers treat workers fairly and ethically at all times, having safe and healthy facilities, and hold their products and processes to the highest environmental standards (Apple – Supplier Responsibility 2015 Progress Report). Apple believes that in order to make impactful changes across their supply chain, it’s important to understand firsthand what’s happening inside their suppliers’ facilities. That’s why they don’t simply employ and review audits from behind a desk in Cupertino. Instead, they directly gauge how their supplier facilities are doing by regularly visiting and partnering with their suppliers around the world, so when they discover a problem, they can work together to get it fixed (Apple – Accountability). To make sure the standards are understood and upheld Apple performed 633 audits covering over 1.6 million workers. Apple also audited suppliers in 19 countries and calls 30,000 workers to make sure their rights are being upheld. Every audit is led by an Apple auditor and supported by local third-party auditors. These third parties are experts in their fields and all have been trained to use our detailed auditing protocols. During each audit, Apple grade suppliers on more than 100 data points corresponding to each category of our Supplier Code of Conduct (Apple – Accountability). Apple auditors are highly skilled at identifying when suppliers are covering up information. Apple audits are proven to improve supplier compliance. Each year we review and raise our already strict requirements, and suppliers continue to meet our increasingly stringent standards. In 2014, facilities audited two times scored 25 percent higher than those facilities with first-time audits. Facilities audited three times or more scored 31 percent higher than facilities audited  for the first time (Apple – Accountability). In addition to these regular, prescheduled audits, Apple randomly select facilities to audit unannoun ced. These surprise audits help ensure that our suppliers continue to meet our standards at all times not just during scheduled visits. Apple conducted 40 surprise audits in 2014, where their team visited suppliers on the spot and inspected the facility within hours. After the audit Apple conducts physical inspections, reviews documents, and interviews workers in their native languages, without their managers present. Afterward, workers are given a phone number, so they have the opportunity to securely and confidentially provide additional feedback about a facility to our team, including anything they consider to be unethical behavior. Apple encourages workers to report any retaliation to us, and we follow up with all suppliers to address each reported issue (Apple – Accountability). Inclusion these audits, code of conduct, and standards give Apple suppliers the understanding of what it means to be part of the company. Reference Apple – Accountability. (2015, January 1). Retrieved March 7, 2015, from http://www.apple.com/supplier-responsibility/accountability/ Apple – Apple and Procurement. (2015, January 1). Retrieved March 7, 2015, from http://www.apple.com/procurement/ Apple – 2014 Supplier Code of Conduct. (2014, January). Retrieved March 3, 2015 from https://www.apple.com/ca/supplierresponsibility/pdf/Apple_Supplier_Code_of_Conduct.pdf Apple – Supplier Responsibility Progress Report. (2015, January). Retrieved March 3, 2015 from https://www.apple.com/supplierresponsibility/pdf/Apple_Progress_Report_2015.pdf

Does the End Justify the Means? Essay

The ‘end justify the means’ is a philosophical maxim popularized by Niccolo Machiavelli during the renaissance era. This maxim is supposed to justify the actions of a leader or what Machiavelli calls ‘the Prince’, to do whatever is in his power in so far as the ‘end/s’ justifies the ‘means’ of attaining it. Machiavelli highlighted that the ‘end’ that a ‘Prince’ or a leader should focus on is the maintenance of his regime, authority or power. This theory is often mistaken as a standard principle usually by a few who rules a group of people, a community or a nation. They always believe that what they are doing redounds to the benefit of the majority. This few will not accept that what they have done is evil even if it produced good results for many people. History will tell us that many events in the past have gained favorable comments from some individuals but different from the point of view of the majority. Take the case of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing by the American forces during the war to weaken the morale of the invading Japanese forces in the Far East, which resulted to a lifetime tragic memory for thousands of Japanese victims (Walzer, 2004). If we are part of that era, perhaps we would simply say that it was the only way to stop the Japanese aggressors. For the Japanese and its allies, it was an evil act for the Americans to involve innocent Japanese civilians in the war. Leaping forward to the present era where people have become broad-minded and peace-oriented, many Americans have condemned the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and a number of big organizations have initiated moves to restore America’s image to the world especially to the Japanese people. But there are also sectors including the military who believe that the war would not have ended if the bombing was not done. Does the end justify the means in this case? Certainly not; according to Christine Smith in her article entitled, The End does not justify the Means, committing any acts of evil, regardless of any given circumstances, is always considered wrong. This writer may be right in saying this except that she fails to manifest the exact definition of evil in her statement. When the national interest is at risk to preserve democracy, the military is given a free-hand by the government to thwart rebellion. After a series of democratic process with maximum tolerance and the rebels adhere to their hard-line principle of a â€Å"coup d‘etat,† the military has the ultimate option to use arms. On the side of the relatives and advocates of the aggressive movement this could be evil, but on the side of the government and those against undemocratic process of government take-over, this could be reasonable. Let’s analyze another case, the downing of Korean Airlines Flight 007 in Russia way back 1983 which carried 269 passengers including the crew where most of the victims were Americans and Koreans. It was argued by Russia that the plane violated its airspace, with a hint that it was a spy plane, which led to its ultimate decision to shoot it down, while the U. S. quickly denounced the brutal act of Russia, justifying the cause of air space violation as an aeronautical miscalculation of the pilot. As far as the Russians are concerned, the end justified the means, but on the side of the Americans and Koreans, that was an act of terrorism. In this particular case, the element of ideology has to be refuted. While the brutal act was considered by the Russians as a way to suppress any threat to their ideology, they did it in any way possible even if the world would condemn it as an evil act. Russians believed that the tragic end has justified the means involving the interest of the Soviet Union. Given that it was an aeronautical error to violate airspace, Russia should have instructed the pilot of the ill-fated airplane to follow an emergency landing for investigation concerning the alleged espionage instead of downing it, considering that it was a passenger aircraft and not a military one. Even assuming that it was a language barrier between pilots that could have been the cause of the immediate military response, still it can never be justified. On the part of the victims’ relatives, the incident was intentionally done and Russians must be stiffly penalized. For a few who ruled the military, it was part of an exercise. For communist allies, it was the right thing to do, but for the rest of the world, it would be remembered as a massacre in the sky. Same is true for any kind of religion which has a great concern for human life; the act was inspired by the devil. In cases of tortures, human rights abuses, military actions and capital punishments, the end may not justify the means. Even if the ultimate result is good for the majority or even to a nation, if the means was done in a vicious way, then, that could never be justified. But for soldiers who are engaged in war, it is entirely a different philosophy. A soldier has to follow orders from his superiors to protect the sovereignty of a nation, that’s his duty. When he goes to the jungle in search for the enemies, he carries with him a mandate from his superiors. But when he is out there to engage in combat, a different scenario occurs. He becomes primarily concerned about his own life and to return to his family alive, the mandate becomes secondary. Very few want to be a hero and much lesser to be friendly with the enemies. A soldier is a military machine, that’s how he was honed and oriented; he has to kill the enemy before the enemy kills him. He has to execute a rapid action if his life is endangered. That’s the game of war, that’s the game of chance if he wants to survive. But if a soldier is engaged in killing innocent people just because he could not identify the enemy exactly, then, his action does not justify his motive. If he tortures an enemy or a group of people in search for truth, it can be held unjust. If he is trigger-happy and involved in mass execution because he fails to identify the enemies exactly, he must be condemned and be subject to a court-martial. There can never be an excuse for killing people at an instant without concrete evidence backed up by reliable logistics, and in so doing, his conscience must be directly involved. But how do we gauge and monitor his professionalism in the battlefield? A soldier is dispatched with a troop and a leader who keeps track of all his moves. There is a saying that â€Å"foul odor will always come out in the open,† especially when the victim’s relatives submit a complaint with corresponding evidence. Let’s take a look at Teresa M. Hudock’s article entitled, ‘The End Does Not Justify The Means’. She said that the best example of a credible perfectionist is one who does not use military force and violence in any given circumstances, even in self-defense, and he must be an advocate of human rights. This might be an ideal scenario. War or no war, when life is at stake magnanimity will be a subject for legal arguments especially when self-defense is in question. No person will allow others to take his life without doing anything except for born-heroes. Therefore, justifying the end by the course of action taken depends on how people look at it and it varies on the standpoint of different sectors of the society. In essence, the end does not always justify the means. Nonetheless, there are extreme instances or ‘supreme emergencies’ wherein the ends bring about the greater good which justifies the means of attaining it. References: Hudock, T. M. The End does not Jusifies the Means. Retrieved on January 26, 2009, from http://www. usc. edu/dept/LAS/ir/calis/pdfs/171w. PDF Machiavelli, N. (1515). The Prince. http://www. constitution. org/mac/prince00. htm Smith, C. (2008). The End does not Justify the Means. Retrieved on January 25, 2009, from http://www. nolanchart. Com/ article4573. html Walzer, M. (2004). Emergency Ethics. New Haven and London. Yale University Press. P. 33-55