Alcohol and Energy Drinks

In recent years, researchers have begun to focus attention on an emerging trend of consuming energy drink mixed with alcohol AmED. Consumption of AmED is thought to have a correlation with high-risk behavior and negative effects on the consumer. Several research articles have examined the various facets of this practice. Some of the points of consideration that have been researched include the motivations behind consuming AmED, the effects of consuming AmED on alcohol consumption and the likelihood of engaging in risk taking behaviors after consuming AmED compared to alcohol alone.This literature review will examine the following four articles in an attempt to explore this area of research. Energy drinks are beverages that boast the ability to provide the consumer with an increase in energy. Energy drinks frequently contain large amounts of caffeine. The upper daily recommended limits for an adult in regards to caffeine is XXX. Levels of caffeine can be up to 300mg per serving. A 6oz coffee contains 100mg. The caffeine from energy drinks is known to have a stimulating effect on the nervous system. Many brands of energy drinks contain additional chemicals including plant-based stimulants (guarana and yerba mate).The effect of these on the body is not well understood as there has been little research. Simple sugars such as glucose and fructose are also found in some energy drinks. Other potential ingredients include glucronolacteone (a naturally occurring metabolite), amino acids (taurine, carnitine and creatine), herbs (Ginko Biloba and ginseng) and vitamins. In a research paper by Peacock and Bruno (2012a), patterns of use and motivations behind the consumption of AmED were examined. The focus of this investigation was to examine the motivation of participants to consume AmED through self-reporting techniques in the form of an online questionnaire.The sample of 400 participants aged 18-35 years who had reportedly consumed AmED in the past 6 months. The results of the study indicated that 75% of participants used AmED for energetic purposes, 50% reporting use to extend their stay at a public venue, 60% claimed they were motivated by situational circumstances, such as mixed drinks containing ED, 40% reported sharing AmED with a companion, 20% used AmED to mask the flavor of alcohol, 50% of the sample reported using AmED to have more fun and only 33% reported consumingAmED to get more drunk Peacock al et (2012a). In addition to taste and situational reasons, the participants in this study appeared to be motivated by functional and hedonistic outcomes. Only a small number of participants being motivated by the desire to increase the level of drunkenness or experience similar effects to elicit drugs. A study conducted by O’Brian, McCoy, Rohdes, Wagoner and Wolfson (2008), where by responses from 4,271were recorded via a web based survey.Participants who consumed AmED in the past 30 days reported consuming significantly more alcohol in a typical drinking session as well as reporting more drinking sessions than those who did not consume AmED O’Brian et al. (2008). AmEd consumers also reported episodes of weekly drunkenness and among the sample who reported consuming AmED a single drinking session consumed 36% more than students who didn’t not report consumption of AmEd.The results of Peacock et al.  (2012b) indicate that although risk taking behaviors occurred during sessions of consumption of both alcohol and risk taking behavior that occurred with AmED was statistically less than the risk taking behaviors that occurred in alcohol alone sessions. However consumption of AmEd did result in higher negative physiological and psychological outcomes than those reported from consuming alcohol. Verster, Aufricht and Alford (2012), conducted a review of articles of articles relating to the consumption of AmED.It was revealed through a critique of multiple correlational studies that there are currently insuff icient properly controlled studies to draw any firm conclusions regarding the effects of AmED. Conclusions reached in their report were that only a minority of the student population occasionally consumes AmED Vester (2012). Research also suggested some evidence that AmED may result in an increase in some aspects of alcohol- induced performance impairment.There is no consistent evidence that alcohol alters perceived levels of intoxication, no evidence that consumption of ED causes an increase in alcohol consumption, no direct evidence exists to suggest that ED is linked to drug and alcohol dependence or abuse. A personality predisposed to higher levels of risk taking behavior may be the primary reason for increasing alcohol and drug abuse and that AmED may be a component of that lifestyle. The literature available relating to AmED consumption is insufficient.Presently there is an insufficient amount of evidence to link the consumption of AmED to an increase in risk taking behavior, increase in consumption of alcohol or negative effects on health. To understand the true effects of AmED further research is required. To draw more concrete conclusions about the effect of AmED there is a need for more complex and properly controlled clinical studies need to be undertaken. Research design needs to explore relationships with a within subject design whereby the relationship between the ingestion of AmED and the consumption of alcohol is further explored and documented.

Cultural Changes and Continuities in the Mediterranean Essay

Throughout history, the Mediterranean has offered a vast amount of political transformations leading to both cultural continuities and variances. One of the main political changes that occurred in this area was the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the Byzantine Empire, which took place from around 200 C.E to 1000 C.E. While these empires consisted of roughly the same culture, they had different political structures which led to some differences. Other alterations that came up were the rise of Islam and the invasion of Germanic tribes. This led to cultural diffusion in the Mediterranean and had many effects on the cultures of this area. Many relate the fall of the Roman Empire to it being split in half in 330 C.E; however, the Roman Empire officially fell in 476 C.E. when Germanic tribes overthrew the Western half of the empire. The Eastern half went on to be known as the Byzantine Empire which already had its own capitol, Constantinople, and its own emperor. Christianity had already been legalized by the Roman Empire in 313 C.E, before the split. It had spread so rapidly afterwards that it soon became the official religion of the state. After the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the Byzantine Empire, this was one of the main continuities. Christianity was the official religion of the Byzantine Empire as it had been for the Roman Empire. Not only did the Byzantine Empire stay Christian, but also the Western half of the Roman Empire, at that point conquered by Germanic tribes, stayed Christian and the conquering tribes converted to Christianity, which was a change. Another continuity of Roman culture into Byzantine culture was that a Byzantine emperor, Justinian, actually created a code of laws from compiling laws that were used in the Roman Empire, such as the citizenship laws that were prevalent for most of span of the Roman Empire. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine (eastern Roman Empire) continued to speak Greek, and the Western Roman Empire continued to speak Latin. This continuity of Greco-Roman culture not only showed in language but also in architecture. It was built off of architecture in both Rome and ancient Greece. An architectural feat particularly associated with the Byzantines is the Dome, an idea based off of the Roman arch. Columns were also commonly used inside Byzantine churches, which is a Greek architectural design. A prominent change in the culture of the Mediterranean was the rise of Islam. It spread rapidly throughout the Mediterranean region of Africa, which had beforehand been a variety of religions. Although Islam was not very prevalent in most of the European Mediterranean, it did make the crossover in 711 C.E. to Spain. Before this Spain had been Christian and there were still Christians in the area, it was just that Muslims were more prevalent. In conclusion, the political transformations that occurred from 200-1000 C.E. throughout the Mediterranean region, influenced the culture of some Germanic Tribes, the Byzantines, and some Muslim groups, affecting the entire coastal area.

Green Valley Megastore Case Study Essay

Green-Valley Megastores Green-Valley Megastores was a part of a large business group having investments in diverse businesses like pharmaceuticals, luxury hotels, textile manufacturing and exports, and food processing. The mega-stores were aimed to give the customers a truly international shopping experience—a one stop destination where entire families could enjoy a day together—watching movies, shopping, eating out and playing games in an unmatched ambience. This concept of shopping-cum-entertainment had paralleled the growth of shopping malls in India. Today, the customers who did not prefer to just watch movies at the old-fashioned movie halls had the option of going into multiplexes which offered more than one movie show at a single time, along with the option of spending time at multiple shops or restaurants at the same time within the same complex. This was designed so that the customer need not travel from place to place in search of different products – but could have it at one place. With this, the businesses tried to replicate the weekend holiday concept of the West where an entire family could spend a day out engaging itself in watching movies, shopping and eating out. To further this aim, Green-Valley Megastores had invested in multiplexes with floor space varying from 20,000 square feet to 40,000 square feet in prime locations in different cities. The shop-space was then leased out to different brands—who would sell their products within the multiplex. Thus, there was a wide variety of products in a single multiplex—ranging from dress material (which itself had different varieties of ethnic wear, western wear, leather accessories, sunglasses, fine jewelry, and saris) to shoes, electronics, toys, groceries and foodstuff, etc. In terms of product offering, these shops within Green-Valley offered a wide choice to their customers. Not only did Green-Valley offer the finest brands available in India, but it also offered a world-class ambience and service, with the widest choice. A customer could browse through the offerings to their hearts content without any pressure of buying through serene ambience in the classy glass and marble interiors designed by international architects. There was enough  space for them to rest, take a break, have refreshments while shopping and then continue again. Staff at Green-Valley While the shops within each Green-Valley Store had its own staff, Green-Valley maintained its own staff to take care of housekeeping (cleanliness of public space like lobbies, staircases etc.) manage the car park, and provide security services. The staff at Green-Valley was trained to be unobtrusive; they were supposed to be present and vigilant at all times and respond to a specific customer request only when the customer required. They were there to help one make a choice or serve quietly and efficiently. With constant in-depth training, the Green-Valley staff was required to offer service to all customers with a positive attitude, pleasant disposition, and good communication skills Organizational Structure Each store was managed by a store-in-charge who was supported by four managers. The different managers took care of security, housekeeping, services and accounts. The staff strength for security, housekeeping and services varied from store to store based on the requirements. While the housekeeping took care of the general cleanliness of the stores, services department took care of the maintenance of the lifts, electrical equipment, fire-fighting equipment etc. Both the housekeeping department and the services department relied on contractual staff instead of permanent employees. See Figure 1 for the organizational structure in the following page. Figure 1 Organizational Structure in a typical Green-Valley Megastore. Performance Appraisal for Megastores’ employees Performance appraisal for the store employees was carried out on an annual basis. Each of the employees were evaluated by their superior (refer Figure 1). The store-in-charges of different stores were evaluated by the Regional Managers. The Regional Managers were in turn appraised by the General Manager (Operations) who used to be located at headquarters. The regional managers had targets in terms of business development – getting new customers for floor space in the mega-stores. They had to achieve the targets in terms of lease rent from the stores in their regions. For the store-in-charges the nature of job was more of managing the facility for their customers. Each store had two categories of customers – the tenants and the shoppers. It was the responsibility of the store –in-charge of a Mega-store to ensure highest quality of service to both the categories. Performance Appraisal Process Only those employees who had completed a year in the organization were eligible for performance appraisal. There was no appraisal for the contractual staff or part-time employees. The appraisal process was carried out for all the eligible employees simultaneously in the February to March period. The appraisal process was initiated by a meeting conducted by the Store-in-charge where the announcement of the appraisal process was made. It was mandatory for all eligible employees to attend the meeting. During the meeting the eligible employees were informed individually about the date of his / her performance appraisal. The employees are asked to be prepared for any sort of situations or questions during the appraisal. As an important step of their career, employees took the appraisal interview seriously. Stage 1: Self appraisal This was the first step in the appraisal process at Green-Valley, where an employee has to rate himself from 1 – 6 where 1 is the lowest and 6 the  highest grade. The employee was handed over a form with following five parameters (refer Table A). The parameters were based on the important aspects of his/her responsibility in Green-Valley and had different weights. The employee had to grade himself/ herself on those parameters. Stage 2: Assessment by Appraisal Committee The appraisal interviews were carried out by an Appraisal Committee that was formed for each store. The members in that committee were the Store-in-charge and two HR managers from the headquarters. The committee would carry out interviews of the employees and based on the interviews would give their assessment of performance. On a single day nearly 4-5 employees were appraised. The committee would start the interview using the self-assessment as the basis, probing reasons why a particular employee had rated himself 6. In most cases employees used to rate themselves on the higher side—typically either 5 or 6. For each of the parameters, the appraisal committee had a set of questions which would examine the employee. For example, reliability would be probed with questions like: 1.Where were you when so and so incident took place in the store? 2.If a customer has forgotten her purchases in the lobby – how would you locate the customer to give it back to them? The appraisal committee would make its own assessment and give marks on the 1 to 6 scale. TableA: Performance Assessment Form Name: _______________________________ Store Location:________________________ Assessment Period:_____________________ S. No.Performance DimensionsWeights (in %) WSelf RatingCommittee Rating RW X R 1.Customer focus20 2.Task focus15 3.Upkeep of uniform and self 15 4.Discipline & Attendance10 5.Honesty & Integrity10 6.Communication10 7.Initiative 10 8.Reliability10 Total Raw Score: Total of WxR 100 Additional achievements by the employee: Comments by the Appraisal Committee: Signature of the committee members: Final Score: Signature of employee: The marks were used to derive the grades. The grading was done as per the scheme depicted in Table B. Table B: Grading Scheme Marks cut-offRating > 5.5Outstanding 5 – 5.5Very Good 4.5 – 5 Good 4 – 4.5Adequate

Specific Learning Difficulties, Dyslexia Assignment

Specific Learning Difficulties, Dyslexia - Assignment Example In understanding the relationship, it is also imperative to define social construction. As documented by Burr (1995), social construction is advanced by the social constructionist theory, which is a sociological theory that describes how the objects of consciousness or social phenomenon thrive in the social contexts. Thus, when dyslexia is described as a subject of social construction, it implies it is simply an attribute of contingent aspects of social perceptions, as opposed to the attributes that are possessed by Dyslexia. Social constructionism notions can be earthed based on reality because it is often biased form reality. It is as a result of stance that assumed and which takes knowledge for granted (Lamond & Wiseman n.d).As far as social construction processes and marginalization process is concerned, Bourdieu proposes that behaviours and patterns of human behaviours, as well as groups of people can be predicted because they tend to assume a certain trend. These assume a socia l structure that is hegemonic in nature. Consequently, certain groups of people or individuals become limited by such social structures. Another perspective of relevance regarding social construction is that perspective advanced by Foucault. Foucault theorizes that there are various notions that are considered to be worthwhile or that which represents the truth. In the real sense, such notions are only social constructed and function to constrain their effectiveness and inconvenience, other people. Â   other people. As far as Dyslexia is concerned, these views can be hardly disputed. They are a representation of reality in the events that play in areas of contact by the dyslexia people. It has also been evidenced in other areas such as those that touch on masculinity, as evidenced in Davies (2008) and genders issues (Skelton and Francis, 2009; Skelton, 2010). What is Dyslexia? To begin with, according to British Dyslexia Association (2013), dyslexia is defined as condition characterized by the

Does collectivism have a future Drawing on theoretical insights and Essay

Does collectivism have a future Drawing on theoretical insights and the evidence, critically evaluate the factors that determine its relevance for UK employee relations - Essay Example Moreover, while there has been progress in the study of managerial leadership behaviour in various countries of the globe (Den Hartog, House, & Hanges, 1999; Kuchinke, 1999; Maczynski & Koopman, 2000), world wide research in leadership styles of entrepreneurs is minimal (Ardichvili, Cardozo, & Gasparishvili, 1998). Lastly, while there have been several studies that have been undertaken on psychological and behavioural distinctions between entrepreneurs and managers within a Western setting (i.e. the UK) (e.g., Brockhaus, 1982; Brockhaus & Nord, 1979; March & Sharipo, 1987), there is a dearth of literature on the comparison of leadership styles of Western and non-western entrepreneurs and managers. While there is a wealth of literature discussing leadership styles across countries, there is a dearth of research specifically tackling the topic of entrepreneurial leadership. The fact that legislation is a catalyst for economic growth and development is well known. Differing economic, cultural and political circumstances abroad also suggest the need for a better understanding of employees with a broad context is important. Fortunately, the ability to study the implications of policies on economic growth abroad is expanding rapidly as a result of the emergence of global private equity markets and micro finance. International entrepreneur ship spans cultural boundaries and involves a variety of stakeholders, including the entrepreneur, investors and policy makers (Asel, 2003). â€Å"Social considerations must be given the same status as economic, financial and environmental concerns in a holistic approach. It is time for global thinking and local action. The implementation of the Core Labour Standards and the laws and regulations that give effect to them at national levels can be significantly enhanced if the capacities of national labour inspectorates ar e built up and strengthened. Labour inspectors have a crucial role to

Leading Group Challenges Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Leading Group Challenges - Term Paper Example The first such change is the development of new coalitions between public and private organizations. In addition, these organizations gained more important role in homeland security, and hence, got consolidated into the Department of Homeland Security. In addition, there arose a need for all these organizations to implement new strategies to deal with newer versions of crimes. As a result, the leadership of criminal justice organizations is a job that requires a lot of effort because of the large number of challenges faced by the profession today. Responsibilities of a Criminal Justice Organization Leader The first and foremost responsibility of criminal justice organization leaders is to effectively prevent crime. In the effort to perform this basic duty, the leaders will have to manage staff, oversee administration, and promote community relationships. A criminal justice organization leader has the responsibility to manage staff under him. As a part of this, the leader will devise ways to improve the morale of the staff. In addition, it is for the leader to ensure proper and timely training and professional development to his staff. Also, keeping up ethics throughout the operations of the team is the duty of the leader. So, the leader should be a good role model, leading the team showing examples. In addition, the position of leader always requires smooth relation with community and media. When there is a high profile case or a legal jargon, the media often turns to the leader for explanations. So, it is for the leader to be an effective communicator. As a part of the profession, the leader will have to interact with law enforcement officials, counselors, teachers, social workers, lawyers, judges, and federal officers. Present day challenges for leaders in Criminal Justice Organizations According to social disorganization theory, community distress leads to social disorganization through the weakening of basic relationships and erosion of shared cultures. In other words, as Thabit points out, the loss of urban social structure has led to a decline in social control, thus leading to an increase in crime rates; thus, the challenges faced by leaders in Criminal Justice Organizations too are a result of the weakening or absence of social norms. Legal and political challenges. It is for the criminal justice agencies to deal with legal and political pressures, both within and outside the system. For example, criminal justice is not a task that is performed by a single agency. In fact, it requires the cooperation of various agencies ranging from police, courts, prisons, and at times, private agencies. As a result, sometimes, there arises confusion when there is a change in law or in the attitude of any organization. For example, as Gallagher and Holmes (2008) point out, different political parties might have different outlook regarding various criminal and social issues. In addition, different judges and prosecutors who come time to time may p ossess considerably different outlooks. So, if the leaders of various organizations are not kept informed about the changes in laws, attitudes, alliances, and modalities of approach, it becomes a matter of improper functioning. So, in total, it is for the leaders of criminal justice organizations to stay informed about the policy changes and basic policy differences. In addition, it becomes a challenge to keep the staff tuned to the changes that take place every now and then, including laws and

In-Flight Customer Service Excellence at Emirates Dissertation

In-Flight Customer Service Excellence at Emirates - Dissertation Example e Review 2.1 Introduction 7 2.2 Customer orientation 7 2.3 Customer satisfaction 7 2.4 Customer Service Excellence 9 2.5 Customer perception and attitude 11 2.6 Contact employees and attributes 13 2.7 Attribution Theory 15 2.8 Cabin crew training, selection and staff maintenance 16 Chapter III Methodology 3.1 Research Philosophy 19 3.2 Research Phenomenon 19 3.3 Research Approach 19 3.4 Research Design 21 3.5 Role of the researcher 21 3.6 Data collection 22 3.7 Data Analysis 25 3.8 Ethical concerns 25 3.9 Reliability and Validity 25 Chapter IV Presentation of Results 4.1 Competitor Airlines 27 4.2 Emirate Airlines 32 4.3 Data Analysis 43 Chapter V Conclusion and Recommendations 5.1 Conclusion 49 5.2 Recommendations 51 5.3 Limitations 51 References 52 Appendices 56 Tables Chart I Relationship with Emirates 38 Chart II Reasons for traveling Emirates 38 Chart III Service attributes 39 Chart IV Staff & Attributes 39 Chart V Best In-flight Service 40 Chart VI Services Desired 40 Chart VII Service Improvements 41 Chart VIII Staff Rating 41 Chart IX Customer Satisfaction 42 Chapter I Introduction 1.1 Background Consumers today are enlightened and empowered, and drive the changes in the market place. They are well informed, aware and concerned about products. These have an impact on companies’ go-to-market and service approaches (Baird & Gonzalez-Wertz 2011). Consumer behavior has fundamentally changed with the technological advancements and the old business models are threatened. Marketing professionals have to focus on developing fresh consumer insights which will enable them to transform customer experience. As markets have matured companies that had developed sophisticated but complex business models face tremendous pressure to reduce costs while meeting broad customer...Consumers today are enlightened and empowered, and drive the changes in the market place. They are well informed, aware and concerned about products. These have an impact on companiesâ€℠¢ go-to-market and service approaches (Baird & Gonzalez-Wertz 2011). Consumer behavior has fundamentally changed with the technological advancements and the old business models are threatened. Marketing professionals have to focus on developing fresh consumer insights which will enable them to transform customer experience. As markets have matured companies that had developed sophisticated but complex business models face tremendous pressure to reduce costs while meeting broad customer needs (Hansson, Ringbeck & Franke 2003). Service providers such as the airline have increased the scope their products and services over the decades which has impacted customer expectations. While their aim was to serve larger and more diverse customer base, it resulted in cost structure that is sustainable only when the principal competitors follow the same route (Hansson, Ringbeck & Franke 2003). The traditional carriers received a setback with the advent of technology and when low-cost airlines entered the competition. The low-cost carriers now dictate prices in large and growing parts of the market. This again prompted the larger traditional carriers to change their business model or offer some point of differentiation. One of the areas that airlines could differentiate was in adding value for the customer.

Economics of the environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Economics of the environment - Essay Example Pollutants causing the creation of ozone include volatile compounds and nitrogen oxides that come from industries. Once the pollutants are in the atmosphere, ozone, which is a potent greenhouse gas, is formed. The impact of ozone cannot be underestimated. Plants are animal life are destroyed since ozone reduces the rate of photosynthesis. As a result, the atmosphere will contain too much carbon dioxide. Statistics indicate that number of people living in extreme poverty has risen at an enhanced rate than the increase in income levels. Despite the impressive economic growth rates, some countries like Asia Pacific have not been able to reduce poverty. However, some countries like East Asia have grown and transformed economically. Ironically, the largest people living in poverty are found in these regions. South Asia, particularly, is the poorest in the world. Most people in these areas lack access to sanitation, education and the basic needs. The increased poverty goes hand in hand with the global inequality. In mid 20th century, international community responded to the issue of poverty by enhancing the structural adjustment, post-war reconstruction and campaigns for equality in economic growth (Fenwick et al.1029-030). The cost benefit analysis involves compiling the costs and benefits of a project, and translating them to monetary terms then discounting them over time. This enhances the determination of the present value for future costs and benefits. Projects with more benefits than costs are the ones that are accepted. The environmental benefits are unavailable, yet the costs remain known. This is controversial when determining what to measure and the values being measured. The economic analysis requires a good understanding of the effects of the project (Pimentel 229-52). Taking the cost analysis of the Millennium Development Goals in poverty eradication, there are different strategies that have been put

The difference Between Indonesian and Amercian Culture Research Paper

The difference Between Indonesian and Amercian Culture - Research Paper Example In this way, they vary in social, religious, and language functions that contribute in the virtues and traits that people adhere to. The Indonesian and American culture have different characteristics as discussed below (Wanning). Indonesian Culture The Indonesian culture is basically focused on their ethnic customs and a bit of foreign practices. Their official language is called Indonesian or in their terms â€Å"Bahasa Indonesian† which was formed through the Malay dialect. There are other regional dialects that the people of Indonesian use like Minangkabau or Javanese, which are spoken at home, or social places. However, the official language â€Å"Indonesian† is acceptable in schools, official functions, and at workplaces (Forshee 47). Indonesians appreciate the value of communal effort by coming together in groups, village, or island to complete tasks. They mainly define themselves in terms of ethnic setting, family, and birth place. Indonesian family structure is largely traditional in nature while members of the family adhere to strict roles and interdependence eon each other. Hierarchical relationships are vital to ensure that respect is given to individuals with status, power, position, and even age. This is common in the village administration and office where the senior person has the right to generate ideas and decisions. The superiors are refereed by â€Å"bapak† or â€Å"ibu† which is a title that means leader, father, or madam (Forshee 44). Indonesian strive to maintain group unity and therefore, the idea of â€Å"face† is crucial. It is apparent that the people try enormously to avoid causing shame â€Å"malu† especially in public places. In this way, they watch how they speak and interact by avoiding behaviors of ridicule or shouting at another person. In the same manner, they ensure that one does not blame another in public. For instance, they phrase words in a way that the other individual would not be offended even when being turned down. It is actually true that the words â€Å"yes† and â€Å"no† have more than twelve meanings for each of them that are used politely (â€Å"The Latest! Cultural Clues†¦.†). Greetings within the Indonesian community take a formal notion and this is appreciated as a way of showing respect. Handshakes is the form of greeting and followed by the term â€Å"Selamat,† while most Indonesians often give a slight bow, or place the hands on the heart after the hand shake. When a visitor is introduced a group of people, one must greet the eldest person first and use their titles to show respect. When it comes to giving gifts the process will be determined by the ethnicity of the receiver. For instance, is a person is of Chinese Indonesian descent, it is good to initially refuse a gift before taking it. This is an indication that the receiver is not a greedy person and therefore acceptable in the community. This community also advocates that items like scissors and knives cannot be given as gifts because it signifies trying to split a relationship. For Indonesian Muslims alcohol is forbidden and all gifts must be â€Å"halal.† Items that are not halal are things that include alcoholic components and those with pork byproducts like gelatin. Gifts must be given to the receiver using the right hand only to indicate respect and should not be unwrapped immediately (â€Å"The Latest! Cultural Clues†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). Dining i s done in a relaxed and organized manner in Indonesian culture. Food is set in the middle and visitors have to wait for an invitation before beginning to eat. Dressing among Indonesians is conservative especially among the women. Women put on clothes that must cover everywhere including the ankles and neck. In business

How do I write a report Essay Example for Free

How do I write a report Essay Report writing differs from essay writing because it has a different purpose. Reports are common communication tools as they assist in the decision-making process. Written for a particular purpose, they usually outline a problem, provide the relevant facts and ideas related to the situation, and then recommend a course of action. Reports are highly structured so that information they contain can be easily understood. Headings within the report allow the reader to select the parts they wish to read. Headings also enable each section of the report to stand-alone. The structure of a report is enhanced through the use of subheadings, diagrams, tables, graphs, illustrations etc. Reports are highly structured so that information they contain can be easily understood. Headings within the report allow the reader to select the parts they wish to read. Headings also enable each section of the report to stand-alone. The structure of a report is enhanced through the use of subheadings, diagrams, tables, graphs, illustrations etc. As a student, you will be asked to write reports to show that you have investigated or researched a particular problem. Although each subject coordinator may have slightly different requirements and/or ways to structure reports, the following is an example of a basic report format. Remember to always check each Subject Outline for individual subject requirements. A 10-step plan of how to write a report (Sanders 2000, p. 200). 1. Consider the aim of the report and who will read it. 2. Plan your investigational approach. 3. Gather information. 4. Organise the information you have gathered. 5. Analyse the material. 6. Decide your conclusions. 7. Decide your recommendations. 8. Plan your writing. 9. Write your draft. 10. Edit and prepare the final copy. As presentation of your report is very important, you should: follow the guidelines recommended in your Subject Outline; check the accuracy of the support data and facts; check that your argument is logical and that the conclusion and recommendations flow logically from the data you have presented; explain terms which the reader may not know, or where clarity requires it; explain symbols, abbreviations, diagrams and statistics if necessary; label and number all diagrams; tables; graphs; illustrations etc. be consistent in the use of a numbering system; headings; font size and type; use a clear and concise style of writing; layout the report in a clear and uncluttered format; be meticulous with your use of references; check that your argument is logical and that the conclusion and recommendations flow logically from the data you have presented. Basic report format: Title Page Table of Contents Synopsis/Executive Summary This is tells your reader what the report is about as it describes the topics or issues discussed; indicates the depth of the discussion; as well as  providing a summary of the recommendations and reasons for them. It is usually one paragraph of approximately 120 words. Usually this is not included in your word count. If in doubt, check with your Subject Coordinator. 1. Introduction This tells your reader what you’re going to tell them in the body of your report. Your introduction gives the background to the report; why it is useful; what other objectives are; the purpose of the report; the limitations of the report 2. Heading This is where you begin the discussion, outlining relevant facts and events. This is the main body of the report, and is divided into sections (headings) and subheadings. 2.1 Subheading 2.2 Subheading 2.3 Subheading 3. Heading 3.1 Subheading 3.2 Subheading 3.3 Subheading 4. Conclusion This is where you give an overview of the material presented in the discussion and an interpretation of the relevant facts and events. 5. Recommendations These are drawn from your conclusions. Your recommendations outline the specific actions that are required. When detailing your recommendations you may also need to consider who will action them; how they will be measured; and the timeframe for the recommendations. The priority that you place on each recommendation may also be required. References A listing of all resources referred to in the report; assembled in author alphabetical order. These are not included in the word count. Refer to Topic 9 of this guide for more detail. Appendices The appendices include related materials, if appropriate. These are not included in the word count. These are optional for the reader, that is, the reader can choose whether they refer to them or not.

The Umayyad Dome Of The Rock

The Umayyad Dome Of The Rock The Umayyad Dome of the Rock is one of the fundamental works of Islamic architecture. The Umayyad Dome of the Rock is renowned work of art and architecture, which had a number of implicit meanings among which it is possible to single out political implications and correlations to Biblical scriptures. In addition, the Umayyad Dome of the Rock reveals the impact of external factors, including the impact of Christianity and Judaism on the architecture of the dome. Historically, Islam and Judaism were closely intertwined, although Islam had appeared centuries ago since the appearance of Judaism and Christianity. Many specialists view Judaism as one of the major monotheistic religion, which became the precursor of such world religions as Christianity and Islam (Cowling, 2005). In fact, the emergence of Islam was the development of the new religion, which had a lot of similarities to Judaism and Christianity. In such a context, the similarity between Islam, Christianity and Judaism can be viewed as the result of the historical interaction between these religions. The development of Islam was closely intertwined with Judaism and Christianity because representatives of these religions have interacted since ancient time. Even though Islam emerged in the seventh century AD, the population converted to Islam had an extensive experience of interaction with Judaist, whereas Jews always lived in Muslim countries. In such a way, the interaction between Islam, Christianity and Judaism was determined by the historical development of both religions and it was grounded on the neighborhood of both cultures. In such a context, the implicit meaning of the Umayyad Dome of the Rock reveals not only hidden Islamic context and meaning but also it reveals the influence of Christianity and Judaism on Islam. The influence can be traced through the architectural form and the form of the Dome, which is borrowed from Christianity and Judaism. At first glance the Umayyad Dome of the Rock is the manifestation of the traditional Islamic architecture. The Umayyad Dome of the Rock was built in Jerusalem, the city, which was sacred for Muslims as well as representatives of other mainstream religions in the region, such as Judaism and Christianity. It is important to place emphasis on the fact that the holiness of Jerusalem was, after all, inherited by Islam from Judaism and Christianity (Rabbat, 14). Therefore, the construction of the Umayyad Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem was an important decision and, in all probability, it was determined by the importance of building in the political and religious context. In fact, the construction of the Umayyad Dome of the Rock was the attempt to show the power of Islam and its domination in the Holy City Jerusalem. On the other hand, specialists point out that the Dome of the Rock has no immediately discernible purpose or function other than the commemorative one, and even that is riddled with uncertainties (Rabbat, 12). However, such uncertainty concerning the purpose of the construction of the Umayyad Dome of the Rock is caused by the variety of implications concerning the meaning of the building and its purposes. In other words, the diversity of views on the Umayyad Dome of the Rock leads to the emergence of numerous interpretations of the meaning of the building. The Umayyad Dome of the Rock represents the manifestation of the Islamic architecture. The Dome is executed in architectural traditions typical for Islam, including the interior design, deprived of pictures and having citations from Quran. On the other hand, specialists point out that it is necessary to view the Dome as a monument which used Biblical connotations and Christian-Byzantine forms to impose Islams presence in the Holy City. The combination would imply that the new faith considered itself the continuation and the seal of the two preceding ones: Judaism and Christianity (Rabbat, 12-13). Such a conclusion derives from the monumental architecture and the location of the building. The Umayyad Dome of the Rock has incorporated elements of Biblical texts and scriptures. Hence, the Umayyad Dome of the Rock reveals the close links of Islam with other religions, such as Christianity and Judaism. Basically, it is possible to trace the links to Biblical texts through the scriptures within the Dome that reveals the connection between Islam and other religions which used Biblical scriptures as a source of sacred texts. The similar trends between religions can be traced by similarities of their religious concepts and ideas. For instance, Christianity, Islam and Judaism are monotheistic. Judaism was one of the first monotheistic religions, whereas Islam is one of the latest world religions, which had gained the public approval and support of many believers. Christianity, Judaism and Islam recognize one God only, although each religion has its own God. In addition, similarities can be traced in sacred texts and books of Judaism and Islam. Islam and Judaism have similarities in sacred texts because their sacred texts are interrelated. To put it more precisely, they often refer to similar or identical events in the history and religious life of Jews and Muslims (Ross, 1984). As a result, they focus on similar events but the interpretation of these events as well as their details may differ depending on the religion. Hence, the elements of Biblical texts and Christian and Judaist concepts can be traced in the Umayyad Dome of the Rock. Therefore, the Dome became a symbol of the superiority of Islam over other religions because elements of Biblical texts show that Islam is superior to other religions (Esposito, 1998). At the same time, it is possible to presuppose that the Biblical elements in the Umayyad Dome of the Rock can be determined by the attempt of architects to show the power of Islam and its superiority in regard to other religions. In such a way, the Umayyad Dome of the Rock could symbolize the superiority of Islam because it showed that all Biblical texts and sacred texts of Christianity and Judaism were incorporated in the Umayyad Dome of the Rock that implies their subordination to Islam. In addition, specialists (Rabbat, 15) point out the political implications of the Umayyad Dome of the Rock. What is meant here is the fact that the Umayyad Dome of the Rock could be constructed to the show the power of the ruling dynasty (Cowling, 2005). To put it more precisely, the ruling dynasty attempts to show its respect to God and religion. In such a context, the construction of the Umayyad Dome of the Rock was the manifestation of the attempt of the ruling dynasty to leave its trace in history of Islam and to show its power. At the same time, the construction of the Umayyad Dome of the Rock implied that the ruling dynasty is eternal because its rule will last as long as the Umayyad Dome of the Rock stands. In such a context, the Umayyad Dome of the Rock has a symbolic political meaning. In addition, the building was constructed in Jerusalem, which was not only the religious center but also the subject of heat political struggle. For instance, Crusades always aimed at the inva sion of Jerusalem, whereas Muslims always attempted to preserve the city as the Holy City of Islam. Thus, the Umayyad Dome of the Rock had multiple meanings and implications. The Dome has religious, political and cultural implications of the construction of the Umayyad Dome of the Rock. The main point of the construction of the Umayyad Dome of the Rock was to show the superiority of Islam and Islamic culture over other religions and cultures. The Dome was constructed to show the power of the ruling dynasty, which constructed the Umayyad Dome of the Rock. In such a way, the Umayyad Dome of the Rock became a symbol of Islam in Jerusalem.

Good Governance Essay

Good Governance Essay Governance is the deliberate and conscious management of regime structures for enhancing the public realm. Governance can be viewed from social, political and economic perspectives. Indeed, good governance is pivotal to the development process. Development linked governance has been an issue much debated in the contemporary world. The term governance has taken a much wider meaning and is no longer restricted to rule or administration but is used in a broader sense to imply the manner in which power is exercised. Since power can be exercised in any manner as desired, certain principles would be required in order to judge whether the discourse of the power has been made as per certain standards and norms. Such judgment can be based on several criteria participation of citizens, upholding the rule of law, transparency of the system, responsiveness of the authority, consensus oriented policy, equity and inclusiveness of the policy, accountability of the system, strategic vision of the a uthority, etc. At the end of the Cold War era, the term good governance came into circulation which signified the prescriptions by donor agencies for carrying out economic and political reforms by the recipient countries. These prescriptions were presented by international donor agencies as conditionalities and were expected to be met with compliance.  [4]   The World Bank defines good governance as ..the one epitomized by predictable, open, and enlightened policy-making, a bureaucracy imbued with a professional ethos acting in furtherance of the public good, the rule of law, transparent processes, and a strong civil society participating in public affairs. Poor governance (on the other hand) is characterized by arbitrary policy making, unaccountable bureaucracies, un-enforced or unjust legal systems, the abuse of executive power, a civil society unengaged in public life and widespread corruption.  [5]   The Government of Maharashtra Report on Good Governance sought to elucidate on the concept of good governance.  [6]  At the outset in the Mission Statement of the report, it clarified that the concept of good governance was much larger than mere administrative reforms as understood in the conventional sense of the term as it covered more ground and substance. Good governance has much to do with the ethical grounding of governance and therefore must be evaluated with reference to specific norms and objectives as may be laid down. Apart from looking at the functioning of the given segment of the society from the point of view of its acknowledged stakeholders and beneficiaries and customers and incorporating these perspectives in the course of its actions, it must have firm moorings to certain moral values and principles. As a concept, good governance applies to various and distinct sections of the society; the government, legislature, judiciary, the media, the private sector, the corporate sector, the co-operatives, societies, trusts, organizations and even non-governmental organizations.  [7]  After all, public accountability and transparency are equally relevant for each one of these institutions on which the society derives pillar-strength. Furthermore, only when all these and various other sections of the society conduct their affairs in a socially responsible manner can the objective of achieving larger good for the largest number of people in the society be realized. It must also be mentioned that the foremost test of good governance is the respect for the rule of law. As the often quoted saying goes, the law is supreme and above all its subjects. Governance must always be based on rule of law. Every lawfully established government must govern according to the laws of the land and all its actions must uphold the rule of law and any effort to take the law in ones own hand or to undermine the law by anyone, howsoever high and mighty he may be, must be dealt with speedily, decisively and in an exemplary manner. The Report goes on to observe that it is a matter of great concern that despite over five decades of Independence, it cannot be said with conviction that our governance is based on the rule of law. CHAPTER 2: PRINCIPLES OF GOOD GOVERNANCE 2.1 Principles of Good Governance The pillars of governance include accountability, transparency, predictability and participation these are universally applicable regardless of economic orientation, strategic priorities, or policy choices of the government in question. However, there application must be country-specific and purely based on the economic, social and administrative capacity of the country. The universally accepted characteristics of good governance include participation, rule of law, transparency, responsiveness, equity, inclusiveness, effectiveness, efficiency and accountability.  [8]   The following text shall cover the principles which may be considered as the key principles of good governance in the opinion of the researcher. These key elements have been listed out by the researcher based on their relevance and contribution towards establishing an efficient and objective driven governing authority, covering socio-political and economic considerations. The determinative role that these principles play are supported by the various texts of international governing authorities, like the United Nations, as well as the emphasis laid upon them by the Constitutions of various countries including India. Therefore, these principles are covered not only by hard-law provisions, i.e. legislations, treaties, etc. which make the compliance to such principles mandatory, but also soft-law provisions, i.e. declarations, policies outlining desirable targets, etc. which reflect the consensus of countries and their convergence in thought process vis-à  -vis these principles. (1) Free and Fair Elections Since good governance emphasizes on the significance attached to the right people being involved in the decision making process, a democratic setup where the representatives of the people are in control of the power, ensured by free and fair elections, holds importance towards ensuring good governance. Free and fair elections ensure that the citizens are able to exercise their right to elect their leaders and hence participate in voicing their interests through these leaders. However, such an election process must be free and fair, where the voters have a choice amongst the candidates and the right to the relevant information concerning the candidates in order to elect the leader who according to them could best serve the government. Such elections are open to all persons without discriminating on sex, race or ethnicity and are without interference or coercion by the government.. The right to vote is a constitutionally safeguarded right and is the cornerstone of a democratic society. However, other factors which discussed below are essential to ensure that elections are a means to a democratic society, and not an end by themselves.  [9]   (2) Independent Judiciary The Rule of Law A crucial aspect of the constitutional mechanism is a system of checks and balances that is imposed upon the different organs of the State. While power is granted to the government, its use is overlooked and kept within acceptable limits by the constitutional limits like periodic elections, guarantees of rights, and an independent judiciary which permits the citizens to seek protection of their rights and redress against government actions. In this way, one branch of the government is able to provide accountability for the actions of another. The value attached to an independent judiciary cannot be neglected due to its role in preserving the rule of law.  [10]  The rule of law binds the branches of the government together. It also lays the foundation for the sound establishment of the healthy economic, social and political life. The Courts must uphold the rule of law in the State, fairly and without discrimination, providing equal protection for women and minorities and allow open and fair access to judicial and administrative systems. Political or civil rights must not be denied by reasons of sex, race or ethnicity. Justice should be available for all sections of the society. Good governance requires fair legal frameworks that are enforced impartially. It requires full protection of human rights, particularly those of the minorities. Impartial enforcement of laws requires an independent judiciary and an impartial and incorruptible police force.  [11]   (3) Freedom of Speech Press To function efficiently, a democratic society based on justice must not restrict the free exchange of ideas and information. To achieve this, free and open press and the freedoms of speech and expression are constitutionally safeguarded rights as well to cultivate effective governance. We live in an information driven society, and the access to information provides a vital tool to the public to make informed choices regarding their day to day lives and enables them to participate in the governance process. Such freedoms also serve as a check on the accountability for the government and lets the citizens redress the government for its actions. It facilitates the exchange of political discourse, creating a marketplace of ideas where no view is stifled and the best are chosen.  [12]   (4) Elimination of Corruption Good governance also translates into the elimination of corruption to preserve the integrity of democracy. Governments must strive to rid themselves of bribery as corruption damages economic development and reform, and is an obstacle as far as the ability of developing countries to attract foreign investment is concerned while also hindering the growth of democratic institutions, and concentrating power in the hands of a few. The best way to combat corruption is for governments to be open and transparent. While in certain cases governments have a responsibility to retain secrecy and confidentiality, democratic governments must be sensitive to the citizens right to know. Strong laws against corruption and the presence of law enforcement agencies that work against corruption demonstrate a governments commitment to this principle.  [13]   (5) Investment in People Reaping maximum benefit and managing the limited resources before the country is a task which must be performed by the administration. While following good governance practices, the government must invest in the people to cultivate a human resource base. This means that ample resources must be devoted to preserve the welfare of the citizens, without discrimination, and provide health care, education, etc., and an environment where political, economic and social well being, peace and justice can be achieved.  [14]   (6) Legitimacy Voice All citizens, men and women, must have a voice in the decision making process in good governance compliant State. This may be direct or through legitimate intermediate institutions. Such broad participation is made possible by the freedom of association and expression. Of the principles enumerated thus far, the principle of legitimacy and voice has the strongest claim to universal recognition based on over a half century of United Nations accomplishments in the field of human rights.  [15]  Another facet of good governance is the intention to act on consensus and not on the will of a few, whether strong or weak. This mediates the differing interests to reach a broad consensus on what is in the best interest of the entire society. A long term perspective giving due regard to the holistic effect on the society must be undertaken before the governing authority envisages on a path and focus on sustainable human development. This may include better understanding the historical, cultur al and social contexts of the given society.  [16]   (7) Direction The leaders in particular and the public in general should have a broad and long term perspective on good governance and human development, accompanied with a strong sense of the historical, cultural and social complexities in which that perspective is grounded.  [17]   The leaders and the public should have a broad and long-term perspective on good governance and human development, along with a sense of what is needed for such development. There is also an understanding of the historical, cultural and social complexities in which that perspective is grounded. Governance is thus a checklist of criteria of managing public affairs. As Lewis T. Preston, the World Bank president, categorically stated in hi foreword to Governance and Development, Good governance is an essential complement to sound economic policies. Efficient and accountable management by the public sector and a predictable and transparent policy framework are critical to the efficiency of markets and governments, and hence to economic development.  [18]   (8) Performance Orientation While good governance necessitates the consideration of several other factors, achieving the targets set forth by the government cannot be overlooked. These institutions and processes must attempt to serve all the stakeholders, and produce results that meet the needs while making the best use of the resources.  [19]  The work should always be oriented towards achieving optimal performance. Performance can be divided into two categories responsiveness of the government, and the effectiveness and efficiency of the government. Good governance calls for serving of the stakeholders within a reasonable timeframe which would ensure trust and acceptance of the public. Responsiveness of the government can only be tested if there exists meaningful and serious civil society engagement in the public affairs of the State.  [20]  The concept of efficiency in the context of good governance also covers the sustainable use of natural resources and the protections of the environment. (9) Accountability Information is also associated with the power government exercises. By restricting information, people within government become more powerful that those who are without it. Thus, demand for transparency and information is also about sharing of power. It is possible to misuse power when it is concentrated rather than when it is shared among a broader stream of people. As information grows, the arbitrariness of government tends to reduce.  [21]   Good governance entails the accountability of those who have been entrusted with certain duties and powers. Since the public participates in the decision making through the elected representatives and through the appointed decision makers, these decision makers are accountable to the public for the use of their powers. The level of this accountability may however differ in accordance with the organization in question and the nature of the decision. The private sector and civil society organizations must also be held accountable to the public and their institutional stakeholders. In general, an organization or an institution is accountable to those who will be affected by its decisions or actions.  [22]   Accountability cannot be enforced without transparency and the rule of law. Transparency refers to the taking decisions and enforcing them in accordance with rules and regulations and making the information with regard to such actions accessible for scrutiny by those the decisions affect. In simplistic terms, it means also that sufficient information is provided and that it is provided in easily understandable forms and mediums.  [23]  Transparency depends on the building of a free flow of information. Processes, institutions and information are directly made accessible to those concerned with them and enough information is provided to understand and monitor them.  [24]   (10) Fairness There must prevail a sense of fairness emanating from the decisions of the governing body. The members of the society should feel as equal participants in the society. All persons should be regarded as equals, and certain rights which are considered inalienable to humans must be respected. Discrimination of any kind such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, etc. must not be condoned. Equal opportunity must be given to everyone to improve or maintain their well being. At the same time, certain protected sections of the society must be given special attention if there exists a need for the government to help alleviate their economic, social or political standing. CHAPTER 3 Good Governance in the Indian Context Life of the law is not logic, but experience.  [25]   2.1 Good Governance: Recent Initiatives The pre dominant theme in contemporary debate over administrative reforms in India has been the target of achieving objectives under a regime of good governance. This implies a broader outlook towards management of such matters without exclusively restricting it to public administration. It is suggested that this idea stems from the concept of liberalization which places the individual over collective preferences, and the State shrinks to give place to the market that demands economic efficiency.  [26]   The contemporary efforts towards administrative reforms are not directed against an autonomous State, but instead a bureaucracy that is coming to grips with the changing role of the State. The bureaucracy is itself under an attack; on account of its inefficiency and also because of its association with a political system which has failed to perform, a system which deprived the citizens of their legitimate rights in decision making for far too long.  [27]  Another striking feature of these reforms is their tendency to be more ideologically oriented than before. This context must therefore be kept in mind while debating over the reform initiatives in recent times. The change in the context is primarily seen as an induced effect of the demand generated by the peoples struggle to make the government accountable. It is a change spearheaded by the efforts of the people. It is not a deliberate attempt by a benevolent government to come clean. Kuldeep Mathur makes an interesting observation that the government while reacting to this demand raised by the people has in fact met with resistance from within its own members.  [28]   The Conference of Chief Secretaries on effective and responsive administration in November 1996 gave birth to certain recommendations which were later converted into an Action Plan by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, which also included brainstorming by the Prime Minister, Cabinet Secretary, Chief Ministers and the Chief Secretaries. The Action Plan intends to introduce accountable administration which is effective and speedy in redressing public grievances, empowerment of local bodies, decentralized delivery system, review of laws, transparency and the right to information, code of ethics for civil servants, anti-corruption policies, etc. The central idea behind the action plan seems to be efficiency.  [29]   The Central Government had setup the Working Group on Right to Information and Promotion of Open and Transparent Government in 1997, which observed à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦democracy means choice and a sound and informed choice is possible only on the basis of knowledge. It went on to argue that transparency and openness in the functioning of the government shall have a cleansing effect on the operations of public agencies and approvingly quoted the saying that sunlight is the best disinfectant.  [30]   In May 1997, at the Conference of Chief Ministers, transparency in the government was discussed and a statement issues which provided for an Action Plan for Effective and Responsive government at the Central and State levels, while conceding that the secrecy and lack of openness in transactions had led to widespread corruption. The statement attracted much praise also because it set upon the government 3 months time to ensure easy access to information for the people vis-à  -vis information relating to government activities and decisions, except information which was sensitive in nature. Soon thereafter, political events took over and no progress was made for nearly a decade, much over the 3 month deadline that had been set.  [31]   While the Right to Information Act was introduced in 2005, continuous efforts are underway to introduce more accountability and transparency in the system. While most of the principles of good governance are found in the Indian legal framework in the form of constitutionally guaranteed safeguards, the governance needs to involve the civil society more actively in the decision making and establish the norms of redressal. The lack of transparency, prevalence of corruption, inefficient working and lack of responsiveness continue to be the grey areas. 2.2 Conclusion As a developing country emerging as an economic superpower, India needs to get its act right. Without certain optimum standards of efficiency, the principles of good governance cannot be attained. The peoples movement demanding good governance in India co-relates to the growing unrest in the civil society frustrated with the inefficiency and the opaqueness in the system. The only solution was to re-invent the government, and thus started a chain of events which included the passing of the Right to Information Act as recently as 2005. With the Indian economys growth story making headlines, the country has awakened to the need of the hour on its path to development. The insistence of international institutions like the World Bank that developing countries comply with the principles of good governance has only worked to Indias advantage. While some progress has been made, a lot more still needs to be done. Imbibing the principles of good governance shall ensure that India continues to march towards development, while effectively managing its resources and providing the socio-politico-economic rights that the citizens of this country are entitled to. However, just how effective this approach proves to be shall be determined by the response of the civil society which started this reform movement. CHAPTER 3 CONCLUSION The study of governance opens up new avenues it enables us to wander into intellectual space where we can search for solutions to the problems that have haunted us for far too long. The primary objective of governance is to discuss the role of the government in coping with the public issues and to tackle the myriad predicaments and difficulties that arise from these transactions. It teaches us that means must not be the ends, and both the means and the ends must be duly understood. The study of governance also enables us to effectively factor in the role that must be played by the other players in the arena of governance the role that must be played by the civil society groups and institutions. Governance is an exercise of economic, political and administrative authority for efficiently managing a countrys affairs, at both micro and macro levels, which includes the mechanisms, processes and institutions through which the citizens and civil society groups are able to communicate their interests, make use of their constitutional and legal rights besides meeting their obligations and mediating their differences.  [32]  It is not only desirable, but imperative that governance for development be accountable, participatory, responsive, effective and efficient for promoting the rule of law, safeguarding the interests of citizens and marching towards a holistic development. The principles of good governance are a set of principles which have gained popularity in an almost dogmatic sense. The universal applicability and acceptance of these principles have seen their application reach a new height and there is now a global pressure to conform to these common minimum standards of governance. These principles envisage a model of governance on which the developing countries, which are fast realizing the link between development and efficient governance, seek to fashion their governance on. The driving force behind this changing scenario have been the international institutions pressing for compliance, and the rising peoples movements demanding their legitimate rights to competent governance in an accountable manner. There is a growing sentiment that the convergence over these principles will result in the governments rising above the challenges before them. At the same time, there is caution in the wind. These principles must not be followed as diktats. Their application must be tailored to the specific needs of governance, sensitizing them to the local conditions. This is on account of the socio-politico-economic values that are affected by these principles. Their introduction as a localized experience prevents the alienation of the very people who must reap benefits. Practicing these principles of good and just governance results in a free and open society where people can pursue their hopes and dreams in a healthy and conducive environment. Moreover, robust and open economies would follow which can be trusted by the investors and financial institutions alike, and development shall flourish. It is a matter of strengthening what our Constitution endeavored to provide us. Respecting the human rights; a fruitful partnership between the government and the civil society; efficiency, accountability and transparency in the machinery; performance orientation with strategic vision; useful use of the human resource base and a strong and independent judiciary together they shall prove to be the desired shot in the arm for a re-invented and rejuvenated system of governance. The governance needs to be carried out in a manner that invokes trust and confidence, a manner which convinces the citizens the countrys biggest resources to come forward and fully par ticipate in an enterprise to secure the objectives of development and progress. In the light of what has been discussed above, with special focus on the realization to introduce changed governance practices and the increased restlessness amongst the people in India, it is almost as if a new governance philosophy has emerged. Unlike the traditional public administration systems that focused on bureaucracy and the delivery of public services, the governance model envisages public managers as entrepreneurs of a new, leaner and increasingly privatized government adapting to the practices and values of private businesses.  [33]  The mantra to be followed by the new governance model would be to transform civil services, underlining the reforms as means to (a) reorganize and downsize the government, (b) set-up a performance based organization, (c) adopt private sector management practices and (d) promote customer-orientation of administration.  [34]   For the developing world which is in the grip of serious debt crisis, the World Banks good governance solution with its accompanying micro and macro-accountability formula hold much promise. Institutional capacity building has been the central point of discussion and promotion of sound development management by removing, as far as possible, the possibilities of capture of benefits by the socially powerful is underway.  [35]   There is today an increasing pressure on our political system and the administrative apparatus generated by civil society organizations to share information and make the process of decision-making transparent. There is a shift towards responsive governance. This can be made practically feasible only if the mindset of the politicians and the bureaucrats undergoes a change, and they are receptive to the initiative of sharing information as well as power with the people.  [36]  

SIR :: essays research papers

CANTERBURY TALES THE MERCHANT’S TALE Chaucer has let January become the character he is partially down to the fact of his age. We know January is highly sexually driven without a doubt. Yet Chaucer leads us to believe that this is down to his personality and character rather than his age being used as a justifiable tool; so what if the man is 60 he still wants to have sex right? We are told that January has a sexual appetite and regularly feeds with mostly a selection of middle aged women, so when he acquires himself a young and "untouched" girl as a wife we are taken aback. At this point Chaucer casts age into the conundrum and we begin to see just how January thinks and more precisely what he desires. Justinus and placebo's scene with January for me is more like him talking to himself and there being an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. (This scene is very resemblant of Dr Faustus in which the Good Angel and Evil Angel appear to Faustus.) Placebo is the "devil" and the free thinking conscienceless side of January whilst Justinus is the angel who shows morals and ethics. This is almost an externalization of his mind frame, revealing both halves of his thought. Chaucer has used this scene well to show us exactly the knight's thoughts. As the characters tell him what they think, inversely it is really what he thinks. (He chooses to ignore Justinus and by listening to Placebo he listens to what he wants and desires.) The recklessness for January is his great lack of realism. Not only is it portrayed by the way he expects to have a young wife at the age of 60, but by the way he thinks that he "still has it" and that his age has not affected his status with women. This is one of the seven sins that Chaucer uses in all of the Canterbury tales; vanity. This is reinforced by the way he refuses to listen to Justinus. Although he is a bachelor right unto the point where he meets May and marries her, we have been given little or no real background to his life, his age and his masochistic ways. The total expectation of a "young and fair" wife is surely meant to be interpreted as arrogance. Yet the way January voices his expectation, one casts asides their views of his arrogance and surprisingly adopt one of empathy towards him.

Tropical Deforestation and Its Effect on Global Climate Essay -- Rainf

Tropical Deforestation and Its Effect on Global Climate Abstract Rainforests are the predominant natural vegetation throughout the wet tropics. The defining characteristics of a tropical rainforest are temperature and rainfall. Wherever temperature is high enough and rainfall heavy and regular enough, there is rainforest (Bagheera, 1996). Tropical rainforests of all kinds once covered approximately 14 percent of the Earth’s surface, more than eight million square miles (Conservation International, 1998); forming an equatorial green belt around the Earth rich in diverse plant and animal species. Humans have already destroyed half of this forest area, with most damage occurring in the last 200 years (Bagheera, 1996). In 1987 alone an estimated 20 million acres of Brazilian rainforest were cut and burned (Miller & Tangley, 1991, in Kricher, 1997). At the current rate of deforestation, within 177 years all tropical rainforests on Earth could be gone (Kricher, 1997). The effects of this massive deforestation have already begun to influence the planet. Among the many threats of tropical deforestation, global warming is perhaps one of the most severe. For this reason, a look tropical deforestation and its effects on global climate change will be the focus of this paper. Introduction Tropical deforestation refers to the cutting, clearing, and removal of rainforest, usually converting it into other less biodiverse, unsustainable ecosystems. Deforestation is often done for short-term profit at the expense of long-term sound economic and ecological policy (Kricher, 1997). Many factors have attributed to the destruction of rainforests especially over the last two decades. Rainforests are being cut and burned for agric... ...ientific American. Oct. 1998 issue. Internet source: http://www.sciam.com Holloway, M. 1993. Sustaining the Amazon. Scientific American. Vol. 269(1): 90-99. Karl, T.R.; Nicholls, N. & Gregory, J. 1997. The Coming Climate. Scientific American 276(5): 78-83. Kricher, J. 1997. A Neotropical Companion. Princeton University Press. 451 pages. Myers, N. 1984. The Primary Source. W.W. Norton & Company. 399 pages. Rietbergen, S. 1993. The Earthscan Reader in Tropical Forestry. Earthscan Publications, Ltd. London. 328 pages. Unknown. Conservation International. Internet source: http://www.conservation.org/web.aboutci.rffacts.htm. Unknown. Concise Experimental Plan, written by the LBA Science Planning Group (NASA). Provided by Michael Goulden. Wheeler, Q. 1995. Bioscience. Supplement volume, 1995. Pages S21-27.

Margin Review Questions Essay

†¢ If they had continued, Chinese maritime voyages could have had a profound impact on the course of world history. China was the richest, most prosperous, and most technologically advanced civilization in the world at that time, and it would be reasonable to think that, if the Chinese had aggressively competed with their European counterparts, they likely would have prevailed as the preeminent maritime power in the world. This would have had profound implications for the course of world history, most likely limiting the influence of Western Europe and of Christianity on other regions of the globe and increasing Chinese cultural, economic, and political influences beyond East Asia. †¢ The usefulness of counterfactual questions is debatable. They do allow one both to highlight the role of contingency in the course of human history and to highlight the difficulty of predicting the future because of contingency. Moreover, counterfactual questions go beyond mere speculation, because they encourage students to think of what was possible in light of known historical facts. Thus a good â€Å"what if† question can help scholars think their way into historical reality and to hone their analytical skills. Still, no one can fully predict what the consequences of a change in events would have been, and in any case, the reality of the situation as it happened is the subject of history. 2. †¢ This chapter organizes societies in two ways. First, it organizes them into Paleolithic peoples, agricultural village societies, herding peoples, and established civilizations and empires. It then organizes those civilizations by region. †¢ There are other alternatives, including organization by cultural region— Chinese, Indian, Islamic, Mesoamerican, and Christian. Another possibility would have been organization through webs of connections, starting with a single society and radiating out to an exploration of its nearer and more distant contacts. 3. †¢ Several changes would undoubtedly have surprised a knowledgeable observer, including the emergence of Islam; †¢ the revival of China and Western Europe; †¢ the collapse of the Byzantine Empire; †¢ the emergence of Russia and the spread of Christianity into that region; †¢ the emergence of states in Southeast Asia; †¢ the emergence of Japan; †¢ the emergence of powerful empires in West Africa. †¢ However, some features would still be recognizable, such as the persistence of Paleolithic, agricultural village, and herding societies; †¢ the continuance, albeit at a more intense rate, of long-distance commerce and exchange; †¢ the persistence of broad cultural traditions, especially in the Mesoamerican, Andean, Chinese, European, and Indian civilizations. 4. †¢ A global traveler of the fifteenth century might have predicted that Islam, Buddhism, and perhaps Christianity would continue to spread; †¢ that the established cultural regions of China, India, the Islamic world, Christian Europe, the Andes, and Mesoamerica would continue to develop and expand; †¢ that long-distance commerce and exchange would continue to have an important impact on the development of civilizations; †¢ that empires would continue to have a growing influence on world history; †¢ that the regions occupied by Paleolithic, agricultural village, and herding societies would continue to shrink. †¢ Precisely when these predictions were made would make a difference. Before 1492, the huge impact of Western European influence on the Americas would have been difficult to predict. †¢ Before 1433, the relatively modest impact of Chinese overseas exploration would have been difficult to predict. 5. †¢ The gathering and hunting people of the northwest coast of North America possessed permanent village settlements with large and sturdy houses, considerable economic specialization, ranked societies that sometimes included slavery, chiefdoms dominated by powerful clan leaders, and extensive storage of food; none of those features were part of Australian gathering and hunting societies. 6. †¢ In West Africa, three distinct patterns of political development were taking shape among agricultural village societies, with the Yoruba people creating city-states; the kingdom of Benin taking shape as a small, highly centralized territorial state; and the Igbo peoples relying on other  institutions—title societies, women’s associations, hereditary ritual experts serving as mediators, a balance of power among kinship groups—to maintain social cohesion beyond the level of the village. †¢ In addition, the Yoruba, Bini, and Igbo peoples traded actively among themselves as well as with more distant peoples and changed from a matrilineal to a patrilineal system of tracing their descent. †¢ In the Americas, in what is now central New York State, an increased level of conflict among Iroquois peoples triggered a remarkable political innovation—a loose alliance or confederation among five Iroquois peoples based on an agreement known as the Great Law of Peace. The Iroquois League of Five Nations kept peace, adjudicated disputes, and operated by consensus. It also gave expression to values of limited government, social equality, and personal freedom. †¢ The Iroquois developed a system that gave women unusual authority. Descent was matrilineal, married couples lived with the wife’s family, and women controlled agriculture. While men were hunters, warriors, and the primary political officeholders, women selected and could depose those leaders. 7. †¢ In Central Asia, the Turkic warlord Timur constructed a significant empire that retained control of the area between Persia and Afghanistan during the fifteenth century. †¢ Timur’s conquests, however, hid a more long-term change for the pastoral peoples of Central Asia, because his was the last great military success of nomadic peoples from Central Asia; in the centuries that followed, their homelands were swallowed up in the expanding Russian and Chinese empires. †¢ In West Africa, pastoral peoples retained their independence into the late nineteenth century. †¢ Groups like the Fulbe, West Africa’s largest pastoral society, generally lived in small communities among agricultural peoples; †¢ as they migrated gradually eastward after 1000 C.E., they maintained their distinctive way of life and a sense of cultural superiority that became more pronounced as they slowly adopted Islam. †¢ Some Fulbe dropped out of a pastoral life and settled in towns, where they became highly respected religious leaders. †¢ In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the Fulbe were at the center of a wave of religiously based uprisings (jihads) that greatly expanded the practice of Islam and gave rise to a series of new states ruled by the Fulbe. 8. †¢ Under the Ming dynasty, China recovered from the disruption caused by Mongol rule and the ravages of the plague to become perhaps the best-governed and most prosperous of the world’s major civilizations; †¢ it also undertook the largest and most impressive maritime expeditions the world had ever seen. 9. †¢ Political consolidation occurred in both China and Western Europe, but in China this meant a unitary and centralized government that encompassed almost the whole of its civilization, while in Europe a decidedly fragmented system of many separate, independent, and competitive states made for a sharply divided Christendom. †¢ While both experienced cultural flowering, Europe’s culture after the Renaissance was rather more different from its own recent past than Ming dynasty China was from its pre-Mongol glory. †¢ While both sent out ships to explore the wider world, their purposes in doing so were very different. 10. †¢ Chinese exploration was undertaken by an enormous fleet composed of several hundred large ships, while European explorations were undertaken by expeditions made up of a handful of small ships. †¢ European motivations for exploration included the desire for wealth from trade, the search for converts to Christianity, and the recruitment of possible Christian allies against the Muslim powers. China, by contrast, needed no military allies, required little in the way of trade, and had no desire to convert foreigners to Chinese culture or religion. †¢ The Europeans sought to monopolize by force the commerce of the Indian Ocean and violently carved out empires in the Americas; the Chinese fleet sought neither conquests nor colonies. †¢ China ended its voyages abruptly after 1433; the European explorations continued and even escalated. †¢ In terms of why China’s explorations were so different from their European counterparts, the fragmentation of political authority in Europe, unlike China’s unified empire, ensured that once begun, rivalry alone would drive Europeans to the end of the earth. †¢ Much of Europe’s elite, including merchants, monarchs, the clergy, and nobles, had an interest in overseas expansion; in China, by contrast, the emperor Yongle was the primary supporter of the Chinese voyages of exploration, and after he passed from the scene, those opposed to the  voyages prevailed within the politics of the court. †¢ The Chinese were very much aware of their own antiquity, believed strongly in the absolute superiority of their culture, and felt that, if they needed something from abroad, others would bring it to them. The Europeans also believed themselves unique; however, in material terms, they were seeking out the greater riches of the East, and they were highly conscious that Muslim power blocked easy access to these treasures and posed a military and religious threat to Europe itself. 11. †¢ The Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires had Turkic origins, while the Songhay Empire did not. †¢ The Ottoman and Safavid empires ruled over the heartland of the Muslim world, where a majority of their subjects followed Islam; the Mughal and Songhay empires ruled over regions where Islam was a minority faith. †¢ The rulers of the Safavid Empire were the only ones to impose a Shia version of Islam as the official religion of the state. 12. †¢ The Inca Empire was much larger than its Aztec counterpart. †¢ The Aztec Empire controlled only part of the Mesoamerican cultural region, while at its height the Inca state encompassed practically the whole of the Andean civilization. †¢ In the Aztec realm, the Mexica rulers largely left their conquered people alone, and no elaborate administrative system arose to integrate the conquered territories or to assimilate their people to Aztec culture. The Incas, on the other hand, erected a more bureaucratic empire. †¢ The Aztec Empire extracted substantial tribute in the form of goods from its subject populations, while the Incas primarily extracted labor services from their subjects. †¢ The Aztec Empire had a system of commercial exchange that was based on merchants and free markets, whereas the Inca government played a major role in both the production and distribution of goods. †¢ The authority of the state penetrated and directed the Incas’ society and economy far more than did that of the Aztecs. 13. †¢ The ideology of state that gave human sacrifice great religious importance shaped the techniques of Aztec warfare, which put a premium on capturing prisoners rather than on killing the enemy. †¢ Priests and rulers became interdependent, with human sacrifices carried out for  political ends. †¢ Massive sacrificial rituals served to impress enemies, allies, and subjects alike with the immense power of the Aztecs and their gods. 14. †¢ The emperor was an absolute ruler and was regarded as divine.  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ In theory, the state owned all land and resources.  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Subjects were organized, at least in the central regions of the empire, into hierarchical units of 10, 50, 100, 500, 1,000, and 10,000 people, each headed by local officials, who were supervised by an Inca governor or by the emperor. †¢ An imperial office of â€Å"inspectors† checked on provincial authorities. †¢ Births, deaths, marriages, and other population data were carefully recorded. †¢ A resettlement program moved one-quarter or more of the population to new locations. †¢ Leaders of conquered peoples were required to learn Quechua, and their sons were removed to the capital of Cuzco for instruction in Inca culture and language. †¢ Subject peoples were required to acknowledge major Inca deities, although once they did so, they were largely free to carry on their own religious traditions. †¢ The Inca Empire played a major role in the production and distribution of goods. 15. †¢ They interacted through webs of empire, large-scale political systems that brought together a variety of culturally different peoples; †¢ through webs of religion that linked far-flung peoples; †¢ and through long-established patterns of trade among peoples occupying different environments and producing different goods.

Progressive Movement Essay

I am intended to write my research paper of Progressive Movement i.e. a movement marked by an all-encompassing and intensive change in all spheres of American life viz. political, economic and social and how Theodore Roosevelt, Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson contributed toward it. Thesis: The period from 1890 to 1917 in the history of United States is known as Progressive era. This period is marked by an all-encompassing and intensive change in all spheres of American life viz. political, economic and social. The progressive leaders with faith in the traditional American ideals of democratic government, individual liberty, rule of law and protection of private rights and property, felt that Gilded Age was marked by corruption. They further felt that due to the policies and practices of the previous regimes, a privileged wealthy class has been created that had plundered the national wealth and resources. Supporting Arguments: What is Progressivism? A: A Reaction to Gilded Age? B: Manifestation of Mature American Ideology? Ideological Roots of Progressive Movement Progressive Reforms A: Progressivism at local level B: Progressivism at State Level C: Progressivism at Federal Level Progressive Leader and their contributions A: Theodore Roosevelt B: Howard Taft C: Woodrow Wilson D: La Follette. Conclusion References Ekirch, Arthur A. Progressivism in America. A study of the Era from Theodore Roosevelt to Woodrow Wilson. New York; New Viewpoints. 1974. Filene, Peter G. An Obituary for â€Å"The Progressive Movement†. American Quarterly. Vol. 22, No. 1(Spring, 1970). pp. 20-34 Nevins, Allan& Commager, Henry S. A short history of the United States New York, A. Knopf, 1966. Parkes, Henry B. The United States of America—A History. New York, Knopf, 1959 PBS. The Progressive Era 1900-1918.Retrieved on March 07, 2007 from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eleanor/peopleevents/pande08.html

Jungs View of Religion Essay

I will be explaining Jung understands and his views of religion. Jung first starts with the key concept of the mind which is the three concepts of consciousness – consciousness, personal unconsciousness and the collective consciousness. Consciousness is where we actively make decisions and choices. The thoughts are based on a sensory experience e. g. the things we see, smell, hear, touch and taste. These are directly accessible. The personal conscious is out thoughts, feelings, urges which are difficult to bring to the consciousness and they are not directly accessible. They have been environmentally determined. The collective unconsciousness is inherited and the thoughts are shared by everyone – archetypes (inherited ideas: first prints or partners that form the basic blue print for major dynamic counterparts of the human personality. ) Jung believes that the archetypes pre exist in the collective unconscious of humanity. They determine how we both perceive and behave. Archetypes are the source of the ideas or images that is inherited instead of the ideas themselves. The experiences you have construct/create uniform images. We inherit a functional disposition to produce the same or very similar ideas not inherit the idea. This is the reason for a dream dictionary, for example a person could be dreaming that their friend is falling. So the falling is the image drawn from the archetype and the friend is from their experience. So the collective unconscious means that many of our ideas will be shared with people. There are different types of shared archetype examples are: the person – this is the mask that covers out true natures for the benefit of society. The mask could be good impressions of what is expected of us by others or the false impression to manipulate others behaviour and opinions. In our dreams the may manifest itself in images of ourselves appearing at a party in disguise. The shadow – this is our darker sides of us. In dreams it might reveal itself in the form of personification of evil e. g. Satan or monster. It could be deeper of our personality identity beings to be lost and individuals experience the chaos of getting closer to the material structure of psychic life. This commonly is found in the woods. The animus – is the masculine side of a female. They may appear as an exotic, sensual, young man or as heroes. The anima – is the female side of a male. They may appear as a  dancing girl, seductresses or goddess. Jung believes that the way neuroses(mental illness is caused by being psychically imbalanced) occurs is that it arises from being psychically imbalanced (so we become mentally ill if the when the psychic energy – psychological energy by which the work of the personality is performed isn’t flowing as well as it could. To maintain mental health all of the features of the personality need to be balanced so the psychic flows properly. There needs to be a balance between conscious and unconscious and the different archetype. If you fail to do this according to Jung this causes a mental disorder. Jung says through individuation (figuring out who you are and becoming your own self) you become psychically balanced personality through the addition of the range of archetypes into the conscious personality. There are two main process of individuation; the first part is when they come to terms with the outer environment with its challenges through work, friendship and relationship. The second part is from a middle age onwards is to come to terms with one’s own personality. For example a mid-life crisis, this is when someone is in the middle of their life they want what they never had in their youth age e.g. a sports car. They want to become psychically balanced as they missed out when they was youths. The things that come from the archetype such as images or thoughts are considered to be religious. Jung redefines religious thought as the numinous. This relies on Rudolf Otto’s understanding of the religious or numinous experience. According to Otto’s a numinous experience affects our consciousness which is caused by something external to our consciousness. Any experience which is archetypal in origin can be stated as religious. All archetypal images are ineffable (indescribable) . Our images of god are themselves archetypal. The concept of god is one of these primordial images (an archetype). Everyone is born with the tendency to generate religious images of god and angels . the actual image that we have of god are through our experiences in the world. An example of a case study is where Miss Miller had a dream about a moth’s desire for light. Jung said this parallel between god and light can be found in countless religious traditions e. g. the Aztec preoccupation with the sun and the Christian view of Jesus as ‘light of the world’. The role of religion is the process of individuation. The two reasons he gave was the self archetype this guides and controlled the innate process of individuation. Individuation is a religious process. The second reason is the self archetype generates images of wholeness. For example the mandala – means circle and is perfectly balanced, the design is symmetrical which represents the balance and wholeness same with Islamic art instead the repetitive patterns to show his eternality. Jung argues that god images are beneficial to our health. The images are used by the mind to individuate the personality, the personality then achieve its goal of integration. Religion now becomes clear, the ones that reject religion are therefore less likely to individuate successfully and is most likely to experience neurosis as a result. Jung concludes that the existence of an actual god is similar to Freud’s – there is no proof either way. We don’t know where the archetype actually comes from and we don’t know the origin of the-psyche because there are ineffable. As a psychic reality – god is real to those who experience the effect of archetypes. Jung always considered religious beliefs to be a natural expression of the collective unconscious.