The Muslim Empires Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Muslim Empires - Essay Example Emperor Selim annexed Syria, then Cairo, before calling himself the new caliph, Muhammad’s successor. The Ottomans also conquered North Africa. From 1521 onwards, under Suleyman the Magnificent, the Ottomans advanced to Belgrade, Hungray, Austria, and Vienna. The Ottoman Empire lasted until the eighteenth century, but was challenged by the growing Austrian Empire in Southeastern Europe and Russia in the north. The government of the Ottoman sultan administered a diverse population through appointing pashas who managed new territories through collecting taxes, paying a fixed percentage as tribute to the central government, and preserving peace and order. The bey refers to the chieftain or tribal leader and who served as pashas too. Tribal disputes were resolved through tribal law, while Islamic law was secondary. In addition, the sultan ruled through an imperial council, which met four days a week and where the grand vizier served as the chairman. Ottoman rule was more localized than those applied in Europe and Asia. The Ottomans declined by the seventeenth century due to various reasons, including Suleyman’s execution of two capable sons and increasing social unrest (due to corruption and economic difficulties). The Safavid dynasty began with Shah Ismail. Ismail conquered Iran and Iraq in 1501. The Safavids attained the peak of their ruling under Shah Abbas. Furthermore, they ruled a mixed-race and mixed-religion Persia. They used Shi’ism as the unifying force. Their empire disintegrated in 1723 due to succession conflicts and attacks from the Ottomans. The shah was like the sultan who claimed divine quality. Furthermore, the Safavid appointed people to senior management positions by merit than birth. The Safavid shah was also like the Ottoman sultan who traveled regularly to the city to check his subordinates for moral or religious transgressions. Babur established the Mughal dynasty. He conquered Kabul in 1504. He expanded his

Conflict Can Be Character Building Essay Example for Free

Conflict Can Be Character Building Essay â€Å"Conflict Can Be Character Building† â€Å"Character building† is such a common phrase and has become a cliche designed to put a positive spin on painful experiences. While it is true to say that conflict is an inevitable aspect of life, it is not true to say that it always results in â€Å"building† people. In fact in some cases it tragically destroys them. While novelists and filmmakers, in particular, build a plotline which neatly introduces conflict, complications and crisis points which always lead to a positive resolution, real life doesn’t work that way. Stand by Me neatly follows this pattern, while real life conflicts such as friendship rifts, religious rivalries and political unrest may never be resolved and destroy many lives. Rob Reiner’s Stand By Me portrays conflict through its narrator and protagonist’s reflections of an important journey he took when he was twelve. It was a journey that helped him confront some of his own internal conflicts regarding the loss of his brother, grief and his relationship with his grieving parents. It also explored the personal conflicts of his peer group and their own internal struggles as well as the conflict they had with family and a rival â€Å"gang†. While Gordy’s â€Å"victory† in finding the body and standing up to Ace is a crisis point in which he emerges as a hero, we are aware that there are still conflicts that have been overlooked in the focus on the one experience. The other characters are glossed over as they return to their unhappy and dysfunctional homes and so too is the fact that the threat of retribution from their rivals. The film is tied up with a content Gordy who conveniently became the writer his older brother always told him he was, had a nice home and happy relationship with his own son and has memories of â€Å"friendship† to cherish. But we need to focus on the most tragic conflict from which his friend Chris does not survive. â€Å"He was stabbed in the throat; he died almost instantly. Although I hadnt seen him for more than 10 years, I know Ill miss him forever.† Group conflict is a reality most of us experience on a regular basis.It comes in many forms.It can be about friendship groups, family feuds, school or institutional authority, gang supremacy, sporting, political, religious or racial rivalries in the extreme state of outright war. Individuals and  groups do clash. Sometimes the conflicts are accepted as differences that will never change while other times they ignite violent reactions. Even bullying is seen as a conflict and for those who are truly affected by bullying and inturn suffer a life long struggle with mental health and self esteem-these people do not ‘build character’ whatever person they were has been destroyed. Instead of the polite, outgoing person-a new, changed character has come about and with it is drugs, self harm and eating disorders. Australia has seen many refugees and asylum seekers risking life and limb to reach our shores in an effort to escape conflict. We know that may of them don’t make it many losing lives at sea and others scarred by the trauma of loss and their journeys. Our community has opened itself to many of the â€Å"lucky† ones who do make it here and yet they will tell you that the conflict in their lives haven’t â€Å"built† them but harmed them. Some have confessed that they will never recover, haunted by their experiences every day is a struggle. They don’t look back and say they are glad for the conflict as it gave them an opportunity to â€Å"build character†. Many people fear conflict with others but fail to consider the harm internal conflict has on them. There is an acceptance in dealing with or being concerned about conflict with others and internal conflicts still seem to be an issue most people are ashamed to acknowledge, much less discuss. True to its name they keep it all internal and wage a struggle on the inside.Internal conflict leads many to suffer silently on a daily basis and rather than build their character it can absolutely warp them and even break them. Depression, substance abuse (drugs and alcohol) as well as self harm, risky behaviours and suicide are all results of internal struggles that have not ended in â€Å"building† but instead ruining character. â€Å"Dealing with one young person’s sexual orientation was such an internal conflict that he turned to drugs and ended up a completely different personality who sadly overdosed. Friends and family just couldn’t understand why it ended so tragically.†- It is not an uncommon story. Character building happens in many ways. Ultimately, It happens through experience, growth, education, love, relationships, travel and support to name a few. It is wrong to assume that true character growth can only happen  with painful experiences and conflicts. It may be the case that sometimes a conflict teaches us a great deal and can contribute another layer to our character, but it is also more often the case that conflict can start a chain of events that ends in tragedy and has a destructive effect on an individual or groups of people which can even reverberate for generations.

The Foils of Laertes and Fortinbras in Hamlet Essay -- Essays on Shakes

The Foils of Laertes and Fortinbras in Hamlet  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   William Shakespeare wrote the classic play, Hamlet in the sixteenth century.   Hamlet would be a very difficult play to understand without the masterful use of foils.   A foil is a minor character in a literary work that compliments the main character through similarities and differences in personality.   The audience can identify similarities and differences between any of the characters and Hamlet, however, there are two characters that share so much in common with Hamlet that they have to be considered the most important foils in the play.   These two characters are Laertes and Fortinbras.   It is the great similarities between Laertes, Fortinbras, and Hamlet that make the differences so obvious and therefore help to shape the character of Hamlet.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Laertes is the most noticeable foil for Hamlet, because of his continual direct involvement in the play.   Laertes and Hamlet have many things in common.   Laertes and Hamlet are both educated men with a high social standing.   Hamlet is the prince of Denmark and Laertes is the son of Polonius, Lord Chamberlain.   Both Hamlet and Laertes desire revenge for the death of their fathers.   Claudius murdered Hamlet's father and Hamlet killed Laertes' father.   Hamlet and Laertes both had an undying love for Laertes' sister Ophelia.   Laertes showed his love for his sister when he warned her about seeing Hamlet.   Laertes knew that as head of the state Hamlet would be unable to choose who he married and that Ophelia would be hurt if she fell in love with him.   Hamlet had an undying love for Ophelia despite his actions and words toward her in Act III.   He shows this at Ophelia's burial when he proclaims that his love for h.. . ...one as important as that which he shares with Laertes and Fortinbras.   Both Laertes and Fortinbras, although in different ways, provided the admiration and pity needed to make Hamlet the tragic hero he was.    Sources Cited and Consulted: Bloom, Harold. "Introduction." Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York City: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. 1-10. Findlay, Alison. "Hamlet: A Document in Madness." New Essays on Hamlet. Ed. Mark Thornton Burnett and John Manning. New York: AMS Press, 1994. 189-205. Goldman, Michael. "Hamlet and Our Problems." Critical Essays on Shakespeare's Hamlet. Ed. David Scott Kaston. New York City: Prentice Hall International. 1995. 43-55 Rose, Mark. "Reforming the Role." Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York City: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. 117-128   

Changes in Farming Post Civil War

Changes in Farming: Contributing factors in farming changes post Civil War After the Civil War there were many factors that contributed the changes that occurred in farming in America. Among them was the drive for the South to renew and regain what had been lost due to the war. Leaders saw it as a time to diversify and turn towards industrialization. The Industrial revolution was underway and with it brought many new inventions that would lead to growth in the farming industry. The wide open space between the East and the West called â€Å"The Frontier† was open for homesteading. New immigrants with their farming knowledge and ability were flooding the East and West gates of the U. S. This was a time in American history when Americans made the â€Å"American dream† what it is today. The end of the Civil War in 1865, fought between the North and the South, spurred many changes in farming in the South. The changes occurred rather quickly and started in what was referred to as The New South. The New South, wanting to keep the Union of the North at bay and decided diversification was the key. Before the Civil War Cotton was a thriving crop in the South that gave the region a sense of power. Many southerners blamed cotton for its losses caused by the Civil War and some might speculate that without this crop, also know as â€Å"King Cotton†, the Civil War may not have taken place. After the Civil War the South was left to rebuild and reestablish what had been destroyed. Many leaders also saw this as a time for economic growth. The south had very good soil for other crops to thrive in. First of the many changes in the New South was the resurgence of tobacco. The discovery of two new tobaccos named Bright leaf and Burley helped increase the tobacco production and market. Other changes to follow were the growth in products such as Louisiana sugar cane, rice, Southern Pine trees, clay, coal, glass and stone products. The introduction of Hydroelectricity which is electricity produced by water served in the process of industrializing The New South. Changes in Farming 3 Before the Civil War slaves worked the fields and did most of the farming work in the South. After the slaves were freed in 1863, the South had to make changes to supply labor for the farming. Many shady practices by the white man occurred because of this. Sharecropping and crop liens were eveloped to keep the black man somewhat under their control. Since freed slaves had no money and no place to live, land holders would allow a tenant to live on their property and worked the land in exchange for a share of the crop produced, also known as sharecropping. The crop lien system was a developed to allow farmers to receive goods such as food, supplies, and seeds to be paid for after the crop wa s produced. This kept the black man and poor white farmers in a constant form of debt. Cotton still played a big part in the growth of farming in the south. There was a high demand for textiles and cotton mills increased production of cotton bales up to 1,479,000 bales per year. While these changes were occurring in the South, many changes in farming were also taking place in other parts of the nation. The government wanted to encourage settlement in the vast areas of the country not yet populated. The Homestead Act helped shape the western landscape. This act allowed farmers to claim up to 160 acres of land. Farmers would stake a claim to a parcel of land and by living on it for five years would be free and clear to take title of the land. Or the farmer could buy the land for $1. 25 per acre after living on it for six months. This opportunity attracted many to move west in the aftermath and destruction the Civil War caused in the South. As settlers moved west towards The Great Plains region they discovered it did not have the water supply and rich soil the South possessed. This area also had other downfalls in contrast to the South. Temperature fluctuations, hail, wind, and swarms of locusts that made farming quite difficult in this area. The farmers adapted to the conditions of the plains by changing what they farmed, turning to grains such as sorghum and wheat; both crops that did not require much water. The immigrants from Changes in Farming 4 Russia, who were used to this climate, brought valuable knowledge of farming techniques. The Russians also introduced new wheat called Red Turkey to the area. The changes in this area and the crops produced here inspired new farming inventions needed to plow and till the grains which created new business opportunities. Since much of this area was more suitable for grazing then for farming crops, farmers turned to cattle ranching. There were millions of long horn cattle, left from the old Spanish settlers, which roamed free. Ranchers would hunt these cattle for their hide at first. The job of the cowboy was created to herd up the cattle and drive them to different areas of the country. Many cattle trials were created that ran from central Texas to Kansas, central Texas to New Mexico and to Wyoming to name a few. Abilene, Kansas was one of the first towns that were a center for Cattle shipment. With the invention of barbed wire in 1874 ranchers began to fence cattle in large areas. And with the building of the transcontinental railroad system the need for the cowboy decreased. The railroad could transport the cattle to the needed destinations. With the invention of the air-cooled train car meat packers began shipping slaughtered meat. Local farms were no longer required to produce perishable foods since these items could arrive by train as well. The Mississippi Valley region, Minnesota, and North Dakota took advantage of the new benefits the railroad system offered, and farmers changed their views of farming. They no longer had to produce everything they needed on their land and turned their focus to making a business out of their farms. Instead of producing a variety of crops they focus on one cash crop such as cotton, wheat, or corn. They could mass produce their crops to be shipped by rail all over the country and shipped by boat worldwide. Farming became more of a factory and required the purchase of more machinery to Changes in Farming 5 produce their product. America quickly became the world’s largest producer of fruits, vegetables, and meats. California was busy producing fruits and vegetables of their own as well by farmers and settlers who were attracted West by the gold rush. The promise of the great frontier, the reorganization of the South, and the industrial revolution were all big contributing factors to changes in farming after The Civil War. But I believe the largest contributing factor was the creation of the railroad system that crisscrossed across the country. It transformed the way people farmed, thought, invented, traveled, and lived. By the time it was finished there as many miles of tracks across America as the rest of the world put together. The visible changes the Railroad system created were remarkable. It contributed to the 19th century being the century of the greatest changes in U. S. history to date. American farmers were very hard-working people with big dreams of a new life and making it on their own. They possessed the right traits to survive in the frontier such as risk taking, self-reliance, and the drive to succeed. I believe Americans still have these traits today and have so many opportunities give more changes to come here in the United States of America. References This link leads you to a page describing tenant farming and share cropping in depth. http://digital. library. okstate. edu/encyclopedia/entries/T/TE009. html A link to Georgia’s cotton history from the state’s encyclopedia http://www. georgiaencyclopedia. org/nge/Article. jsp? id=h-2087 This link will bring you to information on the gilded age http://www. academicamerican. com/recongildedage/topics/gildedage1. html The text book provided online for unit 1 US History 2 http://www. hippocampus. org/US%20History%20II

Assignment: Change Models Essay

In this paper the executive at a high-end retail chain selling luxury watches, jewelry, and hand bags is in charge of the company’s first expansion in the international pool, which is about a new store open in Shanghai, China. This is only a short term objective as the company expects to open several stores in the BRIC countries, such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China, which is the long-term plan. The executive explains the chain models used to follow the short-term and long-term goals and the effects these changes would have on executives, managers, and employees from the company. Organizational Change Change is not easy to implement and plan. It requires a lot of responsibility for the ones that are impacted by it and for the ones who enforce it. Weis (2012) reminds about three types of change that can be at an organizational level, such as: developmental, transitional and transformational. Developmental change refers to improvements of what already exists. A good example of developmental change is when a company improves a procedure or a process that exists within the organization like the leave time or the update of an HR policy. There is little stress involved in such change and it does not really need to be of a larger scale and scope. The second type of organizational change reminded by Weiss (2012) is transitional change and it refers to implementing a known desired state, different from a current one. It is a type of change of a larger scale and it deals with a certain amount of stress, unlike developmental change. A good example of transitional change is the merger or acquisition procedure of a company. Another example when it comes to processes and procedures is about replacing them with new ones, like when a new technology system is installed, replacing an older one. Transitional changes can unsettle jobs, can shake things in a company, and they can also create new jobs, requiring training and hiring. The third type of change is the transformational model which requires or involves the emergence of a new and unknown state for the company. When a company moves to a new and different target market it requires different strategies, as well as skills. Another good example of transformational change is when the CEO and executives of a company want to change the culture or/and the structure of a company. This type of change is the requiring intensive focus and involving a lot of stress. It may be the most complex among all three change types. The short-term objective that needs to be implemented by the executive is the open of a new store in Shanghai, China. Being a single event it may not require such intensive focus; however, there are aspects of the matter that need to be highly considered. The strategy proposed for the opening of a new store in Shanghai is to reach the objective through a transitional change model. A good way to implement this change model is with the 7-S model. Waterman, Peters, and Philips (1980) explain that the 7-S Model for Organizational change examines seven key areas of the company, as well as the relationship of each of the elements one another. The 7 elements are grouped into two major categories, such as: soft elements and hard elements. The elements are as follows: strategy, structure, systems, shared values, style, staff, and skills. Through strategy, the company plans to maintain competitive advantage, while the structure refers to the hierarchy of the company. In both situations, the short and long-term, the hierarchy of the company suffers modifications and the executive needs to make sure the employees and everyone affected by the change are ready to experience it. Systems refer to every-day processes through the company, while shared values refer to the core value of the company. The executive will follow and enforce the shared values of the company in both the short-term and long-term events. Planning for the short-term and opening a new store in China, may be slightly difficult since it is the first time the company deals with such an action. That is why every step needs to be well calculated. It is the first time when the executive needs to come up with a plan involving the inventory of the new store, how it will be maintained, and how supply of products is made. Laws and regulations of China when it comes to retailing need to be considered properly. The first experience will be useful into creating the long-term strategy because it provides the experience necessary to such change within the company. No longer will the other managers and executives need to think locally and nationally. They have to think globally and that is a change required to be addressed in the first place. Since it involves opening a new store, the employees would be hired locally. This is a change that affects the managers because they will have to learn how the hiring process takes place in the country where the new stores are opened. The long-term strategy may not be as complex as the short-term strategy for change because there will be a precedent and the company will cope with the change easily. Conclusion Dealing with change can be challenging when a company focuses on going globally. This paper exposes the strategies an executive at a jewelry store has to deal with opening new store in China (a short-term objective) and other stores in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China). Given the cultural diversity of these countries, hiring approaches, as well as the laws and regulations being different in these countries can make the achievement of the objectives more difficult. References Waterman, R. H., Peters, T. J., & Philips, J. R. (1980). Structure is not Organization. Retrieved from http://www.lmcuk.com/management-tool/the-7-s-model-for-organisational-change Weiss, J.W. (2012). Organizational Change. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Free Essays on “sweat“ By Zora Neale Hurston

The short story entitled Sweat illustrated a common social problem that plagued pre-21st century America, which was domestic violence. Sweat takes shape within a middle-aged married black couple, consisting of a disgruntled man named Sykes and his hard-working wife named Delia. This was an unhappy marriage only kept together because Sykes had no means of income and had to economically depend upon his wife. Delia only stayed with Sykes because she feared him due to his physical and emotional abuse of her. A reason behind Sykes’ abuse of Delia is likely his belief that instilling fear upon Delia will keep her from leaving him. Another reason could be the fact that he is not the breadwinner of his home. Therefore, Sykes takes out his jealousy on Delia. Sykes feels that Delia’s hard work, coupled with his lack there of, threatens his masculinity. Sykes will do anything to feel more powerful than his wife, even bring home a snake, which he thinks would scare his wife into su bmission or subordination. Early in the story Sykes scares his wife by stroking her gently with a leather whip, making her think it’s a snake. Early on we can see that Delia is deathly afraid of snakes and Sykes gets his kicks and self-satisfaction from scaring his wife. This event foreshadows later events in the book that deal with snakes and fear. This event also serves as means of proof that Sykes scares his wife into submission because he is jealous of her. Another event that showed Sykes’ jealousy of Delia is when he heckles her about her job of washing clothes. â€Å"I’ve done told you time and again to keep those white folks clothes out of this house†, Sykes would say. He says this despite knowing the fact that Delia’s clothes washing was their only means of income. This is then illustrated by Delia’s comment, â€Å"My tubs of suds has filled your belly more than your own hands have. My sweat has done paid for this house you live in†. Sykes im... Free Essays on â€Å"sweatâ€Å" By Zora Neale Hurston Free Essays on â€Å"sweatâ€Å" By Zora Neale Hurston The short story entitled Sweat illustrated a common social problem that plagued pre-21st century America, which was domestic violence. Sweat takes shape within a middle-aged married black couple, consisting of a disgruntled man named Sykes and his hard-working wife named Delia. This was an unhappy marriage only kept together because Sykes had no means of income and had to economically depend upon his wife. Delia only stayed with Sykes because she feared him due to his physical and emotional abuse of her. A reason behind Sykes’ abuse of Delia is likely his belief that instilling fear upon Delia will keep her from leaving him. Another reason could be the fact that he is not the breadwinner of his home. Therefore, Sykes takes out his jealousy on Delia. Sykes feels that Delia’s hard work, coupled with his lack there of, threatens his masculinity. Sykes will do anything to feel more powerful than his wife, even bring home a snake, which he thinks would scare his wife into su bmission or subordination. Early in the story Sykes scares his wife by stroking her gently with a leather whip, making her think it’s a snake. Early on we can see that Delia is deathly afraid of snakes and Sykes gets his kicks and self-satisfaction from scaring his wife. This event foreshadows later events in the book that deal with snakes and fear. This event also serves as means of proof that Sykes scares his wife into submission because he is jealous of her. Another event that showed Sykes’ jealousy of Delia is when he heckles her about her job of washing clothes. â€Å"I’ve done told you time and again to keep those white folks clothes out of this house†, Sykes would say. He says this despite knowing the fact that Delia’s clothes washing was their only means of income. This is then illustrated by Delia’s comment, â€Å"My tubs of suds has filled your belly more than your own hands have. My sweat has done paid for this house you live in†. Sykes im...

Free Essays on Interests

Suffering: The prerequisite for having interests â€Å"We cannot directly experience anyone else's pain, whether that "anyone†is our best friend or a stray dog. Pain is a state of consciousness, a "mental event, †and as such it can never be observed. Behaviour like writhing, screaming, or drawing one's hand away from the lighted cigarette is not pain itself; nor are the recordings a neurologist might make of activity within the brain observations of pain itself. Pain is something that we feel, and we can only infer that others are feeling it from various external indications . . . †( Singer, 1990 ). Many environmentalists like Aldo Leopold and Holmes Rolston III criticize as unecological the emphasis those animal liberationists like Peter Singer place on preventing animal suffering. Their argument holds that animal liberationists must regard predation as bad by extending the role of moral consideration to include things that do not feel pain or pleasure. The view that Leopold and Rolston hold maintain that like the natural system of the animal world ( humans and non-human animals ), the eco systems of the land (including soil, plants, and all animals) is highly debatable and should be taken into moral consideration. This paper disputes the latter view by arguing that the capacity for suffering and enjoying things is a prerequisite for having interests at all. As Holmes Rolston III argues, â€Å"Singer has himself proved blind to the still larger effort in environmental ethics to value life in all its ranges and levels, indeed to care for biosphere Earth . . . His victory is mainly for vertebrates, who form only 4 percent of living things by species and only a tiny fraction of a per cent by numbers of individuals†( Rolston, 1990 ). It is reasonable to suppose all vertebrate animals to be capable of feeling pain. With invertebrates the matter becomes unclear but some invertebrates also seem likely to experience pain. As... Free Essays on Interests Free Essays on Interests Suffering: The prerequisite for having interests â€Å"We cannot directly experience anyone else's pain, whether that "anyone†is our best friend or a stray dog. Pain is a state of consciousness, a "mental event, †and as such it can never be observed. Behaviour like writhing, screaming, or drawing one's hand away from the lighted cigarette is not pain itself; nor are the recordings a neurologist might make of activity within the brain observations of pain itself. Pain is something that we feel, and we can only infer that others are feeling it from various external indications . . . †( Singer, 1990 ). Many environmentalists like Aldo Leopold and Holmes Rolston III criticize as unecological the emphasis those animal liberationists like Peter Singer place on preventing animal suffering. Their argument holds that animal liberationists must regard predation as bad by extending the role of moral consideration to include things that do not feel pain or pleasure. The view that Leopold and Rolston hold maintain that like the natural system of the animal world ( humans and non-human animals ), the eco systems of the land (including soil, plants, and all animals) is highly debatable and should be taken into moral consideration. This paper disputes the latter view by arguing that the capacity for suffering and enjoying things is a prerequisite for having interests at all. As Holmes Rolston III argues, â€Å"Singer has himself proved blind to the still larger effort in environmental ethics to value life in all its ranges and levels, indeed to care for biosphere Earth . . . His victory is mainly for vertebrates, who form only 4 percent of living things by species and only a tiny fraction of a per cent by numbers of individuals†( Rolston, 1990 ). It is reasonable to suppose all vertebrate animals to be capable of feeling pain. With invertebrates the matter becomes unclear but some invertebrates also seem likely to experience pain. As...

Christmas at the White House In the 19th Century

Christmas at the White House In the 19th Century Christmas celebrations at the White House have fascinated the public for decades. And especially since the 1960s, when Jacqueline Kennedy had the presidents house decorated based on the theme of The Nutcracker, First Ladies have supervised elaborate transformations for the holiday season. In the 1800s things were quite different. That isnt entirely surprising. In the early decades of the 19th century Americans viewed Christmas as a religious holiday to be celebrated in a modest manner with family members. And the high point of the holiday social season at the White House would have taken place on New Years Day. Tradition throughout the 1800s was that the president hosted an open house on the first day of each year. He would patiently stand for hours, and people who had waited on a long line stretching out to Pennsylvania Avenue would file in to shake the presidents hand and wish him Happy New Year.   Despite the apparent lack of Christmas celebrations at the White House in the early 1800s, a number of  legends of White House Christmases circulated a century later. After Christmas had become a widely celebrated and very public holiday, newspapers in the early 1900s routinely published articles presenting some highly questionable history. In these creative versions, Christmas traditions which hadnt been observed until decades later were sometimes ascribed to early presidents. For instance, an article in the Evening Star, a Washington, D.C. newspaper, published on December 16, 1906, related how Thomas Jeffersons daughter Martha decorated the White House with Christmas trees. That seems unlikely. There are reports of Christmas trees appearing in America in the late 1700s in specific regions. But the custom of Christmas trees did not become common in America until decades later. The same article also claimed that the family of Ulysses S. Grant family celebrated with elaborate Christmas trees in the late 1860s and early 1870s. Yet the White House Historical Society claims the first White House Christmas tree appeared fairly late in the century, in 1889. Its easy to see that many stories of early Christmases in the White House are either greatly exaggerated or simply untrue. In part, thats because an essentially private holiday celebrated with family members would naturally have gone unreported. And the absence of reliable information led to the creation of comfortable yet  fake history. An apparent need to exaggerate the history of Christmas in the White House may have been motivated in part by something often overlooked today. For much of its early history, the White House was a residence seemingly cursed with a number of tragedies. A number of presidents were in mourning throughout part of their time in office, including Abraham Lincoln, whose son Willie died in the White House in 1862. Andrew Jacksons wife Rachel died just days before Christmas in 1828, a month after he was elected president. Jackson traveled to Washington and took up residence in the Presidents House, as it was known at the time, as a grieving  widower. Two 19th century presidents died in office before celebrating a Christmas (William Henry Harrison and James Garfield), while one died after celebrating only one Christmas (Zachary Taylor). Two wives of 19th century presidents died while their husbands were in office.Letitia Tyler, the wife of John Tyler, suffered a stroke and later died in the White House on September 10, 1842. And Caroline Scott Harrison, wife of Benjamin Harrison, died of tuberculosis in the White House on October 25, 1892. It could seem that the story of Christmas in the first century of the White House is simply too depressing to think about. Yet, one of those who would be touched by tragedy in the White House was, a few years previously, the unlikely hero who emerged late in the 1800s to make Christmas a major celebration in the big mansion on Pennsylvania Avenue. People today tend to only remember Benjamin Harrison because he holds a unique place in presidential trivia. His single term in office came between the two non-consecutive terms of Grover Cleveland. Harrison holds another distinction. He was the president credited with having the first White House Christmas tree, installed during his first Christmas in the White House, in 1889. He was not just enthusiastic about Christmas. Harrison seemed eager to let the public know he was celebrating it in grand style. Benjamin Harrisons Lavish Christmas Benjamin Harrison was not known for celebrations. He was generally considered to have a fairly bland personality. He was quiet and scholarly, and after serving as president he wrote a textbook on government. Voters knew that he taught Sunday school. His reputation was not for frivolity, so it seems odd that he would be known for having the first White House Christmas tree. He took office in March 1889, at a time when most Americans had adapted to the idea of Christmas as a celebratory holiday symbolized by Santa Claus and Christmas trees. So its possible that Harrisons Christmas cheer was simply a matter of timing. It is also conceivable that Harrison took a great interest in Christmas because of his own family history. His grandfather, William Henry Harrison, was elected president when Benjamin was seven years old. And, the elder Harrison served the shortest term of any president. A cold he caught, probably while delivering his inaugural address, turned into pneumonia. William Henry Harrison died in the White House on April 4, 1841, only a month after taking office. His grandson never got to enjoy a Christmas in the White House as a child. Perhaps thats why Harrison made an effort to have elaborate Christmas celebrations in the White House focused on the amusement of his own grandchildren. Harrisons grandfather, though born on a Virginia plantation, had campaigned in 1840 by aligning himself with common folk with the Log Cabin and Hard Cider campaign. His grandson, taking office at the height of the Gilded Age, had no embarrassment about showcasing an affluent lifestyle in the White House . The newspaper accounts of the Harrison family Christmas in 1889 are packed full of details which must have been willingly passed along for public consumption. A story on the front page of the New York Times on Christmas Day 1889 began by noting that many presents intended for the presidents grandchildren had been stowed away in a White House bedroom. The article also mentioned the wonderful Christmas tree, which is to dazzle the eyes of the White House babies... The tree was described as a foxtail hemock, 8 or 9 feet tall, liberally decked with glittering glass balls and pendants, while from the topmost branch to the edge of the square table on which the tree stands it is showered over with countless strands of gold tinsel. To add to the brilliant effect, the end of every branch is capped with four-sided lanterns of various colors and finished with a long point of shining glass filled with quicksilver. The New York Times article also described a lavish array of toys President Harrison would be giving to his grandson on Christmas morning: Among the many things which the President has purchased for his favorite grandchild is a mechanical toy an engine which, on being wound up, puffs and snorts at a terrific rate as it speeds over the floor, carrying behind a train of cars. There there is a sled, a drum, guns, horns without number, tiny blackboards on miniature easels, with crayons of every hue and color for the baby fingers, a hook-and-ladder apparatus which would send a thrill of delight to the heart of any little boy in creation, and a long slim box containing parlor croquet. The article also noted that the presidents young granddaughter would be receiving a number of gifts, including jumping jacks with cap and bells, a tiny piano, rocking chairs, all manner of furry coated animals, and bits of jewelry, and last, but by no means least, at the base of the tree is to stand a real Santa Claus, three feet high, laden with toys, dolls, and stockings filled with bonbons. The article concluded with a florid description of how the tree would be lit late on Christmas Day:   In the evening, between 4 and 5 oclock, the tree is to be lighted, that the children may view it in its full glory, when they will be joined by several little friends, who will add their quota to the joyous clatter and din incident to Christmas. The first White House Christmas tree to be decorated with electric lights appeared in December 1894, during the second term of Grover Cleveland. According to the White House Historical Association, the tree lit with electric bulbs was placed in the second floor library and was enjoyed by Clevelands two young daughters. A small front-page item in the New York Times on Christmas Eve 1894 seemed to refer to that tree when it stated, A gorgeous Christmas tree will be lighted at twilight with vari-colored electric lamps. The way Christmas was celebrated in the White House at the end of the 19th century was vastly different than when the century began. First White House Christmas The first president to live in the Presidents House was John Adams. He arrived to take up residence on November 1, 1800, in the final year of his single term as president. The building was still unfinished, and when his wife, Abigail Adams, arrived weeks later, she found herself living in a mansion that was partly a construction site. The first residents of the White House were almost immediately plunged into mourning. On November 30, 1800, their son Charles Adams, who had suffered from alcoholism for years, died of cirrhosis of the liver at the age of 30. Bad news continued for John Adams as he learned in early December that his attempt to gain a second term as president had been thwarted. On Christmas Eve 1800 a Washington, D.C., newspaper, the National Intelligencer and Washington Advertiser, published a front-page article showing that two candidates, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, would surely place ahead of Adams. The election of 1800 was eventually decided by balloting in the House of Representatives when Jefferson and Burr became locked in a tie in the electoral college. Despite this cascade of bad news, it is believed that John and Abigail Adams held a small Christmas celebration for a four-year-old granddaughter. And other children of official Washington may have been invited. A week later, Adams began the tradition of holding an open house on New Years Day. That practice continued well into the 20th century.

Manuscript Draft and Proposal Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Manuscript Draft and Proposal - Coursework Example Performance Appraisal: A Workplace Dilemma All across the country supervisors have been evaluating their employees on a regular basis. These evaluations often become ground or justification for granting a raise, promotion, retention, or even termination. In the case of termination, or denial of promotion, objectivity becomes of paramount importance. Performance appraisals or evaluations are crucial element of the maintenance function of human resources management. Through it, the employee should receive one’s due share of benefits in terms of remuneration, rewards and sanctions, psychological motivation, wholesome and safe working environment, among others. Performance appraisals are supposed to encourage continuance and stability, not only of the workers, but also of managerial personnel from the frontline to top management. The paper aims to examine and evaluate various practices and policies on performance appraisal systems and procedures as revealed by diverse authors whose researches have been published in peer reviewed academic journals. Likewise, the discourse hereby aims to proffer relevant issues that emerge on performance appraisal as a relevant organizational concern affecting both managers and employees. Diverse peer reviewed academic journals in the area of public personnel management and administration were evaluated in terms of determining parallel issues on the dilemma faced by both supervisors and employees when subjected to the process of performance evaluation. The preparation for the paper required significant reviews, analysis and evaluation of diverse secondary information on performance appraisals in public organizations. The results of reviewing academic journals on the subject are proposed to be presented in the following structure: a presentation of the major dilemma on performance evaluation as seen from two points of views: that of the employees being evaluated, and from the perspective of the managers or supervisors doing the ratings. Concurrently, there were studies that indicate a significant impact of receiving low ratings on employees in terms of future career plans and paths that employees choose to take and the effects on alternative decisions that face the emp loyees: the decision to leave; to seek reform; to stick with the organization; to drop out, or wait for better opportunities. Other relevant concerns such as the benefits of

Health Care Reform Explained Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Health Care Reform Explained - Coursework Example This way, the government foresees the rise of insurance companies a feature that will enhance competition in the industry thereby improving the quality of the overages and the number of insured Americans. Exchange programs will enable citizens to change their insurance services providers in case they change location throughout the country. Furthermore, the law will discourage insurance companies from failing to insure children with preexisting medical conditions such as asthma among others (United States, 2011). Among the groups of people the act will affect are medical practitioners, employers and the government (Barr, 2011). Medical practitioners are likely to experience an increase in the number of patients. As such, the law promises to better their working condition and improve their pay thereby motivating them to work harder. Employers will have to insure their employees. Insurance is always a costly affair and most employers prefer it when their employees insure themselves. With the new law, the government will provide incentives and grants to insurance service providers and tax incentives to employers thereby ensuring that they benefit when they insure their employees. The federal government on the other hand will have to increase its expenditure in order to ensure the success of the law. United States. (2011).  The consequences of Obamacare: Impact on Medicaid and state health care reform : hearing before the Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives, One Hundred Twelfth Congress, first session, March 1, 2011. Washington: U.S.

How Professionals Think in Action Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

How Professionals Think in Action - Essay Example Usher et. al. (1997: 143) sum up well the crisis he identifies. The model suggests that learning occurs through reflective responses to the problems of the practice itself; reflection in and on practice creates knowledge. To understand we divide the concept into two parts, viz. professional knowledge and reflection in action and secondly, professional context for reflection in action. Considering professional knowledge and reflection in action first we question the rights and freedoms of professionals; who and to what extent license has been given to them to determine who shall be allowed to practice, their mandate for social control, and their autonomy are also to be questioned deeply and their professional claim to extraordinary knowledge in matters of human importance. Today many professions are facing the crisis of confidence in the professions, leading perhaps to the downfall and also the decline in professional self-image, has resulted in a growing skepticism about professional effectiveness in the larger sense, a skeptical reassessment of the professionals actual contribution to societys well-being through the delivery of competent services based on special knowledge. All the problems are linked and interconnected, environments are turbulent and constantly changing, and the future is indeterminate just in so far as managers can shape it by their actions. Under these conditions what needs to be done is an important question. It is not only the analytic techniques which have been traditional in operations research, but the active, synthetic skill of "designing a desirable future and inventing ways of bringing it about." (Ackoff, 1979) The unique case calls for an art of practice which "might be taught, if it were constant and known, but it is not constant." This leads to a dilemma faced by the practitioners; these practitioners are therefore frequently embroiled in conflicts of values, goals, purposes and interests. Thus, emerging are the competing views of professional practice and therefore, competing images of the professional role, the central values of the profession, the relevant knowledge and skills have come into good currency. According to Edgar Schein, there are three components to professional knowledge; which include an underlying discipline or basic science component upon which the practice rests or from which it is developed, an applied science or "engineering" component from which many of the day-to-day diagnostic procedures and problem-solutions are derived and lastly, the skills and the attitudinal component that concerns the actual performance of services to the client, using the underlying basic and applied knowledge. (24, Schein: Professional Education, 1973) Hence, we see that the researcher's role is distinct from, and usually considered superior to, the role of the practitioner. The perspective of Technical Rationality holds that professional practice is a process of problem solving. These problems of choice or selecting a decision are solved through the selection, from available options and means, and based on which one is the best suited to establish ends. But there is always an increased emphasis on problem solving, and thus problem setting to a large extent is ignored, the process by which we define the decision to be made, the ends to be achieved, the means which may be chosen. In real-world practice, problems do not present themselves to the practitioner as given. The problems must be constructed from the

Quality assurance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Quality assurance - Assignment Example In the leadership, this serves as the head to a functioning body. The head houses the brain that guides the body’s processes through the brain. This is the same as the company in which its functions are all linked by the leadership or head office. Without this, there is a high chance of chaos and as such products being produced will be substandard. Sub-Standard material doesn’t attract customers and the lower the number the customers, the lower the profit made. Leadership and customers and production quality are all connected, and thus leaders should be carefully chosen (Bounds, 2004; 45). While a company should be able to produce good material remember well is the enemy of great. In order to get to a great one should be able to improve one’s good level and make it better by the day. The customer as well as the leadership will be able to note this in terms of the output. The production in the end is not the only way improvement will be noted. The workers too will be able to note the improvement of the company in terms of the environment. This attracts more customers to the organization, hence profiting the company. In management, there are various roles that ensure a company goes in the right direction. The position limits of the workers make sure that the workers do not interfere in the others work. How does this make effective quality assurance possible? It enables specialization, and specialization produces better products when each producer in a line of production processes makes sure their process is fully mastered and understood (Hakes, 2011; 34). This brings the end product as a high-quality product that a customer is happy to use. This ultimately brings the customer back and thus the act of loyal customers who are satisfied from the work done. The other role is that the role of team-play comes in the picture, and this enables the group to work cohesively. This action of team-play allows for contribution of effective quality

Planet of Slums Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Planet of Slums - Essay Example The purpose of the report is to provide detailed analysis on reflection of the author on global slums and its ecological, economic, political and social consequences of urban poverty and the roots of slums in the post-modern time. The ambitious book of Mike Davies portrays a massive humanity exiled from the official economy of world and warehoused in shantytowns.The author discovers the future of an explosively unbalanced and radically incapable urban world. The rise of informal urban proletariat is also argued by Mike Davis. The author provides a global discussion about different aspects of slums. He also discuss about the diversity and necessity of housing across diverse lives of people. A number of different property arrangement and tenure in slums are also discussed in the book. The key objective of the book is to provide knowledge to readers about the transformation and growth of slums across the world. The major upheavals industrialization and imperialism are echoed by the contemporary third world urban poor. The core of the book resembled the painful moments due to industrialization in terms of conditions of living. The main argument presented by author is about negative aspects and roots of global slums. At start, the rising mega slums are being neglected by Davis from core program of political considerations. But, it can be realized from latter part of the book that author tries to provide vivid description of the cause of urban poverty on global scale. The author is looking in case of historical context and global scale rather than existing conditions and local governments (Davis 38). The influential book of Mike Davis is on the enormous growth of settlements all over the world. The overall purpose of the book is to provide a statement to the people that they are a planet of slums.The values of Davis is to provide statistical data and effective detailed analyzed work which can help readers to

Quality assurance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Quality assurance - Assignment Example In the leadership, this serves as the head to a functioning body. The head houses the brain that guides the body’s processes through the brain. This is the same as the company in which its functions are all linked by the leadership or head office. Without this, there is a high chance of chaos and as such products being produced will be substandard. Sub-Standard material doesn’t attract customers and the lower the number the customers, the lower the profit made. Leadership and customers and production quality are all connected, and thus leaders should be carefully chosen (Bounds, 2004; 45). While a company should be able to produce good material remember well is the enemy of great. In order to get to a great one should be able to improve one’s good level and make it better by the day. The customer as well as the leadership will be able to note this in terms of the output. The production in the end is not the only way improvement will be noted. The workers too will be able to note the improvement of the company in terms of the environment. This attracts more customers to the organization, hence profiting the company. In management, there are various roles that ensure a company goes in the right direction. The position limits of the workers make sure that the workers do not interfere in the others work. How does this make effective quality assurance possible? It enables specialization, and specialization produces better products when each producer in a line of production processes makes sure their process is fully mastered and understood (Hakes, 2011; 34). This brings the end product as a high-quality product that a customer is happy to use. This ultimately brings the customer back and thus the act of loyal customers who are satisfied from the work done. The other role is that the role of team-play comes in the picture, and this enables the group to work cohesively. This action of team-play allows for contribution of effective quality

Cost Control Methods of a Food Service Restaurant Research Paper

Cost Control Methods of a Food Service Restaurant - Research Paper Example When one enters the premises, one is likely to get impressed by its tropical outlook as well as the way the tables are arranged. The restaurant prides itself in the cocktails it serves as these come in large quantities and often cause visitors to try out the establishment in the first place. It also serves traditional dishes like the paella, which has shrimp, clams and mussels; the Cuban sandwich is also another star item on their menu. These food items have not garnered raving reviews from patrons as some feel that the drinks are watered-down and the sandwiches are highly defective (Doss 2). However, what is clear is that most of the clients value the convenience of the location as many of them are new to South Beach and would not wish to look around for other eateries. The Daily Meal classifies this business as the worst restaurant in America and several customers agree with the assessment as seen through their Yelp reviews. Most of the competitors are located along the same area; that is, Ocean Drive with Las Olas Cafà © being one of the more formidable players in the business. They also sell Cuban sandwiches like Colony Cafà © but make them in the proper way thus earning a steady stream of clients in the Miami Beach area. However, other restaurants in Ocean Drive have relatively poor customer reviews; Van Dyke’s Cafe and Dà ©jà   Vu restaurant are all within the same vicinity but are guilty of low-quality service as well. In fact, many reviewers claim that the entire Ocean Drive area is an amalgam of poorly-management restaurants. The area has lowered the bar for fine restaurant dining, and left many clients yearning for more; some believe that they have to visit neighboring Puerto Sagua to find decent food establishments. Colony Cafà © suffers from a serious publicity problem; being branded as America’s worst restaurant is the last thing a business owner wants. The most commonly identified issue among customers is exorbitant pricing;

Decision making Essay Example for Free

Decision making Essay My personal ethics development has been a process and it has changed over the years from people influencing me and myself maturing. As a child, I was raised well by my mother who always taught me to do the right thing when no one was looking. She always made sure I respected my elders and had good manners. I went to a Catholic school when I was in grade school and high school. My family and I would go to church every Sunday and have dinner together every night. My family always taught me to have good values and morals, to be a part of the community in a productive way. The people that raised me in my earlier life played a huge importance on the man I have become. At this point of my life ,I thought my compass was true north as we heard Mr. O’Rourke talk about in the video lecture. I had strong values at all times or at least I thought I did. As my life went on I realized that my compass was north ,but it wasnt true north. I still had room to grow and become more mature in my decision-making. Sometimes it can be very hard to judge how ethic you are like a person because you are judging yourself. I graduated high school and soon after that I decided that I was going to join the Army instead of going to college. I was 19 years old when I joined the United States Army and enlisted for four years. The minute I arrived to boot camp I was introduced to the seven Army values which are loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. We had to memorize these army values ,as well as The Soldiers Creed and Warrior ethos. The warrior ethos is, I will always place the mission first, I will never quit, I will never accept defeat, and I will never leave a fallen comrade. Every morning we would stand information and have to repeat these creeds and Army values as a group. At the time ,I did not understand why it was suppose important memorize all these things. They would make us do team building exercises, where you would have to trust your fellow Soldiers. Then the next six years of my life will change how I looked at my moral decision making for the rest of my life. I went to Iraq when I was 20 for a 15-month tour and came back 22 years old. Within those six years ,I deployed to Iraq three deferent times for a total of 33 months. While you are deployed in a war situation you will be faced with unethical decisions on a daily basis this is where you got to separate your religious and personal ethics with your jobs ethics. Sometimes you need to make a decision based on a duty-based principal, were right and wrong is determined by an outside source. You do things you don’t necessarily believe in ,but its for the better of the workplace, work or in this case for the Army. I look back to the days of basic training and throughout the nine years I have been in the Army and I realize why the Army puts so must stress on values. We have classes all the time on ethics, decision-making and critical thinking. The Army prepares you for the hard decisions you are going to have to make with using sound judgment and values. All the training I received from the Army and them instilling values and standards in my brain helped me to always make ethical decisions in the most distraught instances. It helped me that I was raised with good ethics, morals, and values. It made the transition in the Army easier for myself than some of the other Soldiers. The Army is a perfect example of just because you were raised with bad ethics or values do not mean that you will always live that way. People are brought in from all over the world and have to work with each other on a daily basis and trust each other. The Army will teach you how to have good ethics and values. I see people change all the time over the course of time. They will make you have a role model character once they make you believe in the values and ethics. I am not saying everyone will change or will be able to change but if a person truly wants to change they can change with strong leaders in place with good characters. Ethics is crucial in the business world because there is so much room for corruption and misbehavior in the workplace. There is many chances to make unethical decisions in business that is why it is so important to have mandatory training and have people who believe in you work for you. Every company or business needs to come up with some policy such as code to ethics in the workplace environment. Just cause someone grew up a bad apple does not mean that the person is going to be a bad apple there whole life. People who impact them throughout their lives can change them or a certain job with high ethic standards could change their point of view. It could be as simple as one person who influences that person for them to change to the perspective on their ethics. Without ethics in organizations, there would be no sense of trust among employees and as well with customers. You want to know your employees are making ethical decisions because you cannot watch everyone that works for you all the time. You want them to act the same way whether you are in a room with them or a thousand miles away. It is your responsibility as a leader to influence these people and instill these values and ethics in them. You need to make your employees believe in you and your ideas. Throughout my life ,I feel I have had strong morals but many people have influenced me in a positive way. Most people just need positive influences in their life to shape them to have good strong ethics. I was just lucky enough to have these people in my life from an early age and throughout my life. I have never been the person who does things for entitlement-based, I do not find myself making decisions solely on the basis of what is best for myself.

Nikes CSR Policy Ethical Issues and Dilemmas

Nikes CSR Policy Ethical Issues and Dilemmas NIKE – ETHICAL ISSUES AND DILEMMAS INTRODUCTION Nike has been dodging accusations of employing people in the developing and under-developed economies, at low wages and poor working conditions for a considerable period of time. Having tried course correction and public relations as a measure to salvage the bad image generated by the sweatshops that Nike is accused of running, Nike has undertaken massive efforts to overcome these hurdles. Herein we will analyze Nike’s international business operations with a critical eye over the ethical issues and dilemmas that this organization has faced while manufacturing its goods in foreign lands. PROBLEM AREAS There are a number of areas that are seen as weak points or links in this Nike case. We shall first highlight the problem areas and then dive into the ethical theories that are supposed to govern them. According to the Wikipedia dictionary, ethics is defined as a general term for the science of morality.[1] While this branch of study can be further sub-divided into various categories, we have to remember that what is appropriate in a given situation may not be so among different circumstances and the decision of right or wrong is relative to its surroundings. Elaborated here are the issues and problems that stand out due to their ethical nature as issues or dilemmas faced by Nike and its operations towards its employees and customers as mentioned in the case study: Poor Working Conditions – In Nike factories, the laborers were provided with poor working conditions that were certainly below the norms accepted in the developed world. While lower standards of living may apply in the countries that have Nike factory contracts, the inhumanity of these conditions drives attention to Nike’s responsibility towards its employees. Considerable overtime and long working hours had to be endured by Nike employees desperate to remain employed in their country. An example states that Nike factory workers in Korea had to work for seventeen straight hours in silence. This indicates almost barbaric behavior on Nike’s part towards workers in these conditions. Low Wages – Nike contracts with companies to do all of their manufacturing in developing or under-developed countries. While the wage levels there are lower than the ones in developed nations, Nike still fails to employ people at a rate that can sustain their basic needs. The wages provided are much lower than the wages needed and as such cheap labor is thoroughly exploited. Nike has attempted at correcting the problem and employing people at a rate at least equal to the minimum wages prescribed in the country. Child Labor – Child labor laws in many countries are overlooked by Nike and children as young as 12 and 13 years of age are made to work long hours and treacherous conditions. Nike has taken steps to meet the starting age limit subsequently. Operations in Countries with Union Restrictions – Nike has been known to set manufacturing efforts in countries like Indonesia and China that prohibit union operations. This leads to lack of revolt and protests that leave the employees with little choice regarding work conditions and wages. Ethically, it is hard to argue against these countries as their laws do not have provisions for employment governance. In fact these countries often do not have minimum wage requirements and abundant labor is put to use by companies like Nike for the absolute minimum. Expensive Endorsements – While Nike has been continuously targeted by human rights committees, they have unceasingly maintained a high profile image by getting celebrities like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods to endorse their products. Over five years, Tiger Woods is expected to earn 80-90 million US dollars of Nike money.[2] Ethically it would have been more beneficial to engage a part of that money in Nike factory and employee enrichment. Expensive Products – Nike sells its products at steep prices, while we all know that the products are manufactured in contracted factories on foreign lands for low costs. The cost of production being low leads Nike to generate massive profits from the sales revenues. Cover-up Public Relations Efforts – Being involved in child labor initiatives was undertaken by Nike to handle the issue at large and also to rectify the public relations pitch for Nike. The actual problem is being pointed out as adequate wages problem as opposed to the child labor initiatives that seem like a cover up for the bigger issues plaguing Nike. Lack of Development Work at Factory Locations – While one constantly hears stories of sweatshops and defense by Nike regarding its work force problems, one rarely hears of philanthropic activities adopted by Nike in the area of the factory location. For example, at Hershey, PA one hears of the development the company Hershey’s has done for the community. Likewise it reflects as selfish behavior from Nike in not supporting the causes faced by the community occupying Nike’s workforce. Health Hazards in Factories – Skin and breathing problems are observed in factories that makes Nike products. Nike has to make sure that it performs by the standards set by OSHO in protecting employees from hazardous chemicals and processes in the manufacturing cycle. ETHICAL THEORIES Ethical theories can help rationalize certain decisions that Nike has made as a company and highlight the issues pertaining to its followed consequences. Let us now examine some ethics theories and observe the case of Nike in this light.[3] Egoism – This theory states that individuals or corporations have a right to guide their conduct placing ones own interest foremost in rational decisions. Through this theory one can justify the placement of profits or revenue generation as the high attained goal of an entity. In this regards Nike has played to the theory as far as possible. They have not only conducted manufacturing with cheap labor but also ensured that the factories do not earn even a little extra than they were supposed to. This theory states that every person that promotes self interest bring about social good. In this context we could see that while the founder of Nike, Phil Knight performed with self interest in mind, he was propelling Nike ahead by huge proportions. Doing so, he did manage to bring about the rise of one of the most well known brands in the world today. Social Group Perspective – It is not only self that determines all decisions but the surrounding that forms the social group under which the individual or company resides. It is the norm or standard in social groups wherein an entity can determine the wrong or right in that particular case. For Nike this social group has become a collection of customers, shareholders, employees, foreign contractors and others. The perception of right and wrong is determined by these social groups that operate differently in different places. For example, while the minimum wage in Indonesia, Korea and China may be less that that in the United States of America, the standard of living there will meet the minimum wage requirements and Nike has to ensure that they abide by that. Cultural Relativism – Every country has its unique culture that accompanies it. For Nike, a company that has a presence in many countries in the world, minding the cultural relevance can prove to be an effective means to growth. For example, while bribes are seen as a cultural norm in some countries, they are seen as unlawful in certain other countries. Society as a whole in certain countries is known to consider bribes as a normal occurrence, which for some countries is a crime. This culture makes or breaks certain laws in place and as long as Nike abides by these laws, in the respective country, and at the same time minds its home country standards, controversy for Nike will be minimized. Utilitarianism – This theory works under the premise that the greatest good is for the greatest number. Herein it is the majority that counts above anything else. If only a few elements of the entity think that the decision is wrong, the decisions must be right which is what is said by the majority. In the case of Nike, the decisions that were enforced by the majority are responsible for the sustained controversy surrounding it. The board obviously took certain steps in clearing the controversies that have affected the company. Since these decisions are taken with the view of the company good in mind, with the majority of the people agreeing to it, the decision must be seemed as right. Deontological Perspective – This view goes by the saying ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ The duty to make this world a better place is a duty that one has to take upon themselves, besides following certain obligations. For example, telling the truth is an obligation and that is seen as ‘right.’ In the same way for corporations, it is the giving back in return concept that needs to be perfected. The corporation is obliged to provide a good product and it is entitled to bring positive changes to its constituents. Values Clarification[4] This ethical theory expects that one is familiar with ones own views, reasoning and rationale. It is for this reason that companies try to build cultures within the organization in the same way that Nike has evolved its corporate culture. Nike’s branding, products and apparel indicate its image and success. ETHICAL DILEMMAS Nike has faced ethical dilemmas in operations and manufacturing for a while now. The definition of ethical dilemma states that it is a situation wherein exists conflicts between moral imperatives and choosing one situation consequence over another can lead to compromising of what also seemed like a viable solution in the situation[5]. Let us go over the ethical dilemmas that Nike has faced over its functioning. Manufacturing Ownership – Nike chooses to contract its manufacturing to factories in foreign lands where the wages and conditions do not meet developed nation’s standards. Yet they have their products made there at low costs after enforcing their product controls. While they could manufacture these products in the United States of America, profitability of these products wins over providing the home country with employment and opportunities in the manufacturing segment. Advertising Budgets – Nike has endorsed many athletes and celebrities like Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan paying them exorbitant amounts of money. While the brand has succeeded in maintaining an image of athleticism, it has compromised on how the money could have been used to better serve the country where they have their factories. Public Relations – Nike has had to go lengths to protect its public image and had to employ many legal experts and public relations individuals. The dilemma occurs when Nike may have to admit to its mistakes but doing so would cost them greatly, hence the truth may have to be manipulated and then disclosed, which does not conform to ethical standards. Employee Enrichment – With the profits that Nike generated from manufacturing products in foreign countries at low costs, a dilemma in front of them can arise from the fact that even if the country’s wage and standards are met they fall way below the US standards. While Nike can invest in employee welfare, it is not a norm in the country that runs their factories. Besides a lot of these factories are contracted to do Nike manufacturing and Nike as such is not obligated to conduct factory and employee welfare. CONCLUSION While Nike has faced severe criticism due to its manufacturing decisions, it as a brand and product has fought and sustained its success. Ethics experts will continue to question Nike in unfavorable ways, however when we apply the ethical theories that have relevance in the business world, we observe that Nike does its best to meet the requirements. This is especially evident when Nike made decisions to conduct independent audits and engage in human rights activities. On the other hand Nike faces ethical dilemmas due to its operations and these dilemmas will continue to exist in the world economy. Nike has gone with the route of foreign contracting in its earlier phase and has received tremendous criticism through it. Faced with its plenty of ethical dilemmas, Nike has managed to sustain the product, develop new products and continue to be a force to reckon with as a consumer brand. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics [2] http://www.golftoday.co.uk/news/yeartodate/news99/woods12.html [3] http://www.mgmtguru.com/mgt499/TN2_PAGE3.htm [4]http://64.233.187.104/search?q=cache:ofLIUDDIiW0J:jan.ucc.nau.edu/~dgs2/theories.pdf+theories+in+ethicshl=en [5] www.ethicsscoreboard.com

Karl Marx’s Views on Family Ethics Essay -- Karl Marx Communist Manife

Karl Marx’s Views on Family Ethics Karl Marx and Frederick Engels Karl Marx devoted much of his time to the study of morality, better known as ethics. Karl Marx was a firm believer in Communism and he authored the Communist Manifesto, along with Frederick Engels. Family ethics is an issue dealt with by Karl Marx in his teachings and writings. According to Marx and his co-author, Engels, morality is the slave of interest. Moral codes and ethics are believed to be dependent on the person and relative to the social setting.[1] Ethics are discussed on a philosophical level and also in everyday controversial topic discussions or debates. Marx was a huge supporter of freedom and believed that freedom was a result of the Communist party and its beliefs. Karl Marx had little faith in the future of Capitalism and the system of Monarchy, and he believed that once these two ideas of politics were eliminated, Communism would move in and replace the wrong thoughts instilled with Capitalism and Monarchy, and provide the world with sense and reason. Stating his feelings clearly in the Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx noted that the selling point in the economy should be the people themselves, not the working labor, money, or rent from the property.[2] To supplement these theories, Marx proposes an end to the problem of men and their activities, which is to direct men’s attention on the economy so that there could be prevailing freedom. There are some discrepancies in Marx’s theories, like the question of what else has an impact on freedom. There are other issues, but the issue remains that peo ple are unaware if freedom ethics applies to all people and how it affects the modern society. ... ...roposal for the world and Communism was too far-fetched and would not work. Every time there has been a push towards Communism, it has always failed. There have been several unsuccessful attempts, all ending in a problematic dictatorship. While he did realize freedom was a major issue, he lacked in knowledge that family life was also significant. Notes [1] Kamenka, Eugene. Marxism and Ethics. New York: W.D. Hudson, 1969 - Pg. 4. [2] Kamenka, Eugene. Pg. 13. [3] Heyer, Paul. Nature, Human Nature, and Society. Greenwood Press, 1982 – Pg.126. [4] Heyer, Paul. Pg. 125. [5] Heyer, Paul. Pg. 127 [6] Kamenka, Eugene. Pg. 26. [7] Kamenka, Eugene. Pg. 49. [8] Kamenka, Eugene. Pg. 51. [9] Koren, Henry. Marx and the Authentic Man. Pittsburgh, PA, 1967 – Pg. 33. [10] Koren, Henry. Pg. 67. [11] Koren, Henry. Pg. 68.

Physical Therapy Essay

The profession of physical therapy intrigues me mainly because physical therapy has had a positive impact on my life and I want to be able to have a positive impact on others. Over the years I have had my fair share of injuries and have been fortunate enough to have a physical therapist work on me. The fact that my physical therapist was able to minimize my pain and expedite my recovery made me extremely appreciative of the profession. Physical therapy is an essential part of athletics, which is a large part of my life, and greatly benefits the sports world. Without physical therapists injuries would be much more detrimental and would therefore decrease the attractiveness of competing in a sport. In addition, I would love to work in a professional field pertaining to sports because they have had such a large impact on my life and have shaped who I am today. Physical therapy has many benefits outside of sports as well, including general physical activity. I lead a very active lifestyle and can’t imagine life without physical activity due to an injury, disease or illness. By providing rehabilitative care for individuals of all activity levels physical therapists allow them the freedom to be physically active. I believe that in order to live life to the fullest, your body needs to be able to take you wherever you want to go. I can’t think of a better profession than having a beneficial impact on others lives and helping them enjoy their lives. In addition to these personal reasons there are outside factors that also make the physical therapy profession appealing. Once you begin working, your job security increases greatly because injuries, illnesses and diseases will always be prevalent in society. This is very comforting to have the peace of mind that you won’t be replaced and it allows you to enjoy your job more. Also, most physical therapists work regular hours, which allows you to enjoy your time off work and not be worried about getting called in. Finally, I know multiple people that are either physical therapists, clinic owners, or even still students that couldn’t be happier with the decision they made to work in the field of physical therapy. The benefits of physical therapy on physical activity are immense and essential to people’s health. Overall, physical therapy impacts the general health of people in countless ways. Without physical therapy and  rehabilitative care, injuries, illnesses and diseases could be catastrophic to a person’s physical activity level. Physical therapists provide care that allows individuals to perform necessary daily tasks and carry out actions that improve their quality of life. In addition to general health and daily activity, physical therapy greatly benefits athletics. If athletes didn’t receive care after an injury, their healing time would increase dramatically. By providing specialized care, physical therapists help athletes return to play. This, in turn, keeps the sports industry running properly as the top athletes are able to perform and provide entertainment. Lastly, physical therapy benefits physical activity teaching proper form for activity, which helps prevent future injuries. By providing people with the knowledge necessary to live a physically active life, physical therapists greatly benefit physical activity. In order to be able to contribute to the career of physical therapy, I need to first fully understand what the profession entails. By gathering as much knowledge as possible about physical therapy, I will have the tools needed to be a great therapist and contribute to the career. To positively impact physical therapy, I would first need to practice professionally, which reflects positively on physical therapy as a whole. I believe it would be extremely beneficial to athletes to learn proper technique for physical activities. One contribution I would do my best to make happen would be providing a camp for sports teams that educate young athletes on form and injury prevention. I wish someone had taught me how to prevent injuries because I spent very little time being 100% healthy. Also, by specializing in a certain area of physical therapy I would have the knowledge necessary to create new treatments and exercises to maximize the benefit of therapy. Finally, I would also love to own a clinic, which would have a immense impact on my patients and physical therapy as a profession. The first person I interviewed was a woman. She is a physical therapist at a clinic in Truckee, CA where I’m from. She received her Bachelors degree from UC Santa Barbara and her Masters degree from Chapman. I chose to interview her because she helped out with the local high school teams, almost like a trainer, but also because I was curious to see what it’s like to work in a clinic. Over the years I’ve had my share of injuries so I’ve gotten to know  her pretty well. She turned me on to physical therapy related professions because she has helped me rehab my more serious injuries and she has done a lot of athletic training type work for me during soccer. I interviewed her because I wanted her opinion on physical therapy versus athletic training since she does both. My second interview was with a man who is a recent graduate of the kinesiology program Saint Mary’s. He received his Master’s degree in Kinesiology, but still wasn’t exactly sure what profession he wanted to be in. He said that Kinesiology is a very versatile major and that you can do a lot of different careers with it. He recommended that I continue on the path of Kinesiology because he hasn’t even figured out what he wants to do yet, but he still has options to choose from. His final advice to me was to do everything to the best of my potential and the rest will come to you. In conclusion, physical therapy is a career I could definitely see myself pursuing because of the countless benefits that come with the career. As a physical therapist I would strive to provide the best care for each of my patients in hopes that I would have a positive impact on their lives. Physical therapy is an essential health care profession and I am very interested in becoming a part of it. References â€Å"Kinesiology Interview.† Scott Eberhardt. Personal interview. 27 Mar. 2014. â€Å"Physical Therapy Interview.† Joanna McMullen. Personal interview. 27 Mar. 2014.

Dance Critique Essay

Late last Saturday day night, on April 14,2012, I attended the very first dance concert at John Anthony Theater at Collin College Spring Creek Campus. This concert was performed by Collin Dance Ensemble, which is a vibrant company that performs innovative contemporary modern dance. Their goal is to produce dance works at the highest level of artistic excellence. The dance company attends and performs at the American College Dance Festival annually and has been selected for the Gala Performance at the regional festivals sevens times. At 7:30 pm, people started walking in to the theater, just a few minutes after, the audience seats filled with the crowed people who come to support the dancer, or maybe interested in dance performance, and mostly have â€Å"dance appreciation fever† like me. After the introduction of director, all the lights dimed down and the curtain slide up. The light focuses in the middle of the proscenium stage where there are group of seven dancers sat down in the middle of the stage ready to perform. They started it off with the piece called Friendships that was choreographer by the Chair of Dance Department and also a director of Collin Dance Ensemble, Tiffanee Arnold. Under the direction of Tiffanee Arnold, Collin College’s Dance Program has gained the reputation for excellence in dance education, choreography and performance. Music is Sinking Friendships by Jonsi, this piece was kind of bored to me as an unprofessional audience to really understand the concept of every part o f the story they tried to tell. Not very clear, but I can point out some of the movement of the dancer described the image of friendships such as holding hands and dance in circle as a group. And it was ballet so I’m not very interested. Outside topic, the theater was freezing cold. I try to concentrate to the performance to forget the coldness. The Time Between choreography by Reyna Mondragon is one of my favorite piece of the show. There were many of interesting parts, there were people ran across the stage back and forth while few others were illustrated the movement of time. The dance used running motion to create tick tick tick moves, it looked kind of cool to demonstrate the clock ticking. Through the  music by Clint DiFranco, Welcome to Lunar Industries, this piece is very modern. I love how to change the speed now and then during the performance. They just went freestyle in the climax of the song; there were a lot of running and walking movements, jumping, exciting and then they cut it out the slow motion dance with rhythm and powerful moves. People still ran across the stage, in my opinion they say that does not matter what’s going around you, time keeps running and life goes on. So far that night, one bored me and one got my attention to the show. Here comes the solo of Jake Harkey, the only male student in the group, performed Unseen Injuries by Tiffanee Arnold. This dance is in support of Collin College’s Center for Scholarly and Civic Engagement Book-In-Common: Soft Spots by Clint Van Winkle. And also it was inspired by several passages in the book, in particular: â€Å"But nobody talks about the mental wounds. It is the unseen injury that slips through the cracks, leads people to drinking, puts pressure on spouses, and causes healthy men to call the fire department for host symptoms. You are suppose to about-face and forward-march, forget about the war as soon as you get home, take 800 mg of Motrin and carry on like nothing ever happened. But how was I supposed to let go when I was reliving it every day?† (p.137; C. Van Winkle). One soldier, one person stood still in the middle of the stage. He was on the basic training clothes letting all the extensive madness out of his head. He raised the hands to try to reach out a reality of peace. Sometimes, he look back at what he had done as a soldier and all the images of war come back in his mind. The stress out anger movement was dynamic with the vocal sound. I can feel the pain through what he wanted to tell. He used wide range of space to show the falling and depression. He nailed the part wonderful as a college student. The one-foot stand come up to me as unbalance mind of a soldier in the war. Growing up in a country had a long history of fighting in war, I learn and see a lot about the soldier that come back from the war through real life and books. I can see in them not only the physical pain they had been through but also the spiritual scar that the war had impacted in them. I think that is why this piece Unseen Injuries gets my intention the most. The obsession will follow  them for the rest of their life. Narrative modern dance described the feeling of those soldier had been yearly in war. The performer was success to send out emotion of a soldier after war. It would seem sadly they are often overlooked impacting not only the injured but their friends, families and wider communities. Those with psychological trauma can go undetected and it can be years before medical treatment is sought. Tiffanee has a great choice on music of Message in a Bottle: Nancy’s Letter. Farewell Nancy by Ed Harcourt is very romantic and particular fit in the motif of this dance. I see a lot of dancing on ground level to create the sea scene. Soft and flexible are the word to describe their actions. The music inspired me to more focus on the dance. It represents the emotion of the main character want to see her lover so badly in distance relationship. And she also is a quite entertainer with piece Can’t Shake It. It got people excitement by their funky dance moves on those fluffy dresses. The audiences included myself were very enjoyable in this song. They showed that they couldn’t shake most part of their body from their trunk to head. Shame face and frustrated movements revealed to be ashamed part of their body couldn’t be shake. I think the dancer also enjoy themselves in such a piece. The performer are all college student so they were bit lack of perfection timing with each other and the steady movements which required in most ballet pieces. They were connected to the audience strongly in Scars, strong movements and ran toward downstage at the end. I would they were success to give out the message of each piece to me as the audience. Just a few was kind of bitter to figure out. I was born in 90s so ballet and jazz were not my type of entertaining dance. It is little bit far from my generation. But modern is more enjoyable to me. I like to move fast with rhythm especially hit all the beat of the music is way cooler. I don’t know any of Jazz moves in there cause I cannot tell. One thing I saw a lot that the modern and ballet, those dancers use many of motif manipulations such as incorporative with the turn and jump, repetition, levels (ground, middle, high jump),  rhythm was actually the part that I pay attention the most. Overall the concert was very great to me. Couple piece I did not understand what they try to say at all or I just did not be interested. Through all pieces by Tiffanee Arnold, I see that her choreography always tell a story along the dance. There is always something meaningful and deep down inside the performance that she wants the audience to see the piece and later on cautious thinking the background story.

Persuasive essay on school uniforms Essay

Nearly all students do not support school uniforms; however they do not know the benefits in wearing them. Believe it or not, there are a lot more pros than cons when it comes to wearing school uniforms. First off, school uniforms will develop a better teaching and learning environment. They will also save families a good deal of money. And lastly, school uniforms will eliminate a lot of bulling and labeling. A school would be a better place, for teachers and students, if school uniforms were required. The most important benefit of school uniforms is the atmosphere it would create. With school uniforms kids couldn’t wear anything outrageous or abstract. This would limit distractions in the classroom, producing a better teaching and learning zone. Also, school uniforms would make for a better student teacher relationship because everyone would be looked at as an equal. Another distraction uniforms could remove is the problem with females wearing reveling clothing. Lastly, a majority of students can take up thirty minutes picking out there clothes for the next day. If uniforms were mandatory that time could be used to do school work or get a better night sleep for the following day. Read more: Should there be school uniforms essay Families would save an unbelievable amount of money from school uniforms. Students wouldn’t have to worry about buying the newest, hippest clothes which cost a fortune. That would save families hundreds of dollars. Sure, kids would still need clothes other than their uniform, but not as many. Families would also be more time efficient with uniforms. One example of this would be a smaller laundry load. In addition, you wouldn’t need to worry about rushing to get something washed for the next day because you already know what you will be wearing. Bulling and labeling would be cut down if school uniforms were accepted by a school system. If uniforms were mandatory everyone would be equal and no biases could be set by someone’s apparel. Like wise, students couldn’t label someone as a scrub or high maintenance. When someone gets picked on, it is most likely because they are wearing something that is â€Å"not in† or because they are dressed â€Å"different†. If school uniforms were worn this would be a non-issue. Lastly, you couldn’t be labeled regarding your personal  interests. For example, if you were wearing a band’s tee-shirt or a preppy clothing line. If this wasn’t and concern everyone would be open to each other and groups wouldn’t be made based on what you are wearing. The only reason Student do not wish to wear uniforms is because they only care about looking good. However, they don’t know they can till look good in a school uniforms. Also, much more students would be open to school uniforms if they knew all the success they would get from them. Student and staff would have a much better school year if school uniforms were worn.

Case X Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Case X - Essay Example Udon has none of these. Porter then goes back to her patrol car to call in the license plate. It turns out that the car, while registered to Udon, does not have current tags. Since Udons license plate displayed the current registration tag, Porter surmises, correctly, that Udon has stolen the tag. Porter also finds out that Udon does not have a drivers license, had never possessed a drivers license, and does not have insurance. Porter goes back to the car to talk to Udon, and then, upon coming back to the car, the policewoman notices the smell of alcohol on Udons breath. Therefore, Porter asks Udon to get out of the car so that she can give Udon the field sobriety test. However, Udon refuses, stating that she is pregnant and bleeding and needs to go to the hospital. Porter, having heard similar excuses 100 times a day from people who are trying to get out of a ticket or having to do a field sobriety test, refuses the request and continues to ask Udon to step out of the car so that Udon can take a field sobriety test. Udon continues to refuse, then finally relents. Since Udon was heavily intoxicated, she fails the field sobriety test in spectacular fashion, so Porter handcuffs her and takes her to the station. While in the car, Udon continually states that she is bleeding and needs to go to the hospital. Porter immediately assumes that, even if Udon is bleeding, it is probably because she is on her menstrual cycle and Udon was not to be trusted. After all, Udon gave Porter a false name, was driving in a car that was not registered, was driving intoxicated, and had neither a drivers license nor insurance. There was no reason for Porter to believe Udons story about having a miscarriage and needing to go to the hospital. And, as stated before, people, when pulled over, offer all kinds of excuses as to why they are speeding or why they cannot perform a field sobriety test.

To what extent have OTC derivatives been a major factor in the global Dissertation

To what extent have OTC derivatives been a major factor in the global financial crisis - Dissertation Example (In  his 2002 Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BK) letter to shareholders, company chairman and CEO Warren Buffet) This dissertation paper attempts to explore the extent to which derivatives can be considered to be one of the major factors that have led to the current problems in the global financial sector and looks at what steps can be taken to prevent a crisis on this scale happening again. This shall be on the basis of a review of the available literature. OTC Derivatives and the Global Financial Crisis Table of Contents Abstract Page 2 Table of Contents Page 3 Chapter 1 Introduction Page 4 Chapter 2 Literature Review Page 6 Chapter 3 Research Methods Page 32 Chapter 4 Analysis and discussion of research findings Page 33 Chapter 5 Conclusions and recommendations Page 42 Chapter 1: Introduction Outline the project Aims and objectives Reason for choosing this The research methodology Any limitations of the research The main findings The onset of the Great Recession of 2008 was preceded by a slump in the housing market and a credit crunch that affected the entire economy of the United States. The ensuing financial crisis acquired global dimensions though at first it seemed that the US would be the hardest hit due to the crisis. Even though the US Congress passed the TARP or the Troubled Asset Relief Program to provide assistance to the banks worst hit by the crisis, the recession continued unabated. Further, the crisis itself was thought to have been brought about by a combination of factors that included poor regulatory oversight over the derivatives side of the banking business, predatory lending and the ill effects of well intentioned efforts to spread the risk associated with sub-prime lending across the financial system. This paper looks at the role of derivative instruments and derivative securitization specifically in terms of the effect that they had on the financial system and how unchecked â€Å"gambling† by the banks led to â€Å"casino capitalis m† and the resultant financial crisis that engulfed the entire economy and even other parts of the world. Since the focus of this paper is mainly on the United States and derivatives in particular, the available literature would be surveyed on these aspects. The emphasis throughout the paper would be on a critical analysis of the literature with a questioning attitude that goes beyond a normal review. The aim of this dissertation is to examine the role played by OTC Derivatives in causing the global financial crisis and the continuing aftermath of the crisis. The last part of the sentence above is significant as the derivatives having played a part in exacerbating the crisis have continued to torment the regulators and the investors alike who are yet to tackle the â€Å"volcano of derivatives† which are sitting on top of the financial system. Further, this dissertation also discusses the attempts at regulating the derivatives by the various regulatory agencies involved and the way ahead to avoid a repeat of the crisis that we saw in the winter of 2008. The dissertation is divided into different sections with the literature review and the research findings being the ones with the most emphasis. In addition to these two sections, the research methodology and the conclusions are given due weightage according to the marking criteria for the dissertation. Chapter 2: Literature Review 1.1 Background The global financia