The Traditional Costing Systems Accounting Essay

Activity-based costing emphasizes the demand to obtain a better apprehension of the behaviour of operating expense costs, and therefore ascertains what causes overhead costs and how they relate to merchandises. ABC recognizes that in long tally, most fabrication costs are non fixed, and it seeks to understand the forces that cause overhead costs to alter over clip. ( Colin Drury, 1995 p. 275 ) The definition of accounting supplied by Zlatkovich, et. Al. ( 1966 ) is the procedure of identifying, measurement, and pass oning economic information to license informed opinions and determinations by users of the information. ABC besides can be defined as a method of bing activities that are necessary for the production of merchandises or services ( i.e. activities being undertaken ) ( Dandago, 2003 ) . Whatever the definition of ABC, this method was originally developed by Cooper and Kaplan in 1988 as a solution to the insufficiency of traditional direction accounting techniques that used volume based methods to apportion operating expenses to merchandises. ABC is a method of apportioning overhead costs. Eventhough, it is similar to the direct method of overhead costs allotment found in traditional method, but there are two important different. In the traditional direct method, overhead costs are identified by service and production sections while in ABC operating expense costs are identified by activities which likely non the same as sections. In the traditional direct method, service section costs are allocated straight to production sections and so overhead allotment rates are prepared from these combined costs. Overhead costs are so assigned from the production section cost pool to the merchandises processed through this section. The different with ABC method this intermediate measure has been eliminated. Overhead costs are collected by activity and so straight allocated straight to the merchandise. In traditional method direct, the cost object is the terminal merchandise or service. And the premier costs and production costs are charged straight to merchandise or service whereas non-production costs will non bear down to merchandise or service. There are five ( 5 ) chief advantages of following ABC methods are:Accurate InformationABC offers more accurate estimations. Businesss typically have to compare an point ‘s monetary value and merchandising record to see if it is deserving bring forthing, and one of the benefits of ABC is better analysis of both profitable and non-profitable merchandises. Overhead costs can be a major job with some merchandises, but this method will place the costs and helps cut down operating expense. Directors frequently can work better under this costing method, because they have more accurate information.Accurate Product-Creation CostAnother benefit of ABC method is a more accurate product-creation cost. By following this bing method, analysts can calculate out the per-product cost and, therefore, more realistic prosodies are used for appraisal.Competitive PlacementABC is helpful in choosing which merchandises are profitable and which 1s should be eliminated. If a merchandise is identified a s non-profitable, the concerns seldom continuously sell a merchandise. This is because the ABC method enables the concerns to find more accurate merchandise pricing and therefore competitory placement of the merchandise in the market place.Better Decision MakingSince ABC provide accurate information on costs, more appropriate capital investing determinations can be made as a consequence of better burdening being determined on assorted facets.Future PlaningABC helps the concerns estimates the cost of all activities or processes that associated to future merchandise planning accurately determined before it is launched. This can so assist with finding pricing, and any associated outgo. By implementing ABC method, the concerns besides could place which production line is inefficiently. This enables the concerns to make up one's mind whether to go on the procedure or activity in-house or outsourcing the procedure or activity to 3rd party. Despite the advantages of implementing ABC, the method besides has disadvantages and restriction. The disadvantages of the method are elaborated in the following paragraph.ComplexityThe most obvious disadvantage of ABC is complexness in nature. It prevents the system to widespread into other companies. This ensuing the ABC methods normally remain hard to grok and dearly-won to run. ABC requires direction to non merely estimate the costs of each activities and identify and step the cost drivers for such activities, but besides update the same on a regular footing. This utilise much of the organisation ‘s resources such as direction clip and cost. slide 3 of 6PremisesABC while it institutes a complex methodological analysis to delegate costs to activities, the method remains far from perfect. The major defects include: Certain overhead costs remain impossible to split and apportion on a per-product usage footing. Not all productive activities will add value to merchandises. Most activity based bing methods assign such ‘business prolonging ‘ costs to merchandises on a proportionate footing or based on premises, and this makes the method far from perfect. slide 4 of 6The Big PictureABC places excessively much attending to detail and command on procedures. This causes a terrible restraint in that it obscures the bigger image by doing the organisation to lose sight of strategic long term aims in a pursuit for short term nest eggs. slide 5 of 6Confirmation to StandardsThis method, while supplying for better direction control over the concern procedure, does non conform to by and large recognized accounting rules ( GAAP ) . This means that for the companies that practising GAAP demand to duplicate their attempts by keeping two cost systems and separate accounting books for internal usage and external studies.Replacing ProcedureFinally, ABC method does non replace an bing occupation order or procedure cost system, but instead supplement the same. Indirectly, this will be seen as excess procedure. Eventhough the method has disadvantages ; it has proven that it still taking method to bring forth the most dependable, accurate bing information particularly for fabricating companies today. Although this method may non be easy to implement, since it utilizing activities to follow costs but it provides more accurate information ensuing in better scheme, better planning, and better prediction. However, the most influential facet of ABC is the ability to salvage cost. If company has a more accurate image of costs, so it is in a place to accomplish higher net incomes which straight maximize the stockholder wealth.Case StudiesThe following paragraph discussed on the execution of the ABC method in four ( 4 ) different states with different civilization and industries. The analysis was based on the research documents conducted in these states. The first research paper by Wen-Hsien Tsai and Jui-Ling Hsu. The survey was carried out to analyse the operational costs of a hot spring hostel in the Yang-Ming-Shan country of Taiwan. The ABC method was used to calculate housing, hot spring usage and repast helping costs per client. Based on the consequence of the research, it was reported that the cost of merchandises was lower than utilizing other methods eventhough during winter season. The research worker besides compares the ABC method with the traditional costing method and concludes that the ABC method is practical and appropriate for such a hot spring state hostel and outputs more accurate information for cost direction and pricing determinations. The following research paper was carried out by Ahmet Agca and Ali Cagri Buran in implementing ABC method in Third Party Logistics ( 3PL ) houses at Turkey. This survey was carried out for selected endeavors that are expertise in logistic activities at Turkey. The successful factors for these houses are the service they provide and accommodating their clients to their procedures in an optimum manner. The 3PL houses can plan their services in a two different manner to run into their clients ‘ outlooks i.e. service-oriented and customer-oriented. By following ABC, it shown that either service-oriented or customer-oriented, both theoretical accounts need to find the optimal cost degree for accurate pricing determinations to enable them to find the profitableness of clients or services. Therefore, the bing method they use need to be qualified adequate to run into the demand for accurate cost informations. The houses have found out that, ABC method has proved the optimum method in both state of affairss. As this method allocates costs by the activities ; so, it is the method supplying the most accurate cost informations both in bing logistic activities and finding the costs of clients and services/products. The 3rd research paper was carried out by Francesca Bartolacci for logistic procedure in Italy. In this instance survey, Francesca defined logistics as portion of the supply concatenation procedure that plans, implements and controls the effectual and efficient flow of goods, services and related information from the point of beginning to the point of ingestion. Nowadays, the market really competitory, the merchandises, monetary value and quality are easy imitated and the velocity of the physical and information flows plays a cardinal function for the accomplishment of the company objectives. Excellence client service can be the cardinal component for the company to be at the competitory border and one of the maps evidently plays a critical function in the success or failure of a company is logistic. Eventhough Francesca Bartolacci has identified some disadvantages and drawback in implementing the ABC method in logistic, nevertheless ABC method has references to work out the jobs refering the usage of traditional cost accounting system based on volume and the betterment of concern profitableness. The method provides directors with utile information about labor and other resources, including ingestion for merchandises, consumers and providing channels, taking to the direction and control of the operating expenses nowadays in the company. The analysis besides managed to place the factors that determine the operating expense consumed. By following this method it is possible to do the logistics activities more efficient by extinguishing redundant or unneeded undertakings, and optimizing resource allotments to activities adding more value to the merchandise or client. Other advantage of the method is, ABC permits the planning of more efficient collaborative relationships among the companies in the supply concatenation. Francesca concludes that â€Å" the designation of costs in return influenced allows for a pick of coactions as a method which is more convenient for the whole partnership. Correct information about the differential costs originating from possible change of the coaction relationships aid companies to do those appropriate strategic determinations with their logistics activities. This in bend helps them gain, with other companies, how best to modify the object of the cooperation in order to do the whole supply concatenation more competitory † . The concluding research paper was analysing the consequences of following of ABC methods in service sectors at United State of America by Ashford C. Chea. It was reported that the acceptance of ABC to efficaciously apportion resources and to find monetary values was the primary aim in the instance of a big regional bank. Previously, the bank had no clear manner to be services or find how resources were being consumed by different activities. In add-on, since some of the clients were related parties, the bank wished to demo that the charges being made to them were effort-and-use-based, i.e. , there was a direct correlativity between the nature of service provided and the charge for this service. ABC method assisted the bank to turn to both i.e. internal pricing and strategic pricing. For planetary insurance company, the determination to follow ABC method simply for revenue enhancement intents. The method was adopted to find its allotment methodological analysis for external transportation pricing intents. This is because the company wanted to guarantee that its charges to its abroad affiliates were accurate and defendable to revenue enhancement governments. By following ABC, the company ensured that the services provided to all abroad affiliates were tracked through the ABC systems, ensuing in charges straight related to the economic benefit received by the receiver. As a consequence, the company was able to take down its effectual revenue enhancement rate.DecisionABC was introduced in the 1920 ‘s and over period of clip the method continually bettering. As shown in four ( 4 ) instance surveies, ABC is non merely allow for usage in a fabrication environment ; it is besides reported to be most appropriate for service organisations such as fiscal establishmen ts, the health care industry, and authorities organisations. In fact, some banking and fiscal establishments have been using the construct for old ages under other names. One of them is unit costing, which is used to cipher the cost of banking services by finding the cost and ingestion of each unit of end product of maps required to present the service.

Reminiscences of the Japanese Occupation

In his seventies, Mr Rajoo is my uncle. He showed great enthusiasm and related his experience in Tamil during the 3 hours interview. His accounts shed light on the ways how individuals inject meanings to a particular subject. Background Mr Rajoo was born in 1930. He was the second son in a family of 10 children. His family lived in a village in Sembawang which was near to one of the Naval Base which was owned by the British. When the Japanese invaded Singapore, Rajoo’s family staying in North of Singapore then they moved as far as Tampinese. His family used a bullock cart to transport some of their properties.They stayed away from their home for a year. Then they returned to their village. So he had a chance to witness the Japanese rule in other parts of Singapore as well as his own hometown. The Dark Years of Japanese Occupation The impending presence of the Japanese on Mr Rajoo’s daily life was felt as early as 1941. As a 11 years old boy, his family and he faced seve re shortage of food and other necessities like medical. ( Q1 ) When the British surrendered, they did not want Japanese to enjoy the fruit of their labour. All the rice in the warehouse was sprayed with limestone.As limestone is white, the Japanese did not suspect any foul play by the British . So those who ate the rice had diarrhea . Japanese took over much of the foodstuffs and other goods for the use of their army. Due to the food shortage, essential food stuffs like rice, salt and sugar were controlled. Ration cards which limited the amount of food for each person was given out. ( Q4 ) His family lived on a simple diet and found other food substitutes for those food items which were scarce. Tapioca and sweet potatoes were used as substitutes for rice ( Q3 ) and palm oil or coconut oil was used as cooking oil.Even in schools pupils grew and took care of the vegetable plots. This was the widespread situation in Singapore during the Syonan-To years. Many historians have written abo ut the food scarcity during the Syonan rule. There are a lot of evidence to state that during the Japanese rule, many people suffered from malnutrition and diseases as they did not have well balanced meal. Those taken as prisoners of war also suffered under the iron grip of the Japanese and many died out of malnutrition. Transport during the Japanese reignMr Rajoo recalls bicycles being widely used as mode of transport during the Japanese reign. (Q6) So much so that even after the Japanese surrender, Rajoo and the other villagers working in the Sembawang Shipyard used bicycles as mearns of transport to travel to work. Tri-shaw which consisted of a bicycle with a side-car attached for a fare-paying passenger replaced the former richshaw. He stated that the Japanese bicycles had only thin solid rubber tyres. He also recalls in the interview to have seen a lot of motorcars before the Japanese rule and not during the Syonan-To period.Some historians state that there must have been tens of thousands of vehicles, many new and the majority of the rest in good condition were used by the Japanese. These great fleet of transport fell to the Japanese as booty, when they captured Singapore. However, the lack of spare parts, or technical skill, or both, made the fleet diminish rapidly to a deplorable state so much so that it almost faded by the time the Japanese surrendered. Transport was a big problem for the local people tthroughout the Occupation. (1) The Japanese were in control of the world’s rubber and many oil fields. 2) They forced many motor vehicles to run on coal gases or inferior petrol made from vegetable sources. Public vehicles dwindled and cars ceased to be available for almost all other than Japanese. School Experiences Mr Rajoo recalled how he had to learn Japanese language in his school. He could still recall some Japanese sentences. ( Q5 ) It is remarkable to know that even after 60 years he is able to remember some Japanese sentences. (Q5) All t his had been instilled in the young minds at a very tender impressionable age to gain people’s allegiance .School children were taught to face the direction of Tokyo where the Japan Emperor resided and sing the Japanese Anthem. (Q5 ) So the Japanese tried to influence the school children to become patriotic towards Japan. This is another aspect of their rule where they tried out propagandas. Several historians have concurred the same evidence regarding the Japanese intention to remove the western influence and premote the Japanese culture and values. Japanese lessons were published in the newspapers and broadcast over the radio. In order to encourage people to learn the Japanese language, job privileges and extra allowances were given.Different methods were used to influence the minds of the people in Singapore. Radio stations were controlled by the Japanese and radio sets were sealed so that people could only listen to local broadcasts. Those caught tuning in to foreign broa dcasting stations were severely punished or killed. Through the interview, I realized that Rajoo’s family and the villagers also did not own any radios. They were afraid of being punished. Japanese – The Disciplinarians Tthroughout the Syonan-To rule, the people were constantly living in fear because the Japanese took harsh action to establish control over the people.Those caught looting were shot or beheaded and their heads were displayed at public places. Those who were passing by must witness such a scene if not they will be called back to look directly at the decapitated head. ( Q8 ) Barbed wire was also put up across roads to form roadblocks. The Japanese guards would make the people passing by to bow to them as a sign of respect. Anyone who did not do so would be slapped, killed or punished in some ways. When the children forget to show respect to the Japanese soldiers, these soldiers will use their knuckles to hit on the children’s forehead .Those sthrong men found at home not working will be immediately sent to work. ( Q8 ) Those who were sick should still report to work. They despised men idling. The Japanese Treatment of the 3 main races in Singapore According Mr Rajoo the Chinese suffered the most during the Japanese Occupation. Many Chinese in Singapore had sent money to help China fight Japan. So the Japanese wanted to weed out the anti-Japanese sentiment among the population. They carried out the Sook Ching Operation. They ordered all Chinese men between 18 to 50 years of age to report at the mass screening centers. Then the men will be questioned.The Japanese, however, had no proper way of finding out who were against them. Those who the Japanese thought were against them were taken away in lorries. Thousands of Chinese were taken in this way to Changi Beach or other beaches where they were shot. ( Q7 ) Some Chinese who very desperate to save their lives disguised themselves as Indians or Malays to avoid the scrutiny of the Japanese soldiers. Mr Rajoo recalled that Japanese were not overly suspicious of Indians nor the Malays. However, anybody who were thought to have acted against the Japanese interest were severely dealt with.They will be either punished or killed. (Q7) Japanese role in instigating nationalistic feeling According to Mr Rajoo, the Japanese associated Indians in Singapore with Gandhi and his movement in India. Gandhi was fighting for India’s freedom from the British Colonial power. Japanese told the Indians in Singapore that Japan would help India to get rid of the British rulers. They also wanted all Indians to join the Indian National Army to fight the British in India. Subhas Chandra Bose, the founder of INA was allowed to come to Singapore to collect funds for his establishment.Historical facts also seemed to prove the relevance of his statement. From the interview, Mr Rajoo didn’t portray as someone anti-Japanese. Probably his family and he did not really undergo muc h torture by the Japanese. He definitely seemed to have welcomed the Japanese for one reason. The Light of the South From the interview one would deduce that Mr Rajoo sthrongly feels that the Japanese brought on the nationalistic fervor among the citizens. ( Q9 ) Nationalistic feeling caught onto some people like the forest fire and the thirst for independence was ignited due to Syonan-To.

Arranged Marriage Is Not Relevant in Today’s Society

In an arranged marriage, the choice of a husband or wife is done by parents or the elderly. In this era of science and technology, people doesn’t depends on their families or the elderly anymore. They trust that true love come naturally in their life’s. Arranged marriage is not relevant in today’s society because of several reasons. Firstly, the reason why arranged marriage is done by young adults because of technology in today’s society after merdeka. In new modern, people always with internet , hand phone and television. Nowadays, the internet plays a crucial part in our lives. It is one of the most useful inventions of all time. For example, Facebook, Yahoo Messenger, Twitter and Skype invite us to know people each other from others country compare to the past generations which do know about technology. Thus, the technology plays a major rule in our life’s today. Besides that, educated is one of the reasons why arranged marriage is not relevant in today’s society. This is because, people in this generations have a lot of opportunity to continues their study until university or overseas. They will choose their partner in life which have a good career and high wages. In the past generations, the women of that time have no chance to further their study and have a good life. Therefore, it is undeniable that educated is the reason why arranged marriage is not relevant in today’s society. Apart from that, people like to travel at other country with family or friends to get a new experiences there. For example, people which travel at overseas maybe will like their culture and meets new people from other country. From knowing each other, they might have a relationship with the person they like. The ancients doesn’t have an opportunity to travel because they are lack of money and facilities. Because of that, they just depends on recommendations of their parents to arranged their marriage. In a nutshell, arranged marriage is not relevant in today’s society because of several reasons. In order to gain those benefits, we need to have that advantages. Arranged Marriage Is Not Relevant in Today’s Society In an arranged marriage, the choice of a husband or wife is done by parents or the elderly. In this era of science and technology, people doesn’t depends on their families or the elderly anymore. They trust that true love come naturally in their life’s. Arranged marriage is not relevant in today’s society because of several reasons. Firstly, the reason why arranged marriage is done by young adults because of technology in today’s society after merdeka. In new modern, people always with internet , hand phone and television. Nowadays, the internet plays a crucial part in our lives. It is one of the most useful inventions of all time. For example, Facebook, Yahoo Messenger, Twitter and Skype invite us to know people each other from others country compare to the past generations which do know about technology. Thus, the technology plays a major rule in our life’s today. Besides that, educated is one of the reasons why arranged marriage is not relevant in today’s society. This is because, people in this generations have a lot of opportunity to continues their study until university or overseas. They will choose their partner in life which have a good career and high wages. In the past generations, the women of that time have no chance to further their study and have a good life. Therefore, it is undeniable that educated is the reason why arranged marriage is not relevant in today’s society. Apart from that, people like to travel at other country with family or friends to get a new experiences there. For example, people which travel at overseas maybe will like their culture and meets new people from other country. From knowing each other, they might have a relationship with the person they like. The ancients doesn’t have an opportunity to travel because they are lack of money and facilities. Because of that, they just depends on recommendations of their parents to arranged their marriage. In a nutshell, arranged marriage is not relevant in today’s society because of several reasons. In order to gain those benefits, we need to have that advantages.

You pick title Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

You pick title - Essay Example The word â€Å"republic† is the combination of two Latin words, res meaning â€Å"thing† and publica meaning â€Å"public.† A republic is a form of government whose sole ‘owner’ is the people who form it. Practically speaking, a republic is a political arrangement which does not have a monarch and which has governmental institutions which represent and are accountable to the people. A republic calls upon its citizens to perform duties to it like defense, electoral participation, obedience to the law, and loyalty to its constitution. A republic envisions a society of property-owning men for whom freedom and the pursuit of happiness are defining principles, provided those freedoms and pursuits do not infringe upon those of another. In a republic every citizen enjoys political equality before the law. There are no recognized aristocracies, no ruling classes, and no rights of birth. The government only has the right to exercise those powers which have been specifically delegated to it. By treating each of its citizens equally and by giving to them voice in government, a republic seeks to rise above the tyranny, despotism, corruption, and unaccountability which were so much a feature of m edieval Europe. Government, in Lockean terms, is a necessary evil which must be limited and accountable in order to be just. It is that justice which the American republic has ever sought uphold. America of the 1780’s was one of economic and political turmoil. Because the government of the Articles of Confederation held no national powers of taxation, it could not fund its affairs without the consent of all the states, a result which was hard to come by. Currency and inflation were also serious issues for the newly founded American Confederation. A national government, on the other hand, would provide one, stable currency. In the 1780’s many states faced bankruptcy. As well,

A SWOT Analysis of the Bird Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

A SWOT Analysis of the Bird Company - Essay Example New entrants in the motor vehicle industry have changed the game with the tide swinging to the newcomers who enter with new vehicle designs and modern technology features. The company management blamed the current decline in sales to increasing competition and client prevalence for more comfort while preferring to pay less for the vehicles. In addition, high fuel prices and environmental concerns have driven clients to prefer vehicles that consume less fuel while emitting fewer exhaust fumes. While addressing the lost market share, management has held a number of meetings of which the resolution’s implementation started immediately. Some of the factors the management identified in relation to the operation include the following; High quality: Bird boasts of manufacturing high-quality vehicles that many buyers prefer. The vehicles have low breakdown rates with the heaviness contributing to stability. In addition, the cars can move at high speeds with a large angle of tilt. Cheap prices: Bird vehicles are manufactured with the low-end customers’ budget in mind. The vehicles have standard features but go for a relatively cheap price. As a result, the vehicles compete favorably with other brands in the market. Supportive to CSR: Bird Company believes in giving back to the society as a way of creating awareness on various matters. The company has been active in planting trees and among other conservation measures meant to create clean environments. Experience: Having stayed in the industry for a long time, the company has known how to react to customer requests by modifying specific parts that could increase the vehicle value. The company has invested in research and innovation with aims of remaining relevant while beating the competition. Dominance: Bird is the leading supplier of sedan cars in the world with a significant market share of 30%.

Is Fashion important Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Is Fashion important - Essay Example Human nature is such that most people judge others without really caring to know their personality. Just as simple as looking at someone, it is possible to determine if an individual is stylish, neat, trendy, lazy, or disorganized (Evans 32). While one does not need to strive to be perfect every time, basic thought and upkeep into one’s appearance makes a huge difference in how people perceive the individual. Fashion also helps people to be creative. When people create something that they like, which ends up being successful, they feel good about themselves (Kawamura 21). For instance, a person who wears an outfit that he or she has never worn before and is complemented about it will have an increase in self-confidence and self-esteem. This makes the individual more willing to try out new things as he or she knows that it will be appreciated. Once an individual understand that there is no problem with looking different in comparison to the rest of society, they begin to acquire a signature look and style. This makes them less vulnerable to being stressed about their style. They do not feel the pressure of appearing similar as the rest. Through this, people gain confidence in themselves, promoting creativity in their lives and being expressive about

Art in south afric Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Art in south afric - Essay Example The information acquired through this research will be shared with the black community in the South African ghettos for the purpose of reminding them of their fight for freedom and peace. It will be shared through community projects that will aim at fostering peaceful relations among the black communities living in Soweto and other ghettos in the country. The information will be vital in promoting their peaceful coexistence and their eventual prosperity. The aspects of the topic that will be interesting for the research are resistant literature, the period’s poems, and dances performed by the Zulu and the Nguni communities. This will be carried out in an effort to determine their influence in the fight for freedom and equality among the different races in the country (Harlow 98). The literature, poems, and dances were previously written and performed in the native languages though this changed in the early twentieth century when some of them were translated into English. Their translations led to the exile of many writers and performers in the country who had been accused by the white’s regime of influencing the black communities into war. During the Mfecane period, many tribes and the Nguni among them were pushed from the country by the Zulu who had become increasingly aggressive. These events are expounded on well by their literature, poems, and their dances which have been documented for future generations (Singh 228). Researching these three issues will help in providing insight into how their literature has affected the current literature and how it helped them in their struggle for liberty. The poems provided by poets like Miriam Tlali and Mothobi Mutloatse who were from the two tribes greatly helped in influencing events like the 1960 Sharpeville which raised the awareness of black suffering (Chandler 47). Their works

Governance in the Caribbean Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Governance in the Caribbean - Research Paper Example In political dimension, the Caribbean is defined by such countries as the republic of Guyana, Suriname and the Belize. In understanding the region of Caribbean, this paper intends to analyze the governance systems that are exercised within the region with special attention to the role that the legislative and or civil societies play in improving the governance practices within the region. Democracies have taken a central role in the modern day government systems across the globe. The provisions of democracy as a school of thought within the political government dictate the government that is instituted to cater for the people by the people. This has therefore given rise to active participation in governance structures and practices by civil societies and collaboration of these groups and the legislature of the democratic countries. Therefore the focus of this paper will be on understanding how the legislature and the civil institutions get involved in government processes within this region. The civil societies and institutions have come up to be very influential in matters of leadership and governances across the globe.1 In the Caribbean region, the governments have not failed to recognize the strategic role played by the legislature as well as the civil society institutions. For instance, the Caribbean region countries together with other sovereign countries found within Africa and North America have sought ways to have the civil society organizations included in policy deliberations.2 Corporate governance has gained special attention in the government systems across the globe in the recent past. It has been studied with special attention, as it is perceived to be an integral constituent in developing the appropriate infrastructure necessary for the realization of transparent as well as sound money as well as capital markets. The sound governance in the institutions defines the levels of investor confidence created within these countries as well as determinin g the levels of liquidity within the markets. 3 Nevertheless, some regions such as areas within the Caribbean region organized markets have been and continue to be nascent with weak corporate control, which necessitates deliberate efforts to realize governance structures, which are credible. The government corporate has suffered great losses through corrupt activities, under competent directors as well as other negligent corporate scandals. The civil societies have therefore come up strategic in addressing these underperformances with the objective of restoring sanity to government institutions, which are responsible in corporate management. Poor governance structures as instituted by the current constitutions governing many of the Caribbean states have led to observable conflicts between the public as represented by the civil groups and the government represented by the military and the political class. Powerful political executives as well as authoritarian rule characterize the go vernance frameworks within many of the Caribbean countries such as Jamaica. This has been evidenced by one party dominance and control in parliaments within the Caribbean region. Ratings by the Transparency international on corruption indices within many of the countries within this region has been low and the general perception by majority of the electorate within the

Innovation and Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words - 1

Innovation and Change - Essay Example Legitimate innovations are not always the commercialisation of a significant advance in product concept, but can be the process of making enhancements to an existing product. Beacham (2006, p.9) reinforces that innovation is â€Å"the successful exploitation of new ideas†, meaning that specific business processes or management ideology can be representative of legitimate innovation which radically or incrementally change the methodology by which a business improves itself. The end result of innovation as a new idea, rather than a radically exclusive and exceptional product development, is being able to differentiate the innovative firm from its competitor base. For the sake of argument, it should then be recognised that genuine innovations involve making non-replicable changes to business strategy, service delivery processes, internal cultural dynamics both professional and social, improving functionality through software technology implementation, or blending existing technol ogies to create greater value for the firm in a way that has not been conceived of by rival firms. When attempting to determine whether SMEs are better able to innovate than larger organisations, it is necessary to clearly define the concept of what actually constitutes an innovation. An initial assessment of innovation, using the premise that a legitimate innovation is solely related to radical product development, would seem to point toward a larger organisation being more equipped to provide innovation than their smaller business counterparts due to higher capital availability, more labour and divisional support, and more refined manufacturing capacity. Taking into consideration the tangible definition of innovation, involving a variety of conceptions not always related to product, it is actually much more realistic to believe that the SME is much better equipped to provide innovation than the larger corporation. This essay describes the characteristics of the SME that actually m ake innovation more easily achievable than larger businesses, including an emphasis on leadership, cultural development, the political hierarchy, the nature of SME team functioning, organisational structure and managerial prowess in understanding the relationships between inputs and outputs that assist in sustaining the small to medium enterprise. The political hierarchy and business culture In order to successfully innovate, it is necessary to transform tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge within an open culture environment. Tacit knowledge is highly specialised, consisting of expertise that is not easily translatable and transferrable to individuals within the organisation that do not maintain similar expertise. Explicit knowledge is generally defined as documented, easy-to-transfer information such as journals, drawings, schematics and internal procedures that is accessible and understood by all organisational members (Fodor 1968). In the large organisation, especially a multi -national company which maintains a high volume of inter-dependent business divisions, including procurement, research and development, sales and marketing, human resources, and manufacturing, each business unit/division maintains expert (tacit) knowledge labourers. Within the large corporation, it is uncommon for individuals that have been hired for their specific skills and capabilities to be cross-trained under a job rotation

The Impact of Oil and Gas Production in the Developing Countries Essay

The Impact of Oil and Gas Production in the Developing Countries - Essay Example This essay stresses that the implementation plan requires many resources that call for total devotion to the work. The company has plans to utilize the least amount of money possible to facilitate the implementation of its plans. The company also requires utilizing the improved technology to enhance its exploration and production operations within Algeria. The availability of the regulations of Health, Safety and Environment protect the investors from Sanawa and therefore facilitates its operations in the petroleum sectors. The company will only intensify to the offshore drilling with respect to the agreements with the ministry. This gives a challenge to the implementation of the company’s strategy since the offshore drill is extra costly that the onshore drilling. In order to overcome this challenge, the company will revisit its accounts and its productivity in all branches from other countries. In doing that, the company will secure enough funds that would cater for the impl ementation plans. This paper makes a conclusion that the development of an oil plant in Algeria by the Sanawa Company will have many positive impacts to the Algerians. The implemented strategy will cause sustainability and development of community projects that will be facilitated through oil and gas products. The company is looking forward to building an alliance with Algeria as well as within the community of nations. Summing up all these significant of these projects initiated by Sanawa, the project will post the productivity and economy of Algeria.

Carlisle fieldwork write up Essay Example for Free

Carlisle fieldwork write up Essay How our data was collected: We all split up and positioned ourselves in different places of Carlisle’s CBD. We then approached different members of the public and to make it fair we chose different age groups, gender, and closed style questions. This is known as using stratified sampling. We used a questionnaire which consisted of 3 questions, so it was nice and quick so that we wouldn’t hold people up during their day out. For the distance Q we had pre-selected margins so it made it easy to record the results for each person without putting down the exact distance and instead using a rough estimate which was sufficient for this exercise. How our methods of data collection could have been improved: We could have chosen to do the questionnaire at various times during the day so we would gain a fair representation of the different groups of people visiting Carlisle during the whole day, and therefore making our results much more reliable. Also we could have covered a much larger area and retained a lot more results and variety of results. Methods to represent data: We used a table to record the questionnaire results with the no. Of person down the side with the 3 questions as the columns with the answers jotted down. It was a good way to record the results as it is easy to read from and make assumptions. In conclusion I believe the questionnaire we used to obtain our results was a good way of collecting the information as it made it easy to read from and to notice patterns in the results. Although there are some ways in which the investigation could have been improved such as spending more time interviewing people or covering a much larger area, or just asking them more questions such as what method of transport they used to travel to Carlisle on that day. 2nd Human Study: Aim: To see if pedestrian numbers peak at lunchtime. Annotated Sketch Map of the study area: image01. png How our data was collected: We positioned ourselves at the desired point just outside the main shopping area of the centre of Carlisle. It was a reasonably busy area of the town. We recorded each person who passed around us as designated by the survey area in the sketch map above. How our methods of data collection could have been improved: We could have taken more surveys around different places around the city centre to obtain more reliable results. We could have noted down what age groups the passer bys were. Also we could have taken the survey over more time periods to obtain more reliable results. E. g. 9:00, 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00. Methods to represent data: We noted down the results in a table so it is easy to read from and comment by understanding it correctly. We used a tally system also so that recording the numbers was simpler as it took less time as we could count up the final result at the end of each survey. In conclusion I believe the method we used to collect the data was the most efficient way of doing so as it was quick and it meant that we wouldn’t let anyone pass by unnoticed. To improve this study we could have recorded how many children and elderly passed by marking them with a different colour or symbol to see which kind of people walked these areas at that time of the day.

Campaign for Philippine Independence Essay Example for Free

Campaign for Philippine Independence Essay Balanced diet and Physical work out has a major role in attaining long healthy life. The increasing awareness of effects of foods on health has made us diet conscious and left us confused in the land of nutrition. We want to satisfy our palate and eat healthy as well. This often restricts our food choices. The major nutrients for the body are protein, carbohydrate, and fat. These provide the body with energy for various functions like beating of heart, activity of muscles and brain. In addition the body needs vitamins, and minerals for it’s optimal functioning. The importance of balanced diet are: * Optimal macronutrient intake * Total macronutrient intake * Hydration * Eat varied diet Picture of balance diet What is good posture? Posture is the position in which you hold your body upright against gravity while standing, sitting or lying down. Good posture involves training your body to stand, walk, sit and lie in positions where the least strain is placed on supporting muscles and ligaments during movement or weight-bearing activities. Proper posture: * Keeps bones and joints in the correct alignment so that muscles are being used properly. * Helps decrease the abnormal wearing of joint surfaces that could result in arthritis. * Decreases the stress on the ligaments holding the joints of the spine together. * Prevents the spine from becoming fixed in abnormal positions. * Prevents fatigue because muscles are being used more efficiently, allowing the body to use less energy. * Prevents strain or overuse problems. * Prevents backache and muscular pain. * Contributes to a good appearance. Proper Posture Requirements Accessories A woman’s wardrobe can have an endless list of accessories, but there are few basics which cannot be missed out for anything. A classy narrow or broad leather waist belt for formal occasions and a fabric belt for casuals is a must. Footwear comprising of a pointed toe dress shoe in stiletto pattern, a semi-casual peep toe with medium heels, knee high boots, pair of sneakers in feminine shade and funky flip flops will suit every activity you plan to indulge in. B. Fashion and finesse considers the visual languages, politics, and poetics of personal appearance. Dandyism has been most closely associated with influential caucasian Western men-about-town, epitomized by the 19th century style-setting of Oscar Wilde and by Tom Wolfes white suits. The essays collected here, however, examine the spectacle and workings of dandyism to reveal that these were not the only dandies. On the contrary, art historians, literary and cultural historians, and anthropologists identify unrecognized dandies flourishing among early 19th century Native Americans, in Soviet Latvia, in Africa, throughout the African-American diaspora, among women, and in the art world. Moving beyond historical and fictional accounts of dandies, this volume juxtaposes theoretical models with evocative images and descriptions of clothing in order to link sartorial self-construction with artistic, social, and political self-invention. Taking into consideration the vast changes in thinking about identity in the academy, Dandies provides a compelling study of dandyisms destabilizing aesthetic enterprise. Example of Fashion and Finesse The Color Of Summer Revenge Fashion C. Perfume or parfum is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces a pleasant scent. The odoriferous compounds that make up a perfume can be manufactured synthetically or extracted from plant or animal sources. Perfumes have been known to exist in some of the earliest human civilizations, either through ancient texts or from archaeological digs. Modern perfumery began in the late 19th century with the commercial synthesis of aroma compounds such as vanillin or coumarin, which allowed for the composition of perfumes with smells previously unattainable solely from natural aromatics alone. Cologne is a toiletry, a perfume in a style that originated from Cologne, Germany. However, it has come be a generic term for scented formulations in typical concentration of 2-5% essential oils, or a blend of extracts, alcohol, and water.

Theories on Dualism in Philosophy

Theories on Dualism in Philosophy Dualism in Philosophy is a theory which, at its basis, holds two radically distinct principles or concepts. One of the most commonly held interpretations of dualism is the concept of the existence of two distinct human entities, that of body and that of soul. It is this interpretation of dualism that the following explication will predominantly address. Dualists believe that the mind determines our personality and the body is a container, or vessel for this self (REFERENCE). Widely considered as the two vanguards of modern dualism are substance dualism and property dualism. Substance dualism holds that the mind or soul is a separate, non-physical entity from the human form, whilst property dualism maintains that there is no soul distinct from the body but only one entity (the person) which has two irreducibly different types of properties, mental and physical (REFERENCE). Substance dualism leaves some room open for the stance that the soul could possibly exist separately from the body, either before birth or after death. Property dualism does not allow for this notion although does permit that both the mental and physical relationship of cause and effect to work in harmony together. The cause of one event may be described as a physical event in the brain and under another event, as a desire, emotion or thought. Substance dualism however, has become increasingly omitted from the majority of contemporary discussions. It could now be considered that few phi losophers currently find the idea of the soul coherent or productive. Although the first use of the term dualism was cited in the 14th century to describe the Islamic faith (REFERENCE), the Western philosopher who spoke most about dualism was Renà © Descartes. Descartes believed that everything non-physical; all feelings and sensations that can be described but cannot be located physically become part of your mind or soul. Descartes dualism, (known as Cartesian Dualism) rested on very certain and definite ideas. He stated that the mind and body were two very different things and that all substances have a property of a special nature. To offer an example, the property of the mind is consciousness, an entity whose entire essence is to think (and therefore takes up no space), whereas the properties of bodily or material substances are length, breath or depth (and therefore their essence is to take up space). The mind has been widely considered as an intangible entity and non-physical in contrast to the body, which is extended and can take many material forms which can be described by their size, shape, position or movement (REFERENCE). Descartes considered that that the mind is the place in which a persons feelings, sensations and thoughts are known only to themselves, whilst all of the functions that the body performs are observable to all. His theory also asserted the idea that both the body and mind interact with each other, the mind having an effect on the body and the body having an effect on the mind, although the body and mind remain separate. He maintained that our identity comes from the ability to think and reason and it is therefore conceivable that we could survive without our bodies (as the soul/mind is separate from the body) and still remain the same person. Descartes was convinced that that we didnt need our bodies to live an intellectually aware and active life and consequently the mind could escape death. He felt that even if we drastically changed or altered our appearance, then it would not affect our personali ties and upon observation it would still be possible to recognise someone by reference to his or her character (REFERENCE). As Descartes asserted: Our soul is of a nature entirely independent of the body, and consequently it is not bound to die with it. And since we cannot see any other cause which destroys the soul, we are naturally led to conclude that it is immortal Renà © Descartes, Discourse on the Method, 1637 (REFERENCE) Dualism has received a lot of attention in the past and Descartes has not been the only philosopher who has written on the concept. Great thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle and Aquinas have all put forward their ideas on the subject each one differing slightly. Plato believed that the soul belonged to a level of reality that was higher than that of the body. He stated that the soul was immortal and this derived from his theory of ideas, which he called forms. Plato asserted that for every existence there is a perfect form of said existence. For example for every chair there is an ideal, perfect form of that chair, as with every dog there is a perfect dog (REFERENCE). Platos form theory maintained that the physical world is where the body exists for the subject in order to receive sense impressions, whilst the soul is immaterial and is capable of knowing eternal truths beyond the material world. All knowledge that we have acquired is from the acquaintance we have had with the forms bef ore our immortal souls became imprisoned in our body. Thus, the ultimate aim of the soul is to break free of the chains of the body and flee to the realm of ideas. There it will be able to spend eternity in contemplation of the true, beautiful and the good (REFERENCE). Aristotle was another philosopher who tried to explain the idea of the body and mind. Even though Aristotle was a pupil of Plato, his thoughts on dualism were very different form that of Plato although he still believed that the soul was the part of the body that gives it life and that the soul turned all physical form into a living organism of its particular type (REFERENCE). Whilst Aristotle believed that the body and soul were inseparable he asserted that the soul still develops peoples skills, character and temper, but it cant survive death. Once the body dies then the soul inevitably dies with it, and this provides an example of early monistic theory. Monism is the theory that the mind and body are inseparable, and monists do not accept that an individuals characteristics are anything more than physical ones (any ideas of consciousness are nothing more than electrical brain activity). This is where Aristotles principles differ from monism. He believed that a human is not just a living, physical body and nothing more. He thought that the body and soul were different, and because humans have a soul they are capable of having an intellectual life (REFERENCE). Aquinas (REFERENCE) agreed with Aristotle in the sense that he thought that the soul animated the body and gave it life and he called the soul the anima. Aquinas believed that that the soul operated independently of the body and that things that are divisible into parts, are destined to decay. As the soul isnt divisible it is able to survive death. However because of the link with a particular human body, each soul becomes individual so even when the body does die, the soul once departed still retains the individual identity of the body it once occupied (REFERENCE). The separation of the mind, or soul, and the physical body seems to be a concept which holds little weight under scrutiny. As Ryle (REFERENCE) asserted, to think of the body and soul as two separate entities is to make a category mistake and refers to what he considers the erroneous notion that the soul is something identifiably extra within a person, or to quote directly; a ghost in a machine. Ryle famously illustrated his hypothesis with the example of the university: A foreigner, having visited the colleges, libraries, sports facilities etc. asks to see the university: Ryles intention was to emphasize the requirement of the various constituent parts to form a whole. However, in order to facilitate a conclusive analysis, a clear definition of the concepts discussed is essential. Thus, a soul may be defined as that which thinks, feels and desires; a non-spatiotemporal essence that encapsulates the personal identity of an individual. The body may be identified as the frame in which t he soul is contained. Ryle, in advocating the unity of body and soul, assumes a Materialist stance and would thus contend that those features generally attributed to the soul are all explainable in terms of neurophysiological reactions. In Confessions of a Philosopher, Brian Magee supported this view, claiming: The human body is a single entity, one subject of behaviour and experience with a single history. We are not two entities mysteriously laced together. Yet, there has been an enduring allegiance to the inverse; that we are composite beings of both corporeal matter and incorporeal soul, thus subscribing to Dualism. Plato, a principal proponent, asserted in his Republic that at death the immortal soul, temporarily imprisoned within the contingent, perishable body, rejoins the realm of eternal truths. In his 2nd Meditation, Descartes reinterpreted Platos arguments, concluding that as our identity ensues from non-physical processes, such as the ability to reason, it is conceivable that we could survive a posthumous existence: Our soul is of a nature entirely independent of the body and consequentlyit is not bound to die with it. And since we cannot see any other causes which destroy the soul, we are naturally led to conclude that it is immortal. The Materialist contention that the soul cannot exist without the body would ostensibly appear the more rational position. Some elucidation is, therefore, required to account for the otherwise unprecedented attention Dualism has received over the centuries and, accordingly, Ryles alleged category mistake. As may be inferred, the concept of a non-contingent soul affords the possibility of survival beyond physical death. In allowing for the fulfilment of a moral equilibrium; the realization of human potential; a validation of existence; the remuneration of the pious; and a basis for rejecting the alternative, the abrupt termination of individual consciousness, life after death may be considered a desirable objective. However, not one supposition of a seemingly inexhaustible list renders the proposition necessarily true. Is it even coherent to postulate the existence of a non-empirical, unverifiable entity? There are four kinds of argument that may be raised in defence of the notion. First, we each have a unique consciousness, impenetrable to the outside world. Our thoughts, beliefs etc. may be inferred by others, but never directly experienced. Nevertheless, our body and its processes remain outwardly perceptible. The existence of a soul resolves the seemingly irreconcilable conflict between the public and the private. Second, the fact that we are held morally accountable for our deeds presupposes that we have complete freedom of choice. However, the premise appears unsubstantiated when countered by the fact that our every thought may be described in terms of the physiological processes occurring in the brain and central nervous system. These processes are accounted for by causal conditions extending beyond a person, prior even to their existence. If we are bound by such conditions that remain beyond our control, how may we be considered free, and, thus, held morally accountable? The postulation of some essence, independent of the deterministic causal chain, and with the capacity to influence moral choices provides a potential solution. Third, the quandary of multiple personality disorder must be remedied. If a body can house several personalities, each with its own distinct self-concept and set of behavioural patterns, the body is clearly not central to personal identity. How may this be accounted for? It is evident that we each possess a number of different, yet un-fragmented perspectives. In a pathological condition, however, what holds these perspectives together is lost. Does this suggest the existence of some ethereal glue, cementing the various facets of a self as one? Finally, there exist a number of people claiming to be in possession of paranormal powers such as telepathy, clairvoyance, psychokinesis etc. In assuming these accounts to be accurate, the Materialist notion that the mind remains entirely dependant on intermediate physical agencies is negated. In sum, if undisputed, the implication of the evidence given is that humans may comprise partly of some imperceptible essence, independent of physical processes. Furthermore, if death remains no exception to the rule, it is plausible that, in a limited capacity, the soul may be preserved, and with it our self identity. However, are there sufficient grounds for refuting the evidence? In truth, convincing though the Dualist arguments may appear, not one case made remains entirely exempt from Materialist criticism. Recently, there has been increasing support for an anthropological view. In attempting an analysis of the brain, in The Minds I, Douglas Hofstadter offered the analogy of an ant colony: A colony has different levels: the colony itself, groups of ants such as workers, teams of ants, and individual ants themselves. We assign meaning to the higher levels (for example that a group of worker ants is removing the carcass of a fly) and hold that these higher levels encode informatio n for the colony. But these higher-level patterns of behaviour are ultimately mere products of the random motions of individual, unintelligent ants. Thus, according to Hofstadter, our every thought, belief or idea is merely a product of random neural firings. It consequently follows that we need not appeal ultimately to meaning to account for reality; we do so purely for the sake of convenience. How well, therefore, do the four lines of argument raised stand up in light of this? The first may be immediately dismissed: The fact that one individual organism may not experience the neural firings of another is unexceptional. In the case of the second: If, on every occasion, what we formerly considered to be higher ideals and beliefs in truth function as labels, then moral law exists as little more that a highly complex system of control. The requirement to apportion a soul is, thus, mooted. Further more, the condition of multiple personalities may be explained by some form of repression, whilst numerous reports of paranormal incidents have proved fairly dubious. To this the following must be added: First, functions such as conceptualisation and memory recall are generally considered to be requisites of self-identity. The implication is that these processes are independent of the mind and could, thus, be sustained by our immaterial souls. The dilemma arises when faced with apparently irrefutable evidence of the inverse. It is widely accepted that, not only are certain mental abilities inherited, but that diseases affecting the mind, such as Downs syndrome, are genetically based. It may be, therefore, surmised that mental ability and function is significantly dependent on the hereditary process. Second, damage to the brain directly affects cognitive functions. For example, were a persons brain spheres to be severed, when presented with an object on the left, the right hemisphere of the brain would recognise it. However, the left hemisphere, the main area for speech and communication, would receive no information via the corpus callosum. Thus whilst the person could point at the object, he could not recount what he sees. Third, certain psychological processes, such as memory, may be discerned as patterns of energy events within the brain. Although, as yet, direct correlation with individual energy transfers has not been possible, the localisation is sufficient to facilitate neurological research. Furthermore, various types of intelligence are associated with specific cerebral hemispheres, for example, the right hemisphere controls artistic and intuitive mental processes. On evaluation, evidence would appear to suggest that those features generally identified within a soul, could equally be explainable in terms of physiological processes. That is not to say the Dualist has not attempted to evade the predicament. In fact, two schemas have been devised. Those subscribing to the first have postulated the immediate replacement of the body at death. For Buddhists the body is physical, for Christians; spiritual. Although, with the reincarnate generally lacking any awareness of a previous existence and ethereal bodies widely acknowledged to exist on a different spatiotemporal plane, verification remains difficult. Advocates of the second schema have suggested that the soul could exist disembodied, in a very limited capacity. For Catholics this may be temporally (Purgatory) until united with a body (Beatific Vision), or permanently (Hell). But what of Ryle and his ghost? The situation must be readdressed. It is clear that in attempting to rationalize the theory of the soul, one invariably returns to the starting point; that, whilst the notion cannot be dismissed entirely, it does appear physiologically unlikely. Ryles statement, however, was more than just a hypothesis; it was a definitive claim. Thus, though empirical evidence seems to lean in favour of the Materialist, whilst Dualism continues as a legitimate possibility, Ryles contention will remain unsubstantiated. Ultimately, the concept of a soul depends on the equally unverifiable existence of some divine entity to effectuate this recondite posthumous transition. Here lies the significance; although those Dualists subscribing to theism tend to recognise that the confirmation of their faith will be fulfilled by eschatological verification, the concept of some spiritual self within plays a fundamental role in their lives, not only in the provision of an intangible channel through which they might commune with God, but also in apportioning a sense of order, clarity and purpose to their existence.

Affirmative Action Essay -- essays research papers

Affirmative Action is any effort taken to expand opportunity for women or racial, ethnic and national origin minorities by using membership in those groups that have been subject to discrimination as a consideration. The Fourteenth Amendment states that no person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. As a result, Affirmative action is not consistent with the Fourteenth Amendment. In this essay, I will first discuss the violation of Affirmative Action against the Fourteenth Amendment. Second, how Affirmative Action helps one group of people while leaving out the other groups of people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Affirmative Action has occurred in several cases throughout the Americans history and the case that I will be referring to is Regents of the University of California v. Bakke. This case presents a challenge to the special admissions program of the Medical School of the University of California at Davis, which is designed to assure the admission of a specified number of students from certain minority groups (253). In 1973 and 1974, Allan Bakke, a white male, who applied twice to the Medical School of the University of California at Davis, was rejected even though his grade point average and MCAT scores were higher than most of the applicants. With the fact that applicants that were admitted with the special admissions program had lower scores, Bakke alleged that the Medical School’s special admissions program operated to exclude him from the school on the basis of his race (258). This, he stated, violates his rights under the Equal Protection Clause of the F ourteenth Amendment. The Equal Protection Clause states that â€Å"No State shall†¦deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.† The guarantee of equal protection cannot mean one thing when applied to one individual and something else when applied to a person of another color. If both are not accorded the same protection, then it is not equal (260). If everybody is guaranteed the same protection under the Constitution, then no one should be treated differently at the University. Hence, Affirmative Action violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendmen... ...t wrong doings then this would lead to reverse discrimination.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Even though Affirmative Action was created to help the less fortunate people to have a chance to succeed in the society, it still separates one certain groups from another thus giving one certain groups more opportunity to succeed and leaving the other groups behind. Because of the special program in the Medical School of the University of California at Davis, Bakke was rejected because of his race. This decision made by the University is discrimination. Therefore, Affirmative Action violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, the existent of Affirmative Action is not consistent with the Fourteenth Amendment. I strongly disagree on having Affirmative Action even though it can help the less fortunate people but also at the same time discriminate the others. It all started with the discrimination during the earlier years and now it is the time to fix the wrong. â€Å"Having a diverse college cause to learn different things about the world, you need different people with different opinion or perspective.† (President of Princeton).

Free Companies :: Essays Papers

Free Companies In 1337 hostilities erupted between France and England that would continue, with brief times of peace, until 1453. This war, which lasted for over a century, would latter be known as The Hundred Years' War. One of the terms that originated during this war were bands of mercenaries formed in France called Free Companies. To understand Free Companies fully one must first look at the Hundred Years War for explanation. "The Hundred Years War was the last great medieval war." (http://www.cfcsc.dnd.ca/links/milhist/100.html) Not only was this war between kings, but lesser nobles too were fighting for their own interests, while they fought for their country. Looking back two centuries earlier can be seen as the true cause for this war. When Duke William of Normandy conquered England in 1066, he did so as a subject of the French King. The French speaking English Kings to follow gained more and more land from the English. But the English King still ruled two French provinces, Gascony and Guyenne. In the 14th century, the French king Philip VI demanded that the English return these provinces to the French. When Edward III denied Philip VI of this, saying that Philip's claim to the French thrown was not as strong as Edward's own right to rule both France and England, war broke out. Because the kings and nobles were not wealthy enough to maintain armies permanently, and the ancient system of raising troops through feudal obligation had, for the time being, fallen apart, the most effective armies were made up of mercenaries. The definition of mercenaries given by the Oxford American Dictionary is "professional soldiers serving a foreign country." These professional, paid troops became a popular practice through out Europe in the 14th century. Both Knights and commoners under arms were eager to take the money of anyone wishing to raise an army. The English were the first of these two countries to use this practice. Free Companies were formed by the English to fight in France.

Networking Computer Systems :: Computer Networks

Networking Computer Systems A network is a group of two or more computer systems sharing services and interacting in some manner. In most cases, this interaction is accomplished through a shared communication link, with the shared components being data. Put simply, a network is a collection of machines that have been linked both physically and through software components to soothe communication and the sharing of information. To make the communications between two or more computers work, several things need to be in place. First, some type of physical connection mechanism has to exist between the computers involved. Normally, this mechanism is a wire or cable of some kind or a transceiver that can both transmit and receive information attached to or built into your computer. The idea of computer networking is new to some people and almost always seen as a highly technical and rapidly evolving process. Every day, computer professionals are called upon by their employers to evaluate, judge, and implement t he technologies necessary for the rapid communication of dissimilar groups in order to enhance productivity or lessen complexity within the organization's processes. Most see the task as a formidable one, and many feel they are not qualified or fully prepared to drive the creation of a Local Area Network (LAN) or Wide Area Network (WAN). The type of network you can create is often determined by the network operating system you use. Like a regular operating system for your PC, a network operating system coordinates how all the individual software application on a network work and how the network interacts with the hardware attached to it. Sharing data is made much easier when a network is involved. People are more productive because several people enter data at the same time and can also evaluate and process the shared data. The effective use of networks can turn a company into an agile, powerful, and creative organization, giving it a long-term competitive advantage. Networks can be used to share hardware, programs, and databases across the organization. They can transmit and receive information to improve organizational effectiveness and efficiency. They enable geographically separated workgroups to share documents and opinions, which fosters teamwork, innovative ideas, and new business strategies (Stair, Reynolds 269). Getting computers connected and speaking the same language may be somewhat interesting for some people, but it’s really just a necessary evil to get to the good stuff.

World History Unit

Which of the forces at work in Europe played the greatest role in helping to prompt the outbreak of war? A force at work in Europe that played a large role in helping to prompt the outbreak of the war would be the formation of alliances between the several superpowers at the time. If they would have gone along with themselves and Just keep each other In check while keeping everything balanced It would be easier to create a treaty Instead of war. The alliances created Increased tensions. Another main factor is the murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria Hungary. . Was he description of the Balkans as the â€Å"powder keg† of Europe justified? Yes, the Balkans was overlapping many groups that were trying to unite the Slavs and take ore more and more territory. That caused major conflict in Europe. Powder Keg refers to a keg full of explosives. It would be very unstable. The Balkans caused instability in Europe due to different people wanting its land. Not everyone could ha ve it. Everyone wanted It and no one would Just allow the other to invade it and take it for them. 8. Do you think World War I was avoidable?Yes, practically any war Is avoidable. The thing Is that more often than not the people Involved don't always know the consequences of their actions or simply don't know how everything can happen peacefully, especially when there Is tension. If Balkan â€Å"powder keg† was taken care of earlier on then the war could have been avoided. World War I would have been a difficult thing to avoid, but if tension in Europe could have been resolved then it might not have happened. Page 415 3. Which countries comprised the Central Powers? Which countries comprised the Allies?The countries that comprised the Central Powers are Germany, Austria/ Hungary and Turkey. The countries that had comprised the Allies are Britain, France, Russia, Italy, United States, and Japan. 4. What were the characteristics of trench warfare? The soldiers that were in tren ch warfare had to undergo horrible conditions. It was muddy, rat infested, and messy. Rats, lice, diseases, and fleas would be spread In massive numbers In the trenches. There would be bodies Just lying In the trenches and sometimes water would flood the trenches.Blood would be everywhere. For defense and offensive there was barbed wire, machine guns, poison gas attacks, tank attacks, and more. The trenches were set up with interlinking passages to the front and the command center. 5. What factors contributed to Russian's war difficulties? The first factor was the factories. Out of all the European nations, Russia was the least developed. The factories could not manufacture enough supplies and didn't always have enough materials. Second factor is Education. Russians weren't able to be trained too well for the war.Most troops weren't educated well. A large majority couldn't read or write. Third factor is transportation. As I said earlier the Russians are much undeveloped. Their railw ays were not efficient and It took a long time to bring food and supplies up to the front. Fourth and last factor Is leadership. Russian generals were not the best generals. Plus with the uneducated troops, most of them weren't able to effectively give orders. 6. How was war on the Western and Eastern front different? How was It the same?The war for the Eastern led to the collapse of Russia whereas the war in the Western front did Austrian defeated the Allied forces and defeated Russia. The Western front had very developed trenches, while the Eastern had less developed trenches. 7. Why did the Schlemiels Plan ultimately collapse? The Schlemiels plan was designed so that the German army would not have to fight on two fronts. It failed more several reasons. There were many delays, for example the Belgians resisted Germany. Although Germany definitely overpowered them, Germany was still delayed one month.This allowed the French to move north to confront the German army. Because of the delays caused by the British and Belgians, the French had more time to transfer troops. The Russians were then able to mobile their army in an amazing 10 days instead of the expected 6 weeks. 8. Why might it be fair to say that neither side won he battles of the Some or Verdure? Both sides lost a massive amount of soldiers. The losses were extremely horrendous. Very little ground was gained for either side. Both of the sides lost hundreds of thousands of men. All of that gave them no gain in distance.It was a negative battle for both sides, therefore neither side had won. It would be hard to choose if a side won because both lost so much and gained so little. Page 422 6. In what ways was World War I truly a global conflict? World War I was a global conflict for a number of reasons. It involved fighting in many different nations. Not only in Europe but outside countries, such as United States, Japan, and the countries of the British Empire which are Australia, Canada, India, New Zeal and, and South Africa). There wasn't a nation in the world that wasn't somewhat affected.The world was shifted. It involved a majority of the world's great powers. 7. Do you think governments are Justified in censoring war news? Why or why not? In wartime some censorship is necessary. People who do not value freedom tend to be cautious and censor too much. However sending out false news is not ethical. The government also wouldn't want a lot of panic. The enemy could also easily read their papers so they wouldn't want to give out information that might Jeopardize their battle plans. Censoring could help with rebellion against the government. . Which of the non- European countries had the greatest impact on the war effort? America had the greatest impact on World War l. Before we came in the Allies had virtually lost and even Britain was nearly overtaken. America also took part in the treaty. President Wilson attended the conference and was one of the four who created the entire peac e treaty. Page 427 6. Were the Versailles treaties fair? Consider all the nations affected. The Versailles readies were after World War l. The Versailles was fair to everyone except the Germans.Most of the nation's got what they were looking for. Those nations made sure to get what they wanted for the pain and suffering that they had undergone. 7. Why might the European allies have been more interested in punishing Germany than in creating a lasting peace? The European allies still went to war with Germany. They would have their reasons to be interested in punishing them. They did kill their men. 8. Was the United States right to reject the Treaty of Versailles? Why or why not? Yes, because those terms towards the Germans were very harsh and not

Polaroid Corporation

Polaroid | Why Polaroid failed Polaroid | Background Information 1937 | founded by Edwin Land first to switch to colored dyes 1948 | launch of instant film cameras first & only brand within its category 1982 | Edwin Land left the company early 90s | introduction of digital cameras Oct 2001 | couldn‘t compete with digital cameras & filed a bankrupcy Consumer Centric Marketing | Why Polaroid failed? 2 Polaroid | Edwin Land Factory of innovation 535 patents Block-buster creator House Genius Edwin Land centric company Product-oriented Showman Marketing is what you do when your product is not good† Consumer Centric Marketing | Why Polaroid failed? 3 Polaroid | Contextualizing Competitive Advantage competitiveness level market orientation sales orientation product orientation production orientation until mid 80s supply < demand supply = demand supply > demand 4 innovative excellence first mover cult status brand identity Consumer Centric Marketing | Why Polaroid failed? Polaroi d | Changes in the market competitiveness level market orientation mid 80s onwards sales orientation product orientation production orientation rices for conventional cameras drop 1-hour-photo shops emerge home computers & digital cameras supply > demand 5 supply < demand supply = demand Consumer Centric Marketing | Why Polaroid failed? Polaroid | Reactions & Cause of Failure Polaroid stayed product-centric Failed to anticipate market changes & implications Ignored opportunity despite having technological expertise & fixated on Polaroids „As electronic imaging becomes more prevalent, there remains a basic human need for a permanent visual recordâ€Å"Reaction to changes too slow Loss of key brand asset & competitive advantages Consumer Centric Marketing | Why Polaroid failed? 6 Polaroid | Loss of Competitive Advantage limited interactivity (social network etc. ) lack of convenience (10 pics at a time) expensive compared to digital cameras emergence of instant printing shops. brand identity adopted by digital camera competitors Polaroid nowadays perceived as ‚artsy‘ & ‚retro‘ Consumer Centric Marketing | Why Polaroid failed? 7 Polaroid | Way Around It & ConclusionPolaroid could have branded digital products as a logical extensions of its instant range if they had anticipated the changes early enough and reacted accordingly Concentrate on product & brand value rather than products & technology Keep up with the market trends Anticipate future changes & implications Satisfy a need â€Å"camera should go beyond amusement and record making to become a continuous partner of most human beings†¦ a new eye, a second memory. â€Å" (Land) Consumer Centric Marketing | Why Polaroid failed? 8 Polaroid | Sources Arvidson, Erik, „Polaroid Historyâ€Å", retrieved from http://www. how. com/info_8730013_polaroidhistory. html Camerapedia. wikia. com, http://camerapedia. wikia. com/wiki/Polaroid, viewed Oct 6th 2012 Haig, Matt (2011), „Brand Failures: The Truth About the 100 Biggest Branding Mistakes of All Time† Polaroid. com, http://www. polaroid. com/about-us, viewed Oct 7th 2012 Smith, Andrea Nagy (November 2009), „What was Polaroid thining? â€Å", in: Behavioral Research, A publication of the Yale School Of Management, retrieved from http://qn. som. yale. edu/content/what-waspolaroid-thinking Consumer Centric Marketing | Why Polaroid failed? 9

Martin Luther King, Jr.: An Unfulfilled Dream Essay

Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman and Nobel Prize winner. He was one of the principal leaders of the American civil rights movement and an advocate of nonviolent protest. His challenges to segregation and racial discrimination in the 1950s and 1960s convinced many white Americans to support the cause of civil rights in the United States. After his assassination in 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. became a symbol of protest in the struggle for racial justice. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 King in Atlanta, Georgia to the Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr. and Alberta Williams King. His first name was listed on his birth records as Michael instead of Martin. Apparently, their family doctor thought that his father’s name was Michael who was known as Mike throughout his childhood. Later on his first name was changed to Martin. King attended elementary and high school at local segregated public schools, where he excelled. He entered college at nearby Morehouse College at age 15 and in 1948 graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. He was ordained as Baptist minister at the age of 18. He graduated with honors from Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania in 1951. King also went to Boston University where he earned a doctoral degree in systematic theology in 1955. King’s public-speaking abilities developed slowly during his collegiate years. While in Morehouse College he won a second-place prize in a speech contest although he received Cs in two public-speaking courses in his first year at Crozer. However, by the end of his third year at Crozer, professors were praising King for the powerful impression he made in public speeches and discussions. Later on, King’s public-speaking abilities became renowned during his involvement in the civil rights movement . Martin Luther King, Jr. was exposed to influences that related Christian theology to the struggles of oppressed peoples during his education. His studies of the teachings of Indian leader Mohandas Gandhi influenced his attitude on nonviolent protests. He was also influenced by the sermons of white Protestant ministers who preached against American racism. A very important person who shaped King’s theological development was Benjamin E. Mays who was the president of Morehouse College and who was also a leader in the national community of racially liberal clergymen. While studying in Boston University, King met Coretta Scott who was a music student and native of Alabama. The two were married in 1953 and eventually would have four children. King accepted his first pastorate at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama in 1954. This church has a well-educated congregation and had recently been led by a minister who had protested against segregation. In 1955, while King was serving as a pastor in Montgomery, Alabama, the black community has a long-standing grievances about their maltreatment in city buses. The blacks are often bullied and only allowed to sit at the back portion of the bus. In December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a leading member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was arrested because of her refusal to give up her seat for a white passenger. This event led to the formation of Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) where King was chosen to be the president. Their association directed the bus boycott in Montgomery that lasted for more than a year. In February 1956, they filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking an injunction against Montgomery’s segregated seating practices. The federal court ordered the city’s buses to be desegregated. The city government appealed the ruling to the United States Supreme Court and by the time the Supreme Court upheld the lower court decision in November 1956, King was already a national figure. He wrote a memoir of the bus boycott entitled Stride Toward Freedom in 1958. His memoir provided a thoughtful account of that experience and further extended King’s national influence. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) was founded with his help in 1957. The SCLC is an organization of black churches and ministers that aimed to challenge racial segregation. King became the SCLC’s president and with other SCLC leaders encouraged the use of nonviolent direct action to protest discrimination and segregation. Their activities included demonstrations, boycotts and marches. These activities provoked violent responses from some whites that eventually forced the federal government to confront the issues of racism and injustices in the South. King made alliances in the north and in 1960 went back to Atlanta and became a co-pastor to his father at the Ebenezer Baptist Church. King led SCLC in a series of protest campaigns in the early 1960’s that gained national attention. In 1961, the first campaign was held in Albany, Georgia. SCLC joined their local demonstrations against segregated restaurants, hotels, transit, and housing. However, this protest was not successful. In 1963, the SCLC joined a local protest in Birmingham, Alabama. Teenagers and school children were encouraged to join. The chief of police, Eugene Connor, was angered and sent police officers with attack dogs and ordered firefighters to aim high-pressure water hoses against the marchers. The police attack on young protesters were shown in newspapers and on televisions around the world. King was arrested and sent to jail for creating disorder in the city. . He wrote a letter – â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† – which argued that individuals had the moral right and responsibility to disobey unjust laws. His letter was widely read at the time and has added to King’s standing as a moral leader. Because of the violence in the Birmingham protest, it brought about a national reaction that built the support for the struggle for black civil rights. The protests forced white leaders to end some forms of segregation in Birmingham. More importantly, the demonstrations gave courage to many Americans to support national legislation against segregation. On August 28, 1963, King delivered his â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech which in part states: â€Å"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. ’ †¦ I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. † He delivered this speech during the 1963 March on Washington, a massive protest in Washington, D. C. , for jobs and civil rights. The speech and the march created the political momentum that resulted in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This Act prohibited segregation in public accommodations, as well as discrimination in education and employment. King was awarded the 1964 Nobel Prize for peace because of his effectiveness as a leader of the American civil rights movement and his highly visible moral stance. In 1965, SCLC joined a voting-rights protest march from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital of Montgomery. Just outside of Selma, police beat and tear-gassed the marchers. This day became known as Bloody Sunday. The Selma march created support for the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This act suspended the use of literacy tests and other voter qualification tests that often had been used to prevent blacks from registering to vote. President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law in August 1965. Later amendments to the act were banned. In 1968, King went to Memphis, Tennessee, to support striking black garbage workers. On April 4, a sniper in Memphis assassinated him. News of King’s assassination resulted to shock and anger throughout the nation and the world. In 1969, an escaped white convict named James Earl Ray pleaded guilty to the murder of King. He was sentenced to 99 years in prison. Martin Luther King’s dream was to have equality and justice for all especially the black people. Segregation and racial discrimination are the things that he fought for. But what is racism or racial discrimination? Where did it stem from? What has caused it? Racism refers to a belief that advocates discriminating against people based on an ascribed race. It often includes the belief that people of a particular race has a particular aptitude and characteristics. Some people believed that races could be ranked or scaled. Others divide people into groups based mainly on skin color. Racism is not the same as racial prejudice. Racism can also be referred to as a system of oppression. Institutional racism is based on the notions that one race is superior to other races. Organizations, institutions and other groups that practice racism usually discriminate or marginalize a certain class of people who share a common racial designation. The majority or dominant group in a society commonly applied racism because it is the group that has the means to oppress others. Majority groups usually constitute a higher proportion of a given population. Minority group, on the other hand is a group of people who share a common ethnic, racial, or religious backgrounds. They usually constitute a comparatively small proportion of a given population. Most often, they have fewer rights and less power than majority groups. One of the reasons for having minority group in a particular society is immigration. Based on history, racism has been an integral part of America. It started during the time of America’s colonization by the Europeans. During the colonization, African slaves and other Europeans (those who are serving indentured servitude) both served the European colonizers. A few Africans were given freedom and land grant and became landowners. In 1676, Nathaniel Bacon led a revolt against the Governor of Virginia because of his exploitation of poorer colonists. Bacon died and the revolt died with him. However, what concerned the Governor and the rich landowners was the multi-racial support of Bacon’s rebellion. This lead to decision the only African slaves will be used. Furthermore, anti- miscegenation laws were passed on so that intermarriages between European and other races were prevented. This change led to the long period of slavery in American society and the social rift along color lines soon become ingrained in colonial American culture. On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation that freed all slaves in the United States. Only slaveholding border states which is not still a part of the Union were exempted from this proclamation. Slavery was ended in the whole United States by virtue of the declaration of the 13th Amendment on December 18, 1865. However, discrimination against black and other minority groups continued. Proofs of discrimination are the existence of Jim Crow laws, the enactment of Minimum wages, educational disparities and segregations in schools, and the widespread criminal acts done by local and vigilante groups. The fight of Martin Luther King and his supporters, which has been mentioned in the early part of the research, led to the abolition of segregation and the granting of voting rights to black. However, King’s dream of equality and non-prejudice and justice for everyone has not been fulfilled yet. There are still places in the United States where racial discrimination could still be observed. Hispanic people are of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Latin Americans are often viewed as a monolithic group in the Anglo-American society. They are called Latinos and are portrayed as passionate or violent people. The influx of Hispanic immigrants, whether legal or illegal, has elicited anti-Latino sentiments especially in areas that have traditionally has no or had a very few Hispanic residents. On the other hand, places like California and Southern Florida where Hispanic Americans have long been present, racial tensions between Hispanics and non-Hispanics are sometimes visible, more often when Hispanics gain economic and political clout. Due to the diversity of background of Hispanic people in the United States, racist policies also vary widely. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo granted American citizenship to Mexicans living in America after the Mexican War. The intermarriages of Anglo-Americans and Hispanics in the Southwest that produced mestizos are still socially excluded from â€Å"whites† of Northern European descent. Racism against Arab Americans is proportionately rising with the tensions between the American government and the Arab world. In 1973, weeks after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, an Ivy League graduating class wore Arab dresses in racist mockery. During the 1991 Gulf War and the Oklahoma City bombing and the Teheran embassy hostage crisis in 1979 racism against Arab Americans escalated. Discrimination and cultural violence against them profoundly increased after the September 11th terrorists attacks in the United States. In 2001, a Sikh man was killed in Phoenix, Arizona. It was a racially-motivated incident because the man’s beard and turban was a reminder of Osama bin Laden. In Houston, Texas, an Indian American candidate for the Houston City Council lost to his opponent because of anti-Asian Indian campaign made by the supporter of his opponent. Although the allegation has been denied, the Indian American lost during the election. A few groups still openly advocate white supremacy in the United States. These groups include the Ku Klux Klan, the National Alliance, Aryan Nations, and several smaller groups like the White Order of Thule. A number of small white supremacist groups have recently been started as a reaction to the influx of Somali and Hmong immigrants particularly in the Midwest. Some of these groups target teens. Some recording companies are distributing openly racist songs in popular teen hangouts. The changing racial make up of the United States population has caused the inclusion of other races in the equation. Presently, Latin Americans and Asian Americans are the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States. These groups have redefined the relationship between races. At least four states, namely, California, Texas, Hawaii and New Mexico including the District of Columbia are deemed to be â€Å"majority minority† states meaning whites are not the majority of the population. Several acts and proclamations have been enacted and declared by the former presidents of the United States to abolish racial segregation, discrimination and prejudice. It can be said that these acts and proclamations have paved the way for better lives and opportunities for â€Å"non whites†. America has come a long way from its slavery days during the colonial American era to the present. It can be said that a part of King’s dream, his dream for his children to be recognized not by the color of their skin but by the content of their characters, has been realized. This is shown in today’s acceptance of the black population in the American society. African-Americans can be seen in the different sectors of the society. There are now black doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers and politicians. They enjoy both economic and political clout. The use of the terms â€Å"niggers† or â€Å"negroes† are considered politically incorrect. They enjoy all the benefits that a â€Å"white American† enjoys. Yet, the other part of King’s dream has not been fulfilled, that is, his dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. ’ America has yet to rise up and live out the meaning of its creed. Why has America not live up to its creed? When America opened its door not only to the Europeans and Africans but also to several other races, the result is a diversified American population in terms of ethic and cultural backgrounds. These differences contributed to the racial prejudice of the white Americans to non-whites. The long-ingrained social rift along color lines, which goes back to colonial American culture, has been deepened. Also, immigrants from other countries are easily intimidated by white Americans. They usually come from countries that were colonized by the United States. They have the mentality that white Americans are superior to them. They also normally come to America in search of greener pasture. These immigrants arrive in the United States with only limited amount of money. They are prey to abusive white Americans when their cash run out. The influx of immigration created more problems than benefits. The high immigration rates threatened America’s common culture and increased competition for jobs. Wages were lowered. Only employers profited while injuring labor, and especially harming those at the bottom of the job market. The increase in immigration also led to new issues. In the later part of the 20th century, issues arose about whether group identity challenged national identity. Many Americans wanted to preserve a sense of national unity while respecting social diversity. They debated the pros and cons of bilingual education, the impact of multiculturalism, and the merits of affirmative action policies in education and employment. The debate over affirmative action is likely to continue, in public and in the courts. Americans will have to balance individual rights against group rights, to consider problems that involve national identity versus group identity, to be both colorblind and race-conscious, and to foster unity while appreciating diversity. E pluribus unum (from many, one) thus remains a vital concept. The experience of the last decades of the century suggests that the pursuit of American ideals—of liberty, equality, and democracy—is a process that rests on conflict as well as consensus. Nature dictates that people agree and disagree with one another. If everybody agrees with everybody, life would be boring. There would be no ups and downs, no joys and sorrows. For now, King’s dream will remain unfulfilled. REFERENCES C. S. King, My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr. (1969) Robert J. Norrell, Martin Luther King, Jr. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia Standard 2004. Norman Dorsen and Jethro K. Lieberman, Civi Rights and Civil Liberties, Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia Standard 2004 David J. Garrow, Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King, Jr. , and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (1986) David L. Lewis, King: A Critical Biography (1970). Bullock III, C. S. & Rodgers Jr. , H. R. (1976) â€Å"Institutional Racism: Prerequisites, Freezing, and Mapping†. Phylon 37 (3), 212-223. Woolf, S. H. , Johnson, R. E. , Fryer Jr, G. E. , Rust, G. , & Satcher, D. (2004). â€Å"TheHealth Impact of Resolving Racial Disparities: An Analysis of US Mortality Data†. American Journal of Public Health, 94 (12), 2078-2081. Rosten, Leo (1968) â€Å"The Joys of Yiddish† Martin Luther King, Jr. : I Have a Dream (1986 History Film) Racial liberalism era Zoot Suit Riots inner city