TERM PAPER Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

TERM PAPER - Essay Example Yet in an information security survey of 4,255 information technology and information security managers, forty one percent of respondents said they do not have formal security policies (Anthes, 1998). When asked to identify potential threats to their security, the respondents were almost twice as likely to identify hackers over employees as the threat. However, from the literature, it appears that when comparing outside hacking to insider intruding, the greatest threat to computer security comes from the latter (Salierno, 2000; Anthes, 1998; Davis, 1997; Ernst & Young Survey, 1995; Fillon, 1990; Jelcich, 1987). Given that the literature seems to indicate employees pose the greatest threat to information security in general, this leads more specifically to questions about the security of medical records at hospitals. The objective of this study is to gain a better understanding of the impact of information security policy and its effect on the number and seriousness of computer abuse incidents that involve the security of personal medical information maintained at hospitals. In addition, further research may be needed to convince other organizations that information security policy is a vital ingredient in the formula for maintaining a competitive advantage (Schneider and Therkalsen, 1990). The proliferation of electronic patient records (EPR) within the health care information infrastructure presents significant benefits for healthcare providers and their patients, but also creates challenges for those healthcare providers. The benefits include enhanced patient autonomy, improved clinical treatment, advances in health research, and public health surveillance The challenge to providers due to this proliferation is the creation of legal challenges in three interrelated areas: privacy of identifiable health information, reliability and quality of health care, and tort based liability (Hodge, et. al., 1999). Our medical records contain some very mundane information about us such as our height, weight, color of hair and eyes, blood type, and our bouts with colds and other illnesses. However, our medical records also contain information on our fertility, emotions, psychiatric makeup, sexual behavior, substance abuse, and genetic predisposition to disease. Access co this information must be controlled because it is information that could potentially be used to the detriment of the patient (Rindfleisch, 1997). Just as corporations protect their proprietary information, patient health records must be

W6 OM Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

W6 OM Discussion - Essay Example Several modern day project managers associate themselves with six core concepts and processes of project management. These are initiating, planning and design, executing, monitoring and controlling, closing, and project controlling and project control systems (Meredith and Shafer, 2014). These systematic processes are in place to ensure that from the beginning to the end of a project, there are critical considerations for the roles that each stakeholder can play as a way of ensuring that the project becomes integrated and well coordinated to accomplish its desired goals. There are a number of projects across the globe that are perfect examples of the utilization of the core concepts of project management and how successfully these turned out to be. The HM Revenue and Custom’s (HMRC’s) Enterprise Release (ER) project is a perfect example of how project management was employed as a means of implementing IT services in a manner that was described to be in accordance with critical timescales and having very minimal disruptions to the business and public service (The Stationery Office, 2012). Even though there were challenges along the project, using the five major processes namely initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and control, and closing ensured that all of such challenges were overcome in due time. The Stationery Office (2012). Managing successful change: IT service transformation at HMRC. Accessed 17th April, 2014 from

Belbins Team Roles theory in classroom activity

Belbins Team Roles theory in classroom activity The main axiom of this assignment is to study the group theories and leadership theories and explore different styles of leadership and group behaviour in different situations. I am supposed to identify my own behaviour with that of the leadership behaviour so that this study will give me an proposal in the direction of the encouragement of real life experience and the absorption of leadership theories it tells that working in group will fetches us to have a have a significant memorandum of our character and behaviour on a team and individual point of view as a follower ,as a leader or as a management executive .This task will also tells the appropriate issues of the following group and leadership theories and its characteristics in diverse aspects. 1. Introduction:- Instead of going openly into the topic i.e., reflecting my own behaviour in the group Situations and quoting examples of my experiences in team working in an organization or classroom activities ,what I felt is to tell something about organization ,organizational behaviour, Group and Group characteristics. Why I felt like this means in order to know about leadership, management, group processes, team working first I should know about organization after that I should know about organizational behaviour .After this only I will get a familiar opening to see the aspects like group, group characteristics, leadership and management because in my Opinion, Organization is a nucleus which generates all the above issues. An Organization is a coordinated unit consisting of at least two people who function to achieve a common goal or set of goals. (GIBSON,1994).In my estimation, by looking into the organization at the people we can find out many new things like working styles, behaviours, management approach towards the their workers. Now I would like to talk on the importance of organizational behaviour. 2. Importance of Organizational Behaviour:- Edward E.Lawler says that Organizational Behaviour is a field of study that draws on theory, methods and principles from various disciplines to learn about individual perceptions, values, learning capacities while working in a group. In my view, Human performance influences efficiency of an organization. Psychology tells that each individual is poles apart. Each people have different cultural origins, matchless awareness, qualities, life experiences, mind-set, and life styles and objectives. Management should assume about that each and every employee as unique embodiment of all these behavioural and cultural factors to be effective. In an organization, each and every individual has to play a specific role. Some plays the role of a leader and some acts the role of a follower while some plays the role as a manager and this all depends upon their individual behaviour in an organization. Some individuals join together and form as a group and this group also have a powerful impact on individual behaviour and organizational performance. So, now I wish to talk about group, group characteristics, and individual behaviour in a group. After conducting a proper investigation on the group processes and group behaviour, what I understood is that there is no specific universally accepted meaning for the word group. Different authors had different views on the definition of group. A group is defined in psychological terms as any number of people who interact with each other, psychologically aware of each other, perceive themselves to be a group and purposefully interact towards the achievement particular goals or aims (SCHEIN, 1980, p.317). After this, I planned to tell about how a group forms in an organization and the types of groups .In an organization groups are created as a consequence of model of organization structure and schedule for the partition of work. We cannot say that groups are formed only on the above basis .In my opinion, groups can also be formed in order to fulfil their need, to achieve certain goals, and to represent individual closeness. After the group has formed it will develop and this group development will occur in five stages, according to Tuckman Integrative Model and they are namely Forming, Storming, Forming, Performing and Adjourning. Forming:- This is the initial stage in the group development. In this stage, individuals, who formed as a group were interested in knowing others mannerism and conditions. All individuals will try to have own feeling on others. All members rely on some head to present them arrangement in forming of ground rules. Storming:- This is a inconsistency stage in group development. Individuals may refuse to agree to the have power over of other group members and may show unfriendliness. The important individual relations topic in this stage is the management of unfriendliness. Norming:- This is the consistency stage in the group development. In this stage, the individuals of the group tend to widen behaviour of functioning to develop nearer relationships with others in the group. Issues like how to do and what to do and who will do are arise and group working rules are developed. Performing:- In this stage the group is full efficiently structured and individuals in the group are anxious with getting on with the job and achieving objectives. In this stage, the group is fully established group. Adjourning:- This is the final stage in the group. After this the group may discontinue or continue and discontinuity may be because the task given to them was achieved or individuals leaving the group may also be the reason for discontinuity of the group. After this, now I would like to discuss about types of groups in an organization. There are two types of groups namely formal groups and informal groups. Formal groups are created by managerial decision to accomplish stated goals of organization and informal groups arise from individual efforts and develop around common interests and friendships rather than deliberate design. (MARVIN E. SHAW, 1981). Again formal groups are sub-divided into two types namely command group and task group and Informal groups are again sub-divided into two types namely Interest groups and Friendship groups. 3. My Class-Room Activity:- In this circumstance I would like to quote an example of my experience in working in a group in a classroom activity that was conducted in my university. On that day, my tutor had made all of us to form as a group. Each student was given a alphabet to him and the alphabets are from A to G so that all students with alphabet A together formed as group A and those with alphabet B clubbed together to form as group B and those students who are possessing alphabet C are joined to form as group C and those students who are having alphabet D are gathered to form as group D and those with alphabet E are joined together and formed as group E and those with alphabet F are clubbed together to form as group F and those who are having alphabet G are gathered to form as group G. So, on that day the class was formed into seven groups and the groups are named as group A, group B, group C, group D, group E, group F and group G.I was placed in group C on that day. All the groups received instructions f rom our tutor to do certain tasks as a team. We were given a package and in that package we had resources to do our task. There was a time limit for us to complete the task .Now I will tell u how we did that task on that day. Actually each student is new to each other student in the group. Before my tutor told us to start the task, we had ten to fifteen minutes to discuss about the task .So, initially what we did is, in order to get a friendly environment in working as a group, each student was asked to introduce themselves to the group quickly .Later we studied the instructions and got a clear cut idea what to do. We openly discussed how to do and came to an idea to assign roles to each student in the group. So, every issue was discussed openly in the group. One student who is elder than all of us in our group innovatively told that he is interested in leading a team and undisputedly, he became the leader of the group. One student then told that he was interested in marketing and he will take the role of doing marketing i.e., to bargain resources from other teams if we are in scarce of any resources. Then one student had taken the role of tester and the other student had taken the role of task assigner a nd another student had taken the role of monitor and I am assigned a role as Evaluator. We are six students in a team. Our tutor was assigned a task to cut papers into certain measurements and different shapes and a layered shape .Our tutor provided all groups with some resources so that we should not use our own resources and utilize the provided resources only. We worked as a group and worked dedicatedly to achieve the task. As a result we managed to be the First group to finish the given task in a given time. Now I would like to relate this experience with that of Belbins Team- Roles theory. 4. Analysis of Belbins Team- Roles Theory on My Experience in Classroom activity:- Actually I didnt know what Belbins Team-Roles Theory is about while we worked as a group to do that task assigned by my tutor. After reading several theories on group processes and behaviour, I had an opportunity to relate my class room activity with that of Belbins Team-Roles Theory. Belbins Team-Roles Theory was developed by Meredith Belbin and his colleagues in the late 1970s. It was widely accepted theory for understanding the roles with in a group or a team. This theory states that in an organization, individuals are appointed normally on the source of their capability or experience. This theory tells that we see organizations rarely selecting individuals to perform additional task in a group. David Buchanan (1991) cites the work of Meredith Belbin (1981) as Personal characteristics of an individual fit them for some roles within a team while limiting the likelihood that they will be successful in other roles. The members in a team tend to acquire one or more roles comparatively and without fail. Individuality evaluation, team role survey identifies an individual preference. The evaluation, assortment, appointment and supervision of individual employees by organization are key tools for improving team effectiveness. Meredith Belbin had listed nine roles in his self-perception theory as Plant, Resource Investigator, Co-ordinator, Shaper, Monitor-evaluator, Team worker, Implementer, Completer, Specialist. This is not mean that each team had to consist of nine people .A single member can double-up and play several roles, thereby enabling the overall size of the team. (DAVID BUCHANAN, 1991) In my point of view, I compared my class room activity ,with that of Belbin Team Role Theory because we, In order to achieve the task on time, we assigned ourselves some specific roles so that leader in our team will do his role in observing and guiding us and tester can test the output whether it is appropriate or not and marketing executive will provide us resources by bargaining from other groups when we are in scarcity and monitor and task assigner will do the task of monitoring and assigning the tasks effectively so that every student in the group contributes his own preference role working and contributes for the achievement of the task on time .So my team did exactly the same and managed to be the first team to finish the task on time. While working in that group what I experienced is , since our group is an informal and task oriented group which have to complete the task on time, I felt some seriousness in doing my role correctly because it will be awkward if the team fail to achieve the task due to my negligence. So, I managed to work in that group by paying attention. What I experienced with other fellow members of the group is everyone managed to do their work by showing some interest and happiness towards it because the roles assigned was by ourselves on our interest only. So, we got fruitful success by finishing on time. 5. My Work Experience in 4c Solutions:- After finishing my graduate course in the department of Information Technology, I am recruited by 4c solutions. I joined that company in the year 2009. I got training for 3 weeks and I had placed in a team of 7 members, among which I am the fresher with no experience and the remaining all are with more than 3 years of experience as technical Analysts .The first project we got after I joined that group was pervasive computing project and I am totally new to that concept. My project leader first he had taken tutorial for us and then he assigned our individual tasks .My project leader was 45 years old, with 20 years of experience and sound knowledge of the subject. His way of teaching was very difficult for me and two others members of my team to grasp the concept. At that moment, my age was only 23 years old and entirely new to the work environment. I cannot understand how to connect two computers by pervasive computing technology .For my project leader, this kind of issues are easy be cause he had a vast knowledge of subject and always he feels difficulty with me and the other three members in my group because we are unable to catch his fastness and we many times had late submission of our assigned tasks. Project Leader expects us to think us very uniquely like him and tells us to write some thousands of lines of code on our own. Since my project leader was very experienced, he is handling another couple of teams who are working on cloud computing and cluster computing so, he controls totally 3 teams and he maintained very less supervision with our team because he was the only one who monitors all the three teams which works on computing concepts. Moreover I had some inferiority complex to ask any questions regarding my task because he says that why I am asking such a small doubts. But I dont understand why he cannot feel that doubt is very small to him not for me. Although we achieved how to connect two computers by using pervasive computing concepts, my group f ailed to submit the task of connecting more than 2 computers in a room by using pervasive concepts .So, as a result the client was upset and after our prior request, he had extended another week to submit the project and then we submitted our project to the client .So we failed as a tem to submit the project on time. Now I would like to relate this experience in relation to that of Trait theory. 6. Analysis based on Trait Theory on my experience in 4c solutions:- Trait theory attempts to identify specific characteristics like physical, mental, personality associated with leadership success. It relies on research that relates various traits to certain success criteria. (GIBSON, IVANCEVICH, DONNELLY, 1994). Intelligence:- Gibson (1994) cites the work of Ralph Stogdill as Leaders were more intelligent than followers. One momentous judgment was that intense intelligence variation among leaders and followers might be unfunctional. A leader with an fairly high Intelligence trying to manipulate a group whose members have usual intelligence may be incapable to understand that why followers are not realizing the problem. Personality:- Some traits like attentiveness, innovation, confidence are connected with successful leadership. Gibson (1994) cited the work of Edwin Ghiselli as person who exhibit individuality were the most effective leaders. Physical Characteristics:- There are some organizations that deem that a physically big person is needed as a leader to safe compliance from his members of a team. But studies of the relationship between physical characteristics and leadership gave contradictory result. There are examples of leaders like Napoleon, Stalin, and Gandhi with small posture but also proved effective leadership. Supervisory Ability:- There is a optimistic association between supervisory ability and level in organizational ladder. Ghiselli stated that Effective utilization of whatever supervisory practices are indicated by the particular requirements of the situation. In my point of view, I related my work experience in 4c solutions, with that of trait theory because actually my group had failed to submit the project to the client on time and that situation made us to request our client to prolong the submission for another week .why I choosed to relate this experience with that of Trait theory means I can tell that our group had failed to submit the project to the client on time duet o ineffectiveness of the project leader .Ineffectiveness means not that he had no concept my project leader had vast knowledge and is very intelligent and it made me and some of our group members to follow him and moreover he didnt maintained a strict supervision our team because he handled three teams which are working on computing concepts. So I found my experience, similar to that of the rait theory and thus related my experience with that of traits of leadership. So, after working in that group seeing that failure what i experienced is Leader of the group should be effective and should be friendly with the group to answer doubts of group members and he should govern the group on regular basis. In my point of view, my project leader, instead of doing like that if had done like that of Action Centred Leadership then we had finished the task on time. 7. Action- Centred Leadership model:- Action Centred Leadership is a highly successful method of leadership , developed by John Adair in the year 1984.This theory tells that effective leadership must contain three sets of interconnected needs, which give rise to three functions and they are as follows:- Task-related function:- Leader should meet the needs of the group and by helping its group members, the leader should relay on task completion so that the group overcomes barriers of task completion. Team -related function:- The leader should meet up the needs of the group to hold together as a unified unit. Individual Oriented functions:- The leader should ensure whether individual needs are met or not. Leader should not only focus on the task highly but he should consider individual needs like if a group member needs assistance in one concept, the leader should be in a position to clarify his doubts. DDEREK ROLLINSON.2008 Organizational Behaviour and Analysis,4th edition. London: Prentice hall gives us the diagrammatical representation of Action -Centred Leadership is represented as follows:- So, in my group, If my Project leader if had done the above three tasks i.e.,task-related function, team-related function and individual oriented function, then we may achieved the task on time. My project leader ignored individually oriented function because he ignored fresher group members who are new to the work environment .If he had solved my doubts patiently instead of saying me that why I am asking some small doubts and governed the team by encouraging us to finish the task on time, we may achieved result on time .So, I related this Action centred leadership if had followed, my group and my project leader may achieved success. After this I would like to tell about the qualities of an effective leader. 8. Who is a Efficient Leader:- In general, a leader is a person who is in a higher position than others in a group .The main important management skill to be developed in each and every individual is Leadership quality. BELLA BANATHY, 2010.A manager who is leading a team should have qualities like giving information to his subordinates on their doubts, understanding their group needs, controlling the group, representing the group, planning and also motivating the group. 9. Distinction between Leaders and managers:- The word Leader and manager although has same meaning I dont know why some authors makes difference of the roles that were performed by leaders and managers respectively. The difference between leaders and managers was stated by Abraham Zaleznik, a professor at Harvard business school as those leaders put up with confusion and lack of arrangement and is thus equipped to keep answers in suspense. Managers look for order and control and are in a position to solve the problems even before they recognize their consequence.(Gibson,1994). 10. Conclusion:- This assignment helped me to know about many group behaviour theories, leadership theories and Process theories and made me to realize the faults that I had done in past. So, I got a framework of the theories in my mind now and I came to know how to behave while working in a group .After studying leadership concepts, we taught that the most important skill that each and every individual should possess is Leadership quality and I got an idea of qualities to possess to become a effective leader .Finally I conclude that a leaderless group or an organization is like pie-in-the sky propaganda. References:- 1. DEREK ROLLINSON.2008.Organizational behaviour and Analysis an Integrated approach .4th edition.England:Pearson.pp.317-326. 2. GIBSON,IVANCEVICH,DONNELLY.1994.Organizations:Behaviour,Structure,Processes.8th edition.America:Irwin.p.5. 3. MARVIN E.SHAW .1984.Group Dynamics.Newyork:McGeawhill.pg.310. 4. ANDRZEJ HUCKZYNSKI and DAVID BUCHANAN.2001.Organizational Behaviour.4th edition. England: Prentice Hall.p.297 . 5. BELLA BANATHY, 2010.Leadership skills. The Eleven skills of Leadership. [online Journal] http://www.whitestag.org/skills/index.html 6. J GEOFFREY RAWLINSON .1981.Creative Thinking and Brainstorming. England: Gower

Marketing Plan Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing BTEC Coursework

Marketing Plan Current Market Situation An opportunity for Western Slopes's success exists because the national tourism and travel industry is growing 4% and adventure travel 10% annually. According to the Department of Commerce, the US travel and tourism industry is the nation's third largest retail industry and will be number one by the year 2000. Revenues from travel have increased approximately 100% in the last decade with US travel agencies producing over $100 billion in revenues each year. The travel and tourism market is separated into two main categories, business and leisure travel. Each contribute about 45% to total revenues. Adventure travel falls primarily under the leisure travel category. Revenues from leisure travel earned by US travel agencies were almost $50 billion annually. Reasons for this growth include a healthy domestic economy and devaluation of currency in other regions which has made travel less expensive for US residents. Leisure travel increased by 3.2% in 1997 and 2.0% in 1998. The healthy economy has increased business which in turn boosted domestic business travel 4.8% in 1997 and 3.6% in 1998. Adventure travel, a segment of the travel and tourism industry, growing 10% annually, it is one of the fastest growing segments of the travel industry. More than 50% of the US adult traveling population, or 147 million people, have taken an adventure trip in their lifetime, 98 million in the past five years. Skiing is one of the activities...

Psychological approaches Essay

Today, few psychologists identify their outlook according to a particular school of thought. While you may still find some pure behaviorists or psychoanalysts, the majority of psychologists instead categorize their work according to their specialty area and perspective. Every topic in psychology can be looked at in a number of different ways. For example, let’s consider the subject of aggression. Someone who emphasizes a biological perspective would look at the how the brain and nervous system impact aggressive behavior. A professional who stresses a behavioral perspective would look at how environmental variables reinforce aggressive actions. Another psychologist who utilizes a cross-cultural approach might consider how cultural and social influences contribute to aggressive or violent behaviors. The following are just a few of the major perspectives in modern psychology. The Psychodynamic Perspective The psychodynamic perspective originated with the work of Sigmund Freud. This view of psychology and human behavior emphasizes the role of the unconscious mind, early childhood experiences, and interpersonal relationships to explain human behaviour and to treat people suffering from mental illnesses. The Behavioral Perspective Behavioral psychology is a perspective that focuses on learned behaviors. Behaviorism differed from many other perspectives because instead of emphasizing internal states, it focused solely on observable behaviors. While this school of thought dominated psychology early in the twentieth century, it began to lose its hold during the 1950s. Today, the behavioral perspective is still concerned with how behaviors are learned and reinforced. Behavioral principles are often applied in mental health settings, where therapists and counselors use these techniques to explain and treat a variety of illnesses. The Cognitive Perspective During the 1960s, a new perspective known as cognitive psychology began to take hold. This area of psychology focuses on mental processes such as memory, thinking, problem solving, language and decision-making. Influenced by psychologists such as Jean Piaget and Albert Bandura, this perspective has grown tremendously in recent decades. Cognitive psychologists often utilize an information-processing model, comparing the human mind to a computer, to conceptualize how information is acquired, processed, stored, and utilized. The Biological Perspective The study of physiology played a major role in the development of psychology as a separate science. Today, this perspective is known as biological psychology. Sometimes referred to as biopsychology or physiological psychology, this point of view emphasizes the physical and biological bases of behavior. Researchers who take a biological perspective on psychology might look at how genetics influence different behaviors or how damage to specific areas of the brain influence behavior and personality. Things like the nervous system, genetics, the brain, the immune system, and the endocrine systems are just a few of the subjects that interest biological psychologists. This perspective has grown significantly over the last few decades, especially with advances in our ability to explore and understand the human brain and nervous system. Tools such as MRI scans and PET scans allow researchers to look at the brain under a variety of conditions. Scientists can now look at the effects of brain damage, drugs, and disease in ways that were simply not possible in the past. The Evolutionary Perspective Evolutionary psychology is focused on the study of how evolution explains physiological processes. Psychologists and researchers take the basic principles of evolution, including natural selection, and apply them to psychological phenomena. This perspective suggests that these mental processes exist because they serve an evolutionary purpose – they aid in survival and reproduction. The Humanistic Perspective During the 1950s, a school of thought known as humanistic psychology emerged. Influenced greatly by the work of prominent humanists such as Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, this perspective emphasizes the role of motivation on thought and behavior. Concepts such as self-actualization are an essential part of this perspective. Those who take the humanist perspective focus on the ways that human beings are driven to grow, change, and develop their personal potential. Positive psychology is one relatively recent movement in psychology that has its roots in the humanist perspective.

Ghana is a mixed but capitalist oriented economy” critically examine this statement Essay

There is not one single definition for a mixed economy, but the definitions always involve a degree of private economic freedom mixed with a degree of government regulation of markets. A mixed economy is an economic system in which both the private enterprise and a degree of state monopoly (usually in public services, defence, infrastructure, and basic industries) coexist. Investopedia defines a mixed economy as an economic system that features characteristics of both capitalism and socialism. A mixed economic system allows a level of private economic freedom in the use of capital, but also allows for governments to interfere in economic activities in order to achieve social aims. This type of economic system is less efficient than capitalism, but more efficient than socialism. All modern economies are mixed where the means of production are shared between the private and public sectors. A mixed economy is also called a dual economy. Most modern economies feature a synthesis of two o r more economic systems. The public sector works alongside the private sector, but may compete for the same limited resources. Mixed economic systems do not block the private sector from profit-seeking, but do monitor profit levels and may nationalize companies that are deemed to go against the public good. Mixed economic systems are not laissez-faire systems: the government is involved in planning the use of resources and can exert control over businesses in the private sector. Governments may seek to redistribute wealth by taxing the private sector, and using funds from taxes to promote social objectives. Capitalism allows prices to be set by supply and demand forces and socialism fixes prices through central planning. Capitalism is a socio-economic system that allows private owners to profit from the goods and services they provide. Investopedia defines capitalism as an economic system based on the private ownership of capital and production inputs, and on the production of goods and services for profit. The production of goods and services is based on supply and demand in the general market (market economy), rather than through central planning (planned economy). Capitalism is generally characterized by competition between producers. Other facets, such as the participation of govern ment in production and regulation, vary  across models of capitalism. One of the cornerstones of this system is the right of the individual to choose what to produce, how to produce it, and what price to sell it for. It is popular in  nations that value the freedom of the individual over the stability of the society. Most modern nations use some form of capitalism, such as state, corporate, or social market. Capitalism is also called the free market system. Capitalism requires unregulated supply and demand and little or no government interference in matters of trade. Each individual is free to produce what he or she wants and to sell it at whatever price the market will support. These decisions are typically made by the laws of supply and demand: if there is no demand for a particular product, the producer won’t be able to make a profit, but if the demand is high, he Capitalism is often closely associated with economic growth, as production and price are determined by the market rather than by governments. Private property rights provide individuals with the freedom to produce goods and services they can sell in the market. In the 1990s, the government continued to play a decisive role in the direction and pace of economic development in Ghana. Under the Economic Recovery Program initiated in 1983, the government tried to shift the burden of economic growth from government to the private sector through a dual strategy of cutting government spending and promoting private production. In particular, the government tried to boost export production through currency devaluations, tax incentives, and government-funded development projects. At the same time, budget deficits were almost entirely wiped out. Currently, Ghana is a mixed economy but depends mostly on the private sectors. The production of goods and services in Ghana is based on supply and demand in the general market (market economy), rather than through central planning (planned economy). With Ghana’s economic system, trade, industry and the means of production are controlled by private owners with the goal of making profits in a market economy. It can therefore be concluded that Ghana is a mixed but capitalist economy.

A Critical Evaluation of Jonathan Demmes Philadelphia Essay Example

A Critical Evaluation of Jonathan Demmes Philadelphia Essay Example A Critical Evaluation of Jonathan Demmes Philadelphia Essay A Critical Evaluation of Jonathan Demmes Philadelphia Essay Essay Topic: Film Philadelphia Here I Come The mass media (i.e. film, television and newspapers) is for the mainstream, perhaps the most important source of information about homosexuality and AIDS. Consequently how these subjects are portrayed in the mass media will heavily influence societys understanding of these issues. Jonathan Demmes Philadelphia (1993), a film produced by TriStar is Hollywoods first attempt to confront AIDS and homosexuality. This film deals with how Andrew Beckett, a gay man copes with AIDS, discrimination and the stigmatisation of homosexuality. During this essay I will analyse how AIDS and homosexuality are constructed in Philadelphia by using two opposing strands of argument which show the mechanisms through which the films narrative both reinforces prevailing mainstream cultural values and how it problematises them. I will address five questions that the film prompts: 1) Are the images of the gay men in this film fair and representative of the gay population? 2) Is the innocent victim/guilty victim paradigm addressed adequately and does the film challenge or reinforce this mainstream ideology? 3) Does the film accurately represent AIDS? 4) How is gay sex addressed, implicitly, explicitly or not at all? 5) How is homophobia dealt with in this film? Finally I will summarise my arguments and in conclusion give my personal opinion of the films capabilities and deficiencies. In order to make the issues of homosexuality and AIDS in this film accessible to straight people, Andrew Becketts/ Tom Hanks character has been toned down. Andrew Beckett is portrayed as charming, masculine and non- threatening. He is normal, white, middle class, a successful lawyer and an all round nice man. In fact Beckett is so unassuming that it is not until he is rushed to hospital to be treated for AIDS (about 20 minutes into the film) that we know he is gay because we meet his same sex partner, Miguel Alvarez/Antonio Banderas. The problem with Philadelphias cleaned up, positive images of gay men is they are not truly representative or an accurate portrayal. Gay men come in all shapes and sizes, colours and creeds and have individual sexual persuasions. As Alan Sinfield said in his book Gay and After: 1 The pervasive images of white, upper-middle class, straight looking people is at the expense of those more distanced from and threatening to the mainstream, such as the poor, ethnic/racial /sexual minorities, drag queens, and butch lesbians The deal is acceptance for the straight-acting at the price of dumping embarrassing brothers and sisters. Hence this film potentially alienates any gay person that is not white, clean-cut and middle-class and it implies to a largely homophobic audience that anything other than a gay man who is virtually indistinguishable from a straight one is unacceptable. However in the films favour it must be said that Philadelphia was not made for a gay audience and it was produced at a time when the social climate was aggressively anti-gay due to the onset of AIDS. As this was Hollywoods first attempt to address AIDS and homosexuality the filmmakers must have felt they needed to present a non-threatening, watered down version of the truth in order to reach and educate a mainstream audience. Another problem with Philadelphia is that it does not address the guilty victim/innocent victim paradigm adequately enough. During the film a courtroom scene takes place where Andrew Beckett is prosecuting the law firm that sacked him because he was ill with AIDS. In this scene a former employee of Becketts law firm is being questioned by a lawyer who asks her how she contracted AIDS. She tells him through a blood transfusion when giving birth. The lawyer then says So in other words, in your case there was no behaviour on your part which caused you to be infected with the virus, it was something that you were unable to avoid, isnt that correct? The former employee replies, I guess, I dont consider myself different from anyone else with this disease. Im not guilty, Im not innocent, Im just trying to survive. Although the film attempts to address the innocent/guilty paradigm it leaves the message open to interpretation. Viewers could either agree with the lawyer, believing the former employee to be innocent because she contracted the virus through a blood transfusion and not gay sex thus implying that anyone who contracted AIDS through gay sex is guilty. Alternatively, the viewer might agree with the former employer who thinks of herself as not innocent or guilty, just a human being person trying to survive an illness. The film should have been more explicit in delivering its intended message that there are no guilty victims just people whom have HIV and are dying of AIDS. In this instance, Philadelphia fails to challenge the mainstream ideologies instituted in the1980s and 1990s by many of the straight population and people in the medical establishment who blamed AIDS on gay men and branded it the 2 gay cancer, a divine retribution delivered by God to punish deviants and perverts. A further deficiency within this film is that it could be accused of making AIDS look heroic and sweet because many aspects of Philadelphia are far too idyllic. As illustrated earlier Andrew Beckett is an ideal man, he is charming, good-looking educated etc. and he miraculously wins his court battle against a huge law firm. Andrews family are wonderful, loving and understanding and even his boyfriend, Miguel is ever devoted, even when Andrew has cheated him on in a cinema with an unknown man. The same kind of unrealism is true of the films portrayal of AIDS, as Jefft says in his film review on the Gay.Net website: 3 It isnt like a Tom Hanks movie you dont get hugged by Antonio Bandaras and gently expire while Joanne Woodward weeps for you in the corner. It takes forever, and you wont win an Oscar for putting yourself through it. Instead, youll turn into a skeleton slowly, achingly over time, and lose your job, your money, your lovers, your eyesight, your appetite, your bowel control, your memory, your mind. Youll rage and scream, youll alienate all of your friends and family and ruin their love for you and destroy your regard for yourself. I would rather step on a land mine in Vietnam and die with my body parts hanging in a tree. A more true-to-life and less ideal representation of the issues surrounding AIDS in this film would have helped to give the mainstream a more real understanding and perhaps helped them to examine their ideological beliefs concerning AIDS and homosexuality. The most striking problem with this film is its refusal to address gay sex. The relationship between Andrew and Miguel is so chaste it is difficult to tell that they are lovers. In fact Andrew is more intimate with his mother and sisters than with his own boyfriend, he hugs kisses and dances with his family whereas the only affection he shows for Miguel is a quick peck on the cheek and a slow dance which is anything but intimate. This failure to show intimacy is deeply problematic and reinforces the misconception that homosexual sex is something to be ashamed of and hidden. It compounds the ideology that homosexual contact is deviant and perverted and thus too offensive to show on film. Philadelphia should have depicted intimacy between Andrew and Miguel, it could even have shown them using a condom, this may have been more useful to a homophobic audience than having no sex scenes at all and would have delivered the message that there is absolutely nothing wrong with gay sex. The filmmakers management of homophobia is very complicated in this film because Philadelphia clearly denounces civil rights discrimination. This can be seen in the fact that Andrew Beckett wins the court case against his previous employers who sacked him because he has AIDS. Yet, Philadelphia does not totally damn the social bigotry and prejudices that can be seen clearly in Jo Miller/Denzel Washingtons character. In this film Andrew Beckett decides to take his previous law firm to court and attempts to hire Jo Miller a homophobic, black lawyer who is very reluctant to take the case. However Jo is won over only because he witnesses Andrew being treated badly (as black people have been treated) by an embarrassed librarian who urges a very ill looking Andrew out of public view. To its merit, the film draws a clear parallel between discrimination against blacks and discrimination against people with AIDS because it is Jos identification, as a black man, with Andrew that leads him to represent Andrew in court. Throughout the court case Joe Miller who is a raging homophobic is gradually seen to shift his point of view as he works with and gets to know Andrew Beckett. However, Joes transformation is very uncertain because he never really gets to the point of being comfortable with Andrews homosexuality or his illness. He only reaches a stage where he can identify with Andrew on the level of a person who has been discriminated against. In fact one scene towards the end of he film still shows just how homophobic he still is. Joe is in the bar and one of his friends is jibbing him that he must be gay because he is representing a gay man. Joe retorts Hey, let me tell you something, these people make me sick, Philko, but a law has been broken. You remember the law, dont you? So in the end this film delivers the message that gays especially those with AIDS should be entitled to equal civil rights but homosexuality is still an abomination that is not to be condoned. In conclusion, there are some major problems with the film: the images of the gay men are not fair or representative of the gay population, it fails to adequately challenge the mainstream ideology that gay men have AIDS because of their deviant behaviour, it idealises and glamorises AIDS, completely denies gay sex and a fails to clearly define its position on homophobia. However having said all this I still believe considering the social climate and that it was a first attempt to broach these subjects by Hollywood that it was groundbreaking. Director Jonathan Demme did not make this film for people already educated about AIDS. He made it for an ignorant public that does not know the difference between HIV and AIDS, that thinks it can catch HIV from touching an infected person and that still brands gay men as perverts. It is for people such as these that Philadelphia, with all its shortcomings, helped to increase their general understanding of AIDS and may have forced them to examine their fear of AIDS and dogmatic and intolerant treatment of gay people.

Flashbulb Memories essays

Flashbulb Memories essays About one year ago I remember hearing about some very awful news. My grandmother had died suddenly. In my mind it was impossible that this could happen. No one who was close to me had ever died before. It was even harder to believe because my grandmother had been much more healthy than her husband. She still worked as a babysitter during the days, and that is where she died. She was taking care of a four year old child and had a stroke while sitting in a chair. The little boy just thought she fell asleep. He tried very hard to wake her up, but obviously couldnt. When the paramedics finally came they said she had died the minute it happened. To me the strangest part of my memories of that day is the fact that I dont really remember being told. I think this may be because I didnt believe it. My grandmother had taken care of me many times in my childhood. She lived in the next town over with my grandfather for my whole life. Every holiday she would cook so much food for my entire family, that there would be leftovers (and my family is huge seeing as my last name is ) How could this woman not be ten minutes away anymore? I just couldnt believe my parents and maybe that is why I dont remember being told. The memory that stays with me is the memory of kneeling in front of her open coffin at the wake. I had been to one funeral a long time ago when I was very young and it had been of a relative I did not know very well, so this was my first actual experience in these things. That and the fact that I finally realized everyone was telling me the truth are what I think made this memory so vivid. I can picture her laying there right now. I can even feel the same feelings as I did then. All my denial and confusion were lost, and at that moment there was a huge sense of inevitability and sadness in my mind. Just thinking about looking at her face makes tears spring to my eyes. I reme...

Robert Fulton and the Invention of the Steamboat

Robert Fulton and the Invention of the Steamboat Robert Fulton  (1765–1815) was an  American  engineer  and  inventor  who is widely known for developing a commercially successful  steamboat  called  Clermont. In 1807, that steamboat took passengers from New York City to Albany and back again, a round trip of 300 miles, in 62 hours.   Fast Facts: Robert Fulton Known For: Engineer and inventor who developed a commercially successful  steamboat  called  Clermont.Born: November 14, 1765Died: February 24, 1815Spouse: Harriet LivingstonChildren: Robert, Julia, Mary, and Cornelia Early Developments Fultons experiments began while he was in Paris, and may have been stimulated by his acquaintance with Chancellor Livingston, who held the monopoly, offered by the legislature of the State of New York, for the navigation of the Hudson River. Livingston was now the ambassador of the United States to the Court of France and had become interested in Fulton, meeting him, presumably, at a friends house. It was determined to try the experiment at once and on the Seine. Fulton went to Plombieres in the spring of 1802, and there made his drawings and completed his plans for the construction of his first steamboat. Many attempts had been made, and many inventors were at work contemporaneously with him. Every modern device - the jet system, the chaplet of buckets on an endless chain or rope, the paddle-wheel, and even the screw-propeller - had been already proposed, and all were familiar to the well-read man of science of the day. Indeed, as Benjamin H. Latrobe, a distinguished engineer at the time, wrote in a paper presented May 20, 1803, to the Philadelphia Society, A sort of mania began to prevail for propelling boats by means of  steam-engines. Fulton was one of those taking this mania most seriously. He made a number of models which worked successfully and justified the proprietors of the new arrangement in building on a larger scale. A model of the proposed steamboat was made during the year 1802, and was presented to the committee of the French legislature... With the encouragement of Livingston, who urged upon Fulton the importance of the introduction of steam navigation into their native country, the latter continued his experimental work. Their boat was finished and set afloat on the Seine in 1803, in the early spring. Its proportions had been determined by careful computation from the results of no less careful experiment on the resistance of fluids and the power required for propelling vessels; and its speed was, therefore, more nearly in accord with the expectations and promises of the inventor than was the usual experience in those days. Guided by these experiments and calculations, therefore, Fulton directed the construction of his steamboat vessel. The hull was 66 feet long, of 8 feet beam, and of light draught. But unfortunately the hull was too weak for its machinery, and it broke in two and sank to the bottom of the Seine. Fulton at once set about repairing damages. He was compelled to direct the rebuilding of the hull, but the machinery was but slightly injured. In June 1803, the reconstruction was complete, and the vessel was set afloat in July. A New Steamboat On August 9, 1803, this steamboat was cast loose in front of an immense crowd of spectators. The steamboat moved slowly, making only between three and four miles an hour against the current, the speed through the water was about 4.5 miles; but this was, all things considered, a great success. The experiment attracted little attention, notwithstanding the fact that its success had been witnessed by the committee of the National Academy and by officers on Napolean Bonapartes staff. The boat remained a long time on the Seine, near the palace. The water-tube boiler of this vessel is still preserved at the Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers at Paris, where it is known as Barlows boiler.   Livingston wrote home, describing the trial and its results, and procured the passage of an Act by the legislature of the State of New York, extending, nominally to Fulton, a monopoly granted the former in 1798 for the term of 20 years from April 5, 1803 - the date of the new law - and extending the time allowed for proving the practicability of driving a boat 4 miles an hour by steam to  two years from the same date. A later act further extended the time to April 1807. In May  1804, Fulton went to England, giving up all hope of success in France with either his steamboats, and the chapter of his work in Europe practically ends here. He had already written to Boulton Watt, ordering an engine to be built from plans which he furnished them; but he had not informed them of the purpose to which it was to be applied. This engine was to have a steam cylinder two feet in diameter and of four feet stroke. Its form and proportions were substantially those of the boat engine of 1803. John Stevens and Sons Meantime, the opening of the century had been distinguished by the beginning of work in the same direction by the most active and energetic among Fultons later rivals. This was  Col. John Stevens  of Hoboken, who, assisted by his son, Robert L. Stevens, was earnestly engaged in the attempt to seize the prize now so evidently almost within the grasp. This younger Stevens was he of whom the great naval architect and engineer, John Scott Russell, afterward remarked: He is probably the man to whom, of all others, America owes the greatest share of its present highly improved steam navigation. The father and son worked together for years after Fulton had demonstrated the possibility of reaching the desired end, in the improvement of the hulls and machinery of the river steamboat, until in their hands, and especially in those of the son, the now familiar system of construction in all its essentials was developed. The elder Stevens, as early as 1789, evidently had seen what was in prospect, and had petitioned the legislature of the State of New York for a grant similar to that actually accorded Livingston, later; and he had certainly, at that time, formed plans for the application of steam power to navigation. The records show that he was at work on construction as early, at least, as 1791.   Stevens Steamboat In 1804, Stevens completed a steamboat 68 feet long and of 14 feet beam. Its boiler was of the water-tubular variety. It contained 100 tubes, 3 inches in diameter and 18 inches long, fastened at one end to a central water leg and steam-drum. The flames from the furnace passed among the tubes, the water being inside. The engine was direct-acting high-pressure condensing, having a 10-inch cylinder, two feet stroke of the piston, and driving a well-shaped screw, with four blades. This machinery - the high-pressure condensing engine, with rotating valves, and twin screw propellers  - as rebuilt in 1805, is still preserved. The hub and blade of a single screw, also used with the same machinery in 1804, is likewise extant. Stevens eldest son, John Cox Stevens, was in Great Britain in the year 1805, and while there patented a modification of this sectional boiler.   Fitch and Oliver While Fulton was still abroad,  John Fitch  and  Oliver Evans  were pursuing a similar course of the experiment, as were his contemporaries on the other side the Atlantic, and with more success. Fitch had made a number of fairly successful ventures and had shown beyond question that the project of applying steam to ship propulsion was a promising one, and  he had only failed through lack of financial backing, and inability to appreciate the amount of power that must be employed to give his boats any considerable speed. Evans had made his Oruktor Amphibolis - a flat-bottomed vessel which he built at his works in Philadelphia - and impelled by its own engines, on wheels, to the bank of the Schuylkill, and then afloat, down the stream to its berth, by paddle-wheels driven by the same engines. Other inventors were working on both sides the ocean with apparently good reason to hope for success, and the times evidently were ripe for the man who should best combine all the requi rements in a single experiment. The man to do this was Fulton. The Clermont Immediately on his arrival, in the winter of 1806-07, Fulton started on his boat, selecting Charles Brown as the builder, a well-known ship-builder of that time, and the builder of many of Fultons later steam-vessels. The hull of this steamer, which was the first to establish a regular route and regular transportation of passengers and merchandise in America. Fultons first boat in his native country was 133 feet long, 18 feet beam, and 7 feet depth of hold. The engine was of 24 inches diameter of the cylinder, 4 feet stroke of the piston; and its boiler was 20 feet long, 7 feet high, and 8 feet wide. The tonnage was computed at 160. After its first season, its operation having satisfied all concerned of the promise of the venture, its hull was lengthened to 140 feet, and widened to 16.5 feet, thus being completely rebuilt; while its engines were altered in a number of details, Fulton furnishing the drawings for the alterations. Two more boats, the Raritan and the Car of Neptune were added to form the fleet of 1807, and steam navigation was at last fairly begun in America, some years in advance of its establishment in Europe. The Legislature was so much impressed with this result that they promptly extended the monopoly previously given Fulton and Livingston, adding five years for every boat to be built and set in operation, up to a maximum not to exceed a total of thirty years. The Clermont, as Robert Fulton called this first boat, was begun in the winter of 1806-07, and launched in the spring; the machinery was at once put on board, and in August 1807, the craft was ready for the trial trip. The boat was promptly started on her proposed trip to Albany and made the run with perfect success. Fultons own account is as follows: Sir, - I arrived this afternoon at four oclock, in the steamboat from Albany. As the success of my experiment gives me great hopes that such boats may be rendered of great importance to my country, to prevent erroneous opinions and give some satisfaction to my friends of useful improvements you will have the goodness to publish the following statement of facts:I left New York on Monday at one oclock, and arrived at Clermont, the seat of Chancellor Livingston, at one oclock on Tuesday time, twenty-four hours; distance, one hundred and ten miles. On Wednesday I departed from the Chancellors at nine in the morning, and arrived at Albany at five in the afternoon: distance, forty miles; time, eight hours. The sum is one hundred and fifty miles in thirty-two hours, - equal to near five miles an hour. On Thursday, at nine oclock in the morning, I left Albany, and arrived at the Chancellors at six in the evening. I started from thence at seven, and arrived at New York at four in the afternoon: time, thirty hours; space run through, one hundred and fifty miles, equal to five miles an hour. Throughout my whole way, both going and returning, the wind was ahead. No advantage could be derived from my sails. The whole has therefore been performed by the power of the steamengines. I am, Sir your obedient servant - Robert Fulton The last boat which was constructed under Fultons directions, and according to drawings and plans furnished by him, is that which, in 1816, navigated the sound from New York to New Haven. She was  nearly 400 tons, built of uncommon strength, and fitted up with all conveniences and great elegance. She was the first steamboat with a round bottom like a sea-going ship. This form was adopted, because, for a great part of the route, she would be as much exposed as on the ocean. It was, therefore, necessary, to make her a good sea boat. She passed daily, and at all times of the tide, the then dangerous strait of Hell Gate where, for a mile, she frequently encountered a current running at the rate of 5 or 6 miles an hour. For some distance, she had within a few yards, on each side, rocks, and whirlpools which rivaled Scylla and Charybdis, even as they are poetically described. This passage, previously to its being navigated by this steamer, was supposed to be impassable except at the chan ge of the tide; and many shipwrecks had been occasioned by a mistake in time. The boat passing through these whirlpools with rapidity, while the angry waters foamed against her bows, and appeared to raise themselves in obstinate resistance to her passage, is a proud triumph of human ingenuity. The owners, as the highest tribute they had in their power to offer to his genius, and as an evidence of the gratitude they owed him, called her the Fulton. A steam ferry-boat was built to ply between New York and Jersey City in 1812, and the next year two others, to connect with Brooklyn. These were twin boats the two hulls being connected by a bridge or deck common to both. The Jersey ferry was crossed in fifteen minutes, the distance was a mile and a half. Fultons boat carried, at one load, eight carriages, and about thirty horses, and still had room for three hundred or four hundred foot passengers. Fultons description of one of these boats is as follows: She is built of two boats, each ten feet beam, eighty feet long, and five feet deep in the hold; which boats are distant from each often ten feet, confined by strong transverse beam knees and diagonal traces, forming a deck thirty feet wide and eighty feet long. The propelling water-wheel is placed between the boats to prevent it from injury from ice and shocks on entering or approaching the dock. The whole of the machinery being placed between the two boats, leaves ten feet on the deck of each boat for carriages, horses and cattle, etc.; the other, having neat benches and covered with an awning, is for passengers, and there is also a passage and stairway to a neat cabin, which is fifty feet long and five feet clear from the floor to the beams, furnished with benches, and provided with a stove in winter. Although the two boats and space between them gives thirty feet beam, yet they present sharp bows to the water, and have only the resistance in the water of one boat of twenty beam. Both ends being alike, and each having a rudder, she never puts about. Meantime, the War of 1812 was in progress, and Fulton designed a steam vessel-of-war, which was then considered a wonderfully formidable craft. Fulton proposed to build a vessel capable of carrying a heavy battery, and of steaming four miles an hour. The ship was fitted with furnaces for red-hot shot, and some of her guns were to be discharged below the water-line. The estimated cost was $320,000. The construction of the vessel was authorized by Congress in March  1814; the keel was laid June 20, 1814, and the vessel was launched October 29 of the same year. Fulton the First The Fulton the First, as she was called, was then considered an enormous vessel. The hull was double, 156 feet long, 56 feet wide, and 20 feet deep, measuring 2,475 tons. In May the ship was ready for her engine, and in July was so far completed as to steam, on a trial trip, to the ocean at Sandy Hook and back, 53 miles, in eight hours and twenty minutes. In September, with armament and stores on board, the ship made for sea and for battle; the same route was traversed, the vessel making 5.5 miles an hour. Her engine, having a steam cylinder 48 inches in diameter and of 5 feet stroke of piston, was furnished with steam by a copper boiler 22 feet long, 12 feet wide, and 8 feet high, and turned a wheel, between the two halls, 16 feet in diameter, with buckets 14 feet long, and a dip of 4 feet. The sides were 4 feet 10 inches thick, and her sporadic was surrounded by musket proof bulwarks. The armament consisted of 30 32-pounders, intended to discharge red-hot shot. There was one mast f or each hull, fitted with lateen sails. Large pumps were carried, intended to throw streams of water on the decks of the enemy, with a view to disabling him by wetting his ordnance and ammunition. A submarine gun was to have been carried at each bow, to discharge shot weighing one hundred pounds, at a depth of ten feet below water. This, for the time, tremendous engine-of-war was constructed in response to a demand from the citizens of New York for a means of harbor defense. They appointed what was called a Coast and Harbor Defense Committee, and this committee examined Fultons plans and called the attention of the General Government to them. The Government appointed a Board of Experts from among its most famous naval officers, including Commodore Decatur, Captains Paul Jones, Evans, and Biddle, Commodore Perry; and Captains Warrington and Lewis. They reported unanimously in favor of the proposed construction and set forth her advantages over all previously known forms of war vessels. The citizens committee offered to guarantee the expense of building the ship; and the construction was undertaken under the supervision of a committee appointed for the purpose, consisting of several then distinguished men, both military and naval. Congress authorized the building of coastal defense vessels by the President, in Ma rch  1814, and Fulton at once started the work of construction, Messrs. Adam and Noah Brown building the hull, and the engines being placed on-board and in working order within a year. Fultons Death The death of Fulton took place in the year 1815, while at the height of his fame and of his usefulness. He had been called to Trenton, New Jersey, in January of that year, to give testimony before the State legislature in reference to the proposed repeal of laws which had interfered with the operation of the ferry-boats and other steam-vessels plying between the city of New York and the New Jersey shore. It happened that the weather was cold, he was exposed to its severity both at Trenton and, especially, crossing the Hudson River on his return, and took a cold from which he never recovered. He became apparently convalescent after a few days; but insisted on visiting the new steam frigate too soon, to inspect work in progress there, and on his return home experienced a relapse, his illness finally resulting in his death on February 24, 1815. He left a wife (nee Harriet Livingston) and four children, three of whom were daughters. Fulton died in the service of the United States government; and although engaged for years in devoting time and talents to the best interests of our country, still the public records show that the Government was indebted to his estate upwards of $100,000 for money actually expended and services rendered by him, agreeably to contract. When the legislature, then in session at Albany, heard of the death of Fulton, they expressed their sentiments of regret by resolving that the members of both houses should wear mourning for six weeks. This is the only instance, up to that time, of such public testimonials of regret, esteem, and respect being offered on the death of a private citizen, who was only distinguished by his virtues, his genius, and his talents. He was buried on February 25, 1815. His funeral was attended by all the officers of the National and State governments in the city at the time, by the magistracy, the common council, a number of societies, and a greater number of citizens than had ever been collected on any similar occasion. When the procession began to move, and until it arrived at Trinity Church, minute-guns were fired from the steam frigate and the Battery. His body is deposited in a vault belonging to the Livingston family. In all his social relations he was kind, generous, and affectionate. His only use for money was to make it an aid to charity, hospitality, and the promotion of science. He was especially distinguished by constancy, industry, and that union of patience and persistence which overcame every difficulty.

Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Globalization - Essay Example It has enabled the business houses to diversify themselves and enjoy the benefits of working in different emerging economies. Companies which are operating in the stage of maturity or decline of a particular industry of a country or region but their products have higher or sufficient demand in the other parts of the world often takes the advantage to move or penetrate in the new markets which in turn enhance the life of the product line. Globalization has paved the way for international investment across the world. Business activities are generally affected by a number of factors like the political condition of the foreign country, the economic situation of the prospective region, the legal issues or the laws regarding the business or other related issues, technology availability, environmental issues of the country, social norms, local customs and rituals, cultural, aspects of the country, the other aspects influencing the cross culture management etc. Therefore apart from financial viability of the investment, these factors have to be analysed in detail before making any decision. Wrong assessment of any of the criteria mentioned above could lead to the failure of the project. The present case of La Napoli restaurant highlights the flaws in cross culture management and overall mismanagement in managerial functions of the restaurant which has declined the overall performance of the restaurant. The case focuses how the failure of managing the cross culture issues and other basic managerial issues has adversely affected the organisational performance in terms of profitability, managerial efficiency and revenue. The Cultural Issues The case highlights the major flaws which resulted in to the decline of restaurant of an established business chain. Though the idea of Compia (a renowned Italian-American chef) of setting an authentic Italian restaurant was fair but it bumped off because of ineffective and inefficient management of cross culture issues which are very important for international investment. This segment highlights the cross culture issues which adversely affected the performance of the restaurant. The cultural dimensions of a country or region have a major impact on the organisational performance especially on the human resource activities. As per Greet Hofstede there are four cultural dimensions that are power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism & collectivism, masculinity & femininity and short term versus long term orientation (Heidtmann, 2011, p. 41). In order to identify and assess the problem and symptoms of cross culture issues, it is very important to analyse the cultural dimensions of the host country Hong Kong. Figure 1: Cultural Dimensions of Hong Kong (Source: itim, n.d) The power dimension signifies the extent of expectation and acceptance of unequal distribution of power. The power distance dimension of Hong Kong is 68. This signifies that the people of Hong Kong believes in superior subordinate relations hip and accept unequal distribution of power as per the organisational hierarchy. The individualism dimension of Hong Kong is very low. This signifies that the people of Hong Kong, works for the group’s interest instead of working for themselves. They believe in working collectively. The 57 score in masculinity dimension index shows that the people there are success driven. As per the score of uncertainty avoidance index it can be said that the rules and regulations are quite flexible and can be adapted as per the situations. People there are long-term oriented which means that people there worries for future which in turn signifies that job security is a major concern for them. The major cultural issues which have been identified while analysing the case are as follows: The first major issue

See word Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

See word - Assignment Example Florida Christian School is a well-structured Christian school created by Christian around Miami. The school is strategically located in Miami Dade County and easily accessible by the community around. It is located at  4200 SW 89th Ave. It provides Christian based academic skills and knowledge of Miami and other Christian communities across the country. The school formulates payment structure and competitive fees that best suits the community around Miami. The pricing strategy applied by the institution attracts many parents to offer their children into this institution. To enhance its competitive advantage in an academic institution, Florida offers a multiple child discount for additional siblings enrolled in the institution who live in the same household. In this perspective, a 10 percent discount is provided for each second child enrolled 20 percent reduction to the third child and 30 percent reduction of fee payment to the fourth child. On the other hand, the institution provides an annual plan that offers a 6 percent reduction of the annual fee if payment is made in full by June 1st. The institution is very innovative in establishing promotional activities that increase the institution’s brand name in the community and across the country. In this respect, the institution created a website link that is easily accessible to potential international students and parents. On the other hand, the institution produces periodic journals distributed to parents and other stakeholders. In an attempt to reach into more communities, the institution selected a unique color matching of its uniform with institution logo and other relevant information on it. Concisely, the institution is well positioned in the market to attract parents and to gain competitive advantage. Its main core competence in providing Christian based education and pocket friendly fee

Best Nursing Practices when Transfusing Blood Products Research Paper

Best Nursing Practices when Transfusing Blood Products - Research Paper Example Nursing is a profession of the highest realm with unconditional love for mankind. Professionals are expected to show a degree of special attainment, altruism, and self-sacrifice in their dealings with the rest of the community and in return receive privileges both in the workplace and at large. Nurses work in multidisciplinary professional teams with doctors and therapists. Teamwork in nursing practice refers to interdisciplinary practice or collaboration defined as a joint decision-making and communication process with the goal of satisfying the needs of the patient. This includes respecting the unique abilities of each professional involved in the care. Nurses should be equipped with the all the needed information to complete all the tasks to work with the patients, families and colleagues in a safe, efficient manner. To deal effectively with the issues of patients nurse should have multiple skills. The attitude of the nurse affects their daily judgments, decisions, and efficiency. It is necessary to synthesize the required attitude, patient-focused systematic approach and purposeful clinical learning to deliver the needed result. Nurses should have ability to react quickly and take instant decision when needed. They should have capability to think laterally and work under tension. These qualities are needed for handling patients who are in crisis. Nurses are continuously physically and mentally challenged. They should able to handle every tough situation with focus, strength, stamina and heightened alertness.

Leadership for Organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Leadership for Organizations - Essay Example This intentional feature of acquiescence distinguishes from the various kinds of manipulations reliant on official power. The final aspect focuses on the fact that the consequences of leadership lead to deriving desired behavior from the followers. These desired actions are supposed to be decisive and are targeted towards an intention in a particular organizational structure. In other words, leadership is the competence of an individual to channelize and to stimulate the followers for the reason of exerting increased endeavor towards the accomplishment and effectiveness of the organization (Weiss, 2011). The paper intends to comprehend the leadership style that would be best suited to ensure the degree of success of an organization. Thus, this paper will make an attempt towards comprehending and evaluating the key concepts of leadership in a particular organization. The organization chosen for the reason of realizing the purpose of the paper is the Ashford Rotary Club. Leadership The ory & Its Way of Working Transformational Theories The transformational theories or this particular approach entails the basic notion that alteration and the function of leadership is predicting and putting into practice the reconstruction in terms of performance in the organizations. Leaders pursuing this approach help in prompting emotions within the followers which are perceived to stimulate them in order to behave in a definite way that can be referred as exchange relations. Transformational leaders are generally learnt to have a good vision and adequate management skills in order to generate an emotional union with the concerned followers. It has been noticed that the leaders possess a tendency to motivate the followers with the intention to attain the purposes that go further than their respective self interest (Boyle, 2003). Transformational leaders are known to entail three core characteristics and they are motivation, empowerment and morality. The motivational factor in suc h leaders is learnt to aim at the upper-order needs, for instance self-actualization in comparison to the other fundamental behavioral as well as emotional needs. The feature of morality emphasizes on the development of the followers. This particular core feature engages the incorporation of the moral values in relation to a particular organization within the followers which aids in giving rise to united orientation among the group members. Finally, the trait or quality of empowerment entails decisive independence, dynamic task management along with effectiveness of the individuals. Therefore, the three features of the transformational leaders help in attaining the following mentioned factors with regard to the followers (Boyle, 2003). An instance can be observed in terms of the President of the Ashford Rotary Club who acts as a leader for the members by guiding them. The President is known to follow a transformational style of leadership as he strongly motivates the members towards serving the community to the maximum. He never fails to admire or acknowledge the work done by his members and makes it a point to speak about the achievements of the respective members with the others. This helps in strongly encouraging the members in exerting increased efforts towards the attainment of the objectives of the Rotary Club despite witnessing grave problems such as dearth of funds (Ashford Rotary Club, n.d.). Effect of Power &

Fascism and the Great Depression Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Fascism and the Great Depression - Assignment Example Countries who had a long tradition and history of democracy and representative government were able to persist with freedom, while countries that did not have that history were quick to abandon the parliamentary process in favor of fascism. The totalitarian governments of Germany and Italy were made possible by the creation of a political void when the depression set in. There was no long history of cooperative politics to base a future of compromise and sacrifice on. Both Germany and Italy fit this mold. Germany became an extreme form of totalitarianism with the practice of genocide and a policy of ethnic cleansing. Italy was less authoritarian in that it did not have world domination as a policy goal. However, Italy did wish to dispose of capitalism and put the power into the hands of the working class. This called for extreme measures to push their socialist agenda. Mainstream and moderate political ideas were shut out and in the process, total control was given over to the fascist rulers. The Rise of Adolph Hitler Adolph Hitler was able to rise to unquestioned authority in Germany, which resulted in one of the most brutal dictatorships in the history of the world. He was able to rise to power as a part of the Nazi party machine. The Nazis had gained popularity after World War I and the resulting sanctions that were placed on Germany at that time. The Nazi party was based on an intense feeling of nationalism and patriotism. It emphasized that the German people stood alone against the rest of the world and the true Germanic race was superior. Hitler was able to exploit these feelings when he came to power at the beginning of the Great Depression. The time was right for a strong leader and Hitler capitalized on the economic misfortunes.

Write an essay on a cultural issue as related to humanistic

Write an on a cultural issue as related to humanistic psychotherapy - - Essay Example the eighteen century had a dramatic transformation when the age of the industrial revolution started the latter did not just revolutionize the way we worked but most profoundly changed the structure of our societies and values where capitalism became the new god and the science replaced the religious beliefs that for a long time have been playing a supporting role for the people in need during difficult times.  Humanistic therapists emerged in the USA in the 1950s such as Maslow Abraham and Rogers Carl. These therapists formulated different humanistic theories and procedures for effective psychotherapy. Rogers delivered a speech in 1940 at the University of Minnesota about new concepts of psychotherapy that became the origin of humanistic psychotherapies. The American Psychological association (APA) launched the first journal on humanistic psychology in 1973. It is a professional organization representing psychology and consists of researchers, educators, physicians, consultants, a nd students. Culture may be defined as patterns of norms derived from traditions that influence personal behavior. These norms may include values, beliefs, customs, thoughts, and institutions such as religious, racial, ethnic and social groups. Cultural beliefs are passed from older generations to younger generations within a given society. Interaction with different cultures causes behavioral and psychological changes within an individual. Individuals migrating from one society to another have difficulty when adapting to the culture of the new society (Lago, 2006). Culture is not static, and interaction with other cultures may cause culture change. On the other hand, ethnicity can be defined as the sense of belonging to a group alienated to a particular society. Ethnicity is caused by social pressure and can only be resolved through psychological interventions. Race refers to the physical appearance of individuals as determined by the genetic composition. Humanistic therapy involves

Fascism and the Great Depression Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Fascism and the Great Depression - Assignment Example Countries who had a long tradition and history of democracy and representative government were able to persist with freedom, while countries that did not have that history were quick to abandon the parliamentary process in favor of fascism. The totalitarian governments of Germany and Italy were made possible by the creation of a political void when the depression set in. There was no long history of cooperative politics to base a future of compromise and sacrifice on. Both Germany and Italy fit this mold. Germany became an extreme form of totalitarianism with the practice of genocide and a policy of ethnic cleansing. Italy was less authoritarian in that it did not have world domination as a policy goal. However, Italy did wish to dispose of capitalism and put the power into the hands of the working class. This called for extreme measures to push their socialist agenda. Mainstream and moderate political ideas were shut out and in the process, total control was given over to the fascist rulers. The Rise of Adolph Hitler Adolph Hitler was able to rise to unquestioned authority in Germany, which resulted in one of the most brutal dictatorships in the history of the world. He was able to rise to power as a part of the Nazi party machine. The Nazis had gained popularity after World War I and the resulting sanctions that were placed on Germany at that time. The Nazi party was based on an intense feeling of nationalism and patriotism. It emphasized that the German people stood alone against the rest of the world and the true Germanic race was superior. Hitler was able to exploit these feelings when he came to power at the beginning of the Great Depression. The time was right for a strong leader and Hitler capitalized on the economic misfortunes.

Child Psychology Services (Part 1) Essay Example for Free

Child Psychology Services (Part 1) Essay Explain the importance of safeguarding children and young people Safeguarding children and young people is a key for all professionals who work in all settings where they have contact with children, more so children who could be more vulnerable than others i.e. a child who struggles with a physical or mental disability. All children need to feel safe and secure and are being taught or mentored by adults they can trust. It is of the upmost importance that the correct people, whether they are full time employees or volunteers are given CRB checks. All agencies involved with children (more so, vulnerable children and young people) must take practical measures to make certain that the risk of harm to children/young people’s wellbeing is minimised. If there are concerns about a child/young person’s welfare then all agencies must take appropriate action to deal with these concerns, i.e. working to the agreed local policies and procedures for safeguarding children, keeping records of all reports made about the child is essential as a source to safeguarding children. Explain the importance of a child or young person centred approach Essential to safeguarding and encouraging the welfare of a child or young person is having a child’s centred approach. This could include seeing and keeping a child focused through difficulties they could be experiencing. Listening and ascertaining a child’s wishes and feelings will be important for the child, especially if they have formed a strong bond with the professional they are opening up to. It will also be imperative to a child if that professional close to them understands their daily lives and what they might be experiencing, no matter how hard it could be for the adult to hear. Crucially the child or young person will know there are people out there to help and support them when they need advice or guidance. It is important for a child centred approach because every child is different and a unique individual. A child’s wishes should always be taken into account. The national framework for Every Child Matters (Children’s Act 2004) was set up to support children or young people to ensure the joining up of services to ensure that each individual achieves the five Every child Matters Outcomes which offer support to children to enable them to be; †¢ Healthy. †¢ Stay safe. †¢ Enjoy and achieve. †¢ Make a positive contribution. †¢ Achieve economic well-being. Explain what is meant by partnership working in the context of safeguarding. When it comes to safeguarding, children are best protected when professionals know what is required of them and how they work together. This means that everyone who works with children has a responsibility for keeping them safe which involves identifying concerns, sharing information and taking prompt action. To carry this out effectively professionals need to work in partnership with each other. Unfortunately, the importance of doing this has come about from professionals failing to protect Victoria Climbie who died in 2000. Her death was preventable as doctors, police and social workers all came into contact with her and had concerns. However, the doctors who treated her discharged her to her abusers care and admitted they assumed the social services would investigate. The social workers were described as incompetent and Victoria’s social worker felt unsupported by her supervisor and described her colleagues as conflicted and chaotic. The police too failed to fully investiga te Victoria’s home (for fear of catching scabies) although close family members and Victoria’s child-minder raised their concerns. Following this case lessons were learnt and recommendations put into place to try and prevent another tragedy where successful partnership working for safeguarding should have stepped in earlier to avoid this abuse. To provide adequate safeguarding measures it helps to have a complete ‘picture’ of the child. Partnership working means each professional, (whether it’s the police, NHS, educations departments, NSPCC or social workers), if they have concerns to do with safeguarding, welfare child protection, they should work with the other agencies in contact with that child. Each of these professionals may have one snapshot and a concern that  may, on its own, not necessary need intervention. By working in partnership and sharing information the bigger picture evolves and, if each profession has a different concern, together the dots can be joined and a clearer decision can be made on any intervention measures. To help co-ordinate partnership working professionals use the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) to assess a child’s needs and use the outcomes to provide access to services to provide necessary support. CAF is a voluntary process which is used with informed consent so families do not have to engage and if they do they choose what information that they want to share. The CAF process is aimed to be used when a teacher, the child concerned or their parent raises concerns about that child’s health, development, welfare, behaviour or progress in learning/wellbeing. The information gathered enables an assessment to be made of what help is required and how it will be delivered and by whom. A Team around the Child (TAC) is then created to implement the requirements. The professionals that make a TAC vary from child to child depending on their needs and within the TAC a lead professional will have the responsibility to coordinate the work. Describe the roles and responsibilities of the different organisations that may be involved when a child or young person has been abused or harmed. When a child has been abused or harmed the first line response will be at the point of the allegation or discovery. This could happen in any number of settings, for example at school, in a medical setting or by a child calling child line. All of the agencies or organisations will need to work together but have their own roles in helping the child. Social Services have statutory responsibilities to provide support to vulnerable children and families in need. This may be after a death or when families are finding day to day life difficult. Most social workers are employed by social services. Health Visitors have a responsibility for the health of babies and young children under the age of five. They provide support and guidance to the parents of young children and carry out assessments of the child’s development. General Practitioners (GPs) work in the community, usually from health centres, and are the gateway to other health services. GPs are often the first people to identify possible abuse when a child attends the surgery. Probation Services support people convicted of some offences to be rehabilitated into the community. They have a key role in monitoring people convicted of offences against children and should ensure that those people do not pose a threat to any local children. Police are involved in the criminal proceedings that may result from safeguarding issues. Schools and Training Organisations are key to identifying and supporting children between the ages of 5 18 years when they are in need of help. All staff working with children and young people should be trained in safeguarding and protection. Child Psychology Services will often be needed to support children who have experienced harm or abuse.

International Human Rights Norms

International Human Rights Norms We live in a constantly changing and evolving world. The remarkable advances in the biotechnology, telecommunications and transportation in addition to the emergence of new regional political alliances and the increasing integration of the markets have led to unprecedented demographic shifts. As a result of all this factors, which we can be defined as globalisation, previously isolated peoples were being brought together either voluntarily or involuntarily. This confluence of peoples and cultures led to the so called pluralism, which is the diversity of views and perceptions of certain ideas and concepts in contrast to a single approach or way of interpretation. One of those concepts which have been a subject of a huge international debate and scrutiny is the concept of human rights. As defined by Donnelly human rights are those that protect those things that are necessary for a life of dignity or for a richer and more fully human life.  [1]  One of the main ideologies of human rights on a national scale is cultural relativism. People who support the idea of cultural relativism think that most (or some) human rights depend on the cultural context since they are encoded in the particular culture and therefore when implementing international human rights standards we should take into account states particular culture. In this essay, I will argue in favour of neither of the two theories but rather in support of a third one relative universality. Arguments in favour of cultural relativism Firstly, I will begin with examining the cultural relativists arguments. The term culture is often used loosely by advocates of both universalism and cultural relativism, so let me clarify its meaning. A good definition of culture is the one proposed by Reidel a set of shared meanings, norms, and practices that form a comprehensive world view that serves to unite a group and contribute to the identity of its members.  [2]  There are two most essentialized concepts of culture culture as tradition and culture as essence.  [3]  Cultural relativism is a theory established by the anthropologist Franz Boas. Elvin Hatch says that Boasian relativism implies that principle of right and wrong do have some validity, but a very limited one, for they are legitimate only for the members of the society in which they are found.  [4]  According to the Boasian relativism we should not be indifferent towards other ways of life and we should respect and approve them. The most prominent arg ument in favour of cultural relativism is that it preserves the autonomy and the self-determination of a state and its citizens. Another argument is the research argument, namely, that the researches show that different cultures have different views on morality and therefore different views on human rights. Consequently, since the different states interpret human rights in a different way international human rights standards cannot be achieved and human rights should rather be interpreted in the context of the culture of the particular state. Furthermore, cultural relativism is supported by the tolerance argument which states that each country should be tolerant towards other countries and their culture. A fourth argument in favour of cultural relativism is the one given by Abdullahi An-Naim. He argues that there are states such as most of the African and Asian countries which did not actually participate in the formulation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948  [5]  and even though they did participate in the formulation of the subsequent instruments they did so on the basis of an establish framework and philosophical assumptions adopted in their absence.  [6]  Harris-Short adds to this argument by saying that it is only the state that agreed on the terms of the international treaties and not states individuals. Therefore, international human rights are illegitimate since the consent of the internal population of a state is not present.  [7]  Another argument given by cultural relativists is that if we assume that human rights are universal this would make democracy dangerous since with the rise of international policies which are determined by normative claims of ethics and morality, it would be the Western elites and not the minorities which will lead.  [8]  A huge adherent to the cultural relativism theory is the American Anthropological Association, which in its submission to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 194 7, argues that culture plays a vital role in ones life from the moment of his birth and it shapes not only his behaviour but also his thoughts and aspirations.  [9]   Arguments against cultural relativism A strong argument against cultural relativism is the one given by John Tilley. He says that cultural relativism as a theory lacks the support needed in order to become the dominant human rights theory.  [10]  He also argues that no consensus exists among relativists about how best to defend their thesis (some prefer the tolerance argument, others the research argument, and so on) or even about how to define it.  [11]  Another argument is that cultural relativism is often used as a justification of malpractices. As Donnelly says, cultural relativism is all too often a mere cloak for self-interest or arbitrary rule.  [12]  He uses examples of powerful people in the past such as presidents of countries and their deeds in order to illustrate how cultural relativism can actually be used as a justification for bad purposes.  [13]  A further argument is that cultural relativists consider culture as something unchangeable and static. According to Tracy Higgins, cultural rela tivist arguments oversimplify the complexity and fidelity of culture by treating culture as monolithic and moral norms within a particular culture as readily ascertainable.  [14]  Instead, culture should be seen as dynamic and constantly evolving. One of the biggest groups of people all over the world, who are opposed to the idea of cultural relativism are the feminists. They argue that culture is quite often unfairly used as a justification for denying women a range of basic human rights. The best example of such a case is the situation in the Muslim countries where verse 4:34 of the Quran says that men are entitled to exercise authority over women and not the reverse. Using this statute as a justification, men in these countries treat women unequally and this is certainly a violation of the international human rights standards enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 Art 2 which states, Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.  [15]   Furthermore, the unequal treatment of women is also a breach of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 1966 Art 3  [16]  and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 1966 Art 3  [17]  both of which aim to ensure that women are treated equally in the enjoyment of the rights enshrined in them. Feminists also condemn the female genital mutilation, also known as female circumcision or female genital cutting. It is a common practice for the African countries but also for some parts of the Middle East, Europe and North-America. People who practice female genital mutilation consider it as inalienable part of their culture. They think that it actually has a beneficial effect on the woman and they justify its use by saying that it is in accord with their culture. However, it is obviously in breach of international human rights standards and organizations such as UNICEF and UNFPA strongly condemn it as being medically unproven and discriminat ory. Arguments in favour of relative universality Even though there are many arguments supporting cultural relativism it is not effective enough because of its many disadvantages I have listed above. Neither is universalism due to the fact that there are many states with different cultures and local practices for who it will be extremely hard and quite improbable to embrace the international human rights movement in case the rights proposed by it have a universal dimension. There is a more flexible and developed approach to human rights called relative universality. It is a mixture between universalism and relativism that views human rights as prima facie universal, but recognizes culture as a limited source of exceptions and principles of interpretation.  [18]  The principle of relative universality of human rights which can also be defined as weak cultural relativism has been developed by Jack Donnelly. He argues that there are three hierarchical levels of variation which can be distinguished, involving cultural relativity in the substance of lists of human rights, in the interpretation of individual rights, and in the form in which particular rights are implemented.  [19]  This means that the more particular and narrow a certain human right is the more it allows for different interpretations based on states cultural practices and beliefs. Relative universality means a weak cultural relativism which differs from the normal and most common concept of cultural relativism by the fact that it only allows limited rather than unlimited deviations from international human rights standards.  [20]  His idea of the relative universality of human rights Donnelly supports through his observations on 4 different factors functional universality, international legal universality, overlapping consensus universality and ontological universality.  [21]  Lets define all these terms. Firstly, functional universality lies on the fact that the function of human rights is the same all over the world, namely, to pr ovide people with attractive remedies for some of the most pressing systemic threats to human dignity.  [22]  Secondly, international legal universality is based on the idea that almost every state in the world has accepted the authority of the international human rights which roughly means the rights enshrined in the UDHR 1948 and the consequent six core international human rights treaties (on civil and political rights, economic, social, and cultural rights, racial discrimination, women, torture, and children).  [23]  Thirdly, the overlapping consensus universality is explained through the idea that throughout the past couple of decades more and more adherents of different doctrines all over the world start to endorse the human rights movement voluntarily.  [24]  Last but not least, Donnelly discusses the ontological universality and comes to the conclusion that from an ontological point of view people cannot have fully universal human rights since all prominent compre hensive doctrines ignore or actively denied human rights for large parts of their history.  [25]  By defending functional, legal international and overlapping consensus universality and insisting that the anthropological universality of human rights is indefensible, Donnelly comes to the conclusion that it is inappropriate to talk neither for the cultural relativism of human rights nor for their universality but rather for their relative universality. He develops the most comprehensive and flexible approach towards human rights which not only assumes that there are certain inalienable human rights such as the right to freedom from torture, the right to a fair trial, etc. , but also takes into consideration local cultural practices and beliefs in the implementation of international human rights standards. Relative universality of human rights allows the state to preserve at a certain extent its autonomy and sovereignty and also the self-determination of its citizens. This is illu strated by the two examples given by Donnelly. The first one is the example of the law of apostasy. The UDHR 1948 Art 18 declares that everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. However, in the Muslim countries it is forbidden to change your religion. Donnelly argues that in this case, it should be permissible for Muslim countries, for example, to treat people who change their religion in a different way such as to deny them certain benefits as long as those are not guaranteed by the human rights.  [26]  In this case religion is so important for Muslim countries that not allowing them to punish people who change their religious views would be a strong intolerance towards them. The second example is use of hate speech in the USA. Its use is in breach of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination 1965 Article 4  [27]  and of the ICCPR 1968 Article 20(2). Nevertheless, the hate speech is permitted in the USA since people there consider the right of freedom of speech as being of a bigger importance than the right not to be a subject of a discriminatory and racial treatment. These two examples show that there are cases in which we should allow countries to interpret human rights in a way they find appropriate as long as it is not drastically in breach of the international human rights standards. There are people who disagree with the theory developed by Donnelly like Michael Goodhart. Even though Goodhart agrees with the substance of Donnellys argument, he argues that rather than the conceptual, functional and legal international universality of human rights we should pay attention to their inclusiveness, generality and variability, and the extent of concurrence on human rights concepts. Furthermore, he finds that instead of anthropological universality we should explore their metaphysical status. He thinks that it is not appropriate to define the international human rights standards as relatively universal and argues that the use of the term relative universality more confuses rather than brings clarity in our understanding of them.  [28]  Furthermore, he believes that rejecting the universality of human rights will boost their legitimacy since, as he says, it is not the universality of human rights which makes them legitimate but rather their global appeal, their promise of ending domination and oppression.  [29]  Even though Goodhart agrees with the substance of Donnellys argument, he argues that rather than the conceptual, functional and legal international universality of human rights we should pay attention to their inclusiveness, generality and variability, and the extent of concurrence on human rights concepts. Furthermore, he finds that instead of anthropological universality we should explore their metaphysical status.  [30]  However, in his subsequent article, in response to Goodhart, Donnelly defends his arguments quite well. He says that th e abolition of the ordinary language of interpretation of human rights including the terms relativism and universalism and the adoption of new terms on their place are quite unlikely to happen since it will take too much time for the new terms to penetrate.  [31]  Despite the critique from Goodhart, Donnellys approach to human rights standards is the most convincing one developed so far. Globally, we have seen many cases such as Sahin v. Turkey,  [32]  Goldman v Weinberger  [33]  and Multani v. Commission Scolaire Marguerite  [34]  in which people were denied rights which for them are intrinsic part of their culture. The international human rights movement should not rush the process of creating and implementing international human rights standards. These standards should rather be achieved with caution and patience. According to Gunning, it is essential for this process to include a dialogue with a tone that respects the cultural diversity since only through a dial ogue of that kind the world can reach a consensus on human rights standards which would take into account all the differences in their cultural practices and beliefs.  [35]  Ibrawoh adds to this idea by saying that, the promotion of national human rights standards against the background of the dominant cultural and social traditions in the state should be done with due respect to meritorious cultural values and traditions of local communities.  [36]   For example, if we want to incorporate international human rights standards into Muslim countries we should try to do it within the framework of Islam in order to succeed.  [37]  Hatch suggest that instead of leaving cultures as they are, as museum pieces, we should help to bring about change, or better, we should help the oppressed to bring about change.  [38]  He argues that actually the more developed states are those who do not want the less developed to adopt and endorse the international human rights standards since they want to keep the status quo. This idea is supported by Higgins who suggests that actually the Western states and the liberal scholars and not the oppressed are those who advance the point that there can be no fully universal concept of human rights since we need to take into account the difference between the various cultures of the states.  [39]   Conclusion Taking into account all the arguments listed above, we can conclude that Donnellys relative universality theory of human rights is the most effective and comprehensive human rights approach so far. It promotes the idea that human rights should be neither fully universal nor fully relative but rather relatively universal and that states are allowed to occasional and strictly limited local variations and exceptions based on local cultural practices and beliefs in implementing international human rights standards. Word Count: 2748