Development in Malaysia Essay

As Malaysia had experienced an extraordinary economic growth in the last 3 decades is has brought high standards of living for the majority of the people. The people in Kuala Lumpur and major tourist destinations can now enjoy a quality of living which is very similar to developed countries. While Malaysia has done extremely well in some areas there are still challenges that the Government is lacking in delivering healthcare and education to all. In Sarawak and Sabah for example, ethnic minorities are situated in distant areas of Borneo’s rainforest where mountains and rivers are dividing villages from schools and modern services. It is tough for the families who live in these villages as not everyone is able to access the benefits of modernisation. The wealthiest 20% of Malaysians control 53. 8% of the wealth whereas the poorest 20% of the population controls only 4. 5 percent of wealth. Once the country started to modernise, Malaysians living in urban areas has increased from 27% in1970 to 62% in 2000. Forms of poverty started to appear; both urban and rural. After the time of the independence, Malays had migrated to the cities. Arguably, the monthly income is not enough to be able to support a family of four to meet their needs. Roughly quarter of the population could not afford to live in descent accommodations and had to live in squatter settlements as it is more affordable. A poverty reduction programme was introduced, where the poverty line had decreased from 7. 7 % in 1999 to 5. 1% in 2002. This shows a positive reduction. Elderly and disabled people got the opportunity to receive welfare support from the government. In Malaysia, the poverty rate shrank from slightly over half of the population in 1973 to 7. 8 percent in 1995. This means that if poverty reduction continues at the same rate, by 2003, there would be no one left below the poverty line of $2 international dollars a day. This is mainly because the government is trying to increase expenditure on major anti-poverty programs to protect real spending per individual, specially targeting the expenditure for small-scale loans and income generated activities for the poorest in rural areas as well as improvements in welfare programs. Apart of that, the government also spent safety nets for the newly poor through urban micro-credit programs and provision of special skills training for unskilled workers. This progress in poverty reduction measured in income terms is mirrored by improvements in social indicators. Malaysia’s achievements in increasing life expectancy (2003: 70. 6 years for male and 75. 5 years for female) are particularly impressive. Conclusion / Recommendations Monitoring of the gender and development – Since 1988 Malaysia has been experiencing an economic boom. The high growth of the economy was achieved with almost full employment. This strong performance in growth has resulted in basic structural changes in the economy. Ever since the experience of the economic boom, there have been changes in the roles of employment. From the above data, it is evident that there are significant increases in the participation of women in the manufacturing sector and the work force as a whole. Analysis of the of the many positive changes in the improvement of women’s health has lead to a greater amount of children with more access to education across all levels. Now that shortage of labour has increased. It gives a stronger possibility for women who are unpaid to move to paid labour. With the greater amount of job opportunities and demands for both skilled men and women in the manufacturing sector. Moreover with a wider range of availability this strengthens the workforce which helps build a stronger economy providing more employment and attracting foreign investments. As works with the Government and United Nations have been put into place for introducing new projects and programmes that look at decreasing gender inequality. This positive strategy will raise awareness of the situation and allow advancement of women to take place in the future and result in better educated women reflecting into a more economically productive community. One of the most essential factors for the empowerment of women has been education. As today, there are more females than males in the institutions of higher learning education. However, further studies should be put in place to identify problems and solution, for maintaining this industrial growth. They should implement the role of sharing experiences, with one another through bottom-up development and having expertise to keep strengthening the environment and success of the many efforts that have contributed into helping Malaysia The Government should be concerned with financial support. The greater focus on financial support would allow them to invest in equipment, technology and/or research and development. I suppose it is also important to have enough resources provided for the equality of gender and eventually, continuing to regularly update the progress of the gender financing situation which could have a positive effect for Malaysia in the long run. If the government continues to enhance efforts, to further improve the status of women, then this might enable them to reach their full potential as they are likely to have more belief in themselves resulting in more opportunities of them being included in the process of policies and/or programmes. Bibliography http://www. state. gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2007/100527. htm http://www. unicef. org/malaysia/support_6017. htmlhttp://www. unicef. org/malaysia/support_6017. html http://www. unicef. org/malaysia/support_mdgs_malaysia. html http://genderindex. org/country/malaysia http://www. unescap. org/huset/women/reports/malaysia. pdf http://thestar. com. my/news/story. asp? file=/2008/8/2/business/21954384&sec=business – http://www. kuala-lumpur. ws/culture-traditions/ http://www. wao. org. my/news/20010301statusreport. htm#Government.

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce

The story Portrait of the Artist as Young Man is set in the Ireland at the beginning of the 20th century. Readers are introduced to the character of Stephen Dedalus, a young Irish boy from a Catholic family. The family is impoverished because of his father is incompetent. The family constantly moves from one place to another because of their poverty.Mary Dedalus, Stephen’s mother is a pious Catholic. The Dedalus children were taught by Mrs. Riordan (or Dante) their governess, also a devout Catholic. Their Uncle Charles stays with them. The opening paragraphs start out with a stream of consciousness by Stephen as a young boy.The next time Stephen appears is during his stay at a boarding school in Clangowes. He suffers from homesickness, and bullying because of his measly frame and basically just unable to fit in the society of the boarding school. He is pushed by a bully into a cesspool that caused him to be sick but does not tell his teachers about it.During Christmas, he join s the adult table for the first time. The dinner turns ugly when a heated debate about politics among the adults started. Back at the boarding school, Stephen is hit by Father Dolan, the prefect of the boarding school. He tells this incident to Father Conmee, the rector of the boarding of the boarding school. His classmates admired this act.His family’s continued financial woes took its toll on Stephen. He was unable to return to the boarding school in Clangowes. Stephen, along with the rest of the family moves to Blackrock. Stephen enjoyed walks with his Uncle Charles in their new place. He plays imaginary adventures with Aubrey Mills, their neighbor in Blackrock.Yet again, just a few years after their move to Blackrock, they move again, this time to Dublin. This is where he meets Emma Clere, the girl that would greatly enthral Stephen throughout the story. Somehow his father managed to enrol Stephen into Belvedere College.It was only in Belvedere where Stephen comes out of his shell, he became a leader and is active in theatre and literature. Stephen still feels alone even if he excels in those fields.As an adolescent young man, he got exposed to sex and is greatly fascinated by it, until finally he loses his virginity to prostitute.Stephen becomes addicted to sex. Although he knows that what he is doing is wrong he can’t control himself or rather he does not want to. After some time, he hears a sermon from Father Arnall, his former Latin teacher back in Clongowes. The priests talks about how terrible hell is. Stephen is horrified. He suddenly changes from a sex addict person to a religious person.

Assessing the strengths and weaknesses of globalization

Assessing the strengths and weaknesses of globalization Globalization can be defined in a variety of ways since it is a very important term as it influences the global economies. It can be defined as the movement toward communications, financial, economic, and trade integration. Globalization entails opening out beyond nationalistic and local perspectives to a wider outlook of an interdependent and interconnected world through free transfer of goods, services, and capital over national frontiers. Globalization is a term that is frequently employed to place a trend in the direction of increased flow of ideas, money, goods, and services across national borders and the resultant consolidation of the global economy (Waters 2001, pg.36). Globalization is closely related to international trade which can be defined as the exchange of goods, services, and capital across territories or national border. The increase in the international trade enhances the continuance of globalization. If there were no international trade, then apparently nations w ould not get access to the variety of goods and services produced in different nations of the world (World Bank 2008, pg.56). It has been found that globalization does not involve unhindered labor movement, and as intimated by some economists, globalization may hurt fragile or smaller economies if practiced indiscriminately. Globalization is generally recognized as being goaded by a combination of technological, political, economic, biological and socio-cultural factors. From some other perspective, globalization can refer to the multinational circulation of languages, popular culture, or ideas by acculturation (Tomlinson 1999, pg. 123). This paper will provide an outstanding analysis of the weaknesses and strengths the term globalization. Strengths of globalization Supporters of globalization contend that globalization can possibly better the world economically by solving many problems which are deep-seated for example poverty and unemployment. According to the economic theory, inc reased globalization will lower the wage of unskilled labor in developed nations and raise the wage of unskilled labor within the developing nations as the two groups start to trade with each other. Globalization generates resources and encourages the transfer of ideas that can be utilized for both individual and community improvement. Among many other things, globalization makes rural economic diversification and agricultural productivity gains more achievable. Globalization also makes environmental stewardship, improved conditions of living, and food security more attainable. Due to globalization, the marginal can now get the opportunity to exhibit themselves in the world market (Bauman 1998, pg.121). Globalization encourages the industrialized nations to provide significant market places for exports of poor individuals within poor countries. The global agricultural and food companies can assist the third world countries incorporate required safety, and quality practices by gettin g access to markets in developed nations. Since globalization means delocalization of various enterprises within the word, many people can get access to many industries and in due course globalization promotes economic growth in the global world, brings about competition among companies, enables producers and retailers to reduce the prices of various commodities so that consumers can afford them and therefore increases the demand on the commodities. Because of the increased efficiency, the welfare is raised by offering more affordable goods and services such that the purchasing power is increased. Globalization reallocates capital and labor to more efficient and effective lines of production. Globalization helps poor countries by infusions of technology and foreign capital which enhances economic development. The economic development due to globalization brings modern ways of connecting people, from roads to electricity to telecommunications. The global companies offer training to e mployees and provide time, money and talent that helps them to address needs of the community, lifting communal and individual aspirations and providing ways for accomplishing them. Since globalization brings about spreading of prosperity, it enables various countries to possess conditions in which respect for human right and democracy can flourish (Appadurai 1996, pg.65).

Reading response #10 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reading response #10 - Assignment Example Skehan clearly explains that it is not impossible for children to become native speakers of a language that they would have considered as foreign in their homeland. Provided the child arrives before the age of 12 in the new country, his brain is still young and flexible enough to absorb the new language to the point where he will be able to pass for a native speaker. However, unlike Skehan, I do not believe that language learning can be measured by variables and testing methods. The reason I disagree with him is because the tests being conducted in order to gain an understanding of the way a child learns a language is quite outdated and not truly applicable in the modern educational system of the 21st century. Unlike decades past, ESL learners now have more opportunities for exposure to a new language that is not limited to the school setting. In fact, these language learners, thanks to the advent of the internet and social media, oftentimes find themselves already exposed to and learning a new language long before they need to formally need to learn the new language. Ema Ushioda and Zoltan Dorneye actually built a solid case for motivation as being a primary reason behind second language acquisition. For most adult English language learners, they only push themselves to learn the new language and work towards a proficiency in the English language because their survival depends upon it. Migrating a new country and being unable to communicate their thoughts and needs to those beyond their immediate family or community members almost certainly ensures that they will fail to succeed in the new life that they have chosen for themselves. As such, I would have to say that my exposure to L2 learners has proven that survival is a great motivation for them to succeed in acquiring their new language skills. Succeeding in learning the second language almost always proves to have a positive social, psychological,

We Dont Choose a Life, We Live It Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

We Dont Choose a Life, We Live It - Essay Example In fact, by living our life, we get to make decisions; decisions that shape and change our lives in ways we never knew existed, while at the same time we get to know and embrace our strengths, weaknesses and differences. Whether we believe that the life we have comes from God or we evolved and Mother Nature decides where we land, one thing is for sure, that none of us has control of that life, we only get to live it. We will also agree that no one has a map of how to live this life; it is like a giant complicated maze that we are all trying to break out from. In real life, it is like everybody is a tourist, we either are trying to arrive at a different place in our life we have never been or just looking for new experience. How however we go about accomplishing our new destinations and creating memories, is what separates us; it is part of what makes us different in the end. There are two classes of persons in life, those that follow the rules and get through life how they are told t o and there are those individuals that like taking risks, trying out things that others are not willing to. Tourists when visiting new places, they have guides who show them where to go and narrates everything they think is important for them to know. But if that is the best way to get through life is another issue that needs debating. Again at the same, also drifting from the group mentality and visiting places on your own and experiencing life and new situations differently is another debatable way to get through life. As a tourist myself, I am of the view that always following what the guide says and being content with it is not the best way to experience new places. For one to get the full experience of a place, they need to meet the locals, talk to them. Let them give you an account of how they live. What makes them different and behave in a certain manner thus that is the only way to travel and get a true tourist who not only takes photographs and memories, but also experience s. This is exactly at the end of the day, shapes our lives, the way we think and interact with one another. It is true that the universe is full of different sceneries different from where we live, that is a fact. It is also true that these places have different people living in them from us. Just visiting the place and getting the history from it is not as important as meeting the people who live there. The world is developing so is the technology, this sis seen today where we have cyber space in place. Places where virtually people can visit new places and act as if they are touring real places. To imagine you can achieve all this right from the comfort of your home is what makes it even more exciting. As much as this is an important step in technological development, in my view, it curtails the ability for individuals to shape how they see the world and how other people think. Although it is a very exciting idea, it cannot compare to the real life changing experience derived from one on one dialogue with locals from different regions of the globe. People become involved in tourism for many reasons, it can be leisure, which can be substituted by cyber space virtual tourism, and it could also be for business purposes. But one thing stands out, that an effect is produced, either on the locals visited or the economy of the host nation. Recently, there are issues which have come up in the tourism sector. One of them is sustainable tourism which involves management of all resources in such a manner that we preserve cultural integrity for instance while in pursuit of economic

Benefits of RFID Tags Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Benefits of RFID Tags - Essay Example Because of this, a piece of clothing can be tracked to a specific location. Some critics of the new electronic system claim that criminals will be able to determine what products someone has bought recently, which may lead to an increase in crime. Additionally, some people are concerned that retail stores will be able to scan people when they walk through the front door. A new form of ID card contains radio-frequency tags. The new system may be used to match a customers license with their credit card, making it easy to tell when they enter and exit the store. C. In order to clam the concerns of customers, it may be possible to attach the electronic tags to hang tags, which of course are removed once the customer has made the purchase. This provides the perfect compromise because customers are able to keep their identities yet the store can track each item that is sold. A. For American companies, globalization provides them with cheaper labor costs, which in turn result in higher revenues. Overseas workers are willing to work for less than the average American worker. Many Asian countries, such as China and Vietnam, have large populations where the economy relies on manual labor work. B. The potential threats that American companies are facing because of globalization are lower wages and cheap materials. Third world countries have access to vast amounts of materials and for cheaper prices than found in America. C. Apple was one of the last American companies to begin sending jobs overseas. While labor costs are often identified as the reason for outsourcing, Apple admitted that the cheap parts available for its products in Asia were the biggest motivation to shift jobs away from America.  

Critical research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Critical research paper - Essay Example Creon judgment that Polyneices body was not to receive a proper burial brought out different characters of Antigone and Isemene. Polyneices body would be left unburied and be consumed by birds or animals (Heaney 2). Antigone and Isemene are different in their conduct as exposed in their character. Wolf (6) highlights that; Antigone has strong convictions and chooses to follow them. In contrast, Isemene is complacent and reluctant to act upon her convictions. Antigone believes that their brother should receive a proper burial by performing apposite burial rites. Although Polyneices was the aggressor in Thebes struggle, Antigone considers that he should be buried since he was a member of the family. Antigone’s actions are visualized as a reflection of her will because she defies the king. Greek women did not enjoy freedom as the men did. This is why Creon’s determination to defeat Antigone is motivated because she is a woman. There were societal structures accompanied by rules that defined the place of woman in Greek. Men were placed higher in hierarchy than women. Antigone perspective repels the stipulated gender roles because she is rebellious. Antigone breaks the rules of Greek culture by refusing to be passive. Isemene chooses to be compliant with the rules of Greek culture to avoid displeasing her customs. Isemene’s perspective on men is that they are superior to women and women should be submissive. Cultural viewpoint on men as superior to women makes Isemene believe that men should be obeyed. Isemene realizes the short falls of the Greek’s perspective on women as problematic. Creon sees his mistake and cannot apologize to a woman, because he would go against his cultural practice. The outstanding behavior of Antigone as a woman is that she defies the kings decree, yet she is a woman. Even though disobedience punishment is death, Antigone chooses to disobey Creon who is also a member of her family

Does globalisation explain the crisis in European Welfare states Essay

Does globalisation explain the crisis in European Welfare states - Essay Example There is nothing much in common between the welfare regimes of major nations in the Western Europe as they function under varieties of capitalism. Of course, globalisation has certain effects on the welfare states in Europe, especially Britain and France. The increasingly intense economic competition from the new economic giants such as India and China has undermined the capabilities of the European states in retaining their economically less viable welfare measures. However, the extent of spending cuts and reduction in welfare provisions in the United Kingdom and France shows that it is the erosion of political consensus than economic necessities driving the current ‘rolling back of the welfare state’. The paper intends to argue that although globalisation has catalysed the process of shrinking of welfare state, it is not an adequate explanation for the grand scale reduction in spending on social security. For the purpose, it would examine the major turning points in th e history welfare state in Europe such as the oil crisis, the abandoning of gold standard, erosion of post war consensus on welfare and so on. Spending Cuts Going Ideological Globalisation is not simply about economic changes. The very beginning of globalisation was marked by the collapse of Soviet Union and the consequent rise of neoliberal orthodoxy and market fundamentalism. More than the economic crisis, it is the collapse of an ideologically coherent leftist politics that helps the neoliberal governments to go on with their anti-people politics of cuts. It is especially true in the case of Britain and France as the economic polices of these countries increasingly subsidise the super rich at the expense of ordinary tax payers. One could bear in mind that how eagerly the government in Britain bailed out big banks at the time of recession. It is ironical the same governments do not find funds for conserving vital community services such as schools and hospitals. In France and Brit ain, it is not difficult to see that economic polices are predominantly favouring the finance capital and speculators. The increasing homogenisation of political parties in terms of economic polices too is a reason for the rolling back of welfare regimes. For instance, in Britain, both the Labour party and the Conservative party prefer the same course correction measure to ‘recover’ the economy. Needless to say, such economic policies are derived from neoliberalism and Washington Consensus which ideologically opposes any kind of subsides to the poor and the weaker sections of the society. Globalisation has helped the transnational consolidation of elites who want to divert the economic resources for the welfare of the rich. Once could call it socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor. This consolidation is especially facilitated by the rise of far right groups in the United States, Britain and France. The Floating Currencies The invention of floating currencies was the beginning of the making economic globalisation. On August 15, 1971, the United States withdraw from the Bretton Woods system and it marked the end of Gold Exchange Standard. Here, the US dollar achieved the status of the exchange standard and became a floating currency. Britain also had to switch to floating system. Then, most of the countries of the West had followed the same. The difference is that in the new system each currency has to constantly fix

Promise and peril Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Promise and peril - Essay Example The article also notes there are challenges in implementing pay-for-performance programs by managers. One of such is seen on the negative impact on motivation, self-esteem, teamwork, and creativity (Beer, and Cannon 4). The second challenge is that the program may lead the employee to forego other things that would help the organization in pursuit of rewards. Merit has also been shown not to be based on performance. The proponent of the program believes the challenges can be overcome through intelligent design of the program (Beer, and Cannon 4). The article also highlights the role played by managers in pay for performance programs. The article notes managers may opt for adoption, modification, or discontinuation of the programs (Beer, and Cannon 13). The article shows reasons for managers coming up with any of the decision. One influence for decision is on pragmatic commitment to finding ways of improving performance (Beer, and Cannon 13). Their goals are just driven by ensuring there is an improvement in performance but not just desire to apply the new programs. They also viewed the new tool as a combination of other tools that could be used in solving some of the challenge they face. Moreover, failure to gain result of the new tool makes manager adopts other traditional tools. Such tools include close supervision, clear goals, coaching, and training (Beer, and Cannon 13). The manager’s view these tools as being fundamental in management hence change of decision. Additionally, the manager viewed the new program as requiring more time to implement and attracted difficulties in setting performance standards. The new program has been viewed as advantageous. However, it faces the challenges of implementation by

Auto Mobile vs Amusement Park Safety Essay Example for Free

Auto Mobile vs Amusement Park Safety Essay Automobiles today are built with many different safety features, and these are so the person(s) within the vehicle do not get injured and or killed. Also these features are not to only protect the people(s) but also the company that the automobile came from, so for example if someone was driving a car and got into a serious wreck and the air bags did not deploy therefore injuring the victim then they could sue the automobile company for money, a new car, pain and suffering, etc. Some of these safety features include Brakes, Airbags, seat belts, and more. When talking about brakes in a car you’re going to want to know what it is your getting because there are many different options in brakes, some examples of this being your regular brakes like you push down the peddle softly and the car with start to slow down or Anti-Lock Brakes or ABS, The primary purpose of anti-lock brakes is to prevent a cars wheels from locking during panic braking. By allowing the car to slow in a more controlled manner, the driver can often maintain better steering control and avoid an accident. Brakes can easily be interpreted by Newtons first law of motion which states that every object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change its state by the action of an external force. So a car is moving along the road and the car steps of the gas now the car will eventually stop from the friction of the pavement to the tires but let’s say it doesn’t. So while the car is moving at the speed you let off the gas the car will keep moving at the same speed unless acted on by an opposing force which in this case are the brakes. Know the brakes are applied and what brakes do is they but force of the tiers of the car and that produces friction on the tiers which in term slow the tires down thus slowing the car down. Airbags in a car are extreme safety features because they keep a person(s) from potentially coming out of the front window; seat belts will also do the same but with a little more added protection. So say a car were to hit you from behind what would happen? Well besides your car being wrecked. The body(s) would start moving forward. This is because of part of Newton’s first law of motion which states a body at rest tends to stay at rest unless acted upon by another force. So your car is sitting at a stop light but the car behind you does not stop so they run into the back of you well your body will fly forward. Because you were at rest and then a force came and pushed you out of rest therefore moving you in the same direction as the car that hit you. So the air bag and seat belt are there to stop you from flying forward and getting severely injured. Amusement park rides and cars have some of the same safety features and even if there not called the same thing they do the same thing for example a seat belt in a car is the same as the harness on a roller coaster. In my opinion I find roller coasters safer then cars because there are equipped with the same features but there are few outside forces to mess with it unlike a car. Because unless due to a technical problem a roller coaster cart will not smash into another roller coaster cart. Amusement park rides also have brakes most of these are more heavy duty breaks then car but then again your taking a one ton car vs. a potentially one hundred ton ride so you’re going to need that extra power to help. Some would argue that to many safety features on an amusement park ride can take the thrill away, I would have to disagree with that because I myself have been on many and I feel thrill every single time. But in a ride if there are many safety features then usual then that will typically mean that the ride is potentially more dangerous than a lesser safety featured ride and this can be because of high speeds, higher altitudes and so on. So if you come to a ride with many safety features it’s not because they want to take away the thrill but because they want to make you safe and once again like automobile company’s not get sued.

Effects Of Kyoto Protocol Economics Essay

Effects Of Kyoto Protocol Economics Essay the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the apex body, under whose supervision Kyoto protocol was developed. It is an agreement between many countries, which signed it and committed for reduction in green house gas. The process started with negotiations between many countries in the early December of 1997 in  Kyoto, Japan and with Russias ratification, it came in to force on the 16th February of 2005. The delay was because of Kyoto required at least 55 parties to ratify it and the total of those counties emissions to be at least 55% of global greenhouse gas emission. Some of the highlights of the Kyoto protocol are: A total of 191 states have signed and ratified  the protocol as on September 2011 The United States of America has signed the protocol but has not ratified it. Developed countries have binding target on emission reduction. Developing countries do not have binding target for emission targets. The protocol allows the member counties of emissions trading to meet their target. Economic Impacts of the  Protocol One of the key issues with the Protocol is its economic impact on member nations. Some critics emphasize that Developed nations are the one who will be affected negatively most. One of the major speculations is that developed nations who have ratified the treaty, will have to invest more in newer technologies and procedures to reduce their emissions. It is also more obvious that developed countries need to incur more cost in enforcing stricter emission norms. There is also possibility of an increase in the consumer price index because the companies will pass one the extra cost incurred in clean mechanism technology to consumer. As the base year for fixing target is 1990, the countries, which have developed most after 1990, will suffer most and the countries that have slump after 1990 are at advantage. This effect can be evident on the fact that US has not ratified the treaty as it has grown considerably after 1990 and if it ratifies the treaty then it has to cut almost 30% emission costing around $100 per ton The European union at large is at advantage because there was slump in western Europe and Russia after 1990. It is evident from the fact that it needs only $5 per ton for emission reduction target to be met. The provisions of emission trading provided the developing countries a way to cash in on their reduced emission credits. Kyoto Protocol in the context of India A Macroeconomic Overview The impact of kyoto protocol may be direct in case of developed countries but has it has indirect impact on developing countries The protocol does not make it binding on the developing countries to reduce their emission and it does not provide any reduction targets for them till. India coming under the scope of developing country has been affected by the indirect impact. The protocol has played a significant role in the reshaping overall Indian economy. The protocol has its effect on many macroeconomic parameters of India. If we take in to account the GDP of India, some of the major factors linked to kyoto protocol that have affected the GDP of India are Investment Impact Trade Impact Flexibility Mechanisms Impact Emissions Trading Joint Implementation Clean Development Mechanism Fig-1 (Factors affecting the GDP of India in the context of Kyoto Protocol) We will be limiting our discussion to the impact of 2 major factors arising out of kyoto protocol that is investment and trade on the Indian GDP. Investment Trade Impact on GDP Fig-2 (Investment Impact and GDP of India) The Investment impact can be summarised by the chart below. Kyoto protocol induces emission restrictions on the developed nations. The manufacturing industry especially the emission insensitive industries in the developed nations are the worst sufferers. Because of this restriction, these industries need to invest more capital in technology and other aspect to reduce the emission. This in turn increases the cost of production, which makes the ROI low. The low ROI (return on investment) in these developed nations makes the investment to shift to developing countries, which affects the GDP to rise. India as an important developing country has benefited from this effect. SL NO YEAR FDI-US$ (MILLION) EXPORTS IN CRORES GDP US$(BILLION) 1 2000-01 2,463 278126 492.4 2 2001-02 4,065 290757 522.8 3 2002-03 2,705 355556 617.6 4 2003-04 2,188 417425 721.6 5 2004-05 3,219 569051 834.2 6 2005-06 5,540 712087 949.1 7 2006-07 12,492 904872 1238.7 8 2007-08 24,575 1018907 1224.1 9 2008-09 31,396 1328765 1361.1 10 2009-10 25,834 1300034 1684.3 11 2010-11 19,427 1747500 1848.0 12 2011-12 26,192 Table: 1- (DIPPS Financial Year-Wise FDI Equity Inflows GDP date from World bank) With a close look at the Table -1 we can see that from the year 2005 onwards there was a sudden increase in the foreign direct investment. In the year 2005, it stood at $3129 million and from the year 2006 onwards, there was high growth in the foreign direct investment on an yoy basis. The FDI reached a peak in the year 2009 at $31396 million. The decrease in the FDI in 2011 was due to other economic factors. One of the major factors affecting the increase in FDI was kyoto protocol. As the FDI started to increase from the year 2005 onwards the GDP of india also saw a tremendous growth, it increased from $834.2 billion in the year 2005 to $1848 billion in the year 2011. Fig-3 (Trade Impact and GDP of India) As can be seen in the Fig-3 the other major impact was the trade impact, when the cost production has increased in developing countries, the import of goods from developing countries becomes less competitive. This in contrast increases the competitiveness of the exporter in the developing countries. When the export form developing countries increase, giving appositive push to the trade it creates a demand surge. Because of this, increases in demand of good, producers of goods increase the production. Moreover, increase in the production of goods increase the GDP. This can be also deduced from the Table-1, where it is evident that from 2005 onwards there was a stiff increase in the Indian export from 712087 crores to 1747500 crores in 2011. As the Export has increased this gave rise to an increase in the demand, which in turn made the supply to increase. With an increase in the supply, the GDP of India has rose from $834.2 billion in 2005 to $ 1848.0 billion in the year 2011. Conclusion Despite having no emission targets under the kyoto protocol India will benefit from the emission reduction compulsion of developed nations. The effect is because of trade and investment linkage with the Developed nations. India has immensely benefited from this due to a surge in its exports and increase in the FDI. The cumulative effect of these two factors has been positive on the GDP of india, which rose steeply from 2005 onwards. India played and major role in the extension of the kyoto after Jan 1 2013, before the new commitment period comes in to effect from 2020. Although the new extended kyoto does not impose any binding emission reduction targets on india, it has decided to reduce the emission intensity by 20 to 25% of the 2005 level within the year 2020.

The Cyclic Relationship Between Culture And Technology :: Environment Environmental Pollution Preservation

Trying to determine the effect of culture on technology is a difficult task. This is due to the cyclic nature of the relationship between culture and technology. Working with the general notion of culture (1), it is easy to see why the task of analyzing the effect of culture on technology is hard. This is because technology itself is part of this definition of culture, â€Å"all other products of human work and thought† (2). In a sense, we are trying to find the effect of culture on culture itself, which initially sounds strange. However, considering technology as one of the venues that a given culture utilizes to transform itself, the challenge to examine the effect of culture on technology can be narrowed down to the investigation of the cyclic relationship between culture and technology. Thus, this paper discusses, what we will label, ‘technology-induced cultures’ and ‘culture-induced technologies’, in order to show the feedback loop between cultur e and technology. The class readings provide several instances of how technology affects and transforms its encompassing culture (i.e. the culture that was responsible for bringing forth the very same technology). One such technology is agriculture. The hunting and gathering way of life was already being saturated when the world population was about 4 million. With human population reaching 200 million by 200 B.C., it would have been difficult, if not impossible, to survive by just gathering and hunting. (3). Even though it is hard to claim that early man consciously pursued agriculture as the solution to this problem, it is uncontested that the hunter-gatherer society is the culture that was responsible for the invention of agriculture, as Ehrlich points out, â€Å"agriculture was thus invented gradually, piecemeal, and quite probably sometime reluctantly as groups changed time-honored lifestyles†(Ehrlich 15/26). The effect of this technology on the hunter-gatherer society was phenomenal, as it â€Å"put humanity on the road to sociopolitical complexity†(Ehrlich 17/26). The constant mobility as well as the scarce resources involved with the hunting and gathering way of life did not allow for the development of a complex society, as Ehrlich explicitly mentions, â€Å"Without the ensuring agricultural revolution and the sedentary life and divisions of labor it eventually made possible, cultural evolution could never have produced our complex modern civilization. Without farming, which freed some people of the chore of wrestling nourishment from the environment, there would be no cities, no states, no science, and no mayors†(4).

Colombia Essay -- essays research papers

Columbia is a country wrought with poverty, corruption, and violence. It has gained notoriety for its drug trafficking and the scandalous dealings by the military. Five percent of Columbia (1.9 million people, 1.1 million of them children) have been displaced due to the fighting in a four decade old civil war. Columbia will need some serious rearranging politically, socially, and overall to get back on their feet.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Columbia is located in the very northern part of South America, it borders the Caribbean Sea between Panama and Venezuela, and it borders the North Pacific Ocean between Ecuador and Panama. The capital city is Bogota. The population, as of July 1999, was estimated to be 39,309,422. As of 1999, their birthrate was estimated at 24.45 per 1,000 people, and their death rate is estimated at 5.59 per 1,000 people. The life expectancy for males is 66.54 years, and for females it’s 74.54 years. Women live longer because we have to suffer more during everyday life. Columbia has a high literacy rate; (91.3% of those aged fifteen and above can read ad write, compared to the United States 97%).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Columbia government is very similar to ours; in fact the recently enacted criminal code was modeled after U.S. procedures. The original legal system was based on old Spanish law. The New criminal code was set up in 1992- 1993. Elections are open to be on voted by all citizens aged eighteen and above, and there is universal suf...

all I Know Is What I Read In The Papers - Will Rogers -- essays resear

"All I Know Is What I Read In The Papers" - Will Rogers There have been many criteria over the past few centuries that measured one's political clout and influence: divine right, property, money, and acquaintances. In the twentieth century, particularly the past two decades, the political power to influence others resides in information: the more information you have and the more you know how to use it, the more potential influence you have. People rely on the media for their information, as it is the most easily accessible, efficient, and passive way of acquiring knowledge. Unfortunately, the media is not completely reliable as it can and has been manipulated by politicians, their parties, and their governments. This makes the media a powerful weapon as politicians use it to effect voters political choices through advertising, change popular opinion on issues of state, and debasing political campaigns through smear tactics. "You can make a candidate someone they aren't. You can protect them from someone they are, or make them more of what they are".-Senator Norm Atkins(1) "An election is like a one day sale†¦the product (candidate) in a sale (campaign) is only available a few hours on one day".(2) The main goal one hopes to achieve by advertising something is to make it marketable so people will purchase it. Since what a politician hopes to ultimately do is persuade people to vote for, or buy, their political platform, they would be foolish to not take advantage of the captive and passive audience of the advertising mass media. Unfortunately politicians and their management take advantage of this medium to manipulate voters' choices. Two cases of advertising manipulation on voters was during the Canadian National Referendum of 1992 and the Quebec Referendum of 1995. During the National Referendum of 1992 over the Charlottetown Accord "three hours of free broadcast time was made available during prime time on every radio and television network that met the statutory criteria"(3) according to the Referendum Act. The act also states that "half (of the time) is allocated to the ‘Yes' and half to the ‘No' side"(4). This allotment of advertising time did not take into account the print advertisement that was plastered al... ... in that matter"(22). Truedeau floored Bouchard by saying that "the federalists would have done better in the recent Quebec referendum "(23) if the Yes side didn't "make Quebeckers, especially former premier Rene"Levesque, look like victims"(24), Politics is a very dirty game, and if you don't develop a thick skin to deal with the rhetoric then you will not survive the smear campaigns. "I fear three newspapers more than a hundred thousand bayonets"(25) The mass media in all its manifestations has a mandate to be a forum for views both directly and indirectly through advertising and journalist reporting, This massive forum has been the place, for many years, that politicians have had their voice. Like many other institutions, the mass media has been utilized as a tool of the political world with which politicians, their parties, and their governments capture the fixated and passive audience, thus making the media a powerful device to affect voters political choices through advertising, change popular opinion on issues of state, and debasing political campaigns with smear tactics.

Alan Freed and the Payola Scandal Essay

In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, during a time of shifting cultural identity, many Americans who held conservative views found themselves caught in a socio-cultural predicament. The social dynamic of urban communities had begun to change as more African-Americans moved from the Southern United States into the Northern and Western regions of the country. This diaspora meant better jobs and homes for African-Americans and ultimately translated into more spending power among this portion of the population. While many sectors were positively impacted by this increase in African American spending power, participants of exclusionary practices were destined to suffer. An example of this suffering was evident in the music industry where the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) had monopolized the music licensing industry until the Broadcast Music Incorporation was formed and began to provide affordable music licenses to those musicians previously excluded by ASCAP. This development signaled a â€Å"changing of the guard† and the ASCAP found that the change was ultimately not in their favor (Hood-Ancklewicz 3). The individuals who supported and encouraged the proliferation of this social revolution were labeled responsible for the growing lack of â€Å"social stability† and would be contended with under the guise of a quest for morals and justice. In 1959 the House Subcommittee launched an investigation into the existence of rigging in popular game shows and at the urging of ASCAP expanded that probe into the music industry. Given his nonconformist attitude, unapologetic support of rock n’ roll music, interracial dance parties and â€Å"frenzied† stage shows, Alan Freed became the most popular fatality of the payola scandal. Alan Freed was not the only person guilty of accepting â€Å"payola†, but he was among the most visibly linked to the promulgation of rock n’ roll. Alan Freed has been credited with being the first to popularize the title Rock n’Roll in relation to this particular music genre. Additionally, he was the first to encourage integration by hosting wildly successful interracial Rock n’ Roll stage shows with solely African American performers. Freed also made no attempt to control the pandemonium created by his exhilarating lineup of performers, which generally resulted in teens dancing in the aisles, screaming wildly at performers and storming venues for the opportunity to participate by any means necessary. The â€Å"firsts† associated with Freed helped to solidify his image as the Father of Rock n’ Roll and conversely sealed his fate as the scapegoat of the payola scandal. Mainly targeting radio stations and well known deejays and record executives, including Freed, the â€Å"clean cut† Dick Clark and, others linked to the popularization of rock n’ roll music. The payola investigations made radio executives across the nation nervous. Many of the stations began to enact measures to ensure that they would not be implicated in any wrong doing and as a result began to require that their disc jockeys sign disclosure statements, divest themselves of questionable outside interests and cooperate with investigators as necessary. Those disc jockeys that refused to do so were fired. Many deejays resigned some suggesting that payola was as much a part of the system as any other widely held production practice, while others simply confessed to accepting cash and other gifts in exchange for promoting records. Alan Freed refused to sign documents on the moral grounds that doing so would negatively impact his â€Å"reputation for integrity† as a result Freed was fired from the radio station (Segrave 110). Freed admitted that he had accepted valuable gifts but, he explained â€Å"not in front. If I’ve helped somebody, I’ll accept a nice gift but I wouldn’t take a dime to plug a record. I’d be a fool to; I’d be giving up control of my program† (Segrave 80). The end of the payola scandal dawned with Alan Freed disenfranchised from his livelihood. Freed was forced out of the concert promotion business, blacklisted, arrested, fined three hundred dollars and given a six month suspended sentence and though by modern standards this punishment may seem mild, compared to the punishment of other deejays it was among the most calculating and exacting punishments delivered. While some critics argue that the scandal did not end Freed’s career it is clear that â€Å"justice† was not doled out equally among all offenders (Palmer 136). Dick Clark, who was also investigated, was questioned about outside interests that he held with various publication houses, record presses, talent firms, etc. Clark minimized the number of investments reported to the committee, his employers supported his claims that he had divested those interests. Following the investigation it was learned that the claims of divestment were not only false but that Clark had also deflated the number reported to the subcommittee. Clark was ultimately exonerated and never seemed to be in any real danger of losing his livelihood, while Alan Freed was left destitute (Segrave 110). By many accounts Freed’s success in the music industry was instantaneous and was bolstered by the unwavering support of his interracial teen audience. In 1952 when Freed held the Moondog Coronation Ball an estimated 30,000 teens stormed the venue causing the event to be closed down by the local police department. Soon after this incident Freed took his stage shows on tour and was arrested and charged with inciting a riot after a similar occurrence in Boston. Freed moved from Ohio to New York where his success continue to grow exponentially (Palmer 23). Of note among Freed’s perceived â€Å"shortcomings† was the fact that all of Freed’s performers were African-American and even when â€Å"sanitized† versions of African-American songs were available Freed still preferred and continued to promote the original versions (Palmer 136-139). The image of rock n’ roll (leather jackets and sideburns) upset the sensibilities of larger society and as a result when the investigations into payola, a practice that had existed in various formats for years, became public knowledge and the House Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight had the support and the fuel necessary to effect change, Alan Freed became target number one. Rock n’ roll was shunned by the more conservative personalities in American society and as a result was blamed for many societal ills. Few expected the genre to last, disgusted by the lack of perceived merit in the rock n’ roll genre, many of the ASCAP members and conservative American public denied its â€Å"staying power†. In her1956 article for the Miami Herald, Phyllis Battelle quotes an unnamed source as saying â€Å"Perhaps the only hopeful thing about rock n’ roll is that it’s so bad. It cannot endure indefinitely† (Batelle 4C+). This sentiment comforted few Americans while others focused on the reasons why rock n’ roll was not a viable music form. Rock n’ roll on the other hand continued to reinvent itself, to influence and morph into different genres. The influence of rock n’ roll is heard clearly in other genres now and has become as intrinsic to the American cultural legacy as payola in the music industry. Though rock n’ roll waned for a short period of time it ultimately was revived by the British invasion which also revived the folk and R&B genres (Hood-Anklwicz 4). Ironically the integrationist mentality that was once a part of rock n’ roll music faded in the early sixties undoubtedly influenced by the newly sanitized radio and broadcast environment, the loss of charismatic personalities such as Alan Freed and the stress of the continuously changing cultural dynamic in American society. Fears like those expressed in segregationist propaganda like the American Nationalist went unfounded as rock n’ roll eventually became racially segregated once more. Dick Clark’s clean cut presentation of rock n’ roll minus the tilting pelvises and gyrations, minus the dancing in the aisles and frenzied pandemonium, minus the leather jackets and sideburns was to become the popular music among whites while African American performers performed for largely African-American audiences (Palmer, 146). Many African American performers of the rock n’ roll era have credited Freed with the breaking of social barriers and have recognized his attempt to encourage integration among young Blacks and Whites. Before concluding that Alan Freed was ultimately made the example for being all things rock n’ roll, it is imperative to note that the practice of payola was never absent from the music industry, it â€Å"has never been and is not now illegal†. The 1960 law passed, did not make the practice illegal but made the failure to report payola illegal (Segrave,vii). While the concept of payola presents an ethical flaw in the system it is nonetheless a flaw that is as inherent to the music industry as is manipulation to the industry of politics. The great professor and historian, Lord Acton, is quoted as saying, â€Å"power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely†. This notion is evident on both ends of the rock n’ roll spectrum on one end Alan Freed was said to â€Å"be drunk with power† (Palmer 23), so much so that he failed to see the danger in overbooking venues, was charged with encouraging riotous behavior among teens and a general failure to realize the detriment that would come to his livelihood if he continued to challenge the prescribed social norms of the 1950’s. On the other end of the spectrum is the American government who continues to support censorship and participate in the creation of scapegoats when suitable to the larger political agenda. Overall, Alan Freed was a trendsetter who was perhaps â€Å"before his time† and thereby was punished accordingly for going against the grain. He lived as the champion of rock n’ roll firsts and died tormented by opportunities unrealized.

Why do we need to focus on the concept of secularism if we want to understand the role of religion in contemporary affairs?

Introduction Globalization in the 21st century has resulted in greater diversity of peoples and religious pluralism across the globe. Alongside a global resurgence in religion, this trend has engendered new patterns of interaction and shifting perceptions in the modern political and public sphere (Thomas, 2005; Hurd, 2008). This scenario poses a direct challenge to the modern political system internationally as it upholds secular politics as the universal foundation for international relations favoured for the stability and peace it engenders. Concern regarding the potential for social conflict and violence has heightened since the events of September 11, 2001 as well as the present tensions among secularist Western nations and religious states of Turkey and Iran. These challenges give the problem of religious pluralism much of its urgency (Thomas, 2005). Secularism refers to a movement that seeks for rejection, indifference, or exclusion of religion and religious considerations in contemporary a ffairs. In political terms it refers to the belief that religion should not play a role in government, education, or other parts of society in the quest towards the separation of and/or reduction of ties between religion and government (often referred to as the church and the state) (Taylor, 2010). This is deemed necessary to enable the protection of the rights of religious minorities among other positions in a pluralist society, and therefore to enhance democracy (Taylor, 2005). Given its success in Western democracies ending the sectarian violence in Europe and enabling the peaceful stable co-existence of various communities in the United States (Hurd, 2008), the concept is however viewed with disdain and suspicion in non-Western states and cultures especially those with predominant Muslim beliefs. This sentiment derives from the system’s assumption of moral high ground leading to its belittling of other cultures and alternative approaches; contempt for religion in public l ife; and the legitimizing of regressions of negotiations with regard to alternative approaches (Taylor, 1998). This paper explores the need to focus on the concept of secularism in order to understand the role of religion in contemporary affairs. The endeavour of this exploration is to find a solution to challenges in the dominance of secularism in the modern public and political sphere which engenders resistance and and portends violent conflict. Secularism’s meanings, history and transformations, its dominant varieties, as well as its strengths and limitations are focused upon in following sections. History of secularism Secularism is a political tradition which has continued to evolve over eight centuries sharing important relationships with religious traditions such as Judeo-Christianity with which it sustains complex ties, and Islam, its primary alter-ego with which it maintains a long-standing relationship (Philpott, 2000). The ‘secular’ notion has through time taken on a range of meanings with the earliest reference, saeculum, traced to the 13th century referring to a dualistic opposition within Christianity. Often with negative connotations, this term was used to distinguish ‘worldly’ clergy from those living in seclusion in monasteries (Taylor, 2010). The term gradually shed off its ‘Godless’ and profane connotation by the 16th century acquiring a new description of a transforming world. To secularize in the latter instance referred to the conversion from religious/priestly to civil possession or use. This process is described by Casanova (1994; 24) as th e ‘passage, transfer, or relocation of persons, things, function, meanings, and so forth, from their traditional locations in the religious sphere to secular spheres.’ Onwards from the 19th century, further transformation led secularism to assume its present recognition in current language which describes a movement†¦ ‘expressly intended to provide a certain theory of life and conduct without reference to a deity or a future life’ (Hurd, 2008). Secularists, therefore, refers to those of the belief that the church (the religious) and the worldly are in a continued historical contest, in which the world is gaining an upper hand irreversibly. Two characteristics of secularism are revealed in its relevance to international relations and the political sphere. Secularization’s earlier reference to the ‘acquisition or possession’ of land (church properties) and people, usually by state actors, entailed massive appropriation and expropriati on and often instigated religious wars (Asad, 2003). Despite secularization’s contemporary reference to the separation of the church and the state predominant in Western circles, its meaning and connotation in the above context (now overshadowed), is still retained in many non-Western contexts (Taylor, 1998). For instance, with particular regard to the Middle East, the principle of secularism has served to legitimize the suppression of local practices and political establishments. This has contributed to the hegemonic attempt to transform or to ‘take possession’ of the region in pursuit of contemporary Western ideals (Hurd, 2008). In the second instance, an important characteristic derived is secularism’s presumption to clearly distinguish between transcendental and temporal matters. In its definition of what is considered ordinary, or mundane, it by default assigns a place for religion with the secular notion only making sense relative to its religious co unterpart (Hurd, 2004). As Asad (2003; 192) argues, secularism defines itself as the foundation upon which the ‘religious’ is fashioned; the point at which dialogue on theology is hatched in the discourse of modernity. It thus assumes itself to be above the fray holding alternative approaches particularly those associated with religion in condescension and as threatening. These characteristics present distinct sets of problems: first, is its potential to jeopardize democratic politics given that groups or individuals dissenting to the secular approach are considered threatening to stability and are shut out of public deliberations. Secularists, for example, generally shun non-theistic public philosophies and are notably extremely wary of political Islam (Davie, 2003). This is the reason, for instance, politics of Turkey and Pakistan in support of a civic role for Islam and which involve non-secular and non-Western platforms and partiesare frowned upon and are worrisome to Western secularist ideals. They threaten the boundaries that secularists impose between the sacred and the secular (Banchoff, 2007). Dislike and disapproval consequent to this makes Western powers, regardless of their actual policies, to be perceived as backing the repression of Islamist parties which increases the potential for terrorism (Hurd, 2008; Bruce, 2003). Contrary to secularism’s self-representation, it has sometimes been associated with the unjust, domineering and violent yet within the movement, there is a predilection to associate religion with these negative traits in the public sphere (Taylor, 1998; Hurd, 2008). Secularism’s automatic linkage with democracy and public order is thus questionable. An indiscriminate secularism in an increasingly interdependent, pluralist and globalized world in which individuals and groups derive morality from different sources is prone to risks. These risks include potential uprisings from adherents and supporters of al ternative non-secular/non-Western approaches shut out from negotiations between religion and politics and in pursuit of public order (Banchoff, 2007; Davie, et al, 2003). Given secularism’s dominance in successful Western democracies, there is also a risk of blindness to its limitations. The following section describes two varieties of secularism and explores their implications for international politics and affairs in the public sphere which have been shown to be significant (Hurd, 2008). Laicism and international relations Laicism refers to the belief in the need to exclude religion from the public realm of politics and confining it to a space where it cannot threaten the liberties of â€Å"free thinking† citizens and political stability (Taylor, 1998). This belief forms the essence of present-day political thought. Through a complex and contested process, this approach attempts to limit and to regulate ‘religious’ disputes thus provide an authoritative and self-reliant public space (Philpott, 2000). The consequent separation of the church and state was intended to serve as a basis for provide the basis for cohesive politics and efficiency in the face of diversity and religious pluralism. Laicism relegates religion and associated beliefs to ‘things’ to be studied or an inferior culture conflicting with the ideals of modern living, politics and development (Hurd, 2008). Consequently, secularism has been described by some as having a strain of dogmatism given its propensi ty to validate a single authoritative basis of public ethics and reason (Taylor, 1998). The policing and constant delineation of this boundary poses challenges especially when society diversifies to contain substantial numbers of adherents of non-Judeo-Christian religions often suspicious of such endeavours (Hurd, 2008; Casanova, 1994). There are therefore calls for a more vibrant pluralist approach in the public sphere. Judeo-Christian secularism and international relations Through its acknowledgement of a place for religion in politics, this approach avoids the pitfalls that befall laicism. In its ‘common ground strategy,’ codes of political order and peaceful co-existence are agreed upon by members of a political community based on common doctrines (Taylor, 2010). However, these common set of values has its roots in Christianity which is a significant feature defining Western civilization (Philpott, 2000). It should be noted that many other religions around the world have complicated patterns of church-state relations as Christianity (Hurd, 2004). The challenge for global relations in this regard, is that secularism, however defined, ends at the boundaries of Western civilization which portends a fault line between the West and non-West ‘common grounds’ (Davie, et al, 2003; Thomas, 2005; Myers and Brodeur, 2006). Such a common ground exclusively dependent upon Western religious traditions is thus ill equipped to meet the dema nds of contemporary societies in and outside the West. In this regard, the common ground therefore becomes a representation of one among many parties or interests (Davie, 2003; Davie, et al, 2003; Philpott, 2000). With these limitations of the dual approaches of secularism, it is necessary in the interest of foregoing international relations and contemporary affairs to rethink the secular social reality. There might be need to approach secularism as among possible solutions to modern challenges associated with religion and public order. The secularization paradigm has served well as a model for the accommodation of religious pluralism and diversity in the public sphere, guiding decision-making in various contexts (Banchoff, 2007; Taylor, 2005). Yet consensus on secular public order is not universally shared and is sometimes viewed unkindly, with contempt, or out rightly rejected by those dominated and/or excluded as â€Å"religious†; those who disagree with the transcendental /temporal divide; and those who feel that their politics, culture and territory has been ‘taken over’ or is challenged through secularist justifications. Also included are those who feel closed out of public debate and discourse (Haynes, 1998; Casanova, 1994; Bruce, 2003). Secularism belittles non-Western alternatives in the negotiation of religion and politics, expressing contempt for religion in public life, particularly with regard to Islam, and legitimizes repression of negotiations of such alternative approaches. Through its insistence of neutrality and identification with rationality, freedom and the democratic, secularism engenders what is described by Honig (Hurd, 2008; Casanova, 1994) as resistances and remainders. The latter constitute those within secularism who seek to upset conventional assumptions about morality, rationality and good. Secularism strives to silence these by shifting them onto the category of the religious in clearly dangerous tendencies wit h potential to incite violence and counter-reactions (Hurd, 2008). At present, secularism lays claim to the right to define the role of religion in politics and in so doing closes off important debates regarding possible alternative moral bases and public order. This, in turn, makes secularists to be perceived as seeking to privatize and to define the political domain (Banchoff, 2007; Bruce, 2003). This engenders hostile responses and criticisms against its hegemonic objectives and aspirations from among the excluded with some resorting to extreme tactics to air their grievances (Banchoff, 2007; Haynes, 1998). Such eventualities are not solely attributable to extremist religious belief as commonly perceived (Thomas, 2005), but as shown can be in response to secularism’s fervent attempts towards the universalization of secular modernity through its specific model. In both its varieties, secularism occasionally acts as a belief intolerant of other beliefs, exhibiting a tendency to restrict political space (Taylor, 1998; Myers and Brodeur, 2006). It is widely agreed that secularism, including its clearly anti-religious variants, needs to be re-evaluated as a model for the organization of public life through the exploration of its implications for contemporary affairs. This is particularly needful with regard to states outside of historical Christendom and settler colonies upon which secularism is foisted upon (Davie, et al, 2003; Thomas, 2005; Hurd, 2008). It seems that secularism operates blindly with regard to its unforeseen implications and the consequences of its tendencies to pursue the universalization of its mores. Its zealous struggle against religious intolerance blinds it to its own inadequacies while it claims moral superiority and displaces violent and antidemocratic tendencies to the domain of ‘religion’ and religious fervour or unrestrained commitment (Taylor, 2005; Hurd, 2004). Though secularism purports to be external in the te rritorial contest between religion and politics, it is not as its history and nature locates it within the spectrum of theological politics (Philpott, 2000). Religion is an ingrained marker of collective identity and entails the submersion of ultimate meaning in people’s beliefs and practices, including social and institutional practices (Banchoff, 2007). There are social and political challenges posed by emergent religious pluralism inherent in the interaction among religious groups in society and politics. A clash of religious communities in the political arena may cause core pillars of democracy to falter: minority rights and majority rule (Banchoff, 2007; Bruce, 2003). Religious tensions may undermine effective government by the majority and, as well, dominant traditions may seek to constrain minority groups. However, a multiplicity of faith traditions presents not just challenges for governance and social cohesion but also opportunities for a more vibrant political cultu re and civil society. For instance, rising faith communities (especially Islam) are engaging democratic processes wherever they reside in the world, and secular majorities and established religious groups are also accommodative (not just resistant) to the new dynamic cultural and political landscape (Haynes, 1998). In foregoing discourse, this paper does not propose the reversal of secularism or the reinstatement of religion in the public sphere. In its stead, the secular ideas of democratic politics should be broadened to acknowledge positive contributions of other approaches such as the non-secular and the non-Western to pubic life and religion. There must be developed a space for continuous discourse among religious traditions, as well as among the religious and the secular so as to transcend the volatile limitations of the secularist approaches. This would also enable the incorporation of a non-hegemonic place for religion in politics addressing the conflicting legacy of secular ization in public sphere in the West and outside it. If this is not addressed, those excluded may eventually haunt and destabilize the same closures that bring about their exclusion. It is therefore imperative for the international community to consider the support of pluralistic democracy which inevitably might entail support for religious parties rather than propping up secularist political solutions. Minority voices in the new dispensation need to be heard. Remedy through the reconsideration of procedure is deemed insufficient given secularism’s prior assumption of itself as above the fray; marking its domain and associating itself with rational argument, tolerance, justice, common sense, public interest, and public authority (Davie, et al, 2003; Thomas, 2005). It thus derides religion as that which is not. Most secularists refuse to acknowledge the possible functioning of alternative non-secular and yet democratic models of order in the public sphere which could be legiti mate rivals to its dominance (Banchoff, 2007; Davie, et al, 2003; Taylor, 2005). Conclusion Focus on the concept of secularism affords us the opportunity to observe that the current foundation of international politics is far from being neutral or universal given its religious heritages and character to which it seems oblivious. Secularism’s self-confidence in its objectivity and neutrality which then drives its hegemonic aspirations may therefore be a threat to the preservation of global peace and security. It is thus argued that for value pluralism to hold, relations in contemporary affairs including the international public sphere (international relations) must distance themselves from secularist history and especially its connotations and negative perceptions. The secular foundation of modernity, particularly secularism’s assumptions concerning the inevitability of secularization, must be reconsidered and better relations among states and religions fostered in order to strengthen political interdependence and international freedom, as well as to forestall conflicts from conflicting values. The majorities must respect religious freedom but must also grapple with varied traditions such as Islam which incorporate different views of social obligation and personal responsibility – some which are at odds with dominant secular views. Therefore, the secular foundation must be exchanged with a post-secular project in which secularism and religion are considered on equal footing. References Asad, T. 2003. Formations of the Secular, Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press Banchoff, T. (ed.) 2007. Democracy and the New Religious Pluralism, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Bruce, S. 2003. Politics and Religion, Cambridge: Polity Casanova, J. 1994. Public Religions in the Modern World, Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press Davie, G. 2003. ‘The Evolution of the Sociology of Religion’ In: Michele Dillon (ed.), Handbook of the Sociology of Religion. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 61-84. Davie, G., P., Heelas, and L., Woodhead (eds.) 2003, Predicting Religion: Christian, Secular and Alternative Futures. London: Ashgate. Haynes, J. 1998. Religion and Global Politics, London & New York: Longman Hurd, E. 2004, ‘The Political Authority of Secularism in International Relations’, In: European Journal of International Relations, Vol. 10, no. 2 Hurd, E, 2008. The politics of secularism in International Relations, Princeton: Princeton University Press. Myers, S. and P. Brodeur, (eds.) 2006, The Pluralist Paradigm: Democracy and Religion in the 21st Century. Scranton and London: Scranton University Press Philpott, D. 2000. â€Å"The Religious Roots of Modern International Relations.† In: World Politics 52 (January): 206-245. Taylor, C. 1998. ‘Modes of Secularism,’ In: R. Bhargava (ed.) Secularism and its Critics. Calcutta: Oxford University Press, pp. 31-53. Taylor, P., 2005. Freedom of religion: UN and European human rights law and practice. Cambridge: CUP Taylor, C. 2010. â€Å"The Meaning of Secularism,† In: The Hedgehog Review, fall. http://www.iasc-culture.org/THR/archives/Fall2010/Taylor_lo.pdf Thomas, S. 2005. Global Resurgence of Religion and the Transformation of International Relations, London: Basingstoke

Second Life Ready for Business

1. What problems can Second Life help businesses solve? Second Life provides businesses with tools for online conferencing, online collaboration, knowledge management, and prototyping. Companies can test new products using Second Life’s 3-D rendering programs. They can experiment with new marketing and advertising campaigns to see how people react. They can receive feedback on real-world products or services. 2. Considering what you have learned about Second Life, how could you, as an individual, create a modest start-up business on the Grid? What goods would you sell? Why would this be a good choice of product? What, in simple terms, would your business plan be? Why would it work? One potential new business would be to sell furnishings for online spaces. People inherently want to furnish and decorate their private spaces. The products could be bought and sold using Lindens. The start-up costs could be low since there aren’t any inventory costs. You can create the furnishings as they’re ordered. A business plan would include advertising ideas, marketing ideas, how to deliver the products, customer follow-up ideas, and financial planning. 3. Visit eBay on the Web and see what Second Life items you can find listed for auction. How would you rate the activity surrounding these items? Are you surprised by what you see? Why or why not? Obviously the information for this question will fluctuate. As of this writing, eBay offered 211 items. They included how-to manuals for making money on Second Life, a guide to selling land, and business opportunities on the site. One item in particular was a vending machine business package available for $4.99. The individual offering the item was an eBay Power Seller with 6,483 feedback postings. He was obviously an established eBay seller. Other items for sale include a Gym Workout package for $4.99 and a macro that makes navigating the skies of Second Life easier. It sold for $12.99. Answers to the last three questions will vary by student. The point is to have them realize how advanced and pervasive sites like Second Life have become. 4. How important is interoperability between 3-D worlds like Second Life and other Web sites such as Amazon, MySpace, and YouTube? Do you think that Second Life can survive and prosper on its own? What is the future of these entities? Separate or integrated? Interoperability between 3-D worlds and other Web sites is very important because of the increasing popularity of all the sites. People don’t want to continually learn new and different skills. Rather they want to transport their skills and software from one site to another. It’s doubtful that Second Life could survive and prosper on its own. Demand for the site will increase if it becomes more entwined with other sites and even real life. As people continue to combine offline and online activities, they want easy ways to transition from one to the other. This is where the people component of the three dimensions of information systems becomes apparent. Obviously this leads to more integration in the future. 5. What obstacles does Second Life have to overcome in order to become a mainstream business tool? Does it face fewer or more obstacles to become a mainstream educational tool? To what do you attribute the difference? Second Life needs to overcome the idea and perception that it’s â€Å"just another game site.† Other obstacles include ease-of-use, interoperability between pre-established business systems and Second Life’s proprietary system. It needs to create ways to import and export data between its system and external business systems—don’t require data to be re-input into either system. Second Life faces more obstacles in trying to become a mainstream educational tool. Educators are inherently opposed to online, distance education because it supposedly lacks the face-to-face communication between teachers and students. However, as more education is carried online, Second Life has all the tools in place to make it easy to conduct classes, especi ally its online collaboration tools. 6. What kinds of businesses are most likely to benefit from a presence on Second Life? Why? Retail businesses that are already used to doing business online may have an easier time of establishing a viable presence on Second Life. They are used to advertising and marketing to customers online and have the systems built for taking orders, accepting payments, and shipping products. Other companies, like IBM, that have established online collaboration systems and online knowledge management systems will probably have an easier time using Second Life as another outlet for these activities. 7. would you like to interview for a job using Second Life? Why or why not? Obviously the answers to this question will vary from student to student. Some may prefer interviewing for a job using Second Life since they may see face-to-face interviews as extremely nerve-wracking. Other may prefer a face-to-face interview rather than trying to create an avatar that adequately represents them. 8. Is Second Life a precursor of how business will be conducted in the future or a corporate experiment? Justify your answer. Second Life probably is a precursor of how business will be conducted in the future. Online presence and activity is increasing, not decreasing. Businesses are continually turning to online services to change the way they do business and move many of their offline activities to online ventures.

Pepsico Diversification Essay

PepsiCo’s Diversification Strategy in 2008 PepsiCo was the world’s largest snack and beverage company, with 2007 net revenues of approximately $39. 5 billion. The company’s portfolio of businesses in 2008 included Frito-Lay salty snacks, Quaker Chewy granola bars, Pepsi soft drink products, Tropicana orange juice, Lipton Brisk tea, Gatorade, Propel, SoBe, Quaker Oatmeal, Cap’n Crunch, Aquafina, Rice-A-Roni, Aunt Jemima pancake mix, and many other regularly consumed products. Company History PepsiCo Inc. was established in 1965 when Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay shareholders agreed to a merger between the salty snack icon and soft drink giant. The new company was founded with annual revenues of $510 million and such well-known brands as Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Fritos, Lay’s, Cheetos, Ruffles, and Rold Gold. PepsiCo’s roots can be traced to 1898 when New Bern, North Carolina, pharmacist Caleb Bradham created the formula for a carbonated beverage he named Pepsi-Cola. The company’s salty-snack business began in 1932 when Elmer Doolin of San Antonio, Texas, began manufacturing and marketing Fritos corn chips and Herman Lay started started a potato chip distribution business in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1961, Doolin and Lay agreed to a merger between their businesses to establish the Frito-Lay Company. There are also so many other products and companies that merger with PepsiCo throughout the years. Once Quaker Oats’ food, snack and beverage brand merged with PepsiCo companies in the United States and internationally broadened it portfolio of the brands. Internationally Pepsi brought countries like the Netherlands, Poland, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Brazil and Canada. Marketing From the 1930s through the late ’50s, â€Å"Pepsi-Cola Hits The Spot† was the most commonly used slogan in the days of old radio, classic motion pictures, and later television. Its jingle (conceived in the days when Pepsi cost only five cents) was used in many different forms with different lyrics. With the rise of television, Pepsi utilized the services of a young, up-and-coming actress named Polly Bergento promote products, oftentimes lending her singing talents to the classic â€Å"†¦ Hits The Spot† jingle. Some of these Bergen spots can be seen on ClassicTVAds. com. Through the intervening decades, there have been many different Pepsi theme songs sung on television by a variety of artists, from Joanie Summersto The Jacksonsto Britney Spears. See Slogans) In 1975, Pepsi introduced the Pepsi Challengemarketing campaign where PepsiCo set up a blind tasting between Pepsi-Cola and rival Coca-Cola. During these blind taste tests the majority of participants picked Pepsi as the better tasting of the two soft drinks. PepsiCo took great advantage of the campaign with television commercialsreporting the results to the public. In late 2008, Pepsi overh auled their entire brand, simultaneously introducing a new logo and a minimalistlabel design. The redesign was comparable to Coca-Cola’s earlier simplification of their can and bottle designs. Also in 2008 Pepsi teamed up with Google/YouTube to produce the first daily entertainment show on Youtube, Poptub. This daily show deals with pop culture, internet viral videos, and celebrity gossip. Poptub is updated daily from Pepsi. In 2009, â€Å"Bring Home the Cup,† changed to â€Å"Team Up and Bring Home the Cup. † The new installment of the campaign asks for team involvement and an advocate to submit content on behalf of their team for the chance to have the Stanley Cupdelivered to the team’s hometown by Mark Messier. Pepsi has official sponsorship deals with three of the four major North American professional sports leagues: the National Football League, National Hockey Leagueand Major League Baseball. Pepsi also sponsors Major League Soccer. Pepsi also has sponsorship deals in international cricketteams. The Pakistan cricket teamis one of the teams that the brand sponsors. The team wears the Pepsi logo on the front of their test and ODI test match clothing. On July 6, 2009, Pepsi announced it would make a $1 billion investment in Russia over three years, bringing the total Pepsi investment in the country to $4 billion. In July 2009, Shag-me started marketing itself as Pepsi in Argentinain response to its name being mispronounced by 25% of the population and as a way to connect more with all of the population. In October 2008, Pepsi announced that it would be redesigning its logo and re-branding many of its products by early 2009. In 2009, Pepsi, Diet Pepsiand Pepsi Maxbegan using all lower-case fonts for name brands, and Diet Pepsi Max was re-branded as Pepsi Max. The brand’s blue and red globe trademarkbecame a series of â€Å"smiles,† with the central white band arcing at different angles depending on the product until 2010. Pepsi released this logo in U. S. in late 2008, and later it was released in 2009 in Canada(the first country outside of the United States for Pepsi’s new logo), Brazil, Bolivia, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Colombia, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Panama, Chile, Dominican Republic, the Philippines and Australia; in the rest of the world the new logo has been released in 2010, meaning the old logo has been phased out entirely (most recently, Franceand Mexicoswitched to Pepsi’s current logo). The UK started to use the new Pepsi logo on cans in an order different from the US can. In mid-2010, all Pepsi variants, regular, diet, and Pepsi Max, have started using only the medium-sized â€Å"smile† Pepsi Globe. Pepsi and Pepsi Max cans and bottles in Australia now carry the localized version of the new Pepsi Logo. The word Pepsi and the logo are in the new style, while the word â€Å"Max† is still in the previous style. Pepsi Wild Cherryfinally received the 2008 Pepsi design in March 2010. PepsiCo and it’s THREAT According to Consumer Reports, in the 1970s, the rivalry continued to heat up the market. Pepsi conducted blind taste testsin stores, in what was called the â€Å"Pepsi Challenge†. These tests suggested that more consumers preferred the taste of Pepsi (which is believed to have more lemonoil, less orangeoil, and uses vanillinrather than vanilla) to Coke. The sales of Pepsi started to climb, and Pepsi kicked off the â€Å"Challenge† across the nation. This became known as the â€Å"Cola Wars†. In 1985, The Coca-Cola Company, amid much publicity, changed its formula. The theory has been advanced that New Coke, as the reformulated drink came to be known, was invented specifically in response to the Pepsi Challenge. However, a consumer backlash led to Coca-Cola quickly reintroducing the original formula as Coke â€Å"Classic†. According to Beverage Digest’2008 report on carbonated soft drinks, PepsiCo’s U. S. market share is 30. 8 percent, while The Coca-Cola Company’s is 42. 7 percent. Coca-Cola outsells Pepsi in most parts of the U. S. , notable exceptions being central Appalachia, North Dakota, and Utah. In the city of Buffalo, New York, Pepsi outsells Coca-Cola by a two-to-one margin. Overall, Coca-Cola continues to outsell Pepsi in almost all areas of the world. However, exceptions include India; Saudi Arabia; Pakistan(Pepsi has been a dominant sponsor of the Pakistan cricket teamsince the 1990s); the Dominican Republic; Guatemalathe Canadian provincesof Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island; and Northern Ontario.

Module7-mob Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Module7-mob - Case Study Example ood at these points: (1) they discussed the plan thoroughly before starting work; (2) they set goals based on realistic figures; (3) they all agreed on what was written on the plan and expressed their commitment to it; and (4) Parker tried to motivate his crew with a bonus. However, here were the results: (1) two members kept on failing to reach their daily targets; and (2) they did not finish on time. Flaws on how Parker managed the project include: (a) failure to acknowledge the problem in a timely manner; (b) failure to work out a performance improvement plan; (3) rejection of constructive criticism; and (4) failure to motivate members on a regular basis. Parker’s poor management of the project resulted to Millar quitting working for the company while Boyce stopped accepting assignment on a regular basis. The following suggestions could have remedied the situation. Parker should have: (1) shown empathy to his crew and listened to their concerns; (2) motivated his crew on a daily basis instead of going into a verbal tirade each time they fail to meet their goal; and (3) consulted with his crew on how to improve their

Eradicating malaria in subafrican countries Essay

Eradicating malaria in subafrican countries - Essay Example The boy William (2009) truly understood how the process of harnessing windmill energy can bring better life for his family and to his community. His constant efforts to build a small but effective device could bring the sustenance and better life. In the same way, an effective malaria eradication program can increase productive man hours and increase the output in industrial and agricultural produce. It is needed to understand the root cause of malaria in Africa first and then devise a full-fledged program, which overtime can eliminate this widespread disease. The severity of malaria in Subafrican region is due to climate and ecology. It is correct to state that malaria affected regions are mostly poor and bound by low economic growth. There are indeed some of the success stories of malaria eradication in the world in the countries such as Italy, Greece, and Spain between 1930 and 1950. Greece had a major suffering in the beginning of 1900s with the spread of malaria. WHO run Malaria eradication campaign had a major effect in Greece in 1946. Infected cases reduced to only 5000 in 1951 from 1-2 million cases per year found in the early 1930s. Unfortunately, it is hard to find much success stories in developing countries sparing the islands of Taiwan and Jamaica. Malaria was eradicated from Jamaica and Taiwan in the year 1958 and 1961 respectively and since then they were in higher growth trajectories. (Gallup & Sachs, 1998) William’s story inspires us about the innovativeness of a small boy that can transform his small town amid adversity. Malawi is a town falling under sub-African region where diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria are quite wide spread. It will be appropriate to see what the measures are taken to eliminate the disease in Malawi. Malawi's the entire population of 1.39 million is at risk of contracting the disease. Every year, almost 4 million cases are registered in health care facilities annually. Malaria is said to have almost accou nted for 40% of inpatient visits. Almost 18% deaths in hospital are accounted to this dreaded disease. Malawi is the first country who relinquished the use of chloroquine in favor of more effective drug. There are many challenges to the issue such as lack of human resources, parasite resistance to the first-line treatment, poverty and a lack of proper monitoring system. To mitigate the weak monitoring system, the World Bank spearheaded a project called Health Sector Support Project through additional funding. The project was also supported by other agencies such as U.S President's Malaria Initiative (PMI) –proposing approximately $186 million in malaria control. Malawi has stopped proposing chloroquine due to resistance developed by malarial parasites and instead implemented a change known as artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTS). World Bank's investment in evaluation and monitoring system will help assess the effect of change in treatment system. Through this system of monitoring, it will be possible to have improved result-based decision making. The additional grant with further strengthen the efforts to eradicate the malaria from Malawi. Finally, it will have multiple goals to fulfill reducing child mortality, reducing poverty and protecting the poorest from the

Marketing Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Marketing Research - Essay Example Due to this, the firm used a third party to come up with an infomercial to raise awareness and recorded sales. However, after a few months 25% of the initial sales have been returned by consumers. Golfers who had tried the Jacket before its debut didn’t show any sign of embarrassment while wearing the device nor did they find it uncomfortable. In addition, during initial stages of development, no problems were identified at all. The problem is that, before initial production, the company did not have requisite consumer information to inform the actual production. In this case, the firm has proposed a study in order to determine the causes of Swing Jacket return rates once purchases have been made. Research Objectives In marketing products, consumer behaviour is always an important aspect (Aaker 1991; Conover, J. N. 1982). According to Perner, L (2010), a market research is often carried out to ensure that what is produced is what customers yearn for and not what the producersà ¢â‚¬â„¢ term as the ideal product. ... t return rates once purchases have been made despite the fact that golfers who had tried the Jacket before its debut didn’t show any sign of embarrassment while wearing the device nor did they find it uncomfortable. In addition, during initial stages of development, no problems were identified at all. Further, it will be of importance to establish whether the information contained in the infomercial is coherent with the product. This as Bettman and Park (1980) puts it goes a long way in maintaining marketing ethics of beneficence, where the benefits and not risks are spread out uniformly between the sellers and buyers. This goes a long way in maintaining consumer trust. Importance/Benefits The study of consumer needs on a Swing Jacket will help Swing Jacket Inc. to improve the Swing Jacket with the understanding of how consumers perceive the product and how they make their selections between different alternatives, if any. The returns are made after several months of using the Swing Jackets. In this regard, the study will help the firm determine the level of influence from their environment e.g. culture, family, the media etc.). Such information will further assist the firm in understanding the behavior of consumers while making shopping and other marketing decisions as well as in gaining understanding on limitations hindering consumer access and processing of information (Perner, L 2010; Brucks, M. (1985). Swing Jacket Inc. is in dire need to cut a market niche and to reduce the return rate of the Swing Jacket which is at nearly 25% of the total sales. In this regard, the information from the study will enable the firm adopt new marketing strategies and campaigns to reach more customers effectively translating to more profits. An understanding of what brand was

Confucianism And Education In Asia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Confucianism And Education In Asia - Essay Example Additionally, the article argues that Confucian based education encourages students to be passionate about education. Kristof states that United States ought to borrow some ideas from Confucian based education systems (Kristof Web). How Confucianism Affects Education Confucian is a traditional outlook and practices followed in East Asian countries, which are based on teachings of Confucius, a Chinese philosopher who lived between 551 and 479 BCE. Confucianism emphasizes on ethics as well as statecraft. Confucius believed that education was the only way that one could earn appropriate social status in addition to material success. Additionally, he claimed that education helped foster harmony and morality in the society. Due to this believe, Confucian countries lay a lot of emphasis on education in terms of the fund set aside to facilitate education. Additionally, the parents tend to pressure their children to work hard and prosper academically. This has led to higher performance in Co nfucian countries (Gove and Huang 10-13; Phuong-Mai, Cees and Albert 1-3; Kristof Web). Learning is a process influenced by interaction of many factors many factors. The world or the environment that one learns in plays a role in determining ones perceptions toward education hence the possibility of succeeding or not succeeding. Culture is one of the factors that determine the modes of learning as well as the development of education policies. Most Asian schools follow Confucian ideas in teaching. Confucianism is one of the greatest stimuli of education in most Asian countries such as Singapore, China, Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong. Confucianism entails a lot of strictness, demand for students to... This essay stresses that Confucian is the main difference that segregates education in the Asian countries from that in Western countries. Additionally, the notion that Confucianism encourages surface learning, which is inadequate for future performance in jobs, is not correct. This is because Students from Confucians countries have been regarded as good performance even in their jobs. It is true that students in counties such as Hong Kong considerably depend on deep memorizing to pass their exams, but the fact that they end up outdoing their western counterparts means that Confucianism is an appropriate approach worth emulating. This report makes a conclusion that Confucianism, a cultural approach that emphasizes on education as the path that enables success in life is responsible for the improved performance in Confucian countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, and China. This is according to Kristof, who adds that the strict nature demanded in Confucian educations systems cultivated good attitude towards education. This argument is true and can be supported by the recent international findings that ranked student from Confucian countries as the best performing in math, science and reading. Since culture plays a role in modeling the learning environment, it is appropriate to argue that Confucian culture is responsible for this performance since the west students have been outdone by Confucians students irrespective of the believe that Confucianism is inefficient since it entails memorizing.