One Sample Hypothesis Test Essay

Earning potential and income of every person is severely different; many factors have a hand in determining the amount of money a person makes and how much his or her earning potential can increase. Some of the factors currently determining the earning potential of people around the United States are; education, marital status, age, union participation, race, age, years of experience, sex, the industry in which the individual works, and the position held by individual. This paper is going to show the correlation between marital status and income, the team has disregarded all other determinants to answer the research question clearly. The research question that the team has developed and the hypothesis was formed from goes as follows; does marital status affect earning potential? Every decade that passes, it seems as though people are waiting longer to get married. Waiting for job security, completion of college and social norms are just a few factors that influence this trend. This is a big change from 50 years ago, when most people would get married straight out of high school. The fact is being single has some advantages when deciding to start a career, it also affects ones earning potential. Being single allows more dedication to the job as well as the mobility to go wherever the job may take an individual. While being single may be good for starting a career, being married will actually increase a person’s earning potential in the long run. The mean salary for the single person is $24,864 per year. The mean income for married individuals is $33,303. This leads us to our null hypothesis (H0) that being married will not improve the earning potential of an individual. Our alternate hypothesis (H1) is that being married will help improve the earning potential of an individual. Numerically it is stated: H0: ÃŽ ¼1 ≠¤ ÃŽ ¼2 H1: ÃŽ ¼2 > ÃŽ ¼2 The five-step hypothesis test starts with stating the null and alternative  hypothesis. The null is H0: ÃŽ ¼1≠¤ÃŽ ¼2 and the alternative hypothesis is H1: ÃŽ ¼1>ÃŽ ¼2. The second step in find the decision rule. The decision rule is reject H0 if ÃŽ ¼1< ÃŽ ¼2< ÃŽ ¼1. Step 3 is to calculate the test statistics. It has come to the mean of the earning potential of those who are married and those who are unmarried. Married couples have a mean salary of $33,303.00 and unmarried individuals have a mean salary of $24,864.00. Step 4 is to compare the test statistics to the critical value. The test results in married couples have a greater income than the salaries of unmarried people. Step 5 is to state the results. In result, married couples have greater earning potential than that of their unmarried counterparts. Therefore, in this case the team has to reject their null hypothesis because they have discovered a greater earning potential for married couples over unmarried individuals. The team’s results provided support to the null hypothesis that a married individual has a higher earning potential than that of a single individual. As previously stated a single individual on average makes $25, 000 while married individuals make on average $34,000 a year. Our research also indicates more working individuals are married over single. Our sample only included 33 single and 67 married individuals. Our study also found non-married men have wages that range from $11,000 to only $27,000 while non-married females wages range from $15,000 to $83,000. Married men have wages that range from $28,000 to $84,000, married women however only have wages that range from $11,000 to $50,000. This shows independent women with one sole income on average make more than men. However, after marriage, the men tend to become the higher wage earner. Education does not appear to play a significant role it ranges from four to 18 years. A married man with 18 years of education can made up to $84,000 while a single man also with 18 years of education only made $27,000. That is in contrast with a single woman with 17 years of education who make $83,000 a year and a married woman with 17 years of education who made $34,000. The maximum wage for a married woman was $50,000 and this was with 12 years of education. We analyzed many different aspects of earning potential and the majority proves a married individual will make more than that of a single individual. With all of the numerical data analyzed, the research question answered, and the hypothesis being correct, the team has been able to state confidently that marital status drastically affects  earning potential. On average, those who are married make nearly $8,500 more than those who are unmarried. Several other factors determine the income potential differences, but without further analyses of data not provided in the data set, the team would just be throwing around assumptions on the matter. References David P. Doane, L. E. (2007). Applied Statistics in Business and Economics. New York: McGraw- Hill.

A Critical analysis of The film “Platoon” Essay

The Vietnam War was on everyone’s mind in 1960s and 1970s in our country. It was the center of much of America’s troubles during this time, but only the soldier’s who fought in that war knew the true madness that was Vietnam. Oliver Stone began writing Platoon because the Vietnam War was â€Å"a pocket of our history nobody understands.† (Schuer t24) Platoon is a movie which should be viewed by everyone, not only for its cinematic qualities but for its historic insight as well. Platoon is an Orion Pictures production, filmed in 1986. Written and directed by Oliver Stone it tells the gruesome story of a Vietnam War not known by the American public. Tom Beringer, who plays the experienced Sergeant Barnes, was nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category along with Willem Defoe who plays Sergeant Elias. Charlie Sheen plays Chris Taylor, an idealistic student who had dropped out of college, joined the army, and volunteered for Vietnam. His idealism and view of war in general rapidly change during the course of the film. The character is based off the director Oliver Stone, who dropped out of Yale to join the war effort. Chris and the rest of the soldiers are unaware of what they are getting into and are given little time to prepare. â€Å"Trapped in the cage of front-line life, living (if they’re luck) from moment to moment, values that apply elsewhere fade out for Barnes and others† (Kauffman 24). While serving his time Taylor experience the war in its full spectrum, from the homesickness and the comradery of the men to the nightmares of battle. Read Also:  Critical Evaluation Essay Topics The enemy is the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong but you rarely view them except as shadowy figures in the jungle or momentarily illuminated by the light of a flare. There are no defined battle lines and the combat scenes lead you to believe that the enemy is everywhere. The line between good and evil is blurred or nonexistent in this film. Sergeant Elias is portrayed as a caring, intelligent leader who escapes reality through the use of drugs. His nemesis, Sergeant Barnes, is portrayed as an efficient fighting machine who will stop at nothing to get the job done. You soon realize that he, too, is just doing everything to ensure his own survival. Platoon shows how the War affected the soldiers, and how none of them felt  that they were fighting for a reason. The film shows the Vietnam experience from the average soldier’s point of view. In the beginning Chris Taylor is very ignorant and his chances of survival are slim. The movie went beyond just showing battles, with the showing of the moral dilemmas that the soldiers faced. The film does not in any way glorify the war in Vietnam. It is a gritty look at what the soldiers endured while serving their country. The men in the platoon come from all walks of life and all over the country. However they all share the same desire to serve their time and get as far away from the fighting as possible. There is not one soldier in the jungle whose mind is not irrevocably warped by the ravages of war. Some critics complain that the character development in the story is weak and there is no plot. J.P. Stern of U S News and World Report states that â€Å"The Central Plot tension – the battle for a young private’s soul between a â€Å"good† sergeant who has retained humanity and a â€Å"bad† sergeant who has become a killing machine is not very tense.† However, the introduction of the entire cast in the film is what sets the film apart from others like it. There are no real heroes in this movie and no real villains. There is just a group of frightened men fighting for survival in their own ways and counting the days until they can leave the country. Nearly the entire film is set in a very thick jungle with tall grass and a beautiful landscape. All of the soldiers are forced to walk through thick jungle with biting insects, and hidden trip wires. The camera is always moving to give a sense of confusion and disorientation. Shots of wounded men screaming and constant gunfire makes you feel like you are in the middle of it all. The violence and paranoia that plagued the soldiers are constantly evident.†Complaints about the violent nature of his work elicit from Stone what might be called the journalist’s defense that’s just the way it is. (Ansen 56) In order to accurately tell the story Stone could pull no punches. Platoon was instantly acclaimed upon it’s release as the first truly authentic look at Vietnam since the end of the war. It was nominated for many academy awards including, best picture, best film editing, best sound, best director, best cinematography, best writing, and best supporting actor. The film won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best film editing, best sound,  and best director. Richard Corliss of Time Magazine states that â€Å"Stone’s film is a document written in blood that after almost 20 years refuses to dry.† Yet behind all of the prestige and awards it was given, Platoon holds an underlining message. â€Å"Charlie Sheen is America in its innocence, and the jungle is the dark, confused mystery that the war remains for us twenty years later† (Evans 78). Platoon is more than just a gory war movie; it is a realistic look at world that we would never want to experience. Works Cited 1. Ansen, David. â€Å"A Ferocious Vietnam Frenzy† Newsweek 5 Jan. 1987: 57. 2. Corliss, Richard â€Å"Platoon† Time Magazine 26 Jan. 1987:54-61. 3. Kauffmann, Stanley. â€Å"An American Tragedy† The New Republic 19 Jan. 1987: 24-25. 4. Schuers, Fred. â€Å"Soldier’s Story† Rolling Stone 29 Jan. 1987: 22+. 5. Stern, J.P.. â€Å"Parable in the Jungle† U S News and World Report 2 March 1987: 78.

Looking For Alaska Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Looking For Alaska - Research Paper Example In the novel, Looking for Alaska by John Green, a girl named Alaska mysteriously dies, and her friends must go on a  journey to figure out what exactly happened to her. Not only do the readers follow them on their journey, but they are also given a look into the suffering of Alaska and her own quest to find the end to hers. Although many people suffer and may consider suicide as their solution. It is essential that they find their own way to end their suffering and escape the Labyrinth, and to do so they need to realize that life has so much to offer, people are there to help them, and with hard work anything is possible. Although many people suffer and may consider suicide as their solution, it is vital that they find their own way to end their suffering and escape the Labyrinth, and to do, so they need to realize life has so much to offer, people are there to help them, and with hard work anything is possible. John Green was born in 1977, in Alabama. John Green is inspired by aut hors like Laurie Halse Anderson and Walter Dean Myers. He began writing his writing career while working at Booklist. In the book looking for Alaska, john green uses his native birth place as the setting for the novel. John Green grew-up in Orlando Florida and attended Kenyon College. In 2007, John and his brother Hank made a pact to cease communication  through texting and only communicate via YouTube video posts. They video posted each other every day. The two brothers named this Project brotherhood 2.0 (Nicholas, 2011). The decision to use YouTube to communicate to each other, inspired ‘nerd fighters’ an online community, who fight for intellectualism and try to reduce by large the level of suck worldwide. This attempt has received thousands of dollars through donations from various charities (Nerdfighters, 2012). We are all born with hope and desire to fulfill and have a purpose in life. The finding of this purpose is beneficial to individuals. The effort to find this purpose is all left to an individual. Looking for Alaska is a story about finding that purpose in an individual’s life. Miles describes  the labyrinth suffering  as the greater perhaps in life and quotes from Francois Rabelais (Green, p.5). In looking for Alaska, John Green uses his characters to demonstrate the search for this purpose in life. He says, â€Å""Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it one day, and how fearsome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present."(Green 30) The distractive lifestyles of the teenagers, dabbles in sex and drugs and the pranks, this is all an attempt to find their purpose in life. As one is trying to find their purpose in life, they meet obstacles and suffer  along the way. How  a  person  deals or perceives this suffering is notable as it will help how one tackles with them. The paper discusses the different answers that the characters in looking for Alaska give after searching themselves. Alaska’s last words were â€Å"how do I get out of this labyrinth of suffering?† this word taunted her classmates as well as those that she told. They all try to find an answer to this question. Throughout the book, this question is answered. To some they thought that the only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is through death. Miles and Alaska are out to find the

A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF E-GOVERNMENT IN INDIA Essay

A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF E-GOVERNMENT IN INDIA - Essay Example This makes it doubly responsive as well, but provides a healthy iv. Larger Urban area than rural area: Chandigarh, spread in an area of approx 115 Sq Kms, is a cosmopolitan with a mix of rural and urban areas, but having majority of urban area makes life simpler for planners (79 Sq. km Urban area and 36 Sq. km Rural area.), as basic infrastructure is available as per the urban services. Therefore any e-initiative can be started off without much additional infrastructural investments. v. Effective Power distribution network: Chandigarh has one of the best electricity distribution systems in India. Efforts are being made towards further rationalization of power tariff and energy reforms vi. Progressive IT location: Some of the industries that have already placed their footprints on Chandigarh are; VLSI Design, Software Development, ITES, BPO etc. During the year 2003-04 software exports from Chandigarh amounted to more than US $ 2.3 billion, which indicates towards its potential as an IT destination. There are about 3000 IT professionals working in and around the main parks viz. Chandigarh Technology Park, Quark City, and the SPIC Incubation Centre vii. Aware and Active Citizens: Literacy rate in Chandigarh is reasonably high. Furthermore, the Chandigarh Administration also targets that by the end of 2006; at least 30% of all school graduates would have the requisite soft-skills to be recruited into the ITES industry. Citizens have responded in good measure towards this end by offering requisite support by sending their wards for IT training. viii. Right IT infrastructure: Infrastructure is the key to any development in the society. IT initiative is no exception. The city is home to national level institutes such as Central Scientific Instruments Organization (CSIO), Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH), and PG Institute of Medical Education & Research. The NASSCOM KPMG Study 2004 cites Chandigarhs strengths as high

How much did the Nazis Owe to the Worldwide Eugenics Movements Essay - 1

How much did the Nazis Owe to the Worldwide Eugenics Movements - Essay Example It is believed that eugenics, as the science of racial hygiene, arose in the Third Reich and that only in Nazi Germany eugenic researchers were held. But this is a completely erroneous view. In the twentieth century, two countries were the leaders in eugenic research - the United States and the Soviet Union. Germany is connected by no means with the flowering of these studies, but rather with its complete discredit. To prove that there is a close connection between eugenic theories and crimes against humanity committed by third Reich, we need to consider both these phenomena and study them in their historical progress. It is believed that Eugenics, as the science of racial hygiene, arose in the Third Reich and that only in Nazi Germany eugenic researchers were held. But this is a completely erroneous view. In the twentieth century, two countries were the leaders in eugenic research - the United States and the Soviet Union. Germany is connected by no means with the flowering of these studies, but rather with its complete discredit. To prove that there is a similarity between eugenic theories and crimes against humanity committed by third Reich, we need to consider both these phenomena. Eugenic science expresses the deepest hopes of humans about rational control of their own nature, and, at the same time, explicitly embodies the experience of not just small mistakes and errors, but sometimes even crimes against humanity. Therefore, developing modern genetic technology, scientists are constantly coming back to the history of eugenics, which is a kind of understanding of the latest ethical issues background.

Just in Time Applications in Construction Projects Essay

Just in Time Applications in Construction Projects - Essay Example to production, general quality of work, design changes, material quality and availability, material handling and movement, safety, labor availability, capacity utilization, etc" (Akintoye, 1995: 105). In certain activities, an excess could be considered as a waste that results in zero-value and therefore needs to be minimized. Managing materials procurement is a vital process that has direct influence on a project’s cost. "A study shows the cost of materials and equipment constitutes approximately 60% of the projects cost" (Akintoye, 1995: 105; Marsh, 1985). Therefore, controlling materials procurement activities starting from the supplier warehouse through the delivery process until storage on construction sites is essential. Nevertheless, there is still a lag in managing materials procurement properly because of changes during execution stage of construction. Bell and Wooten say that "a materials management system could produce an improvement of almost 12% in craft labor productivity" (Bell and Wooten, 1985). Consequently, improved labor productivity leads to a reduction in construction cost; this is beneficial to contractors in terms of profitability and competitive position, to construction clients in terms of reduced bidding prices, and to the construction industry in terms of the increase in construction that can be produced for the same amount. A good practice that has been developed that focuses on organizing and managing the materials procurement process is Just-in-Time (JIT) system. Combining component measures of materials management to formulate decisions the entire process is a very complex obstacle. Based on Construction Industry Institute’s (1988) findings, certain key attributes of components were identified along with their measures of their performance to monitor and help ensure effective materials management. These attributes and measures are listed in the following checklist: Field Material Control: Materials control integrated with other

Volcker Rule Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Volcker Rule - Essay Example These governments argue that the rule would make it hard for them to access loans for their public operations and projects (Goldfarb and Schneider 2012, par. 1). The business community argues that the rule should be made more permissive in case it restricts the bank’s capability to procure capital and loans (Eichler 2012, par. 7). Local and state officials state that the Volcker Rule will make it more costly for them to gather money from investors to pay for expenditures such as housing assistance and environmental cleanup. Within the Washington region, the rule could influence borrowing costs for various agencies. Authorities that can be adversely affected by the rule include those that operate Dulles International airport, Reagan National airport, and the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (Goldfarb and Schneider 2012, par. 2). The European governments caution that the rule could further worsen the debt crisis which is already affecting the global financial markets. Foreign governments and municipalities are complaining that the legislation will considerably limit their purchasing of bonds by the banks. Thus, it will increase the interest rates that the issuers of bonds have to pay in order to attract investors (Goldfarb and Schneider 2012, par. 8). If the Volcker Rule would be implemented, it would indicate that the banks will have to close their prop trading desks and consequently, 10,000 employees will probably lose their jobs. There are also concerns in relation to how the United States’ banks will be able to compete with the financial institutions in Europe that are less affected by the proposed legislation. Most of the US banks’ business model will be influenced by the proposal indicating that they will have lower competitive advantage in comparison with their counterparts in Europe (Brinded 2011, p1; Lynch 2012, par. 1). The huge US banks fixed income business models offer a considerable amount of prop

NY Courts Gov Attorneys Grievance Complaint Assignment

NY Courts Gov Attorneys Grievance Complaint - Assignment Example The website is quite informative in the role of Disciplinary and Grievances Committee and the areas where one can lodge complain in case of a dispute. It gives the location of the office and the jurisdiction of those offices. This would help clients from visiting the wrong office which cannot handle their dispute case. Nevertheless, the client should be advised on the procedures detailing the time-frame which complains should be heard and the kind of cases that the committee can handle. Website 1 is best structured compared to the rest. Navigation over the website is quite easy. The information is also detailed and organized in a coherent manner whereby when one goes through the webpage, it is easier to learn what it is all about. The language used also is devoid of technical words that might lead to the clients not understanding or understanding the wrong thing. Simply put, it is easy to understand. The user-interface is also both appealing and simple thus making it

Improving the quality of life for mutiple sclerosis patients using the Essay

Improving the quality of life for mutiple sclerosis patients using the nursing-based home visting model - Essay Example The paper has identified the population under study as the people who live in Arulcara, have been treated with multiple sclerosis, are between zero and eighteen years, and have been registered with the multiple sclerosis association (Akkus, & Akdemir, 2012). This is an efficient description although it has not identified the total number of people who are in the population. The study has not also identified the sampling design that it used to determine the members of the association who were to be included in the sample (Polit, & Beck, 2013). The research only identifies the number of participants who were included in the sample to be fifty eight. The research used a power analysis to determine the sample size, and this analysis indicated that forty five patients under study were supposed to provide a power of 90% (Akkus, & Akdemir, 2012). Since the study did not identify the total number of participants in the population, it is impossible to conclude whether the sample size was repr esentative of the whole population. However, since the study indicates that all the patients were literate, it means that the illiterate victims of the disease were not represented. According to Akkus and Akdemir (2012), the study used two methods of data collection that include a general questionnaire and a symptom evaluation form. The investigator issued the questionnaire and the symptom form to the patients who then filled them by answering the questions. The research indicates that the questions that patients did not understand were either corrected or excluded from the questionnaire (Akkus, & Akdemir, 2012). The exclusion of misunderstood questions may mean that the information given was insufficient and unreliable. The investigators also observed the patients during all the visits, but the study does not indicate whether they recorded their

Coffee Bean Essay Example for Free

Coffee Bean Essay Currently, the price of coffee in the market is very high, but farmers receive less money than what they do. Furthermore, when world coffee prices rise, the price that customers pay in the shops usually goes up too. Yet, when world coffee prices fall, the price in the shops doesnt come down. According to www. newint. org, coffee is a multi-million dollar industry, but the profits dont go to the farmers who actually work so hard to grow the coffee beans, and carry all the risks of failing crops or falling prices. Most of the profits go to the shippers, roasters and retailers. For example, while a cup of coffee costs $4-5, farmers get only 10% of that cost. To sum up, this is unfair with farmers who should receive more money for their coffee products. Besides the price of coffee beans is low, speculators also make the price pressure with the farmers’ productions. For example, after harvesting the coffee beans, farmers immediately have to sell their products to collect the capital and prepare for next season. That is the reason why farmers don’t have good price. In order to get price stability, Fair Trade has emerged to help farmers with their products. According to www. fairtrade. net, Fair Trade coffee producers are small family farms organized in cooperatives or associations which the farmers own and govern democratically. So, after joining Fair Trade, the price of coffee beans will be stable when farmers have harvested it. To sum up, farmers are not only more money but also depend on price. However, there are lower quality coffee beans which are sold at a price equal to the price of good quality coffee through fair trade. If farmers joined in Fair Trade, all their products which are good or bad also sold the same price that is not fair. According to www. ssireview. org, Fair Trade-certified coffee is growing in consumer familiarity and sales, but strict certification requirements are resulting in uneven economic advantages for coffee growers and lower quality coffee for consumers. Farmers are selling a different thing than they are producing. For instance, 1 bag of good quality coffee is sold at higher price than 1 bag of lower quality coffee in the market. If farmers joined in Fair Trade, those two bags would sell the same price. To sum up, farmers should not receive more money with their lower products. Besides, to be able to earn more money, while the price of coffee beans in the market isn’t high, farmers need to have more products which sell to raise their income. That reason why the government should support about the capital and lower interest rates those farmers can produce more productions. In addition, the government should invest for research new varieties with higher yields. For instance, the government will lend to farmers to buy materials, after the harvest, farmers would pay back for the government. All in all, if there are more yields and productions, farmers would earn more money without lower price.

The Liberal International Economic Order Economics Essay

The Liberal International Economic Order Economics Essay The issues of the environment were not in the minds of the framers of the Liberal International Economic order (LIEO) when they met together at Bretton woods towards the end of World War II. LIEO was focused on promoting peace after the post war and destroy the economic competition that was destructive to the relationship between the countries of the world. LIEO is the key to future stability, peace and security globally. Right after the end of the Second World War, the World Bank creation, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the International Monetary Fund established the foundations for the organization of a liberal trading order. These institutions promoted the state sponsored dedication to markets and ensured economic prosperities to the developing nations. Governments realized that liberal trading arrangements and efficiency of the market are essential prerequisites to realize the potential for the economic, political and social progress after Second World War. The expansion of the liberal trading order, the strength of the free market and the freeing of capital from domestic restrictions which was visualized by the framers of the Bretton Woods Institution took precedence over the provision of social development and on account of this people were left with the false promise that the efficiency in and of itself would produce political, social and environmental progress. Therefore even if the initial purpose was achieved, the numerous multilateral organizations created for the purpose of promoting a new LIEO has also created negative impacts. They have been instrumental in making the Governments exerting strong influence often with considerable but not with all the features of a centrally planned economy which is very much essential for the progress of a country. Therefore, the Governments must ensure that their actions do not affect the purpose of the Liberal International Economic order (LIEO). The United States of course played a vital role in the development of Liberal International Economic order (LIEO) the reason being as a dominant economy, it carried the primary burden of military defense for the entire free globe and it opened its huge market to foreign competition and free trade and it was able to and willing to carry on the burden of free trade as it was a powerful and rich country. At this point of time, the United States made the dollar a universally accepted parallel currency by fixing a relationship between the gold and the dollar and committed to exchanging at any point of time these two units. Therefore I believe that this regime could not have been developed without the influence of hegemony such as the United States. I do believe that the decline in United States influence signals a threat to the LIEOs continued existence because the United States was no longer considered the dominant economic power as before. This might prove a threat to the LIEOs existence as they mostly depend upon the United States as they do not have sufficient resources and most of the time the expertise they required and funded or supplied by the United States. There is a considerable loss of the dominance of dollar which signals a threat to the LIEOs existence because they were solely dependent on the currency of the United States for their functioning. The breakdown of hegemonic stability theory, collective goods, and free riders are as follows: Hegemonic stability theory: Identical to the materialization of hegemony, when a single nation rise to hold military and economical powers in a given situation along with the formation of international economic stability based on liberal principles which is a mixture of liberalism and mercantilism which paves the way for the elimination of fears is called as the theory of Hegemonic stability. Here, the mercantilists and realists hold common views that the key to global economic order is the balancing of power among competing state actors. Collective goods: Everyone has equal chances of deriving benefits in the case of collective goods. Irrespective of a persons contribution in the case of service or taxes in the military, national security is a collective good from which everyone within a country benefits. The majority of economists view an open international economy as a collective good. Free riders: Those who make the fullest use and exploit a common good are called as free riders. Imposition of trade restrictions by a nation and getting away from the negative impacts and thereafter deriving the maximum benefits from the free trade policies prevailing in other nations takes place with regard to free riders, But nevertheless, without rules and someone to enforce the rules, the cooperation required to maintain a common good is tedious to achieve. 7. International trade has contributed to the economic development throughout the industrialized world and blended the cultures and traditions of different countries together and contributed to the cooperation among different countries with regard to sharing of resources though exports and imports which helped to maintain a positive equilibrium. Even though the world trade is increasing at a faster pace and it is favorable according to the world trade economists, it still has its own negative sides after the global economic crisis that hit the world in 2008. The global economy suffered severe losses and it paved the way for unemployment which increased drastically throughout the world for the past two years. In spite of all these setbacks, the rules and principles of world trade organization have assisted governments in keeping the markets open is provided for the world trade as there is some considerable improvement in world trade. An economic policy which is meant to favor domestic producers of services and goods is called protectionism. I read an article the other day by David Leonhardt of the NYtimes which fundamentally proposed the idea that China has adopted the biggest policy of protectionism since the World War II by intervention and manipulation of the foreign exchange markets and by following strict measures of protectionism creating negative impact for itself and countries like the United States (David Leonhardt, 2010). When a nation is having protectionist policies, producers are protected against competition from the foreign firms with the help of import restrictions where as free trade is a policy where commodities are allowed to cross borders or boundaries without restrictions. The reason behind why some governments favor protectionism is, as soon as foreign commodities are made available in the domestic market, the domestic industries suffer heavy losses because the foreign goods are available at cheap prices or the producers who export commodities to other countries are able to keep costs low due to the subsidies of the foreign government. Therefore the governments hold the views that it can increase the demand and market for the domestic goods by closing the market to foreign producers and marketers and by imposing strict quotas and import tariffs so that the domestic economic situation doesnt get bad and derives maximum benefit. Even though protectionism is intended for protecting domestic companies, this is not always the case. There is also a darker side: companies will tend to use the old technologies and they will seldom take any initiatives to produce innovative products and there is no spirit of good competition. Countries that go by protectionism are often faced by export barriers or restrictions from other countries who give the same response to countries that go by protectionism. Inflation of prices for prices and commodities takes place and the domestic compani es may start fleecing the consumers by fixing their own prices when there are no foreign competitors. In order to maintain a balance of trade surplus, a country can make exports to the foreign sector which exceeds imports from there and a balance of trade surplus takes place for a country if its domestic economy produces commodities which are in high demand by other countries and purchased by foreign countries enabling the country to increase its exports, the value of which is greater than the value of imports produced by the foreign countries. Therefore a country must ensure that its makes maximum use of its own resources and after catering to its own need must ensure that there is no wastage and should find out the potential market abroad where there is high demand for its commodities which are lying in surplus. For example, Brazil is the colossal producer of coffee in the world and after catering to its own need in a substantial manner, it exports the rest to foreign countries thereby creating a favorable method to maintain balance of trade surplus. It has the capability of export ing huge quantity of coffee seeds which surpasses all other imports which will help it to maintain balance of trade surplus. The balance of payment imbalances needs to get cleared by the succeeding suitable methods for the purpose of maintaining a consistent balance of trade surplus. By making imports cheaper, the exports of a nation could be less competitive. This usually ends up in correcting the surplus of a current account which is also helped by the upward shift in the currency value of a nation. With the help of an agreement between the nations to fix their rates of exchange against each other, any disproportion that is taking place by rules based and changes in exchange rates which are negotiated could be sorted out. Fixed adjusting rates of exchange rates which is the systems of Bretton Woods is a crucial example of a rules based system. When a country adopts a regime of policy which centralizes currency decisions in the hands of a central government by controlling the movement of capital, discouraging imports and encouraging exports, such a policy is called as neomercantilism. Allowing more effective fiscal and monetary policy by increasing the level of foreign reserves is the goal of the policies of neomercantilsm. This is believed to provide greater control and autonomy to the government. Japan and Germany have been believed to have derived the maximum advantages of the neomercantilist trade policies. Most of the nations of the world always believe that the trade policies of neomercantalism always work for them and fail to notice its negative side. When every country starts following the neomercantilist trade policies, they discourage imports and start concentrating only on exporting. A nation definitely has the need to encourage imports when it is crucial for the welfare of the country and if majority of the nati ons follow this policy, the rest of the countries will follow the same and when they cut down imports, they are discouraging and preventing the other countries to export. The countries which follow this policy should observe the comparative advantages of both export and import. The way in which value can be created by trade for both parties even when one could produce all goods with fewer resources than the other is highlighted by comparative advantage. This encourages for the occurrence of gains of trade which can be beneficial to both the parties that is the country which exports its commodities to another country and the country which imports the commodities exported by the other country. Rationalization of neomercantilist trade policies is possible when there is cooperation among the countries involved in international trade. Developing countries need to participate more vigorously in trade negotiations during trade agreements with mutual trust and confidence with other nations.

Dangerous Abortion Laws Essay -- essays papers

Dangerous Abortion Laws Does the sovereignty of a minor’s body also belong to their legal guardians and mainstream societies views of morality? The only answer to this question is absolutely not. Currently 28 states in the U.S. require parental consent or notification in order for a minor to receive abortion services.(Net 3) This is not a federally mandated law, but if the right-wing religious groups get their way it will become just that.(Net 3) Requiring parental involvement in a minor’s decision to abort is unacceptable due to; personal choice, birth control, and health risk, issues. Although a judicial bypass can over-rule a parental involvement law, a minor must prove either extenuating circumstances or her maturity in this decision.(Net 4) It must be understood that this bypass is not nor will it ever be, an antidote for the terrible consequences a parental involvement law can hold towards a minor. When a minor applies for a judicial bypass a multitude of sources may influence the judge’s ruling. That is if the judge chooses to hear her case. Amongst these influences lurk variants of all kinds. Variants that may encumber the minor’s chances of having her petition approved may include: There are no set guidelines for a judge to follow, therefore personal discretion, bias, religion, and or opinions, may sway the judge to a truly unfair decision.(Net 4) When ruling on a minor’s level of maturity no set criteria designates a judges determinate factors. Having to go through the legal system can prolong a young women’s pregnancy, which in turn increases cost, health risks, and emotional strain. The judicial system is an intimidating infrastructure for most adults.(Net 4) Therefore it imposes a frightening experience for a minor who has already taken so much upon herself in order to obtain an abortion. A severe drawback to judicial bypass is there is absolutely no guarantee of privacy.(Net 4) An excellent example of this occurs quite frequently in small close-knit towns where parental involvement laws are strictly enforced, and shot-gun weddings are used as an alternative to abortion. Judges who handle these situations are often local elected officials,so their decisions may be altered for campaign purposes.(Net 4) In local municipal courts a minor chances of being recognized by someone is all too likely. So a minor’s chances of having her ... ...ential abortion are logically the same as birth control dipensation. 3. Dangerous health risks make laws that may force teens to endure more than they choose or are able to, therefore such laws are never appropriate. Cons: 1. Judicial bypass can make parental involvement laws more feasible. 2. Possible side effects. Bibliography: Work Citation Page 1. Barans, T. â€Å"Women’s Reproductive Self-Determination.† Pro-choice Right to Abortion. (www.wordwiz72.com/choice.html) *(Net 1) 2. Harris R, Yvette. â€Å"Adolescent Abortion.† Society. July-Aug.1997 v34. p20-22. *(Mag 1) 3. â€Å"Health Risks.† March of the Dimes Foundation. (www.noah.cuny.edu/pregnancy/march_of_dimes/pre_preg.plan /teenfact.html) *(Net 2) 4. â€Å"Judicial Bypass.† (www.prochoice.about.com/newsissues/prochoice/msub12.htm) *(Net 4) 5. â€Å"Parental Consent for FamilyPlanning.† APHA Fact Sheet. (www.apha.org/legislative/factsheets/fs10.htm) *(Net 3) 6. â€Å"Republican leaders vow to take quick action on Child Custody Protection Act.† National Right to Life News. June 9,1998. v25. p1. *(Mag 2)

Assessing the Neural Mechanisms of Anxiety :: Biology Essays Research Papers

A "Lesser Wrong" Model of Assessing the Neural Mechanisms of Anxiety The objective of our class and the neuroscientific community is to understand the complex neural pathways of the brain. The neural mechanisms of anxiety have long puzzled researchers. Thus far, the belief is that two structures of the limbic system known as the lateral septum and the amygdala regulate anxiety. The present paper will examine the role of the lateral septum and the amygdala in propagating anxiety (supporting the brain = behavior paradigm), discuss the neural connection that exist between the Am and LS, consider the effects that benzodiazepine anxiolytics have on this neural connection, as well as introduce findings from my current research that supports the "lesser wrong" model of anxiety. Amygdala and Anxiogenesis The amygdala (hereafter cited as Am) is a known anxiety producing or anxiogenic structure (1). Anxiety is assessed through a number of animal studies that examine fear and stress responses in the presence of aversive stimuli such as a shock. Fear and stress responses in animals are good measures of anxiety because they correlate well with the symptoms observed in people with generalized anxiety disorder. For instance, studies that assess anxiety in animal paradigms report increased stress induced ulceration, increased heart beat, and increased galvanic skin conductance. Similarly, individuals diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder show upset stomach, increased hear rate, and increased sweating. Hence, anxiety, fear, and stress responses are closely related. Fear responses are behavioral changes that occur in the presence of aversive stimuli. The most common behavioral response (in rats) to aversive stimuli is behavioral arrest also referred to as "freezing". Behavioral arrest occurs when the animal "freezes following a cue for the aversive stimulus. Davis (1992) describes the freezing behavior as the animal's apprehensive expectation that something bad is about to happen. Stress responses are physiological changes that occur in response to aversive stimuli. Stress responses in animal and human studies include pupil dilation, increased heart beat, decreased salivation (or dry mouth), increase galvanic skin conductance (or increased sweating) and frequent defecation (or diarrhea). Studies have shown that during the presentation of a tone that forewarns the animal of a shock, the animal show a multitude of stress responses including the ones listed above. Similarly, in a fMRI scan study, human subjects showed Am activation in instructed fear or anticipatory anxiety task. In this task, subjects are manipulated into believing that they will receive a shock when a threatening stimulus is presented.

Bullying Essay

The issue of bullying may seem like something that should not be taken seriously, and it is quite often something we are all likely to neglect. If you place yourself in the shoes of the victim, the issue is in fact not a joke, but extremely serious. I think that there should be consequences for bullies because they should not be able to get away with hurting other children. Simply yelling at a kid for bullying another will not do anything to change the bully’s mind at all. Getting detention or in school suspension seems to not fix the problem of bullying. They will keep bullying and continue to create more problems for the victim. Bullying is a serious issue in today’s society. Over 3.2 million students are victims of bullying each year and approximately 160,000 of those students skip school every day because of it. Most bullying takes place in school and 1 in 4 teachers see nothing wrong with bullying and will only interfere 4 percent of the time. Teacher’s that witness bullying and don’t do one thing about it is a huge problem because then the bullies don’t learn that the bullying is wrong. In my opinion, other than yelling at a kid for bullying, there should be more consequences that the bully should face. I would suggest the following consequences be put in place. First offense would be in school suspension. Second offense would be in school suspension and counseling. I think this would be effective because maybe kids will now see repercussions for their actions. I think it would be a better idea to have more consequences for the bully because it will give them the opportunity to look at the situation in the eyes of the person that they hurt. There are many benefits to punishing a bully. One benefit is the bully is aware that they are targeting someone in an unfair way. Being aware is one of the first steps to changing your bad behavior. Another benefit is the victim can be more comfortable going to school and can rest a sure that the bullying will stop, otherwise there will be further consequences. This will not only be beneficial to the victims in the school, but also to the authority figures because they will no longer be a problem. Disciplining a bully will result in multiple benefits. Most do not think much of bullying but in reality it is a widespread problem. Being personally targeted by others whether in school or out of school can tend to have a negative effect upon the victim, and may not always have a great turnout. I think that there should be more consequences for a bully’s actions.

Undermining of Teenagers By The Media

Every year the media posts multiple stories about ‘youths’. Their stories dominate the headlines: how they lack the respect and manners that past generations had, how they are forever out on the street vandalizing property, how they spend their time binge drinking and mugging old ladies. This stereotype has taken over and can be a big problem for teens today. In our multicultural society, It would never be okay to scowl at somebody who was gay or black, but for some reason the judgment of teens is completely acceptable. The media portrays teens as highly disruptive and dangerous, yet if we look at actual statistics adults commit far more crimes a year then teens. Adults are much more commonly found being drunk and disruptive on a Friday night so surely it is unfair that teens have to travel with this stigmas surrounding them. In reality, youth crime rates have dropped between 1993 and 2001 and Britain has one of the lowest crime rates in Europe, so older generations criticisms of, ‘in my day we NEVER would have done this’ are completely false. How many times have you had an elderly person shoot you a dirty look for playing your music just a little too loudly on the tube? How many times has a shop assistant neglected to give you help because they are too busy dealing with ‘proper customers’? These scenarios happen everyday, not even just from people we don’t know, we are swallowed up in them. As a teenager myself, I feel constantly frustrated at how adults judge my friends and I as we walk down the street. Just because some teenagers stir trouble, doesn’t mean all of us should be grouped in the same bag. Instead of highlighting the bad teens the media should reflect the outstanding work that a lot of teens do. Young people are ten times more likely to be voluntary in the community then committing offences, and unless the media show positive propaganda like this, older people are going to continue to prejudge teenagers. Not only does the media play on teenagers being disruptive, the law does too. I have often played witness to policeman asking groups of teenagers to move along when they are on the street, despite them being completely sober, not smoking or causing trouble in any way. It is often simply because they may be wearing hoodies. Policeman shouldn’t be allowed to generalize like this. WE are the generation of the future, WE are the people who will have to deal with major issues like global warming, left behind from past generations, so WE need to be given respect. We can’t do anything right. Teenagers today do better in their GCSE’s then past generations did in their exams, but this is because their exams were harder right? Anything good we do seems to have an excuse, and people are ignorant towards the fact that the youth of the day are going to be the faces of the future.

Organ Sales Will Save Lives

In the essay â€Å"Organ Sales Will Save Lives† by Joana Mackay, kidney failure is the main topic in this essay. Honestly, I did not really have an opinion on organ sales. It just knew a bit about it. However, after I read this essay, I felt like I completely agreed with her argument. She argues that the sale of human organs should be legal. As we learned, some key features in an argument include a clear and arguable position, necessary background information, and convincing evidence.In Mackay’s essay, at the very beginning of the essay, she clearly states her position, which is â€Å"Governments should not ban the sales of human organs; they should regulate it. † Throughout the entire essay she gives a lot of reasons about why she believe that the sale of human organs should be legal. Also, she pointed out that there is a black market where people can purchase and sell kidney by a very good deal. Meanwhile â€Å"there are over 60,000 people on the waiting list for kidneys, and it takes an average of 10 years for your waiting to end†, in black market, they don’t have to wait a line for ten years.This is very surprising. This evidence stood out the most for me because I did not know that people have to wait for 10 year to get a kidney. Furthermore, in the third world countries, they are willing to sell their kidney, which cost about $1000. Sadly, because they need money to by food and clothing for their family, so they are willing to do anything to get money even sale their kidney. It is so sad to know about this.

Homosexuality in School Essay

Of the many emotions a gay man or woman feel, perhaps the most powerful pervasive is fear. The fear of being found out ir real enough, but the worry does not end there. There are the fears of being bullied by your peers, being make fun of and even been killed. For a lesbian and gay teenager, who lack experience and life skills to cope with them, such fears can be overwhelming. Lesbian, gay and bisexual youth face many problems as they realize they are homosexual. And they have to face all this problems at school where many teenagers are judgmental. Many of these teens cant handle the bullying and abused so they turned to homeschooling, running away from home and even suicide. It is unacceptable for young gay men and lesbians to experience levels of prejudice and discrimination that mar their developing years and their school experiences. They, just as much as anyone, should be able to look back warmly on their school days, without rembering bully, name calling, and exclusion. It is common for young people to use words associated with homosexuality as insults or, more generally, as negative adjectives. The prejudice can cause great distress for gay or lesbian pupils, who, gradually becoming aware of their sexuality, come to realize that they are a member of a despised group. This can affect self-stem badly and be a very upsetting time. As they grow older, gay pupils are faced with they very difficult decision of whether to come out and be openly gay at school, or whether to try to hide their sexual identity form their peers. Many homosexual teenager don’t know how to deal with this problems, so they often recurred to drugs in search for some outlet. Many start developing mental problems like depression and anxiety. Because fo the prejudice and the bullying in school that homosexual teens received they don’t get help, they don’t want to tell their teachers as they are afraid they will judge them. By not getting help many of them feel they don’t have another option than ending their life. According to pflagphoenix.org over 30% of all reported teen suicides each year are committed by gay and lesbian youth. Various sexual health issues, specifically HIV, for young gay men are disproportionally affect the lack of information there. They need to receive the information that eill enable them to identify risks, and to take action to protect themselves before they reach an age when they will become sexually active. An education system that falls in this regard is one that puts live at risk. Schools do not always do enough to address these problems, and in some cases, can even add to them. All too often, even if sexual health education does exist, it doesn’t even mention gay people. According to statistics by yotuhprideri.org a website made to inform about the problems that young homosexual faced. According to them 84% of homosexual students report being verbally harassed (name calling, threats, etc.) because of their sexual orientation. And 80% of gay and bisexual youth report severe problems with cognitive, social or emotional isolation. What is needed to help improve their situation? The school system exists to educate and prepare young people for place in adult society. If foes not provide gay pupils with the information they need to have safe sexual relationship, and allows other pupils to leave school with prejudice and a lack of understanding of gay issues, then the school system has failed some education providers have taken s steps to ensure young people receive sexual health education that contains a component for gay pupils. There are also an increasing number of schools that have specific policies for tackling homophobic bullying and discrimination. In such an environment, gay and lesbian teachers are more able to come out to students and staff, acting as vital role models for young people There are still problem for homosexual students in school, but we have to look at the things that are changing. For example media is becoming more aware and open to the problem and represented homosexuality in teenagers as a good thing. In many of the big cities they are being more opened to homosexuality, many school are even bringing more information about sexuality. More school are hiring homosexual teachers to show there more open minded state. These are small steps to achieve more freedom for homosexual teenagers in school and in society, but still remember that they are many who are suffering and we can not stop until this problem is ended.

Doing Business in China Essay

China is an evolving economy that offers lot of market prospects for foreign venture. It is an independent country located in East Asia. Currently China is the world’s most populous country, with its population of over 1. 35 billion. China’s land size is approximately 9. 6 million square kilometers and it is the world’s second-largest country after Russia. In contemporary eras, China plays an important role in calling for free trade areas in the Asia Pacific Region. China proposed a new East Asia Summit (EAS) framework as a forum for regional security issues in 2004. The EAS, which includes ASEAN along with India, Australia and New Zealand, held its first summit in the year 2005. Since 1978 with the introduction of economic transformations, China today has turn out to be the world’s rapid-growing key economy. China is the world’s second-largest economy together in term of its nominal total GDP and purchasing power parity. As of 2013, China ranked at number 91 at ‘Doing Business’ provided by the World Bank. Its GDP per capita currently stands at $6,075, while the total GDP sums up at $12. 05 trillion. Although the country has a huge potential for economic progression offering access to a huge market and significant savings in labor costs, cautiousness must be used due to differences in the political and cultural environment that create risk and pose uncertainty for foreign investors. In addition, China is also the world’s biggest exporter and importer of products and goods. China is also a member of WTO, APEC, the G-20, and many others. Not to forget, China has been considered as a probable superpower up to this date. Regardless of achievement made by China, it encounters a range of obstacles to China’s future economic advancement. To overcome such obstacles, it must maintain a great growth rate, improve the economic system, uphold better international support, and transform the responsibility of China government in its system of economy. As stated in the World Bank recently, China is the world’s third largest trading country, right after the United States of America and Japan. Economic Issues In recent years, China has become one of the primary selection of the world’s destination of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and among the figures counted in its FDI are 27% of the value added production, 4. 1% comes from its national tax revenue, and another 58% or so comes from its foreign trade. This has been proved where more than 190 nations invest in China, and according to a survey done by Member Priorities Survey, most of the multi-national corporations do their FDI in China is because they want to serve its domestic market and the local consumers, not to export back to each of the MNC’s home country. The Chinese National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) developed a plan to improvement the foreign direct investment, back in 2006, which stressed the correlation between national safety and foreign investment. NDRC proposed to government of China to slowly decrease its restrictions and limitations on MNCs. MNCs also are being asked by the NDRC to intensify its investment and production in China. The aim of this move is to heighten innovation’s liberation for Chinese corporations. In addition, foreign investment must be directed at high-technology and manufacturing industries, infrastructure improvement and not to forget the environmentally friendly protection. Figure 1 : Regional share of GDP & resident population in year 2009. Although China’s economy has been liberalized since 1980s, the country still hurts from insufficient number of mode of transportation, communication’s variety, and energy capitals. China also commence the construction of a major highway to link cities in China, in order to provide a world class infrastructure in the coming years. From this, we can see, it might be costly in term of land transportations for MNCs to conduct its businesses in China. Moreover, currency manipulation undergoes by China back in 2008 is disturbing its own economy. Gladly, the condition has improved by years, and the Treasury Secretary said that the appreciation of the Yuan (Chinese currency) might be a win-win situation for the global’s economy. Figure 2 below shows the Yuan per dollar rates and how China’s currency has moved from 2009 until this year. Figure 2 : Value of China Yuan to US Dollar In trade, the major industrial exports for China are manufactured products, fabrics, clothes, together with electronic appliances. Thus, if you want to invest in China, these areas are the most profitable for any MNCs to do their business in China. Furthermore, the prominent export materials are magnesium, mercury, tungsten, tin, salt, and antimony. Currently, China is the world’s largest manufacturer of aluminum based on data from China trade. Participation of China in World Trade Organization (WTO) has made China ompetitive in the world’s market. Political Issues As stated in the Chinese Constitution, â€Å"China is a socialist state under the public’s democratic dictatorship led by the working class and based on alliance of workers and laborers. † The government of China contained a system of congresses of the people and multi-party collaboration and soundings of politics under the guidance of Communist Party of China and this following political system in China ensure that CPC maintain its power as the only party in China, which based of the socialist system. Proceeding into the political risk, the chance of nationalization of industries needs to be taken into account, as this has already happened in 1949. Thus, any MNCs that want to invest in China have to think twice, in which industries are opened to investors, and which industries are closed and prohibited for investors to invest in it. Figure 3 will sum the opened and closed industries for foreign investors. Another unique political risk in China is the continual clash between China’s central government and the regional governments over applicable laws. The outcome of this conflict, is making it challenging for MNCs working in China to recognize and identify which rules are applicable, and which rules are not. Moving on towards the political stability in China, it still remains a big question to the foreign investors as the Tiananmen Square massacre has scared of foreign businesses and a big drop in many areas can be seen, which include foreign investment and tourism. At the same moment, China’s improvement in its economy since 1978, the lives of its citizen has improved drastically, an increase in social movement, and stretched the area of personal freedom. What this meant is that people can enjoy wider travel’s freedom, more and more employment opportunity, and access to information, although it is not very opened yet. Moreover, in latest years, China has passed new laws which include the criminal and civil laws to protect citizens and foreigners. Cultural Issues China’s population is estimated to be around 1,360,691,561 as of this year, and expected to be increased rapidly in times. This rapid growth of population in China is because the death rate among its citizens has dropped drastically in recent years. To cater this increased population crisis, the central government has encouraged the one-child family program. Advice of family planning and birth-control are provided by the government itself. Although most of the world see Chinese culture as an extremely complex one, but most scholars around the world come up to an agreement that even though it is diverse, many Chinese shared the same characteristics. These same characteristics are based of the Confucian philosophy influence which becomes the core of most Chinese today living in China. One of the most significant values in its culture are the importance of family, classified structure of common life and the importance on hard work along with accomplishment. The Chinese culture can be sorted as collectivist, since in many ways, the family unit takes superiority over its individual members in a family and the children must not answer back to the elders. Looking into Hofstede’s cultural factors which are measured on five dimensions, which are power distance, individual versus collectivism, masculinity versus feminity, uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation versus short-term orientation, tables below are the results of China’s assessment. Cultural Dimensions| Results| Power Distance| The less powerful members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. On the collectivist side, we find societies in which people from birth onwards are combined into strong, cohesive in-groups, often extended families which includes uncles, aunts and grandparents which continue protecting them in exchange for absolute loyalty. China rank 10th in the Individualism ranking. This may be attributed, in part, to the high level of emphasis on the collectivist society imposed by the communist rule compared to the values of individualism. The low individualism ranking also demonstrates a close and committed group orientation, either the family, extended family, or extended relationships. The society fosters strong relationships where everyone takes responsibility for fellow members of their group. Masculinity vs Feminity Hofstede’s study revealed that women’s values differ less among societies than men’s values and men’s values from one country to another contain a dimension from very assertive and competitive and maximally different from women’s values on the one side, to modest and caring and similar to women’s values on the other. Ranked at 66th, China is a masculine society –success oriented and driven. The need to ensure success can be exemplified by the fact that many Chinese will sacrifice family and leisure priorities to work. Service people (such as hairdressers) will provide services until very late at night. Leisure time is not so important for them. An example is the migrated farmer workers will leave their families behind in faraway places in order to obtain better work and pay in the cities. Uncertainty Avoidance It indicates the extent to which a culture programs its members to feel either uncomfortable or comfortable in unstructured situations. Unstructured situations are novel, unknown, surprising, and different from usual. Uncertainty avoiding cultures try to minimize the possibility of such situations by strict laws and rules, safety and security measures, and on the philosophical and religious level by a belief in absolute Truth. People in uncertainty avoiding countries are more emotional, and motivated by inner nervous energy. The opposite type, uncertainty accepting cultures, are more tolerant of opinions different from what they are used to; they try to have as few rules as possible, and on the philosophical and religious level they are relativist and allow many currents to flow side by side. Ranked at 30th, China has a low score on uncertainty avoidance. Chinese are comfortable with ambiguity; the Chinese language is full of ambiguous meanings that can be difficult for Western people to follow. Chinese are adaptable and entrepreneurial. At the time of writing the majority (70% -80%) of Chinese businesses tend to be small to medium sized and family owned. | Long-term orientation vs short-term orientation| Both rated values of this dimension are found in the teachings of Confucius. However, the dimension also applies to countries without a Confucian heritage. Ranked at 118th, China is a highly long term oriented society in which persistence and perseverance are normal. Relationships are ordered by status and the order is observed. Nice people are thrifty and sparing with resources and investment tends to be in long term projects such as real estate. Traditions can be adapted to suit new conditions. Chinese people recognize that government is by men rather than as in the Low LTO countries by an external influence such as God or the law. Negotiation At negotiating stage, both buyer and seller have to come to an agreement on how the deal ended and what will the price be. MNCs should decide if they want to set up a new joint venture or wholly-foreign owned enterprises to take over the seller’s business in China, or to purchase equity interest of the business. The deal structure is particularly important from tax perspective. The tax costs bear by the buyer and seller vary significantly which have a big influence on the final cost of the deal. During the negotiating process, an excellent advisory team can be a strong asset, which is to manage the financial, legal, tax and valuation issues that will determined the right price and structure of the deal. The main reason why deals did not go well in China is the incapability to link and associate the price expectations between foreign buyer and local seller. In this situation, an adviser will come in handy to manage valuation and contract term negotiation. For closing the negotiation, buyers need to ensure that all require approvals have been issued all relevant supporting documents are correct and agreed upon by both buyer and seller. Both parties in this negotiation need legal advisers to draft and finalize the sales and purchase agreement. This document is a detailed contract that contains the transaction details during the due diligence process. For example, it contain rights to protect the buyer from any unexpected post-negotiation results. Business Ethics In order to have a very successful FDI in China, MNCs must apply this business ethics in their daily business life, or else, they will have a big problem upon them. The important practices to be a business standards within China, is by having a local Chinese employee to be the face of your company’s code of ethics. Secondly, make sure the code of ethics are translated into the native language in China. Double check the translation to ensure it is fully accurate and correct. Next, is by having a common ground. Most of the values, for example the significance of family are common in Chinese culture, where you must respect the elders or seniors in the organization. During the training sessions, discuss scenarios that could happen in China. Don’t just translate any cultural situations into the local language. Consider reframing some of a large, international company’s core values to align with local cultural values. For example, in a culture that values community, focus on the community aspects of the company’s values. Not to forget, focus on the sustainability of the company, so employees understand the advantage of following the code of conduct. What works and what doesn’t work in China? What works are MNC’s can simply translate the company’s code of conduct into the local language. The CEO and other leaders should mention the code of conduct in everyday discussions about business, not just in one annual training presentation. Local management too should understand that the corporate code of conduct is part of their everyday job. What doesn’t work is a code of conduct that is written in English and not translated into the local language, or that has a lot of references to other countries’ laws and regulations, will not be effective overseas. What partially works is that it is vital for a high-level official from headquarters to visit the company’s Chinese offices and introduce the code of conduct. But this is only a first step. Without follow-up from local managers, employees may receive the code politely, then revert to old ways of doing business as they are not being forced upon and opt for a status quo since they are comfortable with it. Core values are important in China, but it’s also important to remember that people in different cultures may interpret them differently. MNCs can try separating core values, such as fairness or integrity, from the specifics of how those values are implemented. The values themselves are probably shared among cultures, but how they are put into practice may vary. Conversation is critical to making sure your shared core values create an ethical culture. Regularly engage both managers and workers in overseas offices in discussions about how to best implement the core values. The most effective processes and procedures to detect ethical and compliance problems are to remember that despite what MNCs intend in their policies, being a whistleblower is frequently very difficult. Consider separating the reporting process for whistleblowers from the HR and legal departments. Allow employees to report concerns to someone with direct access to the board of directors. In addition, a few MNCs create a regulator position that is filled by a senior manager for a year. This person helps resolve concerns about company practices. For a code of conduct to work for MNCs in China, it requires a quick yet thoughtful response to complaints. A â€Å"ready, fire, aim† approach will be just as harmful as not taking complaints seriously. Have investigations conducted by people with experience and training in conducting complex investigations. Lastly, try to understand the business model and being willing to ask questions, which is one way to catch problems early. An executive who knows the business well will know to ask, for example, how the business just landed a big contract it had never before been able to get, or why business in a particular region increased so much ore than in others. If it looks too good to be true, start asking questions. It may not be true. Conclusion Leading business in China can be difficult due to the many indecisions and differences in the economic, political, and cultural environment. The Chinese prefer doing business with MNCs they know, so working through an intermediary is crucial in China. Business relationships are built formally. It is important to be persistent as it takes an extensive amount of time to build business relationship which is also bound with enormous government bureaucracy. The Chinese see foreigners as representatives of their company rather than as individuals. Rank is extremely important in business relationships and you must keep rank differences in mind when communicating. The Chinese prefer face-to-face meetings rather than written or telephone communication. Meals and social events are not the place for business discussions but social etiquette is important to follow. Some of the cultural values that govern business practices relate to setting up appointments one-to-two months in advance and preferably in writing. The Chinese view punctuality as a virtue. Arriving late is an insult and could negatively affect your relationship. It is important to pay attention to the agenda as each Chinese participant has his or her own agenda that they will attempt to introduce. You are also advised to send an agenda before the meeting so your Chinese colleagues have the opportunity to meet with any technical experts prior to the meeting. To conclude, it is important is to learn about cultural and political differences and their impact on business practices and business conduct in China.

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Marketing - Essay Example 379). With the convenience of having an own bathroom allows the guests to enjoy their bath. After all, it is less convenient if guests will need to leave their rooms and compete for the use of a common bathroom. In addition, crowding may occur if public bathrooms are the only ones available in the hotel that might decrease the number of customers of Ritz Carlton. Ritz Carlton also maintains its high number of guests by keeping their services top-of-the-line. They train their employees to project the best of their service by following three conditions: welcoming the guests with a salutation using their names, attending to the needs of the customers, and saying a polite goodbye to leaving clients (Last name of textbook’s author, year, p. 379). The three aforementioned conditions boost the overall hospitality of the employees to the guests of their hotel. The customers will feel their importance once the service providers address them personally. Studies supports the claims regar ding the relationship development can be boosted by face and name recognition. By addressing the clients personally, the connection is built and transformed from pseudo relationships to paying and loyal customers (O’Fallon and Rutherford, 2011, p. 30). ... 116). In Ritz Carlton, their employees are constantly reminded regarding the service values by the unique method of the managers. Each manager carries a laminated list of the service values to consistently remind their employees to follow them (Last name of textbook’s author, year, p. 379). In addition, the constant reminder adds confidence to the employees to exert their best efforts to accommodate the guests nicely. Those actions contribute to the increase in loyal customers of the hotel and keep up with the competition. The top-of-the-line hospitality in Ritz Carlton is also influenced by the successful and unique strategy done by the management together with the employees. Everyday the managers remind their employees about their values and mission by spending 15 minutes of story-telling regarding the unique instances that happened in the hotel. Those captured moments were retold to boost the employee confidence since the stories serve as role models in building rapport and rendering the best services to their clients. The true stories also recognize the employee who showed exemplary actions to please their guests and even meet the unexpected needs of the clients (Last name of textbook’s author, year, p. 379). In response, employees are motivated more than before since they would like to be appreciated like the exemplary workers in the wow stories shared everyday at Ritz Carlton Hotel. They can boost their service quality by feeling good and imagining that it is also possible for them to be praised by the management when they get to display an exemplary example (Bidgoli, 2010, p. 402). In addition, it has been proven

International business environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

International business environment - Essay Example This assignment aims at discussing the concept of political economy in the context of Ireland in 2004. The paper will firstly provide a brief overview of the concept of political economy followed by a brief overview of Ireland. Then a thorough analysis of the case of Ireland in 2004 will be made and the theory of political economy will be applied to the same. Globalization is the process of speedy yet steady change and integration of countries and the occurrences that happen with the use of foreign trade and a lot of foreign investments. Globalization can be expressed as newer opportunities and possibilities for action among people across the world. Here the location is not an issue and the social activities are not affected by the location of the individuals or the businesses. There have been a number of different definitions that have been provided for globalization, however none of these can be considered to be precise. However some of the definitions that have been provided by experts are discussed below. According to Stephen Gill, globalization is a method of reducing the costs in terms of transaction and Trans – border movements of, capital as well as goods and also the factors of production and goods (RobertC.Feenstra & Hanson, 1996). However Guy Brainbant (Aisbett, 2003) has described globalization to be a process which do es not only includes the world trade, but also includes a number of other factors like the development of advanced means of communication, financial markets becoming internationalized, higher and growing importance to multinational companies, higher mobility of people, population migration, and mobility of other factors like goods, capital, data and also ideas. With the rapidly increasing connections across the world and a number of new integrations worldwide, there has been a shift in the pattern of studying politics of economic relations

Legal tools available at the local level to exploit terrorist Essay

Legal tools available at the local level to exploit terrorist activities - Essay Example All member states are collaboratively called for regionalized comprehensive and integrated regional implementation of counter-terrorism strategies (UN, 2012). As an implication, member states are expected to adopt the counter terrorism plan in for Central Asia and the development of institutional and technical capacities at their respective national territories (UN, 2012). This program includes capability-building to address the need for comprehensive analysis of needs for operational and administrative needs of institutions at the local level to help attain target goals. Margolis (2001) cited that one of the resources that can be exploited by terrorist organization is the media. He cited how Bin Laden optimized media for interviews to sow dissention and to articulate his causes against Iraq. Although his sentiments were not aired in American media but he leveraged by discussing his political position to Muslim-dominated communities to gain sympathy and to pour his political tirade against the United States and its allies. He was the first to laud and express satisfaction when the twin towers of New York fell into ruin.Moreover, Emerson (2011) have cited that terror groups have already produced its own publication to strategically attune itself in this information age and information technology advancement. Emerson (2011) also pointed that those who are info-technology savvy could launch hacking attacks to websites of their perceived enemies.With the advent of online social networking.... This program include capability-building to address the need for comprehensive analysis of needs for operational and administrative needs of institutions at the local level to help attain target goals. Margolis (2001) cited that one of the resources that can be exploited by terrorist organization is the media. He cited how Bin Laden optimized media for interviews to sow dissention and to articulate his causes against Iraq. Although his sentiments were not aired in American media but he leveraged by discussing his political position to Muslim-dominated communities to gain sympathy and to pour his political tirade against United States and its allies. He was the first to laud and express satisfaction when the twin towers of New York fell into ruin. Moreover, Emerson (2011) have cited that terror groups have already produced its own publication to strategically attune itself in this information age and information technology advancement. Emerson (2011) also pointed that those who are in fo-technology savvy could launch hacking attacks to websites of their perceived enemies. With the advent of online social networking, borderless communication and transnational access becomes possible. Department of Homeland Security (2010) pointed that in their study, terror groups can exploit alternative online media to spread propaganda, network operational guidelines, communicate with partners using online tools and chat rooms, and develop web-based database of information to sustain its ideological positions. DHS (2010) recorded that jihadist and mujahideen are increasingly utilizing facebook for propaganda, operational information, which include the distribution of menu about how to make improvised explosive device

Mona Golabek in The Pianist of Willesden Lane Essay

Mona Golabek in The Pianist of Willesden Lane - Essay Example Berkeley Rep offers an advisory about any stage effect of potential concern to patrons’ health. This show has none. We don’t offer advisories about subject matter, as sensitivities vary from person to person. If you have any concerns about content, please contact the box office. Mona Golabek doesn't just tell a great story. Seated at a concert grand, she accompanies her tale with music that infuses, illustrates, amplifies and elevates "The Pianist of Willesden Lane" to make the personal universal and another generation so personal that you can't help but feel your heart swell in response. Great music can do that. Skillfully blended with an affecting tale, it can do even more. If there was a dry eye in the house at Wednesday's Berkeley Repertory Theatre opening, my own were too filled with tears to see it.Each piece of music tells a story, Golabek's mother told her. She learned her mother's story along with keyboard technique in her piano lessons. Director Hershey Felder , who adapted Golabek's book for stage - and whose Eighty-Eight Entertainment is a co-producer - builds on that connection to shape the play and intensify particular scenes. Then he adds well-selected visuals to the sensory package.  package. From the beginning, Jura's dream is to make her concert debut with Grieg's Piano Concerto in A Minor. Felder, best-known for his popular solo shows about composers (he performed "George Gershwin Alone" at the Rep last summer), uses the concerto to frame "Pianist" from beginning to  end (Cohen and Mona, 45-49). The first movement - brilliantly, probingly performed by Golabek - sets up the fraught conditions in 1938 Vienna. The second intensifies the dramatic perils of the Blitz. The third brings the piece to its passionate  resolution. In between, Golabek's beautifully rendered pieces by Beethoven, Debussy and Chopin enhance the families and Vienna's Jews worsening fortunes - as told by Golabek as the young Jura - and her escape through th e Kindertransport program. Felder heightens the impact with archival photos and newsreel footage, projected in the large, antique gilt picture frames hanging about the midnight blue  stage. Golabek doesn't convey the comfort of an actor, but she grows more assured and riveting as she traces Jura's life in London, assuming the voices of the

Homophobia in American Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Homophobia in American Culture - Essay Example Most of the religious groups in America oppose homosexuality at large and this has sparked a lot of debates in the recent days. Similarly America is a country which has people from all over the world living in it. And thus this causes the country to have more diversification in terms of religion, race and people. And most of the religions which exist in America object to homosexuality. This can be seen as a major source of Homophobia in America. On the other hand according to some people the act of homosexuality is filthy and perverted. Thus this act should be widely condemned according to these people. Different people belonging to different races in America have the belief that homosexuality is against the law of God and is creating an environment of filth in America. All these factors lead to the development of Homophobia in America. The fear developed by people in their hearts is causing them to treat the homosexuals unfairly. Thus it can also be said that Homophobia is also a ca use of discrimination in America. The issue of Homophobia is now being tackled by the relevant authorities and steps are being taken by them to ensure that the homosexuals are getting their basic rights. In my age group Homophobia is quite common due to the role of the media and different organizations.

Leadership Characteristics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leadership Characteristics - Research Paper Example â€Å"Student leaders who possess high self concept often strive for self-development† (Ahmad, Ghazali, and Hassan, 2011, p. 24). Trustworthiness of a leader plays an integral role in his/her success in the contemporary age of competition (Caldwell, Hayes, and Long, 2010, p. 497). Hence, both self-confidence and trustworthiness of an individual are equally important in making him/her effective as a leader. A leader has several motives. Drive means a leader’s motivation to achieve the goal. Tenacity means the leader’s strength or cohesiveness with the followers. Resilience means the power of a leader to take pressure and yet deliver the work. I believe that there are both positive and negative motives for leadership. â€Å"[Positive Leadership] motives that have received most attention are those of power, affiliation and achievement† (Marti, Gil, and Barrasa, 2009, p. 268). The negative motives for leadership include aggression, and authoritarian style. For example, tenacity helps a leader overcome obstacles. â€Å"[A]long with basic leadership essentials such as honesty and integrity, tenaciously seeking the truth is one of the most important characteristics a leader can have† (Harms, 2006, p. 49). Likewise, resilience helps a leader make informed decisions in the times of extreme pressure. Once, I was made the leader of a project in school. I had four members in my group excluding me. We had to make a group presentation. As the leader, factors that were within my control were roles of individual group members that I could assign as per my wish, the schedule for making the presentation, and the professional standards to be followed in the presentation. Factors that were beyond my control in that group project included occasional dissatisfaction of the group members with their roles, grudges between the group members leading them to interpersonal conflicts, and limitation of the resources for the project since we had to complete it within

The Level of Customer Satisfaction of Grameen Phone Limited Dissertation

The Level of Customer Satisfaction of Grameen Phone Limited - Dissertation Example 1.0 Introduction 1.1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION The academic program is the building up of the theoretical knowledge about business administration, which is the base of practical knowledge. The program is an attempt to provide the business students an orientation to a real life business situation in which we can observe and evaluate the use and applicability of the theoretical concepts, which were taught in the classrooms. As per norm this report is the requirement of the fulfillment of the internship program. This report titled â€Å"Assessing the Level of Customer Satisfaction of Grameenphone.† 1.2 OBJECTIVES: 1.2.1 Primary Objectives ïÆ'Ëœ To discuss about telecommunication business in Bangladesh. ïÆ'Ëœ To present a background and introduction of Grameenphone Ltd. ïÆ'Ëœ To focus on the business and operations of the company. ïÆ'Ëœ To discuss about the activity of the Customer Service Division of Grameenphone Ltd. ïÆ'Ëœ Compare other operators with Grameenphone Ltd. ïÆ'Ëœ To focus on the most resent after sales service improvement and market position of Grameenphone Ltd. ïÆ'Ëœ To find out the satisfaction level of Grameenphone subscribers. ïÆ'Ëœ To specify the areas of dissatisfaction of the Grameenphone users. ïÆ'Ëœ Identify the findings of analysis and recommend based on the findings. 1.2.2 Secondary Objectives: ïÆ'Ëœ To have knowledge on Grameenphone Ltd. and mobile industry. ïÆ'Ëœ To improve corresponding and report writing ability. 1.3 SCOPE The scope of the study is limited within the telecommunication industry of Bangladesh. It is also limited within the organization of Grameenphone, especially in the Customer Service Division of the company. Here I discussed with the topics related to the after sales customer satisfaction of Grameenphone Ltd. 1.4 Significance of the study GP knows that in near future, the sell will sluggish down and all the activities will occur through targeting the after sell services. And for that GP always wants to give their priority to this sector. All the activities GrameenPhone Ltd. based on their service. Mobile operators are mainly selling their service to their customers. And in that competition Grameen Phone provides best quality service to their customers. So being an employee of GrameenPhone Ltd. it's an honor to find out the customer satisfaction level. However today the competition is raising and it's create an opportunity to the customers for choose better one. As a result the telecom organizations are now not only looking for capture new customer but also retain the present and past customers too. For that they are now completely focus on their service level. So it's very important for GrameenPhone Ltd. to keep their service level up always as they did previous. The rationale of this study is to

Proofs for God’s Existence Essay Example for Free

Proofs for God’s Existence Essay God’s existence can be proven in a multitude of ways. However, several introductory caveats are in order. First, by â€Å"God,† we mean the traditional Christian concept of an all-powerful and wise creator. Second, the project of â€Å"proving† anything is logic or science is nearly impossible. Even the best laid logical plans and the most iron clad arguments can be torn to pieces by a skilled logician. Such a state does not invalidate the proofs in question, just merely that the language of the discipline is such that any logical design can be manipulated and refuted by one who ardently desires it be refuted. What is being dealt with here is that faith in the God of the Christians is not an irrational, â€Å"blind faith,† but one that is eminently reasonable and defensible on metaphysical, logical and scientific grounds. 1. The proof of Aristotle, used by Thomas Aquinas later, is the â€Å"hylomorphic† proof and is very important to medieval thoughts about God and the nature of his existence. The theory centers around the distinction between first, form and matter which, second, corresponds to action and passion, or act and potency. The form of an object is it in act, or developing towards its natural telos, or end. The matter is passive, that which has non being, that which still needs to be developed. But the nature of reality is such that as one rises in knowledge, the form dominates over the matter. Mathematics, for example, is almost purely form, with only a minuscule amount of material stuff. But what is the origin of such things? Only the world of pure form, and hence, pure act, that is, God. God is pure act, pure perfection with no more need for development. It is the form of Forms that renders unchanging knowledge possible. The matter within its formal shell is not nly passive, but accidental, in that it is only the generator of sensations, colors, etc. But such things cannot exist without a substratum (there is no red, without it being a red something), and hence, form is the object of knowledge, not the matter, or the â€Å"accident† of the object. But knowledge only sees form, never matter. Matter might present form in the guise of a sensate object, but logical and mathematics does not work this way, these are separated from matter. Hence, the more universal the knowledge, the less matter. Hence, the ultimately form of knowledge is Pure form, hence God (Owens, 1980: 20-25). 2. Similarly, the proof of St. Augustine from the point of view of unchanging truth. Any such unchanging truth must have a cause. The truths of mathematics or logic never change regardless of time or place, and hence, there must be an entity in existence who could have brought such a world into being. Such an entity must never change or alter its being in any way, and hence, must be perfect (the only need for change is to improve, if no need for change, then there is no need for improvement). Therefore, God exists (Augustine, 1996: 19). 3. In terms of scientific proof, there is the entire question of natural law. The world is held together by a series of laws that never seem to change. They are regular and can be seen throughout nature, from its macro to its micro level. The â€Å"sensate† part of nature, logically, is anterior to the laws that allow it to exist. Hence, the laws of nature had to have come first, and are the form within which the sensate part of nature functions. Hence, an entity must exist that is capable of creating natural laws within which all created being can function in a regular and logical manner. Only God can be the cause of such things (Copleston, . 2006, 518). 4. The Russian philosopher Vladimir Solovyev uses the critique of nominalism to prove the existence of God in his Lectures on Godmanhood. First, the idea of empiricism is faulty since no real individuals exist (only God has this quality, but this is putting the cart before the horse). The objects seen in daily experience are themselves not particulars, but universals, ultimately reducible to pulses of energy. Force is the ultimate reality of being in terms of metaphysics. Hence, the empirical approach to the world is arbitrary, since the particulars we take for granted are in fact huge and complex collections of force and energy that appear to the senses as colors, sounds, textures, etc. Hence, energy is the source of being, and hence, retain the ontological status as universals. But this can not be sufficient, since the universal nature of forces must be accounted for. And this accounting can only be an entity powerful enough to have first created these forces that ultimately would register in human senses as objects, seemingly solid and singular, but in truth, complex and made up of universals (and in fact, representing universals in themselves). But this ultimately spiritual reality must have an equally spiritual cause, that is God. In other words, as the empirical qualities of objects exist only in the mind, the ultimate reality of the world is to be found in universals, and hence, the world of spirit. But all spiritual objects must have a cause that is equally creative and powerful (Solovyev, 1948: 60-63). 5. Spinoza’s concept of God is slightly different from the Christian view, but not entirely dissimilar. Spinoza argues for a single entity, Substance, that is the ultimate basis for all sensate objects. Substance is God, the ultimate basis (avoiding the word â€Å"cause† here) for all change and movement. Logically, there is only one ultimate Substance since there is no real reason for positing and more than one entity that, itself, can survive all change, but is not available to the senses. Spinoza’s Substance is not something that can be apprehended by senses, but only by the mind, and hence, is a spiritual being. While many writers have broken their backs trying to hold that nature is God for Spinoza, there is no reason to hold this: God is what is behind nature and is the ultimate basis for all being. Spinoza is not a pantheist, as nearly all commentators hold. Spinoza held that all change needs a basis, something that does not change. That which we see as changing is the modes of existence, the sensate objects in space and time (or mind and body). All of these sensate things can be reduced to that which is extended and that which is mental, ultimately one thing seen from two different points of view. But these two are merely two available modes for human comprehension of an infinite object that never changes, but is at the root of change, its basis, and that is Substance, or God, an infinite being who lies at the root of all change and the laws that govern change. It itself, does not change, but contains infinite attributes that only appear incompletely to human beings under two attributes only. Spinoza does not hold that there needs to be a cause of all things, but he does hold that there needs to be a basis of all things, that this is God (Della Rocca, 2008, 42-48) 6. The last proof or vision of God is to be found in Apostolos Makrakis, the little known 19th century Greek metaphysician. He was a Christian rationalist who held that Descartes butchered his own method. Makrakis holds that one can begin with Descartes ontological doubt. But the conclusion to this doubt, cogito ergo sum, is an arbitrary end point. When I engage in methodological doubt, I come up with several conclusions: first, the doubter exists, second, that the doubter is not the cause of his own existence, and third, that God exists necessarily. All of this derives from the single act of cognition: it is the true unpacking of the cogito. Since if the cogito is true, than the other propositions are equally true at the same time, known intuitively. Since the cogito is not self-created, then the outside world and God must exist necessarily in the same act of cognition as the original cogito. If one must strip away the outside world in order to reach the cogito, than the outside world is real, since in removing it, one reaches the truth of existence. The outside world cannot be a phantom then, if the doubter is not self-created. Something needed to have created and sustained the doubter, and this is as certain as the cogito itself. But since that outside world itself is not self-created (in other words, that the outside world does not know itself through itself, but through another), than God necessarily exists, and again, as true as the cogito itself. Hence, the cogito really says: I exist, the outside world exists, God exists, all at the same time all in the same act of cognition since the cogito itself implies it (Makrakis, 1956, 42-43). Again, none of these proofs are final, but the same can be said for all logic and science. But these do who that reason assents to the existence of God as infinite and all powerful. Spinoza’s approach is the most interesting, since it is compatible with mechanistic science, but holds that such science necessarily needs a basis for action, and this is Substance. The argument #3 above is also very difficult to refute, since one cannot hold to an ordered universe without holding to natural law, and if that, than the cause of natural law itself. If that is denied, then one is in the unenviable position of trying to argue that the material objects of nature can and did exist without a law to govern their actions. Hence, evolution is impossible. Natural laws (and a lawgiver) had to be before the actual sensate part of creation. But this, in an odd way, is very similar to the argument of Spinoza. It seems that science itself cannot function without recognizing natural law and it’s a priori existence with respect to the objects of science themselves. Bibliography: Owens, Joseph (1980) Thomas Aquinas on the Existence of God. SUNY Press Augustine (1996) â€Å"On The Free Choice of the Will† Readings in Medieval Philosophy. Ed. Andrew Schoedinger. Oxford. 3-24 Copleston, Frederick (2006) History of Philosophy: Medieval Philosophy. Continuum International. Solovyev, Vladimir (1948) Lectures on Godmanhood. Lindisfarne Press (this is sometimes called Lectures on Divine Humanity) Della Rocca, Michael (2008) Spinoza. Taylor and Francis Makrakis, Apostolos (1956) â€Å"The Tree of Life. † in Foundations of Philosophy. Chicago, OCES. 1-104