School Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

School Research - Essay Example To complement these subjects, design & build courses are likewise taught to extend conventional studio conditions in order to make students realize the relationship between design, detailing and construction. After browsing the website, I particularly liked the emphasis given on the School's objective of having well-rounded students. This means that while students are able to master the rudiments of architecture, they are also given the opportunity to define their specific professional and personal goals. Moreover, there appears to be a balance between the theoretical and practical courses offered. On the down side, I noted that for design & build courses, focus is given on affordable housing and accessible recreation facilities. I think that this somehow limits the potential of students who may opt to design other types of structures. In terms of presentation, the aesthetics is sufficient to capture the interest of readers. However, the wording may still be improved so that readers would easily understand course descriptions. Furthermore, more pictures of actual classroom settings should be posted so that it would be easier to imagine the School's environment.

Class Inequality Essay Example for Free

Class Inequality Essay Social class is one of the oldest and most persistent inequalities in British society. In the past, people were very aware of their social class and their expected roles and responsibilities. People would have worn different clothes, behaved in different ways and had a very different culture from each other and they would have accepted this as a perfectly normal element of behaviour. We are still aware today of some of the cultural differences between the social classes so that rich people and poorer people have different accents, are educated differently and wear different styles of clothes from each other. These cultural differences that separate the classes are known as indicators of class. In the past, many people also believed that people of the highest social classes were better than other people and should be respected because of their social position. This idea is known as deference. People nowadays are less willing to admit that social class is important. Poorer people may imitate the styles and behaviour of wealthy people by buying copies of their expensive clothes in cheaper shops or buying replicas and fakes. However, rich people often copy the street style of the working class people and their fashions. The differences between the classes seem to be blurred to such an extent that many people would not define their social class in the same way that sociologists might. Sociologists mostly believe that despite the way that people reject the idea of social classes, it is still important in our society. We are just less aware of it than people were in the past. It affects our life chances and our life styles, with high earning people enjoying a superior standard of living and better life chances than those from more deprived backgrounds. Subjective class can be measured by attitudes, beliefs and political opinions. This generally consists of the vague notions upper, middle and working class and most people would identify themselves as belonging to one of these groups. This type of description does not explain the full range of  differences between these groups. People may be middle class and have access to huge wealth, whereas others have the education, lifestyle and manners of the middle class but are relatively poor. Equally, people from a working class background who achieve very good professional jobs may well still feel themselves to be working class. In contrast, sociologists are concerned with objective class. This refers to our occupations, education, possessions and our wealth. It can be measured in the data put out by the Office of Population, Censuses and Surveys such as mortality lists. Sociologists have had limited success in attempts to measure social class objectively. There are two generally used scales of social class, though a very wide number have been devised by sociologists in the past. The Registrar Generals Index of Social Class was used by government statisticians till 2001, and is still widely used as a rough indicator of peoples background. It uses occupation as the basis of differentiation. People are placed in a five point scale. This is still used by advertisers and manufacturers who target products to certain markets. There are weaknesses with this class indicator because it does not take into account peoples income or their job security. In addition, women take their class from their male relatives. Most people are in class C or class 3. Since 2001, the class structure has been amended to take into account employment conditions including: job security, promotion opportunity and the ability and opportunity to work on their own and make own decision s about tasks. This new scale is known as the NS SEC. Goldblatt suggested alternative measures of class including home ownership, access to a car and educational status and he has shown that all of these can be correlated to inequalities in health. One of the most recent attempts to define the class system in a new and radical way was by Will Hutton (18995). Hutton is a critic of the New Right. He argues that social inequality, in the form of low wages, low skill and high unemployment, has resulted in a clearly divided and economically unstable society. Hutton has put forward the 30-30-40 thesis to show the three-way split in contemporary British class relations. He says our society can now be seen to consist of: 30% unemployed, low paid, insecure work; 30% with some job security and quality of life; 40% privileged workers in secure and regular employment. In addition, the nature of work which is a traditional measure of a persons class position is changing so the debates have become complex and theoretical. Certainly, inequality is an important social dynamic, but there is a question mark over whether this is related to social class or whether people even recognise class as significant in their lives. Marxists argue strongly that it is but that people do not recognise it for reasons related to deskilling and proletarianisation; feminists suggest other dynamics influence inequality and post-modernists suggest that the important dynamic is not class but the ability to spend money. 2 What is the link between class and occupation? Traditionally class has been linked to the type of work a person does. The debate as to the nature of class has therefore become more complex as the nature of work has changed. The upper classes are able to live off unearned income such as rents from land or property. There are so few of the upper classes that they are more or less invisible to sociologists. Very little research has been done on these people. Upper class people usually keep themselves to themselves and are not willing to participate in studies. Recent work by Adonis and Pollard (1998) stresses the significance of the upper class in modern British society and they consider that there is an emerging superclass that consist of an elite of extremely high paid managers and professionals. According to Adonis and Pollard, this new superclass is linked financially to the City of London, a male and upper class world that has many links with the traditions and heritage of public school and Oxbridge elites of the past. This superclass emerged from the financial changes of the 1980s and is composed of people who benefited from low taxation and privatisation of industry to become significant in international trading with global companies. They earn multi-million salaries and have large financial bonus packages. Papers tend to refer to them as Fat Cats. The middle classes live off professional work such as law, medicine or the ownership of a business. Generally they earn more and have better working conditions than the working class. Working class people work with their hands as tradesmen or labourers. Work with the hands is known as manual work. We still call professional people who sell knowledge rather than skills, non-manual workers. This is the basic social class division in society between manual and non-manual work. Middle class work requires educational qualifications and skills. Most people who are members of the middle classes will have been to university and gained higher level professional qualifications as well. Generally, middle class professional work is well paid or has good conditions and terms of service. In the past, there would have been quite serious differences in pay between professional workers and manual workers though these differences have been eroded. C Wright Mills (1956) and others have seen the middle classes as divided into two groups. The higher professions have the potential for high earnings and who are self-employed or employed by large corporations. These are people such as judges, accountants, lawyers, dentists, doctors. These people tend to control entry into their occupations. The lower professions are often, though not exclusively, feminised and work in the public sector. They have limited access to high earnings and include teachers, nurses, and social workers. The lower middle classes have become more like the working class according to the Marxist, Braverman (1974) who points out that many of the professions, such as architects, have become vulnerable to redundancies. He also claims that skills are being lost (de-skilling) because mechanisation means that individuals are now being taken over by technology. People are no longer required to undertake tasks that traditionally required talent. Tradesmen have lost their skills to machines, and architects plans can be created by computer programmes. Others, such as teachers or opticians who are unable to control entry into their professions are no longer able to claim high rates of pay as there is always demand for work and people who are willing to  accept low rates in return for employment. Oppenheimer (1973) has also suggested that the middle classes have lost power and authority in work. Working class work may require high levels of skill and effort: however, because it is manual work, it is not generally well paid and often is of relatively low status. In addition, although years of on-the-job training may be involved in such work, people will not have been to university or college. Hairdressing, for example, is one of the worst paid occupations on average. Unskilled work is very low value, low status work and there are few openings for people who have no educational qualifications. Work which once was done by people is now done by one person with a qualification who operates a machine. In the 1930s, digging was done by teams of men with shovels. We would be surprised to see people do work of this kind today. Even much check-out work is now done by machine alone. In the 197Os, it was commonly believed by many commentators that the working class were becoming more middle class as their incomes were higher than previously earned by the working class. This theory was known as the affluent worker thesis or embourgeoisement and was supported by Galbraith. This theory was disproved by Goldthorpe, Lockwood, Bechofer and Platt (1968) who conducted detailed research on car workers in Dagenham. They found that that the workers worked longer hours and had different attitudes to work from middle class management. Fiona Devine (1992) repeated the work and found that redundancy and unemployment were a real concern for working class families. The gap between professional work and working class work was widening. Another debate has opened up in terms of occupation and class in the last thirty years. Unemployment and benefit dependency has become more common in British society. This has led to the development of a significant underclass of people who have never earned their own money. In the early 1970s, the term was used sympathetically by Giddens and other members of the developing New Left (1973) to describe those who faced massive deprivation and social inequality with working conditions and income levels below even those of the working class. At the same time, other social commentators from the New  Right were using the term underclass negatively to describe a class of people who have little self-sufficiency but rely on social security benefits to survive. The term dole scrounger was widely used in the press to describe those who lived on benefit. What is the relationship between work, class and income? There is a common belief that those who earn more money have worked harder for it. In reality, the low paid are often extremely hard working but unable to gain an acceptable income from the work that they do. One of the reasons is to do with the changing nature of the work that is available. The structure of the British economy has undergone radical change since the end of World War 2. There has been a massive move away from employment in primary industries such as agriculture and coal mining. Manufacturing or secondary industry has also experienced a drop in employment. There has been a reduction in traditionally male heavy industry and a growth in light industry and assembly work that can be automated and which employs more females. The real growth sector in the economy has been in service sector jobs. Many of these are middle class jobs in management and training; however, more are jobs which offer long hours, low pay and casual part time work in restaurants and pubs. Ivan Turak (2000) points out that the actual number of manual jobs fell by 11% between 1981 and 1991 while non-manual jobs have expanded. Certain sectors of the workforce have been more vulnerable to unemployment, and he points to the older male manual worker as being particularly vulnerable. Paul Gregg (1994) has claimed that one of the main causes of poverty in Britain is unemployment and that the UK had a third more families out of work than other developed countries. Statistics suggest that in a fifth of households, there is no adult in employment and although in the rest of Europe, 80% of single parents work, in Britain the figure is closer to 40% of single parents in work. Figures based on social class alone are difficult to access, as emphasis is placed on other forms of inequality in official data. However, there is a  clear link between a persons social class and the opportunities or life chances that they may experience. As Wilkinson (1996) identified, people at the bottom of the stratification system in the UK have severely reduced life chances: In Britain people in the poorest areas have death rates that are age for age four times as high as people in the richest areas. Among Whitehall civil servants, junior staff were found to have death rates three times as high as the most senior administrators working in the same offices. In 1994, it was established that 2.2 million workers in the UK earned less than 68% of the average gross weekly wage that stood at less than  £6.00 per hour in that year. These low paid workers tended to be female, the young, the disabled, single parents and members of ethnic minorities. Their work was part-time, homework or casual labour and they tended to be found in certain areas, and in smaller firms. After much pressure on government, National Minimum Wage legislation was introduced by the Labour government with effect from April 1999. It is currently set at  £5.73 (2009). Employers organisations had predicted a massive increase in unemployment following the introduction of a minimum wage, but this did not occur. Even so, people still resort to desperate measures to obtain satisfactory income. Evidence presented to the Low Pay Commission by the Greater Manchester Low Pay Unit (2000) described one woman who had taken on three low paid jobs at one time in order to make ends meet. Wadsworth (2007) suggests that around 10% of British households rely on minimum wage income. He also points out that many minimum wage earners take a second job to supplement income. Bryan and Taylor (2006) suggest that those who earn National Minimum Wage (NMW) tend to stay in NMW work jobs when they change employment. In addition, low pay workers spend time out of work. More than 80% of NMW workers are female, and many are over the age of 50. Most of these workers had no qualifications. There is also some evidence that employers can evade minimum wage legislation through a variety of semi-legal tactics and pay their workers less than they are entitled to. Migrants are very vulnerable to this kind of abuse. We are clearly a long way from Tony Blairs claim in 1999 we are all middle class. Where class convergence has been greatest it has been at the margins of the classes with a blurred area between the upper working class and lower middle class. The term embourgeoisement is less discussed than it used to be, but Goldthorpe et als conclusion that the working class has fragmented into a new and traditional working class commands general support to this day. Another factor worth remembering when considering the embourgeoisement debate is what is happening at the other end of the working class. At the bottom of society many see an impoverished underclass of those living on the minimum wage or in receipt of long-term welfare. This impoverished group has seen their living standards deteriorate relative to the rest of society. 3 How does social class affect educational attainment? As the ESRC point out, British sociologists all tend to agree that qualifications are the best predictor of whether a child will gain a high earning middle-class job. However they also point out that there are unequal success rates between social classes at school and unequal entry and success rates in post-compulsory education. Government data reveals significant differences between the educational attainments of the differing social classes. In 2008, 35% of the working class pupils obtained five or more good-grade GCSEs, compared with 63 per cent of children from middle class families. While the proportion of poorer children getting degrees has risen by just 3 per cent, the increase among those from wealthier backgrounds is 26 per cent. The reasons for the development of this pattern are complex. It could be to do with home or schools, or it could be related to cultural or material deprivation. Sociologists, Bynner and Joshi (2002) used longitudinal birth cohort data and discovered that the link between class and educational underattainment is clear and years of government policy have had little impact on this inequality. In 1999, West et al found that there was a 66% correlation between free  school meals and low school attainment. Levacic and Hardman in 1999 also pointed out the relationship between free school meals and poor GCSE grades. OKeefe found that there was a measurable relationship between free school meals and higher levels of truancy. Jefferis (2002) found an unarguable link between class and attainment. She studied nearly 11,000 children born from March 3 to 9, 1958. Maths, reading and other ability tests measured the educational attainment of the children at ages seven, 11 and 16. At the age of 33 their highest educational achievement was recorded. Her research team found the gap in educational attainment between children of higher and lower social classes widened as time went on it was greatest by the age of 33. At university level, social class inequalities still have an effect. Wakeling suggested in 2002 that a lower class degree and rich parents are more likely to lead to a student taking up post-graduate studies than the highest level university degrees and a modest background. Boliver (2006) found that only 35% of candidates from semi/unskilled manual class origins applied to a Russell Group university (one of the top 100 universities in the UK), in contrast to 65% of those from professional backgrounds. Machin and Vignoles (2005) conducted research on links between higher education and family background, focusing particularly on the experiences of two cohorts of individuals born in 1958 and 1970. They claim that links between educational achievement and parental income / social class strengthened during this period. The Social Mobility Commission, reporting in 2009, found that social class accounts for much of the gap in attainment between higher and lower achievers. They reported that the gap widens as children get older. In addition, it was claimed that increased spending on education has favoured the middle classes. In other words division between the social classes is widening. 4 What is the relationship between social class, criminality and inequality in the UK? Maguire points out that the prison population tends to consist of young,  male, poorly educated people who are likely to have experienced difficult or deprived childhoods and many of whom come from ethnic minority or mixed ethnic backgrounds. In 1992, 40 % of male prisoners had left school before the age of sixteen. People from lower social class backgrounds are significantly more likely to appear in victim and conviction statistics than people from wealthier backgrounds and it is a matter of argument as to whether they commit more crime, or they are more likely to be convicted if they do commit crimes. In the past, much analysis of criminal behaviour worked on the false assumptions that crime statistics were an accurate representation of crime and that conviction rates gave a fair representation of criminal behaviour. Self report studies show that the majority of the population have broken the law and that middle class crimes can often be very serious indeed. For example, Murphy et al (1990) showed that football hooliganism is not limited to the working classes and Pearson (1987) found that drug offences occur in all social classes. White collar crime and corporate offences receive very little attention from the news media in comparison with youth crime such as knife crime. Levi (1993) pointed out that official statistics do not include tax fraud cases as these are rarely prosecuted by the police or followed up by the criminal justice system. Snider points out that capitalist states are unwilling to pass laws that regulate business or challenge the rights of the rich to make money. Karstedt (2004) estimates that middle class crimes such as car tax avoidance, tax fraud and damaging items once worn in order to return them to shops may cost the UK something in the region of  £14 billion each year. Braithwaite, as early as 1979, concluded that working class children and adults commit the types of crime that are targeted by the police and do so at higher rates than middle class people. There is also research evidence to show that some forms of crime are linked to poverty and deprivation. Gang crime is especially prevalent in areas of deprivation where there are fewer opportunities for work. Brodie et al (2000) and Hope and Shaw (1988) found disadvantaged communities to be vulnerable to youth crime. It is estimated that 40% of crime takes place in about 10% of local authority areas. Stratesky (2004) links this phenomenon to the concentration of power and social exclusion in post industrial communities. Willott and Griffin (1999) found that working class men in prison justified their criminal behaviour by claiming that they were supporting their families. Furthermore, because they were effectively excluded from society, they could not then be expected to follow its rules. It could be argued that these accounts are self- serving because the victims of crime are often the very weakest in the community. Living in a poor and deprived community is also to live at risk of being a victim of crimes such as car theft, vandalism, anti-social behaviour, burglary and violence. Hughes et al (2002) suggest that more than half of victims of crime have already previously been victimised. This acts as evidence that some types of crime are more likely to be associated with working class status than others, particularly crimes against property and the person. 5 Are there class inequalities in the experience of health? The over-arching factor affecting health inequality in the UK is social class. Study after study shows that people born in poor families are low birth weight, are more likely to die as babies, grow up with poor health, are vulnerable to disabling disease and impaired development and they die early. Their children will experience poor life chances so health inequality runs in families. Some of these health inequalities are due to patterns of poor life style so that obesity and smoking related illnesses are also diseases of poverty and deprivation. Children born in poverty and deprivation are also vulnerable to high risk behaviour such as drug abuse, binge drinking and sexual transmission of disease. Furthermore, in 2002, the Office for National Statistics said that inequalities of health and life expectancy between social classes were widening. Spicker points out that figures from the UK show that people in lower social classes, including children, are more likely to suffer from infective and parasitic diseases, pneumonia, poisonings or violence. Adults in lower social classes are more likely to suffer from cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease. He also underlines the point that there are inequalities in access to health care according to social class, so that the  poorest people live in areas with fewer doctors, more difficult access to major hospitals and poorer services. Wheeler et al, working on 2001 Census data also found that areas with the highest levels of poor health tend to have the lowest numbers of doctors and other health professionals (other than nurses). They also discovered that areas with high levels of poor health tend also to have high numbers of their population providing informal care for family and friends. There is lower take-up of preventative medicine such as vaccination and routine screen ing for disabling conditions among working class people. This called the inverse care law. Discounting theories that suggest the working class are genetically weaker, then the unavoidable conclusion is that poverty leads to ill health through poor nutrition, housing and environment. This is exacerbated through cultural differences in the diet and fitness of different social classes, and in certain habits like smoking. Tim Spector (2006), an epidemiologist found that social class has an impact on how the body ages, irrespective of diet and bad habits. In a study of 1,500 women, he discovered that there is a link between class and poor health. He claims that the cause is that people from lower social backgrounds are more likely to feel insecure, especially at work, and suffer low self-esteem and a sense of lacking control over their lives. He claims that the stress this causes creates damage at a cellular level that accelerates ageing. Support for this theory can be found in the fact that studies consistently show that people from lower social classes experience higher levels of mental ill-health, with particularly high rates of depression and anxiety. There is additional health risk from many working class jobs. Males in manual jobs are more than twice as likely to get occupational lung cancer. Bladder cancer is also work-related, associated with work in industrial settings. For nearly all conditions the risk of heart disease, cancer, stain injury and stress is higher for those in working class occupations rather than managerial jobs in the same industry. 6 Class change and sociological theory Social class is undoubtedly changing significantly and this has prompted a  number of debates as to the meanings of these changes and the impact that they have on class. Marxists have a problem because Marx suggested that people would develop a class consciousness and overthrow capitalism. Clearly, this has not happened, in fact people are less aware of class as a social dynamic. There are different explanations for this. 7 8 What is proletarianisation? Proletarianisation is a Marxist concept that sees the middle-class as identifying increasingly with working-class identity. Applied research has focused upon using case studies to examine whether non-manual work is becoming increasingly similar to manual work. Neo-Marxists like Erik Wright or Harry Braverman claim that proletarianisation is progressing at a reasonable pace. In contrast, neo-Weberians like David Lockwood and John Goldthorpe have always vigorously argued against it. One reason for this conflict of views is that different meanings of proletarianisation are adopted in order to measure it. Neo-Marxists such as Wright and Braverman argue that routine white-collar workers are no longer middle class. They consequently see such jobs and even some professions, such as nursing and teaching, as particularly prone to proletarianisation. Braverman argues that deskilling in the workplace affects both manual and non-manual work, causing him to argue that routine white-collar workers have joined the mass of unskilled employees. As such they are part of the working class, they are proletarianised. Braverman argues that deskilling and the loss of the social and economic advantages non-manual jobs enjoyed over manual work, are the key factors behind the growth of proletarianisation. In addition, many workers have lost the control and autonomy they enjoyed 20 years or so in the workplace. A good example is the university lecturers Wright cited as example of semi-autonomous workers in a contradictory class location. Many university lecturers are very poorly paid and on short term contracts. Many earn less than primary school teachers. In addition they are subject to performance  scrutiny and time monitoring. Many professionals in education are now subject to clocking in and out like factory workers. It has been argued by some feminists, such as Rosemary Crompton, that women are more prone to proletarianisation than men, in the sense that they experience poorer promotional opportunities. In examining the work of clerks (Crompton and Jones) they found that only a low level of skill was required and that computerisation seemed to accentuate proletarianisation. However, Marshall et al have challenged the idea of proletarianisation. They found both male and female routine white collar workers reported greater levels of autonomy than those in the working class. They found that it was mainly manual workers who felt their work had been deskilled. In contrast, the perceptions of over 90 per cent of male and female non-manual workers were that neither skill levels nor autonomy had significantly diminished. However, they did find that personal service workers such as receptionists, check-out operators and shop assistants lacked a sense of autonomy in a manner similar to the working class. Since this group is composed primarily of female workers, this supports the idea that women are more prone to proletarianisation. Recent research by Clark and Hoffman-Martinot (1998) has highlighted a growing number of casual or routine workers who spend their working day in front of a VDU and/or on the telephone. †¢ Marxists would see such workers, especially those is call centres as working class despite the white-collar working environment. They would see the low morale and general worker discontent as evidence of class consciousness and a sense of collective work-place identity. †¢ A Weberian analysis would identify class in terms of a group sharing a weak market position in the labour force. Weberians might identify any internal competition between workers and factors such as performance-related pay as designed to fragment the workforce. Any attempts at unionisation, they might argue, could reflect the pursuit of sectional interests (party) rather than evidence of class consciousness. 9 How have contemporary models of class developed? As we have seen a range of neo-Marxist and neo- Weberian models of class have developed in the past 50 years or so adapting and interpreting the ideas of Marx and Weber. There is a consensus that the size and make-up of the working-class is shrinking as we move to a post-industrial society, however, there are markedly different interpretations about the meanings and consequences of this change. †¢ Neo-Weberians such as John Goldthorpe and David Lockwood have focused upon occupational categories within a market power context. †¢ Neo-Marxists argue that the critical issue is whether the working-class are falsely conscious. †¢ A third group, the postmodernists have argued that class is dead; having lost its significance as a source of identity. Consumption, they argue, has become the main definer of people in society. What do postmodernists say about class changes?  Postmodernists would question whether class and class identities are meaningful concepts anymore, arguing it makes more sense to speak of a fragmented society with identity increasingly derived from consumption rather than issues associated with production, such as occupation. According to a Postmodern vision, people are seen to acquire their identities as consumers rather than as producers. Status differences (now based on consumption) were seen no longer as sharp and divisive, but loose and cross-cutting. Peoples consumption became home-centred in the post-war period, rather than communal, and their identities as consumers became constructed from images that came into their homes through the rapidly expanding media. The mass popular culture that resulted seemed more real than experiences outside the home and at the workplace. The French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu researched the relationship between consumption and class. He found that consumption patterns varied not only between classes but within them too. He argued that people thus use consumption to both establish and express their social difference. Bourdieu draws from both the work of Marx and Weber in his analysis that consumption and class are interrelated influences on identity. He argues social  divisions are not shaped by economic capital alone but introduces his important concept of cultural capital that he sees as shaping lifestyle including promoting education success, sports and leisure activities. However, he argues that cultural capital has to have symbolic status and be recognized within the society as having high status.

Process Of Law (short) :: essays research papers

Process of Law   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A law trial begins when a party brings suit against another party, or several parties. A request for jurors is sent out, and a list of possible jurors is created. The defendant(s) for both parties may now filter out jurors through the list, in two different ways.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first, For Cause, means a juror is dismissed because they are or were employed by or related to one of the parties. If reasonable legal reason exists, there is no limit to how many times a For Cause challenge can occur.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second type of challenge a lawyer can make is called a Peremptory challenge. Each party is allowed a certain number of challenges that dont require a reason.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the jury is selected (6 or more in Circuit Court civil cases and Probate cases, 12 or more in Circuit Court criminal cases), the trial convenes and the opening statements of the defendants is heard. The opening statement is typically used to show what their party claims, and outlines what evidence is going to be used in the trial.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After both opening statements are heard, the evidence is presented to the court. Evidence can be a document, or a photo, or some other physical object. The major form of evidence is testimony, which is made by the witnesses. Some evidence can be restricted from being introduced if it prolongs the trial too much, or is not completely believable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Once all the evidence has been presented, and all witnesses heard, the closing arguments are heard from the defendants of both parties. This basically outlines and underlines the evidence and the testimony.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The jurors then retire to the jury room to discuss the case.

Importance of Science

Not only this due to scientific knowledge, man has been able to reach to the moon and in outer space. With scientific inventions in manure, seed and means of agricultural productions with the help of tractors and tube-wells, food production has been increased. As such with the help of increased production, man has been able to provide food to growing population. With the help of science, man has been able to control famines and floods and epidemics. With the help of scientific development in medical field epidemics like plague, cholera and malaria and influenza etc. ave been eradicated. Now even change of organs and parts of body is possible. Now with the advancement of science, it has become possible to change the sex and make man, a woman and woman, a man. Telegraph, telephone Fax, Telex Mobile phone and wireless have made it possible to talk with a person living at a long distance and in a far off foreign country. Radio, Television, V. C. P. , V. C. R. and cinema have become our m ain means of comfort. Electricity provides us light and fans and other means of comforts. Science has further provided us ordinary amenities of daily life Science such as gas, fridge, heaters, coolers, tape-records and other articles which have made life worth-living and comfortable. Science has produced microscope, telescope, photography, Photostat machines and computers. It has brought into existence global market so that goods and inventions of one country may benefit whole world. It has invented atomic bombs, hydrogen bombs, missiles and other destructive weapons which may bring disaster. As such Science has invented machines and instruments and other things which provided necessities of daily life such as gas, electric fans, colors, fridge and heaters etc. Science has increased production, controlled famine, flood and diseases and in this way it has lessened sufferings of mankind. It has provided us quick means of transport through steamships, Railways, cars, buses and aero planes etc. It has provided quick means of communication through telephone, telegrams and wireless. Science has provided means of comforts and recreations as stated above but it has failed to provide us peace of mind. It has made man greedy and selfish and power hungry and to gain wealth and power. Science has invented destructive weapons which cause disaster. Thus Science is useful, if it is used for producing food and good and other necessities of life and for convenience and comforts but it may cause disaster if destructive weapons may be used in future. Thus scientific weapons may also cause harm.

Othello is a play about jealousy Essay

Othello is a play about jealousy, Iago’s innate jealousy and the imposed jealousy of Othello, discuss. Othello is a Shakesperian tragedy in which the valuable qualities of the favourable characters are manipulated against them in such a way that their own qualities catalyse their own downfall. At the start of the play all is well between the honest Othello and sweet Desdemona until Iago slowly poisons Othello’s mind until it cumulates in a bloody and murderous finale. Shakespeare’s plays are well renowned for their examination of human emotions through drama, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ examined the nature love, ‘Hamlet’ examined the characteristic of having a weak mind, and both of these plays revealed the dangerous aspects to extreme feelings. Othello is a play that also explores the destruction that human emotion can lead to, and this essay shall consider the proposition that Othello is a play about the emotion of jealousy and its consequences. Iago is the first cause of all the trouble in Othello. His apparent motive for wanting to oust Cassio in favour of himself is his belief that Cassio is less fit and capable of the position of lieutenant than he. â€Å"Nor the division of a battle he knows More than a spinster, unless bookish rhetoric, Wherein the togged consuls can propose, As masterly as he. Mere prattle without practise In all his soldiership.† Iago, Act I, scene I. The harsh sounding ‘pr’ sound in the alliteration in Iago’s speech suggests his anger at Cassio’s appointment. This idea is later supported when Iago goes on to declare he cannot feel love for the Moor, as he feels Othello picks officers out of favouritism. Iago feels hard done to by Othello, and the combination of these revelations indicate that Iago is jealous of Cassio’s new position and contemptuous towards Othello for giving it because he wanted the position for himself. He may also feel jealous because he is considered less favourable as a person to Othello, because he scorns Othello picking his lieutenant out of favouritism. It is these feelings that rouse the desire for revenge on Cassio and The Moor inside Iago, and cause him to plan the fall of his superiors. Jealous people are never happy with other’s fortunes and therefore can only be happy when others are misfortunate. Therefore, it is possible Iago’s desire for destruction is spurred by his jealousy. Due to the fact Iago is the root cause of the tragic result of the play, the point that ‘Othello’ is about Iago’s innate jealousy seems to be well made because it is jealousy which first inspires Iago to bring misfortune to those he views to be better off than himself. Iago is not only jealous of Cassio, but also jealous of Othello. Similarly to the jealousy he feels for Cassio, Iago is jealous of Othello’s respect and fortunate position. However, there is also evidence that Iago is jealous of Othello’s relations with women. He believes that his wife has been unfaithful to him with Othello and this would rouse jealousy and contempt. ‘And it is thought abroad that twixt my sheets He’s done my office’ Iago also finds Desdemona very attractive, and perhaps reveals he wants her for himself, although Iago’s precise motives are never revealed in the play. ‘Now I do love her (Desdemona) too; Not out of absolute lust, through peradventure I stand accountant to as great as sin, But partly led to diet my revenge For I do suspect the lusty Moor Hath leaped In my seat’ Act II scene I line ~280†² This speech can be interpreted as either meaning he loves Desdemona because he can use her as a tool in his revenge against the Moor’s behaviour with his wife, or perhaps interpretted as Iago admitting he wants Desdemona for himself- and his justification of this feeling being that Othello had Emilia. Either interpretation concludes that Iago hates the moor because of jealousy not only on the grounds of status and position in the army, but also in terms of women too. The idea of Iago’s innate jealousy of wanting Desdemona for himself would explain his behavoir of disregard for Desdemona’s feelings in conspiring misfortune for Othello. Iago sees her as a whore, ‘And I’ll warrant her, full of game’ Iago Act II scene III line 19. And this treatment of devalueing is similar to that of someone you want for youself and cannot have1. He is jealous of Othello’s relationship with her, and thus his hatred extends to her because he feels that Desdemona should love him and thus he not only wants Othello’s position, but to destroy the love he has with Desdemona because he is jealous of it. Iago would not have gone beyond his plans to simply eliminate Cassio if he had not felt passion for Desdemona, his actions to ruin her stem beyond military position. Another idea as to why Iago plans to eliminate Cassio and Othello is that of Coleridge’s suggestion of ‘motiveless-malignity’. The idea that Iago was not exactly jealous but just gained pleasure from seeing others miserable is, in my opinion, is a stronger idea than that of Iago acting because of jealousy alone. There is evidence to suggest that Iago was not jealous of Othello supposedly having sex with his wife, but just saw it as more reason to hate him. Iago did not hate Othello because of this- but as well as this- and this suggests that Iago had no real reason to hate Othello, but his evil character enjoyed the pleasure of seeing a great man fall. â€Å"I hate the Moor And it is thought abroad that ‘twixt my sheets He has done my office† Act I scene III line ~385 The use of AND in this speech suggests that Iago hates the Moor through separate reasons than the issue of his wife. Iago’s treatment of Roderigo and Desdemona in the play also suggest that Iago is just an innately evil person rather than someone corrupted by innate jealousy. Roderigo and Desdemona have complete faith in honest Iago, and he abuses their trust and incorporates them into his plans regardless of how he may hurt them as individuals. † O good Iago, What shall I do to win my lord again? Good friend, go to him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Desdemona to Iago Act IV scene II line ~147 He has no reason to be jealous of Roderigo and Desdemona and yet he hurts them anyway, so this suggests ‘Othello’ is not just about Iago’s innate jealousy, but his evil ways. He knows the trouble he is causing, and indeed uses dark imagery to express the enjoyment in the pain he creates. â€Å"I haven’t. It is engendered. Hell and night Must bring this monstorous birth to the world’s light† The darkness in the language and the imagery of hell he uses indicates a dark cruel side in Iago and the playful romantic imagery of his evil plans proves he retracts enjoyment out of it without guilt. â€Å"If consequence do but approve my dream My boat sails freely both with wind and steam†. I believe getting so much enjoyment out of their misery is a point against ‘Othello’ being about Iago’s innate jealousy because jealous people tend to act irrationally. Iago methodically plans his actions. However, the fact Iago is so bitter could also have hardened him over the years. He seems to be jealous of anyone who is valued favourably, and resentful to anyone who values someone else more highly than himself. In this way I am of the opinion that the play is very much about Iago’s innate jealousy transforming him into a bitter man who derives his only pleasure in life from seeing people who could be happy turn miserable. Iago’s tragedy is perhaps that he can never be happy himself and so spends his life making other’s miserable with motiveless-malignity. However, in the book ‘Seven’, a serial killer says â€Å"I took it away because I envy your normal life detective, so it seems that envy is my sin† having killed his victims he admits he wishes he could be normal. Jealousy and envy are closely interlinked, so if a serial killer who kills helpless victims even prefers to die because of his jealousy of normal happy people, then the fact Iago shows no remorse perhaps wagers that Iago did not primarily act out of his jealousy but lust for causing pain. Othello is very much in love with Desdemona at the start of the play, he feels his soul bound to hers and has complete faith and trust in her. His soft language is almost like poetry and reveals his gentle nature. ‘Oh my soul’s joy!†¦ If I were now to die, ‘Twere now to be most happy; for I fear My soul hath her content so absolute That not another comfort like to this Succeeds in unknown fate† Othello is an old black man and Desdemona is a beautiful young Venetian girl, in Shakesperian times this would have been considered a very unconventional marriage and people would have looked down on it, at the time, black people were only associated in England with Slaves. The play, however, shows that true love in any circumstance can over power social integrity. In the beginning of the play, their relationship is very solid despite the troubles that they had to go through to be accepted, however Iago poisons Othello’s mind into becoming a jealous monster. Desdemona originally speaks of Othello as if he is beyond jealousy ‘†¦My noble Moor Is true of mind, and made of no such baseness As jealous creature are.† Desdemona Act III, scene IV. Therefore, when Othello is finally corrupted by Iago’s slowly dripping trickle of evil lies and ideas, it is a shock to Desdemona to see her husband so callous. The play is about how Othello changes from one man into a completely different one, and the cause of this is jealousy. Thus I can say that the play is about Othello’s imposed jealousy. As Othello spends more and more time with Iago, he becomes almost in Iago’s possession. At the beginning of the play, Othello has a musicality in his words, and speaks with such beauty and power. ‘Amen to that, sweet powers! I cannot speak enough of this content It stops me here; it is too much of joy.† His references are to God and Christianity, and he talks of sweetness, joy and contentment. Later, however, the imagery he uses in his speeches changes completely. Shakespeare uses imagery in language to portray the personalities of characters, and thus, a change in Othello’s speeches indicates a change in personality. ‘Damn her Lewd Minx. O damn her, damn her! Come, go with me apart, I will withdraw To furnish me with some swift means of death For the fair devil. Now art thou my lieutenant† Act III, scene IV. The imagery he uses here is that of darkness and hell. These are similar to Iago’s imagery repetition of hell. Shakespeare makes a connection between Iago’s hellish imagery and Iago’s possessing of Othello. Witchcraft in Shakespeare’s time had more social stigma attached to it than in 2002 Britain, therefore, Shakespeare was making strong linkages between Iago and evil, stronger than how we would interpret it today. The almost hellish possession of Othello by Iago leads to the end result, and thus the imposed jealousy of Othello by Iago is a main part of what the play is about. Psychologist Emma Goldman states on jealousy: â€Å"Jealousy, the contortions of which we see in the matrimonial tragedies and comedies, is invariably a one-sided, bigoted accuser, convinced of his own righteousness and the meanness, cruelty and guilt of the victim. Jealousy does not attempt to understand. It’s one desire is to punish†¦as severely as possible†¦honour is restored as soon as blood is shed, either that of the man or the woman.† From the archives of the New York public library. This description is essentially what Othello goes through and basically summarises the play. Othello’s imposed jealousy is different to Iago’s innate jealousy because while Iago appears to be jealous of people who merely have the capacity within them to be happy, Othello appears jealous of Cassio and suspicious of Desedemona because he genuinely thinks they do him wrong. This can lead to the interpretation that Othello was never indeed jealous. Coleridge believed that Othello was indeed not jealous. â€Å"Let me repeat, that Othello does not kill Desdemona in jealousy, but in a conviction forced upon him by the almost superhuman art of Iago, such a conviction as any man would have entertained who had believed Iago’s honesty as Othello had† Notes on Othello, Coleridge Coleridge is saying here that Othello was not jealous of Cassio, or unnecessarily suspicious of Desdemona, but in fact just severely hurt. Iago is repeatedly referred to as ‘honest’ throughout the play, and even his own wife Emilia did not suspect him of such evil acts. Therefore, because Othello is such a believing and trusting person, he had no element within himself that questioned the honest Iago, with whom he was on first name friendly terms with. Othello was not jealous when he killed Desdemona, but in fact felt it was the only way in which he could regain his respect. In Shakespearian times, the man whose wife was unfaithful would be labelled a cuckold. It was a huge public disgrace to the man as well as an emotional strain, and Othello, being proud, did not take this well, thus he killed the woman he loved not out of jealousy, but out of ‘solemn agony.’ Without Desdemona, and with the knowledge that someone he loved so deeply had betrayed him, Othello felt in despair. â€Å"Look where he comes. Not poppy, nor mandragora, Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world, Shall ever medicine thee to sweet sleep Which thou owedst yesterday† Iago of Othello Act III scene III, line 329. In this way we can see that Othello is not just a play about jealousy, but it is also a play about trust and deception. Othello should have believed Desdemona but the seemingly honest Iago used everyone’s good traits against them, and caused the bloody mess single handedly. To conclude, Othello is perhaps a play about the innate jealousy of Iago, however, I am left unsure about the precise motives Iago has. I tend to agree with Coleridge, that Iago is motivated simple by the direst cruelty, although there is substantial evidence, such as his behaviour towards people who seem happier than himself, that Iago suffers from innate jealousy aswell. The play to me, seems to be more about mistrust, and the tragedy that Othello believes Iago over his wife. The fact Othello is so quick to doubt both his love and his best friend also suggests that Othello has a weakness in character judgement and solidarity of emotion. However, Iago was a very intelligent manipulator, and had luck on his side, to create a catharsis of emotion which drives Othello to kill his beloved, and how Iago manages to do this, is essentially what the play is about. It leaves the open question for me, that did even Shakespeare not know exactly what drove Iago, did the writer have doubts, or was he just unable to convey such a complex character within the confines of a play. 1 It is a psychological theory that if someone/something you love is unreachable, your mind will automatically begin to devalue them to ease the pain of not having that person/thing. It is easier to accept a whore does not love you than to accept a genuine pure girl does not love you.

Free Essays on Chivalry

Chivalry What was chivalry? In researching this paper, it is not hard to see that the concept of chivalry that we have today is a drastic change from the concept the knights’ held. It is not hard to see how it has changed throughout the generations. The word chivalry is derived from the French word cheval which is from the Latin caballus. It is a concept is to be considered from three points of view: the military, the social, and the religious. By military standards during the Middle Ages, chivalry was actually another name for the cavalry, and the knight was the professional soldier of the time. At this time the infantry was in decline, and the cavalry was the mainstay of the armies. A chivalrous knight was characterized in battle by the fact that he had at least three horses, four or more attendants, and flags portraying his family crest. The squires, or the knight’s attendants in training, always went with the knight into battle. It is through training for battle and service to the knight that a young squire would learn the code of chivalry and eventually become a knight. There are 36 points to the code of chivalry, and there are ten commandments of chivalry followed by knights. Among them include: â€Å"Thou shalt believe all that the Church teaches, and shalt observe all its directions. Thou shalt defend the Church. Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them. Thou shalt love the country in which thou wast born. Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy. Live to serve King and Country. Live to defend Crown and Country and all it holds dear. Live one's life so that it is worthy of respect and honor. Live for freedom, justice and all that is good. Never attack an unarmed foe. Never use a weapon on an opponent not equal to the attack. Never attack from behind. Avoid lying to your fellow man. Avoid cheating. Avoid torture.† (Chivalry by Leon Gautier and From the Rifts: The England Su... Free Essays on Chivalry Free Essays on Chivalry Chivalry What was chivalry? In researching this paper, it is not hard to see that the concept of chivalry that we have today is a drastic change from the concept the knights’ held. It is not hard to see how it has changed throughout the generations. The word chivalry is derived from the French word cheval which is from the Latin caballus. It is a concept is to be considered from three points of view: the military, the social, and the religious. By military standards during the Middle Ages, chivalry was actually another name for the cavalry, and the knight was the professional soldier of the time. At this time the infantry was in decline, and the cavalry was the mainstay of the armies. A chivalrous knight was characterized in battle by the fact that he had at least three horses, four or more attendants, and flags portraying his family crest. The squires, or the knight’s attendants in training, always went with the knight into battle. It is through training for battle and service to the knight that a young squire would learn the code of chivalry and eventually become a knight. There are 36 points to the code of chivalry, and there are ten commandments of chivalry followed by knights. Among them include: â€Å"Thou shalt believe all that the Church teaches, and shalt observe all its directions. Thou shalt defend the Church. Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them. Thou shalt love the country in which thou wast born. Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy. Live to serve King and Country. Live to defend Crown and Country and all it holds dear. Live one's life so that it is worthy of respect and honor. Live for freedom, justice and all that is good. Never attack an unarmed foe. Never use a weapon on an opponent not equal to the attack. Never attack from behind. Avoid lying to your fellow man. Avoid cheating. Avoid torture.† (Chivalry by Leon Gautier and From the Rifts: The England Su...

Free Essays on Escalating Oil Prices And The Global Economy

With the current rise in oil prices, many Americans have asked, â€Å"What is happening?† In order to fully understand the current situation and how it is affecting the global economy one must look at a variety of factors including: the history of oil crisis in the United States, causes of the current situation, and possible outcomes for the future. Many people are researching to come up with the best solution for this problem. The escalating price of oil has become more severe and is beginning to reflect oil crisis of the past. The current crude oil price spike began early in 1999 due to a variety of factors. Struggle in the Middle East along with minimal policy changes from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and the U.S. Government has kept prices high to this very day. It is very important to understand the history of our Country’s oil situation before looking at the current oil situation. Through the years between 1970 and 2004, the price of oil has risen and fallen in often-drastic amounts. It is these price fluctuations in crude oil that has caused fuel prices to vary and the economy of the United States to be volatile. There have been several changes in oil prices that have occurred in the past twenty four years. These dramatic shifts are helpful to look at because of their impact upon the economy and the oil industry. During this time period there are many major shifts in oil price that can be linked to specific events in world history (Miller, 1998). First, the Arab oil embargo of 1973 caused a widespread oil crisis and brought crude oil from three dollars a barrel to a staggering twelve dollars a barrel. Second, the 1979 Iranian revolution caused another crisis that brought crude oil prices to an all time high of thirty-six dollars per barrel. The third major shift occurred in 1991 due to the Persian Gulf War (Miller, 199 8). The events of September 11th, the Iraq war and the manhunt for Osama Bin Laden... Free Essays on Escalating Oil Prices And The Global Economy Free Essays on Escalating Oil Prices And The Global Economy With the current rise in oil prices, many Americans have asked, â€Å"What is happening?† In order to fully understand the current situation and how it is affecting the global economy one must look at a variety of factors including: the history of oil crisis in the United States, causes of the current situation, and possible outcomes for the future. Many people are researching to come up with the best solution for this problem. The escalating price of oil has become more severe and is beginning to reflect oil crisis of the past. The current crude oil price spike began early in 1999 due to a variety of factors. Struggle in the Middle East along with minimal policy changes from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and the U.S. Government has kept prices high to this very day. It is very important to understand the history of our Country’s oil situation before looking at the current oil situation. Through the years between 1970 and 2004, the price of oil has risen and fallen in often-drastic amounts. It is these price fluctuations in crude oil that has caused fuel prices to vary and the economy of the United States to be volatile. There have been several changes in oil prices that have occurred in the past twenty four years. These dramatic shifts are helpful to look at because of their impact upon the economy and the oil industry. During this time period there are many major shifts in oil price that can be linked to specific events in world history (Miller, 1998). First, the Arab oil embargo of 1973 caused a widespread oil crisis and brought crude oil from three dollars a barrel to a staggering twelve dollars a barrel. Second, the 1979 Iranian revolution caused another crisis that brought crude oil prices to an all time high of thirty-six dollars per barrel. The third major shift occurred in 1991 due to the Persian Gulf War (Miller, 199 8). The events of September 11th, the Iraq war and the manhunt for Osama Bin Laden...

How to Tour the Nevada Nuclear Test Site

How to Tour the Nevada Nuclear Test Site The Nevada Test Site is the location where the United States conducted atomic testing. Did you know you can visit the Nevada Test Site, formerly called the Nevada Proving Grounds and now known as the Nevada National Security Site? Here is how to take the tour. Get on the List The Nevada Test Site is located about 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada on US-95, but you cant just drive up to the facility and look around! Public tours are conducted only four times a year, with specific dates determined a few months in advance. The size of the tour group is limited, so there is a waiting list. If you want to take the tour, the first step is to call the Office of Public Affairs to get your name on the waiting list for the tour. In order to get accepted for the tour, you must be at least 14 years old (accompanied by an adult if you are under 18). When you make a reservation, you need to supply the following information: Full nameDate of birthPlace of birthSocial Security number Keep in mind the tour date may change if the weather isnt cooperative, so its good to build a little flexibility into your schedule. What to Expect Once you register for a tour, youll get an email confirmation of your reservation. A couple of weeks before the visit, youll get a packet in the mail that includes an itinerary for the trip. The tour is free.Radiation badges are no longer used. In order to get badged for security, you will need to present a drivers license or valid passport (foreign nationals) upon arrival.Expect a full day of activities. Visitors meet in Las Vegas to board a tour bus at 7 am, returning to Las Vegas at 4:30 pm.Youll need to pack a lunch.Dress appropriately. Wear comfortable, sturdy shoes. You will not be allowed to take the tour if you are wearing shorts, a skirt, or sandals! Las Vegas is (very) hot in the summer and (very) cold in the winter, with temperatures ranging anywhere in between the extremes. Consider the season when packing for the trip.You cannot bring in any recording devices or electronics of any kind. Do not bring a cell phone, camera, binocular, recorder, etc. Mandatory checks are conducted. If you are caught with a recording device, youll get thrown out and the whole tour group will be returned to Las Vegas.No firearms are permitted.

(writer's choice) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

(writer's choice) - Essay Example On the whole, it had a relatively simple premise. Gilmore Girls ran for seven seasons from 2000 to 2007 and was primarily known for its fast paced dialogue and pop-culture references. The show focuses on two female characters: Lorelai and her teenage daughter Rory. Lorelai and Rory live in a small town in Connecticut called Stars Hollow and this town is filled with lovable, wacky characters. Lorelai gave birth to Rory as a teenage and it is because of this that they have a very close friendship that differs from Lorelai’s own relationship with her rich parents who she ran away from after having Rory at 16. The difference between these two relationships, particularly between Lorelai and her parents, is often what drives the conflict in an episode. The specific show that I chose to analyze is the fifth episode in the 2nd season entitled â€Å"Nick and Nora/ Sid and Nancy.† Luke, who owns a diner in Stars Hollow and is somewhat of a love interest for Lorelai, brings his troubled nephew, Jess, to live with him. Jess steals from people and is disrespectful which cause Lorelai to give Luke parenting advice. The two characters fight over the situation and eventually make up with Luke realizing that he needs Lorelai’s help occasionally. One important concept in interpersonal communication is biased listening. According to the article entitled â€Å"Types of Listening,† biased listening is defined as â€Å"when the person hears only what they want to hear†¦and misinterprets based on stereotypes and biases†( â€Å"Types of Listening†). In this particular episode of Gilmore Girls, biased listening occurs when Luke and Lorelai have a conversation about Jess when he runs out on a special dinner that Lorelai and her friends cook for him. Lorelai explains how Luke should be going about parenting Jess and Luke decides to only hear the judgment and negativity in what Lorelai says and believes she is unfairly criticizing him. Another important concept in interpersonal

Principles of Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Principles of Management - Essay Example The decision-making process entails recognizing the issue, choosing an alternative and assessing the usefulness of the decision taken (Robin & Coulter, 2004). Since the problems have already been identified, I would proceed with the latter aspects of the decision making process. As being new to the company, I would try to gain the trust and confidence of the employees. For this purpose, they would be lead by exemplary performance in the firm. I will listen to their problems and would strive to solve them. Informal sessions would be conducted to find out the employee way of performing job role prior to my appointment. This would give me an idea as to how changes should be implemented. Bringing changes in Company XYZ would not only involve alterations in the current organizational structure but also in the behavior of the employees. To bring about this change, there would be a requirement of a team of change agents which will assist me in implementing the change. It often happens that people show resistance to change. To overcome this problem, I, along with my team members, would communicate the changes to the employees and address their grievances or fears related to the change. These problems would be dealt in the following manner: Leadership is an important aspect of any organization. With sound leadership, companies can prosper. On the other hand, the weak leadership can lead to the downfall of any organization. Leadership is not only important for employees in the top management rather it is essential for employees at any level; be it top, middle or lower level. The reason why leadership is necessary at all levels is that through effective leadership skills, employees can influence other employees (especially their subordinate) and thus obtain good results and performances. The question here arises is what are the leadership skills? Or more importantly, what leadership skills are lacking in the employees of Company XYZ? According to the trait theories, based on the research conducted in the 1920s and 1930s, seven traits were identified.

Flexibility development in the warehouse planning and design for Essay

Flexibility development in the warehouse planning and design for future - Essay Example Simple data warehousing (long-term storage of detailed data) may be useful for archival purposes to back up ad hoc databases from direct training or training management. However, the requirements of tomorrow's warehousing software involves the active participation of not a large amount of workers, rather a few number of man power is required along with an appropriate qualification and motivation to do the job. Such individuals would be well trained to make the software a success with ease in work. They would be active enough to participate in demand planning to anticipate market demand, supply planning to allocate the right amount of enterprise resources to meet consumer's demand and demand fulfilment to fill customer orders quickly and efficiently. This form of data is of little use for strategic training management. An analogy would be a collection of partially manufactured subassemblies and raw materials that require significant processing in order to become a final product usable by strategic training management. Because of the need to combine data across such categories as schools, time, and budget categories, the amount of disaggregated and descriptive data is likely to cause a scale problem today. By this we mean both the amount of storage space required to hold these data and the amount of time needed to combine and manipulate the data to make them useful for decision-making. This won't happen in future warehousing software. RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) Technology Systems would be involved in warehousing to great extent in the form of transceiver, transponder or in the form of a tag which by using throughout the supply chain, configure-to-order assemblers would closely coordinate the arrival of components for final assembly. Future warehouse management technologies would perform the function of finite scheduling and process sequencing of orders thereby managing all the constraints of the present warehousing that includes insufficient labour, physical space and value added processing. Many formerly custom-programmed features are now built into today's Warehouse Management Systems. Functionality often includes batch picking, zone selection, and velocity analysis as well as Web interface functions, E-commerce applications, inventory visibility productivity metrics, inventory cycle counting, labour management, and the ability to support multiple facilities from a single computer. The concept underlying today's Warehousing System software is to build an end-to-end, process-integrated logistics flow. In addition, there is a higher level of configurability. In the future, Warehousing Management System functionality will continue to broaden. For example, adding postponement and a visual-process modelling tool so that the warehouse management system will respond to change more easily. There will be an increasing focus on dynamic

Employment of Minors between the Ages of 12 and 18 Essay - 1

Employment of Minors between the Ages of 12 and 18 - Essay Example (c) It is necessary for the individual to submit the following elements before they are able to be granted a certificate: (1) A certified copy of a birth certificate or birth registration card; and (2) A statement from the potential employer indicating that if he were given a certificate from the school superintendent, he could employ the minor immediately and describing the type of job offered. It shall be understood that the potential employer, by furnishing such statement, does not promise to employ the minor for any specific amount of time. (d) A copy of the certificate will be made a part of the minors school file, for all minors between the ages of 16 and 18. The certificate must show that the minor is at least 16 years of age in order to qualify the minor to work between the hours of 9:00 P.M. and 6:00 A.M. and to be employed in any of the occupations covered by Code Section 39-2-2. In addition to the certificate, the superintendent of schools, or an authorized member of his staff, shall issue an identification card to each minor in this category. The identification card will demonstrate that the minor is eligible for employment. The minor will then not have to attain future employment certificates unless his certificate is revoked by the Commissioner of Labor. (e)(1) The certificate mentioned above must be accompanied by a letter from the minors school administrator indicating that the minor is enrolled in school full-time and has a good attendance record. The employer of the minor must maintain a copy the certificate and the letter in the minors employment file. The letter must be updated in January of each academic year during which the minor is working. This process will continue until the minor turns 18, receives a high school diploma, a general educational development (GED) diploma, a special education diploma, or a certificate of high school completion, or has terminated his or her secondary education and is enrolled in a postsecondary school. Any employer failing to comply with these rules is guilty of a misdemeanor and if convicted will  be subject to a fine not to exceed $1,000.00, up to twelve months imprisonment, or both, for each violation.

Strategic Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strategic Management - Research Paper Example The mission of the company needs to be different and very clear. The important areas of mission statement include who we are, what is our business, what products do we offer, and why we chose the particular business. The important issues that will be addressed by the company in the global business environment include equal employment opportunities, child labor, and environmental factors. INTRODUCTION Tolapp Corporation is a successful US manufacturing company located in Tennessee that builds power tools, lawn mowers, lawn furniture, microwaves, and ranges. All products are manufactured locally and sold through large retailers like Sears, Best Buy, and Wal-Mart. They have sale papers inserted in every Wednesday and Sunday paper. Although they have a thriving business in the US and Canada, Tolapp is trying to break into the global marketplace. DISCUSSION Part 1 A). How would you go about defining the identity of Tolapp Corporation and creating its mission statement? The identity of Tol app Corporation can be defined by understanding the industry in which it operates i.e. power tools and lawn equipment industry. An important factor in defining the identity of Tolapp Corporation is competitors’ profile. In order to establish an identity, it is critical to focus on specific market segments and products. For instance, the company can focus on appliances or power lawn equipment. There are different ways through which the mission statement of the company can be developed. The most important factor that should be considered when creating a mission statement is the overall objective or scope of the industry. After this, it is important to identify and evaluate mission statements of other companies operating in the industry (Abrahams, 2004). The mission of the company needs to be different and very clear. The important areas of mission statement include who we are, what is our business, what products do we offer, and why we chose the particular business. The mission statement of Tolapp will be communicated to all employees in order to ensure that they share common goals. The purpose of communicating mission statement to all employees and stakeholders is to ensure that it remains real. B). Where would you look for the information? The places that would be accessed for information include websites of companies operating in the power tool industry, industry reports, industry publications, and scholarly journals. In addition, industry reports of lawn equipment and appliance industry will also be accessed. C). What do you already know about Able that can help? Following are the things that we already know about Tolapp Corporation: The first thing about Tolapp Corporation that we know is its origin. Tolapp Corporation is a company that is located in the United States. The company is present in Tennessee, a U.S. state. The second point about Tolapp Corporation is its business. The main business of the company is manufacturing. The products of the com pany include lawn furniture, lawn mowers, microwaves, and other products. The third point about the corporation is its production and distribution. The company manufactures its products locally. The products are distributed and sold with distributors such as Sears, Wal-Mart, and Best Buy. All these are famous retailers. The company is operating successfully in the United States and Canada. The company is also striving to expand its operations to other parts of the world. The company launches sales

Methodology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Methodology - Essay Example With the phenomenological approach the focus is on â€Å"understanding the human behaviour from the participant’s own frame of reference† (Collis & Hussey, 2003, p. 53). As this approach is related to an event within a context of time and place, the aim is to investigate an event by carrying out your own research to â€Å"construct new theory to explain the phenomenon† (Collis & Hussey, 2003, pp. 56-57) or use existing theory. The aim and focus with this approach is â€Å"on the quality and depth of data† (Collis & Hussey, 2003, pp. 56-57). With the positivistic paradigm, the emphasis is on using measurement to find out the relationships between facts and causes of the phenomenon. This is â€Å"an essential element of the research process under this paradigm† (Collis & Hussey, 2003, p. 57). This approach is useful when there is a need to conduct statistical analysis (Collis & Hussey, 2003, p. 56). A positivistic approach will be used and the researcher will be independent, will not be influenced by the subject of research, and will take â€Å"the role of an objective analyst† (Saunders & Lewis & Thornhill, 2000, p. 85). According to Denzin & Lincoln (cited in Silverman 2005), â€Å"qualitative investigators think they can get closer to the actor’s perspective through detailed interviewing and observation† (p. 10). With qualitative researchers, the emphasis is on the close relationship between the subject of research and the researcher where the value is in the social reality and the meaning of the social event or phenomenon. However, in comparison, quantitative researchers focus on the measurement and analysis of facts and causes. The qualitative approach relies on the quality and depth of data and does not focus on the â€Å"measured (if measured at all) in terms of quantity, amount, intensity, or frequency† (Denzin & Lincoln, 2000, p. 8). In addition, as Waters

Strategic Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strategic Management - Research Paper Example The mission of the company needs to be different and very clear. The important areas of mission statement include who we are, what is our business, what products do we offer, and why we chose the particular business. The important issues that will be addressed by the company in the global business environment include equal employment opportunities, child labor, and environmental factors. INTRODUCTION Tolapp Corporation is a successful US manufacturing company located in Tennessee that builds power tools, lawn mowers, lawn furniture, microwaves, and ranges. All products are manufactured locally and sold through large retailers like Sears, Best Buy, and Wal-Mart. They have sale papers inserted in every Wednesday and Sunday paper. Although they have a thriving business in the US and Canada, Tolapp is trying to break into the global marketplace. DISCUSSION Part 1 A). How would you go about defining the identity of Tolapp Corporation and creating its mission statement? The identity of Tol app Corporation can be defined by understanding the industry in which it operates i.e. power tools and lawn equipment industry. An important factor in defining the identity of Tolapp Corporation is competitors’ profile. In order to establish an identity, it is critical to focus on specific market segments and products. For instance, the company can focus on appliances or power lawn equipment. There are different ways through which the mission statement of the company can be developed. The most important factor that should be considered when creating a mission statement is the overall objective or scope of the industry. After this, it is important to identify and evaluate mission statements of other companies operating in the industry (Abrahams, 2004). The mission of the company needs to be different and very clear. The important areas of mission statement include who we are, what is our business, what products do we offer, and why we chose the particular business. The mission statement of Tolapp will be communicated to all employees in order to ensure that they share common goals. The purpose of communicating mission statement to all employees and stakeholders is to ensure that it remains real. B). Where would you look for the information? The places that would be accessed for information include websites of companies operating in the power tool industry, industry reports, industry publications, and scholarly journals. In addition, industry reports of lawn equipment and appliance industry will also be accessed. C). What do you already know about Able that can help? Following are the things that we already know about Tolapp Corporation: The first thing about Tolapp Corporation that we know is its origin. Tolapp Corporation is a company that is located in the United States. The company is present in Tennessee, a U.S. state. The second point about Tolapp Corporation is its business. The main business of the company is manufacturing. The products of the com pany include lawn furniture, lawn mowers, microwaves, and other products. The third point about the corporation is its production and distribution. The company manufactures its products locally. The products are distributed and sold with distributors such as Sears, Wal-Mart, and Best Buy. All these are famous retailers. The company is operating successfully in the United States and Canada. The company is also striving to expand its operations to other parts of the world. The company launches sales

How does Alexis De Tocqueville fail to see that the unequal Essay

How does Alexis De Tocqueville fail to see that the unequal accumulation of wealth resulting from Capitalism cannot be fully con - Essay Example He was from egalitarian society not the newly formed capitalist society, so this could justify why he had a blind spot concerning capitalism and could not redress the challenges of industrial commercial system on the democratic system that strives towards the equalization of social conditions. Discussion Tocqueville ideas have had extensive impacts on the concept of penance and crime, equality and democracy. His historical background immensely influenced his democracy theories. Equality of conditions is the main point of focus of Alexis Tocqueville theories. He suggests that parity is fundamental to democracy, and absence of parity caused crime. His opponents use this dependence on the concept of equality as the central weakness. For instance, Tocqueville failed to recognize that unequal wealth accumulation resulting from capitalism could not be controlled in a democracy, which meant to have socially equalizing tendencies. The equality of situations denotes a social state where one p erson’s influence over another –based on the aristocratic regime- is substituted with the egalitarian notion of individual consent. In these conditions, the act of each has two main reasonable basis, public will and personal will. The triumph of consent over the impact and the advancement of human autonomy closely connected to it have critical, political and social impacts, leaving little as it was1. Alexis Tocqueville felt religious terror, when he examined the inspiring power of this historical transformation, which he observed as providential and in agreement with humanity, therefore, his examination of the democratic world somehow is an attempt to explore his fear. Tocqueville argues that, â€Å"intellectual life would be changed by democracy, just like the passion of men† p 230. In addition, under pressure from autonomy of individuals, views would be generalized, mores softened. Therefore, public view translates to the central, influential voice. Whereas in dividual rights controls, men’s live, the ends of man heeds into neglect. Similarly, the moral life’s content is emptied from the vessel of democracy. The desire for equality, essential to democracy, overwhelms all other concerns, and starts its powerful battle to eradicate the inherent inequalities of people. It is possible to recognize the modern society in Tocqueville’s views. What critics stress in Alexis works is the tragic, and, in fact, paradoxical, recognition that democracy is extremely natural to human beings and, if not controlled, detrimental to human nature. Allowed free dominance, this desire for equality- an egalitarian instinct- restricts democracy itself, in various ways. For instance, it limits democracy by paradoxically rebuilding a natural state, originally elaborated by critical thinkers such as Plato, Marx and Hobbes as the pre-civilized situation at the centre of democratic civilization. In addition, its spreads envy, destructive of any sy stem; and finally, by gathering the natural autonomies of virtue and reason. Even though, Tocqueville recognized the aristocratic rule to be unfair, as it was anchored on an unnatural principle of familial autonomy, its hierarchical order still preserved room for principles transcending the individual will. The

How We Treat the Animals We Eat Essay Example for Free

How We Treat the Animals We Eat Essay Are the factory farms we buy our meat from treating animals humanely? Animal mistreatment is illegal and we can make a difference to put a stop to it. According to Ethical Farms â€Å"Some of the largest US factory farms refuse to uphold humane USDA and OSHA standards, having unsanitary, unhealthy conditions and animal rights violations. In 1958, the US government composed the Humane Slaughter Act that is not enforced† (Ethical Farms, 2010). There are 7 statutes in effect that comprise the Humane Slaughter Act. Included in these sections are Congress statement that livestock must be slaughtered in a humane manner to prevent needless suffering, research methods on humane methods of slaughter, the non-applicability of these statutes to religious or ritual slaughter, and the investigation into the care of non-ambulatory livestock. There are farms that follow the Humane Slaughter Act in raising their livestock that we can purchase our food from, like Humane Farms for example. By aligning our consumerism with Restaurants and grocery store chains that purchase from humane farms we can make an impact. Also, supporting an Animal Rights group like The American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals(ASPCA) or The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals(PETA) can make a big difference. You can support them either monetarily or by volunteering your time in your local area. In Chapter 17 of the Omnivore’s Dilemma (The Ethics of Eating Animals), Pollan (2006), says that â€Å"Eating meat has become morally problematic, at least for people who take the trouble to think about it. Vegetarianism is more popular than it has ever been, and animal rights is rapidly finding its way into the cultural mainstream†(p. 306). The selections offered at most markets and grocery stores have expanded quite a bit in the last decade or two in order to accommodate the consumerism of a vegetarian making it much easier to choose this kind of diet. Also many fast food and quality restaurants have added vegetarian dishes to their menu. â€Å"The general consensus has always been that humans were indeed omnivores and, whatever spiritual or moral dilemmas the killing and eating of animals posed, our various cultural traditions resolved them for us well enough. For the most part our culture has been telling us for millennia that animals were both good to eat and good to think†(p. 306). I myself have never had an aversion to eating meat. I grew up in the country and we fished for food. I visited a pig farm in school and saw a pig being born; I didn’t see anything inhumane. Until I read this book I honestly did not give eating meat a second thought. When Pollan goes back and forth to himself about how he feels right when he first killed the pig, he was very proud of his accomplishment, to how he felt when he saw the picture with the spilled blood, which was so disgusting he could not look at it. He is very graphic in his writing and gave me a clear picture of something I had never thought about. There is an unusual amount of cultural uncertainty on the subject of animals in today’s society and that may be why people tend to look the other way. Many times while researching this topic I myself read things that I think I really would rather not know. Am I willing to change my shopping and eating habits in order to help make a difference? Right now the answer is Yes! Many of us seem eager to extend the circle of our moral consideration to other species, yet in our factory farms we’re inflicting more suffering on more animals than at any time in history. Pollan also says that â€Å"In recent years medical researchers have raised questions about the good to eat part, while philosophers like Singer and organizations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have given us new reasons to doubt meat is good to think—that is, good for our souls or our moral self-regard† (Pollan, 2006). In an article called, Mistreatment of turkeys at Willmar hatchery is alleged by Humane Society, Polta describes how the Humane Society found evidence of abuse and cruelty through an investigation and demanded that changes be made. â€Å"Nov. 24WILLMAR An undercover investigation by the Humane Society of the United States has documented what the organization alleges is routine abuse and cruelty involving newly hatched turkey chicks at Willmar Poultry Co.† The article states that â€Å"Among the allegations contained in the Humane Society of the United States report: Sick, deformed, injured and dying birds, as well as leftovers not needed for buyers orders, are routinely disposed of by being thrown alive into a grinder. Sick and injured birds are left in boxes or on the floor all day until being killed. Chicks are routinely de-beaked without first being given a painkiller. Chicks routinely have their back toes clipped off without a painkiller. The report alleges that baby turkeys get trapped and injured in conveyor belts as theyre processed for shipment to farms. It also alleges that boxes filled with poults are sometimes stacked too high or unevenly and crash to the floor, scattering and injuring the turkey chicks inside† (Polta, 2010). This source is more evidence of the kind of abuse happening in factory farms and also shows that getting outside government agencies involved to help uncover the issues and pressure them to resolve the issues is one way to help. Abuses such as this case can not and should not be tolerated throughout the livestock and factory farm industries. National and World Organizations can go a long way to oversee and create changes within the industry. In the article, VanderSpek stated that the â€Å"National Turkey Federation guidelines also comply with World Organization for Animal Health standards†(Polta, 2010). The Humane Slaughter act states: â€Å"Sec. 1901. Findings and declaration of policy The Congress finds that the use of humane methods in the slaughter of livestock prevents needless suffering; results in safer and better working conditions for persons engaged in the slaughtering industry; brings about improvement of products and economies in slaughtering operations; and produces other benefits for producers, processors, and consumers which tend to expedite an orderly flow of livestock and livestock products in interstate and foreign commerce. It is therefore declared to be the policy of the United States that the slaughtering of livestock and the handling of livestock in connection with slaughter shall be carried out only by humane methods†(Humane Slaughter Act). These are the laws and guidelines set forth by congress and all livestock industries should abide by them. Those who do not follow the laws should be heavily penalized even as far as to shut them down until changes a re made if the situation is bad enough. One solution is that you can contact your Congressman and request that he/she take steps to implement USDA animal treatment standards. Evidence that this can make a difference is found in an article by We Care. Contrary to what PETA finds in our factory farms, in that article, I read that â€Å"every day on farms across America, pork producers demonstrate responsibility and concern for the animals in their care. Today, pigs are raised on farms designed to promote the health and well-being of animals and the safety of the food produced† (We Care). This is evidence that we can produce meat from animal factory type farms without being inhumane about it. Other livestock industries can follow this pig industry’s lead in their humane practices of raising livestock for human consumption. You can also send a letter to the USDA and urge them to uphold the Humane Slaughter Act. In an article by Ethical Farms; â€Å"Recently, Burger King implemented Humane Animal Treatment standards from their Poultry Suppliers, and stopped purchasing from factories that had excessive instances of abuse. You can also purchase meats exclusively from Humane Farms† (Ethical Farms, 2010). Taking the time to educate yourself on the companies that purchase from humane farms is important. Where we purchase our food from everyday can make a big difference. Every day, animals endure mass torture, abuse and live mutilation without any conscience from the part of the producers, for the suffering that these animals endure. When we mistreat animals, we generally also worsen conditions for people. Animal-centered diets have been associated with: heart attacks, strokes, various types of cancer, and other diseases. An article by PETA states that; â€Å"When PETA went public with the findings of an undercover investigation at a pig-breeding farm that supplies Hormel in Iowa, we called on the company to ban gestation crates—pens so small that the pregnant sows who are confined to them cant turn around or even lie down comfortably—and then introduced a shareholder resolution to that effect. Less than two years later, the meat giant has announced that it will phase out gestation crates, which cause so much suffering, by 2017† (PETA, 2012). Although they did uncover animal abuse, they were able to do something about it to make things better for the animals being abused. I think it is important that there are real consequences for the factory farms that are irresponsible and choose not to follow the laws that were made to protect all animals. I have to admit that I do not agree with the extremism that PETA takes to this cause. The ASPCA seems to be much more reasonable to me in their efforts to prevent animal abuse in any environment. They were the first humane society to be established in North America. The ASPCA actually has legal authority to investigate and make arrests for crimes against animals. I think either joining or donating to the ASPCA along with purchasing from humane farms would make a great impact on the market and further the cause to humanely treat the animals we eat! References Pollan, M. (2006). The omnivores dilemma: A natural history of four meals. New York: Penguin Books. We Care Initiative. Caring for farm animals. Retrieved from: http://www.wecareanswers.com/gj5he/index.html?gclid=CN_Zvb7M864CFSWFQAodmmvmHg Ethical Farms. (2010). Promoting cruelty free farming. Retrieved from: http://ethicalfarms.org/ People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals(PETA, (2012). A Little Relief, Finally, for Hormel Pigs. Retrieved from: http://www.peta.org/b/thepetafiles/archive/2012/02/02/progress-for-hormel-pigs.aspx Polta, A (2010). Mistreatment of turkeys at Willmar hatchery is alleged by Humane Society. Retrieved from: http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.devry.edu/login.aspx?direct=truedb=pwhAN=2W6448392763site=pov-live

The History And Evolution Of Saarc Politics Essay

The History And Evolution Of Saarc Politics Essay The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) comprises eight countries of South Asia, i.e. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka. The idea of regional cooperation in South Asia was first mooted in May 1980 by Bangladesh President Ziaur Rahman. President Rahman addressed letters to the Heads of Government of the countries of South Asia, presenting his vision for the future of the region and the compelling arguments for regional cooperation in the context of evolving international realities. The Foreign Secretaries of seven countries in South Asia met for the first time in Colombo in April 1981 and identified five broad areas for regional cooperation. A series of meetings followed in Nepal (Kathmandu/November 1981), Pakistan (Islamabad/August, 1982), Bangladesh, India (Delhi/July 1983) to enhance regional cooperation. The next step of this process was the Foreign Ministers meeting in New Delhi in 1983 where they adopted the Declara tion on South Asian Regional Cooperation (SARC). During the next two years South Asian nations committed themselves to form this South Asian alliance and the process culminated in the First SAARC Summit held on 7-8 December in 1985 in Dhaka where the Heads of State or Government of seven countries, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka adopted the Charter formally establishing the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). It is an Association based on the consciousness that in an increasingly interdependent world, the objectives of peace, freedom, social justice and economic prosperity are best achieved in the South Asian region by fostering mutual understanding, good neighbourly relations and meaningful cooperation among the Member States which are bound by ties of history and culture The objectives and principles contained in the SAARC Charter are as follows: Objectives a) To promote the welfare of the peoples of South Asia and to improve their quality of life; b) To accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region and to provide all individuals the opportunity to live in dignity and to realise their full potential c) To promote and strengthen collective self-reliance among the countries of South Asia; d) To contribute to mutual trust, understanding and appreciation of one anothers problems; d) To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance in the economic, social, cultural, technical and scientific fields e) To strengthen cooperation with other developing countries; f) To strengthen cooperation among themselves in international forums on matters of common interests; and g) To cooperate with international and regional organisations with similar aims and purposes. Principles a) Cooperation within the framework of the Association is based on respect for the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, political independence, non-interference in the internal affairs of other States and mutual benefit; b) Such cooperation is to complement and not to substitute bilateral or multilateral cooperation; and c) Such cooperation should be consistent with bilateral and multilateral obligations of Member States. Preamble to the SAARC Charter The preamble to the SAARC Charter spells out the intention of forming this South Asian alliance as We, the Heads of State or Government of BANGLADESH, BHUTAN, INDIA, MALDIVES, NEPAL, PAKISTAN and SRI LANKA; Desirous of promoting peace, stability, amity and progress in the region through strict adherence to the principles of the UNITED NATIONS CHARTER and NON-ALIGNMENT, particularly respect for the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, national independence, non-use of force and non-interference in the internal affairs of other States and peaceful settlement of all disputes Conscious that in an increasingly interdependent world, the objectives of peace, freedom, social justice and economic prosperity are best achieved in the SOUTH ASIAN region by fostering mutual understanding, good neighbourly relations and meaningful cooperation among the Member States which are bound by ties of history and culture Aware of the common problems, interests and aspirations of the peoples of SOUTH ASIA and the need for joint action and enhanced cooperation within their respective political and economic systems and cultural traditions' Convinced that regional cooperation among the countries of SOUTH ASIA is mutually beneficial, desirable and necessary for promoting the welfare and improving the quality of life of the peoples of the region; Convinced further that economic, social and technical cooperation among the countries of SOUTH ASIA would contribute significantly to national and collective self-reliance; Recognising that increased cooperation, contacts and exchanges among the countries of the region will contribute to the promotion of friendship and understanding among their peoples; Do hereby agree to establish an organization to be known as SOUTH ASIAN ASSOCIATION FOR REGIONAL COOPERATION hereinafter referred to as the ASSOCIATIONà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Changes in SAARC over a period of time After more than two decades since its founding at the initiative of General Zia-ul -Rahman, the then President of Bangladesh, the number of members is being increased from seven to eight. And for the first time a member with no common border with India Afghanistan joined SAARC. Also China, Japan, US, South Korea and the European Union attended the Summit as observers. It is only logical that in the not very distant future Russia too will be added to the list of observers. SAARC was conceived as an organisation to promote regional economic and technological cooperation. It was expected that such cooperation, if it is sustained will lead to increased political and security cooperation. Both in the case of European Union and ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) the countries concerned had a shared perception of their security challenges.  This did not happen in case of SAARC. There was a war between two members of the SAARC in 1999 and a military confrontation in 2002. Therefore nurturing SAARC as a regional organisation has been a far more challenging task than those faced by organisations like the European Union and the ASEAN. In fact one member of SAARC (Pakistan) refuses to extend the normal most favoured nation treatment to its neighbour (India) though this is a basic prerequisite under the World Trade Organisation regulations. Though there has been a formal agreement to convert the SAARC region into a free trade area, Pakistan and Bangladesh have been reluctant to move towards the fulfillment of that objective. In reality SAARC is largely a name board with annual rituals, not always regularly observed. While in other parts of the world, the trend is towards countries coming together to form larger markets, in South Asia this sentiment prevails only among Sri Lanka, Bhutan and India. Pakistan and Bangladesh do not contribute to the world-wide wisdom that countries coming together to form larger markets is a mutually beneficially proposition.  Ã‚   In Europian countries like Germany and France got over their centuries old animosity. This happened when countries like Germany, Italy, Spain discarded their authoritarian regimes and became democracies. In ASEAN too Indonesia and Malaysia concluded peace after years of confrontation. Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia who fought long wars with the US, which was supported by other ASEAN countries have now become economic and political partners of countries which helped to wage war against them. Unfortunately such radical transformation has not taken place in South Asia. There are reasons to believe that underlying this difference in development may be that religion-based identity exercises greater dominance in some countries of South Asia than nationalism-based identity. In admitting a number of successful economic powers as observers to the SAARC, the expectation is that such interaction may help to convert the mindset of the countries which still resist regional economic cooperation and integration in a world which is rapidly globalising. India has attempted to get Bangladesh into a BIMSTECH arrangement consisting of Bangladesh, India, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. Such a change in mindset is a time-consuming process and therefore there should not be exaggerated expectations with the new beginning with entry of Afghanistan into SAARC and five new observers. The future of SAARC appears to be brighter because in the past.   SAARC was buffeted by Cold War tensions and Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh were attempting to exploit the differences between India and China and India and the US. Recent changes in the orientation of US policy and the Washington perception about the need to have a balance of power in Asia and consequent need to enhance Indo-US relations have had a radical impact on Indias relations with China and South East Asia.  Ã‚   Increasingly India is referred to as one of the six balancers of power in the emerging international system. India today has a strategic partnership with Russia, the US and the European Union and a strategic dialogue with China and Japan.  Ã‚   The visits of Premier Wen Jia Bao of China, President Vladamir Putin of Russia, Prime Junichiro Minister Koizumi of Japan and President Bush to India and invitation to India along with China to attend the G-8 summit of advanced industrial powers has helped to transform the situation in the SAARC region towards increasing cooperation.  Ã‚   There is now better realisation that neither India-China nor India-US relations can be exploited by other nations as happened during the Cold War. In the SAARC region democracy is gaining ground. Afghanistan has an elected government for the first time. Recent developments in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal, though yet to result in full blown democracy are moving in a positive direction. In Bhutan monarchy is voluntarily transforming itself into a democracy. Some Pakistani intellectuals argue that the factor that stands in the way of regional cooperation and integration in South Asia is the overwhelming dominance of India which constitutes more than 70 per cent of the population, resources and industrial and agricultural production of the region. It is therefore difficult to compare the evolution of SAARC with that of European Union or ASEAN. In a sense it could be argued that India itself with its multi-culturalism, multilingual, multiethnic and multi religious composition is like a further integrated European Union. Political evolution within India has made it inevitable that India will be federally governed by coalitions of all-India and regional parties with regional autonomy and aspirations fully accommodated. This development is bound to have its impact on the rest of the SAARC region. So will Indias rapid economic development, its aspirations to become a knowledge based society, its secular values and democracy. There were people in Indias neighbourhood who thought Indian unity would not survive. This conviction persuaded them not to invest in the evolution of SAARC over the last two decades. That situation is changing. Though it is unrealistic to expect any immediate radical changes in the attitudes of Pakistan and even Bangladesh towards SAARC there is no doubt that a new era of increasing integration is beginning, because of the forces of globalisation and emergence of an international balance of power. Challenges Opportunities The region is full of challenges and opportunities. South Asia is home to more than 1.5 billion people associated with various racial, lingual and religious groups. Some of the main challenges and problems facing the region include poverty, illiteracy, underdevelopment, terrorism, human trafficking, and racial and ethnic conflicts. Similarly, food and energy crises have also come out as burning issues of the region. In spite of such challenges and problems, South Asia is abundant in human as well as natural resources. When these resources are managed and utilized effectively, the region is sure to make considerable socio-economic progress within a short span of time. The South Asian people have many reasons to be optimistic if we look at the SAARC Charter that has included all the existing realities in the sub-continent, with the countries of different sizes, various levels of socio-economic development, historical legacies between and among the nations of the region. But, when the progress made by SAARC is assessed minutely, we do not find a very encouraging picture in terms of quality of life the people in South Asia. However, SAARC is gradually fostering cooperation among the member states in a wide range of areas. Because of its contributions to promoting peace, good neighbourly relations and bringing about socio-economic transformation in the region, SAARC has become a valuable forum among its member states. As a saying goes: Rome was not built in a day, the regional forum also requires some more time to achieve its goals and objectives.