China Essay

There were multiple changes and similarities from the time of the Warring States period to the time of the Mongols and the Yuang Dynasty. There were changes between politics and government, but also some similarities that helped China grow while also not maintaining the same structures that were successful, but did not prevail forever, because change was needed. From the Qin, Han, Sui, Tang, Song, and Yuang dynasties, many differences occurred in government and education structures while also maintaining things like Confucianism.Many people were frustrated with the differences some dynasties brought which fueled the revolts against the dynasties, and the rise and fall throughout time. The similarities are not too common between the multitude of dynasties. The Han improved their own dynasty from Qin’s Legalist principles, while making their own revisions to improve China. The Han dynasty also continued the Qin’s start of building roads and canals for trade. Lastly, the H an dynasty followed in the Qin’s footsteps by sending officers to implement policies and maintain order in administrative provinces and districts.The Sui had connections to the Qin too, imposing tight political discipline and having a very centralized government like the Qin. The Tang did not have many connections to the roots of Qin, Han, or Sui. Tang Taizong wanted to create his own separate, unique dynasty, except that they continued the successful Han educational system, Confucianism. There are multiple differences between the dynasties. The Qin got China out of the Warring States Period with Legalism, but after not too long, people started revolting against Qin due to the extremely centralized government and tightly structured rules.Liu Bang and the Han dynasty came after the Qin. Liu Bang wanted a â€Å"middle government† that was not too much like Legalism, but not too unorganized, since that would bring China back to the Warring States Period. The Han was a ver y influential dynasty that lasted for a very long time, excepting a short period of time when the government was usurped by Wang Mang. After Liu Bang came a very good leader, Han Wudi. Wudi changed the Han dynasty to a dynasty that believes in success in Confucianism. Liu Bang was never a very big supporter of Confucianism.Wudi put Confucianism in place due to the lack of education in China. While Liu Bang was in power, there were about 3,000 students. By the time Wudi was gone, there were 30,000 students. The Han improved on Qin principles because Confucianism balanced out the Han unlike the Qin, since the Qin dynasty did not believe in Confucianism. Wudi built a bureaucracy out of China, which relied on Legalist principles. The Sui dynasty was a lot like the Qin, imposing tight political discipline, which is Legalism.Yang Jian was to be in charge of Sui dynasty, and was appointed by a Turkish ruler. Emperors of the Sui dynasty placed a heavy burden on China, making it a very centr alized government. While in office, Jian constructed the Grand Canal, which served as a trading route and a communication route between many lands. The Grand Canal made China very rich, due to all the imports and exports coming in and out from trade. Still, The Grand Canal cost a lot of taxes, and forced a lot of labor on the people. Due to that, the Sui got revolted against and did not last as long as other dynasties.Sui also based their education off of the Confucianism system, which worked relentlessly for them, making the people smarter, and a more educated China. The Tang dynasty survived very long, around 300 years. The Tang was very different than all the other dynasties, and only kept the Confucian based-elections in place from the roots of other dynasties. The Tang dynasty had three main focuses, that kept them effective, powerful, and productive. Those three main focuses were maintaining a well-articulated transportations network, distributing land based on the equal-field system, and relying on bureaucracy.The Tang had fast communications and good trade, due to the high focus on the routes and communication network. Though they thought it would work, the equal-field system did end up hurting the Tang dynasty. The equal-field system stated that everyone would have equal amounts of land, based on their needs. The equal-field system did do a good job of avoiding fighting over land, which was its main focus. The third main focus was bureaucracy, which was to make sure Confucianism stayed around so that the officials elected would be intellectually smart and make the right decisions for China.Tang dynasty also had a very powerful army, taking over lands from nearly every direction. Due to the mass of land size and military successes, the Tang is one of the largest dynasties in history. Han dynasty related to the Tang dynasty because the Tang knew they had to keep strong relationships with neighboring countries, and treat each other nicely. The Song was l ike a swing in the direct opposite way. After the fall of the Tang dynasty, Song Taizu came in and made China into a very weak country.Taizu was one of the most powerful landlords which was part of the reason he got elected as emperor. Basing China on civil administration, industry, education, and the arts more than military, the Song dynasty did not have the strongest of armies. The Song did base their bureaucracy off of Confucianism, but took it overboard. Taizu gave the officials very generous pay and benefits, which eventually drained China’s economy since there was a mass incline in officials. Taizu sent many troops out to war, many of which that never came home because of the lack of military experience and knowledge.Song dynasty lost battles to nomadic people at points due to lack of military. In the long future came along the Mongols and the Yuang dynasty. The Mongols did not like the Chinese, and they were not afraid to show it. The Mongols first imposed that a Chine se person and a Mongol cannot get married. After the ban of marriage, the Mongols then imposed that a Chinese individual is not allowed to learn Mongol, as if trying very much to keep the two cultures separated. Then there were rumors that the Mongols only took China for the need of land for their horses.After all the negatives the Mongols brought to China, they put their own officials into Chinese government so they could financially drain China as a last act. China changed drastically between the Warring States Period, when landlords owned China, and there were fights based on who gets what land. From landlords to Legalism, to Confucianism and bureaucracy, there was a wide variety of similarities and differences for China throughout time. Though some dynasties were more successful than others, China made it through and is now among the biggest places in the world.

Is Business Ethics Important

Before we discuss the importance of ethics in business, it is very essential to examine a prominent theory when conducting business ethics and that is utilitarianism. This theory accounts for the concepts of duty or obligation, rights, and justice. It is routine that the utilitarianism theory is divided up into two groups. These two groups are that of teleological and deontological theory. The teleological approach deals with consequences. â€Å"It states that whether an action is right or wrong depends on the consequences of that action† (DeGeorge, 2010, P. 2) The deontological theory, in contrast to teleological theories such as utilitarianism, deny that consequences are relevant to determining what we should do. â€Å"Deontologists typically propose that we have a duty to perform certain acts not because of some benefit to ourselves or others, but because of the nature of these actions or the rules from which they follow† (Boatright, 2009, P. 31). According to the te xtbook, individuals who mix the teleological and deontological approaches might be called ethical pluralist.The aforementioned information is very necessary to understand how to answer the question of the importance of ethics in business. The ethical theory provides a baseline for what we expect the standards of ethics to be. It is very apparent that we has human beings would come to a cohesive agreement that business ethics is important. This is because we assume that it is better to be right than wrong, moral than immoral, good than bad or just than unjust. In reality this is not a very acceptable answer because it fails to go into detail why we think it is better.The only evidence proves being good is better than being bad is religion, the government, and our elders. It may seem that this response is an iota short of being loquacious; however, ethics in business can be so ambiguous you have to consider all the variables to understand how ethics are viewed in our culture. The comp lexities of ethics in business are something that even ancient scholars possessed a challenging time understanding how to couple ethics with society. Nevertheless, ethics in business is very important because the rimary goal should be to protect people and society. In my opinion ethics is very important in business especially when it relates to being ethically correct with customers and employees. Customers and employees position themselves as the foundation and framework of any company. Therefore, practicing ethical behavior with those two parties should be considered fundamental. The society in which we live money is the leading force for survival, security, and classism. In most cases this is the motive that drives unethical behavior.Personally, I believe that ethics is very important in business because it holds executives accountable for unethical behavior. Even if you are in business and you have no compassion for the employees employed by the company or the customers, the mer e fact that being unethical in business can sometimes jeopardize the welfare of the company. For example the beech-nut company who were accused of producing bogus apple juice, that in turn was nothing more that sugar water, suffered enormous scrutiny because of their deception to customers and they could not defend whether the apple juice was healthy for babies or not.The lack of ethics that were displayed in this case and the uncertainties regarding the health hazard prevented Beech-Nut from being a company with longevity. In conclusion, having strong ethics in business would be more conducive than detrimental to the company. Therefore, being ethical in business shows society that your company can be trusted and people would be more inclined to do business with your company. Discuss the problem of assigning monetary value to things. How could it be argued that it is? Appropriate to assign monetary value to things like friendship, love, and life?The problem of assigning monetary val ue to things derives from the cost-benefit analysis. The primary use for this method is to use monetary units to articulate the benefits as well as disadvantages of a project. The cost benefit analysis is typically used by economist to determine allocation of resources. The cost benefit analysis has been frowned upon on many different levels. This is because not all costs and benefits have an easily determined monetary value. This is the problem with assigning monetary value to things.This is because placing a dollar value on some goods reduces the perceived value. For example, there are plenty of diamonds that have a price value that exceeds that cost of a college education. Could it be a possibility that consumer’s value diamonds more than a college education? If so that would be preposterous. According to John R. Boatright, some goods that have been place with monetary value have been distorted by various factors, therefore, the price of these goods do not mirror their tru e value. Furthermore, assigning monetary value to things people deem impossible are not impossible.This is because we speak with our dollars. The experts in cost benefit analysis began to dodge the problems with assigning value to noneconomic goods by fostering a technique called shadow pricing. This technique showed experts that even though individuals felt it was inappropriate to come up with an arbitrary number to place value on noneconomic goods, they knew that people would pay for what they value. For example people pay for peace and quiet by means of vacations and suburban living, and people also require higher pay for more risky occupations.In reality, the problem with assigning monetary value to noneconomic goods has many complexities due individuality. Every individual believes and value things differently. It just so happen that some things we come together as a people and cohesively value things on the same level, and because of individuality some values standalone. In op position, it could be argued that it is appropriate to assign monetary value to things like friendship, love and life because some applications of cost benefit analysis require that a value be placed on things like a human life.This is so all of the variables can be in place when determining how much to spend on prenatal care to improve the rate of infant mortality, or reducing the amount of cancer causing emissions from factories to name a few. We even justify the appropriateness of assigning monetary value to love by adding prenuptials to our marital agreements. This exposes the expression that money is valued at a higher level than love. Moreover, friendship is also a noneconomic good that could have monetary value. If you had a friend that asked you for a dollar, more than likely you would allow your friend to have a dollar.However, if you friend asked for five hundred dollars, contingent upon your relationship with that friend five hundred dollars may supersede the way you valu e that friend. What is whistle-blowing? Why might it be considered ethically problematic? Why might it be considered morally justified? According to John Boatright the author of Ethics and the conduct of business six edition, whistle-blowing can be defined as the release of information by a member or former member of an organization that is evidence of illegal and /or immoral conduct in the organization or conduct in the organization that is not in the public interest.This is a very succinct point of view because there are multiple components of whistle-blowing. First, to understand clearly whistle-blowing can only be done by a member of the organization. That member is fully recognized as a whistle-blower once they have observed a crime, notifies the police, and then witnesses in court. In addition, whistle-blowing usually contains information that is nonpublic and the whistle-blower presumes that the nonpublic information that they have will captivate spectators. Furthermore, the evidence usually contains some form of misconduct and inappropriate behavior.Once the whistle-blower has the information, it must be released outside the proper channels of communication. For instance, most companies have a policy to inform upper management if u see suspicious activity to report to them and it will be confidential. Some companies have ombudsman for handling employee complaints. Recognize that whistle-blowing does not have to go public because there are internal whistle-blowers as well as external whistle-blowers. However, whether internal or external whistle-blowing it must be voluntary and it must be quality information that would evoke change.The purpose of whistle-blowing must be undertaken as a moral protest with a motive to correct something that is wrong and not to seek revenge or personal advancement. Whistle blowing could be considered ethically problematic because when you first approach the whistle-blowing concept it lucidly displays disloyalty. It illustr ates an employee employer relationship gone wrong. This would be comparable to a mother broadcasting negative information about a child of theirs. Employees are under obligation to not share information with individuals outside the company, unless protecting oneself or a third party person is involved.Also, whistle-blowing might be considered ethically problematic because as an employer when you extend someone the offer of working for and with your company, you expect them to always be in favor of the best of the company. Sometimes companies mess up and do not want every growing pain to be played out in the public. Whistle-blowing might be considered morally justified because people feel that the whistle-blower is holding the company to the standard that they bought into once they became a member of the organization. Whistle-blowers are also morally justified because they are ultimately protecting the public.They are shedding light on information that we as consumers would have neve r known that that behavior was be exhibited in that specific company. Whistle-blowing is also justifiable when the whistle-blower causing a disturbance that would save lives and protects humanity. Holistically, society will consider a whistle blower reasonable if the consumer felt they have been or would have been affected by the company’s unethical behavior. Is ethics relevant to the role as a manager? Discuss ethical management and the management of ethics. It is of high significance that people comprehend the importance of being ethical.Some argue that being ethical in business is no different than being ethical in private life. There has even be some rationality that all managers need just need to be ethical people and not have any specialized training skills or knowledge in the area of ethics. In my opinion, it is quite radical for people to assume that if you are typically an ethical person you would perform ethically in the role of management. Although we can be in agr eement that there is no separation between business ethics and personal ethics, we must realize that some business situations arise that are not easily addressed by ordinary ethical rules.Ethics is relevant to the role as a manager because sometimes management obligations conflict with personal morals or ethics. Case in point, a manager may be forced into the position of terminating an employee for the good of the company with no regard on the impact that will have on the employee lifestyle. A manager may also conclude that it morally wrong for terminating an employee for inadequate reasoning. However, if that termination is in the best interest of the company, then that termination needs to take place.This could go against personal ethical principles a person might obtain, but for the betterment of the company this is considered ethical behavior Furthermore, when a manager is committed to ethical behavior, they have a responsibility to different parties and must consider a wide ran ge of interest. For example, when a manager rejects the promotion of a friend who happens to be an employee or terminating n employee may be the proper channels to follow, however, all variables are to be considered. Moreover, it is reasonably difficult to understand a manager’s role and their relevance to ethics because we need specific management type.There are several different levels of management, top, middle and lower level management. However, top management are the managers that ethical behavior is expected from the most. This is because high level managers are expected to make ethical decisions about strategy and policies. Ethical management and the management of ethics have very distinctive differences. Ethical management is acting ethical as a manager by doing the right thing. Maintaining proper ethical behavior is conducive for individual success as well as corporate success.Because of ethical misconduct, it has ended promising careers and firms have been extremel y harmed furthermore destroyed by the behavior exhibited by a few individuals. There is an old saying that says â€Å"a few bad apples can spoil the bunch†, which can be translated into ethical management as a few bad mangers can destroy a company. These predicaments result from misconduct or even committing illegal activity. The management of ethics is acting effectively in situations that have an ethical aspect. These situations occur in both the internal and external environment of a business firm.Internally, organizations unite employees together through myriad rules, procedures, policies, and values that must be carefully managed. However, effective organizational functioning also depends on gaining the acceptance of the rules, policies, and other guides, and this acceptance requires a perception of fairness and commitment. In order to practice both ethical management and the management of ethics it is necessary for all managers to possess some specialized knowledge in r egards to ethics. Many ethical issues have a factual background that must be understood.In short, to make sound ethical decisions and to implement them in a corporate environment are skills that come with experience and training. Some managers make mistakes because they fail to see the ethical dimensions of a situation. Other managers are unable to give proper weight to competing ethical factors or to see other people’s perspectives. Thus a manager may settle a controversial question to his or her satisfaction, only to discover that others still disagree. Even the most ethical managers must rethink their own personal beliefs about how business should be conducted.

Character Analysis-Greg Mortenson in THREE CUPS OF TEA Essay

Character Analysis-Greg Mortenson in THREE CUPS OF TEA - Essay Example On one of his mountaineering expeditions to the K2, Greg ends up losing his way and accidentally detours in to the village of Korphe distraught and exhausted where he is warmly welcomed and taken care of by the village chief Haji Ali and his family. This wrong turn in the mountains is what changes his life forever in the most profound and altruistic manner. It is ironic to note that his closest encounter with the most unforgiving and apathetic facets of nature, the K2 often referred to as the ‘Savage Peak’, is what brings out the true human being in him. Greg’s story as well as of those associated with him is one of constant struggle, countless odds and obstacles, personal failures and losses, defeat and ignorance, harsh living conditions and hostile environments and at the same time it is more about hope, change, patience, education and above all the will power and perseverance of the human race to ride against all odds, a quality that extends beyond the boundari es of language, race, region and culture. The fact that the strongest human bonds and relations are built even where there exists no common ground whatsoever is enough to prove that the human race is not about distinctions and boundaries but more about endurance and trust. The attempts of Greg Mortenson to bring peace to a war torn country by educating their underprivileged children is by no means a simple feat. It is Greg’s relentless efforts, undying spirit and ability to get over odds (albeit with much difficulty) that work in his favor. In many senses he is just like any one else. He goes through a myriad of ups and downs (mostly downs in the beginning), struggles to overcome lost love and failed relationships and is unable to successfully maintain focus. There are many instances in the book where we can see his feelings of frustration, anger, disappointment and lack of motivation which cast doubts in his mind in executing the seemingly impossible task that he has embarke d on. But the most valuable lesson he learns from Haji Ali, that of patience, is what ultimately helps him in overcoming his downfalls. And as the book progresses we are able to see clearly how he is increasingly able to adapt to difficult situations and how his patience and determination along with a clear mind help him significantly during many unfathomable situations such as his kidnapping. It is his long term interaction with an otherwise intimidating group of people that actually helps him through the kidnapping fiasco. A reference made of him sipping tea from a plastic mug ‘with a show of enthusiasm, smiling at the men, while he studied them’ (Mortenson, Relin 164) is a good example of this acquired trait. A childhood well spent in Tanzania, one of the less developed parts of Africa, and an upbringing by strong willed independent parents who themselves dedicated their lives to the betterment of the African society that they considered their own definitely had an i mpact on Greg’s life and beliefs. Greg says about his father, â€Å"He taught me, he taught all of us, that if you believe in yourself, you can accomplish anything† (38). His later career in the army only helped reinforce the strength of character that was prominent

Discrimination of Women Nurses in Qatar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Discrimination of Women Nurses in Qatar - Essay Example Qatar is one of the countries that attract job seekers who travel the country to exploit numerous employment opportunities, and nursing has been one of the areas that attract many would be enthusiasts who believe that the country has the best approach towards treating and rewarding nurses (Hassan, Hassan & King, 2012). However, the reverse is the case because many of these nurses who end up Qatar face discrimination at workplace especially women as they are assigned duties that devalue their morals and personality (SYMES, 2015). An interview with the nurse in Qatar points to a new direction on how individuals who end in Qatar face serious discrimination after being brought into the country through job agencies. The discrimination against nurses explains why these women receive poor pay, as the interviewee confirmed and this is a problem that is deeply rooted in the society.   The discrimination of women in nursing is better understood by first identifying the percentage of women pa rticipation in labor as recommended by the society. In general, women are not fairly represented in the labor market as evident from the dominance of male professionals in most of the career sectors. Although women are equally educated in Qatar to assume the roles in various employment positions like nursing and other fields, the woman nurse interviewee ascertained that discrimination based on gender difference is a major constraint to ensuring gender equality in the nursing profession (Interview).

Accountability of Registered Nurses in Delegating Care Essay - 1

Accountability of Registered Nurses in Delegating Care - Essay Example Furthermore, errors committed in giving health care will be minimized if not avoided because of mastery of the skill to the tasks that has been designated to the assistants. In everything that has been done, it is the patient’s best interest that is taken into account. A patient has put the trust in our hands for us to deal and treat his disease, thus it is just necessary to return the trust and be their advocates in promoting their well-being. In this text, support workers are team members whom tasks are delegated to by the registered practitioners. Support workers may represent health care assistant, rehabilitation assistant or technician, therapy assistant, assistant practitioner or technical instructors. Registered practitioner on the other hand pertains to a registered professional who usually delegates the task i.e. the Health Professions Council (HPC) or the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (CSP, 2006). The health care practitioners are bound within the scope of both the criminal and civil courts so as to assure that what they are doing are within the limits of legal requirements especially since they are dealing with human life. Registered health care providers are responsible to their acts of health practice and patient care thus must conform to the conditions and terms set by the regulatory and professional bodies. Currently, heath support workers do not have professional registrations (Department of Health, 2004; Scottish Executive Health Department, 2004).

Understanding the Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Understanding the Law - Essay Example While the binding principle of judicial precedents applies to ratio decidendi as applied in the original case, obiter dicta do not bind. This means that in cases where a judge is bound to use a precedent, the judge must apply the rules of law that were applied by the former judge as ratio decidendi. Other elements of the precedent case that do not form part of the precedent’s ratio decidendi are not binding (Robertson, 2010, p. 20). Types of judicial precedents Application of judicial precedents defines the types of precedents that have been identified in the judicial system. A judicial precedent can be original, binding, or persuasive. An original precedent is a first establishment of rule of law in cases where no precedent has been laid. This occurs when the facts of the case at hand does not correspond to facts of any other case for which a rule of law has been established in interpretation of the law. The presiding judge therefore establishes a precedent to the case called original precedent. A binding precedent is on the other hand a judicial decision that has already been established in a previous decision and whose application binds a judge. The principle of a binding precedent imputes a judge’s obligation to apply an already established precedent irrespective of the judge’s opinion over the principle of law as was established in the earlier case. This application is based on the rule that decision of a higher court binds judges of lower courts (Robertson, 2010, p.18- 19). Persuasive precedents are however not strictly binding to a judge as the judge has the freedom to either apply the precedent or not. This means that unlike in the case of a binding precedent, application of a persuasive precedent is at the... Understanding the law The paper will explore concepts of the two legal applications. Judicial precedents Judicial precedents, as defined by Robertson, are a source of law that originates from the judicial system. The doctrine of precedents establishes former decisions by judges to form ground for decisions to be made by other judges in future cases. The doctrine is based on the principle that an established rule of law through decisions of judges should remain standing. Robertson argues that the doctrine establishes ground for â€Å"fairness and certainty of law†. The doctrine of judicial precedence is a deviation from the traditionally perceived judicial role of interpretation of the law for implementation. While the primary role of the judiciary is to determine the best meaning in application of law in litigations, the doctrine of judicial precedents offers the judiciary a law making authority. This is because judicial precedents are recognized source of law in which an already established decisi on is to be applied in future cases involving similar facts. Application of judicial precedents however relies on two principles, ratio decidendi and obiter dicta. While the jury limits the powers of the judge in determining the case, the judge ensures that jurors are properly selected to eliminate chances of bias. The above views are therefore completely justified within the concept of democracy, openness, and fairness of the jury process.

Individual income tax. USA Indiana state laws Research Paper

Individual income tax. USA Indiana state laws - Research Paper Example The taxpayer participates in racecar driving on mini circuit. The car is hers and she is her own mechanic. She lost money during the first two competition years. Taxpayers often receive gifts support the products of racing. The question is whether how the deductions will apply to the swimming pool, the gift, the office, the losses she experienced in racing. It also extends to the treatment that the taxation to the gifts which they receive. Summary of Issues The issue in this scenario is the application of taxation and deductions on incomes according to the Indiana taxation law. It seeks to identify the provision of the taxation law in determining what constitutes taxable income and valid deductions. This is in recognition of the fact that not all assets and incomes are taxable and not all expenses are considered as valid for deduction. The taxation law on income taxes in Indiana recognizes Taxable benefits as any income that is earned from professions or daily business occupation. Th is is an important information in the preparation of income tax returns. The incomes and benefits in this issue include: The salary of the taxpayer Gifts from Racing The issues or the items to be considered for deductions include: Loss of Money in competition Installation of Swimming Pool Repair of the Car Office Space Used For Work Summary of Conclusion Taxable income The salary of the Taxpayer The Federal Tax laws consider all salaries from employment are automatically valid for taxation. The second major form of income is from businesses or other professional occupations that earn regular income. Gifts from Racing The gifts from racing are a form of regular income that the taxpayer has to declare in the return and include in the taxable income. Taxation applies to the gift. The law states that any citizen, who earns money from lottery or gifts, will add them to the taxable income. The racing gift is therefore a taxable income in the Indiana tax return. The US Federal return refer s to them as other income. Deductions Loss of Money in competition According to the Law in Indians, any lost income will be considered as exemption from taxation, if indeed the government investigators have evidences that she lost the money. The investigation proceeds to confirm the status of the losses such that whenever the taxpayer recovers the lost funds, then she will have to include the lost money to the taxable income and pay the full tax. If the amount was a form of assistance or support for any issue, then it will be a legible deduction on the Indiana tax return. In the IT-40 Schedule for the Federal tax return, any form of state tax that is recovered has to be reported in a separate column. There is another column for the deduction recovery for every itemized deduction in IT-40PRN. You may be able to deduct up to $3,000 of the rent paid on your Indiana home. Installation of Swimming Pool The swimming pool was a necessity and the doctor recommended it. This is an added resp onsibility to support the life of the taxpayer. It has to be deducted from the income tax just like the long-term commitments such as insurance and mortgage. Repair of the Car Because the taxpayer repairs his own car, it does not affect the taxation scale. There is no financial implication or economic influence. Office Space Used For Work The use of office for work, the responsibility and the taxation fall on the taxpayer. She will also require to link with the employer and

Your pick of this week's news week 11 Assignment

Your pick of this week's news week 11 - Assignment Example However, the author gives us sufficient evidence to believe so. In a news conference organized by the FBI, an envoy from Poland, Caria Tomczykowska says, â€Å"Their financial value is modest, perhaps $12,000 each, but they are priceless emotionally†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ . A ceremony of restoration will also be held on June 16 and will be presided over by U.S. and Polish officials. The paintings are set to arrive at the museum on 17 April, 2014. The reportage is true. The author has provided enough evidence to prove the validity of the issue at hand. For instance, the events that have been laid down to commemorate the return of the paintings to the museum show that the reportage has nothing but facts. It is also worth noting that during a press conference on April 11, 2014 at the Philip Burton Federal Buildings, the paintings were presented for all to see. The author has a photograph of one of Weynerowska’s paintings known as â€Å"Umbrellas†. This article is hard news. The author does not give his opinions, but rather concentrates on the life of Weynerowska and how she became an artist. The information highlighted by the author is profound. This is a great article. Even though the author talks about the events that led to FBI locating the missing paintings, he also tells as of the events that are to come next. The author also gives us a sneak peak of Weynerowska’s life and how she became an artist. Egelko, Bob. FBI finds ‘priceless’ Polish art in Bay Area storage facility. Apr. 12, 2014. Web. Apr. 14, 2014.

Media Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Media Relations - Essay Example Banks have to target the young generation via such social sites. The success of any business lies under one core fundamental factor: being available where the target clients are. It has not been different for Barclays, which boasts of its great success and a huge number of clients in United Kingdom. The bank has been at the forefront in close relation with media, ensuring that it utilizes social media to reach out to its loyal customer base and tap its potential. Depending on its diverse departments, Barclays has a number of Twitter accounts all branded differently. They are quite active, with the most active being @ BarclaysFooty, an account linked to the sponsored Barclays Premier League. The site has over 159, 000 followers, which is a huge number for a bank twitter account. Most of the times, the posts are often related to football updates and other competitions with the intentions of targeting the football fans. Barclay’s wealth and investment team also have a twitter account labelled @Barclayswealth, which has over 73,000 followers. It does posts financial investment updates and other banking services offered. The customers’ service twitter account is nabbed @BarclaysOnline, having over 48,000 users. It does receive the highest number of interaction with its clients. Its website does grant its clients the link to accessing twitter. During its working hours, the twitter services and responses are quite fast and timely. All potential queries responses are dealt with from Monday to Friday, between 8am to 8pm. The clients have reported satisfaction with the social systems, with the support team responding to a good number of queries, an element that does improve their customer care and public relations with the clients (barclays.co.uk). With over half a million likes, Barclays Facebook wall has maintained a constant service to its clients, similarly to its Twitter account. It does engage its clients all through the whole day, answering all

Global Economic Changes Over the Next Decade Research Paper

Global Economic Changes Over the Next Decade - Research Paper Example However, the current global economic environment is likely to contribute to a severe crisis over the next decades. This is because of the disruptive financial market chaos, which is slowing economic growth in advanced economies. Many emerging economies have made efforts of providing global resilience measures but this has set an explosion of food and gasoline price crisis. The next generation is under threat because the emerging and advanced economies are unable to adjust the current crisis. The trends in the global business cycle such as the emergence of internal growth momentum, failure to adjust to the price shock for commodities and shift in the financial shock absorbers are likely to create global economic challenges in the future. Although the federal will employ policies for reducing global economic issues, climatic changes due to globalization and increased gasoline prices are likely to create the economic crisis in the future. The global economic environment is likely to exp erience varied changes that would take place over the next decade. First, new changes will occur because of the emergence of strong internal growth momentum in developing and emerging nations; thus providing the most trade shock-absorber across the globe. Many nations especially the emerging economies such as India, China, Malaysia and some Asian Pacific economies as well as developed economies are transforming the global business cycle dynamics. The global trade shock absorber will make the U.S downturn steeper due to the support offered in the export sector by many developing nations across the globe (Callioni, 2010). Therefore, the issue arises in case the emerging economies such as India and China sustain in the internal momentum over the decades. This may impact the emerging economies from achieving growth. This is because both financial and trade linkages continue to increase in the emerging economies as the emerging economies attempt to incorporate business activities in the global markets. Therefore, the emerging and developing nations are likely to become immune from of financial chaos in developed nations. The fiscal shock absorbers have made efforts of solving the economic challenges through employing new methods. For instance, the capital movements instead of trade have become the world’s driving force since the 19th century up to the present. The change is undeviating rather than being cyclical; thus, the link between the two is difficult to predict. The economists are unable to understand the cause of the capital movements and trade changes but the economic changes are clear. It may take some period before economists may accept the fundamental changes. However, the research indicates that the global economy is in control of the changes rather than the macroeconomics of a state through which economic theory focuses. Moreover, the primary products in the market have been changing and the price of commodities are likely to rise into higher pr ices for the next decades. For instance, the prices for energy sources have been one of the major problems across the globe. The price for gasoline keeps on changing; thus affecting other commodities in the market. Although the federal state has attempted to regulate the global energy crisis, still changes will take places; thus affecting the price of commodities. This will impact many developing and emerging economies from becoming developed.

Change for the better Essay Example for Free

Change for the better Essay Describe a situation in which critical and creative thought could have been used for a better outcome. Describe why it is important to think critically and creatively in similar situations. A situation that critical and creative thought could have been used for a better outcome is when buyers were making choices about buying real estate. There was a time back in 2006 thru 2007 that the real estate market was showing significant weakness where previously to that year it was thriving, but buyers were not thinking critically and creatively. Instead investors were being avaricious and they let their greedy ways of thinking make decisions for them. To make things poorer, lenders were very hostile in their lending procedures while nobody in the government was watching. Investors continue to buy properties at high prices. They were even paying over the listed prices for certain properties. Then there went it was ruined, and investors were trapped with nearly valueless properties. This is why and how thousands of properties started going into foreclosure. This was a hard lesson to learn but today the lending rules have changed thanks to a revamp of the lending practices. By thinking critically and creatively the government has constricted an improved unsupervised system. Define free will, truth, knowledge, and opinion. Explain how we use them to form thoughts. The moderate definition of free will is when people have choices when it comes to decisions like whether to attend an event or finish an assignment. Another example is getting up to go to work, although it may look uncontrollable, it really is a choice you make every day. For this reason, it is ironic that so much confusion exists about truth (Ruggiero, p. 27, 2009). Even otherwise intelligent people can be heard saying things such as â€Å"Everyone makes his or her own truth,† â€Å"One person’s truth is another person’s error,† â€Å"Truth is relative,† and â€Å"Truth is constantly changing† (Ruggiero, p. 27, 2009).All of these ideas undermine thinking (Ruggiero, p. 27, 2009). Knowledge can change as new information is becomes accessible. Ideas do not constitute knowledge unless they correspond to reality (Ruggiero, p.28, 2009). â€Å"Opinions are i ntensely personal, so it is understandable that people have strong feelings about theirs (Ruggiero, p. 34, 2009). But many people carry those feelings beyond the boundaries of good sense (Ruggiero, p. 34, 2009). They take the valid idea â€Å"Everyone has a right to his or her opinion† to the ridiculous extreme of â€Å"Everyone’s opinion is right† (Ruggiero, p. 34, 2009).

Benefits of Ontology in Social Science

Benefits of Ontology in Social Science What is ontology? Why is it important for the social scientist to know about it? Speaking out of modest personal experience as a political science graduate, the issue of ontology as well as epistemology (and the consequent choices social sciences scientists make) has been always in an arena of confusion for most social sciences graduates. Students, all over the world, feel alienated and often misguided regarding the nature of these terms and thus are often relatively late in determining their stands in this crucially important and inescapable subject. Furthermore, a simple investigation of typical course offerings of social sciences degrees around the globe exposes a general lack of methodology courses at the undergraduate level. This issue adds to the general confusion of students on the issue. Often, not until students move to postgraduate level when they are adequately trained in methodology of research and consecutively become able to develop understanding of ontology and epistemology. Furlong and Marsh (2002) explain the issue brilliantly when they say: â₠¬Å"At First these issues (ontological and epistemological positions) seem difficult but our major point is that they are not issues that can be avoided. They are like a skin not a sweater: they cannot be put on and taken off whenever the researcher sees fit.† (Furlong and Mars, 2002, p.17). In this essay, we try to provide a general overview of ontology and shed light on its importance. What is ontology? If one is to define Ontology in Social sciences, it is important to step back to the philosophical origin. In philosophy, ontology is widely defined as a major branch of metaphysics, the study of the nature of reality. Encyclopaedia Britannica (2009) defines Ontology as the â€Å"philosophical study of being† and what generally prescribes to reality. Aristotle first called ontology â€Å"first philosophy†, and later the Latin term â€Å"ontologia† appeared after being invented by the German philosopher Lorhardus. Furlong, and Marsh (2002) explain ontology a â€Å"theory for being†, in other terms the main question of whether exists a reality that is autonomous from our understanding. To elaborate this idea in social sciences context, they give the example of gender identity and John Grays book â€Å" Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus†. The book argues that men and woman are fundemantaly different from each other and asserts that if it would be better if both would recognize this difference. That argument subscribes to a foundationalist (essentialist) ontological stand. On the other hand Furlond and Marsh (2002) assert that feminists would fiercly attack such a view as they link differences between men and women are â€Å"socially constructed†. This stand asserts an anti-foundationalist (constructivist) ontological position. Foundationalism and anti-foundationalism represent the two main ontological positions taken by scientists, and to understand ontology one should explain those main ontological positions. Importance Epistemological consequences The debate of who comes first, and the importance of Ontology in social research: Needless to say, a social researchers ontology can be understood as their view of social world. This have a consequence on choosing the ways the researcher will do his research, the methods, used, and theories put forth. Nevertheless by saying this we avoid hinting that ontology precedes or follows epistemology, an issue of debate among social scientists. According to Bares and Jekins (2007) learning of ontology (and epistemology) helps â€Å"differentiate and choose between competing theories and analytical traditions† Additionally they assert that many introductory texts to Ontology and Epistemology seems to sponsor a directional relationship that asserts that ontology precedes epistemology in social research. In their opinion this hinders the learning process as discretely favours certain theoretical choices. They further assert that ontology (and epistemology) are important in ontology. (2009). In Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. Retrieved December 11, 2009, from Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/429409/ontology A Skin not a Sweater: Ontology and Epistemology in Political Science Furlong, Paul and Marsh, David (2002) A Skin not a Sweater: Ontology and Epistemology in Political Science. In: Theory and Methods in Political Science. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 17-41. ISBN 0-333-94856-4

Autarky and Economics Questions and Answers

Autarky and Economics Questions and Answers   Question 1 (a). Write down the problem of an agent that maximizes ex-ante utility in autarky. Find the conditions that characterise the allocation in autarky. Explain how the allocation changes with ÃŽ ². Autarky is a situation where no trading takes place between agents. Each agent needs to provide for his own needs in an autarky, ie he independently chooses the amount of I that he wants to invest in the long run technology. The issue of liquidity insurance arises here. Every agent wants to maximise his ex-ante utility but the problem is that at time t=0 he does not know about his type whether he wants to consume early at t=1 or late at t=2 resulting in asymmetric information. Hence, there is a risk that more than is optimal may be invested. The conditions that characterise the allocation in autarky are bounded by the constraints of C1 and C2. If agent decides to consume early, he will get savings (1-I) and liquidated investment (É ­I). C1 = 1 I + É ­I = 1 I (1-É ­) If agent decides to consume late, he will obtain savings (1-I) and returns from investment (RI). C2 = 1 I + RI = 1 + I(R-1) Agent will choose his consumer profile (C1, C2) that will maximise his ex-ante utility U based on the above constraints. However, the allocation is not efficient in autarky as shown in the next part of the question. Max U(C1,C2) = u(C1) + ÃŽ ²u(C2) = [1 I + É ­I]+ [1 I + RI]= 2+ É ­I + RI We set up the lagrangian method to explain the allocation changes in ÃŽ ² where the constraint in the below equation is the maximum utility. L = Ï€u(C1) + (1-Ï€)ÃŽ ²u(C2) + ÃŽ »[2+ É ­I + ÃŽ ²RI] = Ï€ + ÃŽ »Ãƒâ€°Ã‚ ­I = 0 = (1- Ï€)ÃŽ ² + ÃŽ »RI = 0 = 2+ É ­I + ÃŽ ²RI = 0 Complementary Slackness Condition: ÃŽ »*[2+ É ­I + ÃŽ ²RI] = 0 If values were given for the variables, we could even have solved and get the value of ÃŽ ². If a value close to zero is obtained for ÃŽ ², it means agent is impatient anda value close to one indicates that agent is patient. This argument is further supported by the marginal rate of substitution concept where = R. If ÃŽ ²=0, no returns obtained as the agent wants to consume immediately. If ÃŽ ²=1, returns will result for the patient agent. Hence, it shows that the discount factor ÃŽ ² will not change the basic results of the model. (b) Write down the conditions that characterise the Pareto-optimal allocation. Show that autarky is not efficient. Explain how the allocation changes with ÃŽ ². The conditions that characterise the allocation in autarky are bounded by the constraints of C1 and C2. Ï€1C1 = 1 I    => C1 = (1-Ï€)C2= RI  Ã‚   => C2 = The constraints can be combined in a single one. Ï€1C1 + (1-Ï€)= 1 The key result is that allocation is inefficient in autarky as shown below: Recall in autarky: C1 = 1 I + É ­I = 1 I (1-É ­)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   C2 = 1 I + RI = 1 + I(R-1) If C1 < 1 (unless I = 0) and C2 < R (unless I = 1), then combining these two facts we obtain Ï€1C1 + Ï€2 < 1 which states that efficiency is not reached. It is true as less money and fewer resources exist in an autarky than in Pareto optimal allocation as no trade occurs. Therefore, consumption level is lower in autarky. Max U(C1,C2) = u(C1) + ÃŽ ²u(C2) = + ÃŽ ² We set up the lagrangian method to explain the allocation changes in ÃŽ ² where the constraint in the below equation is the maximum utility. L = Ï€u(C1) + (1-Ï€)ÃŽ ²u(C2) + ÃŽ »[ + ÃŽ ² ] = Ï€ + ÃŽ »Ã‚   = 0 = (1- Ï€)ÃŽ ² + ÃŽ » ÃŽ ² = 0 = + ÃŽ ² = 0 Complementary Slackness Condition: ÃŽ »*[ + ÃŽ ² ] = 0 If values were given for the variables, we could even have solved and get the value of ÃŽ ². If a value close to zero is obtained for ÃŽ ², it means agent is impatient anda value close to one indicates that agent is patient. The argument of marginal rate of substitution is also applicable here where = R. If ÃŽ ²=0, no returns obtained as the agent wants to consume immediately. If ÃŽ ²=1, returns will result for the patient agent. Hence, it shows that the discount factor ÃŽ ² will not change the basic results of the model. (c) Assume the agents are now infinitely risk-averse. That is U(c1,c2) = min{c1,c2}. What is the Pareto-optimal allocation? Pareto optimal is an allocation of resources where it is impossible to distribute resources without making at least one consumer worst off. Pareto optimal is the best outcome that could result in an economy with trade taking place and thus there is higher consumption level. It is like a desired state where assets are increased for patient people and consumption is increased for impatient people. The Pareto optimal allocation for risk neutral agents satisfies the following first order condition: UÊ ¹(C1) / UÊ ¹(C2) = R which means that agents would like to equate the marginal rate of substitution between consumption levels at t=1 and t=2 with the returns on the long run technology. When U(c1,c2) = min[c1,c2], it shows agents attitude to risk aversion. The pareto optimal allocation for the risk averse agent is u(C1) + πΠ²u(C2G) + (1-Ï€)ÃŽ ²u(C2B) where the superscripts G and B denote good and bad state respectively. L = u(C1) + πΠ²u(C2G) + (1-Ï€)ÃŽ ²u(C2B) + ÃŽ »[u(C1)] The concaved utility function states that agents prefer to consume more to less and shows how consumption is smoothed out over time and across states in the future. The agent is risk averse in the sense that he does not want consumption in the bad state at t=2 to be too much different from consumption at t=1. Question 2 (a) Write down the incentive constraint of the bank. How does collateral aà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ect the repayment R the bank can promise? Banks, regarded as information sharing coalitions, can easily overcome the problem of asymmetric information of investors. It is assumed that banks will use the signaling tool to invest in high quality projects which will benefit the investors. Banks are expected to behave in such a way that will maximise investors interest. The firm chooses the good project if pH(y-Ru-Rm) > pL(y-Ru-Rm) + b  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   =>   Ru + Rm < y- The bank must also be encouraged to monitor the project: pHRm C > pLRm  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   =>  Ã‚   Rm > The bank will borrow only least possible amount from banks as bank finance is more expensive than direct finance. Im = Im (ÃŽ ²) ≠¡ =    where ÃŽ ² denotes expected rate of return. The bank will collect get the remaining finance Iu =    from uninformed investors. Hence, the banks incentive constraint binds. Using the incentive constraints we have: Ru < y- which states: Iu < [y ]   indicating that the project will only be financed if: A + Iu + Im > 1  Ã‚   =>   A > (ÃŽ ²,r) ≠¡ 1 Im(ÃŽ ²) [y ] Other constraints would include a lack of monitoring from the bank giving rise to the probability of non-monitoring pL and the inability to dispose the collateral, ie if the collateral appreciates, the bank will not be able to sell it until loan to investors has been repaid. The collateral, usually in the form of assets, plays the role of a guarantee that banks give to investors as a security in case of failure of the project. Collateral is also seen as an alternative to monitoring as it saves efforts and reduces the risk of the bank. à Ã‚ µ ∈ (0,1) can be interpreted as if K is close to one, bank will be able to refund the money to investors whereas if K is close to zero, bank will be unable to repay back the loan. A better collateral equals better chance of getting money back as the bank will prefer to behave or else it will lose the collateral. If the project is successful with expected probability p, the bank will gain returns X which will be used to refund the loan to investors and claim back the collateral. The higher the returns from the project, the bank will be able to distribute partly between the investors and keep partly as its own profits. In case of failure of the project, the bank will obtain zero returns and is then unable to repay R to the investors. The latter will seize the collateral and will liquidate it to gain maximum money from it as refund of their investment in the unsuccessful project. (b) Suppose investors have all the bargaining power. Write down their objective, find the optimal contract and their equilibrium profits. If investors have all the bargaining power, they will be able to influence the project financing process significantly and dictate their terms. The objective of investors is to obtain maximum returns X from the project. They will want to have full details about the project to ensure that the bank is choosing a high quality project (ÃŽ ¸) rather than making an adverse selection. Investors delegate the monitoring of the project to the bank as the latter has comparative advantage in monitoring activities hence monitoring costs will be reduced. Investors will use monitoring and auditing as tools to be free from asymmetric information and to improve efficiency. They will expect close monitoring and continuous feedback on the project from the bank. The optimal contract for investors will be where lending will be most profitable and the below equation is taken from the Diamond Model (1984): E[y] > 1 + r + C = E[y] > 1 + 1 + C = E[y] > 2+ C where E[y] = Returns from investment r = risk free rate, equal to 1 in the question C = monitoring costs The optimal contract is bounded by the break-even constraint of uninformed investors implying an upper bound on Iu: pHRu > (1 + r)  Ã‚   =>  Ã‚   Iu < < [y ] Equilibrium profits of the investors will be at a feasible break-even point, usually where demand equals to supply: A + Iu + Im > 1  Ã‚   =>   A > (ÃŽ ²,r) ≠¡ 1 Im(ÃŽ ²) [y ] (c) For which value of K can the bank borrow and invest? The value of the collateral must be either equal or slightly higher than the investment in project (I) and monitoring costs (C) to encourage investors to finance the project as a lower value of the collateral will not attract them. K = I + C  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   or  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   K > I + C Ideally if K > I + C, this will attract more investors to finance the project and in turn banks will be able to borrow from them and invest in the project. Question 3 (a) If A ≠¥ A3, the firm issues high-quality public debt (public debt that has a high probability of being re-paid) We will discuss circumstances when the entrepreneur can issue high quality public debt: Well-capitalised firms [A > ] can issue direct debt as they possess high capital. Low credit risk High quality public debt refers that the entrepreneur is likely to meet payment obligations. This type of public debt is an attractive investment vehicle as it has a low risk of default. High dilution costs Good reputed firms can issue direct debt only if Ï€s >    where Ï€s is the probability of repayment at t=2, conditionally on success at t=0 and given all firms are monitored at t=0. It is assumed that monitoring cost c is small such that    in the credit market at equilibrium. The entrepreneur has incentive to issue high quality public debt at a rate of    when as the latter equation means high probability of success. The economic interpretation is when project is successful, returns (R) are obtained. The entrepreneur cannot ask for more than R as the firm will also keep some profits for itself. Every party in the transaction is happy and is in equilibrium when a good project is undertaken. (b) If A3 > A ≠¥ A2, the firm borrows from a monitor (and from uninformed investors) We will analyse circumstances when the firm borrows from a monitor and uninformed investors: Firms with medium capital [(ÃŽ ²,r) < A < ] borrow from banks. Firms borrow from banks when they suffer from high credit risk and high dilution costs because banks can provide efficient renegotiation in case of default and can limit dilution costs though there will be an intermediation cost involved. Uninformed investors are ready to invest Iu in exchange of return Ru upon successful project. Firms must be encouraged to choose good project pH(y Ru) > pL (y- Ru) + B  Ã‚   Ru < y When the firm falls short of capital to issue a direct debt, it can borrow Im from banks (with return Rm if project succeeds) and Iu from uninformed investors (with return Ru if project succeeds). The firm chooses the good project if pH(y-Ru-Rm) > pL(y-Ru-Rm) + b  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   =>   Ru + Rm < y- The bank must also be encouraged to monitor the project: pHRm C > pLRm  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   =>  Ã‚   Rm > The bank will borrow only least possible amount from banks as bank finance is more expensive than direct finance. Im = Im (ÃŽ ²) ≠¡ =    where ÃŽ ² denotes expected rate of return. The bank will collect get the remaining finance Iu = from uninformed investors Hence, the banks incentive constraint binds. Two conditions are necessary for bank lending to be in equilibrium in credit market: (i) Monitoring cost must be less than the returns of the good project pH G 1 > c (ii) Direct lending which is cheaper must be impossible. pHRc < 1 Firm should borrow from a monitor (for example a bank) and from uninformed investors at intermediate probability of success when pH ] at a rate of R = . (c) If A2 > A ≠¥ A1, the firm issues junk bonds (public debt that has a low probability of success) We will discuss circumstances when the firm issues junk bonds: It is possible that firms with medium capital [(ÃŽ ²,r) < A < ] issue junk bonds. High credit risk- Junk bonds refer to bonds with low credit quality and high default risk. They are attractive to risk seeker investors due to their high yielding returns. Low dilution costs as it limits exposure to bad firms but involves inefficient bankruptcy costs for good firms. The zero profit condition for investors is: 1 = pR + (1- p) A This nominal return R is feasible (R < y) if py + (1- p) A > 1 and the expected profit of good firms is then: Ï€B = p (y- R)+ py By substituting R, we will obtain: Ï€B = 2py 1 + (1- p) A When the monitoring element c is added, the monitor can reduce the entrepreneurs private benefit of misbehaving from B to b. pH > c >(pH −pL) R−pH If R > Rc, the firm will issue junk bonds with low probability of success. This states that the firm is indebted and have too much risk associated with it. The economic interpretation out of it is that the entrepreneur will ask for higher returns but the firm will not afford to provide it. This will lead the entrepreneur to choose the bad project and disequilibrium occurs. Hence, such a combination is not feasible because the maximum repayment is K. (d) If A1 > A, the firm does not invest We will analyse circumstances when the firm cannot invest: Firms with low capital [A < (ÃŽ ²,r)] can neither invest nor borrow. Venture capitalists are the only solution for such firms. When monitoring costs are added, if pH <    it means there is a small probability of success. The equilibrium consists of no trade taking place and the credit market collapses because good projects cannot be funded and bad projects have a negative net present value. Hence, the firm should not invest as there is no trade equilibrium. References Frexias X. and Rochet J-C., (2006) Microeconomics of Banking, 2nd Edition

Gender Inequality and the Human Future :: Equality Feminist Feminism Essays

Gender Inequality and the Human Future On Tuesday March 26th, Allan Johnson gave a lecture, "Unraveling the Gender Knot: Communities, Nature, and the Human Future." Johnson describes himself as being neither pessimistic or optimistic on the subject of the human future on the earth. He mentioned a quote, "We are of no more value than the simplest bacteria" and said that other species will not miss us when and if we’re gone. He attributes this to the general human disregard for the environment. This disregard has some relationship to gender inequality which stems from the patriarchal qualities of our society, since nature is viewed as feminine and as something that men can control. Johnson says that there are four characteristics of patriarchy that are embedded in the social fabric of our society as well as in that of many other societies. The first characteristic is that there is a male dominated social system. This does not mean that all men are powerful or that all women are powerless but rather that where someone has power it tends to be a male. The second characteristic of patriarchy is that such a society is organized around an obsession for control, which is used to elevate men. Johnson mentioned a belief that was widespread during the 19th century even throughout prestigious colleges. This belief was that women should not attend college because doing so would result in the diversion of blood from uterine function and cause them to run a muck. The third characteristic is that patriarchies are male identified. This means that male experience is taken as the experience for human beings. Some examples of this that Johnson mentioned are the word mankind and the use of the word guys when referring to a group that includes women. Members of many societies prefer to have male children, mostly for economic reasons. In India, amniocentesis is used to select males, since they have greater earning potential and do not result in the paying of a dowry. In China, there are "millions of missing girls in the age pyramid." Although male preference isn’t as extreme in the United States, it does exist. This is demonstrated by what Johnson mentioned about unmarried couples being twice as likely to keep a baby if it is a male. The fourth characteristic of patriarchies is that they are male centered which is evident from the movies that Hollywood produces. Johnson says that "the path of least resistance is to pay attention to what males do. Gender Inequality and the Human Future :: Equality Feminist Feminism Essays Gender Inequality and the Human Future On Tuesday March 26th, Allan Johnson gave a lecture, "Unraveling the Gender Knot: Communities, Nature, and the Human Future." Johnson describes himself as being neither pessimistic or optimistic on the subject of the human future on the earth. He mentioned a quote, "We are of no more value than the simplest bacteria" and said that other species will not miss us when and if we’re gone. He attributes this to the general human disregard for the environment. This disregard has some relationship to gender inequality which stems from the patriarchal qualities of our society, since nature is viewed as feminine and as something that men can control. Johnson says that there are four characteristics of patriarchy that are embedded in the social fabric of our society as well as in that of many other societies. The first characteristic is that there is a male dominated social system. This does not mean that all men are powerful or that all women are powerless but rather that where someone has power it tends to be a male. The second characteristic of patriarchy is that such a society is organized around an obsession for control, which is used to elevate men. Johnson mentioned a belief that was widespread during the 19th century even throughout prestigious colleges. This belief was that women should not attend college because doing so would result in the diversion of blood from uterine function and cause them to run a muck. The third characteristic is that patriarchies are male identified. This means that male experience is taken as the experience for human beings. Some examples of this that Johnson mentioned are the word mankind and the use of the word guys when referring to a group that includes women. Members of many societies prefer to have male children, mostly for economic reasons. In India, amniocentesis is used to select males, since they have greater earning potential and do not result in the paying of a dowry. In China, there are "millions of missing girls in the age pyramid." Although male preference isn’t as extreme in the United States, it does exist. This is demonstrated by what Johnson mentioned about unmarried couples being twice as likely to keep a baby if it is a male. The fourth characteristic of patriarchies is that they are male centered which is evident from the movies that Hollywood produces. Johnson says that "the path of least resistance is to pay attention to what males do.

Gender and Equality in the Workforce in the USSR Essay -- Equality Emp

Gender and Equality in the Workforce in the USSR For every person, different reasons exist to go out and seek employment. These reasons, however, stem from the type of government that people are ruled by. In Russia, during the period that will be discussed, a Socialist government ruled the USSR. It was under this government, that everyone was to have a job and unemployment was to be kept at a minimum. During this socialist regime, the attitudes to working will be taken from the perspectives of three related women. The first woman, Mela Krul, was born in 1932 and is the mother of Alla Veitsman and Helen Krul Zlatkin. Alla Veitsman is the oldest sister and was born in 1954. Although her work experience under the socialist government is brief, it shows signs of the progress that women made during the middle to late 1900s. Helen Zlatkin, born in 1962, had no work experience in the former USSR, but her personal account demonstrates the types of choices that women made in order to have both family and work. Mela Krul was the only one who had extensive work experience in the USSR, but she was able to see the changes and progress that women underwent through the daily activities and choices that both of her daughters made. As these three women came to the United States of America, along with their families, they faced a democratic government where employment was not guaranteed and women did have to face the hardships of unemployment, and more importantly, inequality. It would be the values and traditions that both Alla and Helen believed in that allowed them to be successful and relatively unaffected by inequality. In the time period that the three women lived in the USSR, society was ruled by socialism (communists did exist, but were not the majority). Under this theory of government, everyone worked; it was believed to be a disgrace if a person simply sat at home and did not participate in the labor force. The goal was to have every citizen in the USSR working; there was little focus on quality or productivity, "Early Soviet policies rested on the assumption that genuine equality and independence for women depended on full economics participation." (Lapidus 168) People were encouraged to work, not to meet their potential in the workplace. In order to receive their monthly pay in rubles, the workers had a quota to meet. The workers rarely met this quota --... ...to a certain age group desire these things -- but she did not take into account immigrants. No matter when a certain immigrant woman is born, once she has arrived into the United States she wants a job and a family -- a career comes later. For an immigrant woman, it is never a question between a family or a job, you have both -- you must have a job to keep the family healthy and in need of nothing. For an immigrant woman coming from a socialist government where benefits were nonexistent, jobs in America that do offer benefits do not advocate inequality, but advocate progress and an opportunity to support one's family by fully participating in the labor market. Immigrant families never lose sight of the importance of family and the support that they can offer you. Society is constantly changing and new and better things are always improving, but the help of one's family members can never be overlooked -- some traditions promote modernization and progress. The authors of the econom ic models discussed try to fit people into categories without taking into account very important exceptions -- personal values will never fit into categories and will always promote equality and progress.

Book Review of The Face of Battle by John Keegan Essay -- essays resea

THE FACE OF BATTLE John Keegan, the author of â€Å"The Face of Battle† is allowing the reader to view different perspective of history, from the eyes of the soldier. Although by his own account, Keegan acknowledges, â€Å"I have never been in a battle. And I grow increasingly convinced that I have very little idea of what a battle can be like.† Keegan scorns historians for pointing the finger of failure after an evolution occurs and not examining the soldier’s point of view while the battle is transpiring. Keegan chooses the three well documented campaigns of Agincourt in 1415, Waterloo in 1815, and Somme in 1916 to answer the question of his thesis: To find out how men who are faced with the threat of single-missile and multiple-missile weapons control their fears, fix their wounds, and face their death. In his words he is seeking â€Å"to catch a glimpse of the face of battle.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first chapter of his book titled â€Å"Old, Unhappy, Far-off Things† gives Keegan’s recognition to the fact that historians do not focus enough on actual soldiers. To explain this further, what Keegan is saying is that a historian puts things in a pack of sequential dates and times; but to the soldier, these things happen very rapidly and many times without planning. Keegan continues on to make note that when a historian puts together the pain-staking task of compilation of facts, the information is put down on paper as the writer’s view of how the facts unfolded and not from the soldier’s perspective. ..

Light And Darkness Essay

As the sun rises, birds begin to sing the joy of light and as the day ends, the birds fly back into the darkness of night. The darkness of our lives is often transformed by the delusion of light. In James Baldwin’s essay, â€Å"Sonny’s Blues,† the title itself sets up an irony that is explored throughout. The name â€Å"Sonny,† when read, sounds like â€Å"Sunny,† meaning brightness, light and hope. The word â€Å"Blues† presents the reader images of night, darkness and sadness. The darkness represents the reality of life on the streets of Harlem, a community living in an environment where there is no escape from the reality of drugs and crime. The dreadful nature of the streets lures adolescents to use drugs as a means of escaping the darkness of their lives. The main character, Sonny, a struggling Jazz musician, finds himself addicted to heroin as a way of unleashing creativity and artistic ability within him. Using music as a means of crea ting structure in his life, Sonny attempts to step into the light, a life without drugs. Coping with the light and darkness of siblings can be one of life’s most exhausting challenges as they grow-up and struggle to form their own identities. The different images of light and darkness serve as the abstract framework for Baldwin’s essay. This imagery is first viewed when the narrator, Sonny’s older brother, thinks about Sonny’s fate in the dark subway. â€Å"I stared at it in the swinging light of the subway car, and in the faces and bodies of the people, and in my own face, trapped in the darkness which roared outside†(270). The â€Å"swinging lights of the subway car† allows him to read about Sonny’s arrest, while the â€Å"darkness roared outside.† This allows the narrator to realize that he has to find a way to absorb and live with this new understanding of Sonny as an addict and as a blues musician. The darkness is the representation of the community of Harlem, where like the passengers on the subway, the community is trapped in their surroundings by economic, social, or physical barriers. The dreadful life of darkness has overwhelmed everyone and everything living in Harlem. The narrator, an algebra teacher, is fearful for his students who are falling into a life of crime and drugs. The harsh realties of the street have abandoned the light from the faces of his brother and his students. â€Å"These boys, now, were living as we’d been living then, they were growing up  with a rush and their heads bumped abruptly against the low ceiling of their actual possibilities. They were filled with rage. All they really knew were two dark nesses, the darkness of their lives, which was now closing in on them, and the darkness of the movies, which had blinded them to that other darkness, and in which they now, vindictively, dreamed, at once more together than they were at any other time, and more alone†(271). This illustrates how darkness has engulfed the lives of the children without them realizing it. In addition, the misdirection of the movies has kept these boys from achieving and doing anything with their lives. The community of Harlem, filled with disaster, is following the dull path of previous generations. As Sonny and his brother return to the streets of their youth, they recognize the similarities between their childhood and the lives of the children who are growing up in the hostile community of Harlem. The vivid description by the narrator describes how over the course of time the neighborhood has not changed for the better, yet for the worse. He describes how â€Å"most of the houses in which we had grown up had vanished, as had the stores from which we had stolen, the basements in which we had first tried sex, the rooftops from which we had hurled tin cans and bricks. But houses exactly like the houses of our past yet dominated by landscape, boys exactly like the boys we once had been found themselves smothering in these houses, came down into the streets for light and air and found themselves encircled by disaster†(275). This shows how the children, seeking to escape from the darkness of their houses, fled into the streets for refuge. However, the children only found more darkness creeping around in their community. Darkness can be fearful and soothing. â€Å"The night is creeping up outside, but nobody knows it yet. You can see the darkness growing against the windowpanes and you hear the street noises every now and again but it’s real quiet in the room. For a moment nobody’s talking, but every face looks darkening, like the sky outside. Everyone is looking at something a child can’t see. For a minute they’ve forgotten the children. Maybe somebody got a kid in his lap and is absent-mindedly stroking the kid’s hair. The silence, the darkness coming, and the darkness in the faces frighten the child  obscurely. He hopes that the hand which strokes his forehead will never stop-will never die. But something deep and watchful in the child knows that this is bound to end, is already ending. And when the light fills the room, the child is filled with darkness. The darkness outside is what the old folks have been talking about. It’s what they’ve come from. It’s what they endure. The child knows that they won’t talk any more because he knows too much about what’s happened to them, he’ll know too much too soon, about what’s going to happen to him† (277). The light is a consciousness of the dark and reality. With the light comes the understanding of the world for the child lying in his mother’s lap. Although the child may want to learn the truth, by doing so he exposes himself to the world and looses part of his innocence and childhood. Therefore, the child may wish to remain in darkness. The images of light and darkness, which serve as truth and reality, are used to show the struggle between Sonny and the narrator. The narrator recalls a story his mother once told him about an uncle whom a car of drunken white men killed. The narrator’s father â€Å"never in his life seen anything as dark as that road after the lights of that car had gone away†(279). The narrator’s father so depressed by the incident that he â€Å"never did get right again. Till the day he died he weren’t sure but that every white man he saw was the man that killed his brother†(279). The story serves as a lesson for the narrator to â€Å"hold on to your brother and don’t let him fall, no matter what it looks like is happening to him and no matter how evil you gets with him† (279). In the story, this significant event alters the narrator’s responsibilities as an older brother. With this new responsibility comes the burden of raising his younger b rother, Sonny. However, when the narrator confronts Sonny to discuss his future, he refuses to accept his brother’s goal of becoming a jazz musician. After going through many hardship and pain, the narrator eventually realizes that â€Å"Sonny was at that piano playing for his life†(283). The narrator accepts Sonny’s life as a musician when he accompanies him to a nightclub in order to hear him perform. Within the nightclub, there is a struggle between light and darkness. As Sonny and the rest of his quartet wait to go on  stage, his brother notices that â€Å"the light from the bandstand spilled just a little short of them and, watching them laughing and gesturing and moving about, I had the feeling that they, nevertheless, were being most careful not to step into the circle of light too suddenly; that if they moved into the light too suddenly, without thinking, they would perish in flame†(290). This indicates that, to embrace the truth and gain awareness too fast is painful and devastating. As Sonny plays the piano, the older leader of the band, Creole, leads him into the light, into the water. â€Å"He w anted Sonny to leave the shoreline and strike out for deep water. He was Sonny’s witness that deep water and drowning were not the same thing-he had been there, and he knew. And while Creole listened, Sonny moved, deep within, exactly like someone in torment. Creole wasn’t trying any longer to get Sonny in the water. He was wishing him Godspeed† (291-292). Creole is helping Sonny to unleash his artistic ability not through drugs, but through the emotion of pain and suffering. Music is a way of creating order in a disordered world and the narrator sees that musicians are trying to â€Å"find new ways to make us listen. For, while the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph is never new, it always must be heard. There isn’t any other tale to tell, it’s the only light we’ve got in all this darkness† (291). The daily struggles of life are all the same for everyone, yet the manner in which it is confronted and dealt with is different. Within this consciousness of reality, there is peace and hope that makes the darkness and life worth living. The two brothers, the narrator and Sonny, deal with the harsh realities of their daily lives and are surrounded by a world full of shadows and light. Together they face the inescapable and all encompassing darkness that had plagued their lives. Using music as a form of communication, the brothers are able to overcome their differences and create order in their disordered life. The painful realization of the truth has enabled them to redirect their lives and rebuild on a relationship tarnished by drugs and poverty.

Challenges Facing International Hr

60 HR Predictions for 2008 By Floyd Kemske The top 10 predictions in Workplace Flexibility, Global Business, Work and Society, Workforce Development, Definition of Jobs, and Strategic Role of HR. Workplace Flexibility Collaborative cultures will be the workplace model. Creative employment contracts will support more time off, flexibility in hours and work location, technological job aids and more pay at risk with significant upside potential. Company intranets will become a major tool for communication, training and benefits administration; HR will play a leading role in developing this important tool. Intelligence through knowledge transfer capability will separate the best employees from the rest. Employees will have more and more choices about work arrangements, allowing them to meet their individual needs. Work hours scheduling will become less important as organizations focus on performance and results. Company facilities will become â€Å"virtual† through work-at-home, telecommuting and outsourcing. The workweek will be less structured—employees will still work 40-plus hours, but at varied times and places other than the office. Legislation will lead to greater portability of health, welfare and retirement benefits. Free-lance teams of generic problem solvers will market themselves as alternatives to permanent workers or individual temps. Global Business The role of corporate HR will change to that of creator of overall values and direction, and will be implemented by local HR departments in different countries. Technology, especially the Internet, will enable more businesses to enter the global marketplace. HR professionals will have advanced acumen in international business practices, international labor laws, multicultural sensitivities and multiple languages. HR professionals will need to be knowledgeable of ther cultures, languages and business practices to help their companies find and enter more markets. HR people will have to understand other cultures and help people work with, and transfer among, various cultures. Megaglobal business alliances will grow in number and scope, requiring great finesse on the part of the HR professional. There will be an explosive growth of companies doing b usiness across borders, and it will be the most significant change for the economy in modern times. Cultural understanding and sensitivity will become much more important for the HR professional of the future, whereas multiple language ability isn’t going o become a necessary competency. The continued emergence of a world marketplace will require development of an international workforce. Small teams of HR professionals will focus on providing performance improvement consulting services to a variety of locations around the world. Work and Society Family and life interests will play a more prevalent role in people’s lives and a greater factor in people’s choices about work—there will be more of a â€Å"work to live† than a â€Å"live to work† mentality. Employees will demand increases in workplace flexibility to pursue life interests. Dual-career couples will refuse to make the sacrifices equired today in their family lives and more people (n ot just women) will opt out of traditional careers. Families will return to the center of society; work will serve as a source of cultural connections and peripheral friendships. Workers will continue to struggle with their need for work/ life balance, and it will get worse. Integration of work with quality-of-life initiatives will create solutions to problems formerly seen as the responsibility of government. Community involvement and social responsibility will become part of an organization’s business vision. â€Å"Cocooning† will become more popular as workers look o their homes for refuge from the pressures of a more competitive workplace and depersonalized society. Just as defined-contribution plans have begun to take over from Social Security, companies will take on responsibility for elder care, long-term care and other social needs through cafeteria-style benefits programs. Those people who refuse or are unable to adapt to new technologies will find theyâ€℠¢re working harder and accomplishing less. Workforce Development Lifelong learning will be a requirement. The focus of training/learning activities will be on performance improvement and not just on skill uilding. Employees with varied skills and competencies will be valued more highly than those with a depth of expertise in a single area. Problem solving and decision making will become a required curriculum with practical work problems as the training medium. Training will be delivered â€Å"just in time,† wherever people need it, using a variety of technologies. Companies will demand constant personal growth, and employees will respond positively to higher expectations. It will not be possible to survive in the workplace without basic computer skills. People who can learn new skills/competencies quickly ill be highly valued in a faster changing world. Team projects and special assignments will be a major factor in personal development. As the computer-savvy generation is mo re assimilated into the workforce, employees will become much more productive in complex tasks and less dependent on other people and departments. Definition of Jobs Organizations won’t pay for the value of the job but for the value of the person. Versatility will be the key factor in determining employee value with strategic thinking, leadership, problem solving, technology and people skills close behind. Compensation systems will be linked to business utcomes. All jobs will require higher levels of computer skills. Positions will be organized in teams focused on a task, not organized around a hierarchy. Positions will be defined by the competencies needed to be performed. Employees will be more independent, moving from project to project within their organizations. Many jobs will be redesigned to be much broader in scope, especially in management positions, resulting in leaner head counts. Employees will be increasingly measured by how much value they contribute to the busi ness, not by whether they fulfilled predetermined objectives. Work will be more challenging, and jobs will become increasingly complex. Strategic Role of HR Successful HR departments will focus on organizational performance. HR’s value will be to have the right people ready at the right time: recruiting leaders to join the company’s mix of talent and keeping the â€Å"bench† full of enabled, competent workers. The focus of the HR function will be human capital development and organizational productivity; HR may be renamed to reflect this. HR will evolve from strategic business partnership to strategic business leadership (driving change and results, not just monitoring them). A key HR role in the future will be multidisciplinary consulting around individual, team, business unit and corporate performance. Managers will grow to depend more and more on HR professionals as they realize that good people management can be the strategic advantage in the next decade. Leading change will become HR’s greatest contribution to the corporation. More and more businesses will use HR as a strategic partner. HR will have a â€Å"seat at the table† as part of the top management team and report directly to the CEO in most companies. A key HR role will be managing increasingly scarce human and intellectual capital

Political Theory: Comparing Locke, Rousseau and Plato

Locke: What is the purpose of politics – we could live in the state of nature, we don’t need contract or soverign – life, liberty and property State of nature: men live according to reason and governed by reason – man exists in the state of nature in perfect freedom to do as they want, a state of perfect freedom – not necessarily good or bad, bit is calm and peaceful – men give up some of their freedom to secure the advantages of civilized socity men have the right to protect their freedom (killing if necessary) – bound by the laws of nature – contrast with hobbes: everyone has the right over everything, there exist no private property – Liberty to do as he will, but not harm others Purpose of government: – to secure the natural rights of property rights and liberty – we need law enforcers (soverign), we give power to one person and in doing so this creates a government Private Property: – one establi shed once you mix your labor with good most important because we must create a state because of the scarcity of resource (prisoners dilemma) and the innovation of money – mandatory to own property while living in commonwealth, can mix labour with other peoples resource (compensated) Representation: – ensures the government represents the people – safeguard against oppression – disapproval of absolute monarchies; they are arbitary and represent interest of one – governement must always be for the people 1. government must be desgined to protect the people from the gov . natural rights must be secured Rousseau: – mans main drive is self preservation, but thinks that hobbes and locke overestimated the likelihood of the state of war – men are inherintely good State of Nature: – gives life to general will, so all can live well – men are free and equal, seen as nobel savages, only concerned with immediate needs (hunger, sex, f ear, death) – savages are motivated by self preservation and pity, men are naturally good and don’t want to hurt each other, doesn’t want the state of war believes civilization is what corrupted him, save man is not concerned with materialistic values Morality: differs from locke – in the state of nature there is no reason for law, right or morality because we tend to avoid harming each other because of our natural aversion to pain and suffereing Social Contract: – must have a group that mediates the people and government – we must force people to be free and force people to follow the sovereign Property rights: must mix labor, cannot have more than others because this is a source of inequality – materialistic thinks are making us morally worse – everything that comes from nature is good, everything from society is bad – a source of inequality; creates dependence and jealousy Purpose of government: – to bring the people in harmony – to unite them under the general will representation: – citizens cannot give away their civil duties, they must participate in politics, because the direct democracy must represent the general will Rousseau-Social Contract †¢ The problems of inequality, amor proper, problem of general discontent †¢ Answer to the problem of natural freedom. †¢ Nature provides no standards for determining who should rule †¢ Man is not a political animal, the general will is the foundation of all legitimate authority †¢ All standards of justice and right have the origin in the unique human property of the will or free agency †¢ Liberation of the will from the usual sources that is the true center of gravity of Roussau’s philosophy. †¢ Primacy of the will Given rousseau’s libertarian conception of human nature. †¢ The fundamental problem is how to find a form of association that defends and protects with all the commo n force the person and goods of each associate and by means which each individual uniting with all obeys only himself and remains free. †¢ First part says that the aim of the contract is to protect and defend the common goods of each member. Consistent with Locke’s claims that the purpose of society is protect the security of each members. Rousseau adds a second and more disctinctly original claim. The contract must ensure the conditions for mutual protection, but also in uniting with one another each person obeys only himself and remains as free as he was before. †¢ Isn’t the essence of the social contract giving up part of our natural freedom? †¢ How can we remain as free. †¢ Total alienation of each associate together with all of his rights to the entire community †¢ Total alienation, entire community. †¢ To ensure the terms of the agreements, persons must totally give themselves up for the social contract. †¢ When we alienate ours elves, this must be given to the entire community.This is to ensure that the general will works. †¢ General will is only legitimate sovereign. The famous doctrine of the sovereignty of the people †¢ When we give ourselves over to it, we do nothing more than obey ourselves. Sovereign is not third party, it is simply the people as a whole acting in their collective capacity. †¢ How do we remain as free as we were before? †¢ Formula for freedom or tyranny of the majority? †¢ Only through total alienation do we remain free, because nobody is dependent on the will of another.The new kind of sovereign is the general will, which is the general interest or rational will of the community. Since we all contribute to the shaping of this general will, we do nothing but obey ourselves when we subscribe to this general will. †¢ Not the freedom of the state of nature, but it is a new kind of freedom that he calls â€Å"moral freedom†. †¢ The passage from t he state of nature to the civil state produces a remarkable change in man. Gives our actions a moral quality that they previously lacked. What man loses is his natural liberty, but he gains civil liberty. But, to the proceedings acquisitions or civil liberty, we add moral liberty which makes man truly the master of himself. Obedience that one has prescribed for oneself is freedom, moral liberty. †¢ The moral and political implications are massive. †¢ For Hobbes and Locke: liberty is the sphere of human conduct that is unregulated by the law. Where the law is silent, the citizen is free to do whatever it is he chooses to do. †¢ For Rousseau, law is the very beginning of our freedom, but we are free to the extent that we are participants in the laws that we in turn obey.Freedom means acting in conformity to self-imposed law. †¢ A difference between two very different conceptions of liberty: Liberal vs. Republican †¢ Rousseau makes heroic and unreasonable assum ptions about human nature. Why would we like to get together and engage in debate about political matters. †¢ Human nature and our capacity to engage in debate. Unless everyone is engaged in the process of legislation, there is no way to know that the laws are really an expression of my will. You will find yourselves dependent on the will of others.Freedom from dependence. – The problems of inequality, amor proper, problem of general discontent †¢ Answer to the problem of natural freedom. †¢ Nature provides no standards for determining who should rule †¢ Man is not a political animal, the general will is the foundation of all legitimate authority †¢ All standards of justice and right have the origin in the unique human property of the will or free agency †¢ Liberation of the will from the usual sources that is the true center of gravity of Roussau’s philosophy. †¢ Primacy of the will Given rousseau’s libertarian conception of h uman nature. †¢ The fundamental problem is how to find a form of association that defends and protects with all the common force the person and goods of each associate and by means which each individual uniting with all obeys only himself and remains free. †¢ First part says that the aim of the contract is to protect and defend the common goods of each member. Consistent with Locke’s claims that the purpose of society is protect the security of each members. Rousseau adds a second and more disctinctly original claim. The contract must ensure the conditions for mutual protection, but also in uniting with one another each person obeys only himself and remains as free as he was before. †¢ Isn’t the essence of the social contract giving up part of our natural freedom? †¢ How can we remain as free. †¢ Total alienation of each associate together with all of his rights to the entire community †¢ Total alienation, entire community. †¢ To ensu re the terms of the agreements, persons must totally give themselves up for the social contract. †¢ When we alienate ourselves, this must be given to the entire community.This is to ensure that the general will works. †¢ General will is only legitimate sovereign. The famous doctrine of the sovereignty of the people †¢ When we give ourselves over to it, we do nothing more than obey ourselves. Sovereign is not third party, it is simply the people as a whole acting in their collective capacity. †¢ How do we remain as free as we were before? †¢ Formula for freedom or tyranny of the majority? †¢ Only through total alienation do we remain free, because nobody is dependent on the will of another.The new kind of sovereign is the general will, which is the general interest or rational will of the community. Since we all contribute to the shaping of this general will, we do nothing but obey ourselves when we subscribe to this general will. †¢ Not the freedom of the state of nature, but it is a new kind of freedom that he calls â€Å"moral freedom†. †¢ The passage from the state of nature to the civil state produces a remarkable change in man. Gives our actions a moral quality that they previously lacked. What man loses is his natural liberty, but he gains civil liberty. But, to the proceedings acquisitions or civil liberty, we add moral liberty which makes man truly the master of himself. Obedience that one has prescribed for oneself is freedom, moral liberty. †¢ The moral and political implications are massive. †¢ For Hobbes and Locke: liberty is the sphere of human conduct that is unregulated by the law. Where the law is silent, the citizen is free to do whatever it is he chooses to do. †¢ For Rousseau, law is the very beginning of our freedom, but we are free to the extent that we are participants in the laws that we in turn obey.Freedom means acting in conformity to self-imposed law. †¢ A difference between two very different conceptions of liberty: Liberal vs. Republican †¢ Rousseau makes heroic and unreasonable assumptions about human nature. Why would we like to get together and engage in debate about political matters. †¢ Human nature and our capacity to engage in debate. Unless everyone is engaged in the process of legislation, there is no way to know that the laws are really an expression of my will. You will find yourselves dependent on the will of others. Freedom from dependence.Aristotle: reasoned approach – basic goal of politics was to help society achieve the good life, create a society that allows its citizens to prosper – humans are seen as â€Å"political animals† and thus politicas as a force of nature – citizens take place in politics, they are seen as the backbone of the state and have a responsibility to the state, – not all citizens are equal, but all want sovireign – good citizens not posses what it takes to be good man – polity= best form of government; the rich rule over the rest by knowledge and democracy king should not have all the power, he should be the guardian of the law – (has less power than plato and machs ruler) because of the seperation of powers; legislative, executive and juidical – less power and more mobility – CITIZENS; anyone can participate in politics (must participate) – By nature everyone has the capacity of reason and is able to participate in politics – Slaves are legit they are the means of production so that everyone else can participate in politics – Ruled by; virtue, moral and reason – Education: can change conslitation for progess because children are taught from young age to reason, (public learning) – Bartering=natural Aristotle- Politics Human beings are political animals. Problematic relation between economics and politics Role of labour and role of commerce The political community is de signed to promote human flourishing Happiness is a life of activity expressing virtue Essence of Political rule: ruling and being ruled The highest community is the political community Without law man is the worst of animals and law depends for its existence on the state.In order to meet our needs we must interact with nature to get the results we want. Work is a process, not an activity. Work is enslaving, provided by necessity Some people are fit for being slaves, others are fit for ruling. It is only natural that things are that way. Man is a political animal, that needs to live in a community. Trade is necessary, and therefore there is a need for a division of labour. Property is those goods need to develop their ability to develop a virtuous life Surplus has to be exchanged. Profit making is the pursuit of false wealth (capital)The Unconditionally best regime is the rule of the virtuous. Fundamental value of political community is friendship Aristotle criticizes Plato’s utopia, arguing that it gives too much unity to the state, and would make the state into an individual. A government is good when it aims at the good of the whole community, bad when it cares only for itself. Good Governments Bad Governments Monarchy Tyranny (Worse) Aristocracy Oligarchy Constitutional government (polity) Democracy (Least worse) Citizenship is defined by participation in office and in ruling. Political rule is mastery of free people ublic life is far more virtuous than the private Good citizen vs. good man Aristotle does not have a conception of an absolute good and has a more matrial account of morality. – rights Machiavelli: use deception and illusion for the better purpose of economic ends of the state – prince must be immoral opportunitst, people should never know the â€Å"real him†, but this creates a high risk of being seen as bad leader – overall the lead is not a good one because you cannot rule you people with immoral action â⠂¬â€œ ends justify means – goal of politics to maintain power and stability citizen must obey ruler and do as one told, no room for citizen participation in politics – equality does not exist – prince must be loved and feared – progress for the state = improving means of production (capitalism) Virtue: fortune/luck is half our actions – always appear virtuous – one capacity to understand political life and control it for the greater good of the state not for the sake of morality – priority of security over morality – price must be immoral when need be, to ensure the state security – generosity vs compassion – Machiavelli-Power A good ruler is not always good; he is good when he has to be but is cruel when the situation requires it. †¢ Leader or prince must have virtu: a set of qualities necessary to be a politician worthy of praise †¢ Learn to be able to not be good †¢ He attacks secular moralists a nd the Christian ideals of morality †¢ The prince must have courage to do whatever it takes to get what he needs. †¢ â€Å"Small evils to prevent greater evils† †¢ Political stability is a condition for a private moral life †¢ Domestic sphere is the domain of morality. †¢ Role of the state is to ensure security †¢ Prince must be a realist †¢ Acquisition of power is important How is power won, lost and maintained is the main focus of The Prince †¢ No traditional idea of â€Å"legitimate power† †¢ To achieve political ends, power is necessary. †¢ Fortuna, it is good to do whatever is required to obtain power. †¢ Appear to be good to the general public †¢ We admire the virtuous leaders †¢ No hard rules in politics, no political formulas †¢ Skill, assertive independence is necessary to have political power. †¢ People want power, mainly self interested †¢ Stability, is important †¢ Glory is not a bad thing, it is actually praiseworthy †¢ The Prince must try to master Fortuna as much as he possibly can Hobbes- Leviathan: The Sovereign is not the direct expression of individual rules but an abstraction of the natural desire to rule †¢ Hobbes wants us to abstain from politics by agreeing to be ruled by this artificial man or sovereign †¢ For by art is created the Great Leviathan, commonwealth †¢ Trade liberty for security †¢ Liberty under Hobbes’ sovereign is whatever is not restricted by law. †¢ Humans in the state of nature are in a constant state of war, everything belongs to †¢ Society and political community is artificial †¢ Human equality : in nature nobody is superior to another †¢ What makes authority possible? What is the source of authority?What makes legitimate authority possible? †¢ How can individuals who are biologically autonomous, who judge and see matters differently, who can never be sure whether they can trust one another, how can such individuals accept a common authority? †¢ That is the fundamental question of the social contract tradition. †¢ When is authority in question? True in Hobbes’ time of civil war †¢ Hobbes tells a story: he tells the story about something he calls the state of nature. Hobbes will always be associated with the idea of the state of nature. †¢ It is not the biblical account of Eden, nor is it a political condition like maintained by Aristotle. Sovereign’s main function is to make us equal †¢ The state of nature is not a condition of actual fighting, but a known disposition of actual fighting. †¢ His claim that the state of war is a condition that we are naturally in, is to say that nature does not unite us. If nature is a norm, it does not mandate us to peace, friendship and solidarity with others. Only art and human relations can bring about peace. †¢ Authority and relations are the product of cont rivance and art. – Plato: moral guidance, not legal obidence – philosopher king rule over all with rationality (rational part of soul rules over honor seeking and appeitive) must make the state a â€Å"utopia†; all work together for the common good of the state- seek harmony – children are all raised together and educated together – soverign is essential because it takes the best people in society and puts them in power – ruler acts as moral guider for other social classes – philosopher kings; determine justice and law because of their unique virtue (rationality) – each individual serves as a purpose in society, according to certain qualification (rationality, honor, appetite) that makes them more suited to a particular task (ruler, auxiliary, worker) without the philosopher king men fall pity to their desires and appeitiess(greed) – the state acts as a check for the passions of individuals – humans want what is i ntrinstically good, while they are capable of commiting wrong, this is because of some appetitie/desire rather than some flaw – there exists no equality, there is a social order in which you are born into – everyone is guided by the philosopher king beacuase they posses the ultimate truth, without them the normal person would not know how to act in socity and would fall prey to passions and selfishness humans want what is best, therefore listen to higher good – justice throught: strength, philosophy and doing good to friends Property: plato fails to identify population increase and other countries boundarys Plato- Republic: †¢ What is justice? Is it appearing just but really being unjust? Is it the rule of the strongest? †¢ Move away from ordinary definitions of justice. Perfect Justice vs. Perfect injustice †¢ The Necessary myths: religion. Myths are not true but they are helpful in a society to keep order. â€Å"Noble lie† †¢ Allegor y of the cave: The world of appearances is only a reflection of the pure realm of forms. The best life is the one spent contemplating the fundamental laws of the universe. †¢ The Philosophers must be kings, also called guardians. †¢ Their role is to overlook everything in society is working correctly, and in order to do this they must be philosophers. †¢ Rulers must live in commune, share everything in order that their desires are quenched and they can dedicate full attention to the city. †¢ We are born with natural aptitudes and we should become that to which our natural aptitude fits best. †¢ Perfect city: harmony and order †¢ Noble lie: Gold people are the most apt to lead and become guardians.Silver people are merchants and traders, and bronze people are craftsmen. People can only mate with a person of the same category. †¢ The skill of a guardian/ruler is similar to that of craftsman. The state is the guardian’s craft so he should be pr epared to deal with it appropriately. Democracy is cause of conflict because most people are not suited to rule or make political decisions. †¢ Mastery according to nature †¢ Justice: minding your own business. †¢ Women are not naturally inferior to men. †¢ The form of the Good is higher than justice, and requires extensive training to grasp it. Truth exists independent of time and space. †¢ Justice is a relation among individuals, depending on social organization; and that in consequence it can be studied better as part of the structure of a community than as a quality of personal conduct. †¢ Men are acquisitive, ambitious, competitive, and jealous by nature. †¢ Democracy ruins itself by excess of democracy. Its basic principle is the equal right of all to hold office and determine public policy. People are not properly equipped by education to select the best rulers and the wisest courses. †¢ To understand politics, we must understand psycho logy. Like man, like state† †¢ Human behavior flows from desire, emotion and knowledge. Desire, appetite, impulse instinct, these are one; emotion, spirit, ambition, courage another; finally knowledge, thought, intellect, reason, these are another. †¢ Statesmanship is a science and an art. Only a philosopher king is fitted to guide a nation. †¢ Education should be physical as well as intellectual, and musical. †¢ Justice is about organizing the political community so everyone can live the good life. †¢ Perfect organization of the city so each individual can develop his or her own nature †¢ Every individual is the product of the city People are slaves to their own desires †¢ Good life=contemplation †¢ The perfect ruler has knowledge of the Good, and designs all laws and institutions in according with the Good. †¢ What’s missing is a fundamental knowledge of the structure of the world. †¢ The confine of reality is own huma n nature. â€Å"City† Timocracy Love of honor, desire of treasure. Good=Honor Oligarchy Regime founded on Prosperity. Good=Money Democracy Rule by the multitude. Good=Freedom Tyranny Takes power, wages war, enslaves the people. Good=Desires of tyrant