If it is possible Xiaomi trade in SA

Leno's purchase of Motorola Mobility became official on same day, and with its new subsidy, the company has become the third-largest smartened manufacturer in the world with 8 percent market share, bumping Axiom down to fourth. Still, Axiom said it has its sights set on raising enough money to become the world's most valuable private tech firm. 1. 2 International expansion In just four years, Axiom, which is known colloquially as â€Å"little rice,† has gone from a strictly low-end producer to competition for some of the largest mobile companies in China such as Apple Inc. ND Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. Now, global expansion is on the horizon, but there are plenty of hurdles for Axiom to export its phones and its philosophy to the West. This called Axiom must enter the international market The process started early last ear by testing water in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. Axiom's flash sale strategy proved a huge success in these markets. Beginning of this year, Axiom ann ounced Axiom would expand to 10 countries this year.We can see that Axiom wanted to target markets similar to China, developing countries with huge population where its low price is an advantage. Assai: Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam; Europe: Russia, Turkey; America: Brazil, Mexico. We can see, Africa isn't in its expanding list. But we group strongly recommended Axiom export South Africa, the reason and the strategy analysis as below. . South Africa PEST Analysis and Cell industry introduction by ups 2. Political South Africa is a parliamentary republic, although unlike most such republics the President is both head of stated head of government, and depends for his tenure on the confidence of Parliament. The executive, legislature and judiciary are all subject to the supremacy of the Constitution, and the superior courts have the power to strike down executive actions and acts of Parliament if they are unconstitutional. The National Assembly, the lower house of Parli ament, consists of 400 members and is elected every five years y a system of party-list proportional representation.The National Council of Provinces, the upper house, consists of ninety members, with each of the nine provincial electroluminescent ten members. After each parliamentary election, the National Assembly elects one of its members as President; hence the President serves a term of office the same as that Of the Assembly, normally five years. NO President may serve more than two terms in office. The President appoints a Deputy President and Ministers, who form the Cabinet which consists of Departments and Ministries.The President and the Cabinet may be moved by the National Assembly by a motion of no confidence. In the most recent election, held on 7 May 2014, the African National Congress (NC) won 62. 2% of the vote and 249 seats, while the main opposition, the Democratic Alliance (DAD) won 22. 2% of the vote and 89 seats. The Economic Freedom Fighters, founded by Julius Male, the former President of the Ann.'s Youth Wing who was later expelled from the NC, won 6. 4% of the vote and 25 seats.The NC has been the governing political party in South Africa since the end of apartheid. Since 2004, the country has had many thousands of popular protests, some Eileen, making it, according to one academic, the â€Å"most protest-rich country in the world†. There have been a number of incidents of political repression as well as threats of future repression in violation of this constitution leading some analysts and civil society organizations to conclude that there is or could be a new climate of political repression, or a decline in political tolerance.Leaders of the BRICKS nations at the G-20 summit in Brisbane, 15 November 2014. South African President Jacob Zamia and Chinese President Huh Joints upgraded bilateral ties between the two countries on 24 AUgUSt 201 0, hen they signed the Beijing Agreement, which elevated South Africans earlier â€Å"s trategic partnership† with China to the higher level of â€Å"comprehensive strategic partnership† in both economic and political affairs, including the strengthening of exchanges be;en their respective ruling parties and legislatures.In April 2011, South Africa formally joined the Brazil-Russia-India- China (BRICKS) grouping of countries, identified by President Zamia as the country's largest trading partners, and also the largest trading partners with Africa as a whole. Zamia asserted that BRICKS member countries would also ark with each other through the SIN, the Group of Twenty (620) and the India, Brazil South Africa (BIBS) forum. By 201 3, China have become the single largest trading partner of South Africa. 2. 2 Economy South Africa has a mixed economy, the second largest in Africa after Nigeria.It also has a relatively high GAP per capita compared to other countries in sub-Sahara Africa ($1 1,750 at APP as of 2012). Despite this, south Africa is still burdened b y a relatively high rate of poverty and unemployment, and is also ranked in the top 10 countries in the world for income inequality, measured by the Gin coefficient. Unlike most of the world's poor countries, South Africa does not have a thriving informal economy; according to COED estimates, only 15% of South African jobs are in the informal sector, compared with around half in Brazil and India and nearly three-quarters in Indonesia.The COED attributes this difference to South Africans widespread welfare system. World Bank research shows that South Africa has one of the widest gaps between per capita GNP versus its Human Development Index ranking, with only Botswana showing a larger gap. After 1 994 overspent policy brought down inflation, stabilized public finances, and some foreign capital was attracted, however growth was still subpart. From 2004 onward economic growth picked up significantly; both employment and capital formation increased. South Africa is a popular tourist des tination, and a substantial amount of revenue comes from tourism.Illegal immigrants are involved in informal trading. Many immigrants to South Africa continue to live in poor conditions, and the immigration policy has become increasingly restrictive since 1994. Principal international trading partners of South Africa-?besides other African countries-?include Germany, the United States, China, Japan, the United Kingdom and Spain. The South African agricultural industry contributes around of formal employment, relatively low compared to other parts of Africa, as well as providing work for casual laborers and contributing around 2. 6% of GAP for the nation.Due to the aridity of the land, only 13. 5% can be used for crop production, and only 3% is considered high potential land. In August 2013, South Africa was ranked as the top African Country of the Future by FED magazine based on the country's economic potential, labor environment, cost-effectiveness, infrastructure, business friendl iness, and foreign direct environmentalist's. The IFS ranks South Africa as the 36th safest tax haven in the world, ahead Of the Philippines but behind the Bahamas. 2. 3 social During 1995-2003, the number of formal jobs decreased and informal jobs increased; overall unemployment worsened.The government's Black Economic Empowerment policies have drawn criticism from Nave Magenta, lead economist for research and information at the Development Bank of Southern Africa, for focusing â€Å"almost exclusively on promoting individual wineries by black people (which) does little to address broader economic disparities, though the rich may become more diverse. † Official affirmative action policies have seen a rise in black economic wealth and an emerging black middle class. Other problems include state ownership and interference, which impose high barriers to entry in many areas.Restrictive labor regulations have contributed to the unemployment malaise. Along with many African nation s, South Africa has been experiencing a ‘brain drain in the past 20 years. This is believed to be potentially damaging for the regional economy, not in citation given][clarification needed]and is almost certainly detrimental for the well-being of those reliant on the healthcare infrastructure. The skills drain in South Africa tends to demonstrate racial contours given the skills distribution legacy of South Africa and has thus resulted in large white South African communities abroad.However, the statistics which purport to show a brain drain are disputed and also do not account for repatriation and expiry of foreign work contracts. According to several surveys there has been a reverse in brain drain following the global uncial crisis of 2008-2009 and expiration of foreign work contracts. In the first quarter of 2011, confidence levels for graduate professionals were recorded at a level of in a UPS survey. 2. 4 Technological Several important scientific and technological develo pments have originated in South Africa.The first human-to-human heart transplant was performed by cardiac surgeon Christiana Bernard at Grotto Churl Hospital in December 1967, Max Tiller developed a vaccine against yellow fever, Allan McLeod Carjack pioneered x-ray computed tomography, and Aaron Kaleidoscope aerographical electron microscopy techniques. With the exception of that of Bernard, all of these advancements were recognized with Nobel Prizes. Sydney Brenner won most recently, in 2002, for his pioneering work in molecular biology.Mark Shuttlecock founded an early Internet security company Thaw, that was subsequently bought out by world-leader Version. Despite government efforts to encourage entrepreneurship in biotechnology, IT and other high technology fields, no other notable groundbreaking companies have been founded in South Africa. It is the expressed objective of he government to transition the economy to be more reliant on high technology, based on the realization tha t South Africa cannot compete with Far Eastern economies in manufacturing, nor can the republic rely on its mineral wealth in perpetuity.South Africa has cultivated a burgeoning astronomy community. It hosts the Southern African Large Telescope, the largest optical telescope in the southern hemisphere. South Africa is currently building the Karol Array Telescope as a pathfinder for the ?1. 5 billion Square Kilometer Array project. On 25 May 201 2 it was announced that hosting of the Square Kilometer Array Telescope will be split over both the South African and the Australia/New Zealand sites.Telecommunications infrastructure in South Africa provides modern and efficient service to urban areas, including cellular and internet services. In 1 997, Talked, the South African telecommunications partially, was partly privatized and entered into a strategic equity partnership with a consortium of two companies, including CBS, a U. S. Telecommunications company. In exchange for exclusivity ( a monopoly) to provide certain services for 5 years, Talked assumed an obligation to facilitate network modernization and expansion into the unseeded areas.A Second Network Operator was to be licensed to compete with Talked across its spectrum of services in 2002, although this license was only officially handed over in late 2005 and has recently begun operating under the name, Motel . Five cellular companies provide service to over 30 million subscribers, with South Africa considered to have the 4th most advanced mobile telecommunications network worldwide. The five cellular providers are Voodoos, MET, Cell C,Virgin Mobile and Talked (Mobile), which is run by Talked. 2.Mobile Industry Telecommunications is one of the fastest growing sectors of South Africans economy, driven by explosive growth in mobile telephony and broadband connectivity. With a network that is 99. 9% digital and includes the latest in fixed-line, wireless and satellite communication, the country has the most dev eloped telecoms network in Africa. South Africans has a relatively low rate of fixed-line telephony, with around 4. 2;million fixed-line connections (I TU, 201 0). Fixed-line telephony is dominated by Talked, which is listed on the SSE and majority owned by the Department of Communications.Telecoms monopoly in running fixed-line services came to an end in 2006, when the country's second fixed-line operator, Motel, began its operations. Majority- owned by Indian's Data Communications, Motel offers voice and data services to around 9-million customers. Mobile phone use in South Africa has increased from 17% of adults in 2000 to 76% in 201 0, according to research firm Nielsen Southern Africa. Today, more South Africans 29-million use mobile phones than radio (28-million), TV (27-million) or personal computers (6-million).Less than 5-million South Africans use landlines phones. South Africa has four licensed mobile operators: MET N, Voodoos (majority owned by UK Videophone), Cell C (75 % owned by Saudi Ogre, an international telecommunications holdings firm), and ATA, a subsidiary of Talked. Mobile penetration is estimated at more than 1 0%, one of the highest rates in the world. South African mobile companies are also making inroads internationally, with MET leading the way: the company has well over 1 O- million subscribers in more than 20 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.The increase in usage of mobile and smartness has also lead to increasing numbers of South Africans using the Internet. There were an estimated 8. 5-million users by the end of 201 1, up from 6. 8-million the year before. It is projected that the 10-million user barrier will be broken by the end of 201 2 (World Wide Word, May 2012). While mobile phones are driving usage, data costs are being driven down by the increasing number of undersea cables connecting sub-Sahara Africa to the rest of the world. Undersea cable capacity to South Africa at the end of 201 1 was 2. 69 Terabyte a s econd (Tips), and that will rise to 11. Tips by the end of 2012. This doubled again in 2013. The government, via the Department of Communications, aims to implement a national broadband network to ensure universal access by 2020. Broadband Infract, the state-owned company tasked with improving internet access and bringing down broadband prices, sells high-capacity long-distance transmission services to telecoms operators, internet service providers and other value added network service providers. MET N, Voodoos and Motel are jointly building a skim fiber-optic cable en;ark connecting several major centers across South Africa.The first phase of the cable, linking Sautà ©ing with Zulu-Natal, as commissioned in June 2010. Fibbers Telecommunications is building a 12 km national open-access fiber-optic broadband network, which will increase the supply of long-distance capacity between major cities such as Johannesburg, Cape Toffee and Durban, as well as towns and rural areas along the r oute. It is a partnership between Cell C, CIT firm Internet Solutions, and investment management and advisory firm Convergence Partners. Provinces, via their municipalities, also have plans to invest in affordable broadband infrastructure.The Western Cape, for example, aims to connect the 4 000 overspent facilities and every school in the province to a broadband network, as well as ensure the public has easy access to CIT facilities. 3. How to operate Axiom in South Africa 3. 1 The smartened market in AS Lees see a South African Mobile Report reveals the mobile phone brands of choice by South Africans Internet users, which showed that the most popular mobile phone brands among the country's Internet users are BlackBerry, Samsung, Monika, and Apple.The following chart shows the mobile phone brands owned by South African Internet users. Mobile phone brands owned in AS It should be noted that a single user can own multiple devices. 3. 2 What phones South Africans really want Smartened purchase preference The low position of Apple's phone (12. 3%) is mainly attributed to the fact that phones are relatively expensive in the country. The similar proportion Apple in these two chart shows the Apple purchaser has kind of brand loyalty.High owned level of Monika and Blackberry exceed two thirds, but preference of these two brand account less than one third, many South Africans plan to purchase a Samsung smartened when they upgrade their current phone. Samsung is expected to be the market leader in South Africa over the next few years. So we assume here that more people tend to price sensitive in choosing smartened, and the biggest competitors could be Samsung, we have great market space to serve in the price sensitive smartened users. 3. 3 How does Axiom benefit S. A. smartened users?Specs Comparison between Mi 4 vs. Samsung vs. Expire Z vs. ETC MM We clearly see the main specs among these new generation phones , MI are more competitive in RAM and Battery use based on t he similarities of other specs. We check from commerce website ,the price of Samsung SO sell ERROR, in exchange with ARM, about RHOMB ,kind of lower the price compare with China. But after calculating the changing price ,Samsung still has higher in half than MIM. So from both pictures to illustrate , we find the Axiom user will enjoy the fast speed of operating, touch, big screen, nice design, and very competitive price. . 4 How to position it? For the nice experience with good price, the dynamic image will attract more young generation and the group people who more care the good performance-cost that are our advantages , less brand loyalty users tend to our first lot users in AS. )Butte need to cultivate our own brand fans, our business model and the process of manufacturing are difficult to be copied by other international brand , and it is impossible for AS local people to do such kind of brand, from product itself we have great advantage 2)Low level image difficult to be changed when you want to enter into the high level .So we position our products as high quality ,good In cost performance . 3. 5 Business Model in overseas trade For supplies, we still put manufacturers in China, some good suppliers we have been cooperated with , air ship to South Africa by CA airlines. TO open he market we need to find more channels, social medias are still our main tool to do marketing, for it is difficult to find a close partner as agent to do that , but finding exclusive agents also is our acceptable way in South Africa market.At the beginning Partnered with local commerce website such as Edgewise (claimed largest online mall in South Apical). South Africa Official Faceable Page We might sell its products on its official website in the future. We might cooperate the local agents having the experience store to sell together. With a bit higher price , ERROR for MIM is similar to the price buying Samsung SO, the old generation of Samsung and one-year distributor warranty. Unitary products and concentration Every year only arise one product, and focus on it; Focus on one price point, only do one product.This strategy has help the company to better control the quality, especially technology about the hardware. We can continue this business model in AS Already invite costumer to participate in the product design At the beginning of designing the products, Axiom listen to costumer's opinion widely and this action make the products more cater to costumer's needs and second potentially arouse the purchase desire of consumer. N SAC'S experience store,We will invite AS local to participate in the product improvement.Treat costumer friendly and provide petty favors After the first launch of MOM, when they buy the products, we will give them coupon and a thank you letter, together with a film to protect the mobile phone. All these actions can make the consumer deeply feel the sense of belonging to Axiom Company and win good public praise. High configuration b ut low price-â€Å"Future Goods†, price difference with the nominal and actual Axiom's normal price is 1999 however the actual price to buy it normally is ore than 1 999 even is 2499 as it use the strategy â€Å"Panic buying†.Costumer finally buy it with even with price 2499 which is much higher than the nominal price they still think it's worthy. And this is the key point for Axiom to success to use customer's mentality. This will be our main strategy in AS. To develop greatly in AS,we will put effort to attract local Venture Investment. After the first launch of MOM,we will develop other products to be aliened with domestic:Hardware,Software and Internet service. In summary, we start by launching local official website and Faceable Page, ND local forum.We would choose to sell its product on local official website, or cooperate with local e-commerce website. Gradually, when we could fully localize and solve delivery and payment issues, it will sell on its official web site, also the not very low price, we can cooperate with local agent to have experience store. 4. Risk and Return Analysis by SOOT We need to think about risks in South Africa The news for Axiom over the internet can be easily found, but not all of them are good news. The good news is that Axiom keeps its strong performance in China market. 1 Creativeness However, recent news by PC World questioned privacy concerns about Axiom sending user data its server without permission. What's more, Axiom's globalization is shadowed by its claim of â€Å"Apple of China†. The launch of MIL 6 soon got tech media's critics of â€Å"copying ISO 7†. Its goanna take Axiom a long time to build its brand internationally, It will not be an easy battle for Axiom to change its global image of â€Å"copycat†, but we will have to wait and see. 4. 2 Leadership Axiom's CEO Lei June plays an important role in Axiom's marketing in China.But stepping out of China, nobody knows Lei June. Rath er than being an positive brand influence, Lei Sun's early claim of being â€Å"Steve Jobs† in China actually is a big hurdle for Axiom's globalization. Nobody will care about an imitator. 4. 3 E-Commerce Channel Axiom's flash sale in China is extremely successful, with direct online-only sale on its official website. But the e-commerce business environment may differ in different countries, marketing, logistics and customer services varied. How Axiom remain close relationships with its customers will be an even cougher challenge for the culture understanding. . 4 Quality Control When going abroad in AS, Axiom should pay more attention to its quality control to prevent large scale complaints, and really focus on customer services to build up the brand's word-of-mouth. After all, high quality smartened with low price is everything to Axiom. 4. 5 Chain Expansion Africa is so different with other continents, the country we target has the highest GAP level in Africa, and most cou ntries in Africa people cannot imitate the consumption habit, many are considering the basic needs.

Homo sapiens’ Origin is Not Africa: Looking into Evidences of Man’s True Origin

There is a common notion that man’s birthplace is Africa. Dr. Chuchward, a known anthropologist, confirmed earlier findings of anthropologists (through examination of fossil remains) found out that the oldest ancestors of the human race originated in Africa. One of the anthropologists who ventured into Africa to study human fossil is Dr. Leakey (Origin of Man: Human Beginnings 1). In 1963, Leakey found human fossils dating back to 1. 2 million years ago in East Africa (Rift Valley Region), the oldest known fossils of hominids (Origin of Man: Human Beginnings 1).The theory was emphasized in many documentaries, usually sponsored by the National Geographic or the American Anthropological Society. Much of the content of these documentaries pointed man’s origin in the Rift Valley region in East Africa. On January 11, 1988, the Newsweek Magazine published an article entitled â€Å"The Search for Adam and Eve. † DNA tracing proved that the origin of man can be found to a single woman who lived in Sub-Saharan Africa between 80 000 and 200 000 years ago (Origin of Man: Human Beginnings 1).Her descendants migrated first to the Arabian Peninsula, then to India and Europe and to the rest of the world. This was confirmed by another scientist, Dr. Eric Higgs of Cambridge University. By studying the ancient migration of men, he theorized that the first man of Europe was from central and east Africa. It was about 200 00 years ago (prior to the Ice Age). Professor Chester Chard of the University of Wisconsin noted was able to prove that there existed in the remote past migration routes. Much of the routes’ origin is in Africa. Dr.Leakey once said that â€Å"it is inconceivable that man, the most curious and mobile of all animals, would not have come to America when the elephants, the tapirs and the deer came from Asia †¦ man spread out from Africa to Asia to Europe†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Origin of Man: Human Beginnings 1). This view of man’s ori gin had been confirmed and reconfirmed by the succeeding generation of anthropologists. For example, in 19888, Christopher Stringer and Peter Andrews pointed out that Homo sapiens had evolved from a Homo erectus group some 200 000 years ago (Bakalar1). This Homo erectus group later became extinct and replaced by their descendants, the Homo sapiens.Homo sapiens later migrated to Asia, Europe, and to the rest of the world. A known geologist, John Martyn was able to recover human fossils in the Great Rift Valley (in Kenya). Using a new method of dating fossils, he found out that the human skulls were 2. 4 million years old. Recently, some scientists are challenging the assumption that man’s origin is Africa. Professor Robin Dennell of the University of Sheffield in England and Wil Roebroeks of Leiden University in the Netherlands believed that early human fossils discovered over the past ten years indicate that humanlike or subhuman species had its origin in Asia (Bakalar 1).The y pointed to two significant finds of the century. A 1. 75 million year old small brained human fossils was found in Dmanisi, Georgia indicating that it was the descendant of Homo erectus living in the Asian continent in the past 2 million years. Another 18 000 year old hobbit fossils was found in the island of Flores in Indonesia (Bakalar 1). The two scientists theorized that because of the relatively small brains of the recent finds, large-scale migration is not possible. Professor Dennell said, â€Å"What seems reasonably clear now is that the earliest hominins in Asia did not need large brains or bodies† (prerequisite for migration).The two argued that there were no fossil or archeological proofs to support the claim that early humans moved from southern Africa to the Nile Valley in thee early Pleistocene period about 1. 8 million years ago to 11 500 years ago (Bakalar 1). They also argued that though the earliest evidence of a human ancestor in Asia appeared about 1. 8 m illion years ago (based from a human cranium found in Mojokerto, Indonesia), it cannot be said that no older specimens can be found in Asia.To support this claim, Stringer said â€Å"Evidence of humans in the Caucasus [region of Asia], China, and Java more than 1.6 million years ago implies either a very rapid spread from Africa after 1. 8 million years ago, or that such populations were established outside Africa earlier than present evidence suggests† (Bakalar 2). He added that rapid migration â€Å"out of Africa† was not possible owing to the fact that early climate prevented homo species from migrating out of Africa. The two said that most interpretations of early and recent findings pointed that the earliest â€Å"human† tools found in the Asian continent are usually attributed to Homo erectus (species usually thought of having its origin from Africa).H. ergaster is an African species assumed by many scientists as both the progenitor of Homo erectus and the only primate capable of migrating out of Africa (Bakalar 2). The body form of H. ergaster is the final proof that it is the remote ancestors of the Homo sapiens. Its body has humanlike proportions; its brain is capable of learning 9e. g. how to hunt game animals). There is though one flaw in this argument. Australopithecines (which is an older form of humanlike primates had virtually colonized the African region by 3. 5 million years ago.â€Å"Similar grasslands extended across Asia at the time, suggesting that Australopithecines could have survived quite well in the region,† the authors said. Added to that, fossil evidence for H. ergaster in the early Pleistocene period is generally unknown. This suggests that H. ergaster was not able to migrate â€Å"out of Africa† by the time Asia was teeming with early men (Bakalar 2). This interpretation was supported by the discovery of human fossils in Flores, Indonesia. The discovered fossils were named as H. floresiensis (Asi an origin). Two facts were really staggering for many scientists.The age of the fossils was relatively the same with that of the fossils found in Africa. And, H. floresiensis was capable of making primitive tools: tools which were used in hunting (Bakalar 2). The implication of the first fact is: distribution of early human populations across both the African and Asian continents was generally uniform (by 2. 6 million years ago). The two authors hypothesized that it is possible for either a multiple point origin (found in different parts of the world) or a single-point Asian origin of the human species.The two authors noted â€Å"The unresolved status of intriguing Flores finds attributed to H.floresiensis leaves open the possibility that this species is the end result and last survivor of an ancient migration of very primitive humans, or even prehumans that formerly existed more widely across Asia† (Bakalar 2). The implication of the second fact is: stone tools used by early men across Asia did not point to an African origin nor did represent an advanced state of development. Added to that, the two authors concluded that â€Å"the Dmanisi [Georgia] hominins are an extremely primitive version of H. erectus that is the ancestor of the H.erectus populations in both Java and those in East Asia† (Bakalar 2).Thus, there is a high probability that the origin of early men rests on the continent of Asia. The theory of Multiregional Evolution was examined in the article of Wolpoff and Caspari entitled â€Å"No, Homo Sapiens Did Not Originate in Africa† (in the book Taking Sides, World History, V. 1). The theory assumed that there are multiple points of man’s evolution in the remote past. Specifically, this theory adhered to the concept of polytypism. Polytypism is the existence of observable average differences between populations.Since different populations of early men differed significantly on certain measurements, multiregionalists argue d that patterns of migration varied across potential routes. Some populations would become isolated, and hence, might show significant differences over the course of time. Some populations might become almost identical in terms of physiological characteristics because of cultural or biological proximity. Thus, multiregionalists argued that the single-point origin of the human species cannot explain the differences found across early human populations.The two suggested that local evolutionary events took place across the world after the appearance of Homo sapiens. According to the two, populations of Homo evolved from a single species. Thus, the propensity of speciation between Pleistocene human populations was not possible (speciation is the splitting of one species into two) (Mitchell and Mitchell, 12-13). This hypothesis became a point of challenge to the prevailing Out of Africa Model which states that Homo sapiens evolved recently as a new species in Africa, and then dispersed t hroughout the world (by routes).The Out of Africa Model also claimed that Homo sapiens were responsible for replacing the existing human populations of those regions without biologically mixing with them. The two pointed out that evidences of an earlier revolution took place in a small group isolated from australopithecine species. Thus, Homo sapiens remained significantly different from australopithecines in both anatomy and physiology (Mitchell and Mitchell, 13-15).

Platos and Aristotles view of Politics Research Paper

Platos and Aristotles view of Politics - Research Paper Example Machiavelli’s political thoughts involved reformulation of the citizenship concept in relation to liberty. Machiavelli wrote ‘The Prince’ in a time when the politics in Italy suffered from conflicts, blackmail, and violence. He gave advice on the best way of ruling. As a result, he appeared very different from earlier political writers that viewed politics as an extension of morals, and whose theories appeared impractical. Some factors highlighted in Prince Theory include Human Nature: In his formulation of advice to rulers, Machiavelli believed that most people have the primary interest in them and remain contented unless horrible things happen to them. He pointed out that friendship obtained through payments in insecure and unreliable. Virtu and Fortuna: Machiavelli acknowledged the existence of two success factors. Virtu refers to skills, wisdom, prowess, good decision making, strength, and free will while fortunate describes the random variations, probability, luck and the external factors outside a person’s control. He believes that these factors determine the success or failure, and they can be applied in controlling the human actions, with each factor carrying an equal significance approximately half of the result. Machiavelli recommends for the study of other people in order to learn from the effective points by the political leaders. Hence, the reference to lion due to its strength and ferocity and fox due to its slyness, cunningness and outmaneuvering of the enemies.

Personal Reflection on the Religious Orders Assignment

Personal Reflection on the Religious Orders - Assignment Example It was not easy for me to leave behind my former community to search for my new contemplative vocation because I was comfortable with the life and love the sisters. Also, the reason I left Terre Haute Carmel was my body system could not tolerate the heat over there. Therefore, after 11 months, I asked to leave the community. I was a briefly professed for five years with Lover of the Holy Cross of Los Angeles. I entered Alhambra Carmel on August 06, 2010, as a postulant and I left on November 5, 2010. I entered Terre Haute Carmel in December 2010 as a postulant and I received Holy habit in June 2011. I left the Terre Haute Carmel in February 2012. I applied to a religious community and my application was declined when I joined Alhambra Carmel. It was declined because they thought that my health was deteriorating, thus I could no longer work with them. Currently, I am employed as a preschool teacher, which I began in January 2014. Furthermore, I do not repulse any other type of employment. If asked whether I am willing to accept any manual labor or duty in the service of the community, then I will gladly do it, even though I have my own preferences. My hobbies and interest include nature, spiritual reading, as well as craft activities. My professional training was in church leadership training, as well as a nursing assistant. The social quality, which I deem suits me for community life is how I share my deeper self, as well as my love and affection for others. Also, to live a life of faithfulness and allegiance to Jesus Christ and to serve him devotedly with a clear conscience and a clean heart. Apart from this, community life is an incitement to move from self-centeredness to bigger awareness for others and unification with Christ.  Ã‚  

The Dilemma That Exists Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Dilemma That Exists - Case Study Example On the other hand, the psychological approach is that behaviorism principles be applied to help the child learn to distinguish right and wrong behavior by rewarding the child’s positive behaviors (Bailey and Burch, 2013). While it is right to reward a child’s behavior, it is more appropriate if the child learns to take up their responsibilities without necessarily expecting a reward. The dilemma that exists is that there is a conflict on whether to use the Matt’s mother’s intuition or to apply a psychological approach in helping the child to appreciate their duty of doing homework or even using respectful language. According to McNamara’s decision making model, if there exists a situational dilemma it is important to identify the basis of the conflict while choosing the right path to take on the situation (McNamara, 2008). The Basis of the Conflict A keen look at the scenario shows that there exists a conflict of interest between Matt’s mothe r and the welfare of the child in the child orientation program. The mothers wish is that the child learns to respect people, do its homework and doing his chores in the same manner that she learnt without necessarily receiving tokens for doing what they are supposed to do.

Importance of Physical Education to student achievement Research Paper

Importance of Physical Education to student achievement - Research Paper Example Physical education and academic performance The direct implications of physical education on academic performance of students have been established by several researchers. One of the first studies analyzing the impact of physical activity on the academic performance of students was done by (Fourestier, 1962). This study included a small group of students from France. The sample population which underwent physical education in the afternoon after the forenoon’s sessions within the classroom was reported to have improved academic performance in comparison with the control group which didn’t undergo physical education (Fourestier, 1962). Though this study included only a small sample size and the methodology has not been detailed in the literature available, this has been indicated as one of the first studies in this research area. Another larger study which was conducted in 1970s has been recorded by Sallis et al (1999). This included 546 primary school children and confi rmed that those students who continuously engaged in five hours of physical education in a week performed better academically. This study has also analyzed the changing impacts of extent of physical education as the control population was constituted of children who had a limited exposure of 40 minutes of physical education per week Sallis et al (1999). ... Shephard (1997) reported that there was significant improvement in the mathematics score of students who underwent physical education for 5 hours a week. However, there were negative consequences in terms of scores in English. It is worth noting here that 33 minutes were reduced in the mathematics instruction while no hours were taken off from English teaching Shephard (1997). Raviv & Hectch (1999) recorded that physical movement education considerably improved the reading skills and the arithmetic test scores of students in an intervention made in an Israel school involving 92 preschool and 266 first grade children. More recent studies also suggest promising correlation between academic performance and physical education. Coe, Pivarnik, Womack, Reeves & Malina (2006) conducted an interventional study amongst 6th grade students which included fifty five minutes of physical education per day as an intervention. This intervention in terms of time was equivalent to that of the time slot for arts and computer sciences. The observations of this study indicated that these students performed as good as the control population in mathematics, science and English Coe, Pivarnik, Womack, Reeves & Malina (2006). The results of the Canadian Achievement Test revealed that even with decrease in academic time the academic performance of the sample population remained the same (Ahamed, Macdonald, Reed, Naylor, Liu-Ambrose & McKay, 2007). There are few studies which have suggested negative implications of Physical Education on academic achievements. Tremblay, Inman & Willms (2000) observed inverse association with academic performance in students of 11 years. This study is worth mentioning because of its large sample size. The research covered close to 7000 students as the

Managing Personal and Organisational Changes Essay - 1

Managing Personal and Organisational Changes - Essay Example As a consequence, higher education institutions are today pressurised to follow an unconventional way of pedagogy approach and compete at the international level, as the desire and intention of the students to gain a global career opportunity increases in the 21st century societal context. This in turn has substantially increased the competition level faced by higher education institutions; whereby, political bodies have also been taking requisite measures in this particular sector to augment the level of competition (Coughlan, 2013). Therefore, adoption of change, under such circumstances, becomes quite crucial for higher education institutions around the world. ... Based on the findings, inferences have been drawn along with specific recommendations to the steps that university leaders can take while applying the change. A Critical Analysis and Evaluation on the Nature of the Changes, Difficulties and Opportunities Facing the Higher Education Institutions Using Relevant Organisational Change Management Models and Theories In the 21st century context, managing organisational change is accounted as a common challenge faced by industry leaders. As by Waddell & Sohal (1998), organisational change management is considered as a major challenge in 21st century organisational management, fundamentally owing to the functioning of two pivotal factors; one is the involvement of multiple change driving forces and the other is the influenced caused by retraining factors. In agreement to this notion of change management, By (2005) and McMurray & et. al. (2010) had argued that resistance to change is a common phenomenon that causes massive hindrances in apply ing change management strategies. This particular change management theory can be well assessed applying the Lewin’s Force Field Analysis model in the context of higher education sector. According to this model, change can be managed efficiently with the accurate identification of ‘driving forces’ and ‘restraining forces’. While the driving forces implies those factors that influence and causes change in the organisational context, restraining forces tend to work as an obstruction or barrier to change enforcement (Hunt & et. al., 2006). When applying the Lewin’s Force Field Analysis model in the higher education sector, the driving forces can be identified in terms of job market alterations, business context changes, political changes and other societal changes that have

Social Capital on Facebook Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Social Capital on Facebook - Essay Example The book, Democracy in America, was written by Alexis de Tocqueville and had played significant role in the modern society of America. Tocqueville, a social scientist, had educated American audience to discern systematic studies of the relationship of democracy and civil society. The freedom enclosed in the concept of democracy extends up to the privilege of expression of the individuals. Freedom of expression is now being played up and exploited being the selling point of the social networking sites. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, two of the most famous social network, allowed their users to express and document every thoughts and activities of one’s own account. This privilege suddenly made Facebook a non-virtual consort place and pool of information, and sometimes of misinterpretation. With this fact in mind, it’s a marvel with what advantages and downsides that awaits in the society that social networking had brought in. Social Capital. Robert Putnam, author of the book Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy (1993) was able to expound the connection of social network to social capital. During an interview with Putnam, he had stated that â€Å"the quality of public life and the performance of social institutions are indeed powerfully influenced by norms and networks of civic engagement.†... This was primarily designed to be used in Harvard University, to know each other better. (Carlson 2011) In 2007, a study of The Benefits of Facebook "Friends:" Social Capital and College Students' Use of Online Social Network Sites had cited Putnam’s distinction between bridging and bonding social capital. An excerpt of the study to purposely explain is below: The former is linked to what network researchers refer to as "weak ties," which are loose connections between individuals who may provide useful information or new perspectives for one another but typically not emotional support (Granovetter, 1982). Alternatively, bonding social capital is found between individuals in tightly-knit, emotionally close relationships, such as family and close friends. After briefly describing the extant literature on these two forms of social capital and the Internet, we introduce an additional dimension of social capital that speaks to the ability to maintain valuable connections as one pro gresses through life changes. This concept, "maintained social capital," permits us to explore whether online network tools enable individuals to keep in touch with a social network after physically disconnecting from it. True to its film counterpart, The Social Network (2010), Facebook’s surprising fame seems to imply a persistent and startling necessity for even the closest â€Å"connection† in the broad network many times less socialized, linked and shared than the one in which our parents and grandparents grew up. However, universality is not much of an index, especially when the product at hand is absolutely free. (Atkinson 2011) Influence. Putnam had explained â€Å"that social connections and civic engagement pervasively influence our public

Political Economy Theories Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Political Economy Theories - Assignment Example Marxism is a system of economic, social, and political philosophy based on ideas that view social change in terms of economic factors. This theory asserts that for human beings to survive they must produce and reproduce the materials necessary for life. As a result, the societies are therefore governed by forces of production. Karl Marx believed that although capitalism develops the productive powers of human societies to historically unprecedented heights, it does so in ways, which are also disabling, exploitative, and undemocratic. In order to change this unjust order in the society Marx advocated for a revolution which would see the distribution of wealth from the few owners of production to all members of the society. â€Å"Neo† refers to a new kind of liberalization carved out by an elite group of capitalists from the old liberal school of economics that belonged to famous economists such as Adam Smith. Neoliberalism is in the first instance a theory of political economic practices that proposes that human well-being can best be advanced by liberating individual entrepreneurial freedoms and skills within an institutional framework characterized by strong private property rights, free markets, and free trade. The political economy under neoliberalism is as a result of the following key points. Firstly, there is the liberation of any enterprise imposed by the government regardless of the social damage done to the people. Secondly, neoliberalism calls for the cutting of public expenditure for social services such as healthcare and education. This removes the safety net of the poor leaving them at the mercy of the private enterprises. Thirdly, there is the reduction of government regulation on anything that may diminish business profits. Fourthly, there is the privatization of state owned enterprises under the

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

Paraphrasing - Essay Example The heat transfer resistances are determined by the feed flow rate and feed concentration, feed temperature and other operating parameters. The system heat transfer is controlled by the heat transfer in the membrane the resistance of which is 27-46 times higher than that of feed stream. 1. Heat Transfer The total heat flux (Q), across the membrane is expressed by the following equation: (1) Where, U is the overall heat transfer coefficient is bulk temperature difference among the feed and permeate sides J is the trans-membrane mass flux is the latent heat of vaporization Under steady state conditions, derived from the heat balance, the heat transfer in the individual compartments of system is represented by the following equation: (2) On the basis of equation 8, and, or the temperatures on both sides of the membrane can be estimated using the following equations: (3) (4) Further the heat transfer coefficient of the membrane (hm) can be determined on the basis of thermal conductivitie s of the membraneand of the vapor that fills the pores, using the equation 5. (5) The heat transfer coefficients of the boundary layer and can next be estimated experimentally or can be calculated using empirical correlations of dimensionless groups, namely Nussselt number (Nu), Reynolds number (Re) and Prandtl number (Pr). These numbers can be calculated directly from the data available for aqueous NaCl solutions and water, using the equation 6. ... The primary set up included pure water operated at four selected feed temperatures viz. 40, 50, 60 and 70?C. 3. Membrane distillation coefficient and pure water flux The vapor pressure differencewas calculated at the membrane surface temperaturesand, and plotted against the steady state fluxes obtained at selected feed temperatures as illustrated in Fig 4. On the basis of equation (1), it can be concluded that the slope of the straight line of the plot thus obtained gives the value of membrane distillation coefficient, (C= 0.0004 kg/m2.h.Pa or C= 1.11E-7 kg/m2.s.Pa). The membrane distillation coefficient remains constant for a specific membrane and vapor properties. The experimentally determined value of C was equivalent to the value reported in literature (C= 8.5E-7 kg/m2.s.Pa). 4. Effect of feed temperature on permeate flux Permeate flux is largely dependent on fee temperature. Fluxes of pure water and aqueous NaCl solution is represented in Fig. 6. Elevation of feed temperature le ads to a rise in permeate flux as a consequence of rise in vapor pressure of gas-liquid interface on liquid feed side, which causes a simultaneous increase in the driving force of mass transfer. 5. Effect of feed flow rate on permeate flux At a constant temperature the mass flux is dependent on feed flow rate as depicted in Fig. 7 showing the flux time curve at four feed flow rate at a constant temperature of 40?C. The mass flux rate is directly proportional to feed flow rate since a rise in feed flow rate causes a rise in turbulence, reduction of heat transfer resistance in the boundary layers and consequential rise in mass transfer rates. Moreover, the increase of feed boundary heat transfer coefficientwith Reynolds number lead to further rise

Form of education Essay Example for Free

Form of education Essay â€Å"Education is the key to success†. Everyone knows about it. Education come in many forms, that’s why many people are speaking and writing about it, some with authority and some are ordinary. But does everyone knows the real meaning of Education? How can we say that we are already educated person if we don’t know exactly the real definition of the word Education? And how can we apply it in our daily lives? Education is a stage of such a process which develops your knowledge to learn different things or simply it is the field of study that deals mainly with methods of teaching and learning in schools. There are three forms of Education. It can be Education of Heart, Education of Norm and at last Education of Dominion. The Education of Heart tackles about the education for the perception of the Individual. While, Education of Norm is all about for the perception of the Family and lastly the Education of Dominion (Intellectual, Technical, and Physical Education) it is the education for the perfection of the Nature of Dominion. Education is the most important thing in our life. It is a gift from above which cannot be taken away from us and can bring us to the top of our dreams. Education is not only by going to school, it can happen by a lot of ways. And it is important specially for those people who can’t afford to go to school, because of their status in life. And they believed that through education, one person’s knowledge can be enhanced and improve. The greatest treasure that everyone must have is Education. It’s like planting a rice; at first you need to execute more efforts, time and skills. Then, wait for the right time to harvest. Education is an important tool that is applied in the modern world to succeed, as it lessen the challenges or obstacles which are faced in life. For some people they compared Education as a special ingredient for a cooking recipe. They’ve said that any kind of dishes will never become delicious if it doesn’t have a complete and satisfying ingredient. The foundation of the society is based on Education, since it brings social and economic prosperity. Education offers a setting in which language, tradition, culture and values of the society are developed. Education has played a major role in the modern life to all individuals in the society and also in the industrial world. Employment is based on education, as employees must have the required skills that correspond with the technology to do their different tasks. As the technology keeps improving , more and more people using it in their lives. Therefore, education grown bigger because people nowadays are learning different things from this technology. Education can mold a personality of an individual. It can help one person to further to his or her own future. A good quality education is not only choosing a good school, it’s choosing a school that can handle different attitudes of students and still can teach them the right path to be a good citizen. There’s no young and adult in education as long as you want to reach your goals and your prepared enough to fight for it. Learning is an education and experience is an education too. But sometimes learning something new can be a scary experience. Specially for those times that you have been facing your fears. But it doesn’t mean that we should be afraid to overcome our own fears and mistakes because we can learn a lot from this things and sometimes it can be our guide to become a better and more stronger one. Although we already know that education is an important thing that everyone must have, but for others it still have disadvantages. Knowledge is power; though it is widely accepted that it is essential for growth and development of an individual, but sometimes it is the reason for some discrimination. Some forms of education blindly impose ideas upon young minds instead of teaching them to think for themselves. A lot of people gathered their knowledge based in their experience for which there is no substitute. An education system is very helpful in developing and improving the quality of human life. Living in this contemporary world is very hard to succeed. That’s why it is better to have a good quality education. Education will be our open doors to attain the training and learning experiences for career opportunities that we need to fulfill in our dreams. Through education we can learn how to enhance life skills such as critical thinking skills, a healthy living lifestyle and self-confidence. It also helps to build our personality to learn how to use good manners, and having respect for others. We learn healthy and productive ways to grow into socially active adults.

The Gendering of International Conflict

The Gendering of International Conflict The Gendering of International Conflict International conflict, and the military culture and machine that drives it, emanates from the patriarchal power structure of our society. While many consider this to be an unchallengeable or inevitable component of human culture, recent application of feminist discourse to international conflicts reveals not only the inevitable links between military response to conflict and hegemonic masculinity, but also suggests alternative constructs for both dealing with conflict and preventing military intervention and war. Tickner (1999) and others present the dangers of the traditional stereotypical view of men as warriors and aggressive and women as peacemakers and passive. Masculinity is often defined as what is not feminine, and femininity as what is not masculine, although understanding the dynamics of one requires considering both the workings of the other and the relationship and overlap between the two (Cohn and Enloe 2003). Militarism gets defined as masculine, based on domination and violence, and peacemaking gets defined as feminine, based on compassion and passitivity (Rabrenovic and Roskos 2001, 47). This causes forms of addressing conflict in any way other than a military or masculine response to be seen as feminine or a threat to manhood (Moylan 2003). For example, Cohn and Enloe (2003) consider why military response seemed by so many to be the only possible response to the September 11 attacks in the United States. The seemingly self-evident (to a lot of people) need to strike back is partly based on the assumption that it will work' (Cohn and Enloe 2003, 1203). There exists an old but dangerous assumption by many in power that violence will simply be more effective than a negotiated political solution or a response based on the enforcement of national or international law or on economic actions (Cohn and Enloe 2003, 1204). Cohn (2003) comments that she believes responding to violence with violence is an outflow of the interwoven ideas of national security and appropriate masculinity that dominate our political and cultural thought. Riddick agrees that the effectiveness of violent response is consistently overrated, with the costs of military response consistently underestimated (Cohn and Riddick 2002). The hegemonic man, favourin g action over relationship, responds to the threat of violence or conflict with a response that reinforces the idea of the male role as protector and emphasises physical strength. This masculinisation of military action, though strongly dominant both historically and cross-culturally, not only prevents the consideration of alternate and possibly more effective responses to conflict, but also damages the psyche of those it indoctrinates. The idea that the military will make you a man reinforces the concept that only one version of manhood is socially acceptable. The concept of hegemonic masculinity was originally introduced by R.W. Connell. He argues that at any given historical moment, there are many different masculinities, not only one but the hegemonic one (or ones) is the most valued one, the ideal (Cohn and Weber 1999, 461). This construct juxtaposes the ideal man not only against anything perceived as feminine, but also against other masculinities (Cohn and Weber 1999). It gives men who are able to conform to the single or few definitions of appropriate manhood the power to dominate both women and men outside this definition in their society. Over time, it is the men who succeed within such systems that consolidate their power, at the expense of other members of society; unfortunately the men do so at the expense of limiting their future response options to those that fit the hegemonic male construct to which they have succumbed. Men in positions of world leadership, typically products of this conformist environment, are then unable to consider national responses to international conflict outside their conditioned, action-focused response. Cohn and Enloe (1999), critiquing the film Saving Private Ryan, examine this military and cultural on the soldier, and all acceptable men in society, as real men. The underlying messages of the movie, they feel, are the perceived need for men to separate themselves from everything feminine. Masculine and feminine are two distinct constructs, without shared components (Tickner 1999). When feminine sentiments or responses are allowed in a conflict situation, the result is death. This squelching or compartmentalisation of â€Å"feminine† responses, emotions, and reactions from a position other than aggressive action threaten the very lives of not only the man who has â€Å"failed† at being a real man, but also the lives of all those around him. For example, in the movie a young, rather effeminate American compassionately allows a German soldier to go free rather than killing him in cold blood. The German later returns to kill soldiers in the Americans company. The message is that men have to make sacrifices for the good of the nation, and women and feminine sentiment are the polluting elements that prevent that from happening (Cohn and Weber 1999, 466). This skews the view of war and conflict to being a wholly male construct, with little consideration to the wants, needs, and viewpoints of women in conflictual situations. Service to the country, honour in battle, loyalty to one’s fellow soldiers, and the ability to face terrifying and potentially deadly situations with courage and fearlessness are the signs of both a successful soldier and a successful man (Cohn and Weber 1999). The view of war as destructive, both to the countries that wage it, the soldiers who fight in it, and the civilians who suffer through it, becomes a secondary image of military action. The desire to find a way of resolving the issues at hand through negotiation, dialogue, and understanding is devalued and rejected (Ruddick 1989). Women remain those less likely to cause war and violence, most likely to suffer from it in their own homes and communities, and the least valued in terms of the development of effective systems for conflict resolution. Rabrenovic and Roskos (2001) also point out that while war offers some men both new career opportunities and increased power, women typically are not afforded such benefits, but rather face â€Å"the disruption of services, the shortage of necessary resources, the loss of men’s contribution to the household, as well as the every-present worry for safety of their children† (Rabrenovic and Roskos 2001, 48). Therefore resolution of the conflict may jeopardise economic and political standing for some men, particularly those in charge of military operations. Women, on the other hand, are more likely to benefit from and therefore pursue peaceful resolutions of conflict involving cooperation and compromise (Rabrenovic and Roskos 2001). Male leaders in a military conflict typically strive to end it through â€Å"winning,† or achieving a cease-fire agreement which results in increase in their own power and the power of their nation (Rabrenovic and Roskos 2001). They are l ess likely to focus on a means of resolution that most easily accommodates rebuilding the countries impacted by the war, or on establishing systems and practices that enable the use of non-violent alternatives to preventing future conflict (Rabrenovic and Roskos 2001). Feminist discourse contends that international conflict does not require an automatic move to military, violent, or force-based response (Rabrenovic and Roskos 2001). Reardon (1993) envisions true peace as deriving from â€Å"relationships amongst people and nations based on trust, cooperation, and recognition of the interdependence and importance of the common good and mutual interests of all peoples† (4-5). It is not sufficient to simply include women in political and power systems designed by and for men, which therefore use a highly masculinised response mechanism for addressing world issues (Scott 1988, Moylan 2003). Rather, women must be both brought into the decision-making and system developing processes and empowered to include alternative perspectives and means of addressing, conflict, war, and peace. Many women’s organisations have attempted to suggest alternate resolution and conflict prevention strategies from their traditional positions as mothers (Ruddick 1989). This shifts motherhood from a private to a public activity, allowing women and women’s organisations to engage in political and peace strategy discourse and challenge typical and assumed conflict resolution activities. The recent UN resolution 1325 â€Å"makes gender a routinely considered component in the full range of work undertaken by the Security Council† (Cohn, Kinsella and Gibbings 2004, 131). However, there is a significant difference between the simple inclusion of women and gender considerations in international policy and process, and the significant shift in systems called for by the full inclusion of feminist theory in the realm of international conflict. Rabrenovic and Roskos (2001) contend that women â€Å"must persist in gaining greater visibility for women’s peace-work and feminist insights on peacemaking and noting that in the context of unravelling the dynamics of war-making, women have not made sufficient progress† (42). Strong and widespread resistance remains the common response in most countries to any questioning of the use of force as a legitimate response to conflict or manifestation of power (Rabrenovic and Roskos 2001). An additional consideration is the different manifestations of feminism and feminist thought in different cultures. There are a number of worthy feminist thinkers outside the privileged Western realm that is published or given voice in media outlets (Sylvester 1999). Elshtain (2001) examines the different practises and goals of women’s groups in a number of countries, many of which are not in line with the brand of feminism promoted in the West. In Prague, for example, feminists contended â€Å"we want to emphasise concrete problems, not ideologies† (Elshtain 2001, 546). After years of forced involvement in the workforce and requirements to place their children in poorly run state-sponsored day cares, women in Czechoslovakia valued the choice they now have to work or stay home, and considered this at odds to discourse they had encountered from Europe and the United States (Elshtain 2001). Feminists in Palestine were perplexed by the West’s emphasis on freedom, bu t perceived unwillingness to promote the freedom of the Palestinian people. Women there also were confused by comments of several American feminist theorists who viewed head scarves as a form of oppression, which the Palestinian women who wear them do not (Elshtain 2001). It is important, therefore, to concentrate on vital and universal feminist values, viewpoints and aims rather than be distracted by issues not considered important to women in the cultures where the issues exist. Women worldwide should be aware of their options, but encouraged to live from the cultural construct they personally value, and impact their society from this construct. At the same time, Moylan (2003) noted that when men become uncomfortable in viewing power structures and response mechanisms, often feeling a threat to their manhood, â€Å"many women will work to end the men’s discomfort by agreeing with them rather than by expecting them to explore the reasons why they are uncomfortable (571). This leads to a perpetualisation of the very power structures and response mechanisms that need to be challenged. Cohn and Enloe (2003) ask what it takes to â€Å"genuinely demilitarise a society† (1189). First, cultures must allow for separation of hegemonic masculinity, manhood, and the use of force. This is beginning to happen in some areas of the world, where alternate life choices are increasingly tolerated and even valued. â€Å"Gender analysis and gender disaggregated data must be used to bring women’s experiences to the forefront of the conversation and eventually to recast the very meanings of the topics under negotiation, in this case to challenge the very meaning of war and peace† (Scott 1988, 3). This will cause distress to many in the patriarchal power structure that dominates our world organisations. However, with perseverance, the reward of a world where military action and war are not the typical response to international conflict, where men are empowered to express various versions of masculinity, rather than being forced into a hegemonic construct, and wher e women are both participants in the actions and the creation of international policy and practises is well worth the effort. REFERENCES Cohn, C., Enloe, C. 2003. A conversation with Cynthia Enloe: Feminists Look at Masculinity and the Men Who Wage War. Journal of Women in Culture and Society, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 1187-1207. Cohn, C., Kinsella, H., Gibbings, S. 2004. Women, Peace and Security. International Feminist Journal of Politics, vol. 6, no. 1, March 2004, pp. 130-140. Cohn, C., Weber, C. 1999. Missions, Men and Masculinities. International Feminist Journal of Politics, vol. ?, no. ?, ? 1999, pp. 460-475. Elshtain, J.B. 2001. Exporting Feminism. Journal of International Affairs, Winter 1995, vol. 48, no. 2, pp. 541-558. Moylan, P. 2003. Teaching Peace: The Challenge of Gendered Assumptions. Peace and Change, vol. 28, no. 4, October 2003, pp. 570-574. Rabrenovic, G., Roskos, L. 2001. Introduction: Civil Society, Feminism, and the Gendered Politics of War and Peace. NWSA Journal, vol. 13, no. 2, Summer, pp. 40-54. Reardon, B. 1993. Women and Peace: Feminist Visions of Global Security. State University of New York Press, Albany. Ruddick, S. 1989. Maternal Thinking: Toward a Politics of Peace. Beacon Press, Boston. Scott, J.W. 1988. Gender and the Politics of History. Columbia University Press, New York. Sylvester, C. 1999. Bringing Philosophy to Feminism and Peace. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 377-379. Tickner, A.J. 1999. Why Women Can’t Run the World: International Politics According to Francis Fukuyama. International Studies Review, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 3–11.

Creating Tourism Uniqueness To Hua Hin Tourism Essay

Creating Tourism Uniqueness To Hua Hin Tourism Essay Assignment Details: how a specific destination can conduct market research to develop a new brand for itself. Consideration the subjects of market segmentation and product differentiation strategies. Based on your discussion, you can provide suggestions about what this destination business should do in order to develop a product. Please use proper referencing. Following questions should be answered: Give a short account of the history of the destination. State its mission, vision and major goals. Analyze challenges and developments in relation to its marketing. Situation Analysis Competitive analysis Customer analysis SWOT analysis Destinations marketing strategies. Recommendations for this destination to pursue in the future. History of Hua Hin Hua Hin is one of the most well-known tourist destinations for decades, and currently, the island has been transformed to a major tourism hub with the well-prepared infrastructure and services to accommodate millions of tourists around the world every year. Hua Hin now can provide highest standards of wellness care, blended with Thai hospitality. The ingredient of world-class wellness service with the charming warm hospitality makes Hua Hin the favorable health wellness destination of the world. There is more to Hua Hin than its white sandy beaches, fantastic bargain shopping, water and land sport activities and entertainment. Furthermore, Thailand is one of leading tourism destinations for decades. Many cities have been transformed to a major tourism hub with well-prepared infrastructure and service to accommodate tourists around the world every year. With the number of tourists has been increasing every year, tourism related infrastructures have been developed. One of the infrastructures we really put our effort to medical infrastructure, originally to ensure all of the tourists for any emergency health incidents during their holidays. Thailand is leading Asia as a medical tourism destination. Major reasons that enabled Thailand to dominate this growing market are the low cost of medical treatments, the quality of treatments provided by hospitals and private clinics, and the highly developed tourism industry. As the population in the potential tourists searching for better life continues to grow, the demand for health and wellness trips tend to increase. Health and wellness tourism represents the recent trend to converge two of the worlds largest industries, healthcare and tourism. Hua Hin has been acknowledged as the healthiest city in Thailand. The combination of health tourism hub is between beautiful and natural tourism destination, with the international standard of healthcare perspectives. It has no doubt on the beauty of Phuket Island, together with various supporting factors; pristine beaches, delicious Thai seafood, varieties of entertainment, fun shopping and tropical luxurious spa. Those combinations have made Phuket to the outstanding tourism destination in world map. Location Hua Hin is a coastal town in Prachuab Kirikhan Province, 200 kilometers south of Bangkok. It can easily be reached by car. Hua Hin has an airport which links the seaside resort by daily flights to Bangkok, Phuket and Samui. Regular buses leave Bangkoks Southern Bus Terminal for Hua Hin and Prachuap Khiri Khan many times daily. Trains leave Bangkok Central Railway Station for Hua Hin 12 times daily. Climate Hua Hin is located in the hot zone, but refreshed by a cooling sea breeze. The average temperature is 24C to 32C. It has one of the lowest rainfalls of any beach area in Thailand. Therefore, tourists can visit the town all year round. Due to the excellent weather and climate, there are a large number of the retire staying permanently there. One of facilities plays important roles to non-residents and local people is the medical and health services. Vision Hua Hin is a world source of health tourism. It will be broadly recognized as a magic place to healing and become the destination of choice for visitors whose primary intention is to enjoy health and wellness experiences. Its products and services will be delivered with a world class standard to fulfill customer needs. Mission Statement Hua hin welcomes all local and international visitors with top class of health and wellness facilities which are rare to find elsewhere. Unique identity of historical city together with natural resource and splendid long beach are attractive and draw health seekers from around the world and known as the best of destination for wellness. Objectives To create tourism uniqueness to Hua hin. Strengthen Hua hin reputation in term of wellness and health destination. Increase standard of hotel and resort in Hua hin to average of 4 stars in 5 years of implementation. Create commitment of city owner to local people and educate the sustainable benefit of following destination strategic marketing. Situation Analysis Market analysis Growth rates within the health and wellness tourism market are significance. Based on research, the global market size of health and wellness tourism is estimated at 5 million trips annually. As the population in the potential tourists searching for better life continues to grow, the demand for health and wellness trips will increase. However, even though in Thailand, wellness tourism is just in an early phase of growth, it is growing. The promise of low-cost, high quality healthcare is attracting more than tourists a year to key locations. Based on Bangkok Post 2004 Mid-Year Review, a health and wellness tourist spends an average of USD 362 a day, compared with the average travelers spending of USD 144 and 50 % cheaper than in Singapore, three times cheaper than in Hong Kong, and five to ten times cheaper than in Europe and the USA. Competitor Analysis Domestic Competitive Environment Phuket has been discovered only recently as one of the most well-known tourist destinations and has undergone rapid. Strength: with the investment of international healthcare facilities, Phuket now can provide highest standards of wellness and medical care, blended with Thai hospitality. The ingredient of world-class healthcare service with the charming and warm hospitality makes Phuket the favorable health and wellness destination of the world. There is more to Phuket than its white sandy beaches, fantastic bargain shopping, water and land sport activities and entertainment. Phukets hospitals provide patients with access of highly qualified medical personal. We emphasize that such international accreditation is the key successful factors and is a guarantee of our commitment for best medical services. The rapid changes of our planet today bring us to more challenging era. The world has been changed, both in positive and negative ways, and the most worried development to our mankind is the development of the sickness. In another word, may I say, sickness has no barriers, anyone living in anywhere in this world would have chance to experience any kind of sickness or diseases. And most of the time, sickness can be cured only for the permission time. With this believe, Phuket is the best place for medical treatment, as we possess the edge when it comes to the availability of services. And you will found that there is no queue or much waiting time for medical treatment in Phuket. International Competitive Environment Many countries now actively market themselves as health and wellness destinations. This further expansion of health and wellness tourism has positively impacted incoming tourist receipts by boosting average spend per visitor and reversed the general trend towards shorter, more frequent breaks. It has also provided an element of stability to the travel and tourism market, as activities are generally in-door thus avoiding the problems and fluctuations of seasonality. Source Market Region General Competitive Environment Competitive Strengths India Long history of wellness from folk know-how, such as Yoga, Ayurveda and Unani. Fast-paced life style increases demand for wellness tourism and alternative cures. Diversity of tourism destinations and experiences. Unique experience in heritage place and hotel. A very wide variety of hotels is present in the country that can fulfill the demand of the tourists. There are international players in the market such as Taj and Oberoi International Chains. Thus, the needs of the international tourist travelers are met while they are on a visit to India. India offers a readymade tourist destination with the resources it has. Thus the magnet to pull customers already exists and has potential grow. Quality and Range of Services. Affordable costs. Singapore Strengths as a tourist destination. Singapores land use planning, zoning controls and environmental regulations in destination management. Innovation, ICT and Singapores business sophistication factors. Implementation of the VICE model by Singapore to maintain sustainable tourism (Visitor, Industry, Community, Environmental). Achieving international-standard training and acquiring improved Knowledge skills in the hospitality tourism industry, to strengthen Singapores position as a top Human Capital Excellence destination. The significance of Singapores destination brand values. Partnering of tourism and hospitality industries to support Singapores tourism development. Partnering of tourism and hospitality industries to support Singapores tourism development. Source: http://www.gourkanjilal.com/tourism-s-w-o-t-analysis-india/index.htm, 31 Aug 2010 Conference on Tourism in India Challenges Ahead, 15-17 May 2008, IIMK http://discoversvg.com/index.php/en/home/latest-news/425-competitive-tourism-destination-lessons-learnt-from-singapore India India is one of the worlds oldest civilizations, which is mysterious to tourists. It is considered a land of contrast of ancient farming and agricultural techniques in one area to bustling, cosmopolitan cities in another. While much of the country is poorly developed, a medical tourist can rest assured that their hospital and, for a price, their hotel will be extremely modern and pristine. Venturing beyond these, however, a traveler is virtually guaranteed to suffer from diarrhea and intestinal parasites are common even for cautious eaters. Likewise, the odds of contracting a serious disease are low, however several additional vaccinations are strongly recommended that are not necessary in the other hubs. India is positioning itself as a primary global destination for the most-complex medical procedures, and is committed to delivering these services by obtaining US Joint Commission International Accreditation to help in increasing US market share. India deals with a higher proportion of major surgery tourists than minor surgery and check-up tourists than the other major hubs, which has given rise to specialist hospitals across India. It is the cheapest destination. Most estimates claim treatment costs in India start at around a tenth of the price of comparable treatment in America or Britain. These hospitals are far out of the reach of most Indians and cater specifically to foreign tourists for very specific needs for example some centers will focus strongly on heart surgery while others will deal with joint replacements. These specialist hospitals are very new with top rate medical teams, high volume and experience in their specialty and the best equipment available. High volume of heart surgeries does not translate into high volumes overall, however, and these hospitals rely heavily on agents, especially on the internet, to recruit prospective patients. These facilities also offer procedures that are rare or unavailable in the United States, such as hip polishing or resurfacing, which is a popular surgery for medical tourists. The most popular treatments sought in India by medical tourists are alternative medicine, bone-marrow transplant, cardiac bypass surgery, eye surgery and orthopedic surgery. India is known in particular for heart surgery, hip resurfacing and other areas of advanced medicine. The south Indian city of Chennai has been declared Indias Health Capital, as it nets in 45% of health tourists from abroad and 30-40% of domestic health tourists.[77] Other major cities where medical tourists are catered to include New Delhi and Mangalore. By 2015, Indias medical tourism sector is expected to experience an annual growth rate of 30%. Estimates of the value of medical tourism to India go as high as $2 billion a year by 2012. Advantages for medical tourists include reduced costs, the availability of latest medical technologies and a growing compliance on international quality standards, as well as the fact that foreigners are likely to face a language barrier in India. The Indian government is taking steps to address infrastructure issues that hinder the countrys growth in medical tourism. Ministry of Tourism India (MoT) is planning to extend its Market Development Assistance (MDA) scheme to cover Joint Commission International (JCI) and National Accreditation Board of Hospitals (NABH) certified hospitals. A policy announcement of this effect is likely soon. However, tourism in India can be impressive and at the same time quite uncomfortable. Its infrastructure is very poor. Although excellent hotels and western restaurants are available, they are extremely expensive. India has magnificent sights to see, however, from Hindu shrines to Islamic monuments and palaces and a vibrant modern culture. Conclusion: India is a good choice for major surgery, but it is necessary to make sure you are going to a hospital with a strong track record in your particular condition. Tourism options after treatment are not as comfortable as the other hubs but are among the most interesting. Singapore Singapore has a world-renowned and well-established healthcare and medical system. Based on the WTO (2007) Singapore was voted the Best Medical/Wellness Tourism Destination by TravelWeekly (Asia) Industry Awards 2007. There are a dozen hospitals and health centers with JCI accreditation.[91] In 1997 (published 2000), the World Health Organization ranked Singapores health care system sixth best in the world and the highest ranked system in Asia.[92] Patients from developed countries such as the United States and the UK are also beginning to choose Singapore as their medical travel destination for relatively affordable health care services in a clean cosmopolitan city. Pros The WHO ranked the quality of healthcare in Singapore as 6th in the world. Singapore is a highly urbanized, orderly and spotless country so medical tourists should not expect the same chaotic environment that are typical in other Asian destinations There are several JCI-certified hospitals and healthcare facilities in Singapore. English is one of Singapores official languages and is spoken by all doctors and medical staff Although the cost for medical procedures in Singapore is not as low compared to India or Thailand, the prices are still lower then Western Europe and the USA. Cons Medical procedures and treatments done in Singapore are more expensive compared to other Asian medical tourism destinations such as Thailand, India and Malaysia. The climate in Singapore is hot and humid, which may be uncomfortable to most westerners particularly during the post-procedure and recovery stages Prices of goods, transportation and accommodation in Singapore are relatively more expensive than other Asian countries For US and Canadian medical tourists, travel times to Singapore are very long 3.4 SWOT Analysis The following SWOT points have been identified based on secondary-qualitative research. Strengths Hua Hins current position as a desirable tourist Affordable cost Not far from Bangkok Low cost of wellness products and services with high quality Accessibility: by car, air shutter Reputation and Marketing Reputation Weaknesses Lack of consumer awareness Some doctors are employed part time Language and Culture Barrier Unskilled Workforce Opportunities Many factors have contributed to the increased public awareness of health and wellness. Higher rates of heart disease. Wellness tourism market is large and increasing. Tourism policies from government, tourism industry will be strategically supported from government. Provincial strategy group will create more obvious tourism development roadmap. The continued growth of the Thai economy, resulting in growth of domestic tourism and raise opportunities to local tourism development. Information technology and internet allow the distribution of travel information to be more convenient and faster. Global trend towards health conscious. Fund flow from local and foreign are key for development in tourist destination province like Hua Hin. Threats Travel understands how to package but healthcare facilities do not. Unstable political situation in Thailand. Global economic situation is difficult to expect, may impact spending of target market especially if problem occurred in target country. Speaking about medical factors, for the definition, which comes from the research in preparation stage, we have found that there are four factors to make destination ready for international medical services. Destination marketing strategies The experience of Hua Hin thus serves to illustrate factors that are critical to destination development, raising two pertinent questions: 1. What are the best models of tourism marketing that focus on total customer needs, wants and experiences, and which recognize the essential nature of fun, high quality and diversity of choices at the destination? 2. Is it necessary for a destination / country to have a marketing strategy for attracting tourism? If the destination aims to host tourists in a way that leads to economic growth while balancing the needs of the citizens, then a structured and coordinated approach, a marketing strategy is the optimal approach to achieving these goals. Recommendation The findings revealed several strengths of Hua Hin tourism in terms of destination marketing. These included: effective tourism organizations, continuing tourism product development, a unique variety of activities and culture, variety of accommodations and hospitality programs, thorough overseas market segmentation, targeting, and positioning activities. Stability of economic, politic and social in Thailand is major factor of developing through strategies. However, if current government can sustain itself in medium term and serious implement of tourism destination development, Hua Hin is one of the most potential to famous globally likes others destination in Thailand.

Essay --

Jordan Belfort: Money Outweighing Punishment The stock market is an enigma to the average individual, as they cannot fathom or predict what the stock market will do. Due to this lack of knowledge, investors typically rely on a knowledgeable individual who inspires the confidence that they can turn their investments into a profit. This trust allowed Jordan Belfort to convince individuals to buy inferior stocks with the belief that they were going to make a fortune, all while he became wealthy instead. Jordan Belfort, the self-titled â€Å"Wolf of Wall Street†, at the helm of Stratton Oakmont was investigated and subsequently indicted with twenty-two counts of securities fraud, stock manipulation, money laundering and obstruction of justice. He went to prison at the age of 36 for defrauding an estimated 100 million dollars from investors through his company (Belfort, 2009). Analyzing his history of offences, how individual and environmental factors influenced his decision-making, and why he desisted from crime following hi s prison sentence can be explained through rational choice theory. Jordan Belfort’s exploitation of individuals and the financial system was for solely the purpose of financial gain. Rational choice theory dictates that individuals are of rational minds and will calculate the costs and benefits and choose actions where the benefits outweigh the punishment for committing it. This theory explains why Belfort turned to criminal actions, such as market manipulation, fraud, and money laundering over normative actions to achieve his goal of wealth when his greed outweighed any fear of punishment from the justice system. Rational choice theory, developed by Ronald Clarke and Derek Cornish in 1985, is a revival of Cesare Becca... ... desisted from crime as his calculations of probability of punishment offsets any potential rewards and thus deterrence is created. Jordan Belfort throughout his entire life subverted the law for his own financial gain, always seeing money as worth the risk in the decisions he made. His decisions were made by a rational mind of his own volition, considering the long-term possibilities and how to stay ahead of his pursuers. He constructed an environment with Stratton Oakmont to enable this behaviour, as well as corrupt those around him to follow in his footsteps. This lead to his repeated violations of laws to generate wealth when his fear of punishment was lower than that of the rewards he could potentially gain. It was only when he was confronted with the reality of his punishment and experienced it directly that he was finally deterred from his criminal behaviour.

Lily’s Reflections in Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse Essay

Lily’s Reflections in Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse Embodying the spirit of the female artist, Lily Briscoe in To the Lighthouse examines critical issues pertaining to her role in Virginia Woolf’s novel. In Part Three of the novel, Mrs. Ramsay’s legacy plays an especially important role in Lily’s thinking processes. Flowing experimentally like the sea that day, Lily’s thoughts encompass the novel’s themes of the passage of time, the role of the woman, and the role of the artist. Though time can break down physical matter, its prodding cannot disperse vivid memories. In the beginning of Part Three, Lily feels that Mrs. Ramsay’s death signals the deadening of emotions over time, for she can feel â€Å"nothing, nothing – nothing that she [can] express at all† (125). Lily feels that without Mrs. Ramsay’s art of bringing people together, everything becomes â€Å"aimless†, â€Å"chaotic† and â€Å"unreal† (126). Lily echoes Mr. Ramsay’s sentiments of having â€Å"perished† and wishes Mrs. Ramsay were in charge of the household again (126). Although Lily is a friend of the Ramsays, she is deeply affected by the unravelling of the Ramsay’s family life and remarks, â€Å"The empty places. Such were some of the parts, but how bring them together?† (126). Lily is able to solve this dilemma at the end of the story; however, for the moment, she can only imagine Mrs. Ramsay saying â€Å"life sta nd still here,† for this is the older woman’s way of turning a moment into something permanent (138). Later in her mind’s eye, Lily sees Mrs. Ramsay through William’s eyes and thinks â€Å"beauty had this penalty – it came too readily, came too completely. It stilled life – froze it. One forgot the little agitations; the flush, the pallor, some queer distortion, some light or s... ...izes it on the canvas. Lily is no longer a passive woman confused about her artistic abilities. Time’s passage is inevitable, but Lily learns that she can match wits with time by using her artistic talents. Mrs. Ramsay had shown Lily that time can be stopped with beauty, but Lily opts for a more realistic capture of time with artwork that transcends all ages. As a female artist, Lily dashes Mrs. Ramsay’s hopes as well as overcomes the societal expectations for her to become married. Not only does Lily redefines what it means to be a woman, she also renews the image of the artist. Intertwining her reflections on time, womanhood, and artistry, Lily emerges as a more mature person in the end of Woolf’s novel To the Lighthouse. Work Cited Woolf, Virginia, To the Lighthouse. Edited by Susan Dick. Oxford, United Kingdom: Blackwell Publishers 1992.

America Must Invest in Energy Efficiency Essay -- Argumentative Persua

America Must Invest in Energy Efficiency In recent years our country has had many debates over what must be done to lessen the amount of oil that our country consumes. It is well known that we need to make some type of change to help not only the environment, but also lessen our reliance on imported oil. President Bush recently announced his new plan that could someday greatly reduce that amount of oil that Americans use by replacing oil with hydrogen fuel cells. Although this plan is a step in the right direction, it is not the answer. There are far too many downsides that could actually hurt our country in the long run. One problem is that the plan proposed by Bush will take far too long before any changes will be seen. This is a major issue due to the fact that a previous plan was showing very promising signs for short-term success. A second problem is that the President’s funding is not in the correct area of hydrogen fuel cell research; he is funding methods that are not reasonable. When the new hydrog en fuel cell plan is looked at closely it actually uses oil that could be set aside. I feel that Bush’s plan for funding fuel cell research will not solve many of today’s problem regarding oil problems in our country because it could be more efficient and have more immediate effects. Although Bush’s plan could someday make a huge difference in the amount of oil used in the US, there is no way of knowing when any changes will be seen. I feel that something needs to be done to change our oil consumption as soon as possible. A major change would be seen very soon if President Clinton’s plan were to continue being funded. His idea was not to totally stop cars form using oil, but to lessen the amount of ... ...is is the answer to our short term oil problems, but it is not a long-term solution. That is why I feel that we do need to spend some money on hydrogen fuel cells. If we split the money between the two forms of research, it would help the US now and in the future. We must also fund the correct areas of hydrogen fuel cell research. To me it makes no sense to fund something when there is a better way to do it. Bush seems to simply be protecting the oil companies; he must learn to look past this and see the big picture. America is in need of a great change when it comes to our consumption of oil, and Bush has the opportunity to make huge changes if he spends the money in the correct way. I believe that the intentions of Bush’s new plan are good because of the fact that he wants to make a change, but I feel that his ideas must be revised before they are put into effect.

The Imporance of Parental Authority

The nature and purpose of parental authority is to direct and instruct towards achieving a good, as many philosophers will agree on. However, there are certain philosophers that differ on the rational use of parental authority. Some will adhere to the notion that parental authority must be bounded to moral law, whereas others believe in the divine nature of parental authority. Nevertheless, most philosophers will agree that the correct use of parental authority for any family will dictate the success or failure in achieving the truest good for themselves. Both Allan Bloom’s â€Å"The Clean Slate† and Rabbi Normal Lamm’s â€Å"Traditional Jewish Family Values† offer insight to the use, nature, and purpose of parental authority in the family’s achievement of goodness. Rabbi Norman Lamm presents a model for parental authority in the traditional Jewish family. The father of a Jewish family is typically the source of authority for the family, but is not considered the absolute authority. The use of the father’s authority is exercised as the absolute source, meaning there is no democratic debate between each member of the family to come to a decision. As Lamm notes, the degeneration of the contemporary Jewish family stems from authority figures not exercising proper discipline, letting the family slip into this â€Å"liberal posture† (726). The nature and purpose of parental authority is ultimately meant to direct the child to his or her truest good. However, it is false to believe that the father of this idealized family is acting alone in instructing children. The father, as Lamm writes, is â€Å"not only the visible and present focus of authority†¦but he is also a symbol, the representative and refractor of a Higher Authority† (728). There is, in this statement, a direct implication that the father is only the focus to an authority that is greater than himself, and in working with that divine authority will direct the child to his or her good. In order for the family to achieve its fundamental goodness, the father must express his authority in relation with that which is greater than the family itself. The family, therefore, must be grounded and mutually committed to the authority bestowed upon them by parents and divine power. Lamm paints a picture that parental authority is given to parents through the transcendent, and parents must bestow this awareness of authority upon their children as a way to develop them towards achieving good, thus starting a cycle in which these children will pass the same traditions of authority to their children. In conclusion, Lamm explains that achieving fundamental happiness for the family only comes through an awareness of the transcendent and adhering to that in the exercise of parental authority. Allan Bloom, in â€Å"The Clean Slate†, comments on the state of moral education in the past and how it has evolved in the modern day. The use of parental authority is essential to the moral development of adolescents and young adults, according to Bloom. The family is meant to provide, above all else, a deep and enriching moral education, one that promotes and cultivates rational thinking in the service of a moral education. However, the achievement of this moral education draws similarities to the argument of Lamm, in that it is dependent upon a spiritual commitment to ritual and tradition, while upholding and communicating the knowledge of great literary writings. An important distinction here is to note the importance Bloom places upon great books. He notes that the family must read these as they are a pathway to a timeless truth. These great books bestow upon the family something that modern media and culture cannot, a true vision of the order of the whole of things as well as a sense of wisdom of the true nature of things. He writes, â€Å"The family requires a certain authority and wisdom about the ways of the heavens and of men† (57). Every member of the family, as a way to achieve a fundamental goodness, must be well versed in timeless teachings, rituals, and ceremonies. Bloom does point to several issues in our history as a nation that are having a direct impact on the nature and use of parental authority. If parental authority is meant to give children a deepening moral education and bring about goodness, how is it supposed to be that we can still achieve this with many technological distractions and a shift away from writings of revelation and truth? He comments that many parents in modern American families are moving away from the higher and more independent family life of their ancestors that provided a true moral education. Bloom believes that in order to restore what the family has lost, it must start with providing a firm exercise of parental authority through the use of great literature, ritual and traditional, to achieve a sacred unity. The fundamental goodness of a family exists when it is cultivating an environment that presents to the young â€Å"†¦a vision of a moral cosmos and of the rewards and punishment of good and evil†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , otherwise the world remains disenchanted with no fundamental truths. A disenchanted life awaits all that do not participate in the great revelations and epics that point us to the true natural vision of life, according to Bloom.