Descarte's Philosophy of Calling Mind as a Thinking Thing Essay

Descarte's Philosophy of Calling Mind as a Thinking Thing - Essay Example Hence the essence of the existence of human beings is their mind or soul, not their bodies. Descartes’ philosophy of calling mind as a thinking thing Rene Descartes is a French mathematician come philosopher of seventeenth century who is unanimously called as 'Father of Modern Philosophy'. Born in the year 1596 & died in 1650 due to pneumonia, Descartes produced lots of useful philosophical ideas which definitely make the basis for a modern anti-scholastic philosophy. The most famous & most controversial philosophical statement given by Descartes' was "I think, therefore I am" in his publication â€Å"the discourse on the method† in the year 1637, in which he explains that the essence of our mind is thought. If we do not think about things around us & about ourselves, we don’t make enough use of our brain & thus we remain insignificant. In the year 1639, he started his work on Meditations & wrote a book named â€Å"Meditations on First Philosophy†, which w as highly criticized by most learned people of that time & by the cathedral too, as according to them Descartes gave such ideas which contradict with religion & Christian faith. Most of his publications regarding meditations contain the answers to the objections of his previously defined ideas & he tried to clarify himself about the misunderstandings which arose about his method. In his first meditation, he discussed all the way that our sensory beliefs are not always trustworthy or reliable & mind is the only thing which can be termed as reliable as it thinks. In his second meditation, he argued that the mind takes the liberty of supposing everything to be nonexistent of which it has the least doubt of existing. However, during the process, as mind is the thing which is thinking the whole situation, so it must exist itself .This is among one of the greatest use of our mind (Descartes. 1641). Descartes formally presented a theory of mind-body dualism in which he argues that our body is composed of different organs & parts & our mind has no connection with it. As in his first meditation, he says that sensory organs are doubtful thus the body itself has no particular reliability. This absolutely does not mean that in this perspective, a human does not exist or is insignificant. But as compared to mind, body is nothing but a combination of solid joints. The concept of being deceived by someone or convinced on any point directly relates through mind, not from body. Hence for such things to happen, I must exist & I am a not a rational animal but a thinking thing that doubts, understands, affirms, denies, is willing, is unwilling, and also imagines and has sensory perceptions (Descartes. 1641). The point that our mind only considers those things to be existent, which show their existence, like the mind itself, was explained by thinking of something that has a very least chance to exist. If the existence is proved, Descartes happily conclude that as the particular th ing exists so it proves itself. However, if the supposed image or thing was not found existed by him, he was more than happy to say that anything on the world can be found if it exists, like human mind about which there is no doubt of existence. Mind is a creation of god which exists & thinks all the time about the existence or non-existence of other things. Hence â€Å"I† am not simply a combination of

Principle of Earth Science Essay Example for Free

Principle of Earth Science Essay The three stages according from the oldest to the youngest formation are granite, basalt and lastly andesite formation. This will discuss about the formation, composition, type of intrusion and cooling history of each stages. The granite formation is the oldest stage since granite is formed usually beneath the crust about 1. 5 km up to 50 km depth. Primarily, granite is composed of silicon and alumina about 72. 04% and 14. 42%, respectively. The formation of granite occurs through extreme metasomatism. Through metasomatism, elements are brought out by fluids like potassium and calcium to convert the metamorphic rock to granite. According to Himanshu K. Sachan (1999), granite in the northern Himalaya starts its cooling history at 705 Â °C and continued up to 650 Â °C in the range of 1. 2–2. 8 kbar. The next stage is the basalt formation. Basalt is composed of magnesium oxide, calcium oxide and low amount of silicon, sodium oxide and potassium oxide. The formation of basalt occurs when there is a volcanic eruption either under or above the. Mostly the formation of basalt occurs underneath the sea. Through the introduction of water the magma hardens to form the basalt. Basalt forms between 50km up to 100 km depth within the mantle and 150 km up to 200 km for some high-alumina basalt. The next stage will be andesite. The youngest of the formation is the perpendicular andesite. After basalt, the most common volcanic rock would be he andesite. The main composition of andesite is silica about 57%. Andesite is formed either by frictional crystallization or magma mixing with felsic rhyolitic. Melting and assimilation of rock fragments by rising magma to the surface form andesite.

Periods of European History that Demonstrated Changing Attitudes Towards the Education of Women :: European Europe History

Periods of European History that Demonstrated Changing Attitudes Towards the Education of Women Throughout the early portion of modern European history, women were never encouraged to undertake any significant education. Though the problem lessened over time, it was still a strong societal force. There were three major time periods when substantial changes took place in attitudes towards women's education -- the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Seventeenth and the early Eighteenth centuries. The earliest time period, the Renaissance, may have actually been the most liberal time period for women's education. The church was the only force at this time that discouraged education. In Erasmus's book "The Abbot and the Learned Lady", The church's position on this issue says that education does not protect the chastity that was necessary for women. There were still, however, a certainty that women could and should be educated. For example, in Castiglione's book "The Courtier", it is stated that women are capable of everything that men are. Also, Roger Ascham has described his female student(the future Queen Elizabeth I) as equally bright as any other male student of his. Furthermore, in a letter by the poet Louise Labe`, she states a need for women to "raise their head above their spindles" and take up studying. The next age, the Reformation and the catholic Reformation, saw a dramatic and conservative change toward the attitudes of education for women. Martin Luther, a leader of the Reformation, was quoted as saying that God made men with broad shoulders to do all the intelligent, and women with broad hips to do the "sitting" and housework. Agreeing with Martin Luther, was Emond Auger, a French Jesuit, who said "there is no need for women to take time out from their work and read the Old and New Testament" and also that "Women must be silent in church". The third age of early modern European history is the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, in which men at large were still strongly against the education of women, but they had reached a compromise to some extent. They allowed women to be educated on a minor level, as Mme. de Maintenon(wife of Louis XIV) says "Educate your middle-class girls in the middle-class way, but don't embellish their minds", but a women could never go beyond that. It seemed also that some men had conflicting view points on this issue. In Moliere's play "The Learned Ladies", educated women are

Discuss the Aphorism “Small Firm Growth Being the Only Measure of an Entrepreneur’s Success”.

INTRODUCTION Business growth is a good goal for most firms in general and is given great weight by the society. This could be seen with the list conjured up by the media, such as ‘Forbes Fast-Growing Companies’ and ‘Inc Fastest Growing Companies’ lists (Hupato 2011). The reason small firm growth has been prioritised by policy makers and the society is mainly due to its contribution to the economy (Bridge, O’Neill & Martin 2009). Small firm and entrepreneurship have so often been linked together, and it has become common to acknowledge that all small firms are established by entrepreneurs.Hence, the terms such as growth, success and performance are often linked in the research of entrepreneurial success (Reijonen & Komppula 2007). However, if entrepreneurship is defined as creation of new economic activity, the aspect of firm growth is already defined the moment the entrepreneur introduced new products or services (Davidsson, Achtenhagen & Naldi 2010). In other words, growth is not an aspect of entrepreneurship if growth is measured solely on volume expansion of existing products or through acquisitions of existing business.Schumpeter has also mentioned that one can be entrepreneurial without being self-employed and vice versa (Utsch, Rauch, Rothfufs & Frese 1999). Entrepreneurship remains an enigma till date and the assumption that all small firms are creations of an entrepreneur is arguable. Davidsson, Achtenhagen & Naldi (2010) has described, even a superficial reading on the complexity of small firm growth literature could easily leave the reader confused. Thus, the aphorism of small firm growth being the only measure of an entrepreneur’s success should be looked upon from different perspectives.The dimensions of small firm growth and also the perspectives of entrepreneurial success will be analysed to see the degree of its correlation and to judge how true the mentioned aphorism is. What is small firm growth? Generall y, growth of a business occurs in phases in a small business life cycle. A business venture would normally encounter three-stage development process, namely the ‘seed’ stage, the ‘start-up’ stage and the ‘expansion’ stage (Mukherjee 1992).The ‘seed’ stage brings a well-conceived idea into existence, while the ‘start-up’ stage included employment and accumulating business capital, and the ‘expansion’ stage involves manufacturing or service capacity increment (Mukherjee 1992). On the other hand, Bridge, O’Neill & Martin (2009) has suggested five stages of small firm growth, namely ‘existence’, ‘survival’, ‘success’, ‘take-off’ and ‘maturity’. Helms & Renfrow (1994) has supported the concept of the five stages of various developmental growth stages when they conducted a research in United States.Bridge, O’Neill & Martin (2009) defi ned the five stages as the following: the ‘existence’ stage is similar to the ‘seed’ stage explained previously, while the ‘survival’ stage involves customer familiarisation with the firm’s product or service. The ‘success’ stage is when there are options for further growth, thus the ‘take-off’ stage where the owner opted to grow the business larger. The business will reach the ‘maturity’ stage when it displays the characteristics of a large company.However, the mentioned researchers have concluded that it is difficult to clearly define the business development stages clearly during throughout the business cycle (Bridge, O’Neill & Martin 2009). Despite the challenging task to categorise growth, researchers would still generally use the small business growth as indicator of success since it is common parlance to suggest that success requires growth, to stand still is to die (Geneste & Weber 20 11). There are enormous literatures on theories of growth and are most commonly associated with generation of jobs.In the early years, entrepreneurship has been the main focus due to its significant employment opportunities that was created. This reason remained strong today thus gaining the attention from policy-makers in each country. In fact, the number of employees a firm has become an important factor for classifying a small firm (Helms & Renfrow 1994). Research shows that young high-growth firms (also commonly known as ‘gazelles’) generate a large share of all new net jobs (Roper 2012).Robbins, Pantuosco, Parker & Fuller (2000) has also confirmed in their research that a state with large quantity of small business has lower rates of unemployment compared to other states that has little quantity of small businesses. The reason employment rates are valuable in measuring growth is because each firm will grow until they reach the optimal size that corresponds to minim um average cost (Hart 2000). Thus, each firm will continue to employ during its growth stage until it reaches the efficient scale or natural decay.However, other research has proved that it is difficult to measure small firm performance by employee growth. This is due to moderating variables such as outsourcing activities, productivity changes and replacement of employees with capital investments (Fitzsimmons, Steffens & Douglas 2005). When business grow in this the rapid changing modem world, many production and service functions has been contracted out (Bridge, O’Neill & Martin 2009). In other words, a business can grow without having any increase in employment rate.Several academicians argued that sales precede other yardsticks for business growth, as pointed out that it is the increase in sales that necessitates the increase in the number of employees hired (Davidsson, Achtenhagen & Naldi 2010). Sales revenue performance is used as small firm’s growth because it mi rrors the consumer’s demand for the product or services provided by the firm (Fitzsimmons, Steffens & Douglas 2005). In this world of constant returns, the consumer’s demand for the product or services determines the limit on the firm’s growth.Sales figures easily reflect both short-term and long-term changes in the firm, hence measuring the growth and performance. However, there are two reasons that deviate sales as business growth yardstick. Firstly, the typical downward sloping demand curve is not applicable in practice. Just as a habitual entrepreneur starts more than one business, a firm can also have product differentiation (Hart 2000). Hence, it is difficult to determine the demand and cost curves in imperfect competition market condition.Secondly, sales are not an accountable measure during first few stages of the business cycle. During the seed and the start-up stage, employment and assets may grow more extensively before any significant sale has been d one (Fitzsimmons, Steffens & Douglas 2005). In this context, assets are in the form tangible ‘fixed’ assets and intangible assets such as of entrepreneur’s knowledge asset, the reputation of the firm (Bridge, O’Neill & Martin 2009) and quantity of registered patents. Hence, business growth could not be measured by sales alone.Looking from another dimension, a firm’s profitability could be suggested as an important measure of growth for the simple reason that a firm is unable to sustain without profits. The difference between maximised sales and maximised profit is that the marginal revenue is zero when sales are maximised but the marginal revenue is positive when profits are maximised (Hart 2000). A firm’s growth on profitability can be considered in term of the net profit margins, return on assets (Fitzsimmons, Steffens & Douglas 2005) or return on equity (Durguner & Katchova 2009).High profit margins, return on assets and return on equity p rovide more confidence for shareholders and potential investors to invest in the firm, enhancing business growth. However, growth rates are highly volatile over duration of time and research has shown that there is no evidence of a relationship between growth and profitability (Fitzsimmons, Steffens & Douglas 2005). In accordance, many articles have reached a conclusion that financial measures alone are not sufficient as business growth and performance measure for small firms (Reijonen & Komppula 2007).This is due to the fact that, just as entrepreneurship, small business sector is hardly homogeneous, and not all of these businesses are operating in the same direction. Some research has even shown that not all small firms are even capable or willing to grow (Papadanki & Chami 2002). What is entrepreneurial success? The capability and willingness to grow of small firms are directly influenced by the business owners’ intention to grow and their self-perception of success.In oth er words, the growth of small business is not a self-evident phenomenon, but it is actually driven by the business owner’s motivations and intentions (Morrison, Breen & Ali 2003). Most business decisions are made by owners, and their own personal judgement will impact on the business growth orientation (Geneste & Weber 2011). Consequently, it can be considered that the role of the entrepreneur should be emphasized as the dominant factor of growth (Reijonen & Komppula 2007). An entrepreneur’s motivation for business growth has to be complemented by his or her willingness to grow and assume risks.The risks involved are such as willingness to delegate control functions to others and the uncertainty to produce more output. The researchers found that due to the risks, small business owners are reluctant to grow and perceives profit-maximisation as only one of the motives for business growth (Papadanki & Chami 2002). This argument draws down to the psychological theories of motivation. The McClelland’s theory of needs defined ‘need for achievement’ as â€Å"the drive to excel, to achieve in relation to a set of standards, and to strive to succeed† (Robbins, Judge, Millet & Boyle 2011).Hence, characteristics of the business owners are linked to the business growth aspirations. In other words, each entrepreneur has their own perception of success depending on their own standard for ‘need for achievement’. To understand the business growth aspirations deeper, the owner’s clusters of traits and behaviours which affect the way they engage in their business activities are examined. The characteristic of the firm owner can be divided into three broad categories, namely ‘life-style’, ‘comfort-zone’ and ‘growth’ (Bridge, O’Neill & Martin 2009).The ‘life-style’ owners are defined to be those who establish the business to provide them a level of income and ha ve no intention for business growth. Geneste & Weber (2011) has identified owners that are not keen to expand their business due to deliberate ‘life-style’ choice, such as the small business atmosphere that engenders comradeship and job satisfaction. The ‘comfort-zone’ owners establish the business and focus on the benefits it can provide for the comfort he or she wants in life and the business growth will be stagnant once the desired comfort level has been achieved.The ‘growth’ owners are the almost ideal business person who maximises the earning potential and continue to grow the business further for the future. Clearly again, the intrinsic motivation of the owner should be examined further in order to understand what entrepreneurial success is. There are many studies that have been conducted to explore an entrepreneur’s intrinsic motivation for his or her business. One piece of research conducted was to compare the start-up motivation s and growth intentions between African-Americans (titled as ‘black’ by the researchers) and Americans (titled as ‘white’ by the researchers).Edelmen, Brush, Manolova & Greene (2010) has conducted a research to investigate new venture among black and white nascent entrepreneurs. In their research, they have discovered three important findings related to business growth. Firstly, nascent entrepreneurs do not associate business establishment outcomes with business growth intention. Secondly, entrepreneurs are motivated to start ventures to fulfil a need for self-realisation. Lastly, it is found that whites are more strongly motivated by the desire for financial success while blacks had higher levels of personal self-confidence.Hypothetically, the findings of this research suggested that blacks inherited the ‘life-style’ motivations while the whites are ‘comfort-zone’ motivated. This research has proved that expected financial outcome s are not as important as noneconomic concern in determining the entrepreneur’s attitude towards growth. The entrepreneurial success is not related to the growth of the firm but for intrinsic satisfaction instead; hence small firm growth should not be the only measure for the entrepreneur’s success.In another piece of research, (Utsch, Rauch, Rothfufs & Frese 1999) has investigated the rapid emergence of entrepreneurs and small firms in East Germany. During the research, the role of personality traits has been clarified and the researchers found an encouraging convergence result in two areas, namely the need for achievement and need for autonomy. In other words, entrepreneurs with high need for autonomy will be more motivated to begin small-scale business ventures and will develop the business further only if they have high need for achievement as well.In parallel to that, Lee & Tai (2010) has conducted a research to investigate the motivators and success of small busi ness in Kazakhstan. Empirical evidence has suggested the entrepreneurs are motivated to achieve financial independence and also to obtain social recognition. This is due to the fact that entrepreneurial endeavours are considered as honourable and also an upgrade on social-status activities. This theory is shows that entrepreneurs in Kazakhstan are more aligned towards the ‘comfort-zone’ characteristics.The mentioned researchers have also concluded that the success of some small firm growth is contributed by the creativity and commitment of all the entrepreneurs. From these two pieces of research, it is further confirmed that entrepreneurs have their own perceptions of success but each individual has different intrinsic motivation to achieve his or her goal, albeit from different geographic locations. Another aspect to consider on perception of entrepreneurial success should be the gender of the owner. Research shows that there are differences across entrepreneur’ s gender on perceptions of success.Male and females entrepreneurs differ in the way they measure their extrinsic and intrinsic dimensions. Previous study has verified that male entrepreneurs tend to emphasize on quantitative measures and economic values while female entrepreneurs emphasize on qualitative measures and social values (Justo, Cruz, de Castro & Coduras 2006). Hypothetically, male entrepreneurs describe success in term of achieving goals while female entrepreneurs define success in terms of doing something fulfilling. The research has also iscovered that the motivation for business success is moderated by the parental status of the entrepreneur. Female entrepreneurs are more motivated venturing into self-employment if they have dependent children under their care and perceived success when they are able to fulfil the need of independence. This hypothesis has been confirmed by Ahmad (2011) when he conducted a research on female entrepreneurs in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In this piece of research, female entrepreneurship has proved to be influenced by the female entrepreneur wanting to spend more quality family time.For these female entrepreneurs, the perception of success was when the desire for autonomy, independence, self-fulfilment and wealth has been achieved. In short, the gender status of the entrepreneur significantly impact on the perceptions of entrepreneurial success where female entrepreneurs depict more on social values as success. Conclusion In conclusion, the dimensions of small firm growth and the perspectives of entrepreneurial success have been discussed to judge how true the aphorism of entrepreneurial success can only be judged by small firm growth.The different stages of business cycle have been identified and the growth of the business occurs in almost all the phases in the five stages of small firm growth in their own way. Growth is included in many aspects, such as growth of the idea, or the growing numbers of customers, or gene rating more returns from the business. Generally, the measurement of growth is mainly based on quantitative values such as employment rate, business sales and profitability among other yardsticks. However, research shows that small firm growth could not be measured on financial and economical terms only.The rate of employment becomes insignificant as the business can grow without hiring any new employees, while sales do not account for the first couple stages of the business cycle and there might be owners who deviate from the main product or service line. Research has also shown that there are no relationship between profitability and growth. Therefore, the entrepreneur’s perception of success should be moderated to measure small firm success. Three types of small firm owner’s characteristics has been identified, namely the ‘life-style’, ‘comfort-zone’ and ‘growth’.From the few pieces of research that has been examined, most of t he entrepreneurs are found to be ‘life-style’ and ‘comfort-zone’ and rarely the ideal ‘growth’ motivated characteristics. The gender of the entrepreneur will also affect the measuring manner of small firm growth success. Each attribute shows the willingness and capability of each owner to further grow their business. Hence, the entrepreneur’s intrinsic motivation plays a vital role in judging and predicting the small firm success.In this context, the intrinsic motivations are such as the need for achievement, autonomy and self-realisation are more important than business growth intentions. In a nutshell, it can be concluded that small firm growth can be a way to measure entrepreneurial success, but it should be based on the standard or level that the entrepreneur has placed emphasis on instead of strictly on monetary values only. REFERENCES Ahmad, SZ 2011, ‘Evidence of the characteristics of women entrepreneurs in the Kingdom of Sa udi Arabia’, International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 123-143.Bridge, S, O’Neill, K & Martin, F 2009, Understanding enterprise: entrepreneurship and small business, 3rd edn, Palgrave Macmillan, Hampshire. Davidsson, P, Achtenhagen, L & Naldi, L 2005, ‘Research on small firm growth: a review’, 35th EISB Conference, Barcelona. Durguner, S & Katchova, AL 2009, ‘Measure of small business financial performance from a lender and a borrower perspective’, The Business Review, vol. 13, no. 2, p. 24. Edelman, LF, Brush, CG, Manolova, TS & Greene, PG 2010, ‘Start-up motivations and growth intentions of minority nascent entrepreneurs’, Journal of Small Business Management, Vol. 8, no. 2, p. 174. Fitzsimmons, JR, Steffens, PR & Douglas, EJ 2005, ‘Growth and profitability in small and medium sized Australian firms’, AGSE Entrepreneurship Exchange, Melbourne. Geneste, L & Weber, P 2011, ‘Relatin g small business growth with success: some findings from the 2008 Western Australian small business benchmarks survey’, 8th AGSE International Entrepreneurship Research Exchange, Melbourne. Hart, PE 2000, ‘Theories of firms’ growth and the generation of jobs’, Review of Industrial Organization, vol. 17, no. 3, p. 229.Helms, MM & Renfrow TW 1994, ‘Expansionary process of the small business: a life cycle profile’, Management Decision, vol. 32, no. 9, p. 43. Hupalo, PI, TiE Islamabad, 2012, ‘Measuring success in small business and entrepreneurship’, TiE Islamabad, 12 October 2012,< https://islamabad. tie. org/article/24/measuring-success-small-business-and-entrepreneurship>. Justo, R, Cruz, C, de Castro, J & Coduras, A 2006, ‘Entrepreneurs’ perception of success: examining differences across gender and family status’, IE working paper, Instituto de Empresa Business School.Lee, JW & Tai SW 2010, ‘Motivators a nd inhibators of entrepreneurship and small business development in Kazakhstan’, World Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, vol. 6, no, p. 61. Morrison, A, Breen, J & Ali, S 2003, ‘Small business growth: intention, ability and opportunity’, Journal of Small Business Management, vol. 41, no. 4, p. 417. Mukherjee, TK 1992, ‘Financing the three stages of the small business cycle: a survey’, Journal of Business and Entrepreneurship, vol. 4, no. 1, p. 33.Papadanki, E & Chami, B, Industry Canada, 2012, ‘Growth determinants of micro-business in Canada’, Government of Canada Publications Ottawa, ON, viewed 12 October 2012, . Reijonen, H & Komppula R 2007, ‘Perception of success and its effect on small firm performance’, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 689-701. Robbins, DK, Pantuosco, LJ, Parker, DF & Fuller, BK 2000, ‘An empirical assessment of contribut ion of small business employment to U.S. state economic performance’, Small Business Economics, vol. 15, no. 4, p. 293. Robbins, SP, Judge, TA, Millet, B & Boyle, M 2011, Organisational Behaviour, 6th end, Pearson Australia, French Forest, NSW. Roper, Stephen 2012, Entrepreneurship : a global perspective, Routledge, Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY. Utsch, A, Rauch, A, Rothfus,R & Frese, M 1999, ‘Who becomes a small scale entrepreneur in a post-socialist environment: on the differences between entrepreneurs and managers in East Germany’, Journal of Small Business Management, vol. 37, no. 3, p. 31.

Identifying Individual Preferences in the Airline Industry

Transportation services are becoming more common and broadly used in recent decade, in line with the advancement of technology. Generally, transportation services can be divided into three groups: water transportation, land transportation and air transportation (Gee, Choy, & Makens, 1984). Airline industry, which this essay focusing on, is one of the discoveries of newest innovations in the travel services sector. It has been developed so much in recent year to operate more effectively. Not only guarantee a safe journey to the destination place, the airline companies are now trying to create a competition in the market by providing the best services to the travellers and offering competitive prices (Hensher & Louviere, 1983). Those strategies are aimed to attract more consumers to travel by their airline companies. This essay will discuss the theories of consumer economics and their applications in the real consumer issues in airline industry, mainly on the factors that changing the consumer demand of airplane ticket, as well as the underlying reasons of why consumers prefer some particular airlines to the others. Furthermore, the behaviour of different types of consumers toward the choice of different airlines will also be discussed here. In observing those issues, this paper will focus on two airline companies: Singapore Airlines and Jetstar. The price data were obtained from a single route from Melbourne to Singapore. The core idea in analysing consumer behaviour in making choices in the economic activity, mainly in the airline industry, is because of their limited incomes and unlimited wants. Those then lead to trade-offs and opportunity costs. Consumers in the airline industry could be divided into two groups, which are business and pleasure travellers. Elasticity is the percentage change in one variable resulting from a 1-percent increase in another (Pindyck & Rubinfeld, 2009). When the price elasticity is greater than 1 in magnitude, we say that demand is price elastic because the percentage decline in quantity demanded is greater than the percentage increase in price. If the price is less than 1 in magnitude, the demand is said to be price inelastic. Graph 1. Elastic and inelastic demand (Inelastic demand) (Elastic demand) In this case, elastic demand of airline industry is exceptionally unstable because it depends on the market conditions such as inflation, terrorists attack and price oil. In airline industry, price elasticity demand is considered both elastic and inelastic (Yahoo Voices, 2008). An elastic demand is in relation travel for pleasure. Pleasure travellers are extremely sensitive to the price of the travel. An inelastic demand is in relation for business travel. Business travels have little effect for increase in price of the travel. Income elasticity of demand measures the degree of responsiveness of demand of a good to a change in consumers’ income. It has equation of : EI=[ΔQ/Q]/[ ΔI/I]=[I/Q]*[ ΔQ/ ΔI]. Airplane ticket is normal good as it has a positive income elasticity, which means when consumers’ income increase the consumption of ticket will increase as well. Cross elasticity of demand measures the degree of responsiveness of demand of one good to a change in the price of another good. It is shown in the equation: EQ1P2 = [ΔQ1/Q1] / [ΔP2/P2] = [P2/Q2]*[ΔQ1/ ΔP2]. If airplane ticket and other consumption (i.e. food and cloths) are considered as a group, there will be a positive cross-price elasticity, which tells us that if the price of one good (other consumption or ticket) goes up, the demand for the other good goes up as well. Consumer behaviour analysis attempts to understand the consumers’ allocation of incomes among different goods and services to maximize their well-being. It consist of three distinct aspects: consumer preferences, describing the reasons why people might prefer one good to another; budget constraints, reflecting consumers’ limited incomes that restrict the quantities of goods they can buy; and consumer choices, which are the combination of the consumer preferences and budgets constraints (Pindyck & Rubinfeld, 2009). There are some basic assumptions made in observing consumer preferences in the airline industry. First, preferences are assumed to be complete. Complete means that consumers are able to compare and rank all possible market baskets. However, this assumption ignores costs. Second, preferences are transitive or consistent. And third, â€Å"more is better than less† since goods are assumed to be desirable. Indifference curve represents all combinations of market baskets which provide consumer with same level of satisfaction (Pindyck & Rubinfeld, 2009). Indifference curve and utility functions (set of indifference curves) are used to analyse the consumer behaviour and preferences in choosing market baskets, in which relate to consumer demand (Gould, 1973). Higher indifference curve is more preferable to the lower one because it represents higher welfare (Telhado, 2007). Moreover, indifference curves cannot intersect and the slope of each point in the indifference curve represents marginal rate of substitution (MRS), which is the maximum amount of a good that consumer is willing to give up to obtain one additional unit of another good. Indifference curves of consumers in the airline industry are assumed to be downward sloping and bowed-inward, reflecting diminishing MRS, since the demand of airplane tickets and comparable goods are both desirable. The shape of the indifference curves is different among group of consumers. Indifference curves of the first group of consumer, business travellers, are steeper than pleasure travellers. Graph 1 below shows that the business travellers’ group is willing to trade more of other consumption (a) to exchange it with an airplane ticket (b), since they need to directly travel to other place establishing business transactions. Graph 2. Indifference map for business travellers While in the graph 2, pleasure travellers is unwillingly trade more of the other consumptions in order to purchase a unit of airplane ticket (a < b). It is because they travel to seek pleasure, not urgently need to be done directly. Thus, they are more flexible in the decision making process of which airline company they want to travel with and the time of travel. Graph 3. Indifference map for pleasure travellers Along with indifference curve, there is budget constraints which restraint consumer’s consumptions due to limited incomes (Mary, 2007). Assume that the budget lines for business and pleasure travellers are equal which can be seen from graph 3 and 4 below; the steeper indifference curves for business travellers show their optimal choices between purchasing airplane tickets and other goods. Business travellers seem to purchase more airplane tickets rather than other consumptions because they want to give up more of other consumptions to obtain an additional airplane ticket. Graph 4. Indifference map and budget constraints for business travellers In contrast, for pleasure travellers, the flatter indifference curves will lead them to purchase other consumptions rather than allocating a large portion of income in purchasing airplane tickets. The tangent between indifference curve and budget constraint will be the point of maximum well-being which can be achieved. Area below the optimal point shows that the consumers are not maximising their consumption. Whilst the area above that point means the consumers do not have enough income (budget) to achieve that consumption level. Graph 5. Indifference curve for pleasure travellers In general, when there is a change in consumer’s income, there will be a parallel shift in the budget line, either downward or upward. As shown in graph below, initially, the utility-maximizing consumption choice is at A, at which point he buys X1 units of airplane ticket and Y1 units of other kinds of good. If his income increases, his budget line will shift outward, allowing him to attain the higher utility level associated with indifference curve U2 and then U3. His optimal consumption choice is at B (and then D) now. At this time, the consumer can purchase larger units of tickets (from X1 to X2 to X3). It can be seen in the income-consumption curve that the slope is upward, because as income increase, the consumption of both airplane ticket and other consumption increase. Graph 6. The effect of a change in income level On the other hand, when there is a change in product’s price and income level held constant, there will be an intercept rotation on the budget line. Recent condition in the airline industry is many companies try to attract more consumers to purchase the airline tickets from them by cutting the airfares. This strategy increases the competition level among the airline industry. The reduction in price of the air fares will result in outward rotation in the budget line on the ‘x’ axis, which represents airplane ticket. People can now purchase more airplane tickets due to lower price, representing the increase in consumers’ welfare or utility level. It is associated by the movement of indifference curve from U1 to U3 by selecting point D. At this time, consumption of ticket will increase from X1 to X3. Moreover, the slope of the second budget constraint is now decreasing, represents lower opportunity cost of obtaining a unit of airplane ticket. Graph 7. The effect of the decrease in price level In most cases, consumers would like to buy more airplane tickets as their income increases, but in some cases, the quantity demanded falls as income increases, the income elasticity of demand is negative. As shown in graph below, for relatively low levels of income (between point A and B), both Singapore Airlines and Jetstar flights are normal goods. However, as income rises, some consumers tend to buy less Jetstar tickets and more Singapore Airlines tickets as Singapore airlines has better service, food supply and in-flight entertainment system. At this time Jetstar has become an inferior good, the income-consumption curve bends backward from point B to C, which means its consumption has fallen when income has increased. Graph 8. Jetstar becomes an inferior good as income increases Even though Jetstar has been said as inferior good in some cases, in general, airline ticket is assumed as normal good. Refer to that, a decrease in the price of airline tickets due to the market competition has both income and substitution effect. As shown in the graph below, the consumer is initially at A, on budget line RS. When the price of ticket falls, consumption increases by A1A2 as the consumer move to B. Keeping real income constant, the substitution effect A1E can be got when the price of ticket falls, associated with a move from A to D. If keeping relative price constant but increasing purchasing power, the income effect EA2 can be got, associated with a move from D to B. As airplane ticket is normal good, the income effect EA2 is positive. Therefore, the total effect of a change in ticket price is equal to the sum of the substitution effect and income effect. Graph 9. Total effect of a change in price After discussing the demand curve for individual consumer, market demand curve for airplane ticket will be shown now. It can be derived as the sum of the individual demand curve of all consumers in the market, as stated previously. As shown in graph below, the market demand curve is also slope downward as all the individual demand curves slope downward. However, the market demand curve is not a straight line. When more people choose to travel by airplane, the market demand curve will shift to the right. In addition, if most consumers in the market earn more income, as a result, their increasing demand for airplane ticket will also shift the market curve to the right. If the economic crisis breaks out as what happened several years ago, many people lose their job and the income decreased. Thus, the market demand curve for airplane ticket will shift to the left. Graph 10. The market demand curve for airplane ticket From the actual rates, Singapore Airlines has the higher average price than Jetstar. In the same time, there is a survey about the level of satisfactions of international airlines shown by the graph below. From the graph, it illustrates that Singapore Airlines has the highest satisfaction level figure. From the risk and uncertainty point of view, Singapore Airlines provides superior service and it maintains an eye on rivals’ prices and ensures it stays competitive among other airline companies. The airline cancellations and delays usually provided with explanations and apologies. This airline is also providing advantage on frequent flyer consumers such as â€Å"priority passengers’ service†. This service is suitable for business travellers as it will give them advantage in booking urgently needed flights for important meetings. This airline is also suitable for those high-income pleasure travellers as it offers great entertainment and amusement, such as popular movies with multiple language options, games and dozens of audio channels. In addition, Singapore Airlines catering supply is trying to provide varieties of meals menu which match the likely passengers’ needs. For example, there will be Indian and western food provided for subcontinent flights. Moreover, Singapore Airlines has a modern fleet and the aircrafts have been maintained with the highest standards. Thus, the cost of flights is higher which result in the higher airfares, however, safely of this airline is guaranteed. Comparing to Singapore Airlines, Jetstar offers lower price to the consumers. Their food, beverages and entertainment standard are much lower than Singapore Airlines’. Jetstar is known for having many complaints from its passengers in term of its services, such as frequent delays and cancellations of flight. Those seem to be serious problems for business travellers, as time efficiency is the main factor. However, Jetstar’s network is constantly expanding by opening flights to some new locations in Asia. Thus, Jetstar is more suitable for pleasure travellers which have shorter travel distance and not much concern about the services provided on board. As the theory of equal marginal principle states that â€Å"the utility is maximized when the consumer has equalized the marginal utility per dollar of expenditure across all goods† (Gordon, 2007), the business travellers who are not price prioritize will choose to travel with Singapore Airlines since they prefer in optimal satisfaction. However, for the pleasure travellers that prioritize the price factor will choose to travel with Jetstar which provide low price for consumers rather than best satisfaction. Graph 11. Satisfactions with International Airlines 2009-2010 Even with a high level of satisfaction, Singapore Airline has experienced a decline in market share over the last five years, as shown in Graph 13. Low-cost airlines such as Jetstar have contributed to the lack of growth for more premium airlines. Additionally, Peter von Moltke stated that â€Å"the low cost sector is a major influence in sustaining a steady growth trajectory for the global aviation industry.† (PR Newswire, 2011). Graph 12. Market share of Top 10 Airlines in Australia (Department of Infrastructure and Transport, 2012) So far, it has assumed that people’s demands for airplane ticket are individualized. That enables us to obtain the market demand curve simply by summing individuals’ demands (Kris, 2007). In real-life, however, one person’s demand always depends on other people’s demand. That is a network externality, which can be positive or negative. It is a good chance for airline companies to attract more passengers by using bandwagon effect of a positive externality. As shown in the graph below, when consumers believe more people have purchased the product, the demand curve shifts further to the right (D1 to D5). The market demand curve is found by joining the points on the individual demand curves, which can be seen that it is relatively more elastic. Suppose the ticket price falls from P1 to P2. Without bandwagon effect, the quantity demanded will increase from Q2 to Q2’. However, as more passengers choose to fly with Jetstar or Singapore Airlines and think it is worth to be the first-flying choice as it is trustworthy, the bandwagon effect increases quantity demanded further to D4. Therefore, airline companies use bandwagon effect to increase the response of demand in relevance with price change. To obtain this effect, the airline companies could target its potential segment and use advertisement to build up their brand image and reputation among the market. For example, Singapore Airlines could use ‘comfortable, quick and always on-time’ image to attract its business travellers. And for Jetstar, the image of cheap and flexible could help the company to obtain its bandwagon effect in pleasure travellers’ market. Graph 13. Bandwagon effect To conclude, the consumers’ demand of airplane ticket is affected by their income, ticket price, and the demand elasticity. Business travellers prefer to travel with Singapore Airlines, even with a higher airfare. They concern more on punctuality and the service provided and their price elasticity of demand is low. In contrast, pleasure travellers are less concerned with the quality of service provided, focusing on reaching their destination with the lowest cost. Their price elasticity of demand is high, thus, Jetstar is preferred in this case. In the intense market competition, Singapore airlines and Jetstar could use the bandwagon effect to attract more passengers by building up their own brand image.

How to Write a Definition Essay on Material Culture

How to Write a Definition Essay on Material Culture Your professor has asked you to write a definition essay on material culture and you think you are ready to write because you are armed with the 10 facts on material culture for a definition essay and 20 definition essay topics on material culture. Though you do have a lot of information through our guides, it is important to note that writing a definition essay can sometimes be technical. Contrary to writing a common, garden-variety essay, a definition essay requires you to understand the term perfectly so you can explain it to others. Because we know that you are short on time and need instant answers, we have composed a short guide which will help you write a definition essay on material culture. So without further delay, here are a couple of things you need to keep note of when writing the essay on material culture. Understand What a Definition Essay Is The feature which sets a definition essay apart from other essays is that instead of talking about a broad topic, you will be explaining the meaning of a term. The definition essay you are preparing for will explain what a term means and how it can be used in different instances. For example, while words like glass, concrete or book have a set meaning, terms like honesty, lie, and love are abstract in nature. These words don’t have one right meaning and their interpretation depends on the person’s outlook. These are also the words which will have different meaning at different times and it is your responsibility to discuss their vastness during the definition essay. Choose a Definition You Understand When you are writing a definition essay on material culture, it is imperative that you understand what the term means. Before you can even begin to explain it to others, you need to make sure that you know it yourself through and through. Understanding or defining the term doesn’t necessarily mean copying from the dictionary because unless you understand perfectly, you won’t be able to deliver the message forward. Moreover, when you are writing about a term which has more than one meaning, it is best to stick to and limit the term so everything can be covered. So if you are talking about material culture, stick to its features but don’t go into anthropology because that is a different area. Create a Thesis Statement When you are writing a definition essay, it is important that you write a thesis statement which talks about the term which is being defined briefly. This will help the reader understand what your main goal is and if he really can find information on material culture in your essay. Writing a Definition Essay When you are writing a definition essay, your main objective should be to present information in a clear and understandable manner so nothing can be confused. Here is a pattern which you can follow to write an effective essay. Begin writing your essay on material culture by creating the term’s definition by its function, structure or analysis. Next, tell the readers about what the term doesn’t mean. This difference can sometimes help clarify the definition and will help the reader in understanding. The best definition essays are those which use facts, examples and real life stories to explain. Examples and stories help the reader connect with the characters and this in turn will assist them in understanding the term’s meaning. When writing a definition essay on material culture, it is important that you write in a clear and concise manner. As long as you are fully aware of the term and its meaning yourself, you will also be able to explain it to others.

Norman Rockwell essays

Norman Rockwell essays Norman Percevel Rockwell was born on Feb. 3, 1894 in New York, New York. As a boy he grew fond of the country, where he moved to a few years after he was born, and stayed away from the city as much as he could, which would later be shown in his works (Buechner, Retrospective, 24). When he was 14, he had to commute to New York City twice a week to attend the Chase School of Fine and Applied Art. After awhile he dropped out of his sophomore year of high school, and became a full time student at The National Academy School (Buechner, Artist, 38). He illustrated his first Saturday Evening Post cover on May 20, 1916, which was his first big break. Norman Rockwell says, If one wants to paint covers for the Post, one must begin by accepting certain limitations. The cover must please a vast number (no matter how: by amusing, edifying, praising; but it must please); it must not require an explanation or caption to be understood; it must have an instantaneous impact (people wont bother to pu zzle out a covers meaning) (The Norman Rockwell Album, 29). More people have seen Rockwells work, mostly on the covers on the widely circulated Saturday Evening Post, more than all of Michelangelos, Rembrandts, and Picassos put together, estimated by Life magazine (Walton 7). Rockwell creates his pictures in separate stages. First he makes a loose rough draft of his idea. Second, he gathers costumes, props and models. Rockwells models are usually his friends, because he knows them and likes them (Walton 16). Later on in Rockwells lifetime he would stray away from using real models, he would use photographs to do this step instead. He would take either sketches or pictures and then paint them onto canvas. Next he draws individual parts of the picture. Fourth, he would sketch the whole drawing in great detail. Fifth, he would put color into his sketches, and sixth he would put all the parts together ...

General William Tecumseh Sherman - Civil War

General William Tecumseh Sherman - Civil War William T. Sherman - Early Life William Tecumseh Sherman was born February 8, 1820, in Lancaster, OH. The son of Charles R. Sherman, a member of the Ohio Supreme Court, he was one of eleven children. Following his fathers untimely death in 1829, Sherman was sent to live with the family of Thomas Ewing. A prominent Whig politician, Ewing served as a US Senator and later as the first Secretary of the Interior. Sherman would marry Ewings daughter Eleanor in 1850. When he reached the age of sixteen, Ewing arranged an appointment for Sherman to West Point. Entering the US Army A good student, Sherman was popular but accumulated a large number of demerits due to a disregard for the rules pertaining to appearance. Graduating sixth in the class of 1840, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 3rd Artillery. After seeing service in the Second Seminole War in Florida, Sherman moved through assignments in Georgia and South Carolina where his connection to Ewing allowed him to mingle with the high society of the Old South. With the outbreak of the Mexican-American War in 1846, Sherman was assigned to administrative duties in newly-captured California. Remaining in San Francisco after the war, Sherman helped confirm the discovery of gold in 1848. Two years later he was promoted to captain, but remained in administrative positions. Unhappy with his lack of combat assignments, he resigned his commission in 1853 and became a bank manager in San Francisco. Transferred to New York in 1857, he was soon out of job when the bank folded during the Panic of 1857. Attempting law, Sherman opened a short-lived practice in Leavenworth, KS. Jobless, Sherman was encouraged to apply to be the first superintendent of the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning Military Academy. The Civil War Looms Hired by the school (now LSU) in 1859, Sherman proved an effective administrator who was also popular with the students. With sectional tensions rising and the Civil War looming, Sherman warned his secessionist friends that a war would be long and bloody, with the North eventually winning. Following Louisianas departure from the Union in January 1861, Sherman resigned his post and ultimately took a position running a streetcar company in St. Louis. Though he initially declined a position in the War Department, he asked his brother, Senator John Sherman, to obtain him a commission in May. Shermans Early Trials Summoned to Washington on June 7, he was commissioned as colonel of the 13th Infantry. As this regiment had not yet been raised, he was given command of a volunteer brigade in Major General Irvin McDowells army. One of few Union officers to distinguish themselves at the First Battle of Bull Run the following month, Sherman was promoted to brigadier general and assigned to the Department of the Cumberland at Louisville, KY. That October he was made the departments commander, though he was wary of taking on the responsibility. In this post, Sherman began to suffer what is believed to have been a nervous breakdown. Dubbed insane by the Cincinnati Commercial, Sherman asked to be relieved and returned to Ohio to recover. In mid-December, Sherman returned to active duty under Major General Henry Halleck in the Department of the Missouri. Not believing Sherman mentally capable of field command, Halleck assigned him to a number of rear area positions. In this role, Sherman provided support for Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grants capture of Forts Henry and Donelson. Though senior to Grant, Sherman put this aside and expressed a desire to serve in his army. This wish was granted and he was given command of the 5th Division of Grants Army of West Tennessee on March 1, 1862. The following month, his men played a key role in halting Confederate General Albert S. Johnstons attack at the Battle of Shiloh and driving them off a day later. For this, he was promoted to major general. Forging a friendship with Grant, Sherman encouraged him to remain in the army when Halleck removed him from command shortly after the battle. Following an ineffective campaign against Corinth, MS, Halleck was transferred to Washington and Grant reinstated. Vicksburg Chattanooga Leading the Army of the Tennessee, Grant began advancing against Vicksburg. Pushing down the Mississippi, a thrust led by Sherman was defeated in December at the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou. Returning from this failure, Shermans XV Corps were re-routed by Major General John McClernand and took part in the successful, but needless Battle of Arkansas Post in January 1863. Reuniting with Grant, Shermans men played a key role in the final campaign against Vicksburg which culminated in its capture on July 4. That fall, Grant was given overall command in the West as commander of the Military Division of the Mississippi. With Grants promotion, Sherman was made the commander of the Army of the Tennessee. Moving east with Grant to Chattanooga, Sherman worked to aid in breaking the Confederate siege of the city. Uniting with Major General George H. Thomas Army of the Cumberland, Shermans men took part in the decisive Battle of Chattanooga in late November which drove the Confederates back into Georgia. In the spring of 1864, Grant was made the overall commander of Union forces and departed for Virginia leaving Sherman in command of the West. To Atlanta the Sea Tasked by Grant with taking Atlanta, Sherman began moving south with nearly 100,000 men divided into three armies in May 1864. For two and a half months, Sherman conducted a campaign of maneuver forcing Confederate General Joseph Johnston to repeatedly fall back. Following a bloody repulse at Kennesaw Mountain on June 27, Sherman returned to maneuver. With Sherman nearing the city and Johnston showing an unwillingness to fight, Confederate President Jefferson Davis replaced him with General John Bell Hood in July. After a series of bloody battles around the city, Sherman succeeded in driving off Hood and entered the city on September 2. The victory helped ensure the re-election of President Abraham Lincoln. In November, Sherman embarked on his March to the Sea. Leaving troops to cover his rear, Sherman began advancing toward Savannah with around 62,000 men. Believing the South would not surrender until the will of the people was broken, Shermans men conducted a scorched earth campaign which culminated in the capture of Savannah on December 21. In a famed message to Lincoln, he presented the city as a Christmas present to the president. Though Grant wished him to come to Virginia, Sherman won permission for a campaign through the Carolinas. Wishing to make South Carolina howl for its role in starting the war, Shermans men advanced against light opposition. Capturing Columbia, SC on February 17, 1865, the city burned that night, though who started the fires is a source of controversy. Entering North Carolina, Sherman defeated forces under Johnston at the Battle of Bentonville on March 19-21. Learning that General Robert E. Lee had surrendered at Appomattox Court House on April 9, Johnston contacted Sherman regarding terms. Meeting at Bennett Place, the Sherman offered Johnston generous terms on April 18 that he believed were line with Lincolns wishes. These were subsequently rejected by officials in Washington who were angered by Lincolns assassination. As a result, final terms, which were purely military in nature, were agreed upon on April 26. The war concluded, Sherman and his men marched in the Grand Review of the Armies in Washington on May 24. Postwar Service Later Life Though tired of war, in July 1865 Sherman was appointed to command the Military Division of the Missouri which included all the lands west of the Mississippi. Tasked with protecting the construction of the trans-continental railroads, he conducted fierce campaigns against the Plains Indians. Promoted to lieutenant general in 1866, he applied his techniques of destroying the enemys resources to the fight by killing large numbers of buffalo. With the election of Grant to the presidency in 1869, Sherman was elevated to Commanding General of the US Army. Though plagued by political issues, Sherman continued the fight on the frontier. Sherman remained his post until stepping down on November 1, 1883 and being replaced by Civil War colleague, General Philip Sheridan. Retiring on February 8, 1884, Sherman moved to New York and became an active member of society. Later that year his name was proposed for the Republican nomination for president, but the old general flatly refused to run for office. Remaining in retirement, Sherman died on February 14, 1891. Following multiple funerals, Sherman was buried in Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis. Selected Sources North Georgia: William ShermanUS Army: William T. ShermanHistoryNet: William T. Sherman’s First Campaign of Destruction

Culture, Social Status and Identity in Viramontes' The Months and Essay

Culture, Social Status and Identity in Viramontes' The Months and Tan's Rules of the Game - Essay Example These stories are the same because they depict the cultural and social status of their characters, and the main protagonists want to mold identities that conflict with their society’s beliefs about womanhood, but they are different, because they discover dissimilar sanctuaries, where they can be, who they are, without being judged. These short stories are the same, because they portray the cultural and social status of the characters. The beliefs and practices of the protagonist in â€Å"The Moths† demonstrate that she comes from a conservative and patriarchal society. This society demands their women to be submissive and skilled in feminine tasks and values, such as crocheting. Her father, who she calls Apa, often gets angry with her, because she dislikes going to church. As part of their conservative and religious culture, they are expected to go to mass every Sundays, especially decent girls and women. But she does not does not like the church, because its â€Å"vas tness† makes her feel alone (Viramontes). Likewise, in â€Å"Rules of the Game,† Waverly’s Chinese is culture is very conservative, where hierarchies exist. On top of the family hierarchy are parents, who children will and should never disobey. When Waverly’s mother says this, she embodies the â€Å"strong wind† in her daughter’s life: â€Å"Strongest wind cannot be seen† (Tan). She cannot see her mother, who is always at her back, watching and commenting on her every move, not only in chess, but in real life. The social status of the characters is also evident in the settings of the story. The protagonist in â€Å"The Moths† lives in a place where superstitions are respected. Her grandmother mixes dried moth wings with Vicks to soothe her â€Å"bull hands† and shrink them back to normal size (Viramontes). Her grandmother also has stomach cancer, but they do not have money to pay for expensive therapies. Similarly, Waverl y lives in a poor community, although she is not aware that she is poor. They live on a â€Å"†¦two-bedroom flat that sat above a small Chinese bakery† (Tan). It signifies living in a cramped and controlled space, where Waverly cannot expect to express her freedoms. These stories are also the same, because the female protagonists challenge their cultures, in order to form their identities. The protagonist in â€Å"The Moths† does not believe in following cultural norms about womanhood. Instead of learning how to crochet, she learns how to plant with her grandmother. Her â€Å"bull hand† signifies that she does not fit with her society, because her personality, preferences, and beliefs oppose female stereotypes and Christian norms. When she smells the chile, she cries not only because of the chile’s spice on her eyes, but also because of herself. She is like a chile that hurts the feelings of her family, who wants her to be someone she is not. She is also compared to the â€Å"defiant† sun, because they both resist changing for others (Tan). When the sun meets the land during sunset, the union depicts that â€Å"endings† are windows to â€Å"rebirths† (Tan). But if she will be reborn, she will be the same pertinent and critical daughter that makes Apa angry and disappointed. Also, Waverly defies her culture, by becoming a great chess player and toppling every other man or boy she plays with. Moreover,

Clsoe Analytical Reading Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Clsoe Analytical Reading - Research Paper Example The dwarf’s performance pleases her so much especially, the way that the dwarf dances as back in the forest and unaware that the children and other attendees were laughing at him. The Infanta, in fact, enjoys the performance so much that he asks for another performance following her dinner. The dwarf, apparently, never realizes that the people laugh at his expense, mistaking it for the Infanta’s love for him because of a white rose that she had handed to him. This leads to the dwarf attempting to find the Infanta one day, where he needs to go through gardens and face the ridicule of even the fishes and the sundials, as well as the flowers who claim â€Å"he should be kept indoors for the rest of his natural life† (Wilde 10). The dwarf finally gets to the interior of the palace and, while searching through the rooms, comes across a mirror that shows him as a grotesque monster and even thinks for a while that the monster simply mimics his movements. On realizing th at, he looks upon his own reflection; he suddenly understands that the Infanta does not love him at all, and this causes him to fall down screaming and kicking. While in this state, the Infanta and the other children happen upon him and assume that the dwarf wants to put on another show, which causes them to start applauding him and laughing. Even after the dwarf drops, they still insist, â€Å"Yes†¦you must get up and dance, for you are as clever as the Barbary apes, and much more ridiculous (Wilde 15). While this goes on, the dwarf’s heart stops beating, to which the Infanta makes a demand that he continues the act, which cannot happen as the dwarf’s heart already stopped. The short story by Oscar Wilde stands as one of his most meaningful and fantastic fairytales. The time when the whole incident with the dwarf takes place holds special significance as the twelfth birthday of the Infanta, which sees the entire kingdom and its servants prepare for the Infantaâ €™s special day. The kingdom does not overlook any expense in catering for the Infanta’s needs, which makes for a very joyous occasion. In fact, the King seems the only person who cannot find any joy in the occasion, which explains why the chamberlain claims that, â€Å"he is so ugly†¦he might have made the King smile† (Wilde 15). The story tells us that the king had behaved this way ever since the king had died just six months after she had born him a child. The sight of the Infanta made him especially upset as she reminded him of her. However, the king’s sadness apart, the entire party goes off without a hitch as the party planners produce a dwarf whom some noble men had captured in the woods the previous day. The dwarf treats the audience, including the Infanta, to a spectacular show, which includes a dance performance. The dwarf, however, acts in ignorance of his true appearance, thinking that the audience loves him; although they find him as monstr ous, going on to mock him. The realization of this fact causes his death in the end, as from the passage above. The flowers, which the Infanta gives to him, further confirm his belief, although the flowers cannot stand him, commenting on his â€Å"hunched back and his crooked legs† (Wilde 10). The birds and lizards can see his inner beauty, however, claiming that the dwarf â€Å"is really not so ugly after all, provided, of course; that one shuts one's eyes, and does not look at him† (Wilde 9). When the dwarf gets to the palace, he cannot help but notice the

Archaeology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Archaeology - Essay Example Body Evolutionary approaches to archaeology were seen through the theories of Gordon Childe, Julian Steward, and Leslie White. Through the evaluation of the original elements of Classical cultural evolutionism, the Historical school, the Functionalist Approach, and the neo-evolutionary theory were established (Eddy, 1991). With the work of Childe, the idea of revolutions in human economy and how it can be fulfilled through an evolutionary response was also established (Eddy, 1991). Steward’s concern was based on establishing how evolution is set within parallel lines which are based on varying environmental changes. White also discussed that universal evolution can be blamed on the technical usage of energy (Garbarino, 1977). These theories highlighted the importance of the environment as a means of supporting cultural evolution (Giacobbe, n.d). The cultural ecology theory of Steward included the observation of the environment and how such environment impacts on technology. .. . Steward’s theories on multilinear evolution also had a significant impact on evolutionary approaches. Such concept secured various theories in different cultural manifestations. In so many ways, these theories were a rich and dynamic fount of knowledge where the range of global cultural differences were understood based on reasonable strategies and ideas (Willey and Sabloff, 1980). Leslie White believed that cultural evolution was also a valid theory. White discussed that the issues which classical evolutionists have encountered while implementing theories were based on standard measures in cultural change (Garbarino, 1977). He also indicated that such measurement must be based on universal concepts covering all societies and different levels of development. His theory was labelled as neo-evolutionism and his ideas were expanded and reformulated; and it later opened the door to New Archaeology founded on evolutionary theory and thought (Garbarino, 1977). The ideas of White and Steward and New Archaeology were bridged through the work and ideas of Elman Service and Marshall Sahlins. These theorists were among the first to admit how cultural evolution is very much related to biological evolution (Wenke, 1981). They established the idea of universal evolution in relation to the manifestation of human culture. They also pointed out that not all cultures go through the same stages as discussed by White. Sahlins and Service (1960) pointed out that the biological and cultural evolution shifted in different directions at one and the same time and they believed that evolution leads to diversity and the progression of certain adaptations. These two theorists further indicate that diversity causes changes which then lead to new forms and new

Restorative Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Restorative Justice - Essay Example According to Sherman and Tyler, â€Å"To have a more effective strategy for dealing with the issue of public compliance we would benefit from being in the situation in which people have additional reason for obeying the law beyond their fear of being caught and punished for wrong doing† (Tyler 310). The day-by-day progression of wrong doings in the American Society compelled all stakeholders to address this alarming trend in a befitting manner. Besides punishments awarded to the offenders by the competent court of law in shape of fine, term imprisonment, life imprisonment and death penalty as the case may be, the rehabilitation centers role to make them useful citizens of the society cannot be denied (Tyler 310). The restorative justice system has the capacity and the capability to effectively deal with the social evils of the society and to inculcate confidence amongst the law-abiding citizens. According to French & Raven, â€Å"the legitimate authority is an authority regar ded by people as entitled to have their decisions and rules accepted and followed by others† (Tyler 311). ... ve justice to arrange meetings of the offenders with the victims to sort out the issue amicably by offering them compensation in lieu of the damages done to their assets. It can be a successful model for resolution of conflict and repairing of harm since people are losing confidence in the criminal justice system. According to Weber, â€Å"The roots of modern discussion of legitimacy are usually traced by the important writings of Weber on authority and dynamics of social authority (Tyler 311). 2. What safeguards, rights and systems of accountability would you need to consider when training and using facilitators in Restorative Justice processes set among prisoners and people who have been involved in armed conflicts? Following factors are to be taken into account while training the trainer for the Restorative Justice Process as described in the report of the Training and Accreditation Policy Development Group (2004, pp. 7): a) effective communication skills b) safe environment c) t reat people fairly without discrimination on the basis of gender, age, ethnicity, culture and crime committed d) maintain confidentiality e) ability to determine self knowledge, experience and confidence in handling specific cases f) work as a co-practitioner when need arises g) conduct initial risk assessment h) examine the responsibility for the harm i) pin point the risk of emotional and physical harm to participants j) willingness to engage respectfully k) opportunities for expression and exchange of feelings l) get the harm related needs met as far as it can m) guide practitioners for sharing personal information with regard to domestic violence n) communication skills, first language, culture, socio economic status, physique, age o) pre-defined roles of victim and offender inclusive of

To what extent are filmic techniques such as camera angles used to Essay

To what extent are filmic techniques such as camera angles used to assert the overall importance of religious themes in Pulp Fic - Essay Example The camera shots are essential in every film analysis. Camera angle is another important technique used in analyzing a movie and in film making industry. They help to create the meaning of the film to those watching. The difference between camera angles and camera shots is that as the camera angle helps the viewer to differentiate the characters in a film the camera shots shows the amount of space and the setting. Camera angle has its examples, and they are the eye level angle, birds eye angle, Dutch angle and low angle. Other techniques include the Evangeline shots which is creating blurred images as a result of extreme close ups and zooming abruptly. Cinematography is another technique which combines all the above technique that is lighting, camera angle, and camera shots. Having discussed the above the difference between camera shots and camera angles should always be made (skwirk, 2013, 1) the film â€Å"Pulp Fiction† can be analyzed in more than two different perspectives . The first is use of the camera angles to state the importance of religious themes. The guide to this is due to the fact that it is a Christian based movie. In the search for the religious aspects, we bear in mind that as Christians, we are guided by the Ten Commandments that help us shape our behaviors in our relationship with God and other human beings. We find that despite, the movie pulp fiction being filled with violence and scenes unpleasing to the eye; it has hidden Christian themes both good and bad. For instance, Its director Quentin Tarantino makes the themes of immorality among humans, the paths that humans take differently in life, the risk of living recklessly and the inception of death visible to the viewer. With the leading man as John Travolta with co-actors Samuel L Jackson and Uma Thurman, camera angle technique helps the viewer’s grasp the relationship between the characters and bring us closer to their realization. The best example is in the scene where J ules (Samuel L. Jackson) comes to a near death encounter, and it is in this case that he starts posing questions about life, the power of God, and why his encounter with death never terminated his life. The film gives us the events where he ponders everything in his life and even quitting his job for the reason that it was to God’s sign for him to quit the bad things. There is also the situation in which we find Jules misquoting the Bible in a cold murder. This was in the encounter of Brett with Vincent and Jules the two hit men working for the feared kingpin Marsellus Wallace. They had gone to retrieve something valuable in a suitcase that was held by individuals that would be crooks led by Brett. The two men retrieve the belonging of Wallace and later kill Brett and Jules recite the Bible from Ezekiel 25, and it quotes â€Å"The path of the honorable man is overwhelmed on all sides by the iniquities of the self-centered and the autocracy of evil men. Holy is he who, in the name of contributions and good will, shepherds the scrawny through the gorge of darkness, for he is truthfully his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. I will hit down upon thee with great retaliation and fuming anger those who would effort to poison and obliterate my brothers. You will recognize my name is the Lord when I lay my reprisal upon thee.†(Biola, 2013). The ungodly themes that are condemned by the commandments and the actors tend to bend the command is in the situation

Restorative Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Restorative Justice - Essay Example According to Sherman and Tyler, â€Å"To have a more effective strategy for dealing with the issue of public compliance we would benefit from being in the situation in which people have additional reason for obeying the law beyond their fear of being caught and punished for wrong doing† (Tyler 310). The day-by-day progression of wrong doings in the American Society compelled all stakeholders to address this alarming trend in a befitting manner. Besides punishments awarded to the offenders by the competent court of law in shape of fine, term imprisonment, life imprisonment and death penalty as the case may be, the rehabilitation centers role to make them useful citizens of the society cannot be denied (Tyler 310). The restorative justice system has the capacity and the capability to effectively deal with the social evils of the society and to inculcate confidence amongst the law-abiding citizens. According to French & Raven, â€Å"the legitimate authority is an authority regar ded by people as entitled to have their decisions and rules accepted and followed by others† (Tyler 311). ... ve justice to arrange meetings of the offenders with the victims to sort out the issue amicably by offering them compensation in lieu of the damages done to their assets. It can be a successful model for resolution of conflict and repairing of harm since people are losing confidence in the criminal justice system. According to Weber, â€Å"The roots of modern discussion of legitimacy are usually traced by the important writings of Weber on authority and dynamics of social authority (Tyler 311). 2. What safeguards, rights and systems of accountability would you need to consider when training and using facilitators in Restorative Justice processes set among prisoners and people who have been involved in armed conflicts? Following factors are to be taken into account while training the trainer for the Restorative Justice Process as described in the report of the Training and Accreditation Policy Development Group (2004, pp. 7): a) effective communication skills b) safe environment c) t reat people fairly without discrimination on the basis of gender, age, ethnicity, culture and crime committed d) maintain confidentiality e) ability to determine self knowledge, experience and confidence in handling specific cases f) work as a co-practitioner when need arises g) conduct initial risk assessment h) examine the responsibility for the harm i) pin point the risk of emotional and physical harm to participants j) willingness to engage respectfully k) opportunities for expression and exchange of feelings l) get the harm related needs met as far as it can m) guide practitioners for sharing personal information with regard to domestic violence n) communication skills, first language, culture, socio economic status, physique, age o) pre-defined roles of victim and offender inclusive of

In what ways did US officials act to build a global order under US Essay

In what ways did US officials act to build a global order under US leadership, during and after World War Two, and what were the essential features of that order - Essay Example According to Hudson (2008), foreign policy is â€Å"the strategy or approach chosen by the national government to achieve its goals in its relations with external entities† (p. 12). Kaufman (2010), in turn, writes that the formulation of foreign policy denotes a process of reassessing certain policies – either previous or existing ones – as a result of changing circumstances. In general, the process of foreign policy decision making not only involves various domestic actors aiming for certain outcomes, most notably the national government, but is also highly dependent upon regional and global developments, factors, and forces, which constitute the particular international context. While most of the foreign policy decisions, whether being concerned with international trade, economic and diplomatic relations, immigration policies, etc., could be considered relatively routine, there are extraordinary ones where the stakes appear to be extremely high (Kaufman, 2010), like the formation of strategic alliances, decisions on whether to go to war or make peace, etc. On the other hand, even those foreign policy decisions, which are generally considered routine, inevitably attract more attention in election years, or when an extraordinary event or development occurs (Kaufman, 2010). Thus, as noted by Kaufman (2010), foreign policy is not only of concern to diplomats or bureaucrats but can affect everyone. Two conceptions of what the American type of government should consists in had been put forward at the very dawn of the United States – that of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton (Kaufman, 2010). While Jefferson didn’t conceal his animosity towards à ¢â‚¬Å"a very energetic government† (US Department of State, n.d.; Peterson, 1993), Alexander Hamilton, in turn, argued in favour of a strong relationship between the national government and big business, order, efficiency, as well as for the necessity of integrating the country – under favourable terms however – into the international system (Kaufman, 2010). Even though these views seem opposite to each other, historians aptly point out that Hamilton and Jefferson â€Å"often arrived at the same practical conclusion† (Harper, 2004, p.104). Not surprisingly therefore, the principles of economic development and non-interference in the European conflicts remained â€Å"a matter of consensus†, and the pillars of American foreign policy until the early twentieth century (Harper, 2004, p.104). Nevertheless, the purchase of Louisiana from France during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson and the War of 1812 signalled more or less a considerable shift in US foreign policy behaviour. The success of the purchase of Louisiana could be deemed to have set the precedent for buying the strip of land along the American–Mexican border in 1853 – named after the American general and diplomat James Gadsden, aka the Treaty of La Mesilla (Ibarra, 2004; Yale Law School, n.d.) – as well as Alaska from the Russian empire in 1867. The War

Tropical Cyclone and Small Circles Essay Example for Free

Tropical Cyclone and Small Circles Essay A cyclone is a very violent storm. It never comes alone. Heavy showers of rain, thunder and lightning are its companions. When a cyclone blows, it moves round and round in the form of small circles. It always changes its course when it blows. It does not move in the same direction like an ordinary storm. It occurs mostly in the warm parts of the world. India is in this region of the world. Hence cyclones often blow over her. In cold countries there is no cyclone. The signs of a cyclone There are some signs of the blowing of a cyclone. A low pressure is created in the sea. The weather becomes very hot. There is not a breath of wind. Patches of dark clouds gradually spread in the sky. At last, the sky become dark. A storm sets in. The wind then begins to blow violently. From these we can understand that a cyclone will begin. The actual cyclone Then it rains very heavily. Flashes of lightning are seen. Thunders begin to peal loudly. The wind begins to blow furiously. It blows forward forming circles. There is a roaring noise. The wind continues to blow for some hours. Sometimes it continues for a day or two. Such terrible cyclones happened in September 1918 before the Pujas and in November 1988. Its effect The effect of the blowing of a cyclone is terrible. Big trees fall down. Roofs of houses are blown away. Many a house is destroyed. Many a man is killed. The water of the river rises. There are huge waves in the river. Many boats sink down. Many men are drowned. Sometimes steamers are also sunk. Everywhere dead bodies of men and beasts are found. Crops are destroyed. People suffer much. They become homeless and helpless. There is scarcity of food. Famine breaks out. This miserable condition of the people cannot be fully described. Other people then try to help them with money, food, medicine and clothes. Conclusion The cyclone is a terrible evil. Man has no power to prevent it. But people may be warned beforehand that there will be a cyclone.

The Major Problems Facing Many Societies Social Work Essay

The Major Problems Facing Many Societies Social Work Essay Discrimination of marginalized groups is a major problem facing many societies. Most societies have marginalized groups which are discriminated against by the rest of society. Such groups include the poor, sick, old, disabled and others. In some societies, racial or religious discrimination is prevalent and people of different ethnic origin from the majority are discriminated against. During the 1960s, the United States had many cases of discrimination especially against African Americans. Clark in his book Dark Ghetto captures the racial discrimination against blacks during this period. Clark discusses problems which inhabitants and communities which live in American ghettos experience. This paper aims at comparing the experience at the Geel Organization with the experiences addressed by Clark in the book Dark Ghetto. The Geel Organization provides mentally ill patients with housing and health support to ensure they recover and achieve their potential. Since the mentally ill are usu ally discriminated against by society, the paper will compare the discrimination which African Americans experienced during the 1960s with the discrimination mentally ill patients experience today. The discussed issues will be summarized at the end. Dark Ghetto by Clark Clark analyzes problems faced by African Americans living in ghettos. He acquires an involved observers view, which includes empathy for the suffering as he undertakes his research work (Clark, 1989). Clark studies the sociological and psychological impacts which ghetto life has on African Americans. He views the problems which African Americans living in slums face as significant since they are made to believe that they cannot rise above poverty due to racist actions and policies. Clark also points out that in spite of this suffering; there is still hope for African Americans. The book evaluates the inability of people in power to empower the suffering in ghettos and the specific use of racist policies to oppress African Americans. The author finally offers solutions to end this major problem affecting the American society. Geel Community Services Geel Community Services is an organization geared towards catering for the mentally ill patients in New York City. It was founded in 1976 by the Bronx community members and health care professionals to cater for housing and health needs of mentally disables people (Geel Community Service Organization, 2011). The organization offers mentally ill patients with reliable, stable and safe places to live in. In addition, the organization ensures that they have access to support services such as health and counseling services needed for their steady recovery. This ensures that they achieve their potential and are respected by the society at large. Geel appreciates the role mentally ill patients may play in the community if they can access support needed to address their illnesses. The organization provides housing needs among other needs to achieve the organizational objectives of ensuring mentally ill patients have decent housing and health services. How the issue impacts on the work of Geel Services The paper will specifically focus on discrimination which was discussed by Clark in the book Dark Ghetto. Clark analyzes how the black community was discriminated against by the American government. During this period, there were various policies which were specifically developed to discriminate against African Americans. For instance, they were not allowed to vote, most had no access to education and work opportunities, slave trade was legalized in some states, they had no access to political positions and power, among many other forms of discrimination (Murrin et. al., 2003). Clark specifically focuses on the African Americans living in ghettos who in addition to having poverty problems, they also suffered under discrimination. Discrimination against this population segment reduced their chances of reducing poverty through empowerment. Since the blacks could not access education and employment opportunities, their subsequent generations also suffered from poverty. This was intentio nally planned by the government to ensure that this racial group was oppressed. The issue of discrimination of African Americans is similar to the issues addressed by Geel Services. This organization aims at empowering the mentally ill through providing them with housing and other forms of help in order to empower the mentally unwell and reduce discrimination by society. The mentally ill are discriminated against by society due to their mental conditions. Young mentally ill children are ridiculed by their peers, and in some cases, their guardians and parents. They usually do not have access to superior educational and health facilities as bodied children do. In addition, many mentally ill people are from poor families and they lack decent housing. When mentally disabled children are through with schooling, there are few employment opportunities. This further marginalizes them and makes it difficult for them to overcome poverty. The discrimination which black people suffered during the 1960s as addressed by Clark is similar to that experienced by disabled people today. The black people who suffered discrimination were handicapped by poverty, which made it difficult for them to escape the poverty cycle. Mentally ill people today are handicapped by disability which when combined with discrimination, makes it challenging to escape from poverty. Geel Services organization therefore strongly relates with the concepts discussed by Clark in the book Dark Ghetto. How current social policy impacts the field of practice After the 1960s, the government reversed the policies against discrimination of the Black community after the society rejected oppression of blacks. After the media highlighted the challenges faced by the black community and the African Americans demonstrated against oppression, the society rejected racial discrimination. The government therefore developed a policy where people received equal treatment in spite of their racial or ethnic backgrounds. In modern society, discrimination against the disabled is also an offence under law. Disabled people including the mentally ill should receive equal education, health and employment opportunities with able bodied people. Although this is not effectively implemented in society, public support for the mentally ill has increased over the years. The social policy barring discrimination on people based on any criteria has been important in achieving the objectives of Geel Services. Discrimination is an offense in law and people who discriminate against disabled people may be liable in courts of law. In addition, after racial discrimination declined after the 1960s, the society began accepting the marginalized in society (Kenneth Trotter, 2005). Many lobby groups and organizations emerged to cater for various causes including illnesses, education and human rights. The embracement of the marginalized in society has encouraged the Geel Services organization to spread its mission to the public in order to mobilize support to assist the mentally ill. The public has been very supportive of this cause and a high proportion of financial and non-financial support can be traced to the general public. Finally, the social policy of offering health assistance to people who cannot afford health care cover has also enabled Geel Services im prove the welfare of the mentally ill. Since most of these patients are poor, the government and private sector support for healthcare has ensured that a large number of mentally ill people gain healthcare services they need. Implications for social work practice within the field of practice in an urban setting Social work practice by Geel Organization in the field of mental health has had positive impacts on society. The organization has improved public knowledge about how to deal with people suffering from mental illnesses. This has been important in mobilizing support for mentally ill patients across New York City. In addition, the activities undertaken by this organization have led to the mobilization of resources needed to take care of the mentally ill. Public knowledge of the illnesses has encouraged generous contributions which have been used to establish decent housing and health care for the mentally ill. In addition, cooperation with the private sector and government has led to a more effective focus on the mentally ill by society. The government has drafted laws which discouraged discrimination of the mentally ill. It has also provided personnel, resources, infrastructure and funds needed to improve the standards of living of the mentally ill. The social work practice by Geel organization has also encouraged broad research on mental illnesses and their interventions. Due to increased knowledge on mental illnesses by the society, the organization has influenced numerous researches on mental illnesses and the various treatment interventions which are effective for treating these conditions. As a result, treatment interventions which combine the use of therapy and drugs have been developed and these are useful in treatment of various mental disorders. The government and private firms are increasingly donating funds towards mental health research. Undertaking research and developing treatment interventions is arguably the best way of dealing with the mental health problem in society. Community strengths currently existing regarding the issues under discussions There are various community strengths which are present in New York City as the needs of the mentally ill are addressed by Geel Organization. One of the major strengths is the public knowledge about the needs of the mentally ill. Due to extensive educational efforts by Geel Organization and other organizations which cater for the needs of the mentally ill, a large proportion of the public is aware of the needs of the mentally ill (Weare, 2000). Many people are aware of the support they require in order to recover completely. Due to this knowledge, many individuals and firms have donated resources aimed at ensuring the mentally ill have access to decent housing and health care services. This has provided the bulk of resources needed to meet Geel Organizations objectives. Another community strength currently existing in New York is support from the local and state governments in supporting the mentally ill. Unlike many states, New York has developed policies and allocated resources to effectively deal with the mentally ill people among the population. The state laws are strict regarding discrimination and this has deterred people from discriminating against the mentally ill. In addition, the government has provided resources, healthcare personnel, infrastructure and funding to ensure mentally ill people live decent lives in society. They have educational curricular and schools meant to cater for their unique needs. This makes it easier for Geel Organization to help the mentally ill in the community. Clarks work and relevance to fieldwork placement Clarks work is very relevant to the activities which are undertaken by Geel Organization. As has been discussed, Clark undertook a research to analyze how African Americans were discriminated against by the government on the basis of racial backgrounds. The research also analyzed the challenges faced in slums with regards to this marginalized grouping. This research is similar to the activities which are undertaken by Geel Organization. Geel supports another marginalized group which has been discriminated against by society; the mentally ill. The challenges which the mentally ill face in society today are similar to those faced by African Americans during the 1960s. Both the mentally ill people today and African Americans then did not have access to education, quality healthcare, decent housing, employment opportunities and other rights. The research conducted by Clark is therefore relevant to problems faced today by the mentally ill. In addition, Clark advances some solutions to the problems which African Americans faced. These solutions included an end to discrimination, better access to healthcare, education and employment opportunities, mobilizing local support for an end to discrimination, passage of strict laws which discouraged racial discrimination and giving African Americans voting rights to make political decisions. These solutions are similar to the approaches which are used by the Geel Organization to cater for needs of the mentally ill. They include advocating for health care access and housing for the mentally ill as well as mobilizing support from the public to satisfy needs of this marginalized group. This makes Clarks work relevant to the activities undertaken by Geels Organization. Summary and conclusion Various issues which relate to discrimination have been extensively addressed in the paper. Clark in the book Dark Ghetto explores the discrimination which the black community living in ghettos experienced in the 1960s. In addition to the problem of poverty, the black community was discriminated against through unequal access to opportunities and resources and this made it difficult for them to overcome poverty. However, eventually the government reversed the policies which discriminated against blacks after pressure from the American population. Geel Organization relates to the Dark Ghetto in several aspects. The organization cares for mentally ill people who have been discriminated against by society. It advocates for decent housing and health care for the mentally ill as well as an end to their discrimination. The mission of Geel Society is therefore similar to that of Clark; and end to discrimination of the marginalized. Geel Organization has succeeded in increasing awareness on the challenges facing the mentally ill. It has also contributed to mobilizing resources from individuals, private firms and the government to help the mentally ill. In addition, the organization has encouraged wide research on mental health illnesses to develop treatment interventions for the mentally ill. The government has played a crucial role of proving resources, healthcare personnel, infrastructure and funding to ensure mentally ill people live decent lives in society. In addition, strict laws have been passed to guard against discrimination of this group. This has helped improve the living conditions of the mentally ill in society. The government should allocate more resources towards infrastructure and research on mental health in order to manage mental illnesses. The local community should also continue providing support to mentally ill people in order for them to feel appreciated by society.