All Processing Beneath Conscious Awareness is Carried out by Essay

All Processing Beneath Conscious Awareness is Carried out by Subcortical Structures - Essay Example The process of conscious awareness demands concentration since one maybe conscious but not aware of their conscious state. People possess a strong sense of own self and observe their feelings, thinking and how they go about their lives. Human posses a powerful sense of own self, and can observe their feelings, thinking and going about lives. Sub cortical structures refer to the structures that exist below the cerebral cortex surface. All the processing that is beneath a person’s conscious awareness is not necessarily executed by sub cortical structures. The fear response It explains that sub cortical structures facilitate all unconscious processing. When a person feels in danger, it is the information that reaches the amygdale through the sub cortical pathway that triggers flight or fight response. The sub cortical pathway involves the transfer of information from the sense organs to the thalamus and finally to the amygdale. For processing that is beneath conscious awareness, information travels through the sub cortical pathway which is usually shorter and carries less information concerning the stimulus (Open University Course Team, 2006). This transfers less information concerning the stimulus and thus triggers a fear response. For instance, a person jumps at a harmless shadow in response to the stimulus. The benefit of this transfer method is that it allows for quick response to various stimuli. On the other hand, the cortical structures may also facilitate processing that is beneath conscious processing. This occurs where the cortical pathway delivers information concerning various stimuli leading to various responses. This may happen is situations that do not require quick response to the situation since the cortical pathway is slow. In cases of death and life situations, the pathway may lead to death situations due to it slow characteristic. Despite this drawback, it can also lead to unconscious reaction to various stimuli (Open University Course T eam, 2006) Attention and consciousness As part of one’s normal activities, we perform many actions that do not require attention. For instance, a driver depresses the clutch pedal and hence changes gear automatically. This is a process that occurs in a smooth manner during the appropriate time while still concentrating on what is happening on the road. This indicates that sub cortical structures facilitate unconscious reactions to various responses. This takes place through the sub cortical pathway which delivers information unconsciously leading to a quick response to the stimuli. However, this is a process that one acquires through learning where the sensory-motor coordination will now tend to occur beneath conscious awareness. This process becomes automatic and effortless thus giving a person a chance to concentrate elsewhere (Open University Course Team, 2006). On the other hand, before we learn these activities, it is usually a conscious process. For instance, a research carried by Raichle discovered that there exists a whole suite in the process of brain activation between effortless and automatic phases that a person practices. They proved that attention is necessary for an unlearned activity while there is no demand for concentration during an automatic response. Blind sight This is a condition where the sufferer responds to visual stimuli without perceiving them consciously. For instance, a monkey with a blind sight named Helen

UNDERSTANDING STUDENT PLAGIARISM Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

UNDERSTANDING STUDENT PLAGIARISM - Assignment Example Along with concerns about plagiarism sit augmented burden to develop the business and proficient ethics of students both in the higher and lower education levels. In most forms of education levels, plagiarism is a desecration of academic demeanor of students, countless of whom will sooner or later become professionals and prospective business leaders. The expression â€Å"plagiarism† could be defined as ‘the act of pilfering words or thoughts that more often are not to be well thought-out as across-the-board knowledge’. Lawfully, the plagiarist mishandles another person’s work while assuming that he/she is the creator of the copied work. (PECORARI 2008) To sum up, preceding empirical researches have revealed that an array of factors relating to to scholar plagiarism such as principled potential, demographic variables, and ecological factors. On the other hand, it ought to be noted down that in each research only a classified figure of plagiarism-related asp ects or their associations with students’ imitative actions have been well deliberated. Earlier research on learner plagiarism recognized seven vital themes: The significance and milieu of plagiarism, The personality of plagiarism, How learners pick out plagiarism, How big a predicament is student copying?, What encourages learners to deceive?, The difficulties brought forward by digital copying; and the clamor for learners’ academic uprightness. (NEVILLE 2010) The Critique and analysis of the journals Nine most important factors relating to student copying are known as: Ethical potential, Consciousness, Academic incorporation, Perceptive Student copying, accounting learning, new know-how, intellectual influences, Institutional shore up, Pressures, and Demographic variables (Gou 2011) Even though a lot of observers have urged that advanced education institutions ought to take up a full-bodied deterrence approach to restricting academic deceit, this paper proposes that educators ought to incorporate a cooperative approach to encourage learners to operate in a sturdy, righteous demeanor. Propositions to educators to lower down the pervasiveness of student copying are discussed as follows. (1) Be aware of cultural influences. Learners’ cultural origin may origin tribulations for countless overseas learners. Academic and specialized progress ought to generate surroundings that deter copying by heartening acknowledgment of cultural multiplicity. Exceptional hard work ought to be made in assisting students to recognize and fit in to the on hand academic surroundings and in making sure that they are not being unjustly barred from the prerequisite of advanced education. Summer schools or establishment courses; for instance, ought to teach on these targets. (LITTLE 2011) (2) Take in ethics-related subjects. It is recommended that ethics-related subjects should be incorporated in the syllabus at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. (LAMPE RT 2008) This kind of educational involvement has attested to the constructive contact on learners’ ethical capability of appreciating and replying to principled dilemmas such as copying and cheating. The involvement is also necessitated by greater than before the claim by the public to enhanced professional principles of accountants. (3). Reassess the impact of novel technology on copying. The domino effect point to that the ‘new technology’ aspect was missing in psychometric links and as a result was unnecessary. (WANGAARD & STEPHENS 2011) This unanticipated result, even though being incoherent with numerous empirical studies, in fact warns us against completely blaming the hasty development

Intellectual Traditions In Islam Religion Essay

Intellectual Traditions In Islam Religion Essay Islam after the death of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) spread far and wide and was accepted by different people of different languages, culture and lands. Hence it became enriched by the intellectual contribution of many individuals and communities in various diverse fields of learning such as philosophy, literature, law, theology, arts, mysticism and natural science. Thus, Islam was elaborated in a multitude of forms and interpretations and by the 1oth century, it completely flourished as a civilization To discuss the significance of these issues, a seminar entitled INTELLECTUAL TRADITIONS IN ISLAM was organized by the institute of Ismaili studies at the Mellor centre, Churchill College, university of Cambridge during 14-20 august 1994. This book contains the edited and reviewed versions of the papers presented at the seminar excluding Professors M. Mahdi, M. Arkoun and A Sachedinas contributions. The report is an overview of all the essays presented in this book excluding the essay Some Observations on the Religious Intellectual Milieu of Safawid Iran by John Cooper and Present Day Islam Between its Tradition and Globalization by Mohammed Arkoun. It discusses all the key points and topics addressed by different authors in their respective essays. ABOUT THE BOOK (SUMMARY) The concepts and the key points described in the book are discussed below with respect to each chapter: 1. Introduction The introduction is the key note address which was presented at the seminar by Dr. Aziz Esmail. He in his essay explores the key concepts of Intellectual Life, Tradition and Islam. He raises many questions about concept of an intellectual life. He asks about the designation and position of an intellectual in the society. He asks whether the intellectual thoughts and the intellectual themselves are very distantly placed from the society. He further confronts the readers by asking questions such as what is the place of intellect in ones persona. What is the relationship of intellect with feelings, character and most importantly with the faith of a person? He further explores the role of intellectual life in the development of personality and character and in the making of identity of a person. He asks what is the relation of intellect in our daily lives. What is its relation to ones relationship with God? How does it effect the relation of an individual with its society? Does the intellect enable any participation in the society or does it retards it? He confronts the readers with such questions and enables them to think, to review and to divulge in his thoughts. Furthermore, he deals with the concept of tradition and traditionalism. He defines the relationship of old age and youth with tradition. He says that the old age identifies with the past whereas the youth has a relationship of dependence of defiance with the past. He identifies the different models of schooling which provide the basis of relationship of an individual with his traditions. The author explains that the tradition becomes an object of anxiety and attention when it ceases to work not when it is actually at work. He says that you cant find the idea of traditionalism or tradition in traditional societies. He explains that the main confronting question facing the people today is that in this world which is characterized by a pluralism of tradition which tradition one should uphold? The other question is what is the future of any traditions in such a rapidly changing world? When the author talks about Islam he asks the meaning of Islam. He also asks what is the relationship of past and present in Islam. The author describes the challenge of relativism in todays world. Relativism says that all doctrines, ideas and values can be explained by reference to time and place. But if all ideas and values are thus explained, ones confidence in upholding a single culture or tradition is shattered. The author says that today the culture is becoming a supermarket of ideas, values and doctrines where one chooses according to taste not according to objective essence. It the past, community came first and the individuals second, today, the scenario is opposite. Today, in such a pluralistic world, there is a need of a genuine mutual appreciation between faiths. The author says that engagement with other faiths doesnt mean to surrender, for criticism too is a form of engagement. How Islamic theology may engage with the modern world without becoming a prisoner of the mode rn understanding of modernity is one of the major challenges facing Islamic thought today? 2. Intellectual Life in the First Four Centuries of Islam by Hugh Kennedy: The author in his essay surveys the intellectual life of the Muslims in the first four centuries of Islam. He also describes the development of the intellectual life in this era. He explains that the first main issue that confronted the Muslims after the death of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) was that of the leadership of the community. People raised many questions such as who should lead the community. How they should be chosen and what powers they should enjoy? There were two different groups of people who had two different view points. One group believed that the leadership should be inherited by the Ahl al-Bayt (family of the Prophet). The other idea that found favor was that of a tribal Sheikh. The early Islamic intellectuals faced a very important issue that how they were going to preserve and record the utterances and deeds of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) and his companions, secondly, they faced the issue of explanation of Quran Sunna to the new Muslims who were Non-Arabs. Consequently, a whole series of sciences developed in order to solve these problems. These sciences include grammar, genealogy, poetry and history and were known as the Islamic sciences. Grammar was a part of such sciences. It became the essential constituent of all the intellectual activities as it was vital to understand the basis of religion. Science of genealogy also found its way in the minds of the Muslims intellectuals. It was used to establish relations between different tribes and people. To understand the Quran completely, it was equally important to learn the language and thoughts of the Prophets contemporaries. So, poetry of pre-Islamic Arab and the early days of Islam became a very important part of the Muslim Intellectual life. History was another aspect of systematization of learning. Historical writing came into form just due to the need to record the life of the Prophet (P.B.U.H) and the events of the Islamic conquests. The non-Islamic sciences that Muslims were concerned with were medicine, philosophy, astrology and astronomy. All these sciences were brought into the Islamic tradition by translations made from Greek language in the 9th century. The Muslims in the early era of Islam pursued only those sciences that they thought were practically useful for them. Philosophy was studied by Muslims because it was required for analysis of arguments and logic study of medicine was required for obvious reasons. Astronomy and astrology were regarded as practical sciences by Muslims because many of them believed in the influence of planets on peoples lives. The author highlights that in the early intellectual life of Islam certain subjects were studied because they were perceived to be useful and there was no structure of intellectual life for there did not exists any academic profession. Thus, in the first four centuries of Islam, there was no institutional frame work for intellectual life; people who were engaged in such activities lived on their private income. Overall, the Muslims in the four centuries of Islam were pre-occupied by Islamic sciences which developed from just being recordings of the early days of Islam to becoming immensely rich intellectual work. 3. Scientific and Philosophical Enquiry Achievements and reactions in Muslims history by Oliver Leaman: The author in his essay describes the development of scientific philosophical enquiry in the Muslim history. The author says that after the death of Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H), the Islamic empire expanded and extended to the various parts of Middle East where a variety of civilization were established for a very long time. The new Muslim rulers came into contact with people who had very sophisticated ideas about theology, medicine, astronomy and mathematics. Now they had to decide whether to reject this kind of learning or to study it. They chose to study it and learn from it and as a result a pluralistic society of different cultures and religious was formed There were basically two reasons for using the discoveries and theories which were present in the Middle East at that time. One was the need to argue and debate with the people of other religions and to persuade them to become Muslims. It was necessary to use the methodologies of the older religious to defend Islam and to prove to people what improvements Islam has brought. The other rational for using science and philosophy of existing cultures was a practical one. When the Muslims came to Syria, Iraq and later on Persia, they found out that those people had a high standard of living. They were relatively more educated and healthy. They had better management skills. The Muslims wanted to learn how they achieved this state of affairs. This resulted in a great deal of interest in early Islamic world for philosophical, scientific and medical discoveries which were all around them. The author further explains that these new communities had a bulk of philosophical works especially those of Aristotle and Plato. Philosophy is all about the ability to debate, to argue. There was a great demand by the people for philosophical material with which they could persuade others about the validity of their point of views. The philosophical literature was widely read in the first few centuries of Islam and great evidence of scientific work is also found. The author further explains that to the positive approach of the philosophers, thinkers and intellectuals towards ancient philosophy and science, the ulama had a different approach. They thought that if the Muslim intellectuals were forming a philosophy based on the philosophies of Plato and Aristotle then they were developing a philosophy based on pagan thought. They thought that Islam in itself contains the solutions of all the problems faced by the people. They argued that we need not approach ancient Greek philosophy for solutions of our problems. But the philosophers thought that if something is good or true there is no harm in incorporating it in our daily lives. The author says that the questions that arose as a result of all this debate were: how much is it acceptable for one to borrow from a culture that is not ones own? How far could Muslims incorporate secular knowledge in their own culture and still maintain their culture? The above mentioned debate was a dispute about who would sort out the theoretical problems of the Islamic world. Would it be the philosophers inspired by the Greek science and philosophy, or would it be the ulama and the fuqaha, the traditional Islamic scholars and jurists? 4. The Rational Tradition in Islam by Muhsin Mahdi: I would like to focus on the historical perspectives of the rational tradition in Islam. The author points out in the start of his essay that whenever in history Muslims including scientists, philosophers and mystics tried to express themselves, they had to use reason. The author traces back the history of rationalism from the age of enlightenment and the French revolution in European culture and history in the 17th and 18th centuries. It happened that some learned encyclopaedists started destructive rationalism by trying to get rid of religion and religious ideas, thoughts and prejudices. They wanted to establish a society that is purely based on reason. The author asks a question: how the rational tradition arose in Islam in the first place? He replies by saying that it arose after the death of the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) when Islam and Muslims faced the crisis of leadership. The question: who has the claim to rule Muslim religious community after the Prophet (P.B.U.H.)? Is it by the prophets designation of an imam or is it by election? The origin of Islamic religious thought and theology is based on this question. And, thus, begins the whole process of rationalism in Islam. Within the tradition and knowledge that came in from other cultures and societies to Muslims, the concept or idea of Neoplatonism also found its way. Neoplatonism is the theory that speaks of god as something that is hard to understand, that is above and beyond reason. Thus, Neoplatonism provided the revealed religions with a support. It taught them that the divinity is active; its not just a mind it is something that acts and causes things to be. Now as the rationalist ideas began to develop, the contradictions between the rationalists and the fundamentalists began. One illustration of rationalism in Islam was Abu Bakr Muhammad al-Razi, the physician who opposed all forms of human authority in matters of religious knowledge, even that of the prophet. He completely opposed prophecy and criticized religion. He proposed that organized religion was a device used by the evil men to establish their rule over mankind and that it leads to violence, conflicts and wars. The whole idea of extreme rationalism is to get rid of all religions and to form a society based purely on reason. But no tradition ever thought of a society completely based on reason. One can make justifications about prophecy, revelations and religious transactions. The author here states his point of view that the only way that a society can be held together and the only way that people can be encouraged to pursue virtues and avoid vices which may not always be in their rational interests is by a divine law and through a doctrine of reward and punishment hereafter. In Islam two kinds of rationalist traditions are found. One is that of Averroes (Ibn Rushd) who believed in acquiring rational knowledge to find a way to the divine. He believed that as one perfects it to its limits, then he has a vision of what is beyond it. The other tradition is that of Ibn al-Arabi who believed in practicing and learning from people and experiences to find the way to the divine. 5. The Limits of Islamic Orthodoxy by Norman Calder: Norman Calder in his essay firstly explains that in this essay he wants to discover the outside limits of Islamic Orthodoxy with respect to the Sunni Islam. The author defines the terms Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy. Orthodoxy means the right teachings whereas Orthopraxy means the right practice. According to the author, the Sunni Islam is a religion of Orthodoxy. The author describes that one of the places where the right teachings of Islam can be found are those books which are called Aqida or Aqaid in Arabic meaning creed. These books set out the agenda of beliefs that represent being a Muslim. The author gives the example of Christianity, that in the first five centuries of Christianity, they faced a debate about what it was you had to believe to be a Christian and they decided a creed under the authority of a council and the pope. But there is no such source of authority in Islam. There is no such council and there is no such creed that is found in which all the Muslims believe. According to the author one thing found common in all the creeds is the components of the Shahadat i.e. the belief that God is one and Muhammad (P.B.U.H) is the messenger of God. The author further explains that there are five possible forms of religions beliefs including scripture, community, gnosis, reasons and charisma. Some people claim that the way towards the knowledge of God is through scripture i.e. Gods revelation others claim that Gods self-revelation to man is through a community that has been chosen by God and in which correct belief is preserved. A third group claims that way towards knowledge of God is through gnosis i.e. mystic knowledge, experience or just mysticism. A fourth group claims that way towards understanding God is by using reason or by being rational. Finally, there are communities that believe that God has appointed throughout the generations one particular person to express His message, they are also claim that this particular person has the knowledge of God. All great religious traditions of the world including Hinduism, Islam Christianity have all fine elements described above. The author classifies different groups of believers according to the above mentioned forms. Within Islam, the Twelve Shia the Ismaili Shia are the communities which lay stress on charisma as the most important form of achieving knowledge of God. There are two sets of people in Islam which lay great stress on reason as the means of achieving knowledge of God. One group is represented by philosophers like Al-Farabi and Avicenna i.e. Ibn Sina. The other group is the Mutazila which are rejected by the Sunnis because they claim that they overstress the role of reason. The group representing gnosis or mysticism in Islam is the Sufis. According to the author, the Sunnis are the group that lie somewhere between scripture and community. The author further explains that the Sunnis have formed intellectual writing traditions, there literature to which they refer as the expression to their understanding of their relationship to God and His Prophet (P.B.U.H). This list of literary genres is as follows: Qisas Al Anbiya, Sirat Al-Nabi, Quran, Hadith, fiqh, Kalam, Tafsir and Sharh Al Hadith. At intellectual level, the limits of orthodoxy are represented by the contents of the set of books defined above. 6. Intellectual Life Among the Ismaili: An Overview by Farhad Daftary: The author firstly explains the history and beliefs of Ismailis. He says that the Ismailis maintain that the Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H) has appointed his cousin and son-in-law- Ali b. Abi Talib as his successor and that this designation or nass has been made divine command. They also believe that there is a permanent need of a spiritual leader with a particular Kind of knowledge (ILM) for guidance of mankind. They believe that after the death of Prophet, only Ali and succeeding imams possessed the required ILM and religious authority which enables them to act as the sole authority for interpreting the Islamic revelation. Thus, this doctrine of imamate forms the foundation of all the teachings and literary works of the Ismaili Shi is. The early Ismailis developed a cyclical history of revelation and a cosmological doctrine. These two concepts became the main components of theology. These two doctrines also explain the great appeal and popular success of the early Ismailis Dawa (the guiding mission led by teachers known as dais or missionaries. The establishment of the Fatimid state in 909 in North Africa proved to be a mile stone for the success of dawa. The Fatimid period is often known as the Golden Era of Ismailism. After the acquisition of the Fatimid state, the Fatimid Caliph-Imams didnt abandon their dawa activities aiming to extend their rule over the entire Muslim Umma, they retained their dawa and network of dais, operating both within and outside Fatimid states. Special institution was setup for the training of dais and instruction of ordinary Ismailis. The dais who were educated as theologians, themselves were the scholars and authors of Ismaili community. They produced great literary works on theology, law, philosophy and exoteric and esoteric subjects. In Egypt, the Fatimids created major libraries in Cairo, which grew into a centre of art, culture, Islamic and natural science. The Dais themselves were trained in jurisprudence and were acquired with knowledge of Hadith and other religious sciences as well as the languages and cultures of regions in which they operated despite being the sole representative of the Ismaili Dawa it Seems that very little is written by Ismaili authors on Dais who acted as missionaries, teachers and judges for the Ismailis of their community outside the Fatimid dominion. The high yearn for learning in Ismailis led them to conduct Majalis i.e. Lectures or teaching sessions for public. In 1005 Fatimid Caliph-Imam Al-Hakim (996-1021) formed an institution of learning known as Dar al-ilm, the house of knowledge or Dar al-Hikma in a section of Fatimid palace in Cairo. A multitude of religious and non- religious sciences were taught at Dar al-ilm which was equipped with a major library. Many Dais received training in Dar al-ilm. In the Fatimid period, the Ismaili law was codified by Al-Qadi Al-Numan under the guidance of the Fatimid Caliph-Imam Al-Muizz. His compilation the Daaim-al-Islam (The Pillars of Islam) served as the official legal code of the Fatimid state, Al-Qadi Al-Numan, on Fridays after the mid-day prayers conducted public sessions in Cairo at the mosques of Al-Azhar, Amr Al-Hakim, to explain the legal doctrines of the Ismailis jurisprudence to Ismailis. Much of the literary work and chronicles of Ismailis perished as a result of the Ayyubids harassment of Ismailis. These libraries were also destroyed and hence much of the literary work was also perished. After the persecution of Ismailis by Ayyubids in the Fatimid states, Hassan Sabbah founded the Nizari state in the fortress of Alamut in northern Persia. Hassan Sabbah was a learned theologian and he established an impress library at Alamut. Other major Nizari Fortresses in Persia Syria were also equipped with a signification collection of books, documents and scientific instruments. The Nizari Ismailis of the Alamut period used to compile chronicles in which events of the Nizari states were recorded accordingly. But most of these official chronicles preserved at Alamut and other Nizari fortresses perished in the Mongol attacks of 1256 or later on. After the invasion of Mongols in 1256, the Nizaris how began to observe taqiyya for extended period. Until the end of the 17th century, the Nizari Dawa met with particular success in Central Asia India. In the Central Asian tradition, the authentic works of Nasir Khusraw occupy a prominent role. Central Asian Nizaris have also preserved a bulk of Persian Nizari literature produced during the Alamut period in later times. The Syrian Nizaris have also formed another literary tradition based on Arabic, in which local ideas as well as Fatimid Ismaili thought found expression. The Nizari Khojas of the Indian sub-continent developed a distinctive tradition known as Satpanth or true path which is expressed in their hymn like Ginans written in different South Asian languages and later on recorded in the Khojki Script in Sindh by the Khoja community. These Ginans were written by Pirs or Dais to increase their appeal of message. The author acknowledges Ismailis as a community with the doctrine of Imamate as their central teaching. He successfully traces back the Ismaili literary traditions in his work. 7. Nasir Khusraw: Fatimid Intellectual by Alice C. Hansberger: The author Alice C Hunsberger in her essay focuses on the great Fatimid thinker and intellectual Nasir Khusraw. Nasir Khusraw who lived primarily in Khurasan in the 11th Century was an eminent Persian philosopher, writer and poet. He was a successful preacher of the Ismaili faith in Central Asia renown for his poetic teachings. He was so successful in preaching among people that those of other Islamic school turned viciously against him and he had to spend his last 15 or 20 year in exile in Yumgan in Badakhshan under the protection of a local Ismaili Prince. The author in her remarkable essay sheds light on his personality and his teachings. She narrates the story of an eagle from one of his poems. The essence of the story is that human beings have it all in them that carries them to the sky and brings them to the dust. The author is found to be saying that Nasir khusraw is far away from being a mystic and neither he is an ascetic rather he preaches his readers to become the best human beings they can by being fully in this world and using it for achieving self-perfection. Nasir Khusraw is the only philosophical writer of his era to have written all his writings in Persian language. He leaves us with three different genres of writing: a prose memoir of his travels, the safarnama, and his poetry gathered in his diwan and a no. of philosophical works in which he lays out the doctrines of Ismailism. His famous edited and published books include: Gushayish wa Rahayish, Jamial-Hikmatayn, Khwan al-Ikhwan, Shish Fasl, RawshanaI-nama, Wajh-i-din and Zad al-Musafirin. Nasir Khusraw earned his title Hakim through his broad training in philosophy and other sciences including finance and mathematics. In his writing, Nasir Khusraw shows a certain honesty and directness. He talks his hopes. His prose and poetry is so admired by people because it is plain and complex. Around his fortieth birthday Nasir Khusraw underwent a spiritual reawakening and left his privileged life in the royal Saljuq court and set out for a journey which was much esoteric rather than exoteric. The authors sheds light on a very important concept from Nasir Khusraws teachings that one must be in this world in order to achieve the higher world. He explains in his teachings the need of physical world for a life of faith because according to him it is the physical world that holds the tools for learning true wisdom, namely reason (or intellect and knowledge i.e. aql and ilm). Nasir Khusraw gets irritated by people who are ignorant. He compares them to all sorts of animals including donkeys, asses and noisy birds. In his book Wajh-i-Din Nasir Khusraw explains that animals act without knowledge, while angels know without acting. But it is human beings who must combine both action and knowledge. For Nasir Khusraw, intellect leads a believer to proper faith and strengthens his faith. The other concept that Nasir stresses in his teachings is the observance of the sharia. He criticizes people that they must observe sharia. He compares the observance of sharia with taking medicine when we are sick. Although we may not like the medicine but we have to do in order to heal our body. Similarly, the Prophet (P.B.U.H) is the physician and the medicine he brings to heal our souls is the sharia. Nasir Khusraw stresses that it is through the body that ones soul can be perfected by carrying out sharia. Since man is responsible for his actions, the effects of his actions are transferred to his soul leading ultimately to the purification or perfection of mans soul by observing the sharia. The author gives a great overview of the teachings of Nasir Khusraw in her essay. 8. Reason and Mystical Experience in Sufism by Annemarie Schimmel: The author in her essay sheds light on the concept of love, intellect, reason and experience in mysticism and in religion. She sheds light on different concepts by using references of Maulana Rumi and Iqbal. She starts her essay with some verses by Maulana Rumi and Iqbal in which they both in their own words point out the difference between intellect and love. According to them, intellect first ponders over things whereas love just jumps into the hearts of the matter without thinking of the consequences. Intellect is necessary to give us information i.e. Khabar whereas love gives us the direct vision i.e. nazar, The author quotes the story of a moth and a burning candle which Al-Hallaj has written in his Arabic book, Kitab al-Tawasin in which the moth is not satisfied with the sight and feeling, it want to burn itself and led to a new higher life. The Sufis present the idea of die before you die. The Sufis desire for Nazar i.e. the true experience that comes from love. The author also describes in the analysis of intellect and love, two other modes of perception, dhikr and fikr. Fikr literally meaning thought is necessary to understand the creations of this world. And dhikr literally meaning the constant remembrance of god is supposed to polish human heart and make it shine like a mirror. These two modes of thinking of fikr, intellectual thinking and of dhikr remembering god with love are always used together. Iqbal presents another idea about the intellect that as it makes to think and ponder over things it creates new idols every moment. But again in his poetry he tells us that these idols of intellect bow to love. The author highlights another aspect of mysticism that is expressing the love in words. She quotes Rumi as saying that when the pen comes to write the word love, its break into pieces. The pen breaks when it comes to write about love but the same pen has written a bulk of books and poetry about this very love. It is a paradox in literature that the mystics who stressed that ones who wrote numerous books. The mystics have been found to say that whatever they write is not by their intellectual powers it is all waridat things that come to the mystics. These literary works are produced even by illiterate people and when you read them if it looks as if it has been crafted with much intellectual effort. We have the examples of such writers such as Ibn al-Arabi and khwaja Mir Dard who claim that they didnt even think of it. These mystical writings have been opposed by Ulama and many scholars as dangerous and poison for untutored minds. The traditional saying finds its way here that: think about the work of god and the qualities of god, but do not think of gods essence. Again Iqbal quotes in his works that Quran also invites to seek signs in the horizons of this world and in ourselves. Thus, the author concludes by saying that intellectual activities are not to be excluded from the way of Sufis or the Muslims. The idea of looking at signs and pondering over them may be of great help to understand religion in a better context. At the end she quotes a verse by Rumi that I quote here: when you make a house for your chicken, a camel does not fit into it. And she concludes that intellect is a chicken and love is a camel- a great, proud and beautiful camel. 10. Woman, Half-the-Man? The Crisis of Male Epistemology in Islamic Jurisprudence by Abdulaziz Sachedina: The author introduces the readers to the sharia, the Islamic sacred law and the two spheres of human activity: those actions that relate humanity to god categorizaed as Ibadat (literally acts of honouring god, technically god-human relationships), and those actions that relate humans to fellow humans categorized as Muamalat (literally transactions, technically inter-human relationships ). According to the author the area of inter-human relationships demands rethinking and reinterpretation of the normative sources like the Quran and the sunna, under changed social conditions. One area particularly in inter-human relationships which is retarded in progress by interpretation by Muslim jurists is the personal status of muslim women. The madrasa tradition of learning in Islam has disregarded female voices in emerging issues of women and human rights. The redefinition of status of a muslim woman is a major issue that confronts the Muslim jurists in todays modern world. Muslim womens participation in legal-ethical matters where situational aspects can be best determined by women themselves only, is very essential. Without their participation in such discussions, womens rights will always depend on the patriarchal society. The author further discusses the male jurists and their female related rulings. He narrates his exp

America Needs The Draft Essay -- Military Persuasive Argument Essays W

America Needs The Draft A draft starts when there is a major crisis and extra troops are needed for combat. The draft only calls men to duty in a certain order in which they registered. This is called the lottery. Only when Congress passes and then the president signs legislation, the draft can begin. After the Vietnam War was completely over congress felt the draft should be put to an end. The draft was finally put to an end in 1973 by congress. This pamphlet has been created to help you understand why the draft should be brought back in today's society. Government Still Finds Ways to Keep Troops Overseas Yes, congress ended the draft back in 1973, but they also authorized a stop-loss order, which means each branch of the military can prolong the enlistment of any soldier if the secretary of defense says so. Soldiers that have signed up for part-time jobs in the military are being deployed for an indefinite period and are realizing that the draft is basically back, in a sense. Signing Up with the Selective Service System As I recall, every one of my classmates ...

A Smart System for Now and the Future

What organization would turn away from a system which eliminated waste? In today’s business climate of doing things faster, better and at less cost and with less waste, the Lean system of management and/or manufacturing has been proven to eliminate overproduction, wasted steps and movements, unnecessary transport and conveyance times, and waiting periods. Sayer and Williams (2007) in their book, â€Å"Lean for Dummies† demonstrate the advantages of this concept. Sayer and Williams (2007) compare the Lean concept of business and organizational strategy to the physical and mental strength of the athletic or physically fit:   There is nothing there that cannot be used, no excess fat, and no waste (p. 10). Where previous business practice involved the mass production of a product to be sold to the masses, management would find they were often left with extra inventory. Inventory not sold is a lost profit potential, the inventory itself requires space to store and is yet another waste, and a surplus of inventory results in price fluctuations that may not be beneficial to the organization. With Lean thinking, the process of manufacturing or managing product development is completely customer driven with the focus on the needs of the customer and the advantage to the customer if competitive advantage is foremost. The culture of an organization, according to Sayer and Williams (2007), must value individual creativity and empowerment to secure a satisfied customer base. Lean thinking eliminates the traditional hierarchy of corporate management and embodies individual work teams where individual creativity can flourish. Lean management also reduces the risk of occupational injury by virtue of scaling back wasted steps and movements of individual employees. Continual process improvement and quality assurance monitoring embody the importance of employee empowerment to secure this satisfied customer base. Sayer and Williams (2007) underscore how Lean management systems are able to make continuous process improvements during projects or work floors by utilizing Six Sigma practices. Project management via team leaders periodically meet at their workstations or places of project development and participate in worksite analyses, value stream mapping interpretation and otherwise focus on project improvement. A project can be improved or redesigned mid-project if necessary, further boosting performance, reducing costs and increasing customer satisfaction. Using impact and effort assessments, Six Sigma practitioners can determine what is the least effort required – in terms of costs, inputs, and employee needs – to have the greatest impact to a project and, ultimately, the satisfaction to the customer. Six Sigma uses data analysis, logical cause analysis, and other trending tools to determine value-added potentials to a project (p.97.) Utilizing value stream mapping, an organization or manufacturer works toward the goal of flow, without stoppage, without broken equipment and an increase in multitasking (p. 41). Understanding flow and data will dictate where waste can be eliminated (p. 80). Henry Ford, according to Sayer and Williams (2007), was the primary pioneer of Lean manufacturing concepts. Given the technology of his day, Ford was able to increase the quality of his cars at a reduced cost to the purchasers by managing and reducing waste at his manufacturing plant (p. 17). Ford understood the value-added effects of less waste of time and effort would have on his employees and his customers (p.17). Ford understood his plant should not waste space for production, not waste the time his employees took to move about workstations or between workstations, and have the necessary tools to do the job but without excess implements that might go unused (p.44). According to Sayer and Williams (2007), Lean thinking requires a corporate or organizational culture of quality. The Toyota manufacturing system uses Lean thinking as a new paradigm of manufacturing excellence, relying on continuous improvement and thinking where everyone is a problem solver. Toyota applies â€Å"Just in Time† concepts to Lean manufacturing, where the right part is assembled by the right person at the right time (p. 35). Relying on elimination of waste as its goal, Lean thinking demands the right combination of quality and service. â€Å"The customer is willing to give you their money for your product or service only when they believe it’s a fair exchange of value,† (Sayer and Williams, 2007, p.14). The customer ultimately has a need for a particular product or service and sets the tone for meeting that need and defines the purpose of the product development or production. According to Sayer and Williams, (2007), it is imperative to identify who the customer is and to determine what the customer considers valuable in order to apply Lean concepts to an organization (p. 28). All of these concepts require constant data gathering; the tallying up of effort, process distribution, causation of outcomes, and work sampling. According to Sayer and Williams (2007), data, portrayed in a diagrammatic visual aid such as a Scatter Plot, provides conclusions and predictions about what can happen next (p. 185). Pareto Charting allows a visual representation of where are actual costs (p. 183). Lean thinking is about constant evaluation of data. Lean concepts cannot be adopted by an organization without development of a culture of trust and respect. These values must be demonstrated toward employees as well as customers. In order for management to go beyond stated or implied principles, they must demonstrate trust and respect toward employees. According to Sayer and Williams (2007), fundamental applications of Lean corporate values are demonstrated when the organization fosters â€Å"personal safety, employee security, challenges and engages employees, celebrates wins, offers continuous growth and education, exercises effective communication† (p. 215). Lean thinking is not limited to manufacturing cars or widgets. As Sayer and Williams (2007) point out, â€Å"The future of Lean across all industries are limitless† (p. 311). As Lean thinking is seen as not the next gimmick of business practice but the future of business practices, Lean practices will be seen in industries such as health care, engineering, construction, and other industries wishing to increase performance and decrease costs to achieve customer satisfaction. In the field of health care, for example, Lean practices result in reduced errors, reduced waiting times, increased staff productivity and increased patient education (p. 310). Lean practices are seen already as a method to eliminate waste, reduce cost, and those values translate to customer satisfaction in almost every industry. Lean practices have been put into place by industry leaders many years before the term ‘Lean’ was coined. Lean practices are the answer to reduced overproduction, reduced wait times, fewer steps between workstations and reduced transport times. References Sayer, N. and Williams, B (March 2007). Lean for dummies. Indianapolis, Indiana: Wiley Publishing Inc.                           

Peace and Freedom throughout a Nation Essay

Throughout the course of John F. Kennedy’s inaugural speech, he uses several persuasive appeals such as the idea of peace and freedom to inspire and gain the trust of his Nation.   In the beginning of Kennedy’s speech, he mentions that America will â€Å"pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend [and] oppose any foe† (par 4) for the preservation of liberty. This is an example of parallelism clauses that make clear of Kennedy’s intent to do anything it takes for the survival and liberty. Kennedy states that both sides of a conflict should join in creating â€Å"a new world of law, where the strong are just and the weak are secure and the peace preserved† (par 19). Kennedy’s use of parallelism helps keep the people’s attention to help illustrate his key points of his speech. He later describes the â€Å"power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life,† (par 2) that uses that power to free the peoples of the world. Meaning we have the power to destroy ourselves but it should only be used to better our nation, and create a balance of peace and freedom in the world. During this time the United States was in the beginning of the Cold War and he knew that focuses had to be on containing Communism in order to assure the American people that they were safe. Kennedy constantly reminds the American people that they are a united and strong country that can make it through anything. Kennedy begins four paragraphs in a row with the same words, â€Å"To those,† (par7-8) to illustrate that he is willing to work things out with the countries America is having problems with. His use of repetition helps him remind his country that they can make it through anything in a persuasive way. He also mentions that America can solve problems with their enemies during diplomacy several times. Kennedy amplifies his desire for peace and unity when he repeats, â€Å"Let both sides† (par 14-18) he utilizes alliteration to explain his want for unity instead of division. It is brought to our attention that â€Å"if a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few that are rich (par 8). In order to sustain peace and freedom throughout the nation these things like this need to be recognized. Kennedy creates a common enemy to unite the people’s pride. While discussing newly freed countries he uses a metaphor, saying, â€Å"remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by ridding the back of the tiger ended up inside† (par 7). Also when he says, â€Å"the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans† (par 3) he is using a metaphor showing that America intends to control themselves and let no one else rule them. So our Nation â€Å"should only glow from that fire [that] can truly light the world† (par 12) meaning if everyone does something to benefit the country we will succeed and live and peace. John F. Kennedy did an outstanding job with gaining the trust of his Nation during his 1961 inaugural address. The people were able to feel safe and protected with Kennedy becoming president. The fear of being taken over by a Communist nation lessened, and peace and freedom was sure to come.

WRITE PAPERS FOR MONEY

WRITE PAPERS FOR MONEY Its no secret that writing is a passion that you have not noticed before. Writing for money is an exciting opportunity to unite your job and your hobby. How do you start writing for money today? Well there are a number of different opportunities like article writing, short story writing, copywriting, web-site content writing, essay writing, etc. Start with a company you would like to work with and apply for the job by sending your complete resume and a sample of your perfect writing. If you remember that you have written good papers back at your college or university, then you should try to write papers for money. You never know what outcome there can be.   Another characteristic about yourself that you should develop is the confidence in what you write about. Self-frustration and getting lost is not going to get you anywhere. You have to stay confident of what you write about. If you find yourself not having enough knowledge or experience, read more materials about the topic and get prepared. Nobody was born with the developed and skillful writing. All major authors trained themselves as they were constantly writing something. Another important thing is to stay focused meaning do not pay too much attention to bad reviews. Yes it is important to benefit from your down-falls, yet it is more important to stay focused and continue what you are doing right now. Keep on writing!

Free Essays on Holy Sonnet

Describe and Compare the Theme of â€Å"Death† as Explained in â€Å"Death Be Not Proud† by John Donne and â€Å"Sonnet 71† by William Shakespeare The two poems provide a complete contrast as regard to â€Å"Death†. Death Be Not Proud† is written by a Christian Minister (John Donne) and is therefore based on a religious theme, inclusive of the idea of an after life. The second poem however is written by William Shakespeare and is a secular poem, and deals with â€Å"Death† as a physical reality, which is unavoidable. Shakespeare writes more negatively and makes â€Å"Death† powerful, whereas â€Å"Death Be Not Proud† gives more hope and is written as if Death is a person, to make â€Å"Death† less powerful and mortal. Through the entire poem, Donne speaks directly to Death. He personifies what to Man, has always been a spirit and has never been touched, seen or furthermore killed. He gives Death life (a person) and therefore makes it mortal, exposing it to pain, torment and eventually defeat. In the first four lines of the poem, John Donne aggressively and directly addresses Death, his tone critical and belittling. He begins by saying, â€Å"Death be not proud†¦ for thou art not soe;† This openly challenges Death’s authority and power. By referring to Death as a person, he makes it easier for the reader to bring Death down to a level of weakness and venerability, making death seem powerless. Humans have always been like slaves to Death, running from it, and trying to prevent it. People have always tried to lead good lives in order to go to Heaven instead of Hell. They try to lead good lives so that GOD lets them stay on this great earth for a while longer. In line 9, â€Å"Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men†. The narrator goes against us being slaves to death and says that Death is a slave to fate, chance and us. Without fate nothing could be determined, therefore, our fate is truthfully w... Free Essays on Holy Sonnet Free Essays on Holy Sonnet Describe and Compare the Theme of â€Å"Death† as Explained in â€Å"Death Be Not Proud† by John Donne and â€Å"Sonnet 71† by William Shakespeare The two poems provide a complete contrast as regard to â€Å"Death†. Death Be Not Proud† is written by a Christian Minister (John Donne) and is therefore based on a religious theme, inclusive of the idea of an after life. The second poem however is written by William Shakespeare and is a secular poem, and deals with â€Å"Death† as a physical reality, which is unavoidable. Shakespeare writes more negatively and makes â€Å"Death† powerful, whereas â€Å"Death Be Not Proud† gives more hope and is written as if Death is a person, to make â€Å"Death† less powerful and mortal. Through the entire poem, Donne speaks directly to Death. He personifies what to Man, has always been a spirit and has never been touched, seen or furthermore killed. He gives Death life (a person) and therefore makes it mortal, exposing it to pain, torment and eventually defeat. In the first four lines of the poem, John Donne aggressively and directly addresses Death, his tone critical and belittling. He begins by saying, â€Å"Death be not proud†¦ for thou art not soe;† This openly challenges Death’s authority and power. By referring to Death as a person, he makes it easier for the reader to bring Death down to a level of weakness and venerability, making death seem powerless. Humans have always been like slaves to Death, running from it, and trying to prevent it. People have always tried to lead good lives in order to go to Heaven instead of Hell. They try to lead good lives so that GOD lets them stay on this great earth for a while longer. In line 9, â€Å"Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men†. The narrator goes against us being slaves to death and says that Death is a slave to fate, chance and us. Without fate nothing could be determined, therefore, our fate is truthfully w...

Using Calculus to Calculate Price Elasticity of Supply

Using Calculus to Calculate Price Elasticity of Supply In introductory economics courses, students are taught that elasticities are calculated as ratios of percent changes. Â  Specifically, they are told that price elasticity of supply is equal to the percent change in quantity supposed divided by the percent change in price. While this is a helpful measure, it is an approximation to some degree, and it calculates what can (roughly) be thought of as an average elasticity over a range of prices and quantities. To calculate a more exact measure of elasticity at a particular point on a supply or demand curve, we need to think about infinitesimally small changes in price and, as a result, incorporate mathematical derivatives into our elasticity formulas. Â  to see how this is done, lets take a look at an example. An Example Suppose youre given the following question: Demand is Q 100 - 3C - 4C2, where Q is the amount of the good supplied, and C is the production cost of the good. What is the price elasticity of supply when our per unit cost is $2? We saw that we can calculate any elasticity by the formula: Elasticity of Z with respect to Y (dZ / dY)*(Y/Z) In the case of price elasticity of supply, we are interested in the elasticity of quantity supplied with respect to our unit cost C. Thus we can use the following equation: Price elasticity of supply (dQ / dC)*(C/Q) In order to use this equation, we must have quantity alone on the left-hand side, and the right-hand side be some function of cost. That is the case in our demand equation of Q 400 - 3C - 2C2. Thus we differentiate with respect to C and get: dQ/dC -3-4C So we substitute dQ/dC -3-4C and Q 400 - 3C - 2C2 into our price elasticity of supply equation: Price elasticity of supply (dQ / dC)*(C/Q)Price elasticity of supply (-3-4C)*(C/(400 - 3C - 2C2)) Were interested in finding what the price elasticity of supply is at C 2, so we substitute these into our price elasticity of supply equation: Price elasticity of supply (-3-4C)*(C/(100 - 3C - 2C2))Price elasticity of supply (-3-8)*(2/(100 - 6 - 8))Price elasticity of supply (-11)*(2/(100 - 6 - 8))Price elasticity of supply (-11)*(2/86)Price elasticity of supply -0.256 Thus our price elasticity of supply is -0.256. Since it is less than 1 in absolute terms, we say that goods are substitutes. Other Price Elasticity Equations Using Calculus To Calculate Price Elasticity of DemandUsing Calculus To Calculate Income Elasticity of DemandUsing Calculus To Calculate Cross-Price Elasticity of Demand

Personal statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Personal statement - Essay Example Yet, despite the adversities that I encounter, I resolve to keep my head high and bravely face the challenges that come along my way. My dream is to finish the program Electrical Engineering in your reputable institution. Just knowing that your institution have accomplished alumni and outstanding teachers makes me very excited knowing that this is the best possible place to get educated. I hope that I would be given the privilege to finish my studies at your amazing institution. I am Betelhem, a migrant from Ethiopia where I finished my high school studies. My dream is to become an Electrical Engineer one day. Behind every dream is a story of which I would detail so this institution would understand my desire to pursue my dream. Because of my transfer to the United States, I was unable to finish my college degree at my country. Also, I was compelled to go out of my country because very few universities have an Electrical Engineering program. Besides, that program required a 4.0 GPA o f which I was unable to meet during my high school days. As a consequence, I had to pursue either Marketing or Accounting which were really not my interest at all. This was very upsetting for me since I could not accept anything less than becoming an Electrical Engineer someday. My dream to become an Electrical Engineer was an influence of my father. ... The buildings that were erected contributed to the infrastructural growth of the country. There was no way to compromise my dream so I convinced my family that I have to pursue my studies in this country. Leaving my mother and sister behind was heart breaking but I have more to look forward to. I know one day that I would come back as an Electrical Engineer. All the knowledge and experience I have gained would be shared to my fellowmen so I can be a productive member of my beloved Ethiopia. Looking back, more than five years has passed since I moved here. Currently, I am working on my transfer from Edmonds Community College. However, academic life is just one part of the struggles that I had to overcome when I moved in this country. There were far deeper concerns that I have to attend such as adjusting to the culture and language which really surprised me. Back in Ethiopia, I was excited to come to America since the media always portray this country as full of opportunities. Later, t he reality set in as gradually experienced what is it like to live in the United States and interact with members of this society. The language, the culture, the new sights and sounds seemed attractive yet frightening at the same time. After a few more years, I finally adjusted to my new environment clutching tightly to my dream. I resolved to pursue the dream whatever it takes. Another challenge took its place that almost quenched my desire to fulfill my dream is financial hardship. Going to college was quite complicated on my part since I have to work full time and squeeze in extra hours required by the job. Presently, I work as a sales associate at Macy’s department store. This has been my first job since I moved here.

Four HR Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Four HR Questions - Essay Example However, it is vital to note that the decisions taken under particular situation may not hold good for all situations, in fact they may give negative results under different circumstances. This implies that effective leadership calls for consistently making situation based decisions. From literature, situational leadership advocates for greater participation of employee in decision making on the premise that the more employees participate in decision making the more they will accept the decisions taken. It with this line of thought that Vroom and Yetton (1973) proposed a Situational leadership model called the normative decision model. The normative model identifies five different decision procedures that range on the situation and level of involvement from autocratic to consultative to group-based decisions. Even though, situational leadership advocates for greater employee participation, Vroom and Yetton (1973) identified that not all decision making situations need to go throu gh the process of consultation. To enable leaders isolate the instances where decision making would require consultation from those where consultations would add little value, Vroom and Yetton (1973) formulated seven questions which leaders can use to determine the level of subordinate involvement in decision making. The seven questions touch on problem information, commitment, and decision quality and acceptance. Putting Vroom and Yetton (1973) normative model to use it can be discovered that consultation would be a waste of time in the following circumstances: (1) where the leader has sufficient information to make a high quality decision and acceptance of the decision by subordinates is not critical for its implementation; (2) where neither the nature of the solution nor the acceptance of the decision by subordinates is critical to the implementation of the decision; (3) where the nature of the solution is not critical and whatever the leader decides it is reasonably certain th at his / her subordinates would accept; (4) where the nature of the solution is critical but the leader has sufficient information to make a high quality decision. In this instance even though the acceptance of the decision by subordinates would be critical to its implementation, if the leader is reasonable certain that he / she has sufficient influence over his / her subordinates to the extent that they would most certainly accept his / her decision then consultations would be a waste of time. In conclusion, to enable effective decision making a leader would find using Vroom and Yetton (1973) seven questions and normative model a critical tool that will save him / her time, effort and likelihood of success for the decisions that he / she takes. Identify the potential difference in human resource management (HRM) policies between two organizations where one follows a low-cost strategy and the other follows a differentiated, quality enhancement

Care of the severe asthmatic paediatric patient Essay

Care of the severe asthmatic paediatric patient - Essay Example Unless severe asthma is adequately treated it can become life threatening. Treatment regimen in the case of severe paediatric asthma is giving high concentrations of oxygen to the patient, nebulized salbutamol and systemic corticosteroids. One of the most frequent causes of children being presented in hospitals is asthma. The important concern with paediatric asthma is that a significant percentage of children hospitalized with a severe attack of asthma are likely to die. This makes understanding paediatric asthma and maintaining guidelines for managing severe paediatric asthma important to the reduction of paediatric mortality in hospitality Weinberger 2008 p.633, defines asthma as a disease characterized by hyper-responsiveness of the airways to various stimuli, resulting in airway obstruction that is reversible to a substantial degree either spontaneously or as a result of treatment†. The airway obstruction observed in asthma arises from the different levels of severity of broncho-spasm and inflammation. Inflammation in asthma is the result of mucosal oedema and the secretion of mucous (Weinberger, 2008). Guill, 2004, points out that asthma does not occur as a set of episodic events spread over periods of time, but is rather present as a state of inflammation and hyper-responsiveness of the airway that presents in a varying manner in an individual suffering from asthma and also among the different individuals having asthma. Such an observation suggests the severity of an asthmatic event in a child varies from time and time and the severity of an asthmatic event is not necessarily the same between different indiv iduals (Guill, 2004). The varying severity of asthma in children gives rise to asthmatic events that may be present with minimal symptoms that have hardly any impact on the health of the child to asthmatic events with life threatening potential. The available indicators of the severity levels of asthma in children are the

Human Resource Management Plan for El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant Food Term Paper - 1

Human Resource Management Plan for El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant Food Chain - Term Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that Aumsville is a quiet city in Oregon, USA. Nearly 87% people in the town are white people. There are a few restaurants like Neufeldt's catering the needs of approximately 3000 inmates. There are a few bars, coffee houses, and pizza centers. The population of Latino's, Hispanics and Asian races like Chinese people have been steadily increasing in the area for the past decade. These people come here with immigrant status for labor-oriented work in construction sites, industries and as domestic workers. There is no restaurant serving Chinese, Mexican or other quality continental food in the city. El Rodeo, an upcoming Mexican restaurant chain has decided to open up a branch in Aumsville to cater the needs of the Latino’s there. Mexican food is voted next best to Italian food all over the world. Spicy, traditional and nutritional, the taste Mexican savories have captured people of all ethnicity and age equally. El Rodeo strongly beli eves there will be a good response from the city’s white people as well as the other races in making the restaurant chain a grand success. The restaurant chain teams up with a Serene resort in the area to place their branch in the resort. The resort brings in several tourists to the city for a quite family holiday without any hype. They simply advertise â€Å"no adventure, no shopping and no thrill, just calm and serene† in their promotions.  

Deconstruction of Business Ethics To Enhance Morality and Justice Research Paper

Deconstruction of Business Ethics To Enhance Morality and Justice - Research Paper Example This brings us to organization theory, which Derek Pugh (1970) defines as the study of the structure, functions, and performance of groups and the behavior of individuals within them. Through the years, organization theory has expanded its dimensions to be animated by such issues as aesthetics, anti-capitalism, autonomy, identity, fashion and feminism, popular culture, resistance, representation and information, sexuality, social movements, etc. The word organization may thus involve diverse entities, from corporations and states to the village fairs and tennis clubs. Organizations are in effect the most rational answer to the egotistical human nature. Through the organization, modern society benefits from rational laws and ethical codes that it engenders. Such a concept or organization, however, has been perverted in places and circumstances where people are reduced to human status to become tramps, refugees, migrants, sub-proletarians and political inmates. Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben, as cited in Jones, C. (1966) says in these cases, the concepts of the social sciences, from law to anthropology, must be radically altered to prevent an â€Å"urgent catastrophe.† How does the organization theory fit in with the war on terrorism, preemptive wars in the Middle East, Guantanamo Bay, among others? This is the reason why business organizations worldwide are being asked to finance the American political and military hegemony, and why the US is so keen on exporting its own version of democracy. What of the attitudes of the new-style managers toward the interests of their employees Allen, F. (1965) warns: "Speeches and pronouncements by a corporation head

Character Analysis Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Character Analysis Paper - Essay Example in Single 149). Williams suffers enormous guilt for surviving the familial worries that eventually devastated Rose. Similar to Menagerie’s Tom, Williams also pays remorse for his escape from his family (Single 149). This essay analyzes the character of the matriarch, Amanda Wingfield. Amanda is a selfish, hero mother, with romantic-pragmatic ideas and who created a dysfunctional family by treating her children like a glass menagerie through vanity, arrogance, and control over her family’s life. Amanda is a hopeless romantic. She has been hurt deeply when her husband left through an inconsiderate postcard, and yet she sees her former husband as the personification of romance, connecting him to her earlier life filled with gentleman callers and flirtations (Tischler and Bloom; King and Bloom 85). This is why even if her husband abandoned her, a large picture of him hung in the house. His presence might remind everyone else of his abandonment, but for Amanda, she continues to remember her sweet, youthful, and happy days through this image. Furthermore, she is also ready to leverage and defend her earlier life (Cobbe 50). It is a life of comfort and education she overemphasizes with her children. Whenever Amanda wants to talk about Blue Mountain, a discussion occurs between Tom and Laura: TOM: I know what's coming LAURA: Yes. But let her tell it. TOM: Again? LAURA: She loves to tell it. (Williams scene 1). Amanda enjoys reminiscing her past. It is both her curse and treasure. It is her curse, because she can never reclaim her youth and freedom. She just keeps on replaying it as a narrative, which wears her children out. Her past is, furthermore, her treasure, because her memories remind her and the people around her that she was once a well-coveted and important lady, where she would receive seventeen gentlemen callers in a day. When she is not working at Famous-Barr showing brassieres, she is active in selling subscriptions to a magazine that respond s to female visions of romance (Single 149). Tom uses particular images when describing his mother; one is related to Amanda's romanticized past, and the other is the image found in a glamour magazine cover, which is a superficial image masking their family's dysfunction (Single 149). Williams depicts Amanda as trapped in the past, but pragmatic about the present and the future. As the author describes Amanda, â€Å"She is not paranoiac, but her life is paranoia† (Tischler and Bloom). Amanda is possessed with girlish manners, but she has a pragmatic view of her children’s future. She refuses to know it, but she knows Laura will never marry. She then tries to put Laura in the business world and enrolls her in a school for typing lessons. Unfortunately, Laura is too shy to finish the typing test. Amanda then rallies for the courageous, but bleak, attempt to find a gentleman for Laura. When this fails too, it is a more tragic event for Amanda than Laura. It seems that she has somehow transfixed her dreams of a good life on her daughter. Laura deals with Jim’s rejection quite maturely, which underlines who is more mature in the family. It is not Tom or Amanda, but the one who is considered the most delicate and helpless, Laura. Amanda also pressures her son to work hard for the family. In a quarrel with Tom, she scolds him: â€Å"

Deconstruction of Business Ethics To Enhance Morality and Justice Research Paper

Deconstruction of Business Ethics To Enhance Morality and Justice - Research Paper Example This brings us to organization theory, which Derek Pugh (1970) defines as the study of the structure, functions, and performance of groups and the behavior of individuals within them. Through the years, organization theory has expanded its dimensions to be animated by such issues as aesthetics, anti-capitalism, autonomy, identity, fashion and feminism, popular culture, resistance, representation and information, sexuality, social movements, etc. The word organization may thus involve diverse entities, from corporations and states to the village fairs and tennis clubs. Organizations are in effect the most rational answer to the egotistical human nature. Through the organization, modern society benefits from rational laws and ethical codes that it engenders. Such a concept or organization, however, has been perverted in places and circumstances where people are reduced to human status to become tramps, refugees, migrants, sub-proletarians and political inmates. Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben, as cited in Jones, C. (1966) says in these cases, the concepts of the social sciences, from law to anthropology, must be radically altered to prevent an â€Å"urgent catastrophe.† How does the organization theory fit in with the war on terrorism, preemptive wars in the Middle East, Guantanamo Bay, among others? This is the reason why business organizations worldwide are being asked to finance the American political and military hegemony, and why the US is so keen on exporting its own version of democracy. What of the attitudes of the new-style managers toward the interests of their employees Allen, F. (1965) warns: "Speeches and pronouncements by a corporation head

Physical Preparedness Of Columbus Police Essay Example for Free

Physical Preparedness Of Columbus Police Essay Describe in one page or less how you would select the Columbus Police patrol officers to be surveyed. The Research Project: Physical Preparedness of Columbus Police Officers in Citizen Encounters Involving Force. Target Panel: Respondents of this research should have the following qualifications: Must be between the age of   21 – 35 Must have 6 or more months field experience as a Patrol officer of Columbus Must be active in the police force Must be a resident of Columbus Must at least have one physical encounter with a citizen Sample Size: 1000 police patrol officers Methodology: This research will employ a qualitative and quantitative research wherein a representative sample of the target audience will be randomly selected to create a target panel. Through qualitative research by using an open-ended questionnaire, spontaneous or not pre-determined responses are solicited through a free willing method. Meanwhile, the answers from the qualitative research will be further dealt with in the quantitative research using a closed-ended questionnaire that will provide figures or raw data. Through these two types of research, the researcher will determine the cause of the lack of preparation of police officers during encounters with civilians. Construct a brief 5-item unstructured, open-ended questionnaire that will determine the patrol officers’ views as to how well they are prepared for physical encounters with citizens where lethal force is not an issue.    Open-ended questionnaire for Focus Group Discussion What are the risks involved in being a police officer in Columbus? If physical encounter with citizens is not cited, ask about the probability of experiencing physical encounters with citizens while on duty. What kind of trainings did you receive before you engaged in police field operations or patrol duty? Were these trainings able to help you prepare for physical encounters with citizens? Why? If not, why? As a police officer, what do you think are the factors that provoke physical encounters with citizens? Enumerate tactics or methods on how to conduct proper management of physical encounters with citizens? Explain each tactic/method. What are the causes of mismanagement of physical encounters with citizens? How should these be prevented? Construct an 8-item structured questionnaire using closed-end questions that involve multiple response choices that addresses the same issue in Question #2. Closed-ended questionnaire for Survey Questions Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree 1. Is your job as a patrol officer worth all the risks? 2. Do you think that force is needed in enforcing the law? 3. Are you willing to employ force when you are threatened by a civilian? 4. Do civilians usually provoke physical encounters with law enforcers? 5. Do you think that the use of force is effective in promoting compliance? 6. Do you think that there is a need to have a good physical and quick-thinking build to better handle physical encounters? 7. Do you think that by having police weapons and gadgets will help you do your job better in enforcing the law? 8. Are you prepared physically, emotionally and psychologically to engage in a physical encounter with a civilian?

Is Hofstedes Model Still Relevant Today?

Is Hofstedes Model Still Relevant Today? Hofstede model is a well-known cultural model in the world for many decades as Greet Hofstede is a pioneer who has done the research regarding cultural diversification and differences. In his dimension, there are four plus one cultural index stated which are Individualistic, Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Masculinity and Long-term Orientation (Hofstede G., 1973). This model seems to give some knowledge foundation to people who do not have any basic understanding about cultural differences and it is also widely spread theory which is used in various fields of study especially business and management. However, Hofstede dimension tends to be considered as dated and bias. This essay discussion will be based upon the question How far do you agree that Hofstedes model is dated and biased and, as such, is of no use to the contemporary international business executive . Given below are the following reasons to our agreement/disagreement with Hofstedes model HOFSTEDE DIMENSIONS ARE OUTDATED There are critical reasons to argue that Hofstedes model is dated and may be inapplicable to the contemporary international business environment. The first reason is globalization the broadening geographical inter-linkages of products, markets, firms and production factors, with a large portion of each derived, generated, or available in more countries and regions according to Papaconstantinou, G. (1995). Due to the statistics from UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development), number of companies invest overseas and multinational companies (MNCs) operate worldwide are continually increased for decades which may reflect in higher number of immigrants and expatriate workers. Also, each business organization has its own culture promoted and inevitably workers should adapt themselves to organizational culture for instance encouraging teamwork, involving in decision making or maintaining relationship. Most of these companies operate globally, the organizational culture practices are consequently almost the same. Furthermore, global products such as McDonald s, Starbucks, Coca-Cola and jeans also influence people s lifestyles. One such illustration is when burgers become diet in many countries around the world not just only in Western countries. We now have a concept of global consumers, which are more aware about the availability of various options in the markets. Obviously, the cultures are converged and become similar from one and another, which are a complete contrast from the past. Another key factor which rapidly stimulates this trend is advance technology for instance internet, e-mail, and social-network. According to the world internet users statistic, there is an significant increase of internet users; 380.3 percent in 2000-2009 and 444.8 percent in 2000-2010(web ref.1). Since internet is accessible everywhere and all contents are available online such as fashion, music and movies so it is the most distinct and easiest means of cultural exchange. Thus, the internet servers may directly or indirectly absorb other different cultures from what they have seen or heard and may imitate those norms. For example, independent and individualistic images of Western people are positively present on internet, these may appreciated and motivated young Chinese to be individualist who prefer freedom lifestyle and seek for self-achievement (Guangrong R., 1998). As a result people tend to value things similarly because of globalization and advance technology. The second reason is the new generation of the sample countries; those who were born after 1973, were not taken into account of Hofstedes research. During the past thirty years this new generation is now becoming the effective workforce of the countries and can reflect the changes occurred in the society. One important driver which should be considered is education. Referring to the Institute of International Education, U.S. Department of State s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs report Nov. 2007, number American students study abroad increased by 8.5 percent and tend to continually increase every year. Moreover, there are many partners universities in Asia generate Asialearn program for overseas students who want to study and experience Asian cultures. Consequently, there are higher numbers of students who explore and adapt to new culture. Therefore, this stimulates the cultures exchange in the global environment and then gradually invokes cultures to merge. In addition, the educational system also influences people behaviors. Globalization affects education by changing the roles of student and teacher and generating a shift in society from industrialization to an information-based society and this effect reflects on culture and result in a new form of cultural imperialism (Chinnammai, 2005). To give you a clear example, Child-Centered System by Dewey J., 1963; system which encourage students to think by themselves, participate in group and be more confident to discuss with teacher in class, are continually promoted in Thai educational system since 1978 (web ref.2). This can directly affect the new generation of Thai in power distance aspect. As an Asian country, Thailand is perceived as a high power distance country and seniority are very important and widely practised in society (Rowley Warner, 2007). However, the Child-Centered System tends to lower the power distance between students and teachers which was rooted in Thai culture for centuries. Furthermore, people graduated from international school or international university tends to have different value, norms and behaviors from those who study in ordinary schools for example; less or no seniority system in international school because the curriculum and teaching methods of those international institutions are most ly based on American or British educational system. The third reason to argue against the Hofstedes dimension is changes in household structure. According to UN report about demographic and social trends affecting families in the South and Central Asia region (De Silva, I. 2003), in the recent years there is an increasing number of nuclear family due to the economic condition in Asia. This may reveal that close relationship between family s members are declining in Asian society and also the culture may be no longer transcend from generation to next generations anymore. Surprisingly, single household, loan parent, cohabitating couples, decline in fertility rate and delay marriage trend are also greater every year in many countries such as Bangladesh, Kazakhstan and the Anglicized based countries. (De Silva, I. 2003a). Besides, there is another considerable trend of women s changing role, as they tend to focus more on self achievement including higher education, higher rank position and career success (De Silva, I. 2003b). This may be implied that nowadays women tend to have more masculinity characteristic and are practicing more independent lifestyle than the past. The last reason is, Hofstedes research was based in surveys between 1967 and 1973. During that period, the economic and political condition in most of the countries, which are mentioned in his research, was a lot different than nowadays. Generally: In North America, the United States and Canada were to the dusk of the postwar prosperity, when an economic slowdown became visibly apparent in the early 70s (Web Ref. 7). In South America, Brasil had a spectacular growth after a five year stagnation period, Argentina was under a fast-pace development through developmentalism tactics when Mexico had a strong but unstable economic performance with problems in fiscal management and the investments (Victor Bulmer-Thomas, 2003). Europe was under an Industrial decline. Great Britains growth was struggling and the pounds devaluation (1967) was the second after 1949 (Cairncross, Alec:1992), (Nicholas Woodward, 1995). Germany, having serious problems with the industrial decline, was making efforts to guide an economic policy (Federal German Budget Legislation 1967), (Web Ref. 3). Only France was passing through a booming period (Web Ref. 4). In Asia, India was in a post-war period (with China-1962, with Pakistan-1965) and a currency devaluation in 1966 (Devika Johri Mark Miller). Japan was in a post-war rebuilding, with a great industrial development by mid-60s (Alfred K. Ho, 1968). In Singapore, despite of the difficulties faced by the separation from Malaysia in 1965, its economy moved upwards through many policies and investments (Web Ref. 5) and South Korea was in the dawn of a rapid industrialization, through an outward-looking strategy adopted in the early 60s (Web Ref 6). As can be seen, the changes in political and economic environment taking place in the above countries. It can be concluded that the business environment has completely changed from the period of the survey to the present business scenario. Moreover, Hofstedes model will not be applicable in present business environment due to the changes until today. Globalization, advance technology, changing education system, new generation, smaller household structure, different roles of women and period of conducting research seem to be the crucial answers why Hofstedes dimension is dated and inappropriate for international business application since many cultures become more similar and people independently choose to behave in the way they want. HOFSTEDE DIMENSION IS BIAS According to McSweeney, there are some limitations of Hofstedes methodology. He states that Hofstede is sceptical and can provide information about entire national cultures. We will now review the research method of Hofstedes model also in this part we are going to discuss about Hofstedes method of conducting research and his way of over assumption and mere hypothesis. Method of conducting research Firstly, Hofstedes findings are from a single company IBM, and his informants worked with a single industry the information technology industry. Although this survey covered all workers, the data used by Hofstede to construct national cultural comparisons were largely limited to response from marketing-plus-sales employees (McSweeney, 2002). Moreover, because all of the respondents worked for IBM, and the effect of organizational culture were single and same (McSweeney, 2002). Therefore, it can be argued that the background and values of IBM workers are a considerable small group i.e. they cannot cover holistically the different perceptions of various countries. (Mead and Andrews, 2009). Secondly, due to the research conducted in a single industry with a single company, the type of sample involved in this research is similar. Although these employees were from different countries, the effect of organization culture is the same on them (McSweeney, 2002). What is a culture? In an organization, culture can be defined as a way of studying and working everyday (Martin, 2002). Morgan provides us with a basic understanding of organizational culture: The set of beliefs, values, and norms, together with symbols like dramatized events and personalities that represents the unique character of an organization, and provides the context for action in it and by it. (Morgan, 1997, p.41). In addition, Hofstede highlights that the type of IBM culture is unique and uniform within the organization (cited in Risberg, 1999). As a result, it can be argued that the effect of the organizational culture on the IBM employees is very limited and similar. The third problem of his methodology is the method of questionnaire is not effective. McSweeney (2002) states that administration of the survey and the ownership of its results were IBM s; some of the questionnaires were completed within groups and not individually (McSweeney, 2002, p.103). Also, McSweeney (2002) explained that some employees of IBM were under a perception that their managers might provide more strategies on the basis of the survey results. Consequently, according to McSweeney s arguments, there are two main questionable points in the IBM s questionnaires. The first one is each country has different style of answering questions, due to this survey covered 66 countries. For instance, the effect of traditions and culture in Asia is profound (Littlewood, 1999), Asian people tend to answer questions giving more weightage to the theory aspect as well as their answers are based on their perceptions. In contrast, the westerners are opposite, their answers tend to be based o n what they think is factual rather relying on the theory. Hofstede also displays that the general amount per country was small (Hofstede, 1980a). McSweeney (2002) critiqued that his research covered 66 countries, but the final data and result were from only 40 countries. According to the data from the IBM s survey, it is undeniable that samples of this research are really not homogeneous. Furthermore, the sample size in each country was different. Only in a few European countries and in Japan, the responders were over than 1000. In most of the countries they were less than 200 in total for both surveys (Mc Sweeney, 2002:94). This inequality makes the research more accurate for only a few countries. That means that the data of the research are unequally weighted. When a statistical analysis has to take place, the data have to be collected in a similar way, for all the parties (sample range-extent-quality). The questionnaires were answered by the employees of a particular company who would like to take part and not by Hofstedes choice of separate categories of people. Thats obvious from the large differences of the sample size in each country. That means that the sample was not heterogeneous enough, in terms of population distribution, age diversity, behaviour, attitudes and perceptions. Hence, the data were not enough to characterize a whole country through these. It w ould be more accurate to refer to Hofstedes research as an IBM study of that period. According to Taras, Steel, Kirkman (2010:27), In terms of conceptualization of culture, Hofstedes (1980a) multidimensional model may not adequately capture the complete phenomenon of culture, because a singular focus on cultural values largely ignores other aspects of culture. Furthermore, at the individual and national levels, culture may not be as stable as Hofstede believed it was. So, as Hofstedes approach has a number of conceptual and methodological limitations that can contaminate data and introduce a systematic error. Hofstedes Dimensions are contradicting with each other The addition of the fifth dimension identified by the Hofstede might have boosted the strength of his national culture model. However an intense scrutinising of study from which Hofstede mined the further dimension Chinese value survey by the Chinese culture connection group (CCC: Bond, 1988)-reveals that on of this fifth dimension is problematic. That study recognised one of Hofstedes fourth dimensions-Uncertainty avoidance (UA)-as irrelevant to Chinese population and consequently demoted UA from being a worldwide dimension of national culture to a non-universal dimension. None of the CVS aspects were correlated with UA. If Hofstede regards the CCC study to be valid he should not have added the fifth dimension to his previous once. He should also have downgraded UA in his model. If, instead Hofstede regards the CCC study as unsound he should not have attached the fifth dimension .However the problem was? Hofstede wants it both ways. The meticulous examination of the research reveals that it relies on, fundamentally flawed assumptions. Hofstedes Model involves four vital assumptions upon which his measurements are based. Though it is reasoned that assumptions are all flawed and that therefore his national cultural explanations are invalid and misleading but these assumptions are vital in the sense that they are essential for the probability of his identification claims. Hofstede refer in multiple instances, to the common characteristics , the common traits (1991:19) of the inhabitants of a particular nation . Thus a unique national culture is assumed to be individually carried out by everyone in nation just like A.J.P Taylor stated that The problem with Hitler was that he was German .He assumed that The data of IBM was commendably restricted to the workplace only, while other segments of national population which includes- the waged and the unwaged, full-time students, the self-employed, part time students, the retired, home workers, and others were not taken into consideration. So, Brenden McSweeney (University of Essex) a critique while criticising his research, keeping all the flawed assumptions in his mind, contends, that Hofstedes project is a misguided attempt to measure the unmeasurable . IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT Hofstedes MODEL IS USEFUL TO SOME EXTENT Hofstedes model predicts what most people would do in routine situations, in other words it provides us with some basic understanding of how a person would behave in a particular culture. Let s say for example an American, who has never worked in a Chinese based organization and has no experience in working with Chinese people, will have some general ideas about how the Chinese work culture operates. We can say this by looking into one of the dimensions of Hofstedesuch as power distance: in which he has mentioned how cultures cope with societal inequality. Cultures with narrow power distance such as USA will try to reduce differences and solve problems via consultation and support whereas their counterparts (China) will do the opposite i.e. encourage differences and follow autocratic and paternalistic type leadership style. Now let s presume the previous example of the American going to work for a Chinese based company, if he/she has looked upon Hofstede model then he/she will have a certain outlook of how things run around in China. We do not say that the American should be completely guided by the model but it does help. In China, differences in power is indicated when people come for a meeting and the junior personnel may arrive much before time so has to show respect to his seniors. The American may find this hard to accept but when they become aware about this they are psychologically prepared to face this inequality. If the American has to establish and implement a management structure then it is very important for him to know the significant differences in various cultures. (Mead and Andrews, 2009) CONCLUSION As stated above there are a number of reasons why we agree that Hofstedes model is dated and biased. It cannot be used by an international business executive simply because they cannot be applied in the current international business environment for a number of factors, such as, work related values are not similar in the international business context. To inference we would like to state that Hofstedes dimensions are outdated due to change in technology, globalization from an international business perspective, emerging trends in different cultures. Another reason to argue that Hofstedes dimensions are biased is that the method of conducting research is based upon one industry and one company, similar types of sample involved in conducting research, various discrepancies in the questionnaire, elongated period of conducting research (changes in economic conditions), disproportionate sample size used to analyze data. Hofstede has relied more on assumptions and hypothesis thereby creating a paradigm wall around his model to protect his theory. In contrast Hofstedes model can be used in some parts of the business environment such as it provides business executives with some form of basic understanding. When an international business executive enters into a foreign culture everything seems different from the home environment. Using Hofstedes cultural dimensions as a reference point he/she can evaluate the approach to be taken, the decisions to be made, the actions to be executed in a very general sense for that cultural environment. No culture is homogenous and there will be deviations in real life business environment from Hofstedes cultural findings, however, with the use of Hofstedes model the business executive can have a foresight about how things may function in the foreign environment. It becomes less intimidating for him/her as he/she gets a much needed boost of confidence and security from studying the cultural model.