Importance of Electricity

IMPORTANCE OF ELECTRICITY The greatest scientific achievement of the nineteenth century is the discovery of electricity. The twentieth century is making use of electricity so extensively that it has almost changed the face of the earth. â€Å"Electricity—carrier of light and power, devourer of time and space, bearer of human speech over land and sea, is the greatest servant of man, though it is itself unknown. Lenin saw Russia's hydro-electrical potentialities. The application of electricity to industry and agriculture was Lenin's dream. In India, we have staked our whole future on a rapid growth of our hydroelectric power. The modern age is the age of machinery. The true object of substituting human labour by mechanical labour is to find greater leisure for man. Machines must be driven by natural power. And the most pervasive of all sources of natural power is electricity, mechanical, hydro wind followed by electronics now-a-days. Look at life today in a modern city. Electricity regulates the clock that rouses us from bed; boils the water that makes our tea, cooks our food on heat-proof cooking ranges or cookers; works the radio and TV that tell us the news; rings the bell that announces a visitor; carries our telegraphic message to distant places; conveys us to our office in luxurious tram-cars and trains; takes us to our room somewhere in some multi-stroied building on elevators; electricity lifts; refrigerates the food to keep it completely fresh; lights our rooms when the sun goes down; warms it in winter and cools it in summer; in short, does everything for our comfort and convenience with the utmost efficiency at all hours. To generate and harness electricity on a large scale means the development of machinery capable of doing so. The various multipurpose schemes, which we are running at such a heavy cost over the years, are for the production of large-scale electricity. But most of our electricity was based on coal: the total output was lamentably low. Now that such multipurpose schemes as those of Bhakra Nangal, Damodar Valley or Hirakud have made it possible to provide to even remote villages with electric powers, and help change life beyond recognition. India's resources for generating electricity are second to no other country in the world. Even some Atomic plants have generating electricity. Importance of Electricity IMPORTANCE OF ELECTRICITY The greatest scientific achievement of the nineteenth century is the discovery of electricity. The twentieth century is making use of electricity so extensively that it has almost changed the face of the earth. â€Å"Electricity—carrier of light and power, devourer of time and space, bearer of human speech over land and sea, is the greatest servant of man, though it is itself unknown. Lenin saw Russia's hydro-electrical potentialities. The application of electricity to industry and agriculture was Lenin's dream. In India, we have staked our whole future on a rapid growth of our hydroelectric power. The modern age is the age of machinery. The true object of substituting human labour by mechanical labour is to find greater leisure for man. Machines must be driven by natural power. And the most pervasive of all sources of natural power is electricity, mechanical, hydro wind followed by electronics now-a-days. Look at life today in a modern city. Electricity regulates the clock that rouses us from bed; boils the water that makes our tea, cooks our food on heat-proof cooking ranges or cookers; works the radio and TV that tell us the news; rings the bell that announces a visitor; carries our telegraphic message to distant places; conveys us to our office in luxurious tram-cars and trains; takes us to our room somewhere in some multi-stroied building on elevators; electricity lifts; refrigerates the food to keep it completely fresh; lights our rooms when the sun goes down; warms it in winter and cools it in summer; in short, does everything for our comfort and convenience with the utmost efficiency at all hours. To generate and harness electricity on a large scale means the development of machinery capable of doing so. The various multipurpose schemes, which we are running at such a heavy cost over the years, are for the production of large-scale electricity. But most of our electricity was based on coal: the total output was lamentably low. Now that such multipurpose schemes as those of Bhakra Nangal, Damodar Valley or Hirakud have made it possible to provide to even remote villages with electric powers, and help change life beyond recognition. India's resources for generating electricity are second to no other country in the world. Even some Atomic plants have generating electricity.

William Faulkner His Life and Stories

A renowned novelist, William Cuthbert Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi in 1897 (The Columbia Encyclopedia). Eight years prior to his birth, his grandfather was killed by an ex-partner in business. William Faulkner was the eldest of the siblings. During his school life, William loved sports and was a quarterback in the football team and his passion for writing poetry existed since he was only 13 years old. However he lost interest in school and before he could graduate, he dropped out. Faulkner tried to get enlisted in the army but due to his short height, he was refused and thus enlisted himself with the Canadian Air Force after lying about facts and figures and convincing them that he was British. Although Faulkner did serve with the Canadian Air Force in World War I, the war was over before he could experience any action. However he still related tales of his action in war and injuries to people when he came back after the war. At the University of Mississippi, Faulkner studied literature for a brief period of time and wrote poems as well as drew cartoons for â€Å"The Scream† which was the university magazine. Again Faulkner lost interest in studies and soon left the university before he could graduate. Phil Stone, Faulkner's friend had helped with the publication of his poetry â€Å"The Marble Faun† in 1924. In 1925, Faulkner moved to New Orleans and published many sketches and essays in a magazine by the name of â€Å"The Double Dealer†. His stories which he related to people about how he fought in World War I were seen to be reflected in his first ever novel called â€Å"Soldiers' Pay†. Later on he traveled to Europe where he visited Italy, France and England and soon returned back to the United States. Soldier's Pay† was published in 1926 and Faulkner began writing another novel by the name of â€Å"Mosquitoes† which is taken today to be one of the worse works presented by Faulkner. Sartoris, which was later republished as â€Å"Flags in the Dust† in 1973, was written in 1929 and it was set in a fictional made up part of Mississippi. In the same year, Faulkner married Estelle Oldham. Estelle had divorced Franklin, her first husband who was a lawyer. The following year, after marriage, Faulkner purchased a new house in Oxford. Many of his works were named after buildings which showed the importance of architecture in the eyes of Faulkner. Faulkner completed his work on â€Å"As I Lay Dying† in six weeks and relates in it the life of Addie Bundren till death (Anonymous). 1931 brought good news to the Faulkner household with the birth of a daughter who was named Alabama. However happiness was not to stay with the Faulkners for long and the child who was a case of premature birth, died after a couple of days. Faulkner also worked for 20th Century Fox, in Hollywood as an on-screen writer. In 1939 his mistress left him and went to Germany with her newly wedded husband. â€Å"Bailey's Woods† was purchased by Faulkner which a wooded land and he gave it to one of his brothers for management. Faulkner also related the death of his grandfather in one of the later books where we find a character called Bayard Sartoris who was murdered in the exact same way. Much of Faulkner's life was spent writing various novels which proved to be a remarkable piece of literature. In November 1949, Faulkner was voted to receive the Nobel Prize but due to the votes not being unanimous, the award was delayed to be delivered the following year. Faulkner died from a coronary occlusion in 1962. Barn Burning is one of the short stories written by William Faulkner. It was written in 1939 which was the mid point in the career life of William Faulkner. Faulkner is known to have related real life incidences in his stories and they closely relate to him and his life. Similarly Barn Burning has this association prevalent throughout it. It is a sad story and shows the struggle which the unprivileged had to undergo with the privileged people of the society. The two main characters of this story are Colonel Sartoris Snopes and his father Abner Snopes. In the feudal system shown in the story, Abner Snopes is a sharecropper and has to share the majority of his produce with the landlord. This left Abner and his family in a state of hard work and major profits going to the landlord while they received the meager share fit only for survival. The elements of love and respect are missing in the relationship between Colonel Sartoris and his father. The story begins with a scene in the courtroom where a case is under hearing against Abner Snopes. Mr. Harris has accused him of burning his barn and due to lack of evidence Abner is released. However the judge asks him to leave the country. For the first time Abner replies and the reader comes to find out the Abner has a voice â€Å"cold and harsh†. He states that he wishes to leave the country himself. Abner is seen to be referred by people as the â€Å"Barn Burner†. Privilege to education was not for Colonel Sartoris or his siblings to enjoy and nutrition was another factor missing from their lives. They â€Å"could smell the coffee from the room where they would presently eat the cold food remaining from the mid-afternoon meal. † William Faulkner stresses on these two missing factors to show the low morale of the people in the book. This is closely related to the low morale of the people of his time that belonged to the middle class. In â€Å"Barn Burning† Abner Snopes is also depicted as a man who is loyal to no one other than himself or his family (which is a mere extension of himself)† (Max L. Loges, p. 44). The family is forced to shift from one farm to another as Abner's behavior is considered unacceptable by all the landlords. Eventually Abner ends up burning his landlord's farm. Colonel Sartoris feared that he might end up becoming like his father and he detested this thought. He disliked his father but did not want to be disloyal to his family and thought â€Å"our Enemy he though in that despair; ourn! ine and hisn both! He's my Father! † Sartoris wanted to become a better man and a man of truth, something which his father was not. Although Sartoris felt that his father had faced enough hardships during war and now he was just taking what was rightfully his. Sartoris did not know that Abner ran away from the war and deserted the troops. After burning the farm of Major de Spain, Sartoris had to decide now whether he was going to tell everyone the truth or lie to protect his father. It was time for Sartoris to make himself the better person he wanted to. The economic conditions presented in the story relates to the economic conditions of William Faulkner at that time. Therefore William Faulkner wrote against the economic injustice which he himself went through. The mansion and woods are what attracted Faulkner a lot and in his life he does purchase these after marriage. In all the story does not closely relate to the life of Faulkner but one can see its reflection in it. â€Å"A Rose for Emily† has a very long opening sentence that is of 56 words and the setting is at the funeral of Emily Grierson. This story was originally published in 1930. The circumstances of Emily's life are narrated by Faulkner and her relationship with her lover, father and the townspeople. â€Å"‘Rose for Emily' has been ‘read variously as a Gothic horror tale, a study in abnormal psychology, an allegory of the relations between North and South, a meditation on the nature of time, and a tragedy with Emily as a sort of tragic heroine'† (Anonymous). The narrator informs the reader that the men of the town attended the funeral of Emily due to an obligation which they felt. The women go inside her house because no one has seen the inside of Emily's house for a long period of time measurable by years. â€Å"The men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity to see the inside of her house, which no one save an old man-servant–a combined gardener and cook–had seen in at least ten years†. Emily was more like a mystery to the town and people were inquisitive about her house and herself. In this take we once again come across the character called Colonel Sartoris who was shown to be a former mayor of the town. Emily was a beautiful young girl whose father had to force away everyone who fell in love with her. This behavior was partially in effect due to the high praises that her family would receive by the town and this affected her life a lot. After the death of her father, when Emily was free to choose and do what she willed, she came in contact with a man who Faulkner has named Homer Barron. Mentally immature, Emily clung onto him and fell deeply in love with him. The whole town was aware of their affair and wondered if they were already married to each other. Soon Homer disappeared and it was assumed that he and Emily were married. When the women went to explore Emily's house they came across a room which was not opened and the townspeople went to open that room. The room was full of dust and was â€Å"decked and furnished as for a bridal. † Male clothing was found there which included shoes, collar, suit and a tie. â€Å"Then shockingly, laying right there in the bed was the man†. The townspeople were in state of astonishment and they remained motionless for a while. Homer was killed by Emily so that he would never leave her again and be with her till eternity. Faulkner presents a psychological condition in Emily and the effects imprisonment can cause once a person is free. The bisexual possibilities housed in the narrator of â€Å"A Rose for Emily† reflect just such capabilities in Faulkner and attest to his attempts to interrogate the gender control inherent in authorship† (Renee R. Curry, p. 391). He describes Emily's house as an intimate space. Faulkner portrays in this story his personal stance regarding the patriarchal societies. â€Å"A Rose for Emily† shows that in a male dominating society, man controls the women but they do not realize the negative effects which this forceful control can bring about and indeed such actions soon gave rise to feminism. Dry September is another one of the great works in English literature in the field of short stories. William Faulkner knew how to write and exhibited a classic style of writing. The story is about Will Mayes, a black man falsely accused of sexually assaulting an old white maid known in this story as Minnie Cooper. The story relates to the different classes and social standards practiced by the then southern society. Minnie Cooper is a victim of such elements in the society. The bulk of the story is about the black man, Will Mayes, being wrongly sentenced to death. The story however also outlines the social and moral plummeting of a woman. Although in this story a woman is the cause of the death of an innocent man, Faulkner with his amazing style of writing makes it seem like an understandable event. This short story was first published in 1931 and Faulkner was paid $200 for this remarkable piece of writing (Anonymous). The story starts with the words â€Å"through the bloody September night†. These words are carefully chosen by Faulkner and not only do they describe the sunset but also the murder of the innocent black man. A rumor had spread â€Å"like a fire in dry grass† and the aftermath would be the death of a man who was innocent. So the story starts off with the image of murder, injustice and violence and this is the main theme of the story. â€Å"Stale pomade† and â€Å"stale breath and odors† are the expressive words used by Faulkner to present to the readers the barbaric unjust ambiance. Faulkner further states that no one really knew what happened and thus he takes a step further in portraying the extent of injustice that was about to take place. No one knew yet a man was about to be sentenced to death. The story has been divided into sections where the first section is in the barbershop and the following one deals will Minnie and her life. The part where Faulkner deals with Minnie and her life, the reader comes to learn that Minnie herself is a victim of the society and she lives in a place where she is constantly ignored. The last section shows the male dominated society and the helplessness of women when McLendon physically abuses his wife. Faulkner is seen to bring out the wrongness in a male dominated society and thus expresses the ugliness of it in many of his stories including â€Å"Dry September†. In that male dominated society, a woman was noticed and given importance only if she was sexually appealing and good looking. Minnie was no longer attractive and â€Å"the sitting and lounging men did not even follow her with their eyes any more†. This made Minnie feel not important and nonexistent. She probably even doubted her being a female. The town felt sorry for Minnie and a mob killed Willie assuming that Willie had raped the old maid. Faulkner expresses in the story the prejudices that existed in his own surroundings. He censored the description of the killing of Willie so that the reader does not wander off the actual point that Faulkner is trying to convey. He wanted his audience to know the reasons for such injustices and to cure them. â€Å"Faulkner's views are revealed to the reader with the help of numerous details: the society where people commit a crime is cruel† (T. Fedorova). While Willie is a victim to people like Millie, Millie herself is a victim to the male dominated society where the importance of a woman is only till the time she is young and beautiful. Faulkner wishes such elements to be eradicated from the society in which he lives.

Cross Cultural Issues Between China and Usa

Tourism and hospitality industry is a large industry where cross cultural incidents are always an issue. A comparative study between Chinese and American culture will be made in social and business context followed by a theoretical approach using cultural dimensions to explain the differences among the cultures. The results will be used to suggest and recommend methods to overcome cultural conflicts and tensions Contents 1. 0Background2 2. 0Introduction3 3. 0Cultural awareness for tourism and hospitality4 4. 0 Background on China and United States of America6 5. Difference in social behaviour: Chinese and American Culture7 6. 0Difference in business behaviour: Chinese and American Culture10 7. 0Impacts on tourism and hospitality industry12 8. 0Conclusion13 References14 1. 0 Background The evolution of mankind since prehistoric ages has led to the diversity of people and how people live their lives in the 21st century. The existence of different human race and different environment is the reason why people are so different from one another. Their external environments mould them into what they have become as of today. The ongoing development and recollection of customs which a community conditions themselves into their lives and passing on to the next generation is culture. Culture is whereby a community, regardless of its size shares a way of life where they are associated together with common and distinctive characteristics, beliefs and activities (THE 101 PowerPoint Lecture 2 2011). On the other hand, Hofstede defined culture as the â€Å"collective mental programming of the human spirit that allows us to distinguish the members of one category in comparison with the members of another category† (Hofstede 2011). The basic element which makes up culture are such as history, religion, values, social organizations and language (Samovar, Porter & McDaniel 2008). The mentioned elements are portrayed by means of language, food, buildings, houses, monuments, agriculture, shrines, market, fashions and art (Trompenaars 1997) The presence of massive amount of different culture suggests for the need of the study of cross cultural communications in order to understand and overcome cultural differences. The socialization of people is different and their perceptions are not necessarily in synch, therefore it is inevitable that there will be misinterpretation of other’s culture and behaviour (Cushner & Brislin 1996). With the developments of new technology and information systems, the evolving populations and the rapid movement toward a global economy, â€Å"no nation, group, or culture can remain aloof or autonomous. † (Samovar, Porter & McDaniel 2008). 2. Introduction The tourism and hospitality industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world and is expanding rapidly. The nature of this industry is considered to be one of the industries that has a direct relationship with cross cultural issues. This is because tourism and hospitality business involves the interaction of variety of people from different background where incidents of culture shock or misinterpretation of behaviours will happen. Cross cultural issue is an incident where two or more people of different culture meet, interact and results in a conflict of a certain degree. In order to avoid, resolve or improve the conflict, once has to anticipate and adapt to cultural differences by understanding them. Only then, it would be profitable to the whole business and reputation of a certain establishment. The world’s economic power house: China and United States of America. The mentioned countries are two of the most influential nations which have the ability to change the world. China has a very distinctive culture as they are one of the oldest civilisations compared to USA which is one of the youngest civilizations which promotes multiculturalism. China and USA were chosen as the main subject of discussion. Tourism and Hospitality industry is phenomenal in these two countries and it is interesting to have an insight on how people from both countries work hand in hand to seal a deal or complete a task despite their uncertain perceptions on each other. Social behaviour and business tiquettes between Chinese and Americans are very different and often will offend each other. The cultural dimensions of Hofstede and Trompenaars will be applied to evaluate the cultural difference between Chinese and Americans in later part of the discussion. These theories allow managers or relevant users to identify and rectify the problems that might have arisen due to a cultural clash. 3. 0Cultural awareness for tourism and hospitality The tourism and hospitality industry is ex pected to have a rise of 4. 2% in GDP per year which is estimated to reach US$9. trillion by 2021. On top of that, statistics shows that â€Å"10% of the worker on the planet will be employed in Travel & Tourism and related sectors† (WTTC 2011 cited in LesRoches 2011). The world is ever-changing and globalization is taking place. Globalization is a worldwide integration and development of nations whereby all nations share a certain element in common. For instance, English is the most widely used language in the world where English is actually not the mother tongue for more than half of the world’s population. Nations are working together to produce a better tomorrow. However, it is also debated that globalization has led to the loss of individual cultural identities. Giles & Middleton (2008:149) state that global tourism is not only about the economics of a worldwide industry but it involves â€Å"us in issues of identity and difference, representation, ‘heritage’ and history, and the transformation of geographical places into meaningful places. Tourism and hospitality industry as mentioned earlier on has direct contact with people from other cultures and they can be described as ‘crucial encounters† because the effectiveness of engagement and interaction between two cultures could determine whether the industry is going to be successful or not (Fitzgerald 2002). Therefore, the understanding of cultural difference is important in this aspect. Tourism and hospitality industry employed its human resources from all over the world to cater to the demand of answering the questions of cross cultural issues and cultural diversity. This phenomenon is most evident in international chains of luxury hotels where the workforce consists of a diverse population of people. For instance, majority of the guest relations officers in five star hotels are from different countries. This is to allow foreign guests to feel more comfortable and at ease because they are meeting someone of the same culture and speak the same language and is someone whom they can rely on during their stay. This greatly reduces the guest’s feeling of anxiety and distress while visiting a place that is foreign to them. This is especially true for Chinese and Japanese people where they took pride in their language and barely speaks a second language. From making a room reservation in Finland from India to flying across the globe from Chile to Africa, the industry is constantly bombarded by inquiries of different nature from each and every corner of the world. This raises the challenges of managing cultural diversity; internally and externally. The industry itself has a culturally diverse workforce which is employed to serve culturally diverse customers. In order to effectively manage cultural diversity, it is a demanding task for managers within the industry. It is a life-long learning process for an individual to negotiate his way through the complexity of cultural diversity in the world of work, community and in global contexts (Devine, Baum & Hearns 2009). Therefore it is imperative that the industry need to address to the need of understanding and learning the importance of cultural differences in everyday needs. People who are involved in the tourism and hospitality industry need to be able to access to resources such as academic materials or formal/informal training which allow them to widen their perceptions of the relationship between social and cultural theory â€Å"(cultural difference, ethnicity, nationalism, cultural identity, cultural taboos, cultural shock, cultures colliding, equality and diversity)† and uses the theory and effectively apply to practice (Devine, Baum & Hearns 2009). 4. 0 Background on China and United States of America China or known as People’s Republic of China is a huge nation located in mid Asia with a staggering population of 1. 2 billion which accounts for 20% of the earth’s population (Fitzgerald, 2002). China is divided into twenty two provinces, five autonomous regions, three municipalities and Beijing as the capital city (Morrison & Conaway 2006). The predominant religion is Buddhism and language spoken is Mandarin. United States of America is federal democratic republic that has an approximate population of 260 million. It is divided into forty eight contiguous states with Washington D. C as its capital. The people in China referred as Chinese and Americans the case of United States of America. Both countries boast a rich history and cultural background that led to their success at present. China and USA shares a unique symbiotic relationship where the factors which affect this relationship are economic, strategic, diplomatic and cultural elements (Zhu 2002). There has been a dilemma regarding USA regard China as its partner or enemy. Chinese culture has been evolving until present since 4000 years ago as recorded in history of mankind. Undoubtedly, it shows that Chinese culture is very distinctive and unique compared to the American culture. American culture has more diversity in terms of its culture or in another word, multiculturalism. The population in United States of America is a melting pot of various ethnic groups with large minority of Asians, Afro-Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans . There is no mainstream culture that dominates USA but it is a lot similar to the other English speaking dominant countries (Fitzgerald, 2002). 5. Difference in social behaviour: Chinese and American Culture In general, the initial thought of an individual when it comes to Chinese food culture is probably going to be the consumption of dog meat which is considered to be a barbaric act according to a lot of cultures. On the other hand, when it comes to American culture, the initial thought would pretty much be fast food and obesity. In terms of general behaviour, Chinese are generally considered to be loud, rude and impat ient and on the opposite aspect, an American behaves suavely and politely. Hooker argued that according to a westerner, India on the upfront looks alien but within the culture, it has a considerable amount of cultural ties with western culture. On the other hand, China may seem to be quite similar on the upfront, but he found out that the Chinese culture is alien to him (Hooker, 2003). The culture in United States of America can be classified as western culture where it focuses on internalized universalizing rationality. Meanwhile, in Chinese culture, the Confucian culture is predominantly instilled within the Chinese (Hooker, 2003). Confucianism is a philosophy which was developed by famous Chinese scholar named Confucius 2,000 years ago. He developed a rigid ethical and moral system that governs all relationships and emphasised that family is the basic unit of a society city (Morrison & Conaway 2006). The Chinese culture also put a lot of emphasis on filial piety which is the utmost care and attention dedicated to one’s parents regardless of any circumstances. Moreover, they pay a significant attention towards their extended families. In USA, where the ideals are concentrated on Puritanism, liberalism, individualism and republicanism, they put less emphasis on the family while concentrating more on individual developments and rights. From this difference, the cultural dimensions formulated by Professor Hofstede which states the differences is the notion of individualism versus collectivism. LEGENDS PDI: Power Distance IDV: Individualism MAS: Masculinity UAI: Uncertainty Avoidance LTO: Long term orientation LEGENDS PDI: Power Distance IDV: Individualism MAS: Masculinity UAI: Uncertainty Avoidance LTO: Long term orientation Figure 1 Difference in cultural dimensions between China and United States of America (ITIM 2009) Figure 1 Difference in cultural dimensions between China and United States of America (ITIM 2009) The model above shows the level of individualism of both countries. It is evident that there is a huge gap between USA and China which indeed proves that the general assumptions of the cultures and the scientific research coincide with each other. In an individualistic society (USA), people tend to take more interest in individualistic matters compared to a group. China has a high low score in individualism as they considered themselves to be collectivist, focusing on group activities and cherish social ties. Trompenaars’ culture dimensions of individualism versus communitarianism can also be used to explain the difference in social behaviour. Therefore children tend to depend on their parents more even until adulthood. Even when a child grew up to become an adult and is making contribution to the society, he or she will still remain faithful to the parents. In American culture, a person over the age of 18 is seen as an adult and is expected to be able to release from their parents and fend for themselves. Another social behaviour that is worth to look at is the short term orientation and the long term orientation. Culture that exhibits long term orientation tends to be oriented towards the future. As seen from the model above, China is clearly a country with high score for dimensions of long-term orientation compared to USA. This means that in general, Chinese people think more into the future than Americans do. For example, Chinese people favour large savings and money for investments as they feel secure if they have it. They do not see leisure time as important as Americans did where younger Americans or working Americas focuses on going to parties and spent what they earned to enjoy life as much as they can which is different from the Chinese culture. Therefore, if an American would like to invite a Chinese to a party, a typical Chinese may have to consider. â€Å"Do I have to go? Should I spend the money on more useful items instead of parties? Even though the model does not show a big difference in terms of masculinity and femininity, the Chinese mind still favours male over female. In the history of Chinese culture, male is regarded as more superior to female in the past where it has change dramatically after the government structure changes into a republican constitution. Even though women are purported to have the same status as men but in terms of economic and social inequalities, women are still at a disadvantage. This phenomenon could be easily identified in the case of favouritism of a baby boy rather than a girl when giving birth. This is mainly due to the ‘one child policy’ adopted by the Chinese government to prevent the country from being over-populated (Morrison & Conaway 2006). 6. 0Difference in business behaviour: Chinese and American Culture China and United States of America is the economic powerhouse of the world. Both countries have been cooperating with each other ever since the world war ended. At present, USA has huge debt to China that creates a weird tension between both countries. However, they have constantly and mutually helped each other at difficult times. When it comes to business term, both cultures stand at very different position. Hofstede’s cultural dimension on power distance is the degree of accepting the fact that power is distributed unequally. The model suggests that power distance in China is much higher compared to USA. Hierarchy in China is seen as a normal phenomenon where age and titles are very well respected. An American company representative will have to acknowledge this aspect if he wants to seal a deal with a Chinese company. Given that American culture focuses on equality, and they may have been used to the business culture back in the states where opinions and disagreement could be expressed to superiors, it will be very wrong to do the same to a typical Chinese as they regard it as intrusion of power, Trompenaars’ theory of specific versus diffuse can also be used to explain the difference in the business setting between a Chinese and American. In a specific oriented culture, the â€Å"work relationship is insulated from other dealings. † (THE101 PowerPoint Lecture 7 2011). This means that in an organisation or business dealing, work and private life relationships are distinctively separated from each other. This will create a fair working environment where bias and prejudice are eliminated to the minimum. This is true in the business culture of an American. In Chinese culture, a subordinate may have developed a special relationship with their superior. The superior may have a significant status to the subordinate. This is known as a diffuse culture and China is part of it. â€Å"Guan Xi† is regarded as very important in Chinese culture. â€Å"Guan Xi† literally means relationships. In another term, it is networking. Often, Chinese try their best to network as much as possible with potential clients or bosses in order to secure a benefit in the future such as a better position in working environment or favouritism. This ideal may seemed far-fetched to USA which emphasised on equal opportunities of work, but in Chinese culture it is regarded as normal and essential. Negotiation is an important part of a business deal. In order for an American to partner together for a business purpose, there is a need to understand a general business practice from both culture perspectives to attain a win-win situation. Business deal is done very quickly and do not need many meetings to agree on a deal. These are mostly done prior to the meeting and one can expect an American to bring the final contract to the first meeting. In the case of a Chinese, it is completely different. Chinese will drag negotiations until the very end to gain an advantage. Chinese are very careful when it comes to business matters and they expect to establish a positive relationship between themselves (Morrison & Conaway 2006). Trompenaars investigated into cultural dimensions of sequential versus synchronic. In a sequential oriented society, schedule of a person is very tight, regard time as money and is very systematic. In the scenario of negotiation, a typical American business man is most like to desire a quick negotiation as they are often impatient. On the contrary, Chinese is synchronic oriented where they value time less tends to negotiate slowly as their notion is â€Å"slow and steady wins the race†. Hierarchy is respected in the Chinese culture. In a business context, it is normal to expect to make business presentations to many different groups at different levels. As mentioned earlier in the model of Hofstede’s cultural dimentions, the power distance in China is far greater than USA and explains this particular situation. 7. 0Impacts on tourism and hospitality industry Notable international American hotel chains such as Marriott, Ritz Carlton, and Accor have numerous properties around the world and especially in China. However, with such a big portfolio of hotels how do the companies manage the impacts of cultural diversity within their establishments? The companies have actually developed their own culture where employees of the company are expected to honour it. They are such as the philosophy and mission statement of a company. For example, one of the manifesto of Shangri-la Hotels for their employee is â€Å"We are family†. This suggests to the employee that all members of Shangri-la are treated as family and there is no segregation of rights which is related to Hofstede’s power distance. The development of company culture is an effective method in addressing cross cultural issues within the workforce. American tourism and hospitality companies have a lot of expansion projects going on in China as china is becoming the superpower of the 21st century. The cultural difference between Chinese culture and American culture is huge. In order for American companies to sustain in the Chinese market, the American companies will not be able to complete infused the typical American culture into establishment in China. Both parties will have to find a solution that they agree to each other. In the context of an American who is on a business trip to China, if the relevant employees know a lot about American culture, he will: * Make sure everything (room, transportation and etc. ) has been prepared for him before arrival as Americans are always in a hurry and want to accomplish task as soon and as effective as possible. (sequential versus synchronic) * Make sure a range of technological products are readily available to them if they need it. (General business practices of an American) 8. 0Conclusion Culture has been changing and evolving with the flow of time. Understanding cultural difference is crucial in the 21st century when doing business or socialising with people. Humans are conditioned to their own culture for too long and may be subjected to culture shock when they are bombarded by abnormal cultures not of their own. The growth of the tourism and hospitality industry is evident and relevant agencies working in this industry will have to learn and understand cultural differences to contribute to a better industry. The culture of China and United States of America are very different. In social context, the Chinese culture differs very greatly from Americans in terms of its power distance, short and long term orientation and individualism according to Hofstede’s theories of cultural dimensions. In business context, the difference in between the two culture are more accessed by Trompernaars’s theories of specific versus diffuse and sequential versus synchronic. The cross cultural issue between Chinese and Americans has an impact towards the tourism and hospitality industry whereby both parties will have to compromise with each other to

MANAGING PEOPLE IN FACILITIES MANAGEMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7250 words

MANAGING PEOPLE IN FACILITIES MANAGEMENT - Essay Example At this juncture, managing work load and allocating the requisite tasks in a business organization has become one of the most essential works in the modern business world. Managing the employees in an organization is also crucial in the business world. This research will comprise the context of recruitment and management of the employees. It will also enumerate certain ways that would help the companies to motivate and retain staff. Managing resources is one of the pivotal tasks required for the success of any organization. This research work will implicitly explain the various aspects by which a firm can tackle its labour resource. 1.1Work Load Planning and Work Allocation There are various approaches of workload planning and work allocation. Work load may be termed as logical classifications of aggregate work executed by an organization. Work load planning and work allocation is two very close but different terminologies. The organizational managers first analyze the amount of work load in an organization and then they allocate the following to different employees in terms of the different work allocation theories. In general, the approaches of work load planning set by an organization are almost same for all the public and private sectors (Sabharwal and Prashant 25) Approaches of Work Load Planning One approach adopted by the managers of organizations is related to simple estimation of the company’s current workload and workforce. After making that inference, they enumerate the various competences of the organization. Efficient work load planning involves assessing the future work load, work force and competences in an association. Sometimes the mangers in an organization compare the workloads and work forces along with their competences in present and future. By doing so, they sufficiently get access to the surplus and gaps in the working processes. The managers introduce new plans to approximate the future workforce requirements. After a workforce p lan is estimated, the company ensures that the concerned model remains valid and observes that its mentioned objectives are executed in the working process of the firm. Thus, for the purpose of work load plans, a company uses estimation techniques, models, and theoretical approaches. The planning may be done on the basis of the type of work or the method by which the work would be executed or simply on the basis of the workers who would execute the task. Example, Gantt charts and bar diagrams are often used in business firms to execute the different operational plans (Bhatia 45). Approaches of Work Allocation There are different ways to allocate work among the workers in a company:- Contractual agreements are often introduced in the operations of a business organization. In this method, the workers are given specific contracts to complete their tasks. Sometimes the skills and experiences of the workers are also judged while allocating certain jobs to them. The more important and com plex the work is the greater skills are required from the workers. This is the theory of comparative advantage. Sometimes time it is also an important factor in work allocation. The workers who have the time to execute certain work in an ongoing organization are allotted new upcoming projects. (Wuttke 37). 1.2 Advantages of Work Load Planning and Work Allocations Proper work load planning and work allocation is the only key that helps to achieve operational success in a firm. The firm can successfully reduce its cost of manoeuvre in business with the efficient planning methods. Allocating the work to appropriate employees helps the firm to execute the requisite job promptly and effectively. Division of labour has always

Development in banking and finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Development in banking and finance - Essay Example With passage of time things turned more complex; bankruptcy of big financial institutions like Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America disturbed the sentiment of the market. Such state of affairs affected the global stock markets and soon almost all the developed nations were engulfed by economic recession (p.63-67) To support the economy, the government of different nations infused stimulus packages for injecting liquidity in the market. Government also provided bails to several corporate companies to save them from bankruptcy. The increasing financial crisis was aggravated by a decline in demand; hence government had to enhance spending so as to raise the demand. To raise the demand and boost confidence among the investors, government reduced tax rate on several direct as well as indirect tax instruments so that the investors can have more money in their hand. To boost expenditure among the investors and to enhance supply of cash in the market, government reduced prime lending rate as low as possible. From the above given fact it appears that government of almost all the developed nations are following expansionary monitory and fiscal policy. Through expansionary monitory policy governments were able to reduce the rate of interest to a great extent. Through open market operations the central bank enhanced total money circulating in the economy whereas the government enhanced the monitory supply through sovereign bond transactions. The governments of developed nation enhanced disbursement of cash through banking sector by reducing cash reserve ratio i.e. the cash which the banks need to maintain as deposit with central bank. Reserve banks gave loans to the financial instructions at lower rate so that they can disburse loans to the investors and supply of money increases. Interest rate is the most commonly used monitory tool to

Executive summary of the Ethical Tabao company Essay

Executive summary of the Ethical Tabao company - Essay Example However, Taobao urges the public to behave responsibly to maximize the wealth of the shareholders. Taobao plans to raise its guarantee and technical charge with an objective of majoring in the B2C model to improve its quality and counterfeit control. The planned raise in fees would decrease the number of sellers operating on Taobao and consequently improve the company’s regulation. The small and medium entrepreneurs launched protests at the Taobao headquarters are opposing the planned policy since it forces them to pay same operation costs as the big sellers. Although the policy might be beneficial to the company, the protests have largely dented the image of Taobao. The small and medium entrepreneurs will face difficulties in continuing with the business and possibly fallout. The decrease in small and medium entrepreneurs would promote improvements in product quality and guarantee customer satisfaction in comfort and reliability. However, this adjustment might decrease customer satisfaction on price and product categories. Because of the mixed interests, the government has come up with regulations governing the online shopping agencies like Taobao. There are self-regulations by a business that allow companies to adopt policies befitting their competitive advantage. In relation to these regulations, the sellers should obey Taobao regulations. Additionally, there exist consumers’ regulations that protect consumers in Taobao. These regulations protect the consumers against counterfeit goods, poor quality goods, and untimely delivery of Taobao

World War 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

World War 1 - Essay Example In May 1915, a German submarine successfully sank a British ocean liner â€Å"Lusitania† and killed approximately 128 U.S citizens out of the total 1,200 individuals who were in the ocean liner. Even after this event, the United States still remained neutral but they kept on assisting the Allies materially. On the other hand, the Americans viewed the Germans as aggressors. This is because they used U-boats and submarines to attack the ships which were carrying relief aid to the Allies. Their main aim was to starve the British and force them to surrender. The Americans also felt connected to the citizens of Great Britain because of their cultural similarities. After the sinking of Lusitania, the Americans faced a national security threat, hence; most of the citizens urged the government to join forces with the Allied Powers to fight against the Germans. The main cause of the war was because the British intercepted a telegram from the Germans. This telegram was being sent to the Mexican Government. The telegram was named after its sender Arthur Zimmerman. The Zimmerman telegram noted that Mexico was to declare war on America in order to conquer states such as New Mexico, Arizona and Texas in case there was a war between Germany and USA. Research also asserts that the involvement of the United States in World War I was attributed by propaganda from both sides. The US president did not want to get involved with the war but, when Teddy Roosevelt made a decision for running for presidency, Wilson felt threatened, and he announced that there was a high possibility of the country going to war. The main aim of President Wilson was to enhance safety in the world and promote democracy in the United States. Thus, the United States of America declared war against German on 6th April, 1917. Question b: Why did the Allies win World War I? World War I comprised of two powerful forces. The Allies comprised of Poland, the United Kingdom, China, France, United States and t he Soviet Union among other countries. Research asserts that the Allies won World War I because they were more powerful and prepared as compared to the Central Powers. It is quite clear that World War I was an attrition war and Germany lacked most of the resources at the end. The British had blocked all the supplies. The Allies had also waited to for the United Stated to join the war. The United States facilitated the win after they deployed new technological weapons which were used in the warfare against the Central Powers. On the other hand, the Allies had enough resources from the United States. This that the USA played a significant role in World War I. Germany was equipped with a massive army, therefore; they were destined to lose due to scarcity of resources. After 1914, the German army gave up the plan to the Allies who were located on the Western front. In this period, the Allies made several mistakes, which led to numerous deaths. In 1918, they united together and deployed new tactics, which involved the use of tanks and airplanes in the war. The use of this machinery significantly overpowered the Germans who were underdeveloped in terms of technology. The ultimate defeat of the Germans was enhanced by the blockage of German ports by the British. This led to the German Revolution and the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm. The Germans had also lost the war after the failure of the Schlieffen Plan. Various scholars claim that the Allies were able to win the war because the Germans did not have adequate food and resources to sustain them in the warfare. Question c: What were the goals and terms of Wilson’s 14 Points and Versailles Treaty? On 8th January, 1918, President Wilson

Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Business - Essay Example They both provide the English legal system necessary tools for the correct and fair application of law. They are flexible yet rigid so as to ensure consistency of approach and certainty of law.1 Statutory Interpretation Parliament has the power to enact laws. The law making is subject to a long and complicated process. Courts in England and Wales have the power to interpret these laws (statutes) made by the Parliament whenever cases involving the respective statutes appear before them during the course of judicial proceedings. The judges/courts will explain how the relevant law is applicable in practice to the problems the courts are seized of during the course of litigation process. The meanings of the words appearing in the statutes of Parliament are interpretable by the judges in accordance with Statutory rules and Common law rules. Statutory method consists of Interpretation Act 1978 and Internal or Intrinsic aids while Common law method consists of literal rule by which courts r ender plain meaning to the words irrespective of result, golden rule by which courts adopt the meaning of the words more appealing to common sense in the case of more than one meaning being attributed to the word in question, mischief rule by which the judge has to interpret in the light of knowledge if the law has a defect or mischief , ejusdem generic rule which requires words must be interpreted as a person or thing belonging to the same class or genus, expressio unius est exclusion alterius rule which means that in case of a rule mentioning one or more things, other should be excluded oscitus a soccis rule which requires to follow the contextual meaning of a word in question. Further there are presumptions and use of extrinsic material. The presumptions entail that courts can a make various assumptions such as act not with retrospective effect, not binding the crown, not altering the common law, restricting personal liberty and creating criminal liability. The extrinsic material s serve as sources of information. They are International Conventions and Treaties, Law Commission Reports and Hansard proceedings which once had not been allowed to be used for statutory interpretation2. Judicial precedent Judicial precedent is common law system by which a precedent serves as an authority, principle or rule established in a litigation formerly decided. This becomes a binding or persuasive precedent for lower courts or tribunal to be followed in deciding future cases with similar facts or issues. The precedent appears in various forms. They are precedent in action that refers to the judge’s speech in a judgement, European Court of Justice (ECJ) since all the English courts are bound by the ECJ concerning European law with effect from 1973, The Supreme Court (formerly House of Lords) as this is the highest domestic court of appeal serving as the judicial authority which the House of Lords enjoyed formerly. Court of appeal whose decisions are binding on the Hig h Court and whose decisions are bound to the Supreme Court, Divisional Courts who are bound by the decisions of Supreme Court and Court of Appeal and High Court which is bound by the decisions of Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal and Divisional Court and not by another High court judge. 3 It would be clear therefore judiciary’s function is not to simply apply the laws but to interpret them and establish binding precedents. It is because there are difficulties in drafting out legislation and there are chances of unintended meanings and ambiguities creeping in the statutes. In many cases, the Parliament’s intent will be very clear in which case it will facilitate Court’s interpretation in an unambiguous manner. Courts are enabled to

Andidal olonization in Diabetic Patients Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Andidal olonization in Diabetic Patients - Essay Example As a result, there are infections that opportunistic and attack the host in colonies. In comparison to the effect of these infections on normal healthy individuals, the effect on diabetic individuals is adverse. Oral candidiasis is an infection that attacks individuals invaded by the fungus Candida albicans (Barnes, 2006). This infection occurs in colonies and the rigorousness of their spread in blood differs with individuals. The rate is higher in diabetic individuals as compared to normal individuals. The research utilizes the cytological techniques of oral exfoliation in data collection. Two test samples with a definite sample population are demarcated (Barnes, 2006). The two test samples are; normal individuals and diabetic individuals. The test involves tallying of the age and gender of the two test samples for a common base (Pallavan et al, 2014). The research is ethically undertaken with the underlying accord of the sample inhabitants is a study demand. A brief medical history for the individuals provides the basis for exclusion. The individual with rare deficiencies, other endocrine disorders; immunodeficiency, and chronic ailments are left out the sample population list. The mucosa linings of the mouth commonly emit the test sample. The reagent, which is the Periodic Acid Schiff, depicts the degree of the annexation of the verbalized candidiasis (Barnes, 2006). The microscope helps in the examination of the prevailing oral candidiasis colonies. Under specific test parameters, the result analysis employs statistical techniques to draw out test patterns. The underlying method commonly used is the Chi-square test. The Chi-square test shows major variations in the oral candidiasis colonies for diabetic and normal individuals (Pallavan et al, 2014).  

Explain Utilitarianism Essay Example for Free

Explain Utilitarianism Essay Utilitarianism was developed in the 18th century by Hutcheson, who used the phrase ‘the greatest good for the greatest number’ to describe his theory. Hutcheson’s idea, seeks to find a rational means of assessing how best to put this promotion of happiness into practice. It is split into two types; Act Utilitarianism, this is the earliest form in which what is deemed right is based on the assessment of results of a particular action, and Rule Utilitarianism which allows to be taken into account the general benefit to society that occurs when people follow general rules. It is argued that utilitarianism is a relativist, consequentialist and teleological system of ethics, prescribing no fixed moral rules and judging an action by its consequences or end results. Bentham and Mill each argued respectively for these types of Utilitarianism and thus their beliefs differ. Bentham was born in London at time of huge scientific and social change. He looked to produce a modernised approach to morality which would suit the changing society of the industrial age he grew up in. This was also the era of the French and American revolutions. He argued that humans were motivated by pleasure and pain â€Å"nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pleasure and pain†. This later on became known as Act Utilitarianism. Bentham believed that everyone had an equal right to happiness irrespective of their situation or status in life and argued that everyone counted equally in the assessment of the benefits of an action. He believed that overall, this would benefit the individual who did so and this would lead to that persons greatest happiness as well. His theory is democratic as pleasure cannot be for one person alone. Bentham’s Hedonic Calculus this is what Bentham thought was an empirical process for making moral decisions, it weighs up the pain and pleasure generated by the available moral actions to find the best option. It asks you to consider seven points: 1. Purity (an act that causes only pleasure is better than one that causes the same amount of pleasure mixed with a little pain. When either pleasure or pain is at its extremes it is more pure however when mixed its purity is less. ) 2. Remoteness (the more distant the benefits, in either space or time, the less weight we should give them in making our decision. For example how long will it take for the pleasure of the action to take effect. ) 3. Intensity (the less intense the pleasure of an action the less valuable that action is. However, if the action leads to intense pleasure then its value goes way up. ) 4. Certainty (the certainty criteria refers to the probability of the pleasure resulting from the act. So basically how likely a certain action will cause a cause a certain action. If you have to choose between an action which might cause pleasure and one that will definately cause the disired pealsure then you go with that action. ) 5. Extent (The more people enjoy the pleasure, the better. This was not among the original criteria described by Bentham, but was added by John Stuart Mill. ) 6. Duration (the duration of the pleasure caused by an act must also be taken into account when assessing the goodness of the act. Short bursts of pleasure or short lasting pleasure is viewed as less valuable than lasting pleasure. So acts which last for long periods of time are preferred to those which are short lasting. ) 7. Consequence (The consequence of an act is the likelihood that the pleasures or pains that it causes will be followed by similar pleasures or pains. If the happiness that an act causes is likely to be followed by more happiness, then that act is better than a similar act that will cause only one instance of happiness. It is basically how many times the pain or pleasure will occur.) For example if five guards were enjoying torturing one prisoner the hedonic calculus would suggest that this is ok because more pleasure is occurring than pain. If the probable pain of an action outweighs its pleasure then Bentham says that it is morally wrong. He believed this was the way of calculating happiness as a result of the course of an action and by this he was making the basis of deciding whether an action should be considered right or wrong. However going back to the guard’s example, is beating up a prisoner morally right because more people are enjoying it than feeling pain from it? During the 19th century Mill changed Bentham’s theory, Bentham implied any pleasure is of equal value â€Å"pushpin is equal to poetry† whereas Mill saw pleasures as higher and lower. He recognised that it was easier to settle for the more immediate and sensual pleasures like eating or drinking rather than the nobler and perhaps more refined ones such as poetry or opera. Mill criticised Bentham for focusing morality on pleasure alone, which seemed rather base to him. Therefore he decided to introduce a theory of utilitarianism for everyone, this replaced pleasure with happiness. He believed in quality not quantity of happiness. For Mill, happiness was defined as something which is cultured and spiritual than just physical. He distinguished this as higher and lower pleasures. He wrote â€Å"it is better to be a human being dissatisfied, than a pig satisfied† Mill recognised that there were different ways of assessing the value of happiness. Mill unlike Bentham suggested a positive place for rules within an overall utilitarianist approach. Another difference between Bentham and Mill lies in the difference between Act and Rule theories of utilitarianism. Bentham thought each individual action should be treated separately without any rules to guide the individual; whereas Mill proposed that you should make rules based on the consequences which tend to follow certain actions. For example killing someone tends to cause pain, so we should have a rule against killing people. Therefore Mill and Bentham arrived to two very different approaches of morality. Mills outlook was very different to that of Bentham’s. Overall, however their weaknesses outweigh their strengths. They are not very convincing as ethical systems, and it is my opinion that some other approach to ethics is required in order to do the morally right thing. An advantage of Bentham’s Act Utilitarianism is that it considers the consequences and happiness which result from actions; this seems a sensible approach to ethics. The theory is also flexible and easy to apply; it does not describe many confusing or difficult rules and provides a simple method for decision making. The theory also enables difficult decision making through its relativism. For example it would allow us to sacrifice individuals if it is of great benefit to society. The problem with Bentham’s theory however is that it is truly relativistic, so any conceivable action could be allowed for example, killing prisoners because five guards get pleasure from it. It also justifies the suffering of the innocent under a majority. It further allows cruel or sadistic pleasure, since Bentham regarded all pleasure as equal, this was first thought of by a philosopher called Bernard Williams. Mill’s theory offers many advantages which get around the problems of Bentham and Act Utilitarianism. By distinguishing between the quality of pleasures, Mill rules out the possibility of sadism like in the case of the prison guards enjoying torturing a prisoner. Also, Mill is stating that certain actions are explicitly prohibited because they tend to promote pain. So, he would not allow killing, no matter how much it was enjoyed. However, Mill’s theory lacks the flexibility of Bentham’s, which means that sensible rule breaking is no longer possible. For example you could not tell small lies, even to protect others. There is another weakness in Mill’s idea of different qualities of pleasure this is, how can we judge what makes pleasure higher or lower? As surely this is a subjective matter, as opinions and preferences vary from person to person. It might also be argued that the concept of a competent judge is vague, since it is not clear whether we can really identify one. In conclusion, the theories put forward by Bentham and Mill fail to provide a convincing or useful approach to ethics. On the one hand, Bentham’s views are strikingly relativistic, allowing any pleasure. On the other hand, Mill’s Rule system lacks the flexibility to make sensible choices in difficult situations. It may be that some other and more modern version of the theory can overcome these problems, such as preference utilitarianism put forward by Peter Singer. Preference utilitarianism bases itself on the idea used in act utilitarianism, that the principle of utility is the most important basis of moral decision making. This principle is about maximising pleasure and preventing pain. Preference utilitarianism retains this but simply modifies it to be subjective, that peoples preferences should be maximised not pleasure over pain. This is a simple way to be personal, allowing everyone their own say rather than presuming pleasure is always desirable. For example eating 30 bars of chocolate when obese may not cause pleasure as it is worsening their obesity however it is the persons preference to do this. If we could strike a balance between favouring firm moral principles and paying attention to significant consequences or the all-round wellbeing of society. Such a compromise offers a more promising approach to ethics than the classical forms of Utilitarianism put forward by Mill and Bentham.

Murakami Harukis Norwegian Wood

Murakami Harukis Norwegian Wood Sex and Existence: A Third Choice of Human Existence in Murakami Harukis Norwegian Wood In Norwegian Wood, Murakami Haruki experiments to challenge the mainstream conceptions of sex, love and human existence, that he believes these three elements do not always coordinate with each other; and part of the reason why this novel is so celebrated even today is because it breaks what the media, the society, and the human instinct of being normal. Death exists, not as the opposite but as a part of life (25) is a famous quote from Norwegian Wood, and it provides a third perception of understanding life and death; similarly, a significant part of the novel discusses the relationship between love and sex, which Murakami sets different characters to perform a third way of human existence with different perspectives. To begin with, the best way to understand Norwegian Wood, is to not consider it as a romantic or teen novel, which normally conveys the idea that love conquers all (Hall Mar.16th); instead, treat it as an analytical novel which discusses the relationship among love, sex and human existence. The biggest reason that Murakami sets the main characters at young ages, such as sets Kizuki at his seventeen (and forever remains seventeen), Naoko at her twenty (and forever remains twenty), and Toru together with Midori at their twenties, is because that for post-pubertal young people, their bodies are mature enough to explore sexual world, but their minds are still not fully corrupted by the harshness outside school life, so that they have the ability to learn how to love by their bodies, yet appreciate love by their pure hearts. Naoko and Midori are two intriguing female characters in Norwegian Wood. Both characters are somehow abnormal, such as Naokos psychological anxiety towards sex, and Midoris unusual behaviour of standing naked in front of her fathers portrait. These behaviours are certainly not seen as standard code of conduct. In order to understand Naoko and Midoris abnormalities, it is important to analyze these two girls contrary views towards sex, life and human existence. In traditional romantic literature, the common plot is that the hero and heroine together overcome many obstacles, and live happily ever after. Since after so many difficulties they have been through, the ending usually ends with them having a blessed life to death for sure, and it is assumed that their sex life will be harmonious as well. However, it is not the case in Norwegian Wood. Naoko has difficulties to have a penetrative sex with her lover Kizuki, but she succeeds in doing it with Toru, though it is the first and the o nly time she gets sexually aroused. Moreover, the reason for Naokos suicide also needs to be noticed, although the reason is made implicit in the novel. However, it is certain that Naoko does not die for love. During the twenty years of Naokos life, she encounters two deaths of her loved ones. The first one is her sisters death. Naokos sister commits suicide at the age of seventeen, and Naoko as an eleven years old child witnesses her sisters dead body. Then six years later, Naokos beloved Kizuki ends his life in the same way, by committing suicide. These two deaths strike Naoko drastically, but not fatally. She manages to get into the college, although avoiding talking about the past when she meets Toru a year after Kizukis death, it is too assertive to conclude Naokos suicide as to either follow her true love, or merely disappointed with the world. There are not many evidences of which event triggers Naoko to commit suicide, but it is for sure that her only climax gives her both t he hope to carry on life, yet in the same time destructs this hope to live. The biggest fear of Naoko is her inability to perform sex with her lover as normal people do. Naoko constantly talks about that night on her twentieth birthday, and keeps question her inability to sex. This once in life sexual experience to Naoko is not only a natural physiological behaviour, but also contains the meaning of life, and this meaning is not merely limited to physiological needs, but being elevated to the meaning of continuing life. The first time Toru visits Naoko at the sanatorium, she speaks of her version of viewing the sexual intercourse with Toru: I [Naoko] was wet from the minute you [Toru] walked into my apartment the night of my twentieth birthday. I wanted you to hold me. I wanted you to take my clothes off and touch me all over and to get inside me. I had never felt like that before. Why is that? Why do things happen that way? I mean, I really loved him [Kizuki]. (112) It makes Naoko so confused that why she and Kizuki never succeed in having a penetrative sex, but why she can have one with Toru; if she loves Kizuki, why her body does not let him in; or is that if she loves Toru, why is she unable to let Toru in for a second time? Naoko keeps pondering over these questions, and the second time Toru visits her, she was less talkative than she had been in the fall (237). When Toru tries to have sex with her again, he discovers that Naoko is still unable to get aroused, and she once again questions her inability to have sex: Why dont I get wet? Naoko murmured. That one time was the only time it ever happened. The day of my twentieth birthday, that April. The night you [Toru] held me in your arms. What is wrong with me? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ What if I never get better? What if I can never have sex for the rest of my life? Can you keep loving me just the same? (239) By shaping a character like Naoko, Murakami raises a hypothesis that what if sexual impulse does not occur coincidentally with love, does it prove that there is a third choice of performing sexless affection or affectionless sex? Whether or not this hypothesis works, Murakami offers a possibility that there could be a third kind of human existence in life, other than having impulsive sex, romantic sex, or no sex life at all. Midori is in the contrary of Naoko. She is described both by herself and by Toru as a real, live girl with blood in her veins (267), and she always seems to be happy and relaxed; however, she is not born to be this optimistic, but rather she chooses to be this way. Similar to Naoko, Midori has a tragic life of losing her loved ones: her grandfather, grandmother, mother and father. Midoris mother dies of cancer, and before her death, she lives in the hospital for almost two years while Midori takes care of her everyday therefore has to delay school. Midoris father loves his wife so deeply, that he says to Midori and her sister, I [Midoris father] would much rather have lost the two of you [Midori and her sister] than her [Midoris mother] (71). Then two years later, her father dies of the same cancer as her mother. Unlike Naoko, Midori is not defeated by so many deaths, instead, she manages to live her life bravely. Every time Midori appears in the story, her activities are not limited to talking: she and Toru often eat together, drink together, she cooks, smokes, and does all kinds of things; whereas for Naoko and Toru, what they mostly do is writing letters and walking. These vigorous activities save Toru from drowning himself with Naokos pain, and Midoris strong vitality symblizes the only oasis in this novel of boundless depressed desert. Midoris vitality puts her in a somewhat awkward position in society, considering the novels setting is in the 1960s Japan; she does not cry at her fathers funeral, she unreservedly discusses sexual fantasies with Toru: asking him to think of her while masturbating, she invites Toru to watch pornography at an adult theatre, and she is never shy of telling Toru her true feelings, of how much she desires him. Midoris independent, modernized characteristics and her value of existence of careless to the normalcy contradicts to Naokos belief of perfect union of sex and love. To conclude these two girls, Naoko stands for the possib ility of a third way of existence between sex and love, and Midori exhibits the possibility of a third existence of living without confinements. Naoko and Midori are like the two opposites of a scale, and Toru is the one to decide which side weighs more. In the first chapter, Toru already makes it clear that what happens in the book are all memories: I [Toru] was thirty-seven then, strapped in my seat as the huge 747 plunged through dense cloud cover on approach to the Hamburg airport (3), and this chapter ends with the monologue of Naoko never loved me (10). By reading this monologue, it is obvious that even twenty years pass by, Toru is still stuck in the memory of Naokos suicide. Toru tries to save Naoko, by having sex with her, by loving her, but both the efforts of love and sex can not solve Naokos psychological problems, and Toru never gets to understand the world of Naokos. On the other hand, Toru is drawn to Midoris vitality, and Midori always saves him, even at the end of the novel, Toru still seeks help from Midori: again and again, I [Toru] called out for Midori from the dead center of this place that was no place (293). There are four stages of Torus sexual development: to desire sex, to understand sex, to control sex, and to enjoy sex. The first stage of desiring sex, is reflected by the first half of the novel, when Toru starts to have sexual relationships with his first girlfriend in high school, with Naoko, and with other strange girls. Toru starts this relationship without envisaging it because of Kizukis death, since he was unable to find a place for myself [Toru] in the world around me (24), and immediately after graduation, he is devoted to leave Kobe without considering this girls feeling. The desiring of sex happens after Toru having sex with Naoko. As Toru recalls in his letter to Naoko, he honestly writes that the warmth and closeness I [Toru] felt for you [Naoko] at the moment was something I had never experienced before (41). To Toru, this is an extraordinary experience, because the other girls he has sex with are not the ones he has feelings with. Previously, when Toru has sex with st range girls, he always feels empty the next morning after; however, after his sexual intercourse with Naoko, he gets to taste the glamour of reaching climax both physically and mentally, he thereby feels hunger for women bodies: My [Toru] body was hungering for women. All the time I was sleeping with those girls, I though about Naoko, about the white shape of her naked body in the darkness, her sighs, the sound of the rain. The more I thought about these things, the hungrier my body grew (43). The first time when Toru goes to visit Naoko at the sanatorium, Naoko shows him her naked body at night, and it triggers Toru to recall their first night: A sense of imperfection had been what Naokos body had give me [Toru] that night as I tenderly undressed her [Naoko] while she cried à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I [Toru] am having intercourse with you [Naoko] now. I am inside you. But really this is nothing. It doesnt matter. It is nothing but the joining of two bodies. All we are doing is telling each other things that can only be told by the rubbing together of two imperfect lumps of flesh. By doing this, we are sharing our imperfection. (131) This whole passage of imperfection that Toru speaks forms a contrast to Naokos perfection theory, Naoko insists that if she is going to see Toru again, she wants her body to be clean of all this when I [Naoko] meet him [Toru] (246), and this hints Torus incomprehension of Naokos world. The second stage of Torus sexual development is to understand sex. Since Toru experiences several sexual activities with strange girls, he tastes the loneliness and emptiness that come after climax; at the same time, he knows that Naoko is getting further away from him after them having sex. Toru gets hurt by sex, and therefore, he chooses to not to have sex with Midori, because he realizes that youre [Midori] the best friend Ive [Toru] got now à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I dont want to lose you (250). The third stage of Torus sexual development is to control sex. Toru passes the first two stages, he becomes more familiar with sex, just like tobacco, and he does not want to be controlled by it. As he says to Midori, I [Toru] dont like having something [smoke] control me that way (70), and same for sex, he does not wish to let sexual impulses to overtake his love towards both Naoko and Midori; instead, he wants to remember that momentary experience he has with Naoko, and his commitment to Midori, so he does not let him have sex with other girls.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   The second time Toru and Midori lie down in the same bed, he still suppresses his thought of having sex with Midori, because he finds out that he falls in love with Midori: I [Toru] loved Midori, and I was happy that she had come back to me. The two of us could make it [having sex], that was certain à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ It had been all I could do to suppress the intense desire I had to strip her [Midori] naked, throw open her body, and sink myself in her warmth à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I loved Midori. And I had probably known as much for a while. I had just been avoiding the conclusion for a very long time. (267) The fourth stage of Torus sexual development is to enjoy sex. In the last chapter of Norwegian Wood, Toru has sex with Reiko. This time, their sex is relaxed, enjoyable, and meaningful. As Murakamis hypothesis of sex could be based on love, and it could also be independent without love, the sex between Toru and Reiko is the best proof to make this hypothesis established. To conclude Torus character as a whole, he represents Murakamis perception that sex is the basic element that exists in life, and it can be independent without love. Only with this view implanted to Torus character, he can love Naoko and Midori without the disturbance of sexual desire, and gives both Reiko and himself a new start with sex. The traditional treatment of sex in literature is to either blur or eliminate its description, in order to weaken its influence on love; whereas in Murakami Harukis Norwegian Wood, his descriptions of sex is simple but explicit, which declares his perception to sex as modernized and positive. Norwegian Wood starts with an end, and ends with a start, this paradoxical beginning and ending fits the life death opposite theory proposed in the book perfectly. By offering these paradoxes, Murakami offers a third choice of human existence, that his ideal lifestyle is never a two-point and one-line dynamic; instead, by examining and combining the extreme commonness and abnormality, a third choice of living is formed. No matter what this third existence is, it is a lifestyle that is unique, as Reiko says What makes us most normal, is knowing that were not normal (148). Word count: 2599 Works Cited Hall, Nick. ASIA 364 Modern Japanese Literature 1868 the Present. University of British Columbia. 16 March 2017. Class notes. Murakami, Haruki. Norwegian Wood. Trans. Jay Rubin. New York: Vintage International, 2000. Print.

The Deployment of Security Policy in Information Systems Essay

Database auditing is considered as a contemporary article on database due to a vital role on the database security (Abraham, etal .,2002). There are many different of motivations that make one very excited to do this work , Nevertheless there are millions of database transactions that being executed among different of hosts all-round the organization sites. There are many question arise such as How to do some statistical analysis on database, also How to reveal out the crimes that the database is vulnerable to. Surrounding the world that fully of millions of end users part of this huge figure doing malicious activities that may create crises and Misleading ,thus, firms depend on the information that being manipulated on the database and as it has been noticed the information is strategic material on organization. With the many of database crimes it is very difficult to determine the person that is responsible of some malicious activities in the database, therefore, database auditing implementation is generated to stand behind this issues wherever a crimes appears on an organization. On other hand the database auditing implementation assist on the assessment of our organization’s behaviors, attitudes, and rationality in dealing with organizational database. Within the technological competence awareness is important, different security solutions have been presented and the best solution is to audit the database logs, actions on database and any alteration on the objects of database to avoid any data modification. Through revolution of information technology (rapid, vast technology) Database auditing implementation should afford the velocity and power full to monitor the database activities. Moreover, we are in a bottle n... ...erience in analysis and design of distributed information systems, I+D Computation, Vol.1, No.1, July 2002. [8] H.G. Sol, R.L. Crosslin, Dynamic modelling of information systems II, North Holland, Amsterdam,1992. [9] P.I Rivera-Vega, R. Karlapalem, M. Ra, A mixed fragmentation approach for inintial distributed database design, Proceedings of International conference on data engineering, IEEE, 1990. [10] K. Hui, Knowledge Fusion and Constraint Solving in a Distributed Environment, PhD Thesis, University of Aberdeen, Kings College, Aberdeen, 2000. [11] R. Varadarajan, P.I. Rivera-Vega, S.B. Navathe, Data redistribution scheduling in fully connected networks, Proceedings of 27th Annual Alberton conference on communication, Control and Computing, 1989. [12] M.T. Ãâ€"zsu, P. Valduriez, Principles of distributed database systems, Prentice Hall Edt, New Jersey, 1999.

Biographical References in and Hemingways Male Characters Essay

Throughout the Nick Adams and other stories featuring dominant male figures, Ernest Hemingway teases the reader by drawing biographical parallels to his own life. That is, he uses characters such as Nick Adams throughout many of his literary works in order to play off of his own strengths as well as weaknesses: Nick, like Hemingway, is perceptive and bright but also insecure. Nick Adams as well as other significant male characters, such as Frederick Henry in A Farewell to Arms and Jake Barnes in The Sun Also Rises personifies Hemingway in a sequential manner. Initially, the Hemingway character appears to be impressionable, but he evolves into an isolated individual. Hemingway, due to an unusual childhood and possible post traumatic injuries received from battle invariably caused a necessary evolution in his writing shown through his characterization. The author once said, â€Å"Don’t look at me. Look at my words† (154). Hemingway constantly draws parallels to his life with his characters and stories. One blatant connection is with the short story, â€Å"Indian Camp,† in which an Indian baby is born and its father dies. As Nick is Hemingway’s central persona, the story revolves around his journey across a lake to an Indian village. In this story, Nick is a teenager watching his father practice as a doctor in an Indian village near their summer home. In one particularly important moment, Hemingway portrays the father as cool and collected, which is a strong contrast to the Native American â€Å"squaw’s† husband, who commits suicide during his wife’s difficult caesarian pregnancy. In the story, which reveals Hemingway’s fascination with suicide, Nick asks his father, â€Å"Why did he kill himself, daddy?† Nick’s father responds â€Å"I don’t kno... ...York: Cambridge UP, 1996. 21-51 Berman, Ron. "Hemingway's Michigan Landscapes." The Hemingway Review 27.1 (2007): 39-44. Hemingway, Ernest. A Farewell to Arms. New York, Scribner: 1929 In Our Time. â€Å"Indian Camp.† New York, Scribner: 1925 Meyers, Jeffrey. Hemingway. New York: Da Capo, 1999. Reynolds, Michael. The Young Hemingway. Chicago: Norton Pub, 1937. Stewart, Matthew C. "Ernest Hemingway and World War I: Combatting Recent Psychobiographical Reassessments, Restoring the War." Papers on Language & Literature 36.2 (2000): 198-221. Tyler, Lisa. "Dangerous Families and "Intimate Harm" in Hemingways "Indian Camp"" Texas Studies in Literature and Language 48.1 (2006): 37-53. Waldhorn, Arthur. Ernest Hemingway: A Collection of Criticism (Contemporary Studies in Literature). Chicago: Syracuse University Press, 1978.

Essay --

Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras had similarities in the fact that all three of their father’s died, but were very different in how they avenged their father’s deaths. All three of the men valued their families greatly. Many people considered Hamlet a play about revenge, but it was also about family and the saying that blood is thicker than water was true in this story, except the blood spilled out everywhere in the end. Hamlet dwelled on things in his mind before taking actions or trying to move on with his life. After the death of his father, Hamlet became very depressed and enraged that his mother moved on so fast and married his uncle Claudius. Claudius led Hamlet to believe that his father died of natural causes. Hamlet learned that his father’s death was not natural when his father’s ghost came to visit him. When Hamlet learns the truth about his father, he became furious and said â€Å"Haste me to know't, that I, with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love, may sweep to my revenge.† (Shakespeare 31). Hamlet’s father’s ghost did not seem reliable to Hamlet and he contemplated if he was going insane and wondered about what he should do about the situation. Hamlet started to consider avenging his father’s death and cautiously plotted against Claudius but had to wait for the right moment. He decided to show Claudius a play about the similar p erformance of King Hamlet’s death. In the play, the quote that got Claudius to rise â€Å"He poisons him i’ th’ garden for his estate, His name’s Gonzago. The story is extant and written in very choice Italian. You shall see anon how the murderer gets the love of Gonzago’s wife.† (Shakespeare 81). Other than the play, Hamlet was very private about his father’s death. His mourning happen... ...er to regain land lost by his deceased father. All three of these men were affected by their father’s deaths and wanted to find a solution. Many people would say that these three men had daddy issues. Both Hamlet and Fortinbras were dealing with the issue of why are their uncles are Kings when they were the rightful heir. Hamlet compared himself to Fortinbras when he passed Fortinbras's armies in the fields and he saw Fortinbras as a model for how he should behave and Hamlet said, â€Å"To be great / is not to stir without great argument / but greatly to find quarrel in a straw / when honor's at the stake† (4.4.52-55). No question that Hamlet was really complex and a fascinating character in literary history. Shakespeare made a hero whose thoughts and difficulties controlled the audience’s experience. Literature has not been the same since and it will probably never be.

Restaurant Business Essay

The popularity of fast food establishments came in the 1980’s, and over the last years, the industry has consistently posted double-digit growth rates. Supporting human resources include hotel and restaurant managers and assistant managers, housekeeping supervisors, security personnel, chefs, cooks, waiters, bartenders, and other related workers and professionals directly involved in hotel and restaurant services. Francis Villaluz a director for marketing of Gerry’s Grill was asked how’s the  restaurant industry  doing these days and what’s its greatest challenge? He said â€Å"It’s still doing well, we’re still getting crowds. There’s still a need for it. The restaurant industry does have seasonality like other businesses. Gerry’s Grill  has 17 branches. Growth depends on the area you are in. According to our survey, restaurants are location-driven. People who eat in a certain branch live or work a few kilometers away. † Villaluz also mentioned that in the course of business, if sales will slightly go down, it means businessman have to reinvent and repackage. Manilareview. com reported that like every other country, the food industry has flourished very well in Philippines. Filipinos love to eat and that’s the reason why you will see a lot of restaurants and fast foods restaurants scattered in the cities. These restaurants and fast foods can be local or international food chains. Filipino food and chefs are considered one of the best in the world. It is hardly surprising that Filipino food is often labeled as somewhat strange (like the â€Å"balut† for example) but in its own way, its food is a unique mixture of eastern and western cuisines and reflects the history of Philippines. The Filipino food includes dishes and cooking procedures from China, Spain, Mexico, United States, and more recently from further abroad. However, what makes them Filipino is the history and society that introduced and adapted them; the people who turned them to their tastes and accepted them into their homes and restaurants, and specially the harmonizing culture that combined them into modern Filipino fare. Some of the popular fast food chains of Philippines are Jollibee, McDonald, KFC, Chowking, etc. and popular restaurants being Abe, Chelsea, Friday’s, Chili’s and a lot more. Attracting a huge crowd to restaurants or fast foods require more than just good food. Though important, good food is only a part of the total dining experience. Equally important is believed to be the way people feel while in the restaurant. This physical and emotional response is a result of the atmosphere, the total environment to which customers are exposed. The proper atmosphere can make the food, service and whole dining experience seem better. For that reason a restaurant or a fast food must take care of the following to please its customers. This includes checking the cleanliness of the place and freshness of the food, guarded premises, parking area where people can park, ambiance and landscaping, building design, lighting, and even music. FOREIGN Even in a business based on flavor, there’s no need to sugarcoat the truth: The restaurant industry is facing hard times. In December, the National Restaurant Association (NRA) released its 2009 Restaurant Industry Forecast that predicted although 2009 restaurant industry sales will exceed $566 billion–a 2. 5 percent increase from last year–the numbers translate to an inflation-adjusted decline of at least 1 percent. And that’s putting it kindly. Right now, credit is tight and investment capital is practically nonexistent. Inevitably, the consolidation of the banking industry will have a detrimental impact on restaurants nationwide.

Study guide midterm

Topic and a Purpose Sources for choosing a topic Determining the general purpose of your speech Difference between a specific purpose and a central Idea Topic: The subject of a speech Choosing a topic: Topics you know a lot about Topics you want to know more about Brainstorming: A method of generating ideas for speech topics by free association of words and ideas. Personal Inventory Clustering General Purpose: The broad goal off speech. Specific Purpose: A single Infinitive phrase that states precisely what a speaker hopes o accomplish In his/her speech.Tips for formulating the specific purpose statement: Write as a full Infinitive phrase, not as a fragment Express as a statement, not a question Avoid figurative language Limit to one distinct idea Not too vague or general Question to ask about specific purpose: Does it meet the assignment Can it be accomplished in the time allotted Is the purpose relevant to my audience Is the purpose too trivial for my audience Is the purpose too t echnical for my audience Central Idea: A one-sentence statement that sums up or encapsulates the major Ideas of a speech.Residual Message: What a speaker wants the audience to remember after it has forgotten everything else in a speech Guidelines for a central idea: Should be expressed in full sentence Should not be in form of a question Should avoid figurative language Should not be too vague or general Chapter 6- Gathering Materials Resources for library research Credible types of sources for public speaking Catalogue: A losing of all books, periodicals, and other resources owned by a library Call Number: A number used in libraries to classify books and periodicals and to hat catalogues articles from a large number of Journals or magazines Reference Work: A work that synthesizes a large amount of related information for easy access by researchers Encyclopedias Yearbooks Quotation Books Biographical Aids Specialized Research Resources: Virtual Libraries Government Resources Multicu ltural Resources Evaluation Internet Documents: Authorship Sponsorship Regency Chapter 7- Supporting Your Ideas Four types of supporting material What they are and when to use Supporting Material: The materials used to support a speaker's ideas Examples Statistics Testimony Analogy Examples: Brief Example Extended Example Hypothetical Example Tips for using examples: Use to clarify ideas Use to reinforce ideas Use to personalize ideas Make examples vivid and richly tested Practice delivery of extended examples Statistics: Representative? Reliable source?Tips for using statistics: Use statistics to quantify ideas Use sparingly Identify source of statistics Explain the statistics Round off complicated statistics Use visual aids to clarify Expert Testimony: from people who are recognized experts in their field Peer s Paraphrasing Tips for using testimony: Quote or paraphrase accurately Use from qualified sources Use from unbiased sources Identify the people you quote or paraphrase from Chapter 8- Organizing the Body of the Speech Four organizational patterns used in Informative Speaking Connectives, transitions, previews, summary, signposts Strategic order of main points: Chronological Order Spatial Order Casual Order Topical Order – main points divide the topic into logical and consistent subtopics Connectives: Transitions Internal Previews Internal Summaries Signposts.

Middle School Ministry Made Easy: Book Review Essay

Author Information Kurt Johnston has been serving in junior high ministry since 1988. (Simply Youth Ministry n. d. ) Currently, he oversees all of student ministries and is hands on in junior high ministry at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA. (Oestreicher 2011) Kurt also likes encouraging junior high youth workers and has written books and created resources with that goal in mind. (Simply Youth Ministry n. d. ) The growing list of books Kurt has written include such titles as, The 9:Best Practices for Youth Ministry, and 10-Minute Moments: Smart Stuff – Exploring Proverbs 10 Minutes at a  Time. Kurt has partnered with other experts in the field of student ministry like Mark Oestreicher – President of Youth Specialties, (Oestreicher 2011) Scott Rubin -Director of Elevate, the junior high ministry at Willow Creek Community Church, (Simply Youth Ministry n. d. ) and Katie Edwards – Junior High Director at Saddleback Church, (Doug Fields 2011) to produce resources for those in student ministry such as The Middle School Survival Series, Kurt & Scott’s Junior High Adventure, Amigos, 99 Thoughs About Girls: For Guys’ Eyes Only, and 99 Thoughts about Guys: For Girls’ Eyes Only. Kurt’s experience and expertise in student ministry is accessable at all times through a network of websites such as simplyyouthministry. com, youthministry. com, and juniorhighministry. com. Kurt authors a subscription based email newsletter that claims to be, â€Å"Almost daily deas, thoughts, & insights for your youth ministry,† and has proven to be beneficial to my minsitry. Content Summary The main idea of Middle School Ministry Made Simple is stated on the back cover of the 4 book. It says, â€Å"You don’t have to be an expert to minister to middle schoolers. † The pages  Johnston’s book are filled with practices and strategies that could be tremendously useful in a middle school ministry setting. The tools that Johnston shares are based on twenty-three years of ministry experience, and have the personal stories of success and failure to offer authenticity and relevance to their use. Throughout the chapters of Middle School Ministry Made Simple, Johnston address issues that those engaged in middle school ministry are certain to face, like recruiting other adults to invest in the lives of teenagers. He emphasizes seeking out leaders who are not only willing to  serve but who are also a good fit for the ministry. Johnston says, â€Å"Having fewer of the right type of junior high leaders is always better than having more of the wrong type. † (Johnston 2008) Other subjects in Johnston’s book address partnership with parents, middle school ministry programming, leading middle schoolers and volunteers, and the importance of a lasting ministry. Johnston emphasizes ministry programming that focuses on the five purposes of the church: evangelism, worship, fellowship, discipleship, and ministry. (Johnston 2008) He also  highlights targeting the five types of junior high students in your area: community, crowd, congregation, committed, and core. (Johnston 2008) The foundation of â€Å"Purpose Driven† ministry and targeting different types of students is the hope that as students are reached, they might progress from the outside of the fellowship, community students, to the inside of the fellowship, core. Johnson touches on some principles of leadership, and shares that his graduate degree is in the very subject. This may be why he has so much to say, and so much insight to share when it  comes to leading, either as the leader of a ministry or as a volunteer within the ministry. He 5 talks about being the leader as â€Å"leading from the front,† and serving as a volunteer as â€Å"leading from the middle. † In both positions, Johnston emphasizes the importance of leaders nurturing their soul or walking closely with the Father, and gives insight into how to lead from varying levels of responsibility. â€Å"Middle school ministry deserves adults who are committed for the long haul,† says Johnston when it comes to perseverance. (Johnston 2008) He offers insight that emphasizes the  lasting impact of remaining in a position of leadership for a long period of time, and shares expert advice on how to make that happen. His words garner tremendous respect, as he has proven that the principles about which he writes must be true by demonstrating incredible endurance in his own ministry. As a result of his ministry experience, Johnston lists in an alphabetical fashion, twenty-six â€Å"tips and tidbits† that he hopes will be helpful to readers who are involved in middle school ministry. Evaluation One of the things I enjoy most about Middle School Ministry Made Simple, is that while  Johnston may arguably be the authority on middle school ministry, he doesn’t claim to have his field figured out. He even shares in the introduction, despite twenty-three years (twenty years upon the book’s publishing) of middle school experience, â€Å"I am not an expert. † This attitude of humility makes his advice in the chapter concerning leadership, in which he advises leaders to â€Å"pass the praise,† as well as the rest of his knowledge, even more authentic. Johnston’s advice on recruiting volunteers is tremendously insightful. I particularly like  the way he contrasted the stereotype of an effective middle school volunteer with the list of seven key qualities he looks for in a potential ministry volunteer. While the other information in this chapter is helpful, the aforementioned comparison is the most valuable in my estimation. I 6 think people do have a stereotype of what a middle school volunteer should look like or how they should act. Unfortunately many outstanding volunteers are missed because they don’t meet expectations, while others are recruited based on faulty ideals who may not be the best for the students or the ministry team. Johnston’s handling of partnership with parents is not the strength of this book. I felt like he treated the issue as a necessary evil, but not an area of ministry focus. He emphasizes that parents are a part of the equation and so we should be involved with them. However I don’t get the impression that Kurt’s idea of partnership with parents is about strengthening the family as the primary disciple makers of students, as much as it is about leveraging their contributions to one’s ministry. The strength of this book is Johnson’s time proven expertise, and ability to convey his  experience in ministry in a way that is helpful to other middle school ministry workers. I believe that this book should be on the shelf of everyone who serves in middle school ministry, regardless of tenure of ministry. Five new things that I have learned from this work that I will apply in my future strategy are: 1. A key part of empowering others is allowing them to make decisions. 2. Develop accountability to encourage longevity. 3. Not every opportunity is a good opportunity for me. Just say no. Three new things I can do today in the area of personal student development are: 1.Develop a presence on the local school campus. 2. Too many rules can be a hindrance. Focus on respect for others. 3. Develop a system of teaching topics that will guide students through middle school/ Some questions this book raised that I would like to discuss in class are: 1. Once a leader is aware that a volunteer is not going to work out, how does one remove 7 him or her from service without damaging the relationship? 2. What is the balance between strengthening the influence of the home and strengthening the programs of the church through student ministry? 8 Bibliography Doug Fields. Katie Edwards is coming to SLC2011. 2011. http://www. dougfields. com/katie-edwards-is-coming-to-slc2011/ (accessed 10 7, 2011). Johnston, Kurt. Middle School Ministry Made Simple. Cincinatti, OH: Standard Publishing, 2008. Oestreicher, Mark. The Youth Cartel. 8 8, 2011. http://whyismarko. com/2011/kurt-johnston-offers-5-reasons-hes-excited-for-the-middle-school- ministry-campference/ (accessed 10 7, 2011). Simply Youth Ministry. http://www. youthministry. com/user/kurt-johnston (accessed 10 7, 2011). Stier, Greg. Outbreak! Creating a Contagious Youth Ministry Through Viral Evangelism. Chacago, IL: Moody Press, 2002.