Response paper to a recent article related to international business Essay

Response paper to a recent article related to international business - Essay Example He was later found dead; an article in the â€Å"Street Wall† describes his death as slow assassination. This is just one among the many adverse challenges that some investors who choose to invest in foreign countries face. In some nations, international businesses, whose home country is America or any other nation that the people in that country have stereotype ideas about often face challenges convincing the law enforcement officers that they are running their business legally according to the laws of that country. Other times it is not necessarily the stereotype ideas, but crude competition strategies by the businesses they met in the area. Some are hit with false acquisitions of corruption, mismanagement and evading taxes. In response to the article investors ought to be extremely selective of the nation they choose to expand their business internationally (Browder 2011). Investors who have had adverse experiences should have the opportunity to air their experiences so as to help other who are looking forward to investing in these foreign investor hostile nations. Many of investors from UK and USA who have had the opportunity to run businesses in Russia, apparently have recorded high levels of un-satisfaction running businesses there. Approximately 21% of them feel that the lack of transparency in Russian business laws and sophisticated hierarchies and legal procedures make it possible for the law enforcement officers to harass them (Meyer, Mudambi & Narula 2011). Russians also tend to rate highly in corruption and some local business owners who feel that these foreigners are a threat liaise with the law enforcement officer to accuse foreign investors falsely of fraud. Of all the complaints these investors raise, the least worrying factors to them are Russian Central Bank Policy, with only 9% complaining about it and corporate culture in Russia, which only about 11% of the investors feel it is a bother. The Russian government, however, insists that i t is doing all it can to improve investor conditions in the country (Hill 2011). Russia is the world second largest oil producer in the world. This is the main economic activity. The government’s plans to diversify to other economic activities are usually challenged since this would lead to the end of the authoritarian governance. This another source of the many challenges foreign investors have to deal with when doing business in Russia. Many complain that the legal and government system, in the country is too bureaucratic, which makes it inefficient to handle the issues these foreign investors face daily. Many complain that for a legal process to go through it takes a long time. For example, the investor in this case had already been deported by the time it was discovered that the allegations against them were a conspiracy plan to get him out of business (Sauvant, Maschek & McAllister 2010). Despite having all these issues the government of Russia seems to be taking steps t owards improving investment environment in the country. The government is encouraging foreign investors to invest in the country with the aim of diversifying and increasing its economic activities. Several earnest foreign investors have set up businesses in the country and have managed to make success stories in the land despite all the

Change Resistance within Armed Forces Research Paper

Change Resistance within Armed Forces - Research Paper Example Nevertheless, technology has for long time been a potential in civilizations and military theatres. More so, development of technology in 20th century had a big impact to be internalized as being a requisite instrument and a determining factor in warfare. The mentality has been epitomized by the nation states which continually invest large amounts of money, time and resources in research and purchase of the new technology (Creveld 19). The perception of the technology necessity was further powered by splendidly victorious operational functionality of nuclear weapons during the Second World War (WWII) and other following frantic Arms Race take on by the two preceding Superpowers. Thus, put into operation conceptual or technological change in armed forces has always been difficult and a critical task though it has usually been that manner and happens with the great rate of organization changes (Ronald 19). Whether the change is brought by external matters like the wartime scenarios or base rearrangements and closures or from internal influence through leadership decisions, it has always been difficult. Some changes may entail consolidated financial services, weapons refurbishing or fighting technicality (Lamb et al 1984). However, the armed forces may not be opposing the change but the transition or process the changes requires and its influence. In this technology age, there has been a natural inclination to overrate the role of weapons. Prevailing views showed the degree of military technological success was estimate to be astonishing and prove decisively to outcome of wars. The importance of technological succession in the military is that the new equipments would provide a complete advantage that could be translated into an obvious victory. It is known the armed forces of a state are not longer neutral than state itself. The challenging assertion reviews the fact that armed forces like any institution of state get their legitimacy from state itself and established political regime (Kuhlmann 20). The points become most apposite in the liberal democracy where it is usually welcomed as a matter of principle which the armed forces entirely subservient to civil political authorities even when armed forces are deemed into professionalism (Lamb et al 19). When those implementing political power lose their popular support and the entire political regime loses a whole, its legitimacy no longer take pleasure in acceptance and trust of population and the state's organizations are considered inappropriate upon bringing the legitimacy of armed forces into question. In the civilian authority, the opportunity made available by technology would persuade the belief that technology is the only determinant factor in warfare. Essentially, technology is perceived to be the determining factor which offers the potency if deployed which could wane the enemies resolve and fighting capacity (Irwin 13). More so, the induction of technology would limit casualties since mounting casualties may have similar implications of wrath occurrence in its population and a drooping morale which would influence the army plans and resistance to fight. In these circumstances, it becomes a professional responsibility though it goes contrary to standard assumptions of

The films “Saved Essay Example for Free

The films â€Å"Saved Essay Much ado has been said about religion and how diverse religious practices have been depicted in numerous films. Religion in America reflects no more than simple faith but dwells into the social structure and the meanings of faith in the midst of American culture and society. With film as medium of conveying messages, it is of no shallow signification why this form of art is to be examined in the light of religious portrayal in a number of Hollywood films. This essay shall review the films â€Å"Saved! † (2004), â€Å"Witness†(__), â€Å"The Apostle† (1997), â€Å"Scarlet Letter†(___) and â€Å"Smoke Signals† (1998) in terms of their accuracy and overall attitude towards religious persons and issues. Popular not merely for their cinematic value or production or array of big stars, these movies became controversial for varied social reactions, whether for laudable reason or hyper-critical conviction. â€Å"Witness†: The Struggle for Personal Convictions â€Å"Witness† tells of a modern-day police officer (John Book portrayed by Harrison Ford) who found refuge in the laid back and primitive Amish village in Lancaster County. Wanting to protect a young Amish boy (Samuel, played by Lucas Haas) who witnessed the killing of an undercover policeman in a subway station from the perpetrators, he finds himself immersing in the Amish way of life. He dresses â€Å"plainly†, milks cows, does carpentry, takes the horse-driven buggy, and later falls in love with the child’s mother (Rachel Lapp portrayed by Kelly McGillis). Later he finds out that the killing was brought about by the higher-ups in his department, he was chased and found. Finally, the movie ends with a resolution of the case. The movie was an insight into the remote Amish community focusing on human nature and how it relates to religion. A viewer may see the film on a cultural perspective with the struggle between the Amish-English identity and the multi-cultural facets and differences between the two worlds, with religion and love story only as undertones. However, a closer look would reveal that that so much of religious beliefs and subjects are embedded in the story. The movie opens with a funeral, emphasizing the Amish funeral rites. A person who has not seen the movie nor has any idea of what the movie was about would mistake the movie for a sixteenth century epic. Only later in the subway station scene would the viewer have an idea that the story was set in the 20th century. The juxtaposed modern-dressed passengers to that of the Amish mother and son emphasized the remoteness of the two cultures’ civilization, the Amish seemingly locked in a time space that was the 16th century. The Amish culture and religious practices were clearly identified in the film. Their struggle for â€Å"plainness†, of simple living was progressed in the story. There was the men’s usual trousers and coat with hooks and eyes rather than buttons, the bearded men with shaved upper lips, women dressing the same way with religious caps-these were how the typical Amish looked like. The Amish dressed the same way, believing that dressing the way they do maintains their plainness, the Amish’ guiding principle in their way of life. As the movie progresses, images of horse-driven chariots, the farming activities, the Pennsylvanian German language, the typical Amish houses made of wood with no electricity and television, the barnyards and the corn stocks, the horse-driven farm machines, the water-driven water supply are made evident and persistent in the Amish community. This is how the Amish community looked like and depicted the manner they survived and subsisted while living a wayward life amongst 20th century modernity on its outskirts. The Amish lived a peaceful, contented life in a well-knit community where everyone knew each other and everyone was willing to lend a hand. The religious themes were clearly drawn as well. The gun played an important signification of the Amish-way versus that of the English. To the Amish, the gun was a symbol of immorality. Focus was had in this aspect such that when Samuel sees Book’s gun, Rachel and Eli (Samuel’s grandfather played by Jan Rubes) react in a rather hostile manner: Rachel tells Book that if he should stay he should respect the Amish ways, and Eli renders a heart-to-heart talk with Samuel telling him that â€Å"guns are for the taking of life and outsiders who contend that killing is necessary do not consider the alternatives:† and that by being violent, he â€Å"becomes one of them† referring to the killers in the subway station. Although Book respects their views, he does not necessarily succumb to it. He believed that his gun was necessary to protect himself and others against bad people. The Amish were peaceful people. They do not fall for man’s vices such as hatred and violence. In a scene where an Amish group was being bullied by a group of Englishmen, they were seen unyielding to anger and retaliation, a reaction normal to an English such as Book, an offense he would not let pass. Even jealousy (between Book and another Amish man attracted to Rachel) was not an issue. The film effectively showed the Amish people’s devotion to how they believe God wants them to live their lives. Modern life, as reflected by Book, on the other hand, portrayed loneliness, remoteness and complexity. In a man-eat-man world, Book was a reflection of a typical culture way beyond the Amish ideology. In one frame, one killer policeman was seen washing his hands after killing his victim in the subway bathroom. Relevant to Catholic religion, the washing of the hand signified an attempt to cleanse oneself of sins. This was an irony in the film.

Healthcare Rationing Debate

Healthcare Rationing Debate Commentary on â€Å"The Rationing Debate†, Rationing health care by age Covering Statement: This paper aims to comment on Alan Williams’s article of â€Å"The rationing debate1† published in BMJ, 15th March 1997 volume 314. In this commentary I will try to explain different points of argument he raises in his article with the comments on each under the same heading. For the better perception and reflection I will try to suggest an alternative model to his main proposition of this article. The main position of my commentary is favoring the position of Alan about â€Å"Age the criterion to benefit people† I will try to critique him in different aspects of his argument with the induction of my own suggested model and will try to figure out in order to remove the dependency on age for calculating benefit we have to intervene5 differently with some different aspect. Rationing debate: This article is all about the criteria for the priority setting in health care specifically focused on â€Å"Age1† which he mentioned is only the predictor for any health related issue not the cause; he also argued about the main context on benefits extract out of health care in relation with age. In the initial part of his article he tries to figure out the relation between adaptation and adjustment of human body in response to â€Å"diseases†. Here, I want to use more true meaning of this word â€Å"disease† which means not normal, instead of any pathology. He also explains the increased level of risks with increase ages along with more supportive and rehabilitative therapy needed in later ages. Being an â€Å"Old Age Person† he contextualized his argument in contrast with young age and compares why recoveries are fast in young age and that also the importance of recoveries in young ages. Up to my level of understanding, his use of ‘age’ explaining about the different aspects of wellness is more towards own contextualization, being a middle age man I can argue the whole concept of his article in a different aspect and that is level of degenerative changes in human body. Before I explain further I would like to explain a bit about medical notion of generative and degenerative part of Human body. Broadly, our life consists of two major cycles of structural formation i.e. generative and degenerative. Initially we all spent life for the generation of a proper structure of our body including physical and mental construction and then after that we spent rest of our life on that structure, which we can call degenerative part of life. Degenerative part is mainly relying on how well organized generative structure is formed. Up to 30 years of age is considered as a part of generative phase while after that it is all degenerative. Now I can argue, or suggest Mr. Allan an alternative ground to his concept of Age1, which is we will evaluate generative and degenerative health issues to his concept of benefits in comparison of his age based model of benefits. So contextualizing this alternative, infections or acquired disease can be treated as the reflection of body, like in generative phase the estimation of benefits can be different than the degenerative one similarly the developmental disorders. This alternative context can be applicable to public or individuals on the same way like the Age based one; the reflection of body to any external effects. Desire of Living: Alan uses a term of â€Å"vain pursuit of immortality1†, desire of living forever which indeed become more important in later ages of life. So as he explains how the outcomes of smaller health related issue considered more in old-aged and why the expectation get higher in this age. He points out the curability or treatability of any health related issue is not the only option in this age groups, there are so many other ways to work in this issue even out of the parameters of health services (like beyond NHS-UK). Considering the above argument in context with the alternative idea, there won’t be any expectation issues because for degenerative un-wellness expectations will be low. The terms of curability and rehabilitation will not be in competition with each other for instance. Ethically it will be easier to justify the alternative one as both the components of this idea are of equal span which will be focusing more on consequences and outcomes; I would not like to say that this will be the maximizing welfare concept or true utilitarian4 based model except within the degenerative based group benefits of health care issues. Quality of Life: Other important aspects of his article he suggests about the shift of context from the term of â€Å"cure† to â€Å"quality of life†. He also supports this argument of his by relating it with the values of persons own self-care. Though he stresses that by focusing on quality of life the contemporary approach on new interventions5 (especially at life threatening levels) will be restricted but still he argues â€Å"Quality of Life1† is less costly. The above argument of Alan is basically the further explanation of our context of alternative idea in which regenerative phase is more focused for the cure with individual choice and distributive to maximal liberty of the individual. Quality of life is only focused to the improvement of degenerative part of health care benefits according to the needs and burdens equalizing resources4 (egalitarian4). So the alternative way can be the modified egalitarian view of health care setting. Being the part of egalitarian nature it can be assume that priority will be set for the high tech innovations in medical sciences which will benefit both the generative as well as degenerative on the same grounds and quality. Limits: In second portion of his article he tries to explain another aspect of defining limits for the health care benefits, he explains that keeping an eye on this divine principle of â€Å"every soul will taste death2† it is better to keep a limit before any stress full situation encounters and those limits should be justified on humane grounds according to age, expectations should also be considered according to age. He means to say that age can be considered for benefits though it is not a criterion. In explanation of above argument to alternative context, expectation will be different for different phases; fulfillment of that expectation would be more justified or in equitable manner. I do agree with this divine principle of life and the relation of its context in our life and building capacity to the alternative way will not effects any change on overall morality4 of priority health care setting. For this argument I would like to second the thoughts of Alan, health care model should have the parameters for defining the limits in advance, so that the issues like social utility4 or medical utility4 could not be raised. The extent of limits can differ in our alternative context of design. Health of the nation: In the further explanation of his own proposition of benefit related health care objectives when talk about broader view like â€Å"health of the nation1†, he counter argues that this favors against the old age because priorities should be given to those who will benefit more, so the young will get more and also in old age benefits are more diminished and that this is morally unjust that smaller benefits of older should be preferred on larger benefits of young. In support of his argument he explains that older can be considered more beyond the benefit because they have paid more taxes in their lives, but contrarily he replied that usually health care systems are social insurance kind of system in which lucky one gets more. He also supports this argument that elders value more to their small improvements while young focus more to different aspects if talk about their benefits in that case the rationale of health care settings as a social insurance setup wi ll be in jeopardy and private entities will be focus more. When we deal with the civic virtues and solidarity or community values than the paradigm of priority setting for health care become difficult up to one model application. There are different references points to be deal at this level like, effectiveness, efficiency, legitimacy and distributive justification. If we change the notion of health of nation to the context of alternative idea of this paper than it will be easier to measure effectiveness as regenerative will be given priority. Economically7, the degenerative phase will consume more and it will justify the social insurance based argument of Alan that any person who pays in his regenerative phase will get in his degenerative part. Politically, there will be marked difference in both the scenarios. For example, instead of spending major share on long term care facility government have to build community rehabilitation services centers which will be utilized by all age groups. There won’t be any much difference of values of benefits of elders and young, though there will be difference in values of benefits but that will be equitable to widen age groups. Fair Innings: In later part of the article he explains his proposition as a â€Å"fair innings1 7†, in which he tries to explains that any person who lives his lifelong is kind of a fair cricket innings where he plays his innings saving his wicket throughout his life and (using resources of health care for life) build it up till old age (threescore ten is 70 years3), while the one who gets out in young age or live a painful kind of life is an unfortunate one and who has been denied opportunities. So the quality of life should be more focused whatever age it is and how many years of life are left. This argument is almost similar for the alternative context of this paper where someone who spend his regenerative phase of life well and get some tragic death will considered unlucky. So quality of life does not depends on health facilities available, age spans, exposure of the person, economic situations and so many other variant and non-related factors can be considered. In the end: Concluding his whole proposition, Alan explains that Age is important in determining the benefits and ultimately explains the disadvantages7 of being elder and low value benefits. As the age increase the value of your benefits decreases. He admits in his conclusion that he would have been preferring younger person benefits6 over his. Similarly, age matters a little bit in our alternative model but not as much that it can change the decisions. If our health care system is based on the suggested model of this paper, the criterion for determining the values of benefits would have been very different. Some preference could have been involved due to age but within the rationale of main phase either generative or degenerative. Conclusion: In this commentary I try my best to reflect my understanding of Alan’s debate, although he counters argue his own position many times but within the connotation of Age as criterion to determine health benefits. Reflexivity of his theme can appear to my suggested model of health care setting, where I am trying my best to create a parallel theme to Alan’s argument in order to get more grasp on his ideas. Concept of suggested model for health care setting based on generative and degenerative treatments, divine references about death and limits of life is my personal conception and believes. Within the explanation I have tried to create a parallel context for comparison. References: Williams, A (1997). The rationing debate. Rationing health care by age. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 314(7083), 820. The Holy Quran. The Holy Bible. T. L. Beauchamp, J. F. Childress. (2013) Principles of biomedical ethics, (7th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. Rivlin, M. M. (1995). Protecting elderly people: flaws in ageist arguments. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 310(6988), 1179. Hunt, R. W. (1993). A critique of using age to ration health care. Journal of medical ethics, 19(1), 19-27. Evans, J. G. (1997). The rationing debate. Rationing health care by age. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 314(7083), 822.

European Colonialism, Imperialism, and Cultural Superiority Essay examp

European Imperialism and Cultural Superiority      Ã‚  Ã‚   Many factors contributed to the colonization of Africa by European powers between 1895 and 1905. Among these factors were the effects of European history, the growing capitalist economy, and the growing competition between European powers. Most important was the belief that European culture was superior to African culture. During the height of imperialism, the vast majority of the African continent was controlled by Europe (à ¬Extentà ® 19). It is important to understand what gave the momentum for European dominance at the time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Imperialism is present in European history, beginning with the Roman Empire (Lenin). Lugard believes that Europeans inherited à ¬instincts of colonial expansionà ® from their ancestors (Lugard). The Romans practiced what was essentially an early form of imperialist economics (Lenin). Joseph A. Schumpeter writes that most of the wars of history were fought without any real justifiable purpose, and instead were fought out of aggression for its own sake (Schumpeter). He seems to believe that the imperialism is much the same (Schumpeter). This he relates to the history of Europe by noting that the nobles, who had a strong history in warfare for its own sake, were influential in pushing for imperialism (Schumpeter). He believes that the bourgeois class would never have accomplished imperialism on its own (Schumpeter).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     If it were necessary to give the briefest possible definition of imperialism we should have to say that imperialism is the monopoly stage of capitalism à ¬ (Lenin). There were definite economic factors contributing to the move towards imperialism in Europe (Hobson). This is probably the most basic explanation of Eur... ...02hobson.html>. Kipling, Rudyard. "The White Manà ­s Burden." Aug. 1997 <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/Kipling.html>. Lenin, Vladimir Illyich . "Imperialism, the Highest State of Capitalism." July 1998 <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1916lenin-imperialism.html>. Lugard, F.D. "The Rise of Our East African Empire." Nov. 1998 <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1893lugard.html> Orwell, George. 'Shooting an Elephant." 2 June, 1997 <http://www.bnl.com/shorts/stories/shootelp.html> Paton, John G. July 1998 <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1883hebrides.html>. Schumpeter, Joseph A. "The Sociology of Imperialism." July 1998 <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1918schumpeter1.html>. Townsend, Mary Evelyn. European Colonial Expansion Since 1871. Chicago: J.P. Lippincott Company, 1941.   

Drawing and Painting Media :: Art

Drawing and Painting Media Pencils Are Ace:- Pencils are classified by their hardness (H) and Blackness (B) and range from 9H to 9B. An HB pencil is in the middle as it’s both hard and black, and is good for general sketching. A harder pencil (like a 2H) is better for precise, technical drawings as it won’t smudge so easily. 1) Pencils are made from a mixture of graphite (a form of carbon) and clay. 2) Coloured pencils come in a range of colours and a variety of hardnesses. The softer ones are best for laying even, flat colour and are less likely to break. Inks, Paints, Pastels, Dry-transfer Lettering†¦ Also Ace:- 1) Inks are pigments suspended in water or solvent. They’re good for colour infilling, background washes and writing. 2) Gouache is a type of opaque paint, which is ideal for producing flat areas of colour, or highlights on renderings (e.g. coats of plaster, mortar, etc.). 3) Pastels come in two varieties – oil and chalk. Chalk pastel is particularly good for producing backgrounds on renderings, or adding tone and shading. It’s easily blended using your fingers or cotton wool. 4) Dry-Transfer lettering is applied with pressure from a waxed translucent sheet onto drawings or prototype models. It comes in various typefaces, sizes, styles and colours. Airbrushes Blow A Mist Of Ink:- 1) Airbrushes blow a fine mist of ink from a reservoir onto an image area, using compressed air from a compressor or a ‘power pack’ (can of compressed air). 2) It’s a time-consuming medium – you have to mask all the areas you don’t want to airbrush using a low tack clear film and a craft knife. Plus you need loads of practice to do it well. 3) You can get really great photo-realistic results, if you know what you’re doing. There are excellent examples of airbrushing on various record/CD sleeves, posters and adverts. 4) Airbrushing effects can also be achieved with some computer packages, e.g. Adobe Photoshop. Felt Pens And Markers – Water-Based Or Spirit-Based:- Water-based pens aren’t suitable for large areas because they dry quickly and leave streaks. 1) Fine-liners come in a variety of thicknesses and colours. They’re great for outlining drawings.

Common sense in ‘The Crucible’ Essay

The Crucible – How does Miller make vivid the triumph of superstition over reason and common sense?  In ‘The Crucible’, Miller creates an atmosphere in Salem where hysteria rules the village while reason and common sense are put aside. The superstitions of a few young teenage girls are taken seriously by the largely Christian village; to the point of a broken theocracy and where all reason is lost. In Act III, there are many dramatic scenes in the courtroom which show the power of the girls’ overbearing superstitions. At the beginning of the play, Mary Warren joined in with the other girls in the forest with their hysteria and witchcraft. However, she converts to Proctor’s side and in court says â€Å"It were pretence, sir† to Danforth. She tries to save Proctor by turning in the girls and admitting that Abigail had been telling lies. This comes to no avail and then Abigail, with the other girls, puts on an act and starts copying Mary Warren as if Mary had bewitched her. Mary gives in and turns on Proctor saying â€Å"You’re the Devil’s Man!† Mary tried to have reason and common sense by defying the girls but the way she gave in to their act of hysteria shows how superstition triumphs over reason and common sense. As mentioned previously, Mary Warren initially testifies against Abigail and the other girls in Act III. To this point, Danforth was fully behind Abigail and believed her but now questions her to tell the truth. Abigail forcefully confronts him and says angrily, â€Å"I have been hurt, Mr Danforth†¦To be mistrusted, denied, questioned like a -â€Å". Miller describes Danforth’s retorts as ‘weakening’ in the stage directions and Abigail presses on to further threaten Danforth in the words â€Å"Let you beware, Mr Danforth†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . With most other people in the play, Danforth simply dismisses their stories but he is incapable of a rational argument against Abigail. Danforth is meant to be a man of reason and common sense; he is a judge after all but Abigail’s manipulation of him causes him to lose all reason and he lets her continue to wreck havoc. Abigail is the source of all the superstitions in ‘The Crucible’ so her control over Danforth signifies the triumph of superstition over good reason and common sense. Throughout the play, John Proctor is a respectful man; the only one with a sense of reason and not fooled by the witchcraft hysteria. In Act IV, Proctor chooses to die instead of giving away his good name to witchcraft. After choosing to die he says â€Å"†¦I see some goodness in John Proctor.† If he had confessed, he would have lost his common sense and given in to false superstitions. In this way, Proctor not only keeps his name but doesn’t let superstitions get the better of him; one of the few parts of the play where reason and common sense prevail.  Salem is a community filled with hardworking people who have good reason and sense about them. A few lies and superstitions cause all their lives to crumble down and good values vanish. The one man not fooled by the witchcraft nonsense, John Proctor, keeps common sense alive in Salem but is hanged to die; leaving the village ruled by superstition.