Jean Piaget s Theory Of Cognitive Development - 1641 Words

Jean Piaget (1936), was a developmental psychologist from Switzerland. He was known to be one of the first psychologists to study cognitive development. His contributions include an in depth theory of cognitive child development. His studies include many detailed child observations and a series of simple but ingenious tests to reveal a child cognitive abilities. Before Piaget’s theory of development many psychologists believed that children were just less competent thinkers then adults. Piaget argues that this was in fact incorrect and children just thought differently to adults (simplypsychology.org). Piaget argued a child’s cognitive development occurred in four distinct and separate stages. The first stage was the sensori-motor stage†¦show more content†¦To test his theory of ego-centrism, Piaget and Inhelder (1956) developed a task known as ‘The Three Mountains Task’ (Berk, L 2012). The aim of this study was to find out what age a child is no longer ego-centric. The method used in this task was to ask children aged between 4 to 8 years to sit at a table with a model of 3 mountains placed in front of them. The model also showed a house, snow, bushes and a red cross. The children were asked to walk around the model and look at it from every angle. They were then asked to sit down. A doll was then place on the opposite side of the model to the children. The children was then shown 10 photographs of the model taken from different angles and asked which card showed the view of the doll. Piaget believed that if the child picked out the correct child they were not ego-centric. After completing the task Piaget and Inhelder found that the children aged 4 always chose the card that matched their own view. The children aged 6 were able to show some awareness of alternative perspectives. It was only the children aged between 7 and 8 years that could pick the correct card every time. Piaget concluded that ego-centrism ended at the age of 7 years (simplypsychology.org). It is also during the pre-operational that a child cannot develop or understand centration. This means they lack the ability to concentrate on more than one part of a

The s Belief That All Men - 1295 Words

Published on March 8, 1775, On African Slavery by Thomas Paine was available for the public ten months and two days before Common Sense. Despite the difference in publishing dates these two written works provide numerous similarities. For example, On African Slavery is addressed â€Å"To Americans:† (Paine 1) and Common Sense is similarly â€Å"Addressed to the Inhabitants of America† (1). Furthermore, both written works address Paine’s belief that all men are â€Å"originally equals† (71). In Common Sense, Paine uses this belief to discuss hereditary succession and monarchy, while in On African Slavery Paine uses this belief as a foundation of his argument against slavery. Hereditary succession is also discussed in On African Slavery, when addressing†¦show more content†¦Make specific references using direct quotations. The use of the word â€Å"common† may be found throughout the two works by Paine as well as the Declaration. For example, the Declaration of Independence uses â€Å"common† when referring to â€Å"common kindred† (Jefferson 4) and Common Sense uses â€Å"common† throughout the book when discussing a â€Å"common cause† (Paine 66), â€Å"common period of life† (66), and â€Å"common interest† (67). Furthermore, â€Å"common† may be found in On African Slavery when discussing a â€Å"common Lord† (1) and â€Å"common Justice and Humanity† (1). Another example of similar phrasing throughout Paine’s two works (Common Sense and On African Slavery) and the Declaration are found when condemning a King. Common Sense condemns the King multiple times, one example being â€Å"That the King is not to be trusted without being looked after,† (Paine 69). Similarly, the Declaration also condemns the King by explaining â€Å"The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in dire ct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.† (Jefferson 2). Furthermore, On African Slavery explains â€Å"...that these inoffensive people are brought into slavery, by stealing them, tempting Kings to sell subjects, which they have no right to do†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Paine 1). Finally, all three documents similarly reference equality. The Declaration of Independence

The Secret Circle The Hunt Chapter 6 Free Essays

â€Å"I know we said this would be our evening alone, but Raj has been suffering from some major separation anxiety lately.† Adam was on Cassie’s doorstep with a pizza box in one hand and a dog leash in the other. â€Å"It’s okay. We will write a custom essay sample on The Secret Circle: The Hunt Chapter 6 or any similar topic only for you Order Now † Cassie bent down to give the shaggy dog a loving pat. â€Å"We’re not completely alone with Jekyll and Hyde downstairs anyway. At least Raj can’t order me around like a maidservant.† Adam’s eyes softened. â€Å"Has it gotten that bad already?† he asked, nodding in the direction of Faye and Laurel in the basement. â€Å"Let’s just say I’d love to take this pizza to go.† â€Å"A picnic on the bluff. That’s a great idea. Let’s do it.† Adam tugged on Raj’s leash and the dog sniffed and snorted, almost too excited for Adam to keep hold of him. Cassie grabbed a jacket and followed Adam out the door. Of course it was impossible for Faye and Laurel to hear her, but Cassie still couldn’t bring herself to open up to Adam about her nightmare or the cord with her friends so close by. Whether it was pure paranoia or not, having a heart-to-heart with Adam out in the fresh air on the bluff seemed like a far superior option. Adam kept Raj in check as he and Cassie made their way along Crowhaven Road, arm in arm, savoring the beautiful night. Cassie felt safe and protected with Adam, but she couldn’t help surveying the surrounding area, scanning every tree and shadow, alert to any movement or sound. She knew Scarlett or a hunter could be behind any one of the many crooked mailboxes or lopsided lampposts along their way. The bluff was tranquil, a rocky fort of solitude. The night was quiet in a way that usually made Cassie feel calm, but tonight she wanted to scream as loud as she could and shatter it. Adam instructed Raj to lie down, then opened up the pizza box and handed Cassie a drooping, dripping slice. â€Å"I got your favorite. Hawaiian.† Cassie accepted the slice from him and took a small bite before diving right into what she’d been waiting to say. â€Å"I have to tell you something,† Cassie said. Her words echoed into the night. â€Å"I had a dream last night.† â€Å"By the tone of your voice,† Adam said while chewing, â€Å"I’m guessing it wasn’t a good one.† Cassie shook her head. â€Å"And it was so real. I’m not sure if it actually happened.† â€Å"If it was a dream, Cassie, of course it didn’t happen. Are you saying you had another vision? Was it Scarlett?† â€Å"No. This was something else.† Cassie looked down from the sloping cliff to the lapping water below. â€Å"In the dream I was reading my father’s Book of Shadows, absorbing all of its energy. And then when I woke up my hands had been burned. See this?† Cassie set her slice of pizza down and lifted her shirtsleeve to show Adam the new burn on the inside of her hand. â€Å"That wasn’t there before I went to bed.† Adam closely examined the mark. â€Å"Okay, that’s weird,† he said. â€Å"Do you think you were reading the book in your sleep?† Cassie pulled her sleeve back down and picked at a pineapple bit on top of her pizza. â€Å"I don’t know. When I woke up, I found it locked away just as I’d left it before I went to bed. It really doesn’t make any sense.† â€Å"Have you told anyone else about this?† â€Å"No, just you. And I want to keep it that way.† Adam’s face took on an air of seriousness as his eyes wandered across the bluff. Cassie could tell he was trying to come up with some explanation or solution, but not finding any. â€Å"We have to find out more about that book,† he said. â€Å"It’s time for us to learn how dark magic works.† Cassie stiffened at the words dark magic. It wasn’t something she wanted to be associated with, especially in Adam’s mind. But Adam was right. â€Å"I want to try to open the book,† Cassie said. â€Å"With you at my side. I know for sure the witch-hunter curse my father used is in there and I want us to research it together.† â€Å"I think that’s a good idea.† Adam put aside his half-eaten slice of pizza and held Cassie by the shoulders. â€Å"I understand your fears about telling the rest of the Circle about this, but they might be able to help. Diana’s Book of Shadows has a lot of information in it. We should at least tell her, if not the others.† Cassie shook her head. â€Å"Not yet.† â€Å"Diana’s not going to judge you,† Adam said. â€Å"You know that.† â€Å"There’s more to it than that, Adam.† Cassie could see how strongly Adam disagreed with her, so she had to remain firm. â€Å"This is a private matter,† she said. â€Å"A family matter. It’s not for you to decide who should and shouldn’t know about it.† â€Å"Fine.† Adam exhaled loudly. â€Å"When you’re ready then.† For a few seconds his frustration was palpable. He got quiet and picked a pebble off the ground, worrying it between his fingers. But soon enough he lobbed the pebble into the water and refocused on Cassie. â€Å"I’m with you on this,† he said. â€Å"I need you to know that.† Cassie reached out to pull Adam closer. She buried her head in his chest and he rested his chin on her hair. Raj barked and jumped with jealousy. He nosed at their legs and pawed at their feet until Cassie gave in and bent down to give him a pat on the head. Adam laughed and stroked the dog’s disheveled coat. â€Å"I think Raj is right,† Adam said. â€Å"We’ve had enough serious talk for one night.† He returned to his pizza and bit off a mouthful. â€Å"Actually, there’s one more thing.† Cassie looked down at the dewy ground. As much as she wanted to forget all her troubles and enjoy her time with Adam, she knew she couldn’t keep the cord a secret from him any longer. â€Å"More bad news?† Adam said with a smile. â€Å"Have you been saving it all up for this one walk?† â€Å"Kind of.† Cassie couldn’t bear to fake levity. â€Å"I’ve kept this inside for a while now.† Adam commanded Raj to sit and tried to read Cassie’s expression. â€Å"What is it?† â€Å"I saw something,† Cassie said, in a barely audible voice. â€Å"That night in Cape Cod. When I was in your arms. I saw the cord, our cord.† â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"But I also saw a second cord. Going from you to Scarlett.† â€Å"I don’t understand what you’re telling me,† Adam said, but Cassie knew he must have perfectly understood what she was saying. â€Å"It looked just like ours,† Cassie explained. â€Å"But it was between the two of you. What do you think that means?† Adam shook his head. â€Å"I didn’t see anything like that.† Cassie didn’t want this to turn into an argument, but denying it wouldn’t help any. They couldn’t just pretend this away. â€Å"I saw it with my own eyes,† she said. â€Å"I could almost reach out and touch it.† â€Å"Cassie.† Adam took Cassie’s face into his hands and made her look him in the eye. â€Å"Whatever conclusion your mind is racing to right now, stop it. You were close to dying when you think you saw that cord. You must have been hallucinating in the smoke.† â€Å"Adam †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Cassie started to say, but he interrupted. â€Å"The silver cord is just between us. That’s how soul mates work.† â€Å"What if you have more than one soul mate? That’s what I’m asking.† â€Å"I don’t even think that’s possible.† Adam wrapped his arms around Cassie’s torso. â€Å"And any cord aside, I love you, Cassie. Only you. With everything I have.† â€Å"I love you too, but – â€Å" Adam kissed Cassie on the mouth, softly at first and then with more passion. The kisses made Cassie feel dizzy and light-headed in a way that made her want to giggle out loud. Even more so, she felt him – his essence – intertwining with hers. Then Adam abruptly pulled away. â€Å"Did you feel that?† â€Å"Of course I did.† â€Å"That’s all the proof I need. Cord or no cord. So forget about what you think you saw when you were half-conscious.† Adam kissed Cassie again, this time affectionately on the cheek. His lips felt warm and loving on her skin, and she couldn’t deny the feeling she got every time Adam kissed her. He was right about that much. â€Å"I only wish you’d told me this sooner,† he said. â€Å"I hate that you’ve been worrying about this.† â€Å"You would tell me if you saw it, wouldn’t you, Adam?† Cassie wasn’t sure where the question came from. She never doubted Adam’s word before. She’d never had a reason to. But Adam hesitated in a way that caught her attention. His answer didn’t come with the immediacy of honesty. â€Å"Of course I’d tell you,† he said, calmly and dismissively, only after he’d faltered. â€Å"I didn’t see a thing. And I don’t think you did either.† Perhaps it was all in Cassie’s head, but Adam didn’t sound quite convincing enough. Maybe she was even more confused and paranoid than she realized. Cassie turned away, focusing her attention on the long murky line of Crowhaven houses in the distance behind them. Like Adam said, cord aside, their relationship had grown and evolved way beyond love at first sight. â€Å"You know what I think?† Adam said in a lighter tone. â€Å"I think it’s time you allowed yourself to relax. Your mother’s right – you’re taking on too much.† â€Å"She said that to you?† Adam nodded. â€Å"At the meeting you slept through this morning. But she didn’t have to. We can all see it, Cassie. And you’re not alone.† Cassie started to respond, but Adam got that goofy look on his face once more. â€Å"Will you do me the honor of being my date for the Spring Fling? We could use a little fun, hunters be damned. And I can’t think of a better person to have on my arm than you.† Cassie giggled in spite of herself. But her gaze shifted back to Crowhaven Road, all the way down to the blackened depths of the bottom of the hill. â€Å"That sounds perfect, but I don’t know if we can afford to make fun a priority right now.† Then Cassie paused and thought better of the idea. â€Å"On second thought,† she said, â€Å"the dance might be just the opportunity we need to get close to the principal and Max in a public setting, to see if we can figure out some of their weaknesses, or find out more about their stone relics.† â€Å"Cassie. You’re missing the point. Your only concern should be making sure I wear the right color bow tie.† â€Å"Come on, Adam, I know you better than that. You’re always putting Circle business first, before everything else.† Adam blushed with guilt. â€Å"Okay, you’re right. Using the dance to get close to the hunters had crossed my mind. But that is all the more reason we both need a night off.† His eyes flickered in the moonlight and he reached for Cassie’s hand. â€Å"No magic. Just go to the dance and have a nice time – simple as that.† Adam was so much better than Cassie at being happy these days. Maybe some awful punch and silly dancing with her friends and boyfriend was just what she needed to clear out the black cloud that had settled into her chest. At the very least she could pretend to be excited about it – for Adam’s sake, and her mother’s peace of mind. Cassie accepted Adam’s hand and let him draw her in, ballroom dance – style. â€Å"Pink,† she whispered into his ear. â€Å"For your bow tie.† Adam took a step back. â€Å"Seriously? Couldn’t you choose a color that’s a bit more manly?† â€Å"Nope. Pink it is.† How to cite The Secret Circle: The Hunt Chapter 6, Essay examples

Beowulf Essay Introduction Example For Students

Beowulf Essay Introduction The strength of his rational mind is not diminishing the pains of his emotions. On thecontrary, the speaker is losing his sanity as time progresses. In the past, perhaps, thespeakers rational thought processes allowed him to cope with failed romances. However,in the presence of this love for his dark mistress, all his logical mental abilities areoverpowered. His rational mind, which he depends on for truth and sanity, has left him inthe face of love. The torment of love has made it impossible for the speaker to maketruthful, objective observations about his world (Companion to 43). In this poem,Shakespeare claims that it is love, not reason, that shapes ones perception of the world,for ones mind, the ideal and rational judgment-maker, is subject to and overwhelmed bythe whims of emotion (Companion to 44). At the beginning of Sonnet 147, the speakerslove is described as a fever, but as the sonnet continues, the effects of love intensify. Towards the end of the poem, love has completely overwhelmed his mind, inducing him tobecome frantic-mad (Line 10). He continues, My thoughts and my discourse as madmens are, /At random from the truth vainly expressed (Lines 10 and 11). The languageShakespeare chooses further emphasizes the crazed effect love has had on the speakersmind (Rowse, A Biography 72). The word discourse, for instance, derives from Latin,meaning to run about. The use of this word creates a clear image of a mad man runningwild and uncontrolled. This love not only makes him go insane, it also blinds him from thetruth (Rowse, A Biography, 74). He says, For I have sworn thee fair and thought theebright, /Who art as black as hell, as dark as night (Lines 13 and 14) . The speakerslogical mind knows that his woman is evil, yet his love for her blinds him and he sees heras beautiful. Love, then, is, for Shakespeare, a force that operates within several differentcontexts. As such, love has a multi-faceted definition, which yields to a multi-facetedidentity. Shakespeare defines love in three different ways. First, love can be seen as an internal force fighting against other internal forces, as we seein Sonnet 147, where the speakers inner turmoil stems from the battle of his love againsthis reason within himself. Second, Shakespeare epics love as an internal force whichbattles external forces, such as social pressures. Finally, Shakespeare portrays love on aneven larger scale, where Love is an external power that, independent of any individual,struggles against and then defeats Time, another external entity (Booth 14). Clearly, iflove is an overwhelming, forceful entity that defeats time, death, social pressures, andreason, then love is no longer simply an internalized emotion; it is also an externalizedpower which can exist independent of human beings (Booth 22). Sonnet 147 deals withlove as an internal agony where there is no mention of outside forces at play. This is apersonal poem where Shak espeare uses the metaphor of disease and illness to representthe obsessive love which has taken over his speakers senses (The Works 119) . Thespeaker describes an internal battle where his mind is being devoured by his crazedsickness, love. Both his love and his reason though, are internalized, sparring forces. Incontrast to poem 147, Sonnet 130 describes the experiences of a mans struggle againstexternal, social factors, such as his cultures romantic ideal for ones beloved. Here, thespeakers love is an internal force which overcomes external factors, as the speaker useslove as a justification for his adoring relationship with a woman (The Works 134). InSonnet 116, Shakespeare goes one step further, and depicts two external forces, Love and

Animal testing should be banned essays

Animal testing should be banned essays When picking out your mascara or eyeliner, do you even stop to see what kind of makeup you are using? You could be supporting animal cruelty and not even know it. Today many makeup products, such as mascara, are being tested on animals. Helpless and defenseless animals are being performed on for different types of experiments all around the world. Most of the things being performed in these labs you could never imagine one human being doing to another. I believe that animal testing should be banned because it is cruel, not very reliable, inaccurate, and is proved to be unnecessary. Animal testing is arrogant and incredibly cruel. Like us, animals can feel pain and fear, but also excitement and satisfaction. Close contact with animals shows that they look forward to some extents, and can clearly get a lot of enjoyment from their lives, be it from basking in the sun, exercising, eating favorite food, or interacting with others, as in playing and mutual grooming. Certainly animals don't have the same abilities as humans. They can't talk, write books or drive cars, but neither can some humans. We don't ask how intelligent a person is before we decide whether to eat them or experiment on them. Regardless of intelligence, their life still has value to them. Use of animals clearly violates animals right to live without suffering pain or emotional distress. A range of household products including cosmetics and cleaners are routinely tested on animals to determine how safe the products are for human use. Some of these animals are subjected to pain in tests of skin or eye irritancy; others are killed while establishing the lethal dose of chemical products. In animal experiments, animals can be burned, cut, mutilated, poisoned, turned into drug addicts or alcoholics, given diseases such as cancer or arthritis, crippled, blinded, starved, and brain damaged. Most of the time the animals are denied painkiller, for fear of affect...

Dances With Wolves Essays - Dances With Wolves, Films, Dunbar

Dances With Wolves Essays - Dances With Wolves, Films, Dunbar Dances With Wolves Dances with Wolves April 5, 1863 I have arrived at my post and found it to be completely unmanned. Fort Sedgewick appears to have been abandoned for some time. I do not know what has happened to the men that were posted here, but I am anxious to hear from someone. Fort Sedgewick is my post, but I have no one to report to. I don't know what to do. I can only communicate if I leave, and I don't want to abandon my post. I have assigned myself cleanup duty, and will attempt to restore the supply house. It is a tough job for one man but I have plenty of time. All is quiet on the frontier. Lt. John J. Dunbar, U.S.A. April 25, 1863 Today I made contact with an Indian. He is the first man I have seen since my being here. He tried to steal my horse, when I appeared I spooked him and he ran off. I am sure there are many more in the area. I will begin to prepare for another visit, if troops don't arrive soon, all may be lost. I have decided to ration my goods. The missing replacement should be here anytime; it should not be too much longer. I have been patrolling the area day-to-day and have found nothing. Except there is a wolf who seems to interested in the activity here. If he arrives again tomorrow I will name him Two Socks for the milky white socks on both front paws. Lt. John J. Dunbar, U.S.A. May 20, 1863 Many things have happened since my last entry. The Indians have come to visit a few times and our meetings are friendly, though they are frustrating due to the language barrier. It is always the same two men who come; six or seven other warriors accompany them. One of them must be a warrior leader, he is very strong and fiery. The other is very quiet and I think wise. We have learned to speak a few words of each other's language, but not many. I also have visited their camp briefly. I was very excited to see how they lived and I enjoyed myself. I smoked their pipes with them, sat around the campfire, and then was escorted out by the quiet Indian. I look forward to another visit with my neighbors. Lt. John J. Dunbar, U.S.A. June 1, 1863 Today great progress was made with my neighbors. They have a white woman living in their camp named Stands With A Fist that can interprit my conversations with the Indians. I now know the name of the quiet Indian is Kicking Bird. They have named me Dances With Wolves. I now know what questions the Indians are asking me and the same for them. The quiet one and I have become good friends. He is constantly asking me if more white man will come into these lands. I just cannot bring myself to tell him. I feel that our relationship will only grow stronger. Lt. John J. Dunbar, U.S.A. June 29, 1863 So much has happened since my last entry; I don't know where to begin. I now can speak the language of my neighbors thanks to the teaching of Stands With A Fist. It took me quite a while but I am pleased with how fast I am learning. I have been spending much more time with my neighbors and I have been able to learn much more about them. Last conversation Kicking Bird and I had, he asked again about more white men coming. I told him there would be more white man than the stars; the color went out of his face and he looked lifeless. I am sorry for telling him. Lt. John J. Dunbar, U.S.A.

Diversity in Organizations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Diversity in Organizations - Research Paper Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that workforce is the basis of success of any given organization. Much as there are other factors of production to consider in determining the likelihood of success of any organization or business entity, human capital is the most significant. This is because; no operations can become successful regardless of the capital input, unless they are well managed and implemented. Thus, the need for adopting a flexible human resource program that integrates diverse cultures and personalities within the operations of the organization is paramount. The encompassment a different people, from different backgrounds in religion, socio-cultural activities, education, and exposure ensures that the organization can uphold variant ideas, opinions, and judgments. These are the basis of development. Owing to the fact that teamwork is the basis for success of any given organization, diversity comes in handy. Where diversity is non-existent, the individuals involv ed cannot interact and share ideas and opinions freely. This means that there is low or no chance of devising new ways of doing things. It is through the free interaction of individuals and their teamwork attitude that creates avenues for innovations and inventions. Various methods can be adopted to enhance diversity climate in an organization. Education that entails equipping the management team with relevant and diverse training skills is one such method. This serves to ensure that the management team is better placed to adopt different individuals and incorporate them in their labor force. Such training enhances the management ability of ensuring every member of their team feels appreciated and equally important, not withstanding their differences in personalities, cultures, religious backgrounds e.t.c. The establishment, enforcement, and implementation of a set of code of ethics is yet another method. The basic step in achieving this is through the recruitment of individuals fro m different spheres of life. Exposure, through establishment of equity and accountability, as a core value of the organization is another method that applicable in enhancing the climate of diversity in an organization. This ensures that all the individuals are treated equally, regardless of their gender, origin, race, religion e.t.c. any group, committee or panel formed to undertake different tasks for the organization should be representative of the different personalities in that organization. Each group or individual should feel well represented in that formation. This goes a long way to enhancing respect and cooperation from all the individuals in the organization. There are three procedures followed to establish diversity climate at a work place. The first is the moderate open- minded change, where some basic rules are established in work place to foster teamwork, flexibility, and diversity. At this stage, the workers are promoted solely based on merit and performance. Such rul es as those guiding promotions are established and implemented by the policy makers. However, the problem associated with this is that not all aspects of diversity are implementable through formal rules. The second procedure is the essential change stage, where the organization adapts measures beyond formal rules to guide the achievement of diversity in the organization. At this stage, even though two members of the same affiliation are better placed to be promoted based on their performance, an allowance for equity is created by promoting another individual of a different affiliation. The last procedure is the revolutionary change, where the short-run and the long-run needs of the organization come into play. Under this stage, the organization establishes equity and diversity in the short-run, while buying time to consolidate a system that will afford automatic flexibility and diversity

Determine the best deal between two different computers Essay

Determine the best deal between two different computers - Essay Example Dell has its own pros and is an amazing product, but when it comes to buying a computer, Mac takes the first place because when compared to Dell it has more pros. There are many things I have discovered in my research and would like to share them all with you. First and foremost, let us consider the software used for both the computers. Since minority uses Mac, therefore most software manufacturing companies find it prolific to manufacture software that can be used on personal computers like Dell, rather than those that are used on Mac. For this reason, we can find a whole range of software for personal computers like Dell but we do have the luxury to choose software for Mac as well. There are many specialized software for Mac as well. People who are in some way linked with media find Mac better than Personal computers like Dell. Mac offers great technical support for such people. (123helpme.com, 2011) Also, the factor regarding price comes, and people argue that Mac is more expensive than personal computers like Dell. In this case, people only talk about the initial costs incurred. If we consider the price that Microsoft charges if the software is being used on more than one personal computer. Mac does not have any charges for client access on a server. (123helpme.com, 2011) Plus, there is quite some difference between the usage of Mac and Dell. Some argue that Mac is not as easy as personal computers like Dell. However, this is just a myth. Mac is as easy for usage as Dell or any other personal computer. Furthermore, Windows can run on Mac easily but no personal computer can run Mac natively. Some even say and have observed that Mac is way faster than the rest of the personal computers. (Make use of, 2009) Also, on personal computers there is a massive threat of viruses. On the other hand, the Personal Computers are recommended to have antivirus installed in them. Yet, it still gets virus and gets

The International monetary and finance structure Essay

The International monetary and finance structure - Essay Example The appreciation of the Euro can be attributed to increasing trade surpluses in the Eurozone countries for the past years and the low rates of inflation in the Eurozone countries. For the past years, countries in the Eurozone such as France, Germany and the other seventeen countries have experienced an increase in the amounts of exports compared to imports than other countries. For instance, in 2013, the Euro Zone exports accounted for about 13.2% of GDP while import stood at 12.6% leading to a 2.7 current accounts deficit (De La Dehesa 4). On the other hand, during the same year, U.S. exports accounted for about 13.5% of GDP while imports stood at 16.2% leading to a 2.7 current accounts deficit (4). For this reason, the Euro has been gaining strength especially in the last six years due to better current accounts compared to the U.S. Conversely, the move by the European Central Bank (ECB) to wipe out about â‚ ¬1 trillion two years out of the economy of the Eurozone in a move to withdraw loans taken by banks during the debt crisis is another significant factor that has led to a higher appreciation of the Euro relative to other world currencies (De Grauwe and Paulson). In addition, De La Dehesa argues that short-term rates in the U.S. react mainly to trends in the U.S.’s equity markets. He goes ahead to say that, for this reason, short-term interest rates have a higher impact on exchange rates in the Euro area unlike in the U.S. For instance, from a historical perspective a rise of 100 basis points in U.S. short-term interest rates leads to an appreciation of the dollar by 1.7% compared to 5.7% in the Euro area (De La Dehesa 4). For this reason, De La Dehesa conclude that the Eurozone economy is more open than the U.S. economy. The Yuan has been appreciating in recent past due to the massive growth of the Chinese economy. China has grown to become the second-largest

factors affecting saccharomyces cerevisiae

factors affecting saccharomyces cerevisiae Chapter 1: Introduction Research Questions: What is the effect of differing temperatures on Saccharomyces cerevisiae population growth? What is the effect of differing pH levels on Saccharomyces cerevisiae population growth? What is the effect of differing glucose concentrations on Saccharomyces cerevisiae population growth? The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a single celled fungus that reproduces asexually by budding or division. It is one of the most well studied eukaryotic model organisms in both molecular and cell biology. S. cerevisiae is a very good type of yeast for biological studies owing to the rapid growth (doubling time 1.5-2 hours at 30 Â °C), the dispersed cells and the ease of replica planting. Moreover is a non-pathogenic organism, so can be handled fearlessly with only little precautions. Also large amounts of commercial bakers yeast are available with result being an easy and cheap source for biochemical studies. S. cerevisiae has round to ovoid cells between 3-8ÃŽÂ ¼m in diameter. 1.2 Respiration In biology, respiration is defined as: the process by which the energy in food molecules is made available for an organism to do biological work (Kent, 2000; p.100). It is also called Cellular respiration. This process of cellular respiration happens in every living cell as it is the only way to obtain energy in a form that will be usable for the cell, so it can carry out the functions of movement, growth and reproduction (ibid). The food in yeasts must be obtained as they cannot produce it on their own. For yeasts, a very good source of energy is sugars. All strains of S. cerevisiae can metabolize glucose (a hexose sugar), maltose and trehalose. 1.3 Types of Respiration There are two main types of respiration that take place within a cell: Anaerobic respiration (without oxygen) and Aerobic respiration (with oxygen). S. cerevisiae can metabolize sugars in both ways, but in this research the cultures of yeast were exposed to air hence to oxygen, so aerobic respiration was mainly the way that yeast cells grew and reproduced. 1.4 Enzymes Thousands of chemical reactions are carried out within a cell. These reactions most of the times occur in a very slow rate. For that reason living organisms make biological catalysts which are called enzymes and speed up these reactions. Enzymes are globular proteins which act as catalysts of chemical reactions (Allot, 2007; p.18. Also cells can control which reaction occurs in their cytoplasm by making some enzymes and not others. Enzymes achieve to increase the rate of a reaction by decreasing the activation energy (the minimum amount of energy required for a reaction to occur) (Greenwood. Et al. 2007; p.167) of the substrate or the substrates, when binding to the activation site (Greenwood. et al. 2007; p.114). Enzymes are sensitive molecules with very specific structure which enables them to carry out specific reactions. This structure including the active site can be damaged by various conditions and substrates. This damage is called denaturation and is usually permanent for an enzyme and if denaturation is occurred the enzyme can no longer carry out its function. As a result when enzymes are required to catalyze a reaction, is necessary that they have appropriate conditions. Different enzymes have different ideal conditions called optimum. The factors that affect the enzyme activity are: the temperature, the pH, the substrate concentration. The effect of temperature, pH and substrate concentration upon the enzyme activity which affects the growth of S. cerevisiae yeast cells are studied in this research. 1.5 Effect of Temperature As the temperature is increased in an enzyme-catalysed reaction, the rate of reaction is increased up to maximum in a specific temperature. This is called optimum temperature. The optimum temperature of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is 30o- 32oC. Above this temperature the rate starts to drop rapidly. This is due to the high energy that causes vibration inside the enzyme with result the bonds which maintain the structure of enzyme to break. This causes denaturation and the active site can no longer fit the substrate. 1.6 Effect of pH (hydrogen ion concentration) Most of the enzymes operate effectively in a small range of pH values. Between these pH values there is an optimum pH value in which the enzyme activity is the highest. The optimum pH of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is 5.5. Acids and alkalis cause denaturation of the structure of the enzyme by breaking mainly hydrogen and ionic bonds with result the substrate cant fit the active site. Furthermore the charges of the amino acids within the active site are affected by pH changes, so the enzyme is not able to form an enzyme-substrate complex. Above and below the optimum pH the enzymatic activity hence the rate is reduced considerably. 1.7 Effect of Substrate concentration In an enzyme-catalysed reaction the rate increases in direct proportion to the substrate concentration. The optimum glucose concentration of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is 2%. At low substrate concentrations, the rate of enzymatic activity increases sharply as the substrate increases. This occurs due to the more frequent collisions between the substrate molecules and the unoccupied active sites. On the other hand, at high substrate concentrations the biggest part of the active sites have been occupied with result when increasing the substrate concentration there is little effect on the rate of enzymatic activity. 1.8 Purpose of the research The purpose of this research that is carried out to examine the growth of S. cerevisiae yeast cells in different factors and various conditions is not so in order to discover which are the optimum conditions in each factor (as this species of S. cerevisiae is very well studied and examined professionally because of its usage in food industry) but to examine in real conditions and not theoretical ones how altering the environment of a cell affects the way its enzymes work and help the whole cell to live and divide in all of the previously ways that were mentioned in the introduction part.

Essay --

The Roman orator once stated, â€Å"Outside of my home is where my life is made† or in the Roman language he said, â€Å"Ex mei domus est ubi mei vita factavest†. He understood that most of our lives take place other than inside our homes. Also, it is important for people to enjoy the natural environment for several reasons. First of all, around the world lumberjacks are cutting down trees to make room for houses, office buildings, movie theatres, malls, and much more. The company who has told these lumberjacks to do this hideous deed does not know that by carrying out this action, the company and its employees are taking away millions of animal habitats. It varies from the Bobcat to the Grey Squirrel and animals like humans need shelter, food, and water to survive but without it, they die. People being able spend time in the outdoors will see what mankind is doing to these innocent little animals and might consider not to demand things that might hurt someone else. They will soon appreciate the natural environment and what Mother Nature has to give to the world. Another reason is that the p...

O.M. Scott & Sons Company

DE LA SALLE PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS CASE ANALYSIS â€Å"O. M. SCOTT & SONS COMPANY† SUBMITTED BY: ESTIMADA, ANNA GABRIELLA C. Executive Summary The O. M. Scott and Sons company was a company which first started to produce weed-free grass, but diversified into other products related to its product line: lawn mowers, fertilizers, and other garden paraphernalia. It encountered the problem of nationwide distribution, finding difficulty in the delivery of its product.The company solve this problem of nationwide distribution by first, increasing its work force to keep up with the voluminous orders. Second, by setting up dealerships which will distribute their products and lastly, establishing a trust receipt payment system in order to assure the quick returns of investments. Problem The company encountered difficulty in the distribution of its products for two reasons: the nature of its agriculturally based products necessitated the quick distribution of pro ducts upon order.The voluminous orders and distances of nationwide coverage rendered the distribution difficult. Corporate Objective In keeping up with the modernization of agricultural products and technology, the company expanded its product line by diversifying into related products and services. From grass, O. M. Scott & Sons started the production of fertilizers, lawn mowers and other products. This diversification assured the company against stagnation. Areas of Consideration Shareholders & Key Officers Sales Force The company’s success can be attributed to the efforts of the sales force since they are the ones who are improving the salesmanship of the dealers in order to be available to their prospective customers. * Dealers The dealer is one of the key players in the company’s sales since the products are made available through them. With the dealership, the company can save money from overhead expenses and other general and administrative expenses from operati ons. * ScottThe owner of the company is considered as one of the key players in the company since he had found ways to cope with the market trend. Market Profile * Product Initially, the company is only selling the country’s first clean, weed-free grass seed in 1868. Scott’s business began to grow rapidly in the local market in Central Ohio. In 1990’s, the company have expanded it’s product range from grass seeds to new chemical weed and garden pest controls and special-purpose lawn fetilizers. * Price * Place & DistributionWhen the company first started, the weed-free grass seed was available upon order over the phone and after some time, the seeds will be delivered to you house. However, as the business expanded, Scott realized that neither him nor his competitors were able to tap the potential market of lawn care. In the company’s case, this was attributed to the distribution system since the customer’s could not buy the products easily. To address this issue, the company opened its products to dealerships wherein the sales force is tasked to train dealers how to do a better selling job with the company’s products. Promotion and Advertising When the business became successful during its initial operations, the company began to advertise extensively, In 1927, the company added a free magazine called Lawn Care, which was widely distributed. Financial Profile * Profitability * The company’s profitability for the next 5 years, as computed in the projected plan, will greatly increase as computed for the gross profit rate and contribution margin rate. There is a yearly increase of 1% for both rates which is a good sign for the company. * Turnovers The turnover rate for the first projected year will not be good since it will take longer for the inventory to be converted to cash. However the succeeding projected years is seen to be improving in terms of the turnover rate. * Capacity Utilization * For the proje cted years, the rate of capacity utilization will improve as it was projected that the rate will increase by 2% yearly. * Financial Leverage * The liquidity of the company will neither improve nor worsen as projected in the plan. There was only a little difference in the yearly computed projected rates.

On David Harvey Essays

On David Harvey Essays On David Harvey Essay On David Harvey Essay David Harvey is a classical marxist concerned with inequality and the theoretical bridge between social theory and geography. Argues from a historical materialist perspective – how the society reproduces itself. Harvey on space: For Harvey, social practices and process create spaces and these spaces in turn, constrain, enable and alter those practices and process – what Ed Soja called a â€Å"socio-spatial dialectic†. Constant relationship between society and geography and they both influence eachother. This means that Harvey has long rejected the polar belief that space has no social effects or that it has effects in itself – what Sack called â€Å"spatial seperatism†. Harvey believes in what he refers to as â€Å"active moments†. Space, the material form that processes assume ‘on the ground’ as buildings, infrastructure etc is both cause and effect in/of social life – an ‘active moment’ in human affairs. A socio-spatial dialectic. Link between Marx and Harvey. Harvey is greatly inspired by Marx’ work and takes his starting point in Marx’ perception of capitalism as a contradictory economic system with three ‘logics’: accumulation for accumulation, competition between rival producers to gain market share and technological innovation in production processes and products. This trinity will eventually lead to internal contradictions explained in Capital and end in a crisis of overs are the Oresund Region: danish and swedish state have looked at the Oresund Region as an economic center (and improved housing facilities, infrastructure, schools) Provide an incentive for growth through spatial planning and geogrpahy. (a spatial fix of capitalism) Time-space compression. The way we relate to space has been radically changed – the world has become smaller and smaller. Makes Harvey one of the earlier speakers of globalization. Space-place (particular-general) relationship: Place is by Harvey defined as built environments, cultures, peoples etc. that distinguish one locality from another. Harvey neglects the position of pre 1960s geographers who emphasized that places were singular – meaning absolutely different. He argued that different places were linked within a comon economic framework. IN CLASS

Teaching In An Information Driven Society †Education

Teaching In An Information Driven Society – Education Free Online Research Papers Teaching In An Information Driven Society Education The abundant achievements in science and technologies in the junction of 20th and 21st centuries are raising more and more quickened changes in society. The education system has to react the requirements of the social environment and the very society in flexible way and under such conditions needs changes itself as well. The formal and informal learning and studies, getting experience through job and other informal methods of education is becoming the key to allow everyone the ability to control ones future and personal development. Personal abilities, knowledge enriching and improvement of professional qualification are the main things developed in the process of modern adult education. What is the importance of the teacher in the context of informational society? What personal qualities he would need in order to avoid the conflicts between the generations, when the young teachers, mastering the modern technologies, would come to work. Only the perpetually studying teacher would have the biggest influence over his students. The teacher, who feels a constant need to develop their methods by deepening their professional knowledge, skills, and experience; grows as result of the process. So at least there are two asserted important factors, which enable the appearance of the need for constant self-education for the adult teachers: the personal characteristics of the teacher (self-evaluation, self-determination, motivation) and the particularities of the organization of the very educational process (the choice of the forms, methods, technologies, and didactical means of education). Research Papers on Teaching In An Information Driven Society - EducationStandardized TestingInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesThe Project Managment Office SystemBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andResearch Process Part OneThree Concepts of PsychodynamicIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalPETSTEL analysis of India

Do Chinese Firms need to adopt the Anglo-American Model and Can they Essay

Do Chinese Firms need to adopt the Anglo-American Model and Can they adopt it - Essay Example With these elements in place, it becomes easier to state that the Anglo-American model would be successful and implemented rather flawlessly. However, Chinese state-owned firms complicate the process of adopting the Anglo-American model due to Communist influence in Board representation and the manifesto of Communist ideology that is directly opposite to the liberal business and social policies that are entrenched in the Anglo-American model. Government influence in business strategy development, alongside Communist influence at the highest levels of governance, complicate the process of adopting the Western governance model. All situations considered, there is ample research support that the Anglo-American model would be relevant in the privately-owned enterprises in China. The question as to whether it should be adopted is addressed based on the structure of the capital market in China, its securities market, and the nature of the relationship between firms in the country and the r ole of stakeholders as decision-makers in a variety of Chinese industries. Do Chinese firms need to adopt the Anglo-American Model and can they adopt it? Introduction The Anglo-American model of corporate governance is founded on several principles and ideologies. ... The second principle is protectionism, as a primary goal, of corporate constituencies, made up of shareholders, creditors and employees. The Anglo-American corporate governance model establishes the ethical expectations and legally-binding regulations to protect the rights of ownership. This is accomplished with legislation enacted by the Securities and Exchange Commission and other Congressional legalities that ensure the development of Standing Committees, such as in areas of auditing or compensation and nomination committees. The Chinese corporate governance model, both in state-owned and privately-owned institutions, is not completely dissimilar to the Anglo-American model, whereby legal expectations for duty of care over protecting the shareholder and other institutional investors are the primary goals of corporate leadership. This essay describes the comparative aspects of the Chinese versus the Anglo-American system of corporate governance, offering support for the ability of Chinese firms to adopt many of the principles associated with Anglo-American governance. There is ample evidence that Chinese firms can adopt the Anglo-American model due to a variety of national reforms that give more autonomy and control to businesses in the country. The Anglo-American Model The Anglo-American Model of corporate governance was adopted under the principles and ideologies of a capitalistic and free market economy. This type of system is a holistic economic system whereby methods of production, industry and trade maintain control by private business ownership where profitability for the corporation are primary objectives (Durlauf and Blume 2008). The free market economy is one where demand and supply are segregated from governmental control and authority, whereby

Terms and Conditions May Apply (2013) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Terms and Conditions May Apply (2013) - Essay Example In this matter, some important points regards privacy policy of various websites are raised which should be considered by the web site owners and visitors. His concentration is highly influenced to increase the level of satisfaction of public in utilization of modern technological resources. Some imperative elements of this documentary are mentioned das under; In this documentary, it is proved that importance of private data of any user is an obvious matter which can not be denied. All websites should make their privacy policy strict and effective for gaining confidence of users in the market. For this purpose, various examples are presented in this documentary which is useful for the web site owners and visitors to manage the private data with surety of security. Accordingly, people can use the web services easily with this satisfaction; this scenario is highly linked with social media sites that are famous among the public highly. In some cases, it is observed that various companies are in the position to finish the age privacy term. With this strategy, social media sites can share their user`s information with third parties; this condition is harmful for the privacy of consumers in the market. With observance of â€Å"Terms and Conditions May Apply (2013)† documentary, people can understand that they should make certain their privacy at the time of usage of social media programs. This is possible with proper concentration of the public and this effort is also producing some favorable results in the communal way of life. According to â€Å"Terms and Conditions May Apply (2013)† people are unsatisfied about privacy policy of websites as this can be incursion any time. This matter is realizable with the consideration of different instances that are managed by arrangement of different interviews and discussions in the market. So, people should be careful in this matter and they should also observe privacy policy time by time. This technique is helpful to

The nature of Darwin's Contributions to the study of evolution Essay

The nature of Darwin's Contributions to the study of evolution - Essay Example Most f these masses said nothing, however, some vocally supported such persons as Charles Hodge, a Princeton theologian who preached that Darwinism was atheism. John William Dawson and Arnold Guyot, two f the last reputable nineteenth-century creationists attempted to oblige science by interpreting the days f Genesis "as ages and by correlating them with successive epochs in the natural history f the world" (Ruse, 229). Dawson and Guyot cited several supernatural interventions, particularly in their theories f the first humans; however, they attempted to keep such paranormal citations to a minimum, thus focusing on a maximizing f operations f natural law. Between 1910 and 1915, The Fundamentals was published to rejuvenate and reform Christianity throughout the world. These booklets were mass-produced, and, at the time, posed a bigger threat to orthodox faith than did evolution. According to Numbers, "Although one contributor [to The Fundamentals] identified evolution as the principal cause f disbelief in the Scriptures and another traced the roots f higher criticism to Darwin, the collection as a whole lacked the strident anti-evolution that would characterize the fundamentalist movement f the 1920s" (249). William Jennings Bryan soon became the ideal spokesman for an anti-evolution crusade. He was politically involved and, although lost the bid for presidency three times, had a national reputation, vast prestige, and a strong following. Bryan often preached f the silliness f humans having a biological connection to apes. After the outbreak f World War I, Bryan began to trace the source f trouble to the influence f Darwinism. From the information printed in two published books, one by Vernon Kellogg and one by Benjamin Kidd, Bryan blamed the deterioration f Christianity and democracy on the support f theories f evolution. Each f the two books cited conversations among German officers revealing that Darwin's biology had played a major role in convincing the Germans to declare war. Bryan furthered his crusade by noting that beliefs in evolution were the main cause f students to lose faith in the Bible. In class we learned that "creation science" has, indeed, not been proven as a science, thus should not be taught in schools. However, it is that same claim that was used by many creationists when referring to theories f evolution-- that it is not scientific. The crusade against evolution was given a significant boost in 1921 when British biologist William Bateson declared that scientists had not discovered "the actual mode and process f evolution" (Bateson, 56). Even though Bateson urged creationists not to misinterpret his statement as a rejection f evolution, they ignored him and accepted the statement as a minor triumph. Nonetheless, when it came down to a scientific debate, the creationists had only a handful f legitimate scientists-- including one or two physicians and a few teachers. In 1925 came the famous Scopes trial, where a high school teacher, John Thomas

Life-Based Leadership Principles from Jack Welch Essay Example for Free

Life-Based Leadership Principles from Jack Welch Essay During the hundreds of millions of years of natural evolution on this planet, survival has always been a continuous challenge for living creatures. It has recently to come into light that in the past four million years, there have been scores of human species on the earth, besides us homo sapiens. However, all of these various human-like beings including the Neanderthal man perished in the course of evolution; we humans have outlived all of them. We have emerged as the true survivors. We are the last â€Å"man† standing. However, in the whole history of the world, survival could have never been as tough as it is in today’s world of big business. It is an ever-changing, dizzingly fast-paced, intensely competitive and danger-saturated environment out there. There are many survivors and many winners in this arena, of course. Of all such exceptional people in the recent decades, there is one man who stands out as a celebrated icon of leadership and business success. And it is none other than Jack Welch of GE, arguably the finest CEO in the latter half of the twentieth century. Speaking from a broad perspective, he is not just an exemplary business leader, but a hero, a survivor, a symbol of the triumph of man. Jack Welch is a man who believed that each individual should control his or her own destiny. Welch sums up his conviction thus: â€Å"Today, I see winning as people defining their objectives and fulfilling them, not being a victim. You define where you want to go, and then you go for it ([emailprotected]) And from the depth of this belief perhaps sprang the secret of his greatness. Starting from the early Eighties, Jack Welch, CEO of the General Electric Corporation, has led his company through one of the most revolutionary and far-reaching changes ever witnessed in modern business history. Having taken GE with a market capitalization of about $12 billion, Jack Welch turned it into one of the largest and most admired companies in the world, with a market value of about $500 billion, when he stepped down as its CEO 20 years later, in 2000. Although Jack Welch was the legendary leader of a global manufacturing giant noted for its technological might and superiority, he has utilized a very human process to drive change through GEs vast organization. He honoured the individual above all, and the humanity of the individual. To him, the individual was the pivotal force in bringing about organizational change. And for the major part of his immensely successful career at the helm of GE he relentlessly embraced change. It was change that made GE businesses leaders in their markets, added profitable, productive businesses to GEs family, and tapped the brains of knowledgeable employees. Welch worked for change, and change worked for him. Jack Welch of course knew how difficult change could be. Nevertheless he viewed change as his only real chance to transform GE into the kind of top-notch competitive enterprise that he wanted it to be. Only through continuously undergoing massive changes, GE could win, and Jack Welch firmly believed in winning. He wanted to be a winner. And winners were not afraid to make changes. However, pursuit of change, empowerment of individuals, and such principles are only part of a broder human-centric principles of successful leadership in which Jack Welch passionately believed in. Welch’s original approach to management and leadership, which proved so successful in transforming GE could be summed up unders six heads: Control your destiny, or someone else will. Welchs first maxim became the title of a semi-autobiographic bestseller that described the revolution at GE. The basic approach that Welch followed to carry out a dramatic revolution at GE was to trust the individual and let him or her believe in their own desitiny. Welsh believed in delegating authority freely, fairly and responsibly, within the company. In a general context, however, while no mere human being can have absolute control over his or her destiny, the point is to take total personal responsibility for one’s own life and actions, and assume intelligent control of the course of things. 2. Face reality as it is, not as it was or as you wish it were. Facing reality is tough. Facing reality means looking directly into suffering, failure, inadequacy of ourselves, others, and the world, something which we human beings are programmed to avoid. When corporations do not face simple realities, however, such as their products costing more to produce and being worthless than those of their competitors, market share and profits drop, the company and its employees suffer. Welch saw all these things happening at GE. Only when we are ready to honestly examine ourselves and acknowledge our shortcomings, will we be able to do anything about them. Acceptance can lead to transformation. 3. Be candid with everyone. Traditional wisdom says that honesty is the best policy. This home-spun truth has great relevance in today’s hyper-modern corporate settings. Welch strove to create an atmosphere at GE where people could effortlessly speak up to somebody in authority, who could then do something about their problems. It is an atmosphere, it is in the air of GE. Welch himself regularly spoke with front-line employees on the plant floor. Welch was equally open to hear both the good and bad things about GE. Honesty, sincerity and candor: they have their own rewards. In a bureaucracy, people are afraid to speak out. This type of environment slows you down, and it doesnt improve the workplace, says Jack Welch. He therefore calls for promoting a corporate culture that appreciates and rewards honest feedback. You reinforce the behaviors that you reward. If you reward candor, youll get it. 4. Dont manage, lead. Welch abhorred a strictly hierarchical type of management built on the concept of control. To Welch, managers should become leaders who show the way to other people by inpsiring and motivating them. Instead of controlling and exploiting workers, leaders should liberate and empower them. Do not push and pull your employees at every opportunity, gently guide them towards greater possibility. Welch’s leadership philosophy continues to be very simple: empower others, ask questions, tap into the potential of all of your associates, choose integrity and candor over charts, graphs, and politics, and spend more time in action instead of planning and posturing budgets. 5. Change before you have to. That is to say, proactivity. One has to be able to look ahead and predict changes that future is going to necessitate. In the context of a business organization, it is far better to change early those things in a company that need to be changed to stay competitive, when there is still plenty of time, rather than forcibly having to change them later when an adverse reality in form of failure and loss thrusts itself in the face of the organization. Welch was fond of yelling across the table at meetings, Change, before its too late! 6. If you dont have a competitive advantage, dont compete. Welch often quoted his business maxim that every division at GE had to be number one or number two or get out of that specific business. In the 1980s, Welch was convinced that inflation would soon become rampant thereby slowing down economic growth. The elimination of the old-line businesses was not going to be an easy job in terms of loss of jobs and lowering of morale that it implied. But Welch had to do what he had to do. The Number 1 or number 2 philosophy – as ruthless as it sounds – had been critical for GE to grow and survive in the modern world.

Analysing The Compatibility Of Islam And Democracy Politics Essay

Analysing The Compatibility Of Islam And Democracy Politics Essay This chapter presents the arguments for and against the compatibility of Islam and democracy, not to Islamic states specifically per se but more to Muslim-majority states as a whole. By doing so, it encompasses the wide range of arguments that scholars have made on the issue and shows clearly what makes it possible for Islam and democracy to be compatible and what does not. Taking these arguments into consideration, this chapter then puts it into context for Islamic states and analyzes if it is possible for them to be democratic without essentially loosing what makes it an Islamic state. The relationship between Islam and democracy, its compatibility and the issue of the democratic deficit in the Muslim world is one that has been put in the spotlight especially after the catastrophe and repercussions of September 11 (Hasan 2007: 10) as well as the sustained potency of Islamic revivalism and the rise in involvement of Islamic movements in electoral politics (Esposito Piscatori 1991: 428). Although not all hope is lost for the Muslim world as there are Muslim-majority states such as Indonesia and Turkey that are recognized as democracies, there is still the problem of the non-existence of democratic Islamic states and that the majority of the Muslim world remains undemocratic. The relationship that Islam and democracy have in the contemporary world and modern-day politics is one that is rather complicated (Esposito Voll 2001). There are many perspectives regarding the coexistence of Islam and democracy. On the one hand, many prominent Islamic intellectuals and groups argue that Islam and democracy are compatible (Esposito Voll 2001). On the other hand, there are others who see the democratization of Islam as a threat, that it may promote an even more virulent anti-Westernism view or others who see the two as inherently antithetical due to the different beliefs that the two promote (Espositio Piscatori 1991: 428). Esposito and Voll present the idea that the Muslim world is not ideological monolithic and therefore presents a broad spectrum of perspectives ranging from the extremes of those who deny a connection between Islam and democracy to those who argue that Islam requires a democratic system (2001). In addition to this, they argue that there are pers pectives that lie in between the two extremes that consist of Muslims in Muslim-majority states who believe that Islam is a support for democracy despite the fact that their political system and governance is not overtly recognized as democratic (Esposito Voll 2001). Having laid out the range of different opinions and stances on the compatibility of Islam and democracy, it is important to note that this chapter will not deal with every single argument present in the ongoing debate of the relationship between Islam and democracy but rather focus on the main substantial points. Khan, in his book Islamic Democratic Discourse, identifies two main schools of thought of Islamic political theory. First there are the political Islamists who advocate the establishment of an Islamic state, an authoritarian and ideological entity whose central concepts are al-Hakimiyyah (the sovereignty of God) and Sharia (the law of God) (Khan 2006: 160). The second school of thought is that of liberal Muslims who advocate an Islamic democracy whose central themes are Shura (consultation) and Sahifat al Madinah (Constitutionalism a la the Compact of Medina) (Khan 2006: 160). It is significant to note that political Islamists do conceive the concept of Shura as a vital comp onent of their Islamic state, but for them consultative governance is not necessary for legitimacy, since legitimacy comes from the enforcement of the Sharia, regardless of the will of the people (Khan 2006: 160). For liberal Muslim scholars, on the other hand, Shura is a paramount and Sharia too must be arrived at through consultative processes and not taken as given (Khan 2006: 160). Therefore, it can be seen that political Islamists, according to Khan, do not see the need for democracy as the legitimacy democracy is meant to give to a states governance and politics is done through the implementation of the Sharia laws. El Fadl argues that for democracy to work inside the framework of Islam and its ideals, it must understand the centrality of Gods sovereignty in Islam and cannot eliminate the element of the Sharia laws as a whole but rather show how it respects and compliments it. However, El Fadls argument is not feasible as it is not possible to enforce Sharia without taking into consideration the will of the people because that already is considered undemocratic. Khan argues that the only way El Fadls Islamic state can be democratic is if the authority of those who interpret the Sharia are dismantled and interpreted by the people themselves (2006: 161). This in turn may jeopardize the quality of Islamic democracy within the state but according to Khan, it is a risk that should be taken for the sake of implementing democracy (2006: 161). Moving on to the second school of thought, liberal Muslims, who believe in an Islamic democracy centred on the ideals of Shura and the Constitution of Medina. Esposito and Picastori argue that Muslim interpretations of democracy build on the well-established concept of Shura (consultation), but place varying emphases on the extent to which the people are able to exercise this duty (1991: 434). They identify a perspective that claims that it is not only the notion of consultation that makes Islam intrinsically democratic, but it is also due to the concepts of ijthihad (independent reasoning) and ijma (consensus) (Esposito Picastori 1991: 434). The Constitution of Medina establishes the importance of consent and cooperation for governance and according to this compact Muslims and non-Muslims are equal citizens of the Islamic state, with identical rights and duties (Khan 2001). Khan argues that according to this constitution, which was the interpretation of the Quran by Prophet Muhamma d, the principles of equality, consensual governance and pluralism are integrated into the Islamic state (2001). He then goes on to point out the difference between Muhammads democratic and tolerant Islamic state to contemporary Muslims such as the Taliban, who interpret the Quran in a completely different and radical way (Khan 2001). Choudry backs up the liberal Muslim perspective by asserting that the fundamentals of democracy are present in Islam: Islam recognizes popular sovereignty, government is based on rule of law, political leaders are elected and accountable to the people and equality of citizens is ensure in the Quran itself (Choudry in Ehteshami 2004: 96). But if this were the case in all Muslim-majority countries, why are there so few democracies in the Muslim world? The answer is simple. Using Khans argument regarding the interpretation of the Quran, it can be argued that the compatibility of Islam and democracy depends on the interpretation of Islamic spiritual scriptures of the Quran by Muslims themselves. Khan argues along identical lines stating that all arguments that advocate Islamic democracies or the compatibility of Islam and democracy take the Quran as a revealed document, whose text is absolute but meanings are open to interpretations (2006: 158). This is a very important piece of informat ion as it highlights the fact that when the Quran is interpreted differently by different Muslims it would result in different understandings of what the Quran encompasses. This would explain why not all Muslim-majority states, Islamic states in particular, are similar in the extent to which Sharia law is implemented in aspects of governance, economics and everyday life. Additionally, Khan uses the theologian perspective to back up liberal Muslim scholars as theologians go to Islamic roots and identify and exemplify those elements that correspond to liberal democratic principles (2006: 158) thus specifically looking for democratic ideals present in Islam. In his book, The Islamic Roots of Democratic Pluralism, theologian Sachedina relies solely on Quranic sources and eschewing other socially constructed discourses, how Islam strongly advocates pluralism (Khan 2006: 158). However, just because Islam promotes pluralism, does not instantly make it democratic. Liberal Muslims and theologians make the mistake of being complacent with the fact that just one or two aspects of democracy are found in Islam, namely Shura and aspects of pluralism, hence automatically making Islam and democracy compatible. If this were the case, democracy would be more prevalent in the Muslim world. Maududi uses the theologian perspective when studying Islam as he also argues that whatever aspect of the Islamic ideology one may like to study, he must, first of all, go to the roots and look at the fundamental principles (1977: 119-120) emphasizing the importance of having to study Islam from the inside out and not just take it at face value. However, Maududi takes a step further than theologians and coins the idea of a theo-democracy, the mixture of theocracy and democracy in Islamic states (1977: 133). According to theo-democracy, God is equally sovereign as the people represented by an elected assembly that is controlled by religious leaders (Maududi in Lane Redissi 2004: 171). Nevertheless, this concept of theo-democracy, as argued by Lane and Redissi, does not fulfil the essential requirement of democracy as the legitimacy of the Mullahs is not derived from the people but from their insight into the Quran (2004: 171). Maududi himself points out that a democratic Islamic stat e would be a fallacy as the sovereignty of God and sovereignty of the people are mutually exclusive and that an Islamic democracy would be the antithesis of secular Western democracy (Maududi in Bukay 2007). The issue of sovereignty of God and the people is what distinguishes Islam and democracy. The two are completely different sets of ideals that cannot be combined together as only one can take precedence over the other, and when this is done, a country either is a democracy or an Islamic state. Going back to the concept of Shura, many scholars use this concept to show that Islam has similar values to those of democracy. Shura can be defined as the obligation for Muslims in managing their political affairs to engage in mutual consultation (Esposito Voll 2001). Lane and Redissi argue that the effort to find the missing link between Islam and modern democracy is focused upon the possibility of finding a link between the concept of consultation Shura and the key institutions of modern democracy the vote and the participation of the people in relation to the religious elite including the caliph (2004: 170). Ahmad uses the Islamist perspective to argue that the Quran allows Muslims to use Shura and the opportunity of Gods vicegerency to select a Muslim ruler based on the free will of the Muslim masses (2002) pointing out the democratic aspects of the Quran when it comes to choosing a ruler. However, it seems that despite the fact that Shura is the so-called democratic compone nt of Islam, majority of the Muslim world are not democratic thus proving that it is easy to correlate the two (Shura and democracy) as similar entities in theory but in practice, it is not enough to ensure a democratic Muslim-majority state, let alone an Islamic state. As Khan puts it: a democratic theory cannot just emerge by itself from a part of a verse (2006: 158). Apart from Khans two main schools of thought, there is another perspective where in which scholars believe that Islam and democracy are intrinsically incompatible. Sivan suggests that Islam has very little to offer in the realm of politics as after Muhammads death, political history was shaped by circumstances Islamic law had little to no say on constitutional matters (Sivan in Ehteshami 2004: 96). According to Sivan, Sharia does not stand a chance of being the superior law of the land when democracy is implemented thus implying that Islamic fundamentals of politics and democracy cannot coexist without one being more superior to the other thus determining whether a state is either Islamic or democratic, they cannot be both. Furthermore, Maududis argument supports that of Sivans as he claims that an Islamic democracy would be the antithesis of secular Western democracy (Maududi in Bukay 2007). Despite the fact that numerous Muslim activists have rejected the concept of democracy as a western import designed to destroy Islam and the Sharia, there are Muslim and non-Muslim scholars alike that strongly argue that there is no contradiction between Islam and democracy (Ehteshami 2004: 94). Ehteshami claims that Muslim teachings and practices of collective debate, consensus, accountability and transparency, if followed properly, will produce Muslim versions of democratic rule (2004: 94). Nevertheless, he argues that if Islam and democracy were to be seen as two different systems, one of the main differences between an Islamic state and a democracy is the sphere of sovereignty, where in a democratic society sovereignty lies with the people, and in an Islamic state it resides in God (2004: 94). Ahmad argues along the same lines as Ehteshami but uses the Islamist approach claiming that a fundamental difference between the Western and Islamist concept of democracy: the sovereignty o f the people vs. the sovereignty of God or the Shariah (2002). That being said, it is not possible to remove the sovereignty of God and the Sharia and move them to the sidelines of politics within an Islamic state with democracy at the top, because when that happens, an Islamic state is no longer an Islamic state for the reason that the core essence of it has been removed and replaced. When put in this context, it is not feasible for an Islamic state to be democratic. Bukay brings up an interesting argument in relation to the compatibility of Islam and democracy. He claims that some Western scholars maintain the Islamist argument that not only are parliamentary democracy and representative elections congruent with Sharia, but that Islam actually encourages democracy (Bukay 2007). Bukay identifies two ways in which these scholars maintain the above claims: either they twist definitions to make them fit the apparatuses of Islamic government terms such as democracy become relative or they bend the reality in Muslim countries to fit their theories (2007). He points out the phrases used by Esposito and his different co-authors such as democracy has many and varied meanings; every culture will mold an independent model of democratic government; and there can develop a religious democracy (Bukay 2007) proving his above statement true. Having exhausted all the prominent arguments in the general sphere of democracy and Muslim-majority countries, this chapter will now put these arguments into the context of Islamic states specifically. The arguments of political Islamists is one of the few realistic argument that keeps what essentially makes Islamic states Islamic as it does not disregard Sharia as unimportant or unnecessary when it comes to the governance of a Muslim country. Rather it argues the point that for democracy to work within an Islamic state, it is the responsibility of democracy to show that it encompasses Islamic ideals rather than the other way around. The liberal Muslim school of thought is also useful in finding the possibility of Islamic states being democratic as they argue from the point of view that the interpretation of the Quran is what is essential. However, no matter how evident it is in theory that there are possibilities of Islamic states becoming democratic, there is no denying that in pra ctice, not a single Islamic state exists. The non-existence of democratic Islamic states raises a number of important questions: Why are there no democratic Islamic states? Why is it possible for Indonesia and Turkey to be democratic but not Pakistan, Iran or Bahrain? Is Islam the sole, main reason why there are no democratic Islamic states? These questions will be answered in the next two chapters as the next chapter focus primarily on specific case studies of Islamic states, namely Pakistan, Iran, Yemen and Bahrain, where as the fourth chapter deals with democratic and semi-democratic Muslim-majority states, such as Indonesia, Turkey, Malaysia and Bangladesh.

Christian Mission to Muslims :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since September 11, the Muslim communities have been under siege by the media and the entire world. We have seen how the miss conceptions of Muslims have spread all over the media. As a Christian I begin to think that they should be treated as normal people. â€Å"When a radical fundamentalist, start a sect with ideas that differ from what the Muslim religion stands for, we begin to stereotype all the Muslims as the same. But when a Christian begins a killing spree a cross the nation, know one stereotypes all the Christians as one.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a Seventh Day Adventists Christian, I believe that we as a church body, we have to reach this people with compassion and understanding, because not all of them are evil like they are shown to be. I believe that ignorance is the root of hatred, an as Christians, we should be like Jesus, understand them, and cater to their needs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To be able to understand the Muslim mind we have to learn their background and how their religion was develop. Is hard to learn when you already have preconceived prejudices about Muslims, but that’s when we have to pray to God for wisdom, understanding, and an open mind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Islam originated in the seventh century A.D. During this time, Islamic scholars were very fluent in the areas of physics, mathematics, chemistry, astronomy, geography and medicine. Muhammed (570-632 A.D.) was the founder of Islam. He became an orphaned at the age of six, when he became a teenager he decided to join the merchants who traded goods from town to town along the caravan routes. He became a master trader for a businesswoman, then married the woman who was a widow.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Muhammed was a man with a lot of spiritual insight, but he became depressed by the commercial greed and the excess of polytheism around him, he spent most of the time in seclusion and meditation. Muslims believe that while Muhammed was meditating in a cave, the archangel Gabriel appeared to him. The vision came to him first in 610 A.D. and thereafter at intervals over the next 22 years, revealing the word of Allah. Muhammed is believed to have been illiterate, for that reasons he dictated the visions to his companions who wrote them down. Then 30n years later the writings were compiled in the Koran. The Koran is the Muslims most holy book. Christian Mission to Muslims :: essays research papers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since September 11, the Muslim communities have been under siege by the media and the entire world. We have seen how the miss conceptions of Muslims have spread all over the media. As a Christian I begin to think that they should be treated as normal people. â€Å"When a radical fundamentalist, start a sect with ideas that differ from what the Muslim religion stands for, we begin to stereotype all the Muslims as the same. But when a Christian begins a killing spree a cross the nation, know one stereotypes all the Christians as one.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a Seventh Day Adventists Christian, I believe that we as a church body, we have to reach this people with compassion and understanding, because not all of them are evil like they are shown to be. I believe that ignorance is the root of hatred, an as Christians, we should be like Jesus, understand them, and cater to their needs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To be able to understand the Muslim mind we have to learn their background and how their religion was develop. Is hard to learn when you already have preconceived prejudices about Muslims, but that’s when we have to pray to God for wisdom, understanding, and an open mind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Islam originated in the seventh century A.D. During this time, Islamic scholars were very fluent in the areas of physics, mathematics, chemistry, astronomy, geography and medicine. Muhammed (570-632 A.D.) was the founder of Islam. He became an orphaned at the age of six, when he became a teenager he decided to join the merchants who traded goods from town to town along the caravan routes. He became a master trader for a businesswoman, then married the woman who was a widow.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Muhammed was a man with a lot of spiritual insight, but he became depressed by the commercial greed and the excess of polytheism around him, he spent most of the time in seclusion and meditation. Muslims believe that while Muhammed was meditating in a cave, the archangel Gabriel appeared to him. The vision came to him first in 610 A.D. and thereafter at intervals over the next 22 years, revealing the word of Allah. Muhammed is believed to have been illiterate, for that reasons he dictated the visions to his companions who wrote them down. Then 30n years later the writings were compiled in the Koran. The Koran is the Muslims most holy book.

Postcolonial Novel Essay

To fully understand Chinua Achebe’s book Things Fall Apart, one must not fall for the idea that there is one main purpose for the novel. Simply stated the story is much too rich and complex for that. The themes of Okonkwo’s life, and the Ibo culture, are twofold: it is the relation of the conflict between an individual and society, and also the description of the conflict between the larger forces of cultures clashing. Support for this dual thesis is overwhelming. To begin with the text itself demands that interpretation. Things Fall Apart clearly begins with a focus directly aimed upon the main character of Okonkwo. It is going to revolve around his life. However, at the very same time, the protagonist is not mentioned even one time early on without being connected simultaneously with thoughts of both his home village and the larger culture of the Ibo people. This cannot be ignored. One could argue that rather than being a larger purpose book Things Fall Apart is just a novel of the life and growth of one man, but this is rather silly and simple. The title of the book puts one right on the path to refuting this, giving context to a larger meaning. It is clearly encouraging one to look at larger ‘things’ as opposed to a person. This is coupled with the basis for the title itself, quoted on the flyleaf: The Yeats’ poem The Second Coming: Turning and turning in a widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world. (Quoted in Things Fall Apart). Therefore given the context of a large chaotic world it would be more than naive to assume a different interpretation, that of a more concentrated work based upon an individual. To best prove the ambivalent statement of purpose about Achebe’s novel it is vital to review critical and popular commentary. This book has struck a highly resonant chord with readers in the fifty years since its first publication. It unabashedly describes an African culture in such a way that the power of the society is shown, and the power of the African individual is also demonstrated. Naturally, all minority groups and oppressed people can find inspiration within the pages. As a result, as may be expected, strong opinions have been catalogued as analysis over time. This paper reviews two such supports for each purpose stated in the thesis. The first part deals with the conflict between individuals and society. The primary source naturally is the book itself. Briefly paraphrased Okonkwo is a well known warrior. He is extremely self centered and important at the beginning of the novel. This has as its roots a severe cynicism regarding the life and experiences of his father Unoka. In a world where the society of Ibo is stronger than the individuals, this lack of respect seeps into Okonkwo’s world. The foible is too much and eventually pits him at odds with his society. Charles H. Rowell held a conversation regarding this aspect of Things Fall Apart with the author himself. What resulted was a fine understanding and awareness of this thesis through the words of Achebe. One example of his thought process and the workings of the story of Okonkwo on a personal level is this answer. â€Å"People are expecting from literature serious comment on their lives. They are not expecting frivolity† (250). Or as Rowell comments, the creation of Achebe’s stories such as Okonkwo’s are not made just to entertain. They are to connect with readers about their own experiences and then instruct them from there. Rowell’s interview shows an awareness of the importance of the social story. His questions aim to reveal this oft overlooked aspect of writings such as Things Fall Apart. It is tempting, he relates to merely dismiss (if this is even fair wording) the book as commenting only on the larger theme of Ibo society and what happens when an established social realm is invaded by foreigners. Instead he and Achebe through the discussion point to the power of a narrative surrounding the conflict that one can have on a smaller, more concentrated level: the conflict that occurs when one runs counter to their own society’s expectations. When Okonkwo becomes too heavily involved on a personal level with the sacrifice of the neighboring Mbaino culture, he runs into direct opposition to the world directly around him. That and his character traits create early conflict and show to the world a story based upon that – an important revelation to readers across the spectrum that may find themselves sometimes in this predicament. The biography of Achebe by Ezenwa-Ohaeto reveals this purpose to be true as well. And this comes from a treatment of just where Achebe was in his own personal life and the moods and hopes that he possessed while writing the book. He was working as a controller at the time in Eastern Region when he first began attempting to introduce Things Fall Apart to the publishing world. At this time, he ran into the sort of direct conflict with his own society, ironically, that he would develop in the story of Okonkwo. There was great objection to a book about Africans by Africans at the time. The 1950s were not exactly a compassionate moment for the words of Africans. Independence was on the horizon for many countries, but there was also a great deal of fear. This desire of many to not rock the boat, so to speak, put those who would speak out in a path of intersection with their own society (65). This only encouraged Achebe to produce a vision of that for his protagonist. There must be the strong character trait in one that wishes to change his social culture for the better, he reflects in his novel. The experience of Okonkwo is the experience of an individual in conflict with his society and the results that may come, unexpected or not, from that. The second section concerns itself with the conflict inherent when two cultures clash. This is the broader perspective, necessarily, compared to the experience of the individual. This also is the more basic and popular understanding of the novel. It is very easy to see all of the reasons why. Again, a look at the primary source of the novel is the starting point for any discussion. Commentary on the book will never quite serve the reader as well as the book itself. And what does it indicate? Most of the second section of the story is examining what happened to the Ibo people and their culture when the white culture insidiously worked their way into it. It broke the home culture into pieces. Things did, indeed fall apart. Consider this quote directly from the book: If we fight the stranger we shall hit our brothers and perhaps shed the book of a clansman. But we must do it. Our fathers never dreamed of such a thing, they never killed their brothers. But a white man never came to them. So we must do what our fathers would never have done. (Achebe 203). There is no better analysis of this second theme of Achebe’s work. Two cultures clash. Chaos results. And yet that is only the superficial layer of the problem, as this quote clearly shows. The problem that occurs when cultures come into contact and then conflict with each other is the assimilation effect. There will always be faction that fall prey to the invaders and their attractive ideas. Sometimes that is enough for them to forget the values of their peoples. This conflict then with their own home society can cause open resentment and actual warfare. Then the culture falls into shambles even worse as shared societal values are discarded. In the end there are not only two social cultures left: the home and the invaders. There are three: the home culture, the invaders, and the home culture that is infected by the invaders. None of them are true allies and only further conflict can be expected. Chapter three of John Ball’s book Satire and the Postcolonial Novel (79-114) examines this issue and the breakdown that results from it. He takes the even larger view that is used often as well when looking at the clashing of the Ibo with the whites that have come into their world. He reviews this setting of Things Fall Apart to be a criticism and revelation of the greater issues of colonialism in Africa (and other parts of the world, for that matter) as seen through one African author’s eyes. Rather than look too thoroughly at the early parts of the novel, he focuses rather on the part of the book in which the two cultures come into contact. This is the point of departure for this second theme. It is accurate to say that most of the pages from that spot and onward deal with this cultural clashing issue. I think, too, that it is accurate that this does work as a satire. That is to say that I fully believe that Achebe is trying to achieve this effect. Only too well did he personally understand what happens when two completely variant cultures meet. His hope and the hope of the Africans around him was that if treated peacefully, the foreign culture would come in and only benefit them, but he also saw the harsher side of the realities. This is how Things Fall Apart deals with the situation. Ball is not the only one who could see this expression in the novel and in other works by Achebe. It is a strong defense of the idea that one of the two main themes of the book is that of what happens when two cultures clash. A final proof would use is Isidore Okpewho’s commentary on Achebe in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart: A Casebook. She sees too this problem with assimilation, cultural conflict and resultant expectations. These are all the values and stories of Things Fall Apart. Seen from the outside she has several comments and thoughts about how these topics are addressed by connecting them to the outside world at the time of the writing. She describes the authorship of this book as being a â€Å"succession of forces controlling his [Achebe’s] development as a writer† (5). This is a great assessment. It sets the stage for understanding the direction of his landmark work Things Fall Apart. It is indeed this stage that the book concerns itself with. There is a succession of forces, to use Okpewho’s words, that are acting upon the Ibo culture. These control the development of the world of that African region and create mass conflict between the two cultures. The assimilation effects, she continues, were strongest in the Ibo part of the world. This is accurately reflected, too, in the sinister ways in which the foreigners crept in with their influences. That is the warning cry of Okonkwo with the text. He sees that the policy of indirect rule is only designed to place one group of people into opposition with another group of their own people. This splinters and fragments the strength of the initial cultures. It created enemies where there weren’t any other, as reflected in the quote concerning the killing of brethren, used above. This was the white way. It is no surprise then, that this theme would find its way so strongly into Things Fall Apart. The topic is addressed as a cautionary tale. Achebe had already seen this happen in his own world. He saw the sad results. He knew how destructive the penetration of home cultures could be. All of these can be found in Part Three of the book. â€Å"It is already too late,† said Obierika sadly. â€Å"Our own men and our sons have joined the ranks of the stranger. They have joined his religion and they help to uphold his government† (176). It is the despondent tone of the theme describing the clash of cultures. All of the above commentary from several sources, combined with a close and analytical reading of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart reveals the thesis to be strongly supported. Of the novel’s purpose, two things then are true: it aim to relate an expression of conflict between an individual and society, while concurrently exploring the description of conflicts resulting from the larger forces of cultures clashing. References Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor Books, 1994. Print. Ball, John C. Satire & the Postcolonial Novel: V. S. Naipaul, Chinua Achebe, Salman Rushdie. New York: Routledge, 2003. 79-114. Print. Ohaeto, Ezenwa. Chinua Achebe: A Biography. Oxford: James Currey, 1997. Print. Okpewho, Isidore, Ed. Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart: A Casebook. Oxford: UP, 2003. Print. Rowell, Charles H. â€Å"An Interview with Chinua Achebe. † Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart: A Casebook. Ed. Isidore Okpewho. Oxford: UP, 2003. 249-272. Print. Conversations with Chinua Achebe. Ed. Bernth Lindfors. Jackson, MS: UP, 1997. Print.