Nursing Organizational change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Nursing Organizational change - Essay Example That is until the recent economic down turn. Comanche has a couple of major problems at this time, that will require major change. They are running in the red like many hospitals but this has not happened to them before and they have a very traditional history and the Senior team is older and very traditional in their approaches. This is also true of the second layer or Senior Directors. They have had one lay off this year and the new fiscal year began in July. The end o July figures showed that they were in the black by $134,000. Some of the middle level directors and managers have been replaced by attrition by more forward thinking staff. However, most of them have been there a year and there has been little change and these new leaders are becoming very frustrated. This paper will discuss the change needed at Comanche Regional Hospital Kotter (1996) tells us that there are eight stages of change. Those stages are establishing a sense of urgency, creating the guiding coalition, developing a vision and strategy, communicating the change vision, empowering a broad base of people to take action, generating short-term wins, consolidating gains, and producing even more change and institutionalizing the new approaches in the culture. The change initiative that will need to go through these stages is a reduction of length of stay which will improve hospital throughput. There are many issues related to length of stay so for the sake of a shorter paper, discharging patients by noon will be chosen. Establishing a sense of urgency is the first of the eight stages of change that are proposed by Kotter (1996). For Comanche Memorial Hospital, this will not be a simple task. This is a group of senior leaders that just does not get riled up about most things. . This has filtered down through the rest of the organization and has created a sense of complacency. The CFO in this case understands the need for the change so the initial plan here would be to illicit his help in putting together some realistic but important numbers together to show what can be gained by improving this process. Convincing of the whole administrative group is crucial (Kotter, 2008). only then can we proceed. This same process will then need to go to the director level and an incentive program here will work very well to establish urgency. Creating a guiding coalition in this case should be happening with the creation of the first sense of urgency. Many times, according to Kotter (1996), the guiding coalition is given credit to one person but in the case of this hospital, that guiding coalition must be the C suite and the Senior Directors. They must be convinced and added to this group are the informal leaders of patient care. This group must be credible though and must contain people who are movers because to have a stagnant committee will only teach the lesson that complacency is OK after all when the lesson needs to be, the train in moving on, get aboard. This coalition must have four kinds of power to be successful. Those include position power which means that there are enough of the key players on board to make a difference (pg. 57), and expertise which is that there are people in the group that have experience relevant to the problem. Credibility is high only if the

Assessment Base Reading Instruciton Case Study Essay Example for Free

Assessment Base Reading Instruciton Case Study Essay Table of Contents Introduction Description of the Student Background Information PART 1: Administration of Assessments DIBELS: A Universal Assessment Battery Description and Purpose of the Assessment Setting for the Assessment Description of the Assessment Administration Process Results of the Assessment Analysis of the Assessment Results Running Records Description and Purpose of the Assessment The running record allows you to record the child’s reading behavior as he or she reads from the book. The purpose of a running record is a tool used to determine word recognition reading fluency reading strategies, self- corrections, and comprehension. It is an individually conducted formative assessment which is ongoing and curriculum based. It provides a graphic  representation of a students oral reading, identifying patterns of effective and ineffective strategy use. This method was developed by Marie Clay, the originator of Reading Recovery. Running records helps document reading progress over time. Help teachers decide what students need to learn and matches students to appropriate books. We want to capture all the behaviors to help interpret what the child was probably doing. Everything the child says and does tells us something: when the reading is correct, what his hands and eyes were doing, the comments he made and when he repeated a line of text. Setting for the Assessment Library setting, after school. This was the only time available. Description of the Assessment Administration Process Select a book that is the child’s reading level. Explain to the child that he or she will read out loud as you observe and record his or her reading behavior. Sit next to the child so that you can see the text and the child’s finger and eye movements as he or she reads the text. Use running record form. As the child reads, mark each word on the running record form by using the symbols on the chart that follows. Place a check mark above each word that is read correctly. If the child reads incorrectly, record above the word what the child reads. If the child is reading too fast for you to record the running record, ask him or her to pause until you catch up. Intervene as little as possible while the child is reading. If the child is stuck and unable to continue, wait 5 to10 seconds and tell him or her the word. If the child seems confused, indicate the point of confusion and say, â€Å"Try again.† Results of the Assessment Student read 156 words at 98% accuracy. She had 3 errors and 2 self corrects. She missed boredom, I told her the word. She changed plan for idea, setting, characters, and beginning. She had trouble with middle and end. She did know the main idea but could not list supporting details. I would move this student to a higher level text. This text was easy for the student. Analysis of the Assessment Results Student read 156 words at 98% accuracy. She had 3 errors and 2 self corrects. She missed boredom, I told her the word. She changed plan for idea, setting, characters, and beginning. She had trouble with middle and end. She did know the main idea but could not list supporting details. This student needs practice in retelling story in sequence. She had issues with middle and end. I think she was going for a fluency score and read too fast. She had problems orally retelling middle and end. This level is an appropriate level for this student. I will use the results to plan for this student. Teaching purposes for running records. To find a book level appropriate for a child. Check a child after a series of lessons. Evaluate whether a lift in text level is appropriate. Observe particular difficulties in particular children in order to modify instructional emphasis. Evaluate in order to place a child in an appropriate instructional group, class or school. Add to a record which is monitoring an individual’s progress over time. Reading Inventory Description and Purpose of the Assessment Setting for the Assessment Description of the Assessment Administration Process Results of the Assessment Analysis of the Assessment Results Additional Diagnostic Assessment: Learner Choice Description and Purpose of the Assessment Setting for the Assessment Description of the Assessment Administration Process Results of the Assessment Analysis of the Assessment Results Overall Analysis of Assessment Results PART 2: Recommendations for Interventions and Instruction Identifying Student Needs Recommendations for Interventions and Instruction Recommendations for Further Assessment References Appendices Appendix A: DIBELS Scoring Documents Appendix B: Running Records Scoring Documents Appendix C: Reading Inventory Documents Appendix D: Additional Assessment Documents

The impact of culture on women entrepreneurship

The impact of culture on women entrepreneurship The author has been involved from the age of thirteen years old in business enterprise both Small and Medium Enterprises (SME). The author comes from a business orientated family and spent her working life both in family business and private capacity. This made the author believes that one of the most important issues that the women entrepreneur experiences in this business sector is culture challenges. The author believes that women entrepreneurship has got many opportunities but the impact of culture challenges these opportunities in particular if we compare UK and Sub-Saharan women entrepreneurship. Considering entrepreneurship sector it has long been considered an important factor for socioeconomic growth and development because it provides millions of job opportunities, offers a variety of consumer goods and services, and generally increases national prosperity and competitiveness (Zahra, 1999). Although in recent years women have been included in a number of studies on entrepreneurship, however, there has been little focus on challenging traditional definitions of entrepreneurship or on developing new methods to collect information on entrepreneurship (Moore 1990, p.278; Stevenson 1990, p.442; Moore and Buttner 1997). The entrepreneurship literature has increasingly acknowledged the desire by women to be economically independent and their role and contribution as female entrepreneurs in shaping the labour market (Goffee Scase, 1985). Entrepreneurship or self-employment normally involves setting up a new business or buying an existing business. Gartner, (1988) defines entrepreneurship as the behaviours associated with performing entrepreneurial activities (i.e. what an entrepreneur does rather than on whom the entrepreneur is). The entrepreneur environment is surrounding by many societal factors such as cultural, economic, political and social forces. These factors can join together to create threats or opportunities where entrepreneur operates. Despite the presence of a favourable environment, individuals who are motivated by factors such as financial rewards, achievement, social, career, and individual fulfilment, for these conditions or motives to encourage into entrepreneurship a national culture supports and encourages entrepreneurial activity is needed. Berger, (1991), points out that individuals personalities and behaviours, firms, political/legal systems, economic conditions, and social traditions are all intertwined with the national culture from which they originate. Hence, the study of entrepreneurship on a cultural basis seems appropriate. Furthermore, taking women themselves as subjects for analysis and comparison three levels of similarity or difference should be considered. First, no matter w here women live, they experience similar types of role complexity, especially when combining the roles of working mother and wife. Second, no matter where women live, they encounter similar problems when trying to get started as entrepreneurs or when trying to expand their business activities. Third, in contrast to male entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurs face unique challenges arising from the local environment in which they must operate. It is these differences arising from the specific social and cultural environments in which WEs operates that are the subject of investigation in this study as well as the differences between women themselves, their roles or their personal experiences. Consequently, this study takes the cultural approach to study the women entrepreneurs in sub-Saharan Africa compared to the U.K by examining factors in the environments in which Women Entrepreneurs (WEs) operate. The goal is to understand better how cultural barriers of many types impact the efforts of WEs. In order to address these gender-particular problems, social cultural is suggested to cover two goals: Addressing the changing social beliefs, attitudes and behaviours that negatively affect women entrepreneurs. The ways of improving conditions in institutional systems and environments in the women entrepreneurs The research questions The extant entrepreneurial literature has certainly increased our understanding of entrepreneurs and the gender dynamics of entrepreneurship, a key concern is the tendency for typical studies to focus on entrepreneurship issues in Western developed economies to the neglect of developing .If entrepreneurship is accepted as a key driver of economic growth and an essential component of national development, then a better understanding is needed of those factors which promote or inhibit womens entrepreneurship in the U.K and sub-Saharan Africa. Two questions are of principal interest in this study: Under what conditions do women become entrepreneurs in the U.K and sub-Saharan Africa? What types of cultural and environmental barriers must they face and overcome? The next section explains the methodology. We then present and discuss the findings and argue that while many challenges identified are common in this sector they are experienced differentially and are strongly influenced by the nature of the cultural values in context. Keywords: women entrepreneurs; sub-Saharan Africa; U.K, cultural environment The research methodology In order to understand the nature of WEs experience in the U.K and sub-Saharan Africa, it is necessary first to understand the socio-economic and cultural context in which they live and work. The present study is exploratory in nature. The study was carried out in the U.K with selecting women entrepreneurs doing different types of business. The study covered two types of participants women entrepreneurs from the U.K and others women entrepreneurs who originally came from Sub Saharan African countries settled and started a business in the U.K. The combination of the selected groups gives different business cultures. Our goal is to demonstrate both similarities and differences in the experiences of WEs trying to operate their own business. The data for the study was collected from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data was collected from selected women entrepreneurs through formal interviews. The participants from the Sub Saharan Africa were selected on a convenience basis to represent Somali, Ethiopian, Eritreans, and Ugandans. The reasons that made the researcher to perform samples interviews from both participants are the limited timescale for the researcher as well as the availability of these women in entrepreneur business in the U.K. Secondary data was collected from published data in books, journals, magazines report and newspapers. In trying to assemble relevant statistical data from secondary sources for this profile, the researcher encountered considerable difficulties with incomplete, out-of-date, or missing data. Even in publications produced by Department for Business innovation and Skills (BIS), banking system such as Nat west, in the U.K and leading international agencies such as the World Bank, UNESCO (2011), UN, and the CIA (2011), statistics proved to be inadequate for the purposes of this study. The next section presents the relation between the gender and the entrepreneur. Gender and the Entrepreneurial Career Choice The literature described the term entrepreneur with a particular emphasis on the view of the nature and purpose of entrepreneurial activities. Thus, an entrepreneur is defined as one who undertakes a commercial enterprise and who is an organisational creator and innovator (Gartner, 1990; 2004). Theoretically entrepreneur includes elements of smallness, competition, deregulation, innovation and risk (Verheul Thurik, 2000). Considering these features an entrepreneur historically assumed to be male (Green and Cohen 1995, p.299; Beggs et al.1994). However, Winn, (2005) stated that entrepreneur is the one who prospects for or exploits opportunities and who has a tenacity to face challenges. Whereas, Krueger and Brazeal (1994) described entrepreneurship as gender neutral who perceive themselves as pursuing opportunities irrespective of existing resources. This definition is in line with affirmation of Buttner and Moores (1997) that the entrepreneurship is a gender-blind career choice. Alt hough this assertion is theoretically true, in practice gender and environment act together to confirm the success or failure of women as entrepreneurs. Studies report that women entrepreneurs differ from men in terms of their motivations, the types of external barriers that they face, and the type of help available to women (Buttner and Moore 1997; Mattis 2004; Woldie and Adersua 2004). Cromie (1987) compares womens and mens reasons for forming businesses on 13 different criteria and notes that women are less preoccupied than men with economic gain, and more often cite child-rearing demands and career dissatisfaction as reasons for business formation. In a similar way, Hisrich (1989) summarises the comparisons that have been made between female and male business owners in terms of motivation, source of funds, occupational background, and reasons for occupational departure, personality, background, support group and type of business. Other studies similarly compare the motivation of female and male entrepreneurs (Cromie 1987; Birley 1989) and management styles in women-owned and men-owned enterprises (Chaganti 1986). Accordingly, the literature points to a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic factors that might influence women to choose an entrepreneurial career. Intrinsic factors include the persons personality or traits such as having a proactive, assertive personality, being self-governed and positive (Akrivos et al., 2007, Mordi, et, al., 2010). In this respect, female entrepreneurs have been found to be less oriented to financial reward than men (Rosa et al, 1996), valuing work satisfaction and challenge, and to hold androgynous or masculine self perceptions (Brodsky, 1993) such as confidence, a sense of adventure and risk taking. Extrinsic factors include family circumstances and family orientation, the influence of socio-cultural factors, the political-economic climate surrounding the business environment and dominant features of human resources within the labour market (Ituma Simpson, 2007). The aspiration to own and manage a business might stem from a desire to be self-sufficient, to gain personal satisfaction and esteem as well as a desire for more opportunities and flexibility than exists for women in the employed labour market (Carter, 2000; Winn 2004, 2005; Carter and Cannon, 1992). This quest for autonomy and flexibility may be particularly relevant for those women with caring responsibilities (Carter, 2000; Hewlett, 2002) who accordingly seek to combine work and non-work activities (Mordi, et, el., 2010). Using these comparisons and to develop a form of typical female entrepreneur the factors that describe the differences between the male and female entrepreneur can include women and men are socialized differently and as a result have different orientations especially when it comes to business; as women face certain structural and cultural barriers rather than men and finally women have distinctive ways of conducting and managing their own business (Amine Staub, 2009). Carter (2000) points out; women are not disadvantaged in the world of self employment because of their lack of mental, physical, educational and other kinds of abilities, but as a result of gendered categorisations. These categorizations have close links to other variables, such as cultural values, family commitment, lack of business capital and credit facilities that can act as limitations to the female entrepreneur (Mordi, et, al., 2010). Taking these differences there is anecdotal evidence that cultural beliefs about gender and entrepreneurship have consequences for women entrepreneurs. For example, women entrepreneurs frequently reported that perceived lack of credibility by investors due to their gender disadvantages them in their searches for credit (Moore and Buttner 1997; Carter and Cannon 1992). Kiggundu (2002) reported that most successful African entrepreneurs are male, middle-aged, married with a number of children, and are more educated than the general population. Staub and Amine (2006) argue that many women in sub-Saharan Africa are ready to go as entrepreneurs, if only environmental conditions are more favourable to their efforts. Consequently, theory suggests that gender stereotypes may systematically disadvantage women entrepreneurs as few studies have investigated the extent to which cultural beliefs about gender might impact men and women in the initial decision-making process of choosing to start a business in the first place (Heilman and Chen 2003). This gender carrier choice review highlights the significance and value of some of the cultural and environmental factors which is the focus of this study. To deepen our understanding for these factors the next section will present more cultural motivations and types of women entrepreneurs. Types and motives of Women Entrepreneurs Definitions of the term entrepreneur tend to assume and emphasise a particular view of the nature and purpose of entrepreneurial activities. Goffee and Scase (1985) distinguish between four types of female entrepreneurs (conventional, innovative, domestic and radical). Goffee and Scase (1985) argue that Conventional businesswomen are highly committed both to entrepreneurship ideals and to the conventional gender role for women. These women accept the fact that they have to work long hours to fulfil both their domestic and entrepreneurial roles. Goffee and Scase note that conventional businesswomen run their business in ways which are compatible with their domestic obligations and do not require family members to undertake additional tasks. Goffee and scase (1985, p.96) suggest that these women do not see the need for restructuring of gender relationship. However Innovative entrepreneurs, by contrast, are committed to entrepreneurship ideals but not to the conventional gender roles. D omestic businesswomen do not uphold entrepreneurship ideals but are committed to conventional gender roles. Radical proprietors have low commitment to both entrepreneurship ideals and to conventional gender roles. Through this framework, Goffee and Scase (1985) are able to explain some of the differences in whose willingness to compromise with the male business world and to sacrifice personal and family relationships for the sake of their enterprises enables them to overcome many of the obstacles which many women face'(ibid.,p.142). To be precise, innovators women entrepreneurs are likely to be booming entrepreneurs in so far as they imitate the male work norm. Considering these types of women entrepreneur Birley (1989, p.37) argues that profile of women entrepreneur in the future will continue to move closer to that of their male counterparts. To achieve this stage women entrepreneurs need certain motives to encourage them to be in business. Scholars emphasised different motives for entrepreneurs as general the most notably economist Cantillon and Marx who pointed out that profit maybe one motive of entrepreneur business. Furthermore, the entrepreneur may be driven not only by economic motives but also by psychological motives like the desire to innovate and create new products (Schumpeter, 1934). The desire to take risk and a spirit of adventure may be another (Knight, 1921). Moreover some entrepreneurs have greater access to information or knowledge and wish to exploit that advantage (Kirzner, 1973). However, the positive reasons alone may not motivate entrepreneurship as some individuals may have no other option but to choose self- employment (Basu Altinay, 2002). (references in london articles) Krueger and Brazeal (1994, p.101) asserted that favourable environmental conditions such as support from political, social, and business leaders and a team spirit in the community effectively encourage entrepreneurship among both men and women. Social support from family and friends who provide positive role models, as well as from parents who promote entrepreneurial aspirations during childhood, all contribute to create positive environmental conditions favouring womens entrepreneurship. In contrast, (Mordi, et, al., 2010) argue that lack of access to seed funds and working capital are two environmental factors that particularly discourage women entrepreneurs. It is clear that motivations of women entrepreneurs based to some extent on the gender beliefs. Thus in the next section the relation between the gender beliefs and entrepreneurship will be discussed. Gender Beliefs and Entrepreneurship This section presents the shared cultural belief about genders by prescribing different expectations of competence for women and men or gender status beliefs in the area of entrepreneurship. Then analyze the implications of those beliefs for womens as entrepreneur business choice. It is reported that women often perceive they lack credibility because of their gender when they seek funding (Carter and Cannon 1992; Moore and Buttner 1997; Smallbone et.al. 2000). To discuss this sociologists increasingly understand gender as a multilevel structure, which includes cultural beliefs and distributions of resources at the macro level, patterns of behavior at the interactional level, and roles and identities at the micro level (Ferree, Lorber, and Hess 1999; Ridgeway and Correll 2004; Risman 1998) (Reference- baud2010.SPQ.snap article). The influence of culture on entrepreneurship was first emphasised by Max Weber at the beginning of this century. As Weber (1976) famously argued, Protestantism encouraged a culture that emphasised individualism, achievement motivation, legitimation of entrepreneurial vocations, rationality, asceticism, and self-reliance. Based on that Hoftstede (1991, p.5) defines culture as a collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another. In this sense Hoftstede (1991) regards culture as a collective phenomenon that is shaped by individuals social environment, not their genes. In this way he defines culture a set of shared values, beliefs and norms of a group or community. Basu Altinay, (2002) argue that these cultural values and norms will either converge or conflict with a societys ability to develop a strong entrepreneur orientation. For example, thinking about a new business ventures means confronting a great deal of uncertain ty. Moreover, in the development of new ideas, entrepreneurs have to make their own decisions in setting where there are few, if any, historical trends, and relatively little direct information (Basu Altinay, 2002). Accordingly, Hofstedes in his research shows that national culture affects workplace values across a range of countries. Basu Altinay (2002) views the cultural differences result from national, regional, ethnic, social class, religious, gender, and language variations. Hence, values are held to be a crucial feature of culture and cultural uniqueness. Consequently, Berger (1991) argues that any modernisation in countries must include cultural transformation. As such, entrepreneurship develops from the Bottom up such that culture gives rise to entrepreneurial potential. Thus, Bergers stated that it is culture that serves as the conductor, and the conductor, and the entrepreneur as the catalyst (to entrepreneurship) (Berger 1991, p.122). To widen our understanding to the effect of culture on the women entrepreneurs it seems necessary to take some examples on this field. In the United Kingdom, notably in the East Midlands (Nottingham and Leicester) Somali women have challenged the male-dominated perception which portrays women as housewives with little contribution to the public arena. Study by Hassan (2002) reveals how Somali women in the UK rejected their traditional culture that gives husbands authority over their wives. A traditional power relation at the household level that allows husbands to control their wives is no longer accepted in the UK. A Somali woman narrates Men should learn how to cook, do the laundry and change the nappies (Hassan 2002), a new male role which used to be a female role in Somali. This led to an increase in marriage breakdown. However, women have become shapers of their lives. On the other hand men seem not happy with the new culture that they need to understand and to response to posit ively. They put religion to stop women taking new roles. Men are using religion as a scapegoat when they say that women are abandoning Islam. This is the way this country is, and we should adapt to it, said a female interviewee (Hassan 2002). In the city of London Ethiopian and Eritrean women have improved their entrepreneur skills and become engaged in different small business activities such as restaurants and cafes to generate income to help them to support themselves and to improve their living standard as well as to send remittances to their families and communities in their homeland. Thus, challenging the economic exclusion is that many women in Diaspora are exposed to and also giving them financial independence and economic power. Moreover, gaining economic power could lead to decision-making power at household level. Thus, challenging the patriarchal system that perpetuates males domination. In a study comparing indigenous African entrepreneurs to entrepreneurs of European and Indian descent operating in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, Ramachandran and Shah (1999) found significant differences between sample members. Differences were seen in their education, networks, and business growth rates, with entrepre neurs of European or Indian descent having more formal education and better business networks. Despite the considerable progress many countries have achieved in developing their economies, entrepreneurial activity remains relatively limited in many these nations (Berger 1991) Cultural Challenges of Women Entrepreneur The literature showed that women entrepreneur businesses are generally smaller, grow more slowly, and are less profitable (Fasci Valdez, 1998; Hisrish Brush, 1984; Kalleberg Leicht, 1991; Rosa Hamilton, 1994). Buttner and Rosen (1988) similarly found that American loan officers rated women as significantly less like successful entrepreneurs on the dimensions of leadership, autonomy, risk taking, readiness for change, endurance, lack of emotionalism, and low need for support when compared to equivalent men. More generally, scholars have argued that entrepreneurship is an activity that involves a sense of dominance tied to notions of masculinity within modern capitalist cultures (Bruni, Gherardi, and Poggio 2004; Connell 1995; Mirchandani 1999). A number of theorists attempt to identify barriers which female business owners face. These theorists focus on the social structures, which support gender differences. Several authors maintain that research on women entrepreneurs suffers from a number of shortcomings. These include a one-sided empirical focus (Gatewood, Carter, Brush, Greene, Hart, 2003), a lack of theoretical grounding (Brush, 1992), the neglect of structural, historical, and cultural factors (Chell Baines, 1998; Nutek, 1996), the use of male-gendered measuring instruments (Moore, 1990; Stevenson, 1990), the absence of a power perspective, and the lack of explicit feminist analysis (Mirchandani, 1999; Ogbor, 2000; Reed, 1996). Loscocco et al. (1991), for example, examine why women-owned businesses are typically less financially successful than businesses owned by men. They argue that womens lack of industry experience and family situation (in particular responsibility for childcare) explain part of the difference in income. Other reasons include the fact that women-owned businesses are typically small in size and are concentrated in poorly paid sectors of employment. Other barriers are identified by Aldrich who studies entrepreneurial networking and notes that women tend to form larger numbers of strong ties; this over-investment in the maintenance of networks can translate into business disadvantage as a woman entrepreneur risks spending much of her time on relationship matters rather than business ones (1989, p.121). Woldie and Adersua (2004) reported that aspiring WEs face additional barriers to success arising from negative social attitudes. Prejudice against WEs is experienced much more severely in Africa than in developed Western nations, arising from deeply-rooted, discriminatory cultural values, attitudes, practices, and the traditions of patriarchal cultures. Local prejudice is expressed through differential attitudes toward women in general, and through different standards and expectations for womens social behaviour in particular. While social attitudes are not the only factors hindering womens entrepreneurship, they are recognized by Gartner (1985) as critical factors. Lack of educational opportunities for girls throughout sub-Saharan Africa puts women at a tremendous disadvantage in adult life. Not only are they unable to improve their own intellectual and social abilities through education, they also suffer from social subservience and an inability to engage in business on an equal footing with men. Inadequate education leaves women ill-equipped to resist normative pressures from society for them to conform to traditional social role expectations for division of labour. Educational deficits also make it difficult for women to counter pressure by their husbands and family members to conform to social norms. In Muslim communities of sub-Saharan Africa (such as in Nigeria), it is not considered socially right or proper for a woman to work outside the home or to own her own business. It is feared that a married womans access to an independent source of income will change traditional roles in the family, undermine patriarchal domestic relations, and affect the balance of power within the household, potentially leading to divorce and the possibility of self-determination. Socially constructed meanings may interpret the fact of a married woman working for pay outside the home as deriving directly from a mans inability to control his wife or to provide adequately for his family without her assistance. Fearing such a loss of control, personal honour or social standing, many men simply refuse to allow their wives to start or operate their own businesses. An even greater threat is the social stigma that might attach to a man if his wife is seen to be more successful than he is (Njeru and Njoka 2001). Such deep social embarrassment and dishonour of the family name are deemed intolerable outcomes in many cultures of the world, not just in Africa. (See, for example, studies of the social impact on families of womens employment in the maquiladora factories along the US-Mexican border over the last 30 years [American Friends Service Committee AFSC 2006].) While such fears are grounded in traditional socio-cultural beliefs, attitudinal change can be accomplished through education of both men and women, allowing women to achieve self-determination and men to enjoy a more prosperous family life with their wives financial contribution to the household. Recommendations on how to bring about this type of change in attitudes towards women, work and independent enterprise will be addressed in a later section on social marketing. Some type of problem or proposed shortcomings of women. Women are discussed as: (the references on articles on women) Having a psychological makeup that is less entrepreneurial or at least different from that of a mans (Fagenson, 1993; Neider, 1987; Sexton Bowman-Upton, 1990; Zapalska, 1997) Having less motivation for entrepreneurship or for growth of their businesses (Buttner Moore, 1997; Fischer et al., 1993) Having insufficient education or experience (Boden Nucci, 2000) Having less desire to start a business (Carter Allen, 1997; Kourilsky Walstad, 1998; Matthews Moser, 1996; Scherer et al., 1990) Being risk averse (Masters Meier, 1988) Having unique start-up difficulties or training needs (Birley et al., 1987; Nelson, 1987; Pellegrino Reece, 1982) Using less than optimal or perhaps feminine management practices or strategies (Carter et al., 1997; Chaganti, 1986; Cuba et al., 1983; Olson Currie, 1992; Van Auken et al., 1994) Behaving irrationally by turning to unqualified family members for help (Nelson, 1989) Not networking optimally (Aldrich et al., 1989; Cromie Birley, 1992; Katz Williams, 1997; Smeltzer Fann, 1989) Perceiving other women as less cut for the role of entrepreneurship (Fagenson Marcus, 1991) Attributing loan denials to gender bias instead of flaws in the business plan (Buttner Rosen, 1992) The Africans we interviewed display an impressive confidence in their entrepreneurial ability. Insert your interview quotation here Women entrepreneurship problems explanation Hisrich outlines the central problems faced by women entrepreneur and develops prescription for (their) success (1989, p3). These prescription include the need for women to gain experience in financial management by taking loans and managing family finances, obtain occupational experience in middle management, study engineering, science, technical or business-related subjects, learn to prioritize between organizational and family responsibilities, and develop support systems and mentors. According to Hisrich suggests that women need to develop a girls network (1989,p.280 to parallel theold boyss network, and to learn to delegate business or family responsibilities to others when necessary.) Aldrick argues that women need to increase their network diversity by adopting, like male entrepreneurs, an assertive and instrumental orientation to personal networks (1989,p.128). Goffee and Scase argue that real potential for the growth of small business (1985,p.142) lies with women who have a low attachment to conventional gender roles, such as the innovators whose willingness to compromise with the male business world and to sacrifice personal and family relationships for the sake of their enterprises enables them to overcome many of the obstacles. Recommendation and conclusion This study allows us to make several points about the impact of culture on women entrepreneur. This review of the literature on women entrepreneurship and gender presents a complex picture of critical environmental barriers, social challenges and practical problems that men, and more particularly women, must overcome, if they want to become entrepreneurs or expand their small businesses. In sum, this study supports the theory that cultural beliefs about gender and entrepreneurship play a key role in determining who becomes an entrepreneur and who does not. This finding is substantial given that entrepreneurship, unlike any one specific job or occupation, is an entire form of work. That is, entrepreneurs cover a wide range of occupational skills and educational backgrounds, not just those that are particularly male-dominated. Thus, the simple fact as reviewed that cultural beliefs benefit men at the task of business construction restricts the alternative of otherwise qualified, creative women. Furthermore, there is no doubt that entrepreneurs generate jobs and contribute to economic development and innovation. If widely held cultural beliefs about gender constrain womens involvement in that process, then their role as leaders in society, and in economic production more specifically is also constrained. The specific recommendations of this study are: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ To contribute to building a strong studies on women entrepreneur on a long-term vision favouring stability in this field that can lead to sustainable development and regional integration among ent

Workplace Violence Essay -- Workplace Health and Safety

Workplace Violence According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), " each week, an average of 20 workers are murdered and 18,000 are assaulted at work. Non-fatal assault’s at work result in millions of lost days and cost businesses’ millions of lost workdays. And the most disturbing finding homicide is the leading cause of death for women in the workplace." (http://www.ocpapsych.com/mtart4.htm). As a result, violence in the workplace has received considerable attention in the press and media and also in safety and health professionals. The Medical College of Georgia Administrative Policies and Procedures office of Primary Responsibility: Public Safety Division, pointed out that " Workplace Violence shall mean any behavior, act or statement that would be interpreted by a reasonable person to be aggressive, intimidating, harassing, or unsafe, and which carries an expressed or implied intent to cause harm to a person or property." (http://www.inc.com/articles/details/00,,art3150,00.html). In the words of researcher and industrial psychologist, Dr. Matthew S. O’ Connell, " There are three psychological indicators that are most likely to show the potential for angry and/or violent behavior on the job. First, low locus of control, people who have a low locus of control do not feel that they are in control of their lives. They tend to be fatalistic and to perceive that things happen to them randomly, rather than as a result of their own actions. They often feel persecuted and victimized by others. Over times, this feeling of being out of control can cause a high level of stress, which may lead to irrational or violent action against themselves and others. Second, Job stress can be defined as the harmful... ...p/publib/story_clean_cpy.asp (2000, Jan 02). Marra Janice. (2000, Feb 01). Profile: Profiling employees and assessing the potential for violence. (Public Management), (Online). Available: http://ptg.djnr.com/ccroot/asp/publib/story_clean_cpy.asp? (2000,Feb 01). Smith, Kerri. (No Date). Workplace Violence Avoidable, (Online). Available: http://www.careerlab.com/art.avoidaable.htm. (2000, Nov 20). Tan, Manny, Psy.D. (No Date). The Rising Tide of Domestic Violence in the workplace: Is the office no linger a safe haven? (Online). Available: http://www.ocpapsych.com/mtart7.htm (2000, Nov 22). Tan, Manny, Psy. D. (No Date). Workplace& Targeted Violence,(Online). Available: http://www.ocpapsych.com/mtart7.htm (2000 , Nov. 22). Tan, Manny, Psy.D. (No Date). Workplace violence& Media Technology, (Online). Available: http://www.ocpapsych.com/mtart4.htm. (2000, Nov 22).

Interview of Friar Lawrence and Nurse Essay

Judge: John Henry Lawrence enter the dock. Put your hand on the Bible and say after me, I swear to tell the truth, whole truth and nothing but the truth. I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The Jury are now open to ask you questions, you are bound by the book to keep to the truth. Jury: What was you relationship with Romeo? I have been a great friend of Romeo ever since he was a little boy. He has always trusted me and he told me things he would not have told to anyone else. Romeo respected me and took my advice. I blame myself for his death and I am very sorry. Jury: What part did you play in this tragedy? I tried my best to unite two people who were very much in love. Yes, I did perform the marriage ceremony but I did it in good faith, I never knew what atrocities it would bring about. I also tried to help Romeo and Juliet when they were in trouble. After Romeo was exiled I helped arrange his escape to Mantua, for, you understand it might be possible for them to meet there. When I gave Juliet the drug I thought that I was doing the right thing. She was in a mess, she couldn’t tell her parents so with my knowledge of herbal remedies I supplied her with the draught. She would have taken her own life there and then if I had not. When Romeo was dead and Juliet would not leave him I deserted her. I could have saved her life I know but I was too cowardly to face up to my actions. Jury: What were your motives in this tragedy? I wanted to help a very good friend to be happy and preserve the marriage. I suppose I also hoped that performing this marriage ceremony would help unite the two sides from their conflict. Jury: Whose fault do you think the deaths are? I blame myself more than anyone else. I played the largest part, however, I suppose it would not have happened if there had not been many smaller things contributing. For example, if there had never been a conflict. Nobody was to know that it would end in death. Jury: What part do you think you were to blame for particularly? I was responsible for setting in motion a series of actions that lead to the marriage, the arrangements for the meetings and the drugs for Juliet. I didn’t save Juliet from herself. Judge:John Henry Lawrence please leave the dock. Anne Falton please mount to the dock. Put your hand on the Bible and say after me, I swear to tell the truth, whole truth and nothing but the truth. I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The Jury are now open to ask you questions, you are bound by the book to keep to the truth. Jury: What was your relationship with Juliet? Well, I was almost like a second mother to her, I was her wet nurse you know, she born at the same time as my daughter Susan who passed away God rest her soul. I have looked after ever since. Juliet was always a very nice young lady never doing anything naughty. I was her closest friend she used to tell me all her secrets but she didn’t tell me her plan before she died. Jury: What part did you play in this tragedy? I knew all the time that Juliet had gone off and married that Romeo, I never knew it would come to this. Romeo was a nice young chap as well. He wasn’t as good-looking or as clever as Paris though, not at all, no! The only other matter I was involved in was organising Romeo’s night with Juliet, that took a lot of organising that did. Jury: What were your motives in this tragedy? All I wanted was to see Juliet happily married with a nice young man. I wouldn’t have been persuaded to take part in this conspiracy but Juliet begged and begged me not to tell his Lordship. Jury: Whose fault do you think the deaths are? Not mine and that’s for sure, I always said that, that Romeo would lead her up to no good, he looked nice and all that but he had a look about him. I think Romeo lead her into it, he always was the bad sort, coming from a Montague family and all that†¦ Jury: What part do you think you were to blame for particularly? It wasn’t anything to do with me, if I had gone to his Lordship about the marriage she’d have killed herself sure as sure, like the good Friar said she was going to†¦ Judge: Anne Falton, leave the dock. The Jury will now leave to come to a decision. 1 hour later: Verdict: Death by Misadventure.

Aristotles Concept of Ethical Responsibility

Aristotles Concept of Ethical Responsibility Free Online Research Papers The question of individual responsibility, in my opinion, is the most important in the field of ethics. Coming to an adequate understanding of human potential and limitation in forming the best life possible has been a prime question of the philosopher for ages, as it pertains to so many other forms of inquiry i.e. education, political formation, social justice, and knowledge. Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics is a work that delves into the problem of responsibility and attempts to provide an adequate outline for the development of the best human individual in relation with the best society in nature. Although his account of the topic is very brief in the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle gives an intelligible and valuable justification for voluntariness or free will via the notions praise and blame. As these notions are unintelligible without reference to freedom, Aristotle must explain for what we are properly praised and blamed, i.e. for what we are properly called responsible. Given his conceptualization of the conditions of virtuous action in relation to character and intelligence and the human’s responsibility for virtue, Aristotle stops the force of environment and other factors, and the extent of pardonable ignorance, in the proper place so that human freedom in decision making remains intact. Whether, as one may object, Aristotle gives significant weight to the notions of praise and blame arbitrarily so as not to fall into determinism will be considered with reference to his defense of responsibility of character and the possibility of becoming virtuous and maintaining virtue. To properly understand Aristotle’s view of responsibility it is necessary to understand what actions and character states are worthy of praise or blame, and which are worthy of pardon or pity. In book three of the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle provides an outline for the responsibility of human action through his notion of voluntary and involuntary action. In chapter one of book three a criteria is provided to understand the nature of each designation, as translated by Irwin, Aristotle says, â€Å"Virtue, then is about feelings and actions. These receive praise or blame if they are voluntary, but pardon, sometimes even pity, if they are involuntary† (Aristotle, 1109b). What Aristotle means is that if an action can receive praise it can also receive blame, thus the individual has a choice to do a praise or blameworthy action. The next question considered is how Aristotle delineates the difference between a voluntary and involuntary action? He continues with book three to give a description of the difference between a voluntary and involuntary action. In Ostwald’s translation of the Nicomachean Ethics Aristotle states, â€Å"It is of course generally recognized that actions done under constraint or due to ignorance are involuntary. An act is done under constraint when the initiative or source of motion comes from without† (1110a). Further provided is an example of a man being blown away by wind as a case where external force or principle could cause an individual to do an involuntary action (Ostwald, 1110a). This notion of external principle seems simple enough, but Aristotle recognizes how an ambiguous situation could arise in the form of a mixed action. He posits an example, â€Å"Suppose for instance a tyrant tells you to do something shameful, when he has control over your parents and children, and if you do it, but if you don’t they die. These cases raise dispute about whether they are voluntary or involuntary (Irwin, 1110a). A mixed action is a situation where a person is under duress and has little time to decide what to do, or has to decide between two bad options. Aristotle leans toward the fact that an action like the tyrant anecdote is more of a voluntary action because the principle of bodily movement lies within the individual. Irwin provides an interpretation that goes as such, â€Å"Actions under duress are mixed, since they have some voluntary and involuntary aspects. But, taken as a whole, they are voluntary, since their principle of action is within the agent† (Irwin, 202). Mixed action should be understood in terms of degree. Not all circumstances in life will provide one with the best option. Aristotle draws a line at individual movement, in order for the individual to take control of what she can; even if life throws her a â€Å"catch 22†, because these situations do not happen very often in people’s lives. That is why Aristotle establishes a degree of voluntariness in mixed actions to include ambiguous circumstances that could occur. There is a wider scale of responsibility that Aristotle establishes which will be declared later. Aristotle posits that the other form of involuntary action is ignorance. â€Å"Everything caused by ignorance is nonvoluntary, but what is involuntary involves pain and regret† (1110b). An ignorant action is when a person acts with knowledge of the universal but ignorance of a particular. Ostwald illuminates this point with a syllogism, â€Å"Reasoning on matters of conduct involves two premises, one major and one minor. The major premise is always universal, e.g. â€Å"to remove by stealth another person’s property is stealing,† â€Å"Jerry took the horse but did not know it belonged to another† (Ostwald, 55). Therefore; Jerry acted out of ignorance of the particular, which is pardonable according to Aristotle if he expresses guilt about the situation. An interesting question arises: why must Jerry feel regret in order for his action to be considered involuntary as opposed to nonvoluntary? Aristotle answers, â€Å"Everything caused by ignorance is nonvoluntary, but what is involuntary involves pain and regret. For if someone’s action was caused by ignorance, but he now has no objection to the action, he has done it neither willingly, since he did not know what it was, nor unwillingly, since he feels no pain† (Irwin, 1110b). Irwin provides a key interpretation of this passage, â€Å"The distinction between the nonvoluntary and the involuntary is irrelevant to the agent’s relation to his action; for in either case he is not responsible for it. But it is relevant to his character. If he is pleased at something he has done because of ignorance, he shows what sorts of actions he is willing and prepared to do, and is rightly blamed or praised for his attitude to these actions. This passage is one that shows that Aristotle is concerned with more than responsibility for actions† (203). Aristotle’s assessment for the wider range of responsibility is achieved by character formation through one’s virtuous activity and intention to constantly mold one’s character towards a virtuous state. It is shown, with his types of involuntariness, that there are situations that one can engage which reduce the individual’s freedom, but does not outright destroy it. Aristotle is providing a realistic outlook for freedom and responsibility. Aristotle recognizes man’s limitations through two forms of pardon. First, involuntariness by force recognizes the limits of the human body in the face of nature. Second, involuntariness caused by ignorance recognizes the limits of human knowledge to see all particular circumstances. In light of these presuppositions; it becomes clear that Aristotle is placing extra significance on personal responsibility in order to maintain an appropriate state and this is character virtue. Man is able to maintain freedom through the development of his character even if circumstance brings ill fortune. With terms of the nature of an involuntary action defined the notion of voluntary action is illuminated. A voluntary action is one in which the person acts with freedom of bodily movement with knowledge of a particular in relation to the universal. The universal includes both moral action and intention for virtuous character. Says Aristotle, â€Å"Hence virtue is also up to us, and so also, is vice. For when acting is up to us; so is not acting, and when no is up to us, not acting, when it is shameful, is also up to us; and if not acting, when it is fine, is up to us, then acting, when it is shameful is up to us. But if doing, and likewise not doing, fine or shameful actions is up to us, and if, as we say, doing or not doing them is what it is to be a good or bad person, being decent or base is up to us† (Irwin, 1113b). Now with an understanding of Aristotle’s concepts of voluntary and involuntariness I will provide my own example and use his method to discern where the scope of responsibility can be applied. I will also introduce Aristotle’s concept of justice as a type of virtue in order to properly elucidate the degree to which responsibility lies. In Venice, California skateboarding is incredibly popular, as well as, numerous other outdoor activities since the climate there is pristine. This area supports flocks of people who make up a bustling area of outdoor vendors, recreational athletes, and homeless wonderers, and a pantheon of other walks of life. One particular Venetian past time is roller skiing. Roller skiing involves riding on a skateboard while being pulled by a dog, most usually a pit bull. A dog is harnessed and it takes the skateboarder on a wild ride dodging in and out of traffic, vendors, and benches. One day a friend of mine, while visiting Venice, witnessed one of these roller skier’s dog crash into a man with a shopping cart full of products that were intended to be sold on the beach. The man was not injured, but some of his products were damaged during the crash. Now where does the responsibility fall in this particular case for the man’s damaged goods? At first glance of the case you see that the dog was outside the skater’s principle of action. Also, the skateboarder did not have knowledge of the particular for he did not know that the vendor would cross his path during the ride. It would seem that according to Aristotle’s delineations of involuntariness the skater would escape responsibility for the crash and not have to repay the man, but that is not the right judgment. The skater is still responsible for the virtue of his character, and the most important and difficult of all the virtues is justice, because it relates to others. Aristotle says, â€Å"Moreover, justice is complete virtue to the highest degree because it is the complete exercise of complete virtue. And it is the complete exercise because the person who has justice is able to exercise virtue in relation to another, not only in what concerns himself; for many are able to exercise virtue in their own concerns, but unable in what relates to another† (Irwin, 1130a). Would it degrade the skater’s character to not offer compensation for the vendor’s damaged goods? I believe that Aristotle would think so because the vendor put himself in a situation where it was a good possibility that his dog would run into another person. Aristotle says, â€Å"There also seems to be a difference between actions due to ignorance and acting in ignorance. A man’s action is not considered to be due to ignorance when he is drunk or angry, but due to intoxication and anger, although he does not know what he is doing and is in fact acting in ignorance† (Ostwald, 1110b). Provided with an Aristotelian prospective a judgment can be made on the roller skier’s involvement in the action. He cannot be pardoned for the action of his dog running into the vendor because he created the circumstance for which the incident happened. He acted in ignorance of where the dog would run, and is responsible for knowing that the dog could hit an innocent bystander. Because of this, and for the interest of the skater’s character virtue, it would be just of him to compensate the vendor for the damaged goods. As stated before, character is the fundamental concern of Aristotle because it is the basis for which all actions derive from in the individual. A person is not always responsible for the consequences of their actions, but is always responsible for the consequences that form his character, and in turn will make moral actions because he is concerned with his character. He is free to mold his own character because he is free to be virtuous or not. The universal principle of being virtuous is that which ought to guide a person. Aristotle provides more reasons why humans have free will to make ethical choices, which are grounded in his understanding of human nature. He postulates that all things have a telos or final purpose, and humans have a particular telos, which is to achieve eudaimonia (Bostock, 6). Eudaimonia is translated into happiness from Greek, but it considers more than just the English language rendering of feeling good (Bostock, 8). Eudaimonia is the highest good which entails being virtuous, reasoning well, and contemplation (Bostock, 9). Eudaimonia is a state of character rather than a good feeling. Virtue and good reasoning go hand in hand as the only way for a human fully complete it telos. Unlike other things and animals a human is not guaranteed to fulfill her telos by just being. Aristotle says, â€Å"Hence it is clear that none of the virtues of character arises in us naturally. For if something is by nature one condition, habituation cannot bring it into another condition. A stone, for instance, by nature moves downwards, and habituation could not make it move upwards, not even if you threw it up ten thousand times to habituate it; nor could habituation make fire move downwards, or bring anything that is one condition into another condition. And so the virtues arise in us neither by nature nor against nature. Rather, we are by nature able to acquire them, and we are completed through habit† (Irwin, 1103a). According to Aristotle, humans are not determined in our natural state to be virtuous or not. Virtue is something that we have to mold in ourselves by consistently considering it. The fact that people have the ability to choose their character state implies a significant amount of freedom in their decisions. This does not mean though that they are free of the consequence of the choices which lead to bad habits. If one acts in accordance with the highest good, then the consequence will be a character that is more in accord with virtue. However; if someone consistently acts against the highest good, then the consequence will be the formation of a bad character. A two sided objection to Aristotle’s conception of free will can be raised. One, where does Aristotle derive his universal from? Two, what if a person has been badly habituated by his parents or city to the point where he cannot have otherwise than a bad person? The answer to the first question is an inductive one. Aristotle uses a â€Å"role model† argument to describe how a person can know what being virtuous is. That is why he thinks proper habituation is important, because a young mind that is not yet adept to reason; one must first learn by imitation. He learns to imitate the virtuous man and is then able to reason it for himself when his faculties develop. Once the child becomes a man, reason for the highest good become deductive. Example; P1: To know virtue is to know the highest good. P2 Chris knows virtue. Therefore: Chris knows the highest good. Is there a universal virtue model of a person to provide the next person the model from which they can deduce the highest good from? The difficulty of justifying this proposition seems great. Says, Friedrich Nietzsche, â€Å"How naà ¯ve it is altogether to say: Man ought to be such-and-such! Reality shows us an enchanting wealth of types, the abundance of a lavish play and change of forms- and some wretched loafer of a moralist comments: No! Man ought to be different.† He even knows what man should be like, this wretched bigot and prig: he paints himself on the wall and exclaims, â€Å"Ecce homo!†(Rachels, 185) Perhaps there is not a universal type man for virtue, but from an anthropological perspective universal virtues can be posited for a functioning society. James Rachels in his Elements of Moral Philosophy provides a list of virtues that are common to any society. In this list, one is courage, because life is full of dangers and without courage we would be unable to cope with them. Two is honesty, because without it relations between people would go wrong in myriad ways (Rachels, 184). These two examples provide proof that most people in any society will be exposed at least to some types of virtue. Given that all societies follow a general similar pattern that enables them to exist on this planet, it is not ludicrous to think that once a society is formed the people will start developing more complex ideas of how to be virtuous. Aristotle’s conception of free will is not debunked just because there are different types of people who perform different functions. Another objection to Aristotle’s responsibility formation lies within his model of habituation. Can people be considered to be responsible for their characters if they have had a terrible upbringing? Aristotle says that people who are unfamiliar with the universal good are considered to be base people and thus unpardonable (1110a). Example, what if a person is locked in a room for the first ten years of their life and when they come out they have no capability of acquiring language? Can this person be held responsible for their character when they were never even given the chance to speak? Aristotle would probably offer up pity for such a person. It is important to bear in mind that Aristotle keeps consequence as an important idea in understanding his ethics. People make choices that bear consequences which affect other people to a large degree. Aristotle doesn’t mistaken voluntariness to be a type of causa sui. A man inherits what others have done before, so what he is working with is in large part a by-product of what others have given to him. That is why education is an important part to developing citizens, because he recognizes the large degree of inheritance that occurs between generations. The element of responsibility is not removed because one who has developed rationality in Aristotle’s case will realize what his limits and potentialities and develop them to the fullest extent. The brilliance of the Nicomachean Ethics lies within its flexibility to analyze the human condition without giving direct oughts for all particular cases. Says Aristotle, â€Å"We must also remember our previous remarks, so that we do not look for the same degree of exactness in all areas, but the degree that accords with the proper subject matter and is proper to a given line of inquiry. For the carpenter’s and the geometer’s inquiries about the right angle are different also; the carpenter restricts himself to what helps his work, but the geometer inquires into what, or what sort of thing, the right angle is, since he studies the truth. We must do the exact same, then, in other areas too, seeking the proper degree of exactness, so that disagreements should not overwhelm our main task† (Irwin, 1098b). Under today’s philosophical terminology Aristotle would be defined as a compatibilist, which is someone who acknowledges both the determinate conditions of man. Aristotle had a keen mind for understanding development of human nature. His awareness of the instinctual and learned elements of the human species almost causes me to believe that a lot of psychologists were just reinventing the wheel with his methods. In reference to human freedom Aristotle recognized very well what the human limitations in relation to inheritance and exterior influence from nature were. This did not cause him though to throw away important elements in striving for the good. He provides an adequate defense for the notions of human responsibility, even if all the gray areas of accountability and human development are not developed in the Nicomachean Ethics. 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The Great Irish Famine Essays

The Great Irish Famine Essays The Great Irish Famine Essay The Great Irish Famine Essay British Government during the great famine of Ireland between 1845 and 1852. It will look at the political Ideology that Inspired the public relief works and how they failed to offer relief from starvation, but instead focused on bringing about social change inspired by largely an anti;Loris sentiment. It will also examine the role of the soup kitchens that were set up to attack famine conditions directly and how this represented and exposed the Governments lies that they in fact could have done more to prevent the deaths of so many. Considered is also the role in which Free Trade had during the famine period, when food was needed most It continued to leave the country, only for the food that did arrive to be highly out of reach for those destitute whys only Income was from the largely unsuccessful Public Relief works. At the turn of 1 840 it was estimated that the population of Ireland stood at approximately eight million. By this time, some 40% of the population were dependent on the potato for food and even employment. When the blight hit Ireland In September 1 845 the consequence for the Irish poor would be devastating, but as he famine of 1782-84 demonstrated, manageable, provided the government responded in the correct way . By late 1846 famine conditions were spread throughout Ireland, but most notably the famine had took on a regional dimension, hitting places worst In the South and West. Already suffering from the effects of decline In trade, poverty was already well planted In places like Cosmonaut, In the West, and Muenster, In the South, years before the blight struck. As consequence, employment moved eastward to Dublin which left many unemployed on the eve of famine. This slump in industry was also evilly felt in Britain following the collapse of the railway and corn trade in 1847-1848. This prompted anti-Irish sentiment when coupled with famine relief. The Times condemned any further British aid to Ireland, labeling It as an unfair burden on England and a misplaced humanity Annihilating Irish self-reliance . This Industrial depression coincided with the failure of the potato crop and was not exclusive to Ireland. It left many out of work and increased their vulnerability to such an unforeseen event, leading to mass destitution . Ireland, under British control from 1 800, was often treated poorly and even referred o as the Prodigal son of the united Kingdom. With many now out of work and beginning to starve, government intervention was desperately needed. Lord John Russell who later became Prime Minister in 1846 Insisted that the responsibility of relief lay on the shoulders of Irish landlords who ought to provide employment for the poor . However, following the severe crop failures between 1845 and 1848, combined with the slump in trade, landlords were more concerned with trying to off load surplus workers teen could Darrel Nora to pay.. Sir John Peel stated to parliament his wish to take advantage of this calamity for introducing among the people of Ireland the taste for a better and more certain provision for their support ND thereby diminishing the chances to which they will be constantly liable, of recurrences of this great and mysterious visitation. He believed that Ireland was full of resources that only required entrepreneurship and a reinvigorated industry to be released and that the potato enabled the Irish population to maintain an alleged lazy and indolent lifestyle leaving no incentive for the Irish farmers to modernis m their agriculture or the economy . Peel was convinced that Irelands problems lay in root of their social backwardness. He saw maize, which would be cheaply imported from America, as a permanent substitute for the potato in the Irish diet, and insisted that the rural poor had to become landless laborers, working for wages on the land of substantial farmers. He was confident that if social reorganization was accompanied by the challenge of free trade, private corn merchants would develop the maize trade after it was freed thus propelling Ireland out of poverty . Following his vision, many local peasants on the brink of destitution were cleared from the lands which offered them shelter and were forced into icebreakers work which was supposed to offer relief, a lack of intervention in the trade industry would allow the continuation of food exports whilst raising the prices of what did enter the country and many would be left to starve as the soup kitchens that proved to be successful in attacking the famine, were shut down due to their lack of social re-organization. Relief in Ireland was more focused on how to reorder society than how to fight famine. The British Government conceded that the Irish poor needed help, motivated by the view that the local landlords had failed in their duty. After little research by George Nicholls, a Commissioner of the English Poor, the new Irish Poor Law was set in place. Based on the old British Poor Law, The aim was not only for providing relief, but was equally, if not more so, set on bringing about much desired social changes in Ireland, whilst also keeping the role of the government to a minimum . The main provisions of the 1838 Act dictated that the country would be split in to one hundred and thirty new unions. Each union must set up a workhouse for its local population, which would be overseen by the Assistant Commissioners who were to implement the act in Ireland, following the extension of the existing Poor Law Commissioners powers to Ireland. They would then create a Board of Guardians in each Union, two-thirds would be elected and the other third was to be appointed. They would also help oversee the collection of a local poor-rate to finance the work house system as well as raise the funds for the assisted emigrations that also took place . By making relief a local charge, the government was able to realize the long- held aspiration that Irish property should support Irish poverty. Sir Charles I reversal commander In cancel AT Tamale reelect was also a strong advocate AT transferring the financial burden for relief on to the Poor Law. He felt that by placing the responsibility upon the local ratepayers, fewer instances of abuse and over- spending were likely to occur . After 1846 the government chose public work as a means of alleviating the distress. This policy was seen as disastrous. The workhouses were designed to house approximately 100,000 destitute people, which fell well short of the 2,400,000 the royal commission had declared in 1836 as to be in a state of poverty. The works were of little benefit to the community, and as mechanism for saving lives they failed massively . Aimed at discouraging pauperism by a harsh regime of work, diet and aggregation by age and sex , the workhouse system suited Sir John Peels vision for social change and long-term improvement in Ireland . A large criticism was aimed at the cost compared to the effect the workhouses had on fighting the conditions of famine. By March 1847 the total cost of the works had reached almost and was generally considered to have been largely squandered, providing neither long term benefit to Ireland, nor short term relief to the poor . During the winter of 1846-47 relief in the work houses was dependent on undertaking hard, physical labor and wages were paid according to labor employed. This put those who were already weak or debilitated by malnutrition, at a disadvantage. In response to the high admittances, wages were grossly inadequate at less than eight pence per day and made what food that was available on the private market unobtainable due to the rising prices thanks to the governments lack of intervention in free trade. The poor and overcrowded conditions of the workhouses also contributed to the spread of fever which added to the death toll brought about by famine conditions. James Hack Take, on a humanitarian mission to Dongle in the inter of 1846, recalls the state of the workhouses he visited. The day before they had but one meal of oatmeal and water, and at the time of our visit had not sufficient food in the house for the days supply. Their bedding consisted of dirty straw, in which they were laid in rows on the floor; even as many as six persons being crowded under one rug; and we did not see a blanket at all. The rooms were hardly bearable for filth. The living and the dying were stretched side by side beneath the same miserable covering. No wonder that disease and pestilence were filling the infirmary and that the pale, haggard countenance of the or boys and girls told of sufferings, which it was impossible to contemplate without pity . I en puddle works were ten single most expensive Item AT Famine reelect prop the British and resulted in a further change of policy . In February 1847 The Temporary Relief Act was introduced and Soup Kitchens were opened throughout Ireland to distribute free food. The significance of their arrival is important for various reasons. Following the slump in industry of 1847 which left many English factory closed, Travelers insisted that the London Treasury did not possess the adequate finances to aid British unemployment, and certainly did not assess the administrative capability or finance to feed such a large number of starving people in Ireland. He also added in response to the public works, that no government had done more to support its poor than Britain had done during the famine years . However, Parliament voted that would be donated to the Temporary Relief act which at its peak saw over 3 million people receive food rations daily, making it individually the most availed of the relief measure. In addition to that, the administrative machinery which supported the system had been assembled in less than two months. This relief scheme contradicted Traversals claims, and proved that the British government did possess the financial and administrative ability to provide direct relief to starvation on a massive scale and in comparison to the public workhouses, at relatively little cost. The soup kitchens were not entirely popular, however, at a public meeting attended by local landowners in Rescission, they criticized the Temporary Relief Act for demoralizing the poor and leaving them free to idleness and acts of crime. As had been a common theme in the Governments handling of the famine crisis, regaining social order would take precedent. The soup kitchens were subsequently closed on the 30th of September. For those now denied the direct relief of starvation, the government ordered that all able-bodied men in receipt of poor relief were to be made to work on the roads as a test of destitution, and were packed back in to the workhouses where deaths reached up to 2,500 per week . Had Travelers been intent only on saving lives, the soup kitchens could have been brought in far sooner and sustained for longer than they were. Instead, he stuck to his political ideology of social reform and insisted that Irish relief was now the turn of the Irish ratepayers . The policy choice made by the government denied people successful relief that had showed to be maintaining improved health in Ireland. The governments denial not only failed to save lives, but allowed mass starvation that had been proven to be commutable to continue . It is also important to consider the role of Free Trade that continued throughout the famine era. John Mitchell a follower of the Young Ireland party who strongly opposed the British and Whig Government often criticized the free role private merchants were allowed to take in exporting Irish resources at a time when every little scrap was needed. He repeatedly made the point that a government ship sailing Into any Rills port Walt Animal corn was sure to meet anal a cozen galling out Walt Irish wheat and cattle . However, this was not entirely correct and in fact during the famine as much food was imported in to Ireland, than that which left it; The Inns Gram Trade 1843-48 on 1000 tons) Year Exports Imports 1843480 15 1844424 30 1845 513 28 1846 1847 284 146 197 889 1848 314 439 Although food did continue to leave Ireland, it also continued to arrive Just as frequently in the years it was required most . But Mitchell sentiments were still the name, why was food allowed to leave Ireland at all? The answer argued by John Percival is that; The export of food to England and Scotland was crucial to the Irish economy Loris farmers depended on the English market for many years and Irish traders had made a good living out of it. Had they not done so, Ireland would have been even poorer than it was, and poverty was also the root of the famine problem The decision by the government not to interfere in Irish trade was motivated by an ideological commitment to free trade. In 1846 the corn harvest was below average, not Just in Ireland but throughout Europe. This meant that there were less surplus foods available for sale. As a consequence, the demand for existing supplies was heavy. The removal of protective legislation set by the British Tories in 1845 allowed other European countries to purchases supplies within Britain and between the years of 1846-49 grain exports to Europe increased. Some of this grain originated in Ireland. At the same time, many European ports were closed to exports in an effort to protect their own supplies. The policy was an attempt to appease Irish merchants, who felt their position had been undermined by the Tory government intervention in he market place in 1845 and to help reinvigorate the Irish economy which could help alleviate the strain felt on the London Treasury help claw Ireland out of poverty. The lack of restrictive legislation and a strong attitude committed to political ideology compounded the problem of food shortages and helped further increase famine conditions . But want tout ten T Tanat was Imported In to Ireland? For tense won required It most, it was often out of reach due to the high prices placed on food following a cumbersome body of legislation, including the Navigation Acts . The effect of this act as to hamper the free movement of goods, and it acted as a ceiling on the amount of food that could be imported into Ireland at any one time. This increased the cost of freight charges on the import ships which in turn increased the cost of the goods being delivered. After the harvest of 1846, they rose to three time their usual rate. In the winter of 1846-47, food prices rose dramatically. They only started to fall in the spring of 1847. By this time, it was too late for many Irish people, whose only source of income had been the low-paid public works where wages were too low to sustain life. In the winter of 1846, both combined, the poor handling of Irish Trade and the lack of finance provided for wages on the public works, left an estimated 400,000 dead, either directly or indirectly, through want of food . It is clear then, that the British Government were more inspired by political and economic ideology than simply trying to fight the conditions of famine. The Irish Poor Law that introduced the public relief, most notable the workhouses, were always destined to fall short due to their lack of capacity to hold those were already confirmed as destitute . Inside the workhouses conditions were appalling. The backbreaking work coupled with shortages of food left the inmates malnourished and left them vulnerable to the spreading diseases which were rife, and thus resulted in high fatalities. For those who did manage to survive and endure stints in the workhouses there was little reward. With so many occupants the wage return for such grueling work was far from rewarding and not enough to live on due to the rising food prices brought about by the governments insistence not to interfere with free trade. Singly the most expensive form of relief, the workhouses had failed to alleviate the distress. In a turn of policy by the Government, Soup kitchens were set up to directly combat starvation. It had proved successful in maintaining life and at relatively little cost -particularly in comparison to the public works- to government. The soup kitchens also exposed the Governments attitude toward Ireland. Travelers insisted that the needs of British industry should come first and that the finance or organization to implement further relief was something the British didnt have. Shortly after this the Temporary Relief act received a injection from parliament to fund the Soup Kitchens. This was less than half the figure that had been spent on the workhouses and took Just two months for the kitchens to be operational. This proved that the government did have the means to offer more to the people of Ireland. Closing the kitchens that had been highly successful in saving lives and combating starvation was a death sentence to many. The government consciously chose to deny people relief that was successful in keeping people alive, thus the closures marked that Travelers was wrong in his insistence that little more could be done. Instead the kitchens Just didnt suit Traversals vision of moral and social order. If the sole intention was to save people from starvation then the kitchens should have been opened sooner and for longer. Trade was also handled poorly in response to famine conditions, but as a part of government policy to Invigorate ten economy was allowed to continue ten export AT much name T supplies. Motivated by the vision that trade could help propel Ireland out of poverty, it continued at a high price. By the time food arrived in Ireland the regulations set in place by the government raised the prices of cargo. For what food that did arrive in Ireland was far too expensive for those in receipt of wages on the public works.

Sparrow Essay Example

Sparrow Essay Example Sparrow Essay Sparrow Essay Sparrow Essay Sparrow by Norman MacCaig is a short poem, which introduces us to the concept of the harshness and dangers of nature, and the birds which live in it. The poem focuses on a sparrow being a streetwise fighting survivalist, in comparison to other, more exotic birds, which share his habitat. The author uses comparisons between birds and humans, giving the birds human like qualities. The poem starts off with hes no artist, which is very negative and straight to the point. This gives us an initial image of the sparrows uncreative and average ways. Right from the opening line, the sparrows skills and deemed unworthy. This image is then further enhanced when we are told that his taste in clothes is more dowdy than gaudy. This is referring to his feathers as very boring and unstylish, as if they were cheap, uncleansed clothing, and he would rather these than expensive, extravagant clothing. The author then goes on to compare the sparrow to a bird of the higher class, the blackbird. It is said to be writing pretty scrolls on the air with the gold nib of his beak, which shows the graceful and elegant movement of the blackbird as it flies through the sky. This is a direct contrast to the sparrow (hes no artist). The blackbird is being compared to a fountain pen, which is seen as a luxury, and is Judged on its style, rather than its ability. This is also the case with the sparrow. Gold relates to wealth and reflects on the blackbirds superiority over the sparrow. It is then said that the blackbird would call the sparrows nest a slum. This shows that the nest is small and dirty, which is not up to the blackbirds standards. The second stanza initially focuses on poetic and beautiful language to show how the more graceful birds live. MacCaig uses alliteration here (stalk solitary and sing solitary) which is very effective and adds to he delicate, melodic language of the stanza. This then leads on to an anti-climactic ending which explains that the sparrow would rather a punch up in the gutter. This implies that the sparrow is nothing more than a street fighter by introducing an element of violence, and shows that nature can have destructive forces within it. Norman MacCaig shows us that the sparrow only cares for survival skills, as he carries what learning he has lightly. He has no need for artistic or any other skills that other birds may have. It is said that he is a proletarian bird, which shows that e is very common, working class, and certainly no scholar. He only needs to know what is useful to him for survival. The final stanza starts with but when the winter soft-shoes in which introduces a change in direction. This is a use of personification, and makes winter sound as if it had crept up behind the birds without them even noticing. This emphasises the dangers of the winter season for the birds. The other birds are then identified as ballet dancers, musicians, architects. These are the artistic birds that, instead of learning basic survival skills, they gracefully fly around ballet dancers), make beautiful music with their songs (musicians), and build impressive nests (architects). It is this point when the true harsh nature of the winter is revealed, as it is said that these birds die in the snow and freeze to branches. Despite all their impressive aspects, they do not have the practical skills like the sparrow. The sparrow inevitably survives the winter, and the other birds are said to watch him happily flying on the O-levels and A-Levels of the air. The poet uses humorous irony here, as it relates to school grades. This also once again, relates back o the human comparison, and makes a very effective ending for the poem. Sparrow by Norman MacCaig provides us with a different insight into nature, and characterises the sparrow, which would normally be considered as Just another common bird. The poet, through a variety of writing techniques, describes the beauty and harshness of nature, and the character of the sparrow, and other birds. Throughout the poem, MacCaig shows us that there is no shame in being a common, working class person. When danger arises, it is the common man that will have the practical skills, and strength of character to survive.

Multinationals-Exploiting attributes of different locations Essay

Multinationals-Exploiting attributes of different locations - Essay Example Foreign Direct Investment in many developing countries have stunted the growth of indigenous industries and also resulted in large scale exploitation of the resources of that particular region. Political Economy-cases and methods of multinational exploitation Multinational companies principally exploit the attributes of different locations either by following labour laws that do not reflect the current sentiment in the market or by monopolising the market in such a way that competition from the native country is slowly relegated. Unfair practices in cahoots with the government also result in large scale exploitation of natural resources. Some of the cases and theories of exploitation by multinationals have been discussed. 1. One case study of the garment industry from around the world is carried out to ascertain the working conditions of those employed in this industry. The industrial term for such factories are ‘sweatshops’ which employ workers at low wages and force th em to work in unhygienic conditions for a long period of time. It is said that the garment industry in Central America employs 80% women between the age group of 14-26. At Doall, a Korean company operating in El Salvador that makes the famous LizWear and Liz Claiborne fashions; women are made to work from 6.50 am to 10.30 pm with two half hour breaks, one for lunch and the other for dinner. (VIDEA, 2000 ) In the rush hour months they have to work for 7 days week clocking roughly 90 hours. To prevent them from sleeping, the company also encourages them to take a ‘No Doze’ pill which is a highly unethical practice. For the first eight hours these workers are paid 60 cents an hour and 1.20 dollars per hour as overtime. To sum up a worker would be paid 8.40 dollars for an arduous 11 hour shift which is considered far below the minimum wage requirement. (VIDEA, 2000) The Liz Claiborne collection is, however, marketed as very modern, fashionable and sophisticated dress around the world. However if indications are to show the working conditions at the Doall factory in El Salvador is anything but sophisticated. Apart from low wages, the working conditions are pathetic. Air that is full of dust and lint cause breathing problems, skin rashes and other kind of allergies. Bathroom breaks are limited and workers are obligated to work overtime. Failure to adhere to these norms results in suspension or withholding of ‘attendance’ bonuses. Apart from these excesses, new workers are forced to take blood and pregnancy tests to prevent employing pregnant women. Women in the ironing and cleaning sections are forced to stand all day causing inflammation in the feet and working ambience is especially unpleasant with supervisors yelling at them for not being able to meet targets. (VIDEA, 2000) Employers know that any kind of trade unionism with the nature of work involved would cause severe problems for the company. Hence any kind of activity to that effect either by way of organization or by distributing trade union literature is considered subversive. Studies carried out by National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice Workers in factories of Lavapant, Vaqueros and Cantabria indicate that workers were not paid overtime even though they had worked over 60 hours. This is in violation to the Mexican

7 days in the art world Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

7 days in the art world - Coursework Example There is the element of dilemma through the book to an extent that the reader the at the end of the book the reader still yarns for more in order to understand the reasons as to why some arts are more valued than others. It truly offers the "elegant, evocative, sardonic view into some of the art worlds most prestigious institutions." It brings out in someone the desire to understand and know more about the hidden quirkiness of the area of interest. Bringing out the inner cycles of the inner art world through the hope of drawing and capturing the attention of the affluent collectors, dealers, curators, and advisers surrounding the scene of art in the contemporary society (Sarah, 174). The most intriguing part of the story is the shift from one chapter to the next with a view of an art from outside. As such, she puts forward an idea that her work is beyond simply the questions of who make, market, sell and buy art. Rather her scope is to put forth the idea of good work as is seen in her saying that; "why mention, in acknowledgments, that you talked to them at all? No one likes a tease." The work has also bagged major art warriors such as Nicholas Serota and Philippe Segalot. The portrayal of religious matters of the art does not guide well her well-chosen structure of work hence breaking the art world down. The light she sheds son the characters especially those of religious scripts does not truly conform to the kind of religion one would expect from such characters. Her eye for telling only the detailed circumstances just as much as a journalist would, is circumstantially devoted to ascertaining skewed attention towards some features and ignoring some details. Just to point out, in the studio several passports and visas are spotted by her together with entry and exit stamps, this is used to symbolize the international trade that goes on in the arena of art. The

Yorkshire Police Merger Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Yorkshire Police Merger - Case Study Example "Members have looked closely at the two options deemed acceptable by the Home Secretary, a merger with North Yorkshire or the creation of a single regional force. It was felt that either option would have significant disadvantages for the people of West Yorkshire, including an increase in council tax for no apparent benefit. Members were also concerned about a short-term drop in performance and a weakening of accountability and governance structures due to the size of the proposed new force areas. Reports from both the Authority and the Force reflect the feeling that the creation of a single regional force would be particularly bad for West Yorkshire. "The Authority attempted to resolve these concerns with Ministers prior to this meeting but have yet to receive appropriate reassurances. Whilst the Authority fully accepts the need for the policing service to provide an adequate level of protective services to all citizens, it feels there may be other options which would achieve the same outcomes but with fewer penalties for the people of West Yorkshire. The West Yorkshire option is the only one we could agree to support at this stage based on known costs, performance and other criteria. Voluntary agreement for anything else will only be considered at a later date." (West Yorkshire Police Authority, Press Releases, 20th December 2005)West Yorkshire Police Merger 4 On the 12th of July 2006, the Home Office announced that it was revising plans to merge police forces in England and Wales. Police Authorities will be given more time and freedom to come up with plans to improve protective services, without requiring amalgamations this commended by the police minister, Tony McNulty Councillor Mark Burns-Williamson, Chair of West Yorkshire Police Authority, said he was delighted with the announcement. "It is well known that members of the Police Authority were not in favor of the proposed merger with the other three forces in the region. Our

Mythology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mythology - Essay Example The Mayans associated creation with magic and divination, and regarded their gods and heroes as divine (â€Å"Mayan Mythology†). In addition, they believed that the present world was a recent creation, but would eventually be destroyed as it is on doomsday. The Mayans also believed in a universe that comprised of heavens and underworlds and the human world sandwiched between them (PaganSpace.net). In relation to the above, there are numerous descendants of the Mayan culture in the modern society mainly of the Hispanic descent. As such, I would expect the individuals to be highly superstitious and dedicated to their course. This is owing to the traditions held by their ancestors and culture that has been taught to them. However, with the expiry of the Mayan calendar it is expected that the culture will suffer a setback as their prediction of doomsday failed to pass. To the same effect, many may opt for alternative beliefs and cultures in an effort to substitute for their

Rebekah Nathan's My Freshman Year Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rebekah Nathan's My Freshman Year - Essay Example Thus leaves the profoundest question that the book infers: 'Is it plausible for teachers and professors to influence the dominant student culture' The question then becomes, 'why would the professors of today want to influence student behavior and thinking' From Rebekah Nathan's research which steers clear of criticism, I see clearly three main reasons for wanting to affect change in the minds of students: one is the ignorance of world affairs and peoples; the other is the materialism that marks modern American priorities; and the third being the apparent lack of discipline and integrity in the more honorable precepts of what a higher school of learning is for in the first place. Some of the more profound research that Rebekah Nathan conducted was her interviews with minority students in revealing the lack of knowledge American students have of worldliness and in relating with other people outside of the dominant culture. Comments made by American freshman students such as, "Is Japan in China" or "Is it North Korea of South Korea that has a dictator" and even, "Where exactly is India" amazed international students (Nathan 84). In regards to friendships with people from other races, minorities were not so easily befriended by American students. A student from France noted, "Friendship is very surface-defined here. It is easy to get to know people, but the friendship is superficial. We wouldn't even call it a friendship. In France, when you're someone's friend, you're their friend for life" (Nathan 75). Many other examples from students around the world felt this way too. One student was befuddled that nobody ever even asked him about the country in which he c ame from. I believe that American students need to improve in their interest, acceptance, and knowledge of people from around the world and to understand that America is not the center of the world. Another deterrent from students developing more substantial relationships appears to be because of technology and America's strong views of independence and freedom. For example, many students communicate by computer, even when they are in close proximity to each other; television and computer gaming is a typical activity shared that does not provide much opportunity for interaction; and, because everyone wants to be independent and free, students are finding it harder to commit to group related activities and causes. Rebekah Nathan portrays college to be both a rite of passage but essentially a jumping off place for acquiring a future job. In Rebekah Nathan's surveys and questioners it was only a select few individuals who stated their purpose for going to a university was to learn. The main reasons involved: future jobs, relationships, social interaction and fun. This leads us to the question Rebekah Nathan asks in so many indirect ways, 'Why are students coming to universities in the first place' More students are attending college then ever before; a privilege once reserved for the elite is now made possible to all. More modern-day students need to work while in school in order to pay for college. Student's time is limited and the debts wait at the end of college life with the hopes of landing the perfect job to pay off those debts. The reason for attending a university I understood from Rebekah Nathan's notes