Economic Security of South Korea Essay

The economy of South Korea is ranked at fifteenth place in the world. In terms of its relation with the United States, South Korea is the seventh largest trading partner. South Korea is well known for its high level of growth in economic field. Before 1960, South Korea was just another poor third world country and hardly known regionally as well as internationally. Its economic booming has elevated South Korea in the eyes of international cooperation especially the Organisation for Cooperation and Development (OECD). Factors Affecting The Economic Security Life span Primary health care has improved tremendously for past decades. Consequently, good quality of life has contributed to longer life span among the population of South Korea citizens. Therefore the median of age of working population has shifted towards older generation.The aging population seems to be of major concern among the economic community because they might affect the economic growth of the nation. In order to sustain rapid economic growth South Korea would require constant support from the young and dynamic generations. Education The economy needs continuous supply of skill labours to sustain growth. Even though the government preach for the need of educated society, the financial allocation is low compare to the needs of parents in educating their children. Hence, the parents end up paying high price for additional classes in school as well as high tuition cost in tertiery education for securing good career. The cost of education is so high that each family restricted the number of children in order to provide excellent education for the child. Even then, the competition is stiff and demands for the need of furthering studies to a higher degree. North and South Relation The relationship between North and South Korea remains an enigma in the sense that their economic status is wide apart where the south enjoys the booming of industry while the north deteriorating. Without the humanitarian aid, the people of North Korea would continue to suffer from food shortage. Having consider the hunger situation of people of North Korea, there is always a military threat towards South Korea. However, South Korea remains hopeful that its volatile neighbour would open its barrier to economic aids thus playing the role of good neighbour. Even though North and South Korea still under conflict, the economic relationship between the two countries remain strong. Being a communist country, China is the largest trading partner for North Korea. However, South Korea has risen to be the second largest partner in terms of economic trade with North Korea. These economic ties is constantly under pressure due to the high possibility of incidences under volatile North Korea foreign policy as well as influences from the communist bloc. For instance, in March 2010, North Korea had torpedoed South Korean warship resulted in 46 soldiers were killed. Despite all the evidence pointing towards her, North Korea deny the responsibility. However, South Korea suspended its trade relationship with North Korea. In another incidence, North Korea fired artillery shell onto Yeonpyeong Island killing two civilians and wounding another 13. These incidences even though had not escalated to full blown war project serious economic security for the Sou th Korea. Globalisation Another factor which affects the economic security of a nation is globalisation. By virtue of globalisation, it increases the interconnectedness of nation and people of the world as the communication and transportation becomes cheaper, faster and readily available. Globalisation reduces the artificial barrier of national border, hence allowing the flow of goods, capitals, services, people and knowledge across the world faster than before. Rapid globalisation allows nation to trade with other nation thereby creating mutual economic interdependence. Economic interdependence is recognised as a positive factor which promote security. South Korea adopted the strategies in using the economic interdependence in order to advance its security goals. Their strategy can be clearly seen in the diplomatic relations towards neighbouring military threat i.e. China. The similar strategy is also adopted towards large powerful nations such as Soviet Union. South Korea’s strategy towards his immediate neighbour North Korea was based partly on the economic interdependence. In the long run, the economic integration might serve as a check and balance on the head of government policies towards each other. Hence the economic integration serve as to avoid any disruption for those links by the use of military threat. (Kahler and Kastner, 2004). Financial Crisis By the same token, globalisation also foster a threat to the security of a nation via economic conflict. The economic crisis of 1990 which struck the markets in Asia shocked the nations and many financial institutions. The globalisation leads to economic openness which in turn causes susceptible economic security since it allows for foreign investors to gain ownership on domestic enterprises. The crisis had caused major implication on South Korea economy as well as a few other countries in South East Asia including Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. At the beginning of the crisis the assets had deflated down to the new record low, forcing economic panic in South Korea. In order to sustain economic stability, South Korea succumbed to the adjustment programs after bank lending was suddenly stopped. Fortunately, the economy of South Korea return to rapid recovery. In the world of globalisation, information technology becomes the trend of the decade. Hence, South Korea is able to enjoy economic growth because of the high demand in consumer spending for electronic gadgets. The growth will continue to flourish as long as South Korea able to stimulate consumer spending through innovation of technology. The big question is how long can South Korea sustain new innovation to keep the demand pour in and continue to expound economic expansion. On the other hand, globalisation reduces vulnerability through diversity of suppliers and markets. Therefore, economic pressure as well as unilateral sanction becomes less effective because the multi trade relations would able to absorb the pressure. For example, even though China is a major trading partner for South Korea, it cannot act unilaterally on South Korea because of its relation with other super power such as the United States. By the same token, North Korea may pressure South Korea to some extent but would apply cautious because of its relation with China and the United States. Transnational Organised Crimes Another factor that may affect the economic security of South Korea is the infamous transnational organised crime i.e the terrorist attack. The September 11, 2001 shocked the whole world when the World Trade Center building in the United States of America was brought down. The terror caused the world to rethink of the new dimension brought about by the terrorist activities. Even though the tragedy was halfway across the globe, South Korea was also affected because the US was its major trading partner economically. Since the economy of South Korea is widely known for its growth, many have overlooked the threat it creates among the people of South Korea. According to the report, South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates in the world where it has doubled over the last decade. The flourishing economy has increase the standard of living hence putting a lot of strain on household income. Moreover, the success story of economic turnover had masked the financial constraint among small and medium businesses as well as the people who were indebted. The reforms had causes high unemployment as well as unstable employment. In other words, the economy has created insecurity among certain group of population which ended up with suicide notes. Epidemic attack The economy of a country is susceptible to any sporadic of epidemic or pandemic attack of viruses. The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is a type of Atypical Pneumonia which can kill. It was identified in 2003. Due to its ability to spread quitely within the travelling group, and later created killer pneumonia, the whole world population were discourage to travel. South Korea was not spared of the economic consequences of SARS. Tourism industry was the most affected. Domestically, some public places such as school were closed and shopping mall suffer declined number of customers because of fear of SARS. Community restricted the movement for necessary requirement causing reduction in consumer expenditures and consumer services. However, the effect on economy was minimal compare to other South East Asia countries such as Hong Kong and China. The economic security fluctuates according to the demands of the international arena. When the prices of chips increase and the oil price reduces, South Korea gain positive trade advantages and pocketed tremendous profit because it was the second major supplier of chips to the United States. On the other hand, any sign of price weakening of electronic markets or a hike in oil prices could severely punished the South Korea economy because its export is based on electronics. Summary Undenialbly, economic security is not a new dimension in international relations. It has always been part of the security plan of the governing body of the nation. It is being exploited so as to avoid any security breach of of one government on another government as well as its policy. Each governement would consider economic interdependence with cautious and wariness because it can create both security as well as vulnerability.

Neoliberalism in Latin America Essay

From the 1930s until the 1980s state intervention and protection were key components of most Latin American economies. In these years many Latin American countries were used an Import-substitution industrialization based economy trying to reduce dependence on foreign imports and replacing them with domestic production. Due to the use of an Import-substitution industrialization based economy Latin American countries were forced to keep high tariffs to protect the private companies of their countries. This combined with many Latin America countries providing numerous government subsidized programs eventually led to the 1982 debt crisis. This debt crisis created a vacuum affect in Latin America with many of the countries taking on a new neoliberal economic model, and by the early 1990s John Charles Chasteen claims that almost every Latin American country was led by a president that was pro neoliberalism. This neoliberal economic model called for the slashing of tariffs as well as the reduction of removal of all nationalist-inspired subsides. Also following the neoliberal model, Latin American countries stopped the printing of money to slow inflation effectively undermining the functionality of their local markets. All of this was done so that a completely â€Å"free market† could be created. It was believed that this free market would not only help improve the economies of Latin American countries, but also create more personal freedoms for the people of Latin America. In the article â€Å"Neoliberalism, Neoclassicism and Economic Welfare†, John T. Harvey claims the complete opposite, arguing although a neoliberal economic model was created to produce conditions conducive to social provisioning or democratic problem solving, the exact opposite has occurred. Harvery states in his article, â€Å"Instead of growth, stability, and the narrowing of income gaps, we have seen stagnation, volatility, and increased inequality. † By researching neoliberalism a clear picture can be drawn. Neoliberalism created class stratification with the upper and middle class greatly benefiting from the new policies sanctioned by neoliberalism, while the poor continued to become more impoverished and unable to provide for themselves. Many historians argue that the neoliberal economic model was most beneficial for the small wealthy upper-class of Latin America as well as many upper-class business owners from other countries. The existence of a â€Å"free market† due to neoliberalism in Latin America created many opportunities for upper-class citizens to continue to become considerably wealthier. The upper-class benefit from neoliberalism in many ways but the two largest benefits come from the privatization of government subsidized programs and the lowering of tariffs. Not only did both of these policies line the pockets of the upper-class of Latin America but foreign investors as well. In order to balance their federal budget many Latin American governments privatized their government subsidized programs as well as cut federal jobs. First, the privatization of federal jobs allowed many upper-class citizens to take over these businesses and use them in their benefit to create capital. Former government projects such as constructing roads and government buildings were now being completed by companies that were owned by the upper-class. Prior to neoliberalism these jobs were paid out of the federal budget and were used as a way to lower unemployment by hiring more workers than were really needed. Now that private companies were doing the work efficiency was the most important thing leading to the loss of many jobs for the poor class of Latin America. In the article, â€Å"Neo-Liberalism in Latin America: Limits and Alternatives† Ian Roxborough argues that the immediate beneficiaries of the privatization of government subsidized programs and federal jobs, or what he calls real assets, were foreign investors and people with â€Å"flight cash†. This was because when these programs became privatized upper-class people from other countries as well as Latin America were able to come in and by penny cheap shares of these programs and soon to be private companies. This excrementally helped the upper-class because after they bought this stock at largely discounted prices it quickly grew in value. Clearly, lower classes that did not have extra cash could not benefit from this because they were unable to purchase any of the shares of these newly privatized commodities. This created two problems, not only did real assets of Latin America get lost to upper-class foreign investors, it also created a significantly larger wealth gap between the poor and upper-class because of the large amounts of money the upper-class made from the gains of the stock that they bought at such cheap prices. Another benefit the upper-class of Latin America and other foreign countries gained from neoliberalism was the reduction of tariffs. The reduction of Tariffs allowed foreign companies to come into Latin America and build maquiladoras. This was beneficial for the foreign investors because they could now come into Latin America where working wages were much cheaper and produce their goods at lower prices, which entail created more profit. Lower tariffs were beneficial for Latin American upper-class citizens because as the foreign companies came into Latin America they were able to invest in these companies. The ability to invest in these companies that wouldn’t have come to Latin America with the previous tariffs was just one more way people who already had money in Latin America were able to benefit even more from a neoliberal economic model. Neoliberalism also benefitted the middle class of Latin America. Chasteen argues the middle class benefited from a neoliberal economic model because of the cheap products that were produced due to the maquiladoras in Latin America as well as cheap products that were being imported to Latin America because of the newly reduced tariffs. This was very beneficial for the middle class for two reasons. First, under neoliberalism the middle class society who had money to spend, now had more choices because the large influx of items that were now being imported into Latin America. In his article, â€Å"Magical Neoliberalism†, Alberto Fuguet argues that neoliberalism was what led to amenities like large scale movies from Hollywood and other services, like fast food chains, to come to Latin America. Secondly, neoliberalism was beneficial to the middle class because with a larger selection of goods comes competition. With competition companies foreign and local now had to produce the best quality goods at the lowest price in order to continue to receive business from the middle class. Neoliberalism also benefited the middle class of Latin America because of the advancement in technology that occurred because of the privatization of water resource centers, electrical companies, and telecommunication companies. The privatization of these companies allowed them to modernize as well as make them more reliable. Some argue that neoliberalism was also beneficial for the women of Latin America. In her article â€Å"Love in the Time of Neo-Liberalism: Gender, Work, and Power in a Costa Rican Marriage†, Susan E. Mannon argues neoliberalism allowed women to gain more power and independence then they previously had. Mannon claims that neoliberalism, and the reduced tariffs that come with it, led to the creation of maquiladoras where women could seek employment. Latin American women’s new ability to gain employment in maquiladoras allowed them to earn a wage creating dual-income households. Not only did this give them more power and independence in their individual households, but the ability to buy goods also allowed them to participate in the local economy giving them more power as well. Those who stood to gain the least under a neoliberal economic model were the poor people of Latin America. This is because the privatization of state-run corporations and public service programs made them unaffordable for the poor working class, leaving many homeless and hungry. In the article, â€Å"From Democracy to Development: The Political Economy of Post-Neoliberal Reform in Latin America†, Alfred P. Montero states claims that neoliberalism leads to deepening levels of inequality, a growing percentage of people living below the poverty line, decaying infrastructure, poor access to even low-quality primary education, rising criminality, and inefficient productivity. All of these problems can be linked to privatization of government subsidized programs and the loss of government jobs. With neoliberalism the loss of jobs and government programs made unemployment skyrocket and education too expensive for much of the poor class of Latin America to afford. This lack of education is what many argue led to the problems that Montero claims such as a rise in criminal activity. Also, because neoliberalism privatizes companies that control commodities such as water, telecommunications, and electricity the poor class was unable to afford them, essentially leaving the poor of Latin America in the dark without water or electricity. Neoliberalism also led to the creation of Maquiladora’s which initially created what poor Latin American believed to be desirable jobs. Quickly the poor found out that many of these jobs did not pay a wage that was enough for a person to survive. With the poor pay of maquiladoras also came very poor working conditions that were conducive to creating injury. Omar Gil a former maquiladora worker stated in an interview that his first maquiladora job paid him a dismal forty dollars a week in working conditions that were less than safe. Omar attested that maquiladora workers were injured often because of the intense pressure of Forman’s to produce as much product as possible. Also with neoliberalism came the lack of available occupations. Due to the reduction of tariffs foreign companies were able to bring mass produced goods into Latin American countries at prices cheaper than local inhabitants were able to produce them. This created large scale unemployment and forced Latin American people into the unsafe and low paying maquiladoras. Chasteen argues that for the poor class the inability to produce goods far outweighed the benefits of being able to be a small-time consumer from the dismal wages that were earned in maquiladoras. It is clear that the neoliberal economic model is not beneficial for anyone but the wealthy elites and middle class of Latin American Countries. A neoliberal economic model became fashionably popular in Latin America because the people who were in charge were upper-class citizens and during a down turn in 1982 neoliberalism seemed like a solution due to its approach to better balance the budget of Latin American countries. Unfortunately, either the leadership of these countries assumed wrong, or just didn’t care about the wellbeing of its impoverished people, but clearly a neoliberal economic model does nothing but create a larger wealth gap, create more social stratification, and deplete living conditions for the poor even more. In the article, â€Å"Exploring the Impact of Neoliberal Economic Development on Poverty in Costa Rica: What Went Wrong? †, Paul B Lubliner argues that in order for economic prosperity to complement poverty reduction the state should have more control over the economy not less. I agree and argue by privatizing all state subsidized programs as well as depleting the amount of government jobs to almost zero Latin American countries actually went backwards in their pursuit to shorten the wealth gap as well as social stratification. Abusing your population to closer balance budget is in no way the solution to guarantee countries prosperity in the foreseeable future. Neoliberalism was clearly one sided only benefiting the rich and middle class, disfranchising each countries poor setting them back further then they were before.

12 Angry Men: Art of Persuation Essay

According to the legal system of the United States, every man put on trial is considered innocent until proven guilty. In the beginning of the film 12 Angry Men, however, this theory can almost be considered false to the jurors involved in a murder case. This 18-year-old Italian boy from a slum is on trial for stabbing his father to death. It is apparent that most jurors have already decided that the boy is guilty, and that they plan to return their verdict quickly, without even taking time for discussion. However, one juror, Juror Eight, stands alone against eleven others to convince them that the boy is not guilty, which means that he needs to persuade 11 other jurors from all walks of life, each with his own agenda, fears, and personal demons. In order to do so, he must prove with enough valid evidence that this boy is wrongfully accused of killing his father. Although this sounds like an impossible mission, he ultimately persuades the other 11 jurors to change their mind, with the reasonable doubts he finds during the debate, and more important, the superior persuasion techniques. See more: Is the Importance of being earnest a satirical play essay To sum up, Juror Eight uses incremental persuasion during the debate in the small private room. When persuading, he does so one small step at a time. He gets the rest of jurors to agree to a small point, and then gets agreement on a further smaller point. Then another and another until he has got them to his final destination. The brilliant part of it is that Juror Eight makes each small point very easy to accept and as logical as possible so none of the rest can really object to it. The debate starts with the first round of vote, in which all jurors except Juror Eight vote for guilty. After the first round of vote, he calls into question the accuracy and reliability of the only two witnesses to the murder, the rarity of the murder weapon and the overall questionable circumstances. He further concludes that he cannot in good conscience vote â€Å"guilty† when he feels there is reasonable doubt of the boy’s guilt. However, it looks like Juror Eight has no way to change his situation at all unless he can obtain additional support from any of the rest, and it is obviously difficult to persuade one juror to be the first one changing his vote. At that point, Juror Eight subtly use a persuasion method called final request. By doing so, he simply completes his argument, and asks the jurors to do just one more thing. He then takes a bold gamble that requests another anonymous vote. His proposal is that he will abstain from voting, and if the other eleven jurors are still unanimous in a guilty vote, then he will acquiesce to their decision. The secret ballot is held, and a new â€Å"not guilty† vote appears. Juror Nine becomes the first to support Juror 8, feeling that his points deserve further discussion. To continue, Juror Eight points out the first reasonable doubt. Based on his argument, one of the witnesses’ testimony, which claimed to have heard the boy yell â€Å"I’m going to kill you† shortly before the murder took place, could not be treated as sound evidence. In this situation, the persuasion technique being used by Juror Eight is Plain Folks. He tries to sell the jurors a message as an ordinary person, and the jurors are to believe that because they feel that Juror Eight is just like them and can be trusted. Juror Eight states that he used to live very close to the rail, and he cannot hear anything while the train passes. Therefore the old man is unlikely to hear the voices as clearly as he had testified. Also, he stresses that people say something like â€Å"I’m going to kill you† constantly at daily life but never literally mean it. Eventually, he persuades Juror 5, who had grown up in a slum, to change his vote to â€Å"not guilty. † In addition, Juror Eight uses another scheme to question the witness’s other claim. Upon hearing the murder, the witness had gone to the door of his apartment and seen the defendant running out of the building. However, he had an injured leg which amputates his ability to walk. Juror Eight tries to persuade the jurors by using evidence this time. In order to maximize the evidence’s effect, he lets the audiences engaged and involved in a walking experiment. Upon the end of the experiment, the jury finds that the witness wouldn’t have made it to the door in enough time to actually see the defendant running out. And come to the conclusion that, judging from what he heard earlier, the witness must have merely assumed it was the defendant running. At the same time, Juror Three, who looks irritated throughout the process, is about to explode. Juror 8 cleverly catches the chance and applies the persuasion technique called double bind to it. Double bind is a situation where a person has a choice (typically between two options), but whichever way they choose, they lose out, often with the same result. This situation may occur by chance, but in persuasion it is often carefully engineered by the persuader. He calls Juror Three a sadist, saying that he wants the defendant to die purely for personal reasons rather than the facts. This led to Juror Three’s explosion. He can’t help shouting out â€Å"I’ll kill him! And Juror Eight calmly retorts, â€Å"You don’t really mean you’ll kill me, do you? † Thus proving the point he mentioned earlier. This eventually turns Juror Two and Juror Six decide to vote â€Å"not guilty†, tying the vote at 6 to 6. This is absolutely a turning point in the film. At that time, every juror, no matter what his vote is, has started to realize Juror Eight might be eventually capable of changing the verdict. Furthermore, Juror Four states that he doesn’t believe the boy’s alibi, which was being at the movies with a few friends at the time of the murder. Juror Eight then tests how well he can remember the events of previous days. Juror Eight uses a persuasion technique called logos here. He focuses on cool logic and rational explanation to concrete his argument. When Juror Four only remembers the events of the previous five days, Juror Eight can easily draw to a conclusion that even an intellectual person like Juror Four cannot remember every single detail in his life. He continues to set up another premise: the accused has a huge fight with his father, and he was accused by the police soon after he finds out his father is dead. Therefore it is reasonable to conclude that he is under great emotional stress. With that saying, the jurors should not attribute the fact that he forgets the movie’s name as evidence that he kills his farther. Another question by Juror Two is that whether the accused, who was nearly a foot shorter than his farther, was able to stab him in such a way as to inflict the downward stab wound found on the body. Again, Juror Eight uses evidence by conducting an experiment to see if it’s possible for a shorter person to stab downward into a taller person. The experiment proves that it’s possible. This result probably is leading to juror’s incline to â€Å"guilty† again. However, Juror Five then explains the correct use of a switchblade, that no one so much shorter than his opponent would have held a switchblade in such a way as to stab downward, as it would have been too awkward. With Juror Five’s help, Juror Eight then continues to persuade the jurors by one of the most complex techniques in persuasion, reframing. This technique requires the person to step back from what is being said and done and consider the frame. Then he leads people to consider alternative lenses, effectively saying ‘let’s look at it another way. ‘ And finally he changes attributes of the frame to reverse meaning. In this case, With Juror Five’s word, Juror Eight successfully reframes the outcome of the experiment as sound evidence that provides another reasonable doubt for the accused. This revelation augments the certainty of several of the jurors in their belief that the defendant is not guilty. The last reasonable doubt is that the witness who allegedly saw the murder had marks in the sides of her nose, indicating that she wore glasses. To persuade Juror Four, Juror Eight tries to use the method called truth by association. He cannily asks Juror Four if he wears his eyeglasses to sleep, and Juror Four admits no one does. Here, in order to produce a convincing argument that something is true, Juror Eight first associates it with something else that is already accepted as true. He proves that the witness must wear glasses, and then explains that there was thus no reason to expect that the witness happened to be wearing her glasses while trying to sleep, not to mention that the attack happened so swiftly that she would not have had time to put them on. According to these truths, Juror Four finally admits that there is reasonable doubt in the case and changes his vote as â€Å"not guilty†. Throughout the debate, Juror Eight always seeks to increase the significance of certain elements that he wants the jurors to take more seriously or see as particularly important. The persuasion technique applied here is repetition. He continuously repeats sentences such as â€Å"We are deciding on a man’s life. †, â€Å"It is possible. †, â€Å"People can be wrong. † and â€Å"Are you sure? †, etc. The repetition of words not only causes it to become remembered (which is persuasive in itself), it also leads the jurors to accept what is being repeated as being true. With no doubt, by doing so, Juror Eight achieves the result he wants. In conclusion, this film shows how Juror Eight’s excellent persuasion skills can change other’s life. More important, while keeping his persuasion so effective, he has never done something unethical to persuade others, such as threating or lying. One of the insights that everyone should learn from this film is that one ought to stand up and exert his utmost efforts to fight for his point of his view. And with the powerful persuasion technique and the faith in ethic, everyone has the chance to make a difference.

Human Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Human Rights - Essay Example Research by international human rights organizations have described the worst forms of labor abuse and dehumanization among low income earners like domestic and construction workers in the United Arab Emirates. For example, the worst form of exploitation is the â€Å"Kafala† sponsorship program that gives sponsors and employers authority to determine the immigrants’ legal residence (Chalcraft, 2011). According to Sonnez, Apostolopoulos, Tran & Rentrope (2011), employers are given the authority to control migrant workers pay, living conditions, and ability to renew or terminate their contracts without regard to the country’s labor laws. Another form of human right violation is debt bondage and confiscation of passports because migrant workers have been charged high recruitment fees by their home agencies. Violation comes in because the migrants are promised high salaries but on arrival they wages are too low ranging from $175 to $220 per month. A report by Human Rights Watch (2012) indicates that construction workers live in inhumane conditions, with eight to ten laborers sharing a room because of poverty and debt. For instance, they were expected to work for more than 12 hours per day with very few breaks even under extreme heat of the day (Exploited Workers Building Island of Happiness, 2009). The poor wages and increased cases of abuse thrive because of the political environment which has continuously ignored the need for establishing labor unions and enforcing legal action on abusers. Lack of labor unions limits migrants’ choices, rights to expression, ability to seek justice and freedom to move from one employer to another equating the situation to modern day slavery. These limitations have led to increased cases of suicides among immigrants who find themselves in fixed inhumane environment. A 2009 police report indicated that 113 migrants committed suicide with the most victims coming from domestic and

Data collection methods in conducting research of 'Implementation of Essay

Data collection methods in conducting research of 'Implementation of ERP in public sector in Oman - Essay Example A survey in the contemporary environment in which technology identifies modernism therefore identifies suitability of the data collection approach for the proposed study. In addition, management of public sector is centralized with regional headquarters in areas that are considered urban centers. This therefore means that reasonable sample size can be recruited from Oman’s urban centers for implementing the study on the public sector’s application of enterprise resource planning. Implementing the data collection method will involve allocation of research assistants to districts, each research assistant per district. The research assistant will then conduct interview with regional administrators, at their respective districts. The interviews will further target each office in the public sector, such as educational office, health office, agricultural office, among other administrative offices that exist in the assistants’ respective districts. One of the reasons for selection of telephone interviews for data collection is its suitability for the scope of the study that target offices at districts’ major centers in Oman. Consequently, the method will be feasible because of availability of necessary communication facilities. Advantages that the data collection instrument has also support its choice for application in the study. A telephone interview is more flexible that other data collection methods such as mailed questionnaires that may be restricted by schedules and reliability levels of mailing agencies. The flexibility also ensures a mutual time that conveniences both the researcher and the research participants. This further has the advantages of a facilitated response rate and quality of responses because research participants will be more ready and willing to participate in a study that does not inconvenience them. Telephone interview is also

Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Proposal - Essay Example Problem Statement The ‘We Are Automobile’ company deals with trade of spare parts products to the motor industry and its representatives are often going at potential customers’ premises to sell their products. Currently, the company does not have an Information Technology department and there is no IT system implemented. Therefore, the company processes the customers’ request manually and stores all the information on relative registers. The company is facing many problems due to manually working and inconvenience for storing and accessing information from the premises of the customer. Keeping in view the problem, the company has decided to implement Information Technology solution. There are two possible IT solutions for solving the problems of the company including implementation of traditional Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and the Cloud Computing. The document also discusses advantages and disadvantages of the both solutions along with recommendatio ns for the company to implementation of one of the two technologies. Keeping in view the company’s background and analysis of both solutions, the document reveals that the Cloud Computing has more advantages over the traditional ERP. Further, the document presents a technical approach and project management to implement the proposed solution (Alley, 2010). Information Technology Solutions As mentioned above, there are two IT solutions to solve the problems of the company, the ERP implementation and the Cloud Computing. â€Å"A system designed to support and automate the business processes of medium and large businesses. It provides an enterprise wide solution for all business activities with a single application and single data repository† (Mutt, 2010). A comprehensive Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution may be developed to solve the problems and fulfil the requirements of the company. Usually, the modules of ERP include Finance & Accounting, Customer Relations hip Management, Human Resources Management, Payroll, Inventory & Procurement, Sales and Project Management. The ERP is a complete solution that can provide services to the company and make the company ICT enabled (Ingthorsson, 2012). The second possible IT solution is Cloud Computing that provides hosted services over the Internet. There are mainly three categories of these services including: Software as a Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS). Furthermore, the cloud services can be differentiated to the traditional hosting through many features/characteristics; however, the main three diverse features include: the consumer/customer just need to pay all the maintenance/services are managed by the service provider, customer can take services according to requirement (little or full), and the services are provided on demand by hours, days, weeks, etc. (Rouse, 2010). Cloud Computing - Software as a Service, BScaler Comparison of Tradition al System Vs Cloud Computing A comparison of both Information Technology solutions the traditional system and Cloud Computing has been given below (Metal Center News, 2011): S. # Traditional System Cloud Computing 1. On-site or traditional ERP systems have constraints in managing particular Supply Chain tasks that include: inventory accessibility, readability, and order information synchronization at customers’ place. ERP based on cloud computing does not have such constraint as the application can be accessed from

Interpretation of Statistical Tables and Testing Hypotheses Statistics Project

Interpretation of Statistical Tables and Testing Hypotheses - Statistics Project Example Therefore, there appears a difference in grade for unmotivated, motivated, and highly motivated diploma students that are there is difference in grade based on participation. The average grade for unmotivated scholarship students (23 to 32 years old) was about 78.89 (SD = 7.59), for motivated scholarship students was about 71.17 (SD = 6.05), and for highly motivated  scholarship students was about 76.80 (SD = 7.12). Therefore, there appears that unmotivated and highly motivated scholarship students grade is higher as compared to motivated scholarship students. The average grade for unmotivated government students (33 and above) was about 62.67 (SD = 4.32), for motivated government students was about 62.56 (SD = 5.03), and for highly motivated  government students was about 63.20 (SD = 9.63). The average grade for  diploma students was about 87.85 (SD = 5.66), for  scholarship students was about 76.05 (SD = 7.49), and for  government students was about 62.75 (SD = 5.93). Therefore, there appears difference in grade among three age groups of students. The average grade for unmotivated students was about 79.00 (SD = 13.09), for motivated students was about 72.68 (SD = 11.50), and for highly motivated  students was about 74.75 (SD = 11.00). Therefore, there appears difference in grade among three motivation (participation) groups of students. There was a significant main effect of age group on student grade, F(2, 4.06) = 39.92, p =.002, ÃŽ ·2 = 0.952. In other words, there is difference in student grade for different age groups. The result indicates a very strong effect of 0.952 as measured by ÃŽ ·2. There was nonsignificant main effect of participation (motivation) on student grade, F(2, 4.02) = 1.77, p =.281, ÃŽ ·2 = 0.468. In other words, there is statistically no difference in student grade for different participations

CME Hosting Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

CME Hosting Company - Case Study Example Additionally, the data and information stored in databases is extremely confidential and should not be offered for public view. On the other hand, a lot of businesses are completely dependent upon information stored in computers systems. For instance, they use databases to store staff details, personal data, salaries, clients’ information, marketing, sales information, bank account details and so on. Moreover, in absence of such database system, it would be very hard for a company to work properly. Thus, there is a dire need for implementing an effective information security procedure to secure this data and information (Crystal, 2012; Nash, 2000). Furthermore, effective data and information security systems integrate a variety of strategies for better security products, skills and events. In addition, software applications such as firewalls and virus scanners are not sufficient on their own to secure this precious data and information. ... This report is aimed at analyzing present status of information security at the corporate. This report will offer an insight into the security arrangements presently available at ACME Co. as well as some new technologies needed to be deployed for the effective management of information security at in different corporate areas. Part I Threat Assessment In this section I will conduct a detailed analysis of some of the important threats at ACME Co. regarding provision of new web services for Citizens Wellness (CW) application by large health care company named Well-Health Inc. The basic aim of this analysis is to discover those major threats which currently exist in web services of ACME Co. as well as how these threats can damage or create issues for the information and data privacy for Citizens Wellness (CW) application. In this scenario, one of the primary risks is regarding staff related security risk. For instance, any bad staff person can hack or damage the business database or sys tems working. In addition, there is no proper way for staff recruitment. As well, there is no process for assessing background of staff members. The next main issue that I have assessed is regarding dissimilarity of operating systems’ versions and patches. In case of such misbalance among these versions and patches, there is no single and identical way to deal with security management of the business. Moreover, one of the biggest threats that can create an alarming situation for the business is the absence of anti-virus software on ACME servers. I have assessed that work stations of organization’s employees/contractors still do not have any protection procedure against malwares. There is another issue regarding network services of ACME which is the absence of internal

Golden Palace Hotel Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Golden Palace Hotel - Case Study Example 2. Human resources management. Golden Palace Hotel is understaffed during high seasons and some departments / areas (reception in particular) require full-time as well as well-trained and experienced staff. In present circumstances, Mr. Jones and Mr. De Souza are particularly interested in external business factors (more likely to impact Golden Hotel Palace directly) assessment of which authors' findings and recommendations are based. Given clients' particular request of an assessment of external business environment's implications for Golden Palace Hotel, current report mainly scans Golden Palace's market positioning considering political, social and cultural givens. Given Golden Palace Hotel's location on Fulham Road - a 3-minute walk from South Kensington underground station, a major asset in terms of accessibility (Department for transport 2009) - Golden Palace Hotel enjoys a strategic market location, one well situated close to London's most promising business and shopping hubs. This is particularly convenient for hotel's customers, typically business men and women, whose busy schedules limit mobility options. Additionally, Fulham Road's serene culture (Streetsensation n.d.) makes Golden Palace Hotel especially well suited for a businessperson's hectic schedule during evenings and particularly for attractions and entertainments in surrounding area (e.g. Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Kensington museums, Harrods and Harvey Nichols). Golden Palace Hotel's plan of facility expansion and additional amnesties for current and potential customers is both a sound and forward-looking business strategy. Given unprecedented falling property prices (Stevenson 2009) as a result of current economic and financial global crisis, Golden Palace Hotel has a major opportunity in investing in asset values. Further, planned gyms and swimming pools cater particularly to a growing influx of young Chinese and American visitors. The antique and collectible allure of Fulham Road is, moreover, a viable future opportunity for market segment expansion into one, basically young American and Chinese visitors, who both seek 'safe areas' for stay and 'valuable gifts' to take back home. Considering investment in hotel's IT infrastructure and online business strategy, Golden Palace Hotel lags a long way behind given current practices in hospitality business world over (AllBuisness 2001), let

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - Essay Example In these regards, I faced no real difficulty or challenges when reading Frankenstein. Occasionally I came across vocabulary that I either wasn’t familiar with, or was perhaps typical of the nineteenth century that I stumbled upon, but nothing challenging to the point of disrupting the novel’s narrative flow. I believe the centering of the narrative around sensational and horrifying events greatly contributed to my interest and ease in understanding the novel. It’s this exciting nature that also led me to find the book highly intriguing and moving. There were many parts of the novel that I found intriguing and recognize that the down periods only existed so that they could be resolved in narrative climaxes. Probably the most intriguing element was Victor’s description of how he had received his education and his desire to discover the secret meanings of life, and his eventual realization of this in Frankenstein’s creation. I also found Victor’ s quest towards the novel’s conclusion to exact revenge on Frankenstein as perhaps the most moving; at this point I had become completely emotionally invested in the characters and read this section with both terror and impassioned interest. While there were many unfortunate instances in the novel, I feel most moved by the monster’s plight and loneliness, as it was not difficult to feel empathy for a lonely individual seeking a partner in life; later, the murder of Victor’s wife was also a highly moving and unfortunate element in terms of my emotional response to the novel. In reading Foster’s How to Read Literature like a Professor there were a number of features that aided and enhanced my interpretation of the novel. While I had experience examining symbols and latent meanings in novels from high school English classes, the book’s discussion of symbols really helped reframe

Operation & Logistics Management Essay Example for Free

Operation Logistics Management Essay In modern world, the management of operations and logistics can represent the know-what, the know-how, and know-why of a company’s overall picture as well as its functional areas. Knowledge of the management is acquired by managers and employees, including analysts, by examining and investigating operations under study. This differs from the acquisition of specialized knowledge that is learned by performance over time. Usually, the management of operations and logistics is conducted by company personnel who possess a high level of skills in their field of work, for example, strategic planning, marketing, manufacturing, accounting and finance, and human resources. Besides, there are other company occupations that include some type of management work, directly or indirectly. The management of operations and logistics can therefore be defined as ‘‘the acquisition, creation, packaging, or application of knowledge’’ (Lesser 90). KANGPUT Technology Development Company has been increasingly, and heavily, influenced by economic theories of the firm; notably, developing management systems, selecting appropriate software that may be placed under the umbrella term of the â€Å"knowledge-based view of the firm†. KANGPUT Technology Development Company is based on customer satisfaction. This essay is based on KANGPUT Technology Development Company in China. This paper will consider how to use, maintain and control the knowledge effectively so the current management of operations and logistics of the organisation could be improved and have a better future overall. This work also covers the possible need for the director of KANGPUT Technology Development Company to accommodate changing knowledge work processes. An important part of developing operations and logistics management systems is selecting appropriate software, and therefore software selection is also discussed in the paper. Operations form the base of both multinational and small company, whether in manufacturing, service or non-profit organisations. Operations Management Logistics is a field that involves several subject disciplines such as product development, quality management, logistics, information systems and human resources management. Operations comprise beginning from the performance management of a group of design engineers to the exact forecast of production and delivery performance. People are the source of the ideas and actions that grow organizations. Yet the role of people and human capital has been changing in a fundamental way over the last several decades. Until recently, institutions have been the dominant part of the equation. As long as human inputs into wealth were seen as commodities, then people were interchangeable, one for another. Their contributions were marginal to the profits and practices of the company. As much as leadership proclaimed, â€Å"Our people are our most important resource,† very few organizations actually mobilized their people (Thierauf 32). A major challenge for the organisation is to engage and cultivate its networks of human capital (Bassett 35). In this era, the human capital that supports the company is only partially a group of direct employees. In fact, as time goes on, many organizations will operate with a core group of strategic leadership. The era where benign bureaucracies hired people to have jobs for life has come to an end. Instead, people will work in a number of organizations during their working lives and may have multiple engagements with a number of companies at the same time. People will increasingly begin to see themselves as companies of one, where they are responsible for their learning, their personal growth strategies, the quality of their relationships, and their work environment. As a result, a growing proportion of the people working with enterprises will be independent contractors, outsourced from other organizations, members of organizations with whom the enterprise has alliances. KANGPUT Technology Development Company raises these critical questions and lay the groundwork for establishing the kinds of frameworks, practices, and relationships that are necessary for any company to successfully navigate operations management logistics. KANGPUT Technology Development Company must to make organization that is nothing more than an extension of human thought and action, which makes human capital the only active capital. Financial and physical resources are important, but they cannot be transformed without the lever of human capital. The input of human capital grows in value and is becoming the differentiator for the company. Therefore, KANGPUT Technology Development Company must recalibrate to see how that input operates and bring it into balance with all of the other elements, including long-term knowledge management strategy. There should be a power shift. As people will begin to be better able to autonomously gather information, achieve mobility, and initiate connectivity, they will redefine the role and value of their human capital. As a result, they will make new demands on management for more satisfying kinds of tools and techniques for the management of operations. Operations management has to, in a sense, catch up with its workforce and respond with increasing flexibility to obtain the kinds of capabilities and commitments it needs to succeed (Lowson 120). This is a major reversal for operation management, which is used to being able to dictate the terms of employment. Regardless, it is a necessity. Company leadership must come to know better what human capital it needs, not just for today, but also for tomorrow and the day after. It must understand how to rapidly acquire, compensate, grow, and retain it so that it can positively affect its business performance and operating objectives. The result is that it must change its orientation and its basic systems to be at the lead of the knowledge-based enterprise reality. Managing the knowledge and human capital for continuous learning, sharing, and connecting as human beings needs to be part of the daily practice of everyone, from leadership to the frontline of the company (Thierauf 67-78). In the beginning, it should be said that there is no single hardware or software product or combination of the two that can give a comprehensive approach to operations management. If a comprehensive operations management system environment is the ultimate purpose, hardware and software products cannot be utilized alone. Creating a company-wide knowledge management infrastructure needs the integration of many different technologies. For KANGPUT Technology Development Company to open successfully its collective knowledge for companywide use, it is essential not only to develop and use integrated hardware and software technology but also to use the development company’s employees and their related business processes with this knowledge management technology. If KANGPUT Technology Development Company employees are not working in a collaborative environment or if no procedures are in place to share the knowledge, no amount of operations management system technology can change that. For operations management system environment to work well, it must be viewed by company employees at all levels as a strategic means for KANGPUT Technology Development Company to become more competitive and ensure success in the long run. To better comprehend what needs to be done to develop operations management systems effectively, it is best to begin with past and current approaches to the management of operations. This can be done in the form of expert systems and then go on to various levels of operational knowledge acquisition and use—beginning from tactical knowledge to strategic knowledge (Leonard-Barton 156). To acquire and spread narrow- to wide-based operational knowledge for KANGPUT Technology Development Company’s employees, the present knowledge work processes may have to be innovated. This may include reengineering in which knowledge work processes have to be revamped so that knowledge flows freely to every functional unit and subpart that needs it. In order to achieve this ambitious knowledge work redesign, several approaches can be undertaken by operational knowledge management system developers. First, KANGPUT Technology Development Company can change the content of knowledge by expanding what it encompasses in order to better meet desired goals. Second, the company can reorder the composition of work so that company employees may change the concentration of their jobs from information to knowledge. This change may demand the use of more teams of employees in order to share knowledge learned from previous projects, job assignments, and the like. From another side, the change can concentrate on the employment of new networking technology that lends itself to groupware. Using this technology allows employees to have individual knowledge bases and global knowledge bases so that to improve the effectiveness of their operations. Overall, the described changes are quite consistent with reengineering approaches to work and also bolster the efforts of employees using knowledge to make their jobs more effectively. For the purpose to decide which approach to use for reengineering work processes, it is essential for the operations system developers to define which knowledge orientation is required by the company and its employees. Additionally, there are other factors that can influence which direction to choose. These involve the competitive environment, corporate culture, company strategies, problem-finding approach, and the information technology infrastructure. By creating an effective relationship among knowledge work processes, company employees, and the items set forth above, operations system developers can sort out the important factors and set forth ones that are useful in the final design. Operations management systems represent a new business intelligence technology that is useful. Business intelligence technology has become popular because it gives decision makers the opportunity to access and analyze large quantities of information. This information can be used to distil knowledge concerning current and future patterns and trends. Besides, operations management systems are attractive because they give decision makers faster access to desired knowledge which can be presented in new ways that do not require extensive custom programming. In the future of the company they will assist decision makers in making better informed decisions. The point is that decision makers have a wide base of resources at their command to use on problems facing them. Since no one software product can serve the full range of user knowledge needs, there are a host of products available today. Good operations management systems require the cooperation of the vendors, the computer department, and the company’s decision makers and their employees. Most outside vendor products have limitations that will be reached the first time a user says, ‘‘I need †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. What the person then finds is that the package has provided what is thought to be needed. The vendor can do little to adapt it. So instead of simply acquiring this package, it is necessary to look for one or more software packages that provide capabilities for adapting it to the needs of company decision makers. This naturally leads to the next team that must be created, the computer department. Cooperating with the computer department rather than treating it as an outsider will result in a operations management system much better used to the users’ needs. These computer employees, after all, have been providing much of the information that managers and their employees use. Therefore, they know what some of the decision makers’ needs are already. They will also be the people who will create and implement the system and adapt it to decision makers’ needs.

Indus valley civilizations Essay Example for Free

Indus valley civilizations Essay The Indus Valley civilization is an ancient civilization that prospered along the Indus River and Ghaggar-Hakra River in present day Pakistan and India. The Indus valley civilization is sometimes called the Harappan Civilization in reference to the first excavated city called Harappa. The Indus Valley civilization was discovered in the 1920s. The existence of the Indus Civilization is only proved by excavations and maybe some Sumerian writings, e. g. The Mehulan, which is said to correspond with Indus Valley civilization. The Indus Valley Civilization extended from Balochistan to Gujarat, with an upward reach to Punjab from east of the river Jhelum to Rupar on the upper Sutlej. Coastal settlements extended from Sutkagan Dor in Western Baluchistan to Lothal in Gujarat. Besides the western states of India, the Indus Valley Civilization encompassed most of Pakistan. An Indus Valley site has been found on the Oxus River at Shortughai in northern Afghanistan, at Sutkagen dor (Western Baluchistan, Pakistan), at Mandu on the Beas River near Jammu, and at Alamgirpur on the Hindon River, only 28 km from Delhi. Indus Valley sites have been found most often on rivers, but also on lakes, the ancient sea-coast and on islands. There is no documentary evidence that the Indus civilization really existed. What is known of it is the archeological evidence. The assumption that a civilization once existed and prospered in that valley is based on what was found there at the at the excavation sites. It is a well known fact, through out history, ancient Civilizations always started along the banks of rivers or water bodies. Archeologists create theories out of their findings. Most of the artifacts found on archeological sites are explained away with out any substantial recorded facts to back their explanations. The discovery of the Indus valley civilization proves that indeed there has been some human presence around there but the question is: is the Indus valley civilization exactly what we are being told it is today? Are the facts acceptable for scholarly pursuits? It has being recorded that the Indus valley civilization had elements of urbanism such as advanced sewerage systems, dockyards, warehouses, granaries such as we have today. One could clearly conclude from these facts that a great form of civilization indeed existed which might be the basis of what we have today. The lack of authoritative and verifiable written materials on the Indus civilization makes it very difficult to study. This is because the proof of it does not exist in writing in the first place so that at least they can serve as other sources for referencing when in doubt. Good scholarly conclusions can only be drawn from authentic facts which can be proven over time and this is not a very strong point of the Indus civilization.

How do the films address and represent indian national identity?

How do the films address and represent indian national identity? Its a fairly well-known fact that the Indian film industry is the most active in the world, producing more number of movies each year than any other (including Hollywood). Few of those films, however, reach the international market. Occasionally, however, a worthwhile picture causes enough people to take notice that it becomes a favourite on the international film festival circuit. The movie Roja (1992) and Bombay (1995) directed by Mani Rathnam crossed the National boundaries. Roja (1992) and Bombay (1995), which deals Kashmir terrorism and the riots in Bombay after the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya by Hindu fundamentalists. Roja (1992), a patriotic love story against the backdrop of Kashmir terrorism, was dubbed from Tamil language and released in Hindi and other languages became a huge success all over the nation. The movie depicts a serious theme of ‘National Integration after the war between India and Pakistan on a territorial dispute in Kashmir borders. The local militants group of Islamist in Pakistan who seek to claim Kashmir initiated the war. The movie created an awareness of growing terrorism in Kashmir borders. Mani Rathnam was critically acclaimed for the theme chosen (National Integration) after its release. Roja revolves around one Mans love for his motherland and a wifes unfailing love for her husband. Rishi Kumar (Aravind swamy) is the lead (character) in the movie. Mani Rathnam films focus not much on individual characters but on complex plots and events of history. Roja won the national award for the best film and is regularly screened on Indian state television following Independ ence Day promoting â€Å"National integration†. It was a turning point in Indian cinema to portray a different genre with delicate music. The story line is about how a girl, who never crossed her village boundaries managed to bring her husband back from the terrorists trap in Kashmir. The message conveyed through the movie is wanted â€Å"peace† between the borders of India and Pakistan. Mani Ratnam always in his movie addresses the historical events of the nation that created any social difficulty. I will be analysing Roja, how it address the Indian national identity with key factors glorified in the movie. The movie was shot at different locations, southern and northern parts in India but the thrilling part was at Kashmir mountains where the terrorists set up their plot. The characters in the movie are well presented. The hero (Rishi) in negating his given religious identity in the first instance he embraces the terrorists leader saying hum ‘‘koi nahi hain† (we are none) but then he claims a name saying â€Å"hum sirf Indian hain† (we are Indians). It is also a kind of melodrama with a message of â€Å"National Integration† in it. (Ravi S.Vasudevan, 1996). The music of the film added success through emphasizing different Indian culture and the music was drawn on folklore, example in a song, gang of ladies singing and dancing with traditional Indian village costume depicting the National Identity. Much of Roja is set in Kashmir, which was formerly used as the major location for romance in Hindi movies, drawing on its association of earthly paradise, but which features rarely now because of political unrest and terrorism. One of the most memorable scene from the film is when the hero, Rishi, is taunted by his captors, Kashmiri separatists, who burn the Indian flag, where Rishi throws himself on it and catches fire, to the words of a song by the nationalist Tamil poet Subramania Bharathi â€Å"India is dearer to me than life† evoked the patriotism to intense. Music of the film represents the culture identities of different locations. The camera movements were glorifying especially in the chase scene where the hero Rishi (Aravind Swamy) tries to flee from the place where he was abducted by the terrorists. Cinematography of the film has been a major credit in representing the Indian National Identity through picturising the different geographical entity. It was watching thriller putting ourselves in the situation. Roja was well received by the audience in spite of some critical findings as it signifies peaceful relations between the two countries. The film turned to be huge success even catching the attention of international audience tapping into the growing fear of terrorists attacks across the world. Mani Rathnam second film Bombay (1995), has a central narrative of an inter communal marriage between a South Indian male and a Muslim girl in India, marked it as the most anxiously awaited film to be released. The board of censor and public response to the film were controversial after its release. The movie was dubbed from Tamil (south Indian) language to other different languages to spread the message of â€Å"unity† among the Indian religions across the nation. Bombay (1995) is a film based on communal riots, provoked by the demolition of the Babri Masjid (Mosque) by Hindu fundamentalist in December 1992. Mani Rathnam the director of Bombay has revolutionized the Indian Film Industry with technically strong films that are beautifully visualised conveying some kind of social message in it. It was the first film to portray the Muslim victims of the Bombay riots sympathetically. He sees his work as plea for peace between Hindu and Muslim. Instead, however it brought a permanently brewing conflict back to boil. He consulted Hindu majorities and Muslim minorities in this research. I believe that Mani Rathnam is concerned very much about the social issues happening across the country, that he gave a movie Bombay and a message in it. Indian audience come to theatre looking for some entertainment, so the movie is portrayed with social representations relied on melodrama and music. Religious conflict has addressed the national identity in film Bombay. The film Bombay begins as a romantic drama depicting the growing love between a Hindu man (Aravind swamy) and a Muslim woman (Manisha koirala). Bombay was an inspiration on the history of events that happened in December 1992. The Hindu fundamentalists around India, who demanded the building of a temple at Ramas (Indian god) birthday place in Ayodhya, on a site then occupied by the a mosque was demolished, which initiated the (Bombay riots).(Dwyer Rachel,2006). I will analyse the production, reception, theme and the national identity that the movie exemplify. The characters of the film are given great importance specifically, shekhar (Arvind swamy) a student studying journalism in Bombay and shaila banu(Manisha koirala) a Muslim schoolgirl in the village. Eventually, they both fall in love. The marriage proposal was denied by both the parents because of religious conflict. Shekhar with shaila elope to Bombay, where they start a new life away from their parents. Although Bombay and Roja solicit quite different sentiments, both arise from a similar subjectivity that of a hero presented with the characteristics notations of professional identity, cosmopolitan, ideological humanism, rationalism, and marginalization of religion. Although the film was about Bombay, it was shot in constructed sets at Madras. The art director Thotta Tharani constructed small town sets of Bombay in limited production value that looked like Bombay. Inspired by the documentation and re-creation of the Vietnam war, Rajiv Menon the cinematographer took for his models of ‘Apocalypse Now'( 1979 ) and the ‘Killing Fields (1984 ) to convey a heightened sense of reality in Bombay that was horrifying yet to be ‘stunning and beautiful (Lalitha Gopalan, 2005, p.21). The music by A.R Rahman was extraordinarily moving and the back ground score was emotionally evoking the sense of patriotism. The songs were beautifully picturised across South India and they portray different culture. Especially the song ‘Kannalanae/with my eyes depicts the Indian tradition of celebrating a marriage ceremony. Most of the Bollywood cinemas contain elements of music, comedy and melodrama, as the tradition and culture in India posses it. The film was set to be released in 1994 but a series of events involving the Board of Censors in Bombay and Madras, sensitivity to reminding Muslim of the campaign against them appears to underlie the censor boards deletion of the following visuals of the Babri Masjid and its demolition. The protests from two communal groups and the instructions from police delayed the film release until April 1995. Political and religious entity portrays the identity of the nation state. Bombay did not receive a warm welcome from the audience; instead several forms of protest were raised. The Muslim community started sending letters to editors of newspaper and many theatres were ransacked. Director Rathnam has shown great courage in making this picture (bombs were thrown at his house after its release), showing the aversion towards the subject. Later the movie was a great success in spite of chaos happening all over the country. The movie crossed the National boundaries and gained some international recognition. Bombay brings out the climax scene very well showing a human chain symbolically denoting the end of riots and reunites that still remains memorable. The film thereby sets out a symbolic representation of a common enough past, present and future logic. The film is an appeal for unity and peace in Hindu and Muslim within the nation. Roja and Bombay are the films which engaged with contemporary issues about Indian nation state. There is a suggestion here that the films vision of bringing to an end of antagonism nevertheless entails the reproduction of difference. The film projects a transcendent secular modernity and national identity square with its production. These films offered a universal identification to Indian cinema. Broadly speaking Nation can defined in seven ways in Indian subcontinent. They are Ancient civilization entity, composite culture, political entity, religious entity, geographical territorial entity and unity of Nation. Roja and Bombay is composed of all these entities represent the National Identity. Robert Pascals Theory on Icy Moons | Analysis Robert Pascals Theory on Icy Moons | Analysis In Robert Pascals research article, Physiochemical Requirements Inferred for Chemical Self-Organization Hardly Support an Emergence of Life in the Deep Oceans of Icy Moons, Pascal presents different hypotheses of the formation of life on icy moons compared to life on Earth. Liquid water, free energy, and organic matter are the three essential components to start the origin of life. In addition, the complexity of the environment and the structure of the entity itself are also essential to the formation of life. On these icy moons, Pascal states that there would have been an event which was highly unlikely, taking place to combine these components. These events are considered, because our knowledge of astrobiology is only limited within the parameters of Earth. On icy moons, life will be significantly simpler than of life on Earth due to the insufficiency of the components used to start the origins of life. The first component is liquid water, water plays a major role in creating life on Earth and most of the living organisms on Earth grow in wet environments. The properties of water being a solvent and to be able to dissolve mostly everything allow organisms to evolve in different environments. The second component is organic matter which is present in minerals. Organic matter is combined together with water and energy in a long process to help the entity grow its structure. The third component is energy which allows an endergonic reaction to take place to create a chemical reaction with water and organic matter. Kinetic barriers are also formed by existing energy around the entity which depends on the temperature in the environment during the origin of life process allowing system to maintain its equilibrium state and further evolve. In addition, the entity must be capable of reproducing itself leading to the evolution of the entity. The second law of thermodynamics is applied to demonstrate how the entity maintains its equilibrium state coupled with a form of stability, called dynamic kinetic stability (Robert Pascal, 2016) which enables the entity to reproduce itself towards an irreversible stage. Considering all theories and conclusions researchers have come to, Pascal states that the final parameters which determine how the origin of life will be formed is the covalent bonds of the entity relative to the liquid water around it, the temperature of the environment where the entity resides, liquid water, and an energy source equivalent to light. The origin of life of different extra-terrestrial systems depends on the complexity of the evolution of the entity and the complexity of its environment. The oceans on Jupiter and Saturns icy moons have a significantly lower temperature environment compared to the Earth, with no light or alternative energy source that would reach the entity to start any kinetic irreversibility leading to a conclusion that an event that was highly unlikely would have taken place to start the origin of life process in the oceans of the icy moons. It is believed that on the icy moons, chemical gradients are contained between the crust and the ocean which meets the criteria of the origin of life on Earth. Pascal uses the knowledge of astrobiology within the parameters of Earth to present three hypotheses about how life would form on these icy moons. The first hypothesis is called panspermia, which is the theory of the origin of life would have originated from microorganisms from outer space, which upon reaching a suitable environment, is able to initiate life. The second hypothesis considered entities that have experienced conditions that would allow the entity to take in liquid water through the environment and solar energy by exchanges through the atmosphere. The second hypothesis was deemed incompatible as the time duration of the process would be too short for the process of chemiosmosis. The third hypothesis was the subduction process in the ocean which would have activated chemicals capable of feeding the chemical protometabolisms. This shows that including the present day knowledge of astrobiology and the origin of life process, the origin of life process in the oceans of icy m oons must also include an event that would be highly unlikely of taking place as the formation of life on different extra-terrestrial systems depend on the complexity of its environment and the evolution of the entity itself. In Pascals Physiochemical Requirements Inferred for Chemical Self-Organization Hardly Support an Emergence of Life in the Deep Oceans of Icy Moons, the information in the hypotheses about the formation of life on icy moons are limited, because our knowledge of astrobiology is only limited within the parameters of Earth. Reference List Earth, P., Panspermia, H. and Panspermia, R. (2017). PANSPERMIA THEORY origin of life on Earth directed panspermia lithopanspermia meteorites Panspermia Theory. [online] Panspermia-theory.com. Available at: http://www.panspermia-theory.com/ [Accessed 20 Mar. 2017]. Khan Academy. (2017) Khan Academy, [online] Available at: https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/history-of-life-on-earth/history-life-on-earth/a/hypotheses-about-the-origins-of-life [Accessed 20 Mar. 2017].

Te Great Gatsby :: Essays Papers

Te Great Gatsby Setting This story takes place at West Egg in Long Island, an unfashionable town. It is in the early 1900’s. Characters A. Nick Carraway- Nick is the story narrator. He is a young man from Minnesota who moves to the east after fighting in the First World War. He is Jay Gatsby’s next-door neighbor. B. Jay Gatsby- Jay is the title character. He is a wealthy man who lives in a gothic mansion in West Egg. He was born with the name Jay Gatz on farm in North Dakota. C. Daisy Buchanan- Daisy is Nick’s cousin. She is the woman with whom Gatsby is in love. She lives right across from Gatsby with her husband Tom. She is bitter and a little cynical. D. Tom Buchanan- Tom is Daisy’s husband. He is arrogant and hypocritical. E. Jordan Baker- Jordan is Daisy’s friend who becomes romantically involved with Nick during the story. She is a talented golfer but cheated her way into winning her first tournament. F. Myrtle Wilson- Myrtle is Tom’s lover. Her husband George owns a run-down garage. Summary Like the setting says, the story takes place at West Egg in Long Island. The narrator, Nick, is not like the people of West Egg. He drives out to East Egg to have dinner with his cousin Daisy and her husband Tom where he is introduced to Jordan Baker, the woman who he will begin a romantic relationship with. She informs Nick of Myrtle Wilson, Tom’s secret lover. As the summer goes on, Nick learns more about his mysterious neighbor Gatsby. He throws extravagant parties at his mansion every Saturday night to impress the women he loves, Daisy. Nick arranges for Gatsby and Daisy to reunite. After this they fall in love and start and affair. Tom finds out about his wife’s wrongdoings and confronts Gatsby at a suite in the Plaza Hotel in New York. Tom claims that he and Daisy have a history that Gatsby could never understand. He also tells Daisy that Gatsby’s fortune comes from bootlegging illegal alcohol and other criminal activities. On their way home Nick, Jordan and Tom discover that Gatsby’s car struck and killed Myrtle, Tom’s lover. They rush back to Long Island where Nick learns from Gatsby that Daisy was driving the car that struck Myrtle, but Gatsby intends to take the blame.

The Importance of Early Childhood Cognitive Development Essay -- Biolo

The Importance of Early Childhood Cognitive Development America has many programs for graduating students that are involved with education and children. While any college student can appreciate education, I suspect that few understand the importance of early childhood development. Having committed to apply for a position in Teach for America, I want to better understand why it is so important to "get 'em while they're young." In 2001, the US Department of Education, Academy of the Sciences, and the Foundation for Child Development conducted a study on early childhood development. Several interesting, scientific ideas and trends on childhood development emerged from the study. The questions surrounding this research were: how important is the early life of a child? What early years are most important? Why are later years not more important? In order to better plan education policy, discussing these questions is necessary. The portion of the study I find most convincing is that regarding neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity, or brain plasticity, is the brain's ability to reorganize neural pathways based on new experiences. (1) Simply put, every day we experience and learn new things. In order to incorporate this new information into our brains, the brain must reorganize the way it processes that information. Thus, as we learn things, the brain changes. Neuroplasticity is important because, while it continues throughout the life of every individual, it is closely linked to the rate of brain development/growth. During rapid periods of brain growth, synaptic pruning occurs. Synaptic pruning is the elimination of synapses in the brain that are weaker facilitating growth of a stronger, more efficient brain. (2)As the brain grow... ...ost beneficial not only for their education, but also for the physical development of their brains. This information is useful in many fields of study- the sciences, sociology, political science, law, etc. Neurosciences still have much to develop on early childhood cognitive development. However, presently, the information seems to facilitate the creation of a proper education for young children. References 1)Neuroscience Consultant, Prepared by Erin Hoiland http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/plast.html 2)Synaptic Pruning in Development, Online Version of a Text http://citeseer.nj.nec.com/cachedpage/116010/2 3)Eager To Learn , Study, Online Version of Text http://books.nap.edu/books/0309068363/html/37.html#pagetop 4)US Department of Education , President Bush's Initiatives http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/read/ereadingsbr03/edlite-slide9.html

Michael Wigglesworths Wrathful Poetry Essay -- Michael Wigglesworth

Michael Wigglesworth's Wrathful Poetry Michael Wigglesworth was born in England in 1631. He came over to America with his family at the age of seven. He was raised in the town of New Haven, Connecticut until he went to Harvard at sixteen. He graduated in 1651 but remained a tutor for three years. He was called to the ministry and accepted a call to a church in Malden, Massachusetts, in 1655 and remained in that town the rest of his life. He had three wives and eight children. Wigglesworth was a small and extremely frail man. Due to his sickness, he went to Bermuda for seven months in 1663, and there he began to study medicine, which was his initial interest before the ministry. After this trip, he was a physician as well as a preacher. However, Wigglesworth was not known for his preaching. He was not very well liked in his hometown and turned to poetry due to his rejection in the pulpit. Samuel Sewall commenting on his death mentioned two things: the fact that he wrote "The Day of Doom" and that he was "very useful as a physician." The fact that Sewall did not comment about Wigglesworth being a preacher helps verifies that he was not well known for his preaching. Wigglesworth wrote a lot of poetry, but his piece "The Day of Doom" was by far his most famous work The poem sold 1800 copies in its first year of publication, and sold many copies after the first year as well. About one in every twenty people in New England bought a copy, and it was supposedly America's first bestseller. Children memorized verses of the poem along with their catechism, and others memorized it as well. This poem affected the people of his day and the new American culture. The poem was written in common hymn meter, which made it easy to memor... ...rtheless, it should be read and remembered for a few reasons. First, it captures the spirit of one of the main religious bodies at the beginning of this Country, Puritanism. The Puritans were one of the first peoples to come over to America and set up a colony, and for this we owe them our gratitude and remembrance. Also, the fact that this poem was probably America's first bestseller is reason enough to read it. It is important to know our heritage. So, let's celebrate America's religious and literary heritage by reading "The Day of Doom" by Michael Wigglesworth. Works Cited: Lawson, Stephen. "About Michael Wigglesworth and His Poetry." Ed. Milton Stem. New York: Viking, 1962. http://www.puritansermons.com/poetry/wigglife.htm. "Michael Wigglesworth" The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 5th ed. Vol. 1. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: Norton, 1998. 283-284.

How the emotion affects the person Essay

In the modern world, emotions play such a large role in almost everything people do, it is hard to make a decision which will get the most desirable results. It is true, however it is looked upon, that decisions and choices are mainly made by the emotion that the person is feeling towards the topic. A kind person will go join the Peace Corps and help aide the poor and starving, while a person with no pity towards much of anything will not care enough to do something of that nature. Pity is one of the key emotions in making decisions. If someone feels sorry for another individual, they are much more likely to go out of their way to help this person. Whether it is from dropping a few coins into a beggar’s cup, or just helping out a friend, people have to go out of their way because of pity. Pity is more than a simple emotion which can lead people do to things for others, however. It can bring upon new feelings within an individual and help them to achieve a higher level of consc iousness. Decisions are intertwined with everyone in the worlds lives, and if they do not begin to see the reasons behind their decisions, it could have devastating results. Pity towards an individual can have an effect on almost everything in the world. Whether it is bargaining for the price of clothing, to giving money to a poor person, there can be all kinds of changes depending on a person’s circumstance. This, however, is not a good thing because there are always people in the world who do not care about others and can â€Å"con† someone and take advantage of them. Although pity can be good or bad, it is mainly shown as a sign of weakness in a person. It can make someone decide to do irrational things for another and bring them in danger. People say that having a ruthless leader would be bad, but they are wrong because being ruthless does not mean being evil or mean, it just means knowing that feelings cannot get in the way of decisions. Emotions are much more than influences in our decisions, however. They play a key role is almost everything in the world. If there was no emotion in any novels or movies or anything of that nature, how would we be able to enjoy life? Music is basically an extension from our own human emotions, and that is why music can be integrated in much of our situations of life. In movies, it would not sound right if a swinging beat was used in a war scene, or vice  versa. Thus, it is simple to say that emotions do play a role in our lives. The effects of emotions in our lives can vary from person to person, but no matter how hard someone tries, they cannot escape having and feeling these things. Whether it is good or bad, choices are made depending on the emotions involved in the consequences. Pity is one of the major feelings dealt with when faced with a decision about another individual. Are they poor? In need of help? These are both basic questions that are asked to oneself when deciding on what to do in a situation. Although it is impossible to stay out of the grasp of emotions, it is very possible to realize the effects of them, and make decisions based upon the knowledge at hand.

Comparison of the Ant and the Grasshopper Essay

Some people live life like it is their last day alive, spending everything. Some other people save every penny they own. Which way of life produces a better life? What should people do with their money? In the fable, â€Å"The Ant and the Grasshopper† and the modern fable, â€Å"The Richer, the Poorer,† the main characters reflect two opposite views of how to live life. Both the ant from â€Å"The Ant and the Grasshopper,† and Lottie from â€Å"The Richer, the Poorer,† concern themselves with preparation and comforts of life. For example, the ant from â€Å"The Ant and the Grasshopper† was a very hard worker. During the summer, he worked hard, saving food for the winter. He sacrificed fun and other obstacles so he wouldn’t starve to death during winter. Likewise, Lottie is similar to the ant, even though she is human. She was a laborer, who was always trying to hold up a job. She sacrificed buying candy as a child, and saved every penny that she earned, so she could use it when she really needed it. Lottie lived a very comfortable life, and often scolded her sister, Bess, for the way Bess didn’t save money like her. Near the end of the story, Lottie lets Bess move in with her, and had to do loads of work to prepare and take care of her. Thus, these two characters plan to keep their lives secure with hard work, saving, and sacrifice. Unlike Lottie and the ant, Bess and grasshopper live for the day. For example, the Grasshopper, from â€Å"The Ant and the Grasshopper,† spent the summer singing and having fun, living his life to the fullest. Likewise, Bess, from â€Å"The Richer, the Poorer,† spends her time traveling the world. She spends every penny she earns, living life full of laughter and fun, even though she was in rags, not riches. She owns very few possessions, but still has fun with her life. These two characters live a very fun, joyful life. These four characters learn a valuable lesson. They shouldn’t work all the time so they can enjoy life later without enjoying it at the present, but they should not just spend everything they have, because they need some planning in their life so they don’t live in rags. Lottie wasted a lot of her life planning and saving for the future, while Bess lived a fun life, but had hardships in her life that Lottie never had. And had the Grasshopper prepared, he wouldn’t have had to be hungry for the winter. One should balance work and play to have the best life.

Plato and Aristotle Similarities and Differences Essay

What factors, for Plato and Aristotle, were critical in the construction of a state? Before one examines the construction of the State in the eyes of two famous classical thinkers, one must first understand what a State is. A State can be defined as a group of people settled in a specific geographical location where, through interdependency and order, a livelihood can be achieved. Plato and Aristotle, both great philosophers, contributed to the world of politics today, their views and ideas on what should be considered in the construction of a State. Plato (427-347 B. C. ), famous for his work â€Å"The Republic†, viewed the state as a machine which can be constructed systematically. In contrast to his former mentor, Aristotle, a former student of Plato, regarded the State as an organism with the attributes of a living being, stating that its emergence is a natural process. Both ideas are very influential and crucial in examining and understanding their contributions made to politics and society today. In the eyes of Plato, one of the main factors critical to the construction of the State was the division of the human soul. Within Plato’s division of the soul, there were 3 divisions: – â€Å"the rational†, which was regarded as the highest part of the soul and, as a result, gave particular people the ability to reason; â€Å"the spirited†, which had the capacity to follow and asset the claims of reason; and lastly, â€Å"the appetitive†, which Plato found as the lowest part of the soul and sheltered desires and emotions. The Rational reflected the rulers/philosophers who were small in groups but ruled over a much larger group of producers. They occupied the top of the class structure and because of their ability to reason, people believed that they alone had the insights and solutions to human problems. The Spirited followed the Rational and consisted of soldiers and administrators who supported and were controlled by the Government, hence their capacity to follow. The Appetitive represented the producers in society. Making up the majority of the population, producers were mainly artisans, traders and farmers who provided the basic services to society and were never allowed to state their opinions and feelings, thus their harbored emotions. Such a class structure was referred to as an aristocracy, which Plato thought of as the ideal State. It was this threefold division of the soul which influenced the division of society, therefore making it a critical factor in Plato’s construction of the state. Another factor which was very influential in Plato’s  construction of the State lay in the process of selective breeding. Selective breeding can be considered the pairing of parents to ensure the highest physical and mental qualities of the offspring. Such offspring were to become the next generation of rulers by the age of fifty. Plato believed that the selection of rulers could be best made through lengthened education and training which were reserved for only the ruling class in the form of music, literature, military instructions and so forth, to enhance these qualities. According to Plato, government and ruling must not be left to chance. It is through a planned program of training that kings are born, made and sculpted into society. This transmitted process is significant to the construction of the State in the eyes of Plato. Contrary to Plato’s views, Aristotle had his own vision of the construction of the State and rather than viewing the state as a piece of machinery, he saw it as a ‘natural entity. ’ Aristotle spoke of the construction of the State as an organism, in which the State was the highest form of all communities. One of the main factors in Aristotle’s eyes, critical to construction of the State, was the belief that the State was natural. In this perspective, the family, the village and the State were 3 stages in the growth of human relations. Aristotle saw the family as the first stage or form of association where mankind is reproduced and men’s primary daily wants and needs such as food, clothing and shelter are supplied. The second form of association of the state was the village in which men search for something more than the basic wants supplied in the family. In this stage, man satisfies his elementary needs such as a desire for companionship and loyalty. The third and highest form of community is the State. It is within this stage that moral values and beliefs are established through social institutions which are implemented throughout the State, such as the church and school. The state exists solely for the purpose of ensuring that man realizes himself and lives the good life. Thus, Aristotle emphasizes on the recognition of the State as a natural process which is critical for the proper construction of a state. Moreover to Aristotle’s belief of the State as an organic concept, another essential factor which Aristotle considers in the construction of a state is the framing of an appropriate system of government. Aristotle recognized 3 forms of true governments: – monarchy, aristocracy and constitutional government. Monarchy consisted of one ruler with the best features, qualities and merits who governed the majority of the population. Aristocracy consisted of a small group of rulers governing a large group of people. Aristotle defined it as â€Å"government formed of the best men absolutely†. Finally, a constitutional government was one where a large group of citizens administered for the common interest of the people. Aristotle, like Plato, regarded the aristocracy, in addition to the monarchy, as the ideal forms of government as they both consider the virtue of rulers above the consent of the ruled. Thus, to Aristotle, the framing of a system of government was essential in the construction of a state. In retrospect, in assessing the various factors which were significant to the construction of a state, both philosophers possessed dissimilarities in how they viewed the entire entity of the State but agreed in the decision of which government should be implemented within the state. These factors proved very influential in today’s conceptions and understanding of society and are important components of the work done by both classical thinkers and the present study of politics.

Objective Relations Theory

Projective Identification copyright 1996 Hannah Fox, CSW, BCD All rights reserved – may not be reproduced without permission of Hannah Fox ([email  protected] com) This document can be found at: http://www. object-relations. com This presentation will explore several concepts and techniques within the Object Relations theory of family therapy which, if understood, provides a framework for looking at couples and families. Before talking about this approach to family therapy, I would like to explain what object relations theory is all about.Object Relations Theory was originated in England by a group of British psychoanalysts, including Klein, Balint, Fairburn, Winnicott, and Guntrip. Object relations theory was a break from Freud's drive model, and differs from it as follows: Freud's model held that a newborn infant is driven by animal instincts, such as hunger, thirst, and pleasure, but cannot relate to others. Relationships with others only develop later in the course of sa tisfying those needs. In this sense, Freud's model considers relationships to be secondary.In contrast, object relations theory maintains that the infant can relate to others at a very early age and that relationships with others are, therefore, primary. The drive to attach oneself to an object is considered to be the major motivating force. Since we are talking about object relations theory, this is a good time to ask what an object is. In object relations theory, the word object is used with a very specific meaning. It's not literally a physical person, but an internal mental structure that is formed throughout early development.This mental structure is built through a series of experiences with significant others through a psychic process called introjection. Because an infant's earliest experiences are usually with its mother, she is usually the first internal object formed by the infant. Eventually, the father and other significant people also become internalized objects. Intro jection, the process of creating internal mental objects, leads to another process called splitting. Splitting occurs because the infant cannot tolerate certain feelings such as rage and longing, which occur in all normal development.As a result, the infant has to split off parts of itself and repress them. What happens to those repressed split-off parts? They are dealt with through another important process, called projective identification. Projective identification itself is a very specific part of object relations theory. It is a defense mechanism which was conceptualized by Melanie Klein in 1946, having evolved from her extensive study and work with children. According to Klein, projective identification consists of splitting off parts of the self, projecting them into another person, and then identifying with them in the other person.For example, the earliest relationship the infant has with its mother is feeding and touching, but the mother is not always able to respond quick ly enough to the infant's need. Since the natural rage and longing the infant feels at such times are intolerable, to survive these feelings the infant â€Å"splits them off† and represses them from its consciousness. The â€Å"split off†feelings can be thought of as other parts of the self (ego). When such splitting takes place, the infant is free of the rage but has placed that part of itself inside the mother.To make itself whole again it must identify with the mother. The mother may or may not allow herself to become the cntainer for the infant's negative feelings. Even if she doesn't, the projective identification still occurs. The above process begins in the first half year of life, known as the paranoid-schizoid position. It is characterized by an ability to distinguish good feelings from bad, but an inability to distinguish the mother from the self. Depending on how consistent the mothering is, the infant may or may not progress to a higher level of development known as the depressive position.In the depressive position, which starts at about eight months of age, the child takes back its bad feelings from the mother and separates from her. The mother is now seen as a separate object, with both good and bad feelings of her own. The infant is aware of its own good and bad feelings. For a child to reach this level of development, the earlier mothering must be consistent. The mother must have accepted most of the child's projected feelings. A child who reaches the depressive position will, in adulthood, be capable of experiencing, at best, such feelings as empathy, or will at least become neurotic.In contrast, if the mothering is not consistent, the child can't take back its projected feelings and splitting continues both inside and outside the child. It remains in the paranoid-schizoid position or, at best, a precarious form of the depressive position. This type of development is associated with borderline personalities. In the above infant- mother example, the repressed parts of the self, if unresolved, will remain repressed into adulthood. Those parts will govern the choice of marital partner and the nature of marital relationships, and by extension the nature of relationships with children.By the time the couple or family come to therapy the projective identification process has likely progressed to the point of being obvious to the therapist, and will be seen in the members' behavior toward each other. This is usually not so in individual therapy because it often takes time to build the transference relationship with the therapist. So what does this mean for the therapist? What does a therapist have to know in order to work with a family, using the object relations approach? The therapist needs to be trained in individual developmental heory from infancy to aging and to understand that the internal object world is built up in a child, modified in an adult and re-enacted in the family. The family has a developmental life cycle of its own, and as it goes through its series of tasks from early nurturing of its new members, to emancipation of its adolescents, to taking care of its aging members, the family's adaptation is challenged at every stage by unresolved issues in the adult members' early life cycle. Conflicts within any of its individual family members may threaten to disrupt the adaption previously achieved.If any member is unable to adapt to new development, pathology, like projective identification, becomes a stumbling block to future healthy development. The clinical approach is to develop, with the family, an understanding of the nature and origins of their current interactional difficulties, starting from their experience in the here- and-now of the therapeutic sessions, and exploring the unconscious intrapsychic and interpersonal conflicts that are preventing further healthy development. Interpretation and insight are thus the agents of family change.By uncovering the projective ide ntifications that take place among family members, and having individuals take back their split-off parts, members can be freed to continue healthy development. If further therapy is indicated, individual therapy would be a recommendation. Symptom reduction in individuals is not necessarily a goal here. In fact, individual family members may become more symptomatic as projective identificationsare taken back and the members become more anxious. To do this, the therapist needs the following four capabilities: . The ability to provide a â€Å"holding environment†for the family – a place which is consistent – so that eventually the family comes to feel comfortable enough to be themselves in the presence of the therapist. 2. An ability to understand the â€Å"theme†of each session, so that a broad theme can be identified over the course of treatment. 3. An ability to interpret the latent content of patients' manifest statements. 4. An understanding of unconsc ious processes like transference and countertransference.Given those tools, it is the therapist's job to uncover the projective identifications in the family that prevent the children from having a healthy development. Once these projections are uncovered, and the split-off parts given back to the family members they belong to, children are freer to continue healthy development. Having introduced projective identification, I'd like to show how this process operates later in life-in couples and families-and is a framework for doing couple and family therapy. I'm going to present two cases-one of a couple and one of a family-to show how projective identification works.A male patient of mine with little ambition fell in love with a woman who subsequently pushed him to be ambitious. As it turned out, the woman had been repressing her own ambition under pressure from a father who didn't believe women should work. This woman was quite intelligent and obtained a professional degree, yet sh e chose to stifle her ambition in order to please her father. She remained dependent on her father, both emotionally and financially. The husband, my patient, was a professional but quite unambitious. His family's philosophy was that one is lucky to have a job and pay the bills.His father had held the same low paying job for twenty years although he, too, had a professional degree. So why did these two people get married? Since it was unacceptable for her to be ambitious, the wife needed someone to contain those feelings for her. My patient was the ideal object because, although he had an inner ambition, he had no parental support for these strivings. Therefore, he was predisposed to accept and collude in his wife's projection. What is the effect of projective identification when a couple has children?The following example shows how parents use their children as objects. Fern was a woman in her second marriage with two adolescent children. When Fern was a child, her mother favored h er brother. The message she received from her mother was that men were important and had to be taken care of, while women were stupid and born to serve men. Both of Fern's husbands agreed with her mother's philosophy, so Fern spent most of her married life serving them. When the family came to see me, both children were having emotional problems. The son was a heavy user of pot and cocaine.His sister had emotional and learning problems in school. Fern had projected into her son that males were special and needed to be taken care of. It's not hard to see why the son colluded with his mother. The rewards of accepting her projected feelings were too hard to resist, so when he reached adolescence he satisfied his excessive dependency needs with drugs. The message Fern's daughter received was that she was unimportant and stupid. Why did Fern project these feelings onto her daughter? Fern grew up unable to develop her own career goals because her other ignored her wishes to go to college. For Fern to feel sufficiently competent and achieve some career success, she had to get rid of feelings that she was stupid and unimportant. So she projected those feelings on to her daughter and was then able to start a small business. To avoid being totally rejected by her mother, the daughter colluded by remaining stupid and unimportant to herself. Fern's reenactment with her daughter of her mother's relationship with her is a form of projective identification called â€Å"identification with the aggressor,†because Fern is acting as if she is her own mother and her daughter is her (when she was a child).Fern's relationship to her son is also similar to the relationship Fern's mother had to Fern's brother. Because Fern is treating her children so differently, when they grow up they will have very different views of this family. This explains why, in therapy, siblings often talk about the same family very differently. Notice how unresolved feelings from childhood, which Fern split off and repressed, greatly affected her relationship with both children. What do you think is going on in her second marriage? Now I will present an actual transcript of part of a session I recently had with this family.As you will see, it illustrates the process of projective identification and will serve as a basis for further discussion. T: Fern, I wonder, when Donald was talking about being like Roberta and John asked him a question how did you feel? F: What do you mean how did I feel? T: When John asked Donald when he figured out that he was like Roberta and Donald said just now. J: How do you feel about him saying just now. T: And you changed the subject and I wondered what you were feeling. F: I don't know. I T: Donald owned up to some feelings that he was like his father and that part of what he saw in Roberta was like himself.F: Donald is definitely part of D: No but what she's saying is that you changed the subject. That is why she's wondering if you have some feeli ngs about that. T: Exactly. You seemed to have moved away from what was going on here. John was talking to Donald R: She doesn't want us to be like our father. T: Maybe that was upsetting to you? R: He wasn't good to her. D: Subconsciously maybe. It's deep but it's there. F: Well, I don't like Martin, naturally. It's true. I don't like him – I don't think he's a nice person. R: You don't like him at all? D: She loves him but doesn't like himF: I loved him but I never liked him as a person. I never thought he was a good person; that he really cared about me, that he took care of me, that he was ever concerned with me. I remember a couple of things that – I remember having a bloody nose one night when I was pregnant and he went out to play racketball and left me alone. Things like that – He was mean to me – he had no compassion for me. D: That's one thing, I'm not like my father. F: I'm not saying – I'm trying to say I see certain characteristics of their father in them. T: How does that make you feel?F: How does that make me feel? I don't know. I guess part of it, not too good because I would rather them be above that, that is, above that anger, why can't they rise above that anger. I don't want them to be like that because it didn't get Martin anyplace in life. J: I have a very deep question. F: I don't know if I want to answer it. J: You may not but how can you find that with Roberta and Donald being so much alike in prsonality, like Martin, how do you separate Donald's being like Martin and accepting it from Roberta and saying Roberta is just like her father and not accepting it?F: Because Donald never directed his anger at me as a person, as a human being. In other words he never – he might have been angry but he never said to me – he never was mean to me, whereas Roberta has been mean to me, attacked me as a person, Donald never attacked me as a person. T: Donald attacked himself as a person. D: Hmm. T: By t aking drugs. F: But he never attacked me as a person. D: Never, I'm not a mean person. I don't have that mean streak in me. T: You sure? F: You may have it in you D: I don't have a mean streak. F: Sure, everyone T: Who did you direct that meanness to?Roberta directs it out to her mother and who did you direct it to? D: I direct it to her. T: No R: No you directed it at yourself. D: Myself, yeah – I'm mean to myself. F: You were destructive to yourself. T: So what D: But that's different from being destructive to other human beings. F: No, maybe you would have been better off being mean to me or somebody else. Or to your father. R: Let's get back to Uncle John's question. J: No this is part of the answer. D: Yeah – I'm mean to myself. I still am. But I don't destroy myself with anything – with any kind of substances, but I still am.R: What do you mean, you still are? D: I'm hard on myself, critical of myself. R: See, you would never think that of Donald because h e walks around like he's above the world. He does. T: But why would somebody walk – D: But I've been working on that very heavily now T: But why would someone D: That's the way I am; it's the way I am. T: Why would someone walk around like that. D: It's very basic – when I was on drugs and everything like that and I'm fully aware of it, aware that I'm conceited and like I have that air about me – I'm fully aware of it.When I was on drugs I had that part to me but it wasn't as strong as it is now. T: You weren't aware of it then? D: I wasn't really in control of the fact that I control my conceitedness now – I choose to put that on because I have nothing, I have nothing else now. T: Right D: It seems it's like my only defense, to be arrogant and to be conceited because I don't have anything else to back me up so I figure that wall. R: Why do you need – I don't need anything. D: Roberta – because when I was on the drugs and everything like tha t, it was a great wall for me to keep everybody out.Now I want everybody to think big things. Discussion Now let's look at the latent content of this session and identify the projective identifications. Fern was angry at Roberta and not at Donald — why? As John pointed out with his question, Fern saw Roberta and Donald very differently, because of her projective identifications into them. Fern saw Roberta as bad and stupid, just as her mother viewed her when she was a child. She put all her badness and negative feelings into Roberta. Roberta then acted out Fern's feelings by being emotionally disturbed and acting stupid.Her emotional problems exacerbated what had been a genuine perceptual impairment. Because of her projective identification, Fern saw Donald as the good son who needed special attention and care, which was what Fern had seen between her own mother and her brother. Because Donald was not fully accepted by his mother, especially for those qualities that were like his natural father, he acted out his mother's feelings. He was good to her but repressed the rejected parts, turning them against himself by secretly taking drugs. Yet, his mother continued to hold him in high regard, even after his habit had been found out.What Fern did was re-create the family constellation in which she had grown up. Because both children were carrying out their mother's inner life, they were unable to grow and develop their own healthy structures. The next step in therapy was to get Fern to take back the split-off parts of herself: the devaluing of her daughter and the overvaluing of her son. This should help the children take back the part of themselves which they split off and repressed. In subsequent sessions, Fern and I explored what it was like growing up with her mother.She explained that her mother told her that she was stupid and that her brother was special. Fern's daughter told Fern that she was doing the same thing as her mother and that the daughter felt stupid. Fern responded that she had never meant to treat her daughter as stupid. She also realized that her son had many problems and was not so special. In doing so, Fern reclaimed her split-off parts, freeing her daughter to continue a healthier development. Her son was able to leave home and become more independent.