Does happiness change after life events Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Does happiness change after life events - Essay Example Instead of focusing on the aspects of subjectivity and objectivity, which leads researchers to distinguishing a few non-reducible features which are thought to contribute to the characteristic quality of life, one should first explore the ambiguity of the very notion of quality of human life. This is based on understanding that when people speak of the human life quality, they are most likely to have different things in their minds. The main idea of the article by Richard Lucas â€Å"Adaptation and the Set-Point Model of Subjective Well-Being: Does Happiness Change after Major Life Events?† is that despite the fact that happiness levels are quite stable over time, their stability does not actually preclude important and lasting changes (Lucas, 2007). Analysis of the evidence presented by authoritative longitudinal studies disproves the widely accepted belief that having experienced important life events, individuals typically adapt. It also disproves the point raised by set-po int theorists that due to impact of inborn personality factors, people inevitably get back to happiness set points which are genetically determined. While adaptation certainly occurs, levels of happiness undergo changes, and, finally, it is vital to bear in mind that life events have their own significance. Comparison of the two articles allows identifying a range of similarities between the two studies. First of all, their central theme is happiness. While Griffin (2007) focuses on the essence of the concept of happiness as the object of the research, Lucas (2007) centers on how happiness depends on major life events and studies patterns of happiness presented within individuals’ adaptation and the set-point model of individual well-being. The theoretical background is different, however. Specifically, Lucas (2007) study of happiness patterns relies heavily on the theory of adaptation. It says that people benefit from adaptation processes because the latter protect them from hazardous psychological and physiological outcomes of lengthy emotional states. On the other hand, owing to adaptation processes people may get distracted by new changes in the environment which will refocus them from the old threats within their emotional condition. It helps individuals to overcome difficulties and get happier under certain life circumstances. At the same time, people adapt to such factors as income, health, age, marital status, as well as number friends; so these, with time, have only a small impact on their happiness rates. Besides, the theory of adaptation posits that certain variables that account for people’s happiness, for example, a well-being variable, are hereditary. It means that people may not be severely affected by life events. Some scientists have come to conclusions that happiness was the matter of adaptation (comparison of two research groups – lottery winners and those with spinal cord injury – did not find any significant dif ferences in the levels of happiness, which was attributed to adaptation). On the other hand, their colleagues found that the levels of happiness were three quarters lower in people with spinal cord injury. On the contrary, Griffin (2007) relies on a range of models to investigate the meaning of the concept happiness. Namely, he uses the perception model, objective/subjective juxtaposition, and the test model. The studies are similar in their research

Republic Day (India) Essay Example for Free

Republic Day (India) Essay Parades, distribution of sweets in schools and cultural dances In India, Republic Day honors the date on which the Constitution of India came into force replacing the Government of India Act 1935 as the governing document of India on 26 January 1950.[1] The date of 26 January was chosen to honour the declaration of independence of 1930. It is one of the three national holidays in India. While the main parade takes place in the national capital, New Delhi, at the Rajpath before the President of India (currently Pranab Mukherjee, the anniversary is also celebrated with varying degrees of formality in state capitals and other centres. India achieved independence from British rule on 15 August 1947 following the Indian independence movement noted for largely peaceful nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience led[citation needed] by the Indian National Congress. The independence came through the Indian Independence Act 1947 (10 11 Geo 6 c. 30), an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that partitioned British India into the two new independent Dominions of the British Commonwealth (later Commonwealth of Nations): India and Pakistan. [2] India obtained its independence on 15 August 1947 as a constitutional monarchy with George VI as head of state and the Earl Mountbatten as governor-general. The country, though, did not yet have a permanent constitution; instead its laws were based on the modified colonial Government of India Act 1935. On 28 August 1947, the Drafting Committee was appointed to draft a permanent constitution, with Dr.B. R. Ambedkar as chairman. While Indias Independence Day celebrates its freedom from British Rule, the Republic Day celebrates the coming into force of its constitution. A draft constitution was prepared by the committee and submitted to the Assembly on 4 November 1947. The Assembly met, in sessions open to public, for 166 days, spread over a period  of 2 years, 11 months and 18 days before adopting the Constitution. After many deliberations and some modifications, the 308 members of the Assembly signed two hand-written copies of the document (one each in Hindi and English) on 24 January 1950. Two days later, it came into effect throughout the nation. Celebrations See also: Delhi Republic Day parade The main celebration is held in the capital New Delhi. Celebrations are also held in state capitals, where the Governor of the state unfurls the national flag. If the Governor of the state is unwell, or is unavailable for some reason, the Chief Minister of the state assumes the honour of unfurling the National Flag of India. On this day 26 January Indian flag is hoist by the Presidents of India and after that national anthem is sung by the all groups in the standing postion. India Will Celebrate Its Republic Day With Pride And A Faint Hope For The Mighty Lokpal Dr. Bikkar Singh Lalli On January 26, The Republic of India, world’s largest liberal democracy, rich in ethnic diversity, with over 1.3 billion people speaking hundreds of languages, will be celebrating its secular birth. Perhaps there is no better day than Jan. 26 to reflect on the opening words of the Indian Constitution, the document that enshrines the foundation of the world’s largest democracy begins with ‘We the People of India†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Hopefully, on that day of joyous celebrations, caste, creed or religion for people of India, will not matter at all. It was January 26 of 1950 when the constitution of India came into force and India attained a sovereign status. The Preamble of the constitution seeks to establish what Mahatma Gandhi described as â€Å"The India of my dream: – —.woman will enjoy the same rights as man†. India will celebrate its 63rd Republic Day on Jan.26. Its supercharged economy has been the envy of the world. The dreams of Mahatma pay fi tting tribute to the people of a nation who, from all corners of the planet, are fuelling the spectacular growth of their homeland. During 2010-2011 alone India received $58 billion from Indian Diaspora. â€Å"The people of India, whether they live in India or elsewhere, are the engine of India.† For 2012 however, the economic forecast appears to be a bit gloomy mostly due to the turmoil in the global economy, especially in the Euro-zone Problems in the global economy and the  government’s inability to control corruption at home, will affect the government’s revenue-raising capacity in 2012. In fact, the Central excise collection fell by 6.5 per cent in November. That shortfall will affect the investment on infrastructure: like proper roads, power supply and railways that gives better opportunities to the poor to earn more. Thousands of villages remain with little or no power supply. Significantly, core sector industries (power, steel, coal, petroleum refining, electricity, cement, natural gas and oil) grew extremely slowly at 0.1 per cent in October 2011. The slowdown in the EU is also affecting Indian exports which grew only by 4.2 per cent in November 2011. Inflation, which is close to double digit again, will hit the poor hard unless food prices are brought down drastically. This economic melt-down will affect the poor most. Over 800 million Indians are living below the poverty line, and this year about 22 million more will be added to that number with the 2.8 per cent growth in population. For people in dire straight, republic day or for that matter any historical event has no real significance. Anna Hazare’s campaign against corruption is laudable. But, is it possible to cleanse the polluted polity and change the greedy mindset with the passage of a Lokpal Bill? You cannot legislate social change. The democracy, the super-watchdog which should deliver all-round accountability, has become extremely weak and wasteful in India. Election to five States has been announced. To curb irregularities, to fight corruption, the commission has announced steps to reduce the role of black money in elections The politicians accepting funds, for fighting an election, know that a quid pro quo (pay-back) is involved. There are also wealthy fighting elections using their own unaccounted funds. They pay off the party leadership to get nominations. For the elimination of corruption and other maladies afflicting Indian polity, what matters most is the moral and social climate of a country. If this climate is healthy, dry and dirty bushes would not come about. â€Å"The soil would support greener pastures which would throw up upright and earnest people who in turn would choose upright and earnest leaders. One would reinforce the virtues of the other. And the nation would move from clean to cleaner public life, from strength and stability to greater strength and stability.† Every party in power has played havoc with watchdog institutions so as to control them for its narrow ends. Democracy ought to have ensured accountability of institutions. Votes  should have weeded out corrupt but the opposite has been happening – the honest rarely win elections. There is a need for political movements that can change the national consciousness; a task being addressed by movement against corruption and for a Lokepal Unfortunately, no one in our national leadership is applying his or her mind to bring about this change. As log as an elected official is not answerable to the electorate in his/her constituency, corruption cannot be eradicated. In his address to the nation the Dr. Manmohan Singh, a man of impeccable integrity and vision, will give a very hopeful message to the nation, regarding the health of the nation’s economy. He has already announced his decision to allow qualified foreign investors (QFIs) to directly invest in the Indian equity marke t. In his address at the 99th Annual Session of the Indian Science Congress in Bhubaneswar (Orissa) on Jan.3, he said that: â€Å"As we head into the Twelfth Plan, there are some objectives we must try to achieve in the Science and Technology sector. First, we must ensure a major increase in investment in RD, including by industry and strategic sectors. Second, we must ensure the creation of a new innovation ecosystem. Third, we must achieve greater alignment of the Science and Technology sector with the inclusive development needs of our nation. Fourth, we must expand basic science infrastructure. Fifth, we must encourage greater research collaboration among universities and national laboratories.† In order to compete with China, India has to do much more that what PM is aiming at. India has been seriously lagging behind in education. By 2012, it aims to educate as many as seven crore learners out of which six crore will be women. With more than 400 universities and over 20,000 colleges, the student enrolment in India has crossed 12.9 million in 2007 – 2008. Millions of children go to school every day. But for 10 million street children there, 50,000 in the streets of Delhi alone, there is no schooling and no home. They are either rag pickers or engaged in other hazardous jobs, and for them the word ‘secular democracy’ is â€Å"hopelessly meaningless† and redundant. It is estimated that there are 80-100 million children out of schools and are trapped in endless cycle of exploitation. Moreover, India has the dubious distinction of having the largest number of child workers in the world. They need protection, loving homes and good education. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on Jan.10, described child malnutrition as â€Å"national shame† and said health, education  and sanitation sectors must collaborate to shape national response to the problem. â€Å"These sectors can no longer work in isolation. Health professionals cannot solely concentrate on curative care. Drinking water providers cannot be oblivious to the externality of their actions. School teachers need to be aware of the nutritional needs of adolescent girls,† he said after releasing a new research by Hyderabad-based Naandi Foundation on the status child malnutrition in India. According to that research 59 per cent kids are stunted and 42 percent are underweight. Solving malnutrition is in India’s self-interest with a huge economic return on investment. It is estimated that malnutrition costs the economy $29 billion per year in India. – as of reduced productivity and earning and increased health costs. Today, more than one third of the world’s undernourished children reside in India. A country where 79 per cent of the milk samples tested (Jan. 10, 2012, Delhi fared worst), were found to be either contaminated or diluted, cannot expect their toddlers to be in excellent health. Even with the most modern technology and access to medical facilities in most parts of the country, over four lakh newborn babies still die within 24 hours of their life in India, and 2 million children die before they turn the age of five. Most of these children die because of diarrhea, pneumonia, measles and post-natal; complications. According to India’s third National Family Health Survey of 2005-06, 70 per cent of children between six months and 59 months are anemic. Every day 1379 unborn babies are being killed. This is happening in a land where 33 crore gods and goddesses are being worshipped. As a fast emerging world power under the stewardship of a pragmatic academic and realistic visionary, India has started playing a very constructive role on the world stage. However, it has to tackle some very serious problems like extreme poverty, child labour, chronic corruption, infanticide, dowry murders, unacceptable inequality and fast growing population. These problems cannot be tackled without a collective resolve by Indian leadership. Let us congratulate the people of India on that momentous day. Let us all recall the quote from Tagore: â€Å"Where the mind is without fear and the head held high. Where knowledge is free and the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls†¦. let my country awake†.

Christo And Jean Claude Cultural Studies Essay

Christo And Jean Claude Cultural Studies Essay Christo and Jeanne-Claude have many interesting pieces of work ranging from their first Documenta 4 to The Gates. I will be covering some of their major works; such as, Wrapped Coast, Valley Curtain, Running Fence, Surrounded Islands, Reichstag, and The Gates. I have always enjoyed big installations because the work has always astounded me; the sheer size of the pieces is amazing. Close to the end of 1969, Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped the coast of Little Bay, in Sydney, Australia, as a part of the Alcorso-Sekers Travelling Scholarship. With the support of the John Kaldor, this was their first trip to Australia for international artists, and the first in the series of Kaldor Public Art Projects. One hundred workers and eleven volunteers devoted over seventeen thousand work hours to make this project a reality. They wrapped two and a half kilometers of coast and cliffs up to twenty-six meters high. Ninety-five thousand six hundred m^2 of synthetic fabric and 56 km of rope was required to finish this astounding project. At the time, it was the single largest piece of art ever made. This project was bigger than Mount Rushmore, and it visitors took over an hour to walk from one end of the piece to the other. Reactions were largely positive and had a very large impact on Australian art. The Valley Curtain art project was started with preparations at the end of the 1970s. This project was a four hundred meter long cloth stretched across Rifle Gap. Rifle Gap is a valley in the Rocky Mountains near Rifle, Colorado. It required about fourteen thousand m^2 of cloth to be hung on four steel cables, fastened with iron, and fixed in concrete on the slopes and two hundred tons of concrete. This project cost over $400,000. Trying to finance this huge piece was an additional problem, and it caused them to sell some of their other works to raise the money. On October 10, 1971, the curtain was ready for hanging. Unfortunately, the curtain had been torn to pieces by the wind beating it against the rocks. On August 10th of the next year, the second attempt to hang the cloth was a success. Unfortunately, only a day later, it was destroyed by a storm with winds reaching speeds in excess of sixty miles per hour. The Running Fence was completed on September 10, 1976. The workers waited fourteen days, but then they removed everything, leaving not a trace. This piece consisted of a fence almost twenty-five miles long, extending across the hills of Sonoma and Marin counties in northern California. This fence was eighteen feet high and was composed of two thousand and fifty panels of white nylon fabric hung from steel cables by the means of three hundred fifty thousand hooks. Supporting these hooks where about two thousand steel poles stuck into the ground and being braced by steel guide wires that were anchored to the ground. This piece began near U.S. Highway 101 and crossed fourteen roads, the private properties of fifty-nine ranchers to reach the Bodega Bay of the Pacific Ocean. The environmental impact report that was required for this gigantic piece was an astounding four hundred and fifty pages long. This piece is said to have been partly inspired by fences demarcating the Continental Divi de in Colorado. In 1978, a documentary film Running Fence by Albert and David Maysles, told the story of this piece. This film includes scenes showing the local response to the project, which ranged from active protest and resentment to excitement. Byron Randall, the expressionist painter, protested the piece on the grounds of both land infringement and lack of artistic merit; however, others appreciated the beauty of the work, and in the end the project was completed. This piece is commemorated by historic markers at Watson School near Bodega, California, and State Route 1 in Valley Ford, California. In December 1976, the country landmarks commission, county of Sonoma designated the Valley Ford site as Historic landmark number twenty-four. Jeanne-Claudes idea to surround eleven islands in Miamis Biscayne Bay was completed on May 4, 1983. It was completed with the aid of four hundred and thirty workers, and was there for two whole weeks. About six hundred thousand m^2 of pink polypropylene floating fabric surrounded the eleven islands was definitely a site to behold. Surrounded Islands covered over 7 miles, and for two weeks, it was seen and enjoyed by the public, from the causeways, the land, water, and air. The bright pink color of the shiny fabric was in tune with the tropical vegetation of the uninhabited verdant island, the light of the Miami sky, and colors of the shallow waters of Biscayne Bay. As with Christo and Jeanne-Claudes previous art projects, Surrounded Islands was entirely financed by the artists through the sale by C.V.J. Corporation of the preparatory pastel and charcoal drawings, collages, lithographs, and early works. On May 4, 1983, out of a total work force of four hundred and thirty people, the u nfurling crew began to blossom the pink fabric. Surrounded Islands was tended to day and night by one hundred and twenty monitors in inflatable boats. Surrounded Islands was a work of art that underlined the various elements and ways in which the people of Miami live between land and water. The project known as Reichstag is easily one of the biggest endeavors Christo and Jeanne-Clade has accomplished, and in my opinion, it is also one of the best. With the support of the President of the Parliament, Rita Sussmuth, Christo and Jeanne-Claude worked to convince the elected Members of Parliament. They went from office to office, writing explanatory letters to each of the six hundred and sixty-two delegates, and innumerable telephone calls and negotiations. On February 25, 1995, after a seventy minute debate at the Parliament, and a Roll Call vote, the Bundestag allowed the project to go ahead. The Bonn government was so enthusiastic about the artwork that Christo and Jeanne-Claude were asked to extend the project. However, since all of their art projects are temporary, this was not possible. The building was unwrapped again on July 7 as planned. Christo explained during a training session for the monitors, Temporary because it challenges our notion of art to challenge the i mmortality of art. We make art not out of gold, silver or marble and think it would stay forever. Non-permanent art will be missedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Also, the artwork cannot stay because it expresses freedom, poetic freedom all projects are about freedom. This project cannot be bought or sold, nobody can charge, can sell tickets. Freedom is the enemy of possession (Hammerstingl). The Wrapper began on June 17, 1995, and it was finished on the 24th. The spectacle was seen by five million visitors before the unveiling began on July 7th. Two times more material was used than was needed, which allowed deep vertical pleats that cascaded down. Because there is always some wind around the Reichstag, the wind was playing with the pleats of the fabric, causing a quiet movement. The color of the fabric and the many deep vertical pleats created a dramatic contrast between light and shadow. This shape transformed the building into a new form. The wrapping of the Reichstag was like building a building, says Christo (Hammerstingl). At a press conference, a reporter from a Jerusalem newspaper asked the artists if they would wrap the Knesset, The Reichstag is the third and last building we wrapped. We have too many other projects to do. We cannot always wrap buildings. Otherwise we would be called the wrappers, Jeanne-Claude answered (Hammerstingl). This project cost $13,000, 000, everything financed by the artists themselves through selling their drawings, collages, and scale models of their projects. All projects are inspired through personal ideas that give the freedom of the work. Freedom, because when it comes down to it, does not have to be justified explains Christo. (Hammerstingl). The last project we will be discussing is The Gates. On January 3, 2005, work began on the installation of The Gates in Central Park in New York City. The official title of the piece is The Gates, Central Park, New York, 1979-2005. The title references the time that passed from their initial proposal until they were able to go ahead with it. Only with the permission of the new mayor of New York, Michael R. Bloomberg, were they able to proceed. It was open to the public only from February 12th until February 27th 2005. Seven thousand five hundred and three gates made of saffron color fabric were placed on paths in Central Park. It was five meters high and had a combined length of 37 km. Bloomberg, a fan of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, presented them with the Doris C. Freedman Award for Public Art for The Gates. They often expressed satisfaction that their concept for their home town of over thirty years was finally realized. An article covering this piece states, The cost of the project was $21 million US dollars which was raised entirely by Christo and Jeanne-Claude selling studies, drawings,  collages, works from the 1950s and 1960s. They do not accept any sponsorship, nor did the city of New York have to provide any money for the project. Christo and Jeanne-Claude donated all the money raised from the sale of souvenirs such as postcards, t-shirts and posters to Nurture New Yorks Nature, Inc. While the engineering, manufacturing and set-up took over a year, about 750 paid employees erected the project in five days and then deployed the fabric of all the gates in half an hour. Around 600 more (Gate-keepers) distributed 1 million free samples of the fabric to visitors. The uniformed Gate-keepers also provided information to visitors about the project, and were responsible for unrolling the gates that had rolled over their crossbars in the high wind.   More workers uninstalled the project in one week, leaving almost no trace and shipping all the materials for r ecycling (Wikipedia). From the pictures with the snow and the vivid color of the gates are a very good contrast of color and the way they seem to jump out against the snow. The pictures arent a great representation of the work, but since their art is temporary, it is the best we can do without being in that certain time and place. This piece is simple in its design, difficult in its realization, and astounding. A little about the artists, Christo and Jeanne-Claude met in October 1958, when he was commissioned to paint a portrait of her mother, Precilda de Guillebon. They had a son together who was born May 11, 1960. Jeanne-Claudes parents were displeased with their relationship, particularly because of Christos refugee status, so they temporarily estranged themselves from their daughter. In 1964, they moved to New York City, poor and lacking fluency in the English language, Christo displayed his work in several galleries, including the well-known Castelli Gallery in New York, and gallery Schmela in Dusseldorf, Germany. Christo Began to create Store Fronts, which he built to scale. The sale of the Store Fronts helped finance larger projects. They have won many, many awards for their art. In 1973, they were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary. In 2004, they won an Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award, International Sculpture Center, from Hamilton, New Jersey. In 2005, they were awarded the Doris C. Freedman Award for Public Art by New Yorks mayor. In 2006, they were awarded the Best Project in a Public Space for The Gates, Central Park, New York, 1979-2005. In 2008, they were awarded honorary degrees from Franklin Marshall College. Finally, in 2011, they were awarded more honorary degrees from Occidental College. In closing, Christo and Jeanne-Claude are some of my favorite artists. They have amazing vision for what they want to do in each of their pieces. They dont stop trying for something; for example, The Gates which took 30 years to finally finish. They are, to me, some of the best installation and temporary artists. Their technics may be simple, but it is amazing. They are so popular that in 1978, Charles M. Schulz drew an episode of the show Peanuts where Snoopys doghouse is wrapped in fabric by Christo. In response, Christo constructed a wrapped doghouse and presented it to the Charles M. Schulz Museum in 2003. You cant say enough about what they do, or their drive to do accomplish it. Most people would have given up on their many projects, but they completing them only because of their tenacity and drive to get what they needed done. Theres something to be learned from these two; such as, no matter the odds, or what is put against you, if you never give up, you can and will succeed. Also, staying with the person you love can lead to a tough but fulfilling life. Christo and Jeanne-Claude are one of, maybe even the best, temporary installation types of artists. Work Cited Paul F. Fabozzi. Artists, Critics, Context: Readings in and Around American Art since 1945. Upper Saddle River, N.J. : Prentice Hall, 2002. Werner Hammerstingl. Installation Art. www.Olinda.com. 1998. http://www.olinda.com/ArtAndIdeas/lectures/christo.htm. Wikipedia. Christo and Jeanne-Claude www.wikipedia.com. Dec. 3, 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christo_and_Jeanne-Claude

Magazine Article Summaries :: essays research papers

Magazine Article Summaries JOURNAL #1-- INC. THE MAGAZINE FOR GROWING COMPANIES May 1994. Publisher: James J. Spanfeller, 488 Madison Ave., 6th Floor New York, NY 10022 (212) 326-2600 Audience Statement: Inc. speaks directly to the entrepreneur, sole-proprietor, small business partnerships. Advertising: There were several advertisements including investing, retirement, tax accounting, computer companies and small businesses. Summary:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Inc., The Magazine for Growing Companies speaks to a specific audience (see audience statement). Some interesting articles were about the role of non-profit organizations within the business community, how to maximize return on an investment, how to effectively hire good employees, quite a lot about planning and preparing a retirement portfolio and shrewd long term investing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The article titled â€Å"Managing Autonomy† is the focus of my summary, I also mention later another article I found interesting. This article spoke about managerial styles: how and what works well when deciding policy for your employees. Some CEO’s would say that your primary duty as a manager is to participate in managerial styles that encourage group problem solving. You have to continue tapping the collective wisdom of your employees. But you can’t empower employees without holding them responsible and accountable for their actions. These are the most important ideas presented in the article but they go on to discuss some other topics such as marketing strategies and computer technology. You have to focus on a particular market area and remember that quality is the single most important factor. Another good question they ask is, What can a growing direct seller do to reduce its chances of being ripped off by customers? I think the most important point they bring out here is to concentrate on the front end, that is to remove the undesirable customers. Along with credit checks and the usual business safety precautions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another article about non-profit organizations spoke volumes about the need to explore and how to give responsibly and effectively. Businesses can donate money or services to a charity and use that for a tax credit or write-off. The tax benefits were hammered on quite a bit. Wanting to do the right thing may be one of the impulses for giving, but soon it needs to be replaced with a more durable strategy. The relationship between private business and charity organizations has a long and complex history. Private foundations are excellent places to find out about how giving can be done effectively. These are some of the typical topics you will find when you pick up a copy of INC.

Christian Perspective on Counseling Essay

This is a personal theory paper which focuses on the Christian perspective; it involves the integration of faith and scripture into the personal counseling process. It discusses personality structures, individual differences and the motivations that guide and push the human person. Included is a contextual definition of health and the factors that cause illness. They are understood by using psychological techniques in concurrence with Biblical truths. Employing a theological worldview for counseling helps a therapist’s awareness of the innermost complexities of a client and enables them to be an effective guide towards the path of hope and healing. Introduction Counseling is centrally and critically a relationship between people who care (Crabb, 1977). It is essential that a psychotherapist develop a genuine desire for the well-being of a client. This is an ideal arrangement for which a Christian counselor can flourish, because â€Å"Every Christian is called to a ministry of encouraging and helping others (Crabb, 1977)†. Although an atmosphere of caring and encouragement is not limited to Christians it is ideal to integrate psychology and Christian spirituality to most effectively aid clients. Personality Personality structure and components There are many theories involving the structure of the human personality. One is the theory presented by Dr. Ron E. Hawkins (2006a). In this theory, Dr. Hawkins likens each individual to many concentric circles. Every circle is affected by the other circles but every one has its own distinctive characteristics. This structure can best elucidate the complexities that exist inside an individual. The boundaries between circles can help determine the source of each dilemma and each circle provides a different approach to problem-solving. The first circle is the innermost circle of a person and encapsulates the very essence of being human. It is in this most personal circle that the Holy Spirit inhabits within each believer, as supported by the biblical quote â€Å"The kingdom of God is within you† (Luke 17:21). Also included in this circle are the options of free-will and the concept of original sin. The original sin is common to all human beings as maintained by Paul when he writes his letter to the Romans and utters, â€Å"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God† (Romans 3:23). It must be noted that outside of issues involving deliverance, there is not much that can be dealt with in this circle by human intervention. Instead, if a problem really reverberates from this circle it must be surrendered in strong faith to the hands of God. The next circle encloses the soul, feeling, and cognitive aspects of the human being. For most clients looking for counseling, this is the circle that receives the most focus. It is in this circle that emotional and psychological troubles not originating from biological sources resonate. The next circle in this theory of personality makeup is the biological circle. This circle consists of the biological processes and focuses on the wellness of the physical human body. Problems in this circle include chemical imbalance which is the failure to normalize the chemicals in the brain, resulting in problems like obsession, anxiety, panic attacks, paranoia, and insomnia. Problems in this circle are more likely to have physical sources, like physical trauma or abuse. The next circle is another prevailing source of problems dealt with in counseling. The temporal circle, it is the beginning of external focused aspects. In this circle, external environmental structures like society and culture have a significant influence on the individual. Societal values and cultural expectations will always have an impact on personality development. Society, friends, family, and church are examples of the temporal systems that must be dealt with when counseling people. Learning who the client is responsible to and what he is responsible for is essential to developing personal responsibility (Cloud & Townsend, 1992). Additionally, the influences of the client’s family system are dealt with in this circle. The Bible supports this, â€Å"fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord† (Ephesians 6:4). Many problems can be rooted from the effects of family and environment The final circle of the human personality structure is the circle of the supernatural. This includes the archetypal epic struggle between good and evil, demons and angels. Despite this concept it is important to keep in mind that â€Å"our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms† (Ephesians 6:12). The Bible states that demonic power is a real and it would be imprudent to disregard its potential. Spiritual forces have a great impact on personality development and it cannot be excluded from the growth process Motivation There are five basic propositions about motivation: [1] human beings are all motivated to seek our needs, [2] motivational energy is channeled through the mind and results in specific behavior, [3] motivated behavior is always directed towards a goal, [4] when a goal is perceived to be impossible a state of disequilibrium exists, and finally, [5] all behavior is motivated and all behavior makes sense (Crabb, 1986). Motivation is a drive toward security and significance, with these thoughts in mind, Dr. Crabb details that the definitive goal of counseling is to â€Å"free people to better worship and serve God by helping them become more like the Lord† (1977). Individual differences In counseling, the level of maturity of each client must be assessed. Individuals are in the process of ‘moving over’ and ‘moving up’, clients differ in as to where they are in the process of dealing with presenting problems in a manner consistent with scripture and developing a Christ-like character (Crabb, 1977). Perhaps the most important reason that accounts for individual differences is that God provided free will to His creation. This free will makes each person unique and not merely a puppet with predetermined actions. Alteration of procedure used in counseling is necessary when dealing with different types of people. Some clients should be approached in a feeling level while others should be led spiritually. Cognitive based personalities are best dealt with on the thinking level and those suffering from physical disabilities are helped first with their tangible needs (Hawkins, 2006). Health A contextual explanation of health All counselors should want their clients to become healthy. According to McMinn (1996), the three factors that determine health are: accurate awareness of self, accurate awareness of needs and involvement in healthy relationships. Basing self-worth on the word of God is an effective strategy; to be able to create a self-image based on the unconditional love of Christ is a helpful direction for people who are injured in the different psychological aspects of their lives. McGee (1992) states, â€Å"changing our beliefs from false beliefs to the truths of God’s Word will assist us in experiencing more appropriate emotions and thereby will change the way we respond†. Helping clients to become more Christ-like in seeking self-worth and happiness is the goal of Christian counseling. A contextual explanation of illness The sources of illness are biological, cognitive, emotional and spiritual. Biological are often the easiest to identify they have physical signs that can be studied. Biological illnesses include physical sickness, chemical imbalances, and traumatic abuse. Typically, biological problems can be treated with medications or removal of the source of problem. For instance, physical trauma caused by an abusive husband involves treatment wherein the first step is to remove the victim from the abusive relationship. The cognitive aspect is the area of focus for most counseling therapies. Many problems that counselors must contend with relate to cognitive disorders, including depression, anxiety, guilt, and fear. The illnesses with a cognitive source are of critical concern as they are often more difficult to treat than biological illnesses. Emotional causes must also be considered. Sandra Wilson’s (2001) mantra of Hurt People Hurt People explains how emotional damage begets more emotional damage. Out of wounded emotions, people repeat the same torture to those they are closest to. Finally, illnesses can also be of a spiritual character. In order to be successful and productive counselors â€Å"we have to learn to distinguish between organic or psychological mental illness and a spiritual battle for the mind,† (Anderson, 2000). Spiritual illnesses stem from sin, a lack of faith, and destructive influences. Anderson (2000) advises, â€Å"Don’t think Satan is no longer interested in manipulating your mind in order to accomplish his purposes. Satan’s perpetual aim is to infiltrate your thoughts with his thoughts and to promote his lie in the face of God’s truth. He knows that if he can control you thoughts, he can control your life† Therapeutic Involvement Techniques, methods The Bible provides excellent guidance in various aspects of life; it is an excellent source for every Christian counselor. Accordingly, â€Å"all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness† (2 Timothy 3:16-17). In a helping relationship, techniques are used to help the client reach the point of change. One approach that Christian counselors should not be without is prayer. Craigie and Tan (as cited in McMinn, 1996) write, â€Å"Indeed, praying with clients that they may be liberated from resistant misbeliefs, that they may be empowered to do the truth, and that they may come into a deeper relationship with the truth can sometimes be a most powerful experience†. The use of scripture in therapy sessions is useful in integrating God’s Truths to a client’s mindset. The use of the technique miracle question is helpful; this is a method of questioning which begins by helping the client imagine a situation wherein, overnight, a miracle happens that solves all their familial problems. The client has to define what differences they would observe to prove that a miracle had taken place. This is vital in making the client realize how vastly improved their relationships will be when the problems are resolved and defines the goal they aim to achieve. The method of Scaling questions is another tool used to rate the client’s current state, with zero/one being the most ideal and ten being the worst, this facilitates the therapist in identifying factors that prevents them from moving up the scale and recognizes what pushes them down. This is helpful in shifting the client’s focus from problems to solutions. The goal of therapy is promoting a high level of self-worth; the therapist must introduce genuineness into the environment by omitting shame from the process. This can be supplemented with compliments and positive encouragement by vocalizing admirable traits; it is a helpful exercise that generates an atmosphere of goodwill more conducive to problem solving. Hawkins (2006b) identifies the first in counseling step as own having an understanding of the real problem. Then, he goes on to reality testing. From there, a plan of action is formulated and the client is occupied with taking tenure to this plan of action and accepting accountability for its conclusion. Lastly, the counselor helps in building support and responsibility into the process of transformation concerning the client. A good cognitive counseling approach is to focus on the inner-voice and truth. The inner-voice is often constructed as a direct result of the temporal and supernatural circles in which an individual develops. In destructive or less-than-ideal relationships, the individual can develop spiteful and untruthful concepts about themselves which are constantly conveyed by the inner-voice. An understanding of truthful reality, often combating the untrue inner-voice, is critical for change. As Dr. Backus and Dr. Chapian explain, â€Å"locating and identifying pain-causing fabrications plus learning the factual reality-based truth† is therapeutic and critical for healing (2000). Expectations in success Counselors can measure success of counseling by evaluating the client’s progress in the accurate awareness of self or needs and by determining if they are participating in healing relationships (McMinn, 1996). McMinn’s affirms that, â€Å"A more careful look suggests that spiritual and psychological health require a confident sense of self, an awareness of human need, and limitations, and confiding interpersonal relationships with God and others† (1996). Real success in psychotherapy is measured by advancement not perfection. Worldview Dimensions Every individual possesses a worldview whether or not they recognize it. For example, the temporal system an individual develops in will have significant impacts on the individual’s worldview. Someone who was raised in a war torn environment with rampant violence and lawlessness will have a different set of moral code than a person is raised in a secure and peaceable community. These worldviews affect the progress in counseling; worldviews differ from person to person and may include science, perception or the Bible. It is imperative for the Christian counselor to have a broad perception of what his/her worldview consists of. The Biblical worldview filters pertinent information through the sieve of God’s Word. Since all issues are not addressed in Scripture, to sift means to see if the issue lines up with God’s Word (Collins, 2001). Uniting psychology, spirituality, and theology encompasses all the components of human behavior necessary to assess functioning (McMinn, 1996). Conclusion The integration of spirituality and theological scriptures to counseling provides a panoramic view of how psychotherapy can progress. The Bible must be used as a reference in choosing ideologies, techniques or processes to integrate in a personal theory. The use of solutions-based therapy, also referred to as ‘solution focused therapy’ or ‘brief therapy’, is a type of talking therapy that is based upon social constructionist philosophy. It includes miracle and scaling questions. It focuses on what clients want to achieve through therapy. The approach focuses on the present and hopes for future, because as Dr. Worthington explains, â€Å"hope provides the motivation to work† (1999). Cognitive therapy can be used most effectively in Christian counseling because the cognitive approach is imperative in changing the client’s self-awareness by challenging negative thoughts and untruths. Cognitive therapy helps unchain the client from unrealistic expectations by perceiving and revising the pointless difficulties they place on themselves. Understanding the components of human personality through the theory of concentric circles is important in developing a complete strategy for helping individuals change. Recognition of an integrated model that considers the scripture of Christian teachings is a potent tool in wrestling against the dysfunction residing in a client’s life. Resources Anderson, N. (2000). The bondage breaker. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers. Backus, William and Chapian, Marie. (2000). Telling yourself the truth. Bloomington, MN: Bethany House Publishers Cloud, H. & Townsend, J. (1992). Boundaries: When to say yes when to say no to take control of your life. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. Collins, G. (2001). The Biblical basis of Christian counseling for people helpers. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress Publishing Group. Crabb, Larry. (1977). Effective biblical counseling: A model for helping caring Christians become capable counselors. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. Hawkins, Ron E. (Speaker). (2006). Model for guiding the counseling process. Lynchburg, VA: Liberty University. Hawkins, R. E. (Producer). (2006b). Grid for tracking process [Motion picture]. (Available from Liberty university, 1971 University Boulevard, Lynchburg, VA 24502) Worthington, Everett L. (1999). Hope-focussed marriage counseling. Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press Greece. McGee, R. (1992). Search for significance: Build your self worth on the forgiveness and unconditional love of Jesus Christ. Nashville, TN: LifeWay Press. McMinn, M. (1996). Psychology, theology and spirituality in Christian counseling. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Wilson, S. (2001). Hurt people hurt people: Hope and healing for yourself and your relationships. Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers.

Quality Management in Service Industries Essay Example

Quality Management in Service Industries Essay Example Quality Management in Service Industries Essay Quality Management in Service Industries Essay Part 1. Introduction In present time, there is a worldwide trend that service industry occupies a dominant position in the economy in the majority of developed countries and areas. Without a doubt, major changes in government policy and business transactions have a significant influence on the flourish of services industry. However, nowadays the increased value of services also brings big pressure on marketers to implement different strategies because there are big variances in the features of service and physical product. To start with, this essay will focus on the reasons why is quality such an important issue in the marketing of services. Furthermore, the reasons why is quality more difficult to manage in service industries than it is in the case of physical goods will also be discussed in this essay. Part 2. Basic Definition I. Quality In manufacturing, a measure of excellence or a state of being free from defects, deficiencies, and significant variations, brought about by the strict and consistent adherence to measurable and verifiable standards to achieve uniformity of output that satisfies specific customer or user requirements. ISO 8402-1986 standard defines quality as the totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bears its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs. II. Services As one kind of products in the market, â€Å"services are deeds, processes, and performance provided or coproduced by one entity or person for another entity or person. Services as products represent a wide range of intangible product offering that customers value and pay for in the marketplace. †(Bruhn Georgi, 2006) For example, haircuts, consulting, training and travel are representative services. In present society, there is a staggering increasing rate in services industry, which is defined as â€Å"all economic activities whose output is not a physical product or construction, is generally consumed at the time it is produced, and provides added value in forms that are essentially intangible concerns of its first purchaser†. (Lovelock, Wirtz, 2006) III. Service Quality Service quality is defined as â€Å"the customer’s evaluation of a service, where they compared what the receive according to the service’s characteristics with their exceptions regarding these characteristics. (Bruhn Georgi, 2006) Therefore, it is apparent that delivering quality service is linked to customer satisfaction and retention, competitive advantage and long-term profitability. In general customers usually look at the quality of both the process and outcomes of services delivery, which means they take both of technical quality and functional quality into account. Part 3. The importance of quality in the marketing of services The biggest barrier for customers in evaluating service quality is the intangible nature of the service. Most consumers lack the knowledge or the skills to evaluate the quality of many types of services. Therefore, they must place a great deal of faith in the integrity and competence of the service provider. Despite the difficulties in evaluating quality, service quality may be the only way customers can choose one service over another. For this reason, services marketers live or die by understanding how consumers judge service quality. The following table defines five dimensions that customers use when evaluating the importance of service quality. They are tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. (Goodwin and R. Radford, 2008) Reliability is the most important in determining customer evaluations of service quality of the five. Services managers pay a great deal of attention to the tangibles dimension of service quality. Tangible attributes, or search qualities, such as the appearance of facilities and employees, are often the only aspects of a service that can be viewed before purchases and consumption. Consequently, service managers must ensure that these tangible lements are consistent with the overall image of the service product. Except for the tangibles dimension, the criteria that customers use to judge service quality are intangible. For example, how does a customer judge reliability? Since dimensions such as reliability cannot be examined with the sense, consumers must rely on other ways of judging service criteria. One of the most important factors in the judgments of service quality by consumer s is service expectations. These are influenced by past experiences with the service, oral communication from other customers and the service company’s own advertising. For example, customers are usually eager to try a new restaurant, especially when friends recommend it. These same customers may have also seen advertisements placed by the restaurant. As a result, these customers have an idea of what to expect when they visit the restaurant for the first time. When they finally eat out at the restaurant, the quality they experience will change the expectations they have for their next visit and their own comments to friends and colleagues. This is the major reason why providing consistent high service quality is important. If the quality of a restaurant, or any services, begins to deteriorate, customers will alter their own expectations and oral communication to others accordingly. The most critical aspect of service quality specifications is managers’ commitment to service quality. Service managers who are committed to quality become role models for all employees in the organization. (Kasper, H. , van Helsdingen, P. , De Vries, W, 1999) Such commitment motivates customer contact employees to comply with service specifications. It is also important that all managers within the organization embrace this commitment, especially front line managers, who are much closer to customers than higher level managers. Consumers want to have a good shopping experience and the most important aspect of a consumers shopping experience is her quality of service. The most important aspect of a consumers decision on where to shop is going to be her perception concerning the quality of customer service she receives is congruent with the level of respect and courtesy required to earn and retain er loyalty as a contentious consumer. If an organization fails to provide quality customer service, the possibility of that customers continuing as a patron of the organization is highly doubtful. A customer shops at the locations where he or she feels comfortable and where the service provided is of the highest quality. Quality customer service is a important aspect of a shoppers experience and if this is overlooked at any time by an org anization, the companys ability to consistently provide continued value to the consumer will be seriously compromised. The customer service is an important aspect of any businesss ability to remain a market force in an increasingly competitive and diverse marketplace. Good customer service, above all else, is the primary factor in an organizations ability to remain growth and increase profitability over the long-term. (Mudie, P. Cottam, A. 1999) Consistently addressing the needs of the consumer through attention to detail, prompt and good-mannered assistance, and the providing of knowledgeable employees is the first objective in providing a memorable shopping experience. Effective customer service policies focus on providing the customer with customer service that is always consistent and focuses on the customer. When an organization creates a customer-centric and high-quality customer service policy, the organization will continue to create lasting value for the consumer. The key to providing good quality customer service and retaining a customer for the long term is providing the customer with lasting value during his or her shopping experience. A company should promote lasting value in the products it provides and in the quality of service provided to the customer by the organizations employees. Companies that continually focus on the best ways to provide the customer with lasting value and quality customer service compared to the services that the customer could expect to receive from a competitor are assured of the potential to create loyal repeat customers out of each customer that the organization assists. Providing good customer service is important to retaining customers against a competitor who sells the same or similar products. (Mudie, P. Cottam, A. 1999) When two competitors offer the same products at similar prices, the customer will consistently return to the location where they received the best ervice. In providing the best service available, an organization creates lasting value for the customer and any organization that focuses on providing lasting value and unsurpassed customer service will continually ensure that the customers the organization assists become customers for life. Adopting policies that focus on creating lasting value for the customer and pro vides him with unsurpassed customer service inherently gains long-term loyalty from that consumer. Part 4. Quality is more difficult to manage in service industries than it is in the case of physical goods The service industry alters the goods they provide, while the physical goods are presented as is. If you are buying a pair of jeans, for instance, then you get that as is. As long as nothing changes concerning those jeans, then it is easy to regulate and maintain their quality. But if you get a haircut, for instance, then no two will be alike and that increases the chances for mishap. Not only are you getting it from different individuals, but each person cutting the hair wont always provide the same type of service from one person to another. The service industry relies more heavily on human performance than that of the physical goods industry. In the physical goods industry, you can say a quality product is one that has certain measureable characteristics. For example, we could say a quality car is testing safely to a certain standard, getting a certain number of miles per gallon or attaining a certain number of miles per hour in so many seconds. In the services industries, this is much more difficult. We can not easily say what it is exactly that makes a service good for everyone, because it is subjective. For example, you might want to cut your hair, but someone else might like theirs long; or you might want quick customer service more than quality customer service, while someone else might have an opposite idea. Once an organization understands its customers’ needs, it must establish goals to help ensure good service delivery. These goals, or service specifications, are typically set in terms of employee or machine performance. For example, a bank may require its employees to conform to a dress code. Likewise, the bank may require that all incoming phone calls be answered by the third ring. (Zeithaml, V. A. , Bitner, M. J. Gremler, D. D. 2009) Specifications like these can be very important in providing quality service as long as they are tied to the needs expressed by customers. Physical goods are considered quality dependant only on the process of their manufacture. Services on the other hand depend both on the process and the customers’ opinion. Part 5. Conclusion To sum up, quality is an important issue in the marketing of service and it is more difficult to manage in service industries than in the case of physical goods. Quality customer service experiences are the driving force behind customer retention and customer satisfaction. Maximizing the benefits provided through sound customer service policies ensures that the satisfied consumer will express his satisfaction to others and assist the company in continuing to grow their client base through acquisition of customers who are dissatisfied with the level of service they get from the organizations competitors. Tapping into the ability of customer service to maximize this continuous opportunity for revenue is the single most important objective for any company looking to gain a competitive advantage in the highly diverse business environment of today. In order to create the maximized value and satisfy customers, the marketers need to pay more attention to the quality management in service industries. Part 6. References Bruhn, M. Georgi, D. 2006. Services marketing: managing the service value chain. Harlow, UK: Prentice Hall Financial Times. C. Goodwin and R. Radford, 2008. â€Å"Models of Service Delivery: An Integrative Perspective,† in Advances in Services Marketing and Management, ed. T. A. Swartz, D. E. Bowen, and S. W. Bowen, (Stamford, Ct: Jai Press) pp. 231-252. C. Hegge-Kleiser, â€Å"American Express Travel-Related Services: A Human Resources Approach to Managing Quality,† in Managing Quality in America’s Most Admired Companies, ed. J. W. Spechler (San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 1993), pp. 205-212 J. Reynoso and B. Moores, â€Å"Operationalising the Quality on Internal Support Operations in Service Organizations,† in Advances in Services Marketing and Management, Vol. 6, eds. T. A. Swartz, D. E. Bowen, and S. W. Brown (Green-wich, CT: JAI Press, 1997), pp. 147-170 Kasper, H. , van Helsdingen, P. , De Vries, W. 1999. Services marketing management: An international perspective. Chichester: Wiley. Lovelock, C. Wirtz, J. 2006. Services marketing (6th ed. ). Upper Saddle River NJ: Prentice? Hall. McColl? Kennedy, J. R (Ed. ). 2003. Services marketing: A managerial approach. Milton, Qld: John Wiley Sons. Mudie, P. Cottam, A. 1999. The management and marketing of services. Oxford: Butterworth? Heinemann. Pieter P. Tordoir (1995). The professional knowledge economy: the management and integration services in business organizations. p. 140. Zeithaml, V. A. , Bitner, M. J. Gremler, D. D. 2009. Services marketing: Integrating customer focus across the firm (5th ed. ). Sydney: McGraw? Hill Irwin.

Free Essays on Aggression

The title of this essay asks a question that cannot be easily or directly answered. One of the reasons for this is that aggression can be looked as measurable, that is, how much an individual would want to hurt another. For example, if an instructor hits a student because he was disruptive in class, and the student's father learns about the incident and later comes to school and punches the instructor, once could conclude that both the teacher and the father showed aggressiveness. However, one could also say that while the instructor was naturally aggressive, the source of the father’s aggression was from frustration, or environmentally caused. In the eighteenth century, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a French philosopher, argued that aggression was caused by the society that an individual lived in, which would mean the cause is of an environmental nature, and not innate. However, psychologists like Sigmund Freud and Konrad Lorenz argued the idea that aggressiveness is innate and cannot be avoided by individuals. (David G. Myers, P 385). In effect, aggression was categorised into two different forms by a psychologist named David Buss in 1961. The first category is angry aggression and the second, instrumental aggression. In the case of angry aggression, the objective of the aggressor is to directly harm the victim individual. With relation to this, he describes that a degree of pleasure and satisfaction is felt or achieved by the aggressor in inflicting pain and harm to a victim and that the reason for this phenomenon has not yet been explained. In the case of instrumental aggression, the objective of the aggressor is not to directly harm the victim individual, but instead to ensure some degree of welfare. A good example of this would be peacekeepers in military, who would use aggression against ‘the enemy’ to ensure that war ends as soon as possible and people who are indirectly involved in the war would not be harmed. Furthermor... Free Essays on Aggression Free Essays on Aggression The title of this essay asks a question that cannot be easily or directly answered. One of the reasons for this is that aggression can be looked as measurable, that is, how much an individual would want to hurt another. For example, if an instructor hits a student because he was disruptive in class, and the student's father learns about the incident and later comes to school and punches the instructor, once could conclude that both the teacher and the father showed aggressiveness. However, one could also say that while the instructor was naturally aggressive, the source of the father’s aggression was from frustration, or environmentally caused. In the eighteenth century, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a French philosopher, argued that aggression was caused by the society that an individual lived in, which would mean the cause is of an environmental nature, and not innate. However, psychologists like Sigmund Freud and Konrad Lorenz argued the idea that aggressiveness is innate and cannot be avoided by individuals. (David G. Myers, P 385). In effect, aggression was categorised into two different forms by a psychologist named David Buss in 1961. The first category is angry aggression and the second, instrumental aggression. In the case of angry aggression, the objective of the aggressor is to directly harm the victim individual. With relation to this, he describes that a degree of pleasure and satisfaction is felt or achieved by the aggressor in inflicting pain and harm to a victim and that the reason for this phenomenon has not yet been explained. In the case of instrumental aggression, the objective of the aggressor is not to directly harm the victim individual, but instead to ensure some degree of welfare. A good example of this would be peacekeepers in military, who would use aggression against ‘the enemy’ to ensure that war ends as soon as possible and people who are indirectly involved in the war would not be harmed. Furthermor...

Capital Punishment Essays - American Revolution, Salutary Neglect

Capital Punishment Essays - American Revolution, Salutary Neglect Capital Punishment From 1763, throughout the mid-1770s an ideology of revolution began to evolve throughout the thirteen American colonies. Many factors contributed to the formation of this ideology including Salutary Neglect, the Boston Massacre, and the British tax policy. In the early 1700s the British neglected the colonists because neglect served the British economic interests better than strict enforcement. The colonies prospered as did their trade with Britain, without much government interference. But, at the end of the French and Indian war, British leaders reevaluated their relationship with the colonies; because of conflicts between Great Britain and the colonies during the war, ending the policy of salutary neglect and proposing reforms and new taxes. The war had left Great Britain deeply in debt and the British viewed American prosperity as a resource and taxing the colonies as a means to relieve British debt. More and more Americans were convinced that British politicians were deliberately robbing them of their personal independence through taxation. The Stamp Act of 1765 which required the colonists to buy and place revenue stamps on all official legal documents, deeds, newspapers, pamphlets, dice, and playing cards, left the colonists alarmed and the educated colonists mounted an ideological attack on the new British policies. The colonists believed that the Stamp Act was an attempt by Britain to seize control of taxation from the representative colonial assemblies and to tax the colonists without giving them representation in government; taxation without representation. While confrontations over taxes and reforms were serious, the bonds uniting the colonies and Britain were still strong. An American diplomat declared in 1769 that the British ministry should Repeal the laws, Renounce the Right, Recall the troops, Refund the money, and return to the old method of requisition. This solution would have required parliament to renounce its claims to sovereign power in America and was almost unthinkable given its quest for authority. Moreover, violent acts such as the Boston Massacre, in which soldiers fired at colonists after some boys threw ice at a sentry guarding the Customs House; killing an African American named Crispus Attucks and four other colonists, showed how difficult it would be to achieve any peaceful constitutional compromise. These main factors as well as many others, played into the hands of those Americans who wanted independence. They saw the British as corrupt, immoral, and power hungry and they felt they needed to take a stand against the pattern of enslavement they saw in these actions. They did not see themselves as radicals or revolutionaries; they were simply protecting their way of life, their land, and their households. Thus brought about the formation of the ideology for a revolution.

About horror movies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

About horror movies - Essay Example m the Japanese filmmaker called Miike, whose films provide prototypical examples of â€Å"Asia Extreme† other directors such as Kim Ki-duk and Park Chan-wook have expanded the category by rendering ultra-violet narratives set against serene portrayals of the troubled psyches of doomed protagonists. Following the success of magic lantern shows in the late 1890s, the first cinematograph was introduced into Japan in 1897. In 1899, the first Japanese film was shown at the Kabuki-za, Tokyo. Kabuki, one of the foremost traditional Japanese theatrical forms, would provide rich material for the burgeoning art of the visual image and would become the template for many Japanese horror films since. Tales of horror and monstrosity have long concerned themselves with notion of hybridity in their exploration of those regions where categories fail to maintain their integrity. Ghosts, for instance, are their very liminal entities negotiating the supposedly unbridgeable gap between the world of the dead and the realm of the dead. In addition, monsters are perpetual scramblers of social codes, often troubling the nebulous (Gladwin). There is always something nasty about horror movies that speaks instinctively and directly to humans. Evolutionary psychology that has undergone evolution for millions of years has caused the human mind to be ingrained to certain triggers of fears. For example, there has been fear of dark places where predatory animals might be laying waiting for the prey. There is also fear of animals that tend to have sharp teeth since they might easily make a meal out of us. Such fears have been engrained into the human developmental psychology to an extent that research shows that children can easily spot a snake on a computer’s screen compared to how they can spot a flower (Gladwin). This idea explains the shape of monsters commonly used in horror movies; that is, creatures that have sharp teeth or appear like snakes. The fear of being eaten alive has always

Reading response in language discrimination Essay

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The Effects of Computer Science on the history of our Nations Wars Research Proposal

The Effects of Computer Science on the history of our Nations Wars - Research Proposal Example Generally, computer science refers to the study of some theoretical standing, with regard to computation and information, and often focuses on the practical application of the techniques, necessary for implementing them in computer systems (Diffie, 2008). Presently, a considerable number of disciplines under the scope of computer science do not exclusively incorporate the study of computers (Longo, 2008). Such disciplines include the military science, which incorporates the use of computer technology. Many scholars in the field of science have put a keen focus on the connections between the computer science on the theoretical basis and the execution of the military operations. This is with regard to how such operations were being planned and carried out, during the time of the Cold War. Since the 20th century, great effort has been put to the scientific researches in the military operations. This has led to the development of science-based military technology. These efforts have seen the subsistence of strong militaries across the world. For instance, the First World War, which is widely known as ‘the chemists’ war, was characterized by the application of many explosives (Diffie, 2008) owed to the computer science. Among the pioneer military technologies was the extensive use of the poison gas by the British and Germans, in 1915. Computer science also contributed to the development of the wireless communication technology, which advanced the methods of executing attacks, and detecting enemies, besides acting as a means of communication within the militaries. The wireless radio technology was a key player in the coordination of the German, British and American troops (Arquilla, 2011). By the Second World War, the computer technology had advanced the military technology, and at this time, the unveiling of the atomic bomb was marked (Bousquet, 2008). Hand in

Examine the relative role of institutions in the rise of Europe Essay

Examine the relative role of institutions in the rise of Europe - Essay Example These formal institutions include such diverse tools as constitutions, laws and property rights. Institutions have always been created by human beings throughout history to create order in their various societies and reduce uncertainty in trade. Taken together with the standard constraints imposed by economic logic, institutions define the set of available choices in economic interactions. This has an effect of directly influencing economic behaviour and hence, economic outcomes in any given society (Acemoglu, Johnson, & Robinson, 2005). Institutions evolve incrementally over time meaning that the economic history of any society has to be comprehended in the context of the evolution of its institutions. The fundamental role played by institutions is that they provide the incentive structure for the given economy. As such, the direction of evolution of this structure in time determines the direction of movement of an economy whether towards growth, stagnation or decline (North 1991). A constantly evolving system of organisation and exchange in medieval Europe’s long-distance trade between the 11th and the 16th centuries eventually led to the rise of Europe as the dominant world power (North, 1991). The first significant institutional change was the innovation of systems and tools that lowered transaction costs in exchange. The transaction cost of any exchange is defined as the cost, other than the cost of the product or service being exchanged; that is incurred in executing the transaction. This cost consists of various components such as the cost incurred in the search for information about the sellers and their product, the cost of negotiating and closing down on the contract, the cost of enforcing the contract, etc. (North 1991) The organisational changes, tools and various techniques of exchange that lowered transaction costs for medieval Europe’s long-distance trade included: Among the

Multi Protocol Label Switching Simulation Lab Report

Multi Protocol Label Switching Simulation - Lab Report Example Modem converts analog signal to digital signals & digital signal to analog signal. Today the internet seems to be an indispensable communication instrument, and everybody who is using the internet wants good services from internet service providers. Good service means, good downloading speed (means time related to opening, closing and downloading a file on the internet), good connectivity (Internet connection can be done easily on request), & transfer of data or file without interruption. Transfer of data or file without disturbance is a very critical factor on the internet, there are lots of internet connections providers, a lot of websites, a lot of data transfer, a lot of web server and lots of computer are accessing internet at the same time. Due to these usages, there is congestion on the internet, which results in delay in data transfer and also there is no surety that the data will be transferred completely. Today each and every organization wants to fulfill all the customers' needs. And the main agenda of most of the organization is Customer Satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is the key of success for any organization. Customer satisfaction can be achieved by providing good Quality of Service (QoS). Parameters for Quality of Service may vary from one organization to another. ... The performance of networking has complete dependence on the above four parameters. So if an organization wants to achieve customer satisfaction, they should have control on these parameters. For controlling these parameters, organizations use packet switching technology and Traffic Engineering. This technology depends on internet protocol addressing. Internet protocol addressing provides a unique number to a particular location. This unique numbers helps to find the location for transfer and minimize congestion. The internet protocol address is a twelve digit number. The Internet Engineering task force developed a technique known as Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS), to avoid congestion in networking, avoid delay in data transmission and keeping control on bandwidth. Multi Protocol Label Switching is based on internet protocol addressing. It involves packet data transfer. As the packet enters into Multi Protocol label switching, it receives a label. Depending upon the label Multi Protocol Label Switching defines the most suitable routing or path for data transfer. While defining the path Multi Protocol Label Switching analyze the load on the network & the type of traffic. Based on the analysis Multi Protocol Label Switching divides the traffic in a manner to minimize the network congestion. It also finds the shortest path for data transmission, which transmits the data from one location to other in the minimum time. Validation of MPLS Simulation: As we have come to know MPLS simulation is used to increase the efficiency of the network through minimizing congestion, now we have to validate that really this MPLS simulation is an effective tool for Internet service provider. There are various ways of proving or validating the MPLS

Introduction to Businsse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Introduction to Businsse - Essay Example Social responsibility contributes to positive impact on the corporate by the society hence improved performance. In the recent past, customers have become more sensitive of not only the quality of products and services they receive, but also the means used by organizations to produce the products (Aras and Crowther 494-496). Organizations demonstrating any form of inhumanity in goods production such as child labour, discrimination, or environmental degradation face the possibility of lacking good market for their products. Operations of various organizations create social problems thus it is important that they address such problems to retain their acceptability. Social responsibility also helps corporate gain long-term favourable environment for their operations, products, and services (Aras and Crowther 566). Corporate social responsibility towards its stakeholders and society to ensure they also thrive together with the organization. Corporate social responsibility helps display business as unselfish and suitable community contributor earning the business a pleasant reputation. Corporate social responsibility may fail to recognize by society but lack of it is easily noticed results in negative repercussion. Corporate social responsibility contributes to improved economic performance, increased potential to attract and maintain employees, boost brand image, improved sales, and customer allegiance (Aras and Crowther

Examine the relative role of institutions in the rise of Europe Essay

Examine the relative role of institutions in the rise of Europe - Essay Example These formal institutions include such diverse tools as constitutions, laws and property rights. Institutions have always been created by human beings throughout history to create order in their various societies and reduce uncertainty in trade. Taken together with the standard constraints imposed by economic logic, institutions define the set of available choices in economic interactions. This has an effect of directly influencing economic behaviour and hence, economic outcomes in any given society (Acemoglu, Johnson, & Robinson, 2005). Institutions evolve incrementally over time meaning that the economic history of any society has to be comprehended in the context of the evolution of its institutions. The fundamental role played by institutions is that they provide the incentive structure for the given economy. As such, the direction of evolution of this structure in time determines the direction of movement of an economy whether towards growth, stagnation or decline (North 1991). A constantly evolving system of organisation and exchange in medieval Europe’s long-distance trade between the 11th and the 16th centuries eventually led to the rise of Europe as the dominant world power (North, 1991). The first significant institutional change was the innovation of systems and tools that lowered transaction costs in exchange. The transaction cost of any exchange is defined as the cost, other than the cost of the product or service being exchanged; that is incurred in executing the transaction. This cost consists of various components such as the cost incurred in the search for information about the sellers and their product, the cost of negotiating and closing down on the contract, the cost of enforcing the contract, etc. (North 1991) The organisational changes, tools and various techniques of exchange that lowered transaction costs for medieval Europe’s long-distance trade included: Among the

Introduction to Businsse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Introduction to Businsse - Essay Example Social responsibility contributes to positive impact on the corporate by the society hence improved performance. In the recent past, customers have become more sensitive of not only the quality of products and services they receive, but also the means used by organizations to produce the products (Aras and Crowther 494-496). Organizations demonstrating any form of inhumanity in goods production such as child labour, discrimination, or environmental degradation face the possibility of lacking good market for their products. Operations of various organizations create social problems thus it is important that they address such problems to retain their acceptability. Social responsibility also helps corporate gain long-term favourable environment for their operations, products, and services (Aras and Crowther 566). Corporate social responsibility towards its stakeholders and society to ensure they also thrive together with the organization. Corporate social responsibility helps display business as unselfish and suitable community contributor earning the business a pleasant reputation. Corporate social responsibility may fail to recognize by society but lack of it is easily noticed results in negative repercussion. Corporate social responsibility contributes to improved economic performance, increased potential to attract and maintain employees, boost brand image, improved sales, and customer allegiance (Aras and Crowther

Plato theory of forms Essay Example for Free

Plato theory of forms Essay Plato was a duellist and thus believed that there are two worlds; the material world and the world of ideas/Forms. The world of ideas or Forms is the true reality and the world of appearances is just reflections of world of Forms. Plato believed that our knowledge of the Forms was a priori which means that our souls knew the Forms before it was inside us, therefore we have knowledge prior to experiencing the objects with our senses. Plato believes everyone is born with an intuitive but imperfect understanding of the Forms. He also believes the philosopher is able, through using his intellect, to achieve true knowledge of the abstract Forms without using his senses. Plato’s theory of Forms can be seen as unconvincing to some who believe that abstract ideas e. g table, horse, beauty are actually names that have been invented to help people describe their experiences of the physical world. This is a materialistic view as it suggests that objects in this world are the real reality and our ideas can develop based on experience of things. Aristotle agrees with this and believes knowledge is gained through experience and that there is not an eternal World of Forms that is a priori to us. However, in Plato’s defence some believe that each variety of a Form shares a likeness for example each horse is slightly different yet they all share something that makes it resemble a horse. According to Bertrand Russell, Plato`s theory made a `very important advance in philosophy, since it is the first to emphasise the problem of universals’. Plato’s theory is often regarded as unconvincing due to the fact that Plato believes that every object and idea in the world of appearances is an imperfect copy of an image or Form in the World of Forms. This suggests that there is a perfect Form of things such as a cinema ticket, mud or an insect and so on. According to Bertrand Russell, his ideas of the Forms when taken to its extreme.

Economic Mobility In A Global America Sociology Essay

Economic Mobility In A Global America Sociology Essay Economic mobility essentially describes what most people in the US would call the American dream. The ability to make it to the top as long as a person puts in the work is a dearly held American ideal. But is it true? American folklore glorifies the Lois and Clarks, the pioneers, those who forge their own way. But, does 21st century America provide the same opportunities to set out and make it if one puts in the work? Research and statistics show that the American dream, rags to riches, still happens for some but not everyone has an equal chance of bettering their economic positions and their lives. Economic mobility can be described in several different ways. One can talk about a persons economic mobility in terms of absolute dollars how much they were able to surpass or fall behind the income of the generation before them or in relative terms. Often, economists divide the population into quintiles based on income ranges. Economic mobility then is used to describe the likelihood of a child born in one quintile to move up or down into another quintile in their life. The Brookings institute explained economic mobility as, The ability of people to move up or down the economic ladder within a lifetime or from one generation to the next. A persons economic mobility is often seen as an indicator of the fairness of a society. It seems fair that people should not be determined by their economic situation at birth, the standard of living that they will have the rest of their life. Americans in very large numbers believe that a persons economic outlook is determined by the choices they make and the work the put in. When discussing economic mobility it is also important to consider economic inequality in a society. High inequality is less worrisome if people are moving in and out of these classes. However, if you have a society that has increasing inequality and limited mobility, there are reasons for concern. This would mean that the rungs of the ladder of economic success are getting farther and farther apart and people have less of a chance to move up the ladder. Statistics show that the US may be in such a position. In the US inequality has been steadily growing since the 1960s. The prizes for being successful in today s economy are larger than ever before, but the likelihood of the average American attaining these rewards is decreasing. Income is increasingly focused at the top of the economy, and fewer opportunities exist for people to get there. During this time of growing inequality a new force has transformed the US economy: globalization. Globalization is a term used to describe the interconnectedness of the world largely as a result of advancements in technology relating to telecommunications and travel. In the past 100 years, the world has changed from being a place where it takes weeks to travel overseas, to a place where even the farthest spot away on the globe could be reached within 24 hours. The world has changed from a place where communication could take weeks in the form of written letters, to a place where words can be written and words spoken and be heard or read instantaneously the world around. The world suddenly thrust into an unprecedented age of connectedness. Never before had the world and everything in it people, business, nations been so interconnected. As we progress in an age of mobile internet access, the ability to travel anywhere in the world within 24 hours, and ever-increasing economic ties between nations, the effects of globalization are everywhere. Thomas Friedman described this new era saying the world is flat. As a result of advancements in technology, everyone is on a level playing field. A business in Anderson must compete with a business in China and a student in Carmel must compete with a student in India. This new global economy is and will shape the economic mobility of people in the US. US mobility Research has shown that nearly two-thirds of Americans are economically mobile in absolute terms, meaning they make more than their parents in absolute dollars. However, half of them remain on the same rung of the income ladder. Unfortunately, this is even more often true for children at the bottom of the ladder. For children born at the bottom, 80 percent will go on to make more than their parents in real dollars, but 42 percent stay at the bottom of the income ladder. For children born at the top, 39 percent remain there. If economic mobility had nothing to do with where a person is born in society, this number would be 20%. This is twice as high as would be expected by chance, so family income does have a significant effect on a childs mobility in the US. Gender The rates of mobility are not equal across genders and races in the US Men tend to experience much higher rates of upward economic mobility than women do. For children who start out in the bottom quintile, 41 percent of women will stay there, while only 27 percent of men will. The mobility outlook for black people is also less American Dream like. Blacks in the United States experience dramatically less upward economic mobility than whites. 44 percent of blacks will remain in the bottom income quintile in adulthood compared with only 25 percent of whites who will remain stuck at the bottom. The majority of blacks in the bottom half of the income distribution will still exceed their parents place in the distribution, but their movement is much less than is typical of their white peers. Research by Mazumbder found that rates of upward economic mobility are highest for white men, followed by white women, black men and, finally, black women. Other research found that not only are black children less mobile than white children, but that the majority of black children born to middle-income parents in the late 1960s have been downwardly mobile, meaning that they have less family income than their parents did. At that same time, only 16 percent of white children fell down the economic ladder. Some might attribute the lesser economic mobility of blacks to differences in family structure. Black children are more likely to be raised in single parent homes than their white peers. However, when controlling for single and two-parent families, the gap in mobility between the races still remains. There is also a significant difference in the extent to which black and white parents pass their economic advantages onto their children. Isaacs found that white children are more likely to surpass their parents income than black children at a similar point in the income distribution, but they are also more likely to move up the ladder, while black children are more susceptible to falling down. In the 1960s almost half of black children whose parents were middle class ended up falling to the bottom of the income distribution. Only 16 percent of white children in the same situation fell to the bottom. Black children from poorer families also are more likely to stay at the bottom. 54 percent of black children born in the bottom income quintile stayed there, but only 31 percent of white children remained stuck. Factors influencing mobility Even though gender and race are strong predictors of a childs economic mobility, there are other factors that greatly impact a childs chances at moving up. Studies have found that both black and white children who score higher on academic tests are more likely to move up and out of the bottom quintile. Both black and white children at the bottom who achieve average academic test scores are two times as likely to move up and out of the bottom quintile than children who score in the bottom percentiles on academic tests. Many other studies have placed education at the top of the list in terms of what determines a persons mobility. Haskins found that attaining a college degree quadruples the likelihood that a child born to parents at the bottom of the income ladder will make it to the top. Because of this, many people point to education as the most effective tool our nation has for improving the upward mobility of those at the bottom of the economic ladder. The problem is that those who would most benefit from receiving a college degree, are the ones least likely to receive it. Only one-third of children from families at the bottom quintile of the income ladder enroll in college, and of those students, only a small portion will go on to graduate.pg2 Pg 12 Children from this background have only a 34 percent chance of enrolling in college, compared to an 80 percent chance of enrolling for children from the top quintile. Children who start out at the bottom are only 20 percent as likely to earn a colleg e degree as children from the top quintile.14 There are various reasons why children from poor families are less likely to enroll in and graduate from college. Financial reasons, obviously, are a major obstacle. Even though there are Pell grants and various opportunities for financial aid, a person who has not come from a family whose parents went to college, may not have the information they need to access these resources. Haskins argues that improving the equality of educational opportunity-a traditional American value-is one key to promoting economic mobility for disadvantaged students. The impact on education on a persons earning potential clearly demonstrate the importance of education for moving up the economic ladder. Over the last four decades, adults who have degrees from either two or four year colleges have much higher family incomes than other adults who only completed high school, or who dropped out. During this time, the income of those with degrees has been growing steadily, while the income for those without a college degree has become stagnant or declined. The impact of having a college degree on the mobility of a person at the bottom is huge. Adult children from families in the bottom fifth of the income distributionare four times as likely to reach the top fifth if they achieve a four-year college degree, increasing their likelihood of doing so from 5 to 19 percent. Pg. 3 Nearly half the adult children with parents in the bottom quintile stay in the bottom unless they get a college degree. 10 Every poor and low-income child who achieves a four-year college degree can dramatically increase her chances of moving into the middle class. This is also likely true of those who get a two-year degree, since the rates of return per year of education are roughly the same for two-year and four-year colleges Importance of finding the right fità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ finishing. 12 Regardless of a persons family background, getting a college boosts that persons prospects of being upwardly mobile. However, this does not erase the impact of the family situation a person is born into. Children from low-income families with a college education are in fact no more likely to reach the top of the income ladder than children from high income families without a college education. Education is critical to success in todays economy and an important explanation of why some groups get ahead while others are left behind, but it cannot completely erase the effects of family background on ones ultimate success. Children born to parents in the top quintile have the highest likelihood of attaining the top, and children born to parents in the bottom quintile have the highest likelihood of being in the bottom themselves. This phenomenon is referred to as stickiness at the ends of the income distribution. As shown in Figure 4, it is fairly hard for children born in the bottom fifth to escape from the bottom: 42 percent remain there and another 42 percent end up in either the lower-middle or middle fifth. Only 17 percent of those born to parents in the bottom quintile climb to one of the top two income groups. At the other end of the distribution, 39 percent of children born to parents in the top fifth attain the top themselves with an additional 23 percent landing in the fourth highest quintile. Surprisingly, American children from low-income families appear to have less relative mobility than their counterparts in five northern European countries, according to a recent international study of earnings of fathers and sons. Whereas 42 percent of American sons whose fathers had earnings in the bottom quintile had low earningsthemselves, the comparable percentages ranged from 25 to 30 percent in Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, and the United Kingdom (see Chapter III, International Comparisons of Economic Mobility). One measure of stickiness is the measure intergenerational income elasticity. This figure would be 0.0 in a hypothetical society where a parents income has no effect on a childs economic prospects and 1.0 where there is a one-to-one correspondence between parental income and adult child income. Recent estimates of the intergenerational income elasticity in the United States range from about 0.4 to 0.6, meaning that about half of the difference in income between families in one generation persists into the next generation. Discussion of globalization Globalization is a very broad term, so it can be hard to discuss how it affects economic mobility in the US, because has changed our world so much in a short time. However, a globalized economy in the US has led to significant changes in the demands of our economy that will shape the USs economic mobility for years to come. The Hoosier economy has been the most heavily manufacturing based economy in the United States. The five US states that depend most on manufacturing are all in the Midwest.( Loc. 353) This statewide and even regional dependence on manufacturing has impacted the states culture and commitment to education. Richard Longworth in his book Caught in the Middle describes the way that manufacturing enriched the region, but is now hampering their ability to adapt to a global world. He states that Indiana in particular is in denial about globalization, and instead of pursuing ways to reshape the economy, is pursuing losing efforts to keep businesses from moving out of the country. Indiana held the crown as the state with the largest percent of jobs in the manufacturing sector. This led to significant growth and wealth in the past century, but it is apparent it will not have the same effects now that we are living in a globalized world. More and more manufacturing jobs are being shipped overseas, where labor can be had for a fraction of the cost. In the 20 years manufacturing output in the Midwest soared by 50 percent or more. But the number of jobs in manufacturing fell by about 20 percent. Over that same time, the unemployment rate in the state has grown from _ percent to over _ percent. Globalization is leading to a loss of jobs in Indiana, and the state has not kept up in creating jobs that are sustainable and profitable in a global economy. At least part of this is due to a mismatch in the skills employers have, and the skills possessed by Hoosiers. Indiana ranks _ in the number of adults with a bachelors degree or more. As technology and global labor comp etition continue to shape the way manufacturing is done, there will be less and less demand for unskilled, high wage labor that Indiana has a supply of and has lived off of in decades past. It is apparent that for Hoosiers to get good jobs they must have the education and skills that make them competitive. Unfortunately, for many Midwest residents, there is not a strong commitment to education. Longworth linked this to the regions past where high school drop outs could get a job in a factory and live well. This is obviously not the case now in a globalized Indiana, but many families continue to place little value on education. (loc 930) In order to move up the ladder or be more well off than someone is raised, the single biggest factor is whether or not that person gets a good education. Unemployment rates by education level in the US make clear the impact that education can have (see figure b). As expected, states that depend heavily on manufacturing (which is demanding less labor, and often does not require college education) are suffering high unemployment rates during the current recession/recovery. Unfortunately, even though education is so key to getting employed and being upwardly mobile, the current state of education has been found to reinforce family economic status more than to encourage upward movement. Figure b. http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_chart_001.htm Globalization may be challenging Indiana to redefine its economy in order for Hoosier to be upwardly mobile, but it also allows us an opportunity to learn from other countries. Globalization has not only changed our economies, but has also changed our knowledge base. We now have the ability to look at other countries and see how they have dealt with or are dealing with similar situations that the IS is facing. Economic mobility is essentially the American Dream, so it would be reasonable to assume that the US is a world leader in that respect. But reasonable assumptions arent always true, as in this case. Even though economic mobility characterizes the American dream, other countries do better at making it a reality for their residents. Studies routinely show that the US lags behind other nations in the economic mobility of its population. Again, there are differences in relative and absolute mobility. The US has led the pack in terms of absolute mobility due to rapid economic growth this century. As the saying goes, a rising tide lifts all boats. As mentioned before, however, this tide is increasingly unevenly distributed, leading to tidal waves for some and droughts for others. In terms of relative mobility the US lags behind many European nations, and our neighbor to the North Canada. Canada in particular is an interesting comparison because of how much it and the US share in common. According to research by Corak, Curtis, and Phipps; both the US and Canada value the ideal of equality of opportunity and define it in terms of individual freedoms but also individual responsibilities. One difference, however, was that Americans were more likely to view the government an obstacle to equality of opportunity rather than helpful in promoting it. Even though Americans were more reluctant to government intervention, residents of both countries recognized the need for public policy to contribute to reaching this ideal. Somewhat counter-intuitively, this study found that Americans believe more than Canadians that a host of interventions would be effective in improving the prospects for economic mobility. The authors of this study interpreted that as a possible sign t hat this need is going unmet in the US. The study found that (4)On average Canada is up to three times more mobile than the United States. Stated another way, US citizens pass along three times as much inequality than do Canadians. They also found that not only does less mobility occur in the US, but that it is more heavily concentrated at the top and bottom of the economic ladder. Some of the reasons the authors point to as to why this may be the case are differences in health care, parental work leave laws, and tax transfer programs for poor families in Canada. The authors concluded that Mental and physical health, school readiness, and some education outcomes are all more developed in Canada, leading to better outcomes for children and increased economic mobility. Despite Americans lesser likelihood of reaching the top compared to their counterparts in Canada and some European nations, Americans are far more optimistic about their ability to control their own economic destiny. They are far more likely to believe that people get rewarded for intelligence, skill, and effort and far less likely to believe that its the governments responsibility to reduce differences in income. 4 In a comparison of mobility in the United States with mobility in several developed European nations, Miles Corak concluded that America is a low-mobility country in which about half of parental earnings advantages are passed onto sons. Canada, Norway, Finland, and Denmark are considered high-mobility countries, where less than 20 percent of income advantages are passed onto children. This would mean that in the US about half of parental earnings advantages are passed onto sons. If this trend holds steady, it would take an average of six generations for family economic advantage to disappear in the United States. While Americans seem to strongly believe that everyone has a shot to make it to the top, it is clear that peoples ability to do so is greatly shaped by the family they are born into. In the high mobility countries the effects of being born into a wealthy family would wear off in half the time three generations instead of six. Contrary to American beliefs about equality of o pportunity, a childs economic position is heavily influenced by that of his or her parents. Forty-two percent of children born to parents in the bottom fifth of the income distribution remain in the bottom, while 39 percent born to parents in the top fifth remain at the top. Children of middle-income parents have a near-equal likelihood of ending up in any other quintile, presenting equal promise and peril for those born to middle-class parents. Only 6 percent of children born to parents with family income at the very bottom move to the very top. In another study,Markus Jà ¤ntii looked at how the relationship between the earnings of parents and children varies for individuals who are on different rungs of the economic ladder. They find that starting at the bottom of the earnings ladder is more of a handicap in the United States than in other countries. Again, finding greater amounts of stickiness at the bottom of the economic ladder in America. If it is obvious that education has great potential to boost the economic mobility of the less fortunate, it is important to ask whether the nations schools do enough to promote economic mobility. An examination of preschool, K-12, and undergraduate and graduate education in the United States reveals that the average effect of education at all levels is to reinforce rather than compensate for the differences associated with family background and the many home-based advantages and disadvantages that children and adolescents bring with them into the classroom. This may be due to achievement gaps that US continues to struggle with in education. The poor and minorities on average perform less well in school and are less likely to graduate. There is a cycle at play in the US the poor and minorities are on average born to lower income families and as a result receive a poor education. These same students then are not able to move up the economic ladder, and pass the disadvantage onto thei r children who will be poor, likely receive a poor education, struggle with finding employment and repeat the cycle. Compared to other nations, the US is falling behind academically. The most recent results from the PISA test released in December of 2010 show that the US continues to trail other countries in education. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, said the findings show that the United States needs to urgently accelerate student learning to remain competitive in the knowledge economy of the 21st century. The education American students are receiving would have been fine a few decades ago when low-skill manufacturing jobs were abundant. Today, however, these jobs continue to disappear or move overseas. Living in a global economy means that our students now must compete with students all over the world for employment. And in a knowledge economy where education is the essential component to getting a job, the US is failing its students. The PISA results showed that US students are not among top performing OECD nations in any subject that was tested. However, US students did express the most self-confidence in their academic skills than did students in nearly all other OECD nations. Trends in US education do not bode well for the economic mobility of children growing up in a globalized world. Perhaps even more worrisome are the achievement gaps for Latinos and Blacks in the US education system. In 2008, McKinsey Company released a study on the economic costs of achievement gaps in US education, and found them to be the equivalent of a permanent national recession. To fix education, and to improve economic mobility of those who are most likely to be at the bottom, the US must make some changes. The OECD found that socioeconomic disadvantage leads more directly to poor educational performance in the United States than is the case in many other countries. The US prides itself on being the land of opportunity, but with poor educational outcomes in a globalized world, there will be very little opportunity for this and future generations. Seeing that other countries are more successful in education, we have the opportunity to learn from what they are doing that works. This opportunity seems to be ignored though. The US, Israel, and Turkey are the only OECD nations that do not devote as much or more funding for schools facing the biggest socioeconomic challenges as they do to schools with more privileged students. Directing resources towards youth who need it the most seems like a no-brainer, but due to the way schools are funded in the US, it doesnt happen. Much of the debate around education-reform in the US and Indiana has revolved around teacher accountability. Proponents say that rewarding teachers based on student performance is the best way to improve educational outcomes. However, this is not what the top performing education countries do. Outside of the US, most high-performing educational countries prioritize high teacher salaries over small class sizes, and they professionalize the teaching profession. Compa re this to the current education debate in Indiana where the Governor is essentially demonizing teachers as free-loaders. The US and Indiana dont seem to be taking advantage of the global insight available for shaping education, and this will likely have consequences for the education and mobility of the nations youth. Combatting economic immobility in the US in a globalized world Research seems to pretty clearly state that education is the key for improving economic mobility in the US. However, studies also find that education currently is not helping students become mobile adults, but rather reinforcing their family background. Poor kids are more likely to go to poor schools which are more likely to produce poor, immobile adults. Reforming education and closing achievement gaps in education will likely be the action that can have the greatest effects on Hoosier economic mobility. Conclusion Economic mobility is essentially the American Dream. The idea that someone can be born without a dime to their name, but through hard work can reach the top, being limited by nothing. Globalization is making this more of a dream and less of a reality in Indiana each day. Much has been said about the cycle of poverty, and how the lifestyle, ethics, and decay of poverty are passed on from one generation to the next. With globalization, Americans face an ever more urgent task of helping people escape this cycle. Globalization has no need for the uneducated and unskilled labor that has been the basis of American manufacturing. For every unskilled American worker there are hundreds in the developing world willing to do the same job at a fraction of the pay. The poor in the US stand ready to conceivably be some of globalizations biggest losers. The US, the most wealthy country in the world that prides itself on the rags to riches story of people rising up to reach the top, has failed to take the steps needed to close achievement gaps and give the poor the opportunities to better themselves that we as a nation misguidedly pride ourselves on so doing. Globalization will likely decrease economic mobility in the US unless the US begins to better educate the nations youth. The US would be wise to take advantage of something else globalization provides insight into other cultures and the opportunity to learn from other nations in shaping its policies on education and efforts to improve mobility.