The Haqqani Network: Terrorists or Insurgents

The definition of terrorism is broad and open to interpretation. Hoffman, in his book Inside Terrorism, suggests that terrorism is â€Å"the deliberate creation and exploitation of fear through violence or the threat of violence in the pursuit of political change. † Schwartz, Dunkel, et al, define terrorism in their Studies in Conflict & Terrorism article entitled Terrorism: An Identity Theory Perspective, as â€Å"the deliberate targeting of civilian sites for attacks designed to result in destruction of those sites and/or the injury and death of noncombatant civilians. Together, these two perspectives coupled with identity theory and will serve as the basis for an evaluation of the Haqqani network and their interrelationships and interactions with known terrorist groups such as the Taliban and al-Qa’ida as well as with Pakistan’s military and government intelligence agencies.The Haqqani Network: Who Are They and Why do We Care? The Haqqani network is an Af ghan and Pakistani group of fighters that operates primarily in southeastern Afghanistan as a semi-autonomous component of the Taliban with close ties to Pakistan’s Army and intelligence agencies (Rassler et al. July 14, 2011, p. -2). The Haqqani network’s leadership structure is hierarchical in nature with members of the patriarch’s family filling top leadership roles (Rassler et al. July 14, 2011, p. 7). This familial structure is an important cultural identity marker â€Å"that can serve to promote terrorist activities. † Furthermore, Schwartz, Dunkel, et al address the family as it relates to upholding honor and â€Å"avenging wrongs done to the family. † This is interesting because even those who sympathize and support terrorism, but don’t actually participate in it, often share the same level of social identity based upon their group affiliations.This tends to show how the Haqqani network is able to exert its influence over their colle ague groups without actually having to be in control of them. It appears to be a symbiotic relationship where the Haqqani network clearly benefits from bi-directional credibility of association with the Taliban and al-Qa’ida. Rassler et al support this claim when they discuss the relationship between senior Haqqani network leaders and their close operational relationships with the Taliban and al-Qa’ida, revealing that there is often no distinction.This shared identity-based connection legitimizes the Haqqani network with the segment of the Afghan society that believes in radical Islam and jihad. This was evidenced when the Haqqani network helped â€Å"sustain al-Qa’ida’s relevance and branding as the leader of the global jihadist movement. † All in all, it appears the Haqqani network just wants their proverbial place at the table so to speak. Clearly, it must be working, as current assessments put the strength of the group close to 15,000 fighters. The Haqqani Network: Duplicity at WorkAmerican intelligence and military officials claim the Haqqani network is a â€Å"proxy force used by the Pakistani intelligence service [Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence {ISI} agency] to carry out grisly, high-profile attacks. † The question here is whether this is a relationship of convenience or an alliance due to shared identity. The secret relationship with ISI coupled with links to al-Qa’ida and the Taliban clearly shows the need to solicit support (e. g. , material, financial, spiritual, etc. ) and ultimately rally the masses behind them.Furthermore, â€Å"for decades, [the Haqqani network has been] a mentor to Arab, Uzbek, Chechen, Turkish, and Pakistani jihadists. † These associations speak to the core of shared identity and the interactions among the groups, as according to Schwartz, Dunkel, et al social and cultural identity is formed when members come together based upon common beliefs shared across the group, and individual identity represents personally chosen goals, values, and beliefs coupled with their perspectives of the world around them.The study of terrorism necessitates (according to Schwartz, Dunkel, et al) that we not only understand the effects of identity, but also the interactions among these levels. In addition, we need to look at the importance of the wider community as Schwartz, Dunkel, et al put it, â€Å"Without local, and sometimes international support, those engaged in terrorist attacks would find it substantially more difficult, if not impossible, to conduct their activities. † Working with the Taliban, al-Qa’ida, and Pakistan’s ISI is a duplicitous role that provides â€Å"credibility within, and across, multiple dimensions of jihad† (Rassler et al.July 14, 2011, p. 5) establishing the shared identity necessary to imbue respect and connectivity as part of an influential group dynamic. Why is all this important? The Haqqani ne twork’s credibility in the region, especially with the tribal groups of Afghanistan, helps extend the Taliban’s reach and because the Haqqani network is effective militarily, they act as a force multiplier for the Taliban. This puts the Haqqani network in a regional leadership position, and Schwartz, Dunkel, et al suggest that this leadership role would be considered admirable providing further social capital.The Haqqani Network: Terrorist Threat or Insurgency? So with such a significant fighting force that is radicalized, is the Haqqani network a terrorist organization pitted against Western ideology, or is it simply an insurgency focused on eradicating outsiders who have forced their way into the Afghani homeland? According to the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism of the Department of State as of September 15, 2011, the Haqqani network is not listed as a foreign terrorist organization. Despite this, according to the Jamestown Foundation Terrorism Monitor , â€Å"The U.S. military has long been frustrated by deadly operations carried out against its troops in Afghanistan by Haqqani Network forces. † They quote U. S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta as saying, â€Å"We cannot have the Haqqanis coming across the border attacking our forces and [Afghans] and disappearing back into a safe haven [in Pakistan]. † In between the rhetoric, the real reason they aren’t on the terrorist list is because there is a belief that, â€Å"such a move would scuttle any chances that the group might make peace with Afghanistan’s government. To make our decision, it is essential that we not lose sight of the need to fairly evaluate this group from the point of view of that group and not from the â€Å"Westernized† framework we can easily apply to it. Brannan, Esler, and Strindberg, point out that, â€Å"Scholars’ insistence that ‘terrorists’ are somehow ‘not like us’ but, instead, abnorma l—insane, power hungry, or a combination of both—is a classic exercise in out-group stereotyping†¦which undermines the analytical utility of the interpretations in use. Applying this to the Haqqani network and to prevent us from being constrained by our (Western) cultural boundaries, it is incumbent upon us to look at the Haqqani network from their vantage point. The clearest and most-recent message came in September of 2011 when Sirajuddin Haqqani (the son of the group’s patriarch, Jalaluddin Haqqani) told The Telegraph in the United Kingdom via a telephone interview, â€Å"There are sincere people in the Afghan government who are loyal to the Taliban as they know our goal is the liberation of our homeland from the clutches of occupying forces. With this, their actions, and their relationships, it is apparent that the Haqqani network is interested more in the local issues and having local influence than it is in trying to wage a global jihad against the W est. A such, their lack of inclusion from the list of terrorist organizations is still valid. Bibliography Brannan, David W. , Esler, Philip F. , and Strindberg, N. T. Anders. 2001. â€Å"Talking to â€Å"Terrorists†: Towards an Independent Analytical Framework for the Study of Violent Substate Activism. † Studies In Conflict & Terrorism 24, no. 1: 3-24. Goodspeed, Peter. National Post, â€Å"About the Haqqani network. Last modified September 30, 2011. Accessed November 24, 2011. http://news. nationalpost. com/2011/09/30/about-the-haqqani-network Griffin, Emory. A First Look at Communication Theory. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, 1997. Hoffman, Bruce. Inside Terrorism. New York: Columbia University Press, 2006. Mazzetti, Mark, Scott Shane, and Alissa Rubin. New York Times, â€Å"Brutal Haqqani Crime Clan Bedevils U. S. in Afghanistan. † Last modified September 24, 2011. Accessed November 23, 2011. http://www. nytimes. com/2011/09/25/world/asia/brutal- haqqani-clan-bedevils-united-states-in-afghanistan. html? pagewanted=all.Rassler, Don, and Vahid Brown. The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, â€Å"The Haqqani Nexus and the Evolution of al-Qa'ida. † Last modified July 14, 2011. Accessed November 11, 2011. www. ctc. usma. edu. Shahzad, Faizul. â€Å"Taliban Reject American Perceptions of the Haqqani-ISI Relationship. † Terrorism Monitor. 9. no. 37 (2011): 1-2. http://www. jamestown. org/uploads/media/TM_009_Issue37. pdf (accessed November 10, 2011). Schwartz, S. J. , Dunkel, C. S. , & Waterman, A. S. (2009). Terrorism: An Identity Theory Perspective. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 32(6), 540. Websites Referenced http://www. cfr. org http://www. tc. usma. edu http://www. dawn. com http://www. foreignaffairs. com http://www. jamestown. org http://news. nationalpost. com http://www. nytimes. com/ http://www. state. gov http://www. telegraph. co. uk http://www. thedailybeast. com http://tribune. com. pk h ttp://www. understandingwar. org/themenode/haqqani-network ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Hoffman, B. (2006). Inside Terrorism (2nd ed. ). New York, NY: Columbia University Press. p. 40. [ 2 ]. Schwartz, S. J. , Dunkel, C. S. , & Waterman, A. S. (2009). Terrorism: An Identity Theory Perspective. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 32(6), 537-559. 3 ]. Ibid (p. 540)—Identity theory for our purposes will cover cultural identity, social identity, and personal identity. [ 4 ]. Rassler, Don, and Vahid Brown. The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, â€Å"The Haqqani Nexus and the Evolution of al-Qa'ida. † Last modified July 14, 2011. Accessed November 12, 2011, www. ctc. usma. edu. [ 5 ]. The Haqqani network’s patriarch and leader is Jalaluddin Haqqani, although it is reported that he may be in ill health, and his son, Sirajuddin Haqqani, is running the day-to-day opera tions. http://www. cfr. org/afghanistan/institute-study-war-haqqani-network/p26126 [ 6 ].Schwartz, S. J. , Dunkel, C. S. , & Waterman, A. S. (2009). Terrorism: An Identity Theory Perspective. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 32(6), 542. [ 7 ]. Ibid. [ 8 ]. Ibid (p. 548) [ 9 ]. Much like the traditional phrase, â€Å"guilt by association,† I suggest there could be credibility by association. It is concept that is often discussed in marketing whereby a person, product, or company gains credibility by associating itself with a larger more recognized person, product, or company (e. g. , a computer with the â€Å"Intel Inside† sticker on it). [ 10 ]. Rassler, Don, and Vahid Brown.The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, â€Å"The Haqqani Nexus and the Evolution of al-Qa'ida. † Last modified July 14, 2011. Accessed November 12, 2011, www. ctc. usma. edu. (p. 40) [ 11 ]. Ibid (p. 43). [ 12 ]. http://tribune. com. pk/story/259314/sirajuddin-haqqani-dares-us-to-atta ck-n-waziristan/ [ 13 ]. Mazzetti, Mark, Scott Shane, and Alissa Rubin. New York Times, â€Å"Brutal Haqqani Crime Clan Bedevils U. S. in Afghanistan. † Last modified September 24, 2011. Accessed November 23, 2011. http://www. nytimes. com/2011/09/25/world/asia/brutal-haqqani-clan-bedevils-united-states-in-afghanistan. html? pagewanted=all. [ 14 ].Hoffman, B. (2006). Inside Terrorism (2nd ed. ). New York, NY: Columbia University Press. p. 199. [ 15 ]. Goodspeed, Peter. National Post, â€Å"About the Haqqani network. † Last modified September 30, 2011. Accessed November 24, 2011. http://news. nationalpost. com/2011/09/30/about-the-haqqani-network [ 16 ]. Schwartz, S. J. , Dunkel, C. S. , & Waterman, A. S. (2009). Terrorism: An Identity Theory Perspective. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 32(6), 540. [ 17 ]. Ibid. [ 18 ]. Ibid (p. 548) [ 19 ]. Rassler, Don, and Vahid Brown. The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, â€Å"The Haqqani Nexus and the Evolution of al-Qa' ida. Last modified July 14, 2011. Accessed November 12, 2011, www. ctc. usma. edu. (p. 13) [ 20 ]. Schwartz, S. J. , Dunkel, C. S. , & Waterman, A. S. (2009). Terrorism: An Identity Theory Perspective. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 32(6), 550. [ 21 ]. The current list of Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations contains 49 entries, but the Haqqani Network is not one of them. http://www. state. gov/s/ct/rls/other/des/123085. htm [ 22 ]. Faizul Shahzad, â€Å"Taliban Reject American Perceptions of the Haqqani-ISI Relationship,† Terrorism Monitor, 9, no. 37 (2011): 1-2, http://www. jamestown. org/uploads/media/TM_009_Issue37. pdf (accessed November

Character Development of Female Protagonists Essay

In both stories they featured a female protagonist undergoing major character developments and mentality change from first sentence to last. They experienced complex, life-altering events and made crucial decisions resolving said events. I believe, although both stories showed the characters undertaking change, they didn’t portray the outcome as positive change. The conflict of Lamb to the Slaughter is when Mary’s husband revealed he wanted a divorce. â€Å"Her first instinct was to reject it all, not believe anything.†(Dahl, 153) She had a drastic mentality change: she murdered him and created an alibi of coming home finding her husband dead. This was due to her feeling betrayed by her husband leaving her when she was pregnant. The conflict of The Necklace is when Mathilde gets invited to a high-class party however she had no dress to wear. â€Å"No†¦there’s nothing more humiliating than looking poor in the middle of a lot of rich women.† (Maupassant )This drove her to borrow a valuable necklace but ends up losing it and having to pay for a replacement. Mathilde and her husband fell into debt and became more penniless than before simply because she desired her fantasy of opulence. It’s evident in both stories, the development in the main protagonist. Mary started as a loving, faithful housewife and became a deceitful, strong killer. Mathilde started as a well-off but unsatisfied woman and became impoverished but content. It’s shown at the end that the women aren’t in greater situations than before the conflicts occurred. Works Cited Bibliography: (Dahl, R. Lamb to the Slaughter, New York: Harper’s Magazine, 1953) (Maupassant, G. The Necklace, Paris: Le Gaulois, 1887)

Marketing Plan for Crown Plaza Hotels & Resorts Essay

Competition among hotel and hospitality business has increased enormously as customers are getting more educated and fashionable. They’ve been demanding more luxurious services and products which urge organisations to focus on better marketing and strategic planning. Hotels and firms now believe that personal and strong relationships with potential customers is key to competitive advantage in today’s competitive business environment. The idea of developing and upholding the relationship between customers and organisations through comprehensive marketing plans took a while. Before, organisations were more vigilant to improve their line of products and services only. Strategic Marketing planning was introduced by theorists and policy makers when they identified the need and scope of long-term relationship with individual customers and it greatly influenced the market. â€Å"How internal and external factors are essential for hotel and hospitality business and how they possibly can affect the business in positive or negative way†? To answer these questions, this research study will mainly focus on some key factors of hospitality business and they will be discussed at length in order to establish a more explicable analysis (Steven Pike, 2008). Table of contents Executive Summary2 Introduction3 Critical Evaluation and Major Findings3 Conclusion3 Recommendations3 References3 Introduction Crown Plaza Hotels & Resorts is prestigious brand of InterContinental Hotel Groups chain which operates in more than 100 countries all over the world. Crown Plaza shares its mission statement that â€Å"To create great hotels guests love† and has earned great competitive advantage over its competitors in Hotel and Hospitality business. Undoubtedly, some hotel of such prestige and luxury cannot afford to disappoint its base of customers and will keenly observe those parameters and strategies which help keep the customers revisiting the hotel. The essential need for marketing planning can be perceived though this idea and therefore this research study will incorporate the concept of strategic marketing for Crown Plaza hotel. For this, I will meticulously study the existing practices of marketing planning in Crown Plaza Hotel and carefully observe all parameters so that this study can help other hotels and the organisation itself in future (Abdullah and Zahir, 2009). To maintain competitive advantage and keep organisation out from critical business situations, Crown Plaza needs efficacious marketing plans to evaluate and determine potential risks and threats, thus devising strategies for flourishing development. The comprehensive marketing plan would facilitate Crown Plaza hotel to determine its current position among its competitors, its strengths, its weaknesses, opportunities and threats associated. The determination of weaknesses and subsequent planning to neutralize, even turning them into strengths will help organisation to meet its corporate mission (Mumel and Snoj, 2007). As hotel and Hospitality business is full of opportunities and promising business environments, Crown Plaza hotel can earn great benefits from such opportunities. And last but not least, threats and risks associated with hotel industry which can seriously damage the reputation of Crown Plaza hotel it gained through the span of time. All these circumstances provoke the need of an integrated, well-structured and analytical approach. SWOT analysis is one of the acute solutions available for critical evaluation of market needs (Anja Bà ¶hm, 2008). Broad information is required from Hotel, its competitors, its business environment and overall market to acquire a resourceful market analysis. Obviously it will require performing environmental and competitor’s analyses as well to add comprehensiveness to the study. SWOT analysis is one such tool that can easily compact and present the process of analysis by critically evaluating internal and external factors associated with Crown Plaza hotel. It will, therefore, provide combination of all results that will help Crown Plaza hotel to observe its resources and capacities against competitive and business environment in which it operates. It will also help hotel to develop generic strategies basing upon careful observation of various factors associated with it and their critical analysis. SWOT analysis is an integrated instrument which comprises key organisational and environmental attributes. Potential strategic plan development is among key objectives of SWOT analysis which examines strengths and weaknesses within the organisation (internal factors) and threats and opportunities that come along the way (external factors). The main objective of this study is to provide an essential added value to Crown Plaza’s strategic development while delivering an analysis gadget to hotel’s management to process its internal and external factors. In this regard, SWORT analysis in close vicinity of micro and macro analysis tools will serve the purpose. This assignment is furthermore aimed at analyzing valuable approaches and practices to discuss explicit issues associated with Crown plaza hotel in specific, and hotel and hospitality business in general including employee loyalty, increased sales, customer satisfaction etc (BNET Staff, 2007). Critical Evaluation and Major Findings To convey SWOT-driven analysis and marketing plan for Crown Plaza hotel, it is essential to acquire information regarding its potentials, its competitors, environment and other associated factors. The potential analysis of Crown Plaza hotel can be identified independently by analysing current market situation. This analysis could serve as valuation method for organisation to develop new range of products and services. The potential market analysis will help the Crown Plaza hotel to use its investment assets effectively. It needs to invest a handsome amount of money and resources into customer relationship management so those potential customers become loyal to brand and products. There are seven skills which can be employed by crown plaza to build a strong and long-lasting relationship with its customer base and they are; targeting, preparation, assessing, committing, connecting, solving, and last but not least managing. To â€Å"keep† customers, it is essential for hotel industry to keep track of all these eight factors which will ensure a definite success. (Keller, 2008) As far as competitors analysis is concerned, the Crown Plaza hotel has many rivals in the market thus it will require hotel’s management to keep an eye on various marketing strategies developed by its competitors and how they implemented them successfully. For example, CLASS was among successful strategic plans implemented by Ritz Carlton Hotel, principally aimed at providing the loyal customers with three basic amenities, Recognition, Personalisation and Status. These three services were core factors in success story of the Ritz. As concept of developing strategic marketing plans is directly related with customer satisfaction, the management of Crown Plaza hotel should provide a great line of products and services to satisfy its royal customers. They cannot afford to let customers suffer poor quality products and services. It won’t only be a threat to business but â€Å"culture† of the Crown Plaza hotel. For sustainable income and reputation of the hotel, the role of strategic building process is never dying and there is always a need to identify key factors upon which customer satisfaction is dependent (Saunders et al, 2009). In this regard, Recognition builds huge levels of loyalty among customers as they think of their association with one of world’s greatest hotels whenever they enter into it with a strong belief in their hearts that they are recognised. And surely they will be treated as important guests and will be provided with superior services and facilities. Personalisation is basically another giant step towards customer retention which should be aimed at providing more customized services to the customers. Services not only provided but designed according to taste of customers which they find amusing and satisfactory. A customer goes happily and is more willing to revisit if he knows that this one particular service or one particular staff members can satisfy his appetite. Lastly, the status earned by the Crown Plaza must be shared and celebrated by its loyal customers. They should not only feel the prestige whenever they step into Crown Plaza but pride themselves to be a part of it. Status is in fact the most important factor of luxury segment of world’s greatest hotels (Ferrel and Hartline, 2008) Based on SWOT analysis of internal and external environment and business factors associated with Crown Plaza including assessment of internal factors through 7S framework and 5Ms, and external factors through PESTEL analysis, following results were carried out; Internal FactorsStrengthsAspirational Hotel’s Locations all over the world, Luxury environment, PrioityClubRewards, confirmed suite upgrades, online reservations, organized hotels chain, mini bar etc. WeaknessesGlobally acknowledged strategic plan, not enough hotels as compared to associated brands, less valuable travel packages, costly packages etc. External FactorsOpportunitiesPeak tourist seasons, long-term potential growth of hotel industry, unique experience of plaza hotel in heritage hotels. ThreatsEconomic conditions, changing trends, increased competitive environment etc. All these factors can be addressed with help of a comprehensive marketing plan which is equally applicable to scattered chains of Crown Plaza hotel all over the world. Nevertheless, The Crown Plaza hotel has substantially earned a position in global hotel industry by focusing on the better relationship with customers. The policies including customized services, reward points, gift certificates, privacy concerns etc. have helped the management to retain increased amounts of profits to the organisation. These policies were formulated to engage the customers in the future and assured of their revisit (Ezinemark, 2012). Conclusion This Study not only determined those key factors but challenges that can affect Crown Plaza’s business in future. Hotel industry in 21st century cannot survive without taking care of certain parameters and in hotel industry customer satisfaction is key parameter. If you cannot satisfy your customers, your competitors will. No organisation Crown Plaza hotel has substantially earned a position in global hotel industry by focusing on the better relationship with customers. The policies including customized services, reward points, gift certificates, privacy concerns etc. have helped the management to retain increased amounts of profits to the organisation. These policies were formulated to engage the customers in the future and assured of their revisit (Smithers, 2009). Apart from luxurious services and products, that one thing Plaza customers admire most is privacy given to them. Crown Plaza has successfully managed to provide its customers with VIP suites and rooms which they find private and relaxing. More big suites were announced by management with highlighted â€Å"privacy†. This one step could actually retain maximum number of Ritz customers in the future. There are number of factors which can be contributed as weaknesses of Crown Plaza hotel. Nevertheless, these factors are generally associated with hotel industry all over the world and certain demographic and economic conditions are responsible. Crown Plaza hotel have potential to overcome such weaknesses, thus it can be accounted as powerful strength for Crown Plaza hotel in the future (Paul and Richter, 2007). Recommendations Hotel and hospitality industry contributes heavily to world’s economics and business and most basic element of this industry is its loyal customers. Any organisation failing to achieve customer retention cannot and will not survive in today’s market for sure. To serve this purpose, organisations invest unhesitatingly in strategic planning practices which ensure greatest customer satisfaction. This research study will also prove helpful contribution to hotel and hospitality industry, especially its luxury segment. The Luxury segment was picked by the researcher as its rich in culture, standards and demands higher levels of customer satisfaction. Nevertheless it will require higher level of efforts and resources to formulate research study of its kind. References Abdullah and Zahir, 2009. â€Å"Evaluation of Strategic Information Systems Planning (SISP) Techniques: Driver Perspective, European and Mediterranean Conference on Information Systems. Anja Bà ¶hm, 2008, the SWOT analysis BNET Staff. (2007). The CBS Interactive Business Network. [online] Available at: [Accessed 29th November 2012] Ezinemark, 2010. â€Å"InterContinental Hotels Group PLC – SWOT Analysis – Market Research Report On Aarkstore Enterprise† [online] Available at: [Accessed 29th November 2012] Ferrel, O. C., & Hartline, M. D. (2008). Marketing Strategy (4 ed.). South-Western. Keller, K (2008) Strategic Brand Management, 3rd Ed, New Jersey: Pearson education Inc Mumel, D. & Snoj, B. (2007). â€Å"The analysis of questionnaires for hotel guests satisfaction – comparison between Croatia and Slovenia†. 4th International Conference Global Challenges for Competitiveness: Business and Government Perspective Nadine Pahl, Anne Richter, (2007) SWOT Analysis – Idea, Methodology and A Practical Approach. GRIN Verlag. Saunders et al (2009) Research methods for business students, 5th ed. Essex: Pearson education Limited. Smithers, R (2009) Marks and Spencer launches UK’s greenest till roll, [Online] Available from < http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/apr/15/marks-and-spencer-sustainble-till- >[Accessed on 12 May 2011]. Steven pike, (2008) Destination Marketing: an Integrated Market ing Communication Approach, Elsevier Inc

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Germany economy - Essay Example In 1948, the Soviets withdrew from the four-power governing bodies and initiated the Berlin blockade, which lasted 11 months. On May 23, 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) was established on the territory of the Western Occupied zones and declared full sovereignty on May 5, 1955. On October 7, 1949, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) was established in the Soviet zone with East Berlin as its capital. From that time on, the two largest states were known as "West Germany" and "East Germany," Berlin was divided into East Berlin and West Berlin, with West Berlin completely surrounded by East German territory. As a western capitalist country, West Germany enjoyed prolonged economic growth, while East Germany soon became the richest, most advanced country in the Soviet bloc. Even so, many of East Germany's citizens looked to the West for political freedoms and economic prosperity. In 1989 the Berlin wall was removed, and German reunification finally took place on October 3, 1990 , when the GDR was incorporated into the FRG (History 2007). Its per capita income of more than $28,700 makes Germany a broadly middle class society (Background 2007). In the western part of the country, Germany's standard of living is among the highest in the world, with powerful incentives to save offered by the state. Earning power for both workers and employers assures income to meet cost of living. There is no exaggerated difference between compensation for blue-collar workers and white-collar employees. In 1990, the absorption of the eastern German population and economy into western Germany had only a marginal effect on western living standards. On the other hand, East Germany, with its lower earning power suddenly had to pay West German prices, and the wholesale shutdown of former state factories and enterprises caused vast unemployment in industrial cities (Germany: Standards of Living 2007). Third quarter growth for Germany in 2007 was at its strongest for the year, boosted by higher spending on company machinery and construction. The prediction, however, for the fourth quarter and into 2008 is for slower growth due to high oil prices and a strong euro. But the latest preliminary gross domestic product (GDP) figures suggest Germany is on track for annual growth of about 2.5 percent, which would be one of the best performances in the past 15 years. The euro's rise against the dollar increases expenses for exporters while high energy costs are impinging on company profits (Germany Grows 2007). More attention should be paid to domestic product than to capital gains. Poverty With welfare reforms scheduled to be implemented in 2005, social organizations were warned of a dramatic increase in the number of poor people in Germany (Corbett 2004). Corbett stated that according to an association of German charities, the number of poor people in Germany were expected to increase from 2.8 million to 4.5 million-almost double. The average income in 2004 was roughly 2,200 ($2,700) a month but by counting the number of people living on the lowest level of social welfare assistance, the charitable organizations note that after the reform HartzIV, these people would have a monthly

See below Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

See below - Essay Example Jurisdiction over the subject. For the ECJ to have jurisdiction over a case, such a case must be concerned with a subject over whom the ECJ has jurisdiction. There are only three subjects over which ECJ has jurisdiction namely: the interpretation of any of the provisions of the European Union Treaty; when the question calls for the interpretation or validity of the acts of any of the EU commissions or the European Union Bank (EUB), and lastly; the interpretation of statutes or laws passed by a body which has been established by the Council, but only if the statute or law so provides that it shall be subject to ECJ’s interpretation (Lazowski 2007). Fulfillment of jurisdictional requirements by the referring body. There are three things which the referring body must meet or possess before the ECJ accepts any referral from it under Art. 234 and these are the following: the body referring the question to the ECJ must necessarily be a â€Å"court or tribunal of a member state†; the question being referred to is concerned with the validity and interpretation of the Community law, and; the resolution of the question being referred to the ECJ is necessary so the court of origin can render its decision (Lazowski 2007). The determination of whether a body is a court or tribunal is a very important factor because it is one of the basic qualifications and requirement in reference under Art 234. The terms â€Å"court or tribunal’ has no fixed definition under any statutory law but only in case laws where the ECJ itself has defined it through a number of cases. In the case of Abrahamsson C-407/98, the ECJ held: â€Å" In order to determine whether a body making a reference is a court or tribunal for the purposes of Article 1777 (now Art 234) of the Treaty, which is a question governed by the Community law alone, the Court takes account of a number of factors, such as whether the body is established by law, whether it is

Women in Films in 1930s Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 2

Women in Films in 1930s - Research Paper Example All in all, women played a greater role in shaping the film industry in the early years. This is because being professionals and consumers in the field, both behind and in front of the camera, women drastically affected the American film development. Thus, the purpose of this research paper is to document how Hollywood production displayed women in the film. Under the topic, the following themes will be discussed. These are such as the representation of women in films in the early 1930s, role of women in films, portrayal of women in films in 1930s and finally, the criticism of women role in films in the 1930s. The Hollywood cinematograph often objectified women for men pleasure. As such, most of the films followed the patriarchal ideology. Hollywood representation of women was viewed as the most transgressive in the years between 1929 and 1933. Whereby, the working women were perceived as â€Å"hardboiled† as a result of their expertise in the Depression-era city. In addition to that, they were likely to choose a career and independence over marriage. In the mid 1930’s, the career women wanted both romance and a career. On the contrary, in 1939, the Hollywood women desired love more than a career and those who chose otherwise faced punishment or were derided. The cinema always portrayed the world as men dominated. In that case, the only way for women to deal with the Hollywood patriarchal system was to fight for equality. According to Mulvey (1989, p.56), the female characters in the Hollywood were represented with â€Å"to-be-looked at† and not to be heard. As such, men viewed them in two dimensions in this era. For instance, they were viewed as fetishist and whores. In that case, they were categorized into two distinct groups.

Nursing Organizational Presentation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nursing Organizational Presentation - Essay Example ities that the organization goes by and are in a way related to the amount of loyalty, commitment and productivity that the nurses will give into the organization. As a result, when the values of the organization do not match the values of the nurses, they have do device a way to cope with these differences. Usually, low job satisfaction and rates of high attrition lead to the lack of an opportunity to express values of nurses in their practice and also lead to conflict with organizational constraints. They can then react in various ways to these differences. The first reaction can be through acceptance of the different values of the organization and succumbing to them even if they do not agree with them. They may also reject the notions or values that they disagree with. The third can be innovation on the differing (Diamond, Stickley, Johnston, Stacey, 2010). Depending on the way the nurses react to these values, the patient outcome can be positive or negative. If they are pleased with the way the events turned out, then they can do their best when relating and treating their patients leading to high quality services. On the other hand, if th ey have differing values with those of the organization and are dissatisfied with the management, then the nurses may not appropriately handle the patients and some of them may end up complaining about the attention and treatment that they are getting (Crook, McNeese-Smith 2003). Despite the variation between the values of the organization and the values of the nurses, it is wise to come up with a means of overcoming the workplace challenges and coming up with amicable solutions. This can be done through the use of effective communication through the right channels about what the nurses would like and trying to find a way to deal with it. Some of the effective communication techniques may involve embracing the aspects of the organization’s values that are positive and agreeable with those of the nurses before posing the

Research Sources Essay Example for Free

Research Sources Essay In reference to our text book, primary sources of secondary research include audio, video, or written transcripts of original research speeches in entirety, and raw data that has not been interpreted. Primary sources serve as the best sources as they have not been diluted with thoughts or interpretations of another source. Laws, court documents, census, human resource records, are primary sources. Primary sources are most trustworthy and valuable sources of data. Secondary sources are the interpretation of the primary sources listed above. Secondary sources come in the form of newspaper articles, textbooks, and the news reports that we are able to watch daily. Secondary sources are filtered primary sources and the second most valuable source of information. Examples of tertiary sources are represented by what we use today on the internet such as Google and Bing. Tertiary sources of secondary research are the least valuable resource. The problems of secondary data quality that researchers must face concern the data’s integrity. The effective researcher would want to evaluate their information sources such as the internet. The important aspects of such an evaluation are; the source’s purpose, the researcher wants to uncover its agenda and whether or not the purpose is affected by biases; the scope, in which the researcher determines the inclusion of details such as the depth of the criteria, how updated it is and whether or not the information provided is biased; authority, which lets the researcher know the level of data and credentials of the source or author; the audience, which explains the background of those whom the information is intended for; and the format, which explains how the information is arranged, and whether or not it was presented in a helpful and easy to locate design for the researcher to obtain. Qualitative research differs from quantitative research in that quantitative research dealt with the precise measurements of the subject, whereas qualitative research goes deeper into exp laining or focusing on the why and how situations happen the way they do. Some examples of the qualitative research include focus groups, individual interviews, and observations. Qualitative research focuses on the feelings, emotions, perceptions, and motivations of situations. Quantitative research on the other hand measures opinions, behaviors, and knowledge. In this week’s reading, it was confirmed that some managers prefer quantitative data, because it is less likely subjected to human biases and errors. Quantitative research is used greatly for testing theories, while qualitative research is used primarily for the development of new products, managing benefits, and performance management functions such as boosting productivity. The book describes qualitative research as being based on the aspect of phenomenon in a situation, versus the quantitative or mathematical aspect. Data from qualitative research differs from data from quantitative research, because quantitative data is solely rooted in the aspect of probability; and qualitative data deals with the methodologies, which incite better and deeper understanding. Qualitative data explains how and why things are happening, and does not sample the probable. Qualitative data comes from sources such as anthropology, psychology, sociology, communications, economics, linguistics, and semiotics. Qualitative data comes from focus groups and sometimes interviews. The Gallup workplace survey is considered qualitative researched data. In my o rganization, we have to develop focus groups to develop ways to give our organization superior scores, so we have to develop ways to make the employees â€Å"feel good† about where they work. The survey asks questions that have to do with the way people feel. Like, someone encourages their development at work, they have a best friend at work, and if they trust their employer. Being a manufacturer of small kitchen electronics such as Hamilton Beach or Proctor Silex, and I want to determine if some innovative designs with unusual shapes and colors developed for the European market would work for the U.S. market, the qualitative research I would most likely recommend is sampling. More specifically, I would choose purposive and convenience sampling. This way, we would have access to new and willing consumers, with a fresh mind to the organizations creative new products. Interviewing individual people or focus groups do not seem promising when there is the introduction of a new product to consider, because many people are less likely to express their creativity in using unconventional products with others. However if offered the ability to sample a new product, people are more likely to try it before they buy it, most people can be talked out of buying a new product

Law Essays Capital Punishment

Law Essays Capital Punishment Does capital punishment have a deterrent effect on crime? Analyse this question with reference to either the UK or USA. Introduction Nowadays, in most of the Western world, capital punishment is considered an unacceptable, barbaric sentence that cannot be morally or philosophically justified. In the UK, it has been abolished since 1969, while Protocol six of the European Convention on Human Rights obliged the forty six member states of the Council of Europe to scribe off the death sentence from their penal codes. However, a number of US states retain the sentence with few politicians and theorists claiming that it has a strong deterrent effect. The purpose of this essay is to critically reflect upon this argument. Is capital punishment a worthwhile deterrent? The punishment theory of deterrence – which belongs to the utilitarian philosophy – is composed of two elements. The first is called specific/individual deterrence and is directed towards convicted offenders. In broad terms it aims to discourage them for their transgressions and thereby convincing them that crime does not pay. The second is called general deterrence and is directed towards potential offenders. It seeks to persuade them by the threat of anticipated punishment from engaging in unlawful conduct by illustrating the unsavoury consequences of offending. Therefore, by definition, capital punishment cannot fulfil the first element of deterrence since after its passing, the convicted offender dies. As for the second element of passing a lesson to the rest of the society, the views are mixed; although there is evidence to suggest that the impact of capital sentence is not as great as it would justify it. For example, according to Katz et al, the so far studies on capital punishment produce erratic and contradictory results, while most of them find that there is no deterrent effect. In fact, Shepherd’s 2004 study showed that executions are as likely to increase homicides in states following execution as there are states where there seems to be a reduction. In addition, a number of research experts have heavily criticised the so far positive studies on capital punishment for being methodologically unviable. For instance, Maltz recent evaluation showed that most of US studies ignored large amounts of missing data, relying only on two sources: the Bureau of Justice Statistics of the US Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.   Even more importantly, studies that directly examine the reactions of individuals to punishment threats constituently show the limits of the assumptions of rationality that underlie deterrence. In fact, according to the Annual Statistical Report of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, most offenders who are convicted to a capital sentence have cognitive impairments. This makes it even more unlikely that they are actually aware of executions. On the other hand, states without capital punishment such as New York enjoy declining homicide rates. The Uniform Crime Reports showed that over the last decade there was a 65.5% decrease in homicide rates. Similarly, Dugan et al showed that since the early 1970s intimate or domestic homicides have been declining at a steady pace regardless of fluctuations in the number of executions. Finally, according to the forthcoming study by Professor Berk, nearly all of the presumed deterrent effects of capital punishment are confined in one state – Texas – and only for a handful of years when there were more than 5 executions. Overall, the study proved that eliminating Texas eliminates any hint of deterrence from the relationship between execution and crime. Moving beyond the statistics However, it is not just the negative statistics that make capital punishment increasingly unfamiliar. Carter showed that offenders who are convicted to capital punishment usually come from poor backgrounds introducing an element of class discrimination in the sentencing system. Similarly, Keil and Vito’s study reported that blacks who kill whites seem to have the greater odds of receiving the death penalty than whites who kill blacks†. To conclude, the last two year research data show that capital punishment has hardly any deterrence effect, while a number of other side issues such as discrimination and selectivity reinforce the argument against its use. Berk, Richard. 2005 forthcoming. New Claims about executions and General Deterrence: D ej a vu all over again? Journal of Empirical Legal Studies. Carter, Robert. 1965. The Johny Cain Story: A Composite of Men Executed in California. Issues in Criminology 1:66. Dugan, Laura, Daniel Nagin, and Richard Rosenfeld. 1999. Explaining the Decline in Intimate Partner Homicide: The effects of Changing Domesticity, Womens Status and Domestic Violence Resources. Homicide Studies 3:187. Katz, Lawrence, Steven Levitt, and Ellen Shustorovich. 2003. Prison Conditions, Capital Punishment and Deterrence. American Law and Economics Review 5:318. Keil, Thomas and Gennaro Vito. 1989. Race, Homicide Severity and the Application of the Death Penalty. Criminology 27:511. Maltz, Michael. 2004. The Effect of NIBRS Reporting on Item Missing Data in Murder Cases. Homicide Studies 8:193. Parisi, Francisco and Vermon Smith. 2005. Introduction in the Law and Economics of Irrational Behaviour: In press. Shepherd, Joanna. 2004. Deterrence versus Brutalization: Capital Punishments Differering Impacts Among States. Working Paper, Emory University Law School.

Camila And Traditional Argentine Patriarchal Culture Film Studies Essay

Camila And Traditional Argentine Patriarchal Culture Film Studies Essay Camila (Bemberg, 1984) is primarily an assault on traditional Argentine patriarchal culture rather than an allegory of the military dictatorship of 1976-1983. Do you agree with this assessment of Bembergs film? In my personal opinion, the statement that Maria Luisa Bembergs 1984 film Camila is mainly an assault on traditional Argentine patriarchal culture, rather than an allegory of the states military dictatorship, is not correct. Actually, this film truly is an attack against the patriarchal family values that dominated the states society during the 19th Century but along with that, it is a reflection of the tyrannical government that ruled the land of silver from 1976 to 1983. This allegory is not easy to find and to the common viewer, this statement will look as undoubtedly true. Nevertheless, if the spectator looks at the historical factors that contributed to the films creation, as well as with the plot, i.e. how it breaks out, they will find lots of relationships between the patriarchal views of the father of the main character in the 19th century and the principles of Jorge Rafael Vidala, the person responsible for establishing military dictatorship in Argentina in 1976. Camilas fat her is a dictator at home just like Vidala, as then-president of Argentina, rules the state society with iron fists. On the other hand, Camilas rebellion against her father can easily be linked to the civil war in Argentina that started as a revolt against the authoritarian regime that ruled the state through force and fear until it was abolished. The reason why director Maria Luisa Bemberg chose to use allegory instead of direct reflection is quite conspicuous. The film was released in 1984 but it obviously took her a few years to complete and disseminate her piece of art nation- and respectfully worldwide. The authorities could have charged Bemberg for breaking the state censorship regarding media and cinema. As a result, the director and her crew could have been arrested and deported to camps or in the least severe case, they could be banned from working in the film and media industry. To begin with, as I implied in the introduction of this essay, Argentina is a country with history in which events happened in parallel in the late nineteenth century under the rule of Juan Manuel de Rosas and during the military dictatorship alike. For instance, during the authoritarian regime in the mid-1970s and the early 1980s, women were isolated from society and treated like second class citizens just like they were oppressed under the grip of the 19th Century patriarchal society. Inequality of genders and the opposition to it by certain people was one of the key traits of these two particular historical periods. Knowing that well, Maria Luisa Bemberg gains advantage of the conditions under which women lived in the 19th Century Argentina to allegorically reflect the characteristics of the authoritarian government in the late 20th Century. This is how the film Camila (1984) came to existence. In the book South American Cinema: A Critical Filmography, editor and critic, Timothy B ernard assesses Bembergs movie as possibly inspired by one of her earlier works, a motion picture called Seà ±ora de nadie (1982). The movie tells the story of a young woman who leaves her family, in order to achieve happiness, sexual and emotional alike. Because of this film, director Bemberg has had numerous disputes with the government due to the presence of the issue of homosexuality which is shown in the womans friendship with a gay man. In Camila, the protagonist Camila OGorman also seeks happiness wanting to get rid of the patriarchal oppression of her father and her fiancà ©, a wealthy man named Ignacio whom she loves not. In addition, she challenges the ideas of the 19th Century Argentine society under the iron grip of President Juan Manuel de Rosas. In my opinion, there is a great portion of truth in Bernards assessment. The woman in Seà ±ora de nadie shares many similarities with Camila OGorman. They both want the same thing. Those wishes are simply shown in diverse as pects. The wife of nobody has a friendship with a homosexual guy, something which was unacceptable in the 19th century Argentine culture and during the 1970s military dictatorship as well. In contrast, Camila falls in love and tries to escape with a priest, a deed which was then considered equally sinful from religious and from social point of view. Nevertheless, despite the many similarities between the two characters, in Camila, there is one thing that makes the protagonist different from the main personality in Seà ±ora de nadie. A clear illustration of this statement is the scene where during a family meal, Camila openly criticizes de Rosas ways of governing a state, something which is unacceptable in her fathers eyes due to the inequality of men and women in favor of the strong gender. His reaction is obvious rage engendered by the fact that his daughter who, he thinks, is meant to be obedient to his will, dares talking about politics. Through his prism, such behaviour is not considered for someone who is thought of by society as a second class citizen. During the 20th Century military junta from 1976 to 1983, anyone, especially a woman, who is open-minded enough to castigate the regime, will be viewed as a criminal, an enemy of the state and certainly jailed or possibly executed. This is also another parallel between events in the history of Argentina which proves that Camila is not an assault on traditional culture rather than allegory of the 1976-1983 authoritarian government. It is an equal portion of both an attack on patriarchal and military oppression, respectively during the 19th and 20th Centuries. Furthermore, the fact that the film was released in 1984, less than a year after the fall of the authoritarian regime, says a lot about its hidden characteristics. In the above mentioned critical essay regarding Bembergs work, the author Timothy Bernard annotates Camila OGormans desire and endeavor to gain identity and break the chains of the patriarchal traditions under which she was brought up. In the context of the film which is based on a real historical event, this assessment is true. Correspondingly, from 1976 to 1983, many Argentineans were also struggling to get rid of the grip of the authorities, be it by escaping the country or by secretly and illegally forming groups that were plotting to remove the ruling regimentation from power. Another famous film critic also talks about historical parallelism with reference to the context of Bembergs motion picture and a hundred and fifty years later. This is what David William Foster says in his book Contemporary Argentine Cinema, Ch apter 1, entitled Camila: Beauty and Bestiality: A film like Maria Luisa Bembergs Camila (1984) is an interesting example of sustained narrative overdeterminations and at the same time, it introduces significant punctuative ruptures for the purpose of encouraging a revised reading of the evoked historical text. In this quote, I assume that the key words are revised reading. What does Foster mean by saying revised reading though? In the presence of historical equivalence, the response will come out quickly. To do a revised reading means not just to literally interpret Camila and its 19th Century background. Paying attention to the actual world circumstances is a must for us as film analysts, if we are to fortify our understanding of what Bemberg really wants to tell the spectator. To supplement, David Fosters elucidations also focus on that if a texts meaning can be deciphered too easily, the text receives a manipulative complexion and forces the understanding in the mind of the view er that this text can only be close read or expounded in one single way. As an illustration serves the statement that the film Camila is rather an assault on Argentine patriarchal values rather than allegoric reflection of the oppressive government that ruled the country in the late 20th Century. In my opinion, this definition of the movie sort of forcefully attempts to coerce the film examiner to interpret it only as a challenger of events that occurred hundred and fifty years ago. In modern film criticism and in film criticism as a form of proofreading, there is no place for one-sidedness. If Bemberg had wanted only to remind the viewer of a juncture that came into being a whole century and a half ago, she would have probably started making the movie some couple of years after the end of the military tyranny. Provided the films shooting began during the last years of the authoritarian militaristic regime, one could assume that the famous film director wanted to achieve something m ore than just a recreation of a past occurrence. As David Foster clarifies, Rosas rule is based on violence, terror and abyss of human rights, specifically violence against women. In parallel, a century and a half later, Jorge Vidala and his successor were brutally dealing with any political opponents, real or imaginary alike. The Dirty War from the 1970s and the early 1980s, as Foster states are happenings that, in spite of having emerged in different periods, can be given identical attributes such as bloody oppression, tortures, executions etc. This annotation of the renowned film critic can as well serve as a justification of the statement that it is not correct to interpret Camila only as an attack on the patriarchal family doctrine typical for the 1800s Argentina. As a result, the analogue between the background of Camila and the situation in the land of silver in the 1970s and the early 1980s is well visible. Taking advantage of this parallelism, Maria Luisa Bemberg uses one p ast event to reflect another and meanwhile, she manages to avoid arrest, jail, beating or possibly even a death penalty. Finally, my assumption that Camila (Bemberg, 1984) is equally a rejection of the Argentine patriarchal society and an allegory of the military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983 cannot be fully argumented without a comparison between Maria Luisa Bembergs film and another motion picture that is directly reflecting the hard life of prisoners during Vidalas junta. One such film is Israel Adrian Caetanos 2006 historical drama called Cronica de una fuga (Chronicle of an Escape). It is about four men who are fortunate enough to escape a prison camp after being tortured for some definite period of time. When looking at Caetanos film and Bembergs masterpiece, one can see lots of similarities between the main characters of both films. To illustrate, both Camila OGorman and the four men want freedom, even though this freedom desire is shown in different aspects. Camila wants to escape her pro-Rosas fathers clutches and seek her happiness the way she wants. She finds herself in love with a Catholic priest with whom she tries to flee and live a happy love life. In Cronica de una fuga, our heroes, Claudio, Guillermo, Vasco and Gallego want to get rid of the constraints that life in military jail has put them through. As a result, one can infer that the motif of escaping is present in both these jewels of Argentine cinema. Specifically about Chronicle of an Escape, director Caetano annotates in an interview for Netscape Cinematical at the Movies at the Toronto Film Festival, that the traces of a dictatorship that ended almost thirty years ago are still visible today. Obviously, Caetano wants to remind the viewers of a historical period that cannot be forgotten easily. He adds that some people see violence, torture, political oppression, fear of force as the only way to build a just society which conspicuously is not true through his prism. It is therefore evident for us as common film critics to conclude that through Cronica de una fuga, Caetano aims to also show his point of vi ew that violence and oppression only make things worse in a certain society instead of improving its condition. Analogically, in Maria Luisa Bembergs film Camila, her father firmly believes in the preservation of the 19th Century patriarchal order. He shares the same point of view as Dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas. From the final scene of Camila and Ladislaos execution, his vision becomes clear. For him, there is nothing more important than keeping his aristocratic and male-controlled family order and this should be achieved by all means, even if his own child is to be shot. Moreover, Camila is pregnant at the time of her death. According to Rosas constitution, it is against the law to kill a pregnant woman, even if she is a political opponent or has committed a very heavy crime. Consequently, in Camila OGormans case, her pro-Rosas father is even ready to break the law only because his sort of holy mission is to preserve the aristocratic honor of his family. In correlation, during Vi dalas rule in 1976 until its overthrow, nothing was more essential than the preservation of the order which he established. This means the regime was supposed to survive at all cost, be it through deportations of political opponents, or with the means of torture, imprisonment and even capital punishment. Along with that, the book Magical Reels by John King supplements my understanding of both the incorrect interpretation of Bembergs photoplay primarily as rejection of traditional family praxis. Apparently, John King also sees this film as a fifty-fifty. He looks at it as a film in which the spectator can perceive the contrast between the traditional patriarchal and the utopic family. In other words, this is a clash between old and new, conservativism and progressivism. Camila OGorman and her lover, Ladislao belong to a new world, new way of thinking that has broken the chains of old-fashioned conservative conventions of the 19th Century Argentine society. In equivalence, people who were victims of Vidalas authoritarianism, along with those who were lucky enough to get away from its grasp, view militaristic monocracy as immature form of governing a country with ruptured economy and values. For instance, as it is in Chronicle of an Escape, knowing that they alone are not strong enough to end the reigning tyranny, the four prisoners come up with the idea of undertaking another risky move escaping the jail and leave Argentina as soon as possible. They are fully aware of the fact that on their way to searching freedom, they could be shot or possibly caught and jailed under even more severe conditions but at the same time, they cognize that this is their only chance to run away from hell. It is now or never. And as the spectators know, the captives goal of escaping gets accomplished in the end and they go respectively to Spain, France, Italy and other parts of the free world. In the same way, in Camila, Ladislao and his lover realize that only if they run away, can they achieve the romantic happiness they both have been longing for, since they fell in love. And if this jewel of Argentine film industry had been made and respectively released, a decade after the dictatorships end, I assume, it would possibly have been not about the Camila OGorman, who opposed her fathers conservative concepts of a womans role in the family. Instead, M. L. Bemberg would have possibly been more direct in her view and would make her female character a fighter for womens right of being noticed with good by society in circumstances of a tyrannical misogynist government that obliged women to cover their hair and treated them as second class citizens. All this explains exactly why it is not correct to look at Maria Luisa Bembergs film Camila with the above mentioned one-sidedness as follows from the title. To summarize, with her motion picture, Bemberg not only shows her feminist point of view by rejecting the 19th Century culture of her native land. Through her protagonist, Camila OGorman, who is based on a real 1800s personality with the same name, the renowned film director metaphorically reflects and opposes the harsh reality and the difficult life during maybe the hardest and bloodiest period in the history of Argentina. This was a period of political repression, executions, prosecutions and even a civil war that fortunately ended with the overthrow of Jorge Vidalas regime. Nevertheless, during its reign, over thirty thousand people disappeared. Disappear can mean anything either fortunate enough to escape, or murdered, or put in a top secret state jail, etc. Correlatively, in Camila, the oppressed victim of patriarchal order attempts to escape but is executed. Therefore Argentina during the 1800s was a state of oppression and tyranny as well. This parallelism ultimately disprove s the false statement that Bembergs work is predominantly challenging the 19th Century Argentine society. WORDS: 3000 (Without footnotes, bibliography/filmography and title) Bibliography Bernard, Timothy, South American Cinema: A Critical Filmography (1996, University of Texas Press, Austin, TX, USA) Caetano, Israel Adrian, Interview about Chronicle of an Escape, Host: James Rocchi, video by Alexia Prichard Netscape and Cinematical at the Movies, 2006, Toronto Film Festival, online at: http://blog.moviefone.com/2006/09/11/tiff-video-interview-chronicle-of-an-escape-director-israel-adr/ in Moviefone.com, created and owned by AOL Inc.  © (2011) Foster, David William, Contemporary Argentine Cinema (1992, Columbia: University of Missouri Press, Missouri, USA) King, John, Magical Reels, (1990, Verso, London/New York, UK/USA)

Societial Changes in the Middle East in 600 B.C.E. :: Politics, world history, Mesopotamia

From the time of the Agricultural revolution till 600 B.C.E, many changes were being made in society. New tools and weapons were developed, new types of writing, and new art forms were all being discovered and altered. But one societal element that is crucial to everyone is politics. The politics of a society effect the citizens day to day lives, and set boundries for all people. Between the time of the Agricultural Revolution and 600 B.C.E, the Middle East experienced political changes such as; the dimensions of government, and the land that was conquered and controlled. The one thing during this time that did remain unchanged, for the most part, were the political leaders of the time period. In Mesopotamia priests were held to a high standard and had a lot of political and economical involvement. As the city-states in Mesopotamia advanced so did the interaction with different empires. Also as the involvement grew so did the civilians quality of life, even for the slaves. Eventually Mesopotamia split up into a north and south region. The region split up due to political and economic reasons. The North was ruled by the Assyria and the south was ruled by Hammurabi. The heightened economic time continued, but it was short lived after the conflict in Anatolia in 1200 B.C.E. the Mesopotamia economy collapsed and they then had a time of poverty and struggle. Assyrian rule lasted from 911 to 612 B.C.E in the northern Mesopotamia region. It is considered by most historians as the first empire. The expansion of Assyrian took place along major trade routes which gave them a stable economy. As the expansion continued policies were put in place to support and benefit the upper classes of society. Later the empire began to diminish because of the hatred it received from its conquered people, and the empires population became less and less loyal to its rulers. During 2000 B.C.E the Israelites populates an area located at cross roads of trade routes. Their petite population inhabited a diminutive territory that was deprived of natural resources, but they were nestled at a cross road of trade routes which was very beneficial for their economy.

The Injustice of Female Genital Mutilation :: essays research papers fc

The horror of female genital mutilation is a global issue, and it is also one surprising foreign to Americans although an estimated ten thousand girls in the United States are currently at risk of this operation (Sarkis par. 1). This is a cultural practice that is both unethical and incredibly detrimental to its victims besides obviously being in direct violation of basic human rights. In order to attain a broader view of this issue the following will be examined: basic information about this practice, organizations fighting it, current news pertaining to it, recent academic articles evaluating it, and the question of how it can be stopped. FGM has recently been receiving growing media attention due to the controversy surrounding it, but the newfound attention is also in hopes that widespread awareness will bring about change. Female genital mutilation, or FGM when abbreviated, is also known as female circumcision, but this practice is far more drastic than male circumcision and is actually more comparable to a surgery in males where the entire penis is removed (Sarkis par. 4). FGM is classified into three different categories based on the extent of the procedure, but it usually entails the removal or the clitoris and/or the adjacent labia. The third degree of FGM is so severe that the female must be cut open to engage in sexual intercourse from that point on (Sarkis par. 5). This surgery is commonly performed in unsanitary conditions with unclean sharp tools like razor blades, kitchen knives, scissors, and pieces of glass (Sarkis par. 6). Female children usually undergo this procedure at three years of age (Sarkis par. 10). Sarkis also states, â€Å"Besides the obvious initial pains of the operations, FGM has long-term physiological, sexual, and psychological effects† (par. 7). It is done for a number of reasons ranging from the prevention of marital infidelity to using it as a cultural rite of passage, but more numerous than the reasons behind it are the countries that partake in it. FGM is most common in Middle Eastern countries and throughout Africa (Sarkis par. 2). FGM is by no means a one-dimensional problem or something that can be recovered from. It is, most significantly, a life-altering procedure. One of the major groups fighting FGM is The Female Genital Mutilation Education and Networking Project. It focuses primarily on the â€Å"knowledge is power† aspect, meaning that it concentrates more on educating the population of FGM in an effort to bring reform instead of direct actions.

Maneka gandhi Essay

The main issues before the court in this case were as follows; -whether right to go abroad is a part of right to personal liberty nder Article 21 . Whether the Passport Act prescribes a ‘procedure’ as required by Article 21 before depriving a person from the right guaranteed under the said Article. -Whether section 10(3) (c) of the Passport Act is violative of Article 14, 19(1) (a) and 21 of the constitution. -Whether the impugned order of the regional passport officer is in contravention of the principles of natural Justice. The Supreme Court in this case reiterated the proposition that the fundamental rights under the constitution of India are not mutually exclusive but are interrelated. According to Justice K. lyer, ‘a fundamental right is not an island in itself. The expression â€Å"personal liberty’ in Article 21 was interpreted broadly to engulf a variety of rights within itself. The court further observed that the fundamental rights should be interpreted in such a manner so as to expand its reach and ambit rather than to concentrate its meaning and content by Judicial construction. Article 21 provides that no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except in accordance with procedure established by law but that does not mean that a mere semblance of procedure rovided by law will satisfy the Article , the procedure should be Just , fair and reasonable. The principles of natural Justice are implicit in Article 21 and hence the statutory law must not condemn anyone unheard. A reasonable opportunity of defense or hearing should be given to the person before affecting him, and in the absence of which the law will be an arbitrary one. One of the significant interpretation in this case is the discovery of inter connections between Article 14, 19 and 21 . Thus a law which prescribes a procedure for depriving a person of â€Å"personal as o ul II t t tl the requirements otA 14 and 19 also. Moreover the ‘procedure established by law’ as required under Article 21 must satisfy the test of reasonableness in order to conform with Article 14. Justice Krishna lyer in this case observed that, â€Å"the spirit of man is at the root of Article 21†, â€Å"personal liberty makes for the worth of the human person† and â€Å"travel makes liberty worthwhile†. The court finally held that the right to travel and go outside the country is included in the right to personal liberty guaranteed under Article 21 . Section 10(3) (c) of the Passport Act is not violative of Article 21 as it is implied in the provision that the principles of natural justice would be applicable in the exercise of the power of impounding a passport . The defect of the order was removed and the order was passed in accordance with procedure established by law. The hon’ble Supreme Court in this case laid down a number of other propositions which made the right to life’ or ‘personal liberty more meaningful. Maneka Gandhi case has a great significance in the development of Constitutional law of India.

Introduction to Management Essay

1. Introduction This report will discuss about company background, country background, SWOT analysis, Pest analysis, Porter’s analysis and give recommendations. At this report the brand chosen is Louis Vuitton. Louis Vuitton Mattenier also known as Louis Vuitton and shorten to LV. The Louis Vuitton label was founded by Vuitton in 1854 on Rue Nueve Des Capucines in Paris, France. As well as the headquarters its self which located in Paris. Louis Vuitton is French house fashion design at that time which becoming one of the world’s valuable brand with 40% profitable (Constant, 2012). 2. Company Background Louis Vuitton is one of the most valuable’s brand in its category which is Luxury in goods. Its products includes of leather goods, handbags, trunks, shoes, watches, jewelry and accessories. Most of people adorned with the LV monogram which designed by well known designer and easily noticeable with simple live style as the idea. Louis Vuitton with a brand Value of $28.4 Billions in USD with a sales of $9.4 Billions (Reuters, 2013). 3. Country Background Louis Vuitton headquarters is located in Paris, they had open many outlets all around the world and Singapore have 3 big outlets and the latest which located in Marina Bay Sands that open unique â€Å"island† store that will â€Å"float† on the water. Singapore it’s a developed country which also attract tourist from other countries to come to visit as a traveler as well as shopper. The three outlets can be found in Takashimaya, ION and Marina Bay sands. 4. SWOT Analysis Swot analysis are the shorten words of Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. SWOT analysis are mainly used for a company to build their outlets/factory in overseas to extend their products and profits. 4.1 Strength Brand Value ( the brand is one of the oldest fashion houses with more than 150 years) Easily recognizable (the logo and monogram)  The brand has it own outlets in most of the large shopping center. Well known Designer Custom Tailored available for elite customers 4.2 Weakness The Shops only available in exclusive stores making it difficult for developing countries The most expensive price compare to other competitors Rarely to give discounts to customers 4.3 Opportunities The company needs to make new current fashion trends Large market for luxury goods Celebrity attractions Synergy between brands/merger 4.4 Threats Financial crisis Competitors Increased market for counterfeit products Resources are decreasing 5. PEST analysis 5.1 Political and legal The anti-counterfeiting trade agreement (ACTA) aims to establish and international legal framework for targeting counterfeit goods. Where as in Singapore has become one of the biggest shopping country in Asia, furthermore Singapore is a Bureaucratic country and extremely centralized, with 17% corporate tax, less tax regimes; investors are not subject to  capital gains tax, dividend tax, and foreign exchange controls (Mehamer, 2013). On august 9 1965 Singapore became and independent nation and consistently increased their economy, by maintaining their productivity with a stable government and has severe laws in place and due to strict governance and associated fines less corruption, efficient and transparent government. Singapore has ranked the 1st in the global enabling trade index and 18 FTA with trading partners in their trade policy. 5.2 Economic Singapore itself have a strong economy statistics. It was recorded and the data shown as interest rate:0.2%, Growth rate; 6.90%, Jobless Rate 2.10% and GDP per Capita $37,293 (Mehamer, 2013). This massive record shows that Singapore have strong basis economy in their government. Louis Vuitton with a sales of 7.2 billions in 2012 were involved in Singapore Trade to GDP ratio of 270.8%, and high dependency on global market trends and fluctuations in macro economy. 5.3 Socio-Cultural Singapore citizen with excellent education and healthcare (Sirikan C, 2013). Literacy rate of 92.5% and a multitasking language where they lived as a multinational country that supports every citizens to speak 2 languages, as their mother tongue is Mandarin or English. A significant percentage of non-residents who lived in Singapore with a Gini coefficient index of 48.1 shows that Singaporean can easily adapt with foreign where the employee of the company can interact with customers behavior and promote their products relay on their cultures behavior and difference. 5.4 Technological In the last tens of years ago, technology in Singapore has a massive evolved of their needs. The growth of technology helps Louis Vuitton to communicate with their headquarters, due the change of currency, products release, transactions and supports more efficient. Furthermore it give a huge impact for both companies and countries to safe their times to manage their needs. Whereas Singapore had become a developed country the change of technology to renew their materials use its not problem for them to follow the world trade  business. 6. Porter’s Analysis Porter’s Five Forces Analysis 6.1 Threat of New Entrants LOW; Competitor : GUCCI, Yves Saint-Lauren, Channel, Bally. Jewelry; Montblanc, Bulgari, Cartier, Officine Panerai. Even though LVMH have a strong many competitors Luxury goods, LVMH offer a strong and unique in their products such as; high quality products, well service for every customers and brand value. Furthermore, LVMH has no worries with their competitors they have a loyal customers who always bought the products and advertise to their friends, longstanding commitment to quality and Investment required would be extremely large for those who do businesses. Besides that for a new goods brands wont give an impact to LVMH (Dang, 2013). 6.2 Bargaining Power’s of Suppliers LOW; For a big company LVMH have a Suppliers and subcontractors are required to comply with strict environmental guidelines. Where LVMH needs lots of materials they will have many offers which the company produce the materials with the lowest deals and highest quality needs (Dang, 2013). 6.3 Bargaining Powers of Customers LOW; With branded name and value customers had become the most loyal of companies buyers, from the experience that they ever had, has build the trust and set their mind become a loyal buyer. Fashion is a trend with a strong name LVMH has put their products into the top levels and Louis Vuitton products are never on sale. 6.4 Threats of Substitute Products LOW; High profile luxury goods LVMH brands have high quality products differentiations and believe. 6.5 Rivalry Among Competitors Moderate; In every company will always have their own competitors in this case LVMH are working in Luxury industries in a big scale to have an competitors will always be a positive things to brought new ideas and trends, in fact competitors do not sell exactly same products and different brand value (Dang, 2013). 7. Recommendations To make LV more appealing to the consumers, some products of the brand can be made available only in small quantities, by limiting its production of certain products from time to time, or producing special edition of the same handbag in different markets. LV product could become even more premium, Create products for collection of limited editions, expend the trend by increasing the popularity by adverstiment. Open their outlets store only in high end malls all around the world. To become more premium in their products LVMH may consider to concentrating its business model to production of leather goods only becoming specialist in their interest. 8. Conclusions Louis Vuitton is one of the leading fashion trends industries in the world which has significant every year. Louis Vuitton will always have their loyal customers where they bought their new products, with a strong brand value LVMH has no worries with their competitors. On the other hand due the change of time they have to consider with their resources that year by years will decreased their materials. Louis Vuitton shall put more concern on their weakness in both internal and external put them in the higher level of luxury goods market. They may consider to merge with other company in different products offer to increase and fasten their sales. Working in Luxury markets sales is stable jobs and it wasn’t easy but they have to stable their sales and increase the value to become a premium brand Reference List Constant, J. (2012, 11 02). lvmh. Retrieved 01 14, 2014, from Louis Vuitton: http://www.lvmh.com/investor-relations/lvmh-at-a-glance/executive-committee/ Reuters, T. (2013, 11 02). World’s Most Valueable Brands. Retrieved 01 14, 2014, from Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/companies/louis-vuitton/ Mehamer, C. (2013, 09 13). http://prezi.com/bin1bd1_2zt1/pest-analysis. Retrieved 01 29, 2014, from http://prezi.com/bin1bd1_2zt1/pest-analysis Sirikan C, r. (2013, 07 28). A Cultural & Economic Analysis of Singapore for making Market Entry Decisions. Retrieved 01 29, 2014, from Slide Share: http://www.slideshare.net/SrikiranCRai1/a-cultural-economic-analysis-of-singapore-for-making-market-entry-decisions Dang, A. W. (2013, 01 23). Louis Vuttion Moet Hennessy Presentation. Retrieved 01 29, 2014, from SlideShare: http://www.slideshare.net/mraldang/louis-vuttion-moet-henness

Omaha Beach Invasion

Early morning hours on June 6, 1944, paratroopers from the British 1st Airborne Division silently dropped and drifted towards the Pegasus Bridge, one of the few bridges that led over the Seine towards Normandy. Moments later, they stormed the bridge with heavy casualties. The Allied invasion of Hitler's â€Å"Fortress Europe† has just begun (Dube, 2005).On those hours, lantern-equipped pathfinders dropped all over the Cotentin Peninsula. Alone and unaided, they were dropped to mark the way for the thousands of men coming in behind them.At dawn, the sea invasion began as an Allied Armada disgorged thousands of troops at five beaches along France's Normandy coast. Allied forces stormed the shores and battled the German defenses in a fight that would go down as the â€Å"Longest Day† in history.The beach’s terrain proved to be an important factor in the assault (Lewis 2000). Its crescent form is bounded at either end by rocky cliffs and its tidal area is gently slop ing. At the western end the shingle bank rested against a stone, which fades further into wood, resembles a sea wall which ranged from 4 feet to12 feet in height. Precipitous bluffs then raised high up to 170 feet, dominating the whole beach and cut into by small wooded valleys.The Germans, earlier anticipating for an attack in the beachheads, constructed three lines of obstacles in the water. This consisted of Belgian Gates with mines lashed to the uprights, logs driven into the sand pointing seaward and hedgehogs installed 130 yards from the shoreline. The area between the shingle bank and the bluffs was both wired and mined with the latter also scattered on the bluff slopes (Gerrard, Bujeiro and Zaloga, 2003).Their troops were concentrated mostly around the entrances to the draws and protected by minefields and wire (Dube, 2005). Each bunker was interconnected by trenches and tunnels. Machine guns, light artillery pieces and anti-tank guns completed the disposition of artillery t argeting the beach. No area of the beach was left uncovered, and the disposition of weapons meant that flanking fire could be brought to bear anywhere along the beach.The Allied forces’ plan of attack includes dividing the Omaha beach into ten sectors. The assault landings were to start at 06:30, which was coined as the â€Å"H-Hour†. Before that, the beach defenses will be bombarded by naval and aerial support forces. The objective was for the beach defenses to be cleared two hours after assault. By the end of the day the forces at Omaha were to have established a bridgehead five miles deep into the enemy territory. To execute this plan the Omaha assault force totaled 34,000 men and 3,300 vehicles with naval support provided by 2 battleships, 3 cruisers, 12 destroyers and 105 other ships (Vat and Eisenhower, 2003).However, during the initial attack, nothing went according to plan (Lewis, 2000). Ten of the landing crafts have gone astray before they reached the beach a nd some were flooded by the rough seas. Some had even sunk. Smoke and mist hinders the navigation of the assault crafts while a heavy current served to push them to the east. The initial bombardment proved to be ineffective. Their mark fell too far inland, thus they hardly touched the coastal defenses. When the landing craft came closer to the shore, the were under increasingly heavy fire from automatic weapons and artilleryWith the failure of the initial assault, a second one started coming ashore about two hours later. Their mission was to bring in reinforcements, support weapons and headquarter elements. Some relief against the mostly unsuppressed enemy fire was gained simply because with more troops landing the concentration of fire was spread more about the many targets available (Dube, 2005). The survivors among the initial forces were not however able to give much covering fire and the landing troops still suffered in places the same high casualty rates as those in the first wave. The failure to clear sufficient paths through the beach obstacles added to the difficulties of the second wave now that the tide was beginning to cover those obstacles. The loss of landing craft as they hit these defenses before they reached the shore began to contribute in the rate of attrition. As in the initial landings, navigation is still difficult and the disturbing miss-landings continued to upset the Allied forces.From the German’s vantage point, at Pointe de la Percee, which is overlooking the entire beach, the assault seemed to have been stopped at the beach. An officer there noted that troops were seeking cover behind obstacles and counted ten tanks burning. However, casualties among their defenders were mounting, chiefly as a result of the allied naval fire. At the same time they were also requesting reinforcement, but their request could not be met because the situation elsewhere in Normandy was becoming more urgent for the defenders (Dube, 2005).As the bat tle progresses, events of the landing were starting to influence the next phase of the battle. The draws, which would serve as the pathway from the beaches to the inner territory, remained strongly concentrated by the defenders. The allies needed to go through these draws to achieve their main target for the day. Also, the issue of leadership began becoming a problem. Miss-landings and blunders in the original plan caused disorganization, and communication between units was compromised (Lewis, 2000).Despite the apparent disadvantage of the Allied forces’ position, continual waves of landings and naval artillery support eventually weakened the German defense.By early afternoon the strong point guarding the draw at Vierville was silenced by the navy, but without enough force on the ground to mop up the remaining defenders the exit could not be opened (Dube, 2005). Traffic was eventually able to use this route by nightfall, and the surviving tanks of the tank battalion spent the night near Vierville. The advance of the initial assault teams cleared away the last remnants of the force defending the draws. When engineers cut a road up the western side of this draw, it became the main route inland off the beaches. With the congestion on the beaches thus relieved, they were re-opened for the landing of vehicles.After the inland infiltration, clashes pushed the grip out barely a mile and a half deep in the enemy area to the east, and the whole beachhead remained under artillery fire. In the evening, the Allies completed the planned landing of infantry, although but losses in equipment were high, because of bad sea conditions. Of the 2,400 tons of supplies scheduled to be landed on D-Day, only 100 tons was actually landed. Casualties were estimated at 3,000 killed, wounded and missing. The heaviest casualties were taken by the infantry tanks and engineers in the first landings. The Germans suffered 1,200 killed, wounded and missing. On the second day, the engine ers constructed the first airfield to be built after D-Day, on the cliff near St. Laurent, and this was used by the Ninth Air Force to support the ground troops as, over the next two days, they accomplished the original D-Day objectives (Lewis, 2000).The complete invasion had not been materialized yet, and the objectives of the D-Day were not achieved. Hundreds of Allied troops are still coming, fighting is ominous, and both sides are unprepared. The D-Day, the â€Å"Longest Day† has ended, but the war on Liberation has just begun.ReferencesAdrian R. Lewis 2000, Omaha Beach: A Flawed Victory, December 3, 2000Alan Dube 2005, A Navy Soldier on Omaha Beach, August 15, 2005Dan van der Vat and John S. D. Eisenhower 2003, D-Day: The Greatest Invasion – A People's History, by November 15, 2003Howard Gerrard, Ramiro Bujeiro, and Steven J. Zaloga 2003, Campaign 100: D-Day 1944 at Omaha Beach, July 23, 2003

Hobbe's notion of political obligation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hobbe's notion of political obligation - Essay Example A proper insight into Hobbes’ concept of political obligation or the moral conduct that every individual must have towards political order has been provided within the scope of this paper. Every man has a moral duty to obey the laws of the land that he is bound by; this is the concept of political obligation. According to Hobbes, individuals came together in the form of a social contract in order to live in a civil society in a sophisticated manner. Hobbes presented this state of nature in the backdrop of the American Civil War in 1651 where life was brutish, poor, nasty, solitary and hellish for every man. Thus, he postulated the theory of a sovereign central power being there to guide everyone and provide them with certain rights and duties at the same time. Political duty has been said to be one of man’s main obligations; something that he is bound to follow and carry out in order to serve the State. Political obligation is thus an obligation or a duty that every cit izen belonging to a State has, to follow the law and live by the rules that have been laid down in the land. Anyone who has an obligation to obey the law thus has a moral duty to discharge, at least when there are no overriding moral considerations that justify disobedience. Obligation may differ from a duty or a sense of morality to be exact in a number of ways, the most simple of the reasons being that obligation is a compulsion or a ‘moral’ right of a man to carry out a duty. For Hobbes, the social contract theory meant that every man would have his own rights and powers and freedom and would not be restricted by others living within the same society. However, he would have to follow the sovereign authority of the state and would be obligated to derive and obey the law from the consent of the governing body. This raises a fundamental question in the minds of most political philosophers, â€Å"Why should we obey the government, and when, if ever, do we have the right not to? â€Å"The rational necessity of renouncing our rights and investing them in an all-powerful sovereign, he concludes that our obligation to obey such a sovereign is absolute, right up to the moment when he actually attempts our destruction.† (Duff, Konstancja) As per the laws of nature, Hobbes stated that if a man desired his own preservation in the eyes of the State then he must act according to the rules that were laid down by the sovereign powers. He writes that the judgement that the sovereign authority passes is maintained as the trump card or the deciding factor for everything that takes place within the State. Thus, following the same concept, political obligation recognises the same and as per this private normative judgements of the people might never be taken into account. Disobedience of the law of the land may only be taken into account when a person’s life is in immediate threat or danger. Political obligation in simple terms only refers to a civic duty that every citizen possesses. Hobbes maintained the fact that it was important to obey the rules and regulations laid down or dictated by anyone trying to maintain political order as a part of political obligation of a person. Such tyranny made people unhappy and uneasy to follow. He was opposed by political philosophers like John Locke for stating his version of political

Bariers to the enterpreneurship in Russia Coursework - 1

Bariers to the enterpreneurship in Russia - Coursework Example Petersburg School of Management’s â€Å"Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Russia 2011† and The World Bank’s â€Å"Doing Business: Profile of the Russian Federation†. By way of analyzing the key contributions of these two works as well as drawing inference on the data therein presented, the author will seek to relate to the reader some of the salient challenges that currently face those interesting in performing business within the Russian Federation. One of the primary concerns that MNCs consider when seeking out a prospective nation to develop their company within is the overall stability of the regime. As such, the Russian Federation itself has presented the West with a fairly stable and nominally democratic regime since the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, even though the regime has experienced smooth transitions of power and regularly scheduled elections, the paperwork associated with many of the forms of business development and start up continue to represent Soviet-era difficulties. Rather than having a clear and well defined process in which would-be investors can rapidly navigate the maze of requirements that are extant, the process has devolved into something of a nightmare in which the Russian Federation languishes near the bottom of the list of nations with respect to receiving a building permit, receiving electrical service to ones building, obtaining credit, and paying taxes. With respect to obtaining a building permit, the first step of any firm that has committed itself to expanding within the Russian Federation or elsewhere, the potential investor is greeted by a situation that requires nearly a year to complete. According to The World Bank’s â€Å"Doing Business: Profile of the Russian Federation†, the Russian Federation ranks 178th out of the 185 countries measured with regards to total ease of receiving a building permit. This process is further complicated by the fact that the permit process itself is exorbitantly high and