Wednesday, October 30, 2019

A Project Management study of Impact of stakeholders on project delays Research Proposal

A Project Management study of Impact of stakeholders on project delays and increase cost in transport sector - Research Proposal Example Project stakeholders are the representatives of the interests achieved at these levels. The author defines a project stakeholder as a group of people or a person who has vested interest in the project’s success as well as the environment in which the project operates. It means that even the environmental protection agencies are stakeholders. The citizens of a country are stakeholders to a construction project of a highway. Stakeholder for this research study will include any persons, group of people or organizations involved in the construction project with some vested interest including the citizens of the international community if found to qualify as stakeholders. Construction projects worldwide are characterised by delays which is always accompanied by time and cost overruns. The project delays have devastating effects on various stakeholders such as on consultants, owners, financiers, and the contractor. These stakeholders are mostly affected in terms of litigation, growt h in adversarial relationship, arbitration, distrust and cash-flow problems. Project delays contribute a lot, through various ways, to the failure of most construction projects. It puts a lot of strain in the management of the projects. In most cases, project progress reports report project delays with no specific reference to the causes (Haseeb, Xinhai-Lu, Bibi, Maloof-ud-Dyian & Rabbani., 2011). It is important to find the causes of project delays in order to develop strategies for eliminating them. This forms part of risk management. Lack of preparedness in managing any risks associated with a project constitutes poor project management. It is therefore important to identify every source of risk and make preparations on how they can be mitigated. Delays in large construction projects have been found to be a major problem. They cost the job owner and the contractor a lot of money. Although some of the causes are universal, construction projects are different and the causes of dela y may vary (Haseeb, Xinhai-Lu, Bibi, Maloof-ud-Dyian & Rabbani., 2011). In the United Kingdom for example, there are various large construction projects going on (Construction News, 2013). A project manager may have assessed similar projects from different regions and countries to find out the risks associated with project delays, the causes of project delays, and how to manage these delays. This is an important step, but as the project continues, different activities, situations and cost changes affect the project. This in turn affects the causes of delay. In the UK for example, workers are a source construction delays. According to Terry (2013), workers take in excess of 130 million days sickness absence every year. 330,000 workers drop out of employment every year. These cost the state and the employer, and have a drastic impact on the society. The government has worked over several years to find out ways to reduce the levels of sickness absence and related costs. It has currentl y published proposals for reform which may change the approach given to sickness absence in the UK. Employers are expected to change their role and be more involved in assisting employees to return to work as soon as possible when they are able to return, and in rehabilitation. These new recommendations are expected to be introduced in the next 12-18 months (Terry, 2013). This project management plan focuses

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Unilever SWOT and PESTLE analysis

Unilever SWOT and PESTLE analysis Company background and mission statement Unilever is a global company that can trace its origins to 1929, when a merger between a Dutch margarine manufacturer and a British soap maker was negotiated (Jones, 2002). Given the distinct sectors in which the two organisations were located, the merger was considered somewhat of a ‘curiosity’ (Jones, 2002, online), but it set the stage for a multinational corporation producing a wide portfolio of goods. Some of the world’s most recognised brands are produced by the company, including Surf, Lipton, Dove, Lynx, Magnum and Hellmann’s. Today, Unilever is one of Europe’s largest companies, and in terms of sales, it is the third-largest consumer goods firm in the world, after Nestle and Procter and Gamble (Thain and Bradley, 2014). The company has been floated twice, and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index and the AEX Index. The stated aim of the company is to â€Å"provide people the world over with products that are good for them and good for others† (Unilever, 2014, online). Strategic Audit A strategic audit comprises a systematic and comprehensive evaluation of a company’s business environment and internal assets. There are two key elements to the audit: the external environment and the internal environment. The external environment identifies issues concerned with customers and competition, and examines the social, economic, technological, environmental political and legal elements impacting the business. A typical tool used at this stage is the PESTLE analysis. The internal analysis focuses on the resources the company possesses, such as the product distribution, product portfolio, sales and profit margins. A typical tool used at this stage is the SWOT analysis, in which the strengths and weaknesses, and the advantages and disadvantages of a company compared to its competitors are listed. Below, these tools are in turn applied to Unilever. The External Environment PESTLE analysis The PESTLE framework below analyses the political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental dynamics of the environment in which Unilever operates. Political Unilever is co-headquartered in London and Amsterdam. Both the Dutch and the British political systems are in a time of flux. The British government currently comprises the first coalition government in the post-war period, with another expected after the General Election in 2015 (Taylor-Gooby and Stoker, 2011), while in the Netherlands, coalitions are standard. Such governmental frameworks have important implications for the conduct of business, for there tend to be policy ebbs and flows over short periods of time. For instance, in the Netherlands, the rate of Value Added Tax (VAT) for businesses has changed three times since 2010 (Wolf, 2014). Both the United Kingdom and the Netherlands are original members of the European Union (EU) which facilitates trade among member states by the harmonisation of certain rules relating to business and the removal of trade barriers. There is some political impetus in both countries, however to leave the EU. For instance, in 2012, the prime minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, threatened to pull the country out of the Eurozone as a means of easing the local Dutch economy (Dutch News, 2014), while in the UK there is a lobby for a referendum on EU membership. Exiting the EU would have massive implications for a co-headquartered business like Unilever. For this reason, Unilever has been vocal about its preference for both countries to remain in the Union (The Guardian, 2014). There is growing political unrest in the Middle East, and while Unilever does not currently operate there, 53 per cent of its business comes from developing markets (Unilever, 2014), and globalisation means that it may not be shielded from the effects of conflict and instability overseas. For example, in 2012, oil prices reached unprecedented levels (Smith, 2014). This is a matter of concern for the company because it directly impacts on transportation costs. Economic Shoppers in Europe are still suffering from the effects of the longest and deepest recession in the post-war period. Data from Eurostat shows that household consumption fell drastically across Europe following the recession, and while there has been some recovery in recent years, household consumption is still not back to its pre-2008 level (Gerstberger and Yaneva, 2013). In addition, unemployment has risen and wages have stagnated in several of the economies in which Unilever supplies consumers. Low household consumption, high unemployment and falling wages bring about drops in consumer demand which adversely affect manufacturers like Unilever. During recessions, households tend to cut back on non-essentials, which might impact some parts of the companys product portfolio. While the West has suffered from the financial crisis, economies in other areas, such as Latin America and China, are booming, providing considerable opportunities for the company. For instance, in 2013, sales of the companys products to emerging markets grew by 8.7 per cent (The Guardian, 2014). Social Life expectancy has been increasing over time in wealthy nations. For instance, in the UK in 1980, life expectancy stood at 70.4 years for men and 79.8 for women. By 2010, it had increased to 79.3 years and 83.6 years, respectively for men and women (Blossfeld, Buchholz, and Kurz, 2011). At the same time, the fertility rate has been falling over time. The increase in life expectancy and a below replacement fertility rate coupled with the ageing of the so-called ‘baby boom’ generation (those born between 1946 and 1965) are accelerating population ageing. The UK government has estimated that the proportion of the population aged 30 and under is set to fall, while the proportion aged 60 and above will increase. By 2034, it is estimated that 23 per cent of the British population will be aged 65, while just 18 per cent will be aged 16 or below (Office for National Statistics, 2009). There are important ramifications of the ageing population for businesses like Unilever. Firstly, there are likely to be changes in the structure of demand in future. Older people have unique needs and desires that will need to be met by Unilever. For instance, there is a greater demand for frozen ‘ready meals’ by older people (Ahlgren, Gustafsson and Hall, 2004) which will directly impact Unilever’s ‘Sara Lee’ brand. Secondly, there may be labour shortages in the future. Expanding businesses like Unilever will need to respond to this by encouraging workers to work longer or recruiting migrant workers (Maestas and Zissimopoulos, 2010) As a direct result of some high profile public campaigns, people are becoming more health and ethically conscious. This has led to an increase in demand for ethically produced and healthy products and heightened concern regarding genetically modified goods. This trend has already had a direct impact on Unilever’s product portfolio, with sales of two of its margarine brands (I Can’t Believe its Not Butter and Flora) seemingly in free-fall (The Guardian, 2014) Technological Increasingly, consumers, particularly younger individuals, utilise social media, retailing websites and mobile forms of communication to connect with retailers, to discuss with members of their social networks their purchasing decisions, and to review past purchases (Sashi, 2012). This means that consumables companies like Unilever need to harness the Internet and mobile technologies in accessing these customers. For instance, a growing number of companies now include social networking websites such as Facebook and micro-blogging sites like Twitter in their promotion mix as a means of engaging their current consumer base and recruiting new customers. At the same time, constant connectivity makes the selling environment for consumer products increasingly competitive. The readiness of product price and promotional information, the ability of shoppers to access online stores quickly and the aggregation of online content and offline information all mean that, in the digital age, firms like Unilever must carefully craft their marketing activity (Sashi, 2012). Legal Unilever has a presence in some 190 countries worldwide which means that it must abide by their national laws. The extent of the company’s multinational activity means that it must devote considerable resources to scanning the legal horizon and ensuring that it responds to changes accordingly. There have been significant legislative changes in the area of people management. For instance, across Europe many countries have enacted anti-discrimination laws which companies like Unilever must adhere to. In the United Kingdom, under the provisions of the Equality Act 2010, businesses are not allowed to discriminate against individuals on the basis of factors such as gender, age, disability, religion and ethnicity in their recruitment, selection, training and promotional practices (Hyman, Klarsfeld, Ng, and Haq, 2012). Legal frameworks have also been put in place as a response to the ageing of the population (Maestas and Zissimopoulos, 2010). For instance, the mandatory age of retirement has been removed in both the UK and the Netherlands, which means that Unilever can no longer compel employees to retire once they reach the age of 65. Large companies also must put adequate pension provisions for workers in place under a new British scheme, which has a direct impact on business costs Environmental There is increasing political impetus to respond to environmental degradation, and the onus is on large manufacturers like Unilever to use fewer resources and produce less waste. In Europe, a major development affecting the company is the establishment of the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), which was set up in 2005 as part of a concerted and collaborative attempt to reduce carbon emissions under the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol. The EU ETS is a system under which polluters emissions are ‘capped’; in order to pollute more, manufacturers must purchase credits from other polluters. Participation in the EU ETS is mandatory for all large factories and plants that produce more than 25 thousand metric tons of carbon dioxide and that use ammonia or petrochemicals (Ellerman, Converey and Perthuis, 2010). The Internal Environment SWOT analysis The second element of a strategic audit is an analysis of the internal mechanisms of the business. This part of the paper uses a SWOT analysis to identify and critically examine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing Unilever Strengths The size of the company is its major strength. Unilever manufactures more than 400 brands which it sells to some 190 countries (Unilever, 2014, the Guardian, 2014). In addition, it employs over 167,000 people and expends 928 million euros on research and development annually (Unilever, 2013). In terms of performance, the company has bucked recent economic trends. In 2013, the company reported profit growth of 9 per cent over the previous year, reporting a net profit of  £4.4 billion. In addition, global sales grew by over 4 per cent that year, with sales to emerging economies growing by 8.7 per cent (the Guardian, 2014). As well as its sheer size, a major source of strength for Unilever is its longevity and brand recognition. The company has been in existence since 1929 and is the world’s oldest multinational enterprise (Thain and Bradley, 2014) Another strength of the company is its geographical spread. Unlike some consumable manufacturers, which are headquartered in just one country and found on just one public index, Unilever has headquarters in two countries, is floated on two indexes and is secondarily floated on the New York Stock Exchange. Another of the company’s strength is its human capital. Human capital is the volume of skills, knowledge, experience and competencies embodied in individuals that staff and run the business. This is important for there is a good deal of empirical research that links high levels of human capital with firm performance (Huselid, Jackson and Schuler, 1997). The company’s chief executive officer, Paul Polman, who held senior positions at both of the companys major competitors, Nestle and Procter and Gamble, has been termed a ‘rainmaker’ that has taken the company from strength to strength (The Telegraph, 2014). On taking the reins in 2009, Polman set out a plan to double the size of the business, to double sales to  £80 billion and to boost efforts at environmentalism and sustainability. Weaknesses Some analysts have argued that the companys broad product portfolio is a source of weakness (the Guardian, 2014). The firm produces goods in four broad product categories – cleaning agents, food, personal care products and beverages. It is argued that such a broad portfolio can prevent the business from focusing its marketing efforts appropriately (Putsis and Bayus, 2001). Thus, in order to consolidate its activities, the company may need to divest some brands or product ranges in the future. Indeed, the company already seems to be taking steps in this regard, selling popular brands Peparami, Slim-Fast, Ragu and Bertolli in 2014 (The Telegraph, 2014). In addition, most of brands produced by the company are multinational brands which may prevent them from being tailored to the needs of local markets. A further weakness of the product line concerns the prices offered to consumers. The prices of Unilever brands are generally higher than those of its competitors (Thain and Bradley, 2014). The company has explained that prices are high to represent the quality of the goods, while analysts have attributed the high prices to the enormous amount the company spends on research and development and its massive marketing budget (Thain and Bradley, 2014). In 2010 alone, Unilever spent 6 billion euros on advertising, and today, the company is one of the world’s largest purchasers of advertising media (The Telegraph, 2011). Threats The company is facing a number of threats, particularly from competitors, the market and consumers. Firstly, while Unilever’s broad product portfolio might be conceived as unusual, it is not unique in this respect. Procter and Gamble and Nestle have very similar business models and product lines (Thain and Bradley, 2014). Indeed, in terms of sales, Unilever is outperformed by both of these competitors. A large proportion of Unilever’s products are premium brands aimed at consumers with relatively high levels of disposable income. This might be considered a threat in the context of the current economic downturn. Increased financial uncertainty might lead households to move away from these brands to own-brand and lower value products, negatively affecting both net sales and sales margins. Food prices have risen substantially worldwide (Headey and Fan, 2008). This represents a significant threat to the company because it must pass the cost of food inflation to customers in order to maintain current profit margins. This might explain why the firm’s CEO is starting to consider refocusing the company strategy on alternative product lines, such as sundries or hard lines (The Guardian, 2014) Although the company has a stated aim to double its sales levels, analysts have noted that the company is still far short of accomplishing that aim. As the Telegraph (2014, online) notes, â€Å"the acquisitions of TRESemmà © shampoo maker Alberto Culver and Radox bath foam have added almost â‚ ¬3bn in turnover†¦However, these deals have hardly moved the needle and Unilever is still sitting on a big pile of cash. With growth slowing in emerging markets where 60pc of the group’s sales are generated, investors may start pushing for Unilever’s leader to be a bit bolder if he is to reach his ambitious â‚ ¬80bn sales goal†. In the context of the recent economic downturn, there have been some demergers and sell-offs in some of the sectors in which Unilever operates. While in some cases this has proven to be an opportunity for the company (for instance, the firm has recently been able to purchase top hair care brand TRESemmà ©), it also poses a threat should any of these product lines fall into the hands of its competitors. For instance, the 2008 purchase of shaving brand Gillette by Procter and Gamble immediately made it the biggest company in men’s personal care (The Telegraph, 2014) An increased social ethic and concern for the environment among consumers should also be considered a threat to the company. In Japan, Thailand and particularly in India, Unilever has attracted heavy criticism for the manufacture of so-called ‘fairness’ products. These are products that are typically aimed at women and used for lightening the skin. While such brands are a major source of income for the company allegedly, one skin lightening agent produced by the company, Fair and Lovely, is used by 80 per cent of the population of Bangladesh (Unilever Bangladesh, 2014) – the company has also come under fire for promoting Westernised standards of beauty. In Thailand, an advert for one of the company’s fairness creams was withdrawn from media outlets after widespread censure because it correlated white skin and high levels of intelligence (The Guardian, 2014). Opportunities Social media offers considerable opportunities to Unilever, particularly given its aim to reduce its advertising expenditure (The Telegraph, 2014). Social media sites are increasingly used by companies to update consumers on new products, to offer discounts and special promotions, and to invite consumers to special events that are either held online or physically (Sashi, 2012). Unilever may be able to capitalise on this trend either through corporate accounts or through brand accounts. There are considerable opportunities to the company through its extensive research and development efforts. Unilever has research facilities in England, Shanghai, Bangalore, New Jersey and Connecticut, which are working continually to develop new product lines and refine existing ones. Through this investment the company is able to regularly introducing new brands or reintroduce redesigned brands to the market. Conclusion Unilever is a unique company. The firm is dual listed, co-headquartered in two of Europe’s wealthiest cities and it offers the market a vast and very broad range of products. This strategic audit has shown that while the company is operating in a turbulent business environment, it is managing to perform well, both in terms of sales and growth. Despite the company’s strengths, there are some external threats posed by market developments, customer attitudes and the actions of its key competitors. The company leadership will need to monitor these aspects if Unilever is to meet its objective to become the largest consumables multinational company in the world. References Ahlgren, M., Gustafsson, I. B., Hall, G. (2004). Attitudes and beliefs directed towards ready-meal consumption. Food Service Technology, 4(4), 159-169. Blossfeld, H. P., Buchholz, S., Kurz, K. (Eds.). (2011). Aging populations, globalization and the labor market: Comparing late working life and retirement in modern societies. Cheltenham, UK/Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar. Dutch News (2014). Opposition MPs call on premier to explain quit the euro claims. Retrieved from http://www.dutchnews.nl/elections/election_news/opposition_mps_call_on_premier.php on 11 October 2014 Ellerman, A. D., Convery, F. J., De Perthuis, C. (2010). Pricing carbon: The European union emissions trading scheme. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Gerstberger, C. and Yaneva, D. (2013). Household consumption expenditure national accounts. Retrieved from http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Household_consumption_expenditure_-_national_accounts on 09 October 2014 The Guardian (2014). EU exit could see Unilever cut investment in UK. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/jan/21/unilever-warning-uk-withdrawal-european-union on 09 October 2014 Headey, D., Fan, S. (2008). Anatomy of a crisis: the causes and consequences of surging food prices. Agricultural Economics, 39(1), 375-391. Huselid, M. A., Jackson, S. E., Schuler, R. S. (1997). Technical and strategic human resources management effectiveness as determinants of firm performance. Academy of Management journal, 40(1), 171-188. Hyman, R., Klarsfeld, A., Ng, E., Haq, R. (2012). Introduction: Social regulation of diversity and equality. European Journal of Industrial Relations, 18(4), 279-292. Jones, G. (2002). Unilever – a case study. Business History Review 32(12). Retrieved from http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/3212.html on 09 October 2014 Maestas, N. Zissimopoulos, J. (2010) How longer work lives ease the crunch of population aging. Journal of Economic Perspectives. 24(1) pp. 139-160. Office for National Statistics, (2009), Health: ‘Life expectancy continues to rise’. Retrieved from http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/58499152/life-expectancy-continues-rise on 09 October 2014 Putsis Jr, W. P., Bayus, B. L. (2001). An empirical analysis of firms’ product line decisions. Journal of Marketing Research, 38(1), 110-118. The Telegraph (2011). Unilever to shake up  £5.1bn global advertising spend. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/media/8954352/Unilever-to-shake-up-5.1bn-global-advertising-spend.html on 09 October 2014 Sashi, C. M. (2012). Customer engagement, buyer-seller relationships, and social media. Management decision, 50(2), pp. 253-272 Smith, D. (2014). The State of the Middle East: An Atlas of Conflict and Resolution. London: Routledge. Taylor-Gooby, P., Stoker, G. (2011). The coalition programme: a new vision for Britain or politics as usual?. The Political Quarterly, 82(1), 4-15. Thain, G, and Bradley, J. (2014). FMCG: The Power of Fast-Moving Consumer Goods. London: Design Publications Unilever (2014). About us. Retrieved from http://www.unilever.co.uk/aboutus/ on 09 October 2014 Unilever Bangladesh (2014). Our brands. Retrieved from http://www.unilever.com.bd/our-brands/detail/Fair-and-Lovely/366071/ on 09 October 2014 Wolf, R. (2014). Dutch Turnover Tax or EU VAT? On the Permeation of EU VAT Rules in the Dutch Turnover Tax Practise. Intertax, 42(8), 525-537.

Friday, October 25, 2019

The U.S. Patriot Act Essay -- essays research papers

The US Patriot Act   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Privacy can be considered one of the most valued rights of a civilized society. The founders of the constitution had this in mind when they developed search and seizure laws to protect the privacy of the citizens from the British soldiers. The invasion of privacy has been a much discussed and debated topic among both politicians and private citizens alike, and the question many are asking is, â€Å"How much freedom do we give up for our sense of security?†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The US Patriot address issues of criminal activities in relation to acts of terror. While its intentions are well meant the controversy lies more in the public perception rather than in what the act itself states. When a person hears the statement, â€Å"law enforcement agencies will have the right to place surveillance, or search anyone’s house on a suspicion alone, they fail to look farther into the words and see that it has to go through a panel of 11 judges who must determine that the need is valid and will serve the purposes designated without overstepping a citizens rights if proven innocent (Bill Summary, 2001).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Title II, Section 206 of the Patriot Act addresses â€Å"roving surveillance,† which allows law enforcement agencies access to the suspects person, and basically states that any communication such as email, phone, etc., my be monitored if subject is suspected or actively affiliated with known terrorist groups or ...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Caribbean Political Philosophy Essay

Western Political Philosophy in the opinion of this essay is a concerted attempt to project and impose on a hapless people a foundation for immediate, continued domination and exploitation, we, therefore as a united Caribbean people, cannot solve our problems with the same thinking that created them. This paper identifies and discusses the central themes (thinking) of Gordon Lewis’ Main Currents in Caribbean Thought, Paget Henrys’ Calibans Reason, Rex Nettlefords’ â€Å"The Battle for Space† and Charles W. Mills’ Blackness Visible. This identification and discussion (generally) is achieved by tracing the evolution of Caribbean Political thought through an examination of race/class, explanations of underdevelopment, perspectives on dependency and the anti colonial movement inter alia. The paper goes on to explain (specifically) the manner in which these works assist in understanding the characteristic features, concerns and content of Caribbean political thought. The final section briefly examines where the Caribbean is at currently by isolating the present set of circumstances engaging the islands. In doing so the paper hopes to make a contribution to the understanding and progress of Caribbean political thought. INTRODUCTION The Caribbean has been described as an area of European colonisation and exploitation through slavery and the plantation system according to Dennis Benn (1987), it has also been described in terms of the product of these conjoined variables, the product of a racial mixture of African, European and Asian referred to as Creole. Nigel Bolland (2004) describes Creole as locally born persons of non-native origin, which, in the Americas, generally means people of either African or European ancestry. This essay goes further and defines this groups’ contribution to this space, diverse in cultural, ethnic and religious inputs, in terms of the new demands to be made on the state from the product of the aforementioned conjoining. Contribution is achieved by way of a clearly articulated political philosophy moderating the competing interest. It is this articulation that is the purview of this essay. To this end an effort will be made to identify and critically discuss the central themes of Gordon Lewis’ â€Å"Main Currents in Caribbean Thought†, Paget Henrys’ â€Å"Caliban’s Reason†, Rex Nettlefords’ â€Å"The Battle for Space† and Charles W. Mills’ â€Å"Blackness Visible†. To achieve the necessary coverage of the issues the essay will proceed as follows: an analysis of the characteristic features, concerns and content of Caribbean political thought. Comparisons will be made to typically distinctive aspects of African and European political philosophy (characteristic features), democracy, representation, institutional arrangement and authority (concerns), equality, social justice, welfare (content). It is by this comparison to the assumed standard that a location of Caribbean political thought could be made and understanding of its existence assessed. Finally the understanding sought will be put to use in locating the Caribbean in this global milieu. It is hoped that a contribution however small will contribute to the ongoing development of Caribbean Political Thought. CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES The assumption that philosophy is held as a European monopoly is grounded in an intellectual tradition whose history consists of the evolution of men’s thoughts about political problems over time according to Sabine and Thorson (1973). Thankfully, there is balance to the discussion accorded by nuanced analysis describing the aforementioned assertion as a false assumption given that these phenomena as known to the Greek were but artefacts of thought George Belle (1996). The question must, therefore, be asked to what extent the character of Caribbean political philosophy shown a level of independence from western political philosophy and by extention an enlightened path that reflects its African/European/Asian origin and coalescence of its peoples (Creole). This coalescence is described, to a large extent, by C W Mills (1998) as â€Å"the coexistence of parallel but incompatible institutional arrangements within a recognised political state† speaks clearly to the many complex issues engaging the multitude of interest acting within this Caribbean. Significantly and more importantly, is the anti-colonial struggle that is fought at the level of the psyche through cultural and spiritual expressions Paget Henry (1997). This essay will examine both examples and place them into context. Henry argues that religion has undergone systematic alienation within the Caribbean theatre by way of a â€Å"lowering of its register or importance to thought. † His observations show an embrace of Eurocentric Christianity used by the former colonials as a tool of control and subordination culminating in a radical disenfranchising of traditional African religions pertaining to inherited Afro-Caribbean Christianity (voodoo and shango). He explained: â€Å"A deployment of binaries (negative assertions) led to European/Christian denials of the existence of an African religious philosophy, significantly and more importantly, is the anti-colonial struggle that is fought at the level of the psyche through cultural and spiritual expressions. † What is noted by Henry is the idea that stagnation has been allowed to take root in the philosophy allowing gaps for re-colonisation. These gaps are identified by Mills (1998) as he draws on the efforts of David T Wellman (1993) who made clear: â€Å"It has been argued that the historic source of white racism lies in a combination of religious intolerance and cultural predispositions to see non-whites as alien. The medieval battles against Islam are then the precursors of the racism that was to accompany European expansionism into the world. African religions were seen as devil worship, black culture and customs viewed as â€Å"mumbo jumbo,† paradigmatically bizarre. † Henry and Mills collectively recognised the Eurocentric imposition that has come to be known as Christianity and its use as a tool to negatively impact race relations dividing and colonising a people. The expectation would be a Caribbean response in defense and ownership of that cosmology which was African. Instead, according to Belle (1996), an intellectual stasis was the result complementing the concept of negative binaries. Belle went on to intimate: â€Å"Haitian political actors culturally trivialised and ridiculed voodum. The role of voodum, a spiritual expression, in the Haitian experience was central for them in their supernatural and cultural expressions within an anti colonial context. † Recall Mills (1998) â€Å"incompatible institutional arrangement† alluded to earlier; consider that Henry was able to capture the Haitian dynamic beautifully, this also in the context that Haiti holds the distinction of being the first independent black state of the new world. He expressed it as â€Å"A series of extended debates between the major competing racial groups of the: Euro-Caribbean, Amerindians, Indo-Caribbean and Afro-Caribbean over projects of colonial domination. The philosophical productions of the Euro-Caribbean were aimed at effecting European political and social hegemony (recall Belle (1996)). While, in contrast, the philosophical undertakings of the Indo-Caribbean and Afro-Caribbean were aimed at destroying European hegemony by destroying the legitimacy of their colonial projects. † It is clear from these attempts to define the character of Caribbean political philosophy emphasis has been placed on its utility as an anti colonial tool for overcoming and overturning projects of European hegemony according to Henry (1995). At the heart of these projects are attempts to minimise the effort to develop an alternative to Christianity, reconnection to an African cosmology that bore witness to the imposition of European dogma and through the condemnation of Islam. This essay accepts that any attempt to build out a project must at the same time have a level of self assessment attempted by Mills and Henry in this instance. What are of concern to this essay are efforts from within to compromise the character of the project. It is left to be determined if concerns (to be discussed) will suffer the same fate. CONCERNS The classic argument in favour of western political thought is found in social-contract theories, first proposed by seventeenth-century philosophers Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. Social-contract theory, in fact, constitutes the basis for concerns in modern political thought according to Andrew Heywood (2004). The argument is referenced to society without government, a so-called ‘state of nature’. Hobbes poignantly describes this state of nature as being ‘solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short’ reinforcing that without government to restrain selfish impulses, order and stability would be impossible. To what extent has this argument been a part of the contribution concerning Caribbean political philosophers or has there been a redefining of Hobbes’ position? Paget Henry (2000) identifies a situation of what came natural to the African and the colonial intrusion of a self appointed hegemonic force. In an attempt to locate the discussion within the confines of the state Henry draws on Kwameh Nkrumah (1965) to establish a modern ideology unlike the European articulation of Hobbes state of nature. The African assessment is one of diametric opposition, Nkrumah explains: â€Å"The traditional face of Africa includes an attitude toward man which can only be described, in its social manifestation, as being socialist. This arises from the fact that man is regarded in Africa as primarily a spiritual being, a being endowed originally with certain inward dignity, integrity and value. † This rationality of the African locates him apart from his European counterpart. Henry showed the widespread existence of one-party states in Africa was not due to one particular outlook he opined it pointed to the persistence of a traditional political culture that included a â€Å"grammar† of chiefly or kingly political behaviour. The argument is not without reason given the application by Plato to the philosopher kings and much later the Divine Right of Kings show a use of African political structure in an attempt to order a European society. The Caribbean, however, has shown no such inclination having been to a large extent â€Å"trapped in and shaped by social rivalries, ethnic animosities, weak personal/social identity and political fragmentation caused by the twin epiphenomena of slavery and colonialism† according to Gordon Lewis (1983). This is not by accident Lewis argued that the inability of Caribbean people to come to grips with this reality, that was not imagined but was real, left them open to continued exploitation. He went on to explain quite accurately that: â€Å"Slavery was also a powerful ideological deterrent, for it generated a scale of values in the top, dominant groups of the colonies, in which fear of the black masses stifled aspiration for national independence. At every turn in the story, these groups opted for selfish treason rather than for popular revolt. † Lewis contribution established the consequence of the native bourgeoisie’s economic dependence upon the colonial bourgeoisie. It has never been the intent of the former coloniser to give more for less on the contrary the intent was one of taking more for less. Observe how the power struggle ostensibly between colonised and coloniser gets displaced by power relations within the colonised body politic itself. Remember the argument is one of government structure based on self interest (Hobbes and Locke) against one based on consensus (Paget Henry). Seemingly self-serving political and economic ambitions knows no boundary and does not seek to serve the interests of the newly independent proletariat. Frantz Fanon (1963) suggests the ways in which intellectual leaders often betray the national working-class: â€Å"Before independence, the leader generally embodies the aspirations of the people for independence, political liberty, and national dignity. But as soon as independence is declared, far from embodying in concrete form the needs of the people in what touches bread, land, and the restoration of the country to the sacred hands of the people, the leader will reveal his inner purpose: to become the general president of that company of profiteers impatient for their returns which constitutes the national bourgeoisie. † Fanons assessment is encapsulated by a more specific argument against the existence of a Caribbean Philosophy, it is the perception of the absence of an intellectual tradition, and the belief the Caribbean is a cultural desert. The widely held view of the Caribbean as a region of the three S’s: sea, sand and sex. – A notion upon which the tourism industry has been constructed by and to this day exploited by a select few (national bourgeoisie). The writers, to a large extent, have highlighted the threats to democracy, representation, institutional arrangement and authority by way of concerns. A social contract theory promulgated by the former colonial has been answered by an African option structured on consensus. A timely observation of the constraints to growth based on petty rivalries is a reminder of the island state vulnerability to external influence. This essay suggests that betrayal of the political elite fairly represents the intellectual dilemma the Caribbean is now facing if Fanon (1963) is accepted. This essay argues that if these concerns were addressed maybe the stability of the natural African heritage would have offered up a leader and a type of governance sensitive to the masses and diversification needed. This essay understands the contribution of Henry and Lewis in attempting to show there was an intellectual tradition drawing attention to democracy, institutional arrangement and authority to address the myriad of concerns. CONTENT Issues that, historically and today, have most concerned political philosophers begin with a set of questions about equality, justice and welfare. These could be thought of as an enquiry into the best form of state according to David Miller (1998). It is a fact that for most of our history human beings have not been governed by states hence the free roaming tribes of Africa, Taino and Kalilingo of the Caribbean and not to be left out the marauding barbarians of Europe. From the inception this essay has identified a specific group as central to the continued existence of the Caribbean. Rex Nettleford (1993) and Charles Mills (2007) confirm that centrality by, in the first instance, identifying the group as one of three broad elements shaping the society in the second instance, through a specific schema that embodies a racial polity both starting at diverging points but eventually reaching a mutually understood location. Nettleford has been innovative using the concept of space to draw attention to social injustice; he describes maronnage or â€Å"the retreat into safe psychic sanctums calling on inner reserves beyond the reach of external violators. † This retreat came about with the use of language to communicate, plan and execute rebellion in a tongue foreign to the invaders bringing some equality to a struggle that was always almost dictated by the colonial. He explained â€Å"†¦.. Creole, in the proper sense of native-born, native-bred and not in the sense of an aberration of a dialect to the norm of a standard tongue. The very code switching , so normal to Caribbean people in the liberal use of Creole for appropriate circumstances transformed to the lingua franca as the occasion demands (sometimes in one sentence), is a sign of the capacity to master the flow between inner and outer space on one level. † The code switching to which he refers is an attempt to push back an institution not sympathetic to the Creole. To organise and communicate meant the mastery of a tongue foreign to the colonial because the institutions to which he had a monopoly were unequal, lacked social justice and had no welfare. This was identified by an economic relationship that marginalised tray merchants placing the Caribbean person on the periphery of existence according to Nettleford (1993). The exclusion from the vicinity of â€Å"formal commercial enterprises† driving the trader underground to the informal economy away from the formal economy clearly establishes a prima facie case for the judicial, executive and legislative institutions to answer with regard to the adopted precepts of western political thought. Mills wasted no time highlighting the fact that race has been essentially reduced to a minimal debate, glossed over, and otherwise left out of the majority of the multiculturalism literature Mills (1998). His evaluation was logical and nuanced, he argued that: â€Å"Tracing the evolution of the concepts of race and ethnicity race began as a biological and therefore immutable aspect of the human condition, while ethnicity was and is seen as a consequence of culture. Racism and ethnocentrism were differentiated by their essential characterisations: Race is a consequence of biology and therefore racism presumes a biological hierarchy; ethnicity is a consequence of culture and therefore ethnocentrism requires a surrender of cultural distinction and assimilation. † Given the consensus within the scientific community that biological race and thus biological hierarchy do not exist, what pertains in the Caribbean, therefore, in the form of Creole ethnicity and ethnocentrism are seen as relatively more logical and reasoned according to Mills (2007). There is confirmation of this assessment by Lewis (1983). He articulated a position that the Caribbean’s single greatest contribution to political thought is its open exploration of the question concerning race. This exploration, as Lewis puts it, possibly offers a counter to a Eurocentric fetish with its misplaced presumption of superiority on the subject, a sober Caribbean response. The content of Caribbean thought being characterised as overly concerned with the use of race converges to the concept of Creole recall the alignment sought earlier by Nettleford (1993) and Mills (2007) it is no wonder, therefore, that ethnicity as articulated by Mills (2007) is seen as a more politically palatable category to discuss and philosophically legitimate engaging the polity at all levels. As a people are we therefore satisfied with the aforementioned argument in its attempt to reconcile what is a contentiously debated topic? This essay suggest that the attempt at convergence is likely due to the challenge of the (particularism) of Caribbean Political thought essentially a question of authenticity which can be defined as of undisputed origin, genuine, reliable and trustworthy. It is a question of who constitutes the Caribbean person, in this case the African or Asian or European or is it the Creole or maybe none of the previously mentioned. Since it is suggested by some that the attempt at convergence is unlikely must the debate be reduced to one or the other in an attempt to secure an answer? This essay further suggests a complexity that cannot be determined by way of who has the right to speak on behalf of the Caribbean and a claim of superiority. To attempt this would in the opinion of this essay reduce the debate to that which western political thought is – insecure in its biological existence. This is where maturity and understanding is paramount in the construction of a worthwhile paradigm independent of western political dogma. UNDERSTANDING CARIBBEAN POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY The term â€Å"political philosophy† often refers to a view, specific political belief or attitude about politics that does not necessarily belong to the technical discipline of philosophy. In short, political philosophy is the activity, as with all philosophy, whereby the conceptual apparatus behind such concepts as aforementioned are analysed, in their history, intent, evolution and the like according to Jean Hampton (1997). Tim Hector questioned, â€Å"Where is our philosophy?† as if to imply that the aforementioned concepts are yet to be found or worst not understood and overlooked. His ask is reasonable given the time our people have occupied this space with the accompanying accoutrements of independence and must be answered against a background of accepted criteria as to what a political philosophy is Hampton (1997). Right or wrong the confluence, convergence, divergence, lack of application that has become synonymous with these islands gives what they have to say a genuine uniqueness. Since independence, for all the limitations, they have not found the need to go on crusades slaughtering millions in the name of God, use an intellectually convenient ideology to foist on the rest of the world a self serving expansionist ideology under developing Africa and the Caribbean in the name of capitalism, murder its own in two world wars and as this essay concludes present globalisation as the new destabilising force. It is the position of this essay that the writers have been able to establish a prima facie case toward a political philosophy; there is history, intent and evolution however more needs to be done if only to say Caribbean political philosophy is not what western political philosophy is. As long as the peoples resist the urge to lean toward their own understanding Caribbean Political Philosophy has a chance to become a global solution to its Western Political nemesis. CONCLUSION It is clear that an understanding of Caribbean political philosophy is an understanding of the post colonial project and the need for the Caribbean to extricate itself from the political dogma that is Eurocentric in construction and delivery. In summary this characterisation of Caribbean thought places a high value on overturning projects of European hegemony Nettleford (1995). So important is this aspect of the project that an epistemology, ontology perspective was developed to give structure and ground the thinking given the purported monopoly expressed by the European. Henry (2000) highlights the key thematic lines along which Caribbean political thought has thus far been expressed. This, however, has not been without controversy the claim that the Caribbean’s single greatest contribution to global thought is its exploration of the question of race Lewis (1983) has triggered the characterisation as overly concerned with the utilisation of race as an analytical category. Mills (2007) answers the characterisation with a nuanced alternative articulating that biological race and thus biological hierarchy do not exist, what pertains in the Caribbean in a form of Creole ethnicity and ethnocentrism. If exclusively defined by the Western Political standards the Caribbean would be hard pressed to identify a political philosophy, the debate is thus confined to what is important to the people occupying the space. The fundamental difference is with application of what needs to be done given that the Caribbean is young relative to its European counterpart then there is more to be accomplished. This essay understands the confluence, convergence, divergence, dialectic that has become synonymous to these balkanised geographical dispersed islands. This essay accepts that understanding of a situation comes not with a presumption of right or wrong but openness to arguments, that, if placed on a balance of probabilities could become the reality of the reader. BIBLIOGRAPHY Belle, George. 1996 Against Colonialism: Political Theory and Re-Colonisation in the Caribbean. Paper presented at the Conference on Caribbean Culture: Mona Jamaica UWI. Benn, Dennis. 1987 Ideology and Political Development: the Growth and Development of Political Ideas in the Caribbean 1774-1983. Jamaica: ISER, Mona. Bolland, Nigel. 2004 The Birth of Caribbean civilization: A century of ideas about culture and identity, nation and society Kingston: Ian Randle Fanon, Frantz. 1963 The Wretched of the Earth. New York: Grove Press. Hampton, Jean. 1997. Political Philosophies and Political Ideologies, Montreal: Westview Press. Heywood, Andrew. 2004 Political Ideologies, 3rd Edition: An Introduction, USA: Palgrave McMillan Henry, Paget. 2000. Calibans Reason: Introducing Afro Caribbean Philosophy, London: Routledge, Lewis, Gordon. 1983. Main Currents in Caribbean Thought: The Historical Evolution of Caribbean Society in Its Ideological Aspects, 1492-1900, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Miller, David. 1998. Political philosophy in E. Craig (Ed. ), Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, London: Routledge. Mills, Charles. 1998 Blackness Visible: Essays on Philosophy and Race, Ithaca: Cornell University Press. Mills, Charles. 2007 â€Å"Multiculturalism as/and/or Anti-Racism?† in Multiculturalism and Political Theory Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Nkrumah, Kwameh. 1965 Neo-Colonialism, the Last Stage of Imperialism London: Thomas Nelson & Sons, Ltd. Nettleford, Rex. 1993 Inward Stretch, Outward Reach: A voice from the Caribbean Basingstoke: MacMillan. Sabine, George Holland, Thomas Landon Thorson. 1973. A history of political theory. Hinsdale, Ill: Dryden Press. Wellman, David T. 1977 Portraits of White Racism, 2d ed, New York: Cambridge University Press.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Analysis of poem: Half Caste (1996) by John Agard Essay

Question: Analyse the poem ‘Half Caste’ (1996) written by poet – John Agard, about his perspective on the addressing of biracial individuals. In your answer, you should consider: * Influence of context in which the poem was written * The ideas brought out of the poem * The structure and rhyme maintained Answer: John Agard gives painful and poetic expression to the mixed race experience. He was of Portuguese-Caribbean descent and lived in British Guyana (now Guyana), before he moved to Britain. The reference is to half-caste from the Spanish word ‘casta’ (origin, group) and being made to feel half a human being. The poem begins in an apologetic tone, and the strangeness of his situation is shown by him standing on one leg as he does not feel a complete man. The poet uses various examples from the world of art and music and the world of nature to challenge this stereotyping. The repetition of the words ‘explain yurself’ shows the poet’s frustration. He wonders if inanimate objects can become half-caste – Picasso’s painting in which colours are mixed to create a half-caste canvas, Tchaikovsky’s music on a piano with black and white key create a half caste symphony. The world of nature provides striking examples. Light and shadow mix in the sky to create half-caste weather. England always has ‘half caste weather’. Even the clouds are half-caste – so thick and dark and mean that they block the rays of the sun. The clouds are personified to show the negative impact they have on the earth, preventing the sun rays from reaching. The mixing of contradictory features contributes to their beauty, and this implicitly implies that only in human beings, the mixing is negative. The second part of the poem is increasingly sarcastic. Even looks and actions, dreams and shadows can be half caste. The poet listens with half an ear, looks with half an eye, and offers half a hand. This means that his reaction to life and other people is half hearted. This half-life, half identity has even affected his dreams. This could symbolise goals, ambitions that are limited or restricted. He does not have any impact on the world or other lives because he is only a half-caste human being (as per his perspective). The final suggestion is for society is to look and hear deeply and sensitively, to look at a half-caste human being’s sorrow with critical, evaluative judgement. The result of such an approach will increase understanding because the poet will tell him the other half of his story that is now hidden. The poem is built of short lines of uneven length. The first three lines introduces the subject in an apologetic tone – â€Å"Excuse me† and concludes with a small stanza of three lines promising to communicate. The middle of the poem is dominated by enjambment because the poet’s pain overflows in one unbroken recital. The word ‘half-caste’ is repeated 10 times. The title is used as an adjective, a certain condition in which a person is made to feel inferior. The absence of an article in the title shows this. The music of the poem depends on the repetition of words. Towards the end, the word ‘half-caste’ is juxtaposed with the whole. The poet moves from physical sensation – eye, ear to the idea of deep thought and feeling. There is a greater assertion in the last stanza, suggested by the words ‘I will’. The poet speaks English with overtones of a Caribbean dialect called Patois (mainly spoken in Jamaica and Barbados) – â€Å"wha ya mean† repeated 4 times, de (the), dat (that), dem (them) etc. to show that he has half a language and is incomplete even in that area. The half caste has a vivid imagination and uses a variety of examples to prove Agard’s point. The style of the poem is a question – wha yu mean and this is followed by the explanation – you mean. Various symbols are used in the poem – keen half of mih ear, keen half of mih eye implies a desire to ignore the stereotyping and yet keenly be conscious of it. The ‘half-caste’ offers only half a hand to show how deep the resentment is. Turning people into half-caste is one of the greatest of social predicaments the world faces. The need is for equality, dignity and respect to be given to each human being, bringing the marginalised to the centre. The poem ‘Half-Caste’ depicts the anger, pain and fluctuation of emotion felt by Agard, when (rude) comments were addressed to him, directed at his mix of nationality. It also validates that addressing a person as ‘half-caste’ is cretinous and in the conclusion, the lines ‘But yu must come back tomorrow, wid de whole of yu eye, wid de whole of yu ear, wid de whole of yu mind, and I will tell yu de other half of my story’ shows he is willing to make amends with the commentators, if they only cease to treat him as half a human being.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

I Love You in German - German Phrases of Love

I Love You in German - German Phrases of Love He loves me. He loves me not. He loves me!...So youre in love. Or perhaps you just like someone. Anyhow, however your heart beats, here youll find phrases that all relate to I love you in German. If you want to leave an everlasting impression I have a suggestion for you at the end of this article. So, stay tuned. You Like Him/Her (All phrases mean â€Å"I like you.†) Ich mag dich. Ich hab dich gern. Du gefllst mir. You Like Him/Her a lot (All phrases mean â€Å"I like you a lot.†) Ich mag dich sehr. Ich hab dich lieb.Ich hab dich mehr als gern†¦Du gefllst mir sehr. You Love Him/Her Ich liebe dich: I love you.Ich liebe dich mit ganzem Herzen: I love you with all my heart.Ohne dich kann ich nicht leben: I can’t live without you.Ich bin verrà ¼ckt nach dir:  I’m crazy over you.Ich liebe dich, nur dich alleine:  I love you, only you.Ich bin in dich verliebt: I’m in love with you. When You Miss Him/Her Ich vermisse dich. Du fehlst mir.Ich habe so Sehnsucht nach dir: I ache for you so terribly.Ich verzehr mich nach dir: I yearn for you. After You’ve Done Something Stupid Bitte verzeih mir,...:  Please forgive me†¦Ich meinte es nicht so/ Es war nicht so gemeint: I didn’t mean it in that way.Ich war so ein Dummkopf: I was acting stupid.Kannst du mir vergeben?: Can you forgive me?Ich werde es nie mehr tun: I will never do it again. Asking Someone on a Date Mà ¶chtest du mit mir ins Kino gehen?  Would you like to go to the movies with me?Bist du heute Abend frei?  Are you free this evening?Bist du morgen Abend beschftigt? Are you busy tomorrow night?Kann ich dich wieder sehen?  Can I see you again?Wann kann ich dich wieder sehen? When can I see you again? Complimenting Him/Her Du siehst schà ¶n aus:  You look nice.Du siehst wunderbar aus: You look wonderful.Du bist heiß/ Du siehst so heiß aus!  You are hot/You look hot!Du siehst ja reizend aus!  You look so charming! Valentine and Love Phrases Tausend Kà ¼sse zum Valentinstag!  A thousand kisses for Valentines day!Ich wà ¼nsche dir einen wunderschà ¶nen Valentinstag!  I wish you a wonderful Valentines day!Du bist nicht nur an diesem Tag, sondern jeden Tag in meinen Gedanken:  You are not only on this day, but every day in my thoughts.Ich liebe dich wie nichts auf dieser Welt: I love you like none else in this world.Du machst mich so glà ¼cklich! You make me so happy!Ich liebe dich bis in alle Ewigkeit: I love you for all eternity.Ich liebe dich, mein Valentin/Valentinsschatz: I love you my Valentine/Valentine treasure. Some Familiar Expressions About Love Die Liebe ist alles: Love makes the world go round.Die Liebe macht blind:  Love is blind.Die Liebe wchst mit der Entfernung:  Absence makes the heart grow fonder.Die Liebe geht durch den Magen:  The way to a mans heart is through his stomach. Soll ich dich einem Sommertag vergleichen?  Shall I compare thee to a summers day?Er ist wie du so lieblich nicht und lind.*Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Shakespeare A Wonderful LoveSsong In case you prefer to sing about your feelings I have some inspiration for you in form of Bodo Wartke, a charming and gifted German entertainer  and you should certainly check out the other songs in the recommendations below.

Monday, October 21, 2019

the forest people essays

the forest people essays In his book, The Forest People, Colin Turnbull achieves the taste and feel of life inside a Mbuti community, but in doing so offers a skewed anthropological look at the peoples of the African Congo. When reading the book, I did truly feel a part of the Mbuti world, but I also noticed a lack of anthropological accuracy when it came to portraying effect had on Pygmies by the lives and cultures of surrounding natives. Not only does Turnbull lack respect non-Pygmy culture, but he also doesn't much account for the possibility of change as he idealizes the Mbuti belief and living system in the state it currently exists. As illustrated quite early in the book when Cephu's daughter dies of dysentery, the Mbuti people copy some of the patterns of ritual grief used by their villager Negro neighbors. It is clear from their behavior that the Pygmies hold little stock in the cultural beliefs of the villagers, and play along simply to not upset the good food source they can use the Negroes as. How ever, the way that Turnbull portrays this relationship is extremely one-sided, often times not even giving the "Negroes" the dignity of a tribal name. His treatment of their beliefs is similar, and gives only the vaguest reasons for their behavior, citing belief in spirits and fear of the forest. Since Negro customs obviously affect pygmy behavior, it seems curious that Turnbull should come so close to completely ignoring cultural reasons driving it. Forces moving culture are much clearer and completely defined when Turnbull follows the pygmies into the forest and away from the influence of surrounding villages. Here, the ritual of the molimo is seen in its pure state, as are other rituals such as marriage and the elima. From the Mbuti (and therefore Turnbull's) point of view, it is there in the middle of the forest that everything is right with the world, and no polluting influence of the villagers or of change can approach them. However, this is a f...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

English Conversation Lesson About Movies and Actors

English Conversation Lesson About Movies and Actors People love to talk about what they have seen in the cinema. Any class  will usually be well versed in both their own native countrys films and the latest and greatest from Hollywood and elsewhere. This subject is especially useful with younger students who might be hesitant to speak about their own lives. Speaking about films provides an almost endless font of possibilities for conversation. Here are a few ideas: Aim: Promoting conversation,  especially with younger students who might be hesitant to speak about their own lives.Activity: General introduction to films, dictation and short listening exercise, followed by students discussing their answers to dictated questions.Level: Intermediate to advanced Conversation Outline About Movies and Actors Introduce the topic by asking students to name different types of film and a film they know of that represents that genre. Example: Comedy - Manhattan by Woody Alan Dictate the following questions to the students.  They need only write down their responses. What is your favorite non-Italian, German, French, etc. (you name the nationality) film?What is your favorite Italian, German, French, etc. (you name the nationality) film?Who is your favorite actor or actress?What is the worst film you have ever seen?In your opinion, who is the worst actor or actress in film today? Have students put aside their answers to the above questions. Read the short description of the film provided with this lesson (or invent a short description of a film you know that most students have seen). Ask the students to name the film. Have students divide up into small groups and discuss a film they have all seen. After they discussed the film, ask them to write a short description of the film like the one you have read to the class. Groups read their summaries aloud to the other groups which need to name the films described. You can easily turn this into a little competitive game setting the number of times the descriptions can be read aloud. Returning to the questions at the beginning of class, ask each student to choose one of the questions and answer that question explaining to the other students their reasons for choosing that film or actor/actress as the best/worst. During this part of the lesson, students should be encouraged to agree or disagree and add their own comments to the discussion at hand. As a follow-up homework task, students can write a short review of a film they have seen to be discussed during the next session. Which Film? Ask students to name this movie: This film takes place on an Italian island. An exiled, communist poet comes to the island and slowly becomes friends with a simple, local man. The film seems to be about learning which can take place between friends. During the film, the poet helps his friend persuade a beautiful young woman to become his wife by helping the man write love letters. The film follows the maturing of a young, simple man through his contact with a famous man who he admires greatly. Answer: The Postman by Massimo Troisi - Italy, 1995

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Consumer decision Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Consumer decision - Essay Example In its simplest form, consumer decision-making process can be presented by Engel-Kollat-Blackwell model (Jack 2005, p. 129). This model suggests that consumer buy products/services satisfy their needs and wants. These needs and wants are actually the problems and once recognized consumer feels motivated to satisfy them. According to the model, these needs and wants can be stimulated by internal (actual need e.g. thirst, hunger etc) as well as external factors (advertisements, reinforcement by others). To satisfy them the consumer search for information and during the search process, various alternatives are evaluated. Finally, the consumer selects any one of the alternatives which he/she finds the most suitable for purchase. Then the model also talks about post purchase behavior which includes responses such as satisfaction, repurchase willingness etc. Now this post-purchase behavior will decide whether the decision made is rational or irrational depending upon the achievement of und erlying goals. This whole consumer decision-making process is not as simple as it seems to be. According to Kotler’s Marketing Essentials as cited in Lee (2007, p. 31) there are many factors influencing buyer behavior. These factors not only stimulate the need but play their role in every stage of consumer decision-making process. Whether it is the search for information, alternatives evaluation or actual purchase, these internal and external factors are active throughout the process.

Friday, October 18, 2019

The Allocation Problem session long project 4 (walmart) accounting Essay

The Allocation Problem session long project 4 (walmart) accounting - Essay Example The company allocates its administrative expenses to all the divisions and these common costs are used in this analysis. From the annual report of Wal-Mart, the incomes from various divisions are gathered. The administrative expenses are then allocated to each division. The allocation depends on a number of factors including the scale of operations in the division, number of stores operating in the division and the revenue generated (Wal-Mart Financial Review). The incomes from various divisions are presented below: The above report indicates that the Wal-Mart U S has the highest profit margin standing at 7.5 % ($ 19522 million / $ 258,229 million). However the International division has a low profit margin at 5 %. These performances are based on the incomes generated after taking the common costs into account. In order to identify the actual performance of the various divisions, the report is recast without taking the common costs into consideration. The recast report above without the unallocated common costs (administrative expenses, in this case) reveals that the International division contributes significantly towards the total income and towards covering the common costs. It is a known fact that the administrative expenses are hard to predict and are very unstable in large organizations. Hence the above report without the administrative expenses can be used to predict or estimate future performance of the divisions. Thus the common costs (in this case, the advertising expenses) are analyzed for Wal-Mart. The recast report with the unallocated costs reveals a number of facts about the profitability, thus giving a clear picture of the performance of the various divisions. This information without the allocated common costs can be useful in analyzing the contribution of the division to the company as a

Women Management Issues in Fisheries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Women Management Issues in Fisheries - Essay Example Related to these initiatives, a significant up-and-coming research focus is the ways that fishers' (and other usual resource users) information is created and how it expand in a society. Another up-and-coming area of attention involves questions that center on how protection and management practices expand in a society (see the other aid to this issue). This research highlights these issues in the context of the women management fisheries of the Canadian region of Newfoundland plus Labrador. Furthermore, these fisheries, by means of dynamic, global, profitable histories stretching back over 500 years, are considerably dissimilar from numerous of the fisheries that have been the focus of research about resource users' local or customary ecological information. While studying facts production and modify in these fisheries provides an chance to discover local knowledge creation and growth and their affiliation to conservation and management where fishing as a livelihood is strongly woven into the social, educational, and financial fabric of the community, yet where varied fisheries have become ever more market-driven, technically intense, methodically managed,' capital rigorous, and are operating in the context of thespian and rapid ecological transform (Grafton, R. Q. 2003). The principal goal of this research here, though, is to highlight the difficulty and vitality of the socio environmental network in which the fishers of Newfoundland plus Labrador today are embedded (and the implications thereof for their knowledge) by focusing on the rich detail that can appear from a focus on one personage. We chose Jack since he exhibited a sure pattern we wished to discover further. In general, fishery strategies for woman in Newfoundland were directed until lately towards industrialization, 'professionalization,' and an more and more technical approach to management (Sinclair, 1987; Wright, 2001). To a few degrees, Jack is one of those who most modified to this hegemonic philosophy, and is consequently an interesting case. Additionally, as noted, he and others like him have been in commission in a background of quick and considerate ecological modifying. The pattern of change over Jack's career, in our view, has implications not only for our understanding of the expansion of LEK, but also for the relationship flanked by LEK and science and woman management, and for the growth of management and management procedures. Women plays vital role in the wake of cod stock collapses; numerous have begun to question the legality of stock appraisal science and the quota management approaches it is planned to support. In part to retain their authority, the Canadian government has begun to signal a transfer towards (re)counting fishers and their information in management, though it is fundamentally unclear how this will play out in practice (Murray et al., forthcoming). We agree that good management for fish harvesters and their LEK can and ought to play a more important role in technical research and in

Law - Workplace Deviance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Law - Workplace Deviance - Essay Example It is no longer unusual to see an employee making personal calls in an office setting, intentionally going slow on work, using office resources such as internet to chat with friend on the social media and even sabotaging the seniors in an organizational setting. The aforementioned behaviors perfectly fit Anwar et al. (2010) definition of deviance as they threaten the organizational order. A quick scan on the term â€Å"Production Deviance† with the help of Google search engine reveals millions of hits and there are numerous credible sites that are viably of help in my project. There are at least ten credible journals and articles available to help me satisfy the minimum articles requirements to be reviewed, analyzed, and reported for the purpose of this literature review project. Summary of articles Appelbaum et al (2005) in their article â€Å"The relationship of ethical climate to deviant workplace behavior† delves into the causes and implications of how the ethical c limate within an organization in due course affects the occurrence of workplace deviance. Their research evaluates issues of ethical contexts and climates within organizations and their possible implications in the daily work lives of participants, the causes of unethical behavior, which include but not limited to; presence of behaviors antagonistic to organizational norms, internal environment of the organization, and commitment of an organization in fostering friendly work environment among others. Their research investigates current trends in preventing workplace deviance and further recommends future researches on these trendy workplace behaviors. Dunlop and Kibeom (2004) researches on the effect of workplace deviance behaviors and organizational citizenship behavior on the overall organizational performance - they analyzes the influence of organizational citizenship behavior and workplace deviant behavior on the performance of business units, the research also analyses the cont agiousness of WDB and OCB. From their research, they conclude that there is indeed a very strong correlation between the business unit performance, Organizational Citizenship Behavior, and Workplace Deviance Behaviors. In a weighing balance, Workplace Deviant Behaviors have a significantly higher negative impact on the overall business unit performance as compared to the negative impact of Organizational Citizenship Behavior. Does gender play a part in workplace deviance? Anwar et al (2011) delved into the likely relationship between workplace deviant behaviors and gender, and if there is any difference between organizational deviance and interpersonal deviance. Their research yielded that male staffs in their university expressed workplace deviance behaviors more than their female counterparts, and those incidences of organizational deviance was higher than incidences of interpersonal deviance behaviors. Literature Review Introduction In the modern era, managing generation Y employ ees has become one of the greatest challenges to both for profit and non-profit organization. Levels of workplace deviance are on the increase and greatly do have a direct negative impact on the overall organization performance. Robinson and Bennet (2000) define workplace deviance

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Request for college transfer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Request for college transfer - Essay Example As a result of my continuous interaction with the students, I have also gained a lot of improvement owing to the fact that practice makes perfect. By taking the students through music lessons, I have had to come in contact with major changes and advancements in this ever-changing profession. I have gained a lot of personal experience with music instruments and key terms that are very essential in the career. Besides working as a music tutor in the college, I also play piano in my local church every Sunday and other days when the church is holding a special event. This has helped me in developing my skills as well as gaining more experience on this basic music instrument. In addition to that, I attend recitals at school so as to enhance my performing skills. With the skills that I have gained over time, I have managed to inspire many students who have greatly benefited from my initiatives. I take a personal approach in my teaching duties by responding to the specific needs of the stud ents. I have developed an approach of extending the individual programs to students who need special attention and are unable to cope up well in the general class lessons. As a music performer, my songs are aimed at addressing the key issues affecting the society as well as the various means of overcoming the global challenges. I desire to positively impact the society around me using music which is a very strong tool of communication and light means of speaking against the evils propagated by various people in the society. I have a deep believe that this transfer will enable me fulfill my childhood dream of becoming a successful musician who will impact the whole world through music. My other goal is to pursue a degree in music as that will go hand in hand with being an accomplished musician.

Thornton's Strategic Choices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words - 1

Thornton's Strategic Choices - Essay Example At that time, he might have not realized that the foundation of his shop was actually the foundation of an international business, which would continue to grow in the coming decades, and his products would reach many countries. His two sons, Norman and Stanley, joined their father and started conduct many of functions, such as manufacturing, packaging, retailing and others, in-house. During the 1920s, the shop started attracting customers from distant areas and the benefits of constant product innovation became apparent to Thorntons (Allen, 2010, p. 85). During the 1970s, the company slowly started expanding into the neighbouring countries of Europe and Australia. By the year 1972, the exports to these countries accounted more than 0.3 million pounds. Impressed with the gains made through exports, the company decided to enter into US market with the long-term expansion plan of setting up 100 stores in the next decade (Mullins and Walker, 2009, p. 390). Although, the company would hav e to later close down the purchased shops and abandon these plans because of failures in the US market. By the late 1980s, Thorntons had established itself as a strong brand name in UK with 170 company owned shops and 100 franchised outlets. Thornton had become an important brand name of chocolate at High Street. Thornton had now become a public company, with impressive share performance (Thornton and Bishton, 2009, p. 258). Business Model and Operations Thorntons only has a 1 percent market share of the confectionary market and claims to be having a 6 percent share of the confectionary gift market according to the statistics from the year 2009. Nevertheless, the company is the biggest manufacturer and retailer of specialist chocolates in the UK market. The company’s core product is boxed chocolates and it believes that its core competency lies in the manufacturing of these chocolates, with the help of quality ingredients and company owned recopies (Mullins and Walker, 2009, p. 390). The in house manufacturing method is largely labour intensive. The company relies on outside suppliers for packaging, basic liquid chocolate and solid chocolate bars (noncore business). In order to make up for sales during low seasons, the company would go on to sell ice creams and greeting cards as well but in selected outlets, mostly franchised. The company places special attention on the freshness of its product, in order to provide a unique customer experience (Thornton and Bishton, 2009, p. 258). As mentioned earlier, Thornton has been distributing its product to the customers in two different ways. First, the company owned stores, which were costly to acquire or obtain and to maintain in the long term as well. However, the company could ensure greater control over the business and in terms of interaction with

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Request for college transfer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Request for college transfer - Essay Example As a result of my continuous interaction with the students, I have also gained a lot of improvement owing to the fact that practice makes perfect. By taking the students through music lessons, I have had to come in contact with major changes and advancements in this ever-changing profession. I have gained a lot of personal experience with music instruments and key terms that are very essential in the career. Besides working as a music tutor in the college, I also play piano in my local church every Sunday and other days when the church is holding a special event. This has helped me in developing my skills as well as gaining more experience on this basic music instrument. In addition to that, I attend recitals at school so as to enhance my performing skills. With the skills that I have gained over time, I have managed to inspire many students who have greatly benefited from my initiatives. I take a personal approach in my teaching duties by responding to the specific needs of the stud ents. I have developed an approach of extending the individual programs to students who need special attention and are unable to cope up well in the general class lessons. As a music performer, my songs are aimed at addressing the key issues affecting the society as well as the various means of overcoming the global challenges. I desire to positively impact the society around me using music which is a very strong tool of communication and light means of speaking against the evils propagated by various people in the society. I have a deep believe that this transfer will enable me fulfill my childhood dream of becoming a successful musician who will impact the whole world through music. My other goal is to pursue a degree in music as that will go hand in hand with being an accomplished musician.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Marketing Events Plan for Ocean Spray Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing Events Plan for Ocean Spray - Essay Example However, it will take the management team various processes to come up with an effective marketing event strategy. From market and situational analysis, to planning, execution and even up to event evaluation, the marketing communications team has to pay attention to every detail, be conscious of market and competitor trends to be able to position the improved category accordingly. Taste of Christmas in one of the channels that management is tapping to assist them into achieving their business and corporate objectives. Ocean Spray’s participation in this popular event is seen as a milestone and a major stepping stone towards further market advantage. II. INTRODUCTION Ocean Spray’s monumental re-launch of its cranberry sauce line is all set to happen this December. Having completed its Product Development in the third quarter of this year, and its complete production this November, the company is ready to introduce to the market its improved product line – the all new Wholeberry and Smooth Cranberry Sauce in the new Orbitâ„ ¢ Easy open lid. Part of its Marketing Communications Plan is a massive and country wide re launch implementation that will encompass both above the line and below the line marketing efforts. Kicking off with the tri-media ad placements simultaneously released in December 1, the Marketing Communications team will stage a series of exhibits and events sponsorships the whole of December, in time for the holidays. The aim is to sustain the tri media ad placements and continue building up market interest in this product innovation. The biggest anticipated event is Ocean Spray’s participation in the Taste of Christmas London Exhibition, an annual event showcasing the city’s best culinary offerings. With the target market captured in a perfect setting, where food sampling often leads to repeat product purchase and loyalty, Ocean Spray’s management is optimistic on catching up on their year-end targets dur ing and after this three-day event. This Marketing and Events plan seeks to outline the company’s event objectives by providing an analysis of the previous marketing and sales for this particular product line. It further aims to illustrate the execution plan through a discussion of the processes entailed to possibly reach the given objectives. III. ANALYSIS The plan to participate in the city’s biggest annual food festival is in synchrony with the company’s 5-year marketing and business objectives, which is to push Ocean Spray’s Wholeberry and Smooth Cranberry Sauce as the leading product in the UK under its category. The Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce was introduced in the UK in the 70s and has since become a popular brand, often associated with roast Turkey. The company welcomed the 90s with the vision of further market international expansion, therefore exerting more marketing efforts overseas, including the UK (Ocean Spray 2011). For over a decade now, i t has become the leading cranberry sauce brand, ahead of the locally produced Schwartz Cranberry Sauce (Schwartz 2011) and other imported cranberry sauce brands, Canada’s Port Cranberry and Australia’s Wood’s Cranberry Sauce. Distributed by Ocean Spray International Services (UK) Ltd., it estimates annual sales of $ 3,199, 473 (Ocean Spray International Services UK Ltd 2011). However, in 2010, there was a noteworthy decline in company sales in the UK,

Monday, October 14, 2019

Effects of Meditation on Cerebral Activity

Effects of Meditation on Cerebral Activity Doris L. Scheer Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania conducted the first functional neuroimaging study to demonstrate changes in cerebral activity during glossolalia (A.B. Newberg et al., 2006). It’s not difficult to find research on Buddhist practices such as meditation but few researchers have conducted studies on Christian practices such as glossolalia. In fact, this was the first time that researchers took brain images during this phenomenon. Glossolalia is a spiritual practice or a worship expression that is referred to as speaking or praying in tongues. This mental state induces a spiritual experience in which incomprehensible language is produced without control. It is known that the frontal lobes are involved in willful control of behaviors (Frith et al., 1991; Pardo et al., 1991). Therefore, it was hypothesized that glossolalia, associated with the perceived loss of intentional control, would be associated with decreased activity in the frontal lobes compared with singing. T he SPECT technique used in this study measures regional cerebral blood flow that correlates closely with cerebral activity (Newberg et al., 2006). CBF ratios were compared between the glossolalia and singing state using a paired t-test (Minitab Statistical Software, 2000). Several significant rCBF differences were found, and the brain images taken while speaking in tongues showed minimal activity in both the frontal lobes and language centers of the brain. This discovery leads us to question how they were even capable of producing this behavior. The Old and New Testaments of the bible says that this ability comes from the holy spirit—our means of communicating with god, but how these women were able to speak without using the region of the brain that controls speaking is a mystery that neuroscience is trying to uncover. The research design involved a nonexperimental method in which relationships are studied by making observations or measures of the variables of interest. This may be done by asking people to describe their behavior, directly observing behavior, and/or recording physiological responses. In all these cases, variables are observed as they occur naturally (p. 77, P.C. Cozby and S.C. Bates, 2012). In this study, cerebral activity during glossolalia and singing were compared by measuring the cerebral blood flow ratios between each state by using a paired t-test. Because the nonexperimental method allows us to observe covariation between variables, another term that is frequently used to describe this procedure is the correlational method. With this method, researchers examine whether the variables correlate or vary together (p. 78, Cozby and Bates, 2012). The laboratory experiment setting permits researchers to more easily keep extraneous variables constant, thereby eliminating their influ ence on the outcome of the experiment (e.g. distractions). However, it is precisely this control that leads to the artificiality of the laboratory investigation (rather than their natural setting such as church or home). Fortunately, when researchers have conducted experiments in both lab and field settings, the results of the experiments have been very similar (Anderson, Lindsay, Bushman, 1999). This is reassuring. For this study, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania recruited five Christian women between the ages of 38 and 52 years old who had been speaking in tongues for at least five years. In the Philadelphia community of Pennsylvania both men and women perform glossolalia but the number of women who practice glossolalia is substantially higher. The researchers also reported difficulty in finding experienced practitioners willing to perform glossolalia in a laboratory setting. Andrew B. Newberg et al. (2006) explains that while this complicates the statistical analysis, the number of subjects was sufficient to reveal statistically significant results (p. 70). First, they obtained informed consent which was approved by the Institutional Review Board and then conducted structured clinical interviews. After ruling out any psychological disorders, neurological or medical conditions, or medications that would affect cerebral function, subjects were given a pregnancy test before placing an intravenous cannula (IV) in one arm. In order for the participants to move freely during singing and glossolalia, they made sure to use a long IV line. In addition, researchers observed all subjects to ensure that both singing and glossolalia conditions were as similar as possible in terms of patient vocalization and motion. Subjects reported that the glossolalia was perceived to be non-voluntary. Throughout both conditions, the subjects were standing while moving both their arms and legs in a similar rhythmic manner. Consequently, no significant changes were observed in the motor cortex; however, the phonemic structure was different between the two condition s. After the first five minutes of singing, subjects were injected through the IV with 7 mCi of 99mTc-Bicisate, and then brought to the SPECT scanner for a 40-min scan after a total of 20 minutes singing altogether. Next, subjects returned to the same room to perform glossolalia for 20 minutes and then scanned for 30 minutes using the same imaging parameters. After the first five minutes performing glossolalia, the subjects had also been unobtrusively injected with 25 mCi of 99mTc-ECD fifteen minutes before the scan. The results were hypothesis driven so comparisons were only tested for the major structures of the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes, as well as the amygdala, hippocampus, striatum, and thalamus (also referred to as regions of interest [ROIs] throughout the study). Results indicated that the data between the glossolalia and singing state revealed several significant rCBF differences (cerebral blood flow ratios). Researchers also reported significant decreases in the prefrontal cortices, left caudate and left temporal pole while there were increases in the left superior parietal lobe (SPL) and right amygdala (A.B. Newberg et al., 2006). A percentage change in CBF ratios had been calculated for each region and a laterality index (LI) representing the percentage difference between the right and left side was also calculated revealing a significant negative correlation (R=-0.90, P=0.03) between the singing and glossolalia thalamic LI. According to A.B. Newberg et al. (2006) this indi cated that the more the thalamic activity was asymmetric to begin with, the more the asymmetry reversed during glossolalia (p. 69). The author’s interpretation of the results suggests that this preliminary study has begun to elucidate the neurophysiological correlates of glossolalia. Changes in several brain structures suggest that there is complex brain activity during this unusual practice (p. 70, A.B. Newberg et al., 2006). According to the author, the present study is the first that they are aware of that has evaluated changes in cerebral activity during the practice of glossolalia. In regards to their hypotheses, they observed decreased activity in the prefrontal cortices during the glossolalia state (p. 70). This finding was clearly distinct from their previous study of meditation using the same imaging technique (Newberg et al., 2001). Neuroimaging studies have also shown increased frontal lobe activity during attention-focusing tasks (Frith et al., 1991; Pardo et al., 1991). The author found it interesting that the frontal lobes showed decreased perfusion during glossolalia which was consistent wit h the subject’s description of a lack of intentional control over the performance of glossolalia (A.B. Newberg et al., 2006). Furthermore, the left hemispheric structures appeared to have significant decreases that were not observed in the right hemisphere and the lack of a clear lateralization in the frontal lobes suggests that the expressive language parts of the brain may not be as directly affected by glossolalia as might be expected (p. 70, Newberg et al., 2006). The author had previously argued, and found, decreased activity in the SPL during meditation in which there is a described loss of the sense of self, however, glossolalia was not associated with a loss of the sense of self and there were no significant decreases in the SPL (p. 70). The author’s interpretation of the significant decrease in the left caudate is of uncertain significance but suggested that it may relate to the altered emotional activity during glossolalia (A.B. Newberg et al., 2006). Several implications for further research were provided based on potential confounding problems within the study. Although the author claimed that the number of subjects was sufficient to reveal statistically significant results, I think caution should be used when generalizing results with a sample size less than 30 (in this case, 5). In addition, all female subjects were recruited from the same local community. A researcher more interested in the external validity of the research might conduct nonexperimental research with a more diverse population and this study had a highly restricted sample (p. 86, P.C. Cozby and S.C. Bates, 2012). There are many advantages of the experimental method for studying relationships between variables but there are also disadvantages to experiments and many good reasons for using methods other than experiments; so, although laboratory experiments often have strong internal validity, they may often have limited external validity (Cozby and Bates, 2012). In addition, glossolalia was performed in a laboratory setting rather than a natural environment such as a home o r church where a field experiment might yield different results. Being in a more spiritually inductive environment may potentially deepen their ability to further immense themselves into an even deeper glossolalia state. Perhaps a more natural environment and longer session would alter the brain activity that was originally recorded in this study. It would also be interesting to study whether younger or older subjects would be capable of performing glossolalia with the same results found in this study of middle to upper aged women between 38 and 52 years old. The inclusion of male subjects who practice glossolalia as well as a more culturally diverse sample would also increase the external validity of the research. Previously, I briefly mentioned how laboratory experiments often have strong internal validity. What I was pleased to read in the study was how all subjects were observed to ensure that the two conditions (both singling and glossolalia) were as similar as possible (p. 68, A.B. Newberg et al., 2006). Subjects began by singing in the room, while standing, with her eyes closed, matching her condition during glossolalia. The same music was also used for both conditions. I think these were important things to take into consideration. To rule out any other variables, subjects were also tested for mental disorders, substance abuse, neurological and medical conditions, or if they take medications that would affect cerebral function prior to the study. Further evaluation of the quality of this study revealed that this study was in fact reported in a peer-reviewed journal (Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 2006, Vol. 148(1), pp.67-71 [Peer Reviewed Journal]). The practice of glossolalia is di scussed in both the Old and New Testaments of the bible which has outlived every critic since the beginning of time yet it’s still common for religious studies to receive a lot of criticism. It was originally thought that glossolalia was related to some form of psychopathology; however, the limited number of reported studies have suggested that people who speak in tongues show no differences in personality traits from other population groups—no increases in depression, anxiety, mania, or psychosis (Hine, 1969; Richardson, 1973). In fact, a recent study of nearly a thousand clergy members revealed that 80% who practiced glossolalia had greater emotional stability and less neuroticism (Francis and Robbins, 2003). Perhaps the practice of glossolalia actually increased their emotional stability and decreased neuroticism. Clearly causation could not be inferred but if further research could address the limitations I discussed in the previous paragraph, there could be powerf ul implications. Therefore, based on my assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of this study I think it is very important. The results of this study revealed that the part of our brain that is used for speaking was not activated while speaking in tongues. This suggests that the ability to speak in tongues comes from something else deep within us, confirming what the bible teaches about this spiritual gift called glossolalia. The news story did a fairly good job conveying the substance of the empirical study. It reported a brief yet accurate description of the sample, procedure, and results of the study. As I’ve mentioned previously, Buddhist practices such as meditation has recently become a popular research interest but Christian practices such as glossolalia have not been given quite as much attention so it was interesting to see comparisons being made in both the study and news story. The author of the news story shined light on this subject by emphasizing how the new findings contrasted sharply with images taken of other spiritually inspired mental states like meditation, which is often a highly focused mental exercise, activating the frontal lobes (Carey, 2006). I would say that more details could have been incorporated into the news story but a link to the actual study was provided for those who were curious enough to dig a little deeper. The story basically just hit the important aspects of the study and major findings. Furthermore, there was a good match between the strengths of the study and the way that the story was reported. It was interesting how the author of the news story incorporated important insights from the leader of the study team that I did not recall reading in the study. For instance, â€Å"the amazing thing was how the images supported people’s interpretation of what was happening,† said Dr. Andrew B. Newberg, leader of the study team, which included Donna Morgan, Nancy Wintering and Mark Waldman. â€Å"The way they describe it, and what they believe, is that God is talking through them,† he said. Dr. Newberg is also a co-author of â€Å"Why We Believe What We Believe.† And Ms. Morgan, a co-author of the study, was also a research subject (Carey, 2006). This was information I did not gather from the study alone so I assume that interviews must have been conducted and incorporated into the news story which adds a lot of in sight useful in evaluating the research in its entirety. Some of the findings that might have been underemphasized included results from some of the four hypotheses that may not be considered significant enough to emphasize in the media report. For example, one finding underemphasized in the news story was that the researchers did not observe the hypothesized increase in thalamic activity and it was not clear what such a finding may represent from a physiological perspective (p. 70, A.B. Newberg et al., 2006). Again, I think the reporter made this particular choice because it didn’t necessarily support or impact the main point. References Carey, B. (2006, November 7). A neuroscientific look at speaking in tongues. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/07/health/07brain.html?_r=0 Cozby, P.C., Bates, S.C. (2012). Methods in behavioral research (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Newberg, A.B., Wintering, N.A., Morgan, D., Waldman, M.R. (2006). The measurement of regional cerebral blood flow during glossolalia: a preliminary SPECT study. Psychiatry Research. Neuroimaging 148 (1), 67-71.