Master of Science Degree in Entrepreneurship in Applied Technologies Personal Statement - 1

Master of Science Degree in Entrepreneurship in Applied Technologies - Personal Statement Example I worked as teaching assistant from the middle of 2008 until King Saud University awarded me scholarship to pursue higher education through my master degree in the U.S. with a bachelor degree in Business Administrative in Quantitative Methods as a theoretical background. As I was reviewing the University of South Florida’s (USF) program for the Master of Science Degree in Entrepreneurship in Applied Technologies (MS EAT), I was impressed with the profile of consolidating â€Å"Entrepreneurship education and training into a single interdisciplinary program† (MS EAT, par. 2). My academic background has provided the impetus for a strong drive to learn entrepreneurial and leadership skills that would be enhanced through your course modules focusing on new venture formation, product development and the design and application of strategies to global organizations. I am keen on honing my analytical, decision-making, interpersonal, communication, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills, among others. The multidisciplinary approach offered by USF would provide the essential theoretical orientation to entrepreneurship, as well as relevant applications required in contemporary global organizations. It has been my profound desire to apply what I would learn in Saudi Arabia as an instrumental promoter of new enterprises and a proactive collaborator of entrepreneurial skills that would spur economic development and professionalism in this field of endeavor. It has always been a passion to delve into personal and professional growth, not only for one’s benefit, but more so to the organization and community where I would be an instrumental part of, and to the country that I envision to give honor as honor is

POL- Founding Documents Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

POL- Founding Documents - Research Paper Example It also analyzes how the U.S Constitution was crafted to avert comparable abuses from occurring in the new republic, and assesses the likely role ethics played in the advancement of these founding documents. The actions of King George III King George III was not as cruel as declared in the pronouncement of Independence. He made various controversial decisions including: refusing to ascent an agreement to laws. These laws were considered by vey essential for the public good. He also prohibited his governors to pass laws of instant and pressing significance. After suspending some crucial laws, he utterly ignored to listen to his governors. He also ignored to pass other acts for the accommodation of outsized districts of citizens, unless those citizens renounced the right of representation in the governing body. King George III also called together legislative bodies at areas atypical, uncomfortable, and far-away from the collection of their public records, for the exclusive reason of f atiguing them into an agreement with his measures. He disbanded representative houses frequently, for differing with manly insistence his incursions on the rights of the public. He ignored for a long time, past such dissolutions, to make others to be designated, whereby the governing Powers, inept of annihilation, were returned to the public at large for their exercise; the State left over in the mean time exposed to all the risks of attack from without, and convulsions inside (Sunstein, 2009). On the other Hand, he endeavored to avoid the population of the American States; for that reason preventing the edicts for naturalization of foreigners; declining to pass others to support their migrations hither, and increasing the state of affairs of new appropriations of Lands. He prevented the administration of integrity by refusing his agreement to laws for establishing judiciary control. He made Judges reliant on his determination alone for the possession of their offices, and the sum a nd payment of their salaries. He also erected a large number of new offices, and sent hither multitudes of officers to harass people and eat out their materials. In addition, he kept among the American citizens, in times of serenity, standing armies without the permission of the American legislatures. He affected to make the military sovereign of and greater to the civil Power (Sunstein, 2009). In so doing, he united with others to subject Americans to a control of foreign to the American constitution, and to accept the American laws. The president thus ensured that he gave his consent to their acts of fake legislation. For quartering outsized bodies of armed troops amongst the American citizens; shielding them, by a mock trial from penalty for any murders that were committed on the residents of American states. The law also helped in cutting off the American trade with all parts of the globe: For imposing taxes on citizens without their consent. The law aided in a variety of issues such as deprivation of citizens in various cases, of the advantage of trial by Jury. Secondly, they aided in transferring the citizens beyond seas to be tried for mock offences. This further led to elimination of the liberated system of English regulations in a bordering province, establishing within an arbitrary government, and expanding its margins to make it at once a paradigm and fit instrument for bringing in the same supreme rule into the colonies. Another aspect of these laws included taking away American Charters, abolishing their

Vietnamese culture

Vietnamese culture VIETNAMESE CULTURE Totally this topic needs a wide knowledge about Vietnamese culture. Although I am a Vietnamese but maybe my knowledge is still not enough to talk about everything I want you to know. So, my entire essay is my result in finding from Internet and from my understanding about my country. Actually, there are some words I dont know how to translate into English, and then I let them in Vietnamese. That thing means keep tradition of Vietnam. Thank you for your attention! Some website you can find more information about this topic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/vietnam/index-1945.html#dien Vietnamese Culture and Tradition http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Vietnam http://www.vietnam-beauty.com/vietnamese-culture.html http://www.vietnamtradefair.com/en/vh.htm http://www.trekkingtravel.com.vn/about_vietnam_list/14/1/VietNam_Culture.html http://www.adoptvietnam.org/vietnamese/index.htm http://www.vietspring.org/ http://www.terragalleria.com/vietnam/ http://www.photosbymartin.com/asia/vietnam_pictures.htm http://www.bugbog.com/gallery/vietnam_pictures/vietnam_pictures_door.html http://www.vietnam-photograph.com/ http://history1900s.about.com/od/vietnamwar/tp/vietnamwarpictures.htm I) INTRODUCTION Vietnam has a very rich culture that has been shaped by many different civilizations throughout history. Through many long struggles, the Vietnamese have created our unique culture. Our culture has been influenced by many other civilizations: the ancient peoples that once inhabited the land, the Chinese, the French, and most recently, the Americans and Russians. From all these outside influences, and centuries of war, oppression, and hardship, we have formed, and maintained our culture. The people of Vietnam are hard working and feel strong ties to our families. We are well versed in the arts, and have made several contributions to the world of literature. Aside from our painful history, the Vietnamese people have a culture and many customs, all our own. We can begin with wars of Vietnam. II. BODY: 1. Vietnam wars: We had to struggle many years to take the government back from enemies. Vietnam was split into two in 1954, as part of the Geneva accords. It had a communist government in the north, and a democratic south. A series of events led up to a full scale war between the two countries which included not only the Vietnamese, but people from America, Australia, and other nations. The Americans supported the widely unpopular southern regime, and although in the beginning they attempted to keep their involvement limited, they sent millions of soldiers to war in Vietnam to prevent the spread of Communism. Years of bitter guerrilla warfare in the rugged jungles and villages of Vietnam eventually resulted in a North Vietnamese victory and the reunification of Vietnam. Millions of people, American and Vietnamese alike died in the war, and the country today still struggles to reestablish itself after the damages on its economy, land, and people the war caused. Especially, we have Vietnam war which also known as theSecond Indochina War, was aCold Warmilitary conflictthat may be said to have occurred inVietnam,Laos, andCambodiafrom September 26, 1959to April 30, 1975. The war was fought between the communistNorth Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government ofSouth Vietnam, supported by theUnited Statesand other anti-communist nations. TheViet Cong, a lightly armed South Vietnamesecommunist-controlledcommon front, largely fought aguerrilla waragainst anti-communistforces in the region. TheNorth Vietnamese Armyengaged in a moreconventional war, at times committing large units into battle. U.S. and South Vietnamese forces relied onair superiorityand overwhelming firepower to conductsearch and destroyoperations, involvingground forces,artilleryandair strikes. The United States entered the war to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam as part of their wider strategy of containment.Military advisorsarrived from beginning in 1950. U.S. involvement escalated in the early 1960s, with U.S. troop levels tripling in 1961 and tripling again in 1962.[13]U.S.combat unitswere deployed beginning in 1965. Involvement peaked in 1968 at the time of theTet Offensive. After this, U.S. ground forces were withdrawn as part of a policy calledVietnamization. Despite the Paris Peace Accords, signed by all parties in January 1973, fighting continued. TheCase-Church Amendment, passed by the U.S. Congress in response to theanti-warmovement, prohibited direct U.S. military involvement after August 15, 1973. U.S. military and economic aid continued until 1975.[14]Thecapture of Saigonby North Vietnamese army in April 1975 marked the end of Vietnam War. North and South Vietnam were reunified the following year. The war exacted a huge human cost in terms of fatalities, including 3 to 4 million Vietnamese from both sides, 1.5 to 2 million LaotiansandCambodians, and 58,159 U.S. soldiers. But after all the difficult time we had to struggle, there was one day, when Vietnamese had our independent day. From that day, our country became an independent country, an free country. On 2 September 1945,Ho Chi Minh(leader of the Viet Minh) declared theindependentDemocratic Republic of Vietnambefore a crowd of 500,000 inHanoi.In an overture to the Americans, he began his speech by paraphrasing theUnited States Declaration of Independence:All men are created equal. The Creator has given us certain inviolable Rights: the right to Life, the right to be Free, and the right to achieve Happiness 2) People: Although there are as many as 60 different groups of people living in Vietnam, the majority of the populations are the Viet people. Of the 78 million people living in the country, 85 percent are what we refer to as Vietnamese. They live primarily in the lowlands of Vietnam. Three-quarters of the population of Vietnam live in rural villages. A vast majority of the citizens are rice farmers, and live in the lowlands where there is fertile, easily irrigated soil. Where the ancestors of the Viet people came from is not completely known. They were probably farmers that moved gradually into the northern part of Vietnam from China, and slowly moved south, pushing other native people like the Champa out or up into the mountains as they migrated along the coast. One of the larger minority groups in Vietnam are the Chinese. They immigrated to the lowlands of Vietnam during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Before the war between North and South Vietnam, they were involved in foreign and rice trade, and remained somewhat independent from the Vietnamese people. Later, however; new laws and regulations forced most to abandon their ways of life, and many fled the country. Two other minorities living in the lowlands include the Cham and the Khmer. The Cham are descendants of the Champa kingdom that existed along the central coast for thousands of years. Now there are only about 50,000 of their people left living as fishermen and farmers in scattered villages along the coast. The Khmer, of Cambodian decent, live and have lived for a long time in the swampy Mekong Delta, south of Ho Chi Minh City. They are more numerous than the Cham people. The other residents of Vietnam live in the mountainous regions of the country. They, as a group, are commonly called the Montagnards. In the northern mountains, along the Chinese border, live tribes that have migrated there in the last several centuries. Some of the more common of these include the Tai, Nung, Meo, Yao, Muong, and the Tay. The Tay are by far the most numerous of the northern people. To the south, in the central highlands, are the Rhade and the Jarai peoples. They are descendants of nomads who came to the central coast in the third or second millennia BC, and have since been pushed up into the highlands. Now they live mainly by slash and burn agriculture. For centuries, the mountain people lived in isolation and were suspicious of lowlanders. They maintained only limited communication and trade with the Vietnamese. In the last fifty or so years, Vietnamese people have tried both peace and force to integrate them into their society, and finding themselves in the middle of several wars. Now the Vietnamese government is implementing programs to improve and develop communities, bring lowland Vietnamese people into the mountains, and educate the children of these Montagnards, while still allowing them to maintain their heritage. Vietnam is the 13th most populous country in the world. Its official language, Vietnamese is spoken throughout the country, but dialects vary between the north, south, and center. English is common in larger cities and is taught in schools, and French is also spoken in various parts of the country. Vietnam has an 88 percent literacy rate. Their national script is called Quoc Ngu. It was introduced by European colonists, and utilizes the Roman alphabet (the alphabet used for English †¦ but Vietnamese alphabet has some letters different from English). Nowadays, in a lot of school, besides English and French we can also learn many foreign languages such as: German, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Korean, Italian, and Canada †¦ Those languages service to our new economy, we join with world, with other developing country and so on. The Vietnamese people and the many minority groups living with us have created a unique culture and form of society. We have held onto their heritage and pride throughout countless struggles and wars, and are still striving to integrate and unite all parts and people of their incredible country. 3) Food: Typical Vietnamese food varies from one region of the country to another. In the north, spices are mild and no used often. In central Vietnam, food is much spicier, and uses ground chilies often. Foods in the south often include spicy seasonings such as curry. Tropical fruits, stir fries, rice, and soups are eaten all over. The same as almost other country in Asia, rice is the main grain for the Vietnamese people. It can be served plain, sweetened, stir fried with meat or vegetables, added to soups, made into rice cakes, or into flour to make rice noodles or thin rice paper. Rice paper is often seen wrapped around meat, vegetables, and noodles, and then fried to make Vietnamese egg rolls. Rice is eaten at almost every meal. Beef and other meats are uncommon; they are too expensive and spoil easily without refrigeration. Instead, the people of Vietnam eat seafood, eels, frogs eggs, and the occasional duck, chicken, or pork. In the mountains, they hunt birds and other animals, and eat or sell the meat they obtain. Vegetables, grown on plots near the house when possible, include onions, soybeans, bamboo shoots, yams, and other roots. Common fruits include bananas, mangoes, coconuts, and other tropical fruits. Tea, soda, beer, and rice wine are the main beverages. A common sauce is nuoc mam, a fish sauce used to flavor many things, including rice. Dishes of meat, vegetables, seafood, and rice are placed in the center of a table. People choose what they want, and mix them with their bowls of rice. Soups, also with mixtures of meats and vegetables, are also popular. The Vietnamese eat with chopsticks, and raise their up off the table to eat. Vietnam also has a large variety of noodles and noodle soups. Different regions invented different types of noodles, varying in shapes, tastes, colors, etc. For breakfast, people often eat a soup called pho. This soup can contain whatever the cook wishes to put in, but usually includes rice noodles, beef broth, onions, seasonings such as ginger, and bits of meat. Street vendors sell snacks and meals at all times of the day. As people go to or from work or school, they can pick up a bowl of pho, rice cakes, tiny meatballs, and noodles with sauces, candy, or any number of other treats. This food has become famous in the world. It is considered the symbol of Vietnamese food. If you are a tourist traveling Vietnam, that is the food you cant ignore. It has the private taste, so delicious and unforgettable. Vietnamese cuisine is extremely diverse, often divided into three main categories, each pertaining to Vietnams three main regions (north, central and south). It uses very little oil and many vegetables, and is mainly based on rice, soy sauce, and fish sauce. Its characteristic flavors are sweet, spicy, sour, nuoc mam (fish sauce), and flavored by a variety of mint and basil. Currently, Vietnamese cuisine has been gaining popularity and can be found widely in many other countries such as the United States, Australia, Canada, South Korea, Laos, Japan, China, Malaysia, and France. Vietnamese cuisine is recognized for its strict, sometimes choosy selection of ingredients. A chef preparing authentic Vietnamese cuisine may incorporate the ingredients provided in these countries, but generally will prefer ingredients native to Vietnam. 4) Life style: In each region of Vietnam, lifestyles differ, but there are some aspects of life which remain fundamentally the same. The family is the center of Vietnamese life. Many homes support large extended families with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins all living under the same roof. Although the government encourages, and rewards people for small families, the average number of children per couple is four. Respect is important in the family. Each person has his or her own place with the father or eldest son as the head of the household, and the one who gets the most respect. Every member of a family must work hard. Eighty percent of the populations of Vietnam live in rural villages scattered throughout the lowlands and mountains. Villages in the north consist of a group of houses with a temple or central building as a town center and social meeting place. Southern villages are houses lined up along a central road. Many houses are built on stilts to keep above flood waters. Many rural families dont want or cant afford to have running water or electricity. People living in the lowlands make money by farming. There are several state owned farms as well as private, family run ones. People grow rice, fruits and vegetables, sugarcane, tea, or coffee. Some families raise livestock for extra money. Along the coast, in addition to farmers, there are many fishermen. People who live in the central highlands and the northern mountains are very self sufficient. They only buy things that they can not make, grow, trap, or hunt. To obtain money, mountain dwellers grow certain types of rice, harvest the rubber trees, and work with coffee and tea. Some are also involved in the illegal growing and harvesting goes the opium poppy. The life of a farmer is hard. People must rise before the sun comes up to get started on their work. They take a break in the middle of the heat of the day, and then return to the fields. Each member of a family has certain jobs to perform. Men do heavy labor like plowing and digging. Women work around the house, and help with the harvest, planing and weeding. Elderly people do light labor. Girls clean, cook, and work in the vegetable garden; while boys carry water, and help the men in the field. The entire family helps out during planting and harvest. Typical clothing worn by farmers is lose pants and shirts (or skirts for some women) that can be easily rolled up and kept out of water an mud. Most people wear sandals or go barefoot. All over Vietnam people wear conical shaped hats called non la to protect them from the scalding sun and heavy rains. The other twenty percent of the inhabitants of Vietnam live in cities. They have jobs just like the jobs people living in cities all over the world have. There are construction workers, office secretaries, merchants, street vendors, teachers, government workers, factory workers, and many other occupations. Cities experience more of the western influence than rural areas do. People wear western clothing such as jeans and T-shirts, and do things like people in Europe and America do. Most families live in small, crowded apartments, or in government housing. The city is very crowded, and streets are often crammed with bikes, motorbikes, scooters, and some cars very early in the morning. Street vendors are all over. One can pick up a meal or snack from them as soon as he gets hungry. Overpopulation is a problem in cities. The government encourages couples to have only to children, but many have more. They are also trying to resettle families into the less crowded mountains. City life is also hard, crowed. Many people must take two jobs to get enough money to support their families. Both men and women work, although men do most of the heavy labor and hold positions of authority. Everybody gets up early in the morning. Work starts at about 7, but before that people are up and about, and in public parks exercising, or at open markets buying the days groceries. Children go to school for half the day; either in the morning or afternoon shift, then go home to work, study, or play. Women buy food and necessities on the way to or from work. Most families eat at about 6 or 7 PM and go to bed at about 10 or 11. Homes are small and sparsely furnished. Straw mats are used for both sleeping and sitting. Meals are eaten on a low table, in low down chairs. Food is often cooked outside, or on three legged wood or coal burning stoves in the main room. In the country, electricity and running water are rare. In cities, they are in many homes, but most families dont have appliances such as refrigerators or TVs. 5) Religion: Although only about half of the people of Vietnam belong to organized religions, religion, and the beliefs arising from religions play large parts in the lives of most Vietnamese. They are often very superstitious, and believe things must be done right, or the family will have bad luck. Most Vietnamese practice ancestor worship. They believe that the spirits of their ancestors come back to earth on specific days, and throughout the year they pay high respect to them. In many homes there is a small alter to the ancestors of the family where they burn incense, have food offerings, and pictures of their deceased family members. Certain beliefs of many religions such as Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, animism and Catholicism are incorporated into the lives of the everyday, not seriously religious, Vietnamese person. Of the people who are members of organized religions, the greatest number is Buddhists. Buddhism came to Vietnam from India, during the Chines rule. This religion concentrates on self improvement and the belief of more lives after death. People must carry themselves well and improve and realize themselves in this life in order to pass on to a better life in their next one. There are slightly different beliefs between the north and south. The members of the Hoa Hao sect in South Vietnam are more radical in their beliefs than members of the more passive sects in the north. Hoa Hao is the largest major sect of Vietnamese Buddhism, was founded during the early 20th century in South Vietnam, and has over one million followers. Catholicism is another major religion. It was brought to Vietnam by the French colonists and has about four million followers. Many Catholics were against communism, and many fled the country when it was split up in 1954 and when it was reunited in 1975. Other Christian churches have sent missionaries to Vietnam, but were not widely adopted. Many of the mountain tribes practice spirit worship, or Animism. There are differences between what each tribe believes. In general, Animism is an ancient religion centered on the belief that clouds, rivers, forests, animals, etc. all have spirits. It used to be believed all over the world, but now only in scattered regions, including the Vietnamese highlands. Confucianism is more of a philosophy than a religion, but it has a strong influence on Vietnamese life. The Vietnamese took many of the Confucian morals and ethics. Confucianism, introduced by the Chinese, teaches respect, honest government, formality, and that people should be rewarded for merit. Another Chinese religion that influences Vietnamese philosophy today is Taoism. A few of the teachings of Taoism are belief in the spirit world, and the importance of how things line up. People must be very careful where they build houses, dig graves, or face doors, or it could be very unlucky. Perhaps the strangest Vietnamese religion is Cao Dai. It was founded in 1919 in the city of Tay Ninh and has as many as one million followers today. Cao Dai was established to bring together the best of all religions. There are little bits and pieces of many religions as part of it. Among its saints are religious figures from other faiths as well as famous people from history such as author Victor Hugo, and comedian Charlie Chaplain. They have statues and icons that are mixtures of important Vietnamese mythical animals, and things found in other religions, with a little bit of their own innovation included. Many seriously religious people are activists. They believe in justice for all, and the government may not completely trust their loyalty, so it discourages strong devotion to some religions. Vietnams diversity of people and religions throughout history has helped make Vietnam the fascinating country that it is today. Religion in Vietnam has historically been largely defined by the East Asian mix of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism, the so-called Tam Già ¡o, or triple religion, but today it has become more diverse including other religions such as catholism, etc. Vietnamese Buddhism has typically been the most popular. The country also has a strong cultural norm of ancestor worship as well as animism. This fits perfectly with the triple religion; making it difficult for many Vietnamese to express exactly which religion they practice. Of the three, Vietnamese Buddhism has always been the most popular with commoners. Besides the triple religion, Vietnamese life was also profoundly influenced by the practice of ancestor worship as well as native animism. Most Vietnamese people, regardless of religious denomination, practice ancestor worship and have an ancestor altar at their home or business, a testament to the emphasis Vietnamese culture places on filial duty. Along with obligations to clan and family, education has always played a vital role in Vietnamese culture. In the old days, scholars were placed at the top of society. Men not born of noble blood could only wish to elevate their status by means of studying for a rigorous Imperial examination which could potentially open doors to a position in the government, granting them power and prestige as Mandarin officials. A part we must to mention in this part is temples, pagodas †¦ Architecture in Vietnam today is a mixture of French colonial manors, and Chinese pagodas and temples. Many traditional Vietnamese buildings were destroyed by nature or war. Many big buildings and cathedrals resemble French Gothic architecture. Other buildings have pointed roofs and curving eaves, like Chinese buildings. There are remains of ancient stone buildings built by previous inhabitants of Vietnam. In cities, many buildings contain stores on the bottom floors and homes on top. Homes are small. In rural and mountain areas, houses are larger, one or two room wooden dwellings. 6) Recreation: Elementary schools dont have sports teams, but secondary schools do. The most popular sport is soccer. Schools also have track, tennis, and volleyball teams. In large cities, the government sponsors sports teams in soccer, swimming, table tennis, badminton, volleyball, tennis, and other sports. Children, in their free time, like to play games similar to those played in other countries. They swim, jump rope, play kickball, marbles, card games, and many other games. People enjoy playing musical instruments and having any number of friendly contests. In rural areas, they have competitions in things that help people with tasks that they must complete in day to day life. Although the Vietnamese are not very competitive, they enjoy friendly games and competitions. Teens in the cities like to hang out in the streets, ice cream parlors, or in cafes. The like listening to music, and going to movies, dances, and cafes where they can eat and watch movies. Many people in cities exercise early in the morning in public parks. Thai cuc quyen, a form of slow motion shadow boxing related to kung fu, is very popular among young and elderly women. Martial arts are often taken up by boys. People also attend dance and music lessons. Most free time is spent with friends and family. In the cities there are many things to do, and in rural villages, people are never lost for something to entertain them with. When families go on vacation, they usually go to one of Vietnams many beautiful beaches or to the mountains near the town of Da Lat. 7) Customs: The Vietnamese have many unique customs. They have a great respect for their families and ancestors. Children obey their parents, and wives obey their husbands. Many people practice ancestor worship. They have shrines in their homes where they burn incense for their deceased family members. They believe that they must treat their ancestors well, or bad things could happen. If a special pet dies, a family might bury it as if it were one of the families. People, especially in the highlands, believe that everything has a spirit. They respect and even worship things like trees, animals, clouds, and streams. Sacred animals of Vietnam include dragons, turtles, and more. The Vietnamese are very suspicious. Things must happen right on special occasions such as Tet, or the family will have bad luck. There are numerous signs that could mean bad fortune is imminent. Geomancy is another superstition. It is centered on the belief that all things in the universe must line up. Before the building of any important structures or buildings, geomancers or pepole who understand the principals of geomancy are consulted. Confucianism introduced a strict moral code, formality, harmony with nature, and established a social order centered on society, family, and male dominance. Buddhism stresses self improvement, and greatly influences Vietnamese life. The French colonists brought industrialization, the idea of individual importance, and the equality of men and women. Nowadays, there are a bit of all shape Vietnamese life and traditions. 8) Clothing: In feudal Vietnam, clothing was one of the most important marks of social status and strict dress codes were enforced. A part of that relates to the way people design them. Its art.Vietnamese art shows a strong Chinese influence, but has the delicate Vietnamese twist. Ceramics are common in Vietnam as is silk weaving, and elaborately engraved furniture. A popular art form is wood block printing where a design or picture is carved into a block of wood, then painted. The paint is pressed onto a sheet of paper, and a beautiful picture appears. Mother-of-pearl inlay originated in Vietnam over 1,000 years ago. Pieces of colorful mother-of-pearl shells are inlayed in wooden bowls, boxes, furniture, or other things. Silk screen painting is also popular. Before photography, portraits and scenery would be painted onto pieces of white silk. Lacquer ware, introduced by the Chinese is found all over Vietnam. Wooden objects are painted with black and a design, and coated over and over with a clear, glassy liquid. When the coats dry, there is a glossy layer over the object that protects it from the humid Vietnames e climate. Dragons and turtles are two very important animals in the Vietnamese culture. There are many beautifully crafted sculptures of those and other important animals, people, and things all over the country. Many of these arts have been used in Vietnam for centuries. Commoners had a limited choice of similarly plain and simple clothes for every day use, as well as being limited in the colors they were allowed to use. For a period, commoners were not allowed to wear clothes with dyes other than black, brown or white (with the exception of special occasions such as festivals), but in actuality these rules could change often based upon the whims of the current ruler. The à o tá » © thà ¢n or four-part dress is one such example of an ancient dress widely worn by commoner women, along with the à o yá º ¿m bodice which accompanied it. Peasants across the country also gradually came to wear silk pajama-like costumes, known as à o cà ¡nh in the north and à o bà   ba in the south. The headgear of peasants often included a plain piece of cloth wrapped around the head (generally called KhÄÆ'n Ä‘á »â€˜ng), or the stereotypical Nà ³n là ¡ (conical hat). For footwear peasants would often go barefoot, whereas sandals and shoes were reserved for the aristocracy and royalty. Monarchs had the exclusive right to wear the color gold, while nobles wore red or purple. Each member of the royal court had an assortment of different formal gowns they would wear at a particular ceremony, or for a particular occasion. The rules governing the fashion of the royal court could change dynasty by dynasty, thus Costumes of the Vietnamese court were quite diverse. The most popular and widely-recognized Vietnamese national costume is the à o Dà  i, which is worn nowadays mostly by women, although men do wear à o dà  i on special occasions such as weddings and funerals. à o dà  i is derived from the Chinese Qipao, although it consists of a long gown with a slit on both sides, worn over cotton or silk trousers. It is elegant in style and comfortable to wear, and likely derived in the 18th century or in the royal court of Huá º ¿. White à o dà  i is the required uniform for girls in many high schools across Vietnam. Some female office workers (e.g. receptionists, secretaries, tour guides) are also required to wear à o dà  i. à o Dà  i was once worn by both genders but today it is worn mainly by females, except for certain important traditional culture-related occasions where some men do wear it. In daily life, the traditional Vietnamese styles are now replaced by Western styles. Traditional clothing is worn instead on special occasions, with the exception of the white Nowadays, throughout the lowlands of the country, people dress in loose pants or skirts with long sleeve shirts that can easily be rolled up. In cities jeans and T-shirts are common as well. Most people wear sandals or go barefoot. The ao dai are a traditional garment worn for special occasions and commoly seen with high school girls in Vietnam. The mountain people wear traditional dress made on looms. The material often has a repeated pattern and is decorated with beads. Each mountain tribe has a different style of clothing, and wears different colors. Conical hats, made out of tightly woven straw or bamboo are worn by people all over Vietnam to protect them from the scalding sun, and heavy rains 9, Literature: First, its the trend of music in Vietnam. Vietnamese music has a sad eerie quality to it and is quite mesmerizing. Often it takes the form of poetry that is sung. It is very interesting because the tones of music must rise and fall as the Vietnamese language does. There are three main types of Vietnamese music: folk, classical, and choral. Folk music includes childrens, work, festival, and funeral songs, and is sometimes accompanied by instruments. Classical music, based on the Chinese opera, is played by a large orchestra. Choral music is sung by a chorus with instrumental accompaniment. Common Vietnamese instruments include bamboo fl

Counselling: Providing Biblical Hope and Practical Help Essay -- Bibli

1. Background Information & Gathering data Theresa is 50 years old and is in good health. She has been happily married for the last 20 years and lives with her husband Ron, who due to a disability no longer works. They have two school going daughters, whose ages are 14 & 12. Theresa grew up in a well to do family; she is regularly in touch with her 3 siblings, 2 brothers and a sister. Her family is important to her and she shares a close relationship with her husband. She did a Masters in accounting studies, is a qualified Chartered Accountant and has been very successful in her career. She and her family are Christians; they attend church regularly and Theresa has been an active member of the congregation for the last 15 years. The words which describe Theresa are active, ambitious, anxious, self-confident, hardworking, impatient and excitable. She tends to get worried easily and react to situations fairly quickly. Theresa has never been to any psychotherapy or counselling. Recently she was made redundant from the position of a Finance manager, for one of America’s leading defense companies. This highly paid executive role was part of the leadership team, involved with strategic decision making and she also handled a 9 member team. This serious financial pressure is creating major stress for her and the family, as she is the only earning member. In addition, she is not coping well with the stresses and is struggling with the loss of significance suffered in the redundancy. At fifty years of age, her hope for another equally paid level of employment seems gone. At the session Theresa looked anxious, fidgety and had a dejected tone. Some of the things Theresa shared at the session were: â€Å"I feel my future is hopeless and... ...rd game etc. (Ongoing) 5. Keep a journal, so every time she felt like going into negative thoughts about rejection, tracking it and countering it by mediating on one of the scripture verses. Also tracking the weekly activities and time spent with family.( Ongoing) So at the beginning of the weekly counselling session, we would review the previous growth goals and along with ongoing ones, set new goals, for the following week. In conclusion, it is not an easy path for Theresa to change her thinking, however with God’s grace it is a journey of patience, perseverance and hope. Works Cited 1. MacArthur, John F. & The Master’s College Faculty (2005) Counselling: How to Counsel Biblically: Thomas Nelson. 2. Hunt, June (2008) Counseling through your Bible Handbook: Providing Biblical Hope and Practical Help for Everyday Problems. Harvest House Publishers.

A close evaluation of the Character and actions of Lady Macbeth Essay

This is an evaluation of Lady Macbeth, in this I aim to cover some points about her character and actions throughout her existing part in the literature. Firstly we can see that she has big plans for Macbeth to kill Duncan in order for him to become king of Scotland, the way she tries to tempt him is also interesting, with such a lines as â€Å"look like th’ innocent flower, but serpent under’t† Which is basically saying that he must act all innocent but is actually going to kill Duncan, this shows how she is cunning, and plotting treason for her husband and herself. Then we come to her encouraging him to kill Duncan, she does this by attacking his manhood, by claiming he is a coward this can be seen in a quote such as â€Å"and live a coward in thine own esteem, letting ‘I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would’ like the poor cat i’ th’ adage?† This is just Lady Macbeth telling Macbeth that he is a coward and is afraid of his own self, which Macbeth is quite enraged about and decides to follow through with the plan and kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth then takes it upon her self to apply pressure on Macbeth to kill Duncan. This can be seen by her use of persuasive language to convince him that everything will go according to plan. † What not put upon his spongy officers, who shall bear the guilt of our great quell?† This is Lady Macbeth reassuring Macbeth at the fact that they can frame, quite easily, the chamberlains of Duncan. This is show’s her unquenchable thirst for Macbeth to become king is emerging strongly. She then helps to plan their reaction the morning after the brutal elimination of Duncan and how they can pass the blame onto the guards. The quote â€Å"Who dares receive it other, as we shall make our griefs and clamour roar upon his death?† These words are Lady Macbeth saying, â€Å"Who would dare to think otherwise about the guards killing Duncan, when we make it look as if we had no idea about it and act so shocked on the discovery of his body that we make a big fuss about it ?† However, all of the above may seem like she is in control, but she doesn’t actually carry out the murder, this could be for a few reasons, these are: If the murder went wrong it would be Macbeth how would be directly guilty and so leave her in the clear, she could have also been scared to do it for the simple fact that she wouldn’t be able to (mentally). She may not want to get involved because if Macbeth’s mental state and grip on reality slipped, then she would go down with him if she got involved so she would have to keep a strong head for both of them. These reasons can reflect many of her personalities such as being quite selfish and letting Macbeth get caught for the murder if it went wrong, but it also shows that she knows if she does it that she may start losing her grip upon reality, this makes it clear that she has awareness of her capabilities in respects to murder. After the murder of Duncan, Macduff discovers that Duncan is dead and has been murdered, Macbeth responds to this in a manner of rage and shock and then proceeds to slay the two chamberlains that Macbeth covered in Duncan’s blood and their daggers after the murder. He does this perhaps out of rage or possibly for cover to hide his conspiracy with is wife, perhaps to make her pleased that he can think on the spot. This however leads to Lady Macbeth fainting, whether this is due to the fact that she is also covering up her involvement with the murder, or sheer shock from hearing that Macbeth has killed the two chamberlains. Either way it means she is already trying to wash her hands from the murder. But it does appear to work, as they are concerned for her health rather than her participation to the murder. Also just before Macduff may have the chance to question her she cries for help, this once again shows of her quick thinking and cover of her part in the murder. In conclusion Lady Macbeth is one of the most controversial characters. She can be viewed, as a woman of strong will who is ambitious for herself and who is perceptive enough to recognise her husband’s strengths and weaknesses, and callous enough to exploit them. We see her in her commitment to evil and in her realisation that the acquirement of the Kingship of her husband has not brought her the happiness she had aspired for, and finally, as one who breaks down under the anxiety of the murder. Others see her as a woman ambitious for her husband whom she loves. She recognises the essential good in him, and feels that, without her, he will never win the Crown. She allies herself with the powers of darkness for his sake, but her congenital femininity breaks down under the strain of the unnatural murder of Duncan and the alienation of her husband. She is seen as simple and realistic where Macbeth is complicated and imaginative. She can see what must be done as he visualises the consequence.

The Discarded Image

The Discarded Image (Rewrite) â€Å"The Discarded Image: An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature† by C. S. Lewis is not just an introduction of the Medieval and Renaissance period, as the subtitle suggests, but rather an overview of the cultural background of that time period. C. S. Lewis describes â€Å"the model† or â€Å"the image† of the universe as it was thought to be during the Renaissance and the Middle Ages. Their way of thinking was completely different from ours in our â€Å"Modern World† point of view. Their perception of the Universe was a â€Å"single, complex, harmonious mental model† (Lewis), unlike our scientific discoveries and newly formulated theories bout the universe. Instead of theories, they believed in these principles or ideas that explained their way of viewing things. Hierarchy, ordered scale in which everything is connected but has a certain order, and Body and Soul, the idea that everything has a soul and there are three different kinds of souls, are two of these principles. Hierarchy explains the order in which everything is or should be, as well as how everything is co-related. During the middle ages, it was thought that â€Å"everything has its right place, its home, the region that suits it† (Lewis, 92). The people of medieval and Renaissance period came up with the order of the universe, â€Å"Earth, moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn†. They thought that everything revolved around the Earth; they believed that the Earth was the center of the universe, and they believed that everything was pulled towards the Earth. The â€Å"force† responsible for this attraction was the Primium Mobile or the First moveable, â€Å"everything proceeds from Him (God)† (Brand), â€Å"its existence was inferred to account for the motion of all others† (Lewis, 96). Since everything has its purpose and space, it also has its own different soul. For example, because the different things or bodies have a different place and purpose they have different souls: â€Å"Man is a rational animal†¦Rational soul, which gives man his peculiar position, is not the only kind of soul† (Lewis, 152-153). Plants have a Vegetable soul, its main purpose is to grow and spread out. Animals, not human, have a sensitive soul: has the same â€Å"powers† as the Vegetable soul but has sentience in addition. nevertheless these three, Rational, Sensitive, and Vegetable souls, portrayed the synthesis between science, imagination, and theology that was very important in the Medieval and Renaissance period: â€Å"the real of science was the real of imaginations which was the real of religion, etc. † (Brand) C. S. Lewis in his book â€Å"The Discarded Image: An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature† points out the way the universe was viewed in the middle ages. Lewis explains all the ideas and principles that made up the middle ages so different from our Modern World. During the Middle ages Hierarchy was very important; everything has its place and purpose but at the same time it was believed that everything was a unit. The idea of Body and Soul was just as important; since everything has its own purpose it must have its own soul.

Christmas Worksheets and Christmas printables

Christmas Worksheets and Christmas printables Christmas lessons and activities are great motivational techniques. Some of the best activities in an inclusional classroom include brainstorming activities. When you provide students with the opportunity to brainstorm, you are actually using differentiated instruction. Brainstorms work well for gifted learners, mainstream learners and disabled learners. Use the Printable Activity PDF or try some of the suggestions below. 1. How many different Christmas words can you think of? 2. How many different things can you put on a Christmas tree? 3. What realistic types of gifts do you want this year and why? 4. How many different things can you do on the Christmas holiday? 5. How many different foods can you think of for Christmas? 6. Why is Christmas special to you? 7. How many different Christmas songs can you think of? 8. How many words can you find using only the letters in the word Christmas? 9. List all your different memories of Christmas. 10. Think of all the different things that happen at your house at Christmas. (Types of decorations, visitors etc.) Brainstorms can be in writing or done in small or large groups in the classroom. All students have the chance to feel successful during brainstorm types of activities.

Re-examining the Decline of Spain essays

Re-examining the Decline of Spain essays Richard Kagan writes in his insightful article, Prescotts Paradigm that Spanish history is often overshadowed by historians fixation on the decline of Spain. While some of the prejudice could originally be ascribed to anti-Catholicism and racism, most modern historians have managed to overcome the worst of these biases. However, there are still some historians who focus on Spains perceived backwardness or decline, citing the cause of Spains fall from a world power on an inept monarchy and a lack of innovation among merchants. In this paper, I will attempt to discover what the possible causes were for Spains disappearance from the world scene. In his recent article, Elite Self-Interest and Economic Decline in Early Modern Europe, Richard Lachmann uses his elite model to assess Spains decline, claiming that Spain failed to advance because of a lack of a centralized state and a greedy merchant class. He writes, The Spanish Empire failed to achieve economic dominance despite its geopolitical primacy because locally based elites in each Spanish province and colony limited the appropriation of fiscal or human resources by the central state or by a putative commercial elite. Lachmanns Elite Model focuses primarily on who controls the state and commercial resources, rather than on the resources themselves. He argues that the combined Habsburg and Catholic Church domination caused a failure when it came to economic growth: The joint Habsburg-aristocratic domination of peasants, towns, and the Catholic Church retarded Spanish economic development. Lachmanns claim smacks of the same type of racist and anti-clerical scholarshi p that Kagan warned against. Can Spanish decline really be laid at the doorstep of the monarchy and the Catholic Church? Or are there larger forces at work that contributed to Spains decline? The t...

Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe

Cask Of Amontillado By Edgar Allan Poe The story of â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† by Edgar Allan Poe is full of conflict from beginning to end. The narrator of this story does not reveal why such a conflict exists other than to say someone has impugned his honor. Poe makes use of irony, symbolism among other linguistics means to tell a revenge story under Montresor’s, the murderer, view and ideas. Even knowing the narrator is not reliable and he probably is mad, the reader stands on his side from the beginning to the end of the conflict. This article will try to analyze the tools used by Poe to create this short story. The Style of Poe in â€Å"The cask of amontillado† Strengthening readers’ comprehension of his writing is also a key function of the imagery Poe uses. The variety of stylistic devices used by Poe to create the atmosphere of horror and terror includes the setting, one of the things the author uses to paint a dark and gloomy picture in the reader’s mind. For example: as de scribed by him in the beginning of the short story â€Å"It was about dusk, one evening during the supreme madness of the carnival seasonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  or like in this paragraph: â€Å"At the most remote end of the crypt there appeared another less spacious. Its walls had been lined with human remains, piled to the vault overhead, in the fashion of the great catacombs of Paris. Three sides of this interior crypt were still ornamented in this manner. From the fourth side the bones had been thrown down, and lay promiscuously upon the earth, forming at one point a mound of some size. Within the wall thus exposed by the displacing of the bones, we perceived a still interior crypt or recess, in depth about four feet, in width three, in height six or seven. It seemed to have been constructed for no especial use within itself, but formed merely the interval between two of the colossal supports of the roof of the catacombs, and was backed by one of their circumscribing walls of so lid granite†. Imagery in Poe’s style of writing clearly involves readers in the story, and his use of complex vocabulary ensures that readers understand his themes and implications. The use of symbolism is what makes Poe’s short story even more interesting. Symbolism, according to the The Dictionary of Literary Terms, is an object, person, idea, etc. used in a literary work, film, etc., to stand for or suggest something else with which it is associated either explicitly or in some more subtle way. It may not be clear for some readers, but in â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† the fight between two social class conflict and the aristocratic social codes is very well pictured. Montresor meets Fortunato â€Å"as if by chance† when it is clear that Montresor already of Fortunato’s attendance during the Carnival celebration at a banquet. When Montresor leads the intoxicated Fortunato into the blind wall in the subterranean passages of Montresorâ€℠¢s family grave and takes him prisoner, he already has mortar and trowel prepared for walling up his victim. Since Fortunato had given Montresor a Masonic sign and asked him if he were a Mason, a question which response was that Fortunato was nothing more than a real stone mason and the murderer laughingly showed the real trowel he had with him, it can also be a humorous imitation of the French Freemasonry, whose motto was â€Å"libertà ©, à ©galità ©, fraternità ©.†

Mini project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Mini project - Essay Example ..8 Competence and qualification of the teacher†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..8 Student’s factor that affect effectiveness of learning†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.9 The level of the student’s memory†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦9 Student’s practice†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..9 Engagement of the student with real life situations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.9 Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.11 References list†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..12 Questionnaire to the respondents†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦13 Questionnaires coding†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦14 What factors are important to UEL unde... In learning, ones knowledge capacity is increased, there are some tendencies of changing of beliefs, behaviors considering the lessons learnt. It is not just anybody who learns about something get the experience and the skills. This calls for an effective learning from the learner. Many have learnt but they have not benefited from the learning. What might have caused it, is it they did not learn effectively or they were not lucky. There are various notions about his and many reaches have been done about the topic and every research tends to come with the best ways to get a lesson out of learning. However, the basic reason why people tend to fail to get the best out of learning is because they did not learn effectively. One may wonder what is effective learning. Everybody has a different perceptive when it comes to effective learning. However, all the different perspectives of effective learning come from the different factors that affect effective learning. This paper tries to consid er these various factors those UEL undergraduate students consider to be the ones that leads to effective learning. The research question wishes to identify the various factor that leads to effective learning, and if these factors are determined by age, the school, or the students. As part of the objectives, the research wishes to put up together these various factors so that UEL students can get the best out of their learning. Methodology The research employed sampling design which is a definite plan for obtaining a sample of a given population. In the sampling design, probability sampling will be used where every item in the population has an equal chance of inclusion in the sample. Among the reasons for

Using Popular Culture in the Classroom Dissertation

Using Popular Culture in the Classroom - Dissertation Example The exploration of new techniques and methods is always on the educational horizon. The promise of the future has not eliminated the need for a refinement and validation of existing practices. In fact, modern technologies have allowed for a greater level of access to a variety of media and have increased the capabilities of the average educator. According to Jackie Marsh and Millard 2000, popular culture is a phrase which can be applied to a cultural text which are popular and attractive for majority of children around the globe. Popular culture has a vast variety of material which are attractive for children like bags, games, stationeries, shoes, character toys etc. This not only helps a child to get a better understanding but also encourages an educator to bring in new ideas to motivate young minds. Popular culture is first applied as a test drive but it proved to be an excellent motivational idea. In this era, where technologies and media power has no boundaries has an impact on c hildren. Animations of different strong characters, fairyland and wonderlands have made it easier for children to imagine and fit in a particular character. In early childhood education, it is observed that a child learns whatever is been taught to them, but it becomes easier for them to adapt and practice if popular culture is used while teaching. Use of PSPs , PS2, Nintendo’s and play stations for playing different animated games sharpen their reflexes and their cognitive power. In Early childhood education, Rhymes and songs were introduced to make a child learn colors, shapes and simple concepts while playing, singing and role-plays. Popular culture should be adopted by parents, guardians and educators not only school but also in the outside world, this idea is perceived from a theory of Jackie Marsh 2009 that popular culture should be applied in schools and outside both, which clearly refers to home. Popular Culture is adapted by different practitioners where some of them came up with a different feedback. According to their experience, the change which occurred in a child after the implementation of popular culture in the early education is the glamorization of violence and adds cheapness to the value of education. It encourages a child to praise the material things which blurred the essence of education of being good to every individual regardless of color creed or status.

American Government Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

American Government - Research Paper Example The freedom of expression and speech was highly compromised. The Espionage and Sedition Acts of 1917 and 1918 respectively put Civil War newspapers in between hard rock and a hard place. The reporters of that time could not exercise their duties and freedoms without fear of persecution or threats. The United States Government put the Espionage Act with the aim of dissolving the overwrought climate that arose from the World War I. Woodrow Wilson and his team made the decision to institute a regulation that would counter the Americans if and when they attempted to cause harm to the nation. The law was also out to protect the country against propaganda warfare in the United States. The act contained a clause that made retrieval of information with the intent to harm to the United States a criminal offense. The act went further to make acts involving search of information with the aim of harming the navy or the military personnel an offense. Of course, the requirements stated in the Espionage act were reasonable, and they all contributed towards the safety and stabilization of the United States. However, the Sedition Act, a refinement of the Espionage act, took things to an entirely different level. The 1918 amendment made it illegal to engage in actions that would amount to insulting the military, the navy, and the national flag. The government went overboard in developing both the Espionage and the Sedition act (Hall and Patrick 78). The Sedition act robbed the American citizens and workers within the nation their inalienable constitutional rights, namely the free press and free press parts. The Sedition act defined writing, saying, printing, or even publishing any material that was profane, disloyal, or abusive in any nature towards the government, the military, or the constitution as illegal. In addition to that, the media and journalists would get themselves into hot trying pans if they dared mention anything that seemed as though was

How I Met Your Mother vs. I Love Lucy Movie Review

How I Met Your Mother vs. I Love Lucy - Movie Review Example Additionally, both the shows revolve around the theme of relationships and, therefore, a hilarious story emerges. Relationships and friendship are the most significant things to the characters. Their social lives and interaction between them forms the largest part of the plots. The clues that are offered, in the shows, to depict this are shown in the way the characters relate with each other, and the way they act when they are together. The love that these characters have for each other forms the main argument of the plot. Such shows are developed with the hope that viewers will get to find a common view in the show. These shows win awards because people agree that they have changed their lives significantly and that they support the view that the show presents. Yes, I do believe that my views on the two shows are true among many. The two shows have unique plots in, which the aims and objectives of the film are clear, and these views are the easily identified. It is from these shows that some people have understood the value of relationships. This shows that the two shows were developed to help the society in some way. They have also helped some parents in managing their teenage children. These shows teach people crucial lessons in life. However, one has to be highly attentive so as not to miss these teachings. The shows also teach people how to manage their relationships and social lives. They show the consequences that can develop because of relationship neglecting, or other factors and matters that affect relationships between two or more people. They make us think of and value the relationships that we have formed with people who around us. First, people are drawn to the shows because of they are hilarious contents. The two shows offer unending laughter during the few minutes that they run. Some people watch the two shows in the evening to get rid of stress that they had from work. Others watch the shows to see how the plot will develop. This is

A middle east entrepreneur Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

A middle east entrepreneur - Essay Example She took up the challenge risking all her investment let alone to mention that she was 22 years old at the time. She successfully established one of the fast growing online bookstore business in her region that is now operating internationally in a span of few years. Profile Jinanne Tabra is an Arabic Iraq woman that had an upbringing in Scotland. She was a former pupil of Carlogie Primary School, Carnoustie. When she was five years old, her family went back to Iraq to her father’s home town of Baghdad. They wanted to raise her in the Arabic culture and develop her Arabic language (Araboh’s story 2012, 1). However, for the family safety as the gulf war was eminent they relocated back to Scotland. Like most other Arabic children growing abroad she did not find Arabic enjoyable to learn but it was a struggle and difficult for her. While growing up, she did not have any access to fun Arabic books or cartoons although she wished that she had them. She did not even have any access to Arabic games to play with like other children growing in her native country. The best access she had to Arabic teachings was a community run Arabic school. She attended the community school during weekends something, which she did not find appealing. According to Araboh.com (2012, 1) Tabra says that, for her, it was no fun giving up playing time and enjoying your weekend for studying intensive Arabic. Tabra relocated the gulf, back to her native and homeland country while she was in high school. She was glad to relocate finally back to her home where she did not have to joggle with two cultures, as it was in Scotland. In Scotland, she had to live with two different and conflicting cultures. One was that of being Arabic, and striving to maintain her identity and roots as an Arab, while the other was the acquired culture of Scotland where she was born and bred. When she eventually moved back to her country, she was delighted of the prospect of living in a country with one cu lture. Here, she was at home and not a foreigner anymore. She fitted in seamlessly and adapted quickly to her new environment. Her little Arabic, which she had learnt from the community school, was helpful for her to adjust to her new environment. As she put her Arabic to use every day in her new home, she was grateful to her family and community back in Scotland for their hard work, in ensuring that she had a strong establishment in the Arabic language. She still struggled with her Arabic, and she was embarrassed to read out aloud and ashamed of her handwriting. Tabra is a graduate of the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University of Qatar. She studied business administration. In addition, she recently finished a certification course by The Academy for Arabic Teachers for teaching Arabic as a second and foreign language. Currently she is studying for a Masters level in International Education Policy at Harvard University. Among her achievements, while aged 22 years, th e Arabian CEO Magazine, named Tabra as one of the 30 under 30 Arab leaders in 2009. She was also featured in the Qatar Foundation achievers Campaign in 2011, which earned her appearances in leading broadcasters in the world, such as CNN and Al-Jazeera. She is also the CEO of Araboh.com the Middle East’s first e-commerce business, which she set up half way through her final year in campus. Today her start-up boosts a wealth of fun educational

Arth 1380 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Arth 1380 - Assignment Example Despite using marble in their compositions, people of this period also introduced bronze and used it frequently, thus that age was known as Bronze Age. The reclining female figure found in Menil collection is carved in marble with less obvious facial features except prominent nose that is the only visible portion in the face. The shape of face is oval which is connected to neck with a slender torso depicting two round shapes showing breasts of a female. The female figure is made in nude form with breasts and sexual organ shown; the only features that consider the figure as feminine. However, the figure has a slightly slender waist that is also indicative of a female figure. The female figure is shown with arms folded below breasts in a manner as if both of the arms are tightly enclosed around the body. The shoulders are angular and the legs are shown closely connected with each other and giving an illusion of being separated, however they had been carved in a same marble. The feet are carved in an upward style which gives an impression that the figure might have been of a lying human as it seems difficult to keep the figure stand w ithout support. (McGill, 1987) The formal analysis of the reclining female figure has been done here by highlighting the color, form and shape, space, line and texture of the piece. Firstly, the color of the statue is dull with cool color and the value of color is light with not bright intensity. The color of the figure seems to be close to grayish brown with dull outlook giving the impression of seriousness. As the color used is not a warm color such as red, orange or yellow, the figure cannot be considered an indicative of a delightful occasion. The figure incorporates certain hue stains all over which suggest use of paint on marble to give it a colorful look. It conveys the message of seriousness and the impression created on the minds of viewers

A middle east entrepreneur Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

A middle east entrepreneur - Essay Example She took up the challenge risking all her investment let alone to mention that she was 22 years old at the time. She successfully established one of the fast growing online bookstore business in her region that is now operating internationally in a span of few years. Profile Jinanne Tabra is an Arabic Iraq woman that had an upbringing in Scotland. She was a former pupil of Carlogie Primary School, Carnoustie. When she was five years old, her family went back to Iraq to her father’s home town of Baghdad. They wanted to raise her in the Arabic culture and develop her Arabic language (Araboh’s story 2012, 1). However, for the family safety as the gulf war was eminent they relocated back to Scotland. Like most other Arabic children growing abroad she did not find Arabic enjoyable to learn but it was a struggle and difficult for her. While growing up, she did not have any access to fun Arabic books or cartoons although she wished that she had them. She did not even have any access to Arabic games to play with like other children growing in her native country. The best access she had to Arabic teachings was a community run Arabic school. She attended the community school during weekends something, which she did not find appealing. According to Araboh.com (2012, 1) Tabra says that, for her, it was no fun giving up playing time and enjoying your weekend for studying intensive Arabic. Tabra relocated the gulf, back to her native and homeland country while she was in high school. She was glad to relocate finally back to her home where she did not have to joggle with two cultures, as it was in Scotland. In Scotland, she had to live with two different and conflicting cultures. One was that of being Arabic, and striving to maintain her identity and roots as an Arab, while the other was the acquired culture of Scotland where she was born and bred. When she eventually moved back to her country, she was delighted of the prospect of living in a country with one cu lture. Here, she was at home and not a foreigner anymore. She fitted in seamlessly and adapted quickly to her new environment. Her little Arabic, which she had learnt from the community school, was helpful for her to adjust to her new environment. As she put her Arabic to use every day in her new home, she was grateful to her family and community back in Scotland for their hard work, in ensuring that she had a strong establishment in the Arabic language. She still struggled with her Arabic, and she was embarrassed to read out aloud and ashamed of her handwriting. Tabra is a graduate of the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University of Qatar. She studied business administration. In addition, she recently finished a certification course by The Academy for Arabic Teachers for teaching Arabic as a second and foreign language. Currently she is studying for a Masters level in International Education Policy at Harvard University. Among her achievements, while aged 22 years, th e Arabian CEO Magazine, named Tabra as one of the 30 under 30 Arab leaders in 2009. She was also featured in the Qatar Foundation achievers Campaign in 2011, which earned her appearances in leading broadcasters in the world, such as CNN and Al-Jazeera. She is also the CEO of Araboh.com the Middle East’s first e-commerce business, which she set up half way through her final year in campus. Today her start-up boosts a wealth of fun educational

The Psychological Effects of Ecological Disasters Essay Example for Free

The Psychological Effects of Ecological Disasters Essay The highly advanced technologies emerging nowadays bring many conveniences today that seemed impossible fifty years ago. Yet, such improvements and developments are expected to bear different consequences. Ecological disaster, although a natural phenomenon, is a consequence of man-made hazard. According to Kessler, Sonnega, Bromet, Hughes, and Nelson (1995), majority of the population have experienced â€Å"at least one traumatic event throughout their lifetime†. Although the frequency of traumatic events is high, many people, especially the adults, are able to survive from different forms of disaster and are likely to recover from any traumatic event. However, there are some who are unable to cope with the trauma from such events, such as the children who are prone to resilience. It is indeed a traumatic and stressful experience to be present in any occurrence of an accident, calamity, or a tragedy. Victims of disaster are likely to demonstrate some stress and emotional reactions such as grief, anger, fear, depression, anxiety, and somatization. Other victims of ecological disaster are observed to manifest behavioral expressions of stress which include changes in illness behavior, problems in role functioning at home and in work, troubles of substance abuse, and domestic violence. Moreover, people who are suffering from severe mental illness (SMI) are more prone to experience Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD (Bromet Dew, 1995; Havenaar et al. , 1997). One of the most severe and traumatic disasters occurred on April 26, 1986 was the explosion of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which took place for almost 10 days. The explosion resulted in the enormous release of radioactive materials (e. g. iodine and caesium radionuclides) in the areas of Russian Federation, Ukraine, and Belarus. Such radioactive materials are known to cause thyroid cancer (The Chernobyl Forum, 2003-2005, p. 10). Approximately five million people living in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia were contaminated with radionuclides. Most of them were emergency workers and on-site personnel including army, local police and fire services, and power plant staff. Some residents of the said areas were also affected. The disaster response actions of the authorities such as the evacuation of people from affected areas somehow reduced the health consequence of the radiation exposures. Aside from thyroid cancer which hit the affected population, there is a notable increased in psychological problems among the residents of affected areas. Such was the result of disturbance and trauma brought by the explosion. People experienced stress and anxiety because of the lack of information about the effects of such radiation and its consequences to social and economic security (The Chernobyl Forum, 2003-2005, p. 7). Until today, the concerned authorities are having difficulties in identifying and eliminating the psychological burden of the Chernobyl explosion. Meanwhile, many researches demonstrated that the occurrence of ecological disasters such as tragedy, terrorism event, traumatic accidents, and others could cause psychiatric disorders to human victims. Such disorders include depression, anxiety, somatization, ASD and PTSD. Accordingly, there are several factors that are believed to contribute to the cause of psychiatric disorder following the occurrence of ecological disaster. Some believe that the impact of psychological effects of disaster depends on the amount of information given to victims of traumatic events. Other researches identified that a victim with lower level of education is prone to experience psychiatric disorder after the occurrence of a disaster. In addition, people who experienced many negative events in life are more likely to manifest mental disorders brought by traumatic event. Meanwhile, other researches assert that people with positive and optimistic personalities are less vulnerable to psychiatric disorder. This research paper will delve into the psychological effects of ecological disasters and will highlight the various factors that affect victim’s psychological processing of Chernobyl explosion, particularly the residents of Former Soviet Union. Purpose of the Study The purpose of this quantitative study is to identify and explore the factors that affect the mental processing of the victims of Chernobyl explosion. Respondents for this study are the affected residents from Former Soviet Union. The analysis for this study will dwell on whether Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and resilience can be predicted using variables such as participant’s age, gender, distance from disaster site, educational level, fewer life stressors, positive personality traits, and empowerment from having more information about the disaster. Moreover, the researcher will attempt to identify those victims who are likely to experience psychiatric disorder after experiencing ecological disaster and those who are not prone to such psychological disorder. It will also attempt to enumerate the different ways and treatments which will be useful in preventing the psychological effects of ecological disaster. Statement of the Problem Generally, this research study aims to examine the factors that affect the psychological processing of the victims of ecological disaster, particularly the victims of Chernobyl disaster from Former Soviet Union. Specifically, this study aims to answer the following problems: 1. What are the possible psychological effects of ecological disasters? 2. Who are the victims of disaster that are likely to experience psychological disorder? 3. Who are the victims of disaster that are likely to cope from experiencing disaster thus overcoming traumatic and stressful obstacles? 4. How do other victims manage to overcome psychiatric disorder following the occurrence of disaster? 5. Why do other victims fail to overcome psychiatric disorder following a traumatic event? 6. What can be done to manage and prevent (if possible) the psychological effects of ecological disaster? 7. Who are the proper authorities responsible for addressing the psychological problems brought by the occurrence of ecological disasters? Hypotheses There are various factors that make the victims of ecological disasters more susceptible to psychological disorder, and these factors are the subject of hypothesis for this study. According to researches, the possibility for victims to develop a psychological disorder depends on the personality of the victims, level of education of the victims; amount of information given to victims of disaster; and quantity of negative events experienced by the victims. Based on the studies conducted by Aspinwall and Taylor (1992) and Scheier and Carver (1995), it was discovered that having a positive personality or being optimistic can contribute to the victims’ physical and psychological well-being. In addition, Scheier and Carver’s (1995) study reveals that optimistic people believe that they could overcome any adversity. Thus, instead of avoiding the obstacles and challenges, optimistic people use problem-solving skills to cope with difficulties (Scheier Carver, 1995). Furthermore, numerous research studies have found that dispositional optimism (positive reason for migration, American acculturation, mastered of English language, and overall life satisfaction) could also lessen the impact of stress to the experience of an individual (Ben-Zur, Rappaport, Ammar, Uretzky, 2000; Herman-Stahl Petersen, 1996; Aspinwall Taylor, 1992). People who have positive outlook are likely to use health care services following the experience of any traumatic disaster. Still, there are factors that contribute to positive personality of individual such as demographic and social aspect, attitudinal-belief, and other structural variables (Anderson Newman, 1973). The researcher assumes that people with negative view of life and are pessimist are prone to experience psychiatric disorder following the occurrence of a disaster. Meanwhile, results of the research studies conducted by Breslau et al. (1997), Kessler et al. (1995), and Kulka et al. (1991) demonstrated that people with lesser educational attainment are more likely to experience PTSD such that lesser educational attainment is correlated with increased level of PTSD. Yet, there are inconsistent results from the empirical literature regarding the psychological and mental health of elderly adults. Majority of the literature review indicated that older people have a greater risk for physical injury and monetary loss, and have fewer social support, which then suggest that elderly are more vulnerable to experience stress. Thus, this group is at a higher psychological risk of developing psychological disorder in the face of disaster (Krause, 1987; Phifer Norris, 1989). Therefore, the researcher presumes that people with high educational attainment and younger population are likely to be resilient to post disaster stress and trauma. Many research studies established that the individual’s perception of risk following a disaster can cause poor health effects which is either physical or mental illness (Kazakov, Demidchik, Astakhova ,1992; Baverstock, Egloff, Pinchera, Ruchti Williams, 1992; Moysich, Menezes, Michalek, 2002). Yet, not all individuals have the same perception on the impact of hazard as according to Lazarus and Folkman (1984), perception on risks varies differently from one another. However, the level of stress caused by any traumatic event to an individual depends on how he or she perceived the risk of a disaster. To elucidate, the amount of information available for the victims of disaster affects his or her perception of risk (Renn Rohrmann, 2000). It is important to note that risk messages enclose factual, value-related, inferential, and symbolic meanings (Havenaar, Cwikel Bromet, 2002). In the case of Chernobyl explosion, limited information about the consequences of the explosion was disseminated to affected residents. Thus, people who have little information following radiation disasters like Chernobyl are likely to experience PSTD. In addition, the perception of the exposure has a significant impact on women, especially women with young children. The researcher then presumes that people who are less informed about the possible effects of disaster such as women and children are likely to suffer from psychological disorder. Other researchers established that victims who are exposed to the most intense features of the disaster are likely to develop the most severe stress reaction and are likely to experience poor mental health outcomes (Weiss, Marmar, Metzler Ronfeldt, 1995; Goenjian et al. , 2000). The degree of exposure significantly affects mental health outcomes. Individuals who are often exposed to high levels of stress in their everyday lives have a higher risk of experiencing mental disorders. Thus, the researcher assumes that individuals who are furthest from disaster sites are more resilient. Rationale for the Study The incidence of exposure to disaster is more frequent than expected. According to result of the research study conducted by Kessler et al. (1995), majority of the population have experienced a minimum of a single traumatic phenomenon in their lifetime. Epidemiological studies conducted by different researchers and specialists have found that approximately, three quarters of the majority population in the U. S. has experienced a single traumatic phenomenon in their life (Green, 1994). To elucidate, approximately one billion people have been affected by natural disasters within the past 25 years (Weisaeth, 1995). Moreover, in a national morbidity survey, researchers found that 60. 7 percent of adult men and 51. 2 percent of adult women in the United States have been involved to at least one traumatic event or an ecological disaster (Kessler et al. , 1995). Meanwhile, in North America, an estimated 17 million people are prone to a natural disaster each year (Meichenbaum Fitzpatrick, 1993). Furthermore, in a meta-review of psychosocial consequences of disasters, it was found that approximately 11% of individuals are suffering from minimal impairments, 50% from moderate impairments, while 21% and 18% are experiencing severe and very severe impairments respectively (Norris, Friedman, Watson, 2002). With these data, we could affirm that disasters are common events or phenomena. Since majority of the population are prone to experience traumatic events such as accidents, tragedy and other ecological disaster, it is important that people have enough understanding and are knowledgeable about the possible psychological or mental health consequences caused by these traumatic events.

Is an oligopolistic market structure an example of market failure?

Is an oligopolistic market structure an example of market failure? Introduction One constructive approach of categorizing a market is by dividing it in terms of the number of firms on the supply side of the market and the buyers concentration on the demand side. Oligopoly represents one of the market structure where there are a very few firms on the supply side and a huge concentration of buyers on the demand side. As the buyers cannot affect the market conditions, they are going to adopt it as such and the supplier will be busy in anticipating the rival behavior. Oligopoly looms large in industries of steel, petroleum, automobiles etc. Many industries can operate geographically as oligopolies. For example banking in a small town operate as oligopoly since there will be one or two banks in the area and the residents will be forced to take his business to the local banks.( Friedman, 1983) Oligopoly a complex market structure Oligopoly is virtually a big business. Under this market structure, the rivalry takes on its worst form. Product innovations, aggressive advertising and innovative marketing tactics are frequently applied to outweigh each other. Oligopolistic market structures are the most difficult to analyze as they are highly interdependent and interwoven, where moves and countermoves are taken rapidly. For example a simple action by Ford may lead to a reaction by General Motors, which in turn cause a readjustment in Fords plan, thereby modifying GMs response and so on. So anything can happen anytime in oligopoly. There are few models that highlight oligopolistic behavior. They are: Cartels A case arises in monopoly when all the firms attempt to promote interdependence and they all mutually agree to set price and output. The firms through their mutual coordination try to create a giant monopoly. OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries), is an example of a cartel platform. Price leadership and Tacit Collusion It is an arrangement in which one or two firms make an arrangement for the pricing for the entire firm. Other firms are forced to follow the same price pattern although no such agreement exists in the industry. For example: In the infant formula industry, Abbot laboratories, Bristol Myers Squibb and American Home Products deliberately set their prices closer to each other to dominate the industry. The Kinked Demand Curve This model elaborates the stickiness in pricing in an oligopolistic structure. It has been hypothesized in this model that if for example, a firm X lowers its price in an oligopolistic market, the rival will be forced to lower its price to in order to avoid the loss of its market base. The demand curve dd is thus the relevant curve in case of a price reduction. dHowever, if the firm X goes for a price increase, then the case wont be the same. The rivals will not imitate this time, and would continue to enjoy the customer support as they would flee the firm X products. In this case the demand curve would be DD. The firm then tries to remain in a segment of the elastic demand curve between dd and DD. The true demand curve is represented by DAd, known as the kinked demand curve which silently points out the fact heads you lose, tails you lose (Baumol and Blinder, 2009) D A Price 8 (Competitors prices are fixed) 7 D d (Competitors respond to price changes) 0 Quantity per year 1,400 1,100 1,000 Game theory and the Oligopoly Game theory has been formulated to understand the behavior of the firms in an oligopolistic market structure that do not work on a collaborated output and pricing. The underlying assumption is that the large bossy firms are like players in a game of poker. They make the moves of lowering or increasing the price, to advertise or not to advertise, to discount and so on, based on their rivals move. Understanding the payoffs can put a firm in a better position to compete with its rival and be in a profit maximizing and rational position. For example the game between two coffee shops is illustrated as below: C:Documents and SettingsAnumDesktop4th assignmentUnderstanding Oligopoly Behavior a Game Theory overview Economics in Plain English_filesgame-theory-1.jpeg Source: Welker, J. (2009).Understanding oligopoly behavior-A game theory overview. Available from: http://welkerswikinomics.com/blog/2009/12/15/understanding-oligopoly-behavior-a-game-theory-overview// According to the above figure, both San Francisco coffee and Starbucks is following a dominant strategy. They are working up to maximize their outcome through advertising, ignoring what their competitor does. If S.F advertises, Starbucks earns profit ($12 vs. $10) through advertising. This means the pay offs are the same. Since both firms are enjoying profit through advertising they will do so, though the total profits are less in case when both are advertising, as compared to when they are not advertising. But such a condition would be a condition of instability, as to advertise is likely to be beneficial for both. So we say that advertise/advertise is Nash equilibrium, as at this stage none of the firm is going to change its strategy since it is bringing incentive to both (Jason Welker, 2009). Market failure due to Oligopoly Keeping in view the above theories that tries to explain oligopolistic behavior, the market failure due to oligopoly can be attributed to a various causes. Inefficiency, instability and indeterminacy brought about by oligopoly may result in a market crash. The firms supremacy is established as the capacity is established more and more, but little is produced in order to create artificial barrier to entry. The competitors compete on the basis of non pricing factors such as heavy advertising, which gives more hold up to the artificial barrier to entry. Prices are well above cost and price discrimination prevails. Some of the firms also engage in self-regulation to preserve their own profits and market share that further detoriate the situation (Grewal and Kumnick, 2006). Oligopolistic firms output and prices substantially differ from what is socially accepted from them. It is also believed that the misleading advertisement by the large firms also misleads the consumers and compels them to buy products that they do not want. They impose political and economic power and hover over the mind of the consumers working like an invisible hand. Market Form Number of firms in the market Frequency in Reality Entry Barriers Public Interest Results Long Run Profit Equilibrium Conditions Oligopoly Few Produces Large share of GDP Varies Varies Varies Varies Source: Economics: Principles and Policy By William J. Baumol, Alan S. Blinder MC=MR applies for a profit maximizing firm, under equilibrium. However, in oligopoly, MC is usually unequal than MR mainly because in oligopoly the firms are seeking to adopt strategies in accordance with the game theory, or they look for techniques such as increasing sales for profit maximization as their ultimate goal. Conclusion In a perfectively competitive market place the behavior of the firms automatically lead to a maximization of consumer benefits through an efficient allocation of resources. In oligopoly however, resource allocation is usually is not well set, more focused is paid on restricting output in an attempt to maneuver prices and profits. In an oligopoly everything is possible, can happen anytime anywhere, so the economists are still unable to clearly predict its behavior. Besides, its ability to lead the market down, some economists are of the belief that oligopoly has made a significant contribution towards the economic growth in the past two decades resulting in an increase in the average income of the rich countries.(Baumol and Blinder, 2009). Question two What are the implications for management of businesses in such structures? Introduction Oligopoly is a market characterized by few firms. Managers of a firm in such a structure know that their firm enjoys a market power. But the other players also have their share of power too. If the managers take the right course of action, properly assessing the behavior of their rivals in the industry, they are likely to make a profit. Strategic behavior Strategic behavior refers to the firms ability of proper consideration of their market power and awareness of their rivals move. Strategic behavior occurs in oligopolistic structures where there is less product differentiation and a competitive industry exists (Taylor and Weerapana, 2009) Implication for the managers The most important implication for the managers regarding oligopoly is the pricing practice on the basis of mutual interdependence. In case of monopoly, the absence of competition enables the managers to follow the MR=MC role to maximize its profit. Simply following the MR=MC isnt just enough. Example Consider, for example the case of proctor and gamble, where the manager hires a consultant for the thorough analysis of the cost, structure and demand. After a detailed analysis of the structure of the body soap products, the manager follows the MC=MR rule and set the retail price at $1.99.In a sudden move, the competitors Colgate-Palmolive , Lever brothers etc set the price of the comparable product 10 to 15 below to that of proctor and gamble. What the manager is likely to do? Either he can go for advertising and heavy promotion to compete against the lower prices of the competitors or can lower its prices down. Or he can simple do nothing if he is confident enough of the strong loyalty that his brand enjoys among consumers. The point is that, that pricing in oligopolistic structure cannot be done without taking into account your competitor. This is the essence of mutual interdependence (Young and McAuley,1994) The second implication for the managers is to understand that it can be extremely difficult to make money in a competitive market. Firms are required to be as much cost efficient as possible because they cannot control the prices. The managers are supposed to be vigilant enough to be able to spot opportunities and enter the market before the others could enter. They should be able to make their place before the demand gets high enough to support an above normal price. A situation could arise in oligopoly, where the managers in a firm become so successful in beating up the competition that the firm turns into a monopoly, or the one that can exercise monopolistic power. Such a case happened with IBM when In 1969, the firm dominated the computer market so much so, that the department of Justice had to issue an antitrust suit against it (Keat, Young and Benerjee, 2009) Global implication for managers The managers should keep in mind that the process of benchmarking in an oligopolistic structure strategy formulation should be done keeping in view both domestic as well as the global competitors. For example AT T communications not only took into account Northern telecom but also Siemens, Ericsson and NEC and Fujitsu. Many of the firms that refuse to take challenge from the foreign firms are likely to face consequences. Like many American firms got a serious blow from their Japanese competitors in the past 20 years. Companies like IBM and Caterpillar enjoys success because they established a strong hold in the Japanese market well before time. The oligopolistic structure also highlighted the importance of alliance for the managers. Alliances enable the firm to acquire technology from the rival firm. Whilst the acquisition of the technology can be a source of benefit for the firm, the firm giving up the technology can face causalities ( Yoffie,1993) Conclusion The managers of an oligopolistic market structure have to take into account several aspects in their decision making. The managers are plunged into complex pricing decision. They take into consideration the three Cs of Cost, customers and competition in their decision making. Price wars were common in an oligopolistic market, but they are becoming less frequent with the passage of time, mainly due to the realization of the managers. Managers have understood, through their bitter experiences, that the price wars are costly and do not bring any benefits. They chose to compete on the advertising and on product variations. So they have chosen not to compete on prices and have found for themselves a path of mutual advantage.

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Should an age limit be placed on child beauty pageants? Every Wednesday night, millions tune into TLC to see Toddlers & Tiaras and of course their ‘Crazy Pageant Mums’. The series has run for 6 seasons so far and follows the preparation before the pageants and the contests. The TLC hit has failed to show the dark side of child beauty pageants and the dangers that come with it. The show doesn’t show the 6am starts and the near starvation beforehand. This puts immense stress on the children and that is why I believe there should be a law which stops parents entering children into pageants under the age of 8. On one hand, many parents, promoters and judgers of such competitions believe that the beauty version of the Hunger Games is good for the young children. They believe that it creates confidence in the girls and helps them embrace themselves. It also is good for their self-esteem and attitude. It gives the girls a sense of structure and routine in their lives and prepares them for adult hood. On the other hand, people believe that it sexualizes children far too early and puts them ...