Globalization Essay

Effects of Globalization As Candied said (a character created by Voltaire), we must cultivate our garden. Globalization causes diversity between cultures because unfortunately thanks to globalization, the world changes negatively day by day and also cultures are shaped according to this change. In today’s world we have to cultivate ourselves In order to exist in society, Cooperation in cultures helps to follow this change and creates new identities. According to Tyler Cowmen, globalization has a cultural benefits for society but in contrast Dry. Stranger argues that globalization creates a monotone identities which people want to attain It. Thus, this change which we call cross-culture has both negative and positive side and from my point of view, It’s true that cross-culture has positive effects for creating diversity in cultures but by a majority, globalization has a negative side on us as Dry. Stranger claims. Society’s perspective determine women and men roles in society. Before the period of globalization there was a definitive gap between genders. Thus, thanks to globalization, society’s point of view changes on man and women positively. Before, women have to look beautiful, made-up and have specific body size which makes them all seem bland and plastic like Barry dolls. They don’t have right to work because they are fragile, naive and emotional but In contrast, man has to be a bread winner because they are strong, not sensitive and independent. Therefore Simons De Behavior (French philosopher) used Hedge’s description of the master-slave dialectic. She compared the terms â€Å"master† and â€Å"slave† with â€Å"subject† and â€Å"other. She claims â€Å"The subject Is the absolute. The other Is the inessential. † (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2010) Therefore she argues hat there is a huge inequality between genders and this inequality put women into the background. However, after the French revolution, the world started to change. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France was over; people became aware of what they were and what they can do. Thus, this revolution caused a big change in Europe, After this revolution, Europe had entered into three revolutions and the most effective one was is the industrial revolution. Thanks to the industrial revolution, society perspective was shaped differently because states started to cooperate between each other. As a conclusion, society needs more labor and this event caused a change in gender roles. Women may also place in the work place which reduces the inequality between man and women. Also this is a revolution of new identities because we act our social roles how society wants. This revolution causes a change in social perspective, culture, so people’s view Is also change which creates new identities. After all. People developed themselves. As Tyler Cowmen claims â€Å"Look at a book and ask yourself, where does paper come from, where does printing come from, where do the ideas in the book come from? What’s the religious background of the author? (Really Creative Destination August,2003) Thanks to revolution, Europe made a trade between each other which caused a diversity in cultures. They changed all their view in every subject especially in gender roles. Thus, this interaction caused a change in whole world. People became more open-minded and they cultivate ‘Off Cowmen affirms, these discoveries created more comfortable lives. Consequently, I’m agree with the idea that interaction lead to the development of personality. It’s true that globalization has a positive side as has been illustrated, but in my opinion, costly, it has a negative side. For instance, the inequality between rich and poor increases. The Rich get richer and poor get poorer. Economic power causes this difference which influences the culture. It’s indispensable that people should protect their own traditions but globalization cause a loss of cultural identities. Most of the world tries to act according to American lifestyle because America has all the economic, politic power. Therefore, globalization can lift people out of poverty but the inequalities between groups get stronger. People wear same clothes; same shoes and eat same foods such as fast food. They follow same trends and same dream so as Dry. Stranger claims â€Å"As humans we naturally measure ourselves to those around us, but now we live in a ‘global village’ we are comparing ourselves with the most ‘significant’ people in the world and finding ourselves wanting. † (Bates, 2011). Accordingly, this global village which Dry. Stranger mentions causes a loss of cultural identities because we act and try to be like a dominant culture. In fact, we don’t want to be like a dominant culture. They force us to be like them, they manipulate our brains so they make pressure on us that we should act according to their rules. For example; George Orwell explains this situation in one of them his books which is 1984. In 1984, he creates a character which he entitles Big Brother who is a dictator of his own state and he forces his people to obey them. He manipulates their brains and he gives a role to play for existing in society. Thus these people loss their identity also their personality as we do. The another example is sass’s Turkey which we experienced the period of wrong westernizes due to media and literary influence. In sass’s all of Turkish people try to live like Europe. However, their lifestyle is not laid for our culture so in time family values changed and were mostly lost. Also our language started to get lost their value which is a another negative side of globalization. Languages lost their value day by day and it’s a big cultural loss because language is the most important element of identity. As Tyler Cowmen approved the cross-culture, he also add â€Å"In terms of culture, there is a loss. For instance, it’s absolutely true that a lot of languages are dying. † (Really Creative Destination August,2003). Therefore in sass’s Turkey people migrate to Europe and if e read the books of this time we will observe that writers use French in order to use Turkish. Also if we regard today’s world everyone use English in order to use their tongue. In this manner, I may say that, globalization creates diversity but this diversity also creates a chaos in culture because people start to take someone as a roll-model and try to live like that. In this case, we observe a loss in cultural traditions which makes a negative effects on society. Again Taylor Cowmen argues â€Å"The Julian Simon point that the gains are much larger than the costs is certainly true. Really Creative Destination August,2003). I’m totally disagree with this claim so from my point of view, in this situation, the costs are much larger than the gains because when we lost cultural values there will defends that globalization has a positive effect on cultures because thanks to diversity people make change in t heir perspective especially, they start to know many cultures which help to develop themselves. However I’m disagree with this idea like Dry. Stranger. Globalization damages cultural values. It’s true that thanks to globalization people are not stay shallow but constantly, it causes a loss in cultural identities. Therefore, I assert the idea of protectionism. Everyone should protect their cultural values and be aware of what they are. Otherwise; in the future, there will be a monotone people as Dry. Stranger asserted. Eventually, this cultural interaction causes a shape in society negatively to the contrary of the claim of Taylor Cowmen. Works Cited Ibuprofen, Debra. â€Å"Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’ 2010. Simons De Behavior. Cowmen, Tyler. â€Å"Really Creative Destruction August† September, 2003. Interviewed by Nick Gillespie of Reason Magazine. Bates, Claire. â€Å"The Daily Mail†.

Argumentative Thoreau Essay

Jessica Taylor 13, February 2012 AP English Mrs. Mercer Self-Sufficiency and Individualism Can Harm a Community Henry David Thoreau goes to the woods to live away from duties and to live a life of leisure. He moves far away from any method of communication, such as the post office. He wishes to live independently and self-sufficiently. The quote â€Å"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life†¦and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. † He summarizes his reasons for living in the woods in this quote.Thoreau wants to live deliberately; to choose his own course and have no one else influence his life. He doesn’t want to get old and look back and realize that there are things in life that he wanted to do, that he has never done. If everyone in a community lived by the virtues of individualism and self-sufficiency, then there would be no community. In a community, everyone contributes somethin g. Individuals in a community work together, in order to solve problems and issues facing the community. Such as, if there has been a terrible natural disaster, communities work together to repair the damage.If the damage is more extensive in some areas than others, then the individuals of that community can work harder to restore it. If everyone in a community lived by the virtues of individualism and self-sufficiency, then in times of crisis or suffering, there would be no sense of community where people helped one another. Also if a community lived by these virtues, then there would be no trust. In order to gain or build trust, there has to be some sort of connection between individuals. In Thoreau’s self-sufficient world, there was no communication.If a person held the virtue of self-sufficiency, this may make other individuals feel offended. People would feel offended because today’s world is all about communication. If an individual blocked out other people and d id not allow them to help him/her, then this might make the other individual feel as if they were not beneficial. Instead of being a community, it would be more of a rivalry between individuals. There would be no trust or companionship. In times when individuals would need each other’s help; there would be no sense of alliance.Everyone would be against one another, because everyone would feel as if each other were untrustworthy. In the United States, we are one giant community; there are many communities within the major one. In times of war or battle, we stand together. Above all, the citizens in the U. S are able to come together to fight the battles when needed. If every citizen in the U. S lived by the virtues of self-sufficiency and individualism then there would be no U. S. in times of war; there would be no army. In an army you must work together to find the best solution to the problem, there has to be teamwork and trust.In a self-sufficient world, everyone would want to do things in their own way, and in return this would cause chaos. A community is a beneficial factor, without it we have nothing. Yes, being self-sufficient can be a helpful virtue, but in the condition of the community it is one virtue that can destroy the community. If there was no sense of an alliance, there would be no way to survive a natural disaster or fatal event. A community can strive and recover from a setback, whereas, if an individual was self-sufficient, then this would be much more difficult.

English 12 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

English 12 - Essay Example experiment, average college students were gathered and placed into a prison environment, where they were quick to take on the roles of guards and prisoners. They acted in the ways that they thought they should have; they understood the situation so much that their personalities were taken over to accompany the situation. In my opinion, I agree with the thoughts of Zimbardo and Buchanan in regards to the fact that people are pitted against the natural forces of negative situations. There are many instances when a person is already familiar with the behaviors of a person or a role, so when they are put in similar situations, they react in a way that they are already aware of. As aforementioned, many people just act how they think they should; it is not so much the fear of judgment by others, but the fact that they should perform in a certain way, that there are expectations already set down for them. When people are put into a bad situation, they act as they see fit. Their behavior changes to help them get through whatever the situation is; oddly enough, it seems that most people resort to negative behaviors and actions than positive ones. An adrenaline rush from the situation may bring on the negative reactions, or perhaps people just feel a certain strength from being tough in a situation, even if it is negative. If the situation they are can be considered bad or evil, the person may act accordingly. In a bad situation, how else should a person act? In accordance to the situation itself. I also believe that conformity plays a large role in how people act in situations that can be deemed bad or negative. In some cases, people follow the behaviors of others that are in the same situation. Zimbardos prison experiment is an example of this - while some of the "prison guards" might have remained true to their personalities and typical behaviors, they noticed that others were strongly taking on the role of real prison guards. These other subjects conformed to the

Individualized Education Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Individualized Education Program - Essay Example From the report it is clear that  the program depicts and portrays the aims and objectives along with the exceptional assistance that a child may need during the school curriculum. When a child necessitates with special care as he faces complexity and trouble in learning, implementing and executing task or activity, he is likely to fall under the category where a child needs IE program.As the discussion highlights  when the child’s unique and distinctive needs come under inimitable observation by the parents, teachers, school team and even the child himself, the productive and persuasive IE program is probable to develop that plays a great deal of assistance for the student to progress rapidly. The plan and the structure of the program entail deep awareness and understanding, practice and familiarity, and dedication from the declared people that will make the student engage, engross, improve and grow from the designed course of action. The goal setting come under preparati on as a foundation stone of IE program and has an aim to have targets that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time restricted.  The reflection and the picture that a person views, is created by the lens on the retina that gathers, assemble, concentrates, examine, consign and disseminate the light into the lens of the human eyes.  In other words, eyesight or the vision is one of the unique and beautiful gifts from God that a person has. The retina transforms the light that enters into the eyes of the humans into signals that travels to the brain via the optic nerve. When the signals do not reach up to the brains to communicate with the eye or a part of them come under damage, the person falls in the visual impairment disease. With the advancement of technologies, several medical treatments and surgeries come under performance to repair or bring back the vision of a person. The severe congenital visual impairment refers to the loss of eyesight that is present from birth; however, there can be various reasons that can cause this disease that may include inheritance or may have originated via some infection that the fetus catches during the mother’s pregnancy (Moore &  Graves & Patterson, 1997). The visual impairment transports few disabilities as well. Inadequate and narrow leaning skill or the incapability of learning from the surroundings is one of the side  effects and distinctive attribute that the children with visual impairment administer and experience. According to the studies, the evidence has come under the fact that much of the learning of students come under occurrence through their vision and the students who are disable with this gift gain knowledge through the signals of image (Roman-Lantzy, 2007). However, this impairment encompasses several complications to the children as an outcome of the injury. Students may have hindrance and interruptions in their growth and progress due to the reason that their brain may have had some injury. They may demonstrate signs of lacking in their concentrations to sight stimulus. These students when examine, search and seek for any material entity or things, their top priority changes to the sense of touch and feel over their sight. The consequence of the congenital visual impairment may have oscillation to the general health of the child, and may experience and may affect by the diseases

International HRM Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

International HRM - Term Paper Example It is a great idea to offer HRM consulting services to private-sector employers located in England and France. It will diversify the operations of the organization and will open up new opportunities for growth and development. By all means the organization must go ahead with this initiative as companies all over the world are looking for HR consulting organizations to assist them with managing global workforce. Global cultural competencies will definitely grow and this is a great opportunity to stay ahead of the competition. At the same time there are various issues that need to be considered for this initiative to be successful. First and the foremost, it is an obvious fact that HRM has only been a part of the organization and not the core business. The core business of the organization has been IT consulting; hence, HR consulting is not the expertise of the company. It also has to be noted that IT consulting has limited clients in the U.S. and Canada. Therefore, venturing into an e ntirely new market with a new service is very risky and calls for caution. There are numerous factors that need to be considered and acted upon for the company to be prepared and competent in order to meet the needs of clients in England and France. The current HR team will not be sufficient to handle the workload and, hence, new recruitments are essential. The HR team will not be addressing issues with respect to internal employees but employees of clients which are international organizations. Hence, now qualified HR professionals need to possess numerous essential competencies, such as â€Å"knowledge of HR strategies, models, methods and techniques; problem-solving skills; people management skills; and, finally, the ability to adapt to international contexts† (Tyler, 2011). Another crucial requirement regarding HR personal is the development of global mind-set. When dealing with people from different cultural backgrounds it is essential to understand their culture. Hence, HR personal needs to be taught global mind-set skills, even though they will be working from offices and visiting the client sites. In order for our HR team to manage or consult on issues with respect to international workforces, there are three main aspects they need to be good at: â€Å"self-awareness, second languages and multicultural savvy† (Tyler, 2011). It is very important to ensure that the above factors are taken into consideration while hiring new HR personnel. HR professionals with an international HR degree would be handy for this project but it is not an absolute necessity. There is no need for a compulsory HR degree courses but it is essential for professionals to at least attend workshops that last from a day to a week. Such workshops, which focus on topics related to globalization, are vital as they help HR professional to better understand international cultures (Tyler, 2011). There are various other factors that need to be considered, such as cultural faux pas. What is considered as good manners in one culture might not be the same in another culture. Hence, cultural competency becomes vital when dealing intercultural organizations. Cultural competency is the ability of an individual to effectively interact and communicate with people from different cultural backgrounds (Tyler, 2011). Effective HR personnel are those who are not only aware of one’s background, views, as well as preferences and bias but also of the whole lot of other important nuances. Only then he/she will be able to effectively understand and manage the human resources in the 21st century organization. Second language acquisition is another important aspect of cultural competence. For example, while dealing with clients from France, it is important to be able to communicate in French. Talent management is a challenge with respect to international management as different practices are employed in different cultures and this leads to divergence of ideologies. V arious factors, such as

Application Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Application - Assignment Example Objective examination of the mentioned variables seeks to establish a relationship between the factors influencing teacher-student communication within a learning environment. The research article subscribes to the fact that student nonverbal responses are a desirable behavior among teachers in a college context (Malachowski and Martin 142). It acknowledges that all students will not engage in constructive communication through verbal means. In this regard, there is a need to understand how teachers can effectively use nonverbal communication in sourcing desired information from students. B. Theoretical Background Numerous studies suggest that students’ nonverbal responses influence a teacher’s degree of self-efficacy and job satisfaction. In addition, students respond differently to classroom instructions based on their perception on the instructing teacher (Malachowski and Martin 143). In this context, it is inherent to acknowledge the element of nonverbal immediacy d epicted by a teacher within a class room. Previous studies show that nonverbal immediacy influences students’ willingness to comply with a teacher’s instructions. On the other hand, the aspect of communication apprehension affects effectiveness of communication between teachers and students in college classrooms. High levels of Communication Apprehension, which involves an exaggerated sense of fear and anxiety, act as a negative influence on a teacher’s communications. Subsequently, students experiences discomfort and dissatisfaction whenever their teacher elicits substantial degrees of communication apprehension (Malachowski and Martin 143). Thorough evaluation of these variables within teacher population suggests existence of a relationship between them and the students’ nonverbal responses. In this regard, it is worth establishing an objective and reliable relationship between the variables mentioned above. Therefore, this research article provides a d etailed analysis on the quantitative nature of relevant variables within a learning setting. II. Description of Research Results a) Nonverbal Immediacy The entire study inclines towards hypothesis containing paired variables regarding teacher’s perception on students’ nonverbal responses, and their individual patterns in nonverbal communication. On the aspect of nonverbal immediacy, results depict a positive relationship between instructor’s perception on nonverbal immediacy and their perception on students’ nonverbal responsiveness. Quantitative analysis of the variables yields a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.56 (Malachowski and Martin 146). Theoretical knowledge ascertains that nonverbal immediacy influences the physical and psychological distance between communicating parties. In learning, instructors displaying minimum physical and emotional contact with their students receive more and objective attention compared to those eliciting behavioral arousal and attention among students. b) Confirmation Behaviors The second hypothesis relates the variable of confirming behaviors and the instructor’s perception on students’ nonverbal responses. Quantitative analysis yields a Pearson coefficient of 0.33, which suggests existence of a positive relationship between the two variables. Confirmation behaviors refer to instructor’s perception on students’ perception concerning their resourcefulness, significance and acknowledgement within a classroom. The relation coefficie

Radical changes are needed in company reporting to cope with the rise Essay

Radical changes are needed in company reporting to cope with the rise of intangible assets. Discuss - Essay Example 1. Ability to be separately recognised: Since the asset can be separately quantified, relative commercial transactions such as sale, transfer or exchange could be carried out, Further, the creation of an intangible asset is out of an agreement or other legal imposition, 2. Ability to produce future benefits: Software development expenses is example of an intangible asset that has the ability to produce future benefits. For the same reason, special distribution and selling rights, trademarks and intellectual properties ownerships also constitute intangible assets Intangibles can be acquired either externally or through internal means. Intangible assets acquired externally are through buying, transfer or leasing process and the internally generated ones are established by way of the companies’ own efforts and market reputation. The main aspect to be considered with regard to intangible assets is that it must be compatible to quantitative analysis and future benefits. Whether the intangible assets are self generated or acquired externally. If this parameter is not met the investment would be â€Å"recognised as an expense when it is incurred [IAS 38.68]1† and not as an intangible asset. The aspect of intangible asset which is self generated refers to determination of goodwill and its accounting treatment. In real effect, goodwill represents â€Å"the excess paid for a firm over its adjusted net asset value.†2 (p.992). The goodwill amount refers to the special ability of the firm to generate revenue by way of its current market standing and also its future earning capacity. Goodwill is only seen in the context of business mergers and acquisitions representing the difference between the purchase prices and the net value of assets acquired. The aspect of goodwill in accounting cannot be undermined because â€Å"when Philip Morris acquired Seven Up for a price of $ 520 Million, approximately $ 390 million of the purchase price represented goodwill,†3

How does the therapeutic relationship help children to make sense of Essay

How does the therapeutic relationship help children to make sense of difficult life experiences - Essay Example To determine how play therapy could enable children to positively deal difficulties in life, the researcher will examine the importance of play therapy in different health care settings. Prior to the conclusion, the researcher will discuss some ways on how to maximize the use of play therapy when dealing with difficulties in life. Play Therapy – â€Å"a developmentally sensitive therapeutic modality that is used by well-trained play therapists to allow children to easily resolve their psychosocial difficulties in order to enable them to reach their optimal growth and development.† (Bratton et al., 2003) When designing the type of play suitable for each child, health care practitioners should consider the cognitive, physical and social development of the child. According to von Gontard & Lehmkuhl (2003), among the five new approaches to play therapy includes: (1) the Parent-Child interaction therapy; (2) the behavioral approaches such as the Cognitive-Behavioral play therapy; (3) therapies designed for preschool childrean such as the Filial therapy, developmental play therapy and thera-play; (4) developmental play therapy; (5) the focussed of play therapies for specific disorders; as well as and (6) family therapy. Selecting the type of play is necessary to effectively arouse the child’s interest in participating in the play therapy. Depending on the number of children as well as the child’s gender, cognitive, physical and social development, health care professionals may choose to implement either the use of Child-Centred Play Therapy (CCPT), Group Play Therapy, or a Non-Directive Play Therapy. (Ray, 2008; Jones, 2002) Even though further study is required, the study of Ray (2008) shows that the application of Child-Centred Play Therapy is more effective in terms of reducing the parent-child relationship stress among children with internal and external

Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 4

Project Management - Essay Example On the sparc.airtime.co.uk website, a Software Project Manager is defined as a person with "the role with total responsibility for all the software activities for a project (CSCI). The Software Project Manager is the individual the Program Manager deals with in terms of software commitments and who controls all the software resources for a project. The Software Project Manager may have the responsibility for multiple software projects." (www.sparc.airtime.co.uk, 2006) By understanding what the project management position being advertised is in relation to the definitions of what that job is ensures that both the advertiser and the applicant are under the same understanding of what both are looking for. Sometimes the jobs that are being advertised are vague with respect to what the job scope is and many times this is done for a reason Many of the job advertisements reviewed from both online newspapers (Times) and internet searches were indeed different in what they wanted applicants to see. The different scopes of the descriptions tend to either be too vague and the job description is meant to either weed out those who the company does not want to have apply, or, keep their true job requirements a closely guarded secret. One of the many tactics that employers tend to do is to ensure that competitors are not finding out what the job is in entirety, especially if they are not going through a placement agency, to ensure they do not phish for information about future projects. As many employers look to recruitment agencies to find their next employees, one of the problems that come from that route is that the agencies do not provide complete details about the job as they want a face to face interview before the applicant even goes before the customer. The job of the recruitment agent is to ensure that the customer is in fact getting the right candidate for the job, and, for the position of a project manager the customer can ill-afford the trouble of interviewing substandard applicants. Advertised Positions for Project Manager - Good and Bad The search for this type of position was actually quite easy and circumspect in what the different employers classified as a project manager, as it would appear many of them leaned more to a Directorship position. In one advertisement for a web project manager through a recruitment agency, the position called for Detailed understanding of web projects & implementation methodologies; An understanding of commercial and account strategies with the ability to tailor implementation and wider delivery processes to meet stakeholder requirements; General knowledge of HTML, design/graphic production software packages (e.g. PhotoShop, Dreamweaver) and familiarity with other web technologies Understanding of web development and design tools; Appreciation of other web technologies; Ability to lead cross-functional team of designers, developers and other staff; Client management skills for project reporting, conflict management and general engagement; Strong project estimating skills; Strong project planning and project management abilities with skills in

Usefulness of participant observation to sociologists Essay Example for Free

Usefulness of participant observation to sociologists Essay Using information from the items and elsewhere, assess the usefulness of participant observation to sociologists. Participant Observation is a method of data collection that takes advantage of the human ability to empathise. It is often most useful to interpretist sociologists, as the data gathered is usually qualitative, and the research is invariably low in reliability. It is also high in validity, as the information is shared in a trusting environment. However, it is important to remember subjects may exaggerate for sympathy or to boast. There is a lot of depth and interaction involved in participant observation, therefore the data cannot be turned into measurable statistics. This is good for a sociologist using a micro, or bottom up approach, as they require feeling and opinions rather than numbers, as with positivists. Having said this, Emile Durkheim regarded suicide as a social fact, and used suicide statistics as hard evidence to explain a persons behaviour. Participant observation is adopted by sociologists aiming to discover the nature of reality, and get involved with other peoples interpretation and understanding of particular social environments. Thus it is sometimes referred to as a naturalistic method. Researchers want to put themselves in the shoes of another way of life, to get to the heart and live it as it is. Participant observers face many difficulties in getting accepted by the group they wish to study, especially if they use a covert approach, as trust has to be gained and the researcher must ensure they blend in, and not arouse suspision. Getting discovered would not only cause trouble, and even gage violent reactions, but would also waste a lot of time and money spent on the observation. For example, BBC reporter Donal Macintyre put himself at risk when he studied football hooliganism, or more specifically, the Chelsea headhunters. In order for him to get accepted by the group, he had to do a lot of background research using secondary sources. Not only this, but he had to to ensure his appearance and the way he acted was the same as the other hooligans. This conforming included getting a Chelsea tattoo, and even learning how to swear and smoke properly. Although this process is time consuming, and even drastic, the results he gained led to the arrest of several of the men, and exposed this behaviour. However, he put himself at great danger, as he could of been found out at any time, and was fully exposed after the programme was shown on TV. Therefore it is important to weigh up the pros and cons of participant observation before a sociologist decides on their method. The sociologist gains very in depth data by getting their information first hand, yet it is impossible to make generalisations from this data as it is usually a very select group of people, who may not represent the wider picture. Participant observation is usuful for those who have a particular interest in a subject, as they would get to see the world through the eyes of those people. Also, an interest is important otherwise the research may be half hearted and the researcher would likely know what to look for. Participant observation is a very useful, and possibly the only way of gaining access to a group involved in criminal or other socially unacceptable acts. For example, James Patrick (1973) covertly studied a Glasgow gang. No other form of research would have gained such in-depth results. Even an overt approach would not have been suitable, as the knowledge of a reaseacher in their gang would probably have changed their whole behaviour, and it would have been very difficult for James to get access into their gang, and impossible to gain their trust. The gang would never admit to these acts in questionnaires or other forms of research, as they never had to answer anything to James, he just went along with what they did. A similar situation is William Whytes study of a street corner gang in Boston. He became a member of their gang, and learnt that asking questions often resulted in the subjects closing up to him. Instead he listened, and found out more that way than if they had answered his questions. This shows how useful participant observation is to sociologists, as information can be discovered that would never have occurred to them in another form of research, and correlations can be made within their social group. For example, Donal Macintyre discovered a link between fascism and football hooliganism, which he may not even have considered before his observation. In important factor to keep in mind is the ethical issues involved in covert participant observation. It should only be fair that people give concent to their being observed, yet this knowledge may affect the results. Sociologists should bare in mind how their research could affect the lives of the subject and their families. Laud Humphreys studied homosexuals by acting as a gay voyeur or a watch-queen in toilets. He then got some of the mens addresses and a year later interviewed them as part of a heath survey. This may be seen as highly unethical, as he is getting involved in the families of his subjects. Polsky researched pool hustlers overtly in 1971. Polsky was against covert research: You damned well better not pretend to be one of them, because they will test this claim out and one of two things will happen: either you will get sucked into participant observation of the sort you would rather not undertake, or you will be exposed, with still grater negative consequences. You must let the criminals know who you are and if it is done properly it does not sabotage the research. With participant observation comes the problem of how to record findings accurately, in a way which is unbiased and accurate. Donal Macintyre used a covert camera to record his findings, which could then be transcripted and studied. This meant Donal was not relying on his memory, and personal interpretation did not get in the way of his results. Field diaries are often used by sociologists. Erving Goffman used a field diary in his study of asylums. He wrote down his findings at the end of the day. It is clear to see the obvious problems of accuracy here, as he may forget vital things, and his personal ideas will affect the way he interprets things.

Study On The Anthrax Disease Biology Essay

Study On The Anthrax Disease Biology Essay In 2001, letters containing the virulent Ames strain of anthrax spores were mailed to several news media offices killing five people and infecting 17 others. I found this story and the use of anthrax as a bioterrorism weapon fascinating Anthrax is a life-threatening infectious disease that normally affects animals, especially goats, cattle, sheep, and horses. Anthrax can be transmitted to humans by contact with infected animals or their products. However, anthrax does not spread from person to person. Anthrax  is an  acute  disease caused by the bacterium  B. anthracis. Most forms of the disease are lethal, and it affects both humans and other animals. As a member of the genus  Bacillus,  B. anthracis  can form dormant  endospores  that are able to survive in harsh conditions for decades.  For example, spores have been known to have re-infected animals over 70 years after the burial sites of anthrax-infected animals were disturbed. When spores are inhaled, ingested, or come into contact with a skin lesion on a host, they may become reactivated and multiply rapidly. If the spores of anthrax are inhaled, they migrate to lymph glands in the chest where they proliferate, spread, and produce toxins that often cause death. The symptoms vary depending on whether the anthrax spores were inhaled, ingested or through the skin. Inhalation Anthrax The first symptoms are subtle, gradual and flu-like. However as the illness worsens there may be severe respiratory distress, shock and coma. Spores are transported in the lymph nodes where they multiply producing deadly toxins, resulting in severe haemorrhage and necrosis. Usually causing death as although prescribed antibiotics are effective in eradicating the bacteria they do not destroy the toxins already released by the anthrax bacteria. Gastrointestinal Anthrax This form of anthrax is the rarest form. Gastrointestinal infection in humans is most often caused by eating anthrax-infected meat and is characterized by serious gastrointestinal difficulty,  vomiting of blood, severe diarrhoea, acute inflammation of the intestinal tract, and loss of appetite. Some lesions have been found in the intestines and in the mouth and throat. After the bacterium invades the bowel system, it spreads through the bloodstream throughout the body, making even more toxins on the way. Gastrointestinal infections can be treated but usually result in fatality rates of 25% to 60%, depending upon how soon treatment commences. Cutaneous Anthrax Cutaneous anthrax is typically caused when  B. anthracis  spores enter through cuts on the skin. This form of Anthrax is found most commonly when humans handle infected animals and/or animal products. Cutaneous anthrax is rarely fatal if treated,  because the infection area is limited to the skin. The cutaneous form of anthrax starts as a red-brown raised spot that enlarges with redness around it, blistering, and hardening. There lymph nodes get swollen in this area. Symptoms include muscle aches and pain,  headache,  fever,  nausea, and vomiting. The illness usually resolves in about six weeks, but deaths may occur if patients do not receive appropriate antibiotics. The bacteria may be found in cultures or smears in cutaneous anthrax and in throat swabs and sputum in pulmonary anthrax.  Chest X-rays may also show characteristic changes in and between the lungs. Other than  Gram stain  of specimens, there are no specific direct identification techniques for identification of  Bacillus species  in clinical material. A specific feature of  Bacillus species that makes it unique from other aerobic microorganisms is its ability to produce spores. Although spores are not always evident on a Gram stain of this organism, the presence of spores confirms that the organism is of the genus  Bacillus. French scientist Louis Pasteur developed the first effective vaccine for anthrax in 1881. In most cases, early treatment can cure anthrax. The cutaneous form of anthrax can be treated with common antibiotics such as  penicillin,tetracycline,  erythromycin, and  ciprofloxacin.  The pulmonary form of anthrax is a medical emergency.  There are several vaccines in current use. The Russian vaccine, called STI is a  live-attenuated vaccine  based on spores from the  Stern strain  of  B. anthracis.  The STI vaccines serious side-effects restrict use to healthy adults. If a person is suspected as having died from anthrax, every precaution should be taken to avoid skin contact with the potentially contaminated body and fluids exuded through natural body openings. The body should be put in strict quarantine.  Full isolation of the body is important to prevent possible contamination of others. Protective, impermeable clothing and equipment such as  rubber gloves, rubber apron, and rubber boots with no perforations should be used when handling the body. No skin, especially if it has any wounds or scratches, should be exposed. Anthrax cannot be spread directly from person to person, but a persons clothing and body may be contaminated with anthrax spores. Effective decontamination of people can be accomplished by a thorough wash-down with  antimicrobial  effective soap and water. Burning clothing is very effective in destroying spores. After decontamination, there is no need to immunise, treat, or isolate contacts of persons ill with anthrax. Early antibiotic treatment of anthrax is essential, delay significantly lessens chances for survival. Treatment for anthrax infection and other bacterial infections includes large doses of intravenous and oral  antibiotics, such as  fluoroquinolones. In possible cases of inhalation anthrax, early  antibiotic prophylaxis  treatment is crucial to prevent possible death. Anthrax spores can survive for very long periods of time in the environment after release. Methods for cleaning anthrax-contaminated sites commonly use  oxidizing agents   and liquid bleach products containing sodium hypochlorite. These agents slowly destroy bacterial spores.   The pH of the solution should be tested with a paper test strip; and treated surfaces must remain in contact with the bleach solution for 60 minutes. Anthrax spores can and have been used as a  biological warfare  weapon. There is a long history of practical  bioweapons  research in this area. For example, in 1942, British bioweapons trials severely contaminated  Gruinard Island  in Scotland with anthrax spores of the Vollum-14578 strain, making it a no-go area until it was decontaminated in 1990. There are a number of economic impacts of a wide release of anthrax. These include loss of life and direct compensations to families. In addition healthcare, loss of property, decontamination, evacuation and return. After the 2001 attacks the cleanup of postal facilities and offices cost $130 million and took 26 months.

Violence of Decolonization Essay -- European History Colonies Essays

Violence of Decolonization Frantz Fanon argues the decolonization must always be a violent phenomenon because resisting a colonizing power using only politics will not work. Europeans justified colonization by treating it as gods work. They believed that god wanted then to occupy all lands and spread the word of god to savages of darker skin color. Fanon joined the Algerian Nationalist Movement when the Algeria was being colonized be the French. Many examples of violence written of in The Wretched of the Earth were taken from the struggle for independence in Algeria. Also the writing is sympathetic towards colonized natives. Fanon claims decolonization causes violent actions from both settlers and natives and creates intolerant views toward the opposite party. Violence from Europeans during the colonization is a tactic used to keep the natives oppressed and a resistance minimal. The police officers and soldiers of the settlers used excessive force to show dominance and create an "atmosphere of submission" in native communities (Fanon, 38). European schools, churches, and economic societies were set up on colonized people's land. These acts of segregation and practices of European values were an insult to natives and helped fuel violent protests. Officers who would patrol the boarders between the two groups and political leaders would serve as a "go-between" person for negotiations (Fanon 62). Negotiations involving larger masses of bodies were feared to lead to aggression. Although the politic between these groups was a slow moving process, when native political or independence parties begin to immerge, the colonial governments will allow concede to some writes demanded by natives. Settlers did this to contr... ...ent of psychiatry and included Psychiatrist's notes about the effects the war was having on the native people. Lack of dignity, depression, inferiority complex, suicidal and homicidal tendencies were psychiatric disorders developed by colonized people resulting from the forces lifestyle change, extreme violence, raping, and murder of the native people. Decolonization causes violence and aggression form both settlers and natives. It also harvests hatred and extreme prejudice toward the opposite party. Settlers see violence as the most effective method of conquering new land where the colonized see violence as the most effective way to regain their freedom. Violence from both settlers and natives simultaneously during a period of decolonization reinforces Fanon's argument. Work Cited Fanon, Frantz. The Wretched of the Earth. New York: Grove Press, 1963

North Atlantic Treaty Organization :: essays research papers

North Atlantic Treaty Organization World War II had created stained relations between the United States and the Soviet Union. This created a state of undeclared war, that would last for nearly 50 years. Although the threat of nuclear devastation hovered over the people of the United States, a new program was created to provide a "Partnership for Peace" between countries with like views to ban together against the Soviet Union. Complications in the more or less alliance of the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union the has appeared at the Yalta and Postdam conferences in 1945, especially in regard to the future of Poland. The Soviet Union had annexed the independent Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania and after the war quickly took under control almost all of Eastern Europe. The last straw was the communist takeover of the Czechoslovakia in 1948. This created the immediate need for the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. On April 4, 1949, four years after W.W.II this plan for "Partnership for Peace" was brought to action. In Washington, DC, twelve countries signed into alliance in one of the most important international actions of "The Cold War". The twelve countries that signed into the North Atlantic Treat Organization were; the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Iceland, and Portugal. The North Atlantic Treaty itself contained a preamble and 14 articles. Of course the North Atlantic Treaty is more formal then how I am going ot explain it but this is to give you the main ideas of the composition of the treaty. Preamble: The Parties to this treaty reaffirm their faith. Article 1: Settle all international disputes which they may be involved in must be resolved in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice are not endangered. Article 2: Promote conditions of stability and well being. Article 3: By means of continuous and effective self help and mutual aid, will maintain and develop their individual and collective capacity to resist armed attack. Article 4: The Parties will consult together whenever the opinion of any of them is threatened. Article 5: "The Parties agree that an armed attack against one of more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all." Article 6: For the purpose of article 5 on any of the Parties will result in an armed attack on the territory of the treaty breaker.

Proud to ba an american :: essays research papers

Proud to be an American I am proud to be an American because I was born here. Four generations back, my ancestors came here from Europe. We have the right to be any religion we choose. Voting is a right of all people. We also have the most liberties and rights of any nation on earth. First of all, our nation is the richest country. We have clothes like T-shirts, jeans, socks and all sorts of other stuff. Afghanistan has sheets that they wrap around themselves. We have all sorts of food. We can go and get food at restaurants and groceries stores. Our nation is highly industrialized. We have the most jobs. Some big industries are Steel Case, General Motors and the Ford Motor Company. There are many, many jobs for people to work. Secondly, why I am proud to be an American is because of our technology. We have computers. They help us in our everyday life. Let's not forget our vehicles. We have cars, trucks, four wheelers, dirt bikes, boats, planes, jets and helicopters. Without these vehicles, we would have a hard time getting around from place to place. NASA sent up a rocket that enabled men to land and walk on the surface of the moon. We were the first nation to accomplish such a mighty task. Thirdly, and one of the most important reasons why I am proud to be an American is because of our veterans. They fought for our country. They saved our lives and defended our freedom. They risked their own lives by fighting to save ours. "Jon, why are you proud to be an American?" "I got out of high school and was asked to join the army. Fortunately I did. And when World War II ended, I had a good feeling because I knew I had accomplished something for our country and people. I was proud to have served my country." Our founding fathers believed so strongly in the liberties and freedoms that we enjoy today, that they were willing to give their lives for the cause.

Colonial Peru: History Takes a Dramatic Turn

It is hard to realize that historical accounts such as these could be so intriguing and actually reeks of scandals that could match any modern day soap opera could muster on television. The relationships, marriage, litigation and the drama are intensely strewn as each turn of events heat up.   Noting old court records and letters narrating the life of Francisco Noguerol de Ulloa, we become witnesses to his unwitting marriage to two women transformed into the main plot of Alexandra and Noble Cook’s book Good Faith and Truthful Ignorance (1991).In the novel type historical account, the story begins as Noguerol receives a letter one day from his two sisters, who are nuns in a Benedictine convent.Doà ±a Ynà ©s and Doà ±a Ynà ©sa Francisca, nuns in the Benedictine convent of San Pedro de las Dueà ±as, had corresponded occasionally with their brother who resided in Peru. But the mail was slow and undependable. This time they wrote to tell Francisco that his wife, Doà ±a Beat riz de Villasur, had died, and to reprimand him for neglecting his own family. They desired, above all else, his return (p. 7).Apparently, his two sisters schemed to convince their brother to go back home, telling him that his wife, Doà ±a Beatriz de Villasur had died. Rather than going home, Noguerol took a new wife, Doà ±a Catalina de Vergara, in a grand ceremony â€Å"among knights and people of much authority and quality.† But when the happy couple did return to Spain, they were greeted with a royal litigation: not only was Noguerol's first wife was still alive, King Philip II wanted him arrested for bigamy.This sparked the beginning of a complicated legal drama in the 16th century Latin America that trailed all the way to the Vatican, where Pope Paul IV decreed that Noguerol could keep his second wife. As the story unfolds, the readers are treated to a dose of bickering lawyers and sexual intrigue–including a lengthy debate over whether Noguerol first had  "carnal intercourse† with first wife or second wife.We could draw out from the book about colonial Peru’s adherence to marriage customs, such as the endowment of dowry by the wife’s family. Francisco Noguerol's first marriage demonstrates the importance of the dowry and is an example of the â€Å"arranged marriage† that was rampant during those times. In the story, we have learned that as a young man in Spain, Noguerol agreed in a marriage arranged by his mother against his will. To wit:The marriage between Francisco and Beatriz had been arranged by their families. It was a business transaction between a wealthy merchant and less affluent gentry, where personal wishes of the young people about to be linked were not considered relevant. Doà ±a Costanza, a widow of only four years, settled a modest annuity on the young couple, but her son's allure lay in his status.The Noguerols descended from a notable family in Galicia and could clearly be categorized as hidalgos. Cristà ³val de Santander was a merchant who could afford to endow his daughter with an enticing sum in order to attract a husband with a higher social standing. The parents had negotiated a mutually satisfying deal, and their children could only dutifully accept the terms.Francisco had protested; Beatriz had remained silent. They were betrothed, and the reluctant groom sweetened his fate with the delectable dowry. On 21 December 1530 Francisco Noguerol de Ulloa, who must have been about twenty years old, acknowledged to have received from â€Å"Cristà ³val de Santander my father-in-law† 30,000 maravedis â€Å"for the dowry and marriage that you have promised me, and that you have agreed to give with Doà ±a Beatriz de Villasur, your daughter and my spouse.† On 29 January 1532 Francisco accepted another â€Å"1,000 reales of silver that are worth 34,000 maravedis, that I receive as partial payment of the dowry,† (p. 43).After receiving a substantial d owry, Noguerol left for America, where he played a role in the Peruvian civil war and amassed a good-sized fortune. Noguerol's second marriage was by his own choice and especially his wife's choice, but it further demonstrates the importance of property for marriage. In his second marriage, Francisco received another large sum of money:Doà ±a Catalina de Vergara had agreed to marry Francisco Noguerol with the condition that he would take her back to Spain and even extracted an oath to that effect from her suitor. On the fifth day of October of 1549, the groom signed a receipt for all the goods Doà ±a Catalina was bringing as dowry, worth some 3,105,000 maravedis (p. 25).Before he was slapped with a bigamy suit, Noguerol did not know that his first wife is still alive. He married again in Peru several years after he received letters from his two sisters, who were nuns in Spain. They erroneously informed him that his first wife had died. Though neither spouse was in any way coerced into this marriage, both were careful to choose a marriage partner with sufficient property to constitute an excellent match. But, it turns out the wives were the ones who gave large sums of money to the man they chose to marry.As soon as she learned that her husband had remarried. Dona Beatriz de Villasur initiated the dramatic bigamy suit after Noguerol began concluding his affairs in Peru and had sent a substantial amount of money to be invested in Spain, thereby alerting her and her relatives to his present prosperity.The suit was first litigated before the Council of the Indies prior to Noguerol's arrival in Spain. When he returned, he went to the ecclesiastical court to have his first marriage annulled. The suits and countersuits lasted several years and included a long period in which Noguerol was imprisoned and not permitted to live with his second wife. The Council of the Indies finally ruled in favor of Dona Beatriz, declaring Noguerol a bigamist. He was fined and exiled f rom several Spanish cities for several years, but he was not ordered to return to his first wife.During that time, records such as administrative documents, the proceedings of the judiciary, and the minutes of both Andean and Spanish cabildos (town councils)–were also useful, especially when analyzed document by document specifically to compare Andean and Spanish views. Punishments for bigamy could be as heavy and could even cost the life of the offender. One person, Don Juan, cacique of Collique, offered buried treasure to the Spanish official who wanted him hanged for bigamy. He successfully tricked the Spanish, at least for a short while, by sending another woman in the place of his favorite mistress to the home of a good Christian woman for religious instruction (Ramirez, 1996).During the two and a half centuries in which the Peruvian Inquisition functioned (from 1570 to 1820), some forty autos da fà © were held. In these ceremonies, the maximum punishments — â₠¬Å"relajacià ³n† (delivery to secular authorities) or death — were enforced as was forced reconciliation with the Catholic Church. Of the three thousand persons probably tried during the entire history of the Lima tribunal, only 48 were condemned. to burn at the stake.The classic and always useful Historia del tribunal de la Inquisicià ³n de Lima first published by Josà © Toribio Medina in 1887 contains a statistical summary of crimes listed most often in the Inquisition records. Heading the list is bigamy (20 percent of the cases); practicing the Jewish faith (17 percent); witchcraft (12 percent); heresy (10 percent); and solicitation by clergymen (7 percent) (see Medina 1956, 2:406-7). The leading position of bigamy can be explained by the great distance, the lengthy separations, and the difficulties in communicating that made the New World a likely setting for the proliferation of marital ties (Hampe-Martinez, 1996).Paulino Castaà ±eda Delgado and Pilar Hernà ¡n dez Aparicio (1985) explored the development of bigamy trials over the two and a half centuries of the Lima tribunal. They pointed out considerations of a canonical nature in the treatment of marriage and polygamy by the Catholic Church, above all during the Counter-Reformation.These authors demonstrated that double marriages were more common in the Indies than in Spain, a phenomenon readily explained by the distance, lengthy stays, and difficulty in communicating from the New World. Like the witchcraft trials, the number of bigamy cases increased progressively in the jurisdiction of the Lima Inquisition. Between 1700 and 1820, these two misdeeds represented almost half of all cases tried.In Good Faith and Truthful Ignorance, Doà ±a Catalina, who is the second wife, sought the needed favorable ecclesiastical ruling for Francisco. Thus, the couple appealed to the Papacy and they were endowed a Papal brief. The Pope and the Salamanca apostolic judge ruled in favor of Noguerol and Don a Catalina, returning them to married life together. Regarding marriage, Church law was more powerful than civil law.The authors found documentation for money sent much later to a member of the Roman curia, which suggests that the favorable Papal brief may have been influenced by a venal under ­ling. When Francisco Noguerol died, Doà ±a Beatriz again sued Doà ±a Catalina for the return of her dowry and half the joint earnings. The ecclesiastical court reversed their judgment and ruled in her favor. Rather than continue the litigation that might endanger her grandson's inheritance, Dona Catalina offered to settle out of court and paid Dona Beatriz an amount much larger than the original dowry.In the book, the legal position of women in Spanish colonial society had been featured. These were established by codes written in the thirteenth century (the Siete Partidas ) and the early sixteenth century (the Leyes de Toro ) and was reinforced by a corporate view of society that equated the authority of the paterfamilias in the nuclear family with that of the king in the monarchical state. In the public sphere, women could not vote, become lawyers or judges, or hold public office (Arrom, 1985).Married women needed the permission of their husbands to engage in many transactions, including buying or disposing of property, lending or borrowing money, and forming business partnerships. In terms of inheritance under Spanish law, daughters and sons inherited equal shares of their parents' property, and a widow generally received half of the couple's community property on the death of her husband. Any dowry a woman brought to a marriage legally reverted to her when her husband died or if the marriage was legally dissolved. Until that time, however, the husband could administer the dowry and could keep any interest that it earned (Zulawski, 1990).In Good Faith and Truthful Ignorance, we could draw out the rule before that in the matter of guardianship of their own children , women's rights were limited. Only the father could give consent for a child to marry, and a widow became her own child's legal guardian only if her husband had not named anyone else in his will.  For their work, Cook and Cook have woven a commendable picture of marriage, relationships, litigation and the status of women in 16th century Spain and Peru. Packing it with lots of historical accounts and careful presentation of arguments, we could visualize both sides of the story as seen in the documents themselves and resisting the temptation to speculate without convincing evidence. However, there have been parts that felt short. Like the analysis of the Papal brief that countered the ruling of the Council of the Indies when they favored Noguerol. But, all in all, the work is commendable because the unexpected decision make the readers forget that we are reading historical accounts, which are usually boring. The writing style is exciting as it definitely intrigues it its readers to finish the story till the end.Works CitedArrom, S.A. The Women of Mexico City, 1790-1857, Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press 1985, p. 77.Castaà ±eda, P.H. and Aparicio, P.H. The crimes of bigamy in the Inquisition of Lima, Missionalia Hispanica, Madrid, vol.   42, no. 24174, 1985.Cook, A. P. and Cook, N.D. Good Faith and Truthful Ignorance: A Case of Transatlantic Bigamy. Duke University Press, 1991Hampe-Martinez, T.   Recent Works on the Inquisition and Peruvian Colonial Society, 1570-1820, Latin American Research Review, vol. 31, 1996Ramà ­rez, S.E. The World Upside down: Cross-Cultural Contact and Conflict in Sixteenth-Century Peru, Stanford University, 1996 Zulawski, A. Social Differentiation, Gender, and Ethnicity: Urban Indian Women in Colonial Bolivia, 1640-1725, Latin American Research Review, vol. 25, no. 2, 1990 Colonial Peru: History Takes a Dramatic Turn It is hard to realize that historical accounts such as these could be so intriguing and actually reeks of scandals that could match any modern day soap opera could muster on television. The relationships, marriage, litigation and the drama are intensely strewn as each turn of events heat up.   Noting old court records and letters narrating the life of Francisco Noguerol de Ulloa, we become witnesses to his unwitting marriage to two women transformed into the main plot of Alexandra and Noble Cook’s book Good Faith and Truthful Ignorance (1991).In the novel type historical account, the story begins as Noguerol receives a letter one day from his two sisters, who are nuns in a Benedictine convent.Doà ±a Ynà ©s and Doà ±a Ynà ©sa Francisca, nuns in the Benedictine convent of San Pedro de las Dueà ±as, had corresponded occasionally with their brother who resided in Peru. But the mail was slow and undependable. This time they wrote to tell Francisco that his wife, Doà ±a Beat riz de Villasur, had died, and to reprimand him for neglecting his own family. They desired, above all else, his return (p. 7).Apparently, his two sisters schemed to convince their brother to go back home, telling him that his wife, Doà ±a Beatriz de Villasur had died. Rather than going home, Noguerol took a new wife, Doà ±a Catalina de Vergara, in a grand ceremony â€Å"among knights and people of much authority and quality.† But when the happy couple did return to Spain, they were greeted with a royal litigation: not only was Noguerol's first wife was still alive, King Philip II wanted him arrested for bigamy. This sparked the beginning of a complicated legal drama in the 16th century Latin America that trailed all the way to the Vatican, where Pope Paul IV decreed that Noguerol could keep his second wife. As the story unfolds, the readers are treated to a dose of bickering lawyers and sexual intrigue–including a lengthy debate over whether Noguerol first had †Å"carnal intercourse† with first wife or second wife.We could draw out from the book about colonial Peru’s adherence to marriage customs, such as the endowment of dowry by the wife’s family. Francisco Noguerol's first marriage demonstrates the importance of the dowry and is an example of the â€Å"arranged marriage† that was rampant during those times. In the story, we have learned that as a young man in Spain, Noguerol agreed in a marriage arranged by his mother against his will. To wit:The marriage between Francisco and Beatriz had been arranged by their families. It was a business transaction between a wealthy merchant and less affluent gentry, where personal wishes of the young people about to be linked were not considered relevant. Doà ±a Costanza, a widow of only four years, settled a modest annuity on the young couple, but her son's allure lay in his status. The Noguerols descended from a notable family in Galicia and could clearly be categorized a s hidalgos. Cristà ³val de Santander was a merchant who could afford to endow his daughter with an enticing sum in order to attract a husband with a higher social standing.The parents had negotiated a mutually satisfying deal, and their children could only dutifully accept the terms. Francisco had protested; Beatriz had remained silent. They were betrothed, and the reluctant groom sweetened his fate with the delectable dowry. On 21 December 1530 Francisco Noguerol de Ulloa, who must have been about twenty years old, acknowledged to have received from â€Å"Cristà ³val de Santander my father-in-law† 30,000 maravedis â€Å"for the dowry and marriage that you have promised me, and that you have agreed to give with Doà ±a Beatriz de Villasur, your daughter and my spouse.† On 29 January 1532 Francisco accepted another â€Å"1,000 reales of silver that are worth 34,000 maravedis, that I receive as partial payment of the dowry,† (p. 43).After receiving a substantial dowry, Noguerol left for America, where he played a role in the Peruvian civil war and amassed a good-sized fortune. Noguerol's second marriage was by his own choice and especially his wife's choice, but it further demonstrates the importance of property for marriage. In his second marriage, Francisco received another large sum of money:Doà ±a Catalina de Vergara had agreed to marry Francisco Noguerol with the condition that he would take her back to Spain and even extracted an oath to that effect from her suitor. On the fifth day of October of 1549, the groom signed a receipt for all the goods Doà ±a Catalina was bringing as dowry, worth some 3,105,000 maravedis (p. 25).Before he was slapped with a bigamy suit, Noguerol did not know that his first wife is still alive. He married again in Peru several years after he received letters from his two sisters, who were nuns in Spain. They erroneously informed him that his first wife had died. Though neither spouse was in any way coerce d into this marriage, both were careful to choose a marriage partner with sufficient property to constitute an excellent match. But, it turns out the wives were the ones who gave large sums of money to the man they chose to marry.As soon as she learned that her husband had remarried. Dona Beatriz de Villasur initiated the dramatic bigamy suit after Noguerol began concluding his affairs in Peru and had sent a substantial amount of money to be invested in Spain, thereby alerting her and her relatives to his present prosperity. The suit was first litigated before the Council of the Indies prior to Noguerol's arrival in Spain. When he returned, he went to the ecclesiastical court to have his first marriage annulled. The suits and countersuits lasted several years and included a long period in which Noguerol was imprisoned and not permitted to live with his second wife. The Council of the Indies finally ruled in favor of Dona Beatriz, declaring Noguerol a bigamist. He was fined and exile d from several Spanish cities for several years, but he was not ordered to return to his first wife.During that time, records such as administrative documents, the proceedings of the judiciary, and the minutes of both Andean and Spanish cabildos (town councils)–were also useful, especially when analyzed document by document specifically to compare Andean and Spanish views. Punishments for bigamy could be as heavy and could even cost the life of the offender. One person, Don Juan, cacique of Collique, offered buried treasure to the Spanish official who wanted him hanged for bigamy. He successfully tricked the Spanish, at least for a short while, by sending another woman in the place of his favorite mistress to the home of a good Christian woman for religious instruction (Ramirez, 1996).During the two and a half centuries in which the Peruvian Inquisition functioned (from 1570 to 1820), some forty autos da fà © were held. In these ceremonies, the maximum punishments — à ¢â‚¬Å"relajacià ³n† (delivery to secular authorities) or death — were enforced as was forced reconciliation with the Catholic Church. Of the three thousand persons probably tried during the entire history of the Lima tribunal, only 48 were condemned. to burn at the stake.The classic and always useful Historia del tribunal de la Inquisicià ³n de Lima first published by Josà © Toribio Medina in 1887 contains a statistical summary of crimes listed most often in the Inquisition records. Heading the list is bigamy (20 percent of the cases); practicing the Jewish faith (17 percent); witchcraft (12 percent); heresy (10 percent); and solicitation by clergymen (7 percent) (see Medina 1956, 2:406-7). The leading position of bigamy can be explained by the great distance, the lengthy separations, and the difficulties in communicating that made the New World a likely setting for the proliferation of marital ties (Hampe-Martinez, 1996).Paulino Castaà ±eda Delgado and Pilar Hernà ¡ndez Aparicio (1985) explored the development of bigamy trials over the two and a half centuries of the Lima tribunal. They pointed out considerations of a canonical nature in the treatment of marriage and polygamy by the Catholic Church, above all during the Counter-Reformation. These authors demonstrated that double marriages were more common in the Indies than in Spain, a phenomenon readily explained by the distance, lengthy stays, and difficulty in communicating from the New World. Like the witchcraft trials, the number of bigamy cases increased progressively in the jurisdiction of the Lima Inquisition. Between 1700 and 1820, these two misdeeds represented almost half of all cases tried.In Good Faith and Truthful Ignorance, Doà ±a Catalina, who is the second wife, sought the needed favorable ecclesiastical ruling for Francisco. Thus, the couple appealed to the Papacy and they were endowed a Papal brief. The Pope and the Salamanca apostolic judge ruled in favor of Noguerol and Dona Catalina, returning them to married life together. Regarding marriage, Church law was more powerful than civil law.The authors found documentation for money sent much later to a member of the Roman curia, which suggests that the favorable Papal brief may have been influenced by a venal under ­ling. When Francisco Noguerol died, Doà ±a Beatriz again sued Doà ±a Catalina for the return of her dowry and half the joint earnings. The ecclesiastical court reversed their judgment and ruled in her favor. Rather than continue the litigation that might endanger her grandson's inheritance, Dona Catalina offered to settle out of court and paid Dona Beatriz an amount much larger than the original dowry.In the book, the legal position of women in Spanish colonial society had been featured. These were established by codes written in the thirteenth century (the Siete Partidas ) and the early sixteenth century (the Leyes de Toro ) and was reinforced by a corporate view of society that equa ted the authority of the paterfamilias in the nuclear family with that of the king in the monarchical state. In the public sphere, women could not vote, become lawyers or judges, or hold public office (Arrom, 1985).Married women needed the permission of their husbands to engage in many transactions, including buying or disposing of property, lending or borrowing money, and forming business partnerships. In terms of inheritance under Spanish law, daughters and sons inherited equal shares of their parents' property, and a widow generally received half of the couple's community property on the death of her husband. Any dowry a woman brought to a marriage legally reverted to her when her husband died or if the marriage was legally dissolved. Until that time, however, the husband could administer the dowry and could keep any interest that it earned (Zulawski, 1990).In Good Faith and Truthful Ignorance, we could draw out the rule before that in the matter of guardianship of their own chil dren, women's rights were limited. Only the father could give consent for a child to marry, and a widow became her own child's legal guardian only if her husband had not named anyone else in his will.  For their work, Cook and Cook have woven a commendable picture of marriage, relationships, litigation and the status of women in 16th century Spain and Peru. Packing it with lots of historical accounts and careful presentation of arguments, we could visualize both sides of the story as seen in the documents themselves and resisting the temptation to speculate without convincing evidence. However, there have been parts that felt short. Like the analysis of the Papal brief that countered the ruling of the Council of the Indies when they favored Noguerol. But, all in all, the work is commendable because the unexpected decision make the readers forget that we are reading historical accounts, which are usually boring. The writing style is exciting as it definitely intrigues it its reader s to finish the story till the end.Works CitedArrom, S.A. The Women of Mexico City, 1790-1857, Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press 1985, p. 77.Castaà ±eda, P.H. and Aparicio, P.H. The crimes of bigamy in the Inquisition of Lima, Missionalia Hispanica, Madrid, vol.   42, no. 24174, 1985.Cook, A. P. and Cook, N.D. Good Faith and Truthful Ignorance: A Case of Transatlantic Bigamy. Duke University Press, 1991Hampe-Martinez, T.   Recent Works on the Inquisition and Peruvian Colonial Society, 1570-1820, Latin American Research Review, vol. 31, 1996Ramà ­rez, S.E. The World Upside down: Cross-Cultural Contact and Conflict in Sixteenth-Century Peru, Stanford University, 1996 Zulawski, A. Social Differentiation, Gender, and Ethnicity: Urban Indian Women in Colonial

The Drug Crime Relationship

There is no question that drugs and crime are related, however difficulty stands when trying to establish a causal connection between the two. According to Ronald Akers, ‘compared to the abstaining teenager, the drinking, smoking and drug taking teen is much more likely to be getting into fights, stealing, hurting other people and committing other delinquencies’ (Gottfredson and Hirschi, 1990).At a surface level, drugs and crime are linked as it is a criminal offence to possess certain substances unlawfully, however when looking deeper, where drugs are said to cause, influence or be associated with offending behaviour the subject becomes quite unclear. Three major models exist that examine the drugs-crime link and will be discussed thoroughly throughout this essay. Firstly is the model that suggests drug use leads to crime and offending behaviour.It offers the explanation that drug-users are enslaved, or behaving in ways which satisfy the craving which very often leads t o participating in criminal behaviour. A second model explains that crime leads to drug use, and the third that drug use and crimes have a common aetiology. Throughout this essay these models will be examined deeply in order to try and best understand the relationship between drug use and offending behaviour. The idea that drug use leads to crime is by far the most believed and most popular idea out of the three.The reasons for this may lie in its heavy belief from the media and the government. It is sometimes represented as a direct causal effect and sometimes as just an association. There does stand much evidence in support of this theory, however no research identifies a direct causal link which will be noted later. One study carried out in this field gave the police power to perform drug tests on detainees in police custody and gave the courts the power to order the drug testing of offenders under the supervision of the probation service.In total they carried out a collective of 1,835 tests and found positive results in 63% of those tested in London, 58% of those tested in Nottingham and 47% of those tested in Strafford and Cannock. For those on probation over half tested positive ( Mallender et al. 2002, citied in Bean 2008). While support stands for this view, variations exist in the way drug use is said to cause crime.Three broad categories exist, firstly the psychopharmacological explanations, secondly the economic explanations and thirdly the drug-lifestyle explanation. Firstly the psychopharmacological explanations consider the effects of the drug chemicals have upon the human organism and what the behavioural outcomes may be. For example, the psychopharmacological model says that drugs cause violence because of their direct effects, as an effect users become impatient, irritable, energetic and irrational often leading to criminal behaviour.Goldstein (1985) believes the psychopharmacological model to be a direct effect model and argues that ‘so me individuals, as a result of short or long term ingestion of specific substances, may become excitable, irrational, and may exhibit violent behaviour’. Brochu (2001) claims that many drugs ‘act on specific areas of the nervous system, including the frontal lobe and the limbic system, where the centres of aggressiveness and impulsiveness are located’ (Bennett and Holloway).While these are considered to be direct and instantaneous effects of drug use, in practice the psychopharmacological effects of drugs on crime are expected to function indirectly. Parker and Auerhahn (1998) stress from their research the overwhelming importance of the context in the relationship between substance use and violent behaviour, and as MacCoun et al (2002) claim ‘it may be that no drug is sufficient to produce aggression in isolation from psychological and situational moderators. ’ (Bennett and Holloway).The second variation on how ‘drugs cause crime’ is th e economic explanation. This is very often referred to as the economic necessity argument which simply says drug users will commit crime for economic benefit in order to fund their drug addiction. Crimes associated with this explanation are most commonly property crime including theft, shoplifting, burglary and fraud; however there are many links with violent crimes. One explanation for this is that habitual drug users face problems raising cash and therefore prefer to perform street robberies. Baumer et al. 1998) argues that this type of robbery draws cash directly and is more easily perpetrated during the hours of darkness when the streets are less crowded. Cash carries the advantage of being easily concealed and does not have to be exchanged at a discount unlike stolen property. (Bennett and Holloway). The third variation is the drug-lifestyle explanation. The theory focuses in particular, on the relationship between drug-using lifestyles and violence. It offers the explanation t hat drug abusers are living within a community which is more likely to be a violent one when compared to a drug free community.The drug using community is one that is notoriously violent, especially when considering punishments for failing to pay debts, territory disputes and selling adulterated drugs. Other ideas focusing on lifestyle but not on violence consider that drug users often do not participate in the legitimate economy and therefore the likelihood of them becoming involved in criminal activity is increased, and also they would be exposed to situations that encourage crime. (Bennett and Holloway).When considering the idea that crime leads to drug use, the research is scarce by comparison. If crime leads to drugs use there will be no reduction in criminality even with the successful treatment of the drugs problem. If crime leads to drug use then treatment should be directed at reducing the criminality, and the drug problem will be correspondingly reduced (Hammersley et al. 1989, cited in Bean p. 39). Researchers are heavily interested in finding what came first; the drug problem or criminality?Early British studies found that about 50% of heroin addicts were antecedently delinquent but, of course, 50% were not (Bean 1971). However, some researchers are sure they know the truth. Korf et al. (1998) belief that there is empirical support for thinking prior criminal involvement increases one’s chance of getting into drugs, claiming ‘many current addicts have set out on a criminal path at an early age and before their first dose of heroin. These pre-drug criminals turn out to be the group most likely to generate their income from property crime. ’ (Bean p. 9) As noted, there doesn’t stand as much research into this field as the previous (drug use leads to crime) however, the theories which do stand can be divided again roughly into the three same categories, psychopharmacological explanations, economic explanations and criminal l ifestyle explanations. Explaining this idea through psychopharmacological means, researches such as Menard et al (2001) claim that criminals use drugs as a form of chemical recreation to celebrate successful crimes, pretty much in the same way people use alcohol to celebrate a special occasion, (Bennett and Holloway, p. 6). In another way according to the psychopharmacological model, people who have planned crime might turn to drugs to enable themselves to carry out the planned actions. It is possible therefore to say that crime causes drug use because without the drug it is possible the crime wouldn’t have occurred. The economic perspective explanation simply says crime causes drug use through crimes resulting in surplus cash which enable the offenders to buy drugs, unds which would not be available were it not for criminal activity (tim newburn). The criminal lifestyle explanations suggest that a criminal lifestyle tends to involve drug use either via sub-cultural values, t hrough available opportunities or as a result of self-medication. Criminal activity in subcultures provides ‘the content, the reference group and the definitions of a situation that are conclusive to the subsequent involvement in drugs’ (White 1990: 223, Bean p. 39).Evidence for this comes from a small number of studies, quoted by White, where she says the individual is placed in an environment which is supportive of drug use, and it is the desire for sub-cultural status rather than a need for a drug which leads to the individual committing crimes. The available opportunities idea goes hand in hand with the situational crime theory, which states the individual makes a rational choice, essentially weighing up the pros and cons of their actions. If the pros outweigh the cons then the person will display offending behaviour.Supporters of situational crime prevention would say that crime leads to drug taking, and therefore by modifying crime hotspots and the environment, an d by dealing with characteristics and location of suitable targets, drug taking can be reduced. The Third, that drug use and crimes have a common aetiology. This theory rejects strongly the simple causal explanation that drugs use leads to crime or the other, crime leads to drug use claiming the relationship to be far more complex than this.Rather, this suggests a common cause between the two, enforcing arguments that there are other factors involved which help explain both forms of behaviour. ‘Such factors may take various forms including aspects of personality or temperament, aspects of a person’s interpersonal social world (family, friends, peers) or some feature of the social environment in which they live’ (Newburn). These common factors can be grouped into three categories – psychological, social and environmental.Psychological factors can be related to a persons genetics or temperament character. Many explanations focus on the role of psychological factors as distal causes, which are those factors operating in the past that predispose people to act in certain ways. The social factors focus on social relationships and the way in which these may have an effect on crime and drug use. Peer pressure is said to be a major sway on a persons behaviour with regard to crime and illicit drug use. As White (1990) concludes in Bennet and Holloway (2005) ‘Peer group nfluences are the best predictors of delinquency and drug use. ’ With regards to the environmental explanation, factors within the environment are said to play a role in the drug-crime link. The social disorganization theory developed by Shaw and Mckay in 1942 was applied to help try and best explain the drug – crime link in 2000 by White and Gorman, who argue that rates of violence and exposure to drugs was greatest in less affluent areas, densly populated areas, racially segregated areas and those that are composed of a transient population.A rather sociolo gical version of the common cause idea is a variation of the sub-cultural theory which sees drug use as a learned behaviour. Behavioural norms are learned from generation to generation and become internalised, which lead individuals within particular families or social groups to behave in the same manner with the same patterns of offending. To conclude, this essay has highlighted much evidence to suggest that drug use leads to crime, and the opposite, that crime leads to drug use.People who try illicit drugs are more likely to display offending behaviour than others; however there is no persuasive research evidence of a causal link between drug use and offending within the majority of drug users. Much of the research provides conflicting explanations of the topic, however there does stand some common ground. There are no inconsistencies in the idea that drug use might sometimes cause crime and crime may sometimes cause drug use.However, as a general rule, research provides evidence sufficient to establish an association as appose to a direct causal link. This essay has also looked at the idea of a common cause or common aetiology between the relationship between drug use and offending behaviour, which is the idea that other factors such as personality, temperament, family or friends influences play a part in an individual’s lifestyle and choices.

Ethical Dilemmas – Abortion

In our society, there are many ethical dilemmas that we are faced with that are virtually impossible to solve. One of the most difficult and controversial issues that we are faced with is abortion. There are many strong arguments both for and against the right to have an abortion which are so complicated that it becomes impossible to resolve. The complexity of this issue lies in the different aspects of the argument. The essence of a person, rights, and who is entitled to these rights, are a few of the many aspects which are very difficult to define. There are also issues of what circumstances would justify abortion. Because the issue of abortion is virtually impossible to solve, all one can hope to do is understand the different aspects of the argument so that if he or she is faced with that issue in their own lives, they would be able to make educated and thoughtful decisions in dealing with it. The definition of a person is an aspect of the abortion issue which raises some very difficult questions. Is an unborn baby a person When does the unborn baby become a person This is a difficult question because in order for one to answer it, he must define the essence of a person. When describing the essence of something, one needs to escribe the necessary and sufficient conditions of that thing. So how does one define the essence of a person Kant describes a person as a rational being. Some people define the essence of a person from more of a biological standpoint. Nevertheless, defining the essence of a person is a very difficult thing for a group of people to agree on. One own definition of a person would most likely greatly impact his opinion on whether abortion is morally justified or not. This becomes even more complicated when one takes into account potentiality. This raises the question of whether the fetus is an actual person r a potential person. Many would argue that a fetus is a potential person because it is has the potential to become what it is not yet. However, does a potential person have potential rights An example was used: does a potential doctor have the rights of a licensed doctor When one is describing potentiality, All he is really describing is what that thing is not. By declaring that a fetus is a potential person, one is also stating that a fetus is not a person. As one can see, this issue of the essence of a person and whether a fetus is a person is a very complicated one. This becomes seven more omplicated if one takes into account the issue of rights. Now, the concept of human rights, that is to say, what American society dictates as human rights, conflicts heavily with itself. On one hand, we form a deep and heavy opinion on one s right to life. On the other, we hold an equally strong opinion on one s freedom to live that life as they please. American society by and large has a firm belief in an individuals right to live. Therefore, if one comes to the conclusion that a fetus actually is a person, then that fetus should receive the protection to it s right to live, as much as you or I. This society also olds the firm belief in one s right to the sovereignty of his or her own body, equal to that of one s right to live. In this case, it is imperative that we understand what liberties we can and cannot take upon ourselves concerning our lives. Case in point, suicide. Society dictates what we are allowed to do, and how we are allowed to live, by law. Most of American laws are written to preserve one s rights to individuality, and one s right to take the liberty to live their lives as they see fit. However, laws are also written to undermine those who s actions compromise the liberties and freedoms of ther individuals, thus protecting the concepts and ideals of agency and liberty. Based on our society s laws, essentially, we believe that what you do to yourself is your choice, and is accepted by law, so long as it doesn stop or impede the lives and freedoms of others. The difficulty in this dilemma lies within the question of whether an abortion falls into a category of protection of a woman s right s over the sovereignty of her own body, or whether it falls into a different category of an action which is not permissible because, according to some people, the fetus is a person whose life and freedom is being ompromised. The question of rights is further complicated by the different circumstances where the abortion issue could be raised. Many people would argue that abortion should not be used as birth control or as a means to deal with the consequences of promiscuous sex. However, how does one address the abortion issue in the circumstance of rape or incest Many say that in these circumstances, abortion is justified. The confusing thing is that the outcome is the same in both circumstances. The fetus is being denied its right to live and grow to its potential as a human being. Where does one draw the line What about case where there is medical complications For example: a woman becomes pregnant and goes to the doctor for an examination. During the doctor visit, various tests are run and it is discovered that the baby will be born severely deformed and that its quality of life would be extremely substandard. If the woman were to have an abortion, would it be justified What about a situation where a woman becomes pregnant and she does to the doctor and is told that the baby is deformed and the birth would most likely kill the mother. The argument justifying abortion in this case goes back to the right to physical sovereignty ver one s own body. A person has the freedom to do what he or she wants to concerning their own body as long as it does not harm or compromise the freedom of another, except in self defense. Therefore, in the case of the mother who would most likely die in childbirth, an abortion could be justified because she is acting in self defense. And in the case of rape, many argue that an abortion is also justified because the woman s right to not conceive has been violated, therefore she should not be responsible for the consequences which came through no fault of her own. As on can see, the issue of abortion is on e that is xtremely complicated. The problem being that many of the ethical dilemmas involved in the abortion issue are so closely intertwined that they are difficult to distinguish from one another. There are some aspects of the issue that would convince most people that abortion is justified, however when those aspects are combined with other intertwining aspects and imperatives, justification oftentimes becomes impossible. In conclusion, the issue of abortion is so complicated and controversial that it is unlikely that a consensus could be reached by American society. There are too many aspects of he issue which peoples views vary to widely. Some of these issues could be things such as the definition of a person, is the fetus a person, and if so when does it officially become a person. There is also the issue of rights. Do the rights of a person outweigh the rights of a non person. Does the right of a mother s sovereignty over her body outweigh the right of an unborn child to live. The answers to these questions are very diverse as a result of the diversity of the American society. With the issue of abortion, one s attitude toward it is going to be based on many things such as religious background and ersonal morals. There is no black and white answer to the abortion issue. Luckily we live in a country where we are able to decide for ourselves whether something is morally right or wrong. Thus, ultimately, the choice is ours. As with the many other ethical issues which we are faced with in our society, it is hard to come to a concrete answer until we are personally faced with that issue. All we can do is make an effort to know all of the aspects which are involved so that we may be able to make a sound decision if we were faced with this problem in our own lives.

Assessing a Company’s Financial Future

Assessing a Company’s Future Financial Health Case Analysis Executive Summary A firm’s ability to analyze its long-term financial health can become a key asset for management as it formulates new, and/or revises old, strategies and goals. The key goal of management is to anticipate future imbalances in its financial systems before a negative result occurs within its financials. As the HBR case describes, â€Å"Management must ensure the continuity of the flow of funds to all of its strategically important programs, even in periods of adversity. This is true in business but also in everyone’s personal life. There will always be ups and downs in life, but everyone as an individual must prepare for these obstacles and continue to strive forward. Analysis 1. Does high growth always require external financing? No, high growth of a firm does not always require external financing. The need for a firm to rely on external financing depends on the industry of the firm. As explained in the case, a restaurant does not require external financing to result in high growth.With a low level of total assets found in a restaurant, it will not need financing during a period where it experiences rapid growth because the financial gap will be offset by the increase in accrued expenses. On the other hand, in a different industry where the level of total assets is quite large, this gap can’t be sufficed by an increase on the liabilities side of the balance sheet. This gap can only be bridged by obtaining loans or issuing debt against the firm. 2. Fill in the blanks on pages 6 through 10. Sales Growth 1. During the four-year period ended December 31, 2008, SciTronics’ sales grew at a 65. 9% compound rate. There were no acquisitions or divestitures. Profitability Ratios 1. SciTronics’ profit as a percentage of sales in 2008 was 5. 74%. (Return on Sales = Net Income/Net Sales = $14 mil/$244 mil) 2. This represented an increase from 3. 40% in 200 5. (Return on Sales = $5 mil/ $147 mil) 3. SciTronics had a total of $111 mil of capital at year-end 2008 and earned, before interest but after taxes (EBIAT), $15. 158 mil in 2008. Its return on capital was 13. 66% in 2008, which represented an increase from the 7. 72% earned in 2005. 4. SciTronics had $75 mil of owner’s equity and earned $14 mil after taxes in 2008.Its return on equity was 18. 67%, which represented an improvement from the 8. 20% earned in 2005. (ROE2008 = 14 mil/75 mil and ROE2005 =5 mil/61 mil) Activity Ratios 1. Total asset turnover for SciTronics in 2008 can be calculated by dividing $159 mil into $244 mil. The turnover deteriorated from 1. 58 times in 2005 to 1. 53 times in 2008. 2. SciTronics had $66 mil invested in accounts receivable at year-end 2008. Its average sales per day were $668,493. 15 during 2008 and its average collection period was 98. 73 days. This represented an improvement from the average collection period of 104. 9 days in 2005. 3. S ciTronics apparently needed $29 mil of inventory at year-end 2008 to support its operations during 2008. Its activity during 2008 as measured by the cost of goods sold was $74 mil. It therefor had an inventory turnover of 2. 55 times. This represented an improvement from 2. 05 times in 2005. (Inv. Turnover2008 = 74 mil/29 mil and Inv. Turnover2005 = 43 mil/21 mil) 4. SciTronics had net fixed assets of $18 mil and sales of $244 mil in 2008. Its fixed asset turnover ratio in 2008 was 13. 56 times, a deterioration from 16. 33 times in 2005. (FA Turnover2008 = 244 mil/18 mil and FATurnover2005 = 147 mil/9 mil) Leverage Ratios 1. SciTronics’ ratio of total assets divided by owner’s equity increased from 1. 52 at year-end 2005 to 2. 12 at year-end 2008. 2. At year-end 2008, SciTronics total liabilities were 52. 83% of its total assets, which compares with 34. 41% in 2005. 3. The market value of SciTronics equity was $175,000,000 at December 31, 2008. The total debt ratio at market was 32. 43%. (TD @ market = 84 mil/259 mil) 4. SciTronics’ earnings before interest and taxes (operating income) were $24 mil in 2008 and its interest charges were $2 mil. Its times interest earned was 12 times.This represented an improvement from the 2005 level of 9 times. 5. SciTronics owed its suppliers $6 mil at year-end 2008. This represented 8. 11% of cost of goods sold and was a decrease from 11. 63% at year-end 2005. The company appears to be more prompt in paying its suppliers in 2008 than it was in 2005. 6. The financial riskiness of SciTronics decrease between 2005 and 2008. Liquidity Ratios 1. SciTronics held $133 mil of current assets at year-end 2008 and owed $48 mil to creditors, due to be paid within one year. SciTronics’ current ratio was 2. 77, an decrease from the ratio of 3. 90 at year-end 2005. . The quick ratio for SciTronics at year end 2008 was 2. 17, and increase/decrease from the ratio of 2. 90 at year-end 2005. (Quick2008 = (133 mil-29 mil)/48 mil and Quick2005 = (82 mil-21 mil)/21 mil) Profitability Revisited 1. The improvement in SciTronics’ return on equity from 8. 2% in 2005 to 18. 7% in 2008 resulted from an increase (RoS2008 = 14 mil/244 mil and RoS2005 = 5 mil/147 mil) in its return on sales; and from an decrease (ATO2008=244 mil/159 mil and ATO2005=147 mil/93 mil) in its asset turnover, and an decrease (Lev2008=159 mil/75 mil and Lev2005=147 mil/61 mil) in its financial leverage. . Assign the five unidentified industries to A, B, C, D, and E on Exhibit 3. A Electric Utility – low inventory, large fixed assets B Discount General Merchandise Retailer – large fixed assets C Japanese automobile manufacturer – large fixed assets, longest inventory turnover time D Automated Test Equipment – low inventory, high accounts payable E Upscale Apparel Retailer – small margin of profitability, medium-sized inventory