Attitudes about Witchcraft

Demonic glares, cackling laughs, pointy hats, curling claw-like fingernails, warts perched on their noses, pale sickly skin that contrasts to their black or deep purple clothing: this is the typical description of what most witches are perceived as today. Witchcraft officially began in England In the mid sass's. Christianity was the dominant religion at this time In England. To be a witch, one had to sign a pact with the devil, often to worship him, which was heresy and meant damnation.As society came more literate, increasing numbers of books and tracts fueled the witch fears. The Mallets Molecular, written by Kramer and Springer, was one of the most Influential books used by secular witch-hunting courts. Thousands of people (primarily women) were Judicially murdered as a result of the procedures described In this book, for no reason than a strange birthmark, cultivation of medicinal herbs, or simply because they were falsely accused (often for financial gain by the accuser).The Mal lets Maleficent serves as a horrible warning about what happens when intolerance takes over a society. During the Reformation, from 1500 to 1660, Europe saw between 50,000 and 80,000 suspected witches executed, 80% of those killed were women. One of these women was Isabel Goodie, who admitted to transmuting herself into a hare and confessed involvement with the Devil for 15 years. In the sass's, witch-hunting, after a major outbreak in France, began to decrease.England executed its last witch in 1682 and the world was changing along with new ideals brought about by the Enlightenment. It wasn't until the 19th century that people Egan to see witches as healers. In Year of Wonders, the outbreak of deaths is blamed on a widow, Me Goodie, and her niece, Nays Goodie, who are the village's herbalists and midwives. To test Me Goodie for being a witch, they throw her into a flooded mine shaft.Once she drowns, they immediately begin to repent and call themselves murderers. Her niece is summon ed from the village, and being more practical and skilled in medicine understands the situation, and immediately tries to revive her. After three breaths, Me awakens, and Nays, having raised the dead, is ragged away and asked to confess to her consort with the devil, and in attempting to distract the mob, she confesses and accuses the questioners of having themselves cuckolded by the devil.Her ploy causes great confusion and furthers their hysteria, but does not work ? she is lynched moments before Rector Employing appears. Today, witches are viewed as both good and bad, one prime example being the Wizard of Oz (the wicked witch of the west and the good witch of the north), but they have left a significant mark on history and this period will be remembered wrought the ages. Attitudes about Witchcraft By federally Witchcraft officially began in England in the mid sass's.Christianity was the dominant religion at this time in England. To be a witch, one had to sign a pact with The Mall ets Maleficent, written by Kramer and Springer, was one of the most influential books used by secular witch-hunting courts. Thousands of people in this book, for no reason than a strange birthmark, cultivation of medicinal herbs, or but does not work ? she is lynched moments before Rector Implosion appears.

Comic Book Anti-Heroes Essay

The frequently talked about, critically celebrated – and to some extent excessively hyped – comic book miniseries Watchmen is most often described as a revisionist take on superhero conventions and narratives, and with good reason. Now retroactively referred to as a graphic novel, Watchmen sees writer-artist team Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons deal with costumed adventurers or ‘superheroes’ and attempt to place them within a ‘realist’ context. Moore and Gibbons do not appear to denigrate superheroes so much as purge them of the conceits that have become necessary for comic book readers to be able to suspend their disbelief. Watchmen takes place in an alternate reality of 1985, where Cold War tensions are at their highest and multiple term extensions have allowed Richard Nixon to remain President of the United States. Furthermore, the United States has a long and troubled relationship with costumed adventurers dating back to the late 1930s. While the sensational nature of costumed adventurers acquire much admiration in the initial decades of their appearance, public sentiment turns strongly against them and by 1977, the government passes the Keane Act, which outlaws vigilante heroism. As a result, the protagonists of Watchmen are divided evenly among those costumed adventurers who have retired and those who have not. In the former category lies the perpetually bored ornithologist named Dan Dreiberg, formerly the gadget reliant ‘Nite Owl’, Laurie Juspeczyk, a moderate feminist with assertion issues who was formerly the martial arts oriented ‘Silk Spectre’ and Adrian Veidt, a genius-level intellect and self-perfected athlete once known as ‘Ozymandias’ and now channels his talents towards a billion dollar business empire and renowned philanthropy. Those adventurers who have continued to operate despite the Keane Act provide the most fertile area for ethical and moral analysis, especially in the context of the historical background that Moore and Gibbons have constructed. These include Edward Blake, a brutally gung-ho ‘superpatriot’ known as ‘The Comedian’, Jon Osterman, a former physicist turned emotionally detached god-like being code-named by the U. S. government as ‘Doctor Manhattan’ and Walter Kovacs, an uncompromising moral absolutist and the only one who operates without government sanction as the cruel vigilante called ‘Rorschach’. Rorschach, The Comedian and Doctor Manhattan effectively function as anti-heroes in the sense that although their adventuring careers have persisted beyond the Keane Act, they are far removed from the heroic intentions that have been the traditional feature of costumed adventurers in comic book literature. Furthermore, the morality and ethics which governs their activities is shaded with far darker tones than the unwavering idealism of a Superman or the commitment to vigilance that characterizes a Batman. However, their anti-heroism character is owed in large part to the ways that they evoke the characteristics of traditional superhero archetypes. This is not an entirely unfounded observation. It is no secret that the characters of Watchmen originate with characters from a relatively obscure comic publishing company known as Charlton Comics. Pustz (146-147) and Jensen (47) both recount that the genesis of Watchmen was in a request made by Dick Giordano, then executive editor of DC Comics, that Moore apply his talents to characters that DC had just acquired from Charlton. Moore was selected primarily because of the revisionist skills he had displayed in books such as Swamp Thing and Marvelman. In the former, Moore turned a formulaic horror series into a melancholy drama with an environmentalist streak while in the latter, he toyed with what was a British Captain Marvel knock-off and subverted into an existentialist look at relationship between superhero and alter ego. Because Watchmen presented superheroes as sexually frustrated, politically emasculated and psychologically unstable, it would have presented problems for the commercial longevity of the Charlton characters, making them unusable for future stories. As a result, Moore was instructed to re-write his story with original characters, and the Charlton characters were ultimately re-introduced by DC Comics through different means. This meant that the specific histories of the Charlton characters no longer imposed any limitations on the story that Moore and collaborator Gibbons had chosen to tell. Pustz (147) observes that this was for the better: fewer readers would have the prior knowledge necessary to appreciating the Charlton characters than those who would appreciate original characters. However, for these original characters to resonate properly with audiences on a similar level as established characters it became necessary for Moore and Gibbons to develop them beyond what could be communicated in a finite number of comic book panels, even when allowing for flashbacks and copious amounts of background detail. To do so, Moore and Gibbons made use of various fictional documents such as a report on the political implications of Doctor Manhattan’s super-powered existence and the autobiography of Hollis Mason, the first Nite Owl and predecessor to Dan Dreiberg. The characters of Watchmen, as already suggested above, ended up being evocative of superhero archetypes. As Pustz notes: â€Å"Dr. Manhattan [†¦] echoes every omnipotent superhero from Superman to Miracleman to the Spectre. The Comedian refers [†¦] to patriotic heroes such as Captain America and superspies such as Marvel’s Nick Fury. Rorschach is [†¦] every other obsessed vigilante from Batman to the Punisher. † (Pustz 147) By converging the evocation of superhero archetypes with a dysfunctional alternate history, Moore and Gibbons impose profound effects on the psychology of Watchmen’s protagonists. Simply put, Watchmen’s protagonists really are anti-heroes in multiple senses of the word. This is because what Moore and Gibbons have done is make it impossible for their characters to sustain a heroic purity over the course of their careers, especially in the face of history. Many of the longest-running comic book series are those that feature superheroes, and require a moderate suspension of disbelief that allows them to persist in a constant state of present tense. Therefore, in addition to a diminished aging rate (if any at all), the psychological and political development of the characters is limited in order to allow them to sustain continued adventuring careers. Thus, while the Spider-Man of the 1960s hangs out with his pals at soda parlors and the Captain America of the 21st century faces personal uncertainty in the face of international anti-American sentiment, neither never fully achieve any personal disillusionment or psychological resolution that would end their stories. By contrast, the costumed heroes in the Watchmen world do not and cannot possess the static personalities that have allowed the likes of Captain America or Batman to function continuously in their own comic books, despite the changes in cultural and political zeitgeist. Even if their personalities weren’t so troubled and their motivations so void of nobility, the forces of history would still have gradually eroded the initial foundations of their adventuring careers, which they do. As such, the relationship between crime fighting and society changes radically in the decades between 1938, when costumed heroes make their first appearance, and the year 1985, which is when the primary events take place. Klock notes that ahistorical conditions are necessary to support the superhero narrative, opining that â€Å"superheroes only make sense in world where masked opponents support their fantasy, and masked opponents only exist to fight superheroes,† but because history and personality carry greater weight in Watchmen than they traditionally do in other superhero narratives. As a result, Watchmen’s protagonists encompass varying levels of cynicism, neuroticism and societal alienation. They become anti-heroes simply because it is impossible to for their heroism to remain pure at all. It is from this angle that Moore and Gibbons proceed to interrogate the effect of history on the individual viewpoints of costumed adventurers and superheroes, as well as their effects upon history itself. In addition to the geopolitical implications of Doctor Manhattan’s nigh omnipotence, Moore and Gibbons examine how personal humanity is profoundly altered by nigh omniscient awareness of history, whilst the Comedian is the expression of how historical tumult and a life of violence has corrupting effects on the patriotic character, rendering an almost irredeemable cynicism. In the case of Rorschach, who is Watchmen’s most (dis)reputable anti-hero, he experiences constant exposure to the endurance of social and cultural malaise which serves to only harden his moral and ethical absolutism. The result is an unwavering dedication to the pursuit of justice, one which would ordinarily and unquestionably admirable in traditional superheroes, but not in one who ultimately comes across as a fascist. Jackie Earle Haley, the actor who is to portray Rorschach in a feature film adaptation of Watchmen, notes that Rorschach’s personality centers around his contention with the oft-declared complexity of the world that is maintained as the excuse for its ills and woes: â€Å"Rorschach’s complexity is [†¦] an attacking complexity. He tries to simplify the world in black and white. [†¦] Rorschach thinks that you’re not what you say you mean, you’re what you do. You are your behavior [†¦] That sort of forced me to look at my own behavior, to ask myself, ‘Who’s my behavior victimizing today? ’ [†¦] We justify our behavior with complexity. Not for Rorschach. † (Adler 2008) Thus, it is not Rorschach’s relentless commitment to the pursuit of justice that gives him his anti-heroic character, as it is a quality he shares with Batman. Although portrayals of Batman have varied over the decades in both print and film, his ideals are not closely linked with his view of society, giving him a sense of ambivalence towards society’s collective responsibilities to its own welfare. Rorschach on the other hand, views the world with utter contempt, with little faith in its ability to redeem itself. His moral absolutism originates from humanity’s consistent inability to live up to the nobility it ascribes to itself. His development as a vigilante stems from humanity’s failure and inaction. In the case of a woman who had been raped, tortured and killed outside her own apartment building, he remembers that: â€Å"Nobody did anything. Nobody called cops. Some of them even watched. Do you understand? I knew what people were then, behind all the evasions, all the self-deception. Ashamed for humanity I went home. I took the remains of her unwanted dress and made a face that I could bear to look at in the mirror. † Traditional superheroes do not view the world with this much contempt, but Rorschach does. His contempt for humanity is most strongly articulated when he declares, â€Å"This rudderless world is not shaped by vague metaphysical forces. It is not God who kills the children. Not fate who butchers them or destiny that feeds them to the dogs. It’s us. † While Rorschach articulates the most complex relationship between an individual’s ideals and his perception of society, Doctor Manhattan expresses how ambivalence towards the value of human affairs leads to a sense of detachment that reduces an individual’s moral compass down to dehumanized utilitarianism. This is not to suggest that Manhattan’s nigh-omnipotence makes him morally apathetic. Rather, it alters his ethical code in such a fashion that the welfare of a numerical majority takes precedence, regardless of the cost. This is made most evident when he teleports an angry mob, which is a peaceful means of negating conflict, but it also leads to two shock-induced heart attacks. Manhattan maintains that this is statistically preferable to the larger number of casualties that would have been caused by mob violence. Towards the end of Watchmen, Manhattan becomes even more indifferent towards the redemption of humanity, opining that despite the attempts of individuals such as Ozymandias to bring about a peaceful new world order, â€Å"nothing ever ends. † While Rorschach’s desire is to impose his will and â€Å"scrawl [his] own design on this morally blank world,† and Manhattan dismisses the notion that human problems can ever be resolved, The Comedian simply doesn’t care. As a nihilist, the Comedian shares Rorschach’s belief that there is no moral or ethical principle which guides the universe. Despite the fact that he fought for the U. S. during the Vietnam War, he concludes that its outcome matters only to Americans and holds no meaning to the average Vietnamese. The Comedian is so utterly devoid of delusions about the moral value of geopolitical affairs, and his participation stems primarily from his loyalty to Uncle Sam rather than from any sense of idealism. His credo is that existence is one big joke, and he’s one of the few who is in on the gag. These three – Rorschach, Doctor Manhattan, The Comedian – are antiheroes not because they are devoid of any heroism, but rather because they express how a purity of ideals will always be shaped by the forces which history exerts upon them. They do not operate from a corrupt morality let alone from villainy: several moments reveal deeply obscured or twisted nobility within them all. Instead, they are anti-heroic because the gritty realities of society and the debilitating effects of continued crime fighting take hold upon them in ways that are denied to their conventional counterparts. Works Cited Pustz, Matthew J. Comic Book Culture: Fanboys and True Believers. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi, 1999. Klock, Geoff. â€Å"Who Watches the Watchmen? † SF Crowsnest, April 2003. Retrieved December 17, 2008 from: http://www. sfcrowsnest. com/sfnews2/03_april/news0403_6. shtml Adler, Shawn. â€Å"Is Rorschach ‘Watchmen’s’ Most Heroic Character? Jackie Earle Haley Thinks So. † MTV Splash Page, 21 August 2008. Retrieved December 17, 2008 from: http://splashpage. mtv. com/2008/08/21/is-rorschach-watchmens-most-heroic-character-jackie-earle-haley-thinks-so/

Child Marriage in India Essay

Child marriage means that two children are forced to marry each other with the consent of the two families. The children are forced into the institution of marriage without knowing about its significance in the long run. Though parents are of the opinion that they involve their children in such rituals because it is an age old custom and it will also secure the future of their children but the reality is not so. Though in some cases parents believe in such superstitions and dogmas in other cases greed is the most significant factor. How can a girl’s future become secured if she gets married to a man who is 60 years of age while the girl herself is barely 14 or 15? Only their parent’s future will be secured with the amount of money the man and his family pay in return of the girl. This heinous crime cannot be termed as marriage it is simply selling of the girl child. The man will molest her at a tender age and at the same time he will kiss death pretty soon. The girl will end up being so horrified with the custom of marriage that she will dare not enter the institution again. A whole future filled with frustration and anger will result thereby. The sad news is that the institution of child marriage is still present in India in a number of villages and districts. Though the government has taken strict actions and child marriage has been declared as a big crime, still this practise is prevalent till today. The question that arises is that what can be done to stop this hidden crime? Apart from the measures taken by the government it is essential for colleges and other institutions like non- government organizations to make certain moves. It is advisable to approach such villages and districts and educate the parents about the ill- effects of child marriage. Though it is not easy to make them understand easily but you never know that which activity or step of yours can change their minds at any point of time. Short films, live plays can be shown to them and the moral behind these plays should obviously show the pathetic future of the kids who are forced to get married. More and more schools should be set up in such villages as a result of which people will sooner or later get their children admitted in schools. Such people should also be informed about the punishment given by the law and order of the country in an exaggerated way so that they get immensely scared even before thinking about such a crime. It is also advisable on the part of the government to take as strict actions as possible in order to abolish this institution completely. The path is tough but victory can be achieved if strict actions are taken. College students as a part of their college campaign can visit such villages and personally talk to the mothers of children explaining the ill- effects of child marriage in the lives of their children. It is easier to make a mother explain the problems her child would face because women are soft by nature. India is a developing nation and aims to become a developed nation in the near future, but can a developed nation have brides and grooms who have not yet attained adulthood. It is impossible for India to become a developed nation if child marriage is not abolished. Government should start an inquiry in such districts and villages and the homes where married couples under the age of 18 and 21 for a girl and a boy respectively are found, strict actions should be taken. The girl should be sent to her parent’s home and both the parents of the couple should be punished. There are places where mere words cannot change an individual’s heart. It is only strict action in the form of punishment that can alter their minds. The sooner this institution of child marriage is abolished the better for the whole nation. It is true that the percentage of child marriage has dropped over the years but still this institution exists. All the citizens should join hands to abolish this practice to make India a better place to live in.

Summary on King Faisal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Summary on King Faisal - Research Paper Example He was also involved in diplomatic matters like the congratulations to the King of England on Britain's victory in the First World War, tramped the battlefields, walked the docks of London, and studied a Welsh steel mill. Indeed, Faisal was the kingdom's first Minister of Foreign Affairs and other responsibilities like serving as President of the Consultative Council, Minister of Finance, President of the Council of Deputies, Minister of Commerce, Viceroy of the Hijaz, Minister of the Interior, Vice-President and President of the Council of Ministers. In these years of service, Faisal polished his leadership qualities that embraced the teachings of Islam and the demands of the modern world. Again, when turbulent political currents swept through the Middle East, Faisal assumed the de facto leadership of the Arab world and guided its policies into the channels of moderation that suited his country and the interests of Islamic people. Indeed, Faisal was a modernized leader, an autocrat to the world, and a democrat to his people. Actually, Faisal featured in the world of man and the world of God (Saudi Aramco World Web). Saudi Arabia has faced different economic turnaround in the neighbourhood of time. In 1925, the government of Saudi attempted to establish a national currency by issuing its first coin followed by a silver riyal two years later. Indeed, paper currency was not unknown in Saudi Arabia. In 1939, the Arabian American Oil Company made its first oil payments to the Saudi Arabian Government that changed the Saudi economy so drastically. Moreover, in 1945 there was expansion of oil production and government's payments and purchases, and the injection of large amounts of cash into the economy. Additionally, in 1948 the Saudi government published its first detailed government budget, which proved unworkable. Nevertheless, under King Abd al-'Aziz, the monarch's strong predilection for austerity had been keeping the Saudi government spending in check. However, after his death in November 1953, there was relaxation on restraints on consumption as well as the rise of foreign exchange payments by Saudi Arabia plunging Saudi into economic downturn, low oil revenues inflation, and national debt. It is now that Crown Prince Faisal ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz Al Sa'ud thought of a course of action (Shea Web). Faisal, Ahmed Zaki Saad, an executive director of the International Monetary Fund, and Anwar 'Ali, director of the Middle East department of the IMF sought to rectify the economic situation in Saudi Arabia. After six years of good financial strategies and leadership, there was significant change in the economic situation in Saudi. The national debt had been paid, better infrastructure, better education, and health care developments. Hence, King Faisal was significant in revolutionizing the Saudi economy by offering good leadership (Shea Web). The success of King Faisal led to the launch of The King Faisal International Prize in 1976. The KFIP is an international project under King Faisal Foundation aimed at perpetuating King Faisal’s humanitarian legacy. Its mission is â€Å"to preserve and promote Islamic culture, education and reward excellence in academic and scientific research, provide assistance and develop self-sufficiency in less fortunate communities around the

Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business - Essay Example In general, the role of MIS in terms of a DSS is to analyze and process business data that will aid business decision making efficiently (Nowduri 2011). For instance, MIS provides comparative sales figures pertaining to a week, revenue figures projected on assumptions of a new product and history of decisions or workarounds performed (Nowduri 2011). Types of information Systems Following are the five kinds of information system (Asemi, Safari et al. 2011) Office information system (OIS) Transaction processing system (TPS) Management information system (MIS) Decision support system (DSS) Expert system (ES) The hardware’s, software’s and networks are utilizes by the office information system (OIS) in order to improve the communication as, well as the work flow between the employees. In addition with the help of automated information system users can perform several tasks electronically while using other electronic devices such as computers etc. for instance, it is easy fo r a registration department to e-mail the class schedule to the students through internet. On the other hand if the information system is not implemented then manually the registration department has to photocopy the schedule and post it to the student’s house. The transaction processing system delineates the everyday transactions held by the organizations. Its main purpose is to confine and to develop the information that is produced by the organizations. The term transaction is described as the everyday business activities for example cash deposits, payments, orders or reservations. In fact, this activity is significantly performed by the accounting staff. The management information system (MIS) is a kind of information system that produces such information that is precise, appropriate and well structured. In addition, this information is utilizing by the managers and the other users in order to make right decisions, solves troubles, track progresses, provides reports on re gular basis (Awais, Samin et al. 2011) and manages activities. Therefore, the management information system (MIS) is also known as the management reporting systems (MRS). Furthermore, three fundamental kinds of information are provided via MIS such as (Awais, Samin et al. 2011): Example of detail report is Detailed Order Report. Example of summary report is an Inventory Summary. Example of exception report is an Inventory Exception Report. In a decision making situations an information system i.e. Decision Support System (DSS) is produced that can help the users to achieve better decisions. The data that is used by the Decision Support Systems (DSS) is either from internal or from external source. (Awais, Samin et al. 2011) The Internal sources of data might include sales, manufacturing, inventory, or financial data from an organization’s database. Data from external sources could include interest rates, population trends, and costs of new housing construction or raw material pricing. However, DSS provides a series of excellent decision making techniques. The Expert System is an information system that is designed to incarcerate and store data from human experts. Moreover, this information is utilized by the less expert employees that lack good decision making skills. This Expert System (ES) is based on two components such as, knowledge base and inference rules. Discussion One of the tight-spot in this research paper is that today managers are

Case study of Strategic Management - New Balance

Of Strategic Management - New Balance - Case Study Example SO strategies use a firm's internal strengths to take advantage of external opportunities. WO Strategies aim at improving internal weaknesses by taking advantage of external opportunities. ST Strategies use a firm's strengths to avoid or reduce the impact of external threats. WT Strategies are defensive tactics directed at reducing internal weaknesses and avoiding environmental threats." (David, 180-181) In order to understand the external environment of the Company it is important to undertake the PESTLE analysis, which is as follows: Political: Decrease in demand due to unstable political situation. Economic: Imposition of Tax or quota from the Government on the major players of market in order to avoid monopoly in the market. Socio-cultural: The population of U.S is getting more conscious about the problems related to health. Any product accused of effecting health of the people can lead to the loss of market share. Technological: Achievement of advanced technology by the competitors resulting in shape of economies to scale. Legal: Legal actions against the company as a result of disease due to the raw material production in unconventional manner. Environmental: The Company can face environmental threat because of the Agro-terrorism. New Balance currently maintains a well-qualified and teamwork-minded staff who is dedicated to innovation and excellence in workmanship. This is a significant resource for a business, which relies on domestic manufacturing facilities as a means of cost control. In many respects, the company maintains quality human resources focus which, in the event of excess capital availability, could drive high-quality, low-cost training to minimize complications with labor. Different manufacturing capabilities give them a...Opening the doors for public trading, as had previously been considered by ownership, would raise the capital required for a variety of projects and investments, both internal and external. Additionally, the company does not experience high media visibility, a crucial element of the entire New Balance philosophy for the general public. These issues are currently a threat to New Balance long-term stability in a business environment where competition is fierce and growth is obtainable. "The Threats-Opportunities-Weaknesses-Strengths (TOWS) Matrix is an important matching tool that helps managers develop four types of strategies: So Strategies, WO strategies, ST Strategies, and WT Strategies. New Balance currently maintains a well-qualified and teamwork-minded staff who is dedicated to innovation and excellence in workmanship. This is a significant resource for a business, which relies on domestic manufacturing facilities as a means of cost control. In many respects, the company maintains quality human resources focus which, in the event of excess capital availability, could drive high-quality, low-cost training to minimize complications with labor. Different manufacturing capabilities give them a modest competitive edge in terms of issues of supply chain, however this edge could potentially be lost in the event tha

EUROPEAN BUSINESS ECONOMICS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

EUROPEAN BUSINESS ECONOMICS - Essay Example (Guardia, 2000). Consumer credit does not need a guarantee and the tax provisions covering this type of lending differ from those pertinent to mortgage credit. The circular flow diagram is very helpful in understanding Britain’s consumer debt. The circular flow diagram enables one to understand macroeconomics. Goods and services and resources flow through the economy in one direction. The money flows through the economy in the opposite direction. Money is exchanged for specific goods and services which the households purchase regularly. Another important aspect of the circular flow is the presence of the three main factors of production in the economy fall under these categories: labor, land, and capital. Wages reflect the price of labor. Rent reflects the price of land. Profit is the price for capital. Businesses in the economy are expected to generate profits. Workers who work in these businesses are paid in wages. Then the persons who utilize land for their businesses pay a fixed rent. The circular flow shows that the households (composed of family members), in the circular flow, own all the labor, land and capital. In markets for factors of production, households sell the services of labor, land and capital to firms in exchange for wages, rent and profit. Then in the area of consumer credit, the households borrow from banks (which hold or maintain the savings from the firms households and offer a credit service to the firms and the households ) in order to purchase at a current time a product or service that they need now. For the credit service, the banks then charge interest rates on the households for those loans. Then after a designated period of repayment, the households pay the loans plus the interest charges from the wages they derive from the sale of their labor services to the firms and the profits they derived from their businesses in the economy.

Nuclear waste management assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nuclear waste management assignment - Essay Example Radioactive waste is dumped in the facility and kept there forever based on the assumption that radiation form this waste is containable for enormously large periods of times based on the engineering and structure of the repository and the types of rocks surrounding the facility. It is assumed that while the waste is kept in the repository, level of radiation it emits will decrease with time. Since rock formations around the repository are being depended upon to keep the radiation of the radioactive waste within the facility, location for the repository needs to be such that is surrounded by roc formations that can effectively add another barrier to the radiation’s escape. The repository will be built in a way that the waste is engulfed in multi layers barrier. When the repository is being designed, it needs to be ensured that its structure is such that in case waste needs to be retrieved, that can be easily managed. For those who believe that it will be an overnight transition, they are quite wrong. The government plan concerning its Managing Radioactive Waste Safely (MRWS) program span over a period of decades ant the first repository is thought to be ready by 2040 though regulating bodies are pushing to bring his date forward to the year 2029. This large scope of timelines makes it very clear that this project is not an easy one to undertake. The repository will not be functional for a long time for it does not only have to serve the purpose of a waste disposal site but it has to be safe and environmentally proven to be established. Unfortunately, safety is never a 100% guarantee in anything related to the nuclear industry but checks and balances are being kept in place to minimize any potential risk these repositories might pose. After site selection and before building of a repository, a complete risk assessment of any potent harm the repository might bring will be done

Book Review on 'Predictably Irrational' by Dan Ariely Essay

Book Review on 'Predictably Irrational' by Dan Ariely - Essay Example While as classical economics explains how humans are rational beings who exercise logic in analyzing the merits and demerits of given economic situations with an aim of making sound economic decisions, it does not explain in a perfect way how people behave making economic decisions. In light of this, that Dan Ariely is a new generation scientist that he negates in his predictably irrational book that human beings behave in fundamentally rational ways. Dan Ariely thus uses the everyday experience and detailed and experimentation research to explain how expectations, emotions, social norms, and other invisible, seemingly illogical forces alter individual reasoning abilities. Dan Ariely uses ingenious experiments to explore how irrational forces and social norms influence our economic behavior. He observes that there is a cultural shift in making economic decisions where fewer market and social norms are now more satisfying, creative, fulfilling, and fun. He performs fun filled experime nts on how people buy, sell, and make life time’s decisions thus demonstrating their predictable irrational economic decision making behaviors. This paper draws a clear review of how human beings demonstrate irrational behaviors while making fundamental economic decisions that relate to buying, selling, and other economically driven decisions. Summary of Content The book â€Å"Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions†Ã‚  by Dan Ariely has 15 chapters that discuss the modes of thinking and events that alter the traditional  rational behavior in making economic decisions. Dan Ariely explains the truth about relativity confirming how humans frequently regard their environment in relation to others (Ariely 10). In doing this, people compare things that are easily comparable in arriving at certain decisions. He goes ahead to explain this comparison by giving examples of three honeymoon destination options two in Rome and one in Paris. He uses thi s example to describe the decoy where consumers tend to have a specific change in preference between two options when a third option surfaces. In light of this, Dan Ariely explains how relativity can help people make wise decisions and at the same time demeaning their lives. He relevantly notes that when people compare their lives to those of others in the same category, they tend to manifest envy and jealousy. He equally reckons that human beings rarely get satisfied and the more they get the more they aspire to get more. However, he notes that we can avert this by avoiding relativity by controlling the happenings around us. Dan Ariely explains the fallacy of supply and demand where consumers consider value, quality, or availability before making a purchasing decision. He notes that recommending a value to an item with no initial value leads to irrational pricing. He observes that although prices apply arbitrarily, consumers tend to anchor with those prices upon their first purchas e. Indeed, the customers associate with this price for a long time affecting their social value and thus irrationality in price. Ariely hence uses the arbitrary price anchoring to challenge supply and demand theories saying that demand is subject to manipulation and thus affects market equilibrium. He therefore concludes that market equilibrium relies on consumer’s memory and not preferred choices. He further explains the cost of free notion where people choose free options in place of

Privite high school vs public high school Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Privite high school vs public high school - Essay Example This results in students getting proper attention and supervision. Public high schools are cheaper than private high schools, and thus, lots of people get their children admitted in public high schools, resulting in a large number of students in every class. This results in lesser attention and ineffective supervision. â€Å"There are over 47 million children enrolled in public school and about 3.2 million students in private schools† (The Home Economist, para.2). Also, private high schools provide superb facilities because they can afford to. People avoid private high schools because they are expensive while public high schools are not. A 2013 research indicates that for families with income over $75,000 send their kids, 85% send their kids to public schools while 12% send their kids to private schools (National Center for Education Statistics). The Home Economist. Public vs. Private Schools, New Facts Revealed. The Home Economist, 2013. Web. 14 Apr 2014.

Business ethics Essay Example for Free

Business ethics Essay The quandary people find themselves in when they have to decide if they should act in a way that might help another person or group, and is the â€Å"right† thing to do, even though doing so might not be in their own self-interest. A dilemma may also arise when a person has to decide between two different courses of action, knowing that whichever course he or she chooses will result in harm to one person or group even though it may benefit another. The ethical dilemma here is to decide which course of action is the â€Å"lesser of two evils. † Suppose we see a person being mugged in the street. How will we behave? Will we act in some way to help even though you risk being hurt? Will we walk away? Perhaps we might adopt a â€Å"middle-of-the-road approach† and not intervene but call the police instead? Does the way we act depend on whether the person being mugged is a fit male, an elderly person, or even a street person? Does it depend on whether there are other people around, so we can tell ourselves, â€Å"Oh well, someone else will help or call the police. I don’t need to†? People often know they are confronting an ethical dilemma when their moral scruples come into play and cause them to hesitate, debate, and reflect upon the â€Å"rightness† or â€Å"goodness† of a course of action. Moral scruples are thoughts and feelings that tell a person what is right or wrong; they are a part of a person’s ethics. Ethics Ethics are the inner-guiding moral principles, values, and beliefs people use to analyze a situation and decide what is â€Å"right. † At the same time, ethics also indicate what inappropriate behavior is and how a person should behave to avoid doing harm to another person. Ethics is that study or discipline which concerns itself with judgments of approval and disapproval, judgments as to the rightness or wrongness, goodness or badness, virtue or vice, desirability or wisdom of actions, dispositions, ends, objects, or states of affairs. There are two main directions which this study may take. It may concern itself with a psychological or sociological analysis and explanation of our ethical judgments, showing what our approvals and disapprovals consist in and why we approve or disapprove what we do. Or it may concern itself with establishing or recommending certain courses of action, ends, or ways of life as to be taken or pursued, either as right or as good or as virtuous or as wise, as over against others which are wrong, bad, vicious, or foolish. The essential problem in dealing with ethical issues, and thus solving moral dilemmas, is that there are no absolute or indisputable rules or principles that can be developed to decide if an action is ethical or unethical. Put simply, different people or groups may dispute which actions are ethical or unethical depending on their own personal self-interest and specific attitudes, beliefs, and values. Ethical Behavior It is one thing to decide, in theory, that being ethical is good; in practice, it can be much more difficult to make the right decisions. Many people feel the same way about ethics—that somehow, instinctively, they know what is right and wrong. In real life, however, ethical dilemmas are often not black and white, but many shades of gray. The following ethics checklist will aid to managers in making tough decisions: †¢ What are the facts? †¢ What are the critical issues? †¢ Who are the stakeholders? †¢ What are the alternatives? †¢ What are the ethical implications of each alternative? †¢ Is it legal? †¢ How would it look in the light of day? †¢ What are the consequences? †¢ Does it violate important values? †¢ What kind of world would this be if everyone behaved this way? †¢ Is more than one alternative right? †¢ Which values are in conflict? †¢ Which of these values are most important? †¢ Can you find an alternative that is consistent with your values? What Are the Facts? Although this question seems obvious, people often forget in the heat of battle to listen to (and, more importantly, to hear) all the different viewpoints. Instead of relying on hearsay and rumor, it is crucial to discover the facts, firsthand, from the people involved. There is always another side to the story. What Are the Critical Issues? In analyzing ethical dilemmas, expand your thinking to include all the important issues. Avoid a narrow focus that encompasses only one or two aspects. Who Are the Stakeholders? Stakeholders are all the people potentially affected by the decision. That list might include subordinates, bosses, shareholders, suppliers, customers, members of the community in which the business operates, society as a whole, or even more remote stakeholders, such as future generations. The interests of these stakeholders often conflict. Current shareholders may benefit from a company’s decision to manufacture a product that contributes to global warming, while future generations are left to contend with a potential environmental nightmare. What Are the Alternatives? The next step is to list the reasonable alternatives. A creative manager may find a clever solution that is a winner for everyone. What Are the Ethical Implications of Each Alternative? Is the Alternative Legal? Illegal may not always be synonymous with unethical, but, as a general rule, you need to think long and hard about the ethics of any illegal activities. How Would the Alternative Look in the Light of Day? If your activities were reported on the evening news, how would you feel? Proud? Embarrassed? Horrified? What Are the Consequences of This Alternative? Ask yourself: Am I hurting anyone by this decision? Which alternative will cause the greatest good (or the least harm) to the most people? For example, you would like to fire an incompetent employee. That decision will clearly have adverse consequences for him. But the other employees in your division will benefit and so will the shareholders of your company. Overall, your decision will cause more good than harm. You should look with a particularly critical eye if an alternative benefits you while harming others. Suppose that you become CEO of a company whose headquarters are located in a distant suburb. You would like to move the headquarters closer to your home to cut your commuting time. Of course, such a decision would be expensive for shareholders and inconvenient for other employees. Do you simply impose your will on the company or consider the consequences for everyone? Does the Alternative Violate Important Values? In addition to consequences, consider fundamental values. It is possible to commit an act that does not harm anyone else, but is still the wrong thing to do. Some people question whether, as a diverse, heterogeneous society, we have common values. The following values are almost universal: †¢ Compassion means being aware of and concerned about other people’s feelings, desires, and needs. The compassionate person is able to imagine how he would feel in someone else’s place. †¢ Courage is the strength to act in the face of fear and danger. Courage can require dramatic action (saving a buddy on a battlefield) or quiet strength (doing what you think is right, despite opposition from your boss). †¢ Fairness requires that decisions be made without fraud, prejudice or favoritism. The fair manager treats those he likes at work the same as those who are not his friends. †¢ Integrity means being sincere, honest, and loyal. If you have integrity, you do not criticize others behind their back or take credit for their ideas and efforts. †¢ Responsibility means being trustworthy and dependable. The responsible person meets her commitments, lives up to her promises and contributes to her community. People can count on her. †¢ Self-control is the ability to resist temptation. The person with self-control does not drink or eat too much, party too hard, watch too much television, or spend too much money. Try compiling your own list of values and then check it periodically to see if you are living up to it in your business and personal life. What Kind of World Would This Be if Everyone Behaved This Way? Is this the kind of world in which you would want to live? Imagine that you could cheat on an exam without getting caught. You might gain some short-term benefit—a higher grade. But what would happen if everyone cheated? The professor would have to make the exams harder or curve everyone’s grade down. If your school developed a reputation for cheating, you might not be able to find a job after graduation. Cheating works where most people are honest. To take advantage of everyone else’s honesty is contemptible. Is More than One Alternative Right? Often, the most difficult decisions arise not in cases of right versus wrong but in situations of right versus right. 10 President Harry Truman’s decision to drop atomic bombs on two Japanese cities is a classic example of right versus right. He argued that if he had not ended the war by using nuclear weapons, more Americans and Japanese would have died during a land invasion. Looking simply at the consequences, he concluded that the terrible suffering by the Japanese people was justified because, ultimately, fewer people died overall. At the same time, none of us want to live in a world where nuclear weapons are used. Indeed, since the end of World War II, the United States has worked hard to ensure that no one else ever deploys nuclear weapons. Which Values Are in Conflict? There are many ways to justify a decision to lay off workers, even 40,000 of them. If managers avoid layoffs, then profits suffer, stock prices fall, companies merge, and executives lose their own jobs. Which of These Values Are Most Important? Suppose that, growing up, you had seen family members or neighbors suffering through bouts of unemployment. That experience might have taught you that compassion is a high priority. Managers must determine which values are important in their own lives. Can You Find an Alternative That Is Consistent with Your Values? The decision you make not only determines the kind of person you are now, but also sets your course for the future. Can you reach a decision that is consistent with the kind of person you are or want to be? Instead of announcing massive layoffs, some companies offer generous severance packages, retraining programs, and other voluntary methods of reducing the workforce. Shareholders may receive less benefit, but employees suffer less harm. Changes in Ethics Change over time: Neither laws nor ethics are fixed principles cast in stone, however. Both change over time. As a society’s ethical beliefs change, its laws change to reflect them. It was considered both ethical and legal to own slaves in ancient Rome and Greece and in the United States until the nineteenth century. Ethical views regarding whether slavery was morally right subsequently changed, however, and slavery was later outlawed. Confusing behavior: In most societies today behaviors like murder, theft, slavery, and rape are considered unacceptable and prohibited. But many other kinds of behaviors are open to dispute when it comes to whether they are ethical or should be made illegal or not. Some people might believe that a particular behavior such as smoking tobacco or possessing guns is unethical and should be made illegal. Others might argue that it is up to individual people if they want to own guns or smoke. Vary from country to country: In the United States it is, of course, illegal to possess or use marijuana even though it has been shown to have many medical uses. Some cancer sufferers and AIDS patients find that marijuana relieves many of the side effects of medical treatment, like nausea and lack of appetite. Yet, in the United States, the Supreme Court has held that the federal government can prohibit doctors from prescribing marijuana to these patients, so their suffering goes on. By contrast in Canada there has been a widespread movement to decriminalize marijuana, and in other countries, marijuana is perfectly legal. Laws can and do change as people’s ethical beliefs change: The point is laws can and do change as people’s ethical beliefs change. For example, in Britain in 1830, there were over 350 different crimes for which a person could be executed, including sheep stealing. Today there are none. Capital punishment has been abolished. No absolute standards exist to determine how we should behave: No absolute standards exist to determine how we should behave. Consequently, we frequently get caught in moral dilemmas and are continually faced with ethical choices. It is a part of life. Importance of Ethics to Society Does ethical behavior maximize profitability? Some people argue that, in the long run, ethical behavior does indeed pay. But they must mean the very long run, because to date there is little evidence that ethical behavior necessarily pays financially, either in the short or the long run. Society as a whole benefits from ethical behavior: Ethics and competitiveness are inseparable. We compete as a society. No society anywhere will compete very long or successfully with people stabbing each other in the back; with people trying to steal from each other; with everything requiring notarized confirmation because you can’t trust the other fellow; with every little squabble ending in litigation; and with government writing reams of regulatory legislation, tying business hand and foot to keep it honest. That is a recipe not only for headaches in running a company; it is a recipe for a nation to become wasteful, inefficient, and noncompetitive. There is no escaping this fact: the greater the measure of mutual trust and confidence in the ethics of a society, the greater its economic strength. Money does not buy happiness: Researchers who study happiness find that people expect material goods to make them happier than they actually do. Sure, you enjoy driving that snappy new car home from the dealership, but afterward your happiness quickly returns to its natural base level. People find themselves on the so-called â€Å"hedonic treadmill†Ã¢â‚¬â€struggling to buy more and more things so they can get that buyer’s high, only to discover that they can never buy enough to maintain the thrill. Almost no matter how much people earn, they feel they would be happier if their income were just a little bit higher. So what does make people happy in the long run? Good relationships, satisfying work, ties to the community—all available at no additional cost. People feel better when they behave ethically: Profitability is generally not what motivates managers to care about ethics. Managers want to feel good about themselves and the decisions they have made; they want to sleep at night. Their decisions—to lay off employees, install safety devices in cars, burn a cleaner fuel—affect peoples’ lives. Unethical behavior can be very costly: Unethical behavior is a risky business strategy—it may lead to disaster. An engaged couple made a reservation, and put down a $1,500 deposit, to hold their wedding reception at a New Hampshire restaurant. Tragically, the bride died of asthma four months before the wedding. Invoking the terms of the contract, the restaurant owner refused to return the couple’s deposit. In a letter to the groom, he admitted, â€Å"Morally, I would of course agree that the deposit should be returned. † When newspapers reported this story, customers deserted the restaurant and it was forced into bankruptcy—over a $1,500 disagreement. Unethical behavior does not always damage a business, but it certainly has the potential of destroying a company overnight. So why take the risk? Even if unethical behavior does not devastate a business, it can cause other, subtler damage. In one survey, a majority of those questioned said that they had witnessed unethical behavior in their workplace and that this behavior had reduced productivity, job stability, and profits. Unethical behavior in an organization creates a cynical, resentful, and unproductive workforce. Ethical behavior is more likely to pay off: Although there is no guarantee that ethical behavior pays in the short or long run, there is evidence that the ethical company is more likely to win financially. Ethical companies tend to have a better reputation, more creative and cooperative employees and higher returns than those that engage in wrong-doing. So why bother with ethics? Because when managers behave ethically, society will be benefited. Money does not buy happiness. Because ethical managers have happier, more satisfying lives. Because unethical behavior can destroy a business faster than a snake can bite. And because, in the end, ethical behavior is more likely to pay off. Stakeholders and Business Ethics The people and groups affected by the way a company does business are called its stakeholders. Stakeholders supply a company with its productive resources. As a result, they have a claim on and stake in the company. Because stakeholders can directly benefit or be harmed by its actions, the business ethics of a company and its managers are important to them. These various stakeholders are shown in Figure Stockholders Stockholders have a claim on a company because when they buy its stock, or shares, they become its owners. This stock grants them the right to receive some of the company’s profits in the form of dividends. And they expect to get these dividends. Stockholders are interested in the way a company operates because they want to maximize their return on their investment. Thus, they watch the company and its managers closely to ensure they are working diligently to increase the company’s profitability. Stockholders also want to ensure that managers are behaving ethically and not risking investors’ capital by engaging in actions that could hurt the company’s reputation and quickly bankrupt it. Managers Managers are a vital stakeholder group because they are responsible for using a company’s financial capital and human resources to increase its profitability and stock price. Managers have a claim on an organization because they bring to it their skills, expertise, and experience. They have the right to expect a good return or reward by investing their human capital to improve a company’s performance. Such rewards include good salaries and benefits, the prospect of promotion and a career, and stock options and bonuses tied to the company’s performance. Managers must be motivated and given incentives to work hard in the interests of stockholders. Their behavior must also be scrutinized to ensure they do not behave illegally or unethically and pursue goals that threaten stockholders’ (and employees’) interests. Employees A company’s employees are the hundreds of thousands of people who work in its various functions, like research, sales, and manufacturing. Employees expect that they will receive rewards consistent with their performance. One principal way a company acts ethically toward employees and meets their expectations is by creating an occupational structure that fairly and equitably rewards them for their contributions. Companies, for example, need to develop recruitment, training, performance appraisal, and reward systems that do not discriminate between employees and that employees believe are fair. Suppliers and Distributors No company operates alone. Every company relies on a network of other companies that supply it with the inputs it needs to operate. Companies also depend on intermediaries such as wholesalers and retailers to distribute its products to the final customer. Suppliers expect to be paid fairly and promptly for their inputs; distributors expect to receive quality products at agreed-upon prices. Once again, many ethical issues arise in the way companies contract and interact with their suppliers and distributors. Important issues concerning how and when payments are to be made or product quality specifications are governed by the terms of the legal contracts a company signs with its suppliers and distributors. Many other issues are dependent on business ethics. Customers Customers are often regarded as the most critical stakeholders: If a company cannot persuade them to buy its products, it cannot stay in business. Thus, managers and employees must work to increase efficiency and effectiveness in order to create loyal customers and attract new ones. They do so by selling customers quality products at a fair price and providing good after-sales service. They can also strive to improve their products over time. Many laws exist that protect customers from companies that attempt to provide dangerous or shoddy products. Laws exist that allow customers to sue a company that produces a bad product, such as a defective tire or vehicle, causing them harm. Other laws force companies to clearly disclose the interest rates they charge on purchases—a cost that customers frequently do not factor into their purchase decisions. Every year thousands of companies are prosecuted for breaking these laws, so â€Å"buyer beware† is an important business rule customers must follow. Community, Society, and Nation Community refers to the physical location in which a company is located, like a city, town, or neighborhood. A community provides a company with the physical and social infrastructure that allows it to do business; its utilities and labor force; the homes in which its managers and employees live; the schools, colleges, and hospitals that service their needs, and so on. Through the salaries, wages, and taxes it pays, a company contributes to the economy of the town or region in which it operates and often determines whether the community prospers or suffers. Similarly, a company affects the prosperity of a society and a nation and, to the degree that a company is involved in global trade, all of the countries in which it operates. Sources of Business Ethics Primarily ethics in business is affected by three sources culture, religion and laws of the state. It is for this reason we do not have uniform or completely similar standards across the globe. These three factors exert influences to varying degrees on humans which ultimately get reflected in the ethics of the organization. Religion It is one of the oldest foundations of ethical standards. Religion wields varying influences across various sects of people. It is believed that ethics is a manifestation of the divine and so it draws a line between the good and the bad in the society. Depending upon the degree of religious influence we have different sects of people; we have sects, those who are referred to as orthodox or fundamentalists and those who are called as moderates. Needless to mention, religion exerts itself to a greater degree among the orthodox and to lesser extent in case of moderates. Fundamentally however all the religions operate on the principle of reciprocity towards ones fellow beings. Culture Culture is a pattern of behaviors and values that are transferred from one generation to another, those that are considered as ideal or within the acceptable limits. No wonder therefore that it is the culture that predominantly determines what is wrong and what is right. It is the culture that defines certain behavior as acceptable and others as unacceptable. Human civilization in fact has passed through various cultures, wherein the moral code was redrafted depending upon the epoch that was. What was immoral or unacceptable in certain culture became acceptable later on and vice versa. During the early years of human development where ones who were the strongest were the ones who survived! Violence, hostility and ferocity were thus the acceptable. Approximately 10,000 year ago when human civilization entered the settlement phase, hard work, patience and peace were seen as virtues and the earlier ones were considered otherwise. These values are still put in practice by the managers of today. Still further, when human civilization witnessed the industrial revolution, the ethics of agrarian economy was replaced by the law pertaining to technology, property rights etc. Ever since a tussle has ensued between the values of the agrarian and the industrial economy! Law Laws are procedures and code of conduct that are laid down by the legal system of the state. They are meant to guide human behavior within the social fabric. The major problem with the law is that all the ethical expectations cannot be covered by the law and specially with ever changing outer environment the law keeps on changing but often fails to keep pace. In business, complying with the rule of law is taken as ethical behavior, but organizations often break laws by evading taxes, compromising on quality, service norms etc. Childhood Upbringing Without really thinking or even being able to avoid it, each person learns ethics from his or her parents—what they teach in words and perhaps more importantly through their actions. These teachings shape our most fundamental attitudes about what is right and what is wrong. As a very brief insurance-related example, the child of an insurance agent, upon reaching adulthood, is much more likely to be honest and truthful in settling claims under his or her insurance policies than is the grown child of another insurance agent if the other agent was terminated by the insurer under disputed circumstances. The child may not have understood the intricacies of those circumstances at the time, but as an adult, he or she is likely to believe in their heart that insurers are not to be trusted and do not deserve to be treated honestly. Later Life Experiences Similarly, a life-shaping event later in life may more directly and consciously shape a persons ethics. Thus, someone severely injured in an automobile accident may have a much higher opinion of the entire automobile-injury reparations system—including the police who investigated, the hospital that provided care, the lawyers and courts that resolved any legal issues, and the insurers that helped finance so much of the injured persons recovery—if that person is satisfied with the ultimate medical and financial result months and years after the accident. If, however, this victim feels the result was medically inferior or legally unfair, the victim may well treat everyone in the system unfairly—even years later in circumstances unrelated to the original accident—just to seek some measure of personal justice. Religious Beliefs Virtually all the worlds religions teach an essentially similar code of ethics that emphasizes honesty, respect for others and their rights, and selflessness. Therefore, in both business and personal situations, a highly religious person is likely to act in ways that most of us will regard as highly ethical. Their religion will give them highly explicit, generally internally consistent, guides to good personal conduct. These guidelines usually can be broadened to apply quite well to business activity. Moreover, those for whom religion is not a central force in their lives are more likely to act in self-centered, ethically questionable ways. Codes of Ethics Perhaps the most direct and explicit sources of our daily ethical guidance are codes of ethics for business conduct. Whether issued by professional societies (such as the Risk and Insurance Management Society, the Society of Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriters, or the American Society of Safety Engineers), by a business or fraternal society (such as an insurance agents association or the Lions or Elks), or by civic groups (such as local or national chambers of commerce), these ethical codes generally have two goals. The first is to set forth objectives like quality output, honesty, and public service in the customer or community dealings by the people who are governed by, or choose to subscribe to, a particular code. The second typical goal is to protect those to whom the code applies from harmful conduct by others governed by that particular code—conduct such as unfair competition or actions that that cast the entire group in a bad light. This second goal often is expressed through rather specific rules about what those governed by the code definitely must, or must not, do in their dealings with customers, one another, and the public at large. These self-protective rules can sometimes appear to conflict with religious, philosophical, or other sources of ethical guidance. Discussions with Others Almost daily, quite casually, and sometimes without thinking, virtually all of us talk about others and our own actions—offering frequent opinions about whether what they or we have been doing is good, right, and sensible (or perhaps very much the opposite). Buried in this small talk, chit chat, gossip, and mealtime conversations are implicit—sometimes very explicit—ethical judgments about the behavior being discussed. People and their words and actions are labeled wonderful, mean, greedy, generous, or hundreds of other qualities. Over time, these discussions lead each of us to a sense of what the people around us consider to be good and bad, ethical and unethical, conduct. Unless we have strong personal reasons or other commitments to believe otherwise, most of us tend to go along with the opinions of those around us, rather than bucking the tide by independently evaluating the ethical aspects of others actions. Thus, often almost automatically, the social consensus can become the approved, although unexamined, ethical standard. Ethical Philosophers In sharp contrast to these ethics of casual social consensus, the philosophers who have developed systems of ethics—such people as Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Bentham, and more recent ethical thinkers throughout the world—have developed basic principles from which they have derived systems of ethics. These principles fall into two general groups: those that are rules-based and those that are results-based. Examples of rule-based ethics appear in the Bibles Ten Commandments, in many professions codes of ethics, and in the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. Results-based systems of ethics emphasize principles such as physicians never knowingly doing or allowing medical harm; doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people (Bentham and other utilitarian), and Kants principle of universality—taking an action only if everyone could take the same action without bringing about more harm than good and without creating logical impossibilities (like the logical impossibility of every person being more generous to every other person than anyone is to the first person). Ethical Dilemmas. A final source of ethical insight (more a way of developing ones ethical awareness and sensibilities than a separate source of ethical guidance) is pondering ethical dilemmas. These dilemmas are real or imagined situations that pit two or more ethical principles, rules, or objectives against one another. To resolve the dilemma, one has to decide which of these ethically desirable ends is the more/most important or, alternatively, if there is a way to achieve both/all of these ends without committing some other ethical wrong. For example, if you are an adult and your father, convicted as a murderer, has escaped a federal prison in California to hide in your Missouri house, how do you respond when an FBI agent standing in your yard asks Is your father in your house now? Assuming he is, Yes breaks the commandment to honor ones parents, but No breaks the commandment to tell the truth in all morally significant situations. (When your spouse asks if she/he is especially beautiful/handsome as you are leaving you house to go to a friends birthday party, your response probably is not ethically significant for the community, but it may be very significant within your marriage. ) Classification of Ethics Ethics may be divided into four major areas of study 1. Meta-ethics 2. Normative ethics 3. Descriptive ethics 4. Applied ethics Meta-ethics Meta-ethics is a field within ethics that seeks to understand the nature of normative ethics. The focus of meta-ethics is on how we understand, know about, and what we mean when we talk about what is right and what is wrong. Normative Ethics Normative ethics is the study of ethical action. It is the branch of philosophical ethics that investigates the set of questions that arise when considering how one ought to act, morally speaking. Normative ethics is distinct from meta-ethics because it examines standards for the rightness and wrongnes.

Sports in India Essay Example for Free

Sports in India Essay About 3000 years ago, India was as active as the ancient Greeks, in terms of both physical and mental sports chariot racing, polo, archery and wrestling to chess and cards. Much later, just a few centuries ago, the British brought hockey and cricket to India. Indians discovered new sports and their inherent talent at them. Cricket took over as the most popular sport after we gained independence, mainly due to the low requirements. All one needs is a bat and a ballunlike hockey, where everyone needs to have a hockey stick. Though we won 8 Olympic gold medals in our national sport hockey the first in 1928! The first hockey gold as an independent country was in the 1948 Olympics in London, England, where India beat England 4-0 in the finals. The Indian team went on to win more Olympic hockey gold medals in the 1952, 1956, 1964 and 1980 Olympics. After that, the medals dried up India only managed solitary bronze medals in tennis, weightlifting and shooting in the last 3 Olympics! In contrast, the popularity of cricket grew especially after the 1983 Prudential World Cup win by Kapil Dev and team. India needed sports heroes, and cricket seemed the only answer. What is the problem? Many claim that it is our diet that is to blame. The fact is medical opinions always seem to contradict. Some medical experts blame the physical deficiency on the fact that the majority of Indians are vegetarians. But, horses are vegetarians too, and most athletes would kill to get the stamina and strength of a horse! So it cant be our diet! It is a known fact that India lacks sporting infrastructure. The only stadiums we have are used for cricket, while the majority of hockey, football and athletic sporting events are held on sub-standard fields mainly open air mud patches. But then why do countries that are much smaller, with a lot less infrastructure than us win more Olympic medals? Another cause for concern is the competitiveness of sport today. Its not fun anymore, its a full time job! Most sports professionals across the globe spend 8 hours a day training. Their job is to excel at sports and keep themselves fit. The governments provide them the necessary money and training, and advertisers throw in even more for their fancy cars and houses. In India, unless youre a cricketer, you only get a pat on the back, a government job and a few months leave to prepare for major events. This just isnt enough! Last, but by no means least of the problems is our society and its mentality. People all over India ridicule our dismal performance in the Olympics, but how many of us will encourage our children / siblings / friends to take up sports as a career? We place absolutely no importance on sports, mainly because unless youre a Sachin Tendulkar, theres no future. You may win the countries sole Olympic bronze, but are forgotten as soon as the next Cricket event takes place. At the end of the journey, you still have to go back to your job and try and provide for your family, and your Olympic medal becomes nothing more than a fond memory, an impressive addition to your resume and another ornament for your display cabinet. What can be done to fix these problems? Theres a simple list of things that are needed. Easier said than done, but necessary nonetheless: 1. Encourage all sports, not just cricket 2. More government funding for sportsmen and women 3. More advertising coverage for sports other than cricket 4. More International coaches and trainers 5. Participate in more international tournaments in all sports 6. More training camps for pre-teens that show promise in any sport 7. Compulsory college and school scholarships based on sporting achievements The money needed to improve sports can only come from advertising. Advertisers look for the popularity of a sport. The sport isnt popular because it lacks quality athletes. The quality of athletes is bad due to lack of training. There is no training because there is no money for professional trainers. There is no money because there are no advertisers. A vicious circle! Only if we change our own perceptions can things begin to change. We need to support local non-cricket tournaments, not just by donating money, but by showing up at the venues and supporting the athletes. Once advertisers see the support, the funds will start trickling in. Once the funds come in, the quality will improve. A chain reaction! A vicious circle, or a chain reaction, the choice is ours!

Workforce Development and Management at Tesco

Workforce Development and Management at Tesco Working with and Leading People  (A Case Study of Tesco) Tesco is grocery store UK has declined to its lowest level for almost a decade that British consumers have defected to the German discount chains Aldi and Lidl to save money. Latest information on Kantar World Panel shows the market shares of Tesco rose from 28.7% in the 12 weeks to March 2. This is compared with 29.6% for a year and turns back the clock at the end of 2004, while the merchant was on the rise. Big four supermarket chains in the grocery market is facing pressure on the value of sales at the end of the while polarizes a flight discount Waitrose started to clean. Task 1: Be Able to use recruitment, selection and retention procedures 1.1. According to Barratt and Mottershead (2000), the part of the selection in the context of whether the candidate is suitable for the culture of the company. Even if a person demonstrates the social profiles of likes, dislikes and nature, it would be wrong to add, on the basis of the decision in an interview with a mere assumptions were collected in the profile. However, the interview is a quite acceptable, the question that is personality of the interviewee to match. To ask about your personal and professional values, they are in their career path and how they manage the values of the company in uncomfortable situations before shoot responses to match the vision. 2.2: The recruitment of a new candidate, the importance of legal and ethical regulations, cannot be ignored and it is wrong to believe that the employee has appeared on their first date, when recruitment is completed. Most companies require that satisfy the people that such a probation is for both parties, that there the employees pass. Recruitment is expensive and is designed to attract and retain the best talent, as soon as possible. A Tesco worker in your business processes and enables the individual to achieve the full productivity (and profitability). In addition, the registration should start everything before the employees? The welcome pack contains which is the need of a signature can be sent by mail, and current staff to develop a new employee is their first day-log-in on your computer, for example. Beyond expectations, workers is good for admission to the program will help the company meet their. If the employees of the company, the first impression is positive, they are more li kely to remain happy in the job and has less tendency to seek other employment. (Brindley and Buckley, 2004). 1.3: Finally, maintaining the commitment of workers is to maximize the work is very important, and people feel like they are valuable to the company and to show them that their career development has an important role to play. If a person feels that there are opportunities for advancement, and their skills are considered to be not only they work hard to stay motivated, committed and productive. The three steps described here show that the recruiting never truly expires. In order to attract the best employees, companies must constantly raise the company profile. These all affect how you see and start to see training, coaching or mentoring role and how to be seen and are related to the person who is coaching or training and guidance. Your mission is to help the person to learn and improve, do not create another version of yourself. 1.4: Hire of unskilled labour and the qualified person, the company is very simple. Companies are participating, is the source of recruitment of candidates or to place ads in magazines and then waiting for the candidates to contact them. Recruitment is the most complex business processes. But the complex is not necessarily a difficult task. Properly managed recruitment, it is necessary to introduce in three stages, the first beginning before the company decided to make may be rented, and after that the employee has voltage. ; When employees are on board, they should be treated, so who will be encouraged to promote business contacts in their circle. Recruitment targets can be rented, but the choice of who to make a positive statement of the company for several years. Task 2:Understand the Styles and impact of leadership 2.1.: Theories of leadership in naturalist Tesco was the first to develop. An example of the exception was Boudicca, Queen of the Icene of ancient Britain. The default value is not belief or such amount would not have been able to learn to know, but was naturally part of their genetic heritage. It was probably hereditary (or so everyone believed)! It is one of the reasons for which a decision or aristocratic families. The scientific method has been applied in psychology, study of human behavior in a new naturalistic approach to leadership theories emerged a trait theory. Trait leadership theory assumes that leaders born, does not. But he sought to identify the personality traits associated with the best leaders, will help you to understand the leadership and identify people who take the same traits could (assumed) make good leaders. Trait theory still has its supporters. Some psychometric tools are used to recruit leaders built the idea naturally or built in functionality (Charantimath, 2 006). 2.2: Leadership functional theories are based on very different assumptions. They focus on the leaders Here it is a short leap of faith that if someone can do something like this, while others can learn how do we are now world leaders are made, not born.Free team-building policies and game ideas can help you to plan and use the games and exercises for training sessions, meetings, workshops, seminars and conferences, adults, youth and children, work, education, or clubs and social activities and Team building activities, games, exercises and also to improve the organization of the project and the results expected and the benefits. We cannot accept responsibility for any liability, which is due to these ideas, free team or the games see warning below. Always make sure that games instead of team set up, which takes place of insurance and be especially careful when working with games for children, children and young people. 2.3.: Theories situational leadership was developed to find the good ways to adapt to the needs of the management actions in a variety of situations and conditions. The classical model of leadership is the situational capacity (or skills) and will (commitment and motivation) will lead to and then specify that the governing body following the best style. Other approaches suggest lifestyle management continued. Leadership style in this refers to a broad approach. Director of leadership style is often based on the beliefs of the Director, personality, experience, work environment and the situation at the time. Some of the leaders in the style of management jobs. Others are more flexible and adapted to the needs of different situations in the management of these theories of leadership became a management style, the notion of style. However, they focus a lot on the leader and the followers of the balance of powers. (Armstrong, 2008). 2.4: Autocratic leaders tend to make decisions and put them in others. They often believe that they are best placed to make decisions for the other power. These leaders have certain personality traits, such as the need for control of situations. Autocratic leadership is suitable for certain situations, such as in emergency situations, or time critical circumstances. But they tend to feed other people or to get the best results from your supporters, who are capable and motivated and Leaders participatory to consult and involve them in the decision-making process. They can make the final decision, but they are showing respect for the account of other consulting services, as well as the ability to listen. Starting points, the default value is that he appreciates generally supporters who reciprocate by being loyal and committed and participatory leadership to develop others and build a common direction leading to a common vision and common goals. Participatory leaders accept leadership as often facilitation style. In other words, they empower and encourage others to make decisions, Act and to function normally within the defined limits. Task 3:Be able to work effectively in a team 3.1.: Important team Tesco work can be neglected for the team, building games, exercises and activities available on this site Web.Construire of games, exercises and activities to help build the team, motivation, develop, improve group communication and is fun for consortia, organizations, children and even a celebration of childrens development and team building games, exercises and heats of action in meetings, conferences, training and make it easier to improve. (Armstrong and Baron, 2002) Free team-building policies and game ideas can help you to plan and use the games and exercises for training sessions, meetings, workshops, seminars and conferences, adults, youth and children, work, education, or clubs and social activities and Team building activities, games, exercises and also to improve the organization of the project and the results expected and the benefits. We cannot accept responsibility for any liability, which is due to these ideas, free team or the games see warning below. Always make sure that games instead of team set up, which takes place of insurance and be especially careful when working with games for children, children and young people. To the extent possible, the development of a top up by providing mentoring and promotion coaching (drawing-mis), which is very effective with excellent, a part of the production. With an appropriate guidance and counselling is used in the formal structure of the training anyway, but support can also be a great help to the development of the whole person, especially if the mentor or coach is regarded as a role model, special efforts. It is important that the leader to understand yourself well before the coach or train or mentor others to: 3.2.: Working in the Tesco is dependent on the leader and good team workmakes things happen, more than any other organization. Teamwork is encouraged to respect, encourage, inspire and management. The teams come from big clubs, when they decide to do it yourself, not because someone says so. Something to inspire them, perhaps, but ultimately decided the team. It is a team thing. It must be. The team says: OK . We will not be able to tell the difference. We have the best in what we do. Find each other and prosper in the American team. And we make sure we have a lot of fun with the whole team starts to move mountains. People are motivated by the best, if you can get them to plan and decide on action-ask-them. Second, you can get the front in the Organization, if the purpose is to develop your own possibilities to find exactly what they are doing and learning. Games can be boring or condescending to many people they want action that will help them to learn and to develop in areas that inter est them without worrying about work stuff please ask. When you ask people in general, you have a number of proposals which can be put in place a set of experiences that people or participate in turn during the day or in the team (workinfo.com, 13) (James, 2008) and (Armstrong, 2000 )). 3.3.: The effectiveness of the work of the team is to reach the objective is very important, and those who have specific skills or interests is, in fact, that among the workers they enjoy sharing with others activity good team can be built with many hobbies and interests. If you are planning a full day of activities throughout the day, games, the construction of the spirit of the group is the waste throughout the day. Find ways to offer an attractive combination of action and help them achieve and learn more about and perhaps the accumulation of forests focuses on one or two real challenges or the workshop . Maybe a little of your leadership in the planning of the day workers (or according to applicable ) the level of proficiency for the benefit of their development and it (Deb, 2006). 3.4.: Team building exercises and offers a wonderful opportunity of consciousness raises and the participation of ethical organizations. These modern business ideas and concepts for the sustainable development of the trade fair social responsibility, triple bottom line, love, compassion, humanity and spirituality, etc. is yet to be defined or understood: people are not aware of what has all means for them one at the time and the Organization as a whole, even if most people instinctively interested in the principles. Group tasks and discussions to help bring clarity and idealistic concepts, such as the ethical and social responsibility more effective than the theory of reading or trying to come up with a new idea of business to embrace the airy fairy, person, place and issued orders. A fundamental change is coming, with support from the top, of course, but the success is, at the end of an account successfully, because people recognize and see the change, it is not. Task 4: Be able to assess the work and development needs of individuals 4.1.: The importance of planning and follow-up, Tesco cannot be ignored and there is no limit to the development of training this is something that will help the person with ability in skills, confidence, tolerance, commitment, initiative, interpersonal relationships, understanding of self-control, motivation to grow (if you look at the really powerful people, perhaps they executives technicians, operators, attributes, in any role, which is particularly important in the properties are likely to be more inclined to good students. And skills, as well as available to the public, in order to ensure that processes are much more helpful Attitude includes features that require a different training and learning methods. The attitude is due to his thoughts, beliefs, emotional maturity, self-confidence and experience. It is the largest formation and the challenges of development, and there are better ways to achieve change and development, which has brought the people to the class room, or produce more than normal business or education, which may see a chore. 4.2.: For this reason, the teaching and learning has expanded well beyond the traditional courses of follow up the course. Be creative, innovative and an open mind, and you will see, learning, itself, is almost a new group or organization. If you want to make a difference, think about what helps really people to change. Managers and leaders in the education and training of their peoples and to develop the people, it will improve performance, raises morale; training and development of people with more health and productivity of the Organization and the effectiveness of the company. Director of ethics and behavior of the people at the top, that determines how productive, they will use their knowledge and skills. Training is nothing without the motivation to implement effectively. Strong ability to plan and manage your knowledge and skills, motivation and attitude, the acquisition, largely determines the way in which working people. To ensure that important, skills, techniques and knowledge have been trained, but to remember him is after most efforts of education and the resources to focus on these tools and processes to stop the training. Go after the help people grow and develop people as human beings humans. 4.3.: The Foundation of all that are experienced by all employees take for granted: the changes are; At the announcement of the grid. What is the holiday routine, a disease where the canteen; what is the dress code; the work is. New employees are also the mission of the Organization, objectives and philosophy; personnel practices, health and safety at work and, of course, they need eliminate methods, annexed and expectations. Administrations shall ensure that due to plan regular induction training is to provide to each new employee and all parties concerned, so that they can see what is happening and everything which is associated to the. Prepare and give the plan of induction, which is required for each of the new starter. Conclusion We can easily deduct from above to know its role is not defined as a human being or an organization, and because the companys policy could be developed for each of the reasons, to take their work and ask for the role, in addition to the requirements of the public authorities and, in addition, separately. You have insufficient skills? Companies need help or advice in areas of importance is to educate, coach, mentor for others? What is a style? How can communicate. These all affect how you see and start to see training, coaching or mentoring role and how to be seen and are related to the person who is coaching or training and guidance. Your mission is to help the person to learn and improve, do not create another version of yourself. When you understand your self, you understand, how can you understand the best way to communicate and how best to help others to grow and learn and develop. References: Allen, B, Holland, P., Dnonhue, R., Pyman, A. and Sheehan, C. (2012) Contemporary Issues and Challenges in HRM, 2nd ed. USA: The University Press Armstrong, M. (2006) A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. US: Kogan Page Limited. Armstrong, M. (2008) Strategic Human Resource Management: A Guide to Action. 4th ed. UK: Kogan Page. Armstrong, M. (2010) Armstrongs Essential Human Resource Management Practice: A Guide to PeopleManagement. UK: Kogan Page Limited Armstrong, M. and Baron, A. (2002) Strategic HRM: The Key to Improved Business Performance. UK:CIPD Aryee, S. And Budhwar, P. (2008) An Introduction to Strategic Human Resource Management. UK: CIPD Charantimath, P. (2006) Entrepreneurship Development and Small Business Enterprise. New Delhi, India: Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt. Ltd. Cornelius, N. (2001) Human Resource Management: A Managerial Perspective. UK: Thomson Deb, T. (2006) Strategic Approach to Human Resource Management. New Delhi, India: Atlantic Publishers and Distributors. Dgaep.gov.pt. (2005) Human Resources management strategies to support organizational changes† online available at http://www.dgaep.gov.pt/media/0601010000/lux/hrmorgchanges.pdf [Accessed: 9th February, 2014] Dhar, R. (2008) Strategic Human Resource Management. New Delhi, India: Excel Books Durai, P. (2010) Human Resource Management. New Delhi, India: Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt. Ltd. Macgregor, R. And McGeehan, L. (2010) Human Resources: Legislation in the Workplace. Online available at http://www.slideshare.net/MrMcGowan74/legislation-in-the-workplace [Accessed: 8th February, 2014] Pedler, M. (2008) Action Learning for Managers.UK: TJ International Ltd. Sims, R. (2007) Human Resource Management: Contemporary Issues, Challenges, and Opportunities. USA: Information Age Publishing Inc. Smallbusiness.com (2014) Five Components of a Human Resource Management System. Online available at http://smallbusiness.chron.com/five-components-human-resource-management-system-64231.html [Accessed: 7th February, 2014]

Western Societys Skepticism of Reincarnation :: Religion

Western Society's Skepticism of Reincarnation "As men think so they are, both here and hereafter, thoughts being things, the parent of all actions, good and bad alike, and as the sowing has been, so will the harvest be." It had finally come down to the last of the 500 pieces for the picturesque puzzle. What A major feat for grandma and me! We had worked on it for days straight and kept it hidden under the table cloth on top of the dining room table. Grandma came over and gave me a big hug and kiss. She glanced at the clock and noticed that it was 3:30: time to feed the birds and then to start making dinner. â€Å"Let’s go feed the birds, Stephy†, she said. And we went into her little apartment kitchen, took out the package of old rye bread and headed out to her balcony overlooking Avenue Q in Brooklyn. â€Å"Ya know Stephy, the baby pigeon came by this morning with her mommy. I think she was looking for you.† I gleamed at grandma and started to blush. Grandma passed me a piece of bread to sprinkle on the floor. The ravenous birds started to arrive, one by one. Grandma sat down in her lawn chair. â€Å"When I go Stephy, I wouldn’t mind coming back as the baby pigeon. I ho pe you wouldn’t forget to come out and feed me.† So, what really happens after the last breathe is drawn? Does one go to heaven? Turn to fertilizer? Start the life process over again? There are many different beliefs, but no one knows for sure until it is their turn. Death is one of the most dreaded topics of conversation in Western civilizations. Death has many negative connotations attached. As for Tibetans following the Buddhist religion, they look death right in the face and accept it. The Tibetans do not avoid talking about the inevitable fate which every human being will meet. Rather, they prepare themselves and know that with every passing day they get closer to the end. The Tibetans live by the concept of impermanence. Impermanence states that everyone has a transient existence and that everyone will eventually die. One would think that the Tibetans are a wasteful culture, since they live their lives knowing that they will eventually die, yet it is in fact the opposite. So what motivates them? Reincarnation is the idea that the soul is reborn into a new form. Western Society's Skepticism of Reincarnation :: Religion Western Society's Skepticism of Reincarnation "As men think so they are, both here and hereafter, thoughts being things, the parent of all actions, good and bad alike, and as the sowing has been, so will the harvest be." It had finally come down to the last of the 500 pieces for the picturesque puzzle. What A major feat for grandma and me! We had worked on it for days straight and kept it hidden under the table cloth on top of the dining room table. Grandma came over and gave me a big hug and kiss. She glanced at the clock and noticed that it was 3:30: time to feed the birds and then to start making dinner. â€Å"Let’s go feed the birds, Stephy†, she said. And we went into her little apartment kitchen, took out the package of old rye bread and headed out to her balcony overlooking Avenue Q in Brooklyn. â€Å"Ya know Stephy, the baby pigeon came by this morning with her mommy. I think she was looking for you.† I gleamed at grandma and started to blush. Grandma passed me a piece of bread to sprinkle on the floor. The ravenous birds started to arrive, one by one. Grandma sat down in her lawn chair. â€Å"When I go Stephy, I wouldn’t mind coming back as the baby pigeon. I ho pe you wouldn’t forget to come out and feed me.† So, what really happens after the last breathe is drawn? Does one go to heaven? Turn to fertilizer? Start the life process over again? There are many different beliefs, but no one knows for sure until it is their turn. Death is one of the most dreaded topics of conversation in Western civilizations. Death has many negative connotations attached. As for Tibetans following the Buddhist religion, they look death right in the face and accept it. The Tibetans do not avoid talking about the inevitable fate which every human being will meet. Rather, they prepare themselves and know that with every passing day they get closer to the end. The Tibetans live by the concept of impermanence. Impermanence states that everyone has a transient existence and that everyone will eventually die. One would think that the Tibetans are a wasteful culture, since they live their lives knowing that they will eventually die, yet it is in fact the opposite. So what motivates them? Reincarnation is the idea that the soul is reborn into a new form.