Globalization on Chinese Society Essay

Our research aims to discover peculiarities of ideology in China. It’s going to highlight integrating values, legitimating the government’s policies and continued authority. The study is a review of articles by David Lynch, Gordon White and Feng Chen. From the recent past years up to this point of time, China has been taking part in extensive economic globalization activities like facilitating free trade policy. China’s new economic openness has resulted to remarkable growth trends. It has been practicing its â€Å"go out policy† by participating in the international market competitions. Observers have also noted some major changes in the Chinese media in coping up with globalization. With China’s entry to the World Trade Organization, structural reforms have taken place and more and more researchers have focused their interest on the interaction between Chinese media particularly television and the world at large. Currently, China is still in a whirl and sways with various ideologies such as a waning communist ideology, an increasing conservatism, as well as liberalism. Various ideological trends such as globalism, nationalism, individualism and pragmatism are likewise alive and under further exploration especially by Chinese youths. The pursuit of the leftists who adhere to the theory of socialism, elect to preserve the fundamental purity of the socialist economy and state authority. Meanwhile, reformists have argued that China should rather enrich its market economy and the rights to property. Besides, reformists want to recognize private entrepreneurship to join the Party. There exists some few numbers of youths having true belief in communism. Most of them, however, want membership to the Party as a stepping ladder in gaining their individual objectives. In some of the researches, David Lynch (2000 (Lynch, 1999, p173) has focused his objects on what expectations the intellectual and political elites expect leading to same changes in China for the years ahead. The objects include linked issues on some domestic and political affairs, the power capability of China as a nation, how the party state would defend its national identity as well as its cultural heritage and integrity in the face of the raging and deepening effects of globalization. Besides, Lynch assesses on how China aligns its new development and technology in directing its society’s future. With the continued transformation of the media including print, TV, the Internet, the entry of some foreign TV programming and the likes now depends mostly on the supply and demand and the behavior of the controlling party. The improvements of local or domestic contents have rivalled foreign counterparts. Lynch also assessed the trends in censorship and found some possible means by which media could possibly find ways of overcoming or avoiding rules, laws, problems, or difficulty to government restrictions of imported as well as local media contents. Briefly, Lynch tries to arrive at a point when the communist government’s hold on China’s domestic affairs would become loose due to the use of new technology. â€Å"Dilemmas of ‘Thought Work’ in Fin-de-Siecle China† reports that in May 1997 was established special organ of the Party Central Committee – Central Guidance Committee on Spiritual Civilization Construction. This fact indicates the seriousness of intentions in pursuing the spiritual civilization line. â€Å"Thought work† refers to Chinese Communist Party’s attempts to transmit socialist ideology and to control ideas of the masses so that they will comply to the demands of the national development plan. In his article Lynch argued that the government’s efforts to build a socialist spiritual civilization in China failed. He concluded that government’s attempts to limit access to global media and control political discourse turn out to be ineffective. Lynch reports the Chinese Ministry of Public Security’s estimate that as many as 620,000 Chinese had access to the internet in 1997, with a rise to 4 million expected by 2000 (Lynch, 1999, p. 193). The propaganda state is indeed crumbling. The author reports that Chinese children play cops and robbers who require the cops to inform the robbers of their rights before taking them into detention, as they have seen in American movies (Lynch, 1999). Other political writers like Feng Chen and Gordon White agree that China’s Chinese Communist Party is capable of adapting itself to the changing political climate. Moreover, China’s leaders could strengthen its position like having political legitimacy by re-inventing itself and continue some evolutionary tuning to reinforce the CCP’s legitimacy. Nevertheless, evolutionary refining is a hit and miss system that nobody can guaranty its success. Gordon White primarily focused on the politically engaged society in China. According to White politically-engaged society proved to be a durable theme in Chinese politics. Riding the Tiger concludes that society’s political engagement with the state will shape future of the state. For example, There may be a form of Chinese ‘Brezhnevism’ to see out the millennium as the current leadership tries to stay in power. If this is indeed the case, then the political contradictions and trends which I have identified will intensify and make it more likely that the transition, when it comes, will be sudden, radical and possibly violent. (White, 1993, p. 255) Even if the market becomes predominant through radical reform and even if it takes a capitalist form, which is very probable, there is a continuing need for a new form of developmental state to tackle†¦social and economic problems [such as market failure and its consequences for the poor]. In the short term, moreover, the role of the state is even more crucial because of the need to break through the ‘hard policy constraint’ and manage the transition from a planned to a market economy. This is a process†¦which is fraught with instability and tensions arising from the opposition of vested interests, threats to economic security, inflation and growing inequality. A strong state is needed to provide the political order and direction necessary to underpin this transition and regulate an emergent market economy in a huge and increasingly complex country. (White, 1993, pp. 238-9) As Gordon White has observed in Riding the Tiger, an attempt to establish a political system that can serve as an alternative to both capitalist economics and liberal politics has not appeared to be possible in China: â€Å"Marxist-Leninist socialism has been incapable of reforming itself and that ‘market socialism’ rather than saving its bacon, cooks its goose† (White, 1993, p. 12). White was writing at the start of the 1990s. Civil society-like forms emerged in China in the 1990s. That process the result collapse of the state structure, as it was in Soviet Union. But for the time being the Party-state still remains in command. As it was noted in Riding the Tiger, â€Å"to the extent the economic reforms were the spearhead of an attempt to resuscitate the political fortunes of Chinese state socialism, they can be judged to be a dismal failure†(White, 1993, p. 233). By the millennium China was certainly the most successful of the socialist states in adjusting to capitalism. Yet at the same time socialism remains in place in China and power is monopolized by the Communist Party. White denoted this combination as â€Å"market Stalinism† (White, 1993, p. 256). White suggests that the increasing prevalence of the elements of a civil society does not point toward an evolution into more liberal regime with market-oriented economy and multiparty political system. The author also noted that in Chinese society there are some groups that didn’t make benefits from the reforms. These would include state officials and state workers, women and the unemployed and floating populations: Fear of threats to status, power or income; disappointment because the reforms were delivering less than they had promised; disgruntlement arising from the â€Å"red-eye disease†; concerns that gains already achieved were in danger of erosion (through inflation and leadership mismanagement); contrarily, impatience at a deceleration of the reforms and anxiety at an acceleration. (White, 1993, p. 217) Some observers have concluded that the efforts of the Central Party in building some thought works on socialism in China has been not effective. Moreover, they gravitate to some extent. Formerly, China firmly opposed globalization as it disrupts some global institutions. Today, China is one of the firm advocates of liberalization and globalization, opening its trading system to the world. Slowly but surely, the Chinese system has now been updating itself on the rule of law, adapting many foreign laws to transform its civilization. China’s success through globalization, which happened in a short time, has indeed uplifted the standards of living of many workers. With such economic success arising from the impact of globalization, China has learned some stressful and painful lessons adjusting itself. Some of the effects include the decline of state employment from 110 million in 1995 to 66 million in March 2005, the lost of 25 million jobs in the manufacturing establishments, and the consolidation of some 125 car companies to just six firms. Its recent economic growth has revived and revved up the economy of Japan and kept safe its neighboring countries from recession, which otherwise could have led to a risky global downturn. With the prevailing trend of globalization, the process has deeply influenced the study habits, culture, and consumption styles of the youth (ACYF). They now believe that English is a basic skill and reference for one to acquire a degree. As more and more Chinese youths go out to study abroad, more and more of them have returned home, which benefits their culture. The youths now could avail some entertainments made in the USA, Europe, and elsewhere via television, films, videos, and the internet. Even internet games or serial TV programs from Japan or Korea have become the favorite of young students. Young people now in China are learning more the facts of life, society, and world affairs through the said media. When educators, scholars, officials, and artists speak of culture, this includes both the physical and non-physical aspects. The physical or material aspects include sites, landscapes, monuments, buildings, and like objects whereas non-physical aspects include music dance, language, poetry, and the like, which have been associated with China’s social practices. The non-physical culture is China’s living heritage is passed from one generation to the other. In reality, one should accept the fact that culture cannot be easily isolated from the influence or effects of globalization (UICIFD). To conclude the work we should note that ideology is still alive in China. The Chinese communist regime didn’t decline its ideological absolutism. The Communist Party alone that possesses the universal truth and represents the fundamental interest of the people (Guo, 1995, p. 84). In fact, â€Å"Mao Zedong thought† or â€Å"Deng Xiaoping theory† was adapted by the post-Mao party leadership in accordance with the changes of the China’s specific conditions. But this modification does not suggest discarding the fundamental principles and norms, but renovation within the same basic framework of development of Marxism. But post-Mao regime has cautiously modified some of Mao’s doctrines through the official interpretation of the sacred text (Guo, 1995, p. 84-85). As Feng Chen asserted, agricultural decollectivization in China was not an equivalent of â€Å"privatization,† but only the transformation of the rural economy into â€Å"a new type of collective economy, characterized by combining public ownership of the land with totally individualized operations of production† (Feng Chen, 1998, p. 82). To the post- Mao leadership, such an arrangement is defined as the â€Å"separation of land ownership rights and land use rights† (Feng Chen, 1998, p. 88). Land in China remains under public ownership. Reference List White, G. (1993). Riding the Tiger: The Politics of Economic Reform in Post-Mao China. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press; London: Macmillan. Lynch, D. (1999). Dilemmas of ‘Thought Work’ in Fin-de-Siecle China. China Quarterly, 157. Guo, S. (1995). Totalitarianism: An Outdated Paradigm for Post-Mao China? Journal of Northeast Asian Studies, 14 (2). Chen, F. (1998). Rebuilding the Party’s Normative Authority: China’s Socialist Spiritual Civilization Campaign. Problems of Post-Communism, 45 (6).

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 8

Chapter 8 I've managed to sneak into the bathroom long enough to read a few chapters of this New Testament that they've added to the Bible. This Matthew fellow, who is obviously not the Matthew that we knew, seems to have left out quite a little bit. Like everything from the time Joshua was born to the time he was thirty!!! No wonder the angel brought me back to write this book. This Matthew fellow hasn't mentioned me yet, but I'm still in the early chapters. I have to ration myself to keep the angel from getting suspicious. Today he confronted me when I came out of the bathroom. â€Å"You are spending a lot of time in there. You don't need to spend so much time in there.† â€Å"I told you, cleanliness is very important to my people.† â€Å"You weren't bathing. I would have heard the water running.† I decided that I needed to go on the offensive if I was going to keep the angel from finding the Bible. I ran across the room, leapt onto his bed, and fastened my hands around his throat – choking him as I chanted: â€Å"I haven't been laid in two thousand years. I haven't been laid in two thousand years. I haven't been laid in two thousand years.† It felt good, there was a rhythm to it, I sort of squoze his throat a bit with every syllable. I paused for a moment in choking the heavenly host to backhand him across his alabaster cheek. It was a mistake. He caught my hand. Then grabbed me by the hair with his other hand and calmly climbed to his feet, lifting me into the air by my hair. â€Å"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow,† I said. â€Å"So, you have not been laid in two thousand years? What does that mean?† â€Å"Ow, ow, ow, ow,† I replied. The angel set me on my feet, but kept his grasp on my hair. â€Å"So?† â€Å"It means that I haven't had a woman in two millennia, aren't you picking up any of the vocabulary from the television?† He glanced at the TV, which, of course, was on. â€Å"I don't have your gift of tongues. What does that have to do with choking me?† â€Å"I was choking you because you, once again, are as dense as dirt. I haven't had sex in two thousand years. Men have needs. What the hell do you think I'm doing in the bathroom all of that time?† â€Å"Oh,† the angel said, releasing my hair. â€Å"So you are†¦You have been†¦There is a†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Get me a woman and maybe I won't spend so much time in the bathroom, if you get my meaning.† Brilliant misdirection, I thought. â€Å"A woman? No, I cannot do that. Not yet.† â€Å"Yet? Does that mean†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Oh look,† the angel said, turning from me as if I was no more than vapor, â€Å"General Hospital is starting.† And with that, my secret Bible was safe. What did he mean by â€Å"yet†? At least this Matthew mentions the Magi. One sentence, but that's one more than I've gotten in his Gospel so far. Our second day in Jerusalem we went to see the great Rabbi Hillel. (Rabbi means teacher in Hebrew – you knew that, right?) Hillel looked to be a hundred years old, his beard and hair were long and white, and his eyes were clouded over, his irises milk white. His skin was leathery-brown from sitting in the sun and his nose was long and hooked, giving him the aspect of a great, blind eagle. He held class all morning in the outer courtyard of the Temple. We sat quietly, listening to him recite from the Torah and interpret the verses, taking questions and engaging in arguments with the Pharisees, who tried to infuse the Law into every minute detail of life. Toward the end of Hillel's morning lectures, Jakan, the camel-sucking husband-to-be of my beloved Maggie, asked Hillel if it would be a sin to eat an egg that had been laid on the Sabbath. â€Å"What are you, stupid? The Lord doesn't give a damn what a chicken does on the Sabbath, you nimrod! It's a chicken. If a Jew lays an egg on the Sabbath, that's probably a sin, come see me then. Otherwise don't waste my friggin' time with that nonsense. Now go away, I'm hungry and I need a nap. All of you, scram.† Joshua looked at me and grinned. â€Å"He's not what I expected,† he whispered. â€Å"Knows a nimrod when he sees – uh – hears one, though,† I said. (Nimrod was an ancient king who died of suffocation after he wondered aloud in front of his guards what it would be like to have your own head stuck up your ass.) A boy younger than us helped the old man to his feet and began to lead him away toward the Temple gate. I ran up and took the priest's other arm. â€Å"Rabbi, my friend has come from far away to talk to you. Can you help him?† The old man stopped. â€Å"Where is your friend?† â€Å"Right here.† â€Å"Then why isn't he talking for himself? Where do you come from, kid?† â€Å"Nazareth,† Joshua said, â€Å"but I was born in Bethlehem. I am Joshua bar Joseph.† â€Å"Oh yeah, I've talked to your mother.† â€Å"You have?† â€Å"Sure, almost every time she and your father come to Jerusalem for a feast she tries to see me. She thinks you're the Messiah.† Joshua swallowed hard. â€Å"Am I?† Hillel snorted. â€Å"Do you want to be the Messiah?† Joshua looked at me as if I might have the answer. I shrugged. â€Å"I don't know,† Josh finally said. â€Å"I thought I was just supposed to do it.† â€Å"Do you think you're the Messiah?† â€Å"I'm not sure I should say.† â€Å"That's smart,† Hillel said. â€Å"You shouldn't say. You can think you're the Messiah all that you want, just don't tell anyone.† â€Å"But if I don't tell them, they won't know.† â€Å"Exactly. You can think you're a palm tree if you want, just don't tell anyone. You can think you're a flock of seagulls, just don't tell anyone. You get my meaning? Now I have to go eat. I'm old and I'm hungry and I want to go eat now, so just in case I die before supper I won't go hungry.† â€Å"But he really is the Messiah,† I said. â€Å"Oh yeah,† Hillel said, grabbing my shoulder, then feeling for my head so he could scream into my ear. â€Å"What do you know? You're an ignorant kid. How old are you? Twelve? Thirteen?† â€Å"Thirteen.† â€Å"How could you, at thirteen, know anything? I'm eighty-four and I don't know shit.† â€Å"But you're wise,† I said. â€Å"I'm wise enough to know that I don't know shit. Now go away.† â€Å"Should I ask the Holy of Holies?† Joshua said. Hillel swung at the air, as if to slap Joshua, but missed by a foot. â€Å"It's a box. I saw it when I could still see, and I can tell you that it's a box. And you know what else, if there were tablets in it, they aren't there now. So if you want to talk to a box, and probably be executed for trying to get into the chamber where it's kept, you go right ahead.† The breath seemed to be knocked out of Joshua's body and I thought he would faint on the spot. How could the greatest teacher in all of Israel speak of the Ark of the Covenant in such a way? How could a man who obviously knew every word of the Torah, and all the teachings written since, how could he claim not to know anything? Hillel seemed to sense Joshua's distress. â€Å"Look, kid, your mother says that some very wise men came to Bethlehem to see you when you were born. They obviously knew something that no one else knew. Why don't you go see them? Ask them about being the Messiah.† â€Å"So you aren't going to tell him how to be the Messiah?† I asked. Again Hillel reached out for Joshua, but this time without any anger. He found Joshua's cheek, and stroked it with his palsied hand. â€Å"I don't believe there will be a Messiah, and at this point, I'm not sure it would make a difference to me. Our people have spent more time in slavery or under the heels of foreign kings than we have spent free, so who is to say that it is God's will that we be free at all? Who is to say that God concerns himself with us in any way, beyond allowing us to be? I don't think that he does. So know this, little one. Whether you are the Messiah, or you become a rabbi, or even if you are nothing more than a farmer, here is the sum of all I can teach you, and all that I know: treat others as you would like to be treated. Can you remember that?† Joshua nodded and the old man smiled. â€Å"Go find your wise men, Joshua bar Joseph.† What we did was stay in the Temple while Joshua grilled every priest, guard, even Pharisee about the Magi who had come to Jerusalem thirteen years before. Evidently it wasn't as big an event for others as it was for Josh's family, because no one had any idea what he was talking about. By the time he'd been at it for a couple of hours he was literally screaming into the faces of a group of Pharisees. â€Å"Three of them. Magicians. They came because they saw a star over Bethlehem. They were carrying gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Come on, you're all old. You're supposed to be wise. Think!† Needless to say, they weren't pleased. â€Å"Who is this boy who would question our knowledge? He knows nothing of the Torah and the prophets and yet berates us for not remembering three insignificant travelers.† It was the wrong thing to say to Joshua. No one had studied the Torah harder. No one knew scripture better. â€Å"Ask me any question, Pharisee,† Joshua said. â€Å"Ask anything.† In retrospect, after having grown up, somewhat, and having lived, died, and been resurrected from the dust, I realize that there may be nothing more obnoxious than a teenager who knows everything. Certainly, it is a symptom of the age that they think they know everything, but now I have some sympathy for those poor men who challenged Joshua that day at the Temple. Of course, at the time, I shouted, â€Å"Smite the sons-a-bitches, Josh.† He was there for days. Joshua wouldn't even leave to eat, and I went out into the city to bring him back food. First the Pharisees, but later even some of the priests came to quiz Joshua, to try to throw him some question about some obscure Hebrew king or general. They made him recite the lineages from all the books of the Bible, yet he did not waver. Myself, I left him there to argue while I wandered through the holy city looking for Maggie, then, when I couldn't find her, for girls in general. I slept at the camp of my parents, assuming all the time that Joshua was returning each night to his own family, but I was wrong. When the Passover feast was over and we were packing up to leave, Mary, Joshua's mother, came to me in a panic. â€Å"Biff. Have you seen Joshua?† The poor woman was distraught. I wanted to comfort her so I held my arms out to give her a comforting embrace. â€Å"Poor Mary, calm down. Joshua is fine. Come, let me give you a comforting embrace.† â€Å"Biff!† I thought she might slap me. â€Å"He's at the Temple. Jeez, a guy tries to be compassionate and what does he get?† She had already taken off. I caught up to her as she was dragging Joshua out of the Temple by the arm. â€Å"You worried us half to death.† â€Å"You should have known you would find me in my father's house,† Joshua said. â€Å"Don't you pull that ‘my father' stuff on me, Joshua bar Joseph. The commandment says honor thy father and thy mother. I'm not feeling honored right now, young man. You could have sent a message, you could have stopped by the camp.† Joshua looked at me, his eyes pleading for me to help him out. â€Å"I tried to comfort her, Josh, but she wouldn't have it.† Later I found the two of them on the road to Nazareth and Joshua motioned for me to walk with them. â€Å"Mother thinks we may be able to find at least one of the Magi, and if we find that one, he may know where the others are.† Mary nodded, â€Å"The one named Balthasar, the black one, he said he came from a village north of Antioch. He was the only one of the three that spoke any Hebrew.† I didn't feel confident. Although I'd never seen a map, â€Å"north of Antioch† sounded like a large, unspecific, and scary place. â€Å"Is there more?† â€Å"Yes, the other two had come from the East by the Silk Road. Their names were Melchior and Gaspar.† â€Å"So it's off to Antioch,† Joshua said. He seemed completely satisfied with the information his mother had given him, as if all he needed were the three Magi's names and he'd as much as found them. I said, â€Å"You're going to go to Antioch assuming that someone there will remember a man who may have lived north of there thirteen years ago?† â€Å"A magician,† Mary said. â€Å"A rich, Ethiopian magician. How many can there be?† â€Å"Well, there might not be any, did you think of that? He might have died. He might have moved to another city.† â€Å"In that case, I will be in Antioch,† Joshua said. â€Å"From there I can travel the Silk Road until I find the other two.† I couldn't believe my ears. â€Å"You're not going alone.† â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"But Josh, you're helpless out in the world. You only know Nazareth, where people are stupid and poor. No offense, Mary. You'll be like – uh – like a lamb among wolves. You need me along to watch out for you.† â€Å"And what do you know that I don't? Your Latin is horrible, your Greek is barely passable, and your Hebrew is atrocious.† â€Å"Yeah. If a stranger comes up to you on the road to Antioch and asks you how much money you are carrying, what do you tell him?† â€Å"That will depend on how much I am carrying.† â€Å"No it won't. You haven't enough for a crust of bread. You are a poor beggar.† â€Å"But that's not true.† â€Å"Exactly.† Mary put her arm around her son's shoulders. â€Å"He has a point, Joshua.† Joshua wrinkled his brow as if he had to think about it, but I could tell that he was relieved that I wanted to go along. â€Å"When do you want to leave?† â€Å"When did Maggie say she was getting married?† â€Å"In a month.† â€Å"Before then. I don't want to be here when it happens.† â€Å"Me either,† Joshua said. And so we spent the next few weeks preparing for our journey. My father thought I was crazy, but my mother seemed happy to have the extra space in the house and pleased that the family wouldn't have to put up a bride price to marry me off right away. â€Å"So you'll be gone how long?† Mother asked. â€Å"I don't know. It's not a terribly long journey to Antioch, but I don't know how long we'll be there. Then we'll be traveling the Silk Road. I'm guessing that that's a long journey. I've never seen any silk growing around here.† â€Å"Well, take a wool tunic in case it gets cold.† And that was all I heard from my mother. Not â€Å"Why are you going?† Not â€Å"Who are you looking for?† Just â€Å"Take a wool tunic.† Jeez. My father was more supportive. â€Å"I can give you a little money to travel with, or we could buy you a donkey.† â€Å"I think the money would be better. A donkey couldn't carry both of us.† â€Å"And who are these fellows you're looking for?† â€Å"Magicians, I think.† â€Å"And you want to talk to magicians because†¦?† â€Å"Because Josh wants to know how to be the Messiah.† â€Å"Oh, right. And you believe that Joshua is the Messiah?† â€Å"Yes, but more important than that, he's my friend. I can't let him go alone.† â€Å"And what if he's not the Messiah? What if you find these magicians and they tell you that Joshua is not what you think he is, that he's just a normal boy?† â€Å"Well, he'll really need me to be there, then, won't he?† My father laughed. â€Å"Yes, I guess he will. You come back, Levi, and bring your friend the Messiah with you. Now we'll have to set three empty places at the table on Passover. One for Elijah, one for my lost son, and one for his pal the Messiah.† â€Å"Well, don't seat Joshua next to Elijah. If those guys start talking religion we'll never have any peace.† It came down to only four days before Maggie's wedding before Joshua and I accepted that one of us would have to tell her we were leaving. After nearly a whole day of arguing, it fell upon me to go to her. I saw Joshua face down fears in himself that would have broken other men, but taking bad news to Maggie was one he couldn't overcome. I took the task on myself and tried to leave Joshua with his dignity. â€Å"You wuss!† â€Å"How can I tell her that it's too painful to watch her marry that toad?† â€Å"First, you're insulting toads everywhere, and second, what makes you think it's any easier for me?† â€Å"You're tougher than I am.† â€Å"Oh, don't try that. You can't just roll over and expect me to not notice that I'm being manipulated. She's going to cry. I hate it when she cries.† â€Å"I know,† Josh said. â€Å"It hurts me too. Too much.† Then he put his hand on my head and I suddenly felt better, stronger. â€Å"Don't try your Son of God mumbo jumbo on me, you're still a wuss.† â€Å"If it be so, so be it. So it shall be written.† Well, it is now, Josh. It's written now. (It's strange, the word â€Å"wuss† is the same in my ancient Aramaic tongue as it is in this language. Like the word waited for me these two thousand years so I could write it down here. Strange.) Maggie was washing clothes in the square with a bunch of other women. I caught her attention by jumping on the shoulders of my friend Bartholomew, who was gleefully exposing himself for the viewing pleasure of the Nazarene wives. With a subtle toss of my head I signaled to Maggie to meet me behind a nearby stand of date palms. â€Å"Behind those trees?† Maggie shouted. â€Å"Yeah,† I replied. â€Å"You bringing the idiot?† â€Å"Nope.† â€Å"Okay,† she said, and she handed her washing to one of her younger sisters and scampered to the trees. I was surprised to see her smiling so close to the time of her wedding. She hugged me and I could feel the heat rise in my face, either from shame or love, like there was a difference. â€Å"Well, you're in a good mood,† I said. â€Å"Why not? I'm using them all up before the wedding. Speaking of which, what are you two bringing me for a present? It had better be good if it's going to make up for who I have to marry.† She was joyful and there was music and laughter in her voice, pure Maggie, but I had to turn away. â€Å"Hey, I was only joking,† she said. â€Å"You guys don't need to bring me anything.† â€Å"We're leaving, Maggie. We won't be there.† She grabbed my shoulder and forced me to face her. â€Å"You're leaving? You and Joshua? You're going away?† â€Å"Yes, before your wedding. We're going to Antioch, and from there far into the East along the Silk Road.† She said nothing. Tears welled up in her eyes and I could feel them rising in mine as well. This time she turned away. â€Å"We should have told you before, I know, but really we only decided at Passover. Joshua is going to find the Magi who came to his birth, and I'm going with him because I have to.† She wheeled on me. â€Å"You have to? You have to? You don't have to. You can stay and be my friend and come to my wedding and sneak down to talk to me here or in the vineyard and we can laugh and tease and no matter how horrible it is being married to Jakan, I'll have that. I'll at least have that!† I felt as if I'd be sick to my stomach any second. I wanted to tell her that I'd stay, that I'd wait, that if there was the slightest chance that her life wasn't going to be a desert in the arms of her creep husband that I could hold hope. I wanted to do whatever I could to take away even a little bit of her pain, even up to letting Joshua go by himself, but in thinking that, I realized that Joshua must have been feeling the same thing, so all I said was â€Å"I'm sorry.† â€Å"And what about Joshua, wasn't he even going to say good-bye?† â€Å"He wanted to, but he couldn't. Neither of us can, I mean, we didn't want to have to watch you marry Jakan.† â€Å"Cowards. You two deserve each other. You can hide behind each other like Greek boys. Just go. Get away from me.† I tried to think of something to say, but my mind was a soup of confusion so I hung my head and walked away. I was almost out of the square when Maggie caught up to me. I heard her footsteps and turned. â€Å"Tell him to meet me behind the synagogue, Biff. The night before my wedding, an hour after sunset.† â€Å"I'm not sure, Maggie, he – â€Å" â€Å"Tell him,† she said. She ran back to the well without looking back. So I told Joshua, and on the night before Maggie's wedding, the night before we were to leave on our journey, Joshua packed some bread and cheese and a skin of wine and told me to meet him by the date palms in the square where we would share supper together. â€Å"You have to go,† Joshua said. â€Å"I'm going. In the morning, when you do. What, you think I'd back out now?† â€Å"No, tonight. You have to go to Maggie. I can't go.† â€Å"What? I mean, why?† Sure I'd been heartbroken when Maggie had asked to see Joshua and not me, but I'd come to terms with it. Well, as well as one ever comes to terms with an ongoing heartbreak. â€Å"You have to take my place, Biff. There's almost no moon tonight, and we are about the same size. Just don't say much and she'll think it's me. Maybe not as smart as normal, but she can put that down to worry over the upcoming journey.† â€Å"I'd love to see Maggie, but she wants to see you, why can't you go?† â€Å"You really don't know?† â€Å"Not really.† â€Å"Then just take my word for it. You'll see. Will you do this for me, Biff? Will you take my place, pretend to be me?† â€Å"That would be lying. You never lie.† â€Å"Now you're getting righteous on me? I won't be lying. You will be.† â€Å"Oh. In that case, I'll go.† But there wasn't even time to deceive. It was so dark that night that I had to make my way slowly through the village by starlight alone, and as I rounded the corner to the back of our small synagogue I was hit with a wave of sandalwood and lemon and girl sweat, of warm skin, a wet mouth over mine, arms around my back and legs around my waist. I fell backward on the ground and there was in my head a bright light, and the rest of the world existed in the senses of touch and smell and God. There, on the ground behind the synagogue, Maggie and I indulged desires we had carried for years, mine for her, and hers for Joshua. That neither of us knew what we were doing made no difference. It was pure and it happened and it was marvelous. And when we finished we lay there holding each other, half dressed, breathless, and sweating, and Maggie said, â€Å"I love you, Joshua.† â€Å"I love you, Maggie,† I said. And ever so slightly she loosened her embrace. â€Å"I couldn't marry Jakan without – I couldn't let you go without – without letting you know.† â€Å"He knows, Maggie.† Then she really pulled away. â€Å"Biff?† â€Å"Uh-oh.† I thought she might scream, that she might leap up and run away, that she might do any one of a hundred things to take me from heaven to hell, but after only a second she nuzzled close to me again. â€Å"Thank you for being here,† she said. We left at dawn, and our fathers walked with us as far as the gates of Sepphoris. When we parted at the gates my father gave me a hammer and chisel to carry with me in my satchel. â€Å"With that you can make enough for a meal anywhere you go,† my father said. Joseph gave Joshua a wooden bowl. â€Å"Out of that you can eat the meal that Biff earns.† He grinned at me. By the gates of Sepphoris I kissed my father for the last time. By the gates of Sepphoris we left our fathers behind and went out into the world to find three wise men. â€Å"Come back, Joshua, and make us free,† Joseph shouted to our backs. â€Å"Go with God,† my own father said. â€Å"I am, I am,† I shouted. â€Å"He's right here.† Joshua said nothing until the sun was high in the sky and we stopped to share a drink of water. â€Å"Well?† Joshua said. â€Å"Did she know it was you?† â€Å"Yes. Not at first, but before we parted. She knew.† â€Å"Was she angry at me?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Was she angry at you?† I smiled. â€Å"No.† â€Å"You dog!† he said. â€Å"You really should ask that angel what he meant about you not knowing a woman, Joshua. It's really important.† â€Å"You know now why I couldn't go.† â€Å"Yes. Thanks.† â€Å"I'll miss her,† Joshua said. â€Å"You have no idea,† I said. â€Å"Every detail. I want to know every detail.† â€Å"But you aren't supposed to know.† â€Å"That's not what the angel meant. Tell me.† â€Å"Not now. Not while I can still smell her on my arms.† Joshua kicked at the dirt. â€Å"Am I angry with you, or happy for you, or jealous of you? I don't know? Tell me!† â€Å"Josh, right now, for the first time I can remember, I'm happier being your friend than I would be being you. Can I have that?† Now, thinking about that night with Maggie behind the synagogue, where we stayed together until it was nearly dawn, where we made love again and again and fell asleep naked on top of our clothes – now, when I think of that, I want to run away from here, this room, this angel and his task, find a lake, dive down, and hide from the eye of God in the dark muck on the bottom. Strange.

Enlightenment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Enlightenment - Essay Example ople realized the need of societal reforms hence challenging the authority exercised by traditional institutions such as the Catholic Church whose influence was deeply and widely rooted in society. Philosophers who influenced people’s thinking and reasoning through their work during The Enlightenment included: , John Locke, Francis Bacon, Renà © Descartes and Isaac Newton among others (Perry, 2013). The era of enlightenment coincided with the scientific revolution led by Isaac Newton (NatilusMaker, n.d.). Literacy increased as a result of people deviating from religious texts and instead embracing new ideas especially from publications by philosophers. According to Bertrand Russell, a British philosopher who strongly opposed idealism, The Enlightenment was a manifestation of the schism that was greatly influenced by Martin Luther (Carey, 2015). The Enlightenment also takes into account the inclination of people towards democracy that was vigorously fought for in the 16th Century. It was influenced by the desire of Protestants to break away from the Catholic Church (Perry, 2013). Initially, democracy was only enjoyed by the elite class until the 19th Century when the emergence of political movements necessitated democratic citizenship. These moves contributed to what is seen today as freedom of speech. Formation of political parties to fight for human rights began as early as the 1500s. By the 1600s, political representation had taken course leading to the development of binding political instruments such as Habeas Corpus Act (1679). Colonization is yet another factor that contributes to The Enlightenment. America for instance was colonized by Europeans who had also settled in other parts of the world. By the 16th Century, competition to venture into new territories by colonies had become immense. It is only after American Revolutionary in 1783 that America gained independence and developed their first constitution in 1788 (Perry, 2013). Many other colonized

Speaker responce on sport markting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Speaker responce on sport markting - Essay Example She has travelled the world so I am sure that she understands the cultural aspect of sports marketing particularly when the market is international in scope. The requirements for this had been outlined by Blanchard et al., (2012), underpinning a degree of market heterogeneity that sports marketers should understand. The speaker’s expertise is on television and she offered really helpful insights with regards to producing marketable content. What made her relevant for me in this respect was that despite her generation in terms of the length of her career, she immediately identified mobile communication as the development that would make sports television exciting and very viable today and in the future. I believe that this is the most important part of her presentation. According to her, there is a lot of opportunities and they are within the platform where content could be accessed anytime, regardless of location. She also cited the role of emerging players in the sports telev ision industry brought about by the new capabilities allowed by technology. Based from what she has talked about, it seems to me that there will be a lot of diversity in terms of marketing. This is where I believe I could apply what I have learned in the presentation to my career. She provided the details with how I would be able to maximize marketing opportunities and engage the target market by using the new media such as mobile communication and technologies such as streaming technology. I see several insights that are applicable to marketing events such as the Qatar Olympics. In learning the tools and strategies as told by the speaker, I think that I could create or build a sound marketing strategy for it, one that maximizes its potential as a sporting event. While the speaker began the presentation with an outline of opportunities, she also gave enough materials that allowed the audience to determine that despite the technological

The argument in The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith depends on the Essay

The argument in The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith depends on the possibility of failure. Why is this so What implications does this have - Essay Example The wealth of nations forms the second branch of Smith's science, and its historical sweep contains part, but only a diminutive part, of such an account. Possibly a manuscript was among the objects consigned to the flames by his literary executors. We do, nevertheless, have two sets of notes recording Smith's early Lectures on Jurisprudence; these notes provide an inadequately early and imperfect indication of what his missing branch of the science might have contained. In spite of their mistakes, these notes have significantly increased our awareness of Smith's intention to communicate an integrated science. Several problems like probability of failure have been deliberated to reside in the interstices between the three branches of Smith's science. Clearly it was at one time likely to refer to the Adam Smith problem of failure as the (challenging) relationship between the wealth of nations and the Theory of Moral Sentiments. I desire to see the limitations of his branches as giving rise to interpretive uncertainties rather than problems. As far as the state goes, the fundamental uncertainty arises from the fact that parts of the wealth of nations seem to take nations for granted (especially the introduction and plan of the work), yet national boundaries form a very strong threat to social progress throughout Smith's intellectual system: to the development of material welfare at different points in the wealth of nations and to the progress of benevolence in the Theory of Moral Sentiments. The jurisprudential constituent of Smith's science was never concluded, but his early lectures on th e subject also propose that he regarded the nation state as a transitional form: one that already needed replacement in his day. Modern preoccupations with certain matters of policy have given Smith's economic analysis and associated prescriptions renewed prominence. The psychological judgments on which The Wealth of Nations is apparently based have also attracted attention and made familiar Smith's classic statement that: It is not from the generosity of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we look forward to our dinner, but from the view to their own interest. Nobody except a beggar chooses to rely mainly upon the munificence of his fellow citizens. Even a beggar does not depend upon it completely. (Wealth Of Nations I. ii. 2) Economists have interpreted this statement to mean that Smith was dealing with a restricted range of human experience in The Wealth of Nations-- what Alfred Marshall was later to describe as the study of mankind 'in the ordinary business life' ( 1956, p. 12). Looked at in this way, the suggestion that men act in a self interested manner can be seen as a hypothesis which makes the task of economic analysis more manageable. Exactly this point was made by Smith's contemporary, Sir James Steuart, when be observed: 'The principle of self-interest will serve as a general key to this enquiry; and it may, in one sense, be considered as the ruling principle of

The Death Penalty in the United States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Death Penalty in the United States - Essay Example One of the main arguments for the death penalty is that it deters crime. The death penalty is a harsh punishment as it condemns one to die hence a rational human being would rather avoid committing such an offense for fear of death. It instills fear in potential criminals, therefore, making them avoid the crime and a result, murder rate declines. A research carried out by the University of Colorado on the relationship between executions, pardons, and homicides in 2003 revealed that for each additional execution deterred five murders while each commutation reduced deterrence and produced five additional murders. This shows that punishment by the death penalty is more effective in deterring crime. However, opponents would argue that death penalty has no effect on crime since those regions which have long abolished death penalty such as the south have lower crime rates than those currently using it. Assuming they are right, this justifies death penalty as a deterrence for crime as it me ans those areas have high rates of crime hence death penalty is needed. Moreover, the variations may be caused by other factors such as educational level and economic prosperity of such regions which has a direct relation to the crime rate. For example, according to Banner, people of the south originated from violence prone areas and wealth was unevenly distributed hence at the initial stages they were using the death penalty to deter all sorts of crime. Another argument in support of crime deterrence is that death penalty incapacitates offenders. ... This shows that punishment by death penalty is more efficient in deterring crime. However, opponents would argue that death penalty has no effect on crime since those regions which have long abolished death penalty such as the south have lower crime rates than those currently using it. Assuming they are right, this justifies death penalty as a deterrence for crime as it means those areas have high rates of crime hence death penalty is needed. Moreover, the variations may be caused by other factors such as educational level and economic prosperity of such regions which has direct relation to crime rate. For example, according to Banner (6), people of the south originated from violence prone areas and wealth was unevenly distributed hence at the initial stages they were using death penalty to deter all sorts of crime. Another argument in support of crime deterrence is that death penalty incapacitates offenders. The death of a first-degree murderer means fewer crimes will be committed a s the individual is not able to commit the crime again. Cassell (183) noted that a murderer who had been convicted and given a death sentence but escaped when the state abolished death penalty committed more of such crimes thereafter such as rape and murder. If he had been hanged, those crimes against innocent citizens would have been avoided. However, opponents advocate for life imprisonment without parole to enable the offender to get rehabilitated and change hence reduce crime (Guernsey, 2010). Walker (10) argues that contrary to popular belief, death penalty is justified in the sense that according to public opinion, many citizens of US even in states where death penalty was abolished are in favour of it as a punishment

A Report Based Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

A Report Based Assignment - Essay Example The juxtaposition of the personal and professional is central to professional and ethical practise. This report will concentrate on the application of theories to nursing practise. It will deal with the importance of applying theories in clinical settings and the effects this can have on quality of care. Barriers to using theory in practise will be explored, as will the roles that practitioners, managers, theorists and educators can play in encouraging the development and use of theory-rooted practise. The use of ‘planned change’ strategies will also be discussed. It is a truism that theories are not being used in a systematic way to guide the delivery of client care. Many writers also acknowledge that the link between theories and practise is necessary for nursing’s claim to be the provider of professional care. For instance, Chalmers (1989) argues that, without a strong orientation towards the work of theorists and the work of practitioners, the basic requirements for a profession are missing. Botha (49-55) supports this argument and goes further by stating that only if we are able to prove that this link exists will we be ‘legitimate contenders’ for professional status. Previously, nursing practise has been inclined by traditional knowledge passed down through generations by unconfirmed report and in published textbooks. Without methodical confirmation for practise, nurses have done the best they could in the patients importance. Much of the nursing care offered has been rooted on own knowledge and the knowledges of nurses and others who have left before. Even today, much of mental health nursing practise is still grounded in tradition, disorganised experiment and mistake, and authority, rather than being rooted on sound experimental studies (Wilson, 42-56). Certainly, some mental health nursing knowledge approaches from "Old Wives Tales," reflecting the viewpoints of women from former days.

The Impact of Internet Use of Business-to-Business Marketing Research Proposal

The Impact of Internet Use of Business-to-Business Marketing - Research Proposal Example The long history and practice of people across different countries and cultural identities could be very overwhelming in the challenge that it presents to business and advertising individuals who have ambitions to take the extra mile of gaining a share of consumers and clients from varying localities abroad. Today the array of possibilities in applying the marketing strategy of international advertising is unimaginable. Instead of taking the technological barriers as hindrance and drawbacks in the international business operations because of the technological divide that cuts across the people from different social status, looking for avenues of more strategic and effective campaigns and treating such drawbacks as opportunities may result to favorable outcomes. A website is better market its services and increases client and customer satisfaction in its aim to gain competitive advantage from competitors as well as sustainable development for the organization's long-term goals. As suc h, the report outlines the (1) contextual analysis of the business organization, (2) its promotional objectives and business positioning, (3) the organization's promotional strategies, (4) the promotional mix of the business, (5) the implementation plan, and (6) the evaluation and control of the its online marketing project.

TalkTalk Telecom Group PLC Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

TalkTalk Telecom Group PLC - Coursework Example TalkTalk is a company that provides telecommunications, internet, and pay-television services and the headquarters of the company are established in London, United Kingdom (TalkTalkGroup.com). Initially the company was only a fixed landline provider but now the company also provides mobile phone, home phone and broadband services. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange (TalkTalkGroup.com). Since the company is incorporated in the United Kingdom therefore the company is bound to fulfill the requirements of the regulations of the UK for the preparation of its annual report (TalkTalkGroup.com). Every company in the UK is required to follow the International Accounting Standards (IASs) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) developed by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). Therefore, TalkTalk is also required to prepare its financial statements in accordance with the standards mentioned above. For each head in the financial statements, a specific accounting treatment has been prescribed in the IASs and IFRSs. There are a number of standards that deal with different heads in the financial statements. The financial statements of a company include; statement of comprehensive income, statement of financial position, statement of cash flows, statement of changes in equity and the notes to the financial statements. These five documents constitute the financial statements of a company. The statement of comprehensive income provides an extensive view of the revenue earned by the company, the cost incurred by the company throughout the financial year, the profits or loss made by the company. The accounting standards provide certain accounting treatments that are required to be followed for the preparation of the statement of comprehensive income. One of the most important requirements is the treatment regarding recognition of revenue. IAS 18 – Revenue provides the required accounting

Failure Of Materials Essay Example for Free

Failure Of Materials Essay Failure of materials is an analysis in engineering world, to approach and determining about how and why a materials has failed, like iron bar, why it can crocked or porous. Some general causes of failure are structural leading, wear corrosion and latent defects. Failure of materials must be known by an engineer, safety is the first word when engineer working building structure. They can not take random about materials that is used. They must know strength, flexibility, and endure of materials. For adding, with developing and updating software or research that had be done by company, we’ll more easy to know the characteristic of materials that we use. TYPICAL OF FAILURE OF MATERIALS Fatigue Failures Metal fatigue is caused by repeated cycling of the load below its static yield strength. It is a progressive localized damage due to fluctuating stresses and strains on the material. Metal fatigue cracks initiate and propagate in regions where the strain is most severe. The process of fatigue consists of three stages Initial crack initiation, Progressive crack growth across the part, and Final sudden fracture of the remaining cross section. Corrosion Failures Corrosion is chemically induced damage to a material that results in deterioration of the material and its properties. It is most coming from environment. Corrosion is normal, it is can not be removed, but can be minimized with several strategy like proper choice of material, design, coatings, and occasionally by changing the environment. Various types of metallic and nonmetallic coatings are regularly used to protect metal parts from corrosion. If corrosion can be minimized, materials be able to use and more advantage. Ductile and Brittle Metal Failures Ductile metals experience observable plastic deformation prior to fracture. Brittle metals experience little or no plastic deformation prior to fracture. At times metals behave in a transitional manner partially ductile/brittle. Ductile fracture is characterized by tearing of metal and significant plastic deformation. The ductile fracture may have a gray, fibrous appearance. Ductile fractures are associated with overload of the structure or large discontinuities. High Temperature Failures In physics theory, when a materials is being warm, they will expand than original size. We know about boilers, gas turbine engines, and ovens are some of the systems that have components that experience creep.   An understanding of high temperature materials behavior is beneficial Failures involving creep are usually easy to identify due to the deformation that occurs. Failures may appear ductile or brittle. While creep testing is done at constant temperature and constant load actual components may experience damage at various temperatures and loading conditions. in evaluating failures in these types of systems. High temperature progressive deformation of a material at constant stress is called creep. High temperature is a relative term that is dependent on the materials being evaluated. Liquid Metal   and Hydrogen embitterment Failures   Liquid metal embitterment is the decrease in ductility of a metal caused by contact with liquid metal. The decrease in ductility can result in catastrophic brittle failure of a normally ductile material. Very small amounts of liquid metal are sufficient to result in embitterment. The liquid metal can not only reduce the ductility but significantly reduce tensile strength. Liquid metal embitterment is an insidious type of failure as it can occur at loads below yield stress. Thus, catastrophic failure can occur without significant deformation or obvious deterioration of the component. Hydrogen embitterment failures are frequently unexpected and sometimes catastrophic. An externally applied load is not required as the tensile stresses may be due to residual stresses in the material. The threshold stresses to cause cracking are commonly below the yield stress of the material. Very small amounts of hydrogen can cause hydrogen embitterment in high strength steels. Common causes of hydrogen embitterment are pickling, electroplating and welding, however hydrogen embitterment is not limited to these processes. There are causes of materials failure, but not disease that not have medicine. Every materials that we use have a protection, protection come from our knowledge about characteristic of materials as chemical composition, using guide or calculation and appointment the materials for our structure. Addition, many factory,   metal – producing majority, also publish list of their product that have content about characteristic ( strength, elasticity, endure and treatment). Bibliography Omens, J. H., MacKenna, D. A., and McCulloch, A. D. Measurement of Strain and Analysis of Stress in Resting Rat Left Ventricular Myocardium.   J. Biomech Press,1993. TCR Engineering Services Technical Team. White Paper: Investigating Material and Component Failure.   TCR Engineering Services Pvt. Ltd. India, 2004. Haut Donahue, T. L., Gregersen, C., Hull, M. L., and Howell, S. M. Comparison of Viscoelastic, Structural, and Material Properties. ASME, 1994.

Non Financial Performance Measures: Summary and Analysis

Non Financial Performance Measures: Summary and Analysis Total quality management and non financial performance measures In order to answer the first, fundamental, question of using non financial performance measure: why should companies use non-financial reporting, it is necessary to look at the relationship between market value and book value. The market value of a company reflects the investors’ perception of the company’s present, and future, value, as manifested by stock prices. The book value, on the other hand, reflects the value of the company as reported in the official balance sheet: assets less liabilities, or net assets. Thus book value represents, in a way, the official company value and is reported to shareholders and the financial community. The market and book values for companies were very close by the end of the 1970s. The picture has, however, changed dramatically, and one estimate from the current level of stock market valuations says that book value now represents on average just around one quarter of the market value (Dutta and Reicheistein, 2005). Other data indicates an even more dramatic change in companies with valuable brands, a reputation for high quality or technical expertise, for example, in individual companies, e.g. Microsoft, the estimated book value portion is around 9%, for SAP around 5%, and for Coca-Cola around 7%. (Daum, 2002) The ratio of book value to market value is often so small that the relevance of the balance sheet to modern has often questionable. It is, of course, crucial to understand the gap between market and book values, as the market value comes from the intangible assets, such as the customer, human resource, partner, and brand assets. In order to understand the gap, there is an ob vious need for relevant and reliable information on these intangible assets, thus non-financial performance measures aim to providing such information to the stakeholders, and in particular, to the present and future investors. Lack of reliable and relevant information on intangible assets implies there is no basis for non-financial reporting, which in turn implies that market values will change over time in a less well-founded way. There is always a certain level of volatility on the stock markets, and the increasing relative importance of intangible, non financial performance measurements that has emerged over the last few decades, in combination with a persistent lack of reliable and relevant information on these assets, and no systematic non-financial reporting, is expected to create an increasing volatility. This is clearly seen, for example, on the trends in the NYSE over the past three decades (Kristensen and Westlund, 2003). It is, naturally, expected that a lack of non financial reporting will imply a significant portion of unnecessary volatility, which is clearly demonstrated by the stock price development for technology stocks (Kristensen and Westlund, 2003). For example, the IT ‘bubble’ to a significant extent was built up by a lack of proper information and analysis of intangible assets in these companies, due to a lack of non financial performance measurement and thus an overvaluing of intangible technology assets, such as AOL’s telecommunications distribution networks at the time of the AOL-Time Warner merger (The Economist, 2002). It is clear that this demonstrates a malfunctioning of the capital markets, causing significant negative consequences by destroying values in the short term, as well as long term. As such, the main purpose of non financial performance measurement is to provide the market investors and analysts with information to verify the present and expected future value of a company. Ultimately, the process of verifying the market value at a certain time will then be more fact based, thus reducing the unnecessary price volatility. In order to accurately achieve this, the key predictors of a company’s future financial performance: revenue, profits and market share, are crucial. Most recent research identifies these predictors as being primarily intangibles, non financial assets, thus explaining why market value today is basically determined by intangible assets. (Kristensen and Westlund, 2003) In particular, indicators related to the customer asset: the size and ‘quality’ of the customer base, the human capital, the brand assets, the value of corporate citizenship, and the firms product quality and expertise, will dominate. If such an indicator is a reas onably stable, strong and sustainable predictor of future financial performance, it should be called a ‘Value Driver’ (Kristensen and Westlund, 2003). Non-financial reporting aims at disclosing information on value drivers, which must be operationalised and transparent and, ideally, verifiable according to new accounting standards in order to become true non financial performance measures. Total quality management (TQM) practices have been implemented by firms interested in enhancing their survival prospects by including quality and continuous improvement in their strategic priorities. As such, they often have to be measured using both financial and non financial measures, as the expertise and cultural aspects of the TQM process are often difficult to measure by purely quantitative, financial means. One of the key measures of the success of TQM is the balanced scorecard (BSC) approach, which appraises both the four key dimensions of firm performance: customers, financial, learning and growth, and also the internal business processes. The main advantage of this is that TQM does not consider employee satisfaction in its search for continuous improvement, but the BSC does consider employee satisfaction. (Hoque, 2003) Therefore, by adopting a BSC a firm that has adopted TQM will overcome this oversight which will in turn increase employee satisfaction and subsequently firm performance. Indeed, in the modern business context, employee satisfaction is key to firm performance, and so the BSC is an important non financial performance measure. TQM’s relentless pursuit of quality demands that firms identify all non-value adding waste in the manufacturing process and implement procedures to eliminate, or at least reduce, such activities. This implies better production planning to limit over-production and excessive inventory and improved product and plant design to eliminate wasteful movement and handling. (Smith, 1997) Substandard items must be eliminated and a changed attitude reinforced which is customer-focused and adopts ‘the next person on the production line is my customer’ approach (Hoque, 2003). The cost of quality is a potentially important component of management accounting systems which may facilitate the implementation of total quality management, despite being difficult to measure in absolute financial terms. The costs of prevention, appraisal and failure are all aspects of the cost of quality, and it is often necessary to use non financial performance measures to assess these. Prevention costs include the costs of plant, product and process planning, preventive maintenance, training and the implementation of statistical process control systems, and appraisal costs include the costs of inspection and testing of both incoming and outgoing materials, and the cost of maintaining and administering appraisal systems and equipment, both of which can be measure financially However, whilst failure costs include, at the internal level, the financial costs of scrap, rework, redesign and safety stocks necessary to provide a buffer against such failure; at the external level they include losses associated with customers, goodwill and reputation, all of which require non financial performance measurements. Analysis of the costs of external failure is increasingly becoming the focus of attention in this area, reflecting the current trend towards increasing customer orientation of management accounting. (Smith, 1997) Quality considerations also extend beyond those focused on the difficult ‘cost of quality’ question, and non financial reporting is useful in providing measures of other aspects of quality, such as the quality of purchased components, equipment failure and maintenance efforts. As a result, it is necessary for TQM practitioners to consider the relationship between the types of targets or benchmarks used in the two main contrasting performance improvement strategies continuous improvement and radical change. (Johnston et al, 2001) hypothesised that the process of target setting and the reward structures adopted would be different between the two strategies, proposing that organisations involved in continuous improvement of a process will base their performance targets on past performance and internal benchmarking, arrived at through consultation and with a mixture of financial and non-financial measurements of targets. However, for processes involving radical change, targets will be based on external benchmarks imposed by senior management, with purely financial targets, and financial rewards for their achievement. However, research showed that financial measurement and reward strategies predominated in both improvement strategies, thus implying that the pot ential benefits of adopting process changes are being constrained by only considering the financial side. However, whilst academic research and other research activities among accounting organisations on intangible assets has so far mainly focused on creating awareness of the significant importance of intangibles on future financial performance, to a lesser extent, research has dealt with the serious information deficiencies related to intangible assets (Hothorn et al, 2005). In particular, the research focus seems to have been on studying the dramatic shift in production functions and asset composition of the economy, rather than the underlying problems associated with measuring intangible assets, especially in cases such as Enron, where derivatives were grossly overvalued (Wilson et al, 2003). This research involves a multitude of research activities, including the macroeconomic theory of growth, as well as empirical studies on individual companies. The growing importance of intangible assets has already been demonstrated, and one rationale behind this development is the fact that the annual United States investments in intangible assets are of approximately the same magnitude as investments in physical assets: approximately $1.2 trillion (Lev, 2001). These activities have clearly led to a rather general acceptance that traditional, financial, accounting-based, information systems fail to provide investors and policy makers with insights on the impact on the economy from intangibles. This is of increasing importance, given that the volatility of stock prices is becoming abnormally high, and this raises many serious consequences, including systematic inefficiency in managerial decisions. The recommendations so far from researchers seem to be voluntary disclosure of information on intangibles, and indeed, some companies now report externally on various aspects of intangible assets, but this happens in a very non-standardised way and seems to be of limited value for investors’ decisions. Consultants, in particular linked to the accounting industry, are empirically analysing causes and consequences of investments in intangible assets, but this research provides only marginal guidelines in identifying best practice for non financial reporting (Kristensen and Westlund, 2003) Different suggestions have been presented by researchers to identify the new research agenda to understand better and manage intangible assets, with Lev (2001), for example, suggesting a focus on research related to organizational structures. The obviously incorrect validation of intangible assets in the cases of Enron and WorldCom (The Economist, 2002), shows that another focus of research mus t be to identify best practice methodology to measure intangible assets, and to measure the main intangible value drivers for future financial performance. Indeed, the sustainability of non financial reporting is completely dependent on how it will be accepted by the stakeholders of the business community: investors, analysts, customers, boards, management, employees, the accounting profession, etc This, in turn, completely depends on the ability and willingness by the accountants to provide a formal verification of the process to generate information, as well as on the information itself. Finally, this in turn depends on the quality of the information: â€Å"Companies must start by first identifying their true value drivers both financial and non-financial within the context of their business model, and by ensuring they have defined the right metrics as well as the measurement methodologies and systems to capture the right information for internal management† (PriceWaterhouseCoopers, 2001). Recognising that the treatment of non financial performance is a key current issue in accountancy, accounting associations have already identified a number of criteria and principles to secure and describe the quality of non-financial information. This process, however, appears far from being finalised, and in particular lacks a focus on the statistical characteristics of the information, and there is also a need for further operationalisation and transparency of the quality principles (Lev, 2001) As a general principle, any verification process should verify that non-financial reporting includes the right choice of information, has the necessary degree of relevance, and that the information provided has a reasonable level of reliability. If these three requirements are not sufficiently fulfilled there is unlikely to be a sustainable future for non financial performance measurement, in TQM or any other business aspect. Further to this, information that does not say anything or very little about future financial performance should not be included in non-financial reporting. All the included information must manifest the so called Value Drivers (Kristensen and Westlund, 2003) and such value drivers should be either directly linked to future financial data, or they could be indirectly linked, through a direct value driver. Thus, relevance should be defined by the existence of verified links to future financial numbers; however this raises a number of pertinent questions to be answered by the accounting profession. Mainly, they would need to decide which financial criteria should primarily be considered to secure relevance; and which future time period is of interest to investors. For the moment, it is probably worthwhile to have a very broad scope here, as this would mean that any financial information of interest could be used and, in addition, the future time period is defined in a very generic way. Of course, it is much more difficult to verify links to financial numbers if the lead time is substantial, and so care should be taken that the data will have a recognised financial impact within a reasonably short period of time. Indeed, whatever financial criterion and time period is chosen, it is crucial to be able to verify a strong enough and stable likely future financial impact from the non financial data. In order to better, and more accountably, measure this, such impacts should be statistically significant according to a standard statistical measurement, written into the accounting standards. However, the question that remains is still whether impacts should also exceed a certain financial level, as well as a statistical level, in order to qualify as a significant non financial value driver. In this context, it is also difficult to decide whether these qualifying criteria should also involve the extent to which a value driver will explain any likely variation in the future financial criterion. There are many potential principles to be found in information theory and statistics that might be used here, such as direct explanatory power (Kristensen and Westlund, 2003), but unfortunately the requirement levels necessary to use these principles are not very easy to determine, and could be open to abuse. In summary, in almost all modern industries, the book value of a company does not reflect the actual market value of the company, due to the increasing importance of branding, technology, knowledge and reputation. Whilst the market and book values were still very close at the end of the 1970s, since then the picture has changed dramatically, with estimates stating that book value now represents just one quarter of the market value. As a result, it is reasonable to conclude that the measurement of intangible, non financial factors is now roughly three times as important to investors as the measurement of financially measured, tangible assets. As the market value comes from intangible assets, like the customer, human resource, partner and brand assets, in order to understand the gap there is an obvious need for relevant and reliable information on these intangible assets, which is best provided by non financial performance measures. In the context of TQM, a large portion of the process improvements seen due to TQM initiatives will not have a definite financial effect; rather they will improve a product’s attractiveness to customers, or improve the efficiency of a firm’s processes. As a result, their primary impact will be difficult to measure by financial measures, and so non financial performance measures will be most relevant. From this, it follows that the accountancy profession needs a new reporting system and also need to define a best practice of measurement for these non financial performance measures, in order to reflect the true value of initiatives such as TQM. This system has a number of requirements, including causality, standardisation, relevance or link to financial results and reliability. The prevailing opinion appears to be that it is time that new reporting systems are introduced and implemented, as the discrepancy between the importance of intangibles and the ability to account for these types of assets constitutes a growing challenge for companies, investors and for society in general. The relevant people, including academics, managers, accountants, practitioners and auditors, should thus come together and formulate a new charter for future reporting of non financial performance measures. References: Daum, J. H. (2002) Intangible Assets or the Art to Create Value Wiley. Dutta, S. and Reicheistein, S. (2005) Stock Price, Earnings, and Book Value in Managerial Performance Measures. Accounting Review; Vol. 80, Issue 4, p. 1069. Hoque, Z. (2003) Total Quality Management and the Balanced Scorecard Approach: A Critical Analysis of their Potential Relationships and Directions for Research. Critical Perspectives on Accounting; Vol. 14, Issue 5, p. 553. Hothorn, T. Leisch, F. Zeileis, A. and Hornik, K. (2005) The Design and Analysis of Benchmark Experiments. Journal of Computational Graphical Statistics; Vol. 14, Issue 3, p. 675. Johnston, R. Fitzgerald, L. Markou, E. and Brignall, S. (2001) Target setting for evolutionary and revolutionary process change. International Journal of Operations Production Management; Vol. 21, Issue 11, p. 1387. Kristensen, K. and Westlund, A. H. (2003) Valid and reliable measurements for sustainable non-financial reporting. Total Quality Management and Business Excellence; Vol. 14, Issue 2, p. 161 Lev, B. (2001) Intangibles: Management, Measurements and Reporting Brookings Institution Press. PriceWaterhouseCoopers (2002) Value reporting, Forecast 2002 Bringing Information out into the Open. Smith, M. (1997) Putting NFIs to work in a balanced scorecard environment. Management Accounting: Magazine for Chartered Management Accountants; Vol. 75, Issue 3, p. 32. The Economist (2002) A steal? Vol. 365, Issue 8296, p. 57. Wilson, A. Key, K. G. and Clark, R. L. (2003) Enron: An In-Depth Analysis Of The Hedging Schemes. Journal of Applied Business Research; Vol. 19, Issue 4, p. 15.

Abortion - Its Only Natural :: essays papers

Abortion - It's Only Natural The topic of abortion is one of the most controversial of our times. The fight between pro-life and pro-choice supporters has has caused countless confrontations and several deaths. Despite what many people may believe, abortion is neither right nor wrong. It is a matter of personal opinion. In this way, each side can say with certainty that the other is wrong. Therefore the question remains; should abortion be legal? Though some may disagree on this point, the fact is that legalized abortion is the only option that will protect the lives of American citizens. One only needs to look into American history to see the results of prohibiting abortions to women. The violence which occurs today because the of pro-choice/pro-life conflicts is minimal in comparison to the thousands of hopeless women who turned to the illegal abortions --either self-inflicted or preformed by the backroom "professionals"-- which resulted in infection, massive blood loss, and death. It is better now that they have a place to go where abortions can be performed cleanly and with minimal risk. Legalization of abortion is the only choice no matter what side one takes in the debate. Women will try to do what they think is necessary to live as they wish, no matter what the risk. In order to live as she chooses a woman may give up her freedom, her morals, her beliefs, her family, or even her life. Abortion has been around for thousands of years in every inhabited corner of the globe. It has always been accepted as a means to prevent the suffering of both woman and potential child. It has been practiced widely in every society for many reasons including famine, war, poverty, overpopulation, or simply because a woman felt she was not ready for a child (Whitney 40). No one ever questioned a woman's right to this procedure. After all, who but God had the right to judge what a woman did with her own body? This thought process lasted till the 1800's. During this era of change people began to turn their attention in a new direction, the fetus. They began to protest abortion as cruel, inhumane, and murderous. Filled with a new sense of purpose and the glory of a fresh, righteous cause to uphold this new morality swept the countryside Abortion - It's Only Natural :: essays papers Abortion - It's Only Natural The topic of abortion is one of the most controversial of our times. The fight between pro-life and pro-choice supporters has has caused countless confrontations and several deaths. Despite what many people may believe, abortion is neither right nor wrong. It is a matter of personal opinion. In this way, each side can say with certainty that the other is wrong. Therefore the question remains; should abortion be legal? Though some may disagree on this point, the fact is that legalized abortion is the only option that will protect the lives of American citizens. One only needs to look into American history to see the results of prohibiting abortions to women. The violence which occurs today because the of pro-choice/pro-life conflicts is minimal in comparison to the thousands of hopeless women who turned to the illegal abortions --either self-inflicted or preformed by the backroom "professionals"-- which resulted in infection, massive blood loss, and death. It is better now that they have a place to go where abortions can be performed cleanly and with minimal risk. Legalization of abortion is the only choice no matter what side one takes in the debate. Women will try to do what they think is necessary to live as they wish, no matter what the risk. In order to live as she chooses a woman may give up her freedom, her morals, her beliefs, her family, or even her life. Abortion has been around for thousands of years in every inhabited corner of the globe. It has always been accepted as a means to prevent the suffering of both woman and potential child. It has been practiced widely in every society for many reasons including famine, war, poverty, overpopulation, or simply because a woman felt she was not ready for a child (Whitney 40). No one ever questioned a woman's right to this procedure. After all, who but God had the right to judge what a woman did with her own body? This thought process lasted till the 1800's. During this era of change people began to turn their attention in a new direction, the fetus. They began to protest abortion as cruel, inhumane, and murderous. Filled with a new sense of purpose and the glory of a fresh, righteous cause to uphold this new morality swept the countryside

Bilingual Education Essay -- Language

Bilingual education, as an educational program, was initially promoted by educators in the seventies (Hunger of Memory 26) and since then has been a topic of many debates in America. Some argue that bilingual education only serves as a detriment to American culture. Others argue that bilingual education is beneficial to those who come to live in America and want to become a part of the culture, but lack proficiency in the English language. Two authors, who have each taken opposite sides of the debate on bilingual education in America, are: Richard Rodriguez and Ariel Dorfman. Richard Rodriguez believes that bilingual education creates a feeling of separateness between foreign language speakers and American society; therefore, delaying the formation of a public identity. In contrast, Ariel Dorfman argues that bilingualism in America will be a bridge to better understanding other cultures. I assume the position of being neither, against or entirely in favor of bilingual education. I am in favor of bilingual education because it can be an effective segue to learning the English language and I believe it is very important to remain connected with our family’s language and culture. However, I also recognize the negative feeling of separateness from the larger public that bilingual education can have on foreign language speaking families, which hinders my ability to fully embrace bilingual education. Ariel Dorfman is an Argentinian author who struggled throughout his life to find a balance between the Spanish and English languages. As a result of Dorfman’s â€Å"bilingual journey† (Heading South 25), he argues that bilingual education is beneficial to American society. Dorfman believes that bilingualism will serve as a channel to better un... ... 1998. Print Garcia, Maria E., Ofelia Skutnabb-Kangas, Tove Torres-Guzman. Imagining Multilingual Schools: Language in Education and Globalization. Clevdon, GBR: Multilingual Matters Limited, 2006. Web. 17 Apr. 2011. Hadi-Tabassum, Samina. Language, Space and Power : A Critical Look at Bilingual Education. Clevdon, GBR: Multilingual Matters Limited, 2006. Web. 17 Apr. 2011. Rodriguez, Richard. â€Å"Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood.† Conversations: Reading for Writing. Ed.Gack Selzer. 5th ed. New York: Longman, 2003. 153-166. Print. ---. Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez. New York: Bantam Dell, 1983. Print Salomone, Rosemary C. True American : Language, Identity, and the Education of Immigrant Children. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2010. Web. 17 Apr. 2011.

Rheumatoid Arthritis :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that sauses chronic inflammation of the joints. Rhematiod arthritis can also cause inflammation of the tissue around the joints, as well as other organs in the body. Autoimmune diseases are illnesses which occur when the body tissues are mjistakenly attacked by its own immune system. The immune system is a complex organization of cells and antibodies designed normally to â€Å"seek and destroy† invaders of the body, particularly infections. Patients with these diseases have antibodies in their blood which target their own body tissues, where they can be associated with inflammation. Because it can affect multiple other organs of the body, rheumatoid arthritis is referred to as a systemic illness and is sometimes called rheumatoid disease.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic illness, meaning it can last for years, patients may experience long periods without symptoms. Typically, however, rheumatoid arthritis is a progressive illness that has the potential to cause joint destruction and functional disability. A joint is where two bones meet to allow movement of body parts. Arthritis means join inflammation. The join inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis causes swelling, pain ,stiffness, and redness in the joints. The inflammation of rheumatoid disease can also occur in tissues around the joints, such as the tendons, ligaments, and muscles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In some patienst with rheumatoid arthritis, chronic inflammation leads to the destruction of the cartilage, bone and ligaments causing deformity of the joints. Damage to the joint can occur early in the disease and be progressive. Moreover, studies have shown that the progressive damage to the joints does not necessarily correlate with the degree of pain, stiffness, or swelling present in the joints.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rheumatoid arthritis is a common rheumatic disease, affecting more than two million people in the United States. The disease is three times more common in women as in men. It afflicts people of all races equally. The disease can begin at any age, but most often starts after age forty and before sixty. In some families, multiple members can be affected, suggesting a genetic basis for the disorder.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The cause of rheumatoid arthritis is unknown.

Battery Industry

Case Preparation For Discussion (Gillette) 1. Central problem/issue in case: The main problem is that, since its acquisition, Duracell has become a drain on the financial performance of Gillette. The board needs to decide what should be done to turn Duracell around and restore Gillette to a dependable financial performer. 2. How is the battery industry (you can use five forces analysis to answer this question)? Has it been changing? If yes, how? Overall, the industry is very attractive. New entrants realize the potential of snagging a piece of a highly profitable industry that produced $5. billion in revenue and $807 million operating margin. Threat of new entrants is low, as the capital requirements and technology development needed to stay relevant in the market proves to be a daunting barrier to entry. Also, in order to realize a significant profit, economies of scale must be realized to produce a massive amount of batteries while keeping costs low. This would be harder for smalle r entrants to achieve. Threat of substitute products is low, as no replacement good has been introduced that may provide the consumer with the same benefits as using a battery. This makes the industry attractive.However, if a company produced a good that could replace the need for a battery, this would detrimentally alter the battery industry, making threat of substitute products a major factor of the industry. The bargaining power of suppliers is low because there is little differentiation between the inputs of the batteries, which can be acquired from many different suppliers. This low supplier power makes the industry attractive. The bargaining power of the buyer is fairly high, as there is high buyer concentration with low switching costs, which makes the industry less attractive. The major, key factor is the rivalry among competitors.There are three main competitors that comprise 85. 76% of the battery market, in which they are constantly upgrading their technology, promoting t heir products with strong advertising and marketing campaigns, and cutting prices of their goods. Yes, the battery industry has changed over time to create more efficient, less costly batteries than it ever has before; however, it is becoming fairly stagnant. With the competitors simply making them slightly more efficient than the leading brand and coming up with the next best advertising campaign, there is little more for each of the battery manufacturers to do with their product.The battery industry could be considered a â€Å"cash cow† – great profitability, large market share, but little growth. In order to stay on top, Duracell has to spend significant amounts of money on R&D to continue to keep up to speed on the relevant technology. 3. What were the impacts of Duracell’s introduction of Ultra on the nature of competition in the battery industry? When Duracell introduced Ultra in May 1998, it began a long cycle of the battery industry’s main competi tors introducing new, higher-powered, longer lasting batteries.Originally, these batteries were sold at a premium. Three months after the introduction of Ultra, Duracell was involved in several court battles, which were soon followed by Gillette’s announcement that it was restructuring the company and cutting jobs. After all the commotion around the battery industry, Consumer Reports told consumers that all batteries were standard, worked the same, and to buy the cheapest one. When Energizer and Rayovac introduced their new, updated batteries, they were sold at a price cut or at the same price as the standard battery.For all three main competitors, none of their baseline batteries were replaced, but rather simply updated and sold alongside the other on the shelf. Each introduction was accompanied by a pricey advertising campaign that was designed to win new customers and hopefully gain market share. 4. Why was Gillette unable to achieve the same success in batteries that it h ad been able to achieve in shaving products? Gillette is very good at using their knowledge and expertise in each of their segments to create related, diversified products to fit the needs of their consumers.They use what they already know, the resources and capabilities that they already have, to grow horizontally within each segment by creating a wider range of products and services for the consumer. For their personal grooming segment, they have expanded from simply razors to shaving cream and deodorants. They have been unable to find a way to do the same within their portable power segment, in which Duracell is the only company. In order to gain financially, they need to discover a way to expand the capabilities of Duracell. 5. If you were James Kilt, what strategic actions would you take?I would look for ways to expand the portable power segment, which includes Duracell. Perhaps using Duracell in all of Gillette’s electronic products, such as the electric-powered toothbr ushes, electronic razors, or coffee makers. Also, a possibility is to perhaps create an exporting agreement to electronic goods producers to use Duracell batteries in their products as they are sold. Another possibility is to spend money developing a battery that could be used in auto production, then creating a joint venture with an auto manufacturer.Gillette already has good global presence, so expanding more globally could help. 6. What do you learn from this case? I learned that just because a company is profitable at a specific point in time, like Duracell, does not mean it will be profitable forever, even if it is teamed up with a strong, financially enduring company, like Gillette. In order to continue outstanding financial performance, you must evaluate where the industry is going in the future and look for ways to diversify and expand before it hits a downturn.

Hume’s Argument for Skepticism

Eryn Croft Professor Chudnoff PHI 101 Honors October 9, 2012 Hume’s argument for skepticism about induction states that we can use induction, like causation, to gain knowledge. We must rely on induction to draw conclusions in everyday life because it is the only resource we have to work with. However, we must realize the limitations of induction. Philosopher Karl Popper successfully undermines Hume’s problem of induction by proving that induction is not needed in science and that Hume’s argument is circular. Karl Popper argued that induction cannot be used in science.He says that induction can never be proven by experimentation. Science instead uses deduction by formulating theories and hypotheses. Science uses the method of conjecture and refutation. Hypotheses can never be proven or verified, but their success can be compared to other hypotheses. The usefulness of a hypothesis can be determined through deduction or predictions. Scientists test theories by makin g completely falsifiable claims. If there is nothing you can to do disprove the claim then the hypothesis is corroborated. A corroborated theory should not be considered true, merely accepted until better theories are discovered.Popper said that a theory can never be confirmed by observation. Where Hume argues that our theory originates from repetition, Popper argues that theory begins before repetition. Therefore, Popper argued that science does not even use induction. Karl Popper also argued that inductive reasoning leads to more inductive reasoning, leading to a circular argument. The problem of induction is that induction is creating the problem and â€Å"begging the question. † In order to avoid begging the question when using inductive reasoning, you might introduce a new inductive principle.By introducing a new inductive principle, you would have to make justification based on experience, leading to even more inductive reasoning. Hume argues that we need to justify ind uction, but Popper says it is not necessary because it leads to more induction and hence a circular argument. Popper also completely denies that induction is an a priori synthetic truth. An a priori truth is necessary and truth preserving, meaning it cannot be false. If induction is a priori, then it would not require justification based upon experience because it is already true.Since Popper rejects the traditional inductive model in science, he had to replace it with his own approach. Popper chose to accept William Whewell’s ‘hypothetico-deductive model. ’ He said that science does not use the inductive model, but instead uses the hypothetico-deductive model. The model begins by formulating a hypothesis that can be falsified by a test on observable data. We can then experiment or make observations to falsify the theory. Now the theory can be falsified or corroborated. If it is corroborated, then it will be accepted and used repeatedly until a better theory prov es better.In Hume’s view, observation comes before theory, whereas Popper’s view is that theory comes before observation. Popper believes that having an observation without first considering a theory is pointless. He argued that theories are only scientific if they are capable of being refuted by tests. As a result, Popper thought that falsifiability and testability were synonymous. One of Popper’s biggest arguments against Hume’s theory of induction is in his explanation of corroboration. A theory can only be corroborated if it does not contradict the basic, accepted statements.Even if a theory is falsified, we can still find many areas of corroboration. If a theory is highly falsified, then it is also highly corroborated. Needless to say, a falsified theory cannot also be considered corroborated. Merely, we can find corroboration through the steps taken to falsify a theory. Popper also acknowledges that corroboration is relative to time. He wanted to en sure that corroboration was not used to determine truth or falsehood. Although Popper successfully undermines Hume’s argument for skepticism of induction, there are also problems with Popper’s argument.Scientists always repeat experiments in order to ensure that the results are accurate and valid. An experiment cannot be proven correct unless other scientists replicate the experiment and achieve the same results. However, Popper argues that scientific knowledge is created by conjecture and criticism; but repeating experiments is not conjecture or criticism, it is induction. You would not repeat experiments for conjecture because it would be repetitive and unnecessary. Repeating experiments is in fact induction because it is allowing for the possibility that the conclusion is false.For example, if all of the Ibis we have ever observed are white, we can induce that all Ibis are white. This observation about Ibis is not conjecture because our past experiences offer suffic ient proof that all Ibis are white. Induction is based off of past experiences and repetitive observations. Therefore, scientists’ repeating an experiment is in fact induction, not conjecture or criticism. Scientific knowledge is an infinite cycle of inductive logic. Inductive logic continuously replaces one theory, with a better more inclusive theory that also relies on inductive logic. In addition, science does have theories that they think are proven.When scientists create a law, it is based on a theory proven through induction. For example, Isaac Newton was sitting under an apple tree when an apple suddenly fell next to him on the ground. Newton used his observation to conclude that gravity was the force that caused the apple to fall to the ground instead of merely floating in the air. Newton, by direct observation and repetition, proved the Universal Law of Gravitation. Popper argued that theories proven corroborated should not be considered true. But gravity can in fact only be proven true through induction, not conjecture.Newton did not attempt to continuously falsify gravity, but instead continuously prove gravity through causal relations. If the apple always falls to the ground and always has in the past, then we can use inductive reasoning to assume that gravity is the cause of the fall. Finally, scientists must use prediction as part of methodology in science. Popper says that theory comes before observation. Prediction is the majority of proposing a theory. We cannot use Popper’s ‘hyptothetico-deductive model’ without the methods of induction because probability is part of induction. Induction allows us to predict the outcome, and thus create a theory.Induction is included in Popper’s own models, which negates his claim that science does not use induction. Hume’s argument for skepticism about induction has many valuable points that allow us to conclude that induction can be a valuable tool in drawing conclus ions; we just have to be skeptical when using induction so we are not misled. Karl Popper successfully undermines Hume’s argument, but there can also be objections to Popper’s argument. As a result, it is best to combine Hume’s argument with Popper’s argument. First, we can accept Popper’s claim that deductive arguments are usually always rationally and logically true.For example, the word bachelor will always be accepted as someone who is unmarried. We can also realize that when using induction, there is always a gap between the premises and the conclusion. We must use probability and past observations to reach a conclusion and close the gap between premises. However, we cannot assume that Popper’s method of falsifying theories and corroborating theories to necessarily be correct. Hume believes that observation comes before theory, while Popper believes that theory comes before observation and is then proven false.Attempting to falsify stat ements is actually using inductive reasoning, so Popper is not absolutely rejecting induction. As a result, we cannot absolutely reject induction either. We must also accept that induction is definitely a priori, definitely truth preserving. It is a known fact. However, an a priori truth is based on probability and enquiring. For example, we cannot say bachelors are not married without enquiring about people we know to be bachelors. Thus, we still use induction and cannot rule it out in the scientific process. As a result, we can argue that science uses both inductive and deductive methods to reach conclusions.