Groupe Ariel S.A. Essay

Abstract Groupe Ariel is a company that manufactures and sells printers, copiers and other document production equipment. The case focuses on an investment project in the company’s Mexican subsidiary that would expand operations into a new market, something it been slow to do in the past. Groupe Ariel believes its products have better durability for a lower after-sales service costs and markets it as a competitive advantage. The company is now considering replacing the manual equipment used for recycling in Mexico by new equipment that requires less material and labor costs. 1. Compute the incremental peso cash flows for the life of the project. The incremental cash flows of the next 10 years should be calculated. The initial cash outflow is the cost of investment in the new equipment (3,500,000 Pesos). Also, selling the manual equipment for cash value of 175,000 Pesos is subtracted from the cost of the new equipment to arrive at the initial net cash outlay of 3,325,000 Pesos. For the cash flows in the next 10 years, it is calculated by taking the difference of the cost of the manual method and the new automatic equipment. Next, to arrive at after-tax incremental cash flows we add back depreciation cost, which is non-cash expense (if total cost does include depreciation) and deduct tax. The new equipment would have a useful life of 10 years and would be depreciated under the straight-line method for both tax and financial reporting purposes. The corporate tax rate is 35%. 2. Compute the net present value of Ariel-Mexico’s recycling equipment in pesos by discounting the incremental peso cash flows at a peso discount rate. The present value of all these cash inflows and outflows can be calculated by discounting them at 8.5%, which was calculated by using real peso long-term borrowing rate of 2.2% and a real euro rate of 1.8%. The NPV can be calculated by taking the sum of present values of all the cash flows. This NPV comes out to be 3,754,474 Pesos. 3. Compute the NPV in Euros by translating the project’s future peso cash flows into Euros at the expected future spot rates. We translate the project’s future peso cash flows into Euros using the expected future spot rates estimated by the international business publication in the article—rise to 20.00 by 2011 from current 15.99 exchange rate and upwards of 25.00 in 2013-2018. We then discount the cash flows in Euros at 8% (the discount rate for similar projects in France) and get the NPV in Euros as 118,903 Euros. 4. Translate the NPV in pesos calculated in 2. To Euros and compare to the answer in 3. Comment on your findings. We translate the NPV in pesos calculated in 2 to Euros using the spot exchange rate on June 23 at MXN15.99/EUR. It gives an NPV of 234,801 in Euros, which is much higher than our number in question 3 as 118,903 Euros. The difference is driven by prediction of Pesos against Euros, and a slight different discount rate. From our analysis, we see that expectation of steep depreciation in pesos and a slightly higher discount rate in Mexico result in a much higher NPV value if we translate the pesos into Euros now.

Katherine Mansfield stories “Prelude” and “At the Bay” Essay

Two of Katherine Mansfield’s most famous stories are â€Å"Prelude† and â€Å"At the Bay†, both of them portraying a New Zealand family. Both stories, are revolving around the female characters, but the one link that connects all of them is Stanley Burnell, member and provider of the family. The New Zealand critic Carl Stead affirms that Stanley Burnell is a ‘benevolent despot’ meaning that he is a kind person, and a tyrant in the same time. I agree with Stead affirmation, but as it seems somewhat incomplete, I would want to add a few words to it: Stanley character is benevolent but unconsciously despot. Stanley is dynamic and doesn’t like to rely on other people; he is eager to put down roots and settle down. He has no inherited wealth or special education; only his own intellect on which to rely. He is not only responsible for Linda and his children, but he has assumed responsibility for her mother and unmarried sister, Beryl. He works hard and makes sacrifices to support his family. For example, when they are all on holiday in â€Å"At the Bay†, Stanley catches the bus in to work .To have such a busy life, Stanley demands constant support from everyone else into covering his insecurities. He is not only looking for support, but he also expects for other people to try and achieve something on their own as he does. Because Beryl lacks money, Stanley expects her to try and work hard: ‘By Jove, if she can’t do a hand’s turn occasionally without shouting about it in return for†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. Stanley does not finish his sentence, being not sure exactly what it is Beryl owes him. This shows that it became a routine for him to financially take care of everybody in the family, and that he does not expect a material reward, even though he wants to see people try. In ‘At the Bay’ there is a moment when all the women seem to enjoy Stanley’s departure: ‘Oh, the relief, the difference it made to have the man out of the house. Their very voices were changed as they called to one another; they sounded warm and loving as if they shared a secret’. But Katherine Mansfield uses this passage to highlight how much they all depend on him. Anyone in Mansfield’s fiction who uses slang or truncated sentences, such as Stanley is suspect of having controversy in the character. Usually, in  Stanley’s dialogs, Katherine Mansfield uses short sentences as trying to prove that he speaks fast. Stanley also seems to use slang and to swear in front of the kids: ‘†What the hell†¦ Damnation take it†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ. All this demonstrate that he is a voluble and an action men, as he does not have time to fix his language. There is a tension in Stanley’s life: he is controlled by the need of always to be on time; he can rarely relax. In â€Å"At the Bay†, even going for an early morning swim, he flung, cleared, rushed staggered, raced, swooped, in order to be first in, and once in, he can not stop to enjoy it: â€Å"I have no tie to fool about†. This is a good example of life authenticity (a recreation of life) that Mansfield achieves. The scene happens in early morning, to highlight that Stanley was used to getting up early. Mansfield uses a very subtle mixture of precision and action, to portray exactly his enthusiasm. She has run every step behind him and she slows down the motion by using the word ‘staggered’ – ‘staggered up the sandy hillock’. Mansfield intends to slow down Stanley’s race not because he was tired, but because his feet were sinking into the sand. This race might represent the symbol of his life. Stanley’s life is a race in which he wants to be the best. But just as his feet sink in the sand, in real life he meets obstacles and becomes insecure, needing the family support to give him the strength to keep going, ‘racing for dear life’. In the passage the atmosphere seems to be filled with excitement, even joy, which shows that Stanley is happy with his complicated life. Mansfield uses lots of words like â€Å"exulting†, â€Å"swoops† and â€Å"souse† to convey his thoughts and feelings. He wades out ‘exulting’. He ‘swoops’ to ‘souse’ his head and neck, delighted with himself for being first in the water again. Then he hears Jonathan Trout’s voice and he realizes that he is not first after all and small explosions occurring inside his head. ‘†Great Scott! Damnation take it! Why the dickens didn’t the fellow stick to his part of the sea?†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ To escape from Jonathan conversation, which he thinks of as ‘piffle’ and ‘rot’, he turns over on his back and kicks with his legs till he is ‘a living water-spout’. Stanley seems ridiculous as we witness his confidence, delights and disappointments because he is acting like a child and is hard to understand that he is the same person that is very successful in business. This is why I added the word unconsciously to Carl Stead affirmation that Stanley is a benevolent despot. He pushes people to work hard and be like him, but he does not realize that this might be harder for some people than he thinks. If he would know that he is hurting his family, especially Linda, he would stop bullying them. He loves Linda too much and would never want to hurt her. He thinks he will punish her by going off in the morning without saying goodbye, but he regrets he did that and he suffers all day â€Å"I’ve been in tortures† . He arrives home ready to apologise for something that was unnoticed. Linda cares about him too but she keeps him away from getting to close by misinterpreting his actions on purpose. When he arrives home with ‘all the harvest of the earth’, expensive gifts for her – oysters, a pineapple, and cherries – she refers to them as ‘these silly things’; she drapes a cluster of cherries over his ear, knowing full well that he hates to appear foolish. She acts this way because Stanley is the antithesis with her. He has all the energy she lacks. He becomes more successful at business, more prosperous, and more secure in the home while she loses strength. His quick movements and rapid speech exhaust her. When he worries bout running to fat, Linda replies â€Å"You are far too energetic† and he interprets her answer as a reassurance, when it can also mean that he is to energetic for her, as when she wants to scream at him â€Å"You are killing me†. He seems to dominate her, like when she does not resist his sexual acts. Linda admires Stanley’s best qualities: his goodness, his reliability, and his honesty. She compares Stanley with Jonathan Trout, whom she finds attractive and whom she has much in common. Stanley doesn’t like a person like Trout, a person of dreams and impractical ideas, because he, Stanley is a man of action. Linda also cares about Stanley because she is aware of the fact that he is providing the money for the family, and admires his devotion. Katherine Mansfield, at first sight, seems to make Stanley Burnell look as if he is a tyrant, a despot, because he is pushing everybody to work hard, but he is actually a positive character, because he has the dignity and the morality to deal with his life and take the responsibility of looking after his family.

Deception Point Page 69

â€Å"I'll come to your office.† â€Å"No,† she said hurriedly. â€Å"It's late. Your presence here would raise concerns. I'd prefer to keep this matter between us.† Pickering read between the lines. The President knows nothing about this. â€Å"You're welcome to come here,† he said. Tench sounded distrusting. â€Å"Let's meet somewhere discreet.† Pickering had expected as much. â€Å"The FDR Memorial is convenient to the White House,† Tench said. â€Å"It will be empty at this time of night.† Pickering considered it. The FDR Memorial sat midway between the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials, in an extremely safe part of town. After a long beat, Pickering agreed. â€Å"One hour,† Tench said, signing off. â€Å"And come alone.† Immediately upon hanging up, Marjorie Tench phoned NASA administrator Ekstrom. Her voice was tight as she relayed the bad news. â€Å"Pickering could be a problem.† 81 Gabrielle Ashe was brimming with new hope as she stood at Yolanda Cole's desk in the ABC production room and dialed directory assistance. The allegations Sexton had just conveyed to her, if confirmed, had shocking potential. NASA lied about PODS? Gabrielle had seen the press conference in question and recalled thinking it was odd, and yet she'd forgotten all about it; PODS was not a critical issue a few weeks ago. Tonight, however, PODS had become the issue. Now Sexton needed inside information, and he needed it fast. He was relying on Gabrielle's â€Å"informant† to get the information. Gabrielle had assured the senator she would do her best. The problem, of course, was that her informant was Marjorie Tench, who would be no help at all. So Gabrielle would have to get the information another way. â€Å"Directory assistance,† the voice on the phone said. Gabrielle told them what she needed. The operator came back with three listings for a Chris Harper in Washington. Gabrielle tried them all. The first number was a law firm. The second had no answer. The third was now ringing. A woman answered on the first ring. â€Å"Harper residence.† â€Å"Mrs. Harper?† Gabrielle said as politely as possible. â€Å"I hope I haven't woken you?† â€Å"Heavens no! I don't think anyone's asleep tonight.† She sounded excited. Gabrielle could hear the television in the background. Meteorite coverage. â€Å"You're calling for Chris, I assume?† Gabrielle's pulse quickened. â€Å"Yes, ma'am.† â€Å"I'm afraid Chris isn't here. He raced off to work as soon as the President's address was over.† The woman chuckled to herself. â€Å"Of course, I doubt there's any work going on. Most likely a party. The announcement came as quite a surprise to him, you know. To everyone. Our phone's been ringing all night. I bet the whole NASA crew's over there by now.† â€Å"E Street complex?† Gabrielle asked, assuming the woman meant NASA headquarters. â€Å"Righto. Take a party hat.† â€Å"Thanks. I'll track him down over there.† Gabrielle hung up. She hurried out onto the production room floor and found Yolanda, who was just finishing prepping a group of space experts who were about to give enthusiastic commentary on the meteorite. Yolanda smiled when she saw Gabrielle coming. â€Å"You look better,† she said. â€Å"Starting to see the silver lining here?† â€Å"I just talked to the senator. His meeting tonight wasn't what I thought.† â€Å"I told you Tench was playing you. How's the senator taking the meteorite news?† â€Å"Better than expected.† Yolanda looked surprised. â€Å"I figured he'd jumped in front of a bus by now.† â€Å"He thinks there may be a snag in the NASA data.† Yolanda let out a dubious snort. â€Å"Did he see the same press conference I just saw? How much more confirmation and reconfirmation can anyone need?† â€Å"I'm going over to NASA to check on something.† Yolanda's penciled eyebrows raised in cautionary arches. â€Å"Senator Sexton's right-hand aide is going to march into NASA headquarters? Tonight? Can you say ‘public stoning'?† Gabrielle told Yolanda about Sexton's suspicion that the PODS section manager Chris Harper had lied about fixing the anomaly software. Yolanda clearly wasn't buying it. â€Å"We covered that press conference, Gabs, and I'll admit, Harper was not himself that night, but NASA said he was sick as a dog.† â€Å"Senator Sexton is convinced he lied. Others are convinced too. Powerful people.† â€Å"If the PODS anomaly-detection software wasn't fixed, how did PODS spot the meteorite?† Sexton's point exactly, Gabrielle thought. â€Å"I don't know. But the senator wants me to get him some answers.† Yolanda shook her head. â€Å"Sexton is sending you into a hornet's nest on a desperate pipe dream. Don't go. You don't owe him a thing.† â€Å"I totally screwed up his campaign.† â€Å"Rotten luck screwed up his campaign.† â€Å"But if the senator is right and the PODS section manager actually lied-â€Å" â€Å"Honey, if the PODS section manager lied to the world, what makes you think he'll tell you the truth.† Gabrielle had considered that and was already formulating her plan. â€Å"If I find a story over there, I'll call you.† Yolanda gave a skeptical laugh. â€Å"If you find a story over there, I'll eat my hat.† 82 Erase everything you know about this rock sample. Michael Tolland had been struggling with his own disquieting ruminations about the meteorite, but now, with Rachel's probing questions, he was feeling an added unease over the issue. He looked down at the rock slice in his hand. Pretend someone handed it to you with no explanation of where it was found or what it is. What would your analysis be? Rachel's question, Tolland knew, was loaded, and yet as an analytical exercise, it proved powerful. By discarding all the data he had been given on his arrival at the habisphere, Tolland had to admit that his analysis of the fossils was profoundly biased by a singular premise-that the rock in which the fossils were found was a meteorite. What if I had NOT been told about the meteorite? he asked himself. Although still unable to fathom any other explanation, Tolland allowed himself the leeway of hypothetically removing â€Å"the meteorite† as a pre-supposition, and when he did, the results were somewhat unsettling. Now Tolland and Rachel, joined by a groggy Corky Marlinson, were discussing the ideas. â€Å"So,† Rachel repeated, her voice intense, â€Å"Mike, you're saying that if someone handed you this fossilized rock with no explanation whatsoever, you would have to conclude it was from earth.† â€Å"Of course,† Tolland replied. â€Å"What else could I conclude? It's a far greater leap to assert you've found extraterrestrial life than it is to assert you've found a fossil of some previously undiscovered terrestrial species. Scientists discover dozens of new species every year.† â€Å"Two-foot-long lice?† Corky demanded, sounding incredulous. â€Å"You would assume a bug that big is from earth?† â€Å"Not now, maybe,† Tolland replied, â€Å"but the species doesn't necessarily have to be currently living. It's a fossil. It's 170 million years old. About the same age as our Jurassic. A lot of prehistoric fossils are oversized creatures that look shocking when we discover their fossilized remains-enormous winged reptiles, dinosaurs, birds.† â€Å"Not to be the physicist here, Mike,† Corky said, â€Å"but there's a serious flaw in your argument. The prehistoric creatures you just named-dinosaurs, reptiles, birds-they all have internal skeletons, which gives them the capability to grow to large sizes despite the earth's gravity. But this fossil†¦ † He took the sample and held it up. â€Å"These guys have exo skeletons. They're arthropods. Bugs. You yourself said that any bug this big could only have evolved in a low-gravity environment. Otherwise its outer skeleton would have collapsed under its own weight.†

Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Systems Research Paper

Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Systems - Research Paper Example Though there are systematic reviews concluding that EMRs have the potential to reduce medication errors, save clinicians’ time, promote adherence to evidence-based guidelines in management of various health conditions, and improve patient safety; adoption of EMR systems is still low in health care setting (Jones, & Blavin, 2013; King, Patel, Jamoom, & Furukawa, 2014). According to Jones, and Blavin (2013), only 1.5% of the non-federal acute care facilities had a comprehensive electronic health record system in 2008 while only 7.6% had installed basic EMR. To facilitate widespread adoption and utilization of HITs, the Congress passed the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, with an overarching aim of enhancing the efficiency, quality as well as safety of the American health care system (Silow-Carroll, Edwards, & Rodin, 2012). Through Medicaid and Medicare EHR programs, HITECH av ails financial incentives to eligible health care providers and hospitals that adopt and demonstrate meaningful use of the health information technology. The meaningful use legislation seems to be associated with increased adoption and implementation of EHR systems in various health care settings. For instance, in the year 2012, about 17% of non-federal acute care health care centers reported to be using a comprehensive EHR system while 27.6% reported to have adopted a basic EHR system.

International Joint Venture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

International Joint Venture - Essay Example Problems are majorly experienced in development, organization and management; these make the IJV to fail to achieve its projected goals. These challenges are a result of diverse objectives and motivations of the partner companies, making the art of balancing their operations an issue. Further, management will have to problems in planning and when trying to balance the mutual benefits for the partners. Inefficiency in the human resource management majorly contributes to failures of IJV (Faulkner and Geringer 2000; Desai, Foley and Hinles 2004). Additionally, political systems, economic state, legal system, difference in partners and conflicting contracts have an upper hand in determining the performance of management. The human resource issues are challenges faced by management of the IJV in its day-to-day activities and solution will be attained once an efficient human resource manager with expertise on international collaboration is employed. The politics also pose some challenge as they can come up with policies that may threaten the success of the collaboration. Management should make reasonable political judgment since political appraisal that is present in some is something to avoid. The two partners may enter into a merger with a view of eliminating duplication of resources and processes thus fostering greater efficiencies in management. Culture differences pose another challenge to IJV. For instance, collaboration between Pirelli and Dunlop failed in the 1980’s due to differences in the English and Italian cultures (Barkema, Bell, Shenkar & Vermeulen 1997). Strong Charter Establishment of a strong charter to aid in securing partners with the necessary attributes required to enhance success... International Joint Venture Collaboration has had several impacts on the sustenance of businesses in the market as well as their extinction. Market volatility brought about by changes in customers’ expectations, new entry of competitors in the market, dynamics in economic climate have posed great damage to many businesses. Management should employ strategic corporate policies in managing the venture in areas of human resource, supply chain, innovation, production and customer service. The management of IJV should recognize innovation as the major drive in growth of companies and their prosperity. Together with economic dynamics and globalization, technological change has favoured the growth of IJV’s. Despite the challenges facing the success of IJV, companies should engage in efficiency management system as this will help in combating all the challenges and enhance performance and productivity of the firm. Furthermore, companies should use collaboration as stepping stones to innovation and creativity as this will aid in coming up with ideas that will make the companies to be the leader in the market and enjoy the advantages of large scale operations. For companies to be successful when they enter into collaborations, they should first have a clear understanding of the strategic objective of the relationship they intent to create before focussing on the risks and benefits to be obtained. Collaboration is geared at enhancing business growth.

Learning and Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Learning and Development - Essay Example At the same time, workplace learning is poorly understood and under-researched, but has moved to centre stage in discourses about the so-called 'knowledge-based economy' and in policies based on that concept. Along with employees, it is an important issue in contemporary business environment that organizations developed and learnt together with their human assets. It is by means that organizations need to adapt to their changing environments. Local line leaders in the organization and high level executives as well as internal networkers and community leaders are needed who can motivate and direct the organization and its members, to learn to adapt to the changes. Changes in the economic environment from local, to national, to global markets require new perspectives. Interspersed with these changes are the rapidly ever-changing developments in information technology with which the organization and its members have to become intimately involved for acquisition and processing of information from the internal and external environments. The organization has to learn how to adapt to changes in the diversity of its workforce and customers as well as to the changing demands for social responsibi lity. In terms of what have been said in above, I will further discuss how learning and development can contribute to improved performance within an organization and how it impacts indi... Organizations are changing by "dejobbing", that is, changing is the concept of the job as a separate full-time position with a specific bundle of tasks. The concept of the jobs is being replaced by the unbundling of the tasks of a traditional job. Instead of an organizational member having one permanent bundle of tasks to complete, the member will need to work alone or in teams on temporary tasks and in temporary teams. Changes will coincide with changes in organization needs. Some tasks may be outsourced; some may be shifted to within the organization (Keep, Rainbird, 2000). The learning organization is the one that is dissatisfied with the status quo. It proceeds by looking at ways to improve itself, setting up criteria for appraising the effects of changes, creating alternatives, adopting and implementing those that work out well and abandoning those that do not work out well. In this process, reliable and valid measures will be employed. Learning organizations have adaptable cultures as illustrated by the firms, Walmart, Pepsico, and Hewlett Packard. In the late 1980's, the firms saw leadership as an engine of change. They stressed the value of meeting their constituents' needs. Adaptable new systems were introduced. Adaptable managers were favored. The results showed in the early 1990's. In comparison, a firm like Texaco was seduced by its dominant position in the oil and gas market and its prior successful growth and profits. As Robert Blake would say, it was fat and happy, and lacked the adaptability to change. Likewise, Coors Beer lacked the adaptability of a learning organization and couldn't accept the value to its continued success of its relations with

Counter Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Counter Argument - Essay Example possible response is not to present favorable arguments, but a negative case—namely, to present arguments against the case that has been brought forth. The following is a reply to several objections to a previously stated position: that it is the moral responsibility of a government to effectively ban same-sex marriage. This responsibility was defended by a conception of the natural law, which is fundamentally incompatible with the practice of homosexual marriage rites. It shall be shown that these objections are baseless and cannot be shown to have any philosophical merit, especially since their philosophical histories are contradictory—meaning that these criticisms are mutually exclusive and are mutually incorrect. The first point taken to support the thesis that the government has no moral responsibility to ban same-sex marriage is that there is a history of normality when it comes to the practice of gay marriage. The objector cites the time of Plato as proof that homosexuality has been, for ages, been a widespread practice, and in a variety of different cultural contexts. However, even a cursory knowledge of Plato’s thoughts on love, contained in the dialogue Symposium, would reveal that Plato, like Aristotle, thought that homosexuality was an affront to nature, and hence, natural law. In the eighth book of the Symposium, a speaker considers â€Å"how to have legislation banning homosexual acts, masturbation, and illegitimate procreative sex widely accepted. He then states that this law is according to nature† (Pickett). Plato and Aristotle, arguably the two wisest men in the history of Ancient Greece, both expressed a sharp distaste for the unnatural practice of homosexualityà ¢â‚¬â€the former of whom expressed his belief in a ban on the practice in the Ideal State. In addition to the incidental philosophical objection to the practice, there is also a logical objection to be made to this argument as well. The writer here seems to suggest that because

Kant's Ethics (essay) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Kant's Ethics ( ) - Essay Example But Kant postulated that a person's ethics, his course of action was guided by duty. He argued that a person may misapprehend a situation if he were acting out reason alone and that if he were acting out of experience only then it would be prejudiced if not supported with a proper reason. (Sullivan, 1994) Kant devised a singular moral obligation or categorical imperative which in turn is borne out of duty to explain his postulates. An imperative is a command that forces a person to exercise his will. A hypothetical imperative is a conditional command, that is, a person might be doing something to achieve some desired end. His actions are therefore conditional. Kant argued that morality required an unconditional assertion of a man's duty and hence postulated that reason decrees an unconditional or categorical imperative. The three formulations of Categorical Imperative are What the first formulation achieves to prove is that any deed cannot be moral if it is committed keeping an end result in mind. To establish a good deed the action has to be carried out without keeping the end result in mind. So to act in any situation one must exercise his will in the way he expects others to. The second formulation says that when faced with a moral situation one must think what others would not do in a similar situation. So if naturally no one does it, one must not do the same. The third formulation summarizes the whole of the Kantian moral philosophy by explaining that an act should be conducted under rationality. A rational will can exercise his will morally simply because the person can act without attaching any conditional worth to his actions. (Teale, 1951) He treats humanity not merely as means to an end but the end only. That is he commits an act out of a sense of duty rather than trying to achieve some other hidden propaganda through this deed. Thus he was able to prove that adherence to Categorical Imperatives ensures autonomous ethical choice because rational will is always autonomous and Kant puts rational will at the core of his postulates. This was based on Kant's own arguments for autonomy of the will against heteronomy of the will. He came to the conclusion that when a person acts out of his reasoning as opposed to some external law or command his actions would be more moral. Though the arguments seem plausible one cannot discount the fact that the autonomous will of a person may inherently be negative. What if the will of a person and others around him are also corrupted What can then act as an impulse for the actions of that person Kant seems to; as did Rousseau, believe in the basic goodness of humans. What moral code guides the acts of terrorism as it manifests itself in today's world The killing of innocent lives may be immoral to the larger section of the society but for the terrorists committing these acts may well be borne out of a sense of duty. (Sullivan, 1994) Kant himself answers this question. He argues that a rational will cannot act "except under the idea" of its own freedom. He says that there is no basis for

Building Team Relationship by Communication Essay

Building Team Relationship by Communication - Essay Example The meeting was called to identify them. In the meeting the onus to find and hone up the winning debater was given to two senior students of the school. One of them was James a very aggressive and vocal student who was the leader extracurricular team of the school. The other was John known for his intelligence but agile and reserved personality. They were given the responsibility to select five students in each team to be groomed as the new winning team for the forthcoming debating competition. The committee on Extra-curricular Activities headed by the principal of the school was finally to decide two students to be sent for participating in the competition. He prepared a team of ten such students mainly from senior student group and asked them to participate in debating programs scheduled in the school for training them and asked every participant to prepare for effective presentation. He prepared a schedule for the program and informed students to participate without fail. "Students who have debating skills and killing spree through convincing arguments are invited to join the winning team for further grooming Students must be versatile, flexible knowledgeable and presentable. Early record of debating will be a plus point" James received 20 applications from all classes. Every one was encouraged to join for the grooming sessions. Grooming sessions were divided into nine debating sessions. Each session had different subjects to debate on. All participants were divided into four groups of 5 students each. Two winning participants from each group of James and John who would be sent for final presentation to the sports selection committee would be given letter of appreciation from the principal. The final two winners would get the chance to represent the school in the debating competition. The winner will get a silver trophy and reward of $10000 dollars as scholarship. Both James and John clearly spelled out the objective to their team members. "We have to groom ourselves to be the winner in the next debating competition and stand out with the winners' image the school had earned through ages" " Are you committed to this pious objective" Unanimous reply was "Yes Sir" The first grooming session started on 15th April. James was with team members sharp at 9AM in the hall. Only seven students were present. It was alarming for James. The team of seven had grueling debating on assorted subjects and no one was ready to give in. At the end the team expressed satisfaction that the super seven had the real fighting spirit. In another hall James and his team of twenty assembled to have the basic knowledge of debating. James had managed an old school alumni Anderson who had once won the Inter-school competition to groom the team members. He talked with

Response paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Response paper - Essay Example Cat therefore, symbolizes women’s status that at all times strives to conform to the demands of their husband. ‘It isn’t any fun to be a poor kitty out in the rain’ reflects the way of woman’s life who is constantly under the vigil of her husband. The protagonist in the story is first addressed as ‘American wife’ and then as ‘American girl’ that subtly defines the difference between a married girl and girl who can pursue their happiness as they deem within the broader framework of patriarchal society. Married women are denied the basic right for self expression and empowerment of women and have to restrict themselves within the expected behavior as decided by their husband. Indeed, social conditioning significantly impacts marital bond and makes women rebel against the restrictions that make the unequal and less worthy of their counterparts. On the other hand, Hemingway in the story, ‘Hills like White Elephants’ shows human frailty and confused state when confronted with issues that are socially unacceptable. The author has touched the issue of abortion and describes the vacillating views of the two individuals who are trying to justify the decision for abortion. Abortion is highly sensitive issue within the society and refers to deliberate termination of fetus. It has huge moral, religious and legal implications which make it almost a taboo subject. The author’s foray into the subject is highly abstract and touches the subject in various ways to display the personal fear, social stigma and future hope. The inter-related consequences of abortion have wide ramifications and as such, make the decision as most critical aspect of the deed. The characters talk around the subject of abortion and the story slowly reflects how the woman succumbs to the desires of her partner and says ‘Then Ill do it.

Does the highschool disploma guarantee sucess in math corses in Research Paper

Does the highschool disploma guarantee sucess in math corses in college - Research Paper Example Students who may have not performed as required in high school need to pursue developmental courses to boost their high school diploma so as to be able to gain entry to college courses. Primarily, developmental courses have been developed to enhance certain skills among students before being accepted to do math courses in college. Policymakers and faculties of higher education recognize that there is inadequate preparation for students in high schools, thus fails to meet the demands of college courses. Moreover, success of higher education among students is dependent on adequate performance of students in high school diploma. Nevertheless, diverse nature of college courses with regards to their academic demands and expectations contributes largely to lack of understanding among high school diploma graduates (Chinwah 1). Studies have carefully analyzed geometry, statistics, data analysis and algebra skills required for success in math courses in college. Comparisons have been made with the skills needed for training in job opportunities that offer wages and salaries that are sufficient for survival of families of at least four. Math skills gained from high school diploma is considered a necessity for average and good living standards among human beings, since many occupations that offer the so-called sufficient salary require high school diploma as the necessity skills. Therefore, governments need to put in place policies that ensure all high school graduates attain particular skills necessary for higher education success. Policies have been enacted with regards to the clear understanding that math courses are very important for college courses (Heather, Rose, Betts and Julian 7). Most students are proved to having undertaken all the required courses they need to get a high school diploma without being fully qualified for success in math courses in college. High school

Martin Luther on Marriage Essay Example for Free

Martin Luther on Marriage Essay Martin Luther clearly states that in the beginning, God created male and female, blessed them, and told them to be fruitful and multiply . According to Martin Luther, in order for this ordinance to be fulfilled, man and woman must come together in marriage as husband and wife. It is not within the powers of a man or a woman, according to Martin Luther, to be the way he/she is or to live without a partner . Luther states that marriage is not a subject of free choice, but rather a natural and important thing. The ordinance, to be fruitful and multiply, is godly and not within the powers of man to obstruct or disregard. Man and woman are created by God for the sole purpose of multiplying, and whoever tries to resist this, lives in sin . Martin Luther however states that there are people who are exempted from marriage; the eunuchs . He states that unless one is a eunuch, he/she should not presume to be without a partner due to the fact that it is hard for one to remain righteous. He believes that marriage is something instituted by God and that all vows are invalid before Him, with the exception of any person who is a eunuch . He urges all those who have taken vows to reconsider their innate companionship and get into marriage, because they are acting contrary to the will of God. Martin Luther rejects all the reasons set by the pope in his standard law for bringing a marriage to an end or preventing it altogether. Martin Luther believes that marriage is not all about money as set by the papal authority. According to Luther, a person should not enter into marriage with her mother, sister, step-mother, step-sister, grand daughter, or aunt regardless of whether he has money or not . Martin Luther however states that one can enter into marriage with her brother’s daughter. He believes that a man should take a wife as he pleases, regardless of whether he is the spiritual father, godchild, or whether the lady is a sister or a daughter of his spiritual sponsor or not. Martin Luther believes that an adopted child is free to marry the son or the daughter of its adoptive parent due to the fact that they have no blood relationship . He also asserts that everybody is free to get into marriage with whomever he/she pleases regardless of the religious or ethnic background of such a person. He believes that everyone is a God’s creation and should enter into marriage with whomever he/she likes. According to Martin Luther, no sin or crime should be a barrier to marriage. He argues that sins should be punished with other penalties, rather than forbidding marriage. Martin Luther also states that after the death of a spouse to be, a man or woman is free to marry any of the relative of the dead partner except for mother or daughter . Martin Luther claims that marriage as a result of coercion is not valid before the eyes of God. He however states that a man, who is in marriage as a result of coercion, should not leave her wife . He also states that if a man takes more than two girls to be his wives, without the consent of her parents, then his father should decide which of the girls is to remain as a wife. He believes that parental authority must be respected before any one enters into secret engagement. Martin Luther states that marriages are not supposed to be broken without a sound cause . He states that the only logical reasons for dissolving a marriage are adultery and unfit spouse for marriage. Basing his arguments on the New Testament, Martin Luther makes it clear that no one should put asunder what God has joined together. According to Martin Luther, every party in marriage is supposed to fulfill the conjugal rights of the other. Basing his argument on the teachings of St Paul, he stresses that no man or woman has authority over his/her own body, but his/her partner does. Luther asserts that a divorce may be sought; if one of the parties does not satisfy the conjugal rights of the other. He continues to say that if a couple obtains a divorce, they should remain as such unless they are reconciled . The contemporary church, from this discussion, should realize that the estate of marriage has fallen into an extremely awful disgrace as Martin Luther asserts. It is high time the church realized that a woman is not an evil being. Women are God’s creation, and subjecting them to disrespect is blaspheming the work of God . Martin Luther states that in order that the church may carry on in light, concerning the issue of marriage, it should first hold that man and woman are the work of God, which should not be subjected to criticism . Basing his stand on the Old Testament, Martin Luther states that God knows what is good for everyone of us. It is high time therefore that the modern church leaders realized that God is the initiator of marriage. According to Martin Luther, â€Å"God saw it was not good for man to be alone, and he created for him a companion† . Modern churches, in addition to church congregations, should learn that they have no right in deterring children from marriage alluring them to nunnery and priesthood, citing the tribulations of a married life . Martin Luther states that all those who criticize or censure marriage are acting contrary to the will of God. The church, based on that fact, should be on the look out for publications which criticize marriage. Luther is greatly embittered by those who term marriage as brief joy and long-lasting bitterness. He states that â€Å"to recognize the estate of marriage is something quite different from merely being married† . The church should learn that those who do not make out the estate of marriage can in no way continue in marriage without resentment and anguish. But, on the other hand, those who recognize the estate of marriage obtain unending pleasure, joy and delight. Basing his arguments on the teachings of St Paul, he says that those who marry are not exempted from earthly problems, but continues to say that their spiritual delight greatly exceed their outward bitterness. The church, according to Martin Luther, should learn that no one can generate real happiness in marriage without recognizing that marriage is pleasing to God. The church should learn greatly from Martin Luther’s assertion that â€Å"he who refuses to marry will fall into sins† . This is due to the fact that God created both man and woman for purposes of reproduction and multiplication. He claims that if this reproduction happens not in marriage, then it is bound to happen in covert sins and fornication . Luther claims that it is high time the church stopped putting marriage so far below virginity. Luther claims that no estate should be taken as better than the estate of marriage in the sight of God . He states that those who fail to marry claiming that they are not able to support their marriage display a lack of faith in God. Yet, God has made it clear that out of our sweat shall we eat. The church should also learn that those who fail to marry out of celibacy, their vows are invalid before God unless they fall under the category of eunuchs. The Church should learn, as Luther claims, that these people are bound to commit sins due to the fact that no one has the capability of resisting God’s ordinance within him/her. The church should also learn, as Luther makes it clear, not to take money as solution to critical marriage issues. Luther states that one may marry whomever he/she likes, except for a blood relative or parents to his/her spouse, without setting up any cash for the privilege . It can therefore be concluded that marriage is a good thing, for humankind, ordained from God. It is advisable for one to marry unless he falls under the category of eunuchs lest he fall into sins. The church should not set up conditions to determine the way marriage is supposed to be handled. Money and wealth should not be a factor to consider when getting into marriage. Bibliography: Luther, Martin. The Estate of Marriage, 1522, viewed on May 19, 2010 from http://www. warwick. ac. uk/fac/arts/History/teaching/protref/women/WR0913. htm

Tourism as a Form of Neocolonialism

Tourism as a Form of Neocolonialism One of the most crucial areas within the literature is how power plays a part in the development of tourism. The specific balances of power determine how tourism can be developed in a region, and whether this is an indigenously motivated process or part of a neo-colonialist agenda. Butler and Hinch (2007:308-309) point out that power is usually not evenly distributed within most regions, and that political power and economic power determine how tourism develops. For example, in Australia the Aboriginal people are encouraged to engage in tourism development, yet they have little say in how this development occurs, and they have few means to access their specific cultural images or representations. Whilst this shows the inequality in power, the work does not show what the consequences of this are. It shows that non-indigenous people do not often have control over tourism development, but not what the agenda of the non-indigenous culture is. Also, this is a specific case involving indig enous and non-indigenous peoples in one country, rather than one region lacking control over their tourism strategies in light of influence from foreign organisations. However, this argument is a good starting point because it is from such economic and political inequalities that tourism as neo-colonialism occurs. From the 1960s onwards, tourism was seen as a great moderniser that could improve the prospects of developing countries. However, because these developing countries often did not have the means to develop this industry themselves, the resources and expertise of developed countries made it possible. This also meant the developed countries set the agenda for development, focusing on what would be a good model for a developed country in Europe, for instance. This, as stated by Hughes (in Lew, Hall and Williams, 2004:498-499) can be used as a way for developed countries to maintain control over developing nations and maintain the need for their dependency on developed countries. However, this does not adequately explain whether this type of neo-colonial development was short-lived, or whether it still continues today. Also, it looks at the pr oblem only from whether tourism itself in this form is useful for the destination region, rather than the intertwined relationship of all regions involved tourism activities. The point being missed here is that it is logical for many tourism initiatives to be influenced and determined by the needs of those outside the destination region. Whilst local tourism is one concern, it is a small concern when compared to the possible economic advantages of attracting tourists from developed countries. As Akama (in Hall and Tucker, 2004:140-141) points out, this is certainly the case in the development of safari tourism in Africa. It was initially created during the colonial era, and is still influenced by the power structures that existed at this time. This was certainly necessary in terms of the development of tourism as foreign investment was required. However, what is crucial here is that this neo-colonial influence means that whilst tourism meets the needs of those from developed countries, so the revenues generated often do not remain within the destination market, and so no development past this tourism is easily possible whilst there is such a reliance on t he developed countries. How this is interpreted really depends on the specific levels of empowerment being discussed. Church and Coles (2007:205) say there are three types of empowerment national, local and personal. If we are talking about national empowerment, then tourism does suffer from neo-colonial influence. This is because national economies in many developing countries remain dependent on specifically Western-centric forms of tourism and its development. However, the influence is perhaps less obvious at local and personal level. Tourism provides work and jobs, which can help individuals move away from previous levels of poverty. It can also revitalise an area and provide new facilities for locals. However, this is very much dependent on the type of tourism being developed and the specific economic level of locals versus the facilities being created. What is clear here is that even though tourism at a national level can be deemed neo-colonial in many areas, this does not mean the neo-colonial influ ence reaches down to create negative consequences at the local or personal levels. However, according to Richards and Hall (2003:27) it is likely that negative neo-colonial influence can extend to the local or personal level, particularly if the type of tourism pays little attention to traditional culture and its values. Also, where tourism occurs in only some regions within a country, it adversely affects other regions. As money is invested in one region, another region can suffer and gain more power. This leads to unequal development, and also could leave locals with a choice between living in an area where their traditional cultures are eroded but money is available, or living where traditions are maintained but investment is not forthcoming. However, this still does not examine whether current tourism practices are specifically neo-colonial. It only shows that in its most extreme form, neo-colonial tourism can have a negative impact at all levels and can maintain power inequalities, despite the seeming economic advantages on the surface. This idea of pervasive neo-colonialism in tourism is reinforced by Mowforth and Munt (2008:56-57). They explain that countries such as Fiji, despite political independence, remain neo-colonialist economies because their continued stability and prosperity depend upon tourism from Western countries. This means further development has to take into account these needs, and also helps to maintain previous colonial spatial structures because they are best suited for the needs of the market that remains so important to the country. Whilst this certainly seems to the consensus when it comes to many developing countries that depend on tourism, the focus is perhaps too much just on the economic impacts rather than the potential impacts that neo-colonialism through tourism could have on race, culture and class. For example, Crick (1994:65) points out a study by Mendis (1981) that suggests the nature of tourism in Sri Lanka has led to a culture of servility that risks creating a generation of butlers. This wipes away cultural traditions and places racial inequalities between the tourists who are served and the locals who serve them. In order to continue bringing in tourists, these countries have to hide other inequalities and poverty, thereby potentially making these problems worse down the line and tacitly helping to maintain the stereotypes and inequalities between developed countries and the destination region. This again shows that neo-colonial tourism has, at least in the past and possibly still now, occurred. However, what is the overall level of tourism as neo-colonialism, and are there different approaches to tourism than the neo-colonialist approach? One area that could be described as a response or antidote to neo-colonial tourism is the increasing growth of the independent traveller. These are people who do not tend to visit regular tourist destinations, and do not seek out established tourist structures. These individuals believe they are not contributing to the inequalities that are seen through major tourist development, but in fact such inequalities are often inescapable. As tourists move away from one tourist area to independently travel, new lines of tourism are inevitably formed. Also, by attempting to control or decide exposure to tourist facilities, the traveller is inadvertently contributing to decisions about the development of certain areas. For example, some boatmen and guides in India have licenses that restrict the areas they can go with tourists. This means tourists have greater access and mobility within the destination environment than the local guides another example of inequality, even when it is merely an effort to potentially allow a less neo-colonial tourist experience. Furthermore, it is this idea of First World tourist determining the agenda to the Third World that contributes to inequalities, no matter the form of tourism being developed (Lozanski, 2008:31-33). This is perhaps the biggest problem -that the entire debate is only focused on the flow of mobility, education, economics and decision-making in one direction. For example, the tourist situation in Jamaica is often looked at from the negative neo-colonial standpoint, where large foreign hotel chains such as RIU Hotels mean that much of the money generated through tourism leaves Jamaica and ends up back in Western countries (Dei, 2006: 200). Even though this is a valid criticism, it only looks at the situation from one side. It does not take into account the desires and needs of the Jamaican people, and whether or not having these hotels that remove revenue from the economy is any worse than having no industry at all. It is not specifically that revenue is removed, but how this decision is made. If it is developed as part of an indigenously-led tourism model, then it cannot be seen to be totally negative. This is not studied enough in the literature, and the literature does not look a t the underlying decision-making processes of countries in terms of tourism development. For example, it should not be assumed that just because an area is developed to meet tourists needs and some elements of traditional culture removed that this is going to have a negative impact on the local population or that it is unwanted. This is only our perception from the Western-centric perspective that it is unwanted. Maintenance of traditional culture is not always desired by locals, and in fact its maintenance may be antithetical to other types of growth. For example, in Beijing, China, many of the traditional hutong streets and residences are being replaced with newer high-rise buildings and commercial buildings. Whilst some bemoan the loss of this culture, it can provide better accommodation and facilities to locals who lived in these old areas, and can provide much-needed jobs and activities for a growing middle class (Kuhn, 2006). Not all tourism is controlled by international corporations and their influence over the destination region. Local and nationally-controlled tourism initiatives perform differently to neo-colonial tourism, and can potentially empower and help a nation to grow. This is of course shown in developed countries most readily, where locally controlled tourism helps preserve aspects of culture that are deemed locally important, as well as helping regions to develop and move closer together. However, it is less obvious and prevalent in developing countries. More research is required here, outside of the few specific examples that are generally cited to show how local tourism initiatives in developing countries are providing an alternative to the neo-colonial model (Theobald, 1998:69). The issue is that any adverse effect from tourism or any specifically capitalist market-driven decision in tourism is often seen as neo-colonialism in practice, but in fact the deeper roots of the decision need to be looked at rather than merely the outcomes. Local tourism initiatives may take advantage of capitalist structures for tourism development and specifically cater development to the needs of those from developed countries as well as their own people. It is therefore important to focus on the specific underlying influence of certain power structures on tourist decisions around the world, and this will give a clearer picture as to the true prevalence of neo-colonialism within tourism (Sharma, 2004:66-67). It must not be seen that changes within a country due to tourism are specifically because of neo-colonialism, or that tourism is merely the yoke that replaces colonialism in many countries. Whilst this is certainly true is some areas, it is also true that change occurs naturally and that tourism, whether influenced by foreign corporations or not, is a lucrative business (Mowforth and Munt, 2008:49). However, the real test for neo-colonial influence is whether these changes from tourism and the way tourism has developed is down to local needs and wishes, or whether it is purely created by undue influence from large foreign corporations. It could well be argued though that there is a thin line between the inequalities that inevitably emerge from a neo-liberal market due to the economic and political inequalities between the developing and developed world and the direct influence of neo-colonialism on tourism. Both can lead to negative consequences for developing countries, even though the decision-making processes might be quite different (Jamal and Robinson, 2009:154-155). In conclusion, the literature review shows that tourism has and continues to be a neo-colonial activity in at least some areas of the world, and that this has likely led to negative effects for developing countries. However, there are certainly gaps in the literature in terms of how much of tourism is based on neo-colonial ideals, and no real mention of tourism in developed countries, which contributes a lot to tourism and obviously is generally not seen as neo-colonial in nature. However, even if merely focusing on developing countries, there is a lack of information about the root causes for decisions in these areas, and too much of a focus on negative outcomes that perhaps have more to do with general economic inequalities rather than the prevalence of neo-colonialism in tourism. The next section will attempt to look at ways in which theoretical frameworks and research methods can be used to fill the gaps in this research and come to a conclusion about the extent to which tourism is a neo-colonial activity. Methodology For this paper, primary research was initially considered as a method, but was dismissed because of the difficulty of access to potential participants. Much of the focus of tourism as neo-colonialism has to be on developing countries, which immediately makes data collection more difficult. Also, in light of potential conflicts of interest between workers within tourism industries in these developing countries and those that employ them makes primary research not viable for this specific topic. Therefore, secondary research is the most logical design for this paper. This also follows on from the findings of the literature review, which identified a number of gaps in the research as well as areas of research that can be examined in greater detail using various theoretical frameworks. This methodology section will outline the various secondary research methods that will be used, how these fit in with the literature review findings and what they can bring to the discussion on the prevalence of tourism as a neo-colonial activity. The first important thing to remember is to avoid misreading the extent of neo-colonialism by being stuck within the perspective of neo-colonialism as the entire framework for the research. The study must not merely be conducted from the viewpoint of the First World, and must look at how both roots of decision-making within tourism and outcomes are perceived from the perspective of developing countries. We must also look at the way in which those tourists from developing countries flow into other developing countries and developed countries, as this will help us to understand the bigger picture when it comes to tourism and its activities. In order to avoid making snap judgements about the nature of tourism, the scope of analysis needs to be broadened and a multi-perspective approach adopted. This is of course challenging, and it is difficult to avoid Western-centric thinking at times. However, it is only by using this method that the true motivations for tourism activity around the w orld can be understood. As Ateljevic, Pritchard and Morgan (2007:24-26) explain, this is known as de-centrising the tourism universe. This is important as a methodological basis for the further research, because the literature review identifies the fact that many sources focus only on the problem from a Western perspective, particularly when espousing the problems of neo-colonialism. For example, many of the definitions or examples of neo-colonialism focus on the way in which Western countries such as the US took advantage of countries such as Cuba as their playground, and that this was detrimental to the country. This does not take into account the perspective of Cuba, and also the other political aspects that led to negative outcomes in the region reasons that are far wider than merely the Western influence on the tourism industry (Jafari, 2003:122). However, taking a broader approach does not mean ignoring specific case studies and examples that could shed light on the nature of tourism in developing countries, particularly as it stands now. Whilst it should be left to those in these countries to decide what aspects of their culture are authentic or changeable, it can clearly be seen in areas such as the Caribbean that, economically at least, tourism is still dominated by the predominantly white and Western corporate influence. For example, most hotel managers in the region are still expatriates, with only lower positions being held by locals. This may not be a deliberate example of neo-colonialism as it may genuinely be that this is the best way to make the business successful. However, it is surely an area that needs exploring and greater understanding given to how these unequal structures arise and if they are indeed only a small problem or part of a larger problem of Western dominance over these industries (Bennett, 2005:15 -17). This is why case study methodology is important in this paper. There are many existing case studies already evident, but as mentioned many of them do not take forward this multi-perspective approach to understand the decision-making within tourism and how this reduces or increases potential inequalities, and whether or not these inequalities are directly part of neo-colonial practice or for other reasons. Tourism is a process, which unless there is an obviously dominant hegemony at work, requires a look at the complex flow of global ideas, people and capital. As global trends change, so case studies must look at the current situation and not merely stick to preconceived notions of inequality (Salazar, in Richards and Munsters, 2010:188). The case study approach can be an initial entry into understanding some specific examples of tourism activity in various countries, and then different trends or patterns can be identified in order to start forming a more general and overall understanding of the pervasiveness of neo-colonialism within tourism. The case study is useful here as well because it is less important to understand the outcomes of decision-making, because these can be negative or positive no matter the influence. Instead, it is important, through a multi-perspective approach, to understand the root decision-making within tourism around the world, and this will determine whether tourism is merely serving a neo-colonial agenda or whether it is actually a complex global process that is influenced by foreign and local actors in different ways, leading to different outcomes in different areas rather a definite neo-colonial dominance (Beeton, in Ritchie, Burns and Palmer, 2005:37-40). There are many good examples of potential case studies that can be analysed and used to build up this wider picture that do not necessarily just fit into the traditional model of viewing a tourist area from the position of Western dominance and developing world dependency. For example, Wearing and McDonald (2002:191) look at the role that intermediaries play in isolated rural communities in Papua New Guinea. This is not focusing on the outcomes of tourism, but looking at how different groups interact, and that it is possible through intermediaries for the tourist to be an equal part of a system rather than at its centre. This would suggest the potential for a power shift away from neo-colonialism, even if inequalities and certain negative outcomes may continue and wider issues of economic neo-colonialism continue. This means that tourism does not have to be specifically neo-colonial in nature, even if other inequalities persist for now. Another good example is a study by Hasty (2002:47) that looks at tourism across Africa and the promotion of Pan-Africanism. This study focuses on tourism in Ghana that is controlled by those within the country and developed to promote more unity within Africa. The problem here is that various different agendas mean that tourist events to promote Pan-Africanism remove discussion of potential differences and contradictions. In this sense it is not merely a problem of neo-colonialism, but wider concerns between a variety of actors and the careful balancing act between culture, politics and economic interests. Finally, for tourism as neo-colonial activity and its extent to be understood, current research should be understood in light of the global post-colonial landscape. This fits in with the multi-perspective approach previously mentioned, as it goes beyond the initial attempts to correct neo-colonialism that themselves could lead to colonial inequalities. For example, appealing to sustainable tourism as a means to combat neo-colonialism could exacerbate the problem because the agenda and demands for sustainability would be set by the developed countries once again, and did not necessarily take into account the needs to the destination regions. The post-colonial framework goes beyond this to look at the situation from all perspectives rather than the previous ideal of trying to solve the inequalities created from neo-colonialism and colonialism before this (Carrigan, 2010:202-203). For example, if we look at the case of tourism in the West Indies in a post-colonial sense, we can see many of the previous inequalities that may have been associated with neo-colonialism. These inequalities could be viewed as part of neo-colonialism if viewed from one perspective or not adequately analysed. Rich West Indian minority elites have taken charge of some parts of the tourism industry, and are exhibiting similar dominance and influence to previous neo-colonial influence. However, as the inequalities in this sense shift and neo-colonialism becomes less of an issue, the negative effects on many of the local population remain. Further, these new leaders within the market can move into the international market, and therefore a greater interactive phase of tourism begins where flows of money and influence come from developing countries as well as to developing countries (Laws, Faulkner and Moscado, 1998:231-232). It is also likely that the definition of neo-colonialism will need to alter as globalisation continues and companies become more global in their outreach and ideals. Multinationals may then be as entwined in the destination region as their previous region of origin, or the multinational may indeed originate in the destination region. This alters how these companies are able to influence tourism, and also how they positively or negatively influence tourism. What was previously a one-way relationship will develop into a complex dialogue between consumers, employees, companies and both local and national governments to determine how tourism develops and where its interests lie (Page and Connell, 2006:467). It may be that neo-colonialism only exists in its most extreme form in specific types of tourism that are already of an exploitative nature, such as sex tourism. These forms of tourism are unequal because of the very nature of the activity, but these forms of tourism are slowly being removed and reduced in the post-colonial world as all actors within the tourist industry begin to deem them unacceptable. However, it is hard to completely remove these problems due to greater issues of economic inequality outside of the tourist industry (Bauer and Holowinska, 2009:6). Overall, the approach to the research needs to be multi-perspective, focused on a wide variety of case studies in order to build up a picture of the current status of tourism. Most importantly, it needs to be set within the post-colonial context and the questions to be answered determined by the subjects rather than the researcher. This will give a view of tourism as neo-colonialism that is not already mired in neo-colonialist thought (Belsky, in Phillimore and Goodson, 2004:286). The discussion section of the dissertation will use these methods to analyse the topic, and then the following conclusion section will summarise these findings and further recommendations for research. Conclusion In conclusion, the main findings in this paper are: There is still a clear economic imbalance between the First World and Third World, which is caused by a variety of factors including First World hegemony and the effects of colonialism and neo-colonialism. The Western, developed nations still dominate the tourist market, mainly due to their economic superiority. Cultural changes are less of an issue than they were during the colonial era, but economic dominance can still undermine destination cultures. Developing countries still need the money in the form of investment to build up tourist markets, and this allows Western countries to dictate terms, including the flow of money back to developed countries through multinational companies and the use of expatriate staff over local staff. This is not simply a matter for tourism however, and is a problem in almost all economic sectors. In tourism the problem is no worse, and in fact in many ways it is more of a closed system. The benefits of tourism often go to Western countries, but in general these are the countries that fuel demand. Sometimes this neo-colonialism shows itself within the tourist industry, leading to inequalities and negative outcomes for developing countries. Not all negative outcomes within tourism are due to neo-colonialist factors, and not all neo-colonialist factors within tourism lead to negative outcomes, particularly when looked upon from national, local and personal levels. Tourism as neo-colonialism does keep developing countries dependent on developed countries, particularly if tourism is a large part of their GDP. However, not all factors should be considered negative, because it is not just tourism that keeps developing countries dependent on developed countries. Overall economic and political inequalities also contribute, as do internal problems within developing countries such as poor management, lack of resources, wars and political instabilities. Tourism, even when dominated by foreign companies, does provide much-needed jobs that may not otherwise be available, and can help to maintain political stability in countries because of the needed revenues from tourism. Also, not all tourism that is locally influenced is positive. It can still be exploitative between different regions or ethnic groups, and can do as much damage to culture and the environment as neo-colonial tourism. Much of the research is too focused on outcomes and the potential ways to solve neo-colonialist problems within tourism. Outcomes are not the main focus here. The focus should be on the initial decision-making process, because this is where influence and inequalities are most keenly felt. Currently, the research that condemns neo-colonialism only further imbeds it because it is too Western-centric and does not understand the differences between what might reverse foreign influence and what is actually wanted and accepted by the destination countries. Instead, a post-colonial, multi-perspective approach shows that whilst neo-colonialism in tourism still persists, global flows of money and information are changing, and with it so is tourism. The world has changed in the last fifteen years or more with the rapid development of technology and the internet. This has globalised society to some extent and has allowed information flows to go in different directions for the first time. For instance, the Chinese are a growing influence on world tourism, both in terms of China as a destination and its growing wealthy class as tourists travelling around the world. These sorts of developments therefore need to be looked at from different perspectives, and not just from the previously established perspective of tourism as a neo-colonialist activity. Whilst economic inequalities allow developed-country dominance to continue, this does not mean that tourism flows are not altering or that First-World businesses that are involved in other countries are unwelcome or having a negative impact. Tourism, whilst still showing the inequalities within the rest of society, is slowing beginning to move away from neo-colonial practices. Global inequalities will continue, but tourism is seeing some change. As citizens from developed countries become more aware of other cultures their demands for tourism change. Also, as developing countries continue to change and develop and their cultures alter, their own capabilities and needs change. The flow of money and information is no longer one-way, and this means that not only will developing countries have a say in their own tourism markets, but they will become the future patrons of other tourist markets in both developed and developing countries. This will all move tourism further away from being a solely neo-colonial practice. In relation to conclusion 3, further research should move away from outcomes-based examinations of the tourist industry when looking at influences on tourism, and instead focus on decision-based analyses. It is in the area of decision-making that influence and inequalities most likely come out. If negative or positive outcomes arise from these decisions is certainly important, but if the decision is not heavily influenced by multinational corporations under the guise of neo-colonialism, then regardless of the outcomes these tourist activities cannot be said to be neo-colonialist. Furthermore, analyses that focus on the roots of decision-making will give a better understanding of how tourist industries develop and change over time in the modern global society. Based upon conclusion 4, further research should move away from the neo-colonial base as the start for analysis. Globalisation and the rise of larger developing countries such as China have created a truly post-colonial landscape where traditional measures of colonialism and neo-colonialism are less useful. Whilst rich-poor and 1st/3rd world inequalities still predominate, flows of tourism, influence and money are changing and becoming more complex. Merely trying to solve the previous neo-colonialist bias of tourism is not enough, because any analysis that starts on this basis will not take into account the status of the modern global society and the inevitable cultural changes in developing countries. It is important to conduct research from many perspectives, rather than the futile effort of trying to solve neo-colonialism by starting from a Western-centric perspective that is decidedly neo-colonialist in nature because it does not take into account the actual views and needs of th ose who supposedly need saving from the dominance of Western society. We should not assume that they need saving, or that indeed if they do that we can be the ones to bring about this salvation. Finally, based on conclusion 5, it is important for further research to conduct more in-depth studies of the global tourist market, and the flows of culture, influence and money that occur. Taking one country at a time is a good start to understand the basics of these flows, but it requires a global study, looking at the ways in which different actors interact with each other, in order to truly understand how the power balance currently sits and where it is likely to move towards in the coming decades.

Interest theory of rights, a summary and evaluation

Interest theory of rights, a summary and evaluation Theoretical Foundation of Human Rights: What is the interest theory of rights? Does this theory fail to answer any important questions? â€Å"If the concept of human rights is universal, that is, possesses a validity which is good for all places and for all times, then it is apparent that there is a significant disparity in the way in which these rights are concretised from place to place and from time to time. While the idea of human rights may have a discernible homogeneity, perhaps derived from some kind of natural law theory or social theory, it is nonetheless clear that the implementation of these rights by states lacks a corresponding identity.† (Davidson, 1993:89) Both international relations and moral theories feature prominent debate on the concept and the purpose of human rights yet there appears little by way of consensus with regards to what these rights mean, where the judicial boundaries of action and inaction meet or how to implement the utilitarian principles first adopted by the United Nations in response to the humanitarian horrors witnessed during World War Two. The crux of this theoretical problem resides in the evolution of the concept of human rights – an evolution that has worked in tandem with the evolution of liberal democracy in the West since 1945 when â€Å"Western tradition required, as a response to totalitarianism, a reassertion of individual liberty, and for that liberty to be protected by an international law rather than diplomacy.† (Robertson, 2006:29) By this we mean to say that whereas historical notions of human rights were underpinned by the spectre of the state and the state’s ability to def end persecuted minorities, contemporary notions of human rights have moved beyond the confines of the state and the public sector to incorporate the private citizen and the defence of his or her individual human rights (as opposed to the collective human rights of a people or a state). This is a reflection of the shifting paradigms that have affected liberal democracy at the dawn of the twenty first century where the merging of the public and the private sectors has created a moral, judicial and ideological black hole into which uncertainty and indecision have stepped. The following essay seeks to look at the ways in which this political sense of uncertainty has pervaded the ideological sphere of human rights where according to Saladin Meckled-Garcia and Basak Cali (2005:10-30) the human rights ideal has become ‘lost in translation.’ We propose to look in particular at the ‘interest’ theory of rights, analysing the ways in which it has helped to shed new light on the topic of human rights in general while at the same time highlighting its theoretical flaws. A conclusion will be sought that attempts to underscore the link between rights, indecision and inaction particularly when we view the issue from an international perspective. Before we can begin, though, we need to offer a definition of the interest theory of rights. The interest theory of rights was first proposed by Bentham (1987) who argued that a person has a distinctive human right when others have duties which protect one of that person’s interests. Thus, viewed from the perspective of the interest theory of rights, â€Å"human rights takes their role to be to protect a person’s basic interests.† (Pogge, 2007:186) This constitutes the most fundamental interpretation of human rights within the liberal democratic ideological framework alluded to in the introduction, falling within the theoretical parameters of what Meckled-Garcia and Cali (2005:10) refer to as the ‘normative rights model’ (NRM) which â€Å"identifies features or aspects of our humanity which contribute to our well being and which are vulnerable to the actions of others.† The interest theory of rights therefore seeks to safeguard these features or aspects of our humanity by protecting a citizen’s rights against wrongdoing from another citizen within the same social, political and judicial framework. That it is to say that if, for instance, it is in one’s interests to not to be physically assaulted then, as far as the interest theory is concerned, it is the responsibility of both the individual and the state to ensure that this does not happen lest the basic interests of another individual be impinged upon. Moreover, there is, as Meckled-Garcia and Cali (2005:11) declare, â€Å"no principled difference is made between individual and collective.† This is in direct contrast to international human rights law (IHRL) where only the state can impinge upon the basic human rights of individuals or groups of individuals living within that sovereign state. As a consequence, we can see that the first and most prominent drawback to the interest theory of rights is that there exists such a wide divergence between theory and practice; between the interpretation of the rights and responsibilities of the individual citizen versus the interpretation of the rights and responsibilities of the sovereign state. This is to say that while the interest theory of rights brings to the fore important concepts relating to the synthesis of the values pertaining to liberty, community and mutuality – concepts which Francesca Klug (2000) refers to as values for a ‘godless age’ – it falls of short establishing important criteria with regards to who these rights apply to (the rights holder), who these rights impose duties upon (the duty bearer) and what exactly these duties entail. Therefore, we can see that, rather than seeking to impose values for a godless age, interest theories relating to rights merely help to perpetuate the mi sunderstanding and the misconception of the ideal of human rights so that the definition, interpretation and subsequent implantation of rights remains an ideological and theoretical quagmire (Cali and Meckled-Garcia, 2005:1‑9). As a result, we can deduce that the first and most prominent failure of the interest theory is that it does not address the concept of establishing a universal concept for human rights and that it fails to address the question of what human rights are and how they are best protected. Addressing the moral aspect of human rights at the expense of the broader legal and judicial imperative only ensures additional questions will be raised as to the purpose of rights as a social, cultural and political ideal. We can also declare that the interest theory of rights is, in its bid to politicise every sphere of human relationships and human interaction, wholly incompatible with international human rights law because â€Å"international law, by its nature, contains traits which alter the nature of human rights provisions† (Meckled-Garcia and Cali, 2005:23). That is to say that, as a branch of international law, international human rights law is distinct from domestic law of sovereign states that act as the defining means of arbitrating power between individuals on a state by state basis. Yet, as is the case with all law, human rights law clearly and identifiably differs when the concept is transferred from territory to territory; state to state. Human rights in the United Kingdom are, for instance, an inherently different moral concept from human rights in the United States where the boundaries between the legal and the illegal are set by democratically elected domestic governments. Lik ewise, there are distinct judicial differences between domestic human rights law and international human rights law, certainly in the application and exaction of these laws on a worldwide basis. â€Å"Unlike domestic legal systems, there is no such legislature (making laws for the entire international community) nor is there an executive which enforces the decisions made by the legislature. There are also no comparable judicial institutions which would try violations of law and award a judgement against the offender.† (Rehman, 2002:15) This ongoing discrepancy between the ideal of the interest theory of rights and the practical application of this theory across trans-national borders where there is a discernible lack of international consensus with regards to enforcing decisions renders the interest theory an ideologically weak hypothesis. More importantly, we can see further evidence of how the interest theory fails to answer the question of how best to bridge the theoretical divide between domestic human rights law and international human rights law. We can also find fault in the interest theory of rights when we pause to consider the flip-side of the argument by looking at those rights that are not in the interest rights holder. If, for instance, we consider the legal rights involved in the exchange of property inheritance we can understand the extent to which unwanted goods can be effectively tithed to a person simply because the interest-based law states that it is in the citizen’s best interest to have the property passed down to them. Likewise when we turn our attention to public officials, we can again see the in-built limitations inherent within the interest based right theory. If, for instance, the handing down of custodial sentences was left to solely the best interests of the judge (as opposed to the best interests of the public community whom the judge is supposed to be representing) then the core structures of the criminal justice system would come crashing down with a sense of arbitrary judgement replacing lib eral, democratic rule. It is for this reason that Meckled-Garcia and Cali (2005:24) note that: â€Å"The transformation of a moral right into a legal right, as desirable as it may be, comes at a price. A compromise must be struck with other principles in law.† In this way we can see how the interest theory of human rights represents a paradox whereby in trying to establish a moral imperative to underpin the concept of human rights, the theory has instead given birth to new conceptual confusions with regards to the blurring of the boundaries of the public and the private and the intermeshing of the paradigms of the individual and the state. With this in mind we must now turn our attention towards establishing a conclusion. Conclusion The concept of human rights by nature implies a deep-seated association with the concept of interest with the best interests of the individual being intrinsically linked to the ongoing strive for the â€Å"state of equality and freedom† between individuals that defines the most basic and fundamental theories of human rights (Freeman, 2002:20). Likewise international law by nature implies a deep-seated association with the concept of interest with the best interests of the sovereign state being the primary determining factor behind the most basic and fundamental theories relating to international relations (Brown and Ailey, 2005:63-77). However, in the final analysis, there is an equally deep-seated chasm between the interest theory of rights and the practice of translating western moral imperatives (which have grown exclusively in tandem with the evolution of western liberal democracy) on both a domestic and, especially, on an international scale. There must, ultimately, be a limit to the freedom of the individual and a point at which the best interests of the individual have to be subjugated in favour of the best interests of the state. For as long as this theoretical and practical divide exists, we should presume that the interest based theory of rights will remain rooted in the realms of utopia as opposed to flourishing in the realms of realism. References Bentham, J. (1987) Anarchical Fallacies, in, Waldon, J. (Ed.) Nonsense upon Stilts New York: Methuen Brown, C. and Ailey, K. (2002) Understanding International Relations: Third Edition London: Palgrave Macmillan Cali, B. and Meckled-Garcia, S. (2005) Introduction: Human Rights Legalized: Defining, Interpreting and Implementing an Ideal, in, Meckled-Garcia, S and Cali, B. (Eds.) The Legalization of Human Rights: Multidisciplinary Perspectives London and New York: Routledge Davidson, S. (1993) Human Rights: First Edition Buckingham: The Open University Press Freeman, M. (2002) Human Rights: An Interdisciplinary Approach Cambridge: Polity Press Klug, F. (2000) Values for a Godless Age London: Penguin Meckled-Garcia, S. and Cali, B. (2005) Lost in Translation: International Law and the Human Rights Ideal, in, Meckled-Garcia, S and Cali, B. (Eds.) The Legalization of Human Rights: Multidisciplinary Perspectives London and New York: Routledge Pogge, T.W.M. (2007) Freedom from Poverty as a Human Right Oxford: Oxford University Press Rehman, J. (2002) International Human Rights Law: A Practical Approach London: Longman Robertson, G. (2006) Crimes Against Humanity: The Struggle for Global Justice: New Edition London: Penguin

Be Warned and Study Justice:The Shifting Definition of Justice in Virgi

Be Warned and Study Justice:The Shifting Definition of Justice in Virgil’s Aeneid A twenty-first century reading of the Iliad and the Odyssey will highlight a seeming lack of justice: hundreds of men die because of an adulteress, the most honorable characters are killed, the cowards survive, and everyone eventually goes to hell. Due to the difference in the time period, culture, prominent religions and values, the modern idea of justice is much different than that of Greece around 750 B.C. The idea of justice in Virgil’s the Aeneid is easier for us to recognize. As in our own culture, â€Å"justice† in the epic is based on a system of punishment for wrongs and rewards for honorable acts. Time and time again, Virgil provides his readers with examples of justice in the lives of his characters. Interestingly, the meaning of justice in the Aeneid transforms when applied to Fate and the actions of the gods. Unlike our modern (American) idea of blind, immutable Justice, the meanings and effects of justice shift, depending on whether its subject is mo rtal or immortal. Before discussing justice in the epic, it is important to establish the meaning of the term. For our present purpose, justice will specifically apply to the social system of moral checks and balances. Acts that are valued in society are rewarded materially or emotionally. Acts that are devalued lead to punishment. Also, recipients of unmerited punishment receive compensation for their injuries. Often, a person is seen as the embodiment of the value of their action, thus a person can be seen as â€Å"good† or â€Å"bad,† and the consequences of justice that affect them are based on the general value of their general actions. The value given to actions is based on a soc... ...are confronted with the question of moral absolutes, we are forced to wonder when and to whom justice truly applies. Hopefully, we will look at our world and our ideas of right, wrong and retribution in different ways, ways that will enlighten and enrich our lives, and the those of the an audience of readers 2,000 years from now. Works Cited Braund, Susanna Morton. â€Å"Virgil and the Cosmos: Religious and Philosophical Ideas.† The Cambridge Companion to Virgil. Charles Martindale, ed. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1997. 204-221. Solmsen, Friedrich. â€Å"The World of the Dead in Book 6 of the Aeneid.† Oxford Readings in Vergil’s Aeneid. S. J. Harrison, ed. New York: Oxford UP, 1990. 208-223. Virgil. The Aeneid. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Vintage Books, 1983. Williams, Gordon. Technique and Ideas in the Aeneid. New Haven, Ct: Yale UP, 1983.

Essay examples --

To what extent were the slaves lives affected by the Civil War? Before, During, and After. The American Civil War began officially on April 12 1861, and it lasted all the way to May 10th 1865. The War began not for the reason of eradicating slavery but to save the Union, but later the motive changed slowly but surely into fighting to eliminate slavery from the United States. When the war begun Union troops were fighting to save the Union but later Lincoln realized that he needs to find a way to free the slaves in the rebellion states in order to win the war and the coming election. The South was using slaves to aid them in the war. The slaves did things like, transferring artillery to battlefields and serving as nurses. During the war President Abraham Lincoln declared the Emancipation Proclamation demanding the freedom of slaves in the rebellion. (The more than 1 million slaves in the loyal border states and in the Union-occupied parts of Louisiana and Virginia were not affected by this proclamation.) Lincoln did not prohibit slavery in the border states out of fear that they might secede from the Union. Some would argue that the reason the Emancipation Pr oclamation was made possible is by the slaves themselves. Even though this still remains a debate, no one can argue the fact that African-Americans had a significant role in the making of the Emancipation Proclamation. The slaves aided the Union troops by fleeing Southern plantations and signing up for the war. For the first time in American history Blacks were allowed to be slightly seen as equals to Whites. For a little while before the Emancipation Proclamation came into full effect, some Union troops were confused about what to do about fugitive slaves. They weren't s... ... just all the white people in the south living condition was in a bad state. The conditions of the African-Americans were much worse. After being free most did not know where to go and did not have a place to stay. Abraham lincoln had promised suffrage for the freed-blacks but that did not come to fruition because of the execution of the president. In th south there was a lack of enforcing the the 14th amendment. And during this time is when the south gave birth to the Jim Crow law. Jim Crow law is the segregation in society of everything that is shared, including bathrooms, restaurants, and schools. After aiding the North in victory of the war, the North left the freed-blacks high and dry. The Jim Crow law made African-Americans second class citizens for almost a century. The Jim Crow mainly took place in the south and the border states; former slave owning states.

Immigrants :: essays research papers

More Immigrants find roots in U.S. Soil 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Using the text from the book there are three demographic variables; fertility, mortality, and migration. Fertility is the number of children an average woman bears (text pg. 394). Mortality refers to the annual number of deaths per 1,000 population (text pg 394). Finally, migration in the difference between number of people moving in (immigrants) and the number of people moving out (emigrants) per 1,000 poplulation (text pg 394), and the best description of the recent immigration to southwest Michigan is migration. The article â€Å"More Immigrants find roots in U.S. Soil† cites that some reasons for this is the opportunities offered. Since many traditional farmers are getting older and are retiring to warmer climate and the offspring choose careers other than farming, many farm owners are selling their farms to the help. These â€Å"help† are usually minorities. Also with the minorities farming other minority groups chooses their products to purcha se; therefore the groups help each other. 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since the 1970 more and more people are choosing to move from the city and suburbs to rural areas. Southwest Michigan is a perfect example of why people are moving to rural areas. With the help of highways and other transportation, movement is easy and quick, right between big cities such as Chicago and Detroit. The low crime rate, the sense of safety and cost of living all make southwest Michigan very inviting to any individual or family. 3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sociologist William Kandal quoted â€Å"farming may be the rural equivalent of driving a cab.† In many urban cities and suburbs many immigrant find jobs as taxi cab drivers. Now in rural areas many immigrants are finding jobs as farmers and farmers helpers and characterized as the â€Å"rural taxi cab driver.† 4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Traditionally, immigrants had moved to cities first when settling the U.S., this is called urbanization. Urbanization differs from that of the rural rebound of southwest Michigan. Traditionally people moved from the rural areas only when there was a surplus of food and they were not needed to produce food, as opposed to the migration to southwest Michigan, because immigrants are moving there to produce food. 5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What stands out between the fastest growing and fastest shrinking U.S. Cities is geographic location. Most of the colonial states such as N.Y., PA, CT, RI, are all experiencing shrinking population, while the Western U.S. is experiencing increasing population. The main factors for this is that more and more people are less needful of fertile land to support themselves and there families. Immigrants :: essays research papers More Immigrants find roots in U.S. Soil 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Using the text from the book there are three demographic variables; fertility, mortality, and migration. Fertility is the number of children an average woman bears (text pg. 394). Mortality refers to the annual number of deaths per 1,000 population (text pg 394). Finally, migration in the difference between number of people moving in (immigrants) and the number of people moving out (emigrants) per 1,000 poplulation (text pg 394), and the best description of the recent immigration to southwest Michigan is migration. The article â€Å"More Immigrants find roots in U.S. Soil† cites that some reasons for this is the opportunities offered. Since many traditional farmers are getting older and are retiring to warmer climate and the offspring choose careers other than farming, many farm owners are selling their farms to the help. These â€Å"help† are usually minorities. Also with the minorities farming other minority groups chooses their products to purcha se; therefore the groups help each other. 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since the 1970 more and more people are choosing to move from the city and suburbs to rural areas. Southwest Michigan is a perfect example of why people are moving to rural areas. With the help of highways and other transportation, movement is easy and quick, right between big cities such as Chicago and Detroit. The low crime rate, the sense of safety and cost of living all make southwest Michigan very inviting to any individual or family. 3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sociologist William Kandal quoted â€Å"farming may be the rural equivalent of driving a cab.† In many urban cities and suburbs many immigrant find jobs as taxi cab drivers. Now in rural areas many immigrants are finding jobs as farmers and farmers helpers and characterized as the â€Å"rural taxi cab driver.† 4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Traditionally, immigrants had moved to cities first when settling the U.S., this is called urbanization. Urbanization differs from that of the rural rebound of southwest Michigan. Traditionally people moved from the rural areas only when there was a surplus of food and they were not needed to produce food, as opposed to the migration to southwest Michigan, because immigrants are moving there to produce food. 5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What stands out between the fastest growing and fastest shrinking U.S. Cities is geographic location. Most of the colonial states such as N.Y., PA, CT, RI, are all experiencing shrinking population, while the Western U.S. is experiencing increasing population. The main factors for this is that more and more people are less needful of fertile land to support themselves and there families.