Extra Sensory Perception essays

Extra Sensory Perception essays Have you ever had the feeling that youve been in an establishment before youve actually gone inside? Did you ever feel like youve known that something was about to happen before there were any signs that it was about to occur? If youre not a skeptic about the powers of the mind, then there might just be an explanation for your seemingly coincidental premonitions. Its a phenomenon called extra sensory perception, better known as ESP. The textbook definition of this classification of parapsychology is "sensing" anything beyond the normal.(www.paranormalatoz.com) Most scientists do not believe that this phenomenon exists. Nevertheless, controversial evidence can be used to sway the incredulous. By viewing and researching evidence of ESP and/or having a personal experience, the truth lies within the eye of the beholder. The man who said it best was C.G. Jung during a lecture given to the Society for Psychical Research in 1919. He quotes, "I shall not commit the fashionable stupidity of regarding everything I cannot explain as a fraud." (http://moebius.psy) ESP includes telepathy, precognition or premonition, and clairvoyance or "remote viewing".(www.paranormalatoz.com) Telepathy is the direct response to another individuals thoughts.(Schmeidler,805) Premonition is a direct response to a future event.(Schmeidler,805) Clairvoyance is the direct response to a future event.(Schmeidler,805) These types of ESP and other forms of parapsychology were not even studied until 1882.(Schmeidler,806) In 1882, the Society for Psychical Research was established in London , England by a extraordinary group of Cambridge scholars. Its purpose was to examine allegedly paranormal phenomena in a scientific and unbiased way. It was the first society of its kind in the world. (http://moebius.psy) This society is still in full operation today, 117 years later. The actual term extra sensory per...

The History and Archaeology of the Silk Road

The History and Archaeology of the Silk Road The Silk Road (or Silk Route) is one of the oldest routes of international trade in the world. First called the Silk Road in the 19th century, the 4,500-kilometer (2,800 miles) route is actually a web of caravan tracks which actively funneled trade goods between Changan (now the present-day city of Xian), China in the East and Rome, Italy in the West at least between the 2nd century BC up until the 15th century AD. The Silk Road is first reported to have been used during the  Han Dynasty  (206 BC-220 AD) in China, but recent archaeological evidence including the domestication history of a series of animals and plants, such as barley, indicates that trade managed by the ancient steppe societies across the central Asian deserts began at least 5,000-6,000 years ago. Using a series of  way stations  and  oases, the Silk Road spanned the 1,900 kilometers (1,200 miles) of the Gobi Desert of Mongolia and the mountainous  Pamirs  (the Roof of the World) of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Important stops on the Silk Road included Kashgar,  Turfan, Samarkand,  Dunhuang, and the  Merv Oasis. Routes of the Silk Road The Silk Road contained three major routes leading westward from Changan, with perhaps hundreds of smaller ways and byways. The northern route ran westward from China to the Black Sea; the central to Persia and the Mediterranean Sea; and the southern to the regions which now include Afghanistan, Iran, and India. Its fabled travelers included Marco Polo, Genghis Khan, and Kublai Khan. The Great Wall of China was built (in part) to protect its route from bandits. Historical tradition reports that the trade routes began in the 2nd century BC as the result of the efforts of Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty. Wudi commissioned Chinese military commander Zhang Qian to seek a military alliance with his Persian neighbors to the west. He found his way to Rome, called Li-Jian in documents of the time. One extremely important trade item was silk, manufactured in China and treasured in Rome. The process by which silk is made, which involves silkworm caterpillars fed on mulberry leaves, was kept secret from the west until the 6th century AD when a Christian monk smuggled caterpillar eggs out of China. Trade Goods of the Silk Road While important to keeping the trade connection open, silk was only one of many items passing across the Silk Roads network. Precious ivory and gold, food items such as pomegranates, safflowers, and carrots went east out of Rome to the west; from the east came jade, furs, ceramics, and manufactured objects of bronze, iron, and lacquer. Animals such as horses, sheep, elephants, peacocks, and camels made the trip, and, perhaps most importantly, agricultural and metallurgical technologies, information, and religion were brought with the travelers. Archaeology and the Silk Road Recent studies have been conducted at key locations along the Silk Route at the Han Dynasty sites of Changan, Yingpan, and Loulan, where imported goods indicate that these were important cosmopolitan cities. A cemetery in Loulan, dated to the first century AD, contained burials of individuals from Siberia, India, Afghanistan, and the Mediterranean Sea. Investigations at the Xuanquan Station Site of Gansu Province in China suggest that there was a postal service along the Silk Road during the Han Dynasty. A growing mass of archaeological evidence suggests that the Silk Road may have been in use long before Zhang Qians diplomatic journey. Silk has been found in the mummies of Egypt around 1000 BC, German graves dated to 700 BC, and 5th century Greek tombs. European, Persian and Central Asian goods have been found in the Japanese capital city of Nara. Whether these hints ultimately prove to be solid evidence of early international trading or not, the web of tracks called the Silk Road will remain a symbol of the lengths to which people will go to stay in touch. Sources Christian D. 2000. Silk roads or steppe roads? The Silk Roads in world history. Journal of World History 11(1):1-26.Dani AH. 2002. Significance of Silk Road to human civilization: Its cultural dimension. Journal of Asian Civilizations 25(1):72-79.Fang J-N, Yu B-S, Chen C-H, Wang DT-Y, and Tan L-P. 2011. Sino-Kharosthi and Sino-Brahmi coins from the silk road of western China identified with stylistic and mineralogical evidence. Geoarchaeology 26(2):245-268.Hashemi S, Talebian MH, and Taleqni EM. 2012. Determining the Position of Ahovan Caravansary in Silk Road Route. Journal of Basic and Applied Scientific Research 2(2):1479-1489.Liu S, Li QH, Gan F, Zhang P, and Lankton JW. 2012. Silk Road glass in Xinjiang, China: chemical compositional analysis and interpretation using a high-resolution portable XRF spectrometer. Journal of Archaeological Science 39(7):2128-2142.Toniolo L, DAmato A, Saccenti R, Gulotta D, and Righetti PG. 2012. The Silk Road, Marco Polo, a bible and its proteome: A detective story. Journal of Proteomics 75(11):3365-3373. Wang S, and Zhao X. 2013. Re-evaluating the Silk Roads Qinghai Route using dendrochronology. Dendrochronologia 31(1):34-40.

Assignment (most current IT threats) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Assignment (most current IT threats) - Essay Example Trojan.Premele infects a computer system by presenting itself as a fake Adobe Flash update (Symantec, 2013). When a user allows the software to be downloaded and installed, it is executed to form a new executable file. The software also creates a new registry entry that makes the file to be executed every time Windows starts. The program further modifies a number of registries. When the computer is connected to the Internet, the malware connects to some remote locations and may install other malware into the infected system. The malware that is installed by Trojan.Premele way cause further harm to the computer system and expose it to even more malicious software. Trojan.Premele can be detected by antivirus or antimalware software installed in a computer (Symantec, 2013). It can also be detected by the changes that it makes to registries and the new registries that it creates. It can also be detected by the computers that it connects to remotely. The malware can be avoided by installing a firewall or/and antivirus that is up-to-date. The use of complex passwords on computers also lowers the risk of infection by the

Global Financial Management & Summary Assignment

Global Financial Management & Summary - Assignment Example Increase in the price of oil is one of those major events. Oil is an important and essential raw material for running airline business service. Without it, the company will not be able to provide their airlines services to its domestic and international customers. In the last year 2013, increase in the high oil price also increased the operational costs of this company and as a result, price of flight ticket was comparatively higher than the normal situation and this price was not affordable to all income groups. As a result the company was starting to lose its competitive advantages in the global market. Again this is observed that salaries and bonuses paid to the senior level managers are more than the amount of dividends which the company distributed among its investors. This situation created some unsatisfactory issues among investors. The investors are now not interested for further investing their money in this business and they are moving to the other competitor companies whic h are existing in the same industry. So the company is going to lose its capital for further progress of its business activities. In the year 2014, El Al Airlines Ltd announced that it cannot provide security services to abroad as the Finance Ministry has approved less amount of budget than the required amount for the purpose of security. This will also decrease the amount of revenue in the business if competitors can provide the same facilities to the customers. As this company is doing business across the national borders so fluctuation of exchange rate and currencies in different countries will also affect the financial condition of this business. The recent Euro crisis is one of its examples which affect the activities of this business in a worst way (Madura, 2014). The competition of airline services is increasing in the global market and so many emerging and existing companies are providing more cost effective offers to the customers and through this

Isolationist Policy In The United States (1920’S And 1930’S) Essay Example for Free

Isolationist Policy In The United States (1920’S And 1930’S) Essay Isolationism pertains to the foreign policy that involves two major actions, non-intervention with regards to military actions and protection of economic activities. In the area of non-interventionism, the political leaders are observed to circumvent any coalitions with other countries as well as any participation in warfare and other forms of self-defense activities related to territories. In the area of protectionism, legal barriers are erected in order to regulate any exchanges related to trade and sharing of cultural information with individuals representing other states. The concept of isolationism is often mistaken as a non-interventionist way of thinking or philosophy and international policy associated with liberty, which entails unrestricted trading and traveling between individuals from any part of the world. It is thus best to employ the term libertarian isolationist as the policy of non-intervention or not participating with any activities or not getting associated with any political relations with a foreign country yet still retaining the capability of participating in free trade. The doctrine of non-participation of the United States through the refusal of entering into any form of alliance, agreement or commitment with a foreign country has been observed during different decades. Such isolationist policy is also coupled to the attempts of the United States to instill a sense of self-reliance based on a stable economy by dedicating efforts of the advancement of the country, in both routes of diplomacy and economics, while maintaining a condition of peace by keeping away from any associations with other countries and responsibilities. It is understood that developed countries generally engage in trade relations with other countries in order to expand its labor force as well as raise their standard of living based on the rise of the country’s economy. However, the United States is known to follow a protectionist policy which entails isolation from any form of engagement with trade relations with other countries. The leaders of the United States believe that such policy is beneficial to the United States, while economists express the opposite, that such policy is detrimental. Other critics have expressed that since the United States is recognized as the biggest consumer of the world and carries it own rich natural resources, it can identity specific conditions that should be applied to products and services that are brought into the country. This condition is the opposite of the free trade policy, which allows any country to perform any particular action that is recognized to be their expertise, and in turn benefit from the trading of their products. The adoption of the isolationist policy is the result of the conditions of a particular country, such as war, crises and uprisings that may originate from other countries. The isolationist policy adopted by the United States was mainly due to the effects of World War I, the Great Depression and the significant influx of immigrants. The decades of the 1920’s and the 1930’s were characterized by the isolationist conditions in the United States, wherein there was social seclusion from any form of engagement with countries around the world. The coined attitude, known as the Red Scare, was based on the Sacco and Vanzetti trial. In this setting, Americans gave more focus into instilling tranquility in their homes, more than providing efforts in achieving and instilling peace in other countries. It has been described that the United States adopted the isolationist policy because the country was already exhausted by global issues at that time. With this in mind, the political leaders of the United States were very anxious in staying away from issues and associated effects of war. This can be observed in the Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928, which stated that war was outlawed as a tool for international policy. In a public address given by Warren G. Harding in the 1920’s, it was expressed that a supergovernment is the least of the United States’ dream and in turn, attention should be given to national issues instead. It was also stated that adopting the isolationist policy is not selfish, but is actually a form of sanctity. The result of the Treaty of Versailles is another example of the adoption of the isolationist policy by the United States in the 1920’s and 1930’s. In this case, the U. S. Senate did not agree to ratify the Treaty which states that the United States would engage in the League of Nations. The United States’ refusal to approve this Treaty showed the contempt of the U. S. over concepts of idealism at the international level, because the United States feels that engaging in this Treaty would eventually lead the country to war. The United States then was actively expressing the war is a contagious disease which can spread around the world at a very fast pace. With this stand, the Neutrality Acts of 1935, 1936 and 1937 were created, which prevents the re-emergence of ties between the United States and any war actions or policies (Doenecke, 1982). The many faces of isolationism are clearly shown during the 1920’s and the 1930’s. During these decades, the political and social views and American policy were turned towards isolationism, such as the increasing fear of communism, exhaustion from the idea of war, and the anti-radical hysteria. In the next decades such as the 1950’s, these same socialist isolationist views were also evident, but this time the political policy was turned towards and internationalist point of view. Isolationism, however radical in concept, resulted from the circumstances in which it was derived from. Reference Doenecke JD (1982): American Isolationism, 1939-1941. Journal of Libertarian Studies, Summer/Fall 6(3):201-216.

Comparing Plato’s Symposium and David Hume’s An Enquiry Concerning Huma

Comparing Plato’s Symposium and David Hume’s An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding Philosophy, when broken down into the original Greek, is philos, which means love, and logos, which means word. Thus philosophy is the love of words or linguistics. There is not one way of viewing this love of words. Both Plato and David Hume examine philosophy in their texts, Symposium and An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, respectively. I will outline, then compare, these two philosophers’ views of philosophy to show that philosophy is a balance. Plato’s Symposium is a dialogue of speeches given by different orators on the topic of love. These discourses allow several views of philosophy to be expressed. These philosophical views relate and compliment the speaker’s view of love. Pausanias introduces two kinds of love: heavenly and common. In contrast to Eryximachus’ speech where â€Å"the love manifested in health (heavenly) is fundamentally different from the love manifested in disease (common/vulgar)† (Plato: 186B). Pausanias holds that â€Å"love is, like everything else, complex: considered simply in itself, it is neither honorable nor a disgrace – its character depends entirely on the behavior it gives rise to† (Plato: 183D). Pausanias views love as good and bad by what it brings. He sees that love with women and with little boys is of the vulgar kind, but love between older men, however, can have a powerful force in the community and therefore be honorable and heavenly. T herefore, in Pausanias’ eyes, love can be a valuable force within the community if implemented correctly. â€Å"Love’s value to the city as a whole and to the citizens is immeasurable, for he compels the lover and his loved one alike to make virtue their cen... ...nsion is located in the soul; the philosophical study of love allows those aspects of the soul to be released, which in turn ties together all the perspectives of philosophy aired in the Symposium with this concept of balance. This balance of philosophy is not going to teach you anything you do not already know, rather it allows you to release what is in your soul. Hume stipulates that not only must there be a balance between the active and reasonable sides of humans, but also a balance of human understanding against abstruse and confused issues. Therefore, from the examination of Plato and Hume, there exists a common theme: philosophy is a balance. Works Cited Hume, David. An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. 2nd edition. Hackett Publishing: Indianapolis. 1993. Plato. Symposium. Trans. Alexander Nehamas and Paul Woodruff. Cambridge: Hackett, 1989. Comparing Plato’s Symposium and David Hume’s An Enquiry Concerning Huma Comparing Plato’s Symposium and David Hume’s An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding Philosophy, when broken down into the original Greek, is philos, which means love, and logos, which means word. Thus philosophy is the love of words or linguistics. There is not one way of viewing this love of words. Both Plato and David Hume examine philosophy in their texts, Symposium and An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, respectively. I will outline, then compare, these two philosophers’ views of philosophy to show that philosophy is a balance. Plato’s Symposium is a dialogue of speeches given by different orators on the topic of love. These discourses allow several views of philosophy to be expressed. These philosophical views relate and compliment the speaker’s view of love. Pausanias introduces two kinds of love: heavenly and common. In contrast to Eryximachus’ speech where â€Å"the love manifested in health (heavenly) is fundamentally different from the love manifested in disease (common/vulgar)† (Plato: 186B). Pausanias holds that â€Å"love is, like everything else, complex: considered simply in itself, it is neither honorable nor a disgrace – its character depends entirely on the behavior it gives rise to† (Plato: 183D). Pausanias views love as good and bad by what it brings. He sees that love with women and with little boys is of the vulgar kind, but love between older men, however, can have a powerful force in the community and therefore be honorable and heavenly. T herefore, in Pausanias’ eyes, love can be a valuable force within the community if implemented correctly. â€Å"Love’s value to the city as a whole and to the citizens is immeasurable, for he compels the lover and his loved one alike to make virtue their cen... ...nsion is located in the soul; the philosophical study of love allows those aspects of the soul to be released, which in turn ties together all the perspectives of philosophy aired in the Symposium with this concept of balance. This balance of philosophy is not going to teach you anything you do not already know, rather it allows you to release what is in your soul. Hume stipulates that not only must there be a balance between the active and reasonable sides of humans, but also a balance of human understanding against abstruse and confused issues. Therefore, from the examination of Plato and Hume, there exists a common theme: philosophy is a balance. Works Cited Hume, David. An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. 2nd edition. Hackett Publishing: Indianapolis. 1993. Plato. Symposium. Trans. Alexander Nehamas and Paul Woodruff. Cambridge: Hackett, 1989.

Financial Engineering

Financial Engineering Introduction Many innovations are taking place in the place of arena of finance. Such innovations are collectively called financial innovation. Financial innovation is a process to adapt existing financial instruments and processes and to develop new one so as to enable financial market participants to cope more effectively with the changing world. In recent years fast developments are taking place in corporate and banking sectors. This has given birth to a new discipline which has come to called financial engineering.The term financial engineering was introduced by London banks. Financial engineering is the life blood of financial innovation. Financial Engineering Financial engineering  is a multidisciplinary field involving financial theory, the methods of engineering, the tools of mathematics and the practice of programming. [1]  It has also been defined as the application of technical methods, especially from  mathematical finance  and  computation al finance, in the practice of  finance. In the United States, financial engineering programs are accredited by the  International Association of Financial Engineers.Financial engineering draws on tools from  applied mathematics,  computer science,  statistics  and  economic theory. In broadest definition, anyone who uses technical tools in finance could be called a financial engineer, for example any  computer programmer  in a  bank  or any  statistician  in a government economic bureau. However, most practitioners restrict the term to someone educated in the full range of tools of modern finance and whose work is informed by financial theory. It is sometimes restricted even further, to cover only those originating new financial products and strategies.Financial Engineering refers to the bundling and unbundling of securities. This is done in order to maximize profits using different combinations of equity, futures, options, fixed income, and swaps. They ap ply theoretical finance and computer modeling skills to make pricing, hedging, trading and portfolio management decisions. Financial Engineers are prepared for careers in: * Investment Banking * Corporate Strategic Planning * Risk Management * Primary and Derivatives Securities Valuation * Financial Information Systems Management Portfolio Management * Security Trading Tools of financial engineering * Conceptual Tools It includes ideas and concepts on which finance as a subject is based. These includes valuation theory, portfolio theory, hedging theory, tax treatment etc. * Physical tools It includes the instruments and processes which can be combined together to accomplish some specific purposes. Factors contributing to the growth of Financial Engineering * Environmental Factors (External Factors) A) Change in price level B) Globalization of marketsC) Technological advancement D) Differential tax rates * Internal Factors A) Liquidity needs B) Risk aversion C) Agency Costs D) Accoun ting benefits Financial Reengineering Financial reengineering is the concept of 21st century. Really speaking, it is an evolving concept. It is an extension of financial engineering. Newer and newer developments are taking place now in finance and related fields. Hence the existing instruments and processes must reengineer to suit the changing environment. This gives birth to financial reengineering.

Human Resources: Global Mobility

Introduction, Background and Key Problems Identified In an increasingly international world, the need for the workforce to become more mobile, both physically and mentally, with the willingness to travel internationally as well as being prepared to converse and work in multinational environments has become paramount. The issue here is to consider the way in which the HR function can manage and have an impact on the need for global mobility within any organisation, but specifically in the case of VL as noted here. The main issue facing both this company and any other company looking to improve its international expansion and to ensure that those working within the company is that they are able to make the most of the opportunities presented. For example, in the case of VL, the number of employees has nearly doubled in the last five years, many of whom work internationally as a way of ensuring continued growth within the company, yet this level of expansion presents potential problems that need to be tackled by the HR team, if the expans ion is to be successful (Lawler, 2008). The issue of global mobility has already been noted by the management team as being important in VL, with the factors associated with training, including culture and the general ethos of the company. Importantly in VL, the central location of London and Europe remains the head office, with operations then happening globally and feeding into the European offices. The aim is to bring the other locations in line with the overall European ethos, rather than to have several distinct groups across the world (Gillis, 2012). The key issues which have been identified in this individual company include the need to recruit and retain the best staff in every location and to ensure that the training recognises the cultural differences, without allowing for divergent and distinct groups to emerge. This report will look at how the capabilities will be developed within the company and will consider the key strategic issues that need to be taken into account, before then going on to look, in more detail at the role which HR can play in improving the impact of global mobility. Recommendations for next steps for both the HR team and the overall management team will then be established to conclude the report. Developing Capabilities Within VL, it is identified that international activities will typically fall into two categories, namely the longer term 3 – 6 year projects and the shorter term 3 – 6 month projects that involve an individual travelling internationally to fulfil a short term agenda. The capabilities needed for these two different types of projects will be very different, and the capabilities needed by the individuals will also be different to meet with the company’s demands (Freedman 2009). Firstly, it is recognised here that certain personnel are simply more likely to be open minded to global mobility and are therefore more likely to benefit from the process. For example, there are going to be certain individuals within the group who would find international travel practically very difficult, including those with young children, but this should not necessarily remove them from the pool of possible people, but rather should identify the additional needs of these individuals. The first challenge is therefore to identify the technical skills that are needed to narrow down the pool of available people and then to be able to narrow it down from this pool, to identify the personnel who will be most open to the experience. By making the identification process as comprehensive as possible, it is much more likely that the project will be a success. Although there are multiple ways in which capabilities can be developed by the HR team, fundamentally, the individuals themselves n eed to be open to the process, if it is going to be as successful as possible (Friedman 2009). It is suggested here that the heart of the global mobility agenda is therefore the need to identify the most relevant group of people for the mobility programme, both from the point of view of technical expertise and the need to select those who are mentally and emotionally open to the notion of the global mobility and the desire to develop their own experiences. Clearly, there is a need to have processes followed, particularly where there is an organisation such as VL, operating across several different regions; however, it is contended here that the company will not be best advised to have a set of inflexible policies which may not always allow for the individual personalities to adapt to the changing situations. The development of the business capabilities is therefore to look at the people, process, technology and third parties involved and to ascertain the best way in which the HR services and resources available can be deployed for most effective use. Consider, for example, a demand for a specific type of technology; it then needs to be determined whether the infrastructure in the location chosen is able to facilitate the appropriate technology (Schwartz,2011). From this position, it is then necessary to consider if the skills of the chosen individuals can support this infrastructure and whether the processes allow for this type of deve lopment. All of these capabilities need to be developed as a network of ideas and not as one stand alone process that is clinical and inflexible (Becker et al 2009). Key Strategic Issues Some strategic issues have been identified by the HR team as relevant to the notion of becoming globally mobile, as is the case in VL. Firstly, the HR team, as with any other business strategy needs to look at how the HR agenda can align correctly with the overall business strategy. The role of HR is to ensure that the suitably trained individuals are available and willing in whatever location is necessary to deliver the underlying proposition of the company (Wickham & O’Donohue 2009). The key strategic issue with global mobility is therefore to ensure that there is improved value being offered by the company as a result of the global mobility. This actually starts with the management team, before getting close to identifying relevant individuals who will facilitate this process. The strategy needs to be driven from the top. Furthermore, there is a need to balance sensible and consistent processes, while also ensuring that there is sufficient flexibility to deal with local and national differences (Harttig, 2010). This requires the correct people to be present and to have the suitable decision making power at every level of the organisation. In the case of VL, for example, a more senior member of the team may be suitable for the new countries, or for the long term assignments. Crucially, these individuals will have greater experience and more confidence when it comes to making on the spot decisions that are in line with the underlying business strategy but which do not change the direction of the business, fundamentally (Barney, et al 2011). Shorter term assignments will be subject to much greater control, in any event, as the individuals involved in delivering this service will typically be sent with a short term and specific agenda, with little room for manoeuvre. In this case, therefore, a more junior member of staff, or a less adaptable individual who has the necessary technical expertise, but who may not be as adaptable to changing circumstances, may be more appropriate. The key strategic issues is therefore to determine the business level agenda and to then to ensure that the HR team works in such a way that facilitates and supports this agenda, rather than producing a set of processes that are unwavering, with little flexibility offered at a local level, to change processes, in order to take into account local needs. Role of HR When looking at the position within VL, it s clear to see that HR have several vitally important roles at every stage of the process. Therefore, in order to encourage suitable results alongside the business strategy from the outset and prior to any actual attempts to become globally mobile, a company such as VL will need to have a higher level management meeting, including the HR manager, to discuss what it is the company is hoping to achieve overall. This should not necessarily be looking at HR issues, but rather what it is the company is hoping to achieve as an end result. For example, it may be the case that the company is looking towards the international arena as a means of increasing market share; this may be more likely in an area where the product has reached saturation point in the home market. Once the overall agenda has been understood, it is then possible for the HR team to consider how they facilitate this. HR should be driven by the underlying aim of the company and not by the needs of the HR team itself. By identifying the skills needed, the role of HR is to identify the relevant individuals amongst the existing team and to engage in suitable training or potentially to recruit people into the team to fill in any gaps (Schuler and Tarique, 2007). Once the global mobility structure is underway, the HR team will have a continuous responsibility for the management of the team and for making sure that the actions of the staff who are in a foreign jurisdiction remain congruent with the overall business strategy This is critical as, by definition, when a global team is established, there is a lesser level of control being shown directly, with the individuals and the HR team needing to ensure that the support is in place for remote management which is flexible, yet strong enough to ensure that the overall business goal is not lost. The HR team will also have an important role at the practical end of global mobility strategy, particularly when it comes to short contracts where there are going to be issues of travel and accommodation which need to be managed. If this is done effectively, it can ensure that the staff members themselves are free to concentrate on the task at hand. The role of HR in this case is very much as a facilitator, both in practical and strategic terms and this should be maintained at all times (Lazarova & Caligiuri 2001). Suggestions and Next Steps Bearing this analysis sin mind and the current challenges facing VL, there are several next steps that the HR team need to take, in order to support and facilitate the business strategy aims of the company. Firstly, the HR team need to involve themselves with the management team, to understand what it is they are aiming to achieve by becoming global (Benson & Scroggins 2011). Once this is understood, the choice of personnel to undertake this global move can be made, both in terms of the senior strategic individuals such as regional managers, as well as the team members who will facilitate this process. Selecting the correct people is going to be the main and arguably the most important role for the HR team, as they will need to be able to achieve the business strategy, but will also need to be sufficiently personally engaged and want to be part of the global move. Once the individuals have been selected, the HR team then need to ensure that the practical issues such as infrastructure are put in place to enable these people to function effectively and to ensure that there is at least some consistency in processes across the company. When global mobility is focussed on processes, difficulties can arise; however, this is not to say that there is going to be no consistency. Ultimately, it is the role of the HR team to set the boundaries and to ensure sufficient consistency for efficiency, without undue constraints (Wright, & McMahan 2011). Going forward, therefore, the HR team need to ensure that they are fully engaged with the business strategy and then focussing their work on achieving this strategy, rather than being process driven, which is likely to place constraints that will not be beneficial to the company. An ongoing and adaptable process is needed, with the HR team being central to facilitating this move, both initially and on an ongoing basis. References Barney, J., Ketchen, D. J., & Wright, M. (2011). The future of resource-based theory: Revitalization or declineJournal of Management, 37(5), 1299-1315. Becker, B., Beatty, D., & Huselid, M. (2009). Differentiated Workforce: Transforming Talent into Strategic Impact: Harvard Business School Press Books. Benson, P. G., & Scroggins, W. A. (2011). The theoretical grounding of international human resource management: Advancing practice by advancing conceptualization. Human Resource Management Review, 21(3), 159-161. Freedman, E. (2009). Optimizing Workforce Planning Processes. People & Strategy, 32(3), 9-10. Friedman, B. A. (2009). Human resource management role: Implications for corporate reputation. Corporate Reputation Review, 12(3), 229-244. Gerhart, B., & Fang, M. (2005). National culture and human resource management: Assumptions and evidence. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 16(6), 971-986. Gillis, J., Jr. (2012). Global leadership development: An analysis of talent management, company types and job functions, personality traits and competencies, and learning and development methods. 72, Harttig, M. A. M. A. (2010). Global Workforce Planning. Benefits & Compensation International, 40(1), 19. Iles, P., Chuai, X., & Preece, D. (2010). Talent Management and HRM in Multinational companies in Beijing: Definitions, Differences and drivers. Journal of World Business, 45(2), 179. Lawler, E. E., III. (2008). Talent: Making people your competitive advantage. San Francisco, CA US: Jossey-Bass. Lazarova, M., & Caligiuri, P. (2001). Retaining Repatriates: The Role of Organizational Support Practices. Journal of World Business, 36(4), 389. Schuler, R. S., & Tarique, I. (2007). International human resource management: a North American perspective, a thematic update and suggestions for future research. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 18(5), 717-744. Schwartz, A. (2011). Leadership development in a global environment: lessons learned from one of the world’s largest employers. Industrial & Commercial Training, 43(1), 13-16 Wickham, M., & O’Donohue, W. (2009). Developing employer of choice status: Exploring an employment marketing mix. Organization Development Journal, 27(3), 77-95. Wright, P. M., & McMahan, G. C. (2011). Exploring human capital: putting ‘human’ back into strategic human resource management. Human Resource Management Journal, 21(2), 93-104.

Britain in an Age of Total War

Britain in an Age of Total War Free Online Research Papers 1. What can you learn from source A about the response of the British people to the effects of the blitz? This is an extract from a book celebrating the positive outcome of the blitz; it portrays the British people as being brave and determined. Using words like â€Å"heroes† and â€Å"unshakeable determination† it evokes the famous image of British resolve and strength of mind in the face of â€Å"terror and tragedy†. However since this was written in a book to commemorate the blitz fifty years later it is not the purpose of this extract to criticize the reaction of the British people but only to celebrate their grit and success in uniting as a country, therefore it is not a completely reliable piece of evidence to use as it only shows one side of the British peoples’ response. Furthermore this extract gives no factual evidence to support its claims. 2. How useful are sources B and C in helping you to understand the effects of the blitz on people in Britain? Sources B and C illustrate the role of propaganda and censorship in Britain at the time of the war. Source B shows the extent of the damage and tragedy that the British, particularly Londoners, suffered on a daily basis during the blitz. It is an extremely sad and upsetting photo as it shows dead children, the fact that it was censored shows that the government thought that the effect this photo would have on the British public would be demoralizing and therefore detrimental to the war effort. Some people argue that censorship of this kind was hypocritical in a war for democracy against fascism but others maintain that in order to win the war to save democracy it was, paradoxically, necessary for the British people to lose some of their own rights. Source C definitely is evidence to show the morale and ‘grit’ of the British nation; it shows people whose houses have apparently been bombed standing together smiling and holding their thumbs up. However it is impossible to know whether this photo was staged or purposefully given the wrong caption in order to be used as propaganda to help lift the public’s morale. Therefore sources B and C are not 100% useful in showing the effects of the blitz on the people but can be used to show how the British people were portrayed to themselves by the government. 3. Does source d support the evidence of sources B and C about the damage done during air raids? All these sources show the devastation and destruction caused during the air raids; source B shows the huge amount of casualties and deaths caused when the bombs hit a school, source C shows just how many people could lose their homes in a single night and source D very well illustrates the destruction caused in cities and to the buildings, in this way all these pieces of evidence are in agreement. However, where they differ is in how they portray the peoples’ reaction to these events. This is shown especially by the strong contrast of sources C and D, both of which show the devastating aftermath of an air raid. In source C the people are friendly and happy, they are united by tragedy rather than divided; this source is good evidence of the ‘social fusion’ that some historians claim was a positive effect of the blitz and proved the British people had an ability to ‘come together’ in times of hardship. However source D shows an opposite effect of the b litz, instead of helping each other the people in this photograph appear to be in conflict with one another, there seems to be an argument going on which could have been caused by someone taking advantage of this situation to steal from someone else. This image definitely does not show ‘morale’, it shows how important it was for the government to maintain the spirits of the people in order for society to remain stable and normal, and was for these reasons that photos like source B had to be banned. 4. Use sources E, F and G, and your own knowledge, to explain why the government was concerned about the morale of the British people in the autumn of 1940 September 1940 was when the blitz began in Britain. Germany had already invaded Norway, France and Switzerland and now Hitler wanted Britain. The Government knew that if they were going to resist Germany’s attacks they would need the public behind them. So they used propaganda and the press to push an image of a united Britain that had no reason to fear the Germans, they used every possible resource to ensure that the British people did not give way to hysteria or panic. However these attempts were not completely successful; source E (a secret report to the government from 10th September 1940) portrays the way in which London’s east end, the ‘capital’ of the blitz, was affected. It describes the people as running â€Å"madly for shelters† creating an image of chaos and disorder, it makes constant reference to the mass evacuation of the east end by its people; taxis taking â€Å"group after group† to the train stations and people asking the Cit izen’s Advice Bureau if they could be removed from the district. Source F seems to agree with this; it remarks on the â€Å"bitterness† in the east end and the fact that even the king and Queen where booed when they visited there. This shows that the people of the east end were incredibly disaffected and disillusioned with their government; by booing the monarchy, who were at that time still very well respected and loved by the people of Britain, they were rejecting the very idea of being British which is what the royal family symbolise. It was this disillusionment and cynicism that made the government concerned about the morale of the British people. However source G seems to infer that even though the British people were frightened and anxious they did not allow this to affect their contribution to the war effort; â€Å"attendance at work remained surprisingly good† and even the people fleeing the cities or â€Å"trekking† were also â€Å"the same peo ple who continued to turn up for work. 5.’the impression that the British faced the blitz with courage and unity is a myth’ explain whether you agree with this statement†¦ Many people, including those who lived through it, believe the blitz to be Britain’s ‘finest hour’; that the crisis of the war enabled the British people to forget their differences and live together peacefully, but did the war really bring out the best in people? Some people do believe that the war divided the people of Britain rather than uniting them. This is shown by the conflict created in source D, society is reacting in a negative way to the effects of the blitz. This photograph does not show ‘unity’ in any way; it shows the degeneration and breakdown of British society, a people pushed by war to a point where any morals or sense of social harmony is lost. However there is also a theory that the blitz created an unprecedented amount of social fusion between the previously very segregated classes. The rich had the same rations as the poor, a sense of unity was created through the shared realisation that the bombs would not discriminate and clas s divisions noticeably lessened and blurred more than anyone had a right to expect; this is partly shown in source C where you can see lots of people from different backgrounds all coming together despite the fact that the only thing they have in common is that their houses were bombed. But was this new found sense of equality real or just on the surface? Research done at the time shows that the poverty gap between rich and poor was still huge, adequate protection against the bombing was not supplied to the poor. London’s east end was densely populated with some of the poorest people in the country; it was called the ‘capital of the blitz’ as it received ten times more bombs than anywhere else in London but shockingly got the least protection from the government. Statistically you were more likely to die if you were working class, this is shown in source E: â€Å"Exodus from the east end is growing rapidly†- this strongly contradicts the myth of class equa lity. The idea of unity amongst the British people is also opposed by the obvious amount of disillusionment that spread through the workforce during the years of the blitz; although the war did help cause a large industrial boom after the slump of the thirties there was also a lot of striking. In 1941 60,000 men went on strike in Glasgow, there were stoppages across the country and millions of working day were lost. Although the government had expected some industrial Unna rest they were not prepared for this. The Government knew that the war was spreading discontent, so in order to combat this they pushed an image of a united Britain; they made people believe that the war was transforming their country. The government used propaganda to distort what was really happening in order to make the country unite. Some people think that this method of control was unnecessarily patronizing, suppressing and totalitarian, and that trust and morale would have been increased more by the truth rather than lies. However you could argue that it is necessary in a time of war for certain civil rights to be surrendered for the greater good, and that by merely accentuating the positive and emitting the negative the government managed to turn the war around by using morale as a weapon to keep the people behind them in a time when the ends mattered more than the means. I do not think there is one definitive answer to this question; you could argue that the blitz brought out the grit and resolve in the British people that it helped to destroy social boundaries and bring people together in a united front for the greater good. Or you could also argue that, if anything, the fear and social Unna rest created by the blitz managed only to divide a country already separated by class, sex and race; that it amplified existing social tensions and created new problems; that the government had to resort to a hypocritically fascistic method of censorship and propaganda in order to subdue their frightened and apathetic people. But, in conclusion, even though the idea that Britain was united by the war may have been exaggerated, or may even be completely fictional, it did at least contribute largely to the creation of the National Health Service and to Britain becoming the ‘welfare state’. So even if the courage and unity of Britain was a myth, at least this myth had helped to create a New Britain where the people were united by a shared responsibility for the welfare of everyone. Research Papers on Britain in an Age of Total WarAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2Bringing Democracy to AfricaQuebec and CanadaEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenPETSTEL analysis of IndiaMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductCapital PunishmentUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andHip-Hop is Art

Atheists, Agnostics, and Apostates

Atheists, Agnostics, and Apostates Atheists, Agnostics, and Apostates Atheists, Agnostics, and Apostates By Mark Nichol What’s the difference between an atheist and an agnostic? As with most words, the answer lies in the etymological origins of the words. Atheist stems, through atheism, from the French word athà ©isme, which pertains to a lack of belief in God, or in any deity. (Here, the antonymic a- is linked to theism, which means â€Å"belief in God† or â€Å"belief in gods.†) An agnostic, by contrast, is one who does not know, and perhaps believes it is impossible to know, whether God or gods exist. (Here, the antonymic a- is linked to gnostic, meaning â€Å"one who knows,† ultimately from the Greek term gignÃ… skein, meaning â€Å"to know.†) Agnostic has also developed a nonreligious sense of â€Å"nonspecific† or â€Å"nonaligned,† as when referring to software that operates regardless of which platform of hardware on which it is installed. The central element in atheist is also seen in theology (â€Å"study of religion†) and theocracy (â€Å"rule by religion†) and is the basis of the name Theodore, which means â€Å"god-given,† and the root of agnostic is also seen in gnostic (which refers, when capitalized, to a school of philosophy) and diagnosis and prognosis. A related term is apostate, which denotes someone who renounces a belief; the term can also refer to defection from or abandonment of a political or social group; the origin of the term is the Greek word aphistasthai, which means â€Å"revolt.† (The condition of being an apostate is called apostasy.) Other words pertaining to a lack of belief (or of the â€Å"correct† belief) include gentile, heathen, and pagan. Gentile stems from the Latin root gens, meaning â€Å"nation,† and refers to someone not of the Jewish faith, a non-Mormon, or a nonbeliever in general. (Gentile is cognate with gentle, which literally means â€Å"civilized.†) Heathen, likely ultimately from Gothic, in English came to mean someone living outside of civilization (from heath, meaning â€Å"uncultivated land†) and therefore outside the religion of the civilization, with a connotation of inferiority. Pagan is popularly thought to have derived from the same sense (from the Latin term paganus, meaning â€Å"rustic (person)†), but it probably stems from another meaning of the term, Roman military slang for civilians and clumsy recruits equivalent to the nautical slur landlubber. (An obsolete cognate is paynim, used by Christians during the Crusades in Europe to refer to a follower of Islam.) Then there is infidel, which specifically refers to one who holds religious beliefs different from what is regarded as the true religion (the term, from Latin, means â€Å"unfaithful†- or, more accurately, â€Å"not of the faithful†- and is related to fidelity) and the term giaour, rarely used in English, which is ultimately from Persian by way of French and refers to one who is not Islamic. An idolater, meanwhile, is one who worships idols (or the â€Å"wrong† idols); the word is also used in a secular sense to refer to someone who uncritically reveres a person undeserving of the adulation. (The practice of an idolater is idolatry, and the adjectival form is idolatrous.) Check out our latest YouTube video: Masters Degree or Master’s Degree? Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Computer Terms You Should Know10 Types of TransitionsThe 7 Types of Possessive Case

Prenancy woman with sickle cell disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Prenancy woman with sickle cell disease - Essay Example The impact of this scheme will assist the next generations in designing the best responses to mothers who are victims of sickle-cell anemia (Glassberg, 2011). The Nursing-family partnership provides local communities with the best home-based approaches specially developed to help a mother from low-income families. The program will be implemented through a comprehensive research initiative to identify mothers with this problem. Medical personnel and Nurses will be deployed in the localities. Each county will have an office where registration will be done. This will be done through professional ethics that require non-disclosure. Visitations will commence after victims have been identified. The program will provide core services such the Nurse-family partnership will provide several services to victim mothers at the local level. Furthermore, the program offers assistance on family planning so that mothers have few chances of sickle cell babies. In addition to this, the program will give consultancy services where mothers will be expected to seek professional counseling and guidance. Providing free and subsidized drugs to mothers to avoid extreme effects to unborn babies The Initiative has been conducted in different states over the past four decades. It was fast conducted in California for pregnant mothers with sickle cell anemia. The outcome was successful because the number of sickle cell cases in California reduced by half in a span of three years after the inception of the partnership. There are consistent program effects of the plans, which include improved prenatal health because drugs were overly effective, fewer infant infections arising from mother-child transmissions, Increased intervals between births due to effective family planning techniques imparted t low-income mothers and improved maternal health due to reduced sickle cell count after further tests were administered. Furthermore, the program offers school readiness for