Analysis of the Machine That Won the War Essay

â€Å"The Machine That Won the War,† by Isaac Asimov, is a story that teaches a valuable lesson about humanity and also has an ironic twist at the end.  The setting is the future of Earth, and a great war had just been won against an enemy race. Two men, Swift and Henderson, are debating over who really won the war for Earth: the giant strategy computer known as Multivac, or the men in charge of making the maneuvers and programming the computer. John Henderson is an excitable man, while Lamar Swift, the military captain, is calm but rational. While the people hailed the computer, the two really knew who the heroes were. Henderson explained the fact that Multivac was nothing more than a large machine, only capable of doing what it was programmed to do. He stated that ever since the beginning of the war, he had been hiding a secret. It was the fact that some of its (Multivac’s) data might have been unreliable. This conflict, as you will note later, helped win the war. The great computer was capable of creating a direct battle plan which Earth forces could use to attack their enemies. However, with Henderson inputting faulty data, this caused some of the battle plans to be unreliable. His internal conflict between himself losing his job and wanting to keep it made him jingle with the programming until it seemed right. This foreshadowing helps the reader to see that someone is going to have to act upon Henderson’s faults if the war is to be won. Swift, the military commander, received these battle plans that Henderson had ‘printed up’ out on the front (the front being the battle front). He, realizing that some of these plans were outrageous, had to act upon a different form of machine. Swift’s motivation for not always acting upon what was laid before him helped change the course of the war. He told Henderson that when faced with the difficult decisions, he didn’t use Multivac’s data all of the time. This conflict, making these tough decisions, helps influence the climax. The climax of the story comes when Swift tells Henderson he used a coin to make all of the though decisions instead of Multivac’s data. This use of ‘situation irony’ shows us that in the worst imaginable scenario, the outcome is actually made so simply. The  lesson I found in this story is to not always trust what you see before you, and that human beings will forever take chances even in the riskiest of situations. In conclusion,†The Machine That Won the War,† taught us all a valuable lesson about how humans think, and contained a humorous, ironic ending which stunned (or should have stunned) everyone.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

IntroductionDialectical Behavioral Therapy is a cognitive behavioral model of psychotherapy used primarily to treat individuals diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). The treatment was manualized in 1993 (Linehan, 1993a; Linehan, 1993b) and met criteria as an empirically validated, well-established treatment for BPD in 2001 (Koons et al, 2001). DBT has also been found to be effective in a range of treatment settings with a variety of populations.The empirically based treatment of DBT is a series of cognitive behavioral strategies that are applied to BPD populations. The approach provides psycho-social skills training to encourage development of effective cognitive, emotional, and behavioral skills. Learning DBT skills increases a client's ability to achieve positive outcomes by systematically developing effective coping mechanisms, and facilitating the decrease of maladaptive behaviors (Linehan, 1993a; Linehan, 1993b).The characteristics that distinguish DBT are: (1) t he immediate focus on acceptance and validation; (2) the emphasis on treating behavior that interferes with therapy; (3) the emphasis on the therapeutic relationship; (4) the focus on dialectics, synthesis, and process (Linehan, 1993a).DBT Theoretical FrameworkDBT is based upon a dialectal view of human behavior consisting of three primary principles. The first principle is one of interrelatedness and wholeness: a system must be analyzed as a totality, as the parts are temporary and only exist in relation to the whole. The second principle is polarity: reality is not static but is made up of opposing forces, that when integrated, create a new set of opposing forces.The third principle is continuous change: the tension between oppositional yet connected parts produces a process of change, rather than a structure, which is an underlying condition of human nature (Linehan, 1993a).In the DBT process, change occurs in the midst of dialectical tension. This tension is a process created by the client's attempt to maintain homeostasis, while the therapist uses persuasion techniques to support the client's process of self-transformation. The therapist overcomes the client's resistance by on-going dialogue with the client that is both encouraging and directive (Linehan, 1993a).One of the core components of DBT is increasing the capacity to regulate emotions (Linehan, 1993a). Among persons suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder, the inability to regulate emotions results in emotional vulnerability and maladaptive strategies for coping. Emotional vulnerability is defined by (1) high sensitivity to emotional stimuli, (2) intense response to emotional sensitivity, and (3) difficulty reducing the sensitivity and returning to a normal emotional baseline.Similar to Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), DBT also includes ongoing self-monitoring of behaviors, realistic treatment goals, a strong therapeutic alliance, and treatment compliance. Client agreement in the manualize d treatment includes, but is not limited to the following: (1) A commitment to a one year, renewable agreement, (2) Compliance to the weekly meetings and attendance, (3) Notification to the therapist in advance if they are unable to attend scheduled therapy sessions, (4) Confidentiality in group settings, (5) Willingness to work on any and all problems that interfere with therapy, (6) Agreement in group treatment settings to not form personal or sexual relationships with other group members, (8) Commitment to not come to therapy under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and (9) Willingness to participate in both individual and group treatment if appropriate (Linehan, 1993a; Linehan, 1993b).Therapist agreements in the manualized treatment include but are not limited to: (1) Professional and reasonable effort to conduct therapy with client, (2) Adherence to ethical guidelines, (3) Attendance at all scheduled sessions, and if unable, agreement to reschedule with advance notice, (4) Agre ement to respect the autonomy and integrity of the client, and (5) Confidentiality within the confines of the law (Linehan, 1993a).DBT PhilosophyIn order to truly examine DBT, it is first important to examine how Marsha Linehan designed DBT to treat BPD. In her book Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder, Linehan (1993 a) described DBT as the application of cognitive and behavioral therapy strategies to help work through problems.DBT is based on a dialectical philosophy that emphasizes reality as an interrelated system composed of opposing forces that are continuously changing. At the core of this philosophy is accepting the client as they are while assisting to promote healthy change. Linehan (1993a) further described DBT as:The emphasis on assessment; data collection on current behaviors; precise operational definition of treatment targets' a collaborative working relationship between therapist and patient, including attention to orienting the patient to the therapy program and mutual commitment to treatment goals; application of standard cognitive and behavior therapy techniques, (p. 19)DBT therapists use treatment procedures such as problem solving, exposure techniques, skill training, contingency management, and cognitive modification to help clients find new ways of working through the problems that brought them into therapy. DBT â€Å"requires that the therapist balance change and acceptance in each interaction with the patient† (Linehan, 1993a, p. 19).This treatment philosophy along with the application of problem-solving and validation strategies becomes the DBT process (Linehan, 1993a). DBT â€Å"blends a matter of fact, somewhat irreverent, and at times outrageous attitude about current and previous parasuicidal and other dysfunctional behaviors with therapist warmth, flexibility, responsiveness to the client, and strategic self-disclosure† (Linehan, 1993a, p. 19).DBT works to reframe suicidal and other dysfu nctional behaviors that had previously been part of the clients learned problem solving patterns. Therapy focuses on active problem solving and is balanced with a corresponding emphasis on validating the client's current emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses as they are in that moment. Focus on dialectics and the balance of acceptance and change are crucial elements of the DBT process (Linehan, 1993b).DialecticsAlthough DBT has similarities to standard cognitive and behavioral techniques, it also has many defining characteristics that make it a unique treatment. It is important to review the key elements of DBT in order to extend its application to a population such as BPD. For example, DBT emphasizes dialectics. Dialectics can be described as the â€Å"reconciliation of opposites in a continual process of synthesis† (Linehan, 1993a, p. 19). It stresses â€Å"interrelatedness and wholeness, parts of a system is of limited value unless the analysis clearly relates th e part to the whole† (Linehan, 1993a, p. 19).DBT therapists work with clients to examine a more global meaning to what had previously been polarized as extreme ideas or thoughts. Linehan stated that the most fundamental dialectic is the necessity of accepting patients as they are within a context of trying to teach them to change. Linehan continued by stating that â€Å"reality is not static, but is comprised of internal opposing forces, thesis and antithesis, out of whose integration (synthesis) evolves a new set of opposing forces† (Linehan, 1993a, p. 19).Linehan described how although dialectics focus on the whole, they also emphasize how complex the whole can be, including the oppositions they contain. With this notion in mind, DBT places an emphasis on acceptance as a balance to change (Linehan, 1993a). DBT therefore focuses on accepting the client for who he or she is in the moment, while also working toward more effective behaviors and ways of interacting with on e's present experience and the environment.In addition, DBT emphasizes the necessity of teaching clients to accept themselves and their world as they are in the moment. Linehan discussed how this unique strategy works well with BPD because it provides the validating environment so crucial to those with injured self-esteems. She also discussed the importance of providing a structured setting to learn and practice new skills.DBT includes both acceptance of the patient's experiences including validation of their emotional pain and suffering, and offering new psychological coping strategies that include a refocus on meaning and substance in their life, exposure to previously ‘intolerated' emotions, prevention of emotional escape, and introduction of a behavior focus. (Marra, 2005, p. 7) This behavior focus includes â€Å"goal orientation and new solution-based strategies to replace maladaptive coping skills† (Marra, 2005, p. 7).An important caveat to remember as treatment p rogresses is that there is a natural process of change that occurs as treatment progresses. Linehan discussed how DBT assumes that reality is a process full of movement and change. Therefore, immediate client stability and consistency are not a focus. Conversely, acceptance and movement with change are key elements of this process. The therapist and client work together in a changing relationship and a changing environment (Linehan, 1993 a).In her work with individuals who struggled with self-injurious and suicidality, Linehan utilized dialectics and the philosophy of balancing acceptance with change to enhance treatment effectiveness. She also observed that most of her clients presented with BPD characteristics. As such, she incorporated dialectical philosophy as the bedrock of her treatment when designing DBT for individuals with BPD characteristics.

A Life of Significance

A large decorative carriage portrayed by a large heroic horse, a beautiful woman in an eye-catching gown that opens a gorgeous party, and five tea times is a common aspect of the Victorian era. This is the time to imagine when reading Oscar Wilde's many pieces. The serious importance is one of the most important scripts written by Oscar Wilde. This scene will be held in Victorian London in February 1895. The intimate relationship of my kingdom leads individuals to the virtues of life Pious life ... benefits of life ... life important ... life of eternal contribution ..... bondage of life. .. Higher objective of life ... paradigm of real meaning life ... purely guiding life with a pious fulfilling your personality ... and a happy living satisfied You can succeed without an important life, but without success you can not get an important life. Meanless success is hollow. God has the purpose of your life If you open your life to him, confess your sins to him and ask him, he will reveal this purpose to you. What makes us happy? Many studies indicate when you are goal-conscious, as you are sending an important life (as discussed in this article). I had the opportunity to think hard about my goals and meanings in the past year. Because I was absent for the first time after 24 years of rapid movement. The threat of climate change Despite widely recognized by the government, consumers and businesses do not seem environmentally friendly. However, as we expand and create new cities all over the world, they will spend TON ($ 5 trillion) (2.5 billion people will move over the next 10 years - unlike climate change ). Through technology and existing expenditure, we can reconsider transport, energy, medical, food, housing and infrastructure to do this in the right way. Data is a new currency to achieve this goal, of course, software is eating town

Communcation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Communcation - Assignment Example I will endeavor to cover the course content before the instructor discusses it in class, as this will increase my level of understanding. Moreover, I will handle all assignments promptly. This will mean that I will devote more time in undertaking research, and handing my papers before deadline. It is unfortunate that in the previous years I have had the problem of handing in my assignment past the deadline, a factor that has affected my grades. In 2014, I purpose to change this trend, and prepare for exams thoroughly. This will translate to a high level of dedication the entire semester, so that the final exams are an easier task to handle (New York Times 56). I have been an average student in the previous years, and a self-analysis has helped me to realize that I have more potential. In 2014, I want to explore all the potential that I have, and tap it into my academics. I will seek opportunities of experiential learning during the holidays, and acquire new skills. Moreover, I will take advantage of some of the university career programmes in a bid to diversify my

''See Assignment Criteria'' Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

''See Assignment Criteria'' - Essay Example It will also recommend strategic moves which can improve Caterpillar’s performance over the next decade. The predecessor of Caterpillar was the Holt Caterpillar company which was established by Benjamin Holt in 1909. Caterpillar was formed in 1925 when market leader Holt Caterpillar merged with C L Best Gas Tractor Company. The merged entity consolidated its product lines, shifted from gasoline engines to diesel engines, and continued to grow at an even pace even during the Great Depression. During the Second World War, Caterpillar’s products were widely used by the construction units of the United States Navy in the Pacific theatre of war for construction of airfields and other facilities. After the end of the war, the company grew rapidly on the back of the construction boom. Caterpillar used acquisition as a major vehicle for growth from 1950 onwards. Its first major acquisition was Trackson, based in Milwaukee. Over the year, it has acquired companies throughout the globe in order to drive up its sales. During the 1980s, the company was threatened by a decrease in demand because of heightened competition with its Japanese rival Komatsu. Moreover, US embargo against USSR also harmed the company because the company was all set to sell equipments worth millions of dollars to the USSR. The results of these losses were lay-offs and labour union issues subsequently. Caterpillar, in response to strike called by its unionized workforce, farmed out much of its production and warehousing to outside firms. It also started shifting its facilities to Southern states where labour laws were more favourable for non unionized workers. In the late 1990s, Caterpillar was hurt by the Asian crisis. It had to close down Caterpillar Shanghai Engine, a joint venture with the Chinese government owned Shanghai Diesel. In 2000, it received loans worth $29

Nurses and the Affordable Care Act Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Nurses and the Affordable Care Act - Coursework Example For instance, through this legislation, the government intends to encourage nursing education and mitigate shortages of nursing professionals in many of its states offering them with loan facilities as well as the opportunity to get a proportion of their loan cancelled. According to Wakefield (2010), the legislation also offers a wider opportunity for deserving nurses to appear in leadership positions within the sector. In the words of Davis, Abrams and Stremikis (2011) too, â€Å"the Affordable Care Act invests $1.5 billion over 2011–2015 for the National Health Service Corps to provide scholarships and loan forgiveness for primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants practicing in health professional shortage areas.† Applying the above discussed facts of Affordable Care Act, it becomes apparent that the government is taking realistic and effective measures to encourage participation of nurses in almost every sphere of the healthcare sector in America. This would help in dealing with the major issues prevalent in the domain. At the onset, it will address the long-lasting inhibition amid the nurses that they lack adequate opportunities to be in the leadership position of the industry. On the other hand, it is expected to ensure diversity as well as uniformity in the trend of delivering nursing services to the population in rural areas of the nation, apart from those regions suffering from shortage of these professionals. Therefore, with greater growth opportunities and financial aids, it gets justified that the new legislation serves with a greater voice and diverse set of choices to the nurses influencing the future of these professionals as a group as well as

The Learning Curves Theory Review of the Pizza Store Layout Simulation Essay

The Learning Curves Theory Review of the Pizza Store Layout Simulation - Essay Example The first assumption evaluates the time that a business requires to complete routine tasks (Anderson & Parker, 2002). They further explain that the second assumption measures the degree of improvement that reduces when volume is increased. Lastly, the learning curve theory estimates the rate of predictable improvement in an organization over a set period. Mario Pizziera’s management team increases the number of tables in tables of four and two to 10 and 8 respectively. The team also increases the waiting staff to a total of six employees who serve customers and three kitchen staff to prepare Mario’s tasty pizzas. The overall output of these changes in the restaurant increase table utilization by 93.85 % in the tables that four customers occupy. Previously, table utilization was 99.56% on tables that a batch of four customers occupied in the restaurant. The total number of customers that balk in tables of four is 37. Mario’s restaurant tables are distributed and i ncreased to ten and eight in tables of four and two respectively to increase productivity and profits. The tables that four customers occupy in the restaurant upsurges to 107 groups of customers but 17 groups walk out without receiving Mario’s service and pizzas. Tables that host a batch of two customers increase in utilization by 88%. The number of groups in tables that two customers occupy increases to 69, but 2 groups balk. The time that customers wait for services and food are 5.63 minutes and a queue length of 2.46 minutes. The profits during this organizational change amount to $1,308 but lost sales are worth $540. Mario wants more profits and sales, which prompts for an adjustment in the pizza layout simulation process. ... Mario Pizziera has only two manual ovens that function well. The processing time for pizza increases to 15 minutes while the time that time that waiting staff utilize in serving customers increases to 13 minutes from 8 minutes. Mario’s management team improvises a new menu order that is automatic. They also purchase two new Plax ovens that process faster than the manual ovens. Two Plax ovens increase the number of groups of customers that occupy tables for two by 68 groups, but 2 groups balk without Mario’s pizza. Tables that host groups of four customers increase by 108 groups, but 10 groups walk out without pizza. The tables that host a batch of four customers per table has a decrease in utility by 80.40%. However, the waiting time for customers decreases to 3.96 minutes and 2.44 minutes for queue length. Mario’s waiting staff utility level increases by 90.83% but the kitchen staff experiences under utility by 68%. The new Plax ovens need less of the staff effo rts in preparing pizza. Mario Pizziera’s profits increase to $1,665 and lost sales decrease to $330. Mario implements a promotional strategy that will market the pizza restaurant to potential customers and increase demand. He creates a take-out counter and cream puffs as new products and services in the restaurant. Tables that host a batch of two customers in each table hold 98 groups but 9 groups walk out without Mario’s pizza. The eight tables that host two customers in a meal have 79.86% utility. Tables that host a batch of four customers accommodate for 141 groups, but 19 groups balk. The utilization of table four in the restaurant is 79.84%. The take-out counter does not have any customers. Mario’s wait staff increase utility

Educational Issues and Special Educational Needs Essay - 1

Educational Issues and Special Educational Needs - Essay Example the Act key intent was to help the all the children including those with special educational needs to achieve five outcomes which matter most to them, their parents as well as their carers (The Children Act 2004) These outcomes were; staying safe, being healthy, achieving and enjoying, making positive contributions to the society and also the economic and social wellbeing of the children. The Every Child Matters Children Act 2004 has had a great impact in the lives of the children especially those children who have various special educational needs. This Act has led to the promotion of the equality and the opportunities for the children who have special needs in education. This has enabled majority of these children with special needs to be treated equally as the other normal children and they are not alienated by the educational system because of their disabilities. (The Children Act 2004) Similarly these children receive equal treatment as the rest of the children who do not have any learning disabilities. On the other hand the Act has led to the creation of a lot of changes locally as well as internationally and also various programs have been instigated and this has led to the improvement of the of the outcomes for the disabled children. The Act has had major policy priorities which are very relevant to the children with special educational needs and this enables them to receive fair and equal treatment in all their educational learning processes. (The Children Act 2004) The legislation has further led to the bridging of the gap of the children with special needs who do not attend school regularly and this has further led to the improvement of their school attendance. Similarly through this act the government has initiated a strategy for meeting the needs of the children with special educational needs. This has also led to the removal of various barriers that hinder the progress of these children with the special needs and it has led to the improvement of

I dont know Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

I dont know - Essay Example But in the U.S., there is no discrimination based upon sex. Here, women can get driving licenses and drive their cars. When I was able to get a driving license, I came to realize the real meaning of equality. For instance, in Saudi Arabia, I will be difficult for me to get a driving license. So, I learned the essence of freedom as a person with a driving license. Besides, driving a car changed me a lot. For instance, I can drive my own car without further assistance from others. This is really important to me as an individual from a male dominated society. To be specific, from driving a car, I learned to be the part of the mainstream society and it changed my attitude towards the U.S society. As an individual, getting engaged is an important event in my life. One can see that my education in the U.S. with scholarship helped me to have a suitable alliance. For instance, I made use of my education in the U.S. as an opportunity to be free from male domination. To be specific, most of the male dominated societies hesitate to allow independence to the womenfolk. The thing that I learned from getting engaged is that education can help one to choose the most suitable individual. Now I feel so happy because I am independent to take decisions on my own. Seligman opines that â€Å"Happiness in the present moment consists of very different states from happiness about the past and about the future, and itself embraces two very distinct kinds of things: pleasures and gratifications† (102). Now I realize that happiness is interconnected with individual freedom and liberty. When a human being is free from external pressure, there exists high scope for development in future. Gett ing engaged changed me a lot because I realize that a suitable alliance is one of the factors of happiness in life. As an individual from the Middle East, especially from Saudi Arabia, my life as a student in U.S was so interesting. My education in the

Analyze the article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analyze the - Article Example Hence the study found out that the perception of school librarians and their internship experiences. It has been found that many higher education institutions are turning to the online programmes as the student is in a position to access greater learning resources, proffesional experts. What is more is that the student has unlimited geographical area that the student is accessed at their own convenience (Dotson, 2010). The program is very beneficial to the already employed students who cannot be able to attend the full time learning program, hence making it possible for anyone to advance in their studies. Furthermore it is more effective as the students undertaking the course work are in a better position to practice what they learn as they can apply it in the daily activities of their work (Dotson, 2010). More over the programme has been very effective in reducing the gap between academia and practice; this is because students learn experimentally as they practice what they have learnt (Dotson, 2010). Studies also show that the programme is becoming more popular all around the world. Other studies that have been carried out previously indicate that many students are now turning to online learning programmes as they are more convenient and effective. The study turned out to be meaning full and also useful; this is because online learning programmes have over the years been proven to be more effective by the previous studies. The main objective of this study was to find out if the online facilitated graduate internship programmes were effective (Dotson, 2010). The study therefore found it to be effective. As most of the students worldwide are now embracing online education Furthermore the advancement in technology have helped to make this process more effective, this has been very critical as it has supported distance learning

The Impact of Slavery on African Society Essay Example for Free

The Impact of Slavery on African Society Essay Slavery has played a strong role in African society from as early as prehistoric times, continuing to the modern era. Early slavery within Africa was a common practice in many societies, and was very central to the country’s economy. Beginning around the 7th century, two groups of non-African slave traders significantly altered the traditional African forms of slavery that had been practiced in the past. Native Africans were now being forced to leave the country to be used as slaves. The two major slave trades, trans-Saharan and trans-Atlantic, became central to the organization of Africa and its societies until the modern era. Slavery and the slave trade strongly affected African society, and left long term impacts on the development of the entire continent due to the dehumanization of Africans and the high demand of labor causing the slow decline and dismantling of African states. From the 7th century, extending to the 20th century, Arab Muslims raided areas of West, Central, and East Africa, transporting thousands of Slaves to North Africa, the Middle East and India. The trans-Saharan slave trade increased between the 10th and 15th centuries, as Empires such as Songhai, Ghana, Mali, and Kanem-Bornu evolved south of the Sahara, guiding the slave trade. Over a period of more than a thousand years, the trans-Saharan slave trade directed the movement of over 10 million enslaved men, women, and children. The trans-Saharan slave trade led to the blossom of powerful African states in the inner parts of East Africa, and southern fringes of the Sahara. Although the trans-Saharan slave trade prompted the expansion of slavery within Africa, it was greatly outdone by the large trans-Atlantic trade that followed after the 15th century. The initial group of European slave traders in West Africa were the Portuguese, which was then followed by the British and French. During the 16th and 17th centuries, these three European Colonial Powers initiated the movement of slaves to their growing possessions in the New World. Slaves were sent across the Atlantic Ocean to North, Central, and South America, and the Caribbean Islands to establish and maintain consistent plantation and agriculture. As European desire grew for products including sugar, cotton and rice, the demand for plantation labor also increased. African slave labor was cheap among European standards, leading to the influx of such a large number of African slaves in the New World. European and American slave-traders acquired roughly 12 million slaves from West and west central Africa. People may argue that the practice did not become dehumanizing until white Europeans came along and took slaves to the Americas’. Slavery had existed in Africa as it had in other parts of the world, for centuries, but it was not based on race and it did not result in dehumanization and death, as did transatlantic slavery. This statement is claiming that because the economies of Africa did not depend on slave labor, the number of enslaved people was small until European traders arrived. I am convinced that the African slave trade led to the dehumanization of Africans because it was focused on the legal institution created by law in America, which allowed white American settlers to actually own Africans. This type of slavery was severe and brutal, and also degenerated Africans. The rise of industrialization in America brought the demand for large amounts of labor which Americans took advantage of to gain profit. The only group of Africans benefiting from the trans-Atlantic slave trade was the Elites. These were political members of the ruling class who would capture slaves and take them to markets along the coast. These wealthy slave dealers would use their riches to then identify with other wealthy families through marriage. This created a gap between the prosperous elite, and the struggling lower class. Throughout the continent, slavery had become a major element in African life. As the demand for slaves increased, slave raids became more prevalent, leaving parts of Africa dismantled and unorganized. Other practices such as enslavement as discipline and punishment for crime began to be introduced. Society was constantly changing in reaction to what was happening in slave trade. The slave trades caused political instability, led to much social fragmentation, and resulted in a decline of legal institutions. The countries from which the greatest number of slaves were taken, are the same areas that had the least developed political structures when the slave trades ended. These are the same countries that are the most ethnically fragmented in modern era Africa. These areas include states such as Angola, Chad, Tanzania, and Sierra Leone. When the slave trade came to an end, the African continent was strongly affected. Societies that for many years based their economy on slave labor, and slave trade, had trouble with creating new forms of gaining riches and organizing labor. Upon the ending of slavery and the slave trade in Africa, many governments that once had slaves, still were in desperate need of cheap labor. Due to this demand, African leaders and former slave owners created new methods of forcing Africans to work without pay or for very small amounts of compensation. Slavery has been a significant practice throughout the continent of Africa since pre-historic times. The trans-Saharan and trans-Atlantic slave trades changed the face of slavery in society throughout Africa. The impacts of slavery and the slave trade generated the disruption of the economy resulting in Africa becoming the poorest continent on earth. Slave trades have left Africa very separated, and most importantly underdeveloped and Africans dehumanized. Even though large empires such as Dahomey, Asante, and Benin expanded and prospered because of the slave trade, the successive abolition of the trade led to the fast downfall of all these states. The huge loss of population suppressed economic, social and political advancement. However, the transfer of Africans to the Americas has led to a cultural diversity unseen in world history. Today African Americans play predominant roles in the arts, sports, and music industry of society. Their contribution to and influence on world culture is incomparable.

The House of Mirth Essay Example for Free

The House of Mirth Essay Lily Bart is simultaneously a product and a victim of the society she was born into. She cannot choose between two possible ways of living: to hunt for wealth or long for love and understanding. She was taught that her goal of life was to find a wealthy man and become his wife. She can choose only among those who either have no social status (Rosedale), are married (Trenor), are boring and not interesting for her (Gryce), or have no money (Selden). 2. As the story progresses we understand that money is not everything in this upper class of society the main character belongs to. One must behave a certain way, be friends with certain people and have a free admission to certain houses. Everybody watches each other and then discusses the details with the rest of elite. This is the society where everybody will struggle to death, step over others, use and abuse others but to get what one wants. We see how Lily’s friends treat her and this is not the way how friends treat each other. It is not allowed to meet with a man unless you have a chaperone. If a women is married, she has to be discreet, besides women must be more precise in their appearance than men. 3. One social group I know (my parents belong to it) has ist â€Å"unwritten rules†, too. Among these are: not to stare people and not to point to people; not to ask for favor; to drive an expensive car; not to be late. There are also rules about dressing up like: not to wear jeans if its not casual day to work and not to ask womans age. 4. While reading the book I felt really sorry for people who lived at that time when they could not be free but had to live the way the society has determined for them. I felt quite happy for the present and for myself that modern rules are not that terrible, although some of them are worse that in the past. I also felt sorry for the girl herself: being all alone among people who just use and abuse you, knowing that your only fate is to try to please a wealthy man whom you do not necessarily like but whom you need in order to live a normal life. Bibliography: 1. Wharton, Edith. The House of Mirth. New American Library; Reprint edition (February 1, 2000).

The European powers

The European powers Abstract Being unified late in the 19th century it was difficult for Italy to establish itself amongst the other European powers. Therefore, one can view the indecisiveness of the Italians on where their national interests lie, as an act of opportunism because since its unification Italy had no particular loyalty to any group of powers except that group from which it could benefit most. This assignment gives prominence to this factor and also delves into detail in Italys policy during the Cold War (mainly resting on two main pillars: NATO and the EU). The Post Cold War period is also covered with special emphasis on the governments of Berlusconi and Romano Prodi. Introduction In 1858-9 the Kingdom of Piedmont was allied with France against Austria in order to achieve Lombardy. Seven years later it fought side by side with Bismarcks Prussia in the Austro-Prussian War. Four years later it stayed neutral in the Franco-Prussian War which was eventually won by Prussia. The road to Italian Unification in itself shows that the Italians had no particular loyalty to any power. The shifts in alliances were quite common for Italians as long as they were sure that they were getting the maximum benefit from them[1]. In the course of the Risorgimento the keystone of Piedmontese foreign policy had been friendship with France and Britain. When France was defeated by Prussia after 1870 it was not useful anymore. In fact, the Italians started even regarding it as a hostile country especially after the French conquered Tunisia in 1881 (a country which the Italians had been aiming to conquer themselves)[2]. Although they had claims on Austrian Territories such as South Tyrol, Istria and Dalmatia; the Italians still joined the Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria in 1882. Joining an arch-rival like Austria-Hungary was certainly a piece of real politick. In fact this move wasnt really popular with many Italian nationalists who preferred having France rather than Austria-Hungary in an alliance. In fact, after the fall of the anti-French Crispi, Italian foreign policy started moving closer towards France[3]. In WW1, Italy did a remarkable piece of political opportunism when it first concluded an agreement with France in 1914, and then joined France and Britain in the war, thus betraying the Triple Alliance of which it had been part of for more than a generation[4]. The end of WW1 brought a lot of dissatisfaction amongst the Italians. The Versailles Settlement barely gave any territory which the Italians had hoped for. This was one of the main factors which led to the rise of Mussolini who advocated a revisionist policy towards this settlement. Mussolinis active foreign policy proved to be a headache for France and Britain which had their own empires to take care of. Mussolini regarded the Mediterranean as Mare Nostrum (while both France and Britain had interest in it) and was for expansion in the Balkans and Africa, despite Woodrow Wilsons insistence on self-determination[5]. Mussolinis ambitions did not stop France, Britain and Italy to sign the Stresa Pact mainly aimed against Germany (1935). Yet, when in the Abyssinian crisis France and Britain imposed sanctions on Italy, Mussolini immediately made a U-turn in Italian foreign policy and joined Hitler in what is famously known as the Pact of Steel (1939)[6]. This eventually led to Italy joining Germany in WW2. The Years of the Cold War In the immediate aftermath of the Second World War it was clear that the allied forces presence in Italy would have a great effect on Italian Politics; they would not think twice to intervene in cases of serious civil disorder[7]. The uninterrupted predominance of the Christian Democratic Party after the war made Italy an original and unquestioned member of NATO and the EC[8]. Another important field of interest on the international scene were those areas involving a geopolitical and economic interest; like the Balkans, the Mediterranean and certain Arab countries. Yet, Italy was in a very difficult position in this period of time because it was regarded as a defeated state. Its foreign policy had to practically start from scratch[9]. Italy was one of the first countries to ask and benefit from Marshall Aid to avoid the rising power of the communists. In fact, when the government formed in 1947, the Socialists and the Communists were excluded. Marshall Aid was one step forward towards a completely original aspect in Italys foreign policy history: a closer relationship to America. This relationship was sealed in 1949 when Italy joined NATO, therefore achieving an international warranty for De Gasperis government leadership[10]. According to Sergio Romano: LItalia non era nella NATO per prepararsi con gli alleati alleventualita` di una Guerra possible, ma per due obiettivi con cui aveva dimestichezza sin dagli anni della Triplice Alleanza: evitare i rischi dellisolamento e sfruttare lo stallo per intrattenere con lavversario i migliori rapport possible[11]. For Paolo Tripodi, the first pillar of Italian foreign policy during the cold war was the USA[12]. In fact, till late 1980s Italy always followed NATO faithfully. However, one must not forget the other fundamental aspect of Italian international affairs: Europe. In fact, Italy had a shared vision internationally which pointed to a mutual reinforcement of the two guidelines: The more the Atlantic link was emphasized, the more European integration would have progressed and vice-versa[13]. The Marshall Aid was not enough to sustain Italy; it needed a wider market to consolidate its economy. Here one can also mention the federalism of Altiero Spinelli, whose figure was an indicator of the great Europeanism fervour that existed in the Peninsula at the time[14]. At this point the left wing parties too accepted NATO and EEC membership. Being part of the EEC (and later the EU) undoubtedly helped to transform the country from peasant backwardness into industrial dynamism, a transformation in which it overtook Britain in terms of income per person and could proudly take its seat at the G7 table of rich economies[15]. Until the beginning of the 1980s the membership of the EC was considered as complimentary to the alliance with the USA and to NATO. This perception wasnt always accurate and in the 1960s, Italy moved away from Gaullist France as it regarded a breach of harmony in the Transatlantic Relationship as a threat to the foundation of Italian foreign policy[16]. After 1945, Italy kept a low profile foreign policy in the Mediterranean since they didnt want to cause tension with the other powers in the region (including the USA which had the biggest fleet in the sea). It only started making its first real moves after the 1973 oil crisis where it established relations with Libya and Algeria. In the 1980s, Italy also established relations with the PLO and other 3rd World Countries[17]. This section of the assignment showed that Italy had a new dilemma in its foreign policy. USA and the EU might have been allied, but their interests didnt always intertwine and this became very evident in the post Cold War period. In my opinion, although it had quite a fundamental role in European affairs, Italy tended to give its relationship with USA more importance than Europe. This scenario comes out more clearly in recent years under the Berlusconi leadership and even to a certain extent under Romano Prodi. The Post Cold War Policy The end of the Cold War meant that the geopolitical importance of Italy was now limited in NATO. The new international situation required a greater Italian engagement especially in the military department. However, Italy needed stability within its domestic affairs to carry out a more active foreign policy. The 1990s were far from stable; it was only in the beginning of the 21st century that domestic stability was achieved under Berlusconi[18]. The term continuity was used for the foreign policy of Italy during the Cold War because it rarely took independent bold action and usually followed the EU and NATO faithfully. Since the end of the Cold War, Italy began to take a more active approach in its foreign and security policy which it conceptualised and upheld in terms of pursuit of national interests[19]. This indicates that during the Cold War Italy gave more importance to NATO sometimes even above its national interests. This can be due to fear of offending the U.S. which was its main ally against a hostile communist east. The end of the Cold War meant that Italy had to reconsider its role within NATO. This is because first of all NATOs role automatically weakened with the fall of the USSR. Another factor was that disagreements within the alliance would be more likely to arise; and the third factor was that in case of major disagreement between USA and the EU Allies, the latter wouldnt have the ability to act on its own[20]. Professor Osvaldo Croci explains how Italy revised its traditional role as a security consuming country and embarked on an effort to become a security producing country as well[21]. Italian governments in the 1990s and even in 2000s pursued a number of policies aimed at reinforcing and functionally linking the different multilateral organizations of which the country was member of: primarily the UN, the EU and NATO[22]. For example Italy fully supported the development of a European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) but, unlike France, it regarded its development as complimentary and not as an alternative to NATO. The victory of the centre-right coalition (Casa Della Liberta`) in 2001 made EU members apprehensive about the foreign policy this government was expected to adopt. This political faction was known for the lukewarm attitude it had towards the EU. In fact, as The Economist rightly pointed out, the EU still had plenty to offer to Italy but both the EU and Italy had changed and what was good for the EU was not always good for Italy. That was what the new centre-right coalition set out to do in 2001: to question some EU policies and to assert Italys national interest more forcefully[23]. Nevertheless, the two main pillars in Italys foreign policy remained NATO and the EU. The accusations that Italy had embarked on a Europe-sceptic path were exaggerated because Berlusconi only brought change in the tone and style of Italys foreign policy but not in its substance[24]. It was the resignation of foreign minister Mr Ruggiero, who was known for his pro-EU agenda that worried most EU Countries. Lega Nord leader Umberto Bossi showed no particular enthusiasm to the EU. He even referred to it as the new Soviet Union. The EURO was even greeted with indifference by the Italian government[25]. As a successful tycoon, Berlusconi was both European and Internationalist in his outlook[26]. In his electoral victory speech he claimed: We are proud to be part of Europe. We are proud of the special relationship we have with the United States. We will work attentively in the next few months and years to develop those relations even more[27]. Berlusconi was practically stressing continuity in Italys foreign policy. According to Ignazi, the only announced change was a more assertive international presence flanked by a new modus operandi centred round personal and direct contacts[28]. One such contact was certainly Russias Vladimir Putin. A meeting was carried out by the Italian government in Practica di Mare. The aim was to celebrate the partnership between NATO and Russia. This meeting showed the great respect Berlusconi had towards Russia. Berlusconi even went to the extent of defending Putins policy in Chechnya[29] (a policy which had raised international concern). Under Berlusconi, the transatlantic relationship became the focal point of Italian foreign policy. The proof of this were the number of statements in support of the U.S. foreign policy, especially in Afghanistan and the Iraqi crisis[30]. Despite the domestic opposition to the Iraqi War, Berlusconi made sure that Italy participated actively even militarily. Sergio Romano points out that lopposozione e una parte della opinion pubblica hanno accusato il governo Berlusconi di essere succube degli americani[31]. Though in official declarations Italy always followed the Europhile line; when war in Iraq broke out and created a division between USA with UK against France and Germany. Berlusconi supported the U.S. Even though as pointed above the war was opposed by many influential groups including the Catholic Church, when war was formally declared Berlusconi sent troops, even if they marched under a humanitarian disguise[32]. Therefore America was preferred over maintaining the preferential channel with Arab countries and also over the EU (keeping in mind the Franco-German opposition to the war)[33]. The newly elected Prodi Government in 2006 hoped to bring the country back onto the centre stage of EU politics. Berlusconi had never considered the EU a high priority and he preferred flirting with other top international leaders instead. In his few years in office Prodi worked for a more balanced transatlantic relationship coupled with a transformation of the EU into a fully autonomous international actor. This idea resembled Chiracs idea of multipolarism[34]. Berlusconi was certainly in favour of enlargement; in fact, he went as far as to pronounce himself in favour of the accession of both Israel and Russia. This reflected his vision of the EU more as a common economic space than as a political entity. On the other hand Prodi sought to strengthen the EU institutions before the actual enlargement[35]. President Bush lost a great ally when Berlusconi lost the election in 2006. In fact, before the election Bush had made certain statements that came very close to an open endorsement of Berlusconis re-election. These statements were regarded by a commentator as a blatant interference in Italys domestic affairs[36]. Yet, in reality Bush had little to worry from Prodi, as, once elected, Il Professore made it clear that he wished to enter into close dialogue and consultation with USA concerning Italys military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan. Prodi even defended Italys military presence in Afghanistan: The goal of our presence in Afghanistan is to consolidate the countrys young democratic institutions our soldiers bring a culture of dialogue and help, not of clashes.[37] In 2008, Berlusconi was at Italys helm again. This time accusations of corruption and his attempts to silence criticism from the press, cast new doubts over Italys international credentials. Berlusconi is currently accused of taking a personal approach to Italys foreign relations. He strengthened certain aspects of Italian relations but weakened Italys EU credentials; even though Italy supported both the EU Constitutional Treaty and the Lisbon Treaty vigorously. Berlusconis friendship with Russia and understanding with Libya can be regarded as a structural realist approach to Italys foreign relations[38]. Conclusion In a book he wrote, Italian foreign minister Frattini argued that the present Italian foreign policy is grafted into a long tradition of continuity and that its only novelty is its activism[39]. In my opinion he couldnt have hit the mark more accurately than that. Since 1861 Italian governments endeavoured to win recognition at the table of the Great Powers, searching for legitimization through various international coalitions and alliances. Since the end of the Cold War Italys international profile has been raised considerably; but do the Italians know where their national interests really lie? For years this question has echoed the Italian international policy. History shows that Italy tends to support anything that it thinks will benefit her (like it did in both World Wars). In recent times the dilemma has been more between the EU and the U.S. And in my opinion, the last decade has consolidated the factor that Italy tends to be closer to the U.S. than to the EU in its foreign poli cy. References Absalom Roger, Italy since 1800: A Nation in the Balance?, London, Longman Group Ltd, 1995. Calvocoressi Peter, World Politics since 1945, England, Pearson Education Ltd, 2009 Croci Osvaldo (2002), The Second Berlusconi Government and Italian Foreign Policy, The International Spectator, available: www.iai.it/pdf/articles/croci.pdf (accessed: 20th December 2009). Greco Ettore (2006), The Foreign Policy of the New Prodi Government, The Brookings Institution, available: http://www.brookings.edu/papers/2006/08europe_greco.aspx (accessed 23rd December 2009). Ignazi Piero , Italian foreign policy since 2001: a preliminary assessment, available: foreignpolicy.it/file_adon/ignazi_edit_2.doc (accessed 20th December 2009). Kissinger Henry, Diplomacy, New York, Simon Schuster Paperbacks, 1994. Miller Stuart T., Mastering Modern European History, New York, Palgrave Master Series, 1997. Morris Terry and Murphy Derrick, Europe 1870-1991, London, Harper Collins Publishers Ltd, 2006, p. 262 Romano Sergio, Guida alla Politica Estera Italiana: Da Badoglio a Berlusconi, Milan, BUR Saggi, 2004. Ratti Luca (2009), Italian Foreign Policy in the Second Republic: new wine in old bottles?, available: www.e-ir.info/?p=2523article2pdf=1 (accessed 20th December 2009). The Economist (2002), Berlusconi strikes out, available: http://www.economist.com/opinion/PrinterFriendly.cfm?story_id=930034 (accessed 20th December 2009). Sanminiatelli Maria (2007), Prodi Defends Italys Foreign Policies, The Washington Post, available: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/27/AR2007022700884.html (accessed 23rd December 2009). Tripodi Paolo (1996), A half-century of Italian foreign policy, available: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2242/is_n1568_v269/ai_18826921/ (accessed 13th December 2009) Stuart T Miller, Mastering Modern European History, New York, Palgrave Master Series, 1997, p. 50 Terry Morris and Derrick Murphy, Europe 1870-1991, London, Harper Collins Publishers Ltd, 2006, p. 262 Miller, op.cit., pp. 214-217 Morris, op.cit., p. 263 Ibid., p. 276 Henry Kissinger, Diplomacy, New York, Simon Schuster Paperbacks, 1994, p. 299 Roger Absalom, Italy since 1800: A Nation in the Balance?, London, Longman Group Ltd, 1995, pp. 161-165 Peter Calvocoressi, World Politics since 1945, England, Pearson Education Ltd, 2009, p. 206 Paolo Tripodi (1996), A half-century of Italian foreign policy, available: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2242/is_n1568_v269/ai_18826921/ (accessed 13th December 2009) Ibid. Sergio Romano, Guida alla Politica Estera Italiana: Da Badoglio a Berlusconi, Milan, BUR Saggi, 2004, p. 240 Tripodi, op.cit. Piero Ignazi, Italian foreign policy since 2001: a preliminary assessment, available: foreignpolicy.it/file_adon/ignazi_edit_2.doc (accessed 20th December 2009) Tripodi, op.cit The Economist (2002), Berlusconi strikes out, available: http://www.economist.com/opinion/PrinterFriendly.cfm?story_id=930034 (accessed 20th December 2009). Ignazi, op.cit. Tripodi, op.cit. Ibid. Osvaldo Croci (2002), The Second Berlusconi Government and Italian Foreign Policy, The International Spectator, available: www.iai.it/pdf/articles/croci.pdf (accessed: 20th December 2009). Ibid. Ibid. Ibid. The Economist, op.cit. Croci, op.cit. Ignazi, op.cit. Calvocoressi, op.cit., p. 211 Croci, op.cit. Ignazi, op.cit. Ibid. Ibid. Romano, op.cit., p. 4 Ignazi, op.cit. Ibid. Ettore Greco (2006), The Foreign Policy of the New Prodi Government, The Brookings Institution, available: http://www.brookings.edu/papers/2006/08europe_greco.aspx (accessed 23rd December 2009). Ibid. Ibid. Maria Sanminiatelli (2007), Prodi Defends Italys Foreign Policies, The Washington Post, available: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/27/AR2007022700884.html (accessed 23rd December 2009). Luca Ratti (2009), Italian Foreign Policy in the Second Republic: new wine in old bottles?, available: www.e-ir.info/?p=2523article2pdf=1 (accessed 20th December 2009). Ignazi, op.cit.

Analysis of Robert Frosts Poem, Nothing Gold Can Stay Essay -- Robert

Analysis of Robert Frost's Poem, Nothing Gold Can Stay Robert Frost has a fine talent for putting words into poetry. Words which are normally simplistic spur to life when he combines them into a whimsical poetic masterpiece. His 'Nothing Gold Can Stay' poem is no exception. Although short, it drives home a deep point and meaning. Life is such a fragile thing and most of it is taken for granted. The finest, most precious time in life generally passes in what could be the blink of an eye. 'Nothing Gold Can Stay' shows just this. Even in such a small poem he describes what would seem an eternity or an entire lifetime in eight simple lines. Change is eminent and will happen to all living things. This is the main point of the poem and is shown consistently throughout the eight lines.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While birth and beginnings are an inevitable part of nature and life, most people do not see how quickly this beautiful and precious time passes. Robert Frost states in the very first stanza this point. With two simple sentences it becomes clear how precious life truly is. ?Nature?s first green is gold? is the first line of the first poem and it depicts precisely what the majority of us take for granted. ?Gold? is the beauty and value of what is really the most precious moment in life, which is birth. The second line of the poem is ?Her hardest hue to hold.? In the moment it takes to stare in awe at such beauty, it can disappear, and with it the innocence and naivety of which is new t...

1890-1900 Essay -- Essays Papers

1890-1900 The United States’ Progressive Era, a time of reform and corporate reconstruction, occurred in the 1890s (Sklar intro). Before the decade, Americans identified with the idea that the country should stay out of any other countries concerns, especially European affairs (Britannica 1). The new thinking of the 1890s soon changed these convictions. Foundations of foreign policy, political liberalism, and a corporation-capitalist economy were among developments of this era. As the U.S. became a "great power" after post-Civil War economic growth, the public soon believed the nation should begin to "act like one" (Britannica 1). In addition, Social Darwinists of the 1890s theorized only strong nations could survive, for "the world is a jungle" (Britannica 1). Finally, idealists and religious leaders added their reasoning, for America had a duty to "take up the white man’s burden" of spreading its "superior culture and the blessings of Christianity" to the so-called "backward pe oples of the world" (Britannica 1). Along with the new ideology of American supremacy, citizens were enjoying the expansion into the west at a quickening pace. Leaders of the United States during the 1890s included Presidents Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893), Grover Cleveland(1893-1897), and William McKinley (1897-1901). The nation celebrated President George Washington’s centennial anniversary inauguration during this time (Klapthor 54,56). World events in the 1890s included the Spanish-American War. Ignited by Spanish rule in Cuba, Spain soon faced a brutal revolution with rebels upset about a depression caused by a decline in U.S. sugar purchases from Cuba. Once a submarine mine sank the USS Maine in Havana harbor on February 15, 1898, Congress autho... ...n’s intrinsic weakness" during the nineteenth century (American Eras 68). Gilman was remedied by well-known physician S. Weir Mitchell through a so-called "rest-cure" of remaining in bed and being prohibited from reading, writing, or communicating with the outside world (American Eras 68). "The Yellow Wallpaper" is Gilman’s story of Jane, a young wife and new mother who too is suffering from depression (Gale 140). Jane is taken to a rented mansion in the country where she is confined to a bed and urged not to write by her husband, brother, and physician, who Gilman frankly named S. Weir Mitchell (Gale 410). Undoubtedly, Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s reflection on her past experiences in "The Yellow Wallpaper" caused an uproar during its times by confronting unspoken feminine issues of the day, leaving her defined as one of the many forthright female writers of the 1890s.

Public Health and Nineteenth-Century Literature Essay -- European Euro

Public Health and Nineteenth-Century Literature "To envy nought beneath the ample sky; to mourn no evil deed, no hour misspent and, like a living violet, silently return in sweets to heaven what goodness lent, then bend beneath the chastening shower content." -Elliot The concerns and problems of the people living in nineteenth century England differed dramatically from those that eventually challenged those living in the same place during the 20th century. During the nineteenth century the English were plagued with many epidemics, but lacked the knowledge and capability to successfully treat and eliminate these diseases. London, like other British cities, had appalling sanitary conditions. These conditions were responsible for a rash of epidemics which so heightened public concern about the city's poor health conditions that in 1848 a general Board of Health was established. Among the Board's members was Edwin Chadwick. In that same year, John Simon, a London surgeon, was appointed London's Medical Officer of Health. Chadwick and Simon dominated London's public health movement from the 1840's - 1870's. Indeed, these two gentlemen were behind the 1875 Public Health Act which consolidated and expanded previous legislation on housing and sanitation, noxious trades and factory conditions. During this same time period, John Snow documented the importance of clean water to public health. Despite these efforts, however, cities like London continued to have higher mortality rates than rural areas until late Victorian times. Initially, physicians at this time were not equipped to handle the serious epidemics that were arising out of the poor health conditions of the time. They argued over the epidemics' origins, the appropri... ...olera found? In overcrowded filthy conditions, water supplies, unwholesome food etc. He was only one of the many authors telling the stories of his time. References Dickens, Charles, Dombey and Son. First published in 1848, Reprinted in Penguin Classics in 1985. Gaskell, Elizabeth, Mary Barton. First published in 1848. Reprinted in Penguin Classics in 1985. Pelling, Margaret, Cholera, Fever, and English Medicine 1825-1865. Oxford University Press, 1978. Russell, WMS, Biology and Human Affairs: A British Social Hygiene Council Publication. "Biology and Literature in Britain, 1500-1900. . . " Pages 50-72. Smith, F.B., The People's Health 1830-1910. Published by Holmes and Meier, 1979, New York, New York. USA. Williams, Guy, The Age of Miracles, Medicine and Surgery in the Nineteenth Century. Academy Chicago Publishers, Chicago, Ill., 1987.

A Brawl in Mickey’s Backyard Essay

A Brawl in Mickey’s Backyard was a very complex and controversial case! SunCal wanted to build affordable housing in the resort district however, Disney was opposed to this plan. Disney wants that resort district built up with tourism in mind. Disney would rather see hotels and restaurants to further accommodate their customers. Stakeholders play a vital role in a business! It’s important to consider the opinions and thoughts of both market and nonmarket stakeholders. When we look at this case, there are a lot of stakeholders for Disney that are involved in this. Let’s begin by looking at some of the market stakeholders. These market stakeholders include Disney’s employees, who would benefit from cheaper housing in an area close to their place of employment. Often the employees don’t make very much money and are having to commute longer distances. This affordable housing would’ve greatly helped them. Customers are also another market stakeholder for Disney. The idea is for the customers to feel â€Å"they’re in another world†. Disney is keeping them in mind and trying to make more attractions in the area that make them more appealed to the area. Of the nonmarket stakeholders the most relevant in this case was the community itself and the City Council. In order for that community to thrive in the way it does, it’s important to keep businesses thriving as well. The City Council is involved because it had to be voted on because it was in a resort district. Although I can see both sides have great points, I feel very strongly that the workers for Disney should be able to find affordable living quarters in the near vicinity. I hope that Disney realizes that they should value their employees because the tourist couldn’t be accommodated without them. I think that SunCal should be able to build the affordable housing area in a near vicinity, just not on the resort itself. I also think that Disney should go out of it’s way to help SunCal because this housing will benefit their employees. A Brawl in Mickeys Backyard Essay Q1 The issue in the case of â€Å"A Brawl in Mickey’s Backyard† is that the employees at Disney feel that they are not treated well by the famous theme park owners going so far as to say that â€Å"they want to make money [referring to Disney], but they don’t care about the employees†. The uproar and the sentiment was expressed more vigorously in the opening scene of the case, when dozens of protestors gathered in August of 2007 to stage a kit to express their open displeasure at Disney’s lack of support for their employees. The protest was instigated when a local developer called SunCal arranged to buy 26 acre site in the resort district across the street from the theme park. SunCal plans were to build 1,500 condominiums with 15% of the units set aside for below the market rate rental apartments. Since housing in Anaheim, California [the home to the Disney theme park] was expensive, many of Disney’s 20,000 employees couldn’t afford to live there. The average price of a house in the vicinity was more than $600,000 and a rental of a one bedroom apartment was $1400 a month. Keeping in mind custodians at the park earned an average of $1916 a month so that would leave them with only about $500 of their salary barely enough to sustain them for the rest of the month! Also, keep in mind that restaurant attendants earn around $1166 a month, so a rental is out of the question, which brings us to the fact that only about 18% of the resort employees are able to afford living in the area. The 16400 employees are left to commute long distances by car or bus to get to work. Furthermore, when SunCal wanted to proceed with its plans it had to get permission from the City Council, because its plans for the development were in the resort area. It wasn’t clear if SunCal was going to succeed so it roused a lot of advocates from the employees at Disney as well as affordable housing advocates as well as by other individuals and groups who supported the prospect of reducing long commutes, thus reducing air pollution. However, Disney was in the way. It greatly opposed the plan for several reasons. One of which was that the resort district across the street was just that: a resort district. In the early 1900’s , the city of Anaheim designated 2 square miles across the street from the theme park as a special resort district. The resort area, which was 5% of the city’s area only, produced more than half of its tax revenue by 2007. Therefore the area and any development new or old within it were restricted to serve only tourist needs. This meant tourism related development such as hotels and restaurants, Disney argued, and not affordable housing. Disney argued that it wasn’t against the issue of providing the employees with affordable housing, but it is against it being in the area that is allocated for tourism. Having SunCal go ahead with its plan will affect the area and its theme park subsequently because it will take land away from being allocated to tourists needs [will be explained more fully in Q3]. â€Å"It’s not an either/or† Disney argued â€Å"Anaheim has to address the issue of affordable housing but it also had to protect the resort area! † The two sides quickly formed their own advocates. SunCal advocates formed the Coalition to Defend and Protect Anaheim declaring that â€Å"these new homes would enable many families to live near their places of work and thereby reduce commuter congestion on freeways†. Disney’s advocates on the other hand formed Save our Anaheim Resort District to protect the resort area from non-tourism projects. The City Council was split on the issue, to say the least. The five person council has to decide if it will give permissions for SunCal to proceed to build its development plan in a site located strictly for tourism projects, only because this will solve the affordable housing dilemma, or stick with Disney’s claim that the site was made from the start for tourism projects and disregarding the fact now will only hurt the area and the businesses in it as well the theme park of course. Q2 The relevant market stakeholders are Disney’s stockholders, creditors, suppliers, customers, employees and distributors as well as other resort based owners located within the resort district. The nonmarket stakeholders are the community, government, media, and non-governmental organizations. Q3 The stockholders of Disney will be affected adversely by SunCal plans because it might slow down the flow of tourists to the area and thus affect the theme park’s profits and the stockholders profits, dividends subsequently. They are opposed to SunCal’s proposal solely because the area should be targeted to bring about as much tourists to the area and thus enlarge the theme park’s tourist segment and bring out more potential profit and capital appreciation for the stockholders. The same can be said about the resort based business owners, because they may depend on Disney which is the main attraction for the continuation of their businesses. Fewer developments for tourists, less tourists, lesser incentives for them to come to the area and as such will affect Disney adversely which in return will affect the businesses that depend on it for tourist attractions. Moreover, this will in turn affect the creditors, suppliers, and distributers of Disney. The amount of credit needed to run the theme park will be reduced heavily since there will be fewer tourists to attend to. Fewer supplies will be needed if tourism will lessen in the area and as such there will not be as many supplies being distributed. Therefore, the creditors, suppliers, and distributors are all against SunCal’s proposal because it might affect the success of their business if Disney’s attraction is compromised. This can even affect the employees [at Disney and at the various businesses in the resort area] because they will be impacted in various ways including reduced hours or layoffs and reduced salaries, if tourism in the vicinity decreases. The community, government, media and non- governmental organizations can be all entities that are split on the issue. The community for example, is split between providing a solution for the affordable housing issue [therefore in favor of the proposal], or preserving the area that brings prosperity to a lot of businesses [against the proposal]. The same can be said about the government, to be specific, the chamber of commerce is against SunCal’s proposal because it might lesson the profits that the city reaps [the resort area produces more than half of its tax revenue] and the other side of the government wishes to appease its community and wants Disney to take responsibility for its employees. The non-governmental organizations such as the activists we’ve seen in the first scene of the case and the unions that represent Disney’s affected employees from the long communes’ are in favor of SunCal’s plan. However there might be other unions and activists against the plans, even though they are not mentioned specifically in the case text. Q4 The relevant market stakeholders are Disney’s stockholders, creditors, suppliers, customers, employees and distributors as well as other resort based owners located within the resort district. They all have legal power, in which they can bring suit against a company for damages, based on harm caused by the firm. The stockholders in Disney have Voting Power, of which they can exercise their voting rights based on share ownership. They also have the power to inspect the company’s books and records. The creditors, suppliers and distributors, customers and employees have Economic Power. The creditors may call in loans if payments are not made. Suppliers and distributors may supply or distribute to competitors, or even refuse to meet orders if conditions in the contract are breached. Customers can imitate the suppliers and distributors in which they can switch loyalties and purchase their goods from competitors, or even go to extremes such as boycotting the goods and products if deemed unsatisfactory. The employees can from unions to bargain for their wants, they can even refuse to work or take action and perform strikes. They may even go public and influence the media to adopt their issues.

Toddlers in Tiaras

Moriah Gates 5/3/12 CPC Research paper Beauty, Money, â€Å"Sexy† Too Soon! Young girls are like a sponge, they soak up anything they see or hear. They are vulnerable and young. Mothers are hurting their children by putting them through beauty pageants–they are setting them up for life’s insecurities like, self esteem issues and eating disorders. â€Å"Mommy please no†¦. Mommy no it hurts. I don’t want to do this†¦NOO mommy! † â€Å"I don’t wanna dance, I’m not doing that! † These cries come from young girls who compete in beauty pageants.The most recent pageant that has caused a lot fuss with some parents and others is the TV show TLC Toddlers in Tiaras. Toddlers in Tiaras is a show that is centered on beauty and wining the crown. Beauty, clothes, makeup, hair, pretty dresses, long eyelashes, spray tans, Botox, waxing, the list goes on. It’s just the beginning of many of the girl’s list they must fallow become â€Å"pretty enough† to compete. Pageants are where young girls are primped and primed to look pretty and much older than they really are, and are made to dance and parade around on stage.Girls as young as two are being put into these competitions learning how to dance and act and look like a teenager. These pageants are teaching girls at a very young age to dress, look and be â€Å"sexy† the way to win. Parents also start doing pageants for money, and the beauty. When girls start dressing in â€Å"grown up† looking clothes, it is taking away their chance to be a child. Children should be allowed to play in the mud and on the play grounds not made to wear loads of makeup, fake hair, and flippers for their smile, and act like a grown up.Mothers express their desire for their daughters to win, and to be the best. One mother said in an interview, how her daughter is on stage. â€Å"My daughter is the Triple F, five, fearless, and ferocious. Her daughter als o chimed with an answer to her mother’s question, asking her about how she like money and modeling. The daughter says she loves money, and money is her favorite thing! With pageants pushed to the side this mother and daughter have been doing modeling and the mother said has made $30,000 in modeling her daughter.The little girl said, â€Å"With modeling, you have to take pictures, be on commercials, and get paid, that’s my favorite part, it’s all about the money! † CNN article wrote, they interviewed a Toddlers in Tiaras, mother who flat out said, â€Å"I love living vicariously through my three year old daughter, Paisley†. That seems to be the common answer for why these mothers are putting their daughters through these pageants. When watching some of the shows, a majority of the mothers of the girls are overweight, don’t have a good job, and have health problems.The mothers use their young vulnerable daughters, to live their dreams of fame and recognition. Some mothers say they will do anything to put their daughter in to competition, some mothers’ say they will take out a second lone if it means having her daughter win. The family somehow finds the money to make the pageant happen for their girls, yet really they see themselves up there in the spotlight doing all the moves not their four year old daughter. What are we doing to our children when we teach them that they have to be â€Å"sexy† to be pretty, and have to look like x,y and z to be pretty.Mothers are putting four year olds into stripper outfits, they dress their girls up as famous actresses like Julia Roberts in the move â€Å"Pretty Woman. † Julia wore a stripper outfit in the movie, and the mother dressed her three year old to be her look alike. † An article, by Fox News says: â€Å"As a treatment of professional sex offenders as well as victims of sexual abuse, I would like the parents of these little girls to assume responsib ility for their choices. They are sexualizing their young children.Do not be surprised if your child is preyed upon as a result of this high degree of visibility,† said Dr. Nancy Irwin, a Los Angeles-based psychotherapist. â€Å"Men can pose as agents/managers and track you/your girl down through the show. Further, know that they will be pleasuring themselves while looking at your daughter’s YouTube clip. † We are grossed out by pedophiles and people who take advantage of our kids, yet we are ok letting our kids run around in out fits that are very sexual.Some say that it’s just a title ‘child beauty pageant’ but it’s much more! It’s a sexualization pageant. Young girls are put in skimpy clothes and taught to do dance moves like bumps and grinds, this not looking at beauty, its teaching girls that beauty is highly sexualized and they have to be sexual to be beautiful. Just thinking about the pressure that is put on the girls is h ard to imagine, they are four and younger, they should not be worried about how their hair is or how â€Å"pretty† they look, yet mothers stress the very factor of beauty.They get professional photographers to take model pictures and when they get the pictures back the girls are modified so much they look like a china doll. They are photo-shopped to the point where the child begins to like they way they look in photos. When the pictures young girls see are photo-shopped selves, they don’t see their true beauty. Girls already have pressure on them to look a certain way and then, when they start pageants, they are pressured into having beauty treatments done. With pageant shows, there is only one winner, and they are the only ones who get the crown.The others are not rewarded and not recognized for their hard work. The pageant girls grow up with attention fully on her, all the time and then, when it goes away, what happens? These girls are going to grow up with eating di sorders and self esteem problems. They are going to feel like they are never good enough, or pretty enough to get the judge’s approval. The judges, judge and score the girls physical features and talent, looking for something that stands out from the rest of the girls. They are not looking at the girl, or how young and venerable she is.Nor do they think of the effects that this pageant will have on her. For example, when the girls forget the dance move and mess up, the mother might berate the child for her forgetting her part. The girls feel hurt and broken because they didn’t do well enough for their mother. Most parents in the show Toddlers in Tiaras tell their children â€Å"If you do really good in this pageant what will this mean? The child, Mommy and daddy will be happy cause I will bring home lots of money. † â€Å"That’s right, mommy and daddy will be proud if you win because it means lots of money! Money is what parents push on them and that the y must win. What is it doing to their children when the pressure is money, if they do not the child doesn’t feel love or important to their parents and they feel worthless. Children pick up on things and can read their parents actions; if the parents are not happy with them then the child feels afraid. They soak up anything they hear and see. We should be protecting our children not endanger them by our carless wants. Bibliography (I forgot to do the right way to do the bibliography, I will fix it next essay)

Modern Definition of Rule of Law

Introduction to the Rule of Law & the modern definition. Rule of Law in the layman perspective is the principle that nobody is above the law and that every man’s act is subject to the law. The law referred, in our context, is the Malaysian Constitution which embodies the definition, expressly in many of its provisions. The constitution has the absolute power as against the arbitrariness and discretionary power of the government. This concept is commonly practiced in democratic countries.Rule of Law and Rule by Law should be distinguished as the latter is merely a government’s tool for the purpose of ruling and governing only. It is not a good approach as compared to the Rule of Law because law is made by the people, for the people. The concept used under Rule by Law could lead to abuse of power and unfairness especially in the context of human rights. The countries practicing Rule by Law are mostly the autocratic countries where the law is followed because they are forced to, not because they respect the supremacy of the law.According to De Smith, the concept of Rule of Law is one of open texture with wide range of interpretation, or in other words, flexible. Dicey propounded 3 principles of Rule of law in his writings, ‘Law of the Constitution’. However Dicey’s ideas are no longer in use as modern democratic society has emerged. It is only a fashion now to insert Dicey’s to retain the basic values of Rule of Law but it must be interpreted according to our modern needs of society. Dicey’s ideas on ROL includes that; – 1) Absolute supremacy of regular law. ) Equality before the law 3) The Rule of Law includes the results of judicial decisions determining the rights of private persons. Internationally, the Rule of Law was even stated in the Preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted in 1948; where it was laid in the third paragraph that if the government does not want the people to revo lt as their last resort to overcome tyranny by government, then it is important for the fundamental liberties of the people to be defended. The way to defend their liberties is through the Rule of Law. The UDHR has 30 articles which upholds human rights.An international meeting to discuss and make declaration on the fundamental principle of rule of law was held in 1959 named the International Commission of Jurists(ICJ). The ICJ is the modern revelation of Rule of Law that fits the present circumstances. They declared that the rule of law implies certain rights and freedom to create a conducive social, economic, education and cultural norms to achieve human dignity. Joseph Raz, in his writing, â€Å"Rule of Law & It’s Virtues† had outlined a set of characteristics, a total number of 13 virtues of rule of law.The most basic aspect is that the people must be protected by the rule of law, and nothing can happen without the sanction and permission of the law. Others inc lude that the law must be prospective rather than retrospective; the law must be stable and certain and not changeable; the independence of judiciary has to be assured; the law must be fair, just and reasonable; the people should have the access to the courts; principles of natural justice concerning the right to be heard and the judge must not be bias should be observed and many other important characteristics.All 13 virtues should be complied and applied to make sure that the rule of law exists in a country practicing it. Ingredients of The Federal Constitution The Rule of Law is interrelated with the principles of human’s rights and dignity and these can be seen in our own Federal Constitution. Part II of the Federal Constitution enumerates a number of fundamental liberties which devotes 9 articles altogether. Few are: 1)Liberty of the person 2)Protection against retrospective criminal laws and repeated trials 3)Equality 4)Freedom of speech, assembly, association 5) Freedo m of religion and few more.The Parliament has made extensive use of emergency powers, sanctioned by the Constitution. Part XI with regards to emergency powers must be read together with the Fundamental Liberties. By Article 149, it permits the suspension of the Fundamental Liberties, since it validates any legislation otherwise outside the legislative power of Parliament. The Proclamation of Emergency provided in Article 150 permits Parliament and YdPA to override all provisions of the Constitution. This is not to say rule of law is not stable, but that the regular law operates alongside a system of emergency law which is much more draconian.An example is the powers of preventive detention, or International Security Act, which will be discussed further. Constitutionalism Crisis: International Security Act The International Security Act or more commonly known as ISA is an old and inhumane law which is against with the principle of Rule of Law. ISA is a cruel and harsh law and has alw ays been an issue which has yet to be solved in satisfaction. Proposals for the ISA to be reviewed and subsequently, be abolished has been made since Tun Mahathir and Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s times as Prime Minister, and once again, now made by our present Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.It has been 50 years since the ISA came into force but the government has still yet to take any actions in viewing this problem. The ISA made it seems as though the Rule of Law does not exist in Malaysia or less effective. The ISA is a preventive detention law that allows the force to detain a person without trial or criminal charges under lawful circumstances and he will be detained by the police for up to a maximum period of 60 days or the full period. It seems like that the ISA either does not understand or does not believe in the Rule of Law or the Human Rights.Under an ordinary law, every person has his own rights and chance to stand trial if he has committed an offence. When I SA first came into force in 1960, it was made based on the promised made by our first Prime Minister that the law will be used rationally and only against government’s enemies, which was then the communists. Nowadays ISA is used on reasons to deal problems relating sensitive issues like conflicts in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-cultural society. The essence of ISA is to allow detention without trial which goes against the right of a person to fair hearing.Therefore, does this means that the ISA is against the human rights? Accordingly, is it contrary to the rule of law and thus does the principle rule of law exist in our country? In answering the first question, detention without trial is a blatant act and against citizen’s rights. The ISA reflects that the State has failed to uphold its responsibility this right. The judiciary is excluded from ensuring that those detained under ISA are treated according with the human rights. Not a person should be held in d etention without fair trial because it violates the human rights.Human rights and Rule of law are interconnected and so if ISA is contrary to human rights then it acts the same to the rule of law. This makes us question whether the rule of law still does exist in Malaysia. Any country subscribing to the rule of law, will never allow the abuse of power to detain a person without trial. This draconian legislation should be reviewed and repealed if the government still has the intention in making the rule of law as one of the general principles of the constitution. 1988 Constitutional Crisis Other constitutional crisis relating the rule of law follows the withdrawal of Tun Salleh Abas as a judge.This case was also known the 1988 Constitutional Crisis. In 1988, Tun Salleh Abas was brought before a tribunal on grounds of bias as a judge. The Prime Minister then, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammad, explained that he took an action against Tun Salleh under Article 125 of the constitution, on ground s of his behavior and being unable to perform his function as the Lord President. The tribunal concluded that â€Å"the respondent has been guilty of not only ‘misbehavious’, but also misconduct which falls within the ambit of ‘other cause’ in article 125, which renders him unfit to discharge properly the functions of his office†.The 1988 Constitutional Crisis is related to Joseph Raz’s minimum standards on rule of law. Joseph Raz included one of the virtues (among others as mentioned earlier) that the natural justice should be reviewed. The natural justice said concerned; i)the right to be heard â€Å"audi altera partem† and ii)a judge must not be bias â€Å"nemo judex in cause sua†. The latter part has a deep connection to what discussed in the suspension of Tun Salleh Abas. Stephen Kalong Ningkan (1966)In 1966, Stephen Kalong Ningkan was dismissed from being the Chief Minister when the State Governor showed a letter signed by 21 members of assembly saying that they longer had no confidence in him to continue his duty. He was asked to resign himself which he refused to do so. He alleged that the letter did not tantamount to a vote of no-confidence. He was then dismissed by the Head of State by publishing a declaration in the Gazette that Stephen Kalong Ningkan had ceased to hold the office of Chief Minister. However his dismissal was an unconstitutional one.It was held by the court that the law under Sarawak Constitution, a Chief Minister can only vacate his office by his resignation and not by dismissal. There were no authorities stating that the Head of State has the power to dismiss a Chief Minister. Therefore looking through a rule of law’s view, it could be said that the unlawful dismissal of Stephen Kalong Ningkan by the Head of State was contrary to the principles of Rule of Law. Perak Crisis (2009) The constitutional crisis which happened in Perak is similar to what happened in 1966 in the case of Stephen Kalong Ningkan.The crisis began in February 2009 when four assemblymen of Pakatan Rakyat withdrew from the party. Pakatan Rakyat was then the ruling party in Perak, and their withdrawal from the party resulted a loss of majority representatives. Nasaruddin Hashim, was the Chief Minister of Perak before the crisis started was one of the assemblymen whom cross-floored Pakatan Rakyat. The consequence was that the Sultan of Perak, used his discretion under Art 18(2)(b) of the State Constitution, and commanded Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin to dismiss himself from the position of First Minister. The Sultan of Perak then appointed Dr.Zambry Abdul Kadir from Barisan Nasional to fill in the vacant position and be the next Chief Minister. Nizar claimed that there should be a fair free election since this country practices democracy, and for that announced he refused to resign and therefore, the appointment of Dr. Zambry was null and void. The High Court held that the dismissal and appointment made by the Sultan of Perak was unlawful and an unconstitutional one and that Nizar has always been the rightful head of government. The Court of Appeal however held that the action taken by the Sultan was legally valid and certainly followed the State Constitution.According to the Perak Constitution, the Sultan has two options in settling a conflict of lost confidence; which is either to dissolve the state assembly or appoint a new Chief Minister. The Sultan in this case did the latter. Such discretion is a Royal Prerogative. The Sultan is not subject to recommendation or approval of any other person while making the new appointment of Chief Minister. The difference between the Perak Crisis and Stephen Kalong Ningkan case is, the Perak Constitution has no exact statement of means of vote of confidence, which makes the action taken by the Sultan is constitutional and valid while the appointment of Dr.Zambry is also valid and Mohd Nizar must tender resignation. This woul d also mean that it follows the definition of Rule of Law on absolute supremacy of the law on grounds the dismissal was lawful. Conclusion With all the definitions and constitutional crisis discussed, it all comes down to one question; to what extent does Rule of Law exists in Malaysia? It is with no doubt that our country is a democratic country which is against arbitrariness and upholds the supremacy of our constitution. However with constitutional crisis that has happened, this shows that the Rule of Law xists merely on the surface of it. Our judges need to be prepared to enter the fray in the struggle of persevering the human rights and fundamental liberties. Only then we can say Malaysia is grounded on Rule of Law. Without justice, the democracy we practiced would mean nothing but just a concept. There is a need for all Malaysians to understand and appreciate the importance of the rule of law and to be vigilant that it prevails in this country. Without the rule of law, there ca n be no justice.

The significance of context in information systems and organizational change Essay

Since their arrival on the mobile and web computing scene, information systems have had a profound effect on economies, organizations and societies. Individuals have also enjoyed a great deal of the extended effect of the activities that are conducted within the social aggregates provided by information systems. This report seeks to evaluate the impact and the role of information systems on the quality process on different industries in order to make the implementation and application of quality assurance easy, simple, fast accurate and time saving. The journal of strategic information systems seeks to explore the impact that information systems has had on the general process and profitability of a company. This journal has a scholarly audience for those who are in search of better understanding on how best information systems have improved their lives and the potential that they still hold for the future. Since it is documented as a scholarly article, it is expected that the article shall fulfill educational curiosities regarding how information systems have enabled simplicity and some level of perfection in the business world. It is also expected that the journal shall provide precise information with extensive research carried out to back the statements outlined in the article. According to the journal article, the gradual increase in dependence of information systems has shown a steady rise in the need for quality improvement within business enterprises. The article sites a survey carried out to show that IT improvement in t erms of quality is the top problem facing IT executives in the current job market. It is because of the multidimensional edge that IT presents that the position of Chief Information Officers (CIO) has become a recent development in the corporate sector. The journal models the relationship between information systems quality and the organizational impact it has. The article hypothesizes that there is a greater organizational impact in situations where the systems quality, service quality and information quality are high. According to the article, information system service quality is the most influential concept, followed by information quality and then system quality in the overall performance of the business. However, the article fails to mention other impacts that are attached to the success of the organization such as efficiency of the personnel and the updating of information system quality. On the other hand, the article’s mention of Ackoff (1967) is critical to the support of the information system theory. Ackoff pointed out five misconceptions regarding information systems by stating that the most critical information deficiency that managers suffer is from the high levels of irrelevant information. Furthermore the article points to Whitaker and Voas (2006) and Parnas (2003) who confirm that software is plagued with problems such as fragmented software modules that are hard to integrate and hard-to-use interfaces. However, at the time this information was presented this was a rampant p roblem that was facing the software industry and the IT world in general. However, recent researches have shown that in recent years, this has changed drastically and information systems are required to be top notch before they can be released into the market for use and even for testing. The article fails to mention that there have been increased measures and precaution taken to ensure that quality assurance is the core principle in the world of information systems. It also fails to mention that quality assurance is the only link to continued success in an organization when it comes to matters of information, technology and systems. It is only through the assurance of information systems that organizations can adapt systems that are guaranteed to produce tangible and beneficial results. The article also emphasizes on the use of information technology in the general performance of business and the overall perception of the outside world. It is lacking in the expertise to recognize t he fact that quality assurance goes hand in hand with quality control which is mostly effected by use of personnel employed to overlook the process. Therefore, although the article has been pinned as a scholarly article in the journal, it requires much revision in order to remain relevant in the world we live in today. Encyclopedia Britannica posted an article on information systems that proved to be worth reviewing. The article lays the importance of information systems in organizations. The article states that information systems enhance several capabilities of an organization which in turn provide support for business activities. For example, decision making, product development, customer and supplier relation and sometimes the general business model are the areas where information systems fit best. The article does not hold any opinion towards the importance of information system but it does point out the advantages and the potential that information systems hold in the organization. The article is right in pointing out that information systems advancements create new options in the way business is conducted which is generally true, but the article fails to mention that information systems require to be constantly updated. Besides updating, information systems require to be assured so that the results can be translated into the output of the company which shall be of the same quality. The language used in this article is informative and without any bias and it makes its credibility rise with each statement. For example, the article includes that information systems do not necessarily translate to increased profits. The success of a business depends in part the adoption of effective information systems, but it also in the skill to which the information systems are deployed and used alongside other factors such as customer relation and knowledge of the industry. The article is witty and well updated with the latest advancements in quality assurance processes. For example, the article is clear in the definition and the implication of virtual organizations whose quality assurance has to be constantly updated because of the evolving and fast paced information system world. The article does not fail to mention the importance of human personnel in the workings of the company and the incorporation of information systems. Although the article is mainly focused on the information technology literate the simplicity of definition of terms means that the audiences of the article are both the literate and the illiterate to the IT world. It is through the incorporation of information systems to the World Wide Web that quality assurance can be improved drastically. Through quality assurance, individuals can participate in global forums and national events such as elections, referendums, and opinion polls. It is therefore, through the incorporation of info rmation systems in such fronts that quality assurance becomes paramount. The article vividly describes and gives simple illustrations for the ways in which quality assurance in information systems can assist all members of the society. According to the journal of the association for information, science and technology (2014), quality assurance is an administrative and procedural activity that is implemented in the quality system to ensure that both the goals and objectives of the product are fulfilled as intended. The journal hosted an article on the significance of context in information systems and organizational change. The article mainly speaks about the implementation of information systems which is relevant to the above outlined thesis. The article indicates that there are three distinct principles that are to be followed in the implementation of information systems throughout the organization. The first principle should incorporate innovation of the information system with regard to the socio-organizational change, the second principle involves the analysis of the local organizational, the national and the global context of the information system, while the third system uses the analysis of the decisions mad e towards the innovation process of the information system. The article is based on an assumption that ICT does not face any deterministic implications on the organizational results which makes it miss its mark in terms of convincing about the implementation of information systems. The failure in assumption is largely misplaced because ICT has a large role in the performance of the business which ultimately makes it a valuable variable to consider. The article on the significance of context in information systems and organizational change also points out that the information systems research is mainly contextual because it is mostly based on an organizational setting instead of a laboratory setting. It is for this reason that information systems studies are subject to the environment in which they are applied, according to the article. The position of context of information environment used in the article is fairly placed given that different environments, markets or industries pose different challenges for the organization and the information system in use. Different fields of engagement require certain assurances in terms of the incorporation of information systems. For instance, quality assurance in information systems for the military is more precise that that which would be used in a local bookstore. One in a bookstore would be used to track borrowed books while one for the military would be used to track missiles and comm unicate code during wartime. On both counts, quality assurance would have to be stepped because it involves the use of human personnel to operate the information system. On the other hand, quality assurance should be strict so that human use of the information system can be smooth and accommodating and at the same time it should be time saving. The article is well organized starting from the introduction, all through the body and into the conclusion. The points raised in the article such as the concept that information systems are mainly concerned with IT innovations is well founded. The article sites many references for backing the information presented going as far back as 1989 when the initial concepts for the internet were taking place. The audiences intended for the article are scholars who require in-depth information about information systems, their innovations and implementations. The article is highly resourceful and rich in detail for any scholarly work. The article states that in order to maintain a competitive edge in the respective field, companies have to invest in information systems like ERPs (Enterprise Resource Planning) software that serve different functions in the organization. These systems also provide real time data that is used to aid in fast decision making. Information systems such as ERPs help co mpanies to manage their operations seamlessly across the globe. This information is particularly helpful especially in aiding the thesis statement that seeks to give credit to quality assurance for the easy integration, simplicity and quickness in the performance of business duties. Quality in any field is determined by the users, clients or customers who use the product and not by the society in general. The quality, as is often confused is not related to the actual price of the product or the service. The two are separate variables though relating to the same product. Therefore, adjectives like ‘poor’ and ‘high’ should not be used in relation to quality. Even in IT and information systems there are standards by which products must conform and they are monitored by such standards as ISO, 9000 or an alternative as the CMMI model. This is the idea projected in the journal of information systems (2009) that was designed in the interest of quality intervention in the quality assessment arena. The article on the benefits of information systems to organizations indicate that companies benefit by cutting down on human labor that previously cost them billions in wages. Since the invention and the spread of information systems companies have op ted to cut down on human labor down to the most important employees within the company. Although the article is fundamentally clear on the importance of cutting down human labor services, it fails to mention that quality assurance in the information systems that replace them are in constant need of updating for as long as the systems are in place. The article is geared to the well informed in the field of information systems and information technology as it mentions some of the most recent advancements such as cloud computing. The article merely seeks to hit the final nail on the information system concept coffin by including these latest features. Although other articles speak about virtual organizations and virtual communication systems, the journal of information systems seeks to give the latest advancements as well as options and possibilities in the industry. The drastic, yet advanced calculations in the growth of the information technology world have led to the overreliance of computerization that might eventually become the downfall of human beings. Without human intervention to the computerized world, there is an ever conscious possibility of failing to meet set objectives in terms of assurance of quality. The article seeks to inform of the impending danger of the failure to adhere to quality assurance precautions which is commendable and very informative. The article is neither biased but rather it leaves the reader with an option to think outside the box, consider gathering more information or take the information provided at face value. The tile of the article suggests that there shall be many sides to the information system story which is clearly shown and well detailed. The main purpose of the article from a scholar’s point of view is to broaden the thinking of the reader and to create a set of questions as to what lies ahe ad with information systems. Both the application and implementation of information systems has been revolutionary and has defined the 21st century in a huge way. Therefore, quality assurance on information systems has become tougher and more brutal as days go by primarily because of the competition and the innovativeness associated with information technology. The article seeks to highlight the consequences of ignorance and also the failures that companies undergo as a result of ignoring quality assurance requirements for the betterment of their stature in the industry. It is only with quality assurance that new ideas and concepts can be fostered within the organization. Quality assurance ensures that there is always room for improvement on the information system so that companies can grow according to their mission statement. The article is witty and largely educative and at the same time cautious as was the intention. The article is one to look out for in the world of information systems. The international journal of computers, communications and control had an article on management of information systems titled ‘managing the digital firm’ which was an eye opener for those interested. The article was written by rather two professionals in the information systems arena who have extensive background knowledge in information systems. From the title of the article, it is expected that the information provided shall be highly educative and without any blunder. It is also expected that because of the doctoral status of the authors, the information provided can hardly be refuted. The article kicks off by stating that knowledge of information systems is essential in the creation of successful and competitive corporations that add value to their products and services. The article further cements this statement by stating that it is inconceivable for a company to operate without the extensive incorporation of IT. This statement is rightly so because from a global p oint of view, all relationships between customers, suppliers and employees are mainly maintained digitally. The tone used in the article is educational which suggests that it is meant for scholars, educators and to a large extent, managers who are often faced with major information systems challenges. In order to do so, the authors of the article have incorporated a sociotechnical style of presentation through the combination of computer science, management science as well as operations research and blended them with behavioral elements that are drawn from sociology, psychology and sociology. The article contains in large part presentation of facts from a management of information systems (MIS) point of view. The article explains in detail the concepts of digital firms and how quality assurance should be incorporated in the information systems adopted by organizations. The article also advices on keeping information systems updated in order to ensure that the quality assurance process remains easy, simple, fast, and accurate and not time consuming. The article is a masterpiece if not the b lueprint of the future of information systems and businesses in all industries. The article explains in great detail that information systems are relevant in all industries and all markets however miniscule they might seem. The article is very resourceful and without any identifiable flaws. However, its lack of emphasis on quality assurance is a minor setback, but the essence of the article is captured in the rest of the details discussed. References Avgerou, Chrisanthi. â€Å"The significance of context in information systems and organizational change.† Information Systems Journal 11.1 (2001): 43-63. 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