2001: A Space Odyssey :: 2001

2001: A Space Odyssey      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Three million B.C. The gunpowder for a smashing evolutionary hit was amassing for a long time, but the necessary spark came from an outside help, which soon set the whole world ablaze. From this heated inferno, came the most proficient species ever to grace the planet. And now man has to be prepared for what comes next. Arthur C. Clarke skillfully proves the point that 'truth is stranger than fiction' in his remarkable book - 2001: A Space Odyssey. He also carefully examines the point that in spite of their intelligence and curious mind, humans lack the capacity to be a complete species on their own. Without the assistance of concerned alien species humans would never had climbed the evolutionary ladder. Devoid of the outside help they wouldn't had escaped their self made prison, explored the enormity of the universe and known their place in it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If earth were a field and evolution a farmer then the leading and the healthiest crop in his field would be the human or homo sapiens. But this human race would never had flourished into an above average species without assistance from outer space friends. The aliens initialized the primary phase of the advancement process about three million years ago. They did this by means of a monolith, planted on earth on a fateful night. The monolith probed the ape-man's (Austrapethicas Erectus) mind, studied their reactions and finally evaluated their potential. By carefully conducted experiments the monolith altered the molecular makeup of the ape-man's brain making them smarter and providing them with the necessary skills needed to survive in the hostile world. The ape-man changed its shape and size evolving into a new and improved species. It was a slow, cumulative process, and at its end was man.   Therefore, without the assistance of helpful extra terres trial friends, ape-man would never had developed the dexterity to compete for life sustaining rations with rival species and would probably had suffered the same fate as the overgrown lizards. But evolutions success story has constructed tools that have become too hard for even him to handle.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After centuries of enhancement, humans were transformed into a leading species, but he gradually turned into a plant that wraps around another plant for support and survival needs.

What Makes the Dream American?

| What Makes the Dream American? | A Critical Thought Analysis| | Fairen Harris| University of Louisville| Dr. Chapman Gran Torino: In a nutshell A racist Korean War veteran and recent widower, Walt Kowalski is living in a crime ridden town in Detroit, Michigan. Walt’s once all White neighborhood has become occupied by the Hmong people. The Hmong people represent a part of Southeast Asia, such as Thailand, Laos, and China. The Hmong came to America because during the war they fought on the American side and the Vietnamese waged a war against the Hmong people after the Americans left.Due to this change in neighbors, Walt is now forced to confront his own lingering prejudice when a troubled Hmong teen, Thao Vang Lor, from next door attempts to steal his prized 1972 Gran Torino, (Ford model car) Walt himself helped assemble on the care line. It is decades after the Korean War has ended, and aging veteran Walt Kowalski is still haunted by the horrors he witnessed on the battlefiel d. The viewers notice the power distance created among the gang affiliated persons and the nonaffiliated when the gang has tried to kidnap Thao, Walt’s neighbor, from his home.Walt, in an attempt to get the â€Å"gooks† off his lawn turns his same rifle; he pointed at Thao when he attempted to steal Walt’s Gran Torino, on the gang members and scares them away. The Hmong show their gratitude to Walt, by making Thao pay penance for attempting to steal the Gran Torino. Despite the fact that Kowalski wants nothing to do with the young troublemaker, he realizes that the quickest way out of the situation is to simply cooperate. In an effort to set the teen on the right path in life and â€Å"toughen him up,† Walt turns from being Thao’s grumpy racist neighbor into being a helpful almost father figure.In the process of all of this, Kowalski discovers that the only way to lay his many painful memories to rest is to finally face his own blinding ethnocentri c views about other cultures directly. Thao Vang Lor: A boy or a man? When examining at the undertones of classism, racism, and sexism, one takes note that the character affected most is Thao. The first introduction viewers have of. Thao and the other Hmong people as a collective are celebrating the life of a new baby.The Lor family shaman is presiding over the ceremony giving viewers a glimpse into their traditional cultural values. Thao, living in a home with his grandmother, widowed mother, and sister, is looked down upon by the other Hmong people. They expect Thao to step up and become â€Å"the man of the home,† because of the recent death of his father. An elder woman in the movie even says, â€Å"Look at the way he does dishes he will never become the man of the home. † (cite movie here) When Thao fails to do so, he is ridiculed by elders and outcast by his peers.During the beginning of the movie Thao’s activity consist of what the Hmong, and many people of cultures around the world would refer to as ‘woman’s work. † Sue Lor, Thao sister, explains to Walt how life is for Hmong boys and girls. Sue Lor tells Walt, â€Å"Hmong girls fit in better. Girls go to college and the boys go to jail. † As the films plays out you see that Thao does not in fact fit this schema that the Hmong youth have seem to fall victim to. Despite Thao’s fight not to assimilate into the life of the typical Hmong boy, he finds it difficult to escape his cousin and gang friends.Thao is an average middle class teen, does the work of the household for his family, and is employed at a construction site; but most of all Thao wants to go to college and is willing to work hard to finance his way through school. However, he is still not seenperceived as being good enough as a man in the Asian culture and, even more so, in the American patriarchal society. So who is the better man, working Thao or his gang banging, potential rapist, cous in Spider? Throughout the entirety of the movie, Thao is faced with the notions that he is simply not enough of a man and he receives distinct criticism from his immediate family.Thao’s father, before his death, was always hard on them because, â€Å"he was traditional,† as Sue Lor put it. (cite here) How do we measure manhood? Is it based off the number of people that a man has killed? Is it the number of times he has went to war? Or in fact is the measurement of a man the same as what a human should be willing to do? To help ones family, set goals, and work hard to achieve them, that in fact is the measurement of a man, and that is who Thao Lor embodies. Diversity of the American dreamThe seemingly over arching theme in this movie is based on a culture clash, of non- Western and Western views and the ideas of the American Dream. This leads the audience to question, What does being an American mean? What is the American dream? The idea of the American dream is the not ion that anyone in the United States can succeed through hard work and has the potential to lead a happy, successful life. The issue with this idea is that the American dream often disregards  bias  based on a person's race, religion, gender and national origin, which might inhibit his or her ability to achieve the specific goals.Thao, not only struggling with sexism and racism, is also faced with the ever present struggle of class. Their whole neighborhood is similar to that of a very middle class neighborhood; however it is one that is not a priority of the city. Then is evident when there is a scene in which Walt has Thao clean was a rundown house across the street from Walt’s home, and when the police refuse to stay in the neighborhood long enough to patrol it properly. Thao’s only desire is attempting to lead a normalized life, wanting badly to make money, and wanting to take a Hmong girl that he has been interested in on a date.In his quest to do so he is fac ed with issues of peer pressure and teen anxiety. In search for his version of the American Dream, and in the end of the film he has finally achieved that, as Thao is seen driving the Gran Torino he once tried to steal. Conclusion: A message from the director In the end, Walt Kowalski gives up his life for Thao and the other Hmong people by sacrificing himself to be shot by the gang bangers in order to have hard evidence against them for them to be incarcerated for good.Walt was able to, not completely stop his racist mind set, become a bit more open to the Lor family, he felt he had the responsibility to protect them. After being killed, the film cuts to a scene of Thao and Sue in traditional Hmong clothing in route to Walt’s funeral, the same kind of scene as the beginning of the film. By directing and starring as the main character in the film, Clint Eastwood is making it a point for the viewers of this film to look closely at the issues occurring during this film, all of which having to do ith classism, racism, religion, sexism, and how each of these transpire across race and ethnic groups. Eastwood chooses to address Polish, Asians, Latinos, Blacks, Italians, men, women, young and old, wealthy, middle class, and the poor, attempting to address every traditional and non-traditional, western and non-western dichotomies. The film inevitably leaves the viewer thinking, did he do a good job in trying to get his message across? Was Eastwood attempts to use the film as antidote to the issues that it addresses fulfilled? r was there even a political perspective in which he wanted the viewers to interpret the film? References Eastwood, C. (Director, Prouducer). ( 2008). Gran Torino. [Motion picture]. United States: Warner Home Video Shiraev, E. , ; Levy, D. (2013). Cross-Cultural Psychology: Critical Thinking and Contemporary Applications (5th ed. ). Boston: Pearson (Allyn ; Bacon). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed. ). (2 009). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Business Profile of Ireland Essay

Ireland is an island located in the eastern part of the North Atlantic Ocean. Almost all the areas of the country are covered by coastal areas. The density of rainfall is much in the western part of the country that receives heavy which exceeds 3000 mm (120 inches) per year and only 60% of rainfall is received in remaining areas having 762 mm rainfall per year. The country is hugely populated with Christian’s community (Thompson, 1849). The official language of the country is English and mother tongue is Irish. The education background of the country is that, 52.3% of the population are primary educated, 23.3% of the population are secondary and only 24.4% are t highly educate (Hall, 1995). Ireland is one of the most emerging countries of the United Kingdom. It allows the enthusiastic entrepreneurs to commence small as well as medium sized industries which facilitates in the growth and prosperity of the country. For this the so many assistance were provided like financial assistance from both the sides of government body and other institutions, imposing tax   at concession rate, simplified procedures for incorporating, economical tariffs and transportation costs. And other running costs prevailed is also lower compared to other parts of the UK. In addition to these the country is filled with energetic, enthusiastic, young, skilled and highly educated workforce. Ireland is a developing country with a total population of 436, 6193 according to the survey carried out in 2007.   Since1980, about 40% of the inward investment in the European Electronics sector has been contributed by Ireland (Hall, 1995). Now, it is being accepted as one of the growing countries in the world. Most of production functions are undertaken by the country itself and the well known software packages are designed in this country i.e. around 60% of the total software packages sold in different parts of the world. It is also well known that for the software export in the world. Out of top 15 pharmaceutical companies, 13 companies have been manufacturing and conducting R&D operations in Ireland. It also has been a full member of Euro Currency Zone from its inception. It can also simplify the transactions including cross border transactions and other administrative costs that enables the Irish market to gain competitive advantage over costs and gets economies of scale. ‘The Doing Business Report’ reports that the country is ranked 7 out of 181 economies in terms of ease of doing business (Economy Ranking, 2008). The report also documents that the country is accepted as the 5th economy among the 181 economies across the world to start a new venture. Source: (The Doing Business Report 2009, Economy Ranking, 2008) Political Environment The country’s political stability, risk assessment, administration and policy-making are very much feasible to the business people in domestic and their foreign policies are too favorable to the investors. Evaluating and anticipating the political stability and security to the business environment in Ireland, it can be said that the political stability of the country plays an important role in determining the entrance of new ventures in to their market. Their trade policies attract many new entrepreneurs to commence their business operations in the country. Recent emergence of emigration, environmental risk and the affect of technological changes to the political agenda   have been seen along with Ireland’s economic   performance, their   peace process, the policy areas of health, housing and industrial relations of the country. Economic growth rate since past decades of the country in terms of per capita GDP level showed a higher trend. The reason behind such development was imaginative i.e. the dynamic programs developed by Irish political and administrative leaders irrespective of the governing body mainly focused on the development of the country as a whole and not as an individual. Ireland’s good working condition and better relationship with the United Kingdom has enabled the two governments to achieve significant progress and developments in the country. Comparative advantage of the country When we are talking about the comparative advantage of the country it is necessary to evaluate the overall development of the country. There is a good sign in inflation rate which is showing decreasing trend from last decades, this resulted in increase in the purchasing power of the people and also the micro factors GDP and Per Capita of the country also showed a positive sign. In addition to these foreign exchange rate increased. This inspired more and more outside companies to establish their business in the country and increased the amount of contribution of the foreign companies in the country, this factor provided employment opportunities to the people of Ireland. The following are the various categories that offer large amount of employments to youth. –  Ireland Industries – Ireland Hi tech – Ireland real estate – Ireland Services – Sundry The other comparative advantage of the country is the prevailing taxation policy of the country. It impose lower rate of taxation for existing industries as well as new industries. The policy of taxation is based on the individual income .In other words, higher the income higher the rate of tax payable. Companies those who are following the conditions as mentioned in the assessment year of July 1998, only 10% corporate tax will be applicable. This tax slab rate will remain unchanged till 2010. If it is a passive income only 25% is applicable (Cantillon, 2001). Income tax imposed on individuals is also low as compared to other countries in the world. For an individual, tax will be payable according to income earned in Ireland and overseas who follows the requirements to become a resident of Ireland for. A foreign resident who is employed in Ireland is also liable to pay tax on income earned in Ireland. It is yet another comparative advantage over other countries. Besides this they are also preventing the levy of double tax to the foreign companies even though it is followed in other parts of the country. In addition to these advantages, the government of Ireland provides VISA to the foreigners to do business in their country. In certain occasions they give passport having 3 months validity to the foreigners to stay. And a work permit will be given to the foreigners by the government if all the conditions in the gazette are complied by them. And suppose they are issued without fulfilling the conditions it will badly affect the employ Tax. They are liable to pay tax on income earned in Ireland and overseas by an individual who meets the test of a â€Å"permanent resident† of Ireland. A foreign resident who is employed in Ireland pays tax only on income earned in Ireland and not on overseas. The work permit is granted for the period of one year if required it can be extended. The major industries of Ireland The major industries located in Ireland are Agriculture, Beverages, Chemicals and Fertilizers, Clothing, Construction, Electronics and Data Processing, Food Processing, Machinery, Pharmaceuticals, Textiles, Tourism. Major companies working in Ireland Barry’s Tea Ltd It is a privately owned company. It was founded in Republic of Ireland in 1901 whose headquarter is situated at Cork. The main products of the company are Tea. About 73 employees are working in the company. The annual turnover of the company is â‚ ¬ 31 million. Baltimore Technologies It was founded in 1976 at Dublin, Ireland. About 12 employees are working in the company. The main products of the company are Public Key Infrastructure Solutions. The Company was acquired by Oryx International Growth Fund in July 2006. Airtricity The company was established in 1997 in Ireland. Paul Dowling is the current CEO of this company. Mainly they are producing electronic items. About 380 employees are working in the company. Arnotts It is one of the oldest and largest department stores at Dublin, Ireland. It was established in the year 1843 by Sir John Arnott. It is a privately owned company. â‚ ¬ 750000000 is the asset of the company. Market capitalization of the company is US$13billion.

Gender segregated schools Essay

The Benefits and Disadvantages of Single-Sex Education Schools in early 17th century America were fist modeled after English learning institutions after Puritans immigrated over to the English colonies. Originally only rich white males were allowed to attend school to learn how to read and write. In many cases, most parents placed their boys into the nine month long curriculum to keep them out of mischief. For the other three months of the year, students would be released from school during the summer months to lend a hand on their familys arms to help cultivate the land and raise animals. During the summer months, wealthy white girls attended these same schools often taught by a female instructor to learn to read and write. Of the girls who could attend the schools, many were kept at home to be taught the essentials for their future such as cooking, sewing, and the caretaking of babies and toddlers (A Short History). Fast forward one hundred years and the first coeducational schools can be found appearing in the American colonies, primarily the New England area. In these schools the major focus was to teach children how to read, specifically for religious purposes. The likely cause of the integration of boys and girls in schools is thought to be stemmed from â€Å"growing numbers of female church numbers and the practical requirements of finding enough children to support schools in sparsely populated regions† making schools more practical to spread religion (A Short History). After the revolutionary war, American citizens saw that women’s education was important and was needed to promote good citizens and great leaders in society. With this state of mind, many private schools opened their doors to coeducation and allowed both boys and girls to attend school together. Until the late 1840’s, only rich white boys and girls were allowed to attend schools because there was no government funded schools. That changed when reformers Horance Mann and Henry Barnard succeeded with their efforts to promote a free public school system. This finally allowed all white children to attend schools together for free. The only exception to gender-integrated schools where catholic families who â€Å"objected the practice of coeducation on moral and religious grounds†¦ and that males and females had profoundly different purposes to fulfill† (A Short History). Because of this many catholic schools remained segregated y gender. In the early 1900’s many schools created classes specifically to prepare boys and girls for their future. Girls were taught â€Å"home economics and traditionally feminine labor skills, such as secretarial work and or garment-making† while boys were educated in industrial arts, bookkeeping, and commercial geography (A Short History). These classes were introduced for the importance of the growing labor market of the time period. In todays society, some parents are faced with placing their children in gender- segregated schools or in public schools to better benefit their children. The problem brains of the two genders learn different subjects at different ages. So, with this, boys or girls have an advantage over each other. The same happens when puberty becomes a factor in adolescence as well as in high school with distractions. On the other side, there are also benefits to public schools such as socialization with the opposite sex and better preparation for the real world. Then there are gender segregated schools that better accommodate teaching methods and times for specific sexes as well as better grades, less competition, and fewer distractions. Again there re bad sides to this too, such as less socializing and less competition to prepare someone for their future Job. With all of these factors, any parent faced with a decision like this will have a hard time figuring out what type of education their child should receive. One of the major arguments people make supporting gender-segregated schools is the fact that boys and girl’s brains differ in many different aspects. Whether it is an emotional difference or the structure of the brain, one gender will do better in class than the other. In 2007, a team of neuroscientists from the National Institute of Mental Health conducted a study on subjects ranging in age from three to twenty- seven years old both male and female. Their results showed that the occipital lobe of the brain where visual processing is mostly associated with is developed much more rapidly in six to ten year old girls, as opposed to the male brain where this lobe does the majority of its development after fourteen years of age (Novotney). Another major brain difference between the girls and boys is that a girl’s corpus callosum is twenty- five percent larger than a boys, making girls better at multitasking. A girl’s prefrontal ortex also develops earlier and larger than that of a boy, making girls better at abstract thinking and thought analysis as well as making better choices between right and wrong (McBride). Meanwhile, the cerebral cortex where mechanical and spatial thinking is conducted is used much more in boys. This results in boys having an easier time learning with movement and pictures as opposed to girls. With these different developed sections of the brain, girls gain an upper hand in classrooms over boys by ways of better listening, sensory memory, and especially reading and writing. However, boys gain an upper hand over girls in math as Leonard Sax a Ph. D. in psychology and author of Why Gender Matters explains: [the] fact that many middle-school boys seem to learn algebra better when you start with numbers, whereas many same-age girls seem to be more engaged if you start with a word problem. For example, if you are teaching equations in multiple variables, the typical 7th-grade boy will do better if you begin by asking â€Å"If x + 2y = 60, and 2x + y = 90, how do we solve for x and y? † But the typical 7th-grade girl will be more engaged if you begin by asking â€Å"If a sweater and two blouses cost $60, and two sweaters and a louse cost $90, how much does each blouse and each sweater cost? (Sax 15). By splitting boys and girls in school, a teacher can adjust a test to where the two genders of students both benefit from word or equation only math problems. According to Lisa Damour, Co-director of the Center for Research on Girls at Laurel school, a girls day school claims that â€Å"the benefit of single-sex schools†¦ is that they offer the dynamic of having only one sex in the classroom at a time, creating girls class that would not work as effectively in a boys class and vice versa (Novotney). That way boys and girls are taught the same subject at different times in a better gender specified manner. Many studies have statistically shown support towards gender-segregated schools as being better for students in both education and even personality. A study was conducted by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania studying schools in Seoul South Korea that randomly assigned students to either attend a coed or gender-segregated school. In these schools, all students were from different socioeconomic backgrounds. The results of this study found that girls in gender- egregated schools were more likely to attend college after graduation as compared to girls at coeducational schools; the same appeared in boys of both types of schools. Both boys and girls in these gender-segregated schools made higher test scores than coed schools in the same city. In another study conducted by Betta Hannover and her colleague Ursula Kessels found that American girls in girl only schools were more comfortable with physics. The National Foundation for Educational Research in England also supports that boys and girls do better on test scores and overall grades as compared to coed students regardless of background factors. The study also backs up the Hannover and Kessels study by finding that â€Å"girls at single-sex schools were more likely to take non-traditional courses – courses which run against gender stereotypes† (Single-Sex). Student grades at single-sex schools could be better than expected by both boys and girls because boys and girls in the single sex schools are more comfortable enrolling in contradicting gender-stereotypical classes, like girls interested in computer science, and boys in art. These classes could seem a bit more difficult for some students bringing their overall grade down a bit even if it is in egard to students in different nations or here in America. Researcher for the Australian Council for Educational Research Cornelius Riordan found that most boys and girls who attend single-sex catholic schools were from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, yet these students obtained better grades than coed students (Single- Sex). This backs the study done by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, that socioeconomic background does not play a major role on a student’s grades as thought by many people who oppose single-sex schools. Riordan also found that students in these catholic schools view learning in a more positive manner which ould be another reason as to why students in single-sex schools do much better than coed students. In another study conducted in Jamaica by Marlene Hamilton â€Å"found that students attending single-sex schools out preformed students in coed schools in almost every subject tested† which confirmed the research done in Australia, South Korea, England, and America (Single-Sex). With many studies on students all over the world being consistent, it proves that single-sex schools are better for a student’s education. Not only do single-sex schools benefit a student’s education, but their overall focus and character as well. At Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in Seattle, principle Benjamin Wright led the movement of the schools traditional coed classroom setting to single-sex classrooms. Before this transition he would address over thirty misbehaving children a day, eighty percent of which were boys. In regard to the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, the single-sex classrooms, there were on average one or two students sent to the office for misbehavior a day. The boys reading average rose to sixty-six percent while their writing average also went up to fifty-three percent (Single-Sex). All of this was done under the same teachers for boys and girls. At an inner-city high school in Montr ©al who underwent the same type of transition also saw positive results. The number of students skipping class dropped by thirteen percent to Just seven percent. Fifteen percent more of students passed their final exams as opposed to before where sixty- five passed. Finally, the rate of students continuing their education in college doubled what it used to be before the switch. With these consistent positive results, many schools will turn to the idea of following these footsteps and transition to single-sex schools or classrooms to benefit all students in their education and haracter. Although segregating students by gender has its positive results, it also has negative results in students psychologically and socially. New York Times writer Tamar Lewin stresses â€Å"the strongest argument against single-sex education†¦ is that it reduces boys’ and girls’ opportunities to work together, and reinforces sex stereotypes† (Lewinl). By splitting the two genders apart, students will not know how to properly work together or even communicate with one another. According to the American Psychological Association, â€Å"school is preparation for the adult life and how oys and girls learn to interact will dictate relationships formed in the workplace† (Saunders). As students are separated by gender, they miss vital chances to work with one another and build important social skills. By segregating students, they are missing out on learning those very skills needed outside of school such as an engineering firm where thoughts from multiple engineers take place. A female engineer who spent her entire school life including college in single-sex classes may feel a bit more uncomfortable speaking out her ideas to the male engineers. Not only oes this affect people in the work place, it affects their personal relationships as well, for example, a male trying to meet women to date, becomes much more difficult. If he has spent little or no time communicating with the opposite sex, he may feel shy or awkward. Elizabeth Danish explains: Part of the idea of going to school is to prepare your child for ‘real life’ when they leave. There is no doubt that the real world’ is mixed gender rather than single sex and so that means that the best way to do this would be to emulate that in school. Further, learning to talk to members of he opposite sex is a very important skill and one that can leave you at a significant disadvantage if you’ve never had a chance to practice. By experimenting with relationships now when things are less serious, your child will be better at managing and finding them when they leave (Danish). She also believes that in coed schools students become more understanding of each other and are more open minded of new conditions. Danish then suggests that building a feminine side to men could help them better understand girls and reduce the changes of sexism in schools. The problem with some single-sex schools is that he ideas of men are better than girls or in some cases women are better than men begins to circulate and lowers the self-confidence and self-esteem of some students. Another problem facing single-sex classrooms is lack of trained teachers to What could be done to better benefit students in single-sex schools is to have the two genders attend the same school in different buildings. With this, students could be integrated during lunch hours and for elementary schools even recess. This way the two genders can socialize with one another and not be completely segregated throughout all twelve years of school. This socialization can help prepare boys and girls for life outside and after high school in both work life and relationships with one another. In regards to single-sex classrooms, studies show how boys are encouraged or more engaged in learning subjects can be implemented in teaching methods for specifically boys and vice versa for girls. With this, teachers can know what method of teaching works better so they can use it only for boys and only for girls. The numbers of single-sex schools have been on the rise in the past fifteen years and will continue to go up because they are proving to better benefit student’s education and personality. However, many advocates believe that the psychological and sociological downsides to this form of education are harmful to students and outweigh the positives.

Textbook Analysis 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Textbook Analysis 5 - Essay Example The books is mostly organized according to chronology of the civilizations and roughly sectioned according to geographic location. The book takes a broad approach to the study of social studies. It is not just a history book, where the overwhelming emphasis is usually on dates, battles and important people. The full scope of the human experience is encompassed on the pages of this text. For example, chapter 4 presents information on the ancient societies of Egypt and Kush. Rather than learning about the pharaoh in abstract terms, the book is adept at showing why pharaoh was central to the lives of all Egyptians through the importance of their religious belief in an afterlife. The book is also good at getting student s to connect with these ancient peoples on a personal level. Each chapter begins with a short reading titled, â€Å"If You Were There†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The student is presented with a situation that is designed to elicit some sort of emotion. For example, the chapter on Egyp t and Kush begins by discussing the influence Egyptian culture had over Kushite culture. The students are asked how they feel about their older sister having a baby and choosing to give it an Egyptian name instead of a Kushite name. These discussions and readings are a strength of this textbook. They allow for spontaneous bits of all the social sciences to come into the discussion, instead of focusing solely on the historical doings of these people. Each chapter in the book is divided into two to five sections. Each one of these section assessments asks questions typical of a social studies textbook. Some are designed to reinforce main ideas and vocabulary presented in the section reading. Other questions are designed to engage the student in higher level thinking by asking them to evaluate a statement from the text or to think critically about information from the section just read. This is not, however the only assessment offered by

International Business in the Emerging Markets Essay

International Business in the Emerging Markets - Essay Example The magnitude of this flow of capital is momentous, and although there are well-defined reasons for this trend it has caught many by surprise.† The increase in FDI investment has mostly been in East Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, regions of Europe, and Central Asia. This means Africa and other parts of the world did not receive much in terms of FDI. The effect this has on the poorer nation is that it keeps their currency low and the amount of available jobs are low as well as the economy being flat. The effect on the countries that receive investments are a higher foreign exchange reserve, more jobs, and a higher GDP. (2) China’s energy policy and its impact on developing countries in Africa and Asia. China is now the greatest energy consuming country in the world, surpassing the US based on the IEA (International Energy Agency) findings. Although Chinese officials dispute that the country is responsible for 2.25 billion tons of energy consumption , the country did admit to stockpiling oil when there is a lull in purchasing. China is also the leading gas emitter so it makes sense that China would be the largest consumer of energy. Also China spends the most amount of money on green technology. China has such a desire to dominate the oil market that is has gone against sanctions in order to invest in Iran. This means that not only are the Chinese going against what the world is trying to accomplish but also are strengthening the Iranian mindset of misinformation. Due to the fact that Chinese officials focus on controlling demand of gas by emphasizing price impacts the developing countries like Africa and Asia because the prices in these two countries are much higher than what would be in China. Why? Well first of all purchasing from Iran would lower prices but also being a major buyer in the market can allow for more pressure on the market. In Africa there is little pressure on the market for energy and Asia outside of China's consumption has a much lower energy demand. By cornering the market with the U.S, China is essentially decreasing the likelihood that Asia and Africa will ever be able to afford the energy costs. Even if these countries can afford it, are the citizens willing to pay for this consistently, or will they tire of high energy prices? The effect on Africa and some parts of Asia will be a lack of the supply of energy and therefore power outages, inability to drive cars, and issues of this nature. As a NY Times article states: â€Å"Power blackouts — â€Å"load shedding,† in utility jargon — are hardly novel in sub-Saharan Africa, where many electricity grids remain chewing-gum-and-baling-wire affairs. Even so, this year is different. Perhaps 25 of the 44 sub-Saharan nations face crippling electricity shortages, a power crisis that some experts call unprecedented. The causes are manifold: strong economic growth in some places, economic collapse in others, war, poor pl anning, population booms, high oil prices and drought have combined to leave both industry and residents short of power when many need it most.† These outages can be crippling for small businesses such as farms, and production companies. Factories would have to build another day and the company loses because they are unable to meet their obligations. (3) The drivers of globalization amid the current financial crisis. Before we can talk about globalization we must

It 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

It 1 - Essay Example Furthermore, experts in the IT sector require prior knowledge in business strategies and the technological sector. Therefore, IT management is about management because in all business entities, management usually involves togetherness to accomplish certain objectives using available resources. I think that IT experts have a clear understanding of the business better than other individuals in the business sector. In fact, IT experts have the ability to gain a better understanding of the business. It is quite clear that there is no other department in the business sector which interacts with diverse parties as compared to the IT sector. In fact, in the contemporary world, most activities usually require IT information and skills. This has been significantly attributed to the development in technology. Research asserts that business knowledge and technical knowledge should be merged together to improve the overall functioning of the company. If the business experts and the technological individuals share knowledge, communication can be enhanced significantly in the company. This affirms that the overall performance of a company can be improved by the business manager and the IT experts (Austin, Nolan, and O’Donnell 11). According to Barton, it is quite evident that business knowledge and technical knowledge should be merged together. According to the context, the capability gap is depicted by two hills and a valley between them. One of the hills represents the executive side while the other side represents IT leaders. The executives are supposed to acquire enough understanding of a business to become effective IT experts. This capability gap is brought about by the fact that business executives lack knowledge in IT management. Lack of communication between the business executives and the IT department has also contributed to the capability gap. Barton explains that it is difficult to bridge the