Analysis & Discussion about gold Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Analysis & Discussion about gold - Essay Example People value gold and perceive it to a sign of purity and success. It is a metal used for jewelry, as investments and also as monetary exchange. Gold jewelers are considered to be the most successful business as they deal in something that has only seen appreciation in value most of the time. The value of gold is quoted in financial news and it fluctuates on daily basis. The gold rates are quoted for price in dollars for gold bullion which is the raw form of the metal. All countries publish gold prices in their respective currency on daily basis. Analysts link the value to the international gold rates quoted in the global markets. The market generally shows an upward trend of the gold prices but its fluctuations are based on the demand and supply of the metal itself. The sudden surge in the gold price is attributed to the shortage of this metal as compared to its demand. But some analysts argue that gold hoarders have led to artificial price hike at times. Although international laws and regulations keep a check on the gold prices and monitor its trading in a prudent manner. Gold was used as reserve currency for many decades. The use of gold coins and issuance of money equivalent to the gold reserve has been a very common in the past. In the second half of the nineteenth century an international gold standard was established. â€Å"The gold standard was created by the free market, the citizenry, and it operates to manage the supply of paper currency under self adjusting market system.† (Lewis 103) The use of gold as a monetary exchange was abolished and replaced by fiat currencies in the 20th century. Before currencies were convertible into gold but the declining gold reserves and the increasing international trading required currency interchange and thus currencies were made legal tenders by the government and were used for transaction and reserve purposes. â€Å"The price of a thing at any moment is determined by the quantity of money which has to be given for it, but ‘the quantity of money’ is a magnitude, which is in part determined by the nature of the unit of account employed.† (Gregory 4) The price of currencies previously was linked with gold and the purchasing power of the currency would be maintained in terms of gold. The same amount of currency, irrespective o f its metallic weight, whether it is a coin or a note, would be convertible to the same amount of gold. Thus the purchasing power in terms of the value of gold would be same and this determined the value of currency as well as the gold prices. But the scarcity of gold mines and deposits around the world has lead government to remove the gold and currency purchasing power equation and has made the paper currency a legal tender for all the transactions. The same amount of currency will have the same purchasing power or not cannot be guaranteed in the fiat - legal tender currency system. The gold has now become a commodity of exchange rather than i ts previous function of maintaining currencies purchasing power. â€Å"In today’s government controlled fiat money system, gold has lost its monetary function. However, gold has remained a kind of ultimate means of payment, protecting investors against financial crises and inflation.† (Belke & Polleit 13) People buy gold jewels, gold bars and gold coins from the investment point of view. The investment options may differ for

Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Sociology - Essay Example An Industrial Breakthrough: Taylorism After having worked in the steel industry and noticed a pervasive culture of purposeful inefficiency and underperformance of workers called ‘soldiering’, Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915) was motivated to scientifically investigate the causes and solutions to the said problem. The outcome of his investigation -- a comprehensive work which received both commendation and criticism upon its release -- was encapsulated in The Principles of Scientific Management (1911). In his unorthodoxly treatise, Taylor greatly emphasized the need to employ scientific methods in improving the occupational operations of industries to combat workers’ sloppiness and unprolificacy. He also advocated for the division and simplification of job routines and for the optimisation of specialised responsibility (Kanigel 5). In his ‘time and motion studies,’ Taylor sought to determine the fastest way to complete a specific task and the best possible way to conduct it. After several experiments, Taylor was able to propose monumental scientific management principles to maximise efficiency and profit that would also benefit not only the owners, managers and workers of a particular industry but also the whole economy. Interchangeably called Taylorism, the school of thought revolves around the belief that the scientific study of the whole gamut of occupational tasks is key in the success of the business; that the systematic selection, training and development of each worker is important in ensuring higher productivity values; and that division of work between management (planning) and workers (execution) should be implemented so that focused attention is rendered towards their respective duties (Taylor and Epley 45). To be sure, Taylorism is a management system that aims to guarantee maximum prosperity for the owner and at the same time, considerable material improvement for the worker -- higher wages, better working condit ions and higher productivity. In the words of Pugh (1997, p. 275), â€Å"maximum prosperity for the owner meant the development of all aspects of the business and the achievement of good financial results. Benefits for the worker meant offering relatively high salaries and more efficient utilization of labour, that is, the attribution of higher level tasks according to their present manual skills.† Moreover, the payment-by-result method of wage determination in Taylorism implants the bonus piecework scheme, rewarding the employee per work done rather than his or her skill level. Although rightly denounced by individual laborers and labor groups for trying to alienate them (indirectly but substantially) and treating them as mindless, emotionless, and easily replicable factors of production, Taylorism was a critical factor in the unprecedented growth of US manufacturing output that catapulted Allied victory in Second World War, and the subsequent US domination in the industrial world. The said management practice and industrial protocol has also been tremendously emulated in some other parts of the industrialized world, thus changing the face of work and the entire landscape of the industrial sector (Tickell and Peck 358). A Fresh Perspective: Fordism The criticism against Taylorism based on the grounds that it dehumanises the workforce by treating the members as machines and by looking at them as ‘

Child labour: Is it a Necessary Evil?

Child labour: Is it a Necessary Evil? Now days, the complex and universal problem of child labor have become a harsh reality attracting worldwide attention. The prevalence of child labour is economically unsound, psychologically disastrous and physically as well as morally dangerous. No doubt, labour is worship but child labour in dangerous and a blot on the conscience of society. It is a sad affair that child labour is deprived of his youthful life, education and thus prospects of higher level of living. Child labour perpetuates poverty, it does not reduce it as it condemns one generation after another to its vicious circle. Child labour harms the progress and prosperity of a nation. Throwing light on this fact, John has rightly said, Starve a child of food, of affection, of freedom, of education and you produce an adult who is stunted as an individual and holds back progress and development rather than accelerate it. Our country is also facing this critical problem of child labor. A wide variation is seen in the estimation of child labor in country. According to 1971, 1981 and 1991 census of India, the number of working children accounted for 10.74 million, 13.60 million and 11.28 million respectively. The ORG has estimated that the number of child labor is closer to 44 million. According to U.N., 55% of the work force in India is made up of child labor. It is normally seen that employers do not always provide accurate data on child labor in order to safeguard themselves from legal hassles. It was pointed out in the World Conference on Children that the number of child labor in the world is about 25 crore, out of which the maximum number about 10 crore is found in India alone. It is estimated that about 7.5 crore are engaged in rural areas while remaining 2.5 crore are employed in urban areas. Alarmed at this critical problem, ILO has also estimated that India alone accounts for one fourth of tot al child labor of the world. Childlabor is rampant across the country. Children can be seen working in agricultural fields, carpet and durri industries, biri, handicraft, match box, glass and bangle industries, in restaurants and as domestic servants. It is estimated that 30 per cent of child labor is engaged in agriculture and allied activities, 30 to 35 percent in industries and remaining are engaged in mining, tea gardens and hotels etc. These occupations are hazardous, causing severe physical damage to them and thus inhibiting their mental, moral and social development. These child laborers become prey to many fatal diseases, like T.B., Cancer, Asthma, lungs and skin related diseases. The sad plight of child labor is depicted by Sudha and Tiwari in these words,It is really sad to note that children in most of the developing countries are living miserable, cheerless lives, toiling unendlessly to ward off starvation, totally deprived of all comforts and opportunities for self growth and development. Poverty, unemployment, traditional attitude, marginalization of farms, urbanization, lack of schools, reluctance of parents to send their children to schools are the factors responsible for the problem of child labour. In fact, poverty is seen as the major factor responsible for this problem. Poor parents hardly have time for their children because they are all the time struggling for bread and butter. They are not in a position to fulfill their responsibilities towards children. In reality, the children are supposed to be the extra earning hands, rather than extra mouths to feed. Children are made to work at a very young age. Emphasizing this factor, the report of the Committee on Child Labor commented, Stronger than tradition is the factor of chronic poverty responsible for the prevalence and perpetuation of child labor. In poor families, the child, since his very appearance in this world, is endowed with an economic mission.The child is compelled to shed sweat of brow to keep the wolf away from the door. Large sized families are also held responsible for this problem. Again, most of the workers are engaged in non organized sector. The inadequacy of wages in this sector compels these workers to send their children on work to supplement their income. Availability of child labor at lower wages also motivates the employers to employ them. The employment of the child labor not only reduces the cost of production but also provides access to that labor which is unresisting and unorganized. As a result of this trend, the wages of other adult workers decline, adult unemployment increases and that paves way for the poverty. Nurses vicious circle of poverty explains the phenomenon of child labor clearly. Thus, child labor is an exploitation of child by the vested interests. On the one side, there is compulsion of poor parents and on the other side; the unresponsive attitude of specific industries is also responsible for this problem. The situation of child laborers in India is desperate. Children work for eight hours at a stretch with only a small break for meals. The meals are also frugal and the children are ill nourished. Most of the migrant children, who cannot go home, sleep at their work place, which is very bad for their health and development. Seventy five percent of Indian population still resides in rural areas and are very poor. Children in rural families who are ailing with poverty perceive their children as an income generating resource to supplement the family income. Parents sacrifice their childrens education to fulfill the basic needs of their younger siblings and view them as wage earners for the entire family. Irrelevance of education in practical life is also considered an important factor for this problem. It is rightly pointed out, A secondary reason for child labor is that many children choose to work because neither they nor their poverty stricken families see the point of acquiring an education which has little relevance to their lives and which moreover does not guarantee them a job. They prepare to undergo some kind of apprenticeship so that they can learn a skill and earn money at the same time. These children are deprived of their childhood. The prospects of getting good education and good jobs become a distant dream for them. Thus, the parents, society and the state are responsible for thi s criminal injustice with the future citizens. Children are flowers of our national garden they should be nurtured with love and affection so that; they grow into responsible and responsive citizens. Child labour has important demographic and social-economic implications for developing countries like India. Many provisions have been made in the constitution of the country to promote the welfare and development of children. Under Article 29 of the constitution, no child below the age of 14 can be deployed in any hazardous work. Article 23 prohibits forced labour. The chapter IV of theIndian constitution mentions specific directions related to the welfare of children. In Article 39, it is made obligatory for the states to formulate polices in such a way so that the healthy development of children can be ensured. To safeguard the interests of these deprived children, various laws have been enacted in the country. Many legislations have been passed to prevent the employment of children in hazardous occupations and to improve their working conditions. Many policies have also been formulated for the healthy and balanced development of children. In the same way, there are important legislations which provide legal protection to child labour in India. Some of them are following: 1. Child (Pledging of labour). Act (Government of India, 1933) 2. The Employment of Children Act (Government of India, 1938) 3. The Minimum wages Act, 1948 4. The factories Act, 1948 5. The Plantation Labour Act, 1951 6. The Mines Act, 1952 7. The Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 8. The Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961 9. The Apprentices Act, 1961 10. The Bedi and Cigar Workers Act, 1966 11. State Shops and Establishment Acts, 12. According to the National Policy for children, 1974, no child under 14 years can be engaged in any hazardous occupation. It is also laid down in the policy that children should be protected against neglect, cruelty and exploitation. Again, the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act was initialed in 1986 to ban childrens employment in 70 hazardous occupations. National Child Labour Project (NCLP) was also launched by Labour Ministry in 1988 to rehabilitate working children. In Oct, 2006, the Government has passed legislation to ban the employment of children below 14 years in restaurants, hotels, tea-stalls, eateries and as domestic laborers. India has also become a signatory to various international declarations and agreements to regulate the menace of child labour. So, it has become obligatory for the country to undertake the measures to eliminate the scourge of child labour which has assumed serious proportions in recent years. Many policies have been formulated for the healthy and balanced development of children. The Government has launched Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Mid Day Meal Scheme, Education Guarantee programme etc to bring the child labour under the umbrella of education. Non Governmental Organizations were also permitted to open residential schools for these children to bring them back to the mainstream of the society. Residential and special schools have also been setup for the education of child labor. In 2006 the Government has introduced Integrated Child Development services aimed at providing a package of services consisting of supplementary nutrition, immunization, health check up and education and non-form al education. In spite of adoption and implementation of various policies, laws and programmes by the government directly or indirectly, the problem of child labor is still staring at us. Due to ignorance, illiteracy and economic compulsions of the poor families, these laws are evaded at different places at different points of time. Weak enforcement machinery, little information related to child labor laws and peculiar socio-economic conditions are also the factors responsible for the avoidance of laws related to children. To check the problem of child labour, it is essential to eradicate the menace of poverty by improving agriculture sector, providing employment to unemployed hands at minimum wages, establishing agro-processing units in rural areas. Stringent measures should also be taken to make employment generation and poverty eradication plans effective and successful and corruption free. In the same way, population control measures and other medical facilities must be provided to the poor section of the country. Adequate school facilities, provision of night schools, improvement in school environment and curricula of education can also contribute a lot in solving this critical problem. National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) should also ensure that rescued child labourers do not return to work. So every effort must be made for the repatriation of rescued child labourers to their native places. Poverty, unemployment and illiteracy are the prime reasons responsible for this problem. So efforts must be made to eradicate these causes. Monetary incentives and income generating assets must be provided to poor families so that they are not compelled to send their children to work. It is essential to compensate the families of those children who are being withdrawn from work force. A strong socio-political environment must be achieved with the active cooperation of people, society, and non government organization. NGOs must motivate the parents to provide education, health care and skill development facilities to their children. Special schools may be set up for the child labor so they can acquire minimum qualifications. In the same way, specific strategies must be evolved keeping in mind the nature of work in which the child is currently engaged. Thus, a joint effort of government, NGOs and society is required to solve this critical problem. We should try to strike at the root ca use of this critical problem. Efforts should be made to change the attitude and mindset of the people towards their children. We should never forget that todays children are tomorrows citizen. If this critical problem is not tackled urgently, we can well imagine the future of our country in the days to come. 1

Northeastern Co-ops :: University Work Experience Students Essays

Northeastern Co-ops The key to a well-rounded college career is having a combination of experiential education and academic studies. Having the opportunity to dapple into your field of study one year into college is an experience not offered to most students. It allows the student a chance to grow up and join the real world, for six-months at a time. Northeastern University, in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts, offers just that to all of its undergraduate students. Northeastern University is ranked number one in co-ops by the Princeton Review, and offers a six-month long internship program every year. The Mission of the Division of Cooperative Education may be expressed in three parts: 1. To cultivate and maintain the position of Northeastern University as a national and international leader in Career Services and Cooperative Education 2. To provide comprehensive career planning services that support all members of the Northeastern University community in identifying, planning, and implementing sound career decisions 3. To provide Northeastern University students with cooperative educational experiences that have a significant impact on their professional lives. Most Northeastern students take advantage of the unique five-year program and use their six-months to experience more than just a new job. Every year, more students are finding co-ops outside of the metropolitan Boston area. Mike Hourihan is a 23-year-old finance major from Boston and can't say enough about the co-op program. "I worked for Merrill Lynch in San Francisco. The job itself taught me a lot about the finance industry. Merrill Lynch will look great on my resume' and the experience I gained is more than you can learn in the classroom," said Hourihan. "The people in the company were great and I got to sit with sales people and brokers on several occasions. The job taught me how trades settle and how to deal with different types of wealthy customers." The Silicon Valley and Bay Area of California is home to a plethora of businesses and companies that attract people from all over the globe. To leave school for six-months and work in your field of choice is only part of what Northeastern students gain when they take the opportunity to work across the country. Doreen Hodgkin, Senior Associate Dean for Administration at Northeastern manages a bulk of the co-op paperwork. "The students who leave the area to work have so much more to offer their employers in the workplace because of personal experiences," said Hodgkin.

French Revolution DBQ

The French Revolution of 1789 caused many changes in the social, political, and economical world of France. The French Revolution sparked the beginning for many new reforms in France that were previously unavailable to the 3rd estate. The things that led up to the French revolution were all caused from within the social, political, and economic world of France. The Social causes for the French Revolution were varied. One such problem was the well being of the 3rd estate.According to Travels in France by Arthur Young the conditions of the 3rd estate were terrible as people could not purchase bread due to the high prices and the ragged conditions of the children (Document #1). Because of these factors the people were forced to fight each other for a piece of bread alone. Another problem was the middle class’ knowledge of the Enlightenment. According to The French Revolution historian Albert Mathiez, the middle class’ knowledge of the Enlightenment made them start the revo lution rather than the unintelligent working class (Document #3).The social world of France was a front for the revolution to begin because of the people who were mistreated by the government. The political reasons for the Revolution were also varied. One such reason was the signing of the Declaration of Independence. According to Lord Acton, the spark supplied by the signing of the Declaration of Independence was the cause of the French Revolution (Document #5).Another reason was the 3rd estates demands of the monarchy. Some of their demands were to lower the taxes assigned to them, have definite meeting times, and take votes by head (Document #3). The political state of France did not fare well in preventing the revolution. Finally the Economic reasons for the revolution were less varied than the others but just as important. One economical reason for the revolution was the unfair taxes to the 3rd estate.A chart of the tax and land ownership percentage in the 1700’s clearly shows how much more the 3rd estate was being taxed than the 1st or 2nd estate (Document #2). The economical causes for the revolution most likely set off the 3rd estate when their request for a tax change was denied. In conclusion the French Revolution was a result of the three different worlds of Frances system: Economy, Social, and Politics. The changes caused by the Revolution paved way for modern France and spelled out a new era for France.

World History 2.03 Worksheet

Eric Kennedy A. Complete this chart by filling in the information for each civilization as explained in the assignment. |What|When|Who|Where|Why| Phoenicians|The political system of the Phoenicians allowed each Phoenician city-state to have its own ruler, its own form of government, and its own chosen god to worship. |1200 BCE to 800 BCE|Canaanites|City-states were Tyre and Sidon, present day Lebanon and Syria. |Trade, farming | Hebrews |Each tribe set up separate governments connected by their customs. 2000 BCE|King David|Hebrews migrated to a region known as Canaan, roughly corresponding to present-day Israel, western Jordan, southern Syria, and southern Lebanon. |Free religion| Babylonians |Highly-developed court system. One of its greatest rulers, Hammurabi, developed a code of laws that is now known as Hammurabi's Code. This major collection of laws gives insight into the social structure and economic organization of the civilization. |18th Century BCE until the 6th Century BCE. King Hammurabi|South of modern Baghdad, Iraq, between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. |Slavery | Persians |Common set of weights and measures and a silver and gold coinage system. |560 BCE and lasted until 330 BCE. |The empire was formed from a nomadic people called the Persians and the Medes, both distantly related to the Hittites, Greeks, and Romans. |Asia Minor to India, including present-day Turkey, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Military force| Assyrians|Created a large empire known for warfare and cruelty; also built large libraries and created important art and architecture; religion adopted from Babylonians|2000-600BCE; Assyrian farmers date back to 7th century BCE|Semitic people (similar to Hebrews); greatest leader was Sargon II (extended empire, deported people of Israel); strongly influenced by Sumeria; merchants traded throughout the Middle East |Found in what is present day Iraq in the Middle East; Empire eventually extended from present day Turkey to the Pe rsian Gulf|During the height of their empire the Assyrian war machine was the most feared in the Middle East. | B. What are three things that these civilizations have in common that allowed them to be successful? 1. Strong military 2. Farming land 3. Religion

Problems Essays - Manufacturing, Management Accounting, Costs

Problems Essays - Manufacturing, Management Accounting, Costs Problems Problem 1 Required: Use the following information to complete the below schedule of cost of goods manufactured. (25 points) Purchases of raw materials$120,000.00 Raw materials available for use$148,000.00 Cost of direct raw materials used$124,000.00 Manufacturing overhead$24,000.00 Total manufacturing costs$310,000.00 Ending work-in-process inventory($46,000.00) Cost of goods manufactured$306,000.00 Schedule of Cost of Goods Manufactured Beginning inventory, raw materials$28,000.00 Plus: Purchases of raw materials$120,000.00 Raw materials available for use$148,000.00 Less: Ending raw materials inventory($24,000.00) Cost of direct raw materials used$124,000.00 Direct labor$162,000.00 Manufacturing overhead$24,000.00 Total manufacturing costs$310,000.00 Plus: Beginning work-in-process inventory$42,000.00 Total work in process$352,000.00 Less: Ending work-in-process inventory($46,000.00) Cost of goods manufactured$306,000.00 Problem 2 Required: JZ is a musician who is considering whether to independently produce and sell a CD. JZ estimates fixed costs of $10,000 and variable costs of $4.00 per unit. The expected selling price is $12 per CD. What is JZ's break-even point in units and dollars? (25 points) Break-even point in unitsFixed Costs10000/(12-4)1250 Contribution margin per unit Break-even point in dollarsBreak-even point in units * selling price1250 * 12$15,000.00

Maintaining Internet Privacy essays

Maintaining Internet Privacy essays Louisiana law states "Every person shall be secure in his person, property, communications, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches, seizures, or invasions of privacy." (Article I, 5, p.3) Does this apply in accordance to online privacy? Louisiana has many distinctive laws and regulations that protect the communitys privacy. The laws protect the community from unlawful use of the Internet (i.e., Cyberstalking, Unauthorized revealing of personal information, etc). I believe that Louisiana has a firm grip on these laws and enforcing criminal action on those who do not abide. Over the past semi century the Internet has grown tremendously and therefore many directives for the privacy of the community have been set. Milestone cases such as McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commission, Stanley v. Georgia, and Tattered Cover Inc. v. City of Thornton are all court cases that involve the changing times and the enforcement of privacy and anonymity laws. I will address these court cases and a few others that Louisiana itself has come across, including a recent case in New Orleans that includes anonymous online commenting and how it may signify something larger and more pernicious. Online privacy in short is defined as the right or mandate of personal privacy concerning the storing, re-purposing, providing to third parties, and displaying of information pertaining to oneself via the Internet. What this mean is that we have the right to say what we want on the internet but there are some restrictions on how we do and in what manner we do it in. The Internet is full of millions of people reading and waiting for information, thus making the Internet the perfect medium between people and a golden door for intruders of privacy. Personal information such as social security numbers, drivers license number, account numbers, credit card number and security codes are our personal identity. This privacy is protected in L...

Male Sexuality in Ancient Rome

Male Sexuality in Ancient Rome Modern sexuality offers a two-tiered dichotomy based on sexual preference. A homosexual is characterized by his exclusive sexual preference for same-sex relationships. Similarly, a heterosexual favors exclusive sexual relationships with members of the opposite sex. Ancient sexuality, on the other hand, finds its basis in status. The active partner, i.e. the partner of a higher social status, assumes the role of the penetrator; whereas, the passive partner, i.e. the partner of inferior social status, takes on the penetrated position.(www.princeton.edu/~clee/paper.html) - Malakos Our modern preoccupation with sexuality has depended on a distinction between homo- and hetero-. That gender-changing operation and other, less dramatic transgender behavior are blurring our neat borders should help us understand the very different Roman attitudes. Today you can have a lesbian who was born a man and a gay male who was born a woman or a male in prison who behaves in ways that to the outside world appear homosexual, but to the prison, ​the  community does not, alongside the more traditional homosexual, bisexual, and heterosexual roles. How Did the Romans See Gender? Instead of todays gender orientation, ancient Roman (and Greek) sexuality can be dichotomized as passive and active. The socially preferred behavior of a male was active; the passive part aligned with the female. The relation between the active and passive partner is thought of as the same kind of relation as that obtaining between social superior and social inferior. - Malakos But before I go further, let me stress: this is an oversimplification.   To Be an Ancient Roman Male in Good Standing ...Walters makes a crucial distinction between males and men: Not all males are men, and therefore impenetrable. In particular, he refers to the special nuance of the term vir, which does not simply denote an adult male; it refers specifically to those adult males who are freeborn Roman citizens in good standing, those at the top of the Roman social hierarchy those who are sexually impenetrable penetrators Craig A. Williams Bryn Mawr Classical Review of Roman Sexualities And... ... since the concepts heterosexual and homosexual did not exist, but there does seem to be a high degree of correlation between the conduct of men identified as cinaedi and that of some men now labeled homosexuals, though it must be appreciated that the modern term is clinical while the ancient one is emotional and even hostile, and that both have been imposed from outside. Richard W. Hoopers Bryn Mawr Classical Review of The Priapus Poems To be an ancient Roman male in good standing meant you initiated penetrating acts of sex. Whether you did this with a female or a male, slave or free, wife or prostitute, made little difference as long as you were not on the receiving end, so to speak. Certain people were off-limits, though, and among them were free youths.This was a change from the Greek attitude which, again to simplify, condoned such behavior in the context of a learning environment. The ancient Greek education of its youth had begun as training in the arts necessary for battle. Since physical fitness was the goal, education took place in a gymnasium (where physical training was in the buff). Over time the education came to encompass more academic parts, but instruction in how to be a valuable member of the polis continued. Often this included having an older male take a younger (post-pubescent, but still unbearded) one under his wing with all that entailed. Although later Romans sometimes asserted that homosexuality was imported from Greece, by the close of the 6th century B.C.E, Polybius reported, there was widespread acceptance of homosexuality [Polybius, Histories, xxxii, ii]. Lesbian and Gay Marriages For the ancient Romans, who claimed to have adopted other passive behaviors from the ancient Greeks, free youths were untouchable. Since adolescents were still appealing, Roman males gratified themselves with youthful slaves. Its thought that in the baths (in many ways, successors to the Greek gymnasia), freedmen wore a talisman around their necks to make it clear their naked bodies were untouchable.

Wal-Mart Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Wal-Mart - Case Study Example People are supposed to be able to relax themselves and properly feed their bodies during the lunch break. â€Å"Lunch is really important for us to have a recharge of energy and just take a break† (Luckerson, 2012). The premise of Wal-Mart’s management that women are not interested in managerial positions is completely false. Women have the same goals and desires as men of moving up the corporate ladder. Unfortunately at Wal-Mart its corporate culture suffers from the glass ceiling effect. â€Å"The popular notion of glass ceiling effects implies that gender disadvantages are stronger at the top of the hierarchy than at lower levels and that these disadvantages become worse later in a persons career† (Cotter, Hermsen, Ovadia, Vanneman, 2001). Women at Wal-Mart are viewed as second class citizens that do not have the same opportunity for career growth as men. Women were systematically discriminated by Wal-Mart. Female workers accounted for 65% of the workforce, but only 33% of managerial positions. The company has not been able to truly take advantage of the virtues of diversity because of its discriminating stance against women. The position of Wal-Mart of not offering health care coverage up to par with the benefits other employees receive in the industry can be considered an ethical issue due to the fact that Wal-Mart is not attending the health needs of its workers. Wal-Mart has been hiding behind the excuse that it offers some health care coverage to part-time employees which many companies don’t to justify their extremely poorly designed health care benefit coverage. The reason that Wal-Mart’s medical plan is so poor is because Wal-Mart has been looking for everyway to save money on medical coverage for its employees. Wal-Mart pays $3,500 yearly on health coverage per employee which is over 40% lower than the industry standard. I do not think that Wal-Mart should be concerned with unionization of stores based on what occurred in the

Managing Human Resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing Human Resources - Essay Example From the study it can be comprehended that the most significant asset in any organization is the employee. As a group or individually the employees play a crucial role towards the success of the company and; therefore, they should be acknowledged. When a business becomes successful, it is because of the influence that the employees have brought to the company. A good management in human resource will guarantee the satisfaction of the employees. It is advantageous to manage employees individually so that their development within the organization is monitored. The management provides all the required resources to the employees so that they can perform their duties well. A reliable human resource sector that works well assists the organization to achieve its strategic goals by acquiring the attention of workers, sustaining them and managing their needs. Every department of human resource strives to do this. Great focus is put on forming an efficient human resource system in a company. M ost of the departments in the companies utilize the human resource to make plans and means of processing formal assignments. The organizations that have unstable managing in human resource sector go through formal disarray and lack of the administrative skills in the staff activities. Human resources are available in any successfully performing organization. The organization should go on despite how large or small the company is, and this essentially depends on the competence and performance of the people it has. ... In the real sense, they should have a similar management. Nonprofits inherently have volunteers, which are human resources that  are not paid. Volunteers are to be managed like  normal  employees. Although they  are not given  money, they are other ways in which they  are compensated  (Carter, 2009). There is a similarity in volunteer and paid  staff  management; therefore, there should be a  clear  specification of the  volunteer’s roles, and their recruitment should be carefully done.  In addition, they should be given  proper  training and  orientation, their organization into  suitable  teams with  appropriate  leaders are  crucial, there should be  performance  monitoring, incase issues regarding performance  arise  they should be addressed, volunteers also need to be motivated through rewarding them for outstanding performance (Carter, 2009). Employees  welfare  regarding risks and liabilities  are considered  by the organization and the same should be considered for the volunteers. The organization should identify the most significant duties it has and then people  are supposed  to be recruited, oriented, prepared and organized so that they can successfully  perform  the identified roles. For a  business  to be successful, the right employees should be allocated the  right  duties at the right time so that they are able to perform their duties with a good attitude. The work of the human resource is, therefore, to get the  qualified  employees. Employees should be fairly compensated for the labor they provide for the organization, therefore, the human  resource  is supposed  to pay the employees (Carter, 2009). Employees

The word 'God' and its meanings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The word 'God' and its meanings - Essay Example e inferred herein that since God can be perceived to bear the ultimate potential of creation and of knowledge in all, God’s might and intellectual capacity must be far beyond the measure which men could possibly hold in depths of thought or imagination. For Christians, this view of God corresponds to the unseen Creator and Father who neither has a beginning nor an end and who is widely known for His unconditional love for mankind despite the weak nature of the latter. As a full manifestation of this love, Christians believe that this same God established a ‘covenant’ with men in the ancient times through the prophets and carried out His plan of salvation at the expense of the death of Christ by crucifixion in order to save human souls from the perilous evil of committing sins, upon repentance. A Gnostic group called the Marcionites claim that â€Å"the Christian Gospel was wholly a Gospel of Love to the absolute exclusion of Law† (Gray, 2002) so that this leads to the notion that the God in whom Christians express their prayerful faith is even magnified as a loving God who is, above all, a merciful Redeemer and not a ruthless Punisher. On the other hand, the dictionary-based definition coincides with the manner â€Å"Allah† or the God of Islam is depicted as â€Å"the Almighty Creator and Sustainer of the universe† where, in the 112th chapter of Qur’an, the text reads â€Å"In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate† and includes that Allah is â€Å"the One God, the Everlasting Refuge, who has not begotten, nor has been begotten, and equal to Him is not anyone† (WAMY Series). Similar to the illustration of God via the Christian principle, the image of Allah prevails as God with abundant reserves of mercy and an unparalleled God of providence whose existence is considered infinite on both ends of time. Among the monotheistic systems of belief such as those adhered to by Muslims and Christians, the concept of God appears to converge on the

Appraisal Methods Of Workers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Appraisal Methods Of Workers - Essay Example The Director of Talent is required to perform different tasks and roles efficiently to ensure proper management of the company.The job I would want to obtain after my undergraduate studies is that of a financial analyst.Financial Analyst Career Duties: Reports economic position by organizing and analyzing fiscal and monetary plans, predictions, and reportsAnalyses economic status by observing discrepancies from the plan.Evaluates financial status through comparison and analysis of plans and projections with attained results.Expands financial status by evaluating results and variances and finding trends and endorsing actions.Reconciles transactions by equating and rectifying figures.Improves efficiency by developing computerized applications and reducing duplications and managing info requirements.Provides information to management by assembling and summarizing data; preparing reports; making presentations of findings, analyses, and recommendations.Appraises job understanding by parta king in educational opportunities; reading professional journals; keeping personal linkages and contributing in professional groups.Undertakes finance and business mission by concluding related results as required.Skills/Qualifications: Writing Skills, Enlightening Others, Financial Abilities, Predicting, Corporate Finance, Financial Analysis, and Financial Software, Analyzing Information, Statistical Analysis, Procedure Improvement, Financial Planning, and Approach.

The Division of Labor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Division of Labor - Essay Example The role of people at a different level are labor specific and conform to the specified exchange of service that is needed to perform at that level therefore what is being exchanged becomes more important to who is exchanging. The social division of labor is characterized by complexities in the social hierarchy and traditions in any cultural production that is focused towards development and often results in conflicts. These conflicts basically comprise of developmental issues and ideological contradictions which arise due to disparate social exchanges, promoting social stratification on the basis of class, race, and culture. Within a wider spectrum of social issues which focus on division of labor, conflicts arise because of varying interests of the state and individual during cultural production in a developmental process. Cultural production signifies construction of collective identities on the basis of cultural diversification and therefore, the platform that promotes this production stresses the importance of the technical division of labor that emphasizes the specialized type of labor inputs, required for the different level of production. The technical division of labor, therefore, has become more job specific and highly skilled. The rapid globalization and technological advancement of the recent time have greatly revolutionized the labor processes. With the advent of technology, the collective production has become more complex. There is a significant paradigm shift in the technical division of labor from direct to indirect model that is focused on regulation, administration, improvement, and innovation to meet the challenges of the changing time.

The new york times, The Bes tLaws Money Can Buy July 12, 2010 Essay

The new york times, The Bes tLaws Money Can Buy July 12, 2010 - Essay Example The Private Equity council, which has eight partners, has paid Capitol Tax $ 30000 per month for keeping the taxes of its members low. Considering the amount spent by other firms on the same issue, the total amount spent for a favourable carried-interest tax i.e. the 20% fee that fund managers get from the fund's profits, may be $15 million. With lobbying, the law makers agreed to a compromise on carried- interest tax. That is, part of the earnings will be taxed at the regular rate and another part at a lower capital-gains rate (Brill). The new proposals are made effective from 2011 meaning additional tax savings worth $2 million for clients. The intention of the reformers has been to make the Americas’ wealthiest pay taxes the same graduated income-tax rate that ordinary persons do (Brill). But the opposite happened. Financial-regulatory-reform bill To reconcile differences over the financial reform bill between the Senate and the House of Representatives, two week- long conf erence committee was convened and the proceedings were telecasted to make the process transparent. But the real action happened in the night after the televised sessions are over. In public, the two sides made offers and acceptance which were fixed earlier behind closed doors (Brill). 2000 lobbyists are registered in 2010 to lobby for the financial industry. They watch proceedings of the conference live and perform surgical strikes (Brill). Volcker Rule The Volcker rule prohibits banks from putting their own money into risky ventures such as private-equity or real estate deals (Brill). It is aimed to prevent another financial crisis. Bankers do not like such rules. So their lobbyists tried to insert some provisions that would allow some percentage of funds to go into high-risk deals, delay the rule's implementation or exempt some big players (Brill). Two lobbyists tried to influence the Volcker rule. The argument of one lobbyist is that the government is giving tax credits for encou raging green energy investments. As banks making consistent profits have large tax liabilities, they can make use of tax credit. Hooper of Capitol tax tried to get the same benefit for members of the American Wind Energy Association. According to Hooper, lobbyists work with legislators and staff to avoid unintended consequences of well-intended proposals (Brill) The lobbyists were able to get exception for most mutual fund companies and allowed banks to manage their funds. Banks can make investments up to 3% of their capital. Banks were allowed to define their capital. Those who got exception on the basis of energy deals won a provision tucked into a paragraph on page 670 that, depending on how the implementation rules get written, might allow exceptions for investments in small or start-up businesses that "promote the public welfare (Brill)." Originally, the House Bill consisted of 1615 pages. The Senate version consisted of 165 pages. The final Bill, however, consisted of 2319 pag es. On every page, dozens of phrases were added which have diverse interpretations. Variations in language imply millions in profit. The more complex bills are becoming, it becomes easier to manipulate. President Obama, does not permit lobbyist to function in his office. The 1914 law establishing the Federal Trade Commission was eight pages (Brill). The 1935 Social Security Act, which also included unemployment compensation, child-welfare services and a complex allotment to

The Division of Labor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Division of Labor - Essay Example The role of people at a different level are labor specific and conform to the specified exchange of service that is needed to perform at that level therefore what is being exchanged becomes more important to who is exchanging. The social division of labor is characterized by complexities in the social hierarchy and traditions in any cultural production that is focused towards development and often results in conflicts. These conflicts basically comprise of developmental issues and ideological contradictions which arise due to disparate social exchanges, promoting social stratification on the basis of class, race, and culture. Within a wider spectrum of social issues which focus on division of labor, conflicts arise because of varying interests of the state and individual during cultural production in a developmental process. Cultural production signifies construction of collective identities on the basis of cultural diversification and therefore, the platform that promotes this production stresses the importance of the technical division of labor that emphasizes the specialized type of labor inputs, required for the different level of production. The technical division of labor, therefore, has become more job specific and highly skilled. The rapid globalization and technological advancement of the recent time have greatly revolutionized the labor processes. With the advent of technology, the collective production has become more complex. There is a significant paradigm shift in the technical division of labor from direct to indirect model that is focused on regulation, administration, improvement, and innovation to meet the challenges of the changing time.

Minor Assignment Marketing Mix Essay Example for Free

Minor Assignment Marketing Mix Essay Introduction This report has been compiled in order to describe the four most common elements of the marketing mix which are described by Elliot, Rundle-Thiele and Waller (2010 p.18-21) in the following few sentences. * Product – â€Å"A good, service or idea offered to the market for exchange.† (p.18) * Price – â€Å"The amount of money a business demands in exchange for its offerings.† (p.20) * Promotion – â€Å"The marketing activities that make potential customers, partners and society aware of and attracted to the business’s offerings. † (p.20) * Place (Distribution) – â€Å"The means of making the offering available to the customer at the right time and place† (p.21) In conjunction with these descriptions, all four marketing mix elements will be analysed and shown how they can be applied to retail petrol outlets and the products which are made available to customers. The Marketing Mix Elliot et. al describe the marketing mix as â€Å"the different elements that marketers need to consider.† (2010 p. 18) When using the marketing mix to market retail petrol outlets such as Caltex Woolworths or Coles Express, marketers need to consider the Product, Price, Promotion and Distribution (Place) of not only petrol, but many other consumer and specialty products which retail petrol outlets offer. Product It can be seen in retail petrol stations that other than the expected fuels like unleaded and diesel which are generally relatively low in terms of their profit margin, â€Å"some oil firms claim that supermarkets sell petrol at a loss in order to attract customers.† (The Economist, 1996 p.58) Other products are required in order to boost profits for the retail petrol chains’ owner. These other products are mostly the convenience type and can range from the daily newspaper and chewing gum, to a bottle of orange juice or a loaf of bread. There are three categories of convenience products outlined by Elliot et al. which are all found in retail petrol outlets and include staple products, impulse products and emergency products. (2010 p. 207) * Staple products – These are considered to be everyday grocery products like bread and milk, purchased regularly by consumers and therefore aren’t heavily promoted * Impulse products – These are considered to be only purchased when seen, like confectionary or magazines which are eye catching and are usually found around the cash register. * Emergency products – These are considered to be those products which are only purchased when really needed, like a raincoat or an umbrella. Although there are a lot of products sold by retail petrol outlets like Caltex Woolworths and Coles Express, the obvious product centred on all retail petrol outlets is the fuel supplied to consumers. The varieties of fuels which can be purchased can include: * E10 – 10% Ethanol. * E85 – 85% Ethanol. * E95 – 95% Ethanol. * Unleaded – Standard fuel. * Hi Octane – Offered for high performance vehicles. * LPG – Alternative to liquid fuel, a Gas product. * Diesel – More efficient lower sulphur producing by product. There is a vast selection of fuels for consumers to choose from and although the blends of fuels stay similar, the names and descriptions of these fuels tend to change from outlet to outlet. For example, when you drive into a Caltex Woolworths you are confronted with the choice of â€Å"Caltex Vortex 95 or 98,† both are hi octane blends offered to a prospective purchaser. (Woolworths fuels, Website.) Price When dealing with topic of pricing in retail petrol stores, the outcome of the price has to be both beneficial to the seller, and seen as a good deal to the buyer, otherwise no trades will take place. As stated previously, petrol itself tends to have a lower margin for profit which means the strategic pricing of other products in-store needs to be addressed as well as ensuring that the price of petrol is not seen as out of balance with other suppliers. There is an obvious demand for petrol, as almost everyone who is able, drives or rides a vehicle which requires fuel to run. So it could be argued that retail petrol stations don’t necessarily set their own prices, but go off supplier guidelines which base their fuel pricing strategy on demand, â€Å"Demand based pricing sets prices according to the level of aggregate or individual customer demand in the market.† (Elliott et al. 2010 p. 250) Elliott et al. also continue to write that both Caltex Woolworths and Coles Express hold more than 60% of the Australian fuel market share (2010 p.268) so high demand from their suppliers will enable them to lower their fuel prices and therefore gain more customers, earning higher profits. Pricing of other products offered by retail petrol outlets such as bread or milk tend to have the opportunity to be competitive and more fairly priced than a standard petrol station, the major grocery companies behind retail petrol outlets like Woolworths and Coles focus on gaining more ground off one and other, price drops are reflected in store and this also proves more profitable, because consumers are drawn into purchasing something they wouldn’t normally associate with their petrol. Promotion An important aspect in the success of retail petrol outlets is in their promotion, or the way in which their fuels and other products are portrayed to potential customers. There are many numbers of ways in which retail petrol outlets use promotional tools to make the public more aware of what their outlet has to offer. Using the Coles Express website for example, it can be seen that promotion plays a major role in the marketing of retail petrol outlets, on the homepage can be found five key promotional campaigns designed to catch the eye of potential customers. The opportunity to win â€Å"the ultimate weekend Ferrari drive experience† or â€Å"two Cadbury chocolate bars for four dollars† (Coles Express, website) are two examples of how Coles Express use promotion as a tool to gain the interest of potential customers. The use of shopper dockets and rewards cards are also a major way in which retail petrol outlets have promoted themselves, using incentives of cheaper fuel by spending amounts of money in store or purchasing earlier in their supermarkets and bringing the docket to the petrol station in order to gain the fuel discount. In the recent past, retail petrol outlets have encouraged shoppers to buy big in store in order to earn big discounts off fuel â€Å"motorists who spend more than $300 during one supermarket visit during the next three days receive a 40 cent per litre petrol discount. Shoppers who spend more than $200 or more receive a 25 cent a litre discount, while those who spend $100 or more get a 10 cent a litre discount.† (Cranston 2009) Woolworths have the â€Å"Everyday Rewards† program, and Coles have the â€Å"Fly buys† rewards program. Both these programs offer rewards point in exchange for purchases made in their outlets. Another way in which retail petrol outlets can promote their product is through sponsorship, Coles Express for example are sponsoring Daffodil day, a program not normally associated with fuel but this can help to grow an organisations image, by supporting such a worthy cause, Coles express may gain respect from the community and in turn boost their profits. Place (Distribution) The transportation and distribution of products including fuel to retail petrol outlets operates under the marketing mix category of â€Å"Place.† â€Å"The science (or art) of ensuring products are in the right place at the right time in the right quantity is known as logistics and the various partners that contribute to the process make up is called the supply chain.† (Elliot et al. 2010 p.21) Retail petrol outlets operate somewhat differently to conventional service stations, the retail petrol outlets are often situated near to a parent supermarket company (in the same complex) which makes supply of products other than fuel relatively easy as the distance for stock to travel is minimal. When looking at the fuel aspect, it can be seen that the logistics tend to become a lot more involved and a more defined supply chain emerges. * First fuel is sourced from their respective supplier (Caltex or Shell) on a relatively routine basis, as fuel is a required product for most of the community. * The fuel is then transported by truck from oil refineries which are based in more coastal areas (Caltex oil refinery in Kurnell NSW) which makes it easier to transfer oil from overseas oil barges when new shipments arrive. * When the trucks reach the retail petrol outlet the fuel is then pumped into underground holding tanks, where the fuel can now be distributed to the customer via the petrol pump and now exchange of fuels can be made for a profit. Conclusion This report was compiled in order to describe the four elements of the marketing mix: * Product * Price * Promotion * Place (distribution) The descriptions of these marketing mix elements were also shown in application; how they are applied when breaking down the four aspects in relation to retail petrol outlets. Focusing on the Caltex Woolworths and Coles Express partnerships it was able to be shown how the marketing mix elements are applied. Products have been broken down into specific fuels and other items which are available to potential customers, these products have also been categorised as either: Staple, Impulse or Emergency. Price has been shown to be of vital importance, and the outcome of the price has to be both beneficial to the seller, and seen as a good deal to the buyer. Promotion has also proven to be of high importance to the overall marketing of retail petrol outlets, the use of shopper dockets for discounts, and sponsorship for awareness and image are important promotional tools outlined above. Place (Distribution) outlines the logistics and supply chain which is in place for retail petrol outlets to gain their product in order to forward it onto the paying public to gain an overall profit. All four of these marketing mix elements play their own equally pivotal role in ensuring the successful operation of retail petrol outlets. References Coles Express website www.colesexpress.com.au Cranston, B. (2009) NSW: ACCC investigating supermarket petrol promotion. AAP Australian National News wire Elliott, G. Rundle-Thiele, S. Waller, D. (2010) Marketing. Pump Action, The Economist. (1996) Vol. 338 Issue 7950, page 58 Woolworths petrol website www.woolworthspetrol.com.au

Advantages and disadvantages of increasing interdependence and interconnectedness

Advantages and disadvantages of increasing interdependence and interconnectedness Since the 1970s the globalisation of finance has made the economic fortunes of states increasingly interdependent. Until relatively recently international finance was still considered principally to be an adjunct to trade (McGrew, 2007), a necessary mechanism that enabled the exchange of goods and services at the international level. Its phenomenal growth over the past few decades has shattered this perception. Today the global economy is characterised by the sheer volume and velocity of international financial transactions. Average daily turnover on traditional foreign exchange markets increased from $15bn in 1973 (Gilpin, 2001) to $3.2tr in April 2007 (BIS, Sep 2007). While the successes of financial liberalisation include lifting millions out of poverty in China, East Asia, and elsewhere, and improving the developing worlds access to markets, its failures have also been stark. Various crises of the 1990s showed that problems in one country or even a particular industry can fast become global. The recent financial crisis of 2007 has again generated discussion at the normative and theoretical level about the contemporary global financial architecture, its widely perceived benefits, and its increasingly evident costs. The increasing significance of the global financial system over the past two decades has been mirrored by a surge of interest from the academic field of international political economy. Its effects are now so far-reaching that commentators have drawn connections between international financial integration and such diverse developments as social turbulence in East Asia, monetary union in Europe, and failed development strategies in Latin America (Pauly, 2005). Most of this literature, however, tends to focus on specific aspects of financial globalisation, such as its implications for national economic policy or the power of transnational corporations (TNCs). This essay intends to broaden the debate, to demonstrate the apparent paradox of international financial integration while it has made states, economies, firms and individuals more intimately interconnected than ever before, it is an inherently divergent process. It will argue that the international financial system is increasingly producing a global dichotomy. The benefits of financial integration, in the main, accrue to capital-rich states and the owners of capital, those free to move their resources around the world to seek the highest returns. Developing states, and those without control of capital resources, while receiving less of the advantages of integration, are more adversely affected by its disadvantages, such as contagion and capital flight. The first section will discuss the evolution of the contemporary global financial system, and how it came to be in its current form. I will argue that advanced industrial states, following a neo-liberal paradigm of liberalisation, facilitated the deregulation and increased interdependence of the financial system through political actions. However, it has been technological and market innovation that has accelerated and expanded this interconnectedness to an unprecedented level. These origins are key to understanding why capital-rich entities are better equipped to reap the benefits of financial integration. The next two sections will put forward the principle advantages and disadvantages of this integration. The following section will provide an analysis of these, contending that the capital-poor gain less of the former, and are more exposed to the latter. The concluding section will summarise this argument and touch on its implications for the future of the global economy while glo balisation promises universal benefits, these cannot be realised under the current system, which precipitates a global dichotomy between the capital-rich and the capital-poor. Origins of the contemporary global financial system As Benjamin Cohen (1996) suggests, little consensus exists concerning the causes of financial globalisation, and many scholars have attempted to apply their own structure to the study. The critical contribution to the debate comes from Eric Helleiner (1994), who persuasively argues that the globalisation of finance was advanced by the political decisions of major states. Helleiner also, however, neglects the exponential effect that technological and market innovations have had on the financial system, a factor considered key by others such as Cerny (1993) and Strange (1998). Political actions by leading states have enabled the globalisation of finance since the 1970s. By far the most significant was the abolition of capital controls, firstly by the USA and the UK, and then other major economies. As Goodman and Pauly (2000) suggest, liberalisation became and continues to be a competitive practice, and other countries had to react to prevent mobile domestic capital and financial business from migrating abroad. By the 1990s an almost fully liberal pattern of financial relations had emerged and today market actors experience freedom in cross-border activity unparalleled since the 1920s (Helleiner, 2007). International capital mobility is the most significant, and defining, characteristic of the global financial system. It has created many of the advantages and disadvantages associated with integration, and has also been instrumental in creating and sustaining the global dichotomy. The embracing of a new neo-liberal economic ideology among the major economic powers in the 1980s was key for the international financial system, which was given a large boost by plans to remove the state from the economy and allow the market mechanism to work (Soros, 1998). This theory was less sympathetic to the Bretton Woods ideal that national policy autonomy had to be protected, and was content to let the markets impose an external discipline on governments pursuing not sound policies (Helleiner, 2007). Financial liberalisation has been successfully institutionalised as a component of several multilateral agreements (Eichengreen, 2003). As early as 1976 the USA successfully lobbied for a change to the International Monetary Funds Articles of Agreement so that the new official goal of the Fund was to preside over a regime that facilitated the free exchange of capital between countries (Watson, 2007). This regime, however, has been deepened and broadened to an unprecedented extent by technological and market innovations. The volatility of prices and exchange rates in the 1970s led to phenomenal growth in the derivatives market, particularly after the emergence of an over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives market in the 1990s. In 1990 OTC contracts totalled $3.45bn, which had risen to $18tr in 1995 and $24tr by 1996 (Strange, 1998). These new financial instruments involved an initial outlay only a fraction of the notional value of the contract, giving banks and other TNCs the means at relatively low cost to hedge themselves against losses from unpredicted changes in exchange rates, interest rates, and commodities. Huge advances in computing and telecommunications over the last thirty years have been central to the huge volume and velocity of international financial flows (Held et al., 1999). Before the 1990s only data could be exchanged instantly between corporate offices and banks. The rise of the Internet meant opinions and rumours could also be traded, contributing to dangerous fluctuations but increasing interdependency. International banks and firms transfer huge amounts of money quickly and safely due to automatic clearing systems. In 1995 the USAs Clearing House Interbank Payment System (CHIPS) became the largest international clearing system processing some 200,000 transactions a day (Strange, 1998). Today CHIPS, and its state-run competitor Fedwire, clear an average daily value of $1.5tr (CHIPS, 2010) and $2.5tr (Fedwire, 2009) respectively. The root causes of the globalisation of finance are crucial to the understanding of its advantages and disadvantages, as it is evident that major states initiated the process because of the benefits it promised to them and to the rest of the world. It is also clear that innovation in both technology and markets has accelerated the process, making the benefits more pronounced for those involved, while also increasing the potential costs. The advantages of integration The advantages of increased interdependence and the expansion of the global financial system are often championed by international institutions, politicians and international business leaders. At a fundamental level, the benefits cited are backed up by economic theory, that which is at the heart of the neo-liberal paradigm of international finance advocated by many of the worlds economies. It holds that markets allocate resources in socially desirable ways. Flows from capital-abundant to capital-scarce countries, on the assumption that the marginal product of capital is higher in the latter than the former, increase welfare on both sides (Eichengreen Mussa, 1998). International financial transactions allow economies experiencing business-cycle disturbances to smooth the time profile of consumption and investment. Free capital movements thus facilitate a more efficient global allocation of savings and resources to their most productive uses. An advantage of the expansion of the financial system advocated by the global financial institutions is the convergence of national policies. The neo-liberal programme holds as desirable the homogenisation of national policy across state boundaries. The freedom of capital is said to have enabled the European Unions single currency, tax harmonisation across national borders and the international convergence of macroeconomic policy (Frieden, 1991). This, the argument goes, is good for eradicating instability in the global financial system. The incentive for resources to evade controls and regulations is lessened if national regulations are homogenised. The problem with this argument, however, is that capital mobility breeds a competitive environment between emerging economies for investment, which will be discussed below. Some international firms now command more resources than many states (OBrien, 2005). For these firms, the development of the contemporary global financial system has brought two huge distinct advantages: higher returns on their investments, and the ability to diversify risk internationally. Higher returns have been produced by two factors the inherent volatility of the system, and the greater opportunity to exploit it. Firstly, the inherent volatility and uncertainty of the financial system leads to higher returns for investors. Firms are able to trade on the volatile prices of currencies and commodities. With vast capital resources huge sums can be made very quickly with even small fluctuations on international capital markets. The best example of how capitalists gain from this volatility is the benefit that many manage to take from the systems crises. Currency trader George Soros is alleged to have made  £1bn from the devaluation of the British Sterling in 1992. Private companies are also said to have benefitted from the Asian financial crisis of 1997. Stiglitz (2002) argues that the intervention of the IMF, a Western-backed institution, ensured that Western firms were paid back their loans, while numerous national firms in Asia were left to collapse. Most of the $ 55bn the Mexican government owed following its 1994 crisis was to private creditors (OBrien Williams, 2007). The nature of the financial system means that investors can pull money out of a currency virtually instantaneously, and move back in after a collapse making a handsome profit. This leads to self-fulfilling prophecies of currency speculation, discussed below, but the investors are protected from most of the risk involved, whereas the economies concerned can suffer decline for years. Secondly, with the opening of countries capital markets, the opportunity for investment has increased substantially. Banks, hedge funds, and international manufacturing firms have all benefitted from having a much larger global market to do business in. With the ease of transferring financial resources to emerging markets and new host states, TNCs have access to a mass global pool of cheap labour. This capital mobility means governments all over the world have to provide more attractive conditions for companies, from low capital gains tax to relaxed financial and labour regulation (Frieden, 1991). Emerging economies, deemed to be high risk, must offer attractive interest rates to attract investment. There is constant competition between economies for foreign direct investment with which to finance development, meaning better and better business environments for investors. The key advantage for the capital-rich entities is that while gaining from the volatility and uncertainty of the system, they can also protect themselves against it. Modern financial markets operate to allow risks to be packaged and redistributed so that actors can hedge against specific risks like exchange rate fluctuations (Held et al., 1999). High-risk investments yield high returns, but if these investments do not yield, investors are protected by the profits from investments elsewhere. Market innovations such as options, futures and swaps even help protect investors from future fluctuations. There are also huge advantages associated with the development of the global financial system for less-developed countries (LDCs). The economies of East Asia, China, India and others have shown what can be achieved utilising international investment. Millions have been lifted out of poverty, economies transformed to industrial powers, and their national firms compete at the global level. These developments have been enabled by the crucial advantage of interdependence to smaller economies, access to financial markets. The opening of financial markets, as Jeffrey Frieden (1991) suggests, has strengthened labour-intensive industries, in which developing economies have a distinct advantage, through increased investment. The ease of transferring capital across national borders has increased the use of outsourcing and facilitated an explosion of FDI in the 1990s to areas like East Asia and Latin America, providing a huge boost to industries in the recipient countries. Access to financial markets also means that the governments of smaller economies can borrow to fund their development. Borrowing allows such economies to hold their currencies at preferred rates to suppress inflation and keep up debt repayments without inflicting a huge recession at home (Green, 2003). The remarkable development of the East Asian economies would not have been possible without huge inflows of capital, both in FDI and government borrowing to fund economic development strategies. The disadvantages of integration While the advantages of greater financial integration mentioned above have helped many less-developed countries expand their industries and grow their economies, their progress has been beset by financial crises, most notably in the 1990s. These crises were notable because they happened in very similar circumstances in completely different parts of the world, and spread across national boundaries and even to different regions. Contagion of financial crises is the most serious disadvantage of increased interdependence. This effect was most obviously witnessed in the late 1990s, where integration turned a currency crisis in Thailand into the Asian crisis, and turned the Asian crisis into a global recession. Thailands devaluation made Thai exports very cheap, meaning other economies selling very similar exports to the same markets were forced to devalue in order to protect demand. The crash in Asia precipitated crashes in Russia, Brazil and Argentina. As Jones (2000) explains, the contagious effects of Asia were threefold: psychological upon investors, the collapse of regional markets for Southeast Asian exports, and upon other world markets as demand collapsed. This demonstrates a key point, that due to the nature of their economies, developing countries bear much more of the cost of crises because of capital flight. As crisis spreads, investors begin to question the wisdom of their investments in, and the reliability of, other emerging market economies. Due to the Asian crisis capital was withdrawn en masse as traders sold the currencies of Russia, Brazil and Argentina for safer currencies in Western Europe, and the dollar. Capital flight also devastated the Mexican economy in 1994-5. From 1990 to 1993 $91bn flowed into Mexico, a fifth of all capital going to developing states (OBrien Williams, 2007). Higher interest rates in the USA, combined with a rebellion in Chiapas and the assassination of a presidential candidate, caused investors to doubt that Mexico could keep its peso fixed to the dollar. In December 1994 investors sold the peso in such large quantities that the dollar link was abandoned. Living standards were cut in half (OBrie n Williams, 2007), the poor suffered, and the middle class faced skyrocketing interest rates and diminished savings due to the devaluation. Some claim that these disadvantages, and their specific effect on LDCs, are not given proper consideration by advanced states and their neo-liberal programme of reform. As Barry Eichengreen (2003) attests, LDCs have specific financial problems. Their monetary and fiscal institutions lack credibility. Their regulators lack administrative capacity. Their financial markets are shallow, and they cannot borrow abroad in the domestic currency. Stiglitz (2002) protested against the liberalisation agenda being pushed too quickly on smaller states lacking proper financial institutions and banking systems, countries like Mexico and Argentina, which saw precipitous and blanket financial liberalisation (Phillips, 2005). It is now widely accepted that reform was too rapid, and the result of neo-liberal reform in Latin America has been a pattern of poor economic performance and increasing political tension. This lends weight to the argument that capital-rich states have much more to gain from the growth of the global financial system. What is important for the conclusions of this essay, however, is that it cannot simply be said that the advantages accrue to rich states and the disadvantages to the poor, as rich states, and their firms and individuals, suffer disadvantages from integration also. Advanced states, of course, also suffer from the effects of crisis and contagion. This has been evident from the fallout of the 2007 global crisis, but due to integration it is now increasingly difficult for all economies to insulate themselves against the effects of recession. Crisis in one area of the global economy means falling demand for goods and services in others, and with the scope of international firms, and the vast number of countries in which single firms do business means that collapses have far-reaching consequences. However, the biggest disadvantage in terms of advanced states is felt by their national industries and firms, those unable to shift production to areas of cheaper labour and production costs. National firms are becoming increasingly unable to compete with firms either in countries with such conditions, or international firms able to conduct business there. This is bad news for the industrial workers of advanced economies, who today can be easily replaced by cheaper counterparts around the globe. Implications the emerging global dichotomy These advantages and disadvantages show that there is a global dichotomy emerging. The principle beneficiaries of the integration brought about by the globalisation of finance are the controllers of capital, those able to move their resources freely around the global economy for the highest return and security. The principle losers are the capital-poor, whether labour or those with assets tied within national boundaries. While China has been one of the biggest beneficiaries economically from financial globalisation, its rising inequality shows that its poorest people, like many others around the world, remain subject to, rather than participants in, the global economy. The advantages and disadvantages discussed above demonstrate two critical characteristics of the global financial system. First, as internationally mobile capital has become more powerful, so have the holders of it in relation to other groups. The argument that capital now holds a structural power within the system has been advanced by scholars such as Gill and Law (1989), and Thomas and Sinclair (2002). The latter study argues that today the expectations of the resource-rich are anticipated by the resource-poor. In the modern system knowledge workers are fortunate, as they can move to wherever they command the highest salary. Others are manufacturing workers facing fierce competition from counterparts in numerous countries, and still others are subsistence workers trying to survive in a system moving towards broader commercialisation in areas like agriculture. This effect has been compounded by the tertiarisation of global economic activity (Phillips, 2005) brought about by financia l globalisation. There is a growing movement towards production and trade of services rather than goods, which produces a divergence between entities that can compete in the service sector and those that cannot. Second, the leadership role of the most economically powerful states, and the nature of the financial system they have created, has rendered alternative policies imprudent. Susan Stranges (1986) casino has many reluctant players. Capital mobility means sustainable macroeconomic policy options available to states are systematically circumscribed (Andrews, 1994); integration has raised the costs of pursuing policies that diverge from regional or international trends. The fact, as discussed, that there is so much to gain for investors means there is the same amount to lose for countries following policies detrimental to their profits, such as running budget deficits to fund welfare policies. The global financial system has been directed by an ideology of liberalisation since the 1970s, and the benefits for the capital-rich, the majority of those that lead the modern system, are too great for the direction to change. This could be the reason for the difference between the development of global trade and finance. Financial liberalisation has incredible advantages for capital-rich states, while with open trade LDCs have the advantages of cheap labour and export-led strategies. Advanced states have continued to protect their national industries with degrees of protectionism. While it is an extreme claim that rich states preserve the system because of the dichotomy this essay presents, the evidence is certainly that the major economies still believe whole-heartedly in the theory of globalisation, that its benefits justify this cost. The recent financial crisis has demonstrated that major states, particularly the USA and the UK, are willing to prop up a system that has shown significant disadvantages in contagion and volatility. This has been a stark example of the asymmetry between the capital-rich and the capital-poor in the event of crisis traders and investors regroup and take their capital to the safest location in order to resume the pursuit of high returns, while taxpayers and workers face austerity measures and unemployment as investment decreases. While the benefits for the developing world have been massive, these benefits are only received by integrating into a system whose disadvantages effect it in a disproportionate way, and which produces a dichotomy, the wrong side of which many of its people will remain. The economic theory behind globalisation still favours trickle-down development rather than bottom-up. The benefits cited by its chief proponents, such as the growth of LDC economies and global economic stability, are no doubt desirable, but they will require a truly global system with truly global markets, neither of which has yet been achieved. In the decades it will take for the global economy to become truly global and precipitate universal benefits, the gap between the capital-rich and capital-poor will continue to grow. Conclusions The global financial system has been heading in a single direction since the 1970s, towards liberalisation and the greater interdependence and interconnectedness of economies, firms and individuals around the globe. This direction was facilitated by the advanced industrial nations through political actions to free international capital, and expand and open global financial markets. Innovations in computing and telecommunications, as well as market innovations, have contributed heavily to the volume and velocity of international capital flows exploiting the volatility and uncertainty of the system. The emerging strategic interests of the USA, the UK, and later Japan, led them to promote a more open international financial order (Helleiner, 1994). The major economies interests still lie in this order, and thus they promote its advantages and push its neo-liberal agenda through international financial institutions and multilateral agreements. This enthusiasm is an indication that the advanced states, and the capital-rich firms and individuals that call them home, have much to gain from financial globalisation, but they also believe in the benefits the neo-liberal programme promises to all. The problem is that the universal benefits of financial globalisation will only fully materialise under the conditions of a truly global economy, with many more participants than there are currently. It is possible that as markets continue to expand to become truly global, more universal benefits will be seen, but the global dichotomy is likely to grow faster than financial markets and access to them. The challenge for the world economy as it moves forward is how to deal with the social aspect of this expansion.

Parental Investment Theory Essay -- Gender Roles, Sex

The socio-biological theory suggests gender appropriate behaviour has evolved to allow humanity to survive. There is supporting evidence in the composition of the human body; men have a larger lung capacity and greater physical strength than women in order to better equip them for protecting their family. In contrast, women are born with child-bearing capacities and are therefore biologically predetermined to care for their children, thus ensuring the human race survives. In 1994 Kenrick introduced â€Å"Parental Investment Theory†. He claimed society is organised so that women are protected and remain faithful, ensuring men are able to impart their genes to future generations. This also allows for women to be selective to ensure their partner provides food, shelter and other basic human necessities. Kenrick’s ideas are supported by Buss’ 1994 experiment. Buss surveyed men and women in thirty seven countries to investigate important qualities in the opposite sex. The findings showed that women preferred resourcefulness and dependability whereas men valued chastity and youth. This study appears to support Kenrick’s â€Å"Parental Investment Theory† as Buss argues that men evolved to provide for their partners and are attracted to fertile women. Oestrogen receptors in the brain are believed to cause gender-appropriate behaviour. Oestrogen, a hormone found in the female genital tissue, acts as a ligand and, by activating the oestrogen receptors found on the surfaces of brain cells, causes notable changes in behaviour. Professors at Yale University have studied the effects of oestrogen and found the hormone increases neural connectivity in the brain resulting in a more accurate memory. Turnham et al (2002) supports this as upon investigation... ...o carry out a perfect experiment and consequently all evidence will be flawed. It is necessary to focus upon evaluating the severity of such flaws. One could argue that the biosocial theory is more convincing as the many strengths of the socio-biological and social learning theories are combined providing a credible explanation. This also means the scientific facts in the socio-biological theory are no longer undermined but indeed strengthened by evidence to support learnt gender-appropriate behaviours. The biosocial theory allows for both schools of thought to be equally considered. Overall the Hegelian dialectic mechanism can be applied; the hypothesis, in this case the socio-biological explanation, and the antithesis, the social learning paradigm, must co-exist to produce the resulting synthesis, gender-appropriate behaviours. Thus girls are both born and made.

Video Games: Assassin Simulations Essay -- Video Games Violence Papers

Video Games: Assassin Simulations Video game violence has been a wildly debated topic since the beginnings of the industry. The topic evolved from the debate on media violence or violence in print media. However, the video game debate brings a new angle. Video games, because of their immersive nature, are said to have more impact on children. The proponents and opponents of video game censorship do not really fall into traditional political boundaries. The proponents of censorship tend to be some parents and doctors. Those opposed to censorship tend to be those who play the video games themselves. There is a center faction, however. The center faction consists of those doctors and psychologists who evaluate media violence on a purely medical level. The proponents of video game censorship use a lot of pathos, ethos, but little logos. They mainly believe that kids are driven to violent acts through what they observe in their environment. They invoke images of the school shootings at Columbine. They rely on their own ethos, being mostly doctors or self-declared â€Å"experts† on the subject. The center is a bit different. They rely totally on logos and ethos. They provide statistics and ask you to trust their studies. They also attack the studies and logic by the proponents as faulty. But, despite this, they do recognize that video games are getting increasingly violent. The opponents of video game censorship are mostly video gamers like myself, whose only voice is on USENET and popular web-based gaming forums. We don’t have any â€Å"experts† to speak for us, except for those who take a general anti-censorship stance. Video games, being an expression of free speech and not dangerous to our children, should not be censored. Michael... ...nents of censorship were adults when they committed the crime. In addition, video games are an art form and are protected as free speech under the first amendment. Works Cited Brody, Michael â€Å"Playing With Death† The Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter. v16 i11 (Nov. 2000) Information Access Expanded Academic ASAP. Grossman, Dave â€Å"Teaching Kids How to Kill† National Forum v80 i4 (Fall 2000) Information Access Expanded Academic ASAP. Peck, Peggy â€Å"Brain Cells Victims of Video Violence† United Press International (Dec. 3 2002) Information Access Expanded Academic ASAP. Walling, Anne D. â€Å"Do Video Games Lead to Violent Behavior in Children† American Family Physician v65 i7 p1436 Information Access Expanded Academic ASAP. â€Å"Gangs in Cyber Space† Yahoo Internet Life (Aug. 1, 2002) Information Access Expanded Academic ASAP. Video Games: Assassin Simulations Essay -- Video Games Violence Papers Video Games: Assassin Simulations Video game violence has been a wildly debated topic since the beginnings of the industry. The topic evolved from the debate on media violence or violence in print media. However, the video game debate brings a new angle. Video games, because of their immersive nature, are said to have more impact on children. The proponents and opponents of video game censorship do not really fall into traditional political boundaries. The proponents of censorship tend to be some parents and doctors. Those opposed to censorship tend to be those who play the video games themselves. There is a center faction, however. The center faction consists of those doctors and psychologists who evaluate media violence on a purely medical level. The proponents of video game censorship use a lot of pathos, ethos, but little logos. They mainly believe that kids are driven to violent acts through what they observe in their environment. They invoke images of the school shootings at Columbine. They rely on their own ethos, being mostly doctors or self-declared â€Å"experts† on the subject. The center is a bit different. They rely totally on logos and ethos. They provide statistics and ask you to trust their studies. They also attack the studies and logic by the proponents as faulty. But, despite this, they do recognize that video games are getting increasingly violent. The opponents of video game censorship are mostly video gamers like myself, whose only voice is on USENET and popular web-based gaming forums. We don’t have any â€Å"experts† to speak for us, except for those who take a general anti-censorship stance. Video games, being an expression of free speech and not dangerous to our children, should not be censored. Michael... ...nents of censorship were adults when they committed the crime. In addition, video games are an art form and are protected as free speech under the first amendment. Works Cited Brody, Michael â€Å"Playing With Death† The Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter. v16 i11 (Nov. 2000) Information Access Expanded Academic ASAP. Grossman, Dave â€Å"Teaching Kids How to Kill† National Forum v80 i4 (Fall 2000) Information Access Expanded Academic ASAP. Peck, Peggy â€Å"Brain Cells Victims of Video Violence† United Press International (Dec. 3 2002) Information Access Expanded Academic ASAP. Walling, Anne D. â€Å"Do Video Games Lead to Violent Behavior in Children† American Family Physician v65 i7 p1436 Information Access Expanded Academic ASAP. â€Å"Gangs in Cyber Space† Yahoo Internet Life (Aug. 1, 2002) Information Access Expanded Academic ASAP.

Modern Young Women and Their Role in a Society Essay

British young women as a subject of broad political interest became visible and significant in 1997 when New Labour came into power. It appeared as a novel phenomenon since it was all about â€Å"men’s’ world† before. The growing trend of feminism in a new liberal shape – encouraging women to get independent by means of achieving success and earning money, was well supported by press and television. Yet the image of young, ready for success women meets the picture of what is considered as a failure, i. e. less educated, young mothers and their lower quality of life. Soon, the issue of obese, diet and body image turned into a matter of public concern. Next, young women have started to be seen as valued prospective client and consumers, i. e. targets for marketing tools and strategies involving all media spaces. However along with all promises of modern society, there are still aspects that make women staying behind, despite all optimism of equal opportunities: poor background or simply decision of having children which very often closes the door of work career in desired and quick way. Read more:  Essay About Women Role in Modern Society One of very important means of giving opportunities to young women is a changing system of education, being one of the most factors guarantying the high level of life. Nevertheless one should not forget that the type of school is still important, altogether with the care and upbringing received at home. Having all these advantages available, women have free choice whether to have children or not, thus being a single mother is no longer any issue when there is enough money to deal with everyday life alone. Moreover, women are being now encouraged to earn money for living just to avoid a need to rely on husbands or partners. The significant aspect when question of female success raises, is the paradox of equality for ethnic minorities. The truth and reality is that there are hardly any chances to get the good education in poor areas usually habited by immigrants. Employers pay much attention not only to the proper education but also to the place where this education had been acquired. This system forms a vicious circle and vastly stands out from the young female success model presented by politicians and media. In respect of above issue, there has been a line put between what is considered as a â€Å"good† and â€Å"bad† type of women, at least as seen from New Labour perspective. Good girls are those who in fact were blessed with proper home circumstances respecting family values, whereas Bad Ones are those who were not that lucky or even lost their luck by incorrect life decisions. As far as these decisions are concerned it mainly means the youth pregnancy as a choice. Such decision is to guarantee state benefits and a sort of social security which a girl from poor area would not get if she was just unemployed and not educated. Being a single mother and getting state benefits is believed to be more advantageous than working part time – and such approach is not favored by modern self conscious, success- focused society. Media is one of key players in this matter also, presenting the opposite images to create the opinions and prejudices. It confronts the image of successful young women being glamorous, offering their best assets to the employers and the image of prematurely aged girls who gave birth.

Motherhood in The Bean Trees Essay

   Another prominent example of motherhood is Lou Ann’s relationship with Dwayne Ray. Although the baby has not developed a personality yet, and cannot respond with his mother, we cannot tell how Dwayne Ray’s part of the relationship is, but we can predict how it will be. It can be assumed that he will always be cared for by his mother, Lou Ann, for her worrisome ways and fear of her sons death keep her a vigilant mother, unrelenting in keeping him as safe and healthy as possible. When she asked Taylor of her opinion of her motherhood skills, Taylor replied that â€Å"‘The flip side of worrying to much is just not caring†¦ Dwayne Ray will always know that, no matter what, you’re never going to neglect him. You’ll never just sit around and let him dehydrate, or grow up without a personality, or anything like that. And that would be ever so much worse. You read about it happening in the paper all the time†¦ Somebody forgetting a baby in a car and letting It roast, or some such thing. If anything, Lou Ann, you’re just too good of a mother. ‘† (pg. 156) of which she speaks total truth that Lou Ann, although worrisome and lacking in backbone, still is a good mother, because she tries with all her efforts to make sure Dwayne Ray grows up. She is of the most passionate of mothers in the book, and will do her utmost to see to it that Dwayne Ray will live past 2000, despite whatever her dreams and nightmares may tell her. Taylor, the main mother of the book, is the only non-biological mother represented, which makes her relationship with Turtle all the more special, meaning that she took her despite their lack of family ties, and fought to keep her, although she could have easily relinquished her duties as mother. Throughout the book, she plays a role she’s avoided all her life, in order to protect and care for this little girl that was given to her care against her own wishes. She has absolutely no clue what to do, and constantly worries that she isn’t raising Turtle properly. Her worries are lessened, however, after Turtle beings speaking, her first noise being laughter because if Turtle was unhappy, she would have not laughed when she did a somersault. Taylor becomes more confidant in her role, and eventually accepts it to be perfectly normal, as does everyone else, and no one even considers Turtle not to be Taylor’s child, proven when many biological references are made between the two, despite their lack of blood ties. After Turtle is attacked in the park, Taylor begins to think that she isn’t doing a good job as a segregate mother, and when Turtle is threatened to be taken away from Taylor, she feels that the case to save Turtle is helpless and begins to think that the state department would do better than she would in raising the child. However, Mattie convinces her otherwise when she tells Taylor that she isn’t asking the correct questions, that â€Å"You’re asking yourself, Can I give this child the best possible upbringing and keep her out of harms way her whole life long? The answer is no, you can’t. But nobody else can either. Not a state home, that’s for sure. For heaven’s sake, the best they can do is turn their heads while the kids learn to pick locks and snort hootch, and then try to keep them out of jail. Nobody can protect a child from the world†¦ Do I think it would be interesting, maybe even enjoyable in the long run, to share my life with this kid and give her my best effort and maybe when all’s said and done, end up with a good friend. ‘† (pg. 178). What Mattie says here when comforting Taylor is a Barbara Kingsolver definition of motherhood. Taylor worries that she is unable to care for a child, and that with this attack, even the state would do a better job than she could, but, as Mattie said, no one can protect a child from the world, and especially someone that doesn’t care for them, like the state. They need a mother, a guardian, anyone that cares about them to raise as good a child as chance permits. Through the caring and affection Taylor received as a child, the worry and extreme concern Lou Ann pays Dwayne Ray, and Taylor’s behavior towards a child that is not her own, all show examples of how, biological or not, a mother or a mother-like role in a child’s life can lead them to riches or ruin. Their moral fiber, their behavior, their ethics all depend upon what they are taught and raised upon. Newt Hardbine and Jolene Shanks never had these morals and ethics instilled in them, thus leading them to terrible, even short lived, lives. Barbara Kingsolver uses these examples, even through minor characters such as Sandi at the Burger Derby and Bobby Bingo who sells vegetables out of his truck. All examples seen in The Bean Trees show that Motherhood and the role of a mother plays a predominant part not only in the book, but universally.