Thursday, November 28, 2019

Chicken Or Egg Essays - Chicken, Chicken Or The Egg, Paradoxes

Chicken Or Egg Which came first, Chicken? Or Egg? The answer is that this is the wrong question. The trouble here is the word Firsts. A human life contains many firsts, so the word comes easily to our lips. For example, a creationist could ask how the metamorphosis of a butterfly occurred for the First time. French is called a Romance language because it is descended from Roman, or to be more specific, Classical Latin. Across the last 2,000 years, the language changed piece by piece, a word or emphasis at a time. Documents from many of the centuries between, are written in a language somewhere between the two, not quite Latin, yet not quite French. So who was the first person to speak French? I think its plain to see that this was a very gradual evolution of the language. There was not first French speaker. Was there a first chicken? Some say there was. But Darwin suggests that species evolve slowly, over time. So imagine a lizard, which laid a lizard egg. Millions of years later, its descendant was a chicken, which lays a chicken egg. But there was no moment when chicken-ness suddenly leapt into existence. Similarly, there was no first land animal, no first lung, and no first skeleton. Current scientific beliefs say that all of these came bit by bit. In short, if a species was created abruptly, then a chicken-and-egg question makes sense. But if that species evolved, then there was no first chicken, and there was no first egg, the only true first was the original single celled organism that was created by a spontaneous chemical reaction in the primordial soup that was early Earth, from which all life as we know it evolved. Philosophy Essays

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Accessibility And Limitations Tourism Essays

Accessibility And Limitations Tourism Essays Accessibility And Limitations Tourism Essay Accessibility And Limitations Tourism Essay The purpose of this work is to try to give an thought of how accessible certain heritage and historical sites in Malta are to senior citizens tourers and besides to place which jobs restrict seniors from sing peculiar sites, and if possible, urge possible suggestions in order to do it more easy accessible for senior citizens. The methodological analysis adopted in this research is the qualitative method utilizing both open-ended and close-ended questionnaires. Data was collected from assorted beginnings including several site visits, interviews with site conservators and staff, and thoughts and suggestions gathered from senior site visitants. Research was carried out on three specific sites St. John s cathedral, The Inquisitor s Palace and Hagar Qim/Mnajdra. Introduction: In Malta, approximately two million tourers have visited museums and historical sites in 2011, which contributed 12.2 million euro to the national economic system. Senior citizens are the 3rd biggest figure of tourer visitants, after grownups and groups, which surely have a great impact on the tourer trials and in the part to this sum. Methodology: We have approached qualitative research methodological analysis to transport out our research. Having considered tourers value of clip and convenience our questionnaires have been made up chiefly by open-ended inquiries. Data aggregation: To hold a dependable, representative and non-biased informations, we have collected our informations from three beginnings. These are: i‚Â · Out mark group, senior visitants i‚Â · Self site visits i‚Â · Sites conservators and staff Due to the seasonality issue, in Malta there are nt many tourers at this clip of the twelvemonth. Therefore, we were small doubting about the informations collected from our mark group, whether informations will be biased or non as they are really few in Numberss. As a consequence for farther information we have visited the sites ourselves and interviewed the sites curator and/or staff. After speaking to the conservators and from our ain experiences, we found that informations of our mark group was rather dependable. In add-on, we did nt measure our informations from statistical point of position as our sample was rather little. St. John s Co-Cathedral Brief History The St. John s Cathedral is located in the capital metropolis of Malta, Valletta, and it was built by the knights of Malta between 1573 and 1578. It is built on a Baroque manner and it was designed by a Maltese designer called A lormu Cassar. Furthermore, the church was founded by the Knights of St. John and many other Grandmasters, this is why it is called St. John s as it was dedicated to their frequenter, St. John the Baptist. The cathedral is alone due to the field facade it has in contrast with the rich gay temper one finds indoors. It is full of civilization and rich in art as the knights paid for rich creative persons and gave many parts in order to enrich it with the best humanistic disciplines. In fact one finds two celebrated Caravaggio pictures in the Cathedral: The Beheading of St. John the Baptist and St. Jerome Writing. There are besides a batch of Mattia Preti s graphicss ( another Renaissance celebrated creative person ) and in fact he is besides buried in the Co-Cath edral. In add-on, many graves of of import knights are found in the inlaid marble floor of the cathedral therefore it makes the cathedral even more sacred. In the cathedral there are besides chapels to every langue/ nationality of the knights, nine in entire, each dedicated to their saint and with Grandmasters of that nationality buried at that place. In decision, the Cathedral has undergone many Restoration procedures, all done from the money charged from the visitants when sing. As a consequence, at the minute The Crypt of the Grand Masters is closed due to restoration plants in order to protect it. Handiness Analysis The St. John s Co-Cathedral is a really popular site among senior tourers, apart from being a sacred topographic point it is really accessible. The Cathedral is really easy to happen as it is in the chief street of Valletta and it is besides easy accessible by public conveyance as the chief coach end point in Malta is in Valletta. At the entryway of the cathedral there is a incline so those who are wheelchair edge will happen no trouble to come in the cathedral. All around the cathedral there are several benches which might assist those seniors which are less able to stand to rest during their circuit around the cathedral. Furthermore, senior tourers have a benefit when sing this cathedral as there is a particular decrease in monetary value for seniors which helps in doing it more attractive. Senior tourers pay the sum of a‚Â ¬4.60 alternatively of the normal grownup rate of a‚Â ¬6.00. The fee entryway includes besides cusps which one is available at the really beginning of the circuit and other several cusps which are chiefly found within every chapel. An audio usher is besides available and it is available in assorted European linguistic communications such as Maltese, English, Italian, Gallic, German and Spanish. Soon they are traveling to present Russian and Nipponese every bit good and this will assist in holding a wider scope of tourers. The first cusp which is given at the really beginning of the circuit goes manus in manus with the audio usher as on the cusp there is an sound map which fundamentally guides the tourers around the cathedral and museum. Due to the sound usher and leaflets it helps in seeking to extinguish assorted troubles which such seniors might hold. Those seniors with low vision can easy acquire to cognize about this cathedral with the aid of the audio usher. Even those aged with hearing jobs they can easy follow the circuit through the cusps and the notes available on panels on every object, therefore it is really accessible for seniors with different troubles. At the St. John s Co-Cathedral, public toilets for those wheelchair edge are besides available hence, it is a really accessible site as it caters for everybody. At the terminal of the circuit tourers have the chance to purchase keepsakes from the gift store which is on the land floor degree, doing it besides accessible for everyon e, even for those who might non hold managed to do it to the museum upstairs. Restrictions When sing the St. John s Co-Cathedral there is no job to come in as there is a incline at the entryway for those wheelchair bound nevertheless although they can easy entree the cathedral, there are no lifts to suit wheelchair bound tourers to see the museum upstairs. Therefore, senior tourers may hold a disadvantage due to the sum of steps there are to see the museum upstairs which consists of beautiful aggregations of Flemish tapestries, sacred vestments and lighted books. The figure of visitants at the St. John s Co-Cathedral is limited as overcrowding cause injury to the edifice every bit good as its artifacts. As the passageways between one chapel and another are really narrow, these can easy do congestions. They were originally designed for merely one individual individual to go through through them nevertheless as tourers normally come in big groups they tend to travel around the cathedral as a group and this may increase the harm. Tourists have oning heeled places are non allowed to come in the cathedral in order to continue the inlaid marble besides tourers are expected to have on decently when sing the cathedral as it is a topographic point of worship. Photography is allowed in the cathedral nevertheless one must esteem that the usage of flash is out as such flash can easy do harm to the artifacts that surround the cathedral. The country where there is Caravaggio s pictures picture taking is out even without flash. This is besides due to the ha rm that could easy do by clip. Presently at the St. John s Co-Cathedral there are some countries which are non accessible for tourers due to Restorations. Due to these plants tourist s Tourss around the cathedral are limited as non all countries can be visited. The Inquisitor s Palace Brief History The interrogator s castle is found in the bosom of Vittoriosa, which forms portion of the Three Cities. This Palace is one of the few lasting castles from all over Europe, as many other castles have now been destroyed either by clip or by war. Many architectural characteristics inside the edifice are good preserved, and as the lettering alongside the entryway provinces, the castle dates back to the Norman domination, where it was used as a Court of Law. The Inquisitor s Palace was of great importance to the Knights of the Order of St. John, this being the ground that Vittoriosa is an plus for our history, along with other museums in the town. The castle is one of these historic topographic points, which attract many tourers during the twelvemonth, and besides attracts locals who are analyzing or merely interested in the topic. The Inquisitor s Palace was used as the civil tribunal of the Order of St. John during the 1530s and served till the 1571. The first official interrogator to be offered the castle was Pietro Dusina in 1574 and the castle besides served as a muss house during the British regulation. In 1966 the castle was opened for public screening. The castle s chief focal point is the spiritual values in Maltese individuality, particularly as influenced by the Inquisition. Handiness Analysis When sing the Inquisitor s Palace, it is noted that as it was built many old ages ago, it does non hold the luxuries of modern installations. Due to this fact, there is no infinite where these installations can be built such as lifts and inclines. Besides non much can be modified to better the castle s handiness, as by making so the original chef-doeuvre will be lost. This may be a challenge for the aged and impossible for wheelchair edge seniors, to see the major parts of the castle as there are rather a big figure of stepss to mount in and no lifts are available. However in the response country there are cusps available in English where a map is included, this helps the persons non to acquire lost. Numbers and directional marks place every subdivision in the castle, which besides help in orientating oneself in the edifice. Restrictions As there are no lifts available, the tourers has to be fit to get the better of big flights of stepss, were each measure is extremely elevated so tourers have to be really cautious where measure in order to avoid accidents. Besides when sing the prison cells the doors are rather low and it may be hard for senior citizens to flex down and see the inside of the cells. There is besides a complete absence of comfy remainder suites as presently the lone public toilets available are the nomadic lavatories, since some Restoration is being made to the castle. Near each artifact, there are little tablets with brief information on the intent of the point. However the fount of these tablets is rather little, and may be a challenge to read for those seniors whose vision has diminished. However there are besides some boards with big founts that give you the overview of what the tourer is traveling to see. Still there are no audio picture or narrative of what is being seen. The individual in charge of the castle remarked that the lone possible solution for these tourers is to engage a personal guided circuit in order to explicate what they are seeing, as the castle does non offer this installation. When sing the aged with hearing damage the castle does non provide with any installations for these tourers, as there are no cusps that explain what is being seen. The lone cusps available are merely an overview for the general tourer and do non hold any specific inside informations. Besides it was noted that there is no cafeteria or keepsake store at the Palace, which could easy bring forth excess financess for the site. Hagar Qim and Mnajdra Temples. A Brief History Hagar Qim and Mnajdra temples are located in Qrendi merely a few metres apart. These consist of two chief temples and were built over 5,000 old ages ago. Hagar Qim temple was excavated in 1839 and Mnajdra temple was found a twelvemonth subsequently in 1840. UNESCO named Hagar Qim and Mnajdra as universe heritage sites in 1992. Accessibility and Restrictions When sing the site it is really easy to make by coach ( route 201 ) , nevertheless this could take a piece. Besides a large parking country is available for managers and for those going with private autos. We talked to some tourer who arrived by coach and said that they found it really easily as the coach Michigan is merely a few metres off from the site. However some said that the journey was rather long. The bulk of the people heard about these temples through the cyberspace, others said that they have heard about the sites from friends and relations and were really funny about the site. The information edifice is easy accessible by a few stairss and for those seniors who have jobs traveling up stepss or in wheelchairs, there is a lift from the parking straight to the information Centre. From here tickets can be bought. Tickets for seniors are discounted to Eur 6.50 signifier Eur 9. The museum is in the same edifice as the information Centre, so it easy accessible. A short cartridge holder is shown before come ining the museum which is really enlightening about what will be seen at the site. The sound is really good and everything can be understood even by some seniors whose hearing has diminished. Seating is provided so everyone particularly seniors appreciate that they can rest during the cartridge holder. In the museum there s a batch of information about the types of stones, how the topographic point was built and a brief history of the sites. Some of the seniors we interviewed found it a spot hard to read the information as the text is written in a little fount and no guided Tourss are available to explicate what s written. Although there are screens with recordings on them, merely two are available and some said that to listen to all the docudrama is rather long. Others found that the samples of stones and other artifacts were rather interesting. The way from the museum to the first temple Hagar Qim, is really smooth and accessible, nevertheless in the temple itself the land is a spot bouldery. Not many of our interviewers complained approximately this as this leaves the temple in its original province. In the temple there are no guided Tourss provided but some found the marks really helpful. Some said that because they came in Tourss a usher was booked and was really helpful as they could inquire inquiries if they could nt read or understand the marks. The distance between Hagar Qim and Mnajdra is about 500m, traveling to Mnajdra is really easy, but traveling back could be rather hard for seniors as the uphill is really steep. Some besides said that they did nt travel to Mnajdra as they were warned by the staff at the information desk about this and bought merely ticket to the first temple. However some said that although they found it a spot hard to travel back up the route, they claimed that it was deserving it. Finding a eating house nearby was extremely appreciated by the people we interviewed. Suggestions and Decision After analyzing and construing informations from the selected sites, there were some issues that should be solved for the interest of the visitants every bit good for the sites better and profitable operation. The followers are some suggestions and possible solutions that could be practiced for the best of the sites. i‚Â · To hold a standard degree of handiness in all the sites. Some sites are really accessible while some are non. For illustration, In St. John Co-Cathedral visitants can do usage of an audio usher and if anyone requires farther information there are rather a good figure of staff whom you can inquire. Here there are besides lavatories for wheel chair bound visitants, on the other manus in the Inquisitor s castle, there are no audio ushers and cusps are merely in Maltese and English. Besides there is a deficiency of staff and the two nomadic lavatories provided are hard for normal people to entree allow alone seniors and wheel chair bound visitants. Therefor all the sites should hold an handiness benchmark. i‚Â · To increase the figure of staff which should be trained and educated to assist tourers with reading. In 2011 there was a diminution of 10 % in full clip employees than the old twelvemonth and the bulk of the full clip employees were classified as other staff which includes clerks, cleaners, security guards etc. ( beginning: NSO, 20 NOV.2012 ) i‚Â · The figure of staff should increase and direction are to supply preparation for first assistance classs. Particularly since senior people are more delicate and more accident prone. Staff should be experienced in how to manage accidents and cover with any incidents. In Hagar Qim and Mnajdra temples, there should be more staff available on site in order to assist seniors who are in wheelchairs to travel around the sites particularly traveling to and from Mnajdra temple. i‚Â · To increase the figure of interpretive manners and media, presenting sound and picture ushers and cusps in different linguistic communications. Most of the sites provide cusps but are limited in linguistic communications. Besides a batch of the sites do nt supply any audio usher. Furthermore, the debut of picture ushers will assist visitants who can non see certain parts of the sites, acquire a good thought of the whole premises, particularly seniors. i‚Â · To increase the mark markets. In 2012 one billion tourers crossed international lodgers where China ( 30 % ) and Russia ( 15 % ) was the first two states among the top 10 international markets by outgos ( beginning: UNWTO ) . Most of the heritage sites in Malta cater chiefly for European tourers while China, Russia, Japan, are some possible markets which are non given that much importance. i‚Â · To promote and increase consciousness among the local people about the sites, they should be unfastened to the local citizens at least one peculiar twenty-four hours in a month. If locals learn to appreciate the sites they will promote tourers to see and appreciate the civilization. The local people will urge and promote tourers to see the sites, assist them to happen the sites and the best manner to acquire at that place. In add-on it will besides assist younger coevals to larn about their civilization and history. For case, The Inquisitor s castle was unfastened to the populace on 13th of December 2012 and locals appreciated the chance to see the castle. Date: 5/12/12 University of Malta: Institute for Tourism, Travel and Culture Interview Form. Interviewers: DAnastasi Jolene, Zammit Francesca, Sabuj Miah, Anna Vella, Mearaid Ciantar Brown A ; Andreas Cassar Name of the Site: St. John s Co-Cathedral Interviewee: Ms. Catherine Galea Position: Site Assistant Questions: Do seniors see a batch this site? Yes they do in fact it is one of the most sites that aged visit in Valletta. Is there any particular decrease in monetary value for seniors? Yes seniors pay a‚Â ¬4.60 alternatively of a‚Â ¬6.00 to see this site. What does the monetary value include? It includes the visit in the co-cathedral and in the museum and it includes every bit good a free sound circuit. In which languages is the audio circuit available? It is available in Maltese, English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish and shortly we are traveling to present the Russian and Nipponese linguistic communications excessively. Which nationalities visit largely? They are largely European particularly English, German and Italian tourers. Is it accessible for seniors? There are some stepss which they might happen a spot hard although largely are still really fit and do non mind at all mounting some stepss to see the museum. Is there a lift available for those wheelchair bound? Unfortunately no since we do non hold adequate infinite, but they can still see the Co-Cathedral downstairs as there is a incline in the entryway and issue. Further remarks: In summer we are really busy with many long waiting lines nevertheless during the winter season we will be really quiet. We have many Tourss from twenty-four hours sails which tend to see this site. In fact, the eldest tourer that has visited this site was really on a sail ship sing Malta as one of the Michigan. She was 91 old ages old and she did non mind mounting the stepss to see the Museum upstairs as she was really fit. Therefore, the stepss do non make such a large job for seniors. Date: 17/12/2012 University of Malta: Institute for Tourism, Travel and Culture Interview signifier Interviewers: Francesca Zammt, Jolene DAnastasi, SabujMiah, Alexia Lia, Anna Vella, Mearaid Ciantar Brown, Andreas Cassar, Nadia Tabone Name of the site: the Inquisitor s Palace Interviewee: Kenneth Cassar Position: Curator Questions: Do seniors see a batch this site? We do acquire senior visitants but the bulk of the visitants are grownups. Is there any particular decrease in monetary value for seniors? Yes, we have a particular monetary value decrease for seniors. For grownups the entry fee is 6.00eur piece, for the seniors its merely 4.50eur. Make you supply any audio usher? Unfortunately non at the minute, nevertheless right now we are supervising the tourer flow and every bit shortly as we ll pull off to happen a tendency we ll supply audio usher in different linguistic communications harmonizing to the flow. As the panels are merely in English and Maltese do you hold something else in different linguistic communications for those who do non understand such linguistic communication? At the minute no and besides we are non traveling to make full up our walls with the panels. Just to inform you that we are traveling to present excess notes in different linguistic communications which will be available at response but we are still waiting to place the tourer flow. Which nationalities visit the site most? Chiefly European ( British, German, Italian, ) and we besides get Nipponese, Chinese, Russian but comparatively less than the European tourers. Is it accessible for seniors? Yes, in general it is accessible for seniors but for the senior with limited mobility and wheel chair edge, the site is non easy accessible as you can see there are tonss of stepss all over the museum. Furthermore, some seniors besides find it hard to entree the prison cells and anguish room country. But unluckily we ca nt make much about it as we ca nt alter the construction of the edifice. Could you please state us about the hereafter program sing the site installation? We ll upgrade those nomadic lavatories in the garden, we ll set peddling machine and besides we are traveling to put in wireless local area network near the response country. Besides as I said earlier we are traveling to present both audio usher and cusps in different linguistic communications. What about the beginning of fund of the site? The major beginning of the fund is entry fee. However, as the site belongs to heritage Malta and heritage Malta is a authorities organisation, therefore we besides get fund from authorities. Thank you for your clip and grasp. Date: 08/12/2012 University of Malta: Institute for Tourism, Travel and Culture Interview signifier Interviewers: Francesca Zammt, Jolene DAnastasi, SabujMiah, Alexia Lia, Anna Vella, Mearaid Ciantar Brown, Andreas Cassar, Nadia Tabone Name of the site: Hagar Qim and Mnajdra Temples Interviewee: N/A* Position: Receptionist at Information Centre. Questions: Do seniors see a batch this site? Yes they do but they are non the bulk of visitants. Is there any particular decrease in monetary value for seniors? Yes, the monetary value for people aged 60 and over is reduced to 6.50 from 9. Make you supply any guided Tourss? Guided Tourss can merely be provided if they are booked beforehand from Heritage Malta. Which nationalities visit the site most? Largely European ( British, German, Italian ) Is it accessible for seniors? The museum and the first temple, Hagar Qim is really accessible nevertheless we ve had ailments about the route to the 2nd temple, Mnajdra. Due to this we started reding seniors to purchase tickets for the first temple merely. What about the beginning of fund of the site? The major beginning of the fund comes from the entryway fee. Besides Heritage Malta provides financess which are given by the authorities. *interviewee wanted to stay anon. .

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Quality Function Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Quality Function Development - Essay Example two factors would lead to confusion and misinterpretation of data when a product moves from the market research stage to design stage and then to engineering stage and at last to manufacturing stage. One can quite often find that once the customer expectations are passing from the market research stage to manufacturing stage (Bunch, 2003, pp.31-36) a lot of their expectations would be lost in each stages and the voice of the organization enters into the product design stage. As a result the company goes in for incorporating in the product what the customers had not asked in for rather than incorporating in the product what the customers had asked in for (Cochran, 2003, pp.43-47). But if the company goes in for incorporating QFD system then the companies can always go in for incorporating the customer's expectations in the product. QFD helps in removing the design error so that company need not spend money and time in redesigning the product. QFD is a set of graphically oriented planning matrices that helps in identifying factors based on which decisions can be made during any phase of the product development cycle (Gordon, 2003, pp.37-40). QFD is nothing but a perfect blue print for quality by design. The results of incorporating QFD in an organization can be measured by looking into the number of designs and engineering changes brought in during the product development and manufacturing stage. It can also be evaluated based on the cost incurred quality of product and time taken to market the product after incorporating QFD (Franco, 2001, pp.28-32) and what had been the value of these factors before QFD was implemented. Once QFD is implemented then the amount of time and money spent by an organization on redesigning and modifications drastically comes down. Once... From this paper it is clear that  an organization that properly implements Quality Function Development can improve their engineering knowledge in producing a particular product; this can in turn improve productivity and quality of the product and can also cut down the production time and cost.As the report highlights  QFD is a set of graphically oriented planning matrices that helps in identifying factors based on which decisions can be made during any phase of the product development cycle. QFD is nothing but a perfect blue print for quality by design. The results of incorporating QFD in an organization can be measured by looking into the number of designs and engineering changes brought in during the product development and manufacturing stage. It can also be evaluated based on the cost incurred quality of product and time taken to market the product after incorporating QFD and what had been the value of these factors before QFD was implemented. Once QFD is implemented then th e amount of time and money spent by an organization on redesigning and modifications drastically comes down. Once this is achieved it means that the company can launch their product in the market much earlier than they could by following the traditional method.  QFD process starts with listing down the goals or objectives that the company has to achieve. This list is prepared by finding out what the customers expect from a product.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Administrative Law Judicial Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Administrative Law Judicial Review - Essay Example Yardley asserts that judicial review is â€Å"the ultimate safeguard for the ordinary citizen against unlawful action by †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.the more powerful administration5†. In order to be amenable to judicial review, the relevant organisation must be a â€Å"public body6† and it is evident that the Council is a public body under the â€Å"source test7† under the first limb of eligibility. Moreover, the Council’s functions clearly fall within the second limb of eligibility is the â€Å"functions test†, which was established in the case of R v Panel of Takeovers and Mergers, ex parte Datafin8. In this case it was asserted that the relevant consideration was whether the body performed a public function, or alternatively whether its conduct had public law consequences. If these considerations were answered in the affirmative, the body would be a public body9. To institute proceedings for judicial review, Greener World will have to make an application for leave of the court before applying for judicial review and then issue their claim under the Civil Procedure Rules, part 5410. Any claim for judicial review must then have permission of leave of the Administrative Court11. Furthermore, in order to be eligible to make an application, Greener World must have locus standi, which in simple terms is the right to apply for judicial review. This requirement is essential as a filter for the judicial review process, limiting applicants to those who have a â€Å"sufficient interest†. Section 31(3) of the Supreme Court Act 1981 provides that permission for judicial review will not be granted â€Å"unless it considers the applicant has a sufficient interest in the manner to which the application relates12.† The definition of â€Å"sufficient interest† has been interpreted widely13 and was considered in depth in the case of R v Inland Revenue Commissioners, ex parte National Federation of Self-Employed and Small Businesses Ltd14. In this case, the House of Lords asserted that other than

Monday, November 18, 2019

New Mexico and the American West Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

New Mexico and the American West - Assignment Example 2. Arizona has shrinking agricultural development while New Mexico’s is growing. Arizona has a less Hispanic speaking community than New Mexico. It also has a low population than New Mexico. Arizona has the largest population of American states with 6.6 million with New Mexico’s just over two million. Arizona has rapid population growth while New Mexico has a rather slow population growth. Arizona has many Indian communities while New Mexico has few Indian communities with Hispanic communities being dominant. Arizona has a history of political conservatism while New Mexico is not as conservative. 3. 1848-1865 – mining began in this period 1866-1878 – Mormon farming towns were raised and crops were grown and then sold to miners. 1879-1899 – transportation along with the mining of copper began here. Tombstone, a major mining town for copper emerged and grew. 1900-1939 – Copper boom was experienced in this stage and cattle and cotton farming dev eloped as well. 1940 onwards – Arizona became an urban place. Economy shifted here and agriculture and mining declined as service industry took over. 4. The Navajo community live in circular homes called Hogan. When a person dies in a Hogan then they shut the doors of the Hogan as they believe that could come along with evil ghosts. They believe in a state of balance or harmony they refer to as hozho. They believe in traditional ceremonies like one called the blessing way which involves healers and singers attending. They have a ceremony called kinaalda which is one to signify the coming of age of a girl. Four sacred mountains of the Navajo include: the sierra Blanca in the east which means faith and thinking or white shell; Hesperus peak which refers to awareness and charity; mt. Humphrey which means life and love above; and mt. Taylor which means planning or blue turquoise. 5. The Mormon landscape had a grid of rather huge streets and there were also ditches on the sides of roads for irrigation purposes. Towns had rather open fields and there were also polygamous houses. There were also two by two houses and the towns had bans and granaries that had not been painted. The church meeting house was at the center of town and the residences were made of brick and stone. The plat for the city of Zion is basically the land tenure issue of the state of Utah. This refers to the need for irrigation, need for shared resources and the need for defence. This is also connected to the law of the Indies. 6. Utah was more or less an all Indian nation and it had Mormons settle in it. The state therefore had its key land tenure conflict being Mormons vs. gentiles. Utah has been praised for many reasons that make it different from the rest of America and one of these reasons is the fact that it has been rated the best state in America for economic growth. It is ranked highest for its economic dynamism by Forbes magazine and the USA today ranks this state first for the qu ality state government that it has. Prudential insurance ranks Utah as the fifth healthiest state in the states. The salt lake is in this state and it is therefore referred to as the Salt Lake City. Forbes ranks it as being the best city when it comes for jobs and it has as well been said to be the fittest city. The land tenure driver for Utah is the plat for the city of Zion and this is certainly due to the fact that the Mormon Church initially runs things there. It is said to be the third

Friday, November 15, 2019

Culture Impact On International Business

Culture Impact On International Business Whereas traditional International Business research has been concerned with economic/legal issues and organizational forms and structures, the importance of culture has become increasingly important in the last two decades, largely as a result of the classic work of Hofstede (1980). Culture has been shown to impact on International Business, especially on the aspect of group performance (Gibson, 1999). This paper mainly analyzes the impact of culture on International Business. And in order to analysis it well, firstly we will talk about the definition, levels and Hofstedes theory of culture in the section 2. Then in section 3, we discuss the adverse and beneficial impact on International Business respectively in detail. Section 4 concludes. What is culture? Terpstra and David (1991, p.6) defined culture as , a learned, shared, compelling, interrelated set of symbols whose meanings provide a set of orientations for members of a society. And the aspects of culture include value and beliefs, communication, norms of behavior, customs and art, music, dance, sport (Morrison, 2006, p.169). It is essential for us to obtain the knowledge of culture because we communicate with each other through language; anticipate how business partners and customers are likely to respond; distinguish between what is considered right or wrong, acceptable or offensive and identify with other managers, provide knowledge to meet and negotiate with them. There are at least three levels of culture: National culture Nations are distinguishable from each other by a shared cultural history, such as language, religion, ethnic or racial identity. Together, these distinguishing characteristics blend into a national culture, which influences family life, education, organizational culture and economic and political structures (Morrison, 2006, p.172). Organizational or corporate culture Morrison (2006, p.195) indicated that the characteristics of organizational culture include: Common language and shared terminology; Norms of behavior, such as relations between management and employees; Preferences for formal or informal means of communication within the company and with associated companies; Dominant values of the organization, such as high product quality and customer orientation; Degree of empowerment of employees throughout the organization; and Systems of rules that specify dos and donts of employee behavior. Professional culture Professional cultures form as people, who span individual organizations, share a set of norms, values and beliefs related to their occupation (Van Maanen and Barley, 1984; Jordan, 1990; Trice and Beyer, 1993) Morrison (2006, p.191-192) mentioned that differences in national values and attitudes have been the subject of considerable research. Hofstede (1994) has developed a theory to categorize and quantify cultural differences between nations, which allowing us to compare national cultures. The cultural dimensions are: Power distance: the extent to which members of society accept the unequal distribution of power inside organizations. Uncertainty avoidance: how members of a society cope with the uncertainties of everyday life. Individualism: the extent to which individuals perceive themselves as independent and autonomous beings (as opposed to collectivism, in which people see themselves as integrated into ingroups). Masculinity: the degree to which people prefer values of success/competition over modesty/concern for others (as opposed to femininity, which denotes sensitivity, caring and an emphasis on quality of life). Long-term vs. short-term orientation: peoples time perspectives in their daily lives. How does culture impact on International Business? International business refers to business activities that straddle two or more countries (Morrison, 2006, p.5). As the rapid growth of globalization, more and more international business such as Joint Venture have emerged and developed fast. Therefore, it is very essential to talk about the elements which influence the international business. And one of the crucial elements will be analyzed in this paper is culture. As discussed above, cultures are different from countries to countries. For international business, grasping the cultural differences between the global and the local is the key to build long-term relationship and obtain success. For example, in Asian cultures, doing business is not confined merely to working hours, but blends into social occasions such as meals together, where bonds of trust are built and where sensitivity to cultural values and norms can be critical (Morrison, 2006, p.169). The other example is in joint ventures, the need for cooperation and trust between partners is the key to long-term success. Blending the culture of different locations into a distinctive corporate culture can strengthen the sense of corporate identity, but poses considerable challenges for international managers. The global merger-between countries of different national cultures-is an illustration of the difficulties that can arise when strong national cultures clash (Morrison, 2006, p.195-196) In each case, achieving a successful outcome, in both the initial agreement and the long-term business relationship, will depend on sensitivity to differences in languages, value systems and norms of behavior between themselves and their hosts. In short, being attuned to cultural differences can directly affect the success or failure of the project (Morrison, 2006, p.168). Pothukuchi et al.s (2002) findings suggest that cultural differences stemming from national, organizational and professional cultures have influence on international alliance performance. Li, Lam and Qian (2001) also pointed out that national culture can influence managerial decision-making, leadership style and human resource management practices and all these factors influence a firms performance in acquiring and deploying resources (Puffer, 1993; House, Hanges, et al. 1999). The adverse effect of culture in International Business Sirmon and Lane (2004) explained that the influence of national culture is strong and long lasting. For example, Hofstede (1991) found that national culture explains 50% of the differences in managers attitudes, beliefs, and values. Thus, national culture differences between alliance partners can challenge the development of successful relationships. Park and Ungson (1997) supplemented that these challenges result partially from the lack of shared norms or values and this lack of common understanding may undermine the partners interpretation of each others strategic intent, which is crucial in global markets and partnerships (Hitt et al., 1995). Further, a lack of shared norms and values may reduce effective communication (Rao and Schmidt, 1998), trust (Aulakh et al., 1996; Doney et al., 1998) and knowledge sharing in joint ventures (Parkhe, 1991; Mohr and Spekman, 1994; Lyles and Salk, 1996). These problems, in turn, have been found to lead to lower alliance performance (Lane et al. , 2001). Whats more, differences in national culture can disrupt collaboration and learning between alliance partners (Lane and Beamish, 1990; Parkhe, 1991; Lyles and Salk, 1996; Hennart and Zeng, 2002). Sirmon and Lane (2004) explained this opinion in detail as following: an international alliances performance is driven by the alliances effectiveness in achieving its primary value-creating activities. Resource complementarity between alliance partners is often a necessary condition to optimize this value creation (Harrison et al., 2001). However, in order to share, combine and leverage complementary resources, the partners employees must interact effectively. And the cultural differences inhibit international alliance partners employees ability to interact effectively. Not only that national culture differences between alliance partners can challenge the development of successful relationships and the achievement of effectiveness in the alliances primary value-creating activities, but also the organizational culture differences can. Whereas national culture relates primarily to deep-seated values, organizational culture relates primarily to shared beliefs in organizational practices and processes (Hofstede et al., 1990). Sirmon and Lane (2004) found that organizational culture is important to the success of mergers and acquisitions. Weber et al. (1996) found that dissimilar organizational cultures between acquirer and target decreased top managers cooperation and increased negative attitudes toward the merger. Generally, similarity of partners organizational culture increases partner learning, satisfaction and effectiveness of interactions, whereas differences in organizational culture decrease these positive outcomes. In short, decreased learning, satisfaction and effectiveness of interactions impede the business processes used to share combine and leverage resources such as knowledge, relationships and physical assets. Thus partners with dissimilar organizational cultures will be less likely to effectively achieve the alliances primary value-creating activities. Research suggested that national and organizational culture differences between the employees of international companies affect their interactions, but Sirmon and Lane (2004) expanded the consideration of cultural differences to include professional culture differences. They stated that professional culture differences are often the most relevant and salient cultural differences that the interacting employees face, and thus professional culture differences are the most disruptive to the alliances effectiveness in achieving its primary value-creating activities. Professional cultures develop through the socialization that individuals receive during their occupational education and training (Van Maanen and Barley, 1984; Jordan, 1990) This initial socialization is then reinforced through their professional experiences and interactions that lead to a broad understanding of how their occupation should be conducted (Brown and Duguid, 1991; Lave and Wenger, 1991). Sirmon and Lane (2004) stated that it is disappointing when international alliance partners require employees from different professional cultures to interface in the primary value-creating activity of the alliance. The reason is because these employees lack a common basis from which to interact effectively due to their distinct occupational socialization and resulting professional cultures. First, individuals from separate professional cultures lack a shared set of basic knowledge because their occupational socialization involved different content material, which is reinforced by different professional experiences. Second, these individuals often lack experience communicating with an auditing audience outside their professional culture. Thus communication between individuals from separate professional cultures is impaired. Both of these factors impede the finding of common ground from which the relationship can develop and produce value (Lane and Lubatkin, 1998). In such cases, the development of basic routines is required to help establish a base of shared knowledge in order to communicate adequately. Developing such routines requires time, which leads to increased expenses and could lead to increased frustration (Park and Ungson, 1997). Even if these two obstacles can be adequately overcome, individuals from different professional cultures may still have deeply ingrained preferences in their approach to solving problems (Brown and Duguid, 1991; Lave and Wenger, 1991). These differences may be difficult to overcome, as the employees may reflect the not-invented-here syndrome, which is the resistance to the utilization of knowledge created elsewhere (Michailova and Husted, 2003). Further, attempts to compromise in the approach taken in problem-solving is likely to lead to less desirable outcomes. For example, if a compromise is reached, and members from both professional cultures abandon their preferred problem-solving approach, both effectively eliminate a significant amount of their valuable tacit knowledge. Likewise, if either member abandons their preferred problem-solving approach, the alliance has effectively lost the expertise of one half of its contributing members. The challenges discussed above inhibit the effective interaction of individuals from different professional cultures within an international alliance. This then decreases the likelihood that the alliances pooled complementary resources will be shared, combined and leveraged in a manner that effectively achieves the alliances primary value-creating activities. In one noteworthy study, Barkema and Vermeulen (1997) examined the influence of differences in partners national cultures on international alliance performance using Hofstedes (1980, 1991) dimensions of national culture. They found that partner differences in two of the dimensions (uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation) had a strong negative relationship with the survival of the collaboration over several different periods. However, the other three dimensions of national culture (individualism, power distance, masculinity) did not. Differences in uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation could represent differences in how partners perceive and adapt to opportunities and threats in their environment (Schneider, 1991; Schneider and De Meyer, 1991), and thus may be more difficult to resolve than differences along the other three dimensions, which represent attitudes towards personnel. In conclusion, cultural differences have adverse impact on the performance of international business. The beneficial effect of culture in International Business Sirmon and Lane (2004) stated that other evidence suggests that differences in national culture can be beneficial. Because managers tend to be more aware of the potential challenges when working with foreign partners, they may be more willing to spend effort on avoiding misunderstandings in international alliances than they would in domestic alliances (Very et al., 1996). In such cases, differences in national culture can lead to high-level communication and a more sustained collaboration (Shenkar and Zeira, 1992; Park and Ungson, 1997). Thus, in some cases, increased national culture differences can lead to higher international alliance performance (Morosini et al., 1998). In addition, societal culture per se may also be seen as part of a firms resources, leading to a competitive advantage (Porter, 1991; Dunning and Bansal, 1997). Porter (1991) pointed out that the competitive advantage of firms could be derived from the greater commitment. Dunning and Bansal (1997) further suggested that this greater commitment might well be based on cultural values observed in some countries, and not in others. For example, many individualistic cultures, such as US, may have an advantage in technological assets, whilst many collectivistic cultures, such as Japan, may benefit from the ways in which they organize their workforce and establish relations between contractors, suppliers and joint venture partners (Dunning and Bansal, 1997). With their different competitive advantages, firms may adopt different strategies. If manager of these firms adopt appropriate strategies by making use of the competitive advantages derived from cultural values, these firms may achieve great success. There is another example exhibit the beneficial effect on the International Business. According to Hofstedes dimensions of national culture Li, Lam and Qian (2001) stated that, long-term orientation means focusing on the future. With this long-term orientation, people in East Asia such as China are more likely to emphasize education and training, and practice persistence, thriftiness and the delay of immediate gratification. Wuhan City, which is known as Chicago in China contacted New World, a major Hong Kong developer, to negotiate a loan to complete an airport-linking expressway project. Focusing on building a long-term relationship with Wuhan City, New World soon agreed to provide the loan without discussing details traditionally seen in western-style negotiations. According to Cheng (1997), an impassioned plea for help from Wuhans public work chief, Zhang Ke Xiao, led to a handshake gamble without sight of a feasibility study or a contract. (p.30). With this relationship-oriented negotiation, New World set up good ties with the government in Wuhan City and other Chinese cities. These relationships proved very helpful during later negotiations in China. In fact, many overseas Chinese firms adopt a similar approach. Tung (1982) has also observed this long-term perspective, claiming that the Chinese have a different concept of time, as compared to that of the Western world, they are interested in building the basis for long-term relationships. Essentially, this means that once a foreign firm has gained their trust and has demonstrated its goodwill and willingness to lend assistance to the country, the Chinese will try to reciprocate in kind, whenever possible. (p. 30) In conclusion, cultural differences also have beneficial impact on the performance of international business. Conclusion This paper analyzes how culture impact on the International Business. It turns out that culture has either adverse or beneficial effect on the International Business performance. On the adverse aspect of culture, Sirmon and Lane (2004) indicated that national culture differences between alliance partners can challenge the development of successful relationships. Further, a lack of shared norms and values may reduce effective communication (Rao and Schmidt, 1998), trust (Aulakh et al., 1996; Doney et al., 1998) and knowledge sharing in joint ventures (Parkhe, 1991; Mohr and Spekman, 1994; Lyles and Salk, 1996). These problems, in turn, have been found to lead to lower alliance performance (Lane et al., 2001). Whats more, Weber et al. (1996) found that dissimilar organizational cultures between acquirer and target decreased top managers cooperation and increased negative attitudes toward the merger. Sirmon and Lane (2004) expanded the consideration of professional culture differences, which are often the most relevant and salient cultural differences that the interacting employees face. And it is disappointing when international alliance partners require employees from different professional cultures to interface in the primary value-creating activity of the alliance. The reason is because these employees lack a common basis from which to interact effectively due to their distinct occupational socialization and resulting professional cultures. On the beneficial aspect of culture, managers may be more willing to spend effort on avoiding misunderstandings in international alliances than they would in domestic alliances. In such cases, differences in national culture can lead to high-level communication and a more sustained collaboration (Shenkar and Zeira, 1992; Park and Ungson, 1997). In addition, Porter (1991) pointed out that the competitive advantage of firms could be derived from the greater commitment based on cultural values observed in some countries, and not in others. For example, the long-term orientation in China leads to a helpful long-term relationship between international businesses.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Orgon The Good, Or Orgon The B Essays -- essays research papers

In the beginning of Moliere’s play Tartuffe, the character Orgon is very distasteful, but changes by the end of the play and becomes more amiable. The character Orgon, in the beginning, is exceedingly stern. For example, in the beginning of the play, Orgon takes a man into his home, to which he believes is pious in every way. This man is Tartuffe, who deceives Orgon and Madame Pernelle into thinking he is a heavenly man, in order to gain their wealth and Orgon’s wife. He Tartuffe succeeds in deceiving those two but the rest of Orgon’s family discovers his unheavenly ways. Orgon’s family tries to convince Orgon of Tartuffe’s evil intentions, but when Orgon believes something to be true, he won’t let anything come between him and what he thinks is right, even his own family. Orgon orders his only daughter to wed Tartuffe against her will. Orgon states to Mariane, “Yes, Tartuffe shall be allied by marriage to this family, and he’s to be your husband, is that clear? It’s a father’s privilege.'; (Act 2, scene 1) Orgon’s son Damis who told him of Tartuffe’s treachery also confronted Orgon, but Orgon does not believe him. Orgon screams, “ So! You insult him, and defy your father! A stick! A stick! Out of my house this minute! Be off with you, and never dare set foot in it again. I disinherit you; an empty purse is all you’ll get from me-excep... Orgon The Good, Or Orgon The B Essays -- essays research papers In the beginning of Moliere’s play Tartuffe, the character Orgon is very distasteful, but changes by the end of the play and becomes more amiable. The character Orgon, in the beginning, is exceedingly stern. For example, in the beginning of the play, Orgon takes a man into his home, to which he believes is pious in every way. This man is Tartuffe, who deceives Orgon and Madame Pernelle into thinking he is a heavenly man, in order to gain their wealth and Orgon’s wife. He Tartuffe succeeds in deceiving those two but the rest of Orgon’s family discovers his unheavenly ways. Orgon’s family tries to convince Orgon of Tartuffe’s evil intentions, but when Orgon believes something to be true, he won’t let anything come between him and what he thinks is right, even his own family. Orgon orders his only daughter to wed Tartuffe against her will. Orgon states to Mariane, “Yes, Tartuffe shall be allied by marriage to this family, and he’s to be your husband, is that clear? It’s a father’s privilege.'; (Act 2, scene 1) Orgon’s son Damis who told him of Tartuffe’s treachery also confronted Orgon, but Orgon does not believe him. Orgon screams, “ So! You insult him, and defy your father! A stick! A stick! Out of my house this minute! Be off with you, and never dare set foot in it again. I disinherit you; an empty purse is all you’ll get from me-excep...