A Game of Thrones Chapter Sixteen

Eddard They've found her, my lord.† Ned rose quickly. â€Å"Our men or Lannister's?† â€Å"It was Jory,† his steward Vayon Poole replied. â€Å"She's not been harmed.† â€Å"Thank the gods,† Ned said. His men had been searching for Arya for four days now, but the queen's men had been out hunting as well. â€Å"Where is she? Tell Jory to bring her here at once.† â€Å"I am sorry, my lord,† Poole told him. â€Å"The guards on the gate were Lannister men, and they informed the queen when Jory brought her in. She's being taken directly before the king . . . â€Å" â€Å"Damn that woman!† Ned said, striding to the door. â€Å"Find Sansa and bring her to the audience chamber. Her voice may be needed.† He descended the tower steps in a red rage. He had led searches himself for the first three days, and had scarcely slept an hour since Arya had disappeared. This morning he had been so heartsick and weary he could scarcely stand, but now his fury was on him, filling him with strength. Men called out to him as he crossed the castle yard, but Ned ignored them in his haste. He would have run, but he was still the King's Hand, and a Hand must keep his dignity. He was aware of the eyes that followed him, of the muttered voices wondering what he would do. The castle was a modest holding a half day's ride south of the Trident. The royal party had made themselves the uninvited guests of its lord, Ser Raymun Darry, while the hunt for Arya and the butcher's boy was conducted on both sides of the river. They were not welcome visitors. Ser Raymun lived under the king's peace, but his family had fought beneath Rhaegar's dragon banners at the Trident, and his three older brothers had died there, a truth neither Robert nor Ser Raymun had forgotten. With king's men, Darry men, Lannister men, and Stark men all crammed into a castle far too small for them, tensions burned hot and heavy. The king had appropriated Ser Raymun's audience chamber, and that was where Ned found them. The room was crowded when he burst in. Too crowded, he thought; left alone, he and Robert might have been able to settle the matter amicably. Robert was slumped in Darry's high seat at the far end of the room, his face closed and sullen. Cersei Lannister and her son stood beside him. The queen had her hand on Joffrey's shoulder. Thick silken bandages still covered the boy's arm. Arya stood in the center of the room, alone but for Jory Cassel, every eye upon her. â€Å"Arya,† Ned called loudly. He went to her, his boots ringing on the stone floor. When she saw him, she cried out and began to sob. Ned went to one knee and took her in his arms. She was shaking. â€Å"I'm sorry,† she sobbed, â€Å"I'm sorry, I'm sorry.† â€Å"I know,† he said. She felt so tiny in his arms, nothing but a scrawny little girl. It was hard to see how she had caused so much trouble. â€Å"Are you hurt?† â€Å"No.† Her face was dirty, and her tears left pink tracks down her cheeks. â€Å"Hungry some. I ate some berries, but there was nothing else.† â€Å"We'll feed you soon enough,† Ned promised. He rose to face the king. â€Å"What is the meaning of this?† His eyes swept the room, searching for friendly faces. But for his own men, they were few enough. Ser Raymun Darry guarded his look well. Lord Renly wore a half smile that might mean anything, and old Ser Barristan was grave; the rest were Lannister men, and hostile. Their only good fortune was that both Jaime Lannister and Sandor Clegane were missing, leading searches north of the Trident. â€Å"Why was I not told that my daughter had been found?† Ned demanded, his voice ringing. â€Å"Why was she not brought to me at once?† He spoke to Robert, but it was Cersei Lannister who answered. â€Å"How dare you speak to your king in that manner!† At that, the king stirred. â€Å"Quiet, woman,† he snapped. He straightened in his seat. â€Å"I am sorry, Ned. I never meant to frighten the girl. It seemed best to bring her here and get the business done with quickly.† â€Å"And what business is that?† Ned put ice in his voice. The queen stepped forward. â€Å"You know full well, Stark. This girl of yours attacked my son. Her and her butcher's boy. That animal of hers tried to tear his arm off.† â€Å"That's not true,† Arya said loudly. â€Å"She just bit him a little. He was hurting Mycah.† â€Å"Joff told us what happened,† the queen said. â€Å"You and the butcher boy beat him with clubs while you set your wolf on him.† â€Å"That's not how it was,† Arya said, close to tears again. Ned put a hand on her shoulder. â€Å"Yes it is!† Prince Joffrey insisted. â€Å"They all attacked me, and she threw Lion's Tooth in the river!† Ned noticed that he did not so much as glance at Arya as he spoke. â€Å"Liar!† Arya yelled. â€Å"Shut up!† the prince yelled back. â€Å"Enough!† the king roared, rising from his seat, his voice thick with irritation. Silence fell. He glowered at Arya through his thick beard. â€Å"Now, child, you will tell me what happened. Tell it all, and tell it true. It is a great crime to lie to a king.† Then he looked over at his son. â€Å"When she is done, you will have your turn. Until then, hold your tongue.† As Arya began her story, Ned heard the door open behind him. He glanced back and saw Vayon Poole enter with Sansa. They stood quietly at the back of the hall as Arya spoke. When she got to the part where she threw Joffrey's sword into the middle of the Trident, Renly Baratheon began to laugh. The king bristled. â€Å"Ser Barristan, escort my brother from the hall before he chokes.† Lord Renly stifled his laughter. â€Å"My brother is too kind. I can find the door myself.† He bowed to Joffrey. â€Å"Perchance later you'll tell me how a nine-year-old girl the size of a wet rat managed to disarm you with a broom handle and throw your sword in the river.† As the door swung shut behind him, Ned heard him say, â€Å"Lion's Tooth,† and guffaw once more. Prince Joffrey was pale as he began his very different version of events. When his son was done talking, the king rose heavily from his seat, looking like a man who wanted to be anywhere but here. â€Å"What in all the seven hells am I supposed to make of this? He says one thing, she says another.† â€Å"They were not the only ones present,† Ned said. â€Å"Sansa, come here.† Ned had heard her version of the story the night Arya had vanished. He knew the truth. â€Å"Tell us what happened.† His eldest daughter stepped forward hesitantly. She was dressed in blue velvets trimmed with white, a silver chain around her neck. Her thick auburn hair had been brushed until it shone. She blinked at her sister, then at the young prince. â€Å"I don't know,† she said tearfully, looking as though she wanted to bolt. â€Å"I don't remember. Everything happened so fast, I didn't see . . . â€Å" â€Å"You rotten!† Arya shrieked. She flew at her sister like an arrow, knocking Sansa down to the ground, pummeling her. â€Å"Liar, liar, liar, liar.† â€Å"Arya, stop it!† Ned shouted. Jory pulled her off her sister, kicking. Sansa was pale and shaking as Ned lifted her back to her feet. â€Å"Are you hurt?† he asked, but she was staring at Arya, and she did not seem to hear. â€Å"The girl is as wild as that filthy animal of hers,† Cersei Lannister said. â€Å"Robert, I want her punished.† â€Å"Seven hells,† Robert swore. â€Å"Cersei, look at her. She's a child. What would you have me do, whip her through the streets? Damn it, children fight. It's over. No lasting harm was done.† The queen was furious. â€Å"Joff will carry those scars for the rest of his life.† Robert Baratheon looked at his eldest son. â€Å"So he will. Perhaps they will teach him a lesson. Ned, see that your daughter is disciplined. I will do the same with my son.† â€Å"Gladly, Your Grace,† Ned said with vast relief. Robert started to walk away, but the queen was not done. â€Å"And what of the direwolf?† she called after him. â€Å"What of the beast that savaged your son?† The king stopped, turned back, frowned. â€Å"I'd forgotten about the damned wolf.† Ned could see Arya tense in Jory's arms. Jory spoke up quickly. â€Å"We found no trace of the direwolf, Your Grace.† Robert did not look unhappy. â€Å"No? So be it.† The queen raised her voice. â€Å"A hundred golden dragons to the man who brings me its skin!† â€Å"A costly pelt,† Robert grumbled. â€Å"I want no part of this, woman. You can damn well buy your furs with Lannister gold.† The queen regarded him coolly. â€Å"I had not thought you so niggardly. The king I'd thought to wed would have laid a wolfskin across my bed before the sun went down.† Robert's face darkened with anger. â€Å"That would be a fine trick, without a wolf.† â€Å"We have a wolf,† Cersei Lannister said. Her voice was very quiet, but her green eyes shone with triumph. It took them all a moment to comprehend her words, but when they did, the king shrugged irritably. â€Å"As you will. Have Ser Ilyn see to it.† â€Å"Robert, you cannot mean this,† Ned protested. The king was in no mood for more argument. â€Å"Enough, Ned, I will hear no more. A direwolf is a savage beast. Sooner or later it would have turned on your girl the same way the other did on my son. Get her a dog, she'll be happier for it.† That was when Sansa finally seemed to comprehend. Her eyes were frightened as they went to her father. â€Å"He doesn't mean Lady, does he?† She saw the truth on his face. â€Å"No,† she said. â€Å"No, not Lady, Lady didn't bite anybody, she's good . . . â€Å" â€Å"Lady wasn't there,† Arya shouted angrily. â€Å"You leave her alone!† â€Å"Stop them,† Sansa pleaded, â€Å"don't let them do it, please, please, it wasn't Lady, it was Nymeria, Arya did it, you can't, it wasn't Lady, don't let them hurt Lady, I'll make her be good, I promise, I promise . . . † She started to cry. All Ned could do was take her in his arms and hold her while she wept. He looked across the room at Robert. His old friend, closer than any brother. â€Å"Please, Robert. For the love you bear me. For the love you bore my sister. Please.† The king looked at them for a long moment, then turned his eyes on his wife. â€Å"Damn you, Cersei,† he said with loathing. Ned stood, gently disengaging himself from Sansa's grasp. All the weariness of the past four days had returned to him. â€Å"Do it yourself then, Robert,† he said in a voice cold and sharp as steel. â€Å"At least have the courage to do it yourself.† Robert looked at Ned with flat, dead eyes and left without a word, his footsteps heavy as lead. Silence filled the hall. â€Å"Where is the direwolf?† Cersei Lannister asked when her husband was gone. Beside her, Prince Joffrey was smiling. â€Å"The beast is chained up outside the gatehouse, Your Grace,† Ser Barristan Selmy answered reluctantly. â€Å"Send for Ilyn Payne.† â€Å"No,† Ned said. â€Å"Jory, take the girls back to their rooms and bring me Ice.† The words tasted of bile in his throat, but he forced them out. â€Å"If it must be done, I will do it.† Cersei Lannister regarded him suspiciously. â€Å"You, Stark? Is this some trick? Why would you do such a thing?† They were all staring at him, but it was Sansa's look that cut. â€Å"She is of the north. She deserves better than a butcher.† He left the room with his eyes burning and his daughter's wails echoing in his ears, and found the direwolf pup where they chained her. Ned sat beside her for a while. â€Å"Lady,† he said, tasting the name. He had never paid much attention to the names the children had picked, but looking at her now, he knew that Sansa had chosen well. She was the smallest of the litter, the prettiest, the most gentle and trusting. She looked at him with bright golden eyes, and he ruffled her thick grey fur. Shortly, Jory brought him Ice. When it was over, he said, â€Å"Choose four men and have them take the body north. Bury her at Winterfell.† â€Å"All that way?† Jory said, astonished. â€Å"All that way,† Ned affirmed. â€Å"The Lannister woman shall never have this skin.† He was walking back to the tower to give himself up to sleep at last when Sandor Clegane and his riders came pounding through the castle gate, back from their hunt. There was something slung over the back of his destrier, a heavy shape wrapped in a bloody cloak. â€Å"No sign of your daughter, Hand,† the Hound rasped down, â€Å"but the day was not wholly wasted. We got her little pet.† He reached back and shoved the burden off, and it fell with a thump in front of Ned. Bending, Ned pulled back the cloak, dreading the words he would have to find for Arya, but it was not Nymeria after all. It was the butcher's boy, Mycah, his body covered in dried blood. He had been cut almost in half from shoulder to waist by some terrible blow struck from above. â€Å"You rode him down,† Ned said. The Hound's eyes seemed to glitter through the steel of that hideous dog's-head helm. â€Å"He ran.† He looked at Ned's face and laughed. â€Å"But not very fast.†

Expository Essay on Exercise and Obesity Essay

Some say that a decreased amount of sleep time can be associated with the increase of body fat. Insomnia or sleep apnea or even RLS (restless sleep syndrome) are just three out of many different types serious sleep that can also in fact lead to all kinds of increased risk several other chronic health problems. Multiple studies have explained the sudden impulse of these sleep disorders and the links its shares on obesity, these are very important links in contemplating the relationship between sleep disorders obesity. Physical fitness and good eating habits are important prognostic tools in obesity and chronic disease; there are several studies that have examined the likeness between obesity, sleep disorders, and exercise. It also explains how different sleep disorders may impact the physical fitness regimen responses and how extremely overweight may impact lifestyles of the patients with regard to sleep disorders will also be reviewed. (Hargens, 2013) (Nature & Science of sleep. 2013 Vol 5 p,27-35. 9p. The explanation to these issues include better understanding of the medical community, However, it does still remain brainless about these ailment processes of work out and sleep destitute patients. For the most part doctors recommend medications with side effects that include insomnia and weight gain instead of giving out information to their patients that help them to get better standard of living improvement. This often entails exceptional doctors’ with outstanding management such as medication with no negative side effects. [ (hargens, 2013) ] Many studies have established the link between sleep deficiency and both obesity and even the illness called diabetes. By getting a good work out may improve sleep destitute patients and their daily functions, additionally to gaining weight and metabolism function. Obesity has been a main part in the connection with SC and DC in women, and DC in men. (Grandner) April 24 2013 The resolution to these issues contain better understanding of the health community, However, it does still continues to be dense about these ailment process of obesity. exercise and sleep destitute patients.

A Utilitarian Argument in the Ford Pinto Case Essay

In 1971 Ford Motor Company decided they wanted to create a compact car that could compete with the other Japanese manufactured cars. It rushed from its inception to its actual production. In the end, these cars proved to be one of the most dangerous ever produced because of their extreme flammability in instance of rear impact collision. The decision by Ford to not recall any of its cars, and not fix design flaws, conceal the truth of their mistake and roll the dice future incoming lawsuits, damages and loss of human life is the one that I will dissect. I will show how this action uses the â€Å"greatest happiness and greatest pleasure† form of Utilitarianism and the true moral flaws that it exposes. Many parties were affected is this case including the Ford Motor Company employees, the shareholders, the company owners, and every single consumer or person who not only purchased the vehicles but also drove in them including the ones who were injured, burned or even killed, and not to be forgotten, the rest of the whole world. Actually no one escapes the ripple effect of this decision. Ford Motor Company, led by President Lee Iacocca, discovered that during the sped up engineering and production process it had created the fuel tank vulnerable to fiery rear crashes because of the layout of the car. Ford realized this but made its decision to not recall the cars based of their own company formulated utilitarian cost benefit analysis and fear of negative company effects. Ford Motor Company weighed the risk in terms of how much it would cost the company to pay for damages and loss of any human life, which was put into a numeric dollar value by the National Highway Travel Safety Administration (NHTSA) of $200,000 per life and multiplied it by the number of accidents it estimated would occur from the flaw. Ford Motor Company calculated that the cost of compensation for death, injury and damaged cars was significantly less than the cost of recalling all the vehicles with the rear design flaw. Basically they thought they would save money, keep up  their shareholder price, and have less damage to all involved by not doing anything except â€Å"taking it on the chin† with regards to predicted accidents caused by the accident prone fuel tank. They also assumed that if they made a recall, their share price would plummet and shareholders would lose money, and that possibly employees would lose jobs. Ford Motor company did a really did a neat job of es timating life values and social components cost of property damage, insurance costs, legal fees, employer losses, funeral, assets and value of each human life in society. They even concluded they would need to pay 87 million dollars less by doing no recalls and just paying for these other future damage costs. However there is a dominant if not obvious consideration that carries more importance than just economics and Ford’s revenue. First of all, consider the possible damage to the company’s reputation created by media and public when having multiple accident from the same automobile model. The company could lose big from media and public backlash. Second, in line with utilitarian factors, Ford calculates all the collateral damage in terms of money and nothing else. Money creates pleasure for some, and pain for others. Ford calculates money as a positive value, and that is all. It seems really ideal that when creating a calculus in utilitarian ethics to think in terms of dollars because dollars carry a numeric value anyway! The decision not to recall the cars and let the accidents occur loses utilitarian units of value in terms of obvious life factors. It is also so narrow minded that I would consider it not rational. First, it is focused way too much on numeric dollar value s when considering human injuries, company futures, and life lost. The decision really applies Jeremy Bentham’s idea of more pleasure (money) for the most people is the right thing. But you must consider human life in terms of a quality like John Stuart Mill’s idea for happiness and quality of life, and for those lost and for those who grieve afterwards, for the hate that is created, and the pain and suffering. Second you have to think in terms of the imminent possibility of Ford’s reputation to be ruined beyond foreseeable repair with the unsafe cars. For a non-corporate minute, don’t think in terms of insurance claims, lawsuits paid, and annual profits gained or lost, but for competitors looking at the company as stupid, and the American public devaluing Ford in their own minds when they find out the truth about the cover up. Consider negative ideas forming in the minds of  the American public as they look to the foreign auto makers to seek retribution on Ford by using their own consumer given purchasing power, and hurting the domestic economy by buying foreign cars and labeling Ford Motor Company, a company founded over 70 years prior by Henry Ford from Detroit, as a fraud and never to be trusted again! Anyone in the Ford family could not have been thinking rationally if they made the decision not to recall because they were risking too many important values that did not carry immediate economic value in 1971, but certainly did after 1976 just five years later! Ford Motor company, by their own calculations, saved 87 million by making their decision to not recall cars. This was a seemingly good consequence for Ford Motor Company, only until four people died in 1972 and other incidents happened that created a downward spiral for them. However they should have bore the cost of the recalls as a way of upholding their own company character through honestly admitting their technical mistake, which in the end, has a lot more value. Also sparing lives adds tremendous moral value to a decision that corrects the problem and announces it as it is which is an engineering design flaw that they are aware of. Instead of doing things as they did, Ford Motor Company could have tried to recall all vehicles that were on the market at the time, and spent the extra money and time to correct a mistake that they â€Å"deeply regretted.† The president would not need to emphasize how they rushed their production to compete with another foreign company, but instead insisted that they as an American based company needed to fix the problem for the sake of safety of the American people, by which they held more dearly than their own profitability. By this alternative way, they uphold American Christian values which were at the heart of the inception of the United States values and hold higher moral value any Japanese auto company can hope to have. They could convince the consumer markets, and the media that this decision is why Ford is who they are, and although they may not be as fast as other auto makers, at least they are concerned about doing things the right moral way. This alternate idea produces more good for more people using a utilitarian way of thinking as well. Creating a stable product with quality in mind is a solid business decision and will create profitability for years to come. Selling cars up to current safely regulations to people to benefit their well being and making the country in which they exist in better as well as all those who purchase their vehicles around the world better. Ford Motor Company’s decision uses ideas from one of the utilitarianism founders in Jeremy Bentham. However it is narrow minded because it only considers the aspects of living and society status in terms of money values at the current time. If we lived in a world where money was equally valuable to reputations, emotions, and even life then their decision may be utilitarian but it is still not ethical. The future is what costs them. However that is not the world we live in and a company such as Ford needs to think about the multiple negative outcomes of a decision like the Ford Pinto example. They should have recalled all the Pintos because the good still outweighs the bad in the end. It is a wiser business decision, moral, ethical and it applies utilitarianism. Works Cited DeGeorge, Richard T. Business Ethics 7th Edition. New Jersey Pearson, 2010. Print. Hoffman, W. Michael. â€Å"The Ford Pinto.† Business Ethics: Readings and Cases in Corporate Morality. Ed. W. Michael Hoffman, Robert E. Frederick, and Mark S. Schwartz. New York NY. McGraw-Hill, 2001. Boyce, Daniel â€Å"The Flaw of Utlitarianism: The Ford Pinto Case† Business Ethics IB. 15 April, 2010. Web. 11 April 2014.

Drugs and Control Substances among Hispanic Cultures Research Paper

Drugs and Control Substances among Hispanic Cultures - Research Paper Example Marijuana and cocaine use among eighth-grade students increased during the years 1991to 2002 according to samples obtained from the MTF. Despite this, there has been a decline in the use of both marijuana and cocaine among the Hispanics for the past few years. However, the Hispanic groups have depicted a higher rate of marijuana abuse compared to other groups such as whites and blacks. Therefore, the high rates of drug abuse among young Hispanic individuals have led to an increased threat to the public health because it contributes to a significant risk of addiction problems. Alvarez, Jason, Olson, Ferrari & Davis (2007) explains that Hispanic cultures in relation to drugs and control substances can be expressed in terms of the gender differences depicted through prevalence rates of drugs substances abused. In fact, these differences are profound among the Latinos and Latinas, whereby the former has increased likelihood of abstaining from abusing drugs and other control substances compared to the latter (Cervantes & Pena, 1998). There are notions from various researchers indicating that this tendency is caused by their cultural norms, which do not support substance use among women. In this case, the Latinas are protected from the effects of drug abuse and substances through a promotion of abstinence. Moreover, empirical evidence has justified the interrelationship between American cultural values and drug abuse among the Latinas. For instance, a national survey indicated that over one thousand Latinas depicted their interaction with non-Latinos and held their cultural values have reduced chances of abstaining from abusing drugs.

Embedded Systems Engineering Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Embedded Systems Engineering - Assignment Example If the blood alcohol content (BAC) of the driver is more than the defined value, the system locks the ignition disabling he vehicle from starting. For many years the society has experienced drunk driving as a major problem which has claimed so many innocent lives apart from just the drunk drivers. The system not only prevent drunken drivers from driving while intoxicated, but also save many innocent lives who may fall victims of drunk driving. Executive summary An automated breathalyzer in most countries is fixed in convicted drunken drivers vehicles in order to control the vehicle ignition under the conditions that the driver’s blood alcohol content is from the sample breath is below a certain defined alcohol level. The automated breathalyzer engine ignition switch will act as safeguard ensuring that drunken drivers who are not fit to drive are out of the road. It is highly accurate as compared to the manual ways of preventing drunken drivers from driving in that it does not the ignite the car in case the blood alcohol content is above the defined amount. ... That is, if the level of blood alcohol content is higher than the defined value, then the system automatically locks the vehicle’s ignition preventing the engine from starting. It therefore ensures that drunken drivers who are not fit to drive are eliminated from the road thus prevent accidents. Problem statement Public safety calls for the elimination of drunken drivers from the road in order to reduce accidents mostly related to alcohol. Statistics indicate that about 38% of the road accidents are alcohol related. Loopholes exists in the current system used to test drunken drivers on their ability to drive in that a driver who might be breaking the legal limit for blood alcohol still has the potential to pass the roadside sobriety tests. This is because the roadside sobriety tests such as testing if the drunken driver can walk in a straight line are manually done and their accuracy is quite questionable. Objectives A general objective of the automobile breathalyzer ignition interlock system is to prevent drunk drivers who are not fit to drive from driver by automatically locking the car’s ignition system unless the driver’s BAC value is lower than the defined limit meaning that the driver is sober enough to drive. Nearly 38% of road accidents are alcohol related while curbing the problem of drunk driving has proved difficult through the use of the other manual ways, the automobile breathalyzer ignition interlock system precludes the possibility of an accident and other incidents related to drunk driving such as revoking offenders’ licenses altogether. The system should be able to disable the car’s ignition system should it be found that the BAC value of the driver is higher than the defined limit depending on the state or country.

How Convincing Is Porter's Model of National Competitive Advantage in Essay

How Convincing Is Porter's Model of National Competitive Advantage in Explaining the Workings and Achievements of Major Nation - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that international competitiveness of different countries is a great concern on governments and organizations. Countries do their best in order to ensure that they remain competitive in the international market. The interest on the competitiveness of countries has led to debates on the understanding and the true meaning of the international competitiveness of different countries. The purpose for the debates is due to the assumptions that underlie the theories of management that the competitiveness of firms may be transferred to countries. This was popularized by porter according to his diamond framework. Corporate strategies should be looked at from a global context. In spite of any given organization not having any plans of exporting or importing any goods directly. The management team of the organization is supposed to consider the international environments. This is because the action that the different organizations make on such issues as the competitors, sellers, buyers, substitute providers and the persons joining the market usually have a great influence on the domestic market. Michael Porter came up with a model that may be used to analyze the reasons as to why some nations may be more competitive compared to others and some given industries may be more competitive within a nation compared to others. This model may be used as a factor of determining national advantage and it is mostly referred to as the Porter’s diamond. The model suggests that an organizations national home base plays a great role in defining the extent that the organization is likely to be successful in the global scale as well as having a competitive advantage. The home base is able to provide some basic factors that may act as support for success and may at time hinder some organizations in building advantage grounds in a global competition. This model distinguishes four different determinants. The first determinant is the factor co ndition. This is the situation in a given country based on the factors of production such as infrastructure and skilled labor which may be relevant to make the country competitive in some industries. These factors may be placed in groups that include human resources, material resources, knowledge resource, infrastructure and capital resources. These factors also include research quality done by universities, liquidity of the national stock market or deregulation of the labor market. These factors may provide some advantage in the market and may act as a competitive advantage. The second condition is the home demand conditions. This condition describes the amount of home demand that the services and products produced in a given country are demanded within the country. The demand at home may influence the factor conditions. It helps shape the direction that the product development and innovation take. This model states that the demand within a country may shape the competitiveness of the country in the global market. The third condition is the supporting and related industry. When a country has one industry that is successful, it may reinforce internationalization and innovation in the industry at a later stage on the value system. Both the supplying industries and the related industries play a great role in a country’s competitiveness. These industries may coordinate some given activities together in the market, especially those that are related, which will in turn offer competitive advantages. The last condition is the structure, strategy and rivalry of the firm. In different nations, some factors such as management structures, interaction between companies and working morale may be shaped differently. This may provide some disadvantages and advantages for particular industries.

Reward And Motivation As Factors For The Productivity Dissertation

Reward And Motivation As Factors For The Productivity - Dissertation Example There are certain needs and demands of both employee and employer such as labor force are required to perform efficiently when organizations are investing in resources they would demand reliable workforce meeting all standards of productivity (Leboeuf, 1986). On the other hand, employees have expectations related to handsome reward, job security, workplace environment and respect (Blackburn & Lawrence, 1995). Now, these attributes can be taken as motivation factors because given the expectation both parties will be better-served employers will enjoy productivity whereas workers will enjoy the reward. Since both parties are attaining what they desire, ultimately the company’s performance will boost up. It might be easy to say that expectations can be met easily but practically the utopia can only be achieved when organizations understand the needs of their employees. Understanding workers’ needs, in other words, is the analysis which tells organizations how to motivate t heir workers (Podmoroff, 2005). This study is conducted to understand those needs and their patterns which in turn motivate workers for best performance. What can actually be called a motivation? Motivation can be any item or factor that can encourage and energize employees’ behavior to work harder (Tracy, 2013). These sets of principles or factors which invigorate performance can either be social, cultural, societal, financial or even psychological. It relies upon the management to successfully understand its workers demand and need and it is the utter duty of managers to trigger the motivational processes in the right direction (Scheuer, 2000). Motivation is a driving force which is accumulated through altered scenarios and lead individual to accomplish their targets. When targets are achieved, it portrays individual performance.

Statistical Reasoning in public Health Math Problem

Statistical Reasoning in public Health - Math Problem Example The children were followed for one year after randomization, and monitored for AOM during this period. 262 children were randomized to the vaccine group, and 150 of these children experienced at least one incident of AOM during the follow-up period. 134 children were randomized to the placebo group, and 83 of these children experience at least one incident of AOM during the follow-up period. (a) Report a 95% confidence interval for the proportion of children experiencing at least one incident of AOM during the follow-up period in: 1) the group randomized to receive AOM 51.2% to 63.1% 2) the group randomized to receive a placebo 53.5% to 69.7% 3) How do these 95% CI’s compare? (similar range of values? Overlap?) There is an overlap of values. (b) 1) Report a 95% confidence interval for the difference in proportions of children experiencing AOM over the follow-up period. (you may choose the direction of comparison – ie: placebo to vaccine or vice-versa) . Placebo to vacci ne: 47.3% to 63.1% 2) Interpret the confidence interval in a sentence. At the 95% confidence level, those who use a placebo have 47.3% to 63.1% chances of experiencing AOM over the follow-up period compared to those who have taken the vaccine. ... Yes, the p-value is consistent. (d) 1) Give an estimate of the relative risk of AOM (in the follow-up period) for children in the vaccine group compared to those in placebo. 0.92 2) Interpret this estimated relative risk. Those who are in the vaccine group are .92 times as likely to suffer from AOM than those in placebo. (e) 1) Give an estimate of the odds ratio of AOM (in the follow-up period) for children in the vaccine group compared to those in placebo. 0.82 or 50:41 2) Interpret this estimated odds ratio. Those who are in the vaccine group are .82 times more likely to suffer from AOM than those in placebo. 3) How does it compare in value to the estimate of relative risk from part d1? They are almost similar. (f) 1) Is this a randomized study? Yes 2) What does this study design suggest when translating the statistical result from part (b) into a substantive/scientific conclusion? (Note: this is an extension question, we have not covered this in detail, I just want you to think ab out it) A randomized study minimizes allocation bias and thus makes the statistical result from part (b) a substantive, unbiased, scientific conclusion 2. A study was done to investigate whether there is a relationship between survival of patients with coronary heart disease and pet ownership. A representative sample of 101 patients with CHD was taken. Each of these patients was classified as having a pet or not and by whether they survived one year following their first heart attack. Of 52 pet owners, 50 survived. Of 49 non-pet owners, 28 survived. Suppose you were interested in doing a statistical analysis of these study results. Answering the follow questions to help you with this goal! (g) Using Stata (or the posted Stata output) , report

Compare and contrast 4 poems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Compare and contrast 4 poems - Essay Example Unrivaled for its variety and strength, the poetry of the First World War persists to have a powerful impact on readers. The three poems that will be discussed in this paper reflect the diverse experience of those who lived through the war, integrating the words of poets, soldiers and civilians affected by the war. These four poems depict the emotions of those at war, and the unknown lyrics of soldiers’ songs. Furthermore, the poems provide a blend of voices that is both unique and tremendously moving. The poetry that was coming out of the First World War revealed, for the first time in the history of ever, the actual horror of war. The consequence is an extraordinary documentation of passionate emotions and atrocious experiences, written by men and women from extensively different settings, of distinct and lasting significance. Moina Michael influenced by the May 1915 poem â€Å"In Flanders Fields† composed by Canadian doctor and Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, publish ed her own poem in Novemember 1918, We Shall Keep the Faith. In her emotional poem Moina Michael swears to at all time don a red poppy as a symbol of remembrance for those who were killed in the war. ... tradiction, which is a remembrance that is sub-presumed into the iconography of politeness, and provided with the added baggage of watchfulness, responsibility, and unstipulated trust. Monia’s poem somehow ignores, as do the memorials erected all over the state, is the time of evolution between life and death. The poppy remodelled by Monia is the gesture of the realm into which a generation fell and through which we persist to stumble on as if heaved; we are the future that the demised speaks to. Presently the poppies flutter in the fields of Iraq. The poppy, with its embedded promise of oblivion, has become the appropriate preserve of the despicable. The Monia’s poem also falls short to tell us what that was, however, it serves well adequately to mark the appalling void at its heart. â€Å"1914† is Wilfred Owen’s first poem about the First World War. It has two stanzas with 8 and 6 lines, respectively. These 8 lines and 6 divide the otherwise frequent iam bic meter. The rhymes too are traditional: no restrained pararhymes are present. On the other hand, the most significant thing is how virtually its intent adheres to received perception of the war at that moment, as exemplified by the Rupert Brooke’s poem â€Å"The Soldier.† The comparison between the diction on the lines 1-8 and lines 9-14 is very spotlighted. The octet contains â€Å"whirled†, â€Å"rend†, and â€Å"down-hurled†, words which depict the devastating force. On the other hand, words, such as like â€Å"famine† and â€Å"rots† are indicative of destruction’s impacts. Thus, â€Å"wails† depicts human reaction, all the consequences of that terrifying strained word â€Å"tornado†. All these words are also indicative of a more apt year later during Owen’s experiences in the trenches. How distinct when we

Odyssey and Troy Essay Example for Free

Odyssey and Troy Essay Odyssey, Troy, Hercilles, Itacha, Zeus, Thesues, Alexsander. If I should guess, some these names are not totally strange to you. Tales of war and death, tales that make the heart beat and thrills the soul. Tales of love and of determination for glory. All these are some of the things that characterize epic literature. As a field of study, literature makes us see the world better. It is a way of seeing through words and expressions. Epic literaure is a narrative and dramatic form of literaure that talks about conquests and the heriotic acts of certain people in ancient times. Although there are many literary works that fall under epic literature, one can not just but mention the works of Homer, Virgil and Dante. Not only this this people writer to entertain, we can feel the life of passion in their works. Generally, epic literature are written in the form of poetry which are in a metoric style. Also, they have some perculiar themes – themes like quest for glory and heroism, quest for power and authority, fate and destiny, the activities of the gods in human life and endeavours. People change, languages evolve, cultures change due to several factors. All these has a lot of effect on literature in general. Literature today still contains the same elements and it still talks about what is happening in the soicety. However, there are some difference in their themes. For instance, in the case of epic literature, particularly in ancient greek mythology, there is the exagerated belief in the gods and their presence in the determination of the eventual occurences, whether success or woe, of the people. However, in recent times, literature has become more factual and less religious. Apart from these, the themes/ what they talk abut has changed. Most epic literatures portray war and violence, bringing in the elemnets of devotion and courage into it as a way of celebrating herotic acts of these fierce warlords. On the other hand, literature today dicusses themes like societal coexistence and other themes that has to do with living in peace with one another.

Media Essays Media Tool Celebrities

Media Essays Media Tool Celebrities Media Tool Celebrities In Order to Feed the Public’s â€Å"Need to Know† the Media has Become a tool of Celebrities to Facilitate Their â€Å"Out of Control† Life-Styles Daily we read them, headlines that are crafted to focus our attention on the lives of celebrities. Whether those headlines are found on the opening screens of our Internet Service Providers or, be they the headlines that we read while standing in line at the check-out counter of our local grocery store, we are spoon fed daily doses of the moral and ethical failures of the rich and famous. Daily we hear about them, they are the lead-in stories for our local news broadcasts and the fodder for jokes on late night television. They are true life accounts of extreme and outrageous conduct of celebrities. Whether we hear the accounts as news items or as punch-lines, celebrity escapades seem to document a wasting away of talent and squandering of the endless possibilities that are celebrities are afforded. Even though we would expect these headlines to appear in dramatized versions of tabloid newspapers known for sensationalized journalism. More and more we find the exploits of the same few persons repeatedly making their way into main stream media as well. This outcome was most predictable, as the habits and life-styles that are practiced and lived by celebrities; together with the indulgences provided to them collide with the norms of social conscience and the requirements of law. We the consumer, are encouraged to fill the void in our lives by being observers to their’s. To a large segment of society those daily doses of celebrity voyeurism serves to feed a craving not unlike doses of heroine to a junkie. We as a society crave to know more because we have for the longest period of time, been given glimpses of these celebrities successes and failures. Some of us relish when their lives are filled happiness and success, taking pride in their accomplishments. Some of us are jealous of them, consider them pampered and spoiled, relishing the fact that they find themselves in trouble or, are acting in conformity with a self-destructive path. What is happening in the lives of Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Jen, or Lindsay Lohan? Who is their latest love interest? Where do they party and with whom? What are the latest fashion trends they are setting? What problems have they gotten themselves into most recently? All these questions and more are answered for us even before the questions are asked. Are these questions answered for us because the media wants to fuel our interest in celebrities’ lives? Or, are they answered for us because the media is merely responding to the demands of the public’s â€Å"need to know†? Or, is the media being used as a tool of the celebrity, a means for the celebrity to increase demand for themselves as a commodity that results in their ability to earn ever increasing sums of money that can be used to sustain their life-style? The media and celebrities have a strange symbiotic relationship. Celebrities go out of their way to garner the spot-light when it is convenient for them and when the headline or photos help to foster their image. Yet, that same celebrity will not hesitate to berate the media when the headline writers and paparazzi portray them in a bad light or invade the privacy the celebrities claim they desire. This inter-relationship between celebrities and the media is aimed at one audience, the public that fuels both with money. Consequently, it must be argued and I firmly believe that the media is a tool of celebrities that facilitates their â€Å"Out of Control† life-styles in an attempt to capitalize on the general public’s tendency to â€Å"Celebrity Worship†, a tendency that has recently been classified by degree and personality type in the â€Å"Celebrity Attitude Scale†.1 The Celebrity Attitude Scale identifies three (3) personality profiles, â€Å"Entertainment-Social† (This dimension comprises attitudes that fans are attracted to a favorite celebrity because of their perceived ability to entertain and become a social focus); â€Å"Intense-Personal† (The intense-personal aspect of celebrity worship reflects intensive and compulsive feelings about the celebrity, akin to the obsessional tendencies of fans); and, â€Å"Borderline-Pathological† (This dimension is typified by uncontrollable behaviors and fantasies regarding scenarios involving their celebrities). Whether the medium is print, television or Internet web sites, the media is â€Å"banking† on every member of the public to whatever degree, being inflicted with Celebrity Worship and if not already smitten, the media is dedicated to causing those not yet smitten to become so by discovering the latest tidbits that can be converted into breaking news about the lives of celebrities. â€Å"Banking† is the appropriate word. It was in 1957 that American citizens’ obsession with celebrities was fist responsible for attaining gross merchandising revenues that exceeded One Billion Dollars (US$1,000,000,000.00) annually.2 It would be a monumental task to estimate the current gross merchandising revenues generated and numbers of persons that â€Å"Celebrity Worship† is directly responsible for employing. However, it is easy to comprehend that from the scope of the task of writing, photographing, publishing, distributing and selling accounts of celebrities latest adventures on a national and international basis; and, taking into consideration payrolls, travel expenses, advertising revenues, publication and broadcast processes and the sales of merchandise, that the number of persons employed would total into the hundreds of thousands; and, gross revenues would exceed the Gross National Products of many of the world’s nations. Not only are the media outlets scoring big profits from publicizing the information they obtain about celebrities in order to obtain increased readership and ratings that translate into increased revenue from advertising and magazine sales, so too are the celebrities who are getting rich in the process as their names, likeness and mere presence become a commodity to a hungry public. By way of example, in 2004 through 2005, Paris Hilton was paid as much as $300,000.00 to attend foreign events, including parties thrown in her honor. During the course of that year, she earned an estimated $6,500,000.00 in personal appearance fees, was mentioned in 17,591 press clips and 592 radio and television shows.3 However, after her release from jail, it was reported but subsequently denied by her publicists, that she was demanding Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand British Pounds ( £350,000.00), which is approximately $662,000.00, to appear on a British Radio Show to discuss her prison ordeal. Likewise, Lindsay Lohan granted Ok Magazine an exclusive interview within 17 hours of checking herself into the Cirque Lodge rehabilitation facility and again, upon returning to Los Angeles following her discharge from the facility. The interview was not motivated merely by a desire to evidence to her fans that she was sincere about changing her life’s direction. Rather, to a great extent, it was motivated by the fees she charged them to publish the exclusive interview and the pictures taken of her with her estranged father. The media’s coverage of celebrities creates a spiral effect. The more publicity they garner propels them to earn increasing sums of money. The increasing sums of money then allow them to engage in outrageous conduct that garners them more publicity all of which fuels the public’s demand in furtherance of the adage that has now become entrenched in the marketing of celebrities: â€Å"there is no such thing as bad press†. Either because celebrities believe that â€Å"there is no such thing as bad press†, or because their lavish life-styles and high profile names make them believe they are beyond suffering the repercussions of their conduct, celebrities have been â€Å"Out of Control† in the conduct of their lives and pose a risk of harm to themselves and to others. Whether their â€Å"Out of Control† conduct is the product of attempts by some to keep their names in the public spot-light in what they perceive as a marketing ploy that will inspire, delight and perhaps enlarge their fan base; or, the arrogance that is fueled by their celebrity status, the acts and omissions of some celebrities has in many instances shocked the American conscious. Moreover, to a certain degree, it may have had very strong backlash that is only now being recognized and that may result in some celebrities learning that they need to exert self-control and discipline in their lives. The masses observe and interact with each other in idle gossip about the lives of celebrities. The masses comment on the unacceptability of these celebrities conduct. Yet, that same society encourages these celebrities’ actions by continuing to pay for the magazines, watching the shows and reading the web site â€Å"blogs† perpetuated by the media. The added publicity then provides positive reinforcement to their unacceptable conduct. Consequently, the general public’s reaction to the media coverage contributes to these celebrities’ downward spiral by â€Å"Operant Conditioning†, the psychological theory that positive reinforcement of bad acts will perpetuate bad acts.4 The lives of celebrities take over our world in many ways. We turn on the television the celebrities are there. We go to the market the celebrities are there. We turn on our computer and search them out. Our societies’ pop culture has turned watching drugged out or drunken, half naked, rich girls into a national past-time. We have to take the time to ask ourselves, are these people desired to be our next generations’ role models? If so, the world is going to be a very scary place. Yet, our consuming dollars elevate them in the hearts and minds of the young who observe their parents and their peers obsessing on the lives of these celebrities. Through the demand placed by the public for access to more and more information on these celebrities, we are giving these celebrities more opportunity, career success, name recognition, and profit from their own bad behavior. This in turn results in more and more outrageous conduct as they take us to new moral and social lows. It has often been said by celebrities that they do not want to be role models for our children. Yet, the spot-light that is cast upon them by media attention puts them in that power position. â€Å"As tweens [children between the ages of 8 to 12 years] grow up they don’t have a lot of prior knowledge when it comes to lots of situations, and so they look for someone to imitate. [†¦] For tweens this often means the person is someone they want to be like†.5 Since these celebrities are role models nonetheless, should we not let our dollars force them into becoming if not good role models, role models that will not engage in conduct that is reckless to the life and property of others? This was the message being sent with the incarceration of Paris Hilton; this is the message that awaits Lindsay Lohan now that she has emerged from rehabilitation to face the consequences of her reckless driving while under the influence of controlled substances; and, this is the lessen that has been learned by Brittany Spears, who is now paying one of the most costly of all prices for her conduct, the loss of her children. As the news of the effects of the harm caused by each of these celebrities reached out to society through the media what was the result? Vehement protests by their ardent fans to how their favorite celebrity was treated; bashing and name calling by those that dislike or are envious of them; and, increased sales of magazines for those that got the â€Å"Money Photo†. Persons with untold wealth can always afford to do what those who do not have such vast amounts of discretionary money cannot afford to do. But we as a society can little afford to support the publications that would flaunt their conduct and make it appear to be acceptable. A message must be sent to the media, that they are a tool of these celebrities who are using them to gain access to ever increasing sums of wealth. Therefore, if the media will not censor their own publications, then it is necessary for the power of money to do it, by way of boycotting the publications that support these celebrities’ bad acts by providing publicity to them. Bibliography 1.Maltby, J., Houran, J., Lange, R., Ashe, D., McCutcheon, L.E. (2002). Thou Shalt Worship No Other Gods Unless They Are Celebrities. Personality and Individual Differences, 32, 1157-1172. 2.The Teacher Who Lured Celebrities Paul E. Duffield Music Educators Journal, Vol. 43, No. 5 (Apr. May, 1957), p. 80 and 82 3.Forbes Magazine Top 100 Celebrities (2005), Estimates compiled by Forbes; published sources include Billboard, Pollstar, Adams Media Research, Publishers Weekly and Nielsen SoundScan. Press clips compiled by LexisNexis; TV/radio mentions compiled by Factiva. 4.Ferster, C. B., Skinner, B. F. (1957). Schedules of reinforcement. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. 5.Adapted from National Institute of Child Health Human Development (2003). Modeling your own behavior to provide a consistent, positive example for your child. Washington, DC: National Institutes of Health. Penn State Cooperative Extension, Pike County, Tween Topics (2003)

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt: The First Green Politician Essay

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt once stated, â€Å"A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.† As the thirty-second President of the United States, during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war, Roosevelt recognized and addressed the need for conserving and protecting the nation’s natural resources. Roosevelt put forth the necessary effort to not only raise awareness, but also create a change in the literal ‘land’ of the free. When Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) became U.S. President in 1933, he sought out the advice of modern-thinking experts in many fields in an effort to improve the then current environmental state of his country. It was not only Roosevelt who greatly expected results from these efforts, but his fellow citizens as well. With his long-term passion for nature and interest in the science of forestry and resource management, Franklin D. Roosevelt was particularly shocked by the waste of American natural resources during a time in which his country had such great need. In his inaugural address, he stated his belief on this subject before his fellow citizens, "Nature still offers her bounty and human efforts have multiplied it. Plenty is at our doorstep, but a generous use of it languishes in the very sight of the supply." This man knew of the rich treasures that lie within the loams and rolling hills of our country. He understood the benefits of its wealth, if employed resourcefully. His initia tives sought to intelligently utilize these resources while creating jobs for out-of-work Americans. Roosevelt’s environmental policies incorporated the emerging field of ecology with federal policies to manage watersheds, maintain forests, teach agriculture, and hold fast the flying soils of the southern plains. The main force behind this federal action was derived from the national surge in unemployment. The economic collapse of 1929 left millions of American citizens incapable of making a living. These unfortunate financial setbacks were most evident in the American southern plains region. Terrible drought combined with economic difficulty made it practically impossible for many farms in the rural mid-western United States to produce. Residents of Oklahoma fled westward to California, creating resettlement problems on top of already ... ...ull of national and global changes in the 1930s, a man put forth the effort to preserve the ‘the fruited plains’ of his country. If not for the measures taken by him, the national and rural appreciation for our natural resources might have come much later. In the midst of World War II, an economic recession, and a paralytic illness of polio, this man noticed and fully understood the importance of a harmonious balance between the nation’s people and its soils. Works Cited Black, Brian. "Roosevelt, Franklin D.." The Encyclopedia of Earth. 22 Aug. 2008. Encyclopedia of Earth. 24 Nov. 2011 . CCC Legacy. 7 Apr. 2011.. Ermentrout, Robert A.. ""Forgotten Men: The Civilian Conservation Corps"." 1982: Miller, Perry H.. Roosevelt's Forest Army, A History of the Civilian Conservation Corps. 1981. Roosevelt, Franklin D.. "Roosevelt Quotes." Brainy Quote. 25 Nov. 2011. . Roosevelt, Franklin D.. "Roosevelt's Inaygural Address." PBS. 25 Nov. 2011. .

A Good Man Is Hard To Find :: essays research papers fc

Views and Characters Flannery O’Connor wrote the short story, "A Good Man is Hard to Find" in the hopes of portraying to the reader the racist views of the time: many of the ideals possess "a kind of holy madness or beauty." (Kirszner 238). These are the words mentioned in Literature, and express the emotions that O’Connor made the grandmother experience in the story. The story takes on a sort of irony throughout to provide a comedic look at old values and traditions, displaying to the reader how we advance over time. The grandmother very ignorantly describes just how separate dark and light colored people were during the period: "Oh look at the cute little pickaninny!" she said and pointed to a Negro child standing in the door of a shack. "Wouldn’t that make a picture, now?" she asked and they all turned and looked at the little Negro out of the back window. He waved. "He didn’t have any britches on," June Star said. "He probably didn’t have any," the grandmother explained. "Little niggers in the country don’t have things like we do." The language that is shown in this section of the story clearly demonstrates the difference between what is acceptable, and what is racist. O’Connor clearly provides us that she never has the intent to be racist herself, but rather her characters, possibly an influence in her life, are to blame. The grandmother shows her politeness to June, but also shows her rudeness by describing the dark colored boy with such racist terms, providing the reader with a sense of the "holy madness" that resides within her. The story contains eleven characters, of which only one illustrates her lack of coming together and recognizing everyone as a whole, rather than as separate races. Despite the obvious difference in language barriers, the grandmother does reflect a soft side: "Two fellers come in here last week," Red Sammy said, "driving a Chrysler. It was a old beat-up car but it was a good one and these boys looked all right to me. Said they worked at the mill and you know I let them fellers charge the gas they bought? Now why did I do that?" "Because you’re a good man!" the grandmother said at once. Of notable importance, the name Sam means to listen, or to hear, supporting the fact of racial differences. (Babycenter) This could be the explanation why the characters, Sam and the grandmother, have the most polite conversation in the entire short story.

Negative Effects of High Fructose Corn Syrup on the Human Body Essay

The Negative Effects of High Fructose Corn Syrup on the Human Body Excluding Obesity, Diabetes and Kidney Failure Abstract: This research paper investigates the effects of high fructose corn syrup on the body without discussing obesity and diabetes. While obesity and diabetes are two major consequences of an unhealthy consumption of high fructose corn syrup, they tell only a fraction of the story. Many of the lesser-known effects of high fructose corn syrup are the result of a trickle down effect. When high fructose corn syrup changes the balance of nutrients, it also can lead problems with vitamin and mineral deficiency. The most noticeable effects of high fructose corn syrup include problems with the liver disease, heart failure, minerals, osteoporosis, micronutrients, accelerated aging, and copper deficiency. One of the organs that is most affected by high fructose corn syrup is the liver. High fructose corn syrup is composed of 55 percent fructose and 45 percent glucose. This differs from table sugar which is 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose. Researchers have found that high fructose has the same effect on the liver as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. As fructose is absorbed by the second part of the small intestine, the jejunum, the liver has the task of converting the fructose to triglycerides which is easier than converting glucose into triglycerides. Elevated levels of triglycerides lead to an increased risk of heart disease. A study conducted by the University of Minnesota published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2000 concluded that "men, but not in women, fructose â€Å"yielded significantly higher blood levels" than did glucose. The researchers found that "diets high in added fructose may b... ...06, from Osteoporosis: A debilitating disease that can be prevented and treated. Web site: http://www.nof.org/osteoporosis/index.htm (2006, July 30). American Heart Association. Retrieved July 30, 2006, from Understanding Heart Failure Web site: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1593 Beyer , PL, Caviar, EM, & McCallum, RW Fructose intake at current levels in the United States may cause gastrointestinal distress in normal adults. PubMed, Retrieved July 23, Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=16183355&query_hl=2&itool=pubmed_docsum. Sanda, Bill (2004, February 19). The Double Danger of High fructose Corn Syrup. Retrieved July 24, 2006, from The Double Danger of High Fructose Corn Syrup Web site: http://www.westonaprice.org/modernfood/highfructose.html Squires, Sally Sweet but Not So Innocent. (2003, March 11). The Washington Post, p. HE01.

Ethical behavior Essay

Hypothesis: Practicing Ethical behavior improves business operations Abstract This paper discusses about how observing ethical behavior in the workplace develops or improves business operations. It delves into the workplace culture and introduces the positive and negative ethical practices that affect its processes. It also points out the research gathered about the codes of conduct and behavioral standards that contribute and further advance the company’s undertaking. Ethical behaviour goes beyond the legal requirements placed on a business; it is also concerned with discretionary decision-making and conduct. Ethical behaviour is an important function in integrating business and society, by promoting the legitimacy of business operations, through critical reflection of employee behavior. In this paper, varied researches can be found with the goal of deepening the reader’s understanding of ethical behavior and its role in promoting and improving operations in businesses. I.Ethical Behavior A.Introduction One of the tough and complex problems that business organizations are facing is managing ethical behavior. Ethical behavior in the workplace is a standard of conduct expected of or adopted by a business. It involves characterizing moral principles including honesty, fairness, interpersonal equality, dignity, diversity, and individual rights. B.Importance Ethical behavior helps maintain quality and productivity in the business. What is ethical is legal and with it, it assists the organization to comply with laws and regulations. It has the ability to attract investor and customers and ensures good and proper relationships with them. Also it  promotes teamwork within the organization whereby employees can work together more effectively and efficiently. Similarly, with people practicing ethical behavior in the workplace encourages making decisions in an ethical way. Conducting the business complying ethical behavior brings more benefits to the company’s improvement and the basis for long-term success in most businesses. II. Ethical Workplace Culture Ethics in work place are cultures that a company imposes to make each professional more productive and cooperative. This makes each professional more responsible and hardworking to their duties. Complying with ethics in the workplace makes the company successful and knowledgeable in their field of business. A.Positive workplace behavior ethics -According to Don Rafner, Demand Media (2014), your employees face ethical dilemmas every day in the workplace. They might be tempted to leave work early, take credit for the work of others or lie to a potential client to get him to sign the insurance policy, order the service or purchase the product that they are selling. The key to fostering strong business ethics at your company is to create an ethics policy that clearly spells out what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior. EXAMPLES Cheating the Company A solid ethics policy should clearly outline the procedure employees should follow if they need to take time off, leave early or start late. If you don’t spell out these procedures, employees might be tempted to handle these matters on their own. They might claim to be meeting a client at the end of the workday when instead they are leaving early to catch a ballgame on TV. They might claim to be at a workshop for the first half of the day when instead they are sneaking in some extra sleep. Make sure your ethics policy contains a provision telling your employees how they can request time off even for personal matters. Open communication is a far better alternative than the sneaking around required when employees try to cloak the reasons for their late starts or absences. Working with Clients Your ethics policy also should make it clear that your workers must treat clients and customers fairly and honestly. This means prohibiting employees from lying to potential clients or providing them with misleading information. Employees shouldn’t hide the true price of a service, policy or product in an effort to trick customers into signing up. They also shouldn’t promise more than their service or product can deliver. Employees should never bully or harass potential clients. Your ethics policy should state how often your workers can contact potential customers, at what times of the day and what exactly they can and cannot say during their conversations. Ethics in our workplace makes professional the best and this benefits both the employer and the employee. B.Possible negative ethics -Not all ethics in workplace is good, sometimes it can harm you. EXAMPLE You have discovered that your workmate is starting up business the same to your company and started to get costumers from your company so you decided to tell your president regarding what your officemate is doing after your officemate was caught he threaten you that he will do something not good to you. You have disregarded what he has said, after one month your daughter was kidnap. Realizing that your office really did what he has said. III. Ethical Principles President Theodore Roosevelt once said that, â€Å"To educate the mind without the morals is to educate a menace to the society.† Ambition, competitiveness, and innovation are essential factors that lead to business success but these must be controlled by core ethical principles. According to Josephson (2013), ethical principles are universal standards of right and wrong prescribing the kind of behavior an ethical company or person should and should not engage. These principles provide a guide to making decisions but they also establish the criteria by which your decisions will be judged by others. A.Code of Conduct Definition As stated by Vitez (2014), codes of conduct usually describe the required behaviors, responsibilities, actions or attitudes employees should have in  an organization. This conduct policy ensures all individuals are on the same page and have a clear understanding of the business’ mission statement and values. Functions and Features Businesses may include basic employee working guidelines in their code of conduct policy. These guidelines can include dress standards, avoidance of drug or alcohol use, arriving promptly to work on time and keeping the employee’s workplace neat and clean. Companies use these policies to develop and promote a safe and courteous work environment. A code of conduct can also be created to govern the owners and managers of large and small businesses. Business owners and managers are often held to a higher standard because they have more power in the organization. Considerations Implementing ethical values into a code of conduct can help companies strengthen these policies. Ethical values include self-discipline, honesty, integrity, fidelity and charity. Companies use ethical values to promote their conduct policies as individuals may have different personal ethical values. Creating a standard ethical system helps companies promote the values they see most important in business. Business ethics commonly fall in line with the business owner’s view of ethical standards. B.Behavioral Standards As described by Abraham Lincoln, character is a tree and reputation is a shadow. Your character is what you really are; your reputation is what people think of you. Hence, reputation is purely a function of perception while character is determined by ones actions. The following are the 12 ethical principles enumerated by Josephson (2013): 1. HONESTY. Be honest in all communications and actions. Ethical executives are, above all, worthy of trust and honesty is the cornerstone of trust. Ethical executives do not deliberately mislead or deceive others. 2. INTEGRITY. Maintain personal integrity. Ethical executives earn the trust of others through personal integrity. Integrity refers to a wholeness of character demonstrated by consistency between thoughts, words and actions. 3. PROMISE-KEEPING. Keep promises and fulfill commitments. Ethical executives can be trusted because they make every reasonable effort to fulfill the letter and spirit of their  promises and commitments. 4. LOYALTY. Be loyal within the framework of other ethical principles. Ethical executives justify trust by being loyal to their organization and the people they work with. Ethical executives place a high value on protecting and advancing the lawful and legitimate interests of their companies and their colleagues. 5. FAIRNESS. Strive to be fair and just in all dealings. Ethical executives are fundamentally committed to fairness. They manifest a commitment to justice, the equal treatment of individuals, tolerance for and acceptance of diversity. 6. CARING. Demonstrate compassion and a genuine concern for the well-being of others. Ethical executives are caring, compassionate, benevolent and kind. They seek to accomplish their business objectives in a manner that causes the least harm and the greatest positive good. 7. RESPECT FOR OTHERS. Treat everyone with respect. Ethical executives demonstrate respect for the human dignity, autonomy, privacy, rights, and interests of all those who have a stake in their decisions; they are courteous and treat all people with equal respect and dignity regardless of sex, race or national origin. 8. LAW ABIDING. Obey the law. Ethical executives abide by laws, rules and regulations relating to their business activities. 9. COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE. Pursue excellence all the time in all things. Ethical executives pursue excellence in performing their duties, are well-informed and prepared, and constantly endeavor to increase their proficiency in all areas of responsibility. 10. LEADERSHIP. Exemplify honor and ethics. Ethical executives are conscious of the responsibilities and opportunities of their position of leadership and seek to be positive ethical role models by their own conduct and by helping to create an environment in which principled reasoning and ethical decision making are highly prized. 11. REPUTATION AND MORALE. Build and protect and build the company’s good reputation and the morale of its employees. Ethical executives understand the importance of their own and their company’s reputation as well as the importance of the pride and good morale of employees. 12. ACCOUNTABILITY. Be accountable. Ethical executives acknowledge and accept personal accountability for the ethical quality of their decisions and omissions to themselves, their colleagues, their companies, and their communities. V. EFFECTS OF PRACTICING ETHICAL BEHAVIOR A. Advantages A.1 Employees †¢Positive Work Environment – Ethical employees are perceived as team players rather than as individuals just out for themselves. They develop positive relationships with co-workers. Their supervisors trust them with confidential information and they are often given more autonomy as a result. Employees who are caught in lies by their supervisors damage their chances of advancement within the organization and may risk being fired. An extreme case of poor ethics is employee theft. In some industries, this can cost the business a significant amount of money, such as restaurants whose employees steal food from the storage locker or freezer.†(Brian Hill) A.2 Business †¢Build customer loyalty – â€Å"Having a loyal customer base is one of the keys to long-range business success because serving an existing customer doesn’t involve marketing cost, as does acquiring a new one. A company’s reputation for ethical behaviour can help it create a more positive image in the marketplace, which can bring in new customers through word-of-mouth referrals.†(Brian Hill) †¢Retain Good Employees – Talented individuals at all levels of an organization want to be compensated fairly for their work and dedication. They want career advancement within the organization to be based on the quality of the work they do and not on favouritism. They want to be part of a company whose management team tells them the truth about what is going on, such as when layoffs or reorganizations are being contemplated. Companies who are fair and open in their dealings with employees have a better chance of retaining the most talented people.†(Brian Hill) †¢Avoid Legal Problems – At times, a company’s management may be tempted to cut corners in pursuit of profit, such as not fully complying with environmental regulations or labour laws, ignoring worker safety hazards or using substandard materials in their products. The penalties for being caught can be severe, including  legal fees and fines or sanctions by governmental agencies. The resulting negative publicity can cause long-range damage to the company’s reputation that is even more costly than the legal fees or fines. Companies that maintain the highest ethical standards take the time to train every member of the organization about the conduct that is expected of them (Brian Hill). †¢High Employee Performance – A lack of ethics has a negative effect on employee performance. In some cases, employees are so concerned with getting ahead and making money that they ignore procedures and protocol. This can lead to additional paperwork and careless errors that result in the task having to be completed again. Additionally, employees who feel acting ethically and following the rules will not get them ahead in the business sometimes feel a lack of motivation, which often leads to a decrease in performance (Stacy Zeiger). †¢Company Credibility – If a lack of ethics in a business becomes public knowledge, that business loses credibility. While some businesses survive public knowledge of a lack of ethics through reimaging and advertising campaigns, many lose a key customer base. Even if a business recovers from news about its lack of ethics, it takes a lot of time and money to restore its image and consumer confidence (Stacy Zeiger). †¢Competitive Advantage – Business ethics offer companies a competitive advantage. Consumers learn to trust ethical brands and remain loyal to them, even during difficult periods. The company followed its credo, a set of ethical organizational values, and the result was a boost in consumer confidence, despite the contamination scare. Society benefits from business ethics because ethical companies recognize their social responsibilities (Lynne MacDonald). †¢Asset Protection – A strong ethical culture within your business is important in safeguarding your assets. Employees who abide by your workplace ethics would be able to protect and respect your business’s assets. For example, they would avoid making personal long distance calls using the business’s lines.  Workers can only respect company property when you treat them with respect and dignity, which makes them feel proud to be working for your business. Ensure that your workers perform in an environment with integrity and strong ethics. It increases employee pride and discourages them from stealing supplies or equipment (Alejandro Russell). †¢Productivity and Teamwork – Workplace ethics is integral in fostering increased productivity and teamwork among your employees. It helps in aligning the values of your business with those of your workers. Achieving this alignment requires that you encourage consistent dialogue regarding the values of your business, which enhances community, integrity and openness among employees. Ethics enable your workers to feel a strong alignment between their values and those of your business. They show such feelings through increased productivity and motivation (Alejandro Russell) . †¢Public Image – You earn a lot of respect and cultivate a strong image in the public domain when you make ethical choices. For instance, you can fulfill your corporate social responsibility by reducing waste discharge from your business. The public would consider your business to be operating with honor and integrity while valuing people over profits. Building a strong public image through ethical conduct also earns you more clients. Customers would develop trust in you and do business with your organization (Alejandro Russell). †¢Decision-Making – Ethical conduct in the workplace encourages a culture of making decisions based on ethics. It also enhances accountability and transparency when undertaking any business decisions. During turbulent times, a strong ethical culture guides you in managing such conflicts by making the right moves. It can help you to introduce change successfully in your organization, which can be a challenge. Ethical conduct within the business sensitizes you and your staff on how to act consistently even in difficult times (Alejandro Russell). B. Disadvantages B.1 Employees †¢Inequality – Codes of conduct are often drafted, in part, to ensure that all members of an organization are treated equally. However, often those in upper-level management and creative positions are given a â€Å"bye† on certain codes, like those restricting how the worker talks about the company or to what degree employees are allowed to have personal relationships outside of work. According to CNN Money contributor Eleanor Bloxham, if companies are going to have codes of conduct they should reconsider any code that cannot be applied equally (Miranda Morley). †¢Unethical Corporate Behavior – In some cases, codes of conduct may facilitate unethical corporate behavior. Codes of conduct that limit employees’ ability to speak out against the corporation can keep them quiet for fear of job loss or legal retribution even if the company is engaging in an unethical practice. Further, codes of conduct can be used to set ethical-looking rules that managers are instructed not to follow so if any misconduct occurs it is the individual employee, not the corporation that will be blamed (Miranda Morley). B.2 Business †¢Lack of Management Support – One of the disadvantages of an ethical compliance program is that it requires the comprehensive support of management to be effective. If members of the management team decide to apply their own version of corporate ethics to the way they manage their departments, then this clash of principles can cause confusion in the workplace. For example, a manager who tends to look the other way when his employees are committing sexual harassment sets a precedent that can start to undermine the entire corporate culture.( George N. Root III) http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-disadvantages-ethical-compliance-organization-20548.html †¢Costly – Developing, implementing and maintaining an ethics compliance program within your organization can be expensive and time-consuming, according to attorney Michael G. Daigneault, writing for the Maryland Association of CPAs. Ethics policies need to be continually updated to reflect changes in  workplace laws and changes in your company culture as the organization grows. Proper administration of an ethics program often requires the hiring of an ethics officer and the commitment of company financial and personnel resources.( George N. Root III) http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-disadvantages-ethical-compliance-organization-20548.html †¢Reduce Company’s Freedom – Business ethics reduce a company’s freedom to maximize its profit. For example, a multinational company may move its manufacturing facility to a developing country to reduce costs. Practices acceptable in that country, such as child labor, poor health and safety, poverty-level wages and coerced employment, will not be tolerated by an ethical company. Improvements in working conditions, such as a living wage and minimum health and safety standards, reduce the level of cost-savings that the company generates. However, it could be argued that the restrictions on company freedom benefit wider society.( Lynne MacDonald) VI. CONCLUSION Within the business world, ethical decisions are made each day that have an impact across all organizations. Conducting yourself ethically as a business owner and encouraging your employees to engage in ethical business conduct brings about several benefits for your company. Business ethics tend to be overlooked by entrepreneurs as they have other priorities such as ideas for the business, marketing strategies, and financial matters. However, business ethics have a more powerful influence on the existence and improvement of business operations than most people think. It can create a positive image of a business, to mention one of the many, which can greatly contribute to the improvement of the business operations that can lead to its growth and boost in sales. Alongside with the advantages of practicing ethical behavior are disadvantages. Essentially, if you don’t practice ethical behavior in your business then you are in a position with more freedom than if you do, thus, reducing a company’s freedom to maximize its profit. Practicing ethical behavior improves business operations despite it having disadvantages as it brings about more benefits to your business than not performing ethical business conduct. Besides the moral, social, personal and cultural imperatives to tell the truth, it’s increasingly evident that ethical practices protect and even boos the bottom line (Johnson, 2008). Customers will patronize your business not because you are on the number one spot among your competitors but because you give value as to how you claimed that spot.

Nutrition Practices

Receiving proper nutrition to satisfy the physiological needs of man is a general knowledge that everyone is aware of. The food that we eat is necessary not only to fulfill the biological urge to satisfy hunger, but also to nurture the human body in order to withstand illnesses and diseases for a longer and healthier life.Although this is a common goal for nations, particularly of the United States, as manifested in health care services and policies granted to their citizens, other external factors seem to influence how individuals perceive nutrition. One major factor which affects the nutritional decisions and influences of individuals is their culture, for one’s racial or ethnic roots or backgrounds are attributed to nutrition practices.This fact may be observed in hundreds of individuals who belong to various racial and ethnic groups residing in the US. The evaluation or assessment of the nutrition practices undertaken by these individuals reveal that they are at high risk for experiencing health and nutritional deficiencies.For instance, the Prima Indians were found out to be at great risk for contracting diabetes primarily fueled by obesity. However, in this case, aside from the nutrition practices, the genetic make-up of this ethnic group also influences their health and wellbeing. Another case is the implication of the exclusion of milk, and other dairy products in the diet of Asian Americans and Hispanic Americans. (â€Å"Ethnic Traditions,† 2008)This is because studies have shown that these particular ethnic groups are more prone to lactose intolerance which leads them to remove dairy products from their nutrition practices or diet (â€Å"Ethnic Traditions,† 2008), consequently leading to Vitamin A, B12, D, and Calcium deficiencies (â€Å"Vitamins and Minerals,† 2008)Other health and nutritional deficiencies that are most common in the US for racial or ethnic groups include lack of Omega 3 fats, Copper, and dietary fiber. Fo r the male populations belonging to African American and American Indian ethnic groups, they are most at risk for Vitamin A deficiency.This is because it has been observed that they refuse to consume vegetables in their diet. Some vegetables that are essential parts of the American diet contain beta-carotene which is a valuable substance present in them from which Vitamin A is taken from. (â€Å"Ethnic Traditions,† 2008*)Aside from the minor influences of physical and genetic features or characters, one component of racial or ethnic culture also influences nutrition practices. Religion plays a major role in dictating what kind of diets individuals will be implementing. For instance, individuals who are Jewish refrain from eating the common types of meat such as beef and pork and prefer meat from sheep, goat, etc. instead.This religious belief has something to do with the distinction of the clean and unclean meats. Moslems on the other hand are not allowed to consume pork and alcohol. In addition, some Islamic festivals require that they practice fasting which refrain them from consuming food and drinks at a particular time during the day. This particular cultural and religious practice affects the health and wellbeing of Moslems. (â€Å"Ethnic Traditions,† 2008)From the various, but limited, examples provided in this text of the various cultural nutrition practices that racial and ethnic groups observe, the influence of such practices are perceived to be detrimental to their health and wellbeing.In addition, resolving the issue of ethnic disparities in terms of health care and nutrition is quite difficult to resolve since it would be far-fetched to reverse a culture that has long existed. Moreover, the influence of physical and genetic factors is unavoidable. The challenge presented within this text now is how cultural differences and the standards and guidelines of health and nutrition are to be reconciled in order to come up with a cohesive soc iety that is consciously aware of the need to promote health and nutrition for the betterment of human life.Referencesâ€Å"Ethnic Traditions.† (2008). Retrieved December 20, 2008, from The World’s Healthiest Foods. Website: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=specialneed&dbid=11 â€Å"Vitamins and Minerals.† (2008). Retrieved December 20, 2008, from The Vegetarian Society of United Kingdom. Website: http://www.vegsoc.org/info/vitmineral.html   

Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions (China and Germany) Essay

Gerard Hendrik Hofstede (born October 2, 1928 in Haarlem) is a Dutch expert in cultural studies [GHW]. Hofstede (1980) surveyed 88,000 IBM employees working in 66 countries and then ranked the countries on different cultural dimensions. His research resulted in four dimensions (power distance; individualism versus collectivism; uncertainty avoidance; and masculinity and femininity). In the beginning, China was not included in this study but later Bond and Hofstede looked at Chinese values. From this research they included a fifth cultural value dimension called: long-term versus short-term orientation [SKR]. Power Distance Index (PDI) The Power Distance index shows how less powerful individuals accept and expect an unequal distribution of power. High power distance means that power is unevenly distributed; low power distance means that power is more evenly distributed [TIP]. According to Geert Hofstede’s 5 dimensions China is located in the higher ranking at 80. That means that this society â€Å"believes that inequalities amongst people are acceptable† [GER]. The Power is centralised and the management is autocratic. The subordinate-superior relationship tends to be cleaved and â€Å"there is no defence against power abuse by superiors† [GER]. This means that â€Å"people are less willing to challenge authority which is likely due to old communism beliefs which still have a strong influence on people’s behaviour† [SKR]. Managers expect subordinates to obey them. Subordinates automatically show respect and know that they have to earn their respect. They also expect to be told what to do. Therefore social interactions are formal. In general we can say that the Chinese are â€Å"optimistic about people’s capacity for leadership and initiative† [GER]. The general attitude of the Chinese is that you should not fulfil any duties beyond your rank [GER]. In class I have noticed that the status of the teacher has to be respected and privileges are expected. To listen to a different example: In China it is very common that the workers should come 15 minutes earlier to a meeting and the manager with the most power is always five to fifteen minutes later. That shows that the managers enjoy more privileges. I was able to observe that the compliance of  the hierarchy is maintained very strictly. Individualism versus Collectivism(IDV) This index shows the extent to which individuals are integrated into groups or not [TIP]. In societies with a high IDV index particularly individual rights are protected: self-determination, I experience and personal responsibility are important. In a collectivist culture with a low IDV-index contrast, the integration dominates in any kind of networks. The team spirit is much more characteristic of such a culture [GHW]. According to Geert Hofstede China is located in the lower ranking at 20. â€Å"In collectivist cultures such as China, people work together in groups and often put the needs of that group ahead of their own personal wants† [SKR]. They share responsibility. The Chinese who are doing business tend to stay with the same partners and suppliers to keep loyalty and not worsen relationships [SKR]. In China the community had always the priority. Tian xia wei gong said the ancients – under the sky everything serves the community. In the Confucian influenced social system everyone expects from the individual subordination, self-control and willingness to make sacrifices in order that the family and state can benefit from it. Individualism is a term which has always had a negative connotation in China, because people associated it with egoism. The Chinese prefer a holistic thinking. An example, if a Chinese writes his address down he will start with the country, then the city and the street and at the end his own name. The traditional Chinese medicine is a prime example for holistic thinking. Each disease is always seen in the context of the whole body. Collectivism promotes harmony. In China people focus on harmony and shun the direct confrontation. Harmony is achieved by giving â€Å"face† to others and avoiding losing your own â€Å"face†. When I talked to my Chinese friend â€Å"David Zhang† and asked him about his study he will begin in Germany, he told me that this was a family decision. Of course, it was his wish but without the consent of the family he could never study abroad. Even if he had the money for it he would not do so, because his family is much more important to him. Masculinity / Femininity(MAS) This MAS index shows the expression of the dominant values that are  established in both sexes. Hofstede ranks to the female values of care, cooperation and modesty. As masculine values ​​Hofstede defines competitive readiness and self-confidence. A high MAS index shows a dominance of â€Å"typically male† values, a low MAS index shows a dominance of â€Å"typically female† values [GHW]. ​​According to Geert Hofstede China is located in the higher ranking at 66. It is more a masculine society – a society which is success oriented. You can see it on the fact that many of the Chinese sacrifice their leisure time to work [SKR]. I have noticed that shops are open until very late at night. Officially, nowadays women enjoy the same rights as men in the workplace. The Communist Party in China has made efforts to put both genders on almost the same level. Anyway traditional Confucian thinking does not fit easily with this term of gender equality. It seems to be a bit ironic that the liberalisation policies of the last decade might have turned around many of the advances made by women under the prevalent conditions of the hard-line regimes. Through the traditional values it is the boys who have strong preferences. The men own most of the power and responsibility although there is a high level of acceptance between genders in China [SKR]. Unfortunately, women in executive positions enjoy a low appreciation. There are successful women in all fields, they are among the winners of the economic reforms, but also among the losers. If the economic situation in the factories is poor and staff is reduced, they are the first to be fired. If high school fees are too high, it is usually the daughter, who leave school and has to go to work [BUC]. Uncertainty avoidance(UAI) The UAI index shows a society’s tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity. Cultures with a high UAI, want to avoid the uncertainty and are characterized by many uncommitted laws, policies and security measures. Members are emotional and nervous. Cultures which are tolerant to accept uncertainty have a few rules that are changeable and thus tend to relativism. The members are phlegmatic and expect from their environment not to show feelings [GHW]. According to Geert Hofstede China has a low score of 30 on uncertainty avoidance. China has a high degree of acceptance of uncertainty. This society does not try to take control of the future, and therefore China’s society is not afraid of unforeseen situations [SKR]. The  Chinese consider written and oral arrangements sceptical. Contracts should be structured so that there is still the possibility to change the contract afterwards. The Chinese are very flexible. In case of conflict, a mentor is used, which takes care of the problems of both families instead of going to court. Uncertainty avoidance means for the Chinese first: What does my boss want? If he agrees with my ideas, then I can put it on. But I do not certainly know if he will like my ideas, I rather not ask him indeed I better wait for instructions. In this case, I can do no wrong, because the manager is responsible for all decisions, therefore the uncertainty is resolved. I could observe that the Chinese remain calm when unforeseen situations occur. They do not get upset about the situation. They can quickly accept the situation and adapt their surroundings. Long-term or short-term orientation(LTO) This LTO index â€Å"deals with the issue of virtue. Long-term cultures value thrift and perseverance; short-term cultures value tradition, the fulfilment of social obligations and protecting one’s ‘face’ or honour. A long-term orientation is associated with East Asian countries† [TIP]. According to Geert Hofstede China has a high score of 118. Hofstede analysed that China has the highest ranking of all countries in long-term orientation. It is 30% higher than the Asian average score. China is a country with a strong long-term orientation. It can be seen from the fact that China preferred a long-term development and indirect enforcement strategies [SKR]. According to the Chinese way of thinking it is not the shortest route that leads to the destination but the more difficult path. Therefore the Chinese can handle complex situations without a lot of stress neither they let push themselves through time. The key for the Chinese is to build up strong, reliable, lasting relationships. Before any decision is met there must be gained a certain amount of trust. Obviously this takes longer to finish a business deal. They do not like to rush into things [SKR]. Once you build up the trust and a strong relationship you can rely on it. This culture is marked by loyalty and respect. If you are willing to maintain this relationship you can trust your entire life on Guanxi. Comparison between China and Germany As you can see there are a few differences between Germany and China. In contrast to China the power is decentralised. The German culture is marked by a low power distance and the subordinates expect to be consulted as well as they expect to offer their ideas to the managers. Flashing back to my work experience I can say that I often had to take initiative. Often people are confronted with the adage: â€Å"think by yourself†. The other difference is that the management and subordinates respect each other and treat one another as equals. Usually it is as described, but there are of course exceptions. In most cases, however, I have had the experience that I had a good relationship to my boss. Compared to China, Germany has a highly individualistic society. Personal responsibility, independence, self-determination and I-experience are highly valued in Germany. A prolonged stay abroad is much respected. It shows that you can independently fulfil tasks. Companies wish to have workers with international experience due to growing globalization. That individualism counts, can also be seen in the fact that you put your name first when writing an address. This is totally different to China where you put the country at first as I have already mentioned. According to Hofstede Germany and China have the same MAS index. Mostly it is the men who hold the most of the power. I have noticed women get more and more acceptance in the man dominated business world. For example we now have a woman (Angelika Merkel) as chancellor and not a man. I can see more and more woman taking part in higher positions. Therefore I would rate Germany at 55 because there is no doubt about the increasing acceptance of women. Another example shows that a women’s quota should be introduced in Germany, which includes that at least 10% of women should sit in the top management. Furthermore Germany is a country full of bureaucracy. We have laws for almost everything, insurance companies are supposed to protect us and the institutions should regulate everything imaginable. We want to have everything controlled in order to control the future. Therefore we make contracts and then we act accordingly. This is totally different to the Chinese Culture where people like to keep the possibility to change things afterwards. The highest difference between China and Germany is the LTO index. Unlike China, Germany is more short-term oriented. Managers in Germany try to make high profits in no time. We put  truth and directness before diplomacy. Furthermore I have noticed that German employers are impatient because they want to get fast results. Criticism Unfortunately, I could not check if I would spread as much points as Hofstede because there was too less time to make an intensive investigation. However, I found out through discussions and research that Hofstede was pretty accurate with his assumptions. Furthermore, I want to mention a couple of criticisms of his study. The main point is listed by critics that the drawn samples were not representative. So in the original study(1967-1972 ) information were used from a global survey made by IBM. Thus, it is uncertain whether the system actually worked out measures of national cultures or rather differences in corporate culture between the countries. Furthermore, Hofstede’s approach ignores differences within a nation. The model treats a nation as a homogeneous state of individuals who all share the same value system. This is in most cases incorrect. In addition, criticism of the validity of the items was practiced [4]. Hofstede cites no theoretical justification for the selection of items. House and other people criticizes in particular the failure to distinguish between values ​​and behavior. This is problematic because negative values ​​and behavior are linked. Source Material: [TIP] Geert Hofstede, Culture’s Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviours, Institutions and Organisations across Nations (Place: Corwin Press, 2001). http://www.tiplady.org.uk/pdfs/LEA502-5-culturalissues.pdf [GER] The Hofstede Centre: http://geert-hofstede.com/china.html [SKR] Hofstede comparison of Germany and China: https://www.google.de/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CDgQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbuinternationalmanagement.wikispaces.com%2Ffile%2Fview%2FHofstede%2Bcomparison%2Bof%2BGermany%2Band%2BChina.doc&ei=vDRYUb6mKo7EswaMoICQAg&usg=AFQjCNHgjNwXhFqhxu015my2P3qIqIftMQ&sig2=MGY08eJFzKV1E–Q6iME-w&bvm=bv.44442042,d.Yms [GHW] Geert Hofstede http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geert_Hofstede [BUC] Der China Knigge ; Yu-Chien Kuan, Petra Hà ¤ring-Kuan ; September 2006 ISBN: 978-3-596-16684-8 Persons I have talked to: David King (Banker / Chinese) David Zhang (Student / Chinese) Primel (Chinese Girl who studies German) Kim Lao (Chinese Business Man / employed by an American company) Lio (Student / Chinese)