Most influential event in American history from 1750 to present Essay

Most influential event in American history from 1750 to present - Essay Example This paper examines the devastating impacts of the Japanese operation on United States of America later well-known as Pearl Harbor attacks and as result unprecedented reactions from the people of America. Attacks on the Pearl Harbor navy station enhanced the unity of American nation in their decision to fight and defeat their opponent. Pearl Harbor attacks provoked the United States’ participation in the Second World War and reorganization of its national security. United States had experienced other attacks that took place earlier to the Pearl Harbor. However, none of them was as destructive and surprising as the Pearl Harbor attacks. Additionally, the attack was the first to be conducted in the territory of American State. The military assault began in the morning of December 7, 1941 and it targeted American navy stationed in the Pearl Harbor. According to John Toland, the Pearl Harbor attacks were planned and executed by the Imperial Japanese Army. During all the period, th e Second World War had been going on for two years but the United States of America had not yet joined the conflict. Japan, Italy, and Germany as the main aggressors were concerned about the imminent involvement of the United States of America in the war. Due to the apparent dominance of the American navy, the Japanese military premeditated the Pearl Harbor assault to prevent United States of America from joining war by weakening its naval facility.

Wannabe Bank Robber Essay Example for Free

Wannabe Bank Robber Essay I was randomly placed in a group with five other people in my drama class; we were given several stimuli and were told to think up an improvisation for each. We did so and were then told witch of the stimuli we would actually be working on. We then decided that we would create a comedy about an unfortunate bank robber. The comedy started with the lead character Victor Watt (Tom) standing centre stage in a white spotlight telling how, if the job had gone to plan, he would be rich Victor then exits up stage right. I, who was standing behind Victor, turns round and raises my hands then lowers them while wiggling my fingers and making the noise bidlyboop repetitively to comically signify going into the fantasy flashback, the stage then fades to black. The music (Little Green Bag from Reservoir Dogs) and lights come up on a fantasy scene in which Victors job goes exactly to plan and more. (The lights in this scene are more yellow to the side of the stage on which the bank is. ) As he walks in three ladies (Julie, Stacy Claire) look him up and down and he turns to the audience and winks. He waltzes into the bank (up stage left) winks at the female bank clerk (Kim) and receives his big bag of loot. He walks out (centre stage) and is intercepted by a police officer (Me) that thinks hes Clint Eastwood. The music stops and the police officer makes the tune from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Victor looks the police officer up and down and asks what the hell hes doing. The police officer responds to this by charging at Victor who cunningly side steps to evade his attack, this sends the police officer into an overly elaborate frenzy of a fall. After the deranged policeman is left face down half way down the street, Victor picks up two of the three ladies that flirted with him before he entered the bank leaving one (Julie). This last lady walks over to the face down police officer takes a look at him in disgust then continues to smoke. At this moment Victor looks back and whistles to this remaining female, all in a fluster she stubs out her cigarette on the police officers back and runs off to Victor who gentlemanly lets her leave first as he caches a gander at her rear. The music stops and again I stand centre stage and make the same action to signify returning to the present then the scene fades to black. The lights come up on Victor Watt who again is standing centre stage but this time explains that things never relay go to plan especially if the plan is his and that the next thing you are to see is what relay happened. He exits up stage right, I who again was standing behind Vic with my back to the audience turn round and make the same gesture this time to signify going into the real flashback. The lights go down. The lights come up on the same flashback scene minus the music. Victor walks in with a ripped old jacket over his hand and looking much less virile. Instead of women falling at his feet he is falling over his feet. The ladies take one look at him and blow a lung full of smoke in his face. He turns to the audience and rubs his bloodshot eyes. He stumbles as he puts his hand out to open the front door to the bank but manages to catch the handle, pull himself up (this was done planed in mime but was not acted out in the final performance) then open the door. He stagers into the bank and over to the bank clerk. When he removes his jacket he reveals the gun he was hiding, he points it with an extremely unsteady hand at the clerk. He then tells her, with an even more unsteady voice, to give him all the money. She turns round and presses the alarm. Victor panics and attempts to shot the gun but pulls the wrong trigger, the revolver opens and bullets fall out onto the floor. He runs for the door but the police sirens are already right outside the bank. A voice comes as if from nowhere and says, This is the police, come out with your hands up! then the scene fades to black. The lights come back up on Victor standing in a spotlight with his head hug. He looks up and states that that was his story but not to worry he make his fortune yet. There is then an unseen voice that says, Come on Victor, visitor times over. A large man dressed as a jail guard steps into the spotlight in front of Victor, with his back to the audience he turns Victor round and puts on his handcuffs, he then roughly pushes him out of the spotlight and follows him closely baton in hand. The scene then fades to black and the curtains close. I think our play was fairly well written and fairly well performed but it could have been better if we had a better set and props. To add a conclusion I am over all pleased with the outcome of Wannabe Bank Robber. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Mary Shelley section.

Nursing Students Need Better Clinical Experiences Essay -- nursing stu

Hospital, only one word but somehow is thought of in a bad connotation. No one wants to be in the hospital and no one has a great time, however there are people who can make your stay better. Nurses can make your stay comfortable and relaxed or painful and scary. Having a caring nurse can make your experience exceptional while having an awful nurse can make everything worse. No one wants the uneducated nurse, and there is something we can do about. Nurses are â€Å"born† at the very first nursing class they attend and grow with each clinical. Clinical is where nursing students can practice as nurses in a specific area under the supervision of a licensed nurse. These clinicals are essential to the development of nursing students and need to be educational. Nursing students at State University need better clinical experiences and better clinical sites. Clinical sites that have nothing to do or preceptors who don’t want to educate should be cut out and replaced with better sites. Ideally each clinical should allow nursing students to gain experience in critical skills and patient ca...

Coffee Benefits Essay

Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the emotional and physical benefits of coffee Central Idea: Coffee provides numerous health benefits which are contain antioxidant, improve cognitive performance and physical performance. Introduction I.I believe there is something special in our little everyday moments, from that first wonderful sip of hot, milky coffee in the morning to those ten stolen minutes of me. II.Not only does coffee taste good, it can stimulate my mind to refresh and relax. III.Coffee stimulates your senses from its caffeine content which stimulates metabolism and supports mental alertness and concentration. IV.Coffee may hydrate you beside its advantage of relaxing. a.Because water is the main ingredient in a cup of coffee, it helps you work towards your daily water needs and is practically free of calories. V.Coffee refreshes you with its wealth of polyphenols. a.Polyphenols are nutrients that help maintain your body in good health over time. VI.Today I would share with you guys about the three major health benefits of coffee – coffee and antioxidants, coffee and your mind and coffee and your body. (Transition: Let’s start with the coffee and antioxidants) Body I.Research has shown that a cup of coffee naturally comes with antioxidants, which are really good for you. a.Your body is constantly exposed to particles called – free radicals. i.Particles which are caused by factors like exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun, environmental pollution, stress and smoking. b.Scientific studies suggest that free radicals can damage your body tissues, affect the ageing process and cause diseases like cataracts, cancer and cardiovascular diseases. c.Antioxidants in your body neutralize the free radicals and protect your body cells from damage. (Transition: Now that you know something about the coffee and antioxidants, let’s look at coffee and your mind) II.Many studies suggest that coffee drinking can improve overall ‘cognitive performance’. a.The cognitive performance which includes important mental skills like perception, attention, memory, problem solving and reaction or response abilities. b.There is some evidence to suggest potential benefits of coffee and caffeine in situations which require increased alertness e.g. night shifts and jet lag. (Transition: Now I have brief about the coffee and your mind. So let’s move to the last) III.Upping Your Physical Performance and weight management aid a.Increasing your capability and capacity for exercise. b.This means that you can keep going at a more intense pace, for a longer period and gain more from your workouts! c.Did you know that a plain black cup of coffee contains a very small amount of calories? i.In fact, coffee may be able to help maintain a healthy weight! Conclusion I.As we have seen, Coffee provides numerous health benefits which are contains antioxidants, improve cognitive performance and physical performance. II.Thus, the next time you drink a cup of coffee, just think of all its benefits! – â€Å"go beyond taste†. Bibliography Books S Rautiainen et al, 2012. Total antioxidant Capacity from Diet and Risk of Myocardial Infarction: A prospective Cohort of Women. The American Journal of Medicine, Volume 125. R Sinha et al, 2012. Caffeinated and decaffeinated and tea intakes and risk of colorectal cancer in a large prospective study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 96; 374-381. Article Sin CWM, et al (2008). Systematic review on the effectiveness of caffeine abstinence on the quality of sleep. J Clin Nursing; 18:13-21. Internet sources Coffee & Health: From The Institute For Scientific Information On Coffee. â€Å"Cancer†. (27 Jan, 2012) Retrieved 26 Sept 2012 from http://www.coffeeandhealth.org/topics/cancer/ Coffee & Health: From The Institute For Scientific Information On Coffee. â€Å"Mental Performance† . (2 Feb, 2012) retrieved 26 Sept 2012 from http://www.coffeeandhealth.org/topics/mental-performance/.

Gasland and the Social Conflict Theory Essay

Gasland can be examined using the social conflict theory of socialism. There are three main theories of socialism: structural functional, social conflict, and symbolic interaction. The reason for social conflict being the best candidate for Gasland is because it shows how much power, wealth, and prestige the government can hold among the U.S. population. Josh Fox is the main character in the documentary, Gasland, and he can sell his land for $100,000 to the government for them to put in natural gas areas and drill wells for it. Other home owners with much land would do this to get money but then once the natural gas was set all over their land, there was a problem. After the wells were drilled, water started going â€Å"bad† and people became ill because of the contaminated water. For example, one family’s water was so polluted that their water was able to catch on fire. Another example of bad water was that the animals on a farm would drink this water and start losing their hair. These many stories swept over the United States as Josh Fox went around to homes with this natural gas-water problem interviewing folks who were all deeply concerned for their well-being. Water started turning yellowish-brown and citizens had to go into town just to buy bottles of water to bathe in and drink. It became a huge social conflict that escaladed slowly but surely. To conclude this short essay, social conflict clearly examines in this film that how opposing interests run through every layer of society. The constant balancing of trying to progress the U.S. environment is difficult when it is happening at a rapid pace. Striving for more power may just be the main cause of social conflict.

Migrant Mother and the Electronic Super highway

Migrant Mother and the Electronic Super highway Free Online Research Papers New Jersey born Dorothea Lange, originally Dorothea Margaretta Nutzhorn, was an incredible photographer. Lange was able to catch the human dignity of a person in any dire situation, whether it was economical, social, emotional, or some combination of the three. Nam June Paik, a Korean born artist, has been considered the pioneer of video art. Paik uses the medium to express the complexities of contemporary culture. This paper will be comparing and contrasting how the Dorothea Lange’s, Migrant Mother, Nipomo Valley, and works by Nam June Paik. How they were created, the statement each is trying to make with their work or works and how society perceived/perceives it. Lange’s photo known as Migrant Mother is a portrait of a woman and her children in a California migrant labor camp within the Nipomo Valley. It was the last of a series of six photographs that Lange shot in March of 1936. â€Å"Lange was concluding a months trip photographing migratory farm labor around the state for what was then the Resettlement Administration. Migrant Mother is a Silver Gelatin photographic print, which is widely reproduced for numerous different reasons and in different forms. Seeing as the Migrant mother photograph is a classic picture that is widely associated with Dorothea Lange, and the depression, it is widely sought after to have a copy of. The photograph, which is easily reproducible, has been made into postcards, posters, magazines, newspapers, films, pamphlets and other collectible items that they can sell. Nam June Paik was the creator of a national touring exhibition called The Electronic Super Highway. For this exhibition, Paik has created his own town called Cybertown. Cybertown was a new community founded on moving images. Paik’s town, its people, places, and things in it, were all video sculptures. So opposed to the image of the Migrant Mother by Lange, Paik’s small town is less easily reproduced, pretty much not reproduced, unless it’s to be made into a copy of a photograph of the actual sculpture its self. Dorothea Lange, a resettlement administration, RA, a hired photographer was sent to take pictures of the Great Depression, to show America what was really going on. At the end of the assignment Dorothea was to photograph the pea pickers in California, which she passed up just thinking she had enough photos and that no one would know. Good thing she didn’t, she got the Photograph that became the iconic symbol for the great depression, and it was the picture of Farm Security. With the Migrant Mother photo, as well as many others, Lange was trying to make a statement as most artists do with their work. She was showing us the real world, in the depression era. What was really out there, what was going on, what it felt like and looked like. Pointing out to us the living conditions of the migrants and others who were trying to get work, where there wasn’t much to be found, also of the people taking the jobs that some people who turn their noses up. Taking what they could get and giving too much labor, for the little amount of what they got back. Lange’s photographs forced the public sympathy for a necessary relief program and persuaded a reluctant congressional committee to vote in funds for that program. Lange’s intention of social science was to show the waste, cheapness, and cruelty of life in the south, in the central states and in the West. Nam June Paik’s video sculptures were also messages about the society, but of the nineties. The message’s, although meaningful and important, don’t seem as harsh and â€Å"down and dirty† Lange’s, showing the real life of some American’s. Paik created Cybertown as his own version of the small town America in the new electronic age of the nineties. A lot of Paik’s first video sculptures were made to represent his family, both blood and artistic families. In Paik’s Cybertown, he had created what was to be a push cart, like you would see people selling popcorn out of, and turned it into a video cart, which was to represent the rise of consumerism in not only America but Asia too. Paik pointed out that as it was uncommon in the previous years, six out of ten people in Asia owned a TV and washer dryer combo. Paik also pointed a finger at and made fun of how lazy people were becoming. Creating a sculpture in 1994 called the Couch Potato. When the Couch Potato was created, he was wondering how the world was supposed to move and evolve or do anything with the world its fingertips, saying that human evolution was not a necessity anymore. Paik also created a Sculpture that had to deal with how the creation of the internet had changed the mail service forever. Also, Paik was making a statement that unlike regular â€Å"snail mail,† email was better not only for the economy, as we don’t use thousands of trees to mak e all the paper needed, but also you get email in an instant. When viewing a work of art years after it was made, always changes how someone interprets the work. It may be close to the same interpretation as what the artist originally intended, but never the same. Lange’s Migrant Mother went beyond its life in the Farm Security Administration and created a life of its own, as a powerful and beautiful photograph. Viewers today, see a photograph like Migrant Mother and know it’s a historical photograph, and associate it with the Great Depression. But they don’t get the same feeling knowing that that scenario had been fixed and isn’t happening at the very moment. They see it as a powerful work of art, hanging in galleries. Not as the documentary photograph it is. Visually, compositionally, and physically the picture is a gorgeous photograph, and that is how most interpret the photo today. Paik on the other hand, still in a way applies to today, seeing as how the electronic superhighway known as the world wide web, today is a very big part of not only the American culture but of most cultures across the globe. Statues such as the Couch Potato and Vidiot Surfer, very much still apply today with the argument of lazy Americans and the cause of obesity. Paik’s sculptures seem dated in some ways with the old TV’s used and the images used to display on the TV’s but they still get the same message across and are interpreted closer to the artists original statement, more so now because of the fact that they were made closer to the present day and really is still debated and talked about. Over all, for the fact that Dorothea Lange and Nam June Paik were worlds apart in their type of art work they were trying to create, and even in the years that they created them, there are several similarities with the two. They were both revolutionaries, in the art world, Lange more of an icon. They both very successfully took art to the next level, and put meaning behind it, showing us something that they believed in, and getting a message out there to the public. Lange showing her public, of their surroundings, living conditions of those less fortunate close to them, and what they should be happy for. Paik making a statement about the consumer America and how rapidly it’s changing, and how we need to take care of ourselves and be aware that things around us are moving fast, that some things are becoming obsolete. Art is and always be around in some form or another whether it be to look at for pleasure or something to help tell a story. Artists will continue to try and communicate through their art work to the viewer, some sort of something. No matter how many times a work is reproduced and whether its in its original form when you view it or not, will never change the over all message that you get from the work. It may alter it somewhat but never change you perception of the work entirely. Art, photographs, sculptures, paintings, whatever it is will always be a classic form of enjoyment for most cultured people. End notes: Meltzer, Milton. Dorothea Lange: A Photographer’s Life. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1978, 3. Partridge, Elizabeth. Dorothea Lange: A Visual Life. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1994, 14. Illuminations: Contemporary Film Video Art, ackland.org/art/exhibitions/illuminations/image6.htm. Illuminations: Contemporary Film Video Art, ackland.org/art/exhibitions/illuminations/image6.htm. Story Of A Photographic Session: Migrant Mother, http://chnm.gmu.edu/fsa/b/. Lange’s Migrant Mother in the FSA Collection: An Overview, http://faculty.uml.edu/sgallagher/Depression.htm. Meltzer, Milton. Dorothea Lange A Photographer’s Life. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1978, 133. Kleiner, Fred and Chirstin Mamiya, Gardner’s Art Through The Ages, (12th Ed.) California: Thomson Wadsworth, 2005 797. Meltzer, Milton. Dorothea Lange: A Photographer’s Life. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1978, 132-133. Meltzer, Milton. Dorothea Lange: A Photographer’s Life. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1978, 133. Coles, Robert. Dorothea Lange. New York: Aperture Inc., 1982, 25. Coles, Robert. Dorothea Lange. New York: Aperture Inc., 1982, 26. The Electronic Super Highway: Nam June Paik in the Nineties, eai.org/eai/tape.jsp?itemID=2409. The Electronic Super Highway: Nam June Paik in the Nineties. Video: 1995, November 29, 2005. The Electronic Super Highway: Nam June Paik in the Nineties. Video: 1995, November 29, 2005. The Electronic Super Highway: Nam June Paik in the Nineties. Video: 1995, November 29, 2005. The Electronic Super Highway: Nam June Paik in the Nineties. Video: 1995, November 29, 2005. Bibliography Coles, Robert. Dorothea Lange. New York: Aperture Inc., 1982. Illuminations: Contemporary Film Video Art, ackland.org/art/exhibitions/illuminations/image6.htm. Kleiner, Fred and Chirstin Mamiya. Gardner’s Art Through The Ages. (12th Ed.) California: Thomson Wadsworth, 2005. Lange’s Migrant Mother in the FSA Collection: An Overview, http://faculty.uml.edu/sgallagher/Depression.htm. Meltzer, Milton. Dorothea Lange: A Photographer’s Life. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1978. Partridge, Elizabeth. Dorothea Lange: A Visual Life. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1994. Story Of A Photographic Session: Migrant Mother, http://chnm.gmu.edu/fsa/b/. The Electronic Super Highway: Nam June Paik in the Nineties, eai.org/eai/tape.jsp?itemID=2409. The Electronic Super Highway: Nam June Paik in the Nineties. Video: 1995, November 29, 2005. Research Papers on Migrant Mother and the Electronic Super highwayMind TravelPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyHip-Hop is ArtThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceThe Spring and AutumnThe Fifth HorsemanWhere Wild and West MeetAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 219 Century Society: A Deeply Divided Era

Powerful Influence Essays

Powerful Influence Essays Powerful Influence Essay Powerful Influence Essay Essay #1: A Powerful Influence Many individuals have a powerful figure that has influenced them in many kinds of way. Whether it is intellectual, spiritual or Just personal appealed. A great example of an individual being influenced by someone is Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King was mainly influenced by two main individuals, Dr. Benjamin Mays and Mahatma Gandhi. To get influenced by someone is very appealing because you see something in that person that makes you want to do it yourself or gets you the courage to keep going. On my case, I have been powerfully influenced by my mother. Someone that stands out as a powerful influence in your life is there to stay and keep following some of their aspects. A great example of someone being influenced by amazing people was Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King was a great person willing to change the societys perspective. He wanted to get the Civil Rights Movement going and to be successful. Through his journey Dr. King met a person who influenced him very much. This was, Dr. Benjamin Mays, president of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, where Dr. King attended school. Dr. Benjamin Mays visited King and his parents at their home and became a egular guest at the familys Sunday night dinners. In which got Martin Luther King Jr. more attached to him and his believes. Dr. Kings ministerial aspirations were deeply influenced by Mays. l could see in his life the ideal of what I wanted a minister to be, King commented in a 1956 interview. Another powerful influence to Dr. King was Mahatma Gandhi, the spiritual leader of Indias independence movement in the first half of the 20th century. Gandhis nonviolence was informed by not only his Hindu background, but by study of other religious and moral traditions, including Christianity. He spent mostly his entire adult life experimenting with methods of nonviolence intended to be not Just morally admirable, but effective in the real world. This is what caught the attention of Dr. King. Gandhis nonviolence method worked in many ways and Martin was influenced to use this method on his preaching. People may influence your life whether anyone expects it or not. In my case, the most powerful influenced that stands out in my life is my mother. My mother is a wonderful strong woman who has got my siblings and me forward and doing our best. The most influential part of her is that she does not give up. She is always willing to move forward and keep trying her best. My family and I have been through so much and even that way she keeps supporting us and keeps us moving forward. She inspires me to keep going with my life as a strong person and to never give up on my dreams. Yet, what I mostly admire of her is that she is straight forward. She is not one those persons who tells you everything will be okay when it she knows it will not. She is the person who will tell you what is going to happen and the onsequences. She gives her best advice and support and helps on whatever she can. Even though she is not perfect she is the most influential person in my life. She keeps me going and supports me and corrects me on my wrongs. People get influenced in many different ways. What may be influential to someone makes us go forward with our plans or dreams is the one we admire the most. Just like Dr. Benjamin Mays and Mahatma Gandhi influenced Martin Luther King Jr. my mother influenced me in life and she will always influence me and I will admired till the day I cant no more.

How to Answer the 5 Most Common Interview Questions

How to Answer the 5 Most Common Interview Questions In a 1981 interview, TV journalist Barbara Walters famously asked actress Katharine Hepburn, â€Å"What kind of tree are you?† Ever since then, the tree question has been a byword for out-there interview questions. And while you probably won’t get any tree-based questions in your next job interview, you should be prepared for open-ended questions designed to test your readiness for a job. Here are some answers and strategies you should have in your pocket for when an interviewer asks you a question slightly outside of your resume.1. What are some of your strengths and weaknesses?Relax. The interviewer isn’t expecting a full audit of your personal failures or a speech about how you remind yourself of Mother Theresa and Mark Zuckerberg. When you’re asked about your strengths, make sure your answer is directly relevant to the job you’re interviewing for. If you’re interviewing for a sales position, mention your knack for turning a slammed door i nto a promising lead. Or if you’re under consideration for a management position, talk about how your leadership led your former group to its best year ever.For your weaknesses, don’t answer with something that will likely make the interviewer roll their eyes, like â€Å"I work too hard† or â€Å"I love my job too much.† Instead, be honest- but again, make sure it can be spun as a positive for the specific role you’re seeking. For example, instead of saying that you work too hard, say that you have a tendency to try to solve every problem that comes along.The key is to  make sure the interviewer knows you’re aware of your limitations. In this case, you could say that you tend to take on a lot, but that you’re aware of the need to work with the team to find solutions together instead of putting it all on one person. A little self-awareness goes a long way.2.  What was your reason for leaving your previous  job?Chances are, the in terviewer will ask you why you’re looking to leave your current job- or if you’re currently unemployed, why you left your last job. If it’s the former, stress that you’re seeking to grow by taking your skills and experience to the next level with this job. If it’s the latter, and you left your last job under less-than-ideal circumstances (like being fired), don’t panic. Emphasize that the job wasn’t a good fit for you, and you’re seeking a job that fits with your long-term goals (with a bit of explanation of what those are and how they relate to the job you’re trying to get).3. What are your salary expectations for this position?Asking what kind of salary you’re expecting may just be the interviewer’s way to determine what you expect from the job. It’s a risky question to answer- too high a salary, and they might think you’ll jump ship for the next high-paying opportunity that comes along. Too low, and that could impact the salary and benefits they propose to you as part of a job offer. It’s okay to punt this one a little- explain that you’re flexible on salary depending on the role and benefits package and would be happy to discuss that further in the future.4.  Tell me about yourself .When an interviewer asks you about yourself, this is not the time to talk about your hometown, your elementary school spelling bee trophies, or your allergies. They want you to cherry-pick your bio to show whether you’ll fit at their company, in their open  position. Here’s where a quick summary of your relevant education would come in handy, along with  an overview of jobs you’ve had in the field or other experiences appropriate to the job itself. This is something you can prepare ahead of time- just a few sentences outlining who you are as a professional and what makes you a strong candidate for the position.5. Tell me about a time you solved a d ifficult problem.Another popular interview tactic is to have the candidate tell a story about a time they demonstrated a particular skill, like problem solving. Before you go into the interview, think about the skills you’d like to emphasize and come up with a few (honest!) anecdotes about how you applied those in real life. Write them down, or at least jot down notes; that will help them stick in your head and make them easier for your brain to â€Å"grab† when you’re on the spot.If you do know what kind of tree you would be, great! You’re all set if that somehow comes up. Much more likely, you’ll see questions like these. The more you think about them beforehand, the more ready you’ll be to answer them like a pro.

Theory of Knowledge for the IB Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Theory of Knowledge for the IB - Essay Example The second definition goes beyond the original reason for the invention of machines. Instead of just aiding us in our daily tasks by being "extensions" of our bodies in performing their tasks, machines, especially since the time when a machine called computers are invented, become performers of tasks independently of its user. As long as its actions are programmed in such a way that it can now perform tasks without the presence or the real-time control of humans. They have become very sophisticated that they can surpass what we can do. Mechanical cranes can lift manifold times the maximum weight that the strongest living human can. Assembly line robots can accomplish a task way beyond a team of fastest human workers of that particular job. And, in 1997, a supercomputer named Deep Blue defeated the then world chess champion, Garry Kasparov. The power of machines exponentially increases our capacity to produce goods and services. It is understandable that they can outshine our mechanical abilities. But in terms of our mental faculties, machines such as Deep Blue has been programmed to outsmart our rational faculties. This presents a question that we are to resolve in this paper. Can a machine know Before going further, we must first define what the verb "to know" means. In English this word has several definitions. In the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (Fourth Edition) " know" has eight definitions: "1. To perceive directly; grasp in the mind with clarity or certainty. 2. To regard as true beyond doubt. 3. To have a practical understanding of, as through experience; be skilled in 4. To have fixed in the mind: 5. To have experience of: 6a. To perceive as familiar; recognize: b. To be acquainted with: 7. To be able to distinguish; recognize as distinct: knows right from wrong. 8. To discern the character or nature of:" The definitions above give us different aspects of the word "know." By these we can say that "knowing" something starts when we perceive a thing by our senses, processing this acquired information to a point that we become acquainted with those things and ends up with the capability of the "knowing" person to distinctly distinguish or recognize that thing from others. The emergence of the Information Age has introduced machines that can "think" independently. They, such as supercomputers, can grasp and process data at astounding speeds. In a fraction of a second, they can perform mathematical operations that a human can do in hours or even years. With this capacity, they can really perform rational activities, at least to a certain extent. But can we say that this supercomputer's ability to process data is already an act of knowing given the definition of "know" above For me, I believe that machines cannot fully know. They may perform mental tasks of humans with rapidity and precision way above that of humans. But still they cannot totally know things as per defined by dictionaries. If we use the definitions above, they fall short of thoroughly knowing something. To prove this, let us consider the first definition "To perceive directly, grasp in the mind with clarity or certainty." Computers are designed to perceive and grasp data to help us in our tasks. Word processing programs, for example, are created for us to write a letters and other documents in a precise and neat manner. It can receive data coming

Reading assigment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reading assigment - Assignment Example It is also a strategy that affirms the need for new business entities to tend to customers through the original ideas of the pioneer such as Halston. Overall, it ensures both the old and young can come together in terms of fashion. However, the initiative undertaken by the Net-a-Porter has a great impact upon copycat manufacturers and fast fashion retailers because they will find loopholes of exploiting the fashion market. This is through the use of less creative and innovative mechanisms such as reproduction and offering sales at cheaper prices to attract customers. On that note, the original business owner fails to attract his deserved royalties in that case causing infringement copyright issues. It is equally compounded by the blatant use of logos and designs that belong to Halston thereby aggravating the intellectual aspect of safeguard all creative materials of other artists. In other words, this strategy is wrought with different failures because both retailers and customers are not bound to get their bargains. One of the disadvantages to offering pieces of collection includes the fear of contravention of the existing intellectual and copyright laws. All materials displayed at the runaway show belong to Halston’s fashion empire the Net-a-Porter company. Another glaring disadvantage involves the wrapping, packaging, and eventual delivery that could fail to meet the targets of ideal customers in the market. This implies that Halston’s name could be misused to the demerit of his legacy and reputation in launching and re-launching new and old products respectively. Similarly, the designs will suffer integrity and authenticity issues during display because they lack a distinct collector after the presentation at the runaway shows or even galleries. It connotes the risks of engaging in second party merchandising. Consequently, from the Net-a-Porter perspective, there are various risks associated with this type of

Torture and Ethics Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Torture and Ethics - Research Paper Example The paper further examines if torturing violates the basic human rights provided in the First Amendment and the Bill of Rights. Eventually, it determines if the act of torture is justifiable under any ethical theory. Torturing Enemy Combatants or High-value Targets and Standards of Morality in America Torturing of enemies or criminals has been contrary to the values and morals of the Americans for long time. The Bill of Rights under the American Constitution prohibited bizarre and cruel punishments (Greenberg, 2006). Furthermore, the United States’ government, besides Americans, has condemned countries across the world that practices any act of torture. This is exemplified by the country granting asylum to individuals fleeing their countries for fear of acts of torture (Wijze, 2006). In the history of criminology and jurisprudence, the act of torture always has been distinctive. Torture forms part of the ancient techniques of punishment, which are severe. Torture is regarded a s capital punishment in which the captors apply force and brutality to obtain compliance from the criminal suspect (Ginbar, 2008). A section of the society has argued always that people who torture suspects are sadists, deriving pleasure from agony and pain of other persons. Any form of physical or psychological coercion is unacceptable for use on terrorist criminals or suspects because it amounts to inhuman and undignified treatment, diminishing the mental abilities of the targets. Depriving fellow humans of their rights and liberties of which individuals should be custodians to is morally unacceptable. Acts of torture remain evil practices to be detested and avoided (Wijze, 2006). A majority of the civilized societies across the world perceive torture as an inhuman and savage act that should not be practiced on humans. Consequently, the use of torture has received massive criticism and condemnation as well as protests (Wendel, 2005). The emergence of increased terrorist attacks af ter the 9/11 attacks, which led to the American government to adopt the policy of torture, has witnessed mixed reactions from the society over torture of suspected terror attack criminals or war prisoners (Ginbar, 2008). The international community prohibits torture through the conventional legal agreements, such as the Geneva Conventions, of which America is party to. Practicing acts of torture is a violation of the morality standards set out by the international agreements, which embody universally true and indefeasible human dignity values. Treating terrorist criminals and suspects in an inhumane way is morally irrelevant. All humans are equal and entitled to some incontrovertible rights of which dignity, found within life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness, is among them (Greenberg, 2006). The United States breaches the principle of standards of morality that it advocates for and loses its moral authority when it practices acts of torture in any circumstances (Davis, 2005). The totalitarian states find a loophole in resisting the changes demanded of them by the international community. The application of coercion is morally repugnant because it exposes America to allegations of hypocrisy, undermining its efficacy. Act of Torture: Violation of Basic Human Rights and Global Implications The use of torture to obtain crucial and critical information from criminal suspects,

Product Life Cycle and Consumer Loyalty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Product Life Cycle and Consumer Loyalty - Essay Example There are four basic stages in a product's life cycle; introductory, growth, maturity, and decline. The Pantene Pro-V line, which has been around for many years, is in the mature stage of the product life cycle. As author Allan Reddy notes, the "underlying objective is to capture substantial market share in the introductory stage and harvest profits during maturity stage" (1994, p. 53). There are several ways that a company can develop customer loyalty while seeking to gain profits from a mature product. First, the company can enhance the features of its product so that it doesn't stay static. With Pantene Pro-V, Proctor and Gamble has developed a large number of variations targeting consumers who color their hair, or by focusing product innovation on specific segments of the market along demographic lines. A producer can also lower the price of the mature product since the initial marketing costs have been recovered and competition has likely increased. Further, the company can enha nce its distribution strategies through added incentives and intensifying its efforts in successful segments. Finally, the company can use a promotional emphasis to demonstrate their enhancements and recover market share by distinguishing these developments against the competition.

Social Enterprises Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Social Enterprises - Assignment Example The report notes some of the most distinguishing features of a social enterprise that differentiate them from types of business, nonprofits and government agencies. First, they directly address special needs through their products and services by alleviating human sufferings from the disadvantaged society. As reports notes, it is different from the socially responsible business that strives for a positive change through indirect means such as funding education, building roads, using environmental -friendly raw materials and providing volunteers to aid the society. Furthermore, they are solid vehicles for job creation, economic growth and development in a community. Second, social enterprise use earned revenue strategies such as charitable contributions and public sector subsidies to pursue their aims and visions. The report further points out that social enterprises comprises of both non-profits who use business models to pursue their missions and for-profit who primary purpose is social in nature. The report however, refutes that social enterprise addresses the needs of the society directly, unlike social entrepreneurs. Some of the basic business models that social enterprise employ in their pursuit of their vision include retail, service and manufacturing that aid people alleviate and overcome employment barriers. They provide human and social services; fee-based consulting services; community development and financing

Product Life Cycle and Consumer Loyalty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Product Life Cycle and Consumer Loyalty - Essay Example There are four basic stages in a product's life cycle; introductory, growth, maturity, and decline. The Pantene Pro-V line, which has been around for many years, is in the mature stage of the product life cycle. As author Allan Reddy notes, the "underlying objective is to capture substantial market share in the introductory stage and harvest profits during maturity stage" (1994, p. 53). There are several ways that a company can develop customer loyalty while seeking to gain profits from a mature product. First, the company can enhance the features of its product so that it doesn't stay static. With Pantene Pro-V, Proctor and Gamble has developed a large number of variations targeting consumers who color their hair, or by focusing product innovation on specific segments of the market along demographic lines. A producer can also lower the price of the mature product since the initial marketing costs have been recovered and competition has likely increased. Further, the company can enha nce its distribution strategies through added incentives and intensifying its efforts in successful segments. Finally, the company can use a promotional emphasis to demonstrate their enhancements and recover market share by distinguishing these developments against the competition.

Personal Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Personal Statement - Essay Example Immediately, I went back to China to try and help him and on arriving, the doctor told me that the hepatic cancer was already in the late stages, hence there was no much hope. In fact, the doctor told me that my grandfather had no more than six months left to live. Due to work related issues, my parents had to leave me with my grandparents at a very young age, which made me get strongly attached to my grandparents. I couldn’t believe that my grandfather would leave me in a few months time and so I tried my very best to save him. Everyone in my family was searching everywhere for possible treatments for hepatic cancer. One day, my friend advised me to look for an acupuncturist, and told me that he had successfully saved a patient who had a very similar condition as my grandfather. My grandmother was very enlightened with hope after he heard this. I still remember the first time when I met the acupuncturist, who introduced himself as Dr. Li. He was in his sixties at that time, a nd looked very kind and patient. He carefully applied about one hour of acupuncture therapy to my grandfather. During the entire therapy, I starred at Dr. Li’s fingers and the long and thin needles he was using. I kept imagining the magic of these needles and thinking how could these little needles save my grandfather’s life. ... We still take my grandfather to see Dr. Li every three months. Although my grandfather’s cancer did not go away completely, it has been well controlled by Dr. Li and this has kept my grandfather’s life much longer than we expected. With the years long experience with Dr. Li, I started to consider becoming an acupuncturist, who is able to reduce patients’ pain and save people’s lives. I now clearly understand that patience and care are the two of the most important characteristics for doctors; therefore, I’m trying my best to develop my skills and build up my personality. I worked as a kindergarten teacher at the Bright Seeds Academy, which helped me reduce my temper and boosted my willpower. For the two years I spend teaching children, I became more and more patient with children, and learned how to deal with them amicably. I will complete my AA degree with communication major by this summer. I believe effective communication skills and critical thi nking are also essential skills for acupuncturist. I’m sure this background can help me reach my goal, of becoming an easy going and a persuasive acupuncturist. Last year, I injured my arm accidently and went to see an Acupuncturist- Dr. Zhu. After expressing my background experiences and my goal to become an acupuncturist, Dr. Zhu offered me an opportunity to become a volunteer in his acupuncture and herbal clinic. This was my very first time to have a close distance to my goal. From this opportunity, I learned how an acupuncture clinic runs, and the essential skills and personalities that an acupuncturist must have. One day, an old Chinese woman came into the Clinic, and she couldn’t speak English or Mandarin (Both Dr. Zhu and I only speak these two languages). She could only speak Cantonese and we

A Straight Sprint Essay Example for Free

A Straight Sprint Essay In this 1st session I will start by telling the players what they are going to do and make sure they know when they are expected to come to the sessions.  This session I will be using the 1st warm-up that I described previously. Also I will be looking at how they perform this as an indication of how fit the players are and maybe reconsider certain parts of my other sessions, if I feel that they will be too physically demanding for the players. The aim of this session is to improve the way and the effectiveness of getting free.  This session will be all about coaching the players how to get free and different methods of getting free. These are as follows:  A Straight Sprint- from their position, turn with both feet facing the direction of movement and sprint to the side of the opponent to give maximum space.  Starting on a line, I will shout go for them to sprint to the next line on the court.  How fast a player can sprint will determine whether or not they can get free. With practise players can become faster and maximise chances of getting away from opponents. Change of Direction Sprinting in one direction before turning on the balls of the feet to sprint in the opposite direction. On my command from the top line of the court they will sprint and when I shout turn, they will turn on the balls of their feet and sprint off again.  This method takes practise and is not always easy for everyone to do. Being able to change direction quickly is important, as not only do you lose the marker you can quickly adapt your direction to play, for example to receive a pass. Change of Speed vary the use of speed, finishing with a sprint. Dont waste energy running fast all the time, jog then quickly change speed into a sprint to get away from a marker and receive a pass. When going through the change of speed method I will shout jog, then suddenly shout sprint and then walk. I will mix the speeds up to get them used to changing speed. This is a good method if your marker gives up easily or is not as fit as you, walking or jogging away when you see the direction of play change can give an advantage, putting a bigger gap between you then sprinting to receive a pass. We will then finish of with a cool down that will take about 10minutes.  Session 2  The Warm up they will be doing in this session will be the general one as it is more physical.  Reverse Pivot or Rolling Off step to one side to draw the defender, pivot on that foot, make quick half turn with back towards defender and sprint in the opposite direction and in a semi circle.  They will go through this skill in pairs, I will shout go and the attacker will go  through the skill trying to get away from the defender. Then the players will  switch places. Sprint/stop/Sprint This is used when an opponent is faster than you, or it could be a fake and go. By faking a run this will confuse the marker and the player can get away to receive a pass. I will shout go and they will sprint, each line they come to they will make a clear stop then sprint on again.  Running the gauntlet  In a designated area, using lines or cones, the white team must attempt to dodge past each defending player. Defending players must only use sideways steps along the linein order to prevent them getting past. This makes the attackers improve their use of sharp and committed movements while practising their getting free techniques to lose the defenders. Changing round so everyone gets a few goes.  Play running the gauntlet, this helps them put into practise the techniques they have learnt in the last session. Hopefully they will improve and use what they know about getting free. They will then do a good cool down as they will have been running a lot.  Session 3  The aim of this session will be to work with the year 9s and give them some different Centre pass tactics to try out, they can then decide which will work best for them and then work on it.  In this session I will be including the 2nd warm up as the session isnt very physically demanding and will not need a vigorous warm up.  I am going to coach centre pass tactics, I feel that knowing new tactics and knowing how to carry them out will be vital for the year 9 team, to help them improve further.

How Is Virtue Ethics Different Philosophy Essay

How Is Virtue Ethics Different Philosophy Essay Recently there has been a revival in virtue ethics due to some philosophers like G. E. M Anscombe. In 1958, she suggested that modern moral philosophy is misguided, and therefore we should top thinking about obligation, duty and rightness and let virtue ethics take centre stage. (Rachels, 1999, p. 177a) Since the re-awakening of the theory of virtue ethics, it has been seen as being a rival with other moral theories such as, Kantianism (also known as duty ethics) and Utilitarianism (also known as consequentialist theory). The reason for comparisons is not farfetched the revival of virtue ethics has been perceived by some as a theory that is meant to take the place of the other two theories, however, this is proving to be very difficult since virtue ethics has also been found wanting on some grounds as well. The most significant difference between all three theories seems to me to be the centralised question they ask, which is the basis for each moral theory. Utilitarianism is a theory about actions and consequences, and all it asks is this: which action will produce the best possible outcome? Kantian on the other hand deals with rules and obligations, and asks this: what is the right thing to do? Virtue ethics on the other hand is fundamentally about character of the moral agent and asks the question: what is the right character to have? But it is not just limited to character, if not it would tag virtue ethics as character ethics. It is also about human flourishing. An intriguing aspect in the revival of virtue ethics is the fact that some deontologists and utilitarians have recognized its importance and have therefore added it to their own theories. For example, the revived interest in Kants Doctrine of Virtue (Hursthouse, 1999, p.3a) However, virtue ethics has not come this far without criticism; the list of criticisms is numerous. Amongst others the most popular is that virtue ethics does not give appropriate guidance. I shall start by defining virtue ethics and moving on to analyse the concepts surrounding it. Thereafter I will attempt to distinguish between it and other moral theories i.e. utilitarianism and Kantianism. Furthermore, I will talk about issues in global ethics and how virtue ethics may be applied to them, and finally, address the question on if there are any difficulties in doing so. What is Virtue Ethics? For a long time two methods of understanding morality have been taken up by two moral approaches which are Kantianism and Utilitarianism. Kantianism which is also known as deontology is a result of the work of the German Philosopher, Immanuel Kant which is concerned with ideals of universal law and respect for others; Utilitarianism, also known as consequentialism is known to maximise end results. However, recently, there has been a revival in virtue ethics, a theory which focuses on moral agents and virtuous character finds its roots in the ancient Greek philosophy, and has been neglected over the past years since the likes of Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato talked about it. (Baron et al, 1997, p.3) Virtue ethics is an approach to ethics which focuses on character and virtues and has its roots in Aristotle. The two most distinct features of virtue ethics are; it is agent centred, and makes use of areteic terms. According to Rosalind Hursthouse, it has been described as: an ethics which is agent centred, rather than act centred, and as concerned with being rather than doing, as addressing itself to the question, what sort of person should I be? rather than to the question what sorts of action should I do?; as taking certain areteic concepts (good, excellence, virtue) as basic than deontic ones (right, duty, obligation) (1999, p. 25) Other features are numerated by Oakley and Cocking as follows; firstly an action is right if and only if it is what an agent with a virtuous character would do in the circumstances (2001, p.129). Another feature is that goodness is prior to rightness. Virtue ethics claims that we need an account of human good before we can determine what the right action to take is; which makes virtue ethics a teleological rather than a deontological ethical theory. (Oakley, Cocking, 2001, p.19) Furthermore, virtues are seen as irreducibly plural intrinsic goods i.e. they are valuable for their own sake rather than as a means to promoting some other value. Virtues are also objectively good in the sense that is they can add value to a life (Oakley, Cocking, 2001, p.21). For example the virtue of kindness is in itself good independently Also, some goods such as friendship are agent-relative while others are agent neutral (Oakley, Cocking, 2001, p.23), and finally acting rightly does not require that we maximise the good. From the above description, it is easy to see the basic idea that virtue ethics promotes. It emphasizes on the moral agent; that is the character of a human; how the person acts, how the person behaves, how the person thinks, and the whole entirety of this person. For example, it focuses on who I am as a person, not on the things I do. It draws attention to the way I reason which in turns influences the way I behave. If I think about evil things long enough, I will eventually perpetuate such acts. If I have an ill will towards my neighbours and wish them dead, sooner or later, I will begin to act in an ill manner towards my neighbour. Virtue ethics focus on being the right person, and the train of thought follows that if I am a good person, I will do good things; if I am a bad person, it will be difficult and almost impossible to do right things because of the kind of personality and being that I am, It motivates people to work on their character, so that they can know the right action to follow. Hence, virtue ethics asks the question; what kind of person should I be? However, it will be difficult to know the kind of person one should be without knowing what the ideal person should be like. If you are a certain way, you would act a certain way. If you are greedy, you would steal, as a consequence of your greed (that is if you cannot meet your insatiable needs). So what is the kind of person we should be? According to virtue ethics, what kind of person we should be is a result of the virtues we possess because virtues play key roles in our lives. How then can we know these virtues, in other words, what is virtue? How can we differentiate virtues from vices? And why is it good to possess these virtues? Also, do these virtues apply to everyone? (Rachels, 1999, p.185) In answering the first question; what is virtue? Edmund L. Pincoffs, a philosopher who taught at the University of Texas suggested that: virtues and vices are qualities that we refer to in deciding whether someone is to be sought or avoided and that virtue as a trait of character is manifested in habitual action which is good for a person to have (Pincoffs cited in Rachels 1999, p.178). The above definition begs the question of what virtues are, and what kind of characters constitutes a virtue? There seem to be no definite answer for this question, however, there are list of traits which can be classified as being virtues. This is by no means a comprehensive list of virtues but just a summary of lists that are seen as basic virtues. They include; honesty, kindness, courage, generosity, loyalty, discipline, courteousness, fairness, friendliness, compassion, confidence, tolerance etc. In as much as there are categories of virtues, there are classifications of vices as well, some of which are; selfishness, laziness, arrogance, greed, jealousy, anger etc. (Rachels, 1999, p.178) There is a slight controversy on the question on if these virtues apply to everyone or not; some theorists believe that there are basic intrinsic virtues that all human beings should strive to acquire no matter what society or generation or way of life they have as opposed to different people having different classes of virtues. For example, instead of only soldiers possessing courage, all humans should possess that character. Aristotles view supported the above statement, he believed that one may observe in ones travels to distant countries the feelings of recognition and affiliation that link every human being to every other being (Aristotle cited in Rachels, 1999, p.186) However, this belief seems to be lacking credence because people and societies are different and what may be seen as virtuous in one society may not be the same in another; People who live in a particular society have live their lives according to the norm of that particular society. What was believed as virtuous hundreds of years ago may not be virtuous in these contemporary times. For example, if it was seen as virtuous for a woman to be married as a virgin in the ancient times, that may not be applicable now because of the change in our times, yet the fact that a woman does not get married as a virgin in these times does not connote that she is not virtuous. Virtues are good but why are they important for one to develop the virtues instead of vices and why is it necessary? Wallace states that: certain virtues play different roles and functions in a human life, some factors in many different ways contribute systematically to human good and virtues in specifiable ways so contribute as a part of such a system (1978, p.15). Also, Rachels says it depends on the specific virtue being talked about. Therefore we can say: generosity is desirable because some people will inevitable be worse off than others and will need help. Honesty is needed because without it relations between people would go wrong in myriad ways. Courage is a good thing because life is full of dangers and without courage we would be unable to cope with them (1999, p.184) We cannot give all the reasons why every virtue is important but we can analyse the above statement and see that they are important in their own way. Aristotle answered that the reason why being virtuous was important was because the virtuous person will be better off in life, not necessarily richer, and it is needed to conduct our lives well (Aristotle cited in Rachels, 1999, p. 185). Virtue Ethics and Utilitarianism The essence of utilitarianism is in getting the best possible outcome in any given circumstance; Utilitarianism believes in the greater good or maximising outcomes. How can an outcome be defined as good? How can it be characterised as producing the most happiness? If a gang of robbers go into a house and rob Billy of all his possessions, is it okay? Since it will give the robbers greater joy to rob poor Billy as opposed to the aggregate of the happiness Billy will get from not being robbed. For utilitarians, the end always justifies the means, and it does not matter if greater satisfaction is as a result of lying or cheating someone, as long as it satisfies more people. As Mill stated: the utilitarian doctrine is that happiness is desirable and, the only thing desirable as an end; all other things being desirable as means to that end (Mills cited in Rachels, 1999, p.108) Virtue ethics believes that if a person is good, their actions will be good as well, so instead of focusing on the outcomes one should focus on having the right character. Virtue ethics makes character essential to right action at least in the sense that its criterion of rightness contains an essential reference to the character of a virtuous agent, and this distinguishes it from utilitarianism which evaluate an act according to the consequence that it actually results in (Oakley, Cocking, 2001, p.11) Utilitarianism can be associated with some ideas which distinguish it from other theories. Utilitarian theories are welfarist, consequentialist, aggregative, maximising and Universalist (Scarre 1996, p.4). An action is okay if the greatest satisfaction is achieved. You count the consequences for human happiness of one or another course, and you go with the one with the highest favourable total (Taylor cited in Scarre, p.1) The major distinction between virtue ethics and utilitarianism is this; while virtue ethics is agent based, utilitarianism is agent neutral. For virtue ethics, Hursthouse states: It is agent centred in that it introduces the concept of the virtuous agent in its account of right action, where utilitarianism and Kantianism introduce the concept of consequences and moral rule respectively (1999, p.29). This is different for utilitarianism. Slote says: consequentialism is agent-neutral, ones obligations to oneself are no weaker or stronger than those to any other single person (1997, p.191) Scarre distinguishes utilitarianism further: It is clear that utilitarianism is a theory of moral justification, concerned to lay down conditions of right and wrong actions but should also be seen as a theory of moral deliberation, aiming to inform us how to decide which actions to perform and which to avoid (1996, p. 13) In addition, virtue ethics is also seen as being pluralistic, in as much as it insists upon the richness and complexity of the ethical while utilitarianism treats all values as ultimately commeasurable and of a single kind (Baron et al, p.201) Virtue Ethics and Kantian Ethics Kantian ethics which is another moral approach to morality that differs from virtue ethics, and can also be known as duty based ethics or deontology. It is a theory that focuses on rules not consequences like utilitarianism or character like virtue ethics. An action is either right or wrong not because of the consequences it produces, or the person in action, but because the act in itself is wrong. Kants ethics lays moral rules down that must be adhered to, for instance, do not lie, do not steal, and do not commit adultery. Kants ethics also follow that a person should do the right thing irrespective of the consequences that follow. For instance, if I had to tell a lie to save my life, it would go against Kantian doctrine. Immanuel Kant, believed that morality is a matter of following absolute rules rules that admit no exceptions, that must be followed come what may (Rachels, 1997, p.122). And according to the Kantian tradition, morality is based on a universal and impartial law of rationality (Crisp, Slote, 1997, p.1). The first point of differentiation is that while virtue ethics emphasize that persons rather than actions should be the primary focus of ethics and should address itself to the question, what sort of person should I be? rather than to the question what sorts of action should I do?(Baron, 1997, p.34). Kantian ethics is believed to focus more on rightness of an action than about virtuous character based on its principle of the Categorical Imperative which is the basis of all other rules. This principle aims to provide the right guidance on actions that are morally permissible. Wood writes: a moral imperative is categorical because its function is not to advice us how to reach some prior end of ours that is based on what we happen to want but to command us how to act irrespective of our wants or our contingent ends (2008, p.67) Another distinction between Kantian ethics and virtue ethics is their different understanding of the nature of character and that of a virtuous person. Baron states: many virtue ethicist have as their model of the virtuous person someone whose dispositions and temperaments are ideal; someone for whom acting virtuously is a second nature, and whose desires, tastes, likes, and dislikes, interests and manner just naturally are those of a virtuous personfor Kantians, being virtuous involves more conflict between ones desires and what one sees one should do; less automatic responses and more reflection (Baron et al, 1997, p.40). Also, unlike virtue ethicist, Kantians are believed to act out of duty and obligation. Baron states that virtue ethicist favour areteic terms (good, bad, virtuous, vicious) over deontic terms (right, wrong, duty, obligation) (Baron et al, 1997, p.34). Furthermore, another distinction has to do with motivation; a virtuous person does not act from duty rather he/she is motivated because they have desires that virtuous people have. The virtuous person has virtuous desires, and a right action is one that issues from virtuous desires (Baron et al, 1997, p.34). Virtue Ethics and Corruption Corruption is a global ethical problem in the sense that corruption is multicultural and is found in every strata of a society and every race. It can also be distinguished into different degrees which can be either minor or major forms of corruption, but no matter the distinguishing of varying degrees, no one is better off than the other. Corruption is corruption and should not be condoned. No one can claim ignorance to it since it is something that can be found in different levels and at varying degrees. Elliott writes: It occurs in democracies and military dictatorships, and at all levels of development and in all types of economic systems, from open capitalist economies such as that of the United States to centrally planned economies such as the former Soviet Unions (1997, p.1). Corruption has globalised in the past few years and has emerged as a global issue. Corruption does not have a singular universal definition but several authors have come up with different definitions that will sum up the concept of corruption. Several scholars have sought to define it but corruption is not a concept that can be confined to one simple definition because different people and offices define it differently, as it relates to them. Corruption can be defined by public opinion, as well as official law of nations and also as it affects the general public. Therefore there are different definitions of corruption. However, I will prefer to focus on public corruption, which is corruption by public officials. Public corruption is defined by Neild as: the breaking by public persons, for the sake of private financial or political gain, of the rules of conduct in public affairs prevailing in a society in the period under consideration (2002, p.5). Features of corruption can include c ronyism, bribery, fraud, nepotism, embezzlement, favouritism, trafficking. There have been a lot of suggestions and ways on how to tackle corruption; different organisations such as the OECD, Transparency International (TI), and European Union have initiated a lot anti-corruption reforms such as taxation, development aid, and  governance, however, it has not been as effective as it ought to be. This is where the need for the application of virtue ethics emerges. I believe that virtue ethics once combined with other anti corruption initiatives will effectively reduce the rate of corruption because virtue ethics is the only moral theory that encourages individuals to develop positive character traits, and if people do have good character they will not be involved in vices such as corruption, and although moral practices differ globally, there are still some character traits that are consistent and valued globally. For instance, virtues such as respect, courteousness or friendliness are universal. In Africa for example, it is a sign of respect for one to greet elders by kneeling down before them, while in South East Asia, it is by bowing. Both are respectful acts and although both acts differ because of their custom, their actions are a representation of the same values. This goes to exemplify how universal the virtue of respect is. So now that we have laid down the ground work of what virtue ethics is and what core virtues really are, we can suggest that virtue ethics can combat corruption alongside other anti corruption policies. Khan suggested: reducing the discretion of public officials through liberalization and privatization, Improving salaries of public officials, thereby addressing their low living standards in many cases, but also increasing the opportunity cost of corruption since they stand to lose their positions if detected, improving the rule of law so that corrupt bureaucrats and politicians can be prosecuted and punished, and encouraging greater transparency of government decision-making through deepening democratization, decentralization and the creation and encouragement of civil society watchdogs (http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/gdsmdpbg2420064_en.pdf). Since corruption is an abnormally in the morality of a society, moral reasoning is also needed to treat this issue. Dramer suggested: an ongoing ethics programme containing two main parts: a character development part aimed at developing dispositions, attitudes, habits or virtues such as honesty, loyalty, fairness, benevolence, conscientiousness and more, and a reasoning ability part aimed at (1) sensitising public servants to moral problems, (2) improving their analytical skills, and (3) developing their ethical imaginativeness (http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/40/15/2093526.pdf). Other forms of combating corruption seem to be about coercion and enforcement, but virtue ethics is a non-coercive method because it encourages individuals to develop morally acceptable ethical behaviour, which consequently will promote integrity. There seems to be no hitch in applying virtue ethics to this global ethical problem. Virtue Ethics and Euthanasia Another problem in global ethics is the issue of Euthanasia also known as mercy killing. Euthanasia is the act of ending someones life, especially someone who is sick or terminally ill to end their pain and suffering, thus when we define euthanasia, it should be as: death understood as a good or happy event for the one who dies (Foot, 1979, p.15). Euthanasia can be justified only if the person involved is undergoing so much pain that even drugs do not relieve him or her and if the prognosis of their health is declining. Euthanasia is classified into different types such as; voluntary euthanasia (whereby the patient is coherent enough to request for it), involuntary euthanasia (the person is not capable of giving consent, e.g. people in comas) and non-voluntary euthanasia (whereby it is imposed on the patient). It can be further classified into passive euthanasia or active euthanasia (Ladd, 1979, p.8). However, my analysis will be based on voluntary euthanasia which has been characterized by Tooley as a situation whereby a person in his normal reasoning has chosen to end his/her life because living does not pay off in the long run based on available prognosis (Tooley cited in Brock, 1979, p.101). Euthanasia has been through many debates, is ending the life of someone in great physical pain regarded as paying them a favour? One school of thought believes that if the patient actively ends their life because they can no longer bear to go through pain, it may be considered as suicide. On the other side of the coin, is the school of thought that believes that if the persons life is ended by someone else, it can be placed on the same shelf as murder. The question is can virtue ethics be applied to euthanasia? Stewart suggests: If the focus is on the virtues in play, the character of the patient, their families and friends and the doctors involved-and if the desire to have euthanasia stems from a virtuous character then it would be a good thing, a noble act, where active or passive, voluntary or involuntary (2008, p.91) As long as the decision to have euthanasia comes from a virtuous person, then it is the right thing to do, because a virtuous person always does the right thing. Hursthouse says that in tragic dilemmas a decision is right iff it is what a virtuous agent would decide, but the action decided may be too terrible to called right or good. I believe we should live a life of happiness, people living in misery cannot be said to be living in eudemonia, and so in such cases I believe eudemonia is compatible with euthanasia. If not giving euthanasia to a patient is going to make their life more painful and full of misery then it does not tally with Aristotles concept of human flourishing. Brink suggests: a valuable life consist in the possession of certain character traits, the exercise of certain capacities, and the development of certain relations with others and the world (Brink cited in Scarre, 1996, p.6). Living can only be considered flourishing if the patient goes through less pain, and if euthanasia seems to be the only option, then by all means, we should go down that route. It is out of the virtue of compassion that euthanasia is applied, and it is a courageous thing for the patient to do also, virtue ethics would promote a painless, peaceful way to end the patients life to alleviate suffering rather than an exit full of anguish. Virtue ethics is fine with euthanasia as long as it is done virtuously. According to Aristotle: an action is virtuous only if it is the right sort of action performed for the right sort of motive (Brody, 1988, p.35) Stewart states that different virtues are necessary in order to apply euthanasia; the virtue of courage is needed when the patient makes the decision on when to die, also the virtue of pride, and the virtue of wisdom to know when the right time is. As for the medical staff, virtues needed are professionalism, compassion and also wisdom. Family and friends would also need wisdom to advice the patient if they feel he/she is making the wrong decision (2008, p. 92) There is a bit of difficulty in applying virtue ethics to the issue of euthanasia, due to the fact that it does not present what the right time is for a person to be euthanized. It just says that the virtue of wisdom will be applied and this answer does not seem sufficient based on the reason that virtue ethics does not gives rules or directions on how things ought to be done. Aristotles theory emphasizes only one moral appeal which is an appeal to the virtues, and this feature is both its strength and weakness. Its weakness, apart from the question on whether it adequately defined the virtues, is that it fails to take into account the other many moral appeals which must be incorporated into any adequate moral theory (Brody, 1988, p.9) Also, concerning the virtues, there might be some conflict, in the sense that, courage needed for euthanasia is considered a virtue, what if the patient decides to be enduring? Or exercise more patience? Courage and patience are classified as virtueswhat then, does one do? This question is insufficiently answered by virtue ethics as relying upon the virtue of wisdom to prevail. I agree with Hursthouse, who states that: Charity prompts me to kill the person who would (truly) be better off dead, but justice forbids it. So virtue ethics fails to give me any guidance over the rightness or wrongness of euthanasiavirtue ethics lets us down just at the point where we need it the most, where we are faced with the really difficult moral quandaries and do not know what to do (1999, p.43) CONCLUSION In the beginning of this essay, I defined and analysed the concept of virtue ethics, and in the following paragraphs I attempted to distinguish between the three moral theories which are, utilitarianism, virtue ethics and kantianism by enumerating the features. I also tried to apply virtue ethics to two issues in global ethics which are corruption and euthanasia. Virtue ethics can be applied to some problems in global ethics like corruption and euthanasia because virtues are relevant to the moral evaluation of individuals and their actions (Brody, 1988, p.35), however, it wont be without some difficulties. In summary, I believe virtue ethics was compatible with corruption because I discovered that an ethics of virtue can reduce the rate at which corruption is globalising if public officials possess or develop certain virtues however; there seem to be difficulty applying it to euthanasia because of the many criticism of virtue ethics that I stated earlier, the major being that virtue ethics does not provide guidance. It only tells us to develop ones character but it seems to be vague.

The Message in Spike Lee’s Movie Do the Right Thing Essay -- Movies Fi

The Message in Spike Lee’s Movie Do the Right Thing In an attempt to enlighten audiences with a powerful message about the cancer that hate and violence can bring to a society; writer, director, Spike Lee brings Do the Right Thing to the screen. Fusing a powerful story with creative film making, Lee gives us an insider’s look at life on a blistering summer day in Brooklyn. To create an atmosphere that both looks and almost literally feels like possibly the hottest day of the year, Lee uses orange and yellow filters throughout the film. Objects, as well as people seem to glisten in the light. Even scenes shot indoors have beams of light coming through windows and doors. The use of lighting is only one technique Lee uses to create a realistic feel for this film, which is pertinent w...

Inner Peace- religion Essay

Analyse how the individual is guided towards acheiving inner peace in TWO religious traditions. (18/20)Inner peace is defined as an internal quality of calmness and security which puts the mind at ease and fills the adherent with a sense of tranquility and assurance. For adherents to Christianity and Islam, inner peace is an inevitable and hugely rewarding consequence of genuine faith. It is developed rather than striven for, through a unique combination of personal, communal, scriptural and doctrinal means. Christians believe that inner peace is obtained by being in a close relationship with God. This involves accepting the gift of love from God and accepting that grace is given and not earned. Christianity teaches God lives in the hearts of His people, all are made in His image and likeness, therefore Peace lies within. The Bible states: â€Å"Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God† (1 Peter 1:2). Christianity seeks to bring adherents to recognit ion; all who love God will gain peace, by living a life modeled after Jesus Christ. Essentially, faith in God instills within the adherent a sense of security and meaning conductive to the development of inner peace.The Christian tradition indicates the primary way of focusing inner peace and improving efforts at peacemaking is by returning to the Gospels and the sacred writings of Christianity. The reason for doing this is to renew the Christian’s knowledge and understanding of Jesus as the model peacemaker. Throughout the New Testament, Jesus’ teachings are echoed by recalling his words and actions: â€Å"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you† (John 14:27). The individual is guided toward inner peace through the Bible, which facilitates greater familiarity with the nature of God and acts as a source of practical, ethical and spiritual guidance. Christianity provides guidance for many forms of personal prayer using such means as scripture, writings from religious figures and various forms of meditation and contemplation. Centering prayer provides guidance for the Christian to go to their ‘inner’ place and there encounter God. This sustains the adherent in everyday life and contributes to a sense of peace and wellbeing. In being thankful and expressing gratitude to God, believers experience inner peace. The World Community for Christian Meditation proclaims: â€Å"Meditation and prayer is a practice that can bring peace, not only to individual meditators, but also to the whole world†.A significant means in which Christianity guides  adherents to find inner peace is through the concept of forgiveness. Jesus of Nazareth taught his disciples to pray:â€Å"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us† (Matthew 6:12). Through the death of Jesus, forgiveness is available to the repentant sinner, allowing them to have peace with God which is the very foundation of ‘inner peace’. Failure to forgive others leads to stored anger and resentment. The Protestant tradition places the emphasis on each person having the responsibility of speaking directly with God, who will grant absolution. It is the acceptance of the gift from God of forgiveness or wrongdoing which is the obtaining of inner peace for the Christian. Islam teaches that inner peace may only be found through complete submission to God’s will, which is primarily achieved by adherence to a prescribed set of guidelines for living. â€Å"In remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction† (Qur’an 13:28). Acceptance of the will of Allah not only removes the fear and anxiety about the future, but concentrating on God can protect humanity from being overwhelmed by all aspects of life such as greed and fear which destroy inner peace. Jihad is central to this life of submission. Greater Jihad is the concept relating to the ongoing struggle to make oneself and one’s community ‘ perfectly’ Muslim. It embodies peace on a personal level, working through the individual and their role in the community.Inner peace is only possible when the Five Pillars are lived in faithful obedience to God’s will. Obligatory prayers, known as Salat, remind Muslims of Allah’s closeness to them. The Qur’an states: â€Å"Perform the prayer for my remembrance† (Qur’an 20:40). Attention is drawn repeatedly to Allah, marginalizing earthly distraction in order to devote more fully to the divine. Sawm or fasting, reminds participants of those who do not have enough to eat or difficulty living. In being reminded on these things, Muslims are reminded to place too much importance on material goods. They are reminded to place their trust in God for provision of food, which can help them to achieve inner peace. Hajj involves the spiritual, mental and physical journey from one’s normal place of living to Makkah. In the midst of a million pilgrims, the individual Muslim experiences the inner peace of the Ummah. Sufism is an Islamic theology that began to develop in the first century of Islam. Sufism stresses that the traveler on the spiritual path must first abandon himself or herself to the will of God and then only will God’s peace enter their heart. A frequent  Sufi proclamation is: â€Å"There will be no peace until there is inner peace†. The Australian Centre for Sufism and Irfanic Studies offers courses in spiritual development and Sufi psychology that aim to bring people closer to God and inner peace. One of the centre’s aims is to make people more aware that self-centeredness can be a barrier to spiritual enlightenment.Therefore, the religious traditions of Christianity and Islam present several means in guiding the individual to achieve inner peace. It is through the belief systems, actions and thoughts of these religious traditions, that those individual adherents can learn how to achieve inner peace and develop an understanding of peace so that it may be en acted.

Examine the management opportunities and challenges associated with the use Of a named global vegetation system

The global vegetation system that I am going to be using is the tropical rain forest. Tropical rain forests (TRF) are usually found along or near the equator. These are equatorial climates and inn these climates there are no seasons. The TRF has a very large range of species. There are a lot of tropical hardwoods here, such as mahogany, Oak, Ipe and many more. The direct use for people is to burn the wood that they cut down from the tropical rainforests. An indirect use would be to sell the wood on. There are three scales of how humans affect the TRF, small scale is shifting cultivation, on a medium scale there would be plantations and on a large scale the is deforestation. Equally there are challenges caused as a consequence of how we use it. There a number of environmental challenges that humans face. Firstly the climate here, it is hot wet and humid. These conditions make it hard for humans to live there. There can also be disease here, and pests such as spiders, snakes etc. These become a physical challenge for people to over come. The surface of the TRF can become very swampy in places, this means that it can be very hard for people to move around in the TRF. The density of the TRF is immense, it is incredible difficult for people to get into and to move about in there. Shifting cultivation has opportunities for local people. These local people will use the slash/burn method for making a clearing, here they will grow some crops (usually yams). They have hunters/gatherers who will go out and get food from the area surrounding the clearing they have made. They will live in this clearing for around 4 years, by this time the nutrients start to become depleted, this is one of the challenges that they face. Now they have to move several kilometres away and make sure that they are not in the area where they sent their hunters/gatherers. The clearing that they left will start to grow back. These people have now become part of the eco system and are challenging to become the top carnivores. The population has started to explode in these places and has significantly increased. This practise how now become less viable and there is now less opportunities for the clearings to re grow and therefore there is going to be more and more clearings made in the TRF and they wont be getting the chance to grow back. This is one of the big challenges that they will now face. Plantations are on a medium to large scale of how humans will affect the TRF. Plantations are set up by colonies (MEDC's), and multi national companies. They aim to grow the same crop over large areas of land that would have naturally grown there any way such as tea, coffee, rubber etc. A very large area has got to be cleared so that the plantations can operate. The opportunities for a plantation are huge. They can use the plantation all year round due to the climate being ideal (hot, wet, humid) and there being no seasons. They are able to exploit the forest and use it economically by selling off the crops that they produce. And as they produce a large amount they will make big profits. One big challenge that plantations face is the fact that the diversity of species has been replaced and is now a mono culture. Where there was once area of many species, they are now dominated by single crops on large areas of land. Pests and disease in a TRF are controlled, but in a plantation all the plants are the same so if a disease gets in there all the plants are going to be infected. Also the nutrient cycle is going to be affected by plantations. Growing the same crop over and over again uses the same nutrients and we get soil depletion. Plantations are a manipulation of the eco system. Deforestation has a phenomenal affect on the TFF. The tropical hardwoods have a big demand around the world and this is where they get them. They generate good income for the people who are selling them. The demand for these woods leads to a devastating affect on the TRF. The diversity of species inside the TRF is phenomenal, and this causes a big problem. In 1sqkm there may only be one mahogany tree, if this is the tree that is needed the people are not able to just go and get that one. The forest is so dense they have to pull down all the trees in that area to get to that one. This is mass clearance and has a devastating affect on the TRF. When a tree is chopped down it is going to wipe out a lot of trees in the process. As an affect of this deforestation there is going to be soil erosion. When the trees get pulled down the soil is left exposed to the elements. Afforestation is a process, which should take place after deforestation happens. This is where trees are re planted. To conclude what I have written, there is always going to be management opportunities in a tropical rain forest whether it is on a small scale or on a large scale. The affects that these opportunities have on the tropical rainforest varies. On one hand the affects can be minor as in the local moving land in shifting cultivation due to soil depletion. But the affects can also be devastating, as in deforestation where there is mass clearance and an area of the tropical rain forest is destroyed. So there are opportunities but they can come at a big cost to the environment.

FDI Report: the Case of Nissan in the UK

Direct investment among the richest countries has been one of the eminent features of the world economy since the mid-1980s. Within this broad trend, Europe features prominently as both a home and host to multinational enterprises (MNEs). Not only did many Japanese and American firms invest massively, but even the most somnolent European firms appeared to awake to the need to look beyond their own national borders. (Thomsen and Woolcock, 1993) In narrow terms, FDI is simply all capital transferred between a firm and its new or established foreign affiliates. In its broadest sense, FDI represents competition: among workers, governments, firms, markets and even economic systems. (ibid) The main objective of this report is to illustrate the motives in relation to firm`s desire to locate some production or other activities in a foreign country. In order to do so, several theories that seek to explain why FDI takes place will be discussed, such as Dunning`s Eclectic Paradigm, Vernon`s Life Cycle model, the Knickerbocker Model and others. Moreover, to evaluate the rationale for FDI, references will be made to the case study of Nissan`s automotive investment in North-East England. Theoretical background The most commonly seen forms of FDI can be determined as: †¢ Merges and Acqusitions; †¢ Privatisation-related investment; †¢ New forms of investment (joint ventures, strategic alliances, licensing and other partnership agreements); †¢ Greenfield investment (a new operation); †¢ Brownfield investment (expansions or re-investment in existing foreign affiliates). (Hill, 2007) One of the first theories explaining multinational firms was created by Hymer (1959). He develops a specific – advantages theory which states that firms need to have internal – specific advantages over domestic rivals, in particular economies of scale and superior product technology, in order to invest in that country. Thereafter, Knickerbocker (1973) emphasise oligopolistic rivalry as an explanation for FDI, with firms investing in each other`s home markets to gain first mover advantages, leading to a follow-the-leader pattern of international investment to reduce risks in an uncertain oligopolistic environment. Furthermore, Vernon`s (1966; 1979) product life-cycle theory explains the shift from export to direct investment in developed and developing countries. Rivalistic firm behaviour drives firms in developed countries to locate lower value added or mature activities in low cost developing countries so that the firm can move up the product cycle and focuse on developing new products therefore sustaining the competibility. Thereafter, the internalisation theory was developed in order to understand why firms invest abroad instead of exporting or licensing to domestic firms. It argues that high transaction cost, such as enforcing contracts, maintaining quality, and keeping proprietary rights over technical and marketing knowledge, may justify direct ovnership (internalisation) of overseas activities. This theory has been expanded to include the transaction costs of political intervention and trade barriers. (Loewendahl, 2001) However, several theoretical studies have started to incorporate the insight from different perspectives into their own disciplines and are acknowledging the important contributions that different approaches can make to each other. (ibid) Dunning has brought together the main principles of there theories and developed Eclectic, also knows as Ownership-Location-Internalisation, paradigm, that clearly identifies these three areas of possible advantage for FDI to take place. (Dunning and Lundan, 2008) Although academically it is still under discussion, most countries seem convinced that inward FDI is benefical for their local economies. (Oxelheim and Ghauri, 2004) The study of Nissan`s automotive investment is a case in point, which will be explained in the following section. Nissan case study A company of Nissan`s automotive investment in North-East England is examined in more detail as: †¢ Nissan succeeded in its demands for a single union plant, which was highly controversial, unprecedented in the UK motor industry, and set the stage for the further investment of Honda and Toyota. †¢ It was the single lagrest investment in the UK at the time of severe industrial decline and the investment represented a turning point for the North-East region development. †¢ The investment signalled the revival of the UK car industry and the emergence of Japan as a major new investor in the UK. The success of Japanese auto manufacturers was compouned by the oil crises in the 1970s, which led to demand for small cars, of which Japan was the lowest cost and most efficient producer (Moore, 1994). Japan`s share of world car production increased from just 1% in 1960 to 27% in 1985. Furthermore, in 1996 Nissan`s share of the world passenger car production, at 5.8%, was the sixth highest in the world and exceeded that of Renault, Rover and Alfa Romeo combined. (Sadler, 1992) With rapid growth at home and abroad, Nissan began overseas production as early as 1962, setting-up in Thailand – the first overseas investment by a Japanese automobile company. By 1990, Nissan had 11 overseas production bases and Nissan UK was established in 1984. (Loewendahl, 2001) In spite of Nissan`s global consolidation in the automotive industry, its financial crisis lead to a strategic partnership between Nissan and Renault in March 1999. This partnership was beneficial for both parties due to the strategic fit between the two companies: †¢ Geogrphic fit: Nissan has a strong presence in Asia-Pacific and North America while Renault is strong in Europe and ahs plants in Latin America. †¢ Business strengths: Nissan is strong in manufacturing capability, product technology, and its supplier technology base, while Renault is strong in management, product planning and product design capabilities. †¢ Product range: Nissan is strong in light trucks and sport utility vehicles (although Nissan`s product portfolio covers nearly all segments), while Renault is strong in passenger cars. Nissan`s major FDI strategy for setting-up production in the European economic community (EEC) was market-seeking, and the UK was Nissan`s largest market in Europe, accounting for one third of Nissan`s sales in Europe in 1982. (Loewendahl, 2001) The economic conditions in several UK regions provided an environment suited to Nissan. While industrial relations in the UK in the early 1980s were not perfect (as far as Nissan was concerned), the Thatcher government promised radical changes. Nissan considered conditions in the North-East to be particulary favourable for establishing a single union and introducing new work practices, because Sunderland would provide an acquiescent workforce that has no tradition of automobile production, in region of high unemployment. (McRae, 1997) The domestic environment in the UK was considered less hostile than in the other major EEC countries and Nissan`s productivity advantage would be most apparent in the British market. In addition, the English language, competitive production cost and availability of government grants were also important. Also factors like Japanese financial services in London, similar commercial and legal systems, low taxes and cultural proximity (Morris, 1988), with a shared interest in gardens, rugby, golf and tea, playing a role in the decision-making of Nissan and other Japanese MNCs (Loewendahl, 2001). With reference to the terminology of Dunning`s eclectic paradigm, there was a high correspondence between the ownership advantages of Nissan and the location advantages of the UK. The UK was also able to meet the requriments of Nissan`s market seeking FDI strategy and project specific needs, as well as Nissan would satisfy the requirements of the UK`s inward investment-led industrial and regional policy. (ibid) Therefore, it can be said that Nissan and the follow-on investment of Honda and Toyota have prevented the collapse of the British car industry and Nissan is propping-up the North-East manufacturing economy. For instance, between 1986 and the end of 1999 the FDI coming from Nissan, Toyota and Honda reached  £4 billion in the UK. In other words, these three MNCs accounted for 80% of the increase in the UK car manufacturing output from 1991 to 1999. Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK is responsible for supplying the European market and managing its supply-chain, nevertheless, it does not have control over strategic activities including research and development, planning or co-ordinating the global network of operations. These activities remain in Japan, with Nissan`s European operations co-ordinated from Brussels. It can be outlined that Nissan (also mentioning Toyota and Honda) have made a positive contribution to the economy of the UK in terms of export, suppliers and job creation. It also applies to Japanese inward investment in other sectors of the economy. However, according to theoretical and empirical research, this particular picture of Japanese investment is shadowed when, for instance, the emphasis is put on the type of jobs being created. While Nissan has been at the centre of new training initiatives in the North-East, the jobs are not high skilled and are characterised by highly intensive work organisation. (Loewendahl, 2001) Conclusion To sum up, the most commonly seen motives for companies to become MNCs and invest in other countries are related to the business perspectives of merges and acquisitions, therefore accessing a foreign market, as well as the benefits of lower wages or more favourable government policies. In long term perspective of attracting FDI, especially from Japanese investors in the UK, a potential threat can be identified in relation to joining the Euro-zone. Japanese companies have invested in the UK in order to serve the European market, and what matters most are currency fluctuations within Europe, not with the dollar and the Yen. With Japanese companies like Nissan concentraiting production in one location and exporting to the rest of the European market, the importance of currency stability is increased. (Loewendahl, 2001) However, a pre-condition for further investment in the UK by Nissan and other Japanese companies may, therefore, be that the UK remains at the heart of economic and political integration in Europe.