Implementing Strategy and Leadership Ethics Assignment

Implementing Strategy and Leadership Ethics - Assignment Example Culture is considered as a core element in the overall vision of any organization (Schein, 2010). The first way of embedding culture into the organization is through avoiding cultural drift. Even though it is easier to follow some cultural practices, there is a tendency of ignoring them with time. A drift comes in and the main culture is supported by several gestures. There is a tendency to overlook the important cultures of the organization. Therefore, leadership should recognized and reward those who are consistent with following the core organization’s culture. In talking about organizational midlife, it means that the organizations have been in existence for a period of between 35 to 75 years. Such organizations are complex in terms or character of the employees and a fascinating folklore. They tend to be a bit resistant to change than the younger entities. Things tend to be more stabilized for these types of organizations and they have their own way of carrying out their daily duties. Additionally, they have a culture that drives their success or failure in all their initiatives. This type of organizational soul-searching in most cases is triggered by a number of factors (Schein, 2010). Ethical leadership basically needs ethical leaders. If an organization has ethical leaders, they will find it easy to ensure ethical practices are followed in the organization, right from the management to the subordinates. Naturally, leaders are in a position of power, either on or off-duty. Therefore, ethical leadership focuses on how leaders leverage their power in the decisions they make and ways they influence others (Schein, 2010). By demonstrating ethics in leadership, leaders promote a high level of integrity. The integrity they promote stimulates trustworthiness and equally encourages the subordinates to accept and follow the organization’s vision. Basically, integrity and character

Amy Chua Hanna Rosen Essay Example for Free

Amy Chua Hanna Rosen Essay Amy Chua and Hannah Rosin: a comparison and contrast of parenting styles In recent years, Yale professor Amy Chua has drawn a great deal of attention due to her focus on a parenting style that is foreign – both figuratively and literally – to most Western parents. This style centers on a Chinese model that Chua espouses, and that has become famous, or infamous, for the stern and rigorous practices that Chua enforced with her own two daughters. Chua has received a large amount of criticism; one of her critics is Hannah Rosin, a prominent writer and editor. In response to Chua, Rosin outlines an alternative method of parenting. It can be argued that while both Chua and Rosin are involved and devoted mothers, they have distinctly contrasting views on how to raise children. There are three areas in which this contrast can be most clearly seen: attitudes to success, attitudes to self-esteem, and attitudes to happiness. Amy Chua’s model of parenting has success at its core. Chua sums up the Chinese approach to activities in this way: â€Å"What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you’re good at it† (Chua, 2011). With this as a mantra, Chua promotes an extremely rigorous approach to such activities as learning a musical instrument; she believes that two or three hours of practicing an instrument daily is appropriate for young children. Furthermore, Chua believes that parents should not give their children any choice over which musical instruments to learn; the violin and piano are the only acceptable choices, regardless of the child’s natural talent or predilection. This approach is also evident in academics. Chua says, â€Å"†¦the vast majority of Chinese mothers†¦believe their children can be ‘the best’ students, that ‘academic achievement reflects successful parenting’ and that if children did not excel at school there was ‘a problem’ and parents ‘were not doing their job’† (Chua, 2011). Hannah Rosin takes a distinctly different approach to success, one that is arguably more reflective of Western attitudes in general. Rosin says, â€Å"Ms. Chua has the diagnosis of American childhood exactly backward. What privileged American children need is not more skills and rules and math drills. They need to lighten up and roam free, to express themselves in ways  not dictated by their uptight, over-invested parents† (Rosin, 2011). In Rosin’s view, Chua’s version of success is ultimately very limiting. Rosin doesn’t argue that success is a negative thing in and of itself; however, her looser, freer approach suggests that it can be achieved differently. Another area where Rosin and Chua differ from each other is in their approach to self-esteem and the way in which parents should treat their children. Chua openly admits that it is common for Chinese parents to make comments to their children that Western parents find reprehensible, such as â€Å"Hey fatty, lose some weight†, or referring to a child as â€Å"garbage† (Chua, 2011). However, Chua defends these comments by arguing that in fact, Chinese parents speak in this way because ultimately, they believe that their children are capable of being the â€Å"best†. She contends that Chinese children know that their parents think highly of them, and criticize them only because they have high expectations and know that their children can meet them. Hannah Rosin disagrees. She says, â€Å"†¦there is no reason to believe that calling your child ‘lazy’ or ‘stupid’ or ‘worthless’ is a better way to motivate her to be good than some other more gentle but persistent mode’† (Rosin, 2011). She believes that a parent’s role is not to act as a harsh critic and task master, but rather to guide them through the inevitable difficulties of life that arise. Unlike Chua, Rosin is not concerned with forcing her children to be â€Å"the best†. Rather, she says that â€Å"It is better to have a happy, moderately successful child than a miserable high-achiever† (Rosin, 2011). It is in this area, pertaining to notions of happiness that Chua and Rosin depart most distinctly from each other. It can be argued that the idea of happiness is almost completely absent from Amy Chua’s template. Chua says, â€Å"Chinese parents believe that they know that is best for their children and therefore override all of their children’s own desires and preferences† (Chua, 2011). In other words, the feelings or preference of the child as an individual are lacking completely from the Chinese framework of parenting. The child’s happiness, or misery, is completely irrelevant, because the  parent is the supreme authority, acting in the child’s best interest. Chua claims, â€Å"It’s not that Chinese parents don’t care about their children , just the opposite. They would give up anything for their children† (Chua, 2011). However, the one thing that Chua and other parents will not give up is complete authoritarian control. Rosin takes an entirely different approach to the value of individual happiness. She observes that happiness does not come through being successful; furthermore, â€Å"happiness is the great human quest† (Rosin, 2011). Parents cannot possibly always be in a position to know what will make a child happy or not; children must work out their own path to happiness (Rosin, 2011). Rosin believes that an over-emphasis on perfection will not lead to greater happiness and may even create less happiness in the end. In conclusion, it is undeniable that both Amy Chua and Hannah Rosin love their children and believe that their approach to parenting is based on a desire to do what is best for those children. However, the two approaches present a sharp contrast to each other. Amy Chua believes that success, perfection and being â€Å"the best† are of paramount importance, and will ultimately build a child’s self-esteem (Chua, 2011). Hannah Rosin is critical of the harshness of the Chinese template and argues for a gentler approach, one that takes the natural interests and talent of the child into account (Rosin, 2011). Rosin notes that the idea of enjoyment or happiness is strikingly absent from Chua’s parenting style; in turn, Chua observes that many Western parents are disappointed with the choices that their children make in their lives (Rosin, 2011; Chua, 2011). It can be argued that both the Eastern approach and Western approach have a great deal to offer each other; a wise parent knows how to walk a middle ground.

PAULA ABDUL :: essays research papers

Rarely in the history of entertainment has there been an artist equally recognized, awarded and celebrated in front of the camera as well as behind the camera, as is Paula Abdul. Abdul’s extraordinary music career encompasses worldwide album sales exceeding 40 million records, two #1 Albums, six #1 Singles, a Grammy Award, seven MTV Awards, 3 American Music Awards, two Emmy Awards, two People ¹s Choice Awards and two Kid’s Choice Awards. She has also been honored with her very own Star on Hollywood Boulevard and inducted into Nickelodeon’s Kid’s Choice Hall of Fame. Currently, Abdul is receiving acclaim as â€Å"the heart and soul† of the record-breaking primetime FOX show American Idol, for which she is a Celebrity judge. Abdul has even gone so far as to design inspirational â€Å"Innergy† good luck jewelry for the American Idol contestants, which they can occasionally be seen grasping for strength and inspiration during more stressful times on the popular high-stakes show. The jewelry became so popular, that Paula developed an entire jewelry line to make available for all men and women in America. Each piece represents the â€Å"Inner Energy† it takes to succeed. Paula’s jewelry is available at Sam’s Club and on her web site, www.paulaabdul.com. Most recently, Paula has used her former dance and cheer career, along with her unique expression of style, to design her own lines of dance and cheer clothing called â€Å"Skirtz.† â€Å"Skirtz† serves as an inspiration for young girls and teens all over the country. Her clothing is available at Wal Mart stores. Behind the camera, Abdul is known as one of the most gifted and recognized choreographers in the industry of film, television, video, stage and live tours. Her celebrated work in choreography includes Emmy-winning contributions to The Tracey Ullman Show, She choreographed the film Coming toAmerica, which starred Eddie Murphy. Paula’s own performance as an artist on the American Music Award, and her choreography for the Academy Awards, for which she earned an Emmy nomination. Other triumphs include her award-winning work with Janet Jackson, which garnered two MTV Video Awards; and working with such musical legends as Aretha Franklin, George Michael, Luther Vandross, INXS, Heart and Prince.

Plague, Pox and Pestilence: Disease in History Essay

The book ‘Plague, Pox and Pestilence’ is an interesting and complete survey of epidemics and diseases, which have occurred in the past. The book was written by a historian, and it contains a lot of detailed information that puts the progression of various epidemics into view, as they relate to societies that are in their developing stages. Western imperialism, Western elites, Western religions, and Western medicine have made these epidemics even more dreadful. Throughout the text, short contemporary reports are shown, which suggest that these epidemics have had an enormous impact on society, especially during the peak of their outbreaks. The book is also aesthetically illustrated with a lot of engravings, drawings and photographs that were collected from plenty of sources. â€Å"Some of the sources used for this book back as far as the 15th century. Although not a â€Å"hard† science book, it should be of enormous interest to all microbiologists. Its size and appearance suggest that the book is aimed at the â€Å"coffee table† to which it would be an interesting if somewhat gruesome addition. † Westwell, J. The book ‘Plague, Pox and Pestilence’ is an interesting read because it brings into focus, the pathogenic killers diseases of the developing world (bubonic plague, leprosy, smallpox, syphilis, cholera, and the tropical fevers, malaria and yellow fever. ) About the Author. Kenneth Kiple is the author of the book ‘plague, pox and pestilence’ He has written several other books including the book ‘Black Yellow Fever Immunities, Innate and Acquired, as Revealed in the American South, A Movable Feast: Ten Millennia of Food Globalization (2007), Contemporary Authors: (1939), The Caribbean Slave: A Biological History (Studies in Environment and History) (2002), Blacks in Colonial Cuba (1976), The African Exchange: Toward a Biological History of Black People (1988), The Cambridge World History of Human Disease (1993), Another Dimension to the Black Diaspora: Diet, Disease and Racism (2003), The Cambridge World History of Food (2000), The Cambridge Historical Dictionary of Disease (2003), and Stone agers in the fast lane? Today’s health and yesterday’s nutrition (University professor lecture series) (1995). He has also written several book reviews, including an article on Malaria: Poverty, Race, and Public Health in the United States, which was published in the Journal of Southern History on the 31st of July, 2005. Book Summary. The book ‘Plague, Pox and Pestilence: Disease in History’ states that epidemics have had an enormous impact on society, especially during the peak of their outbreaks. The book also tries to remind the reader of the larger problem of the consequences of allowing disease and pestilence to multiply, without checking their spread in time. The author succeeds in showing that epidemics have had an enormous impact on society and its development. The book also observes that it is unlikely that most pandemics would have become anything more than an epidemic without the modern methods of transportation. For example, Cholera â€Å"unlike other diseases that require human transportation, can exist outside the human body. † (Kiple, K. F. 1997). It is a bacterium and under the microscope it is shaped like a comma. It only affects humans. Epidemiologists believe that it evolved in the Ganges Delta region and until the modern era, was isolated to that area. Until the arrival of Europeans and their technological transportation inventions including railroads, steamships and canals, cholera had been restricted to India. For this reason, Cholera has been called a disease of the 19th century. Anyone having contact with an individual suffering from this ailment, his soiled bedding, clothing, or infected water sources was a potential victim and transporter of the disease. In its most virulent form, cholera’s death rates were, and are, over 50% for adults and overwhelmingly fatal for the elderly, infants, and the otherwise infirmed. (Kiple, K. F. 1997). The book also enlightens about the mortality rate of diseases like cholera, and about the fears and superstitions of a disease like cholera in the developing parts of the world, and the effects of such superstitions. With great justification, Cholera was perceived as a demonic, evil and foreign force similar if not worse than smallpox or the plague. In its most virulent forms, it was a highly efficient killer and often resulted in a 50% mortality rate among its healthy adult victims. Deaths in India between 1817 and 1860 are generally considered to have exceeded 15,000,000 persons. Another 23,000,000 died between 1865 and 1917. (Kiple, K. F. 1997). The author’s work has made a contribution to the academic community herein because the work succeeded in creating an awareness of diseases and the importance of controlling disease, so as to stop the growth of illness, especially among people in developing countries.

Comparison between FAIR and AIM

Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR) and Accuracy In Media (AIM), are two of the most active media watch groups, who seeks to influence and encourage members of the media to deliver fair and objective information to the people, without injecting biases and personal opinions. FAIR considers themselves as a national media watch group who â€Å"offers well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship† ever since they started with the cause in 1986 (F.A.I.R., 2007). On the other hand, AIM sees themselves as a grassroots citizens’ watchdog, which â€Å"critiques botched and bungled news stories and sets the record straight on important issues that have received slanted coverage† (A.I.M., 2007). Simply put, they are both against the misinformation that the media sometimes deliver to the people because of personal reasons, like biases, opinions and more. But scrutinizing this two properly, the question would then be on who is able to convince more people regarding the slanted news and information of some media practitioners and agencies. Looking closely on FAIR’s characteristics, they say that they seek both the opinion of the journalists and the activists. They present the side of the journalist, whenever they have presented a bit of a biased article or information. They give the journalist a chance to defend themselves and be able to explain further why they have resorted to writing such article. They also present the side of the activists and the critics who notices the mistakes and the points where the journalists went out of line. This is to provide a point of argument for the people, who usually wouldn’t realize that they are receiving biased commentaries from the people they would often think to deliver an unbiased report of the facts. Because of this, FAIR keeps the line open between the journalists and the activists. Through them, they can keep a constant dialogue so that they could be able to work things out for them. This then leaves a room for improvement for the journalists, especially if they consider what the activists say. With the help from FAIR, they would know whether what they are doing is right or wrong. Through constant communication, they are able to sharpen their senses to bring about truthful, unbiased pieces of information for the public. Another characteristic of FAIR is that they are encouraging the people to ask for the person responsible to change their ways, say, the media who gave biased information to the public. They are having a part where they propose a possible solution to a problem and then ask the people to act in order to solve that problem by following what they have suggested. An example would be asking them to call the person involve by giving that person’s contact number. They would encourage the people to ask for an explanation why that media practitioner made such a biased comment regarding a certain topic. AIM on the other hand, sees that the media needs a watch dog, which is why they exist. They said that the news media don’t seem to always give out the right information, wherein they could be misleading the people or giving out biased information shadowed by their personal opinions. But looking closely at AIM’s works, they are more on the political opinions of the media. They are more into scrutinizing that these people should not reflect their political belief in what they are writing. This has become a distinguishing characteristic, since most of their discussions are on whether some media personnel are for the democratic or the liberal side. In addition to that, they tackle on some publications that they see to â€Å"stir people’s minds† with what they publish. They say that these publications exist to deliver straight, hard hitting facts and information, and not to promote a certain belief or side they represent or endorse. In comparing the effectiveness of both FAIR and AIM, it can be seen that both of them are getting feedbacks from people, saying that what they are doing are really helping out in delivering the appropriate, unbiased information. This means that both of them prove that they are effective. But comparing them FAIR is able to communicate more with the people with regards to the wrong-doings of the media. This is because of the wide range of topics and information that FAIR gives and they are not as much as shadowed by the political stand of the media, as compared to that of AIM. In an article in the New York Times last July 3, 2007, writer Sheryl Stolberg has somewhat infused her thoughts in what she has written. The article was about President Bush deciding to commute the sentence of I. Lewis Libby Jr. who has committed a crime by lying to the FBI regarding an Iraq war issue (Stolberg, 2007). With Stolberg saying that the President seem to find the 30-month imprisonment for Libby as harsh, and that the case was a test of will, she was clearly sympathizing with what President Bush is feeling, whether what she said was factual or not. She mentioned that President Bush was forced to give the decision, a statement clearly implying of her, injecting her own opinions. This article was taken by some media watch group negatively, saying that Sheryl Stolberg was violating the media ethics of delivering a truthful, unbiased news and information to the people. What she did was an act of showing her biases, which she was siding and sympathizing with President Bush. As a media practitioner, doing as such reduces her credibility to give truthful, untainted information to the people. Conclusion Democracy includes the people’s freedom to freely speak their minds, the freedom to voice out their opinions whenever they want. But democracies freedoms also have limitations. This is applicable to media, where in order to get a true grasp of a story, the media practitioner, journalists or reporters should be able to give the unbiased face of the story. In order to do so, they must set aside their own opinions and interests in order to give the appropriate information to the people. The media’s role in democracy is the freedom of all people to access information. This information must be untainted with the media people’s opinions or biases, in order not to mislead the recipient of these pieces of information, which are the masses. References: A.I.M. (2007). What is Accuracy In Media(AIM)?  Ã‚   Retrieved July 4, 2007, from http://www.aim.org/static/19_0_7_0_C F.A.I.R. (2007). Media Views.  Ã‚   Retrieved July 4, 2007, from http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=11 Stolberg, S. G. (2007, July 3, 2007). For President, Libby Case Was a Test of Will The New York Times.      

Essay about Effects of Images

Essay about Effects of Images Essay about Effects of Images Effects of Images Most Americans are searching for the American Dream: a nice house, a white picket fence, a big yard with children running around and a spouse to come home to. No one seems to be satisfied with this â€Å"dream† anymore because everyone wants to go beyond it. Commercials and advertisements on television compel us to go out and buy things we don’t need so we can achieve happiness and fulfillment. These advertisements are constantly on television brainwashing us into thinking we need the latest and greatest. We are unaware of the impact they have on our lives. Although these images seem very appealing, they are causing many negative problems in American’s everyday lives. Advertisers have shaped our generations’ way of thinking by evoking emotion in many of the television commercials today. In Cameron Johnson’s â€Å"The Mighty Image† he claims that most Americans don’t realize the influence images have on them. â€Å"Millions of products suddenly get purchased directly after a slick marketing campaign reveals the tremendous power of a finely wrought image† (177). However, advertisers are successful when it comes to creating an emotional appeal by using valuable symbols that makes a dramatic attraction to the product, such as the American Flag. For example, J. Francis Davis points out that the American flag is an important symbol for Americans because it evokes so many heartfelt emotions. â€Å"The flag works as an image because it suggests a long list of stories and myths that are buried inside us. Image makers hope that in the moment it takes to ‘consume’ an ad or commercial frame, their carefully sel ected graphics-like the image of the flag-will evoke emotions and memories bubbling deep within us† (569). The American flag is a very useful visual effect for advertisements because it represents our countries values. When Americans see the flag they feel a sense of pride in their country and are compelled to buy a product that it is associated with. If an advertisement is trying to get Americans to buy something, all they have to do is wave a flag around and say, â€Å"Buy this if you are a true American.† Advertisers are spending millions of dollars researching what will work best to attract us to certain products. Commercials and advertisements have created an addiction within us that we are unaware of. â€Å"They all teach us to buy and to feel somehow dissatisfied and inadequate unless we have the newest, the latest, the best† (Thoman 174). Americans are always focused on what we don’t have rather than what we do have. We are unaware of the influenc e that the image culture has on us. One example of how images affect our society is by the commercials they make. Images stereotype certain genders and how they are portrayed. For example, Carl’s Jr. commercials focus mainly on men. They are known for their ads with fancy cars or girls in their bikinis. After a man watches these commercials he begins to think that Carl’s Jr. is manly food and will be more likely to go out and buy it. Many of these stereotypical advertisements can be very harmful to the audience watching them. One gender may be attracted to the commercial while the other gender is furious at the message they’re sending out. The Electrolux company does a great job putting their focus on women doing the household chores. In one of their commercials, they illustrate stereotypical gender roles perfectly. It shows Kelly Ripa running around the house getting the chores done while cooking dinner with the â€Å"all powerful† Electrolux stove. Why doesn’t this advertisement sho w any men? They are assuming that women are the only ones that cook for their children and do household chores while men wait for the meal to be ready. In reality, a lot of men are also responsible for doing the chores around the house. Many television ads also compel us to have the latest and popular items in America. In â€Å"The Mighty Image† Cameron Johnson talks about the SUV craze in America and how everyone

An Online Degree Turns Back the Clock Essays

An Online Degree Turns Back the Clock Essays An Online Degree Turns Back the Clock Essay An Online Degree Turns Back the Clock Essay There are certainly many things for which many of us would like to turn back the clock so that we can approach it differently and have a different outcome. For those who have gone on to have relatively successful careers, despite the fact of not having graduated from college, there still exists in them a desire to achieve that degree. But with a family and a job to attend to on a daily basis, how is it possible to make up for all that we missed? The fact is that we are all incredibly lucky to be living in a time where so many resources are available to us. The Internet has made things possible that were never possible before and we all have the opportunity to take advantage of the tools it has offered us. For those who desire to finally graduate from college, there is the online degree – a way to receive a college education from the convenience of our own home. Many reputable colleges and universities offer online degree programs that allow students to complete their coursework at their own pace and on a schedule that fits within their work and family routine. For those who are already in the work world, this takes an enormous amount of pressure off of them as it allows them to balance their responsibilities and still earn their online degree.

Dialogue Helps to Tell Your Story

Dialogue Helps to Tell Your Story Dialogue Helps to Tell Your Story Dialogue Helps to Tell Your Story By Guest Author This is a guest post by Charles A. Ray. If you want to write for Daily Writing Tips check the guidelines here. Dialogue can make or break your short story or novel. No matter how good the plot or subject line, poorly-written dialogue can turn a reader off quicker than anything. I recently read a draft novel manuscript that had a fascinating premise, a compelling story line, and conflict aplenty. I was, nonetheless, completely turned off because every character in the story sounded exactly alike. They all used the same stilted Shakespearean speech, and sounded as if they were reading from Hamlet. Even a street smart black activist student, who was portrayed as aggressive and racially sensitive, talked as if he was the villain from Othello. This is not to suggest that the character should have been lampooned, or that his dialogue should have been a parody of ‘Amos and Andy’ or ‘Shaft.’ But, the character would have been more credible and believable if the dialogue had been less formal, with more use of modern slang, instead of the formal speech that was employed. The only slang word this character used in the first chapter, in over a half page of dialogue, was the word ‘ofay,’ which was inserted in a formal sentence, making it stand out like a pimple on prom night; and it was as unwelcome and out of place as a pimple. Reading the passage, which described his encounter with his professor, I had difficulty telling which of them was speaking without looking at the tags, or going back to see who spoke last. This was clearly a case of poor dialogue ruining an otherwise good story. A more effective technique is to give each character a distinctive voice; either through the words they use, or some other action that belongs to that character and that character alone. Dialogue should be written so that the reader knows immediately which character is speaking. A good way to learn to write effective dialogue is to eavesdrop on the people around you. Note the quirks that distinguish one speaker from another. For example, teenagers these days seem to put the word ‘like’ indiscriminately in their speech. Here’s an example of a conversation I overheard on the subway one day, â€Å"He was like really out of control, and like I just couldn’t get into what he was like saying, you know.† That is an actual line of dialogue that could be used in your story. You have to be careful in most cases not to use what you hear verbatim. People don’t often say what they want to say as succinctly as you need your characters to speak to keep your story moving; but informal expressions in your dialogue will make your characters sound like real people. If you want your writing to keep people interested, in addition to a strong plot, and an interesting theme, you need characters that people find believable. This means learning to write dialogue that holds a reader’s interest as much as the plot. Dialogue, when well written, can help to identify a character more effectively than paragraphs of description or narrative, and it can help keep your story moving. More importantly, it can keep a reader interested in your story from the opening sentence through to the end. You can check Charles page on RedRoom for commentary on leadership, politics and life in general, as well as information about his books. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to use "on" and when to use "in"Flier vs. Flyer5 Keys to Better Sentence Flow

Lesson Plan for Pain Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Lesson Plan for Pain Management - Assignment Example The American Pain Society labeled it as the â€Å"5th Vital Sign† (Campbell, 1995, as cited in Smeltzer & Bare, 2003, p. 217). As with all vital signs, doctors and allied health personnel continuously strive to keep it within acceptable parameters to maintain homeostasis. Pain management â€Å"encompasses all interventions used to understand and ease pain, and, if possible, to alleviate the cause of pain† (Krapp, 2002, p. 1804). It means that pain management is not just the intervention but also the assessment, evaluation, and continuous monitoring of pain. To better understand and treat pain, it is important to know how it is produced and transmitted to the brain. Elaine Marieb and Katja Hoehn (2006) talk about â€Å"noxious stimuli – a term for anything that damages the body† (A closer look section, "Pain: Sound the Alarm, But Pain Me Not!", Pain reception, para. 1), and how it can start a whole avalanche of chemical and neurological reactions which, rea ching the brain, translate into pain. Different pain management techniques affect various body parts which may be involved in that reaction. Understanding specifically how an intervention works on pain is a key to choosing the best intervention for all kinds of pain. This lesson is geared to teaching students about different kinds of pain and how they affect the body; factors and barriers that may affect pain and pain management; proper and accurate pain assessment and the different tools used; different interventions, both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic, and the formulation of nursing care plans used in the management of pain. We also tackle some specifics such as the World Health Organization's â€Å"three step ladder approach† to pain intervention. Objectives: - Given five minutes of the time, students will elaborate two of the four concepts of physiology of pain as discussed in class. -For fifteen minutes prior to the discussion proper, students will discuss common mi sconceptions about pain. - Given a situational example, students will describe three technological applications in pain management. - In an oral presentation, students will identify ten of the 12 discussed pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for pain. - Given a hospital scenario involving a child, students will discuss the role and responsibilities of the nurse in the pain management. - Given five minutes of the class time, students will identify and explain three out of the four components of pain assessment discussed in class. - Given a situation that involves a 65-year old woman with back pain and shortness of breath, students will develop a nursing care plan and evaluate the patient’s response to the pain management. -Without the aid of class notes, student will describe two out of the three identified barriers to effective pain management. Teaching/Learning theory: 1. Experiential Learning Theory – This is the learning theory developed by Carl Ro gers, applied primarily to adult learners. This learning theory designates the teacher as a facilitator of learning since everyone has the potential to learn (Zimring, 1994, pp. 411-422). Rationale: According to Zimring (1994), experiential learning contains a principle that involves doing, living, and acting out what you have learned to make it more meaningful (pp. 411-422). Pain management is an applied skill. Through its application (i.e. by role play activity), learning can be made more meaningful. Another principle of experiential lear

Compare two filmsIn the Family in comparison with Chutney Popcorn Essay

Compare two filmsIn the Family in comparison with Chutney Popcorn - Essay Example Taking different perspectives the two movies act together to enlighten the community about queer families, interracial interactions and adoption. The two movies encompass on the freedom of family members in decision making as the key to family union. While chutney displays a broken family due to rigidity in understanding one another that later unites through appreciation of each ones decision, Wang elaborates how a peaceful relationship can be destroyed by lack of freedom of choice. In Chutney Popcorn, Reena, the main character, chooses to become a lesbian and lives happily with Lisa. This decision is opposed by all family members, with Reena’s mother really upset. Essentially, although Reena’s sister does not essentially oppose it, the fact that Reena’s discovery that she can do something that her sister cannon do; get pregnant, signifies that the whole family had treated Reena as inferior. In efforts to reunite her family, Reena makes a contradicting verdict of getting pregnant, which turns to be the family’s turnaround. Similarly, lack of freedom to decision making turns the relationships of characters in ‘in the family’ vague. At the onset, Joey frees chip to make his own decisions as an adult despite his tender age. Note that this could be the reason why the two live happily, with chip referring to Joey as a father. After the death of Coddy, Chip takes some alcohol presence of his father, who doesn’t question his action. Things take a different direction, when Chip’s aunt changes the norms by ordering that Joey wasn’t fit to rear Chip. The whole relationship between Joey and Coddy’s family is messed up and Joey mysteriously hunts to get his son back. Remarkably, the mover does not show how chip copped up with the new family, but the fact that he was deprived a chance to meet a person he loved, since his tender

Cross culture management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cross culture management - Essay Example The gender roles are predefined in the patriarchal society and promote segregation of gender within the society. Thus, sexually explicit images and culture of the Western world is not acceptable. MTV, on the other hand is primarily associated with musical extravaganza of the West with its liberated views on sex and sexually explicit content. While Hip-Hop format of MTV music is popular in West, it may clash with the cultural paradigms of the Muslim world. The widely diverse value system of the West and the East therefore would be the major stumbling blocks that would need to be overcome by MTV. Another important issue would be the prevailing anti American sentiments in the Middle East. The Iraq war and America’s contentious role in the internal matter of Middle countries might adversely impact its launch and performance. These factors become hugely pertinent in expanding business, especially in MTV’s case where cultural values would significantly influence its success. Answer 2 MTV has been innovative in its strategy for its business expansion in Middle East with its launch of MTV Arabia. It has fostered partnership with local channel ABN to overcome bureaucratic and regulatory hurdles. Its fundamental strategy of ‘think globally, act locally’ is commendable in its perspective of adapting to local culture.

Diamonds Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Diamonds - Research Paper Example According to the research paper "Diamonds" findings, diamonds are considered to have been originally discovered and mined in India. Over 6,000 years ago, substantial alluvial deposits of the stone were traced along Godavari, Krishna, and Penner Rivers in India (Koizumi, Nebel and Nesladek 4). Today, it is approximated that close to 130,000,000 karats of diamond are mined every year. This translates to about 26,000 kilograms of diamond being mined annually. Apart from this, it is also estimated that close to 100,000 kilograms of diamonds are synthesized every year (Pagel-Theisen 9). The exact amount of diamonds that exist in the world cannot be accurately established. However, at this current rate of mining and synthesis, a number of diamonds that exist can be estimated (Zaitsev 10). India has been leading the world in the production of diamond from the time they were discovered there around 9th century BC until mid 18th century AD. This led to the exhaustion of these sources. Diamond began being extracted from primary deposits of lamproites and kimberlites in the 1870s after being discovered in fields, in South Africa. Since then, its production is estimated to have reached 4,500,000,000 karats to date. This is approximately 900,000 kilograms of diamond (Koizumi, Nebel and Nesladek 33). Much of the diamond produced in the world is used for various purposes. A significant amount of diamond is used for industrial applications because of its characteristic high dispersion of light, and its hardness. Another common use of diamond is to make jewelry. Due to its electrical conductivity, diamond is also used as a semiconductor. Most of the diamond produced all over the world is used for these common purposes (Zaitsev 12). It is usually assumed that diamonds are solely fashion accessories. However, they have other numerous applications as stated (Pagel-Theisen 16). It is important to point out that most diamonds can be recycled. Sometimes, when diamonds are mined, not all of them are appropriate for use in making jewelry. This may be because of their size or quality. Such diamonds can be used to coat different cutting tools (Pagel-Theisen 44). This will make those cutting tools more effective because of the hardness of diamond. Tiny flawed diamonds may be used in other areas such as computing and optics. This shows that diamonds can be safely recycled by themselves. When glued to other parts for various uses, diamonds must be separated from these toxic parts before being recycled (Zaitsev 15). There are some cases whereby diamond cannot be recycled. These include instances where diamond was used in industries to grind other things, and it eventually turns into dust. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), in 2003, 4.9 million carats of industrially used diamond was recycled (Koizumi, Nebel and Nesladek 30). Diamonds are also being recycled through recutting and resetting. It is estimated that 49% of diamonds in the world come fro m Southern

Service learning assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Service learning - Assignment Example In addition, service learning enables the learners to become active citizens who make a significant contribution to the well-being of the society through the services that they offer. According to Furco and Billig (2002), service learning is applicable in different set ups of learning which include faith-based and community-based organizations, universities, and other types of learning institutions. The participants, in the service-learning program can be members of an entire school, class or only a few selected students. Furco and Billig (2002) gave out a simple example of service learning whereby groups of students undertake projects to collect trash within the neighboring town center, and afterwards they prepare a report documenting on the sources of the trash and the measures that can be implemented to control this problem. Through the division of Community Engagement, the Virginia Commonwealth University has set-up a well-elaborate service-learning program that is dynamic and attracts over three thousand students on an annual basis. Those who are involved in the service-learning projects are students at the university as well as some members of the teaching staff. The customers of the projects undertaken by the student of the university are local communities in the U.S as well as other parts of the world. The Virgina Commonwealth University-service learning program is diversified in different areas such as health, education, environmental conservation, promotion of peace and well-being of the society, and community sensitization programs, among others. Therefore, the local community where the university students will select to conduct their service learning will benefit depending on the project they will undertake, for example, the community could benefit from a cleaner environment, construction of a recreation site, or education on social issues. Crane et al. (2013) stated that besides benefitting from

Diamonds Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Diamonds - Research Paper Example According to the research paper "Diamonds" findings, diamonds are considered to have been originally discovered and mined in India. Over 6,000 years ago, substantial alluvial deposits of the stone were traced along Godavari, Krishna, and Penner Rivers in India (Koizumi, Nebel and Nesladek 4). Today, it is approximated that close to 130,000,000 karats of diamond are mined every year. This translates to about 26,000 kilograms of diamond being mined annually. Apart from this, it is also estimated that close to 100,000 kilograms of diamonds are synthesized every year (Pagel-Theisen 9). The exact amount of diamonds that exist in the world cannot be accurately established. However, at this current rate of mining and synthesis, a number of diamonds that exist can be estimated (Zaitsev 10). India has been leading the world in the production of diamond from the time they were discovered there around 9th century BC until mid 18th century AD. This led to the exhaustion of these sources. Diamond began being extracted from primary deposits of lamproites and kimberlites in the 1870s after being discovered in fields, in South Africa. Since then, its production is estimated to have reached 4,500,000,000 karats to date. This is approximately 900,000 kilograms of diamond (Koizumi, Nebel and Nesladek 33). Much of the diamond produced in the world is used for various purposes. A significant amount of diamond is used for industrial applications because of its characteristic high dispersion of light, and its hardness. Another common use of diamond is to make jewelry. Due to its electrical conductivity, diamond is also used as a semiconductor. Most of the diamond produced all over the world is used for these common purposes (Zaitsev 12). It is usually assumed that diamonds are solely fashion accessories. However, they have other numerous applications as stated (Pagel-Theisen 16). It is important to point out that most diamonds can be recycled. Sometimes, when diamonds are mined, not all of them are appropriate for use in making jewelry. This may be because of their size or quality. Such diamonds can be used to coat different cutting tools (Pagel-Theisen 44). This will make those cutting tools more effective because of the hardness of diamond. Tiny flawed diamonds may be used in other areas such as computing and optics. This shows that diamonds can be safely recycled by themselves. When glued to other parts for various uses, diamonds must be separated from these toxic parts before being recycled (Zaitsev 15). There are some cases whereby diamond cannot be recycled. These include instances where diamond was used in industries to grind other things, and it eventually turns into dust. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), in 2003, 4.9 million carats of industrially used diamond was recycled (Koizumi, Nebel and Nesladek 30). Diamonds are also being recycled through recutting and resetting. It is estimated that 49% of diamonds in the world come fro m Southern

Controversy analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Controversy analysis - Essay Example I will follow three main areas of interest: the socio-political issues raised initially, the controversy regarding ‘fracking’ and finally, the more recent problems and their proffered solutions. ‘Gasland’ (2010): Socio-political Issues with Gas Drilling Industry The documentary in question has been lauded for its unflinching vision and objectively instructive nature of narrating the socio-economic and global politico-legal aspects associated with the gas drilling industry and the safety issues related to hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking’ – a term popularized by the film. (Fox 2010) The exceptional clarity of documentation explored in the film gives the audience a first hand view of the energy business and market ploys. It situates America in the global perspective of the natural energy in the world market and relates it to the divergent practices and malpractices associated with the same. The documentary is primarily related to the conte mporary and current trends in the process of gas drilling, in commercial and privatized sectors. ... The documentary then shifts its focus to a detailed analysis of the various facets related to the process of gas drilling, primarily the adversities of Hydraulic ‘fracking’, finds culmination in an objective vision of the energy industry in America, with special reference to the areas surrounding Pennsylvania, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah. (Thaxton 2012) The film goes on to address the critical socio-political issues and chronic health hazards caused by the intrusion of the giant energy corporations on public and private lands. In course of Fox’s research, the different and varied modes of procedural methods as well as safety regulations associated with gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing are explored and explained in details. The national and global debate raging around the energy industry is explored with an objective, informative documentation and narrated with a personal voice over from the director, Josh Fox, who evokes a personal emotional stance in the narr ation. The docudrama gives a touching account of various local communities in and around Western America that have been affected adversely from hydraulic fracturing which polluted the drinking water as the result of rampant gas drilling and extraction process. ‘Fracking’ in the Energy (Gas) Industry: Controversies and Issues The recent discovery of shale gas deposits and new resources of gas energy have radically changed the face of America’s energy reserve and industry. The extensive extraction and industrial drilling has led to a rapid boom in America’s socio-economic scene. Beginning primarily at Texas, the gas drilling process ahs now expanded all over the United States with a startling rapidity and haste that is now giving rise to certain disturbing speculations. (Fry 2013) Several

The Bluetooth SIG and specifications Essay Example for Free

The Bluetooth SIG and specifications Essay If the success of Bluetooth is measured by its initial interest alone then its prominence has already been assured. Before products were on sale, hundreds of companies joined the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) and the Bluetooth brand became recognized worldwide. Before investigating the technology further it is appropriate to comment about the role played by the SIG, the administrative structure of which is outlined in Figure 3. With membership of the SIG nearing 2500 members it is only right to look at how the SIG works to promote, shape and define the specification and position Bluetooth in the market place. Positioning of the technology is important when you consider other wireless technologies that share the same ISM band, e.g. IEEE802.11b, HomeRF and DECT. Differentiation is key in avoiding confusion of potential users. Figure 3: Bluetooth SIG Administrative Structure In 1994, Ericsson Mobile Communications began to examine alternatives to cables linking accessories with their mobile phones. This study produced the initial specification for wireless technology, with the Bluetooth SIG founded in February 1998 by the core promoters: Ericsson Mobile Communications AB. Intel Corp. IBM Corp. Toshiba Corp. Nokia Mobile Phones. The core promoters announced the global SIG in May 1998 and invited other companies to join as Bluetooth adopters. In July 1999 the core promoters published version 1.0 of the specification and further enlarged the core promoter group in December 1998 with the inclusion of: v Microsoft v Lucent (now Agere) v 3Com. v Motorola. The responsibility for the various Bluetooth specifications is in the hands of the individual technical working groups. Once a specification reaches a version level 0.5 it is made visible to associate members. An associate members must be recommended by a promoter, and submit a fee. When a specification reaches version 1.0 it gets a higher level of visibility. Now adopters have visibility and any company can become an adopter by joining the SIG, signing and submitting the membership agreement (see â€Å"Bluetooth†). The Bluetooth specifications are open specifications for wireless communications that are free to download and use; however to use it royalty free you do have to join the SIG. By joining the group you sign up to an adopter’s agreement sharing any patents essential for implementing Bluetooth. The specifications define minimum functionality allowing devices from different companies to communicate (see â€Å"Bluetooth†). . They provide the following: o  Ã‚   Protocol definitions for interoperability o  Ã‚   Host controller interface o  Ã‚   Bearer services for higher layer protocols o  Ã‚   Profiles o  Ã‚   Qualification o  Ã‚   Production test o  Ã‚   Brand book The Bluetooth specifications define the concept of a Personal Area Network (PAN), what they do not provide helps to position it in the ISM band. It is not focussed on Wide Area Networking (WAN) as it has a limited range and currently there is no hand over mechanism, though there is a working group. They do not provide implementation instructions at the application programming interfaces, user interfaces or a definition of hardware and software split. Although it could be argued there is guidance in the profiles’ specification. The rest of this section breaks down the specifications encompassing the key aspects of Bluetooth in order to explain the features (see â€Å"Bluetooth†). A.2.1 The Protocol Stack The Bluetooth specifications define not only a radio system but cover the underlying structure. The Core Specification contains a software protocol stack similar to the more familiar Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) standard reference model for communication protocol stacks. It permits applications to discover devices, the services they offer and permission to use these services. The stack is a sequence of layers with features crossing single or multiple layered boundaries. Figure 4 outlines the stack with each block corresponding to a Core Specification chapter. Other remaining chapters relate to compliance requirements, test modes and test control interface (see â€Å"Bluetooth†). If we ascend the stack, we first come across the fundamental component, the radio. The radio modulates and demodulates data for transmitting and receiving over the air. The operating band of the radio is divided into 1 MHz spaced channels with a chosen modulation scheme of Gaussian Frequency Shift Keying (GFSK). Each channel is specified to signal at 1mega symbols per second, equivalent to 1 Mb/s. Above the radio are the Baseband and Link Controller, they are responsible for controlling the physical links via the radio, and assembling the packets and controlling the frequency hopping (see â€Å"Bluetooth†. Progressing through the layers, the Link Manager (LM) controls and configures links to other devices. The Host Controller Interface (HCI) is above the LM layer and is probably one of the most important layers to consider as a designer. It handles communication between host and the module. The standard defines the HCI command packets that the host uses to control the module, the event packets used by the host to inform lower protocol layers of changes, the data packets for voice and data traffic between host and module and the transport layer used by the HCI packets. The transport layer can be USB (H2), RS232 (H3), UART (4) or a robust proprietary standard such as BCSP (BlueCore Serial Protocol). The Logical Link Control and Adaptation (L2CAP) is a multiplexor, adapting data from higher layers and converting between different packet sizes. The next 4 layers could be loosely grouped as communication interfaces. These are RFCOMM (Radio Frequency COMMunication port) which provides an RS232 like serial interface. Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) and OBject EXchange (OBEX) are responsible for providing interfaces to other Communications Protocols. The final member of this rough grouping is the Telephony Control protocol Specification (TCS) providing telephony services. Service Discovery Protocol (SDP) lets devices discover the services available on another Bluetooth device (see â€Å"Bluetooth†). Figure 4: The Bluetooth Protocol Stack The application layer is probably obvious, but the standard provides Profiles laying out rules for how applications use the protocol stack, ensuring interoperability at application level (see â€Å"Bluetooth†).

Politics Essays Organisation Global Governance

Politics Essays Organisation Global Governance Organisation Global Governance Introduction and organisation of work Contemporary international politics have rendered irrelevant the Westphalian order which bestowed sovereign states ultimate authority within a defined territory. This began shortly after the end of the Cold War in 1989. The end of the war gave the hegemonic power; the United States the chance to reform the world along its capitalist ideology. Coincidentally, the animosities suppressed for decades by the Cold War alliances were also released and led to intrastate conflicts. The effects of these post cold war relations led the society to metamorphous into the emerging system of governance. Professor Duffield in his book, ‘‘Global Governance and the New Wars: the Merging of Development and Security’’ postulates that the emerging system is that of a global governance which emanated out of the complexes into a system striving to address the development and security issues. To assess this argument, this paper is divided into five parts. The first part will be used to define key concepts while the second part will evaluate the post cold war changes and trace the erosion of the powers of sovereign states to show the vacuum being filled by global governance. The third part will evaluate the strategic actors of the process and trace the networks of operation adopted by each. The fourth part will examine the process of governance between state and non state actors, identify the approach adopted by the system to contain or neutralise conflict and the concluding part will examine the effectiveness or otherwise of this approach. Definition of Concepts Complex emergency is defined by United Nations agencies as any crisis capable of igniting a conflict-related humanitarian disaster and social dislocation which requires a collective response from the international community (Duffield 2001; 12). Complex emergencies are easily identified by these characteristics; deteriorating central government, ethno-religious conflicts, food insecurity, drought, hyperinflation just to mention a few. These emergencies lead to the displacement and subsequent movement of people (refugees) across national boundaries (Weiss and Gordenker; 1996,67). The clashes between insurgents and government troops in Somalia, the Darfur crises in Sudan and the looming crisis in Kenya following the results of the just concluded elections are examples of complex emergencies. Globalisation is simply the process of increasing interconnectedness between societies such that the event in one region have impacts on people in other parts of the world (Baylis and Smith 2001;8) Duffield defined globalisation as the process of deconstruction and decentralisation of the power and authority of the state. He noted that the growing influence of non state actors, market liberalisation, formation of networks between various actors from the local to global level are stages in globalisation which has given rise to a growing private sector (Ibid;2001,164). Proponents of Neo medievalism opined that the process where states are overlaid, cross-cut and replaced by a range of multilayered public/private arrangements bridging the micro-level, the meso-level and transnational poses a threat to state stability. They predicted a likely replay of the medieval period and its chaos as the modern day state structure in the face of overstretched functions (Cerny; 1998). This neo-medievalism fear is being solved by the emerging system of global governance which Duffield opined that it is an adaptive and selective inclusive system that; ‘‘thrives on creating networks that bridge traditional boundaries, specialism and disciplinesIn response to the new wars and the merging of development and security, innovative strategic complexes-linking state and non-state actors, public and private organisations, military and civilian organisations, and so on (Duffield 2001; 45). You can get expert help with your essays right now. Find out more Global governance to Weiss and Gordenker is the summation of efforts meant to bring more orderly and reliable responses to social and political issues beyond the capacities of individual states (Weiss and Gordenker; 1999, 12). Finkelstein (1995; 365) defined global governance as governing without sovereign authority with relations that transcend national frontiers. It is simply a new infrastructure of global regulation that has evolved, reaching ever more deeply into the domestic affairs of states and societies (Held and McGrew;2002, 8). Post Cold War Changes During the period before 1970s, state government aspired and provided several welfare services to its citizens. However, the end of the economic boom in the North that began in the 1940s challenged the ability of the state to meet the welfare needs of the populace. Instead of providing more welfare services, the growing inflation led to increased tax which resulted in revolts in Carlifornia, Denmark etc. (Wilson, G. 2000,238 ). While the state was being internally challenged, the end of the Cold War and the raise of capitalist ideology brought external challenges of globalisation to the overstretched states. Free market economy reduced state powers to impose tax or regulate imports and exports. There was also an increase in nationalist separatist movements such as the Irish troubles in Britain, Quebec crisis in Canada, separatist movement in Basque land in Spain, Italian Northern League secession, France has Corsica conflicts to deal with. These conflicts compounded the plight of the sovereign state and resulted in adjustments of state authority. The South was not excluded from these crises but rather had more challenging situations to deal with (Graham, W. 2000). The new wars account for the raise in seceded state in the 1990s. Singapore and Bangladesh were the only countries to succeed in the 40 years before 1989 while the 1990s witnessed the emergent of 10 states. Failed states also became a reoccurring phenomenon in Africa. The on-going Islamic fundamentalism is part of post cold war development that is challenged the essence of sovereign nation-states (Duffield, 1997, 528, 2001,13). Rather than interpreting the new wars as symptoms of a failed modernisation process, Duffield views them as extension of politics between opposing societies which transforms the socio-economic and political sectors of the societies. The new wars and the decline in parallel economy brought about a new socio-economic and political structure in agreement in Duffield notion on wars. This is reflected in the number of countries that subscribed to the Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAP) of the World Bank. This transformed most economies into shadow economies and opened them up to international influence. Donor aid agencies applauded this transformation to conventional international practice by stating that such policies complement their development activities. Part of the reforms of SAP is the privatisation of state owned enterprises to cut down government welfare expenditure. Duffield contends that SAP polices ‘‘accelerated the dismantling of non-viable state patronage networks’’ (ibid; 2001, 150). Privatisation opened state economies to international financial institutions and brought about innovatory reforms. The 1980s was marked with therefore marked with efforts by Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Regan and leaders of the north to roll back the frontiers of state. Their successors also accepted that the time had come to modify state competence as the verbal rhetoric was matched with state reforms. Efforts to salvage the dwindling economies and escalating new wars resulted in a re-interpretation of development and security as interwoven. Tracing the new wars to development crises, raised the awareness that ‘‘poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere’’ and the mergence of development and security efforts. Underdevelopment is now considered dangerous and capable of causing violence and regional instability. This posture is accented by the European Union and other organisations. The EU asserts this fact by stating that development agencies need to take into cognizance the need to balance various interests in the society to legitimise democracy while building peaceful conciliation between various interest groups. (Ibid; 2001, 38) Find out how our expert essay writers can help you with your work Duffield opined that, post cold war security threat to the North is no longer perceived in terms of interstate conflicts to be defeated through formation of alliance and nuclear deterrence. The new wars blur distinctions between civilians, army and government. The nature of these intrastate conflicts resulted in the formation of network and links between non-territorial states and non-states actors akin to the threat. Instead of military alliances, state governments now team up with NGOs, donor agencies, military organizations and other development partners. Security sector reforms which aims at providing security for people in an effective and efficient manner within a democratic civilian control is now universally pursued. These developments reduced the power of sovereign states to independently resolve all the crises within its territories. While states were losing their competence, World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organisation increased their influence as proponents of the emerging liberal economy. The liberal market favoured conglomerates who were now transnational corporations after buying up public enterprises. The formal power the states had to regulate the economy and provide welfare services to the populace were now with the international financial institutions and transnational corporations. In the same vein, the trans-border crises led to a proliferation of community bases and international NGOs. In partnership with each other, these NGOs have a world-wide network advocating for better conditions and providing humanitarian services to people, especially in war torn states. Hence, NGOs became relevant organisation meeting the needs of people while the states were cutting down their public expenditure. To establish a liberal peace through conflict resolution, society reconstruction and establishment of a functioning market, states and non states actors entered into a purpose driven relationship analysed in the following section. Key Actors and Networks of Global Governance To limit global governance to humanitarian intervention, multi-lateral relations and all that without looking at the economic driving force is limiting the entire process. It is common knowledge that the liberalisation policies formulated by the Bretton Wood Institutions set the set for globalisation. The institutions are the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The World Trade Organisation (WTO) by virtue of its role in the international financial system partners with the two. These three financial institutions regulate the system of global governance base on their different mandates. The World Bank promotes Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAP) as the panacea to problems of underdevelopment and fund large scale development projects. The IMF provides loan to interested countries while the WTO sets the rule for free and fair world trade. They work together to open up channels and remove barriers in every country for free flow of trade and investment across boundaries. (Cavanagh and Mander; 2004, 55) The Structural Adjustment Programme, the recipe for development works by devaluing the country’s currency, liberalising markets, eliminating tariff and cutting down government expenditure through removal of price subsidy (Ibid; 2004 ). Though World Bank conditionalities have drawn criticisms from various sectors, it remains the condition for taking development loans. This financial power of the World Bank has spread its influence worldwide, especially in resource poor countries. World Bank loans have contributed to the development of some countries as well as entrapping others. The total debt of all developing countries in 1980 was $609 billion, the amount rose to $2.4 trillion in 2001. This shows the amount committed by the bank to development efforts and the debt burden which has become a string binding third world countries to the bank. (Cavanagh and Mander; 2004, 57). Apart from providing loans to countries, World Bank also issues low-interest loans to transnational corporations to enable them establish control over natural resources. The bank remains a major contributor to global greenhouse emissions. The bank also finances capital intensive development projects in various states. Similarly, the IMF was created to ensure stability in the international financial system. It does this by making balance of payment adjustments and imposing sanctions on erring states. IMF sanction is an effective tool for regulating nation states. In conjunction with the World Bank, IMF work strives to remove protectionism and other government anti-liberal economic policies. The recent ‘comprehensive development framework’ enacted in consultation with the Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of the Group of Seven (G7) shows the incorporation of state actors in the decision making process. The criticism of the SAP policy has necessities its modification. This shows that the body relies on input from the society to function properly. While it is difficult to list countries that developed on loans and economic prescription from the IMF, the body remains a key actor in the emerging global governance. You can get expert help with your essays right now. Find out more The 1994 Uruguay Round of General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT) armed the WTO with a strong enforcement system to coordinate fair trade among countries and impose sanction on those exceeding the agreed boundary. This regulatory power is demonstrated in the body’s sanction on the US when the latter tried to impose 100% tariff on certain European exports in retaliation to the 1999 WTO ‘banana wars’(Cavanagh and Mander; 2004. 66). The power to impose sanction, regulate trade and maintain order shows how the system is managed. On-going plans by the WTO to further annihilate territorial barriers include the bid to prohibit government from making policies in banking, media and policy that give local investors preference over their foreign counterparts (Cavanagh and Mander; 2004,69) The same economic arrangement is in the regions by regional banks such as the African Development Bank, (ADB), the Inter-America Development Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). These banks work with the various finance ministries and Central Banks in their region to tailor economies after the World Bank model. Closely related to that is complimentary change in the commercial sector. Duffield asserts that liberalisation of the economy gives transnational corporations and private security firms economic powers to regulatory the economy and influence government policies. Therefore it is no longer possible for states to have a separate economy as all economies are controlled by transnational companies. Willetts (Baylis and Smith; 2001, 430) observed that government have lost the control of financial flow as demonstrated by the currency crisis of 1980s and 1990s. During this period the dollar, the pound, the French franc and the yen were hapless against the transnational banks The impact of these reforms is felt by countries trying to regulate internal commercial activity. Under unfavourable state economic policies, transnational corporations threaten to move their investments out of the country. Relocating these investments will ignite serious economic problems for the host countries such as unemployment and a fall in the gross domestic products. Governments in their efforts to attract foreign direct investment formulate policies that accommodate transnational companies. Hence a government that imposes least demanding health safety, welfare and environmental standards is an investors’ haven (Baylis and Smith; 2001,431). However, transnational corporations are not a low to themselves. Regulations on their conduct are arrived at between the corporations and the UN, an example is the 1999 UN Global Compact Initiative which deals with issues of labour, human rights and the environment. Transnational corporations also carry out various development projects in host communities under the principle of corporate social responsibility. Corporate social responsibility ensures that corporations make business decisions that meets the ethical, commercial and public expectation of how business should be managed (Garsten, C: 2003, 360). While building alliances with NGOs such as the Amnesty International and Transparency International, some transnational corporations adopted the voluntary codes of conduct and industrial human rights within their governing principles. A recent example of adhering to human rights principles is the recent withdrawal of some products from the market in by GAP, a transnational company following discovery that child labour was used in the production process. Global governance has led to an unprecedented growth in the number of multinational corporations collaborating with the UN, World Bank and other actors of global governance. This resulted to various commitments made by NGOS, IGOs and donor agencies to partnership with the private sector to achieve sustainable development and security. The 1997 UK government White Paper on International Development made a commitment to; ‘‘move away from a narrow relationship based on individual contracts to a broader sharing of approaches to the eradication of poverty, drawing on the extensive skills of the British private sector’’ (Duffield; 2001, 63) . Duffield described this system as one characterised by decentralisation of power, devolution of authority and cooperation in various capacities between states and non states actors, private and public institutions as well as military and civilian establishments. The emerging global governance thrives on establishing networks across boundaries to share information, build synergies of comparative advantage and coordinate actions against contemporary challenges. This accounts for the continuous economic integration and political unification being pursued by regional organisations such as the European Union and African Union albeit weak resistance and hesitation from some member states (Duffield; 1997, 528). The border restrictions have withered away as citizens of any West African country has free access to other West African countries. In Europe, the Euro is now a legal tender within some EU member nations. Talks for common foreign policy and other unifying reforms are in high gear. Despite losing some of its influence in the state due to the emerging global governance, Duffield alludes that ‘‘governments have acquired the ability to project authority through non-territorial and non-state systems’’ (Duffield; 2001, 72). Besides creating conduit for other actors to intervene in troubled zones, state participation legitimises activities of non state actors like NGOs. Governments’ controlled military force remains a sine qua non for peacekeeping. As key actors in global governance, states make up the IGOs, regional organisations, and finance some donor agencies. A case in point is the US President Bush Emergency Plan for Aids Relief in Africa (PEPFAR), a health programme coordinated by the Harvard University in collaboration with local NGOs in Botswana, Uganda and Nigeria. Closely related to that is strengthening of development and security ties between countries in regional, continental and multilateral organisations. Duffield posit that the shortly after the end of the Gulf War, the rise in complex emergencies demanded a system-wide approach to bring succour to the affected people. This led to the creation of the UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs (DHA) now Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), to mobilise and coordinate aid agencies in emergency situations. In the same vein, regional organisations emerged to prevent occurrence of man made emergencies and alleviate peoples’ suffering during complex emergencies in their regions. While the European Union established ECHO in 1993 for this course, ECOWAS has a Humanitarian and Social Affairs Department manage disaster and coordinate emergency management response team. ECOWAS Department of Defence and Security manage ECOMOG, the military monitoring unit of ECOWAS in conflict areas. Apart from ECOWAS, other African countries group under other regional umbrellas such as the East Africa Community (EAC), Southern African Development Community (SADC) Community of Sahel-Sahara States (CEN-SAD) and others. These regional bodies meet periodically in the African Union to foster development and security of each region and Africa as a whole. It is important to note that these bodies strive to partner with state and non state actors to provide succour during emergencies. A case in point is the recent assessment of development and stability of African states conducted by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) with the African Peer Review Mechanism. It is in this light that the African Union in collaboration with UN Global Compact is organising a forum on Africa’s industrial drive: The private sector and corporate citizenship billed for 22 January, 2008. With such trans-border relations’ going on in other regions of the world, to say that a system of global governance is emerging is stating the obvious. Another response to the inability of states to solve world problems is the proliferation of influential NGOs since the 1990s. Duffield compared the current role played by NGO in complimenting government development and security strives with their former subcontractor status to illustrate this steady rise in their activities and influence. Presently, relationships are established as means to an end -sustainable development and security. NGOs have taken over some functions of state governments. For example, the primary education in Sri Lanka was managed by NGOs when the state government collapse during the 1987 civil war while the Bangladesh Rural Action Committee (BRAC) runs 35,000 schools in the country (Weiss and Gordenker; 1996, 30). The World Bank also partner with NGOs to provide capital intensive projects in communities. For example, the bank made provisions for NGO participation in 30% of its projects in 1993. In the same vein, the UN relies on NGOs to provide humanitarian assistance during and after conflict. NGOs managed 40% of the refugees created by the 1991 Kurdish crisis in Iraq while the UN catered for 30% of the refugees (ibid; 1996, 31). Find out how our expert essay writers can help you with your work During conflicts, UN gets the consent of warring groups to enable humanitarian agents provide aid for civilian in war zone. This negotiated access has increased the influence and efficiencies of NGOs and other humanitarian groups. The common commitment of NGOs to alleviate human suffering makes them intervene in emergencies. This can be through Northern NGOs funding relief efforts via their Southern partners or by direct involvement of local and international. In direct involvement, Northern NGOs build partnership with Southern governments, Southern NGOs and the local affected community (Anderson and Woodrow; 1998, 37). Another pointer identified by Duffield to buttress the rising relevance of NGOs which supports his postulation of emerging global governance is the expanding network of NGOs. This includes platforms such as the Sterling Committee for Humanitarian Response, whose responsibility is to further cooperation among aid agencies. Furthermore, NGOs have become advocates of international reforms preaching the message gotten from field to other players of international politics. The International Federation of Red Cross Societies’ code of conduct governing impartiality and accountability in humanitarian operations has been widely subscribed to by key organisations. Closely related to that, Amnesty International monitors human rights abuses in the states and puts pressure on the state to turn over a new leaf, while Transparency International monitors the socio-economic and political activities in states. It rates state annually from the most corrupt to the least corrupt. This rating goes a long way to determine investments made by transnational corporations in various countries. While the Bretton woods institutions spin the economic wheel of global governance, Duffield asserted that the present liberal system of global governance dashed the expectations of many who following the end of the cold war expected the United Nation (UN) to evolve into a global government. Rather than that happening, the UN remains an important actor in the emerging global governance. As an organisation of all nation states, the UN article 71 empowers its organ the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to ‘make suitable arrangements for consultation with non-governmental organisations which are concerned with matters within its competence’’. Similarly, in 11 paragraphs of principle in ECOSOC Resolution 1296 (XLIV), NGOs that seek consultative status in world affairs must have embrace goals within the UN economic and social scope. It further requires submission of data on the NGO budget and source of funds (Weiss and Gordenker; 1996, 21-22). These provisions enables the UN to play a coordinating role in the emerging system to ensure that non-state actors imbibe and work within the common guiding principles of nation-states enshrined in the charter of the world body. Closely related to the framework of ECOSOC, the UN Department of Public Information maintains a check on the information dissemination of NGOs. (Ibid; 1996, 23) These trends show the importance the UN on behalf of member states attach to network and alliance formation between NGOs and other non-state actors. In practical situations, UN foster cooperation with NGOs base on NGO community based approach which effectively bridges the gap between relief and development. A case in point is the formation of Partners in Action (Par in Ac) by the UNHCR and ICVA to increase the capacity of responding to global refugee crisis and internally displaced persons.(ibid; 1996, 29) To direct global policy towards eradiating the world problems, the UN set a Millennium Development Goals to be achieved by 2015. The MDGs have become the policy thrust for most countries of the Southern hemisphere. Alongside the aforementioned linkages between the various states and non-state actors to combat global crises is the role played private security companies. Duffield asserts that a cordial understanding between the military and civilian exist in global governance. Regular state military are used to police agreed ceasefire and create conduit for aid providers. During intervention when state military is not provided, private security companies are contracted to provide military advice and security for aid workers. Duffield sites an example with when the US based Military Professional Resources Incorporated (MPRI) was contracted to provide military service to the Croatian government in 1994 under the Democracy Transition Assistance Programme, due to UN arms embargo on Croatia. In summation of the various forms and relations among state and non-state actors, it is evident that sovereign states are gradually losing their competence to provide security and development in the new system. However, they have adapted themselves as partners in progress with non-state actors who now provide innovative forms of mobilisation, intervention and systems of material reward in the interests of global governance. (Duffield; 2002 77) You can get expert help with your essays right now. Find out more Process of Global Governance Base on its definition, global governance is the process of governance which involves state and non state actors working through formal and informal ways to find solutions to the problems of development and security that is beyond the capacity of any individual public or private actor. Interdependent networks of action are formed in the process between all actors from the state level to the regional, continental and global plane. James Rosenau captures this as the degree which authority is formally established to the degree it flows in horizontal and vertical order. (Sending and Neumann; 2006) Hence the variety of actors such as governments, transnational corporations, NGOs and IGOs involve in the process is of major interest. The working arrangement shows that the result of the erosion of state power and the proliferation of NGOs and other actors resulted in the state losing its principal control of governing activities within or across its territories and adapted to the emergent system as a mediator to legitimise the powers of the new actors before its citizens. (Sending and Neumann:2006,655) To assert sovereignty, the bedrock of government, states enact laws to dictate how the country is governed, while global governance replaces law with tactics. Tactics are used to enforce compliance from individuals, groups and the state as a whole (Sending and Neumann: 2006, 656). The conditions set by the Bretton Woods institution to dictate how states run their economy is a strong example of using means rather than laws to achieve set objectives. Sending and Neumann use the Graham Burchell work quoted below to drive home the point; ‘‘offering’’ individuals and collectivities active involvement in action to resolve the kind of issues hitherto held to be the responsibility of authorized governmental agencies. However, the price of this involvement is that they must assume active responsibility for these activities, both for carrying them out and, of course, for their outcomes, and in so doing they are required to conduct t

A Character Analysis of James Joyces The Dubliners Essay -- Literary

In the collection of short stories in â€Å"Dubliners,† James Joyce introduces a mosaic of the day-to-day lives of working class Irishmen and their personal struggles with the pre-independent societal and personal restrictions of Victorian England. The characters of Little Chandler, Eveline, Maria, and Farrington symbolize the specific components of the kaleidoscopic Irish population and their universal tendency to stay contained within the limits of the current time period and within the limitations of their society. Despite life presenting them with opportunities to improve or change their living conditions, these people are not ready to move on and are suffocated by their ambiguity, their belief system, and their stereotypes. Joyce’s characters illustrate multiple stereotypes and also a variety of beliefs that Irish people followed, which influenced their behavior and their choices. Some literary critics recognize the reason for the paralysis of Dubliners as being the society as a whole with its pervasive moral conditions (Bloom 90-91). One of the most significant stereotypes, described by Phillip F. Herring, was the misleading belief among the Irish population that the improvement of their lives comes â€Å"only through death or emigration† (Bloom 91). This false conviction is presented in at least two Joyce’s characters; Eveline and Tom Chandler. Eveline is a nineteen year old girl from the book of the same name. Although still very young, she is taking care of her abusive father and two siblings in return for having a roof over her head. She is employed in â€Å"stores† under the supervision of Miss Hill, who, similarly to her father, does not show any fondness f or and kindness to Eveline. However, there might be a light at th... ...guage 51.1 (2009): 1-16. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. de Voogd, Peter. â€Å"Imaging Eveline, Visualised Focalisations In James Joyce’s Dubliners.† European Journal of English Studies 4.1 (2000): 39-48. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Apr. 2012 Goldberg, S.L. â€Å"Virtues and Limitations In James Joyce’s ‘Dubliners’: A Critical Handbook.† Eds. James R. Baker and Thomas F. Staley. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company, Inc. (1969): 29–35. Print. Herring, Philip F. â€Å"‘Dubliners’: The Trials Of Adolescence In James Joyce: A Collection of Critical Essays.† Ed. Mary T. Reynold. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc. (1993): 67-80. Print. Kelly, Joseph. â€Å"Our Joyce: From Outcast To Icon†. University of Texas Press, 1998. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 10 Apr. 2012. Joyce, James. â€Å"Dubliners†. Ed. Margot Norris.1st ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2006. Print A Character Analysis of James Joyce's The Dubliners Essay -- Literary In the collection of short stories in â€Å"Dubliners,† James Joyce introduces a mosaic of the day-to-day lives of working class Irishmen and their personal struggles with the pre-independent societal and personal restrictions of Victorian England. The characters of Little Chandler, Eveline, Maria, and Farrington symbolize the specific components of the kaleidoscopic Irish population and their universal tendency to stay contained within the limits of the current time period and within the limitations of their society. Despite life presenting them with opportunities to improve or change their living conditions, these people are not ready to move on and are suffocated by their ambiguity, their belief system, and their stereotypes. Joyce’s characters illustrate multiple stereotypes and also a variety of beliefs that Irish people followed, which influenced their behavior and their choices. Some literary critics recognize the reason for the paralysis of Dubliners as being the society as a whole with its pervasive moral conditions (Bloom 90-91). One of the most significant stereotypes, described by Phillip F. Herring, was the misleading belief among the Irish population that the improvement of their lives comes â€Å"only through death or emigration† (Bloom 91). This false conviction is presented in at least two Joyce’s characters; Eveline and Tom Chandler. Eveline is a nineteen year old girl from the book of the same name. Although still very young, she is taking care of her abusive father and two siblings in return for having a roof over her head. She is employed in â€Å"stores† under the supervision of Miss Hill, who, similarly to her father, does not show any fondness f or and kindness to Eveline. However, there might be a light at th... ...guage 51.1 (2009): 1-16. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. de Voogd, Peter. â€Å"Imaging Eveline, Visualised Focalisations In James Joyce’s Dubliners.† European Journal of English Studies 4.1 (2000): 39-48. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Apr. 2012 Goldberg, S.L. â€Å"Virtues and Limitations In James Joyce’s ‘Dubliners’: A Critical Handbook.† Eds. James R. Baker and Thomas F. Staley. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company, Inc. (1969): 29–35. Print. Herring, Philip F. â€Å"‘Dubliners’: The Trials Of Adolescence In James Joyce: A Collection of Critical Essays.† Ed. Mary T. Reynold. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc. (1993): 67-80. Print. Kelly, Joseph. â€Å"Our Joyce: From Outcast To Icon†. University of Texas Press, 1998. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 10 Apr. 2012. Joyce, James. â€Å"Dubliners†. Ed. Margot Norris.1st ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2006. Print

The Unattainability of Perfection: A Critical Analysis of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark”

Perfection is one of the most sought-after qualities in society. People are willing to shell out large sums of money for dieting plans, training regimens, and plastic surgery – all in an attempt to be perfect, whether that means having a slim waist, a defined core, or a more attractive nose. However, nobody is flawless. Even if an individual alters their physical appearance to what they believe to be â€Å"perfect,† they will nonetheless have other, non-physical faults that will limit their ability to attain perfection. Nathaniel Hawthorne, a 19th century American writer, expressed his feelings about the attainability of perfection in his fiction.In particular, in â€Å"The Birthmark,† Hawthorne uses the birthmark as a symbol, the characterization of Georgiana, and the foreshadowing of Georgiana's death to promote the unrealistic nature of perfection; Hawthorne highlights the impracticality of flawlessness so that society, in general, will stop going to great len gths trying to achieve the unachievable and, instead, spend their collective time more productively. To begin with, to endorse the improbability of perfection, Hawthorne establishes Georgiana’s birthmark as a symbol of earthly imperfection.For instance, the birthmark is described as being â€Å"the fatal flaw of humanity which Nature [†¦] stamps ineffaceably on all her productions, either to imply that they are temporary and finite, or that their perfection must be wrought by toil and pain† (Hawthorne 14). From this, it is evident that the birthmark represents, not only the mortality of humans, but that while humans are mortal, perfection is elusive. Hawthorne goes so far as to indicate that the birthmark is â€Å"a symbol of his wife’s liability to sin, sorrow, decay, and death [†¦] [and that it is a] symbol of imperfection [†¦] [of which] the spectral hand [†¦] wrote mortality† (14).Although Georgiana is otherwise a beautiful woman, her birthmark keeps her from being flawless. Hawthorne promotes the unrealistic nature of perfection in that, even though many may be relatively close to achieving perfection, there will always be one small factor that stands in the way – in Georgiana’s case, it is her birthmark. Moreover, Hawthorne’s characterization of Georgiana’s physical attributes, most notably her birthmark, accentuates the unlikelihood of achieving perfection.Specifically, â€Å"in the centre of Georgiana’s left cheek there was a singular mark [†¦] [that] wore a tint of deeper crimson, which imperfectly defined its shape amid the surrounding rosiness† (13). It is interesting to note that, although Georgiana is labeled a gorgeous woman, the only aspect of her physical appearance that Hawthorne describes in detail is that of her birthmark – the symbol of imperfection. Hawthorne does this intentionally to fully emphasize the notion that perfection is unattain able and that it is wrong for people, such as Aylmer, to believe otherwise.Furthermore, Aylmer deems his wife’s birthmark as having â€Å"an almost fearful distinctness [†¦] [whose] shape bore not a little similarity to the human hand† (13). From this, a connection is made between the birthmark and mortality, in that Georgiana’s birthmark is depicted as being in the shape of a human hand and not, for example, the hand belonging to G-d. This serves as a reminder that Georgiana is human and that, so long as that is the case, it is unfeasible to achieve perfection of any kind.Similarly, Hawthorne evokes the unlikelihood of attaining perfection by foreshadowing Georgiana’s death. For instance, Aylmer dreams of â€Å"attempting an operation for the removal of the birthmark, [†¦] [whose] tiny grasp appeared to have caught hold of Georgiana’s heart [†¦]; [Aylmer] was [†¦] resolved to cut [†¦] it away† (15). Even in Aylmerâ €™s dream, it appears difficult to achieve perfection – and the dream world is not reality. As a result, Hawthorne is commenting on the fact that, in the real world, it is virtually impossible to attain flawlessness.Later on, Aylmer insists that Georgiana touch the â€Å"perfect and lovely flower [†¦] [which] no sooner [†¦] suffered a blight, its leaves turning coal-black as if by the agency of fire† (18). From this, Hawthorne makes the point that perfection is unattainable. The moment Georgiana touches the otherwise perfect flower, the plant dies – foreshadowing Aylmer’s impending failure. This failure, in addition, is foreshadowed when Georgiana, reading through her husband’s folio of past experiments, discovers that â€Å"his most splendid successes were almost invariably failures† (20).This example of foreshadowing Georgiana’s death, again, indicates that their intention for perfection is not a fruitful one. To advoc ate the degree of difficulty associated with achieving perfection, Hawthorne, in his short story â€Å"The Birthmark,† employs the birthmark as a symbol of imperfection, characterizes Georgiana’s physical attributes, and foreshadows Georgiana’s death; from this, Hawthorne hopes people will acknowledge the senselessness inherent in trying to be perfect and use their time to accomplish more realistic goals.It is evident that Hawthorne’s outlook on the inability to achieve perfection is sensical. For example, people the world over spend not only time, but their hard-earned money, on various products and endeavors that they believe will bring them closer to perfection. However, no matter how â€Å"close† these people get, they will never be fully capable of obtaining perfection. Instead of getting plastic surgery, a toupee, using steroids, or dieting excessively, people would be better off accepting who they truly are. That is the closest anybody will ever get to achieving perfection. The Unattainability of Perfection: A Critical Analysis of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Birthmark† Perfection is one of the most sought-after qualities in society. People are willing to shell out large sums of money for dieting plans, training regimens, and plastic surgery – all in an attempt to be perfect, whether that means having a slim waist, a defined core, or a more attractive nose. However, nobody is flawless. Even if an individual alters their physical appearance to what they believe to be â€Å"perfect,† they will nonetheless have other, non-physical faults that will limit their ability to attain perfection. Nathaniel Hawthorne, a 19th century American writer, expressed his feelings about the attainability of perfection in his fiction.In particular, in â€Å"The Birthmark,† Hawthorne uses the birthmark as a symbol, the characterization of Georgiana, and the foreshadowing of Georgiana's death to promote the unrealistic nature of perfection; Hawthorne highlights the impracticality of flawlessness so that society, in general, will stop going to great len gths trying to achieve the unachievable and, instead, spend their collective time more productively. To begin with, to endorse the improbability of perfection, Hawthorne establishes Georgiana’s birthmark as a symbol of earthly imperfection.For instance, the birthmark is described as being â€Å"the fatal flaw of humanity which Nature [†¦] stamps ineffaceably on all her productions, either to imply that they are temporary and finite, or that their perfection must be wrought by toil and pain† (Hawthorne 14). From this, it is evident that the birthmark represents, not only the mortality of humans, but that while humans are mortal, perfection is elusive. Hawthorne goes so far as to indicate that the birthmark is â€Å"a symbol of his wife’s liability to sin, sorrow, decay, and death [†¦] [and that it is a] symbol of imperfection [†¦] [of which] the spectral hand [†¦] wrote mortality† (14).Although Georgiana is otherwise a beautiful woman, her birthmark keeps her from being flawless. Hawthorne promotes the unrealistic nature of perfection in that, even though many may be relatively close to achieving perfection, there will always be one small factor that stands in the way – in Georgiana’s case, it is her birthmark. Moreover, Hawthorne’s characterization of Georgiana’s physical attributes, most notably her birthmark, accentuates the unlikelihood of achieving perfection.Specifically, â€Å"in the centre of Georgiana’s left cheek there was a singular mark [†¦] [that] wore a tint of deeper crimson, which imperfectly defined its shape amid the surrounding rosiness† (13). It is interesting to note that, although Georgiana is labeled a gorgeous woman, the only aspect of her physical appearance that Hawthorne describes in detail is that of her birthmark – the symbol of imperfection. Hawthorne does this intentionally to fully emphasize the notion that perfection is unattain able and that it is wrong for people, such as Aylmer, to believe otherwise.Furthermore, Aylmer deems his wife’s birthmark as having â€Å"an almost fearful distinctness [†¦] [whose] shape bore not a little similarity to the human hand† (13). From this, a connection is made between the birthmark and mortality, in that Georgiana’s birthmark is depicted as being in the shape of a human hand and not, for example, the hand belonging to G-d. This serves as a reminder that Georgiana is human and that, so long as that is the case, it is unfeasible to achieve perfection of any kind.Similarly, Hawthorne evokes the unlikelihood of attaining perfection by foreshadowing Georgiana’s death. For instance, Aylmer dreams of â€Å"attempting an operation for the removal of the birthmark, [†¦] [whose] tiny grasp appeared to have caught hold of Georgiana’s heart [†¦]; [Aylmer] was [†¦] resolved to cut [†¦] it away† (15). Even in Aylmerâ €™s dream, it appears difficult to achieve perfection – and the dream world is not reality. As a result, Hawthorne is commenting on the fact that, in the real world, it is virtually impossible to attain flawlessness.Later on, Aylmer insists that Georgiana touch the â€Å"perfect and lovely flower [†¦] [which] no sooner [†¦] suffered a blight, its leaves turning coal-black as if by the agency of fire† (18). From this, Hawthorne makes the point that perfection is unattainable. The moment Georgiana touches the otherwise perfect flower, the plant dies – foreshadowing Aylmer’s impending failure. This failure, in addition, is foreshadowed when Georgiana, reading through her husband’s folio of past experiments, discovers that â€Å"his most splendid successes were almost invariably failures† (20).This example of foreshadowing Georgiana’s death, again, indicates that their intention for perfection is not a fruitful one. To advoc ate the degree of difficulty associated with achieving perfection, Hawthorne, in his short story â€Å"The Birthmark,† employs the birthmark as a symbol of imperfection, characterizes Georgiana’s physical attributes, and foreshadows Georgiana’s death; from this, Hawthorne hopes people will acknowledge the senselessness inherent in trying to be perfect and use their time to accomplish more realistic goals.It is evident that Hawthorne’s outlook on the inability to achieve perfection is sensical. For example, people the world over spend not only time, but their hard-earned money, on various products and endeavors that they believe will bring them closer to perfection. However, no matter how â€Å"close† these people get, they will never be fully capable of obtaining perfection. Instead of getting plastic surgery, a toupee, using steroids, or dieting excessively, people would be better off accepting who they truly are. That is the closest anybody will ever get to achieving perfection.