What is Valium?

Valium, also known as diazepam, belongs to a group of prescription drugs called benzodiazaines. Valium is used to control agitation due to withdrawals for people suffering from alcoholism. It is also used to relieve muscle spasms, anxiety, and seizures. Diazepam comes in a tablet, a capsule, and liquid to take by mouth. It may be taken with or without food, 1-4 times a day and you must follow the prescription directions carefully. The Diazepam concentrate comes with a dropper, and it must be diluted with water, juice, or carbonated beverages. Some people mix it in applesauce or pudding before taking it. Diazepam may be addicting so doctors recommend that you do not take bigger doses than prescribed, and that you do not stop the medication all of a sudden because it may lead to withdrawals such as anxiousness, irritability, and sleeplessness. Before taking Valium you should tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to diazepam, alprazolam (Xanax), chlordiazepoxide (Librium, Librax), clonazepam (Klonopin), clorazepate (Tranxene), estazolam (ProSom), flurazepam (Dalmane), lorazepam (Ativan), oxazepam (Serax), prazepam (Centrax), temazepam (Restoril), triazolam (Halcion), or any other drugs. People who have myasthenia gravis, severe liver disease, narrow-angle glaucoma, a severe breathing problem, asthma, epilepsy, a history of mental illness, drug or alcohol addiction, suicidal thoughts or behavior, should not take Valium. FDA recommends that a pregnant woman should not take Valium because it may harm the unborn baby. If a woman becomes pregnant while taking Valium, she must tell her doctor because Valium may cause low blood pressure, breathing problems, or addiction and withdrawal symptoms in a newborn baby if the mother takes the medication during pregnancy. Diazepam can pass into the breastmilk and harm the baby while breastfeeding. Sedative effects of Valium may last longer in older adults, and accidental falls occur more in elderly patients who take it. Any one on this medication should not drive or operate heavy machinery while under the influence of Valium. This medicine is not to be given to a child younger than 6 months old because it affects the chemicals in the brain that may become unbalanced and cause anxiety. Taking alcohol while on Valium can add to the drowsiness caused by this drug, and cigarettes may decrease its effectiveness. Side effects are common and sometimes obvious. They may include drowsiness, dizziness, lethargy, gait problems, mental confusion, vertigo, and impaired vision. If restlessness, constipation, difficult or frequent urination, or blurred vision are severe and don’t go away, you should contact your doctor immediately. If you experience seizures, shuffling walk, fever, difficulty breathing or swallowing, you should call your doctor and let him know. In case of an overdose you should call your local poison control center. If the victim is passed out or has stopped breathing, call 911. Do not let anyone else take your medications, and keep it stored out of reach of children. References Gerada C, Ashworth M.. ( 2003 August). Addiction Search. In Valium addiction, treatment, and withdrawal. Retrieved 4/20/2012, from http://www.addictionsearch.com/treatment_articles/article/valium-addiction-treatment-and-withdrawal_19.html. Omudhome Ogbru, PharmD . (1996-2012). MedicineNet.com. In diazepam, Valium. Retrieved April 30, 2012, from http://www.medicinenet.com/diazepam/article.htm.

Progression of Homosexuality

Abstract Progression of Homosexuality: Evolution of a phenomenon over time Some authors believe that homosexuality is not a kind of conduct, as commonly supposed, but a psychological condition (Woggon, 1981). Thus, it is important to understand that the genuine homosexual condition or inversion, as it is often termed. This condition is something for which the subject is in no way responsible. Some literature suggests that homosexuality in itself it is morally neutral. Like the condition of heterosexuality, however, it tends to find expression in specific sexual acts; and such acts are subject to moral judgment (McNeill, 1966). A major premise established in contemporary literature is the concept that sexual orientation ranges along a continuum, as opposed to simply being heterosexual or homosexual. It is possible that this is mainly because increased attention has been paid to the attraction and not merely the action. Braverman (1973) has examined a scale developed by Kinsey, who thought that homosexuality is a normal manifestation of human sexuality. This scale operationalizes the continuum. People are rated on a scale of zero to six. Zero representing exclusive heterosexual inclinations and six exclusive homosexual inclinations. Those who don’t fall into either extreme feel a mixture of both to varying degrees. This middle group is theoretically bisexual. However, people who are close to either extreme tend to be absorbed into that respective category. This absorption leaves only those closer to the centre in the bisexual group. Most research conducted has grouped people into these three categories. The Causes of Homosexuality Fathers, on the other hand, were thought to prefer the other children. In doing so, fathers failed to protect the child from the destructive influence of the mother. The researchers espousing biological and genetic causes of homosexuality were considered to be fringe in those times. Even so, there were studies corroborating such causes. Kallman (1952) conducted a study in which male homosexual monozygotic twins were found to be significantly more similar (in terms of homosexual tendencies) than dizygotic twins. These results were not taken to mean that genetic composition was a necessary condition for the development of homosexuality. Rather, it was generally hought by proponents, that a hereditary physical trait played a role in the cultural shaping of a homosexual. In other words, if a young male or female exhibited physical characteristics associated with the opposite gender that individual would have been treated as if they were homosexual. This would in turn influence their development (a self-fulfilling prophecy). Silberner (1984) referred to a st udy conducted by the State University of New York, in which researchers found a physical correlate to homosexual behavior. They went further to conclude that biological markers for sexual orientation may exist. Even so, researchers made it clear that findings did not focus on definite causes of homosexuality. However, it was admitted that there was a real possibility that there is a biological element of the phenomenon. Even into the 1990’s this vein of research has continued. For example, Bower (1993) identified that significant progress had been made in the pursuit of identifying a gene that may influence some instances of male homosexuality. It was suggested that a gene within a small segment of the X chromosome (passed from mother to son), contributes to the sexual orientation of a subset of homosexual men. Interestingly, a tendency to focus on male homosexuals in scientific research can be seen at this stage. Although an exhaustive list of studies on homosexuality cannot be provided in this forum (nor would it be practical), from a review of the available literature, this is confirmed. The APA removed homosexuality from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychological Disorders in 1973. In 1975 it then released a public statement that homosexuality was not a mental disorder. In 1994, two decades later, the APA finally stated, â€Å"†¦ omosexuality is neither a mental illness nor a moral depravity. It is the way a portion of the population expresses human love and sexuality† From the premises established in this section, a holistic illustration of world-views regarding homosexuality, can be detailed. World Views of Homosexuality Secular As discussed previously, the first half (and a little beyond) of the 20th century spawned varying views of homosexuality (constitution al, developmental and genetic were the main ones). However, the worldviews resulting from such were congruent in the main. This is primarily because of the fact that these theories were aiming to explain the occurrence of a class of aberration/disorder. Consequently, claims, such as homosexuality being classified as a serious psychiatric and social problem (Bieber, 1969), were commonplace in academic literature and reverberated in the wider society. The passage of time into the final quarter of the last century, realized a progressively softer position regarding homosexuality, by both from the academic and wider community. This softening can be observed as being simultaneous with stances adopted by the APA. After the organization’s actions in 1973 and 1975 concerning acceptance of homosexuality, the literature had been littered with expressions of the wide variability in the social acceptance of homosexual activity (Greenberg & Bystryn, 1982). Christian The ELCA encourages its congregations to welcome gay and lesbian persons as church members, but it does not allow for the approval or affirmation of gay or lesbian relationships. Specifically, the ordained, commissioned, and consecrated ministries†¦are open to homosexuals only it they remain celibate and no provisions exist for the blessing of same-gender unions (Childs, 2003, p. 32). From these official points of view, a sense of where Christianity stands with regard to homosexuality is only halfway complete (at best). Individual members of the Church, including clergymen, sometimes have conflicting views. As demonstrated, a plethora of worldviews exist, with regards to homosexuality. It is as a result of these, that there a re various views of the role that psychology and counseling should play in the life of a homosexual and the phenomenon (homosexuality), as a whole. Role of Psychology/Counseling Conclusion Throughout the literature reviewed for this paper, the themes of variability and non-consensus are recurrent. There has been no conclusive study which has unearthed potential causes of homosexuality. Resultant worldviews are varied across and even within secular and religious sources, allowing for no clear-cut path for psychologists/counselors to take in dealing with the phenomenon. By looking at past and current events in the field, it appears as though distinct lines will be drawn, but in non-traditional ways, namely, within as opposed to without. This is with reference to the dichotomy within Christian and secular views of homosexuality. It appears as though the only area of near-consensus is the view that homosexuals (distinct from homosexuality) are not to be condemned, or view as inherently pathological. Holding firm to this premise, further research and interest from the various interest groups may be beneficial to all. References A vicious intolerance. (2009, September 19). Economist, 392(8649). Authorized Version King James Bartoli, E. , & Gillem, A. R. (2008). Continuing to depolarize the debate on sexual orientation and religious identity and the therapeutic process. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 39, 202-209. Benoit, M. (2005). Conflict between religious commitment and same-sex attraction: Possibilities for a virtuous response. Ethics & Behavior, 15, 309–325. Bieber, I. (1969). Homosexuality. The American Journal of Nursing, 69(12), 2637-2641. Bieber, I. , Dain, H. J. , Dince, P. R. , Drellich, M. G. , Grand, H. G. , Gundlach, R. H. , et al. (1962). Homosexuality: A psychoanalytic study. New York: Basic Books. Binder, C. V. (1977). Affection training: An alternative to sexual reorientation. Journal of Homosexuality, 2, 251-259. Bower, B. (1993). Genetic Clue to Male Homosexuality Emerges. Science News, 144(3), 37. Broman, C. L. (2003). Sexuality Attitudes: The Impact of Trauma. The Journal of Sex Research, 40(4), 351-357. Brooke, H. L. (2005). â€Å"Gays, ex-gays, ex-ex-gays: Examining key religious, ethical, and diversity Issues†: A follow-up interview with Douglas Haldeman, Ariel Shidlo, Warren Throckmorton, and Mark Yarhouse. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 24, 343-351. Bullough, V. L. (1976). Sexual variance in society and history. New York: Wiley. Campos, P. E. , & Goldfried, M. E. 2001). Introduction: Perspectives on gay, lesbian, and bisexual clients. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 57, 609-613. Childs, J. M. (2003). Faithful Conversation: Christian Perspectives on Homosexuality. Minneapolis: Fortress, 132. Cianciotto, J. , & Cahill, S. (2006). Youth in the crosshairs: The third wave of ex-gay activism. New York: National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Davison, G. C. (1976). Homosexuality : The ethical challenge. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 44, 157-162. Davison, G. C. (1978). Not can but ought: The treatment of homosexuality. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 46, 170–172. Davison, G. C. , & Wilson, G. T. (1973). Attitudes of behaviour therapists toward homosexuality. Behavior Therapy, 4, 686-696. Ellis, A. (1956). The effectiveness of psychotherapy with individuals who have severe homosexual problems. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 20, 191-195. Ellis, A. (1959). A homosexual treated with rational psychotherapy. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 15, 338-343. Ellis, A. (1965). Homosexuality: Its causes and cure. New York: Lyle Stuart. Erzen, T. (2006). Straight to Jesus: Sexual and Christian conversions in the ex-gay movement. Los Angeles: University of California Press. Freud, S. (1962). Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality (J. Strachey, Trans. ). New York: Basic Books. (Original work published 1905). Good, R. (2000). Human Behavioral Genetics/ Sexual Orientation. The American Biology Teacher, 62(5), 322-324. Greenspoon, J. , & Lamal, P. A. (1987). A behavioristic approach. In L. Diamant (Ed), Male and female homosexuality: Psychological approaches (pp. 109-128). Washington, DC: Hemisphere. Hacking, I. (2002). How â€Å"Natural† are â€Å"Kinds† of Sexual Orientation?. Law and Philosophy, 21(1), 95-107. Haldeman, D. C. (2004). When sexual and religious orientation collide: Considerations in working with conflicted same-sex attracted male clients. _The Counseling Psychologist, 32, 691-715. _ Hart, T. A. , & Heimberg, R. G. (2001). Presenting problems among treatment-seeking gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 57, 615-627. Herek, G. M. (2000). The Psychology of Sexual Prejudice. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 9(1), 19-22. James, S. (1978). Treatment of homosexuality: II. Superiority of desensitization/arousal as compared with anticipatory avoidance conditioning: Results of a controlled trial. Behavior Therapy, 9, 28-36. Jones, S. L. , & Yarhouse, M. A. (2007). Ex-gay? A longitudinal study of religiously mediated change in sexual orientation. Downer’s Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press. Kallmann, F. J. (1952). Comparative Twin Study on the Genetic Aspects of Male Homosexuality. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 115(1), 283-298. Katz, J. (1995). Gay American history: Lesbians and gay men in the United States. New York: Thomas Crowell. King, M. , Smith, G. , & Bartlett, A. (2004). Treatments of homosexuality in Britain since the 1950’s—an oral history: The experience of professionals. British Medical Journal, 328, 429-432. Kinsey, A. C. et al. (1948). Sexual Behavior in the Human Male. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Co. , 610-666. Langevin, R. (1983). Sexual strands: Understanding and treating sexual anomalies in men. New York: Erlbaum. LeVay, S. (1996). Queer science: The use and abuse of research in homosexuality. Cambridge: Massachusetts Institute Technology Press. Maguire, D. (1983). The morality of homosexual marriage. 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Reparative therapy of male homosexuality. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson. Nicolosi, J. , Byrd, A. D. , & Potts, R. W. (2000). Retrospective self-reports of changes in homosexual orientation: A consumer survey of conversion therapy clients. Psychological Reports, 86, 1071-1088. O’Leary, J. S. (1987). Sexual Orientation. The Furrow, 38(11), 680-685. Phillips, J. C. (2004). A welcome addition to the literature: Non-polarized approaches to sexual orientation and religiosity. The Counseling Psychologist, 32, 771-777. Ponticelli, C. M. (1999). Crafting stories of sexual identity reconstruction. Social Psychology Quarterly, 62, 157-172. Safren, S. A. , & Rogers, T. (2001). Cognitive behavioural therapy with gay, lesbian, and bisexual clients. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 57, 629-643. Shidlo, A. , & Schroeder, M. (2002). Changing sexual orientation: A consumer’s report. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 33, 249-259. Silberner, J. (1984). Hormone Markers for Homosexuality? Science News, 126(13), 198-199. Silverstein, C. (1991). Psychological and medical treatments of homosexuality. In J. C. Gonsiorek & J. D. Weinrich (Eds. ), Homosexuality: Research implications for public policy (pp. 101-114). Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Silverstein, C. (2007), Wearing two hats: The psychologist as activist and therapist. J_ournal of Gay & Lesbian Psychotherapy, 11_(3/4), 9-35. Spitzer, R. L. (2003). Can some gay men and lesbians change their sexual orientation? Two hundred participants reporting a change from homosexual to heterosexual orientation. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 32, 403-417. Stevenson, I. , & Wolpe, J. (1960). Recovery from sexual deviations through overcoming nonsexual neurotic responses. American Journal of Psychiatry, 116, 737-742. Stevenson, M. R. (1988). Promoting Tolerance for Homosexuality: An Evaluation of Intervention Strategies. The Journal of Sex Research, 25(4), 500-511. Tan, E. (2008). Mindfulness in sexual identity therapy: A case study. 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A Light to My Path

Grady has only known life with his mama and playing with Missy Caroline (from A Candle in the Darkness) when he’s sold away from the Fletcher plantation. He serves a slave trader for many years before managing to be gambled away to a kinder owner, Massa Fuller. When Massa Fuller begins calling on Miss Claire, Grady and Kitty’s paths cross. The pretty, naive artist intrigues Grady, but his hatred for anyone white clashes with her subservient attitude. Though Missy Claire treats her like an animal, Kitty is wholly devoted to the only person who’s shown her even the barest scrap of affection. The Civil War begins shortly after their owners marry. Grady sees this as the perfect opportunity for escape, but Kitty is terrified of the idea. Which will win, her love for Grady or her fear? And Grady must choose between his hatred and the Jesus he believed in as a child. Blending breathtaking historical detail with intriguing characters, Lynn Austin crafts a deep tale with important spiritual truths. The Refiner’s Fire series, which can be read in any order, will have the most appeal to women, even for those who don’t prefer books set during the Civil War. Pick up A Light to My Path and prepare for a soulful escape to the past. — Katie Hart, Christian Book Previews. com Book Jacket: This powerful conclusion to Lynn Austin’s REFINER’S FIRE series brings to a close one of the most acclaimed sagas in Christian fiction ever. Each of the first two novels won Christy Awards for Historical Fiction. Now Austin completes her trilogy with a dramatic examination of the Civil War through a slave’s perspective. Riveting, eloquent, and gripping as all of her previous works, it’s the conclusion for which you’ve been waiting. A Light to My Path Grady has only known life with his mama and playing with Missy Caroline (from A Candle in the Darkness) when he’s sold away from the Fletcher plantation. He serves a slave trader for many years before managing to be gambled away to a kinder owner, Massa Fuller. When Massa Fuller begins calling on Miss Claire, Grady and Kitty’s paths cross. The pretty, naive artist intrigues Grady, but his hatred for anyone white clashes with her subservient attitude. Though Missy Claire treats her like an animal, Kitty is wholly devoted to the only person who’s shown her even the barest scrap of affection. The Civil War begins shortly after their owners marry. Grady sees this as the perfect opportunity for escape, but Kitty is terrified of the idea. Which will win, her love for Grady or her fear? And Grady must choose between his hatred and the Jesus he believed in as a child. Blending breathtaking historical detail with intriguing characters, Lynn Austin crafts a deep tale with important spiritual truths. The Refiner’s Fire series, which can be read in any order, will have the most appeal to women, even for those who don’t prefer books set during the Civil War. Pick up A Light to My Path and prepare for a soulful escape to the past. — Katie Hart, Christian Book Previews. com Book Jacket: This powerful conclusion to Lynn Austin’s REFINER’S FIRE series brings to a close one of the most acclaimed sagas in Christian fiction ever. Each of the first two novels won Christy Awards for Historical Fiction. Now Austin completes her trilogy with a dramatic examination of the Civil War through a slave’s perspective. Riveting, eloquent, and gripping as all of her previous works, it’s the conclusion for which you’ve been waiting.

Major reason why we lose clients and customers in my place of work and Research Paper

Major reason why we lose clients and customers in my place of work and steps to take in eradicating this problems - Research Paper Example The paper seeks to identify the principal reasons why McKay Limited, a company situated in Lagos Nigeria that deals with companies and individual database, is not able to retain its existing customers/clients, as well as bring in new ones. The paper also strives to propose possible measures of addressing these problems. My primary role within the organisation is getting all the field reports, logging the reports on company’s database interface and crosschecking receipts before logging the payments on company’s database. I am also responsible in dealing with complaints and recommendations that are received to a dedicated email address on a daily basis from the clients. My position in the organisation gives me an opportunity to oversee the day-to-day activities of the organization. This is because I have to authorise all the paperwork before it is entered onto the company’s database. My position empowers me with vast knowledge that enables me access adequate data and information vital for this research. One of the biggest problems that are facing the company is the low ratio of permanent staff to temporary staff. The total number temporary staff enormously outnumbers that of the permanent staff. This creates a platform for those on temporary contracts to be in charge of most of the company’s filed assignments (Anja 2010, pp 91). The key reason behind the company having so many temporary staff is because they are easy to recruit. On the other hand, the organization incurs a lower labor cost compared to that of the permanent staff. There is no obligation for the organisation to enter into a contract with temporary staff (Richard 2009, pp. 212). This is because their appointment is always between a period of six months and a year. After which, the company may decide to terminate their appointment. Furthermore, the training offered to the temporary staff is always short. It lacks the needed vigorousness and thoroughness. A lot of complaints from

Value Chain Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Value Chain Assignment - Essay Example Through this technique, a company is easily able to identify and eradicate its non-value adding activity, thus improving its competitive advantage within the industry (IMA, 1996; Kaplinsky, 2000; Nordberg, 2003). Tesco certainly fits within the value chain of its industry. Since Tesco is categorised within the retail industry, it can be evidently seen that the company follows similar activities as that of its competitors. Tesco is actively involved in selling various products at their official outlets. The company, which initially started as a grocery retailer, later transformed into a diversified retailer selling various products at their outlets (Tesco PLC, 2013). Tesco currently sells various products, few under its own brand name, at its dedicated outlets situated in 14 different countries. It also provides financial services within the UK which include service offerings similar to that of a bank. Tesco continues to offer value to its customers via its innovative thinking and approach. The supermarket chain is greatly valued by its customers and this is only made possible by the organisation’s senior management by providing exuberant environment to its customers on each and every shopping trip of theirs. Tesco has got its six step approach for its UK business in order to provide good service and value to its customers. The six steps include: Tesco also follows a similar approach in all its other areas of operation with clear intentions of improving their services within different areas around the globe where they serve. The company prides itself in proving such services and it has gradually seen an upward thrust in their customers within the recent years. Tesco has also been actively involved in providing financial services to its customers within its stores e.g. customers can buy insurance or other Bank products offered by Tesco while shopping within their dedicated stores. According to its CEO, Tesco has also formulated

Legal Aspects of Mergers and Acquisitions in Business Research Paper

Legal Aspects of Mergers and Acquisitions in Business - Research Paper Example If ABC wants to acquire Smith Bicycle Company, a private seller, it is vital to consider the two ways of acquiring the company. The first way of acquiring the business is by buying shares in the company that owns the business (Gole & Morris, 115). The second way of acquiring the company is through purchasing the assets of the company, which comprises the business. It is imperative to state that in this situation, the company is the seller, and it will thereby sell some or the entire assets to the buyer. It is worth denoting that share sales structure the majority of the acquisitions. A variety of factors may affect the structure used. Occasionally, it is vital to restructure the business or company before its sale in order to allow for proper acquisition. In the case of Smith Company, it is imperative to state that tax implications tremendously determine the structure of a transaction for both the buyer and sellers. Their interests may conflict particularly when achieving the vast be neficial tax outcome. Moreover, where sellers are individuals, there is a likelihood that the sellers will favor a share sale in order to circumvent a latent double tax charge (Gole & Morris, 116). This tax charge comprises of an initial tax charge on the company during the sale of assets to the buyer, and an additional tax charge on the shareholders of the company, when they pull out the sale profits from the company. Since tax immensely proves as a critical determining factor towards the structure of a deal, it is vital for the buyer and seller to obtain specialist tax advice. Based on the share sale, the buyer acquires the company together with all its â€Å"assets, liabilities, and obligations† (Gole & Morris, 118). This offers the sellers a suitable break, as, after the sale of the company, they will cease to have direct conscientiousness for the company. The buyer will thus owe any prevailing liability under the terms of warranties and indemnities agreed upon in the sal e and purchase agreement. Based on business sale, there is only an acquisition of assets and liabilities purchased by the buyer, implying that everything else remains with the company (Gole & Morris, 118). If the buyer suspects of unknown liabilities within the company or troubled by any business aspect, the buyer prefers to structure the deal as a business sale. It is worth denoting that there exist more realistic and marketable issues to assert on a business sale other than on share sale. Based on the share sale, there is an only a transfer of ownership of the company shares. It is imperative to state that while there is a change on the shareholders of the company, the assets that are inclusive of business contracts and licenses remain with the company. From the outside, there is minimal change as customers and suppliers will continue dealing with the company. However, certain contracts such as financing contracts in conjunction with other long-term agreements at times require the consent of the other party after planning of change of company’s ownership (Gole & Morris, 120). It is critical to identify such contracts earlier in the acquisition process.

Property law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Property law - Essay Example Therefore, the valuer or surveyor’s only real obligation is to the truth, in that the appraisal must be accurate and not inflated. There are a number of factors that goes into this, as discussed below. Moreover, real estate agents and brokers also have a duty to the truth. This means that they, like the surveyors and valuers, must do extensive research before selling a house, and if they make a material omission or false statement of fact, they will be liable, and this liability is strict. This means that there is liability, regardless of whether the statement is innocent, negligent, reckless or intentional. Therefore, anybody in real estate has a duty to anybody who might be affected by their statements or appraisals, which means that anybody in real estate has the duty to do a thorough and diligent search before committing themselves to selling a house, in the case of real estate agents, or valuing a house, in the case of surveyors or valuers. Two Types of Liability The Prop erty Misdescriptions Act 1991 is an Act that governs many different types of ethical breaches a surveyor might encounter or commit. It states that, when a real estate professional makes a false or misleading statement during the course of a business transaction, the person who made the statement is guilty of an offence under this Act (Property Misrepresentations Act 1991 Â § 1(1)). The same goes for an employee – if an employee makes a false or misleading statement during the course of a business transaction, that employee can be guilty under the Act, whether or not the employer is involved with the breach (Property Misrepresentations Act 1991 Â § 1(2)). The misleading statement must also be material, not trivial, and this is judged by the perspective of the reasonable person (Property Misrepresentations Act 1991). Whether or not the statement is misleading is also judged from the perspective of a reasonable person (Property Misrepresentations Act 1991). Moreover, the Act i s one of strict liability, which means that any statement can be actionable, not just statements that are negligent, reckless or intentional (Property Misrepresentations Act 1991). Therefore, under the Property Misrepresentations Act, a real estate professional, any real estate professional, must be very careful with what they tell prospective buyers. Because the Act is one of strict liability, which means that a real estate professional can still be found guilty under this Act, even if that professional is not aware that the statement that he or she is making is false, that means that one of the major responsibilities that a real estate professional has is the duty to ensure that their statements are true and that there are no material omissions. This would mean that extensive research must be done during any transaction, including title searches, surveys, accurate property appraisals and the like. That said, surveyors may be at risk of negligence. According Murdoch (2005) surveyor s may be guilty of negligence when they do not use skill in preparing their reports and the homeowner relied upon the surveyor’s report (Murdoch, 2005, p. 1). Historically, however, the homeowner would not be able to recover damages from the surveyor, as there was no privity of contract between the homeowner and the surveyor. The privity of contra

Entrepreneurship----Economists views on the innovation and Essay

Entrepreneurship----Economists views on the innovation and entrepreneurship - Essay Example market, of determining opportunities, optimizing potential ventures or partnership, strategizing decision-making capabilities, improving communication skills, developing good interpersonal relation with customers, and in attaining business intelligence (Carter & Jones-Evans, 2006, pp, 1-10; 129-151). Expert entrepreneurs are observed to have adopted some business patterns and have gain expertise in organizational planning, executing, selecting human resources, performance management, evaluation, and in doing excellent market analysis (Carter & Jones-Evans, 2006, pp. 152-175). They constantly update themselves on trends and readily adapt to changes to leverage itself from every opportunities. Entrepreneurs also study business laws and policies made by legislatures to ascertain that they are able to adhere to or recommend measures to enhance business chances. They too are incisive about the kind of analysis and scheme they’d packaged depending on situational context from a rapid ly evolving market (Carter & Jones-Evans, 2006, pp. 152-175). They are expert on researching and studying economic forecasts as well. It’s this need to sustain the learning process that entrepreneurs often take metacognitive decision-making about his/her interrelationship with clients and customer while recognizing too the limiting factors by reflecting and understanding the varied controls in customer and client relations (Mitchell, Smith, Gustafsson, & Mitchell, 2006, pp. 5-12). Innovations set in. As observed globally, entrepreneurs increased their efficacy by adapting the use of technology as tool to hasten distinction in production and in marketing goods (Deakin & Freel, 2003, pp. 1-35). Unlike before when market is limited in established public facilities for vendors, entrepreneurs now reach out clients and customers in the households using internet or web-based connections. Modes of payments are also transacted via automated machines or electronic transfers (Deakin & Freel,

Introduction and conclusion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Introduction and conclusion - Essay Example out a group of people and imposing such restrictions to their fundamental rights is also tantamount to a violation of the equal protection clause guaranteed by the XIV Amendment.1 Is the act of performing voluntary work by the Ontario High School Students as a condition or requisite to graduate violative of their freedom and the equal protection clause? Is it not true that sometimes individual freedom may be curtailed or the exercise of the same be limited for the benefit of the larger group of people? Is it not also true that there is no violation of the equal protection clause when there is a â€Å"rational basis† behind the restriction or grouping? When one is compelled to do something against ones will or at peril of loss to oneself there is a violation of the freedom guaranteed by the US Constitution.2 To compel the Ontario High School students to do volunteer work at the cost of not graduating if one does not comply is violative of their individual freedom. There is no rational basis for the curtailment of such right. No greater good is brought to the bigger population. Lacking a rational basis and serving no legitimate state purpose this is a burden that also violative of the equal protection clause.3 This condition must be stricken off. There is no room for such unreasonable restrictions in the halls of learning where individualism and freedom is meant to take wings and fly; to soar and create bigger and greater things for humanity to appreciate and

Does the globalisation of culture effectively mean the westernisation Essay

Does the globalisation of culture effectively mean the westernisation of culture - Essay Example It is a process of transformation that is affected by several changing factors at the global level. The main factors that promote globalisation are technology, economy and culture. Politics has been widely influenced by globalisation; and the political institutions, such as the nation – state have been significantly transformed, on account of globalisation (Shaw 1999: iii). There are a number of concepts involved in the globalisation process, which vary according to the circumstances. It has been argued that globalisation is a symbol of capitalism that is controlled by the market forces. Globalisation legalises transnational capitalism, and establishes international governmental institutions to supervise the world. As such, it brings about global domination, thereby depriving sovereign nations of their power of self – determination (Kellner). Culture can be defined as a combination of diverse features, such as spirituality, materialism, intellectual pursuits and emotions in a society. It incorporates art, literature, lifestyles, social forms of living, value systems, traditions, and belief in a social group or society. Culture can also be construed as communication. Civilisation developed on the basis of the cultural features of society. In the past, the development of dominant societies in a specific region established unique cultural identities for that region. The development of culture resulted in civilisation (Effects on Globalization in Culture Differentiation 2009). In the aftermath of globalisation, cultural identity, in some societies that depict cultural diversity, will emerge stronger. The determining factors, in relation to cultural identity will change, after globalisation. Consequently, diversities in culture will coexist with globalisation. However, the criteria that underlie culture differentiation will undergo transformation, due to globalisation (Effects on Globalization in Culture Differentiation 2009). Western

Wealth over Health Essay Example for Free

Wealth over Health Essay People tend to look for wealth forgetting about their health and mostly after they have gained their wealth cannot save their health. Pictures tend to convince as to do the unimaginable just because hey mostly encourage as to what we think we are not capable of doing. The picture above clearly implies that we should help save a life but has a deeper meaning of speaking to people who spend all their time working to earn money and then think they have it all in life. Here I believe the image achieves it’s purpose because it stirs up a feeling to help donate blood because it makes you empathize with individuals who are in the same situation and the inscription on the image makes anyone think beyond what the image portrays so here we see that though we are being emotionally convinced we are being provoked to think about wealth and health and not just donating blood. Pictures appeal to pathos, logos and ethos which tend to one way or the other speak to everyone. As individuals of a technological age most of our decisions are influenced by the images we see around us because what we see tends to draw our attention and speaks to us in different ways. I believe images have the ability to change our mood, how we feel and how we think. The image above can be classified in having the ability of changing a persons mood from happy to sad or sad to happy. A person earning a lot of money who hasn’t thought about their health might be sad and a healthy person earning an average amount will be very excited to help save a life. Most of the time we create meaning through stories images project in our mind and they also tend to remind us of sad or happy moments we have experienced. Pictures, videos and all forms of visual imagery carry power which is able to convince us more than what we read or hear on radio. With the picture above we see blood and it make anyone alarmed to see what follows because as human beings blood is one of the most important things we need in our bodies since it helps  regulates the functions of all our organs. Here, the blood could have filled the container to create an image of shortage of blood in our mind which is a form of persuasion to help you save someone who is loosing blood. On the inscription on the poster it says, â€Å"save 3 lives without spending a cent† comparing three human lives to a cent just to show that money cannot help in all cases but as a human being you should know you are more important than money and so don’t spend all your time trying to get it but just spend a little of your time donating to someone who needs a little of your blood. I believe the red cross on the poster can also be speaking to Christians who believe Christ died on cross and shed His blood for healing. We are easily influenced by images because they tend to illustrate the unimaginable and give us confidence. In the image above we see ourselves as life savers due to the power the image creates in our mind and we now forget the pain of the needle being passed through our skin to get the blood out. We easily feel good because images persuade us to do the impossible and see the invisible. Most phrases we hear on our TV ads are â€Å"Look, it’s easyâ⠂¬  or â€Å"Microwave for 10 minutes and you just made the best meal’’. We feel impressed and have a sense of accomplishments when we see such words speaking to us in the form of images. The main purpose of images is to make us want to think we can do something which we don’t believe is possible and persuades us further that we can do it. In the second image it speaks clearly without the help of words. If you don’t take good care of your health whiles you have money you spend all your wealth on different kinds of medicines. This can also be a mild way of communicating to a particular audience that money is not everything because you can be purchasing medicines either to prevent a disease or cure a disease but you cannot be guaranteed an assurance on better health. In the article Health is Wealth and Wealth is Health – perceptions of health and ill health among female workers in Savannahkat Laos , â€Å"Health was defined as a condition that is needed to be able to work and collect money.† I think this definition was used because the sex workers need to get money to take care of their health. The amazing thing about images is that they are able to relate to each and everyone just like the pictures above. Most images are successful because they tend to persuade, inform and advertise to a large group of people. We make decisions based on what we see and though some images have a deeper meaning they are able to speak and achieve their aim of persuasion. We see through both images that we don’t only have to focus on our wealth and exclude our health but focusing on both will make you happy and will also make society a great place to be. Our health and wealth are very important and without both the journey of life is a tough one. Visual images find themselves in different contexts relating to different people but to make your point clear one needs to make an image have a connection with every individual and carry power to change the mood ,thought or action of a peron.

Gross Domestic Product Essay Example for Free

Gross Domestic Product Essay 2. Using information from our textbook and from the following BEA links, define each of the sub components of GDP and discuss their importance. (20 points) The BEA links are: http://www.bea.gov/national/pdf/nipa_primer.pdf â€Å"Measuring the Economy: A Primer on GDP and the National Income and Product Accounts† http://www.bea.gov/about/pdf/jep_spring2008.pdf â€Å"Taking the Pulse of the Economy: Measuring GDP† http://www.bea.gov/scb/pdf/national/nipa/methpap/mpi1_0907.pdf â€Å"An Introduction to the National Income and Product Accounts† 1. GDP is Gross domestic product. GDP is the market value of all the goods and services produced by labor and property located in the country. The GDP is comprised of Sub-Components to the Major Components. The components of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) tell you what that country is good at producing. 2. Personal consumption measures the real value of goods and services purchased by individuals. It is very important because over 70% of what the U.S. produces is for personal consumption. 3. Goods Comprehensive is the measure of how much consumers spend each month. This uncludes durable goods, consumer products, and services. This is an important factor because it is an included measure of GDP, and the figure acts an indicator for economic trends. How much consumers spend also has an affect on inflationary pressures. Goods or products make up nearly one-fourth of the US economy. 4. Durable Goods are the hard goods that yield utility over time, rather than being completely consumed all at once. Some examples of durables goods are automobiles, jewelry, and furniture. Although this is the smallest category (only 7%), it still has an impact on GDP. 5. Nondurable Goods are soft goods or consumables, which are goods that need replaced immediately or are used all at one time. Examples of nondurable goods are food and clothing. These goods also make up a small portion (16%), however, still important to GDP. 6. Services are explained as the non-material equivalent of a good. Service provision has been defined as an economic activity that does not result in ownership. No transfer of possession takes place when services are sold. Examples of such are financial services or healthcare. Nearly half (47%) of US GDP is made up services, not products. This makes this portion very important. 7. Gross private domestic investment (I) are the expenditures on capital goods that are used for productive activities in the domestic economy that are undertaken by the business sector during a given period of time. Gross private domestic investment make up anywhere between 12-18% of gross domestic product. Investment is an important cause of business fluctuations. 8. Fixed investments are the investment expenditures that include capital goods, such as means of production, that most people consider spending on fixed capital. This area is important because it is one of two main categories of gross private domestic investment included in the National Income and Product Accounts maintained by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. 9. Nonresidentials are the purchases of nonresidential structures, equipment, and software. Nonresidentials are important for future productivity growth, optimism of businesses, and economic growth. 10. Structures are important in general. These are office buildings, shopping centers, warehouses, restaurants, industrial buildings and institutional buildings. 11. Equipment and software are hardware and machinery. These are important for increasing and improving productivity. 12. Residentials are homes, apartments, or condominiums and residential equipment that is owned by landlords and rented to tenants. These areas account for about a quarter of all private investment. 13. Change in private inventories are the changes in inventory investment which measure the value of the change in the physical volume of inventories over a specified period. This includes the value of goods owned by private business at the end of a specified period, whether the goods were made in that period or in the past. Inventory investment makes up a very small percentage of GDP, however, it is still an important component of GDP. 14. Net exports of goods and services (X-IM) are described as the growth in imports and exports of goods in the U.S. These goods are only finished goods, not including intermediate products. Imports and exports have great effects on GDP. 15. Exports (X) are an addition to GDP and therefore, are important. They are a way of economic transfer. 16. Goods are the physical products sent or transported abroad for future trade or sale. 17. Services include non-material goods. This is usually economic activity sold outside the US. 18. Imports (IM) are economic transfers that are opposite, yet greater than exports. 19. Goods include physical products that are purchased and sent in from foreign countries. 20. Services are non physical products that are sent in from foreign countries. 21. Government consumptions expenditures and gross investment (G) is usually subtracted from the actual GDP numbers and the growth rate. This is so that it is possible to reach an easier understanding of activity and demand. Because the governments actions can be dependent on other factors than supply and demand, it is important to reach this figure. 22. Federal is the measure of the federal governments expenditures.

Literature Review 2.0 Spending Behavior

Literature Review 2.0 Spending Behavior Nowadays, the marketers are facing great competition among themselves to market the products and services to the consumers. The study of consumer spending behavior enables the marketers to understand how consumer thinks, feels and react to the subtle environment when purchase a product(Wassana Suwanvijit, 2009). Hence, the marketer can predict the consumer spending behaviors and develop a proper marketing plan to address the products to the consumers. According to businessdictionary.com, consumer spending could be defined as goods and services bought by households in the satisfaction of their needs and wants. In addition, Spending is defined as the act of expending and behavior is defined as response of an individual to an action, environment, person, or stimulus. While Kotler (2000) stated that consumer behavior studies how individuals, groups and organizations select, buy, use and dispose of goods, services, ideas or experiences to satisfy their needs and desires. In our research context, spending behavior is defined as the act of disbursing money in response to an action, environment, or person in the satisfaction of needs and wants. 2.1 Factors Wilson, et.al, 2005 stated that consumer spending behavior is strongly influenced by four factors: Cultural factor (culture, sub-culture, social class), Social factor (groups, family, roles and status), Personal factor (Age and life cycle stage, life-styles, occupation, economic situation, personality and self concept) and Psychological factor (motivation, perception, learning, beliefs and attitude). Understand these four factors could help to address customers needs and wants and finally increase sales. In addition, there is another factor so-called economic factor which would affect consumers spending as well. 2.1.1 Personal Factor Wassana Suwanvijit, (2009) conducted a study to examine factors affecting consumer life-styles and purchasing behaviors. He found that consumer life-styles are derived from and personalized through social and cultural learning and consumer demographics will influence consumers behavior. In this study, Wassana Suwanvijit,(2009), administered a questionnaires to 300 consumers at Songkla province. The result indicated that demographic and socio-economic factors affecting the consumer life-styles and purchasing behaviors. In Songkla, average spending rate was approximately 550 baht per time and the factor affecting the spending per time was consumer income. The author also found that consumer promotion will affect consumers spending behavior and sales. Chetsada Noknoi, Sutee Ngowsiri, and Wannaporn Boripunt, (2009) also conducted a study to test the relationship between demographic characteristics and the consumer behavior. The study found that consumer behavior is dependent on the demographic characteristics such as income, age, marital status, occupations, etc. Besides, based on the research paper done by Juma K. Salim, the researcher proved that various life cycle stages and socio-demographic factors such as region of residence, race of the reference person, and sex of the reference person were found to be substantial factors of the pattern of expenditures within each occupational group. The researchers results are consistent with the results found by Abdel-Ghany and Sharpe (1997), Cage (1989), and Jacobs, Shipp, and Brown (1989). The researcher also proved that the occupation influence expenditure between teachers and non-teachers. Teachers spend a lot in only two categories of expenditure, education and miscellaneous, compared to professionals and administrators or managers.Besides occupation, level of education also influences spending behavior. Income, education, and occupation are some of the factors that influence ones position in society. Vanessa G. Perry and Marlene D. Morris (2005) examined the relationship between consumer financial knowledge, income and locus of control on financial behavior. In this research, it suggested that consumers propensity to budget, save and spending depends partly on their level of perceived control over outcomes as well as knowledge and financial resources. Apart from that, race and ethnicity can also affect the consumer financial behavior. According to Rotter (1966), locus of control was being defined as a general, relatively stable propensity to see the world in a particular way, capturing general beliefs about the causes of rewards and punishments. The research showed that individual self-concept influenced both financial and non-financial preference and behaviors. Consumer spending behavior is also affected by a persons personality and attitude. Cordell et. all (1996) and Cadha (2007) explained that the consumers are drawn to purchase counterfeits of luxury brands due to the desire of owning the prestige and status symbol that the trademarks brand shows. T. Min, P. Ian and Curtain had viewed the attitudes towards counterfeiting of luxury brands can be influenced by a person personality variable (e.g. value consciousness, integrity, personal satisfaction, trend tracking and the status consideration). They reviewed the theories established and examined their understanding that the desirability of purchasing the counterfeit products was affected by the good value of the brand name (which labeled on the counterfeit product and add value to the product). Below are the explanations of the personality variables which could reveal a person spending behavior. i. Value consciousness Human have the curiosity to seek variety and difference of a certain products/services and they try to spend on the news fashion products in order to satisfy their curiosity. For those who can afford the branded products, they will obviously spend a lot of money in order to obtain the value of that product. Nevertheless, people will try to attain the value of the luxury brand things by choosing the counterfeit product with lower prices. ii. Integrity If the consumers view the integrity as an important value, there will be less people to purchase the counterfeiting of luxury brands and this indirectly change their spending behavior to buy non-branded things with possess a cheaper prices-low consumption. iii) Personal Satisfaction Accomplishment, social recognition and desire to enjoy the valuable things are the personal satisfaction variables in their spending behavior where consumer will be more conscious of the appearance and visibility by purchasing the fashion products. By spending on the new arrival of products which is more expensive, they diluted their income and incurred more expenditure in their own saving-spending portfolio. iv) Status consideration Status consideration is refers to consumer who are both seeking self-satisfaction and recognition as well as for showing to surrounding people. Because of this status recognition, people tend to spend more to purchase the luxury brand which indirectly changed their buying behavior. 2.1.2 Cultural Factor M. Pierre, (1958) claimed that individual spending pattern shows a person class position despite from the persons income. He classified that a person spending structure was affected by the influences from family, their colleague, voluntary association, age and gender. These influences variables on affecting a person spending behavior integrated together in order to classify the persons class position in his/her social unity. Pierre also mentioned that the ranked status system involved all the members of a society in term of hierarchy (from super-ordinate to sub-ordinate). Whereby, whether a person will or will not attempt to buy a thing are strongly related to his/her class membership, and depend on whether the person is mobile or stable. He specified that the consumption patterns included a several factors such as class replacement, choice of store, communications skills, save versus spend, and psychological differences. In his studies, he realized that there are six-class system which is Upper-Upper Class (old families), Lower-Upper Class (newly arrived), Upper-Middle Class (professionals successful business men), Lower-Middle Class (white collar salaries), Upper-Lower Class (wage earner skill labor groups), and Lower-Lower Class (Unskilled labor groups). i) Class Placement M. Pierre explained that the class placement can be determined in three categories which included the occupation, source of income and housing type (e.g. luxury apartment, banglo). In his research in metropolitan area (Chicago), he discovered that the Upper-Lower class people possess expensive house and the home was equipped by the solid heavy appliance. While, the Lower-Lower class people have less property minded (lack of intention to buy or maintain a home) and they intended to spend their income on their clothes or automobile. ii) Choice of store M. Pierres studies revealed the relation between choice of store, pattern of spending and class membership. He described the people are very realistic in the way of spending in order to match their values and expectations refer on which type of store they choose (e.g. high status branded shop-Nike, Addidas). He verified that the social status of the department store becomes the primarily basis to identify the consumer class position. He mentioned that people are not going to take action by entering to a store where he/she might not affordable. iii) Communications Skills The kind of super-sophisticated and clever advertising is almost meaningless to Lower status people. M. Pierre stated that the lower class people may not comprehend the subtle humor in the advertisement(s) and they are difficult in extracting the art of the advertisement(s) information. They also have a different approach in determining the information given. In other word, they lack of intelligence and have different understanding in their communication skill. These indirectly defined the spending behavior between class positions of a person. (iv) Saves versus Spends M. Pierre clarified that the Middle-Class people usually have the financial knowledge place in their thinking for the forms of saving whereby they tend to choose the investment saving. While Lower-Status people intended to save in an almost low-risk funds (non-investment saving) which can quickly converted to spend-able cash. This clearly showed that the lower status people have more spending habit. Pierre mentioned that the Lower-status people will spend on artifact-centered products (cheaper items) and the Middle-Class people will spend on experience-centered products (planned spending).But, Pierre stated that the spending behavior of a person still governed by class membership in his/her society. (v) Psychological differences M. Pierre explained that the spending-saving analysis has a very obvious effect in psychological implications to differentiate the classes. Middle Class Lower Status Pointed the future Pointed present and pass More urban identification More rural identification Stress on rationality Non rational essential Greater sense of choice maker Limited sense of choice maker See themselves tied to national happening Concern their own and family members 2.1.3 Psychological Factor D. Ap S.K.Pamela, (2005) argued that consumer behavior is often strongly influenced by the subtle environment and traditional perspective on consumer choices. They explained that people always occasionally purchase the things on the spot where they choose the products at the moment of awareness and occupied with things rather than thinking on selecting an affordable groceries to purchase. This resulted in troubling the consumers spending habit. Bargh(2002) described the consumer behavior are cast items of the cognitive psychology. While, Chaiken(1980) and Petty, Cacioppo and Schuman(1983) explained that, before people buy(or choose or decide), they are less initiative to collect the products information. Attitudes can be based on cognitive beliefs such as when a person finds a product which is very useful or more benefit effect, or the product show and possess symbolic meanings (Venkatraman Mac-Innes, 1985). Karen M. Stilley, J. Jeffrey Inman and Kirk L.Wakefield (2010) conducted two studies to investigate the effects of promotional saving on both planned and unplanned spending, and how does it varies according to income level. In order to test the hypotheses, Karen M. Stilley et al. interviewed 400 customers who entered two grocery stores located in a southwestern U.S. city. Every tenth shopper or one every five minutes was selected, whichever came first. In addition, respondents were first asked what items they planned to purchase and how much were they planned to spend in total. Then, In-store slack (ISS) was calculated by subtracting the itemized portion from the total respondents planned to spend. Besides, respondents were required to indicate their household income before they exit the grocery shops. For the purpose of increase the response to such sensitive question, respondents were given seven choices of range rather than gave a specific figure of household income. The results o f the research showed that the promotional on unplanned grocery items would attract customers to spend more and this is increased with the higher income level. Apart from that, Ajay Kalra and Mengze Shi (2010) also examined sweepstakes reward structures that maximize consumers valuation. They claimed that consumers value maximizing sweepstakes should effectively motivate consumers participation and thus increase sales. From the other perspective, sweepstakes and contests would increase consumers spending on a certain products. Ajay Kalra et al. defined sweepstakes and contests as the promotional tools used by organizations to attract more customers, which in turn gaining additional sales. By having sweepstakes, consumers are tend to spend more in order to increase the probability of winning grand prize. In addition, the introduction and increased usage of electronic transfer systems has led to the likelihoods of a cashless society (Humphrey et al., 1996; Humphrey and Berger, 1990; Olney, 1999). In the research paper done by Mohamad bin Ali (2004), the variables been developed are hedonic motivation, credit cards used, unplanned purchase, peer influence, TV viewing and shopping frequency. The results exhibited the positive correlation of hedonic motivation, credit card use and unplanned purchases with compulsive buying tendency. Many people spending to release stress and treat it as retail therapy. Shoham and Brencic (2003) stated that people go to shopping as retail therapy are expect that shopping could reduce their stress. Credit card is encourages compulsive buying because credit card eliminate immediate need for money to buy thing. Furthermore, Fusaro (2006) argues that debit card users make more frequent and smaller withdrawals to control their spending behaviour. A cashless transaction takes off the pain of transferring cash and may encourage consumers to spend more. From a hedonic perspective, a cashless transaction does not recap the thought of the amount of money spent at the time of purchase as compared to cash payment which recaps thoughts about costs or benefits of purchase at the time of purchase (Prelec and Loewenstein 1998, p.25). D. Ap S.K.Pamela, (2005) made a several statement on the factors of unconscious spending behavior of the consumers: i. The choices of buying the product are influenced by automatically response or one persons attitudes ii) Attitudes were not really guide the behavior of the persons spending and people tend to buy things on impulse and the impulse choices are strongly affected by the subtle environment. From the above statements, they reviewed and discussed about their studies on consumer behavior. They pointed out two important results on their understanding which: Perception-behavior link is a mere perception of a social environment which leads people to face in direct effect behavior. This mean that the behavior of a person is often imitative (follow others action) and thus this behavior is contagious (spread and affect others-ripple effect) Automatic goal pursuit related to the goal-directed-behavior where the consumer purchasing behavior is often unconsciously guided by the environment. 2.1.4 Social Factor A persons spending may be affected by his social group of people, which normally being called virtual communities. It is defined as self-selecting groups of individuals engaged in sustained computer-mediated interactions around common interests or goals, governed by shared norms and values, and serving individual and shared needs (Bagozzi and Dholakia 2002; Dholakia, Bagozzi and Pearo 2004). Such characteristics of virtual groups as open, non-discriminatory participation, possibility of anonymity, and low visibility of product usage suggest that virtual communities potentially employ mechanisms of influencing shopping decisions that are different from those of other reference groups. Some virtual communities apply informational influence on shopping decisions by aiding the transfer of information among reference group members regarding product opinions (Deutsch and Gerard 1955). In virtual communities information can be spread through what other members post about their product and brand use, or shown through picture sharing and in occasional face-to-face meetings. 2.1.5 Economic Factor Rex Y. Du and Wagner A. Kamakura (2008) examined how consumers allocate their discretionary income to meet different consumption needs and how the resultant consumption pattern will change in response to changes in prices and budgets. For instance, how does escalating gas price affect consumers spending on food and apparel. Rex Y. Du et al. had used the CEX family extracts made available by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) for the 1982-2003 period. The CEX was collected from different samples each year and 66,368 households were being examined in this research. Besides, Rex Y. Du et al. had conducted three policy simulations to test consumers reaction to environmental shock. Those three policy simulations were reactions to shift in energy costs, reaction to a tax rebate and welfare losses due to spiraling costs of prescription drugs. The result for the first simulation showed that consumers reduce their spending when the energy costs increase, especially the poorer qui ntile. For the second simulation, the result showed that tax rebate would increase consumers spending even though for those nonessential items, such as airline fare and charity. For the last simulation, the result showed that consumers could have reduced their prescription drug expenditure by an average of 37% while maintaining the same level of treatment. Indeed, economic condition would affect consumers spending behavior. Conclusion Indeed, consumer spending behavior is strongly influenced by the factors such as personal, cultural, psychological, social and economic condition. Demographic characteristics such as income, age, marital status, occupations, etc. would have direct relationship to consumer behavior (Chetsada Noknoi et al. 2009). In the research done by Wassana Suwanvijit (2009), 300 questionnaires were distributed to the respondents in Songkhla. For a city with a population more than seventy thousands of people, it would be better if the number of respondents could be at least 500 in order to draw a more convincing conclusion about the results. Next, the influences from family, colleague, friends, etc. would affect a person spending behavior. Besides, it has to depend on several factors such as class replacement, choice of store, communications skills, save versus spend and psychological differences as well (M.Pierre, 1958). In addition, the promotional savings, sweepstake contests, ease of payments, etc would motivate consumers to spend more, which directly affect their spending behavior. In the research done by Karen M. Stilley, J. Jeffrey Inman and Kirk L. Wakefield (2010), they collected respondents household income through provided choices of range to the respondents instead of asking a specific figure from them. This action was more effective in getting information from the respondents due to confidential problem. Apart from that, virtual communities may affect a person spending behavior through the information given among reference group members (Deutsch and Gerard, 1995). Lastly, the economic factors such as changing in gas price, tax rebate, etc. would affect consumers to change their spending as well.

Terrorism In North Africa :: Terrorists, Role Of United States

North Africa is a huge area that is becoming a safe place for terror groups. Are we facing another failed state? What should be done about it? Should the United States send troops to North Africa to prevent it from becoming another Afghanistan? The Jan. 16 attack on the natural-gas installation at In Amenas, Algeria, like the Sept. 11, 2012, raid on the U.S. facility in Benghazi, Libya, was the work of al-Qaida affiliates operating in the Sahel, a region in North Africa defined by both the Sahara desert and centuries of tribal warfare. Its latest iteration, responsible for more than 100,000 deaths, has been the decade-old Islamic insurgency in Algeria. The conflict has received little international attention — until an attempted rescue of the In Amenas hostages by Algerian Special Forces resulted in 37 deaths, including several Americans. The Sahara, the largest desert between the two poles, has been both an obstacle and a route for invaders — from the Romans to the French Foreign Legion. Although Timbuktu was long a center of learning and commerce, back to the golden empire of Mansa Musa, the region is now a neglected part of the world –making it an ideal safe haven for terrorists. The sands respect no borders and erase divisions between Algeria and Mali, a fact traditionally exploited by desert nomads and lately by jihadists led by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. Until French forces recaptured the main towns, AQIM had controlled northern Mali for 10 months and ran the area under Shariah law. The jihadists’ pronounced goal, shared by Salafists and other radical Muslim groups, is to recreate the Caliphate of Islam’s glory years of the eighth century, when it controlled territory from Andalusia to India. Their confidence is not unfounded. Neither Mali nor its neighbors possess the capabilities or the will to defeat the Islamist insurgency. If, as President Francois Hollande recently announced, France will declare victory and withdraw its troops, the conflict threatens to continue metastasizing over time. Local media have reported that the rebels have attracted recruits from other Islamist movements, such as the Boko Haram in Nigeria, and from countries as far away as Canada, as well as weapons from Libya. A precipitous withdrawal by the French would solidify the Islamists’ belief that, if the Prophet could create his Caliphate from the sands of Medina, they can recreate it from the sands of Timbuktu. The situation is further complicated by the region’s oil and natural gas wealth.

Hamlets Grief :: essays research papers

The Grieving of Hamlet Although many different positions could be taken on writing an essay for this Shakespearian play, the author took it upon himself to write about Hamlet’s grief. His grief is obvious from the beginning of the play and he continues to grieve althroughout the play. Within his twenty-one-page essay, I chose this line to represent that I agree with his outlook on the play. â€Å"†¦his focus is on his grief and the profound impact in which the ghost has upon it. (Hamlet pg.18 paragraph 3)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I strongly agree with this statement because Hamlet is continually showing huge amounts of grief throughout the play. Even in his opening words in the play he shows some amount of grief to his uncle, the new king, and his mother. His mother basically says that his father is dead, and that there is no bringing him back. So what good does it do for him to weep and mourn? Hamlet replies to this by saying: Seems madam nay it is! I know not seems ‘Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother, Not customary suit of solemn black. Not windy suspiration of forc’d breath, No, nor the fruitful rover pf the eye, Nor the dejected haviour of the visage, Together with all forms, moods, shapes, of grief, That can denote me truly. These, indeed seems, For they are actions that a man might play; But I have that with in which passes show--- These but the trappings and the suits of woe. (1,2,76-78) Clearly this shows Hamlet grieving his father’s death while showing hostility to the king and queen for being so deathly cold about the previous king’s death. Also the readers can also see in Hamlet’s opening dialogue, it shows that he still has not come to terms with his father’s death and is still in the state of shock when we first see him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All throughout the play Hamlet mourns the loss of his father, especially since his father is appearing to him as a ghostly figure telling him to avenge his death, and throughout the play it sets the stage and shows us how he is plotting to get back at the assassinator. Such an instance where the ghost appears to Hamlet is when Hamlet and his mother are in her bedchamber where the ghost will make his last appearance. Hamlet tells his mother to look where the ghost appears but she cannot see it because he is the only one who that has the ability to see him.

Excessive Enforcement: A Call for a Tranformational Approach to the Caribbean Criminal Justice System :: Argumentative Persuasive Carribean Essays

A Call for a Tranformational Approach to the Caribbean Criminal Justice System On June 25, 2001 Anton Cooper, a twenty-seven year old man in police custody at Golden Grove Prison in Arocca, Trinidad, was found naked and dead in his cell less than twenty four hours after his arrival for allegedly beating a cousin during an argument. Several prisoners reported witnessing numerous assaults on Cooper by prison guards, and Amnesty International called for a thorough, independent investigation that complies with international standards, including access by relatives to autopsy proceedings that concluded that Cooper died from asphyxia associated with multiple blunt traumatic injuries. Amnesty International has repeatedly expressed condemnation of the use of excessive force by law enforcement officers, and have stated that prison conditions in Trinidad continued to violate the UN standards for minimum treatment of prisoners, as well as amounted to cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment. This particular incident raises to the international community not only questions of the level of corruption in Trinidad’s penal system, but how this reflects the enforcement of human rights protection in the English speaking Caribbean. In order to understand the role the justice system plays in advancing (or inhibiting) the Caribbean socially, economically, and politically, it is necessary to reflect on the historical uses and abuses of the penal system and how it functions alongside international criminal law. When analyzing the level of development nations of the English speaking Caribbean, specifically Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica, have made in regards to human rights and law enforcement, certain factors need to be considered including their history of human rights protection; the role incarceration, flogging, and the death penalty play in limiting them as people of the past; the lack of community involvement in judicial affairs; their relations with international non-governmental organizations; and the feasibility of possible alternatives to impr isonment and the death penalty. Although this past March the East Caribbean Court of Appeal, referred to by the Judiciary Committee of the Privy Council, ruled that mandatory death penalty is in violation of the constitutions of St. Vincent and Grenadines, St. Lucia, Grenada, St. Kitts, Dominica, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda by stating that, â€Å"to deny the offender the opportunity, before sentence is passed, to seek to persuade the court that in all the circumstances to condemn him to death would be disproportionate and inappropriate

Test Test

1. Chapter 1? The Business and Society Relationship Question TF #1 Business can do just about anything it wants because we do not live in a socially conscious environment. a. True *b. False 2. Chapter 1? The Business and Society Relationship Question TF #2 The business environment in current times, the first decade of the 21st century, can best be described as turbulent. *a. True b. False 3. Chapter 1? The Business and Society Relationship Question TF #3 When speaking of business in the collective sense, the textbook will most often be focusing on big business. *a. True b. False 4. Chapter 1?The Business and Society Relationship Question TF #4 Pluralism is a condition in which there is a concentration of power among society's groups and organizations. a. True *b. False 5. Chapter 1? The Business and Society Relationship Question TF #5 Stakeholders are the owners of shares in a corporation. a. True *b. False 6. Chapter 1? The Business and Society Relationship Question TF #6 Common Cau se and the U. S. Chamber of Commerce are examples of general purpose interest groups. *a. True b. False 7. Chapter 1? The Business and Society Relationship Question TF #7 Business interacts with only a limited number of stakeholder groups. . True *b. False 8. Chapter 1? The Business and Society Relationship Question TF #8 Affluence refers to the level of wealth, disposable income, and standard of living of a society. *a. True b. False 9. Chapter 1? The Business and Society Relationship Question TF #9 The authors of the textbook lay the primary responsibility for business's problems on the media. a. True *b. False 10. Chapter 1? The Business and Society Relationship Question TF #10 The common perception of business power is that there is too little of it to provide a balance with other social institutions. a. True *b. False 11. Chapter 1?The Business and Society Relationship Question TF #11 Power is only manifest when it is used purposefully. a. True *b. False 12. Chapter 1? The Busi ness and Society Relationship Question TF #12 The social contract is the set of rights and duties imposed on citizens by their government. a. True *b. False 13. Chapter 1? The Business and Society Relationship Question TF #13 The social contract in the modern era is changing rapidly and dramatically. *a. True b. False 14. Chapter 1? The Business and Society Relationship Question TF #14 Ethics refers to issues of right and wrong, fairness, and justice. *a. True

Comments and Reactions on 2014 SONA Essay

July 28, 2014, President Benigno S. Aquino, delivered his fifth State of the Nation Address and tackled the matters for government’s contribution in terms of education, health services, defense, public works and many more. The President first mentioned about the controversial â€Å"Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP)†, and still convince his bosses (Filipinos) of the good achievements of DAP. As an example, he cited Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) as an example, and furthen even showed video clips of those TESDA graduates who have now better lives because of their scholarship. He also highligted some of the accomplishments of the administration which involves the following: the Expanded Conditional Cash Transfer of Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), which is now extended when the benefeciaries reached eighteen (18) years of age, not only after the completeion of high school; the broader scope of Sin Tax Bill, which help our country increase its budget without increasing other taxes; see more:sona 2017 reaction On the labor sector, it has been noticeable that there is sudden decrease in the number of strikes due to the improved conciliation and mediation of labor cases by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE); In the infrastructure, the President acknowledged the improved system of the Department of Public Works and Highways, that leads to lesser of corruption within the bidders and contractors which lead to faster delivery of service and resulted to P28 Billion savings and road projects for the Filipinos. I have my personal omments as I watched nd read the content of the said SONA, as follows: There is no admission of any problems encountered by our country. As we heard the President, it seems that everything went well for the Philippines. I partially agree and gave credit to our present Administration for all its efforts to improve our economy, fight corruption and improve the rotten system of the government. However, in the SONA, there is no admission of any problems and issues encountered of the country and this Aquino Administration, or if he can promise not to have another DAP and Pork Barrel Scam in his administration. On the other hand, I agree with the way the President delivered his SONA, in a softer and calm way. Also, good job for no more attacking words and pointing fingers for the previous leaders administration. Further I am looking not only for the  achievements of this country during Aquino administration but but also for the concrete plans and continuity of what he has started, and think those matters were missing in the SONA. To conlude my reaction, I can say that I am satisfied with the content of President Aquino’s SONA, let us not be so dependent on what the government and the President can and cannot offer us, more importantly let us focus on improving ourselves first, the way we will not be a burden, but as assets and contributors to the growth of this count ry.

An Analysis of Globalization: Constructivism, Commercial Liberalism and Marxism Essay

Globalization is perhaps the most defining characteristic of the 21st century. The American push for free market ideals, facilitated by the advent of the Internet and other communication technologies, has led to the increased interaction and interrelatedness of people. Therefore, globalization also raises interesting implications for the field of international relations. How can this monumental event be analyzed? Globalization and its consequences can be interpreted and dissected through three major schools of thought: constructivism, commercial liberalism, and Marxism. A modified Marxist view can explain the starting causes of globalization but not modern day causes, international liberalism can explain the resulting global â€Å"macropeace†, and constructivism can explain counter-reactive â€Å"microwars† prevalent in the international system. To begin, Marxism is based on a critique of capitalism and normative commitment to communism. Marxism has various strains, but Marxism-Leninism and neo-Marxism deliver the most cogent analysis of globalization. Robert Gilpin, in his article â€Å"The Political Economy of International Relations† identifies four components of Marxism-Leninism; Marx conceived three of the points, and the final is Lenin’s own modification. First is the law of disproportionality which attacks the idea of supply and demand. Since capitalists can produce goods easier than consumers can purchase them, free market economies will always over-produce certain goods. Next is the law of capital concentration. Since competition forces capitalists to produce efficiently or face extinction, capital eventually accumulates in the hands of a select few. This disparity will ultimately fuel the anger of the proletariat and lead to social revolution. Third is the law of falling profit rate. Marx predicted a complex chain reaction, where labor-saving devices would fuel under-consumption, overproduction, and mass unemployment. However, when the social revolution did not occur in the post-World War I era, Lenin revamped Marx’s communist ideology with his fourth law, the law of uneven development. Lenin asserts that the revolution failed to occur, because capitalists had used imperialism as a metaphorical release valve. Developed nations had managed to dump their goods and capital in colonies and simultaneously acquire cheap raw materials. This outlet and source of inputs relieved the pressure on capitalism, allowing it to continue for the time being. The second variation of Marxism pertinent to globalization is neo-Marxism, specifically Wallerstein’s piece, â€Å"Core and Periphery. † Core states occupy power positions in the international system and can perpetuate a system where they remain in power over the periphery. Core states have two defining characteristics: â€Å"strong state machinery, coupled with a national culture†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The periphery states are characteristically weak, and could even exist as merely a colony. They lack unity through a national cultural and have very weak state mechanisms: either a corrupt and bloated bureaucracy or a virtually non-existent one. Wallerstein alleges that the current international system is one of core states exploiting periphery states. In the article, â€Å"Globalization and the Trade in Human Body Parts,† Harrison attributes the causes of globalization to a massive crisis of both â€Å"capital accumulation and of state legitimacy† in the 1970s. According to him, capitalist states of the West faced an inability to produce the correct quantity and distribution of goods, consistent with Marxism. Furthermore, the push for efficiency led to advent of labor-saving devices and the accumulation of capital in the hands of the few. All of these occurrences caused the high unemployment and inflation characteristic of the mid-1970s. As goods and capital piled up with high levels of joblessness, â€Å"compromises that had underpinned the post-welfare state gave way once more to conflict between labor and capital. † This conflict embodies the final death rattle of capitalism before a revolution topples it. However, globalization utilized the Leninist â€Å"release valve† and stabilized the developed countries’ free market system. According to Harrison, cheap inputs and vast new markets for consumption allowed Western nations to resolve its crises of capitalism and legitimacy. He defines globalization as â€Å"the establishment of world-wide exchanges in labour, trade, technology, and capital between nations possessing different economic, military, and political powers. † Since globalization has an inherent pro-liberal, capitalist bias, it creates unfair exchanges. Harrison argues that the market for human body parts follows this pattern and mimics other unequal exchanges between developed and developing countries. In this particular market, the organ donors tend to originate from developing nations like India, Argentina, and China. The recipients tend to live in developed nations, with the most transplants performed in the US with Europe closely behind. Harrison defines this flow of organs and transplants as exploitation. All in all, the causes of globalization rest in capitalism’s desperate bid for viability. However, Harrison’s proposed causes for the start of globalization do not completely make sense. His explanation through the Marxist paradigm correctly pinpoints economic incentive as the overarching objective for globalization. Developed nations, full of goods and capital, perpetually search for outlets for their goods and for natural resource sources. This assumption fundamentally underlies the theory of the free market. However, Harrison looks to the 1970s, to the start of visible globalization, and links a crisis of capital accumulation to the economic turbulence of the 1970s. But, from the perspective presented in Kirshner’s article â€Å"Keynes, Legacies and Inquiries,† the problems instead stem from supply-shocks, creating cost-push inflation and recession. A supply shock results in inadequate levels of aggregate supply to meet aggregate demand. The OPEC oil embargo of the mid-1970s, starting in 1973, delivered this effect and caused the intense stagflation of the time. Therefore, macroeconomics is partially in conflict with the Marxist view of globalization. Developed nations did not face â€Å"a crisis of capital accumulation;† instead, they faced a crisis of productive capabilities. Due to the lack of crude oil, producers could not create enough goods to meet the demand. Therefore it makes more sense that developed nations pushed for a global economy to secure cheap natural resources, rather than look for more sources of demand. The idea of capital accumulation crisis must be abandoned, along with the ominous predictions of violent revolution. After such considerations, a theory of macroeconomic Marxism succinctly locates the starting origins of globalization. However, this explanation delivers an increasingly poor explanation for modern day globalization and its progression past initial causes. The economies of developing nations have gone through a tertiarization process, defined as the transition of an economy into predominantly service-oriented jobs. This change has led to decreased manufacturing and decreased American exports. Marxism offered a convincing argument in the 1970s and early 1980s, when America had a large trade surplus and a minor trade deficit. However, America’s trade deficit has ballooned to astronomical proportions as the shift away from manufacturing has become more pronounced. Therefore, the idea of developed nations, or core states, exploiting and preying upon developing nations, or periphery states, for markets no longer makes sense. What can explain globalization in the 1990s through the modern day? With the rise of East Asian NICs, as Steven Haggard’s article names them, and developing nations like India and China, wealthy nations have grown increasingly dependent on their cheap goods. As these poorer manufacturing-based powers rise, they hold much more power on the world stage. Huntington supports this assertion in his article, â€Å"The Clash of Civilizations,† stating that â€Å"non-Western civilizations no longer remain the objects of history†¦but join the West as the movers and shapers of history. † This non-Western empowerment deeply contradicts all strains of Marxism, which contain some rich-poor exploitative element. Neo-Marxism and Harrison’s fundamental argument places globalization in the context of wealthy nations using capitalism and unequal exchanges to take advantage of poorer nations. However, core states of economic power no longer completely dictate the rules of the game, and use periphery states as dumping grounds for goods. Instead, the opposite has occurred; rising periphery states have begun to rapidly manufacture goods and export them to the core. This inversion of Marxism explains the continued push of globalization, now fueled by the flow of goods from developing to developed nations. This interaction can even be exploitative in the opposite direction. For example, America has accumulated an enormous trade deficit with China. This burgeoning trade deficit is very advantageous to China, strengthening the value of its currency. However, Kishner describes the deleterious effects of this occurrence in his article, stating that it â€Å"forces the burden of international adjustments on deficit countries†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The disproportion also weakens the dollar and erodes confidence in its ability to store value. Gilpin also alludes to the positive and negative effects of a trade surplus in â€Å"Politics of Transnational Economic Relations,† mentioning how America tolerated the 1. 5 billion trade surplus that Japan enjoyed in the 1970s. America has tried to use rhetoric and diplomacy to resolve this issue but does not dare to use any stronger tools due to its dependency on China as a trading partner. In this example, China gains economic power at the expense of the American dollar. Developing countries sometimes occupy the throne of power on key issues; this reversal deeply contradicts Marxism. Finally, commercial liberalism can be used to understand the effects of globalization. According to commercial liberalist Richard Rosecrance’s article â€Å"The Rise of the Trading State,† trade, capitalism, and free markets are forces of peace. Commercial liberalists believe in the use of trade to forge communication and connections with other nations. Eventually, a net of economic interdependence will form, which discourages war. War in this environment destroys trade opportunities, and therefore, increases the political consequence of declaring war. These strains of thinkers in turn consider imperialist interests to be in utter conflict with trading interests. A country either chooses to embrace free markets and trade or impose heavy mercantilist restrictions. According to this theory, peace occurs when a country trades autonomy and the quest of national power for more extensive access to resources of the world. Markets further facilitate peace by allowing the spread of culture and understanding. This trading and cultural exchange eventually leads to a peaceful world of trading states, rather than various imperialist nations competing for hegemony. In â€Å"Jihad vs. McWorld,† Barber identifies two occurrences closely linked to globalization that ironically oppose and engender each other simultaneously. First is the argument of a global â€Å"macropeace,† facilitated by global trade. Barber makes the argument that no nation is truly independent, connected by everything from the environment to pandemics. Barber further postulates that â€Å"positive economic forces that have globalism as their conscious object† act to bind nations together. These forces have also deeply eroded national sovereignty as multinational corporations and international banking systems lack any national identity and do not reflect any particular nationhood. These global economic devices do not exist under the jurisdiction of any individual nation, which according to Barber, has renewed efforts for international peace through an international economy. Concurrently, this system has also turned â€Å"religion, culture, and ethnic identity† into â€Å"marginal elements of a working identity. † This erosion of differences facilitates a peace throughout the world, with the pursuit of wealth undermining any war like tendencies. Furthermore, Barber talks about the mingling of culture as well as trade, describing this concept as â€Å"a product of pop culture driven by expansionist commerce. † The idea of globalization also refers to the cultural imperialism of the West. More youth around the world idoloize American pop culture figures, like Michael Jackson or Lady Gaga. Foreign children drink Coco-Cola and salivate over Harley-Davidson motorcycles and Cadillac cars. American culture has permeated the entire world from pop icons to the golden arches of McDonalds; this fact is undeniable. This intermingling of culture again facilitates cooperation and understanding between nations, decreasing the chance of war. Barber’s argument is a convincing argument of commercial liberalism. The essence of this paradigm’s argument is the idea of commerce breeding interdependence. This fact could not be clearer now, during the most devastating economic collapse in over eighty years. As Eurozone nations flounder, the American stock markets dip and rise, based on news of their actions. This certainly smacks of a deep, systemic structure in which consequences for one nation affect many other nations as well. In such a system, a broad scale war would be most disadvantageous, as damage to one nations’ economy would impact the whole. Furthermore, cultural exchanges between nations certainly seem to have brought people closer, as the world becomes an increasingly smaller place. This two-pronged event has created a world where all-out war between states is now politically unattractive and economically unfathomable. Barber’s analysis explains both the market independence and the increased level of cultural mixing in the world; it also explains why wars between two nations have grown rare in the post-Cold War era. Nevertheless, a significant counterargument can be made through to this idea. Many argue that although much of the conflict is not between states, war does still exist. The whole world has not entered Barber’s â€Å"future in shimmery pastels, a busy portrait†¦with fast music, fast computers, and fast food†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Even more would argue that much of the world abhors the cultural influence of the US, citing it as immoral or hedonistic. Huntington mentions a return-to-roots sensation among non-Western states, with states starting to turn in and focus on their own regional identities. With many nations like Saudi Arabia and Iran still practicing religious law passionately and pockets of ethnic warfare still existing in Africa, it sometimes seems counterintuitive to talk of a global peace. However, the identification of a counter-reaction to the globalization can explain all these seeming contradictions. Barber identifies this point through the use of constructivism. Constructivism makes the argument that knowledge of the event does matter in truly understanding an international occurrence. In Henry Nau’s article, â€Å"Why We Fight over Foreign Policy,† he strongly focuses on the political, economic, social identity of a state or states when defining constructivism, emphasizing â€Å"the ideas, norms, and values†¦that shape their discourse and identity. † Constructivists believe that ideas and ideology drive nations to act in certain ways, often creating positive relationships with similar countries and harboring hostility toward those different. Constructivism does have one major disadvantage: it cannot make a policy prescription for a problem. However, it does often prove poignant in analysis of current events and in prediction of future events. This perspective is immensely effective in understanding Barber’s argument and refuting the aforementioned criticism. His argument is bipartite; after identifying the macropeace, he identifies a phenomenon that he nicknames â€Å"jihad,† referring to any violence motivated by â€Å"dogmatic and violent particularism. † This form of conflict relates to the construction of one’s identity, whether by ethnicity, language, religion, etc. According to Barber, violence stems from people of differing identities resisting the homogenizing influence of globalization. It can be seen as a reactionary event to the growing uniformity of the world to Western cultural norms and ideas, facilitated by the unification of national markets. This return-to-roots search for identity eventually takes a violent form against those who have differing identities. This causes the various â€Å"microwars,† defined as most regional conflicts between two groups, rather than states. Barber cites examples of many people, fighting identity-based war on the pretext of self-determination, including Jews, Kurds, Arabs, and Ossetians. These conflicts are the essence of constructivism, isolating identity-based differences as a major source of international conflict. However, Barber’s constructivist theory is not without detractors. Samuel Huntington, author of the â€Å"Clash of Civilizations,† has a different idea of the world. He describes vast swaths of land as individual civilizations and describes conflict on two levels: the micro-level where small groups in different civilizations struggle and the macro-level where states from different civilizations for hegemony. He does not define terrorism as a reaction to American globalization and the erosion of Islamic identity, but instead as conflict between Islamic and Western civilizations. Barber contrastingly defines conflict as intracivilizational, rather than transcivilizational, between people â€Å"without countries inhabiting nations that they just cannot call their own. † Huntington also predicts that future conflict will grow bloodier, due to increasing awareness of civilizational divides and these conflicts â€Å"will occur along the cultural fault lines separating civilizations. † In opposition, Barber portends a future in which the macropeace will ultimately win out; although, â€Å"jihad† will continue to be seen spontaneously. Despite the intuitive nature of Huntington’s theory and predictions, it is simply too reductionist and parsimonious to adequately explain the complex world of international relations. He omits whole continents in his argument and completely assumes homogeneity within civilizations. These criticisms are eloquently expressed in Katzenstein’s article â€Å"A World of Plural and Pluralistic Civilizations. † He voices the same fundamental disagreement as Barber, that civilizations are not internally uniform. He describes them, not as simply larger nations, but as â€Å"loosely coupled† and â€Å"internally differentiated. † This idea of differentiation supports Barber’s assertions, agreeing with the idea of major clashes occurring within civilizations, rather than between civilizations. Katzenstein also references that this fact has been proven with both qualitative and statistical means. In this regard, Huntington seems rather flippant, disregarding empiricism for an intuitive, simple theory. Despite a smooth and logical premise, Huntington’s opinions about the world can be quickly refuted. Huntington’s predictions about the future also seem less accurate than Barber’s, because Huntington neglects an important facet of the world. Huntington does not mention economic interdependence at all in his piece, despite its overwhelming influence in every facet of life. Utilizing Rosecrane’s theory of trading states, economic self-interest will cause the macropeace to win out, consistent with Barber. Globalization is unavoidable. Its methods and consequences are ubiquitous, from the food one eats to the job prospects one faces. It has had both negative and positive effects on the world, facilitating both economic prosperity and global terrorism. The initial causes of globalization can be analyzed with a modified Marxist viewpoint. However, as the phenomenon has progressed, Marxism no longer provides a convincing argument. The intricate economic web connecting the nations of the world through globalization can be understood through commercial liberalism. The contrasting sectarian violence also resulting from globalization can be understood through constructivism. As globalization changes and as America’s role on the world stage grows, these analyses will mostly likely grow and develop as well.