Transcendentalism: Human and American Scholar

Transcendentalism in America The transcendentalist movement hit America full force by the mid 19th century, crafting a passionate spiritual idealism in its wake and leaving a unique mark on the history of American literature. Transcendentalism stems from the broader Romanticist time period, which depends on intuition rather than reasoning. Transcendentalism takes a step further into the realm of spirituality with the principle that in order to discover the divine truth that the individual seeks, he or she must transcend, or exceed, the â€Å"everyday human experience in the physical world† (â€Å"Elements of Literature: Fifth Course† 146).Nature, the physical world, is seen as a doorway to the divine world; beings can cross over into this divine world by not only observing nature, but also looking within themselves. As a result, individuality and self-assurance are seen as virtues, since they come from the heart of the individual. William Cullen Bryant and his poem Than atopsis, Ralph Waldo Emerson’s The American Scholar, and Walt Whitman’s A Noiseless Patient Spider all display fundamental characteristics of Transcendentalism.William Cullen Bryant was a famous American poet of the 1800s, integrating major themes of transcendentalism into his poems and short stories. Thanatopsis is one of Bryant’s most famous works, and combines the themes of nature, death, and the unity of these two with humanity. He starts by personifying nature, and claims he has a unique relationship with â€Å"her† and all her different â€Å"forms†, referring to sights that adorn the landscape. Valleys, brooks, and plant life are all her different forms.Bryant explains that nature speaks differently to an individual according to their mood: â€Å"Communion with her visible forms, she speaks/A various language; for his gayer hours/She has a voice of gladness, and a smile† (2-4). When that individual’s attitude changes, so does n ature’s character: â€Å"and she glides/Into his darker musings, with a mild/And healing sympathy, that steals away/Their sharpness, ere he is aware. † (5-8). Nature seemingly heals the individual’s pain before they are conscious of it. Bryant then transfers to the melancholy thoughts of death.He states that when we die, we will become one with nature. He describes all the ways the earth will reuse us in the soil, for the trees, and we will become as indifferent as rocks that scatter about the world. Therefore, we should not feel disheartened towards death. He continues to persuade the reader not to worry, for everyone will one day lie down â€Å"in one mighty sepulcher† (37) together. He ends on the note that we should not greet death with hopelessness, as if entering a prison, but embrace it as if it were just an opportunity to lie down and sleep dreamily.Transcendentalism is a sector of romanticism, and therefore, like romanticism, can be said to encom pass the philosophy of â€Å"reverence for nature† (Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia). Many transcendentalist believers took to nature to gain inspiration and descend into a state of divinity. Wildlife was connected to God, and by embracing the wild you embraced spirituality itself. Living in an untamed environment and functioning in the works of nature was the essence of transcendentalism.Bryant perceives the personified Nature as a celestial being that takes many forms in the world, and he calls out to those who see her similarly. In his first line he addresses â€Å"To him who in the love of Nature holds/ Communion with her visible forms†(1-2). He is calling out to those who hold a special relationship with Nature’s various spectacles. He continues to admire nature’s wisdom, urging readers to â€Å"Go forth, under the open sky, and list/To Nature’s teachings, while from all around/ Earth and her waters, and the depths of air/Comes a still voiceâ⠂¬  (14-17).One author notes â€Å" ‘Thanatopsis’ then exhorts anyone overcome with morbid thoughts of human mortality to venture into Nature for the sake of uplifting lessons to be derived from the elements of air, earth, and water that constitute the universe† (Curley). Another characteristic of the transcendental literary time period is human mortality, and this is the main concern in Thanatopsis, which literally translates into â€Å"a meditation on death†. As one critic puts it, Thanatopsis grants â€Å"consolation for human mortality through mankind’s unity with nature† (Curley).Death, no matter what time period it is observed in, can be daunting to an individual. Since death is a part of nature, transcendentalism embraces it as a cycle of life. Thanatopsis is intertwined with the perspective of nature, it is Nature’s lessons that ease the fear of death: â€Å"Nature then begins to speak, and does so for the remainder of the po em, directly addressing the person oppressed by human mortality with a reminder that while the body will dissolve in the grave, one’s identity will be lost in its commingling with the elements. † (Price).Many transcendentalists like this idea of the human body becoming one with nature, giving back to the place from where it originated, such as in Bryant’s words: â€Å"Earth, that nourished thee, shall claim/Thy growth, to be resolved to earth again/And, lost each human trace, surrendering up/Thine individual being, shalt thou go†(22-25). The main reason transcendentalists do not dread mortality is the solace that â€Å"the body will dissolve in the grave, one’s identity will be lost in its commingling with the elements† (Curley). Additionally, Bryant offered further explanations as to why death should be accepted, rather than fled from.Humanity itself is not permanent, and no man has ever been immortal; Bryant amplifies this truth: â€Å"All that breathe/Will share thy destiny. The gay will laugh/When thou art gone, the solemn brood of care/Plod on, and each one as before will chase/His favorite phantom; yet all these shall leave† (60-64). To this, one critic comments â€Å"an individual’s death merges with the mortality of the entire human race anywhere in time, anywhere in place, and therefore, merely fulfills the universal human destiny†¦The living may be carefree or sad, but in the end they share the same mortal fate† (Curley).Ralph Waldo Emerson also exemplified various themes of transcendentalism in his work. Emerson’s The American Scholar encourages individualism, nonconformity, originality, and reliance on the inner spirit. He discusses different sources that the human mind should rely on, such as nature, literature, and action. He embraces an understanding of oneself. Emerson criticizes those who focus too much on the great minds of the past, rather than being inspired by them, and don’t actually think for themselves.He explains that work leaves an individual empty, almost becoming a simple machine, like the growing factories in America. Emerson directs this speech at a particular issue: America’s influence from European literature. This came to bother Emerson, who believed in inspiration from oneself. The individual is so special. This speech directly targets America’s unknown identity during this time, which he wishes to establish by inspiring each and every â€Å"American scholar†.An important aspect of transcendentalism in The American Scholar was individualism and self-confidence: â€Å"If the single man plant himself indomitably on his instincts, and there abide, the huge world will come round to him† (The American Scholar). Individualism is what spins the planet of creativity; to Emerson, without it human beings would not be able to achieve their full potential. In order for a person to free their individuality, th ey would have to first disengage from society itself. Emerson believes that society limits an individual’s capacity.One critic notes that Emerson sees the American scholar as a reformation project, where one must have â€Å"an idealized portrait of intellectual life rooted in the liberated humanity of the individual thinker. In practice this means an outright rejection of conformity and groupthink, including the uncritical acceptance of established creeds and dogmas† (Yang). Before the transcendentalism period hit America, industrialization had taken a toll on the American people; work was the central focus, and it left many tired and empty.Emerson observed, â€Å"Equated with their occupational function, people become tool-like, with a corresponding social arrangement that reinforces this state of affairs. He views this deformation as inherent in the mercantile and manufacturing culture then emerging in the United States. This social fragmentation not only inhibits h uman potential†¦ its soul-destroying consequences are dehumanizing† (Matuozzi). Another more obscure issue that Emerson dealt with was America’s tendency to hang on to past great writers and philosophers, rather than coming to revelations with their own minds.As Emerson put it, â€Å"Books are written on it [the world] by thinkers, not by Man Thinking, by men of talent, that is, who start wrong, who set out from accepted dogmas, not from their own sight of principles. Meek young men grow up in libraries, believing it their duty to accept the views which Cicero, which Locke, which Bacon, have given; forgetful that Cicero, Locke and Bacon were only young men in libraries when they wrote these books† (The American Scholar).One critic explains this quote: â€Å"Emerson criticizes those scholars who allow themselves to be dominated by the past great minds to the extent that they think for the historical figures rather than for themselves, thereby becoming bookwo rms instead of â€Å"Man Thinking† (Yang). While looking to historical figures is oftentimes needed to understand what a person needs to do in their life, it does more harm than good to sculpt yourself into that exact person. It is confidence in oneself that is needed for transcendentalist philosophy to prevail. A central theme in The American Scholar is striving for wholeness. Since this private aspiration is linked with an individualist ethic and often clashes with social norms and public institutions, Emerson’s project would seem to require a powerful will†¦ the harmonization of will, intellect, and soul is difficult, perhaps the chief impediment to the full realization of self-reliance and self-trust†¦In the end, Emerson’s espousal of self-reliant individualism in The American Scholar is an unwavering rejection of whatever blunts creative human potential.Wherever circumstances threaten the value of autonomy, the outspoken message of The American Sc holar will offer encouragement, proving a clear alternative to debilitating conformity and spiritual alienation. † (Matuozzi) Emerson also expands on the idea of action. Without it, transcendentalism would be nothing but talk of reformation. It would do no good to anyone in the world. Transcendentalist ideas were based on constantly living, rather than constantly contemplating. Emerson sees that action is relevant to human potential. The scholar immerses him- or herself in the world rather than fleeing it. The world is an occasion to gain valuable knowledge through focused, mindful participation. † (Matuozzi). The critic is directly stemming from a statement made in The American Scholar by Emerson: â€Å"Action is with the scholar subordinate, but it is essential. Without it he is not yet man. Without it thought can never ripen into truth. Whilst the world hangs before the eye as a cloud of beauty, we cannot even see its beauty. Inaction is cowardice, but there can be n o scholar without the heroic mind. (The American Scholar). A Noiseless Patient Spider by Walt Whitman has a key trait of the characteristics of transcendentalism as well. The first stanza of the poem starts out by describing one isolated spider. Whitman describes the actions of this spider, as it flings its filaments, or silk webs, into the air. The arachnid is doing this in the hope of latching on to some sort of solid, stable surface. This would ensure it an easy groundwork for setting up the rest of its web. The observer in the poem remarks that he can see this spider as it repeats this tedious task over and over again.In the second stanza, Whitman changes perspectives, instead focused on a human mortal. In the first stanza, the poet saw the desolate world the spider resided in. â€Å"I mark'd where on a little promontory it stood isolated/Mark'd how to explore the vacant vast surrounding† (2-3). In the second stanza, the poet takes this lone spider and turns the creature into a metaphorical form of the human soul. He describes how his own soul is â€Å"Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the spheres to connect them† (8).Just like the spider, uncertain of its future, the human soul also wanders about aimlessly, hoping to grasp something stable that it can cling to. It is just as lonesome. This literary piece adds to the transcendental theme of the unknown. Oftentimes, people find themselves drifting along in life, not knowing where they are headed. â€Å"A miniscule spider, attempting to chart a boundless vacuity with grossly inadequate equipment, becomes a living symbol of the pathetic plight of human mortality. The human soul, too, must deal with the unknown. (Scherle). We search for a purpose, a meaning in our lives that will stabilize us. â€Å"The experience of the spider becomes a metaphor symbolizing the soul’s quest for the unification of earthly and heavenly existence†¦the person visualizes in the spiderâ₠¬â„¢s action a reflection of the pathetic yet heroic struggle he is waging to find immortality. † (Scherle). Without purpose, a person can stray from a better path; transcendentalists found comfort in knowing that the unknown is connected with some mystical higher being.As one critic notes, â€Å"The sense of human insignificance is monstrous† (Scherle). Along those lines, Whitman shows that finding that sole purpose can be a long and tiresome task. Oftentimes it is repetitive and dismal, and the outcome is unspecified. â€Å"Everything (immortality) is hanging on a silken thread, which is being tossed tentatively and figuratively into an unidentified, undefined ‘somewhere’† (Scherle). Whitman sees his soul in â€Å"Surrounded, detached, in measureless oceans of space† just as the spider â€Å"stood isolated† in a â€Å"vacant vast surrounding† (2-7).What the critic realizes is that â€Å"A Noiseless Patient Spider is a poem abo ut loneliness†¦this is a loneliness that grows out of an inherent tendency of the body and soul to attempt to unite with an elusive divine entity in order to gain immortality† (Scherle). Whitman uses the transcendental â€Å"concept of nature as a wayseer for human truth† (Scherle). Transcendentalism is portrayed through the literary works of William Cullen Bryant and Thanatopsis, Ralph Waldo Emerson and The American Scholar, and Walt Whitman and A Noiseless Patient Spider. Thanatopsis exemplifies themes of nature and death.Transcendentalists immersed themselves in the natural world to connect with the divine otherworld. The American Scholar argued that in order to transcend the human body into a spiritual realm, you must first disengage from society. A Noiseless Patient Spider explains the isolation and uncertainty we have throughout our lives. We search for purpose and reason, never knowing what to expect. Transcendentalism was a unique literary time period in Am erica that consisted of a love for nature, the divine, and the individual human mind. Works Cited Page * â€Å"Romanticism. † HarperCollins Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia. 1996). ebscohost. Web. 18 Mar 2013. * Price, Victoria. â€Å"Thanatopsis, Poems. † Salem Press Masterplots. (2010). ebscohost. Database. 18 Mar 2013. * Curley, Thomas M. â€Å"Thanatopsis, Poems. † Salem Press Masterplots II. (2010). ebscohost. Database. 18 Mar 2013. * Scherle, Phillis J. â€Å"A Noiseless Patient Spider, Leaves of Grass. † Salem Press Masterplots II (2002). ebscohost. Database. 18 Mar 2013. * Matuozzi, Robert N. â€Å"A Noiseless Patient Spider, Leaves of Grass. † Salem Press Masterplots (2010). ebscohost. Database. 18 Mar 2013. * Yang, Vincent. â€Å"The American Scholar. † Salem Press Magill’s

Religious Holidays

Religious Holidays Paper There are various religious holidays that are celebrated worldwide by the many differing religions. Each holiday celebrates a certain prophet, event, or date that is important to their specific belief. Two such religious holidays are the Muslim Eid al-Fitr and the Christian Christmas. Eid-al Fitr is an important Muslim holiday that signifies the end of the month of Ramadan. It is also called The Feast of Breaking Fast, The Sugar Feast and The Sweet Festival. The month of Ramadan is meant to be spent fasting so on Eid al Fitr, Muslims are meant to break this fast.This day also marks the start of the month of Shawwal, which is the time where â€Å"Muslims around the world try to show a common goal of unity† (Eid). This holiday has a specific Islamic prayer called salat that is given in two pieces. Muslims congregate to hear this prayer in a large mosque or gathering hall. They prayer is different depending on which juristic opinion is followed whether it be fard, mustahabb or mandoob. Muslims believe that they are commanded by god to fast until Eid al-Fitr where they give zakat, or a portion of ones wealth as a tax, and fitra, their constitution of being.The holiday of Eid was first started in â€Å"Madinah after the migration of Muhammed from Mecca† (SOS). Muhammed came to the people of Madinah and told them of the two holidays that God has made for them to celebrate. They are an occasion to show gratitude to God and remember him as well as a day of entertainment for Muslims. Some typical food eaten on Eid is Badami Gosht, Badam Phirni, and Nawabi Biryani. These dishes are spicy, and some contain meat while others are all vegetarian. A common saying during Eid is â€Å"Eid Muburak† which means happy Eid.The day starts off with keeping the traditions of the prophet Muhammed. Muslims wake up early, say a pre-sunrise prayer, brush their teeth with a toothbrush, wear their finest clothes, and put on perfume. It is forbid den to fast on Eid so â€Å"Muslims have a feast on this day as well as listen to the Eid prayer in a large group† (SOS). Eid gifts known as Eidi are given on this day to children and relatives. Christmas is an important Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Both Christians and non-Christians all around the world celebrate Christmas on December 25.This day â€Å"marks the beginning of Christmastide, which ends on the 12th day† (Christmas). Christmastide is one of the seasons of the liturgical year of most Christian churches. Christians celebrate Christmas day as the fulfillment of the Messaic Prophecy in the Old Testament. It goes that Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary on December 25 in a manger. The Three Kings that brought â€Å"gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh† visited baby Jesus (Origin). Christians put up special decorations in and around their house.They put up Christmas lights around the borders of their homes as well as various props that light up. Some include snowmen, Santa Clause, or Jesus in the manger. The colors that signify Christmas are red and green. Red represents the blood of Jesus while green represents eternal life. The Christmas tree comes from pagan rituals surrounding the winter solstice involving evergreens. It is now incorporated in the holiday of Christmas. The idea of Santa Clause comes from the man Saint Nicholas. He would check the behavior of children and decide whether they deserved gifts or not.Nicholas would secretly put gifts such as coins in people’s shoes. This began the idea of gift giving on Christmas day. A traditional Christmas meal is had on this day with various dishes including ones specific to Christmas. These include mince pies, fruitcakes, and Christmas pudding. Both Christmas and Eid al-Fitr share some similar qualities. Both can be called many different names. For example Christmas can be called Xmas and Eid can be called The Sugar Feast. T hey both are religious holidays that have been started because of a great prophet or messiah.Both holidays have â€Å"historical significance that relates back to either Muhammed or Jesus† (What). These holidays share the basic principle of happiness and cheer, as well as giving. Feasts along with foods that are specific to the holiday are important parts of both Christmas and Eid al-Fitr. Gifts are given in Christmas and Eid as a sign of good fortune a care. While there are similarities between the two holidays, there are also many differences. Eid marks the end of one month and the start of another in contrast with Christmas, which is only significant to one day.Christmas involves decorating your house while Eid does not. Eid also does not have a figure that is tied to gift giving like Christmas does. A major difference between Christmas and Eid is that â€Å"many non-Christians celebrate the holiday of Christmas† (What). Only Muslims celebrate Eid however and it is not as widely accepted by non-Muslims. The religious holidays of Eid al-Fitr and Christmas are both important days to two different religions. These days share some of the same characteristics while also differing in various aspects that make them unique and important to those that celebrate them.

Nature of globalization Essay

Globalization is a term used to explain the new era just like we learn about different periods such as stone age. It entails that people around the world are more connected to one another than ever before in terms of †¢ Information flow through sophisticated means unlike in early ages where messengers and drum beating was used for communication. †¢ Money transfers and goods transportation is quicker and efficient all over the world. Goods and services produced in one part of the world are necessarily available in all parts of the world. †¢ International travel is more convenient and faster than ever. (Martin, 2004) All this changes have been as a result of advance in technology, basically the computer. This is what has enabled globalization. Globalization can be found in five different areas; economic, cultural, political, religious and social systems. Globalization therefore, can be understood as the tendency or the process of businesses, technologies or philosophies to spread throughout the world. Nature of globalization Globalization is something that is very new in the world. For the last 30 years, there was no much discoveries in computer technology although there were computers and they were only used in the developed countries. This is why we cannot say there was globalization since globalization simply means making the world a â€Å"global village† in that every information and services are available and accessible to all the people around the globe just as it is in a small village. The idea of globalization has made it possible to harmonize the cultures of people all over the world. That is because people are able to carry out businesses across boundaries without traveling, using different currencies, making instant payment and in developed countries they use a common currency for example the Euro that is used all over Europe and the US dollar that is used by many countries. It is possible therefore, that the whole world will in future be using one common currency. This is what is referred to as economic globalization. According to Sachs (2005) technology in information has made transfer of information and especially educational information to be available across the globe. This is what has brought the idea of e-learning through the Internet. The changes in culture of the people is being felt especially in the African societies which had very stronghold in their traditions but today this has little or no influence on peoples ways of life especially in the young generation, for example changes in sexual inequality. This is as a result of globalization, people copy the lifestyles or cultures of others from the developed countries due to interaction, travels and high speed information transfer. For this same reason people are able to change their religious believes because the gospel has taken a new line, i. e. it is global reaching every corner of the globe. Conclusion When we talk of globalization we definitely have to think about the major participants in this idea. The United States dominates in this global traffic in information and ideas. (www. globalpolicy. org) The American music, movies, television and software’s are so dominant , so sought after by everybody and so visible that they are now available in every corner of the earth, including the developing countries in sub-Sahara Africa. References Raskin. P. T(2002), The Great Transition Boston Tellus Institute p31-42. Alex MacGillirray (2006) A Brief History of Globalization. New York. p122-127. Sachs,T. (2005), The end Poverty New York p 13-23 Martin, W. (2004), why globalization works, New York: Yale University Press, pg 210-235 Global policies, Available from, www. globalpolicy. org (Retrieved December 14, 2007) What is globalization, Available from, www. globalisation101. org (Retrieved December 14, 2007)

Ethical approval Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethical approval - Essay Example There should be one for the patients and one for the nurses. I have attached a copy of the participant information sheet which you are expected to use and which you will need to amend to reflect your study 3: You still need to include the interview schedules – there should be one for the patient and one for the nurses. These should detail the questions you will use to guide your semi-structured interview I confirm that I have read and understood the information sheet for the above study titled â€Å"Acute Pain for Postoperative Patients in Kuwait: A Study of How Surgical Nurses Assess Postoperative Pain† and what my contribution will be. I deem it a great privilege to seek your invitation to be part of the present research study. It is crucial that you understand the purpose of the research and what your role would be as a participant. I therefore ask that you make time to critically study the information provided below. Please feel free to ask any questions if any portion of the information appears unclear to you. Finally, you are free to decide whether or not to be part of the study. It is good to note that the research seeks to fulfil three major health related purposes which include the need investigate what the knowledge of nurses are on pain assessment; outline the various perceptions that nurses and patients hold on pain assessment; and find out what the risk factors associated with patients response to post-operative pain are. The major reason for including you as a participant for the current study is for you to provide experience based data on your experiences with pain as a patient who has gone through surgical operation in a Kuwait medical setting before. The major line of data that will be needed from you will include your experience with pain and how you assessed pain, before and after the operation. The major reason for including you as a participant for the current research is for you to provide evidence based data

Research the economics of making a career as an equestrian and write a Essay

Research the economics of making a career as an equestrian and write a 4 page paper about it - Essay Example In the US, one of the cities where the equine industry is booming is in the New York City. According to a study done in order to determine the economic impact of this industry in this city revealed that there are over 1.7 million equine divisions in the city. In 2011, the industry generated more than 4.2billion dollars. This, according to analysts is equals to creating 33, 000 full time jobs. The exact job impacts, however, totals 12, 903 direct jobs and 20,088 indirect jobs making a total of 32, 991 careers from the Equine industry in this city. The study also revealed that the equine industry has spread in the different counties in the cities meaning that they are not concentrated in one area. Racing was identified as one of the areas with the highest divisions with other careers such as training and breeding following suit. There are also jobs in the racing museums all located in this city (NYT Breeders). Economic impact of careers in this industry is either categorized as direct or indirect impact. Indirect impact is obtained from the direct expenditures that stem from the local vendors and the racing entities. Indirect or the induced impact, on the other hand stems from the high household incomes obtained from direct employment in the equine industry. Household spending makes sure that the money obtained is injected in the economy and that local activities are enhanced or funded as a result. The induced impact is also as a result of increased tourism and the availability of visitors who are willing to spend on businesses such as restaurants and gas stations (NYT Breeders). The major economic impact is obtained from breeders, racehorse owners and trainers. This is because their direct economic impact is 52% while jobs in this area are at 52%. Costs in this area are mainly related to horse care and farm care expenditures. Some of the fees included in these

How would Virtue Ethics be used to solve moral controversies What Essay

How would Virtue Ethics be used to solve moral controversies What would Virtue Ethics say is the right action in regards to abortion - Essay Example Contextually, moral controversies and its impact on the society is vital and hence, the effect of virtue ethics is an important considerate in this regard. The discussion henceforth also stresses on the fact that the impact of social issues like abortion may lead to the death of several lives in the society and create a moral controversy. Virtue ethics, in its simplest form, implies the good character of individuals and their awareness of the moral rights they have. According to virtue ethics, a virtuous person will have his attention towards avoiding social moral controversies, as they focus towards the nature of the issue. In this context, it can be stated that virtue ethics focuses more upon the aspect to how an individual should live and portray his/her characteristics and express wisdom towards solving issues. Accordingly, these aspects and positive traits of the people minimize the risk of moral controversies to a considerable extent (British Philosophical Association, n.d.). Virtue ethics is based upon three tenets to avoid the moral controversies, which includes ‘agent-based theories, Eudaimonism, and the ethics of care’. In other words, virtue ethics is a form of â€Å"Modern Moral Philosophy†, which implies that every individual living in a society needs to have rational thoughts to avoid controversies. Hence, virtue implies towards the right action of an individual guided by their moral obligations (British Philosophical Association, n.d.). Concerning abortion, the right attitude or virtue depends upon the relevance of action, based on correct information. As virtue ethics refers fetus to be a life, and because killing a life is against the moral consideration, virtue ethics refers abortion as a wrong action. However, the action of abortion can be referred as virtuous, if the decision is based on accurate information, independence and self-determination by the expecting mother and the pregnancy may be a

Glo-Bus Company Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Glo-Bus Company Analysis - Research Paper Example The Glo- Bus Company is a fully automated simulation where the team leaders are divided in teams to run a digital camera in a head to head competition with other companies. It competes globally with other companies. The major challenge for this company in trying to craft and execute a competitive strategy which will result into a respected brand image, keeping their company in contention for global market leadership, and producing financial performance. This is measured by its earnings per share, stock price appreciation, credit rating and return on equity investment and this calls for a proper strategy. The Glo-Bus application was an intriguing and challenging venture starting in the simulation where the team leaders were positioned well with good strategy and strengths in the first years. Despite the challenges in the first years, it struggled to adapt to the increasingly changing market conditions. Eventually, it gained an insight which would help in its future strategy formation and execution efforts (John, 1997). Strategy As a co-management team, a plan of attack was formulated quickly to enable the company compete effectively with its competitors. A plan conference was then decided upon with all the managers of distinguished image. The company felt that this would be its most convenient opportunity for its team leaders to talk over its strategies which would help them come up with a plan of attack. This conference led to the birth of the company’s vision statement and I quote, â€Å"Distinguished imaging strives to be the global market leader in reliable technological and advanced digital cameras. We are focused on customer satisfaction on quality technological products and seeking to be the number one in the digital imaging technology† (John, 1997). By having this vision statement put in place, the team leaders worked with the notion of being unified in to a cohesive and coordinated effort. From a strategic perspective, they decided to offer quality products at a cheaper cost unlike th e other companies. Its major goal was to use the best cost provider strategy in providing good to excellent product qualities but at a cheaper cost. This strategy has enabled the company compete with Beacon camera and Capture camera respectively in the sixth year. Its goal was to offer a quality entry level camera at a cheaper cost plus a higher quality multi feature camera at a reasonable price. This was only during that year alone but in the next year, the company would adapt a new strategy which included a combination of focused market niche differentiation and low cost strategy to be applied (John, 1997). Strength One of the quickest ways in trying to achieve the best cost strategy was to invest in a high quality workforce and major on the employee output. This was coupled with paying their employees at the high end of the pay scale and rewarding them in exchange for reaching a higher level of output. This was because with a higher input, it would definitely lead to improved pro duct production and quality. Unlike its competitors, this would definitely be a plus to them hence compete effectively as can be seen in year seven. As a result of this logic, the company did not invest in the first three years in warranty periods as it expected the quality of the products to maintain lower quality claims. Therefore, in hindsight, the company might have missed a great opportunity in offering an extensive warranty programs at a lower claim rate due to the quality products. As a result of this, a corporate citizenship program was implemented by increasing the employee conditions and the community efforts in the following years respectively (Jennifer, 2000). As part of the initial product strategy, focus was on offering a strong number of camera models and concentration was initially on developing features of entry level cameras. This was definitely to offer a strong market share. A decision was made not to enter the multi feature

Challenges faced by financial asset pricing models Essay

Challenges faced by financial asset pricing models - Essay Example Even then these models would serve as a better guide to the market than the lessons taught by a financial ruin. That is a strong reason for understanding the challenges faced by the financial asset pricing models, so that these models can be used with discretion to understand the market better. Seen from that angle understanding the correlation between risk and returns, by using a tool, in this case the financial asset pricing models is vital. Any pricing errors would affect the valuation models, jeopardize value judgments and therefore give rise to incorrect risk assessment. The challenges faced by the asset pricing models are on the rise due to the intermingling of economies due to globalization. Along with the increase in challenges the number of critics also increases. These pressures and requirements in turn give rise to new models of financial asset pricing. However the scope of this essay is limited to the empirical challenges faced by financial asset pricing models. To make a base for this study I start with comparing and contrasting different financial disasters that made headlines in the past with the more recent ones. In the past all the noted failures were either due to lack of analytical capacity, absence of systems, error in using models or failure to appreciate risks. The inadequate appreciation of yield curves resulted in S&L bailout. Askin Capital management fiasco was as a result of inadequate analytics and Kidder Peaboy tragedy occurred due to the imperfect management risks. In contrast to this is the more recent failures where even the financial entities known for their efficiencies were dragged to take knee jerk reactions to address huge market dislocations like Russia's default and a collapse in liquidity. The problem solving capacity of an investor has increased manifold through the years. Powerful machines today help investors solve problems, which were considered beyond scope, just a few years ago. The right kind of codes put together (software) by a programmer can have a path breaking consequence on the computational capability of an investor. Side by side with this technological breakthrough, there is also a reduction in cost of computation and emergence of better financial theories. Today's investors are much more aware of the market conditions and have a greater capacity to analyze and take logical decisions about investments due to the availability of different computation methods and real time accessibility to information. But paradoxically usage of these refined method for investment have made the markets more risk prone due to the intermingling of the market in a globalized economy. A direct consequence of this is the rise of common risks. Traditionally investors used to div ersify their portfolio in an attempt to beat an existing market risk and they were successful in this due to the difference in risk associated with different securities. But now with the increase in awareness about the different tools with which they can make decisions there is a commonality of reaction to a crisis resulting in potential catastrophes. At the time of a crisis the investors try and reduce risk by selling their illiquid positions. But since by now the demand for it would go down due o the similar stance all over by the investors, they try to sell their liquid positions no matter which market they are in. Due to this massive movement the market gets

Small Business Start-Up Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Small Business Start-Up - Coursework Example 2. Jane and Michael have also prepared a break-even chart, showing fixed costs, total costs and total revenue. In doing this, they have assumed that the highest number of orders they could cope with is 2,500 a month. Your second task is to prepare this break-even chart. Michael and Jane plan to apply a wide range of marketing strategies for their business. Key among the strategies to be applied include but not limited to personal selling, fliers, posters, rack cards and signage. The entrepreneurs have decided to use the following promotional strategies owing to the fact that they are quite economical, easy to apply and the fact that their area operation is quite limited. For instance, the market niche for the business involves serving the wealthy homes of The entrepreneurs are interested in maintaining contact with their loyal customers. This is to ensure that the business does not lose their loyal customers to their competitors. Michael and Jane will employ techniques such as email to frequently contact their customers. Considering that Michael and Jane are still youths with limited skills in analyzing information relating to market patterns it is obvious that an individual will place a considerable low confidence level on the survey results of the young entrepreneurs.

Organisational Behaviour Essay Example for Free

Organisational Behaviour Essay The concept of the balanced scorecard (BSC) was first introduced by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton (1992) in their now widely cited Harvard Business Review article, â€Å"The Balanced Scorecard—Measures that Drive Performance.† The widespread adoption and use of the BSC is well documented. For example, Kaplan and Norton (2001) reported that by 2001 about 50% of the Fortune 1000 companies in North America and 40% to 45% of companies in Europe were using the BSC. The basic premise of the BSC is that financial results alone cannot capture value-creating activities (Kaplan Norton, 2001). In other words, financial measures are lagging indicators and, as such, are not effective in identifying the drivers or activities that affect financial results. Kaplan and Norton (1992) suggested that organizations, while using financial measures, should develop a comprehensive set of additional measures to use as leading indicators, or predictors, of financial performance. They suggested that measures should be developed that address four perspectives: 1. The financial perspective. Measures in this perspective should answer the question, â€Å"How should we appear to our shareholders?† 2. The customer perspective. These measures should answer the question, ABSTRACT. Although the application of the balanced scorecard (BSC) in the business sector is well documented, very little research has been reported regarding the adaptation or application of the BSC in the education sector. In this article, the authors (a) describe how the Baldrige Education Criteria for Performance Excellence has adapted the concept of the BSC to education and (b) discuss significant differences as well as similarities between the BSC for business and the BSC for education. The authors also present examples of the BSCs of three Baldrige Education Award recipients. financial performance (Kaplan Norton, 1996). Thus, the BSC enables managers to monitor and adjust the implementation of their strategies and to make fundamental changes in them. The Baldrige National Quality Program: An Overview The Baldrige National Quality Program is the vehicle of implementation of The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Improvement Act of 1987–Public Law 100–107. This law was enacted on the basis of a set of â€Å"Findings,† one of which was that [T]he leadership of the United States in product and process quality has been challenged strongly (and sometimes successfully) by foreign competition, and our Nation’s productivity growth has improved less than our competitors’ over the last two decades. (Baldrige National Quality Program, 2003a, p. 61) â€Å"How should we appear to our customers?† 3. Internal business processes perspective. Measures in this perspective should answer the question, â€Å"What processes must we excel at?† 4. Learning and growth perspective. These measures should answer the question, â€Å"How can we sustain our ability to change and improve?† A critical factor for an effective BSC is the alignment of all the measures in the four perspectives with the company’s vision and strategic objectives. The BSC allows managers to track short-term financial results while simultaneously monitoring their progress in building the capabilities and acquiring the intangible assets that generate growth for future The primary objective of the Baldrige Program is to help American businesses improve their competitiveness in the global market. Businesses can improve their competitiveness by identifying role-model organizations, recognizing them, and disseminating their best practices throughout the United States. The Baldrige Program is widely recognized as a very significant factor in strengthening U.S. competitiveness in the global market. In its 1995 report Building on Baldrige: American Quality for the 21st Century, the Council on Competitiveness made the following statements: â€Å"The Baldrige National Quality Award and its state and local offshoots have been key to the effort to strengthen U.S. competitiveness† and â€Å"The Baldrige Award Program, having galvanized U.S. quality efforts, is now positioned to become the vehicle to stimulate and coordinate efforts to expand quality as a national priority† (Council, p. v). The Council (p. 22) also stated that it â€Å"is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of chief executives from business, higher education and organized labor who have joined together to pursue a single overriding goal: to improve the ability of American companies and workers to compete more effectively in world markets, while building a rising standard of living at home.† In 1995, The Council was chaired by Paul Allaire, CEO, Xerox, with Thomas E. Everhart, President, California Institute of Technology, and Jack Sheinkman, President, Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union, AFL-CIO, CLC, as vice-chairmen. Recipients of the Baldrige Award are obligated to present their â€Å"best practices† at one national and two regional conferences. In addition to these obligatory presentations, there is a great demand for additional presentations. Through 1998, past Baldrige Award recipients made approximately 30,000 presentations. The centerpiece of the Baldrige Program is the Criteria for Performance Excellence. These criteria define a stateof-the-art management model that integrates the following seven areas into a comprehensive system: leadership; strategic planning; customer and market focus; measurement, analysis, and knowledge management; human resource focus; process management; and business results. In Figure 1, we show the framework of the criteria in a systems perspective. The criteria maintain currency through annual revisions and improvements that incorporate emerging issues and best practices (Baldrige National Quality Program, 2003a). The criteria place heavy emphasis on the development of a comprehensive measurement system that is aligned with the company’s strategic objectives. The measurement system yields results in the following areas (Baldrige National Quality Program, 2003a): 1. Customer-focused results 2. Product and service results 3. Financial and market results 4. Human resource results 5. Organizational effectiveness results, including key internal operations performance measures 6. Governance and social responsibility results Clearly, this set of results is consistent with the basic concept of the BSC. The financial and market results are the only lagging indicator and cover the BSC’s financial perspective. The customerfocused results obviously cover the BSC’s customer perspective. The product and service results together with the organizational effectiveness results cover the BSC’s internal business perspective. The human resource results cover the BSC’s learning and growth perspective. The governance and social responsibility results were added in 2003 and represent a new perspective in view of the recent, well known collapses that giant corporations experienced owing to unethical practices. The Baldrige Education Criteria for Performance Excellence In 1995, the Baldrige National Quality Program began the process of converting the business criteria for use in the education sector. This process culminated in the development of the Education Criteria for Performance Excellence and with Congressional approval of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Education in 1999. In Figure 2, we show the framework of the education criteria in a systems perspective. Clearly, this framework is very similar to that of the business criteria shown in Figure 1. In 2001, three educational institutions became the first recipients of the Baldrige Award. The BSC in the Education Criteria for Performance Excellence Although the concept of the BSC has been widely adopted and used in the business sector, the education sector apparently has not embraced the BSC concept widely, as indicated by the dearth of published research on this topic. A thorough review of the literature yielded few significant publications. For example, Cullen, Joyce, Hassall, and Broadbent (2003) proposed that a balanced scorecard be used in educational institutions for reinforcement of the importance of managing rather than just monitoring performance. Sutherland (2000) reported that the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California adopted the balanced scorecard approach to assess its academic program and planning process. Also, Chang and Chow (1999) reported that responses in a survey of 69 accounting department heads were generally supportive of the balanced scorecard’s applicability and benefits to accounting programs. The importance of measurement permeates the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. The focus on measurement in the criteria first appears in the set of â€Å"Core Values and Concepts.† These factors comprise the philosophical foundations of performance excellence and are as follows (Baldrige National Quality Program, 2003b): 1. Visionary leadership 2. Learning-centered education 3. Organizational and personal learning In the â€Å"focus on the future† core value, the criteria state that â€Å"a major longer-term investment associated with your organization’s improvement is the investment in creating and sustaining a mission-oriented assessment system focused on learning† (Baldrige National Quality Program, 2003b, p. 3). The criteria recommend that organizations use both (a) formative assessment to measure learning early in the learning process to allow for timely intervention, if needed, and (b) summative assessment to measure progress against key relevant external standards and norms regarding the knowledge and skills that students have (Baldrige National Quality Program, 2003b). In the â€Å"management by fact† core value, the criteria make the following statement: â€Å"A major consideration in per-formance improvement and change management involves the selection and use of performance measures and indicators. The measures or indicators you select should best repres ent the factors that lead to improved student, operational, and financial performance. A comprehensive set of measures or indicators tied to student, stakeholder, and/or organizational performance requirements represents a clear basis for aligning all processes with your organization’s goals† (Baldrige National Quality Program, 2003b, p. 4). The congruence of the portion in italics with the basic premise and the perspectives of the BSC is clear. In the â€Å"focus on results and creating value† core value, the criteria state that â€Å"the use of a balanced composite of leading and lagging performance measures offers an effective means to communicate short and longer term priorities, monitor actual performance, and provide a clear basis for improving results† (Baldrige National Quality Program, 2003b, p. 4). The criteria make the following statement in the â€Å"systems perspective† core value: â€Å"Alignment means using key linkages among requirements given in the Baldrige Categories to ensure consistency of plans, processes, measur es, and actions† (Baldrige National Quality Program, 2003b, p. 5). The 11 core values and concepts are embodied in the following seven categories: 1. Leadership 2. Strategic planning 3. Student, stakeholder, and market focus 4. Measurement, analysis, and knowledge management 5. Faculty and staff focus 6. Process management 7. Organizational performance results In Figure 2, we show the framework connecting and integrating these seven categories into a comprehensive system. In describing Figure 2, the criteria state, in part, that â€Å"Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management (Category 4) are critical to the effective management of your organization and to a fact-based system for improving performance.

The Infallibility of the Bible: Astronomical Errors

The Infallibility of the Bible: Astronomical Errors 03/12/2017 There is overwhelming support for inerrancy from history. The idea that the Bible can contain errors is a relatively new belief. Author and scholar Harold Lindsell stated, Apart from a few exceptions, the church through the ages has consistently believed that the entire Bible is the inerrant or infallible Word of God[1]. You need a transition here The presence of observable and falsifiable[J1] scientific evidence is perhaps the most compelling reason for the conclusion that the Bible is not free from error. Because this evidenc[J2]e clearly yields certain conclusions that are contradicted by direct statements from biblical authors, we can safely say that the Bible is an imperfect book containing flaws of [J3]human origins. Due to the overwhelming amount of scientific errors the book possesses, you [J4]should have great comfort in deciding that there was no divine inspiration or intervention in creation. Furthermore, the vast categories of errors contained in the Bible demonstrate that the mistakes are not confined to a single author or field of study, a realization that should question the foundation and intent of the book as a whole. This paper will focus considerably on the first chapter of Genesis, astronomy, and biology because each of these topics unmistakably contributes to the faux pas of apologetics. THE BEGINNING: Anyone with a decent background in natural science who undertakes an impartial but critical look at the first chapter of Genesis should have no trouble denouncing its claims as a complete lie. At best, the author has offered a poorly constructed allegory for the creation of the universe; at worst, and far more plausible, Genesis 1 is a total fabrication. This section will of course demonstrate why the creation account in the opening chapter fails miserably to be scientifically accurate.[2] Early in the creation, God allegedly separated the waters into two distinct bodies so that land could appear between them. He called the water below seas and the water above sky, which he presumably held aloft by the use of a firmament (Verses 6-10). While the NIV translated this verse using expansion, the Hebrew word utilized by the author is rakia, which the KJV more accurately translated as a solid body.3 Why is the KJV translation more in line with the authors intent? First, its the primary use of the word. Second, it reinforces the aforementioned idea of a sky ocean because a solid protective layer would be required to suspend the water if there truly were an ocean above us as the Bible suggests. Third, it complements the known widespread primitive beliefs. Take the mindset of an ancient Hebrew for a moment by ignoring any contemporary understanding you have of the world. You can glance at the sky above and observe that its the color of water, while, periodically, water falls from above. With no further evidence to consider and no further understanding of this phenomenon, the perfectly logical conclusion would be that theres a mass of water in the sky. If this is true, it certainly follows that a solid body, a firmament, would be necessary to contain this oceanic reservoir. Perhaps windows even open in the firmament to allow rainfall (Genesis 8:2). Although the pursuit of knowledge has proven these outdated beliefs untrue, we are far richer in scientific understanding than our Hebrew predecessors and should not scoff at the author for his proposal. We now know that the sky is blue due to the scattering of a particular wavelength of light passing through the atmosphere at a certain angle, not because theres an ocean in the sky. While we cannot fault the author for believing this ancient hypothesis, we can conclude that his guess on the properties of the sky was incorrect. Already, a critical analysis has demonstrated the Bible to be scientifically inaccurate and undeniably imperfect. God allegedly created the sun and moon on the fourth day of the creation (14-19), but this curious statement creates a plethora of troubles because God had already divided the day into lightness and darkness as his first creation (3-5). How can there be night and day without the sun, the only appreciable source of light for our planet? Again, we must take the probable mindset of the author to understand his position. Look into the sky away from the sun. Its unreasonable to conclude that the earth is bright at its distal boundaries just because the sun is shining, unless you have solid evidence to the contrary, because the light originating from this enormous ball of fire appears to stop very near its edges[3]. Besides, everyone knows that the horizon is luminous well before and well after the sun is in the visible regions of the sky. Thus, theres no solid reason to conclude that the sun has anything to do with creating the illumination, only that it accompanies the somewhat concurren t periods of lightness. In fact, the Bible explicitly states that the sun and moon are merely symbols to divide the day from the night (14). In the biblical world, however, God controlled morning and evening by this mysterious force called light (3-5), an entirely different entity created much earlier than the sun. We now know that the sun is the determining factor between morning and evening, yet the Bible clearly proclaims morning and evening existed prior to the suns creation. In addition to the sun gaffe, the scientifically ignorant author commits the mistake of listing the moon as a light (16). If we were to be rigidly technical about the Bibles claim, this verse is another scientifically erroneous notion because the moon merely reflects illumination from the sun. Isaiah and Ezekiel also make this mistake in their prophecy accounts (30:26 and 32:7, respectively). Again, we often take our modern knowledge about the universe for granted, yet such a gift was completely unforeseeable to the ancient Hebrew. Another problem arises from the sun not appearing until the fourth day when you consider that plants suddenly appeared on the third day (11-13). While its definitely possible, even very likely, for plants to survive without the sun for a single day, many apologists have attempted to rectify the obvious timeline problems in Genesis by altering the meaning of a day. Once they consummate this amendment, theyve created a timeline in which the plants exist without sunlight for however long these days are to them. In most cases, a biblical day must necessarily be no less than a period of millions of years in order to be congruent with scientific data. While the general Hebrew term for day, yom, doesnt necessarily mean a twenty-four hour day, we still understand it to be a short time period based on every contemporaneous instance of its use. Millennia simply do not qualify using this unbiased criterion. Furthermore, the author provides us with the precise definition of yom in every creation instance: morning and evening. Naturally, well revisit these creationary intervals in the upcoming Thousands Or Billions. For now, lets return to the problem of the plants thriving without the suns existence. Most vegetation requires sunlight to undergo photosynthesis, the process of using light energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into nutrients. I wouldnt bet on plant survival much more than a month without the sun. While its true that the biblical creation has this mysterious light existing prior to the arrival of plants, the only thing we can conclude about its existence is the probable lack thereof. The sun, on the other hand, is fully compatible with plant life. Once again, this obtuse blunder can be justified by the limitations of the ancient Hebrews knowledge because he obviously wasnt aware that plants were feeding off sunlight for their survival. As one final minor point on plants for now, God says he has given us every plant for food (29). However, were now aware of plants with qualities poisonous enough that make us avoid physical contact with them. Such disturbingly reckless advice hardly seems to be the kind likely given out by an omniscient deity. God allegedly created the stars on the fourth day (16), but what were they, and what was their purpose? Biblical authors believed that stars were small sources of light contained within the imaginary firmament covering the earth. In other words, they exhibited no divine inspiration, whatsoever, telling them that stars were actually unfathomably enormous gaseous spheres seemingly countless miles away. In short, the authors celestial hypothesis was incorrect on location, number, and size.[4] Verification for the location part of this position is quite easy to demonstrate. After God made the sun, moon, and stars, he set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth 6(17). So along with the sun and moon, the stars are apparently housed in this imaginary physical boundary separating the sky ocean from the open air above earths inhabitants. The Bible also remarkably claims the outdated belief that stars were extremely small in size. After the disclosure of their location in the firmament, and after God tells Abraham several times that his people would be as numerous as the stars (which is also impossible, yet its claimed to have been fulfilled in Hebrews 11:12), the next clear reference to size and position of these celestial bodies is found in the book of Isaiah. Here, the prophet speaks of exalting a throne above the stars of God (14:13). Likewise, Job says, behold the height of the stars, how high they are (22:12). Stars are not high; they are distant. One would expect these two divinely inspired individuals to make this distinction in their records; instead, they boldly demonstrate that they shared the popular yet erroneous belief that God fixed the stars at the skys apex. The book of Psalms states that God tells the number of stars and calls them all by their names (147:4). Thats quite an impressive accomplishment considering scientists estimate that there could be as many as 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 in the known universe. If God truly told anyone how many stars surrounded our planet, the ridiculous firmament belief should have ceased without delay.[5] Daniel speaks of a vision that he had concerning a giant goats horn knocking the stars down to the ground where the goat stamped upon them (Daniel 8:8-9). Passing comment on the vision, we can also be decidedly certain that Daniel believed stars were tiny lights hanging above the earth. Otherwise, how could his monstrous goat stamp upon them? More importantly, how could someone divinely inspired write something so blatantly preposterous? In the New Testament, Matthew and Mark both record Jesus foretelling of an era when the stars shall fall from heaven (24:29 and 13:25, respectively). Jesus, a supposedly perfect human being who was supposedly the only son of a supposedly perfect god, wasnt immune to scientific ignorance either. Revelation was the grandiose vision of John, yet another man who God allegedly inspired, but John also thought that stars were bright objects of insignificant size directly above the earth. In this record of his dream-like hallucination, he claims to see Jesus holding seven stars in his right hand (1:16). While John may have seen what looked like seven stars in Jesus hand, this is not what the text clearly states. The passage unambiguously says Jesus was holding seven stars in his hand. Thus, Johns statement is certainly in error. In addition, John mentions a dream in which the stars of heaven fell unto the earth and compares this event to a fig tree shaking off its leaves (6:13). Furthermore, he describes a great star falling into the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of the waters (8:10). If a star were to fall to our planet as John indicates, it would annihilate the earth upon impact because these bodies are generally hundreds of times larger than our world. Finally , John sees a dragon swing its tail around, consequently knocking a third of the stars in the sky down to the ground (12:4). Theres no need to discuss how enormous such a hypothetical tail would have to be in order to accomplish this impossibility. After all, Revelation was only a vision. On the other hand, we must expect Christians to accept that this man had a unique foreknowledge of humankinds imminent future. In other words, these ridiculously fantastical events must remain futuristic certainties to biblical apologists. At this point, we can safely say that anyone attempting to harmonize the scientifically determined position, size, and number of our celestial neighbors with a literal interpretation of the Bible is veraciously wasting his time. Another embarrassing tale of biblical nonsense is the construction of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11. According to the bogus legend, everyone on earth spoke the same language when the erection of the tower began. Because the people of earth had a great desire to catch a glimpse of God, they built this supposed tower intending to breach the sky. As God didnt like the possibility of people spotting him, he confused their languages to prevent the architects from understanding one another. Unable to continue construction, everyone with different languages went separate ways. This story is unfeasible for many reasons.[6] The first problem with the incredulous account is the incongruency of the common language theme. We know that many different languages existed centuries before the storys setting around 2500-2000 BCE. Not only that, but another Pentateuch author had said Noahs sons separated according to their own tongues in the previous chapter (Genesis 10). At the very least, we have a major timeline discrepancy in need of an acceptable resolution. Furthermore, the notion that nineteenth century man had the architectural knowledge to build a tower even a mile high is ridiculous. To fathom that a group of ignorant ancient Hebrews could make an equivalent accomplishment is ludicrous. Interestingly, no divine inspiration is available as a possible excuse for the illogical story because God wasnt siding with his people on this occasion! If he didnt wish for the people to see him, he wouldnt have provided the means for them to do so. Of course, the most obvious blunder is Gods supposed fear of us actually reaching him in the sky. To suggest that an omniscient god would destroy a building because he felt he was in danger of humans catching a glimpse of him is an equally ludicrous proposal. The aspects of this story once again go back to the ancient Hebrew belief that God eternally resided on top of a dome covering the earth. Since an omniscient deity would know that the people could not possibly reach him, he would not have stopped the towers construction for the specific reason provided by the Bible. The story cries of a myth.[7] We also have fanciful tales about giants roaming the earth during the Pentateuch era. Theres a lot of room for interpretation here because the exact nature of these mysterious giants is unknown. However, we understand that the Bible has them living both before and after the flood (Genesis 6:4 and Numbers 13:33). Some Christians have argued these giants are the dinosaurs, but this proposed explanation fails to be consistent with the flood caused the dinosaur extinction hypothesis offered by others in the same crowd. While the text is most likely referring to a race of people, archaeologists have found no reliable evidence that these creatures existed. Given the track record of the Bible thus far, its reasonable to conclude that the Genesis giants are, at best, an exaggeration of an otherwise normal species of life. Jesus also commits another scientific blunder when he declares the mustard seed to be the smallest seed of the earth (Mark 4:31). There are, in fact, many seeds smaller than the mustard, such as the South American orchid, but the Hebrews were obviously ignorant of most everything outside of their homeland. Had God presented this bit of information to the author of Mark, it seems unfeasible that the writer would portray Jesus as a man so careless with his diction. This example is clearly another biblical error on the growing accumulation that arises from the same limitation of divinely uninspired perspective. The suggestion that the Bible is lacking a scientific foundation is nothing less than a colossal understatement. The Bible has failed fair, impartial, and universally applicable tests in multiple fields of science. If God truly is the inspiration behind this purportedly divine declaration to the world, he shows absolutely no interest in its understandability or accuracy in astronomy, cosmology, zoology, botany, anthropology, geology, ecology, geography, physiology, and several other disciplines not covered in this chapter. In fact, the Bible handicaps those who use their God-given talents of reason and logic to settle blatant biblical problems. Nothing can be more detrimental to the authenticity of a statement than contradictory phenomena that we readily observe and experience. With no other evidence to consider, these natural manifestations should always override what we might hope and think to be correct explanations for unignorable discrepancies. Such is the power of science and r eason. They are the impartial pursuit of an answer to a question, not the search for supplements to a predetermined answer. These are just a few examples of how it is useless and counterproductive even for fundamentalists to try to extract concepts from the Bible that they do not have as well as try to argue that they possess any technical and scientific knowledge beyond their time. The Bible is a religious, spiritual, moral and mythological book, and as such is subordinate to the world view of its time and place. It is perfectly possible for Christians to be at peace with their religion and their holy book even though they are aware of their primitive conceptions of the Universe and the World, even as Frei Betto would say in his text The Bible in 12 Steps: Just as no one fails to take a remedy because there is an error of agreement in the bull, Jews and Christians do not care if they find a historical misconception in the biblical texts, and in their eyes they are, rather, religious texts. There are notions of science or history and they know that the biblical authors did not intend to reach methodological and scientific precision.We interweaved religious, historical and scientific references according to the knowledge of the time.While the quality of the wiring, the electronic conduits, the post or the lamp , For who seeks light to see better? FREI BETTO The Bible in 12 Steps That is, a fable does not have its essential content invalidated by the fact of describing fantastic things, like Talking Foxes. In the same way, a myth should not be devalued by its physically absurd elements. If I do not believe in the divine inspiration of the Bible, it is rather by many other factors, such as those quoted in Is the Divinely Inspired Bible ?, yet it does not invalidate its cultural value. The biblical apologists are even lucky that, thanks to the early Catholic Church, only the 3 synoptic gospels and the gospel of John were considered canonical. What in themselves already present myriads of errors conception about nature. Otherwise, it might be utterly impossible not to see Biblical Geocentrism, which although present is not so explicit. In Hebrews 11, the apostle Paul refers to the translation of Enoch, the father of Methuselah, which is not described in the Old Testament, only vaguely suggested in Genesis 5:22. Pauls knowledge certainly came also from other gospels, such as the apocryphon Enochs Book of Secrets, which tells the story mentioned by Paul, which makes this book a little more trustworthy than the other apocryphal even Because it is most probably from him that Paul also removed the mention of the angelic hierarchy of Thrones, Dominions, Principalities and Powers, as quoted in Colossians [1:17], and in other excerpts from his New Testament epistles. Well, this book, written at the same time as the other Gospels by some scholar who knew Aristotelian Geocentrism, explicitly describes the mechanisms used by angels to move the Sun around the Earth, in addition to the other celestial spheres Of the trio Copernicus, Galileo, and Kepler, were accepted by most scholars, and yet were far more advanced than the primitive idea of a Flat Earth lost in an Abyss. Probably the incompatibility of Hellenistic geocentrism, which already knew the sphericity of the Earth, with the much more primitive concepts of the Bible, was one of the factors for the disqualification of the apocryphal book of Enoch. It is certainly lucky. For fundamentalists already have a tremendous work to hide and omit blatant biblical naivety about the reality of nature, and to distort and decontextualize verses. Turning the affirmation of the apologists: Many errors were indeed stated, but conservative biblical scholars have always been able to find solutions to these problems. Perhaps they have forgotten to say that these solutions only satisfy even the counselors who have solved their rationality within Religious Fanaticism. [1] Zondervan, (The Battle for the Bible, 1978) [2] Long, Jason (Biblical Nonsense, 2015) 3 Ibid [3] William Henry Burr (Self-Contradictions of the Bible, 2016) [4] C. Dennis Mckinsey (The Encyclopedia of Biblical Errancy, 1995) 6 Ibid [5] Long, Jason (Biblical Nonsense, 2015) [6] Bart D. Ehrman (Gods Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important QuestionWhy We Suffer, 2009) [7] Bart D. Ehrman (Gods Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important QuestionWhy We Suffer, 2009) [J1]Word is not used in the right context. [J2]Which evidence? [J3]about [J4]one

Factors Promoting and Impeding Economic Globalisation

Factors Promoting and Impeding Economic Globalisation 1.1 INTRODUCTION Globalisation has become a profound concept in social sciences; it is hard to discuss the current developmental issues without making any comment on globalization. Globalisation has accelerated rapid changes and the progression towards the development. Furthermore, globalisation connected people to one another. For example, in the previous era the world is connecting to each other through traditional method which is via mail, now, people can connect to each other via internet. Indeed, understanding of globalisation need to be viewed from the four analytical dimensions. Namely, economic, political, cultural and technological globalization (Kiefee and Steve, 2005). This essay is more concern with the economic globalization. Economic globalization is been expressed in what is known as neo-liberal policy supported by Washington Consensus. In fact, neo-liberal policy advocates liberalization of economic, privatization, trade liberalization and deregulation of national economy, which are all part of the factors that promote economic globalisation. Economic globalisation has been a major drive of current era of globalisation. Michael (2000) has claimed that trade and financial institution has been the major drive of economic globalisation (Michael, 2000). However, economic globalisation has been experience critiques which have been led to impediment in its growth in some quarters of the world. The development of economic globalisation cannot be doubted anymore. This development has increasingly growing throughout the years and increases the levels of economic interdependence, besides sharpens struggle between countries. Various actors play an important role in economic globalisation growth, namely; International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, and World Trade Organisation. These organisations perform certain functions to keep economic globalisation works, for example they provides long term loans to developing countries. The WTO act as the body that manage to reduce tax in trade relations that exist among country in the global economy relations. This essay will give answers to the following identified questions below; What factors promote economic growth? What has been the challenge to the growth of economic globalisation? What factors impede it? How can we make economic globalisation workable for all nations? To discuss this, the next section of the essay would be devoted to literature review and theoretical framework. 1.2 LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Research has been made previously that has discussed the reasons that led to economic globalisation and the reasons impede it as well. Toffler (1980), avert that globalisation is principal an outcome of innovation in technology and that this emergence of technology have bring changes in ones lives, it has led to the more investment in capital and capital mobility .for example the multinational moves their capital to where they hope to reap more profits. Stiglitz (2002) was of the opinion that to understand globalisation, one has to study the three main institutions that govern it. He gave the name of these institutions as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), and World Trade Organizations (WTO). Thus, Stieglitz emphasized being playing by International Financial Institutions in the running of present economic globalisation process. Institutions, such as World Bank is acting as the independent body that provides loans to the developing countries for development process which in turn promote economic globalisation. Stiglitz (2002) said globalization is nor good neither bad thing either. He strongly considered it to be more of division of gains between North and South where global North gain, while South loses. However, the recent development of some newly industrialising countries, such as Taiwan and China is a critique to the above view. One of the renounced pro –globalisation, and the professor of economics, in the person of Martin Wolf (2005) in his book; why globalisations works opined that globalisation is benefit for all. He cited the positive outcome of China, Brazil, India, and Singapore and now South Africa, in their openness to the world market (Wolf, 2005). He said those countries in global south that yet to reap the benefit of globalisation need to open their markets to the outside world and that they should invest in human capital skills. Neo-liberalism theory This theory emphasized the privatisation and liberalisation of the economy with reduction of trade barrier for the economy development which would benefit to all human kind. The states should only provide enabling environment for the business to thrive. That is the multinational enterprise should be given free access to the investment and production without any government policies restriction. Harvey(2005) provides full illustration and explanation of neo liberalism theory of economic globalisation, according to Harvey(2005): Neoliberalism is in the first instance a theory of political economic practices that proposes that human well-being can be advanced by liberating individual entrepreneurial freedoms and skills within an institutional framework characterises by strong private property rights, free markets and free trade. The role of the state is to create and preserve an institutional framework appropriate to such practices †¦The state has to guarantee, for example the quality and integrity of money†¦The state interventions in markets once created must keep to a bare minimum†¦ Applying this theory to the economic globalisation means that, the unrestricted free movement of goods and services, and most importantly in the present era of globalisation, is the movement of capital, will lead to economic growth and development which is benefit to the whole world. However, this theory have been criticised by Marxist school of thought that those who own the means of production all control the state, according to Marx and Engel (1848) every society is divided into two antagonistic class; the bourgeoisies and the working class, the haves and the haves-not, where the bourgeoisie control the means of production, they also control the state policies to continues exploit and subjugate proletariat who have no access to the means of production. The lesson that we can learn from this school of thought (Marxist) is that the position of neoliberal that state have no business in business is a pure political fallacy. But we have witness those who are well known business men and women who do not have interest politics in this present world. For example, Bill Gate, Carlos Slim, and many others. This is not to say that they do not indirect participate in politics. Despite the criticism of neoliberal theory, it’s still stand as major theory to explain economic globalisation growth and development. 1.3 FACTORS THAT PROMOTE ECONOMIC GLOBALISATION There are certain factors that promote economic globalisation growth. Such as regional integration, trade liberalisation, privatisation and deregulation and foreign direct investment, etc. Francis Fukuyama (1992) argues that the breakdown of national barriers through the creation of a single, integrated world market have facilitated mobility of capital, growth in foreign direct investment, and increases important of transnational business corporation (TNCs) (Fukuyama, 1992). Thus the central role of multinational enterprises in the economic globalisation process cannot be rejected. These factors shall be discussed below. A. Regional Integration Regional integration could promote economic globalisation. Given the fact that states within the specific geographical region come together to trade between themselves and establish free trade zone such as North-America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). John McCormick (1999) supported this view when he said that, regional integration is the practice that two or more countries sit together and had a meeting to discuss about the problem. They trying to overcome the economic crisis and promote the development of it. In most cases, this coming together of region may led to establishment of free trade zone between the states and promote economic of particular region the regional integration in Europe immediately after the second world war have a profound influence on trade liberalisation and economic globalisation . This implies that imply that there is link between regional integration and economic globalization. B.Trade liberalisation Trade liberalization is the free flow of trade between countries around the world. It emphasized the removal of the trade barriers such as tariffs and taxes on goods and services. Held and Mcgrew (2007) observed that the level of international trade have since increase significantly in relation to the national income. However they contend that this is more pronounced among the advanced industrialized country. Indeed the fallen of the trade barrier has led to the global nature of economics transaction (Held and Mcgrew 2007). The activities of the transnational corporation owing to the trade liberalization has become more pronounced in the recent era of globalisation ,thus the power of the global finance has become central to economics globalisation(Held and Mcgrew 2007). This means that trade liberalization has been a positive development to the economic globalization. For example it is possible for multinationals to invest more in a country that have liberalised its economy. And thereby promote economic globalisation. Foreign Direct Investment Foreign direct investment has become one of the factors that promote economic globalisation. Multinational Corporation has taken economic globalization to a new level. According to UNCTAD (2001,as quoted in Held and Mcgrew 2007): ‘Multinational corporation account for about 25 percent of the world production and about 70 per cent of the world trade ,while their sales are equivalent to almost half of the world GDP’ The result of this is that investment by the multinational corporations in the form of FDI has increase over the years and this must have led to a more interconnectedness of the world economy, which invariably promote economic globalisation. D.  Privatization and Deregulation These are the products of the Washington consensus, the capitalism ideology have led to the ideas of private ownership of means of production with the sole aims of profit maximization and capital accumulation, it was the belief of the capitalist economist that the private ownership of the means of production will lead to unlimited happiness in the society. The collapse of the Soviet Union in Eastern part of the Europe saw to the more achievement of the capitalism, thereby led to the adoption of the privatization and deregulation of most of the world leading economies. These ideas of privatization and government deregulation of the economy do have positive impact on economic globalization. These four factors and many other one that were not discuss fully here, such as ,resources and market ,research and development, technologies and the state political wills promotes the growth of economic globalization, however because of the growing number of sceptic of the globalization ,for example Joseph Stieglitz (2002) in his popular books ‘Globalization and its discontents ‘have exposed some of the injustices and ugly face of the globalisation, he was particularly of the opinion that the economic globalization was never aims to help the people of the developing world, that the three institutions that runs it (IMF,WORLD BANK and WTO) were all instrument of the exploitation in the hands of the elite states of the advanced developed countries. The result of this is the growing number of the impediments to the growth of the economic globalization. I shall discuss this in the next section of this essay. 1.4 FACTORS THAT IMPEDE ECONOMIC GLOBALISATION. There are uncountable factors that may impede the growth of economic globalizations; the most critical aspect of it is the putting in place of the protectionism policies by state to protect her infant industries. Others include; tax, extremely regionalization, lack of technology, lack of political wills, lack of human and capital resources and many more. This essay shall discuses four of the above factors High tax The imposition of high tax by national governments has been described as one of the factors that can impede the growth and process of economic globalization. When a particular national government put in place a high corporate tax on investment ,in this present era of capital mobility ,the investors would in turn move their capital to where they considerate comparative advantage, so wise government should not put high tax on investment . Discussing on the hyper-globalisation thesis, Hay (2013) seems to agree that government should cut tax in order to attract foreign investor, according to Hay (2013): ‘’ Any failure on the part of a state to render its corporate taxation levels competitive in comparative terms through tax cuts will result in a punitive depreciation in net revenue as a capital exercises its mobility to exit.’’ What this means is that high tax is an anti-economic globalisation, it is against trade liberalisation policy. Extreme Regionalisation Regionalisation and globalisation are two sides of the same coin, while regional integration could promote economic globalisation, it can as well impede it. Hirst and Thompson (1996, as quoted in Hay 2013) observed that there is tendency toward regionalisation in the present era than globalisation. They submitted that the process of tridization is currently going on between the North America, East Asia and Europe owing to the series of inter-regional integration that is going on between these three regions. The outcome of which have being excluding most part of the world from economic globalisation process. The lesson that we are learning from this is to check on the regional integration objectives so as not to hinder economic globalisation, indeed regionalisation could be formed as a defence to unequal and imbalance nature of economic globalisation. C.  Protectionism Some states might device a means of protecting their local infants industries from been expose to the unfavourable competitions with foreign firms’ such states may consider certain goods and products that might want to come into her country as contra ban, or give a quota to such goods and products from the foreign firms. Although states might have their own reason for protecting their own national and local firms but it is generally belief that any strategy of protectionism employed by any states is anti-economic globalisation. D. Lack of technological Sophistication The importance of technological innovation is crucial to the development of economic globalisation , the internet make it easier to transact business on a global level within a second, so therefore lack of technology or lack improvement in technology would have severe impact on the economic globalisation. It is difficult to talk about economic globalisation without looking at the technology that have made global financial system more conveniently and reliable. All these abovementioned key points may impede the growth and process of economic globalisation. 1.5 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION Haven explained what the globalisation is all about and especially haven been discussed those factors that may promote and impede economic globalisation. It is my opinion that those states whose action is being have been describe as a threat to economic globalisation have their own reasons for doing so. For instant, Stieglitz (2002) rightly observed that globalisation especially economic globalisation is characterised by unequal exchange in which the rich countries of global north gains at the expense of the global south. This could be reason why they are protecting their economy as a solution to the inhuman and exploitative nature of economic globalisation. However I will go with the position of Martin Wolf (2005) that if the developing world could invest in human capital, technology and open up their economy to outside world, they stand a chance of reaping the benefit of globalisation. Therefore, they should invest in human capital and technology, while open their economy to the outside world. Also the developed countries should carry them (global south) along in the process of economic globalisation. Otherwise, they continue to exact influence on those factors that impede it, became they think they have nothing to gain from it; consequently therefore, stopping it would not have any real impact on them since they are not benefiting from it. References Fukuyama, F. (1992), The End of History and The Last Man. New York: Free Press Harvey, D. (2014). Neoliberalism, politics and society. Retrieved Nov 13, 2014, from: http://www.slideshare.net/suehair/neoliberalism-politics-and-society Harvey,D.(2005) A Brief History Of Neoliberalism. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hay, C. (2005) ‘Globalisation Impact on State’, in R, John.(ed) Global Political Economy, Oxford: University Press. Held,D and Mcgrew,A. (2007) (eds) Globalization Theory: Approaches and Controversies . Cambridge: Polity Press Kiefer,L.,and Steve, C.(2005) Global Marketing Management :Challenges and New Strategies.London:Oxford University Press Marx, K. and Engel.(1848)The Communist Manifesto. London: Communist League McCormick, J. (1999) The European Union: Politics and Policies. New York: Westview Press Stiglitz, J. (2002) Globalisation and Its Discontents. New York: ww Norton and Company. Toffler A. (1980) Future Shock. London: Pan Book Ltd. Wolf, M. (2005) Why Globalisation works? Yale: Yale University Press.

Queen Victoria :: essays research papers

On November 6, 1817 Princess Charlotte, the only heir to the crown of England died. She was the only child of the Prince Regent and was not a happy women. She was married off to prince of Orange at the age or 17, but broke off the marriage after falling in love with Prince Augustus of Prussia. He was already married but she was unaware and she continued seeing him. After a long time of Prince Leopold of Saxe-Cobury admiring her, Princess Charlotte gave him a chance and finally they were married in 1816. Later she got pregnant and for nine months of doctors told her that she was not in good health to have the baby on November 5, 1817 at nine o'clock in the evening after a 50 hour labor, Princess Charlotte delivered a dead baby boy. That night she was obviously dying. The Prince was in her room for hours and left for but a moment when a doctor came out and told him his wife was dead.After many controversies between the royal family about who was to become the heir to the crown there was a female infant born in Kensington Palace in London on May 24, 1819.Born Alexandrina Victoria to Victoria Mary Louisa, daughter of the Duke of Saxe-Cobury-Saalfeld, and Edward Augustus, duke of Kent and Strathern, the fourth son of George III and youngest brother of George IV and William IV, both kings of Great Britain.In January of 1920 the Duke a Kent remembered a prophecy that a fortune teller told him. The fortune teller said two members of the royal family would die. The Duke of Kent never would have thought one of the two members would be him and the other would be his father George III. The Duke of Kent caught a cold and inflammation of lungs occurred and he died on January 22 and then six days later his father's long, unh appy life was ended. Victoria called Drina by her family was raised in Kensington Palace and was very spoiled she was idolized by her mother's ladies and despite her mother's strictness about her being spoiled, she had everything she cloud have wanted. At the age of five, Fraulein Lehzen came who was the previous governess of Princess Feodoram she helped Drina learn her letters and she acted like an angel unlike before the arrival of Fraulein Lehzen when she was naughty and violent. Queen Victoria :: essays research papers On November 6, 1817 Princess Charlotte, the only heir to the crown of England died. She was the only child of the Prince Regent and was not a happy women. She was married off to prince of Orange at the age or 17, but broke off the marriage after falling in love with Prince Augustus of Prussia. He was already married but she was unaware and she continued seeing him. After a long time of Prince Leopold of Saxe-Cobury admiring her, Princess Charlotte gave him a chance and finally they were married in 1816. Later she got pregnant and for nine months of doctors told her that she was not in good health to have the baby on November 5, 1817 at nine o'clock in the evening after a 50 hour labor, Princess Charlotte delivered a dead baby boy. That night she was obviously dying. The Prince was in her room for hours and left for but a moment when a doctor came out and told him his wife was dead.After many controversies between the royal family about who was to become the heir to the crown there was a female infant born in Kensington Palace in London on May 24, 1819.Born Alexandrina Victoria to Victoria Mary Louisa, daughter of the Duke of Saxe-Cobury-Saalfeld, and Edward Augustus, duke of Kent and Strathern, the fourth son of George III and youngest brother of George IV and William IV, both kings of Great Britain.In January of 1920 the Duke a Kent remembered a prophecy that a fortune teller told him. The fortune teller said two members of the royal family would die. The Duke of Kent never would have thought one of the two members would be him and the other would be his father George III. The Duke of Kent caught a cold and inflammation of lungs occurred and he died on January 22 and then six days later his father's long, unh appy life was ended. Victoria called Drina by her family was raised in Kensington Palace and was very spoiled she was idolized by her mother's ladies and despite her mother's strictness about her being spoiled, she had everything she cloud have wanted. At the age of five, Fraulein Lehzen came who was the previous governess of Princess Feodoram she helped Drina learn her letters and she acted like an angel unlike before the arrival of Fraulein Lehzen when she was naughty and violent.

Authoritarianism: Until the Resources Dry Out Essay -- Government Poli

History has known far more authoritarian regimes than any other form of government. Authoritarianism is a form of non-democratic rule defined by state power being centralized in a single person or a small group of people. Unlike democracies, these individuals in power are not dependent on the people for power. Thus, under authoritarianism, state leaders have little accountability to the public and there is little individual freedom. Additionally, authoritarian regimes are not bound by a constitution that might limit their power. Such democratic liberties such as the right to assembly, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press are highly controlled or non-existent. State policies are designed to maintain the power status quo in favor of the ruling group and perceived threats are marginalized or, in some cases, extinguished. Authoritarianism is more likely to exist in countries that have not yet experienced a high degree of modernization. This is because, without modernization, many of the fundamental institutions thought to be required for democracy are not yet thoroughly developed. These institutions include intellectuals, entrepreneurs, and the emergence of an economic middle class. In fact, it is highly correlated that a middle class is a vital requirement for the existence of democracy. However, modernization by itself does not always mean that the end result will be a democracy. For instance, if modernization occurs in some urban areas but lags behind in the rural areas it could be destabilizing to democratic institutions. Poverty is also strongly linked to authoritarianism although it alone is not a correlation. Authoritarian regimes would not survive if there was not at least a segment of the population that supp... ...ain control of the country’s wealth and resources. Authoritarian regimes use coercion and limit individual freedom to maintain their power. They are also able to keep a middle class from emerging by hindering economic development. In these regimes, when the resources run out they are no longer able to buy off the segments of the population, the elites, necessary to maintain that power. Resource rich, countries are able to sustain authoritarian regimes longer than those without. However, as evidenced by the eventual demise of the Soviet Union, even the most powerful of authoritarian regimes are vulnerable when the resources start to dry up. Works Cited O’Neil, Patrick H. â€Å"Essentials of Comparative Politics.† Third Edition. 2010 P. 142 P. 146 P. 146 P. 146 P. 146 P. 147 P. 143 P. 142 P. 147 P. 147 P. 144 P. 152 P. 153