Racial Profiling Of The United States - 1943 Words

May Racial Profiling Rest in Peace On September 11, 2001, four planes were hijacked from different areas of the East Coast. Two out of these planes crashed into the World Trade Centers in New York City and over two thousand people were killed from that incident alone. One plane had also crashed into the Pentagon in near Washington, D.C. The last plane headed towards the White House but incidentally crashed in an open field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania (9/11 at nine). U.S Officials strongly claimed that the attack was linked to a terrorist group named Al-Qaeda. Ever since this occurrence many Muslims across the United States have been subject to racial profiling and security has definitely increased ever since, especially at airports.†¦show more content†¦The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern World claims that day’s after the attack, the â€Å"Authorities raced up and down the East Coast stopping trains, busses, and cars; Questioning men marked as â€Å"Arab.† Just days after these plane crashes , Muslims across America were frightened to walk out their homes due to fear that they would be tortured by Americans. Even Muslim citizens whom have lived in the country for years were afraid in a country that was supposed to be â€Å"free† (Oxford Encyclopedia). This was labeled the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S soil but do Americans really know the meaning of terrorism? Terrorism, defined by the Oxford English Dictionary, can be as miniscule as bullying or of a greater meaning as in acts of intimidating the government in pursuit of a political goal (Oxford English Dictionary). Terror itself is simply fear. There are plenty of news reports of school shootings and other miscellaneous crimes, such as Virginia Tech where 32 people died, 27 students and five faculty members, Sandy Hook Elementary, where 26 people were killed, including the shooter, and also the movie theatre in Aurora Colorado, where 12 people were killed over gun laws. None were Muslim. Racial profiling in this sense can be slightly reduced by including these other instances as terrorism attacks as well. In America, the media strongly gives off a stereotype that most, if not all, terrorist are Muslims. After these

Is Google Making Us Stupid - 948 Words

Many people may argue that technology has helped us become more efficient in today’s society. Technological advances such as the internet and Google has also opened up many new opportunities for people. However, with such advances some may argue that we begin to lose some of our cognitive thinking ability. In an essay, â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid?† by Nicholas Carr, he argues his thesis that people will lose concentration and cognitive thinking as a result to reading online. Carr begins by explaining how the many innovations of today’s technologies has changed the way one thinks. Carr continues by saying that the internet is affecting peoples concentration, however they use it for its convenience; to quickly scan an article and avoid â€Å"the traditional way of reading.† Carr then explains how Maryanne Wolf believes that the new style of reading has altered our ability to interpret and make deep mental connections. Carr shows support of how Frederick Nietzsche enhanced his style of writing beginning with a type writer in 1882. Carr then explains how neuroscience professor James Olds, discovered that nerve cells break apart and form new connections to form new habits. As explained by Danielle Bell and Lewis Mumford, Carr says intellectual technologies such as the mechanical clock, has divided action and thought; helping create the scientific method in a series of steps. Carr then explains how Alan Turning discovered that computers could be used as information processing device;Show MoreRelatedIs Google Making Us Stupid?1240 Words   |  5 Pagesone idea to be represented in many different ways. Both Nicholas Carr’s article â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid?† and M.T Anderson’s novel Feed, the broad idea of the relationship between humans and technology is portrayed. Carr’s article complains of how technology changes the way we think. Carr instigates the idea that we are losing our passion for learning as a result of the internet and search engines such as Google. These advancements, Carr proposes, lead to a world where our intelligence â€Å"flattensRead MoreIs Google Making Us Stupid1140 Words   |  5 PagesIs Google Making Us Stupid In the Atlantic Magazine, Nicholas Carr wrote an article, â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid?† Carr poses a good question about how the internet has affected our brain, by remapping the neural circuitry and reprogramming our memory. Carr states, â€Å"My mind isn’t going—so far as I can tell-but it’s changing. I’m not thinking the say way I used to think.† Carr went on farther, saying that he cannot read as long as he used to, his concentration starts to wonder after two or threeRead MoreIs Google Making Us Stupid?920 Words   |  4 Pagesa different perspective than that of Manuel Castells. In â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid?† Carr believes the Internet has taken the foundation out of learning, socializing and reading. Coupled with Manuel Castells, Nicholas Carr agrees that the Internet has been of good use in some cases (Wikipedia for the many hours of research conducted for its database that we access) but he also believes the Internet is slowly making him and us stupid. Carr says â€Å"My mind now expects to take in information the wayRead MoreIs Google Making Us Stupid?1548 Words   |  7 Pagesindependent will and creative imagination. These gives us the ultimate human freedom†¦. The power to choose, to respond, to change (Independence Quotes. Brainy Quote. Xplore. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.).† The Declaration of In dependence allows people to do whatever they please as long as it’s within the law, but Google is restraining what people can really do. It may not seem that a search engine can limit people, but one needs to think about the many things Google consists of that doesn’t allow people to chooseRead MoreIs Google Making Us Stupid?1048 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Is Google making us stupid? Three authors weigh in One of the most common clichÃÆ' ©s is that the Internet has robbed us of our attention spans and impeded our ability to communicate effectively. Once we could write properly, now we only text. Google has made us lazy in terms of how we research and access data. However, is this true? In three major news publications, three major essayists have grappled with this question and come to completely different conclusions. Although the neurological evidenceRead MoreIs Google Making Us Stupid?879 Words   |  4 PagesAmerican writer, Nicholas G. Carr, in The Atlantic July/ August 2008 Issue titled â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid?† argues that the amount of time we spend online, especially google, has caused us to lose our minds by â€Å"tinkering† with our brains, â€Å"reprograming our memory,† and changing the way in which we process information. Carr’s purpose is to contribute to the idea that â€Å"Google† along with other online tools, is programi ng us to be less attentive and to the inhibition of our critical thinking skills. GuidedRead More`` Is Google Making Us Stupid?1384 Words   |  6 Pagestechnology is changing the way we access information; anything is accessible in mere seconds. This implementation has resulted in the most aware society of all time. Most information is just a quick and simple Google search away. An article, written by Nicholas Carr â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid? â€Å" in a 2008 issue for The Atlantic magazine, questioned the negative cognitive effects of the world wide web. Carr recognizes how much we rely on the internet and believes that humanity needs reform. AccordingRead MoreIs Google Making Us Stupid?1040 Words   |  5 Pagesquestion â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid?† This has set off a debate on the effects the internet is having on our brains. Obviously the internet is here to stay, but is it making us scatterbrained? Are we losing the ability to think deeply? Criticism of t he Web most often questions whether we are becoming more superficial and scattered in our thinking. In the July-August 2008 Atlantic magazine, Nicholas Carr published Is Google Making Us Stupid? (http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google). Like otherRead More`` Is Google Making Us Stupid?1505 Words   |  7 Pagescritically inspect both the positive and negative effects technology can have on development and cognition and all assert that technology is not as daunting as some make it out to be. However, some opinion based pieces such as Nicholas Carr’s â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid?† conclude that we should be apprehensive about technology advancing. The differences in outlook towards digital technology s future effect on the mind can best be seen in how authors view technology as a source of distraction, hypertextRead MoreIs Google Making Us Stupid?733 Words   |  3 Pages Nicholas Carrs article, â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid?† makes points that I agree with, although I find his sources to be questionable. The article discusses the effects that the Internet may be having on our ability to focus, the difference in knowledge that we now have, and our reliance on the Internet. The points that are made throughout Carrs article are very thought provoking but his sources make them seem invaluable. Carr discusses the effects that the Internet has on our minds and the way

Natural born cyborgs Free Essays

Natural born cyborgs – of course one may ask or wonder what the term means. Well, the term was invented by Andy Clark, a professor of Philosophy and Cognitive Science at the University of Sussex, UK and chair in Logic and Metaphysics at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. So what does he mean by natural born cyborgs? The term denotes us, humans. We will write a custom essay sample on Natural born cyborgs or any similar topic only for you Order Now For him humans are very much cyborgs as Robocop, Eve 8 among many others. Now, what made him think so? Clark made use of a term called cognitive hybridization, which in turn denotes the tendency of our brain to mix with the technology or to put simply, our dependency towards technology. According to Clark we don’t need wires for the term cyborgs to be applied to us. In his exact words he said â€Å"†¦we shall be cyborgs†¦in the more profound sense of being human-technology symbionts: thinking and reasoning systems whose minds and selves are spread across biological brain and non-biological circuitry.† At first glance one might say that Clark’s interest is primarily on technology but the truth of the matter is he is more interested in understanding humans, and the nature of human mind. Clark gave certain interest upon discussing the terms â€Å"transparent† and â€Å"opaque† technology. According to Clark, the technologies we are living with today are slowly becoming a part of us. From there on he went on to define what he meant by â€Å"transparent† and â€Å"opaque† technology. According to him transparent technology â€Å"are technology that is†¦integrated with, our own lives†¦as to become invisible in use.† Having defined what transparent technology is, let us now move on to understanding what Clark meant by opaque technology. By opaque technology he means â€Å"one that†¦requires skills and capacities that do not come naturally to the biological organism, and thus remains the focus of attention.† By this one may go on to conclude that opaque technology is one which is hard to use and thus requires skills if one aims to use it successfully. Let us take the wristwatch as an example of a transparent technology. If we look back to our ancestors we can say that their way of checking the time is kind of primitive. They made use of checking the position of the sun or listening for the chime of the bell, which indicates the time. However, as time moved on time slowly became a part of us. New technology had been invented and checking the time now is not as hard as it had been before. In this sense, it may not be dangerous to say that wristwatch may now be considered a part us, and thus a transparent technology. If one is familiar with Heidegger he/she might even see the similarity of Clark’s conception of transparent and opaque technology with that of Heidegger’s ready-to-hand and present-at-hand concept. To better understand what I mean I will give a brief description of what Heidegger have in mind with the terms stated above. By present-at-hand Heidegger meant an attitude the same to that of a scientist or a theorist. Like a scientist or a theorist one will be interested in something only because of the facts the object has to offer which they could later on use to theorize about something. We often view things which are present-at-hand in a secondary mode as in the case of a broken fan which lost its usefulness, such as a watch who happened to stop working. Thus, we can see a connection between Clark’s idea of opaque technology and Heidegger’s present-at-hand. On the other hand, ready-to-hand is something more like Clark’s transparent technology. We use things without theorizing about that things, hammer or wristwatch for example. In this regard, one can clearly see the similarity between Clark’s concept of transparent and opaque technology with that of Heidegger’s concept of present-at-hand and ready-to-hand. I remember making the claim in class that these are both essentially phenomenological treatments of technology. By this I mean to say that we seek to understand what technology is. If we can experience what is meant by technology, first hand, the better. The way the mind works is very complex. Humans never cease to be content. Technology came into being because of our inability to be content. As humans seek to understand more things, to make life easier, technology blooms faster. And now, we are living in a technological world and there are people among our race who’s still not content with the way things are and thus they seek to better understand things. Clark, on his work, Natural Cyborgs, tried to show how humans became so caught up with technology that human lives became intertwined with technology itself. I remember reading something about him wishing to understand how the mind works and if he is to do that then he must understand what technology is all about. Phenomenology as a method is very useful. By exploring a certain phenomena in order to understand a higher truth behind the phenomena is something great. Phenomenology might be useful in understanding technology and in this I have no doubt. However, by saying that phenomenology can help to better understand technology I am not saying that this can open all the gates of our understanding towards technology because I strongly believe that no method, not even phenomenology itself can open our minds to everything there is to know about technology or anything in particular. As we are humans there would always be room for ignorance. We cannot understand things fully no matter how hard we try because I believe that there would always be room for questions and for doubts. In this regard, I cannot offer another alternative should phenomenology fails to make us understand everything there is to know about technology. Dualism is the belief that the body is distinct from that of the soul. In this paper I would make use of Cartesian dualism. It is in the belief of Descartes that though the body and the soul are of different entities both can still interact with one another. It is from Descartes where the term interactionism originated. In his interactionism he said that the body is the one who receives sense perceptions wherein the soul is the one who is responsible for our awareness. According to Descartes the seat of interaction lies in the pineal gland. In his belief the soul houses the body and if the body is acted upon by the soul then their point of interaction happens in the pineal gland. I talked about Cartesian dualism because if one is to look closely Clark’s idea of technology becoming one with us or a part of us is almost the same to Descartes idea of dualism. Both seem to see the body merely as a house. The difference however, is that for Descartes the body is the house of the soul wherein for Clark the body is the house of technology or something to that effect.   Clark believes that the use of technology is essential in understanding how the mind operates because men nowadays are so caught up with technology that we are completely dependent towards technology. Technology became an important part of us and it seems to solve most of the problems of our world thus Clark concluded, for the same reason that technology may be useful in understanding human mind. However, I don’t think that it really solved the mind-body problem present in Cartesian dualism because somehow I can still see flaws on Clark’s idea. Technology for one, though reliable on most time, is still prone to failure. Somehow, failure may occur or accidents of some sorts because technology is not really that perfect, it’s got its flaws. I also don’t believe that Clark can avoid radical skepticism because no matter what he does there would always be people out there who would go on to criticize his beliefs. One can’t really please everyone and I’m pretty sure that there are still people, purists for one, who would certainly doubt the power technology has. Thus, on my conclusion I say that even though Clark opened our minds to some ideas and although most of what he said holds true, I don’t really believe that his idea is perfect enough to avoid skepticisms. Reference: Clark, Andy. Natural-Born Cyborgs: Minds, Technologies, and the Future of Human   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Intelligence. Oxford University Press, USA; 2003 How to cite Natural born cyborgs, Essay examples

The account of St.Pauls ill

The account of St.Pauls ill-fated journey to Rome Essay in the New Testaments Book of Acts provides some useful insights into shipping practices during the first century of the common era. In this paper, I intend to summarise the information and clues provided in the Book of Acts and present an overview of some of the basic interpretations of the relevant passages. It is important to understand that the Book of Acts is a continuation of the gospel according to Luke and any reference to him here is in his capacity as writer of the Book. St.Paul, as a Roman prisoner, had been put in the charge of Julius, an officer in the Emperors Regiment who was to take the prisoners to Rome to see the Emperor. At Caesarea, Julius had his prisoners board a ship from Adramyttium and they sailed overnight to Sidon. The next leg of their journey was more difficult as the winds were again against them. As such, they sailed the ship on the sheltered east side of the island of Cyprus, then west to Myra. In Myra, Julius moved his prisoners to a boat from Alexandria which was bound for Italy. The first leg of their journey aboard this new ship was difficult as the winds were against them. It took several days to reach Cnidus. With the wind against them still, they were forced to sail south, hoping to take shelter behind the island of Crete. Keeping close to shore, they eventually arrived at Safe Harbours, on the southern coast of Crete. Here they stayed for several days and the Book of Acts notes that St.Paul advised against continuing as the Day of Atonement had already past (Acts 27:9-11). The Day of Atonement is the traditional day at which shipping would stop for the winter in anticipation of the poor weather to come. It is normally marked towards the end of September or the start of October. However St.Pauls advice fell on deaf ears and Julius chose to accept the advice of the ships owner and captain. They pressed on towards Phoenix (on Cretes west coast) which offered better winter harbour. Their plans were soon smashed by a strong wind from the north-east which blew them terribly off course. Helpless, the crew allowed the ship to drift. As they passed to the south of the island of Cauda (which provided a brief period of shelter against the wind), St.Luke notes that we managed to make the ships boat secure. They pulled it aboard and then fastened some ropes tight round the ship. (Acts 27:16-17) These verses are of special importance to Landels. Landels notes that St.Luke is writing about under-belts or hypozomata, which are essentially large ropes tied around the hull of a ship in order to keep it together in rough weather (Landels 1981, Pg. 138). This was necessitated by the type of hull construction employed, called carvel construction whic! h required the hull to be built within an exoskeleton of sorts which would not make up part of the finished hull. This method was typical of ship construction of the Mediterranean at the time. (Landels 1981, Pg. 137)According to Todays English Version from the Canadian Bible Society, the ships crew then lowered her sails and continued to drift with the violent north-easterly winds. However, Farrar (1879) notes that the English version does not describe the sail work well enough. His description is a succinct model of clarity, I present it here:There was only one way to save themselves to lie to, by rounding the prow of the vessel on the starboard tack as near to the wind as possible, to send down the topsail and cordage, lower the ponderous yard to such a height as would leave enough of the huge mainsail to steady the vessel, set the artemo, or storm-sail, and so let her drift on, broadside and leeward, at the mercy of wind and wave. (Pg. 568)Over the next two days, equipment and cargo were dumped overboard (in that order) to lighten the load. Farrar (1925, Pg. 569) notes that earlier versions of the Book (Syriac, Coptic, etc.) refer to the dumping the vessels huge mainyard overboard. This would have lightened the load considerably. .u1b8cb291ee74f09f5e15a2f461943e20 , .u1b8cb291ee74f09f5e15a2f461943e20 .postImageUrl , .u1b8cb291ee74f09f5e15a2f461943e20 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u1b8cb291ee74f09f5e15a2f461943e20 , .u1b8cb291ee74f09f5e15a2f461943e20:hover , .u1b8cb291ee74f09f5e15a2f461943e20:visited , .u1b8cb291ee74f09f5e15a2f461943e20:active { border:0!important; } .u1b8cb291ee74f09f5e15a2f461943e20 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u1b8cb291ee74f09f5e15a2f461943e20 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u1b8cb291ee74f09f5e15a2f461943e20:active , .u1b8cb291ee74f09f5e15a2f461943e20:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u1b8cb291ee74f09f5e15a2f461943e20 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u1b8cb291ee74f09f5e15a2f461943e20 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u1b8cb291ee74f09f5e15a2f461943e20 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u1b8cb291ee74f09f5e15a2f461943e20 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u1b8cb291ee74f09f5e15a2f461943e20:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u1b8cb291ee74f09f5e15a2f461943e20 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u1b8cb291ee74f09f5e15a2f461943e20 .u1b8cb291ee74f09f5e15a2f461943e20-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u1b8cb291ee74f09f5e15a2f461943e20:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: MACBETH Analysis EssayAccording to the Book of Acts, the ship and all souls on board drifted until the ships crew believed they were nearing land on the fourteenth night since passing Cauda. A claim brought into question by Acts 27:33 in which St.Paul implores his fellow travellers to eat as they have not eaten for fourteen days. It seems clear that either they had eaten during those fourteen days, or their length of time adrift was far shorter than the claimed two weeks. Death by way starvation would otherwise have been their fate. As the sailors suspected they were near land, they dropped a weighted line from the ships bow twice and found the water to be shallowing out very quickly. The crew dropped four anchors from the stern. This was not the usual method of dropping anchors from a ship of the period. Anchors were normally dropped from the ships prow1. In this case however, Farrar (Pg. 570) notes that, as they were quickly nearing shore, the crew feared that the stern would swing around and into the rocks were they to anchor her from the prow. The holes which normally held the steering oars (long since removed to allow the ship to drift) served to tie the anchors in place. Soon, St.Paul observed the crew preparing to abandon ship using the ships boat. He advised Julius to stop them as they were the only ones capable to bringing the ship to safety. Julius agreed and his men cut the ropes on the boat, letting it fall to the sea and preventing the crews escape. At dawn, St.Paul asked the men to eat (Acts 27:33) and they dumped the remaining wheat overboard. The light of day revealed a bay with a beach that the sailors did not recognise but believed would be appropriate to beach to ship. They cut the anchor ropes and raised the sails, heading for shore. But a sandbank lay between them and shore and the ship ran aground. As the waves began breaking up the stern, they abandoned ship and swam to shore all survived. Navigation of the period did not benefit from external aids such as magnetic compasses. Seafarers especially sailors were instead obliged to keep sight of land or be able to sight stars in order to navigate properly (Landels, Pg. 156). This is an important consideration in light of Acts 27:20, which reads For many days we could not see the sun or stars, and the wind kept on blowing very hard. We finally gave up all hope of being saved. This brings to light a very important consideration when studying shipping of the period. The sheer hopelessness experienced by the ships crew and passengers is certainly understandable as their only means of orientation and, as they had dumped their equipment overboard, their only means of navigation were unavailable for several days. Also of note here is the absence of any mention of rowing. Merchant ships of the period were ill-adapted to rowing due to their necessarily large beam widths (Landels, Pg. 154). St.Lukes mention of the dumping of equipment overboard is an indication that the ship was quite probably experiencing some severe leaks. By lightening the ships load, less water would be taken on. (Farrar, Pg. 568-569)It is widely believed that they ended up on the island of Malta, just south of Italy. However, there are those who believe that the ship was in fact wrecked on the shores of Mljet, also known as Melita, southernmost of the Dalmatian islands. Angus Acworth treats this alternative wreck site quite thoroughly in his article on St.Pauls shipwreck. He notes that the incident involving a snake biting St.Paul soon after their arrival on the island would be quite out of the ordinary on Malta, as there were virtually no snakes there at the time (as at present). However, Mljet was infested by snakes until the turn of the 20th century. Further Acworth notes that St.Luke described the inhabitants of the island as uncouth peasants a description which would not fit the typical cosmo politan Maltese of the period, but might well fit the inhabitants of Mljet. Further still, St.Luke clearly states (Acts 27:39) that the Alexandrian sailors did not recognise the coast of the island. ! Acworth contends that the Malta would have been recognisable whereas Mljet would not have been familiar. .u667f124c5edd4b215f3cf5c169206e52 , .u667f124c5edd4b215f3cf5c169206e52 .postImageUrl , .u667f124c5edd4b215f3cf5c169206e52 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u667f124c5edd4b215f3cf5c169206e52 , .u667f124c5edd4b215f3cf5c169206e52:hover , .u667f124c5edd4b215f3cf5c169206e52:visited , .u667f124c5edd4b215f3cf5c169206e52:active { border:0!important; } .u667f124c5edd4b215f3cf5c169206e52 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u667f124c5edd4b215f3cf5c169206e52 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u667f124c5edd4b215f3cf5c169206e52:active , .u667f124c5edd4b215f3cf5c169206e52:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u667f124c5edd4b215f3cf5c169206e52 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u667f124c5edd4b215f3cf5c169206e52 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u667f124c5edd4b215f3cf5c169206e52 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u667f124c5edd4b215f3cf5c169206e52 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u667f124c5edd4b215f3cf5c169206e52:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u667f124c5edd4b215f3cf5c169206e52 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u667f124c5edd4b215f3cf5c169206e52 .u667f124c5edd4b215f3cf5c169206e52-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u667f124c5edd4b215f3cf5c169206e52:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Subject: Western Civilization - World War II Title: Did The Western Wo EssayThis final mystery in the life of St.Paul may never be truly solved. However, I believe Acworth makes a solid case for a landing at Mljet and I wonder if the day will come when the technology will available to conduct underwater archaeological inquiries in order to finally establish the true site of what was probably the most famous shipwreck in history. BibliographyAcworth, Angus St.Pauls Shipwreck In, Paul: Teacher and Traveller Bulmer-Thomas (ed.) Leighton: Faith Press, 1975Provides an excellent overview of evidence relating to possible shipwreck location being at Mljet rather than commonly acce pted site of Malta. Bradford, Ernle. Paul The Traveller Plymouth: Clarke, Doble ; Brendon Ltd., 1974Disagrees with accounts that dropping anchor from the stern was out of the ordinary. Chevallier, Raymond. Voyages et Deplacements Dans LEmpire Romain Paris: Armand Colin: 1988Although not directly used for the completion of this paper, Chevalliers overview of Roman shipping provided very useful background information with which to approach the study. Farrar, F.W. The Life and Work of St.Paul London: Cassell and Company, 1879An excellent analysis of the Book of Acts using several versions of the Bible and being especially critical of the Modern English Version for its inaccuracies. Good News Bible, with Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha Todays English Version Glasgow: William Collins Sons Co., 1986Landels, J.G. Engineering In The Ancient World Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1981With regards to the St.Paul, Landels does not go into great detail, but his chapter on shipping sheds a great deal of supporting information on the subject.

To Keep Your Customers Keep It Simple free essay sample

Summary of Article Decision Simplicity; what’s the most important thing we can offer potential customers to move them from being interested to actually purchasing our product? The study described in this article suggests that it’s ‘decision simplicity’. The single biggest driver of stickiness, by far, was ‘decision simplicity’- the ease with which consumers can gather trustworthy information about a product and confidently and efficiently weigh their purchase options. What consumers want from marketers is, simply, simplicity. Researchers from the Corporate Executive Board analyzed results from multiple surveys totaled over 7,000 consumers, as well as interview with hundreds of marketing experts and executives, trying to figure out what makes a product ‘stick’. They looked at over 40 variables, trying to figure out what is most important in the choice of one brand over others. The key wasn’t frequency of interaction with the brand, nor was it price, nor was it the consumer’s initial perception of the brand. We will write a custom essay sample on To Keep Your Customers Keep It Simple or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In the end, the purchasing decisions are most influenced by which company makes the decision to purchase simple. The article cites an example of two approaches to selling cameras to web searchers; one firm provides visitors access to extensive information about each of its products, while the other focuses on the user’s needs and steers the user to the most appropriate product. The latter approach would be far more successful in today’s marketplace, say the authors. The study showed that the ‘decision simplicity index’, a measure of ease of accessing the information needed to make decision, was highly predictive of sales success. Brands that scored in the top quarter in their study were 86% more likely than those in the bottom quarter to be purchased by the consumers considering them. They were 9% more likely to be repurchased and 115% more likely to be recommended to others. That is awfully dramatic. The answer to make customers purchasing decision simple has been described in three parts as follow: 1. Easy navigation – while every site can benefit from obvious paths to desired information, the best sites will attempt to determine consumer intent from information like search terms used by the visitor. If the consumer can be steered directly to information relevant to their stage of the decision process (e. g. initial product research or final product selection), they will be more likely to stay engaged with the site. . Trustworthy Information – Oddly, perhaps, the information consumers find most trustworthy isn’t impressive research or detailed product data. Rather, it’s commentary from other consumers in the form of reviews, descriptions of intended use, etc. If our site lacks this type of content, it may seem less trustworthy even if the brand itself is respected. 3. Ease of weighing options – Choices takes a toll on our brains. Offering consu mers more choices can actually reduce sales. Sometimes, many products are necessary to serve specific needs and market segments. The solution, according to the authors, is to provide an easy way to compare products and quickly find the one that is most appropriate. Authors also pointed that ‘Intuit’ has made a concerted effort in providing easy navigable, trustworthy information and helping customers weight their options in which eventually it makes their purchasing decisions far simpler though no company has fully integrated the three components of a decision simplicity strategy. Lesson Learnt / Conclusion On top of trying too hard to engage with consumers via social media, marketers are generally pushing out too much information, causing people to over-think purchase decisions and making them more likely to change their minds about a product, be less confident in their choices and less likely remain loyal to the brand. For years, we’ve heard about KISS: Keep it simple, Stupid. This study shows that advice is still highly relevant in appealing to the digitally aware consumer. It’s time to stop overwhelming consumers with marketing information and cut through the clutter. We should take an unconventional approach – forget engagement, increase simplicity.

Free Essays on Media Is Everything

Media Effects on governing the mass media has played a major role in American politics since the formation of our country. So much so that it has been called by many, "the fourth branch of government." Originally, media power was only vested in the papers, but today radio and television are the more prominent forms of news. Since the administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, presidents have used the media to spread their views to their constituents. FDR brought us the fireside chats in one of which he requested the American people to put their money back into the banks and get our economy moving again. The media informed the nation of Richard Nixon's less then honorable means of governing and the media brought the Vietnam War to our living rooms every evening. There are even those who believe that the media chooses our presidents by deciding whether to air the good or bad things they dig up on the presidential candidates. There are two major ways the mass media affects the public. These are agenda setting and priming. Agenda setting is the way the media dictates the salience of contemporary issues. An experiment performed by Iyengar et al in 1980 showed that media does effect how important an issue is to the public. In this experiment, Iyengar showed three different groups news clippings weighted on the side of specific issues, then showed a fourth control group undoctored news. He tested these subjects before and after the showings and found that in all but one issue, the subjects had moved in the hypothesized direction. This last issue was inflation and he concluded that people just could not think this issue was more important then they already did. Agenda setting effect is important to the government, especially the president, because it leads to priming. Priming is the use of salient issues by the public to evaluate a public figure. This technique became very useful in the Ford admistration, when secretary of defense Donald Ru... Free Essays on Media Is Everything Free Essays on Media Is Everything Media Effects on governing the mass media has played a major role in American politics since the formation of our country. So much so that it has been called by many, "the fourth branch of government." Originally, media power was only vested in the papers, but today radio and television are the more prominent forms of news. Since the administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, presidents have used the media to spread their views to their constituents. FDR brought us the fireside chats in one of which he requested the American people to put their money back into the banks and get our economy moving again. The media informed the nation of Richard Nixon's less then honorable means of governing and the media brought the Vietnam War to our living rooms every evening. There are even those who believe that the media chooses our presidents by deciding whether to air the good or bad things they dig up on the presidential candidates. There are two major ways the mass media affects the public. These are agenda setting and priming. Agenda setting is the way the media dictates the salience of contemporary issues. An experiment performed by Iyengar et al in 1980 showed that media does effect how important an issue is to the public. In this experiment, Iyengar showed three different groups news clippings weighted on the side of specific issues, then showed a fourth control group undoctored news. He tested these subjects before and after the showings and found that in all but one issue, the subjects had moved in the hypothesized direction. This last issue was inflation and he concluded that people just could not think this issue was more important then they already did. Agenda setting effect is important to the government, especially the president, because it leads to priming. Priming is the use of salient issues by the public to evaluate a public figure. This technique became very useful in the Ford admistration, when secretary of defense Donald Ru...

A Different Kind of Nurse

There are many people in my life that have had a significant influence on me. But there is one I’ll never forget. It was my freshman year of high school when I first met her: Ms. Nurse (my Spanish teacher) from Trinidad and Tobago. She spoke the language faster than I could even comprehend. Instantly, I began to panic and had no idea how I would pass the class. As soon as you said her name, people knew exactly who you were talking about. She had a reputation of giving a lot of homework, and working students really hard. I was intimidated. Ms. Nurse didn’t actually give a lot of homework or work students hard. She had a great passion to work students until their full potential came out. Many viewed her as a mean teacher, but there was something about her that inspired me. I noticed that she was doing what was best for us and truly cared about our education. She also taught us about less fortunate children in other parts of the world that would do anything to obtain an education like ours. Ms. Nurse influenced me to appreciate my education and work harder to make the most of it. The way Ms. Nurse taught brought excitement to the classroom. Ms. Nurse would use many different techniques to connect with students. Sometimes we would read and listen to Spanish conversations, draw on the board, look at diagrams, watch video clips, sing songs, and dance to Spanish music. Ms. Nurse made learning fun and I couldn’t wait until the next day of class. All of her different teaching techniques inspired me to pursue a major in education. I realized how much fun I would have and how much power: I could also influence students like she had influenced me. Unlike the other teachers in my school, she was colored (although that didn’t seem to affect her in any way,) nor the way I looked at her. I saw past the color of her skin and noticed that there was more to her. I learned about her life. Ms. Nurse was proud of her accomplishments, because she had gone through a lot to obtain them. I think that’s what inspired me most about her. She grew up with her grandmother in Trinidad and Tobago. She never knew her real father, and her mother had died. When Ms. Nurse came to the United States she faced many hardships because of her circumstances. She helped me realize that I could overcome any obstacle in my path. Ms. Nurse also influenced me to become a better person. During the month of October our class would contribute to UNICEF (United Nations Childrens Fund). My class participated in many different activities such as: donating clothing to charities, raising money for children in need, and helping people within our community. Outside of the classroom, I have also contributed to the Buffalo Audubon Society by participating in wetland clean-ups, as well as local church activities. After seeing the effect I had in my community, I plan to continue actively volunteering. Ms. Nurse also invented â€Å"the hot seat.† Everyday a student would go up in front of the class and sit in a cheetah print director’s chair. She would go around the class and have everyone say something they liked about the person sitting in the chair. The catch was you couldn’t say anything that had to do with his/her outward appearance. I can remember when she called my name to go into â€Å"the hot seat,† as if it was yesterday. I was terrified to get up in front of the whole class and have people say what they really liked about me. I was overwhelmed with feelings after hearing what my classmates said. Many liked my drive and determination. Others liked how I always answered questions Ms. Nurse would ask. Some of my classmates also admired how I would help them if they didn’t understand something. This was one of the many valuable life lessons Ms. Nurse taught us. We needed to look beyond a person’s outward appearance and deep into his /her heart. The influence she had over me was incredible. Although some people don’t understand Ms. Nurse, she was more than just a Spanish teacher to me. It was through her that I learned many valuable life lessons. Not to mention her influence on my future career path.

Thematic Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Thematic Analysis - Essay Example It is the objective of this paper to present a thematic analysis concerning the working experiences of two (2) distinct hairstylists in the UK. Each hairstylist represents one kind of salon classified according to size: from a small independent salon versus that from a large chain salon. According to Fereday, a thematic analysis is a â€Å"search for themes that emerge as being important to the description of the phenomenon† – in this case, any underlying difference or similarities in the hairstyling business. This is determined from interviews conducted as part of an ESRC project about learning in the workplace during the years 2004 – 2007. As part of the thematic analysis process, coding is required. Fereday, in their article, defined coding as â€Å"a process in thematic analysis which involves recognizing (seeing) an important moment and encoding it (seeing it as something) prior to a process of interpretation†. Accordingly, he mentioned that the primary objective of coding (or tagging) is for â€Å"data retrieval. It is used to classify text according to theme, so that later on, when doing analysis, it is easy to retrieve all passages that relate to a given topic. Finally, to enable one to reach conclusive arguments from the codes and themes presented, analytical memos are necessary. According to Usability Glossary, analytical memos are â€Å"brief notes used during the coding and construction of data that summarizes a possible interpretation or analysis of the data. Accordingly, memos assist in remembering particular analysis and enable one to focus future data collection and coding to explore ideas in the memos.† It is imperative to note that the primary objective of going through with the interview or data collection was to represent the subjective viewpoints of hairstylists who shared their work experiences in their

NUTRITION RELATED DISEASE Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 4

NUTRITION RELATED DISEASE - Research Paper Example Harmful chemicals and toxins cause other diseases through poisoning of the contaminated foods (Safeguarding Your Food, 1991, 12). It is significant to comprehend at this point that many Foodborne microbes can spread through drinking water, recreational water points such as swing pools, contact with animal environments, contact with animals, as well as from one person to another. Specialists prescribe more than two hundred and fifty Foodborne illnesses around the globe. Most of the chemicals and infections that cause food poisoning enter the human body through the intestines and the stomach. Common symptoms include among others vomiting, nausea, abdominal discomfort, and diarrhea. Food poisoning is a public health problem to more than fifty million people every year In the United States and the rest of the world. Statistics in the same country reveal that the diseases account for more than three thousand deaths annually. The symptoms of Foodborne diseases vary in terms of their window period and the start of occurrence. Some start after a few seconds of consuming the contaminated food while others take as long as weeks. At the start, most of the symptoms appear flu-like with features including vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, and fever. It is difficult for common people to realize that the diseases come from pathogens in food as well as harmful bacteria as causal agents. Nobody is immune to contacting a Foodborne illness. Nonetheless, certain individuals stand a higher risk of being in a more dangerous position compared to others. Furthermore, they stand to suffer more with the disease likely to cause fatal results once contacted. They are young children, infants, unborn babies, expectant mothers, those weak immune systems such as HIV and AIDS patients, and older adults. Other conditions and diseases that weaken the immune system of a person are diabetes, transplant processes, kidney diseases, and cancer. The rate of infection varies across the board

Earth Science and Society Essay Example for Free

Earth Science and Society Essay The other four major contributors to the development of modern astronomy after Copernicus are Galileo, Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler, and Isaac Newton. Galileo Galilei supported Copernicus’ ideas and was the one who devised the early telescope that was able to enlarge objects up to 20 times. With the use of this telescope, he was able to prove the heliocentric theory proposed by Copernicus. Tycho Brahe is a Danish astronomer who focused on developing astronomical instruments as well as measuring and fixing the position of stars accurately before the telescope was invented. Johannes Kepler focused on determining the movement of the planets and his laws paved way to the concept of orbits as planetary paths. Isaac Newton’s laws of motion and gravitation further established how planets were able to revolve around the sun and how they moved in an orbit through the pull of gravity. It took a long time to overthrow the geocentric theory because it was backed up by the church and the existing rulers at that time. Those who deviated from the beliefs of the majority were persecuted and thrown to prisons. Only a brave few stood against these people in order to prove them wrong and discover the truth. It only tells us that society doesn’t accept the truth with open arms most of the time, as it is hard to break the preconceived knowledge about things. Discoveries such as the heliocentric theory took a very long time to be accepted by the people, especially because it replaced a more divine theory that the Earth was the center of everything in the universe. Geography is split broadly into two sub-disciplines which are human geography and physical geography. Physical geography is focused primarily on the built environment and how space is created, viewed, as well has managed and handled by man, considering the influences that humans have on the space they created and occupied. Physical geography on the other hand, deals with the natural environment and how other factors like climate, vegetation and life, soil, water and landforms are created and interact with each other. Geography can be best defined as the study of the earth and its features, including everything contained in it, like the ones inhabiting the earth and the different phenomena occurring in it. Geography’s strengths mainly rely on its different branches, as it seeks to cover most concerns regarding the earth. On the other hand, its weaknesses was that it is not able to fully explain a certain field often, which is why there is a need to study other subfields of geography in order to cover for that weakness. The weather is a set of all the phenomena of a given atmosphere considering a certain period of time. This more on a short term basis, usually for hours or days say for example today it rained, while yesterday, it was just fairly cloudy. This is in comparison to that of climate, which is the average atmospheric conditions over longer periods of time, usually months, accounting for the seasons that we experience all throughout the year. The greenhouse effect is the process wherein there is the emission of infrared radiation by the atmosphere which then warms the earth’s surface. On the other hand, global warming is the increase in the average measured temperature of the air near the surface of the earth, because of the heat trapped by various gases in the atmosphere, as caused by pollutants like burning of fuels, smoke, and more. The two concepts are not the same, but the relationship between the two is that because of the greenhouse gases (too much of it) the heat trapped in the atmosphere increases, thus causing global warming. The effect on the environment is drastic, as polar icecaps melt, thus increasing the water levels in different parts of the world. It also changes the patterns of the environment, like the seasons, and the climates at different places. It greatly affects our lives because we might be experiencing a possible cause of species extinction, not only for the animals, but also for us human beings. Pressure gradient force is the acceleration of air due to an impending pressure difference or a force per unit of mass. This usually accelerates air from a high pressure area or region towards a low pressure region thus creating wind. The coriolis effect is the apparent deflection of moving objects when it is viewed from a certain frame of reference. The effect causes air in the atmosphere and water in the ocean to flow to the right of the direction north of the equator, thus causing the rotation of large cyclones. Frictional force is the force resisting the relative motion of two surfaces which are in contact, or a certain fluid in contact with a surface (such as air on an airplane or water flowing in a pipe. California’s Mediterranean climate is characterized by hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. On the other hand, South Carolina’s humid subtropical climate is characterized by hot humid summers and chilly to mild winters. The United States have varying climates from the eastern part because of the bodies of water surrounding it. It can be explained by the El Nino, wherein large circulations of air across the Pacific Ocean breaks down, and warmer than normal waters appears in the eastern Pacific, while colder than normal waters appears in the western Pacific Ocean.

The Government Should Respect Property Rights Essay -- Expository Exem

The Government Should Respect Property Rights Imagine you’ve been enjoying your backyard picnic table and chairs for the past 10 years when suddenly, for no apparent reason, you are served notice from a government agency that you will be fined $6,000 a day unless you remove them. Or, imagine you would like to add a stone walkway to your garden. You begin to research the procedure and costs, only to learn that a lengthy application will be required, with multiple hearings before a state commission. You find yourself embroiled in a Kafkaesque legal battle costing tens of thousands of dollars. Finally, after years of struggle the government demands, as a condition for approving your little walkway, that you â€Å"donate† a portion of your land to the state. Do these sound like nightmarish stories out of some totalitarian regime? Shockingly, they are normal, everyday incidents for property owners across the nation. In California, for example, a state agency called the California Coastal Commission routinely tramples the property rights of coastal landowners. People residing within five miles inland of California’s 1,100 miles of coastline are subject to the commission’s power to approve or deny improvements involving â€Å"any solid structure† on their property. This can include adding a room to a home, planting trees, adding a fence or garden walkway and, yes, in one current Orange County case, a picnic table and chairs. Established in 1976, the California Coastal Commission’s mandate is to â€Å"preserve, protect . . . and restore the resources of the coastal zone for the enjoyment of the current and succeeding generations.† The Commission operates on the premise that the roughly 1.5 million acres under its jurisdiction are a... ...erty without permission from his tenant. Near San Francisco certain homes designated as â€Å"affordable† can be sold for no more than a government-controlled price. In Portland there are wide swaths of the city in which one cannot build a single-family home on one’s own land, even if it is adjacent to other suburban homes. In hundreds of U.S. cities, various laws establishing â€Å"historical districts,† â€Å"landmarks,† or â€Å"improvement zones† straightjacket owners who are consequently unable to remove trees, erect fences, add rooms, or even change rain gutters. Government boards, agencies and commissions with this kind of authority should be opposed not on a case-by-case basis, but on principle. The only proper state policy with respect to private property is: hands off! In America, no governmental agency should have the power to deprive an individual of his property rights.

Trends in American Pop Culture

Today in America, much of our lives is defined by popular culture. Traditions and patterns handed down from generations have been influenced by popular culture in society more today than of yesteryear. Trends are changing in regard to convenience, communication, and personal gain. In this essay, I will speak on the trends of social, political, personal, and religious. When I think of social trends, I am reminded of the new technology that exists today. Technology has change the way we communicate forcing us to stay abreast on the latest version and gadgets to remain functioning actively. Computers and cellular telephones, once accessories, but are necessities today. The Internet is a tool that has changed the way we live when shopping, paying bills, even doing research. Gone are the days of land lines and pay phones. Those gadgets are replaced by cellular phones with text messaging capabilities that allow instant messages to be received faster than voice messaging. Electronic mail, also known as e-mail, whether used personally or in the workplace, has replaced postal bulk mail in some instances. Social networking websites of Twitter, Facebook, My Space, YouTube, and eHarmony are very popular today. Users of these sites can share a personal profile, make new friends, date online, post a video and daily messages. Also, Fortune 500 companies use the internet to advertise to increase sales and business. A popular trend in politics during the 2008 Presidential Election was voter registration. Many community websites drew subscribers to register to vote. Volunteers across the country supported their candidate of choice to get the message out to vote, by going door to door, holding community rallies, and voter drives. Also, celebrity endorsement in the election became a popular trend. Many celebrities did television commercials, and group songs in support of their candidate of choice based on their belief of important values. I believe both trends will continue in future elections as they proved to be key factor in winning votes. From the aspect of personal trends in American popular culture, tattoo and body piercing are the happenings. Both genders of young adults including celebrities, athletes, and singers are following this trend of displaying visual art and design on their body. Also, young adults are influenced today with rap and pop music, urban clothing lines, team sportswear, video games, and iPods. By way of education, online universities are offering classes to earn degrees. This trend is convenient for many working adults with families. While living in the digital age, the digital/video camera is a common personal item that is used to capture memories of special events that is recorded on digital video disc (DVD) to view with family members and friends. Also, movies are now recorded on DVD, while music is recorded on compact disc (CD). Lastly, I will speak on the religious aspect of popular culture in America. The Scientology and Kabbalah religion are popular among celebrities in Hollywood. In the catholic religion, not much has changed by way of traditions. However, there are reports of priest sexually abusing alter boys, that has resulted in convictions and various lawsuits against the Vatican. This action may be called a trend, but the abuse happened years ago that is now visible on the forefront in today's society. In other religions, there are trends of many church leaders under scrutiny for using church funds for personal financial gain as they live lavish lifestyles. Some are also involved in sex scandals, committing adultery and accused of domestic violence. Some trends have spoiled us in becoming impatient for instant gratification, while forgetting the traditions handed down to us. American popular culture is exposed through the mass media every day in areas of social, political, personal, and religious. We are affixed to tuning in to hearing the latest to keep up with the happenings in American society to get us through the day, which is a trend in itself. References Wilson, J. R. , & Wilson, S. R. (2001). Mass Media, Mass Culture, (5e).

The Ritz-Carlton Does Not Sell Hotel Rooms

The Ritz Carlton runs in a way that makes every single detail about the consumer and the consumer’s needs, wants, and expectations. Every decision that they make they make with the consumer in mind. They essentially are selling unsurpassed service to their patrons. The Ritz Carlton is very well-known for providing consistent service to its patrons in each of its locations throughout the world. They provide guests with high quality customer service, utilizing their Gold Standards for customer service, which include its credo, motto, employee promise, three steps of service, and the twelve service values. The three steps of service are fairly basic, however many companies overlook them, losing that opportunity to create a long lasting relationship with the guest. The first is to deliver a warm and sincere greeting and to use the guest's name; the second is to anticipate and fulfill the needs of each guest; and the third is to give a warm good-bye, again using the guest's name. The Ritz Carlton believes that guest recognition is a top priority. If employees recognize the guest, then they can give personalized service, have fast access to knowledge, and interactions that are largely hassle free. These Gold Standards continue to lead the company to outperform its competition and increase its customer loyalty. They also have programs designed to meet specific customer needs that include their Service Quality Indicators (SQIs). The Ritz Carlton continually improves its processes and programs in order to give its guests the exceptional service that they have come to be well known for giving in the hotel industry. In essence, they are selling service to consumers. The Ritz Carlton has applied for and won the Baldridge Award in 1992 and 1999, which confirmed that quality is not a short term approach to doing business. The Ritz Carlton works hard to achieve the highest customer and employee satisfaction in the industry. They believe it is critical to continually improve day after day. As a consumer, I would be willing to pay for a stay at the Ritz Carlton. I believe that the methods that they use are fantastic. They treat everyone, including their employees, with respect. That is something that many companies fail to even consider when they are building their business. There are many people who choose products and services from companies by looking at factors such as how they treat their employees, where their products are made, etc. rather than looking only at the price tag and looking for a place or item that is â€Å"cheap†. As a consumer, I would rather patronize a place that was more expensive and treated its employees like gold, than patronize a place that was cheap and treated its employees poorly. I believe that the Ritz Carlton offers an excellent service to their guests and I’m fairly certain that the majority of consumers would be willing to pay for it. However, the price of a hotel room at the Ritz Carlton is on the pricier side so I’m sure that there are plenty of people that would love to take advantage of staying there but would be unable to do so since they could not afford it. Do you think it’s possible for Ritz Carlton to create â€Å"ladies and gentlemen† in just 7 days? It most likely is possible for Ritz Carlton to do so because their employee selection process is highly refined and they are able to higher excellent candidates who understand this concept of â€Å"ladies and gentlemen†. The Ritz Carlton looks for individuals who understand their culture and will engage with other employees, managers and guests. They look for individuals who exhibit certain personality traits and hiring managers seek those individuals when they recruit and interview candidates. In order to ensure that interviewees are sincere and positive people, the hiring managers use two-part questions that will eliminate interviewees who are insincere. According to the article, Inside the Ritz Carlton’s Revolutionary Service, a prospective employee may be asked, â€Å"Are you a habitual smiler? †. If the candidate responds with a â€Å"yes†, then the hiring manager will proceed to ask, â€Å"Why do you smile? †. It is clear to see that the Ritz Carlton selects its employees very carefully in order to find employees that will understand the culture and be able to learn quickly how to be a lady or a gentleman. By looking for people that have the necessary talent to do the job, they feel they can teach the other skills necessary to get them to lady or gentleman status. The Ritz Carlton has a very slow orientation process that they feel can best prepare the new employee with the mission of the company. They feel that when an individual starts a new job, it is a significant emotional experience. During this time, that individual will be attentive and receptive to emotional changes. The Ritz Carlton uses this time to focus on their values and to instill those values into that employee. The employee than goes though their week of orientation and afterwards, they are expected to have adapted the company culture. It seems to me that between their vigorous selection process and the week of orientation, many of these individuals would be able to adapt to their culture as â€Å"a lady or gentlemen†. Also, it is important to point out that the company is well known for treating their employees very well. I would believe that their employees know this and would want to treat the company well in return. The employees must have a high level of employee morale. They have every reason to want to continue on as a â€Å"lady or a gentlemen† as their time continues on with the company. They will also have the chance for promotions in the future. The Ritz Carlton sets employees up for success starting by selecting the right employees for the right position within the company. They are then able to mold these individuals into the employees that they want them to be. They also treat them very well and give them room for growth. I believe that doing this ensures that these individuals will become â€Å"ladies and gentlemen† within the 7 days.

Essay on Obama Made a Very Good Argument on Syria †and a Very Bad OneEssay Writing Service

Essay on Obama Made a Very Good Argument on Syria – and a Very Bad OneEssay Writing Service Essay on Obama Made a Very Good Argument on Syria – and a Very Bad One Essay on Obama Made a Very Good Argument on Syria – and a Very Bad OneThe situation in Syria is extremely dangerous for the local population as well as the international community because Syria possesses the weapon of mass destruction and, if the situation in Syria goes out of control, consequences will be unpredictable. In such a situation, the argument on whether the US-led coalition should intervene and deploy the military force to stop the Civil War in Syria laying off the regime of Assad or to carry on diplomatic negotiations and pressure on Syria persists. In this regard, the author of the article â€Å"Obama Made a Very Good Argument on Syria – and a Very Bad One†, Ezra Klein, gets involved into the argument with the US President on the US policy on Syria. Even though the author conducts the argument indirectly analyzing critically the speech of the US President, the argument line can be traced clearly. On the one hand, the author clearly states the positi on of the US President, who definitely prefers the diplomatic resolution of the conflict in Syria and refuses to deploy the US army to stop the conflict. On the contrary, the author of the article insists that the US cannot ignore the skyrocketing toll of casualties among civilians in Syria anymore and bold measures should be undertaken by the US and the international community. Obama’s argument is based on the emotional appeal to the audience and the obvious progress in diplomatic negotiations. In response, the author of the article also refers to the audience’s emotions and insists that whatever the weapon is people keep dying in Syria, while the US fails to stop the war using the diplomatic path proposed by President Obama. The argument of the author of the article was strong, whereas the argument of Obama was inconsistent. The author justly remarks that people in Syria keep dying and the majority dies because of the use of the conventional weapon. Therefore, the ci vil war carries on and any delays of active intervention to stop the war will cause more casualties. This is why I believe the author of the article is right arguing that the military interference could be and should be the solution to Syrian problem, while the diplomatic path is the way to nowhere.

Tourist Industry Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Tourist Industry - Assignment Example Manipulation and Cooperation Twisting and distorting facts to make them appear more attractive. Coercion The applications of direct threats or force upon resisters. Effective Incentive Scheme Staff is unhappy with the arrangement of incentive scheme and tension is running high between the local management and the sales staff. Staff at Euro is also in competition with one another as the greatest amount of time saved per month by an individual globally, is rewarded with a cash payment. DIRECTIONS: Euro Travel in such a case should setup its own incentive scheme, which can produce effective results by keeping the following results in consideration. Communicate goals Communicate what you are doing and why is crucial to success. Everyone needs to know what the goals are and what are the rewards for achieving those goals. Know your objectives There is no point implementing an incentive scheme just because everyone else is. Establish what aspect of your business you are trying to improve, be it product knowledge, absenteeism rates, customer satisfaction or retention rates Convince the board If you have got the objectives right, know what you want to do, why and how, then winning the board over should not be too hard. Consult with staff As such schemes are all about staff participation, it makes sense to get them involved at the beginning. Find out what would motivate them to work harder or please more customers. Maintain momentum Management needs to keep banging the drum and alerting employees to any results, new targets or rewards. It needs to become part of the company culture. Make it pertinent This ties into ensuring the rewards are appropriate. Different departments or locations will probably have different objectives, so you need to...Staff at Euro is also in competition with one another as the greatest amount of time saved per month by an individual globally, is rewarded with a cash payment. There is no point implementing an incentive scheme just because everyone else is. Establish what aspect of your business you are trying to improve, be it product knowledge, absenteeism rates, customer satisfaction or retention rates Staff feels that their needs at work are not being met and that there is too much "clock watching" by themselves and managers. They are dissatisfied not just by the incentive scheme but also by poor management. Due to war against Iraq the hotels from Paris to Rome to Berlin have seen a drop in reservations and anticipate a greater slowdown, in peak tourism season. This is due to fears of global terrorism and economic gloom in many parts of the world. The drop in visitors is all the more damaging because the world's big spenders, the Americans and Japanese, top the list of those staying home. There has been an angry reaction in the South West to an independent report, which has suggested the possible introduction of a tourism tax. Malcolm Bell, the chief executive of South West Tourism, has described the proposal as "barking mad". Many businesses said such a tax would be costly to administer and would stop people visiting the area on holiday. The cases

Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 24

Report - Essay Example He provides examples of early studies such as the Technology Acceptance Model developed by Davis in 1989 meant to provide explanations of the behavioral intention of a potential user in technological innovation (He and Lee, 2012). They continue to provide the example of the 1991 study by Compeau and Higgins who based their investigation of people’s perspectives on technology adoption on diffusion of innovations (He and Lee, 2012). Despite previous studies, the authors indicate that a solid conclusion concerning the different attitudes between the male and female use of information technology systems remains elusive. Most studies only offer significant and insignificant conclusions about the matter. The article insists that gender is a significant demographic factor that influences an individual’s reaction to technology. The study in the article utilizes self-efficacy as the main dependent variable for two reasons. Self-efficacy is a core element of social cognitive theory and is recognized as a major factor that regulates an individual’s computer habits. Secondly, fundamental state of psychology directs the attitude and decisions made in IT adoption by influencing factors like the perception of ease of use. The study then uses the variable to test the impact of the learning process on gender and the formation of attitudes that affects an individual’s confidence in the use of computers. Self-efficacy defines the personal belief of an individual in his ability to complete a task. The findings indicate that women’s self-efficacy in the use of computers in less than that of men. The female students in the study had limited computer knowledge and fewer computing interactions. Additionally, they were more likely to have high anxiety levels about computer usage compared to the male st udents. Finally, compared to male students,

Analysis of Bahrain's Economy's strength and weakness Essay

Analysis of Bahrain's Economy's strength and weakness - Essay Example Crude oil derivatives produced from imported crude oil form a significant part of exports. Many industrial projects are under way. Unemployment {mainly among young Bahrainis}, declining oil reserves and decreasing underground water resources comprise Bahrain’s three main problems with long term implications (Wikipedia.org). The first strength is the realization of the need for maximum oil conservation. It has stabilized its oil production at 6,400 m3 or 40,000 barrels per day with the aim of stretching its oil reserves to 15 years (Wikipedia.org). Secondly, it has realized it cannot depend on oil for long and should diversify its economy. It has made commendable progress in this direction. It is utilizing its idle oil refineries to refine crude oil imported from its giant oil producer neighbors, particularly Saudi Arabia. Its ‘Persian Gulf Petrochemical Company’ is operating as a joint venture between Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, to produce petroleum derivatives methanol and ammonia. ‘Aluminium Bahrain’ is the largest factory of its kind in the world that produces 525,000 metric tons yearly. ‘The Arab Iron and Steel Company’ produces 4 million tons of iron ore pellets. Bahrain has a giant shipbuilding and repair yard that gets lucrative business from the hundreds of oil tankers and commercial ships plying to and from the Gulf nations. Its most commendable diversification is in financing: its impediment-free regulations have attracted more than 100 offshore banking institutions in ad dition to many onshore institutions (Wikipedia.org). Thirdly, it has provided an attractive setting to attract multinational firms. It has a modern infrastructure. Its airport serves 22 international carriers. Its seaports provide direct and regular links to Europe, the Far East and the U.S. It has a state-of-the-art communication network. These facilities have attracted a large number of banks and multinational

Feminist Philosophy Essay Example for Free

Feminist Philosophy Essay Mary Wollstonecraft was no doubt a great feminist and deserved to be called grandmother of the feminist thought. Her early experiences of an unsuccessful family life as well as the prevailing notion of the philosophers at that time about women shaped her views to become authentic feminist grand mother. Wollstonecraft’s feminist ideas affected the first wave of feminism through her arguments against the prevailing views on women most notably that of Rousseau’s which categorized women as subservient to men. Rousseau held that women’s education should be designed entirely to make them pleasing to men. Rousseau reflected â€Å"to please, to be useful to us, to make us love and esteem them, to educate us when young and take care of us when grown up, to advise, to console us, to render our lives easy and agreeable—these are duties of women at all times†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Feminist Philosophy). Against this view, Wollstonecraft work hard to emphasize that the role of women in the society were not simply an ornaments and playthings of men as they are also capable of attaining masculine virtues of wisdom and rationality â€Å"if society would allow those value to be cultivated† (p.475-476). Wollstonecraft pointed out that the prevailing views on women had bad implications not only on women but on society as well as they will only breed bitterness, jealousy, and folly. She affected the first wave of feminist by encouraging them â€Å"to restore women to their lost dignity by encouraging better ideas of woman hood† (p. 476). How did Simone de Beauvoirs writing shape the second wave? The second wave of feminism was a resurgence of early feminism as a result of various works of feminists during the 1940s such as her works. De Beauvoir writings shaped the second wave of feminism by shedding light about what is a woman in the concept of being other, and how men views women during this period. In her writings de Beauvoir shed social understanding on womanhood. She pointed out that the fundamental social meaning of woman is Other. She explained, â€Å"No group ever sets itself up as the One without at once setting up the Other over against itself† (p. 479). The thought that de Beauvoir was pointing out was that men do not view women as human being like them but as Others who are to be treated as stranger that do not deserve equal treatment. The implication of men’s treatment of women as Others according to de Beauvoir was that because women are others, they do not need to be given â€Å"equal weight to their preferences† simply because they are others (p. 480). Debeauvoir’s writings shaped the second wave of feminism through her unique way of providing social understanding about how women were regarded by men during this period. How did the events of the first and second wave affect each other? Apparently, the event of the first and the second wave of feminism affect each other in a way that they connect the second wave to the first. The second wave feminist was inspired by the events during the first wave to tag along their path of pushing for the recognition of women’s rights. Apparently, the events of the first wave feminist shaped the understanding of the second wave feminism about women’s rights, against the existing social and philosophical views on women. Thus, the events of the first wave serves as mirror for the second wave, and as inspiration for them to continue women’s struggle for the restoration of their lost dignity as women equal with men in many aspect, especially on human rights. Reference More-Bruder: Philosophy: The Power of Ideas (2008) Feminist Philosophy The McGraw-Hill Companies

Allisons Foreign Policy Models

Allisons Foreign Policy Models Graham Allisons Essence of Decision offered alternative conceptual models on foreign policy decision making and a specific discussion on the Cuban missile crisis; and has been one of the influential book in history of foreign policy analysis. It gives a significant contribution to political science study, as it has been heavily cited in most international relations textbook and also discussed by foreign policy analysts. However, despite the models strong influence in foreign policy study, it has been heavily criticised by foreign policy analysts about its utility and value in decision making analysis. Number of criticism has risen regarding Allisons conceptual framework, ranging from its originality until the problem of evidences that have been used by Allison in explaining the Cuban Missile Crises. Cornford and Horelick, for example, argue that Allisons model is not wholly original work, rather than it is developed from previous study. Moreover, another group of criticism have questioned the account of the Cuban Missile Crises that explained by Allison. Despite these two criticisms, there are number of criticism that will be discussed in the following section. By looking at number of criticism about Allisons model, there is a big question about the usefulness of the model in foreign policy decision making process analysis. This essay aims to evaluate the utility of Allisons conceptual policy in foreign policy decision making. This essay will also critically discuss each of the three models by looking from some perspectives. Moreover, taking into account that this essay relies on Allisons Essence of Decision, this essay will also look at the decision making process regarding the Cuban Missile Crisis. Allisons Conceptual Framework Model I: The Rational Actor (RAM) Model I is the basic yet critical conceptual framework that mostly utilized in foreign policy decision making analysis. RAM is the best model in explaining and predicting of an individual behaviour, as well as purpose generalization in states action. The model reduces the organizational and governmental political complications by looking at government as unified actor.  [1]  Thus, a complete-informed government -regarded as black box- will process information to optimize rational action. The internal structure within decision making process will calculate theà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬pros and cons, and afterward, rank all the options by their chance to succeed.  [2]   Its feature of being simple and easy to utilize, RAM could be useful when a state has limited or even no available information about the enemy. Moreover, RAM which stresses on interaction among states, will immediately produce prudent decision after considering the pro and con. Therefore, since it does not require much information to analyse a case, RAM would be very suitable in a crisis situation. Its simplicity in analysing a case makes RAM one of the popular methods in foreign policy decision making process. On the other side, some foreign policy analysts argue that in the real foreign policy formation, number of external and individual interest factor will eventually impact the policy making process. Moreover, RAM tends to ignore a large state with complex bureaucratic nature that has various kinds of departments with their own different political and ideological perspectives.  [3]  Therefore, along with the argument that intra-national factors are very importantà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦yet critical when one is concerned with planning policy, Allison has proposed so-called, Bureaucratic Politics Model.  [4]   Model II: Organizational Process Difficulties will arise when the cases that are going to be examined is not the behaviour of an individual or a state with simple bureaucracy model, but the behaviour of one organization or government with a complex structure inside. Therefore, Allison provides two alternative conceptual frameworks that will open up the black box to evaluate internal structure inside the government, which is later known as Model II and Model III. Model II or Organizational Process Model focuses on the existing organization and their standard operating procedures (SOP) for gaining information, defining possible option and implementing programme.  [5]  Each organization has its own mission and function and series of program are developed to carry out those missions. In defining feasible option, Model II is restricted based on SOP that they believe, will enhance performance and efficiency. Moreover, Model II is not optimizing rational actor, as model I does, but rather, it is satisfying decision making actors. Its account that foreign policy outcomes are derive from bureaucratic programs, routines and SOP, produces some advantages. It emphasizes the importance of domestic political influences in foreign policy decision making process that sometimes missed out in RAM. Therefore, model II reminds the analysts that the policy was formed not only by a high level decision-maker, but sometimes it is formed by organization.  [6]   Nevertheless, a set of criticism has arisen in the utility of model II. Its emphasis on organisational culture may ill-serve higher level officials and finally can lead to impair the analysts understanding of organizations and their behaviour.  [7]  Even though this kind of problem does not occur for most of the time, but we can take it as a consideration of the effectiveness of the model II. Model III: Governmental Politics Governmental politics or government bargaining model focuses on key individual decision makers with their great influence in deciding on organizational action. Moreover, the model assumes that decision makers have different perceptions, priorities, commitments and also organizational positions (where you stand depends on where you sit).  [8]  Therefore, model III assumes that governmental actions are the result of a political bargaining process among key players. Furthermore, bargaining and negotiation processes will result in satisfying rather than optimizing decision making result. It obviously explained because personal ambition of key actor may diverge from public policy position and may lead to personal power considerations when making decision.  [9]   Between Allisons three conceptual frameworks, model III adds important detail about domestic politics that obviously, cannot be found in model I. In addition, model III does not only explain the roles of key individuals, but it also explains why sometimes individuals are working at contrary purposes to the interest of the government as a whole. Lastly, model III gives us explanation why policy sometimes appears to be irrational if we look it from a unitary government perspective. Nevertheless, model III also received many critics, especially on the complexity of the model. It is focus on individual key actor that makes it difficult to study and analyse. Moreover, it requires too many variables, some variable are unknown and it is hard to apply for other countries with unclear bureaucratic politics inside. Criticism toward Allisons conceptual framework Allisons conceptual framework has been attacked by number of criticism, varying from the originality of the model, different interpretation of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the US political system, and also methodological criticism. As Stephen D. Krasner has argued that Allisons model à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦is misleading, dangerous, and compelling.  [10]  Therefore, in this section, number of criticism of Allisons model will be critically discussed and assessed. Some foreign policy analysts, such as, Cornford, Horelick, Ball and Art have claimed that Allison did not present a completely brand new approach to analysing foreign policy process; but rather it just development from previous theories. Cornford has claimed that organisational process mode is previously done by writers such as, Simon, March and Simon, Cyert and March.  [11]  Furthermore, Cornford has claimed that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Model IIIà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦is pure Neustadt.  [12]  Horelick et al. supported Cornfords argument by suggesting that the bureaucratic model is closely related to previous work done by Kremlinologists.  [13]  Ball and Art also mentioned names of analyst that originally make the bureaucratic policy model, such as Huntington, Hilsman, Schilling, and Neustadt.  [14]   Nevertheless, Allison has dedicated a section in his book to acknowledge previous scholars that become his foundation in developing his methods. He is fully aware that he utilized and developed earlier scholars work as he mentioned in his book, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦this encourages much repackaging of existing theoriesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ã‚  [15]  Therefore, he identifies a group of writers such as March and Simon, Barnard, Cyert and Simon and so on for foundation of model II.  [16]  Furthermore, Allison also acknowledged his intellectual debt to previous scholars that related to model III paradigm, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦model III variety have attracted increasing attention since 1960à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the publication of Presidential Power by Richard E. Neustadt.  [17]  Moreover, Bernstein has argued that the model is a helful summary of earlier decision making research to present a practical mode of analysis and guide to understand business and organizational decision.  [18]  Hence, we coul d argue that Allisons originality does not claim the originality of development of the model. The originality does not lie in his model, but rather in his approach to apply his models consistently to one particular case study, the Cuban Missile Crisis.  [19]   Another criticism can be seen from methodological perspective; numbers of similarities between model II and model III have shaped ambiguity between those two models. In many occasions, some foreign analysts will combine model II and model III to analyse a case study, including Allison himself. In his article with Halperin, Allison combines those two models and become one major model the bureaucratic politics paradigm- as an alternative model to RAM.  [20]  As Cornford argues that the three models is not totally incommensurable model to analyse foreign policy making process.  [21]  Therefore, even though Allison distinguishes three kinds of model in foreign policy analysis, those models is not easily separable in their actual application. In bureaucratic politics model, decision is not arise from one unitary actor, but through some bargaining between organisation structures with their own agenda. Model II and model III have identical characteristics that enable them to be grouped as bureaucratic politics model. The two models are similar in a sense that both models focus on departments and organizations inside the decision maker; however, it is slightly different, in a sense that, if model II will reach a decision through Standard Operation Program, model III will make a decision through bargaining between various players within government. Despite the insignificant difference between those models, they are usually combined as the bureaucratic politics model.  [22]   However, Caldwell has raised bureaucratic politics models major problem regarding the use of evidence and data. The model requires detailed data that hardly available in term of quantity and quality. In addition, Caldwell argued that there is huge possibility for analyst to imposing the model on the evidence rather than testing the model against it. Therefore, bureaucratic politics model has significant problem in analysing the data and evidence, since previous empirical problems show that data was made to fit the model.  [23]   Allisons alternative model has also been argued that it eliminated decision-makers responsibility toward the policy. The strong criticism has risen from Steel and Krasner, which argued that no one, even the President, holds responsibility of the policy as the outcome from bargaining process among bureaucratic groups. As Steel argued that, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦where everyone is responsible for a decision, no one is responsible.  [24]  The same argument also comes from Krusnet who argued that bureaucratic politic eliminates the importance of election: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Elections are a farce not because the people suffer from false consciousness, but because public officials are impotent, enmeshed in a bureaucracy so large that the actions of government are not responsive to their will.  [25]  In contrast, Smith argues that criticism regarding the elimination of bureaucrats responsibility à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦is only valid to the extent to which the President is unable to get his wishes carrie d out.  [26]  In some cases, the President still has the power and responsibility in deciding the final decision and for most of the cases, the President will be the one who chose the key group of decision maker. Therefore, even though Allisons model can be an excuse for bureaucrats, we can argue that the criticism from Steel and Kranser is not applicable for all cases and need to be modified. Furthermore, following previous criticism, there is criticism about Allisons model utility to other countries. Even though Allison clearly points out his intention to present two additional frameworks to other countries foreign policy analysis (not only limited to the US and Soviet Unions policy making)  [27]  , a group of writers has argued the inability of the model to analyse foreign policy behaviour in other countries, to be precise, un-industrialized countries. As Hill has noted that there is a growing consensusà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦over the inapplicability of the insights of Allison, et al. to foreign policy-making inside less modernised states.  [28]  Migdal has also argued that the model cannot be applied to the countries that do not have stability of organizational structure, routine, and even bargaining process.  [29]  Moreover, Brenner also argues that Allisons model is not a universal model and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦more distinctive in the United States than elsewhere.  [ 30]  Despite all criticisms regarding its utility to other countries, Weil has proved, in fact, the model could be utilised in the North Vietnamese foreign policy analysis; as he has noted that examining North Vietnamese foreign policy decision making from a governmental politics perspective complements understanding gained from a rational actor analysis.  [31]   Nevertheless, some analysts have argued that the model is not even applicable to the Soviet Union, although the Soviet Union foreign policy has been heavily discussed in Essence of Decision. It is not only because the model requires more specific information than is available, but also as Dawisha has noted that the bureaucracy in some countries (e.g. the Soviet Union) is fundamentally different from its position in the United States because the persistent influence of the Communist Party.  [32]  Therefore, there is a doubt about the utility of Allisons model in other countries, as Wagner has pointed out, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the extension of Allisons model III to other countries may be a less straightforward enterprise than he implies.  [33]   Case Study: Singapores Defence Posture Change In the early 1980s, Singapore announced a major important change in its defence policy, from a defensively deterrent strategy (poisonous shrimp) to a more actively deterrent strategy (known as the porcupine). In an article done by Pak Shun Ng, he applies Allisons model to analyse Singapores domestic decision making process. Pak Shun Ng treats Singapore as unitary rational actor to utilizing model I (RAM); the military organisations as the unit of analysis for model II; lastly, the military and political party leadership (including senior military leaders and civilian leaders of Singapores ruling party, the Peoples Action Party (PAP)) as units of analysis for model III.  [34]  The article argues that model II and model III provide the most reasonable explanation of the change in Singapores defence position in the 1980s; while model I has failed to fully explain the change in its defence posture from a poisonous shrimp to a porcupine. Model II first reveals the appropriate developm ent of both Singapores military capability and military planning ability. Furthermore, model III then proves details how the Singapore Armed Force (SAF) could announce the change convincingly to improve its stature among Singaporeans and foreigners by persuasive them that Singapore has appropriate capability to defend and survive any potential threat.  [35]  Even though the article heavily honours the utility of Allisons model, but it still proposes modification of the models in order to be able to analyse a decision making process in a small and non-western states under absence of crisis condition. Pak Shun Ng has argued Allisons assumption that policy is the outcome of bargaining process is not applicable policy making in reality. In fact, decision makers do not automatically have different missions.  [36]  Therefore he argued that political bargaining model assumptions are too restrictive to explain real-life government decisions sufficiently, they should be relaxed so as to increase the explanatory power of the model.  [37]  Furthermore, the case study of Singapores policy making shows the evidence of model II and III complete each other and make one alternative model against RAM. Therefore, it supports the criticism that previously discussed that Allisons models, especially model II and III, have strong similarities and hardly separate. Conclusion The essay has discussed Allisons conceptual frameworks, by looking at each model and its pros and cons. Moreover, a number of major criticisms about the utility of Allisons model have also discussed and critically assessed. The first criticism is regarding the originality of the model, which has been criticised that, in fact, Allison did not bring anything new to the table; instead the models are just developed from earlier scholarship. However, we can argue that the originality of Allison model does not lie in the formulation of the models, but at the consistency in applying the model to one case study, the Cuban Missile Crisis. Hence, the fact that it focus on Cuban Crisis has leaded us to the following criticism, the flexibility of the model to be utilized to other countries. Some foreign policy analyst have argued that Allisons conceptual framework is not applicable to other country that is not industrialized enough to have a complex bureaucratic politics, like the United States. A group of analyst also argued that the model actually is not applicable for country with strong influence of communist party, namely the Soviet Union, even though it is heavily discussed in Essence of Decision. Another criticism also attacked the relationship between Allisons model, especially model II and model III. There is an argument that model II and model III are hardly separated from each other, and in some cases, they are combined into one major model, the bureaucratic politics model. Moreover, problem arose from the model about the availability of the data. The bureaucratic politics model requires specific data and evidence that hardly available. The model has also been argued to eliminate responsibility of top level bureaucrats in policy making. However, we can argue that in some cases, the President will be the one who holds the final decision and responsibility toward the outcome (policy). In the final section of the essay, there is a case study about Singapores policy change in early 1980s. By looking at the case study, we can conclude that after some modification, we can apply Allisons model to small and non-western countries like Singapore. Moreover, after Ng modified the model to be more applicable to non-western countries, he argued that model II and model III give better explanation on the policy change, rather than model I. However, from the case study we can also point out that model II and model III are completed each other and hardly separated. This essay has discussed some general criticisms, aside from specific criticism about its utility on Cuban Missile Crisis. Even though its a complex model and has been heavily criticized by some analyst, Allison has successfully provided fresh yet provocative alternative conceptual frameworks in decision making process. Allison does not intend to supplant any previous model, rather just provide a supplement framework in decision making study. Furthermore, in his book, Allison strongly emphasized that the model itself is unfinished; therefore he encourages foreign policy analysts as well as the reader to join and carry on the discussion about the model. Moreover, even though it cannot be fully utilized in all states, as case study of Singapore has shown, with small modification, the model can be utilized and proved to give better explanation than RAM.