Defining Marriage

Defining Marriage Words are a part of everyday life. Without them people would have a very hard time conveying a message or showing their feelings to the people around them. Words also provide the groundwork on how we interpret what is expectable and what is not. Although only eight letters, the word marriage carries a lot of meaning for millions of people across the world. Depending on who ask, they might also have a definition of what they think marriage means. I myself define a marriage as a formal relationship between a man and a woman that last until death.The Merriam Webster dictionary on the other hand would define marriage as â€Å"the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband and wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law. † On the other hand, thousands of men and women are set out to redefine marriage to also include same sex relationships as well. For myself and I’m sure millions of others across the world they do not think that a simple definition can confine someone from living in a regular recognized marriage like everyone else.How we define a particular word can have lasting effects and for the gay and lesbian community restricting them from the same basic rights that everyday couples take advantage of. In this exploratory essay I am dedicated to exploring the contested term â€Å"marriage† between the gay and lesbian community and many other people that have their own definition of marriage as well. Because the age we live in now, the commonly accepted definition of marriage between a man and a woman is keeping tens of thousands of same-sex couples by being federally recognized in a union.So what is marriage and why does it matter how people define it? I first started with Peter Pothan who wrote an article called â€Å"The Christian Concept of Marriage†. Pothan is a theological teacher and is currently the Assistant Director of the Distance Learning Department of Souther n Asia Bible College in Bangalore. He wastes no time clearly stating that he gets the definition of marriage from the bible. By referencing different parts of the Bible he is able to define what a Christian Marriage is and additional context as well. The first section that he references from the Bible is in Genesis 2:24.It states, â€Å"Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh. † By this Pathan concludes that a Marriage is between one man and one woman. Although he breaks the verse down into four parts, for this exploratory essay I want to focus the marriage portion on which I am better trying to understand. During Gods initial creation he only created one wife for Adam. Pothan uses this as a backbone that it is not only a relationship between a man and a woman, but it is also a monogamous relationship that must be maintained as well.Additionally, he uses biblical context to further go to say that marriage is only per manent as long as life last. Overall, Peter Pothan does not try to impose this Christian definition of marriage onto anyone, but merely uses evidence from the Bible to extract the definition of marriage. Several times during the article he consistently uses the Christian definition of marriage evoking that he is clearly not trying to impose a singular definition for the word. As a Christian myself I did find how he defined marriage very persuasive.He put very little opinion into interpreting what the Bible was saying and just tried to state the facts. I feel that most Christians would have a hard time disagreeing with what Pothan has to say. I also like he was not trying to impose the definition on anyone. Several times throughout the article he consistently use â€Å"Christian Marriage†. By this I felt that he clearly recognized that there is a dispute between what the definition of marriage truly is. On the other hand, I can also see one big hole is this definition. Althoug h the Bible is very widely used and accepted across the world not everyone is a Christian.Many of those who are not of the Christians faith can easily discredit this definition. Just like many words over time they can slowly evolve and continue to mean more things. It would only make sense to some that the definition of marriage would do the same as well. Many gays and lesbians would also clearly have a hard time accepting this as a definition of marriage. To them this would imply that they are not capable of leaving their mothers and fathers and cleaving to their partner. Overall, I am still very much caught in the crossfire of what marriage should or should not include.By going with the Christian definition of marriage I am essentially supporting the idea of taking away freedoms that many same-sex couple are not able to enjoy like regular couples. This I have a hard time accepting. My next article, â€Å"GOP’s Rob Portman announces support for same-sex marriage† by M atthew DeLuca is on the opposite end of the spectrum when it views the definition of marriage. Matthey Deluca, a writer for NBC News writes about Rob Portman’s view on marriage. The Ohio Senator Portman’s once hard stance that marriage is defined as a between a man and a women now has a change of views.At one point he even supported the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, which limits marriage specifically to one man and one woman. In this article, the Ohio Senator states that â€Å"I have come to believe that if two people are prepared to make a lifetime commitment to love and care for each other in good times and in bad, the government shouldn’t deny them the opportunity to get married. † He describes his change of views based on his 21-year-old son. In a talk with his son in 2011, his son, Will, told his father that he was gay.Portman not only said that his change of heart was due to his son, but also his Christian faith. He says the message of love and c ompassion from the Bible is also what swayed him to change his mind on this particular issue. This article shows how the definition of marriage can be based on equal rights that many feel everyone should have. As a result, the definition of marriage would have to be extended. Looking at this article, I feel somewhat drawn into Senator Portman’s view of marriage and how the definition should evolve to reflect the culture of America.It is more than just about a definition, but a way to make everyone equal under the law. With the way marriage is right now that is not possible. Same-sex couples that want to take the next step to a recognized marriage are not given the same rights that others couples receive. Portman, a Christian like myself, did choose to take a different angle on how he looks at the Bible. That just goes to show that there are people that are Christians that also support same-sex marriages and essentially want to change the definition of marriage to reflect a gr eater assortment of couples wanted to seek a civil union.Although I do understand where Senator is coming from I can’t say I fully agree that you can just change the definition of a word because of personal experience that was experienced. My last source I chose was an article called â€Å"Same-Sex Marriage and Equality† by Reginald William. This scholarly source was published on December 21, 2010. Williams is an affiliate of Bakersfield College that contests the views that many have that same-sex marriage is not an equal rights issue. I came across this article using the University of Oklahoma online library.William talks about several individuals and their views in particular that same-sex marriage is a not an equality issue. He describes that many claim this because both heterosexuals and homosexuals are not allowed to get married to the same gender. They are on the other hand â€Å"both† allowed to marry someone of the opposite sex. Williams describes this i dea as a basis for many that say this is not an equality issue. William on the other hand disagrees and fully thinks this is still very much about the lack of equality and supports same-sex marriage.Throughout his article he goes into painstaking detail to support his claim. In short, he says although the same rights are available to everyone, the rights available are only truly for heterosexuals couples. Although his claim is somewhat hard to grasp, I feel he overall makes some very important points that support the fact that there is a lack a social equality for same-sex couples. The question that is of real concern though is should this constitute us to redefine the term marriage so that same-sex couples can get married and be federally recognized.I have definitely learned that the definition of marriage matters greatly to the people you ask and it is more than a word that is used in a sentence. It not only has a strong definition that lasted through time, but as of right now is keeping many same-sex couples from being able to be apart of a civil union recognized by our government. Reviewing all of these sources and really letting the point the writers have sink in has made me consider many thoughts that I have not considered before.Although I do strongly believe that the definition of marriage should not change, I do feel that the people affected by the definition of marriage, such as same-sex couples, should have the same rights as a regular marriage if they choose. To me this is not about definitions at all by equal rights. Although I am sure many same-sex couples would like to be included in the definition of marriage, what they really want is to have the same benefits in their relationship as a heterosexual couple does.Even though many states have already started this journey for same-sex couples they are still far from putting them on the same playing field as a traditional definition of marriage and the rights they receive at the federal level. Work Cited Williams, Reginald. â€Å"Same-Sex Marriage and Equality. † Ethical Theory and Moral Practice14. 5 (2011): 589-95. Web. DeLuca, Matthew. â€Å"GOP's Rob Portman Announces Support for Same-sex Marriage. † NBCNews. N. p. , 15 Mar. 2013. Web. 21 Mar. 2013. Pothan, Peters S. â€Å"The Christian Concept of Marriage. † 2miles. org. N. p. , Sept. 2009. Web. 21Mar. 2013.

Space Travel

SPACE TRAVEL 1. Only three nations have successfully put people into space: the US, Russia and China. All have been government programmes, developed at great expense. Now, a new era is beginning in which private enterprise will take people 100km or more above the Earth. _________________ 2. In 2001, an American, Christ Tito, became the first space tourist. He travelled to the International Space Station by Rocket and stayed there for ten days. A year later South African Millionaire, Mark Shuttleworth, went on the same trip. When he returned to earth he said, â€Å"Every second will be with me for the rest of my life†.Both men paid $20 million for their holidays. _________________ 3. The company that organised their trips is called Space Adventures. Its president, Eric Anderson, thinks space tourism will be the next big thing. â€Å"Everyone is looking for a new experience,† he says. In a few years he is going to start selling rocket trips to the public for about $ 100. 000. _________________ 4. Another company, The Space Island Group, is planning to build a circular hotel in space like the spaceship in the famous film 2001: A Space Odyssey. It will have everything a normal hotel has, except that the bedrooms won’t have windows.This is because the hotel will revolve, in other words it will turn around itself and people will feel sick if they look out of a window. Instead there will be screens showing pictures from space. Gene Myers, the company’s president, thinks that in 2020 a five-day holiday at the hotel might cost only $25,000. _________________ 5. Other companies have even bigger plans. Bigelow Aerospace is spending $500 million on a plan to build a 700-metre spaceship to fly tourists to the moon. There will be 100 tourists on each trip and each person will have a private room with a view of the Earth’s sunset.The Hilton Hotel Group has even talked about building a hotel on the moon. 6. Built by Burt Rutan and financed by Paul Allen, SpaceShipOne has entered the history books to become the first private manned spacecraft to fly to the edge of space and back. Mike Melvill became the first civilian to pilot a craft into space. Steve Bennett, chief of the British civilian space project, Starchaser Industries, said it was an important achievement. It finally came back to Earth after its 90-minute flight. Messages of congratulations came from Nasa's administrator Sean O'Keefe.He said that this just proves that you don't have to be Nasa or a government organisation. At the moment only millionaires can go on holiday in space. However one day you might be able to go there yourself- and it could be sooner than you think. (Taken and Adapted from Face to Face & http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/science/nature/3811881. stm) I) Read the article about Space Travel above and match headings a-e to paragraphs 2-5. a) Space hotelsParagraph:_______________ b) Going to the moon Paragraph:_______________ c) The future of to urismParagraph:_______________ ) The first space touristsParagraph:_______________ II) Read the article again and answer the questions. 1) Who were the first space tourists? _______________________________________________ 2) Did these space tourists enjoy their journey? How do you know? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3) Eric Anderson thinks that space travel will be popular because ________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ) The Space Island Group will not have any windows in their hotel because _______________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 5) Which two companies have bigger plans in comparison to The Space Island Group? What are their plans? a. ________________________________________________________________________ b. __________________________________________ ______________________________ 6) History books talk about SpaceShipOne as the spacecraft which ______________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ) According to Sean O'Keefe the success of SpaceShipOne proves that ___________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 8) Find these numbers in the article, what do they refer to? a. $20 million; ______________________________ b. $100,000; ________________________________ c. $25,000; _________________________________ d. $500 million; _____________________________ e. 90; _____________________________________ 9) Find the following words in the article, what do they refer to? a. In para 2, line 3 â€Å"same trip† refers to; _____________ b.In para 6, line 3 â€Å"it† refers to; ______________ c. In para 6, line 4 â€Å"its† refers to; ______________ 10) What does the word â€Å"achievement† in para 6 line 4 mean? _________ __________________________________________________________________ ANSWER KEY: Part I: Space hotelsParagraph:_____4_________ Going to the moon Paragraph:______5________ The future of tourismParagraph:_______3_______ The first space touristsParagraph:_______2_______ Part II: 1) an American, Christ Tito and South African Millionaire, Mark Shuttleworth 2) Yes, they enjoyed their trips.For instance, when Mark Shuttleworth returned to earth he said, â€Å"Every second will be with me for the rest of my life†. 3) because everyone is looking for a new experience. 4) because the hotel will revolve, in other words it will turn around itself and people will feel sick if they look out of a window. 5) a) Bigelow Aerospace is spending $500 million on a plan to build a 700-metre spaceship to fly tourists to the moon. b) The Hilton Hotel Group has even talked about building a hotel on the moon. 6) flew to the edge of space and back. ) this just proves that you don't have to be Nasa or a gov ernment organisation to go to space. 8) a) the money that the first space tourists paid for their holidays b) the price of rocket trips c) the possible cost of a five-day holiday at the hotel in 2020 d) the money that Bigelow Aerospace is spending on a plan to build a 700-metre spaceship to fly tourists to the moon e) the length of the flight of SpaceShipOne to the edge of space and back 9) a) travelling to the International Space Station b) SpaceShipOne’s flight to the edge of space and back c) SpaceShipOne’s 10) success

Alzheimer disease Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Alzheimer disease - Research Paper Example Some symptoms include decline in memory and cognitive abilities of the affected individual. This paper will discuss the causes of Alzheimer, its prevalence, the risk factors, signs and symptoms of the disease. The paper will also look at the prevention and treatment options available to the affected people. Alzheimer’s disease Introduction Ballenger (2006) asserts that Alzheimer is the most common form of dementia that leads to memory loss and cognitive decline. Alzheimer is a neurological disorder associated with degeneration of brain cells among individuals aged 65 years and above. The gradual loss of brain cells results from tangles in nerve cells and beta-amyloid plaques that develop in the brain. Some risk factors that contribute to the disease include having a history of high blood pressure, trauma and stress. Ballenger (2006) asserts that â€Å"some symptoms of the disease as memory loss, impaired thinking, changes in personality and disorientation thus ultimately cont ributes to decline in cognitive functioning and damage of brain cells in the cerebral cortex, p 89. Medical scientists assert that Alzheimer is caused by a combination of lifestyle, genetic and environmental factors that impair the brain over time. However, less than 5 percent of the cases result from genetic changes. In the US, more than 5 million people aged 65 years and above are believed to be living with the disease. According to the 2013 statistical report of Alzheimer’s Association, one-tenth of the citizens aged 65 years and above suffer from the disease while one-third of the citizens aged 85 years and above are living with the disease. According to the Association, the disease accounts for over 60 percent of all cases of dementia (Morgan & Carrasquillo, 2013). Alzheimer disease statistics It is estimated than 5 million Americans of all ages are suffering from the disease with an approximately 200,000 under the age of 65 suffering from the disease. One-tenth of peopl e aged 65 years and above is suffering from the disease while one-third of the people aged more than 85 years old have Alzheimer’s disease (Morgan & Carrasquillo, 2013). The prevalence of the disease among women is high than in men since two-thirds of the individuals suffering from the disease are women (Morgan & Carrasquillo, 2013). The deaths attributed to the disease increased by 68 percent between 2000 and 2010 while those attributed to other heart-related diseases declined by 16 percent. The number of people living with Alzheimer is estimated to increase by 40 percent to 7.1 million by 2050 (Morgan & Carrasquillo, 2013). Currently, the disease is the sixth largest cause of death in the US. The causes of Alzheimer disease Alzheimer is a neurodegenerative disease that is caused by death of brain cells that happens over a long period of time. According to Dash and Villemarette-Pittman (2005), the postmortem or autopsies of victims of the disease often show tiny inclusions o f in the nerve tissue thus suggesting the disease leads to death of the brain cells. Genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors that lead to death of brain cells thus leading to memory loss and decline in cognitive functioning of the individual (Welsh, 2006). Risk factors One of the risk factors that lead to Alzheimer is family history and genetics of an individual. Risk genes and deterministic genes influence the likelihood of developing the disease (Welsh, 2006). The risk genes is the apolipoprotein E-e4

Give an example of such an ideology and explain why it is an ideology Essay

Give an example of such an ideology and explain why it is an ideology in the above sense. How does it distort our understanding of reality Who benefits from this distortion - Essay Example Sovereignty and heteronomy are in the text of honorable theorists. Additionally, cognitive theories, concentrating more on the assemble of moral judgment, accentuate the advance of autonomy. On the other hand, collective erudition theories and cultural psychology theories give emphasis to heteronomy centering on cultural broadcast. Furthermore, Piaget 1932 and 1965 postulated that expansion goal consists of stirring from heteronomy to autonomy; Kohlberg 1969 postulated alternation linking heteronomy and autonomy inside each stage. At this point, we take the outlook that both processes are concerned in the development of decent thinking, although they are synchronized, parallel, and mutual processes. They are used as the expression of moral thoughts to the popular judgments about correct, erroneous and the justification for such thinking. Moral philosophy is destined to be bigger than proper conclusion, in that, the moral judgment assembles refers more by a whisker to the cognitive edifice of basic epistemological categories; for instance, fair dealing, duty, justifiable establishment, and civil rights. In disparity, moral thinking, as we use the phrase, refers to personal views on such issues like abortion, rights of homosexual persons, creed in public schools, the womens roles, and others. Literary ideology i s a supplementary basic evolution in the configuration of moral judgment and refers to beliefs norms, and principles that subsist separately on a single individual and that are common in a cluster as an element of its mutual customs. Our point is that equally honorable conclusion and cultural principles have a say considerably and exceptionally to moral thoughts. There are two progressions; parallel theory designed for moral thinking, a quantity of what the two-process, corresponding theory by Kintsch, 1978 for book intellectual capacity that is, the construction moral thinking involves two processes taking place

Environment of Corporate Culture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Environment of Corporate Culture - Research Paper Example External factors especially the economic depression being experienced has affected the store more than the internal factors. This is because most internal factors problems are and can be fixed by change or enforcement of the organization’s policies while the external factors are mostly out of control by the organization and may cost a lot to change strategies in order to deal with those factors or to avoid them like discounts to encourage customers to buy in bulk (Rexhausen, Pibernik and Kaiser, 2012). Value portrays the true picture of an organization including the expected results and standards the organization holds in the eyes of others. Performance in an organization can be improved through various ways. A combination of the two (value and performance) ensures that the employees and management in that organization are aware of what is expected of them by the customers and by their competitors (Jung, Su, Baeza and Hong, 2008). Their organizational culture will therefore be based on integrity and success to satisfy the others looking up to them and also to cement a place for the organization in terms of its organizational culture. Jung, J., Su, X., Baeza, M. and Hong, S. (2008). The effect of organizational culture stemming from national culture towards quality management deployment. â€Å"The TQM Journal† vol. 20 (6), pp. 622-635. Rexhausen, D., Pibernik, R. and Kaiser, G. (May, 2012). Customer-facing supply chain practices- The impact of demand and distribution management on supply chain success. â€Å"Journal of Operations Management,† vol. 30 (4), pp.

Advertising plan for BMW 3-Series Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Advertising plan for BMW 3-Series - Essay Example BMW Group, one of the 10 largest automotive companies in the world today, started as a manufacturer of aircraft engines in World War I and began building a reputation for reliability and excellence on that undertaking. Initially known as Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke in 1916,the firm changed its name to Bavarian Motor Works in 1917 as it grew rapidly during the war years. In 1923, BMW put together its first motor vehicle, a motorcycle, followed by its first car in 1928, a version of Austin 7, which was built and commercially sold under license. There was no stopping the company since then. Today, the Group operates in 150 countries through 26 production-assembly plants, 35 subsidiary markets and 12 R&D networks. Its flagship products consist of three automotive brands - BMW, MINI and Rolls Royce. All three vehicles share the same configuration, which suggest luxury, premium class, top-of-the-line quality. This is precisely the corporate culture that animates BMW, which is expressed in it s mission statement: "to be the most successful premium manufacturer in the industry." BMW built a solid reputation on this operational strategy.With this kind of philosophy underpinning all BMW's activities, the company produces nothing but premium-class vehicles, which are limited to exclusive sedans and luxury limousines. The side objectives are to set the industry standards for technology, environmental protection and safety, and providing outstanding customer services in the pre- and after-sale phases. These are enshrined in the firm's operations in its 10 R&D facilities worldwide (4 in Munich, 3 in the US and 1 each in Austria, Tokyo and Beijing), 15 production plants (1 in Berlin, 1 in Munich, 4 in UK, and 1 each in China, South Africa, US, Austria and Brazil), 5 assembly plants with local participation (1 each in Indonesia, Russia, Egypt, Malaysia and Thailand), and sales and marketing subsidiaries in 35 countries. In 2005, the company invested 2,597 million euros to boost its property, plant, equipment and other tangible assets, with emphasis on further expanding its production and sales networks. The amount was 81 percent higher than the 1,396 million euros sunk in the firm in 2004 as capital expenditures. A lion's share of this investment went to the company's R&D network, which has been tasked to come up with the BMW "cars of the future." This is part of an expansion plan that has preoccupied management from the start. In 1994, BMW acquired the Rover Group from British Aerospace in the hope that it could duplicate its earlier success with MINI, which used to be a British-owned firm too. For at least six years, some 1 million Rover vehicles were produced in UK yearly until the company suffered losses reaching $2 million per day as a result of the perceived lack of consumer confidence in the brand and the strengthening of the pound. BMW was then forced to sell Rover to the Ford group in 200 0. As for the MINI, BMW hang on to the more successful brand, which is manufactured in its Oxford plant. Market demand for the MINI has never let up, such that at the time BMW was selling Rover, it was pouring in another 50 million euros to increase MINI production. BMW fosters the core values of technology, quality, performance and exclusivity, such that its activities from R&D to sales are committed to achieving the highest quality for products and services. The overall strategy of the company is first, identify areas with growth potential, understand what they represent, recognize where its strength lies, then make the best of every opportunity by pursuing a clear strategy. These considerations guide BMW's structure and how decisions are made, and from the evidence it works like a charm.

Business Synoptic Analysis of Nestle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Business Synoptic Analysis of Nestle - Essay Example Western countries led to a shift from the large scale manufacturers to the national discount chains and supermarkets. As a consequence Nestle directed its attention towards the emerging markets in Latin America, Asia and Eastern Europe for exploring the growth potential of the regions. The reason for this divergence is fairly simple- rapid growth of the emerging countries. Despite these countries being poor the fast economic growth coupled with the rapidly growing population of the region and the market friendly policies of the government of these developing markets makes these regions lucrative attractive business destinations. Though these countries are relatively poor the growth rate of their economies is commendable. For instance if the most recent growth forecasts are taken into account it was anticipated that by 2010 the population in India and China would reach 700 million. The income level of this population was assumed to be in line with the income level of Spain. With the a nticipated rise in the level of income the consumers are expected to substitute basic foodstuff with branded food items. This offers a host of opportunities for multinational food companies like Nestle. The main strategy of the company is to make a place in these markets before the entry of its rivals and establish its presence in the local markets by selling the items that are locally popular. The aim behind this strategy is to establish a commanding position in each of these markets. Once it is able to build itself then it can shift the focus on the upscale items like chocolates, mineral water, prepared food stuffs and cookies. The emerging markets are also popular on account of the pro-liberalisation policies of the national governments. This encourages the companies as it does not have to face any regulatory restrictions in setting up its operations. It is not likely to face any opposition. In some economies there are restrictions in businesses like retail however as Nestle is a consumer goods manufacturing company it does not have to face any such resistance thereby facilitating its smooth entry into the emerging economies. The emerging markets have been an attractive business destination for the multinational corporations. The main reason for this is that the emerging markets offer high skilled labour at low wages. Other than this the valuable untapped natural resources of the region adds to the potential of the region. Moreover, the rising middle income group of these countries indicates a substantial market for consumer goods (Cavusgil, et al., 2009, p.251). The attractiveness of the emerging markets is validated by Porter’s Five Forces model: 1. Threat of entry of new competitors: In general, Nestle identifies new markets at nascent stages and enters the markets much before its competitors do. This helps Nestle enjoy all the benefits of a first mover and creates substantial entry barriers for new entrants in the market. 2. Intensity of competitive rivalry: Nestle may face competition from 2 different kind of companies – companies native to the markets it is entering & other transnational competitors like Kraft foods. While native compani es are generally way too small for Nestle to pose a significant competition, bigger and resourceful transnational com

Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics Assignment

Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics - Assignment Example The following paper will inquest and scrutinize the factors which are responsible for the volatile behavior of commodity process in the agricultural sector. Agricultural commodities are the hub of the world economy as every thing is dependent on the agricultural products especially in third world (Goodman, 1997). Different data sources and analysis techniques will be deployed in order to depict the exact factors responsible for the fluctuations in the agricultural commodities. Discussion The first and foremost factor in the fluctuations in the commodity prices of the agricultural sector is the increasing gap between the demand and the supply. The demand has been increasing every day in third world countries, many parts of Asia and China whereas there has been no emphasis on the production part which is basically focused on the first world countries (Johnston & Mellor, 1961). Similarly, numerous macroeconomic and financial factors are censurable for the metamorphosis of the prices of commodities in the agricultural sector. In the similar fashion, high novelty and revision in the dollar prices due to the global shifts in the political and financial crisis is also responsible for these rate changes and imbalance in the prices. ... There are many other factors on which the experts have a split. For example, Gilbert and Morgan (2010) and De Schutter (2010) said that the fluctuations in the local agricultural commodities and food items are caused by irresponsible speculations and bad rumors culture which can bring the market up and down within no time. The stock market example has been used by them as an analogy but there is a difference o opinion in this theory and many experts like Irwin and Sanders (2010), do not consider this theory conforming the practical approach. According to a study, the extent of fluctuations in the prices o agricultural commodities have been recorded as the highest in past nineteen years and this is a very alarming measure indeed because of these high ate o fluctuations, the global economies are taking new turns. Other minute factors include climate changes, unintended wars, disasters and cultural collapses throughout the world. Another very important factor behind the dramatic rise of agricultural commodities is the integration initiatives of the energy and agricultural markets in many production based countries. For example, in America, the prices for the paramount and importunate agricultural commodities like soybean, corn and wheat rose up with a rate of around 148, 123, and 154 percent respectively. According to experts in America, around 70 to 75 percent of increase in the agricultural commodities is due the engendering and production of bio fuel and diesel based materials. The periodic abatements in the hedging efficiency is also a very conspicuous and considerable factor in the changes of prices agricultural commodities. For example, the hedging

Proving God's Existence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Proving God's Existence - Essay Example Yet, mathematicians admit that the presence of a concretely unlimited quantity of things results in self-negations (Craig & Sinnott-Armstrong 2004). For instance, what is perpetuity minus perpetuity? A mathematician will surely provide self-negating answers. For instance, if you deduct all the odd digits from all the natural digits, how many digits remain? The answer is an infinite digit. Thus perpetuity minus perpetuity is perpetuity. However, assume you deduct all the digits higher than 2. How many remain? The answer is 3. It has to be realized that in these two instances we have deducted similar numbers from similar numbers and end up with negating results (Craig & Sinnott-Armstrong 2004). In reality, according to Hoffman and Geisler (2006), one can obtain any result s/he likes from zero to infinity. This means that perpetuity is only a notion in an individual’s thoughts, not something that actually exists. David Hilbert, possibly the best mathematician of the previous era, claims, â€Å"The infinite is nowhere to be found in reality. It neither exists in nature nor provides a legitimate basis for rational thought†¦ the role that remains for the infinite to play is solely that of an idea† (Craig et al. 2003, 19). ... The astronomical proofs suggest that the universe was brought about by a massive explosion, approximately 15 billion years ago, referred to as the ‘Big Bang’. Actual spatial and temporal contexts resulted from that occurrence, and the energy and matter in the universe. Hence, as argued by Cambridge scientist Fred Hoyle, the Big Bang premise entails the conception of the universe from nothing (Craig & Sinnott-Armstrong 2004). In Hoyle’s explanation, this is due to the fact that as one regresses, one arrives at a time at which the universe was â€Å"shrunk down to nothing at all† (Craig & Sinnott-Armstrong 2004, 4). Therefore, what the theory of Big Bang implies is that the universe was formed out of nothing. At this point, from the fundamental premise of the argument, as the origin of space and time, this mystical beginning should be an immaterial, ageless, eternal, and uncaused entity which formed the universe. It should be uncaused since we have determined that there cannot be a perpetual relapse of causes. It should be eternal and hence undying because it created temporal contexts. Since it created spatial contexts as well, it should go beyond space as well and hence be ethereal, not material or physical (Hoffman & Geisler 2006). Basically, it seems that there is a credible explanation for the existence of God based upon the beginning of the universe. The Second Argument In the recent decades, scientists have found out that the presence of intelligent life forms depends on a composite and fragile equilibrium of initial circumstances presented in the Big Bang itself. Intellectuals thought in the past that whatever the first circumstances of the universe were, in due course life could evolve. It appears

Describing an organization or unit of an organization utilizing a Essay

Describing an organization or unit of an organization utilizing a metaphor - Essay Example Also, regular medical check-ups help maintain the physical fitness of workers and guarantee that work flow will not be derailed due to health reasons. The Joint Commission is â€Å"an independent, not-for-profit organization that accredits and certifies more than 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. Joint Commission accreditation and certification is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to meeting certain performance standards. â€Å" (from Joint Commission website). Its mission is to â€Å"continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. â€Å" (Joint Commission website). The Joint Commission provides the premium standards that health care institutions must comply with to ensure that patients are provided the utmost quality of care they deserve. Upon successfully passing the accreditation requirements, the health care organization earns the symbol of quality that reflects the organization’s commitment to excellence – the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval. To maintain it, the organization should undergo on-site surveys conducted by a Joint Commission survey team at least every three years. The Joint Commission is a renowned organization that has grown to include wide individual and corporate memberships. It is governed by a 29-member Board of Commissioners including physicians, administrators, nurses, employers, a labor representative, health plan leaders, quality experts, ethicists, a consumer advocate and educators. The wide diversity of experiences of the commissioners enriches health care with their professional backgrounds. The corporate membership likewise enjoys an esteemed group of organizations such as the American College of Physicians, the American College of Surgeons, the American Dental

Extended School Day Essay Example for Free

Extended School Day Essay Imagine you are a seven-year-old whoses parents work until five each night. When you come home after school there is no one home with you. What could you get into? You might know right from wrong but you still might get yourself into some trouble. Just out of plain curiosity you might get into something or an accident could happen without you even being involved in it. But I say there is a way to stop this from ever happening. I think we should either keep schools open longer or introduce more after school programs. Many advantages would come from either of these ideas. For one the parents would not have to be in a state of worry about whether their child is safe at home or in trouble. Plus you always have that added guilt about not being able to help your kids with their homework. Now with either longer days or more after school programs a lot of stress could be taken away from your family. No more having to pay for sitters which could stress out a families finances. Also the dangers of the kids being home and getting into trouble would be cut down severely. And also with the longer days or more after school programs parents would be able to get home, at least one parent would be home, to pick their kids off the bus. I wanted to suggest some programs I feel would help out with the problem at hand. These programs would be a reading and math after school program. One program I would suggest is a reading after school program. It is said that today, too many children fail to read at a level we would expect for the grade they are in. In a study done in 1998, the National Assessment of Educational Progress found that, thirty eight percent of our nations fourth graders failed to read at the basic level. That fact alone says we must enforce more after school programs. Now they also found that sixty-four percent of African American and sixty percent of Hispanic American fourth graders read below the basic level. This shows we need to not only put these programs in suburban schools but also city schools. Research has shown that students who are behind in reading can catch up to grade level with additional reading instruction and tutoring after school and in the summer. And that is what I am trying to put in effect. We all know that to succeed in school all students need good reading skills, and thats just a fact. Another program that I think is good is a mathematics after school Program. I has been found that students who take rigorous mathematics courses are much more likely to go on to college and into promising careers than those who do not. And with technology becoming more prevalent in the workplace, the need for employees with mathematics backgrounds has greatly increased. In my research I have found that far too many students finish middle and junior high school without developing a solid foundation in algebra and geometry. Research done by the international comparative assessments said that U. S. student achievement in mathematics falls below the average in the middle grades. We need to help improve this. I think some other important facts help support my case for the longer school day and the after school programs in this little chart. Some reasons why the public supports after school programs: *Over 28 million school-age children have both parents or their only parent in the workforce. *At least 5 million children and possibly as many as 15 million are left alone at home each week. *Many children, especially low-income children, lose ground in reading if they are not engaged in organized learning over the summer. *Experts agree that school-age children who are unsupervised during the hours after school are more likely to receive poor grades and drop out of school than those who are involved in supervised, constructive activities. *Statistics show that most juvenile crime takes place between the hours of 2:00 and 8:00 pm, and that children are also at much greater risk of being the victims of crime during the hours after school. Here is another chart showing that after school programs enhance a childs academic achievement. *Participants in after-school programs:* *Show increased interest and ability in reading *Develop new skills and interests *Show improved school attendance, increased engagement in school, and reduced dropout rate *Turn in more and better quality homework and can spend more time on task. *Are held back or placed in special education classes less frequently *Show higher aspirations for the future, including intention to complete high school and go to college. These facts are real. This is why I picked trying to make a longer day and more after school programs. And with these two programs the numbers will go up. I plan on adding more programs to what I have wrote in here. But I think implementing a longer school day and these after school programs should help not only the parents of these children but the children themselves.

Media War in Lebanon

Media War in Lebanon There is a famous quote that says: the start of any war is a speech. The Lebanese society, as a collection of minorities is an extremely divided community with different religions, sects, and beliefs. This will result in a race between mixed cultures with a wide range of intelligence and understanding of worldwide relationships. This partitioned society reflects its differences at all aspects of life; in other words, politics, social believes and media. However, it does not uphold those differences as an advantage. Instead of uniting together, people got The Lebanese people have not learned to live together nor adapt to the fact that difference does not harm. This bad habit started a long time ago, and caused a terrible and damaging civil war. The Lebanese civil war was a different type of war. It made Lebanon a battle field for powers and groups beyond Lebanon. It started for religious reasons, and ended in 1990. ( Harb,I, 2005) The last one was due to the involvement of Syria and I srael. The funny part is that the people still follow those leaders that lead them to a war. Lebanese are passing through hard times, and in hard times people tend to extreme measures. Now Lebanon is separated into extreme categories. Each category is set by a sect, with one main leader. Each one of those parties must have a propaganda plan based on a certain ideology. Each propaganda plan consists of several media methods that spread their message, words and images to the people. This is where one of the main issues lies. Media and especially the Television channels affect the people and harm society with their biased news broadcasts. When you watch a professional TV news, you expect to have the news as they are without adding the opinion of editors expressed. The television stations are close or related to political and sectarian groups. In other words, they promote specific political agendas. The journalists working for those stations and the stations them selves are not seen as independent producers they are representatives of political movements and they are open to attack or oppose any factions going on in Lebanon. However, the consequences of those biased news and the attacks have become uncontrollable and sky high. For the last four years (2005-2009), the Lebanese Media War is responsible for harming its citizens due to the biased news set by different localized television channels. When the licenses for TV broadcasting were distributed at the early 90s, every sect got her share as a window to show their political views to their followers and others. The Christian got the LBC and MTV -which was closed later.. The Future that is representing the Sunnis voice, the Manar and NBN that are reflecting the Shiis political ideology. New licenses were also given later to the NewTV that represents the Sunniss Voice against Harriri, and OTV that was given to Aoun to represent the opposing Christian point of view in the Lebanese political life. TV stations are controlled and financed by the different political parties, the results were catastrophic causing a deep partition in the weak Lebanese society. Political interviews on different TV stations have turned the Lebanese people into lost animals in a forest ready for battle. The unusual part of the latest trend is that people now depend on some television channels to discover the facts. The problem is simple, biased and localized TV stations are damaging to the community. The negative effect of media spread by these channels reflects itself on all the aspects of the Lebanese life even on the elections of the student councils at the universities. This can be seen by the last student council election results at the AUB. On the other hand, AUB considered being the largest and most important university in Lebanon carries organized and important student elections where each TV channel gives a result that shows her followers as winners of the election Every channel broadcasted a n interview with a student that supported the same party as the television and stated that they had won the elections. LBC broadcasted that the Christian party that follows Samir Jaa Jaa won the elections. (LBC, 2001) While channels such as Al Manar and New TV stated that the other Christian group supporting Michael Aoun won the elections.(Tayyar, 2001) This kept me confused and dazzled about the fact of how diminishing and stupid the media has become. The biased and partial news keep the followers of every party controlled by the leaders in an indirect manner. In other words as long as the people are pleased with results from the news they will remain supporters. The people in touch with the news bulletin, gossip, and rumors become influenced by the news. They become victims to the deceitful and selective of images and words and they end up being like sac of potatoes following unmerciful leaders similar to the previously ones, we have seen in history as Hitler, Mussolini, Assad- which will lead to distortion and chaos. Imad Harb wrote an article called Lebanons Confessionalism: Problems and Prospects. He wrote: Lebanons TV stations try to act as if they are pan-Lebanese. On occasion when there are certain political emergencies or other crises their overage seems to become increasingly confessional. (Harb, I., 2006 March, p.3) Later he wrote: In the spring of 2005 television has become more personalized than confessional. There was a new spirit of hope in the air following popular mobilization against the Syrian presence in the country. Media coverage of the riots in few years back that resulted in the burning of the Danish consulate in Beirut was almost entirely political with LBC and the Future TV concentrating on the fact that many of those arrested were Syrian while NEW TV and others emphasizing other mitigating circumstances. (Harb, I., 2006 March)  The danger of broadcasting such news might revolve the viewers being diplomatic to savages. Simple words and pictures could print an image in the mind. Hatred could become the new motivation guiding the people. If they watch the assassination of a person they admired over and over again on television then rage takes over them. Rage and anger are unsafe and hazardous feelings to be experienced in tactically harsh times. If person followed group X and learned to hate group Y, then X becomes the worst enemy of group Y. Results are then crystal clear, constant fighting, blinded from truth, then end of Lebanese brotherhood and the elimination of diplomatic peaceful humanitarian life. Gibran Tueni was the proprietor of An Nahar, which was Beiruts leading newspaper. Unfortunately on December, 12th 2005 he was assassinated by a car bomb. Jefferson Morley wrote in an article called World Opinion Round up: Tueni was among the first to denounce the Syrian occupation of the country. The website is opinionated in favor of the anti-Syrian views of its late editor but also conciliatory toward Hezbollah, the fundamentalist Shiite political party and militia. (Morley, J., 2005, p.1) The LBC interviewed people that supported Gibran Tueni and asked them about their opinion towards the crime and their response was indirect towards the Syrians. It is a clear brainwashing game when they keep reminding people of the sad crime. Lately Michael Oun has joined hands with Huzballah which means now both parties are supporters of Syrians. Looking at the political biased broadcasts from different points of view, Al Manar and New TV are not different from the LBC and the Future broadcastin g methods. Huzballah consider themselves the protector of Lebanon and think they have the right to carry weapons not owned by the army. To keep that image floating into peoples minds, Al Manar broadcasts filmed Huzballah soldiers firing missiles and playing militia games in fake battle fields and some real ones (During the 14 July war). The idea behind those featured films is to show the strength of Huzballah and how they are needed for the safety of Lebanese people. Here they are playing the game of making the people feel the security and protection under the power of Hezbollah. Al Manar also repeats images of the suffering Palestinian people. These features remind the people of the other reason why Huzballah is found. Basically it shows how supportive Huzballah is to supporting countries especially weak ones, and this implies that he could be of help to the weak and in need from the Lebanese people. I found articles related to the political issues. One small detail wrote On Decemb er 7th, 2006 Hassan Nasrallah issued another televised speech calling for further protests, and demanded that the death of Ahmad Mahmoud should not serve as an excuse for any violent clashes. He also made a solemn oath that Lebanons Shiites would not be dragged into a sectarian war with Sunnis. (united nations economic and social council.) Hassan Nasrallah always makes speeches on Television. His high charisma helps him to reach the people. Huzballah is shown as a strong and at the same time peaceful. This makes their followers to believe in them even more. On July 30 thAccording to UWAC Hezbollah utilizes a multifaceted media campaign to garner support from the Arab world and bolster its ability to wage urban warfare The obvious part is keeping the people estranged, and on bad terms. No one now makes his own decision until his leading channel broadcasts what he should start believing in. It is the basis of brainwashing, basically having info put straight into your mind without unde rstanding.  One last damaging result of this media chaos is the bad image of Lebanon that is reflected to the Arab and foreign communities about Lebanon and its citizens. The tourism, the main income that the Lebanese economy depends on is very badly affected by the image that our TV channels are reflecting and this will, of course, show by the lowering standards of living of all the Lebanese. However, the media war has proven to be useful for Lebanese people rather than harming them, since channels will now show there true colors on many subjects and topics. People can now watch the various channels and decide for themselves who is on the right path towards improving Lebanon, and choose who to support. furthermore  researchers and politicians who really care about Lebanons wellbeing can now identify the differences clearly and on that bases work on a better Lebanon , since the channels proudly show how biased there opinions are on various topics .for example the ongoing war with Israel, forming the government, national debt .In addition, The media war aided in the process of encouraging Lebanese youth in pursing there educational paths forward in the fields of economics and politics , because they have seen the clear image behind following false media war propagandas .however these positive effects are a minute compared to the titan negative problems it create. Surely p ositive returns from the media war are healthy ,but the fact still remains that media war is massively harming the Lebanese people . All in all, the ones most damaged about this entire media game are the people because they are the target of each single party. Changing or discarding current channels should be a priority for the New Lebanese generation. No one cares about the people. The new channels should show what the people really need. They do not need words, nor funny speeches or a nice color to follow. All they need is for someone to express their pain. How come is it that Lebanon is ripping the people off with a high ten percent tax that has recently been implied, borrow money from external countries and still are in debt that they need France three to borrow new money. Where is all the money going? Why dont the television channels explain that fact?. Why do AUB, LAU, AUT, Balamand, NDU, and the Lebanese university graduates end up working as waiters in various restaurants in Lebanon. The news is busy and excited filming every university elections live. They should film the problem of employment and insuffi cient salaries of those students instead.. References Morley, J.( 2005) Lebanons media landscape. Retrieved on Jan. 21, 2007 From Http://blog.washingtonpost.com/worldopinionroundup/2005/12/lebanons_media_landscape.html USIP (2005). Arab Media: tools of the governments; tools for the people? Retrieved on Jan. 21, 2007 From http://www.usip.org/resources/lebanons-confessionalism-problems-and-prospects University of Maciddonia.(2007). United nations economic and social council. http://sites.mgkworld.net/thessis07/files/ecosoc_b.doc UWAC(july,30,2008):Hezbollahs use of Arab media to galvanize support. http://babylonscovertwar.com/Terrorist%20Groups/Shia/Hezbollahs%20Use%20of%20Arab%20Media%20to%20Galvanize%20Support.pdf

Theoretical Framework for Research Study

Theoretical Framework for Research Study Chapter 3 Research Methodology 3.0 Overview As chapter 1 had discussed about the introduction to the research and chapter 2 had provided an insight into the literature review, chapter 3 would be focusing on the research methodology that would be carried out during the course of the research. In essence, it is the foundation of how data would be collected and analyzed. Chapter 3 would begin by discussing on the theoretical framework designed specifically for this paper, encompassing and providing an overview and relationships of all the variables present in this research. From then on, 3.2 would discuss about the different forms of hypotheses development and the chosen method for the researchers hypotheses. Proceeding through, 3.3 would discuss about the sampling design, or in other words, how the researcher intends to represent the target population. This section also gives detailed steps on the researchers planned implementation of a pilot test, the sampling design method used and the sampling procedures that would be initiated. Section 3.4 would then touch base on the data collection methods that would be used by the researcher, both secondary and primary sources. The data analysis section would be under 3.5, where techniques regarding the methods of data analysis and hypotheses testing would be discussed. Chapter 3 would then conclude with a chapter summary at 3.6. 3.1 Theoretical Framework The theoretical framework has been created to be a â€Å"conceptual framework of how one theorizes or makes logical sense of the relationships among the factors that have been identified as important to the problem† (Sekaran, 2003). It is developed to have an insight into the inter-relationships among the variables that exist in this research. Throughout this research, there are three set of variables have been identified to be of utmost importance to the researcher and can be categorized as the dependent and independent, and moderating variable. The dependent variable is the variable of primary interest to the researcher, in order to predict its variability. This variable is often known as the outcome variable. In this research, the dependent variable refers to the purchase of luxury goods by Generation Y. The independent variables on the other hand, are the factors that influence the dependent variable in a positive or negative way or in this context, the factors that influence the purchase of luxury goods. Figure 3.1 provides an insight into the relationship between both set of variables. 3.2 Hypotheses Development A hypothesis can be defined as â€Å"a supposition made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation† (www.askoxford.com). Generally, reference group influence is a group of people influences the individuals behaviour. They give the information and provide the awareness to specific brands or products. The reference groups influence can be affected through peer, families, celebrities and others are the key that etermine the purchase decision of Generation Y. â€Å"People tend to behave in accordance with a frame of reference produced by the groups to which they belong† (Bearden and Etzel 1982). Therefore, this study believes that the association exits between reference groups influence and purchase of luxury goods. To empirically proven this association, the first hypothesis of this study is formed as followed: H1: There is a significant relationship between reference groups influence and purchase of luxury goods. The conspicuous consumption is used to display wealth, power and status. Veblenian consumers attach a greater importance to price as an indicator of prestige because they wan to impress others. Price of the products determine the quality of the products which used by the consumers to judge the products. The researches show that â€Å"conspicuousness of a product was positively related to its susceptibility to reference group influence† (Vigneron and Johnson, 1999). Besides that, identity or self concept also has been display from the consumers to show the status and wealth. The conspicuous consumption had dominated in numerous researches, and it can be stated that conspicuous is important to be identify as perceived value (Vigneron and Johnson, 1999). Thus, the following hypothesis is formed for the association between perceived conspicuous vale and purchase of luxury goods. H2: There is a significant relationship between perceived conspicuous value and purchase of luxury goods. The perfectionist effect exists when â€Å"consumers purchase luxury items and expects superior products and performance as well as quality† (Vigneron and Johnson, 1999). The research conducted by Barnier, Rodina, Florence (2005) found that quality is the main criteria lead to luxury purchase. According to Luong Thi Bich Thuy (2008), â€Å"the consumers quality perception would play a positive role over his or her perception of prestige over the same brand if the consumer perceived the brand as having an excellent level of quality†. Thus, the following hypothesis is formed for the association between perceived quality vale and purchase of luxury goods. H3: There is a significant relationship between perceived quality value and purchase of luxury goods. Brand image can be defines as â€Å"perceptions about a brand as reflected by the brand associations held in consumer memory† (Keller, 1993; Cheng, 2006; Rio, Varques, Iglesias, 2001). It influences consumer perception and crucial to purchase choice. Consumers able to evaluate the products, lower the purchase risk, obtain experience and recognize the product differentiation through brand image. According to Grewal, Krishnan, Baker, and Borin (1998), â€Å"the better a brand image is, the more recognition consumers give to its product quality†. Thus, the fourth hypothesis of study is as follow: H4: There is a significant relationship between brand image and purchase of luxury goods. Aesthetics have strong influence on purchase of luxury good and it should always be the case according to Dubois, Laurent, Czellar (2001). Aesthetics reflects a sensory response in an audience such as satisfaction, pleasure or affect. â€Å"The aesthetics dimension is composed of design, colour and style that create beauty, they are of primary importance† (Barnier, Rodina, Florence, 2005). The research also proved that French, Russian and UK consumers have a hedonic approach for luxury derived from aesthetics which Aesthetics dimension in France earned the highest position, 29%, in comparison to Russia, 19% and the UK, 15%. Hence, the fifth hypothesis is formed for the association between aesthetics and purchase of luxury goods. H5: There is a significant relationship between aesthetics and purchase of luxury goods. 3.3 Population and Sampling 3.3.1 Population â€Å"Population can be defined as total number of inhabitants constituting a particular race, class, or group in a specified area.† (http://www.answers.com/topic/population, no date). With reference to the topic at hand, the researcher has set that the target population for this research would be the Generation Y in Malaysia. Even the generation Y has been defined as born in between 1977 and 1994 by Horovitz (2002) and Sriviroj 2007, the study would survey specifically generation Y who are aged between 20 and 29 which focus on the college students, university students and young working adults. 3.3.2 Pilot Test for Questionnaire â€Å"Pilot test is a smaller version of a larger study that is conducted to prepare for that study to ensure that the ideas or methods behind a research idea are sound, as well as to â€Å"work out the kinks† in a study protocol before launching a larger study.† (http://ms.about.com/od/newsresearch/g/pilot_study.htm, no date). In this research, the researcher intends to conduct a pilot study containing 10 questionnaires to university students in Multimedia University Melaka in order to justify the content and reliability of the questionnaire. This is done as the researcher feels that the students in the University campus serve as a just representation of the intended target population. The feedback from the respondents will be corrected before distributing to the targeted respondent. 3.3.3 Sampling Design Method A sample of the population can be drawn from one of two ways, either in the form of probability sampling or non probability sampling. Sekaran (2003) described that â€Å"when elements in a population have a known chance of being chosen as subjects in the sample, we resort to probability sampling design†. There are several forms of probability sampling. The first is simple random sampling which also known as unrestricted sampling. In a simple random sample (SRS) of a given size, all such subsets of the frame are given an equal probability. Each element of the frame thus has an equal probability of selection. Simple random sampling is also known as unrestricted sampling. The other form is known as restricted or complex probability sampling. â€Å"The main difference between the two is that efficiency is improved in that more information can be obtained for a given sample size using some of the complex probability sampling procedures† (Sekaran, 2003). Example of this form of sampling is the stratified random sampling method where the population is divided into subgroups and subsequently sub samples. On the flipside, Sekaran (2003) stated that non probability sampling designs are those where â€Å"elements in the population do not have any probabilities attached to being chosen as sample subjects†. One popular mode in this kind on sampling is the convenience or accidental sampling method. It is one â€Å"that is simply available to the researcher by virtue of its accessibility† (Bryman and Bell, 2003). The selection of units from the population is based on easy availability and/or accessibility in convenience sampling. The researcher intended to proceed with the convenience sampling method based on two reasons. First of all, the data can be collected easily which is the main advantage and another advantage is that it is much cheaper to implement than probability sampling (Jankowicz, 2005). 3.3.4 Sample Size The question of how many people should be in ones sample depends on the form of sampling adopted. â€Å"Convenience sampling, sometimes called grab or opportunity sampling, is the method of choosing items arbitrarily and in an unstructured manner from the frame†. (www.wikipedia.com, no date). A total of 200 Generation Y would be surveyed in Malaysia. 3.3.5 Sampling Procedure The sampling procedure would start once the feedback from the pilot study and the questionnaires for the survey is finalized. The questionnaires would be by printed handouts of by the researcher to the general public who fall under the age range of 20 to 29 years of age. This would typically be done in the State of Melaka, Kuala Lumpur and Pulau Pinang. A total of 500 printed questionnaires would be given out in the process. 3.4 Data Collection method 3.4.1 Secondary Data Through this research, secondary data is collected from mainly journals especially in those area concerning consumer behavior and luxury goods, informational website, articles, and books. Previous researches from a variety of authors were found from databases that include Emerald, Google Scholar and others. These sources of data provided useful background information on the luxury goods market, as well as indicating investigations that had already been taken place. 3.4.2 Primary Data Sakaran (2003) stated â€Å"data gathered for research from the actual site of occurrence of events are called primary data†. The questionnaire will be used as the primary method to collect primary data on the factors that influence Generation Y on purchase of luxury goods. 3.5 Data Analysis There are 3 objectives in the usage of data analysis. â€Å"Getting a feel for the data, testing the goodness of the data and testing the hypotheses developed for the research† (Sekaran, 2003). The first objective of getting a feel for the data is to get an idea of how the respondents reacted to the questionnaires and how they are answered. The second objective of testing the goodness of the data is to test the reliability of the data gathered. Lastly, is to test the hypotheses of the research with various research tools. 3.5.1 Descriptive Analysis Descriptive analysis will be conducted to examine the background of the respondent and the pattern of their responses. Frequency analysis will be carried out to study the background of the respondents that contribute in this study. The mean, range, standard deviation and variance would also be calculated using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) to show the variability of the data and gauge the pattern of the questions answered. 3.5.2 Hypotheses Testing After the data is ready to be analyzed, the testing of the hypotheses would be the next logical step. There are many frequent hypothesis testing modules used by researchers to test their hypotheses. The researcher has decided to use the ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and Reliability Analysis for this research. 3.6 Chapter Summary In this study, the framework has been developed to meet the objectives of the study. Hypotheses have been developed from the framework and questionnaire has been designed to collect the primary data for the study. Next, the sampling design and methods to obtain data were considered and discussed for this study. The results of the primary data will be analyzed by using SPSS. Results of the analysis and interpretation of the results are presented in the next chapter.

Candides Growth Essay -- Philosophy

In the story "Candide" Voltaire uses satire to criticize the philosophical views of the enlightenment period and illustrate his outlook of how an individual should view their own existence by Candide's character development throughout the story. Voltaire is able to do this by introducing Candide into two contrasting philosophical views of characters that play a large role in his life, Pangloss and Martin. At the beginning of Candide's quest he followed Pangloss's theory of the best of all possible worlds. Pangloss's ideas hinder Candide on his satire filled journey to find Cunegonde because he is overly optimistic. On his journey his outlook changes by the pessimistic influence of Martin. Which helps him develop into his own character at the end of the story. The first theory that Candide is introduced to is the oracle of the house that he was raised in Dr. Pangloss. Voltaire writes that " Pangloss gave instruction in metaphysico-theologico-cosmoloonigology" this is a satire of the German philosopher Gottfried Leibniz (Lawall "Candide" 520) . Leibniz created the doctrine of optimism which claims "which holds that our world is the best of all those possible" (Strickland 18). Lloyd Strickland states "the most obvious objection to optimism, namely that this world contains far too much evil to be plausibly identified as the best. claimed, for instance, that Voltaire's aim in Candide was to refute, or confound Leibniz by 'bombarding him, so to speak, with the evil of the world" It is obvious to the reader that this is Voltaire's motive (Strickland 19). Voltaire continues to insult Leibniz view by writing "He proved admirably that there cannot possibly be an effect without a cause and that in this best of all possible worlds the Baron... ...tudies 31.2 (2002): 199. Academic Search Premier. Web. 29 Feb. 2012 Lawall, Sarah. The Norton Anthology of World Literature "Candide". 2nd. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 2002. 522-580. Print. Kasten, Madeleine, and Curtis Gruenler. "The Point Of The Plow: Conceptual Integration In The Allegory Of Langland And Voltaire." Metaphor & Symbol 26.2 (2011): 143-151. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Apr. 2012. Putnam, LuElla. "Boredom, Insignificance, And Death In Voltaire's Candide, Charles Baudelaire's The Flowers Of Evil, And Paulo Coelho's Veronika Decides To Die." Atenea 30.1-2 (2010): 67- 78. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Apr. 2012 Strickland, Lloyd. "False Optimism? Leibniz, Evil, And The Best Of All Possible Worlds." Forum Philosophicum: International Journal For Philosophy 15.1 (2010): 17-35. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Apr. 2012.

Harley - Davidson Inc. Motorcycle Industry :: essays research papers

Harley - Davidson Inc. Motorcycle Industry INTRODUCTION The purpose of this report is to develop a strategic corporate objective for HarleyDavidson Inc., a publicly traded, employee owned manufacturer of heavyweight motorcycles, recreational and commercial vehicles, military defense items, and small engines, distributing its products to domestic and international markets targeting all men and women of all ages. INDUSTRY AND COMPETITIVE MARKET The industry under study is the motorcycle industry consisting of five major manufacturers: one American (Harley Davidson), and four Japanese (Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki) and some European companies (mainly BMW of Germany and some other Italian companies). Most companies market their motorcycles and accessories on a worldwide basis, handling international trade through foreign distributors and domestic sales through franchised outlets. Industry sales of motorcycles were shrinking in the early l990s because of the recession and the competition from computers and electronic products decreasing consumers' discretionary income. Sales of accessories and parts make up 36% of total retail sales and is a viable area for producers to explore because people want something to differentiate their bikes. Previously, motorcycles were viewed as a cheap means of transportation. By 1992, they came to be viewed as a recreational, or a luxury item. This new perception of motorcycles led to the introduction of more expensive models with higher prices. This led to the introduction of consumer financing, one of the fastest growing service areas in the motorcycle industry. MISSION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Harley's strategic objective is to continue to provide safe, high technology heavyweight bikes and keep customer satisfaction at high levels. This quality vision more than doubled Harley's market share and increased its brand loyalty. EXTERNAL PLANNING PREMISES CUSTOMERS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  They can be divided into 2 categories men and women. Men.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A. Men under 30. This group accounts for 44% of all sales. Therefore, a great opportunity exists here because of the group's size. This group's members buy motorcycles for their transportation and recreation needs. Men in this group buy more of mopeds, scooters and entry level lightweight road bikes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  B. Men between 30 and 50. This age group makes up 45k of buyers another large area providing opportunities for firms. The motorcycles most frequently purchased are the heavyweight tourers and cruisers. Many buyers are married couples looking for an alternative to taking the car out for weekend drives to the country.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  C. Men over 50. This group accounts for about 11% of motorcycle sales. The heavyweight touring class and the middleweight road bike categories account for most of the sales here. Women. This group is a segment that is growing at a fast rate, thereby representing an opportunity area. Firms to be successful here are to provide smaller, easier to handle, comfortable, and good quality bikes to build up brand

death penalty Essay -- essays research papers

Is the death penalty wrong? Is the death penalty right? Many people have different views on this subject because of their beliefs. Its very hard to say if capital punishment is necessary, but without it we would say, â€Å"that man needs to die for the crime he committed.† John McAdams from the University of Marquette’s political science department once said, "If we execute murderers and there is in fact no deterrent effect, we have killed a bunch of murderers. If we fail to execute murderers, and doing so would in fact have deterred other murders, we have allowed the killing of a bunch of innocent victims.† Its very hard to let a man walk away from his death, because we want justice served. You would know that capital punishment is wrong by putting yourself in a death row inmates shoes, and saying to yourself â€Å"I don’t want to die†, and â€Å"I’m sorry†. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church it states that, â€Å"Certain particularly grave sins incur excommunication, the most severe ecclesiastical penalty, which impedes the reception of the sacraments and the exercise of certain ecclesiastical acts, and for which absolution consequently cannot be granted, according to canon law, except by the Pope, the bishop of the place or priests authorized by them. In danger of death any priest, even if deprived of faculties for hearing confessions, can absolve from every sin and excommunication† (1463). The Catechism of the Catholic Ch...

Comparing Criminal Justice Systems: Venezuela vs Denmark

Background Denmark The small, European country of Denmark lies just on the border of the North and Baltic Seas upon the peninsula of Germany, also flanked by Norway and Sweden. It is less than twice the size of Massachusetts at 43,094 square kilometers. The weather is generally temperate, humid and overcast with windy winters and cool summers. Denmark’s natural resources include petroleum, natural gas, fish, salt, limestone, chalk, stone, gravel and sand. Denmark has a population of 5,484,723 with 65. 9% between the ages of 15 and 64 years old. The population growth rate is 0. 95%; they have a birth rate of 10. 71 per 1000 people and a death rate of 10. 25. The migration rate is 2. 49 per 1000 people and the residents have a life expectancy of 78. 13 years. The nationality of the people of Denmark is Dane, or Danish. The Danish ethnic groups include Scandinavian, Inuit, Faroese, German, Turkish, Iranian, and Somali. As far as religious beliefs, 95% of Denmark are Evangelical L utheran, 3% other Christian including Protestant and Roman Catholic and 3% Muslim. The main languages spoken are Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic and German and the predominant second language is English. The Danes have a 99% literacy rate and the school life expectancy is 17 years. (CIA: World Fact book) Venezuela Venezuela is a much larger country of 912,050 square kilometers and population 26,414,816 in Northern South America bordering the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. It lies flush with Columbia, Brazil and Guyana. It is slightly more than twice the size of California with a tropical climate—hot and humid. 63. 8% of the population is between the ages of 15 and 64 years old. The population growth rate is 1. 98% with a birth rate of 20. 92 per 1000 population and 5. 1 deaths per 1000 population. The net migration rate is -. 084 per 1000 population and their life expectancy from birth is 73. 45 years. Their nationality is Venezuelan and their ethnic groups are Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arab, German, African, and indigenous people; Spanish is the official language. 96% of Venezuela is nominally Roman Catholic, 2% Protestant and 2% other religions entirely. 93% of Venezuelans are literate and the average school expectancy rate is 12 years. Law Denmark Denmark is a constitutional monarchy, with the Queen fulfilling the role of head of state, and the government formed out of the parliament. Denmark has a unicameral (single chamber) parliament, with deputies elected through a system of proportional representation, though each member also represents a constituency. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Demark) The political system of Denmark is a multi-party structure, where several parties are represented in the Parliament. Danish governments are most often minority administrations, governing with the aid of one or more supporting parties. This means that Danish politics are characterized by inter-party compromising. Since 1909 no single party has had the majority of parliamentary seats. A popularly elected parliament, Folketinget, governs the country and the prime minister, the nation's chief political officer, usually comes from the ranks of the majority party. The Faroe Islands and Greenland come under nominal rule from Denmark. (Visit Denmark) The capital of Denmark is Copenhagen and the chief of state is Queen Margrethe II since January 14, 1972, and Heir Apparent Crown Prince Frederik, the eldest son of the monarch. The head of the government is Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen since 27 November 2001. The monarch is hereditary, however following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch. Supreme Court judges are appointed by the monarch for life terms. Criminal offenses are defined either in the special part of the Criminal Code or in separate statutes. The general conditions for imposing criminal penalties are found in the general part of the Criminal Code which also apply to separate statutes. The sanctions described in the general part of the Criminal Code are the same whether the criminal offense consists of a violation of the Criminal Code or of separate statutes. The substantive Danish criminal law is monistic, meaning that violations of the law never have been divided into categories like felony/misdemeanor, crime/delicts or the like. It does not mean, however, that major offenses are treated in the same manner as petty offenses in all respects. (Ravn, Lene) The age of criminal responsibility is 15 years old. According to the Criminal Code the mere possession of narcotic drugs is criminalized. However, the law is not enforced regarding possession of very small amounts meant for the drug addict's own consumption. Possession and selling is penalized in a special law on drugs containing the possibility of imprisonment for a period of up to two years. Serious cases of trafficking of drugs are punished with imprisonment within a range of one month to ten years according to the Criminal Code. Venezuela Venezuela’s political system is a Federal Republic. The current Venezuelan constitution was adopted in 1999. Important changes were made regarding the structure of the government as well as in human rights and community participation. Since the approval by referendum of this constitution, the government consists of five branches, the Executive, Legislative, Judicial, Citizen and Electoral. The Executive Branch: The President and his cabinet. The President is elected by universal, direct and secret ballot for a six-year term. The President may be re-elected for one additional consecutive term only. Legislative: One chamber National Assembly composed by 165 deputies elected for a five- year term. Deputies may be re-elected for up to one additional consecutive term. Judiciary: The new constitution renamed the Supreme Court as the Supreme Tribunal of Justice. Justices are nominated by the civil society. Final appointment requires the approval of at least two thirds of the legislative branch. The Citizens Branch: Created to safeguard public ethics, to ensure respect for the principle of legality in the Administration, and to assume the defense of human rights. The Ombudsman or Defender of the People, the Attorney General and the Comptroller General form this power The Electoral Branch: This authority is independent from other Government Branches and is appointed by nominations from the civil society. Administrative Division: 22 states, 1 federal district and the federal dependencies. State Governors are elected for a four-year term and may be re-elected for one additional consecutive term only. Most Venezuelans are Roman Catholic. The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion. All faiths have churches and people may worship freely. Venezuela’s people result from the mingling of European, Amerindian, and African cultures. Traditionally a haven for people of all origins, Venezuela received large waves of immigrants from Europe following World War II and from other Latin American and Caribbean nations during the 1970s. (Embassy) The Venezuelan chief of state and head of government is President Hugo Chavez Frias since February 3, 1999. The Executive Vice President Ramon Alonzo Carrizalez Rengifo since 4 January 2008. The Venezuelan Penal Code distinguishes between crimes, punishable by imprisonment, and misdemeanors (faltas), punishable by arrests or fines. In the Penal Code, crimes are classified by major types, as follows: * Crimes against national sovereignty and national security — treason; crimes against national and state government; crimes against international law * Crimes against liberty — crimes against political, personal, religious freedom, etc. Corruption — these are defined in a special anti-corruption law, enacted in 1982 * Crimes against the administration of justice — simulating crimes, false testimony, collusion, concealment, etc. * Crimes against public order — conspiracy to commit crime; incitement to crime; manufacture and carrying of weapons, etc. * For gery — false currency; forged seals, fiscal stamps, documents, passports, licenses, etc. * Crimes against public and private interests — arson, causing floods, etc. gainst public health and nutrition * Crimes against public morals and the family — rape, seduction, prostitution, corrupting minors, adultery, bigamy, etc. * Crimes against persons — homicide, battery, abortion, abandoning children, slander, etc. * Crimes against property — theft, robbery, extortion, kidnapping, fraud, etc. (Birkbeck, Christopher) Until 1998, the age of criminal responsibility was 18. In that year, a new Children's Code (Venezuela, 1998c) established criminal responsibility for adolescents (ages 12 to 17). However, the adolescent criminal justice system is administratively separate from the adult criminal justice system. Adolescents who turn 18 during adjudication or sentencing continue under the adolescent justice system. (Birkbeck) Police Denmark The state police is a department of the Ministry of Justice. There is no longer a municipal police and the military police only has authority over soldiers according to the Military Criminal Code. Denmark is divided into 54 police districts (excluding the Faeroe Islands and Greenland), each headed by a local chief of police. The National Commissioner reports to the Minister of Justice. For administrative purposes the police are subdivided into plain-clothes criminal investigators, uniformed patrolmen, traffic police officers, immigration police, and other categories. (Ravn) The common police of Denmark consist of 12 districts each managed by a director and two minor districts in Greenland and the Faroe Islands, run by a chief of police. The mission statement of the Danish police is as follows: The police must work in order to ensure security, safety, peace and order in the society. The police must promote this purpose through preventive, helping and enforcing work. In addition to the regular districts, there are three other organizations that work outside the common police. Rigspolitiet is the state national police for Denmark. Politiets Efterretningstjeneste, also called PET, is the national security intelligence agency of Denmark. The agency focuses solely upon domestic security while foreign intelligence operations are handled by Forsvarets Efterretningstjeneste – an intelligence branch under the Danish military. The stated overall purpose of PET is to prevent, investigate and counter operations and activities that pose or may pose a threat to the preservation of Denmark as a free, democratic and safe country. The three main duties of the PET are counter terrorism, counter extremism and counter espionage. Politiets Aktionsstyrke (AKS) is the Special Forces unit of the Danish police; a national SWAT team. It is meant to handle extraordinarily difficult or life-threatening criminal situations, such as terrorism, hostage situations, and kidnapping. It also deals with emergency rescue situations that would be too dangerous for others to handle. The AKS holds responsibility for all anti-terror and counter-terrorism missions in Denmark. (Wikipedia) New recruits are required to be in good physical condition; good personal and economic condition, and should have achieved good grades in school. New recruits are usually required to be between 21 and 29 years of age, of Danish citizenship or have applied for Danish nationality/citizenship, and without any convictions. The basic training of police personnel takes 3 years. The training comprises both school education and training of a more practical nature. School education, which consists of 2 courses of 8 months each, takes place at the Police Academy in Copenhagen. The rest of the training time is spent on the job. The Police Academy also presents special courses and leadership courses. All chiefs of police hold a master's degree in law from a university. (Ravn) Venezuela The national Venezuelan police are the Cuerpo Tecnico de Policia Judicial, or PTJ. They were founded almost immediately after the overthrow of Dictator Marcos Perez Jiminez in 1958. The PTJ is the primary judicial police force in the country, charged with the reception of crime reports made by citizens, the investigation of crimes, gathering of evidence and arrest of suspects. In all these tasks, the PTJ is subordinated to the public prosecutor's office. Administratively, the PTJ is attached to the Ministry of the Interior and Justice. The national headquarters are in Caracas, and there is one office in each state capital, with additional offices in some other cities. The PTJ's name was recently changed to the National Directorate of Criminal Investigation. The traffic police (Cuerpo Tecnico de Vigilancia del Transito y Transporte Terrestre), administratively attached to the Ministry of Infrastructure, are responsible for surveillance, preliminary investigation and occasionally arresting suspects, in traffic offenses that involve violations of the criminal law. The state police are responsible for patrol work and public order, arrests (when offenders are caught in the act), and community service. They may also serve as auxiliary judicial police. Each force is regulated by a local Police Code. To further complicate the institutional environment, state police forces are also coordinated by an office in the Ministry of the Interior and Justice that compiles selected statistics and sets guidelines for internal procedures. Beginning in 1990, wealthier municipalities in the country's largest cities set up municipal police forces. By July 2001, there were 77 municipal forces in the country. They are attached to the mayors' offices and regulated by the state's Police Code and by municipal ordinance. With so many different uniformed police forces, there are obviously difficulties in coordination and efficiency. For that reason, since at least 1977 there have been diverse proposals to create a unified national police force. The most recent is the National Police Law, which is currently being debated in the National Assembly. This law would join all uniformed police forces (state, Capital District, municipal), together with the traffic police, into one national force. (Birkbeck) Courts Denmark The independent courts constitute a part of the division of power in Denmark. Generally speaking, cases are dealt with in the first instance by a local or city court; appeals against the judgments of city courts are made to one of the country's two High Courts. A few big cases and cases touching on administrative matters are dealt with by one of the high courts in the first instance. The highest court in Denmark is the Supreme Court, and the Queen appoints judges. (Ministry) The Danish Supreme Court is the highest civil and criminal court responsible for the administration of justice in Denmark. The Kingdom of Denmark, consisting of Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands, does not have a single unified judicial system – Denmark has one system, Greenland another and the Faroe Island a third. However, ecisions by the highest courts in Greenland and the Faroe Islands may be appealed to the Danish High Courts. Venezuela Venezuela has three types of main courts: Trial courts: The 395 trial courts are divided into first instance trial courts and instructional criminal courts. In addition, 667 departmental and municipal courts are assigned the lowest level cases. Superior Courts: There are 173 Superior courts that primarily act as interme diate appellate courts. The dispersion of these courts throughout the country is based on population and political needs. Supreme Court: The Supreme Court is the court of last resort. It is composed of 15 justices who each serve a nine-year term. This Court is divided into three chambers: civil, criminal, and civil rights. (Salas, Luis) They also have several types of special courts: Military Courts: Military courts exercise a considerable amount of authority since their jurisdiction extends to all crimes committed by members of the armed forces and on-duty police officers. Many persons have criticized this system, viewing it as a barrier to the successful prosecution of human rights abuses committed by the police and military. Military courts extend their jurisdiction to civilians accused of crimes under the military code, for example treason or subversion. Anti-corruption Court: The anti-corruption court (Tribunal de Salvaguardia Del Patrimonio Publico) was established with specific and sometimes extraordinary powers, to investigate and punish corruption. While corruption cases may be tried in the first instance by the traditional court system, these special courts have second instance jurisdiction. They also serve as trial courts for cases involving corruption by high-level officials. Even though their jurisdictional powers are extensive, they have been afforded meager resources to carry out their responsibilities. Family/Juvenile Courts: Another set of courts handle family matters and juvenile cases. Juveniles are processed through special courts and then remanded to juvenile correctional facilities. (Salas) Corrections Denmark In Denmark, the correctional service controls 15 prisons, one institution for inmates needing psychiatric treatment, and 40 local jails. Five of the prisons and the psychiatric institution are closed in that they are secured by an external ring wall as well as by internal precautions like secured buildings, and electronic security systems combined with relatively dense staffing. The staff does not carry arms. Being used as remand detention institutions, the local jails are also closed. The remaining nine prisons are open institutions which actually means that the inmates are physically able to leave the institution. Two of the closed prisons have both male and female inmates. In one of these prisons there is cohabitation between men and women within units. There are also two open prison departments for women. While serving his sentence the inmate is obliged to work for which he is paid a small hourly salary. The prison administration tries to ensure that the working places equate those found in modern society. In order to encourage inmates to educate themselves the same amount is paid to inmates who choose to go to the prison school instead of going to work. The prison provides health care and necessary dental care. Sick inmates will be hospitalized in ordinary hospitals. The policies of the correctional service are governed by the following three principles: A. Normalization. As a starting point the inmate is placed in the open prison closest to his home in order to preserve family contacts and to pave the way for a gradual release from the prison. There must be specific reasons for instituting control of inmates' correspondence. Visits by next-of-kin take place in secluded visiting rooms with a couch. In the open prisons weekend leaves are granted every third week to prisoners with a low risk of recidivism. A prisoner in a closed institution may obtain similar rights to weekend leave when he has served one fourth of his sentence. At some time during incarceration about one third of the prisoners in closed prisons are granted occasional leaves. The total number of leaves per year is about 57,000. More than half of these are so-called work leaves where an inmate leaves the prison to go to work or to take part in educational activities in society. B. Self-administration. The inmate is responsible for his own daily life. Important elements of this approach are that food must be bought and cooked by the inmate to which end he is paid a fixed amount of money per day. The inmate is also responsible for his personal hygiene, clothes' laundry and repair. The prison encourages the inmates to make meaningful use of leisure hours by providing opportunity for sports and other structuralized activities. C. Release on parole and after-care. According to a provision of the Criminal Code more than 90% of the inmates are released on parole after having served two thirds of their sentences. Almost 10% of these will be released after serving between one half and two thirds of the time, due to special grounds. Royal pardon is possible according to the Constitution, but rare. Outside of imprisonment for life which necessitates the use of pardoning, royal pardon is more commonly used in connection with short-term sentences where the convicted cannot endure the prison stay because of severe illness or the like. In such cases the pardon is normally conditioned on the payment of a fine. (Dr. Winslow, Robert) Venezuela Typical penalties in Venezuela include fines, restitution, probation, and incarceration. Some crimes carry mandatory prison sentences which prohibit early release. The death penalty in Venezuela was abolished in the mid 1860s. The prison population in Venezuela is 40% over its stated capacity. Overcrowding is regarded as a primary factor in the high level of violence within prisons, which resulted in an average of 3 prisoner deaths per week in 1992. Venezuela, like many of its Latin American countries, has incorporated the United Nation's â€Å"Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners† in its national legislation. However, a recent human rights director of the Venezuelan Attorney General's Office has criticized the conditions of the nation's prisons. As a consequence of government neglect, the prisoners live in overcrowded and unhealthy quarters, without access to education, and lacking incentives to seek jobs once they are released. (Salas) References Birkbeck, Christopher Venezuela World Fact Book of Criminal Justice Systems http://www. ojp. usdoj. gov/bjs/pub/ascii/wfcjsvz. txt CIA: World Fact Book https://www. cia. gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/da. html Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela In the United States of America http://www. embavenezus. org/? pagina=kids. venezuela/political. system. tm=Venezuela%20for%20Kids Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark http://www. ambmoskva. um. dk/en/menu/InfoDenmark/danish+political+and+social+affairs/ Ravn, Lene Denmark World Fact Book of Criminal Justice Systems http://www. ojp. usdoj. gov/bjs/pub/ascii/wfbcjden. txt Salas, Luis Florida International University Venezuela World Fact Book of Criminal Justice http://www. ojp. usdoj. gov/bjs/pub/ascii/wfbcjve n. txt Visit Denmark http://www. visitdenmark. com/uk/en-gb/menu/turist/turistinformation/fakta-az/ Wikipedia www. en. wikipedia. org Dr. Winslow, Robert San Diego State University Crime and Society