Questions&answers Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Questions&answers - Assignment Example The African Americans in the film are not differentiated from Asian characters as Sonya Valentine (Lexa Doig), Eduardo Kagame (Tony Amendola) and Mathew Kellog (Stephen Lobo) are also part of the villains. The protagonists consist of a Caucasian cast. Nonetheless, in most dramas characters are often differentiated in behavior based on race and social class (Characterization and Narrative 7). The female characters in the crime drama play to the stereotype of most character descriptions in crime drama (Canadian Crime Drama 3). Despite the difference in ethnic characters, all of them conform to the conventions of gender age and sexuality used in creating TV characters (Canadian Crime Drama 4). Rachel Nicholas plays the role of Kiera Cameron who is the lead star of the drama. While Kiera Cameron is a smart and physically capable woman, her character identity consists of vulnerability and sexuality, which is constantly highlighted by the attention she receives from three males in the drama. Jasmine is a psychopathic character in the drama; yet, even her sexuality is enhanced. Her strength and craziness are almost comparable to those of Clara Croft although she is the worst of the villains. Similarly, the Caucasian protagonist, the African-American, and the Asian antagonist male characters are all awarded a certain level of sexuality. There are no indigenous characters on daytime dramas. Apart from characters of Afro-Caribbean and Asian characters, most of the other characters are Caucasians or people of mixed races. Nonetheless, characters with different accents have continuously joined daytime TV and gained the support of individuals. British and Australian accents have become common on TV drama. For instance, most popular epic dramas like Games of Thrones, Merlin, and Salem have various dialects. Additionally, most indigenous characters are unavailable on TV dramas because each group makes its own TV dramas. For

My Experience Essay Example for Free

My Experience Essay As I reflect upon my life I will describe facts and events believed to have contributed to the person I am today. I like how Merriam Webster’s online dictionary explains experience as something personally encountered, undergone, or lived through. I have encountered difficulties, circumstances, and triumphs that have helped me to grow as a person. I am pursuing a higher education as my future goal. In this paper, I will apply theories from Adult Development and Life Assessment in my explanation of challenges I have faced during childhood to adulthood. I was born in Chicago, one of six girls and the middle child of twelve. As early as I can remember we worked as a group. We played together and we worked in the garden that my parents made in our back yard. I hated the garden because every time I wanted to go play, I first had pick vegetables out of the garden. I didn’t understand at the time that my parents used the garden to help feed our large family. My dad always worked two jobs; his primary employment was with a company called Central Soya. When my father retired from there we moved to Alabama because the cost of living was cheaper. We didn’t have a lot of material things like clothes and shoes. My mother would buy tennis shoes from the grocery store and my brothers would be so embarrassed because their friends saw them trying on the shoes in the store. I can remember my dad making me a pair of pants for school; I thought they were the prettiest pair of pants I had ever seen. It was cheaper to make a pair of pants than to buy them. My parents cut corners any way they could. We may not have had material things but what we did have was love and lots of talent. Not real talent but talent that’s appreciated in a family. On rainy days mom and dad would have us put on a talent show. It was so much fun that we kept the tradition even until adulthood. On birthdays and holidays we would use our talents to entertain mom and dad. Birthdays were especially special because my dad would make me a birthday cake. He was a really good cook and everyone in the neighborhood wanted a piece of his cake. My sixteenth birthday marked a significant shift in my life. I became pregnant and it was one of the biggest mistakes that started a downward spiral in my life. I hung out with older girls that had children. They were into partying and so called having a good time. Our environment plays a huge role in how we develop, what pathways are open to us, and which are closed (Witt, G.A., Mossler, R. A. (2010). I feel like the environment that I chose to be in led to early exploration of drugs and alcohol. I could see myself going in the wrong direction with more terrible consequences if I didn’t make a change. I stopped hanging out and got my first job. It was on a military base in the mess hall. I met a soldier and we got married on our way to work one day when I was twenty one years old. We dated for four months then he went overseas for a year. We married a year later after he returned to the states. Being married was a challenge because he was abusive physically, verbally, and mentally. I had listened to his insults for so long that they became part of my own vocabulary. I began to think that maybe he was right, maybe if I could cook, clean, dress or talk better it would fix our problems. In our text Freud believed that the mind uses defense mechanism to protect itself from severe distress. In the beginning I rationalized everything he did, in rationalization: we look for an acceptable reason to justify our thinking or behavior (Witt Mossler 2010). I got involved in church and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my savior. As a result I think a lot of the abusive behavior was able to continue because I simply forgave, thinking it was the Christian thing to do. According to Haan (1977), coping strategies involve choice and purposive behavior, are oriented toward reality, involve differentiated thinking that integrates conscious and preconscious aspects, and permit affective satisfaction in an open, ordered, and tempered way (Psychology and Aging 2000 ). It came to a point after seventeen years of abuse I couldn’t take it anymore. I had done all that I could physically to have a successful marriage but it wasn’t working out for me. I had to face the cruel reality that my marriage was over. Finally I filed for a divorce, which was one of the scariest things I have ever done in my life. Going through the divorce gave me a sense of freedom and strength that I had never experienced in my marriage. Getting a divorced was the best thing I could have done for myself. It started me on a journey to find out what I want out of life for myself. It marked a new beginning to a better, brighter future in my life. I was free to make my own decisions that impact my life. One of those decisions was returning to school for a degree. I really want to be an example to my daughter and her children that education is the key to success, and you are never too old to be successful in life. I must admit that I was very afraid of returning to school because I thought that I would not be successful. I thought that I wouldn’t be able to remember things or comprehend how to do the work. Some researchers contend that intellectual functioning is a process of irreversible decline. However, most scholars agree that intelligence either remains relatively stable through the adult years, with substantial intellectual changes occurring only very late in life, or that intelligence declines in some respects, remains stable in others, and may even increase in some functions, depending on a persons educational level, life experiences, and overall health (Intelligence and Aging 2007). I am now encouraged to pursue my education. I’m not too old, I plan to finish my courses and earn my degree. My goal is to apply for higher positions that require a degree. There will be many opportunities open to me once I earn my degree in my field of study. In conclusion, I have shared different experiences that have influenced my personal life. I have used theories from this class to support my experiences and I have shared my future plans to achieve my academic goals. Every lesson I complete moves me one step closer to my goal. References Intelligence and Aging (2007) Learning in Adulthood: A Comprehensive Guide. Retrieved from http://www.credoreference.com/entry/wileyla/intelligence-and-aging Witt, G. A., Mossler, R.A., (2010). Adult Development Retrieved from http://content.ashford. edu /AUPYS202.10.1 Vief, G. L., Diehl, M., (2000) Cognitive complexity and cognitive-affective integration. Psychology and Aging. Vol.15 (3) US: American Psychological Association pp. 490 -504.doi:10.1037/0882-7974.15.3.490

Power distance

Power distance So you want to do business abroad and actually make a profit? Dont forget to ask yourself this: What do I know about the culture? To explain the biggest differences between cultures in this essay we are going to use a method developed by Geert Hofstede (geert-hofstede.com) using his four dimensions; Power distance, masculinity/ femininity, individualism/ collectivism and uncertainty avoidance. With this we will explain the difference between the Dutch culture and the cultures of India and Italy when doing business. Power Distance What Is Power Distance? Power distance measures how much the less powerful members of institutions and organizations expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. In cultures with low power distance, people expect and accept power relations that are more consultative or democratic. In cultures with high power distance, the less powerful accept power relations that are autocratic or paternalistic. Power Distance In India And The Netherlands With a population of over 1 billion it is hard to describe life in India because the Indian people have many different religious, regional, cultural, social, and educational variations in structural and functional patterns of family life, making it hard to generalize. However because the majority of Indians are Hindu, we will primarily focus on the Hindu way of life. India has a high power distance; it scores a 77 on the index. While the Netherlands only scores a 38 with around 16 million people. India is a very interesting country to look at because they have ‘used the caste system ¹ for a long time. With that, they automatically create a massive distance between the highest members of the caste: Brahmins (priests) and the lowest members of the caste the pariah (outcasts, â€Å"untouchables†) there are a total of 5 levels in the caste system and each of the people in a lower caste listen to members of the caste above their own. This makes equality, like in the Netherlands, impossible. This because the social position of a person is determined by heredity, for example if you are born a pariah you will never be a Brahmin and you are expected to life your life in the caste, making it your social group as well. Although the system was officially abolished it continues to play a crucial role in Indian society. Family Life A Joint Family is an extended family arrangement prevalent among Hindus of the Indian subcontinent, consisting of many generations living under the same roof. All the male members are blood relatives and all the women are mothers, wives, unmarried daughters, or widowed relatives. However in the last couple of years the people in the urban areas of India seem to have been shifting more towards a nuclear family household (consisting of 2 parents and children) School/ Education In India higher educations are more like the western European way of teaching, so the power distance is not extremely large in the schools, Teachers are however expected to lecture the students. It has been like this since India was a British colony and it keeps improving towards the level of equality which we are experiencing in Holland right now. However, in India the respect for most of the teachers is higher than the respect students in Holland show towards the teachers. Work/ Business As said before the Indian culture prefers a high power distance, in business there will be a large structural difference between the boss of a company and an employee, splitting them by so many layers that they will rarely or never actually talk to each other. And if they do it would be very formal. Also its necessary to avoid forum like situations where you as a manager ask the ‘lower ranking employees for feedback or advice because this will be seen as weak leadership. Opposed to Holland where we consider it a good thing when managers come to us for our opinions. The State The state consists of many layers in India though it is somewhat similar to the political system in the UK. In India, a persons time is valued based on power. A high-power individual must never be kept waiting. In India, a high-power individual can and will demonstrate their power by keeping a lower power individual waiting. In the Netherlands this is just not acceptable. Power Distance In Italy And The Netherlands Italy scores a 50 on the power distance index of Hofstede which puts it somewhere in the middle worldwide. According to Hofstedes dimensions Italy looks a lot like Germany in. Italy was the pinnacle of European development in the early days (Roman Empire). Italians still seem to expect a lot of differences in power between people. They would say the boss in a company should act like he/she is the boss. Family Life The Italian family is important. Grandparents, aunts uncles and cousins are often invited to share family celebrations and Sunday dinners. The family members do not usually live near each other. When children grow up, they usually live in the house until they marry. Sometimes the children would move in to help their parents. The father is always the head of the family. Friends of the family are also a very big part of Italian society. School/ Education In Italy the schools are even more similar to Holland, you are allowed to question the teachers as long as you do it with the proper amount of respect. The teachers will however have a lecture prepared. Work/ Business Power distance in Italian companies is not extremely really high because a lot of the businesses there are family businesses, nonetheless communication at the office is formal and subordinates are rarely allowed to call their superiors by their first name. The boss of the company is really the boss and he/she should be treated with a lot of respect. Good manners and courtesy are prized qualities in Italy. When doing business in Italy ensure your conduct is always polished. There are etiquettes and protocols for many social and business situations; however, it is important to remember that Italians rate considerateness above behavioral formulas. When you are meeting and departing, always shake hands. This is valid for both individuals and groups. When you do business in Italy, you dress to impress. It is no coincidence that Versace, Gucci, Prada and Dolce Gabbana are all Italian fashion houses. Italians like to make an impression with their clothes. What you wear speaks volumes about the kind of person you are. The State Italians are often cynical about persons in positions of authority. Italians love to ridicule authority and people in positions of power. Breaking petty rules is a source of amusement for many Italians. Individualism And Collectivism What Is Individualism And Collectivism? In relation to Hofstedes cultural dimension study, Individual/ Collectivism will be determined. The meaning of individualism expresses exactly a nation, which do care for him/ herself and his/ her direct family. The word â€Å"I† is a very important factor in this form of life, which is completely different in a form of collectivism. This attitude to life shows that these people care about their whole in-group which includes family, friends, uncles, aunts and grandparents. The word â€Å"we† has obviously a higher meaning to them. Hofstedes charts visualize that countries with high power distance (PDI) belong to the collectivists and countries with low power distance belong to the individualists. According to Hofstede individualism countries have the tendency to be a rich. Countries in a collectivism country have most likely the opposite tendency. Individualism And Collectivism In India And The Netherlands A comparison between India and The Netherlands gives a good impression and shows the differences between those two countries. First of all it is important to have a look at Hofstedes charts. India scores, according to Hofstedes, power distance (PDI) as its highest points for cultures, with a ranking of 77 compared with a world average of 56.5. This fact shows a clearly result of a collectivism country, which India is. It makes itself felt in terms of friendships, which were chosen by their parents, not having conflicts, by being indirect or sharing the income if someone has a good job for example. It absolutely represents the loyalty of the in-group members. As a counter-example The Netherlands will be represented. In opposite to India, Holland scores its highest points in the category individuality (IDV), which is 80 points and ties Canada as the fourth highest worldwide IDV ranking. Some examples to clarify the culture are being very direct, let the children choose friends whoever they want or spend their money however they think it will be right. These facts enunciates that Holland doesnt have this in-group attitude like India but rather the absolutely priority to their immediate family. At school children from India see the teacher as a higher person, whatever the teacher says is right without to question it, which shows that they are depending on their teacher. Furthermore it is normal to focus on a social network, where the synonym â€Å"we† more important than â€Å"I†. Dutch children are joining a completely different way of getting taught in school. It is more important to learn how to develop their own abilities, to be independent and learn how to discuss problems. They also expect the teacher to know everything with every detail. The next part relates to work and business in India. Since they have in-groups it is not normal to work with people who are not part of their in-group. It is very common that the children from India start to work in their fathers, or uncles business. Otherwise they wont find another job because in a collectivist country they are so depended on their in-group. Dutch people raise their children to work at a place wherever and whatever they like. Its more important for them to let them pick up their own experience and realize their dreams. This is the logical way of thinking for individual countries. In addition it promotes the economy to have people who are independent. The final aspect is about the states in individualism/ collectivism countries. Since India is a part of collectivists it is to say that there are more differences between poor people and rich people. Further the human rights are lower than those ones from individualist countries. In contrast The Netherlands which belongs to the individualists are more equal regarding the differences between poor and rich people. It is very important to have the same human rights like every single person in the country. Equality has different meaning for those two mentioned countries. Individualism And Collectivism In Italy And The Netherlands The comparison between Italy and The Netherlands will show the differences between those countries. It is important to take a closer look at Hofstedes charts. It shows Italys highest score, which is about 71 points â€Å"Individualism† and shows the similarity between Holland and Italy. Italy is an individualist country, like The Netherlands, but its Power distance (PDI) is also high. Family life is important for Italians, not just the immediate family, but also uncles, aunts and grandparents play a big role in the childrens life, which shows the differences to comparing to Holland. Sons from Italy leave their parents house in their 20s which is pretty much same like in The Netherlands. Furthermore children are supposed to tell the truth, even if it hurts. This is a typical attribute of individualist thinking countries, which Dutch and Italian people are. They also get raised as independent children with personal opinion because this could useful for a successful life. In those two mentioned country the school and education is pretty much the same. Pupils or students have to be independent, competitive and they are supposed to determine their own goals. It is very common to discuss issues in the class without being silent, so they can develop their skills. Work and business is also a similar matter between Italy and The Netherlands. They are highly educated business people and make business with foreign countries. Employees and employers are committed to contracts which show the human rights, but there is law that people can get laid off, or they could quit the job. The last aspect is about the state and in this point those two countries are also pretty much similar. Human rights are very high, education is important and everyone has his privacy. In conclusion individualist countries appreciate the individual interests and do not deal with collectivism.   Masculinity And Femininity In India and The Netherlands Hofstedes dimension masculinity pertains to societies in which gender roles are clearly distinct. That means, men has to be assertive, competitive and have to air toughness while women stand for nurturance. They are responsible for the household and the children. High earnings and status symbols present a certain social standing for the man. One gets the recognition deserved while doing a good job and is allowed to reach a higher level in his job. In feminine societies these gender roles overlap. Both, men and women are suppose to be modest (both, men and women have the same rights but also the same duties) both parts focus on their relationship and they are also more concerned to the quality of life. With a ranking at 56, the masculinity of India is with the world average just slightly lower at 51. A high rank means that the country is a masculine country. The lower it is, the lower is the masculinity and goes more to femininity. You also can see that India is a masculine country on different examples in Family Life The man is the head of the family. He is the one, who makes the decisions. Who says what to do. Children are obedient towards their parents. Younger children have to listen to the older children. The man is more dominant than the woman. The woman takes care of the household and the children. Whereas women are going to shop for food, household and clothes, the men are looking for cars, a house or things and objectives, which are standing for status. Even when the trend goes more femininity, step by step, traditions like a marriage portion are still common, in rural areas. The woman has to give money which depends of the family earning to marry the man. However, not always the woman (wife) has to do what the husband says. India consists of a lot traditions and one of them is, that the wife has to follow the instructions of the mother of her husband for the first few years. Even when both genders are equal, rightly, the woman is still undervalued. It is not rare that the girls get less or qualitative less food than the boys because the boys have to get strong for hard work, which a girl is not able to do. That is the reason why girls get more jobs like home helpers and get married early. In comparing to the Netherlands which occupy a score of 14 points rank 72, this country is very feminine. Men and woman are modest and focus on their relationship. Both shop for food and both discuss which car to buy. They do not have one dominant â€Å"leader† of the family both act non- dominant. School/ Education Indias school-systems are free for the grades from one till five. However, more boys go to school than girls. Girls are going to marry early, so they let them work and send the boys to school. An example what makes it visible is, that 48% of the Indians over fifteen cannot read and write. 62, 3% of women and 34, 5% of men are illiterates. The education is also more masculine because the pupils or students try to make them visible in class and compete openly with each other. Job choices are strongly guided by perceived career opportunities. The best student is the norm; failing in school would be a disaster. The atmosphere of ego boosting is exiting, the best one wins. Indian children try to learn jobs where they can make money. The Netherlands have more students which present the average. Failing in school is not the end of the world and they learn jobs, basic on their talent and what they like. They underrate their own performance, they do not want to appear too eager and it is okay when the teacher is also just a â€Å"human† and do not know everything. Work/ Business Most of the time, even when it changes in the big cities and step by step also all over the country, the men are working and earn the money for their families. One fourth of the population lives under the poverty line. They live for the work whereas in the Netherlands the people work to live. That means that money and status are not so important like the leisure time. The Indians work in a competitive atmosphere, the higher the position, the better is the money and their status. Only the best are successful in the hard business. The State The state is a performance society. You will be paid for that what you accomplish. The more you can the higher is the earning. The higher the earning is the higher is your status in society. In the Netherlands it is quite different, the community is more important. The solidarity is higher; people help more each other and also the weaker ones. India focuses a lot to the growth in economy, more than in the Netherlands. Masculinity And Femininity In Italy And The Netherlands Italy counts over 60 points and stands on rank 52 in the index from Hofstede but only for the European countries. Italy is also a masculine society but not so high like India. Italy is less masculine but more feminine than India but not so feminine like the Netherlands. Family Life Women expect men to get the leadership in family life and earn the money for the family. Gender roles are also clearly distinct here. The woman is responsible for the family and especially for the household and the man is making career. Children suppose to be obedient, whereas the boys should be tough and the girls more emotional. Most of the time the father is dominant but it is not unusual when there are non-dominant partners in a relationship. Family is very important and children are their future. Parents try to give their children the best perspective and are always around them; often the â€Å"bambinis† sit on the table till late in the evening. The parents take very care of the children and control them also a lot what they are doing. It is normal, that fights are sometimes loud and the Italians also like to make jokes and do not care when the neighbor or strangers hear it whereas love is not shown to the outside. Often a fight between a man and woman sound hard for a n on-Italian but that is their mentality and normally after five minutes all is forgotten. Men are often seen like machos but it is unusual that parents have a divorce. School/ Education The teachers are authority persons to the students but the communication is still friendly and the teachers also make jokes. It is very important that the Italian students pass school with high grades. Often they learn till late in the evening and the parents still control them to repeat the homework and if they understand well. The education is more masculine than in the Netherlands, failing in school or not passing a test is a disaster whereas the Dutch students are more comfortable and they just need to pass, independent from the grade. According to this fact, teachers in the Netherlands, take more attention to weaker students and try to push them by giving them attention, than openly praise the good students. The students are decent in their CVs, whereas in Italy, they sell themselves in interviews to show they are the best. The Netherlands are a permissive society in which the environment should be preserved as small is beautiful. Furthermore the government depends on a coalition between different parties and women are more often elected than in Italy and India. Work/ Business Usually the woman take care of the family and the men is going to work. However women also work, but the earnings of the men are most of the time higher and the high positions are often occupied by the men. Money is important, men like to show their status with cars for example but leisure time and spending time with their families is also important. You cannot really define if it is more masculine or more feminine. It is more feminine than in India but still more masculine than in the Netherlands. The State The community is important, Italy has solidarity. They care about the weak people in the population and aid also a lot of financially help to poor countries. The country is a community and they represent it to the outside. Uncertainty Avoidance What Is Uncertainty Avoidance? The term uncertainty avoidance denotes how members of a culture deal with unknown or ambiguous situations. Cultures with high uncertainty avoidance try to avoid such uncertainties. Members of other cultures maybe experience equal situations as uncertain or chaotic as well, but respond more relaxed and unstressed. Each country has got own rituals and values how they deal with punctuality, formalities and religious affairs. Cultures with a high certainty avoidance index (UAI) are more prepared to evade risks than cultures with a low UAI. The higher the score of the UAI is, the higher the need of people to have laws and regulations which give them a guideline and a feeling of private and public security. High uncertainty avoidance sentiment can be summarized as â€Å"What is different is dangerous.† However, the weakest uncertainty avoidance sentiment can be summarized on the contrary as â€Å"What is different is curious.† In Italy the uncertainty avoidance and individualism/ collectivism are the highest scores, adequate the four dimensions of Geert Hofstede with a value of 75 on the index. It is clear to see that Italy has one of the highest scores at all. On the other hand there are the Netherlands with a relative low UAI amount of 53 which is almost the mean of 39 countries. Uncertainty Avoidance Italy And Netherlands Family Life Because of the high score Italy has achieved, one can see that the family life seems to be as more stressful as in the Netherlands. In the early stages Italian children learn the difference between dirty and clean and between safe and dangerous. They make more experiences with law and rules and know soon what they are allowed to do and what not. Italian mothers and nannies would never allow to see their children in dirt or danger. It is common that family has a very great significance in Italy. In contrast to Italian families Dutch families are quite different. They are more relaxed about that and let their children make experiences on their own. Dutch dont care about their health as the Italian do. Example: Dutch people dont ask for a doctor or a medical certification if they are ill. Often they are already satisfied with the view of a nurse. Religion plays a pretty important role in the Italian family life. 90% of all Italian inhabitants are Roman Catholic. This huge number shows one that they have great Christianity. Religion gives them some sort of security, confidence and for several people a guideline. Health and keeping good are also important things Italian care about. Unlike Italy Holland is not that religious. Nearly half of all Dutch people are atheists. School / Education In Italy there is high uncertainty avoidance. In such countries it is pretty important for the students to believe in that a teacher knows almost everything. The students want to know right answers in detail and the teachers are supposed to have all the answers. In the Netherlands it is quite different. Teachers are rather considered as advisers. The students just want to have good conversation and discussion with the teacher and they dont have problems if a teacher says â€Å"I dont know†. Italians are almost the same as the German and favored a structured and detailed assignments. Work / Business In work life one can see that Italian employees and managers look for long-term employment. In contrast to Italy the Dutch people are short-term orientated and more flexible. If they are dissatisfied with their job they have no problem with looking for another job. Besides the Italian employees and managers favor a well structured and organized work process that they would not confronted with any problems. Many Italian prefer to do business they already know. Example: Italians prefer to know something about an individual before they speak with the person on the phone. Thus, in business one should send an introductory fax and follow-up with a phone call. The State One reason why Italy is scared of the unknown is because it is a very old cultural country that has survived many economical changes, wars and political upheavals. These facts might have bred in Italians a greater anxiety of the unknown. In Italy a mass of laws and rules are the result of uncertainty avoidance. It gives a feeling of security and also it can be seen as a guideline. In Holland there are not that much laws and rules. They think that laws and rules should be established just in case of necessity. Furthermore they believe that many problems can be solved without any laws. The Netherlands have just a few laws and rules to avoid the uncertainty, although the government and the regulation system is very well developed. If there is a law that is not working, the Dutch government would change or withdraw it easily and quickly. The fact that Italy has so many laws and regulations is that many people are not interested in politics. In contrast the Dutch people are very intereste d in politics, because there not many laws, so they are not overloaded by them. For example, Dutch people ask, why there is a change in ordinance. Uncertainty Avoidance India And Netherlands Family life Based on Hofstedes scale Indias UAI is the lowest of the three countries we have to compare. India scores a 40 on the index. This value makes clear that the inhabitants have the least fear of the uncertain. But its quite hard to generalize, because there are many variations in the different patterns of life. One reason for this fact may be that a large part of the inhabitants grow up under the poverty line. Indian are born in the caste system which forms their guideline, therefore they have another way of feeling of losing a job. Mostly they live with a large amount of family members in one house. Their religion, beliefs and rituals are important attempts to avoid uncertainty in the present and in the oncoming life. Approximately 80% of all Indian inhabitants are Hindu. But in Holland it is very different. In Holland religion is not that import as in India or in Italy because there are almost 45% atheists. School / Education Indians who live under the poverty line probably dont fear to have no school education because the most of them grow up without education at all. But for middle class parents it is important that their children get an academic achievement, because its a direct step to achieve prestige and a better status. Another point is that the dutch pupils dont mind what credits they get. They are just interested in whether they passed or not. Work / Business In countries like India people only work hard if there is a need for it, but they also love to relax. So time is not an ever-present concern for them. Furthermore they live day to day, so one can see that they are very similar to the Dutch because they are both short-term orientated. Day to day can also mean that they fight to survive day after day. The State Indian politics are nearly the same as the British. Since its a bicameral system there are multiple parties. A big difference between the British and Indian system is that in India there are political parties that address, only certain groups in the caste system. And with that they create a certain kind of certainty for the people in the caste. Conclusion After our detailed investigation, about how the four dimensions of Hofstede affect the different countries, we can give some marketing and general advices for doing business in India, Italy and the Netherlands. In contrast to The Netherlands, India and Italy are both masculine countries. For example someone wants to publish a new product especially for woman like a magazine. In the Netherlands it wouldnt be difficult to bring such product on the market because its a feminine society. Nobody would have a problem with the content mentioned in the magazine. In India or Italy it might be more problematic. In India the men would object against magazines like this because the society is directed to males being the higher authority. The men have a big influence on decisions being made. The society status is very important for the family. In The Netherlands it doesnt matter who makes the decisions mainly its good for the family. Generally you have to invest a lot of time and effort in order to build up serious and long-term business relationships in Italy but even more in India. Therefore you (as a business man from abroad) should never try to talk about business straight from the beginning. But rather focus on building a relationship, in most cultures on the world people need to trust each other first before they can do business with each other. Work on that relationship and you will have a good business partner who will always prefer you over the loud screaming cheaper company. In the end, the failure to communicate on the intercultural market will result in the failure of your business as an international company. Always take cultural differences into account. Sources Cultural and Organizations – Software of the Mind http://www.globalvolunteers.org/italy/italy_people1.asp http://www.geert-hofstede.com http://www.wikipedia.org/ clearlycultural.com http://www.cyborlink.com/besite/italy.htm Uncertainty avoidance table Caste System india Hofstedes Dimensions for each country

The History of Capital Punishment Essay -- History Crime Punishing ess

The History of Capital Punishment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Crime has been a plague on society from ancient times to present. In response to this plague, society has formed structured rules to deal with the perpetrators of crime. A crime can be defined as act that society’s government deems as illegal. Different societies have formed various methods and standards for evaluating crime and assigning corresponding punishment. What constitutes a crime has changed throughout the course of history. In ancient times, such extreme actions as the deliberate killing of another human being for the sake of family honor or religious rite was considered socially acceptable and therefore not legally wrong. Now, the majority of the modern world (with perhaps the exclusion of some Middle Eastern sects) view the deliberate killing of another human being as non-socially acceptable, and therefore legally wrong. The overall exceptions to this rule are the taking of human life in the act of war and in punishment for extreme crime(s) against humanity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Punishment for crime has ranged from mild, in the form of fines, or incarceration, to severe, in the form of physical torture or death. In ancient times, punishment for serious crimes such as treason, theft, or murder was frequently severe and inhumane. Offenders were often tortured for hours to be either left to die a slow and painful death or be executed publicly. The use of the death penality has declined throught out the industrial Western world since the 19th century.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The concept of confinement for punishment dates back to ancient times. Imprisonment is generally a milder form of punishment which removes an individual from society and confines him/her in an institution with other offenders. Examples of historical places of confinement are London’s Tower and Paris’s Bastille. The Tower and Bastille were used to confine political prisoners, not criminals in the ordinary sense. The common jail has existed since approximately 1166, when King Henry II of England ordered places of confinement for criminals built. Jails mainly served the purpose for prisoners awaiting trial, while also holding unfortunate petty offenders such as beggars, vagrants, and debtors. The purpose for places of confinement remained the same until the development of the American prison system. The purpose of the American prison system posed a t... ... person recieving punishment, and (4) the death penalty lowers the goverment to the same level as the criminal.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All prudent people have concern for the sanctity of human life. No one enjoys having to be responsible for sentencing a person to death no matter what crime they have committed. However, as President George W. Bush recently said, â€Å"There are evil people in the world and we must respond appropriately.† Basically, what he is means is that there must be just and direct punishment for evil and heinous crimes. Therefore, capital punishment is and can be a deterrent for crimes of serious nature against individuals and society. This is an attempt to punish some and deter others. For certain, those sentenced to death will no longer be a threat to society. Works Cited McCuen, Gary E. â€Å"Reviving the Death Penalty† Copyright : 1985 Gary E. McCuen Publications Wekesser,Carrol - editor â€Å"The Death Penalty† Copyright: 1991 Greenhaven Press, Inc. Abelson & Friquegnon - editor â€Å"Ethics for Modern Life† Copyright: 1995 St. Martin’s Press, Inc Zimring, Franklin E. - The World Book Encyclopedia - â€Å"Capital Punishment† p. 193 Copyright: 1993 World Book, Inc

A study of the social representation of war Essay

War, a reportage of the crude reality of the Afghanistan conflict started in 2001. Junger, the author and also protagonist, let us  live as a US army soldier in the â€Å"terrible  geology†Ã‚  of  the  Korengal Valley. Even the soil  appears to be the perfect place to host something as horrible as the Afghanistan war. Junger’s  first accomplishment is surely the terrible  masterpiece  representation of the US soldiers’ lives in Afghanistan. The combination of descriptive sequences and figurative language throws the reader into the cruel battlefield where  Taliban and Americans play a â€Å"slow  game  that everyone was enjoying too much to possibly bring to an end†.    Junger, however, doesn’t limit  himself to the plain  reportage  of his  five journeys. His  book succeeds  at representing the sociological interactions that originate within  the platoon. â€Å"The men†, living  in a hostile  environment  with  extremely poor living conditions, seemed to have established higher social moral values than our society. The courage, the love they feel for each other brings about the â€Å"collective defense†, described by Junger, as an addictive feature of the society of this platoon. Through the dialogues, I felt extremely surprised in noticing that those men essentially were happier than us, because, in their societal  reality, the core system  was taking care of each other. The social institutions  of the platoons imposed brotherhood and  knowing that you had a family, your platoon, soldiers’ need were  accomplished.  I was then allowed to understand why the return to the normality is neve r an  easy process for veterans. Given the sociological representation of war, I could not avoid the comparison between  the society of the platoon with our Westernised reality.  Isn’t it crazy in our civilized Western society, that all we seem to lack, is care for each other? Our modern society focused on our own self-fulfillment, allows to ignore the moral calling,  to withdraw from moral engagement; however, in war, as Junger made me notice, nothing is taken for granted, everything is shared and everyone represents your family. If you save someone, it’s your duty, and accomplishing this duty takes you away from the psychological trauma of the daily atrocities of war allowing you to return to a familiar environment. I found Junger explanation of veterans’ traumatic return to reality very insightful.  As he suggests, once you experience the caring society of the platoon, real-world seems even more hostile than war. Perhaps it is, perhaps the real battlefield  is our 21st-century society. Junger made me reflect and wonder whether a hostile external environment is the only criteria where Marx’s  communism principles  hypothetically could work within a society; as the company of each other’s is all humans have got, the creation of a reality where equality and common goals would establish the social institutions, could in turn act as a defending barrier from the external hostile environment, allowing the shared commitment to a communist system. Junger in his  analytical reflection  (220-260) attempts to explain humans’  love of war.  As mentioned above, the return  to normality  seems to scare soldiers more than  the combat itself,  because there is no combat in the society. Throughout  his travels, the journalist never questions who gives us the right to be God. And if somehow we are allowed to fight for God position, as we accept that God was long gone from that Valley and the God position is â€Å"vacant†, are the soldiers truly  fighting  only  because they are told to do so? Fighting means killing. Every day, it means  taking over human lives. Junger never explores this topic in depth. He superficially justifies men’s engagement into  conflict due to a physiological adrenaline addiction. But  I reckon that human nature is three-dimensional, and the analytical chapters never  explored  whether the combat was addictive because  killing is a â€Å"joyful slaughterà ¢â‚¬  (Bourke, 1999). I felt that this  relevant aspect  of conflicts  was being avoided and it seemed like Junger maybe could not accept  our terrible human nature, our â€Å"terrible love for war† (Hillman, 2004). Personally, I believe that war is part of human beings and cannot be avoided, as neglecting it  would imply neglecting the human nature itself. Why do soldiers â€Å"miss the good stuff†?  Junger superficial  argumentation of addiction  to adrenaline seems too weak to support this argument. It is indeed scary, but war is natural, and I feel confident in claiming this as empirical history shows us war constancy. Another side of this book review focuses on the consequences that I noticed on my emotional spectrum throughout the reading. My judgment vacillates between  the ability of Junger as a great writer and the negative implications of his writing ability  on  my emotional reaction.  War further explores â€Å"how easy it is to go from living to the dead† (p. 85), the transcendent  condition of being on the â€Å"real† battleship: the Koregan Valley. Junger’s writing style leaves its mark, his climax, the vast use of short sentences to finish paragraphs and peculiarity to leave white empty space. It is here in these white where  he allows me, the reader, to feel and imagine, and thus  bring my persona into  those empty spaces; this writing what  took me back into my past. Passing from one paragraph to the other, carrying a heavy burden of sadness, I started remembering. Anxiety made me overthinking  rendering the reading experience  not pleasurable anymore. Junger was able to make me so engaged that I could not detach emotionally  anymore. Junger’s great ability to describe the soldier life conditions triggered the reminiscence of my past, where  I could, to a much lesser extent, resemble  the soldier’s  anxious life situation  with my past 13-year-old  self. Alone in my own land, now as well, governed by war; my parents, respectively the Taliban and the Americans. The gunfire, in my reality, pictured by  the lawyers, and as much as Junger, I’m unable to move, sometimes unable to remember. Until now. My gear, my responsibilities, and as much as the men felt too hot, I felt too young. I always thought that a good book is like a good soundtrack that accompanies an as well good movie. But would the good movie create the same effect on the audience without the musical notes? The movie would still be good, but emotionally steady. What Junger is able to do in his book is allowing a natural development of this soundtrack throughout the entire duration of the reading travel. For me, the soundtrack were the emotions, I could feel the pain and the emotional dimension of the platoon and linked it back to my personal experience. Could Junger have triggered a better emotional engagement, be it negative or positive? Another proof of the great ability of Junger in letting the reader assimilating the images of Afghanistan in war through his simple, emotionally detached writing style occurred when suddenly I found myself thrown into a distorted view of what we would recall as reality. Everything, from the soil, the muffled noises, to the deprivation of light. It was a hostile environment. Chaos dominated the scene. Despair could be felt and seen by glancing at other living beings’ eyes. The concept of life was no longer alive. I saw myself running, without a purpose, without a destination, without knowing. I was perhaps running for not dying, maybe because fear impregnated the odor of the air. I was not running to survive. I remember falling, and there I clearly felt a fleece trespassing my skin and hitting my lung. Breathing became an unbearable painful experience. And I was lying there, alone, on that desolated land where God had possibly forgotten to visit for a long time.  When the sun rise shone my room, I  was recollected into this world that we consider real. It took me a while to remove that negativity from my being. I remember hoping for someone to explain to me what had happened but no one of my war dream comrades was there. I could only grasp the ghost of a memory dissolving without leaving a trace. Indeed, I had a negative emotional reaction, but this doesn’t want to diminish Junger’s skills. However, his emotional  detachment,  I could say, made me  feel  sometimes frustrated.  As the reporter, it is essential to remain detached as the sole and unique task is to report. However, I, as a reader, was looking for an emotional judgment from the author. I felt  like I could  read  the mind of a mute child, victim  of an abuse,  who,  due to the trauma, has lost the capability of communication. And the more I was reading, the more the misunderstand was growing. Couldn’t Junger express something, just a small confirmation that what was happening was wrong? It took me a while before understating.   Only by reading chapter after chapter I was able to  realize that the emotionally detached writing style adopted by Junger, was, in reality, an emotional response to the atrocities that he was subject to witness in his travels. The detachment was maybe the only way to survive, the only way to remind himself that the War was not his reality, that his pe rmanence in Afghanistan was just temporary, unlike reality for the Platoon. Perhaps he also wanted to let the reader develop a  critical judgment without intervening. Overall, the representation of the US soldiers’ life condition in Afghanistan, under a sociological and psychological viewpoint, represents the best outcome of this book. Junger proves to be able to communicate clearly what he went through and he doesn’t stop here; his skills overcome the simple flat reading experience and allow the reading audience to develop an emotional engagement, be this emotional reaction positive or negative. Considering what happened in Afghanistan roughly 10 years ago, and how men had to live daily, I feel grateful and lucky to have had the possibility to read this book, as the probability of a bullet hitting Junger’s hypothalamus seems to have been somehow high.    Bibliography Bourke, J. (1999). An Intimate History of Killing: Face-to-face Killing in Twentieth-century Warfare. Hillman, J. (2004). A terrible love for war. New York: The penguin press.   

Free Essays on High Tech Forensics

High- Tech Forensics High-Tech Forensics is a really big issue of today’s society. Looking to solve crimes, or at least find information using high-tech forensic work has bloomed over a vast period of time. Nearly every litigation matter now requires attorneys to conduct electronic discovery. This gives clients a unique advantage inside and outside the courtroom. Being that high-tech forensics is a combination of both forensic science and computer science, the forensic examiner is in many cases very important. The potential growth for computer forensics work has inspired many people and is very essential for businesses. Big corporations and law enforcement agencies such as FBI and big city police departments have computer forensics experts on staff. Along with the advantages of high-tech forensics comes it disadvantages. The introduction of the computer in 1981 and the resulting popularity came with a mixed blessing. Society in general benefited but at the same time so did criminals who used pers onal computers to commit crimes. Today personal computers are used in every face of society as in to send and receive messages, compute financial results, transfer funds, purchase stocks, make airline reservations, access bank accounts, and to lookup any source of worldwide information on essentially any topic, which as time has pasted have resulted in fraud and identity theft.... Free Essays on High Tech Forensics Free Essays on High Tech Forensics High- Tech Forensics High-Tech Forensics is a really big issue of today’s society. Looking to solve crimes, or at least find information using high-tech forensic work has bloomed over a vast period of time. Nearly every litigation matter now requires attorneys to conduct electronic discovery. This gives clients a unique advantage inside and outside the courtroom. Being that high-tech forensics is a combination of both forensic science and computer science, the forensic examiner is in many cases very important. The potential growth for computer forensics work has inspired many people and is very essential for businesses. Big corporations and law enforcement agencies such as FBI and big city police departments have computer forensics experts on staff. Along with the advantages of high-tech forensics comes it disadvantages. The introduction of the computer in 1981 and the resulting popularity came with a mixed blessing. Society in general benefited but at the same time so did criminals who used pers onal computers to commit crimes. Today personal computers are used in every face of society as in to send and receive messages, compute financial results, transfer funds, purchase stocks, make airline reservations, access bank accounts, and to lookup any source of worldwide information on essentially any topic, which as time has pasted have resulted in fraud and identity theft....