How Education Should Be Structured Essay - 2015 Words

Since the birth of Puritanism in what is now the United States of America, education has been shaped and molded time and time again with each movement of North American history. Most early American literature was persevered not in the form of novels, but in letters, diary and journal entries, and memoirs. These works often focused on the daily struggle of the author and the author’s love for God even in straining situations. The Pilgrims, as well as the Puritans, believed that a firm education was necessary for all children. This education was based out of and around religious material found in the Bible (Harper 259). As time went on in America, a widespread dislike of British culture and rule led many American to reevaluate how education should be structured. This period became known as the Enlightenment as it reintroduced an emphasis on the Grecian masters and ushered in a new appreciation for the schools of science and philosophy (â€Å"Enlightenment† 159). Decades l ater, in the 1820s and 1830s, another revolution of thought occurred, once again challenging the definition of education. These writers, most notably Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Margaret Fuller, were part of a movement known as Transcendentalism, which championed self-education and living out one’s full potential foremost as person in truth rather than in scholarly learning. Although each major educational movement throughout American history has been met with some level of resistance, each ofShow MoreRelatedHello Professor Essay757 Words   |  4 PagesA., amp; Long, A. (2012). Diabetes education: what do adolescents want?. Journal Of Clinical Nursing, 21(1/2), 216-223. doi:http://dx.doi.org.library.gcu.edu:2048/10.1111/j.1365-2702.2010.03692.x Abstract - Aims and objectives. To establish adolescents beliefs regarding the need for structured diabetes education and their views on how such a program should be organized and what topics need to be addressed. Background. Structured diabetes education programs have become common place inRead MoreThe Teacher Centered Philosophies Of Education1098 Words   |  5 Pagesreading. Teacher-centered philosophies of education require that children are educated using certain methods put into action by their teacher, as opposed to student-centered philosophies. Teaching methods are formed according to the needs and learning styles of individual students. Teacher-centered philosophies force the student to adjust to the teacher; with student-centered philosophies, the teacher adjusts to the student. An essentialist curriculum is structured to develop discipline and a common cultureRead MoreImproved Management Of Diabetes Patients1609 Words   |  7 Pagespatient even knows what the disease process is, and what is happening inside of their own bodies. It is critical to educate diabetic patients on their disease, and how to safely manage it at home, so that the patients do not have needless complications and/or comorbidities develop which could have been prevented with s imple education on the part of the nurses and the health care providers. As health care providers and nurses are front line interventionists in preventing complications in diabetesRead MoreNo Child Left Behind Standardization1608 Words   |  7 Pagesprofessors of education Delilah David, Ingrid Haynes, Bernnell M. Peltier-Glaze, Summer Pannell, and head of Texas Marshall County school district, Carrie Skelton, the NCLB was responsible for a number of undesirable consequences in school administration. Districts became responsible for test scores from individual schools, creating pressures among administrative officials to perform well. The act also made it easier for the federal government to become more involved in education, primarily inRead MoreEducation Is Too Structured And Hinders Children Creativity Essay981 Words   |  4 Pagesprovides children with a foundation to excel upon entering kindergarten. According to Kathleen McCartney, PhD, Dean of Harvard School of Education, preschool exposes children to numbers, letters, and shapes. In additio n, children learn how to socialize – get along with other children, and they also learn how to share (Kanter 2007). Critics argue preschool is too structured and hinders children creativity. Michael Smith President of the Home School Legal Defense Association is cautious of over institutionalizingRead MoreThe Theory Of Reflective Practice Within Healthcare And Nursing894 Words   |  4 Pageswithin healthcare and nursing. Furthermore, the essay will identify and analyse the different models of reflective practice, the effectiveness of the models and how healthcare professionals can apply this within their profession. Also, the barriers that may prevent a healthcare professional from reflecting will be discussed in this essay and how it will impact the quality of care delivered to patients. Reflection and reflective practice can be defined in many ways. Therefore, Mackintosh (2015) arguesRead MoreThe 5 Keys Support Project Based Learning For Students Success Essay994 Words   |  4 PagesDiscuss how each of the 5 keys support project-based learning for students’ success? The â€Å"Five Keys† of PBL (project based learning), as shown in the video were: real world connections, core to learning, structured collaboration, student driven, and multifaceted assessments. For me, the most important keys are the: real world connections, student driven, and structured collaboration. The reason is simple, the goal of education is to ready an upcoming population into the workforce. For those withRead MoreEducating A Better World1594 Words   |  7 Pagesan entire world of people, let alone one person. Now imagine having $75 billon to do it. I bet this challenge, given to us by Professor Bjà ¸rn Lamborg in his book How to Spend $75 Billion to Make the World a Better Place, is looking a bit more plausible Once given the tools to change the world, the next step is to figure out where and how to spend it. Deciding on only one project or program to fund in hopes that it will change the world would be unrealistic but through a process of research and thorough Read MoreThe American Educational System and Its Slippery Slope Essay1470 Words   |  6 Pagesdifferent and unique styles of education have emerged as an attempt to satisfy the universal desire of knowledge, but it is often debated which style of education is the most effective. There is a very wide range of teaching styles on the spectrum of education, ranging from the strictest, most prisonlike forms possible, to the freest environments one can imagine. The great nation of the United States currently possesses one of the freest environments for education in existence: students are givenRead MoreMy Career As An Educator947 Words   |  4 Pagesmethods of education. As a lifelong learner, I am reliant on my teachers to help me develop new theories and methods to help my individual student succeed in their educational career. I will be well educated in preschool development and early education curriculum to best serve the student age group I will teach. Diversity will be a key component to my classroom structure. Each student is an individual who has different strengths and weaknesses. Knowing how each student is different or how they

Building An Integrated Teamwork, Is Irreplaceable And...

Globalization has become a significant issue that people are more willing to consider and discuss, due to the reason that people live in the diverse society nowadays. Being an organizational leader that they would be required to accept the differences from others, who come from different countries, to investigate how to build an integrated teamwork, which is irreplaceable and indispensable. X-Team could be a helpful book providing the leaders some specific ideas to implement the organizational program that they need more advice on how to play a global leadership role. There are three principles raised by Ancona and Bresman to establish a collaborative teamwork of the company that they elaborated building the trust with each other in the teamwork could be the first step for leading harmoniously. In order to be a successful part of the global team, the trust between team members could be the catalyzer to promote the team efficiency. Team members may have comparative ideas on the same s ituation, but they would not refuse to discuss with others when the trust has been built and would realize the others’ opinions are reasonable and discussible. The trust could be the basic and necessary factor for the leader leading a global teamwork, which is composed of people coming from different countries with diverse culture. The first principle is external activity, which means it is needed to observe the surroundings that people should be aware of the changes not only in the internalShow MoreRelatedProject Managment Case Studies214937 Words   |  860 Pagesthe performance and maturity of the project management system. In May 1992, the Williams Division was sold. More than 80 percent of the employees lost their jobs when the company was relocated over 1,500 miles away. In 1965, Joseph Wynn began building computer equipment in a small garage behind his house. By 1982, WCE was a $1 billion a year manufacturing organization employing 900 people. The major success found by WCE has been attributed to the nondegreed workers who have stayed with WCE over

Live Counting Crows free essay sample

My first Live concert also featured the Counting Crows. Iwas transformed from a casual Live listener to an avid supporter of thealternative rock group, and an even greater fan of lead singer Edward Kowalczyk.The four-hour show was an amazing success. The opening band was The NegroProblem, whose funky music was extremely fun to dance to, even without knowingany of their songs. The addition of a flute player whose discordant melodiescombined with the almost Jamaican tone produced an altogether unusual butinteresting sound. The band got the crowd up and moving, ready to enjoy thefollowing groups. Live came on and immediately took control of the crowd.Lead singer Kowalczyk sang with the husky resonance typical of Lives songs. Hedanced, strutted, made jokes and connected with the audience. Joining him was PatDahlheimer on bass guitar, Chad Gracey on drums and Chad Taylor on lead guitar.Also performing were Adam Kowalczyk and Christopher Thorn on guitar and MichaelRailton on keyboard. We will write a custom essay sample on Live Counting Crows or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As well as performing many older songs like LightningCrashes, All Over You and I Alone, there were manysongs from their new album, The Distance To Here. The bandwas on fire. Their music was incredible, they were extremely fun to watch andlisten to and became, in my opinion, eminently worthy of their name. Aftera ten-minute interval, Counting Crows came on-stage. During intermission, thecrew had placed large pictures around the stage. The images a paper airplane, aman with a fishbowl head, a circus wheel and many others gave the stage asurreal feeling. A long-time fan of the Counting Crows, I was thrilledwhen they began with one of their most popular songs, Round Here,from the album August and Everything After, sung with lead singerAdam Duritzs classic, indefinable style. Many of their older songs, however,were condensed, upsetting fans who were looking forward to hearing entire songs. Dreadlocks flapping, Duritz kept the crowd dancing throughout the set.Counting Crows features Dan Vickery on electric and acoustic guitars, Ben Mize ondrums, Matt Malley on bass guitar, Charles Gillingham on piano and organ andDavid Bryson on guitar. With a more mellow tone, the second set was muchcalmer than the first. Unlike Live, who had a great deal of crowd participation,Counting Crows did not try to involve the audience as much. Undoubtedlythere were two songs that far surpassed the others. In the middle of Lives set,Adam Duritz came out and sang along, creating a powerful effect that the crowdloved. The last song of the evening was Hangin Around, off theCounting Crows newest album, This Desert Life. They were joined byThe Negro Problem and Live, as well as family members of the bands. It wasincredibly fun to watch, and the music was amazing. Overall, the concertwas one of the best I have ever seen. While the Counting Crows are a band Iveloved for years, it was truly Live who captured the evening and made me adedicated fan. Both bands were fantastic.

William Blake Poetry Analysis Religious Influences free essay sample

He transmits the idea that two states are required in order to fully embrace human spirit. First, one must have a sense of innocence, to fully be open to learning, with the awe of a small child. Next, they must contain the sense of experience, which allows one to recognize both good and evil, in order to begin the process of redemption. This idea is enforced in his works The Tyger, The Lamb, and Proverbs of Heaven and Hell. William Blake’s poem known as The Tyger, focuses its attention on a series of questions regarding creation, specifically the creation of the tiger, a scary yet beautiful creature. This poem uses lots of ambiguous language that asks questions in nearly every line. An example of the questions this poem asks include â€Å"In what distant deeps or skies/ Burnt the fire of thine eyes? † (The Tyger 6-7). These lines question who and where could one have created such bright eyes of the tiger. We will write a custom essay sample on William Blake Poetry Analysis: Religious Influences or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Fire is used to convey a sense of fear, for fire represents destruction. William Blake raises the question in his poem, â€Å"Who is the creator? † (Derek). William Blake’s poem makes many references to Mythology, one example regarding the book of redemption, specifically the story of Lucifer and his angels, which describes the war in heaven. Derek) This is shown in these lines: â€Å"When the stars threw down their spears/And water’d heaven with their tears,† (The Tyger Lines 17-18). Line 17 references the war between Lucifer and his Angels in heaven, the stars referring to the Angels in Heaven, and the spears they threw down, while line 18 references the tears shed by the angels for Lucifer’s angels for being cast out of heaven Guerra pg. 2 because they would not listen to God. The poem also references Greek mythology in lines 7 which references the story of Daedelus and Icarus, as well as in line 8 which references the Greek God Prometheus (Dere k). All of these religious references make it more difficult to determine whom William Blake or the narrator believes to be The Tiger, and the tone of the poem seems to be fearful yet amazed by the creator described in this poem. It describes the state of experience, where the narrator believed he had all the answers, and is now unsure (Derek). Unlike the ambiguous poem The Tyger by William Blake, The Lamb, the previous counterpart to The Tyger, is much more straight-forward in its religious connection. One must contain a state of innocence to truly appreciate this poem, in which the narrator is a small child. It does not ask many questions, and the only questions asked are immediately answered by the child, so the only difficult in it is having the state of innocence to appreciate it. Blake shows us that innocence is not dependency or ignorance but a state that brings us a necessary perception of spiritual vision (Bryan). Blake shows us that the human self, the natural world, and the divine kingdom are all intertwined. The lamb represents the unity, the creator, and the sustainer (Bryan). The lamb represents Jesus Christ, as shown in The Lamb, â€Å"He is called by thy name,/ For He calls himself a Lamb,†(The Lamb lines 13-14). This is a reference to Jesus Christ and his association as The Lamb of God, therefore suggesting the narrator’s belief in religion, specifically Christianity. The narrator is aware of all these realities at all times, and it brings him peace and happiness that he must express (Bryan). This poem’s simplicity with the innocence of a child, attempts to bring the reader into seeing Blake’s â€Å"Divine Vision† (Bryan). The third example of William Blake‘s poems relating to religion is Proverbs of Heaven and Hell. It’s central idea is raising our own perceptions and triumphing over nature through nature. Blake suggests that there is no passive good, except with the angels identifying good and evil. He suggests hindrance and not action is evil whether one inhibits one or the other (Bloom). An example of one of the proverbs relating to their overall theme, â€Å"Sooner murder an infant in its cradle than nurse unacted desires,† (Proverbs of Heaven and Hell). This Guerra pg. 3 Line directly means to nurse an unacted desire is feeding a monster (Bloom). Bloom goes on to describe many of the individual proverbs and their hidden meaning, The stable may be either the home of the tamed â€Å"horses of instruction† of the Proverb (Foster Damon’s suggestion) or simply the stable of Christ’s birth, ironically leading into the grander structure of the Church. The vault is emblematic of Christ’s burial. In the resurrection of the body Christ passes out of the vault, but the Angel and Blake go to the vault’s other end which aptly leads into a mill, mechanical symbol of reductive reason. Once through the mill, and we are in the winding cavern of the fallen mind, in which any groping yields a way that is both downward and tedious, until we hang with Blake and the Angel over the abyss of nature, the unimaginative chaos of reductive intellect. This piece of Bloom’s analysis tells us how the lines of the poem relate to several religious references, the staple of Christ’s birth, his burial, and then how it all ties back into Blake’s theme about inactiveness. Proverbs of Heaven and Hell is a rather complex and long poem, with several messages in each stanza, but it does not change the fact that it holds many religious references, and how they all tie in to Blake’s beliefs regarding the human condition and spirit. Religion is an important aspect of daily life here for us; it gives us comfort and helps us answer the questions we otherwise cannot answer. It helps us promote order so we can please our divine figures. William Blake’s poetry was only made possible because of the passionate beliefs he held to himself regarding his religious beliefs which also lead to his beliefs about human spirit. Without those beliefs, his poetry would not be nonexistent. Guerra pg. 4 Bibliography Page 1. Aubrey, Derek. In an essay for â€Å"Poetry for Students†, Gale, 1997. 2. Bloom, Harold. Bloom on The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. In Bloom, Harold, ed. The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, Blooms Modern Critical Interpretations. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 1987. (Updated 2006. ) Blooms Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www. fofweb. com/activelink2. asp? ItemID=WE54amp;SID=5amp;iPin=MCI027amp;SingleRecord=True (accessed March 22, 2013). 3. Furr, Derek. In an essay for, â€Å"Poetry for Students†, Gale, 1997.

How To Use CoSchedule Without WordPress [DEMO] - CoSchedule

How To Use Without WordPress [DEMO] Everyone that has used with WordPress knows that the two work together seamlessly. Together, they  help you promote and work on your blog posts with ease. However, the functionality in does not stop there. What happens if you don’t work with WordPress? is also great as an all-in-one solution for managing whatever type of marketing you and your team happen to do. That includes blogging on non-WordPress platforms. Use ’s team workflow and project management tools to plan and manage your email campaigns, feature launches, events, videos, webinars and more! How to Use Without WordPress [Demo]Is The Perfect Tool No Matter What You Do Social Media Manager:  Use Social Campaigns to schedule all of your social media. Content Marketing Strategist:  With our Content feature, you have all of the tools to plan and manage newsletters and webinars. Marketing Project Manager:  Collaborate with your team to manage landing page launches, A/B testing designs for your website, or even create videos. Whatever your team does, you can manage it with the calendar. Recommended Reading: Try This Breakthrough Content Marketing Workflow For Your Team

3 Ways You Can Live Life Like an Olympian

3 Ways You Can Live Life Like an Olympian Photo courtesy of Press Association Have you been watching the Olympics? I sure have, and I’ve been amazed not just at the athleticism of these amazing competitors, but at the clear impact of mental and emotional strength on who goes home as a winner, and who goes home disappointed. Here are just a few of the observations I’ve been making as to what makes a true Olympian: 1. If you fall and you CAN get up, get up. Mo Farah of Great Britain won the gold in the 10,000 meters after being accidentally tripped on the 10th lap. He was uninjured and unfazed, quickly returning to the front of the pack and ultimately winning his second Olympic gold in this event. Here’s what he had to say about the incident: â€Å"When I fell down I was just thinking, ‘Try to get up, try to get up. Don’t panic, don’t panic, don’t panic.’ And then I got up, and I tried to just get through it.† In contrast stands Russian gymnast Seda Tutkhalian. Tutkhalian over-rotated on her dismount from the beam, falling on her backside, and then made exactly the same mistake in her floor routine. In the end, it was mental gymnastics that failed her. â€Å"I had been thinking about it and I was upset,† said Tutkhalian. â€Å"And on the floor I have fallen because I was upset after my fall on the beam. During the floor exercise, I don’t know, I didn’t have the strength anymore. I don’t understand why.† Are you reminded more of yourself by Farah or by Tutkhalin? I recognize myself in both of them. Farah’s attitude is one we could all stand to have when we meet with an accident, or with any kind of failure. When I make a mistake with a client (yes it does happen), or when I am made aware of a typo in my blog, I have an initial surge of despair; but I am generally able to talk myself out of panic, do whatever necessary to make amends, and cross the finish line one way or another. From now on I will have Farah’s fortitude in mind when I stumble in one of my pursuits. 2. It’s your effort that really matters- not whether you win. I heard the gymnastics commentators say again and again that the gymnasts who go home satisfied are the ones who know they have given it their all. Yes there might be disappointment, but no â€Å"what ifs† to haunt them. There are many athletes who set records for their countries while not winning medals. They have a lot to be proud of. There are others who scored their personal best. Not everyone goes to the Olympics with expectations of winning a gold medal or any medal at all. There are many ways to win. American gymnast, Alex Naddour, won a bronze, not the coveted gold, for pommel horse- but it was the first of any kind of medal in 32 years for the U.S. Naddour said he felt like he won the lottery. He shared, â€Å"This is exactly what I wanted since I was a young kid, to go out and hit a great routine, score the highest I’ve ever scored in my life, out of country.† For him, bronze was golden. I happened to catch one of the quarter-final matches of women’s beach volleyball, and I hope the Brazilian team goes home proud after losing their match in an epic battle. Yes they cried, but they gave it everything in front of their own nation, and to me that’s what matters. My own degree of satisfaction is definitely tied to how much effort I put in. I experienced this phenomenon on the dance floor this week. One night, I went out salsa dancing and felt scared to ask anyone to dance with me. I danced by myself for most of the night, and went home feeling defeated. The next night, I did not let my fear stop me and I danced with some new people, coming home having had a ton of fun. Then on Saturday, I decided to go berry picking. I preferred to have company, so I put in some effort to ask 5 friends to come with me. I ended up going by myself and had a wonderful time amongst the raspberry bushes. Knowing I had not given up was the key to my satisfaction. Picking berries was also a sweet meditative experience that inspired the idea behind this blog! 3. When you’re winning, keep pushing, and have fun! Swimmer Katie Ledecky took the lead from the start in the 800m freestyle, and she never let go of it. She was chasing something other than the 7 other swimmers in the pool: her own world record. And she beat it. So much for â€Å"Quit while you’re ahead.† Katie said she knew from the start of her race that she would have a world record breaking time. I’m guessing that having that goal kept her swimming faster and faster, even with the rest of her competitors trailing behind her by seconds. Katie won, in part, because she was there for the experience more than the medals: â€Å"I’ve just had a lot of fun this week not only in the pool but just with my teammates. The memories mean more than the medals to me.† Once again, it seems that having fun is key to performing well and maintaining the drive to win. And how about Simone Biles, who did not rest on her laurels after winning the women’s gymnastics all-around, but scored a more than perfect score on her final vault to clinch that medal too? The smile on her face after that vault showed in no uncertain terms that she was living by her motto: â€Å"If you’re having fun, that’s when the best memories are built.† Finally, the indomitable Usain Bolt. He ended a press conference by kickin’ it up with some Brazilian samba dancers. The man can dance! The same combination of pushing hard and having fun will bring success in many aspects of life, including business. Too many people become the best and then forget that they need to keep innovating to maintain their leading position. For me, it’s the ongoing striving for excellence that keeps things fun and challenging. When I noticed I was getting bored of speaking about LinkedIn, I hired a speaking coach. Already I am thinking of new and creative ways to present material, engage my audience, and promote my services. The fun is back and I’m planning to win this game. More Olympics are coming this week. What are you taking away from the amazing athletes in Rio?

Is the Fraud Act a Useful Tool in E-crime Prosecution Dissertation - 1

Is the Fraud Act a Useful Tool in E-crime Prosecution - Dissertation Example Even though in existence for more than four decades, the Thefts Acts of 1968 and 1978 were deemed archaic and hence inadequate, when dealing with crimes that were internet based, as they failed they to check the increasing number of e-crimes. It is for this reason the Fraud Act 2006 was legislated, which purportedly had a large scope for prosecuting e- crimes under the purview of general offences, and including modern e-crimes, like phishing, while also increasing imprisonment terms. In this context, the paper seeks to examine and analyse whether the Fraud Act 2006, in reality, is an effective tool in terms of prosecuting cases of e-crimes. 1 Introduction 1.1 Background study The 21st century has seen the rapid use of Internet in UK (and elsewhere), primarily owing to the easy availability of computers (especially laptops), high-speed browsers and fast connectivity through broadband. This is evident in a survey report, which showed that in 1996 around 3.4 million adults were using th e internet in UK, which by the next 10 years had expanded to a figure of 28.5 million internet users (8 times more).1 This rapid creation of an internet-based society has increased the information sphere available to users while also changing the very nature of communication between individuals within cyberspace, which started reflecting to some extent in the actual physical world. Despite many benefits, widespread use of Internet has revealed a negative side, related to crime and criminal activities. Internet being a mode of personal and financial transaction, which is highly reliant on net-based interactions that take place through computers, without the people interacting ever coming face-to-face, which increases risk during interactions, especially in cases of financial transactions. The various activities that take place within the cyberspace attracts different kinds of people, and it is relatively ease for criminals to identify similar minded people, form online communities, a nd carry on their criminal activities. One major factor, which increases instances of cyber-crimes, is the promise of large-scale financial remuneration from a virtual crime. As the Post Note survey confirms â€Å"Information security experts suggest that the motives behind computer crime have changed†¦ [and] is now increasingly financially motivated.†2 This change in motive has occurred mainly due to rise in e-commerce, where we find that with nearly 45% of internet users using some kind of a financial transaction via cyberspace, there has been increasing number of online credits/debit card frauds, attempts at extortion attempts, and phishing.3 Another major factor that has helped to aggravate the problem of cybercrime is the anonymity that Internet offers. A criminal may hide his /her own identity behind spam mails, spoofed mails addresses, or even proxy servers and commit online frauds. There are available, different encryption technologies that allow users to mask th eir actual identities, and various forms of software, easily accessible, which allow users to remove all electronic activity

Examine United States Foreign Policy SInce WWII Term Paper

Examine United States Foreign Policy SInce WWII - Term Paper Example It seeks to establish a strategy that will discuss the boundaries between the environment outside of the nation state and the domestic environment. For a well rounded foreign policy it is essential that it covers a wide array of sub-national sources of influence. The need for a foreign policy arises from the need to protect. Governments need some sort of a safety backing that ensures their country’s well being. The intent behind such policies is that they are designed to help guard a country. They protect the country on the grounds of national security, national interests, ideological goals, and economic prosperity. Two extreme methods used by governments to achieve safety are peaceful cooperation with other nations and exploiting weaker nations.1 An excellent example of how one issue is dealt with in a different manner by different countries is related to the War on Terrorism launched by the United States of America. Pakistan and Iran although neighboring countries, chose opp osing stances on the terrorism issue based on their individual foreign policies. Pakistan decided to help America in the terrorism that prevails in the region whereas at the same time Iran which is Pakistan's neighbor and exists in the same region decided not to extend its support to combat terrorism in its neighborhood. Every country wants a peace process to prevail in a turbulent region and wants to help a country that is trying to solve the prevalent problem of terrorism. Given facts such as that the United States was willing to bear the major portion of the costs of war in return for some support and a little bit of resources, Iran chose not to help. It was because of the history they share with America and their ideologies being complete opposite to each other’s. Exposition of such behaviors by countries in such delicate situations is driven by their foreign policy. Foreign policy of a country as the name suggests, governs a country's relationship with other countries in the international arena. Based on the example given above the obvious question that arises in the common man’s mind is related to what made Pakistan participate in the war on terror whilst Iran chose to stay aloof? Why were the policies of neighbors that share a border with one another so different? Why were their reactions to the same situation so vastly opposing? It must be noted here that foreign policies are not set in stone; they tend to change overtime owing to a number of different reasons. Even in today's global arena we can see numerous examples of countries that were allies at one time but are arch enemies now. Changes such as these all take place based on how the foreign policy of a country looks at a certain point in time. The guidelines, rather instructions contained in the foreign policy depend on a lot of factors. There are 3 key factors that influence the construct of most successful foreign policies. The framework of these factors includes domestic considera tions, policies of other states and geopolitical objectives.2 There are several other reasons that push a country to opt for changes in its foreign policy. As the world progresses and with the advent of rapid globalization foreign policies are becoming more and more volatile. A very obvious reason for changes is a country’s foreign policy is related to a changing government. Each government comes forth with its own unique manifesto, a document that dictates its stance on many issues, foreign policy being one very important

Explain How Products Are Developed Essay Example for Free

Explain How Products Are Developed Essay 3.1.1 The product life cycle (PLC). The product life cycle is used for determining the lifespan of products and there are 4 sub stages of product: introduction, growth, maturity and decline. From 2007 until now, Honda Air Blade has become the most successful line of Honda’s motorbike as well as on market. Since it was born, Honda Air Blade has achieved sales of more than 2 million products. This year, from April to the end of September, Honda Air Blade reaches to 274,563 products. (Zing, 2014) This motorbike has brought more profits and impacted strongly on revenue of company. Honda has had the success with this product line. But in the modern world, to be able to compete with the competitors, Honda needs to improve quality, style of products and consider market prices as well as competitors to make a better product 3.1.2. Branding and brand leadership. a. Branding: A brand is much bigger than just the corporate logo. The brand attributes are formed from the efforts of corporation in the process of marketing communication activities and the character of business. Therefore, corporation needs to have an appropriate strategy to release a good PR campaign to make them more attractive than the competitors. Honda has slogan:† The power of dreams†, easily to remember and it has been very famous around the world. b. Brand leadership: The first appearance of Honda in Vietnam is in 1996, until now has been through 18 years and they have always been one of the forefront in their industry. (Honda, 2014) But now, Vietnam’s market has Yamaha, the biggest rival of Honda and the competition between both will continue for a long time in the future. Consequently, Honda has to use and combine an ingenious of design, advertising, marketing, and corporate culture. It will help create brand attributes in the minds of the people and that this will bring

Stephen King - Film Elements :: essays research papers

The African Jihads Jihad, the Muslim word meaning holy war. During the 18th and 19th centuries, this word brought fear to anyone who did not fully believe in the Islamic state and resided in West Africa. The Jihads of this era not only changed the faith of many people, but also the landscape of West African democracy. Although Islamic Jihads had occurred in the past, they never surmounted to the magnitude of those of the 18th century. What factors and leaders caused the West African Jihads, of the 18th and 19th centuries, to be so effective? The people of West Africa were tired of governments who constantly over taxed its constituents, and simply did not care for the well being of common individuals. The Islamic religion, which was brought to Africa by Muslim traders, provided individuals a new opportunity of promise, equality, and the possibility of becoming a spiritual being. Islam embraced the majority of West African people and became known as the dominant religion of the region. During the end of the 18th century followers of the religion came to the conclusion that it was simply not sufficient to have Islam be the dominant religion of the area. They felt that Islam needed to be part of the government, instead of having the separation of church and state. In the 18th and 19th centuries the Islamic population of West Africa united with the common belief that under Sharia(Islamic law) the government would not oppress individuals, and the law of the Koran would become the law of the land. "The Sharia provided an alternative model of government with which to compare and confront rulers." This movement, which focused on expelling the non-Orthodox Muslim leaders of West Africa, is due to the leadership of Usman Dan Fodio and Al-Hajj-Umar. These men paved the way for the expansion of Islam through the creation of the Orthodox Sokoto and Tukolor Empires. The rise of the Islamic Jihad and the expansion of both Empires, are at the outset due to the oppression of the Fulbe people in the early 1700''s. The Fulbe were pastoralist nomads who at the time had settled in the region of Futa Jalon, which is present day state of Guinea. In this region the Fulbe were oppressed by the ruling pagan farmers, who considered them intruders to the land. These pagan authoritarians subjugated the Fulbe people to extraneous taxes and enforced several laws to keep them from trading. Due to these extreme factors, the Fulbe looked to answer their miseries by turning to the religion of Islam, which promised a better future.

Corporate Philanthropy Essay

Introduction In an increasingly competitive global environment, businesses are challenged with demands for profitability and responsibility. To create value for all stakeholders, corporate leaders meet these demands with integrated strategic philanthropic programs. More and more companies encourage and embrace greater collaboration and cooperation between corporations and communities. I. The competitive advantage of corporate philanthropy In this first part, we will demonstrate that usually businesses that choose to employ corporate giving attitude benefit in many different ways from their actions. * First, these businesses could increase their reputation amongst the general public, and also begin to attract new consumers to their business as well. * Secondly, businesses that choose to help out their communities could increase their employee retention rates significantly as well. Happy employees will increase their productivity levels. * Thirdly, when companies opt to engage in this giving activity their shareholders begin to build a level of confidence in the business. TRANSITION: In addition to customers’ behavior vis-à  -vis different philanthropy programs or CSR in general, it was also been proved that philanthropy inside a company increases the employees’ motivation and thus their commitment and productivity A. Corporate philanthropy boosts employee morale One of the most important components of corporate philanthropy is to provide avenues/means for employees to be personally involved in a company’s commitment to social responsibility. It is widely understood that supporting local causes is a good way for a business to develop a positive image and reinforce its relationships with customers. In the process, it can also boost morale among employees. * According to experts employees who have a favorable impression of their company’s philanthropic program are four times more likely to be truly loyal employees than those who do not, and are five times more likely to remain with their employer. * They concluded that philanthropy is definitely a factor in how employees evaluate their employers. In all, employees whose companies participate in good corporate social responsibility and philanthropy reported feelings of pride in their workplace, a sense of belonging as part of a family, and admiration for the good deeds their compan y accomplished. * Corporate philanthropy programs also present many opportunities for team building that would not normally occur during a typical day in the office. Employees are able to partner together and work in team environments outside of their direct work groups. People from different departments or offices, who typically wouldn’t see each other during a workday, can serve a meal, volunteer in a classroom or help build a home, side-by-side. This promotes a greater sense of camaraderie. Concretely, to encourage employees participation in corporate philanthropy, experts advices businesses to implement some practices: – Involve employees in community outreach decisions: many companies create committees to make decisions about contributions or company volunteer activities; – Start a matching gifts program: this allows your company to add to employees’ donations designated for nonprofit organizations. It can encourage charitable giving while showing appreciation for em ployees. – Encourage volunteerism. Many people want to volunteer, but can’t find time in their lives to do it. Participating in employer-sponsored programs allows employees the opportunity to volunteer.. Some businesses provide paid time off for employees to devote time to a nonprofit, while others structure an annual company-sponsored employee volunteer day or series of ongoing events. B. Corporate philanthropy builds shareholder value According to the Harvard Business case on coporate philanthrophy, Professor Friedman said that business executives who speak of the social responsibilities of corporations are â€Å"preaching pure and unadulterated socialism.† He claimed that corporate executives must have only one objective- to make money as much money as possible-and that spending corporate funds to promote social goals detracts from the bottom line. However, according to William C. Steere, Jr, Chairman of the Board Emeritus Pfizer Inc, corporate philanthropy also enhances shareholder value. Pfizer, Inc. is an American multinational pharmaceutical corporation headquartered in New York City. It is the world’s largest pharmaceutical company by revenues. Pfizer develops and produces medicines and vaccines.

Globalisation and Religion Essay

Secularisation theory has argued that modernisation has undermined religion. The importance of science and technology on economic development and rational worldview on which they depend on are seen as destroying the belief in supernatural. However religion can contribute to development, but most recently sociologists have examined what role religion may play in development in today’s globalising world. This can be seen in India. Globalisation has brought rapid economic growth and has seen India become a more important player in the world political stage. It has brought prosperity to some, notably the Indian middle class. Nanda shows that 85% of India is Hindu and this is where globalisation has taken place. Globalisation has created a huge and prosperous, scientifically educated middle class working in IT, pharmaceuticals, etc. These are who secularisation theorists say will be the first to abandon religion. However Nanda sees a vast majority of this class continue to believe in the supernatural. A study of developing societies in 2007 shows that Indians are more religious and only 5% claim their religion has declined in the past five years. It also found that urban areas are more religious that rural areas. Nanda goes as far to say that it is becoming fashionable to be seen as religious. She examines what motivates this. Nanda rejects poverty and existential insecurity as a reason for their belief because they are not poor. She also rejects the idea that their religiosity is a defence mechanism to modernisation and westernisation. She argues that their religiosity is to do with their ambivalence to their new found wealth. This has helped to see the relationship between globalisation and religion, as Nanda points out that globalisation has increased the religiosity in India. She also examines the role of Hinduism in legitimating a triumphalist version of Indian nationalism. From a survey it found that 93% of Indians believe they have a superior culture to others. Nanda notes that the Indians’ success in the global market have attributed to Hindu values. These are constantly promoted by media and politicians. Ultra nationalism, worshiping Hindu gods and India itself has become a civil religion. In recent years the East Asia tiger economies such as Korea and Singapore are now becoming industrialised. Also China has become a major global power. Sociologists argue that this success is because of religion acting similar to Calvinism. Redding sees their post Confucian values as encouraging, similar to the protestant work ethic. Similarly Berger argues that Pentecostalism in Latin America acts as a functional equivalent to Weber’s protestant ethic. He says that they embrace the work ethic and lifestyle of Calvinists aspect of life which in result its members continue to prosper. However Berger underlines Weber’s point that religious ideas alone are not enough to produce economic development. He says that natural resources are also needed. For example while Protestantism has grown in northern Brazil, the religion lacks resources and remains backwards. By contrast, the south, which is developing rapidly, has both a work ethic derived from Pentecostalism and the necessary resources. Christianity has also become globalised. Lehmann says that it has done this by accompanying globalisations, imposed my indigenous population and in the past 100 years it has spread because of its popular following. The symbols and imagery from local cultures attributes to their success. They attack cults and perform exorcism, and accept and validate beliefs. This has contributed to the relationship between globalisation and religion as it shows that religion has helped countries to develop and using the idea of protestant ethic in Latin America gives a valid explanation as to why they have grown. A further link between globalisation and religion is explained through fundamentalism. Fundamentalism has a response to globalisation and related trends. Giddens’ describes fundamentalists as traditionalists. He sees that this is a relatively new term and sees its growth, as a production of and reaction to globalisation. He claims that it has undermined traditional norms and values. They say that religion offers certainty to a now uncertain world due to the choice which people have. A contrasting view to this however is Beckford. He criticises fundamentalists for ignoring other important developments, including how globalisations also affects non fundamentalist religions such as Catholicism. Giddens’ groups all types of fundamentalism together, ignoring any differences between them. Jeff Haynes argues that we should not focus narrowly on the idea that Islamic fundamentalism is a reaction against globalisation. For example in the Middle East, conflicts caused by the failure of local elites to deliver on their promises to improve the standard of living are often the fuel that drives fundamentalism. This evidence argues that globalisation has undermined traditional religious beliefs. Religion has also created a cultural defence whereby religion serves to unite communities against external threat. In this situation religion has a special significance for its followers because it symbolises the group or societies collective identity. There are two examples of this from the late 20th century and those are Poland and Iran. It has created war and terror such as the war in Iraq. Therefore the effect of globalisation on religion is a ‘clash of civilisations.’ Huntingtons’ view is that religious defences are creating a new set of hostile ‘us and them’ situation as there is an increase in competition against cavitations for economic and military power. An example of this is the 9/11. Although there are some critics such as Jackson who believe it is a western ideology that stereotypes nations. Also Armstrong argues hostility towards the west does not stem from fundamentalist Islam but to western foreign policy in the Middle East. This shows that’s due to globalisation is has increased religiosity but has created friction between countries. This has had a negative effect in the world. Overall globalisation has brought rapid economic growth and has seen India become a more important player on the world political stage. It has also increased Indians religiosity which is shown in Nandas’ argument which she also says this relationship is because of the optimism about the opportunities globalisations will bring and the result of the ambivalence to their new found wealth. But also like Huntington says, both religion and globalisation has created a ‘clash of civilisations’ and created both war and terror. In conclusion this relationship between globalisations in religion is good as it has helped countries such as India in the economy and has increased their religiosity. However it could also be argued that it has created friction between religions and in result has had a negative impact on the world.

Health care organizations essay part 2Essay Writing Service

Health care organizations essay part 2Essay Writing Service Health care organizations essay part 2 Health care organizations essay part 2Health care organizations essay part  1The growing number of patients of Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers naturally leads to the question of increasing the number of beds. However, at the moment, Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers tend to refuse from increasing the number of discharges to open additional beds because of the lack of financial resources and poor funding. In this regard, the high costs of health care services and inability of patients to cover their health care costs or insurance virtually force Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers to refuse from increasing the number of beds because patients will be unable to uncover the increased costs of Medical Centers.Another important issue that Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers are dealing with is the transfer patients to the next level of care from the emergency room. As they receive patients f or the treatment in emergency rooms they need to transfer them to another unit of care. However, Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers face the problem of the proper transfer of patients because of their limited inpatient capacity (Fuchs Emanuel, 2005). At the same time, this problem emerges in the result of the poor communication between units of Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers. As a result, they may have difficulties with the delivery of inpatients from the emergency unit to the target unit. For example, a patient may be transferred from emergency unit to another unit, where the patient is transferred to the target unit. Such extra transfer of the patient occurs because the emergency unit fails to communicate properly with the target unit.  In such a context, Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers face the problem of the transformation of delivery of care to improve the discharge process/patient flow. The trans formation of delivery of care to improve the discharge process is an essential step because the failure of the discharge process puts under a threat the overall effectiveness of health care services delivered to patients. In other words, the poor discharge process can deteriorate the quality of health care services, if Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers fail to discharge patients fast and accurately. If they lose time, while discharging patients from the emergency unit to the target unit, they may prevent other patients from obtaining urgent medical care and deteriorate the performance of other units, if patients are wrongfully discharged to a unit other but the target one.Therefore, the introduction of the change is essential to improve the performance of Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers and to prevent the failure of the discharge process because this problem can trigger the overall decline of the quality of health care services pro vided by Medical Centers, the decrease of the confidence of patients in the quality of health care services and professionalism of health care professionals working in Medical Center, and the deterioration of the quality of life of patients of Medical Centers. The resolution of the problem should involve the improvement of the patient flow management and discharge process (Altrichter Gstettner, 1993). In this regard, it is possible to recommend the enhancement of the patient flow management and discharge process through the improvement of the communication between emergency unit and other units. The introduction of modern information technologies and telecommunication systems along with electronic medical records for each patient may resolve the problem and enhance consistently the patient flow and discharge process management in Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers.The introduction of the change involves three stages: unfreeze, change, and refreeze (Lewin, 20 07). This model developed by Kurt Lewing (2007) is applicable to Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers, which can introduce the change aiming at the improvement of the patient flow and discharge process management through the introduction of new technologies and telecommunication systems to enhance the information sharing and communication within Medical Centers, particularly between emergency unit and other units of Medical Centers. Each step of the change is crucial and steadily leads to the successful introduction and assimilation of the change within the organization.The first step is unfreezing the change. In fact, this is the first and probably the most important step toward the change. The unfreezing stage implies the understanding of the necessity of the change by the management and staff of the organization. Therefore, managers and employees of Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers should become aware of the urgent change that has t o be implemented in the field of the patient flow and discharge process management. The understanding is an essential condition of the implementation and acceptance of the change by the staff of Medical Centers. In this regard, managers of Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers should conduct the detailed study of their organizational performance. For example, SWOT analysis conducted above reveals the persisting gap between the patient flow and discharge process management and the quality of health care services that Medical Centers can deliver to their patients (Schein, 2009). As a result, managers can become aware that the change is urgent and essential.However, the unfreezing stage implies not only the understanding of the problem by managers but also by other members of the organization (Wetherbe, 2006). Therefore, managers of Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers should communicate the problem to other employees working in Medical Center s and suggest a solution to the problem. For example, they can communicate to health care professionals working in Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers that the introduction of new information system and modern telecommunication system along with medical health records will improve consistently the quality of the patient flow and discharge process management. Managers should justify the change and emphasize key benefits of the change, including the improvement of the quality of health care services delivered to patients, the facilitation of the employees’ performance, the decrease of the risk of miscommunication between professionals working in Medical Centers and others (Miner, 2005). As managers communicate the project of the change to employees, they should receive the feedback from employees and take into consideration their suggestions and remarks concerning the change (Weber Weber, 1994). After that managers should develop the plan of the change t o prepare it to the further introduction that will take place at the second stage of the change.The change is the second stage of the implementation of the change. In fact, this stage is the implementation of the change proper. The implementation of the change should occur according to the change plan. In case of Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers, it is possible to recommend outsourcing the supply of the required technology and telecommunication systems required for the proposed change along with the introduction of electronic medical records for all patients. The outsourcing will facilitate the introduction of the change because Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers will receive a ready and working product that will allow Medical Centers to introduce it immediately (Schmitt Simonson, 2007). The training of the staff may be required to help health care professionals to use the full potential of the new information system and telecommuni cation system along with electronic medical records to enhance the patient flow and discharge process management.At the same time, the implementation of the change should be accompanied by monitoring and control from the part of control officers appointed by managers of Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers. Control officers will monitor and control the change to find out whether the implementation of the change matches the plan or not. Control officers will also assess the effectiveness of change and how it has influenced the performance of Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers and professionals working in Medical Centers. They should also measure the impact of the change on the quality of health care services and effectiveness of the patient flow and discharge process management. For example, they may use the measurement of the patient satisfaction to assess the quality of services delivered by health care professionals working in Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers. They can also measure the time spend on the discharge and transfer of patients from emergency unit to other units as well as they can measure cases of re-transfer of patients from units, where they were delivered from the emergency unit, to other units. In such a way, control officers will notice whether there are any improvements and what improvements exactly have occurred within Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers.Finally, the last stage of the change is refreezing. The refreezing stage implies that the change becomes an integral part of the organizational culture and it is not actually the change anymore but the integral part of the organizational performance (Wilkins, 2009). The refreezing stage involves the assimilation of the change into the organizational structure and operations. In case of Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers, the refreezing of the change means that employees wi ll use the new information system and telecommunication system along with electronic medical records on the regular basis; they will be proficient in using the new system; and the new system will have a positive impact on the organizational performance that means that the problem of the poor patient flow and discharge process management will be resolved (Mohrman, 2008). Moreover, employees of Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers should not take the change for the change anymore. Instead, they should take the new system for granted and they should use the new information system to manage patient flow and discharge process more effectively and succinctly.Thus, Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers need consistent changes to improve the quality of the patient flow and discharge process management. At the moment, Medical Centers face the problem of the low quality of the patient flow and discharge process. As a result, patients may fail to be t ransferred from the emergency unit to the target unit fast that deteriorates the quality and speed of the delivery of health care services to these patients as well as other patients, who need the urgent medical aid. The proposed solution involves the introduction of the new information system that will facilitate the communication between all units and professionals within Veterans Health Administration New England Medical Centers. Hence, they will be able to manage the patient flow and discharge process more effectively.

Biography of Kim Il-Sung, First North Korean President

Biography of Kim Il-Sung, First North Korean President Kim Il-Sung (April 15, 1912–July 8, 1994) of North Korea established one of the worlds most powerful cults of personality, known as the Kim Dynasty or Mount Paektu Bloodline. Although succession in communist regimes usually passes between members of the top political echelons, North Korea has become a hereditary dictatorship, with Kims son and grandson taking power in turn. Fast Facts: Kim Il-Sung Known For: Prime Minister, Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea 1948–1972, President 1972–1994, and establishing the Kim Dynasty in KoreaBorn: April 15, 1912 in Mangyongdae, Pyongyang, KoreaParents: Kim Hyong-jik and Kang Pan-sokDied: July 8, 1994 at Hyangsan Residence, North Pyongan province, North KoreaEducation: 20 years in Manchuria as a guerrilla fighter against the JapaneseSpouse(s): Kim Jung Sook (m. 1942, died 1949); Kim Seong Ae (m. 1950, died 1994)Children: Two sons, one daughter from Kim Jung Sook, including Kim Jong Il (1942–2011); and two sons and three daughters from Kim Seong Ae Early Life Kim Il-Sung was born in Japanese-occupied Korea on April 15, 1912, not long after Japan formally annexed the peninsula.  His parents, Kim Hyong-jik and Kang Pan-sok, named him Kim Song-ju. Kims family may have been Protestant Christians; Kims official biography claims that they were also anti-Japanese activists, but that is a remarkably unreliable source. In any case, the family went into exile in Manchuria in 1920 to escape either Japanese oppression, famine, or both. While in Manchuria, according to North Korean government sources, Kim Il-Sung joined the anti-Japanese resistance at the age of 14. He became interested in Marxism at 17 and joined a small communist youth group as well. Two years later in 1931, Kim became a member of the anti-imperialist Chinese Communist Party (CCP), inspired in large part by his hatred of the Japanese. He took this step just a few months before Japan occupied Manchuria, following the trumped-up Mukden Incident.   In 1935, the 23-year-old Kim joined a guerrilla faction run by the Chinese Communists called the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army. His superior officer Wei Zhengmin had contacts high in the CCP and took Kim under his wing. That same year, Kim changed his name to Kim Il-Sung. By the following year, the young Kim was in command of a division of several hundred men. His division briefly captured a small town on the Korean/Chinese border from the Japanese; this little victory made him very popular among the Korean guerrillas and their Chinese sponsors. As Japan strengthened its hold over Manchuria and pushed into China proper, it drove Kim and the survivors of his division across the Amur River into Siberia. The Soviets welcomed the Koreans, retraining them and forming them into a division of the Red Army. Kim Il-Sung was promoted to the rank of major and fought for the Soviet Red Army for the rest of World War II. Return to Korea When Japan surrendered to the Allies, the Soviets marched into Pyongyang on August 15, 1945, and occupied the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. With very little previous planning, the Soviets and Americans divided Korea roughly along the 38th parallel of latitude. Kim Il-Sung returned to Korea on August 22, and the Soviets appointed him head of the Provisional Peoples Committee. Kim immediately established the Korean Peoples Army (KPA), made up of veterans, and began to consolidate power in Soviet-occupied northern Korea. On September 9, 1945, Kim Il-Sung announced the creation of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, with himself as premier. The U.N. had planned Korea-wide elections, but Kim and his Soviet sponsors had other ideas; the Soviets recognized Kim as premier of the entire Korean peninsula. Kim Il-Sung began to build his personality cult in North Korea and develop his military, with massive amounts of Soviet-built weaponry. By June 1950, he was able to convince Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong that he was ready to reunify Korea under a communist flag. The Korean War Within three months of North Koreas June 25, 1950 attack on South Korea, Kim Il-Sungs army had driven the southern forces and their U.N. allies down to a last-ditch defensive line on the southern coast of the peninsula, called the Pusan Perimeter. It seemed that victory was close at hand for Kim. However, the southern and U.N. forces rallied and pushed back, capturing Kims capital at Pyongyang in October. Kim Il-Sung and his ministers had to flee to China. Maos government was not willing to have the U.N. forces on his border, however, so when the southern troops reached the Yalu River, China intervened on Kim Il-Sungs side. Months of bitter fighting followed, but the Chinese retook Pyongyang in December. The war dragged on until July of 1953, when it ended in a stalemate with the peninsula divided once more along the 38th Parallel. Kims bid to reunify Korea under his rule had failed. North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung signs the Korean Armistice Agreement at Pyongyang, North Korea, 1953. Hulton Archive/Getty Images Building North Korea Kim Il-Sungs country was devastated by the Korean War. He sought to rebuild its agricultural base by collectivizing all of the farms  and to create an industrial base of state-owned factories producing weapons and heavy machinery.   In addition to building a communist command economy, he needed to consolidate his own power. Kim Il-Sung put out propaganda celebrating his (exaggerated) role in fighting the Japanese, spread rumors that the U.N. had deliberately spread disease among North Koreans, and disappeared any political opponents who spoke against him. Gradually, Kim created a Stalinist country in which all information (and misinformation) came from the state, and citizens dared not display the slightest disloyalty to their leader for fear of vanishing into a prison camp, never to be seen again. To ensure docility, the government would often disappear entire families if one member spoke out against Kim. The Sino-Soviet split in 1960 left Kim Il-Sung in an awkward position. Kim disliked Nikita Khrushchev, so he initially sided with the Chinese. When Soviet citizens were allowed to openly criticize Stalin during de-Stalinization, some North Koreans seized the opportunity to speak out against Kim as well. After a brief period of uncertainty, Kim instituted his second purge, executing many critics and driving others out of the country. Relations with China were complicated as well. An aging Mao was losing his grip on power, so he initiated the Cultural Revolution in 1967. Weary of the instability in China and wary that a similarly chaotic movement might spring up in North Korea, Kim Il-Sung denounced the Cultural Revolution.  Mao, furious with this about-face, began publishing anti-Kim broadsides. When China and the United States began a cautious rapprochement, Kim turned to the smaller communist countries of Eastern Europe to find new allies, particularly East Germany and Romania. Kim also turned away from classical Marxist-Stalinist ideology and began to promote his own idea of Juche or self-reliance. Juche developed into an almost religious ideal, with Kim in a central position as its creator. According to the principles of Juche, the North Korean people have a duty to be independent of other nations in their political thought, their defense of the country, and in economic terms. This philosophy has greatly complicated international aid efforts during North Koreas frequent famines. Inspired by Ho Chi Minhs successful use of guerrilla warfare and espionage against the Americans, Kim Il-Sung stepped up the use of subversive tactics against the South Koreans and their American allies across the DMZ. On January 21, 1968, Kim sent a 31-man special forces unit into Seoul to assassinate South Korean President Park Chung-Hee. The North Koreans got to within 800 meters of the presidential residence, the Blue House, before they were stopped by South Korean police. Kims Later Rule Miroslav Zajic/Getty Images In 1972, Kim Il-Sung proclaimed himself president, and in 1980 he appointed his son Kim Jong-il as his successor. China initiated economic reforms and became more integrated into the world under Deng Xiaoping; this left North Korea increasingly isolated. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Kim and North Korea stood nearly alone. Crippled by the cost of maintaining a million-man army, North Korea was in dire straits. Death and Legacy On July 8, 1994, the now 82-year-old president Kim Il-Sung suddenly died of a heart attack. His son Kim Jong-il took power. However, the younger Kim did not formally take the title of president- instead, he declared Kim Il-Sung as the Eternal President of North Korea. Today, portraits and statues of Kim Il-Sung stand throughout the country, and his embalmed body rests in a glass coffin at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang. Sources Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, Great Leader Kim Il Sung Biography.French, Paul. North Korea: The Paranoid Peninsula, A Modern History (2nd ed.). London: Zed Books, 2007.Horvat, Andrew. Obituary: Kim Il Sung. Independent, July 11, 1994. Web.Lankov, Andrei N.  From Stalin to Kim il Sung: The Formation of North Korea, 1945-1960. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2002.Reid, T. R. North Korean President Kim Il Sung Dies at 82. The Washington Post, July 9, 1994.Sanger, David E. Kim Il Sung Dead at Age 82; Led North Korea 5 Decades; Was Near Talks With South. The New York Times, July 9, 1994. Web.Suh Dae-Sook.  Kim il Sung: The North Korean Leader. New York: Columbia University Press, 1988.

Business Law Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Law - Research Paper Example Therefore, he is not supposed to use the firm’s name to assure his potential employees that it will protect them without any questions asked. It should be clear to the client that the firm is not in any way involved or taking part in his business. The main obligation of the firm is to represent him and provide him with legal advice whenever necessary but not get involved in his personal business (Pollock, 2009). Civil tort and client’s dealings The client had gone against the law for using the firm’s name to do his business hence the firm is in order to file a lawsuit. The firm, therefore, shall receive compensation for damages or the court will decide on the remedies for damages (Glannon, 2010). Additionally, the firm has every right to terminate its legal responsibility with the client after the concern has been resolved. It was wrong for the client to start using the firm’s name without the consent of the firm, as the public may think that the firm will represent them without any questions asked as stated by the client. Moreover, this is a major misstatement. If anything occurred during this time between the client and his pyramid scheme and the employees proceed to demand an explanation from the firm, it would have taken the firm by surprise. This shows the seriousness of the matter hence the firm can terminate its dealings with the client and go ahead with a lawsuit. Senior Partner’s Position The senior partner has the ability to, personally, file a lawsuit against the client without even involving the firm, as it was his public image and reputation that was compromised. Additionally, he charges for any type of endorsement of service or product because he has been involved in television previously... From this paper, it is clear that the client had gone against the law for using the firm’s name to do his business hence the firm is in order to file a lawsuit. The firm, therefore, shall receive compensation for damages or the court will decide on the remedies for damages (Glannon, 2010). Additionally, the firm has every right to terminate its legal responsibility with the client after the concern has been resolved. It was wrong for the client to start using the firm’s name without the consent of the firm, as the public may think that the firm will represent them without any questions asked as stated by the client. Moreover, this is a major misstatement. If anything occurred during this time between the client and his pyramid scheme and the employees proceed to demand an explanation from the firm, it would have taken the firm by surprise. In conclusion, other cases regarding tort include Donoghue v Stevenson (1932) where the claimant went to a shop and bought a drink o nly to find that the drink had a decomposing snail in it hence making him sick. He filed a lawsuit, and the court held the manufacturer accountable hence paying for damages. Similarly, in Harris v Evans (1998) where by the claimant in this particular case lost a lot of money due to the misinformation that he was provided with by the Health officers. In this case, the firm has the ability to use the client according to the facts presented. Similarly, the senior partner of the firm can also personally sue the client for tort.

Trans-national corporation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Trans-national corporation - Research Paper Example In addition, the company is in the Forbes 500 best companies. Therefore, Apple Inc. is a transnational company because it operates across numerous countries, has retail outlets in many countries and also employs many people across the world. In understanding the image of a product, three important components are analyzed. These include the strength of the brand, influence of the brand on the customers and financial performance of the company. Apple Inc. financial position is stable and keeps continuing growing due to the demands from the customers especially when it comes to its mobile devices (Zylla-Woellner 89). The customers purchase new products easily this raising the organization revenues translating into more profits. In addition, the Apple brand is strong and it is easily for Apple Inc. to increase the prices of the products without any effect to the customer. The customers have become loyal to the organization products and services including the mobile phones (Apple Inc 2014). The brand plays an important role since consumers hold it with esteem and users of the mobile phones are held at a better level compared to other mobile phones. The uniqueness of Apple Inc products is the â€Å"bitten† image of an Apple, which is logo that is on all the Apple products (Zylla-Woellner 121). The aim of the logo is to make it easier for the customers to identify the product. Therefore, the logo is utilized a marketing strategy since seeing the logo, customers and other stakeholders knows that the product is able; hence, the image of Apple Inc across the world is continually developing; bringing more customers to purchase the Apple Inc. products and services (Apple Inc 2014). The book reviews the contribution of Jony Ive in the development of new products that include IPhone, iPad, iPod and iMac. These designs has played an important role in

Internet Banking Master Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Internet Banking Master - Assignment Example The present form of online banking finds its roots in the pioneering initiative launched by four of the major banks of New York, Citibank, Chemical Bank, Chase Manhattan and Manufacturers Hanover bank. These banks simultaneously, yet individually, offered home banking services that allowed bank customer to maintain records as well as carry out transactions without leaving the comforts of their home (Mary J.C., 1997) Internet Banking received a major boost with the rapid development and penetration of banking activities conducted over the internet. Activities like money transfer and securities trading can be done through internet banking. It's a virtual bank in itself which is often an extension of its brick and mortar model. With expanding information technology it is wise for the banks to adopt and leverage it, for expansion of business and better and faster delivery of services to the customer. Some of the benefits of internet banking are: Internet banking is being used both in B2B (business to business) and retail banking. There are also some banks which only have a virtual presence, for example Nexity Bank. Generally bigger banks tend to offer internet banking. This is because smaller banks often find the cost of the service unprofitable before they expand to a certain scale (Gup B.E., 2003) Lloyds TSB is the largest retail bank in UK serving over 30 million customers. Being one of the largest banks in UK and the world, it has taken to internet technology in a big way and offers an array of services to its customers over the internet. Some of the internet banking services offered by TSB are like payment of bills, management of direct debit and standing orders, online application for savings account- over draft - credit card -personal loans, online travel money (without commission),online statements and so on. They also provide online banking guarantee and free weekly text alerts and the best is that registration for such services comes free of cost. (Lloyds TSB Bank Plc., n.d.) Internet banking has different stages. The very fundamental or basic stage is about 'information'; it offers information about the bank and its offerings. The next level is 'communication' which offers interaction between the customer and the bank's information or IT system. 'Transaction' is at the core of the next stage, where customers virtually transfer money/funds, pay bills and so on. (Ravi V., 2007) Internet bankin

Political Culture And Malaysia

Political Culture And Malaysia Abstract: Pre-1999 studies pictured Malaysia as having a subject political culture. The post-2008 survey data shows Malaysia having a participant political culture and a high level of participation. The 2008 elections which witnessed the emergence of a strong opposition in the parliament reflect the maturity of the Malaysian electorate which augurs well for democracy in the country. Keywords: Malaysian political culture, elections, electoral behaviour, reformasi, democracy The results of the 2008 elections in which the ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional (National Front or BN), lost two-thirds majority which it enjoyed, for half a century, to a loosely combined opposition parties, is argued by many to be the extension of the new idiom of politics created in 1998. The electoral change in 2008, according to several electoral studies, augurs well for the democratization of the country.  [1]   Projecting democracy for Malaysia entails an understanding of her political culture. A democratic form of participatory political system requires as well a political culture consistent with it.  [2]  It is sometimes termed the substructure of the state because its underlying values and beliefs influence the operation of all social and political organizations.  [3]  Political culture, derived from a structural-functional model of the political process, is defined as the political attitudes, beliefs, values and skills [within] an entire population, as well as those à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ within separate parts of that population.  [4]  It is the set of values within which a political system operates.  [5]  To Almond and Verba, it is the pattern of orientations to political objects among the members of the nation.  [6]  They divided orientations into cognitive, affective and evaluative dimensions. Cognitive orientation refers to knowledge of and belief about the political sy stem, its roles and the incumbents of these roles, its inputs, and its outputs. Affective orientation is feelings about the political system, its roles, personnel, and performance; while evaluative orientation is the judgments and opinions about political system and usually involves a combination of value standards and criteria with information and feeling. On this basis, Almond and Verba identified three cultural orientations: parochial, subject, and participant.  [7]  Parochialism is characterized by general ignorance about political objects. In subject political culture, citizens possess the requisite political knowledge without the sense that they could be effective political actors. Participant political culture combines knowledge about politics with a willingness to participate in the political process. After a period of some disuse, cultural approaches to understanding politics have experienced a revival in recent years. Scholars in the past did explore the political culture of Malaysia but with limited empirical evidence owing to the paucity of survey research. The contemporary political culture can, however, be analysed by using public opinion surveys conducted in Malaysia in recent years. This study reviews the findings of earlier studies on political culture which were based upon intuitive speculation supported by fragmentary evidence from several highly selective studiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.  [8]  This is followed by an examination of the existing political culture with the help of data from the survey conducted from 12 to 18 April 2008 in Peninsular Malaysia among 1,027 adult citizens. This random sample was stratified according to state, ethnicity, age and gender of the respondents. The distributions over age, ethnic groups and religions correspond to national figures. The interviews were conducted in Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin, Tamil and English using the Computer Assisted Telephone Interview ( CATI) facilities of the International Islamic University Malaysia. Each interview lasted for about 25 minutes, on average. At a confidence level of 95 per cent, the survey results have a statistical precision of  ± 2.8 per cent of what they would be if the interviews were conducted with the entire voting age population residing in peninsular Malaysia. The questionnaire contained 38 items. This paper uses only part of the data (24 items) dealing with cognitive, affective and evaluational orientations and voting in the 2008 elections. The Traditional Political Culture Malaysia, with an area of 127,320 sq miles (329,758 sq km), is a federation of 13 states and 3 federal territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and the newly created administrative capital for the federal government of Malaysia, Putrajaya. According to July 2009 estimate, Malaysia has a population of 28.31 million.  [9]  Malaysia is a multicultural society, with Malays (54.2 per cent), Chinese (25.3 per cent), Indians (7.5 per cent) and others (13.0 per cent) living side by side in peace. Malays along with the natives of Sabah and Sarawak (Eastern Malaysia), are officially classified as Bumiputra (sons of the soil, or indigenes). The non-bumiputras, consist mainly of the Chinese and the Indians whose large-scale immigration took place in the 19th century with colonization and modernization. Malaysias political culture is significantly impacted by the British colonial administration.  [10]  The British looked upon the Malays as intellectually deficient and lazy. They admired the Chinese for their industry, entrepreneurship and greed; while the Indians were viewed as cheap and compliant labour. Referring to Chinese and Indians, Lucian Pye characterized Malaysian politics as a confrontation of two incompatible cultures with different systems of values and behavioural norms.  [11]  Pye, however, missed out the Indians, perhaps because they are a minority. The Malays are Muslims; they speak Bahasa Malayu and maintain traditional customs and practices. They generally live in rural areas and their relations are based on mutual help, self-respect and the concept of brotherhood in Islam. All these impart a feeling of solidarity among the Malays. Malays refer to Malaysia, particularly Western Malaysia, as Tanah Melayu (the Land of the Malays) and they are very proud of it. Chandra Muzaffar argues that Malay political culture is a complex mix of elements inherited from the feudal tradition, Western values, and Islam.  [12]  Elections and the culture that accompanies it, the product of Western influence, are an integral dimension of Malay and Malaysian political culture. The factors that influence voting patterns are the product, among others, of Malay feudal history characterized by deference to the royalty, uncritical acceptance of state authority and subservience to governmental power. Malaysian political leaders expect and they do rec eive due respect and appropriate electoral support from the Malay electorate. The Malay government is known as kerajaan that refers to the raja who ruled from the pre-colonial courts. Members of parliament and state Legislative Assembly men are referred to as yang berhormat (he who is honoured), and sustain remarkable resiliency in office. The Malay political culture is parochial and passive; they tend to relieve anxieties created by political conflict by avoidance and silence and by repressing emotions in the hope that the problem will go away if matters are smoothed over.  [13]  Islam has also impacted on Malay political attitudes and orientations. Islam brought with it a feudal political culture in the 14th or the beginning of the 15th century and reinforced the feudalism of pre-Islamic Malaysia.  [14]   The Chinese derive their values from Confucian patterns and assumptions. According to Pye, the Chinese concept of power is one of an unambiguous leader or father figure to whom the subordinates dutifully obey. Both the omnipotent leader and his dutiful subordinates are assumed to be Chinese. Complaints of all sorts should be aired and redress sought from authority figures. The idea of a Chinese leader becoming the subordinate of a foreigner is culturally unthinkable. Thus, there is no role for minority leadership in a community dominated by a non-Confucian culture. It effectively means that the Chinese cannot be subservient to the Malay majority leadership. As a result, a large number of Chinese in Malaysia feel that a truly national politics is unattainable for them.  [15]  This makes the Chinese to opt out of the majority system and focus instead on special parochial groupings.  [16]  The Chinese political culture is aggressive; they tend to release anxieties created by pol itical conflict by voicing anguish to somebody and seek sympathy even from bystanders.  [17]   Of the current population, the Chinese are the most heterogeneous. Most of them confess to one or more of the three great religions of mainland China: Buddhism, Taoism or Confucianism, and speak Hokkien, Hakka and/or Cantonese. This heterogeneity is reflected in their politics. Unlike the Malays, the Chinese were and are divided in their loyalties. Most of the Chinese supported the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), the component of the BN but many also identified with opposition leftist and reformist parties. Yet, the Chinese were relatively far more mobilized socially and politically than the Malays. Living in urban centres and economically better off, the Chinese had easy access to higher education which tended to make them politically better informed. Indians, oftentimes regarded as a minority race, have made significant contributions to the socio-political and economic development of Malaysia. The Indian community is generally found around the urban areas and suburban rubber estates. It is generally believed that most Indians in Malaysia are politically informed and they operate small businesses. Some Indians work as professionals or labourers. They are industrious and entrepreneurial but cherish their values and traditions. Indians are close-knit community and are deeply religious. Many Indians adhere to Hinduism, some of them profess Christianity and Islam. The earlier immigrants had forged strong ties with their homeland without forming a strong bonding with their adopted country. The 1970s and 1980s generation regard Malaysia as their homeland. The Indian community has been perceived as passive and parochial. They did not cause much anxiety to the imperial rulers. They are culturally divided and their cultural diversity may be identified with their ancestors places of origin. They are mainly Hindu Tamils from southern India, speaking Tamil, Telegu, Malayalam, and some Hindi. In the post-independent Malaysia, the Indians do not form majority of their own in any Malaysian constituency. Hence most of them opted to support the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) which is a component of the ruling Barisan Nasional, in order to gain access to the Barisan system of the ethnic apportionment of political power and material resources. However, a small segment of the Indian community supported opposition. Malaysias multi-ethnicity made it imperative for the elites of each ethnic group to unite in a mutually beneficial fashion. The resultant system is a variant of conosciational democracy in which elections play an important role to fill in the public positions.  [18]  In procedural terms, however, Malaysian political system is considered narrow because it constrains the practice of civil and political rights through restrictions on assembly, the strategic use of detention orders and other legal and emergency powers. Yet, the pioneering survey of political attitudes in Malaysia conducted in November 1994 found majority of 395 respondents, selected randomly, supported limited practice of democracy.  [19]  According to Welsh, Malay respondents overall opposed the expansion of democracy; the minorities, especially the Indian respondents, favoured democracy, while the Chinese respondents were more ambivalent.  [20]  There was some sort of congruence between political culture an d regime type. In the elections held between 1959 and 1995, the ruling coalition, the BN, constantly maintained two-thirds majority of seats in the parliament as shown in Table 1. Table1: Results of Parliamentary Elections, 1959 to 1995 Year Alliance/BN Opposition Parties Total Seats Seats Per cent Seat Per cent 1959 74 51.8 30 48.2 104 1964 89 58.5 15 41.5 104 1969 66 48.4 37 51.6 103 1974 135 60.7 19 39.3 154 1978 131 57.2 24 42.8 154 1982 132 60.5 22 39.5 154 1896 148 57.3 29 41.5 177 1990 127 54.4 53 46.6 180 1995 162 65.1 30 34.8 192 Source: Abdul Rashid Moten and Tunku Mohar Mokhtar, Elections and the Electoral System in Malaysia at 50: Achievements and Aspirations, edited by Syed Arabi Idid (Singapore: Thomson Learning, 2008), 199. State and Society in Transition Political cultures, though often highly stable, are not immutable. They may evolve over time, and may even be profoundly altered in a short span of time. This change may result from the spread of mass education, technological development, globalised discourses of human rights and the like. Voluntary associations and popular movements may help with the formation of new identities.  [21]  In the Malaysian context, the intense economic development programme pursued by the government over the years has led to the transformation of the state, Islamic organizations and civil societies. The political identities of the Malay, Chinese, Indian and other communities have likewise undergone changes.  [22]   The British, during the colonial period, pursued policies that created an imbalance in development between the urban sector involved in tin mining and rubber plantation and the rural sector engaged in small scale agriculture. Post-independent leaders pursued policies that aimed not merely at developing the economy and alleviating poverty but also at narrowing the differential development gap among various groups. The national development policies outlined in the Five Year National Development Plans (NDPs) in the earlier phase concentrated on improving the living standards of the rural society by providing facilities for infrastructure, social services and agricultural development. Since 1971, the government, under what was called the New Economic Policy (NEP), embarked upon a socio-economic restructuring affirmative action programme. The NEP aimed at promoting national unity and a just society by attacking poverty and reducing and eventually eliminating the identity of race with econ omic function.  [23]  In 1990, the post-NEP era began with Vision 2020 which espoused a commitment to forging a Bangsa Malaysia, a united Malaysian nation with a sense of a common and shared destiny under the leadership of Mahathir Mohamad, who served as Prime Minister from 1982 to 2003. That became the basis of the National Development Policy that aimed, among others, to strike an optimum balance between the goals of economic growth and equity.  [24]   Malaysia, under a soft authoritarian regime led by Mahathir Mohamad, made good economic progress, technological development and considerable rural-urban migration.  [25]  However, the growth was accompanied by an element of patronage leading to significant leakages and disproportionate gains to individuals and companies, such as the Renong, Technology Resources, Berjaya and Tanjong groups, associated with UMNO, the dominant party in the BN, the ruling coalition.  [26]  This state-capital nexus in Malaysia is termed party capitalism or money politics. Nevertheless, the economy grew at an average annual rate of 7 per cent during the 1990s. GDP per capita rose from RM 1,090 in 1970 to RM 14,924.3 in 2000. During 1970 to 2000, employment in agriculture shrank from 53.2 per cent to 15.2 per cent while employment in manufacturing increased from 9.0 per cent to 27.6 per cent. Literacy rate for the corresponding period rose from 58.1 per cent to 87.4 per cent. There was also a marked reduction in both rural and urban poverty.  [27]  Between 1981 and 1989, economic growth averaged 5.4 per cent which rose to 8.8 per cent between 1990 and 1996. The middle class expanded from 20 per cent of the working population in 1970 to approximately 45 per cent by 1993.  [28]  The rapid expansion of the middle class is considered as an impetus to liberalization and democratization in Malaysia. It has given rise to a consumer culture and a lifestyle dominated by shopping malls, restaurants, and Western-owned fast-food outlets.  [29]  Interestingly, this new Malay middle class was suffering from alienation presumably because they did not benefit from party capitalism by joining the elite group who enjoyed the state patronage. The growth of the middle class led to the emergence of civil societies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Aliran was established in August 1977 for the reform of Malaysian society guided by universal spiritual and moral values. It launched its publication Aliran Monthly in 1980. SUARAM (Suara Rakyat Malaysia, or Voice of the Malaysian People) was established in 1987 to promote freedom of expression, assembly and association. HAKAM (Persatuan Kebangsaan Hak Asasi Manusia or The National Human Rights Soceity) was formed in 1990 to work on human rights issues. Tenaganita (Womens Force) was established in 1991 to promote the rights of women workers and migrant workers. In 1993, some 50 NGOs adopted The Malaysian Human Rights Charter. Evidently, these organizations advocate various social, economic, cultural and political causes, interests, and agendas.  [30]  They have been instrumental in initiating positive changes in various spheres of life. They have helped Malaysians eng age in networking and increase their strength and confidence to solve problems with or without government assistance. Malaysians have learned to form groups, organise meetings and rallies, improve means of communication and gain new knowledge. These associations have been critical of various government policies and voiced their concern in public. Indeed, civil societies became more vocal during the reformasi period.  [31]   Reformasi and the Changes in the Electoral Behaviour In July 1997 money speculators attacked the Malaysian currency which eventually plunged the country into first recession for many years. The financial crisis widened the differences between Prime Minister Mahathir and his ambitious deputy Anwar Ibrahim who was seen as conspiring to overthrow the Prime Minister which became overt in June 1998 at the UMNO party elections in which one of Anwars supporters openly criticised Mahathir for economic mismanagement. The speech came too close on the heels of the Indonesian anti-KKN (kolusi, korupsi dan nepotisme, or collusion, corruption and nepotism) reformasi movement that toppled Suharto in May, a month earlier.  [32]  Mahathir blamed currency speculators especially George Soros for the financial crisis whereas Anwar Ibrahim blamed it upon Mahathirs obsession with unproductive mega projects and nepotism. Mahathir would not seek assistance from the International bodies to overcome the crisis while Anwar was fully committed to adopting res cue package from International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Subsequent expulsion from the party, arrest and imprisonment of Anwar Ibrahim, on charges of misuse of power and immoral conduct, triggered the movement for reform, reformasi, demanding participatory democracy and justice for all.  [33]  The movement drew new actors, namely Malay women, youth and sections of the Malay middle class.  [34]   NGOs and civil societies cooperated and coordinated their anti-government actions. Numerous street demonstrations that followed led to the formation of Gagasan Demokrasi Rakyat (Coalition for Peoples Democracy or Gagasan), on 27 September 1998, composed of 18 political parties and organizations. Gagasans 10-point joint declaration demanded freedom of speech and assembly, impartial judiciary and the abolition of detention without trial and the draconian Internal Security Act. There also emerged Gerakan Keadilan Rakyat Malaysia (Malaysian Peoples Movement for Justice or Gerak) composed of various Muslim non-governmental organizations but included the opposition political parties like Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Partai Se-Islam Se-Malaysia (Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, PAS). December 1998 saw the emergence of the Pergerakan Keadilan Sosial (Movement for Social Justice or Adil) under the leadership of Anwar Ibrahims wife, Wan Azizah Ismail, which pressed for political, economic and social reform. Adil, in 1999, metamorphosed into the multi-ethnic Parti Keadilan Nasional (National Justice Party or keADILan). Subsequently, KeADILan, DAP, PAS and Parti Rakyat Malaysia (Malaysian Peoples Party, PRM) formed an opposition alliance known as the Barisan Alternatif (Alternative Coalition, BA). Simultaneously, several reformasi-related websites emerged demanding more democratic space, accountability of the rulers and a participatory political system. The first reformasi website, Anwar On-line, was launched on September 1, 1998 and was followed within a few months by over fifty pro-Anwar and pro-reform websites. Well developed professional sites include AIM (Abolish the ISA Movement), Aliran Online, HarakahDaily, Bereita Keadilan, the Free Anwar Campaign, etc. The countrys first commercial on-line newspaper, Malaysiakini, was launched just nine days prior to the general election of 1999. The number of internet users rose from about 500,000 in 1999 to an estimated two million in 2002. The Internet was relatively free from government control and was an important venue for political discourse. The internet has created dense networks linking geographically dispersed activists that constitute themselves into the building blocs for bottom-up democratisation process.  [35]  As society has changed, with demographic shifts reinforced by new information technologies and globalization process, political culture has changed, too, particularly among the younger generation.  [36]  Malaysians became active citizens and took it upon themselves to know, to feel and to evaluate the policies emanating from the political system and to vote accordingly. This is clear from the voting behaviour of the Malaysian electorate in the 10th, 11th and 12th general elections. The tenth elections for parliamentary and state assemblies were held on November 29, 1999 preceded by a nine-day campaign period. The elections saw many non-governmental organizations in the forefront making their voices heard through various mechanisms including the use of internet. The BA contested the November 1999 elections with a joint manifesto: Towards a Just Malaysia free from widespread corruption, abuse of power and crippling poverty. The manifesto promised a strong national economy, enhanced government transparency and accountability, national unity and a genuinely democratic society. They took full advantage of the Internet to disseminate information. The opposition front made startling gains winning 45 out of 193 seats in the national parliament. PAS, the major component of the BA, not only retained the state of Kelantan but it also captured the neighbouring, oil-rich Terengganu. Four Malay cabinet ministers and the chief minister of Terengganu lost in the election. Prim e Minister Mahathirs winning margin in Kubang Pasu constituency in Kedah had shrunk by about 40 per cent from 1995. Most of BN candidates won with slim margins. The eleventh general elections were held on March 21, 2004 in which the BN won unprecedented 62.37 per cent of the votes and 90.4 per cent of seats in Parliament and recaptured Terengganu lost in 1999. This result shows maturity on the part of the Malaysian electorate for three reasons. One, the leadership of BN has changed. Abdullah Badawi who took office on October 31, 2003 was perceived as friendly and a man of the people. His fight against corruption; insistence on public accountability and shift from corporate mega-projects to agro-based, rural projects were well received by the electorate tired of corruption and confrontational politics.Two, the BN adopted the core reformasi demands of accountability, transparency and good governance. Its manifesto described BN as moving Toward Excellence, Glory, and Distinction. Three, the opposition front, BA, that performed well during the 1999 elections could not continue to work as a team. The cordiality between the parties waned and some of them suffered from financial difficulties and mass defections. The opposition parties contested against each other in many constituencies. Under the circumstances, the best bet for the Malaysian electorate was to vote BN. The reforms Abdullah instituted during the following four years did not meet the public expectation. A number of factors contributed to a rising discontent among Malaysians including rising crime, a number of corruption scandals, the weaknesses of the judicial system, and interferences with the appointment of senior judges and increased food and fuel prices. The opposition parties joined hands under the leadership of Anwar Ibrahim and capitalized on the public anger over transparency and accountability. Using alternative media, they highlighted the weaknesses of the government and campaigned effectively in the twelfth elections held on March 8, 2008. The electorate reversed their earlier decision in the 2008 elections denying the ruling coalition its two-thirds majority in parliament and giving the opposition parties control of 5 state assemblies. The reformasi movement is considered by many to be a clear manifestation of a change in Malaysias political culture. They reshaped the configuration of forces and, since then, Malaysian politics has changed. According to Jomo, the reformasi liberated the Malaysian and, in particular, the Malay political discourse.  [37]  Since 1998, writes Francis, a new discourse and practice of participatory democracy has gained ground among Malaysiansà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.  [38]  Meredith Weiss is emphatic: Reformasi marked a shift in Malaysian politics.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Whatever degree of institutional change has so far occurred, Malaysian political culture now leans more toward new politics-characterized by fragmentation of ethnic communities and contesting discourses of ethnicism, participatory democracy, and developmentalismà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.  [39]   Andres Ufen argues that the Malaysian opposition has succeeded in establishing a viable pro-democratic political culture that is hardly destructible through sheer repression.  [40]   The landslide victory achieved by the BN under Abdullah Badawi in 2004 is also a reflection of the maturity of the Malaysian electorate. Citizens voted with the belief that the new government would be responsive to their needs, wants, and purposes which is an ess