Book Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Book Review - Essay Example Obama’s political position on many different subjects such as war in Iraq to health care and education. After reading this book I really appreciate the author because he was eloquent and seemed thoughtful. Mr. Obama has an inviting and warm way of communication which shows him as an agent of change in the history of American politics. The writing style of this book is really good but it seems a bit too earnest for political correctness in America. The author presents his faith and values in such a way that is far more comfortable than many other political contemporaries. In this book Mr. Obama does a good job of describing how and why his values cause him to act and think in the way that he does. In my point of view if even someone doesn’t agrees to his plans and policies but will respect his commitment to change and energy of the author. I take issue with the author’s actual policies like health care which may seems great but it will lead to decreased choice and quality for most of the fellow Americans and issues like budget deficits and soaring taxes but I do agree with his policy that our country must overcome the addiction of foreign oil. I also agree on the point that more emphasis required for upholding traditional values and strengthening families. Mr. Obama’s opposition for many different reasonable remedies is really curious. The most important point was the emphasis on finding the root causes of poverty in the world and in our country and we should focus on dangerous issue like teen pregnancy. There are many expressed ideas of Mr. Obama that cannot be aligned with the ridiculous and radical statement of the senator’s pastor, who was the man that inspired the title of this book. In my point of view whether someone is liberal or conservative this book is a great source of information and it gives a great insight into the most significant

Managing strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words - 2

Managing strategy - Essay Example The company’s maximum revenue is earned from the domestic streaming services, which accounts for $2.75 billion of revenue generation. Netflix is dominant in the American market, which generates almost 84% of its revenue (Marketline, 2014). This paper discusses the external and internal environment of Netflix, using theoretical models like PESTLE framework, porter’s five forces, VRIN framework, Value chain model etc. This is followed by the discussion of the challenges faced by Netflix along with the vantage point which the company has leveraged. The paper further discusses about the company’s strategic growth options which have been justified in the light of relevant facts and theories. Finally the paper will conclude with the summary of the major findings from the study, followed by recommendation on the chosen strategic decisions. Political influence: Netflix operates in the movie streaming and DVD rental business, which is rarely affected by the political scenario of a region. However, the political framework can impose certain regulations and ban particular movies with controversial content. Movies with political storyline often bring controversies and are eventually banned in several countries, which affect the business of Netflix. Economic influence: The economic condition of a region highly influences the business operation of a firm. The movie steaming and rental business is highly dependent on the disposable income of the consumers. Moreover, movies are considered to be leisure products and a customer will spend on watching movies only when his disposable income is in and above satisfactory level. The economic crisis of 2012 has impacted the sales of Netflix significantly as it has reduced the number of viewership and subscriptions (Li, 2013). Moreover, the economic crisis has also led to lower number of film productions. Social:

College Degree Necessary Essay Example for Free

College Degree Necessary Essay In Barbara Ehrenreich’s article, â€Å"The Higher Education Scam† she expresses her feelings about employers looking specifically for college grads to fill their positions. Ehrenreich seems to be voicing her feelings to employers because they are beginning to look specifically for college grads, instead of people who may have more experience and knowledge, or even currently work for the organization. She claims that employers seek college grads merely because they have a college degree and it shows they have the ability to listen and obey. Deep within Ehrenreich seems to be attacking the college grads by saying that once they have finished school and earned their degree, they are now slaves to the employers. Her claim is quite logical and the examples she gives validate what she is saying. Conversely, she seems to be going on a theory with her argument and her attacks on the college grads for going to school and earning a degree detracts from the value she has built up. Finally, Ehrenreich’s argument is effective to some degree, but lack of personal experience leave the article with a flaw. Ehrenreich uses value and emotion within her article to get the attention of her audience. We all need jobs in order to get through life and if you want to have a good job, you need to get a degree. This puts a lot of value in what you need to accomplish because the final product is suppose to be worth it, and employers will only hire you if you are a college grad. Ehrenreich uses this example to connect with her audience and adds to the credibility of her argument. Throughout the article Ehrenreich adds humor to help make an emotional connection with her audience. She says that whatever you learn in college doesn’t seem to matter. All that employers are looking at is that you were able to sit still for long periods of time, be told what to do, and appear awake. Ehrenreich is saying that no matter what degree you’ve just earned, all employers are looking at is that you devoted 4 years doing what your told. She adds, â€Å"no college has yet been honest enough to offer a degree in seat-warming† (696). This is most likely what you will end up doing when you begin working at a white-collar job anyways, so by hiring you they know you are able to do what they ask. She also goes on to imply that you will be desperate for work because of the debt you have just accrued and you won’t become a troublemaker, or whistle blower. You’ll basically grovel at their every need and do exactly what your told. Ehrenreich adds to the credibility of her article by giving examples of people who have been able to do something and do it well, but didn’t have a degree to back it up. They were either dismissed from their job, or called out on it once they became popular. She gives the example about Marilee Jones who worked for MIT as the dean of admissions for twenty-eight years. Marilee claimed she had three degrees and yet she really didn’t have any. Now if Marilee had done a poor job as the dean of admission it would be easy to forgive and remove her from her position, yet she was very successful and it was threatening to an institution of higher learning. This gives us an emotional appeal because it’s a personal story of sadness for Marilee and it causes the audience to wonder if a college degree is really worth it. She did a good job for the institution and just because she didn’t have a degree, they were willing to dismiss her. Is that really all the companies want is a degree; or do they want someone who is going to do a great job for their organization? Throughout Ehrenreich’s article she stays pretty true to her argument, employers seek out college grads. Although she puts in the example of â€Å"Dr. Dennis Waitley Ph. D† who is known for writing a best selling self-help book The Secret. He confessed to not having a master’s degree and the marketing firm he worked for admitted that they couldn’t confirm he ever received his Ph. D. This example adds to Ehrenreich’s credibility, but it seems to go off what she talks about in the majority of her article, which seems to be more along the lines of employers. It does however stay true to her title, â€Å"The Higher Education Scam†. For her article to be spot on with her argument, she should have stuck more with education and touched on different subjects like employers, writers, and other people in general who have not had college degrees, but were still successful in their fields. In Ehrenreich’s article she doesn’t attack anyone in particular with what she is saying, but she keeps her comments vague so it is up to the reader to interpret the hidden meaning. In the beginning she talks about the amount of lies being put into resumes in order for people to get certain positions they are applying for. She says, â€Å"that 10-30 percent of resumes include distortions if not outright lies† (696). She adds to this with some more humor in saying, â€Å"lying is a grievous sin, as everyone outside of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue knows† (696). This comment adds humor to the article as well as a little ad hominem because of the hidden attack. Ultimately, the article by Barbara Ehrenriech is effective. She shows credibility with the examples she uses and the only flaw seen is that she doesn’t have a personal example herself. She keeps humor going in the article, which keeps the audience drawn in and is very logical in her viewpoints. Ehrenreich really makes you think after reading her article. Should we go to college in order to get a degree and work for a good company? Should employers really just look for candidates that have earned that college degree hoping they will obey their every need? Should employers give there currently employees a chance to earn a college degree instead of being dismissed from their position? Is it worth over looking other candidates for positions strictly because they don’t have a degree when they will be able to do the same job and possibly do it better? To sum it all up, why do employers really need to be looking for a college degree? Is the time and money really worth it to earn that degree for a position that you are going to learn on the spot anyways? Employers really need to think about what they are doing and not just jump on the bandwagon and make hasty generalizations. Works Cited Ehrenreich, Barbara. â€Å"The Higher Education Scam. † Inventing Arguments, 2nd ed. Eds. John Mauk and John Metz. Boston: Wadsworth, 2009. Print. 69-697.

Politics Essays Organisation Global Governance

Politics Essays Organisation Global Governance Organisation Global Governance Introduction and organisation of work Contemporary international politics have rendered irrelevant the Westphalian order which bestowed sovereign states ultimate authority within a defined territory. This began shortly after the end of the Cold War in 1989. The end of the war gave the hegemonic power; the United States the chance to reform the world along its capitalist ideology. Coincidentally, the animosities suppressed for decades by the Cold War alliances were also released and led to intrastate conflicts. The effects of these post cold war relations led the society to metamorphous into the emerging system of governance. Professor Duffield in his book, ‘‘Global Governance and the New Wars: the Merging of Development and Security’’ postulates that the emerging system is that of a global governance which emanated out of the complexes into a system striving to address the development and security issues. To assess this argument, this paper is divided into five parts. The first part will be used to define key concepts while the second part will evaluate the post cold war changes and trace the erosion of the powers of sovereign states to show the vacuum being filled by global governance. The third part will evaluate the strategic actors of the process and trace the networks of operation adopted by each. The fourth part will examine the process of governance between state and non state actors, identify the approach adopted by the system to contain or neutralise conflict and the concluding part will examine the effectiveness or otherwise of this approach. Definition of Concepts Complex emergency is defined by United Nations agencies as any crisis capable of igniting a conflict-related humanitarian disaster and social dislocation which requires a collective response from the international community (Duffield 2001; 12). Complex emergencies are easily identified by these characteristics; deteriorating central government, ethno-religious conflicts, food insecurity, drought, hyperinflation just to mention a few. These emergencies lead to the displacement and subsequent movement of people (refugees) across national boundaries (Weiss and Gordenker; 1996,67). The clashes between insurgents and government troops in Somalia, the Darfur crises in Sudan and the looming crisis in Kenya following the results of the just concluded elections are examples of complex emergencies. Globalisation is simply the process of increasing interconnectedness between societies such that the event in one region have impacts on people in other parts of the world (Baylis and Smith 2001;8) Duffield defined globalisation as the process of deconstruction and decentralisation of the power and authority of the state. He noted that the growing influence of non state actors, market liberalisation, formation of networks between various actors from the local to global level are stages in globalisation which has given rise to a growing private sector (Ibid;2001,164). Proponents of Neo medievalism opined that the process where states are overlaid, cross-cut and replaced by a range of multilayered public/private arrangements bridging the micro-level, the meso-level and transnational poses a threat to state stability. They predicted a likely replay of the medieval period and its chaos as the modern day state structure in the face of overstretched functions (Cerny; 1998). This neo-medievalism fear is being solved by the emerging system of global governance which Duffield opined that it is an adaptive and selective inclusive system that; ‘‘thrives on creating networks that bridge traditional boundaries, specialism and disciplinesIn response to the new wars and the merging of development and security, innovative strategic complexes-linking state and non-state actors, public and private organisations, military and civilian organisations, and so on (Duffield 2001; 45). You can get expert help with your essays right now. Find out more Global governance to Weiss and Gordenker is the summation of efforts meant to bring more orderly and reliable responses to social and political issues beyond the capacities of individual states (Weiss and Gordenker; 1999, 12). Finkelstein (1995; 365) defined global governance as governing without sovereign authority with relations that transcend national frontiers. It is simply a new infrastructure of global regulation that has evolved, reaching ever more deeply into the domestic affairs of states and societies (Held and McGrew;2002, 8). Post Cold War Changes During the period before 1970s, state government aspired and provided several welfare services to its citizens. However, the end of the economic boom in the North that began in the 1940s challenged the ability of the state to meet the welfare needs of the populace. Instead of providing more welfare services, the growing inflation led to increased tax which resulted in revolts in Carlifornia, Denmark etc. (Wilson, G. 2000,238 ). While the state was being internally challenged, the end of the Cold War and the raise of capitalist ideology brought external challenges of globalisation to the overstretched states. Free market economy reduced state powers to impose tax or regulate imports and exports. There was also an increase in nationalist separatist movements such as the Irish troubles in Britain, Quebec crisis in Canada, separatist movement in Basque land in Spain, Italian Northern League secession, France has Corsica conflicts to deal with. These conflicts compounded the plight of the sovereign state and resulted in adjustments of state authority. The South was not excluded from these crises but rather had more challenging situations to deal with (Graham, W. 2000). The new wars account for the raise in seceded state in the 1990s. Singapore and Bangladesh were the only countries to succeed in the 40 years before 1989 while the 1990s witnessed the emergent of 10 states. Failed states also became a reoccurring phenomenon in Africa. The on-going Islamic fundamentalism is part of post cold war development that is challenged the essence of sovereign nation-states (Duffield, 1997, 528, 2001,13). Rather than interpreting the new wars as symptoms of a failed modernisation process, Duffield views them as extension of politics between opposing societies which transforms the socio-economic and political sectors of the societies. The new wars and the decline in parallel economy brought about a new socio-economic and political structure in agreement in Duffield notion on wars. This is reflected in the number of countries that subscribed to the Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAP) of the World Bank. This transformed most economies into shadow economies and opened them up to international influence. Donor aid agencies applauded this transformation to conventional international practice by stating that such policies complement their development activities. Part of the reforms of SAP is the privatisation of state owned enterprises to cut down government welfare expenditure. Duffield contends that SAP polices ‘‘accelerated the dismantling of non-viable state patronage networks’’ (ibid; 2001, 150). Privatisation opened state economies to international financial institutions and brought about innovatory reforms. The 1980s was marked with therefore marked with efforts by Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Regan and leaders of the north to roll back the frontiers of state. Their successors also accepted that the time had come to modify state competence as the verbal rhetoric was matched with state reforms. Efforts to salvage the dwindling economies and escalating new wars resulted in a re-interpretation of development and security as interwoven. Tracing the new wars to development crises, raised the awareness that ‘‘poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere’’ and the mergence of development and security efforts. Underdevelopment is now considered dangerous and capable of causing violence and regional instability. This posture is accented by the European Union and other organisations. The EU asserts this fact by stating that development agencies need to take into cognizance the need to balance various interests in the society to legitimise democracy while building peaceful conciliation between various interest groups. (Ibid; 2001, 38) Find out how our expert essay writers can help you with your work Duffield opined that, post cold war security threat to the North is no longer perceived in terms of interstate conflicts to be defeated through formation of alliance and nuclear deterrence. The new wars blur distinctions between civilians, army and government. The nature of these intrastate conflicts resulted in the formation of network and links between non-territorial states and non-states actors akin to the threat. Instead of military alliances, state governments now team up with NGOs, donor agencies, military organizations and other development partners. Security sector reforms which aims at providing security for people in an effective and efficient manner within a democratic civilian control is now universally pursued. These developments reduced the power of sovereign states to independently resolve all the crises within its territories. While states were losing their competence, World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organisation increased their influence as proponents of the emerging liberal economy. The liberal market favoured conglomerates who were now transnational corporations after buying up public enterprises. The formal power the states had to regulate the economy and provide welfare services to the populace were now with the international financial institutions and transnational corporations. In the same vein, the trans-border crises led to a proliferation of community bases and international NGOs. In partnership with each other, these NGOs have a world-wide network advocating for better conditions and providing humanitarian services to people, especially in war torn states. Hence, NGOs became relevant organisation meeting the needs of people while the states were cutting down their public expenditure. To establish a liberal peace through conflict resolution, society reconstruction and establishment of a functioning market, states and non states actors entered into a purpose driven relationship analysed in the following section. Key Actors and Networks of Global Governance To limit global governance to humanitarian intervention, multi-lateral relations and all that without looking at the economic driving force is limiting the entire process. It is common knowledge that the liberalisation policies formulated by the Bretton Wood Institutions set the set for globalisation. The institutions are the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The World Trade Organisation (WTO) by virtue of its role in the international financial system partners with the two. These three financial institutions regulate the system of global governance base on their different mandates. The World Bank promotes Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAP) as the panacea to problems of underdevelopment and fund large scale development projects. The IMF provides loan to interested countries while the WTO sets the rule for free and fair world trade. They work together to open up channels and remove barriers in every country for free flow of trade and investment across boundaries. (Cavanagh and Mander; 2004, 55) The Structural Adjustment Programme, the recipe for development works by devaluing the country’s currency, liberalising markets, eliminating tariff and cutting down government expenditure through removal of price subsidy (Ibid; 2004 ). Though World Bank conditionalities have drawn criticisms from various sectors, it remains the condition for taking development loans. This financial power of the World Bank has spread its influence worldwide, especially in resource poor countries. World Bank loans have contributed to the development of some countries as well as entrapping others. The total debt of all developing countries in 1980 was $609 billion, the amount rose to $2.4 trillion in 2001. This shows the amount committed by the bank to development efforts and the debt burden which has become a string binding third world countries to the bank. (Cavanagh and Mander; 2004, 57). Apart from providing loans to countries, World Bank also issues low-interest loans to transnational corporations to enable them establish control over natural resources. The bank remains a major contributor to global greenhouse emissions. The bank also finances capital intensive development projects in various states. Similarly, the IMF was created to ensure stability in the international financial system. It does this by making balance of payment adjustments and imposing sanctions on erring states. IMF sanction is an effective tool for regulating nation states. In conjunction with the World Bank, IMF work strives to remove protectionism and other government anti-liberal economic policies. The recent ‘comprehensive development framework’ enacted in consultation with the Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of the Group of Seven (G7) shows the incorporation of state actors in the decision making process. The criticism of the SAP policy has necessities its modification. This shows that the body relies on input from the society to function properly. While it is difficult to list countries that developed on loans and economic prescription from the IMF, the body remains a key actor in the emerging global governance. You can get expert help with your essays right now. Find out more The 1994 Uruguay Round of General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT) armed the WTO with a strong enforcement system to coordinate fair trade among countries and impose sanction on those exceeding the agreed boundary. This regulatory power is demonstrated in the body’s sanction on the US when the latter tried to impose 100% tariff on certain European exports in retaliation to the 1999 WTO ‘banana wars’(Cavanagh and Mander; 2004. 66). The power to impose sanction, regulate trade and maintain order shows how the system is managed. On-going plans by the WTO to further annihilate territorial barriers include the bid to prohibit government from making policies in banking, media and policy that give local investors preference over their foreign counterparts (Cavanagh and Mander; 2004,69) The same economic arrangement is in the regions by regional banks such as the African Development Bank, (ADB), the Inter-America Development Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). These banks work with the various finance ministries and Central Banks in their region to tailor economies after the World Bank model. Closely related to that is complimentary change in the commercial sector. Duffield asserts that liberalisation of the economy gives transnational corporations and private security firms economic powers to regulatory the economy and influence government policies. Therefore it is no longer possible for states to have a separate economy as all economies are controlled by transnational companies. Willetts (Baylis and Smith; 2001, 430) observed that government have lost the control of financial flow as demonstrated by the currency crisis of 1980s and 1990s. During this period the dollar, the pound, the French franc and the yen were hapless against the transnational banks The impact of these reforms is felt by countries trying to regulate internal commercial activity. Under unfavourable state economic policies, transnational corporations threaten to move their investments out of the country. Relocating these investments will ignite serious economic problems for the host countries such as unemployment and a fall in the gross domestic products. Governments in their efforts to attract foreign direct investment formulate policies that accommodate transnational companies. Hence a government that imposes least demanding health safety, welfare and environmental standards is an investors’ haven (Baylis and Smith; 2001,431). However, transnational corporations are not a low to themselves. Regulations on their conduct are arrived at between the corporations and the UN, an example is the 1999 UN Global Compact Initiative which deals with issues of labour, human rights and the environment. Transnational corporations also carry out various development projects in host communities under the principle of corporate social responsibility. Corporate social responsibility ensures that corporations make business decisions that meets the ethical, commercial and public expectation of how business should be managed (Garsten, C: 2003, 360). While building alliances with NGOs such as the Amnesty International and Transparency International, some transnational corporations adopted the voluntary codes of conduct and industrial human rights within their governing principles. A recent example of adhering to human rights principles is the recent withdrawal of some products from the market in by GAP, a transnational company following discovery that child labour was used in the production process. Global governance has led to an unprecedented growth in the number of multinational corporations collaborating with the UN, World Bank and other actors of global governance. This resulted to various commitments made by NGOS, IGOs and donor agencies to partnership with the private sector to achieve sustainable development and security. The 1997 UK government White Paper on International Development made a commitment to; ‘‘move away from a narrow relationship based on individual contracts to a broader sharing of approaches to the eradication of poverty, drawing on the extensive skills of the British private sector’’ (Duffield; 2001, 63) . Duffield described this system as one characterised by decentralisation of power, devolution of authority and cooperation in various capacities between states and non states actors, private and public institutions as well as military and civilian establishments. The emerging global governance thrives on establishing networks across boundaries to share information, build synergies of comparative advantage and coordinate actions against contemporary challenges. This accounts for the continuous economic integration and political unification being pursued by regional organisations such as the European Union and African Union albeit weak resistance and hesitation from some member states (Duffield; 1997, 528). The border restrictions have withered away as citizens of any West African country has free access to other West African countries. In Europe, the Euro is now a legal tender within some EU member nations. Talks for common foreign policy and other unifying reforms are in high gear. Despite losing some of its influence in the state due to the emerging global governance, Duffield alludes that ‘‘governments have acquired the ability to project authority through non-territorial and non-state systems’’ (Duffield; 2001, 72). Besides creating conduit for other actors to intervene in troubled zones, state participation legitimises activities of non state actors like NGOs. Governments’ controlled military force remains a sine qua non for peacekeeping. As key actors in global governance, states make up the IGOs, regional organisations, and finance some donor agencies. A case in point is the US President Bush Emergency Plan for Aids Relief in Africa (PEPFAR), a health programme coordinated by the Harvard University in collaboration with local NGOs in Botswana, Uganda and Nigeria. Closely related to that is strengthening of development and security ties between countries in regional, continental and multilateral organisations. Duffield posit that the shortly after the end of the Gulf War, the rise in complex emergencies demanded a system-wide approach to bring succour to the affected people. This led to the creation of the UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs (DHA) now Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), to mobilise and coordinate aid agencies in emergency situations. In the same vein, regional organisations emerged to prevent occurrence of man made emergencies and alleviate peoples’ suffering during complex emergencies in their regions. While the European Union established ECHO in 1993 for this course, ECOWAS has a Humanitarian and Social Affairs Department manage disaster and coordinate emergency management response team. ECOWAS Department of Defence and Security manage ECOMOG, the military monitoring unit of ECOWAS in conflict areas. Apart from ECOWAS, other African countries group under other regional umbrellas such as the East Africa Community (EAC), Southern African Development Community (SADC) Community of Sahel-Sahara States (CEN-SAD) and others. These regional bodies meet periodically in the African Union to foster development and security of each region and Africa as a whole. It is important to note that these bodies strive to partner with state and non state actors to provide succour during emergencies. A case in point is the recent assessment of development and stability of African states conducted by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) with the African Peer Review Mechanism. It is in this light that the African Union in collaboration with UN Global Compact is organising a forum on Africa’s industrial drive: The private sector and corporate citizenship billed for 22 January, 2008. With such trans-border relations’ going on in other regions of the world, to say that a system of global governance is emerging is stating the obvious. Another response to the inability of states to solve world problems is the proliferation of influential NGOs since the 1990s. Duffield compared the current role played by NGO in complimenting government development and security strives with their former subcontractor status to illustrate this steady rise in their activities and influence. Presently, relationships are established as means to an end -sustainable development and security. NGOs have taken over some functions of state governments. For example, the primary education in Sri Lanka was managed by NGOs when the state government collapse during the 1987 civil war while the Bangladesh Rural Action Committee (BRAC) runs 35,000 schools in the country (Weiss and Gordenker; 1996, 30). The World Bank also partner with NGOs to provide capital intensive projects in communities. For example, the bank made provisions for NGO participation in 30% of its projects in 1993. In the same vein, the UN relies on NGOs to provide humanitarian assistance during and after conflict. NGOs managed 40% of the refugees created by the 1991 Kurdish crisis in Iraq while the UN catered for 30% of the refugees (ibid; 1996, 31). Find out how our expert essay writers can help you with your work During conflicts, UN gets the consent of warring groups to enable humanitarian agents provide aid for civilian in war zone. This negotiated access has increased the influence and efficiencies of NGOs and other humanitarian groups. The common commitment of NGOs to alleviate human suffering makes them intervene in emergencies. This can be through Northern NGOs funding relief efforts via their Southern partners or by direct involvement of local and international. In direct involvement, Northern NGOs build partnership with Southern governments, Southern NGOs and the local affected community (Anderson and Woodrow; 1998, 37). Another pointer identified by Duffield to buttress the rising relevance of NGOs which supports his postulation of emerging global governance is the expanding network of NGOs. This includes platforms such as the Sterling Committee for Humanitarian Response, whose responsibility is to further cooperation among aid agencies. Furthermore, NGOs have become advocates of international reforms preaching the message gotten from field to other players of international politics. The International Federation of Red Cross Societies’ code of conduct governing impartiality and accountability in humanitarian operations has been widely subscribed to by key organisations. Closely related to that, Amnesty International monitors human rights abuses in the states and puts pressure on the state to turn over a new leaf, while Transparency International monitors the socio-economic and political activities in states. It rates state annually from the most corrupt to the least corrupt. This rating goes a long way to determine investments made by transnational corporations in various countries. While the Bretton woods institutions spin the economic wheel of global governance, Duffield asserted that the present liberal system of global governance dashed the expectations of many who following the end of the cold war expected the United Nation (UN) to evolve into a global government. Rather than that happening, the UN remains an important actor in the emerging global governance. As an organisation of all nation states, the UN article 71 empowers its organ the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to ‘make suitable arrangements for consultation with non-governmental organisations which are concerned with matters within its competence’’. Similarly, in 11 paragraphs of principle in ECOSOC Resolution 1296 (XLIV), NGOs that seek consultative status in world affairs must have embrace goals within the UN economic and social scope. It further requires submission of data on the NGO budget and source of funds (Weiss and Gordenker; 1996, 21-22). These provisions enables the UN to play a coordinating role in the emerging system to ensure that non-state actors imbibe and work within the common guiding principles of nation-states enshrined in the charter of the world body. Closely related to the framework of ECOSOC, the UN Department of Public Information maintains a check on the information dissemination of NGOs. (Ibid; 1996, 23) These trends show the importance the UN on behalf of member states attach to network and alliance formation between NGOs and other non-state actors. In practical situations, UN foster cooperation with NGOs base on NGO community based approach which effectively bridges the gap between relief and development. A case in point is the formation of Partners in Action (Par in Ac) by the UNHCR and ICVA to increase the capacity of responding to global refugee crisis and internally displaced persons.(ibid; 1996, 29) To direct global policy towards eradiating the world problems, the UN set a Millennium Development Goals to be achieved by 2015. The MDGs have become the policy thrust for most countries of the Southern hemisphere. Alongside the aforementioned linkages between the various states and non-state actors to combat global crises is the role played private security companies. Duffield asserts that a cordial understanding between the military and civilian exist in global governance. Regular state military are used to police agreed ceasefire and create conduit for aid providers. During intervention when state military is not provided, private security companies are contracted to provide military advice and security for aid workers. Duffield sites an example with when the US based Military Professional Resources Incorporated (MPRI) was contracted to provide military service to the Croatian government in 1994 under the Democracy Transition Assistance Programme, due to UN arms embargo on Croatia. In summation of the various forms and relations among state and non-state actors, it is evident that sovereign states are gradually losing their competence to provide security and development in the new system. However, they have adapted themselves as partners in progress with non-state actors who now provide innovative forms of mobilisation, intervention and systems of material reward in the interests of global governance. (Duffield; 2002 77) You can get expert help with your essays right now. Find out more Process of Global Governance Base on its definition, global governance is the process of governance which involves state and non state actors working through formal and informal ways to find solutions to the problems of development and security that is beyond the capacity of any individual public or private actor. Interdependent networks of action are formed in the process between all actors from the state level to the regional, continental and global plane. James Rosenau captures this as the degree which authority is formally established to the degree it flows in horizontal and vertical order. (Sending and Neumann; 2006) Hence the variety of actors such as governments, transnational corporations, NGOs and IGOs involve in the process is of major interest. The working arrangement shows that the result of the erosion of state power and the proliferation of NGOs and other actors resulted in the state losing its principal control of governing activities within or across its territories and adapted to the emergent system as a mediator to legitimise the powers of the new actors before its citizens. (Sending and Neumann:2006,655) To assert sovereignty, the bedrock of government, states enact laws to dictate how the country is governed, while global governance replaces law with tactics. Tactics are used to enforce compliance from individuals, groups and the state as a whole (Sending and Neumann: 2006, 656). The conditions set by the Bretton Woods institution to dictate how states run their economy is a strong example of using means rather than laws to achieve set objectives. Sending and Neumann use the Graham Burchell work quoted below to drive home the point; ‘‘offering’’ individuals and collectivities active involvement in action to resolve the kind of issues hitherto held to be the responsibility of authorized governmental agencies. However, the price of this involvement is that they must assume active responsibility for these activities, both for carrying them out and, of course, for their outcomes, and in so doing they are required to conduct t

Anorexia Essay -- essays research papers fc

"Anorexia Nervosa" Bizarre, devastating, and baffling are three words that describe the anorexia nervosa disease. By definition, anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder in which a normal-weight person diets and becomes significantly underweight, yet, still feeling fat, continue to starve themselves. The term "anorexia nervosa" literally means nervous lose of appetite. People with the disorder are suppressing a strong desire to eat, because they are afraid of becoming fat. Anorexia is characterized by extreme starvation that leads to a disastrous loss of weight. Anorexia nervosa affects a large number of people today in the world, and does not discriminate against anybody. Its victims can be overweight, thin, young, old, or either sex although, its primary victims are young girls between the age of thirteen and nineteen. This disorder has become more and more common around the world today. It has populated many college campuses, and it is spreading. Recent studies show that almost 20% of c ollege women suffer from anorexia or bulimia (bulimia is a eating disorder similar to anorexia), and the statistic increases to about 50% when so called "fad" bulimics and anorexics are included (Baker 9). This disease takes ordinary, often very beautiful people and drives them to starvation for no apparent reason whatsoever. They do not even seem to realize the extreme danger that comes with not eating a balanced diet. These young people lose so much weight that it makes them extremely fragile and sometimes causes death. Death was very near to a girl named Patti, who suffered through anorexia for more than two years. She ate nothing but two cream-filled cookies a day for more than seven weeks. The first cookie was breakfast and lunch, and the second was for her main meal. When she decided that these two cookies had too much fat in them, she proceeded to scrape off the cream filling from both of the cookies to decrease her fat intake. But still that was too much fat, so she cut down to one cookie without the filling. She now gets fed intravenously in her arm to get nourishment in the hospital. She is being fed against her will to save her life. But of course not all cases of this disorder are quite as severe or dramatic as this, yet all cases should be helped, because they can take a... ... is also accompanied by the National Association for Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD). These groups are paving the way to make these disorders easier to cure. They provide family therapy, psychotherapy, and hypnosis. Since there are so many philosophies about treating anorexia nervosa, exploring for a suitable therapist is suggested. This terrible, bizarre disorder has became more popular in the past few decades, but there are newer and better ways of treating it. There are no general answers to why people become anorexic and why when on the brink of death they continue to starve themselves, but they need to know that there is help out there and they are wanted. With the continued investigation of anorexia, we will undoubtedly come up with better and better ways to treat it. Bibliography Baker, C. The Perfect Trap: College-age Women and Eating Disorders. Copyright Catherine Baker. Pirke, K.M., and Ploog,D. eds.(1984) The Psychobiology of Anorexia Nervosa. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York Tokyo.

Symbols and Symbolism in Cranes The Red Badge of Courage Essay

Characters as Symbols in Crane's The Red Badge of Courage    The Red Badge of Courage was a significant novel in the way that the characters were portrayed. Crane hardly ever used the actual names of the soldiers. He simply described them as the loud soldier, the tall soldier, the cheery soldier, and the tattered soldier. Crane made the characters stand out in the use of describing them and promoting their relationship with Henry and his struggle during the battles. Crane did a fantastic job with relating the different characters with different roles that Henry was involved in. The loud soldier, tall soldier, cheery soldier, and tattered soldier all have a significant part in creating the novel. The characters in the book are there to serve Henry by prompting him to action or reflection or by being a comparison or contrast to him. In The Red Badge of Courage, the loud soldier's real name was Wilson. His character dramatically changed as the novel progressed. At the beginning of the novel, Wilson is an extremely loud and boastful soldier. This is exactly how he received the name loud soldier. Wilson is initially loud, opinionated, and naà ¯ve. For the first half of the book, Crane refers to him almost exclusively as "the loud soldier." Some examples of his loud and obnoxious self was when Crane described him as the loud one from a corner and when the loud soldier kept saying "Huh, and shucks" (Crane 11)! When Henry and the loud soldier talk of fighting the loud soldier seemed so confident and self-assured that he said, "We've got `em now. At last, by the eternal thunders, we'll lick `em good" (19)! Another time Henry encounters the loud soldier he indignantly assures Henry that if battle occurs, he will... ...to help Henry. Overall, these characters have a strong role and relationship with Henry. Works Cited and Consulted: Berryman, John, Stephen Crane: A Critical Biography.   1950.   Rpt. In Discovering Authors.   Vers. 1.0. CD-ROM.   Detriot:   Gale, 1992. Bloom, Harold, ed.   Modern Critical Interpretations:   Stephan Crane's The Red Badge of Courage.   New Yourk:   Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. Cody, Edwin H. Stephen Crane.   Revised Edition.   Boston:   Twayne Publishers, 1980. Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage.   Logan, IA:   Perfection Learning Corporation, 1979. Gibson, Donald B. The Red Badge of Courage:   Redefining the Hero.   Boston:   Twayne Publishers, 1988. Wolford, Chester L.   "Stephen Crane."   Critical Survey of Long Fiction.   Ed. Frank N. Magill.   English Language Series.   Vol. 2. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Salem Press, 1991.

Behavioral Observation Project

Going to school is one of the most valuable social rituals people do. Staying for over 15 years at school, people earn an academic education that will shape their careers and lives. In school, people also meet friends and mentors who influence their personal beliefs. The early years in school are especially crucial for shaping foundations for virtues such as the proper behavior and self-discipline. Thus, grade school teachers are given the responsibility of instilling in their students the right qualities and attitudes.The learning site observed is a co-ed second grade class. The students are smart and energetic kids, with a few quiet ones thrown in. They come mostly from middle-class families and are of mixed ethnicities. They are still learning the core of education; spelling, writing, reading comprehension, basic geography, and fractions. Their teacher is male and a fresh university graduate; thus, he is younger than most of the faculty members. His youth presents itself in his in teraction and communication style.The teacher is approachable and authoritative at the same time. He is kind, friendlier, and less stiff than other teachers. He also has a more laidback demeanor that is evident in his non-verbal gestures, such as giving high-fives and thumbs up to his students as a way of affirming their answers. His students perceive him as likable and are also more relaxed with him. By their standards, he is seen as more of big brother type rather than a scary teacher. The respect he receives is different, but in no way less than what other teachers get.At times when the students get too noisy or when kids fight, the teacher lets out his more commanding side to discipline the students. The teacher aims to improve and influence his students’ behavior, such as building up their self-discipline to keep them from chatting with seatmates and increase the attention that they pay to the lessons. To fulfill these, he makes use of some reinforcing and motivating con sequences for the children’s actions. According to Skinner, using reinforcements is effective in helping shape or condition one’s reactions to stimuli.Thus, stimuli are called behavior influencers (Barker, Kreider, Peissig, Sokoloff & Stansfield, 2008) Positive reinforcement increases the desired stimulus while a negative reinforcement removes a negative stimulus. Both encourage one to continue whichever action will lead to one’s benefit and increased comfort (Feist & Feist, 2007). In the case of the second grade class, the most important stimulus is their grades. Having good grades leads to positive stimuli such as teacher’s praises, feelings of pride, and rewards from their parents.On the other hand, low grades bring about negative stimuli like dissatisfaction with oneself and disappointment from teachers and parents. The second-grade teacher uses public praises as positive reinforcements for kids who do well. By announcing how high one student’s grade is or by putting up the best artwork on the classroom corkboard, he highlights the student’s admirable behavior and quality of schoolwork, thus heartening the student to continue his or her hard work. The teacher uses mostly intangible reward to cheer his students on, as he hopes to motivate his students intrinsically rather than by bribes or physical rewards.Internal motivation will lead to a continued and better performance. He makes a special exception though for the case of a student with ADHD. He gives external rewards such as bowling games vouchers to this particular student to persuade him to continue his good performance and classroom behavior and continue his improvements. The teacher does not practice much punishment and extinction in the classroom. The harshest punishment he does is calling out a student’s name to get his or her attention back to the lessons. He was allowed to give them detention, especially when the kids get very naughty.His strength as an instructor and behavior model for the kids lay in the fact that he never had to give detentions because he is able to subdue a conflict before it even starts. He also understands the kids’ need to let go of pent-up energy and allows them to have some energy-releasing activities. The students receive punishment and extinction at home, mostly in the form of added chores for the former and revoked TV and video game privileges for the latter. The second graders are under the teacher’s excellent classroom management. The teacher’s policies are effectively and followed soundly.The teacher showed a perceptive understanding of when he should be friendly and when he should be authoritative with his students. Further, the behavior and discipline conditioning is enhanced by the good, trusting relationships between the teacher and his students. References Barker, B. , J Kreider, J Peissig, G Sokoloff, & M Stansfield. (2008). Glossary of terms for the experimental ana lysis of behavior. The University of Iowa. Retrieved February 9, 2009 from http://www. psychology. uiowa. edu/Faculty/Wasserman/Glossary/stimuli. html Feist, J. & Feist, G. J. (2007). Theories of Personality (6th ed). N