The Scarlett and the Black Essay - 972 Words

Good vs. Evil Albert Einstein once said, â€Å"God did not create evil. Just as darkness is the absence of light, evil is the absence of God.† During WWII, many horrific atrocities were committed by the Axis Powers, specifically Nazi Germany. Germany, Japan, and Italy represent the evil side of the war, while the Allied Powers consisting of Russia, France, and Britain represented the good side attempting to overcome the evil. More precisely, the two main characters in â€Å"The Scarlet and the Black†, Colonel Herbert Kappler and Monsignor O’Flaherty represent the powers of evil and good respectively. Throughout the film, the forces of good and evil turn from working against each other, to coming more close together and good eventually overcoming†¦show more content†¦Contrary to the forces of evil represented in the film, the forces of good were led by Monsignor O’Flaherty, an Irish clergy man who ran an underground organization while Nazi Germany occupied Rome. It was not a one man show however, because O’Flaherty had the help of Ms. Francesca Lombardo and other Romans in his operations. Throughout the course of the movie, Monsignor had many successes in his operation, even with the attempts by Kappler to destroy the group because O’Flaherty had clever plans and several disguises. In the larger picture, the forces of good were symbolized by the Allies. As the war progressed, these forces of good had success as they pushed down into Italy and overcame German resistance. When the Allies finally entered Rome in the summer of 1944, Monsignor joined the celebration of liberation and the conquering of the forces of evil in Italy. The forces of good had their successes but also had their failures. For example, when Kappler is recaptured escaped prisoners, he exploited and oppressed the population and many of O’Flaherty’s friends were either arrested or killed. Also, Monsignor was also the target of an a ssassination attempt which failed though. Even though Kappler tried many times to shut O’Flaherty’s operation down, the rescue organization continued in saving many lives, which can be looked at as a majorShow MoreRelatedGone with the Wind: Compare and Contrast of Book Versus Film Essay994 Words   |  4 Pagesmagically. I will never forget the first time I watched this film. The characters are so animated that you can’t help but be immediately captivated. It also could be the beauty of Vivian Leigh, the actress that plays the spoiled southern belle, Scarlett. I cannot say that I prefer the novel over the movie. The novel has so much more story that was not placed into the film. I watched them movie before reading the book so I already had a preconceived idea of the characters. The novel leaves soRead MoreBook vs Movie, Disappointment in the Difference of Gone with the Wind751 Words   |  4 Pagesto the story. Both â€Å"Gone With the Wind†, the movie, and â€Å"Gone With the Wind†, the book, tell an epic story of life in Georgia at the time of the Civil War and Reconstruction Era and the effect of the war on the life of a spoiled Southern belle, Scarlett O’Hara. But there are significant differences in the characters, events and perspectives that made me realize that a screen adaptation will never be able to capture the details and background stories that are included in a novel. Characters Read MoreMovie Analysis : Gone With The Wind 1177 Words   |  5 PagesReconstruction, and post-Reconstruction. Before the Civil War, Scarlett O Hara selfish, sixteen-year-old in Georgia who cares mostly about parties and flirting. She is secretly in love with a neighbor, Ashley Wilkes. She discovers he s going to marry his cousin, Melanie, and she s very upset about it. So she decides to get all dressed up and finally tell him she loves him, which seems kind of mean to Melanie, but that s the sort of person Scarlett is. Ashley more or less says he loves her but that heRead MoreGone with the Wind882 Words   |  4 Pagesconflict: Scarlett struggles to find love, trying out Ashley Wilkes and Rhett Butler, while simultaneously trying to adjust to the changing face of the South. †¢ Rising action: Scarlett confesses her love to Ashley; Scarlett marries Rhett; Scarlett and Ashley embrace. †¢ Climax: Bonnie dies while horseback riding, breaking the tie that binds Rhett and Scarlett. †¢ Falling action: Scarlett falls down the stairs and miscarries; Rhett tells Melanie of his love for Scarlett; Melanie dies; Scarlett realizesRead MorePersonal Narrative : A Story?1188 Words   |  5 Pagesright this way!† He guided us through the mass of submarines to a bright orange one with black lineing. â€Å"Woah,† I whispered. â€Å"Cool, right?†Scarlett nudged me. â€Å"Yeah,† I said softy. Willow’s dad went around the left side of the submarine and unlocked it with some keys he got from the lab workers. He opened the hatch and pulled down some steps for us to climb into the submarine. I went in first, then Scarlett and Willow. Willow’s dad came last, pulling up the steps and closed the hatch, locking itRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem The Lil Divas 1024 Words   |  5 PagesAll we know is the young mother was sadly mysteriously died that night, leaving a mysterious person who took the child or children to a home. Which all took place on April 1st 2000. August 20th 2016, three close high school, Grayson, Pandora, and Scarlett three different people, but still become close friends. Like every high school story there is always romantic and drama. The Lil Divas which were of course the popular and mean girls that think they rule the school. Devin the leader of the Lil’Read MoreEssay about Margaret Mitchells Gone with the Wind909 Words   |  4 Pagesa thrilling romance. Mitchell recreates an idyllic Antebellum Society complete with simpering Southern Belles and Noble Gentlemen, grand plantations and vast fields of cotton, privileged white land-owners contrasted against the poverty of captive black slaves. She details a horrific reenactment of the bloody clash between the Southern Rebels and the Northern Yankees, then like the Phoenix, she raises the South from its own ashes to a new, but very different way of life. Somehow in this rich and vibrantRead MoreGone with the Wind Review1011 Words   |  5 PagesThis film is set in Georgia the spring of 1861, and follows the life of a wealthy southern belle, Scarlett O’Hara. While the film focuses on the trial and tribulations of Scarlett’s love life, it also depicts life during the civil war, and after the civil war. Although the films depiction of southern life is somewhat reasonable, there are some historical inaccuracies. Because the movie is based in Scarlett O’Hara’s romances, the film romancitizes southern life and omits or twists details about the livesRead MoreMargaret Mitchell s Romantic View Of The Old South1617 Words   |  7 Pagessuccessfully conceals her racism with mirages of fiery southern bells and the chivalrous men that fought to protect them. Along with many other Southern writers, Mitchell’s struggle with racism had been embedded within the depths of her brain long before Scarlett, Rhett, and Mammy were even thought of. Mitchell uses her novel to portray how most southerners view the tragic loss of the ir cause and how it forever changed their society. Margaret Mitchell’s past, which draws obvious parallels throughout the enchantingRead MoreEthnic Identity And Ethnic Development Essay1472 Words   |  6 Pages Ethnicity is defined as the fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition. While this definition suggests a black and white concept, ethnicity is often complex and misunderstood due to the breadth of the topic. Frequently in society, young people inherit their ethnic identity at birth based on the culture they are born into. However, during puberty they often begin to doubt/explore their identity and strive to discover what ethnic group they belong

Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Issues - Homosexuality is...

Homosexuality is Abnormal and Immoral Of all topics most popular in todays media, issues concerning homosexuals and homosexuality in general top the list. Homosexuality is generally defined as a sexual relationship between partners of the same sex. Debate concerning its causes and consequences has been going on for many centuries and almost in every period in human history. However, never before in human history has it been granted such wide scale acceptance in western society as it has now. The question that I seek to answer in this paper is whether such wide scale acceptance should in fact be granted to homosexual behavior? Is such behavior rational, scientifically functional or is it actually detrimental to the high level of†¦show more content†¦Birth control is simply the further delaying or prevention of a naturally occurring delaying process. The egg (ovum), which when fertilized develops into a zygote, which then eventually develops into the fetus, is released in the females body in a specific period of t ime and pregnancy is caused only if a sperm fuses with the egg in that specific time period. If the egg is not fertilized during that period, then the cycle in humans ends in menstruation (Encyclopedia Britannica, vol 26, Macropaedia 701-703) II) THE PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE: It was clearly recognized by experts who were objective and unprejudiced, that psychologically speaking homosexuality is an abnormal behavior. However large scale lobbying by homosexuals and certain psychologists brought in biases into this scientific field of inquiry and hence the truth got masked and the results are stated below: Before 1973 the DSM [Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders] listed homosexuality as a sexual disorder. Protests by gay activist groups and many psychotherapists eventually led to its elimination from the manual as a sexual disorder per se, but the DSM did retain a category called ego dystotic homosexuality- the feeling of extreme distress over ones homosexual preference. DSM III R has dropped even this category, and theShow MoreRelatedExploring Gender Identity And Gender Roles1809 Words   |  8 PagesGENDER ROLES HOMOSEXUALITY Abstract Gender identity display people’s understanding of themselves according to cultural definitions of female and male. In this essay I will attempt to enhance our understanding by exploring different aspects of gender identity, gender roles sexual identity issues. Relying mostly on my research that is conducted in the U.S. EXPLORING GENDER IDENTITY, GENDER ROLES HOMOSEXUALITY Exploring Gender Identity, Gender Roles Homosexuality We are currentlyRead MoreHomosexuality Deserves Respect1294 Words   |  5 Pagesprogressive world but discrimination of homosexuality is still prevalent in many countries. Homosexuality rights have always been a controversy topic around the world. According to the basic law of Hong Kong, all citizens shall have equal rights (Chan, 2012). In the beginning of this article, brief background information of homosexuality is provided. Then, the following paragraphs will show reasons why homosexuality should have human rights by analyzing this issue in three perspectives which includesRead MoreUdhr s Article On Lgbt Rights2347 Words   |  10 Pagesacceptance of one’s sexuality as important as other issues like poverty, unemployment, global warming, natural disasters and proper health solutions for Ebola, Lyme that put our survival itself at risk? When meditating on this question, let us also analyse our own sexual fabric. We set the standards of our own yardsticks to measure a sexual identity as valid/ invalid, normal/ abnormal, natural/ unnatural, acceptable/ unacceptable, moral/ immoral and finally good/ bad. Perhaps, upon these standardsRead MoreEssay on Theorising Heterosexism for Social Work Education1405 Words   |  6 Pageslabeled as corrupt and of a lower status. Heterosexism is perpetuated through societal forces such as language, religion, and the media. This is heterosexism in a nutshell, but we must venture deeper for greater understanding. There are more complex issues that are part of heterosexism that affect people on both grand scale and individualistic levels. The following paragraphs will discuss these facets in more detail. Heterosexism has many effects on people of both heterosexual and non-heterosexualRead MoreThe Morality of Homosexuality4311 Words   |  18 PagesTHE MORALITY OF HOMOSEXUALITY Table of content i. Introduction - - - - - - - - - 2 ii. Etymology of homosexuality - - - - - - - 2 iii. Historical Origin - - - - - - - - 3 iv. Types/Stages of Homosexuality - - - - - - 5 v. Factors Responsible for Homosexual Act - - - - - 6 a) Homosexuality as a Lifestyle - - - - - - - b) Homosexuality as an Illness - - - - - - - vi. The morality of Homosexuality - - - - - 10 vii. Arguments Against Homosexuality - - - - - - 10 viiiRead MoreSexuality And Gender : Social Constructs Essay1366 Words   |  6 Pagestopics, more specifically the spectrum? Well, the idea of sexuality being more than just heterosexuality has been challenged by conservative types and others alike for years. They may even deem anything other than heterosexuality as something abnormal and immoral. For some, it can be quite difficult to understand that sexuality is on a spectrum. Especially with identities like bisexuality and pansexuality, it can be difficult for some people to wrap their minds around that idea. In recent years, theRead MoreHow the Media has Influenced Peoples Thoughts on homosexuality1410 Words   |  6 Pagesbroadcasts of various sorts. The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community, or commonly referred to as LBGT, has been a core group fear, scrutiny, and confusion within the reports of varied mediums of exposure since as early as the 1950s. The highly convincing nature of the media’s influenc e is deeply rooted as truth within the minds of just about every person in America. No matter where you look or turn, in this day and age you cannot avoid the topic of homosexuality. It is being discussed in theRead MoreIs Treating Homosexuality Ethical and Effective1940 Words   |  8 PagesHomosexuality reorientation therapy is a controversial topic. Its effectiveness as well as the ethics involved stir up much debate. Since homosexuality is not an illness, The American Psychological Association reiterated the ‘long-standing official position that homosexuality and bisexuality are not mental disorders, (APA, 1998) (Slife, 2004), can it be treated? If it can, how, and under what circumstances it should be used, are important questions. Before discussing treatment, original orientationRead MoreReligious Homosexual Oppression4676 Words   |  19 PagesAmerican dream of liberty and justice for all. Examples are: • Americans African seeking an end to slavery. • Women campaigning to get universal suffrage. • And now, gays and lesbians are seeking the same equal rights and protections enjoyed by other groups, including the right to marry. This final conflict over homosexuality is a little different from the two conflicts based on race and gender. Being an African-American or a woman was never considered a crime. But being a sexually active personRead MoreEssay on Sexuality and Sexual Identity2559 Words   |  11 Pages[homo and hetero] opposite (Garber, p. 231). However, the categories of sexuality (homo-, hetero-, and bisexual) and the use of the term homosexual to characterize the individual as a real and apparent entity, rather than describing a behavior, are recent constructs of humans. Prior to the nineteenth century - or, some will say, the eighteenth - homosexuality in the western world was a practice, not an identity (Garber, p. 213). The use of the term to describe who a person

rosa burges Essay Example For Students

rosa burges Essay Professor SamideFinal Paper IIIWilliam Shakespeares, Hamlet is a tragedy of failure, the failure of a man placedin circumstances and faced to deal with them successfully. Shakespeare uses differenttechniques to develop the characters in Hamlet. Throughout the play dramatic irony isused by allowing the audience to view the true actions of the characters before thecharacters disclose them. Shakespeare toys with the idea of appearances versus reality inthe play, among these are Claudius, the play within the play, and Rosencrantz andGuildernstern. Hamlets father, the king of Denmark, has suddenly died. Claudius, Hamletsuncle, hastily marries Gertrude, Hamlets mother, and more importantly they become thenew king and queen. King Claudius is viewed as legitimately gaining control of thethrone by everyone except Hamlet. Hamlet knows that there is something rotten in thestate of Denmark. His belief is verified when the guards inform him of a ghostly figurewith close resemblance to the late king. The ghost reveals to Hamlet that while in thegarden, Claudius poured poison in his ear. Claudius prays to be forgiven but his prayersare not sincere. Claudius, overcome with guilt, would prefer to keep his status then revealwhat he did to King Hamlet. The play within the play is useful because it allows Hamlet to verify thevalidity of the ghost. Usually plays are intended for entertainment purposes. The play isnot real and the actors are playing a role. In reality Hamlet makes it so that it is similarto what really happened to his father. Hamlet even goes as far as to instruct the actorsappropriately. He will prove that the ghost is truthful by the reaction on Claudius face. The play appears to be harmless but it has a close parallel to what really happened to thelate King Hamlet. Rosencrantz and Guildernstern, who are the kings spies, pretend to be friends toHamlet. The king has sent for them to investigate Hamlets madness and what he suspectsabout his fathers death. This is a contradiction because later Claudius says that Hamletstroubles are unknown. Hamlet not being the fool also pretends to be friends toRosencrantz and Guildernstern. He reveals to them that he is aware of their intentionswhen he says were you not sent for. Claudius, fearing Hamlet knows too much sendshim with Rosencrantz and Guildernstern to England to be executed. Hamlet changes theorders and has Rosencrantz and Guildernstern executed. Hamlet appears to be friendswith them but in reality he has them killed. Shakespeare uses the appearances versus reality as a way to create irony in eachcharacter. The audience knows what the characters are pretending to be. The audienceenjoys the different characters reactions when the truths are revealed. Claudius was notthe legitimate king, the play was supposed to resemble real life, and Rosencrantz andGuildernstern were not true friends to Hamlet. Those are just a few of the many examplesof this technique in Hamlet.

The Two Versions Of Creation Essay Research free essay sample

The Two Versions Of Creation. Essay, Research Paper The Two Versions Of Creation. The two versions of creative activity in the beginning of Genesis can be distinguished in assorted ways. The two narratives differed in how they were told, how worlds were created, a human s intent in life, and the image and function that God played. In Genesis I, God seemed more distant from world, and adult male and adult female are considered equal. In Genesis II, God seems to be more of a male parent figure, and adult male seems to be more superior than adult female. Both versions were the same in the manner that worlds felt that it was their responsibility to function God and to make what God wants. The narrative: The Fall From Innocence, shows that worlds who dishonored and disobeyed God were punished. In both the 2nd narrative of creative activity, and the narrative The Fall From Innocence, adult females are looked down upon and viewed as inferior to work forces. We will write a custom essay sample on The Two Versions Of Creation Essay Research or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Genesis, the first book of the Bible, Tells of the beginning of the universe from the clip when God created the Eden and the Earth. This first narrative of creative activity, Genesis I, Tells what is created twenty-four hours by twenty-four hours. In this narrative, work forces and adult females were both created in God s image and similitude. Human intent in life was to hold rule over everyone else. The worlds were portrayed as persons who needed to be stronger or more powerful than every other living thing. God said: Let us do world in our image, harmonizing to our similitude ; and allow them hold a rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cowss, and over all the wild animate beings of the Earth, and over every crawling thing that creeps upon the Earth. Worlds were besides given the duty to expression after and take attention of everything they owned. In Genesis I, God seemed more delighted, pleasant and cheerful to be giving and making the things he presented the worlds with. God said things such as: this is yours and I have given you every works giving seed that is upon the face of all the Earth, you shall hold them for nutrient. Man and adult female are portrayed as peers in the first creative activity narrative. So God created world in his image, in the image of God he created them ; male and female he created them. In Genesis I, when God negotiations of worlds he uses words like, world and them which refer to both sexes, non one in peculiar. Genesis II, the 2nd narrative, doesn T give a measure by measure drumhead, but more of an overall narrative of creative activity. Human intent of life was to till and maintain the garden. The worlds here believed that cultivating the land was an highly of import undertaking. In the 2nd narrative of creative activity, God seemed really important, like the relationship a male parent would hold with his ain boy. An illustration of this is after God put Adam in the garden of Eden and said: You may freely eat of every tree of the garden ; but of the tree of cognition of good and evil you shall non eat, for in the twenty-four hours that you eat of it you shall dice. God created all life animate beings throughout this narrative and gave Adam the occupation of calling them, whatever the adult male called every life animal, that was its name. In Genesis II, a adult female was created from a individual rib merely to assist the work forces with their different earthly activities. In the narrative The Fall From Innocence in the Garden of Eden worlds were told by God that they could eat the fruit of any of trees in the garden except from T he tree in the center of the garden. If they were to eat or even touch this tree in the center they were to be cursed and they shall decease. A snake tricked Eve and told her that You will non dice ; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, cognizing good and evil. The adult female who wanted to be wise and who was tempted by this delectation to her eyes took fruit from the one time out tree. She took plenty fruit for both her and her hubby ; they both ate it. Sing this ; God comes down and confronts Adam and Eve and curses them both for interrupting his regulations. God took the father-type function and punished the adult female by doing future child-birth much more painful. At the same clip, he put a jinx on Adam by doing it harder for him to cultivate the land and turn nutrient. Adam and Eve made an guiltless error, they had no thought that the snake was supplying them with false information, they merely wanted to better their ain cognition. The Fall From Innocence histories for parts of human nature including why we sin. A wickedness is something person does that is looked upon as bad or incorrect. Peoples commit sins all the clip because they are funny or want to seek things they have neer done earlier. We as a society are fallen in the manner that we can t state the difference between right and incorrect. Many people including political leaders of our state can remain true to their partner and darnel on him or her. This is incorrect, and we know it s incorrect, but for some ground we still do it. In all of these narratives, worlds had a occupation and a intent for being where they were. When reading these narratives one gets a sense that the worlds believed along the same lines as the Egyptians had, both thought adult male was better than adult female. The intent behind both narratives was for the worlds to function God and to make what God wants. God wanted the best for world ; he wanted to reshape the human s lives and thought they should endeavor towards flawlessness. One of the chief messages in these narratives was the thought that God was perfect and that people should pattern their lives after him. The worlds believed that God merely loves those who obey him, so they worked really difficult at doing themselves perfect people in order to hold God love them. Womans are clearly portrayed as inferior to work forces in the narratives of creative activity along with the narrative: The Fall From Innocence. In the 2nd narrative of creative activity, the first adult male was created long before the first adult female. The first adult female was merely created because God didn T think that Adam should be entirely in the Garden of Eden. God said: I will do him a assistant as his spouse. The function of the adult female ( Eve ) was to assist the adult male ( Adam ) with his different earthly activities, such as tilling and cultivating the dirt. This at last is bone of my castanetss and flesh of my flesh ; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken. Womans were made to look stupid in The Fall From Innocence. God made Eve non Adam, the 1 who was stupid plenty to interact with the misleading snake. God besides mad certain that Eve was the 1 who really picked the fruit from the tree in the center of the garden. God tries to portray the adult female as being selfish, by doing it look that she was merely seeking to better her ain cognition. In most instances, these narratives were written to portray adult male as superior to adult female.

Differentiation in Special Education Classrooms

Differentiation in Special Education Classrooms Differentiation is the way a teacher prepares instruction to meet the needs of all the children in an inclusive classroom, from the most challenged to the most gifted. Differentiating instruction is not only going to help your special education students fully participate, it will also enrich and improve the experience of the general education students. Everybody wins. A well designed differentiated lesson will include some of the following: A strong visual component, collaborative activities, peer coaching, a multi-sensory approach to presenting information and differentiated assessment based on strengths. A Strong Visual Component Arent digital cameras and online image searches wonderful resources? Children with reading problems have a great deal less difficulty dealing with pictures than symbols. You might even have teams of children work together to gather pictures for instruction, or you might ask Mom to email you  some favorite vacation pictures. Autistic students can benefit from the use of cards to learn sight vocabulary, attributes, safety signs and to evaluate new vocabulary. Collaborative Activities Collaboration will be the mark of a successful leader and employee in the future, so this is a skill all students will need. We also know that children learn best from peers. One of the strongest reasons for inclusion is the fact that working across ability groups pulls up the lower functioning group. You need to take time to teach collaboration, using a fishbowl approach. Have a group of students model the process of collaboration, and then evaluate their performance as a group. As you are teaching a lesson using collaborative teams, spend time evaluating them as a group: Did everyone get a chance to talk? Did everyone participate? If you observe that groups are not functioning well, you may need to move in, stop, and do some coaching. Peer Coaching Its a good idea to create several partners for every child in the class. One method involves 4 pairings in each class a clock face to illustrate: a 12 oclock partner, with a student most like each student in ability (assigned by the teacher,) a 6 oclock partner, who is the opposite level of ability, and 3 and 9 oclock partners of their choosing. Spend time early in the year training your students to work in partnerships. You might try trust walks with your partners, having each child take turns walking their blindfolded partner around the classroom with only spoken directions. Be sure to debrief with your class, and talk about the importance of listening to each other and understanding each others strengths and weaknesses. Be sure you model the kind of positive interpersonal interactions you want to see from kids. Peer coaches can help each other with flashcards, with written assignments, and with collaborative activities. A Multi-Sensory Approach We are way too dependent on print as a way to introduce new information. Some of the children with IEPs may have strengths in unexpected areas: they may be great illustrators, creative builders, and very capable at gathering information visually on the internet. The more sensory avenues you engage as you are introducing new material, the more likely all your students will retain it. Do some tasting with a social studies lesson: How about coconut for a unit on the Pacific, or trying some salsa when you are learning about Mexico? How about movement? You can use a molecule game to teach children what happened when you heat elements. When you turned up the heat (orally, and raising my hand to raise the temperature) they would rush around the room as far apart as possible. When you drop the temperature (and my hand) the students would gather together and move just a little bit, slowly. You can bet every one of those kids remembered what happened when you heat a liquid or gas! Assessment that Builds on Strengths ​ There are lots of ways to assess mastery other than a multiple choice test. Rubrics are one great way to create clear ways for students to show they have mastered the materials. A portfolio may be another way. Rather than asking a student to write, you may ask a student to sort or group pictures according to criteria you have learned, name pictures, or have the students answer questions that help them display knowledge of new materials.

Capital City of Tenochtitlan

Capital City of Tenochtitlan Tenochtitln, located in the heart of what is now Mexico City, was the largest city and capital of the Aztec Empire. Today, Mexico City is still one of the largest cities in the world, despite its unusual setting. It sits on a swampy island in the middle of Lake Texcoco in the Basin of Mexico, a strange place for any  capital, ancient or modern.  Mexico City is ringed by volcanic mountains, including the still-active volcano Popocatà ©petl, and prone to earthquakes, severe flooding, and some of the worst smog on the planet. The story of how the Aztecs selected the location of their capital in such a miserable place is one part legend and another part history.   Although the conquistador Hernn Cortà ©s did his best to dismantle the city, three 16th century maps of Tenochtitlan survive showing us what the city was like. The earliest map is the Nuremberg or Cortes map of 1524, drawn for the conquistador Cortà ©s, possibly by a local resident. The Uppsala Map was drawn about 1550 by an indigenous person or persons; and the Maguey Plan was made about 1558, although scholars are divided about whether the city depicted is Tenochtitlan or another Aztec city. The Uppsala Map is signed by cosmographer Alonso de Santa Cruz [~1500-1567] who presented the map (with the city spelled as Tenuxititan) to his employer, the Spanish Emperor Carlos V, but scholars do not believe he made the map himself, and it may have been by his students at the Colegio de Santa Cruz at Tenochtitlans sister city Tlatelolco. Legends and Omens Tenochtitln was the home of the immigrant Mexica, which is just one of the names for the Aztec people who founded the city in AD 1325. According to legend, the Mexica were one of seven Chichimeca tribes who came to Tenochtitlan from their fabled city of origin, Aztlan (Place of the Herons). They came because of an omen: the Chichimec god Huitzilopochtli, who took the form of an eagle, was seen perched on a cactus eating a snake. The leaders of the Mexica interpreted this as a sign to move their population to an unpleasant, miry, buggy, island in the middle of a lake; and eventually their military prowess and political abilities turned that island into the central agency for conquest, the Mexica snake swallowing most of Mesoamerica. Aztec Culture and Conquest Tenochtitlan of the 14th and 15th centuries A.D. was excellently suited as a place for the Aztec culture to begin the  conquest of Mesoamerica. Even then, the basin of Mexico was densely occupied, and the island city afforded the Mexica a commanding lead over trade in the basin. In addition, they engaged in a series of alliances both with and against their neighbors; the most successful was the Triple Alliance, who as the Aztec Empire overran major portions of what are now the states of Oaxaca, Morelos, Veracruz, and Puebla. By the time of the Spanish conquest in 1519, Tenochtitln contained around 200,000 people and covered an area of twelve square kilometers (five square miles). The city was crisscrossed by canals, and the edges of the island city were covered with chinampas, floating gardens that enabled local production of food. A huge marketplace served nearly 60,000 people daily, and in the Sacred Precinct of the city were palaces and temples the like of which Hernn Cortà ©s had never seen. Cortà ©s was awed, but it didnt stop him from destroying almost all of the citys buildings during his conquest. A Lavish City Several letters from Cortà ©s to his king Charles V described the city as an island city in the center of a lake. Tenochtitlan was laid out in concentric circles, with a central plaza serving as the ritual precinct and the heart of the Aztec empire. The buildings and pavements of the city all barely rose above the level of the lakes and were grouped into clusters by canals and connected by bridges. A densely forested area- the precursor to Chapultepec park- was an important feature of the island, as was water control. Seventeen major floods have struck the city since 1519, one lasting an astounding five years. During Aztec times, a series of aqueducts led from the surrounding lakes into the city, and numerous  causeways connected Tenochtitlan to the other important city-states in the basin. Motecuhzoma II (also known as  Montezuma) was the final ruler at Tenochtitlan, and his lavish main courtyard covered an area measuring 200x200 meters (about 650x650 feet). The palace included a suite of rooms and an open courtyard; around the main palace complex could be found armories and sweat baths, kitchens, guest rooms, music rooms, horticultural gardens, and game preserves. The remnants of some of these are found in Chapultepec Park in Mexico City, although most of the buildings are from later times. Remnants of the Aztec Culture Tenochtitlan fell to Cortes, but only after the bitter and bloody siege of 1520, when the Mexica killed hundreds of conquistadors. Only parts of Tenochtitlan are extant in the city of Mexico; you can get into the ruins of the Templo Mayor, excavated beginning in the 1970s by Matos Moctezuma; and there are ample artifacts at the National Museum of Anthropology (INAH). But if you look hard enough, many other visible aspects of the old Aztec capital are still in place. Street names and place names echo the ancient Nahua city. The Plaza del Volador, for example, was an important location for the Aztec ceremony of the new fire. After 1519, it was transformed first into a place for the Actos de Fe of the Inquisition, then into an arena for bull-fighting, then a market, and finally into the current site of the Supreme Court. Sources Aà ±Ãƒ ³n V. 2012. â€Å"En el lugar de las tunas empedernidas†: Tenochtitlan en las crà ³nicas mestizas. Anales de Literatura Hispanoamericana 41:81-97.Berdan FF. 2014. Aztec Archaeology and Ethnohistory. New York: Cambridge University Press.Hill Boone E. 2011. This new world now revealed: Hernn Cortà ©s and the presentation of Mexico to Europe. Word Image 27(1):31-46.Là ³pez JF. 2013. The hydrographic city: Mapping Mexico Citys urban form in relation to its aquatic condition, 1521-1700. Cambridge: Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Mundy BE. 2014. Place-Names in Mexico-Tenochtitlan. Ethnohistory 61(2):329-355.Pennock CD. 2011. ‘A Remarkably Patterned Life’: Domestic and Public in the Aztec Household City. Gender History 23(3):528-546.Terraciano K. 2010. Three Texts in One: Book XII of the Florentine Codex. Ethnohistory 57(1):51-72.

Choosing first topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Choosing first topic - Essay Example 295). Forest lands, adjacent to small scale farming fields, fall victim to deforestation, during the course of expansion of agriculture. As such, deforestation has principally been the outcome of small scale agricultural activity that had been undertaken along the edges of the forest. Moreover, infrastructure development, such as the construction of roads, has resulted in the widespread felling of trees, in the areas abutting forest land . At present, a few of the smaller countries of Southeast Asia, like Malaysia, have been left with negligible forest area. This dismal state of affairs is on account of the unabated deforestation conducted in these countries (Carr, 2004, p. 296). In addition to the expansion of small scale agriculture, infrastructure development, like the construction of roads and other activities, leads to deforestation. The 1990s were witness to the unprecedented clearing of forests in Asia. This was occasioned by enhanced demand for timber and the continual migrat ion of rice farmers, into what had previously been remote regions. These regions became accessible, due to the increased felling of trees .Latin America, with its abundance of closed tropical forests, has been host to most of the research that has been conducted on tropical deforestation. ... Furthermore, deforestation is also the outcome of economic considerations, like low domestic costs, increase in the price of products and the influence on ecology by industrial and urban centers in remote locations. The latter has been seen to be the cause behind deforestation, in a third of the cases (Geist & Lambin, 2002, p. 146). Hence, Market forces have a tangible effect on furthering deforestation. Moreover, deforestation is the outcome of a necessity to generate foreign exchange earnings at the national level, and this has been seen to be prevalent in 25% of the cases. On the whole, there is scant variation in the elements that pertain to economic development in a burgeoning cash economy. As a consequence, these features promote deforestation, in a very powerful manner (Geist & Lambin, 2002, p. 146). As such, economic reasons also contribute to deforestation in tropical regions. Consequently, expansion of agriculture has been deemed to be the most important cause of deforestat ion, and this has been estimated at 96% of the instances. Some of the facets of such expansion are the conversion of forests, on a permanent basis, to land on which cattle graze, shifting cultivation is practiced and agriculture is colonized. In addition, the tropical rainforests of Asia are subjected to considerable commercial wood extraction (Geist & Lambin, 2002, p. 145). In Asia, commercial wood extraction has also been identified as a major element, in bringing about deforestation. The World Bank’s 1989 World Development Report disclosed that deforestation was rampant in fourteen developing countries of South America, Africa, and South-East Asia. This report also revealed that more than 250,000 hectares of tropical forests were being destroyed annually, in these

Sports Science - Journal Article Critique Essay

Sports Science - Journal Article Critique - Essay Example lete or soccer player, very few studies have thoroughly investigated the important correlation between a players maximal strength and his or her potential sprint or vertical jumping performance. A correlational quantitative research approach was employed in the study. Based on their findings, the authors observed that maximal strength in squat positions was a critical determinant of both the sprint performance and vertical jumping height in high level athletes and soccer players. They further noted that high squat strength did not affect the maximal oxygen consumption of the players (Wisloff et al. 2004, p.288). The conclusion was that Elite athletes and soccer players should always focus to improving their maximal strength during training with particular emphasis on maximal movement mobilization in order to enhance their sprint and vertical jump performance. This journal article critique seeks to identify and critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the article based on my personal judgment of the general aspects of the article, accuracy of the findings as well as its relevance to my field of practice. Written by the authors Wisloff, U., Castagna, C., Helgerud, J., Jones, R. and Jan Hoff, the article â€Å"Strong correlation of squat strength with vertical jump height and sprint performance among elite soccer players† sought to investigate the likely relationship between an athlete’s maximum strength and his potential sprint or jumping performance. The article is fairly well written in terms of the general aspects of their article including the appropriateness of the title, abstract, statement of the problem, data collection and analyses as well as the dissemination of the results. For example, the title of the article is not only appropriate and relevant to the concept under study but also contains the key words related to the study topic. The abstract is also fairly well written both in terms of its succinct overview of the main aspects of the

Distance Education Essay Example for Free

Distance Education Essay We normally take our studies in a structured establishment called classroom located a place called school. Every day, we wake up early, leave our homes, pay for transportation fees and finally reach to our second home, the classroom. As we welcome ourselves in Mindanao State University, we are lucky to meet different kinds of people from different kinds of places. People from Glan, Tacurong, Marbel and all over Mindanao are your schoolmates and classmates. You share experiences with them, telling stories about their place that makes you as if you were once there. But, what if there are some people who want to study but for some reasons, they cannot go to school, will they be able to study despite their situations they face? Our world is constantly changing and getting more complicated, that is why human beings formulated new innovations and techniques regarding their educational careers. Distance Learning or Distant education is a mode of delivering education and instruction, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional setting such as a classroom. It is not a face to face interaction just like we do in schools. There is a quite large distance and time between the learner and the teacher. Typical students who enroll at Distant Education courses are people who are too busy in their careers that they have no time to spend in school. Celebrities like Anne Curtis are a student of Distant Education. Or you can be a student with physical disabilities that you find it hard to go to school. Or maybe the courses offered are available only in far places. There are many possible students of this kind of education. There are many modes of communication in distant learning. It can through the telephone, letter or the most common type, the internet where you can see each other and contact directly to one another. There are many instructional materials can be used. It can be an audio tool, video, a print, or a softcopy data. There are some advantages of this type of education. First, it’s potential. The opportunities for distance education have exploded along with increased use of the Internet. The original distance education programs used print materials, but the majority of current programs use online software and programs to replicate a classroom setting. Many degrees are available through distance programs, including high school, college and post-graduate diplomas. There are now distance education options for nearly every career choice, from nursing to accounting. It is also flexible. Distance education provides opportunities for people who may have trouble attending a traditional institution such as stay-at-home moms, people working full time or members of the military. Many online educational programs allow you to work at your own pace, so you can fit your education into your schedule. Also, the cost of distant education is cheaper. In many cases distance education can be considerably cheaper than attending a traditional college. Not only are the classes cheaper, but you can learn from the comfort of your own home and not have to pay for room and board or transportation. On the other hand, Distant Learning losses interaction with the other students is one of the advantages of it. Distant education is commonly one student in one teacher so only 2 of you are interacting with one another, or sometimes, communication is only one way where only the teacher is active in communicating. It is not easy to motivate if you are the only one or the only peer in the learning ground. It is also self-paced so it is less motivating. It is quite amazing that humans are able to deliberate this mode of learning. It sounded like cool to me in a sense that it involves or let’s say it is dependent of technology which is an asset when it comes to employment. It gives us an idea that education is truly for all for those who are willing to learn busy schedule or disabled, still allot their time and effort for studying. In part of the teachers, it will open new ways of learning and of course, employment and income will increase. This education will be in- demand especially to foreigners who want to speak in English and many more. When my professor once introduced distant education in the class, I was quite convinced to study in that way. If I learn the mechanics of Distant learning, I someday may become a teacher of distant education. I want to help students who are especially handicapped or something. It is a proof that education will be non-discriminating, and I hope this type of learning will continue to grow as they produce competent students.

Zapatistas :: Essays Papers

Zapatistas For the past several years, there has been an on going movement to liberate the large population of farmers in Mexico. These farmers are fighting to win back their pro-claimed rights to their farm land. The farmers operate within an organization known as the Zapatistas. In present time the Zapatistas, with the help of the media especially the filmmaker Nettie Wild, have gained global attention towards their struggle for human rights. Many efforts have been made by outside authorities like the US, to assist the human rights movement in Mexico. The movement so far has resulted in many political killings of the Zapatistas members. Mexico’s government has been trying to rid themselves of the â€Å"chaos† the Zapatistas have stirred up within the country. The Mexican government has forced over 17,000 people into refuge because they have not allowed them back onto their farm land. Efforts continue on behalf of the Zapatistas and many outside authorities to bring peace to this area of Chiapas. I believe that the Zapatistas have made their fight a global issue. The art of Erica Chappuis displays a culture of people who are in hiding and trying to survive with the little resources they have. The art displays Zapatistas with coffee plants in which they are selling, wearing their trademark bandana covering their faces. This picture makes a strong argument for what they are fighting for. If Mexico allowed them back onto their land they would still be cultivating coffee, but would not have to cover their faces. The covering of the Zapatistas faces exploits the human rights struggle that they are currently fighting. The Zapatistas movement is a â€Å"post modern revolution†. In the world today the emphasis on human rights is strong, thus this is why the Zapatistas have gained so much attention. I believe that the Zapatistas are slowly succeeding in their revolution because of the mass attention they are receiving. As more and more people become aware of the horrible human rights struggle these people are undergoing, I believe their mission will become more and more successful. The more people who know about the struggle will then in turn put more pressure on the Mexican government to liberate these people. I believe that the Zapatista movement is worthy of support. No people in the world should be forced off their land and into hiding.

King’s major course of action Essay

King’s major course of action throughout all of his work was nonviolence, and he was awarded The Nobel Peace Prize for his work. The war itself was a betrayal of America’s moral obligation, heightened by media portrayals of what is just for our nation. King expressed that our spirit continues to diminish as we diminish humanity across the world. His motive was for our populace to stop thinking in terms of our nations as a singular body, but to think of our nation as a model â€Å"that embraces the brotherhood of man† (King, 1967). He required Americans to see the Vietnamese as our brothers and sisters and gave insight on the experience of the Vietnamese as people not enemies. King spoke of our complete funding handed to the French so they may advance in control of these people. â€Å"He proclaimed that America is a victim of Western arrogance for rejecting the revolutionary government seeking self determination in Vietnam† (Spence, 2009). King told us their story of devastation. He described our destruction of their resources. War efforts contributed to the loss of crops, tainted water supplies, and the demoralized the Vietnamese people in their efforts for survival during a time of great suffering (Spence, 2009). King made it clear that the destruction of the Vietnamese culture was intertwined with the destruction of our own culture. He proclaimed that our troops were sent on a false precedence that only furthered agendas of our nations wealthy. Their agenda led our oppressed solders to death as they killed those oppressed in Vietnam. The propaganda in acquiring a watch dog status in the eyes of other nations mocked our pursuit. Our leaders could not articulate our purpose for being in Vietnam. A Great Buddhist leader commented that America was no longer revolutionary and democratic but the image of violence and militarism (Spence, 2009). For over 5,000 years we have built empires and maintained a rich get richer mentality. We have seen those with wealth as models to obtain our own successes. We have left those who have needed aid the most behind to further our own successes. We have only risen to occasion of hope when we reap the highest benefits. The United States is trapped in an Imperial  Consciousness: those not for our agenda are against our agenda. This way of thinking is dangerous and leads to Moral Autism. †Imperial Consciousness may have the social intelligence to recognize it is easiest to steal from those who trust you, but lack the moral capacity to recognize that to do so constitutes a wrong in itself and destroys the fabric of trust essential to healthy social relationships† (Korten, 2006). Beyond Vietnam lays the ground work for this school of thought not in a way that we should adopt it, but the urgency to abandon it. King’s speech captures the momentum needed for our nation to mature. King sought for our nation’s people to be true examples of revolutionaries. He demanded we abolish thoughts that privilege is earned and realize it is inherent. He asked we believe in people most disadvantaged and stop tucking them under our nation’s blanket of shame. The inherent shame is our own complacency in these matters and our brain washed minds that comply with the thinking that we do not matter or have the capacity to understand the complexity of decisions made by our own power structures. It can be said that King’s message was to end the war, and it was. He projected ending the war was essential and gave a list on how.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"End to all bombing in Vietnam; unilateral cease fire; prevention of battle grounds in Southeast Asia; recognition of the National Liberation Front; a set date from removal of all foreign forces from Vietnam in accordance with the 1954 Geneva Convention; granting of asylum to Vietnamese suffering persecution; and the payment of reparations for harm done† (Spence, 2006). He also described what could be done at home, stating we should continue to protest and stay active within our churches. While his message was to end the war, it was a stepping stone in the right direction for our nation’s obligation, honor and integrity. Layer by layer embedded in his speech King ask Americans to make a worthy change. As our nation evolves and advances in wealth, industry, technology, the market and free trade with other nations we remain stagnant  in social and cultural advances. We have lost sight in the power of our people and all people. We have without question remained faithful children of our empirical society only to watch our brothers and sisters fall, and when they fall we march to the guise that it is somehow their fault and their fault alone. We continually fault each in our race to the top. King’s message is not a memo to the individual but a mass informant. We must change our institutions and how they support us. We must stop looking at our nonprofit organizations as less worthy because they are stated as not making a profit in our capitalist society. We must stop losing sight of our causes to obtain grant monies that slightly sway our causes. We must advance people in areas of expertise that are directly connected to the people in which they service. We must put check marks on markets and free trade. We must care about the woman in the third world nation that makes our clothes or computer parts. We must demand that people are our highest commodity and put above a precedent of all things material. We must look at all people as our people. Beyond Vietnam is a speech that should be resurfaced again and again. Martin Luther King’s words take you to the past and reflect the present in a way that sends chills through your soul, and if you’re a person of any feeling and some intellect, it will heighten your very being. Be prepared for a journey before you engage, for such insight can cause anger, regret, and shame. Do not cling to these emotions. MLK has given each and everyone exposed to his message, a gift. He presents us with precision hidden by our meticulously wrapped ideology. One would think as a nation we would share his plea for humanity, instead we rewrap adding layer upon layer. We bury his endowment only to become systematic. Together we are robotic, uniformed servants of the power elite.

Andrew Lang

The world revolves around currency, in reality we all use money in our everyday life we are making it, spending it or saving it. Andrew Lang wrote â€Å"Ballade of Wordly Wealth,† through repetition in this poem we learn about the people in the 1800s and 1900s and what they thought about money. What money can buy a person is the idea of the first six lines of each stanza. But the thought of what money cannot buy is always revisited. At the end of each stanza a refrain is made â€Å"Youth, and health, and Paradise† The theme of this poem is money, so of course the word money is on repeat.The tone is didactic, â€Å"Money moves the merchants all† and â€Å"Money maketh Evil show† saying money is the start is a parallel construction. Pattern of sound is found also because there are a lot of words that end with the â€Å"th† sound examples of these words: taketh, maketh, truth, youth, health and gaineth. â€Å"Money taketh town and wall, Fort and ramp without a blow† says that with a little trickery a war could be won. â€Å"Money moves the merchants all, While the tides shall ebb and flow† because airplanes were not invented at this time the only way of travel for people was by boats.This line is saying that money will convince merchants to explore the sea because there is more money out there. â€Å"Money maketh Evil show Like the good, and truth like lies† this line is saying that to be wealthy people do evil things but think they are good. In reality people are just being greedy. â€Å"These alone can ne'er bestow Youth, and health, and paradise† this line is saying that money doesn’t last forever and won’t help you always: example: when you go to heaven. Money maketh festival, Wine she buys, and beds can strow† this line is saying that â€Å"she† (money) can buy important things or not so important things. â€Å"Marches Soldiers to and fro† refer to the military sa ying how love can be bought with money.â€Å"Gaineth ladies with sweet eyes: These alone can ne’er bestow† this line is stating that any man with money can get any woman he wanted if he had money that there love could be bought. †Money wins the priest his stall, Money mitres buys, I trow† this line is saying that with money any man can buy power. Red hats for the Cardinal, Abbeys for the novice low† this line is saying that without experience you can have the title for anything you want with money. â€Å"Money maketh sin as snow, Place of penitence supplies† this line is saying that even churches use money for the wrong things. Andrew Lang’s poem is a ballad a three stanza, eight line poem. Full of descriptive words to create tone, mood and feeling about how money has taken over and could be evil, instead of good.

Vantage Point Essays - English-language Films, Vantage Point

Vantage Point Essays - English-language Films, Vantage Point Vantage Point Vantage Point General introduction of this movie (director background etc) Pete Travis is an English television and film director. His work includes The Jury, Cold Feet and Omagh for television and Vantage Point, Endgame and Dredd. The president of the U. S. Declares is in Salamanca, Italy, to give his oversight within the community. We see a plain-clothes cop, his sweetheart with another man, a mother and child, a U. S. vacationer with a digital camera, and medical personnel who recently came back from medical leave. Moments following a photo shoot, the president falls; a few moments later, we listen to a remote blast, then a blast goes off in the rectangle. Those moments are retold, several times, focusing different characters' activities. Progressively, we discover who's behind the story. Summary of the movie (plot) Colombia Pictures' action-packed thriller Vantage Point presents eight unknown people with eight different opinions try to discover the truth behind a killing attempt on the chief executive of the United States. Johnson Barnes and London Taylor are two Secret Service agents allocated to protect President Ashley at a milestone peak on the international war on terror. When President Ashley is shot minutes after his appearance in Italy, disorder arises and different lives conflict in the search for the killer. In the audience is Howard Lewis, an America vacationer who believes he has taken the shooting on his video camera while recording the occasion for his family. Reviews The governmental thriller Vantage Point is flat-out one of the more interesting and unique gut-busters that the show biz industry has created. It is all action, but it is never senseless and it is completely outstanding with excitement phases all the way. Its assumption has the United States President (William Hurt) showing at a milestone anti-terrorism peak conference in Salamanca, Italy, that becomes a catastrophe when he is gunned down by a sniper from an old city block in the town's primary plaza. In a captivating starting series worth David Frankenheimer at his protagonist, this killing and two blast explosions that further convert the field into disorder is seen from the viewpoint of the movie director (Sigourney Weaver) of a TV information group protecting the conference. After completion, the film rewinds 15 minutes and then repeats the same activities from the viewpoint of an anxious Key Support broker (Dennis Quaid) who may or may not have glimpsed the killer just minutes before the capturing. Then the film rewinds again and reveals the series from the viewpoint of a Language cop (Edgar Ramirez) who steps onto the presidential stage after the killing, is pursued by the Quaid personality and may or may not be engaged in the fringe movement. The film rewinds yet again and reveals the 15 relevant minutes from the viewpoint of the President and then yet again from the viewpoint of an U. S. states vacationer (Forest Whitaker) who unintentionally records key details involved in the killing. With each of the viewpoints, the movie is efficiently and enticingly improved, and then the film segues into an impressive and incredibly complicated pursuit series that reduces between all the members and choices a few new ones in the process as it pushes to an intense summary. Conclusion As seen in this article, the movie Vantage Point was created through mastery of the film world by well known directors and acted by renowned actors. With no individual larger-than-life being the main theme, Vantage Point keeps its audience captivated by the motion pictures, being a tale packed with a few too many surpasses (including a subplot with acting professional Matthew Fox that's needless and a little preposterous).

Multivariate Econometrics Problems and Excel

Multivariate Econometrics Problems and Excel Most economics departments require second or third year undergraduate students to complete an econometrics project and write a paper on their findings. Years later I remember how stressful my project was, so Ive decided to write the guide to econometrics term papers that I wish I had when I was a student. I hope that this will prevent you from spending many long nights in front of a computer. For this econometrics project, Im going to calculate the marginal propensity to consume (MPC) in the United States. (If youre more interested in doing a simpler, univariate econometrics project, please see How to Do a Painless Econometrics Project) The marginal propensity to consume is defined as how much an agent spends when given an extra dollar from an additional dollars personal disposable income. My theory is that consumers keep a set amount of money aside for investment and emergency, and spend the rest of their disposable income on consumption goods. Therefore my null hypothesis is that MPC 1. Im also interested in seeing how changes in the prime rate influence consumption habits. Many believe that when the interest rate rises, people save more and spend less. If this is true, we should expect that there is a negative relationship between interest rates such as the prime rate, and consumption. My theory, however, is that there is no link between the two, so all else being equal, we should see no change in the level of the propensity to consume as the prime rate changes. In order to test my hypotheses, I need to create an econometric model. First well define our variables: Yt is the nominal personal consumption expenditure (PCE) in the United States.X2t is the nominal disposable after-tax income in the United States. X3t is the prime rate in the U.S. Our model is then: Yt b1 b2X2t b3X3t Where b 1, b 2, and b 3 are the parameters we will be estimating via linear regression. These parameters represent the following: b1 is the amount the level of PCE when nominal disposable after-tax income (X2t) and the prime rate (X3t) are both zero. We do not have a theory about what the true value of this parameter should be, as it holds little interest to us.b2 represents the amount PCE rises when the nominal disposable after-tax income in the United States rises by a dollar. Note that this is the definition of the marginal propensity to consume (MPC), so b2 is simply the MPC. Our theory is that MPC 1, so our null hypothesis for this parameter is b2 1.b3 represents the amount PCE rises when the prime rate increases by a full percent (say from 4% to 5% or from 8% to 9%). Our theory is that changes in the prime rate do not influence consumption habits, so our null hypothesis for this parameter is b2 0. So we will be comparing the results of our model: Yt b1 b2X2t b3X3t to the hypothesized relationship: Yt b1 1*X2t 0*X3t where b 1 is a value that does not particularly interest us. To be able to estimate our parameters, well need data. The excel spreadsheet Personal Consumption Expenditure contains quarterly American Data from the 1st quarter of 1959 to the 3rd quarter of 2003. Â  All data comes from FRED II - The St. Louis Federal Reserve. Its the first place you should go for U.S. economic data. After youve downloaded the data, open up Excel, and load the file called aboutpce (full name aboutpce.xls) in whatever directory you saved it in. Then continue to the next page. Be Sure to Continue to Page 2 of How to Do a Painless Multivariate Econometrics Project Weve got the data file open we can start to look for what we need. First we need to locate our Y variable. Recall that Yt is the nominal personal consumption expenditure (PCE). Quickly scanning our data we see that our PCE data is in Column C, labeled PCE (Y). By looking at columns A and B, we see that our PCE data runs from the 1st quarter of 1959 to the final quarter of 2003 in cells C24-C180. You should write these facts down as youll need them later. Now we need to find our X variables. In our model we only have two X variables, which are X2t, disposable personal income (DPI) and X3t, the prime rate. We see that DPI is in the column marked DPI (X2) which is in Column D, in cells D2-D180 and the prime rate is in the column marked Prime Rate (X3) which is in column E, in cells E2-E180. Weve identified the data we need. We can now compute the regression coefficients using Excel. If you are not restricted to using a particular program for your regression analysis, Id recommend using Excel. Excel is missing a lot of the features a lot of the more sophisticated econometrics packages use, but for doing a simple linear regression it is a useful tool. Youre much more likely to use Excel when you enter the real world than you are to use an econometrics package, so being proficient in Excel is a useful skill to have. Our Yt data is in cells E2-E180 and our Xt data (X2t and X3t collectively) is in cells D2-E180. When doing a linear regression we need every Yt to have exactly one associated X2t and one associated X3t and so on. In this case we have the same number of Yt, X2t, and X3t entries, so were good to go. Now that we have located the data we need, we can calculate our regression coefficients (our b1, b2, and b3). Before continuing you should save your work under a different filename (I chose myproj.xls) so if we need to start over we have our original data. Now that youve downloaded the data and opened Excel, we can go onto the next section. In the next section we calculate our regression coefficients. Be Sure to Continue to Page 3 of How to Do a Painless Multivariate Econometrics Project Now onto the data analysis. Go to the Tools menu on the top of the screen. Then find Data Analysis in the Tools menu. If Data Analysis is not there, then youll have to install it. To install the Data Analysis Toolpack see these instructions. You cannot do regression analysis without the data analysis toolpack installed. Once youve selected Data Analysis from the Tools menu youll see a menu of choices such as Covariance and F-Test Two-Sample for Variances. On that menu select Regression. The items are in alphabetical order, so they shouldnt be too hard to find. Once there, youll see a form that looks like this. Now we need to fill this form in. (The data in the background of this screenshot will differ from your data) The first field well need to fill in is the Input Y Range. This is our PCE in cells C2-C180. You can choose these cells by typing $C$2:$C$180 into the little white box next to Input Y Range or by clicking on the icon next to that white box then selecting those cells with your mouse. The second field well need to fill in is the Input X Range. Here we will be inputting both of our X variables, DPI and the Prime Rate. Our DPI data is in cells D2-D180 and our prime rate data is in cells E2-E180, so we need the data from the rectangle of cells D2-E180. You can choose these cells by typing $D$2:$E$180 into the little white box next to Input X Range or by clicking on the icon next to that white box then selecting those cells with your mouse. Lastly well have to name the page our regression results will go on. Make sure you have New Worksheet Ply selected, and in the white field beside it type in a name like Regression. When thats completed, click on OK. You should now see a tab on the bottom of your screen called Regression (or whatever you named it) and some regression results. Now youve got all the results you need for analysis, including R Square, coefficients, standard errors, etc. We were looking to estimate our intercept coefficient b1 and our X coefficients b2, b3. Our intercept coefficient b1 is located in the row named Intercept and in the column named Coefficients. Make sure you jot these figures down, including the number of observations, (or print them out) as you will need them for analysis. Our intercept coefficient b1 is located in the row named Intercept and in the column named Coefficients. Our first slope coefficient b2 is located in the row named X Variable 1 and in the column named Coefficients. Our second slope coefficient b3 is located in the row named X Variable 2 and in the column named Coefficients The final table generated by your regression should be similar to the one given at the bottom of this article. Now youve got the regression results you need, youll need to analyze them for your term paper. We will see how to do that in next weeks article. If you have a question youd like answered please use the feedback form. Regression Results Observations Coefficients Standard Error t Stat P-value Lower 95% Upper 95% Intercept X Variable 1 X Variable 2 -13.71941.4186-9.67080.0000-16.5192-10.9197

The main differences between conventional bank and Islamic bank Essay

The main differences between conventional bank and Islamic bank - Essay Example Even this is unchanged in the asset category. All assets including fixed assets and other assets are summed accordingly after that. The total assets are written below. Doha Bank had an additional investment in an associate company which Qatar Islamic Bank did not have. In the liabilities section, again there are a lot of similarities. Net liabilities at the end of 2010 for Doha Bank stand at 39, 319, 885 Qattari Riyals while those of Qatar Islamic Bank stand at 20, 979, 710 Qatari Riyals. Qatar bank had liabilities due from Sukook financing activities which are nowhere to be seen in the Doha Bank balance sheet statement. Total shareholder’s equity of Qatar Islamic Bank stood at 9,124, 004 while that of Doha Bank stood at 6,043, 493 (All amount in Qatarri Riyals) . There is hedge reserve in Doha Bank while Qatar Bank did not have any hedge reserve. Income statement: Net income for Qatar Islamic Bank as of year ending December 2010 is specified as 1,833,139 while that of Doha Ba nk is 1,054,245 (all figures stated in QR). The way in which income is calculated is very different for both banks. In Doha Bank net operating income is calculated as the sum of net income from insurance activities, net Islamic financing and investing income, net fees and net commission income. In Qatar Islamic bank the above categories are not used.

La Belle Epoque 1900-1914 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

La Belle Epoque 1900-1914 - Essay Example The working conditions were improved with the rise of labor unions and this made it possible to coexist peacefully. Regarding losers and winners, it was expected for gender equality issues to surface. Women were primary winners as they for the first time were allowed to work in factories and also to form their liberation movements. Besides equalization and factory safety for all professions, the right to vote was claimed by everybody as evident during voting exercise in the video. France also won as it achieved great strides in technology and military advancement in Europe. As with losers, the world leaders who were strong peace advocates became losers as the 1st World War startedright away (Grapevine, 2014). As with transformations, various changes are evident in urban development, gender equality, and to technology. During the La Belle, major urban development took place that shows the rise of icons such as Eiffel tower to surface (Grapevine, 2014). The nature of manufacturing work also evolved. The proceeding production became split between mechanization and rationalization. Consequently, the formerly hard to treat diseases could now be treated leading to the decline of infant mortality and a substantial increase in life expectancy. Whereas it is not apparent how long the period was, it is estimated to have lasted for less than 15 years. The La Belle à ©poque did not last, but it was a short period of prosperity and transformation.

MG 1011 Task 2 Assignment - a Reflection of the work done Essay

MG 1011 Task 2 Assignment - a Reflection of the work done - Essay Example Team formation is a critical initial step that is necessary to create a team that will work effectively. A team or group is the union of two or more people working together to achieve a common goal (Schermerhorn & Hunt & Osborn, p.172). During the initial formation stage of the team the member have to communicate with each other in various brainstorming and socialization exercises in other to get to know each other to create a bond. During these session the team has to create a detail plan of action of the project the have to perform with a detail work break structure of the specific task each member will perform and various deadlines the work has to delivered. There is a need for leadership within the group. It is important for someone to take charge and become the team leader that can guide the other members of the team, while at the same listening to the opinion of others to integrate their ideas. According to Belbin’s team role theory the optimum size for a team is eight m embers (Fisher & Hunter & Macrosson, 2001). If a team is too small the members might get overworked, but a large team can create organizational problems which may result in inefficiencies. I have worked on various team scenarios some of which were good experiences, while others were horrible endeavors. During my first year in college I worked on a group project for college class. The team was made up to four members. It was disaster from day one. One member barely ever came to any of the team meetings. The other two kept arguing over irrelevant points and could not come to any agreements on how to proceed with the project. I tried to play the role of leader and intermediary between the members. Since I took the initiative I paid the price of being the member with the highest workload and ended up covering for two of the members who at the end were extremely irresponsible and disappeared on me and decided that their end of the bargain did not have to complied with. I did both

International Training And Development

International Training And Development It is widely documented that training and development are clearly linked with performance (Nikandrou, Apospori, Panayotopoulou, Stavrou Papalexandris, 2008). Training development of employees enables a multinational, (or any organisation for that matter) to build up its human resources (human capital) (Dowling, Festing Engle, 2008), which can include things such as knowledge, skills, and intellectual property etc. It is also suggested that CEOs with international experience perform better (Ng, Van Dyne Ang, 2009). As this presentation is based on international training and development, we will be relating the presentation to the training and development not only required by, but also that provided by expatriate employees in an organisation. I will begin this presentation by firstly refreshing your memory about the definitions of some of the key terms in this subject, which you should all be somewhat familiar with anyway. Define Expatriate Firstly I will define expatriate for you. An expatriate is an employee of an organisation, who is working and living in another country (Davidson Griffin, 2006). The term expatriate can include 3 types of employees (Dowling et al, 2008): Parent country nationals: those employees who are recruited from the country in which the organisations headquarters are based, yet are sent to another country by the organisation. Host country nationals: those employees who are recruited from the host country into which the organisation has expanded. Third country nationals: those employees whos nationality originates neither in the parent country in which the headquarters are based, nor the host country in which the organisation has expanded into. I will now move onto the definitions of training and development. Define Training Training aims to improve an employees current work skills behaviour (Dowling et al, 2008; Davidson Griffin, 2006). This enables them to grow in their current position in order to perform better in the role that they were hired for. Define Development Whereas development aims to increase an employees abilities in relation to some future position or job (Dowling, et al 2008; Davidson Griffin, 2006). Skills or knowledge may be identified as being necessary in a role that the company anticipates an employee to move into at a later date. Now that I have given you the definitions that will be used throughout this presentation, I just wanted to do a quick exercise to ensure that everyone understands the definitions that I have given. An Australian (Bob) is currently working in America for an Australian company. His manager has decided that his skills in the current position need to be improved. What type of expatriate is Bob, and is it training or development that is required? Answer: Bob is a parent-country national that requires training for his current role. An American (Jane) works in Africa for a French company. Her organisation wants to send her to Australia in the future and they require her to become accustomed with the Australian culture and way of life. Her professional duties will remain the same. What type of expatriate will Jane be once in Australia, and does she require training or development? Answer: Jane will be a third country national, and she will require development to be able to successfully continue her current role in a new country. Now that you all know the difference between training and development, and the different types of expats, I will move on to the role of expat training. The role of Expat Training As you can imagine, the successful training of an expat is crucial for the success of any international assignment, and even successful training programs cannot guarantee that newly learned knowledge and skills will be transferred to the workplace (Cheng Hampson). Effective expat training therefore plays a significant role in ensuring that the organisations international goals are accomplished (Dowling et al, 2008). Expat training may sometimes also include training of the expats family that will be making the international move along with the employee themselves. This can include not only the spouse or partner, but children as well. The aim is to ensure that everyone settles into the new country and environment smoothly, which will in turn give the expatriate employee the best chance at a successful international assignment (Dowling et al, 2008). Some of the key goals of providing expatriates and their families with training before they depart for the international assignment are: To prepare support imminent expatriate employees in international assignments Training can provide support to enable the expat to adjust to the new country and everything that comes along with it, increasing the likelihood of successful performance within the new country. Expats can be the trainees and also the trainers in international assignments. Therefore the more training that they themselves receive, the more likely that the expat is then able to successfully transfer this training on to any international colleagues that require it. For example, if an expats assignment is to introduce a new technology to an overseas branch, the better the training that the expat has received on the technology, the better the training that the expat will be able to provide. Pre-departure training can involve many aspects, which will depend upon the likelihood of difficulties arising in the host country. Issues and training techniques that may be covered can include: cultural awareness, preliminary visits, language instruction, and day-to-day issues. Many of these topics will be covered in greater depth by later speakers. Some multinational companies have even developed their own training schools eg: Motorola, McDonalds, Disney. This enables the training that the employees receive to be tailored to the direct requirements of their position and the organisation as a whole. It also ensures that all employees are getting the same training, which can increase standardisation across borders, improving the reputation of the business. In multinational organisations such as McDonalds this is a huge benefit as the employees are trained in the aspects of McDonalds that remain the same in every country, such as general service techniques, organisational values etc. Cultural Awareness Programs When an expatriate enters another country for the first, or even the 10th time, they can become extremely overwhelmed by the cultural differences between the host country and what they are used to at home (Dowling et al., 2008; Ng et al, 2009). There is also evidence showing that educating an expatriate about the cultural differences that they should expect to encounter in the host country will increase their job performance in the expat role, and decrease the chances of the posting failing (Cullen Parboteeah, 2008). This is equally true for the success or failure of the expats family adapting to the other culture. Being an effective leader in the expat role is another important reason why cultural education and training is imperative to the success of an expat posting (Ng et al., 2008). It is actually suggested that the development of global leader skills is one of the top 5 areas of expertise that affects the success of a multinational organisation (Ng et al., 2008). An effective leader in one country may be an ineffective leader in another country with a totally different culture (Cullen Parboteeah, 2008). For example, a female senior manager in a country with a highly masculine culture, such as Japan, would not be well accepted or respected. Whereas a female manager in Australia is much more widely accepted due to our more Feminine culture. This is true for many physical and personal traits that expats are inevitably going to possess. By being aware of these differences the expat is able to tailor their behaviour, and even physical appearance, to better suit that expected in the host count ry. The most effective way to educate a current or future expat on cross-cultural differences is to develop a sound and tailored cultural awareness program. This should be designed specifically for the culture of the country that the expat will be working in, and customized to meet any specific needs of the organisation, or the individual. The customisation process may include the development of specific strategies that will be more culturally effective for the expat to utilise in the chosen country, or the exploration of available and accepted leisure activities that would appeal to the expat in that country. The depth of the program will depend upon the level of cultural differences between the 2 countries (Dowling et al., 2008). Tableà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.As you can see in this table from your text book, the trends in providing cross-cultural training to potential expats and their families has been changing slightly over the yearsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.go through table Usually this cultural training and development is provided internally by the parent organisation, or off-site by an external company. The training may include creating awareness of cross-cultural differences and issues; acceptable behaviour in the host country; business practices such as power-distance levels and bribery; and language training. Therefore by training the expat on the cultural norms of the other country, their success will be much greater than if they were to simply approach the posting without such an opportunity. Preliminary Visits However providing cultural awareness training is not the only means implemented by organisations to get their employees ready for an international assignment. Another technique that may be used is to send the potential candidate (and perhaps their family as well, if they will be included in the final posting) on a preliminary visit to the host country. This will allow the employee and their family to assess whether they will be suited to living in this country, and they will be able to get a feel first hand of what it would be like to live there on a more permanent basis. The true challenges of living and working in some countries may not be recognised until being exposed to the environment itself. Therefore, another benefit of preliminary visits is that the visitors may identify additional issues that need to be included in the cultural training, that the organisation themselves had perhaps not realised. On the contrary, the potential expat may realise that they do not want to accept the position overseas, allowing the organisation to move on to a more suitable candidate for that particular overseas position. Sometimes a short-term international assignment may be in itself a preliminary visit for a potential long-term expatriate task. Ultimately, the organisation needs to decide whether the costs of sending the employee on a preliminary visit will outweigh the costs of having the assignment underperform, be prematurely terminated, or even the possibility of needing to send a replacement employee if the first one doesnt succeed or adapt (Dowling et al., 2008; Ng et al., 2009). I will now pass you on to Camille who will speak to you about language training. PERSON: Camille Language Training The role of English as the language of the business world English is the 3rd language the most spoken in the world (after Mandarin and Hindi). It is the official language in 53 countries and in some worldwide organisations such as the United Nation, the European Union, the NATO, NAFTA etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ You can see on the map the countries in dark blue are those where English is the official/national language, and those in light blue, where it is an official but not primary language. These data show us that one-fourth (1/4) of the worlds population can communicate to some degree in English: 400 million people speak English as a first language, 300 to 500 million as a fluent second language and 750 million as a foreign language. The largest English-speaking nation in the world, the United States, has only about 20 percent of the worlds English speakers. In Asia alone, an estimated 350 million people speak English, about the same as the combined English-speaking populations of Britain, the United States and Canada. However, some problems occur in the fact English is the world business language. Tungs report on 3000 corporations over 12 countries stated the following: Respondents from US, UK, Australia and Canada consider the language skills as unimportant. Respondents from Europe, Asia, and South America think that the knowledge of a foreign language is critical for success. The fact to disregard the importance of a foreign language may reflect a certain degree of ethnocentrism (=tendency to regard ones own group, culture, or nation as superior to others). Hall and Gudykunst study stated that the lower the level of ethnocentrism in an MNE, the more training it provides in cultural awareness and language training. There is no doubt that professional knowledge and experience is essential for entrepreneurs and managers. But reaching and staying at the top requires more than just being knowledgeable and experienced. One of the reasons why some entrepreneurs are successful may lie in the ability to communicate knowledge in a foreign language. Indeed, it is significant that employers realize the importance of learning (Business) English at the workplace. Over the years, research and needs analyses have produced a wide range of the language-using tasks an employee should be able to do through his job: the ability to communicate appropriately with superiors, colleagues and subordinates, and to representatives of other companies from abroad, the ability to assist an English-speaking (native or non-native) person when hosting business partners from abroad, To participate in the social life of the enterprise (e.g. sports and social clubs, etc.) when visiting business partners abroad. Host-country language skills and adjustment Sociocultural adjustment relates to the ability to fit in or effectively interact with members of the host culture. Notion of adjustment is based on cultural learning theory and highlights social behaviour and practical social skills underlying attitudinal factors. Paraphrasing the classical claim by Edward Hall that culture is communication (Hall, 1973, p. 97), the reverse is also true: communication is culture. Communicative ability permits cultural development through interaction with other individuals. Language becomes the means that promotes the development of culture. Language skills are very important for MNEs where English is not the first language: otherwise, there would be many translation issues. The ability to speak a foreign language can improve the expatriates effectiveness and negotiating ability. Its a real advantage. Tungs survey on 400 expatriates stated that the language skills are considered as a critical component in assignment performance: for the task performance for the cultural adjustment. Indeed, respondents of the survey said that the ability to speak the local language was as important as cultural awareness in their ability to adapt and perform on assignment. Actually it provides a real insertion in both social and professional lives. Knowledge of the corporate language Usually, the corporate language is English. Given its place in international business, quite often it becomes the common language within the multinationals. Thanks to the expatriates and their ability to speak the corporate language, communication conduits well between subsidiary and headquarters. An expatriate fluent in the parent-company language and the language of the host subsidiary can perform a gate-keeping role, whatever the formal position he may hold. Its a plus, very positive point: It gives added-power to his position. For international training assignments, expatriates are usually required to know the corporate language (cause these trainings would normally be conducted in the corporate language). An exception to this practice occurs in emerging markets, where the key new line managers may be trained in their own language: it is the case in the McDonalds Corp with its corporate training facility in Chicago. Since 1961, it has become the companys global centre of excellence for McDonalds operations training and leadership development. This is the first restaurant company to develop a global training centre in both the corporate and host country language. However, pre-departure training program often may need to include both the host country and corporate language. Now, Patricia is going to talk to you about the practical assistance PERSON: TRISH Practical Assistance Training HCN Another important component of effective pre-departure training programs is providing information that assists in the relocation of the expatriate.. Providing practical information makes sure the expatriate does not feel left behind during the adaptation process. If they were to be left to fend for themselves the expatriates and their family may have a negative response towards the host country culture, which can contribute to a perceived violation of the psychological contract. Therefore, the main objective of providing the expatriate and their family with practical assistance is to help relieve any anxiety or pressure that may exist and to help overcome any negative feelings that may occur towards the host country. It is now becoming regular practice that many multinational companies take advantage of relocation specialists that help the expatriate with accommodation, information about schools and possible employment for the spouse and children. As Camille has already mentioned, Language training is usually provided prior to departure, however further language training could be provided, particularly if such training was not possible before departure (Dowling Festing Engle, 2008). Another way of gaining information about the host country and its culture is from the people that are already working as expatriates in the area and whom are willing to help the spouse and family of the new expatriate to adapt (Webb Wright, 1996). Usually the company will organize practical orientation programs for the expatriate, their spouse and the expatriates family so that they can familiarise themselves with their new home prior to arriving (Dowling Welch, 2004). However providing practical assistance is jus t one of the many tasks that need to be done prior to departure. Not only is it important to ensure that expatriates are trained adequately, it is especially important when it comes to training others. Expatriates are often used for training because there is a lack of suitably trained staff in the host location. Therefore it is essential that expatriates are trained how to lead, motivate and develop employees, paying particular attention to the managerial training of Host Country National Third Country Nationals as well as having the ability to transfer their skills and knowledge in a culturally appropriate manner. But how are these expatriates prepared for this training role? Unfortunately there is little research on this topic. However it has been suggested by Dowling, Festing and Engle (2008) that multinationals could improve the quality and content offered to expatriates in their role of training HCNs as their replacements would be to better utilise the knowledge transfer process when expatriates are repatriated. In theory, all expatriates should be provided with adequate pre-departure training prior to their dispatch on an individual assignment. However, in practice, organisations often give priority to training their parent country nationals, while comparatively neglecting the training needs of their host country nationals who being transferred into parent country operations and third country nationals who being transferred to another subsidiary. This could lead to perceptions of inequity, especially in situations where third country nationals do not receive the same level of training as others who are working in the same foreign location. But why should multinational companies use and go on to train host country nationals and third country nationals. According to Dowling, Welch Schuler (1999) possible motives for MNCs to use HCNs, in particular, is that they can help to enhance a sense of corporate identity, help save on costs particularly when skills are needed and also to help facilitat e firm based training. The use of HCNs may also help in broadening the outlook for PCNs within the company From this it is clear that training for host country nationals and third country nationals is essential, as it helps facilitate an understanding about the corporate strategies, corporate culture and socialisation. This will help the MNC to achieve a competitive advantage, which is why it is important to ensure that knowledge and skills are distributed throughout the whole organisation. It is for that reason, that the main objective of international training should be to develop an understanding of cultural differences and an ability to work with host country nationals in order to facilitate management know-how transferred from the parent country. Before I pass you on to Helena who will talk about training for non-standard international assignments and the effectiveness of pre-departure training, wed like to take a quick break from our presentation and engage in a little activity weve created based on the topics weve covered so farà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ ACTIVITY PERSON: Helena Increasingly, multinational companies, faced with cost issues and rising staff immobility, are substituting or complementing traditional expatriate assignments with other types of international assignments. These so-called non-standard international assignments include: short-term, commuter, rotational, contractual and virtual assignments. The most popular form of non-standard assignments continues to be the short-term assignment. However, this important organizational activity has received limited attention compared to the burgeoning literature on traditional expatriate assignments. The Role of International Assignments in Managing Foreign Operations As mentioned above, it has long been recognized that international assignments play a critical role in the conduct of international business. For example, have been regarded as serving three purposes: filling a specific position or skills gap; for management development; and organizational development and for organizational development. What are Short-term International Assignments? Typically, the length of the assignment is a decisive factor in determining whether the assignment is defines short-term assignments as: longer than a business trip, yet than the typical expatriate assignment. Short-term international assignments are usually classified as assignments between one to twelve months. Results of studies relying on empirical data of company practices are in line with this definition. According to a survey 50% of member companies required the assignment to be at least 1-3 months in order for it to be categorized as a short-term assignment. Furthermore, 81% of member companies limited short-term assignments as being 6-12 months at the most. Implementing Short-term International Assignments (1) Recruitment and selection: It seemed to be a rule rather than an exception that formal selection is not conducted for short-term assignments. Commonly, short-term assignees work for specific international projects that demand certain skills and expertise. (2) Training and development: In connection with international assignments, training typically refers to country-specific and cross-cultural training. Generally speaking, interviewees reported that country-specific or cross-cultural training is not provided for employees leaving for short-term assignments but for the assignment country involves high cultural distance. (3) Compensation: two characteristic features of short-term international assignments lasting up to 6 months are: that salary payment remains in the home company; and that the companys travel policy forms the basis for compensating assignees. Accordingly, it is natural that the home country salary forms the basis for the assignment compensation. Depending on the situation, various additional elements can be added to the base salary. (4) Performance management: A formal performance management system is used oftentimes. Short-term assignees are treated as any employee in the company. If, for example, the system in use includes twice-a-year goal setting or evaluation discussions between the worker and the manager, this also applies to the assignees. (5) Repatriation: Unlike what has been reported for long-term international transfers, in most of the cases repatriation from short-term assignments was regarded as unproblematic by the interviewees. The effectiveness of pre- departure training The objective of pre- departure training is to assist the expatriate to adjust to the demands of living and working in a foreign location. Organizational social support: Organizational social support encompasses supervisory, co-workers and home country organization social support. Additionally, social support provide expatriates with information about what is acceptable and unacceptable in the new work context (Black et al, 1991). Intercultural training: In most multinational corporations, intercultural training programs are generally superficial, incomplete or nonexistent (Brewster, 1995).And intercultural training enhances expatriates intercultural adjustment. Besides, expatriates who had received cross cultural training had a better level of interaction adjustment and higher levels of skill development. Language training language is sufficiently important in its own right to warrant a more focused treatment (Welch et al., 2005). Indeed, the separation of language from cultural values has been beneficial in some respects because it has enabled researchers to demonstrate the strong, consistent influence of language on a wide range of issues in MNCs, such as intercultural communication, information flows, coordination, control, and structures, knowledge transfer, social identity, power and advancement, and power and language policy decisions. I will now pass you on to Alice who will discuss the Development of staff through international assignments and trends international training and development and finally conclude our presentation. PERSON: ALICE RYNNE. Developing staff through international assignments p150 Thanks Helena. Okay, so developing staff through international assignment. International assignments have long been recognised as a crucial factor in developing international knowledge. The expected outcomes of international assignments can be categorised into two main headings, namely management development and organisational development. Management development occurs through expatriates gaining experience and knowledge, which can aid in career progression. In terms of the multinational, the company benefits by encompassing a collection of experienced international operators, and for future development of the company, having a pool of candidates to draw from for later assignments if need be. International assignments also present the multinational with different avenues to accumulate knowledge, skills and abilities, all of which can be utilised, and in fact be the base of the companys future growth. This is labelled as organisational development. An individuals global outlook, acquired through international assignment, is another key benefit gained from expatriates adopting a broader view. As discussed by the other Alice, expatriates are mediators of the organisation and of socialisation, ultimately assisting in the transfer of new information and ability within the multinational. In terms of individual development, it is evident that international assignments are a type of developmental tool adopted by management that seeks to provide select employees with international opportunities. These opportunities are designed to enhance their abilities within the workplace through exposure to foreign environments, tasks and challenges. Expected financial gain to compensate individuals for the inconveniences of being transferred abroad continue to play an important role in encouraging employees to accept international assignments. In fact, in 2008, less than a quarter of multinational companies said they failed to provide expatriates with additional remuneration. However, in recent studies, it was found that 73 per cent of multinationals provide these financial premiums systematically for long-term assignments only, as compared to only 31 per cent of multinationals offering financial incentives for short-term assignments too. Aside from the cash incentives, the opportu nity for career enhancement and advancement plays a very important role motivating staff to accept international assignments. This trend is common for individuals in smaller populated and advanced economies, for example, Australia, Sweden, New Zealand and The Netherlands, where the local economy is not considered large enough to provide the required development and growth opportunities for future management. Moreover, it can also be attributed to the fact that international assignments also provide the opportunity for ongoing growth in revenue. In such a situation, the individual understands that international experience is frequently a requirement for furthering their development, and gives the individual higher credentials for future employability. International assignments also provide an individual with greater marketable skills such as strategic thinking, flexibility and negotiation ability, improved decision-making, greater confidence and authority, more maturity and better pe ople management skills, all of which are attractive qualities to future employers. Now moving away from individual development and along to the subtopic of developing international teams through international assignments, aside from individuals gaining management development skills, international placement can also be the training ground for the international cadre. The benefits of international teams, particularly related to networked organisations, are as follows: A mechanism for fostering advancements, organisational learning and the transfer of information, A means of breaking down boundaries (both functional and national), enhancing communication and data flows, A way of encouraging diverse inputs into judgements, problem solving and strategic evaluations, A way of developing global perspective, and; A way of developing shared values, thus assisting in the use of informal, normative control through socialisation. Research and development and international projects are common situations where teamwork is utilized. It is fair to deduce that international assignments have the potential to form significant team connections by exposing employees to numerous parts of the global organisation. In many cases, expatriates continue communication with these networks long after completion of their assignment. These predominately informal networks can later be activated for work situations, such as providing membership of project t